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Post by MagisterSphinx on Sept 25, 2017 11:06:05 GMT
It is a bright sunny day as the old fashioned ferry docks in Brintetide Bay. It's been a peaceful three hour trip through the Bay of Biscay, though the seemingly paranoid customs agent was rather annoying in his relentless questions about your careers as trainers. Despite this the ordeal didn't keep you from enjoying the sea air or the anticipation of your arrival in Kimiya. Once the ferry starts disembarking theres a veritable flood of humans as the passengers rush to be the first out. From overhearing the conversations of others you're certain most of them are daytrippers from Shalour City, businessmen taking the slower cheaper route back to their offices in Kyprum City and other ordinary people. It seems that there only six other trainers on the boat, all but one of them in their teens. From your extensive emails with Professor Sorbus you know he's sent one of his assistants to meet you, a young girl named Meridia Smythe. Unfortunately it seems that she's failed to arrive in time to meet you. After you wait half an hour the only people left in the the terminal are a bored looking businessman, a receptionist and two of your fellow trainer passengers - sixteen year old girl from Sinnoh who anxiously hops from foot to foot called Rio Tourtel and an extremely pretty man called Alaric Weber from Ferrum who seems to be content to take a seat and relax as he waits.
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Post by Zephias on Sept 25, 2017 21:32:08 GMT
Ethan had long found a small café, and was quietly studying the rest of the group while sipping on a coffee milkshake. He had long-released Iota, and the Baltoy was slowly bobbing from side to side atop the table.
Kimiya looked nice, at least, even though the customs agents had been awfully pushy. Ethan understood it was their job, but that didn't make it any less inconvenient for him.
Shrugging to himself, he stood up and addressed whoever may hear him.
"Well, why don't we make ourselves comfortable while we wait? I'm not sure what you in particular are waiting for, sir-" he directed that comment at the businessman, "But that surely doesn't preclude your ability to grab a coffee. And the rest of us are probably going to see a whole lot of each other, what with coming here to join the league at the Professor's request. Might as well get to know each other a little better"
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Nov 23, 2023 19:11:09 GMT
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Post by lichlord on Sept 25, 2017 22:49:16 GMT
Amanda was sitting there, sorting through her notes, trying to re-organize them. She had pleaded with the customs officers to not throw them out of order, but it seems they just wanted to get the job done and search her bags. So now they are just completely out of order. With not many others in the terminal now, and nothing but time, she's got some of the notes spread out among the floor and nearby chair. She's slowly going over and trying to re-sort their categories. If this is how her notes were, she dreaded the contents of her other bags. Meanwhile, a little chibi version of Amanda (With a distinct near-featureless face that should be familiar to other trainers) was picking up single sheets of paper bigger than her, and helping Amanda out. The transformed ditto has seen these notes enough to know their organization as well. She places one down, dusting her tiny hands off for a job well done when she picks up one of the others talking. Amanada seemed to have not noticed (or ignored?) the man stand up to address the group. The little social ditto waves at Ethan before trodding over to Amanda's leg, and pulls on her pants to get her attention. "Ul, I'm busy."Ul doesn't seem to take no for an answer, and seems to be staring a hole into Amanda. She sighs, and looks up at the fellow trainer. "I'm Amanda. Amanda Greene. And I'm just waiting to talk to the professor. I have many region-related questions."
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Post by Zephias on Sept 26, 2017 1:52:21 GMT
"Ethan McCormick. And I have a raft of questions myself"
Iota slowly levitated towards Ul, bobbing around Amanda's mini-me. Ethan can't help but smile at the sight.
"That's an energetic Ditto you have there. Cute, though"
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Nov 23, 2023 19:11:09 GMT
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Post by lichlord on Sept 26, 2017 2:45:32 GMT
As she's addressed, the transformed Ul waddles over to Ethan, extending a hand for a shake. Amanda had just finished putting her re-organized notes away, and notices Ul wandering over. She gets up with a bit of a huff, and scoops Ul up in her arms.
"Ul, please. You know how we've talked about you wandering off and strangers before..."
Ul seems to have adopted a mute expression before transforming into a hardcover book with 'Book of Manners' in comical lettering. Amanda's eyes just narrow before Ul sticks her tongue out. Amanda shakes her head and just holds the Ditto-book close, before looking to Ethan.
"Uhh... thanks. She's a little socialable creature, running off to make friends all the time. I tell her to stop but she never listens..."
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Post by Zephias on Sept 26, 2017 3:04:36 GMT
Ethan took another sip from his milkshake to hide his amusement at the Ditto's shenanigans.
"That's not a particularly bad trait to have on a Pokemon, really. Pretty different from Iota here, who's mostly content to spin in place"
As if to cement the point, the Baltoy levitated back to the table and started spinning slowly.
