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(Updated when the fancy strikes us)
"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything." - Nikola Tesla
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| Alice Blanc's Journey; Fields of Lavender | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 14 2010, 01:29 AM (838 Views) | |
| Hoshiko | Sep 26 2010, 11:30 PM Post #16 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice walked towards the alley, eyes closed, trying to forget the horrible death she had witnessed even as she walked past the kitten’s body. The image was still fresh in her mind, however, and it was all she could do to keep from panicking and turning around as her thoughts wandered to the small tabby’s collapsed form. She had to focus, though; doing that would be terribly dangerous. At best, she might find that monstrous Roselia waiting in ambush, and she knew it probably was still unhappy about whatever her Pokéball had done earlier. If she was unlucky, however, the strange, dark barriers that seemed to be closing in might draw her inside, and she really didn’t want to be on the other side of that particular boundary. She took a deep breath, attempting to stop her hands from shaking; slowly, the image faded a little, chased away for the moment. Her left shoulder brushed against the corner of the alley’s entrance, and she winced, rubbing it with her right hand to help alleviate the mild pain. Maybe wandering around with her eyes closed wasn’t the best idea, particularly in this place. Still shaken, she opened her eyes slowly, fearfully turning her stare towards the center of the alley. To her amazement, however, all she found there was a young man, roughly her own age, standing with a similar look of confusion on his face as he stared back at her. He was taller than she was, though that wasn’t exactly surprising, given her own stature, and while not particularly athletic, he didn’t seem to be in bad shape either; his skin even had a nice, light tan to it. She wondered whether she should just run away, though; everything she had seen so far had either been an illusion, tried to kill her, or had…no! She dispelled the mental image forcefully, banishing the cat to her subconscious once more. Still, maybe he was just another unlucky trainer, caught by the ghost? She stared into his eyes, hoping to find something to reassure her; the boy’s features still showed confusion, almost as if he couldn’t make up his mind about her, doubtful, untrusting, an undercurrent of fear slightly visible. Empathy for his feelings washed through her, and she made up her mind. The poor guy looked like he could definitely use a friend, and she was happy to not have to trudge through this wasteland alone; she was afraid calling Illya out would hurt her, after all, and they might have a better chance to escape if they stuck together! The two stared at each other for a few seconds, and Alice averted her gaze, staring towards the wall; the long silence was making her uncomfortable. Maybe she should say something? She tried to rally her cheerfulness, and gave him a small smile as she turned her eyes back towards him. Before she could speak up, however, the boy’s expression shifted slightly, showing…irritation? His shoulders straightened as he ran a hand through his hair, seemingly exasperated, his eyes now expressing both annoyance and suspicion. "...What, ANOTHER trick? Dude, not cool. I'm getting really tired of this place and these stupid ass psuedo-people, and you can't even bother to make this one look like a normal person?" Alice’s mouth dropped open comically as the words echoed in her mind, the blossoming smile fading as the hand that had been rising in greeting fell to her side limply. "I…what? I-I’m not weird…and I’m definitely not stupid! What is wrong with this guy?“ Chagrin and resentment rose unchecked at the boy’s words, and she felt her ears burn with embarrassment; she was tired, scared, her foot hurt, and the guy she had actually been feeling sorry for decided to be a jerk? Fine! So be it! Rational thought fled as her anger mounted and found a focus, waiting to burst forth. She half-stormed, half-limped up to him, her neck craning upwards to stare at him defiantly. “Ohh, stupid, am I? I’ll have you know I’m perfectly normal, thank you!” Her eyes turned downwards as she directed a vicious kick to his shin. Who cared about consequences? |
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| Munchkinator | Sep 28 2010, 11:59 AM Post #17 |
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Pax Bionicus
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"Ow! God dammit! Shit! What the hell? Mother FU[REDACTED] I'll [ILLEGAL IN 53 STATES] what the [PUNISHED BY DEATH PENALTY IN IDAHO] balls why would you even do that jesus [LESBIAN NUNS RIDING A TRICYCLE] hell!" Your new "friend" stumbled back, swearing up a storm that would have summoned the Anti "Not like you can blame me when you're wearing a hat like..." he gestured, still miffy, "...that. What're you supposed to be, a witch? Halloween isn't for another month for crying out loud!" Well, he definitely wasn't an omnicidal flesh-horror, for what it was worth - too much time spent bitching rather than devouring. Not that that was a bad thing if you wanted to get out of here. "Besides, most of the spirits at least try to look like normal people, you look more like one of them forgot to tone down the crazy halfway through the transformation. Ow. Dammit!" He glared at you for a few more moments before calming down abruptly, a slightly goofy smile on his face. "But hey! If you're real we should totally team up, I don't know of any rules against Champions working together to beat the traps." He paused, pensive. "...Then again, I don't know of any Champions that actually won this damn game, either, so. Take that as you will. I guess." After hobbling a few feet closer, still leaning against the wall, he stuck out his hand, presumably for a handshake. "Name's Brosuke, nice to meet you. Sorry about the uh, the whole... meeting... thing." At least "brosuke" had the decency to be ashamed about his entrance. "...You aren't actually a witch or whatever, right? I'm not super cool with the idea of being turned into a toad or whatever. Not that I believe in witches, err believed, but you spend long enough in this shithole and you gotta wonder a bit. No offense" Brosuke the great Edited by Munchkinator, Sep 28 2010, 12:01 PM.
