It's Dangerous to Go Alone-Pre Meta RP
This past half-a-month's haul had not been too bad, as far as income was concerned. Calcifer's business of ferrying travelers and campers across the river may not have been the most lucrative, especially during the colder months, but with the change in weather came further changes as well. True, she didn't really ask for money, but some of the things she
did request in return could be quite fascinating indeed! Now if only anecdotes and songs could put food on the table... at least the more solid of payments normally had the potential to be pawned for actual cash, but not before Calcifer made note of it!
It had become routine to make the trek into town once every few weeks or so, as soon as supplies started running thin. As a wild pokémon, she could sustain herself from the berry bushes easily enough. Once she got bigger, though, it was a little more difficult to fill up her stomach, and clothing was a necessity when one appeared as a human. She didn't mind, though, for the city always seemed to have something new that struck her fancy, distracting her attention for a moment's time as the wheels in her head turned to process others' unique styles of imagination.
The pawn shop was, as always, the first stop. Calci had a bag of goods at her disposal to negotiate a good price on, but she was still naive about it and knew it. Luckily, the shop owner seemed like a pretty decent guy, never under cutting her as much as he probably could have. Just as long as she could get enough supplies, it was fine by her!
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“Ah ha!” Terra exclaimed in excitement, “These goggles will be perfect!” She technically didn’t need a new pair, right now, as she had a pair on top of her head but, just last night, she had almost lost them; she needed a backup! The weather had been rather unusual of late, just last night, her home had partially flooded. It was frightening! And worst, as the water came pouring in, her goggles were almost lost down the hole in the floor of her little cave.
Since her transformation, her sand cloak had more or less stabilized, becoming a permanent fixture on her body. Still, the rapid flow of water the night prior had torn off the sandy covering of one of her hands. She had since patched up the damage, but it was still unnerving.
So, not only did shopping for a backup pair serve to provide her a spare set, but it also served as a distraction. Who knew what freaky weather might await her upon her return; part of her didn’t want to go back until whatever was causing this was done.
Holding the goggles firmly in one hand, she continued to browse.
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Calcifer jumped slightly at the sudden voice from the depths of the small shop, unaware that she had not been the only customer here. Very briefly, her attention scanned the place, but she didn't want to intrude... even if the other person in the shop seemed to have been another humanoid pokémon. Her interest was piqued at that, but she refrained from going over, at least for now. Not until the items she had brought in were price-checked fully!
Once that had been done, however, she was free to roam. She always took to looking about the pawn shop first, for credit before taking the cash payment for what she brought in. It was always so fascinating to see what new things people got rid of, for one thing or another, and she was quick to spot quite a few differences since last she was in here. The hybrid girl's movements led her closer to Terra, trying not to sneak up on the young burmy-girl. Peering through some of the shelving, Calcifer tried to get a better look at what the other girl had her hand around, "What did you find?" She was genuinely curious as to what another pokémon was looking to find in a pawn shop; she'd never seen another one in here before!
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Terra jumped, literally, feet into the air. She normally wasn’t so skittish, but the recent storms had her on edge and she had been lost in her own head, as she pictured herself wearing the item she saw before her. She would have to describe it as a utility belt! All the uses it could have. True, she did already have belts, but this one had so many pockets!
“Uh, um, hello,” Terra answered, “I found, um, some goggles and an utility belt!” As she stated what she had found, she held them up for the other pokemon to see. “Oh um, I’m Terra. Who are you?” Leaning forward, she added, “You look warm.”
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Calcifer flinched as Terra reacted in such a negative manner, "Oh whoops, sorry! I was trying not to startle you!" Maybe she wasn't the most comfortable around humans, and being in town made her nervous? It was a possibility... though it was also not overlooked that what Terra had in her hand was a fairly interesting contraption. Moving to get a closer eye on the utility belt that was being indicated, Calcifer studied it a moment before the awe became more evident in her voice, "Wow, I've never seen something like that in here before, great find!"
