Mystery Continent ~ Northern Pines

[Torchic]

With the exception of a shiver running down his spine for whatever reason, he felt a little better than before. And, his theory was right. The shadow only bullied him when he was thinking about the last fight. So he just had to not think about it. Had it really been that simple the entire time? Fuck.

He nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Nate. I'm feeling better already. Just had to get some things off my chest, I suppose." Something about the last sentence of Nate made Cino wonder, "Is it just me, or do you not want to be here? Every time I saw, or... heard you, you're always angry, or frustrated about something. Is everything alright?" Nate said he was human, so maybe he still had to accomondate himself in a new body? Cino couldn't even imagine what that would felt like. He felt bad for the human back home, and for Nate. "I mean... you said you were human, right? Is it... something about your body? Or... something else? You can't be angry all the time, right? It's... bad for your health." Cino wasn't sure if that statement is correct, but he didn't wanna say it.

 

[Negrek]

"Well, that's good," Nate said. "Sometimes you just gotta talk this shit through." Indeed, it seemed like the minccino was interested in his personal shit now. Time to get gone. "Yeah, I used to be human, but not for a while now," Nate said. He got up and started fussing with his pack, pulling the straps back over his shoulders. "It's no big deal. Mostly I'm pissed because I ain't sure how I ended up here, and I kind of had shit to do back--in the world I came from. I didn't really need some kind of bullshit world-saving quest dumped on me, you know?" He gave himself a shake, making sure everything was sitting right. "Now, come on. You been to see this Destiny Village place yet? Supposed to be the shit, from what I heard. Let's check it out, huh? Don't want to be out here in the cold forever."

 

[Torchic]

"Right." Cino stood up and brushed any snow off of him. "I see. Everyone's busy back home, I get that. I'm just here to get a break from my home, but I guess this turned into much more than I thought it would. I came here with Maple, so she showed me a bit of it. It really is beautiful, isn't it? At least I think so."

The shadow was silent, though Cino still could feel someone watching him.

<><><><><>​

 

[Disco]

Mellow stood motionless even though all around her the earth trembled and swayed. Root after root burst up from the ground around her, forming a thick wall, and stretching into a dome that surrounded her and her orchard. The Charmander had no intention of actually staying in the dorms. Even though she had claimed a spot in a room that was closest to the stairs. She didn't need anyone. She didn't need to be close to anybody.

She was fine out here. She'd prove it. She would show them all.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"WHY DID I COME OUT THERE AGAIN?!" Cynthian yelled to himself, his teeth clattering while his body trembled nonstop.

He'd heard about the woods earlier through sheer happenstance and ventured out to do some exploration. Cynthian had told himself he could handle the weather, but how wrong he was. The cold was getting to him, and fast. However, Cynthian had already gone too deep that he'd likely be reduced to a popsicle if he tried walking back. That's not mentioning the fact that he was lost... again.

After a few minutes more of hopeless wandering, Cynthian spotted what appeared to be a dome not far away. He widened his eyes and quickly made his way over to it. His shoulder leaves were already stiff as cardboard by the time he reached the dome.

"Hello! Does anyone live here? It's cold out here. Can I come in?" Cynthian asked, shivering with desperation in his eyes.

 

[Disco]

The roots parted, and a Charmander blinked out at him. She squinted, then quickly pulled him in. The roots closed the opening

"Cy- Cymbal!? What are you doing out here? You're freezing to death, hang on, I'm sure I have an extra Aspear Berry here...", Mellow exclaimed as she nudged him to the center of the dome. Light from Sunny Day quickly permeated the area, particularly overhead. She left him to soak it in as she dug through what had been left in her pack.

"Let's see... Oran, Pecha, Cheri... Ah, here's one!" Mellow quickly returned and handed the Aspear Berry over. "If you need something warmer, I can make Oran Berry tea. I have honey to sweeten it too."

 

[Adamhuarts]

The sunny day orb at the ceiling was a much welcomed change of pace after the frigid weather he had to endure outside. He had been so relieved by the wave of warmth upon entering that he hadn't even registered the person that pulled him in.

"Th-thank you..." Cynthian said, still a shivering wreck as he held the Aspear berry in his arms.

"If you need something warmer, I can make Oran Berry tea. I have honey to sweeten it too."

Tea? Either he'd stumbled into Icetales out in the forest or it was that other Charmander that wasn't Owen. Cynthian raised his face and sure enough, it was that Charmander.

