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 little shop was close to the Birch City botanical gardens, and as such the whole street smelled like flowers. Maeve loved that. It was one of the driving reasons that she'd picked Birch City for her home in Arciel. During winter it wasn't so strong, but as the snow began to melt and the sun began to shine more and more the scent of flowers would wash over the streets nearby like rainfall. It wowed her when she'd first arrived, and it had prompted her to add to the sweetness by planting boxes of violets in the windows of her home and shop.
Today, though, while the sun was shining and it looked like perfect weather for the snow to melt some more, the wind was so bitterly cold that no amount of sunlight would save things. Which was sad, but at the same time it gave her a reason to stay in and tidy up. Even if the shop wasn't in any sort of disarray she could still make sure the heating pads under the eggs were at the right temperature and the pillow cases were clean and, of course, that the violets were watered and flourishing. She only had a couple eggs on display at the moment--a Skarmory egg as tiny as could be expected, with a silver shell as brilliant as its future feathers, and a Rookidee egg with a pattern that nearly resembled the face of the Pokemon inside.
She'd considered hatching them herself but she had no need for too many Steel-type birds. If she had to find a Flying-type Pokemon for travel purposes it would be something she could use for breeding purposes. Something like Noivern, perhaps, with it's dual Dragon-type and dragon egg group. Or perhaps a Togekiss for the Fairy-type duality? Much more useful for a breeder; single-egg group Pokemon like Skarmory and Corviknight couldn't compare. Ah well. She'd find good homes for these two before too long, especially with their size and egg moves respectively. She was just finishing a quick check of her other eggs--ones decidedly not for sale and, as such, kept under the front desk instead of on display--when she noticed the window.
Is it snowing? But...the sun is still out...
Maeve blinked and went over to the door, opening it just enough so she could get a look outside. Huh. It was, in fact, lightly snowing, but the sun was still in the sky and only a few clouds dotted the blue surrounding it. Interesting, She couldn't remember seeing a snow "sun shower" before in her life, but it was certainly pretty seeing the sunlight hit each little white flake and making it gleam.
She chuckled, still standing in the doorway in her work clothes, and just watching for a little while. She'd made the right choice to stay.
000/000
MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS
Last Edit: Mar 17, 2020 19:23:12 GMT by Maeve McRoy
Kaisei Nebula, for once, was having a very good day. [break][break] He had just made the rounds at the most fashion-forward clothiers in one of Birch's premier shopping districts, and was walking down the street with two decorative bags laden with fine clothing, enough to make him look good through the upcoming spring season. It was still early in the year, and winter's chills hadn't entirely gone away, however, and for that reason he had opted for a warm fur-lined coat on this shopping trip, supplemented with a scarf of authentic shiny Dubwool fleece. The scarf, despite being black, practically sparkled in the... was that snow? On a sunny day? Whatever it was, it made the silver sparkles in his aura look even more radiant, and it pleased him to know that he was one of the rare people able to behold it. [break][break] Murakumo flew overhead, chattering at fellow pedestrians and the odd Pidgey or Growlithe that they encountered, and Kaisei took note of the passing shop signs as his eyes tracked the bird Pokemon's movement. Antiques, a jewelry shop, a dry cleaners. They crossed the street to another block and continued on, Kaisei seeing much that looked of high quality but not much that was of interest to him right now, until they passed by the window to "Maeve's Pedigree Breeding Service." [break][break] "Oh?" A pair of eggs drew Kaisei's eye and he scrambled to plaster his face against the window. A pair of eggs, what looked like the face of a Rookidee and another one made of metal - a Skarmory's plates? What were the odds of finding those exact two in the same place? "Murakumo, come," he said, slinging both shopping bags over his left shoulder while his right hand reached out for the doorknob. The Swablu perched on his arm, and together they swung the door open and entered the shop. [break][break] Party: Swablu (Murakumo, Lv5), Toxel (Hikaru, Lv5), Tyrogue (Hayato, Lv6), Pichu (Rider, Lv1) [break][break] Notes: 314 WC[break] How much is that birdie in the window?
