victory_road | May Catch All

Ever since the aftermath of prom, Dimitri has been rather... withdrawn, to a degree. He still patiently goes out every day to train with his team, of course, but it's obvious that he's been incredibly bothered by what happened. Guessing why isn't particularly hard - he was locked away from the people he most cares about during a raid, and then got to hear about how Chip got possessed.

A bit of space away from it all, some time to decompress in the pleasant town of Olivine, has been helping... just, bit by it, steadily. Sometimes time is all that can really be done to help something like that, even if Dimitri's training sometimes keeps him out late. He rarely shows up early nowadays...

Except today, where Claude will hear Dimtiri calling for him. Or, well. Sor of calling for him.

"CLAUDE! Claude, where are- no no no no, Gwin, hold on, hold it in, we're almost - Claude!"

Claude's spent a decent chunk of the time after prom worrying about Dimitri and how withdrawn he's been. He's tried to draw him out of his shell as best he can, but...the damage isn't so easily smoothed over, all the more so because it's mostly pain from old scars that run deep.

So when he hears Dimitri yelling for him, the only thing that stops his Gear from hitting the floor at screen-cracking force as he launches off the bed is a startled Sturm managing to catch it with sticky-padded fingers.

"Dimitri? Dimitri!" He's kneejerk alarmed, running towards his voice, not knowing what could possibly make Dimitri call for him like this but intending to find out immediately. He'll practically skid right into the man. "What's wrong?"

It's not just Dimitri Claude almost runs into. He has Gwin's tiny blue body cradled in his arms and... something else. It's only apparent for a split second: the way the little Swablu is practically fidgeting in place, wings fluttering, cheeks puffed out - and a peculiar light seeming to well up deep within him.

The second Claude shows up, that light quickly becomes less something within, and something that overtakes his entire body.

It happens in the blink of an eye, before Dimitri can say anything. The light unfurls, hiding within it an immense body, and soon.... Claude will find himself with a faceful of cloud. So much cloud. Maybe a body in there?

Pulling back will reveal just exactly what's happened. No longer a tiny little orb with wings, Gwin has grown... and grown... and grown up into a massive Altaria who's body seems to take up most of the hallway, almost - or maybe that's just how it looks when someone is still prying their face from something that looks and feels suspiciously like cloud.

Although it can't be denied that Gwin is huge, now. Huge enough that he seems to almost entirely envelope Dimitri himself, only his legs visible from beneath the white mass as he still somehow tries to keep a grip on his Pokemon. Gwin's neck has now not only become apparent, but seems to have made up for its absence as it rises high enough that the bird is forced to curve it and look down at Claude.

Gwin makes a trill.

Dimitri's voice manages to come through. "Adarllwchgwin evolved."

Well, this is the most thing that's happened to Claude in a few days.

The cloud somehow does and doesn't have give, but something in it has substance enough that Claude can push himself back somewhat to blink up at Gwin. It takes him a few moments for his brain to catch up with the everything that's just happened...but once it does, he breaks into a grin. "Hey, Gwin! You've really grown up fast, huh? In more ways than one."

He tries to catch sight of Dimitri around Gwin, but...that's probably not going to be possible until Dimitri puts the Altaria down and steps away from it a bit. "I'm glad I got to be here for it, but...what about Gabby? She should be here too, shouldn't she?"

From past all the cloud, there's an answering 'mooooooooooooooooooooooo', and the sound of little hooves thumping against the hotel carpet. Some of the cloud fluff is shoved up and out of the way, until the Gabby in question can stumble through onto the other side where Dad 2 is. Wobbling upright again, she tilts her head back and moos again at Claude in delight before pointing at Gwin.

Look! He got bigger!

"It started to happen rather suddenly," Dimitri says, still mostly obscured by Gwin's body. "It did not feel right to exclude you..."

Claude smiles in relief and delight when he sees Gabby. "Oh, good. Gwin's sister needed to be here for this." He reaches down and scoops her up in his arms so he can hold her up towards Gwin's head, now that it's so much higher off the ground than before. He figures she should be able to get a good look at him.

