Seventh Spell: In Azalea Town. Text [open to voice/video].

[behindblueskin]

Getting to Azalea Town took a little longer than Keldor expected it to. Between fog so thick that traveling on foot was inadvisable due to the high likelihood of possible injury from unseen hazards, drizzle and just general cold that comes with the change in season, what would normally take a week to travel the route to Azalea ended up nearly taking two.

[Which gave the Stantler he'd rescued not that long ago time to catch up to him and practically beg to join up with him in gratitude.]

But he got here anyways, and wasted no time in visiting the Pokemon Centre to heal up his 'mons and in getting himself a room to rent, just so he could get warm again [cold weather is not something Keldor is used to]. Which took another few days just to get the chill out of his bones.

Currently Keldor's sitting in one of the local Tim Hoothooton's, enjoying what passes for coffee in these parts. It's not great [really it's better as a handwarmer and a source of caffeine than it is a drink], but he does rather enjoy the small, sweet round bits of baked goods he got to go along with the coffee [he'll get more of them before he goes].

As he does this, he types out his message.

I shall make this as brief as possible. The season of cold is about to start, and with all the equipment I need to carry it would be difficult to have to carry it all myself. Would it be better to have one's pokemon carry some of it, or would obtaining a vehicle be more ideal?

Pause. He had been drafting up a design for a small vehicle like a cart that could have both wheels and skids so it could be used year round, but maybe someone has a better idea.

What have you used in the past, those of you who have resided here longer?

Comments

Voice

[lightningbearer]

"Not one for traveling light?"

Don't mind Geddoe, he's still not great with the whole typing thing.

[behindblueskin]

That's what voice is for.

"It was light, months ago, but it ended up being decidedly not light. Blankets. Heavy clothes. Shelter from the elements."

Et cetera.

The last time he had to haul that much stuff around, he'd just been banished from Eternos.

[lightningbearer]

"You're wearing enough to keep warm, right? A tent or something to keep wind and rain off and regular supplies will usually be plenty along with that."

Maybe not comfortable, and definitely needing a thorough shower and doing some laundry upon hitting the next town, but certainly sufficient. As a mercenary Geddoe's used to traveling with a bare minimum.

"Those sleeping bags they have here seem like they'd be pretty good, too."

[behindblueskin]

And he reeked. Oh boy, did he reek. Bad enough that the shower and laundromat was given for free.

"I am, I think. So far what I have has proven adequate against the weather, but I suppose it would be advisable to get more. I am not very experienced with the cold."

Clothes, of course.

"A tent I do not have, but I did acquire tarps to construct lean tos to provide me some shelter at night or during bad weather."

They worked, for the most part.

[lightningbearer]

If the locals didn't want people showing up to town smelly after being out on a route for a week or two, they should clearly have better travel options available. Even with a change of clothes on hand it's rather hard to bathe in the middle of winter.

"If what you're wearing keeps you warm just standing around, it should keep you warm, sleeping, too. So long as you keep the weather off. Cold's mostly just annoying, unless you get wet."

Then all bets are off and you better hope you can get a nice hot fire going quickly or something.

"I don't know if it's the same in this world, but usually it's food that's harder to come by in winter. If your clothes are warm enough you don't need lots of blankets, but if you didn't bring enough food and there's nothing to forage you'll have trouble."

[behindblueskin]

Inadequate transportation. The complaint of the year.

"Then I shall not worry about my attire."

Just make sure that he has a change available when things get soggy.

Food, though...

He's going to need a lot more than Timbits if he intends to venture into Ilex Forest and on to the next route into Goldenrod.

"What is best for nourishment when one is traveling in winter?"

That cart you want to make, Keldor my lad? You might want to make it bigger.

[lightningbearer]

"Stuff that's not gonna freeze."

That was a joke.

"Here? Just get some of the dried stuff that's supposed to be good for hiking. Like the jerky and dried fruits. They make some kinda bar-thing that seems pretty good too. As long as you can find water easily, you just want food that keeps you going like that."

Ideally some nice calorie-dense stuff that's lightweight, in other words. Much easier to find here with all the modern tech than where Geddoe's from.

"So long as you have enough to eat you can endure a bit of cold, so you shouldn't need to carry much more than you would in the warmer months. And even then going short a few days is doable if you know you'll get to town soon enough."

[behindblueskin]

One day Keldor will learn to tell when Geddoe is telling a joke.

"Duely noted."

But today is not that day.

"I believe that there is a shop for what they call 'outdoor supplies'. When I can I shall peruse it to see what it offers to travelers regarding edibles."

Video

[crystalmaster]

Hey, glad to see you got there safe! How was the trip?

Re: Video

[behindblueskin]

Difficult to see at times. And cold.

[Definitely "do not recommend".]

Re: Video

[crystalmaster]

Yeah, I was afraid it'd be like that.

[behindblueskin]

It is quite different to traversing across a desert or even venturing into a jungle.

[And the jungle in question is very much a "stay out of it". Though it is warmer.]

[crystalmaster]

... Neither of that sounds appealing either. Back home, I live in a more desert-like area, but it's pretty close to a city.

[lightningbearer]

At least Geddoe isn't particularly bothered if he's the only one who gets the joke. Then again, given how deadpan his humor is, that's probably not terribly surprising.

"Apparently the locals consider it normal for kids here to travel on their own with just their Pokémon, so they've probably got stuff that's not too much to carry."

Again, provided one is fine with roughing it a bit and possibly wearing the same clothes a lot. That last point probably being one that said kids find easiest...

text

[singlespacedad]

I haven't been here that long, but we rented an apartment for the winter.

You could get a storage unit somewhere for the stuff you don't need immediately.

[behindblueskin]

It has been many a year since last I ventured into Vine Jungle, but its hazards are still fresh in my memory.

[He'll take the Sands of Fire over Vine Jungle any day. At least fire geysers can be avoided.]

[crystalmaster]

[Yikes, even the name is unsettling.]

... Do the vines grab you?

[That sounds about like what would happen.]

[behindblueskin]

It's easy for Keldor, too, what with being from a Same Clothes Every Day canon.

"But they are young and still small. They probably do not require as much as their more mature peers, save for when they are in distress."

And no doubt adults are more likely to help out a kiddo in trouble than some grown man [grown women they might also help], should things get difficult.

Keldor, well... He's gotten a little too used to doing things for himself without anyone else to help him.

[behindblueskin]

Among other things.

[Hence why it's a "stay out of it" place. Even the foliage will try to attack you.]

[crystalmaster]

There's probably carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps too, huh?

[Yeah, he never wants to go there.]

[behindblueskin]

Yes. Such things can be found there. It is not a place many venture to if they expect to return.

[Fire geysers are better than killer plants, hands down.]

[crystalmaster]

It sounds like the stuff of nightmares.

[behindblueskin]

Because it is. After my... After I... I went east, rather than go too far towards the north, lest I find myself in the jungle instead of heading out towards the deserts.

[crystalmaster]

Yeah, that sounds like a place to avoid at all costs.

[behindblueskin]

And so I did, the only other time I came anywhere close to it being when I decided to visit my people's home in Anwat Gar.