008. [Action - Catchall post/Nightmare Castle]

[ardent]

[A - Daytime.]

[In some ways, some things never change; after the first twenty-four hours in the castle, Ishimaru is mostly sticking to the downstairs. He's always been a believer in the devil-you-know method of coping with things; even back in Hope's Peak, he was reluctant to explore the upstairs levels after they'd been unlocked. Things haven't really changed here; if anything he's...well. For all intents and purposes, the kid's studying; he's taken to sitting in the library for long hours, taking down extensive notes on what's written in those books and cross-referencing them like mad.

He still hasn't found his Pokémon yet; it's making him anxious. Studying is keeping him centered, at least.

There is one thing that's a bit different from the usual, however, and that would be the sword he's got strapped at his side at all times. It's not the sharpest thing in the world, and likely wouldn't hold up well in any sort of fight against a properly-maintained weapon, but it's something to defend himself with just the same.

So clearly, he's been upstairs at some point...]


[B - Nighttime.]

[Of course, nighttime is when he's actually putting that sword to good use; as much as he's usually a noncombatant, he's surprisingly adept with it, and since he's become aware that there are both kids and horrific goddamn monsters here, he's been refusing to stay in the safe zones at night, instead wandering the halls and trying not to be too jumpy himself.

He wasn't able to properly protect people back home, and he's convinced people have died due to his mistakes; he's not going to allow that sort of thing to happen twice.]



[OOC - take your pick on whatever you want to do with this one, and if you want to go with something else entirely I'm good for that as well; just specify A, B or whatever it is you want in the comment subject!

ALSO if you need a pink sigil, this idiot is like the last one in that he's got one.]

Comments

[hipstermark]

[god she is much older then you
even if sleeping a while doesn't count...???]
It'd be nicer in Johto, true. And it'd be even nicer if we met on Gran Pulse.
[There's nobody listening - she can name her home area. Imagine being with all her friends in Oerba, with her family... she'd love it.]
But! This is where we are - do you have a brand too?
[A hand-mark. Vanille just shows hers, with a smile. Even if... well. She is thinking this is relating to her own home world and is terrified.]

[ardent]

[He looks at her for a moment before holding up his own, the pink mark perfectly clear.]

I think we all have one - ah, but you have a gold one! That's...

[...huh.]

I think I've seen that mark upstairs.

[hipstermark]

Mhm! There's a door there, and I opened it, and I got Fang back!
[Just. So happy. That is why there is a snoring Mamoswine nearby. With a Yamask on top of it, half-awake.]
I guess these ones give us the power to open doors.
[A lot better then what she got as a l'Cie - magic and then certain doom. But, she nods (since this is after she helped keiko out i guess??)]

[ardent]

[Ishimaru gets up at that; he is abandoning his studying for this, Vanille, clearly this is important - ]

Show me. If you wouldn't mind, that is!

[hipstermark]

Of course! Fang, get up - I hope you can keep up!
[The Mamoswine does suddenly stand - and Vanille leaps on it.

And the two start to walk off. If this is what she thinks it is, Vanille will just help as many people as she can.]

[ardent]

[Oh, he'll be able to keep up, don't worry.]

Should you really be riding that indoors?

[...all right, not without a bit of rules-enforcing along the way, but...]

[hipstermark]

Of course!
[Vanille says, as she strokes the large beast.]
Don't worry - she's not gonna walk up the stairs? Are you, Fang? Are you?
[...she is making baby talk at her mamoswine

vanille
it isn't that cute]
Wouldn't you do the same, if you'd just found a friend?

[ardent]

Ah...well, I guess that's a good point, isn't it?

[...yeah, he's probably going to be dragonlording like hell once he gets kamina back ngl]

[hipstermark]

Mhm! I wonder if Veh II is scared...?
[As they go, though, Vanille can't help but look at the Tapestries once more. Did anybody do the wrong thing...?

Yes, she is getting her Pokemon to speed up. They'll be at the stairs soon.]
Oh. Veh II is the only one of my friends I haven't gotten back yet - she's an Alakazam. She's II because Veh number one vanished. Which Pokemon did you dream about?

[ardent]

Well, there was Kamina - he's a Gyarados now, though he was the one that I started my time here in Johto with! Mitsuyo is a Munna, and the third was Aiko, she's a Misdreavus; they're very important to both my brother and me, so it's important that I get them all back.

[hipstermark]

You've got a Gyarados too? Ore... I didn't dream of Ore, but aren't they strong?! Even if they started just being able to flip and flop!
[Yes, she's trying to distract herself.]
My starter isn't here, though. I started with Scoop - a Vanillite. Oh - and this Yamask is Lucy.
[The Yamask who has settled into her arms.] She used to be a person, you know. I guess that's why she was in those dreams.
[...

...

Oh! The stairs! Vanille gets off of Fang, and withdraws the Mamoswine, kissing the Pokeball.]

[ardent]

[Ishimaru shivers a bit at that mention; one of those dreams of his had involved Ghosts who used to be people, after all...

Either way, he shakes it off quickly enough.]

I have a lot of Ghost-types myself, but I've never seen that one before; I have many Psychic-types as well. The Pokémon here are fascinating, though - I've liked raising them, even though I never got along with animals very well back home!

[He's aware that he's just rattling on about nothing, but it's better than silence, and it's definitely better than dealing with the general atmosphere here.]

[hipstermark]

They really are!
[She says, as she steps up in that quick, anime-way.]
The monsters of Gran Pulse weren't this friendly - I can't imagine what would happen if you tried to catch them in a ball! I did have a pet back then, though - Bhakti.
[And Vanille is just rambling, as well. Said pet was a robot. Which she doesn't know the fate of.]

[ardent]

[SO MUCH ENERGY DEAR LORD he is just going to be trying to keep pace what on earth]

I've actually never had pets before, and the Pokémon...well, it feels wrong to consider them just pets, they're more like companions, aren't they?

But what was Bhakti?

[hipstermark]

He was a robot! He was super smart - but I hadn't seen him for a while, before coming here.
[Because she slept for so long...]
I wonder if there's a Pokemon which looks like him. I'm not going to replace Bhakti, but!
Oh! This way! This way to my door! [They're up the stairs - come on, pick up the pace. Vanille is cheerful speedy girl geeze.]

[ardent]

[All right, all right, he's coming - ]

So there should be three of these doors, then? I've only managed to find two of them!

[hipstermark]

Which ones have you found? I found the yellow one on my own, and then, with some help, Keiko and me found the pink one, nice and hidden!
[Which leaves blue, for her... she'll find it. She'll get that help, she'll find somebody with a blue mark of their own.]

[ardent]

There's a blue one across from the armory - I haven't found the pink one yet. That'll just leave blue for both of us in terms of getting the doors open, if you can show me where the pink one is!

[hipstermark]

But, of course! Family sticks together, right?
[vanille he is not part of your family]
And that means you get to see every door I've seen!

[ardent]

That's true!

[...]

You know, outside of the monsters at night, this isn't...that bad. The entire situation, I mean.