ITT: We Have All Become Pokémon

(I follow Vox through the door.)

Then I guess I'm second.

Seeing as that's the most empty line, Dana follows Marlon and Vox.

Sushi also follows.

Behind the door is a small room with another door, the walls still as metallic and the floors still as marble as ever. To the side is some kind of desk or kiosk, separated from Voxno with some kind of ornate set of metal bars, with a little slot at the bottom. Sitting on the other side is a rather bored but straitlaced-looking Ampharos.

"Good afternoon. Please state your name and the names of your travel companions," he says to Vox with nary a movement or hesitation.

edited 2nd Aug '17 3:47:14 PM by PresidentStalkeyes

*despite being unwilling to use its notebook, Voxno-V is quite able to comply, though first nodding* Good afternoon, sir. My name is Voxno, behind me is Marlon, followed by Dana, then Sushi, then... *Voxno names whoever else comes in in proper order*

(I blankly nod at...nothing really, but kind of with the Ampharos in mind. He looks like he needs a break.)

Andy steps in. Carlo Verde, of the enlightened.

*Voxno-V already gave Andy's real name implicitly*

The Ampharos nods, writing everything down on a bit of lined paper in front of him.

"Okay.. are you here to buy, sell, or neither?" he asks next.

edited 2nd Aug '17 4:23:28 PM by PresidentStalkeyes

Mila waits in the back of the room with the others. She's reminded of when she used to travel, and the rigor of checks when entering certain countries. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like leaving. If it was anything like what she'd experienced, they would just let them leave with a trivial inspection to make sure they weren't stealing anything. A thought crosses her mind as she wonders how this inspection would work for ground-types who could just burrow their way in. She hopes Jani was around.

edited 2nd Aug '17 4:23:30 PM by Cabe_Bedlam

*Voxno-V replies, actually quite truthfully, albeit omitting the overarching goal* I intend to shop and witness the tournament. Some in our party intend to partake in said tournament, although they may wish to speak individually...

Here for business.

*Belladonna chimes in.*

Belladonna: "I'm here for the tournament, where would I go about signing up for that?"

[Okay, so that notebook wasn't wrong about this. I stand situated behind Sushi. My breathing has speed up a little, gotten louder...I stare wide-eyed at the clerk. He seems to be just addressing Voxno, which may or may not be good depending on...I have absolutely no idea. I can only silently watch on, feeling as if I'll be trapped here by the roll of a die...]

[I look around for a moment: the place is more...vault-y than I initially imagined. Trying to ease the tension a little, I say to no one in particular,] "Y'know...maybe this's where they brought the last of the humans, after the bombs fell..." [I chuckle, but my jesting kinda kills my mood a little more dead: the very real chance some sort of man made catastrophe killing the last of the humans here, let alone nuclear war, just...]

[I shudder. Just as the others are stating why they're here, I say,] "Umm...witnessing the, the tournament, 'n...yea."

[Voxno didn't mention anything about Jani, that was a clue. And just like that, I fall dead silent once more...]

edited 2nd Aug '17 4:34:36 PM by BlackMageAnolis

"One mon at a time, please!" the Ampharos says, turning his attention back to his forms. "So... buying... tournament visit, of course..." he mutters to himself as he fills it in further.

He turns to face Voxno again. "Is the group your sole responsibility, or are they simply travelling companions? If it's the former, how long do you intend on staying in Hoa-"

He was cut off in the middle of his question, however, by the sound of a small bell ringing just behind him. He turned in his chair to face the outlet of a pneumatic tube-based messaging system, which had just dispensed a rolled-up bit of paper into a tray marked 'incoming memos'.

"Excuse me one moment," he said as he got out of his chair to unfurl and examine this new development.

edited 2nd Aug '17 4:38:00 PM by PresidentStalkeyes

Cyk decides to tell the guards her reasons. "I'm travelling, and I also wanna be in the tournament".

(I may as well also state my reasons, but the guard is busy, so I guess I can wait.)

*Voxno-V replies, in spite of the interruption* They are not dependents, if that is what you mean. However, we intend to leave as a group in roughly one week.

(I then decide to state my own reasons anyhow.)

I'm here for the tournament, too.

Dana keeps quiet, seeing as she's pretty much been spoken for and the Ampharos is busy anyway.

Wonder what's wrong...? I hope it doesn't involve us..

The Ampharos clerk spent a good thirty seconds examining the note, then looking back at the party and examining each member, counting them off and muttering their names and species to himself, comparing them against each other. Eventually, he made a note on his forms before he stamped the memo with something, rolled it back up and inserted it into the outgoing messages tube. He pulled a lever, sending it hurtling away to sender.

"Well, it seems that today is your lucky day," he said somewhat dryly to Voxno. "You've been granted special two-week travel privileges from the Hoard Executive. They must want you for something specific. I would recommend following up on their invitation as soon as possible."

With that declaration made, he finished signing and gathering together some other papers, stamping them, binding them together with clips and folding them up, sliding them through the slot under the bars to Voxno; the whole process took about three more minutes.

"Those are your travel documents; as they are not your dependents, you each have your own individual set," he said. "Hold onto them; the Pawniarmy security forces will ask for them if you run into trouble, though I don't doubt you'll stay out of trouble. You'll also need them if you wish to sell and need to rent space for that purpose. Do you have any questions?"

*as Voxno-V gets to psychically passing out each of the permits to the party one-by-one, it answers* I do not, however I likely do not speak for the entire group in this regard.

(Breathing a sigh of relief, and then looking to the Ampharos, I speak up.)

No, well at least I don't.

(But who is the Hoard executive? Must be this Merq guy.)

edited 2nd Aug '17 5:04:09 PM by Team42Larson

"I don't either." This Hoard executive wanting to see us is a bit worrying, though...

Dana takes one of the documents and sticks it in the nebulous region between her tails.

(I grab my documents and ping Vox again, after having come to realize something.)

Wait, isn't Lars the executive's son? He bragged that he was the son of King Merqury at the bar, didn't he?

edited 2nd Aug '17 5:22:21 PM by Team42Larson