Tales of Visiwa - Ch.1.1x - LET ME TAKE YOUR SHOOOOESS OFF

[01:00] <Rosetta> It's not too long after the meeting with General Myres that Rosetta starts wandering out of the girls' room, restless and not quite ready to sleep. Perched on her shoulder is her Starly, having left Trilloby to recuperate in the medical ward of the fort for the night. She makes her way to the common room, glancing around for anyone else.
01[01:04] <Saryx> Well, if she's looking, she'll most definitely find! Saryx is plopped down on one of the couches in the common room, a block of wood in one hand and a swiss army knife in the other. Judging by the block being more or less intact and there being few wood shavings strewn about on the floor, you can at least guess he hasn't really been at it much long at all.
05[01:07] <Rosetta> "Heya Saryx!" Rosetta sits herself down on the table facing Saryx's couch and rests her head in one hand. "Couldn't sleep either?" Her gaze moves to the block of wood, but she doesn't comment on it yet.
01[01:11] <Saryx> "Hunh?!?" Saryx jolts up and into awareness as he's called upon, losing his grip on the wooden block. He ends up more or less juggling it in one hand for a good couple seconds before looking up to Rosetta. "Oh, hey there, Razor~ I didn't notice you standing there!"
01[01:12] <Saryx> "Just got bored waiting around for the morning, so I just needed something to kill time here. ... You weren't trying to get my attention for too long, were you?"
[01:12] <Rosetta> "Nah, just walked in. Whatcha carving there?"
01[01:16] <Saryx> "It's nothing special, really... Least not yet, it isn't. I still haven't decided what I want to make just yet from it. That's usually how it works, though. I kind of just whittle away at it until some idea comes up. From there, it's real easy!"
[01:19] <Rosetta> "Hm...why not carve a slowpoke? Like the one you caught today. Did you pick up the hobby in Sandseeker? I know I'd learn something like that if I had to live somewhere there's only desert to be seen for miles around..."
01[01:24] <Saryx> You can practically hear a still unlit lightbulb rattling in the air over Saryx' head before his eyes glow up. "You know... That's a great idea, Razor! Gimme ooone second~" He puts down the block and knife and darts off, returning perhaps a moment later with a half-awake Slowpoke wrapped up in his arms, sporting the ultimate derpface. "Now you just stay right there, okay? ... Though I guess it probably wouldn't be too hard to stop you if you tried going off anywhere..." He petpets the Slowpoke, which after a bit gives off a bit of a yaaaawn before flopping over on its side. "Well, yeah, you kinda end up with a lot of time to kill in places like that... But Dad was the one who showed me how to carve! ... Mostly 'cause he's not much a creative type. He can do it well, but he's only good at making practical stuff."
05[01:28] * Rosetta starts to say something but is cut off by Saryx dashing off to grab the slowpoke. "Your dad, huh? Up in Shiverwing, yeah?" Rosetta bends over to give the slowpoke a little pet. "You said your family makes weapons and the like, right? I guess it makes sense to do wood carving too then..." She pauses to look at the slowpoke which is probably JUST now reacting to everything. "...You name him yet?"
01[01:32] <Saryx> "The one and only~" Saryx sports a big, goofy grin, his pride threatening to choke out all the rest of the air in the room. "We mostly made equipment for the Shiverwings to use around town, but it's always nice to have some neat trinkets lying around the place. Got people coming in who didn't really need a shovel or... Okay, I'm pretty sure everyone in Shiverwing was in need of shovels, so that's not a good example. But it gave more people incentive to come into the shop." ... He takes a long, hard stare at the Slowpoke after, which is probably brushing its head up against Rosetta's ankle. "... Nope. Don't really know much about him yet, so until I do... I got nothing."
01[01:34] <Saryx> He gives one of those 'Fuck if I know' type shrugs to accompany that last statements.
06[01:35] * Rosetta nods. "He's probably gonna be slow to show much about himself. I mean, he is a slowpoke. Not like my Starly, who was very, uh, forward with showing just what he's like. I've named him Maestoso! I think it fits."
[01:38] <Rosetta> "I've been meaning to ask too..." Rosetta sits down on the floor cross-legged. "did you learn martial arts back home too? Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but I totally didn't expect that out of you during that fight with the monkeys at first glance. With your rock on a stick and all."
01[01:40] <Saryx> "I noticed as much..." He rubrubs the Slowpoke's belly a bit while it's flopped out upside down. "... If Gen was right and that's normal for these things, well, I'm kind of surprised these things still around." Already crouched over, it's not too much more effort for him to sit down besides the Slowpoke. "Well, making all the weapons with Dad for the Shiverwings got me familiar with how they work, since we always make sure we know what people are trying to do with their equipment before we go around making it... So I've got a little bit of skill with using weapons from that..."
