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May 31, 2023 21:25:23 GMT
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Post by Raven on Sept 16, 2018 6:08:43 GMT
"Well, it's not as if those remaining within the Guild will give up without a fight. Surely somebody would have noticed by now if the Guild had fallen." Sorra suggests.
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Post by oddeyes on Sept 16, 2018 6:14:18 GMT
Tiki fiddles with her thumbs, and chews on Sorra's thought. "Hmm...Is it possible to retake the guild, and force any dark branchers out?"
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 16, 2018 6:27:39 GMT
"If it's like the dreams, it's not gonna be very sneaky, no. But if it gets as far as the dreams we're in real trouble. We'd need a lot more help to take on an army that can swamp this city."
Clay shakes his head. "The Dark Branch isn't the problem, on its own. It's just that its boss was the sorta person who wants to use Death as a weapon. You remember what Xerneas said. Yveltal's got a job, too, but D'mara isn't doing it. I mean, if nothing ever died, can you imagine what'd be like? There'd be no room to breathe. There's a balance." He picks up a utensil and balances it on his finger to demonstrate. "There's a reason nothing lasts forever. But if she takes over, the way she is now instead of how the job ought to be, she'd tip it the other way. A whole world full of people with empty eyes. No souls."
He hums thoughtfully. "I could... sorta feel her, before. At least face to face. I think it's an Aura thing, or whatever kind of Aura-ish thing it is I do. She gives off killing intent like a torch gives off heat. I'd have to get close to track her that way, though, unless there's some way to make it work at a longer range, like one of those... you know, the tubes, that make you see farther."
Abruptly, he remembers something. "Hey, Rei, you remember what I told you before? When I saw Lady Ashandra she was talking to a little orange thingy, had a face like a Meowth and big ears. Disappeared when I came in. You run across a Pokémon like that in your research?"
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Nov 23, 2023 19:11:09 GMT
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Post by lichlord on Sept 16, 2018 6:56:01 GMT
Rei merely shakes her head.
"I can't say that I have. Mostly been looking into Yveltal and maybe a few options that seemed relevant..."
The small piece of paper she removed almost seemed to gain some weight in Rei's pack as she says that.
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May 31, 2023 21:25:23 GMT
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Post by Raven on Sept 16, 2018 7:54:23 GMT
Absent-mindedly glancing around as the group talks, one might notice some of the banners scattered about the tavern show a crest that looks kinda like a stylized "V" with flames around it.
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 16, 2018 8:26:10 GMT
"Hm. I mean, it was orange, and it was hanging around Ashandra, I guess it was probably a Fire-type. And maybe it's got something to do with... whatever it is she's planning. Or, I dunno, maybe it's just a friend. Even Lady Ashandra's gotta have someone she talks to when she's stressed out."
Clay shrugs and flops back onto his seat, leaning his head back. He tips his head curiously as he regards the banners. "... Ears were kinda like a V shape. I mean really a V shape, its ears were almost bigger than its whole head... What d'you suppose those banners mean?"
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Post by Raven on Sept 16, 2018 8:41:37 GMT
Sorra glances over at the banner in question. "Oh, that's the symbol for Victory. Not quite sure where we got the design from, to be honest, it's just something that's always been there. I couldn't tell you what that creature you glimpsed was though."
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Nov 23, 2023 19:11:09 GMT
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Post by lichlord on Sept 17, 2018 2:29:47 GMT
Rei thinks for a moment but comes up with a blank.
"If I saw it in my research I may not have made much attempt to follow down that road. I was very much researching specific things and wasn't trying to waste time."
She looks off.
"And not to be rude of your former guild leader but... she didn't seem like the type to help or go with a plan not her own. I doubt we could convince her of the true threat."
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 17, 2018 2:46:21 GMT
"Victory, huh? We could sure use some of that..."
Clay waves off Rei's concern about speaking ill of Ashandra. "I'm only being polite about her 'cause Lady Sorra's here. Far as I'm concerned you can be rude about her all you want - this is the lady who sets people on fire to weed out new recruits. I'm pretty sure she knows what the threat is, but it sure sounded like she was working on a different plan from everybody else."
He shakes his head and taps his finger on the table again. "I'm starting to feel like I shoulda stuck around in Saffron after all, but I dunno if splitting up really got us any farther than if we'd just all come to Celadon together to start with anyway. There's only so much training I can do, and you were saying you hadn't got a lot from research... Maybe we should go back to Saffron and see if we can find out anything about what's going on there. Or..."