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| Hoshiko | Oct 4 2010, 12:22 AM Post #18 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice watched smugly as the boy stumbled back in pain, satisfaction filling her as a small smile spread on her face. Well, he had earned it! She wasn’t completely sure what some of the words he was saying meant, but she’d make sure to research them afterwards. Maybe the guy was a wizard, and they were spells? Worry coursed through her for a second as she pondered whether she should cast one of those “super-protection spells” she had read about in the last issue of her favourite comic book, but she decided against it. She didn’t think they’d work, though; after all, everyone knew that only spells from books could be trusted! Yup, she’d stick to those she had read about in adventure novels, then! It probably wouldn’t be necessary, though. The boy began to calm down, slumping against the wall, wincing as he moved his leg slowly. Guilt filled Alice as the feelings of indignation left her, her anger abating as she saw the look of hurt on his face. Maybe she had gone a bit too far? She could definitely empathize with him; she was scared too, and he looked like he had been through a lot. "Dammit! I thought you were another one of the pseudopeople, I wasn't trying to eat your face! That was completely uncalled for." She looked away from his glare, staring at her feet; he was right, of course. She shouldn’t have lost herself in her anger like that, but this place just seemed to set her on edge! Illya had been badly hurt, her foot still throbbed painfully from time to time, and scary nightmares wanted to eat her! She still did feel a twinge of satisfaction at having kicked him, though; his comments had been completely uncalled for as well. Maybe they could just…forget what had happened, and start over? She really could use someone to talk to, or just a bit of company, so maybe they could help each other out! "Not like you can blame me when you're wearing a hat like... that. What're you supposed to be, a witch? Halloween isn't for another month for crying out loud! Besides, most of the spirits at least try to look like normal people; you look more like one of them forgot to tone down the crazy halfway through the transformation. Ow. Dammit!" Alice’s temper began to rise as her eyes snapped back to his face, narrowing dangerously; she forced herself to calm down with a bit of effort. Now he was comparing her to the spirits inhabiting this place? Unbelievable! This was just perfectly ordinary witch attire! And she had been cutting some corners, too; the dresses were far too expensive to be dragged through the wilderness, so she had left them at home, and she never could persuade her mother that she needed the house’s broom for her Pokémon journey. Really! She met his glare, refusing to look away; she was still a bit miffed at his comment, but she didn’t want to be left alone in this place, either. Before she could speak, however, his expression shifted as he relaxed a little, a wide grin filling his face. Puzzled, she could only send a quizzical stare in his direction before he continued speaking. "But hey! If you're real we should totally team up, I don't know of any rules against Champions working together to beat the traps...then again, I don't know of any Champions that actually won this damn game, either, so. Take that as you will. I guess. Name's Brosuke, nice to meet you. Sorry about the uh, the whole... meeting... thing." She flinched back for an instant as the boy approached, but relaxed as the boy extended his hand, her expression changing into a smile. He really wasn’t so bad! "...You aren't actually a witch or whatever, right? I'm not super cool with the idea of being turned into a toad or whatever. Not that I believe in witches, err believed, but you spend long enough in this shithole and you gotta wonder a bit. No offense." Her smile turned into a full grin as she heard his words, and her hand left the wall as she raised it dramatically overhead. “I am, but do not fear!” She said, projecting her voice as far as possible as she hopped on her good leg to the left, twirling in place. “From the mysterious land of Johto, braving the seas and the wilderness, I have come to this island to…” She paused for a moment, both arms outstretched as she tried to keep her balance; with a bit of effort, she managed to remain upright, her injured foot safely off the ground. ”…become a better trainer!“ Her voice quivered slightly with the effort of maintaining her pose, yet she continued; she had to endure it just a little longer! ”I am the witch of good, the helper of travelers, Alice Blanc!” She lowered her right foot slowly to the ground, depositing it carefully as she sighed contentedly. She had managed to deliver her introduction to someone! “Sorry about kicking you. So, umm, it’s nice to meet you, Brosuke!” She said, her voice returning to its normal tone as she smiled cheerfully. “Don’t be afraid, I’m just an ordinary magician, and I’d love to tag with you! So, any ideas on how to get to that tower? There was a scary undead Roselia following me a few blocks back,” she paused, pointing back towards the direction she had come from. “And this was pretty much the only way left open to escape, since there are black walls blocking the street back there.” She turned back towards him, smiling again. “I’m glad to find another human here, though. Let’s do our best to get out of this place!” Edited by Hoshiko, Oct 4 2010, 12:26 AM.
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| Munchkinator | Oct 5 2010, 07:27 PM Post #19 |
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Pax Bionicus
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"...You know what, at this point, as long as you don't kick me again I don't even mind if you're a witch. Good or bad. Though I guess it's good to know that you're a good one? If it's, uh, less likely to turn me into a toad. I'll admit to being a little fuzzy on what constitutes a toading-worthy offense. ...You know, I've never actually used toad as a verb before. What has science done." Brosuke slumped visibly, a wan smile illuminating his still-pale face slightly as he resigned himself to his fate. Or maybe he just stopped thinking - the difference was subtle. "Well you don't act like an evil witch, anyways. So I'm willing to take your word for it. Just go easy on the - ow, dammit." He pushed away from the wall, hobbling as well, but noticed your foot in the process. "Okay, wow. If you were an evil witch you would have healed that. Err. What the hell happened to your foot anyways?" A few moments later, he reacted to the wall comment. "Wait, black walls? The Pits of Suckdespair?" Cute. "Dude, the first person I was traveling with got too close and one of those lovelying shadow things ate them, just jumped out, chewed them in half on the spot. Wasn't even any blood, you could see their..." he blanched "their... you know, the... guts... inside, and then the body fell over and they all spilled out all over everything and WOW LOOK AT THE TIME WE REALLY SHOULD BE HEADING TO THE TOWER HUH." Over the course of the last few sentences, his face had gone from pale to a ghastly white and his voice up several pitches - it looked to be all he could do to not have a meltdown on the spot. "Dude you didn't see it you don't know what it was like. I've run into a couple people since then, I think they were all..." Brosuke trailed off once more, but without the accompanying paleness; he seemed more interested in trying to figure out how to define or describe the so-called "pseudopeople" he'd referenced earlier. "...Well, not ghosts. Or if they're ghosts, we're all ghosts, and I don't like that idea. They're solid, and they can talk, but they sound kind of. Hrm. It's hard to describe what makes them different from real people, mostly because I've been here long enough that I'm not sure I even know the difference anymore. But that's the thing, you don't know until they go apeshit on you. Err, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention and assumed they were good. Admittedly I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention the first time, I was just too happy to finally run into someone else." He shrugged sheepishly. He did seem like the trusting type... or perhaps the "too dumb to be suspicious" type. Brosuke continued a moment later with a vague gesture that didn't really suggest anything at all. "But they know about you, man. I ran into this dude and he just talked like he'd known me all his life, convinced me he'd been this dude I knew in kindergarten but hadn't seen in like eight years. And then he ended up taking a bite out of a freakin' concrete pillar when I bent down to pick up a quarter. The quarter got away, but I'm happy to still have a head, man. Not that I think they're actually required around here, 'cause I'm pretty sure we're all dead." ...Huh. |
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| Hoshiko | Oct 10 2010, 02:25 PM Post #20 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice struggled to hold back her laughter as Brosuke answered, her face scrunching up comically as she struggled, with only partial success, to hold her glee back. Oh, the misconceptions some people had about witches and magic! She nodded encouragingly to the boy, a smile still on her face as her own eyes danced with barely-contained mirth; she felt far more relaxed now that she wasn’t forced to trudge through this place alone, and this guy was pretty funny! She considered teasing him a bit, but the thought vanished quickly as she remembered her current location. They had to work together to get out, and it’d be pretty awful of her to act like that while their nerves were already frayed. “Of course I don’t act like an evil witch! I told you, I’m the protector of justice, Alice Blanc! My love-coloured magic will blast away all