Slowly, a graceful figure rose from a steel examination table, rubbing away the grogginess from vibrant green eyes. The monstrosity of a pokémon peered around the room she was occupying, noting that everything was still in its designated place; there hadn't been a soul around since she had gone to sleep.
Routine, that was all Beta knew these days. She had to make sure that everything was still safe, everything was still secure and out of the hands of outsiders. Not that she really had to do more than that, for there hadn't been anyone here but her for ages. The only one able to tamper with the systems was the pokémon herself, and she had long grown tired of her curiosity over the data stored. It wasn't that she had ever looked over the information, but she knew better than to disobey. Her orders were simple: to protect the tower until the scientists came back. It had been years now, but an expiration date for that promise was never established.
Her body was still stiff, so she limbered up with a few stretches. Sure, there were actual beds in the place for when the scientists had decided to make "work" synonymous to "home," but they weren't her's. Why change it now, if it was only for comfort? The examination table was where she had slept when she felt the need, so that is where it should stay. True, she was usually either sedated or ordered to fall asleep, with all the tests the personnel of the building ran, but... It was really all she could do to keep things as they were in the past. It would never be exactly the same as before, but it was as close as she could get it. Time had to keep moving, even if she didn't want it to; this was her way of showing it that time couldn't just push her around.
Silently, she emerged from the examination room. The tall pokémon scanned the room, a wall-to-wall fortress of elaborate computer systems all set to accomplish different tasks. Lately, the mewtwo had been using it merely as a monitoring system, but she knew it was capable of much, much more than that. When she was left to her own devices, she had been tempted to fool around with the console and take it for a test drive, so to speak, but the mental locks she had put up to preserve her sense of decency were long since in effect. Sure, she was still curious, but there was never worry that she would negate her pact. She was more honorable than that.
She stared at the main computer for a few moments, noting where the power was stored and analyzing how much of a punch it could back in reserve. Sometimes she would dream about rerouting that kind of power to a more useful end, something she could actually use without breaking any promises, but she was not as adept at technological behavior. She was very skilled, but she felt that if she tried to do something so advanced that she would somehow mess it up. The whole system could be cut if that happened, and then what? Easy access to the building. As much as that would have been a nice change of pace, it would be potential for disaster. She wasn't going to fail in this.
Fumbling with a hand towel that she had placed on a counter top earlier, she set to cleaning every monitor in the room. A nervous habit, but it gave her something to do with all this time at her disposal. It was unlikely that anybody would be coming back after so long a forced sabbatical, but there was always the slim chance that they could. Was she going to be stuck here forever, without a proper cause outside of being a guard dog?
Suppose... Beta just waits until they could not possibly be alive any longer? she attempted to compromise, They have a limited lifespan, do they not? It was worth a shot, but what if later generations came looking to finish what their ancestors had done? Would it even count, considering she hadn't made the promise to their families as well? She still felt uneasy, perhaps more apprehension than she had prior to this train of thought. To neutralize it, she conceded with a shake of her head, Beta will stay. What else can she even do? She didn't know what the world outside this technological asylum was like -- she knew absolutely nothing, in fact, save for some stories and virtual simulators the scientists allowed her to learn from. It was too alien, and the mewtwo wasn't exactly the adaptive type.
"User: Beta. Welcome. Monitoring system: activate," the monotonous, electronic voice emerged from the main computer.
The mewtwo flinched at the familiar sound, trying to stay composed. Beta. The second. It sounded so much more like a physical blow when she heard it spoken aloud, voiced by someone other than her own mind. The pokémon hadn't turned out the way the scientists would have wanted, that much was made clear to her very early on. The implications of her given name, however, burned that fact onto her like a label. Not only did she not turn out to be the mew they had wanted, but she was much too different. She was a prototype for what they were aiming for. She was a second choice. There had never been an Alpha, but despite the fact that the top position was vacant, the mewtwo would never be able to achieve that sort of recognition.
Her long, lime green tail twitched, as though to throw the idea out of her head, or at least out of her conscious. It would always bother her, but she didn't have to let it control her. Maybe she could give herself a different name... but that only seemed to be a petty maneuver. What was in a name, anyway, if one had the capability of altering it how they pleased? As much as she hated it, naming herself wouldn't have been any better. At least with a name, even one as reprehensible as "Beta," there was some connotation that someone cared. Even if it was merely implied.
The caged pokémon took a quick look over the various monitors, set to watch strategic points: fault lines and potential weak zones, to be precise. She rarely ever saw a bird on the monitors outside, let alone anything suspicious, and today seemed to be no different. Flipping to the ones vigilant on the lower levels of the tower, it was even more bare. She winced inwardly at the fact she wasn't able to dust -- let alone enter -- these rooms, noting that they gathered more and more as the years passed. It looked dreadfully unkempt... but maybe that was a good thing. Less potential that someone would try to break in if it looked like nothing was here.
Despite the lack of change, Beta remained stationed. There was nothing else she could do for the time being to secure the place, after all. Nothing told her she'd be doing anything else for quite a while longer, either.
At least not yet.
[[ Word Count: 1,211 ]]
Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 4:37 pm
✨ Prelude to Catastrophe___ Or is it a saving grace in disguise?
Routine, routine, routine.
Perhaps there was some redeeming quality to always performing the same actions day in and day out, but there were certainly many downsides. Beta tried not to think of how aggravating and tedious the chores had become over the course of time, attributing the same old thing to a certain sense of security and well-being, but honestly she didn't much care for her own safety. The only thing that kept her imprisoned in this forsaken prison was one very simple fact:
She made a promise.
She couldn't even remember to whom exactly the promise was bound, the memories of some vague scientists the only thing really remaining about any of those that once occupied the facility. None of them had left a substantial mark on the pokémon as it was, keeping as little contact with Beta as physically possible. Of course, that was made easy considering she followed orders like her life depended on it; all they had to do was direct her through a speaker system most of the time.
Honestly, it didn't really matter if she remembered the exact scientist she had given her word to, as it was promised to all of them. Beta was going to protect the tower wherein she dwelled and keep all of the data secure from all outsiders until the day they came back. She'd been here all her life as it was, so there wasn't much difference... other than the fact that there was no direction, only a sense of days repeating to no end.
At least now, Beta had established an end, and that somehow made things more bearable. She could hold out that long. She had the tenacity, the stubbornness, the patie--
-What the hell is that!?- she spat once she noticed an unrecognized light source reflected on the main computer's monitor. Whipping around to meet this intruder face-to-face, knobby fingers tensed and ready for attack, she found that it was only a piece of stone of some sort. Puzzled, she neared the pointed ornament, trying to figure out what it was, -A shiny stone, perhaps?- What other specialized stones glowed like that? Speaking of which, where did it even come from? Had she accidentally knocked a drawer or computer cabinet open without realizing it? Was it a live wire?
When it came fully into view, Beta hissed and hopped backward, shielding her mind from the effects of the star. -What do you think you are doing in here!?- she nearly yelled, her psychic speech easily conveying her contempt despite it being directed to an inanimate object.
Eyes growing wide, Beta was quick to scan the room, and likewise quick to discover nothing else out of the ordinary with it. Giving the star another baneful glare, she spun back to the main computer and nimbly searched each monitor with scrutiny. -How did you get in here, you little b*****d?- the mewtwo growled as her eyes locked onto the screen, under her breath had the words truly been uttered. Again and again, each security camera came up with the same results: there was not one that picked up an intruder of any sort, not inside nor outside, in the past 24 hours.
Sighing, Beta slowly turned back around, leaning heavily on the control panel to the main computer console. -Jirachi, you think Beta does not know this is your doing? Who else could send out stars like this, that mess with a pokémon's head so much?- she griped, eyes still glued and glowering at the gift sent to her.
Funny thing was, although she had read plenty about other (though more natural) pokémon of the world, this one confused her. Jirachi was one that the humans considered a "legendary," a pokémon in short supply but immensely powerful. Although she herself fit the bill as being the same, she did not consider herself a "legendary;" she was only some monster born of an experiment of curiosity by those that considered themselves their own gods. Jirachi's most notable skill was to be able to grant its wishes with a prayer to a star... or at least, that's what a lot of the older books had said. Many of the new reports were that it could grant the wishes of others as well, preferring those of other pokémon.
Beta laughed, but the sound that emerged was as cold as the walls that encapsulated her. -Silly creature, you do not know that Beta is not a pokémon..?- she scoffed, shaking her head. However, this only proved to ignite her anger into a boiling rage, and she used that energy to smack the dusting towels off the counter top situated in front of the computer system with her tail, -And she has no wishes for you to grant!-
She couldn't bear to look at the thing any longer, storming away from the star to gather some materials. If there was something she was good at -- and that she actually felt she made some progress on around here -- it was cleaning up messes and mistakes. Obviously, her anger was sparked by the fact that someone got in and out without her detection. Whoever thought that it was because she was only suppressing what she truly was pining after, what she really wished, was... well...
-These rubber gloves were never meant for Beta's hands...- she mused as she attempted to slip them on, thus breaking her train of thought with thoroughness. Not much of the remaining gear fit very well either, but it would work fine for the task they were going to be put to accomplishing.
It took a lot of effort to seal the star up without it causing any lasting effects. From what Beta had researched, the star was to disappear when its reason for existence was completed. Considering it was still physically there, it must not have fully carried out its mission. Sealed in a glass cylinder, Beta was sure she was safe from its effects now as long as they remained separated by the transparent border. Studying the softly glowing artifact, eyes frigid, she still recognized that infuriating sense of curiosity within her.
Beta sneered despite this notion, -Nice try, Jirachi, but you are going to have to do better than that.- She was not ready; the tower was not ready... or did the jirachi already know that and had this little delay planned from the start?
Premise:It can be difficult to choose between duty and free will.
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:55 am
✨ Corrosion___ Longing, the barbed thorn that burrows
It had only been a matter of a couple days since the small piplup dubbed Holly had entered the lighthouse-outfitted laboratory tower. The amount of freedom the pokémon seemed to have at her disposal was loudly evident, especially when Beta was eventually forced to vacate her from the premises. To leave, like the mewtwo was reserved never to do in her oath to uphold the security of the laboratory data. If it wasn't for the severe lack of logic in the action, she'd be cursing the world for the hand she was dealt.
However, with a sigh to release such anger, she knew it was but a silly folly to do such a thing. It would only be a means to drive someone into a purposeful depression, after all, and that didn't seem like a very productive move to make. A waste of time, it most certainly would be, for she had a strong enough connection with her mind to turn such inclinations off.
Of course, this would never be such an issue if the tarnished mewtwo had not actually bound herself to the promise she had made, perhaps just let the scientists believe she agreed with their terms. That course seemed have a miniscule chance of success, considering they already knew she was capable of conversing with the humans fluently. They would have been waiting for a verbal response...
Flicking her tail, she considered her choice to stick so readily to promises, for truly it was one of the few choices she was allowed to make. At least, it was if it didn't end up being pre-programmed into her DNA. She was fairly certain that they were not that intuitively-advanced at the time of her birth, though. She even toyed with the idea of rebelling, randomly choosing to act more like a human and forgoing her promises, except that wasn't who she was.
At the thought, Beta took a peek behind her at the encapsulated star she had found about a couple of weeks prior. If Jirachi's stars really were the culprit behind the sudden and bizarre population explosion of pokémon-people, well... maybe the idea of turning tail on this tower was not too far out of her grasp..?
She swung her head back around and berated herself for thinking such foolish thoughts, -Stupid, stupid, stupid! Beta would not want herself reprogrammed!- It felt as though everyone in the world was out for genetic manipulation, even the pokémon themselves! Had the world gone mad!? Why would she wish that on herself when she was a pinnacle of the study anyway? She didn't like it then, and she was sure to hate delving further in!
Anger inexplicably washing over her again, she glared menacingly at the glowing star that stared at the back of her head day after day, -What do you want Beta to say? She does not like how you mess with a pokémon's physical structure! What are you trying to prove, anyway!?- She stormed off before the inanimate object had the chance to respond.
* * * * *
Sleep deprivation worked wonders on a desperately active imagination.
As much as she hated to admit it, as technologically advanced as she was, she was also the product of a team of scientists. As such, they implanted certain affinities into Beta that she could never quite shake, but nothing that controlled her overarching personality. She had been born with these tendencies grafted onto her soul, such as curiosity, magnetism to gaining knowledge, traits that made it easier to problem-solve, to absorb information, to learn by doing...
She was a product of her environment. She was a scientist.
Why deal with the brittle laws that governed her actions when she could just find a loophole in the schematics?
It seemed so simple, despite the underlying build-up was much more complicated. Beta would do what she wanted, she would find a way out of this prison. She would discover what lie beyond the laboratory, beyond the sand-coated lighthouse, and beyond the ocean-partnered beach. She would see it and experience it from something more tangible than scribbles on a piece of paper, or the scrawlings of text on a screen. Best of all, she would do it all without ever breaking a single promise.
-Jirachi, you knew that Beta would come to her senses, didn't you?- she spoke with the star behind the glass as she dismantled the metal paneling from the side of the main console, -You knew she would figure something out. You knew she wanted this. But you are not a psychic type, you must have only had a feeling.- Yanking a bundle free of where they were tied, careful not to cut any circuits, she paused, -It was obvious, was it not?-
It would take a while to accomplish everything she set out to do, and her haste in her near-impatience made mistakes more easy to come by. Numerous times, the green-hued mewtwo had to take a step back and refocus her energies so that she didn't botch the entire operation up in her eagerness.
With all her free time over the years, she continued to study all she could. Beta was always one to lean more toward the technology side of the spectrum, as working with computers for so long had managed to hook under her skin. It was, after all, a wealth of further knowledge than what she had at her immediate disposal, if only one knew how to secure it. Glitches in the system were also Beta's responsibility to cure, so it only came natural once she learned the basics.
This, however, was much more advanced. She had to start from scratch, and hesitated for the longest while about touching any of the materials in the back room. Although she was fairly convinced the scientists were no longer planning on returning, with no convenient access to the top floors anymore, she still had it ingrained in her. Her promises, they were strong enough to cause lingering doubt and held her fast from doing anything that would void such a contract. The store room, she eventually convinced herself, was not part of the deal. Much of it was junk material anyway, to be recycled or disposed of in a manner that nobody could recover the data. It was free game.
-Come on, read it. Master computer, you can read it... Beta insisted as she turned the makeshift contraption on. A tiny light blinked on the side of the console's main functioning parts, which was... a good sign, she hoped. Picking up another piece of junk material, this one a bright yellow wire, she headed for her trap door to the bottom floor. Taking a glance back to the main terminal, she released the wire from her hand and let it fall all the way to ground level. Her shoulders tensed in anticipation.
The dimmed volume of the console's alarms raked across the room as the lower level cameras caught the movement of the golden streak in the darkness of the lower auditory, which was just what Beta had expected. She noted the light still blinking on the main computer before turning lime eyes down to the Frankensteined device in her hands. Heaving a sigh, she saw that it was not reacting at all to the commotion.
At least, it wasn't right away. She jumped when a light began to flash on the handheld's surface, a picture flickering into view on the cracked screen. It was difficult to make out, but it was definitely the correct room that it was showing; she recognized the broken Captain's wheel on the far wall. It was perhaps the only time she really smiled to herself while confined in solitude.
She was quick to turn off the alarms before they droned too obnoxiously in her already pulsing head, needing a break from all the trial-and-error work. Beta released a heavy breath as she set the miniature security relay down onto the main computer's console, leaning against the half-attached panels as her eyes locked back onto the goal line.
-Well you were really no help, Star of Jirachi,- she scolded the glowing stone, -But at least you still have your uses, in the end. You had better uphold your promises to Beta. Wishes are not promises so lightly broken...- It was a warning threat, but after the amount of yelling she had used on the stone in the weeks preceding, it seemed almost playful.
Disappearing once more into the confines of a back room, the pokémon emerged carrying some mismatched clothing items wrapped in a scientist's uniformed coat. She knew that when pokémon were transformed, they always gained the body of a pre-adolescent. At her current, towering height, she was fairly certain that she would not retain such a vantage point once she awoke, but was not sure what size was best suited to her, either. She wanted plenty at her disposal; the coat, however, was sure to fit easily enough.
Carefully, almost fearfully, she opened the hatch to the containment chamber. The coat was already about her shoulders, but was awkward on her structure and grabbed her uncomfortably. -Best to make this quick, and before Beta changes her mind,- she encouraged, closing her eyes tightly as she gripped the stone firmly between her malformed fingers. The fatigued effect did not take as immediate effect as she had thought it might, but the onset was still quite sudden; Beta had enough time to get somewhere more comfortable than taking space up on the floor as she clutched the pulsing star.
It is rarely false that an individual craves for more than the lot they were given in life, whether or not they actually admit to such a thing. It seemed that Beta, despite the stubborn walls she erected against even herself, was just like everyone else...
[[ Word Count: 1,640 ]]
MoogerMint Crew
Sparkly Pants
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MoogerMint Crew
Sparkly Pants
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 1:19 am
✨ Tentative Start___ The first step is always the most difficult
Her mind became aware of her surroundings much more readily than the rest of her body was capable of following in pursuit. After a second past such realization, Beta subconsciously confirmed that this was likely a fortunate turn of events, even if it had initially been expected. It had taken a moment to recall, but after a few half-asleep observations, she remembered why she was in her current predicament, and what said predicament even was.
The first notion that jolted Beta more hastily toward an awakened state was the fact that she was sitting upright. She never sat upright, even when she accidentally fell asleep watching the monitors on the console. Her bed was one of the flattest, most uncomfortable examination tables in the entirety of the upper laboratory... not anything that could situate an individual vertically, and not anything that was cushioned; she was most certainly still in the console chair.
In her grogginess, one of her legs slipped, apparently keeping her propped up while unconscious. Her hands were curled up near one another, as though they were previously holding something... something she knew was smooth and star-shaped. Had she dropped it? No, it had merely disappeared, dispensing its energy into her. That's how it worked, right? That was, at the very least, how she perceived it to act. Which meant...
Beta stiffened, suddenly wide awake while she willed her eyes to remain locked shut. No wonder everything was so disorienting; it was obvious by now that the changes had already taken hold of her outer appearance. Her fingers tightened, much more slender and precise than before, and much more sensitive. Her legs could bend to fit the chair's seat more comfortably, and her head no longer towered over the back.
Was this... was this all what she truly wanted?
-There... is really no turning back now, is there?- she breathed, insisting on the logical conclusions created through her research into the phenomenon. As far as she had read, was aware of, there had never been a case where a humanoid pokémon ended up reverting back to their original state. It was like that for natural evolution as well, wasn't it?
She focused on her breathing, intaking and exhaling in controlled measurements. Had she been too hasty in her eagerness, in her fatigue, to realize that this was a mistake? Or had she been working with more clarity than she was willing to admit?
Beta... Beta, there is nothing left but to move forward, she urged herself to slide closer to the edge of the seat, What is done is done, and now you must live with what you have decided. The time for second thoughts has passed. As hard as she was on herself, her statements managed to help in reducing her fears. There was no use dwelling, so why was she insisting on doing so now? Her mind was firm to declare, -You need to get back to work.-
Slowly she eased herself off of the chair, steadying herself with a hand on the nearby console board. She no longer had to bend quite so far in order to do so, and in fact, had to keep her arm at an angle even once she got a handle on her balance. These legs, they almost seemed to fold in an unnatural manner... but then, Beta had been the more 'unnatural' one, so maybe the star actually managed to fix the anomalies in her DNA structure. The change... no; again, she had to admit that it was not a bad one. It was merely different. Over time it could very well feel just as natural, just as 'original.'
With these thoughts in mind, Beta finally urged herself to open her eyes, albeit cautiously. She took details in one-by-one, intrigued by most and, a few times, relieved. Familiarities were noted more strongly, and when grouped together with the more humanoid changes, were often met with an escalated sense of comfort. Her overall appearance from the shoulders down seemed much more human, but the silver hue to the strange skin was just about the same as it always had been. She flexed her fingers a few times, getting used to the new sensation, and tested the grip on the lab coat collar about her shoulders, pulling the cloth in close to her face.
For a moment, she huddled in the coat, taking in the smell of the fabric to ease the overstimulation. She felt the bottom hem brush against her ankles and, taking a chance, glanced back. A soft smile graced her features upon spotting her slender green tail, working to balance her off-kilter body as she attempted the stand-still. -This is not so bad... is not so bad at all,- the mewtwo finally allowed herself to conclude.
It was an awkward experience, trying on clothing. There were plenty of sizes to sift through, held in a room in the off-chance an extra change of clothes was necessary. In the field of genetic testing, such a happenstance was never out of the question. It was lucky that she still retained an above-average height for a young female child, for although the height was still within the higher range of adolescents, it was also on the shorter end of the spectrum when it came to female adults. This gave options, however limited they may be, even if the lowered eye level toyed with her senses.
She was able to mix-and-match a few things, fashioning others together in order to make a more connective fashion. After a moment, she looked to the set of clothing she had on with a certain befuddlement, -There was not much of a dress code...- How could anyone do their work with such bizarre styles of dress? It seemed... almost inappropriate.
Blinking, she took a closer look. She caught a smell off the attire that, while still clean, did not have the normal scent of disinfectant and plastic that seemed ordinary throughout the laboratory. -Ah, that explains it,- she straightened the skirt carefully, -This was not a scientist's garb. Family member, perhaps?- Beta hardly knew, but she could hazard the guess. It wasn't as though she saw many of those that took up residence in these parts, least of all without far more protective gear on, while she was in confinement for the better part of her life. If there was anyone else here, then it wouldn't have been possible for her to have known. Who would bring their child to such a messed-up and despicable place?
