bottlecaplogs | Mutato Krystallos: March Catch-All

((See here for quest details!))

[With the winter finally threatening to ease up, Cedric expected more cleanup duties to follow and assumed he was going to contribute. But obligation swiftly turned to excitement the moment Mightyena mentioned "meteor stones" - he's no astronomer, but here those may provide information they currently lack about the place. Plus he can already envision the mesmerizing glimmer they'll inevitably have on their surface...

Well, needless to say, he signed up for the task immediately and headed to the meeting site so swiftly that he didn't even notice who he got paired with. Not until he spots a certain Mimikyu and realises he's seen that face... er, mask... before. On the Grumpearl.

And lets out a loud sigh.]

[Shoka, on the other hand, did notice who she got paired with. Seeing Cedric's name there, she imagined that he saw her name and squawked aloud in dismay—maybe even cursed (!)—before deciding that he'd be the bigger Pokémon and go along with it.

Now, seeing the look on his face and hearing the way he sighs aloud, she realizes that she was completely wrong, much to her amusement.]

Aw, don't look too happy to see me. [She giggles.] Let me guess—you heard sparkly rocks were involved and got so psyched that you didn't even bother to check who you got paired up with.

[Oh of course, of course she has to rub it in. He turns his beak up in a magnificent pout.]

No, I was simply so invested in helping the guild that I expected someone cooperative. Can you be that- Shoka, was it?

Mm-hm. And you're Cedric the Judgy.

[Or should it be Cedric the Pouty? Cedric the Whiny? Oh well, she's got plenty of time to come up with new ones!]

Who said I wouldn't cooperate? I'm actually glad you're my partner. Means we'll get this over with in no time! [... Which does still make it sound like she's hoping to let him do most of the work.] As long as you don't plan on smuggling any Moon Stones we find off to a second location.

[Why does that compliment sound patronizing? Oh right, probably because she just called him Cedric the Judgy. Grumble grumble, it's an official title, let him have this.]

Please, I am a bastion of honesty and integrity! Mightyena wants these stones, so she will get them!

[...] Wait, Moon Stones? Aren't these from the meteor shower?

If you say so.

[She titters.]

Well, yeah. Duh? There was another big meteor shower a while back, and I heard that the meteor that landed in the Bay that time was full of Moon Stone. Apparently, the Lum nerds towed it off to study it or whatever... But some 'mons found smaller pieces of Moon Stone that broke off it just lying around.

[So the same could be true of this new meteor landing site they'll be investigating, couldn't it? Still, she's quick to add:]

Try not to get too excited though. That could've just been a one time thing.

[That does prompt him to look up in thought, one wing tucking under his beak as if he were rubbing his chin. Meteors typically have nothing to do with the moon, but perhaps these terms are just catch-alls for space junk in general. How would a "Moon Stone" fall directly from the moon anyway? Wouldn't it just get caught up in orbit?

His self-consciousness kicks in, though, when he suspects Shoka's teasing him again, and he quickly drops the pose to straighten up.]

Well, we won't know until we look, will we? I imagine it matters little to you, so long as you get your precious guild rewards.

Pretty much! [She doesn't sound guilty in the slightest. Incorrigible.] So let's get going, shall we?

[With that, she swivels around and starts to shuffle away, heading in the direction of the forest (without waiting around for Cedric to follow).]

[There's the smallest grumble. He was hoping, probably in vain, that she might not be so enthusiastic in that affirmation.] Let's.

[He doesn't bother to stick around on the ground, since he moves much faster in the air. To his credit, he stays within sight above her - buuuut she'll likely notice that he's just far enough to be out of earshot if she tries to talk to him.]

[It doesn't take Shoka long to realize what Cedric's doing. At some point, noticing his insistence on staying high in the air, she thinks to call out:]

Hey, birdbrain.

[How do you expect to find rocks when you're that far from the ground? she's about to ask. Maybe he hopes to spot their sparkle from above (crows do have excellent eyesight, she knows), but she ultimately doesn't find out if that's the case or not, because he clearly either can't hear her or is choosing to ignore her.

With a sigh, she continues her search below. As a Mimikyu, her eyes are always close to the ground, and it's that trait that allows her to spot a promising glow half-hidden in the undergrowth.

She disappears under the bushes—and from Cedric's sight.]

[Her presumption is correct; even under low lighting, he's impressively good at picking up shiny glints in the grass. It's not good enough, however, to spot Mimikyu heads in the shrub, causing him to hover in flight as he stares at the bush where he last saw Shoka.