Standing up straighter, she held her hand out, "Hi, I'm Calcifer! It's nice to meet you, Terra!" With a bit of prodding at her own choice of dress, she nodded, "Yeah, it's because I'm a slugma. I used to be warmer before I changed! You..." she blinked then, eyes following towards the door, "You're tracking in sand... Um, you like the beach?"
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“Um, its fine, I was just lost in thought and this crazy weather has made me a bit jumpy, I think?” Seeing that the other girl was interested in the belt, she held it out farther offering to let her get a closer look. “Thanks, I’ve never actually been here before, but a pokemon on the beach mentioned it a while back and I wanted to get another pair of goggles. I almost lost mine last night! My cave flooded.”
She was at first reluctant to return the shake, weren’t slugmas made of magma? Still, she seemed nice enough and didn’t seem the type to intentionally offer her pain, so she took the girls hand and shook. Looking back, her eyes widened, “Oh I am! I didn’t realize. Maybe it’s the new parts…that I replaced last night…though that’s too much… Am I always leaking sand? Normally I am at the beach…So I don’t really notice….”
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Crazy weather, huh? It had seemed a bit abnormal to Calcifer as of late, but nothing as bad as what seemed to have been affecting the young burmy as of late. "A pokémon knew of the place?" she asked curiously, wondering if it had been another poké-kid she was referring to or if a full-fledged pokémon had managed to stumble inside to scope the place out. "Oh a flood? How scary!" she exclaimed, frowning, "That doesn't sound like something that should be happening, it's been so hot lately!" At least where she had been stationed, it had. What was going on?
She could see the hesitation in Terra's taking of Calcifer's hand, and linking the previous comment that she looked warm to it, it was simple enough to decipher what the concern was. "Don't worry, when I transformed the star made me a lot more solid. It was actually kind of weird to get used to," she explained, a slight scrunching of the nose at the differences she experienced, "But then, it also gave me some of my papa's features, too, and he's a gastrodon, so I'm not all fire anymore." Fire and water, as a matter of fact! She shook her head at the mention of the sand, "Don't worry, I've seen people track in a lot of mud before. You're not leaving too much sand behind. It's probably just from moving around so much. How do you keep it on, anyway?" The hybrid-girl didn't think you could do that with sand at all, and it felt so much more solid than she was expecting it to be when she shook one of the burmy's many hands!
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Nodding, Terra added, “Yep, I think it was a Herdier… I don’t know all the pokemon types that well… She lived in the city though and had wandered onto my beach and thought I might have gotten the goggles I am wearing here, but I just found these after I changed. But, when I almost lost them, I remembered it and thought I might be able to trade some things to get an extra pair; and now this belt too.” Nodding even more quickly, in agreement, she continued, “It was really scary. The weather has been crazy. One day its super-hot and dry, the next its flooding. There are barely any berries around my cave now.”
“Really? Features from more than one pokemon?” Terra was shocked. “I think that I am all Burmy….though, actually, watch this!” Terra’s face suddenly turned very serious, it was obvious that she was deep in concentration. Raising one of her left hands, it suddenly became engulfed in flames. “See, I don’t think it is normal for a Burmy to do that.” After a few moments of burning, she put her hand out. It didn’t seem burned, but a small amount of dried sand fell off. “Oops, now I am tracking more sand around…” Poking at the rest of her sandy covering, she explained, “Well, it involves sticky silk, and when it gets on the sand, the sand gets sticky and sticks to other sand and the silk. It is kind of hard with sand though. Leaves are a lot easier, but not really useful on a beach…”
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"Oh, neat coincidence!" Calcifer commented in reference to the run-in with the urban herdier, "Sounds like she really knew her stuff, huh? You're lucky you came in when they had some in stock! What sort of things did you bring to trade?" Her amusement with the good luck waned with the mention of bad luck, frowning with thoughtful curiosity at the event that Terra explained, "Is that normal, around the beach, for the weather to be so crazy? Any idea what might be causing it?" If it had been anywhere near her choice river, she would have thought something was damming up the upper portions, but that wasn't much the case for an ocean or lake!
