kaisou | [action; open] A different life in a brand new place

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[action; open] A different life in a brand new place

WHO: Grusha & You!
WHERE: Labyrinth & around the city
WHEN: Jan 29
WHAT: New arrival!
WARNINGS: References to traumatic injury

i. labyrinth

[Grusha doesn't notice it immediately; the change is so slight, a shift from one place to anoher. But he's known these mountains for years, he's had to know them better than himself. Suddenly, he's not where he was.]

What...?

[They're similar enough to Glaseado, these mountains, but distorted, misremembered ever so slightly - as if from a dream. With more snowboarding paths, and boards littered about, he feels a wince of pain. His dreams mock him like this, too.

Wind whipping up snow behind him, Grusha takes a tentative step forward. The mountains in winter are trecherous, he knows this better than anyone - but what other option is there here but to move forward?

He hugs himself tightly from the cold and reaches into a pocket - his pokeballs are still there, but on inspection, all but one is empty.

Strange, and alarming.]

Altaria!

[He calls out, releasing the dragon from its captivity. It's in no way big enough to carry him, but...it's enough. To hold onto, at least, as he makes his way down, unsure of what'll even meet him at the bottom.]

ii. in the city

[Being in a gym battle one moment, then an unknown mountain the next, followed up with an unfamiliar city...it's a lot for a sudden turn of events, let alone being given a (non-rotom) phone equipped with a mysterious app.

With Altaria returned to its ball he finds somewhere to sit, somewhere warm - a cafe of sorts - and scroll through the app proper to try to make sense of this all. Talks of secret organisations, magic fruits, monsters, so much more...]

You can't be serious...

[He sighs, and a wry grin peeks out from over his scarf.]

Man, Geeta must really have it out for me.

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[At just the next table was a man in black and green, sunglasses sitting on his head and a silver-handled cane leaning against his chair. While he seemed mostly focused on the notebook he was currently writing in, occasionally he looked to the phone lying next to it.]

[Which was also pinging with the display of a remarkably similar app.]

[God, he hoped Flat was keeping to shitposting rather than getting into actual trouble.]

[Snooping on other people isn't cool at all, but Grusha can't help but catch notice of the other man - and more importantly, his screen.]

...Hey.

[He speaks up, approaching the other table.]

You have that app, don't you? [He nods down to the phone on the table. He has so many questions about it - some of which have already been answered by its own users - he doesn't really know where to start with piling them onto a stranger. Except maybe, the obvious.] Know how much of it's legit?

Hm? [He paused in whatever he was writing--some weird list of formulas in a neat script, at a glance--and looked up to Grusha instead.]

Libra? Just about all of it, unbelievable as it probably looks.

[That gets a sharp inhale.]

…Man.

[~~bottom text~~]

It’s hard to believe, but…it doesn’t sound like you’re joking. [When ‘home’ is a place filled with creatures that can pull of feats that defy logic, perhaps it should be easier to swallow. But none of this is anything he’s used to.] Maybe I fell into the Great Crater without knowing it… [He shakes his head.] What is this place?

Sounds as though you're in the same situation as me--you came here from another world, probably without warning. It's not as uncommon an occurrence as it should be. As to 'what', that's something I still don't quite understand fully.

[Closing the notebook and slipping it into a pocket of his coat, he gestured to an empty chair at the table.]

My name's Waver. I came here a little over half a year ago.

[Grusha takes the offer and sits. It’s…nice, to not be alone in this, at least. Though the situation remains unideal.]

My name’s Grusha. I’ve only just arrived, but you could probably tell already.

[Something about what Waver said doesn’t sit right with him. To stay in such a place for half a year…the conclusion he draws isn’t positive.]

I’m guessing you haven’t found a way of getting back.

I'm afraid not. Logically, one has to exist--but the method isn't one that anyone has discovered just yet.

[With that confirmation, he feels a terrible weight drop in the pit of his stomach.]

If I’m gone for that long…

[Just like before, he’ll lose everything.]

Sorry. [He pushes it aside, if only to spare himself a scene in public.] It’s just that I have no idea what to do with all of this.

Well...that's about where it gets a bit weird. Weirder. There's no clear confirmation that I know of that time is even passing back where we came from. Given the nature of inter-universe travel--meaning 'it's such arcane bullshit I don't comprehend most of it'--there's no concrete reason to worry about missing anything just yet.

The best thing to do with all this, at least right away, is not to panic.

So nobody really knows, huh? Then again, maybe it won't make much difference...

[Geeta's out for his job, anyway. All it would be is delaying the inevitable.]

But you're right. I've got to stay cool. [He nods, small and slight, into his scarf - affirmation to himself, if nothing else.] I have another question...I came down from a mountain to get here, but it's not part of the city at all. Know what's up with that?

[Arcane bullshit, probably. But it would be nice to have a real answer.]

Probably a spirit gate. The boundaries between this world and a far more supernatural plane of existence is a very thin one; it's common for people to arrive through such a location before emerging in the city itself.

Got it.

[...]

Do they all look like that? It felt...oddly specific.

The ones I've seen tend to...reflect the person passing through them.

[this is fine]

Had you seen a place like that before?

Yeah. Or, close enough. It looked like the mountains back home, but slightly different. There were more slopes and boards everywhere.

[There's a twinge of bitterness to his voice.]

Oh, I'm a snowboarder. Used to be pro.

[It's fine.]

If they reflect the person passing through, then...that makes sense.

[So fine.]

Sounds about right. Mine ended up manifesting as things I would sooner have kept to myself. But that's rather just how things go around here--as inconvenient, annoying, or occasionally nightmarish as possible.

