"With the ogre gone, the villagers came out of hiding, rushing to the aid of their loyal protectors," the onstage narrator continued. "But alas, they were too late. Our Loyal Three had paid the ultimate price to protect the village from the ogre's wrath." A small cluster of actors hurried onto the stage, all wearing plain wooden masks, human masks, in exaggerated expressions of woe. "The village entered a time of great mourning, and high up on a hill the villagers built Loyalty Plaza, a proper resting place for our fair guardians. Now they watch over Mossui Town from above, still granting us their blessings, even in death."
The human-masked performers hoisted the limp bodies of the Loyal Three onto their shoulders and solemnly bore them off the stage, to a polite scattering of applause.
@Dragonfree
"Don't be sorry," she tried, smiling, although he probably couldn't see it beneath her mask. "Your Sentret's really cute! Are you from here? It sounded like you already know the legend in the play!"
"Yes... I live here," the boy said. "I've heard the story lots of times before. Mostly it's not very good... except for the part where Ogerpon stands up to the Loyal Three." He twined his hair around his fingers absentmindedly, still not meeting Jean's gaze. "It must seem pretty boring, for somebody from far away. Are you... are you from Paldea, too? Like the other kids?"
Since it looked like they might have a few minutes, the sentret popped the apple core back out of his cheek and settled down to nibble it once again.
@System Error
Again, she waves. She also tilts her head upward and flashes a huge smirk. She stares at the figure in the tree with knowing eyes until they leave or about a minute and a half passes. There's no malice or threats - intentional, at least. Just sort of a 'you behave, now.' Not that Priestess Satomi minded that they were here, not in the slightest. The festival was for everyone to enjoy! As long as they simply enjoyed it, of course.
The poncho-wearing child didn't appear to see Satomi; whatever they were talking about with the other guest, it appeared to have put them deep in thought.
The figure in the tree, on the other hand, was unable to ignore Satomi's attention. Branches creaked and shuddered as the pokémon shifted in its perch, and dead leaves and a few twigs rained down; the tree clearly wasn't the best of accommodations for a pokémon of such a size. When Satomi continued to stand there, grinning, the pokémon finally poked its head down through the leaves, staring back. It was a bird pokémon, clearly, with striking black and white feathers and long, trailing purple feathers like exotic eyebrows.
Well? it asked in a voice that seemed to lurk just at the edge of hearing.
@ShiniGojira @IFBench
> Go for the distant balloons first!
The stantler bounded down the mountain at Gen and Evie's urging, aiming for the distant ranks of balloons down by the riverside. It was a bumpy ride, the stantler's hooves coming down hard and sharp on the long downslope, but the pokémon clearly knew what it was doing, and there was no danger of either rider falling off. They were free to devote all their attention to grabbing for the berries that fountained up whenever the stantler's horns busted a balloon.
It didn't take long to collect most of the bounty down by the river. Carmine may have underestimated how much it helped to have two people on berry-gathering duty as opposed to one. If nothing else, Evie and Gen could gather twice the loot before needing to turn back towards their table.
The stantler didn't answer immediately when Evie asked about using moves. She was obviously working hard, her sides heaving as she careened around the course at top speed, leaping over obstacles and diving for scattered balloons. But as they headed back up the incline towards the table, she took a moment to respond. "Humans make the rules," she said, then had to pause, out of breath. "Humans can't use moves. So there's no rule against moves."
Evie's Vulpine Cunning! (+1500)
Gen's Otter Ingenuity! (+1000)
Total: 2500
Many more berries remain to collect, but wild pokémon are beginning to notice your table! What will you do next?
> Grab more berries!
> Chase off the wild pokémon!
@FauxFox
“The year who returns?” Theo inquired. “And what do you mean by isn’t safe? This festival seems perfectly safe, especially compared to what I’m used to.” Theo added with a chuckle. “I can see why you keep coming back here though, the atmosphere is great and the snacks are even better!” Theo exclaimed, taking another bite out of his candied apple.
"Someone I knew once, long ago," the child(?) said wistfully.
"You don't need to worry. There's no reason for the townspeople to distrust you. It's different for those of us who've lived here a long time. Theo's comment about the food seemed to bring them back from some melancholy train of thought. They straightened up a bit, and there could almost be a smile in their voice when they said,
"Yes. It's a wonderful festival. And the candied apples are such a wonderful treat. I don't have the means to buy them, though. It's been a long time since I've tasted one."
