farawayplace | EVENT: Harvesting Bonds Festival (CLOSING)

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EVENT: Harvesting Bonds Festival (CLOSING)

As the sun is beginning to set, a crowd gathers around Gilterrace's town plaza, some of them holding their freshly harvested goods from their fields. One by one, they pile them in front of a small shrine and fold their hands together as they begin to chant.

"May you bless our offerings as we wish for another bountiful harvest to come."

Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, Calyrex has been watching them at a distance with a look of intrigue. He too would like to bring happiness to these people, knowing they have worked hard for this. And clearly offering a more bountiful harvest is just what he's good at!

After a moment of deliberation, the legendary Pokemon hovers over the food pile while glowing in a gentle blue light, and starts doing a little jig. And with a wave of his left hand, all of the fruits and vegetables around Gilterrace start growing until they are twice larger than their usual size.

As the crowd cheers and rejoices, the strums of the sanshin could be heard and playing a very cheery yet familiar tune to some of the drifted out there. This also draws in many Pokemon, wild or not, joining amongst the crowd, though there is a noticably fair amount of Ghost-types gathering as well. And with Calyrex dancing along to the music, they all soon start to sway their arms from side to side as they dance alongside the King of Bountiful Harvests.

Much like with the summer festival, it is a sign that today's festivities is drawing to a close. And they will keep dancing until the music finally stops the moment the night falls.

(🌺 This marks the end of the event! Feel free to join in the partying, make friends with ghosts, or get a free enlarged produce to take home! 🌺)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Trip nodded, but still looked uncertain. Being told he wasn't going to be mad made it sound really bad...

"I'm not supposed to play with poor people or people from the boonies, like Kanto, they say they're low class, so..."

In fact, he was so scared that Gold wasn't telling the truth about not getting mad at him, that his nervousness and shyness got the better of him, and he decided to leave the awkward, uncomfortable conversation entirely by turning on his heel to try and run away.

Ah, not as bad as Gold thought it was going to be. He smiles in relief, but then Trip turns to run.

"Hey..." he calls out weakly after him, but doesn't move, just watches Trip go.

Huh. Well, Gold doesn't want to scare the kid by running after him, so he just calls out a bit louder: "Parents aren't always right, y'know!"

But if Trip's going to run off, Gold will let him. He's a bit worried about the kid going off on his own, but figures he'll probably be all right.

...Then he realizes Trip's probably drifted here all alone without his parents, so maybe he should be going after him after all. He walks casually in the direction Trip ran to.

Trip didn't like loud voices, so a raised voice would just send him running faster, but... Gold didn't sound angry at all?

And he wasn't chasing him, so... he did stop, not too long after Gold began calmly walking.

He stopped, turned, and looked a little confused.

"... you're really not mad?"

Oh, good, Trip stopped running. Gold was worried he was gonna have a lost child situation.

"Yeah, I told you I wasn't gonna be mad, right? Did that make you think I'd get mad? My bad," Gold says, pauses, and lets out a little laugh. "That rhymed, huh? Anyway, sorry if I scared you." It never even passes Gold's mind that he should or could be mad about being called low class or poor. Especially when it's coming from a kid who's clearly just repeating what someone else told him.

Walking over to Trip, he kneels again to get to eye level with him. The Murkrow on his shoulder is also on eye level, but less serious about it.

"Anyway, like I said, the stuff your parents say isn't always right, but it's tough to learn to figure out what's right and what isn't. You just gotta try. If you ask me, I think what your parents said about Kanto and poor people is probably wrong, just like I think most of what my mom said to me was probably wrong," Gold tells him, then cringes a bit, looking pained. "...But that doesn't mean it's easy to believe what I think is wrong." He pauses, expression relaxing, and lets out an apologetic laugh. "That's all kinda complicated, huh? Basically you gotta decide what's right yourself!"

At Gold's little rhyme, Trip did laugh a little, but it was still a bit uneasy sounding.
As Gold continued to speak, Trip listened very quietly and patiently, then nodded.

"What kind of things—" Trip began saying, until he realized Gold's expression probably meant it was something that bothered him.

"... yeah, I know they're not always right."

He watched Murkrow again and considered petting it, raising a hand, but then lowered it again.

Gold nods, noticing how Trip catches himself. "Yeah, it's not stuff you'd wanna hear."

"That's good. It takes a long time to really learn that, but you seem like a smart kid, so I bet it's easier for you than for me," Gold says, then notices what he said and frowns. "I mean, I'm not stupid or anything! My mom just said I am, so I keep thinking I am, even now! See, it's like that! You gotta... learn to un-think those things, and it takes forever!" He sighs, frustrated, then shakes his head to get the bad mood out, before smiling. "But yeah! When you're older and you don't have to listen to your parents anymore, then I'll come visit Unova and maybe if we're lucky I'll meet you and we can go trick and treating. How's that sound?" He'd almost forgotten how this whole conversation even started, and he's about ready to stop with the sad and complicated subjects.

