video | un: empyrean

[lightofkshahrewar]

WHO: Kaveh and you
WHERE: the app
WHEN: early May
WHAT: A new arrival complains about a weird development in his life.
WARNINGS: none!

[ The video opens with a shot of a certain sparse as fuck tiny basement apartment, before the phone's owner adjusts the available options, switching from the rear camera to its front-facing counterpart. The user posting under the name 'empyrean' turns out to be a young man in his mid-to-late twenties with a pretty face, long golden yellow hair, and oddly distinctive red eyes. He hasn't yet realized they're no longer brown. ]

Is this thing on? Yes, okay. Ahem.

[ At first he's only muttering to himself, but as soon as he verifies the recording is live, he begins properly. ]

I've been doing some reading. It seems this app appears on someone's phone shortly before strange things begin to occur? I'll admit I hardly understand half of what you people are talking about; it all seems too strange to be true. But, considering I've just had my own supernatural encounter, I'm not in any place to judge.

[ Kaveh reverses the camera again, this time revealing a small green plant-like creature perched contently on his knee. It's a Budew, but he doesn't know that. ]

Can any of you explain how my roommate's plush toy just came to life? I'm not really sure what I should do about this.

Knowing him, he'll probably blame this on me somehow.

Comments

[admonishinginstruction]

I did...

[He says while walking over to set the food on the table and taking in the scene in front of him. He takes a second to check his phone, looking at comments from others on his Libra post.]

Those idiots...

Wardah won't hurt you. She's not cursed.

[He walks over and offers his hand, palm up to the Budew sitting on his roommates knee. Come here Little One is said in his native Arabic, and the Pokemon hops into his hand and up his arm to perch on his shoulder.]

See, she's a harmless plant.

[lightofkshahrewar]

[ It wasn't just the efforts to spook the hell out of him that put him in such a precarious mood. The realization that the world doesn't work quite the way he thought it did is a heavy one, now that he's had more time to dwell on just how much he doesn't know. ]

Yes, I'd gathered that.

[ Still, Kaveh is surprised to see Abasi—of all people—handle the little creature so gently. ]

How much more have you been hiding from me?

[admonishinginstruction]

Well...

[You know, they probably need alcohol for this. He takes a second to pull out the food and set it on the table he has in the living room, pushing a cup towards him. He has more alcohol for later if they need it.]

I didn't intend to hide things from you. I was hoping you wouldn't get dragged into it. That you wouldn't have to deal with magic and the spirit realm. It's dangerous.

[lightofkshahrewar]

[ Kaveh sighs, but he accepts the offering without complaint, which is a sign he sorely needs this. ]

Well, it's not like I did it on purpose.

I was having the strangest dream—and when I woke up, I saw your Wardah sitting on me.

[admonishinginstruction]

I figured you didn't, it seems to come out of nowhere if you don't know someone with knowledge of it.

[He takes a breath, thinking for a moment of where to start. He's not going to lie about this or try to take shortcuts... he knows where that will end up.]

I've known of the spirit realm since I was a child. My grandmother taught me, I learned about it while learning about our world. Went to college and was recruited by an organization called POKEGO... You may see that name pop up around here.

That's how I ended up here, and with these two... oh.

[He pauses for a moment, reaching down to tap at the keyring always present at his waist.]

Wake up and say hello, Nachida.

[At that point, the keyring moves and reveals itself to be a Klefki, another Pokemon. He floats over in front of Kaveh and jingles his keys at him in a sort of 'hello']

[lightofkshahrewar]

[ Kaveh listens intently. He'd expected that all of this mess was something Abasi got caught up in after college, once their friendship fell apart—so the news that he'd actually been aware of the Spirit Realm's existence since he was a child comes as a surprise to Kaveh. That means he already knew about all of this when he and Kaveh were close friends, but he'd never said anything.

There are several incredibly obvious and understandable reasons why Abasi hadn't confided in Kaveh about this particular topic, but he's a little irrationally hurt all the same. ]

Nachida?

[ Kaveh doesn't have to wonder for long. Abasi's comically large keyring—another oddity that Kaveh had noticed but simply chosen not to comment on, since Abasi had done him the favor of pulling strings so Kaveh could live here—suddenly comes to life, just like the Budew Kaveh had mistaken for a toy. ]

Gah!

[ Kaveh nearly drops his drink in shock, his eyes going wide. It doesn't take him terribly long to recover, but the Klefki genuinely caught him off-guard. ]

H-hello there...

[admonishinginstruction]

[The Klefki seems to laugh as it goes to float around the room for a moment, probably looking for any unguarded keys to steal for its keyring.]

If you make friends with Nachida, they might part with their keys. Which is why it holds a copy of the key to the house. They're quite possessive of their collection, so you'd have to give it back after getting in.

[He takes a sip of his own drink.]

What questions do you have? I'll answer what I can.

[lightofkshahrewar]

Where should I even begin? Ugh. Hold that thought.

[ He holds up a finger to stop Abasi from speaking before lifting the plastic to-go cup to his lips and taking a long drink through the straw.

Kaveh feels like he's going to need a lot more alcohol before the night is over, but this is a good start. ]