Post-October Event Log

[nyom]

Who: Everyone
Where: Throughout Mango City
When: October 29 to November 2
What: Use this time to check on your CR, help people out, or do whatever. Everyone can make their own top-levels and you don't have to use the provided prompts. Wildcard it if you want. Have fun!

The nightmare is finally over and the aftermath sinks in. Wherever you are, news will eventually spread that the pokemon stopped their rampaging status, looking confused and some horrified by what had happened around them. Mari's Steelixes are finally off their guard duty, people are crying out of various emotions and people who are physically well enough flood out of the shelters in an attempt to search for their loved ones out there, whether they be people or pokemon. Some are reunited, some are not. Either way, people are in this together, comforting others over their losses and rebuilding the city. There's been quite a lot of destruction apart from the Pokemon Center and the hospital, after all. Some buildings are missing a roof, holes on the side wall, doors knocked down... some are unfortunate to have been entirely blasted away by an extremely strong rampaging pokemon's hyper beam (thanks, random Hydreigon).

After most people calm from their initial high emotions, the reconstruction starts. Of course, they also contact the people from Toran who helped with reconstruction efforts. Looks like the handymen will never rest...

The Pokemon Center is looking for additional manpower, getting pokeballs here to there, labeling whose pokemon are whose in things looking like incubators for those in queue of getting healed, and managing supplies. They are extremely short-staffed right now, so they will be looking for any help possible. Though, if you cause too much trouble than helping, you may be politely asked to leave or to help somewhere else. They don't have time for this. During the nights, the Pokemon Center may be crowded. After all, many people just lost their homes. They got nowhere to go.

The hospital is similar, in which they are also short-staffed. They're looking for disaster volunteers, and especially pokemon with healing capabilities to lessen the load on doctors and nurses who need to care for the more gravely wounded. With more help, the hospital will no longer seem as chaotic as before, but more along the lines of an orderly busy time. It helps that the people are no longer stuck inside due to the ongoings of the events outside, so the hospital is emptier than before, compared to when it was jam packed. The mental health department is also using Drowzees and Munnas to give people good dreams and eating nightmares without repercussions so that they can have a good night's rest. Not all wounds are physical, after all.

With the local Mart's help and other establishments, some people band together to supply people with food and drinks in a very open area in the park. Take a breather and eat something. If you look like you're running yourself ragged, one of the townspeople will drag you to eat and drink a proper meal. They don't need another patient in the hospital right now.

Remember that boba shop? Or those restaurants that you had the delicious meat from? Their damages vary from a broken window to being absolutely trashed. Pokemon and people alike are helping with moving the debris and cleaning up the mess. Someone piped up about recycling broken glass to make brand new windows with fire pokemon and proper glass making methods, so please don't throw them away!

The Radio Tower and the cemetery tower? They're both closed off to the public right now with yellow police caution tapes all around them. Your friendly policemen who all look the same advise nearby people to stay away from the two buildings at the moment. Please don't cause trouble or ask them questions... they're tired as it is like everyone else and they're not allowed to say anything for now, if ever. Your energy is better used elsewhere.

Comments

[scension]

[Sagi is preoccupied lately, but not so badly that he can't notice signs of movement behind one of the trees a short distance away while looking around a forest clearing. He peers over in the direction he saw it, wondering whether to investigate or not.]

...From what I remember, it wasn't that tall.

[His conversational tone of voice wouldn't be out of place if he was chatting to one of his Pokemon, but none of them are out right now.]

Whatever. Let's flush it out.

[He walks over purposefully, picking up a Pokeball from his belt - but stops when he steps a little closer and gets a slightly better view of the silhouette he spotted.]

Oh... it's just a person. [Seems like he got optimistic. He isn't sure why they're skulking all the way back there, but he raises his voice anyway.] Hello?

[regression]

[ Just a person? Joonghyuk cocks an eyebrow when he gets a normal greeting, like everything has been laid to rest. Then there's the fact that... He doesn't see anyone else to hold conversations with the other man. It's strange, but he has to brush it off. He stays quiet at first with a deepening frown, then broaches the topic. ]

Sagi. I want to talk about what happened.

[ The dark mist? The illusion of a coming transformation? ]

[scension]

[Sagi's casual demeanour turns tense the moment Joonghyuk speaks up. Ah. It was hard to see the face in the shadows, but the voice leaves no room for doubt.]

Oh... Hi, Joonghyuk.

[He looks down at his feet. It's not hard to tell that he'd rather not have this particular talk, but he's making no attempt to leave.]

Sure. I don't have anything to hide.

[regression]

[ ... Generally, he doesn't try to learn too much about other's unless they decide to tell their story on their own accord. He never got the peace of privacy in his world, having his past and his actions streamed for bystanders to watch, so he values privacy. Everyone has their right to keep that to themselves.

But. What he saw. The ends of his lips twitch as Sagi mentions he has nothing to hide. Fingers flex while gripped onto his forearm as he steels himself. ]

What we saw—that's something that happens in your world, is it? What exactly happened?

[ Simple, straight to the point. ]

[scension]

[No preamble? Sagi shifts his weight, still mostly looking down at his feet. After Hythlo, maybe that isn't such a bad idea.]

