[19:39:48] [castfromhp] (Relative) calm has finally returned to Snowberry after the tragedy at the Lodge, and our heroes are planning to leave town for their next destination. The path east out of Snowberry isn't difficult, but it is rather rough and untraveled in spots, at least going down the mountain.
[19:39:54] [castfromhp] Any last minute errands in town though?
[19:40:52] * Doxy has quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
[19:42:20] [Adrienne] Getting a little bit of magic instruction from Robin as training justification for my eventual classing into Hex Maniac. Besides that, what about that book I got from the tunnels? I don't think I've gotten any word about that.
[19:42:48] * Lucian buys a few Pokeballs and some parts/toolkit to help maintain his Butlerbot
[19:46:59] [Dann-] west
[19:49:04] * Dann- also picks up a few Pokeballs and other supplies. He also sends Rasha a text: [Looks like we're heading to our next destination finally. Enjoy your time off! I'll see ya when I see ya.]
[19:51:44] [castfromhp] Adrienne, it's a list of names, presumably fighters in the old Underground. Among them is Bubba, and looking them up you see some of the other names are currently in jails. Of the remainder, a lot of these names don't turn up much while searching, but some of them point at a construction company in Camas while a one or two are now employed with a private security firm based in Freedom City.
[19:52:37] [Adrienne] Cool.
[19:53:03] * Meta is now known as Percival
[19:54:37] [zoofdude] Alice's response: [The scenic route huh?  Least its hard to get lost around Mount Starfall.  Good luck with your workstuff!]
[19:56:05] [Dann-] [Thanks! Keep me posted if you hear back from Benedict.]
[19:56:17] * Percival picks up a couple Pokeballs and a bit of supplies to make sure he won't be missing a nose on the trip.
[19:58:31] [castfromhp] Lemme know when y'all are ready to leave town~
[19:59:50] * Adrienne is ready to leave town.
[20:00:02] [Lucian] Once Lucian has everything he needs to travel, he'll wait for the others at the gate
[20:00:59] * Dann- heads to the gate as well.
[20:01:48] * Percival heads out to the town gate.
[20:02:48] [castfromhp] You all set out for the wilderness, down a rocky, snow-covered mountain path. The skies are clear, and the alpine air is refreshingly cold but not frigid and sharp.
[20:03:46] * Lucian pulls the scarf from his mouth and loosens it around his throat, "Shit, I forgot what normal weather was like."
[20:04:56] [castfromhp] It's a pretty easy hike down, but you have to stop on the way down to wait for a group of racing Roggenrola to pass by, tracing long lines in the snow. The one leading the pack shines a bright red, much like the crystal growths on Boldore and Gigalith, rather than the normal dark blue of the rest of their bodies.
[20:05:36] [Lucian] Is it faster than the other ones?
[20:05:43] [Lucian] Like, three times faster?
[20:05:56] [castfromhp] You see the occasional Sneasel and Snorunt on the way down too, having playful snowball fights with each other, but they thin out as you cross from snow into dirt paths.
[20:06:27] [castfromhp] Yes, you get a medal for getting the joke :3
[20:07:08] * Adrienne is wary around the Sneasel.
[20:09:26] [Lucian] Once they're definitely in warmer climes, Lucian undoes his scarf and merely drapes it over his shoulders as they travel. "...it occurs to me that it probably would have been faster if we'd just gone back to Madrona and taken the train to Camas..."
[20:10:38] [Percival] "Easier but, it's fun getting out and about to see new territory through this route regardless."
[20:11:40] [Lucian] "I guess so. Granted, with the murder and all I can't imagine the trains being very pleasant to use."
[20:15:04] [castfromhp] Up ahead, you enter what looks like the aftermath of a forest fire - it appears like it's been some time since the trees burned down, but there are charred remains here and there. New trees are starting to grow here, and you can see small groups of Bonsly hopping about or burying themselves in the dirt and pretending to be trees as well.
[20:15:53] [Dann-] "Wow, wonder what caused this."
[20:16:14] [Dann-] "...I don't think it was Kai this time."
[20:16:42] [Adrienne] "Unless Kai ran ahead by several days, probably not."
[20:17:19] [Lucian] "It might have been a natural forest fire."
[20:17:23] [castfromhp] Past the Bonsly in the distance, you see a silhouette of a woman walking slowly through the remains of the forest, turning and looking here and there once in a while.
[20:17:30] [Lucian] 3d6+1 Gen Edu: Was it?
[20:17:30] [CritSenpai] Gen Edu: Was it?: 16 [3d6=6,5,4]
[20:19:06] [castfromhp] Yeah, with the whole mess at the Lodge, it wasn't really given much focus, but basically a fire broke out when some campers with some Fire Pokemon got drunk and REALLY wanted to get warm. It was contained and quickly put out, and some volunteers from Ninebark came up to start replanting new trees in the area.
[20:20:54] * Lucian moves up ahead through the path to see what exactly the woman is examining.
[20:21:15] * Adrienne chooses the shout at the woman instead. "Hey! Are you lost?"
[20:23:24] [castfromhp] The woman turns at hearing the shout, and you see a familiar face - it's Sandy! She's holding a small handful of shards and type gems. "Nah, I'm fine. Whoa, it's you guys! Hey!"
[20:23:56] [Lucian] ”Oh! It's..."
[20:24:06] * Lucian looks over at Dann for an assist.
[20:24:36] [Adrienne] "Oh hey, it's you."
[20:24:40] [Adrienne] "'Sup."
[20:25:25] * zoofdude is now known as zoofman
[20:26:20] [Percival] "Huh, I guess not everything was burnt to pieces here."
[20:26:42] [Dann-] "Sandy." Dann replies quietly.
[20:27:25] [Lucian] "Yeah, what Dann said."
[20:27:31] [Dann-] He waves at her and walks over to where she's standing. "Long time no see."
[20:29:53] [castfromhp] "Oh, hi Dann! I got that fossil hatched, the one you helped me find. Oh but this is great - would you all mind helping me out with something?" Sandy idly juggles a few of the gems with one hand.
[20:30:18] [Dann-] "Oh! I'd love to see that pokemon sometime. But sure, what do you need?"
[20:30:22] [Adrienne] "Depends, what's the something?"
[20:30:58] * Cabletop (~name@Rizon-3676B53B.hsd1.il.comcast.net) has joined #SleeplessInSequoia
[20:31:03] [Percival] "What might you need?"
[20:32:17] [castfromhp] "I found a Persian while I was hiking here, clearly owned by someone. Thing is, it won't budge an inch, and what I've sorta figured out from it is it lost a bunch of shards and gems and won't leave without them." Sandy scratches her head. "I've never met -anyone- so particular about shards. I tried handing over some from my stash, but he just turned away from me in a huff."
[20:32:38] [castfromhp] "I'm gonna need to find the owner too of course. I bet they're worried."
[20:33:12] [Dann-] "Huh, that's odd. I take it he accepted a couple shards from around here or something though?"
[20:33:22] [Lucian] "Well on the bright side it didn't viciously maul you."
[20:33:54] [Lucian] "Did you want us to help you find its owners or get the Persian off the mountains?"
[20:34:13] [castfromhp] "Yeah, I've picked up a few here." She stops juggling and lets you get a good look. "And I've handed over a couple too."
[20:34:48] [Adrienne] "So you want us to get stuff to give to the Persian so it'll leave?"
[20:36:04] [castfromhp] "Well, I was hoping someone would come by who could go further down the road and see if anyone's looking for a Persian wearing a little crown and a fancy carpet draped around itself. Yeah, uh, I'm not joking, I actually found it like that."
[20:36:24] [castfromhp] "I'm worried about leaving it alone here, so I'm gonna keep looking for its shards and gems."
[20:37:42] [Lucian] "Sure, we can do that."
[20:37:44] [Adrienne] "Sure, we could do that."
[20:37:58] [Dann-] "Seeing as walking further down the road is probably what we'd do anyway if we hadn't bumped into you."
[20:38:47] [Dann-] "A crown and a cape, you said?"
[20:39:00] [castfromhp] Sandy grins. "Awesome, thanks a ton."
[20:39:11] [Percival] "We'll make sure to check if anybody's looking for that Persian, surely somebody will recognize them."
[20:39:18] [castfromhp] "Not really a cape. You wanna come see? He's a bit out of the way."
[20:39:55] [Adrienne] "No thanks, I'll just take your word it's a carpet."
[20:41:36] [Dann-] "Text one of us a picture maybe? Just so we can confirm with a possible owner."
[20:42:10] [castfromhp] Sandy claps her hands. "Oh that's a great idea. Yeah, I'll text you once I head back over to where he's sitting."
[20:42:57] [castfromhp] She drops the shards she was holding in the process and sheepishly stoops down to pick them back up.
[20:43:38] [Adrienne] "Right, good luck on the shards and gems stuff, we'll keep an eye out."
[20:44:26] [castfromhp] "Thanks." Sandy heads off.
[20:44:27] [Dann-] "You'll have to show me that Shellder after we hopefully sort this out."
[20:44:51] [castfromhp] "Will do!" She yells back at you from afar.
[20:47:48] [Adrienne] "Man, I really don't get people dressing up their cat Pokemon in silly ass outfits."
[20:48:20] [Lucian] "Well Adrienne, I don't understand Pokemon Contest /or/ Pokemon Musicals."
[20:48:23] [Lucian] "But those exist."
[20:49:21] [Lucian] "I think dressing up Pokemon in silly outfits is on the tame side if we're looking at this as a spectrum."
[20:49:25] [castfromhp] Further down the road, you reach an intersection where your path meets the path south towards Ninebark. You can see a set of wheel tracks from the east where some vehicle must have come by recently. Probably a wagon or carriage of some sort.
[20:49:45] [castfromhp] Meanwhile, Dann gets a text from Sandy with a photo. It basically looks like this but it's a Persian: http://i.imgur.com/OAkkTN6.jpg
[20:50:23] [Adrienne] "I think Pokemon Musicals are kinda fun."
[20:51:02] * Adrienne takes a look at what direction the tracks are going, out of curiosity.
[20:52:30] [castfromhp] They're headed to the south, like you.
[20:52:51] [castfromhp] Adrienne, your phone is ringing too!
[20:52:56] * Lucian heads over to the wagon, calling out as they draw near it, "You need any help?"
[20:53:06] [castfromhp] You don't see a wagon. You see tracks though.
[20:53:14] * Adrienne checks her phone. Who's this?
[20:53:20] [castfromhp] It's Blintz.
[20:53:41] * Adrienne answers her phone. "Hiya Miss Blintz."
[20:56:38] [castfromhp] "Hey." Blintz's voice comes back, sounding tired and slightly on edge. "Soooo, I managed to sneak out of the lab for a moment - just giving you a heads up, Benedict's gonna call you and he's -pissed-. You get on the bad side of some asshole hackjob blogger these past few days? I haven't had a chance to listen to it myself, but Benedict was real mad about something Lucian was recorded saying."
