Remram
AchronumI'll get a post up in the next few days
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Natsuko Rinha
Morning || Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Outskirt Forests
After the sparring session with Team Five, Team Six had been revitalized, and they threw themselves into training even without encouragement from Minoru. Kazuhiko and Koharu each seemed to have their own reasons, probably clan related, as did Natsuko this time. While before she didn’t have much interest in training, meeting Kage and seeing what he did for Kouji changed her mind. Sure, Rinha were known for being medical nin, and she’d be falling in line with the pack if she chose to pursue that path, but she diidn’t mind that. Before, she’d always thought of medical nin as a lesser counterpart of the shinobi ranks, hanging back and relaxing while others risked their lives, but seeing what they could do in action changed her mind. In fact, she now saw medical nin as an integral part of the shinobi forces, because who else could patch up the wounded and save lives that might otherwise be lost? Besides, there was the matter of being of instant use since injuries were a steady part of life as a shinobi, and the more Natsuko learned about medical ninjutsu, the more she wanted to pursue the craft. So what if it required her to possess fine chakra control she didn’t have at the present? She’d sharpen her skills and get that control. Whether or not Kazuhiko shot her funny looks was irrelevant, as was the fact that her immediate family already had two medic nins. Whether her mother and brother would be pleased about her choice didn’t matter because Natsuko was choosing this for herself, and whether or not she was sure about the decision came second to making sure she could choose if she wanted to.
After a few days of training, during which Natsuko practiced jutsu and worked chakra like some chakra junkie, the Team was again off on a mission. At long last, Natsuko had managed to properly managed to absorb some chakra using the only Dark Release technique she knew at the moment: Kusunemasu. Her poor test subject, being obligated to volunteer by duty, had been relentlessly ranted at throughout the process. Though Natsuko didn’t hurt them while she practiced since failing to properly perform the technique resulted in the failure of stealing chakra, she was, however, able to shout and scream when she failed, and she only apologized after they were done, thanking her sensei with a hug that he got out of when she realized was the perfect way to sap more chakra from him.
Now, the team was off on another mission. Something about a bear problem in one of the forest settlements in the fringe woods of Konoha. Since they were technically part of Konoha, the village owed them protection, and as such there was money tied to it and a mission available. While the mission itself sounded less than exciting, Natsuko was intrigued by the possibility of seeing a bear. Having grown up inside the main village, she rarely saw any animals outside of summons, pets, and livestock, so she was interested to see what the fuss was all about.
“Are bears big, Sensei?” she asked as the group jumped through the branches. “Are they bigger than me? Kazuhiko? You?”
At his name, Kazuhiko glanced back from where he was up front. He didn’t slow, though, and in response Natsuko grinned and waved.
“Don’t mind us, Kazu-kun! I’m just asking to see whether you can get crushed by a wild animal.”
Kazuhiko Taketori
Afternoon || Land of Fire: Konohagakure — Mumi Village
Mumi Village was a small forest village that was largely self-subsisting. What few goods it did produce were traded to Konoha or other nearby villages in exchange for things they couldn’t produce, but they largely specialized in foraging and gardening, the latter of which they did in the small clearing by their vine and log cabins. Around the village also roamed small, tusked pigs, likely domesticated inhabitants of the forest, wiry hairs striped tan and brown as they lumbered and foraged in the town’s apple orchard. The gardens were fenced off, likely to prevent them from digging anything up, but that didn’t seem to phase them as they went about their busy existence.
“Eat up. We have tons, so don’t feel guilty,” Mika said, handing each member of the team a yellow-and-red mottled apple before turning the basket over to Minoru. “Nothing to do around here during the day anyway. Our bears are night dwellers, so best get some rest in now.”
She fixed her rolled up sleeves and brushed down her apron as she led the group into a large cabin with rows of benches and tables, like a mess hall of sorts. There, she sat them down at a table and called for someone to bring them some cider.
“We’re working on getting a freezer system so we can get ice, but that hasn’t happened yet, so try the most authentic cider there is: lukewarm cider. Cheers,” she said, raising a glass and clinking it with the team’s before taking a hearty swig.
“Now, the bear situation,” she said, setting her glass aside. “Bears, actually. See now, we like bears. We’ve had a few bears move through and settle down around here. Currently, there’s two long-timers: Toto and Toro. Toto’s the resident boar, and a big hunking male. He lives somewhere to the east over there, and all he does is eat. If we give him apples, he leaves us alone. Same thing with Toro, our sow to the southwest over there. She’s got cubs, apparently—two. They’re pretty young, maybe a month or two old, and she drops by every three days or so for apples.
