🌼 intro post

[disarmingvoice]

turnbloom city

[Ulsai, Ultern natives and drifters alike! It's a rather lovely day today, and it seems you're being joined by a boy with a surprisingly faded blue coat and his vivid pink partner. The two of them look around almost confused, really, as they just seem to appear near the Gateway Port and look...well, deeply confused, for both of their parts.]

...Oh, dear. Gorebyss, this doesn't look anything like we were told about Paldea, does it?

Gore... [The pink fish seems to shake her head, eyes drooping a bit before Calem reaches out to pet her on the head.]

Hey, don't worry about it. Why don't we see what this island has to offer? Maybe we'll find some inspiration to strike us up here, too! And a few snacks for you?

[The Gorebyss seems to perk up at that--mostly at the mention of snacks. That'll bring the two of them further into town at least, if you want to talk to them there.

Of course, you can also find Calem doing a couple things here and there--you can find him at the Turnbloom Market where he seems to be checking out any stalls that might have good clothing materials for sale. Threads, fabrics, tools, he's looking at everything, and if you happen to be around, he might look to you and smile.]

Excuse me. I'm just having the hardest time trying to decide on what I should get...might I ask for your assistance in picking out some fabrics for me? I'm always in the market for a second opinion, especially when I'm so unfamiliar with the fashions in this place!

[He's definitely friendly and animated enough, at least, and the Gorebyss beside him seems to regard you too. Feel free to throw something at him!

Otherwise, you might just find him in the Battle Park where he's...doing anything other than battling--Gorebyss seems to be over picking on some of the bug types for fun, but he seems to be looking at anyone around and sketching into a sketchbook? Huh. If you wanna see what that's about, feel free.]

route 4 (wildflower cape)

[Once Calem gets settled in, though, he--and a fair few of the rest of his team, from the looks of it, decide to set out for Gilterrace, but seem to decide to take a more inspiring scenic route first.

And inspiring it is. Calem seems more than apt to be distracted by the beautiful flowers growing along the path here than anything else, trusty sketchpad out and putting ideas to paper in an instant.]

Ah, flowers like these...it almost reminds me of home.

[Of course, if you happen to spot him in the evening, it seems he's set up camp for the time and is making a few things for himself and his Pokemon; if he happens to see you, though, he'll wave over to you.]

Hello! ...Excuse me, the proper greeting here is Ulsai, isn't it? [Calem laughs a bit at that, though.] Hopefully your travels have been treating you well here?

Comments

[giratina]

[Tina is wandering around Turnbloom Market because... Well, why not? If he's stuck here he might as well take the opportunity to watch people do People Things, right? At least he's been haunting the city streets for long enough now that the locals seem to have gotten used to him. Ah Yes. The Weird Goth.

The weird goth is currently listening to Calem's question with the expression of someone who has just smelled something extremely unpleasant. SOMETHING is wrong here, but he can't quite pinpoint it.]

...This one.

[Finally looking away Tina points a delicate finger at a roll of fabric behind the stall counter.]

I have heard it is easily cleaned of blood.

[KJDFDKJSFDSDF]

1/2

[disarmingvoice]

[...

Sir, this is a Wendy's, what the fuck--]

2/2

[disarmingvoice]

[...Calem does well to not look slightly thrown by the statement, though it may come from prior experience; looking Tina up and down for a moment, clearly he's just kind of some advanced hex maniac, isn't he? He remembers encountering them from his own region, and they always had...interesting things to say, that's for sure...

Still! Despite the expression on Tina's face (that he's very confused about, excuse you??), Calem muses and looks over the fabric in question and seems to nod his head.]

Oh, I see what you mean! Even if some were to get on you, it'd easily be washed out with some nice cold water; it doesn't look like it'd even leave behind a stain! It's beautiful, and practical.

[just smile and nod, calem. just smile and nod.]

I could see it making a rather excellent set of garments--you have a good eye, there. [Still, Calem gets a better look at Tina's fashion and nods in seeming approval.] Not that I'm surprised! Your sense of fashion is simply impeccable, if I do say so myself!