He turns to Lady Sorra. "You don't know where Lady Anya got to, do you? I have one other weird idea... We always got the warnings in our dreams because that was the only way Darkrai could contact us. I wonder if we can go the other way and talk back to it, somehow. See if there's anything we can figure out that way besides future nightmares." Granted, of course, that trying to communicate with the god of nightmares has its own... issues, but Clay's got two reference points for Darkrai's nature at this point, and he's hoping "trying to save the world" is a better indicator than "his messenger was a total jerk".
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Post by lichlord on Sept 17, 2018 2:57:50 GMT
Rei's expression turns cold.
"I am not returning to Saffron again. It's clear I'm more of a target there."
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 17, 2018 3:19:58 GMT
"Yeah, well, we're kind of running out of options for playing it safe. 'Less you think the Queen's more likely to listen to you than to Lady Sorra."
Clay scratches the back of his neck. "Think of it like when I was fighting Brenda. I played it too cautious the first time and she got the drop on me. I couldn't come back from it. So the next time I went all-out, but I had trouble even landing hits - that was the same day you went to visit her. She kicked my tail both times. There isn't one strategy that's gonna work all the time, not even staying far away." Staying far away would probably have been a pretty good strategy against Brenda, actually, come to think of it, but it's not exactly one Clay is very good at.
"D'mara's a scavenger, right? Sneaking around and lying in wait are her strengths. We've tried holding back and biding our strength, and it's been a dead end. So let's try something more aggressive. What's the word, pro... pro... active, that's it. Pro-active."
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Post by Raven on Sept 17, 2018 3:35:10 GMT
Sorra listens carefully as you all make various suggestions. "I believe that I may have the Queen partially convinced of the truth of this threat, but she cannot act without the Court behind her. Despite what some may believe, Her Majesty is not able to make sweeping motions like this simply by way of being our monarch. The system isn't perfect, but it's meant to reduce the amount of sway the current King or Queen has by themselves." She hmms for a moment. "Have you tried asking Lady Ashandra what that creature was? It's possible she just may tell you."
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Post by lichlord on Sept 17, 2018 3:40:33 GMT
Rei looks more stern.
"Then be more proactive. I'm not going back."
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Post by oddeyes on Sept 17, 2018 3:47:34 GMT
Tiki shrugs. "I'll go. I don't like Ashandra as much as the next person, but I do wanna look around the guild again. Also, it'll be a stop on my way to the plains." If that old dusty book gave her any ideas about legends, then that big pokemon she saw before had to still be out there somewhere.
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 17, 2018 3:51:27 GMT
"That was one of the things I was thinking of doing if I go back there -"
Clay cuts off with a sigh when Rei speaks. "Rei..." He pauses and bites his lip, clearly stopping himself from saying something. Rei's obstinance on this point is starting to frustrate him. "Look. I'm still not really convinced it's any more dangerous there than it is here. I only wanna look around Saffron because it's the last place we know anything about her being. And I'd really like it if we stuck together. Splitting up makes us more vulnerable, wherever we are. What are we actually getting done here?" Translation: are you actually getting anything done here?
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Post by lichlord on Sept 17, 2018 3:54:32 GMT
"If you are going back then you are going without me. That is the end of this conversation Clay." Translation: Holly's life is now very literally tied to mine and D'mara proved that I'm her main target out of us.
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 17, 2018 4:02:31 GMT
"So what are you going to do, then?" He's trying not to challenge her directly. Arguing with her never seems to work. But he's really starting to wish he could get a straight answer out of her, since he's had no idea what she's been doing for the past two weeks apart from "research" that doesn't seem to have gone anywhere.
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Post by lichlord on Sept 17, 2018 4:08:22 GMT
"I should go back to what I was doing before. I was hoping that I would find something in the research and have only turned up a little tidbits. But I have a few leads to follow and if anything then I go back to recruiting and gathering supplies."
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Post by carnackiArdent on Sept 17, 2018 4:12:31 GMT
Clay leans his head on his hands, rubbing his forehead with his knuckles, and his teeth show for a moment. "So do we get to hear what these leads are? 'Cause to be honest, having no idea what you're doing doesn't make it any easier to make progress."
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Post by lichlord on Sept 17, 2018 5:02:17 GMT
Rei glowers. She feels guilty about her plans but telling anyone at this point would just have them stop her.
"You'll hear about them when I'm ready and when I actually have anything to show."
Rei gets up out of her chair, obviously frustrated at this point.
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