PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Robin
Etude
Civilians IS OFFLINE
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Post by Etude on Nov 22, 2015 15:08:32 GMT -5
Ever since she had woken up this morning, Etude had felt a little weird. Not in a sick way; more like a phantom from her dreams the night previous had yet to leave. Something tugged at the edge of her mind.
She’d been feeling like this quite a lot recently. Then she ate breakfast, went off to work, and the feeling would go away. But today’s berry breakfast did nothing to quell the feeling. Nor did crossing the threshold of the town hall. Standing in the lobby of town hall, a concerned look on her face, Etude decided that with this state of mind she was going to get absolutely nothing done so she may as well go out to a dungeon. That usually cleared her head. So the gallade departed, leaving a very confused clerk at the front desk, and a lot of paperwork that would just have to wait until tomorrow.
She stopped by home only to grab her “in case of sudden dungeon exploration” bag before leaving town. With no real destination in mind, she went to a place she hadn’t been in a while - Moonlight Hills. Here, where she hadn’t any recent memories, she could store her thoughts. But when she reached the edge of the dungeon, the gallade hesitated. For once, she wasn’t in the mood for battle.
Okay, now she knew something was seriously wrong. Throwing her bag over her shoulder in defeat and confusion, Etude turned around. The Moonlight Hills were, in fact, quite hilly, and atop one sat a lone willow tree. Its branches were lined with the white spring blossoms. In the wind the branches moved lightly, carrying their flowers like little dancers. Etude sat against the old and thick trunk and joined the tree in its quiet contemplation.
Word Count: 298
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY LittleLucy
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Post by Jolt on Nov 22, 2015 15:55:22 GMT -5
Jolt moved towards the Moonlit Hills. His wings were spread out and his scythes hung by his side. He didn't fly, not today. He looked on towards the hills as he huffed a little. Brown eyes rotated around the dark sockets of the skull as he looked around. Sharp claws dug into the ground with each step making imprints in the ground. His goal was simple. To find mutants like himself and begin a rebellion of the mutants so they could all have the respect that they all deserved. Once he reached the Moonlit Hills he stopped and raised his head slowly. Air rushed to his nose and the smell of another pokemon came to him. He let out a vicious growl and pointed his scythe toward the tree. "Show yourself, whoever you are!" He growled loudly and as he did electric currents began surging off his body an scythe. He stepped closer slowly, waiting for whoever it was to show themselves. His canine teeth showed quite clearly as he growled and snarled. He was ready to fight if he had to and his entire expression and stance showed that. Etude
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Rocket
On your feet, keep it loyal |
Ripley
Lapras Seas Guild IS OFFLINE
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Post by Ripley on Nov 23, 2015 16:20:07 GMT -5
Ripley, having not had much to do for a surprisingly lengthy stretch of time, had decided to take a quick trip over to Moonlight Hills. This hadn't been a spontaneous decision, of course. Nowadays, there wasn't a whole lot of room in the Carracosta's life for spontaneity, especially when dungeons were involved. No, this had been a carefully considered idea, left to incubate in her skull until the time was right. It'd occurred to her, just as she was reaching the outskirts of town, that she'd been treating this little excursion with a lot more care than was warranted. It was hardly a mission, merely a brief dip into the caves. She didn't even plan on going that deep, just a couple floors to help shake the rust off. Missions had been pretty scarce lately, and she needed something to occupy herself with other than rearranging her sculptures and grousing at the new recruits. The pack over her shoulder was light, by her own standards, though smaller Pokemon might've found the weight almost intolerable. Just a couple apples, some berries, and escape orb if she really needed it. Not that she would, mind. She shifted it, slowly, from one shoulder to the other as she crested the hill. Her eyes widened some as she saw a familiar shape, lean and athletic, silhouetted against the moon. It looked so nice, she almost didn't want to spoil the moment. But she would, because seeing Etude outside of town was something worth remarking on. She didn't doubt the Gallade could handle herself alone, but, what with her duties as Deputy Mayor, she didn't really have much reason to. Then again, Etude had never been what you'd call 'reasonable'. Before Ripley could open her mouth, though, another voice cut through the air, snarling and rough, almost a growl. She glanced around frantically before settling on the mutant slowly approaching from the other side of the hill, a bizarre halfway point between insect and mammal, crackling with electricity. Normally she didn't have much quarrel with mutants, but this one was threatening her friend, so Ripley was willing to make an exception. "Easy there, chief." She said, stepping further into view. Her voice, though gruff and gravely, was unmistakably female, and she took a few cautious steps further, arms to her sides. If this guy wanted a fight, he'd get one. "Don't know what your game is, but neither of us want any trouble. Ain't that right, 'Tude?" Ripley glanced to the side, trying to keep an eye on her friend, make sure she didn't rush into a situation she was trying to defuse. Ah, wishful thinking. Etude Jolt
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Robin
Etude
Civilians IS OFFLINE
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Post by Etude on Nov 23, 2015 17:20:10 GMT -5
Etude would stand up, whipping her cape from her shoulders for the wind to carry safely away. She would grin, knowing the mutant before her would make for a worthy opponent and enjoyable banter, as his strange kind always was, and that her unexpected friend would fight alongside her like in the best days of her youth.
