derailer | Reverie - Ingo Palace

Acceptable... acceptable... seriously, no respect!

[ she comes with a Sigilyph. Hi, Lucretia. ]

Da Vinci-? When did you arrive here?

[meanwhile, frillish is floating over to say hello to her pokemon.]

From the sounds of it, I take it we've been the same direction.

Not that long ago. [ As the Sigilyph dips the weird-looking head to say hello. ]

But yeah, I imagine so. Sphinx?

That's the one.

[she gives her a nod, at that. clearly cats share a braincell.]

Some form of matching game, if it was any different for you-- though I hope he doesn't mind some of those questions being included.

Nope, exactly the same. And I'm sure he knew there was a chance of some private things coming up, but you know how it is. The benefits are greater than the risk.

And in situations like this-- even those sorts of details are important.

[she's quiet, a moment, before turning her attention to the subway map.]

I'm not sure if you've had the time to travel anywhere else, but Emmet, Hilda, and I went to Nimbasa first. [she pulls out a second tablet to show da vinci, there.] I was considering asking our attendant there if he has any ideas about where to take less experienced Pokemon, next-- Frillish hasn't had the easiest time of things so far.

This was my first stop. [ She doesn't look at all surprised to learn that Emmet and Hilda are already hitting the ground running. ]

So if you don't mind, I'll tag along. Sigilyph hasn't battled yet, but bolstering the ranks is always a solid idea. We don't know how many trainers are going to have more than one Pokemon, anyway.

I think that'll be our best shot, then.

[while she's thinking of it, too, she takes a moment to give sigilyph a scan, checking its info and types.]

...it looks like we'll have to be particularly careful with... [cross-checking her info, just a moment.] Electric, dark, and ghost against both of ours, if we run across them, so we'll most likely want to avoid anything else that shares those weaknesses.

Then if we really want to be careful, we'll want Ground, Bug, Fighting... maybe a Dark type of our own. [ Thank god she researched Pokemon types just because she's dating two big battlers. ]

Then let's go ask our friend where to look.

[thank god One of them knows pokemon. she's still learning, here.]

Let's. I'm sure we'll be able to handle it, between the two of us.

Perfect. Then-- excuse me! Good buddy and Pokemon Provider, two lovely ladies would like to ask you your recommendations when it comes to catching wild Pokemon!

[ This poor attendant. ]

"Well... buddy," he says, repeating her term as he takes the time to think. "Victory Line is gonna have some. It's redirecting to a cave right now, and you know how caves are. But word is the Pearl Line has a lot of Pokemon too. I haven't been there myself..."

Either of those should do the trick, then-- any preferences, Da Vinci?

Absolutely Pearl. Artist's aesthetic.

[ Firmly. ]

Then I'll defer to your sense of aesthetic.

[let's go to the pearl line!]

You step down the stairs, and see an old-fashioned, steam-powered train pulled up to the platform, ready for boarding. Only one car has doors open for you to enter. Thankfully, the fog is much less dense here.

... I'm wondering if the fog is literal mind fog... [ As she steps onto the train. ]

I wouldn't be surprised, all things considered, but if that is the case... it seems a bit better here.

[she's stepping onto the train as well, taking a moment to look around the car.]

The train is similarly old-fashioned inside, but there are photographs framed lining the walls of the train car. The photos are washed-out, as if done with outdated technology, even though the scenes depicted are from dynamic angles that don't seem like they would be possible with old cameras. They depict many different people and Pokemon.

The scenes depicted in the pictures include:
- A tall young man with long purple hair looking offended, another man by his side fighting off a headache.
- A girl playing a flute on a snowy cliff's edge.
- A shirtless man flexing in the snow.
- An older woman feeding her Bibarel.
- A Gligar in some ruins, looking down at a berry on the ground.
- A young man smiling next to Ingo, looking down at the vast snowy landscape glowing in the sunrise, from atop a high ledge.
- Sneasler climbing a sheer cliffside, a basket on her back.
- An aloof girl with a Croagunk.

[ Da Vinci peers at the photos, before glancing a little more closely at the girl playing the flute. ]

Where he was before he came here... when he and Emmet were separated. It would explain the lack of fog... of course he'd remember this if it was pretty recent.

Lingering over it, you understand something:

You're not sure you would be alive today without the graciousness of Irida. She wasn't the leader of the clan at the time that she first met you, but she was already a contender. And she was firmly the leader in your heart, with how she helped you settle into the community, despite your large gap in age. No one cares more about the wellbeing of every single member of the clan. You were proud to be a member, when it was to help that cause. You were honored to be a Warden who served closely under her leadership. And you were happy to help cultivate in her a love of raising Pokemon. Once she was on your side, the whole settlement would follow.

That would do it, then. How familiar are you with it?

[while da vinci looks at that one, she's peering at the photo of the young man with ingo.]

Not as much as I could be. [ dryly, leaning back from the photos. ]

For example, I hope they don't ask us questions about these people.

I've already succeeded on some guesswork once, I'd rather not repeat it either. Luck is only going to go so far...

[but if they can find pokemon here, hopefully it will be more battle focused,]

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davincible - 2023-01-19 06:18 (UTC) - Expand

You understand...

He wasn't the one who helped you most in the settlement, but he was your biggest fan. He found your strangeness admirable and not off-putting. And you admired the courage it took for him to confess to you. In your loneliness, how could you refuse him? Someone who was invested in you, with a kind heart, who never spoke wrong of anyone, and always tried to do his part? He deserved someone to take care of him. ...That person couldn't be you anymore. You felt nothing when you considered your future. Maybe you helped him, but he couldn't help you. You hope he forgives you, and thinks well of you, still.

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ambiography - 2023-01-19 06:17 (UTC) - Expand

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derailer - 2023-01-19 07:11 (UTC) - Expand