Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
The early morning sun bled through the thin layer of clouds overhead, turning the whole of Berry Basket farm a shade of gray that dulled every color ever so slightly. It wasn't a bad look--it made everything look calm, sleepy, and peaceful, even if that made Naoki a little tired themselves. It would have been nice, though, to get a little more blue sky and sunlight so they could warm themselves up a little more. Fuji Town, despite what its name may have suggested, was not warm year-round. There were still plenty of crops that flourished in colder climates, though, and it did give farmers time to do tasks that would otherwise consume time they had to spend tending their fields on warmer days.
That is, if they wanted to do those things. Naoki would much rather keep tending to their berries than work on anything else. Their cabin was in fine condition and they didn't have any reasons to venture out of town yet, so...here they were.
Naoki was currently walking through the rows of several rawst berry trees that they had been tending to through winter--rawst berries cured burns, so it wasn't too surprising that their most plentiful season would be the coldest. Between them and numerous berries in the pear family--wepear and aspear were quite profitable as well as useful--they still had plenty of work to do. With a basket under their arm and scarf wrapped around their nose they reached a gloved hand up to pick a few of the fuller, blue-er berries from the branches above. Floating a tree or so behind them Onsei the Elgyem was clipping where the trees grew a little too far into the path with a pair of shears that should have been too large for him to use, but was being held aloft and used by his psychic abilities.
With the berries within their reach in the basket, Naoki turned to catch Onsei's little green eyes. They pointed upwards into the tree at a few more fruit, then made a plucking motion in the air. <<Onsei, can you pick the berries up there?>> Onsei nodded, which with the size of his head looked like his whole body wobbled back and forth, then floated higher into the trees to pull the berries down, floating them down by hand into Naoki's waiting grasp to inspect, then be added to the basket. Once they were all down they tapped their wrists together, smiling brightly. <<Thank you!>>
Onsei nodded their whole body once again. Then, with a little twitch, he glanced toward the path from the farm to the main road through the trees. Naoki blinked and turned as well. Had he heard something? Was somebody coming down the path?
Winter was a hard time on farmers, harvesting and getting berries and fruit to grow took a lot of guts and determination, and a whole bunch of stamina that Gaki half the time couldn't have the energy to exert. So far her dream farming life wasn't the wonderful harvest moon fantasy that she'd one come to hope for- there was hardly any time to leave and mingle and do requests for the harmless NPC's minding their business- nah. It was just a constant crop RNG game.
Not that she was sick of it or anything, Gaki just needed more excitement, more to really get her stamina bar up. She'd been out patrolling and watering her cousins crops since they'd been busy with ChuuTube business when she'd spotted a plot of land they could have sworn had been uninhabited a few weeks ago- or maybe she was just completly and utterly oblivious up until this point- well- whatever! Instantly the girl was intrigued. A new neighbour?! That meant countless new opportunities in her tiny little farming dream, trades, the opportunity to have a farming rival! Or- a friend- not that anybody ever wanted to be friends with her, but still!
Gaki found herself sneaking closer to the strange farm now, peering around the bushes curiously, an empty watering can with a game mascot sketched on it clutched in her hands as she attempted to use her super-trained stamina skills to cheek out the new NPC! Though... she couldn't get a good enough view from the bush- and she knew her charisma stat wasn't good enough to get away with her behaviour if she got caught- sooo... Gaki did the next best thing.
She started down the main road, turning to duck into their farm. She had no gifts ready, only a watering in her hands and a perplexed expression on her features. Right-o, this should be easy enough- though she had no game plan, no strategy, and... no idea how this NPC would respond to her- and she didn't even have time to think, as she neared the entrance, only to see them... looking... at... her.
Gaki wasn't well equipped for this situation! Her inventory wasn't fully stocked! She had no affection points with this stranger, no conversation gameplan prepped...how did she... uhm... uh... Gaki's footsteps became hesitant, especially upon noting the strange new farmers pokemon, and managed to blank- in games... they introduced... with... uh... title, and name!
"...Gaki. I'm... a Farmer." That... that wasn't even a hello! Gaki stood her ground though, and her grip tightened ever so slightly on the watering can. Surely she didn't exactly look the part of a farmer, wearing game merchandise that she'd probably slept in, but she totally was! "...I haven't seen you before..."