It did not matter, at least not anymore. It was unlikely the one who initially owned the clothing would even fit in it any longer, after so long a time. They probably didn't even remember that they left it here in the first place. Regardless, Beta wasn't going to keep them if the original owner requested them back, so there wasn't really anything worth lingering on.
However, that was more than enough fussing. Once she was adequately comfortable, Beta resumed her stead back at the main console. It was... a mess, to say the least. She shook her head, flinching slightly when the unfamiliar black hair tickled her nose. The front panels of the system were all in disarray, skewed about on their bolts. It was going to take some work, and the young pokémon was not about to leave things under such conditions. Maybe she was a bit obsessive with the cleanliness of the upper portions to the lighthouse, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference either way. She lived here, and it was going to stay as pristine as it was when the place was vacated from its human inhabitants. Maybe even more so, come to think of it...
Before getting to work, she glanced back to the handheld console that she had left on the counter top, to the back. The girl was eager to explore the unknown, but patience was not something that was outside her vocabulary. It would come soon enough. Likewise, it would give the child a chance to adapt to many things this new shell had to offer before taking it out for a test run.
[[ Word Count: 1,366 ]]
Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 1:21 am
✨ Orbital Investigation___ A study on the pass around a lighthouse
They say that it's always the first step that's the hardest. Supposedly, it was to get easier from there, with each succeeding step. If the girl just kept these thoughts in mind, maybe it would be easy from the start.
That was, at least, what Beta had been hoping. Theory and actuality didn't always line up, however, and with the change in outer appearance came a noticeable, linear connection to the inside. It had always been there, but the coincidence seemed more obvious now that Beta was made conscious of it. The human mind could be tricked -- quite easily, in fact -- but only when one wished to believe in the lines they were told to hold as truth. Deep down, Beta was scared of what she might find, of how different the world outside was, and of being discovered.
She had managed to convince herself that this was, indeed, a loophole in the verbal contract, for it certainly was. She was still guarding the place, even if she wouldn't be immediately present under its roof, and would react without a moment's notice to anything that tripped the alarm. Considering this was something that she truly wanted to do, deep down, it didn't take too much personal persuasion. However, what if she ran into one of the scientists on the outside, and they somehow recognized her? What if they faulted her of breaking contract, of such a closely-held promise? What if they found the break in that loophole that found her guilty of invalidating it? She couldn't see the defect in the flimsy rules herself, but that didn't necessarily mean they weren't there. -Perhaps...- she winced, taking a step back from the front doors, -Perhaps Beta should reconsider...-
Flinching with the homemade console in her hand, her eyes flitted downward to it. There came a soft sigh, her fingers tapping lightly on the surface of the control, -It would have been for nothing if Beta does not, at least, give it a try. She is not who she once was, not anymore. She has the capabilities to remove herself from her prison, if temporarily... and not be taken for a monster, as before.- While she didn't think she was any less of a 'monster' herself, she looked less the part now. Deceiving wasn't something she really liked to consider, but people seemed to jump to conclusions much too often for it to be something that could be avoided entirely. Her physical structure was much more humanoid now, and that's what people would likely identify with first.
This second-guessing was getting ridiculous; it was obvious she was merely anxious about the unknown, about things that could not be predicted. Living within the sanctity of these walls, everything could be controlled. Everything could be manipulated to go exactly as it should. Nothing changed, it only repeated. Beyond the doors, life was much more... organic, in both the physical and abstractly methodical sense of the word. The nervousness was justified, in other words -- it just needed to be torn down. For one not so familiar with risk-taking, it was the most difficult obstacle she had ever found herself trying to overcome, outside of accepting the star's power in the first place.
With a sharp inhale, the child held her breath and pressed her weight into her hands, flat against the front door of the bottom-most story. Her eyes were quick to snap shut, the light of the afternoon sun cutting through the sparse cloud covering in the sky. She paused in her forward momentum to sneeze into a lab coat sleeve, the jacket still atop her shoulders to give the girl a sense of familiarity while out in this alien world, no matter how small of a comfort it ended up being. With the door still propped ajar, she took the opportunity to get her eyes adjusted to the unfiltered light.
For a few seconds, that was the most Beta was able to accomplish, her first steps halted by an everyday occurrence. Her sight adjusted quickly enough, and just in time for the light to start blinking on the device in her hands, reacting to the movement at the face of the lighthouse. There was a bit of hesitation before she warily lifted the remote nearer eye-level. The small screen was still considerably more difficult to make out a picture on, but the girl that she saw standing at the front entrance made her heart skip a beat. -That is... Beta..?- she carefully treaded, placing a hand to the screen. It was so strange, to see the wholly unfamiliar child on the outside, one that she had seen from the mirrors in the laboratory upstairs a mere few hours ago, now branded as a trespasser from the systems above. It sent an unanticipated shiver up her spine.
Her actions turned bolder, and more focused in general. Beta had a job to do, and she was out here for a reason! However, it wouldn't do to have the alarm systems set off from the get-go -- they wouldn't turn off unless she was the one to do it, preferably from within the laboratory. -Beta forgot. She is seen as a threat on the outside as well, just like everyone else,- she reprimanded herself, sliding the door shut and lifting herself up the spire from the inside. At least it was once more confirmed that it worked, even out in that strangely emerald world. That was not the purpose of this advent, however, and the event was agitatedly shoved into the category of being a setback towards her ultimate goal.
It did not take long to turn the alarm system off and reset the parameters, but she was going to need to be more careful not to trip the alarms when she tried stepping outside again. She had wanted to avoid it, but it seemed the only way she could do such a thing and waste less time to accomplish it was to go by way of window. The topmost window, to be precise. The laboratory itself lacked them, but below this level were windows that were left mostly unmonitored. They were boarded up so birds didn't fly in and cause a mess of the place, but the panes had long since been removed. Or had they been blasted out, with the staircase? She honestly couldn't remember, but it wasn't as though it truly mattered in the end either way.
Levitation was still tricky business for the mewtwo-girl. It had been second-nature before the change, but her body mass had altered along with the physical modifications, causing a shift in how much of her telekinesis she needed to use in order to lift herself up. Movement on any plane had become much shakier, but she knew she would only get back up to par with practice, so perhaps this little detour could become a lesson in learning across a number of different avenues at once instead of an obstacle in the way of one of them. 'Kill two birds with one stone,' as the saying went.
Humans were quite morbid creatures...
With the soles of her boots clinging to the sill of the brick window, she pried a couple of boards free of the alcove of a window. Once she was on the outside, she propped the boards upright against those that were still nailed to the walls, set on the stone and fanned apart to give the impression that the window was still not an entrance to any aerial pokémon that spotted it. She worked nimbly, for there had been far too many distractions as it was. She was a quick learner, though, and scanned the landscape briefly to get a grasp on where she was, and what it was like out in this part of the wild. Fastening the miniature control to her person with a worn-down belt as she hovered near the makeshift boarding job, the girl decided arbitrarily to take to the right first, and circle around the lighthouse.
Most humans, she knew, traveled along the ground. A good majority of the pokémon populace tended toward the same, as even those that were airborne a large fraction of the time could not stay aloft forever. This governed her choice to keep herself levitated higher in the air, away from most prying eyes, and not just skimming the ground in her practice. She could see a wider expanse, this high up, and her lack of height-related fears made it effortless in mentality, as far as emotion was concerned.
First, Beta took to running a tight lap around the lighthouse, observing that which she observed every day through the screens of the lab. It was almost surreal, to see the bare and half-dead shrub near the edge of the beach sway its limbs to a pale breeze... and be able to feel that very same current on her own skin simultaneously. It was almost as though she were the bush on the ground, her consciousness removed from herself and placed into a more foreign body. She also supposed that was how she still felt, even now, for the body she truly possessed didn't seem her own anymore.
Her next lap around the lighthouse branched out further, closer to the edges of the sand-dusted earth of the beach where grains turned to blades of green. She could barely make out the darkened outlines of the forest beyond, and the city further down the beach. With a frown, she considered the implications of getting too close, to either territory. -Only one more pass, then Beta should call it quits for now,- she directed herself, attention pointed back to what was before her instead of alongside her.
Beta's final rotation around the lighthouse had her hovering over grass and ocean the majority of the time. In her anxiety, her senses was heightened to avoid anyone that may be wandering out and about, redirecting her shadow so that it did not pass directly above and alert attention to her presence. She was high enough up that it was unlikely that anyone would be able to make out what they were looking at, of course, but the girl wasn't about to take such an easily-evaded chance.
The wind was beginning to pick up as she covered the last of the distance. It was not chilly, but it jostled its way into the forefront of a traveler's mind. Beta had to adjust herself to stay up to speed, but her attention was slipping, and she found herself huddling a little more under the lab coat. She was not used to such fresh air, and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Everything had been new and undiscovered territory today. She had felt many ups and downs in a mere twenty-four-hour period of time. It was time to stop.
The speed she was clocking at slowed, altering direction to face the lighthouse once more, aimed for the half-boarded window. She could see that the planks that had been propped had not moved since she had left the tower, giving the raven-haired girl a touch of relief. Her hand moved to the receiver strapped to her side, removing it from its makeshift holster; the light was off, having not been triggered by the alarm system within. -It appears Beta's little adventure went off without a hitch,- she observed, slipping the console back to her side but still within grasp. Nothing bad had happened, and nothing around here was seen as an imminent threat, either.
There was the slightest smile that graced her catlike features as she reached the window sill, -Beta should be able to try this again soon enough.-
Premise:Both loathing and depending on psychic abilities comes with its own collection of hazards in the road... such as the ability to separate lies from pure ignorance.
- - -
Roleplay:Under spoiler
Tyche Fortuna "I'm hungry Lucy!" Solanacea whine, from her perch atop the teenaged Nuzleaf's head, her flower securely tucked into the older girl's hair, next to the ornamental flower that Lucia often kept there.
"Already?"Lucia questioned as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a Habanero. After handing it off to the tiny Flabebe, she reached back into the pouch and felt around. Their supplies were really beginning to run low. It had been far too long since she had pulled off a proper heist. She did have a cache of goods, of course, but that was days away, and she greatly preferred stealing new things to using up the old. Well, other people called it stealing. She was quite convinced it was already hers. The other people were merely keeping it safe for her. Unfortunately, it didn't really seem like she would fine much of anything around here; it was rather uninhabited.
Suddenly, interrupting the Nuzleaf’s thoughts, Sola started screaming. “It’s in my eyes! My eyes! They are burning! The habanero is in my eyes!”
Shaking her head slightly, enough to cause Sola to swing about, Lucia commented, “No it’s not; I’ve told you this, I don’t know how many times, the pepper doesn’t hurt your eyes.”
“Oh, yeah,” Sola replied, giggling, “I forgot.” With the tip of her arm, she pulled down on one eyelid, using the other arm to push the habanero to her eye. “Nope, that doesn’t hurt at all!” At the realization, one made almost weekly, she continued eating the pepper, one tiny bite at a time.
Shaking her head again, which, this time, cause Sola to squeal in glee, as she rocked back and forth, Lucia continued forward, her feet sinking into the sand at each step.
As she continued onward she spotted a lighthouse in the distance. It likely would not contain much, but it might have some rations, and how could she pass up the opportunity to plunder. Plus, it would be nice practice. She didn’t approach directly, though. She gave it a wide birth, circling it till she reached the coast. She doubted that some light house would have any sort of security, but she still acted like it would. Practice kept her skills up, even when they weren’t necessary. She would hit the coast line, and approach in the shallows. The turbulence of the water would do well to disguise her movements. Sola, wordlessly realizing what Lucia was doing, wrapped herself tight in the older girl’s hair and quietly nibbled on her pepper in excitement.
MoogerMint It had been a few days since Beta tested the limits to the makeshift receiver's reception. It had been her first time outside the lighthouse, and had been both exhilirating as much as it was terrifying. Nothing bad had befallen her due to the choices she had made, and she made a quick few laps around the vicinity before scurrying back inside to where it was safe. She hadn't seen anyone, so she was fairly certain she hadn't been seen, either. Not that she was much of a peculiarity, now that she looked more human than some rejected pokémon-centric experiment.
She had checked the handheld control once she returned home, and again this morning. It was still functional, even while outside, at least as far as she could determine. There was always a sense of dread in the back of her mind that maybe it was not built as well as it could have been, that maybe it wouldn't react as well to intrusion on the outside as it had on the inside. What was the true range? The anxiety was eating at the lime-hued mewtwo, holding her from testing the extent of its power. It wasn't as though she held her own abilities in the highest regard. She was a patient, she was the watch dog, she was not the mechanic nor the scientist... despite the tendencies towards exactly that.
Beta watched the box for a few more moments before pivoting to return to her station at the control console, to the same monitored images that had always been present. Flipping through a few of them, she hoped to catch sight of a stray bird, or a spider or... anything, to no avail. Heaving a sigh, she shifted the lab coat she had grabbed earlier that day and pulled the collar up closer to her jawline. She sat down heavily in the chair, propping a foot onto an unoccupied portion of the console face and mildly rocking the seat. Beta will find her nerve... she grumbled to herself in silence, curling her tail around her stomach.
Tyche Fortuna Fighting back the chill, Lucia waded through the water. It was almost enough for her head leaf to turn colors and fall off. Still, she was durable, she could handle it; it just wasn’t preferable. Sola, on the other hand, was perfectly content, resting atop the Nuzleaf’s head. Silently, she cheered her companion’s forward progress. It was so exciting! Her excitement was so great that she almost couldn’t eat, almost. Continuing to nibble at the pepper she watched the lighthouse get closer and closer. It cut through the sky like some ancient tower. She couldn’t wait to see what treasure lay inside. To her, Lucia’s larceny was like some grand treasure hunt! She never knew what they would find next!
Trudging out of the waves, Lucia carefully made her way to the base of the tower. The easiest way in would be on the ground floor, but, as always, she acted like security was involved. In general, people tended to worry most about ground floor doors and windows, making sure they were locked and secured, but paying little mind to upper floors. How easily she could get in those, though. Without a word, she motioned towards Sola.
It’s my turn!The flebebe though, nearly shaking with excitement. Spotting the second story window, she knew what to do. With a deep breathe, she unleashed a vine whip. It shot out and into the window, latching onto the inside. Lucia reached up and took hold of the small pokemons vine. With an agility gained from countless hours training, she sped up the vine, hand over hand. Before they knew it, the pair had scaled up the vine and were about to pop into the second story window.
So easyLucia couldn’t help but smile. Like taking berries from a munchlax .
MoogerMint She was flipping through the channels so fast, reacting to her irritated boredom, that her eyes were hardly registering what was on the screens. The mewtwo knew them all by heart, and with the early signs of winter already upon the area, there was no real movement to be had. Sure, she had toyed with the idea of venturing back outside for a break from the onslaught of inactivity that was so prevalent in her daily routine, but... but no, she felt she should push that adventure back. Maybe one more day... and tomorrow, she would likely come to the same conclusions: the unknown was simply terrifying, and she was still unsure how to counter that feeling. It was alien to her, as much as everything else had been lately, and she preferred her familiarity. Just a little longer... maybe a little...
It was then that her foot slipped, knocking a stray pencil to the floor with a clatter. It jolted Beta, immediately hopping to sit fully upright in the chair as her emerald eyes scanned the floor for where it rolled off to. Spotting it as it was about to retreat under the nearest table, she spun herself so that her elbows were resting on the back of the chair, knees to the bottom cushion, and halted the writing utensil from taking any other movements. At least, no movements until she got there. The child rose to her feet, releasing her psychic hold on the pencil only once her boot was resting firmly on top of it.
Something... wasn't right.
It was rare that Beta found herself exercising her mental capabilities to the physical extents it was able to. In this one action, used only out of surprise and a touch of laziness, she managed to pick up something more alarming. No, she didn't make it a habit to read thoughts, even those easier to pick up on, it was an invasion of privacy! However... she was sure that she heard what sounded like the thoughts of... a pokémon? It didn't sound like Holly, the voice was all wrong... did someone else get lost in here, just like she did?
However, it would have been foolish to assume such a thing; she had to stay cautious. Buttoning the top few buttons of the lab coat, as though it were a defense mechanism in itself, she moved toward the trapdoor in the floor and slowly made her descent. Maybe she could observe for a bit, and see what it was, exactly, that had this pokémon in here at all.
Tyche Fortuna “Woah!” Sola couldn’t help but exclaim as Lucia pulled the pair through the window. “Where’s the floor?”
“Don’t be so loud,” Lucia mumbled gruffly. Despite her flawless entrance, if anyone was here, they likely knew something was afoot now. Though, the place did look rather rundown and deserted, maybe it was empty? Carefully pulling herself into the lighthouse, she eyed the fallen stairwell. “Hmmm..” With a shrug she deftly leapt from the window to the sturdiest looking piece of stairwell that was in reach and then leapt to the floor. “This should be interesting…” she mumbled under her breathe, doubtful that she would find anything of value.
MoogerMint Beta's descent through the tunnel of a trapdoor was made slowly, a mixture of caution and the fact she was not as used to her current weight as she was when she had been a full-fledged mewtwo. She was much lighter now, having lost much of her towering height to the childish body she now possessed, and she had to readjust her mental hold in levitation so that her movements were more controlled. If she used the same exertion to lift herself now as she had done before, it was likely she would have shot herself out of the ceiling!
Her attention was almost entirely on the sounds residing in the direction she was headed. Her hearing strained to listen, she was disappointed to note that her hearing was not the most helpful asset in this particular case, but she refused to use her psychic abilities further than she was forced to.
Once Beta descended into the body of the lighthouse, she stuck to the far shadows, creeping down the useless staircase. It was less battered towards the bottom and nigh nonexistent towards the top, so she was fairly certain the pokémon that she had heard was nearer the ground floor. After a moment, she spotted the quick movements of the girl below, amazed at such deftly silent footwork. However, there were many perplexities... she was not a pokémon, or at least the full-fledged kind that she had picked up on the thoughts of. That, and what would she want with a run-down place like this? She was curious more than she was irritated, much more.
Tyche Fortuna We aren’t alone Lucia was sure of it. Sola, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the fact. Lucia could feel eyes burning into her head, though. They were being watched. Without moving her head, she managed to shift her eyes enough to barely make out the form of their watcher in the shadows. Whoever it was, they were rather high. High enough, that, had she tried to knock her out, the fall could very well be fatal. While she had no moral qualms with pilfering, murder was another matter altogether. For now, she would act as if their observer remained unseen.
As Lucia pondered what move to make next, Sola interrupted the silence. “Where’s the treasure?”
MoogerMint While Beta was curiously inching her way nearer, she maintained the distance at a few floors above. Lucia was... very tall, and the fact her movements went undetected had her on her toes. The place was obviously abandoned, and most of the objects on the ground floor were not all that recognizable. There was the withered captain's wheel at the bottom, nailed to the wall, but even that was a little too high up. Why would someone be so quiet, in a place like this? Even if they were up to something, it seemed a bit strange. Did she... did she know about the laboratory upstairs?
She flinched at the thought, nearly pressing herself to the wall. She may have to act drastically, if that was the case. What did she want? Her eyes narrowed, taking note of every step that was made. The teen looked and acted potentially threatening and highly suspicious; the mewtwo wasn't about to let her guard down.
At the spoken question, Beta's eyes widened. That was... that was the voice she had caught the grazing thoughts of! But where was it coming from? She was much too high up to realize the decorative flower and chili pepper atop Lucia's head was moving of its own accord, without Lucia's own movement needed. Treasure..? she caught the word, baffled to its meaning. Lowering herself to stand atop half a stair still attached to the wall, her nervousness was unsteady. Did treasure refer to the lab? Or were they mistaken as to the whereabouts of some pirate's bounty? Only one she could help with... the other, she would have to take strict action against.
Tyche Fortuna Well, there goes any chance of their motives remaining hidden, Lucia thought with a grimace. She would have greatly preferred that the person watching them had no idea of their motivations. I can’t fix this completely, but still, I could do some damage control. Treasure is such a vague term, after all. “Yeah treasure,” Lucia replied with a forced silly grin, “preferably some edible treasure. We all can’t survive on peppers after all, and we are even running low on those.”
“We are running low on peppers?!” Sola exclaimed with wide eyes shock, hugging the remnants of the habanero she had been nibbling tightly. “How could we run low on those? How about berries? How many berries do we have? Please tell me we have berries!”
Laughing, which wasn’t forced, like the grin had been, since she would have preferred real treasure, “We have a few berries left.”
“A few? A few?! I could eat a few! You could eat a few! We both couldn’t eat a few!!” Anxious about the possible lack of food, Sola began eating the pepper faster.
“Don’t worry, we will be fine.”
“Oh? We will? Okay then.” Sola’s voice having returned to a calm level, she resumed a more casual pace of pepper eating. “Look! Treasure,” Sola suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the withered captain’s wheel. With much excitement, she launched a vine whip at it, pulling it rapidly towards the pair. If not for Lucia’s quick reflexes, it probably would have smacked them both. Luckily, though, the Nuzleaf teen snagged it out of the air, before it had a chance to.
Shaking her head slightly, not enough to fling the Flabebe about, Lucia set the wheel at her feet and looked about the ground floor, keeping an ever watchful eye at the upper levels.
MoogerMint Perched on the remnant of a stair, Beta's off-color tail wrapped around the stone beneath her feet, her body crouched in an attempt to get a better look without having to move closer. It was difficult to determine whether this individual at the bottom of the lighthouse meant to pose a threat or not. The mewtwo was hyper-vigilant on the movements taken, the words spoken, but the holes in her understanding of the situation was still prevalent. She was hearing two separate individuals, yet only seeing the one.
This chatter of treasure in reference to food, though... why in a broken, run-down lighthouse? Why not go to town, a few miles down the stretch of beach? Or even take Holly's lead, and go fishing for a meal? The logic of it all, it didn't seem to match up...
