[closed] while the snow falls all around me

[outbounds]

Who: Emmet, Laios, Ingo
What: Play Nice and Exploration: Blue, for now
When: various points in August
Where: Middle Forest, uncharted territory past the Southern Outpost at current
Warnings: Cold weather environmental hazards; to be added if they come up

play nice (for laios)

[ So the guilds are looking to expand! Makes sense. Makes sense if they're intending to scale up operations as the town expands past the immediate area that they've well and mapped out by now. If they are to continue on these tracks then of course they are going to need more members to avoid being spread too thin, possibly on a little more reliable of a basis than 'every other month when strange things start happening.'

That still doesn't mean they know who or what they're looking out for, exactly! What sort of roles the guilds need filled, if there's any specificity in traits or abilities they should be on the lookout for or if they just need to bolster numbers in general. At least that means they have free choice of where to head? ]

It's cleared up a lot here from how it used to be... [ Emmet notes, picking his way carefully across the earth. Every now and then he'll eye the ground a little dubiously, but whatever he's waiting for or expecting to happen never seems to. So, after each of these moments his ears just flick a little as if to dismiss them. ] But anyway. What sort of Pokémon do you want to run into, you think?

exploration: blue (for ingo)

[ Uncharted territory again! It's been a while since they last ventured forth into the unknown. This time ... they are probably more prepared for it? It's a scouting mission, once again, so there is no imminent peril or time pressure.

Being surrounded by trees is familiar enough. What isn't is the drop in temperatures, especially given the season. And soon enough the familiar sight of densely wooded forest begins to give way to thinner vegetation, the few trees remaining growing gnarled and stripped barren. Snow is starting to collect on the twisting branches.

Emmet's ears twitch a little as he tilts his head back to take a look up at the sky above. Snow, huh. Not hail, at least, and not storming, but... ]

Knew it was to be expected, but. I am Emmet. Suddenly I am glad for all this fur.

Comments

[offtracks]

I am, as well!

[ Hisuian Typhlosion do have thicker coats for just that reason! Though...the two cases are rather different. Zoroark are like that because of their history - because they knew, when returning, that they could not afford to be otherwise.

It's an awful story. Ingo has always thought so, in spite of his own personal history with the species. And they've already discussed it, so...nevermind that, actually! ]

But this all feels quite familiar to me. The southern borders of the icelands are quite similar!

[outbounds]

[ (There's something to be said about staying in the place you died in, even for ghosts. Choosing to make a home out of the place that was directly responsible for their deaths... Maybe there's comfort in familiarity. Maybe they had no other choice. Still, was being driven into the place where they ultimately met their ends not enough to breed resentment for the environment?

Or maybe that is the point. They are ghosts, after all. They are strengthened by feeling. Maybe the point is that they need to remember why they are angry.)

Emmet just tosses his head to dislodge a few fallen flakes of snow, expression bright despite the would-be biting chill. ]

Haha. Well then! Sounds like it is your job to conduct us through this terrain. There are not so many places in Unova that regularly get snow.

[ Levity aside, that familiarity will probably be valuable. The remaining trees are thinning rapidly as they travel onward, after all, and the snow is only getting getting heavier. ]

[offtracks]

Is it very warm?

[ Ingo's not sure how easily he would adapt to such an environment now.

A second after he's thought it, he's not sure why. He's not...even if they get out of here, it's not like he can just take a ship to Unova. It isn't as though they would ever be able to visit one another.

Regardless, he does move naturally through the snow. The flames do not even feel necessary to keep himself warm, even as he crunches barefoot through the building white blanketing the ground. His claws flex instinctively, digging into the frost like built-in ice boots. ]

[outbounds]

Nimbasa can be at times. It is close to Desert Resort. But no, it is fairly temperate in most of the region, generally... [ That said, Emmet cocks his head a little as something occurs to him. The fall of his paws on the snow is near-silent as they travel, on account of the thick fur keeping them insulated. ] Though. The seasons are said to be particularly strong in Unova? And by that I mean ... Most of the year, there isn't really snow.

But in winter, there is a lot of snow in some parts of the region. Other parts will get rain and hail instead. A lot of that as well.

[ Especially in places like Driftveil and Route 5 ... which really, is just west of Nimbasa, so. That's sort of proving his point, isn't it. ]

[offtracks]

The Icelands never differ so greatly!

[ There's seasons, after a fashion, but Ingo has always known that they vary far more elsewhere. ]

The days grow longer in the summers, but even then most of the snow that far north does not melt. That is why we do not farm, as they do in Jubilife.

