Little Scriven Shining Springs

[MintyMimix]

When tumultuous thoughts and sharp sores wore on the weary, Shining Springs can sort 'em right out. The bathhouse was a two-story structure with a wide stairwell leading up to its entrance on the top floor. The semi-weathered sandstone walls were adorned with simple decorations of cloth and beads. A rug sat on the porch with a "wipe your talons" sign at the front.

Stepping through front doors, one may be greeted with a rush of cool, humid air. Regularly changed out handwoven rugs soaked up the otherwise slippery floors. Fresh towels and soaps cozily laid at the front, and lockers for storing personal effects lined the sides. Two stairwells in each corner led downward to the large public bath area and the hallway of private baths.

The large communal bath was fed by a gentle stream of hot spring water that sung a soothing symphony as it trickled in. Steam rose from the surface — creating an ethereal mist that whisked one away into a world of imagination. The scent of sage mingled with the faint aroma of sun-baked sand to create an atmosphere of pure serenity. The pool's edges were lined with smooth, water-worn stones, inviting guests to sit and soak away their troubles.

Meanwhile, the private baths were far less spacious, but the dim light of the hanging lanterns inside provided cozy spaces to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

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[Ambyssin]

Communal baths were not anything Nova could say he had experience with. Even in the old days overseeing the mass-produced fulls they were all cleaned in small little pods. Stepping into the place was quite the change. Dry air turning to humid. Moisture clouded the dull gold metal of Nova's beak. He couldn't help licking it.

... It naturally tasted like dirty water.

That's why you're here dumbass. Nova had to try and get some of the knots out of his fur. He put his dirty saddle bags in a locker and grabbed some of what was offered.

Going into the bath itself was nothing too new at first. But actually getting down to his face caught him by surprise. The water gently brushing his fur and swirling around his metallic parts. His sonar ears reflexively folded to avoid getting waterlogged.

A gentle trill escaped his beak. Stars, this was nice.

 

[canisaries]

Whenever Andre was getting, in any sense of the word, pampered, there was a lingering feeling of guilt that came with it. Why are you living it up while there are so many people in the world struggling to simply survive? What exactly have you done to deserve a reward such as this?

Of course, it was something he would never say to a friend. He knew that, and he knew that applying criticism only to oneself was something better avoided. He believed that a person should be able to fulfil their physiological and psychological needs and only then came the individual duty to charity - at least outside times of crisis. Recuperation and enrichment were both needs, as much as his personal gremlins argued against it. He did deserve this - not out of personal merit or character, but out of the rights that belonged to all sentient beings.

Either way, he wasn't here simply because he wanted to treat himself, either. He had taken off his hat and received a remark about his flower looking wilted, which meant he should really go for a soak. And he wasn't about to argue with a grass type on what specimens of his type needed or didn't need.

He left his belongings in a locker and arrived at the baths. The steam in the air already seemed to both relax and invigorate him simultaneously. He looked around for a secluded spot until his eyes fell on a peculiar mon. They looked... familiar. Like Nova or Gladion, but without a helmet, revealing a face with a metallic beak. Had one of them managed to break it? Or was this an unrelated graydian? Only one way to find out.

He made his way to the pool and stepped in next to the mon. Oh, the water was warm, warm like an embrace. A relieved sigh escaped his lungs as he sat down, but he forced his attention back to the graydian.

"Good day," he said. "Pardon me if I should already recognize you, but do we know each other?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova popped a bit more out of the water. Oh, he recognized this deerling!

"'Sup. Andre, right?" Nova shook himself out a bit. "It's Nova." Then he sank back into the water. It was surprisingly nice against his beak despite it being made of metal. "Pretty nifty little teleport system we've got here."

 

[canisaries]

"Ah! Nova!" Andre said, smiling. "Congratulations on getting that helmet off. You must feel a lot better now."

"Pretty nifty little teleport system we've got here."

"Indeed! I haven't tried it out yet, but I imagine I will on the way back."

Andre's ear twitched. It was as if being only partly in contact with water made his flower feel all that drier.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said. He took a deep breath and submerged himself, then rose back up to let out that breath and inhale again. The air felt cool against his face compared to the heat under the surface, and his flower and hair of leaves began soaking up the water.

"Now that's nice," he said, then cleared his throat. "So how are things in Frontier Town? Anything happen there lately?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"It does feel a lot better," Nova acknowledged. "And strange at the same time." He dunked his head down again, then pulled it back out. Like one of those model types with stupidly long hair doing a hair flip.

