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Post by Nocturne on Jul 10, 2017 15:34:27 GMT
Today marked a special occasion. It was of course the day of your appointment with your League Agent and therefore the start of your participation in the Gym Circuit. In the morning, a massive Talonflame large enough to carry two people appeared with a rider before your residence bearing the credentials of a League Official. The riders were rather stoic and professional and the howling winds as you flew left little room for idle conversation. As such, it was an uneventful journey to Aquacorde Town. The place of your rendezvous with your future teammates and League Agent was to be the famous café, “Calem’s”. Despite its relatively small size compared to the cafés in Lumiose City, it was famous due to the patronage of its namesake, Calem, Champion of the Kalos Pokemon League. This made it a popular spot for Trainers to meet. Once you exited the Pokemon Airport, you arrived near the central plaza of Aquacorde City, a town with a population of approximately 150,000 people. You quickly made your way over to Calem’s where a table had already been reserved for you. As you entered the café, a warm atmosphere would greet you. The walls were of a red colour, with laminated wooden tables and counters and very soft looking red sofa benches and wooden chairs. It made for a quaint sight. Pop music was playing in the background and you could see that the café was already quite busy with people occupying many of the tables. As you made your way to the table number you had been given, you found your League Agent, Nabeela Tannous waiting for you. The woman had a dusky complexion, green eyes that seemed to radiate intelligence, but remained warm and long black hair with two tassels tied in golden material framing her face.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 10, 2017 16:41:20 GMT
The flight to Aquacorde had been quite enjoyable, Twylla reflects. Seeing the world from above, it was a different experience. Of course, it was marred in places by the cities on the surface, but even that isn't enough to dampen her spirits much.
Arriving in Aquacorde proper, she takes in that it's much smaller than Lumiose. Not quite as built up. It gives her a better, and slightly less oppressive, feeling. With that in mind, she attempts to make her way to the café. It takes her a little bit longer than it probably should, due to the unfamiliar streets, but, eventually she gets her beatings.
Finally entering it, it seems... cozy. It's nice to see so many people gathered in one place, their energy invigorating her. (Not literally of course. She isn't an energy vampire or anything.) Finding the table number she'd been given, she approaches the occupant, asking "Pardon me. Are you the League Agent I was supposed to meet? I'm Twylla. Twylla Llewellyn."
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Post by Seya on Jul 10, 2017 19:07:12 GMT
As familiar as Sully was with racing across rooftops and testing his luck--and capabilities--with heights, he found himself more than a little unsettled to be on the back of a pokemon en route to Aquacorde. He was happy to move under his own power again after landing, even if that meant having to follow a representative all the way to the tiny little cafe that felt like more of a hole in the wall than a proper meeting place for people on League business.
Worse yet, he wasn't even the first to arrive. He shrugged off his attendant at the door and meandered about near the entrance for a moment, sizing up the pair at the table. The older lady with the dusky skin was the one he'd been told about, and he'd already done his reading on her. But the other, still standing...?
He frowned. Wasn't quite sure what to make of that one. She certainly didn't look very impressive.
Unfortunately, the girl had begun speaking. Not wanting to be caught scrutinizing the pair from afar, Sully resignedly picked his way over to the table just in time to hear the purple-hair chick offer her name.
Twylla Llewellyn. He smirked. "I wouldn't wanna try saying that ten times fast," he murmured from behind her, then sidestepped her (wow she was short) and took a seat. "Sullivan Faraday."
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Post by haybalebarn on Jul 10, 2017 19:44:50 GMT
Nero had never experienced anything quite like that before. Soaring through the sky, seeing the whole of the landscape spread out below, it was incredible! He'd have to get himself a pokemon like that, something he could fly on, watch the land shrink as they spiraled further into the sky... Just think of all the places they could go! His family had never had much time to travel, what with mom and dad's time consuming jobs and four kids. He wasn't even sure he could remember a time when they all traveled somewhere together. Never any time for it. But now? He'd be able to go everywhere, see all the sights. And speaking of sights...