[outbounds]

That is why they are called the Icelands, huh. Well. Anyway. The parts further north can get snow. And some things freeze over. Up near Mistralton for example it is usually very wet in other seasons. Ice-type Pokemon become more common. Deerling and Sawsbuck change their form. That sort of thing.

[ Hmm. Isn't Jubilife relatively new? The clans are supposed to have been there for a long time... ]

Why the cold, though?

[offtracks]

Why...do we live there, you mean?

[ He seems like he's never really questioned it. Had he stumbled upon the Pearl Clan later in his displacement, maybe he would have, but...he supposes he simply absorbed a great deal about the Clan, as they were the ones coaxing him back out of his own head. ]

They are the Clan's ancestral lands, I suppose. Though...that cannot exclusively be true, I suppose, with some of our Nobles' territories as far south as they can go...I suppose it likely goes back to the war that split us from the Diamond Clan.

[ He doesn't have the details, though. Embarrassing - he as a Warden probably ought to know this! ]

[outbounds]

Just found it strange. That if there is farmable land, it belongs to the people who have been there the shortest.

[ If it is strange for the Zoroark to have made a home in the cold it is just as much so for the people, considering they probably had a choice otherwise?

As if to further drive in that thought, the wind starts to pick up just a little. It probably would be a little biting if they hadn't been so adapted for it, but as it is, it mostly amounts to the gusts blowing the falling snowflakes around in sparkling eddies. Quite tolerable still, for the time being. ]

[offtracks]

...it would be difficult to adapt, I suppose. The way we are now. I am not sure what we would do without the sea so close.

[ Much of their diet depends on the sea, or on hunting the Pokemon specific to the islands. What does the Clan know about keeping a farm? But, before all of that, back when they first came to live there...? He doesn't know anything, really, about that time. ]

We and the Diamond Clan both also do not tend to stay in one place forever. That is why we have settlements and not towns - the bulk of us move about with the seasons. Maybe that is why we never began...?

[ Is it "we", when that heritage isn't really his own? But even knowing where he comes from now, Ingo can't say he feels like a Unovan. He doesn't know anything about what that would even mean. ]

[outbounds]

Right, right. Follow the schedule. Established routines. No need to change things so drastically just because.

[ A literal one too, it sounds like. Nomadic clans, traveling with the seasons, huh... It's different, to be sure. Emmet can begin to imagine it but then find himself coming up empty when more details become necessary. The closest analogue within easy reach... Many people end up going on a journey at some point, sure. Just as many are happy to stay where they are.

Maybe it's as simple as that. Maybe there are deeper reasons behind why the clans apparently never put down roots anywhere in specific. Or maybe it's as simple as the world being wide, and vast, and across it being home to all sorts of different people.

("We", huh...)

The wind continues to pick up. That... Hmm. ]

Is a storm coming...?

[offtracks]

[ Ingo's floppy ears perk up a little, and he sniffs the air. ]

...possibly. We ought to keep an eye out for someplace to shelter.

[ If it really comes to it, he can probably dig out something in the snow, but a cave or rocky outcropping would help. ]

[outbounds]

[ Emmet ... glances around. The tree cover has very much thinned out by now; there's barely any left, and what's there isn't much good considering they're stripped bare. Otherwise, what lies in front of them, as least as far as visibility allows, seems to be pretty much just ... an open field, already covered in snow and ice. A hillside might provide a cave or outcropping or something, but it seems if there's any they're too far from any such structures at the moment to rely on finding them quickly.

... Wait. ]

We saw hills and mountains. From the valley. Didn't we? Were they always so far out?

[ Dense forest creeping up the hills. But now, this open field with no cover... ]

[offtracks]

...it does not seem so to me. The forest was always strange. Maybe it hid the plains from view until now, or some such thing?

[ Ingo pauses, looking back over his shoulder? Could they make it back to the treeline before the storm blows in? He's not quite certain - at least, he's not certain he could. Emmet probably could manage it.

Ingo can imagine how that suggestion would go. He tucks it into his back pocket. ]

Maybe we ought to start back. At least for now - we could shelter in the forest and see if it blows over.

[dunchies]

Hm. It’s kind of hard to choose, actually.

[ For those who know him, one might assume he’d be most interested in recruiting another Dragon-type. But between the Dragonite, Drakloak, and Tatsugiri, his interests have shifted, just a bit, if only for curiosity’s sake. He follows closely in-step with Emmet, staying mindful of their surroundings under the haze. Most of it may have cleared, but there’s still enough of an impact on their vision to make him cautious. ]

I’ve noticed... there’s not many Ice-types around, is there? I’m sure the climate doesn’t help with that. [ Nor does is it help those commonly found in colder regions in general. ] But, it would be nice, to have more variety in town. I think that would fit what Mightyena is looking for?

