c3p-0h

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

It seems like Noah’s last post took him and Kazu out of the main town center/crowd if I’m reading that right? Kazu’s unlikely to try diving into the fray again, but maybe Ikkou could spot her since he’s looking for her? Either in the crowd or maybe the ikkou/mags/alex party (seeing Alex will also throw Kazu for a loop lol) head out or something… idk we don’t have to complicate things lol. I’m game for whatever gets the cousins to see each other.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

@Brose look, i'm sorry, i know we're supposed to be forming the party but that's just what kazu wanted to do lmao. if you don't have an immediate reason for noah to keep engaging with her, then if nothing else kazu will be locked into the group the second she sees ikkou - we can reconvene there lol.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Location: Beryl Town
Interacting With: Noah Magnolia @Brose

"A chef." Kazu's immediate response was dry and more than a little distracted - she'd stopped paying full attention when the professor had turned down her attempt to return the egg. She'd specifically been trying to avoid this responsibility. If the professor's go-to solution was duct tape though, the damage couldn't have been that serious, at least. Her mind spun through logistics as she looked down at it. It was close to hatching, so she wouldn't have to lug it around for too long. Seriously, what had those booth attendants been thinking giving this to a kid? "World renowned, actually," she continued as she carefully moved the egg to a single aching arm. With her free hand, she swung her backpack around to her front (she usually only wore it on one side - while sub-optimal for her posture, very convenient for times like this). Expression neutral, her indigo eyes flicked up to him as she unzipped her bag. "Omelets to die for."

And, ok, maybe she'd been a little irritated at hearing the barest hint of a lecture in his tone.

Kazu shoved her arm into her bag, trying to negotiate with her cluttered belongings for space. If she had to carry this egg around in her arms until it hatched, they were gonna fall off - she just hoped her bag straps could hold out longer. Astra poked her little pink head to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the tall stranger (taller than Kazu, at least) through strands of white hair. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air. The moment Kazu's hair parted enough that the Cleffa had a full view though, she chirped and hid back behind her trainer's neck. Kazu felt her nestle deeper into the hood of her old jacket. The corner of her mouth quirked up fondly as she finished fitting the egg into her bag. The seams pulled precariously, and her sketchpad was going to be dented in a very egg-shaped curve by the end of the day, but it would do for now. Kazu maneuvered her bag onto both shoulders, feeling the weight heavy on her shoulders. At least it supported Astra from below, lessening the pull on her hood. Maybe she'd buy a new bag and jacket with that Morpheus-sponsored cash infusion. Wouldn't that be novel?

Schooling her face into a polite, if detached, smile, Kazu looked back up at the professor.

"Sorry to hold you up. Thanks for the...y'know." Kazu waived a hand over her shoulder. "Event." Readjusting her bag, she brought two fingers up to her temple in a mock salute. "No more egg dropping." With that, Kazu turned - it was time to get this show on the road. Astra spun in the hood, finally with an unobstructed view of the professor and his Zorua. She sniffed the air again before waving a tentative good-bye. The fabric of her bag twitched as the egg fidgeted within.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

I’ve now realized that Kazu says almost the same thing to the youngster as Ikkou says to Alex OTL… in my defense I was writing at stupid o’clock lmao. Chock it up to a family resemblance I guess, my bad for stealing your convo @yankee TT.TT

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Haha oh no I just realized Mags and Alex have the exact same dialogue color. Just gonna be two orange girls butting heads (or getting into trouble together).

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

This stupid thing is hers babyyyyy (she’s trying to return it please tell her it doesn’t need to be returned lmao).

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Aww thanks guys! Glad you all like her. I’m looking forward to our group shenanigans!

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Location: Beryl Town
Interacting With: Noah Magnolia @Brose

At first glance, it was easy to assume Kazu wasn’t paying attention. On the outskirts of the crowd, she leaned against a well-manicured tree with her hands in her pockets and a set of wired earbuds in her ears. There was no music playing. The stage was tiny at this distance, the presenters vague dots that Kazu didn’t bother trying to make out. Her eyes wandered instead over the crowd - the many hopefuls eager to start their Pokemon journeys. The competition. She wondered whom amongst them she’d actually end up recognizing by the end of all this. All the while, she listened to the voices over the loudspeaker. Astra, her little Cleffa, was nestled in the open hood of her jacket, idly swatting at Kazu’s hair. In the pockets of her jacket, her fingers tapped against each other, a quiet, hidden sign of her nerves.

A rising murmur lifted out of the crowd. Kazu’s sharp eyes flicked back to the stage. Prince. Even at this distance, he was unmistakable. His mask reflected the sunlight like a beacon, his cloak moving lightly in the breeze. She’d done some cursory research on the plane coming to Starre - enigmatic, intriguing, and startlingly competent. He’d apparently entered public view with his gimmick already fully-formed, costume and all. She wondered idly at the flamboyance of it all. What was it about these top-level trainers that made them more over the top than even contest champions? Was it all orchestrated and designed by media companies once they were identified as potential stars? Or was there just something about the brazenness with which they carried themselves that made them better battlers?