Or that’s what Etude would have done, any other day. Followed with something to the effect of “the day you challenge the two of us is the day you wish you never woke up”. Instead, she took a moment to realize she was not doing that, and stood up slowly, looking between the two pokemon on opposite sides of the hill.
“Came here looking for it, but now I’m not so sure.” She replied, her eyes closed and brow lowered.
The mutant, with his electric scythes, was someone the gallade dreamed of entering into battle with. Imagine, fighting blade to blade with such a pokemon; rarely did electric types sytle their battle around melee as she assumed this pokemon had. With Ripley’s arrival, the first opportunity for a team battle in ages presented itself. The Carracosta was one of the few pokemon she fight her all with. Since she became Deputy Mayor, her chances to go exploring with her had shrunk. It had effectively removed the more difficult dungeons, the ones even she didn’t dare enter alone, from her list of hunting locations.
It was a picture perfect set up. Battle was one stone’s throw away, and she was right in the middle of it. Every day she longed for such a scenario; to leave her desk behind and fight valiantly with friend against foe. That’s how it’d been for five years. So why wasn’t she excited?
The gallade stepped out from beneath the willow. She gazed down at the mutant, her posture relaxed.
“You.” She addressed him. “You want a fight, don’t you? Why?” The question was not accusatory, as it may have been under a different circumstance and mindset. The one where she was the one upholder of the law, answering only to justice itself. In this case, Etude was simply curious. Maybe his answer would clue her into her opposite response.
Word Count: 371
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY LittleLucy
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Post by Jolt on Nov 23, 2015 18:08:46 GMT -5
Jolt turned around to see another pokemon arrive, a non mutant. He let out a growl softly. It seemed to know the other one. Before he could speak the first one came out, a non mutant as well. He should of known. He readied his scythes ready, and stepped back enough so he could see them both. "I don't want to fight! I never do, never did! But you non mutants left me with no choice! You stole everything from us, now it's time to take a stand! I won't just sit around and let you get away with it anymore! You don't just take our dignity and not get punished! What have we ever done to you to deserve this? We gave you kindndess and respect and what do we get in return? Hatred, Fear, you treat us like monsters. It is your own doing that we are the way we are now! You kept calling us monsters. You kept hating us and fearing us for no reason, so it is about time we give you something to fear, to hate! So no! I don't want to fight but what choice do I have? I can't just stand around and take the disrespect anymore! Something has to be done!" He growled loudly as he kept his eye one the two of them in case they made a move on him. He didn't trust them, he didn't trust non mutants. They would do anything to get out of trouble. They hated his kind, they didn't care what happened to him. EtudeRipley
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Rocket
On your feet, keep it loyal |
Ripley
Lapras Seas Guild IS OFFLINE
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Post by Ripley on Nov 23, 2015 18:30:36 GMT -5
Ripley frowned, deeper than she'd already been frowning, like the corners of her mouth were being dragged down with weights, forming a perfect parabolic arc. She might not've been the most expressive Pokemon, but she knew how to register her disapproval in a big way. She snorted once, not to mock, but as punctuation, marking the end of the mutant's tirade. So that's what this was all about? Retribution? If nothing else, he had her sympathy. She'd seen plenty of good pokemon driven away just because of things they couldn't control, and this was no different. He was angry, and she understood that. It was a righteous anger, one worth holding on to. But if he didn't do something with that anger, channel it into something worthwhile, then it could drive him to make some really stupid mistakes. Like challenging two of the most experienced fighters in a ten mile radius, for example. "If you're trying to settle something," Ripley trundled closer, just out of the mutant's striking range. "You came to the wrong place to do it." It wasn't a threat, not explicitly, but there was definitely an implication there. "Neither of us got any problem with mutants. You don't believe me, that's fine, but listen."Her tone changed, almost imperceptibly, become just a touch softer. "What you tryin' to do, right now? Ain't worth it." Though her expression was hard to read, with the tree and the hills casting odd shadows across her facial plate, there was a note of sincerity in her voice. Ripley wasn't a religious pokemon, but right now, all she could do was pray that he'd listen to reason. Jolt Etude
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Robin
Etude
Civilians IS OFFLINE
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Post by Etude on Nov 23, 2015 20:00:20 GMT -5
He had something to fight for, the mutant. Etude knew the situation with the mutants; the few mutants who even bothered with New Leaf town were treated with suspicion and unjustified hate. Sure, some mutants got up to trouble, but Etude had seen far more troublesome grass type pokemon than she had mutants combined. The number of times she had to step in, defend perfectly innocent mutants; it was far more than Etude was anywhere near okay with. The pokemon’s hatred for non mutants was not without good reason.