[20:58:57] [Adrienne] "Yeah, uh, we kind of did. All of us were at a... murder scene, and things kind of quickly blew up."
[20:59:32] * Adrienne covers the receiver and says to everyone else, "guys, Professor Benedict is super mad."
[20:59:53] [Adrienne] On second thought, Adrienne just puts Blintz on speakerphone so everyone else can hear what comes out next.
[21:02:03] [castfromhp] "I'm going to go buy cupcakes and hope that calms the boss down, but you should expect a call pretty soon. Just didn't want it to come totally out of the blue. How's your trip going now? Are you holding up well after everything that happened?"
[21:02:11] * Lucian looks away from the others.
[21:04:23] [Adrienne] "We're investigating a lead down in Camas, heading down west from Snowberry. Besides that, we recently won the Judecca Badge, so there's that."
[21:07:23] [castfromhp] "Oh boy, Serak's Gym. Grats on that, it can be kind of a crapshoot depending on who his 'guests' are. Oh hold on a second." The sound from the phone is muffled for a few moments as you hear Blintz ordering a large variety of cupcakes from someone in the background. "Sorry about that. Don't be afraid to take a break once in a while too. Dealing with murder mansions isn't really in the job description."
[21:09:39] [castfromhp] "Annnnd, yeah I should hurry back to the lab now. Expect that call in a few. Good luck and everything." Blintz hangs up.
[21:10:23] * Lucian pauses on the road, wiggling his hands in the air as he tries to articulate himself. "...okay, this is going to sound really bad but...I /might/ have been really stressed out after the whole situation at the lodge and I /might/ have said a few things that /could be/ interpreted as politically subversive to that asshole of a news reporter."
[21:12:23] * Adrienne doesn't put the phone away just yet, instead she looks for the dude's blogpost. Shouldn't be too hard to find, she knows his name after all. "By the way, I call not getting yelled at by the boss."
[21:12:29] [Dann-] "He wasn't even a legit reporter...just some random blogger. Ugh."
[21:12:44] [zoofman] Apparantly Adrienne's got the newest phone out of all of you or something, cause her phone is ringing again.
[21:12:52] [Dann-] "Sucks though."
[21:12:58] [zoofman] Maybe it's cause her name starts with A so its at the top of the contact list.
[21:13:03] [Adrienne] She upgraded it offscreen. Who's calling?
[21:13:11] [zoofman] Benedictorino
[21:13:28] * Lucian bites his lip.
[21:13:49] [Adrienne] "Ugh, nevermind. I'm just putting this on speakerphone so we can all get yelled at."
[21:13:54] [Adrienne] She does that.
[21:13:57] * Lucian motions for Adrienne to answer it as he composes himself.
[21:14:07] [Adrienne] She also kinda holds it at arm's length.
[21:14:15] * Dann- crosses his arms and looks at the phone with a frown.
[21:14:44] * Lucian sighs, "Nah, give it to me."
[21:14:56] [Lucian] "I pissed in the tent. I may as well lie in it."
[21:14:59] [zoofman] "Hello? Adrienne?  Are the others near you?  If so can you gather them up and put it on speaker phone?"  He's trying really hard not to sound angry, but you can tell he's crushing a stress ball or something!
[21:15:38] [Adrienne] "Yeah, we're all here. I also beat you to speakerphone."
[21:17:36] [zoofman] "Good, good.  Do you all recall what your responsibilities as Professorial Aides include?"
[21:18:51] [Adrienne] "Not making ourselves look like complete asses?"
[21:19:10] * Lucian takes the phone from Adrienne, though he still keeps it at arm's length and on speakerphone, "The others clearly do. The only one derelict in his responsibilities was me. Please don't make this about the other three..."
[21:21:22] [zoofman] "...Did Blintz call ya'll ahead of time?? God damn it!" You hear something pop like a baloon and a trash bin get kicked over.
[21:22:29] * Dann- winces, but remains silent.
[21:23:04] [Lucian] "She didn't need to call ahead for me not to know what this call would be about."
[21:24:32] [Lucian] "I made an ass of myself, posed myself as a security breach with regards to the investigation, and I damaged the lab's and your own reputation and standing. I should have called you immediately to explain the situation but I avoided the subject and failed to contact the lab and what's more I shouldn't have made those statements in the first place.""
[21:25:21] [zoofman] "Not only do you work on behalf of the university, but you are also expected to assist The Watchers when they are understaffed or not able to act, and in return, they support you as well.  All the branches you've worked with previously? They've requested we -don't- assist them in the future, to put in the nicest terms from these nastygrams."
[21:26:13] [Adrienne] "Holy shit, really?"
[21:26:17] [zoofman] "And no, this -isn't- just you, Lucian, cause the rest of you just let him keep yappin' without confrontin' him!  Even if he's the one who said it, you all permitted it!"
[21:27:15] [Lucian] "...be that as it may I shouldn't have let the stress get to me the way it did and I shouldn't have made those statements in the first place."
[21:29:34] [Dann-] Since Adrienne's phone got called before she could check, Dann quietly pulls out his phone to check exactly what Ben wrote about them.
[21:29:57] [zoofman] "And -I'm- not the one you should be tryin' to come clean with.  I'll be doing what I can to try to repair these burnt bridges, but far as The Watchers and Camas are concerned, you're on your own - The Watchers have no interest in assistin' yall as is."
