bottlecaplogs | OPEN POST FOR SEPTEMBER (and perhaps even october)

[ Quest Summary ]

[ Perrin, of course, was a man who was used to most things. He had to be, as Courier Six. He was oddly, though, staring up at the snow a lot. It was not something he was used to... yet he tries to hide his fascination.

No, instead, he looks to the Slowking with a little smile. ] So, you're with the Lum Berries as well, correct? [ It would also be obvious that one of his wings was pinned to his side, twitching slightly. ]

[ Quest Summary ]

[ Foraging. That was something that Perrin was used to - he was the sort of man who did this a lot, back home. It was... nostalgic. Yet, he had to ask: ] You do this before, or...?

[ Is he going to need to mentor? ]

[ Quest Summary ]

[ Yes, they're meant to be working. Yes, they're meant to be focused. But... ]

Hey, uh. Weird question. [ A bit of an awkward laugh to himself, he's not sure if he's suffering a delusion or not. ] Your eyes okay?

I gardened, back in Japan. So I'm pretty good at identifying a plant when I've seen a good specimen, but I don't know the native plants here that we're looking for.

[Not full-fledged mentorship, but a little guidance at first. Umemiya has a basket that he's resting on a hip as they walk--it is so weird having the massive hips of a Lucario, like a shelf to just set shit on whenever he needs to.]

Berries and grains, I ought to be able to recognize in the abstract.

"Oh, same," he said, his tail swishing. "Nana and Mama taught me about plants back home, but, well. This sort of stuff - actually, when I first got 'ere, I struggled a bit with the food in general."

He's got his pouch by his side, able to rest his arm on it.

"Yeah? Why was that?"

By his standards, the food's not that unusual, though meat is still something he's deciding where he stands on. He thinks Laios may have a strong moral ground to stand on, at least, because he's open about the fact that if whatever he's hunting kills him instead, he'll be dinner for them.

...Umemiya isn't ready to participate in the food chain that directly, yet.

Hmm... how to explain without outing himself too much, he wonders - closing his good eye. "Food back home was either hella processed or... uh, not the healthiest. The food here is too fresh."

Thankfully, he's not talking about the hunting he does! Yet. He pauses, looking at the berries they seem to be close to. "Take these, for example. If I was back home, I'd need to check to see where the roots came from, and if there'd been any shelter to protect 'em from the winds and acid rain."

??? Acid rain???

Umemiya considers that for a moment. "Acid rain would normally stunt plant growth. We learned about that sort of thing in history books. How industrialization changed the air quality, especially around big cities."

He's going to tuck whatever information he learns away, putting it together like a puzzle in his spare time.

"Exactly. And since th'water is... different... back home, it's still a risk. Not because of industrialization, though."

Huh. Perhaps some of his ambitions back home could have caused more issues, Perrin ponders. "I guess it's all ancient history to you, though."

"Not exactly ancient." He almost wishes he was a good enough student to estimate the timeline. But here, it doesn't really matter, does it?

Umemiya pauses to look at a plant that might be a type of grain. "Hey. What do you make of this one?"

He picks it up, beginning to press it between his claws. Carefully, gently. "Seems healthy to me, honestly. Probably th'sort that can be ground up."

Oddly, he doesn't sound as sure as he usually does.

Sure am!

I've been a doctor most of my life, so I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

[But their guild designations really aren't the most important thing in the moment, are they?

Maybe it's just something about mountains and being an oni, but Akira can't help finding this place rather comfortable. The snow isn't any worse than the kind he's summoned before, and the Bug type who chose the route seems just as unfazed! On the other hand...]

Having access to the archives has been such a valuable resource, too! I've been able to learn all about our type matchups and other adaptations. So... [Not so subtly pointing out the apparent injury that's held his attention this whole time,] Is it because of the cold? Or do you need something fixed up when we're done here?

"Let's bring a good amount, then. Flour means bread. And pastries, if we're lucky. Might also be possible to use it for beer, for you adults."

Processing it will be a little work, but it ought to be worth it. Right?

Mm?

[Firoza looks over, blinking, a little confused by the question. She can see fine, obviously, but the red that had been so familiar to others...isn't red anymore.

It's blue. A nice, soft, forget-me-not blue.]

My eyes? They feel okay...does something look wrong with them?

[Is there an eye illness going around does she need to put drops in there]

They're blue.

[ Said bluntly. ]

A little snort. "You don't always need wheat for homebrew," he comments, but he then wiggles a little. "But pastries - they're good shit. Maybe it'd be nice to learn to cook that sort of stuff. But it seems complex compared to th'usual stuff I've cooked."

I've been spending my time documentin' what I can, honestly, but the archives are pretty nice. Honestly, though, I think th'housing is good too. Imagine livin' in the tunnels! [ It was said with a bit of a laugh, but with a sharpness to it. ]

My wing? Oh, uh. Got a bit injured helpin' in-- so, you remember how some of us were sent off to scout around the place? Yeah.