Despite the strange sort of beautiful that snowflakes catching bright sunshine brought, it was still too cold for Maeve to stand in the door without her coat on for very long, and after a little while she stepped back inside and made sure the sign on it stayed in the right direction. She gave another once-over of the eggs in the window, checking their shine and the heating pads beneath their pillows, before moving on to the other eggs on the shelves around the room. A few were quite mundane. A large Nidoran egg, with a guaranteed egg move; a Pawniard egg with no guarantees; and at last a beautiful lavender egg with a shimmering diamond encrusted in the shell: a Sableye.
Usually Sableye eggs had a more blueish tint to the gem embedded inside it. However, this one's gem was decidedly more yellow, like that of a yellow diamond. That gave away this gem's most defining feature--and the reason it was the more expensive one in the shop.
It was a shiny. A shiny Sableye, which was a rare enough find on its own, with an egg move. She couldn't wait to find a buyer for it.
Perhaps I should up-charge it a little. Or just the price of shiny Pokemon in general? No, they're a good price right now...maybe...
Not a moment after she had run a quick cloth over the shell of the Sableye did the small silver bell above the door chime, and Maeve turned around to find a man dressed in a rather showy fur coat, and a pair of bags from some of the boutiques in the area. Thankfully the glint of interest in her eyes was kept hidden under a professionally friendly smile as she approached the front counter, putting herself near enough to greet him, while leaving space for him to enter and give the shop a quick look-around before he asked her anything.
"Good morning sir. I'm Maeve McRoy; welcome to my shop. You've picked an excellent day to visit; we have a number of fine eggs for sale today, both rare and powerful. Feel free to ask me anything."
The woman who greeted Kaisei was wearing a professional long dress. She greeted him with a smile and called him "sir." Already he was liking this place, and the comment about the eggs was probably standard operating procedure, but piqued his interest all the same. "Rare and powerful, huh?" he said with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Must be my lucky day then." He took his time looking around the shop, taking in the front counter, the shelves, the flowers, all the while keeping one eye firmly on Murakumo to make sure the bird Pokemon stayed put on his arm - any store worth its salt would have a "you break it you buy it" policy, and Kaisei did not want to discover firsthand how Ms. Maeve McRoy would enforce it. [break][break] Finally, his gaze drifted to the eggs in the window that had caught his attention to begin with. "What can you tell me about these?" he said. "This one, at least," he said, pointing to the Rookidee egg, "I can tell is a bird of some sort - I keep thinking Murakumo could use a companion of that nature - and is that one steel?" He gestured to the Skarmory egg. The Swablu was craning his neck forward, trying to inspect the eggs for himself, but Kaisei placed a hand firmly on the bird's back. Murakumo let out a pleading cheep that echoed softly through the shop. [break][break] Party: Swablu (Murakumo, Lv5), Toxel (Hikaru, Lv5), Tyrogue (Hayato, Lv6), Pichu (Rider, Lv1) [break][break] Notes: 235 WC[break]
Maeve raised her hand and gestured toward the shelves, both those in the window and those around the room. "Indeed. Please have a look around. I only ask that you do not lift the eggs off from their pillows." As the fellow went around the room her eyes stayed tuned to him, watching which ones he focused on and where his eyes wandered. He had, of all things, a Swablu at his shoulder. That was impressive in its own right and said a lot about him. Altaria were, after all, one of the rarest Pokemon to find in the region, as were their pre-evolutionary forms. Did he find them himself, or bought them from somewhere overseas? Perhaps he frequented shops like hers.
If she could secure a regular customer with a purse heavy enough for some of her rarest Pokemon, she would count today a success.
He gestured towards the eggs in the window, and Maeve came stepping up, still keeping a polite distance while being close enough to the shelves that she could point out features of the shell as she spoke. "You have a keen eye, sir. This is a Rookidee egg--the starting form of Corviknight, which is one of the three largest Steel-type Pokemon--excluding mega-evolution. Although Rookidee starts out at a modest eight inches, and purely Flying-type, Corviknight is Steel and Flying and stands up to seven feet tall. They do lose their blue and yellow colors as they grow, become pure black as adults."
