June Catch-All

[hundredeyesoni]

Who: Akira and quest partners
What: Quests, more to be added over the month
When: Throughout June
Warnings: Fog effects and Pokemon battles likely. Will add as needed.

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[hundredeyesoni]

Already in full agreement that there's no need to worry, getting on with their quest is simple enough to do as Akira happily follows the Absol's lead.

While there may be varying expectations surrounding his own capabilities, they're not what he's most looking forward to testing out, himself. Two of them are youkai in these forms, and he can't help but hope that a certain ability to foretell danger will make an appearance while he can observe. Of course it means that such danger will need to be present, but what's wrong with that? He's already made it this far, after all.


As they travel deeper, Akira's focus constantly shifts between every sight the forest has to offer, the challenge of having to take a more active approach to such basic observation seeming to leave him far more excited than frustrated. Not even the fog deters him, instead providing encouragement that they're closer to their goal.

But if that's the case, it may pose the same risks he'd encountered and largely ignored upon his arrival. It won't just be a matter of losing their way. Rather,

"While we're in range of the forest's effects, don't hesitate to tell me if either of you start feeling ill or confused." There's an eagerness to the warning, despite its sincerity. A suggestion that he'd sure enjoy more patients to treat. "Since you're both feisty as it is, watching for heightened aggression may be beyond even my abilities. As curious as I am about the unique conditions here, I can't have anyone-- dying..?"

For a moment, he manages to settle down, looking almost mournful as he catches sight of a few bones already littering the ground. He'd been prepared for them, the signs of those who'd lost to this creature earlier. Surely they all had. But...

As quickly as that calmness began, it passes, with an enthusiastic effort to pick up his pace instead.

"Wow, so even this far in is dangerous! I wonder if we'll be next?"

[wolfcut]

Feisty. He scoffs at the Slowking's choice of words, glancing at Flamebringer with a flat expression. Bigby definitely caught that amused look earlier, but he can't really blame him, never mind mention it when there are other priorities at hand. Focused on honing in on the right scent, his ears start to perk up when something finally catches his attention, quickly followed by Akira's shift in tone. He glances at the ground, brows furrowing at the morbid remnants before taking in a deep breath.

"Let me down for a second," he mutters. Not bothering to wait for a response, the Morpeko pushes against the other’s hold, just enough to slip back onto the ground. Freed at last but with no time to revel, he scurries over to the closest piece small enough for him to pick up. The scent of dried blood immediately fills his senses, but the creature it once belonged to is indiscernible, masked by the smell of bear and soil somehow mixed together into one. He tosses it back onto the ground with the rest, noting the jagged breaks that seems to be present in most. Silently at first, he begins to survey the surrounding area for any other signs. "Well, now we know this was the right direction after all."

There's a flippant undertone to his words, more at himself than anyone else, if only because he couldn't help but mistrust his own capabilities in this body. At least their bounty is becoming more tangible beyond a written description in his mind. The doctor's comment immediately makes him look back though, exasperated at first, until his eyes slowly start to widen. There's no sudden movements from him, but he seems transfixed, unable to look away from something that doesn't seem to be there.

Through the fog, he sees Akira and Flamebringer not as they are, but laying motionless beneath a figure still shrouded in shadow. He takes a step back, ears flattening as his cheeks start to spark, only for him to hear a voice — a voice he knows isn't here — call out to him. Suddenly, the gaping maw of the beast seems to disappear entirely, but his body can't seem to release the tension it built up.

"... Speaking of not dying, let's not waste too much time around here. The trail leads that way." He motions with his head, but his gaze remains somewhere off in the distance. It'll take him another moment to fully let it go, but he doesn't speak on it, not yet.

[indifferentinferno]

Its for the best that Flamebringer is in front so that Akira can't see how flat and annoyed his expression is. Then again, its not like he was hiding it in front of him before either. He catches Bigby's equally unimpressed look and can't help but smirk slightly in solidarity. Misery loved company after all. Akira wasn't even trying to take this seriously, was he? Then again, it wasn't like he wasn't already used to dealing with someone with that personality. Same old, same old; even on the surface of a different planet entirely... the thought sobers him more than he would expect, a cold, empty feeling curling in his stomach.

He had a rather severe and up close and personal experience with the fog earlier- one he wasn't eager to repeat, if he wanted to he could very easily just give Akira information from that occasion before anything happened... he'd consider it. He wasn't eager to share, but if it kept them in one piece-

His train of thought is halted by the skeleton. Even Akira quieted down... he wouldn't have expected that from his overall lack of reading the room so far... he eyed the remains... but it didn't tell him much of anything. He was used to corpses. It came with his line of work, and the home he came from... all the same, his expression was somber, and grim.

"Its not out of the realm of possibility." he says to Akira... although it lacks his normal acidic sarcasm.

There was a sense growing in his chest... his fur standing slightly more on end. A caution, a wariness. But nothing had happened yet- Besides stumbling upon this rather obvious clue- and it wasn't the same as his normal sense of paranoia... no... He glances nervously at the trees, the fog, but there's nothing... he's loath to let go of his instincts though... he doesn't bury the feeling, keeping it in mind as he returns his eyes to look at Bigby-

Who looks like he's just seen a ghost.

Flamebringer blinks- bewildered, then remembers- Right, the fog. Illusions of the past, or just nightmares, haunted the people lost in it. They were no exception. Experienced or no. Bigby brushes it off and moves ahead before he can comment. He follows after him quickly, eager to get this over with and get out of this cloying place. He's also not enthusiastic about the idea of losing the musbeast to the fog. Not that he thinks Bigby would recklessly charge ahead. Its the fog he doesn't trust.

When he gets closer he mutters, "You saw something." He doesn't want to pry. Its not like he wants to know. But he'd rather confirm his suspicious so he knows what all of them will be facing as their excursion progresses.