For a moment Naoki didn't see anything out of the ordinary; everything was bathed in gray light and white snow, so it was a little hard to pick out a girl with silver hair and pale skin. What caught their attention was her eyes. The vibrant shade of green stood out like nothing else growing on the farm right now, and Naoki honed onto it as Gaki's eyes locked with their own. Was she another farmer? A passing tourist? Naoki smiled a little and gave her a wave. Onsei made a sound that was more like a series of little beeps, but might have also been a sigh. Naoki didn't catch it. He was focused on the girl.
Ah, she's speaking. What is she saying? Onsei, can you hear her?
Naoki glanced up again at their Elgyem. While he wasn't capable of full telepathy yet, he could still do little things. Onsei nodded their whole body and, in a blink, something went through Naoki's mind as if it were their own thoughts. G-A-K-I. Gaki? That looked like a name from back home! Was she from one of the eastern regions? That would be nice.
With their smile still in place their attention returned to Gaki and they offered her a small bow in greeting--Onsei did the same, only while floating--then, with a little difficulty because of their arm holding a basket, extended their index fingers and spun them around each other, like bike pedals. <<Do you know sign-language?>> They tapped both of their index and fore-fingers together, then raised two of them to their forehead, before holding it out and doing a series of signs--their name. <<My name is Naoki.>>
Onsei's attention returned to the girl, and, as it had with Naoki, a series of...less "words", more "symbols" or "images" went through her mind, like it were her own, and yet not.
Ah- a... a bow?! That... that was kinda like back home, her aunt did that a bunch and it kinda became a habit for Gaki- easy enough to break, surely. She returned their bows with her own, confused glint in her eyes. Ahhh she was being stared at, did she say something wrong- maybe she should have given the address first to clear misconceptions. Uhm... wait their hands- Gaki blinked, confused, until coming to the very sudden realization that... that was sign language- unless it was some sort of warden and the person was a mage, casting a spell on her to get her out of their farm?!
Wait no, they weren't even dressed like a mage. Alright- just a farmer then... who... Gaki couldn't understand. How did she... uhm... If Sid was here they'd have a gameplan, but the girl was stuck- and then suddenly... letters...flashed?! Gaki's eyed widened- uh... "...N...Naoki?" She put the letters together, and blinked for a few seconds... right, that must be the strangers name, Naoki. She could already feel the affection points ticking down in the negatives the more she fidgited- how... Gaki spent most of her time playing her DS in class, so even if they did go over sign language she sure as hell didn't pay attention- why didn't real life have subtitles?!
Subtitled... text... te- Text! The girls hands flew to her back pocket, and she pulled out her phone, which she promptly moved to show the person. They could read, right?! She hoped so, she could feel her charisma points flunking, she didn't even come with a gift, aah.... She got open her notepad and quickly typed in something, turning it to face Naoki with an eyebrow quirked in honest determination. This was... the real life version of subtitles! And... she could communicate better this way- maybe- probably...
[ thts sign language, right? srry i dunno it. ;~; buuut im gaki. im a farmer. ^///^ hi. are you new? ]
Last Edit: Jan 18, 2020 15:56:33 GMT by Gaki Amabie
Her lips moved in a way that they could interpret as her saying their name aloud. Good! That meant Onsei's telepathic abilities were working! Someday he'd be able to use it to actually "speak", but this was still a good start. Naoki nodded. But it didn't seem like she knew sign language, so there was still a barrier between the two of them, which...
Ah, wait, she had a solution. Perfect! As Gaki approached Naoki started to reach behind their apron for their own pocket, but with the basket in the way it was a little hard to get there. After a second of staring at said basket, they looked up at Onsei, held the basket up with two hands, and then, without even a moment's pause, released it. The basket did not fall, however, but remained floating in the air by their side, though closer inspection would show it was now lined with a faint blue-green light--the same that was surrounding Onsei's floating form. Naoki withdrew their own phone from their jeans while leaning in a little to read Gaki's message. And by "lean in", they really did have to, because she was a bit shorter than they were--by a good head, at least.
She even includes emotes? That's adorable. And she's a farmer, too!
Naoki grinned a little more, and typed out a response. [ Hello Gaki, I'm Naoki Nakano. Or Nakano Naoki, if you are from around Sinnoh? Your name sounds eastern if you don't mind my saying. ] They withdrew to type a little more. [ I have been living and working in Fuji for a while but only finished purchasing the farm earlier this month. ]
Onsei kept his distance, the basket floating up to his height so he could snag a berry. Despite having no visible mouth the berry began to disappear like bites were being taken from it. Naoki didn't notice--or if they did, didn't seem too confused or bothered by this.
