Frontier Town Founder's Square

[MintyMimix]

Ghaspius let out a light noise of surprise as he lifted with Leaf's assistance. He smiled as he was finally righted. "Oh, howdy Leaf. Just a bit frazzled this morn'."

His eyes widened as he caught the tail end of Koa's words. "Y'all get the message?" He asked as he brushed his "hair" with one of his tendrils.

"'Scuse me mister Starpator, do y'all happen to know a Houndoom?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Oh, okay. So, no one was trying to be coy or anything toward this guy. I think? There was some sort of message spread about this, wasn't there. Nova was just curious to see a roughlander in town. So much for that.

There was nothing Nova could reliably say after this misdreavus dropped such an oddly specific question. Maybe it was time to leave...

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt pinched the top of her nose, thinking. This was going about as well as it could have, scattered all over the place. Her watching quietly from afar... Would that do any good? Escarpa... Why did that sound familiar? The other Wayfarers must have had intel on it that she'd not pieced together.

Deciding this was a good a time as any to get involved, she stepped out from her eavesdropping spot and walked over to slip in naturally.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Cielo scratched at his feathers with a talon, looking thoughtful. “I assume you speak of Houndoom Pyrrin. He is, mm. A difficult character. Proud, unyielding. But I have respect for him as a warrior.” He gazed at Ghaspius intently. “How do you know of him?”

 

[MintyMimix]

"Pyrrin..." Ghaspius replied with a hum as he nervously fidgeted with his wet scarf. He shivered at the cold water clinging to his body. "Well, I have on good word he may be visitin' soon on business with the railroad. S'why I'm tryin' to see if there's anyone that might know where he is."

He nodded towards the others in acknowledgment. "Sorry for dumpin' this all the sudden, it's been a long night. Y'all had other things on your minds, right?"

 

[Ambyssin]

The railway? Nova has, admittedly, given up on it. It was a product of Ignatius and, between the other workers’ plans after it and the general administration behind it, he had the worst vibes over it. Still, was something about to happen to it?

“The Clan’s restless, is it?” Nova tilted his head. “Funny. The dungeon winds whisper the Light is wandering again. Think that’s it… or something else?” His gaze fell towards the newspaper.

 

[Phoenixsong]

"No...? I don't think I got any messages, sorry," Leaf said, giving Ghaspius a confused look. The maus hadn't passed her anything, and she didn't think she'd missed anything from Beetle; after the drapion disaster, she'd hoped to make sure of that last one.

Was it about this Pyrrin guy? Ghaspius seemed kinda cagey about whatever it was. "Uh, do you ever see Pyrrin or any of the other Escarpa around here, while you're trading?" she asked Cielo.

 

[Hap]

Passing through the town centre, Ridley was drawn to the small gathering mostly because of who it contained. Leaf, Koa, Mhynt; three of the Wayfarers Nova had mentioned meeting the board owner and receiving pokeballs. Ridley was still curious about that; maybe he could catch up with them after this discussion ended.

He sidled up to the group and tried to look like he'd been there all along, rather than a just-arrived eavesdropper trying to catch up.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Well, I have on good word he may be visitin' soon on business with the railroad. S'why I'm tryin' to see if there's anyone that might know where he is."

"Mm, the railroad..." Cielo said, looking grave. "The railroad has become the symbol of the Commonweath's influence spreading west, stifling the clans' way of life. It would also connect these lands to that cursed town of black water." He paused, looking contemplative. "Myself, I believe it is more complicated than that. But it would not surprise me to learn that Pyrrin was among those those who view the rails as the head of the serpent, so to speak."

"Uh, do you ever see Pyrrin or any of the other Escarpa around here, while you're trading?"

"He holds great distaste for this town; he doesn't usually venture here without good reason," the Staraptor replied simply, preening a few stray feathers "Given the town's history, it is not surprising."

“The Clan’s restless, is it?” Nova tilted his head. “Funny. The dungeon winds whisper the Light is wandering again. Think that’s it… or something else?” His gaze fell towards the newspaper.

A small hint of amusement. "I had assumed the inverse--that the arrival of large numbers of outsiders, and the spread of demons from the cursed land, might have drawn the Wandering Light back to us. There are rumors that the chieftain has spoken with the Light within the past moon, but I haven't seen her myself."

 

[Tetra]

Prickles of unease began to gather in Koa's stomach. He studied Cielo, wondering how much to trust him. "Demons from the cursed land? Like the 'shadow' pokemon?" he asked cautiously.

"A few of us have heard of them, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot about what exactly they are." Which was partially true at least. He still hadn't decided how much he believed when Alex had said. Nor had thr Zweilous really explained exactly where his shadows came from... Explaining that some of their group were actively investigating seemed unnecessary to him.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Demons coming from the east, huh?" Nova looked in that direction, as if it made a difference. "Rail sounds less like the head of the serpent... and more like a long and winding tail." Even if he had worked on the rail a bit, Nova didn't hold any sentimental attachment to it. "Pyrrin hold a similar opinion toward the 'mon building it?"

 

[MintyMimix]

"The leader of the town isn't in charge anymore," Ghaspius said as he tried to fan his scarf a bit to dry it. "We made sure of that."

