Sojaveña Wilds Brisa's Cabin

[windskull]

Nip let out a loud yip as he hit the ground, the breath driven out of him as he tumbled to a stop. He lay there for a moment, dazed, before pushing himself to his feet, ignoring his body's aching protests.

As he started to take in his surroundings (an overgrown path, an old rundown building similar to those he'd seen in Theran Village, a sloping hill leading towards a wide s stretch of scraggly shrubs), he noticed how warm he felt with the sun beating down overhead. Instinctually, he tried to flash freeze the air around him hoping to accumulate ice on his fur as a means of cooling.

But nothing happened.

He tried again. But again, nothing happened.

He let out a growl, flexing his claws, only to freeze and stare at them. Once white, now they were stained deep purple and seemed to excrete a thin, filmy substance. Narrowing his eyes, he flexed them again, turning his attention to his fur. A darker patch decorated his chest, but he otherwise looked the same. He was still a Sneasel. Still himself, but something had changed.

And he didn't like it one bit.

With a frustrated hiss, he turned his attention back to his surroundings. As far as he could tell at the moment, he was alone. Weren't they all supposed to land together? He walked back to the top of the knoll, scanning the surroundings for any signs of movement. Then he sniffed the air in hopes of picking up a familiar scent. Failing that, against his better judgement as a hunter, he called out, "Hello? Anyone out there?"

 

[Butterfree]

Dr. Drungfield wasn't thrilled with the shape any of them were in, or with the Petilil who was already there when they arrived, looking like she'd been in a bar fight against a fucking truck. But she did mutter something about how if Jesse or Brisa were still around they'd have made short work of the beast. At which point Dave's ears perked.

He'd been meaning to head out to check on that Brisa person, see if she knew anything, but the cabin was apparently a ways out of Frontier Town and the person he asked at the library had made it sound like they just hadn't seen her around in a while so she might not even be home. Drungfield, though, indicated that both of them had just up and disappeared, not like they'd just gone on a trip, like something had happened. That was suspect.

And Wes had mentioned he worked for this Galvantula called Alejandro who could take them there. Well, then why the fuck not. After they'd had a day or two to feel less like death, anyway.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Laura had been the one to suggest Brisa's cabin, and as the group approached the lonely structure out in the scrubland, it certainly seemed like the ideal spot. A way for the ARK Unit to stay sheltered and have some privacy, while still close enough to town to get food, and easy for the team to reach.

"So, this is Brisa's cabin," Jade said, tail swishing idly in the autumn breeze. "I only knew her for a little bit, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind you using it while she's not here."

Not here... Jade winced internally. Now that Terminal Two had been destroyed and the trains were running again, she'd been itching to head east and hunt for leads. But that wasn't the focus right this second.

The ARK Unit padded around the cabin's perimeter, inspecting it. Seemingly satisfied, it turned to the others and said, "I see. This place is where I will stay, then. For how long?"

Jade shrugged. "Uh... as long as you like, I guess? There's not anywhere you need to be or anything. So you can take your time and get used to being outside the lab before deciding what to do next."

It felt weird thinking of the chimera as the ARK Unit. Same way that it would've been awkward to keep using Experiment 009 to refer to Nine. Maybe just... Ark? Did it have a name? Did it want a name? Jade was used to Pokemon culture on Earth where names were optional, but then, Ark wasn't exactly a normal representative of Forlasan Pokemon culture.

 

[Weazel]

The cabin, Archie was happy to find, was no where near as distant as he’d originally feared. Isolated, yes, the Dewott might even go so far as to call this area desolate. But, he was pleasantly surprised to find, as he paused midway up the weed covered hill he was presently lugging a decently large covered basket up, that as he turned to look back towards the west, he could still make out Frontier Town, Silver River, and even the ravine from here! So as least the Graydians he was coming along to visit hadn’t gone too far away from the rest of them.

Archie hadn’t sent word ahead that he was coming. He also hadn’t thought to send a telepathic message – actually, he often forgot that was a skill he had until someone else suddenly burst into his thoughts. What he did bring, however, was gifts! It has been market day in town again, and once again the Dewott had not been able to prevent himself from overspending. And so, the basket he was carrying rattled, clinked, and made plenty of other such noises as contents bumped into one another, as the mustelid somewhat haphazardly resumed his climb.

Before much longer, he crested the hill, and the cabin soon came into view...