The corner of her lab coat lost its hold on her knee and fell against her arm, currently propping her torso upright. It hit with more force than she was anticipating, causing Beta to flinch in response. Blinking, she fished a hand into the pocket, only to discover that the security monitor that she had made from spare parts was still on her person. Well, as long as she knew it was there, it wasn't a problem, but she thought she had left that on the table! Such a nuisance...
She flinched when the captain's wheel was wrenched from the wall, rising back to her feet once more to observe a little longer. While she had no real connection to the formed piece of driftwood, it was still a part of the place, and made it seem a little more home-y. She was glad that nobody had been injured, but this was getting out of hand... -What are you doing here?- she sent to the figure on the ground, still opposed to using her own voice to communicate. She looked surprised for a moment, noticing where the vines had originated from and finally spotting the flabebe atop the teen's head. Beta had never seen such a peculiar-looking pokemon before!
Tyche Fortuna “Who said that?” Sola exclaimed in confusion.
“Who said what?” Lucia inquired, having heard nothing.
“Someone asked what I was doing here!”
“I didn’t hear anyone?” Lucia knew they weren’t alone, but she was also positive that she had heard no one speak. Is this some game that Sola is playing? It certainly isn’t the time for that. “The last time anyone said anything, before you exclaimed ‘Who said that?’ was you also exclaiming ‘Look! Treasure!’ And that’s just a steering wheel, not really treasure anyways; no you can’t eat it…well maybe you could, you do seem to enjoy things that most don’t have the stomach for after all.”
“Most don’t have the stomach for? What do you mean? And someone did say something! I swear!”
“Yeah those peppers…err….nevermind.” Shaking her head, Lucia couldn’t help but wonder if Sola had finally lost it, hearing voices and all. Though while she was certain no one had said anything, Lucia couldn’t help but comment on their observer. “Really Sola, hearing things. Next you are going to claim you see people flying about!”
At her comment, Sola couldn’t help but look all around, “Look!” she yelled out, “There is someone flying! Is it a ghost?! I don’t think I like ghosts! Do I? Hello ghostie! Why are you hiding up there! Why can’t Lucia hear you? Do we have a link! Am I a ghost? Oh no! I am a ghost!!”
MoogerMint Beta watched the duo curiously, attempting to figure them out. Was the teenager merely pretending she didn't hear Beta's question, in order to draw her out? She hadn't seemed to have reacted at all to Beta's voice, however; there wasn't even a flinch of surprise, at least until the pokémon on her head had asked about it. The mewtwo had a very minute amount of interactions before, even fewer when it came to pokémon-kind, so this was a very new occurrence to her. How could one not hear her psychic query? Beta had directed it specifically to the both of them... how was she blocking it?
The two newcomers' conversation still had the sheltered mewtwo baffled as to the true meaning behind the words spoken. It seemed the two of them did not agree fully on what was considered 'treasure' and what was not. Driftwood was hardly considered edible by anyone's standards, and the way the tiny pokémon went on about everything that came to mind led Beta to believe that she probably had difficulty keeping a secret, especially with her following exclamations. It was very possible that there was a secret being hidden as best as could be done... and the craftiness the two were portraying kept the mewtwo-child on her toes.
She did seem to have been spotted by one of them, and it seemed it was the least threatening one out of the bunch. As Sola began addressing her, her expression softened to the babbling as she stepped off the stair she was on and floated straight down another story's worth of stairs. -Beta is no ghost, she is merely one that speaks through the mind at another individual. How is it that the small pokémon's friend does not hear Beta's summonings?- she asked, though she figured she would not be able to get a proper answer out of the flabébé. She frowned at this, -Is the small flower-pokémon not on good standing with her partner? Why does she not believe you?- It seemed very bizarre for a partnership to lack such benefit of a doubt, but she had no real foundation for assuming it wasn't normal.
Tyche Fortuna “Right, right, a ghost, flying overhead,” Lucia replied, her face completely blank to the fact that she was feigning ignorance, despite being aware of the other girls presence and of her current descent.
“There is! It’s happening again! Did you hear it this time?”
“Uh, no?”
“She is in my head! I hear her in my head! You can’t hear that?”
“How am I supposed to hear what is in your head?”
“I, uh, good point…But she is in my head! She isn’t in yours too?”
“Obviously.”
“I am being summoned!” she yelled out, not really knowing the meaning. “What does that mean? Why would anyone believe I am hearing voices in my head? What do you want? I’m scared.” At that, she curled up in the fetal position on Lucia’s head, before continuing. “Wait, you’re not a ghost? Then why are you floating? Your name is Bagel? I love Bagels! Maybe you aren’t that bad… Don’t worry I won’t eat you!”
“So you are talking to someone named Bagel, that isn’t a ghost, but is talking in your head…does that about sum it up?”
“Uh…yep!”
“Sounds like a psychic type then.” Shifting her gaze directly at the Mewtwo, Lucia added, “That about right?”
MoogerMint Beta was concerned to the tiny flower-pokémon's reaction to the mewtwo-girl's speech, curiously watching. Maybe... was it a bad idea to speak at all to them, then? Holly didn't have nearly as adverse a reaction, so was the piplup an uncommon case? Or was the flabébé's reaction the bizarre one? Was it because Beta appeared more human that she was getting such a reaction? It seemed she was only getting more questions the further she probed for answers, and she was not about to dig into another's mind to satiate that puzzlement.
Sola's exclamations were difficult to follow, but it was obvious that she was frightened. -S-Settle down, Beta means no harm...- she attempted to get across, unsure if her words were falling on a closed mind or not at this point. Perhaps she should head back to the shadows, but then what damage would that have done, to have Beta suddenly disappear from view? Such a baffling creature... all Beta wanted to know was what they were doing here in the first place!
The nickname didn't seem to faze the girl, though she was confused at first of the correlation. She was even half-tempted to correct the small pokémon if it weren't for the fact that the nickname seemed to put her more at ease. Alright... she could live with 'Bagel,' she supposed. She was about to respond to Solanacea's vocal cries of questioning when her partner chimed in with the correct answer. Her limbs stiffened when the teen turned to her, defensive reactions locked in place, just in case she had to use more forceful measures. She leaned her head over a bit, nodding after a brief pause in consideration. She still had no idea why the teen couldn't hear her voice in her mind, but Beta wasn't naive enough to attempt responding to her in such a manner. If she wanted to speak... she would only have the spastic pokémon to talk to, and at the moment, she wasn't sure if that was such a good idea.
Testing the waters, her eyes slid back over to the pokémon, -What are the two of you hoping to find in such a run-down lighthouse such as this?- Maybe if she went slowly to gather the information, she might actually get somewhere.
Tyche Fortuna “Ettle down?” Sola replied in a confused tone. “Ettle? Ett…le? Nettle? Nettle down?! There are nettles on the ground! Why would you put nettles on the ground if you didn’t mean to hurt us!” Leaning down, closer to Lucia’s face, she whispered, “She put nettles on the ground!”
After a deep exhale, Lucia replied, “There aren’t any nettles on the ground, Sola. Are you sure she didn’t say ‘Settle down’? You are over reacting a tad.”
“Settle….settle down? That….that makes more sense. A lot more sense! The way I hear it made no sense at all. Are you sure you can’t hear Bagel?”
“Yeah, I’m quite certain I can’t hear…um….Bagel?” Lucia was also certain that that had been Sola mishearing the girl as well, but she didn’t know what the correction would be.
“We want to find treasure!” Sola exclaimed, with a slight hop into the air. “Maybe some Bullion! Or some berries! Or Peppers! Have you ever had a pepper? Want some, they are delicious! Oh magnets! I like magnets! One time I found a broken tv remote! It was fun to push the buttons!” Suddenly, amidst her flurry of comments, Sola had an idea. She couldn’t help but wonder if she could communicate with her mind! Closing her eyes, and holding her breath, so that her cheeks seemed to bulge, she yelled out, in her mind, HELLO
Sensing what she was doing, Lucia stated, “Don’t forget to breath, Sola,”
MoogerMint The confusion of Sola's misunderstanding was evident on the mewtwo's expression. She always thought she spoke in a very concise manner, and was baffled as to how an individual could misconstrue it in such a... nonsensical way. For a moment, she felt that the small pokémon was giving any reason to distrust the girl, and the thought sparked her own barriers to rise once more. Neither one of them were the trusting type, that was fine with her -- she didn't tend to be that way, either. It seemed that her exposure to the happy-go-lucky Holly had left Beta open to being blindsided in an attempt to find such hospitality once more. It was high time to start acting like she was suppose to. She was to be guarding the place, and those found within the grounds needed to vacate the area before anything was either discovered or damaged.
Beta's expression turned more serious with those thoughts in mind. As nice as it was to have some break from the drab routine, breaks didn't last forever. Levitating down, she maintained height above the ground in the off-chance she needed to get out of there fast. The more she observed, the more she did not trust these two. There were too many holes in their story, but she was apt to responding as though it weren't. -It sounds as though the 'treasure' you are searching for is more likened to sustenance, or that which you need to survive. You will not find any here. As you can tell, it is rather barren. There is no reason to stay,- she directed to the pokémon, fully expecting it to be garbled in some manner. This was aggravating, and much more tense an encounter than she remembered since the scientists were actually milling about the place.
Catching Lucia's query on her name, Beta utilized what minute information she could gather on sign language. She only knew the alphabet, but it seemed adequate enough for now... as long as the teen could follow. Beta began spelling out her name slowly, B-E-T-A. She made a face at it, wrinkling her nose a little; she still did not like the name, but always felt the need to refer to herself in such a manner. Perhaps it had become habit...
At Sola's mental greeting, Beta suddenly reeled in reaction, as though the walls were echoing with the single charged word. -Please, not so loud! You do not need to try so hard!- she called over, stumbling onto the ground after losing her grip on her levitation.
Tyche Fortuna “You want me to leave?” Sola cried out, obviously saddened. “I don’t think she likes me Lucia! I even offered her a pepper!”
Reaching up, Lucia patted the Flabebe and stated, “I am sure she didn’t mean it, Sola. Why would anyone want you to leave?”
It didn’t take a psychic type to read the blank expression on Lucia’s face when Beta attempted to sign. She didn’t understand a bit of it. “Um, something wrong with your hands?” She didn’t have an opportunity to say anything else, as Beta fell from the sky, in response to Sola’s attempt at telepathy. I wonder what she has in those pockets? Lucia bent over the obviously disoriented Beta and offered her a hand, “Need some help?” Her other hand brushed along the Mewtwo’s pocket.
In a much lighter, almost tearful tone, Sola thought I’m sorry, I didn’t meant it
MoogerMint It became apparent to Beta that when she had been indicating to the flabébé both her and the teenaged nuzleaf, her pronouns were more easily misidentified as referring to only the pokémon. That was a problem... she had meant them both. -When Beta says 'you,' she means both you and your friend. Beta apologizes for the misunderstanding,- she offered, seeing as Sola seemed to be getting the hang of identifying what it was Beta was trying to say. It had been much too long since she had any social practice that this awkward pattern was not taken into account sooner. Maybe it had been the mental shock that had alerted her to the connection between Sola's outbursts and Beta's word usage... that was also a possibility.
Holding her head, she peered up at the offered hand. While she was still on her feet, she realized that she had still crumpled over slightly. The nuzleaf teen must have been quick on the uptake to be over here so soon, and out of her disorientation, she took the offered hand without suspicion to regain her balance. Her snakelike tail snapped out in an attempt to aid in the effort, stabilizing much like a feline. -Ah, thank you. Not... that you can hear Beta, but...- she stuttered slightly before realizing the other girl's height. And here she thought she had been tall...
Turning back to the flabébé at the silent apology, Beta gave a slight nod of the head in acceptance, -That is a good tone, now. It is all right, it is an easy mistake to make. It was your first time doing so, yes?- The mewtwo-child offered a smile, trying to reassure. She felt better, it was just a bit jarring at first! She may have not been conscious of the lifting, but she had caught something else, and relayed the question to Sola, -Your friend does not know sign language, does she?- Well that was an inconvenience, but at least she seemed to have realized that Bagel was probably not her real name.
Tyche Fortuna Lucia slid her prize into the pouch, her deed completely hidden from her voice. Undetected, perfect. She was correct in assuming that the Mewtwo had not noticed, but Sola, her accomplice had.
As Lucia slid it into her pouch, sola couldn’t help but stare. Knobs? I wonder what those do!
Obviously distracted, Sola replied, “Oh? Both of you? You don’t like Lucia either? Why? She is my friend.” As she talked, she scurried off Lucia’s head and toward the pouch. Sticking her head in, she said, in a voice muffled by the pouch itself, “Yeah, it was my first time! Whats sign language? Are you sure you don’t want a pepper? They taste so good!”
MoogerMint Beta offered Lucia a slight nod of the head as thanks, though it did not seem to completely correspond to what she had meant it to. Nevertheless, it was all she could really muster, knowing it was more of a universal signal than basic sign language. Huffing, she thought it over a moment before trying her hand at communicating without the use of her voice or telepathy. She inhaled, and gave it a trial run, starting off by indicating herself with the thrust of a thumb. Next she covered her mouth and shook her head, moving the hand to point to the side of her head, then moving the direction of the finger outward, as though giving off signals. The teen already had a pretty good idea, from the sounds of it, that that was what Beta was capable of doing. Her expression turned more confused when her eyes locked back onto Lucia's, baffled as to why the teen could not hear her mental speech.
Blinking, the mewtwo's attention turned back to the attention-deficit flabébé, momentarily unsure why she thought that Beta didn't like the two of them. It didn't take her long to figure it out, -It is not that Beta dislikes either of you, but this is where Beta stays. Breaking into a place that is not one's own is generally regarded as lawless behavior. It is frowned upon.- Maybe this small pokémon was more similar to Holly than Beta had initially believed. Explaining simplistic ideas and notions to one less familiar to them had its own certain charm.
She watched curiously as Sola inhabited Lucia's bag. -You managed to adapt your mental speech patterns quickly for your first time,- she commended, going on to explain more in-depth queries, -Sign language is a form of communication that others use when they cannot speak out loud, as you do. Your friend does not seem to be able to hear Beta, as you can, and Beta is unsure as to why that is.- At the offered pepper, Beta's intrigue rose, -What is a pepper?-
Tyche Fortuna After returning the nod, Lucia attempted to decipher the other girl’s gestures. “Can’t or won’t?” she inquired, in response to the gestures of her inability to speak, somewhat curious of the answer. Had the other girl become so reliant on her mental powers that she had lost basic communication abilities? If that was the case, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, relying on the crutch of her psychic powers so much. At the girl’s look of confusion, Lucia simply stated, “You’re mind tricks don’t work on me, Jedi.” Though she was quite certain that the other girl wouldn’t get the reference, still, she found it amusing.
“We didn’t break anything!” Sola proclaimed in defense, ‘We just came in thru the window! And we didn’t know you stay here. It looks abandoned! I thought there might be ghosts. Are there ghosts? You aren’t a ghost, but there could still be ghosts? Why do you live in a place that is haunted? What’s a lawless?” She paused for a moment as she discovered the device that Lucia had snagged. It does have knobs! In glee, she began randomly turning this way and that, continuing to do so as she replied. “You can’t speak? Why not? And they are delicious, that is what they are! Vine whip!” As she proclaimed the moves usage, a vine wielding a habanero shot out from the sack, ending its trip a couple inches from Beta’s face. “Try one!”
MoogerMint Beta frowned at the question offered by Lucia. Glancing down, she held up one finger, "can't," and then another, "won't." Lifting her attention back up, she crossed the fingers, symbolizing it was a bit of both. The mewtwo hadn't exactly tried speaking before, because she wasn't allowed to. Or, at the very least, hadn't been allowed to when the scientists were actually here. While Beta was lost to the reference of Lucia's quote, the meaning behind the phrasing was easily connected to the current situation. They did not work... psychic abilities did not work? How peculiar... -Why is that..?- Her eyes carefully observed the teen, as though she could somehow decipher any indication as to why such abilities were nullified.
Solanacea's naive defensive measures against what she viewed as accusations almost caused Beta to smile, if only because the pokémon's disposition pointed more towards adolescent behavior. -It is called 'breaking in' because those that do sometimes have to break a window or similar before entering the premises. You thought there would be food in an abandoned lighthouse..?- she was still quite baffled, but wouldn't jump to conclusions, merely remain on her guard. She quirked her head at the insistence of something ghost-like hidden inside the lighthouse, -There are no ghosts. Beta is the only thing that somewhat resembles a pokémon around here...- Apparently she didn't understand the terminology association with something outside of a ghost-type when referring to hauntings, but then again, pokémon seemed to be the cause of many a so-called 'supernatural phenomenon.' -You... do not know what a law is?- she asked, incredulously, -It is a rule that governs behaviors toward socially acceptable parameters. Um... so that everyone... gets along better? Situations get less out-of-hand, and suspicious...- It was a lot more difficult to try to find synonyms in smaller words, especially when it involved a basic concept, apparently; she tried to hint at the wrongdoing while she was at it, but doubted the subtle hint would register to the flabébé.
Beta may have been curious with what the small pokémon found her attention being grabbed with, within the confines of Lucia's bag, but she wasn't about to snoop around to get a closer look -- it was none of her business, after all. She hesitated at the question, but didn't pull any punches, -Beta... was not allowed to speak out loud. So she cannot.- It was, as she had hinted at before, both a 'can't' and a 'won't' in the truest sense. She flinched and took a small step back when Sola pulled a pepper out of the bag, offering it to the mewtwo-girl with a thin vine. -But... you were low on supplies, were you not? Should you not ration out your food better than to offer some to a stranger that has no use for it?- Well... no use other than curiosity, that is.
Tyche Fortuna Lucia looked puzzled at first at Bagel made the gesture with her fingers. “Um? You mean both? I see…” It seemed the other girl wasn’t full sure of the reason she wouldn’t speak; it could only be one or the other. If she couldn’t speak, then her desire to speak wouldn’t matter. Maybe she had never even tried? The Nuzleaf could tell from the girl’s expression that she didn’t understand why her powers didn’t work. She, however, didn’t bother to ask, with gestures or otherwise. There was no need to reveal all her secrets yet, even If she had thought that the immunity dark types had against psychic types was well known.
Still fiddling with the knobs, hoping that something would happen, Sola replied, still somewhat confused on subject,“But we didn’t break in? And you will never know what you find in an abandoned fortress! Though I guess it wasn’t abandoned, since you are here, but it certainly looks abandoned, the stairs are even broken! But that’s good there aren’t any ghosts! I’d have to use my fairy wind on them! Rules? Those sound silly. Why do something just because other people tell you that you should? You should be free!” Pausing for a moment as she fiddled with the knobs more, Sola added, “Is that a rule? That you can’t talk? That’s a stupid rule! That rule should be broken, others shouldn’t tell you what you can and can’t do.” Thinking about Bagel’s question, Sola added, a grin on her unseen face, “That’s fine, we can find more. Though, if you feel bad about just taking it, you could always trade for one?” Sola wasn’t as prone to plotting as her comrade, but she did have a bit of the ol’ mercantile spirit.
MoogerMint Beta's expression offered her slight exasperation on the subject as she wavered a hand slightly, as though to say, "Kind of." This was not a subject that could really be... gestured to get the proper effect. Regardless, she doubted they -- or much of anyone -- would really understand her reasonings. When one grew up behind lock and key, under strict guidelines throughout their entire longevity, they tended to be turned into strict habit. Why break those guidelines, set by those that ruled your very being, and for someone who just broke into the place for who-knew-what-reason? Regardless, it seemed the conversation was beginning to ebb... which was probably for the better. They shouldn't have been in here in the first place, and she didn't seem intent on explaining her shady motives.
The girl thrust an index finger to point the way the two of them emerged to the inside of the lighthouse, -You both came in through a window. If a pane had been present, it would have literally been broken when you entered. Beta does not understand your logic otherwise...- It felt like Sola was trying to deny the both of their involvement in something they were caught doing red-handed, even though Beta had explained seconds prior that there did not need to be any literal breaking. She wasn't, however, apt to explain the conditions of the inside of the structure -- it was supposed to look abandoned, that was the point. The small flabébé sure was a talkative one, however, and her queries were beginning to stalemate Beta's responses. It was amusing as much as it was a barrage. She knew, however, that explaining the values of rules to one so lawless was going to be more than a little bit challenging... -Rules are put in place to create order from what would otherwise be chaos. Imagine if everyone did only what they wanted to. Many are not very friendly. Beta is sure you can imagine what happens when so many ideals clash...- She sighed and shook her head; maybe Sola couldn't imagine it, and maybe she shouldn't have to try. -Worse things would come of it if everyone ignored the rules. They have saved more than one life. However, if the flower-pokémon has not heard of such conduct, it may be useless for Beta to try to explain without proper example.- There were reasons, there were always reasons -- even for why she didn't speak -- but explaining it would not always be conveyed as simply. The sentiment was nice, Beta had to admit, but she didn't feel as though that sort of freedom was within her grasp. There were too many invisible chains.
She continued to hesitate to grab the pepper from the offered vine whip, still unclear as to why she was offering the item in the first place. Sharing her own love for the food, perhaps, but if they were as desperate to find food that they would break in to a secured area... they would have had to have known about the cameras scattered throughout the area in order to avoid them! -Beta does not have anything she could offer in return. It would be a wasted provision. Where would you go to get more of them? It is a large distance to travel to the city from this point...- she was still fuzzy on the details, and didn't feel she was getting any closer to the answers she was seeking.