Calcifer grinned at Terra's surprise, proud to be able to display both parts of her lineage -- her parents were both very near and dear to her, even if they couldn't physically be there for her. Intrigued, the hybrid girl watched as Terra demonstrated an ability that the fire slug hadn't been aware a burmy could do, and she jumped slightly at the display, "Oh wow, how'd you do that? Is that one of your moves?" Watching as some of the sand fell from her hand onto the floor, she shook her head, "Don't worry about it, they clean up after closing. It's a small enough place that a vaccuum could make quick work of it!" She was pretty sure that's how it worked, for it made sense, but who knew... maybe they just let a Roomba loose on the place instead. "Woah, that's pretty cool, I wouldn't have thought you were putting it on like tape or something!" she remarked, motioning to poke at the sand about Terra's wrist but not actually touching the other girl, "So there's silky stuff under there?"
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“So, goggles like this are uncommon? I guess I really lucked out then.” Terra was a bit shocked; she didn’t think the odds would be working against her in finding a secondary pair of goggles. Reaching into her pockets, she added, “Well um, I brought some really nice shells, and this really neat piece of drift wood, and a stone I drew a smiley face on, and some berries.” As she described the goods, she pulled them out one by one. Her face darkening slightly, she continued, “No, it isn’t normal at all. Sometimes it gets rainy, but it never has gone back and forth before. It doesn’t seem natural. It’s like someone is spinning a wheel to randomly decide what the weather is like. I…I don’t like it….it scares me a bit. When I was walking here, I saw on a TV things about there being fires and floods. The weather is acting all crazy.”
“I don’t really know, actually. I mean, it is one of my moves,” Terra answered, “A pokemon had cornered me, and it well, it had just come out. I was scared and my eyes were closed, and, well, I just started launching fire out. It took some practice to be able to do it on command, but well, now I can! Sometimes, after I do it, my hand starts to glow red for a bit; it’s weird. I wonder if I am a tiny bit something else?” Nodding, she replied, “Yeah, there is; it can be a pain to work with though. I think it is like what some other bug types use for a cocoon though? I’m not really sure though.”
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"Mm, to be pawned off without being broken, I would imagine so. I don't think too many people wear them unless they're going... skiing or something?" Calcifer deduced aloud, for it wasn't very often she saw a pair of goggles. Her expression seemed to fall to a more discouraged look when Terra brought out her materials for bartering, "You... might be able to get something for the shells, but I don't know how well the humans would take to the other things..." After careful consideration, glancing to the front counter momentarily before turning back to Terra, Calcifer came to a conclusion, "Tell you what, what you can't get yourself, I'll pay for the difference. I've had better business than normal, so I have extra to spare this time. It sounds like you'd really need that stuff anyway!"
As Terra went on to describe the way the weather had been acting, Calcifer's head tilted slightly in thought, surprised. "Has it? Wow... I wonder if it's something that can be solved, like in a mystery novel," she regarded carefully, "What do you think could control the weather like that?" She had time... maybe she could go check it out before heading back home.
"Oh that's so neat," she gaped, trying to imagine what an epic battle that must have been, "I'm glad it happened that way, though. That's the best way to learn a skill, when you really need it, because then it becomes more like instinct than a move you have to think about performing." She didn't have an answer for the glowing hand bit, but since Terra had shown Calcifer the move using only one hand, she thought perhaps it had to do with using a dominant hand and giving it most of the energy of the blast... but she couldn't rule out being a tiny bit something else! "You might be! I had my other half appear when I transformed, but it was kind of like evolution, so maybe it'll show up more when you evolve if it is? That would be exciting! And if the silk is like what other bugs use, maybe that's what the glowing is all about... maybe you're part other-bug-type?" she offered, though it was all mere speculation. Still, it was a few interesting thoughts to consider.