[ And this is Onsei, my Pokemon. It's a pleasure to meet you! ]
Yes! Level up! It worked! There was an excited glint to her eyes then, and in the time it took Naoki to write another reply Gaki had taken her time to take in what she could about their farm, it was simple... and... cute. Gaki bit down on her lip, hell even her and her robot buddy had matching aprons?! Nngh...maybe they made it themselves- could they have like... costuming experience? Nuh-uh! Don't even begin to dwell on that, Gaki. Look, they're done writing!
Her gaze flicked over the words for a moment and the corner of her lip twitched up, from Sinnoh? That's close to Kanto, right? Gaki was terrible with locations but... it explained the greeting! Before she could have a chance to type more the phone was back with more text, and Gaki tilted her head a little. Oooh, so they're not necessarily new, which meant she couldn't give the harvest-moon tutorial tour or anything but... that was fine, right? The girl returned to typing on her own phone now.
[ kanto girl here! ᕦ(ò_óˇ) my full names gaki amabie, so itts level 10 eastern, prolly. nice to meetcha! >u< ]
Sinnoh... they hold a local games convention every year right? Not that Gaki's ever gone but... maybe this farmer has- could they give her the tips and tricks to games prior unheard of?! Though... Naoki... doesn'treally give off game vibes, maybe she should leave little hints in her messages! yeah!
[ ic! me and my cuz have been livin here a few months now, their farm is the one to your left! and miiiine is next to that one. c: ur pkmn is super cute- did they just- absorb a berry? dunno why but that reminds me of when you feed animals in mmos- it just dissapears! ]
She... wrote too much... But Gaki was already getting enthusiastic! She watched Naoki for any signs of recognition, of like... any mmo, a gamer neighbour!? Was that likely? Gaki didn't know... what if- no- they probably wouldn't like LARPing? Or would they?! Would is be bad to ask or... she'll wait. It's fine.
[ my partners are off protecting the farm! ᕙ(⇀‸↼ )ᕗ theyre defo from a defense class. ]
Aha, Naoki had been correct with their assumption! Even though Kanto was quite a distance from Sinnoh, the cultures were still similar enough to feel familiar to them at a glance. They read through the next messages earnestly, though they were slightly confused by some of her terminology--"level ten eastern"? Did she mean "ten percent"? That didn't sound right either. The emotes were still very cute. As she typed up more responses, Naoki spared a glance down the rows of trees toward their cabin. Should they invite her inside? It wasn't as bitterly cold as it had been some of the other days this week, and Naoki did love the snow, but it still wasn't ideal for standing around and talking. Oh, but they still had some more fruits to pick. Could they do that and type?
[ We're neighbors then! That's very exciting! I hope I can meet them soon as well. ] They had to wonder if this cousin would have the same snow white hair and brilliant eyes that Gaki had. Surely they'd find out sooner rather than later. What did "mmo" mean again? It was something game related, but they were bad with acronyms. They could look it up later maybe? Did that mean she played a lot of games? [ I'm not really sure myself how he eats, but he does! I've learned to stop questioning it. ^_^;; ] Their little unsure emote didn't match the still gentle smile on their face, but oh well.
[ Do you mind if we type and walk? I would like to pick the rest of these berries. You're welcome to have one if you'd like, though they are very bitter by themselves. I have some sweeter ones inside if you'd prefer one of those? ] Then again, something about her made them think she would like very bitter things. Or be neutral to them, at least?
Naoki started a leisurely walk towards the next tree in the row and the berries in it, reaching to pluck down the ones who looked more blue-green than simply green. They continued to type with one hand while placing the fruit into the basket, still held adrift by Onsei's psychic abilities. Onsei floated along a little ways behind his trainer, but kept giving odd glances to Gaki. Without a readable expression, it was hard to tell what they were about. [ So you have a high defensive team? That's interesting. I think I'd have to classify Onsei as a "support", if I'm thinking of the correct classes? ] They'd done a little diving into games back home with their friends, but most of their time was taken up by the farm these days, be it the work spent to purchase their own or setting it up. Would they even have time to play games once everything was in full bloom? Hmm. Maybe.
[ Do you do a lot of gaming when you aren't farming? Just guessing by your language. ]
From the way Naoki was responding to her to the way they held themselves, Gaki could tell they probably weren't a rival- unless they were the type of character who was supposed to start off as a friendly NPC but quickly switch on you with no prior warning to bring up irrelevant plot points and turn a decent story into a stupid one- but Gaki could hopefully assume otherwise. They seemed excited when typing at least, and they even used an emote! That's the spirit she likes to see!
