[mingle post] Extreme summer weather

[kenfrompokemon]

A. HEAT WAVE

It's a hot day in Ultern. The kind of day where you just can't muster the energy for anything. The kind of day where you feel like you could fry an egg on a car hood. On the radio, the usual DJ's voice reminds you to drink plenty of water, wear a hat and use sun screen, and to make sure your Pokemon are protected from the heat as well.

How are you spending a day like this? Eating ice cream or shaved ice? Resting in the shade? Taking advantage of the Pokemon Center's cooling system? Are you the type who trains outside no matter the weather? Or are you one of those poor souls who have to work outside in the blazing sun?

B. NATURE POWER

On another day, there's a sudden rainstorm. Water droplets attack the roofs in a loud barrage, wind howls, and you can hear the distant roars of thunder. It was hot just earlier, what happened? On this day, even the local radio station broadcasts nothing but static.

What are you doing on this stormy day? Caught by surprise while travelling? Staying inside and shutting all windows tightly? Listening to the rain with a cup of hot chocolate, or going out to enjoy the blasts of rain and wind on your skin? Taking shelter in the Pokemon Center, or knocking on the door of the closest house you can find to escape the rain? Exploring caves? Helping wild Pokemon deal with the weather?

Or maybe something completely different?

Comments

B. [Turnbloom City]

[unchcsen]

[Volo is just...standing in the street near the Pokemon Center. He is clearly aware of the storm: he's looking up, watching the lightning, like he's trying to figure out where it's coming from and where it may strike next.

Togekiss is hovering over his head with her wings outstretched, like she's trying to keep her trainer dry - but with this kind of rain, there's not much point. It looks like she'd rather be inside, instead of getting drenched and fighting with the wind, but Volo is too fascinated by the weather.

If anyone gets close enough, they might hear him muttering to himself.]

I wonder if this is just a storm, or...? It was just like this, the night when it all began. Such a terrible storm...and yet, I see no rift...

[gold_drum]

[Gold is struggling with an umbrella that really wants to fly off in the rain when he spots that one tall time traveller guy... Uh, what was his name again? It was something short, but he just can't remember... More importantly, he's got a hovering cover! Gold folds his umbrella and runs for him.]

Hey man! [That's the only warning Volo gets as Gold dives in to hide from the rain under the Togekiss with him.] Long time no see! Whatcha doing, thinking about ominous foreboding stuff in the rain?

[unchcsen]

[Volo hardly notices that he's got company until Gold says something, and when he realises, he doesn't seem embarrassed at being caught muttering.]

Hello!

[Once he sees who it is, he smiles in recognition.]

Yes, it's nice to see you again! Always good to see a familiar face, isn't it?

[With those formalities out of the way, Volo goes back to watching the lightning.]

Yes, indeed, I was just thinking about some...things! Does Ultern often get storms like this, do you know...? Is it normal for this time of year? I come from a place where big storms were not that common, you see...

[gold_drum]

[Talking to yourself is just one of those normal things everyone does, as far as Gold's concerned!]

Yeah! Hi!

[Small talk and formalities are whatever, watching the lightning is more interesting, so Gold does that too.]

I guess so! It's stormier here than back where I'm from, anyway. There's tropical storms or something. Hey, you gonna be okay standing here? You're tall so you might get hit by lightning. And then Thundurus steals your belly button or something, I dunno.

[Gold's pretty sure that's what he's heard about lightning.]

[unchcsen]

[The advice about being a tall person in a lightning storm is pretty good, and for a second Volo thinks he should probably listen...but he's too distracted. He will move...soon...]

Hmm, I see. Perhaps this is just a storm, after all. Still impressive to watch, though, isn't it?

[He puts a hand over his own navel and looks at Gold in surprise.]

Ah, I have heard of Thunderus, but...I only know that its lightning is said to help things grow, wherever it strikes the ground. I have never heard of that particular legend! It steals your belly button...? How would that even work...?

[gold_drum]

What else would it be?

