[Ondorus shows up precisely on schedule. Olivia, Sanja, and Theo are fluttering, floating, and walking alongside him respectively; Sanja and Theo each have their own little bags slung over their backs, to complement the much larger load that Ondorus has with him. It looks like he's planning to stay out here for a couple of nights.]
The natives seem to know even less than we do about this place, and given that this is a different world from the one I'm familiar with, there aren't any clues I could use to date it.
[They're a few minutes in finding a nice, sort-of-dry spot beneath an overhang, setting up the tent (Ondorus is a tent-setting-up master), and tossing all the stuff in it to keep dry. He comes back sans Theo and Olivia (back in their balls), and with Sanja draped in a little shapeless plastic Pokeponcho.]
That's done with. Now - is there any place you wanted to investigate first?
[...if he didn't have someone who could make tents up by now and he had seen that, he probably would have officially made Ondorus a member of Mage vs. Wild by this point...
but well, it's a good thing he has an umbrella because he'll just be waiting in the rain for a few moments!
...Jesus Christ they make ponchos]
Well, I've explored quite a few areas in the ruins, so that's up to you, really. You haven't spent too much time here, have you?
[Everything fell apart only a couple of hours ago.
Slowly, with real effort, Raven staggers back to the boarding house from the Pokémon Center, essentially alone. When she can think, she thinks she can make it to her room; in reality she barely makes it through the door and to the nearest thing to sit on. She doesn't even know if anybody else is here.
It stops mattering a few seconds later. Raven stares at the floor, an empty pokéball in her hands.]
[A certain busybody of a Munna alerts Ondorus to her arrival. A few minutes later, he descends the stairs.
He's walking with a very slight limp, himself. When he spots Raven sitting there, head down, quiet in a darker way than usual - he moves towards the other side of the room, and the small couch across from her.]
Maybe he can just guess. She's wearing a coat of burns and cuts - with her actual, preferred coat in tatters on her shoulders - and the vacant stare is a dead giveaway of how well she's handling anything this evening. At the Center they told her to get help for herself, because it would be a while, more than a day, until she could have her Pokémon back.
They probably meant finding human doctors, or something.
Raven is here.]
No. [A quick breath. The shock is worse than her injuries.]
Ondorus sucks in a startled breath and mutters something to the still-hovering Sanja. The Munna shoots across the room and up the stairs, and Ondorus walks the last few steps to his intended seat.
It's obvious what happened - he'd been out there, too. But Raven-
-the Pokeball-
-ah.
Well. That was heart-chilling to think about.
Is there any safe way to break the silence? Hurry up with that first-aid kit, Felix...]
[Something flares into her eyes when he gasps, and she manages to look at him once, fierce.]
I didn't try for this.
[She didn't go walking into trouble or try to rescue someone when it was clear she was at a disadvantage or even not run when running was the better option.
I can imagine. [There's a growing expression of worry on his face as he thinks about that mad dragon's lunge. There were two others, weren't there...
Ondorus looks up at a noise from the stairs, cringing when he sees his Audino running down them at a breakneck pace. Sanja follows, floating down the stairwell with a bag hanging from her trunk.]
[By now, she's familiar with his pokémon, so she doesn't pull away quite as far as she might have otherwise. Everything hurts and she will be quite satisfied if no one touches her. Just leave her be to stare at the carpet pattern and take off-beat shaky breaths.
There's no chance of that, is there? Raven knows better.]
[Ondorus says it in as calm a tone as he has, while beckoning the pair of Pokemon over. Sanja drops the bag at Raven's feet, and floats over to Ondorus with a low coo. Felix totters towards Raven and climbs up onto the sofa next to her, dragging the bag up with him and pulling a pack of antiseptic wipes out of it. He looks Raven over, his ears fluttering in concern.]
[For all her newly-discovered actual humanity, Raven looks an awful lot like a cornered bird when she stares back at Felix. The instinct to run - from friends, at that, or what passes for friends to someone who won't allow herself to have them - is just beaten out by her inability to stand back up at the moment.
[Ondorus prays his assumptions are correct, because he's running on guesswork trying to reassure Raven.
The Audino steps forward and very gingerly hugs her arm, babbling softly. A soft glow plays around him for a moment - Refresh. Not a proper healing move, but just in case.]
[Felix hums contentedly, then gently takes Raven's hand off his head and grabs an antiseptic wipe to clean it off.]
He wants to tend to your injuries. [Please let him.] You're far from the only person who was unequipped to face that attack. That was likely the idea behind it in the first place.
[action]
ADVENTURERUINS TIMEKayneth is going to arrive at the predetermined place sliiightly before the predetermined time and wait for Ondorus to show up!]
[action]
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...Are you planning on camping in this weather?
[action]
Ondorus sets down his load once he's come within conversation distance of Kayneth, giving his little greeting-bow.]