Claude, meanwhile, cranes his head to look for Dimitri. "Come on over here, نور چشمم. You're not still holding him up, are you? You should get a good look at him."

Gabby makes a little gurgling moo of delight, reaching up at the same time that Gwin lowers his head so that she can lightly pat at his face. He trills a little, wiggling in place.

That certainly isn't helping Dimitri's case here, and he makes a small noise from within the fluff. "But - I have always been holding him, Claude." His tone is that of a dad who has refused to come to terms with the idea that he can't regularly hold his child now.

It's his child, Claude.

"You put him down sometimes when he was smaller, too," Claude says patiently. "You haven't been holding Gwin every moment since he was hatched. You can pick him back up later if you want! But for right now, you do want to get a look at him, don't you? You can't do that buried in his wings."

Claude supposes that when you're as strong as Dimitri is, there aren't many pokémon Dimitri has to worry about getting too big and heavy for him to hold.

It's hard to argue with that kind of logic - you know, when Dimitri has slept a full eight hours, eaten regular meals, and isn't on a delusional streak. So there's a pause from within the cloud fluff.

"I... I do," he admits, and there's some rustling within the feathers. Slowly, slowly, Gwin begins to lower as he is placed onto the ground. From the fluff emerges Dimitri, looking as frazzled as he was before, although now a little sheepish as well. Straightening up, he looks down at Gwin - how much bigger he's gotten, the long curve of his neck.

Excuse him, he has to press a hand to his heart now.

Claude grins at Dimitri looking stricken, sidling over to him. "Isn't he big and impressive now?" he asks, leaning against Dimitri's side, Gabby still held comfortably in his arms. "All grown up...but still very definitely Gwin. He's gonna be a menace with that long neck of his, y'know. We're going to have to work pretty hard to keep any squishable things we don't want squished out of his beak."

Gwin lets loose a little trill, head bobbing from side to side, as if asking Who, me? in response to all those allegations. It's still very much a 'him' sort of response, and Dimitri smiles just a bit, leaning against Claude in turn.

"He already roughly knew how to open zippers," Dimitri murmurs, as Gwin leans down again at Gabby's reaching hooves. "But his round little body couldn't quite get into the places he wanted. With a long neck, that's going to be so much worse..." He's still smiling as he says it, reaching out to softly stroke the neck in question.

"It's peculiar... I have seen so many evolutions now, but this one is hitting me particularly hard. I wonder why."

"Because he's ours, right?" Claude says, looking up at Dimitri with a smile. "I mean, mostly yours, because I gave him to you, but...it meant a lot to you when I did. And we've shared a lot of being with him and watching him grow up. Gabby evolving would hit you just as hard, probably, if Miltanks evolved. But once she gets big, you'll be just as emotionally overcome." He chuckles, looking down at her fondly. "Or who knows? Maybe she'll stay small. Some pokémon do have size differences within the species..."

"She's already gotten a little bigger since she hatched," Dimitri murmurs, watching as the little Miltank rubs her face against Gwin's head, a delighted and happy nuzzle. "She didn't used to have horns when she first hatched, and her udders hadn't properly developed... Whitney's Miltank partner is three times as big. Can you imagine that..."

Hearing Whitney's name draws out a happy moo from Gabby, and she tilts her head back to beam at them. This allows Gwin to just shove his head up against her chest, for more hug.

Leonardo has brought a few supplies with him to this meeting in the park. A sketchbook (not his own), some pencils and pens, and a few sticks of charcoal he'd managed to get his hands on. His Smeargle sits nearby, drawing his usual circles wherever he finds the space for them.

Leonardo finds a picnic table and sets up shop, waiting for his friend to emerge from the Pokemon Center so that the lesson may begin.

Edited (tenses my archnemesis) 2021-05-09 01:22 (UTC)

As he often does when he needs to use the warp pads, Dimitri takes a few minutes when he arrives to simply sit on a bench in the Pokecenter to catch his breath. It's still a strange and bewildering experience. Is that how it is with all teleportation, or just the warp pads?

Once he's caught his breath again, he takes a step outside with an Audino happily bouncing behind him. Once he's near enough to the park to see Leonardo, his steps hurry. "Leonardo! I apologize for taking so long."