Tyche Fortuna “I see,” Lucia replied. After a moment’s pause, she added, “Well it is a shame you can’t communicate more directly with me, though all the same, I am still glad you can’t directly do it with your telepathy.” A look of sadness appearing for a moment, before being forced away, she added, “I’ve known far too many psychic types that would be all too happy to invade the minds of others; I.. I’m not saying you’d do that, it would be wrong to jump to such conclusions about someone I had just met, but, overall, I am glad of my defense.” This Bagel seemed distrustful of them, so it couldn’t hurt to give her reason to believe that they might be distrustful of her.
“It’s funner to go in through the window though! And there wasn’t a pane, so nothing was broken. And it is supposed to look abandoned, so if that’s how it looks, then it doesn’t look like anyone would own it, so what would be wrong with going inside, if no one owns it?” Sola tried to explain, still in the bag. After thinking about Bagel’s words for a moment, she added, “But if people are only good because the rules tell them to be good, then they aren’t really good are they? They are lying! And what if someone bad made the rules? Then they would be bad rules!”
Despite only hearing one half of the conversation, Lucia was pretty sure what the topic the two girls were talking about was. Not being able to resist commenting, she added, “Sounds like pretty much every dictatorship out there.”
“What’s that?” Sola asked, unfamiliar with the term.
“It’s what you said. When a bad person makes the rules, and they pick them out so that they stay in power and other people suffer.” With a pained sigh, she added, “And if other people don’t like this, the rules say they have to die. Doesn’t sound very good, does it?”
Momentarily stunned, Sola was, at first speechless. After a momentary pause, she added, “Rules sounds bad….I don’t want any rules. No, no, no, I will stick with peppers and adventures and treasure!” Sticking her head out of the bag, Sola continued, looking at Bagel, “A bunch grow where I came from! It’s far away, but we can get more. Lucia doesn’t like them though, she says they are too spicy, but they are delicious! Amazingly delicious! Incredibly delicious! Mmm, mmm, good!”
MoogerMint It was apparent that Beta was slightly taken aback when Lucia began speaking more freely all of a sudden, something the mewtwo had all but given up on. She was... just as cautious, then? The deducted conclusions, once they were given, offered a more believeable insight into the actions taken thusfar, offering Beta more reason to relax her guard more. They were understandable guards against telepathic speaking in general, and although Beta was not of the number that would have abused such power, she couldn't very well blame the teen for taking such stance. This was why the rules were constructed against the chaos that would otherwise befall them, this is what she was taught, so there was no reason to take offense of such accusations, either. She offered a small smile and nodded in understanding... and honestly, agreement as well. -Beta would never do such a thing, but many would be prone to abusing such abilities merely for curiosity's sake. A flaw of nature...- she found herself responding automatically, sighing slightly before her eyes turned back to Sola -- or, at least, the bag that Sola was currently occupying, -If the little pokémon wishes to tell her friend of anything Beta speaks of, you have free reign to. What... are your names, anyway? If it is not too much of a problem.-
She supposed that Sola had a point, about breaking into abandoned property, but that was all based upon assumptions. This was, by no means, a safe assumption to be making, -Upkeep may be lacking, but that does not necessarily mean that it is abandoned. If one had to leave their home for an extended period of time, it still does not give the right to enter into the home while they are gone. Beta does not know if you can understand this without firsthand experience, though.- Maybe it was just because they were all wild pokémon that they couldn't see the wrong in it, but then... -Why avoid the cameras if you did not think it was occupied?- They were everywhere, and therefore one would have to go very far out of their way for a slim chance at avoiding them altogether.
The silver-skinned child hesitated to respond to Sola's questioning of lawful behavior, giving ample time for her conversation to proceed unhindered with her partner. Her tail swayed, listening to the explanations offered in return. It was plain to see that Lucia did not necessarily entirely approve of many laws, perhaps any, but Beta could recognize the truth behind most of what was spoken. -It depends on who is making the law, but those that have stuck around through time tend to have done so for a reason. Yes, laws are capable of killing as easily as they are of saving. Many things, many ideas, are that way. Including breaking and entering,- she pointed out. Maybe... she should stop attempting to joke, especially considering she was also being entirely serious at the same time. It frustrated her to hear such black and white logic.
Blinking, she hesitated to take hold of the pepper that was still being offered, -But if you were both without food for an extensive period of time, would eating something that was not fully enjoyed not be better than starving?- If they were truly desperate enough to break into a highly secured, supposedly-abandoned building for the slim chance of procuring provisions, Beta didn't want to add to the chance of them starving to death merely because she was curious.
Tyche Fortuna “Oh, you want me to tell her what you are saying? Ok. Oh! And I am Sola and she is Lucia.” Sticking her head out of the bag, she turned to Lucia, and stated, “Bagel wouldn’t do that. She called herself Bagel. Should I call myself Sola. Sola likes that! Sola, Sola, Sola. Sola likes adventures! Sola can say Sola. Actually, Sola’s name isn’t Sola. It is Solanacea! Solanacea, Solanacea, Solanacea. But Bagel didn’t say that, Sola did! But yeah, Bagel wouldn’t do that. Others would abuse it though. Because they are curious! Nature is flawed? What does that mean? I like nature…I forgot! Sola likes nature! Oh! Sola forgot! Sola’s bad.”
“I…uh…I think I understand.” Lucia replied, trying to digest all that Sola had just said. Turning to Bagel, she added, “That’s good, hopefully you never give in to the temptation of curiosity then.”
“Sola wouldn’t mind if someone went into my home while Sola was gone?” Sola replied, not really understanding why she would be so protective of the lighthouse, “What if they needed some place to stay and were lost! It would be wrong to try and keep them from having some place to stay.” Pausing for a moment as she ineffectually poked at the knob, as if it was a button, she then added, “You should come to our home! It is real nice!”
Lucia wasn’t exactly sure that she liked the idea of Bagel visiting, but still, at least for the moment, she was going to keep her mouth shut on the topic. No need to raise suspicions by acting overtly defensive.
“What cameras? You have cameras? Why?” Sola inquired.
Lucia couldn’t help but look shocked, which was a genuine emotion. This place actually has cameras? I was just messing around… “This place has cameras? Why would an abandoned looking lighthouse have cameras?” The look of confusion on her face was genuine. What is this pokechild hiding?
“Yeah, she says there were cameras and we avoided them!”
Well that won’t look good at all, no wonder she is suspicious. Well, Sola did call this place a fortress earlier…. An idea crept into her mind, one that was at least partially true. They had been pretending that the unknown security system did exist after all. She could play on that. “Um, are there not any facing the water?” Lucia inquired, “You might recall Sola calling this place a fortress? She likes to pretend things are a bit more grandiose then they are.” Looking down at the old steering wheel, she added, “Case in point, that old block of wood is treasure. For all I know, she was pretending it was cake. She has quite the imagination. So, since she was convinced it was a fortress, we had to sneak up on it from the water; I couldn’t help but humor her.”
“It is a fortress!” Sola chimed in, “But that isn’t cake!”
After taking a moment to consider Bagel’s words, Sola asked, “But if laws can be good or bad, doesn’t that mean that it is more important that the person is good or bad? What if a bad person used a good law in a bad way? Lucia, what was that story, the one with the wishes?”
“With the genies you mean?”
“Yeah! That one, the person made a wish, but the genie did something different!”
Lucia couldn’t help but be a bit shocked at the girl’s connection, but it was an apt example. “You mean how the person wished for one things and the genie corrupted the wording, to make something bad happen?”
“Yeah! That!” Directing her attention back to Bagel, Sola added, “What if that happened?”
“We have some food left,” Sola explained, “we are just running low, and it’s safer to have more, just in case, but still Sola wants to share. You should share with your friends, and we are friends now right?”
Lucia couldn’t help but smile, the girl could have made an excellent con-woman, if she wasn’t so genuine.
MoogerMint Beta might have nodded in response to Sola's clarification at first, but was teetering on regret at the decision when the flabébé let loose with a flood of confusing, garbled information. It was still more clear of an explanation than the mewtwo feared it might be, but that thought wasn't too much of an ease of the mind. The only shot would be dependent on how long the two of them had known and been traveling together... perhaps the teen knew how to translate that sort of hyperactivity and distracted manner of speech? It wasn't sounding like that was going to be the case... Quite honestly, Beta couldn't even follow it, and half of it was related to what she had said in the first place!
She fidgeted lightly at Lucia's pointed stance on curiosity. While she understood the magnitude to which the teen was referring to, it still felt like a bit of a blow to the actions she had recently undertaken. -Curiosity as far as psychic abilities are concerned, no, there will be none of that. Curiosity is not inherently evil, though, and it is needed in order to learn. Beta will use curiosity to learn, but in the way that most others do,- she explained, probably more than she really had to.
-Then does Sola not have anything to protect, that she would be afraid someone might steal from her if they were given the opportunity? Many individuals in the world are not 'good' people, and it is difficult to differentiate. Many pokémon know well enough how to live in the wild,- Beta noted, scrutinizing. She was using a bit of a loaded question, but that was partially the point. Then again, the different lifestyles were sure to play a dividing part in this; there was no telling if Sola and Lucia even had anything that they really valued but their own lives. Beta was different, because this whole place basically was her life; without it, there really was no direction. She turned away at the suggestion of visiting the two of them, considering that was still a prospect much too far out of grasp, even if she ended up trusting them at the end of all this.
There was a prickling sensation that crawled up Beta's spine as the duo denied knowledge of the cameras decking out the lighthouse. It was too much of a leap for the mewtwo to be able to acknowledge it a possibility that they didn't know the cameras were there, and still managed to bypass all of them. One had to have meant to be sneaking around in order to spot and avoid them, for they were locked on to the most prominent spaces around the building. Why go to all the trouble of doing something like that if one weren't aware of the security system, considering they were so sure the place was abandoned in the first place? When the questions began filling the air, Beta tried to keep the reins on her anger, expanding the distance between them by levitating a few paces away. Instead of giving a straight answer as to what she was hiding, she merely narrowed her gaze, tempted to reinstate the declaration that they needed to leave.
The explanation that Lucia offered, however, was at least somewhat acceptable, Beta had to admit. She released her psychic grip on her body, letting herself step to the floor once again, adjusting the sleeves of her coat -- it was still a little big on her, even if she was tall for her 'age.' -You are more professional at the skulking than a mere game. You do it extensively?- she asked after a moment, with a bit of a frown. They didn't understand the problems that sort of 'game' could cause? What if there was someone less willing to listen to what they had to say in charge around here? She didn't understand, the risk seemed to outweigh any sort of potential reward. The water... the same side that Holly had snuck in from as well... she noted silently, glancing to the window where the two newcomers had emerged from, Beta will need better security to the north, so this does not keep happening without Beta's knowledge.
-That story is about being specific with details, so that loopholes cannot be exploited. One can still work within bounds of laws to achieve 'bad' outcomes, but it is still a matter of differentiation of an individual on a case-by-case basis. It is just easiest to start from a person's sense of lawfulness, and work along the line to determine if they are truly good-intentioned or not. If a person starts by breaking laws, it is much more probable that they are a 'bad' person. Beta works on a statistical level, because it is the safest route,- the tarnished silver child tried to explain again. Of course there were going to be anomalies in the system, but a few outliers in the data weren't gonig to change the fact that it was, statistically-speaking, more likely that a person who broke into a place was going to steal or damage something. Sola just seemed... much too optimistic in her imagination to understand consequences, it seemed. Maybe she should just give up trying to get her to see why she was justified in her insecurity around the two of them, for she was only going to argue. Beta was fully aware of politics, which is why she confronted the two of them in the first place instead of forcibly ejecting them from the lighthouse at the start.
Beta blinked, puzzled, -...Friends?- She didn't understand what made the connection, since it only seemed as though they were interrogating one another on the other individuals motives at the moment. Was she wrong on what friends were supposed to be, or how they were supposed to act with one another? She took the pepper and studied it a little, waiting for a bit of an explanation on the matter, -Beta does not understand...-
( Continued in next post )
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:02 am
Blind Spot part 2
Tyche Fortuna Realizing that Bagel’s comment was directed at Lucia, Sola attempted to decipher it. “No, there won’t be any of that, just general curiosity, not psychic curiosity. It isn’t evil, Bagel uses it to learn!”
“Well of course, I just meant curiosity of the more nefarious sorts.”
“I don’t want anyone to steal my Lucia! But she protects me, Sola doesn’t protect her. She doesn’t need protection! She is like a super ninja! She could beat anyone! She is the toughest person I know. One time, Sola was attacked by a Metagross! Lucia saved me! She is the best!”
“It’s fun to play games like that! We did it all the time. We are the best at it!” Sola exclaimed with a giggle. She really loved when they snuck about.
“You know the story too! What’s your favorite part? My favorite part is when the Nuzleaf tricks the genie and the genie loses its powers and everyone is free to live without, um…” Looking at Lucia, she asked, “What’s that word?”
“The word is oppression, Sola.”
“Yeah! Oppression, cause…um…. Power is bad? No…that’s not it… Power erupts…..Corrupts! Yeah! And absolute power, like the genie, corrupts absolutely! Abbbbsooooooollllluuuuttttteeeeelly. But then everyone is free and they live happily ever after!” Her head returning to Bagel’s words, she stuck her head up to Lucia and whispered, though loud enough that Beta could hear, “What’s a statistic?”
“It is when someone makes assumptions about things and they say that because something happened at some point, that makes something else more likely to happen. It’s a bunch of mumbo jumbo that people use when they want to try and convince themselves or someone else that something will or won’t happen, when really, it’s just a probability, and people and Pokémon are more than numbers. Numbers are numbers, we aren’t numerical.”
“Numerical….I like that word….Numerical!”
“Yeah, numbers can be fun, but they shouldn’t be used to describe everything. I prefer geometry myself.”
“Oh, ok,” turning back to Bagel, Sola asked “So it that what you do Bagel? You turn people into numbers?”
“What doesn’t Bagel understand?” Sola asked, her head sticking out of the sack and displaying a confused look. “That we are friends? We are friends right. You do want to be friends with me right? I want to be your friend; you’re funny!” Her emptied vine retreating back to the bag, she offered the Mewtwo a wide smile.
MoogerMint To say Beta was surprised at the accuracy Sola utilized to convey the mewtwo's message to the teen was probably an understatement -- Beta honestly didn't think the little flabébé could do such a thing! She stared for a moment, a mere pause before Lucia's countered words were registered and her confusion was dismissed, -Um yes... of course. Beta just wanted to be positive that is what was meant.- The statement didn't really need to be said, or translated, but it allowed the child to refocus herself.
Sola's exclamation over her desire not to have Lucia taken from her left a small smile on Beta's face. As naive as the statement was, it was also pretty cute. There was also a chance that it could be useful to get her point across, though, so she took the chance, -Alright, then assuming Lucia shares the same feeling, what if you were stolen from her? Or if roles were reversed and you were the one that protected Lucia, if she were stolen from you.- She wasn't entirely positive how well Sola was capable of imagining things that had never occurred to her before, but the girl was willing to try to suggest it before dropping the subject altogether. Her tail swayed warily at the mention of sneaking as a form of entertainment, -It may be 'fun,' but there is a time and a place for 'fun.' Sola should be careful about when she suggests it, because others might see it as a threat to livelihood.- A little too deep a prospect, perhaps... but she gestured to herself as though to indicate that that was what Beta had initially saw it as.
Beta blinked, confused to the specifics of the story being told, -Nuzleaf..?- She never considered such a pokémon to be... Arabian, but she figured that was beside the point. -So Sola likes the lesson the story teaches in the end? It is a good lesson,- Beta agreed. Despite her own stances, she couldn't argue with it; it was a solid concept in its own right, but there was rarely such a thing as a perfect theory. Or, in this case, absolute freedom... but she was tired of trying to explain that to someone who refused to understand any side that contradicted their own ideals, so she refrained from voicing any such objections.
Mumbo jumbo? Well it was obvious that Lucia was not much of a strategist, if that was the case... As tempted as Beta was to get angry at such accusations, she tried filing it under 'ignorance' instead, and left her personal barriers up. Lucia seemed to be doing the same anyway, and the mewtwo saw no reason to try any harder at getting along when insults were starting up, intentional or not. Sola wouldn't have asked about what a statistic was if Beta hadn't brought it up, so there must have been some understanding on where it came from. -No guess is a perfect one, but logistics on what is more likely to happen are more grounded than blind optimism. Beta prefers not taking the chance on mere hope alone, for the good of the bigger picture,- she sighed, refusing to explain anything deeper than that. They didn't need to know she was guarding anything at all, or that that was her primary function at this point in time. Her responses came more clipped, in an effort to cut down on the amount of explaining, -Beta does turn others into numbers, yes.- She was a scientist, after all.
While Beta was nodding to Sola's query on why the mewtwo girl was not fully understanding the situation, the nods came less frequently with each passing question. She wanted to be friends? -Do friends always argue, or cast suspicion on one another?- she asked tentatively, turning the pepper slowly in her hand. After a moment, she smelled it, -This... does not have much of an odor.- The waxy skin left her more curious as to what it might taste like... was it just as plain-tasting as it smelled?
Tyche Fortuna “But Lucia wouldn’t ever let me be stolen from her! She is too tough for that! She could handle an army of Charizards! And she is part grass type! And she is smart two, she even outsmarted a Mew!” She tried to imagine herself being the protector, but that just seemed silly to her. “That’s just silly. Me protecting Lucia? I try and help her out, but she doesn’t need me to protect her, she doesn’t need anyone to protect her.”
Reaching her hand back to Sola, Lucia added, “But I do need you to be my friend, right?”
“Yep! Your best friend ever!” Giggling, she turned back to Bagel, “What do you mean a threat to livelihood?”
Recounting the story in her head, Sola exclaimed,“Yep! An amazingly heroic Nuzleaf! She saved everyone! It was a great lesson! It is my favorite story ever, even better than the one with the stubborn Alakazam that eventually learned his lesson! I even like it better than the one with the brave Floette that goes out into the world on her own! She is so pretty and brave; that one is my second favorite story! I wanna be just like her! Lucia tells the best stories!”
“Lod…lodge…lodgistics? What is that? Blind optimism, huh?” Sola inquired, confused of the meaning.
Lucia heard her inquiries but, as the, as they hadn’t been directed at her, this time, decided to let Bagel answer.
“What number am I?” Sola asked, intrigued at the idea of being a number.
“Are we arguing? You are suspicious of me? Why are you suspicious? What did I do?” Sola’s head sticking out of the sack, she looked visibly sad. Looking up, a sad expression still plastered across her face, she added, “It doesn’t smell much until you bite into it, but you can eat the whole thing.”
MoogerMint She offered a tired nod to Sola's insistence that Lucia would never be able to be stolen from her. The capability to use such imagination seemed to be limited to only those that she wanted to imagine, likely out of some dream or fantasy that she held. It was an interesting thing to note, but not one that was going to get her anywhere. Beta already knew that Sola felt this way about her partner, though she didn't realize the extent of the claims. It was impressive, sure, but deviating from the point... the point that she decided to drop as well. She didn't want it to turn aggravating again, and the lack of understanding was sure to display such emotion in the mewtwo child if she pressed the matter any further. At Lucia's words, Beta's irritation lessened despite how hopeless she found the conversation. The sentiment shown seemed like a comfort, so even though Beta's own words seemed to lack any impact, at least the whole conversation wasn't totally wasted, at least between these two others.
-Threat to livelihood... sometimes those that break into another individual's home do so with hostility. If one is afraid of such a thing to happen, the one that owns the place may act rashly in an attempt to defend themselves, even if there is no need to. Therefore, it can be dangerous for both the person who occupies the area, and those that may have stumbled across it,- Beta tried to explain, though she pulled away near the end. She didn't want to be argued with any longer, and almost didn't want to hear a reply. The girl knew other variables that may or may not be considered in these instances, but it didn't lessen the fact that it was still dangerous. She didn't see the point in 'thrills,' but wasn't keen on learning it at the moment, either.
Beta was, however, interested in these other stories that the small flabébé mentioned. -It seems that you have quite the library of tales in your repertoire. They are a good teaching tool. Beta is not sure she recognizes those particular stories.- She wouldn't have taken Lucia for a tale-spinner, but then again, she hadn't had the chance to really hear her speak outside of cynicism. She raised her hands, as though attempting to grasp at more simplistic language in an effort to get Sola to understand that which she probably had forgotten the overall message of already, -Logistics... um, details, information, the way things work in an average-case scenario. Blind optimism is hoping beyond the point of reason, with nothing to support the prospect of such hope succeeding.- That didn't mean it never succeeded... but that wasn't the point, she was merely explaining.
-What... number..?- the girl blinked, confused for a moment. Ahh, she was being literal... -You are one. Everyone is merely one, unless order is a factor in the study, but that would depend on the study,- she explained, wondering if it was seen negatively that she didn't have a more witty response to that question.
She turned the pepper around some more in deliberation, -Well we do not seem to be agreeing with what the other states completely. We both have our own ideas on the state of the world, and individuals, and they are a stark contrast. Suspicions stem from the confusion of why you are both out in the middle of an uninhabited area. Some of your explanations are... lacking. It is difficult to fully trust when one is afraid of what the other party's intentions might be.- Beta fidgeted, but glanced up to Sola's drooping expression to show her that the girl was only trying to be sincere, even if Sola didn't think it was a very good reason. She felt that all they saw before them was a child with more flaws than one could count, and deep down, she couldn't blame them.
Her handhold on the pepper stopped spinning the produce in circles, resituating it to point towards her. -The flavor is on the inside?- she queried, looking back down at it. After weighing the possibilities, she bit the small pepper at the stem, thinking it would give her a better idea of the overall flavor. She was... not wrong, to say the least. Stumbling back, she hissed in an attempt to breathe past the flames that she felt were searing across her mouth. She fell into a low crouch, sleeve-covered hands immediately raised to wipe at her watering eyes. -What... what is going on!?- she cried, blindfolding her own vision, -Beta cannot taste anything past the stinging!- Was it some sort of poison, or was it supposed to light one's face on fire!?