[ Not that she really specified. She really just let them at, didn’t she. ] What about you? Any you miss seeing from home?

[outbounds]

[ Haha, don't remind him. Firoza has gotten so much undercoat shed to work with at this point. ] It could be worse. Climate wise I mean. Could be not next to the ocean. [ Since that generally does a lot to help moderate things and keep things a little more temperate, not that it always means much... but anyway, Pokemon. Ice types, huh. ]

There is a Glaceon with the guilds at least. The Eevee family tends to have it a little easier on average in adjusting to their environment though. As for the other thing...

[ A huff of breath, as Emmet navigates his way past a tangled mess of raised tree roots hidden partially by the lingering haze in the forest. Trip hazard, that... but if that's the worst the forest has to throw at them so far then it's certainly a far cry from what it was a month or few ago. Still have to be careful, of course— his first trip here taught him that well enough.

Part of him does wonder if they'll come back to people wondering why they were gone for so long, like Glaceon before them. Time is strange in the forest, after all.

Anyway. ]

I do not think we have seen that many Unovan Pokemon in the bay in general. Zweilous is one. The monkeys we've been seeing at the outposts are some too. But so far I don't think I have seen any Pokemon that share the same species as any of our partners.

[dunchies]

Oh, absolutely! It makes it easier to go for a swim to cool down, too. Well, now that the Dondozo's been handled, anyway... [ Sorry, Tangela. ]

[ Laios tilts his head at the mention of Glaceon, having not had the chance to meet them himself. A distracted hum follows, until he just barely catches Emmet maneuvering around those tangled roots. He follows suit, hopping as he needs to with relative ease. Back to focusing on the path ahead. At least, mostly. ]

Ah, there's also Joltik, if I'm remembering that right? [ How he wishes he still had opposable thumbs, just to jot down all the tidbits he's heard somewhere. At some point, even his brain is going to hit its storage limit. ] The one in town — she's been really helpful with me and Siffrin. I've even picked up a few too, when I'm out in the grass for a while. [ He laughs about it now, but those 'tiks sure know how to hold on. ]

So, one like your partners, then! That would be perfect, actually. You'd already know how to get them to trust you.

[outbounds]

I am Emmet. I am a little surprised I never saw Dondozo on any of my swims before...

[ Maybe Ingo was right to fuss, actually, when he learned where Emmet was disappearing off to from time to time? But anyway. ]

Joltik are the Attaching Pokemon. They will do that. The same thing would happen if you walked through where we— I live. Back in Nimbasa. [ There's a faintly fond, nostalgic undertone to Emmet's voice despite his not very elegant self-correction as he talks about what to any regular person would probably be an infestation but instead to him is just his hoard of precious babies. ] Well. Probably more if you are like you are now compared to if you were human. They need supplemental electricity to thrive. It isn't good for them if they go without for too long. But they are native to Unova, yup. You got that right.

[ A leap, then, to clear a fallen log— ]

Pokemon are still individuals though. And some of mine I basically raised from the egg. Or equivalent in some cases. [ Zephy. ] Not exactly the same as gaining the trust of one who's already used to living on their own in the wild.

[dunchies]

[ Fortunately, Laios doesn't quite qualify for a regular person. ]

Heh. Perfect description. [ His head briefly tilts at Emmet, though he carries on just as the other does. ] I know I should be more careful, but it's pretty cute seeing them get all plump and happy on me. Not like I mind sharing if they know not to overdo it. Most of them seem docile, anyway. [ One of life's simple joys of being a Boltund around here. He sounds especially fond of them despite being actual parasites. ]

I wish I could bring them all to the Canopy with me, but I don't think the rest of the guild would like that much.

[ He hops onto the log, only to hesitate as he jumps back down. There's the faintest of rustling somewhere, but it goes quiet again before he can pinpoint the direction. ]

Mm. That's also true! Even my dogs growing up all had their personalities. It just helped with training knowing how dogs generally are compared to, say, cats. [ His ear flicks. No, that's not helpful. ] Herdiers compared to Meowths, I mean. But is that more common where you're from? Raising Pokémon when they're still young? [ More like pets than monsters, he thinks, but that's neither here nor there. ]

[outbounds]

They're tiny. They don't need much. Even static is fine. Most healthy electric types produce plenty enough for them. [ Not all of them maybe but most. ] Would Ribombee not accept them into the guild? They can't really make that much silk until they evolve, but...

