Cold tiles chilled Arcane's bare feet as he pattered through the tunnel. He looked around interestedly; taking in the screen on one wall, with it's various images and photographs of the Village Bridge, the electronic ticker just above it, and the incomprehensible symbols that seemed to flow over the black surface, and finally focused on the bored-looking woman behind the desk. She was scraping something that looked like a flat cardboard strip with rounded ends over her nails, he noticed, and didn't seem to be paying attention to anything going on in front of her.
Instead, he focused on the heavily-built man in the orange jersey who was just polishing off a sandwich, and then padded through the almost-deserted tunnel. On the other side was a surprising vista; on either side of the road was a canyon with grass far below. It was not as impressive as the constant, thunderous roar that echoed throughout the area, however. Crossing the bridge that spanned the chasm as if in a dream, the grey-skinned, skinny young man passed a campervan and simply stared in wonder at the waterfall that roared down the nearby cliff. He dropped his bag against the parapet, walked over the short grass to the edge of the river, and raised his face at the wonderfully refreshing feeling of the cool air, filled with spray, that washed against his bare skin.
A hand suddenly caught at his bony shoulder, and he flinched away from the contact. He turned to look at the hiker with the forked stick and the backpack, and tensed, ready to run.
"Hey, buddy. Are you a trainer?"
Arcane just shook his head briefly and continued to glower. Behind him was the river, so the only way to go was past this irritating stranger.
"Are you sure? You kind of look like a Pokemaniac; love the Zoroark cosplay, by the way." The man shrugged uncomfortably under Arcane's unblinking, green-eyed stare. "Yeah. So. Are you camping around here?" Silence greeted the question, and another long stare. "Do you talk?" This time he got a cautious nod from Arcane. "So you're just shy? Hey, if you're headed towards Opel- HEY!"
Arcane, utterly repelled by the onslaught of words, had simply walked past him and grasped the top of his bag as he passed. He lifted the pack further, hugged his skinny arms around it, and carried on walking towards Opelucid. The waterfall, once a source of such delight and wonder, didn't get a second glance.
"You seem pretty impulsive for someone so shy." Arcane glanced to his right and grimaced when he saw the brown-haired, backpack-wearing trainer at his side. "Yeah. Almost made me think you were trying to leave me behind, or something." Arcane rolled his eyes and looked forward while he tuned out the seemingly-incessant chatter from his unwanted travelling companion; instead, he focused on reaching the green tunnel just ahead, and tried not to let the temptation to gently push the trainer off the edge of the canyon overwhelm him.
It was a pretty close call, all told.
It was rather a pity that neither of them paid attention to the scenery; the view of the forests stretching out all over the Unova region was spread out below the high cliffs between Village Bridge and Opelucid. It was something that attracted thousands of people to the region every year. Coupled with the rustic charm of Village Bridge and the old city of Opelucid the area was unique.
Despite his lack of attention, something in Arcane's mind noted the area in great detail; he'd be able to recreate the view in his illusions later, if he so chose.
After an interminable amount of time, most of which were made memorable to Arcane by the sheer intensity of the murder scenarios running through his mind, the pair reached the green tunnel of the link that lead to Opelucid. He even made a point of not looking directly at the man who was with him.
"...nd you're such a great listener." Instantly, Arcane tuned him back in. "I've never had someone listen to everything I've had to say before. I'd like you to have this." The ex-Zoroark looked at the man's face, and his earnest hazel eyes, then dropped down to his hand and the proffered golden lump cradled in his fingers. "It's something my Lillipup picked up a while ago. Maybe you can find some use for it."
"The-" Arcane coughed and cleared his throat, then reached out and took the lump of gold fromt he other man's unresisting fingers. "Thanks."
The hiker beamed. "'Sall good. See you later, Arcane,"
Arcane was too engrossed in looking at his new acquisition to reply. Abruptly he looked up and frowned at the hiker's retreating back; how on earth had that guy known his name?
He shivered suddenly, and wrapped himself in a shroud of illusion; watchers would have seen him suddenly vanish in a flare of red light, only to be replaced by a lillipup who scampered into Opelucid as if monsters were chasing it.
((I missed a day and came back to a page of replies, so you're not the only one, Little.))