"I'm still not entirely sure how Baltoy work, but Iota's very relaxing to look at and a great partner"
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Post by JPThunda on Sept 26, 2017 3:54:45 GMT
One of the last men off the boat was an elderly man, shuffling off the boat at his own pace. Although he had a pokeball on his belt, not once on the trip had he released it, even now. All these youngsters with their pokemon out...he had been like them once. Long, long ago. He stretched his back producing a few audible pops and pounded on his shoulders a few times with his fists. Getting old was no fun. Always so stiff...then again, that is why he was here. "So, this is Kimiya," he said in a welcoming, grandfatherly voice, walking up beside a young woman. She was 18, maybe 19? "Tell me, miss, is it everything you expected it would be? Everything you hoped for?," he asked. People always expected the elderly to be talkative and senile, and he enjoyed playing the part. "I always like to get the perspective of young kids like you when I travel. Tell me, what do you see in Kimiya?"
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Nov 23, 2023 19:11:09 GMT
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Post by lichlord on Sept 26, 2017 4:00:34 GMT
Amanda is inclined to agree, but doesn't. It's not an issue that Ul is sociable, it's that SHE herself isn't. She'd want nothing more than to just get to the professor and get her answers and then move on to explore. But she also can't say no to Ul.
Ul turns back into a regular ditto and slips through Amanda's arms again onto the floor. She stares at the spinning Baltoy for a moment, entranced by the spinning. She starts spinning herself in time, and turns into the Baltoy and keeps pace next to it. Amanda looks at this, getting a little dizzy.
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Oct 27, 2020 20:42:28 GMT
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Post by haybalebarn on Sept 26, 2017 7:12:36 GMT
If Via never met another customs officer in her life, it would be too soon. She hadn't had a very good idea of what they did when she left Orre, but apparently their sole purpose in life was to harass her for hours on end. It had happened when she had left Orre, and at every stupid stop and boat transfer along the way, two more hours of her life were wasted, and it was driving her insane. If this hadn't been the last time she had to interact with one on this trip, she probably would have strangled one of the two that had stopped her yet again upon arrival. Perhaps they were just nice, or perhaps they saw how exasperated she was, but they had held her for only thirty minutes this time.
The jagged blade of her halberd towered far above her head, the sound of metal scraping metal filling the air as it cuts a nick into the doorframe. She pauses, taking a look around with a critical eye, when the doddering old man from the boat approached her, striking up a conversation. As she turns her eye to him, there's a bit of a look of surprise, and it takes her a moment to realize he was talking to her. Striking up conversations with people you don't know wasn't something you did in Pyrite or the Underground. Time to adjust, she supposed.
She looks at the old man flatly as she says, "I see a dock."
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Post by Zephias on Sept 26, 2017 7:43:18 GMT
More than satisfied with the small chat he'd had with Amanda, Ethan had turned his attention to the rest of the group just in time to catch the exchange between Hissho and Via. He very quickly found himself stifling laughter.
"Wow... Snarky much?" he said once he caught his breath.
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Oct 27, 2020 20:42:28 GMT
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Post by haybalebarn on Sept 26, 2017 7:50:47 GMT
Via blinks and turns to look at the conversational intruder, giving him a similar look to one she'd give an actual intruder. She shrugs, then speaks. "Literally all I've seen of the region is a dock. How am I supposed to judge anything from that. It's a idiotic question."
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Post by Zephias on Sept 26, 2017 7:58:26 GMT
"There's a café right there, some other buildings over yonder. Plenty more than just a dock, just saying" Ethan shot back. He was mostly unfazed by the curt rebuttal, though he did note that the darker-skinned girl wasn't the most approachable person.
"I take it you're not the biggest fan of small-talk? What with the pointy stick and all"
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Oct 27, 2020 20:42:28 GMT
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Post by haybalebarn on Sept 26, 2017 8:09:13 GMT
Via takes a moment and blinks at his question, then takes a glance back at the old man as she addresses him. "Congrats, he just beat you in the stupid question department."
Then she looks back to the cafe dweller, crossing her arms and speaking as if to a child. "So the 'pointy stick' is for 'poking' people who you don't like. If 'poke' them enough, then they stop asking you stupid questions like: 'What is that very obvious weapon you're carrying for?'"
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Nov 23, 2023 19:11:09 GMT
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Post by lichlord on Sept 26, 2017 8:26:50 GMT
Well this isn't going very well for the others conversation with the other girl. An excellent time for Amanda to leave the conversation and sit back down. She scoops up Ul, who kinda stopped spinning and is laying on her side when the others were starting to be mean, and they both just sit down and hope that their contact meets them soon.