“So yeah, we like bears, actually. We get along with the two we have because they understand the situation. In exchange for apples, they leave us alone. Problem is, there’s been a new boar in town—a big one we call Nusu. He’s messing with both our bears, as far as we can tell, invading their territory and all. One time we had Toro bring her cubs into the village orchard for a day. Freaked our kids out good when they found them there in the morning, and probably freaked her out too. Momma bear protection instincts are pretty crazy
“Worst of all, though, is his diet. He eats apples sometimes, we think. Knocked down some apple trees and all by trying to climb them. Thing is that he recently discovered our bees. We keep them in garden, which we have fenced to keep pigs and animals out, but he’s been visiting every night. Trashing the place, digging up veggies and ripping apart bee boxes. And we don’t know what to do. Can’t move the box into the village or he’d head there, and plus we need our bees to have enough honey to brave the winter, or we’ll have to start anew next year. That’s where you come in.”
Mika smiled, looking at Team Six. “You shinobi are more than enough of a match for a bear, I reckon, so do us a favor and scare some sense into Nusu, alright? He’ll probably be back to break open one of our remaining four bee boxes tonight. After sunset, most likely. So eat up and rest up—we’re counting on you three. Otherwise, feel free to roam our humble village. We love visitors, so don’t be afraid if someone’s doing something. Just because our hands are full doesn’t mean we don’t want to chat. Our garden is to the right of here, and it’s pretty big, so no way you’ll miss it. I’ll be in the house across from this cabin, so lemme know if you need something. Otherwise, I need to authorize a bunch of trades. Paperwork. Stuff I didn’t know I signed up for.”
With that, she drained her glass and dropped it off in a basket in the back, turning to go about her day. Kazuhiko looked between his teammates and sensei to see what they were to do next. Personally, he liked the idea of exploring the village, or at least the garden. If they were going to protect the place from a bear, they should at least know what the place looks like.
“Let’s check out the orchard,” Natsuko said with a grin as she looped her arm through Koharu’s. “These are pretty good. Don’t you wanna see the apple trees, Kazu-kun?”
Kazuhiko shrugged. They had an afternoon of time to kill, after all.
“Sure.”
@Sunflower
Pebble Meyers
@Alamantus@Vertigo
“Ta-dah.” Pebbles raised her knotted handiwork, forcing a smile. While it looked usable and could therefore be counted as a success, she couldn’t help but feel put out by the situation in general. What kind of person put Duncan and her in a room with these things, leaving the key in a drain for them to find? Why her, and why all of this?
She didn’t have answers to her questions, and when she tried to think of one she stepped into an abyss of possibilities that she always backed out of immediately. So, she did the next best thing: focus on the here and now. The contents of the truck’s battery compartment, though, brought a grin to her face as she gasped and fetched the hook and thread inside.
“Oh, this must be it! The hook,” Pebs said, raising it for Duncan to see, then bringing it over to where he was struggling with the drain.
“Perfect fit,” she said, comparing the hook to the drain grates. “Alright, let’s do this.”
At Duncan’s remark about steady hands, Pebs laughed. “Not sure they’re steady, but I can count on them,” she said as she unwrapped the thread from the hook. “If you’ve got steady hands, feel free to take over. Otherwise, I'm going in.”
Biology Study Group
Evergreen Library || Thursday Afternoon || ft. — Alex @Savo, Ava @Addamas, Joey @KenjuGuy, Merja @Typical
As the duo were walking towards the exit, Alex stopped in his tracks for a brief moment and peered behind him. "You mind if I have a sec'? There's one last thing I want to say before I leave this all behind for good… hopefully," he waved Merja off as he glared at the boy with a sullen look and a slight scowl.
Mer’s eyes widened as she glanced back to see what Alex was looking at. Mikhail? The last thing she needed now was for Alex to get in another fight, and especially not one with Mikhail.
“Oh, um, I have a few questions about our last biology class if that’s okay,” she said, interrupting him before he could leave. “And, um, how do you get to your dorm again?”
Alex gazed back at Merja; while his face was still a bit scrunched, for the most part he looked a little tamer when addressing his friend. "Oh? Uh, sure, I'll answer your questions and lead the way in a sec'," he calmly replied with a bit of strain in his voice as he pivoted around and began walking towards Phillip and Mikhail.
Mer hesitated, racking her brain for a distraction. At the corner of her eyes she spotted a recruitment poster for the basketball team, and she hit upon an idea.
“Hold on, today’s Thursday right? I need to show you something,” she said, grabbing Alex’s arm and pulling him away from the library.