"Back home, there was an amazing little bakery called Cactus, that did all kinds of pastry. I liked their curry bread and anpan."

He's talked to Laios about trying to figure out how to make anpan happen here, so someday perhaps he'll get to share that.

"And honestly, if nothing else, grain means porridge. I bet this could make something sort of similar to congee, with a little work."

[He could comment on how funny he finds everyone's idea of a livable space, but with the confirmation that it really is an injury, and recent at that,]

That's terrible!!

[For all the concern he might be trying to present, Akira seems.. Excited? Well, it is his usual state.]

Does it still hurt? I'm afraid I left my most effective medicines with the clinic, so all I have right now are some standard berries and a mild painkiller... Ah! More importantly! All I got to see were the volcano and now this calm place! Was the other way dangerous!? I'd heard there was a storm...

Oh. Well, they've always been-

[A pause. Blinks. Blinks again, reaches up when she closes one eye and pats the...eyelid? Because you don't pat your actual eye, that's weird.]

Wait. Wait, no. Ever since I arrived here, they've been red. What do you mean they are blue now?

[ A beat. Before beginning to tottle a little. ]

They're blue! A really nice blue, too. I'm not lyin'.

[ A concerned sound. ] Shouldn't we be focusin' on keepin' Escavalier safe? [ But his side is aching a lot more, from the cold shivering though him. The weakness of a Dragon/Flying-type, huh. ]

But yeah, there was a bloody massive storm, [ Courier Six said, giving a bit of a frown. ] Freaked out the local birds. But worse then that was what we found. And th'crash landing I did. Nearly squished the guys I was with.

"What's Anpan?"

It was a simple question, but he seemed excited to hear about it. All of this food, from across the world...

[The one who's clearly doing even better than himself? No.. he's pretty sure the Dragonite needs to be his focus right now.]

Don't worry! The terrain shouldn't pose any risks for a species with levitation. And if anything tries to attack, I'll see it coming! I want to know about what you found! Tell me!

[If the stability of the ground beneath them is the issue, though, maybe it's the Slowking that won't be "safe" when things go south. ... Well, it's not a problem if he hasn't acknowledged it.]

"It's a bun filled with sweetened red bean paste."

Laios had also found the idea fascinating, so Umemiya's giddy to explain it again. If he can convince someone to help him make it, it might become the next big thing in town.

Are...really? Are you sure?! I - wait, I want to see! Where in the world could I see...?

Oh! "That sounds tasty - we don't have anything like that back in the Mojave. Don't even have red beans."

he is going to become a foodie i swear. "We'll need to keep an eye out for ingredients, especially next Spring."

[ Sigh. Okay. He gives a bit of a stretch before he talks. ]

There was a weird time-displaced version of the Archives. Or, a copy of it which had been abandoned? But same layout, same sorta shit in there.

"Speaking of ingredients, I might try to get a winter crop of broccoli and spinach and the like--the brassicas. I think there's a chance we'll be able to get a late harvest, with how the weather here tends to be."

He's already excited about the project.

"Probably grow it out at the outpost, give people a reason to go out there and keep an eye on things." Not a proper patrol, but enough traffic to keep things going.

[And he didn't get to go with that group!?]

Were the tablets the same? Were there records our regular one doesn't have!? I'd have loved to read through every one of them myself! You said you crashed, but could it be reached without flight? I need to find it after thiis!

[... Maybe learning about a second, secret archive is just a bit too much to multitask around.]

[ Hm. ] I think there should be a puddle 'round here? Or maybe we could polish one of my claws.

[ Oh. He looks a little grumpy, as he keeps moving. ] The good news is that th'flood went away.

But the tablets were all ruined. Couldn't read 'em anymore.

A puddle could work! Or any water, if it's clear enough, right?

[So excited!!!]

[What? No, that can't be right. They're carvings. The whole point of using tablets instead of books should be to preserve their contents even longer. And yet everyone was too late..?]

That's horrible...

First all the writing at the volcano is in another language, now this... How are we supposed to learn all these important things they wanted us to know?

["Us" as if anything would really be documented for them and not the ones who'd always been Pokemon...

Clearly upset, he looks between the Escavalier and Dragonite as if unsure what to do next.]

We'll learn something here, though, right??

[ They trot over to a puddle. ]

Yeah, the water here's a lot better then the water back home - look, I can see myself, at least.

You cut a very handsome figure.

[Just a casual compliment. It's nice to see yourself.

But on the subject...Firoza peers over into the puddle, eyes wide and widening as she sees herself, and. And she.

She just looks in silence, as if the image could change with a blink of the eye.]

...

[Oh. Oh, she missed this.]

OPEN POST FOR SEPTEMBER (and perhaps even october)

Scholastic Decisions with Akira

No Pain, No Grain with Umemiya

No Pain, No Grain with Firoza

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you preferred prose, didn't you? ^^

I'm ambiliterate, I'll flow with whatever.

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