He's not really late at all, but Dimitri often feels that way.

"Oh! Hello, Dimitri!" If Dimitri is late, Leonardo's the last person who'd notice. He steps away from the table for a moment in his haste to greet his friend, customary hug and all.

"I wasn't sure if you had any drawing supplies, so I brought some for you, just in case. You may keep them, if you like."

The sketchbook, unlike his own, is bound with a stylized thunder stone graphic on the front. The pens have similar pokemon branding on them, proclaiming that they are Inkay Pens and have a small squid-shaped logo on them.

Now that he's had the pleasure of running into Leonardo a few times, Dimitri is a little more prepared for his way of greeting others. He bends down a bit, helping make the embrace a little more comfortable.

As they pull away, he bows his head gratefully. "I did not, actually... I thought about purchasing some in a store in Mahogany, but the choice was rather overwhelming." What would be best for a beginner? He hadn't the foggiest. Still, his smile is grateful. "I will have to pay you back one day for such consideration."

"We all start somewhere. Usually with supplies we borrowed from someone else with no intention of returning." He smiles, still encouraging, as they move to sit down.

He fidgets with his hands, thinking of where to begin and where to end and how to bridge over the gaps in between.

"The most important thing I will tell you is this: you must always try to draw from some kind of reference. Your drawings will look better if you have an idea of what you are attempting to draw. Everything else I may tell you is helpful advice, which you can take or discard as you like, but this is essential."

Settling down as well, Dimitri listens carefully as Leonardo begins to explain to him. It sounds so obvious when he says it like that... but Dimitri supposes it never really would have occurred to him. He supposes it's just because he's an artist, and has never bothered with such a thing.

"I see... Then, I will make sure to follow that advice. Although..." Dimitri frowns, slightly. "What if the thing you are attempting to draw is constantly on the move?"

Leonardo hums, thinking about it carefully. "There are a few ways you could go about it." He thinks of the whirls of water, never satisfied, always flowing. "One is to attempt to capture that motion in the work. It may look a little messy, but it will give your drawing life and emotion, which makes up for it more than you might think."

He taps his hands on the table, drumming softly. "Or you might break the moving object into shapes as it stills. If when you look over, you see the subject's hands, draw their hands, and if the next time you look over, you see their legs, draw their legs."

Leonardo continues. "Sometimes when you use a reference, it is best to make a series of small drawings instead of a single large one. Then you can combine what you have learned from the small studies into the larger version. So that is a thing you can do, if your subject cannot stand still."

So capturing the motion messily, capturing different parts of the subject whenever you look, and making many small studies into a larger one... Dimitri nods slowly, committing the advice to memory.

"The idea of capturing motion through mess is... an intriguing one to me," he admits. "Although I suppose that is something I should focus on in the future. For a novice like myself, I imagine first starting with less energetic subjects would be for the best. Although... How did you start?"

He was practically born with a pen in his hand, and he gestures with those hands as he speaks. "Well, I often carried a little notebook with me as I explored the fields and rivers around my home, because I was very curious about the things I saw there."

Leonardo brightens up, and he turns his gaze a bit skyward as he recalls his teacher fondly. "But when it comes to art as a profession, I learned from a very skilled man named Verrochio. I would do things like mix paints, prepare the painting surface, and, when I grew more skilled, paint minor characters while he would handle the main ones. But painting is a different skill from drawing, and requires more... space and time, while drawing can be done whenever one has a spare moment.

So, when it comes to drawing, I would say that it is very helpful to start with subjects that interest you, no matter how small they may seem, or how difficult they may be to capture in your work."

Edited (added a bit) 2021-05-14 20:58 (UTC)

It makes sense for drawing and painting to be so very different, despite how one would assume they naturally go together, and Dimitri nods. He's not sure how well he would do with painting, quite frankly... Best to stick to something a little more available to him. He would call it 'easier' but, well, that doesn't quite seem right to say.

"When it comes to things that interest me..." Hm. Dimitri has to think on that. He put so much of his efforts into becoming a better warrior, that he never really had time to think about anything else he liked. Here would be the first time...

