(Some time earlier...)
"Y-yea, we'll give them some space..." Merna decides to file out, passing by the kids and out onto the sidewalk going towards the plaza.
"So!," she shouts out, trying to diffuse the awkwardness of the situation in the tent. "Wh-what were you planning on playing for the contest? I'll admit, I, uh, don't really have anything off the top of my head, ehe!"
"Did ya think t'consult the rest of us when you were gonna do this?" [I look down at Lucy, not wanting to just leave her here if I do have to go confront Nori about this, but still, I'm feeling very confrontational about this. Like, seriously, I thought we weren't going to do this.]
Eliot,
(I begin reasoning with him:)
We aren't going to be protected by these guys, they're coexisting with us in battles we find ourselves in. Don't you think that instead of trying to call Nori out on this, you should instead be continuing to lean how to be a better battler yourself? Don't you remember the purpose of us being at the stream yesterday?
edited 31st Oct '17 5:56:02 PM by Team42Larson
June 27th
Purrloin Jani by shrubBird
I can attest to this, Eliot...and I do know exactly what this means. *Jani states bluntly, adding* But we've needed to learn to be more careful with that anyway myself included. Now we have an added incentive.
Current WHABP alts: Jani (Sarah) the Purrloin, Hudson the Togetic. Tilly/Lilly (Digletts) are being Put on a Bus.(I nod in agreement with Marlon and Jani.) Yeah, there isn't any real harm in this, is there? Plus, they seem nice enough.
(Lucy looks up at Eliot and back at us.) But... (She doesn't know what else to say, especially since she isn't sure what's going on.)
Excuse me, ma'am, your food is ready. ( The cafe waitress tells Ferra.)
edited 31st Oct '17 6:04:16 PM by kablammin45
"Hey, least I didn't lose all my artistic talent when I crash landed in the arena here.""Oh, you did? I, uh, must've missed that—"
[Marlon! I was gonna leave it be at what Nori said, but that wasn't necessary to grill me about that!] "Marlon, Marlon, I get it, I get it, I just wanted to make sure more than a handful of people were consulted about this and were okay with it, Geeeezuss!" [Giving Lucy one more look—I can tell she's uneasy about this, but I don't want this meeting to dampen her spirits—I break off and approach these two mercenaries. They seem fine enough...I'm still a little hesitant on their presence in our group, but more muscle can't hurt, especially with the cushion of money we have lining our pockets now.]
[I extend a hand to the Raticate.] "Name's Eliot, like the poet!" [I'm sorry, I can't help but include that now. Hey, that could be a clue for any other humanmons we come across! All they'd need to know about is 20th century modernist poetry! ...I left the human world at a weird point in my academic studies.]
Purrloin Jani by shrubBird
*Lilly turns to Lucy and adds to what Marlon said* Don't you worry a bit — I traveled with folks like them all the time when I was yer age!
Current WHABP alts: Jani (Sarah) the Purrloin, Hudson the Togetic. Tilly/Lilly (Digletts) are being Put on a Bus.(Now that Lucy knows that both Eliot and Benji seem okay with these guys, she smiles and nods at Marlon and Lilly and walks up to Chang and Wendy.) Hiya, I'm Lucy. I'm Benji, Dinah, and Eliot's friend.
She sure warmed up to them fast after ya said that, eh, Marly? (Marsha comments to Marlon.)
Excuse me, ma'am, your food is ready. ( The cafe waitress tells Ferra.)
edited 31st Oct '17 6:18:46 PM by kablammin45
"Hey, least I didn't lose all my artistic talent when I crash landed in the arena here.""I-I really love you too..."
She begins moving out to find the others.
"Yeah... let's go."
I'm Huney B now. Okay?Again, some time earlier...
Raumati slumped into a cross-legged sitting position almost as soon as they got away from the group, idly twirling about some blades of grass. "Hmmwell... I've been spendin' more time gettin' connected with the ol' ancestors, yanno. I reckon I can pull out more sounds with their help... s'all about gettin' yourself all washed up in the cold vibes when performing, when tapping that bone, but... heh, yeah..." he chuckled a little as he idly tapped said bone against the ground, remembering that Merna probably didn't understand much of what he was saying. "But, yanno... little of this, little of that. Faster-paced beeswax than before. More... epic, as my great uncle woulda described the stuff," he said, accompanying it with spreading his arms wide slowly as a gestural representation of 'epicness'.
Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!"The poet...? Eh, I was never too big on poetry, but okay", said Chang, taking Eliot's hand and shaking it, "Nice to meetcha. Name's Chang. Also, no hard feelings over your reluctance to accept us, I'd be a bit iffy on it myself if it was the first I hearda it."
