bottlecaplogs | [closed] while the snow falls all around me

Entry tags:

[closed] while the snow falls all around me

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...still, I am sorry.

[ It was necessary. At least, it seemed that way to him - a much better outcome than Emmet falling back down and missing that first ledge. But that doesn't mean Ingo just won't feel bad! ]

Better than falling again.

[ Their thoughts are pretty much at the same station. Don't make him shove Ingo for feeling too guilty about committing the terrible crime of sparing Emmet from another fall. ]

You didn't ... I am not going to break. Just because I am scratched up a little? It's okay.

[ Ingo didn't do anything wrong? Can't do anything about the guilt but. You know. ]

...very well.

[ He just feels bad! But he'll get over it - there's certainly far worse things he could have done.

It's slow going, even as Ingo keeps darting glances over his shoulder at the encroaching storm. Getting caught in a blizzard won't matter if they plummet to their deaths first! By the time they reach the great chasm, it hasn't quite started snowing in earnest, but some small flakes are fluttering down. Ingo peers down at the icy crags. ]

It looks more navigable than the smaller one, but we still ought to be careful.

[ Emmet grimaces a little, smile going lopsided as he also peers down into the crevasse. Don't have to tell him twice. Unconsciously his claws dig deeper into the snow for better traction, nevermind that they're not actually on the ice yet. ]

Right. Check safety. Proceed with caution.

[ Beat. ]

Is it... normal for it to be that blue? What would cause that?

No, that is not normal! It might mean that some powerful ice-types live in the depths? That glow reminds me of certain ice moves!

[ Froslass, maybe? But Ingo knew there was a chance of ice-types in an ice ravine when he brought them here. He's confident that they can handle it, even if they are restricted to a single outcropping.

Speaking of which...craning his neck, he can see a ledge some distance down on this side of the wall. It looks stable, and large enough that they could both sit without being...well,too crowded. Keeping close will help anyway! Ingo carefully finds a foothold, shifts his weight cautiously onto it, and begins his descent! ]

We can handle ice-types. Maybe we should try to see what is causing it to glow?

[ They can very much handle them! The real danger is probably slipping on the ice and falling into something that already looks much deeper than the pit he'd ended up in earlier.

To that end, Emmet is pretty much going to be entirely following Ingo's lead here on where to step, though probably not at the same time just to minimize the chances for any repeats of earlier. This being bigger, it should probably be more stable and capable of supporting their weights... but just in case. At least, if the footholds here support Ingo's weight, they should support Emmet's just fine? ]

[ That's Ingo's logic as well! Heavier person in front! Still, everything is holding up fairly well as they descend. ]

Perhaps we can break some off once we reach steadier ground!

[ If it stops glowing when detached, that'll be interesting. If it doesn't - maybe it's something like never-melt ice, and they could bring it back? ]

We really haven't been bringing much back from all these trips, have we?

[ Granted, there wasn't much to bring back, sometimes. Certainly they had more important concerns in the Southern forest that one time, with getting Firepaw and Emporio out safely, and then in the Middle Forest... well, a mysterious clearing isn't exactly something you can do much with other than describe.

Movement from the corner of his eye draws his attention as Emmet gingerly follows after, still careful with moving his paws in certain ways, but when he turns his head to glance its way there's nothing. It's just more ice, and their reflections looking back. Honestly, the clarity and reflectiveness of these... ]

If it doesn't melt for some reason. And no ice type wants it. Maybe someone can make a mirror out of it.

It is not usually quite so reflective! I had not seen my face in a mirror for years, before I first went to Jubilife!

[ He's seen it in other ways, of course. Blurry reflections in water and ice. Zoroark. Don't worry about it! ]

...most of our explorations have just been scouting trips, I suppose. I do hope that I can help in more rescues now that we are moving away from the ocean!

The ocean... right. [ The one Emmet's been dunking himself into on a semi-regular basis. Poor, poor fire-type Ingo. ] Emporio wondered if I could shapeshift gills. Told him he was looking for Mew or Ditto, not Zoroark.

[ Not having mirrors, though...

(Hold on, did Ingo actually turn to look at the ice? The angle seems a little...) ]

Did you learn how to shave like that?

[ Their face was not meant for a full beard. ]

[ There's a suspicious pause, though it could also be attributed to Ingo finally negotiating the last bit of cliff wall, finally setting down onto the ledge he spotted. It seems sturdy. There's no movement even as he lowers himself down onto it entirely. ]

...more or less?

It is a yes or no question.

[ Cool so we're dodging answering in a more concrete way. What does more or less mean here!! Emmet also pauses, waiting as Ingo settles himself on the ledge before carefully, carefully following after, determined not to slow the two of them down.

But also. ]

... How often did or do you cut yourself.

Hardly at all now! I just...leave the chin be.

[ That was the hardest part! Eventually, he thought - why even bother? Ingo's always known that his previous habit must have been otherwise; he was clean-shaven when he was found. But it's...fine. He hardly even sees himself anyway, or else he would be able to just shave it! ]

Of course I do not let it grow too - [ He breaks off for a second, turning sharply to look at the ice wall next to them. He could've sworn he saw movement...but it's only their reflections? ] ...ah, too long.

... You have a goatee. You have— hrk—

[ An ankle twists in just the wrong way when he puts weight on it wrong for it to slip out from underneath him on tractionless ice and nearly have him faceplanting. Nothing's actually injured other than his dignity, though it happening pretty close to the edge might be briefly alarming considering how slick the surface is, but it's no more than a close call. Is this what they call karma, he didn't even say anything, that is not fair.