Tyche Fortuna “But, it looked abandoned? Isn’t it better to go into an abandoned building then into one that looks like someone’s home?” Sola inquired. She couldn’t understand why someone so concerned about intruders would be in a place that looked like no one lived there. “It just seems like, if the rules say that you shouldn’t break in, if this place looked like people lived here, then only people that broke the rules would come in, but if it looked like no one lived here, like it wasn’t someone’s home, then anyone might come in, rule breakers and people that didn’t break rules, but were just looking for a place to stay or some food. Wouldn’t it be easier to tell which was which if your tower looked like you lived here? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about numbers.”
“Yeah, Lucia has tons of stories! She is the best story teller ever! I don’t know where she gets them all, but she is really smart and knows a lot of things! I bet she knows all about, um, lodgeistics?” Listening to Bagel’s explanation, she was sure that Lucia knew all about that sort of stuff, she just knew so much! “Average case scenario? Like when you average two numbers? Like 5 and 2 is, um, what is it Lucia? I don’t have fingers like you do.”
“Three and a half, Sola; three and a half.”
“Yeah! That’s right! Three and a half!”
“I am number one? And so is everyone else? But then how do you tell everyone apart if they are the same number? Everyone is different… Why am I the same number as everyone else?”
While she had been content observe, except when Sola asked her something, Lucia did voice a comment at this point, “I see you more as 21 degrees. An acute angle and definitely odd.”
“Wow! Thanks!”
“We don’t have to agree on everything to be friend!” Sola exclaimed with a giggle, “Lucia doesn’t even like peppers, my favorite food, but we are still friends, even if she is wrong, because they are delicious! Sometimes, to go from one inhabited area to another, you have to go through an uninhibited area. You shouldn’t be afraid of us, even if Lucia is immune to your psychic head powers.”
“Isn’t it good?” Sola asked as Bagel bit into the pepper and stumbled backwards. “The tingling is the best part, it is like you are eating fire! Isn’t it amazing? There is nothing else like it!”
Seeing the girls momentary impairment, Lucia, decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Reaching into her pack, she grabbed the previously obtained loot from Sola. Looking the receiver over, she realized it was more or less worthless, at least to her. If it went missing, it would likely alert the other girl of their intentions, and for almost no reward. Still, it would be simple enough to cover up, feigning like she was picking something up, an action that, if the other girl was even able to observe, would look completely natural, in her infirm state, she asked, “Um, Bagel, did you drop this when you fell earlier?’
MoogerMint -Of course it would be better to enter an area that looked abandoned than one that did not,- Beta verified with half a nod, -However, it is not always the best idea to assume.- She admitted to herself as she listened to Sola's confusion that the little pokémon... actually made a good point. If it looked occupied, these circumstances would have appeared considerably more suspicious. On the other side of the coin, though, it would look awfully strange for a lighthouse to look occupied as well. She couldn't very well put a porch light out front or anything, that was only inviting people to stop by and scope the place out... After all, who in their right minds would take to living in a lighthouse, of all places? It was not ideal for a living arrangement, on any scale. The risks still outweighed what she could gain from sprucing the place up, make it less dilapidated, but Sola still had a point. If the girl just sealed up every possible entrance, then maybe that would work all the better, even. It would be all the more obvious that this was not a place to tread. Maybe some ignorant individuals would even write it off as being haunted and stay further away!
Snapping back out of the confines of her mind at Sola's excitement, Beta thought about where one normally gathered stories, -So she possibly read about them, or experienced similar events? Some individuals are gifted in how to properly convey a story. Perhaps she was taught, or learned it herself, the way to make an impact...- However, it was also possible that what Sola considered to be excellent storytelling was sub-par on average, but at least they all seemed to have a point, which is more than the mewtwo could say for some styles she had stumbled upon.
Though speaking of averages, she wasn't expecting Sola to have fully understood the mathematical procedures to gain such a value in the first place, and her attentiveness belied this fact. -That is, indeed, the general idea of how averaging works. However, it would not be very accurate to only use two occurrences of data. The more numbers used, the closer the accuracy would be to the entire population of data that is being sought. Otherwise, those two numbers might end up being deviations from the true area of normalcy,- she assisted in the understanding, realizing too late that this may have only ended up confusing more than aiding. When Beta got on a tirade, it was apparent she couldn't always find the 'off' switch, -The individuals are not usually an important factor to consider, aside from the specific data that is being collected and averaged. For more in-depth analyses that require the collection of more data on a person, however, Beta is sure that they would find it more optimal to give everyone a distinguishing number. Beta is not collecting data on Sola, though.- Though if she had been... Sola would likely have been a 3. Maybe a 2, if she placed the teenaged Lucia in a different category altogether. Her light smile reappeared at Lucia's geometry joke, noting that the girl also seemed to be fluent in many other skills than those immediately present or already mentioned. Now that was actually a funny joke!
It was an interesting proposition that the flabébé brought up: where does one find the line between friend and foe when it came to the frequency of argumentation? She supposed it had more to do with what the individual was willing to put up with, in the end, which was... annoyingly human logic, to say the least. However, if Sola was able to put it past her and see a friend in the end, Beta couldn't very well reject it. She even still had the right to be suspicious, if it was a ploy, but it was enough to draw the guard down, at least enough. -Beta is not necessarily afraid for her own well-being...- she stated quietly, but shook her head considering it was only more explanatory means that didn't inch any closer towards the ends. -Then Beta supposes she can offer at least some friendship, even if she still finds Lucia and Sola to be... strange,- the girl conceded with a smirk. 'Strange' sure was an understatement!
That understatement was likely intensified by the latter end of the interaction period, much of which Beta was blinded to. Her eyes just would not stop watering, an inconvenient defense mechanism to combat the fire in her mouth. In fact, she couldn't even find the capabilities to respond to Sola's questions regarding how 'good' it tasted; she didn't feel like this was 'tasting' anything at all! It was definitely a shock to the system, and when not focusing on trying to diminish the sense of false pain, she wondered how quickly one would be able to build up an immunity to the stinging, in the manner that Sola seemed capable of. -It is definitely... different..!- she managed after a long pause, the tears slowing their barrage enough for her to try to hazard a glance, and just in time for Lucia to offer the mewtwo's handmade console back. Flinching stiffly, she momentarily shifted focus to clasp a hand at the large lab coat pocket, only to come up empty on contents that were there but minutes before. While the deepness of the pocket may have caused skepticism, Beta had been floating around the place, bouncing at times, and had been thoroughly distracted... -It must have fallen out! Thank you... ah, Sola, tell her thank you? Beta immensely appreciates the return.- Well... now she felt bad about being so suspicious, and it left her more speechless than the habanero had. What would she have done if she had lost this thing? All her efforts, her transformation, would have been for naught.
Tyche Fortuna “Isn’t that what you were doing, by being sus---suspicious. Assuming?” Sola replied, pretty sure she had the meaning right. Lucia didn’t comment, but she couldn’t help but smirk at Sola’s comment. It did seem rather dead on. “I, I don’t know where Lucia got the stories.” Turning her attention to the Nuzlead, Sola asked, “Where do you get all your stories?”
“Well, all sorts of places, really,” Lucia responded. “Some I heard years back, some happened to me, and some I made up.”
“Oh!” Sola exclaimed, redirecting her focus on Bagel, “She made some up, she heard some before, and some of them even happened to her! I wonder if the genie one happened to her! Probably not the Floette one though….I might become a Floette one day, but she would never become the Floette. I bet the one with the stubborn Alakazam really happened!”
“So you use a lot of numbers because some people might be way different than the average? “ That was the main thing that Sola was able to understand from what Beta had said. Most of it went over her head, other than the last part at least. “So Bagel isn’t interested in Sola’s data?”
“We’re strange?” Sola replied, ok! But we are friends though, right? You said it, we are friends!”
Sola stared at Bagel, a wide grin on her face, happy that the girl had finally tried the pepper, but not quite realizing its effect on her. “Different in a good way, right? Oh so very good, so tasty!” Redirecting her words to Lucia, Sola stated, “She says thank you! Bagel appreciates the return!” Turning back to Bagel, she asked, “Can I see that?”
“No problem,” Lucia stated, and then added, “I wouldn’t recommend water, it just spreads it around.” Pulling a stale hunk of bread out of her sack, she continued, “Try this.”
MoogerMint -That is beside the point...- Beta blinked, confused as to whether or not Sola was even taking any of the mewtwo's words to heart. Was she just wasting energy when it seemed that they weren't willing to learn a thing from all this? It was as though this entire conversation had devolved into a game of pointing fingers. Maybe it had never been anything more than that at all. Neither side was relenting on the defensiveness, that much was obvious, -There is a difference between assuming on the side of caution, and assuming on the side of recklessness. It depends on what an individual hopes to accomplish with the way they act. Motive.-
Lucia's response to the inquiry of where she had acquired the stories she told were not unexpected, having already guessed what methods may have been used, except for the fact that it was from more than a few ways. Was that how all good storytellers did it? To pull from all possible resources? It made sense. -Sola may never know which were the real occurrences without first asking Lucia. Beta wonders where she got the skills to tell the stories in an engaging manner,- the girl mused, for it seemed like it was a bit difficult to captivate an audience with words alone, at times. At the mention of a floette, Beta's curiosity switched views, -Beta has been meaning to ask, what type of pokémon is Sola, anyway? What is a floette? She had not run across these species' names... was it a newer discovery?
Beta wasn't entirely sure she fully understood what it was exactly that Sola was asking about, but she thought she could take a stab at it nonetheless, -Beta uses a lot of numbers in order to gauge what is the most likely course, because it is most likely to happen out of all other available options. Once that is planned for, less-likely occurrences can be planned for. It is a systematic approach, to hit the largest population and work towards the smallest.- It was a little difficult to explain in a general sense, and even more difficult to be sure that Sola really understood what she was trying to explain. It was one thing to understand and employ the knowledge, but quite another to actually try to put it to words. Beta was not conditioned to explain, only to comprehend, wherein lied the majority of her frustrations, -Beta usually only goes over the data, she does not collect it.- She wasn't actually... really allowed to touch much of what was upstairs, just to guard it.
Sola's initial concern, followed immediately by the acceptance of the statement, amused the mewtwo-girl just as much as it solidified the fact that, yes, Sola was definitely abnormal. -Beta can confirm that she is willing to try friendship with the strange Sola, yes,- she agreed.
The watering of Beta's eyes were finally decreasing in intensity, allowing the girl to lower her sleeves a bit as she struggled to fight the momentarily-overpowering reaction. -Beta is not sure she can... fully appreciate the flavor. Did Sola gain a tolerance to the stinging over time?- she asked, still intent on getting better at handling the intensity if such a thing were possible. It seemed like it might be worth it, if she could! Jotting down a few mental notes from Lucia's suggestions, she carefully took the offered piece of bread and warily took a bite, in the off-chance it had an abnormally strong flavor as well. Beta was not the most familiar with... conventional foods, -Thank you, Beta will keep such instruction in mind if it happens again!-
With one hand occupied with the piece of bread, she turned the handheld receiver over in the other, making sure it was not damaged. Strange, it didn't even have a scratch on the paint, at least that wasn't already there... it must not have fallen very far. Glancing back up to Sola, she inched closer, -Beta... supposes Sola can look at it, if she is careful. Beta will need it back when Sola is done, though.- She held it up so that the little flabébé could collect it with a vine whip. The girl figured she'd have to readjust the settings on it when she got it back, but that was the only extent of the damage that could be done to it unless Sola got adventurous and tried to take it apart... or dropped it.
Tyche Fortuna “So what was Bagel’s motive in being suspicious of us?” Giggling, she added, merely joking, not realizing how true it was, “You’re not hiding anything are you? A secret chamber! With traps and treasures and secrets!”
Shaking her head at Sola’s comments, Lucia added, “But that would be silly, it is just a lighthouse, even if you like pretending it’s a tower.”
“A floette is what I am,” Sola answered with a shake of her head.
Realizing that Bagel was likely asking Sola what a Floette is, she stated, ‘Well, she knows that, I think she wanted to know more about what a Floette is, Sola.’
“Oh!” she exclaimed in reply, “Well, let’s see…. We live on flowers and are Fairy type?” She didn’t know what else to add, she had always known what she was, so describing Floettes seemed off to her.
“Yay! We are friends then!” Sola proclaimed, a wide grin spread across her face. Looking up at Lucia, she added, ”Lucia, Bagel is my friend!”
Chuckling slightly, the Nuzleaf replied, “Well that’s good, you can always use another friend.”
“Tolerance?” Sola inquired “What do you mean, Bagel? I could always eat them, they just taste really good. Do you think they are too hot? Lucia says she likes hot stuff, but she doesn’t like peppers by themselves.”
“I do like spicy things, just mixed with other things; only you like to eat peppers by themselves, Sola.”
“They are good though!”
“I know you think that, but most pokemon don’t.”
Sola couldn’t help but pout at that last comment, but she perked up instantly at Bagel’s offer. With an eager vine whip, Sola grasped the receiver and quickly pulled it towards her. “Thank you!’ she exclaimed as she started randomly twisting the knobs. “What does this do?” she asked, having already twisted it several times. “This is so neat!” She continuously adjusted everything on the receiver, her arms a blur.
MoogerMint While she gave away no outward spark of surprise at Sola's guess that Beta might be hiding a secret room full of treasure, she was able to quietly marvel at how closely it may have paralleled to her true suspicions. However, she was already informed of the small pokémon's imagination when it came to finding 'treasures,' so there was no subtle feeling that Beta felt she needed to be on the defensive out of what seemed to be mere coincidence. There were numerous reasons why she was suspicious, but she didn't need to get into the finer details, -Well, Sola already knows that Beta lives here. She was not sure if you were both planning on doing the same, or felt like destroying a part of it. Beta needs to keep it safe and secure to feel comfortable.- Never mind that part of it was already destroyed, but that was on the inside -- the rest of the lighthouse was still structurally sound.
Her head tilted to the side slightly, having never heard of a floette before today. This, she was going to have to do some research on... but she was grateful for the information she had managed to gather by asking. -Fairy type...- she mumbled thoughtfully; it seemed that had been a more recently-discovered type, so it made sense that Beta had not heard of the specific species that fit the criteria before. With a stern nod, she smiled, -Beta thanks Sola for that. Do most floettes tend to like spicy foods as much as Sola, too? Or is that more of a... personal quirk?-
Sola's excitement over the declaration of friendship was almost enough to knock a snicker out of Beta. Maybe one of these days, she'd be able to correct that nickname... but at this point, it may very well be a lost cause. However, a light frown crossed over the smile, wondering if Lucia would appreciate the same. Beta watched the taller teen a moment, mulling over the idea tentatively before holding her hand out, -Lucia want to be friends, too?- Well... at this rate, why not?
Beta thought about how to respond to the question of what 'tolerance' was, -The... ability to handle it with little to no repercussion. Beta believes Sola has already answered, though.- It was quite resourceful, to be able to figure out what an unknown word might mean! -Beta cannot handle the spiciness, but she is not adverse to working up to it. The pepper seems like it would taste good, if it did not make Beta feel like she was setting her mouth on fire. It is difficult to determine a flavor that way.- Blinking, Beta turned to Lucia's comment, quizzical, -They... are not normally eaten by themselves?- Maybe that was the trick to really appreciating the flavor, then!
Allowing Sola to snatch up the receiver she created, the mewtwo-girl watched the small flabébé as she messed with the knobs as much as she could, more out of curiosity than any sort of irritation. It was actually fairly amusing to watch someone become so preoccupied with something so simple! -Sola is very welcome. The knobs alter the frequency that the internal antennae picks up, but it has a limited range. Many combinations do not work at all, many more are the same as others...- she started to explain, realizing soon enough that it was likely more information that Sola really cared to hear. Beta's smile grew, entertained by the pokémon's enthusiasm, -Sola enjoys turning knobs?- Well, everyone needed a hobby!
Tyche Fortuna Completely missing the point, Sola replied, “We already have a home, and that’s our home, not here, but if you’d like, we could visit again, and maybe stay the night! It would be fun! We could roast peppers! And tell stories about ghost type pokemon!”
While only privy to half the conversation, Lucia did have a good idea of what was being said, so she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I….I don’t really know,” Sola replied, a sudden sad look spread across her face, “If I ever meet any others, I will ask….”
Realizing that Bagel must have asked about other Floettes, she added, “When I found her, she was in a rather small patch of flowers that had mostly been tore up and replaced with a road. Their view of progress.”
Looking at Lucia, Sola exclaimed, “Bagel wants to be your friend too!”
Lucia had the rough idea that that was the case, when the other girl held out her hand, but Sola’s words confirmed it. Though she thought a declaration of friendship was more than a bit silly, it didn’t seem like it would cause any harm. In fact, it might, at some point, open up more of this tower to her in the future. The more she learned of this place, the less likely that it seemed that pure stealth would get her to the top. “Sure,” she responded, holding out her hand, “Why not?” It was somewhat difficult for her to resist the urge to once again pick the girl’s pocket.
“Oh wait, I think I have heard that word before! But I think Lucia was talking about me? I don’t really remember…. But yeah! I can lots of peppers! They are so great!” Realizing the question was directed at Lucia, Sola proceeded to answer for her, “Well, I normally eat them by themselves, but Lucia always mixes them with other things.”
“Internal antennae?” Sola echoed, pulling the device close to her face. Knocking on it with the end of one arm, she listened, trying to hear its insides, though having no idea what she was doing. She was familiar with the act, but not with the sounds it would make. “Combinations?” Sticking her ear up to the device she began slowly moving the dials, listening to the click they made. “Like….a….safe……” she mumbled to herself, “If I find the right combination….I can see the antennae inside!” As the dial barely clicked, she echoed it, “Click, click, click.”
“I..I don’t think that is how it works Sola.”
“But she said! There are combinations and stuff inside, it’s like a safe! I could be an expert safe cracker! Like in the movies!”
“When have you seen a movie?”
“I, I’ve seen plenty of movies!”
Shaking her head, Lucia dropped the matter. Turning back to Bagel, Sola replied, “It is very fun to turn the knobs!”
MoogerMint She hadn't thought about it before Sola began speaking, but Beta was relieved to find that the small flabébé hadn't misinterpreted the mewtwo's explanation as an invitation to come live here. No, it was supposed to be quite the opposite, that's what she had been afraid might happen without intervention! While it was somewhat unappealing that there be more disruptions in the future, considering friendship Beta might be able to let visitation slide... -Beta... supposes that could happen, in the future...- she said, pausing as though thinking of it as the words spilled out. Who knew, perhaps it might lessen the suspicions of anything of value being here if she agreed? Besides, it might be what people tended to refer to as 'fun.'
It seemed surprising to Beta that Sola had not met others of her own kind. Weren't most pokémon born in the care of a family, or trainers? Perhaps that meant that Sola's original family met with a... less-than-optimistic fate. Beta offered a slow nod, but wasn't sure what to say other than that as she listened to how Lucia found her partner. -Progress...- she mulled the thought over before it stuck, a frown replacing her otherwise soft expression, -Human civilization, you mean.- It was more out of confirmation that she said it, but nothing really needed to be conferred further about it. The amount of disrespect humans had for the world around them, for living beings not of their own speciation, was both appalling and something Beta had sadly come to expect.
Frankly, Beta didn't want Lucia to feel left out of the friendship, if she so wanted to join in. Beta was still a bit wary of the teen, but the feeling was waning; perhaps it would lessen further with the added mark of friendship? With a bright smile, she grabbed the hand that was held out in return and shook it, as though making a deal. She didn't know how customs worked, but this seemed like a good enough way to go about it.
Thinking on what sort of things that one may put peppers on to enhance flavor, Beta was drawing a blank. It didn't help that her knowledge reservoir over food dishes was a bit lacking, as she mainly lived off of rations and... well, probably things that most city people wouldn't really call 'food,' per se. -Beta will have to see what would taste good with these peppers, then, and work up the tolerance levels. They do, indeed... punch one with flavor,- she agreed, though at the moment didn't quite feel as though 'flavor' was the write term for the habanero...
Beta watched Sola carefully as the small pokémon ran along with her imagination, pretending her portable console was a combination padlock with a rod for an antennae on the inside. At least that's about what Beta thought this was all about, despite the absurdity of it. Absurdly adorable, as a matter of fact; it was starting to make her think of when Holly had been searching for hidden passages within the walls of the lighthouse. -Beta believes you have misunderstood what she meant by that... but if Sola wants to pretend that is how it works, then please proceed,- she echoed Lucia, though her words were... much more on the bland side, in comparison. She didn't want to ruin the fun, if that was what this was all about! Especially if the flabébé was getting so much entertainment value by merely spinning the knobs.
Tyche Fortuna “Really? We can?” Sola exclaimed, obviously excited. “Spending the night here would be so much fun! Right Lucia?”
Lucia couldn’t help but be shocked that Bagel had agreed to it, though it seemed likely it was said merely to please her companion. Still, she wouldn’t be the one to damper Lucia’s excitement. “Sure, it sounds fun. You might have to practice a good ghost story first, though.”
“Yeah! I will have to find the best one ever to tell! You will help me right?”
“Sure, once we get back home we can try and come up with a good story for you to tell.”
Realizing that Bagel was likely replying to what Lucia had said, and not knowing what the word ‘civilization’ meant, she turned to Lucia and repeated, “Human civilization?”
Nodding, Lucia replied, “Yes, human civilization; they don’t seem to care for much but their own kind, and that isn’t even always the case.
“Everything tastes good with peppers!” Sola exclaimed. She might enjoy eating them by themselves, but she did see the merit of applying them to other foods, to make them taste good.