[21:30:48] * Lucian pinches the bridge of his nose and pushes the glasses onto his head, "...I'll send my formal apologies to the Watchers...as well as my formal resignation if that's what it takes to get them back on the lab's side. I want to help in whatever way I can, even if it's not in any official capacity to the team."
[21:31:56] [Lucian] "I know this is a lot to ask for sir, but is there any way I could arrange a meeting with the Watchers? If you can't help I'll find some other way to get in touch with them, but I need to know."
[21:32:26] [Adrienne] "Resigning is a bit harsh, but uh, I guess we'll have a group discussion about... fixing this problem. If we can."
[21:32:34] * Dann- tries to cut in. "Professor, is this backlash entirely due to the writing of a single blogger? Or is there more to it?"
[21:37:16] [zoofman] "That snoop didn't even need to -try- with the lip he was given'.  The high profile nature of what happened at that hotel, the public role you fufill had a lot to do with it.  And you don't need me to speak with The Watchers, but its gonna take a lot of earnest action to get any headway there, I bet."
[21:37:50] [zoofman] He sighs. "I'll be in touch with the other Professors soon, to see if they can send in their own aides to assist in Camas, cause I doubt The Watchers will do any more than they have to."
[21:40:01] * Lucian closes his eyes and tries to cover his face with his left hand, causing his voice to come out muffled through Adrienne's phone, "...I'm sorry, sir. After the things you told me to help me...I know I've disappointed you in more than one sense..."
[21:40:13] [castfromhp] Dann-, Ben's blog has a series of posts covering the events at the mansion, which seem to have exploded in popularity. Not all of them are about you, but one focuses on an uploaded audiolog of Lucian's rant at him soon after the body was discovered, accompanied by a few snide remarks.
[21:40:32] [Lucian] "But please, I'll do whatever I can to fix this. I'll do /more/ than I can to fix this."
[21:40:47] [castfromhp] The other posts are fairly detailed, so Ben must have thought the audiolog spoke for itself well enough for that post.
[21:41:43] * Lucian coughs as he tries to keep his voice straight, "Just don't take me off the job. Please."
[21:45:57] [zoofman] "If you were fired I'd of personally gone to you and suplexed your scrawny ass by now.  This strain is probably fixable, but next time you need to take charge of a situation, don't let the fact you're public figures get to your heads and act with some humility.  And when one of you steps out of bounds, it reflects poorly on the whole group."
[21:48:29] * Lucian takes a seat on the roadside and throws his glasses to the wayside, with the phone hanging limply in his other hand hanging just a few feet from his face. He fights to regain control of his voice but the result is as strained as ever, "...I understand, sir."
[21:53:55] [Lucian] "...I really fucked up guys."
[21:54:02] * Adrienne scratches her head and stands awkwardly around, at a loss of what to say.
[21:54:07] [zoofman] "Least on the bright side, I think Bing's aides might have something that'd help with the investigation.  Old bat wouldn't tell me -what-, but she seemed confident about it...and by the way, if you pass by Ninebark, and run into a couple running a travelin' shop, remind them to get me that Pokemon I requested from them."
[21:54:53] [zoofman] He hangs up with that.
[21:54:58] [Lucian] "Yes, sir."
[21:55:21] [Adrienne] "Well, that was kinda worse than just getting yelled at."
[21:58:04] [Dann-] "We even saved that asshole from the Jynx. What an ungrateful little shit."
[21:58:23] [Dann-] Did the blog call out Winston's demolishing of part of the second floor?
[21:59:37] [Percival] "I really shouldn't have even gotten us interviewed, I didn't expect anybody would really keep track of anything once the whole power went out. I'm real sorry that happened."
[22:00:00] * Lucian takes a deep breathe and stands up, "No, it doesn't what Benedict said. I was the one at fault for going off like that.:"
[22:00:21] [castfromhp] Not specifically, no, but the collateral damage in the building was mentioned in the posts summarizing what happened.
[22:00:36] * Adrienne takes her phone back from Lucian. Not in the mood to look up the posts, she puts the phone away. "You had no idea it was going to blow up in our faces. Or that Edea was going to get stabbed in the neck."
[22:00:45] [Dann-] "If it had been a regular day, being interviewed would have been good PR anyway. You didn't do anything wrong, Percy."
[22:00:47] [zoofman] Most the 'negative press', so to say, was verbal actions.
[22:00:49] [Lucian] "And now it's put the investigation and set everything we've worked for back ten steps."
[22:00:51] [Adrienne] "I think it would've went fine if the shit didn't hit the fan."
[22:01:12] [Lucian] "No, even ignoring the things I was said to Ben I was treating you three like shit."
[22:01:32] [Lucian] "We're a team. But I wasn't treating you guys like it."
[22:01:57] * Dann- walks over and picks up Lucian's glasses, offering them to him.
[22:02:20] * Lucian takes them but doesn't put them on just yet, "...thanks."
[22:03:34] [Dann-] "We are a team. And we could have been in a room with a murderer. I can't really blame you too much for your reaction to that."
[22:04:06] [Dann-] "It sucks that a moment like that gets captured and thrown online as a weapon against us."
[22:04:12] [Percival] "It's not a problem, I can't blame you for reacting that way given that anybody could've been stabbed or hurt next. You were just trying to keep people safe."
[22:05:10] * Lucian opens his mouth to say something but decides against it, choosing instead to nod as he considers his next words.
[22:05:26] * Adrienne stays silent and waits for the moment to pass. She looks off to the side and waits.
[22:05:50] [Lucian] "You guys are right. And if there's one thing I've learned while working with you guys is that things aren't going to get better by just moping around."