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“Oh really?” Terra inquired, “Um, what is skiing?” She had never heard the term before and was unfamiliar with it. She just wore goggles for everyday usage. They were particularly nice on sandy days; since it kept the sand out of her eyes. “Really? They wouldn’t want the other things? How come?” Everything she had brought with her seemed valuable to her. At hearing Calcifer’s offer, Terra’s eyes widened, “Really? You would help cover everything? Thank you so much!” The concept of bartering was rather new to her; it was nice to have someone help her out.
“I don’t really know? Maybe some human invention? Like a weather machine? Or, isn’t there some pokemon that can alter the weather? Like legendary ones? I’ve never met a legendary…but I think…maybe some could do that?” Terra answered with a shrug.
“well, I am really glad it showed up when it did; I have no idea what would have happened if it hadn’t…” Thinking about it for a moment, she asked, “Well, if its because I am part another bug-type….with the fire, it would also be part fire type… Do you know any pokemon that are both bug and fire? I don’t….”
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There were quite a few perks to ferrying those across a river that she would normally not have the pleasure of meeting, one of which being the strange and varied things they tended to do, for work or otherwise. "Skiing is what some people do for fun. Something about, um... racing in the snow, I think? I've not actually seen it, but I heard about it. The goggles save their eyes from the cold wind and ice," Calcifer explained, tapping at her cheek right below an eye. However, explaining monetary value to the newbie negotiator was a little tougher... "Well, I think they're pretty neat, personally. From what I gathered from pawning is that most people don't really put much value on things they can find themselves, just lying around. Even if it's different. It's kind of stupid, but I suppose it must be hard to put a price on it?" With a bright smile, the girl offered a sharp nod, "Yeah, no problem! I'm happy to help out a fellow pokémon!"
Thinking on the adventures with a Time Machine that she had read in one of the books given to her for passage, Calcifer couldn't outright cross off the idea of a weather machine being built as well. Even if the events noted down were fiction, leaps in science and modern technology always started as fanciful ideas first. "Maybe..." she agreed tentatively, "I do think I've heard of legendaries being able to do that. It would be interesting to find out what is true about those tall tales, if that was the case. It sounds like it's definitely unusual, though. Care to see if we can't figure it out? After we get you your goggles and utility belt, that is?" Maybe they really had stumbled onto something important here!
Calcifer hadn't run into as many pokémon types as she had human passengers, even throughout her time living in the wild as a slugma. Perhaps it was because she had tended to stay in her cave, when she was not enviously staring at the river's surface. "I don't either, but I haven't met many, either," she admitted, "But it's possible there's one out there! I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough."
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“Oh,” Terra replied with a nod, “That makes sense. I use mine to keep the sand out of my eyes when it gets windy on the beach. It does that even when the weather isn’t acting all weird.” She had never been in the snow before. She couldn’t help but wonder if there were burmy out there that had snow cloaks. It seemed possible, but not particularly comfortable. She liked the warmth of her sandy beach. As Calcifer’s assertion that she would help her with the goods, Terra asked, “If they won’t take it here, would you like any of the things I have brought?”
While the thought of going out and finding the source was a tad frightening, she did want to know what the source of the strange weather was. Also, it seemed like she would be affected by it regardless of whether she went looking for it or not; she was nearly flooded out of her room.
Yes, I should find out what’s causing this! As scary as it seemed, it would be better to know. “Yeah, whatever is happening is going to happen whether we happen to go looking for it or not. So we might as well find out what the cause is!” This was looking to be the first adventure she had been on since finding a new home. It both frightened and excited her. Leading the way to the front counter, Terra added, “It is possible, there are a lot of different pokemon out there; I am always hearing about new ones.”
