“Like not climbing more in your youth?” That question was not just dry wit or teasing, at least not completely. Unbeknownst to the other woman, Violet, despite her more aristocratic experience, was probably the more experienced climber of the two. Well, it wasn’t actually that well kept of a secret, given that she went down the slope without much issue. That was also why she was now content to have to look ‘up’ to the other – when she went outdoors, she always went with high and fashionable boots, yes, but she hardly ever had much resembling heels. That just made things harder for no gain, after all.
[break][break]
That Bryn though? She clearly was a city girl through and through. Probably had barely known the outdoors before whatever ill-fated idea had pushed her down this particular path. Though she could not help but chuckle slightly at the exclamations coming with all this. “It certainly seems so, my dear. The secret is to take your time. Nature has been here long before you and will be here long after you are gone. It’s best to just work with it, rather than trying to force your way through in, well, your way.”
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+ Thread growth

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"I'd dare bet my entire savings on the fact that nature's way is just me, face down, sliding down this slope." she replied, a focused frown rippling her brow as she tried again. Not that she'd really bet her savings on it, but she was in fact quite sure sliding down the path would be the safest way to descend. If not for her pride, she maybe would've. Yet, for the sake of it she relaxed herself a bit more, attempting to move with more flow than her stiffness earlier, to let the rolling pebbles guide her further down-- and in fact, suddenly her descent went a lot less roughly. Compared to Violet's graceful descent however she was still more akin to a drunken mouse stuck in an apple tree; it was eventually possible, but quite the sight to behold. Hilarious sight, mind you.

"Your methods seem to work quite well, I'll admit." One could've never copied the gratefulness and contentment of having completed something as much as Brynn's expression showed. Another thing she had to add to the list. "City life does make you lose your survival skills, it seems." she'd mutter softly, like a silent lament towards herself. There used to be a time, long long ago, where a younger version of herself scaled trees and slopes like a little monkey, but years of desk-bound activities had deteriorated said skills entirely. Not that she wasn't fit or anything, or had acquired other skills in its stead, but the skills she needed for this environment were at a laughable level. After all, Hoenn was not Unova. And Route 114 was definitely not Castelia City's streets. Then… why was she seeing pavement right in front of her? Brynn blinked, the sight of pavement almost immediately making way for its original rocky surface. Huh, strange. "Which way now?" she'd ask Violet, feeling somewhat lost herself.


~Thread: Growth

Violet Fairbanks

☉

“Well, you do have a rather self-decreciative streak, if I may be so blunt,” Violet declared as she followed along casually, as if she was more of an observer. Or rather, like some sort of swimming instructor patiently paddling along, making sure the kid in the pool did not drown, yet not intervening as long as she was doing fine. It seemed like a rather apt comparison, really.
[break][break]
Only there was no water involved at all. At least unless the other fell, in which case Vio was fairly certain that some crying might ensue once that pride was fully obliterated by the other snapping or something. “I am not quite sure I agree, though. Instincts are something you never lose, once develop. It is more like city people never bother to learn. Much like riding a bycyle. You never forget how to, but if you never learn it, it’s much the same, really.” Then again, never learning something was just pre-emptively forgetting it, now wasn’t it?
Violet smirked, watching Rattata racing that ground type the other had brought along somewhat fondly. For how much she had disliked Pokemon training initially, those cuter interactions were certainly growing on her by now.

“It’s still a good ways downwards, right through the forest. At least that is east, if I read the sun correctly,” she would then reply. It was getting a bit overcast by now, so she could not be completely sure. Yet, those lessons of her father’s she had not forgotten either. It was one of the benefits to never really get lost, even though she held no love for that man or his duties at all any longer. “You need a break soon or do you think we can push on? It shouldn’t be that far anymore, I think. Maybe half an hour or something like that.”
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+ ground type

