Entry tags:

DECEMBER LOG PT1

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ 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

[ ah, but that begs the question - does itaru know fai enough to be able to pull this off? they're already holding hands and smiling each other, yet...

for once, he's got nothing. it's not that he's a chicken, but outside of videogames he absolutely has no experience with situations like this. even he didn't know where he stood with iris back then, kisses and all. is he even ready to bear his heart open when fai's just as closed up as ever?

...he's eerily quiet after that response. honestly, he was expecting some kinda dramatic confession like what he told hien a while back, but they're stuck in the middle of nowhere with not much privacy between them, so. ]

[ That silence has Fai furrowing his brows, his smile turning just a touch weary. He gives Itaru's hand a light squeeze. ]

Everything alright?

[ He asks, even though he knows. It's what he said, isn't it? Fai knows he has still kept his distance from Itaru, despite the time they've known each other. It's easier to be cheerful and carefree, especially when there's a lot he's trying to push to the back of his mind.

Fai doesn't have much experience with this—with actually liking someone—and he doesn't know what to do either. Should he say something else? Should he start telling Itaru more about himself?

He doesn't know. ]

[ itaru's tired smile matches fai's, like the idiots they are. ]

...Yeah.

[ liar.

but he's got an idea. ]

Hey, uh. Wanna go for boba again? Even though I'm pretty sure no one's gone back for seconds.

[ that would mean it'd be just the two of them. ]

[ Yeah, he feels like that's a lie... he wants to call it out despite how hypocritical it would be of him, but Itaru's question takes him by surprise. ]

Sure! I could always go for more boba.

[ It's very true.

Fai starts walking in that direction, lightly swinging their hands between them.

Hm. Maybe he should take this time to talk a little bit about himself for once. ]

You've probably never heard of it, but I was born in a country called Valeria.

[ oh? now that's unexpected. itaru also realized that this might be one of the first few times fai has chosen to talk about himself rather than bouncing off itaru's various topics. ]

Valeria? Can't say I've heard of it.

[ nothing comes up in his vast nerdery archive in his brain. he lets their hands swing between them. ]

What's it like?

Edited 2020-12-08 04:31 (UTC)

[ Fai smiles to himself a little, but it looks sad. ]

Very cold, with lots of snow. I can't remember a time where it wasn't snowing. [ He pauses. ] I'm afraid I can't tell you much more about it, since I didn't get to go out much.

[ Or at all. But he doesn't know if the reason why is a good thing to bring up right now. Still, the way he says it leaves it open for Itaru to ask if he wants. ]

I can tell you a lot more about Celes, where I spent most of my life.

Because it's too cold out?

[ haha, it's joke. itaru thinks that it's probably like alaska or something, where it snows for a huge part of a year. ]

Tell me about Celes, then. Is it a city this time?

[ Fai huffs out a small laugh at that. If only it was too cold... but he promises to himself to tell Itaru why he left Valeria. ]

No, Celes is another country. It's also really cold with a lot of snow. There's a lot of small towns surrounding the castle. I would visit the towns whenever I could.

[ What else can he say about it... So many of his memories feel tainted, now that everyone in Celes is dead too. How the hell is he going to tell Itaru about all of this...? ]

I studied all of the magic I know while I was growing up in Celes.

Man, learning magic and all that... I wanted to try it for myself if it's possible.

[ oh itaru, you sweet summer child. or in his case, spring adult? ]

Who was your teacher in Celes? Did you go to a school or...?

When I can sense magic again, I'll teach you some if I sense some magic in you.

[ He really will!! Too bad he won't ever sense magic in him... but he'll show Itaru spells anyway. ]

I didn't go to a school or anything like that. I studied quite a bit on my own, but my teacher was Ashura. [ He pauses. ] You saw Ashura in October thanks to the Musharna... Well, you saw an illusion of him, but that was him all the same.

