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1 - Video/Action in New Bark Town
I wasn’t much expecting this development.
[It’s a slight understatement, but for now the pokégear is too interesting to say anything more. She turns the device in her hands, revealing New Bark Town behind her, her knees in the grass and a black and white creature staring at the device as intently as she is, before finally showing her face. She’s eyeing the touchscreen of the pokégear rather than the camera, giving the distinct impression that the fact that she’s started to send a message out is the only thing keeping her from pressing all of the buttons to see what those ones do.
The girl’s pale. Very pale, actually, and little on the scruffy side, there’s not always enough water to spare in the Bastion for baths or washing clothes. Her skin almost looks gray and an onlooker could be forgiven for thinking that she was very unwell as a result, but her eyes are wide with curiosity and her face practically glowing underneath the dirt with amazement. Her expression changes after a moment, as it dawns on her that people can see her, to one of unease. After a little more staring at the touchscreen, one hand hovering above the pokégear, the communication abruptly switches to voice only. Her voice suddenly becomes more cheerful when it does, filled with the kind of pride that comes from victory over an inanimate object.]
I’m looking for a man called Rucks. Caelondian. Old. Likes the sound of his own voice. [As for her own voice? It seems to be something she's struggling a little with if the way she's sticking to very short and one-word sentences is any indication. She doesn't seem unhappy at all but she certainly sounds a little overwhelmed. She pauses, takes a very deep breath, and continues when she feels ready to tackle the daunting task that is speaking in full sentences.] He walks with a stick an' wears Micia’s star.
And I’ve lost my harp guitar. If anyone’s seen it, it’s very important to me. I’d appreciate its return.
[If it bothers her much that she’s suddenly in a new place full of monsters, she’s not showing it. If she can just find Rucks then he’ll know what to do, after all. Not much sense in panicking, not when she’s all but certain that there’s nothing she can do. There’s a long pause, in which she starts singing along to the music cheerfully, before she finally finds the button to end the communication.]
[It’s a slight understatement, but for now the pokégear is too interesting to say anything more. She turns the device in her hands, revealing New Bark Town behind her, her knees in the grass and a black and white creature staring at the device as intently as she is, before finally showing her face. She’s eyeing the touchscreen of the pokégear rather than the camera, giving the distinct impression that the fact that she’s started to send a message out is the only thing keeping her from pressing all of the buttons to see what those ones do.
The girl’s pale. Very pale, actually, and little on the scruffy side, there’s not always enough water to spare in the Bastion for baths or washing clothes. Her skin almost looks gray and an onlooker could be forgiven for thinking that she was very unwell as a result, but her eyes are wide with curiosity and her face practically glowing underneath the dirt with amazement. Her expression changes after a moment, as it dawns on her that people can see her, to one of unease. After a little more staring at the touchscreen, one hand hovering above the pokégear, the communication abruptly switches to voice only. Her voice suddenly becomes more cheerful when it does, filled with the kind of pride that comes from victory over an inanimate object.]
I’m looking for a man called Rucks. Caelondian. Old. Likes the sound of his own voice. [As for her own voice? It seems to be something she's struggling a little with if the way she's sticking to very short and one-word sentences is any indication. She doesn't seem unhappy at all but she certainly sounds a little overwhelmed. She pauses, takes a very deep breath, and continues when she feels ready to tackle the daunting task that is speaking in full sentences.] He walks with a stick an' wears Micia’s star.
And I’ve lost my harp guitar. If anyone’s seen it, it’s very important to me. I’d appreciate its return.
[If it bothers her much that she’s suddenly in a new place full of monsters, she’s not showing it. If she can just find Rucks then he’ll know what to do, after all. Not much sense in panicking, not when she’s all but certain that there’s nothing she can do. There’s a long pause, in which she starts singing along to the music cheerfully, before she finally finds the button to end the communication.]
[video]
So she's here. She's actually here, and from the sound of it she's just arrived and she's in that town everyone starts in and she's...probably just been booted out by "Mom" there, hasn't she - and Mother bless them all, she's singing, it's definitely her, then...
It's like the first time he saw her on the Bastion; he had begun to think he wasn't going to see anyone else from what remained of his world again.]
...Zia.
