November+December Catch-All

[loopsiedaisy]

Who: Siffrin (Shinx) + Shoka, Laios, Cedric, Chara, Anasui, Parvati
What: The fallout of the Network Incident, and also quests. Sometimes both at once!
Where: Spire, Canopy, wherever various search quests take them
When: One thread backdated to October, otherwise throughout November (including during the snowstorm) and December
Warnings: Potentially Siffrin's warnings (definitely spoilers & alluded-to suicidal ideation in Shoka's thread), the usual quest peril

Comments

[loopsiedaisy]

[Drippy. Big wet-looking eyes. If it weren't for the heat coming off the Slugma, Siffrin would assume it was a Sadness...]

[The Slugma inspects the both of them, ear flames(?) quivering thoughtfully. Then they burble out an answer:] A fluffy Pokemon... with droopy ears and hearts all over... muttering about finding someone... is that who you're talking about...?

[It's kind of hard to parse Slugma's speech - sounds like it's coming from underwater. Very bubbly. But once Siffrin does, they can't help but comment:] ...hearts?

[Slugma turns their head.] Their fur was cut... into shapes... they had a big heart at the end of their tail...

[Oh. That makes a lot more sense than what Siffrin was picturing.]

[cedricthegreat]

[He nearly jumps again when the voice comes out - so burbly.]

Y-yes, yes, that sounds right! Except the hearts, don't remember Delcatty mentioning hearts.

[He gives a casual shrug to Siffrin.] Some bold haircut? [He adds, more quietly and in a deadpan tone:] Or they had a date. In the piping hot mountain.

[He's more confused than convinced, but it's the best idea he's got.]

Do you know which way this decorated canine went, my fine molten friend?

[loopsiedaisy]

[They can probably allow themself a little bit of punning. You know, if Cedric is setting it up for them like that and everything!]

Well, where else would you go if you wanted a hot date?

[They don't have any better guesses, anyway! They're happy to go along with the idea of a romantic rendezvous.]

[Slugma bubbles thoughtfully.] I think... they were headed toward the plateau where water bursts out of the ground...

They were definitely going in that direction... [Slugma doesn't have arms, as such, so they simply turn to indicate the path.]

[cedricthegreat]

[Cedric visibly twinges at the pun - is he sweating out of embarrassment, or is it just the surrounding heat? Hard to tell.

Either way, he picks up what Slugma's laying down, for better or for worse.] Geysers, I presume. Probably not musical ones either... well, thank you kindly, lava gastropod, we shall look for them there!

[He flaps up into the air perhaps a little too abruptly. Is it to get away from the heat? So they can continue their search ASAP? Because what they may find is worrying him more? Hard to tell.]

[loopsiedaisy]

[Hmmm.]

[Siffrin darts off afterward, giving the Slugma a farewall wave with their tail. While they're fast for a Shinx, they can't really keep up with flight, especially when they have to dodge around obstacles. They also keep having to slow down to a trot to pant - and maybe shake out their paw pads one by one, trying to cool them. If it's like this when it's almost winter, they don't want to imagine it during summer...]

[As a consequence: it's probably Cedric who's going to see the limp white-furred form on the geyser plateau first. From a distance, the dog almost appears dead - but up close, they're definitely breathing. Asleep? Unconscious? They're also panting heavily in their sleep, but... that could also just be the heat.]

[cedricthegreat]

[He was mentally hoping that there'd be wind above to help cool him down, but alas, hot air rises... so he just keeps flapping forward as he recounts what they've figured out so far: footprints leading to Furnace Mountain, some sort of heart-shaped haircut, looking for someone else-

"Something important is... missing."

Wait, what? Cedric glances down at Siffrin - did they think that? But neither of them are using their Grumpearls...

And just as he's trying to figure that out, he spots a mass of white near what he's certain are, indeed, geysers, and... uh oh. Is it just what they feared?]

Siffrin, they're up ahead! I think they're in trouble!

[And once his companion's informed, the Murkrow flaps as quickly as he can to reach the fluffy creature... and breathes a sigh of relief once he sees its chest rising and falling. Thank goodness, it's not what they feared, for the most part. But it still doesn't look good.]

[loopsiedaisy]

["Something important is... missing."]

[Yeah, you know. As usual. Siffrin doesn't even initially register the intrusive thought as something that's not theirs - it's something about the flavor of it rather than the words that makes them stumble, retroactively, but - then Cedric calls out and they toss the thought aside.]

[They slow to a trot again as they get close, and then a halt as they reach Furfrou, leaning down to sniff. Yep, definitely the same dog, and they smell...]

They smell sick. Like the Pokemon in the clinic, not... not like they're too hot? [Though actually, who knows what heatstroke would smell like...]

[Either way, they can't linger to discuss this - if Furfrou isn't already on the way to heatstroke on top of whatever else, the two of them are liable to get it if they stay too long. Siffrin's been in the habit of wearing a little saddlebag harness on quests lately - they fish out a rope, looking over Furfrou again.]

[Mmmgh. Right. This dog. Is roughly three times Siffrin's size and weight. Pokemon are strong, so they can probably manage the weight, but... this is going to suck.]

[cedricthegreat]

[He would have considered asking what Siffrin meant by "sick" - A contagious disease? Malnutrition? Those comas Flowey talked about that he didn't want to believe are true but most certainly are? - but Cedric is of the same mindset and decides that's not important right now.

He sees what the Shinx is struggling to do and flaps down to grab the rope, leaving enough left as he ties it around Furfrou's middle that they can each grab an end to pull.]

This will have to do, I'm afraid. If only I'd learned that Psychic power... if only I had my infernal wand...