The representative who had flown him in said that they had arrived a little bit early, but to head to the cafe anyways, and while he was planning on it... A little bit of sightseeing and people watching couldn't hurt, right? Just five minutes and he would head to the cafe. Leisurely, he walked around the central plaza, looking at all of the different buildings and people, just taking it all in. After a minute or two, he checked the time to see how many more minutes he had until... wait, he had already been walking around for ten minutes? Crap, it felt like two!
He slipped into the cafe, the large riot shield strapped to his back and the heavy rubber sword tied to his side still clanking up against his woven body armor, the momentum saved up from his little jog across the plaza. He took a little bit to look over the place, a smile growing on his face. Now this was his kind of cafe! Perfect size, with just the right amount of character. But meeting, table number, not wanting to be late, right!
His eyes scanned the room, and he quickly found the right table, weaving his way between tables as he approached. He heard the girl's name as he was halfway across, and the guy introduced himself a few moments before Nero pulled up to the table himself. "Hey look, here's the place I'm supposed to be! I'm Nero, nice to meet you guys."
He quickly slung his shield and bag off his back and set them next an empty chair, pulling it out and plopping into it. He slouched slightly as he relaxed into it and got comfortable, then grinned at the rest of the table, waiting for the action to start.
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Post by Nocturne on Jul 10, 2017 21:51:00 GMT
The woman sitting at the table had a modest slice of strawberry torte in front of her, which she seemed to be contemplating before Twylla arrived. As the girl approached, the woman looked up, her eyes brightening not only due to Twylla appearing, but also thanks to spotting Sullivan behind her. Nero quickly arrived too and the woman smiled. "Good morning, I'm Nabeela Tannous, please call me Nabeela. It's a pleasure to meet you. Feel free to order anything you like. Just tell them you're from this table and they will put it on my tab."
You proceed to order what you desire, and sit down once more. "Let's eat, we can talk properly afterwards," Nabeela says with a warm smile. As you eat, you discover that your food has been prepared to near perfection, having a special signature to it that is different from even the highest class cafés you may have been to. Be it sweet or savoury, the flavours are distinct.
Eventually you are all finished. "I'm sure you three have questions. Before you ask them, let me explain who I am." Nabeela finally begins to look a little serious. This is the first time you've met her, but you get the feeling that this woman is quite laid back.
"My position as League Agent makes me a guide and helper on your journey. If you're ever in trouble, or don't know where to turn to, I'm there for you to contact as a proxy of the League itself. In addition to that, I may, once in a while, call on you to help the League in small matters. You don't have to accept these missions, but you will be rewarded accordingly if you do." She pauses and then continues speaking. "Regarding the Gym Circuit itself, I'm sure you already knew this, but there is a set route for you to follow, in terms of which gyms you can tackle at which time. The Santalune City Gym is the first Gym and doesn't require you to already own any gym badges. This is followed by..." She explains that though Lumiose City is early on the route, it is actually host to the last Gym. The serious look in Nabeela's eyes doesn't fade away, but it softens slightly. "Now, do you have any questions for me?"
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Post by Seya on Jul 10, 2017 22:08:24 GMT
Sully picked at his meal, more concerned with monitoring the others and the state of the cafe than actually finding sustenance. Nabeela didn't seem to harbor any negativity towards him, which he supposed was good-- meant either that the League didn't know about his recent thefts, or maybe they just didn't care enough to add it to whatever file they'd given her. Not like it had harmed them at all, at any rate.
While she explained the gym circuit, Sully ran his metal thumb up and down the tines of his pie-fork. The light scraping did a bit to calm his nerves. His eyes drifted repeatedly between Twylla and 'Nero' (who seemed far too chipper, it was disconcerting), but he held a neutral expression until Nabeela finished speaking.
He leaned back in his chair, folding one arm behind his head and tilting back onto the rear legs. "Yeah, I've got questions. But not for you. For them." He swung the fork lazily, pointing to each of his new teammates. "Who are you guys? If I'm gonna be doing this I kinda wanna know what you're in it for. Where your strengths lie. Et cetera."
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Post by haybalebarn on Jul 10, 2017 23:57:34 GMT
At Nabeela's invitation for them to order whatever they like and eat as much as they want, Nero's grin just grows a little further. "I'm letting you know in advance, you're gonna regret saying that."