Oh- they wanted to type and walk? Yeah, that was cool with Gaki- probably. It was awkward to just... stand around, right? Oh, she could get a look-see at their crops too and strategise on how theirs were growing in comparison to hers! A perfect game plan!
[ don't mind at all!! i can help pick the berries and everything, i've got super good skill points for farming and harvesting- or so i've been told... by people! ^u^ ]
She began walking alongside the farmer now, taking in the way their crops were planted, how they seemed reasonably tended- not bad, not bad- but Gaki could do better! She had pro strats, after all0 when she wasn't lazing off, but still! She glanced through and noted a ripe berry Naoki had missed, holding it in the air excitedly, almost mimicking a 'quest item received' pose before shifting to drop it in the basket. After reading their next text Gaki shifted a little...
[ yep! suuper tanky, to protect the farm! their cuteness could divert a whole squadrant if they tried to get into save-point acres if they so dared to use it as a weapon! (≧∇≦*) and yeah!! support classes are suuuuper important, onsei has gotta be one!! ]
Or... would Onsei maybe be attack? There's a bunch of attack robot classes in sci-fi games, and sometimes they were pure evil.. that and Gaki wasn't very familiar with the pokemon species but aye, it was fine! Probably! Gaki wasn't here to be the brains of the operation and know every little thing about every little mon! All she knew it that her tiny Turtwig, leaf, was probably the cutest little guy out there- his tiny baby squeal could frighten even a high levelled vampire!
As she dwelled on that thought, and how utterly adorable her pokemon were her gaze flicked back to Naoki's screen, and practically lit up! They could tell she liked gaming? A soft giggle left Gaki then, oh they had no idea... harvest moon, the main 5 mmo's, starquest, pikachu hill... and so much more... were just her lifeblood! Her whole life, from the moment she and her cousin started interacting was just... digitally enhanced. Her reply was typed quickly and flashed to her with a giddy flick of the wrist- could Gaki have found an ally?!
[ every second i'm not farming im gaming or larping- or preparing for a larp!!!! ۹(ÒہÓ)۶ do you game at all? i've been doing it since i was little asdfghj ]
More and more game terminology. Naoki was going to need to look up a farming game to put her words into context, weren't they? That would be funny. A farmer playing a farm game. They appreciated her help, though, and made up their mind then and there that they'd find a way to repay her kindness. Now what was that about people trying to get into her farm...? [ Oh dear. I hope that doesn't happen very often. My farm hasn't had any worse attackers than some hungry Pokemon. And I don't mind those too much. ] Her farm was even named "Save Point Acres". She had a real dedication to these things, didn't she? It was a little odd, but it wasn't too strange as to be funny.
Naoki was, finally, stumped on that one. "Larping"? What was a "larp"? Was it a common thing that they should know about? Um...I could just ask...but let's answer her, first. [ I do on occasion, though I've been busy this last month. And there aren't many main-stream games I'm interested in. Too much violence or too dependent on sound. I think I prefer text-based games better. ] Onsei glanced down. A beat of sadness reached out from his trainer, if only for a moment, and in response the little alien-looking Pokemon floated down to press the entirety of his head right into Naoki's cheek. Naoki blinked, properly distracted from what had been bothering them. They chuckled and gave Onsei a few pets, then typed out their next question. [ What is a larp? Is it also a game? If it's an acronym, I'm still getting used to some of those. I'm sorry. ]
Gaki went to pick another berry as the two walked, checking it for it's ripeness before placing that too in the basket- unsurprisingly Naoki seemed to know how to keep their crops in shape, especially during the winter... maybe... Gaki could ask some tips- but later! Right now she probably didn't have enough affection points to get away with that, which was fine. She was totally a patient girl, she'd figure out how to raise the stats and get to that level eventually!
[ usually just hungry pokemon for me too, but you never know who or what can stumble upon the farm!! ]
Maybe once she actually gathered a LARP group she could dress her mons in very light mock armour and have them play up their defense class? Oh! Or she could dress them up all cute-like... and they could do sneak attacks, because nobody expects really cute pokemon to be super tanky! She tilted her head at Naoki's next text, furrowing her brow slightly.
Oh! Just so they're not really into games because they're violent or sound dependant? Gaki could make a huge list of games that weren't like that for Naoki if they wanted! She'd played enough games in her time at the very least to be able to wrangle some. Non violent meant not attack based, so no MMO's... would magic count as violence? She'd probably have to look for the subtitled ones but typically most games had subtilte options and... Oh she was loosing track of herself! And Onesei looked to be... butting heads... no...