Kazu let out a small huff as the Prince struck a pose.

It was the kind of showmanship that someone could only pull off with absolute conviction. Or zero shame. Likely some combination of the two.

The cards he used to speak were a little dorky, but she was impressed by his commitment to the bit, if nothing else.

The speaker’s voice started to shift - time to wrap it up, apparently. Kazu pushed herself off of the tree. She slipped through the crowd, towards the booths meant to give out supplies. Soon enough the presentation was over, lines were forming, the booths opened, and Kazu had a heavier bag and a fuller bank account. Kazu moved through the milling crowd, slipping between bodies as she tried to not get swallowed by it all. Her earbuds were decent at muffling all the voices, at least.

Astra chirped in her ear, clinging to the back of her neck. Kazu reached a hand back to rub soothing circles on the little Cleffa.

“I know,” she murmured, “we’ll be out of the crowd soon.” Astra just nuzzled against her neck, no doubt mussing up the hair back there. She’d have to redo her bun later.

Kazu was ready to go. She needed movement, to be on her own, to do things on her own terms at her own speed for once. She was suddenly keyed up and restless now that she was so close to independence. The supplies were enough - she didn’t need an egg. She’d prefer not having one, actually. She loved Astra to bits, but minding her egg had been a formidable responsibility, and she could just go catch Pokemon of her own now. Because that’s what trainers did, right? And that’s what she was now - a trainer on an adventure, ready to make her way -

“Hey!” A high voice cut through the crowd, followed by a sharp crack.

Kazu spun around, Astra clinging to the cloth of her hood to steady herself.

A little boy, no older than ten, was on the ground. The contents of his bag was scattered, his new phone cracked, and a handful of berries already smashed. Worst though, was the egg doing a lopsided roll along the stone - revealing a small crack spiderwebbing along one side.

Kazu’s eyes widened. Soon enough, she was on the ground with him, trying to help gather his things. Trainers moved around them, berry juice leaving colorful footprints in their wake. Kazu scooped up the egg - caught off guard by how heavy it was. What the heck was in this thing? Astra hadn’t even been half this weight as an egg.

The little boy was on his feet again. Frustrated tears were springing to his eyes as he clutched his bag in front of him.

“Hey - are you ok?” Kazu’s eyes darted over him. His knees were scraped, and he was obviously having a bad start to his ‘adventure’ but nothing too bad, it seemed. He wasn’t looking at her. Instead his eyes were trained on the egg in her arms.

“…I broke it.” His voice was thick with emotion. Alarm bells started going off in Kazu’s head.

“It’s just a little crack, it’ll -”

“I killed it!”

“It’s fine!” Kazu fought to keep her voice calm as she watched tears start streaming down his face. “It’ll be ok. Look, Pokemon eggs are sturdy - I bet the little guy in here barely noticed it.”

The little boy finally looked at her, skeptical - and a little hopeful. “…Yeah?”

Kazu nodded. “I’ve got lots of experience with eggs,” she lied. She had a single experience with eggs. But hey, that meant she had a perfect record, right? “Why don’t I take care of this egg? You can go grab another one from the booths.”

“But… they’ll know I already took one, won’t they? I won’t get in trouble?”

Kazu looked around at the busy crowd, the overwhelming number of people filling the space with frenetic energy. “Nah. Just make sure you go to a different booth this time and try not to draw any attention to yourself. Let them give you the egg, say thank you, move on.” Kazu shifted the egg in her arms - she was already getting sore from carrying it. “Maybe ask for something that weighs less.”

Pink sprung to the boy’s cheeks as he looked up at her. Then he gave one last look at the egg, and darted back into the crowd without so much as a thank you. The corner of Kazu’s mouth twitched up as she rolled her eyes. Then she looked back down at the lead weight in her arms.

It was mostly brown - darker on the top and bottom, a more medium color around the middle - save for a bright green splotch in the center. The crack had formed in the middle of the green marking, making it even more visible. Kazu sighed to herself. She looked back at the various booths, overrun with crowds. Like hell she was dealing with all that.

Spinning around, Kazu’s mind worked to find a solution. Then she spotted a flash of pale pink hair and heard a familiar voice over the crowd. The Professor.

“One last stop, Astra. You’re doing good.” The Cleffa gave a soft trill in response. Kazu wove her way through the bodies, elbows, and backpacks towards the pink man. She angled her path so she ended up in front of him as he walked.

“Hi, Professor? I’m sorry, but I dropped my egg. Does it need to go back? Get special care or something?”

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

sorry, writing right now! expect a post in a couple of hours, un-edited and not proof-read.

Pokemon: Starlight Dreams

Ok I’ve settled on my egg choice and I’m feeling pretty good about it. Gonna take tonight to re-read everything that’s been posted so far and work on mapping out my post and I’ll have it written tomorrow! Sorry it’s taken me so long.