Stormchaser

-Looking Channah right in the eyes after stepping forward-

Yeah, I was pretty glad we got to deny the others the sight what happened the first time.

-Kisses-

Ever would probably have never let me live it down.

Edited by rmctagg09 on Nov 8th 2018 at 12:55:04 PM

Stormchaser

Channah: -blinks, then grabs him in a hug, pressing a brief kiss to the side of his neck while blushing even harder- Jeez man.

Stormchaser

-Hugs back, blushing some more-

What can I say, little bird...

-Aura chain wrapping around both of them-

I'm full of surprises.

Muddy: <Geez Tagg, when did you get smooth?>

Asimov Island, lagoon, November 1st

While the other guests slumbered or dealt with horrible hangover headaches in the dormitories, an old man and his gengar sit idly by in the ocean, watching and waiting for the sunrise at a rather deep lagoon in the eastern corner of the island. They sat together on a rock approximately 1.5 meters above the high tide line. They stared wistfully into the horizon.

In the distance, the fins and back of a milotic is seen periodically surfacing. Below them, two wishiwashis poke their heads out of the water.

The old man tosses a handful of frangipani petals into the lagoon. The wishiwashi gleefully eat them.

Reynard: Whoa there, you two. Let the flowers float a bit.

Primo: <Kipper's not gonna like this at all.>

Reynard: I appreciate your concern, Primo, but you were young once. And alive.

Primo: <Very funny. My wife and I had a tasteful relationship and my father-in-law never did disapprove. Though he was already dead.>

Reynard: But you've got to let Jack and Rose have this. They were fortunate to have found one another. It's not every day that this happens..

Reynard tosses another handful of petals, after which he took out his phone and played a folk tune.

Reynard: It seemed like only yesterday that she was still here. I'd never thought I'd find my forever anywhere other than Alto Mare, but Nora was someone special. And don't go snarking at me for being a hopeless romantic. You've been wanting to find a mate in the Orange Islands since Nora and I started dating.

Primo: <Can't argue with that.>

Reynard: I still can't quite forgive myself for saying the things I said when we found out that she had only months to live. Those last months, they should've been happy. I spent those final months feeling angry because I thought she was going to abandon me.

Primo: <She did forgive you. As did everyone else.>

Reynard: I wasted our remaining months together being a bitter and selfish old coot and the rest of it apologizing. If I could take it all back, I could. She deserved better.

He paused.

Reynard: Tell me, Primo. What's it like to die?

Primo: <I can't really describe the feelings of it, but it's not something I particularly enjoyed. I did die with my wife and family by my side—that's more than what butterfree could ask for. And you and Nora were there, too. That kinda made it better.>

Reynard tosses yet another handful of petals.

Primo: <You know, souls don't usually want to go back the way the missus and I did. She'll be waiting for you.>

The sun rises.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Nov 9th 2018 at 8:07:44 PM

-Diane takes the flash drive.-

Diane: ~Trust me, my own "origin story" as it were, is unusual enough that that doesn't faze me. But still, concerning. Who are the superiors in question?~

Skye: Honestly, it's been the better part of two years since we started these sorts of projects. Not long after we decided to settle down together at PEFE, after the Glitch of 2016. Diane was offered a spot among Asimov's ranks, though, so once she gives it some thought, who knows? Maybe it'll come to head more openly.

-Kai sees Pent, and approaches, tapping him on the shoulder.-

Kai: Hey. It's me.

Stormchaser, past

Channah: -snorts a laugh against his chest, radiating happy embarrassment- Yeah you are. Knew that the moment we started hanging out.

Saffron

Ever: Mmmh. You know how when someone's talking about you?

Breeze: <...Was that a sentence?>

Ever: Let me live. I'm filled with familial concern and also clearance Halloween candy.

Breeze: <Which you've never shared with me!>

Ever: Can you safely eat chocolate?

Breeze: <....Yes.>

Ever: How have you been my mon for almost 13 years while being such a bad liar?

Breeze: <Well, most of the time you couldn't understand me.>

Ever: It's not even good candy.

Breeze: <Hasn't stopped you.>

Ever: (unwrapping a candy bar) You know, that's fair.

-cronch-

Breeze: <You humans and your myriad digestive enzymes.>

Ever: I can't throw buildings with my brain. We'll call it even.

Breeze: -giggles-

???: <Hey!>

-Ever and Breeze turn to see an Arcanine-

Arcanine: <Can I have your food?>

Ever: ...I don't think it'd be good for you.

Arcanine: <Exactly. I'm trying to poison an enemy of mine.>

Ever: Why do you have enemies? You shouldn't have enemies.

Arcanine: <Don't you have enemies?>

Ever: That's besides the point.

Breeze: <So many.>

Ever: Which is why it's besides the point!

