Earning her keep

[arceusstansme]

Who: Akari and any poor sod who crosses her path.
What: Akari is here to prove her worth to Bottlecap Bay. Whether you like it or not.
Where: Bottlecap Bay
When: Sometime during April (all of it)
Warnings: Swearing, the traumas:tm:



Some people (or, well, Pokémon) would take a day or two to adjust to having their bodies shaped into something new and thrown into a new location. Maybe take a moment to adjust to any weird dysmorphia about suddenly having no fingers or being a sentient bag of garbage (which, let's be real, isn't a change for some people.)

Akari on the other hand started to work. Someone needed a berry delivered from point A to point B without being eaten somewhere in the middle? Akari was on it. Needed someone to go tell their kid who was playing dangerously close to a ledge to stop it? Akari was already there. It didn't matter; it seemed like the moment someone looked mildly uncomfortable, the Cyndaquil was already there trying to fix an ill or find something.

It would be impressive if it seemed like she took a break. Or if she didn't seem like she was just sitting in traffic waiting for a light to turn as she listened to whatever someone needed. It was also obvious she was also trying to make sure the task was done 100 percent, even if she checked back in with the person like she was throwing a cigarette butt at them when she was done.

That was just the nature of her. Sometimes you might see her resting her feet for a second or two; other times you might see her waiting for someone or something to appear to give a message or deliver something. Or sometimes, she might stop and stare at you for a moment before asking if you needed help.

Comments

[offtracks]

Quite so! I think we are already solving most of it!

[They need more food, more space, more workers and resources. But as long as all the newcomers pitch in, that shouldn't be a problem!]

Sometimes there are rescue missions, too. I went with some others to go save a Smoochum who had gotten lost in the woods!

[arceusstansme]

[Well, now she is going to double-down on working hard, because she doesn't want to be escorted out in some stupid walk of shame.]

I am going to take on as many as I can. If we keep the board clear, maybe people won't blame us too much somehow.

[offtracks]

Oh - no, I do not think you need to worry about that! Everyone here is very nice! Besides, the guilds have a number of native members already.

[It's meant to be way more than just the handful of them!]

[arceusstansme]

[Ingo, it's not that she doesn't trust you. It's that she doesn't trust everyone else. Her expression easily reads this, as her mouth is in a tight line.]

It's best to nip that in the budew you know. Like they will think whatever they think when they want to, best to start padding your case for you early.

[And still, even if you do that, they still might not care!]

[offtracks]

I suppose.

[Ingo's less worried about it, but he isn't sure he has the grounding to tell her not to. He's not been here long himself, after all. And it does feel like everything has gone very, very well; even his own arrival in the Pearl Clan did not. Maybe it won't hold.]

In any case, I have always found that it is better to remain busy! Missions are the sort of work I enjoy.

[arceusstansme]

"Missions? Tell me more."

[She seemed interested, and also she wanted to prove to Mightyena that she made a good choice in approaching her. That she could live up to expectations.]

[offtracks]

From the board! Have you seen the mission board! They are usually undertaken in teams, but anyone can take one!

[Really, the dangerous ones seem like they require more than one Pokemon on average anyway.]

[arceusstansme]

Sounds fun. Like how in Jubilife Laventon had his.

[People posting how they needed help, their name, then having to go find them.]

[offtracks]

Oh - yes, I suppose.

[He knew they did that, but Ingo's not in Jubilife often enough to make a practice of doing those missions. They're really for the Survey Corps anyway, even if he doesn't mind helping out on occasion.]

Many are just for things like foraging or checking the perimeters as well!

[arceusstansme]

Oh thats easy, I like foraging.

[When she was told to collect 99 medicinal leeks, she already had that many in her trunk, but she still went out to gather more.]

[offtracks]

I always did as well! That was my first job within the Pearl Clan!

[Of course he still does so for himself now, but between him and his Pokemon it's nowhere near as taxing as it was when trying to provide for the entire Clan.]

[arceusstansme]

Maybe we should go do a gathering mission together!

[She seems excited about that.]

Have a contest to see who can find the most items.

[offtracks]

That sounds like fun! We should do it!

[arceusstansme]

Alright, where do we start? I should get myself a backpack for all the things I will gather.

[A backpack her size would hold one berry.]

[offtracks]

Yes, they have those! I have one myself - I will have to fetch it. But perhaps we can find one for you first!

[In his experience, she'll probably need some help getting the thing on, at least at first.]

[arceusstansme]

Ingo, you're always the best.

[She said quite happily. Again, only four people she respects, and two of them always changes. Ingo is always on the list. He understands how to battle and is creative with how he battles, too. Although the Path of Solitude for Magikarp was mean.]

[offtracks]

Ah - ! Well, thank you! That is very kind!

[Let's go pick up that bag, then!]

[arceusstansme]

[She follows after Ingo, then she realizes something.]

Hey, hey. You should introduce me to your brother. So I can vibe check him.

[It's less vibe checking and more just wanting to see who this man that somehow stood out in Ingo's mind is. It's nice that Ingo found family, she never thought about if she had her own family that she left behind before she arrived in Hisui.]

We could battle.

[Girl, no. You only have normal type moves.]

[offtracks]

Ah! Yes, I should - he is also very interested in battling!

[Ingo is too, of course, but this seems like a good point in common between the two of them.]

I suppose I ought to mention...he has become a Zoroark.

[arceusstansme]

[She knew the story of Zoroarks. The Baneful Fox. She remembered at Lake Acuity going in and the Alpha Zoroark standing there, eyes glowing red.]

[She felt empathy for the Pokémon. The anger in her chest at the time from being escorted out still, despite Volo and Cyllene helping her.]

Does he hold grudges?

[She tried to keep her tone light-]

[offtracks]

Not that I am aware of!

[He's also trying to act like it's all just jokes! Even though he knows they ain't!]

[arceusstansme]

It would be good to know that, that's why I am here to vibe check. I know I'm a Cyndaquil because I am adorable.

[offtracks]

I am not sure why I am a Typhlosion! At first I thought it was because of my old partner, but Emmet says that was an entirely different Pokemon.

[arceusstansme]

[SHE THOUGHT IT WAS A TYPHLOSION TOO.]

What? Really? Spill!

[offtracks]

It was another ghost and fire-type, called a Chandelure! He says it looks like a chandelier...black with purple flames.

[He still doesn't feel like he can really picture it.]