[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]

Then let us go down a little way, at least! I shall serve as our engine!

[ He has been leading most of this, after all. Besides - if either of them slips, it'll likely be him. No reason to take Emmet with him. He rises and shakes out his fur, but doesn't go to leave immediately. He wants to make absolutely certain Emmet is okay to start. ]

[outbounds]

[ He's maybe a little ginger as he also gets back up, his weight carried just that bit more carefully than usual as he rises also. Though maybe he's also a little distracted as he stares at the wall nearest them, then back down to the rest of it.

(A kaleidoscope of Zoroark, of course, looks back.) ]

Okay. Everything's ready.

[offtracks]

[ Ingo doesn't follow his gaze. He knows what's there, and he'd prefer not to see it. ]

All aboard!

[ It is, as Ingo's "all aboard"s go, fairly quiet. He's not the best at controlling these things, but he has learned some semblance of it for when he's out in the wilds, at least. It was rather necessary.

Turning to the edge of their little ledge nearest the wall, he starts carefully venturing down the makeshift path they saw. Where there's gaps, he tries to stretch across rather than actually make a leap. It's just safer - but, aside from that, his jumping ability is not what it was. Their reflections move alongside them as they go, fracturing and splintering in some places. He...still thinks they look odd. Sometimes, it's almost like it moves before he does. He doesn't want Emmet to feel as though he must try and maintain that illusion while climbing, though, so he does not say anything. ]

[outbounds]

[ True to his word, Emmet follows along closely, taking great care with where he steps and how.

There really are a lot of these reflections, aren't there? You'd think that at least some of it, being ice, would be more— frosted? Not so clear? As it is it's almost dizzying if they look in the wrong direction for too long.

But even focusing on the path ahead doesn't completely eliminate the problem. Their reflections travel with them, though sometimes ... lagging behind? Is that right? Maybe it is just the angle, but when he does spare a moment to check, sometimes he is just met with himself, looking back at him at too direct an angle for how he simply just glances at it out of the corner of his eye.

The expressions some of them have, too... does he really look like that? Well, whatever— if he gets too distracted he'll fall behind. ]

[offtracks]

[ Ingo tries to keep his eyes on the ground, on his own paws and where he's about to place them. Still, dark and white shapes refract in his periphery. The white ones give him more of a jolt, as they always have...but he's trying not to think about that. At least until there's a spot with no obvious footholds in stretching reach, and he has to lift his head to search about. ]

...are there more of those than before?

[outbounds]

... Feels like it.

Maybe the ice is just more— clear down here?

[ Or maybe it's just the house of mirrors effect of the same reflections bouncing back and forth on each other...? It's not that bad all over, just. Certain directions, like staring directly across from the wall they're following for one. ]

[offtracks]

I wonder if there are not Froslass in the area.

[ This passing suspicion did not help him not join Froslass' cult at all! ]

They are not incredibly common in the wild, but they can prove treacherous!

[outbounds]

... not really native to Unova, but have heard the stories. We haven't seen any frozen Pokemon, though. Right?

[ Or is that just one of those traits that some Froslass display, and everyone's blown up into a bigger thing than it is? ]

[offtracks]

Not yet!

[ It's common enough, but it really depends on what their hunting's been like lately! ]

We have an old legend about one that took on the form of a human woman and married a Pearl Clan man, long ago. So keep an eye out for that as well, I suppose!

[outbounds]

[ There's a pause as he has to navigate his way across a gap, but once he's cleared it: ]

For surprise human ghosts. Okay.

[ That'll be an interesting one, in this land with so few humans ... truly the ultimate jumpscare. ]

[offtracks]

Just do not make them wish to marry you!

[ It's a joke, really. ]

[outbounds]

Sounds like something you need to worry about more than me.

[ Mr. Popularity Contest winner. ]

[offtracks]

Why?

[ He doesn't get it! ]

[outbounds]

One: you said Pearl clan man. You are the one from Pearl.

Two: first place in a popularity contest one time.

I was third.

[ Beat. ]

... Also, people say opposites attract or something like that. Fire and ice sound like opposites to me.

[offtracks]

I think they would be far more likely to get along with you! Zoroark and Froslass like similar habitats!

[ Though, hey, ]

Are we not identical?

[outbounds]

Hmmm. You are generally easier to get along with.

[ Or something like that. Right now the narrator laments the fact that Emmet would probably not know of the concept of gap moe, because it'd be so easy to tease Ingo over. ]

[offtracks]

Ha!

[ ....oh wait, was that for real ]

You are far more approachable than I am!

[outbounds]

You can keep a conversation going.

[offtracks]

I have made children cry!

[ More than once! ]

[outbounds]

So have I.

[ Also more than once. ]

[offtracks]

How did you do that?

[outbounds]

Winning.

[ But to be clear, it was 'winning in the way he does, where he says he's sure he'll see the challenger again- and then also beat them again.' Because that's what he does.

Also all of whatever he was doing in the rain to upset Shoka? ]

[offtracks]

Ha! I have never had a proper battle against a child. But I am sure you can be encouraging about it!

[ The Shoka thing doesn't count because Ingo doesn't know about it! ]

[outbounds]

They already have to win 20 battles in a row to get to me. 48 on the super lines. Besides. I say that I expect them to not give up, and that I'll see them again?

[ Implying, you know, that he does think they'll get that far?

So he can win against them again. ]

[offtracks]

That seems fair enough! But children are still young - they may still get upset by losing, I suppose!

[ Not that he's a childcare expert or anything, necessarily. But at least when he's back at the Clan's stronghold, it's only natural for him to help with the children sometimes! ]