“Maybe not sweets?” Lucia commented.
“But they taste great with chocolate! I bet they would make a nice ice cream too…”
Deciding not to argue with the girl, Lucia remained silent on the matter. For all she knew, it might taste good; it wasn’t like she had ever tried it or thought about trying it, for that matter.
“I misunderstood?” Sola inquired, still pretty certain that the right combination would reveal the hidden antennae. “What did I misunderstand? When I get it open, what will the antennae do?” She didn’t actually know what an antennae was, but it sounded awesome! Why else would Bagel hide it? She had to keep those that might seek its power from finding it! Then she remembered, some bug types had antennae. Maybe it summoned bugs! “Does it summon Bug type pokemon?”
Amused, Lucia decided to let Bagel explain it to her; it was her device after all.
MoogerMint While she was still hesitant to allow something like a sleepover, Beta still felt it would be best to negate suspicions. It wasn't as if they had the capabilities to break into the upper floor's laboratory on their own, so... was there any harm? True, there was still that lingering doubt, but perhaps the best option, in this case, would be to 'hide in plain sight,' as the case may be. She offered a cautious nod in response to Sola's request for affirmation. -Beta cannot say that she is very adept at telling these 'ghost stories,' either, so she is sure that the both of you will be just fine in the art,- the child explained, though she was already convinced that at least one of them was quite decent at the skill of storytelling.
Despite agreeing with the basics of what Lucia was relaying about humans and their mannerisms, Beta couldn't help but feel she had betrayed them, in a very abstract and minor way. She flinched slightly, but made no move to correct or add to the conversation. They were opinions, and although statements regarding entire species tended towards being rather black and white, they posed the basis for what truths they held. It was best she didn't say anything... her mood was turning further downward the longer it continued. Beta's opinion on the matter shouldn't be a factor... there shouldn't be an opinion from her at all.
Between the two newcomers, they seemed quite knowledgeable to what may or may not go well with peppers of any kind. Beta was still unaware that different peppers offered a different style of spicy, but if seasoning things with fire made them more tolerable, then that was all the information she had really requested. She was intrigued, there was no question about it, and she filed the data in her mind for use later on, -Thank you, Beta shall give it a try, then!- 'Sweets,' that was a strange word for a food... did it refer to the fact they tasted sweet, or were they like oranges in that they were named for a single attribute? Hmm...
-The box does not open. The antennae catches electrical signals that it feels on the air and tests them. By combination, Beta means the points that it is reading from, sort of like the latitude and longitude: the physical place. It is... a bit complicated to try to explain...- the girl attempted, hoping that the general idea was at least understood. She didn't understand where bug-type pokémon came into the picture, but she couldn't help but add to the question, -Summoning bug-type pokémon would be an interesting feature, though...- Not something she could use, but interesting nonetheless.
Tyche Fortuna “Yay!” Sola exclaimed! “Sleepover at Bagels! Doesn’t that sound great Lucia?”
“Sure,”Lucia replied with a smirk, as she eyed the surroundings, “You can help straighten up down here, make it suitable for sleeping.”
“Chores?!” Sola whined, “Sola doesn’t want to do chores though!”
“It seems only fair.”
“I guess….”
Since Bagel didn’t seem to have any further words on the manner, Lucia didn’t continue. For a moment she mused on what it must be like to be able to get inside people’s heads. Sounds like a hassle….I wouldn’t want others thoughts clogging up my own.
“You should!” Sola exclaimed. “Try every combination you can think of!”
“It doesn’t open?” Sola asked, shocked. “What if something inside breaks? You can’t ever fix it? Sola must be extra careful then! Right Bagel? And um, laddertude and long-i-tude? What are those? Is that like how high a place is and how long it is?” Obviously disappointed, Sola added, “Well, it would have been…and you would think, that since they both have antennae, they would have been able to communicate.”
Lucia couldn’t help but laugh at the one side of the exchange she was observing. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder about the device, though it was likely useless to them. “Latitude and longitude,” Lucia corrected, “think of it as a grid, on the world, they tell you where you are.” Making a round gesture for a globe then motioning left and right and up and down, she added, “longitude and latitude show you where you are on the map, with a couple of numbers.”
“Oh!” Sola exclaimed. “Like on Battleship?”
“Yeah, like on Battleship.”
Whispering to Beta, Sola stated, “Lucia always wins at Battleship.”
MoogerMint Truthfully, the idea that the bottom level of the lighthouse could use some sprucing up made the lime-hued mewtwo hopeful that it might discourage the both of them from the little 'sleepover' idea. The notion was as quickly dashed, however, as she remembered the both of them being of wild lineage: a little dirt probably wouldn't deter them from an indoor camping trip. It wasn't as though she didn't find the prospect intriguing -- quite the opposite -- but she couldn't allow herself to indulge in something like that, just because of a little curiosity, or loneliness... She had a job to do. If playing with this little charade helped accomplish it, by keeping an eye on them while they were in the vicinity, then that was how she needed to view it. Hearing Sola's dismay at having to clean the place, Beta offered a sly response, -That is not to say you could not get the aid of Lucia to help, too...- The poor flabébé seemed convinced she would have had to do it herself! With a smile, she continued, -And Beta could help as well. She would feel uncomfortable, having guests do all the work. Perhaps it could be fun?- Truthfully... the mewtwo liked cleaning, and often used it as a mode of keeping herself busy on the upper levels.
Beta nodded her head at the suggestion of trying out every combination with peppers she could think to mix, unsure if that was as long a list as the little pokémon was thinking the child could conceive of. Beta... was not well-versed in food, but was not so foolhardy to think that she should combine anything she came across. It was still an interesting proposition nonetheless.
It was a good thing that Lucia managed to jump in to explain geographic coordinates to her small charge, for Beta was beginning to fatigue at all the explanations she had been put on the spot to elaborate on. It wasn't every day she had someone to discuss with, and although she didn't mind playing the part of the tutor, she also was not completely adjusted to conversation. How often had she done it before her transformation? Could she even count the times on one hand, if she subtracted the routine questionnaires the scientists used to give her? However, once the explanation was concluded, it was her turn to pipe up with her lack of knowledge, -...Battleship?- For that matter... game?
Tyche Fortuna “No, no, no, no, no, no,” Sola stated, shaking her head quickly. “You don’t want Lucia cleaning.” Leaning in, she whispered loud enough for someone outside to hear, “Lucia can’t clean. She just ends up making a bigger mess. I don’t know how! She just does it! It is so funny!”
“Yep, horrible cleaner,” Lucia added, “It’s just not in my genetic code, I guess.”
“One time, we were picking up things, and Lucia picked up…what was it again? Um..uh? A spatula! And she knocked down a pile of books and they went flying everywhere! And she was just trying to pick up a spatula! But you can help me clean! It would be fun if we worked together, right?” She wasn’t really sure, she was not a fan of chores, but maybe doing it with a friend would help?
“Wait a minute… You don’t know Battleship? It is so fun!” Sola exclaimed, “Two people play, and each of them have a square-errrgrid? And then you put all your ships on the grid, but don’t let the other person see. Then! After that! You take turns taking shot at the other persons ships. You have to say like E-8 or B-6 or some other spot on the map and if they have a ship there, it gets hit! And you say hit! And if not, it’s a miss, and you say miss! And then, when a ship has all its spots hit,you say, you sunk my battleship! Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug. When you sink all of the other players battleships, you win the game!”
MoogerMint Beta watched the pair curiously as they explained Lucia's mishaps with housework, tilting her head at the visual thoughts of such scenario. Maybe this sort of thing could work in her favor after all, if the teenager worked in such a manner... -Well, Lucia could always work on dusting instead. There is not much to really knock down around here that would make it look any worse,- she assured with a wave of the hand at the surrounding area, -If she does end up causing something to collapse, Beta is sure it will be all right. The lighthouse is sturdier than it may appear, despite what the staircase may indicate.- She could put up some barriers if things got bad, at least. Considering Lucia didn't seem much like the clumsy type, it felt more like an excuse, but it didn't really matter in the end. If it ended up looking worse for wear upon completion, it was probably all for the better.
The fundamentals of Battleship seemed to be easy enough to grasp hold of, but the imagined layout of the board was childish at best without the proper representation. She had to hand it to Sola, though: she had been unaware the flabébé could explain in such detail, let alone in a way the sheltered mewtwo could comprehend. -Beta believes she understands...- she nodded slowly, -It sounds like an adequate example of geographical coordination.- Could even be a bit fun to play... if she weren't a psychic type. People trying to hide things like that didn't always make for the quietest of thinkers.
Tyche Fortuna “Well, she might still find a way..” Sola explained, “But if you’re sure….I guess Lucia could help?”
“Oh, so now I am helping? I thought I wasn’t up to the task?”
“Bagel thinks you can dust!”
“I guess I could try my hand at it, whenever this sleep over happens.” Lucia sounded less than excited, but, then again, she had serious doubts on if this event would even occur, but she wasn’t about to put a damper on Sola’s excitement.
“Want me to bring it for the sleepover, Bagel? It could be really fun! Or maybe we could bring that and another game or two!” Sola exclaimed. It was quite obvious that she was excited at the thought of playing board games with her new friend. She loved games, of all sorts! “If you like geo-geographical? Stuff, then you would really like RISK then! I don’t really get it though… But Lucia is really good at RISK. She is……UNDEFEATED!!!!” She never really got the mechanics or the dice rolling, she just liked picking up the pieces and pretending they were fighting, even if they were just small wooden squares. Luckily, she had quite the imagination, so it still worked.
“How much do you want to bring with you?” Lucia asked, with a raised brow.
“Everything!”
MoogerMint Beta's tail waved slightly as she curiously observed Lucia's reluctant acceptance of the possibility of helping out by dusting, attempting to decipher whether the nuzleaf was trying her best to convincingly wiggle out of doing chores or if she really had such little faith in her own abilities to clean. -Perhaps Lucia only needs a bit of practice,- she suggested with a light shrug. Sola's excitement despite the uneasiness of her partner's tentative affirmations on helping wouldn't allow Beta's smile to disappear.
At the question of what Sola should bring to a sleepover, Beta hesitated slightly, a slight shake of her head. What did people normally bring to a sleepover? She wouldn't have any idea... and in all honesty, she wasn't sure the other two knew, either. At the small flabébé's ending proclamation, Beta's eyes went wide, her suspicions confirmed, -Ah... everything might be a touch difficult to bring over. If you want to bring some games, that would be fine.- That might take up all the time they'd be here, after all, if the two of them actually did decide to come back. The thought was unnerving, but she supposed she could survive it.
Tyche Fortuna Whispering, Sola replied, “I don’t think she has any practice dusting.”
Lucia didn’t reply to this comment, but she did roll her eyes. Even if she had wanted to dust, it wasn’t something that really needed practice.
“I guess everything would be too much…its not like a pizza with everything on it; that isn’t even close to everything! Remember when we got the everything pizza Lucia?”
“Yeah, that had to be, what, 6 or 7 toppings, tops? Were loose definition of everything.”
“Yeah! So maybe my top 2 or 3 or 4 games?”
“We should probably get going, so you can start narrowing it down, then, huh?”
Yawning, Sola exclaimed, “But it’s still early! We have plenty of time!”
MoogerMint The corner of Beta's mouth curled into a bit of a smirk as Sola played along with the suggestion, or perhaps took it seriously. She wasn't about to doubt the fairy pokémon if she was so sure, especially if Lucia was unusually clumsy when it came to cleaning, but it was no less amusing either way.
However, the talk of ordering pizza left Beta in the dark. Sure, she might have heard of pizza before, but outside of the general knowledge that it was a very versatile food, the girl lacked proper insight into the matter. Regardless, it all came down to a simple understanding through analogy, and that much she was fully capable of grasping. -There is always time later,- Beta insisted after the very audible yawn escaped Sola's mouth in her objections, -There is much planning to do, and rest is important.- Besides, even Lucia might have been getting tired at this rate; Beta didn't really know how long the two of them had been out and about today, before they had even stumbled into the lower section of the lighthouse. This conversation had already taken a lot out of the introverted mewtwo as well!
Tyche Fortuna “I guesss……” Sola whined, she was getting tired, but she didn’t really want to go, not yet. Fiddling onne last time with the gizmo, she added, “I guess Bagel wants her super fun toy back.” In a manner similar to how she snagged it prior, Sola returned it, reluctantly.
“Well, now that your property has been returned, we should probably be headed off.” Lucia stated, ready to go. The conversation was a bit one sided anyways, though Sola seemed to have some fun at least. She was glad of that, at least. “So, say goodbye Sola.”
“Goodbye Sola!”
“Really?”
“Err, Goodbye Bagel!”
MoogerMint Beta offered an apologetic smile; had she been a little more open, she might have even snickered at Sola's display of disappointment at having to leave the area and give back an item she didn't really understand the workings of. -Sola can play with it later, if she so wishes,- she suggested, considering playing with the knobs didn't really do any harm -- she'd just have to reset the parameters again once Sola was done, it wasn't that big of a deal. With a nod, she took the console back from the flabébé's vines, -Thank you for returning it.-
Sliding it back into the pocket of the lab coat, she returned the sentiments, -It was a pleasure to meet the both of you. Good bye, and safe travels!- Beta took a few of the broken stairs up the stairwell, but halted until they were fully gone before considering a retreat back up.
Premise:The five senses can be overrated: adaptability is key.
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 4:42 pm
✨ Hope___ Life has only been a prologue
Sleeves rolled up to the elbows, the intently-focused child's movements at the helm of the computer seemed quicker than the processor could load the screen. Her gestures became strained with impatience at every turn she was left waiting for longer than a second, a built up energy that she had forgotten to keep in check once she was ensconced in her overly-familiar habitat. Her eyes were alight with a fire, stoked in a way she could hardly remember feeling before.
Had she? These walls, while all she had ever known, seemed to be drawing nearer. Quite lived in, but stuffy; this place was suffocating her. What exactly had changed, to make the young child of science wish for something more than she had been blessed with? Was it because of Jirachi's gift? Or perhaps Holly's?
Her hand hovered over the keys, hesitating for the briefest of moments. She had tasted what it was like on the outside, through both experimentation and the eyes of those she made contact with. Was this what it was like to be human? To be pokémon? In some roundabout way, is that what it was like to be either one, when she had been neither before?
A small smile appeared on Beta's face; it was but a foolish thought. To think that the stone artifact, imbued with a wish, would stabilize her where science had not... Foolish indeed. The world had poisoned her. This was one of the things that the scientists had been trying to prevent, she was sure of it.
She snorted derisively, fingers kicking back up to speed. Failed experiment or not, at the moment, she wouldn't have it any other way. It gave her something she never had before, though an ideal she always seemed to cling to nonetheless: it gave her hope. A rebellious risk, sure, but what point to life was there if she remained restrained to this short leash? Did they even know she was still here, alive and well? There were so many reasons she could justify what just days before she would have considered but a whimsical folly.
The mechanical device, haphazardly attached to the master computer through forcibly repurposed cords, blinked its lights a couple times in response to the code and power linked to it. Beta rose from her seat, making her way to the back room, a storage area for all the possessions left behind. Her fingers pawed through an array of fabrics nimbly, many times more precise than she ever could have before. The tiny detail, it was extraordinary to the young test tube baby, a trait she had studied but never thought she could use herself.
With a swift back-and-forth motion of her head, she shook the distracting thoughts from her mind, pulling up a large, dark length of fabric. She whipped it out like a blanket in preparation to cover a bed, but swung the cloak about her shoulders, fastening it loosely around her neck. Her arms outstretched, she moved herself about carefully in the small room, making sure it would cover any... abnormal parts of her body. Neck craned, she moved her whip of a tail lax around the bottom half of her body, so as not to mindlessly wave it around in public. Lastly, she pulled at the sides of the hood, careful to make sure it shrouded her facial features when raised. -Perfect,- that wavering smile crept back across her lips; all the pieces seemed to be falling into place.
Without removing the attire from where it rested, the young girl returned to the screen of the large computer terminal. It wouldn't do to rush into this, even if she was all but bursting with excitement at the opportunity. It wasn't every day she found herself out among others, and didn't want it to be the last of such ventures. If anyone were to know who she was, what she was... Perhaps it wouldn't matter, but in all her careful calculation, she couldn't take the risk -- it just wasn't logical to stake everything on a single strategic move like this. -One step at a time, Beta,- she breathed, timing the oxygen intake for potency to settle the nerves, -one step at a time.-
One last, slow breath escaped as she unplugged the portable security device from the computer terminal and slid it into a pocket. Best-case scenario, the scanner had increased range; worst-case scenario, it remained the same. In either case, it wasn't as though anyone had ever attempted to get into the top of the lighthouse with the staircase unusable, but that didn't mean she would slacken her watch. The second she did, something was bound to show up -- such happenstance was governed by Murphy's Law. Joke or not, it was a very real threat, even with surrounding security measures on the alert to lock the place up -- a state-of-the-art nuke shelter couldn't have done it better.
With one last scan around the laboratory, having reset the pulled wires back to their original places, the lime-hued mewtwo-girl took one last survey of the state of affairs before dropping through the narrow hole in the floor, hands clasped tightly around the edges of the cloak's hood, -It all starts with a single step.-
[[ Word Count: 876 ]]
MoogerMint Crew
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MoogerMint Crew
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 4:43 pm
✨ Roleplay #4___
Title:Hiding In Plain Sight Participants:Truffles & Beta Stages:Child (Both) Status:Complete!
Premise:The city is not the best place to lay low, but the unexpected can work to such advantage.
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 10:51 pm
✨ Social Barriers___ To train one physically, one must train psychologically
Stirring from the cold sheet of metal Beta called a bed, her newly-uncovered cloak blanketing her body. Her fingers entangled in the folds to either side, body curled under the shade against the fluorescent glow of the laboratory lights, a murmur escaped her as she poked her head out of the top, eyes squinting as she tried to read the screen of the console from her stead. Nope, nothing new was showing, and it had only been an hour since she has last looked, apparently.
Grumbling to herself, she groggily pulled the cloak back over her head. After the excitement of the previous day, Beta found herself utterly worn out, both physically and mentally. Things had been so overly taxing, a new experience around every corner... there was just so much out there; there wasn't enough time or energy in a day! But when her body could barely handle a conversation with a single person... Introversion was such a bother.
Despite all the fatigue, though, Beta was finding it increasingly difficult to get much sleep, always thinking about the next thing she could try, the next limit she could push. It was difficult to fall asleep when the synapses of the mind were all so invigorated at the thought. Maybe she just needed a break, but then what use was all that extra time, if not invested in furthering life? She'd already wasted so much, holed up in here, maintaining and preserving the integrity of the lab, but at what cost? She didn't know if anyone would ever return, and although she was still chained to the place, still intent on upholding the only thing that was left to her from days long past, it didn't mean that was all there had to be to her world.
Beta sat herself upright, removing the makeshift blanket as her tail whipped slightly in agitation. This was getting her nowhere, and lying here until sleep decided to visit wasn't going to do a lick of good. She'd just have to find something else to preoccupy and hush her yammering mind, distract it from its current race and right it onto one that was actually headed for the destination she wished to end up. After all, she couldn't go out and experience the outer world like this, she needed rest before she could attempt that again!
She folded the cloak and placed it at one end of the operation table before she vacated the room, rubbing at her eyes in a reflexive attempt at adjusting her sight to the difference in brightness. Out of habit, she seated herself at the main terminal, pulling a leg up to root itself on the seat as she sat down, tail wrapped protectively around her. Maybe reading something would help straighten her nerves and relax enough to take another shot at sleep.
The computer may not have been hooked up to receive the Internet that could be accessed elsewhere, but it had an enormous database shared with many of the laboratories, past and present, that researched pokémon. Some was undoubtedly a dive into the darker side, hidden behind locks and encryption -- the "dark side" of research conducted in places such as the one she herself grew up in -- but the grand majority of the data stored within could be found in the average, completely-legitimate pokémon labs. In her short time exposed to other poké-kids, Beta had often found herself perusing through the knowledge base that marked their genetic makeup to better understand those that she had stumbled across: piplup, nuzleaf, flabébé, exeggcute, eevee--
The cursor paused over "mewtwo" on the screen, causing Beta to mildly flinch. -Beta... wasn't the first,- she reminded herself. This was not the first time she considered looking through the notes, of course, but her hesitation stemmed more from obligation and self-image. Times had most certainly changed. In fact, it almost seemed irresponsible not to leaf through the files. When was the last time she had leveled physical skill? Would it not be to the benefit of the lab if she were more powerful, to protect it from certain destruction?
Little time was wasted agonizing in uncertainty, she had long since made up her mind. Stubbornness had always been a very strong trait of hers, but it had begun seeping into other partitions of her mind, ones she had scarcely acknowledged let alone pushed. Whether it was merely because she now had a taste for it, or whether it was the effects of Jirachi's star altering her genetic makeup, it didn't seem to matter any longer. What was the point, if a person did not evolve with the times? The past was in the past. It did not mean she had to abandon it, but when an obstinate tree did not learn to bend with the wind, it was only a matter of time before it came crashing down.
However, in her groggy mindset, it was easy for Beta to find herself negotiating semantics in such a manner with more positive results. Tensions were lessening in the fatigue, making it less likely she was bound to argue; even a little, quick peek couldn't really hurt. Besides, how many of these files even had any information on pokémon after they made contact with a transforming wishing star? Well... there was some, but not usually under a specific pokémon's header. Most of those were collected in their own, separate database; those weren't the schematics she was after, exactly.
Her search did not take very long, for it was a simple enough task to remove the technical jargon from the raw text. She didn't need to relive all the tests, scrutinize the way she was graded against a being she only knew to dislike, like being compared to a sibling favored by their parents. She skimmed through the lists restlessly, took quick note of the defined effects until she managed to land on one to spark enough interest, -Hmm, Miracle Eye...- Something that could prove to be useful both in and outside a battle scenario, now that would be a beneficial skill.