[It looks like a storm and sounds like a storm, so it's gotta be a storm, right? Grown-ups gotta make simple things so complicated sometimes. It does look cool though.]

I dunno. [Gold shrugs.] "If you don't take cover when it's thundering, Thundurus will steal your belly button." That's what they say, I dunno how it works. [Gold's neutral expression splits into a deliberately bright smile as he keeps talking.] Maybe it rips the belly button out, or maybe it hits your belly button with lightning that'll go right through your tummy and make a hole! Maybe that's why its lightning helps things grow, 'cos the corpses fertilize the ground!

[unchcsen]

Well, with this being such an odd place, I wondered if it might have anything to do with the drifting. But that's something I shall have to research more closely, I suppose! Standing here and watching the storm from a distance probably won't help. Unless people start falling from the sky...but I've been watching for a while, and I haven't seen any of that, so far...

[Volo was going to mention the space-time distortions he'd seen in Hisui, which were usually accompanied by storms (and, occasionally, people falling from the sky...). But he decided that talking about how people drift in and out of Ultern would be easier and more familiar. Anyway, he's sure that it has some connection to space-time distortions, even if he has no way of proving it yet.

As Gold gets deeper into this Thunderus-steals-belly-buttons business, Volo eyes him with friendly suspicion. The kid seems to be smiling far too much. Not that Volo's a stranger to smiling over myths and legends, but this is different.]

Ah...I'm beginning to think this legend may have been slightly embellished by your imagination, young sir. Perhaps you should write stories! You could make them into those moving pictures!

[gold_drum]

Oh, okay. Well, it wasn't stormy when I drifted here, so probably not.

[Since Gold knows nothing about the space-time distortions in Hisui, he just dismisses the idea and files it under grown-ups making things more difficult than they are, once again.

He gets the feeling he's being patronized, here, and he's not a fan of it. Gold's smile turns into a slightly annoyed frown, and he goes "hmph" quietly, crossing his arms.]

Well don't ask if you don't want an answer. I dunno anything about Thundurus other than the belly button thing I heard, okay? I'm just thinking of ideas!

[He's being snippy, but really, he's mostly annoyed that he didn't get the reaction he wanted. He was aiming for creepy, not childish!]

[unchcsen]

No, I can't say it was when I arrived, either.

[Volo's smile quickly fades as he realises he must have said something wrong. What if the 'belly button' story was actually true, and he's just insulted some other region's sacred myths? Or, even if there's no way to prove it's true, it could still be important to Gold in some way. Volo could understand that.]

I meant no harm, young sir. I thought it was a very creative tale, and having an imagination is a good thing...

[Wait, is he just making everything worse now? In his desire to fix things, Volo starts rambling even more, even though he knows he might just be digging deeper in the same hole.]

You know, even the myths and legends that get passed down through history often have many meanings. Some of them may be true, but others were created to teach us something. And it is, indeed, quite dangerous to be standing out in a storm like this. A field littered with Thunderus' unfortunate victims would convey that very well, don't you think?

[gold_drum]

[The belly button myth is actually something he's heard from others, though it doesn't mean much to Gold personally. He doesn't even believe it himself, and thinks it's silly, which is why he's annoyed at being treated like he made it up himself. But Gold's actually feeling a little bit mollified at the praise to his imagination and creativity, so good job, Volo! His frown eases further as Volo shares his own ideas about what the stories might mean, and he listens, kind of interested. The meanings of legends passed down, huh... He's never thought about it before.]

Yeah, I guess so. Stealing a belly button sounds kinda dumb anyway, so it makes sense if it's made up to scare kids. Since it's dangerous to stand out in the storm like this.

[Gold stares at the storm they're standing in, covered only by a floating Togekiss. Thunder roars somewhere.]

So hey, I got an idea. Let's not stand out here in the storm like this.

["...you dumbass," goes unsaid. But Gold's not going indoors until Volo's coming too, and bringing that poor wet Togekiss inside with him.]