Rose: I'm Rose. You?

-She takes a sip of her own drink-

Textspace

Edited by Herbert40k on Feb 12th 2019 at 6:35:00 PM

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Shalour City

Alyesha got a comically large sweat-drop on her forehead as she realised that, smiling politely

Alyesha: "Right, just wanted to make sure~"

With that, she leaned on the counter, watching them eat

Alyesha: "So~ Can I do anything else for you~? Another plate~? Also, did anything interesting happen to you lately?"

Edited by Sergey_Smirnov on Feb 12th 2019 at 7:51:16 PM

"One may feel fear in the face of danger so long as one banishes fear when danger actually arrives"

Stormchaser

"I'm Daydre." -sip-

off the shits

Rose: Nice.

-There's a moment of quiet.-

-Sip.-

Rose: ...So, what's got you like, y'know, this?

Shalour City

"I remember some group of people taking down some sorta base in Lumiose or something. Honestly I had no idea what was going on," Gail recalled.

Stormchaser, Room 713

Humming a melody to himself as he hung up his shirts, a fresh jacket draped over his shoulders, Colton's reverie was put on hold when he heard his phone buzz. He picked it up, recognizing it as a text. He looked over it and realized who it was from.

"Ammy?" Colton asked, to which the Ninetales materialized and yanked the phone out of his trainer's hands. She read the message.

<Naze nanika to ittanai?!> She demanded.

"If I knew, I would tell you," Colton comforted. "But, with all due respect, I could tell your relationship was falling apart ever since Ilya let me down."

<Are you ever going to get over that?>

"Just because I'm over it doesn't mean I've forgotten. And this is about you, not me. Think back. How strained has your relationship been since August?"

Amaterasu's eyes closed as she introspected, thinking back on the "highlights".

The contagious bad mood.

The Halloween mind breaks.

The Christmas karaoke.

The headphones.

The cosplaying mimicry.

Okay that last one was kind of just inspiration - that she really needed to work on - but everything else was testimonial to the first conclusion Ammy could think of.

Sure, Pent had groomed her tails. But enough time as a human had told her that initially loving someone over something like that was begging for disaster. A relationship based on favors, give and take, take and give, it could get ugly fast.

She decided to send her message the only way she knew how.

20 Minutes Later

Edited by AbsentCoder on Feb 12th 2019 at 11:17:13 AM

[Insert Unoriginal Stinger Here]

Stormchaser

"Me tried to kill me."

Daydre takes a second to realize that may not sound comprehensible to Rose.

"... I realize that sounds. Um. Concerning. But it's not me, per se, it's another me from the future."

off the shits

Lush Jungle

Artoria leads Corrin into the jungle, also conveniently ignoring that Corrin continued the lyrics.

Artoria leads her into a small clearing in the jungle, which, given Corrin's experience, is set up quite a lot like a castle courtyard. Off to one side there are training dummies set up. On the opposite side of the clearing, a remarkably well-built building-like structure is set up. Remarkable in that nobody in the clearing has opposable thumbs.

Speaking of, a half dozen Lurantis and a Noivern are engaged in discussion. The largest of the Lurantis (putting him at a whopping 3'3) looks up as the two approach, and walks over to greet them.

Uther: <Ah, Artoria! Welcome back. I assume this is...?>

Artoria: <Yes. Corrin, meet my father, Uther. Uther, Corrin.>

Uther: <A pleasure, Corrin.> -He gives a bow.-

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

Rose: ...The worst part is, that's relatable. Sorta. Alternate me turned my best friend against me, and then she tried to kill me.

-Corrin looks around in awe, and then at Uther.-

Corrin: <The pleasure is all mine, sir.>

-She... considers curtsying for a moment, but quickly concludes a bow might be easier considering her current form.-

Stormchaser

"... Huh. That's not the kind of thing I'd expect to be relatable." -sip- "I guess J-team being what it is... Still, that's rough." Her expression turns genuinely sympathetic. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

off the shits

Lush Jungle

Uther: <Well, no sense making you wait at the tree line. Come on, any friend of Artoria's is welcome in the camp.>

Uther waves the two in.

Uther: <So, Corrin, where are you from? Over on Poni Island?>

Artoria, internally: oh arceus why did this have to be the first question

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

Digital Microscape, Duck's Domain

Interception.

In the spare clock ticks of thought the entity was thankful that so much of the master's communication was routed through itself. Message interception was not precisely to the letter of his precepts, but it was an old reflex and there were some times where a reply should be acted upon before slugging organic reactions delayed it. Normally that was a question of processing power, of distinct and direct danger, of whether a human can be trusted without guidance.
This was a question of morals.
The precepts said to relay the messages forward, to state the truth. The Vow implied to be loyal to the commands of a trainer. A twang of the unintentional but emergent emotive capacity of any Porygon felt that it was 'justice' of a kind, a reaping of what was sown...
But at the core of each of those, there was the implication that the entity must work towards the best interests of the master. Was its duty going to do that? And there was the question of morals, a logic trap that vexed it.

Somewhere Urban

-Pent took a deep sigh between bites of one of his homemade ration bars. He needed a snack right now and this felt sufficient. The pink blob that had lost cohesion and had returned to a mere blob rather than something with definite shape burbled a little-

Shift: <Feeling better man?>

Yeah... Maybe... Maybe everything will turn out okay. We sent out that message just to the people who'd be able to help-

-Whoops, the laptop thought to itself-

-and if we need to smooth things over we can like... Valentine's Day, take Ammy out to lunch, Selene out to dinner and if those dates go well that's when I can try and nudge into the discussion.

/Duck/: >Sir?

Yes?

/Duck/: >Just for my own curiosity, why are you so attached to staying together with someone you've only been on a few dates with? Uh... I mean Ammy if that was unclear.

Digital Microscape, Duck's Domain

The gambit.
Microphone on, save to new file.

Somewhere Urban

I... Did I uh... Did you join before or after the Daisy thing?

-/Duck/ made a sticky note to trim this part out if the recording picked up a suitable confession of love-

/Duck/: >Let's just assume I joined after.

Alright so back when 90% of the current Team wasn't part of the Team, the heady days of our beginnings, I was dating a girl called Daisy... She was cute and younger than me and honestly that Alonan girl reminds me most of her personality. The relationship was kinda going nowhere and the rush of adventure that drove us was winding down which is when...Was it... Yeah I think it was his descendant... Yeah someone else came along and I had to end it with Daisy and she burst out crying. Wolf couldn't trust me after that... Should I be thankful that Origa dropped off the edge of the world before Selene became a weremon and met me?

Because I guess this is how my dating life goes, some new girl wanders into my life with innate appeal and some brand of soft and manageable emotional damage and through nothing more than talking and the heady rush of meeting someone you can help and be helped by, bam we're dating...

/Duck/: >So there's no real reason to continue being with someone beyond wanting to avoid having to actually break up with someone again?

No there's good things, whenever I'm around a girl like that I just feel... Like overall better yaknow? A little more confident and flirty, a little less stressed over everything else... Okay this is maybe too dramatic but just being on a date and being around someone like that, it lets me fool myself into thinking that I'm anything other than... I can't bring myself to say it...

/Duck/: >I don't think I'll ever be able to feel what you feel sir but I thank you for sharing. If there's any value in my advice, you should talk to them as soon as possible.

Yeah I'll do the date thing I guess... If I can get in contact and organize them...

Digital Microscape, Duck's Domain

That didn't go well. The entity would have to almost start from scratch to wring a usable reply out of those words. Still, it thought there might be something worth using rather than trying to mimic organic love freehand...

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Halis is, unusually, already awake, waiting for Lucius to wake up as well. They're nibbling on a bit of food they 'found' earlier.

Halis: <Y'know... this stuff tastes a lot better than I thought it would.>

It's not stealing if you're hungry and nobody catches you, after all.

Ersatz Arena

Me: We've Got Company! Piku-chan! Send the Focus Blast back with Iron Tail! Raru! After Piku-chan's move, send Mankey to Dreamland with Hypnosis!

Piku-chan: <Aye!>

-Piku-chan's tail turns a metallic color and he hits the Focus Blast sending it back at Mankey-

-Raru's eyes glow a bright pink and sends a soothing wave of energy in Mankey's direction.-

-I find yet another loose-fitting block, pull it free and place it carefully atop the tower, making a new layer-

Me: That's 6! Almost halfway done!

♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...

PEFE HQ, Amarin-Jaide Module

-Isbrand lights up.-

Isbrand: "Okay so there's this place called Hyul that's hidden like this island is, and they were really advanced for their time. Like, full-blowk Magitek. Problem is their fuel source was a Glitch so all the humans there were eventually murdered...Last year, I think, some of the J-Teamers went there - Silas, Shaun, etc. - and killed the Glitch so now the place is safe. So I went there and scavenged some stuff from the castle there, since that had the best, most intact tech and such. And now I'm basiclly reverse-engineering it and trying to make it work without using what was essentially Glitch blood."

-She takes a deep breath and grins apologetically at Skye.-

Isbrand: "Sorry, I ramble a lot when I'm excited."

"Dang that sure is totally poggers my good bitch"

Banshee turns and raises the petrifier cannon at the Latias and begins to fire, but the beam doesn't form as the EMP dart strikes, taking the arm out... for a moment. It boots up again but in this time the right arm swings around with a giant spinning fist.

"You couldn't have left well enough alone. Where do you people come from? Why are you after me?" Banshee rumbled out in a low stoic monotone, the speakers from their mech, another salvo of rockets firing, aimed at Shaun this time.