"Oh... I don't eat much, so tea would be appreciated. You're one of us, right? I apologize, I don't quite recall your name," Cynthian said, though with less shivering than before. The Aspear berry slipped between his roses and he hurriedly picked it back up. "Oh dear..."

 

[Disco]

The Charmander smiled at him, then gently took the Aspear Berry from him. "My name is Mellow. I'll cut this up for you, ok?"

She then went to a corner of the hut and pulled out her teapot and cups. The entire process went rather fast after that. Water and tea, the teapot held over her tail flame, until the fragrance of it filled the air. Aspear Berry cut into slices. Mellow poured the finished tea into a cup and put the Aspear Berry in another, then went back to Cymbal and held it out for him to take with a smile.

 

[windskull]

Being back in the pine forest was nice. Familiar. Relaxing, even. A far cry from the chaos of Destiny Village. Time and time again, Nip kept returning to the tall trees and scent of frozen earth, the snow crunching underpaw as he waked through the underbrush.

The familiarity of the woods was broken, however, when he came across a strange, unnatural root structure. Instinct told him to run from the unfamiliar, but curiosity made him approach the structure. He scratched at the wood, wondering if it was solid, or else some sort of apperation caused by a pokemon's abilities.

 

[Disco]

Mellow'e smile turned into a confused frown. Who could be out there now? She turned enough that she could see who it was as the root that was scratched slid back into the earth. The Charmander didn't say anything about the way her skin seemed to darken to a sort of olive color. Perhaps she didn't notice. What she did notice was the Sneasel on the other side of the wall.

"What are you... Wait, Nip? Is that you? What are you doing out here?", Mellow asked dubiously.

 

[windskull]

The root moved the root moved holy Yveltal above the root moved was this some sort of monstrous Trevenant was he—

Oh. No. It was just Mellow.

"I like it out here" He was tempted to joke that he practically lived here, but held his tongue. "A better question is. Why are you in there?"

 

[Disco]

"I live here.", she replied with a confused expression.

 

[windskull]

He blinked, disarmed by her surprising, candid response. "You. Live here?" Well, he did have to admit that it looked cozy inside, from what he could see over her shoulder. But could a little charmander like her really live out in the woods like this?

Looking over her shoulder, he caught sight of someone else inside. "Is. Is that Cynthian?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian wondered who Mellow was talking to. He couldn't discern the voices as he quietly sipped his warm tea.

"It tastes so good..."

 

[Disco]

"Yes? I have an orchard to look after, and I have to keep an eye on the heating-", she began, then paused when Nip noticed the Roselia. "Oh. Er. Cynthian came here not to long ago, nearly frozen from the temperature outside. He's doing better now, though..."

Mellow mumbled something about cymbals under her breath, then turned to check up on him and make sure he was indeed doing ok. He seemed to be warming up and was holding on to the cup rather well! She smiled at that and then turned back to the Sneasel. "Well, if you want you can come inside. There's plenty of room."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Who's at the door, Mellow?" Cynthian asked, leaning his head sideward though he couldn't see past Mellow regardless.

 

[windskull]

Nip wasn't entirely sure how he should respond. So he just said, "uhhhh, okay," before slipping past Mellow.

Inside the root structure was much warmer, perhaps uncomfortably so. He glanced around in search of a place to sit before deciding to just stand around near the edge.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Nip! So, it was you." Cynthian kept his half taken tea on the stool next to him and chuckled.

"It seems I'm not the only one who thought to explore these pine woods." Some molten snow trickled down Cynthian's round head and soundless dripped to the ground. "Though you're better suited for the environment than a small grass type like me."

Cynthian turned to pick up his plate of sliced Aspear berry. "Would you like some?"

 

[Disco]

"I'll go make some more for both of us. I can put Rawst in yours, Nip..."

The root closed out the cold as Nip came in, and Mellow went to refill the teapot with more Oran Berry tea. She also went through her pack for something that would suit her while they had their tea.

"So, um...what have you guys been up too? Back in the city...", she asked to start some conversation. "I didn't want to stay there... I don't really feel safe. Not after what happened with Maple..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"What happened with Maple?" Cynthian tilted his head for a moment and then his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, you must've been among the ones she cornered and... now, I shouldn't say more. You probably have bad memories from that experience," Cynthian said with a frown mixed with worry. "How have you been doing since then?"