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 Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:50 pm
 Cedric
Cedric and Serenade's passage through the lands had been a slow and, ultimately, quiet one. Their pace was slow but not meandering or without purpose. Rather, it was a product of good care. Serenade had been through a lot from what little he had heard and she had only recently straddled the border between life and death. If she hadn't run into Cedric when she did, he most likely would have found her dead body not all that long after. He wouldn't have minded taking his time while she healed, but whether it was a desire to press on or simple courtesy she didn't ask for such a lengthy break. Instead, they moved along at a quiet pace that was entirely comfortable for the Persian who was so well accustomed to it. Silence was a rather invasive aspect of his life as he spent most of his time traveling around without any real concerns; rarely did he meet anyone on his travels that he would stay to talk with and never before had there been one who had joined him. It wasn't bad at all, though; it was nice to have someone whose step fell in with yours. The loneliness he had slowly become used to since the team disbanded had been foreign up until that point, making Serenade's company a welcome return to a sense of normalcy that had become blurry in his memories.
Yes, this was quite fine. It was a welcome break from the travels to relieve his boredom. Though... that made it sort of a break from a break, so to speak, didn't it? Ah well. It didn't matter.
What did matter, however (or rather what piqued Cedric's curiousity) was the gathering and set of buildings that had been put up far in the distance. He wasn't sure entirely what they were and they definitely hadn't been here during his last visit. Whatever they were, they were likely temporary and given the large number of people he could only imagine it was some sort of gathering although from the distance it was impossible to tell what kind. Gatherings happened for all sorts of reasons so it wasn't really like he had anything beyond a vague guess, though his confusion was enough to prompt indecipherable muttering. He wasn't at all worried, though and of course that meant he gave no indications of the fact. The guilds were generally fairly friendly and it's not like they were stumbling in covered in blood so even if it was something they weren't supposed to be at it wouldn't be much of a problem if they were found. They'd probably just get sent off and told not to come back.
((For reference: Main thread, Event Thread, Gaming Area.))
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:29 pm
Serenade
Serenade dipped her head low to the ground, ears flicking upward as they caught the sounds of voices and laughter from up ahead. She stopped, hesitant to go anywhere near where there were other Pokemon. At first anyways, she only lingered behind out of an overwhelming sense of apprehension. Was that the guild? She hadn't expected it to be so flashy. Her nerves wound tight in dread. What if these Pokemon were dangerous? What if they didn't like her? She toyed with the idea of running, but to where? And anyways she couldn't just leave Cedric after having asked him to bring her here. That would hae been rude.
Steeling herself, the dark type stepped forward with her eyes closed...until she realized this wasn't the guild. It was some kind of...fair?
Her entire posture changed, she went from defensive to open and intrigued in a few seconds.
The Umbreon pranced forward, eyes widening as she tried to take in the entire festival all at once. The sights, the sounds, the smells. It was overwhelming and entrancing at the same time. While she made sure not to wander far from the Persian's side, she couldn't help but pause and stare at everything that caught her attention which left her pace somewhat slow and sporadic. Serenade had never seen a place quite like this before, where she came from events like this were frowned upon as loud and useless.
She didn't see that. All she saw were smiling Pokemon, beautiful colors and a generally friendly atmosphere. The festival at once put her mind at ease regarding joining the guilds. Surely they couldn't be that bad if they held events like these!
She glanced at Cedric with a smile, "Can we stay for a bit?"Sure she had asked him to show her the guild but...this looked to interesting to pass up! If he refused well, she'd go along with him.
Exploring alone was never fun and it'd be rude to ditch him after all he'd done for her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:21 pm
Cedric
Cedric walked towards the carnival at ease yet unaware of what the Umbreon behind him was doing. The sights, sounds, smells... all of it mixed together and doused the Persian's mind as his senses were assailed and overloaded by almost everything from every direction. The sweet smell on the air bordered on a stench as it permeated and stole away the normal, light scent of the earth. Lights and pokemon of all different orders went this way and that and the sounds of chatter and carnival games stole from Cedric a certain focus that might have otherwise been laid on his new-found travel partner in concern. Had he had his mind about him he would have properly realized that the ordeal was probably a terrifying one for Serenade, but by the time his mind came back to him and he thought to look back she had long since gotten past any sense of fear as it was replaced by a sense of wonder and bliss. The way she glanced about as she absorbed the information spoke more of her mental state than anything else could. It was... nice to see her looking so happy and it decided the answer to Serenade's question long before it was even asked.