evil in this place!” Alice proclaimed her words cheerfully, posing once more; she had been waiting for over a week for a chance to use that phrase! Her bright mood faltered a bit, however, as the boy continued to speak, bringing back memories of the Roselia. The smile slid off her face as her thoughts, ever traitorous, turned to unwelcome images of the skeleton Pokémon piercing Illya, of her subsequent escape, of the…the…kitty…No! She shook her head, breaking free of her reverie. She winced as she took notice of the wound in her foot; earlier, when she had been focused on running away, she hadn’t exactly had the chance to look at it closely. The poor lighting of the alley didn’t help her examination; what she did see, however, was unsettling enough. There was a small hole on the top of her sneaker, so the vine had probably pierced her foot. Almost as if responding to the observation, the wound throbbed painfully, beating in synch with her heart, its rapid beating slowing down slightly as adrenaline left her system; her stomach queasily turned as it dared her to take a closer look, but she tore her eyes away. She probably wouldn’t be able to go much further if the pain got worse; it was already becoming difficult to place weight on it for even brief periods of time, but she thought she could endure the pain for a bit longer. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she couldn’t walk any further; she knew that it was only a matter of time as long as she left the wound untreated, but despite the amazing collection of talismans and assorted papers in her pouch, she didn’t have any medical supplies with her. Not that she was too sure how to use them, either, but people in the TV shows and adventure stories just wrapped up a bandage around their wounds and healed up pretty well, so it couldn’t be that difficult! Her eyes snapped back to Brosuke’s face as she realized the boy had been saying something, her ears catching only the last words. “…all over everything and WOW LOOK AT THE TIME WE REALLY SHOULD BE HEADING TO THE TOWER HUH." Dumbfounded, she could only nod her assent; she had no clue what the guy had been talking about, though he did seem a little pale. Maybe he was really a ghost? Nah, that was silly. She had kicked his shin, after all, and everyone knew ghosts didn’t have shins. Besides, he was too friendly to be evil! "Dude you didn't see it you don't know what it was like. I've run into a couple people since then, I think they were all..." Brosuke trailed off, seemingly pondering something, and it was all Alice could do to keep herself from urging him onwards. Her curiosity was piqued, and it seemed like he had been talking about something interesting! She bit her tongue impatiently, waiting for him to continue. "...Well, not ghosts. Or if they're ghosts, we're all ghosts, and I don't like that idea. They're solid, and they can talk, but they sound kind of. Hrm. It's hard to describe what makes them different from real people, mostly because I've been here long enough that I'm not sure I even know the difference anymore. But that's the thing, you don't know until they go apeshit on you. Err, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention and assumed they were good. Admittedly I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention the first time, I was just too happy to finally run into someone else." Well, she could definitely empathize with his feelings; she was happy she had finally found someone else, too, and he even seemed pretty knowledgeable! She smiled reassuringly, but he continued before she could answer. And people said she cut into other people’s sentences! She closed her mouth, slightly miffed, waiting for him to finish. "But they know about you, man. I ran into this dude and he just talked like he'd known me all his life, convinced me he'd been this dude I knew in kindergarten but hadn't seen in like eight years. And then he ended up taking a bite out of a freakin' concrete pillar when I bent down to pick up a quarter. The quarter got away, but I'm happy to still have a head, man. Not that I think they're actually required around here, 'cause I'm pretty sure we're all dead." She felt a chill settle on her skin at his last words, yet it was dispelled quickly. She knew she had been distracted when she walked around the city and stumbled into this world, but unless she had run straight into some sort of rampaging Pokémon and hadn’t noticed it, there was no way she was dead! She leaned on the wall next to him, grateful for the building’s support; the longer she could keep her wounded foot of the ground, the happier she’d be! “Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head before turning it towards him. “I don’t think we’re dead. I was just walking around Ayer, and turned up here! There’s no way I just dropped dead doing that!” She smiled, winking at him as she shifted her weight, using her hands as support to get herself into a more comfortable position against the alley’s wall. The stone was cold and smooth, yet it felt nice against her back, which was slightly sweaty from exertion. “I’m pretty sure we’re both alive, at least, and we can get out of this place if we work together.” She looked away for a moment, pondering the boy’s words; there were a few things she wanted to ask him, and it seemed like this place had decided to give them a respite. Well, she was more than happy to accept it! “So, hey, are you a trainer too? And, on that note, how did you end up here? I was just walking to the city’s edge, like I said before, but wasn’t paying too much attention to where I was going.” Alice smiled sheepishly, turning her head back towards him. Pushing back a few rebellious strands of hair behind her ear, she continued. “And you mentioned something about this being a game, or something about champions; I’m not too sure…” She bit her tongue again, suddenly embarrassed, and tried to correct herself quickly, waving her hands emphatically. “Not that I wasn’t paying attention, sorry! It’s just that I was pretty scared, and trying to get away from the weird monster back there, and the black walls, and there was this kitten…” She trailed off, looking away once more before taking a deep breath. “So, maybe you know a little more about this place? I have no idea, myself, so anything you can tell me will be great!” Alice looked at him expectantly, waiting for a second, before her face lit up with an idea. “Oh! Just a second!” She turned her attention to her pouch, fumbling with it for a few moments, busily moving around the papers inside before triumphantly pulling out two small paper charms. They were crumpled and looked a bit old, yet she tried to smooth them as best as she could before passing one to the boy beside her. “Here! I had forgotten about these, they are evil-repelling charms! I bought them at a fortune-telling lady’s stand back in Goldenrod, and she guaranteed they kept evil spirits and curses away!” She smiled, the hand holding the amulet extended towards him, palm facing upwards. At least they weren't torn! |
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| Munchkinator | Oct 13 2010, 12:01 AM Post #21 |
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Pax Bionicus
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"Dude. Love-colored magic? That's..." Brosuke brightened up. "...Actually that is completely badass. I'd ask you to demonstrate but I think we should save your battery of magic juice, or however it is your hax powers" yes he did actually just say hax. With the x. "work. But given that you haven't used them on everything so far to make it trivial, I'm guessing you're saving your arcane might for the real threats. Like a hero of justice should!" A certain, assured nod. "Yeah that makes sense. Damn, I'm glad you thought of that." He eventually noticed the smile sliding off your face as you pondered the cat. He had no idea why, needless to say, but assumed it was something he said. "Err, sorry. Didn't mean to be a failboat and ruin the moment." Well, Brosuke sure as hell wasn't a smooth-talking manipulator, because it was pretty much impossible to intentionally jam one's foot that far into their mouth every five words. He seemed determined to prove that with every new sentence. "Yeah, but - who's to say that you didn't just get run over by a cement mixer, and we're in some sort of Purgatory? I'm not sure if time even works right here. My watch stopped working" it was true. He gestured towards his wrist, just close enough for you to see; the simple analog watch he was wearing didn't move at all despite no apparent damage "and there's no day and night cycle. No sun, no moon, no stars, no obvious change in brightness. It's just always pretty much the same fagtastic grey. Gets really old." His expression darkened, the light, friendly tone faltering in a moment of bitterness. "I don't even know how long I've been here. There isn't really anything to track time by - not even sleep schedule. Normally you have day and night to keep it straight, or life. Gotta be up for school at six forty-five, be at the bus stop by seven fifteen, that kind of thing." Another pause. His words were a little lower, a little huskier. Gradually getting closer to breaking down, now that he finally, finally had someone to confide in. The loneliness and mingled gratitude were literally palpable. He swallowed audibly. "But here, all you do is run. Run for your life, try to avoid whatever's about to kill you, try to avoid running into anything that's going to kill you. Otherwise, you die. Your sleep schedule revolves around life and death moments - if you're lucky enough to find somewhere to hide for a bit, you catnap, then move on when something comes to check, or the building starts being eaten, or the pulse comes, or the sky changes, or the screaming starts, or..." Another pause. "...The whispering starts. Because then they're inside you and you can't run from yourself, you just have to try to stick it out, focus on other things so you can stay sane. Pain helps to stay focused. Punch a wall, kick it. Hope you break something so the pain will stay constant enough without effort. Everything heals in a few hours anyways, what's another broken finger, or five?" A mirthless smile, completely devoid of joy or anger. Simply resignation, overwhelming regret. "If this is all a bad dream, if you're right and I still had a real body, it's probably gone by now. Withered away. Lifeless husk. I don't have anything to go back to in the first place, I was just an idiot new Pokemon trainer who ran away from home. I can't even remember my family, you know that? Just vague blurs. I can't really remember anything from before this world anymore. I don't know if it's actively changing me or if I've just been here so long that everything else seems irrelevant, but I'm used to it now. I hate it, but it's all I have anymore. I gave up on trying to get back a long time ago. What would I go back to? What if those weird people, the fake ones - what if they were real people who just went crazy? What if the act of meeting people is what makes people go crazy? Is that what's awaiting us? What if they were fine, and then they just snapped shortly after meeting me? What if that happens to me and I end up trying to kill you? Hell, even if not - what if people who die here turn into Ghost Pokemon in the real world? There aren't actually many ghosts here, but they never actually attack you. It's weird, they just look at you, almost pityingly, like they know something you don't. They barely even defend themselves if you try to hit them, they just run away or phase out." His shoulders were shaking visibly now as he held something attached to his body in a crushing grip, slowly revealing it. It was a Pokeball, or it had been - it was cracked, almost broken, black, sinuous tendrils of shadow writhing impotently across its surface. "The more you use your Pokemon, the more they change. I tried to fight my way out of things originally, and it worked sometimes, but I think that something in the world - or maybe it's when they fight the monsters, some of the bad stuff from the monsters gets into them, and it just adds up. Like cholesterol clogging up arteries. Add a little once, twice, five times, no problem. Twenty. But as you keep doing it, bit by bit it keeps piling up, tainting them, corrupting them. It's funny, my Pokemon - I had two, you know, I loved both those little faggots." Another expression of melancholy, sadness mixed with long-forgotten joy as he looked fondly at the ball. "I can't even control my starter any more, though. It's funny, he finally got strong enough to put up a fight against some of the more brutal things here, and yet he had to give up everything he was, everything that made him, him, to do it." Brosuke looked at you, eyes shining with what looked suspiciously like a mist of tears. "I sent him into all those fights too, even when I first started noticing the changes. I was so scared I couldn't help it, and he always came back alright, so I just figured it would work out. I killed my own starting Pokemon, the one I was stupposed to be with forever. We were going to eventually take on the League and just be awesome." He hadn't forgotten you, nor ignored what you said, but it was clear that as he finally let all of this out that he'd gotten completely sidetracked as he neared breaking down completely. Untold time alone in a twisted mockery of reality can do that to a guy. Brosuke took the amulet without a word, hearing your explanation dully as though your voice were far away. His gaze, focused on the Pokeball, never wavered. "I don't think I deserve this, but - maybe it can help him out a little." He wrapped it around the Pokeball, but pocketed both without looking to see if there was any effect. Something else failing to help wasn't something he could take right now. He looked up at you, trying his best to focus. "I - I'm sorry, I. Shit." A sniffle, and he wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Got something in my eye, you know how it is with this dust." An insincere smile, though the effort was sincere. An interesting combination - it was obvious that he was faking it, and yet just as obvious that he was trying to make it real. Trying to rebuild the strong front he'd shown you earlier, rather than the broken man before you now. "Well, uh, what do you know? You had a summoner, right? The voice that brings you here and explains things to you? What did yours say? None of them ever tell you the full story, or the truth, but some are more honest than others." |
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| Hoshiko | Oct 16 2010, 01:32 AM Post #22 |
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Novice Trainer