"The other egg is that of Skarmory; a single-evolution Pokemon that, too, is Steel and Flying-type. Their bodies are solid metal, but they are remarkably light, and they can reach speeds of up to one-hundred and eighty miles an hour when flying. Their feathers have been used in the creation of swords and cutlery even to this day." She held out a finger to gently run a nail over the ridges of the egg. "Their shells, as well, are made of incredibly strong metal. I know several metalsmiths who offer to buy Skarmory egg shells for use in their trade. This egg in particular has been breed for a smaller size, so while it will not be an appropriate height for use as a means of transport, it is an excellent high-speed combatant."
"These two are actually from the same clutch, and share an egg move between them: Sky Attack, a very powerful Flying-type move."
She returned her keen violet-blue eyes to Kaisei. "If you are seeking a companion for your Swablu, I, personally, would choose the Rookidee, as they will evolve into quite a impressive team. Skarmory are, however, far rarer in the wild, and more prized therefore."
Kaisei found himself nodding along and agreeing as he listened to Maeve describe the properties of her egg stock. Corviknight, pure black, steel, massive, good. Skarmory, solid metal, fast, feathers used in the construction of swords...? Also good. He looked back and forth between the eggs as the shopkeeper continued, and was starting to reach out for the Rookidee upon her personal recommendation, but that Skarmory's rarity? What was the point of going to a Pedigree Breeder if not for the chance to obtain rare species that it would take far too much time to hunt down on his own, after all... [break][break] What else did she say? Sky Attack? Kaisei admittedly did not hold the move in high estimation, due to his previous fighting experience, the tightly packed indoor rings being hardly the right venue for such moves. And also that they had come from the same clutch. So... like brothers? Then perhaps it would be unseemly to separate them. He supposed it would also be logical that brother Pokemon would get along with each other, growing up together... which could significantly cut down the effort involved in training them, if he could get them in a friendly competition with each other. "What do you think, Murakumo?" [break][break] The Swablu looked from one egg to the other, then let out a chirp, raising both his wings. [break][break] "We'll take both. How much?" [break][break] Party Update: Swablu (Murakumo, Lv5), Toxel (Hikaru, Lv5), Tyrogue (Hayato, Lv6), Pichu (Rider, Lv2) [break][break] Notes: 230 WC[break]
His eyes and hand wavered between the pair of eggs, before he asked his Swablu for their opinion. Maeve smiled just slightly stronger. She still had questions about where he had obtained such a lovely creature, and if he would give her the chance to breed it with one of her own, but the timing wasn't right. Instead she kept attentive and professionally distanced. When he spoke at last, Maeve smiled wider, clapping her hands in front of her. "An excellent decision, sir. The Rookiedee egg, as a standard Pokemon with an egg move guarantee, is seventy pokedollars. The Skarmory, as a rare Pokemon with a guaranteed egg move and specially bred size, is eighty-five pokedollars." Now, here was the tricky part. He was certainly dressed in a manner that implied money was a non-issue, but that didn't mean he might not be the type to haggle.
Maeve McRoy only haggled, if there was something she could gain.
If Maeve was worried that Kaisei had come to haggle, she needn't have been. "Seventy... eighty-five... One fifty-five?" He gave her a smile before maneuvering over to the sales counter, where he barked a firm "stay" command before retrieving his coin purse. A ten here, a fifty there... ah, fuck it. He turned over the purse and let the coins noisily clatter to the counter, before counting them out one at a time, and stacking them up by denomination. [break][break] Damn, she had practically emptied out his entire purse at the moment. What better way to cap off a day of shopping, though. Of course good Pokemon were expensive. They had to be. If you advertised "Pedigree" Pokemon for a price that was too good to be true, it probably was. [break][break] "This should do," he said, sliding the coins across to the cashier's side of the counter, and waiting to be rung up. He wondered how he would be taking the eggs home. Would they come with a free pillow? (Would he look stupid for asking?) [break][break] Party Update: Swablu (Murakumo, Lv6), Toxel (Hikaru, Lv5), Tyrogue (Hayato, Lv6), Pichu (Rider, Lv2) [break][break] Notes: 177 WC[break] Sending the donation!
