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DECEMBER LOG PT1

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→ OH THANK GOD

(click to expand - the boba shop survived!!)

Sandstorms quietly continue to blow across Melona's desert, tinged black with ash carried over from the west where the volcano still intermittently sputters and spits, its hiccups and coughs darkening the sky to the west. Occasionally, a clap of thunder can be heard even as far as Melona's dome, and a shadow can be seen within the ash clouds looming above the mountains. Whispered rumors travel throughout the region, carrying warnings that "The storm is alive," remembering the destruction wrought upon Toran and the volcanic eruption two months ago that had devastated Hami, the town to the northwest. For two months, the heat and the ash had choked the skies over the mountains of Hami, but eventually, the lava stops flowing. Eventually, the skies begin to clear. Eventually, the people of Melona become curious enough— concerned enough— aware enough that their life inside their bubble that blinded them to the plights of the world at large— to start sending small groups out to Hami to see what aid, if any, they might require. The gym leader himself wanted to head the expedition, worried about his friend and fellow gym leader in the neighboring town, but he got yelled at enough for leaving his post during the last month that he reluctantly agrees to remain at the gym. Because, apparently, challenging gyms is very very important to some people, never mind the world being in a crisis and the safety of both people and Pokemon being at stake.

Instead, the desert guides are the ones who lead the way to Hami, knowing the desert and the mountains and are able to carve the most direct path towards the town. Self-sufficient as the townspeople of Melona tend to be, they do not ask for volunteers to join them, but they do not turn down help either, whether from bleeding hearts who want to do everything they can to assist people in need, or those who just want to get to the next town for their badges and ribbons. Like the trek from Mango to Melona, travel to Hami also takes several days of camping, of riding upon Numel through the sand, of climbing mountains and scaling unstable cliffs because there is no well-worn path from the ground to the peak. And nestled in the middle of the mountains, where Hami is supposed to be...

Ash and cinders. A field of rubble. Skeletons of buildings jutting up out of the ground where they are half collapsed and half buried in the ground, flames licking what little wood and scraps of cloth remain and hungering to devoid the new souls that have stepped within their domain. Aside from the rescue team from Melona, there is not another soul in sight, no sound of everyday chatter in the distance nor husks of bodies left charred on the ground. In this town laid to ruin, a single building has been left relatively untouched by the flow of lava that had run through its streets and washed away all its people. The sign hanging above the front door, blackened at the edges, reads: "Hami Boba." Inside, a single worker in uniform can be seen slumped over the counter, who is startled so badly when the door opens that she falls off her stool and blanches as if she'd seen a ghost— which is exactly what she thought, because who else would be here in Hami after everything that had happened? The volcano had erupted two months ago, she explains, all of the sudden without warning and most of the townspeople were forced to leave. Others stayed behind, those with rock and ground Pokemon who weren't bothered by the heat, or those with water and ice Pokemon who were willing to tough it out to battle the lava and the flames in an effort to save their town. This war against nature lasted over a month, and nobody ever came to their aid... But eventually, it became clear that their greatest threat came from the sky, from the ash that fell upon the land like a woolen blanket and smothered all the air, driving the last of the resistance fighters out.

In the end, the only person left in the entire town was her. The boba shop was constructed with the nearby volcano in mind, and there is no lack of things to eat inside the shop when there was only herself to ration for, but the funny thing is... even though she was stuck indoors and was horrifyingly lonely, she could feel a cool breeze pass through the shop every once in a while, and the air remained fresh. It felt as if there were something watching over her, she explains shyly, and there must have been, because she held onto that hope all this time and her patience finally paid off. Her first customers in two months!! Would they like some boba? The store's specialty is Shuckle berry juice boba! The stamps are a little dried out, but you get a cute red Slugma stamp for visiting this shop.

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

(click to expand - it's free to live out here)

So, there's that. There is no town, not really. No gym, no contest hall. But the Melona guides aren't satisfied with leaving it at that, so they stock up on all the Shuckle berry juice boba they can carry and continue their search for the town's residents. They offer up Abras to teleport anybody who doesn't want to continue back to Melona, and then split into small groups to spread out across the mountainside, winding around smoldering lava lakes and trudging through paths knee high in ash. Here and there, all across the mountain range, small campsites can be seen. Up on a ledge on the cliffside, a group of people can be seen foraging berries alongside some wild Mankey. Out in the open in a valley, another group of people are seen roasting meat and nuts over several wild Torkoals' backs. At the base of one of the mountains, another group of people and Machop are hard at work breaking large boulders into smaller pieces to build shelter. Rather than having relocated to a single area, the people of Hami seem to have scattered to live in the mountains, welcome enough to the Melona guides and those who accompany them but denying that they need any help or expressing any real desire to reform a central town. There is no need, after all. Everything they need to live on is provided by the land and the wild Pokemon who share not only their habitat, but where to find food and water, and keep them warm and safe through the night. The volcano still grumbles from time to time, the seas around them continue to churn with relentless whirlpools, and sandstorms rage in the east towards Melona. But right now, they're just trying to live day by day.

