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.
Irina was a simple girl, if she saw or smelt something pretty she was right on it's trail, ready to immortalize it in her fragile memory for however long it lasted. Perhaps that's how she'd found herself down route one on a pleasant spring day, hair loose and wild and a jumpsuit stolen from one of her siblings closets loosely thrown on without a care for fashion at all. She was certain there had been a pretty smell in the air! Fresh and sweet, like the pretty pink flowers that had started to bloom by her bedroom window! Maybe the fluffy clouds in the sky had pushed the smell over... the girl wasn't too sure that it was possible, but maybe it was! She didn't know how clouds worked, after all!
The moment she'd left the house she simple began moving on instinct, down roads she'd travelled before but couldn't remember, down grass dusted pathways and past bright people who didn't shy away from conversation with the young girl. Of course, she wasn't allowed the house without her darling Puppy, Litleo, who was decked out in his little guide-mon uniform and like a pro trying his best to get her to stick to the path. He didn't want her to get lost, after all- she could explore all she wanted, as long as she was able to get home at the end of the day.
The warm air tickled her senses, and before she knew what had happened she was down route one, an excited giggle bubbling out of her throat as she found herself soothed by the sounds of the ocean, welcomed by the shadows of tall trees who beckoned her closer. Irina was a girl on a mission, though! She wanted to find out where the sweet smell came from! Even if she was probably imagining it now.
Of course, her mission went out the window as she found herself drawn closer to a peculiar looking tree, the small flower buds beginning to sprout by it's base drawing the dark haired girl in, and for a brief moment she found herself simple crouched there, fingers twisting around the little stems, analysing how they looked. A soft, "...pretty..." left her lips before she stood back up, gaze moving around- until she spotted more! Instead of sticking to the path, the girl had began through the dense thick of the trees, like a moth to a flame being drawn by the slowly sprouting buds, deciding to greet to air after their painful winter. They were sooo pretty!!
Litleo struggled to keep up, little cautious yips leaving him as he danced at the girls heels, but she paid him no mind set on discovering where the trail of gorgeous buds led her- of course down in the thick of the trees it soon became a little difficult to traverse, the trees becoming thicker and the wild pokemon becoming more common. Irina was unaware of what dangers this could have for her, and instead stood, surrounded by these trees, hands on her hips searching for more-
Oh! Her gaze had travelled up the base of a large tree, decorated by branches and... and was that flowers?! Irina could see the small hint of something purple just up a little out of her gaze, hidden by the regrowth of leaves. "Aaaa-ha!" This was an easy task for little miss Irina! She quickly pulled off her bag and moved to pass it to Litleo, who was staring at her as if she'd grown a second head- she... wasn't serious, was she?
Yes. yes she was. With an excited giggle Irina grabbed the first branch of the tree and pulled herself up, she wasn't the most agile of people- infact she struggled incredibly to even make her way from one branch to the next, but she was blinded by her desire to see the pretty flowers above! One branch, then another- and then... she... couldn't move? Eyes blinked, and a confused hum left her- uh... uhm? Irina snapped out of her daze for a moment to realize she's somehow gotten the back of her overall straps caught around a branch slightly above her, and there was no way for a human to get up further than she already had-
And... and... she was... really high up? Eyes widened as her stomach dropped momentarily- oh- uhm- this... This wasn't a very pretty sight. Though- ah! Her gaze managed to locate the flowers, just... slightly above her! Ohhhhhh!!! Oh they had started to grow cute little petals- and... Irina began reaching up, clasping a branch slightly above her only to struggle with her balance, the sudden loss of grip sending her into a small tizzy- and she ended up gripping onto the bark practically for dear life. "Puppy! The tree's attacking!" Litleo, by the base of the tree was pacing and yipping. This wasn't good, this wasn't good! He'd attempted to make his voice louder to draw anybody who happened to pass near, Irina obviously needed help that he couldn't supply!
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 29, 2020 6:57:39 GMT
As the days passed on Elliot's journey, he kept finding his mind wandering back to one of its first parts; the oversized Surskit on Route 1. Its beaten up Pokeball, which he had polished to a shine besr aa he could so it'd make a good home for his Shellder. Its powerful moves, which his Dedenne had endured like a champ to keep him safe. Its hostile attitude, equal parts terrifying and sympathetic. Was his theory right? Waa it simply hurting, aggrieved, and afraid to trust? Had it gotten hurt more in their encounter? Or was he just projecting a sympathetic story onto an aggressive creature? Whatever the reason, Elliot knew he had to come back. Maybe today he'd find it. And if not, at least he tried, right?
Unbeknownst to Elliot, he'd be finding something completely different instead.
It was Echo who first pointed it out. They were simply walking through the route together when suddenly she stopped, clutching her head and whining in agony. Elliot was used to this by now; strong emotions were simply too much for the poor thing. However, these weren't the usual joys or embarrassments that simply overwhelmed her. This was a new level of unpleasantness, for both her and the emotion's source. While Echo wanted nothing more to hide from it, the way her heart pounded meant she knew she couldn't ignore it. She grit her teeth, grabbed Elliot's hand, and desperately started scrambling in the direction of the raw panic that she had felt. It didn't take long for Elliot to follow. Echo had never snapped into action like this before, and if she was this troubled Elliot trusted her enough to let her take the lead. While her initial guidance was hazy and unclear, the alarmed yips of a Litleo quickly gave them a better map to follow.
By the time they arrived, the poor thing was running itself ragged around a tree. It wasn't hard to see why. A frail looking girl - his trainer, perhaps? - had gotten stuck in a tree, clinging on as if her life depended on it. With how high up she was, maybe it did. The boy swallowed nervously as he watched her. He had no Pokemon big, strong, or agile enough to truly help, and his own bad leg would make climbing a harrowing experience. But if he couldn't stop and do whatever he could to help, even if it was just calling the Rangers, could he ever forgive himself?
It looked like one of her overall straps had snagged. Maybe that'd be step one? He released a Premier Bl onto the ground, a Dedenne appearing. Worry shined in her eyes as she looked up the length of the immense tree. "Joule, please, try and get her unstuck. Maybe then she'll be able to try and climb down,"" Elliot said, but frankly he didn't even need to. As soon as she was let out of the Pokeball Joule's protective instincts kicked in, and she scampered up the tree like hef life depended on it. Her small size meant it took her a bit, but as soon as she got there she began to examine the offending branch.
As she did this, Elliot looked at the worried Litleo and his distant human. "H-hey, hey," he stammered, swallowing again to try and squeeze the own worries out of his voice. "I know this is really scary right now. But you're not alone. And I'm going to hp get you out of there, okay?
Irina hadn't realized a boy had come to help until Litleo's whines seemed to diminish for a moment. She got this weird feeling in her belly when she looked down though, so she kept her gaze pinned to the flowers above, pretty, with soft petals that... she really wanted to touch. She could give them to Shea! Shea like's soft coloured things right? Or... was that another sibling... Iri didn't remember. Her hands had gripped the branches tightly, one hand on the branch above while another was on the branch her body was twisted around. Her overall strap refused to unhook, having been awkwardly tangled around another branch a little higher to her right.
Litleo whimpered at the male trainer, he was thankful somebody heard him at least! And... and he wanted to help! Puppy seemed to back up a little to situate himself by Elliot, something akin to a meow leaving his lips as he stared up at Irina in the tree. This had happened before, of course, too many times, and he was useless until he was bigger to helping her out of this. Hopefully the guide-mon vest he wore would be some indication of that to the male on the ground.
The sound of tiny feet had caught Irina's attention as she girl clung desperately to the branches, she could feel some of the wood scratch against her skin and wouldn't be surprised if she had a few more scratches. Eyes flicked to the side just in time to see her unlikely hero, a cute kitty! A tiny, tiny kitty, with round ears! "You're gonna help me, Kitty?" Purple eyes widened slightly, hopeful only for an excited noise to leave her as the pokemon continued upwards, towards her overall strap.
What a pretty kitty... Irina didn't dare draw her eyes away from them as they worked their tiny paw magic, and was able to wrangle her overall strap out of the way! Yes! A shaky grin pressed itself onto Irina's lips and, which as much caution as possible Irina reached up to the next branch... and continued upwards towards the flowers.
You could practically hear Puppy's heart drop as he let out a loud whine. She could faintly hear a male voice yelling up at her and paused, readying a food against the base next to her as she dared to glance down- only yo let out a loud squeak and squeeze her eyes shut, pressing herself closer to the tree- oh- oh it was higher now! Why did she do that!? "But...F-Flower first!" Came her only response, loud and determined. The boy was very, very small- or- maybe that was just because he was... far..