Maeve had more than enough control over her expression to keep from looking relieved as, rather than saying anything contrary, the man moved to the counter and began counting out the exact amount she had asked for. Well, wasn't that a refreshing experience. She didn't have a history of customers who had asked for discounts or made complaints about her prices, but even a few here and these was enough to be annoying. She had to wonder why he ordered his Swablu to sit still while he counted out the coins...a troublemaker, perhaps? That did get her lips to curl a little more than was polite.
I wonder if they're his starter...
She stepped lightly around the desk to accept the coins as he finished counting them out, and did it as well as she added it to the cash register. "Thank you very much, sir. Let me close this up..." she click the drawer shut and clicked the buttons to print out a small receipt that cleanly listed the price of each egg added up to the total. She tore it from the printer and handed it to him, then got to work.
"Do you have a preference of color?" Maeve said while pulling two objects out from drawers just above the shelf where she kept her personal eggs. They were thick velvet bags, perfectly egg-shaped, in various shades of blue, purple, and deep green. They all had silver rope to that could be pulled to keep them closed, as well as an embroidered "M" in the same shining silver thread on the front.
"You may have one for each egg, free of charge. They should keep them more than warm enough while you travel back to your home, or while on the road, and are padded enough to prevent damages if you are keeping them in the same bag. I sell some other accessories--heat pads, the kind that can be reused several times; decorative pillows, or more natural looking baskets, for storage."
She spared a small glance across the room, wondering, now, if she could risk trying to interest him in the third of her valuable eggs. She was more than happy to have sold just the two, but that shiny...
Hmm, if she could get the conversation to a good place, maybe it could feel more natural and less like she was just trying to make off with all his coins. She had just the starting point. "I even have some pillows made with Altaria feathers...hah, that said, I must confess how surprised I was to see your Swablu. I haven't seen one in Arciel since I arrived. They're quite rare, yes? You must be very proud."
Kaisei watched as Maeve ran the transaction, then printed off a receipt and handed it to him. He took a quick glance to make sure the number was correct before stuffing it into his pocket. As for the individual bags for the eggs, he looked over the selection before picking a royal purple and emerald green. Murakumo flexed his wings downward, mimicking the silver "M" depicted on the side of the bags. [break][break] Maeve continued talking, and soon afterward Kaisei's head began to spin. Heat pads? Pillows and baskets? "Ahh... I think that would be more of a Novachan thing," he admitted, scratching his head. "Oh yeah, you ever hear of an Eri Novae, Breeder to the Stars? I'm not entirely sure where her place is, but I think it's also in Birch. She's a real good egg. You two could maybe talk shop sometime." He pulled out his phone and made a note to text her. [break][break] He picked up the bags, setting them on top of his previously purchased clothes, and was about to turn to leave when Maeve called attention to his Swablu. "Murakumo? Real catch, isn't he? Though a little too cheeky for his own good sometimes," he said. [break][break] "Gotta say I didn't know at first how his nature would turn out. I paid the fee, as one does, and the choice came down to an Applin or a Swablu. The Applin was highly tempting - they're from Galar, so a lot of demand these days - and the choice of evolution is always interesting, not to mention the Mega form, and just being a Dragon in general, but the same was also true of Swablu, it's not a dragon but it does evolve into one, and I did manage to pick up an Altarianite from the mines, but ultimately what it really came down to was I didn't have a strong Flying-type at the time, while I did have a Grass-type, so I was going for as much type coverage as possible. [break][break] "And that's how I won a Swablu from a gacha game! Lucky!" He grinned and flashed a V sign at her. Murakumo raised his wings into a V as well. [break][break] Party Update: Swablu (Murakumo, Lv7), Toxel (Hikaru, Lv5), Tyrogue (Hayato, Lv6), Pichu (Rider, Lv2), Rookidee Egg (1/3 hatching posts), Skarmory Egg (1/5 hatching posts) [break][break] Notes: 365 WC[break]
What a charming little bird, and smart, too, if it recognized the M. It could have just been mimicking the shape, but there were Pokemon in the world wise enough to read. She looked at Kaisei with a small, perplexed frown. "Novachan? Ah, no, I'm afraid I haven't gotten to know the other breeders in the area. I will certainly look her up. That is a...very interesting name you called her," she chuckled slightly, "Is that what she's called her business? Breeder to the Stars?" Not "of". "To". So did she consider her clients to be the "stars"? A very interesting business strategy if done on purpose--like buttering them up before they even walked in the door. But Maeve preferred to keep the focus of her shop on the eggs and Pokemon, not the buyers.