01[01:41] <Saryx> "But it's actually something I more picked up in Sandseeker, how to actually fight!"
[01:42] <Rosetta> "Really?" Rosetta raises an eyebrow. "Huh, maybe the place is less boring than the tourism ads make it sound then. What's the training like there?"
01[01:45] <Saryx> "Yup!" Saryx nods enthusiastically. "Combat training's actually a big part of some of the disciplines people study in at Sandseeker. Helps you get in tune with your body! ... It's a bit awkward that they do it in plain sight where all the tourists can watch and take pictures, though. ... 'specially if someone messes up real bad!"
01[01:47] <Saryx> "I mean, you get used to it eventually, having people just staring at you like you're some kind of object on display, but it doesn't make it any less embarassing..." Saryx' change in facial expressions should make it pretty clear he's having a rather unpleasant flashback.
[01:48] <Rosetta> "...Sounds like you've got a funny story there. C'mon, tell me!" Rosetta slowly grins.
[01:48] <Rosetta> "Did you accidentally knock your sparring partner into a bunch of tourists? Choke on sand during a fight?"
01[01:51] <Saryx> Bothy and Saryx both know exactly where this is going. ... One likes it, one doesn't. Given Saryx' previous gesture, shouldn't be hard to tell which. "... Well, ummm... In Sandseeker, some of the kids there take a bit of a shine to the things they do, so they usually have some teachers on hand to train them as well. And the kids seem to really like it, too! They don't even need to be as strict with them as they are with the older people. They just do it, and do it real well at that!"
[01:52] <Rosetta> "Uh huh..." The look in Rosetta's eyes says 'this isn't a funny story yet!'
01[01:55] <Saryx> "So one day, they brought the little kids over to one of the older groups for some sparring... We weren't supposed to really hurt the kids; it was more just to help us develop awareness of our surroundings and read other people, supposed to be a simple exercise since the kids usually are more aggressive when it comes to fighting and easier to read..." How's that look in your eyes, Rose?
[01:56] <Rosetta> "Oh man did one of 'em fuck you up? That would be embarrassing." Glimmering.
01[02:01] <Saryx> "... Her name was... Suzie or something, maybe? Don't think she was any more than twelve when this happened. Real short and had those short little pink pigtails. Came up with her Dad, who was trying to make sense of something that flipped his whole world upside down. She wasn't naturally gifted like some of the other kids were, but..." Saryx reflexively starts rubbing the back of his head. "... Maaan, just thinking about that makes my head hurt."
[02:05] <Rosetta> "Lots of kids that age can be pretty well trained though. Right before I left home, my cuz must've been around that age or just a little older. Norina, I think I mentioned her before. And she could throw a mean punch even back then." Rosetta is reflexively rubbing her arm now too.
01[02:05] <Saryx> "She faked me out real bad. Thought she was swinging somewhere else, so I went to block it with one leg, then she swung her own at my other leg, basically pulling the floor out from underneath me!" Saryx seems to be trying to hold back his anger, but is failing miserably at it. "It wasn't even fair! ... Apparently a tour guide came in and all everyone saw was me sprawled out on the floor with her sitting on my belly. ... I hit my head on the ground real bad that day, must've been out for at least a couple hours..."
[02:08] <Rosetta> "Ouch! Well, at least a funny story came out of it. And it looks like you've gotten better since then, yeah?"
01[02:11] <Saryx> "Well, I know that now!" He mad. Saryx so so very mad. "Wouldn'tve been all too bad if it were just tourists, but the kids who were there wouldn't let me live that one down... it's not like I could've even challenged her to a rematch after 'cause if I won, all I accomplished was beat up a little girl half my age, and if I lost... I got beat up by a little girl half my age... AGAIN!" He throws his arms up in exasperation. "... It definitely made me more resolved to make sure something stupid like that ever happened again, though."
06[02:12] * Rosetta leans away a little at the outburst but can't help but laugh a little.
[02:13] <Rosetta> "So you're over 20, huh? I couldn't tell, honestly."
[02:14] <Rosetta> "Chase is out of college, Gen has a PhD...Gee, I guess I'm the youngest on the team then."
06[02:16] * Saryx glaaares at Rose. "It's not funny, Razor! ... But yeah, I'll be turning 23 a couple months before the next Gathering."
[02:17] <Rosetta> "Aw don't be like that, it's pretty funny." She grins. "The important thing's that you trained hard and got better anyway, yeah?"
01[02:20] <Saryx> "It's easy for you to say! You weren't the one who got knocked out cold by a little girl!" His sphincter is so severed, it's not even funny. ... Okay, it's probably fucking hilarious to Rose. "... But yeah, guess you're right about that. I've definitely come a long way since then. ... Least, I'm pretty sure I have."
[02:23] <Rosetta> "Well, I have been, just, uh, I wasn't much older than the 'little girl' in that case either. Probably young enough to be called one too. Okay, so that doesn't really count I guess." Rosetta shrugs and reaches her hands above her head, stretching. "Truth be told though, I've always wanted to learn martial arts more but never got the formal training."
[02:24] <Rosetta> "There was always too much of a gap in talent and skill between me and Norina, and it turns out online meet-ups aren't the best thing for getting real martial arts training."
01[02:30] <Saryx> "Is the training just a cover for your own reluctance to say you got beat down by your little cousin?" Saryx laughs a little bit himself, and he's got that '... Interesting...' type of look upon his face, the 'well that explains a lot' kind. "So this isn't the first time you've gone and met up with random strangers online, is it Razor? ... Guess that explains why you seemed so comfortable with it."
[02:33] <Rosetta> "No, not at all! I mean, she did beat the shit out of me each time, and that's why we stopped sparring...Wasn't useful to either of us, you know? But it's been almost four years since the last time that happened anyway, so who knows how it'd go now?" Rosetta pauses and winces. "...Okay, not any better probably. 'Specially since she's training at Veilbeak now..."
05[02:34] * Rosetta takes out her smartphone and flips through a few pages. "Yeah, actually, if you take a look at my Meetup profile..." She hands the phone over to Saryx.
01[02:38] <Saryx> "You mean where that Ymir guy said he was headed off to? ... And she's younger than you, too? ... Don't we... Gotta go visit those as an Explorer Team, too, or something?" Considering the way Rosetta described Norina's fists and her own recollection, Saryx starts to envision the pain in his future as well, and is none the least bit happy to visualize it. Once he's done grimacing over potential future pain, he's careful with the phone as he takes it from Rosetta, and starts... Well, not playing with it. That's not the right word. But he's definitely exploring around for what she's trying to show him.
[02:39] <Rosetta> It's just the profile that's on Rosetta's sheet~
[02:41] <Rosetta> "Yeah, I mean, makes sense for aspiring martial artists to go there. Norina's only 16 yeah, two years and...and..." She bite her thumb. "Shit, I forgot her birthday. I better go fix that later. Anyway, about two years and then some younger than me. She's tough and smart though; probably the only reason she's not out there searching for Corbin's clues is cause of her age."
[02:41] <Rosetta> *bites
01[02:43] <Saryx> Oh~ He's got that 'Oh, cool~' look as he's scrolling through. "Wow, Razor! You sure got yourself involved with a lot of hobbies! Sounds like you had a lot of time on your hands." He gives Rosetta the ultimate look of disappointment when she concedes to having forgotten her cousin's birthday.
01[02:43] <Saryx> "... From what you're saying, though, sounds like she could take on the wilds around us all on her own!"
[02:44] <Rosetta> "What?" Rosetta throws up her hands with a look of guilt on her face. "Hey, it's been three years since I left home, and I didn't exactly come back to the most relaxing circumstances!"
[02:45] <Rosetta> "Didn't really do birthdays much when I was out living on my own."
[02:45] <Rosetta> "I bet she could, I bet she could...Maybe I'm underestimating the wilds a little though."
06[02:50] * Saryx looks a bit more disconcerted by Rose's follow-up statement. "... Well, I don't know your family at all, so I can't say much for how it works around, but that it just doesn't seem to be working much, I'm hoping that's not something you're okay with... 'You only get to have a family twice, and that's if you're lucky. ... It helps not to mess up the first time.'" He runs off that line much the same way a third grader might his times tables.
06[02:54] * Rosetta crosses her arms. "It's not really that simple though. Mom and pop are still being all awkward about it, and I don't blame them after three years and Corbin dying and all...Norina and I have always been close, so I think she'd forgive my forgetting her birthday once or twice."
01[02:59] <Saryx> "Yeah, that... Can really mess things up a whole bunch, couldn't it?" Saryx got his hand rubbing against his chin as he mulls over the picture Rosetta's painted. "... Did you say before what got you splitting from your folks so long ago?"
[03:02] <Rosetta> "Oh! Yeah, yeah that's simple. They're all into books and their libraries and stuffy things like that, and they wanted me to take over the family business cause I have the spark of being a rune master that crops up in the family from time to time."