"Huh," he shouted out, taken aback by the fact that not only Merja was latching onto his arm, but dragging him elsewhere because of something important.
Well, that's what he would think for a brief moment as he stumbled a bit, trying to regain some semblance of balance after she caught him off balance a bit.
As they walked out of the library, Alex was able to stabilize himself a bit and dig his heels into the tile floor. It was somewhat ineffective, though it was mostly remedied by the fact that Alex was planting himself firmly in place, making it a lot more challenging for the girl to string him along. "Woah, woah, woah, Merja, what's this all about, what do you need to show me?"
Letting go of his hand, Mer met his eyes with a sheepish smile. “The fencing team is recruiting today, and I thought to bring you around to see if you’d like to try it?”
Alex paused, looking at the girl and taking a mental glance at her own offering before sighing. While most of the vexation displayed on his face had vanished and gave him the appearance of a mild surprise, it began to contort into something else. His face seemed to droop, a little expressionless aside from his frown; honestly, it wasn't unexpected to see him with one, but it was a little more somber this time. "Merja," he murmured, "what's this really about?"
Mer’s smile slid from her face when she realized that in trying to distract Alex, she’d inadvertently managed to hurt him. While she’d hoped to avoid conflict by distracting him, it was clear that he preferred honesty, and she felt a stab of guilt when she realized that he’d been nothing but honest with her.
“Sorry, Alex. I just… I didn’t want you to start again with Mikhail,” she admitted. “I think you going back in will just escalate things again, especially after we already left.”
He sighed, rubbing his cheeks with his only free hand as he looked downward, musing about the events that transpired. "I wouldn't rule the possibility of that happening out, but I was only going to tell him to stay away from you, Joey, and Ava." Alex eased up a little, still frowning, but it was more neutral and unremarkable to be precise.
Pinching his bottom lip, he stood there with Merja, amidst the silence of the halls. Sure, it was bustling elsewhere, but it gave him time to ponder, think. Breathing in and breathing out through his nose, he rubbed the side of his head for a bit before continuing. "Maybe it was for the best that you kept me from dragging it out any longer... and giving him any more ideas."
Relieved to see that Alex had taken her words somewhat well, Mer tried another smile. “Let head to your dorm then? Ava and Joey are waiting, right?”
Alex nodded, "Yeah, they should be," he jabbed a thumb behind him before gesturing with his eyes. As he pivoted around and began walking, they were mostly left to bask in the silence once more as they traversed down the empty hallways. However, before they made any distance, Alex turned and looked over at Merja, tilting his head just a little.
"By the way... was what Mikhail saying true? I mean, he said he wasn't interested in dating or anything like that, but, erm," he stopped, looking behind him for a second biting his lip before stopping and returning his gaze to Merja. "Is he telling the truth? You both aren't dating, right?"
Mer’s eyes widened, and she rushed to put her hands up, waving them frantically. “No, not dating, definitely not. The library was the first time I spoke to him outside of class, and I had no idea he had all that happen to him.”
"Is that so," he mused, as he looked over Merja before raising a hand to his chin and looked to the side while rubbing it. "Good," that was the only word that left his now smiling face as he nodded to himself.
School Dorms || Thursday Afternoon
"Hey Joey?" Ava pondered as she bit off the edge of a particularly large potato chip."Weren't Alex and Mer supposed to be here already?" From the sound of her tone, it didn't seem to annoy her at all as she nonchalantly put her feet onto the couch and continued to watch a sappy drama on TV.
The boy, Joey, rested lazily on the couch alongside Ava. Well this particular way of resting was rather him laying upside down on the couch with his legs in the air. Instead of this being another case of him being weird, it was just a case of him being bored. “At our age, it’s better to have patience, but you’re right they’re taking awhile,” he pondered abit while staring at the television screen in front of them. Judging by the distant look in his eyes, the young athlete wasn’t very moved by the exaggerated acting skills displayed on the screen.
“You know, back in the good old days, actors used to put real passion in their work. No matter the role they were put in. Sure, they were in black-and-white but that didn’t stop them putting their all into it. At least that’s what I’ve seen of the tapes the elders showed me,”, after finishing his small rant, Joey slid his hand into the potato chip bag and tossed one of the chips into his mouth.
“You watch old movies with your grandparents? Hahah that's so cute!" Ava beamed at Joey before suddenly pouting. "Though I can't believe you would insult chacky Jan like that, like, he is like so like...you just don't understand." She frowned at Joey for a good few seconds longer than considered comfortable, and reached out for the bag of chips, putting a few too many chips in her mouth. "If you can make me laugh and cry just by acting, you are totally passionate about your job." Talking with her mouth full, her words could just barely be understood, and as she reached out for the potato chips yet again, her frown had already turned upside down.