His usual smile remained absent as he listened. "So he really might be out there tryin' to wreck the rails right this moment." The Misdreavus's gaze sunk to the water. He would just have to pray the others reach the Houndoom in time.

"When you say the Chieftain spoke to 'her', do you mean...?" He wasn't the smoothest of interrogators, but he hoped to get a name or species.

 

[Phoenixsong]

"Sorry, I know this is a ton of questions out of nowhere," Leaf said, giving Cielo an apologetic smile, "but a 'cursed town'? Like cursed how? Because there are a bunch of those shadow demon things there, or...?" It'd been a little while since she'd heard any new super wild-west-like things, but a cursed town was pretty high up on the list.

She backed up a step or two, just to give Cielo some space—starting to get a little crowded around here, and there was still so much that the staraptor might know—and shot Ghaspius a what's going on? look while waiting. 'Wrecking the rails'? Well that wasn't bizarrely specific at all.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Demons from the cursed land? Like the 'shadow' pokemon?"

Cielo tilted his head. "Is that what you call them? Doesn't hold as much weight. But by any name, their energies are undeniably foul and unnatural."

"Pyrrin hold a similar opinion toward the 'mon building it?"

"It would not surprise me if he did, though I don't know him well enough to know for sure," the Staraptor said dryly.

"When you say the Chieftain spoke to 'her', do you mean...?"

"The Wandering Light herself," Cielo said. "Of course, I've never met her."

"Sorry, I know this is a ton of questions out of nowhere," Leaf said, giving Cielo an apologetic smile, "but a 'cursed town'? Like cursed how? Because there are a bunch of those shadow demon things there, or...?"

"Mm, I believe you'd know it by the name Blaguarro. Even before it became the source of the demon plague, its waters were already fouled by the mining operations. And even those fell into ruin over the years."

 

[MintyMimix]

She backed up a step or two, just to give Cielo some space—starting to get a little crowded around here, and there was still so much that the staraptor might know—and shot Ghaspius a what's going on? look while waiting. 'Wrecking the rails'? Well that wasn't bizarrely specific at all.

Ghaspius gave a polite smile to the familiar face as he floated over to her and whispered, "That Houndoom's gonna destroy the railroad to lockdown the 'demons' in Blaguarro. Frontier Town was collateral in their eyes."

"The Wandering Light herself," Cielo said. "Of course, I've never met her."

His polite smile widened a bit as he put on his merchant's face. His heart became a pretzel inside, but it was necessity to survive — or in this case, to get information.

"Really now? I'm a bit new 'round these parts, so I ain't all that familiar," the Misdreavus said as he gave his scarf one last past. "From one curious fella to another, what's she rumored to be like?"

He cleared his throat. "'Course, it ain't polite to be askin' so many questions one-sidedly, so I'd be happy to answer anythin' y'all got on your mind regardin' that story there," he added with a nod to the newspaper.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova said nothing. It wasn't as if mentioning how bad an idea that sounded to this staraptor would do all that much. And then this misdreavus was trying to do the friendly thing. Instead he just looked down at his chitinous claws.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt strode over to Nova and crossed her arms, murmuring to him. "And who is this?" she asked quietly. "I've been... occupied with a few revelations recently. Something we may want to discuss later with the team."

 

[Ambyssin]

"A roughlander bird," Nova whispered. "Lives near the Escarpas. Does some trade with the town. These guys seem to think there's an Escarpa 'mon coming to destroy part of the railroad, I guess?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Really now? I'm a bit new 'round these parts, so I ain't all that familiar," the Misdreavus said as he gave his scarf one last past. "From one curious fella to another, what's she rumored to be like?"

Cielo paused, gazing skyward with a hardened stare. "She is said to be the greatest warrior of her time. Constantly roaming the land, keeping watch for imbalance. But, it has been many years since the time when she regularly communed with the Escarpa. Now, seeking out the Light is a pilgrimage only taken by the most experienced."

He cleared his throat. "'Course, it ain't polite to be askin' so many questions one-sidedly, so I'd be happy to answer anythin' y'all got on your mind regardin' that story there," he added with a nod to the newspaper.

The Staraptor glanced between the gathered outsiders. "Mm, it's unusual to learn of so many summoned to our land. Usually there is but one hero in a generation. Some say it is a bad omen, but I want to know what you think, yourselves."

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf's eyes went dinner-plate for a second at Ghaspius's whisper. Okay, definitely gonna have to go over that in more detail later. Later as in now, ideally, but Cielo was still here, and probably it wasn't a good idea to get to into their plans in front of him. Was it? Was there some way he could help, or...

Staying on his friendly side seemed like the right call either way, at least. "Well, I sure don't know what to make of it," she told the staraptor, expression somewhere in the neighborhood of neutral but unable to stop herself pawing at the ground a little. "Don't know that many folks do. Not like anyone expected this before it happened, or made plans or anything, far as I know. And it makes sense that a lot of spirits showing up at once oughta match with a lot of problems happening at once, one way or another. But I figure once you're here, you're here, and you might as well do what you can about whatever's happening."