Was that it? She had nothing to fight for? No, she’d always fought for justice, and for the good of the people. That’s why she took her job - to better help the people.
Was she really helping people? Yes, that’s what she did; she stopped petty crimes, made sure everyone had what they needed, and that as few innocent pokemon got hurt as she could manage. But the “justice” and “good” that hung over her head now where small; communal. It was a far throw from the mutant’s sweeping notion of “justice”, or even that which had belonged to her just a decade earlier. She was not stopping great outlaws, she was fixing roofs. She wasn’t exploring dungeons to bring back riches for everyone, she was keeping medical supplies in stock.
Her job had a place. It needed to be done. But she was no longer doing what she loved.
A grin spread over Etude’s face, wide enough to show teeth. She could feel the weight lifting from her shoulders, releasing as she found and accepted her answer. She didn’t like her job. She missed her old way of life, and her old lofty goals.
So, it was time to move on and get new ones. How lucky was she that this mutant fellow had just such a matter.
“You’re right, something does have to be done.” Etude said, taking several wide steps towards the mutant. “You guys have a guild, don’t you?” Her decision was to be sudden, but it felt as though she’d been contemplating it for ages.
She punched her balled fist into her palm. Her voice was certain. “I’m going to join it.”
Word Count: 366
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY LittleLucy
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Post by Jolt on Nov 23, 2015 21:53:40 GMT -5
Jolt listened to them both, he stared at Ripley but when Etude speak, he became curious and then immediately shocked as he finished speaking. Join the mutant guild? Was he actually serious? He smiled a little and stepped up closer to him. "Then you have earned my respect. You're the first, both of you. You're the first two to have not cast hatred or fear on me. I thank you for that. Not all the mutants will trust you right away, but as long as you respect them as they respect you, then you will be able to befriend them. " He held out his scythe for a moment, then he suddenly realizesed. He looked at his reflection from the scythe's sheen and smiled a moment before lowering it down to his side. EtudeRipley
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Rocket
On your feet, keep it loyal |
Ripley
Lapras Seas Guild IS OFFLINE
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Post by Ripley on Nov 23, 2015 22:53:47 GMT -5
Ripley blinked, glancing between Etude and the mutant with the look of somebody who'd just had a firecracker go off in their face. This was the first time she'd been surprised in a very, very long time. The turnaround on the hybrid's attitude had been unexpected, to say the least, and 'Tude... well, she'd get to that later. For now, she turned her gaze back to the mutant, features settling into their usual mask of vague irritation. "S'a real honor." She grumbled, only partly sarcastic. Ripley wasn't terribly interested in befriending strangers out of the blue, but the thought was nice. "Like I said, never had a problem with hybrids before. Just remember, if you look in the right places, you'll find plenty'a pokemon that'll treat you right. We ain't all monsters." Not in the figurative sense, at least. "And as for you..." She wheeled back around to face Etude, a peculiar glint in her eye. Etude, more than anyone else, would recognize that look. It was the kind of look that usually preceded either a scolding or a slap. Thankfully, Ripley was in a forgiving sort of mood, so the Gallade got off with a quick smack on the back of the neck. "Just what in the name of Ho'oh's holy haversack d'you think you're doing?!""'Yeah, I'll go join your guild', what a buncha nonsense! And leave New Leaf without a deputy? I know you gotta be bored outta your skull, but this is insane!" It felt bad, having to chide her friend like this, but it was a kind of bad she was used to. Besides, she needed somebody to get on her case about these things, otherwise she'd run off and get herself killed, or worse. "C'mon, 'Tude. We both know you can't just leave like that. S'not that easy."Jolt Etude
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Robin
Etude
Civilians IS OFFLINE
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Post by Etude on Nov 25, 2015 0:53:33 GMT -5
While the mutant seemed to have accepted their good faith, and for that she was glad, Ripley was another story. Etude rubbed the back of her neck. It had been light, and she had seen it coming, but… there was a reason she toned down her whims when Ripley was around. But! This was too important for her to hold in, regardless of what anyone thought.