[ ...Yeah. ]

[ the way he lights up at the prospect of being taught magic...... god.

but that disappears for a moment as the topic veered a darker turn. ]

Wait, was that the guy who was chasing you?

[ something-something about fai not wanting to go back? ]

[ Fai would spend more time thinking about how the way he lit up was cute, but the topic at hand prevents him from doing so. ]

That's right. It's a long story, but he's the reason why I left Celes to go traveling. I cast a sleeping spell on him, but he'll wake up eventually to come find me.

[ He pauses, smiling a little. ]

I don't mind telling you about it, but... I don't want to put a damper on our boba date.

No, it's okay!

[ whoops, gonna dial back a bit there. didn't mean to sound so excited about that. ]

I mean, that's pretty much why I wanted to go out with you today. No one should be around to hear us. [ ... ] But I guess I can't help but wish I'd have taken you anywhere than that dump.

[ No one around to hear them? Hm. Fai gives him a slightly inquisitive look, but smiles easily anyway. ]

It's alright, I don't mind. Besides, you'll take me somewhere fancy soon anyway, right?

[ well, there's still the boba shop worker. but this ain't about them.

he squeezes fai's hand. ]

Of course. Hopefully it's somewhere that's less... ashy.

[ Itaru squeezing his hand like that feels nice, and his smile softens. ]

Hopefully! We could always go back to one of the other towns too. Mango City is bound to have nice places and less ash.

True. But I still wanna surprise you in a place we've never been in.

[ his smile's rather boyish as they continue on their way. gee, here's hoping nothing bad happens in hami in a few hours from now!!! ]

[ That smile, combined with the fact that he wants to surprise Fai... ]

You’re really cute.

[ He says it easily, without thinking too much about it. For once.

They’re just about at the shop, and honestly... it’s strange that it’s the only thing still standing. At least there’s something still here. When they get to the door, Fai holds it open with his free hand, leading Itaru inside so he doesn’t have to let go of his hand just yet. ]

I get that a lot.

[ he grins. he's also a little touched that fai's still not willing to let go of his hand for something so simple as opening a door. so in they go, with itaru waving at the lonely worker and holding up a peace sign with his two fingers - two bobas, please! ]

So, what else happened?

Edited 2020-12-08 06:36 (UTC)

[ Fai looks at the menu, not really seeing it. ]

He wants me to kill him, but I can't do it. [ His gaze travels to the floor. ] When he first brought me to Celes, he asked me to promise I would kill anyone who endangered the people there in exchange for being able to stay. All I cared about was getting out of Valeria, so I agreed without thinking about it.

[ He finally looks at Itaru, smiling wryly. ]

See, it really is a bummer, isn't it?

[ o-oh.

itaru's face falls, not sure what to say to that. he had an inkling that fai's backstory was bad, but... oof. ]

...I'm sorry.

[ he sounds sympathetic, and he squeezes fai's hand again to let him know he's still here with him. ]

So... He's still out there looking for you?

[ tfw it gets much worse..... sorry itaru

The squeeze he gives Fai’s hand is comforting though. ]

Not right now. I think he may still be asleep. Although, I don’t know if my connection with Chii works here, so he could have woken up and I would be none the wiser.

[ That’s the name of his Froslass so he should probably elaborate... ]

Chii is a being I created a long time ago. She’s essentially a living barrier.

Oh, that's neat.

[ itaru thinks that it's probably some moefied gijinka of a barrier or something. ]

But can't you just summon her here? Or is this world nerfing your powers somehow?

[ Itaru is actually not far off.

Fai shakes his head. ]

I can’t. This world took away all my magic, and I’ve only gotten a fraction of it back.

[ damn... ]

But that means it's not entirely taken away from you, right? You just need to grind for it, is all. But I guess that's easier said than done.

[ it's completely out of itaru's expertise here, since he's only human. ]

So... Where else are you gonna go after this world?

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ OH THANK GOD

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

→ AW NUTS...

→ MOD NOTES

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject