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Post by UmbralHero on Apr 22, 2020 5:11:04 GMT
Jean-Marie whips together a quick vegetable scramble for herself and a large dish of Pokefood for her Pokemon, sprinkling a generous helping of dried Leppa flakes on top. After she's finished preparing the dishes, she releases Cheri, who squawks angrily at being kept in her ball for so long.
Realizing she is among new people, Cheri puffs up a bit, ruffling her feathers in a wholly unintimidating display before Jean-Marie scolds her.
"Calm, Cheri, these are friends." Upon the reassurance, she flattens her feathers a bit but keeps a guarded stance. As the trainers continue their conversation she spends some time investigating the room and it's occupants, eyeing Sapphire warily. Although she was near twice the size of the Scratch Cat Pokemon, she knew a type disadvantage when she saw it. Soon, her love of food overcomes her curiosity and begins to devour the food set out for her.
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Oct 27, 2020 20:42:28 GMT
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Post by haybalebarn on Apr 23, 2020 9:45:10 GMT
Vess looks to Robin, blinking twice. "I can take a hit, if that is what you are suggesting." Vess continues digging around in the cupboards, grunting slightly. "Do they have an rocks in here..."
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Post by madandy on Apr 23, 2020 18:16:21 GMT
"Sure hope so," Robin replies to Vess, "otherwise might wanna sue the centre for discrimination. Though what'd you call that? Dietism? Vorism? Terraism? Hmm, maybe not that last one." He rattles off as he finishes off the stir-fry.
"Aaaand done!" He begins portioning out the meal onto whatever plates are available. "Stir Fry à la Centre. Come on, plenty for everyone, don't be sh-" he pauses as she catches sight of the meal Jean-Marie made, having previously been too wrapped up in cooking, talking and listening to notice her making it. "Hmm, normally I'd be insulted you didn't let me cook for you, Jeannie, but I get it - probably shoulda said I was cooking for everyone." He thinks for a moment before smiling. "Tell you what - we should get used to doing stuff for each other, huh? How about we share half and half - your thing and my thing - and you can bring the extra portion out to the nurse, what do you say?"
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Post by UmbralHero on Apr 23, 2020 22:57:00 GMT
She blinks, a bite of food raised to her mouth.
"Oh, I am sorry, I did not realize you were cooking for all of us! I am afraid my dish is fairly simple, but I am happy to share." She splits her portion for whoever requests it along with a few bites for the nurse.
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Post by Harbringer of Insanity on Apr 24, 2020 21:46:07 GMT
Between the various offers of food, none of the Pokémon out and about cause too much trouble, all eating peacefully. Nurse Joy, when offered a plate, looks pleasantly surprised, and thanks you heartily.
You five find a table to sit at, all carrying a plate of Robin's cooking. Although by no means haute cuisine, the taste is good, and it's clear that Robin knows what she's doing. It's the first proper meal inside a proper building some of you have had in quite some time, and the first meal of what might very well be many that you five will be sharing together.
As you eat, the storm outside rages further, heavy rain now falling, beating a steady cadenza on the roof and walls of the building. It seems that you're stuck inside for the time being, unless you fancy being drenched to the bone. Still, the Center is empty bar the five of you, nurse Joy, and your Pokémon, and there is enough to do to pass the time until night calls.
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Post by madandy on Apr 27, 2020 18:37:34 GMT
Robin hums as she looks around at the others. It's become pretty clear that all of her new companions are either not comfortable enough with each other to be regularly social or simply wouldn't be even if they were comfortable around each other. Which in turn means it's up to her to provide the stimulus.
However, as ready as she is to socialize, she recognizes that forcing it on them too much is likely to simply make them clam up and, in turn, make them less open to it in the future.
It briefly occurs to her that it might be an idea to simply wait and watch them to get a better idea of each of them, but the thought of that kind of prolonged inactivity and silence sends a shiver down her spine. No, what she needs is something to talk over; something they can do that might create conversation and give her a better sense of these people.
Fortunately, she remembers she has just the thing as she pulls a pack of cards out of her pack. "So, who's up for a game of something? Can play Hearts, Rummy, Crazy Eights, Poker for matchsticks - reckon it's not a great idea to bet money right now. We can play any game you know and teach you any you don't, how about it?" She glances at Vess and smirks. "I'm betting some of you've got a hell of a poker face."
She catches a brief look of uncertainty on Rowan's face, but subtly waves a hand to reassure him that she's not intending to cheat or hustle them. That'd get her no benefit and make them more hesitant to trust her. This was just a bit of a bonding exercise, to get to know each other. Or, at least, for her to get to know them.
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Post by spikehed on Apr 27, 2020 20:15:45 GMT
Orianne cleaned up after Sapphire had finished her frozen meal. She looked out through the window and sighed in frustration.
"I hope this clears up. I'd hate to lose another day of dowsing to bad weather."
The cat seemed equally restless, pacing back and forth at the window. Orianne seemed to sense her pent up energy and dug a small blue shard from her pocket, tossing it on the ground. Sapphire immediately pounced on it, focused on the shiny new plaything.
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Post by ostrich on Apr 28, 2020 14:06:52 GMT
Benji gladly accepts Robin's offer for food. Not that he doesn't know how to cook basic things, of course. He's just really bad at it. So it's a welcome surprise to try the dish and see it's quite good, much better than he's eaten since he left the Samsara. He shares bits of the stir with his pokémon, who nibbles it quickly.
"Hey, this is good, Robin!" he says, his mouth full. "Real good! Yeah, I can agree on leaving you do that forever!" he says with a smile peppered with bits of food. He eats with the yungoos in silence until he's finished, which doesn't take long at all, before returning to studying all the information available.
When Robin offers to play a game, his eyes raise from the pokédex with interest. "Game? What kind of g-- Are those cards?" he says, quickly raising up which almost makes his pokémon fall from its sleep on Benji's hoodie. "What are these? I've never seen cards like that! Did you make them yourself? Aren't they kinda repetitive, though? It must be hard reading them..." he comments in a flurry, getting closer to Robin while waving his hand dismissively at the yungoos, who is complaining about being woken by nipping at Benji's ear again.
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Post by madandy on Apr 28, 2020 18:10:26 GMT
"Huh? Read?" Robin says, confused for a moment before getting himself under control and thinking through what he heard. Reading them? Only kind of cards you read are taro- ah!
He swallows, filing away this new information about Benji - he's familiar with tarot cards. Which, considering how most "tarot readers" operate, means he's probably familiar with cons and swindles. Need to be careful of that.
Still, he finds it odd that he hasn't heard of any other kinds of cards, but after a moment, Robin shrugs. "That's cause you don't read 'em, Dreadlocks, you play with them. See, they..." he pauses, thinking for a moment. "You know, I've never had to explain playing cards before. It's kinda difficult, now I think about it. Anyway," he spreads the cards out on the table, "there's four types of cards - called suits, though I wouldn't recommend trying to dress in 'em unless you wanna look like a d-list supervillain.
"Each suit has thirteen cards - two through ten, a jack, a queen, a king and an ace. The jack, queen and king, called the face cards, can all mean ten, they can mean eleven, twelve and thirteen or they can mean something special. The ace is the "one", but can also be the top card, depending on the game. There's also two jokers that either get left out of the game or have some special rule." He pauses again. "Wow, that aall sounds way more confusing than it really is. Point is, with this group of cards, you can play all kinds of games, on your own or with a group."
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Post by spikehed on Apr 29, 2020 18:36:05 GMT
Orianne yawned and stretched. The walk up and down the hill had been draining. That, combined with the nasty weather had sapped her motivation to do much else for the day..
"Games will be good for the road, but I think I'm going to turn in. Better rested for tomorrow's departure, if the weather breaks."
She stood, but Sapphire all but ignored her. Completely engrossed with the crystal. Orianne groaned and recalled the meowth back to it's ball before reaching down and pocketing the crystal once more.
"Good night. Sleep well."
Picking up her bag, she headed toward the sleeping quarters to pick out a bunk.