[22:07:29] [Dann-] "Agreed. I don't care if we have the Watchers help or not. Bubba, and whoever's behind him, need to be put down. Before they do something much worse that what they've done already."
[22:08:54] * Lucian nods and gets up to continue down the road but stops by Adrienne first.
[22:09:01] [Adrienne] "Having help from the Watchers and not needing it is better than needing help and not having it, Dann."
[22:10:03] [Dann-] "I know. So we try to make amends with the Watchers. I am all for that. But we don't sit around and spin our wheels while we try to get them back on our side."
[22:10:25] [Lucian] "I know it sucks that we have to do things this way because of me Adrienne, but I'm going to promise you I'll make this all better."
[22:11:04] [Percival] "I'm sure we can fix this, I mean we haven't shown anybody any ill will before this."
[22:12:43] [Adrienne] "Yeah it does, we'll see how shit it is down the line. For now though, I dunno how to feel."
[22:12:47] [Adrienne] "Let's move on?"
[22:13:00] [Lucian] "...sure."
[22:14:39] [Adrienne] "... Did you expect me to say something else?"
[22:15:01] [Lucian] "No. And I don't think I would have wanted you to."
[22:15:10] [Lucian] "But I've said all I have to say."
[22:17:22] * Adrienne starts the train rolling by heading down the path first.
[22:18:34] * Dann- turns down the path as well. "It's a good thing Ben is far away right now..." He mutters as he starts walking.
[22:19:45] * Percival follows behind on the path.
[22:21:13] [castfromhp] As you continue down the path, a Meowth wearing a cowboy hat runs toward you on all fours. It darts between your legs before diving into the tall grass on the side of the path and disappearing.
[22:22:11] [Adrienne] "... I'm surprised that hat stayed on."
[22:22:14] [castfromhp] "Hey! Come baaaack!" You hear a familiar voice call out from up ahead. An exhausted looking George dressed in a shepherd's outfit stumbles down the path towards you, panting. He stops a ways off with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
[22:23:03] * Lucian cuts to the chase, "Is the Persian with the crown and carpet wrapped around it yours?"
[22:23:50] [castfromhp] He looks up immediately, then nods vigorously. "You've seen him?"
[22:24:18] [Lucian] "We saw someone who did."
[22:24:33] [Lucian] "She was collecting Shards for it because it wasn't budging from the trail."
[22:25:25] [castfromhp] "That sounds like him." George plops down right in the middle of the path. "Who knew herding cats would be so hard? No wonder all they handle in Ninebark is Mareep!"
[22:25:33] [Adrienne] "Just head back thatway," she points further back on the path. "And look for the burnt forest."
[22:25:42] * Cable- (~a@4E3E0CEB:319FF06C:9AB38E56:IP) has joined #SleeplessInSequoia
[22:27:46] [Lucian] "Whoever has Sandy's number should probably let her know to get back onto the road."
[22:28:17] * Cable- (~a@4E3E0CEB:319FF06C:9AB38E56:IP) has left #SleeplessInSequoia
[22:28:42] [Adrienne] "That's in Dann's ballpark, I think."
[22:28:47] [castfromhp] "Wait." Recognition flashes across George's face, and he springs up and jogs up to you. "I remember you! We met at the beach!" He grabs Percival's hands. "And we took you into our pirate crew! Wow, it's great to see you again."
[22:29:10] * Dann- has quit (*.net *.split)
[22:29:20] * Cable (~a@4E3E0CEB:319FF06C:9AB38E56:IP) has joined #SleeplessInSequoia
[22:29:35] * Cable texts Sandy about the owner.
[22:29:40] * Cable is now known as Dann-
[22:30:22] [Percival] "Oh yeah! You've gone pretty far inland now, what've you been up to herding all these cats?"
[22:33:22] [castfromhp] "Pattie and I gave up the pirate's life for honest work as cat ranchers!" George puffs up in pride. "And with all the cats we've ranched, they end up bringing us a lot of interesting trinkets too."
[22:34:17] [Adrienne] Is cat ranching an actual thing or is this guy an idiot?
[22:34:33] [castfromhp] Take a guess. :P
[22:34:35] [zoofman] Additional context that is relevant here: While it hasn't come up yet, you'd know that Benedict is famous for being a 'Cat Ace.'
[22:34:58] [Lucian] "How does cat ranching even work?"
[22:36:01] * Adrienne looks at the weird guy. "... Hey, you travel a lot, right?"
[22:36:02] [castfromhp] "Well, you...ranch the cats. It's like being a Mareep rancher, but cuter."
[22:37:03] [Percival] "Is there a reason for dressing them up?"
[22:37:25] [Adrienne] "You wouldn't happen to, uh. Would Professor Benedict have like, requested a Pokemon from you?"
[22:37:32] [castfromhp] "Believe it or not, we find most of them that way. They must have scavenged the clothing themselves from somewhere."
[22:39:18] [castfromhp] "Uh..." George scratches the back of his head nervously. "That'd be the Persian you mentioned. To be honest, we're sort of trying to ranch up all the cats we had on our wagon. We were riding along the trail when we passed by a group of Clefairy making a small light show with lasers, and it was all over. They all scattered." He droops down dramatically.
[22:40:16] [Percival] "How many did you have before?"
[22:40:18] [Lucian] "How about we help you pick up that Persian then."
[22:41:08] [Lucian] "But first could you...tell me what you think the word 'ranch' means exactly?"
[22:41:11] [castfromhp] "We had a dozen, but we've only managed to wrangle half of them back into the wagon. Pattie and I have been running ourselves ragged all afternoon!"