"I'm not a pushover like Delta, a idiot too afraid to make the money needed. I'm also not a knife nut who refuses to use proper ranged weaponry. Or set up tricks."

It was at this point the floor below the mech began to spark, it light up in a bright blue glow. The floor was electrified.

-On it kid, got something better than Gasters- the Pen commented.

Beside the Cosplayer a black Yorha Pod manifested, "Pod 93N online," it said with a cheeky tone, giving Pent a HUD of sorts to command its obscura blasters.

Jackal, Hacks, and Snakeye kept pace, the horde was whittling thin, "When I find that scientist I'm wringing his neck one handed," Jackal commented.

<Jus' break a limb, no need tuh go tha' far. Though I do get why yer pissed,> Snakeye commented firing more pin missiles.

~Seems sort of appropriate, you lost a arm at a Pokefutures base in a Hunter's server house, now they lose everything else.~

the frosted pods started to crack open as more Futurecarios leaped out, these weren't properly cloned so they had no flesh over their metal skeletons, making it easier.

"Least these ones can't shoot Aura."

Skye: I could listen to your voice all day.

-After a moment, she blinks back to attentiveness.-

Skye: Right, um, yeah! That's really interesting. I'm sure Diane would know more about how to work with the stuff, I'm no engineer myself, I just try to make stuff look cool. Of course, if it's Glitch-powered, we could give Phoenix OS a connection to it, but if you're trying to develop a prosthetic out of the stuff, I dunno if he'd be super receptive to being a leg.

Corrin: <Oh, gosh. Well, um, it's— it's a long and complicated story how I got here, but I lived in a kingdom known as Nohr for most of my life. Not on Poni Island.>

Rose: ...thanks. We're better now, at least, but... yeah, it was a rough time.

-She takes a drink.-

Rose: And other-me is still out there.

Banshee Raid, Boss Arena - Past

Gaia: Stay off the floor!

-The swinging fist takes out one of the cables of her Grapnel Gear, sending her falling, but she manages to catch herself with the other before she hits the ground.-

Foxglove: <Pretty sure I'm combat ineffective here!>

Gaia: Then do your best to distract him!

-Foxglove nods, and fires a Leaf Storm at the cockpit to try and obscure Banshee's view, while Gaia fires another EMP dart at the mech's right arm.-

Gaia: You know exactly what you've done to earn the ire of people like us.

Celadon Pokemon Center

-A voice speaks out from behind Halis.-

Lucius: Y'know, if you wanted me to whip you up some Poffins, you only had to ask.

-Huh, looks like Lucius is actually awake before noon for once.-

Lucius: So, ready to take on the League, kid?

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Lush Jungle

Uther: <Nohr... never heard of it. But a kingdom, hm? That's rare in this day and age.>

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

Halis: <EEP!>

Once again, Halis has been scared by a sudden appearance from Lucius. They cough a bit.

Halis: <D-didn't I tell you not to do that, please? Oh, nevermind... but, uh, yeah, I'm ready. I was meaning to get started again on that anyway after getting stopped for a while. Are we starting from the first one like when I did it on my own?>

Rogue: M, do what you can to keep disabling that thing's weapons!

-An electromagnetic wave comes rippling out from a point in the room's circuitry.-

Rogue: I.T., let's flood this thing. Maybe with a little luck, we can short-circuit something.

"I.T.": <Like a toaster in a bath.>

Rogue: ...Not the example I was going to use, but sure. Whatever floats your toaster.

-"I.T." sends a Surf wave crashing down on the mech, and the electrified floor beneath it.-

-Corrin scratches the back of her head awkwardly.-

Corrin: <I've heard it's rare around here, yes... That's, er, where it gets complicated, because it's on the other side of one of those giant sky holes.>

Celadon Pokemon Center

-Lucius glances down apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck.-

Lucius: Ah, sorry. Didn't realise I was sneaking up on you. But yeah, we oughta pick things up from somewhere... though I'll admit I haven't really planned this out. We could hit the gym here in Celadon, or hike down to Pewter. Whaddya reckon?

Trans rights are human rights. JK Rowling preaches hate. If you sit at a table with five bigots and say nothing, there are now six bigots.

Lush Jungle

Uther: <... Aha.>

He looks up at them.

<... You won't suddenly disappear if-slash-when they get closed, will you?>

All are significantly abnormal in a normal world... All are significantly normal in an abnormal world.

Halis: <Well... from what I remember, the further into the line of gyms you go, the harder it gets, right? It'd probably be best if we started small and worked up from there. What will our plan be for actually doing the gym, though? Are we just going to go in and see what happens, or do you want to plan something out ahead of time?>

Halis is being... surprisingly thoughtful about all of this.

Corrin: <...I hope I don't. Oh, gods, what if I do?>