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.
Kiran Chandra & Sidney Ridley are seated at the table.
Three optional icebreaker questions are offered: 1. If you could be granted three wishes, what would they be? 2. What is the cheesiest pickup line you have heard? 3. If your friends compared you to a Pokemon, which Pokemon would it be?
Feel free to discuss any of these or use your own icebreaker!
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Deep breaths. Zen. Calm.
Kiran hadn't thought this would be as big a deal as it felt right now. It was just a stupid publicity stunt, showing up to mingle. They weren't really that interested in dating. But they didn't have many friends yet in Arciel, either, and the event did cater to nonbinary folks in a way many comparable services didn't, so that was nice? Well, they thought 'nice', but also that that was an awfully low bar. But they digressed. Point was, even if it shouldn't have been noteworthy, it was, and it would still be nice to meet people who knew before ever setting eyes on them that they were nonbinary and (hopefully) wouldn't have any questions about it.
It seemed they were in luck, reading the card set out on the table as they took a seat. Their date's name would be Sidney, and they were also marked as nonbinary. An auspicious start? Maybe so.
While waiting for them, Kiran ran their fingers through their hair to make sure it was nice and straight. They hoped the white robe they'd chosen to wear to the event didn't come off as Too Weird or Too Much... Eh. They shook off the thought. If people didn't end up liking them, they'd be no worse off than when they started, right? Sure.
As they noticed a person approaching the table, they wondered if this was Sidney, and softly smiled and waved.
Sid was more nervous than they would like to be. The only past events they had been to that resembled this were cosplay convention speed dates where one dressed up as and acted out a certain character rather than…. being genuinely oneself there…. It would be…. Interesting, or so they decided.
That day they’d chosen to tie back their long white hair into a simple ponytail but use some hair spray to make a few points stick up here and there. They wore a long-sleeved black blouse and a cooler off-grey vest. Their pants were just jeans kind of adding some dissonance to the look but… they finished it up with a pair of suede black boots that didn’t exactly click as they walked but gave them some height.
Oh, there was the table, finally. Sid immediately smiled at the person there, looking down at their card and then up again before sliding into the seat. “I’m hoping you’re Kiran?” they smiled a little softer. “Sidney, call me Sid…. Nice to meet you.” Wow, the person across from them was super pretty actually. Were they cosplaying perhaps? They couldn’t actually discern a character right then but kept the idea alive in their mind.
[attr="class","momoPBody"] I'm hoping you're Kiran? They nodded. "Mm-hm." So this was Sidney then. Or Sid, rather. A nice name, they decided. "You too," they mumbled softly. Ugh... This whole thing... involved more talking than they were used to, didn't it. All right, they took a deep a breath.
Looking over the card provided, they debated asking the Pokemon question. They knew, though, that if Sid didn't pick a grass-type, or maybe one of a few fairies or bugs, that Kiran would quickly judge them for it. Better to avoid that. After all, which Pokemon people identified with didn't necessarily reflect their tastes. "Why don't um... we do the genie question," they suggested. "What uh... what are your... wishes?" While awaiting Sid's answer, they thought about their own.
Sid faltered slightly at the lack of words but perked up again as the ice breaker was chosen. Three wishes… Hm… “Well…” they paused a moment their face flickering through several expressions as they considered that. “My first wish would be for a healing touch…” they decided. “I’m a nurse for both human and Pokemon, and we can heal a lot of things but not everything. Being able to cure any ailment no matter what would be nice.” They tried not to sigh as the thought of a particularly bad clinic episode came and went from their mind.
“For my second, I’d wish to hm… well… unlimited access to fabrics, threads, modeling items, and the like for my cosplays…” they chuckled a little on that knowing how much more selfish that was altogether. “Some outfits can be very expensive… Are you cosplaying a character I don’t recognize, by the way?” They paused a moment before moving on.
Hmmmm third wish third wish. “…Ah… maybe the chance to meet Naruki Tezuka…. They’re one of my favorite manga authors responsible for things like Ancient’s Gate and Skye’s Castle. Heh…. What about you?”
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Kiran listened carefully to all their answers. Hm! A healing touch was a very nice and very noble wish! Though... the other two, hm... Kiran didn't mind the selfish aspect, and unlimited supplies were interesting, but a little mundane in the application Sid gave. And then just meeting an idol? How small scale.