['Used to be' rang a little ominously, but Waver elected not to press what was none of his business.]

Were you injured getting through it at all? That kind of thing can be perilous to say the least.

Oh, great.

[If it comes out sarcastic, well - okay, he does mean it a little. His first impression of this place seems to only be a taster of what’s to come.]

And no, I wasn’t. I know how dangerous those mountains can be. One wrong step is all it takes to throw your life off course.

[Spoken, it sounds, from experience.]

Besides, I had my - [A pause. He readies himself to present what is - to him - a stupid question.] Do you know what a pokemon is?

Glad to hear it. [Yeah, that was definitely a tone of 'don't address it' Waver felt like he recognized.]

...Somewhat? The concept seems to exist here, but it's not something I would call myself familiar with in any detail. I've heard there's a stable spirit gate full of the things, that's about it.

A spirit gate full of them…?

[That’ll be something to investigate later, maybe, should he feel up to it. It might just be a lead for getting home.]

They’re native to my world. I had four on me, but now… [He takes out Altaria’s pokeball to place on the table to show Waver. Within the red container sits a small, fluffy bird-like creature.] I only have the one. Without her, I would’ve had a tougher time getting down that mountain.

[...what the TARDIS space saving technology even-]

That makes...some amount of sense. The rest will likely show up if it follows the general trend--coming here tends to cause people to lose things or abilities. I can't quite explain how or why, but I can confirm in my case it's recovered over time.

[There is a wash of relief, but still, there’s some worry for his precious Pokémon.]

And what would your case be…?

[It occurs to him that he’s shared a lot about his situation, but knows nothing about Waver’s.]

I'm a professor of magecraft. [He shrugged, obviously finding this a normal thing to say.] My capacity to utilize my abilities has been somewhat diminished, but I would say most of it's recovered by now.

[Grusha blinks.]

You mean, like magic?

[Sure. Why not. This is normal now.]

Then I suppose this place isn’t too out of the ordinary for you.

Like magic, sure. [the line between magic and magecraft is a genuine distinction that takes far too long to explain.] But honestly, this place is weird even by my standards.

Man...that weird, huh?

[Great......]

You seem to be handling it well, all things considered.

[Heavy on the things considered.]

Edited 2023-02-02 08:38 (UTC)

Oh, I absolutely hate it. I've just had time to get used to the whole thing--there isn't much point in panicking or getting angry over things that are well out of my hands.

[Ah yes. That - the putting up with of bullshit and quietly resenting it the whole time but keeping that Very Much contained - Grusha knows well.]

Is that the next step after ‘Don’t panic’? ‘Cause I’ve got the technique down already.

Pretty much. Adapting quickly seems like the best thing one can do around here.

Noted.

[Grusha gives a nod but, frankly, his head is spinning. He lays a hand on the table for a brief moment, then tucks Altaria's ball back to where it belongs.]

...Thanks. You've been a great help. I can see why you're a Professor now.

I wouldn't go that far. I'm effectively just aware that I don't know shit about the larger picture.

Are you alright? I know it's difficult to contend with.

[He responds coolly:]

I’ve had my life uprooted once before.

[He doesn’t elaborate, but he’s sure that Waver can pick it up.]

It’s just…a lot to process, that’s all.

[He made a quiet noise that was either agreement or commiseration, shrugging with one shoulder.]

It is. I'd say it gets easier, but I think it's more that one just learns to take how fucking weird it all gets in stride.

[Honestly? That’s more comforting than being told that it gets better, or whatever. It’s something more believable. Realistic.

He lets out something of a dry laugh.]

At least I won’t have to deal with my boss anymore.

Edited 2023-02-04 21:54 (UTC)

[There was a short and brief sound almost like a snort of laughter, Waver's face twisting into a smirk.]

Sure as hell know how that feels. Are they that bad?

She’s definitely got it out for me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to finally have her off my back.

[He might not be as overworked as Larry, but Geeta gives him nothing but anxiety. Silver linings in an unforgiving place.]

Yours?

She's a demonic little sadist. Causes me no end of trouble, and that's when she's not trying to work me half to death.

[she is also barely 16]

...But that's to be expected in our line of work. She could certainly be worse.

…How much worse can it get?

[Only half-rhetorical.]

She's never tried to kill me, which is more than I can say for a few of my colleagues. But I'm well aware that's a little beyond the problems of an average career path.

No kidding.

[…]

How many times has that happened?

[Shrug.]

A handful over the past seven or eight years? Better they should try for me than her, honestly speaking.

[Putting the matter of repeated attempted murder aside for the second-]

Why’s that?

Just because I think she's a sadist doesn't mean I dislike her. Reines is still just a teenager, her position of power aside. I'd much rather anyone trying to take that power come after me instead of her.

[He sighed, in the way of one very mildly inconvenienced by his job rather than someone whose life was at risk.]

It's troublesome, but so is everything else about the job. What about yours?

Well, nobody tries to kill me.

[So there’s that.]

I’m a gym leader, which means anyone aiming to be a Pokémon league champion has to face me. Either I make them face reality, or…I lose. [He says it with a shrug.] It’s meant to be a test of skill, but every so often our boss checks we’re up to standard. If not — we’re done.

It’s a pain, but…battling is the last talent I have left.

No kidding, that sounds...mildly familiar. Never fun when your one remaining purpose in life has immeasurable stakes and scrutiny attached.

To be honest…it isn’t. Except for the rare opponent…

[He thinks back to the one he battled before coming here. There’d been a certain flame, something that might melt what’s been frozen over.]

Oh, never mind. Not like it matters anymore, now.

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[action; open] A different life in a brand new place

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