Fine. Fiiiine. Emmet picks himself up, and as he also finishes navigating the cliff wall he will settle his weight onto the ledge Ingo's on, first carefully, warily, then a little huffily when it proves to be stable. ]

Are you alright?

[ Ingo shifts forward sharply when Emmet slips, but fortunately thinks twice before lunging again. It probably would've just sent them both over the edge! ]

Fine! I am Emmet, and I am fine.

[ He's just going to drop himself a little more heavily down on the ledge they're both on after seeing Ingo shift like that, as if to prove a point. Neither of them are going anywhere! ]

Alright...

[ He'll sit himself down as well. It just seems safer that way! Ingo looks up towards the opening of the ravine. The light from above has grown dim, blocked out by swirling snow. Wind howls over their gap in the earth. Yes, they certainly made the correct choice; they did not have time for much more than this shelter.

But they're out of the wind and most snowfall is not making its way down into here. It's about as good as can be expected. Ingo's flames flare to life, casting dancing purple light and shadows over the already oddly reflective ice. ]

With luck, it will blow over before too long. I am glad to be a fire-type!

[ yes he is indeed moving past the goatee thing without comment ]

Edited 2025-09-08 15:50 (UTC)

[ Lucky indeed. Considering the timing of when he slipped a moment ago, Emmet gets the feeling that the universe would take offense and somehow just drop a pile of snow on him and him specifically if he tries to bring the subject back up to heckle Ingo about it.

The dimmed light from above just makes the softly glowing blue from somewhere still below them that much more stark by contrast, at least before Ingo's collar ignites. Emmet's ears twitch a little whenever any particular gale howls more strongly than another, but instead he glances around to take in the play of light across the glittering ice. With the slightly different angles and cuts of the ice down in the crevasse, countless flickering reflections of Zoroark and Typhlosion surround the two on the ledge, not one of them appearing quite the same as another.

As the Zoroark cranes his neck to peer down over the ledge at whatever awaits below, some of the reflections don't quite mimic him. ]

... Can you see a bottom from here?

[ Safely lowered to the ground, Ingo inches over to the edge, peering down into the depths. ]

...no.

[ Maybe he could spit a cinder down and see how long it takes them to lose sight of it? But more importantly...he can see an awful lot of reflections from this angle. He sounds a bit unnerved when he adds: ]

The ice is strange...

[ Emmet's also still peering down into infinity, so, with some doubt... ]

Distracting. [ A little eerie, definitely. ] I could maybe try to do an illusion to block it out ... not sure if that is a good idea, though.

[ He's also not done anything quite so widespread as an environmental illusion just yet, so that's another thing. ]

Might be that we end up missing something important because of it?

Can you do them that large?

[ Ingo's never seen a wild Zoroark do that - that would be incredibly dangerous! But he can believe that Emmet might have trained in some ways that a wild Zoroark would not. ]

Lostlorn Forest is partially the way it is because Zoroark live there. Unovan ones can make landscapes that can fool large groups of people. Don't see why Hisuian ones would have lost the ability?

[ Maybe it's the difference between Unovan Zoroark wanting to stay hidden, and Hisuian ones... what? Maybe they want to be seen. As ... a reminder? Ghost things, you know.

Or maybe it's just that it's more practical to hunt that way. That too maybe. ]

I...think we would likely know it if they could.

[ That may not be how they currently hunt, but Ingo can imagine some pretty effective hunting strategies that could arise from such an ability! That sounds disastrous!

Maybe they just don't want to. It would be effective, but Ingo has always thought...well, if it were only about getting close to their prey, they could pretend to be a Pokemon no one would think twice about. Wild Spheal roll up to people all the time! Instead, they actively try to lure people in with visions of loved ones. That's what they choose to do. Is it experience, or malice? ]

...maybe they have simply forgotten that they can.

They have forgotten a lot of things, huh.

[ Emmet lifts his head from the glimmering depths of the crevasse to glance up and back at the ice face immediately behind them. Would probably be a good idea to establish whether he can do it at all before discussing it more...

... Strange. The ice isn't a completely smooth or flat surface, of course it isn't. There will be distortions, but. Does his expression really look so...

His ears pin back a little, but the flicker of disquiet helps in a way, because as it turns out it's still easier to fuel these with negative feelings. He hasn't ever yet actually tried to create any illusions apart from himself, but if he uses the same idea of masking, hiding, pretending, not wanting the image on the wall to be there, maybe ...

Well. Now it is uncanny for a different reason. This particular face is devoid of any odd reflections, but that just now makes the plain ice wall stand out compared to the other, still reflective ones. At least it's a proof of concept? But just to check: ]

Can you see it too, [ or, well, not see, considering, ] or just me?

I see it!

[ Ingo confirms, staring at the new ice wall. That...is disquieting! He'll just have to hope that none of the Zoroark of the Icelands learn how to do that, he supposes. Rising to his feet, he steps a little closer and reaches out cautiously to poke at the illusory wall. ]

It certainly does make the uniqueness of the real ice much more apparent...a shame we do not have any ice-types along!

[ The longer they're down here, the stranger it seems to him. Something in the corner of his eyes. But he doesn't quite want to make that observation out loud. He's not certain that it isn't just all the reflected Zoroark in his periphery making him instinctively nervous. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject