☸ /Midnight/Visitation/__🚩 Encounter of the sleepless kind (Rehome entry)
Gold-plated eyes scanned a barren night's sky, catching the hazy glow of a waning moon past the tree tops in the distance. Dual-hued hands gripped a thin branch, currently employed as an anchor half-submerged within the river and pressed down with the weight of the hybridized child. Calcifer couldn't help but reminisce on the bizarre events that had been unfolding over the course of the past few seasons, none of which she was really accustomed to knowing how to deal with. Then again, anybody else in her boots would have likely been faced with a similar dilemma. Calci could, at the very least, find solitude in the fact that she remained highly adaptable to everything; it was comforting to think that maybe she wasn't really as pathetic as she had always made herself out to be.
Her eyes drifted downward, following the sharp lines of green that had appeared along her features when she grew. Sea green. She couldn't help but muse about how fitting it was, especially when it corresponded with her evolution into her capabilities to finally touch, to experience, water. True, there were many other, more obvious physical changes that had taken place, but the touch of color was the most symbolic. It was almost ironic how it seemed so soon after she had met her father for the first time that such a happenstance had occurred, as though he brought hope back with him when he had emerged from the river.
Her life was most certainly turned on its head, and yet, had not altered much further from before her transformation on the whole. She still craved the consolation of the river, still adored it, and the passion had not diminished once she had received her 'water legs,' so to speak. She was also still living on her own, though her father visited her quite frequently these days, to catch up on the missed events of Calcifer's life that he had not been witness to. Sure, he seemed a bit daunted at first with her new humanoid appearance, but she couldn't blame the gastrodon -- it daunted her as well.
Calcifer was, however, not discouraged by the hand she had been dealt. If anything, it managed to delight her, for now she could do many things she thought were but a whimsical fantasy. Ialu and Alexis had presented the possibility by the mere fact they existed as they were, pokémon-turned-human, and their luck seemed to have rubbed off on the little slugma as well. She tapped a thumb along her hand-hold on the makeshift oar she clutched, as though making indication to her mind as to what else she meant with her mental statements on the matter, a blissful grin crossing her face.
She alternated which foot was holding most of her weight upright, a nagging instinct from pokémon-hood. Her body had grown accustomed to the gastrodon DNA almost immediately, but Calcifer couldn't stand still, not after so many years of constant pacing. While everything would take time to get used to, even after so many months, there were certainly things that were easier to adapt to than others. For one thing, having a more physical structure to her body with the addition of a bone skeleton was a very new sensation in itself; she felt way more solid now, and wasn't sure if she preferred it that way or not. Her temperature was still far above normal to keep the lava-imbued portions of her body from hardening into volcanic stone, but she had to keep moving far less than she had before now that she had a proper circulatory system beneath the surface. It was strange to suddenly be 'wired' like that...
Of course, she still lacked the need to sleep, therefore she had ample time to think on these facets of life. She didn't mind the peace and quiet, but Calcifer found the tranquility to sometimes be a bit lonesome. Nothing really seemed to happen out here, so late at night, so she was stuck waiting until morning, when travelers were more likely to request passage across the river. The child got to hear so many interesting stories and see the most fascinating of treasures that way, but business had also been a little slow this past week. Usually she would be contemplating the tales she overheard, the faces she would see and the items she may or may not have been able to collect... but no such luck recently.
Blinking, she thought she felt something bump on the underside of the raft she stood on, against the shore of the river. What could..? She felt it again, almost as though something were knocking on a front door. It was a bit amusing to think about, considering the slugma-hybrid was usually only at the river or home, in her cave with an open entrance... as the charred trail before her was testament to. Idly, she lowered the branch-anchor in the grass and crouched down on a knee in an attempt to see what it was that was hitting the wooden raft. She was expecting a piece of litter, but couldn't help but let her imagination wander before she knew for sure. Maybe it was even a message in a bottle! That would have been cool.
Calcifer reached her hand into the water, attempting to grab whatever it was that was doing that. After waving her limb around for a bit in the cool freshwater, she thought her fingers had grazed what it was, but it quickly scurried out of reach. That surprised her; maybe it wasn't an inanimate object after all! Was it hiding, then? She pulled her arm out of the water, flicking it a couple of times to get the excess water off, the hardened magma already starting to splinter and flake off. Scooting closer to shore, she shifted her weight to a hand in the grass and pulled the raft along the shoreline in an attempt to get whatever was knocking out into the open. Glancing back a few times to see if it was working, she shook her head once she realized she had pulled the waterborne platform along the length of itself -- no such luck. She even poked her head to look into the water on the other side, just to be sure.
A sly smile appeared on her lips then, "So you want to play hide-and-seek, do you? I can be a good seeker." She could, if she knew where to look, at least; she hadn't very well been given the opportunity before, but she wasn't going to deflate that determination now. Calcifer scooted near one of the far corners of the raft and wrapped the binding around a hand for better support. Then she inched her body toward the shore, pulling the raft upwards as she went. It was quite top-heavy to lift it this way, so Calcifer had to act fast in order for the lugging thing not to swing the other corner at her or pull her back into the water; she rose her other hand up to counter and redistribute the weight as it toppled toward her, sliding it back onto shore.
<<Pff, that was no fair! Cheater, cheater!>> a small voice sputtered from the river with a giggle; seemed it was having fun avoiding the young ferryman. There was a pause as Calcifer glanced up, attempting to untangle her hand from the corner of the raft to get a better look at the little sea monster had been playing games with her. The purple ridges on its head were a quick indicator of what pokémon she was dealing with, eyes growing wide over a large pink tongue, <<Woah, what are you? And what are you doing up so late?>>
Snapping her hand back as it was reclaimed from the hold of the tethered raft, Calcifer wiped her hands on a skirt she was making sure was lying flat, "My name's Calcifer. I'm a pokémon, just like you." Standing upright once more, she strolled back to the river and knelt down so as not to tower over the small shellder, "I found a treasure that was able to grant my wish by changing me into what you see before you."
The mussel retorted with a funny look, <<You wanted to look more human? What sort of pokémon were you? You don't look like any I've ever seen before.>> The playful little shellder was honestly curious, and it seemed to be a good way to pass the time so late in the evening as it was. Besides, she appeared to be rather friendly!
Calcifer shook her head, "No, but I guess it was just the best way to grant my wish? I was a slugma, but when I transformed, it seems to have pulled to the surface my other half." She extended her arms and took a glance down at herself, "My papa's a gastrodon, so it looks like I'm part gastrodon now, too."
<<That's incredible, I've never heard of that happening before!>> perked the shellder. It seemed a bit odd to Calci, considering she had had plenty of run-ins with poké-people in the past leading up to her own transformation. However, if the shellder lived under a rock as much as it lived under the raft, that could explain the lack of knowledge... <<And the not sleeping? Do humans normally not sleep?>> the pokémon asked again, trying to be a bit slower with the assault of questions.
"No, slugma don't sleep. That seems to have carried over for me," Calcifer corrected, resituating herself to sit cross-legged on the grass in front of the river, "What about you? What are you doing up? I thought shellder slept at night."
<<When they're not insomniacs, they do,>> it grumbled. Floating lazily to the shore, it surrendered a sigh, <<But it's okay. It seems that I can discover the most interesting things when I don't sleep normal hours. Who'd have thought it?>>
Calcifer couldn't argue there; this encounter was definitely unexpected, but the company was not in the least unwanted. "You seem to have a point there," she snickered softly.
[[ Word Count: 1,693 ]]
Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 1:31 am
☸ /Roleplay/One/__🚩
Link:Tell me a tale Participants: Quinn & Calcifer Stages: Teen (Quinn) & Child (Calcifer) Status:Complete!
Premise: The best stories of adventure are those rooted in personal experience.
Premise: Who needs the fictional stories of pirates when you can meet the real deal?
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:50 pm
☸ /Tried/and/True/__🚩 Default alignment may have some new tactics after all
"Let's see here... a waterlogged pocket watch, a half-used diary, and some kiddie jewelry," the inventory was taken, sliding each individual item into a burlap sack as its name was called, "Not a bad haul!" Calcifer grinned at the otherwise useless items, her magma-like ears twitching a little in excitement as she pulled the string along the mouth of the bag closed and slinging it over her shoulder as she rose to her feet. For a single day, it was quite the profit. She was fairly certain most of these wouldn't really be useful in pawning for extra cash, but that really hadn't been the point of gathering the items anyway. Usually she didn't go much for the physical profits, not unless they were books or something, but the stories that went along with each object was more than enough payment for a ride across the river.
Turning to her side, the hybrid girl glanced up the river, watching the water as the midday sun danced across its surface. It seemed pretty calm today, and there was hardly any wind blowing to toss the ripples aside. It would be nice if the weather was like this more often, but the summer was starting on the last half of its run for the year. Even though it was a ways away, the winter was always a lingering cause of worry. Her sights slowly turned down, a hand held out a bit in front of her torso. She flexed the fingers, the movement coming easily in the warmth of the sun. This human-like body, it was more accustomed to the altering of the seasons and the temperature changes that they brought along with them, but instinct was still instinct... and the thought of the cold was cause for anxiety. Maybe she could save up for a coat...
Readjusting the bag over her shoulder with a bit of a hop, to push it more along her spine, Calcifer was about to head back to the cave she called home to drop off her supplies, perhaps grab a bite, when a bubbling sound in the river caused her steps to catch after a half-step forward. She waited a moment, ears straining to pick out another hint of it in the near-silence of the surroundings. Another moment... With a frown, she slowly set her bag down and cautiously stepped nearer the water's edge. She leaned over in an attempt to spot something beneath the surface, hands on her knees at the hem of her skirt.
Nope, nothing.
One of Calcifer's pigtails rolled off her shoulder and hovered inches above the water. Her frown decreased in severity, turning more curious instead. This seemed somewhat familiar... "Shellder-guy? Is that you?" she asked, a bit hesitantly. It was daytime, and the little guy said he was an insomniac. Maybe he actually rested well for once?
All of a sudden, a body stood straight up from where it was once hidden beneath the surface, a few yards down from where Calcifer had tried to catch sight of the noise. No warning at all. The girl jumped back from the figure, the sudden breaking of the silence with a loud splash catching her more off-guard than the one who had caused it. Her voice caught in her throat for a moment, but that turned out to be a good thing -- Calcifer had a hunch she might have accidentally screamed had her surprise not worked to hold sound back.
Stiffly, she gathered her composure, standing more fully erect. The blue skin, the bright markings... it wasn't a water-type, but it lived in similar environments, especially with the forest so near. An index finger flicked upward, rocked by her elbow, "Oh, I know what you are! Croagunk, right?"
Not just that, but it seemed like a particularly agitated croagunk at that. Calcifer's studious frown reappeared when she noticed this, but instead of thinking of who it currently had in its sights, she instead deliberated on what might have happened. Was someone picking on it? Did it just wake up? Did it have something against her? Oh... maybe she looked too much like a human? Didn't some pokémon really dislike humans? She could see the misunderstanding there, even if she never really thought she looked too much like a human herself, but she didn't want to assume that was the reason. Croagunk had odd face shapes anyway, so there was always the possibility that she was just reading it wrong.
