01[01:23] <Doxy> Alright - later that evening you head over to Paula, Emily, and Tricia's tent. It's a large tent a bit out of the way. Right outside the tend some massage/grooming tables have been set up, but they're not currently in use.
[01:27] <Dann-> I walk up the tent carrying Winston
[01:27] <Dann-> *up to
[01:27] <Dann-> "Hello?"
01[01:31] <Doxy> "Hello! Come in!" "Oh is that Dann?" "Shh, yeah it's him!"
[01:32] <Dann-> "Hi there! This is quite the setup you have here."
01[01:34] <Doxy> You push into the tent and see that... wow, it's a very comfy tent. Everything is covered with fluffy pillows, rugs, etc.
01[01:35] <Doxy> Winston wiggles out of your arms to sniff a tray of berry treats. One of the sisters - Emily you think maybe? - giggles, and feeds him one of the treats.
[01:36] <Dann-> Is anyone else in here?
01[01:36] <Doxy> Nope
[01:37] <Dann-> "Well, now that I've rounded everyone up, let me introduce them to you."
[01:37] <Dann-> Call out all da pokemon
01[01:38] <Doxy> The tent quickly becomes crowded as Kai, Nathan, Sorrel, Atlas, and Sinon also pop out!
[01:39] <Dann-> "I hope there's enough space, heh."
01[01:39] <Doxy> The girls all squeal, and quickly fan out - each of them grabbing two of your Pokemon and quickly inspecting them
[01:40] <Dann-> I watch with quiet amusement.
01[01:41] <Doxy> "Such a nice coat!" "Mmm, very healthy horn" "Shell is a bit brittle.." "An indominable spirit!" "Seems a bit unsure of itself still..."
01[01:42] <Doxy> They quickly assess your Pokemon, muttering to themselves and then to each other. "Overall, we're very impressed with your Pokemon - particularly your Swinub, Vulpix, and Dwebble. We're guessing the others are newer?"
[01:43] <Dann-> "I actually met Sinon a little before Atlas, but Atlas had survived quite an ordeal when I found him, so it makes sense that he's a bit more mature."
[01:44] <Dann-> "But I only met Nathan and Sorrel very recently, yeah."
01[01:44] <Doxy> "I see!" "Ah, yes, makes sense," "Mm, yes, you've bonded over his trials!"
[01:45] <Dann-> I laugh a bit as I think Atlas.
[01:45] <Dann-> "I don't know if this has an impact either, but I also found the rock that Atlas carved his shell from."
01[01:45] <Doxy> "I don't think there's too much we have to tell you, really. Grooming is important of course - it helps keep Pokemon healthy and happy, but even more important is believing in your Pokemon and helping them become the best version of them they can become!"
[01:45] <Dann-> "He seemed so attached to the thing that I decided to excavate it and carry it along with us."
01[01:49] <Doxy> "Well that's great!" "That's exactly the sort of thing we mean!" "Helping Pokemon reach their potential."
01[01:49] <Doxy> They all nod
[01:50] <Dann-> "I'm glad to hear that I've been doing a pretty good job. They all seem pretty happy, but I do worry sometimes."
[01:50] <Dann-> "On one specific note, do you have any advice for grooming Sorrel or Sinon? I don't have much intuition about the nature of their bodies as far as grooming goes."
01[01:51] <Doxy> "I wouldn't worry about Sinon too much - just try and make sure she has some swim time as often as possible!"
01[01:51] <Doxy> "For Sorrel..."
01[01:51] <Doxy> The third sister hands you a tube of steel polish and a rough sponge.
01[01:51] <Doxy> :D :D :D
[01:52] <Dann-> lol
[01:52] <Dann-> I lol
[01:53] <Dann-> But nod "That...makes some sense. Wanna try this out Sorrel?"
01[01:53] <Doxy> Sorrel rolls onto her head
[01:54] <Dann-> I laugh and apply some polish
01[01:55] <Doxy> Sorrel seems to like it! She's VERY SHINY
[01:55] <Dann-> Does she learn Reflect? :3
01[01:55] <Doxy> No :3
[01:56] <Dann-> "So what brought you three to the bay?"
01[01:58] <Doxy> "We come up this weekend every year for the end-of-summer festivities" "Oh, we live in Widowgrass you see" "It's just tradition"
01[01:58] <Doxy> "Plus we like the beach~" "And it's a good chance to introduce traveling trainers to our services~"
[01:59] <Dann-> "Widowgrass? Cool! I'm sure I'll make my way there eventually. My friends and I sort of slowly making our way across the gyms in the region."
01[02:00] <Doxy> "Make sure to stop by when you do~"
[02:00] <Dann-> "Maybe I could get, uh, your numbers? We could meet up if I'm ever in your town. I'd be happy to give out your info to people that are interested in grooming too."
