Sojaveña Wilds Totally Normal Bulletin Board

[Ambyssin]

Nova's fur stood on end. "Yeah." He wanted to shake but Grace had her hand on him. Don't shake don't shake don't sh--

"I can feel the weird-looking gray fur all bound up on top of the helmet," Nova said, digging his claws into the dirt. "It's like, imagine someone was always pulling your wings straight behind you."

 

[Magyk]

"Hmm..." she focused until a ball of water formed in her paw, and she gently spread it across the crack of the helmet. Very quickly, Nova would feel the soothing and healing effects of the life dew she was giving him. "Let me know if this helps at all, it's my first time using this technique for something like this..."

 

[Ambyssin]

Wetness on the back of the head Nova hadn't felt much against in eons startled him. Some sort of muffled squawk escaped his beak, muffled by the front of the mask. There was a soothing energy that followed, which helped stop his heart from going off to the races.

"Haah... okay, right, I can feel stuff back there now." He sounded quite confused. "Sorry. This thing's been stuck on my head for... a very long time."

 

[Magyk]

"Just how long is this long time...?" she asked, sounding quite concerned. "It sounds like... you've never had it off? Was it like this back in your world?"

Grace realised that was a lot of questions at once, and sighed. She was still massaging the life dew against the crack. "This is awful, Nova. Is there no way to get this thing off faster?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"I didn't have it to start with," Nova mumbled. "It was put on me... by the human who made me a shadow pokémon. I don't really know how long ago it was anymore."

 

[Magyk]

"Stars... I'm so sorry, Nova," she said softly. "A hughman did this to you...? That's horrible...!"

Maybe she was a bleeding heart, but Grace wished she had the strength to just rip it off here and now-- seeing Nova suffer like this made her unsettled. "Let me know if it hurts or feels uncomfortable, I can do this again, if it helps make it less unbearable."

 

[Ambyssin]

"I'll be fine," Nova said. It was going to come off soon, wasn't it? It had to. Whatever anti-friendship-based architecture crafted this blasted thing couldn't completely overwrite basic physics.

Besides, he was being selfish. "Sorry. Shouldn't talk about myself so much." Nova blinked slowly. "Um, how are you?"

 

[Magyk]

"Oh, me?" Grace said, sounding a little flustered. "I'm no former hughman or anything like that, I'm just a togetic that's actually a togekiss back home. I've got a band of friends, and we travel everywhere! Um... there's no Shadow Pokemon or anything there, so this is all kind of new to me."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Another member of the 'always a pokémon' club," Nova mused. "Mhynt and I were thinking of getting engraved mugs for our little club."

 

[Magyk]

"There's a club?" Grace clasped her paws together, having finishing soothing Nova's discomfort. "If you'd like me for a member, I'd join! I need to make more friends on this team."

She scanned the board again, and didn't find anything all that interesting for now. Maybe tomorrow...

"We've been doing a lot of exploring back home, unfortunately I don't remember seeing anything like you, and we encountered a lot of new species that seem pretty common in Forlas!"

 

[Ambyssin]

Oh, no, Grace believed him...

"Ah. There isn't actually one." Nova looked down guiltily. "It was a joke. Cuz we're kiiiinda outnumbered by the ex-humans. So, they tend to be calling the shots more often." He shook his head. "But exploring sounds... familiar for some reason. There are mystery dungeons back home, but no explorers..."

 

[Magyk]

She deflated a little. "Aw... there's no club? That's okay, I'll make friends the old-fashioned way!" she told him with a big smile. "We have a few dungeons, actually! Some are a little dangerous if you're not prepared, so that's what our explorers are for!"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Right." Nova blinked. It was still familiar, like a mental itch he'd never be able to scratch. "Well, not a lot of our stuff has involved any serious dungeon diving yet. I guess we've gotten lucky like that. I don't expect that to hold up, though. May need that knowledge."

 

[Magyk]

"Then it's good that at least some of us have experience, right...?" she nodded to herself. "I sure hope the dungeons aren't super dangerous here, especially with Pokémon being Shadowed. A Shadowed dungeon mon could be  extra dangerous!"

 

[Ambyssin]

"True." Nova looked at the togetic. "Fortunately it seems we've recruited an excellent healer to help out."

He winked.

 

[Magyk]

Grace seemed flustered for a moment, then she cleared her throat. "Ah, me? I'm not that amazing, I'm just doing my best, like everyone else! I've still got a long way to go before my real abilities come back to me!"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Well, I could feel the energy," Nova said. "Despite not remembering what that's felt like for eons." He fully turned to the togetic. "That has to count for something, don't you think?"

 

[Magyk]

"Mmm... even if you are unique, it's not like life dew is a rare technique these days... is it?" though it was a relief to know that it worked. "Perhaps it does mean something... so even better to try and find a way to get this helmet off faster! I think we should all be able to see your true face, including you!"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Yes." Nova looked down, but couldn't see his own forelegs. "That would be... good?"

It was a good face, right? One that might... make it easier to be around other people? He couldn't remember, but he had to hope that was the case.

 

[Magyk]

"Mmh... let me try something..." Grace said, a thoughtful frown on her face. "This might feel a little weird, okay?"

She approached his head again, and more life dew formed in her paws. Slowly, she started massaging it around the bottom of the helmet. She was trying to see if the healing water would loosen its hold on Nova.