Arcanine: <And if you could poison them, wouldn't you?>

Ever: Maybe, but not with chocolate. That's just gauche.

Arcanine: <...Gauche.>

Ever: That's what I said.

Arcanine: <You pronounced it wrong. It's gauche, not gauche.>

Ever: Yeah, not really...hearing a difference?

Arcanine: <Say it with me. Gauche.>

Ever: Gauche.

Arcanine: <...You're doing it wrong.>

Ever: I feel like we're saying the same thing.

Arcanine: <...How can you understand me, anyway?>

Ever: I'm full of talents.

Arcanine: <And candy.>

Breeze: <So full.>

Arcanine: <So give me the chocolate!>

Ever: No. I don't approve of poisonings.

Arcanine: <I feel like you're not really grasping the situation here.>

Ever: I'm proud to say that I've never grasped a situation in my life and I don't plan to start now.

Arcanine: <You are going to end up giving me the chocolate. The question is whether it's voluntary or not.>

Ever: Don't tell lies.

Arcanine: <I'm not lying?>

Ever: You were, though.

-...-

Breeze: <...Are we fighting or running?>

Ever: Oh, running, definitely.

Breeze: <Why is it always running?>

Ever: Good cardio.

-and they bolt, taking Breeze with them. The Arcanine lets out an annoyed yelp and pursues-

Asimov Party, Past

Jean: How has the close relationship between Asimov and PEFE benefited your scientific endeavors? Surely, close enough that the hole in the roof wouldn't be too much trouble?

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. Although he couldn't read minds (and made it a point not to mentally badger Ivan to read minds for him), he was capable of reading expressions. He could sense that Diane was curious about something regarding the USB drive they shared. He trusted that Ivan would know what to do.

Daguerre had lost sight of Kai. In any case, besides the uniform, there wasn't any other detail he could use to testify against them. He trusted the captain's word that due process was the proper way to apprehend bad guys ("so they wouldn't punish innocents by mistake; it happens way too often that it isn't even funny").

Edited by MasterJayAM on Nov 9th 2018 at 6:41:46 PM

Sergey's Party

Sergey walked over to Gail

Sergey: "Hello there~"

Saffron

Breeze: <Why did you think running away from an Arcanine was a good decision?>

Ever: We escaped, didn't we?

Breeze: <"Trapped in a phone booth" is hardly my idea of an escape.>

Ever: Well, they can't get in.

-the Arcanine says something, but it's muffled by the walls-

Breeze: <True. But have you considered that we can't get out?>

Ever: That's, uh...step 2?

Breeze: <Your plans suck.>

Ever: I wouldn't describe this as a plan.

-...-

Breeze: <Is it getting hotter in here?>

Ever: You know, it is.

-they look to see that the Arcanine appears to be melting the pavement around them. Ever uncomfortably climbs up to the phone itself, as the floor of the booth begins to turn a cherry red-

Breeze: <...>

Ever: ...

Breeze: <...>

Ever: Excellent!

Breeze: <What.>

Ever: Figured out step two. Estoc!

Estoc: <Hey. What's going— what.>

Breeze: <Cramped...>

Estoc: -quickly climbing to the ceiling- <Ever. Explain?>

Ever: No time! Use Waterfall!

Estoc: <On you, to get you to explain?>

Ever: On the floor, to get us out of here!

Estoc: <By a means yet to be explained.>

Ever: Did I not just say we don't have—

Breeze: <The change in temperature of the water will produce a steam cloud that should launch us away from the Arcanine.>

Ever: ...Stay out of my head.

Breeze: <No.>

Ever: Estoc!

Estoc: <Oh, yeah. Sure.>

-he hurls a wave down at the floor, and the change in temperature of the water produces a steam cloud that launches them away from the Arcanine-

Ever: Whoo!

Breeze: <Hmm. New problem.>

Ever: I'll start workshopping step 3.

Estoc: <Please try to do it before the phone booth hits the ground.>

Ever: In my defense, I really did sort of think we'd be flung free by the blast.

Sergey’s Party

“Heya,” Gail said simply, a little too nervous for further interaction.

The Talonflame and Togekiss behind her, however, seem rather eager. They’re staying silent, and the former is grounded, but the excitement is visible.

Saffron skies

Ever: Okay, so what are our options?

Breeze: <Death by blunt force trauma, mostly?>

Ever: Don't be defeatist. Estoc, you have Wide Guard.

Estoc: <Uh, yeah, but we'd just splatter against the Wide Guard instead of the wall of the booth.>

Ever: Right. But.

Breeze: <No.>

Ever: If we shrink-wrap ourselves with the Wide Guard instead of using a bubble shield—

Estoc: <What>

Ever: Then theoretically, we should be made temporarily and completely invulnerable!