Comforting... comforting Naoki! That made Gaki a little bit more determined, and the girl quickly grasped at her phone, typing quickly.
[ ooh! i see what you mean! (◕◡◕✿) i know a bunch of games that aren't sound focused, plenty of games are subtitled now too! if you're looking at smaller, cute console games a lot of them are just calm likkee... pokemon crossing! or harvest moon! i could make up a list for you to check out if you want?? ⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝ ]
Sid probably knew a better range too, but seeing that Naoki seemed to have a tiny shred of interest... Gaki was determined to help! Games were universally fun, she wanted as many people to experience them as possible! And LARPing! She almost forgot that was her main goal! Butttt still.
..on the topic of LARPs... the farmers next question seemed to further fuel Gaki. Larping? Larping was her life! Maybe it wasn't the best idea to ask Gaki, she was far too passionate and could go on talking about Larping or gaming for hours! But, now it'd been asking, and a genuine smile spreak on Gaki's face, the girl practically bouncing on the spot as she typed up a response.
[ LARP is kinda a game!! sorta! ٩(๑> ₃ <)۶ it stands for live action role playing- it's not as weird as it sounds hear me out! so like, imagine... have you heard dungeons and dragons? if you acted that out in real life, you get with a group and you all are basically characters in a story, sometimes with given stats sometimes not and you play that out- it's like... improv acting, in costumes! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° ]
She moved to flick through her phone then, into her camera roll to pull out a few picturesof her latest LARP characters- showing off her green fairy costume with her tiny Turtwig and Spinda in matching wings. After ensuring Naoki saw it she moved to type again.
[ (≧∇≦)/ in this one i was Kia! a troublemaker warrior fairy! oh, and those two pokemon are my partners- leaf and volta! theyyyre so cute, like they've taken a stat boost potion in the cuteness department! not all LARPs are fighting one tho, and it's always play battle! sometimes you can be a witch, or detectives, or students, or royals... whatever the mind imagines! ]
Who or what indeed. [ Like curious neighboring farmers? ;P ] They teased. Gaki sure had an active imagination. That wasn't a bad thing, but it might be enough to tire Naoki out in large doses. So far though the most she was causing them was good humor and a little genuine intrigue, which was fine. She even had some games she wanted to share that didn't rely too much on sound or had subtitles to help them play better. That sounded kind of nice. Though was this "Harvest Moon" one of the farming games they knew about? Again, a farmer playing a farming game...well, maybe it would give them more ideas for the real-life work? [ Sure! I'd be happy to look into them! Are any of them multiplayer? Maybe we can share game information and play together? ]
That seemed like something fun they could do--and it would let them keep in touch with Gaki after she left in a way that, well, wasn't too draining. This "larping" thing sounded a little less in their comfort zone. Live action role-playing. Oh boy. That sounds intense.
Naoki's smile stretched a little thinner. They did know what Dungeons and Dragons were but not from first-hand experience. If they'd had a group of people who played who used sign language, or if they could do it online, then maybe they'd have been more into the whole concept when they were younger? But something that required you to be able to speak as your character, aloud, and listen to others as well, just wasn't suited to them.
At least, not until Onsei had evolved, and could fulfill their role as their support Pokemon.
[ It sounds like a lot of fun, especially the character building. It probably requires a lot of speaking, though? Or at least acting? Do you do it on your farm with your friends? ] The wide open spaces of a farm sounded perfect for what she described, especially if one decorated their fields to create things like great, towering berry orchards or dramatic ivy-laden "ruins". That would be cool, in theory. Onsei was still bumping their head against Naoki's palm. N-O S-A-D. Naoki chuckled--the sound very, very quiet--and pushed gently back at him with one hand, patting their chest twice with the other.
<<I got it, I got it.>> They moved their hand down and up over their torso. <<I'm happy, see?>> Onsei booped, a little annoyed, and pushed harder into Naoki's hand. He was making texting a little hard at the moment. The images of letters echoed once again into Naoki's mind...and, accidentally, into Gaki's as she was still so close. N-O S-A-D.
Post by Sidney Ridley on Jan 25, 2020 14:13:40 GMT
There were a few things aside from work and travel that pulled Sid out of their them-cave and into the outer world beyond. One of them which they happened to be playing right then was Digi-Go an overworld mobile game that allowed you to befriend and collect monsters that weren’t quite Pokemon but like Pokemon with armor. It was…. incredibly addictive in a good way, and it got them out on their off days.