Scrolling through the notes, it seemed simple enough a move to memorize, but as per usual, came at the cost of another remnant of the past. Miracle Eye, the ability that removed the invulnerability to psychic-type moves and increased accuracy evasive targets. It seemed logical that it could likewise work outside a hostile environment. Recalling Lucia's inability to hear Beta's telepathic speech, the nuzleaf's dark-type immunity to psychic influences made sense. If she were able to use this move, then perhaps she would never run into that translation error. Solanacea was eager to help, but not the best to rely on relaying information through.
In this case, it seemed only natural to get rid of a move whose namesake invoked what she was trying to solve. Besides, it wasn't as though she had run into much, if any, cause to use a damaging move. If worst came to worst, she still had plenty of firepower up her sleeve.
The girl smiled to herself -- social anxiety had been bad enough on its own, perhaps now she wouldn't need to worry about that communication rut anymore. There was still one problem, however, a consideration that slipped past her mind and caused her head to plummet into her hands, -...Beta is even more awake now...-
Premise:A hidden catastrophe sounds, deep under the layers of stone and hatred.
- - -
Roleplay:Under spoiler
MoogerMint It had been a few days since Kyran tempted fate by venturing further into the surrounding forest of the darkrai twins' dwelling, and he wasn't so keen on trying again anytime soon. Too many times had situations escalated to a dangerous level, as all conscious interaction fell into such categorization. His main priority should be in securing the area from potential threat, to fortify it by learning its inner trappings, in order to keep his and Kiara's existences unknown. Having been hunted in the past was not a history he wanted to have repeating, and when close encounter with a darkrai always inevitably led to recurrence of persistent nightmares... well, most did not look upon such innate power too fondly, even if they were automatic and uncontrolled abilities. The fact remained that, the further he pushed his luck with the boundaries, the more he ran into potential threat. Kyran at least limited the farther ventures to the darkest of nights, but the fact still remained... they were in danger, no matter where they chose to stay. It was only ever a question of when they would be discovered, not if; it always had been.
Regardless, even in the daylight hours, it seemed relatively safe to scour the area immediately outside the cave entrance. Few pokémon ever ventured in this far, the foliage thick and matted to obscure the home hidden beneath. He was pretty sure the destruction that Kiara had applied to the nearby area helped to scare any of the smaller bug-types away as well, but the debris was showing its age, exposed to the elements for so long.
Speaking of the elements, even living in such seclusion, they were not saved from the mood swings the weather seemed to be experiencing over the past week. While the extremes failed to reach the foot of the mountains on their side, they didn't need to to be prominently obvious. It wasn't normal... but it wasn't damaging the twins' security, at least. The earthquake that tore through his thoughts just as easily as it had the surrounding area, however, was a different story. The violent rocking knocked the boy off his balance; all he could do was brace himself on the ground, too disoriented and confused to do much else. It was only after it stopped did he question what could have caused such a fierce tremor, stumbling back to his feet with most of his weight placed on his staff.
Speaking of which, was his sister okay in there? He made haste back to the entrance, catching her voice as it echoed over the walls, but missed the subject. "Kiara?" he peered in, surprised to see her up. And wet... oh crap, that tub hadn't flipped over on her, had it?
* * *
It had been quite the undertaking, but Beta had convinced herself that the weather anomalies afflicting the land could not be solved by one such as herself. Patterns were disrupted to an irreparable level, but the strict source was unknown. This was not due to some haphazardly-applied phrase of global warming or whatever else the humans tended to lay blame on, this was most certainly pokémon-inflicted. The stories were everywhere, part of lore and history both, so there was no doubt in Beta's mind that the cause was their doing. For what purpose, she didn't know, but decisions of such caliber were not oft impulsive, especially with hundreds, thousands, of years' knowledge under one's belt.
The floods had been most problematic, for although the lighthouse was still structurally sound, it still had potential to be worn away by damaging conditions. Ebb and flow, this was not... and more than once did she find herself erecting a Barrier against the crashing of waves against her home. It was an irritant, but it would pass in time, she hoped. Drag it on too much longer, and she may reconsider departure, but it seemed too far out of the way to bother with at this point in time.
Electrified green eyes jumped to her computer screen as the readings soared. She had been mainly preoccupied with the meteorological fluctuations, but... these came beneath the earth's crust. It didn't seem to be far enough down for a true earthquake, but it touched on the edges. Could this have been caused by the feuding legendaries as well? Could the problems be increasing with time? She scrolled through the lines, expression creasing into a slow frown, -No... no this is not good...- The rocking may not have been a tectonic shift, but it was causing the damage of one. The source was closer than the origin of the storms seemed to be, and was tapping at the precipice of something more dire.
She couldn't stand idly by any longer. Swiftly, she grabbed the lab coat -- her protection against the elements -- and leaped from the highest window of the lighthouse, enveloped in a bubble of psychic energy. Her attentions were focused for the mountain at the back of the forest, an area she had managed to avoid thus far. -If the destruction does not cease, we are going to have more than just an earthquake problem...- she growled to herself, determined to reach the site in time. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Tyche Fortuna “Don’t you know how to knock?!” Kiara yelled as her twin walked into the cave. “I could have been getting dressed; or in the bath!” It had been a while since she had yelled at Kyran. It felt nice, much nicer then moping around her cave. Ineffectually attempting to wipe some of the water off her clothing, she added, “Eh, I’ll yell at you more about that later. There are more important things right now.” Adjusting herself, she yelled, “You felt that right? Of course; yo aren’t that much of an idiot. There is some powerful ground type near our home and, if we don’t do anything about it, this place, our home, could end up as a pile of rubble, So get ready 5 minutes ago; we are leaving now!”
Without giving him a chance to reply, she turned and started to walk into the network of tunnels. She didn’t turn around to make sure he was following; she knew he would be. Suddenly she found herself wishing that something else had been left with her clothing, a weapon. That might have proved more effective than the claws hidden under her sleaves.
***
It hadn’t been long since the quakes began and, as time passed, they only increased in strength. Calliope was certainly aware of natural earthquakes and these certainly weren’t them. A pokemon was causing this and it obviously didn’t care how much damage it would cause. Already chunks were falling from the ceiling of her home, if she didn’t act soon, the whole thing would likely come down on her and her kin.
“Zap,” Calli began, “this time is different. I don’t want you following me. Promise me you won’t follow.”
<>
“Whatever is shaking the earth, threatening to destroy our home, it might be too powerful for me.”
<> The little Joltik countered.
“No, this time I might not be coming back; this time…no one might come back. And if something happens, I need you here to lead everyone to a new home, somewhere safer. Because…well…if I’mnot able to stop whoever is causing these quakes, our home will be gone; for good. So promise me Zap!”
<> Zap began, <>
“I’ll do my best Zap.” At that, she nodded to the Joltik and turned to walk out of the home she had made with so many of her kind. They needed her to succeed; they were counting on her.
***
Sitting up, Mana tugged at her wet clothes with a look of obvious annoyance. “It’s been raining so much,” she mumbled to herself. Honestly, she liked the rain; she liked being rained on even, but now that she wore clothes, she did not like the feeling of them clinging to her while wet. Suddenly, though, she transformed into a normal Mew. <> A wide grin across her face, she ran though the water. Normally she would just float, but rain was a special occasion. Suddenly, as she ran, the ground shook beneath her, causing her to trip, though she did catch herself in midair.
While the rain was unnatural, it didn’t concern her that much. While the area she lived in was getting more rain than normal, it had managed to avoid the worst of the weather problems. She had heard of areas that were getting worst weather, likely caused by someone angering the three forces of nature, they could be a rowdy bunch after all, but she was more concerned with the quakes. She had felt similar ones before an eruption in the past, not something that she wanted to relive. She was certain if they continued, as they seemed to be, there would be another eruption, possibly worst. She could also tell that they were not natural; they just had a Pokémon feel to them.
Not wanting to risk her home or the homes of others that lived nearby, Mana once again transformed, this time into a swanna, and flew towards the mountains.
***
It had felt like she had slept for ages, after her escape from the lab. But now, after an extended period of hibernation, she was full of energy; energy she used for destruction. While she had destroyed a large portion of the lab in her escape, she was sure some of it still stood. She also recalled, in half memories that almost seemed like dreams, that there was another underground lab nearby. She had no idea where it was though. Luckily, for her vengeance, not for anyone that lived in the region, she was beyond caring about collateral damage; it actually never even crossed her mind. All she wanted was revenge. That was all she could feel. Her face emotionless, but her eyes burning with rage, Etna lifted a foot and slammed it back into the ground, causing yet another earthquake. All around her, small pieces of rubble fell from the ceiling.
MoogerMint Considering the debilitating depression that Kiara had been experiencing for the better part of a month, Kyran had not been expecting the snap retort to his concern. Her venomous words came as a double-edged blade: while it was encouraging to hear some of her old spark come back after so long lost, the damage the words were meant to cause wasn't missing. Sticks and stones... whoever had come up with that obnoxious expression hadn't had the abuse come from the only one they cared for. "S-Sorry," he hesitated quietly, despite the request to knock lacking foundation at a cave entrance. Despite it all, he almost smiled to see her like that.
Once her heated reprehension subsided, Kyran moved to step past the threshold as the lesser-preferred options were proven false: she wasn't bathing, and she was certainly still fully-clothed. He attempted to focus on his steps, trying to rely less on his staff, to blunt the sharp condescension and let it roll off. Glancing around the inner walls, he could see that most of the damage hadn't broken the surface; with as violent a shake as it had been, though, that luck wasn't going to last if the tremoring continued. Retraining his attention back to his sister, he nodded, "I'm ready." Having a schedule to keep wasn't usually much of a problem.
As they traversed down the winding trails beneath the mountain, the boy couldn't help but be glad that the source of the problem seemed to be buried within the depths of the cavern systems, for he didn't think he'd be able to keep up with Kiara's pace any other way. The staff was one thing, but it took time to maneuver; when the rocky walls flanked the other side, it cut the time down to compensate for half the weight normally reserved for the held support. The optimism wavered with the thought of a cave-in, and his senses on guard for the smallest of alerts in the darkness. He didn't dare speak, in case whatever was causing this whole fiasco was closer than expected, but as he accidentally knocked a pebble on the ground with a misplacement of his staff, he realized it wouldn't matter either way at this rate.
* * *
Normally, traveling so far a distance from the place she was supposed to protect would have been nerve-wracking for the child of science experimentation. She was to be bolted to the place with the trappings of ingrained loyalty, a twisting prerogative to uphold the sanctity of the lair the scientists -- those who made her life possible -- toiled over and held dear. At least, they had many a year before, but without such path to follow, what future did one of her discipline, her history, really have?
Her hands clutched tighter at the small console, fished out of the lab coat pocket so as not to accidentally drop it to the surface below. Again. The child's body she now occupied floated yards above the tallest of the forest's trees, but the young girl barely batted an eye to what was literally beneath her, concentration narrowed to her goal line. She didn't even know she was capable of moving so fast while airborne, for even while scoping out the perimeter of the lighthouse where she dwelled, the nervousness of being discovered kept a strong handle on her internal emergency brakes, her foot loosening it's pressure on the acceleration. However, if the readings were correct, then it wasn't just her that was going to be in peril...
The mountain was losing its distance from the green-marked mewtwo-child, and with it came the frantic scan as to where the disturbances were taking place. It didn't take more than a couple of seconds to determine that it wasn't on the surface... and that to get a good reading of where she needed to go, she would have to deploy the abilities she hated to admit she was capable of.
This was no time to be self-conscious. Hovering in place, Beta redirected attentions inward to project out. This was certainly not a natural occurrence, and at the rate it was headed, was running head-first into a battle with Mother Nature's anger. Maybe that's what this angry pokémon wanted, in the end... for Beta was certainly tasting more than enough hatred emanating from the far-off sensory pulses of Etna's enraged mind. -It is unraveling...- she paused, distressed, before moving onward. She'd have to find some way to get down there...
Tyche Fortuna Kiara replied neither to Kyran’s apology not to his confirmation that he was ready. Neither really mattered to her right now; she was looking for vengeance. She was certain she would find it at the end of the tunnel. Breathing in deeply, Kiara released ominous wind around her, letting it flow over her and around her and down the tunnel. The fear in the wind felt nice to her. In a way, it reminded her of the fear she had been feeling nightly, in the nightmares she had been having since the transformation, only from the other side. It felt nice to be on the other side again; the one causing fear, not feeling it.
“This is definitely the right way,” Kiara stated. It was said out loud, but it wasn’t really directed at Kyran. “Though, I think it has stopped for a moment..” Closing her eyes, she did her best to picture the cave network in her head. “Yeah, definitely the right direction.” This time it was more of a mumble. Descending with the slope of the tunnel, they soon came upon a large round chamber. It seemed to be the hub of a large network tunnels. On the far side of it, lay a large wall. “Just past that wall, I’d say…”
***
The ground shaking beneath her, Calli steadied herself using her spear. The closer she got to the source, the more the earth seemed to shake underneath her feet. She actually found herself worried. If something could do this to the very ground itself, what could it do to her? Still, there were many Joltiks waiting for her, back at her home; she had to make sure they were safe, that whatever this was wouldn’t get to them. And, hopefully, she would make it back to them. Regardless of that, though, she had to stop this threat.
As she continued along the tunnel, she released some webbing. Carefully, she braided it into a rope, wrapping one end around her wrist and securing the other end to her spear. If this was a ground type, she might not want to get close. This way she could still use her spear, without putting herself too much at risk.
Her weapon now modified, her pace quickened. For the moment, the quakes seemed to stop coming. Either whatever was causing them was taking a break, or it was merely up to something else. She was certain that they would continue, though. Rounding a corner, she noticed that the passage she was in was leading towards a large chamber. She could see another tunnel on the opposite side, and a large wall in between.
***
Eyes glowing with rage, Etna unleashed a blast of flame, a bizarre mixture of reds, oranges, and black. It made molten the wall before her. A smirk across her face, charged toward it, a shadowy aura enveloping her. The moment she made contact was painful, the heat from the molten upper later combined with the force of the solid layer beneath, but that did not stop her. Oblivious to her own pain, she smashed through the wall into a large, adjacent cavern.
***
As she had taken the form of a swanna, as opposed to a harrier jet, it had taken Mana a bit of time to make it to the mountain. Luckily, she had traveled there many times in the past and, while she did not know the network of tunnels that ran under the mountain, she certainly knew of many entrances. Landing at one such entrance, she quickly transformed into a Zubat and flew into the cave, content that she would fit right in.
She knew that she still had a ways to go, but she was definitely making progress.
MoogerMint Even though Kyran didn't know what to expect by the time the two of them reached their ultimate destination, he knew very well that whatever they encountered couldn't be good. Secluded from much of the world throughout their time on this plane left its marks visible, but it was the price to pay for safety. At least, that was the general idea; these pokémon-created earthquakes would beg to differ, it seemed. Despite the fact that these mountains had survived the test of time, even with the drilling of tunnels, woven through the inside, it was only a matter of time before things started collapsing under the trauma. The mountain itself may be fine, but those who depended on its inner workings...
His steps slowed briefly as he caught sight of the Ominous Wind that Kiara was producing, for he did not wish to be caught up in that disturbance. Instead, he walked a little to the side, so his pace could continue at a regular pace to her own. It was a move that Kyran had once been able to do, but had recently overridden in favor of something he'd likely use more often. There wasn't any telling whether it would come in handy in this particular case, however, and he found himself hoping he hadn't jeopardized the situation by replacing it too soon.
Kyran glanced to Kiara as she spoke, but refrained from vocalizing his agreement -- he never had any doubt that Kiara knew where she was going. Even leading the two of them astray would probably have been seen as all part of his sister's plan, towards some end or another. His attention stuck close to their surroundings, the stability, more so when Kiara called attention to the shaking earth, pausing in its vibrations for the moment. Peculiar... though the likelihood of them staying that way probably wouldn't have played much of a part in halting their own advancement towards the source: Kiara was angry, and there was nothing that was going to stand in her way of finding out what had her so flustered.
As they reached the deeper tunnels, a convergence toward a larger, central area became more evident. Kyran's pace tapered off as he reached where the path widened, bracing himself with his more humanoid hand at the wall a he peered past. This felt wrong... not the area itself, but he thought he could feel the rumbling increasing again, closer this time. He was about to mention as much when the walls before them seemed to bow to the sound of something massive hitting another more solid. It wouldn't be solid for long... but Kyran's sight snapped down to the violent shaking, and it was all he could do to keep himself upright. It wasn't until he was sure that the tunnel the twins currently occupied wasn't going to collapse over the top of them did he turn back to the source of this madness. He never thought he'd see a pokémon so large... and it would be but a matter of moments before he also realized she was on a murderous rampage.
* * *
Beta circled about the surface of the mountain. She could feel that the origin of the shaking of the vicinity was directly below her, but she couldn't locate a way to enter into the mountain's depths. Considering the girl was not at the point where mountain fell into forest, many of the caves were out of her reach. Things were getting more serious... the problem was surfacing, quite literally. While such knowledge lended it to the fact that that would mean the rocking of the earth would touch less on the instability of the magma veins, the damage had already been done. This situation needed to be contained, and it needed to be contained now.
The psychic energy she was feeding off of was directed downward, toward the underground networks. Perhaps she could locate a durant colony in there that could guide her on where to go from here, the shortest cut through to the problem area. She managed to lock onto a mental map within a moment of beginning, something that had traversed the long halls many times over... and that was being mindful of staying clear of the maddened pokémon below.
Without a second thought on the matter, she reinforced her barrier and dove through the closest entrance into the cave tunnel systems, maneuvering the stony corridors as though it were the back of her hand. It took her little effort to find the place, still hovering above the ground, immune to the rumblings beneath feet but not to the overhangs above... or the enraged groudon before her. She only paused briefly, in order to gain her bearings, quickly calculating speeds and distances. -This disruption has gone on long enough, you must stop!- she called over the muddied static of a broken mind. Beta didn't think it was any use, but there was no harm in trying. She focused her energies on Future Sight as a backup plan, but that only managed to prove her suspicions correct. Things were about to get messy...
Tyche Fortuna At the sound of a crash, Callie ran to the large chamber. At various points stood herself, a dark black and red pokemon, that she couldn’t identify, the most likely source of the rumbling and three pokemon that had been transformed into humans, much as she had. The two that stood together….one of them smelled familiar….she seemed to recognize it from before her transformation. The third, though, it was completely unfamiliar and seemed to float in the air, as useful defense against a pokemon that caused earthquakes.
Standing there, she didn’t have to be a psychic type to sense the rage emanating from Etna. Thinking it prudent to try and slow the beast down, she launched an electroweb at it. Unfortunately, since Etna was a ground type, the move was completely ineffective. Etna didn’t even notice it.
Not willing to wait to give the creature a chance for a first move, Kiara attempted to use Hypnosis on the Groudon; other pokemon were much easier to deal with when they were asleep.
The wave hit Etna, dead on, and created a sinking feeling in her mind, that Kiara was able to sense, bringing a smirk to her face. It soon vanished, though, as Etna’s rage pushed through the hypnosis and the only effect it had on her was making her angry. Tyche: With an otherworldly roar, Etna launched Shadow Fire at the shiny darkrai. It flew straight at Kiara, enveloping her in its deadly heat. With an intense scream she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
* * *
Hurrying towards where she sensed the source, Mana suddenly heard a loud scream. She knew it belonged to a victim of whatever was causing this. In a panic, she picked up speed.
MoogerMint Kyran still hadn't determined what it was this large behemoth was after, tearing up the place as she was, but it was clearly apparent that she was angry about something. Such a volatile creature, blinded by emotion, it would have been best to steer clear and observe how best to handle a situation of such magnitude; that's how Kyran would have preferred to go about matters, at least. The consequences of this turn of events was not only aimed or accrued by himself, however, a point made very clear as Kiara was taken down -- everything past that point, Kyran reacted on instinct. He couldn't undo the damage that was already caused, but at least he could prevent some from stacking on top of it. With a glare, he hurled a Disable Etna's way, moving to stand in front of Kiara in case things backfired. It would be best if he just took Kiara and ran for it... but then that would leave this whole place vulnerable to catastrophe. He'd never hear the end of it if he let that happen.
Beta jolted as Etna's attack knocked its intended target unconscious. She had never heard of a move like that, let alone witness its destructive capabilities first-hand. With a slight wavering nervousness, she turned to spot Calliope across the cavern; there were more people here than she thought there'd be. She offered a single nod, though doubted she had caught the biggly's attention long enough for her to notice, and levitated a little higher. Beta may have foreseen a single move in the future, but until then, she was just as susceptible as anyone else here. One-hit moves were not to be taken lightly... so in preparation, she strengthened her Barrier one last level, hoping that the rest of the others in the area would be okay through the onslaught.
Tyche Fortuna Kiara began to dream as she lay unconscious on the hard cavernous floor…..
Eyes still beaming with rage, Etna unleashed Shadow Sky. Unnatural, inky darkness emanated outward from her, filling the cavernous room. It had no effect on her, but its jet black cloud darkened the already dark cave and drained the life of those within it.
Inside and out Calli burned, as the blackness engulfed her. The large pokemon in front of her was now a red blur in the darkness; she could still make her out, but it was through like a fog. Fighting through the pain, Calli, now aware that her electric attacks would be useless, launched her spear-made-harpoon at Etna, and unleashed a leach life with the other. As the harpoon connected on Etna’s back, she cried out. The pain in Calli lessened slightly as the leach life connected, restoring a small measure of the damage that the dark sky had caused her.
