intro post 8)

[0189d8cf]

[ A lone figure can be seen walking up the western beach of Ohritori, past Banyan Labs and towards Turnbloom, carrying a backpack and dressed warmly (beanie, turtleneck, cargo pants, gloves and boots) despite the tropical weather. They seem to be talking to themself, looking around with jerky, birdlike head movements, and poking at a classic Pokégear on their left arm. ]

"Now ain't this a pickle. Don't think I stumbled into weirdspace, don't think I'd be eligible to bubble up twice in a lifetime, but if this beach is in INDIGO I'll eat my hat. And that means... drat. The POKéGEAR's no use either. 'Area unknown'? Come on. It's not even doing anything interesting."

[ They over-enunciate the words "Indigo" and "Pokégear", as if each proper noun were its own sentence. ]

"Well! Nothing for it! Guess I'll hoof it 'til I meet someone to ask for directions."

[ With that, they start whistling a tune and continue on their way... ]

((OOC: Heh, been a long time since I wrote this character... or did LJRP at all, for that matter. But I saw advert posts about Faraway Place and decided I might as well dip my feet back in. Hi all! ))

Comments

[gold_drum]

A ten-year-old's hanging out in the yard of Banyan Labs, poking at random things on the ground, exploring and just getting used to the place he's recently started living in, and initially doesn't pay much mind to the stranger passing by. That is, until Gold hears them talking, over-enunciating proper nouns in a familiar way he hasn't heard since he left Johto. It's a dialect he doesn't speak himself, but it strikes him right in the homesickness, and Gold turns to look at the passerby with the purple turtleneck and the Pokegear, then rushes after them, holding onto his backpack to keep it from jostling too much.

"Hello! Excuse me!" he calls out, running to catch up to them. "Are you from Johto?!"

((ooc: Hi! Welcome!))

[snakewithacape]

[Oh, huh, another human. Kebi looks around and there's no Ash in sight. Wonderful. The snake will just... try to keep is distance and hope he doesn't get noticed.

Which is kind of hard to do out in the middle of the beach with nothing to hide behind.]

[0189d8cf]

[ The stranger had just started to consider whether they should double back to go bother whoever the local Professor was, when Gold takes notice of them and makes the decision moot. ]

"Oh! Hey kid!"

[ Mandy immediately breaks into a grin and stops to let Gold catch up. ]

"Nah. Other side of the falls - came from CINNABAR, live in CELADON these days. Although... haha, seems I've somehow wandered pretty far from home now. Not quite sure how I got here!"

[ They hold out a hand. ]

"Name's MANDY. Pleased as punch t'meetcha."

[0189d8cf]

[ Even with him keeping his distance, Kebi has probably noticed by now that, despite Mandy's looks, they don't smell like a normal human. More like someone's mangled, third-hand description of a Wingull's scent. Mandy, for their part, notices Kebi, but after a quick assessment of the risks, opts not to approach. The Seviper is clearly avoiding contact, after all, and if Mandy accidentally provokes him, they don't have the protection that a trainer might. At least not exactly. ]

[ ...still, might as well be polite. Mandy continues in their current direction – to make it clear that if the Seviper doesn't want to engage, they'll part ways soon enough – but slows their pace to a languid stroll, smiles and waves at Kebi with their right hand, and starts digging through a pocket with their left. ]

[gold_drum]

Gold stops in front of Mandy and looks them over briefly, as he usually does when meeting new people.

"Oh, you're from Kanto?" Gold feels like he's been meeting people from there a lot recently. "I'm from Johto! I came from New Bark Town, now I live in Olivine City... Um, I guess I live here now though." He glances over his shoulder at Professor Banyan's house. Then he realizes Mandy's just drifted to Ultern, and he's got the responsibility to tell them what's up, so he straightens his back a little.

"Yeah, that happens! Um, I mean, I ended up here just like that when I was trying to go to Goldenrod City, and it happens to a lot of people? They call it "drifting"... I think I saw a pamphlet about it?" Gold pauses uncertainly, trying to think of what else he should tell a newcomer about Ultern. "Oh! And this region's called Ultern!" Yeah, that's kind of important.

"I'm Gold!" He accepts the handshake cheerfully, but tilts his head at the name. "MANDY?" he says, mimicking Mandy's pronounciation. "Kinda girly name... but there's "man" in it too...?" he mumbles, looking over Mandy, confused. Is this a woman or a man...?

((Gold has met at least one nonbinary person before, but too briefly to learn the concept ^^;))

1/2

[0189d8cf]

"I see, I see."

[ Mandy pauses to puzzle over Gold's explanation of Ultern and its propensity to mysteriously pick up new residents. The idea of a phenomenon like that confuses them - a place that nonlocally interacts with people who've not even been there yet? That shouldn't be possible. Maybe instead of it being Ultern itself, it's really something like a local Ulternian Legendary porting people around? ]

2/2

[0189d8cf]

[ But Mandy sets this line of thought aside for now. Better not keep the kid waiting! They grin at Gold trying to puzzle out their name, and then lean down to reply in a low, conspiratorial voice. ]

"Yep! That's 'cause neither option fits me very well. But it's no problem - I'm one of the other options instead! Don't know what it's called in this language, but don't you worry about that. 'Not quite a boy, nor quite a girl' is good enough."

[ Mandy winks at the end for emphasis. ]

[snakewithacape]

[Oh. Uh. Kebi recognizes the waving and now he just suddenly feels awkward. He'll... wave his tail back...? Is that good? ...Wait, is the human getting out a Pokedex thing? DOES THIS HUMAN WANT TO TRY AND CATCH HIM???

Kebi shifts into ultra-cautious mode, keeping a VERY keen and close eye on the human. If need be, he'll flee away from the city.]

[gold_drum]

Gold leans back a little on instinct, not entirely comfortable with anyone he doesn't know well getting that close to his personal space, but the explanation has him just nodding blankly.

"Oh, okay," he says, clearly not totally getting it.

Suddenly, another voice, smooth and deep yet somewhat muffled and tinny, comes from one of the Pokeballs on Gold's waist, speaking like a human.

"You know, like Jinzel," the voice states.

"Oh okay, like Jinzel?" Gold glances towards his Pokeballs, not even blinking at the sudden voice, just nodding with clearly more understanding. "Yeah, that makes sense." Somebody you can't really call either a man or a woman... Gold thinks he knows what that's about now. He looks over Mandy again and nods to himself. Yeah, he figures he can see it.

However, neither he nor the voice seem to have any intent to explain that interjection to Mandy. Gold's too deep in thoughts with the new information, and the mystery voice - or Umbar, as he prefers to be called - waits to see how Mandy reacts.

[0189d8cf]

[ When Kebi tenses up, Mandy cringes a little, mentally facepalming at their unintended faux pas. Of course he'd assume that they were fishing for a Ball or something! Blessedly it only takes Mandy's clumsy fingers a little more time to fish out what he was looking for: a hard candy in a shiny blue wrapper. Mandy holds it up, so that the Seviper can see that it's just food, then unwraps it, holds it up again, puts it on the ground, and backs a way a little to give him space to take it if he wants. ]

"There you go. No need to worry; I'm no trainer. Just thought I'd share a little treat."

[snakewithacape]

[Oh... oh. Kebi looks to the human and then the candy and then the human. He has no idea what the human said, but... at least his ability to sense danger isn't going off. Maybe this is safe...? The seviper approaches the candy and slice it open with his tail, cautiously flitting his tongue over it and then cautiously picking up with the flat of his tailblade and putting it in his mouth if he finds out it isn't anything disgusting.]

[0189d8cf]

[ By the time Umbar chimes in, Mandy has stood back up, and they cock their head, almost birdlike, at the new voice. Another Pokémon who's learned to talk? Almost certainly; whoever it is can be balled. Legend? Strong psychic? One of those Rotoms that picked up the knack from possessing communication devices? Hm. Another thing to file away and think about later. For now, they continue to address Gold directly. ]

"Ah! Good to see you've got someone so sharp looking out for you too. Imagine their advice has been mighty handy, if you got dropped here like I did. Drifted? Y'know what I mean. If you don't mind me asking... is your pal there a friend from back in JOHTO? Or did you meet after you came here to ULTERN?"

[0189d8cf]

"See? Good stuff, right?"

[ Mandy hasn't realized that the Seviper can't actually understand human words. So, hoping that Kebi has been placated by the offering of a Rare Candy, they wait for him to finish the treat, and then try to ask... ]

"Don't suppose you know where the nearest human town is? Have to admit I'm a little lost here, haha."

1/2

[gold_drum]

Gold's starting to notice Mandy's odd way of moving their head. However, it reminds him of Jinzel, the Ho-oh in human form, so Gold makes the logical conclusion that odd, birdlike movements are just a non-binary thing.

"Oh, yeah, Umbar's super smart!" Gold brightens up, happy to hear somebody praising his Pokemon. "It woulda been really hard if he wasn't here, and my other Pokemon too! They all came with me from Johto. Oh, hold on, I'll bring him out!"

Gold takes out the one Lure Ball in the middle of his regular Pokeballs, and throws it gently to the side.

