HOLIDAY HOTPOT MINGLE LOG

[bladeofnymeia]

WHO: Firoza Istus, Ren Amamiya, and YOU!
WHAT: The results of the Holiday Hotpot player quest - and an open invitation for everyone to gather together and enjoy a hot meal!
WHEN: Monday, December 15th
WHERE: Bottlecap Bay, down on the beach
WARNINGS: I can't think of any, unless hot soup is a warning?

It may be a bit nippy with the wind coming in off the ocean, but the beach is the best place to construct and keep up a few large bonfires, if summer's events were any indication. Three pits have been dug and filled with firewood, and set up with large pots with dividers, full of savoury broth divided into a comforting, creamy concoction and a spicy, sweet surprise - options, after all, are not just a considerate consideration, but necessary!

There's plenty of food to add to these pots - lots of wild mushrooms plucked just before the harsher frosts claimed them, sliced berries, nuts, seeds, various leafy greens still clinging to their color, wild carrots and wild potatoes, seaweed...tofu? There's tofu. Some Pokemon in the Bay must make it and sell their excess, which is very generous of them. And, unless someone decides to surprise everyone with rice, there's bread to soak up all that lovely broth!

Looks like this is something you do together with others - cooking the bounty provided by your fellow otherworlders-turned-Pokemon, that is. The sand is thankfully, somehow, not wet, so you can sit there, wrapped up in your winterwear or a bolt of pressed wool provided for the occasion, watching your delicious meal simmer as you swap stories and laugh and have a good time, perhaps even make new friends with those outside of your assigned guild!

Which is exactly what your hosts, Ren and Firoza, would love for you to do! Don't be shy - come on and join us! There's plenty to go around!

[OOC: if you feel so inclined as to bring something along for the hot pot last minute, go right ahead! The more the merrier!]

Comments

[wovensecrets]

[ That's a familiar voice. She raises a hair tendril in greeting before looking back over the spread in front of them. ]

Oh? I'm just waiting for the opportunity to enjoy the efforts of our hard work... the seaweed was a lucky find, after all.

[ She understands that some people might have just arrived there for the comraderies whether or not they'd taken place in the ingredient gathering. She's just been goal-focused this entire time... ]

Where did you end up assigned, Maya-san? It's been some time, hasn't it...

[positivestars]

Ah, so that's what you guys contributed? Thank you for your hard work! I'm sure it'll taste delicious!

[She finds a place for herself to sit, not too close, not too far.]

It has, hasn't it! In the Guilds, you mean? Mightyena-san asked me to join the Oran Berries. She seems like a very kind individual, and I like the guild! What about you, Hatenna-san?

[wovensecrets]

Ah, so you've been in the Spire. That makes sense. I'm in the Cheri guild. It keeps me busy enough.

[ Rather, she keeps herself busy in various ways. Other people might have Opinions on the leadership but she tends to avoid stirring that pot.

Speaking of her hard work, she is taken a little off guard by the praise. ]

The kids probably should have more of the credit. We did quite a lot of searching, but a tasty meal is an excellent motivator.

[positivestars]

Cheri… So you're up in the canopy, right? What is it like there? That's good! There's a lot to do around town, isn't there?

[If Hatenna's satisfied in the Cheris, then… hopefully that's a good thing. She's not sure how to approach the leadership opinions, but- the important thing is to look after each other, right?]

Oh! Then- are they here? They must have done a good job, too! [She nods, eyes crinkling as she smiles.] It's satisfying to have that to look forward to!

[wovensecrets]

Aegiomon and Guilmon aren't too far.

[ Probably a sign of her good mood, as she gestures with one of her hair tendrils to where a certain Skiddo and Charmeleon are wandering about chattering to others. ]

We've had a lot of work to do on the rooms there, since they're more exposed. Which means more favors for assistance, so it's just a cycle of keeping busy. Just probably not recommended if someone has an issue with heights...

[positivestars]

I see! [Oh- she's seen them on the network, she remembers.] They seem like good kids.

Oh, right! I did hear… It seems like an odd choice to have homes so exposed… Even before those of us started arriving, there were probably Pokémon that wasn't the best fit for, right? [Ah. That's a little worrying, too.] Has anyone been settled there who does have that fear?

[wovensecrets]

Not that I've been aware of, at least, unless their rooms were already accounted for being lower down to not complain. Visitors seem to have them more than not...

[ But as for other examples, there were plenty to have contended with, particularly considering Guilmon over there and others. ]

We've had more pressing issues, like making sure it's safe for fire types, where open flame could be a hazard but also a personal weakness.