Walking along the road with their phone in their gloved hands, they searched around for any elusive digital monsters. Trotting alongside them was Noble the Skiddo whom they’d caught earier in the fall and who liked the chance to get out and about again. He did much more looking around than Sid did and would actually be the one to notice Gaki out beyond the road in the trees.
A small noise escaped from Noble. Sid didn’t look up. Another noise. And Sid didn’t look up. Finally, Noble walked around and stopped right in front of them, and the bump and step back was enough to pull Sid back to reality again. “Huh?” they asked. The Skiddo made a small head gesture, and Sid turned to squint through the trees. “I don’t see anything?” Never mind that they didn’t have their contacts in, and everything was just a little blurrier than usual.
They'd be happy to look into them?! Gaki's eyes shone in excitement for a few seconds- yessss. She'd have to go on a google spiral, maybe look back at some of the games she's played- and she'd definitely have to ask Sid, they'd know exactly what sort of games to look for! And then... Naoki was asking about multiplayer games? Oh! Easy and they... wanted to play together?! Had Gaki somehow raised affection levels without realizing? Was this the affection up event, already?! Everything's moving so quick! Farmer gaming pal! She typed quickly, having to try even harder to fight back an excited squeal.
[ im sure there's a heap of multiplayer games!!! ヽ(^o^)ノi'd be more than happy to play with you! my cousin would probably be keen asf toooo. you want my number so we can talk about this when i'm not here? i'll send a bunch of recommendations over- or my gamer tag? pokecord? ]
Keep it together, Gaki! Being excited at the beginning of any experience in a noob level thing- she had to calm back down to level 3, rather then at whatever hype she was at now- it was just somebody who'd be interesting in playing a multiplayer game with her and maybe Sid- aaaaaaa that alone made her antsy- thank sonic she didn't have to speak right now, she'd probably have accidentally insulted Naoki thirty times in her state.
As Naoki wrote again and Gaki skimmed their words she was stumped for a solid moment. Right- Naoki couldn't speak... or was it hear? Hear- yeah. But they seemed curious! And Gaki was more than experienced with LARPing to give Naoki all they needed to know- probably.
[ it requires a little bit of speaking, but there can also be a lot of battling! and stuff! LARP has a bunch of branches, i think- of course i've never played a campaign that i haven't had to talk.. but!! it always depends on what the campaign is, and they can always be tailored to the people in the groups needs! You can use secret hand motions if on a stealth mission to signal different things ect. it's hard to explain??? but it's super super fun ]
Gaki didn't reply to their next bit straight away, pausing to think, watching Naoki as she gravitated towards another berry to put in the basket. And it was during that that Onsei's words popped into Gaki's head. The girls lips parted in confusion for a moment and her nose scrunched- huh? Onesei kept bumping into Naoki... were they comforting them? But... oh- they'd be sad because they don't think they can LARP- surely there was a way?!
[ i don't really have high affection levels with people- i mainly LARPed with my cousins friends in kanto. haven't had a chance to LARP here in arciel, currently recruiting for a group rn! buuuut my farm was custom built to be a home base for all things LARPing! and for people to be able to play out all sorts of things there! ლ(o◡oლ) ]
Surely... surely... Gaki could faintly hear the clopping from down the road but was too busy trying to think of a way to get Naoki involved to really divert her attention- uhm... uh- why was this so hard?! Catering... somehow... uh...
[ if you are interested i'm sure theres a way for you to join a LARP! you still have your body to play out things, which is really good! you can use text to speech programs even! or a campaign could be catered to be less verbal-communication and more plotty stuff- like quest seeking or treasure hunting and following clues! ヘ(‘◇’、)/ like pirates- and you can help with maps and clues!!! even?? ]
While Naoki wasn't sure what a "gamer tag" was, they were pretty sure they'd heard of Pokecord, at least in passing. It looked like every single web-community had one of those these days--they'd just not gotten around to making an account themselves. It would be easy, though. And typing to people was a great method for them to keep in touch! [ I can make a Pokecord, soon as I can. Maybe we should exchange numbers too so I can send you the account name when I'm done? ] Were they being too forward with all of this? Asking to play games together, asking for her number...it wasn't like they had any ulterior motivation. She was just a friendly girl who lived in the area. They didn't have many human friends outside their old job, despite living here for a while.
It would be nice to change that.