Looking at Ava, Joey couldn’t help but grimace at her unsightly manner of eating. Mostly because the crumbs were flying in his face. “You wanna talk about passion?” after stating that, the boy spun around to properly sit his bottom on the couch. With reinvigorated enthusiasm, a smile slid its way across his mouth as he removed his cellphone from his pocket. “Let me a real woman with grace. Real ladylike unlike the girls today,” he allowed his proclamation to ring out through the room as he swiped his thumb across the phone screen.
Once he had gotten to his phone gallery, Joey lowered his device for Ava to see. Then, like a tour guide, began expressing his emotions over the series of photos that displayed a young girl, around his age, helping an elderly man out of a crowd of people and walking him across the street;“See this? This is how young ladies- no, this is how every youngster should be conducting themselves! This should be the role model that you should strive to be! Although I couldn’t get a picture of her face, I’m sure that woman is out there doing something amazing right now!,”
Face flushed with pride and joy. Joey waved the picture-displayed phone around as if it were some sort of holy relic.
Looking at the pictures, then Joey, then the pictures again, Ava’s crumb littered cheeks began to heat up. As if trying to grasp for safety, she reached out behind her back to scratch it with a forcefully subdued smile. “Ahah, you think so, huh?” relaxing ever so slightly, she removed her feet from the couch and laid her hands on her lap. Her cheeks didn't lose their color, but as she peered at the TV, her smile seemed to grow much more comfortable.
“I think she’ll like the compliment-” She smiled before abruptly raising her finger towards Joey. “But you can’t just take pictures of ladies without permission!”
As the two talked, the door behind them slowly opened, the creaking drowned out by the chatter of the two and the sound of a commercial playing in the background. However, there was the sound of a familiar voice, speaking to another individual.
"-sibly consider it sometime... also, Sibell-oh." The door fully opened, revealing two familiar faces - their tall friend, Merja and even taller 'friend,' Alex. From the looks of it, the latter of the two had a resting bitch face, which was not an uncommon sight, but it was difficult to tell if he was disappointed, irritated, or generally any other verb that could be used to describe initial impressions upon arrival.
"Course you two are slacking off," he sighed, holding the door open with one hand and two fingers to the bridge of his nose. "At least you two didn't start without us," he murmured, looking over to Merja. Despite everything, he looked a bit weary, moving his hand off his face and gesturing for Merja to enter in.
“Thanks. Hey Ava, Joey,” Mer said, entering to stare at the TV along with them. “Sorry to keep you both waiting. What're you watching?”
On the screen was an ad, meaning she and Alex had just missed the show, unfortunately—or fortunately. From Alex’s comment, it was clear he wasn’t looking to join in on the program, but Mer was partial to a break. After the whole library debacle, a relaxing moment or two in front of the TV sounded pretty nice, and right on cue the commercials ended to resume the show.
“Oh, which drama is this?” she asked, walking over to the couch.
“It’s called Good Times, Bad Times.” Ava mumbled with a mouthful while extending the chips bag to Merja. “Totally up your alley.” Ava’s smile brightened as she looked Merja in the eyes, but her gaze soon settled on Alex, turning it into a frown. “Why so Gloomy?” Although her tone was somewhat playful, there was an underlying worry.
Mer thanked Ava as she helped herself to a chip, nodding as she tuned into the show. At Ava’s mention of Alex’s mood, however, she shifted her eyes to Alex. Were they really about to go into this?
"Don't listen to her Mer, this show doesn't have any sophistication or heart to it." Joey gave an accusing point of the finger to the television screen. Truth be told, he hated studying and wouldn't mind if they'd rather just hang around and watch TV. However the boy couldn't deny the importance of studying, that's why he was here in the first place.
"I'm sure Alex is just as upset as I am about having to watch this. You'd rather watch an old western show right!?" Joey questioned with eyes glimmering with charm.
Alex merely offered the boy a shrug with a flatline expression, "I could really care less about TV; I'll sit down for a movie or somethin', but I prefer something more... well..." He paused as he tread into the room behind Merja, quietly closing the door as he made himself at home, hauling the bag off his back as he began unzipping it, "Interactive? Stimulating?"
Setting his bag beside the couch, he began digging through, continuing to mutter a couple of other things, "Something that generally forces you to think in one way or another, not-"
He hefted a medical book out of his bag, "-most shows; if anything, they're comparable to empty calories."