[positivestars]

Hm… Well, hopefully that means it's something the Guild leaders are considering.

[Then again, if it's an issue with fire types, maybe not…]

That's definitely important! Are they safe now? A personal weakness… like an elemental weakness? It goes that far?

[wovensecrets]

His room has been reinforced properly now, so there's no need to worry. In fact, not too long ago there was a pretty large effort in working on the existing rooms... it just seemed like no one really considered pushing for it before, or just adapted.

[ Which she can understand, not all people would think to fix a problem if it meant speaking up against a perceived authority, or if they didn't have an issue themselves. ]

But, maybe just being from other worlds means we're more likely to notice potential issues that others have just accepted as being normal.

[positivestars]

That's good to hear! It sounds as though everyone did a good job…. [She nods, frowning briefly.] That can happen, if the older members of a group have been dealing with it…

Mm. I hope that means us being here is a good thing, for everyone. It shakes things up a bit!

[wovensecrets]

Better that than just being used to fix problems and then tossed aside, right~?

[ ...Says the one keeping herself busy with a myriad of tasks, but clearly she has her reasoning for those. ]

I'm not so sure that it's as rigid as what people make it out to be. Some just naturally fall into line even when there's an inconvenience, while others are more likely to cause problems on purpose.

[positivestars]

Oh, certainly! That's… I hope that's not something you've experienced.

[Keeping busy can help keep the worries at bay!]

Hmm… there are a lot of different people, aren't there? So it needs to be able to adjust to people anyway… Well, that does push people towards having opinions…

[wovensecrets]

Just another society, even if it's not exactly being formed naturally. Something wanted outsiders here, even if we don't know what. There are so many worlds, maybe it hasn't found what or who it's looking for.

[positivestars]

[Ah! She lets it reorientate and settle in her mind.]

That's definitely a point… The Pokemon here built most of it, right? But most of them came here from elsewhere, or their forebears did, didn't they? Does- could that have been influenced, too?

Maybe… Do you have any thoughts on what type of peerson it might be looking for?

[wovensecrets]

Well, if it's something actively pulling others here on a whim because it hasn't found or decided what it's looking for, the most likely category would be...

[ The sort of semi-arbitrary draw that would get a person muttering the dreaded phrase "why me", no doubt. She has her experience. "Chosen ones", now what did that lead to? ]

A child, or a gullible teenager, those usually seem the intended targets in range for something like that.

[positivestars]

[That's… rather cynical, isn't it? …But Hatenna mentioned being discarded before.]

Some of us… seem older, but… Is that something you've seen often before, Hatenna-san?

[…teenagers, huh… She's sure Philemon means well, but… what was the way rumours became reality…? There definitely is the other one, though, but… why them, indeed…]

[wovensecrets]

I've been close enough to it.

[ She shifts her hair in an approximation of a shrug, but it also might be a knowing gesture toward the 'kids' she'd mentioned earlier. ]

Or it could just be a matter of powerful beings colliding with one another and drawing Pokémon in for an eventual war between creation and destruction. Who knows, really?

[positivestars]

I see… Then, the people close to you…?

[She glances towards the two, tracing a shape in the sand absently. It's a little like looking back in time. She has to hope the others will be alright. For here and now…]

As a result of those energies? I wonder… We'd probably see some sort of sign. [But it doesn't seem impossible- or at least, not something that should be written off. It's just worrying.] I suppose we'd have to uncover more to know.

[wovensecrets]

[ Ordinarily, she'd be more perturbed at revealing that much out loud. Still, it seems almost reasonable to do, in these circumstances. She was going out of her way for them after all... ]

... Mm.

[ She has her own internal battle with what not knowing certain things has cost her. It's what allows her to come up with theories but still refraining from going as far as Akechi-san or others as deeply invested trying to unravel it fully. ]

I've heard that there are Pokémon who are considered to be mythical or legendary with possible powers connected to time, space, chaos, perception, among other concepts that could have resulted in this. It could be even more years before anything else significant happens unless their hand is forced. Still, if you keep your eyes and ears open, maybe you'll learn something new.

[positivestars]

Those are quite expansive domains, aren't they? Ones with a lot of power, too. So it definitely seems as though someone could…. I wonder if it's possible to speak with them at all.

But, well! [She claps her hands together.] Research can wait- right now, we have good food awaiting! Right?

[wovensecrets]

Yes! You have to try this.

[ The mysteries would always be there, in her opinion. Delicious meal opportunities, one just shouldn't let pass by. ]