Naoki glanced down, away from her screen, as she confirmed some of what they had assumed about larping. Maybe if they could play a character that was hearing impaired, like themselves, it could be incorporated into the campaign? But people might not want to spend a chunk of the "campaign" learning sign language. They didn't want to...bother people. [ Text-to-speech would help me speak to them, but I would still be unable to hear people. ] They shrugged slightly before continuing to type. [ Maybe. I wouldn't say no to at least giving it a try, if you get a group together. Don't let me hold it up, though. ]
Onsei stayed quite literally squished into Naoki's hand. At least, until he, too, heard a sound coming from up the road. He could sense other living beings in that direction. Just passer-by's? Maybe, maybe not. Moving back from Naoki's hand they floated higher and higher into the air...taking the basket of berries with them, which was a little annoying, and Naoki tried to grab it before it floated too high to put things into but missed. What in the world was he doing? Where was he even going?? Uup, and then the basket, as expected, fell, giving Naoki maybe a second of warning to catch it. A single rawst berry fell just far enough from the basket that it bonked Naoki on the nose before rolling into the basket again.
Ow.
Naoki held the berries under their arm, cellphone in that hand, and frowned in confusion upwards. <<Onsei!>> They signed out the letters of their Pokemon's name, followed by pinching their index finger and thumb repeatedly. <<What are you doing??>>
W-H-I-T-E H-A-I-R P-E-R-S-O-N. The "words" came down both to Naoki and Gaki, and from above the trees Onsei pointed toward the road. A-N-D A S-K-I-D-D-O.
Ooooh Gaki was excited! Naoki was gonna make a pokecord? Was this the real life version of friending somebody?! She'd have to go over the interaction mentally when she got home for the specific moment where their affection level raised so she could replicate this interaction across other people, but for now Gaki was beyond happy- though showing happiness was for low-defense noobs- especially around somebody she'd just met!
[ that'd be great! heres my number! ] Gaki moved to show Naoki her number then, waiting patiently as they put the number in before retracting her phone once more.
Gaki was hard-pressedon thinking on some sort of strategy though, as Naoki showed their next messages the girl brought her lips together in frustration for a moment... Gaki wasn't good at this whole making a plan thing- but Sid would know what to do! That and Naoki was one of the first people to show an interest, and Gaki was determined to bring them into a LARP somehow.
[ i'll defo think of something, dw naoki! (･ω´-ゞ)^☆ i really think you'll enjoy it! i can plan a bunch up w/ my cuz and i can message you all the plans i come up w/ sooo you can tell me if they're realistic!!! ]
That sounded like a decent plant, right? Right?? As she dwelled on this her eyes followed Onsei's rising, almost curiously... what was the mon up to- was there a threat?! Danger?! She didn't have her broadsword on her! Or her dagger! Or... or her magic glitter! Uhmm... her eyes widened a little as a berry moved and hit Naoki right on the nose, holding back the impulse to yell critical hit and instead focus on what was happening, a confused expression on her face...
At least until she saw the words in her mind and her mouth gaped slightly- white haired person... with a skiddo?! Wasn't Sid doing like... Chuutube things?! Or was she just that far out of the loop, donkey kong help her. She rapidly typed on her phone, before flipping it to Naoki.
[ think it might be my cousin??? (/^▽^)/ lemme check! ]
Waiting a few seconds the girl walked a few paces down towards the road, cupping her hands over her mouth and yelling out, "You have terrible stealth, Sid! Bet it's in the negatives right now!" if... this wasn't Sid, she probably just lost 90 affection points with a total stranger- uh- uhmm... "What are you planning? A sneak attack?!"
Sid continued to squint in the general direction Noble was looking. They really… they really couldn’t see. Guess they’d head that way and trust the Skiddo knew something they didn’t. Noble, meanwhile, was quick to trot alongside them now.
As they approached, though, they could see a white-haired figure in the distance now. Was that— Oh yep that was Gaki. A small snort escaped from them as the question was asked. Rather than answer immediately, they raised their phone up over their head and waved it around before cupping one side of their mouth. “I’m searching for Digimon! It’s event day!” they called even as they continued to close the distance between them. “What are you up to on someone else’s farmland? Gaining affection points??”
Naoki squinted at Gaki's final message before she scurried away, one brow raised and the other furrowed. Onsei had spotted them from all the way out here? Were footsteps that loud? Maybe their Pokemon was just making a lot of noise...though they had to remember which one was a Skiddo. It didn't ring a bell right away. With Gaki off by the road they slung the basket of berries into both of their hands and made their own way to the center road, making themselves more visible than had they stayed hidden among the berry trees. Onsei drifted back down to their side, not looking apologetic at all.
But then again, Elgyem aren't renowned for their expressive features.