[giratina]

[Wow, this kid is pretty chatty, isn't he! Still, Tina isn't immune to compliments. His face thankfully relaxes a bit. Calem's vibes might be Off The Fuckin' Wall but whatever's wrong with them isn't about to blow up or something, so Tina can weather a conversation.]

Thank you. [After a moment's consideration, he adds:] I designed it myself.

[S. SORT OF??????????]

[disarmingvoice]

[Oh, Calem absolutely perks at that much. Now this person has his interest in full.]

You did? Why, that's incredible! [Calem doesn't invade Tina's personal space at least, but he does grin a bit.] Whoever brought this to life for you did an incredible job--there's a certain olden flair to it I can't quite place, but you did a wonderful job with it! Truly, you've mastered using monotones to your advantage; those splashes of color really do bring the whole piece together...

[There is just so much he could study from this guy alone--]

Is this sort of fashion typical, where you come from?

Route 4

[ulternnpc]

[A nice scenic route with flowers? Seems Calem's not the only one here to enjoy the scenery as a tanned skinned, dark haired man in his early 20s is out with a Marine Style Vivillon and Cutiefly by his side. Or rather his Vivillon was by his side while his Cutiefly buzzed excitedly around his head.]

Now now, Cutiefly don't be in such a hurry!

[Calem might notice, despite the way this man is dressed in a vibrant collared t-shirts locals would be seen wearing he has a thick Paldean accent. He however hasn't seemed to notice Calem with his attention on his Cutiefly. His Cutiefly active as ever, boops her trainer on the forehead before flying past him over to Calem. Instead of aiming right for the flowers, she's now curious about Calem.

Buzzing around him she'll even seem to peek at his sketchpad. Her trainer is now calling out to her in surprise.]

A...ah! Mi Cielita!

[disarmingvoice]

[Calem perks a little bit from his work when he hears one of the accents he's heard somewhat frequently, while talking with the people he'd be working with. He just needs to finish a few more flowers on this blouse and he can--]

Ah--!

[Calem's look shifts a bit, catching the Cutiefly look into his notebook; he's got many different drawings of some of the local fashions on the page prior, seeming to have taken them down analytically, but the one he's working on is a bit of a more freely flowing garment. Of course, Calem can hear the man calling out to this cute new little friend; Calem finds himself smiling none the less, opening up his notebook to let Cutiefly get a closer look. No harm in indulging curiosity, right?

As for Calem himself, though, he turns his head to greet the man and smiles.]

Ulsai! Is this your curious little partner here, sir?

[ulternnpc]

[The Cutiefly peers at the pages. While she doesn't know what to make of the pictures (that she found to be pretty) her attention is now at Calem, her eyes sparkling in joy. Wow, what's this? What's this?

Something about Calem reminds her of flowers, just like her trainer who made his way over. Instead of returning the greeting right away it seemed the man stared at Calem with a look of surprise for a moment, before smiling to him.]

...ulsai. I hope my Cutiefly isn't bothering you?

[He'll ask while holding his hand out to his Cutiefly. Meanwhile the man's Vivillon is fluttering nearby, with his attention on the surrounding flowers.]

[disarmingvoice]

[Oh, she's certainly looking to him with rapt interest, isn't she...Calem seems to smile a bit and move a hand to pet her on the head a bit. Pats? Is she soliciting pats? Well, he'll provide for sure.

But to the man's question, he shakes his head.]

Oh, no, not at all! Cutiefly's company isn't a bother at all--a little surprising, but I'll never say no to someone interested in my work.

[Maybe?? He's still not quite sure what it is entirely, even if he has a small theory, but--]

Your partner is very darling. You've taken very good care of them. [...Still, he supposes--] I do hope it is not presumptuous to ask, but--have you drifted here as well, or are you all from around here?

[ulternnpc]

[Pets? She loves pets! Cutiefly excitedly bumps her head (entire body more like) against the palm of Calem's hand. The man who had his hand held out to her allowed it to drop.

He's obviously staring at Calem, rather than his sketchbook. Was he looking over Calem's clothes? Versus his own- a collared, button up t-shirt, a light pair of pants and sandals, fitting for the warm weather? Maybe, maybe not.]