In fact, she was just about to ask what was wrong -- it was an umbrella question, after all -- when the pokémon started making some unusual sound. From the way the orange spots on its cheeks moved, it seemed it was coming from the pouches. How odd. It took that opportunity, her befuddlement and curiosity, to lunge at her with its fingers outstretched to her.
Calcifer only had time to gasp sharply and take a stumbled step back as the croagunk's fingers stabbed at her exposed leg. She yelped and swung her bag down at him by the rope, but the pokémon had hopped back out of the way, going back to making that weird sound in an effort to distract her. By this time, though, the slugma-girl was startled beyond distraction. Why'd it attack her like that!? She didn't do anything to it!
She stumbled again, a sharp pang running up from her leg through her body. With a groan, she looked back at the croagunk, pulling the bag back to her and wrapping her arms around it. "Urgh... you guys are poisonous, aren't you..?" she grumbled. Well that made things problematic. Sure, she had some berries for this sort of thing back at her cave, but she had to make sure she could actually get back there without being KO'ed first! Quickly, she sifted through the moves that she had on hand, but there was not much she had at her disposal. Smog might teach the little pokémon not to mess with her... if it actually hit... but did she really want to hurt it? What if it was just scared?
She hadn't the luxury of deliberating on it, for in that vulnerable moment, it once more reached to lash out at her. With a startled yelp, Calcifer pulled the closest thing forth that she could think to protect herself with. It wasn't what she had meant to pull forth, though. Through the hybrid's pain and fear, her resistance and desire for retreat, a fire ruptured around her. Her eyes were closed tight, but once she opened them again, wondering why she never felt a second attack land a hit, she was surprised to see the torch marks along the grass. Did she do all that? That... That was most certainly not Smog...
Her attention snapped back as the croagunk gave a bit of a gurgled growl. "Oh!" she fumbled nervously on her words, "Oh, I..."
Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, the ruffled pokémon almost seemed to spit at her with irritation. Instead of trying to cause more damage, though, it pivoted around and took off, back in the direction of the forest through the water. She froze for a moment, all kinds of awkward taking a swinging advantage to her confused state. "I-I'm sorry! Sorry about that..." Calci cringed. She hadn't mean to hurt the little guy! Even wounding his spirit was more than enough, but with a physical attack, too?
She winced again as the poison sent another throbbing wave through her body; she didn't have time to delay on getting something to cure this ailment. With a dejected sigh, she slid her satchel back around her shoulder and headed for home. "Why's fire gotta be so destructive..." the girl grumbled to herself. And why did she have to wield something so hazardous to those around her?
* * * * *
Level: 30 --> 38 CALCIFER has learned LAVA PLUME
[[ Word Count: 1,312 ]]
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:53 pm
☸ /Hemispheres/__🚩 I'm not all about brimstone
With the homemade raft half pulled onto shore, Calcifer used the wrought wooden slab as a lopped pier in the slow-moving afternoon sun. Her boots were kicked off and set to the side as her feet dangled over the edge of her maritime vehicle, submerged in the cooling waters of the ever-familiar river. With a sigh, she slumped in her posture, head lolling to the side and against a shoulder a bit as her weight remained at the palm of her left hand, propping her up from slightly behind. She snapped another bite off of the stalk of celery she was snacking on, twirling it around in her free hand as she thought about the sluggishness of the day, and what to do about it.
The heat of the summertime weather hardly fazed a pokémon that was practically created from the heated magmas beneath the crust of the earth, the sunlight shrugged off as being merely much cooler than her own internal body temperature, even after the star's transformation properties had taken effect. Regardless, she could tell 'abnormally warm' from 'everyday warm,' a last push for a dying summer before the leaves started bronzing in the oncoming frost. Most people stayed indoors during such a heatwave, or went somewhere that ensured cooling, such as the beach. Invariably, it tended to lead to a lack of customers, which led to a lack of tasks she needed to do. Perhaps she would have ventured further out to the river, but she was convinced as soon as she tried to do so, she would just miss out on a customer. It always seemed to happen that way.
Kicking out her feet, her gilded eyes landed on the bandage wrapped about her left leg, where the croagunk had stabbed at her with its poisonous attack less than a week ago. The wrappings were soaking up a lot of water, submerged in the river, and it was starting to weigh her leg down a bit, sliding a little out of place despite how tight she had tied it. Studying it for a moment, the hybrid-girl gripped the remaining part of the celery stalk into her mouth, holding onto it as though it were a lollipop between her teeth. Instead, she busied her now-freed hands with the bandages, removing them from around her leg, creating a pile next to her discarded boots.
Breaking another piece off the celery, only a small portion of it remained as Calcifer stretched out her leg, turning it to look around the shin. The mark from the agitated pokémon's toxic claws was almost gone, and it was unlikely to leave a scar. She grinned a bit at that, happy that she was able to treat it so quickly, but her smile faded as she took another glance at what may lie beneath the surface of the water.
She hadn't seen the croagunk since, after accidentally using her newly-discovered Lava Plume on it, nor had she seen much of the shellder that would hang out every so often. It was a little strange to have so much silence, but perhaps that was all for the better, at least at the moment.
Kicking once more at the water, she popped the last of the celery in her mouth before hopping to her sopping wet feet atop the buoyed raft and brushing her hands off on one another with a few quick swats. Fire Plume, eh? Well, as much as she didn't really care for the move, at least the girl could see that it could have its benefits. After all, even though she was a fire-type since birth, she hadn't exactly learned any fire-type moves before. It was certainly new. No, new wasn't even scratching the surface -- she'd never actually learned a move before, other than those she had been born with. How much was she capable of? It wasn't as though Calcifer really got into fights. It was strangely exhilarating, knowing that she was able to do so much more than she really connected with in the past.