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Mmm, true. But at the same time, I'm also not running away from my shortcomings. I'd rather keep reminding myself where I'm lacking so I can look out for it and potentially work on improving myself, than to flat-out ignore or deny them. Or to think "it might not be as bad"." She replied meaning nothing bad with it. "Although admittedly, yes, I might have some issues with phrasing things rather negatively." Might have was an understatement. She wasn't generous with compliments, nor was she kind when it came to people's skillset. Blunt, straight to the point and sometimes even downright mean, both to herself, and to others when it pertained work, even though she meant well. To make someone aware of their flaws in order to aid them. And yes, some people in her life had been in desperate need of being kicked off their high horse, others however could've gone with a more gentle approach; which was something the woman had not mastered in full. It was partially the reason why she was sent to Hoenn and ordered to go on leave. Brynn was painfully aware of that, but it had become a bad habit she was trying to work on. For others, at least.

Somehow being given that moment to think steadied her and her resolves, even as she listened to Violet's take on instincts and skills. She was right, yet again. There might've been a small sting in that knowledge, and her being pointed on her narrowmindedness on that regard. Grey was an option, but not one she used often. "I mean, they can very much dull, no? Even though the city's a concrete jungle to by its own right, as they say. Then again, city life only started for me when I was 10 and moved to Castelia." she picked up on her last reply. It wasn't something she thought of much, honestly. Work never let her, or she wouldn't allow it, making sure every possible free moment was packed with things to do. She did have to wonder though; in some strange other world her multiverse self would've opted to stay in the country side. Maybe she would've become trainer? A humble farmer perhaps, or a bold ranger! But who was to say? The Brynnhildr from this world was a stubborn workaholic.

She watched silently, yet with an amused smile as Violet's Rattata raced her Krokorok, the happily running along with it. The poor crocodile didn't come out of his pokéball all that often, mostly because there had never been a most opportune time for it, but seeing him out and about having all that fun got her to realise she might have to have some more quality time with him too. Maybe even think of a name to give him? Although a gift from her father so she'd stay safe in the city, the Krokorok had never received a name despite belonging to the family… maybe today would become his nameday? Though she'd have to ponder over a name on a later occasion, her eyes flicking back down to Violet as she hopped down the last stretch. "No worries, I can still keep going for quite a bit! Didn't know you could read the sun, though, that's pretty neat." Brynn sounded genuinely impressed, making a mental note on yet another thing she should probably learn to do at some point.



~Thread: Growth
~ Multiverse

Violet Fairbanks

☉

Oh, what a poor woman. Grew up in the city, yet didn’t know how dangerous it was to tell a stranger details about your life like this. Then again, the woman was way too naïve and trusting to begin with. Violet could screw her over in so many ways, yet she found herself not particularly wanting to. It was like holding a relatively cute baby. You could just screw with it all day, but at some point, you just naturally took pity on it. That was probably human nature. Hence, for as long as Bryn did nothing to majorly piss her off, Violet would probably not mess her life over for funsies.
[break][break]
Probably. “Reading the sun isn’t difficult. Just remember what direction it usually rises in, account for the season and you have a rough idea. Though, granted, there are quite a few Pokemon that could screw with things like that. And don’t even get me started on that jerk-faced dragon and its random re-arrangements of topography, urgh.” Fortuantely, that one had eventually just kind of stopped, instead of screwing with them even more. But she was still annoyed whenever she remembered just about anything about Palkia, really.
[break][break]
“Though I guess not running from your issues is commendable in and of it….self….” Vio blinked, briefly, as she noticed something off during their journey through the woods. Without warning, her hand would all but shoot out and grasp Bryn’s, though there was nothing lewd about it. Instead, Vio’s eyes narrowed and she grew a bit tense. “I don’t like this at all. As much as I like the colour, the sky should not be violet. Stay close.” After all, things had suddenly changed above. Or maybe not suddenly, but so gradually that she only noticed now. Vio was not sure what was better. But she did say her prayers that this wasn’t another dream- mist incident in the making.
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+ prayers

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Violet explained to her the basics of how to read the sun in the most briefest of ways, or what to take into account, if anything. When she got to explaining that pokémon could alter and mess with it, Brynnhildr frowned upon the mention of a certain dragon. "Jerk-faced dragon…?" She could believe there to be a most interesting story behind the curious name-calling. Ever so curious as she was as to why the white-haired woman sounded so annoyed as she did when talking about it.