[ It could be useful in the future, considering how much rope and rigging the Canopy seems to use in its construction?

(Rustling? ... No, maybe the wind, maybe his imagination. If he tries to scent the air...?

... Something vaguely familiar, but he can't quite place it.) ]

Aaaand... it varies. Raised starting when they're young— more docile, better socialized, more used to humans [ and the population density of a city ] generally. Possibly less issues dealing with other types of Pokemon. Safer for children or people who aren't comfortable with going into the wild, or all those parts of being a Trainer but who still want a partner. Special programs and licenses for it sometimes. [ Like with a species marked for conservation efforts. ]

But many Pokemon are still met in the wild, even by young or newbie Trainers. Like our first partners. [ He doesn't need to specify who he means by our, right. ] A lot of ours were wild-caught actually. Most of the time that is the most common way for someone to meet a new Pokemon.

[dunchies]

Most of them are more interested in food than helping a guild. At least, according to the ones that have talked back to me so far. [ A possible conflict of interest, as much as Ribombee might want more Bug-types around. ] Maybe I can convince a few, eventually. They seem pretty young, so still plenty of time to learn. [ They've certainly learned that attaching to the strange-looking Boltund is a relatively easy way to get their fill.

He hesitates taking another step, craning his neck to look back. Nothing there, and yet— ]

Oh, so that's how it is. It's more of an alternative than a replacement. Not that rearing a Pokémon from the start wouldn't be as exciting, but there's something about catching them that seems way more thrilling.

[ As much as he can't picture Emmet and Ingo as humans, he can imagine how fun it must be, to find your first Pokémon out in the wild, to catch them and build your trust enough to be partners. Kind of what this whole exercise is meant to be, though things start to skew when you're a Pokémon yourself. ]

Actually, who was your first pa—aah! [ Laios stumbles back mid-sentence. Something just tried to fly past them undetected in the fog, but instead smacked itself right in his face. He paws at his nose, looking down at whatever it could be, only for his eyes to widen. A small, bird-like creature, desperately trying to get their bearings again to slip away. Laios doesn't recognize what Pokémon they might be, but all the same. ]

Wait, you... [ He hovers over the creature now, ears perked all the way up. ] We've been looking for you. [ They don't seem to like what that could imply. ]

[outbounds]

Huh. Wonder where their parent Galvantula might be, then. Nutmeg was always pretty fussy over her broods when they were that young. That is not an uncommon trait for Galvantula. Maybe it is just different here? [ It takes a village to raise a child ... or horde of Joltik, apparently? ]

But mmm. Finding them and catching them. In some ways. It feels more earned, right? They don't need us. We shouldn't need them, either. But the combination of us drives us both to greater heights than if we were alone.

[ The way things apparently are where and when Ingo is ... it just sounds sad to him. It sounds lonely. It feels like something would be missing. It's difficult to imagine a time or place where so many Pokemon were things either to be feared or revered or both when they're so very integrated into society in modern times. A world so divided... That's apparently changing now, but all the same.

But anyway, that sense of vague familiarity in the scent he's been picking up peaks as Laios quite literally runs into—

Oh. ]

Oh! [ says Emmet, rearing back up onto his hindlegs in surprise (and, perhaps, unintentionally making himself loom over the diminutive bird). ] Little passenger, you must be more careful! Are you all right? What is an Archen like you doing out here, and in such a hurry?

[ Actually. Yes. That is ... a fossil Pokemon? Alive and well in whatever the current era here is? Hello?

(They very much do not seem to like the fact that now both canines are standing over them. Oh dear.) ]

[dunchies]

... So little. Yeah. [ Things not to say to a small, slightly terrified creature for 1000. His smile starts to grow as he looks the poor thing over, sharp teeth now unintentionally poking out as he does. So small. So cute. A feathered Pokémon, vaguely reminiscent of a dragon or even a reptile, but distinctly not. It's hard for him not to marvel with eyes sparkling in utter delight (RIP Laios, you would have loved dinosaurs).

But speaking of mothers and their broods, Laios begins to wonder if this little one is missing from their nest. His ears quickly perk up, hearing Emmet call them by their name. ]

Oh, Archen — and all by yourself, too. Are you hurt? Lost, maybe?

[ Between the questions coming from both canines, the Pokémon tries to push themself away, still on the ground. N-no, please! P-please don't... I'm sorry, they suddenly start to stammer, trembling all the while. Based on their reaction, one could assume an answer to Emmet's question might be that they were trying to find a way to get past them, undetected. They cover their face with a wing, expecting the worst. The Boltund simply tilts his head.