The Persian gave a light nod. He could pick out a few badges from the crowd, so... "The guild is probably empty at the moment anyways. There's no reason to rush."
Really the way the guild was now would probably be good for whatever anxiety Serenade still held, but the goal wasn't simply to get her to join the guild but to get her somewhere she could actually survive. If she went into the guild when it was empty, chances were that she would freak out in the morning when she found out just how full it can be at times. Besides! This place was nice. This sort of gathering was definitely out of Cedric's element but he couldn't complain too much; everyone did something like that once in a while and it wasn't like you ran into a carnival every day. As long as they stayed out of the really, really loud parts he was willing to stick it out if only for the sake of Serenade's curiosity and the opportunity to have a new experience. The whole journey to begin with had been a change of pace, so what harm was there in taking that a step further?
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:38 pm
Serenade
In a matter of seconds a flood of colour and activity swallowed the Umbreon. Like an evolving piece of vivid artwork, solemn grey was replaced with splashes of striking colour. Serenade inhaled sharply upon hearing the Persian's confirmation and could barely contain her glee. and with it an air of expectation, of excitement and wonder.
Caravans of provocatively decorated lorries stood at their designated pitches where their attached rides, origami giants, unfurl with a flourish and spring into life.
The warmth of the sun in that feral woods was now a distant memory, and an almost eerie chill enshrouded the scene. The eyes of spellbound children, wide with awe, traced intricate patterns across the night sky, their senses bewitched by the array of colossal hissing machines spinning and gyrating, vivid streaks of neon colour trailing in their wake. She felt it too, the need to stare at everything at once. As if spell-bound.
It was a bit overwhelming now that she took a moment to step back and take it all in.
Crowds gathered around the most spine-chilling, hair-raising ride, a brief splash of tarmac the only distinction between those who could barely contain their desire to be the next in the queue, and those who were ‘just happy to watch, thank you very much.’
As the mass of steel and hydraulics heaved into the air with a certain clumsy grace, the dark type watching craned her neck and allowed the internal struggle between fear and longing to rage. Maybe next time? One step at a time, Serenade.
Instead she stepped back to the feline's side and pointed her nose ahead where a vivid display of lights swung in slow and peaceful circles, an arrayment of decorated Ponyta and Rapidash pranced about joyfully with painted eyes. They weren't real. From what she saw you rode them as they danced in circles. That sounded fun but also safe...
"Could we try that one?" She asked, voice pitched high with excitement.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:13 pm
Cedric
Cedric kept a careful eye on Serenade even as he glanced around the carnival with her, his movements a near mirror of her own as he took in the sights and sounds. It was almost mesmerizing. The carnival and it's occupants seemed to have a life of it's own as patrons moved to and fro in an endless, elegant march to the unseen baton that each and every attraction seemed to hold. The scents were captivating and sweet and the discord of various tunes crashing against one another in the air was lessened and made almost a wonderful, nostalgic thing of celebration as it hit the voices and bustle of those who attended. It was an atmosphere that invaded the mind and seemed to take control in an effort to steal you and spirit you away to something else entirely. And it almost worked, too.
Almost, that is. It was almost mesmerizing, it was almost a wonderful thing without fail and it almost pulled Cedric in. But he wasn't really that in "tune" with what was going on around him. He preferred the quiet and more natural parts of life and even though he had decided to push on through it it wasn't something that came normally to him. It was hard to get into the spirit when the atmosphere that was supposed to be so joyous came across as almost abrasive. What was supposed to be mesmerizing and a source of joy instead became a constant source of distraction and discomfort. He was really out of his element. Hell, even if he put a smile on his face this was just plain awkward.
