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last online Nov 26, 2024 2:41:52 GMT -6
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May 12, 2020 14:51:39 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 12, 2020 14:51:39 GMT -6
It was a half-dark, a dark dappled with pitches of light; a night with a clear and unclouded sky. Where trees surrounded but didn’t dare encroach on hallowed soil, there were no places to hide – unless you were foot-high-small, unthreatening, and too blisteringly irate to care. The plaza is gutted. The stalls are empty. The atmosphere is stolid and silent. There is only remnants. There is only junk: what they left behind. With the festivity swept away, it took meaning with it; these streamers, just paper. The sun begins to set and reflex sets in like the impending winter cold, a routine of docile domesticity, of sweeping, accumulating, and disposing. Sweeping, accumulating… But stopping; the flurry of motion and excitement scattered the effigy, flowers for Xerneas, strewn like a blood trail away from the plaza. Approaching the distance, inviting.
There is an accusation unvoiced of why you are the only one without a vacation day.Chika muttered to herself: “Screw this - screw this - screw this.” She grabbed the earth with her barren claws and she squeezed – and she popped through when her ‘shrooms decided to cooperate, then, towards her fate. Squeezed under the iron fence, the Paras tumbled down the slope and into the thick of the cemetery in a cloud of dirt and at the expense of one of her ribbons. She ignored the commotion. She kept going. On a beeline, with a single intention, ever-persistent even underneath the thousand, blinking eyes of floating candles. They study you as you plant the last flag and you loathe their pity. Crawling down to meet the storehand, they offer, “You can take a break, if you want. It’s practically a holiday.”
“No, it’s okay–” Why the hell are you so apologetic, Chika? What’s that around your claw right now? “–no, I can’t.” open! happy nou rega... |
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last online May 27, 2020 17:52:31 GMT -6
Guild Member
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May 12, 2020 22:41:37 GMT -6
Post by Sean Atwoods on May 12, 2020 22:41:37 GMT -6
Sean had been cooped up in the Guild tower for what seemed like forever - that weird otter they'd assigned to watch him seemed to be everywhere (how's a guy with glasses THAT perceptive?) and the ex-human could swear he had a personal vendetta against him. The cute yellow floatie around his neck belied his hardline attitude - Sean hadn't heard the word "no" so many times since his sister was a toddler. [break]
A sudden breeze blew some fallen pennants past his paws; shivering, he reached to pull his coat tighter...oh, right. No coat. No hands to hold the coat, for that matter. Being a Pokémon was more of an adjustment than he'd expected; his short legs were still aching from the grueling city tour he'd managed to escape. He furrowed his brow and, focusing all his effort, managed to direct his ears to flop back over his shoulders, sighing as the gentle heat they emitted chased away the chill.[break]
Creeping into a graveyard at night was nothing new for Sean; it'd been a habit even before - before - (before what, Sean?) - but the sheer size of the gate looming before him was...well...a little daunting. He scanned for weak points until he noticed a scuffed spot under the gate; he could just fit his head in - and if his giant head could fit, his tiny little body could follow. He wriggled through the dirt like the fox he was - er, Fennekin? Whatever he was, he was home free now.[break]
His mood lifted by the familiarity of the spooky environment, he sang softly to himself as he snooped around. He couldn't read any of the headstones; 'course, he couldn't really read the ones back home, either. A gust of wind spurred a tiny movement on the ground and he pounced before thinking, snapping up a perfectly good ribbon. "Score!" Draping it over his neck as best he could, he tried to ignore the aftertaste and the knowledge that the person who dropped it was probably still here. Probably close by. Probably looking for it.[break]
His head reeled with a sudden jolt of panic and he caught a glimpse of the trees stretching far above his head - so far above, their boughs beginning to blur together. He realized just how small he was, small and alone, with no one aware of where he was. The flickering candles around him began to whisper [break]
someone else is here, Sean! [break]
and he whirled around to see[break]
dark sky stretched taut by clawing trees, whirling down in flame around an arthropod the size of Sean, mushrooms growing INTO her flesh cloudy eyes oh god was she even alive but he could HEAR the carapace creaking as she moved he could hear her mouth crack open he could hear EVERYTHING
Well. That was surprisingly mundane. He'd thought he was about to be devoured by an overleveled miniboss...Was this just another Pokémon? Another living Pokémon?[break]
Another Pokémon talking to herself alone at night in a graveyard? His tail wagged tentatively, fiery eyes flashing in the candle lights' glow as he took a step closer. Meeting him was a delight that anyone would be happy to accept...right? Especially since now he knew who'd lost that ribbon. "Hey, miss? I think you dropped this!" Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Sorry I put it in my mouth it just happened." [break]
@chika
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played by Svipal
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last online Nov 26, 2024 2:41:52 GMT -6
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May 13, 2020 20:18:07 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 20:18:07 GMT -6
The candles stalled: a slow-burning, a bubbling - everything embers and mottled-orange in not a purifying fire but a smoky one that choked out her surroundings. In other words, she was caught, red-clawed, and Chika spun around to retch at the fire-wielding beast tasting her trail. Everything about them was sulfur and flame, from the ostentatious shape of their ears to the light in their eyes like a killing intent. And she hoped she tasted terrible too; she hoped they liked the taste of charred corpse flambé, bitch. And did they think she was going out without a fight? Chika’s claws raised, her voice gave out before she could scream a warrior’s cry. It was the perfect extent of time to hear that was, in fact – her ribbon, pink-polka-dot, matching Shrooma’s – and it had, in fact, been in their mouth, which elicited a grimace from her – awfully self-aware for a dog-’mon. She couldn’t imagine using her mouth for anything but eating. Then, Chika recognized her bearings were thrown out from under her. This was underwhelming. It didn’t feel like she was going to die. Yet, the Paras met her “predator,” her pincers lifted but not so much poised, and her once-contained shock sifting through her bared mandibles in vacant, instinctive noise, a chi-chi-chi. Like crickets – it was silent. Chika didn’t speak, but her mind was running like fire under a pot: Fire. Why’d it have to be fire. Fire. Why’d it have to be fire. Fire. It was the first time she’d committed to clear thought all night, and she felt helplessly small. |
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last online May 27, 2020 17:52:31 GMT -6
Guild Member
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May 15, 2020 17:08:34 GMT -6
Post by Sean Atwoods on May 15, 2020 17:08:34 GMT -6
The swirling horror roared back to life in Sean's mind at the Paras' reaction; his massive ears flattened to the sides of his head, the anxious heat blasting out of them perfecting the image of airplane wings. His eyes flashed their ghastly blue-green glow around in a frantic search for a way to calm himself - landing on a twig near his feet. It fit perfectly into the corner of his mouth.[break]
The fennec's racing mind slowed enough to form words again. Oh crap, I think I scared her (you're in danger, Sean) guess strange guys in graveyards are scary here too (she's going to attack you, Sean) don't foxes eat bugs or is that just on Zootopia (she's going to ATTACK you Sean) I should just (SEAN!)[break]
Sean jerked his neck at a sharp angle and chattered a strained bark to himself - "Shut up!". Of course she was going to attack, that's what scared people did! He'd attack, too, if she got any closer; he had to -- had to keep that from happening. The Fox Pokémon leaped backwards before he could find out just how much damage a bite from this big of a bug could cause.[break]
He fumbled at his neck with his paws and tried to toss the ribbon to the Paras with an awkward two-pawed underthrow. So much for that, he thought, as it fluttered away in the breeze. Frustrated, he ground the smoldering stick in his molars and felt the same quick relief as before; he hadn't expected the placebo to work so well, but he could think about that later. [break]
"Wow, just my luck," he ventured, hoping to break the ice with as much feigned bravado as he could muster. "Sorry if I scared you - you're pretty scary too, you know." Watching the ribbon wrap itself around an elegant carving on top of some wealthy ani- - Pokémon's - headstone (thank God it didn't land on a candle), he chirped "I'll go get that back...unless you don't want it?" [break]
Maybe she'd meant to ditch it. Even in a nightmare, a guy could dream, right?[break][break][break][break][break]
@chika
(finders =/= keepers, sean)
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played by Svipal
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last online Nov 26, 2024 2:41:52 GMT -6
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May 17, 2020 12:54:51 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 17, 2020 12:54:51 GMT -6
Those glowing eyes; those wild, fitful movements. Chika hissed and started forward - a half-step before the dog preemptively dodged the outstretch of her claws. She stopped, bewildered. Unconsciously assuming a defensive stance, her mushrooms sighed (disappointed) from her back. As impossible as it seemed, she hadn't dug her own grave tonight - yet. Chika was getting mixed impressions. This Pokemon seemed reluctant, even said she was "scary." Yet that final note lilted up; yet he patrolled these hallowed grounds with a glint in their eye and a part of foliage turned to charcoal in their teeth: a threat. Chika suppressed a visceral response, thinking she had to get out of this now because every single disadvantage was her own. Chika stuttered a bit before relenting, in a small voice saying, "I'll get it." Thinking desperately, fixating on the distance, envisioning the labyrinthine turns between the tombstones, she started a slow crawl backwards, while a more practical voice yawned in her head: Ohmygosh, look at those ears. They could to-tally hear you.Unless - they were listening to something else. Chika raised her voice: "Th-they say the graveyard's haunted at night... in the time just after the candles are cut, just before dawn. It's not just kids who say it. There are spirits..." |
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last online May 27, 2020 17:52:31 GMT -6
Guild Member
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May 18, 2020 23:32:43 GMT -6
Post by Sean Atwoods on May 18, 2020 23:32:43 GMT -6
Did - did the mushrooms sigh? He'd seen two- and even three-headed Pokémon milling in the streets below the Guild tower, but their heads had all matched. And, you know, looked like heads, with faces and everything. He inhaled to start a volley of questions, then gnawed the twig down to a stub and swallowed it instead, along with his voice. Now's not the time, just ask later. Later. Later. His ears bounced with each echo, the pleasing rhythm distracting him from his hunger for knowledge.[break]
Haunted at night...maybe this Pokemon wasn't alive, after all. Well, whether or not she was some kind of spirit bug, she'd stopped attacking, and that was good enough for Sean. Most of the ghostly creatures he'd seen on Earth had been harmless, too. Even the ones who attacked never physically hurt him - his ear twitched towards another whisper, thank God they were getting weaker - (or the wounds disappeared) [break]
Really? This again? No, the wounds had never been there and the monsters hadn't hurt him at all because they didn't exist. Only one of the ghosts back home had been completely real - the one he'd no one else on Earth knew about.[break]
This wasn't home, though, and he'd bet his few remaining little fingers that the ghosts here were ALL real. The person in front of him was real, too, and she still looked scared, creeping away in a slow crawl that reminded him of a petrified cat. He struggled to keep from following her on impulse, prancing his forepaws in place instead. [break]
"Are..." How could he phrase this in a way that would put her at ease? "Are you a ghost? You can trust me - I won't tell anyone."[break]
Oh, right. The candles were still lit. Dawn didn't seem close, either; the familiar scent of old stone and freshly turned earth was untouched by morning dew. [break]
He couldn't tell if he'd made her feel better or worse, but once he started talking, it was hard to stop. "Are you here to visit the ghosts? I, uh...moved here, recently, so I was just exploring, but now I'm gonna stay and see if I can find any. Wait, are the ghosts here dangerous? I saw a ghost once, but she wasn't dangerous, just kinda scary at first. Are you gonna wait, too? If you want, I can go behind the mausoleum to wait so you don't see me." [break]
His mouth snapped shut. Too late, he realized that this may not be the kind of place where one could just start a whole conversation with a stranger. "Oh! My name's Sean." [break]
Problem solved![break][break][break]
@chika
bark bark bark bark bark
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played by Svipal
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