The Murkrow notices the raised and lowered hand, tilts his head and makes a questioning chirp. Gold notices too, but isn't sure he should be encouraging a little kid to pet a wild Pokemon, even one this tame.

"...Hey, you wanna see one of my Pokemon?" he asks, because if Trip wants to pet a Pokemon, then it should probably be a Pokemon Gold knows for sure he can trust.

Trip giggled a little at Gold's mistake, but stopped when he realized it was because of what his mother said. He nodded slowly, looking sorry.

"... that'd be fun, yeah," Trip agreed, brightening.

At Gold's offer, Trip nodded eagerly, immediately becoming more excitable. "I want to see, please! I'd love to meet your Pokemon!"

Onto cheerier topics, like Pokemon!

Gold doesn't mind Trip's laugh, to be honest. If anything, it helps him relax and move on.

"Alright, I'll bring her out!" Gold says, laughing a little with Trip's excitement. He knows exactly which of his Pokemon is the most pettable. He takes one of his Pokeballs out, and lightly throws it. "Come out and say hi, Elena!"

And out pops a Furret, ears twitching in attention. As she sees Trip, she chirrups a greeting, bowing politely. The Murkrow on Gold's shoulder caws curiously at Elena's sudden appearance, but stays there, not getting territorial.

She's so cute and fluffy!!!

Ah, she bowed! Trip looked surprised by that, but bowed back to her.

"Elena's so cool! She's a Furret, right? I've never seen one in real life before! Only in books and on TV. We don't have wild Pokemon from other regions, like Johto..."

Trip held out a hand.

"She won't bite or scratch, right?"

"Yep, she's a Furret! Don't worry, she's the kindest Pokemon I've ever met." Gold's impressed Trip recognizes Furret, he himself can never remember Pokemon he's only seen on TV. It's just so different from meeting them in real life.

Elena looks at Gold, surprised, and gets a bit flustered at the compliment, making little happy noises.

"Elena, Trip can pet you, right?" Gold asks, and Elena nods, turning to smile at Trip, and lowers her head so he can reach easier.

"That's great!"

He watched as Elena got shy and Gold asked her if it was alright... they really are communicating, aren't they?

She inclined her head closer for him to touch! He couldn't help but be moved by the gesture and brought his hand very, very gently and carefully to just above her nose, brushing it lightly, then trying to stroke her head.

"... so soft! Her fur's so soft..."

Gold watches this adorableness happen and feels happy inside, like his heart's purified.

Elena is also touched by the cuteness, and how very softly and carefully Trip pets her. She chitters softly in Furret language, saying something along the lines of "(What a sweet kid!)" if anyone around understood Pokemon language.

As he's watching, Gold remembers something he was curious about before but didn't have a chance to ask yet, and says "Hey, you came from Unova, but what about your parents? Are they here in Ultern too, or are they still home?"

If Trip doesn't have anybody to look after him, that's a problem they're going to have to solve sooner than later, since the day's getting late and he needs somewhere to stay the night.

Trip couldn’t understand her, but her voice was so sweet, he wanted to give her a hug! Not knowing how tightly he could hold her, he encircled her with his arms very, very gently, arms practically only hovering around her.

He turned his face towards Gold when he asked the question and answered it very casually.
“Oh, my parents are still home. I went to the festival alone, like last time.”
Nobody else was with him when he went to see Alder!

“… I don’t really remember how I got here, but…”

It did start to sink in, the realization it wasn’t just a short distance away and he looked a little alarmed and worried. “… maybe they’re staying at a hotel or something here…?”

Being out on his own was normal, but his parents would at least be close enough to pick him up to go back home for the night… this was just weird.

Incredibly, heart-meltingly soft hug. Elena appreciates it, and hugs Trip back with her tiny paws, just as gently.

Gold nods, seeing nothing unusual about letting a little kid go to around alone. However, it seems his worries are true. Trip drifted here all alone, without his parents.

"Um, I guess they could be here somewhere? But if they aren't, you need somewhere to stay," Gold says, frowning a little in worry. He's told some newcomers about Ultern before, but he doesn't really know how to break it to a kid. But he doesn't want to worry Trip, so he puts on a smile. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out. If nothing else, you could sleep over at the place I'm living in, for tonight at least. Ummm, by the way, has anybody told you about Ultern, and about Drifting?"

He liked Elena a lot. "I'd like to catch a Furret someday too..."

She's so comforting and gentle!

"I could do that, it sounds like fun. Never been to a sleepover," Trip said with a smile. "Ultern's the name of this place, right? It's funny, I never heard of it or even seen it on a map before! I heard them say something Drifted, but I didn't really get an explanation. They looked a little sad..."

"You should! But I guess you gotta travel outside of Unova to find one, huh?" Gold says. "Not that you'll find a Furret better than Elena anywhere!"

Elena's flustered by that, and rubs her head against Trip's shoulder to hide her shy smile.

When Gold hears what Trip says, he keeps his smile up, but hates that he has to be the one to explain what's going on.