However, how would one go about unlocking those abilities? Calcifer was a bookworm, that much she could pride herself on, but texts could only explain so much, especially where something was expected to be common knowledge. Many a battling pokémon had a trainer to guide them towards those strengths, so they knew what a pokémon was capable of, right? So they knew what moves they could learn? Despite not being much of a fighter, she was aware that moves were set for any such species, even if she wasn't quite sure which moves lied along her own personal rungs of scaled achievement.
In fact, how did one 'train,' anyway? Did they have to be in constant danger in order to find the strength to pull a new move from the foundations of their instinct mechanisms? If that was the case, maybe Calcifer was out of luck... not unless she ran into another person like Quinn, on the hunt for someone dangerous, or another irritated pokémon, blind with unfocused anger. She teetered a little at the thought -- no, she wouldn't want to hurt someone, if she could help it. It was one thing to fix a problem, but if she could do so without harming opposition, wouldn't that be best? Perhaps it was only some perverse sense of not fixing what isn't broke, but that was the way she preferred things.
Even though that train of thought may tame any such exciting adventures, like the stories she read about...
Stepping towards the water's edge, she peered back to the softly rippling waves caused by a light breeze. A moment of deliberation left an unshaken conclusion on her mind, "It's better to be prepared, if nothing else." She'd heard that there were plenty of moves that could be used for aiding in tasks; they didn't have to be reserved solely for battle, after all. Besides, if she ever was in a pickle, she most certainly wasn't helpless, and this would be a firm statement not only to those that dared attack, but herself as well, that she was not some little girl to be trifled with. She could be serious, when situations called for it.
She didn't want to be in the same mindset as she had been, nearly a week prior. She remained calm and focused in the silence of her surroundings, feeling the lightest touch of the wind at her shoulders as it tried to flick at her strawberry blonde hair. All she had to do was dig inside herself and find some new tug around in there, right? She knew how it felt when she used a move, she was no stranger to that much at least, so she just needed to locate that similar feel. Or something... she was totally making this up as she went along, but regardless, she was assured it was a natural occurrence, so it made sense!
It was strange, and it took a while, but Calcifer was sure she felt something a little off, a little different, when she did that bit of soul-searching. It almost tickled, in tune with the water as it lapped at her bare feet on the steep shore as they sunk a little further into softened dirt. It was almost comedic how easy it was for her, once she grabbed onto that feeling and nearly tossed it forward.
The water tore at the opposite shore, pulling a few clumps of grassy dirt from the very edge and flinging it toward the forest in the distance. A thick, murky spout of water, it was difficult to control, but it was nevertheless still a very real, very new move.
Calcifer stared at the lightly carved shore before her, after struggling to get a hold on and stop the attack from occurring. Eyes slowly eased over to her hand, fingers still tingling from the pressure of the water.
The water.
Her smile nearly split her face in two, "Papa gave me water-type moves, too?"
* * * * *
Level: 38 --> 41 CALCIFER has learned MUDDY WATER
[[ Word Count: 1,341 ]]
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:56 pm
☸ /Roleplay/Three/__🚩
Title: It`s Dangerous To Go Alone (messenger RP) Participants: Terra & Calcifer Stages: Child (Both) Status:Complete!
Premise: We're going to need to prepare for this journey of legends ahead of us... take this!
- - -
Roleplay: Under spoiler
MoogerMint This past half-a-month's haul had not been too bad, as far as income was concerned. Calcifer's business of ferrying travelers and campers across the river may not have been the most lucrative, especially during the colder months, but with the change in weather came further changes as well. True, she didn't really ask for money, but some of the things she did request in return could be quite fascinating indeed! Now if only anecdotes and songs could put food on the table... at least the more solid of payments normally had the potential to be pawned for actual cash, but not before Calcifer made note of it!
It had become routine to make the trek into town once every few weeks or so, as soon as supplies started running thin. As a wild pokémon, she could sustain herself from the berry bushes easily enough. Once she got bigger, though, it was a little more difficult to fill up her stomach, and clothing was a necessity when one appeared as a human. She didn't mind, though, for the city always seemed to have something new that struck her fancy, distracting her attention for a moment's time as the wheels in her head turned to process others' unique styles of imagination.
The pawn shop was, as always, the first stop. Calci had a bag of goods at her disposal to negotiate a good price on, but she was still naive about it and knew it. Luckily, the shop owner seemed like a pretty decent guy, never under cutting her as much as he probably could have. Just as long as she could get enough supplies, it was fine by her!
Tyche Fortuna “Ah ha!” Terra exclaimed in excitement, “These goggles will be perfect!” She technically didn’t need a new pair, right now, as she had a pair on top of her head but, just last night, she had almost lost them; she needed a backup! The weather had been rather unusual of late, just last night, her home had partially flooded. It was frightening! And worst, as the water came pouring in, her goggles were almost lost down the hole in the floor of her little cave.
Since her transformation, her sand cloak had more or less stabilized, becoming a permanent fixture on her body. Still, the rapid flow of water the night prior had torn off the sandy covering of one of her hands. She had since patched up the damage, but it was still unnerving.
So, not only did shopping for a backup pair serve to provide her a spare set, but it also served as a distraction. Who knew what freaky weather might await her upon her return; part of her didn’t want to go back until whatever was causing this was done.
Holding the goggles firmly in one hand, she continued to browse.
MoogerMint Calcifer jumped slightly at the sudden voice from the depths of the small shop, unaware that she had not been the only customer here. Very briefly, her attention scanned the place, but she didn't want to intrude... even if the other person in the shop seemed to have been another humanoid pokémon. Her interest was piqued at that, but she refrained from going over, at least for now. Not until the items she had brought in were price-checked fully!
