paladinlost | 7th moon [video/action]

Taichi and I are staying in Cherrygrove right now! Though we might try to meet up with a few other people we met, too.

Are you working, Cecil?

Is that so? Did you get to enjoy the beach before the temperature fell?

I am. It is not quite the type of work I'm used to, but I manage.

For a little while! It sure did get cold fast, though. Too bad, it was such a nice beach...

If I'm not careful I'm going to run out of money soon...

It might be cold, but water Pokémon still seem to enjoy it. Perhaps they have a better resistance than we do.

You could always work here as a cashier. It is simple work, and the pay isn't bad. Money can also be earned by battling other trainers, but...

They live in the water, right? That must be why.

Do you think I could get a job at a clothing store? I know all about the latest fashions and trends!

Hopefully the plants that live on the route have the same sort of resistance.

You could ask store owners if they have jobs openings. I know a few of the restaurants need waitresses, but I didn't check the clothing stores. However, minors can only work part-time.

I know Oddish doesn't like the cold much at all. I've had to wrap her in scarves and hats to keep her warm! [derp still thinks her Pokemon is a girl...]

Hmmm... I guess I'll have to ask around!

Since she has no arms, I suppose she cannot wear a coat. But I believe I heard a girl say she was selling handmade scarves, should you need more.

Be careful when you do get a job. Some places ask employees to work a certain number of days, so there might be problems if you need to leave in a hurry.

Handmade scarves are always so warm! Who was selling them?

... oh. I'll keep that in mind. How strange...

A girl who was staying in Violet. She had pigtails.

I suppose they don't want to hire employees, only to lose them the next day. That could get bothersome.

Oh... I guess it might be a while before I can buy some.

I guess that's true. I'll have to talk to Taichi first, before I do anything.

You could still ask. There might be a way for you to get it by mail delivery.

Should you both decide to work for a while, try not to work at the same place. That way, when you leave, the shop will not lose two employees at the same time.

Oooh, that's a great idea!

Okay. We'll be careful!

This city is very small.

Ah, you've arrived here safely. That is good.

It is indeed small, for a city. I was assured that Violet and Goldenrod are much bigger. At least it has restaurants and a Pokémon Center, unlike New Bark Town.

It was an interesting journey.

Violet and Goldenrod... Yes, that would seem reasonable. There has to be some sort of economical infrastructure...

Were the wild Pokémon troublesome?

...It's strange, actually. They offer us communication devices and supplies, they allow us to work... and yet, we do not have to pay taxes. That sounds unfair for the locals.

There was a problem with rats.

And the locals always say the same things. It is as if...

Oh, but where are my manners? How are you?

Ah, the rats. Always so eager to meet us all. And some locals are stranger than the others. On route 30, at the very end of the left path, there is an old man who keeps rambling about Professor Oak.

I'm doing quite well. I managed to get longer shifts this week, and two of my friends are coming back to Cherrygrove.

So, Hell is truly made in madness.

You are the sort of man who likes to keep himself busy, I'm guessing? Is work stimulating for you?

To be honest, stocking shelves isn't the type of work I'm used to, not is it what I see myself doing in the long term. I always prefered hunting monsters, or even dealing with nobles and advisors. But if I earn enough money in this city, I'll be able to spend the next part of the journey training, without worrying about supplies. That sort of peace of mind is important to me.

Mm, so you are a noble man with a thirst for adventure, I presume?

I remember how much I despised court as a child. Certainly, the galas and the dances were all very fun, but more often it was an entire day of being subjected to my king and his men arguing on and on about the correct path for a horse to trot to and from Rome.

Is it a thirst for adventure when it is part of the job? I am soldier before I am a noble. It is my duty to keep my people- no, to keep the whole world safe from those that would destroy it.

[Oh boy can he sympathize with that.] Or complaining about 'inappropriate uses of the royal treasury'. As if saving a poor village from starvation was ever inappropriate.

A man of honor then.

I spent more time on the battlefield or on the way to or from a battlefield than in court, and that was probably for the better. I... tended to aggravate most of my kings.

Oh, the royal treasury. Always such an important topic. Should the silk be light red or dark pink? Should the ladies-in-waiting be given four mirrors or jeweled hairpieces? Or should they see fit to feed the men off to fight and die? Such a difficult decision.

The battlefield is certainly less complicated. But at the same time, at court there is always the possibility of using your influence to obtain more funds for war orphans. Unless of course the king is murdered and secretly replaced by a disguised monster, which luckily doesn't happen too often.

Ah, the ever-important silk. Seventeen years of reforms, politicking and strenghtening international relations, and still some of the court ladies believe that buying silk curtains should be one of the kingdoms's priorities.