While there is no main town any longer, the people do come together from time to time in the valley to share resources and spread news, and once a week, they sit together under the stars and hold Pokemon Contests on a stage that is nothing more than a large, wide slab of rock. The gym leader, Tsubomi, specializes in both fire and fighting type Pokemon and honors battles wherever she is challenged. Because of the lack of a gym building, she might need to be tracked down, though she is easier to find than Konoha, often making set rounds from group to group, checking up on the townspeople spread across the mountains. Central to all the campsites are natural hot springs, and both people and wild Pokemon come here to submerge themselves in the steaming waters and rejuvenate after a long, hard day. When the first of the rescue team arrives at the hot springs, two familiar faces are seen: a girl with pink hair and a boy with blue hair. Nanami opens her eyes blearily and pats Minato on the face. He looks up at the group and goes, "Hey. What's up?"

→ AW NUTS...

(click to expand - you really should have done something about that volcano)

A couple nights into the month, a shooting star is spotted streaming across the sky and disappearing into the waters to the southwest.

The ground shakes.

In the dead of night, the sky is lit up with a spew of fire that bursts out of the volcano hundreds of meters in the air, black smoke billowing up into the air in thick clouds, the mountains hacking up ash and molten rock. Screams can be heard throughout the mountain range as lava rushes down the slopes, people trying to grab what little they have left for a second time— though many already have nothing left but their lives. Wild Pokemon flee from the mountains in herds, heading for the desert to face the sandstorms rather than being consumed by flame.

The ground shakes. It cracks.

Desert becomes beach as the sand spills into the water, the cusp between mountain and desert becoming a chasm driven deep into the water as the Hami mountains break away and start sinking into the sea.

→ MOD NOTES

⬥ For the sake of timelines, the Melona guides first head for Hami on December 3, the volcano erupts on December 5, and Hami subsequently becomes its own island on December 6. Destruction and evacuation can be played out however you want, but the boba shop remains standing in the end. The building is in impeccable condition. Not even the ash sticks to it.
⬥ Please make note of the new investigation form in the toplevel below, involving investigation style.
⬥ The second event log will go up on December 15.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... but you don't want to get close to anyone for a lot of reasons, but mostly because your involvement might hurt him in some way.

[ He'll just answer that for him. Here's another glass full, Fai. Enjoy. Hien just downs his own. ]

Ah, you know me so well, Hien!

[ Fai knocks his back. ]

Yes, that's part of the problem. He's also very...

[ How does he put this. ]

Normal.

[ Which isn't a bad thing in and of itself. In fact, that's part of what Fai likes about him. Unfortunately, it also comes with its own set of problems, in his opinion. ]

Edited 2020-12-06 19:30 (UTC)

[ Ah, yes. The normalcy. Hien gets it, as someone who's pretty abnormal to those who usually aren't already. ]

Fragile? Lifespan difference? Or comprehension of all things magical?

[ Hm. ]

Maybe all three?

[ Fai nods, not making a move to get more alcohol just yet. ]

All three do concern me, however... I've come to accept I will live much longer than many people I care about. I also think he may not have that much trouble understanding how magic works, as long as I explain it.

[ Thanks, video games! ]

I wouldn't necessarily say he's fragile but yes, I'm worried about him getting caught up in something he can't handle. I could protect him, of course, but there's still only so much I can do.

[ Fai tends to get left alone most of the time due to his sheer amount of power, thankfully. Still, that doesn't stop people from wanting to test him either. ]

[ gestures at clamp magic... ganba itaru

Hien thinks about this. Fai may be powerful, but having to protect someone would at least cut that efficiency by half, or more. Hien understands those situations. Hostage scenarios may also occur, or the enemies targeting your weak spots aka the ones you love. He knows what Fai's answer to those would be all too easily, and despite the hot springs and the hotness that he feels inside him from the alcohol, it feels... cold.

Does he think those dangerous concepts could show up in Cassava? Absolutely. Does he think those situations could arise if Itaru follows Fai back to where he left off? Yes. You don't need power if everything is hunky dory.

He takes another shot. ]

... Maybe you should just stay in Cassava and find a cottage to live in together.

[ Fai sighs, setting his glass down next to the bottle. ]

That would be nice, wouldn't it?

