paladinlost | 93rd moon [video]

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93rd moon [video]

[The view: the ceiling of the most enpensive restaurant in Celadon. The background noise: dozens of customers enjoying their meals, and Cecil tapping his fingers on a wooden table.]

When I first awoke in New Bark Town, four years ago, I was... unwell. This whole world's very existence confused me, and so did my presence in it. The relatively weak and harmless-looking monsters were also a shock. Had it not been for Rosie's sweetness, I surely would have attempted to fight her. You could say that day was very unpleasant, though still far from the worse I've had.

[The background noise: a liquid hitting glass. The view: a quick flash of a wine bottle in a corner.]

And yet... when I finally managed to use the Pokégear, I was contacted by friends I'd not seen in seventeen years. Friends I'd not remembered in seventeen years, and that I would not have expected to ever see again even if I'd kept those memories. I also met kind people, good people, who made my first few weeks here much easier than they would otherwise have been. All have been gone for years, now, but I still find myself thinking of them fondly. Therefore... you could say that day was a good day, too.

[The action, unseen and barely heard: Cecil making a silent toast to all those people, and downing that glass before setting it back on the table.]

...Well! Now that I've shared my first day experience, it's only fitting that you do the same. Surely you all have interesting stories to share.

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Ah, I remember my first day.

It was horrendous, actually. Some woman told me that it was my tenth birthday and kicked me out the door, and then I was given a Pokemon that can't really do anything except imitate other Pokemon poorly...

...and then a Rattata stole the food I'd been given and I was picked up by someone I had known of but never properly met to spend several weeks in the wilderness.

...needless to say, it's mostly been uphill from there.

In that poor woman's defense, she's obviously very damaged.

[Not that it makes her wake-up call more pleasant, mind you.]

Still, with such a first day you could at least tell yourself that the situation would necessarily improve. And a proper meeting with an acquaintance sounds positively lovely, compared to the rest.

Oh, no, I'm quite aware of that. It just... wasn't particularly pleasant, though I'll admit I found the whole thing asinine rather than unsettling.

...well, we were enemies of a sort before arriving here, though our conflict was extremely specific to something that was going on back home, so there was no reason to keep it going here. The fact that he was a gentleman about it was fortunate, at the very least.

That makes you the second person today to mention traveling or spending time with someone who had once been an enemy. I was not aware that this was such a common occurence. This world is truly a great opportunity, if it can remove the causes of conflict so easily.

Well, like I said, it really was nothing personal. We were simply two similar-minded men competing for the same goal. With that goal removed, there would be no reason for us to oppose each other.

...Still, this place does have a way of getting you to slow down and get to know other people, I suppose. That may sound a bit sentimental, but it is the truth.

Perhaps that is because the Pokégears facilitate quick but frequent conversations, much more than letters or personal visits would. Or perhaps that is due to the social nature of the goals we are offered, along with the low stakes of said goals. Even the most formal of Pokémon battles feel more like a friendly sparring match than, say, a fight to the death.

Both of those... actually do make sense. As much as I'm loath to admit it, I have grown rather fond of talking to people over the Gears, though I wouldn't say it really surpasses personal visits for me. Though, the fact that death is outright impossible probably does help, at least for some people...

Nothing can convey closeness and friendship quite as well as a true meeting, but I still appreciate not having to spend weeks waiting for letters. Or wondering if a friend was eaten by a monster during that time, which I suspect would happen here if Pokémon were not nearly so tame.

...actually, did that happen here at some point? I seem to remember hearing about something of the sort, though I don't quite know who it was...

...I can recall at least one attempt, but a Pokémon successfully eating someone... Was it a Gyarados, perhaps? That does sound familiar, and they are the type to do so...

Well, I do know an attempt was made, at least. And I do think it was a Gyarados... that's one of the ones that's big enough to do it without instantly killing someone, anyway.

Wailords would also be large enough, but the few I've seen were too... mellow for that. And a Steelix would have too easily crushed its target, large or not.

A Wailord would actually be somewhat amusing, but I'm actually not entirely sure if they're capable of swallowing whole humans, if they're anything like normal whales. Plus, Gyarados are... well... Gyarados. That sort of behavior wouldn't surprise me, honestly.

It would surprise me coming from a few specific Gyarados... but only a few. Most tend to still feel the anger from the insults they hear as Magikarps, the poor things.

[...Why yes, he does consider angry sea serpents that might want to eat people 'poor things'.]

Well, there are always exceptions, I suppose. Perhaps one that was doted upon would be less volatile, but I'm not sure if I'd have the patience to figure that out.

I can confirm that it works; Excalibur was spoiled with love and expensive steaks, and she's always been an absolute sweetheart, both before and after evolving. She's almost a puppy in a large scaly body.

...given how excitable and energetic puppies tend to be, I'm almost wondering if she'd be extremely dangerous to be around for an entirely different reason, if you didn't know how to deal with her...

She can restrain her enthusiasm when she sees the necessity, I assure. It's merely that she does not see it nearly as often as her smaller comrades do.

Well, thank heavens for occasional mercies, I suppose. She at least behaves around company, then...?

She giggles, lolls her tongue and and begs for chin scratches. An alarming display coming from such a large creature, perhaps, but still much better than the other two's reactions.

Well, that might be horrifying if you're not expecting it, but now I'm definitely wondering what the other two are and what they even do...

...They fit the stereotypical image of Gyarados down to the last detail, and even more in Seifer's case.

...well, I would hope you don't have those ones greet guests, then. That's practically a violation of every hospitality standard in existence.

They don't greet expected and wanted guests, of course. I have Rosie for that.

[When it comes to unexpected and unwanted 'guests', however...]

[The implication is not lost on Kayneth, and he smiles a bit wryly.]

Well, it never hurts to know who to set as your doorman and who to set as your guard dogs.