[22:41:15] [Lucian] "I'm honestly curious."
[22:41:25] [castfromhp] "Well, that's what ranchers do, isn't it? They ranch."
[22:41:53] [Lucian] "Yes but what does ranching mean to you specifically. What kind of jobs does it entail?"
[22:44:21] [castfromhp] George gives you a weird look but answers. "We gather a bunch of cats and raise them on a ranch in Ninebark. We feed them, cuddle them, and sell some of them to people like Professor Benedict."
[22:45:26] [castfromhp] "Oh, but I should let Pattie know you found Xerxes! Do you want to come see our wagon?"
[22:45:35] [Lucian] "Yeah okay, that's about what I expected."
[22:45:40] [Adrienne] "I'd rather not."
[22:46:56] [castfromhp] "But our cats are so cute! I bet you'd love them." George turns to Percival again. "And surely after joining our pirate crew you'd like to learn what it means to be a cat rancher too, right?"
[22:49:03] [Percival] "I'm curious what you do with them, they do seem rather... pleased? being out and about."
[22:49:49] * Adrienne rolls her eyes. "I'll take a look, I guess, if it's not too out of the way."
[22:51:35] [Dann-] "I'm kinda curious how Kai would fit in with a bunch of cats too, actually."
[22:52:15] [Lucian] "Poorly?"
[22:52:35] [Lucian] "Isn't that a thing? Cats and foxes not getting along?"
[22:53:02] [Dann-] "Well, there's one way to find out, at least."
[22:53:27] [castfromhp] "Great!" George begins leading the way down the path, until you see a wagon with a large Skitty-themed canopy stopped by the side of a river. A Meowth pokes its head out of the front of the wagon, wearing a conductor's hat and holding a whistle in its mouth. A Skitty is sitting outside in the maneki-neko pose. An Espeon and a few other cat Pokemon are resting inside.
[22:54:06] [castfromhp] Two Pyroar, a male and a female, are taking a nap at the front of the wagon.
[22:55:21] [zoofman] You see Pattie, also wearing a shepherd's robe, shaking a bag of cat treats, "Ooooh Billy, that little rascal...this should hopefully lure him back."
[22:56:36] * Adrienne looks over the Pyroar, because they're cute.
[22:58:31] [castfromhp] Their harnesses are still attached, and they're sleeping peacefully. The male one must be having an exciting dream, because his tail is swishing back and forth in the air quickly.
[23:00:25] [Lucian] "Do you mind if I let my cat rest here with yours for a bit?"
[23:01:00] [castfromhp] "Go for it. I'm sure they'd love to make new friends!"
[23:01:21] [zoofman] Pattie looks over to you all and waves, suddenly forgetting about the cat, "Oh! Oh! I remember you guys, from the beach!  Howdy!"
[23:01:52] [Lucian] "I think Ninian is less interested in friends than having a comfortable place to sleep."
[23:01:57] * Dann- calls out Kai, and holds in him his arms, waiting to see how he reacts.
[23:02:02] * Lucian lets out his Glaceon and lets her find a spot to rest.
[23:02:38] [Adrienne] "Afternoon," Adrienne replies to Pattie. She's just looking around now, not too interested in the other Pokemon.
[23:04:40] [castfromhp] Ninian yawns as she's let out. She wanders lazily over to the wagon, finds a snow-themed pillow inside, and promptly goes to sleep on top of it.
[23:05:10] [castfromhp] Kai looks over the scene and hops over to the pair of Pyroars before realizing they're asleep.
[23:05:17] [Percival] "This is a even if you have a good deal of them scattered about you do have a pretty diverse amount of cats."
[23:05:33] [Lucian] "How about we go and help George with uh, Xerxes?"
[23:06:13] [castfromhp] Percival, where did you put the bag of dried fish Astrid gave you? Is it in your backpack?
[23:07:22] * Adrienne crosses her arms and sighs. "I'll go along if everyone else wants to, but I'm not really a fan of the idea."
[23:07:31] [Percival] (My backpack yes)
[23:07:53] [castfromhp] Speaking of Xerxes, Dann you get a text back from Sandy that she's found all the shards and is carrying Xerxes back down the path now.
[23:09:11] [Dann-] "Sandy is on her way back with Xerxes now, actually."
[23:09:52] * Lucian has quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
[23:09:53] [castfromhp] "Are you going to help us ranch up all our cats again? You're too kind!" George proclaims. "I can show you photos of the ones we're still missing."
[23:10:14] [Dann-] "Uh."
[23:11:52] [castfromhp] Percival, the Meowth in the conductor's hat walks up to you and sniffs at your backpack intently. It blows its whistle loudly, and an espurr, a purrloin, and the espeon from in the wagon all run over and start excitedly sniffing at your backpack too.
[23:14:33] [Percival] "Oh, I think that might be the dried fish. If this is the reaction it has just being there I don't imagine it'd be hard to find your cats."
[23:15:48] * Percival pulls out a piece of dried fish for the clowder of cats.
[23:16:13] [castfromhp] "Dried fish?" George strokes his chin. "Why, that's brilliant! You really are a natural cat rancher."
[23:18:13] [castfromhp] The gathered cats all fight over the dried fish for a while before the Espeon ends the scuffle by lifting the fish high into the air with telekinesis. It meows at the other cats, who all nod and scamper back to the wagon. After a minute, they return carrying all sorts of little trinkets and set them down in front of themselves, like they're getting ready to negotiate a trade.