Turning into a monster? It doesn't just "happen". When you mess up a bunch of people by planting parts of a dead god in them, then further down the line, their hearts can't keep it contained any more - that's when it happens.

[Whew... he said it, to a relative stranger. He didn't freak out about saying it. He's fine. He's pretty sure he's fine.]

If you're asking whether it happened to me for real before, then yeah, it did. They put one of those in me too. Whether it could happen here, which is why you're asking... I don't actually know. I haven't heard his voice since we all woke up here.

[He shrugs.]

But I figure that's probably not what you were hoping to hear. Sorry.

[regression]

[ His expression softens as he listens, taking in any signs that come from the other man's body language. From what he can see, this can only be the truth; Sagi went out of his way to not sugarcoat it.

It's an unfortunate series of events that he asked Sagi to reveal and explain—it must be difficult. It was something Joonghyuk shouldn't have seen in the first place. ]

Don't apologize. I'd rather have the truth.

[ Bad or good, as long as it's the truth even if the end result is that they don't know if that transformation will happen in this world. Joonghyuk's mind jumps to getting rid of the problem before it gets worse, but...

"There are other methods," a familiar voice rings in his head. Maybe it won't happen at all. ]

How are you doing?

[ It looks liked Sagi is doing all right, but he might as well ask. ]

[scension]

[Hoping that the interrogation is already over, Sagi dares to relax his shoulders a bit. See, there never was a reason to make the monster thing a big deal. Joonghyuk doesn't appear to be all that affected by hearing about it. It's just a thing.]

I'm fine now. I didn't get injured or anything. Um, you telling me to rest was a good call, or things might have been worse. I made it to the tower after that, and took their antenna machine away.

[Most of that is completely unrelated to how he's presently doing, but it was the first answer that came to mind.]

[regression]

... So it really is a sound transmitted by the tower.

[ Suspicions affirmed, Joonghyuk doesn't ask more since it won't help them return home to their worlds. It has been dealt with and Pokemon have returned to normal, albeit... In a weird way. Not that he can judge since he would probably destroy the machine instead. It's quick and efficient.

He knows that Sagi didn't get injured at least to the point where he left him to rest in the forest with a sandwich. Everything else is vague and... He's showing care in his own way. ]

I can pretend that I didn't see any of it.

[ If that's what Sagi wants. He won't forget, but he won't be bringing it up until relevant. ]

[scension]

[For a moment, Sagi's gaze drifts off to his side like he's catching someone else's eye.] How would it even come up, I wonder...

[Like before when he sounded like he was talking to himself in the clearing, there is still nobody there. He just looks back up at Joonghyuk like the aside didn't happen.]

No, you don't have to pretend anything. It's not like I'd fit in around here anyway.

[It's a joke, after a fashion. He's smiling. It may have come out a little less jokey than he thought it would, but not to the point of outright bitter.]

But thanks. It's kind of you to ask.

[regression]

... A truly kind person would be able to offer you more.

[ So he would rather not hear his actions are kind, even as a simple gesture of making Joonghyuk himself feel better instead. Still, there is a sense of guilt that he hasn't experienced until this lifetime, this regression.

Yes, the jokey part does not clearly cross. ]

All I can give is a story, if by chance that would make you feel you "fit in" or let your mind wander elsewhere.

[ Sometimes, he's good at words, but words doesn't mean Joonghyuk is good with emotions. It's always, always easier to let them be buried inside him... To not say anything at all. ]

But maybe you would prefer to be alone with whatever company you may have.

[ Whether it's Pokemon or something that only Sagi sees, Joonghyuk doesn't pry more. ]

[scension]

Huh?

[Confused and mildly wary again, Sagi looks over his shoulder, then to either side. The clearing is quiet. None of his Pokemon jumped out while his attention was elsewhere. What could Joonghyuk mean... Oh, wait.]

No, I was just... thinking aloud?

[Probably? The question mark is very audible. Despite it happening just moments ago, he doesn't seem to have been fully aware he was talking to himself until Joonghyuk's roundabout way of pointing it out, because he wasn't.]

Um... what was that about a story?

[regression]

[ ... Joonghyuk goes quiet and gives Sagi a confused look because that doesn't sound at all confident. That's something he would probably question, too, but he has given the other man a tough time already. They can just look like bewildered ducklings together in this forest. ]

Is that so.

[ He doesn't add a question mark??? tone to that, but that's definitely how he feels. ]

In my universe, everything is powered by stories... It's what makes a person, likewise giving them abilities and strength. It doesn't matter here, so it would only be a story.

[scension]

[Sagi has enough feathers for at least two ducklings, it's true.]

I see... That's a little hard to imagine.

[He tries to be polite, since he doesn't want to outright say he isn't sure how a story would help. Joonghyuk hardly strikes him as someone who would offer anything like that insincerely.]

...I think I'll be okay. [His smile is small, but genuine.] But, uh - thanks for not making it a big deal.

[regression]

[ He imagines it's difficult for people to understand, especially when it's something as literal as people in his world bleeding words. Joonghyuk only nods in understanding, seeing that this is all he can do and doesn't see why he should keep bothering Sagi more.

So he takes his leave with his Eevee scampering after him. She does look back every once in a while as if to make sure Sagi is safe until they both disappear into the forest. ]