-...-

Estoc: <Small nitpack. I don't know how to do that.>

Ever: Yeah, that's where Breeze comes in.

Breeze: <...Oh no.>

Ever: See, Breeze has Protect, but not Wide Guard, but he's much better overall at shaping barriers. So, I figure, if the two of you combine your respective skills through a psychic conduit, we'll be just fine.

Breeze: <...I hate this plan.>

Estoc: <I despise it.>

Ever: I take offense to your calling it a plan.

Saffron Outskirts, a few seconds later

-the phone booth crashes to the ground in a small explosion. A pair of young trainers look up-

Trainer #1: Did you see that?

Trainer #2: No, I just have these eyes as a fashion statement.

Trainer #1: You don't need to be rude.

Trainer #2: YoU dOn'T nEeD tO bE rUdE.

Trainer #1: That meme died.

Trainer #2: ...Mocking people? I don't think it did.

Trainer #1: ...Let's just go check it out.

-they approach-

-it is, obviously, a smoking wreck of twisted metal in a small crater. There are, however, occupants, who seem to be intact-

Trainer #2: Is that a—

-the door of the phone booth, which is frankly only a formality at this point, blasts off its hinges, arcing over the Trainers' heads and landing a ways away-

-Ever sits up, holding Breeze, with Estoc crawling out of the booth behind them-

~Don't say it.~

Oh come on. When else will I get the chance?

Ever: Hello! I'm the Doctor.

Camphrier Town

-Pent nods and turns slowly-

Mornin'.

-He hands over (one of?) the amulet(s?)-

Remember to set a preset before you do anything too drastic.

Saffron Outskirts

Trainer #1: ...Are you really?

Ever: Nope. But I did just pop out of a phonebooth, so give me some credit.

Trainer #2: You could be Superman.

Ever: Don't namecall.

Breeze: <Hey, Ever? This might not be the time.>

-he points a stubby paw back towards down-

Trainer #1: Oh, wow, an Arcanine!

Trainer #2: Is that your mon?

Ever: Nope. Yours?

Trainer #2: I just asked if it was yours. Why would it be mine?

Ever: Kids are so cruel these days.

Trainer #2: I'm 14.

Ever: A baby. Want an Arcanine?

Trainer #2: I'm a Psychic monotyper.

Ever: I see.

-...-

Ever: Welp, bye!

-and they sprint for it again as the Arcanine approaches-

Stormchaser

-Looking outside-

Lots of rain this evening.

Skye: Well, it's a relatively new alliance, isn't it? I mean, I did get the roof thing cleared beforehand (and made sure there was no sign of bad weather tonight before I did), but that'll mostly just be an out-of-pocket repair.

-Kai nods, taking the amulet.-

Kai: Thanks. I'll make sure to.

-In fact, they make the preset immediately. But, without doing any adjusting in Pent's presence, they close it and stow it away.-

Kai: I'll make sure to get it back to you.

Camphier Town

Well, don't do anything you regret... Well, if you have any choice in the matter.

Kai: ...I... let's just say this is, er, a personal plot, I guess.

Camphrier Town

Well, I suppose I should back off and let you handle it yourself... Just lemme know when you're done using the amulet and can hand it back.

-He steps back a little bit and checks his watch-

-Pent only gets one step back before Kai grabs their arm, and pulls them into a tight, shaky hug.-

Kai: ...

Camphrier Town

-Hugs happen. Pent's basically silent during the hug because there's clearly a lot of problem going on and the only help he could provide at this stage could be seen as being intrusive oversight and possibly dangerous so he's just gonna hug right now-

-It lingers perhaps too long.-

Kai: ...Please don't... tell anyone about this. Please.

Asimov Halloween

"I mean. Even if I told someone, who would believe me?"

Marco fidgets uncomfortably.

".. I'll just say it's parent stuff and leave it at that. You know how couples sometimes have kids out of obligation and all that." He laughs, but it's devoid of any cheer.

Asimov Halloween, Post-Attempted Homicide

"I uh.. I'll try?"

Camphrier Town

-Taking a moment to loosen the hug, Pent nodded and held up a hand-

Sneakthief's promise. That uh... That means yes. I dunno just trying to make it a thing for no reason.

Kai: Don't worry, I appreciate the thought. Th-thank you.

-After a bit of reluctance, Kai finally lets go of him. They give him a quick, chaste peck on the cheek, and then dash out of sight.-

Mason: ...Ow. I, uh, that's...

-He fumbles for a response.-

Mason: ...We're, um, we're here for you. Um. I mean, I don't... exactly have birth parents who care about me either. Or birth parents at all. Sometimes, our real family's the people we meet later, right?

-He sorta looks like he was trying and failing to make that come across way more profound than it did.-

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Nov 10th 2018 at 8:48:52 AM