For a moment, he seriously considers moving on and pretending he didn't notice. Then he ponders trying to spot her rustling through the foliage from where he is but quickly deems that too unreliable.

He gives the most aggressive eyeroll that she cannot see, before dropping down to flap a little closer to the ground. Maybe, if he's lucky, she won't notice, and she can go on thinking he's still high above following her.

Except he's never that lucky and he knows it.]

[As he descends, Cedric will hear Shoka before he sees her. There's a sudden, catlike hiss, followed by another—sharper, more monstrous. Moments later, two feline shapes come tumbling out of the brush: Shoka, with a bristling Meowth right on her tail.]

Wh—hey! Easy!

[Mee-ine! yowls the Meowth, hooking its claws into the edge of Shoka's disguise rag and making her wince. Thief! Thief!]

[The noise stops him dead in his tracks - or flight, that is - and he lets out an involuntary Astonish.

Sadly, the Meowth is a Normal type, and Ghost-type moves are super-effective against Shoka. Cedric realises immediately his mistake and is now silently praying the wave missed her and she doesn't flinch.]

Oops... I mean, stop! Claws off that hood, you pilfering purr machine!

[And he's already attempting to grab the hood-less feline with his talons.]

[Of course, Cedric isn't quite so lucky. The Meowth has already torn at Shoka's disguise, leaving her with no defenses against the Astonish; judging by the sharp gasp she gives and the pulse of static that shudders across the visible parts of her shadowy form, it's a direct hit.

Fortunately, however, he does manage to catch the Meowth in his talons and pry it off of the reeling Mimikyu. With a yowl of alarm, it tries to twist around in his grip, swiping wildly with its claws.]

((See here for quest details!))

[All you have to say is "Star Pieces" and Cedric is all ears - and eyes, of course. Sure, he has to go to Heavy Downmoor, but he's been there so often now he can almost tolerate the wetness at this point. Nothing he can't handle in the name of a... is Staryu a starfish? It looks oddly metal to be one. Then again, it's not the first metal Pokémon he's met, and a star looking for star rocks makes marginal sense, so...

Regardless, he flies to the destination and- all right, on second thought, he still doesn't tolerate the rain, it's miserable. But he can ignore it at least temporarily upon spotting a familiar Morelull near a patch of moss and he lands under the closest tree.]

Kinger, fancy meeting you here!

[The heavy rain has one advantage in that the gloomy skies are keeping it comfortably dim for Kinger. While waiting, Kinger has his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of rain on his skin(?). His cloak is absolutely soaked, but that's a future Kinger problem. Upon hearing Cedric lands, he opens his eyes and turns to him excitedly.]

Cedric! Cedric the Great. [Kinger says, cheerfully adding his title.]

Is this really our first quest together? Time flies.

[He can't help but beam - he used his title! Without a trace of sarcasm or mockery! Oh, how annoyingly rare that is around here!]

Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? You can't deny they don't keep us busy around here. Even if some of the work is tedious.

[Not that he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty back home - tending to a garden for herbs, climbing treacherous mountains for rare ingredients...]

But this should be substantially interesting. I've never gotten a close look at star pieces before.

Me either! [Of course, Kinger has been less interested in looking for shiny rocks in general, but he has been in the caves of Heavy Downmoor recently.]

Let's see if we can catch a glint of anything if I do this... [There is a sound like Kinger taking a deep breath, and his mushrooms glow brightly.]

[His eyes widen at the Morelull's sudden iridescence.] Well, doesn't that shed some light on the subject?

[He follows the glints created by the light and starts hopping over to investigate. Sure, the moist grass makes this a little more difficult than it should be, but he already finds a solid piece upon close inspection and picks it up in his beak. The object is dropped next to Kinger.]

This may be one?

[It is not - it's just a gleaming wet rock.]

Well, it is a nice rock, but I think this might just be one for your collection.

[Kinger looks around. There are two places in Heavy Downmoor where weird things tend to happen, and both of them are interiors. Years of going on carefully crafted adventures tells him there's a good chance that the star pieces are going to be close to there, even if this is not a prewritten story.]

We can make our way out of the rain if we head towards either the caves or that copy of the Archives. The caves are somehow the more creepy ones, though.

Oh. [Of course, he doesn't realise Kinger's right until this very moment.] I knew that.

[He swiftly picks the rock back up... but does store it in his satchel. It is rather pretty.]