[23:18:41] * Adrienne is watching this, amused at the sudden turn.
[23:19:42] * Dann- is also amused. "This Espeon knows how to play the game."
[23:20:17] [castfromhp] The cats are all staring at your bag of dried fish and trying to push the trinkets at you, Percival.
[23:25:21] [castfromhp] As the cats are trying to win you over with trinkets, Sandy approaches the wagon carrying Xeres. The Persian looks incredibly smug and satisfied with the shards and gems it's cradling. "Oh wow, that's a lot of cats." She remarks.
[23:26:19] [Adrienne] "They're cat ranchers," Adrienne informs Sandy.
[23:26:58] [castfromhp] "Huh, I didn't know that was a thing." Sandy says.
[23:27:19] [zoofman] "Best in the business," Pattie brags while puffing out her chest and putting her hands on her hips.
[23:27:29] [Adrienne] "Are you the only ones in the business?"
[23:28:15] [zoofman] "Hrrrm, well, there are certainly cat BREEDERS, but not so much cat HERDERS," she ponders that.
[23:28:17] * Cabletop has quit (Ping timeout: 240 seconds)
[23:28:22] [castfromhp] George beams when he sees the Persian. "You brought Xerxes back! Thank you so much!"
[23:28:54] [Percival] "They're pretty well organized too. I think I'll hold onto the fish for a bit, we'll be back if we found one of your cats in either case."
[23:29:43] [Percival] "Oh, actually you had a couple of pictures of them right?"
[23:31:01] [castfromhp] "We sure do." George says, walking over to the wagon and bringing back an album.
[23:34:20] [castfromhp] He shows you a photo of a Glameow lounging around with sunglasses on, a Purrloin with a feathered hat, an Espurr in a maid outfit, and...a Snorlax with cat ears.
[23:35:00] * Dann- peers over Percival's shoulder at the pictures. "Is a Snorlax considered a cat?"
[23:35:46] [Percival] "Not typically but, if they really tried I guess they could be a giant cuddly one?"
[23:35:59] [Percival] "They have the ears atleast."
[23:40:09] * Lucian (~chatzilla@Rizon-6276DCA5.hsd1.ca.comcast.net) has joined #SleeplessInSequoia
[23:43:32] [castfromhp] Meanwhile, Sandy sits down by the riverside. The Espeon hops over to sit in her lap. "Hey Dann, you wanna see that Shellder now?"
[23:46:01] [Dann-] "Sure!" Dann glances over to make sure Kai hasn't started any fires, then heads over to sit by Sandy.
[23:48:45] [zoofman] Pattie approaches the rest of you, "The missing ones really shouldn't be that hard to lure back...the dried fishies, food or even just bright lights could probably lure them out of the woods, if you're willin' to help!"
[23:49:38] [castfromhp] A couple of Masquerain are floating over the water when Sandy releases her Shellder into the river. They scatter as the clam Pokemon materializes. The Shellder's shell is darker, rougher, and more uneven than a normal Shellder's, and its spikes are longer and end in sharp points. The front of its shell is lined with sharp ridges rather than being smooth, and it looks fiercer than your average specimen.
[23:50:14] [Lucian] "Sure, we might as well."
[23:50:25] [Lucian] "How should we go about doing it, though?"
[23:51:49] [zoofman] "Oh, just making noises like this," she shakes a bag of cat treats, and all the cats around her perk up and hop to attention, "while looking around should be enough."
[23:52:45] [Dann-] "Woah!" Dann hops up to get closer to the water to check out the fossil-mon.
[23:53:16] [Dann-] "That is certainly a fierce looking Shellder. He or she?"
[23:55:37] [castfromhp] "She. Her name's Sassafras." Sandy pulls out a bag of berries and tosses one to the Shellder.
[23:55:53] * Adrienne sighs. "I guess I'll help look for your cats." She brings out Arthur and Mina.
[23:56:16] * Lucian holds his hands out for a bag and nods, "Sure, I can do that."
[23:57:17] [Lucian] "Ninian, you're coming with me. You understand your kind better than me."
[23:57:34] [Lucian] "And you're so cute, I bet any cats out there would love to have the chance to just snap. You. Up."
[23:57:47] [Dann-] "Aw, hello there Sassafras."
[23:57:47] * Lucian lifts the sleepy cat and cradles her in his arm as he sets out.
[23:58:13] [Dann-] "Hm, I wonder how my water pokemon would react to seeing a kind of Shellder they've never seen before..."
[23:58:27] * Dann- lets Sinon out into the river with Sassafras to see how she'll react.
[23:58:28] * Adrienne walks around to look for cats, Arthur and Mina in tow. She also brings out food to entice the cats should all else fail.
[23:59:33] [castfromhp] "I hope Sassasfras isn't too scary for them..." Sandy says as she scoots forward to watch. Sinon does initially look very wary of this spiky Shellder, swimming in a cautious circle around it and glancing back at you once in a while, Dann.
[00:00:02] * Dann- chuckles. "It's ok Sinon...I'm pretttty sure she won't bite."
[00:00:36] [zoofman] Adrienne, between Mina's light show and Arthur looking so cuddly, it's not too long before a Glameow with sunglasses pounces out of a bush, try to climb up Arthur's back to perch on him, and paw at Mina's lightbobber.
[00:01:44] [castfromhp] The fish burbles at the clam underwater, who burbles back. After a bit of back and forth, Sinon backs up, and Sassafras shoots a thin spike straight up in the air out of the water, which Sinon promptly shoots out of the sky with a jet of water. This target practice game goes on for a bit, with Sassafras increasing the number and firing rate of the spikes over time.