Cutiefly is can be...a busybody.

[At Calem's next question he swallowed, with his gaze moving to his side. If it weren't from his Paldean accent, his Vivillon and his blue wings were a dead giveaway as to where he's from. The pattern after all, was far more commonly seen within Paldea, than Kalos.]

Ah, I...

[He's managing a smile still, before pushing forward with his response, not wanting to make it awkward.]

Yes, and no. I live here now, but...I did drift here.

Gateway Port

[gold_drum]

Gold's wandering around the city, wondering where he should head next on his search, when he sees Calem appear out of nowhere. He blinks, trying to figure out what exactly he's seeing while Calem's talking to Gorebyss. A teleporter? A guy that can go invisible? No, wait... is that what it looks like when you Drift here?

Here's a ten-year-old running at full speed towards Calem, and stopping, short on breath, to very seriously ask:

"Did you just get Drifted?!"

No, he doesn't stop to think about the fact Calem wouldn't know what that means yet. He's got a Theory to prove to himself.

i'm gonna stick to brackets if that's okay! my prose sucks eggs

[disarmingvoice]

[Oh dear sweet Xerneas--Calem startles a bit when he sees someone just rush up to him, and briefly he wonders if he's just crossed eyes with a trainer and a battle is about to start? He's used to that, and even Gorebyss looks ready--

At least until the boy actually speaks, and...well, Calem's taken aback. Gorebyss just looks like she got denied some fun and deflates a bit, but floats over near Gold and seems to be trying to size him up.]

Ah...Drifted? Is that what you call someone coming into this land?

[...He grasps the concept, at the very least, and seems to nod his head.]

If so, then yes. I'm... assuming that this isn't the Paldea region, right?

of course! mine does too lol

[gold_drum]

"Yeah! I knew it!" Gold cheers when Calem confirms his suspicions. "It totally looked like you teleported- Whoa, back off-"

Gold steps away from Gorebyss coming closer, looking at her suspiciously. He's never seen one before, but something that pink and cutesy can't be anything but dangerous. That done, he continues talking excitedly at Calem as if that hadn't happened.

"-And I've never seen that before! I got drifted here too, it just felt like I arrived normally where I was gonna go but I was in a totally different place!" Gold pauses to take a breath, seemingly calming down a bit. "Yeah, it's not Paldea and it's not Johto either. It's, uh... Ultran? Ultern? Yeah, Ultern!"

[disarmingvoice]

[Ah--Gorebyss's eyes droop in dejection, but Calem does whistle for her to come back at that with a sigh.]

Come now, give the guy some personal space, Gorebyss. My apologies for her, she tends to be a touch...overly familiar with others.

[...He did have to stop himself from using boy, dear god no need to make him sound like an old man. At least, though, he seems to understand the implications.]

Ultern, huh...now that's a region I've never heard of before. [Calem looks around a bit in intrigue.] How long have you been here, if you don't mind my asking? Not that I would mind staying here for a little while, but I am wondering just how I can get back on the boat I was on...

[gold_drum]

When Gorebyss slinks back, Gold smiles - and can't help the childish impulse to stick his tongue out at her. Take that, bleh.

"It's fine, mister," Gold responds to Calem, then pauses with a slight, thoughtful frown. Is Calem old enough to be called mister? Eh, whatever, he's got the vibes for it.

"Like two days," Gold says simply when asked how long he's been here. "I dunno if you can get back though. A guy I know says when he tried to get back, he just ended up right back here. So unless you got some magic teleporting powers that can take you back, you're stuck here." He pauses, eying Calem critically. "If you got magic teleporting powers, you gotta tell me, okay?"

Turnbloom Market

[radleyslittleevie]

Little Evie the Eevee is sitting on top of a table near the fabrics and beams, thinking she's being addressed.

"I'd love to help!" she chirps in a cute little girl voice. "What kind of cloth do you want? It's all so pretty!"