[03:02] <Rosetta> "I hated it, but they were insistent. So I left."
[03:03] <Rosetta> "We talked it out a year or a year and a half later, on the phone. They admitted they were too pushy, I admitted I was kind of an impulsive asshole, and uh, well, we sorta made up. But I stayed on doing my own thing anyway. Annnnd now things are awkward again. I think they resent that I was away from home when all this happened..."
01[03:12] <Saryx> "Well, it doesn't sound like you're working with a box of tools that are real well broken," Saryx starts, a little bit of a smile forming. "... But I remember you said your cousin didn't take too well to you not telling her about what you saw in the Ruins. ... Is that what got your parents mad with you, too?"
06[03:13] * Rosetta nods but also shrugs. "I...think so? They didn't really want to talk to me much outside of the funeral, didn't even see me off when I left for this Explorer Team business."
[03:14] <Rosetta> "It's...a little unfair really. Corbin had always gotten himself involved in crazy shenanigans and gotten out of it unscratched. So none of us ever really worried that much when we saw him get into something that seemed dangerous. The one time though..." Rosetta sorta trails off.
01[03:17] <Saryx> Saryx makes his way over to Rosetta and patpats her on the shoulder, leaving his hand there after. "You didn't see it coming. Nobody did! And no one ever wants to see it coming."
[03:20] <Rosetta> "Thanks. All I can do now is look into this, yeah? And what about you? We're gonna cross into Shiverwing sometime in our travels. You gonna stick around home once we get there?"
01[03:26] <Saryx> "I don't think I could stick around. ... Least, not yet, anyways..." Saryx' eyes wander around the room a bit as he loses himself in thought a moment. "I already said I was gonna help you guys through everything, and I stll gotta figure out where I fit into this whole mess, too... Pretty sure with the matching uniforms we all ended up with that much ain't a coincidence." He reaches into his back pocket, and pulls a Luvdisc out from the back. "Besides, it's not like I can't get in touch with my parents whenever I need to~ Might not be Sightsharing like we're used to, but the important thing's we stay connected in one way or another."
[03:29] <Rosetta> "You seem to put a whole lot into your family. Is that what you're gonna do with the rest of your life after this too? Take over the business?" Rosetta leans to one side, resting her head on a hand.
01[03:37] <Saryx> At this point it's probably no longer necessary for Saryx to have his own hand upon Rosetta's, so he removes himself from upon her. "Yeah, family's everything to me! My family might be a bit of a mess, but it's what I know and what I got!" It's not even stars shining in Saryx' eyes right now. It's like a goddamned meteor shower. "Blacksmithing's been the family business since at least Grampa Alvis' grampa was around, and I enjoy it, and I'm real proud of it! And I'm hoping one day I'll have my own family to raise, too~ Hopefully into the business as well, if they're up for it!"
05[03:40] * Rosetta almost has to lean away from the sheer volume of enthusiasm radiating from Saryx right now. "Speaking of that actually, have you taken a look at Chase's machete yet or anything?"
01[03:42] <Saryx> ". . ." Saryx' head goes 90 degrees, and then his body goes the other 90. "Oh shit I forgot I was gonna do that!"
05[03:43] <Rosetta> "Well, hold on, you don't know if he's gone to bed already." Rosetta waves her hands at Saryx to get his attention.
01[03:46] <Saryx> He had probably jumped up to start gathering his belongings before stopping to make sure he didn't trip over the Slowpoke on the floor, which probably would've ended up really badly considering he had a knife in his hand. A retracted knife, yes, but considering this is a Botherer character we're talking about? Wouldn't be surprised if something would go wrong. ... Least this one's conscientious enough about his 'mans to not intentionally provide OOC reasons for them to hate him. But wordstorm aside, it's that pause that lets Rosetta's words sink in. "... Right, that . . . Probably wouldn't be a good idea, waking him up over the machete. I guess if he left it out I could at least sharpen it before I go to bed, though."
[03:48] <Rosetta> "If you've got a moment, I have something that could use some sharpening myself, actually!"
05[03:49] * Rosetta hops up and taps her foot on the ground, a blade flicking out of her boot. She bends down to untie the laces and take off the boot, holding it out to Saryx.
01[03:49] <Saryx> "The blades in your boots you mentioned when we were Sightsharing?" The glimmer in Saryx' eyes returns. "Or you got something--Oh."
01[03:50] <Saryx> He's a bit eager, probably too eager. He totally tries to help Rosetta get her shoes off. ... Not creepy at all, right?
