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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

Yeah... people usually don't enjoy sharing something that's important to them.

[ Which, in this case, would be the body. ]

Are you worried?

[Sagi hangs his head, but doesn't otherwise answer right away. He's clearly uneasy, definitely no longer in a good mood. Worried may not be the word, though. Rather, the corner of his frown twists very slightly in something approaching disgust.]

...I don't like the idea. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

[Regardless of his thought process, that sure sounds like an abrupt about-turn.]

[ For some reason, he feels like they're talking about two separate things or Hien is so far removed from things that Sagi's reaction is more normal. He can't tell which it is. ]

Sagi, I think... you'll be okay. So, don't worry. He's your good friend, isn't he?

[He snaps back the moment Hien tells him not to worry, over the buzzing in the man's voice:] Shut up! I'm not worried for me.

[But hearing that flash of anger get loose is enough to make him back down - physically as well, stepping back from where the reel was. Getting mad about things he deliberately refrained from explaining properly is not what he's here for. He's not here for anything; he stumbled on Hien by accident. It isn't right to start yelling about it on minimal, obviously unintentional provocation.]

...Sorry.

[That's all he says for now, hanging his head again. He's broached the topic of how he got his "spirit" with other relative strangers before, but is that really something to dump on a guy who was just minding his own business? Probably not.

He doesn't simply turn and walk away yet, but he feels like he should.]

[ Well, that was something he wasn't expecting. He would have looked surprised if his mask was off, because his body language sure doesn't convey that. ]

It's alright.

[ He has a relaxed, calm tone to his voice, despite... well, the static and everything. ]

Will you be okay? Do you want to talk to someone about it?

[Sagi is silent. The impassive mask makes him feel a shade worse, even though he's barely seen Hien without it except as a dog. Great work, he weirded out another person to the point that they're not surprised when he does.]

Sagi...

[It's hard to tell which of his voices that is right away, but Sagi is not in the habit of calling himself by name. He doesn't look up, for once.]

Just tell him.

...I know. It's weirder if we don't.

[Saying he's fine now would obviously be false. Simply staying quiet - on second thoughts, no. Sure, he'd like to spare Hien the details. Hien is nice. But he'd also like to stop going off on people for things that aren't possible to change, things that aren't even secrets. Revisiting those memories on the film reel, remembering how much easier it was to suppress his temper when he had someone to lean on... doesn't reflect well on him lately, huh?

He takes a deep breath. When he calms down, his tone of voice is detached again.]

Marno and I... weren't supposed to be together. We were made in a lab.

[He has no reason to think Hien has heard that before, but Hien might recall Hythlo offhandedly saying something about Sagi getting "butchered at birth" before one of his nervous breakdowns and fill in the gaps.]

Everyone else in that project, it just killed them. Some fast, most slow. Some only kids, at the time.

[His distaste creeps back into his voice momentarily. He moves on anyway, spreading a hand to cap off the boring explanation.]

So when you said things like that go wrong more often than not, I just saw their faces. I'm sorry for flipping out.

[None of this actually answers the first question Hien asked. It's fine.]

[ It really is basically a non-answer, but Hien learned more about Sagi anyway, so he can afford to let that go. He notices the detachment in Sagi's voice, it feeling similar to his own way of saying things that hit a little too close. He wouldn't put this at a "butchered at birth" level, but it's still pretty bad. It makes him feel glad that Marno doesn't seem like a destructive sort from his initial judgment.

He takes off his mask. Hien figures that he might as well do this since Sagi is telling him all this--something like deference of him revealing a secret that it's only fair that he share his, even though Sagi already saw it. Hien doesn't know that. The only thing abnormal about his face are his checkerboard patterned eyes. Though with his mask off, Sagi can clearly see Hien's face. In contrast to the blank mask, his expression is full of empathy. ]

It's alright... it couldn't have been easy for you. Though, if anything... I'm glad that you're alive.

I mean, me too. Every day.

[He isn't sure why Hien took the mask off, but he manages a wry smile anyway. He has to admit he feels better for being told it's no big deal.]

Sorry for dumping all that on you, too. It's not a secret, it's just... not something I want people to get stuck on. We've got bigger problems.

... Yeah.

[ There's a small smile as he reaches over to lightly pat Sagi's head. ]

Just know that I'll be here to listen if you want to talk about anything. There may be bigger problems, but smaller ones can pile to be just as big if you leave them alone. I'm glad I met someone like you, Sagi. You're a strong person.

[The headpat comes out of nowhere, and Sagi's smile turns a shade more rueful - what is he, a little kid? A Pokemon? Still, he isn't bothered enough to recoil from it.]

Thanks, Hien. It's kind of you to offer.

[The offer is what sticks out to him, not the compliment. Small problems grow into big problems when not nipped in the bud... It's true, of course, but... hmm. He scratches his chin.]

...I wonder if those other people like us ever got mixed up.

[He isn't looking at Hien when he says that, but he isn't looking skyward, either. It seems he's just thinking aloud this time.]

What do you mean?