As necessary as they were for her business to continue, they were the consumers, not the product. Maybe this Eri saw it differently.
"That is a Kantonian name, isn't it? 'Gathering clouds'? I'm a little bit rusty." Hm, he didn't look like he was from Kanto, but perhaps it was just a name he found interesting. Wouldn't be the first time a trainer went with something like that. With that, Kaisei told the tale of how he got his hands on the little Swablu. His mention of an Applin made her somewhat envious--a grass-dragon would be perfect for her, given Attie was her main at the moment. What she wouldn't trade for one. In the end he had picked Swablu, so the point was moot. Wait, did he just say this was all in a--
Maeve couldn't help it, that got a genuine, far-less-professional than she would have liked snort from her, that she quickly raised a hand to her mouth to cover up. "A gachapon...you had the chance of two dragons from a gachapon? What incredible luck you must have!" Her eyes sparkled a little more. Luck was a wonderful trait. And he seemed to be right where she might want him. Pausing for only a moment she put her finger to her chin. "Actually. If you are willing to humor me--you sound like you have quite a good balance on your team, but do you have any Ghost-types? I have an egg that may be quite to your liking, if you are looking for one..."
Without waiting for a precise answer she gestured an open palm toward the far shelf. There on its soft, emerald green pillow sat the Sableye egg with its lovely lavender shell encrusted with a large, yellow diamond. If that didn't catch his attention alone she had a hook hiding behind it. "She is quite a rare find herself--Sableye do not travel outside of their caverns--but this one is even moreso. She is guaranteed to hatch as shiny. You can tell by the color of the gem in her shell." Maeve lowered her hand, keeping an eye on Kaisei, "Along with the potential for mega-evolution, she also knows the move Recover, which heals a Pokemon by half of their total health. That isn't an easy move to acquire on a Sableye, either."
"If you're looking for a Ghost-type, I cannot think of a better choice."
"Kantonese, yes. A fitting name, is it not?" Kaisei responded, prodding the very tip of one of Murakumo's wings in a teasing manner, which earned him a few rather ineffectual pecks as he chuckled. "I'm actually from Johto myself, lovely region, though unfortunately quite scarce on dragons, but I've spent a good amount of time in Kanto. Were you thinking of learning the language to go visit?" A little small talk never hurt, and it was hardly information that she could use to trace him - it was a rare soul from the area who didn't venture to the other side at least once in a while, after all. [break][break] The talk turned to more business, as Murakumo let out a final indignant squawk, and Maeve was trying to sell him on a Ghost-type egg. A Sableye, by the sound of it, a somewhat rare Hoennese Pokemon, and -- he caught himself staring in a rather undignified manner at the gem at the center of the shell. Was that solid gold? [break][break] Being that it was a ghost, though, he was immediately wary. He had two Ghosts already, and they were... not the most optimal to tell the truth. The Frillish was too happy for his taste, and she kept trying to hug him with those jellyfish arms of hers. And his Honedge... The less said about Sting, the better, after that trip through the forest. He shuddered and involuntarily touched his right wrist. The feeling had gone away, of course it had gone away, it was probably nothing, but it had definitely felt like something at the time he was experiencing it... [break][break] "What can you tell me about their temperament?" he said, relaxing his expression. It was as much a test of her business acumen as it was a desire to know the answer. [break][break] Party Update: Swablu (Murakumo, Lv7), Toxel (Hikaru, Lv5), Tyrogue (Hayato, Lv6), Pichu (Rider, Lv2), Rookidee Egg (2/3 hatching posts), Skarmory Egg (2/5 hatching posts) [break][break] Notes: 302 WC[break]