His statement rings true as the servers bring his food, setting down in front of him two of the most obviously expensive meals on the menu. His time during the meal is mainly spent consuming the double portion of food he has, and it's quickly chased by two separate desserts as well.
However, as Nabeela gets serious, so does he, sitting up in his chair and paying close attention to what she has to say. As she asks for questions, Nero thought for a few moments to see if he had any, but while he did so the cyborg-kid - what was his name again, Sullivan? - hijacked the conversation himself. Nero gives Sully a skeptical look, like 'Come on dude, really? That was rude', then looks to Nabeela. "Don't think I have any questions at the moment, and if I do... always got your number, right?"
Then, he looked to Sullivan with a bit of a smirk on his face. "What, you want my resume too? Want me to pull together a file on my entire life and have it on your desk by Tuesday?" He chuckles a little bit, then continues. "I'm in it cause I want to challenge the League, obviously. As for strengths? Well... I'm good at making other guys hit me instead of you guys." He points between the two of them, then leans back in his chair, relaxing. "And I can always dish out some damage too, can't be all bark and no bite, after all."
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 11, 2017 0:44:19 GMT
Twylla ignores Sullivan's comment, nods at Nero's arrival, and simply takes a seat. She keeps her order of food likewise simple, and merely orders some fruit. Her stomach still feels a little bit like it's still in the air, anyways. She listens to the conversation as best she can, though the metal scraping grates on her nerves. At the end of the route explanation, she waits for the others to say their pieces before addressing Nabeela directly. "What sort of 'small matters' are we talking about?"That being asked, she waits for a response, before at last turning to the others, and giving them a good once over. "I am a messenger for my god," she states, at last. "And, through His blessing, I bring the power of healing. Although," she looks pointedly at Sullivan's cybernetics, "there's only so much I can fix." Twylla closes her eyes for a moment, and concentrates, letting her innate power well up within her. When she opens them again, she can see the shifting colours of the auras in front of her. Concentrating on Nero and Sullivan's auras - frowning slightly at the fraying of the latter - she lets her own flow towards them. <<That's not all I can do, though,>> she projects, holding up a hand and letting small tendrils of aura play around it, before they fade away. There's a bit of a smile on her face. Reactions to that particular trick are usually mixed. Twylla uses Aura Reader, also gaining the Aura Pulse capability.
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Post by Seya on Jul 11, 2017 2:16:40 GMT
As soon as Twylla... does that thing, Sully pushes back from the table, forgetting he'd been on only two chair-legs, and very nearly ends up on the floor. It's only some quick shifting that keeps him on his feet; the chair clatters to the floor.
"Don't," he snaps, equal parts angry and scared, "Don't you ever do that to me again. Keep it out loud or to the 'jack. I'm not having any of--of that without giving permission first." He looks flighty, as if he's considering just walking out. But that'd just disappoint Dad. Flexing his fingers, both flesh and steel, he swallows hard. "Fun trick. Just not on me. Please."
He doesn't take a seat right away, wanting to wait til his adrenaline settles. He can feel the shifting of the blades in his arm, heat rising from the underside of his palm as he forces the conductors to back off a bit. No point causing more of a scene than they already had going.
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Post by haybalebarn on Jul 11, 2017 4:35:25 GMT
As Twylla literally talks into his brain, Nero's eyes widened in surprise before a massive grin formed on his face. If she was trying to listen, she'd begin to hear back: <<That is so coo- HOLY SH->>
As Sullivan does his scramble-stand-fall hostile action, Nero stood up, holding his hands in the air in a calming fashion, speaking in a soft tone of voice. "Hey, she was just saying hello, that's all. She wasn't attacking you or anything. Besides, you asked her what she could do, so she was just showing you. Perhaps it was a bit rude for her to do that without warning you first, but..." He trails off and narrows his eyes ever so slightly at Twylla, not in a hostile way, but more as if he was trying to say: 'Maybe that wasn't a good idea.'
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 11, 2017 4:56:38 GMT
"Oh, uh, sorry," Twylla says, the smile falling from her face, and a hint of remorse creeping into her voice. "If you feel so strongly about it, I'll keep it to myself. Just so you know though... I can't actually hear anything unless you want me to."