Oh she was high up, realllly really high- okay- okay uh- One step at a time. She took another breath, grabbed at a branch and swung her foot over- and the flowers were in reach! A gorgeous pastel with buds barely bloomed, petals adorning the floral display. She was quick to attempt to wrangle it out of it's hold before tucking it into her pocket, holding herself as steady as possible... right... okay... Now for the climb down.
A breath left her, and she began twisting, and stepping, and clinging to the bark...
LHKg5WZJp_
Only to miss her footing- at least she was closer to the ground but a loud scream left her and she found herself tumbling straight to the ground, scraping an arm against a branch and desperately trying to grab at something. Familiar- this was all so familiar- falling- falling- tumbling- Litleo was screeching, if at all possible. Oh arceus, oh no.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 29, 2020 17:07:01 GMT
Joule squeaked softly as the girl acknowledged her presence. Yes. That's right. She was here to help. Heights were scary, but so long as the girl focused on her, everything would be okay. And see? She'd already worked her overall strap free. Now all she had to do was-
Keep climbing. Of course. Joule let out a weary yet understanding sigh, keeping a careful eye out for the girl as she moved up to those last flowers. Relief shone in her tired eyes as she saw that the girl had actually managed to grab a few. Great, right? Now all she had to do was just ease her way down. Joule let out small, encouraging squeaks, hoping to ease her fears and help her down the tree.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The girl's footing slipped, her flailing arm scraped against a nearby tree, and in seconds she was tumbling down to the earth. Joule tried to reach out, but her stubby arms couldn't reach and her small size would've likely left her being dragged off of the tree as well. Echo recoiled from the sheer waves of terror rolling her way, letting out a sobbing scream in response. Elliot looked at the walking stick in his hand and his bad leg, feeling his heart shoot up into his throat. If he had his chance to call the rangers, that moment had passed Was there nothing any of them could do? With each pulse sending ripples through his body, the world seemed to slow around the boy.
Finally, Elliot came to a decision. Throwing caution to the wind he flung the walking stick away, limping towards the falling girl as quickly as he could. He barely made it in time, but had just a precious half-second to fortify his position as he reached out to catch the girl. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he was fairly certain that in his focus he was biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Yet how could he care about any of that? Someone's life mattered so much more than his own discomfort. Almost afraid to see whether he'd succeed or fail, he closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
7lql26nEp_
A gentle pressure coaxed Elliot into cracking an eye open. His knee had buckled ever so slightly, but against all odds he managed a perfect catch. Firmly enough to avoid dropping her, but not so firm that the landing would be painful. Angled in just the right way that her limbs or head wouldn't crash into anything. And he didn't even end up getting bowled over in the process. Perhaps it was luck in this instance. Elliot was small and waifish, but the girl was even moreso. But who cared about luck? What mattered was that the girl was safe. "See? You're okay," Elliot said, voice soft, warm, and gentle. He blinked back any tears of fear he had gathered, even if his eyes seemed slightly misty. He held back any quiver in his voice, even if it left his hands trembling in its place. He had to be strong for her. The last thing he wanted to do right now was leave her startled. "You're not going to fall. You're okay. I promise.
Irina couldn't comprehend what happened, she felt sick. Her head hurt from the wind whipping at it, her hands ached. There was the heavy pounding her her heart and the smell of flowers and pine leaves. Where was she? What just occured?
6oBcZd1Cp_
(memory roll, less than 20 she forgets everything due to past reminder)
Oh... right... she'd fallen. Trying to get flowers- and... why... didn't she hurt so much. Iri was dazed, and blinked once, twice, before the world came into focus, the feeling of secure arms that'd stopped her fall, a concerned face and a gentle voice. His words took a brief moment to register but when they did a goofy smile that probably shouldn't have been on the face of a girl who very well could have died or gravely injured herself popped up. "...A hero?"
There was an impressed glint to her eyes then and she giggled, adrenaline still coursed through her veins she was perhaps a tad bit loopy, not that Irina had ever been properly sane. A nod was the response given to his question, she'd love to be put down, if only to show off her spoils of the climb. Her throat was... slightly hoarse from the sudden scream and she was certain the wetness streaming down her face wasn't sweat, but it was tears. "Uhm... t-thanks."
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 30, 2020 0:24:02 GMT
A hero? Elliot blushed self consciously at the statement. He'd never really considered himself to be that! Yet the girl's goofy smile left him smiling too, even if his was a shy and self-conscious one. He set her down on her feet, before shyly rubbing the back of his neck. What could you even say to that? "It was nothing" was his first reaction, but he didn't want to just flat-out dismiss her gratitude like that. But leaning into the achievement wasn't like him, either. "Thank you," he said, his voice still soft. "I'm just glad you're okay."
He looked the girl up and down, noting her tear-stained face and torn-up arm cautiously. "Oh, hold on a second," he said, reaching into his backpack and fishing out some supplies. First he offered her a tissue so she could wipe her tears away. Then he pulled out some bandages from his box; a Levy and an Elise. Only fitting the people that've helped him along his journey so far would be the ones he'd use to help someone else. "Your arm's a little cut up. Can I put these on real quick?" he asked, not wanting her to be walking around with an open scrape.
At her shy stammer, he simply flashed another smile, this one more secure than shy. "Hey, don't worry about it. We're all here to be kind to each other, right?" he said. "My name's Elliot, by the way. What's yours?"
Once on her feet Irina wobbled ever so slightly, her balance teetering, and she found herself leaning on Elliot for a few seconds as she attempted to get her bearings on the world around her. Litleo was right at her feet, purring to attempt to soothe the dark haired girl. She still had her stupid grin on her face though, exhilerated from the whole experience! She got to see the tree up close after all, her body shook, her eyes watered, but her curiosity was sated for now. His voice was just as soft as before as he thanked her and was glad for her okayness, which was nice! "I'm just glad the flower..."A pause... flower? She picked the flower, where was it? Her eyes surveyed the ground for a few moments not seeing anything and she'd moved to push a hand through her hair, almost anxiously until her fingers met the light flower buds tucked behind her ear...
Oh! That's where it was! Her face brightened as if it wasn't already cheerful enough. "I'm just glad the flower was okay!" The whole purpose for her climb. She didn't seem to notice the boys bashfulness at all, and instead untucked it to show the boy, a proud sparkle in her eyes. "Isn't it pretty??" A sniffle from residual crying, Irina didn't understand the way her body was feeling and carried on like she usually would, her mind clashing with conflicting emotions she instead chose to ignore. There was no pain! Only sated curiosity!
It didn't seem her saviour had the same mindset though, as he eyes took in her form and her injuries and she was offered a tissue. The flower was retucked behind her ear and Irina stared at the tissue for a few seconds, confusion etched on her face before coming to the conclusion it was for the dampness on her face and she began gently dabbing.
...As he spoke again she blinked, her arm? Her gaze travelled down only for her breathing to quicken ever so slightly at the cut up mess- red... that was... blood, right? All at one the slight pinpricks of pain and the aches hit her and a soft whimper became her go-to response, followed by a, "Sure..?"
As she was being bandaged by female faces a question was directed towards her, and Irina paused... his name was Elliot! And hers was... hers... was... eyes blinked. It was on the tip of her tongue- why did this always happen? Litleo seemed to be pawing through her bag and in his mouth brought forward a book.. property of... "Irina... Nikolaevna...?" She read it as if she was seeing it for the first time before it clicked and she nodded, "I'm Irina! Sorry- that happens sometimes- it's... nice to meet you! Your name sounds really nice, like the wind when it's about to start storming- ellllll-iot!"
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Mar 30, 2020 1:52:05 GMT
Elliot made sure to apply the bandaids as gingerly as possible. With how the girl didn't even seem to react to her pain until she looked down at it, Elliot wanted to call as little attention to the wound as possible. "Its okay, its okay. This'll make it feel better," he said, taking on the same even tone that Isaac did whenever he would end up injuring himself. He owed his big brother a lot, didn't he? "There, see? Now instead of seeing that cut, you'll be seeing smiles on your arm instead." He was definitely buying another box of those PNG-brand bandages. They were working wonders!
It was when the Litleo trotted up, book in hand, that Elliot put two and two together. He stooped down to the Litleo, smile soft yet all too genuine. "You were really brave, finding help for your human," he said, referring both to this time and to all the times that surely occurred in the past. "Thank you so much." He offered a hand for the Litleo to nuzzle into if it so chose, but he didn't press the issue. He knew that especially for a service Pokemon, caution was the key. If it didn't accept the offer he'd retract it back, offering an understanding smile in its place.
The bashfulness returned in full force as the girl introduced herself, complimenting his name in a rather flowery way. Yet he couldn't help but giggle as she sounded out her analogy, which was more apt than Elliot had expected! It seemed she wouldn't be letting him crawl back into his shell any time soon. "Huh, it kinda does, doesn't it? I never even thought about that before!" he said. "Yours is really pretty, too. Just like that flower you picked!" Now that the close call had passed, Elliot took a second to examine the plant that she had plucked. It was actually really nice looking, to the point where Elliot could almost understand why she had made such a risky decision!
Not that he'd be following, of course. If such a rambunctious explorer could make a tumble like that, he and his bad leg would've stood no chance.
"So what brings you out here today? You know, besides hunting down flowers, of course," he asked. With the atmosphere calmed some, Echo had stopped hiding behind her trainer. She leaned out and looked at their new companions, offering a shy wave their way.
This Elliot was really nice! She couldn't wait to get home and tell her family about him and his smiley bandaids! Thankfully they were able to stop most of the bleeding and stop Irina from wincing so much when seeing the wound. Anddd they had very pretty girls on them! "They're very smiley, like they've just watched a sunset and are waiting for the big... uh..." A headtilt, then another grin, "Fireworks! The blast!"
Litleo blinked, then blinked again. The kid seemed nice and genuine and it wasn't often other people attempted to talk to him. His head lulled slightly to the side and as Elliot's hand was offered he moved forward and sniffed at it curiously, before raising a paw and pressing it down onto Elliot's hand with a soft purr. Awww, Irina practically glowed as she watched, one hand moving to fiddle a little with the new bandaids and trying to ignore the erge to itch to make the throbbing stop, and her heart beat slowed a little. How cute!
Oh and Elliot was laughing now too! That was a good emotion, Irina grinned. She liked being able to make people happy, it just meant they fit in better with the environment and from what Irina was aware, it made them feel all bubbly inside! A prouder smile took hold of her features and her hands moved from picking at her bandages to rest on her hips. She couldn't help but tilt her head at his compliment, hand moving from her hip to where the flower was tucked, attempting to view the flower out of her peripheral vision before snickering softly to herself. "This flower has nothing on a name, you can't see a name!"
At his next question thought her smile seemed to die down... why had she come out here... she blinked once, twice and then let out a soft 'hmmm' noise. She'd been following something, something pretty- not visual but... oh! She'd been following a smell! "There was a pretty smell in the air, so I followed it!" She shifted then to put her book back in her bag and shrug it on, gaze flicking back to Elliots. "Do you smell it? It was sweet, like.... the smell of seasons beginning- but I think I got sidetracked..."
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 3, 2020 0:24:37 GMT
Elliot smiled nostalgically at Irina's excitement. How could he even be nostalgic? He was thinking about events that happened less than a week ago! Yet how could he not feel that way? Seeing the kinds of beautiful techniques that Elise pulled together had left him considering becoming a coordinator, and even now he could relive those displays whenever he closed his eyes. "You know? If you met them, you'd know you pretty much nailed that description," Elliot said, all smiles. Then a sudden hit of inspiration flashed in his eyes. "Wait, hold on. Have you seen a Pokemon Contest before? Because I could totally help you get a chance to see that kind of thing in person." Maybe he wouldn't be the only one who'd end up getting blown away by the excitement of the Spring Fling. And maybe Elise'd find two fans showing up to cheer her on!
As Elliot pondered this, the Litleo set its paw on Elliot's hand. Elliot beamed down at it, finding it hard to stifle a slight awww at the motion. It wasn't long before Echo stepped out to join the duo, placing her own tiny hand on top of the Litleo's paw. Yay, they were all connected now!
At the mention of the name, Elliot smiled warmly. "You can see it when it's written down," Elliot countered. He reached into his bag for a second, leaving the towering pile of hands shorter one member. He took out a small journal, rested it on his knee, and signed his name on an empty page. His handwriting was surprisingly fantastic by teen boy standards, and it left his name very graceful and loopy looking. "See? It even kinda looks like how you said it sounds. Like the wind blowing all around before a storm."
Besides, other senses could totally be pretty like sights could. The smell Irina was talking about was an example right there. At her request Elliot paused, looking up in the air and gently sniffing a little to see if he could catch what she meant. Her senses must have been sharper, though, because he couldn't exactly match her description. Really, he was just kinda smelling grass and fresh air. Yet maybe that was what she meant, in her own poetic way. "I think I can see what you mean! Or, er, smell," he said, smile on his face soft. "Though I don't think I've got as much of a nose for it as you do. Takes me a good bit of focus to find the little things like that."