I hope to spend a few days here on my own, if the weather doesn't take a turn for the worse.
[action]
[some humans aren't that bad about this
but they are not magical aristocrats]
The ruins themselves shouldn't be that bad, of course-they're in much better shape than you'd expect.
[action]
Have you run into anyone who knows how old this place is?
[action]
[He gives a frustrated sigh at that.]
The natives seem to know even less than we do about this place, and given that this is a different world from the one I'm familiar with, there aren't any clues I could use to date it.
[action]
Then I suppose we're starting with a blank slate.
[Theo barks lowly and continues to walk, Sanja hesitates and follows him, and Olivia lands on Ondorus' head.]
-I should find a place to set this down.
[action]
[...ah. yeah. you do that...]
[action]
[They're a few minutes in finding a nice, sort-of-dry spot beneath an overhang, setting up the tent (Ondorus is a tent-setting-up master), and tossing all the stuff in it to keep dry. He comes back sans Theo and Olivia (back in their balls), and with Sanja draped in a little shapeless plastic Pokeponcho.]
That's done with. Now - is there any place you wanted to investigate first?
[action]
but well, it's a good thing he has an umbrella because he'll just be waiting in the rain for a few moments!
...Jesus Christ they make ponchos]
Well, I've explored quite a few areas in the ruins, so that's up to you, really. You haven't spent too much time here, have you?
[action]
[Hence the excited glimmer in his eyes now. oh boy oh boy we're being archaeologists
Ondorus is holding a notebook close to himself, under his cape.]
I recall there was a relatively intact structure further south. Let's have a look inside that one.
[action]
[...he's not bitter at all... well, the second time he went through Violet it wasn't too bad, but...]
That's perfectly fine by me.
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Slowly, with real effort, Raven staggers back to the boarding house from the Pokémon Center, essentially alone. When she can think, she thinks she can make it to her room; in reality she barely makes it through the door and to the nearest thing to sit on. She doesn't even know if anybody else is here.
It stops mattering a few seconds later. Raven stares at the floor, an empty pokéball in her hands.]
[Action, Feb. 14]
He's walking with a very slight limp, himself. When he spots Raven sitting there, head down, quiet in a darker way than usual - he moves towards the other side of the room, and the small couch across from her.]
Are you alright?
[Action, Feb. 14]
Maybe he can just guess. She's wearing a coat of burns and cuts - with her actual, preferred coat in tatters on her shoulders - and the vacant stare is a dead giveaway of how well she's handling anything this evening. At the Center they told her to get help for herself, because it would be a while, more than a day, until she could have her Pokémon back.
They probably meant finding human doctors, or something.
Raven is here.]
No. [A quick breath. The shock is worse than her injuries.]
[Action, Feb. 14]
...for the love of Grimoire, Raven.
Ondorus sucks in a startled breath and mutters something to the still-hovering Sanja. The Munna shoots across the room and up the stairs, and Ondorus walks the last few steps to his intended seat.
It's obvious what happened - he'd been out there, too. But Raven-
-the Pokeball-
-ah.
Well. That was heart-chilling to think about.
Is there any safe way to break the silence? Hurry up with that first-aid kit, Felix...]
[Action, Feb. 14]
I didn't try for this.
[She didn't go walking into trouble or try to rescue someone when it was clear she was at a disadvantage or even not run when running was the better option.
It just took that long to get away.]
[Action, Feb. 14]
Ondorus looks up at a noise from the stairs, cringing when he sees his Audino running down them at a breakneck pace. Sanja follows, floating down the stairwell with a bag hanging from her trunk.]
[Action, Feb. 14]
There's no chance of that, is there? Raven knows better.]
They'll hate me.
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No. It'll be okay.
[Ondorus says it in as calm a tone as he has, while beckoning the pair of Pokemon over. Sanja drops the bag at Raven's feet, and floats over to Ondorus with a low coo. Felix totters towards Raven and climbs up onto the sofa next to her, dragging the bag up with him and pulling a pack of antiseptic wipes out of it. He looks Raven over, his ears fluttering in concern.]
[Action, Feb. 14]
But her words address Ondorus.]
They will. I couldn't help them.
[Action, Feb. 14]
[Ondorus prays his assumptions are correct, because he's running on guesswork trying to reassure Raven.
The Audino steps forward and very gingerly hugs her arm, babbling softly. A soft glow plays around him for a moment - Refresh. Not a proper healing move, but just in case.]
[Action, Feb. 14]
[The hug makes her wince, but the feeling that follows after it successfully cut her off. That was...
...He can do that? To people?
A very tentative, ungloved hand reaches across to rest on Felix's head.] I'm sorry.
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He wants to tend to your injuries. [Please let him.] You're far from the only person who was unequipped to face that attack. That was likely the idea behind it in the first place.
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