MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2023 23:52:31 GMT

The meet-up point isn't much to talk about. It's a rocky isle, far from the frontlines and the fighting, so distant that you can't even hear the cacophony of combat. But, in this instance, that solitude is most desirable. After all, the two of them are going to be meeting here to exchange information, swapping what information they've garnered about the ongoing conflict, before going their seperate ways. A routine trade of intel for intel, away from the prying ears of the enemy. Simple enough.

At least, it should be. Unfortunately, it isn't going to be, because one of the participants is Shred Zeppelin.

"Saaa... Saaaa... SAAAAA...!"

"Taroutaroutaroutaroutaround."

Salandit is the first to arrive, dragging the top half of a walkie-talkie up a slope, the receiver antennae gripped in its mouth. Tarountula arrives mere seconds later, pushing the bottom of the aforementioned walkie-talkie, four legs carrying, four legs walking, and all of it supported by a few sticky threads. Slowly, but surely, they manage to drag the device onto the middle of the isle, before the pair stop, glancing around.

It's a good thing they left earlier, because that took far longer than either of them could have expected. Still, they'd made it in just in the nick of time. With any luck, the contact would be arriving soon.

Aurelie Lefevre

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,027 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Oct 16, 2023 18:50:03 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]Not all treasure is silver and gold.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]"Damn, damn, damn, damn," Aurelie muttered, scrambling over crags and stones while glancing at the clock on her phone. She'd been on time when she'd initially left her guard duty post on the shore and started hurrying over toward this remote, rocky meetup point for the intelligence rendezvous.

But then Aurelie had to dodge a group of Rangers barreling past, arguing loudly about which way the suspected Rocket member had gone. Then she ran into an unexpected patch of ominous, orchid-pink interdream mist and didn't hesitate to turn around and double back the way she came. Having already encountered the interdream mist twice on the island, Aurelie was more than happy to avoid it entirely.

Then she delayed herself a third time when she heard a chorus of terrified screaming coming from the area where the mist had been lingering. Cautious but curious, Aurelie tiptoed back to investigate. To her amazement, she saw the mist churning and seething like an angry beast, as well as the same Rangers she'd dodged earlier now fleeing from it in frantic, almost mindless panic, their faces bruised and bloody and their uniforms in tatters.

In their distress, they'd tossed half their equipment to the ground, including maps, radios, and first aid kits. After waiting a minute to see if anyone was coming back, Aurelie darted forward to pick up a radio. She quickly checked it was still working and then dashed off.

As a result, she arrived at the meetup point almost ten minutes late. At first, all the redhead saw was the pair of Pokemon resting on a rocky slope, with a walkie-talkie between them. For a moment, Aurelie simply stood and stared, wondering, Are these the contacts I was supposed to meet?

"Hello?" she called out in a low voice, looking around warily. "Sorry I'm late. I promise it wasn't on purpose, though, and I got something that might be useful." Aurelie nodded her head toward the Rangers' radio in her hand.

"We might be able to use this to listen in on enemy communications. Or even to actively transmit misinformation to confuse and mislead them a little bit."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

- After dodging Rangers, avoiding mist, and then plundering the Rangers after they enter the mist, arrives late to the rendezvous
- Looks around for her contact, wonders if it's the Salandit and Tarountula, and shows the Rangers' radio she recovered
- Wearing jeans, sneakers, oversized sunglasses, and a hoodie with the hood pulled up to hide her hair and face (Outfit reference)
- MP Points: 60 (50 from participation + 10 for post)

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[newclass=.aurelie]width:420px;padding:40px;background:#862939;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie img]height:100px;width:100px;padding:15px;border:1px solid #fff;border-radius:100px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_lyrics]text-align:center;font-family:verdana;font-size:9px;text-transform:uppercase;color:#eee;letter-spacing:1px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_body]width:420px;padding:40px;background:#222;font-size:14px;line-height:16px;text-align:justify;font-family:calibri;color:#aaa;letter-spacing:.5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_tag]text-align:center;font-size:12px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.aurelie_tag a]font-size:12px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:8px;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:8px;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

Raptor

Shredder

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Wastrel

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'0" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

723 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Oct 19, 2023 19:05:37 GMT

Finally, the other half of the meeting arrived. Luckily for the pair of deliverymen, the hard part of their mission was over. They had gotten the walkie talkie where it needed to be, and now all they needed to do was turn it on.