...a pokemon contest? Irina's face fell slightly, what was that? Her head tilted ever so slightly and she shrugged, "...Like... a battle? My dad says not to get into those because I don't remember any of Puppy's..." Her voice trailed off, the girl not able to find the word for the fancy things that Puppy used. She'd seen her therapist demonstrate them before and how to do them but she didn't exactly remember, maybe it was in her book! "Anyway! I've seen a battle!"
Puppy was confused as to who the Raltz also added their hand to the pile, but just meowed a little before retracting his paw and retreating to Irina's side, rubbing his head slightly against her leg as if to provide assurance. Eyes blinked as he mentioned seeing what he means when the words were written down, and then she was shown the journal... Irina's gaze squinted, her reading and comprehension skills being that of an eight year olds, but eventually she was able to put two and two together and a soft gasp left her, her finger moving to trace the letters as she sounded them out. "Elll....eeee....ot." Another big grin and a giggle, "I see, very pretty!"
She looked even happier still when he mentioned he could smell it, moving to right herself before bounding over to the boy. "Then we have to follow it more! I can't rest until i've found the end of the smell!" Her eyes pleaded now, Iri was determined. She had her pretty flower, now it was time to get back on track, and this boy who could smell it could help her!!
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 5, 2020 6:10:57 GMT
Elliot let out a slight hum at Irina's answer. It wasn't right in the slightest. Even the battle rounds of a contest were very different from an actual fight, more about two showcases competing for the spotlight. But was it really wrong, either? A battle was a contest, and it was held between Pokemon. Was there really not a better name for these? "Close, but not really," Elliot said. "A contest is when Pokemon use those fancy things they can do - their moves - to put on cool looking shows for people. So, like, using a Flamethrower to make a beautiful spiral of flame in the air. It's a lot like those fireworks you were talking about, but all done by Pokemon instead of people with rockets."
That said, while he took what Irina said in stride, it did concern him a little. Did she really have no idea what her Puppy's moves were? Elliot looked down at the Litleo, eyes soft and warm. "Do you think you'd be able to show us what you can do later?" he asked, the tone of his voice matching his gaze. It was half with curiosity and half with worry; Elliot wanted to make sure that, if worst came to worst, this poor girl could defend herself! Though if not, at least Echo or Joule cpuld step up to the plate.
Or Lord Beerus . . .
No need to worry about that. Elliot couldn't be all business all the time. Especially when the girl bounded over to Elliot, hitting him with big, pleading eyes. How could he ever say no to those? "Of course we can go looking," Elliot assured Irina, laughing warmly. "But would you be okay with taking the lead? You're a lot better at this than I am. And that way I can keep on lookout for any more bully trees."
Irina was more confused than before, they use... their moves to put on shows? So... not to attack? Irina had never heard of it before, of course the last time her memory had failed her had been a few months ago, so people probably thought it wasn't worth telling her again- it was probably something she'd know about before, maybe. Still, her eyes widened slightly in amazement and a hand pressed to her cheek. "It sounds very very pretty! Not at pretty as..." She trailed off, eyes flicking around for a moment before her attention came to a small mossy rock to the side of where they were.
Irina picked it up and held it above her head, attempting to somehow make it catch sunlight, only to frown realiziing the trees were too dense and the weather wasn't warm enough for the illusion to properly hit. Instead she moved to lower the rock so Elliot could see. "As this! See how the moss sweeps over it? The green stuff? And all the little cracks, and the bumpy things? There's no rock like it, and it just gets to live undisturbed- sometimes there's little flicks in them and if you look carefully sometimes there's cute flowers! Isn't it pretty?"
And her point was made the girl crouched once more, wobbling ever so slightly on her feet due to residual dizziness before gently placing the rock back where she found it, turning to Elliot with a grin once more. While she did this, Puppy only blinked at Elliot at the question asked of him. A glance to Irina was spared before he let out a gruff cry, whatever that meant. He didn't like battling, his task was to protect Irina and that's onl when he used his moves.
At Elliot's response to Irina's next words the girl was as giggles, perfect! "Of course! I have a perfect sense of smell, dad tells me so! He says I have a bad habit of smelling everything before I eat it..." A headshake, and then she tilted her head upwards, sniffing at the air... hmmm... hmmm. A gasp left her! She turned to stare further into the woods for a minute before shifting, "This way, Elliot!" And, without keeping pace she began hurrying forward, into the dense of the forest and further off the path, with poor Litleo trying his best to keep up.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 13, 2020 16:19:55 GMT
Elliot peered down at the rock, curiosity shining in his eyes. He could safely say that he had never thought about this before. Like, ever. But if there was anything he had been learning on this journey so far, it was that considering subjects he had never given thought in the past was at least polite and at most surprisingly enlightening. And it wasn't like he was doing anything else today. So why not consider the rock?