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"Yeah, I guess it would be for the same reasons, then!" Calcifer connected with an understanding start, "Sounds like it's just different climates. Funny how even if it's warm or cold, you'd still need the goggles!" At least when one was out in it a lot. Considering what of the items of Terra's that Calcifer might like to keep, the hybrid girl attempted to conclude based on a different set of questions, "Well, are there any that you're particularly attached to? I don't want to take anything that you'd still want." It would be pretty nifty, to remember this encounter, though! The rock with the doodle on it was particularly cute... "I'd also have to get you something good in return..." she added, "Maybe something tasty." There were all sorts of snacks that would be interesting to try!
Calcifer was glad that Terra had offered to come along and look for what might be causing the strange weather to occur. As sure as the hybrid might have sounded about it, she wasn't sure how strong she could really act when she was on her own. At least, if she had someone going with her on the excursion, it would be easier to believe that she could do more, if only to be helpful. "Great, then it sounds like an excellent adventure!" she cheered, "If it gets too dangerous, we can always turn back." As long as neither one of them acted too stubborn, at least. She followed the other girl to the front desk, nodding, "Yeah, they seem to discover new pokémon all the time; I don't know half of them!" She couldn't even really say she knew what a burmy was, even!
The shopkeeper, seeing the two girls move toward the counter, cleared off the area for the items to be placed. He had heard some of their conversation and, while not exactly in the habit of eavesdropping, was fully aware that there might not be many -- if any at all -- items Terra had that he could conceivably take.
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Nodding, Terra replied, “Yeah, similar…but different….” Pointing to the pair on her head, she added, “These ones also help when it gets real bright out. They make it a bit dimmer.” Pausing to think about it for a moment, she stated, “Well there is one piece of driftwood that I really like…” As they reached the counter, she pulled out her possessions and set them on the counter. Her eyes brightened at Calcifer’s offer. “Really? Some food? I am a bit hungry… That would be great! Thank you!”
Turning to the shopkeeper, she asked, “Um, so I was wondering if you would be willing to take any of these?” Giving the shopkeeper a moment to look over the goods, she turned back to Calcifer. “Well, it probably would be dangerous even if we didn’t go.. It just seems to be getting worse…”’
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Noting the dark green hue of the lenses on the goggles that Terra already had in her possession, Calcifer whistled, mostly out of understanding, "Ohh, is that what that does? That's cool! I bet that comes in real handy!" Watching as Terra placed her items on the counter and mentioning her attachment to the driftwood, the hybrid nodded, the decision having been made not to take the small plank. She wouldn't voice any opinions on what she'd prefer until the shopkeeper had a look-see first, though, for she wouldn't want to take anything that could actually earn Terra some money! With a grin, she nodded, "Sure! I'm getting hungry, and if we're going to go on an adventure together, we should both be ready! Including heading out while not starving." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the last part for visual reference.
The shopkeeper grimaced slightly when looking over the materials that Terra had to offer. He knew she was just a kid, and that she probably didn't have much experience with pawning... or being a human, really... and the only reason she'd be here is if it was the only source of possible income at the moment. There had to be
something he could take! Picking up one of the shinier shells, he turned it over, "I... might be able to get you something for this." At least someone who was fond of arts and crafts might find it useful...
"Oh good! I'll just cover the cost of anything else the shell won't cover," the gastropod grinned, indicating the credit she had already turned in. Calcifer then turned and nodded gravely to Terra's worked out result, "You know, you have a point... and we don't want it getting worse! Wouldn't it be cool if we could actually do something? Especially if it helped everyone out?" Her concerned frown grew into a supportive smile at the thought.
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“Yeah, it is!” Terra replied, “If you want, you can try them on sometime.” At Calcifer’s comment about getting food first, she stated, “Well, that does sound like a good plan, though I will let you pick a place; I’ve never eaten anywhere in town before.”
After Calcifer’s previous comment, Terra wasn’t surprised that the shopkeeper was willing to buy so little of what she had brought. Still she was disappointed; she had hoped to earn enough herself. “Thanks again,” she repeated, after Calcifer told the shop keeper that she would be covering the expenses. She had never had someone buy things for her before, not that she had really bought anything before either. It felt kind of odd…odd but nice. “Yeah, if we do nothing now, who knows what might happen!”