"Frontier Town's okay, I guess. Been tying up a few loose ends related to the Wolf." He glanced around to make sure they were by themselves. "And some Cipher stuff."

 

[canisaries]

Andre glanced around as well. "The Wolf? That was the lycanroc outlaw that attacked Inteleon Nolan, right? Shadow mon?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Nolan? Who was— oh, right, that inteleon with the Coven group. They'd brought that up at the team meeting before, right?

"Case of mistaken identity, I'm afraid." Nova shook his head. Steamy water dribbled off his beak. "The Wolf was a zoroark framing the guy Powehi mentioned. Actually part of that shadow-making group. He's deservedly lying on a slab in the coroner's office now."

 

[canisaries]

"Oh," Andre said. "Oh." He glanced elsewhere. "So was that, uh, on purpose, or..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"That's how we found him." Nova shrugged. "I would imagine a guy like that would've made several enemies."

 

[canisaries]

"Ohhh," Andre said. That was better. Although... did it matter? If that mon was committing heinous crimes and framing someone innocent for them, he most likely deserved to die.

"So he was part of the Shadow-making group? Cipher? How did you find that out? Did you get any new information on Cipher?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova paddled over to Andre's side. If for no other reason that to absolutely sure no one lurking around could hear him. "The guy Powehi mentioned in the dream. He's from the same place as Cipher. Tried to escape their clutches and ended up here, where they set up shop in Blaguarro. A shop we have to close down, if you catch my drift."

 

[canisaries]

Andre nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I was there when we found Terminal Two," he said. "I just don't know if we have enough power to take them on. Or if they're still there. We did kind of... leave behind tracks." He grimaced at their carelessness, but hindsight was 20-20. "Though I guess the operation might be too large to just move. I don't know."

He sighed. "I really wonder sometimes why I ended up here. We have all these trainers and explorers, and I'm just a silly painter. I don't know anything about battling or strategizing or the like. I just know what colors go together."

 

[Ambyssin]

If there was really some sort of interdimensional portal there then Nova could see how moving things would be a struggle. Not to mention any equipment that shadowed pokémon. Nova doubted speculating did any good. One way or another, they'd see for themselves.

At the other comment, he sank down a bit in the water. "You and me both." He sighed, blowing bubbles on the water's surface. "I can't actually use attacks right now."

 

[canisaries]

"You can't?" Andre asked. "What's preventing it, if you don't mind me asking?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"I don't mean moves in general. Just attacks," Nova elaborated. "I can make, like, little barriers and stuff. That's about it. Might have something to do with the way I was when I was summoned."

He plopped his head to rest against the side of the bath. "Before it was bumming me out big time. Hard to feel like I was making a contribution on a word where battles hold meaning when you can't really battle. But a couple of other people pointed out that protecting people, even slight, is still something."

 

[canisaries]

"They were right in that," Andre said. "And, well, there's always all the ways to contribute that don't require battling, like assisting in planning and management and transporting items. And moral support."

A vine sprouted from his withers, and he used it to swirl the surface of the water. A kind of fidget. "Do they have Shadows and Radiance back in your world?" he asked. "I've heard some Wayfarers are familiar with them. Myself, no. Nothing like that on my Earth as far as I know. But how about you?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Yeah..." Nova's head crest drooped a bit. "That's, uh, part of what I was thinking about why I'm like this here. I'm shadowed back home. And as a shadow 'mon, I don't attack people. I just deflect people's hits until they tire out and give up..."

He tried to perk up a bit. "Maybe the assisting and planning stuff is why you're here? Don't artists need those kind of skills to, y'know, do their craft?" Nova grabbed one of the washcloths and added soap to it.

 

[canisaries]

"Well, planning for an art piece is pretty different than organizing events or building strategies," Andre said. "It's all about composition and anatomy and color choice. None of those are really applicable on the field." He looked upwards. "But I guess I do communicate and negotiate when it comes to my clients. I could be useful in handling relations. Although the responsibility and risk of screwing up that comes with that is intimidating. But I also can't be scared off from doing something that I could make a big difference doing."

He sighed and lowered his head again. "I have been part of important meetings with other parties already, though - like with Nolan or the Escarpa - and I've barely said a word in them. And, like, sure, maybe that was the smart thing to do, too, but it does feel like I've been shoving responsibility onto others. Not pulling my own weight. I guess we both have some similar feelings in that regard..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Well, what's going through your head when that happens?" Nova wondered. The washcloth goat soapy and he ran it over his face, leaving a thick layer of soap over dusty metal and fur. "I know for me it was thinking about home. And my situation."