Once that had been done, however, she was free to roam. She always took to looking about the pawn shop first, for credit before taking the cash payment for what she brought in. It was always so fascinating to see what new things people got rid of, for one thing or another, and she was quick to spot quite a few differences since last she was in here. The hybrid girl's movements led her closer to Terra, trying not to sneak up on the young burmy-girl. Peering through some of the shelving, Calcifer tried to get a better look at what the other girl had her hand around, "What did you find?" She was genuinely curious as to what another pokémon was looking to find in a pawn shop; she'd never seen another one in here before!
Tyche Fortuna Terra jumped, literally, feet into the air. She normally wasn’t so skittish, but the recent storms had her on edge and she had been lost in her own head, as she pictured herself wearing the item she saw before her. She would have to describe it as a utility belt! All the uses it could have. True, she did already have belts, but this one had so many pockets!
“Uh, um, hello,” Terra answered, “I found, um, some goggles and an utility belt!” As she stated what she had found, she held them up for the other pokemon to see. “Oh um, I’m Terra. Who are you?” Leaning forward, she added, “You look warm.”
MoogerMint Calcifer flinched as Terra reacted in such a negative manner, "Oh whoops, sorry! I was trying not to startle you!" Maybe she wasn't the most comfortable around humans, and being in town made her nervous? It was a possibility... though it was also not overlooked that what Terra had in her hand was a fairly interesting contraption. Moving to get a closer eye on the utility belt that was being indicated, Calcifer studied it a moment before the awe became more evident in her voice, "Wow, I've never seen something like that in here before, great find!"
Standing up straighter, she held her hand out, "Hi, I'm Calcifer! It's nice to meet you, Terra!" With a bit of prodding at her own choice of dress, she nodded, "Yeah, it's because I'm a slugma. I used to be warmer before I changed! You..." she blinked then, eyes following towards the door, "You're tracking in sand... Um, you like the beach?"
Tyche Fortuna “Um, its fine, I was just lost in thought and this crazy weather has made me a bit jumpy, I think?” Seeing that the other girl was interested in the belt, she held it out farther offering to let her get a closer look. “Thanks, I’ve never actually been here before, but a pokemon on the beach mentioned it a while back and I wanted to get another pair of goggles. I almost lost mine last night! My cave flooded.”
She was at first reluctant to return the shake, weren’t slugmas made of magma? Still, she seemed nice enough and didn’t seem the type to intentionally offer her pain, so she took the girls hand and shook. Looking back, her eyes widened, “Oh I am! I didn’t realize. Maybe it’s the new parts…that I replaced last night…though that’s too much… Am I always leaking sand? Normally I am at the beach…So I don’t really notice….”
MoogerMint Crazy weather, huh? It had seemed a bit abnormal to Calcifer as of late, but nothing as bad as what seemed to have been affecting the young burmy as of late. "A pokémon knew of the place?" she asked curiously, wondering if it had been another poké-kid she was referring to or if a full-fledged pokémon had managed to stumble inside to scope the place out. "Oh a flood? How scary!" she exclaimed, frowning, "That doesn't sound like something that should be happening, it's been so hot lately!" At least where she had been stationed, it had. What was going on?
She could see the hesitation in Terra's taking of Calcifer's hand, and linking the previous comment that she looked warm to it, it was simple enough to decipher what the concern was. "Don't worry, when I transformed the star made me a lot more solid. It was actually kind of weird to get used to," she explained, a slight scrunching of the nose at the differences she experienced, "But then, it also gave me some of my papa's features, too, and he's a gastrodon, so I'm not all fire anymore." Fire and water, as a matter of fact! She shook her head at the mention of the sand, "Don't worry, I've seen people track in a lot of mud before. You're not leaving too much sand behind. It's probably just from moving around so much. How do you keep it on, anyway?" The hybrid-girl didn't think you could do that with sand at all, and it felt so much more solid than she was expecting it to be when she shook one of the burmy's many hands!
Tyche Fortuna Nodding, Terra added, “Yep, I think it was a Herdier… I don’t know all the pokemon types that well… She lived in the city though and had wandered onto my beach and thought I might have gotten the goggles I am wearing here, but I just found these after I changed. But, when I almost lost them, I remembered it and thought I might be able to trade some things to get an extra pair; and now this belt too.” Nodding even more quickly, in agreement, she continued, “It was really scary. The weather has been crazy. One day its super-hot and dry, the next its flooding. There are barely any berries around my cave now.”
“Really? Features from more than one pokemon?” Terra was shocked. “I think that I am all Burmy….though, actually, watch this!” Terra’s face suddenly turned very serious, it was obvious that she was deep in concentration. Raising one of her left hands, it suddenly became engulfed in flames. “See, I don’t think it is normal for a Burmy to do that.” After a few moments of burning, she put her hand out. It didn’t seem burned, but a small amount of dried sand fell off. “Oops, now I am tracking more sand around…” Poking at the rest of her sandy covering, she explained, “Well, it involves sticky silk, and when it gets on the sand, the sand gets sticky and sticks to other sand and the silk. It is kind of hard with sand though. Leaves are a lot easier, but not really useful on a beach…”
MoogerMint "Oh, neat coincidence!" Calcifer commented in reference to the run-in with the urban herdier, "Sounds like she really knew her stuff, huh? You're lucky you came in when they had some in stock! What sort of things did you bring to trade?" Her amusement with the good luck waned with the mention of bad luck, frowning with thoughtful curiosity at the event that Terra explained, "Is that normal, around the beach, for the weather to be so crazy? Any idea what might be causing it?" If it had been anywhere near her choice river, she would have thought something was damming up the upper portions, but that wasn't much the case for an ocean or lake!