“Wow, that’s harsh.” Ava quipped as she took the last potato chip from the bag. Noticing the medical book, she got up and nonchalantly stretched her arms. “We ought to get productive huh?”
Quickly swallowing the rest of the chip, Mer nodded, unpacking her things as well. Since the only textbook she had for biology was the one the school had assigned, she had nothing near the size of Alex’s book. She’d learned a while ago that Alex had a tendency to self-study more than what was taught, but looking at the medical book now, she wondered how she’d managed to get a good score on her A-level when she was competing with the likes of him.
That aside, though, it seemed that biology was about to be in full swing, so Mer set aside her thoughts and focused on her notes. “Let’s start on Friday’s notes then?”
The books dropping down on the table felt like bricks weighing down Joey's spirit. Wiping the nervous sweat off his temple, the youngster reached into his own backpack for his own biology material."You know, this may seem uncalled for considering I'm new here,..buuut I'm actually missing some of my notes..haha..," he awkwardly laughed while running his fingers through his ponytail.
Joey hoped they would be forgiving of his little slip up, but even with that, the boy didn't stop.
"Now before you guys think I'm just some careless idiot, I'll have you know there's a very good reason why I wasn't paying attention at the time!" The tennis player lent over for the others to hear, his face somewhat stern. "You see, Lance, the guy who sits next to me in class, was telling me about his grandmother, who used to be a nun and apparently had spiritual powers! The night before, his grandmother went bonkers in the middle of her sleep. Said he never saw her act this way before or even knew she had the energy to run around the house as much as she did. From what she was yelling about, she had a vision and saw that London was overrun demons…"
Joey paused to let his words hang, but then quickly shot back to talking once he realized how he probably sounded.
"Now look, I didn't see any of this myself but I think it's very important that we all take the words of our elders very seriously!.....Now that is an important reason to not be paying attention in class, right?" Well, Alex didn't look to be having any of that based on the that piercing glare he was giving Joey. "You can remember everything your classmate did, as well as to watch some TV, yet you couldn't recall bringing your notes," he groaned under his breath, grinding his teeth as another book came calmly down onto the table, followed by his own notebook as he stared at the boy.
"I'm gonna need to give Lance a bit of a talk considering you both got distracted during class," he grumbled, shaking his head as he leaned on the side of the couch, pressing a fist up on his face as he pointed to the notes and pages he was on. "We were covering genetics, primarily the types of genetic diseases that arise from genetics; cystic fibrosis, Huntington's, trisomy 21, how they're generally inherited and such," Alex began circling his hand as he continued looking intensely at the boy.
"While these are dominant and recessive diseases, there are some others as well, like Alzheimer's and Dementia, the former of which is unable to be diagnosed unless postmortem, as well as-"
“Wait wait, those sound like tough subjects, did you guys learn that stuff in class?”
“I don’t think so,” Mer said, flipping over her notes. “Maybe the teacher mentioned those diseases briefly, but I don’t think we covered them in detail.”
She glanced at Alex’s book, pressing her lips together for a moment. “Do you think we’ll have to know all that for our A-level?”
It was only for a mere moment but Joey winced at the words 'Alzheimer' and 'Dementia'. Someone as young and full of vigor of course shouldn't have to worry about such things. Only, it wasn't himself that he was worried about.
"Right, Alzheimer's and Dementia...diseases normally noticed in the later years of life.."
Gone was the energy that radiated from him earlier. Instead his mind wandered into thoughts of the short remaining futures of elderly community that he called family. What diseases could peel away what was left of their lives? His eyes distant and unfocused, an incredibly small shimmer of anxiety crept it's way into his chest.
Yet, Joey was someone that kept his allies in mind. It was for that reason that he temporarily disposed of that fear growing inside of him. He wouldn't let himself bring down the moods of the others in the group. His trademark smile made sure of that,"Our coach always tells us to be prepared for anything the opponent might throw at us. It couldn't hurt to know about it anyways right?"
He pulled a tennis ball out of his pocket and began to lightly toss it up and down. Despite keeping his body busy, he also used it as a way to calm himself. Still, he kept his attention on the subject at hand,"There's no point if we don't go full throttle,"
"I mean, it could help us a bit when it comes to the future, but now?" Alex looked over a couple of the books as he began stroking his chin, blinking for a second before snatching up the medical book and closing before inserting it back into his bag. "Joey, I wouldn't mind going over some of these other diseases with you some other time, but to be fair, we didn't learn most of this in Bio."