So it's help they need, Laios thinks. ]

... Maybe we should take them back. Deal with them there. [ Perhaps Mightyena might have wanted them to find someone of a... different disposition and size. But the Zoroark's words from just before echo in his mind. Leaving them alone in the forest simply won't do, not when there's a whole community of different Pokémon working together. ] You're familiar with this species, right? Easy enough to handle?

[outbounds]

[ RIP Laios you would adore all the not-dragon but still reptilian fossil mons indeed. Emmet, at least, is a little bit more conscious of how he might appear than Laios, considering that he (or at least his species) is on record as having terrified or being terrifying, present tense, to some of those in the bay, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. ]

Might be easier outside of the mist, yep. Less than it used to be, but maybe still sort of disorienting or confusing? Zephy wasn't really so shy... high energy, cheerful, strong prey drive, wanted to chase a lot of things. [ Again, it's particularly fond— which is to say that it's only faintly so, at least in his tone, and easy enough to miss for most. ] But yes. I am verrrrry familiar. They are quite little, but actually...

[ What are they talking about? Easy to handle? Take them back, deal with them? To where? Are they being kidnapped? Are they going to be eaten by these strange Pokémon?

With a terrified chirp that sounds more like a squeak, they decide that if sneaking past these two has failed, then the only thing left for them is to try to fight their way through. An abrupt bolting, a sudden hop and a flutter brings them just high enough on a tree, just far enough to give them room to—

Emmet recognizes the motions even before the shimmering grey light of Rock Slide solidifies into the actual stones, eyes going wide, and— ]

Break! [ He barks out, right as a sharp downstroke of a wingbeat sends the sharp rocks hurtling at the two of them. ] They are much stronger than you might expect from the size of their cab!

[ He. Sounds less concerned about this and more delighted. And even proud, almost, which he really has no good reason for being. Look at the cute baby birbtile with 112 base attack, aren't they adorable. So dangerous, so tiny and small. He misses his so much. ]

[dunchies]

[ (Somewhere, a small rat shudders, remembering just how terrifying Emmet can be, for no particular reason at all.) ]

I see! So they are a raptor species, then. I figured as much with those talons and snaggleteeth. Does this one look pretty young? Maybe the little guy lost his nest. Could be why he's so scared... [ Because surely there's nothing else that could be setting them off.

Full attention on Emmet, back turned, tail wagging — a perfect target now. A seasoned adventurer like him should definitely know better, but the urge to hear more from the expert has him entirely preoccupied on the wrong thing until, suddenly, the fluttering of wings has him craning his neck back. His eyes go wide just the same, impressed at the quick movements from such a little thing. ] Are those—? [ Rocks. Those are indeed rocks, if Emmet's warning is enough to go by. ]

No way! A Rock-type? [ The Archen seems a bit flustered that neither seem to be as threatened by their attack as they hoped. Laios, meanwhile, stays watching until those rocks tumble a bit too close for comfort. He bolts to the side, though a few still manage to pelt him as he does. As he shakes it off, their little friend seems to be building up a Tailwind next. ] E-Emmet... we have to bring them back down.

[ Perhaps a Roar could knock them off their perch. He's going for it. ]

[outbounds]

Young, probably! I am actually surprised to see one at all. Where I am from— the species does not really exist anymore outside of [ de-extinction,,, ] conservation efforts to bring back and reintroduce them. We do not really have wild populations of them left.

[ Blueberry Academy has a controlled ecosystem and preserve for certain species, he knows, but the Archen line isn't really one of them... There's tell of a couple of small wild populations of various fossil Pokemon over in Galar, apparently, but given what else has come out of Galar fossil-wise ... hmm, don't know about that one! They might not be minding all their safety checks. Verrrrry careless. ]

The evolution, Archeops. They are intelligent. Will cooperate and hunt in flocks to catch prey! [ Unlike many raptors, which can be more solitary or limit themselves to just the pair bond. ] So I am verrrrry surprised to see this one on their own!

[ Plenty of yap for Laios to be distracted with before the Archen opens battle, yes? This probably helps contextualize why Emmet does start looking a bit more concerned as the Tailwind builds and the Archen starts climbing a little higher, a little unsteadily, claws beginning to faintly gleam— Dragon Claw? ]

They cannot really fly yet, it will be unsafe if they go too high— go ahead! Reroute them!

[ As his own shadow starts snaking up into the branches of a nearby tree, just in case the Archen intends to try to lose them in the trees. ]