Her voice grows a little bit of disdain while discussing communications, though. "It'll have to be out loud, then. I never acquiesced to having a chunk of circuits nesting in my brain."
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Post by Seya on Jul 11, 2017 15:47:49 GMT
First the gods blather, and now she's anti-tech as well? Sully kept his amusement to himself. Poor girl. He merely shrugged at her tone when discussing the datajack while picking up the chair from the ground. "Whatever suits. Some of us didn't have much of a choice. Not that I'd complain anyways."
He resumed his seat (though kept all four chair legs on the ground this time) and rubbed at his metal wrist thoughtfully. The build-up of energy still hadn't quite subsided. He'd have to tweak the controls a bit tonight.
"Didn't associate much with aura-readers at home. Nothin' against 'em," he adds, just in case it'd be taken the wrong way, "But scouting someone's head without their say-so seems like all kinds of wrong. But, eh. Anyways. I got..."
He raises his augmented limb and curls his fingers. The energy he'd yet to calm crackles on his palm, little sparks and bolts of electricity dancing between his fingers. "Magic's natural, but the mods help it along. I do my own upgrades. I'm not half bad in a close-combat fight. Know a good bit about medicine, bein' from Cephalon and all." He ponders telling them more--and decides against it. Not like it'd be of any use to them. "That's about it."
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Post by Nocturne on Jul 12, 2017 16:04:23 GMT
To Twylla's question, Nabeela responded quickly. "It depends really, I say small because I won't call you for things I don't believe you would be able to handle. It might be taking care of some wild Pokemon that have been making the streets unsafe, or helping out another team of Trainers in the wild nearby."
Nabeela sighed, looking grave at the conduct that had been presented to her. Then suddenly, her expression brightened and she smiled, shaking her head ruefully. "This happens every time," she said, humour in her voice. "Nearly every time a League Agent takes their charges here, conflict is created. It's not purely your fault, the lack of an official environment gives you the feeling that you can be more open doesn't it? Truth be told, I brought you guys here on purpose. Had I invited you to my office, I imagine things would have been different. Chances are you'd have been on your best behaviour and all the conflict would have happened later down the line. I'm not saying you will get along swimmingly now that things are out in the open, but at least you can start to deal with them more quickly."
Her green eyes seem to dim a little. "In the past, some teams ended up disbanding due to various differences." Her eyes brighten once more, "I'm sure that won't happen with you though."
She grows serious once more. "With all that said, I'd advise you to be wary of how you act around people who are in higher positions in the future. Some may take it as an insult, while others may see it as a weakness to exploit."
She looks at each of you and then nods to herself. She pulls a briefcase from under the table and opens it up. Inside are six devices, three pairs of two kinds of devices to be exact. "I'm sure you know what these are. As part of your sponsorship by your respective patron, be it the Pokémon League, a Mega Corporation or a God, you receive a Pokédex courtesy of the League and a Holo Caster courtesy of Lysandre Labs. Please take good care of them, because replacements will not be free of charge."
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 12, 2017 18:01:32 GMT
"Ah, I see," Twylla says, nodding at Nabeela's answer.
She listens to the following spiel about groups and conflict wordlessly, only briefly glancing towards the other two. Well, I suppose it's... reassuring... to know that this apparently always happens. She isn't quite able to convince herself of that, though.
Twylla visibly grimaces at the contents of the briefcase, but takes one of each. No one ever said she had to use them, after all. Though... the League might expect that of her, unfortunately. Hopefully not. Just in case, though, she should probably ask, "So, what exactly do these things actually do?" She'd heard talk of them before, but never really bothered to pay attention.