Rubbing his neck, he looked sheepishly over to the bag before looking back at the trio, and then to the TV, and then back to the three, "Lets not squander this time about things our professor didn't go over in class... that being said, if you all wanted, I would be more than happy to arrange a separate study session with you all," Alex smirked a little before shrugging, "or somethin' like that."
Clearing his throat, he then proceeded to lean over and flip through his notes, "In any case, here's what he explained during class..."
Eryn Montero
Route 5 || Day 3: Afternoon || @PlatinumSkink
Eryn grit her teeth as Kylie went down.
“You did great, Kylie,” she said, recalling the Mawile and swapping her with Dei.
“Finish it, Dei!”
The Charmander rushed the Magnemite, flames spilling from his mouth as he ran. When he was close enough, he loosed his stream of flames at the Magnemite.
"Good suggestion, Number Two," Marla said, turning to communicate to Hugo and Marco that they'd continue for a bit before stopping.
"So, you never finished telling me what your new research topic is. I know you're here helping me on my research, but no reason I can't try to help with yours while I'm here, so have at it. What is it?"
The discussion went on and on, with Marla asking questions and giving observations before they lapsed into theoreticals and picking apart minor details, and it went on until Hugo alerted them that they were docking soon.
"Right, sample collecting time," Marla said with a grin.
Using an oar to push the boat against the bottom of the river edge, Marco steered the boat towards the shore until it beached itself with a thunk. As before, Marco would anchor the boat to some tree or shrub by the shore and wait by it, ensuring that the four had a way back as Hugo led the two researchers into the forest. Now was no different, and Hugo slipped on a bag as he gave some final instructions to his son before joining Han and Marla on land.
"Let's head in, say, five hundred meters before we stop for samples," Carla said.
Hugo nodded, and the trio set off into the green. The last traces of mist gave way to the damp understories of the rainforest where moisture was everywhere, thin layers on foliage that gathered into drops to soak into the decay underfoot. Around them were the sounds of the forest: birds, insects, leaves, and wind, all combining into a steady song that easily drowned out the river. Soon, it became difficult to tell forwards from backwards by sight, and Marla was thankful for Hugo and his compass.
The trio continued into the forest, stopping in intervals of five hundred meters. When they got deep enough, Hugo retrieved a knife from his bag and started hacking down the dense shrubbery ahead, forging a path through the green. Though the din of the forest remained constant and unchanging, Marla couldn't help but feel like they were being watched, like the forest was alive around them, lying in wait for something specific.
A sharp sound echoed through the air, momentarily silencing the forest. Marla froze in the middle of packing up her newest sample, frowning as another bang broke the air.
"Is that... a gun?"
She looked to Hugo, repeating her statement in Spanish only for the man to shush her midway as another bang sounded. His knuckles were white around the knife hilt, and Marla quickly packed up her sample, righting her bag on her back.
"Should we head back?"
@Scrivener
"So, you never finished telling me what your new research topic is. I know you're here helping me on my research, but no reason I can't try to help with yours while I'm here, so have at it. What is it?"
The discussion went on and on, with Marla asking questions and giving observations before they lapsed into theoreticals and picking apart minor details, and it went on until Hugo alerted them that they were docking soon.
"Right, sample collecting time," Marla said with a grin.
Using an oar to push the boat against the bottom of the river edge, Marco steered the boat towards the shore until it beached itself with a thunk. As before, Marco would anchor the boat to some tree or shrub by the shore and wait by it, ensuring that the four had a way back as Hugo led the two researchers into the forest. Now was no different, and Hugo slipped on a bag as he gave some final instructions to his son before joining Han and Marla on land.
"Let's head in, say, five hundred meters before we stop for samples," Carla said.
Hugo nodded, and the trio set off into the green. The last traces of mist gave way to the damp understories of the rainforest where moisture was everywhere, thin layers on foliage that gathered into drops to soak into the decay underfoot. Around them were the sounds of the forest: birds, insects, leaves, and wind, all combining into a steady song that easily drowned out the river. Soon, it became difficult to tell forwards from backwards by sight, and Marla was thankful for Hugo and his compass.
The trio continued into the forest, stopping in intervals of five hundred meters. When they got deep enough, Hugo retrieved a knife from his bag and started hacking down the dense shrubbery ahead, forging a path through the green. Though the din of the forest remained constant and unchanging, Marla couldn't help but feel like they were being watched, like the forest was alive around them, lying in wait for something specific.
A sharp sound echoed through the air, momentarily silencing the forest. Marla froze in the middle of packing up her newest sample, frowning as another bang broke the air.