One of my queens was convinced the new fashion would be massive wigs with boat models mounted upon them. She was adamant about it for a while, but she was always such a flighty thing.

I personally always enjoyed running off and going to the salons. No one really approved of it, except the people I met at the salons. But they were the real people, my citizens at arms.

...Wigs with boat models? Here I was, wondering if the layered sleeves were a bit too much. Did they look good on her, at least?

Salons? Where did they take place, and what did they involve? Personally, when I go into town, I make sure to visit the local shop owners often. Also, that nice street entertainer who always knows if the citizens like the latest laws. ...And my mother-in-law.

No. The boats were a massive mistake.

Salons are a bit like a tavern and a club, normally known for their meals, wine, and stimulating and often politically-oriented conversation. Depending on who runs the salon and where it is, the type of people who frequent it vary.

Your mother-in-law? You are married?

How long did the boat phase last?

They sound quite interesting. And I bet the people there discussed opinions that were never heard at court. Did you have any favorite?

I am, and I've been for the last seventeen years. Sadly, neither my wife nor my son were brought here. I suppose they're still at home, wondering where I've gone. What about you? Do you have a family waiting for you?

Oh, I don't know. A week?

Well, I had many interests in the salons, but the Jacobins were the most unforgettable in the end.

Not so much family as citizens. I am the Republic of France, the Nation of Love, Light, and Beauty. My absence from my land and people is a cause of great concern

At least it was short. We had a Chocobo feather craze that lasted six whole months.

[Nope, not kind at all.]

There are many types of 'unforgettable' people, and a few of those would be better off forgotten.

[Straight, married, and faithful. Sorry. But he has many single handsome friends around town?]

Your absence could cause a war? In that case, this world shouldn't have forced you from your home. If it makes your people worry that much...

...This might seem a strange question, but what is a Republic? I am not familiar with the term.

They aren't really my people; it's more like I'm theirs. If they one day decided they didn't want me anymore...

You... fight for a king or a ruler of sorts, don't you? And there are nobles who are sworn to your ruler, correct?

Is that not how every ruler should be? Kings, elders, epopts, all are nothing without their people.

[His idealistic side is showing again. He doesn't care.]

I fight for the sake of the whole world. [The last (fake) king who sent him on a pillaging mission received a few thunderbolts and a sword to the face.] But yes, the nobles are indeed sworn to the crown.

No, no, I'm not a ruler of any sort. I am... a manifestation of sorts of what the citizen of France consider French. Thus, I am France.

A republic is rather the opposite of having a king or a ruler that the people and nobles swear themselves to and who controls the land completely. In a republic, the citizens of a nation elect their heads of state and also others to represent them in government. In its perfect form, the republic should serve the people and be controlled by the people for their benefit.

Of course, it doesn't completely work out that way. Just because I've escaped the trappings of court life doesn't mean I've escaped bureaucracy.

So you're... the spirit of the country itself? Were you born like that, or did you become it?

The people choose their ruler? None of my world's countries work like that. Can they choose anyone they want? Well, I suppose they probably cannot vote for a child or a dead person, but other than that?

Bureaucracy is inescapable, unless you live somewhere very deep within a forest.

I don't know. I don't remember.

Technically, citizens should be able to vote for whoever they want. The salons I mentioned earlier eventually became political parties, which organize who will run for government positions. It is a bit like a number of lords vying for the same position by trying to be the most popular.

Oh, even the forest would have paperwork, I'm sure. The birds have to pay taxes to the trees, and the foxes have to get land ordinances to build their holes.

[Well, that's not reassuring.]

How long has it been?

Except your citizens don't have to choose between the same few families every time. Some new blood at court could do much good.

The imps would probably ask for a protection fee from travellers, if they thought they could get away with it.

I have been France ever since I can remember. Since Gaul, maybe before, maybe a little after. A thousand or so years ago.

The people who end up in charge are only so different as their outside ideology. In the end, state-making and maintaining remains the same. Humans are predictable in the end.

A thousand years? No wonder you cannot remember.

[He snorts.] That is not unique to humans. Dwarves, Eidolons, Lunarians; their societies work very much the same way. Perhaps the Hummingways also, but I cannot understand their language enough to observe their politics.

My memory is usually very good, but, well, everyone has certain deficiencies after a time.

I think it is most fascinating to be able to gaze into the similarities and the differences between peoples. We can learn so much from each other! Why, the Chinese certainly have the most beautiful silks; they have been around so much longer than I, and I have to give them credit for their art--it is beautiful, although so different from my own.

You're right. Why, ever since our peoples made contact, Baron's engineers and the dwarves have greatly progressed. By comparing their techniques and sharing their discoveries, they have created automatons they could never have imagined before. I'm certain you and China have learned much from each other as well.

You must have been able to see the differences in a single culture over time, along with the others. How lucky! To be able to watch history unfold...