And boy did it feel good letting it out. Getting that off her chest was the relief of the century. Just, everything about this felt right. Even if Ripley (who was -arguably- more reasonable and usually right) disagreed, she was certain on this one.
“It’d be as easy as leaving a note with the secretary and walking away. I could write it up right now. ‘I quit’.” She paused, realizing now may not be the best time to joke around. More seriously, she said, “My major role is to take over if anything happens to the mayor. I’m not even her assistant! And it’s not as though we’ll need another mayor any time soon. Sanata’s small, but she’s no pushover.”
Her eyes rose to the empty night sky. “Sometimes I wonder if they want me to leave. Last year, during the holidays, they gave me an award for ‘most buildings destroyed directly or indirectly by a government official’.” The number was three. Though Etude didn’t personally count one of them - she had no idea that sudowoodo knew self destruct.
Though, she was the one who spent day and night rebuilding those structures, and the homes on the edges of town, often destroyed by wild pokemon. And while she hadn’t taken down any major outlaws, she had kept a good lot of crime off the streets. And the number of small fights she had stopped - those two pie bakers would have been at each other’s throats if not for her intervention and conflict resolution. She was not a bad deputy mayor by any means. Some had called her good at her job. But, it was not the kind of role that she alone could fill. There were plenty of others who could take her place.
Shrugging, she said, “Come on, Ripley, the town doesn’t need me. The entire guild is there. I’m sure there’s at least five others would would love to fill my job.”
Word Count: 390
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY LittleLucy
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Post by Jolt on Nov 25, 2015 10:46:56 GMT -5
Jolt listened to Ripley and then listened to Etude. He looked at them both, back and forth until he gently nodded. He gave a small smile and stepped forward to speak himself.
"So, if there are plenty of others to take over then it should be fine. After all, the mutant guild is in need of members. If you are concerned so much about it, then why don't you take over?"
He smiled once more at Ripley until his eyes were directed towards Etude.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Rocket
On your feet, keep it loyal |
Ripley
Lapras Seas Guild IS OFFLINE
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Post by Ripley on Nov 25, 2015 12:32:26 GMT -5
Ripley sighed a weary sigh, shoulders sagging. There really was no talking her out of it this time, was there? Not that she was going to give up right away, obviously, but it was going to be rough. Sometimes Etude would do this, just latch onto something so tightly that everything else seemed to fade away. It was a kind of focus she could appreciate, but it sure made her job a lot harder than it should've been. "Because, kid." She turned her head slightly, looking at the mutant out of the corner of her eye. She knew he meant well, deep down, but the situation was sort of beyond him right now. "I've got my own responsibilities. And I ain't about to let her walk away from hers." Besides, taking her place as deputy mayor would require her to leave the Guild, and that wasn't something she even wanted to consider. Not just yet, anyway. Turning back to Etude, she reached up a second time, not slap her, but to place a slipper on her shoulder. It was hard, since one was almost a foot taller than the other, but she managed it. "'Tude, listen." She grumbled, sound as earnest as she possibly could. "Yknow how felt about you leavin' Lapras Seas, way back when." She'd practically begged the Gallade to stay, but just like now, it wasn't enough to convince her. "But you're doin' good things in that office. You're helpin' people, whether you can see it or not. I know... I know I can't stop what you're tryin' to do here." She knew, and it was frustrating. "But, if you could, just give it a little more thought. Take a few days. Sleep on it. Don't go rushin' into this like you always do." It was really the least she could possibly ask for, but there was a chance, however slim, that she'd listen. "If not for nobody else, do it for my sake. Okay?"
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