Dimitri glances back at the Audino that's stayed standing behind him all this time - well, wiggling from side to side with uncontainable energy, and that's kind of the same thing. "I suppose Paliens would be a good place to start, wouldn't they?"

Leonardo nods, eyes bright. "Yes, they would be an excellent place to start." His sketchbook is filled with drawings of pokemon, people, places, all manner of things, but pokemon most of all. "They're all so unique, I can't see how one would run out of subjects." Sometimes he sketches ones he sees in the wild, on the road, and sometimes he sketches his own, and sometimes, if given the chance, he'll sketch other people's.

"And I'm sure that some of your companions would be glad to volunteer their services." He remembers Dimitri's unicorn, proud and showy, eager to be immortalized.

Remembering Fraldariend's eagerness draws a small smile to Dimitri's face as well. The Rapidash has since calmed down, to a degree, but Dimitri doesn't think he would ever get tired of having people's attention on him. Perhaps it would be a good idea, then, to use him for practice...

But Fraldariend is not who he's brought with him today.

"Anglia is a bit energetic, so perhaps it is worth a try," he says, and pats the Audino fondly on the head when Anglia gives a little twirl. "And if not him, then I have many of my companions with me. I'm sure one of them would be able to work with me on this sort of thing."

[Amidst all the wild bullshit that is so prevalent to the world of Pokemon, well, the mundane still needs to be taken care of. And the mundane, for this particular travel group, is trying to find some sort of rental property that will work for, like.... way too many god damn people.]

[Fortunately, in a world so used to various travelers moving around, it's accommodating in this manner. Double fortunately, realtors seem quite happy to nail such a large group.]

[These are just some of the houses visited in their tour to find a good palce to settle down in.]

Their realtor takes on look at Dimitri waiting with Dean outside and says "Oh, I have the perfect house for you", which is how they find themselves at a rather spacious place available to be rented out. The realtor describes it as 'charmingly classic' in reference to its style, including the wide porch steps that lead into the house proper.

The steps aren't the only thing that are wide. Every single doorway is quite considerable as well, plus the stairs that are inside, and there's a certain solidness that can be felt. No creaky stairboards here! Allegedly the original owner had an Emboar starter himself, and this house was constructed with such a thing in mind. For a creature over 300 pounds, that means quite a lot.

With that kind of history, things kept progressing until it became known as a building where fire-oriented trainers came to stay. Reflecting that would be the way that the wood has been treated, utilizing a particular kind of varnish that makes it harder to catch alight. It's not flame proof, merely resistant... but that goes a long way sometimes. Still, part of the rental agreement would be making sure no fire damage happens....

There are also numerous fireplaces throughout the home, including in some of the bedrooms, and all rather sizeable - another indulgence to fire types that might want to curl up nearer to a source of warmth, assuming that they aren't that warmth themselves.

Besides that, it's a rather old fashioned kind of house in utility as much as design. The kitchen was updated quite a few decades ago, and the only kind of heat would be the fireplaces and the only kind of cooling would be the fans installed in a few different rooms. No showers. It is a little pricey... But it has six bedrooms ("More if you converted some of the studies!") and plenty of outdoor space, while being just outside of the town!

Hm? Oh, those wax marks near the fireplaces, and the scorch marks on some of the chandeliers? Don't worry about it. Or maybe worry about it, because some research will reveal that there was apparently quite a haunting of Litwicks and Lampents... during a period in the house's history were it was notable for deaths... Litwick and its line aren't native to Olivine, right?

It's probably fine.

...Next house?

So maybe not the potentially haunted house. But that's fine - there are plenty of water types in the sea, and plenty of rental properties in Olivine! And speaking of water types...

The next property is a bit more pricey - and the last one was already kind of high up on there - but that's fine! In exchange for that high price, it actually has a proper heating and air conditioning system, a completely modern kitchen, four bedrooms in the main house proper plus an extra suite in a separate building that's over a small workshop area! Or it could be a little training area for Pokemon. There are tons of possibilities. And has she told them all about the basement area, which includes a little bar?