"Is that... a gun?"
She looked to Hugo, repeating her statement in Spanish only for the man to shush her midway as another bang sounded. His knuckles were white around the knife hilt, and Marla quickly packed up her sample, righting her bag on her back.
"Should we head back?"
@Scrivener
Eryn Montero
Route 5 || Day 3: Afternoon
Hearing that the egg would hatch soon had Eryn in high spirits through lunch and the early afternoon, and the information she got about the nearby Pokemon told her that Route 5 was probably the easiest route to grind on. Route 6 came with a warning to not train there, and from a glance at the Pokedex’s list of Pokemon for Route 6, Eryn figured that it was just as well. Trying to train against fire-types with her current team wasn’t the best strategy, frankly, and she was looking to train, not struggle. That said, since when was she about to let “danger” stop her? After the Infested Woods and the Wet Caverns, somewhere called the Vast Plains didn’t seem so intimidating.
Just as quickly as she arrived at Lakewatch Town, Eryn left it, knowing full well she’d return soon enough. From what she knew about eggs, they hatched faster when their carrier was travelling, but now that she was thinking about it, that seemed strange. What did an egg know about distance and travel? Many an egg hatched in a barn, after all, and if it weren’t for her picking up the Onix egg, it would have stayed in the caverns until it hatched, travelling only within Onix’s territory. Still, even if it was just time that affected hatching, Eryn figured a little light travelling never hurt. Though that meant Tula was going to have to stay in her ball for the moment, given that neither she nor the egg was particularly light, Eryn had plans for her training-wise, and that began with tracking down some unsuspecting Caterpies and Scatterbugs. As soon as she did, out came Tula to absolutely mash the living daylights out of them—or so Eryn would cheer her on to do. In reality, Tula got in a hit here and there, eventually managing to Struggle the energy out of her opponent, but every time Eryn would cheer her on anyway. Nothing short of the best encouragement would do, especially for the fish she couldn’t carry at the moment.
Thankfully, Dei and Kylie excelled against the grass-types, Kylie’s poison immunity coming into use as always, and though Eri struggled a bit on the route owing to his less than optimal typings, he got going after a few trips to the Pokemon Center. Though trekking back and forth was a bit boring, it was more distance and therefore enrichment for the egg, and it was also more time for Eryn to mull over Kylie and Eri’s new moves. From the Pokedex entries, neither move was amazing. If Eryn was being biased, she’d put it down to the fact that they were normal-type moves, but hey, equal opportunity. Everyone needed to start somewhere.
After training, she tracked down some trainers to fight, and by tracked down she meant “fought anyone who seemed to be up for it.”
@PlatinumSkink
Ferris Talese
@Pezz570@HokumPocus
Ferris followed his companions in, removing his sword, daggers, and belt of scent flasks. When Talon pointed out Chres’ hidden daggers, Ferris glanced up at the bird, pulling out his hidden blades and reserve canisters. As much as he disliked being unarmed, there was no helping it for now, and to make up for it he pulled his mask off. The scent of the room betrayed nothing new, but he’d be prepared if that were to change. Then, after waiting patiently as the guards patted him down, he watched as a trapdoor was lifted to reveal stairs leading downwards. Following Chres down the stairs, Ferris was surprised by how old the building was. Judging by the secrecy of The Watch, it was unlikely for them to utilize a premade secret room, meaning that the staircase had to have been made by people within the organization. That in turn meant that The Watch was old and had survived for over a lifetime for some, calling into question just what their plans were. Most plans spanned a single lifetime, and Ferris wondered about the usefulness of an organization willing to wait for so long. From what Ferris understood of his new teammates, their group was one that did things in the now, not one that waited until they thought the time was right.
Sometime along the descent, Ferris realized that he was suddenly distinctly aware of his senses, aware of the stale stench of the corridors and the lack of airflow within it, leading each person’s breath and scent to linger about them as they continued down. With the sensitivity came a faint floral scent of scent common to taste magic users, but as soon as he took another breath to double-check the scent started to sharpen into the minty scent of hearing magic, which confused him. But, before he could check again, he realized that as quickly as the sensitivity had come, it had gone, leaving without giving him ample time to explore its effects. This all was sufficient to unsettle him, and he glanced between his teammates, not liking their situation. If they were ambushed now, they had little by the means of defense.