[ He sinks down into the water a little. ]

Unfortunately, I have things I need to see to. I'm sure he's ready to go back home himself. [ He pauses. ] I told you earlier, that I could travel to his world if I wanted to. Maybe there won't be anything dangerous in his world, and he'll be fine as long as I don't use magic and draw attention to myself.

His world sounds a lot like the "standard" kind I've been to a lot. No magic... usually. The most you'd have to worry about are people.

[ People ruin everything, etc

...

He feels like he's forgetting something important... ]

And people are the most dangerous thing of all.

[ He doesn't catch on to the fact that Hien feels like he's forgetting something important just yet, not unless his expression changes.

So, Fai just fills his glass up again. ]

... Yeah.

[ While Fai gets another glass, Hien brings out the film reel. It might be hard for Fai to see the contents due to steam, but Hien is sorting the films in order and as if he's looking for something... ]

[ Fai can't quite see the contents, but he raises an eyebrow. ]

What are you looking for?

[ Hien does some swiping before letting the reel disappear normally. No deleting. ]

A conversation I had with someone...

[ He looks over at Fai while still raising the towel a little to see his face. ]

I hope you two can be happy together.

[ Since he knows the feelings are mutual now. But that doesn't resolve everything. ]

...Thank you.

[ Fai isn't sure he'll actually say anything to Itaru about his feelings, if he's being honest. There's part of him that is afraid that he'll have to let Itaru in too much and he'll be rejected. His past is a lot to handle, after all. ]

What was the conversation about, and who was it with?

[ The fact that he's looking for it must mean it was important, right? ]

[ Be free, Fai...

Hien looks at Fai and grins. It's very uncharacteristic. ]

A chat with Itaru about you.

[ Yeah, that expression looks weird on Hien and Fai side eyes him. ]

So now you're gossiping about me?

[ Hien laughs a little. ]

I'm not gonna tell you what he said in that conversation. If you want to know, ask him yourself.

I'll leave it to him to tell me. I don't want to spring that on him.

[ And he has another shot. Is this his fourth or fifth one? He's starting to feel it a little now... While he's not drunk, he does feel warm. ]

He's just as cagey as you are.

[ He looks at Fai's expression and waves his hand in front of his face. ]

You okay there?

That's why we get along.

[ Which is both good and bad. It means they do things like plan multiple dates without actually talking about what they are. Oops.

But Fai blinks a little at Hien's hand before nodding. ]

I am! It's just strange, feeling the alcohol so soon. You know, Kuro-tan and I would leave empty bottles all over the floor when we drank together and I wouldn't even get drunk.

[ That just makes Hien sigh. Don't sound like you're so proud of it... he'd probably be hurting even more if he regained the Self aspects back. ]

At least you'll be easy to clean after this time.

[ Hien doesn't have Overseer passives, which means he could get drunk too, but despite the number of shots, he seems completely fine. ]

If you wanna drink yourself to a stupor, you can. Good old sober me will help you out.

[ Yeah, he shouldn't be proud of it... and he won't tell Hien that he and Kurogane did that quite a few times too. ]

Ah, thanks for the offer, but I think this will be my last shot. I don't want to put that burden on you.

[ Normally, he wouldn't mind but now he's kind of worried he'll be sad when he gets drunk so that's out of the question. ]

You don't want to cry about your anxious feelings, huh?

[ That's a guess he'll take a shot at, because he doesn't think of it as a burden at all. ]

Not particularly, no. I like having fun when I'm drunk.

[ And he splashes Hien a little, being careful because the water's warm. ]

[ Hien honestly just wants Fai to explode one day, because if he doesn't, Hien feels like Fai will never feel catharsis otherwise. He'd just stand there and take it too, because that's how he deals with a lot of stuff anyway. ]

A lot of unrestrained fun, huh...?

[ Hien can't remember the last time he's been drunk. Or what kind of drunk he was. If anything, he just helped all the drunkards instead.

Also, he splashes back, also careful. Just a bit. ]

[ Hien no... ]

Hmm, I suppose so!

[ He doesn't have unrestrained fun. :(

Fai doesn't want to draw attention to himself thanks to what happened earlier, so he just sends another light splash Hien's way. ]

I kind of miss drinking with Kuro-pii. And Mokona too.

[ ...Yeah. The magical creature would join them. ]

[ When is Fai ever NOT restraining himself... amb... im sad ]

Mokona...

[ Uh...

...

Wait. ]

The hammerspace??

[ What's the point?! Hien looks incredulous right now. ]

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ OH THANK GOD

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

→ AW NUTS...

→ MOD NOTES

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