That tasks sounds easy enough, but between the two tiny Pokemon with a single braincell shared between them, it might as well be a monumental challenge. Salandit claws and Tarountula legs poke and prod just about every button and flick every switch, trying to activate the two-way radio. Eventually, any sort of cohesion falls apart entirely, and the scene devolves into the pair of them jumping up and down on the walkie talkie as though it's a trampoline. Surprisingly, though, that somehow works. The walkie-talkie finally turns on, signalled by a sharp crackle that causes both of the critters to recoil in shock, before quickly scurrying away from the device, lest they somehow accidentally turn it off again.

After a pause, a voice, crackly and low quality and far away, comes from the receiver.

"Hello? Hello. Anyone there? Anyone...? Did you knuckleheads accidentally turn this thing on again? I swear to Arceus..."

Aurelie Lefevre

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,027 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Oct 23, 2023 1:35:15 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]Not all treasure is silver and gold.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie's jaw dropped when a crackling, muffled-sounding voice suddenly sputtered and fizzed out of the walkie-talkie that the Salandit and Tarountula had been dragging over, poking at, and jumping on seemingly at random. On one hand, she was impressed their trainer had such a strong bond with them that he could teach them to do this. On the other hand...

She stared hard at the walkie-talkie, as if trying to forcibly will into existence an actual person standing here that she could have a normal conversation with like a regular human being. Or, failing that, to set the walkie-talkie on fire with her mind. Unfortunately, neither effect happened.

"Bordel de merde," she muttered under her breath in annoyance, walking over and bending down toward the crackly walkie-talkie. "I cannot believe I'm doing this right now."

Picking up the walkie-talkie with the disdain of a high-class chef examining an undercooked piece of chicken, Aurelie cleared her throat. "Hi. I'm here," she snapped into the receiver, her voice sharp and a little too loud.

"Your two friends got the walkie-talkie here just fine," Aurelie went on, putting her other hand on her hip. "Now, what have you got? What intel have you picked up?"

She narrowed her eye at the static-filled receiver and then looked down at the League radio that she'd found earlier. It seemed less exciting now that she knew her contact was on the other side of a walkie-talkie filled with static, where he probably wouldn't be able to listen in particularly well on League communications with her, let alone spread misinformation and chaos over the airwaves. But maybe he had something more useful to share of his own.

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

- Annoyed that there isn't an actual person at the meetup point
- Asks what intel Shred has picked up
- MP Points: 70 (50 from participation + 20 for posts)

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

close tab

played by

Raptor

Shredder

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Wastrel

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'0" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

723 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Nov 1, 2023 21:42:13 GMT

Finally, another human.

Or, well, another friendly human. You've got plenty of "prisoners" of "war" in here with you, but they're not exactly conversational, nor are they particularly conscious. That's probably for the best, though, because you can't imagine that they have much nice to say to you. A selection of swears and slurs, maybe, but nothing particularly compelling. Not that this bleary radio conversation is a grand improvement, mind, but its enough to stave off the cabin fever of your little operation.

...Is it just you, or does the voice on the other end of this walkie-talkie sound a little irritated? Nah, probably just the electrical interfetterence. There's no way anyone could be mad about an idea as smart as this one.

"Hello! Yes, good, good good good, good. Good to talk to you." You reply, fast-tracking the small talk as you sit up in your chair. Idly, you grab a Pokeball from your belt, tossing it up and down as you speak. What intel do you have? That's a difficult question, and one you're not sure how you're supposed to answer. "In terms of intel? I got just about everything short of Michael Navidson's credit card information. I'm practically drowning in information over here. What do you want to know?"

Aurelie Lefevre

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,027 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Nov 2, 2023 22:33:55 GMT

dahlia goode likes this

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]Not all treasure is silver and gold.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]To Aurelie's surprise, the voice from the other end sounded almost...jolly? Was that the right word? At least, oddly cheerful. Especially for someone who she'd assumed hadn't shown up because they hadn't really wanted to meet with her, talk to her, or share whatever information they had.

Maybe Aurelie had been mistaken. Or maybe the person on the other end was just naturally chirpy.

Then she positively goggled in astonishment at the amount of information the other person claimed to have. It was a good thing the only other creatures anywhere in sight were the Salandit and Tarountula, who were hardly in any position to judge her. The latter had woven a little hammock out of sticky, silken thread and strung it between two rocks, and now both Pokemon were snoozing on top, exhausted from hauling the walkie-talkie all this way.