Rocky pebbles and bumpy roads made way for forests and flattened routes, colourful skies keeping them company as they walked. A curious mixture of colours, most unnatural to the eyes of their beholders-- even if it took said beholders a few moments to realise that those colours were in fact highly unnatural. Violet grabbed her hand at the exact same moment that realisation hit Brynnhildr, the Unovan pacing back to stand closer to her newfound friend. Krokorok too had returned to their side and stood at attention, keen eyes closely regarding their surroundings, now too fully aware of the strangeness surrounding them. "You don't have to tell me twice." she ushered, her gaze equally wary. Only now she actually paid attention to it could she discern the strange things happening around them; as it wasn't only the sky that was being off. Despite the sun being out and about, the shadows seemed strangely dark and dangerous, as if they were hiding things the twosome wasn't allowed to see. And if she didn't know any better she could sworn several pair of red eyes were visible among the shadows as well, like will-o-wisps, following their every move. "Nor are those eyes," she added just as quickly, gesturing at the bright red orbitals among the trees. "Any idea what that could be? Seeing you're the more experienced adventurer among us..."


~Thread: Growth
~ Will-o-wisp

Violet Fairbanks

☉

“I was being courteous describing that hideous appearance,” she mumbled while moving forward with purpose. That more light-hearted topic would sadly have to be postponed, at least for the time being. Her Rattata subsequently also rushed slightly ahead, as if to protect the two women, apprehensive of the situation. It was blustering its cheeks up, as if it had somehow learned Cheek Pouch or something, even though that was usually reserved for different species of Pokemon. More importantly however, Violet had to figure out how to proceed from there on out.
[break][break]
Not that she had too much of an idea in that regard. At least as far as concrete measures were concerned. “Experienced is a relative term in Hoenn. The region seems to attract weird phenomena and legendary Pokemon as of recently. Could go for most of your life without experiencing any, or run into them all the time. Pure chance if you ask me.” Her voice was a little bit hushed, but still steadfast. Vio wasn’t exactly going to allow herself to get scared by something like this. Those eyes, however, were a tad bit unnerving. Fortunately, she had a lot of experience being watched by dark spectres and the like. At the end of the day, her father was probably right. If something didn’t assault you right away, it probably wouldn’t just do so. Showing strength was usually the best course of action.
[break][break]
Strengthening her grip on the other’s hand, she started to walk ahead. “Forward, backward, sidewards, all the same uncertainty. If you ask me, not losing our way is the most reasonable thing to do.”
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+ cheek pouch

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

She'd squeeze Violet's hand in return when her grip tightened, obediently trotting along with the woman. Krokorok in the meantime had tried to get a hold of Violet's rattata and put it on its head, so it could be on the lookout behind them. "Alright, so we have to stick together, that's for certain. But what if we try to find what's causing it-- or attempt to attack the eyes?" Bold suggestion for one who didn't fight, but then again, there's a first time for everything, no? "I mean, maybe the culprit's among them, or at the very least in the neighbourhood?" she tried to solidify her claim, although she knew this could either help them or blow up in their face. "If every direction's an uncertainty, we could end up walking in circles, get lost, or maybe even worse if we continue..." If the sky was a liability then even the sun's positioning could've been off, let alone the environment in its entirety. What exactly were they focusing on to find their way at this point? She was just blindly following Violet since she herself didn't know; the terrain was entirely unknown to her. Then again, it could've also just been left untouched as well to throw them off enough to get lost on their own regard. "Violet, how certain are you we're going the right way by just going on ahead? What if it's messing with the roads as well?"