Not to mention the prides of the house: a luscious garden area that goes all the way way around from the front to the back, accompanied by a small pond and connecting river that loops around. From the spot in a raised hot tub, a person can lounge and watch their Water and Grass types play without a care in the world! The insides of the pond and connecting little rivers has actually been recently redone, so that even a Barraskewda can zoom through without causing even a scratch! Possibly because the last renter did indeed have one and thus it became kind of a necessary need...

And that's not even going into the lovely little greenhouse stationed in the back yard... Maintenance of the outside gardens will be mandatory according to the rental agreement, but the owner of the house is more than happy to let their renters use the greenhouse for their own green projects! Their realtor makes sure to let Sylvain and Felix especially know that's quite a good deal, for their little bud of joy. Grass types adore sunny little spots to relax in, and a greenhouse would be perfect for their darling to be in, no matter inclement weather!

....Of course, the local Olivine pokemon know this is a pretty sweet spot too. Which is why, as their realtor tries to show off the place to them, eventually they start to get some visitors nosing about. To be particular, some Ferroseed and Corphish who've been hiding in the bushes at the sound of visitors but have gotten a bit more bold. The realtor uses their own Marill and Pikachu to help smack them all back, but they're clearly rather frazzled about the incident as they escort the group off the property.

On one hand, interloping Pokemon. On the other hand, Felix would probably like to use it as an excuse for training.

Still. Maybe next house.

There's a lot of focus on Pokemon needs here, so for this, the realtor tries to consider the humans in the group. That's how they find themselves in a lovely little neighborhood, with a house mixing in a classic exterior and a more modern and done up interior.

While not the largest of the properties, it's still incredibly spacious with a good four different bedrooms. That would make it a bit of a tight fit for the travel group, of course... Still, there are benefits! Much like the house before it, and with less of a pokemon-attracting grotto problem, it has plenty of modern enmities. There are a good few different bathrooms, most of them attached to bedrooms, so it would be a good way to help spread out the need to share such spaces! The realtor is especially happy to show off the shower pressure of them as well - the perfect places to jump in, and wash away the stresses of the workday, or after a particularly tough battle.

The dining room is also a particularly great place for such a large group, with an open floor plan that could keep everyone in the same room no matter if they're at the dining table, eating along the island, or hard at work in the kitchen itself. A larger Pokemon could also be right at home with such an open space, and not get in the way at all!

In contrast to their last stop, this particular house doesn't have the most involved yard space... but it is still yard space! Nice and open, perfect for children to run around and play in with their Lycanroc. The realtor seems especially delighted to inform the group that they won't have any problems with stray Pokemon making their home around the house! The most recent tenant was in possession of a Victreebel who was aggressively territorial and made the yard their own space. Apparently, they left behind the scent of their acid and general aroma, and that's got some staying power! Because of that, the house hasn't had any "visitors". Sure, it might make some of the group's Pokemon a little aggravated until they adjust, but still.

And finally, the part the realtor thought they would really like: the house has been made almost completely soundproof, both to the outside world and within. Ages ago, before the current owner bought it, one of the residents was a woman and her Kricketune lived in it. Obviously some adjustments had to be made after a bit too many neighborly complaints and visits from the Jennies... One of those is that there are still a couple of places along the pillars outside and the rungs on the stairs that some Pokemon can sharpen their claws against to keep them in good health!

But, more importantly... The soundproofing. Perfect so that rowdy children can play, insomniac Pokemon don't wake their trainers up in the middle of the night, and, you know, "various other things" they say with a smile, and maintaining Direct Eye Contact with Grant.

...So that's something.

Still, it's always good to have choices, and the house is a bit cramped for such a large group.

There's no harm in looking at the next house!

Some houses aren't going to be fancy either on the outside or the in, and that's just how it is. It's the price one pays - or, rather, the price one doesn't pay, considering they go for much cheaper. That is the case of the next house on the list to visit... Or, rather, a pair of houses, identical in construction but extremely close to one another, and sharing a yard.