"You're kidding..." she replied into the receiver, sounding more amazed than annoyed this time. "Really? You've found out that much? How?

"And why don't you have his credit card information on top of everything else?" she added, laughing despite herself. "Think of all the online shopping you could be doing right now." Especially since you stayed put instead of showing up here. "Who needs a gym badge when you can buy a dozen Stayplation 5's and run up his credit card bill instead of yours?"

On one hand, it sounded too good to be true. But on the other hand, what would be the point of lying to someone like Aurelie, at a meetup in a remote location like this? She didn't even know who the other Rocket member was, and lies wasted their time just as much as hers.

"But seriously, what kind of scouting or reconnaissance or whatever have you been doing? Did you put on a wig and pretend to be dahlia goode?" she asked curiously. "Did you hack into League databases?

"Or..." Aurelie narrowed her single eye, thinking of how some Rockets operated. "Did you capture some League members and torture them for information?"

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

- Asks to know Shred's methods. How can one man know so much???
- MP Points: 70 (50 from participation + 30 for posts)

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

close tab

played by

Raptor

Shredder

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Wastrel

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'0" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

723 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Nov 7, 2023 0:32:41 GMT

At the mention of captured League members, you idly tilt your head towards the makeshift cell in the corner of your cave. How many of them do you have packed in there right now? Fifteen, maybe? All of them unconscious, trapped behind a Light Screen and wrapped in a layer of Sticky Webs. Your Claydol hovers idly by, its many eyes watching both you in the prisoners, bobbing up and down as it waits and waits. She's not wrong, per say, but you'd like to think it's a little more nuanced than that. Either way...

"I'm afraid that's classified." You play it off coolly, pushing your sunglasses up your nose and smiling for nobody in particular. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you. You know how it is."

You choose to let all the quips and jokes fly past. It's not like you've got internet access here, so even if you did have Navidson's credit card, there wasn't much you could do with it. Besides, you already have a Stayplation 5. You shoplifted it so you could play Spidops Man 2, which you still haven't gotten around to. Maybe you'll make time for it after this...

"Anyway, that's enough of the jokes. You want intel, and I've got intel. What do you want to know?"

Aurelie Lefevre

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,027 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Nov 9, 2023 0:31:56 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]Not all treasure is silver and gold.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Hmph. Apparently, neither Aurelie's curious questions nor her half-baked jokes were worth more than a token response from the mystery person on the other end of the walkie-talkie. Their brusque, no-nonsense manner and secretive hints at extraordinary, dangerous information-gathering deeds made her wonder momentarily if she was dealing with a Rocket Beast here.

Or, even more alarmingly, someone who aspired to become a Rocket Beast. She grimaced a little but then shook her head. Aurelie literally knew nothing about this person; she shouldn't be making wild, totally unfounded guesses about their ambitions or level of bloodthirstiness.

Either that, or they were just being confusing. Without more than a static-filled, scratchy voice to go on, there was no way to be sure of anything.

Shaking her head sharply, she sighed and decided to just ask straightforwardly and directly. "Okay, then. What do you know about the caves or tunnel system where the mysterious energy is coming from? What have you heard about getting inside?

"All I've gotten so far are vague clues and stories about secret markings, hidden entrances, and booby traps," Aurelie admitted. She gave a brief, self-deprecating shrug, forgetting the other person couldn't see it. "So, I want to know more so I can maybe think about going in there myself. And I'm curious if it really is as Unova Jones-y as it all sounds."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Tarountula and Salandit struggling to rouse themselves and wake up fully, their movements slow and pained. It reminded Aurelie of how she usually felt after working through the night, when only the strongest espresso could get her going. Clucking her tongue sympathetically, she idly reached for a Pokeball and released her Polteageist.

"Maybe try AROMATHERAPY," she directed her Pokemon, turning her face away momentarily from the walkie-talkie. "See if it helps energize them a bit. Especially the peppermint and rosemary."

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]

TRUE LOVE IS POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE NEXT WORLD -- FOR NEW PEOPLE

- Asks what he's learned about the caves/tunnels and how to even get inside
- MP Points: 90 (50 from participation + 40 for posts)

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

close tab

played by

Raptor

Shredder

He/Him

December 25th

Spikemunth

Northeast

Wastrel

Rocket Beast

IT IS TOO LATE FOR US. WREAK HAVOC ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.