"Yes, we're charmed to make all your acquaintances. Especially you, Cutie.", Wendy said to Lucy before scuttling over to Chang quickly, "They even got a kid with them... Now I see more than ever why they needed a hand, given how full theirs must be."
"... Yeah. I know more than anyone that too much manage leads to heartbreak more often."
edited 31st Oct '17 6:39:22 PM by Konkfan7
"Hm?" "I got it, I got it!" Lundi grabs the tray of food from off the counter and brings it to the table as Ferra stands up and starts walking over.
"Mom, I said I got it." Ferra reaches for her coinpurse. "You planning to pay for it, sweetie?" Passing by as Lundi sits down with the food, Ferra approaches the counter and asks, "What'll be the total?"
(In the past...)
Merna giggles to herself at Raumati's expansive gesture. "Well, like I said, I can't do faster now, not without my lap steel. Oh, I hope nothing happened to it..."
Serris; he brought up Serris earlier. He was in cahoots with the Kapitani back in Hoard, and she knew somewhat of the businesses that Serperior was involved in, though she never personally met him. "So you were talking about someone named Hotoke? Is that your girlfriend, wife? How've things been with her work?"
"Ehhh, a'can't say I'm too...privy? to dealing with mercenaries? I dunno, call it a bias a'mine." [That's a word that I can use in that context, right? Also, I see Lucy's warming up to this as well. That's good, that's good...if this is something of a normal here, I wouldn't wanna be scared of them in case I needed to use them.]
"So y'guys got a specific mission in mind, 'r is this just...general protection work?"
edited 31st Oct '17 6:50:50 PM by BlackMageAnolis
(I realize that Andy is approaching them while Lucy is there.) Shoot! Andy....!! (I whisper to him and motion for him to stop.)
(But it's too late, Lucy sees Andy. She glares in his direction and balls up her fists. Dinah quickly runs up to Lucy and picks her up. Lucy continues glaring at Andy as Dinah holds her.)
edited 31st Oct '17 7:03:41 PM by kablammin45
"Hey, least I didn't lose all my artistic talent when I crash landed in the arena here."*Guess what? It's the past!*
"You... you lost it? Bad stuff, Steeler, bad stuff... well, I don't s'pose you know where you last put it?" Raumati asked, seeming to squint into the middle distance for a moment. He found himself smiling again once Hotoke was brought up. "Huh? Ah yeah, she's my partner of the spousal variety, eyup. Met her... well, she was in another building when I was hosting a chill seance. Uh... anyway, we've gone nomad. Old-school tradesmon, like the medieval times or whatever they're called. The company's got her promoting this new sort o' R-Soda. UR-Soda. An' I'm not saying you're soda, I'm saying it's called U-period-R-period... soda. If you catch my drift," he explained, demonstrating the periods in 'UR-Soda' with points of the bone.
Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
Purrloin Jani by shrubBird
Oh, hey Dana...we just hired some mercenaries...and I guess we're sitting around waiting for the contest? *Jani says offhandedly, but Lilly picks up on the last part* Oh, right...the contest!
*Lilly turns to Lucy to say* We haven't come up with a stage name — anythin' ya like in particular?
Current WHABP alts: Jani (Sarah) the Purrloin, Hudson the Togetic. Tilly/Lilly (Digletts) are being Put on a Bus."Well, I guess ya could just say we're sort of bodyguards for now, general extra hands, even", Chang explained, "My buddies and I are drifters, so we really won't be having our attention diverted from anythin'."
Then Andy asked the question. Both of their eyes narrow for a second.
Chang scratches his head, clears his throat, and speaks up, "'Well, it is true with this type of work that such a topic would come up eventually, despite how morbid it may be. Now, we're not any crazed lunatics that live for the kill or anything, but we know that sometimes we'll have to kill. But only if necessary. And even then we prefer to just go for "beat in to submission". But our job here is not to take down any target, it's to help with your group's security. So, basically, if there was say, some maniac on the loose slaughtering people left and right that happened to be in proximity, when confronted by 'em we'd probably have to either restrain 'em and hand 'em' to the authorities, or just... Take care of 'em ourselves."
Wendy simply gives Andy and annoyed glance as if to say What the hell bro?
edited 31st Oct '17 7:15:56 PM by Konkfan7

Yeah, we sure will! (I say to Marlon.) Hey, check this: ( I say to Chang, showing him my own Mega Stone.) I have one too. I haven't used it yet, though.
(Benji walks up to Chang and Wendy, with Dinah following behind. Lucy stays with Eliot..) Heya, nice to meet ya. Sorry if I scared ya. I'll bad about turnin' into everyone I meet, just sayin'. (As if to prove his point, he shifts into a double of Wendy upon looking at her.)
edited 31st Oct '17 5:33:27 PM by kablammin45
"Hey, least I didn't lose all my artistic talent when I crash landed in the arena here."