Calcifer grinned at Terra's surprise, proud to be able to display both parts of her lineage -- her parents were both very near and dear to her, even if they couldn't physically be there for her. Intrigued, the hybrid girl watched as Terra demonstrated an ability that the fire slug hadn't been aware a burmy could do, and she jumped slightly at the display, "Oh wow, how'd you do that? Is that one of your moves?" Watching as some of the sand fell from her hand onto the floor, she shook her head, "Don't worry about it, they clean up after closing. It's a small enough place that a vaccuum could make quick work of it!" She was pretty sure that's how it worked, for it made sense, but who knew... maybe they just let a Roomba loose on the place instead. "Woah, that's pretty cool, I wouldn't have thought you were putting it on like tape or something!" she remarked, motioning to poke at the sand about Terra's wrist but not actually touching the other girl, "So there's silky stuff under there?"
Tyche Fortuna “So, goggles like this are uncommon? I guess I really lucked out then.” Terra was a bit shocked; she didn’t think the odds would be working against her in finding a secondary pair of goggles. Reaching into her pockets, she added, “Well um, I brought some really nice shells, and this really neat piece of drift wood, and a stone I drew a smiley face on, and some berries.” As she described the goods, she pulled them out one by one. Her face darkening slightly, she continued, “No, it isn’t normal at all. Sometimes it gets rainy, but it never has gone back and forth before. It doesn’t seem natural. It’s like someone is spinning a wheel to randomly decide what the weather is like. I…I don’t like it….it scares me a bit. When I was walking here, I saw on a TV things about there being fires and floods. The weather is acting all crazy.”
“I don’t really know, actually. I mean, it is one of my moves,” Terra answered, “A pokemon had cornered me, and it well, it had just come out. I was scared and my eyes were closed, and, well, I just started launching fire out. It took some practice to be able to do it on command, but well, now I can! Sometimes, after I do it, my hand starts to glow red for a bit; it’s weird. I wonder if I am a tiny bit something else?” Nodding, she replied, “Yeah, there is; it can be a pain to work with though. I think it is like what some other bug types use for a cocoon though? I’m not really sure though.”
MoogerMint "Mm, to be pawned off without being broken, I would imagine so. I don't think too many people wear them unless they're going... skiing or something?" Calcifer deduced aloud, for it wasn't very often she saw a pair of goggles. Her expression seemed to fall to a more discouraged look when Terra brought out her materials for bartering, "You... might be able to get something for the shells, but I don't know how well the humans would take to the other things..." After careful consideration, glancing to the front counter momentarily before turning back to Terra, Calcifer came to a conclusion, "Tell you what, what you can't get yourself, I'll pay for the difference. I've had better business than normal, so I have extra to spare this time. It sounds like you'd really need that stuff anyway!"
As Terra went on to describe the way the weather had been acting, Calcifer's head tilted slightly in thought, surprised. "Has it? Wow... I wonder if it's something that can be solved, like in a mystery novel," she regarded carefully, "What do you think could control the weather like that?" She had time... maybe she could go check it out before heading back home.
"Oh that's so neat," she gaped, trying to imagine what an epic battle that must have been, "I'm glad it happened that way, though. That's the best way to learn a skill, when you really need it, because then it becomes more like instinct than a move you have to think about performing." She didn't have an answer for the glowing hand bit, but since Terra had shown Calcifer the move using only one hand, she thought perhaps it had to do with using a dominant hand and giving it most of the energy of the blast... but she couldn't rule out being a tiny bit something else! "You might be! I had my other half appear when I transformed, but it was kind of like evolution, so maybe it'll show up more when you evolve if it is? That would be exciting! And if the silk is like what other bugs use, maybe that's what the glowing is all about... maybe you're part other-bug-type?" she offered, though it was all mere speculation. Still, it was a few interesting thoughts to consider.
Tyche Fortuna “Oh really?” Terra inquired, “Um, what is skiing?” She had never heard the term before and was unfamiliar with it. She just wore goggles for everyday usage. They were particularly nice on sandy days; since it kept the sand out of her eyes. “Really? They wouldn’t want the other things? How come?” Everything she had brought with her seemed valuable to her. At hearing Calcifer’s offer, Terra’s eyes widened, “Really? You would help cover everything? Thank you so much!” The concept of bartering was rather new to her; it was nice to have someone help her out.
“I don’t really know? Maybe some human invention? Like a weather machine? Or, isn’t there some pokemon that can alter the weather? Like legendary ones? I’ve never met a legendary…but I think…maybe some could do that?” Terra answered with a shrug.
“well, I am really glad it showed up when it did; I have no idea what would have happened if it hadn’t…” Thinking about it for a moment, she asked, “Well, if its because I am part another bug-type….with the fire, it would also be part fire type… Do you know any pokemon that are both bug and fire? I don’t….”
MoogerMint There were quite a few perks to ferrying those across a river that she would normally not have the pleasure of meeting, one of which being the strange and varied things they tended to do, for work or otherwise. "Skiing is what some people do for fun. Something about, um... racing in the snow, I think? I've not actually seen it, but I heard about it. The goggles save their eyes from the cold wind and ice," Calcifer explained, tapping at her cheek right below an eye. However, explaining monetary value to the newbie negotiator was a little tougher... "Well, I think they're pretty neat, personally. From what I gathered from pawning is that most people don't really put much value on things they can find themselves, just lying around. Even if it's different. It's kind of stupid, but I suppose it must be hard to put a price on it?" With a bright smile, the girl offered a sharp nod, "Yeah, no problem! I'm happy to help out a fellow pokémon!"