[00:02:11] [zoofman] Lucian, Ninian continues to be an adorable blob as you try your own strategy.  Two cats come out for you, the Purrloin in the feathered hat, and the Meowth with the cow boy hat.  They both start to approach Ninian before noticing eath other and start growling and hissing.
[00:02:45] [Lucian] At a loss as for what to do, Lucian shakes his bag of treats at both of them.
[00:02:56] [castfromhp] Eventually, it gets to the point that Sassafras is firing up too many spikes for Sinon to hit all at once! "Whoa, that's intense." Sandy remarks as she watches.
[00:03:56] [Adrienne] "Dammit, cat, Arthur's barely larger than you are. Get off him."
[00:04:06] * Adrienne offers some dried meat to entice the Glameow off.
[00:04:36] [castfromhp] Sinon swims back and forth for a bit, frustrated at missing half of the last barrage. When Sassafras fires the next set of spikes though, she suddenly glows, her tiny fish body expanding and growing long tentacles. Before the spikes hit the water again, Sinon's evolved into an Octillery and promptly swats all of the spikes out of the air with her tentacles, then puffs up proudly.
[00:04:41] [zoofman] That works pretty well, Adrienne! She hops off and mews as she pounces at the meat.
[00:05:15] [zoofman] The two male cats, Lucian, are torn between the adorable Glaceon and your treats.  Their eyes bounce between the two like a deadlocked automation.
[00:05:21] [castfromhp] "Huh, that was...sudden." Sandy says. "Congrats!"
[00:05:51] * Adrienne lets the cat have the meat, then attempts to pick it up to drop her back off at the cat wagon.
[00:05:55] [Lucian] "...Ninian. Yawn on both of them."
[00:06:22] [zoofman] The Glameow has no problem with you picking her up, Adrienne, in fact she tries to snuggle in.
[00:06:33] [zoofman] Ninian yawns, and then all 3 cats go to sleep.
[00:06:47] [Lucian] "I didn't think this through enough."
[00:07:00] [Dann-] "Ahh! Sinon, that was awesome!"
[00:07:04] * Lucian stashes the treats away and tries an awkward balancing act with the three cats."
[00:08:01] [zoofman] WIth three of the cats dropped off, that just leaves the Snorlax and the maid Espurr out in the woods somewhere.
[00:08:03] * Dann- wades into the river to get to Sinon.
[00:08:22] [castfromhp] Sinon raises a tentacle for a high five.
[00:08:39] [Adrienne] "... You know, you can't follow me after you go back to the 'cat ranchers' right?" She heads back to drop off her charge. "Which is a bit of a shame, you're a cute cat." She scratches the cat's back.
[00:09:12] [Lucian] "It's too bad I don't have Olivia with me. She'd probably be able to order a maid around."
[00:09:40] * Dann- gives the tentacle an enthusiastic slap. In the process, he loses his balance and plunges face first into the river.
[00:09:42] [Lucian] "C'mon Ninian. We need to find a cat that likes to sleep more than you."
[00:10:10] * Lucian mushes her cheeks and scratches under her chin, "And yes, that /is/ hard to believe."
[00:10:31] [castfromhp] Sandy hops up to offer you a hand. "It's exciting, but don't get careless, Dann! You okay?"
[00:10:40] * Adrienne heads out to look for the other two cats. "Hey Arthur, think you can smell out a snorlax or an espurr?"
[00:11:36] [zoofman] Ninian barely opens her eyes enough to give you one of those catty 'I'm half annoyed and half don't give a shit' glances.
[00:11:47] * Percival brings out the strange wet bird and heads out to find the remaining cats.
[00:11:55] * Dann- pops his head out of the water, laughing, and takes Sandy's hand. "I'm ok, haha. This is just my first pokemon to ever evolve. So I got a bit too excited maybe."
[00:12:07] [Lucian] "Yeah, you know you love me too."
[00:13:19] [castfromhp] "Oh wow, that -is- exciting." Sandy pulls you out of the water. "You know, come to think of it, I've only had one Pokemon evolve too."
[00:13:57] [Lucian] "Now listen up, I'm gonna need your help with this."
[00:14:10] [Lucian] "Where would /you/ go to sleep in a place like this?"
[00:15:20] [zoofman] Arthur ponders that for a second, then tries sniffing around.  He frowns and points at the wagon.
[00:15:22] [Dann-] "Oh? Was that one of the ones I met back in Oceanspray?"
[00:16:34] [Adrienne] "The snorlax definitely isn't there, and I'm pretty sure the espurr isn't either. Are you sure?"
[00:17:05] [castfromhp] Sandy thinks. "No, I don't think I used Butternut during the ABCs actually." She releases a Boldore.
[00:17:08] * Doxy (~Doxy@Rizon-F1207DC5.slc.googlefiber.net) has joined #SleeplessInSequoia
[00:18:09] [zoofman] Mamanthi hovers around playfully, watering the grass and ground as the two of you walk around, Percival. After a while, you hear an annoyed mewing sound as an Espurr in a little maid dress and broom.
[00:18:37] [zoofman] The Espurr looks at all the wet ground and grass with that thousand yard stare.
[00:19:16] [zoofman] Arthur shakes his head, then points at Ninian, and then sniffs again, and then points back at the wagon.
[00:19:23] [zoofman] Roll me Intuition, Adrienne.
[00:19:56] [Adrienne] 2d6+1 AP
[00:19:56] [CritSenpai] AP: 11 [2d6=6,4]