* * *
Worried that she would get there too late, Mana hurried through the tunnels. “I..I’m, almost there!”
* * *
Kiara looked around frantically. She appeared to be manacled in some unfamiliar cell; there was barely any room for her to move, and her hands had bizarre, claw shaped harnesses on them. The room was dark, too dark for her to even see in, despite being a dark type. The only thing she could sense ahead of her was a small glint off what looked to be a metal bar. She felt trapped and alone. “Where am I?” she pleaded desperately,
MoogerMint Kyran stood his ground, blocking his unconscious twin from immediate view from the towering pokémon. As non-damaging as his own attack was, the shadow groudon's temperament made her more than a little unpredictable, as blinded by rage as she was. It felt familiar, though he was drawing from similarities and not a repeat occurrence. With everything that could go wrong all seeming to converge into a single moment, Kyran almost wished he had the luxury of panicking, of receding back into the tunnels from whence they arrived and ignore the destruction. The thought was impatiently tossed aside, even before Etna countered the defensive maneuvers coming from all sides of her. Sight cutting through the blackest of night had never been an issue for him, and neither was this false darkness, blue eye flashing in the haze as a sensation like needles cut through his attention, sharply refocusing his efforts. He didn't want any further harm to befall Kiara, so out of reflexive action, he rushed Etna with a Feint Attack, as warning to cut it out. Sure, it was obvious the message probably wouldn't get through, but there was only one person he'd allow to push him around without consequence.
The strength of the Barrier left Beta's vision like looking through frosted glass, but the filter was more superficial than it was impairment. Sight had not been really dampened until Etna's attack on the territory, and Beta found herself wincing and reeling back a bit at the pain. It felt like her energy were being forcibly torn off of her, seeping out the pores in her skin and dissipating out of her own reach. Future Sight was not yet ready, this was not the move she had seen coming... Through the sharp pangs, her nerves pulsing and clawing, she tossed a glittering barrage of Swift into the darkness before her, biding her time before she'd be able to cause some real damage. She caught sight of the others, attempting their own strikes on the groudon, and hoped they'd be able to do something more than just enrage the legendary further. They had to put a stop to this!
Tyche Fortuna Her face in a grimace, at the pain of the shadow sky, Calli made her next move. The possibility of fleeing didn’t even occur to her, even though she was greatly outmatched. Too much was riding on this battle. She was thankful that she was not alone, even if she did not know her current comrades. Even if they would normally be at odds, the enemy of her enemy was her friend, right? Raising her left hand at the great beast, she launched a single beam.
Etna let out an earthshattering roar as she was first pummeled with a Feint attack, which was then followed up with a Future Sight, Swift, and a Signal Beam. Reaching her right hand behind her, she gripped the webbing that was attached to the spear in her back on one end and to one of her opponents on her other. With a great heave, she whipped the Biggly Joltik girl into Beta. Eying the Darkrai in front of her, she lowered her left shoulder and charged into him with a Shadow Break.
Just then, Mana flew in from a side entrance, still in the form of a Zubat. Without hesitation, she launched a confuse ray at Etna.
* * *
As Kiara sat alone in her cell, the shadows that surrounded her seemed to congeal into long tendrils. She shrieked as one reached for her leg.
MoogerMint It was one thing to actually move in order to hit an opponent with a Feint Attack accurately, but it was quite another to get out of there as fast as he had landed the hit. Persistence drove him toward his mark, but unsteadiness caught hold of Kyran as soon as the move had been delivered. He had been hoping the attacks from the others in the area would distract their shared opponent enough for him to survey what had been done, but by the time his balance was steadied, inching himself to the side slightly, he was met with the stony shoulder of the pained groudon. It had only pinned him to the wall for a second, but the force behind the move was enough to traumatize his lungs into seizing, temporarily incapacitating his ability to intake any oxygen. Like an injured, cornered dog, he struck at her with another Disable before she could retreat from him, but his attention was getting fuzzy. Without the necessary foundations, he collapsed to the ground, holding himself upright by the shaky support of his arms.
Etna's roar was enough to startle Beta; she knew that all the attacks meeting the same goal would draw attention to the pain they would be inflicting, but so vocally, no. She flinched as a piece of the walls above her crumbled and hit the Barrier that encapsulated her form, renewing the attention she had to her own health meters from the prior attack and knowing that they did not have much time left. It was enough of a distraction to detract her mind just long enough for Calli's flight to go unnoticed -- that is, until she landed on the mewtwo. She gave a surprised squeak as she was knocked from the sky by the reverse-bugswatter, disoriented but saved from the brunt of the damage by her erected guard. With a start, she grabbed for Calli's arms despite the girl having a good foot's height on her in order to catch and slow the joltik's descent. As she latched on, her attention divided, spotting as Mana emerged from another tunnel. That was... one brave little zubat.
Tyche Fortuna Looking down at her hands, Etna was utterly confused, in addition to the actual confusion effect; she could no longer use neither Earthquake nor Shadow Break. Lost as her mind was, in the deepest recesses of her head, this did not worry her, as it would worry a more rational pokemon; this only served to infuriate her even more. Eyeing the newcomer, Mana, she lobbed a ball of Shadow Fire at her and unleashed a roar.
Calli was seeing stars, “What happened?” she mumbled, barely coherent. Suddenly shaking it off, she turned to Beta and stated, as she rubbed her shoulder, “Sorry about that.” Barely getting to her feet, she launched a Signal Beam at Etna, as the shadow groudon released a ball of Shadow Fire, but it didn’t seem to have a noticeable effect.
The Shadow Fire hit Mana head on, she shrieked out in pain, as the burning sensation spread over her. This isn’t going to work….I have to fight fire with fire… Closing her eyes, she transformed into Etna. The first thing she noticed was the dark air feeling the cavern no longer seemed to burn her. The second thing she noticed was the rage. That hit her harder than the attack had. She roared out, barely able to keep her emotions in check; whatever had caused the groudon to feel this way, was not natural. As if to confirm her assumption, flashed of memories, of being in a lab pulsed through her mind. No longer able to keep control, she charged Etna with a Shadow Break, slamming her into the back wall. Bits of ceiling fell all around them.
* * *
Kiara cried in fear, as the tendril of shadows grew and enveloped her lower half. She could no longer see her legs but, what really frightened her was, she could no longer even feel them; it was like she was being erased from existence and, trapped as she was, she could do nothing to prevent it.
MoogerMint His lungs still tensed and reluctant to work, Kyran managed to force a harsh breath, attempting to get his bearings. The impact of Shadow Break had made the entire upper portion of his body ache to the point that it had grown numb from the shock, but at least it made it easier to ignore the pain, even if he couldn't tell how much damage had truly been done. These human bodies, they seemed so frail to the darkrai structuring he was still so used to... but this was no time to reminisce. He hesitated only briefly, confusion drawn across his face at the appearance of not one but two shadow groudon. This was too much to handle... the caves could barely stand against one! He had to get Kiara out of here; he could deal with the repercussions later. Focusing on his sister's safety, he ignored as the searing attempted to get him to sit back down and stop moving. Later, later! He only just managed to reach where his sister was lying uncoscious before the two groudon rammed into the back wall. How much longer was this place going to be able to hold up the mountain, at this rate?
Beta lowered Calliope back to the ground, but still hovered in place on her own. While she considered that it may have been of aid to keep the joltik girl suspended in air, to avoid much of the collateral and aimed damage, she knew it would have hampered the ability to attack. Not only that, but Beta wasn't the strongest and her arms had already been getting sore. She was about to make sure Calli was okay, but it was then that she noticed that the zubat had disappeared, a groudon occupying its previous space. It may have been practical to think she was dealing with a ditto, but it was only then that she realized she could feel the psychic waves emanating off the false groudon. Beta twitched her tail, stiffening at the sudden surge of inexplicable despisal. She pushed the feeling out of her mind as much as possible, readying another round of Future Sight; she'd get her answers later.
Tyche Fortuna Rage still coursing through her body, Mana unleashed a Shadow Fire at Etna. Etna shrieked out in pain as it made contact, one of the few moves to cause noticeable damage. Finally gaining control of herself, after the flame was released, Mana stumbled backwards and collapsed, transforming back into a girl at Beta’s feet. “So much anger…..” she mumbled as her eyes shut, exhausted.
Not taking long to recover, Etna roared out, causing the very walls to tremble. The disable effect had finally worn off on her move Earthquake and she was looking to end it in one final round. With a stomp, the ground began to shake…..and to crack. Whatever had been holding up this chamber has been weakened by the violence of the few rounds of combat added together with all of the previous quakes. As the ground opened up into a chasm, Etna fell.
Her spear still lodged in Etna, Calli was violently ripped into the hole. Still in a daze, the sudden yanking on her arm did little to help. She had no idea how far she had fallen before snapping back to coherence. Not sure if it would be enough, she launched as much electrowebbing as she could at the rocky surfaces around her. With a snap, the web halted her fall and dislodged her spear from Etna. It is going to be a long climb back up… Sore and with a numb arm, she began her ascent.
* * *
Trapped in her dream, Kiara made no sounds, the black shadows had almost completely enveloped her; just the top of her head remained uncovered. Suddenly, though, the blackness was tore away and the darkrai just stared into the distance.
MoogerMint The majority of Kyran's attention was averted from the battle raging on in the central area of the cave tunnels, only mindful of how near the two battling groudons were getting to his and his sister's current stead. What focus wasn't used for blocking out pain was instead retrained to try to figure out how to get the both of them out of there. His own energy was nearly drained, and the lingering effects of Shadow Sky weren't helping. He moved to prop Kiara against the wall of the tunnel, considering that it may offer better support for him to pick her up and carry her back -- a foolish idea, perhaps, but the only one he had at his disposal. His attention was snapped back to the battle in the central area not from Etna's roar, but from the subsequent rattling and deterioration beneath her feet. Hissing a curse under his breath, he roughly grabbed hold of Kiara and pulled her further up, in case they needed to make a quick retreat. Survival was the most important part here, and he didn't know just how much the place was going to crumble into pieces.
In an attempt to gauge a good time to help out in the fight, Beta kept concentration on the movements of those around her, readying herself to sling another Swift Etna's way. She never got the chance to before everything seemed to cave around her, from the surrounding infrastructure to the combatants themselves. The stars about her hand fizzled as Mana collapsed at her feet, and she jolted when Calli was torn from where she stood to follow Etna's descent into a crevice who-knows-how-deep. Quickly, she temporarily abandoned the unconscious mew-girl to float to the edge of the gaping hole, trying to determine if she could descend down into the crater and fish Calliope out. There was no time to deliberate on it further, however, as the floor where she was hovering gave way, forcing her to compensate for the lack of stability using her own powers. She glanced back; the floor was terribly unstable, and she knew that she'd never make it back out of the hole before Mana had fallen down as well. At least Calliope had been conscious... With a wince, she tried to push her thoughts onto the joltik beneath the surface, hoping she was still alive, -Beta is sorry...- Turning tail, she snatched up Mana's slight form and tore out of the mountain.
Premise:Reluctance and bias has no room when a life is on the line, but they make for some irritating backseat drivers.
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Roleplay:Under spoiler
MoogerMint Beta sped through the air, her Barrier still invoked at full force as her body flew over the treetops. She broke free of the forests that surrounded the mountain where the catastrophe had occurred, but her determination had not wavered since she had started her journey towards stopping a much more disastrous event from breaking. She didn't even know if they all had accomplished that much, but it was plainly obvious that, even with five of them there, they were no match against the ferocity of the incomparable rage that that groudon had possessed. Beta could only hope that so great a fall would incapacitate the inky black legendary, but she hadn't had the time to make sure. Much more pressing matters were at hand.
As the familiar, lanky silhouette of a broken lighthouse against the setting sun came into view, her own shadow touching the sands of the beach, Beta took a glance over her shoulder at the bubblegum pink girl held at her back, still fully unconscious. She could question herself why she would ever save the bane of her existence like this, but even through the near inexplicable hatred, the shiny mewtwo already knew the answer. She had been there... was there anyone so callous as to leave the one that managed to prevent anything worse from transpiring? Beta hadn't been able to do much to stop it; she had felt so helpless in the midst of so much blind destruction. The small mew-girl hadn't even been asked for assistance before stepping in, and gave it her all. Beta knew she didn't have any grounds to be angry at her, but...
She hopped in through the window to the lab. It was very unorthodox to bring anyone in here. It hadn't been done before, and if Beta could help it, it would never again happen. This, however, was an emergency. Mana did not appear to be in the best condition, and Beta was not about to trust the humans with a transformed mew's care. They'd probably run tests on a hospitalized common poké-kid, but a transformed mew, in the flesh? It was what the scientists that created her had been trying to duplicate upon her own genes and failed to do. If word got out about the girl, being in a public hospital...
Beta gently eased Mana onto the examination table she called a bed before she allowed herself to shudder at the thought. There was a brief hesitation as she looked at the tiny girl, but then she moved to the restraints by the side, strapping Mana's wrists in. If the girl was going to be here, where she should never set foot, then Beta was going to be absolutely sure that nothing was messed with, and nothing bad happened... to the lab or Mana. Her condition was still relatively unknown, though, so she wasn't sure what medical supplies she was really going to need -- she hadn't exactly required the experience before, being locked in a solitary cell... the most she had ever been forced to do herself was stick on a bandaid. Hopefully her knowledge from surfing the main computer's documentation would be enough to suffice without practice. Swiftly, Beta got to work pulling out any first aid supplies she felt she might need.
Tyche Fortuna Moaning slightly, her eyes still held shut, Mana tried to move, but found herself restrained. Obviously in a daze, she asked, to no one in particular, since she didn’t know where she was or if anyone was around, “Wha-what happened?” Pausing for a moment she added, “So much anger…..why did….why did the humans do that to her?...” She still felt the occasional flash of Etna’s memories. Suddenly, on her nose, Mana felt an itch. “Itchy…” She once again pulled against the restraint and, upon feeling its resistance to allowing her to scratch her nose, she transformed into a basic Mew; small enough so that the restraints could no longer hold her, then back into a little girl. Scratching her nose with her, now free, hands, she stated, “Much better…” She then unleashed a large yawn.
MoogerMint Beta carried an armful of medical supplies, ranging in advancement of medical practices, into the room where Mana was being kept, easing her posture towards the floor as she entered. There weren't really any counters in this area to put the supplies otherwise, and the metal hospital cart in the back room was currently busted. Grabbing a damp towel off the top, she turned back to her guest, noting the raised elbow and hand at Mana's nose. She hesitated briefly, her expression contorting into a partial glare; honestly, she had half-expected that to occur, but the fact was still frustrating. Reaching out, she tried to grab hold of Mana's wrist on the hand that wasn't rubbing at an itch to restrain it again in the straps. -You must hold still and stay put. Beta is not sure the extent of your damage, and there is no railing on this table,- the mewtwo tried to coax, placing the towel over Mana's forehead with her other hand.
Tyche Fortuna “Cold…” Mana muttered, her eyes still shut, as Beta placed the damp towel on her forehead. “Cold and wet….” Beta’s comment, though, beamed directly in her head, confused her in her current state. “A voice in my head? That’s new; I’ve never had one of those before.” After a deep breath and yawn, she added, “Beta? That’s the voice in my head? But if it’s Beta then who is Alpha? I don’t remember there being any voices before.“ Noticing a tightening in her stomach, Mana moved both hands on top of it. “Oww, my tummy hurts.”
MoogerMint For the time being, Beta ignored the inquiries Mana was making about the voices she was hearing, if only because she was too preoccupied with medical care and wasn't sure if Mana would even listen to the explanations she were given through the psychic communication channel. This whole situation had Beta on edge, and she was trying to push that nervousness to the sidelines for the time being, remaining in a task-oriented frame of mind. Her tail twitched slightly as the small mew-girl asked who Alpha might be, but her sudden follow-up twinge of pain had Beta moving to tilt the table upwards slightly, as way of allowing Mana to sit upright while still restrained by the one hand. She supposed it was alright if the other hand was unrestrained, as long as one of them kept her from falling off...
Beta left the room but momentarily, just to print off a few quickly pulled up pages that may turn out useful. She was nowhere near the level of knowledge to be able to trust herself with recalling steps from memory, especially when the situation may prove more dangerous than what appeared obvious. Returning with the pages in hand, still warm from the output printer, she shifted the stack to the one that seemed like it was most appropriate at present and let the page hover in the air, just out of reach but still comfortably visible. Who needed assistants? -Can you tell Beta where you hurt?- the girl asked, a try at determining where the most damage might have taken place as much as it was to gauge Mana's sense of awareness. She held an index and middle finger to the mew-girl's neck to measure her heart rate and noticed how damp her skin was. With a frown, she turned to the floating instructional list and spotted where 'clammy skin' was listed.
Tyche Fortuna “My head… my head hurts… inside, so does my tummy.” Mana stammered. “I’m thirsty…. do you have any water? I could use some water….” Mana yawned as she trailed off and begin to curl into a ball. “ Suddenly, she jumped, her eyes wide and her body tense, “Where am I?” This state only lasted a moment though, as she closed her eyes and seemed to relax, in a near sleep state.
MoogerMint Taking quick note of Mana's symptoms, Beta's frown seemed more wrought from distress and worry than it was from annoyance. She wasn't sure how well she would be able to handle this, as she wasn't really one for calming an individual down... or really, communication of any sort with an outside individual. It was perhaps the only indication, as letting that track of mind seep into her care would hardly benefit either one of them, regardless of whether she was doing something correctly or not. Due to the fact she had not been able to read fully through the paper before attempting treatment, Beta had almost slammed the table back to lying flat upon reading that she should raise the feet above the heart. That wouldn't have done any good, either, and this way wasn't necessarily wrong as long as she was still accomplishing the task. While fairly certain the presence of Beta's voice would likely only confuse Mana all the more, it was the only way Beta was really able to attempt to calm the mew down. Who knew, maybe it would even work better, since she'd be sure to hear it. -Please, calm down, you are safe,- she hushed, sliding the damp towel over Mana's eyes as she closed them.
She continued in such a manner even as she briefly left the room to gather a few blankets. When she returned, she placed one blanket, still rolled, under Mana's knees and another at her ankles. Even when the table was tilted slightly upright, there was no worry of them -- or Mana -- slipping off the table, and less worry of Mana possibly choking. The third blanket, she placed over the girl, tucking it under her shoulders so it could hold in her body temperature better. -Just relax,- she coaxed as calmly as she could, until it seemed the mew was asleep.
Nervously, she stayed her ground, knowing it would be foolish to leave Mana unattended. After a bit, the mewtwo levitated herself off the floor, attempting to relax herself now. She closed her eyes, unknotting and unblocking both mental and physical complications, but most of her attention was still tuned into her physical surroundings and any movements that Mana may have made.
Tyche Fortuna “Safe,” Mana mumbled, echoing Beta, as the other girl placed the towel on her face. “Safe…safety goggles,” she continued, halfheartedly reaching towards Beta’s goggles. After barely extending her arm half way, she quickly retracted it. “Beta….” she added, as the other girl left the room to gather supplied. As Beta arranged the towels around her, she remained silent and merely let herself be moved. Even if she wanted to, she didn’t really have the strength. “Relax…” she again echoed, as she wrapped her arms around the blanket. Her eyes still shut, a began to emit a gently snoring, as she began to drift off. As the other girl levitated nearby, Mana reached slightly towards her, “Beta…” she said again. As she set her arm back down, she momentarily transformed into the form of her caregiver, then quickly transformed back It was brief, but it was enough to dislodge the blankets at her ankles; Beta was a bit taller then Mana, after all.
MoogerMint Every time Mana had moved herself, Beta's eyes tended to snap open and survey the girl's current situation. Every time Mana had opened her mouth to say something, Beta would hold her breath in an effort to hear her more clearly. It was nerve-wracking just to have anyone up here in the first place, but when placed directly under her charge? Beta, a being who was at the bottom-most rung of society already, merely pretending to be human?
She watched as Mana's hand lowered from where Beta was hovering, concerned about how active and restless the mew was. Perhaps sleep was not possible? However, upon the mirrored transformation, Beta stiffened. Not only was it more than a little alarming to see herself outside of a mirror, but she didn't understand how Mana could have made an accurate replica of Beta without having to study her opponent more beforehand. While alarming, she had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment than the passing curiosity of... well, why? Not only was she someone that others wouldn't want to be, but... was it a taunt or something? No, that didn't make any sense, either. With a sigh, she moved the spare blankets back under Mana's knees and ankles, adjusted the topmost one back over the girl's feet, and came back for the continued vigil at her side.
Still concerned about how much Mana was moving around, Beta hesitated a moment after a thought passed by. Brushing past that initial block, she carefully neared a little closer, and gently took Mana's previously outstretched hand, -You are safe and not alone, everything will be fine.-
Tyche Fortuna A slight smile became visible underneath the cool rag as Mana once again echoed Beta, “Safe….” Her hand in Beta’s, she pulled the other girls hand to her chest and wrapped both arms around it. “Safe…” she again mumbled, before taking a deep breath. With Beta’s hand in both of hers, she became still, as if nearly asleep.
MoogerMint Beta's tension slacked a little as Mana seemed to still herself a bit better. She could hear the mewtwo through that fog, that seemed like it was a good thing. However, with Beta's guard temporarily down, she held little resistance when the mew pulled at the hovering girl, wrapping her grip more thoroughly around the offered hand. Beta almost squeaked in surprise, and once Mana drifted off again, her surprise quickly turned into a matter of confusion. Well... this was kind of awkward. She moved very slightly, testing how much wiggle room she might be able to give herself without waking Mana again, but the other girl's hands were both tangling, and with hands being so sensitive to touch... Reluctantly, Beta resigned to being stuck this way, and slowly floated around to a less awkward position to reach from, until Mana was awake once more.