Thinking on the adventures with a Time Machine that she had read in one of the books given to her for passage, Calcifer couldn't outright cross off the idea of a weather machine being built as well. Even if the events noted down were fiction, leaps in science and modern technology always started as fanciful ideas first. "Maybe..." she agreed tentatively, "I do think I've heard of legendaries being able to do that. It would be interesting to find out what is true about those tall tales, if that was the case. It sounds like it's definitely unusual, though. Care to see if we can't figure it out? After we get you your goggles and utility belt, that is?" Maybe they really had stumbled onto something important here!
Calcifer hadn't run into as many pokémon types as she had human passengers, even throughout her time living in the wild as a slugma. Perhaps it was because she had tended to stay in her cave, when she was not enviously staring at the river's surface. "I don't either, but I haven't met many, either," she admitted, "But it's possible there's one out there! I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough."
Tyche Fortuna “Oh,” Terra replied with a nod, “That makes sense. I use mine to keep the sand out of my eyes when it gets windy on the beach. It does that even when the weather isn’t acting all weird.” She had never been in the snow before. She couldn’t help but wonder if there were burmy out there that had snow cloaks. It seemed possible, but not particularly comfortable. She liked the warmth of her sandy beach. As Calcifer’s assertion that she would help her with the goods, Terra asked, “If they won’t take it here, would you like any of the things I have brought?”
While the thought of going out and finding the source was a tad frightening, she did want to know what the source of the strange weather was. Also, it seemed like she would be affected by it regardless of whether she went looking for it or not; she was nearly flooded out of her room. Yes, I should find out what’s causing this! As scary as it seemed, it would be better to know. “Yeah, whatever is happening is going to happen whether we happen to go looking for it or not. So we might as well find out what the cause is!” This was looking to be the first adventure she had been on since finding a new home. It both frightened and excited her. Leading the way to the front counter, Terra added, “It is possible, there are a lot of different pokemon out there; I am always hearing about new ones.”
MoogerMint "Yeah, I guess it would be for the same reasons, then!" Calcifer connected with an understanding start, "Sounds like it's just different climates. Funny how even if it's warm or cold, you'd still need the goggles!" At least when one was out in it a lot. Considering what of the items of Terra's that Calcifer might like to keep, the hybrid girl attempted to conclude based on a different set of questions, "Well, are there any that you're particularly attached to? I don't want to take anything that you'd still want." It would be pretty nifty, to remember this encounter, though! The rock with the doodle on it was particularly cute... "I'd also have to get you something good in return..." she added, "Maybe something tasty." There were all sorts of snacks that would be interesting to try!
Calcifer was glad that Terra had offered to come along and look for what might be causing the strange weather to occur. As sure as the hybrid might have sounded about it, she wasn't sure how strong she could really act when she was on her own. At least, if she had someone going with her on the excursion, it would be easier to believe that she could do more, if only to be helpful. "Great, then it sounds like an excellent adventure!" she cheered, "If it gets too dangerous, we can always turn back." As long as neither one of them acted too stubborn, at least. She followed the other girl to the front desk, nodding, "Yeah, they seem to discover new pokémon all the time; I don't know half of them!" She couldn't even really say she knew what a burmy was, even!
The shopkeeper, seeing the two girls move toward the counter, cleared off the area for the items to be placed. He had heard some of their conversation and, while not exactly in the habit of eavesdropping, was fully aware that there might not be many -- if any at all -- items Terra had that he could conceivably take.
Tyche Fortuna Nodding, Terra replied, “Yeah, similar…but different….” Pointing to the pair on her head, she added, “These ones also help when it gets real bright out. They make it a bit dimmer.” Pausing to think about it for a moment, she stated, “Well there is one piece of driftwood that I really like…” As they reached the counter, she pulled out her possessions and set them on the counter. Her eyes brightened at Calcifer’s offer. “Really? Some food? I am a bit hungry… That would be great! Thank you!”
Turning to the shopkeeper, she asked, “Um, so I was wondering if you would be willing to take any of these?” Giving the shopkeeper a moment to look over the goods, she turned back to Calcifer. “Well, it probably would be dangerous even if we didn’t go.. It just seems to be getting worse…”
MoogerMint Noting the dark green hue of the lenses on the goggles that Terra already had in her possession, Calcifer whistled, mostly out of understanding, "Ohh, is that what that does? That's cool! I bet that comes in real handy!" Watching as Terra placed her items on the counter and mentioning her attachment to the driftwood, the hybrid nodded, the decision having been made not to take the small plank. She wouldn't voice any opinions on what she'd prefer until the shopkeeper had a look-see first, though, for she wouldn't want to take anything that could actually earn Terra some money! With a grin, she nodded, "Sure! I'm getting hungry, and if we're going to go on an adventure together, we should both be ready! Including heading out while not starving." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the last part for visual reference.
The shopkeeper grimaced slightly when looking over the materials that Terra had to offer. He knew she was just a kid, and that she probably didn't have much experience with pawning... or being a human, really... and the only reason she'd be here is if it was the only source of possible income at the moment. There had to be something he could take! Picking up one of the shinier shells, he turned it over, "I... might be able to get you something for this." At least someone who was fond of arts and crafts might find it useful...
"Oh good! I'll just cover the cost of anything else the shell won't cover," the gastropod grinned, indicating the credit she had already turned in. Calcifer then turned and nodded gravely to Terra's worked out result, "You know, you have a point... and we don't want it getting worse! Wouldn't it be cool if we could actually do something? Especially if it helped everyone out?" Her concerned frown grew into a supportive smile at the thought.