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Post by Seya on Jul 13, 2017 13:41:58 GMT
Sully laughed under his breath at Twylla's question, but when she continued to look confused, a sense of wonder--with a bit of horror--grew inside him. "Damn, you're not just playing around? You're serious. Shit. So what is it you've got, technophobia or just an aversion to the cornerstone of modern culture?"He nodded his head towards the pokedex. "You should've seen one of those before, at the very least? All League trainers get them. Pokedexes..."0F7O0w474d6+2 Tech Edu to be able to identify and describe the purposes of the Dex and Holocaster. I didn't want to actually explain just in case they are different in this setting, so take the roll as the result of Sully's knowledge on how they work, and he'll communicate that to the others. And then be corrected or added to by Nabeela. 4d6+2
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Post by Nocturne on Jul 13, 2017 18:06:34 GMT
Sullivan proceeded to explain that a Pokédex was a hand-held computer with advanced camera and image recognition software. Using a Pokédex' scanner, Pokémon can be identified, which reveals the average height and weight of the species, Moves the species can learn naturally and brief facts about its typical behaviour.
He then went on to describe the Holo Caster as a product of Lysandre Labs that was created 20 years ago and had been refined over time. These allowed people to communicate via holograms, but also functioned essentially like a smartphone, allowing one to listen to the radio or connect to the internet, making full use of its holographic capabilities while doing so.
Nabeela nodded at Sullivan's explanation. "Correct," she said. "And now that you have these you are free to go on your merry way whenever you're ready."
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 13, 2017 18:35:21 GMT
"Look," Twylla says, addressing Sullivan, "'Modern culture' relies on the proliferation of all of this... junk. Peoples' lives revolve around it. Almost everyone replaces part of their brains with it. Our culture is becoming less about humanity, and more about machines. How long will it be until we replace ourselves entirely with them? Already, more and more people are wearing their souls thin, casting off their humanity." She glances at Sullivan's arm. "You've begun it, too. Now, uh, I'm not trying to say that you're were wrong for doing that, just that it's a symptom of a larger problem."
"That's why I'm taking this challenge," she continues, with determination in her voice, "I'm wanting to show that it's possible to reject the majority of our society's machine trappings, and still not sacrifice much, as long as you have faith. That is why I'm going to go through this with only my personal abilities, and that which the land and gods provide. None of those Technical Machines, or artificial restoratives, or anything of the sort. Hopefully, this will show people that it can be done. You don't need to rely on machines for your strength. And yet, I will match those who do." She blinks, realizing how much she ended up saying. "Uh, sorry. Got a little bit carried away, there."
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Post by haybalebarn on Jul 13, 2017 18:53:40 GMT
As his two adventuring companions beginning to go off on tangents of technology and purity, both obviously holding very different opinions on the subjects at hand, Nero slowly turns to look a Nabeela with wide eyes and an incredulous expression, like he can't quite believe that the league what put him together with them. He very slowly mouths the words 'I hate you' to Nabeela, then turns back to his companions, clearing his throat in an attempt to clear the air, and the topic. "Well, we could probably sit here discussing this complex societal issue all day, or we could set out and get on the road to start our adventure! I know which one I'm here for. Besides, there will be plenty of time to discuss such prickly topics such as the current one as we're walking down the road and making progress in our journey, don't you think?"
He pauses a moment, then without waiting for their replies begins to throw his shield and his travel bag on his back, making to head for the door. He tries to stay focused on the task of ferrying the others out the door, but he doesn't quite reach that point, his curiosity getting the better of him as he glances as Twylla. He pauses a moment to gather his thoughts, then attempts to pick back up the thread of thought conversation. <<So, you can hear this, right? Man, that's gonna take some getting used to, but this is so cool! Wait, I said that already, didn't I...>>
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Post by Seya on Jul 13, 2017 22:31:35 GMT
Sully shrugged at Nero's suggestion. Twylla's mindset was interesting, if not at all practical. It would be fun to poke holes in her argument, he decided-- but later. He was looking forward to get on the road as well. Not like pestering these two was going to matter in the grander scheme of things.
"Ready when you are, Captain Eager," he mumbled, getting to his feet once more. "First stop..." he frowned, trying to remember the route Nabeela'd suggested. It wouldn't look good to have forgotten already. "--uh, Route 2?"
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 13, 2017 23:54:13 GMT
"It would be nice to get out of the city, and on the road," agrees Twylla, getting up from her seat, and stowing the electronics away in her bag.
She turns to Nabeela, and nods, saying, "Thank you for your time and direction today. Will we be seeing you at some point in the future, besides possible calls?"
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