...But that's how things were and he had agreed to it so, there he was. He gave a nod even as some agreement slipped out of his mouth filled with fake enthusiasm. He wasn't really sure he was going to enjoy this. He hated not having his feet on the ground or at least his body in general under his control, which now that he thought about... Most of the rides would be like that. Pretty much, if they did anything, he'd end up without solid ground under his feet. At the very least though this one was close to the ground so if he decided enough was enough he could get off and it wasn't like they wouldn't have something for larger pokemon, right? He was sure there were probably parents getting on the rides with their kids, so there'd be... straps, or platforms or something that he could rest on. Urgh, no, straps sounded awful.
"We'll have to wait in line, though. We can't get on until the people ahead of us have."
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:18 pm
Serenade
Serenade was far from nervous here, something about the lights and sounds had captured the Dark type's interest in a way she had never been fascinated in before. Whatever apprehension lingered in the Umbreon's mind was quickly washed away at the sound of the carousel music that jingled merrily ahead.
The Umbreon didn't notice the Persian's strange behavior. How he seemed somewhat tense in what she thought was a nice and beautiful place.
She hardly glanced at him at all until her question and then only to hear his reply. "Line?" The concept of lines was clear to Serenade. She knew it as a continuous extent of length, straight or curved, without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point and yet his use of it clearly confused her.
The Umbreon's eyes widened, staring at Cedric with an expression of panic. It was a simple thing that set her off, her lack of understanding with a word she did not recognize beyond it's simplest form.
"Line? You mean how those Pokemon are standing, straight like that? We wait behind them?" That did seem to be what he meant. Her face contorted in thought and she shook her head slowly.
"Aren't the males suppose to go first?"
Serenade came from a very simple, very primitive clan of sorts. They rarely bothered with technology and hardly paused to consider that females were more than child-bearing furniture.
That those of her gender were treated as equals here made the Umbreon's fur itch uncomfortably. She didn't think she'd ever get use to that...
Regardless of what he said she stepped back once to ensue that, at the very least, Cedric would be in this line before her.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:49 pm
Cedric
Cedric gave a little nod. He was surprised by Serenade's lack of knowledge, though he quickly noted to himself that that was silly. She wasn't acting all that much unlike how he had when he had originally come to civilization. Concepts like money, especially, were confusing at first but it all made sense when it was explained to him. Steven had really helped him there, actually, the Wartortle had an excellent grasp on what exactly money was and why it was around. It was all very easy to understand once it was explained in full. He also knew a little bit about why she made the assumption she did. James came from a family like that, though it never really washed into him. "Yes, and no. The pokemon who arrive first go first. It's something you'll see a lot in the city. If there's more pokemon who need or want something than the person can deal with at a time, they stand in a line behind one another. That way it's clear who was waiting the longest. Gender doesn't matter." That was the way Clarissa had explained it, anyways. The rest of the team had helped a lot in that regard, since none of his own group had really lived in society before. He was the only one who ever asked for explanations, though. He made a mental note to himself then and there to try and explain everything as thoroughly as possible. Serenade wasn't stupid (well... maybe a little) so as long as he made sure to fully explain everything as best he could she would be able to understand.
"The people at the front of the line have been waiting the longest, so they'll get on the soonest. When people get what they want, they move out of the line and we move ahead." It was a simple progression. Cedric moved into the back of the line with Serenade just behind him as he ran back through the explanation in his mind to affirm that it had been fine. He took a few steps back to stand beside her as he shifted slightly to look ahead past a rather large Blissey. The line wasn't very long, but there were a number of people in pairs. It wouldn't take very long, but it wouldn't be instant either.
((This post feels so short after chapter posts. Why.))
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 7:33 am
Serenade
It was not so complicated she couldn't grasp it, but it did ensure that her head hurt afterwards and the Umbreon gave a distinct frown. Everything was different out here, the rules were not the same as where she'd come from. Looking at the line before her and then at the Persian made her stomach heave in panic though she attempted to hold it down. It would be a shame to lose that bird after having just eaten it hours before. Would it regress her back to the near starving creature she'd been before stumbling upon Cedric?
She didn't know, she didn't want to know and so Serenade stared quietly at the ground until he nausea passed.