He still couldn't say he entirely got it. At the very least, it didn't really fit the definition of pretty he usually expected. But especially with the way Irina described it, Elliot found it hard to disagree with her. Of all the rocks in the world, there'd never be a single one that had moss growing on the same color of stone, aligning in the same patterns as this, forming the same little cracks in its surface. The more he looked at it, and the more he thought on Irina's description, the more he started to appreciate the rock both for what it was and as a little piece of infinite possibilities. "It's beautiful," he said, letting his admiration lull him into a state of ease.
Not that this tranquility would last very long! Irina, proud and ready to demonstrate that sense of smell, promptly perked up and went running for the woods. Elliot fumbled for his walking stick, trying to catch up to the surprisingly speedy girl as she hurried into the distance. "H-hey, wait up a second!" he said, trying his best to keep pace with at least Puppy.
The fact Elliot could appreciate how pretty the rock was was music to Irinas ears- everything is msuic to her ears! Nature just has such a sweet tune! But that's besides the point! Like a bloondhound, the girl began weaving her way through the shrubbery and thick of the route one forest without a care in the word, going further and further away from the path. She was a girl on a mission, to find the source of the pretty smell! However, despite her excitement she soon came to a slow, a gasp leaving her.
Distracted. Irina was very easily distracted. Hanging in her way was an offending branch, right as face height. As first she was just going to push it aside, however... then she looked closer and an excited squeal left her. No, there were no pokemon on it, but some of the leaves had been munched on, and Irina was giggling like an elementary schoolgirl at the sight.
"The way the bites mend the leaves- there's a cute wrinkle here!" She ripped a leave off and spun on her heel, pausing upon realizing just... how far behind Elliot, and even Puppy were. Puppy didn't run, he was cautiously dodging around things and even yipped every now and again to keep Elliot on Irina's trail, since he was an excellant tracker of the wild girl! She got impatient waiting for them however, and turned back to the branch, picking various leaves and comparing the sizes before bending by the base of the tree it was connected to and grabbing a stick.
...What... was the boys name again? Uh.. Ell... Ell... "El!!!" Her voice carried out to the forest and she found that they'd caught up! A grin was on her face as she offered half the stack of leaves to him. "These leaves would make really pretty charms, right?"
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 25, 2020 21:33:24 GMT
Elliot hadn't run like that since Levy was attacked by a Seviper. At least this time, he still had a functioning walking stick. It may have made him slower, but it was better than risking more pain to his bad leg by trying his best to hobble on it unsupported. Fortunately, Puppy was kind enough to wait up and help guide him, Elliot smiling somewhat guiltily at the Litleo. "Thanks for waiting up," he said, warmth in his voice and eyes as he spoke to the protective fire type. "But, hey, we can hear her laugh. That's a good sign, right?"
If only Elliot knew how much Irina was laughing earlier, before the tree turned into an asshat.
Fortunately, this time the tree she encountered was a lot kinder. Its branch was right at head level, and apparently it had quite the assortment of beautiful leaves before Irina took them as her own. "El", as he was now dubbed, tucked his walking stick under his arm so he could properly handle the stack of leaves Irina just handed him. He looked at them one by one, gingerly passing them from hand to hand as he did so. She was right: they were such a vibrant shade of green at this time of the year, and they had a very pleasing arrangement of lobes and points. Did Elliot really notice the subtleties to these leaves, such as tiny rips, wrinkles, and bites in each? Maybe not. Yet from what he knew of Irina, each of these leaves was significant to her in its own right, and that meant he at least gave each a close look to try and puzzle out what made each special.
"They're really nice looking!" he said, a smile on his face. "How do you make them into charms?"
Puppy didn't do much but yip and cry at Elliot as a way of a response, the boy obviously wanted to hang out with his trainer so the Litleo had to ensure he didn't get lost and make Irina sad, which was why he was trying his best to ensure the male trainer kept on track. Eventually when Irina was found he was quick to settle by her side, brushing his tail against her leg to remind her of his presence- too bad Iri was incredibly focused on her new discovery!