[03:51] <Rosetta> "Whoa, hey I got it, alright?"
05[03:51] * Rosetta shows Saryx how the triggering mechanisms work so he doesn't impale himself. The blades themselves seem worn and dull from use and age.
01[03:52] <Saryx> That was exactly the question he was gonna ask, and he asks a whole lot of other questions about the boots, too, with enough speed that Rosetta probably gets lost in 'em, but enough that he should get a solid understanding of how the thing works in general should she be willing to answer all of 'em.
06[03:53] * Rosetta tries her best to answer, but anything that gets into metallurgy or the like gets not much more than a shrug from her.
01[03:56] <Saryx> "Yeah, this blade looks like the tip of a pencil the way it is right now... How long ago was it since you last had this thing sharpened?!?" He says it as if Rosetta'd neglected it like a malnourished infant.
06[03:58] * Rosetta shrugs. "I dunno! You go to Johto, you're more likely to be snuggled into submission by sentrets instead of facing death by bidoof like here. So it's not like I've really needed it for a while. Besides, I can do this."
06[03:58] * Rosetta takes a few steps back, making sure to stay well clear of the TV and other electronics.
[04:00] <Rosetta> She takes a finger and presses it to the now faded and barely visible tattoo just under her neck. The crackle of electricity fills the air, and lines of lightning course down her body, etching runic designs in a bright light on her clothes as they go. They flash for a second and then burst outward, sending arcs of electricity through the air around her.
[04:03] <Rosetta> "Though, speaking of which, we should probably all chat about what we're good at and what we can do before this trial tomorrow, yeah? I mean, we each got a bit of an idea, but it's good to be 100% clear."
01[04:04] <Saryx> The mental image of being hugged to death by Sentret is almost too much for Saryx; he's got that 'd'aaaaaw~' smile on his face resultant from it. But then he's snapped back into reality by the light show, and THERE is when he almost impales himself with the boot upon recoiling. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa... What was that?!?" His jaw threatens to unhinge.
[04:07] <Rosetta> "Have you ever seen an Unown fight? It's the same thing. Most Pokemon can learn to do the same, I think? There's something sort of primal and basic about the power. Er...I'm kind of talking out of my ass here - my family deals with this stuff a lot, but seeing as I ran away, I don't really know altogether too much about why our kin are so tied with the little guys.""
[04:08] <Rosetta> "It's really not as impressive as, say, aura manipulation." Rosetta walks back over and sits down again.
06[04:13] * Saryx shakes his head. "Nope. Never seen one before... Before I came out here, the most unusual Pokemon I'd seen was my Dad's, Krigen. ... It's more just that he was weird than it was he was weird as a Pokemon. ... He really, really loved his coffee." Saryx' eyes dart around the room as he mentally envisions just what the thing would be doing in this room, and he starts getting somewhat disoriented from just that alone. "... Gotta stop thinking about that," he says as he clamps onto his head. "But that sounds really interesting, Razor!"
01[04:14] <Saryx> "Moreso than Aura would be to me. ... Then again, it's probably the same thing with you. Aura was one of the disciplines people could try to work with up at the Temple, too."
[04:16] <Rosetta> "Grass is always greener, right? Norina and I are both rune masters, that's to say we have this weirdo tie to the unown. So we saw lots of that just between the two of us. Never met someone who worked with Aura before Chase though."
01[04:20] <Saryx> "His power's definitely something there... I don't remember seeing something like that while I was training up in the Temple. Most of the Aura was an internal process, I think... Nothing really tangible like the shockwaves he made when we were fighting those Pokemon..."
[04:22] <Rosetta> "Exactly! He's got range with what he does, and that could be really helpful. Anyhow though..." Rosetta stretches and yawns. "It's been a good chat, but I think I should be catching some shut-eye. Thanks for working on my boots - I'm looking forward to seeing them in the morning!"
01[04:26] <Saryx> "No problem, Razor!" Saryx re-compiles all of his belongings, Sleepypoke inclusive, as well as the boots (blades retracted, obviously). "I'll make sure to be careful with 'em! Shouldn't be any problems since for now I'm just whetting the edges, but I'll be good to them! I promise!"
[04:27] <Rosetta> "Yup! Good night!" Rosetta hops up again and walks back to the girls' dorm with a wave.
01[04:28] <Saryx> "Night, Razor~" He tries to reciprocate the gesture as best as he can while encumbered before parting off to his own dorm. Chase is free to be mad at Saryx for possibly accidentally waking him up while sperging over the awesome design of Rosetta's bootblades.