[ Hien withdraws his hand, slightly tilting his head. Now that he isn't wearing his mask, his expressions are very easy to read and the ones that show up on his face are pretty obvious. ]

Like... not meant to come here?

[The mildly startled look that flashes across Sagi's face is also pretty obvious. Whoops, he said something out loud again, and he's not used to seeing Hien look expressive about it. Or anything.]

Nnno, not like that. How do I put it without sounding like I'm losing it...

[He trails off. It's giving him some trouble.]

It's something Hythlodaeus told me. If you share a body long enough, you end up being the same person. You made it sound like sharing is more common where you're from, so... do you know if that's true?

[ He wouldn't exactly say it's common, and it's just what he's seen when he's travelled here and there, but he doesn't feel like he has the need to correct Sagi on that. That's not the point. He looks thoughtful as he looks at Sagi and then his gaze lowers to the ground, thinking... thinking... ]

Two identities merging can happen, but not because you share a body for a long time. It's more like... both sides accept each other and merge to form a combined identity. If neither of you want that, it won't happen. It's not like you have to merge though...

[ Though, he's curious: ]

What does Marno think?

[Sagi's brow remains a little creased as he looks up at some point in the air above Hien's head.]

Well? What do you think, Marno?

[Grey clouds pass overhead. The air does not reply.]

...Is the silent treatment because you don't know either, or because you think I'm not going to like it?

No.

[That answer, in contrast, arrives quickly. From an outside perspective, Sagi's voice almost doesn't have time to move up to Marno's slightly higher pitch.]

Don't you remember? I said I'd be part of you.

[More silence follows. Eventually, Sagi looks back over at Hien, his nonplussed expression bordering on embarrassed. Is it actually that simple?]

...He's saying it already happened.

I see.

[ Just a little. He smiles a bit. Yeah, Marno can be trusted with Sagi. It'll be fine. ]

Then that's all good, isn't it? Not everything has to be complex.

I don't feel like I'm him...

[Sagi tends to look babyfaced at the best of times, but this is a particularly childish-sounding objection.]

What if it's the other way around and he's already you?

[ That makes sense, right? But. Well. ]

Though, personally... I don't think you two are quite the same just yet. He even has a different set of memories from you, and he voices his own thoughts from time to time.

Well, yeah...

[Sagi makes an honest effort to feel reassured by that. It almost sticks. It's logical. One of them is a 1000-year-old lump of dismembered corpse meat, and it isn't Sagi; that's a division, right there. Never mind that something about Marno's presence has been different ever since they linked hearts for the first time, even while he was dormant, or that they can link hearts at all.]

It just seems like a lonely thing to happen.

But you're always with him, so is it still lonely?

[ Hien knows the difference between being alone and feeling lonely, but it didn't really seem like that at all from what he's seen so far. ]

I mean - if we were to merge our hearts or something, that's the same as one of us disappearing, right? One of us would get flooded out. [He hesitates before outright admitting:] I don't want that.

[He might not have said it aloud if his girlfriend's face wasn't still fresh in his mind from the images on the reel. He needs to stay alive and go home to her, so the one left standing would be him. Maybe part of him would sacrifice his best friend for that, were it directly linked. But it isn't, and it isn't even a good thing to want. They've all lost enough friends as is.]

[ Hien slightly tilts his head the other way. ]

Then what does he mean by already being a part of you? Did he only partially merge? It sounds like you two are separate entities n a single body anyway, and I don't see a reason that you have to change that...

[ He feels like they're on different wavelengths here. ]

[Sagi relents. An attempt was made. Marno isn't lying, because these days Sagi would know, and at any rate he wouldn't be alive if Marno's heart was still its own thing; logic such as Hien's suggests that they haven't collapsed into a single person, or else they wouldn't still be talking to each other; Sagi's gut tells him that way too many things bleed into the margins of his heart when he isn't paying attention for "separate entities" to feel accurate, either. He doesn't have the language to reconcile any of that right now, and maybe he never will.]

I don't know. You're probably right. I shouldn't worry too much about what Hythlodaeus thinks.

[ Considering Hythlo's naivete, Hien would also agree on not worrying about what he thinks. Then again, this is just his opinion, and since Sagi brought it up, Hien also thinks it's better not to think about whatever is weighing him down. Things seem fine. ]

You have a lot of time to figure things out. You have Marno to help you along too. He seems to know most about you anyway.

[ Considering, you know, Marno lives in Sagi's body.

In the distance, someone calls out for Hien, calling him his second dad or whatever. It's one of the kids that look really similar to him. He puts his mask back on his face. ]

... I'm usually around, so if you need me for whatever reason, just ask around. I'll see you later.

[ He sticks out among the NPCs for looking weird like the rest of the foreigners, but at least he's distinctive. ]

[That's right, Hien has more productive kids to dad at. But he was a patient sounding board, and for that Sagi is grateful. He's right, too. Sometimes the answer is that there's no answer yet, and that's okay.]

Later, Hien. Good luck.

[He heads off toward a different part of the campsite, still looking thoughtful.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

DECEMBER LOG PT1

premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation

→ OH THANK GOD

→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA

→ AW NUTS...

→ MOD NOTES

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