"Umbar, come out!"

2/2

[gold_drum]

In a flash, Lugia, the guardian of Johto's oceans, appears majestically. Well, he's just standing there, really. He smiles politely to Mandy.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Umbar," he says. "I'd offer a handshake, but, well..." Umbar gestures with his hand, which is about as big as Gold, and chuckles softly.

However, he's subtly keeping an eye on Mandy. Though they don't seem dangerous, Umbar can sense something just kind of... off about them, enough that it's worrying him. Thus, he drew attention to himself to casually join the conversation and look out for Gold. He shows none of this on his face, though.

[snakewithacape]

[Woah, did... did Kebi physically feel he just got stronger? Huh... that... sure is something... Can he trust this human after all...?

Uh... is this human explaining to him what that candy did? Uh... Kebi doesn't think humans can understand Pokemon, so, uh... he'll just smile and bow down. Is that a good way to show thanks?]

1/2

[0189d8cf]

[ Mandy's eyes go wide as Umbar emerges from his ball and renders Mandy's earlier speculations moot. Somehow, even though they'd considered the possibility that the voice was a Legend who'd decided to accompany this boy, they hadn't expected to be standing face to face with one! ]

2/2

[0189d8cf]

[ After just a second or two of shock, though, Mandy is able to compose themself and return to their accustomed smile, if a little shakier. They wave at Umbar with their right hand, and put their left over their chest. A sign of respect? An attempt to help calm themself? Perhaps a bit of both. ]

Haha! Sorry, just got a little startled there. Sure you understand. It's an honor to meet you in person, sir! I will consider my hand shaken in spirit.

1/2

[0189d8cf]

[ Mandy breathes a sigh of relief, now that the Seviper seems to have calmed down somewhat. And... is bowing? Not that Mandy isn't appreciative of the thanks, but. Hm. If Kebi isn't reacting to human language, then it seems they'll have to take more drastic measures to actually communicate here. They look around cagily, making sure no humans or Pokémon other than Kebi are hanging around. ]

2/2

[0189d8cf]

[ When they're satisfied that the two of them are alone, Mandy repeats the question, in a lower voice and using a... different vocabulary. ]

"Simiming sisi nos sinomi? Miss miss nosno."

[domeinion]

Oh, hello!

[There's a girl wandering in a circle, who stops and waves.]

I'm not sure where this is, either. Usually it's not me going through the stream, not unless all my friends also came for the ride. But it's nice to meet you!

[gold_drum]

Gold and Umbar both watch Mandy's shock with some amusement. Reactions like that never get old!

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's a common enough reaction," Umbar replies flippantly. "People often get surprised enough to swear out loud, so yours was a fairly mild reaction, honestly. Anyway, Mandy, was it? If I may ask, what do you do for a living?"

Umbar goes for casual small talk to hopefully gauge Mandy a bit more. Meanwhile, Gold's standing to the side, realizing it's time for boring adult talk and he's got nothing to contribute to it, so he waits quietly.

[0189d8cf]

[ Mandy breaks into a grin at seeing the girl, and they walk over to shake her hand and introduce themself. ]

"Pleasure's all mine, miss! Suppose we're in the same boat, then. Name's MANDY, pleased to make the acquaintance! Forgive me if it's nosy, but did you say 'usually'? I don't suppose you've found yourself plapped onto the shore by a mystery force before?"

[0189d8cf]

[ Mandy seems to relax a little at the question. It's one they've answered many times before, and they comfortably slip back into the script for it. ]

Owner proprietor, JADE CITY RUMMAGE, on FOREST ROW in WEST CELADON. Used equipment bought and sold, bulk consumables, special orders in a pinch. Started out just as a POKéDEX repair shop. I'm mighty fond of the classic BILL's PC era stuff, before DEVON CORP standardized the protocols and made it all locked down and boring; I wanted to help folks who've still got their originals keep 'em up and running. But we've grown quite a bit since then. We're no CELADON DEPARTMENT STORE, of course, but we don't need to be. Proud of everyone on the team who made it happen.

[ They look a little wistful at that. ]

Hopefully they'll be able to manage the place without me. Given what your friend just said about DRIFTing and such, it might be quite a while before I can get back...

[ They shrug. ]

Well! Better look at the bright side. Maybe I'll rebuild the business here, once I get to the nearest town!

[domeinion]

Not technically! [She happily shakes their hand without issue.] I'm Alice. I haven't been sent to a place like this before, but I do tend to track things that do show up throughout spacetime and leave just as soon as they came. I don't think this is the Voices, though, there'd be a host otherwise, and a lot more talking about potatoes.