6'0" height

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

awards

723 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @shredzeppelin

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023 19:34:02 GMT

The tunnels? Oh, right. That's what you're supposed to be doing here. Then again, you don't exactly have much to contribute on that front, do you? You're not much for archaeology, deciphering glyphs and runes and all that. No, you'll leave solving those ancient mysteries to the scientists and the intellectuals. Meanwhile, you'll just stay up here and keep on doing the hard work.

Still, she wants to know, and you've got more than a few scouts and explorers caged up here. With a look and a nod towards Claydol, the effigy's eyes begin to glow, as do those of the prisoners. Psychic energy pours from mouths and nostrils, an aurora upon which a tapestry of feeling, thought and memory is painted. Weeks of experience spool out over the course of seconds, starting from the moment they were captured, and moving backwards up until the very moment they first set foot on Route 105. Moments of intrigue and interests are plucked out and plastered upon the air, like fine works of art in a museum. After about a minute or so, the captives' eyes are once again dulled, the stream of consciousness stops, and you're left alone to parse the intricate web of information before you.

"...Hm. Yeah, I see... I think I've got something for you here."

You don't know what the fuck you're looking at. This is such a dense and incomprehensible block of information that you could use it to bash someone's skull in. You blink at Claydol and make a vague and meaningless gesture, but it understands that well enough. A wall of a hundred images vanish, leaving two behind - Both of the same island. One shows a man-made tunnel leading downward, and one has a familiar-looking meeting point in the background.

"If you look about... Northish of you? Northeastish?" You idly stroke your chin, squinting at the fuzzy memory to try and discern the details. "You'll see an island with two trees in the distance. Between them, you'll find a tunnel made by the League, and if you can slip through that, it'll get you... Somewhere. I don't know if its the type of ruin you're looking for, but if the League has men digging around there, then they probably have a good reason for it."

Aurelie Lefevre
MP TOTAL -
100MP for Secret.
50MP for 5 IC Posts.
10MP for Faction Race Objectives.
10MP for assisting an ally.
100MP for completing an RT Mission.
50MP for participation.
200MP for Winning.
TOTAL = 520MP.

close tab

played by

dreamflower

she/her

December 12

Anistar City, Kalos

Bisexual

Blacksmith, bladesmith

Associate

5'7"/170 cm height

A keen mind cuts deeper than even the sharpest sword.

awards

1,027 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @aurelie

POSTED ON Nov 15, 2023 18:58:04 GMT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_lyrics"]Not all treasure is silver and gold.

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]It took a few moments to receive an answer. The walkie-talkie went silent for just long enough that she almost wondered if the other person had just set theirs down and left. Or had decided to ignore her. But when the answer came, it was certainly worth the brief wait.

"Wow..." Aurelie marveled, her eye widening and mouth falling open in wonder as she listened to the detailed information streaming forth from the walkie-talkie. It was enough that she wasn't sure she'd remember it all, so she swiped open the recording app on her phone. "Hey, can I repeat all that back at you? I really want to make sure I got it right."

At the end, she turned off the recording app and smiled. "Thank you so much. That was really useful. You're right, that area does sound promising," the redhead enthused. She wanted to ask how they knew but figured she'd get the same non-answer as before.

Aurelie was tempted to take further advantage of this mine of information while they were here. She had so many more questions she wanted to ask! Where were the League outposts in the area? Or all over the island, for that matter? What were their patrol patterns like? Knowledge like that would have been helpful for all her various adventures before now, for sure.

But the time allotted for their brief meetup was drawing to a close. The redhead grimaced, knowing she was at fault for wasting so much time on being surprised and then being silly. Aurelie would just have to keep her eye open—and maybe make use of the Rangers' radio that she'd swiped earlier.

"Well, I guess that's the end of our time together," she sighed. "Thanks again for your help. I'll just...uh, give the walkie-talkie back to your Pokemon, I guess? Au revoir."

Frowning doubtfully, she bent down and set the walkie-talkie next to the Salandit. Then Aurelie set off in roughly the direction of the north or northeast, watching alertly for the island with two trees the other person had mentioned. It wasn't until much later that she realized she'd never passed along any intel of her own—meager though hers was.

Well, chances were, with someone like that, they already probably knew everything that she'd managed to find out. If I ever figure out who they were and meet them again, Aurelie thought, I'm going to ask them again where and how they got all that information. And I'll just take my chances on the 'If I told you, I'd have to kill you' part.

[attr="class","aurelie_tag"]