Let's go to the Archives first. Less creepy, as you say, and I'm curious to check them out again anyway.

[The walk to the Archives is relatively uneventful, meaning that most of it is taken up by small talk.]

You've been to the other Archives before too?

[Considering the quests he's been having lately, it's nice for a trip to be simply uneventful.

His eyes shift at the question.] Well, n-not exactly. Only passing by, really, never got a proper look. Just Akechi and

[Flowey, he thinks, but he doesn't want to mention the annoying Sunkern right now.]

...I mostly heard rumours about them.

[ Festivals aren't really Bigby's scene, but who is he to turn down seasonal snacks whenever they happen to pop up? They still haven't gotten pizza right, according to his humble New Yorker opinion, but the stuffed dough pockets vaguely resembling both a pierogi and an empanada has been a surprising treat.

Anyway, this isn't about his food reviews. In actuality, Bigby has gone out of his way to invite Cedric out for an evening of star gazing, mostly to catch-up, but also to check-in. Losing two friends to a sudden coma in one month has made the Morpeko more than a little paranoid about everyone else he's close to, not that he's going to openly say as much. Instead, he turns to the Murkrow, head tilting slightly. ]

You celebrate stuff like this back in Enchancia? Stars and wishes...

[ You know what, as the fellow fairytale guy, the answer is probably obvious. ]

[Cedric is a little surprised to receive the invitation from Bigby, but he's not complaining either. It's not like they've had much time to relax, with all of the nonsense last month, and at this rate the Wolf probably thinks he likes anything that glimmers in sight. A bit silly a presumption, but- oh, the stars do look pretty tonight, don't they? Maybe they are somewhat brighter than usual...

A-anyway, focus Cedric! He just asked a question! He tilts his own head in thought.] Oh, I wouldn't say we celebrate them exactly. We study the skies in school, of course, but there's no astronomy festival or anything. Some do believe in the wishing thing, but personally I think it's overrated - not every star has a Blue Fairy, after all.

Why do you ask? [Wait, silly question- wait, did Bigby ask because he- oh no, was he just inadvertently rude-?] I mean... do you, wh-where you're from?

Hm. [ As good an answer as any, and one that Bigby considers casually despite the mention of the Blue Fairy. One of the Fables whose whereabouts are unknown, but that's not something Cedric needs to worry about. Instead, he lets out an amused huff, repeating: ] Overrated, huh?

[ Pinocchio would get a kick out of that. Bigby, meanwhile, is finding some mild enjoyment in hearing Cedric save face over nothing at all. ]

Oh, yeah. Huge deal back in the Hesse. [ It's not, at least not that he remembers, and the look on Bigby's says it before he does. He snickers. ] Cedric, I grew up in the forest. You spend too much time looking up, something big and bad is bound to get you. [ That said, he does look up. ]

... It's nice though. Don't get this kind of view where I live now.

[Oh, he made that emphasis just to make him feel bad, didn't he? Bigby, you tease. But this is Cedric, so it works.] Listen, I know how important the stars are, but it's not exactly relevant to my job eighty percent of the time!

[Yep, he was absolutely messing with him. And like a fool, he got defensive anyway. Even now, the friendship thing still feels difficult sometimes. He lets out a sigh.]

Yes, well, I suppose it's nice to look at them once in a while. We have an observatory in the castle, but I don't go there very often. Usually occupied by Princess Amber anyway, it's become her 'passion'.

[That's a little rambley of him, so he does stop talking to admire the view. With the newfound quiet, this is quite a peaceful experience. Until his scholar brain starts going again and he softly adds, with a hint of sadness:]

The pattern is different here than in Enchancia. We really are far from home.

[ For a wolf — or maybe rodent is more apt now — he sure does know how to put on a cat-like grin, even for just a second. When he's the one usually getting messed with, he does have to take any opportunity to do it to someone else. Sorry, Cedric. ]

Amber... the older one, right?

[ His smile falters. At least he's got the listening part of the friendship down, even more so when he picks up on Cedric's tone shift. ]

You could always chart some of them here. Take that back as a souvenir. [ His ear flicks. Whenever that might be. ] Does make you wonder what it is about this place, pulling us from all over. [ He glances at Cedric. ] At least we have some familiarity here.

[ Who else can he casually talk to about stuff like the Blue Fairy without causing a bunch of questions. ]

That's right.

[Though the idea of being able to gift Amber something... bring something home.. his head dips just a little.

He says quietly, gently:] Is that possible? Going back? Or is that familiarity all we have?

[If they're not the first ones pulled here, that doesn't bode well for their fate. Not to mention all those who have fallen into a coma...]

[ His ears droop in sympathy. For Bigby, if there's a way in, then surely there's a way out, but Cedric's also right to question that kind of thinking. ]

I— ... I can't say. But there has to be more than what we know now, right?

[ He goes quiet. No sense in lying, but that doesn't mean he can't feel bad about saying it. ]

And with all this talk about rifts lately... maybe it's something. [ No telling what it's all leading up to though. For now, he looks over at the Murkrow, brows furrowed. ] So tell me, Cedric. If we have to rely on familiarity for a while, what festivals do you celebrate back home?

[He gives Bigby a side glance, still facing down. Much of this situation feels fruitless, but he also wants to believe his friend. As appreciative as honesty is, he's grateful for the optimism. It's what Sofia would do, after all, if she were here, albeit with less gruffness.]

I only hope that's true.

[Having something to share is at least a nice distraction, so he won't deny that offer.] Well, there's the Festival of Plenty, that's sort of a cultivating celebration. Then there's the Royal Jubilee - for the kingdom's establishment, I have quite a lot of fun with that one. And of course we have Wassailia, Halloween, and the parents' days...

Yeah. Me too.

[ Bigby isn't a generally hopeful person, but he's stubborn enough to pass off as one when the situation calls for it. At least shifting topics helps lighten the mood for now. ]

More than I expected. Hopefully you have all those holidays off. [ Bigby could only dream of a day without working. ] Halloween, we got that too. Wassailia, a bit like Christmas, as you probably figured. [ Noelle probably told him all about it already. ]

New Year's Eve is a big one. So is, uh... Remembrance Day.

[ Maybe they don't need to get into that last one. Still, he does shake his head with a small huff at himself. ]

I never really did much for any of 'em though. Not exactly on top of everyone's invite list, as you saw.

[ He wasn't even on the list for a dream birthday party. Sheesh. ]

Euh, I often do spells for King Roland, but otherwise I have them off, yes. [He usually enjoys doing those spells now anyway, now that it's widely respected.

Cedric gives a warm smile at the mention of Christmas; some kingdoms do celebrate it, and hearing about it now makes him think of Noelle. A bright little soul who makes him feel closest to home. He sobers a little when Bigby says Remembrance Day - he's never heard of it, but he can suspect it was for something serious. Days focused on memory usually are.

Especially when Bigby brings up the party.] That was just a d- [But wait. He can't confirm if he would have been invited. Roland perhaps would if they knew him, but it may take some introductions. Nevertheless...]

Next time I arrange a party, Bigby, you'll be at the top of the list.

[Will he be hosting one any time soon? Probably not. He can socialize, but he's still inexperienced with the organising part. But he would definitely mention it to those who are, and his vouch would already make a world of difference.]

No rest for the wicked, huh?

[ Nor any invites to parties, apparently. He doesn't seem particularly bothered, even when Cedric cuts himself short to course correct, but he does smile a little in appreciation. ]

Promise I won't make you regret that. I'm pretty tame for a wolf nowadays. [ Debatable, but he laughs at himself all the same. ] So this mean the locals can tap you for whatever festival they have next? I can see you being a meticulous party planner, Cedric.

Oh, I'm not exactly anyone's first choice.

[This is accompanied with a blush and a sheepish smile as he puts a wing behind his head, reminiscent of a human rubbing the back of his neck.]

But, nevertheless, I can pull some strings with Roland if it comes down to it. If we can have fairies and centaurs at the graduation party, a simple lupen should be a cinch by comparison.

Mind you, I'm not just any wolf, Cedric.

[ Sure, there's some big names among the faeries and centaurs, but none as bad as his. That his friend would vouch for him all the same does warm his heart in a way he doesn't quite know how to express other than with a joke. ]

But don't worry. You'll be at the top of my list if I ever throw a party myself.

[ He puts his paws into his pockets. Despite the humor in his tone — because why would he of all people host any parties — there's a sincerity underlining his words. Hard not to be genuine with someone who feels like they're cut from the same cloth. ]

Let's just enjoy this one for now though. Or try to, at least.

Mutato Krystallos: March Catch-All

For Shoka: Boulder-Wise

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For Kinger: Broken Up

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sorry for the delay, though i know you've been Going Through It anyway 😬

As proven by my month-later reply sob

starfall festival (mid-march)

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good to wrap here for new things soon? ;u;