Still, Ferris followed as Chres continued down, reaching the bottom just as the scent in the air started to smell sharp and sour, like the scent of sight magic users. He still had no idea what he was smelling exactly, which left him on edge as he tried checking again and again, each time arriving at different results. In the case that it was more than one scent, he could understand the situation, but in that case he’d be able to continue smelling multiple scents at a time. Currently, he only smelled one scent at a time, each bleeding into another until the first was almost undetectable, and Ferris didn’t like it one bit. His sense of smell was his most trusted sense, and he wondered whether he’d been drugged. The air in the staircase appeared to hold no threat other than being a little stale, but new concoctions were being made every day, and Ferris wouldn’t be surprised if an order specifically made to fight magic-users had found some sort of gas to throw his adept sense off.
His wariness didn’t leave even as the group entered the chamber at the bottom of the staircase, and inside was a slew of characters Ferris wouldn’t have expected. That there were slaves meant that the organization wasn’t above inhumane methods, which was just as well. Nothing about the situation hinted at a righteous set of values, which may well be for the better; upstanding values were hard to deal with, often being uncompromising and too black and white to work with.
The man in the center of the room easily captured Ferris’ attention as Ferris traced the shifting scents to him. Given that Ferris had never come across such a scent, he didn’t quite know what to make of it. Did it mean that the man could wield all the different magics, that he was merely covering up his scent with a well-concocted guise, or that he had another power entirely? Whatever it was, Ferris watched the silver-haired man carefully, his gaze flickering between the two beside him. When the man beside the silver-haired one sneered, Ferris met his gaze impassively, lingering on him as he turned towards the fire before the silver-haired man started speaking. Though his words didn’t mean anything to Ferris, it was clear that he knew of Chres and Octavio, which in turn meant that they hadn’t been inclined to offer help. As such, Ferris guessed that the organization had already discussed and come to a conclusion about his companions and their cause, which meant this meeting was more of a formality than a true meeting.
When the man asked his question, Ferris glanced at his companions. As the newest member of the group, it seemed only right to allow someone else to broker the new relationship, especially since Ferris couldn’t be sure he’d represent the group appropriately. The sneer the blanketed man had given him spoke some about The Watch’s thoughts on him, and Ferris wasn’t one to think he could change someone’s mind with a single meeting.
“I was thinking that we’d take some samples further down the river, but yes, we should probably try and cover more distance while the sun’s up,” Marla said. Though she’d prefer to take samples every inch of the way, that was neither a good nor practical idea, and she had to agree with Hanjae on that.
“I say we should make another stop an hour or so further down the river. That sound good to you, Number Two?”
Tucking the sample she’d referenced earlier into her bag, Marla took up post at the front of the boat. Judging by the clear sky, it seemed the crew was in for some heat today, especially since they’d be stuck on the river and in the sun. Had they been trekking, the leaves would have sheltered them from the rays to come, but Marla supposed that sacrifices had to be made for speed.
“Say, how about camping early and going on a trek today instead?” She pointed at the sky with a thumb. “Weather doesn’t look too cool after this mist clears up, so we might as well use this chance to get in some excursions into the jungle.”
For her research, samples from near the river were enough, but the nature of her research meant that her object of study was always expanding, and it was likely that samples from deeper inside the jungle would be pertinent in the future, if not now. She had, however, been hogging most of the spotlight when it came to sample-collecting, and she didn’t exactly want her first day as the de facto leader to be completely centered on her. As a friend, colleague, and fellow enthusiast of science, Marla felt that it was only fair to split the day fifty-fifty in terms of focus. Otherwise, the trip wouldn’t be mutually beneficial.
@Scrivener
“I say we should make another stop an hour or so further down the river. That sound good to you, Number Two?”
Tucking the sample she’d referenced earlier into her bag, Marla took up post at the front of the boat. Judging by the clear sky, it seemed the crew was in for some heat today, especially since they’d be stuck on the river and in the sun. Had they been trekking, the leaves would have sheltered them from the rays to come, but Marla supposed that sacrifices had to be made for speed.
“Say, how about camping early and going on a trek today instead?” She pointed at the sky with a thumb. “Weather doesn’t look too cool after this mist clears up, so we might as well use this chance to get in some excursions into the jungle.”
For her research, samples from near the river were enough, but the nature of her research meant that her object of study was always expanding, and it was likely that samples from deeper inside the jungle would be pertinent in the future, if not now. She had, however, been hogging most of the spotlight when it came to sample-collecting, and she didn’t exactly want her first day as the de facto leader to be completely centered on her. As a friend, colleague, and fellow enthusiast of science, Marla felt that it was only fair to split the day fifty-fifty in terms of focus. Otherwise, the trip wouldn’t be mutually beneficial.
@Scrivener
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