"Heh, thanks! I might take you up on that offer!" Calcifer snickered. They did look pretty cool, after all... form AND function, now that was neat! Filtering through the bandaged up wallet she used to carry her funds, she tried to figure in what sort of meal she could afford. She'd have to use some of this on groceries, when they got back, so she couldn't go spending it all yet.
Should be safe for a meal somewhere I actually know... and a few snacks to take, along the way, she concluded. "Okay, I think I've got some places you might like," she finally replied, "You don't have any allergies, do you? What sort of things do you like? Or not like, if that's easier?" The food talk was actually making her
more hungry!
The shopkeeper offered Terra an apologetic smile, but there wasn't much more he could do. Calcifer helped out where she could, determined to help the burmy girl figure things out. "You know, this stuff is pretty neat. I think pokémon would have a better appreciation for things like this," she considered aloud, taking a look around the shop, "You see all this stuff in here? That's more like what humans tend to like: stuff you'd find in any other store around here, as long as it isn't too damaged. Maybe we can find something that they'd like when we went looking for what's going on with the weather?" Who knew what sort of things were out there, abandoned by travelers! Picking up the rock that Terra had doodled on, she held it out, "Mind if I keep this? I like the face you drew on it!"
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“Um, I don’t think I have any allergies?” Terra answered, “I mostly just eat berries; but I do like spicy and sweet foods.” As Calcifer’s comments, Terra looked about the store. “So… stuff like this… I don’t ever really see things like this on the beach…” Terra began to wonder if she could find anything that a place like this would value. The shells didn’t seem to be worth much; overall the human seemed to have no interest in her things. “Maybe…but I don’t think I have seen anything like this stuff in the wild….” At Calcifer’s question, Terra’s face lit up a bit.
She wants the rock I drew on? “Sure, you can have that rock!” Smiling, she added, “So, um, should we get going then? Did you want to get anything?”
Calcifer crossed some places off her mental checklist for places they could go to eat, perking at the last bit of Terra's preferences, "Oh, you like spicy, too? Let's do spicy!" That should be filling and invigorating enough for the journey! She thought about what all a person could find on a beach -- or at least most probably, for she hadn't really been out to one more than a passing glance in the distance, "Yeah, I suppose they'd be more difficult to find lying around, if they were valuable to a human... What I do is I offer services to them, and in exchange, they give me some of this stuff. Maybe you could do something similar? I'm a boatman!" It'd probably be a bit difficult for Terra to think up something on the fly like this, but at least the idea might be put into her head. Her excitement grew when she was told she could keep the rock that Terra had drawn on, thinking it would be an even better reminder of this meeting when it had that little extra Terra-touch added to it, "Yaay, thanks a lot!" Taking one more glance around the store, Calcifer shook her head, "No, I don't think I could really use much in here at the moment, but I try stopping in often to see what new things they get. Though, ooh... okay, maybe those gloves." Quickly, she grabbed a pair of cutoff gloves and tossed them on the counter, to pay for with the other items, "It looks like it's got some good grip. Might come in handy! Alright, we ready to head off now?" This was going to be a good day, she was sure of it!
“Yeah; I don’t have it often, but I do enjoy spicy foods,” Terra answered, curious as to what sort of place they would go. She imagined they would be going to a human food establishment; she had never been to one of those before. In her life, she had only eaten spicy berries. She couldn’t help but wonder what human food would be like. “Services?” she asked, “What is a boatman? And what could I do?” The last question was more directed at herself, as opposed to Calcifer. She had no idea what sort of things she could do. Terra couldn’t help but smile at the other girl’s excitement at receiving the stone. “You really like the stone? Thanks!” After watching the addition of the gloves and the transactions conclusion, Terra replied, “Yeah, I think I am ready; those gloves are nice by the way.” She really did think they were nice. Some time, she would have to get some nice gloves, though she wasn’t sure if she would get 2 or 4.