[disarmingvoice]

[Calem seems confused for a brief moment; he's not quite sure who just spoke to him, looking around for a moment before his eyes settle on the little Eevee in front of him and...

...Oh!]

Oh, my...! [give the boy a second--] Well--I'm mostly looking for a good variety of cloth, but I'm primarily looking for anything that screams of this city's fashion style...floral prints would be a nice start.

[The more he talks to the little Eevee, though, the more awed he seems--that's a Pokémon! A Pokémon that can actually talk!! What a world this place is--]

Of course, if you have any favorites to recommend to me, I'll gladly hear those as well?

[radleyslittleevie]

I love floral!

[Evie hops to the fabrics and goes through them, pulling out every floral she comes to.]

These purples are so pretty! And the blues!

[disarmingvoice]

[Oh no...this is so precious, his immortal heart--]

Ohh, excellent choice! Nice, cool colors--fit for a tropical place such as this. You've got a very good eye for this, you know!

[He'll happily inspect them and nod his head--good quality material, he's not surprised about that!]

Hey, if you don't mind my asking...is your trainer around here, anywhere?

[He assumes she's not wild, after all; it'd be hard to imagine a wild Pokemon learning to talk...]

[radleyslittleevie]

Oh, thank you!

[Evie beams, but droops a little at the question.]

I don't know where he is.... I'm looking all over for him.....

Battle Park

[serperiority]

[Trip, however, is battling and training here and he isn’t the sort to pry into anyone else’s business, anyway… unfortunately, that’s not the case for Vanillite, who floats curiously over, wanting to see the artwork! A frosty little breath behind Calem as Vanillite floats to peek over his shoulder, scattering snowflakes.]

[disarmingvoice]

[Calem is none the wiser for a moment; there's so much inspiration to be found here, from Ulternian clothing, to the boy in those clothes that just scream Unova, and anyone and everyone in between--

It's when he sees that small bit of snowflakes that Calem starts, but once he actually sees who's watching...well, his expression can't help but soften at the little ice cream Pokémon that's decided to appear.]

Well, hello to you as well! Were you wanting to take a look?

[He'll get his nose out of his notebook a bit and position it so that Vanillite can see; there's many different flowing garments here, but there's also a fair amount of sporty wear and casual wear as well litering the pages. Seems like Calem's trying to go for something sporty while also trying to consider the region's style...

As for Trip himself, well...Gorebyss seems to have gotten bored of bullying the bug types and is sizing up potential new fun to go against--that's when her little eyes spy Trip, and now she's curious. Just who is he out training today?]

[serperiority]

[Vanillite nodded eagerly.]
Vanil-lite!
[Its eyes sparkled at seeing all of the pretty drawings, even if it couldn’t quite make sense of them! It just knew they were pretty. It also thought Trip might like to see them too and glanced back.

Trip, meanwhile, stood with only Lampent floating by him now.
“… can I help you?” Trip asked Gorebyss.

They had to find Vanillite before it got too lost, too…]

[disarmingvoice]

[Calem chuckles a bit; it's very sweet that even though the Pokemon doesn't quite understand, that it seems amused none the less. Calem's smile is warm, if nothing else, as he goes through some more pages.]

I'm quite glad you're enjoying them. Tell me, is your trainer around here?

[Gorebyss, meanwhile, perks when addressed and sizes up both Trip and the Lampent, from the looks of it. Seems like she wants a fight, but...well, given the way she sort of sighs, she might not have her heart into it.

Still, she'll look to Trip and tilt her head. What are you looking for, you seem to have lost something, sir.]

[wooow at how badly I mixed up the formatting first reply, sorry!]

[serperiority]

[Vanillite nodded eagerly at the question about its trainer, scattering even more snowflakes, before leaning into the drawings more, excitedly pointing at and tracing the designs with its stubby limb.

Trip looked a bit annoyed, but at least the Gorebyss didn’t seem eager to disrupt their search.

Lampent explains to Gorebyss that they’re looking for Vanillite.]

We should get back to searching, Vanillite’s got a lot of energy.

[Well, it seems he understands Lampent well enough, even if Gorebyss is more of a mystery! Join them on the search?]