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Post by Zephias on Sept 26, 2017 8:29:06 GMT
"It's still a pointy stick. And if you 'poke' people with it in broad daylight, you get thrown into jail for assault. Or flung around by a Pokemon"
Ethan just looked amused.
"I'd also like to point out I never asked what it was for. My question had nothing to do with the stick, really. So maybe stop acting like you're the smartest by a mile and tone it down? Like it or not, we're gonna be working together for the foreseeable future, and alienating everyone's only going to cause issues. Sit down, grab a coffee and give civil conversation a try, ne?"
He turned to Hissho and motioned to a chair.
"That goes for you too, old man. Name's Ethan, what's yours?"
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Post by JPThunda on Sept 27, 2017 2:04:20 GMT
"Heh heh heh, it's quite alright," the old man laughed. "I was curious about your first impression of the region. Your response was very pragmatic. Focused on the here and now, not bothered by what you'd already seen on the ferry, or what stood before you," he said, offering his own insights while stroking his beard.
"Ho ho ho," he laughed at her comment about her weapon. "How very blunt, but when you think about it, plenty of people carry around 'weapons' like that for show, like an accessory, and many of the most dangerous weapons are the ones you don't see. In that light, it's a fair question," Hissho said, shuffling over toward Ethan and slowly lowering himself into a seat. "Asking what it's for also answers another question, without being quite so direct. Whether you know how to use it or not," Hissho said. The light flashed across his sunglasses as he glanced at the woman one last time before turning his gaze to Ethan.
"Ethan, eh? I am Hissho, Muten Hissho. A pleasure," he said, offering a wrinkled hand. If Ethan shook his hand he would be met with a surprisingly strong grip. "A pleasure."
He turned to the other woman present. "I'm sorry you got dragged into my conversation, my dear. I was not trying to cause a fuss," he said kindly.
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Post by lichlord on Sept 27, 2017 2:37:08 GMT
As the older man responds to the conversation pieces, it takes Amanda a minute before she realizes Muten is talking to her and apologizing. She doesn't really know what for, she was utterly happy to leave the conversation and let the others fight it out. She looks up meekly at the man.
"I... wouldn't worry about it. It seemed like the conversation was mostly wrapped up between us before yours bled into it. It's fine. I just got back over here to wait for our contact."
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Post by haybalebarn on Sept 27, 2017 3:57:45 GMT
Via's eyes narrow at boy in the brown coat. He spoke too much for her liking. He reminded her of Marco, and that brought a distinctly sour taste to her mouth. Perhaps that's why she was being so harsh towards him, she'd have to try and moderate that in the future. Still, for now, the conversation had already been started, so she may as well keep participating.
She walks up to the table Ethan was at and props her weapon up against the table, pulling out a chair and leaning back in her chair so that only the back to legs were resting on the floor. "Trust me, Ethan, I'm far from the smartest one here, to claim otherwise would to be dishonest to myself."
If she heard the comment from Hissho, she didn't seem to have much of a reaction to it, rocking back and forth on her unstable chair and otherwise keeping quiet.
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Post by Zephias on Sept 27, 2017 5:15:17 GMT
Ethan met the older man's eyes and tried to not let the grip surprise him as he shook the hand firmly. That, alongside the weapon comments, lead him to think Hissho was a bit more than a simple older gentleman.
"Pleasure's mine. And don't go trying my name so hard, sugar, or you'll be wearing it out. Especially without the courtesy of your own"
Unwilling to let the conversation taper off, Ethan made a hand motion to the other two trainer prospects.
"Are the rest of you going to join us or not?" he asked.
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Post by MagisterSphinx on Sept 28, 2017 0:03:17 GMT
When Ethan calls out to the business man he receives a frown from the man. Though he opens his mouth to respond, a ringing from his pocket cuts him off, causing him to turn around and look out the water-facing window as he conducts a hushed conversation.
As the others converse the fidgeting girl takes half a step towards them before immediately backing away, seemingly arguing with herself over what to do. In contrast the pretty man just watches with a smile.
When Ethan gestures to them the girl practically runs over, stopping so suddenly she almost falls over.
"Sure I will. I'm Rio and -" She pauses, only to get cut off by the pretty boy who walked over and stood beside Hissho.
"Alaric Weber. Charmed I'm sure." He says, holding his hand out to Ethan.
"A-and I've never seen a Baltoy in the clay before. Its fascinating." Rio finishes, watching Iota spin with fascination.
"A spinning top, how droll. I assume you're all waiting for the Professor's assistant as well? Perhaps we were meant to follow Joe and Abby as they raced into the city?" Alaric suggests with a warm smile.
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