It was their turn to answer, though. They smiled serenely. "Well... Truth be told, I'm a powerful aura user, so I actually do have a healing touch." They held up a hand and allowed their aura to project into a golden ball of light above it, then closed their hand around the ball to consume it. "It only works for wounds, not diseases, but still." Smirking slightly, they added, "It... can also be useful for cosplay when I'm brave enough to do it, but right now it's just my aesthetic I'm afraid." They laughed softly.
Humming a soft note, they took a few more seconds to think. "With that in mind, my first wish is that I had infinite access to aura. Then I could heal wounds, make plants grow, do whatever I wanted with my projection, all without limit or exhausting myself." They could do some world-changing things with that, but would probably use it mostly for personal reasons, heh. "Second, I wish trees produced electricity and wifi, both so people would plant and preserve more forests, and so I always got great signal and always had an outlet when I'm out exploring." They grinned softly.
"Last... I wish my best friend Krissy would become the most renowned coordinator in the world and have all her dreams come true." A faint tinge of color came to their cheeks. They felt kind of silly and self-conscious about that wish, but it was the truth.
Oooooh??? Red eyes grew wide with interest. “Really?” Sid leaned forward a little only to immediately lean back as light came forth. They looked from the ball to Kiran and back again several times before it disappeared. “That’s incredible.”
They had no words??? But also so many questions. At least Kiran was filling the space of conversation while they sat there trying to articulate enough thoughts to actually say something meaningful. Unlimited aura… yeah that made sense in this case. Trees…. Produce electricity and wifi? Huh…. The last, though, had them softly endeared. That… that they… yeah they got that. There was… so much to work with here, and they almost didn’t know where to start but they supposed they’d go with what interested them the most.
“I’ve never met an aura user before,” they started. “When… and how did you learn to use it?” Imagine if they could have that in their arsenal of healing tools. They’d be a master mage in no time… a real one.
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Ah... Kiran was almost a little disappointed that that was the main thing Sid picked up on. They would've enjoyed rambling about Kristina or their mixed love of nature and technology more. But they supposed they didn't mind the aura topic either. It was just one people were often fascinated by, so it had lost some of its luster.
"I ah... started noticing my aura sight coming and going as a kid," they explained. "It.. runs in my family though... My dad and one of my older siblings." They smiled faintly. "Two out of five of us got it from Dad, heh. So he helped teach us to control it." Kiran made another small ball, and 'tossed' it upward before making another, doing the same and finishing with a third as they began 'juggling' the orbs of light. Of course, they had no mass and were actually just moving to Kiran's will, so this was in no way an indication they could actually juggle, haha.
"I've honed my skills further... mostly through practice... Just using them a lot." Sometimes for the dumbest reasons. They still remembered the time they and Krissy got kicked out of Pete E. Pika because Kiran used their aura projection to scare off some little kids so they, grown-ups, could play in the ball pit. But they recalled this fondly and smirked, rather than feeling bad.
They let two of the orbs vanish, then 'tossed' the last one to Sid. It was warm but not hot, and would induce a mild tingling sensation if touched. If Sid touched it for more than a second or two, it would also infuse into them and make them feel a little peppier.
Oh…. So it was something genetic, or something that required a genetic predisposition at least. Two out of five was still rather rare too, though they didn’t know near enough about genetics to guestimate anything further than that. It… sounded interesting, though. Their eyes dropped to the small ball again watching it (and the others that joined it) move. It’s so interesting….. They could only imagine what all they could do with such a power. Light could be used in so many different ways for camera shots— among other things, of course.
They scrambled very briefly to catch the ball. It fell into one and not the other. The warm tingly feeling that came after had some warmth touching Sid’s features as well. Was this some sort of aura contract they had unwittingly agreed to? Was this like Kairi touching Aqua’s keyblade and then becoming a keyblade user herself years down the line? They doubted it but couldn’t help but imagine. A small giggle managed to work itself up out of them unexpectedly, and still more color came to Sid’s features thereafter.
“It’s so gorgeous,” they admitted with a warmer smile than before. “Do you use it for lighting effects much? Like on selfies?” There were other ways to light images, of course, but having a couple flashlights at your fingertips was just really nice. “It’s got to be a lot easier than carrying around lights…” they laughed at that remembering a couple photoshoots they’d had in the past at cons where it entailed carrying all kinds of lights and cameras….