01[02:01] <Doxy> "Oh, so you're a traveling Trainer?" "Why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself?"
01[02:01] <Doxy> They all kind of sneakily close in on you, surrounding you in a triangle
01[02:01] <Doxy> like raptors
[02:03] <Dann-> (is shipping relationshipping?)
01[02:03] <Doxy> (kind of, it's a hard term to explain lol)
01[02:04] <Doxy> (really it means more like saying "I think X and Y should get together" as a third party, but the meaning is muddled a bit depending on the context)
[02:05] <Dann-> "Well, as I mentioned earlier today, I'm from Bitterbrush originally. My parents are big members of the archaeological community there."
[02:05] <Dann-> "As a result, I'm a pretty big rock nerd, haha."
01[02:06] <Doxy> "Oh, good with Pokemon" "AND smart~" "And a good trainer too~" "So is that why you travel around, to meet gym challenges?"
[02:07] <Dann-> "Right now, I'm working as an aide to Professor Benedict, along with the others."
[02:08] <Dann-> "So in addition to challenging the League, we've been conducting field research."
01[02:10] <Doxy> "Oh, that's interesting. Any research in particular?"
[02:10] <Dann-> "Well, we've recently be tracking a very disturbing phenomenon."
[02:11] <Dann-> My expression gets a bit darker on this topic
[02:11] <Dann-> "I don't want to be too graphic, but some kind of affliction is causing certain Pokemon to rampage uncontrollably while their bodies slowly die. Worse still, they can't be captured for some reason."
01[02:12] <Doxy> "Oh no!" "That's horrible!" "Wow, that's... so brave of you do deal with that."
[02:16] <Dann-> "We managed to subdue one the pokemon that was suffering from it...but since we didn't know what was wrong, we couldn't save it. It died pretty recently in the lab we sent it to."
[02:16] <Dann-> I look at the floor and kind of clench a fist
01[02:18] <Doxy> One of them rubs your back, while another puts a hand on your shoulder. The third offers you a glass of water.
01[02:18] <Doxy> "Well, you tried your best..." "Things can't always be helped..."
[02:19] <Dann-> I smile and take the water
[02:19] <Dann-> "You three sure know how to comfort. I can see why your services are probably great."
[02:19] <Dann-> "I just can't shake the feeling that there's something really malicious behind this whole affliction."
[02:20] <Dann-> "And I want to put an end to it."
[02:21] <Dann-> I do my best to brighten my expression a bit
[02:21] <Dann-> "Sorry to get so dark. I guess those events are more on my mind than I realize."
01[02:23] <Doxy> "It's alright, we understand." "Yes, get it out if you need to." "Whatever can do to help."
[02:26] <Dann-> What time of day is it?
01[02:26] <Doxy> Late evening; after you went diving (which I'm assuming you did at some point)
[02:28] <Dann-> I yawn
[02:29] <Dann-> "I'm mostly just exhausted. We've been traveling a lot recently, I almost never get a moment of peace."
[02:29] <Dann-> "But my Pokemon help me get through it. It's really great to know hear that you think they're doing well."
01[02:31] <Doxy> "Oh, maybe a night off would do you some good..." "Yeah, you need to take care of yourself too, like you take care of your Pokemon" "It's no good to let yourself get run down you know..."
[02:36] <Dann-> "Well, this wouldn't be a bad night to take a break honestly."
[02:37] <Dann-> "I guess I could try to go get to bed early. Though my sleeping bag is pretty uncomfortable."
[02:37] <Dann-> "I mean, usually I like lying on rocks, but you know. Sometimes, not."
01[02:40] <Doxy> "Well....  you could stay here..." "We've got a very comfortable room..." They crowd in around you a little closer, all of them looking demurely at the floor.
[02:42] <Dann-> "This place does look pretty comfortable." I plop down on a fluffy section of pillows. "Extremely comfortable."
[02:42] <Dann-> I glance at my Pokemon with a yawn
[02:42] <Dann-> "What do you say guys, want to crash here tonight?"
01[02:44] <Doxy> They mostly seem to be down, unresponsive (Sorrel), or already asleep (Kai)
[02:44] <Dann-> I laugh if I notice Kai already passed out
[02:45] <Dann-> "Where will you three sleep though? Is there room here?"
01[02:49] <Doxy> The three of them share a LOOK that Dann can't quite decipher. If you were smart you could decipher it as 'ok wait is he an idiot? whatever' "... uhm, we'll find room~" "Maybe if you can recall your Pokemon?" "It'll be a bit cramped but... we'll manage~"  They say, one of them putting a hand on your thigh and winking.
[02:51] <Dann-> I quietly recall my Pokemon "I guess we can make it work"