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Alice’s eyes darted to the side at his words; her heart beat faster for a moment as she considered Brosuke’s statement, a sliver of fear running down her body as she considered, just for an instant, that she could be dead. Her mind steadfastly refused to believe it; she had so much she wanted to do before dying, she couldn’t just get run over by a cement mixer. She still had to learn stronger spells, discover just how Pokémon could use their amazing abilities, meet new people, and eat ice cream with Illya again! Yet, the doubt echoed in the back of her mind softly, taunting her, undermining her confidence. What if he was right? Alice turned her eyes back towards him, smiling sheepishly at the boy that rested against the wall, yet her cheerfulness dropped at the serious look in his eyes. He seemed to be struggling with something; yet, an instant later, the struggle vanished, almost as in surrender, and he opened his mouth to speak. "I don't even know how long I've been here. There isn't really anything to track time by - not even sleep schedule. Normally you have day and night to keep it straight, or life. Gotta be up for school at six forty-five, be at the bus stop by seven fifteen, that kind of thing." She stood, transfixed, as Brosuke spoke, staring into his eyes as her expression shifted to a frown. How long had this poor guy been trapped here? She shivered and crossed her arms, holding them close to her body. The air seemed colder, for some reason, and her short-sleeved top did little to heat her arms. The boy paused for an instant, his tone lowering to just above a whisper as he continued to speak, raw emotion leaking into his voice, his words filled with regret and sorrow. She felt them echo inside her, stirring her own emotions, and felt close to tears herself; her throat felt constricted, and it was getting harder to swallow. "But here, all you do is run. Run for your life, try to avoid whatever's about to kill you, try to avoid running into anything that's going to kill you. Otherwise, you die. Your sleep schedule revolves around life and death moments - if you're lucky enough to find somewhere to hide for a bit, you catnap, then move on when something comes to check, or the building starts being eaten, or the pulse comes, or the sky changes, or the screaming starts, or...The whispering starts. Because then they're inside you and you can't run from yourself, you just have to try to stick it out, focus on other things so you can stay sane. Pain helps to stay focused. Punch a wall, kick it. Hope you break something so the pain will stay constant enough without effort. Everything heals in a few hours anyways, what's another broken finger, or five?" The boy still struggled to smile, his pain clearly showing through his expression; a torrent of emotions washed through her, clashing and mixing together, growing into a thunderous symphony as he continued to pour out his heart at her. She felt helpless, watching impotently as the boy’s façade crumbled; in a way, it was more horrible than anything else she had seen in this place. What kind of heartless fiend would play with people like this? To make a person as bright and cheerful as the boy before her break down, or seek pain as a relief? And…would it happen to her, too? The thought disturbed her; she definitely didn’t want to lose herself to this world. Brosuke continued, and she turned her attention back to the blond boy, banishing the thoughts for another time. She…she would worry about that later, if it happened; Brosuke needed her now! "If this is all a bad dream, if you're right and I still had a real body, it's probably gone by now. Withered away. Lifeless husk. I don't have anything to go back to in the first place, I was just an idiot new Pokémon trainer who ran away from home. I can't even remember my family, you know that? Just vague blurs. I can't really remember anything from before this world anymore. I don't know if it's actively changing me or if I've just been here so long that everything else seems irrelevant, but I'm used to it now. I hate it, but it's all I have anymore. I gave up on trying to get back a long time ago. What would I go back to? What if those weird people, the fake ones - what if they were real people who just went crazy? What if the act of meeting people is what makes people go crazy? Is that what's awaiting us? What if they were fine, and then they just snapped shortly after meeting me? What if that happens to me and I end up trying to kill you? Hell, even if not - what if people who die here turn into Ghost Pokémon in the real world? There aren't actually many ghosts here, but they never actually attack you. It's weird, they just look at you, almost pityingly, like they know something you don't. They barely even defend themselves if you try to hit them, they just run away or phase out." Alice stared at the boy, her lips pursed; she tried to nod encouragingly and opened her mouth to speak, yet all she managed was a short bob of her head and a small squeak. She took a deep breath, yet her