[His voice is quiet when that video feed clicks on; his expression is pleased, genuinely pleased for the first time since he arrived.]
I don't think any of us were expecting this development. Are you safe?
[video and voice and text and BASICALLY A GIANT MESS how i used pokégear??? also 1/???]
Which actually is a fairly accurate way of expressing her thoughts right now.
A happy, bouncing Cleffa seems to be the most frequent one, though it's difficult to tell if this is a genuine attempt at a message or just Zia liking the colour pink.
She's mostly relying on blind luck to get the pokégear to do what she wants it to do. And it's working about as well as her previous experiences with luck would lead one to expect it to. Eventually she manages to at least change it back to text.
At which point she is faced with an entirely different problem.]
I DO NOT KNOW THESE LETTERS I DO NOT KNOW HOW AM I WRITING THIS
[These letters are nothing like the symbols of the Cael language. Somehow she knows what they are but that does not make this whole thing any less confusing.
Also she has not worked out how to turn off caps lock.]
Re: [video]
hello zulf is that you are you okay where are you where is he is he okay do you know what is happeni
[And then the message sends mid-word and she finally manages to change it to video.]
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And even if nothing happened to him, then the last time she saw Zulf he was fleeing the Bastion after smashing the monument. The last time she saw any Ura other than herself they'd thought her a spy and turned their weapons on her and she'd been forced to flee. Everything about this whole mess should terrify her.
She should be cautious. She should be careful-]
and done.
You're okay! You're okay, thank goodness!
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He waits out that little outburst, though his eyes have widened considerably and he doesn't seem to know what to do with any of it; in the end, he's left with an extreme closeup of her clothes and some muffled exclamations of what sound like joy, and no idea what to do with any of it.
Uh.
Welcome to Johto?]
I'm fine. The device takes some getting used to; I don't try to write with it unless I have to, I don't recognize the letters any either. I usually leave it as video.
["Unless I have to" meaning "unless I want to keep the person on the other end from seeing my face for whatever reason."]
Rucks isn't here; the kid he was working with isn't either. I had hoped you would have some explanation for what had happened after...
[...how do you describe this, how do you describe this]
...the incident on the Bastion. It's fine that you don't; what matters is that we're here in one piece.
[NO REALLY IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU BROSIS]
I'm glad to see you again.
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...talking at it seems easier than writing. I'll try that. [She never really wants people she doesn't know to be able to see her face. At least not until she figures out that this is not any part of Caelondia.
And she glosses over the 'incident on the Bastion' part, because that could refer to a lot of things and most of them are kind of his fault. And she seems a little disheartened by the news that Rucks and the Kid aren't here.]
I'm glad to see you, too, but- ...did something happen to him in the Terminals? Is he okay?
[She's glad to see him alive and all but Rucks kind of implied that there was going to be some kind of fight to the death and with that in mind Zulf's being here and fine has rather upsetting implications.]
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However, he pauses at the question; he's not exactly sure how to word what happened, primarily because he isn't sure himself.]
...from what I understand, he's doing very well.
[Too well, really. Zulf's expression tightens a bit at that; his voice is hard, though he's quick to force it down. Gentle it out a bit.]
I think he'll be all right. The last I heard, he wasn't injured. He's still alive; he has the Shard.
[Also a freakin' battering ram.]
What about you, Zia? Are you all right? In a safe location?
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Thank goodness...
[Yeah, she doesn't care about the shard that much. She just wants all the people she likes to continue being alive and not hate each other too much.]
I think I'm safe, I'm in a town. The buildings don't look like Cael buildings, though. And there's folk wandering around!
[...there was far more enthusiasm and energy than was strictly appropriate in that last sentence. Living, breathing, squishy people! Walking around on their alive people legs and not being burned remains!]
...there's a frightful-looking critter seems to have taken a shine to me. But I don't think it's hungry yet. [Yes she kind of half believes this Absol is going to eat her. No, she is not really as alarmed by this idea as she really should be.]
I called him Dusty. [...and yes, she has named it. Despite believing it wants to eat her.]
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wait wait hold on you what]
You...yes. Well, if this is what I think it is, "Dusty" is yours; keep him close and he'll protect you. It's how this world works; we're given creatures to raise. At least he shouldn't eat you, anyway.
[He hesitates for a moment before continuing on.]
Would you like me to meet you in that town? It shouldn't take terribly long for me to get there; within the next day or so.
[Because he has met some terribly awesome people who have given him Fly already. ...admittedly he has a Pidove so that's going to be hilarious, but...]
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[This is cool, she is okay with this new development. She considers playing with fuzzy animals a great talent of hers. She fumbles with the pokégear for a few seconds, thankfully not pressing any buttons this time, as she turns it to show 'Dusty'. It's a rather cutesy name for a rather terrifying creature, a fierce-looking black and white beast with a sickle-like ornament on the side of its head that would come up to just below her shoulders were she standing (and Zia is hardly a short girl). It's eyeing the pokégear with some caution, and begins to growl at it after a moment.]
...he's a little grumpy.
[She considers the offer, looking around. On the one hand, it would be nice to have someone she knows around. But on the other, there are trees to climb and funny looking animals to play with and having someone responsible around would ruin that somewhat. And she doesn't really want to cause too much inconvenience.]
It's not out of your way?
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He...seems as though he'll defend you well, at least.
[Just...the amount of "wow" here, what is coming out of that thing's head...]
It isn't out of my way, no, but it's your decision. Otherwise, I can give you directions, if you'd like.
[Really, he knows you can take care of yourself given where they found you in the first place, Zia; the offer is more for companionship than through doubt that you have any survival skills whatsoever. Although he's not sure what he'll do outside of facepalm if there's an entire menagerie with you when you arrive in Goldenrod.]
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That's not about to happen any time soon, thankfully. Probably. If only because it's probably going to take her a little while to grasp the idea that catching pokémon isn't an inherently mean thing to do.]
I think I have a map, so I can find my way if I need to. [She says, with significantly more confidence than she really should when she's never really read a map in her life.] But if it isn't too much trouble, it'd be nice to see you again. I've missed you.
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Catching/training is fine!
Putting them in tiny capsules and storing them somewhere? ...yeahno, that is decidedly less fine, thank you.]
I'll be there soon, then. I...
[...this is so awkward all of a sudden, hang on. How do we express feelings - mediating for others when feelings are running high is something he tends to be good at. Dealing with his own, not so much.]
I've missed you too, Zia.
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[And, as far as she's concerned, that's the whole 'so you kind of did some things that weren't okay' issue dealt with. She missed him when he wasn't there and she's glad that somehow things have ended in a way that means both he and the Kid are okay, and that's all she really thinks she needs to express about the whole situation.
...she is very, very efficient at figuring out and expressing her feelings, if not necessarily good at it. She changes the subject without a hint of awkwardness.]
Should I find somewhere easy to spot for when you're here? A landmark or something?
[She looks around again quickly, helpfully suggeting:] There's a big windmill-looking thing next to the biggest building.
[Video Forever]
He continues to watch the feed, unsure; it's not until she mentions the guitar and starts singing that the Other Father begins to smile.
He switches on the feed and gives his own little humming verse to finish her singing, before speaking.
He speaks more softly than he usually would, getting the feeling that she's a little more delicate.]
Welcome to Johto, kiddo.
[Voice until she can be convinced otherwise (and attempting to switch back will be a mess)]
Thank you! Is- Johto is this place, yes?
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[He pushes his camera towards the background, where a variety of Pokémon play; a Dragonair, a Vileplume, a Gloom, a Blastoise and a Ditto.]
They can be lotsa things.
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And they're all pokémon-? ...pokémons? ...pokémi?
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[Video]
[She'll be responding in voice for now.]
...but I've not performed proper in some time. I'm probably a little rusty.
[That's okay, though he'll be sticking with video, himself.]
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...once I find my harp. It doesn't seem to be here anywhere. I know that I had it before I was here-
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Really? I'll have another look around for it, but if I can't find it I'll remember that.
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The name's Kurow, by the way!
[VIDEO]
I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Rucks, but are you looking for Zulf as well?
[Hey, Zia, meet a not!Ura! Archer does look pretty similar to Zulf - older obviously, with darker hair and bright blue eyes - but he's definitely not from your world, if the military uniform is any indication.]
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I- suppose I am, yes! [If she sounds a little confused it's because she kind of is.] Do you know him? Is he okay?