Novelux Copperridge Wharf

[Chibi Pika]

Jade stretched her limbs long and squinted against the glare of the afternoon sun off the impossibly large stretch of water that covered the northern horizon. She'd gotten used to the train ride from Frontier Town to Blaguarro, but that was nothing compared to the endless hours in a crowded passenger car. At least she hadn't been alone, and there'd been some decent conversation with the others, but overall she was glad to finally be here. Finally, the Wayfarers' path had led to Novelux, which meant finally tracking down where Brisa had gone. Hopefully.

Of course, she'd been hoping to start the trip off with a little more of a lead than she'd gotten. The ticket counter folks at the big central Novelux train station hadn't said anything about the derailing from 3 months ago aside from the fact that it, well... existed, and that the line had been closed for two days. Seemed like she'd have to talk to the rail workers to get a better picture of what had happened after Brisa detached that rear train car, so that meant heading down to the industrial part of town. At least there was a streetcar to get there.

Jade held her scarf close as a particularly chilly breeze swept over the wharf, making her fur stand on end. The weather was getting colder, although it wasn't super noticeable back in the Soja. Maybe she'd need to get a warmer scarf...

"Well, here's hoping we can finally find a lead on finding Brisa," Jade voiced aloud. And maybe after Brisa, Starr.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

This was where Teardrop Isle was, right? He could see the shroud of fog, and all the details seemed to line up. It made practical sense, too, given the location would be pretty practical. It’d be pretty convenient if it was, given he had some questions about how the coven was running security detail against the coven.

He found a spot tucked away by an empty lot to try to get Articuno’s attention. It was unlikely that they’d be happy if he became water type and swam over, plus it’d take a long time. If he could figure out what psychic type “felt like” he could probably reach out to them that way. (Inquisitive? Prying? The feeling of the laptop monitor on his face at 1am, poring over “F”s blog because he knew Faba couldn’t keep his mouth shut about any of Aether’s projects and he had to know what was going on there.)

The RKS system sparked, submitting to his volition. Usually, he checked to make sure his chromatophores where the colour he’d expected, but this time the sensation of endless minds buzzing in the city was confirmation enough.

He reached out towards the island with his mind. He couldn’t feel anyone out there, but he had a hunch that maybe someone would be able to feel him. “Yodel-eh-hee-hoo. Any birds around here? I’d like to bug you at some point, once you’ve got a minute.”

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

When Steven left the museum, he had no destination in mind. All he knew was that he didn't want to be there amongst the proof of his fate, amongst the reminders of home. But he didn't want to be anywhere else, either. Instead, he wandered the streets of Novalux without rhyme or reason, drifting whichever way the crowds offered the least resistance.

He wasn't sure how long he wandered aimlessly; time was lost in the haze of his tumbling emotions. The only thing that jolted him back to the present was bumping headlong into a metal guardrail, the last thing that stood between him and the edge of the waterfront where he'd drifted. Startled, he looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but the hustle and bustle of the port carried on around him as if he weren't even there.

How he'd even gotten all the way down to the water's edge at the industrial port was beyond him. Even though the sights and sounds were muffled, cottony and distant through the numbness, there were still too many people, too many eyes.

Good job, Stone. Can't even get lost properly. Not that the lack of any decent caves in the city helped matters...
Hugging the guardrail, he drifted away from the hub of activity, sliding further down the coastline until he found an empty wharf. Well, not entirely empty. The husk of a dilapidated ship sat in drydock, awaiting repairs that looked like they'd been deferred to more deserving craft on more than one occasion.

Here he stopped, fixated on the ship and the expanse of water beyond it. Lilycove. Slateport. Rustboro. Why oh why did he end up in a port of all places? There was no escaping the memories of a home he wouldn't return to.

Suddenly, he sagged forward, both claws grasping onto the metal of the top guardrail, his head coming to rest on the middle rail. It was too much. His grip tightened until the metal squealed, twisting beneath his claws. Too much. He was unable to stop the wailing cry that slipped out, foreign to his ears yet hauntingly familiar. Too much.

His eyes dimmed low as he retreated into the depths of his mind, clinging to the guardrail like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to this world.

 

[Jackie Cat]

It was early morning in Novelux. Very early morning. To the east, pokémon in Magna City, Alexandria would already be commuting to their places of work, being a couple hours ahead. Here, though, the air was still cold and the winter sun still pale.

Not that Articuno minded. Though they weren't an Ice-type, their affinity for winter chill was apparently unmatched.

"Are we all present and prepared?" they asked, somehow conveying even with a patient and even voice that they would be disappointed at stragglers and latecomers. "I trust everyone is already fully 'in the loop'."

The Wayfarers – those of them that took a serious interest, at least – were to travel with Articuno to be formally admitted into the Covenant of Light, a necessary pretense for an investigation of the organisation. Their destination was the Shining Congress, which was something like a headquarters in which Covenant luminaries, knights, and inductees all gathered and conversed, and at which ceremonial events took place and important decisions were made. Its location was in Alexandria, a Commonwealth state on the east coast, on a large private estate.

If all went well today, the Wayfarers would become official members of the Covenant – the first and most critical step towards uncovering the faction within it that made 'ARK Unit' Sage and – very possibly – the Wayfarers' own Betelgeuse.