Reverie - Ingo Palace

[derailer]

Pokemon Spreadsheet

Pokemon Battle Rules

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[derailer]

"I am saying it. You really are doomed to a life of turbulence. You'll never learn how to keep your head down."

[stirtheblood]

What's the point of life if you're just goin' through it with your head down?

[derailer]

"I am living in the service of others. I'll leave you to your spiteful obnoxiousness, then."

He bows, and then turns to exit.

[stirtheblood]

Are you...? You said I'm here 'cause of somethin' ya did for yerself, right?

[More or less.

There is not really anything Vicious can do except follow Ingo out anyway. He shifts Litten so see if he wants to hang out on his shoulder and he goes.]

[derailer]

"Something he did," he says, hatefully. "I have nothing to do with this."

Litten hunkers down on your shoulder. It's a snowstorm outside; the settlement is on the slope of a mountain, and there's ice and snow on the ground.

[stirtheblood]

—Tch! It's damn cold!

[He changes his mind immediately and moves Litten back against his bare chest. Keep the kitten warmer. Keep himself warmer.]

...So "he" brought me here, and you're just givin' me a cat, tellin' me to live in peace and harmony, and washin' yer hands of it?

[derailer]

"I didn't give you the cat." He has no further argument. He is crossing to a different tent, poking his head in to have a conversation in a lowered voice while blocking Vicious from entering it.

Litten happily keeps Vicious warmer, though.

[stirtheblood]

Sounds pretty cowardly t' me...

[That's mostly muttered to himself. Vicious will at least look around the town and get the lay of the land]

[derailer]

Everyone is inside due to the snowstorm. Would you like to go up or down the slope to investigate the town?

[stirtheblood]

[Ehhhhh down. Higher on the mountain seems more cold.]

[derailer]

You pass another tent or two, but more notably, at the base of the slope, you encounter some railroad tracks and a train platform. There is no train at the platform, but there is a glitchy ticket machine with a screen you can interact with.

[stirtheblood]

[Vicious has a brief flash of a vision of something called a "cell phone," and goes over to poke at the ticket screen.


He cannot read any of it, however.]

[derailer]

When you poke the screen a window pops up. Litten reaches out to place a paw on the screen, and then you hear in your head the message that appeared:

"Insufficient plates for purchase."

[stirtheblood]

...Tch. Plates? The hell is that about?

[He kicks the ticket machine.]

[derailer]

Litten meows, worried about your frustration.

Ingo's Shadow is coming down the slope now, pausing on the train platform to look at you. "You're going along with this farce now? I thought you weren't a fan of things people wanted you to do."

[stirtheblood]

I ain't "goin' along" with anythin'! I got no idea what's goin' on or what any of this is!

[derailer]

"And so, because of that, you have no choice but to go along with someone's plan for you. You have no plans of your own."

He hops down off the platform, walking across the empty train tracks to cross them.

"I am going to search for the missing people. Go along with my plan for you, and you will follow me. Go along with his plan for you, and you will wait for the train. Or go along with your own whim, and it will be none of my business. Stand still and perish in the storm. It is all the same."

[stirtheblood]

That's stupid. Plannin' for myself don't mean I gotta do somethin' totally different than what anyone else wants to do. Just means if I do it, it's 'cause I decided to, not 'cause it's the "correct thing to do."

So you want me to come look for the people with ya...? How come?

[derailer]

"I think it's better for you and for other people than dying or being the puppet of another man's selfishness, but what do I know?"

He doesn't slow down to wait for you to catch up.

[stirtheblood]

[After a moment of consideration, Vicious hops down from the platform to follow him.]

So you'd prefer I was your puppet, huh?

[derailer]

"You're fate's puppet. I'm showing you sympathy as a fellow puppet."

[stirtheblood]

Did I forget somethin' important about puppets? 'Cause I'm pretty sure they can't give or receive sympathy.

[Vicious puts his hands behind his head as he walks behind Ingo, casual but taking long enough strides to close the distance between them.]

[derailer]

Litten shifts onto Vicious's shoulder again, digging his claws in just a little to make sure he stays put.

Ingo crosses a bridge over a river, heading towards a great column of ice that is visible even through the storm.

"You did," he says, tersely, before moving on. "The party likely crossed through the territory of alpha Pokemon. We will soon be in physical danger."

[stirtheblood]

[I definitely did not forget he was holding a cat. Vicious steadies Litten with a hand on his back.]

Heeeh... Maybe you're just lurin' me to my death.

[This is said casually. The idea of physical danger doesn't seem to alarm him much.]

[derailer]

"As if you would die so easily."

The Shadow comes to a stop, though, looking to the side. As you have strayed further from the settlement, Pokemon have been here and there in the snow, neither aggressive nor frightened of you. Right now there is a Snorunt looking up at the both of you and shivering.

"...Litten. Would you like to show him your ability?"

Litten meows, turning to Vicious for confirmation.