<<That was rude.>> Naoki managed to shape their hand into a sideways "okay". It did not, in fact, mean "okay". Onsei beep-laughed in response. Naoki sighed. They hadn't expected to have guests on the farm today, but they weren't bothered by it. Gaki was very friendly and they were curious as to what her cousin would be like. From the way that person approached her it seemed like she'd been correct. They couldn't discern if they were a boy or girl or otherwise, but that hardly mattered to them. Same white hair, though. What color were their eyes? Gaki's were so vibrantly green, it left them curious.
Thankfulllly it was Sid! Gaki didn't know what she'd do if it wasn't them, especially when she'd just yelled out stuff that would confuse any other stranger. As they made themselves seen she could only rest her hands, including the one holding her own phone on her hips. Oh?! Searching for Digimon? It- it was event day?! Gaki's eyes narrowed, "And you didnt tell me?! Sid! Undermining an ally will send your charisma to the negative!" a head-shake, not that she played digimon go much, but still! Her cheeks flushed slightly at their words in embarrassment, mainly for being called out.
"N-No! Why would I ever go to somebodies farm wanting to raise affection points?!" A tongue click, and she moved slightly upon realized Naoki was near her, aaaah- okay. "I'm too early into the save-file of my farming game to gain a rival, that's all!"
A head shake, and then she wagged a hand at Naoki, small, almost proud smile on her face that she attempted to hide from sid. "This is Naoki- they're your neighbor- or- like- ours- whatever!" A huff, "Uhm- they... can't talk- or hear- one of the two- oh- hang on- uhh..." Gaki got out her phone again to type.
[ it is my cousin!!! i'll let them introduce themselves ^^ ]
"But! I'm gonna get them into games! And I helped them pick berries, like in an affection-raising minigame!" There was almost a victorious note to that, as if she'd beaten Sid to it. "I'm talking to them through my phone, the note app?" Did Sid know sign, or... Gaki didn't know, hopefully this all went okay??
Sid smirked and raised an eyebrow. “I’m seeking out the rare Ophanimon alone. She’s too high level for you right now,” they teased, reaching up to pull down their eyelid and stick their tongue out. “I’ve only been trying to get you to train for the last three weeks or so.” Sid knew Gaki had other things going on and that this wasn’t a priority game to her like it was to them, but they weren’t going to let her live it down either.
As Gaki went on, though, Sid eased up some again. Their attention switched to the oncoming person, and a small smile pulled on their lips. “Hello there,” they started as Gaki started introductions— only to stop on hearing her explanation. Oh ah. They flipped over their tab on their phone and immediately started texting. Oh wait maybe not in Katakana. Uh… Common keyboard, yes. That worked.
Noble the Skiddo, meanwhile, was eyeballing the Elgyem and swaying just a little. He wasn’t a sheep Pokemon, but that didn’t stop him from being a little nervous around the alien creature.
Flipping around the notepad, Sid held it to Naoki. [Ohayo, my name is Sidney Ridley, but Sid is fine. Not sure how much Gaki has told you, but we’re from Kanto and just moved within the last couple of seasons. If you need anything ever just let us know. It’s nice to have neighbors.]
Reading a phone screen at long-range was not one of Naoki's talents, so they continued up the path until they were close enough, offering a small bow in greeting--which was a bit awkward with the berry basket in their arms. Onsei took the initiative again and the basket glowed faintly blue before lifting out of Naoki's hands, freeing them for typing. But not before another berry landed on their head. Naoki sighed, taking it from their hair and putting it back into the wicker basket. Are you doing that on purpose? Quit it.
Onsei shrugged. Or at least with his proportions it might have been a shrug.
Naoki returned their gaze to Gaki's screen, then to the one Sidney--or rather, Sid--did in turn. Their eyes are red. Wow. Naoki smiled a little wider. That was really, really cool
Naoki quickly typed out a response. [ Hello! I'm Nakano Naoki. Or just Naoki. I came here from the Sinnoh region about nine years ago, and purchased this farm just a few months ago. Had to save up the money, you know. ] They pointed to Onsei, still floating above their head with the basket. [ This is Onsei, my Pokemon. He's training to be a service Pokemon who uses telepathy to act as my "ears" and "voice". I'm legally deaf. ]
Wait, are they using--
Their fingers stalled as they turned the phone back around to type the next question. Would it be too much information? But they were so curious. It felt like such a small detail to notice but, well, when you often had to give your own pronouns in conversation beforehand... [ Not to be presumptuous, but you're using "they/them" pronouns... >_< Are you NB too? I'm fluid. Completely forgot to mention that to you, Gaki, sorry. ^_^;; ]
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