Tenth Spell: "It followed me home." [Video. Open to voice/text/video.]

[behindblueskin]

It's been going on for at least a fortnight now.

Just about every time Keldor's gone out, no matter what for, there'll be a Slowpoke either waiting for him to get there or for him to return to his hotel room.

Now, this is Azalea Town and thus Slowpoke Central™, and therefore you really can't go very far without running into one of these pink lumps with their generous five watts of brain power, and you really can't prove it, but...

Keldor switches on the camera of his pokegear and aims it at the one staring blankly up at him outside the door to the hotel he's staying at; expression that of someone especially dumb.

...he's pretty sure the one he keeps running into is the exact same one.

"..................sssssssssssssssssssssssslllooooooooooooooooooooow.............?"

He sighs, but gives it a pat on its head anyways.

"You do not need to follow me about this locale. It is not necessary."

"..............................pooooooooooooooooooooooooooookeee....................?"

Once he's inside, though, Keldor stops, then wonders aloud one thing:

"Should I capture it? It does seem to desire making me its trainer."

Comments

[behindblueskin]

[He's not looking into the camera right now, and it's angled away from his face so no one can see his expression. If he took life "as it comes", where would he be now if he was home? Back in the palace?]

I... Yes. That might be a philosophy worth investigating.

[Maybe as a thought experiment, at the very least.]

[lifebloomsanew]

I highly recommend it.

They really do live very relaxed, easy going lives. It's a nice way to be.

All Pokemon have something to teach us, honestly.

[behindblueskin]

[He'll give it a go; see if becoming a bit more circumspect in his attitude towards life has benefits. And if not, he can say he did try.]

Yes. I have learned many things through them since coming here.

[And useful skills, too.]

[lifebloomsanew]

So have I! Ever since my first day here, which I think was a long time ago by human standards.

And there's still so many Pokemon I've never encountered.

[behindblueskin]

"Human standards"?

[No, he understands that there are people here who aren't human—Keldor himself isn't. Well. Not fully, anyways. His tone is more "oh, you too?" than "What'chu talkin' 'bout Willis?".]

Yes. There were quite a few new ones encountered during this "Christmas".

[His Crocalor he was told was something never seen in these parts before.]

[lifebloomsanew]

I've only been human for...four years? I think? It's so hard to tell! I'm very, very, very old. Years still feel like nothing.

[Rose laughs.]

Oh yes! I got a new Pokemon, too. Well an egg. But she's a Pokemon now.

[behindblueskin]

[This statement makes him think of Count Marzo. Rumour has it that the now-depowered sorcerer is very old. "How", no one knows. But he's been around for quite a while now.]

I have not been such long enough that it could be measured in years. Months, perhaps.

[Pause.]

It is a strange feeling.

[Especially to one who prided himself on his non-human heritage.]

What was it that you got?

[lifebloomsanew]

Oh there's so much for you to see here! This is such a wonderful world!

And my egg hatched into one of those bread dogs. She's very cute.

[behindblueskin]

And I have seen but only a fraction of it.

[Pause.]

May I see this "bread dog"?

[lifebloomsanew]

Have you done much traveling yet?

Oh, of course! Let me just find her. All of mine just sort of roam free around the caravan. I love traveling, so I have a house that can travel with me!

[behindblueskin]

Only a small amount. I spend a fair bit of time when I reach a new destination so as to give me time to capture and train as needed.

[It's not like before, when he had only Panthor as company during his exile, and hostility from humans to keep him either out of their settlements or in it just long enough to get whatever he needed—usually under cover of darkness.]

Caravan? I had considered building my own form of transport back before the weather turned foul...

[...but he was dissuaded for the moment.]

I should revisit the idea.

[It never hurts to have something to shelter in that's not on the ground.]

[lifebloomsanew]

That just gives you enough time to see everything a town has to offer!

[Rose moves through her caravan, brightly colored tapestries and a number of Pokemon going by in the background.]

Oh it's really wonderful! Rainy tents aren't much fun at all.

[behindblueskin]

[And as it's Azalea Town, he's seen just about everything. Twice.]

A pity that I might not see this little villa for much longer...

[Pause. Sour face.]

On that, I most definitely concur.

[Soggy tents remind him a little too much of his exile. If he's going to have to relive the experience, he's doing it with comfort in mind.]