It's nothing particularly fancy - not as dated as some of the prior houses, but not new enough to feel modern, leaving the vibe squarely in 'vaguely old'. Where are walls aren't painted a plain color, they're in cheap and a handful of decades too old. The kitchen is a bit old, with brilliant teal appliances, and that matches the bathrooms, which all seem to be a rather stomach-medication pink...

Are those scratch marks on the wooden floor?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe. See, the prior owner of the house used to rent it out to a bunch of buddies and, well... Those buddies might have had some rather fighty Pokemon. We're talking Mienfoo - the reason why there are such massive living spaces, so that there would be plenty of room for the notoriously temperamental little fighters. Then there would be Obstagoon as well, which explains some of the scratches on the inside of the bathroom sinks... Who's responsible for all the Murkrow that seem to permanently populate the tropical trees outside? Don't... worry about it.

Or maybe worry, and it won't take long for the realtor to admit that the landlord behind this particular property kind of had some trouble with his friends and the Jennies. Making this a rental property is actually a fairly recent development to pay back some fines, apparently, and also just flat out move from Olivine. So it's not exactly done up with much, if any, consideration for particular Pokemon or even, honestly, people. The most that can be expected would be a couple of nooks at the stair landings where small enough Electric types can curl up and be hooked up to a small socket device that either lets them absorb electricity or get it out, depending on the type. The realtor demonstrates this with their own Pikachu, who fits quite snuggly.

Another bonus is that it is two houses on the same property that are technically up for grabs. Each building only has three bedrooms, with the majority of space obviously going to the massive living and dining areas, but spread across two buildings? That's a lot, and hopefully would mean they'd never feel as though they were lacking space.

It's not perfect, but it is something to consider. Regardless, there's always another house to try - the final one of the lot

When the gang meets up the next day for the next house, their realtor seems absolutely delighted, because they've at long last found the perfect house. They're serious!

And it's easy to see why, when the group finally arrives at the place. Much like a few of the other homes in Olivine, this one has a slightly more 'vintage' appearance. This is apparent with the outside, with its small spire, along with the inside's wooden furnishings. Yet it's all kept in incredibly good conditions, with plenty of windows and a fine lighting system that makes the place feel warm. Also what helps make it feel warm: an actual fireplace in the living space.

At three floors, with a basement, there's even plenty of room for such a large family. Some of the rooms are even connected - something their realtor knows they might be concerned about for various reasons, whether in terms of parenting or other things. Combine with with a large living space, and a dining room... It's perfect. The kitchen may be a little dated and a little small, but it's still in fine condition to be used.

And most importantly.... The realtor cheerfully shows them the incredibly cheap price the landlady is asking for in terms of rent. They just need to agree to the usual things - keeping clean, not doing damage to the house, etc, etc - plus taking care of the yard!

Because what makes the yard special is that it is more of a rock garden than anything, with plenty of dirt, sand, rocks, and a couple boulders. You see, the landlady used to live here with a few Pokemon who adored such areas: shuckle, dunsparce, and the like. Tending to that little rock yard is also expected, for some of the more native Pokemon who know that they're to stick in this area.

The realtor insists this whole thing is a steal, and they really only have to deal with a bit of friendliness with the landlady whenever she drops by to see how the garden is doing. And look at all that space! There's even some yard that's grass and trees, near the shed, for people to play or relax in.

Of course... Ultimately, it's all up to them. Maybe some of the other houses made a good impression, or they have different priorities.

It's all up to them.

Dimitri wasn't sure if any of them would want to head out to the Lake of Rage. Unlike with Mahogany Town, it would take a bit of time to go visit and with no warp pad for them to instantly get back to the town. No Pokecenters either, from what he understands...

But with the recent evolution of one of his Magikarp, a hasty visit to a large body of water was going to be necessary anyway... And with Jane's gift of excellent s'more ingredients, well, it just seems to make sense.

And now that they're here... Dimitri has been steadily recovering from the events of prom, and that all seems to come to a head when they arrive at the Lake of Rage. The brilliant evergreens, the reassuring embrace of the mountains all around them, and the crystal-like surface of the lake - it's like coming home for him. Faerghus was a cold and harsh land in many ways, but it had many aspects of it that were beautiful as well, like this place.