She grinned as the leaves she offered were looked over, she insured they allw ere great- saying that any leaf was beautiful in Irina's eyes, even dying ones! She waited for Elliot to speak before moving to gather a few more leaves and settling against the trunk of the tree, showing Elliot te stick in her hand. "We..." She then proceeded to gently stab the stick through the top of the leaf in her hands. "Stab them! It created a hole, and then you can thread string through and wear them! And, you get to see them age and crumble up, and no leave crumples in the same way!"
She moved then to offer Elliot the blunt stick, a grin on her features. "I don't have string but for now... we can just stab!"
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 26, 2020 20:16:49 GMT
Frankly, Elliot had expected some sort of preservation process to make these charms. Perhaps a pressing method of sorts, or some sort of embalming. Yet it seemed to Iri, permanence was somewhat overrated. In fact, she almost sounded more excited about watching them wither and crumple than she did about gathering them in the first place! This definitely was not Elliot's idea of pretty, at least not outright. Yet with how excited the girl was about it, it was hard not to be a little bit wrapped up in her enjoyment. He took the stick as she handed it to him, smiling softly. "Alright, lets see how this works," he said, holding his half of the leaf stack in his hands and balancing them carefully.
Once everything was set up properly, he pushed the stick through the first few leaves. It wasn't that easy, compared to a sharper stick more suited for the task, but it was better than risking Irina getting too excited and stabbing herself right in the hand. Instead he just kept patient and focused, slowly but surely easing his way through the stack. It wasn't long before he had a nice, even hole punched through them, perfectly sized to push a string through. "Hey, I did it!" Elliot cheered, showing the stack to Irina. He even fanned them out so she could get a better look at each!
After showing his collection off he passed the stick back to her, smiling slightly. "Your turn!"
Irina was watching Elliot's actions intently, eyes staring as the stick gently worked through... the whole stack?! It wasn't hor Irina did it.. but... The gentle way he did it had Irina on edge, at any moment they could rip and the beauty of it all would be lost, yet he stayed strong! A round of applause from a singular girl is what followed when the hole was pushed through, followed by a giggle. "You did it!! It looks so pretty, it'll look even better around a neck, or an arm- or a head!"
Flower crowns! She could make those- were there flowers around!? No? Yes? Her head was brought up as her gaze surveyed the area. No flowers. Puppy had moved to rest his head onto one of her knees, a soft whine leaving him as if he noted her intentions to get up and start running once more...
Fiiiine. For now, Irina stayed in place, smiling as the stick was given back to her. "Lemme show you how I do it, I make them so super pretty!" And then she was a girl at work, like some sort of youtube tutorial Irina turned towards Elliot, intent of showing him her way of doing things
"So, you get a leaf!" She held up a single leaf before gently pressing it into the dirt, flat. She stared at it a few moments befoe bringing her finger down, "Annnd... follow the veins to see where they lead!" Nowhere. The lead to the stem, nowehere in particular. Yes Irina's gaze was focused,her finger left the path of the veins as if she saw something else there before her finger arried at the center-top of the leaves. "....Here!"
She moved then, to grab her stick, staring intently at it and finding it's sharpest point. Eyes focused, she did a few test jabs, gently into the tip of her finger so she ensured she knew here to poke the hole... Before slamming the stick down with immense force into the stick, dirt flying around her! But! She had done it! A hole! With minimal crackage!
With a victorious laugh, she repeated the process before excitedly showing her leaves off the Elliot. "There! Now we have the jewlerry- but now we need crowns!!!"
Post by Elliot Sunderland on May 7, 2020 23:33:20 GMT
Elliot watched Irina with interest as she took a leaf off of the pile. His method may have been slow, gentle, and careful, but it was also crude and performed with little idea of what he was doing. Irina's method, in contrast, was far more methodical and learned. She traced the veins of the leaf, finding a matching spot by the top of the leaf where she planned to make her mark. She prodded it a few times, feeling to make sure she had the location, and then-
Oh, wow. She stabbed that leaf hard. Elliot made a mental note to never piss Irina off.
Nevertheless, she did an amazing job. His leaves were intact, but they had a few small cracks and rips along their surface. In contrast, the holes Irina punched through hers were pretty much perfect. Maybe the smallest of rips spread across one of the leaves, but overall they were in an incredible shape. "You must have a lot of practice," Elliot said, voice somewhat hushed. "These came out really well!"
They weren't done just yet, though! With jewelry resolved, it was time to work on crowns. "Sounds fun! How do we make those?" Elliot asked, keeping a hand on his walking stick. In case Irina started charging off, again, he had to be prepared to keep up!
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