004. Text/Action for Goldenrod City

[leaveyourstarburning]

[It's been a month full of crises, it seems; Zulf has been aware of the attacks, of the assaults on civilians and gyms and the Centers, and out of all of that, it's the last one that angers him most. And then there were the mutations, the illnesses, things that couldn't be fought with words or actions, leaving him feeling rather useless, all things considered.

And then had come proof that whomever had said that bad things happened in threes hadn't been wrong; the third crisis was of a far more personal nature. Zulf supposed it was selfish to allow the personal issue to cut him far more deeply than the attacks against Johto as a whole; however, he found that it was something that he couldn't help.

He allowed himself to be useless for a short while afterwards, to give himself time to recover, to not be rash; following that period, he had returned to Goldenrod City and found work immediately, among all the people that were still alive and not burnt to ashes where they stood - how long would it be before Zia could see something like this again? - and the buildings that seemed a bit too tall to be real. It was what he did when he didn't know what else to do - he threw himself into his work, whatever that may happen to be in his current location.

Today, though, he's distanced himself from all that a bit, sitting in one of the open squares near the northern side of town, close to Route 35; the park is small but nice, and he's sitting on one of the benches occupying the edge of it, in rather plain sight. There are several Pokemon playing in the grass; some are his, some aren't, but they all seem to be getting along rather well; he glances up once in a while to see what they're doing, but for the most part he seems rather content with what he's looking at, and he's rather comfortable diverting his attention back to the 'Gear, on which he's been tapping out a message to send to the network. He shifts a bit once in a while, allowing his leg to brush up against the large bag at his feet as though checking to make sure it's still there, but it's not an anxious motion, though the text itself seems to be taking a while to set up.]

For those that knew her, Zia is no longer in Johto. May she feel Mother's love and protection in our home world. She liked creatures of all sorts and enjoyed taking care of them; now that she isn't here anymore, I would like to try to do so in her stead.

My name is Zulf; the Pokemon Centers are still down, but I have good numbers of Revives and Hyper Potions. I was not affected by the mutations, but I do not fear you if you were. Should you want to avoid the public healing center in town for that reason or any other and can't afford your own healing supplies, I can be found in Goldenrod City, near the route leaving town to the north. I'm told that I dress strangely/am hard to miss, and I always have at least a Scolipede out in the area with me (her name is Hanako, she is friendly and will not try to eat you). I'll try to be there in the evenings for as long as I'm needed.

[And with that out of the way, he'll be returning to...whatever he's been doing on that bench; it appears to be playing with a few rather large skeins of string, braiding them together in what appear to be bracelets of some sort while he waits.]

Comments

[Action.]

[shakespearealien]

[Today, it has occurred to Gorthan that his headaches may improve a little if he spent more time outside. After all, that panic he would feel at the mere sight of a Bug-type Pokémon is mostly gone now, and Poison types no longer see him as a threat to their homes.

And indeed, when Gorthan first catches a glimpse of the Scolipede in the distance, there is no visceral reaction, other than wondering in passing how a species that is so rare in this area could have ended up here.

It's not long until he notices Zulf as well, recognizing him after a minor double-take.]

Oh! Zulf! So we meet in person, at last!

[Not only is he surprised, he seems... very interested in the little craft that Zulf seems to have busied himself with.]

[ACTION]

[determinator]

[Zulf isn't the only one who has experienced some kind of crisis. Admittedly, Archer's isn't quite as big of a deal (he and Kimblee will reconcile, after all), but he does understand the feeling of loss and being alone. It's something that Archer hates and it usually ends with him lashing out. Today is a bit different - but perhaps that's because it's Zulf. Archer isn't sure what it is about Zulf, but he feels the (ridiculously strange) urge to look after him and make sure he's alright. This isn't something that's ever really bothered him before (except for Kimbley, but that's entirely different).]

[Archer doesn't reply to the text; he didn't know Zia very well at all and isn't sure what to say. He does head north immediately though. For once he only has one Pokémon out with him - the Venipede, who doesn't really seem to mind being carried around. Hey, at least he's not being insulted by Archer's horrible friend!]

[Zulf doesn't look much different from when they met in Ilex Forest. In fact, he's still incredibly easy to spot with that ridiculous skirt. Archer stops just short of him, bending to let the Venipede down. The bug skitters off immediately to examine the other Pokémon.]

...I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, Zulf.

[Archer's words are slow and careful, as if he's not quite sure whether it's appropriate. He knows people react differently to things like this - just a few days ago he nearly broke down into shrieking histrionics at Gorthan, and he wasn't even directly discussing Kimblee.]

[Archer's mutation was very mild and has completely disappeared by now. The only side effect seems to be frequent headaches, but that's something he can deal with. What he's not aware of is the fact that he's still constantly projecting emotions. It's not as obvious over the 'Gear of course, but in person it's surprisingly strong. His expression is carefully controlled into something that might be sympathy if you squint and tilt your head enough, but the emotion is very obviously relief. He's not relieved Zia is gone and he's certainly not glad to see Zulf upset; he's just very glad that Zulf is here and he finally has someone to talk to.]

[action]

[sculpted]

[[Armstrong has been living out in the wilderness with his new team of Pokemon for the past little while, and he watches Zulf's transmission with polite interest. However, when the little fellow mentions he's in the area, Armstrong cannot resist trotting over to say hello. It's been a while since he's had a chat with someone, after all.]]

That's a very generous thing for you to offer, my friend! Quite good of you, I must say!

[[Have this rather huge man popping his head out of the shrubs to say hello, Zulf! He might have a Gible attached to his head.

....yep.]]

[text]

[fullmoonfortune]

Zia-chan's the girl who was worried about you being sad, right? She was pretty interested in these little faces. ('u')/" She was pretty cute-acting too... I'm sorry she's gone now, especially since she didn't seem to want to go home.

[Text]

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

How very generous of you. But are you sure that's such a good idea?