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Post by ostrich on May 1, 2020 11:52:10 GMT
Benji listens to Robin's explanation with interest. He takes the cards as they explain, noticing the symbols and numbers, quickly understanding the logic behind it all.
"Ooh, I see. So all of those names before... are they games? Different games?" he asks, a smile on his face as he gives the cards back. "Can you teach me? I can play! I know how to play checkers and chess, but no other games. Where is the board?" he asks, looking around for it.
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Post by madandy on May 1, 2020 17:11:24 GMT
"Night!" Robin calls to Orianne as he begins dextrously shuffing the cards before returning his attention to Benji. "No board needed 'cept a tabletop. Way all games oughta be played," he chuckles. "Let's start with Crazy Eights, that's a simple one..."
He looks up at Jean-Marie. "So, I'm guessing the walking girder over there," he jerks his head towards Vess, "ain't up for something as nice and friendly as a card game, but you wanna join in, Jeannie?"
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Post by UmbralHero on May 2, 2020 5:04:09 GMT
She pauses for a bit, contemplating heading to sleep early to be ready for a long day ahead, but thinks better of it.
"Ah, sure! I can play for a while" She sits down, quickly glancing at Cheri dozing in a Pokebed in the corner. "How do you play?"
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Post by madandy on May 2, 2020 17:28:50 GMT
Robin nods. "Well, first everyone gets dealt five cards and the rest get put in a pile in the middle..."
The rest of the time before turning in is spent with Robin teaching the two a few basic games.
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Post by Harbringer of Insanity on May 6, 2020 22:31:01 GMT
The pamphlets Benji finds contain a variety of topics. Several of them are about the local area, hiking paths, information on the local flora, fauna, and geology, in addition to a couple promoting local tourist draws, including the Pyrite Mining Museum, the old mines, and some ship excursions. There are quite a few pamphlets on Pokémon training and caretaking, from raising baby mon to dealing with minor injuries, as well as general advice and tips on raising specific Types of Pokémon. In addition, there are pamphlets covering healthcare and wellbeing, both for humans and Pokémon. As Vess and Orianne turn in early, each finding one of the free bunkbeds and drifting off to sleep, Robin, Benji, and Jean-Marie spent a couple of hours learning and playing several card games, as outside the storm continues to rage. Eventually, however, you three too head off to bed, Benji splitting off to the right dorm as Jean-Marie and, after some contemplation, Robin, enter the left dorm where Orianne and Vess are already fast asleep. Regardless of when you went to bed, sleep takes you easily, the excitement of the day and anticipation of the journey to come leaving you all weary. As the wind continues to howl into the night, the five of you sleep deeply, undisturbed by dreams, doubts, or nightmares. Regardless of how well you sleep, some of you wake earlier than others, as Vess quietly sneaks out of the dorm room at around 3:30. Vess, you got up extra early, trained with Citadel, had breakfast, and are now walking through town toward the docks. The storm has calmed down little over the night, and the torrent rain from last evening has simmered down to a constant light, but frustrating, drizzle.
When you arrive at the docks, there are a number of sailors already working, checking their ships for any damage they might have sustained in the storm, repairing any such damages, and in general preparing for the coming day of sailing.
Vess looks around appraisingly. Any vessels that are currently here wouldn't have talked to Sevv... they'd be long gone by now. So that meant she needed to focus more on dock workers, and just people who hang around the docks. Oh, and any sort of passenger terminal that might be set up, not that she expects much. Time to start looking…
Vess is well acquainted with the workings of docks and the people working there, and it doesn't take her too long to find the office of the dockmaster on the northside of the port. Not too far from this office there is a small passenger terminal, with no more than two small connections. There are currently not too many dockworkers milling about as far as Vess can see, as most of the people working seem to be doing maintenance and checkups on the ships
Vess heads over to the passenger terminal, and if the lights are on, steps inside.
The lights are on, though there doesn't seem to be anyone inside the small waiting area upon stepping inside
Vess' eyes narrow at the seemingly empty terminal, and she walks around, making sure there isn't some employee lurking where she can't see them. She also keep an eye out for anything that looks like an arrivals/departures log.
At the sound of Vess walking around, sleepy looking man enters the room from a door on the other side of the terminal. "'morning miss. Ya're a bit early, 'fraid to say."
"Not here to catch a ride. Many people come through here?" Vess asks.
"Enough," he says, looking a bit confused. "How come?"
"Looking for my brother. Taller than me, similar features. Would have been through here around a month ago."
"Huh... can't say your face rings any bells, sorry to say. Wha's his name, I can try checking the ledger for ya."
"Sevv Li. Might have used a fake name though... May have tried to be funny with it."
"Gotcha. I'll go check. Wait here for a tick." the man walks back into the office he just came out of. After a couple of minutes, he returns, shaking his head. "Sorry miss, so Sevv's on the list. Couple of Li's, but that's common enough. Few Levi's, but nothing that really stands out or anythin'."
Vess nods to the man. "Sounds like he wasn't here then. Only other details I can think of that might have stood out are that he may have seemed a bit nervous, may have been wearing expensive clothes that might not have seemed natural for him to wear." She breathes in sharply for a moment. "If he caught a ride on a non-passenger ship, got a job or something, any idea who would know?"
The man rubs the back of his head. "Can't say I recall anyone like that, but he might've come through on one of the other folks' shifts or somethin'. As for the other thing... check the dockmaster? He might know, and he should be in by now, or soonish at least."
Vess nods again. "Thanks." She turns around and heads out, heading towards the dockmaster's office.
"No pr'blem, miss. Hope you have more luck finding your bro."
Vess finds the door to the office is locked. It seems the dockmaster hasn't arrived yet. You don't think it should take too long for him to arrive.
Vess waits outside the office door for 20 minutes or so, and if he doesn't show up by then she'd start looking for dock workers to harrass.
Just as Vess is about to leave, a tough looking middle aged woman with short, steely-grey hair shows up, sipping from a cup of coffee. She stops a few paces away from Vess, giving her a flat stare, before sighing. "Come on in then." She moves over to the door, unlocking it and motioning for Vess to follow.
Vess does as instructed, not saying anything until the woman seems ready for her.
The two of you move into a small office, the woman sitting behind a desk, setting the cup down. "Well kid, what do ya want? 'fraid to say there ain't much in the way of jobs available at the moment."
"That's fine. I'm not looking for work, I'm looking for my brother. He might have come through looking for work, past month or two."
The woman gives Vess an expressionless stare. "I'm not at liberty to share employment information."
Vess breathes air our sharply through her nose. "That's fine. Suppose it's not in your best interest to figure out if a known smuggler is working on a ship based out of this port." She turns and heads towards the door, stepping out unless stopped.
"Really now?" the woman asks, her voice sceptical. "And how do you reckon that?"
Vess pauses in the door, turning around. Guess it's sharing time. Great. "I'm his sister. Grew up in Celestite, poor. He was involved with the wrong crowd. Suddenly he vanishes, high tailing it across the continent. Been following him. He's suddenly got money for expensive clothes. He waited around all day at a shrine in Seraphanite, when he's not the religious sort, and then was seen booking it out of town at dusk, headed here." She shrugs. "Sounds like he's running something for someone."
The woman leans back in her chair, one eyebrow quirked. "Huh. Maybe he does. Maybe not. Not a lot to go on 'cept your word. For all I know you're a loonie stalker and you're 'brother' is trying to shake you. Sorry kid, unless you give me a decent reason to share it, I ain't gonna put my neck out by divulging any information."
"He's all I have left." She doesn't wait for a response, stepping out the door, and heading to harass dock workers for the next few hours, not that I expect much from that.
Despite her best efforts, Vess doesn't find out much about her brother. Most people working at the docks that actually bothered to answer Vess weren't in Pyrite a month before, and the few that were don't recall anyone matching Sevv's description passing through.
Defeated and frustrated, Vess returns to the Pokécenter. The rest of you wake at a slightly more sensible time, each of you leaving your bed one by one starting around 8 in the morning. The storm has stopped completely by now, although the outside sky is still gloomy and grey. After taking care of any morning rituals, you all meet up once again in the cafeteria, where it becomes apparent Vess isn't there at the moment. |
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Post by madandy on May 7, 2020 18:01:27 GMT
Robin awakes with a pleased groan, rousing slowly out of perhaps the best sleep she's had in months, with a full belly and a proper bed.
Sadly, old habits die hard and being a natural early riser coupled with having to stay up late for a long time means she's accustomed to operating on very little sleep. So, she rises very early with a big yawn, smacking her lips a couple of times before feeling something around her midsection.
Looking down, she sees Rowan there, being hugged to her body. She blearily remembers that Rowan had been as eager about the bed as she was and, even though he usually slept in his pokeball and got a night's sleep Robin was frequently envious of, they had bed down together once everyone else had drifted off.
Still, there was no need to get caught like that by the others so, after a couple more blinks to bring herself to full awareness, she slides out of the bed and heads to the kitchen area to make breakfast. As she goes, though, she notices Vess's bed is empty, despite the fact that much of her stuff is still around. Odd, certainly, and it did rankle with her that Vess was apparently doing things behind their backs, but at least she was reasonably confident she'd return.
As such, as she starts rummaging around the kitchen for the ingredients to mix up some pancake batter, she simply starts thinking of exactly what joke she'll make about it once Vess returns.
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Post by UmbralHero on May 8, 2020 1:18:23 GMT
Jean-Marie walks into the kitchen in her pajamas, rubbing one eye underneath her glasses. Her black hair glistens in the morning sunlight streaming in from the window.
"Ah, good morning Robin, you are up early. Those beds are so plush and comfortable it makes it difficult to get out of bed." She yawns, falling into one of the hardwood chairs with a thud. "It is so quiet, too. It is very comfortable, but I think I prefer awakening to the sounds of the forest." She looks around for the brooding one in the otherwise empty kitchen.
"Have you seen Vess this morning? She was gone when I awoke but was not at the showers."
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Post by madandy on May 8, 2020 1:57:30 GMT
"'Fraid not," Robin replies as he finishes whisking the batter and begins getting out the pans, "but most of her stuff's still here, so I'm thinking she's coming back. That or she was willing to lose it all just to get away from us. Fifty-fifty shot, I reckon."
He throws a smirk over his shoulder as he starts heating up the pans. "Or maybe she just sleepwalked outta here so she could wake to the sounds of the forest. Don't really see it myself, but to each their own, right? Me, I prefer the sounds of the city - lets me know I'm not really alone, you know?"
He blinks in surprise at himself, having shared something that, while trivial, would be more than he'd normally want to. Still, he shakes his head as he returns to cooking breakfast - that bed had been really comfortable, no wonder he was briefly off-guard.
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Post by ostrich on May 8, 2020 13:28:03 GMT
Benji walks into the kitchen as Robin is serving the plates. He is carefully drying his hair with a white towel, his shirtless body still wet from the showers.
"Hey, good morning!" he says, placing his backpack on the floor and sitting on a stool, his hands still busy with the dreadlocks. "Have you seen the bathrooms? They have actual showers with hot water that never ends!" he says, a huge smile on his face. "It was amazing! And the beds? Oof... I've never slept on a mattress so soft. Do you think all centers are like this? Can we really live in them if we want you just because we're trainers?"
He honestly had never experienced such luxuries growing up and is a bit impressed by the quality of the pokémon center. He finally puts a shirt on and grabs his pokédex, turning on and checking the map. "So, what are the plans today?"
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Post by spikehed on May 8, 2020 15:33:46 GMT
Orianne woke up later than most. She was used to the comfort of the bed as much as a sleeping bag under the stars. After taking care of personal grooming and checking the weather, she dressed in suitable attire. She felt like the dreary weather had followed her from home. It suited her just fine. Better than dealing with Sapphire in a heat wave.
She released the feline from it's ball and made her way to the cafeteria right as Ben was asking of plans.
"I'll be heading down to the shoreline as soon as our morning stretches are done. It's a prime place to uncover crystals."
She took food from the freezer for Sapph, who happily gnawed on the crystalized treat.
"I figure that lets everyone do their own training and such... and for our early bird to come back..."
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