A lot of time has passed between China and I as well as between myself and other nations. Some of it good, some of it bad, and some I can't really say I could categorize as either. I've always thought that it was something of the magic of our existence, that we can be defined in so many ways by those that we meet and surround us, whether we like them or not.

History is a funny thing that way. Very much based on people and easily the stuff of legends, yet, somehow, it maintains the ties that bind us.

[Oh hai daddy! So good to see you on the pokegear.]

I might need to buy a few Repels when I get back to Cherrygrove. I've been using most of my supplies so far.

[Anything to return to Cherrygrove City a few days earlier.]

Would you like me to buy them for you? That way, you wouldn't have to worry about them being out of stock.

I think I'm okay right now. But thanks for the offer!

You're welcome. But if you end up needing anything, make sure to tell me.

Will do. I may end up changing my mind when I get closer to Cherrygrove.

[He still has a long way to go. :|]

Should you use up all your potions, there is a man on the east path of route 30 that can heal your Pokémon. But it takes a day or two to get there, so try to avoid that if you can.

Oh, okay! I think I have enough potions, though...I hope.

[A pause.]

Weeeell, we'll see what happens.

...If you have not reached the town in two weeks, we'll send a search party.

Awww, I don't get lost! Usually.

You could always break a leg and lose your Pokégear, leading to a painful death by starvation.

[He's kidding. Probably.]

[Okay, he's just going to stare at you, Cecil.]

But your Pokémon would certainly be smart enough to get help if that happened, so there is no need for you to worry about that.

[He teases because he cares. Really.]

Yeah, definitely.

[Just...not a pretty picture you painted in his head.]

So make sure you get here safely. If something were to happen, Squall and the others would worry.

I'll come in one piece, I promise!

Our group arrived safely. [ His boots need a little TLC from all the dirt, but nothing a damp cloth won't fix. ] It's been an interesting few days.

That's good to hear. Did you get to enjoy the wondrous local fauna?

[ Leon can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, Cecil, so he's gonna assume serious until told otherwise. ]

...something like that; Skarmory likes chasing the Pidgey. I might take her back out there today. [ He might as well be productive while he waits for Aerith. Besides--Skarmory turned out to be really into this stuff. ]

What about you?

[Sarcasm? What is that? ...Oh, right, 'wondrous'. That was sarcastic.]

Pidgeys can also be found on route 30, if you'd prefer. It has more variety. You can also fight some water Pokémon at the beach, but I'm not certain a Skarmory would have the advantage.

I've spent half my time working here, and the other half training against bugs and birds. My Shuppet has been threatening to go on strike if I don't find him something more interesting to fight.

I see. I'll have a look, then. They must get stronger as you go forward. [ It would make sense that the wild pokemon would adapt to trainer levels, right? ]

I'd offer Skarmory, but I don't think she'd put up much of a fight at this point. Are you training for the next gym?

Probably. It also seems like more types show up as you go.

She will before long, believe me. They get strong surprisingly quickly. I am, or at least I'm trying. None of my Pokémon have a type advantage, and Rosie doesn't train much.

I'm just happy Skarmory hasn't had too much trouble with anything we've faced so far.

I'll need to catch something else, though--Skarmory won't be effective on her own against a full Flying team. [ Guess who's been reading the manual! ] Who's Rosie?

She's probably tall enough to step on any Pokémon between here and Violet. I doubt the two of you will have problems on the road.

Geodudes can be found in the Dark Cave, and Mareeps can be found on the other side of Violet. Both are strong against Flying Pokémon. [Cecil doesn't need the manual. He has Aerith and everyone else.] Rosie is my Cleffa. She's the one I received when I first arrived.

You're probably right. [ Skarmory nudges her way into Leon's space to eye Cecil carefully. Skrar. Hello. ] Still, never hurts to be prepared. [ Leon also has a slew of people to ask things--he just likes to figure stuff out by himself. It's a thing. Still, he's grateful for the tips people keep throwing his way. ] I'll keep those in mind.

How's the pokémart treating you?

Start catching new team members early. You'll have more time to train them. [Skarmory gets a friendly wave of friendliness. If he wasn't working, he'd call out his Pokémon so they could say hi.] You can also ask breeders for advantageous eggs, but then you'd have to find someone with the Pokémon you want, and you'd have to pay them.

The pay is far from high, but the work is very easy. Also, I always know what is currently in stock and I learn tips and tricks about the different items. It helps when I shop for supplies.

I have everything I need already. Still, thank you for the offer, Cecil.

It is no trouble. If it comes down to it, I've already bought a few extras, just in case.

With a group of us traveling together, I doubt we will come across anything we cannot face.

Indeed. Still, I'd rather not take any chances.

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