bottlecaplogs | February catch-all!

[ Ingo may not much like traveling away from the Bay lately, but he's a Hisuian Typhlosion and an experienced guild member. Of course he was called for something like this - and, of course, he answered.

A Warden would have done this same thing, back in Hisui. But Ingo's never actually overseen any such effort himself. There hasn't been such a large disaster in all that time; the Pearl Clan is experienced in avoiding such conditions, and the merchant caravans do not travel so far north in winter. Seeing the breadth of the devastation chills him in a way that has nothing to do with the cold. How many might be buried underneath there? How many are they likely to find?

Suffice it to say, he's leaving matters of method and strategy to the local Pokemon. He...could make such decisions. He’s been responsible for lives before. It’s a responsibility he doesn't mind abdicating to those better suited. There’s still plenty to do! He still knows how to organize, and understands this kind of terrain well enough. He won't hesitate to flag down any guild members who arrive on the scene and don't seem to know what to do with themselves. ]

I could use another digger here!

[The sight is overwhelming. They know it's bad to just be standing there, but even so Siffrin is initially paralyzed when they show up, with no idea where they should even start -]

[(Clearly there's a reason why you weren't sent out in the first group, Siffrin, you useless - come on, do something -)]

[It's possible that with another moment or two they'd have snapped out of it and found a place to help anyway - but it's a relief to hear a voice calling them over and giving directions. Siffrin fords over the snow and starts digging furiously opposite Ingo.]

I smell a...a fire-type, I think. They may be using their own heat to stay warm - watch for slush, and be careful with your paws!

[ Ingo himself isn't really worrying about the latter, being a fire-tyep himself! But burning beneath the snow is just likely to destabilize everything. It's risky; he might not do it himself, in their position, but he also knows how panic can drown out logic. ]

[Siffrin nods, their hat dipping with the motion, without actually pausing in their digging. They are - perhaps unwisely - not too worried about scorched paws; it's not like they're lacking in snow to stick them into, if that happens.]

[Once they start hitting slush, though, they bristle in alarm - the warmth below means that snow is dripping down as fast as they're able to scoop it out. It must also be melting into whatever air pocket is down there, right?]

H-hey - you're going to drown yourself...! [They try to call out, hoping it'll penetrate through the snow. Which isn't necessarily the most helpful or calming thing to say to someone buried...]

[ Ingo picks up speed, heedless of the wet slush clumping in his fur. Close enough to water to be bothersome, it seems. Maybe if he used some fire, he could turn it to steam? But that would be dangerous indeed for most Pokemon. He wouldn't consider it at all, except that they are already using fire...but then, not every fire-type would tolerate such an attack well. They might even be using a differently-typed move. ]

Ah - see if you can tell what sort of Pokemon they are!

[ A long shot, maybe, but worth checking. ]

[If Siffrin had any real experience with seeing color, this would be roughly the point where they'd be thinking, 'Wow, sure would be nice if I could see color!']

[As is, though, they squint their one eye at the silhouette they can see through the slush, even as they keep digging.]

Very round? Um, I think they have ear tufts?

[That's it. That's all they've got. They don't say it with much hope that it'll be enough to identify the Pokemon.]

[To Ingo's eyes, though, there might be a suggestion of red and yellow... unless that's just the flame?]

[ Mmmmm...Ingo decides to err on the side of caution. It seems like they might be close enough that he needn't risk it. Instead, he heats the fur around his own neck and plunges his head down into the hole that he's been digging, burrowing in and snuffling about for fur or skin. Hunting behavior, in a Typhlosion, but while Ingo knows that in theory he doesn't quite associate the two. He hasn't gone hunting since he was still human. ]

[Siffrin yanks their paws out of the way and watches, just barely keeping from vibrating with tension. Is there anything they can do...?]

[The hollow Ingo's head breaks through into is warm and, indeed, filling up with water from melted slush - though it's not quite as bad as all that yet. More importantly, Ingo's nose or teeth will quickly meet something furry. Or hairy.]

[It's a Darumaka!]

[ Ingo snuffles the Darumaka! He hasn't smelled this Pokemon before!

Well, nevermind it. He briefly contemplates trying to take the entire furry orb in his jaws and pull it out, but quickly abandons that as a bad idea and just starts trying to nose beneath them and hoist them up instead.

(Wow! Lots of slushy gross snow in here! This is a sensory nightmare!) ]

[An... ear tuft(? Eyebrow?) emerges above the snow, and Siffrin latches on to it with their teeth and tugs.]

[Darumaka yelps and flails, suddenly sticking their limbs out of their body. That can't feel good! But between Siffrin and Ingo's efforts, they're quickly deposited onto the surface of the snow.]

[There they fall into a seated position, shivering. It doesn't seem to be out of cold so much as lingering shock and fear - they're slowly melting another circle of slush around them, though fortunately it doesn't seem to be progressing fast enough to make them sink.]

[ Ingo surfaces immediately, sneezing and pawing the slush off his face and head as well as he can. That was unpleasant!

But he's fine, he's fine! Never mind it! ]

Are you alright? [ That's addressed to the Darumaka, but he adds with a glance to Siffrin: ] We ought to get them back to town.

[The Darumaka doesn't answer, just staring at Ingo with wide eyes, but Siffrin nods. They scan the area for - there! There's the Noivern that flew them and several other Pokemon over.]

[Siffrin turns back to Darumaka, opening their mouth... and then realizing that even out of the snow, Darumaka doesn't. Really have a scruff to be grabbed by, round as they are. Pulling them out was one thing, but Siffrin can't carry the poor thing by their eyebrows!!]

[Hesitantly, they reach out to poke Darumaka with one paw.] ...can you walk?

[Is Siffrin going to have roll them.]

[ Ingo, when he's finished cleaning himself up a bit, leans down to nudge his nose against the Darumaka. It curls into a tighter ball and shivers. ]

...perhaps you could cling to my back?

[ Ingo's not so sure about balancing an orb, but maybe if they work together? ]

rime falls

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ice rift

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