"Yeah, that's um, the thing about Ultern region! It's like... Ah, I dunno how to explain it..." Gold's stalling. "Um, I showed up here out of the blue one day, while I was trying to go somewhere else. And so did a lot of other people! From other regions, and even other worlds... The people who live in Ultern call that Drifting. People drift here from everywhere. And..." He has to say nobody knows how to leave Ultern. He can't bring himself to say it. "And yeah! It's like that!"

Gold cringes at his own cowardliness internally. On the outside, he keeps up a somewhat awkward smile.

Trip nodded, but feeling Elena nestle closer into him, he turned to watch her instead, stroking her head and back a few times, trying to comfort her, even giving a few awkward little pats.

Trip then looked back to Gold in his uncomfortable, hesitating explanation and felt he was omitting something, but was too shy to ask what. He did, however, look a bit suspicious.

"... okay."

A brief, suspicious pause, then:

"... did someone bring us here?"

Is this a mass kidnapping or something?

Elena smiles at Trip, patting him and trying to reassure him that she's not upset or anything, she's just too happy and blushes easily! Though she is a bit worried about how Gold and Trip's conversation seems to be going, but tries not to show that.

Gold knew an incomplete explanation wasn't going to cut it. Trip was smart, he's already noticing something's off. All Gold is doing is putting the inevitable off. Still, probably better to say it gently than bluntly.

"I dunno, to be honest. Nobody knows why it's happening," Gold says, crossing his arms and frowning in thought. "I went looking for people who might be behind it the first days after I got here, but never found anybody. So either they're hiding really well, or it's just a mystery pheno... phenomunom?" That sounds like about the right word.

"So, yeah... nobody knows why it's happening, and... nobody knows how to go back, either." Gold swallows, his throat feeling a bit dry, then says, a bit stronger: "But that doesn't mean it's impossible, just that nobody's found a way yet! Or maybe the people who did find a way to go back left without telling anyone else!" He's trying to convince himself, too.

"Phenomenom!" Trip corrected.

~~Little did they know, they were both wrong.~~

He listened carefully to the explanation otherwise, with a serious look, then, gathering Elena up (she didn't mind being carried, right?) to try and support her better and hold her close, Trip walked over to Gold.

"You're right, we just have to keep looking! We'll figure a way out... it's like a mystery. I'm sure if we all work together, we'll get something done!"

Optimistic and perfectly earnest!

"Yeah, that's it!" Gold says, clueless.

Elena doesn't mind being carried at all! She leans on Trip's shoulder to make it easier to carry her.

"That's right!" Gold says, relieved that he managed to avoid making Trip sad. "With so many different people drifting into Ultern, there's no way we'll fail!"

"...But anyway, it's getting late, so we should head to the place I'm staying. It's Professor Banyan's house, so I guess I should ask him if you can stay over, but it's probably fine anyway..." Gold starts looking around as he leads Trip along. "If you see a guy in a weird-looking green costume, that's probably him."

((ooc: should I ask professor Banyan to join the thread?))

((That'd be fine and a nice way to bring this to a close, getting settled. Please do! ^^))

Elena was so cute... he couldn't help smiling.

Trip nodded and kept an eye out for someone matching that description and followed Gold, holding his hand not to get separeated.

Not too long after, just at the exit of Gilterrace was the strangely green-colored costumed man from earlier. He still held the sanshin that he was playing from before, but it looked like he was about to leave town.

"..."

The kid who wanted to pet Murkrow, loved Gold's wizard costume, and was charmed by all the dancing Ghost types, ducked behind Gold's leg, clinging to his hand still.

"... that cucumber's creepy!"

Ah, there's that awful costume. Gold's strangely relieved to see it, after not having met Banyan at all during the festival.

"Yeah, I know right? The guy wearing it is a good guy though," Gold says, squeezing Trip's hand a little, and waves at Professor Banyan. "Hey, Pro- uh," he pauses, remembering the Professor wanted him to call him Uncle Beni, but still goes for: "Professor Banyan! Heey!"

The Murkrows that had been following them, unfortunately, aren't too fond of the costume either. Sitting on nearby roofs and trees, they caw in chorus and flap their wings, and one even swoops down to try and peck it. Hope the costume's not too thin!

"Hey! Quit that, you guys!" Gold calls out to the Murkrows, but they seem to agitated to listen right now.

"Waaah!" Lil' Yago cried out as he tried to cover his costume with only one arm. Already the Murkrows had pecked and torn out much of the top part that tufts of his red hair are peeking out of one of the large tears.

"Come on now, we're all friends here yeah?" Lil' Yago tried to reason with these now agitated Murkrows, and started strumming with his sanshin as he played a cheerful melody in hopes of calming the Murkrows down.

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[now I'm curious what Gold expected!]

[he expected abusive parents ._.,]

[oh, nooo, poor Gold! Probably not, with Trip, they're probably just kinda distant/absent]

[neglect's a type of abuse, but Trip seems like he's not that bad off]

[I guess I don't think of it because it isn't usually intentional, but fair point!]

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[SORRY, Banyan... I guess Banyan-Trip-Gold'd be a good order, then?]

[Works for me! Also, sorry, Banyan!]

he can take it-