Even with her guard up, Olivie couldn't be completely cognizant of her surroundings all the time.  The Green Day's characteristic turbulent wind did not fall with the tinted sun, and its steady stream past her ears masked the sound of approaching footsteps.  Without a second to spare, she became aware of Leisy only inches away from her, and ducked backward just in time to prevent a full-on collision.  Olivie's first instinct was to punch, even if her target didn't give any indication of hostility, but just in time the girl managed to rein herself in.  She froze mid-swing before returning to a cross-armed position, staring daggers at the female but otherwise unknown shape before her.  Not until the inconsiderate newcomer asked her name did Olivie recognize her, remembering the voice from earlier in the day.

[color=954535]”Watch where you're going,”[/color] she snapped, uninterested in paying the chance reunion much attention.  However, Leisy's companion hurled a series of questions her way, and the seriousness of the situation in general made Olivie pause.  For a moment she remained quiet, hesitant to tell these strangers something that was not only none of their business but also probably their fault.  However, without Bernard her power to bulldoze through local threats was substantially diminished.  As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, Olivie guessed that she might need some help.  Ignoring the first question, she answered, [color=954535]”We made it back, then separated.  He went go heal his pokemon.  So you know, his ace nearly got his arm torn off by that tentacled freak while we were covering your dumbasses.  I haven't seen him since.”[/color]  She stared off into the murky darkness, at a loss for words.  She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible happened to him—something related to the unknown threat.

While thinking this, she spotted something.  In the black of night, something was moving.  Little glimmers here, edges of shadows in the scattered lights...and the noise.  Just beneath the drone of the wind she could hear the creaking of wood being trod on.  Instantly, goosebumps appeared on his arms and legs, and without saying anything she walked at a reserved pace to the closest hanging lamp.  Her pokemon followed, with Buck in the lead.  When his trainer stopped to take the lantern from the hook it hung from, he plodded forward into the darkness.  A chattering announced some discovery, but since Olivie couldn't understand Bidoof, she decided to face the unknown and look for herself.  She took a few steps forward, holding the makeshift lantern out away from her body, and its glow fell upon the disturbance.

She jolted backward, eyes wide, but the split second of illumination her lantern provided had been enough.  All three girls had seen the face of the old man who ran the Pokemon Center, his eyes closed and a corona of pitch-black surrounding his head.  Without giving any indication of noticing the girls at all, he vanished back int the night, his steps slow and rhythmic.  Gespenst, determined to display that he was made of sterner stuff than anyone else, moved forward into the shadows.  A moment later, an orb of bright green energy appeared, sitting atop his withered crown, and in its light Olivie saw something that made her inhale sharply.  The bizarre sight of the old man walking, trance-like, in the starless dark wasn't an anomaly; he was only a part of an entire procession of people, all meandering in the same direction.  By Olivie's estimation, it was the shore on the far side of town, where the terrain became a labyrinthine mess of hills and furrows.  Her voice possessed by an uncharacteristic tremulousness, she whispered, [color=954535]”They're...sleepwalking.  To somewhere.  Do we...do we follow them?”[/color]  The moment after she said that, though, she'd already made up her mind.  In this situation, now matter how bone-chilling or strange, someone with true grit would go forward.  The way the villagers came together into a line from all directions told her that they were headed not just somewhere, but to some [i]thing[/i], and she had a pretty good idea what it might be.  Gespenst and Buck, reading her vibes, started to walk.  Olivie delayed only to pick up Verrine to put on her shoulder before following, taking the source of light with her.

[hider=The Benevolent Beauty Turned Boisterous Bruiser]
[b]Current Location:[/b] Stillwater Town
[b]TP:[/b] 35+ 1 = 36
[b]CP:[/b] 24+ 1 = 25

[b]Interaction:[/b]
[@Dusksong]'s Leisy Takigawa (The Adventurous, Unassuming Go-getter)
[@LuckyBlackCat]'s Ellanor Beaufort (Pretty, Perky, Poison-Prone Punk) 

[b]Pokemon:[/b]
Buck the Bidoof – lvl 3  –  healthy
Gespenst the Cacnea – lvl 5  –  healthy
Verrine the Karrablast – lvl 4 – healthy
Bifrons the Nidoran♂ - lvl 2 - healthy
[/hider]