shoulders shook as she exhaled, and she stared at the ground for a moment, trying to compose herself. The smooth, cold concrete wall behind her seemed suddenly less inviting, and she pushed herself off, closing her eyes as pain shot through her foot. The small respite had made the coming stab feel more intense, yet she spared no attention towards it now. She hobbled, wincing a bit as she moved a bit closer to Brosuke, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing it gently for a moment, smiling half-heartedly. She couldn’t speak right away; she was still too much of an emotional wreck to do so, but she at least wanted to let him know she was there for him. The boy’s other hand came up, opening slowly to reveal a pokéball; however, the horrible, pulsing vein-like black tendrils that covered it made her flinch, her eyes widening in horror at the state it was in. "The more you use your Pokémon, the more they change. I tried to fight my way out of things originally, and it worked sometimes, but I think that something in the world - or maybe it's when they fight the monsters, some of the bad stuff from the monsters gets into them, and it just adds up. Like cholesterol clogging up arteries. Add a little once, twice, five times, no problem. Twenty. But as you keep doing it, bit by bit it keeps piling up, tainting them, corrupting them. It's funny, my Pokémon - I had two, you know, I loved both those little glitter glitter rainbow poniess." Alice fought the urge to pull out Illya’s pokéball; she wasn’t sure she wanted to check it closely right now. Her vision blurred as the boy began to talk about his own Pokémon; she couldn’t imagine how awful it had to be, how much it had to hurt to see your Pokémon turn into…into…she couldn’t complete her thought. Brosuke’s eyes shone with unshed tears as he continued, his voice cracking, yet barely above a whisper. "I can't even control my starter any more, though. It's funny, he finally got strong enough to put up a fight against some of the more brutal things here, and yet he had to give up everything he was, everything that made him, him, to do it. I sent him into all those fights too, even when I first started noticing the changes. I was so scared I couldn't help it, and he always came back alright, so I just figured it would work out. I killed my own starting Pokémon, the one I was supposed to be with forever. We were going to eventually take on the League and just be awesome. I-I don't think I deserve this, but - maybe it can help him out a little. I - I'm sorry, I. Shit. Got something in my eye, you know how it is with this dust." Alice’s tears flowed freely down her own cheeks, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed quietly. She moved forward, hesitating for a moment, her arms hanging in midair, before embracing the boy in an awkward hug; the wall he had been leaning on made it difficult to encircle his larger frame, yet she tried to comfort him, rubbing his arm with her left hand, her own body still quivering. After a few moments, she separated, sniffling as she pulled back the strands of hair that had fallen on her face, trying to blink away the tears. She tried to speak, opening her mouth, yet her tongue seemed to have stopped functioning; after a few moments, speech came back to her, though a few sobs still interrupted her words from time to time. “I-I’ts okay, ‘suke, I…” She paused for a moment, raising her hand to wipe away the remaining tears from her eyes, her body trembling. “It’s just…too much. Nobody should have to go through this; nobody should be forced to see her friends turn into…” She trailed off as tears began to flow again, and she shook her head, trying to order her thoughts into a coherent sentence, yet they paraded erratically before her. “B-but it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault you were trapped here, and…if there’s one thing we can’t lose, it’s hope. We have to believe we can get out; Brosuke, we really can. We just have to reach that stupid tower, and then I’m sure everything will go back to normal.” She smiled, sniffling, her own words soothing her frayed nerves slightly, acting as a balm to the raw emotion that had overcome her mind. “Your Pokémon will be okay once we escape, I’m sure; we’ll wake up, and all of this will just have been a bad dream. And…even if you don’t find your family…I promise you’ll have a friend out there, at the very least.” She leaned forward, placing her hand on his arm again, smiling up at the boy. “So, let’s go back, okay? We’ll beat up any ghost that even looks our way, and we’ll be inside the tower so fast, they won’t know what hit ‘em. Okay?” She gently squeezed his arm once more, before pulling her hand back to her side. “I…don’t really know a lot about this place. The ghost was pretty vague,” she said, pursing her lips. “But I do remember he told me to get to the tower. That was all, I think.” |
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11:52 AM Jul 11