Throwing up on him would be a horrible thank you to the feline, she was certain that, at least, was not a custom here.
Panic subsiding, though only just, she glanced past him to the line that stretched ahead and noticed with a mix of delight and concern that they weren't too far back from the ride itself. The colorful horse Pokemon spinning in circles enchanted her, though probably not in the best of ways. She was imagining her clan, set in packs, hunting the decorative beasts down and going in for the kill.
They probably tasted like sugar and gum drops though, so she'd pass.
Her mind rocked back to his words momentarily and she tossed around the idea of gender equality before finding it too strange and discarding it.
She couldn't think in that mindset, it set every nerve on edge and every alarm bell in her head rang simultaneously.
Serenade felt content that she'd be allowed to maintain her old regards to such things without being hampered. It would just come across as reverse-chivalry or something of the sort. It shouldn't effect her in the long run, or so she hoped.
"I didn't actually ask before, but did you even want to ride this thing? You seemed uncomfortable."
A change in topic was in order. Let's turn the tables to Cedric's apprehension and not her own ignorant flaws.
Hurray!
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 7:48 pm
Cedric
Cedric glanced around the pokemon in front of them to get a better look at the machines as Serenade was consumed by her own thoughts. He shifted slightly to the side, testing the strength of the small rope that designated the line so that he could get a proper look at things. The machine continued to slowly whirl as as the Persian stared at it, making it difficult to make out the exact details but from the way the various pokemon were sitting (or standing) on the machines he got a good idea of how it worked. More importantly he managed to confirm that there were, indeed, no straps which was a relief. The idea of voluntarily having his feet tied down was a bizarre and foreign one that he didn't want to embrace anytime soon.
Cedric shifted back into place before giving a vague nod to the question he had half-heard. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."
There was a great deal more comfort and confidence in his voice and for good reason. The whirling slowly came to a halt barely moments later and the passengers hopped off to make way for new ones. The pokemon in charge started guiding people forward with gestures and Cedric happily enough took the lead. Those in front of them took the Ponyta nearest them while those further back in line moved to the right, going progressively further and further around the carousel until they reached their spot. Cedric looked at his before nodding confidently and hopping onto it, only to awkwardly scramble into place. The hard, smooth surface wasn't ideal. Once he got into place, however, he was fine. He was satisfied to find that the design was as he had expected. Like a set of stairs, each side had a set of small holds that he could place his paws in. They got progressively closer together the higher and smaller they were, allowing for most quadrupedal pokemon to fit in fine. He could feel the slightly rough surface between his feet giving him a comfortable enough grip. Getting off would be a little awkward but doable. He could see a small hemisphere had been cut into the ponyta, likely to allow bipedal pokemon to sit.
Cedric was finally comfortable once he had settled his feet into the bottom holds. Content that he was now stable, the Persian took his eyes away from his feet to look up and promptly smacked his forehead on the pole that held the beast suspended. He nearly stumbled off, but managed to keep his balance before shaking his head slightly and pulling back. It seemed he was on the larger end of pokemon it was designed for. He would have to twist his body slightly to get his head around the pole unless he wanted to stay scrunched up the whole time. It was uncomfortable, but less so than it would have been otherwise. And it gave him a chance to look around for the Umbreon to see how she was doing.
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Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:30 pm
Serenade
"Whoo hoo!" Oh yeah, Serenade was doing quite well. The Umbreon had found a perch on her own whimsically colored equine and had lifted her paws to the support in the middle so she could have some form of balance as she stood nimbly on her hindlegs.
Rather than be startled by the sudden lurching motion as the ride began she found herself shaking with excitement when the music played lightly and the lights of the rid vibrantly cast glittering colors across the Ponyta's and their riders.
The socially awkward dark type hardly seemed to care how foolish she looked given her enthusiasm and continued to cheer in a perpetually good nature while the other Pokemon on the carousel eyed her with a mixture of amusement and general annoyance.