Tyche Fortuna “Yeah, it is!” Terra replied, “If you want, you can try them on sometime.” At Calcifer’s comment about getting food first, she stated, “Well, that does sound like a good plan, though I will let you pick a place; I’ve never eaten anywhere in town before.”
After Calcifer’s previous comment, Terra wasn’t surprised that the shopkeeper was willing to buy so little of what she had brought. Still she was disappointed; she had hoped to earn enough herself. “Thanks again,” she repeated, after Calcifer told the shop keeper that she would be covering the expenses. She had never had someone buy things for her before, not that she had really bought anything before either. It felt kind of odd…odd but nice. “Yeah, if we do nothing now, who knows what might happen!”
MoogerMint "Heh, thanks! I might take you up on that offer!" Calcifer snickered. They did look pretty cool, after all... form AND function, now that was neat! Filtering through the bandaged up wallet she used to carry her funds, she tried to figure in what sort of meal she could afford. She'd have to use some of this on groceries, when they got back, so she couldn't go spending it all yet. Should be safe for a meal somewhere I actually know... and a few snacks to take, along the way, she concluded. "Okay, I think I've got some places you might like," she finally replied, "You don't have any allergies, do you? What sort of things do you like? Or not like, if that's easier?" The food talk was actually making her more hungry!
The shopkeeper offered Terra an apologetic smile, but there wasn't much more he could do. Calcifer helped out where she could, determined to help the burmy girl figure things out. "You know, this stuff is pretty neat. I think pokémon would have a better appreciation for things like this," she considered aloud, taking a look around the shop, "You see all this stuff in here? That's more like what humans tend to like: stuff you'd find in any other store around here, as long as it isn't too damaged. Maybe we can find something that they'd like when we went looking for what's going on with the weather?" Who knew what sort of things were out there, abandoned by travelers! Picking up the rock that Terra had doodled on, she held it out, "Mind if I keep this? I like the face you drew on it!"
Tyche Fortuna “Um, I don’t think I have any allergies?” Terra answered, “I mostly just eat berries; but I do like spicy and sweet foods.” As Calcifer’s comments, Terra looked about the store. “So… stuff like this… I don’t ever really see things like this on the beach…” Terra began to wonder if she could find anything that a place like this would value. The shells didn’t seem to be worth much; overall the human seemed to have no interest in her things. “Maybe…but I don’t think I have seen anything like this stuff in the wild….” At Calcifer’s question, Terra’s face lit up a bit. She wants the rock I drew on? “Sure, you can have that rock!” Smiling, she added, “So, um, should we get going then? Did you want to get anything?”
MoogerMint Calcifer crossed some places off her mental checklist for places they could go to eat, perking at the last bit of Terra's preferences, "Oh, you like spicy, too? Let's do spicy!" That should be filling and invigorating enough for the journey! She thought about what all a person could find on a beach -- or at least most probably, for she hadn't really been out to one more than a passing glance in the distance, "Yeah, I suppose they'd be more difficult to find lying around, if they were valuable to a human... What I do is I offer services to them, and in exchange, they give me some of this stuff. Maybe you could do something similar? I'm a boatman!" It'd probably be a bit difficult for Terra to think up something on the fly like this, but at least the idea might be put into her head. Her excitement grew when she was told she could keep the rock that Terra had drawn on, thinking it would be an even better reminder of this meeting when it had that little extra Terra-touch added to it, "Yaay, thanks a lot!" Taking one more glance around the store, Calcifer shook her head, "No, I don't think I could really use much in here at the moment, but I try stopping in often to see what new things they get. Though, ooh... okay, maybe those gloves." Quickly, she grabbed a pair of cutoff gloves and tossed them on the counter, to pay for with the other items, "It looks like it's got some good grip. Might come in handy! Alright, we ready to head off now?" This was going to be a good day, she was sure of it!
Tyche Fortuna “Yeah; I don’t have it often, but I do enjoy spicy foods,” Terra answered, curious as to what sort of place they would go. She imagined they would be going to a human food establishment; she had never been to one of those before. In her life, she had only eaten spicy berries. She couldn’t help but wonder what human food would be like. “Services?” she asked, “What is a boatman? And what could I do?” The last question was more directed at herself, as opposed to Calcifer. She had no idea what sort of things she could do. Terra couldn’t help but smile at the other girl’s excitement at receiving the stone. “You really like the stone? Thanks!” After watching the addition of the gloves and the transactions conclusion, Terra replied, “Yeah, I think I am ready; those gloves are nice by the way.” She really did think they were nice. Some time, she would have to get some nice gloves, though she wasn’t sure if she would get 2 or 4.
MoogerMint Even if Terra didn't have spicy foods very often, Calcifer was still glad to hear she liked spicy at all -- that wouldn't have been something she'd have assumed someone else would like, even if it was her own personal favorite! Packing up her things to start headed off on the road to get some food before their big expedition, Calcifer went on to explain her duties, "I have a raft and live along the river's shore to the south of here. I made it so I could help people across, to the other side. Most people like to pay with money, but I prefer stuff like books and stories and songs." She pulled out her ratty wallet to show Terra what human money looked like, "This is what most people take as payment. The stuff I can't use, I write down so that I can remember it, and then I bring it here to turn into this, so I can get stuff like food, and gloves! I'm sure you could figure something out you're really good at that people would pay you for! In the meantime, you can at least pay for some food with the stone, as long as you're with me!" She really did like it; it served as a great reminder, and the doodle was cute! "Heh, thanks. We both really scored!" she grinned, revved to go, "Now let's go get some food!"
Premise: She may be just one little girl, but maybe she can still make a difference and prevent three angry gods' tantrums from splitting the world apart.