While everyone else is setting up at the cabin they've managed to rent out, Dimitri gets permission to unleash his inner-and-not-massively-traumatized child along with the actual child in their travel group.

So that's how they end up at one of the docks in a little rented boat, with Dimitri tossing some bags onto it. "Have you ever been on a boat before, Chip?" Dimitri asks excitedly, while Grindy the Kingler eyes the water alongside him.

"Never!" they exclaim with excitement, jumping up and down next to Dimitri as he loads up the little boat. "I never even went to a pool before!"

That might be cause for concern, but even aside from all the water types that Chip has with them Grant had made very sure that Chip would be following all the safety rules and wearing their life vest properly.

"I did a little bit of fishing when we got here, though. That's how I got Red!" Who isn't...red anymore, but it's fine. She likes her name!

Seeing Chip so excited... It makes Dimitri smile all the more. IT's so good to see that they can still be happy after the mess that happened during the prom. That's the important thing for him.

"It's good that Grant was teaching you how to swim back at Soy and Riegfried's mansion," he says, taking a little more care in how he places down a basket full of sandwiches for the two of them. So many sandwiches - some of them spicy, some of them with lettuce and tomato and things that give a satisfying crunch. "Lakes like this absolutely should be enjoyed to the fullest, especially on hot summer days."

Pausing, he takes stock of everything that he's put into the boat. They have the fishing poles, some things to put on the end of the lines, first aid kits just in case, the lunch...

He thinks he can see everything they need, so Dimitri turns to Chip with a smile and holds his hand out to them. "Alright, let's go! You remember what Grant said about boat safety, didn't you?"

This is asked by a man who may also have had to duck into a small private space with Grant, and inquire about proper (modern) boat safety, which is why he Dimitri is also wearing a life vest.

The good thing about kids and bad experiences is that time is way less relatively compressed and they can bounce back easily from minor traumas. (The bad thing about Chip is that 'being possessed by a ghost and almost hurting people you care about' is a minor trauma.)

Chip beams and grabs Dimitri's hand, letting him heft them down into the boat as well. "I remember! Don't put my hands in or tip it over!" The boat, small as it is, does rock a bit in the water as Chip shifts their weight, and they grip tighter onto Dimitri's hand to keep their balance.

"--whoa!! I-I'm not trying to--!"

Dimitri immediately reaches out to keep them steady, a hand on their shoulder, and smiles reassuringly. "I know, don't worry. I didn't think you did that on purpose or otherwise." What he does think is that it's important to reassure Chip for things like this. He doesn't want their first thoughts to be that someone will blame them whenever anything goes wrong.

He just waits for the boat to calm a little, and then ruffles their hair. "Besides, I'm here with you, and so are all our Palien friends. Even if something does happen, we'll be okay. Do you want to let your friends out now, or wait until we're a little further out - ah, hello, Grindy."

That would be his giant murder crab finally scuttling into the water himself, his massive weight sending small waves against their boat.

They hold as still as they can while the boat settles, and manage a little smile when Dimitri ruffles their hair--which quickly turns into a wide grin when he mentions their Pokemon. "Oh yeah! --um, I think maybe its too shallow for Red here, though? She's really big, and letting everyone else out early doesn't seem fair..."

"Of course," Dimitri agrees, getting the oars in hand now. "And we have to be fair to everyone, don't we?"

Grindy, obviously, does not count, but he's just here as a deterrent so that they can get out onto the water quickly. As Dimitri pushes them away from the dock, Grindy begins to swim alongside them. For such a massive tank of a crab, he seems to know his positioning well enough. Dimitri doesn't bump into him at all, whether with oar or boat. "You just tell me when to stop," Dimitri tells Chip. "So, are you looking forward to catching another Palien here?"

May Catch All

For Claude - backdated roughly last week - their child grows up

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for Dimitri - Drawing Lessons in Goldenrod, 5/15ish

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Backdated - in which James works out the worldbuilding itch

House 1 - Fire Type Time

House 2 - Grotto Comfort

House 3 - polycules need a soundproof house

House 4 - Double Trouble

House 5 - Final Countdown

For Chip - Good Fishing

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