Had she been paying attention she might have gotten embarrassed over it, but the Umbreon was too caught up in the thrill to even glance around her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:00 pm
Cedric
Cedric was... well, not quite as enthused about the ride as Serenade was. It was alright, in it's own way, but the reality is is that it was terribly childish and even with his outlandish and tribal origins he could recognize that. He was simply too old to find any sort of great mirth in the activity, but he supposed he could appreciate how Serenade seemed to be enjoying it so excessively. Really, this was her first time in society, so the childlike fascination was understandable enough. Rather, it would be surprising if she wasn't, when he really thought about it. Enthused or not, however, Cedric was a very passive person who had lived in a very active group of people for a long time. More than anything he had become accustomed to simply going with the flow and absorbing the general attitude of the group. He quickly started to find Serenade's ceaseless joy infectious and it brought a smile to the Persian's face even as he stayed somewhat awkwardly perched on his own Ponyta.
The ride spun on for a few minutes without incident or problem until the lights that had splattered his fur an array of colours flickered off one by one and the ride slowed to a careful, gradual stop. The staff that operated the ride quickly began beckoning for people to get off and children that were both happy to have been on the ride and upset that it had ended were helped off by parents and staff. Cedric himself merely placed his right foot awkwardly in the depression in the middle before hopping off to the left side and striding towards Serenade, all with a smile on his face. "Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:01 pm
Serenade
The excitement dwindled down to a low hum in her head, the lights stopped spinning though their luminosity was burned into her eyes to the point that each blink caused a sudden wave of multi-colored spots to dance before her face.
A slight giggle escape the Umbreon as she teetered off the painted Ponyta and made her trek to her Persian companion's side.
"How exciting! Is this what the guilds do for fun?" She could hardly wait to sign up if that was the case, her green eyes bright with excitement for what the future might hold. A stark contrast to her shivering and timid mannerisms moments before, the colorful carousel seemed to have spurn the Dark type into a more cheerful demeanor.
Serenade stepped lightly away from the line that was forming, a bit disappointed that the ride had ended so quickly but she soon turned to his query and glanced upward in a thoughtful gesture.
Usually she'd not offer opinions of her own, rather she'd allow Cedric to do so since he was male and it was to her understanding that even outside her clan that male Pokemon were superior to females.
However, her stomach answered for her with a brisk growl and then a steady rumble for attention.
"O-oh. I...I guess maybe...food?" Thinking on it, that Pidgey hadn't been all that filling. She was also a carnivore by nature and they tended to have faster metabolisms than most.
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:33 pm
Cedric
Cedric gave a quiet but joyful chuckle, his mood still having been taken by Serenade's. "Sure, sure. There's stands around here, if you'd like. Or we can head to the city for an actual restaurant." There were... a LOT of stands up and about offering food but the food at these things was never that great and a lot of them tended to be very sweet which would probably be somewhat of a shock for the Umbreon. Luckily, there was a (mostly unattended) stand that served more wholesome food, though it seemed to be abandoned for that very reason; who came to a carnival for anything but cotton candy?
Well, they did for one. Still, if she was willing to leave the carnival then going to a restaurant in the city would be much better and the Honeydrop Cafe always had it's doors open to him. Otherwise... he'd try his best to steer her away from the food and snacks that would give her the biggest shock. The city itself wasn't that far a trot away and if they wanted they could always return to the carnival, otherwise they could wander around the city. Even on a day like this there was sure to be plenty to do so either option was equal in his mind.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:43 am
Serenade
The green-ringed Umbreon gave a smile in response to that, her nose twitched quickly as she took note of the various food scents that mingled around her. Sneezing suddenly, she quickly realized that none of this was food she was use to. The sugary sweetness overwhelmed any meat in the area and she furrowed her brow in thought at that.
"Do..you know any places in the city with good food?" Serenade felt no need to clarify what good food was to the Persian.
Their brief meeting in the hunting grounds solidified her idea that he was primarily carnivorous as well. So of course good food translate to mean MEAT.
The Dark Type took note of the lights and sounds around her, quickly becoming distracted from her desire to eat by the activity around her and finding that focusing on one topic was steadily becoming a chore.
Being unfamiliar with the city outside this festival and being a Pokemon lacking the ability to speak her own opinions, she was quite content with waiting for Cedric to make the call.
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