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Kiran let out a quiet, slightly awkward laugh in response. "I'm not... really the kind for selfies if uh... if I'm honest," they admitted. "Maybe.. once in a blue moon." Or whenever they visited Krissy or vice versa. Had to capture those moments. "Besides, it's more lens flare than anything." Meaning they had tried at some point, at least, heh.
"I do use it for aesthetic in the gym, though. Helps my whole... ethereal forest spirit vibe I've got going." They smiled softly.
Realizing their aura had been the focus of conversation for a good minute, though, they shook their head and asked, "Enough about me, though. Why don't you tell me more about you?"
Oh? Sid blinked a couple of times. Their own Instachu was so chock full of selfies that they sometimes forgot that this wasn’t entirely the norm for people. They supposed it could probably get dicey depending on the positions for lights and whatnot— but oh that had to be pretty….
They were in the middle of thinking about all of this when the question was returned to them. “Ah…” Hm. “I moved to Arciel rather recently,” they started slowly looking a bit thoughtfully back towards the ice breaker questions. Well, actually it just might be easier to build on what they had already mentioned about themselves. “I lived in Kanto up to that point, but after formal nursing school, you can choose where you want to do clinical rotations, and I thought training abroad would be more interesting than staying put.”
They smiled a little at that. And then also decided on: “I’m also a small time Chutuber under the name Glasswind Kami. It’s mostly just makeup tutorials and lets plays with the occasional videotaped LARP.” A pause. “My aesthetic is medieval fantasy, and I have a lot of custom costumes.”
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Kiran was more comfortable listening than talking, and took in Sid's words with interest. Nursing school and rotations, huh? That was certainly something, and they nodded along.
And oh, a Chutuber? That was interesting, too! "I ah. I've always thought... LARP looked interesting..." they admitted. "But I think... I'm too shy... And not in good enough shape." They laughed lightly. "I'm not.. very strong, and get winded easily." LARP always looked like so much running around and high energy they just didn't have in them, hehe.
"Are you wearing makeup now, though?" They squinted. "If so I can't tell. Which must mean you did a really good job with it."
Sid grinned a little as Kiran seemed to perk up a bit. “You could always be a mage rather than a knight, though, right?” they ask-stated, tilting their head to one side. “There are a lot of positions and things that aren’t as physical…. Depending on which LARP you’re with too of course. And like if you were a rider or something, you could sit on one of your Pokemon and have them do all the ground control?” They laughed a little after. “There’s a lot of little ways around stuff which is nice.” Even the too-shy bit could be mitigated by a Pokemon or two, right? Or just worked into the aesthetic, somehow.
At the second question, Sid grinned again. “I am actually! Just a little bit to keep me from looking too pale,” they explained. “I don’t really tan… just burn, so it’s nice to add a little color instead.” And sunscreen, and foundation, and all that just to keep everything looking smooth and nice. A pause, and a small blush. “You’ve… got a really pretty forest druid kinda aesthetic going on…” they said a little quieter.
[attr="class","momoPBody"] Hm? Kiran pondered the suggestions a moment. "I don't... really know how to ride an active Pokemon," they admitted. "Sitting on one at a walk is okay, but I'd be afraid of getting thrown on accident if it was jumping around." They didn't have the best sense of balance either. They tended to panic if it was knocked off even a little.
"A mage might be interesting, but... would it still be... a lot of running around?" they questioned. "I get winded easily..."
They squinted a little harder when Sid confirmed they were in fact wearing makeup. That was amazing. What blending skills. "I see." A small tinge of color came to Kiran's face as they were called a druid. "Ah... Th-thank you... Heh." They really did try for that kind of vibe, hehe.
"Mmm, we're... almost out of time, huh? Did you maybe... wanna exchange numbers? It's... fine if not." But they were already pulling their phone out of a hidden pocket inside their sleeve in hopes of Sid saying yes.
“Oh hm…..” Sidney looked thoughtful as they took in that information. Hmmmm. There had to be some way to make this easier. They just had to think of it. Unfortunately, they were running out of time, actually. Something to think more on later… They smiled a little as their compliment was accepted before their eyes flickered sideways to the clock. “Sure, I’d love to,” they agreed softly pulling their phone from their pocket and offering up their own before mentioning texting their information back. “See you around?” they smiled briefly before heading off to the next table.
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