~Thread: Growth

Violet Fairbanks

☉

Attack the eyes? Of course an Unovan would think that to be a viable solution. That was a kind of stereotype, wasn’t it? Honestly, she did not know a lot about the place. All she did know, she had from TV and the like. But then again, this was a clumsy buxom lady, who was accompanied by a crocodile with sunglasses, and seemed to want to challenge what lurked in the dark. It did fall in line with what she’d heard. But that did not mean she agreed, not by a long shot. “Or these could all be the appendages of an undiscovered legendary Pokemon that is currently patiently observing us and is deciding whether or not to eat us. Think you can take anything, after being bullied by some ghosts?”
[break][break]
It was probably a bit more scathing a remark than it should be, but Vio did certainly want to prevent any gung-ho attitude to form. She had scene a dragon make the space time continuum his plaything. Who knew what this could be about? It was her best shot, but she decided to stick with it. “Anything that can change the colour of the sky is above your paygrade right now. I get it, you want to grow and get better after being taken down a peg. But this does not seem the way, right? The sun is still up there and we are slowly moving with our relative position. We are not going in circles. I can guarantee you that much.”
[break][break]

+ ooc notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Wha- that's not what I meant! And even though there's increased legendary sightings, it's not like this would be one per say! There's more than enough Psychic-types capable of-" Wanting to ramble on about what she truly meant when she just shut down. "Ugh! You know what, fine! Fine! It's not like I was planning on fighting the entire forest and its pantheon or something." Brynnhildr grumbled, picking up her pace and moving past Violet, actually taking the lead in the direction her white-haired companion had been moving towards. It was most clear on her face that she was moping, and the way her suggestion was shut down so forthrightly only added a certain spice to her personality-- which was immediately evened out by the way she reacted to it afterwards, too.

As they furthered away from the strange spot and towards civilization so did the effects of whatever had been affecting the skies and their surroundings lessen, to eventually fade. Yet despite the realisation Brynn remained stubborn in her mopey silence, her passive-aggressive "leading" --if to call her dragging Violet along to assert some kind of dominance just because she was one-upped by the woman-- had died down as well, now just sauntering next to the younger female. Oh, she knew she was wrong. And childish. And her pride had received another dent, albeit a little one; one that she kinda called upon herself in all honesty. Fallarbor Town soon surfaced at the horizon, leaving behind whatever had been causing the strange anomalous events in the forest. However stubborn the Unovan ended up being, she still knew when to be grateful, how to repay a debt. "Thank you." She'd eventually break the silence she'd been keeping. "For earlier, and for putting up with me through whatever that was." Reluctant as she was, Brynn would not forget today. However much she liked to. "And regarding that favor…" A small business card was extended to Violet, in the hopes of acceptance, in case the woman did not see any need in seeing the debt settled anytime soon. "Just give this number a call, and I'll make sure to get it done."

~ Thread: Growth

Violet Fairbanks

☉

This was about the most enjoyable part of the whole day to her. No, really. Watching the other get bullied had been fun, but that had been about putting this person down. Her Pokemon had, well, done all the hard work there, so to speak. It had not exactly been the fruits of her labour or anything like that. But this time? As she was being ‘lead’ by someone so clearly defeated but unable to even rise to the occasion and admit that, she just felt elated. Sure, she was smaller, but in these moments, she somehow still managed to clearly look down upon the other and truly felt her superior. And that was just awesome, really. While she only allowed herself to slightly smirk, Violet deeply and utterly enjoyed that part of the walk.
[break][break]
And the cherry on top was when the other decided to finally acknowledge victory. Sure, she rose to the occasion now, but it was too little too late now and only further emphasized her failings. Yes, she was viewing this basically however she wanted to still end up in the right – but hey, history was written by the winners, after all. This certainly was good enough. “Of course. Don’t worry about it all,” she thus stood grand at the end, accepting the card as a most gracious winner. And she would most definitely think of something very, very special to get in exchange eventually. There were so many possibilities, she’d probably spend a good day just going through those at some point. But not today. This was to be the end of their temporary teamup. “Well, I hope you can continue your journeys safely then, dear. I will be in touch eventually.”

+ ooc notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]