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The forest whispers.[break]
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That's the first thing Morrighan notices as she enters the forest, surrounded by the leaves and branches of the trees and bushes around her, all rustling in the low breeze of the wind with something else to share. She wouldn't know, for she never bothered to listen and understand the forest's makings, though there is some intrigue in it now. Would things have been different if she hadn't been told not to venture into the forests back when she was young? Haunted, some would say - dangerous, her parents would insist, and for once, the little black Mareep would listen. For once - and what did it bring her now?[break]
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The expression on her face is yet a bemused one as she goes where she wouldn't have dared to tread, so - so many years ago. But this is a different time and she is curious to see if those urban legends have any merit to their word. In this world full with those creatures called Pokémon, anything and everything seems possible. In Hoenn of all places, nothing was quite impossible.[break]
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Amidst the lingering fog and the eerie atmosphere, the story collector does not intend to show such sights to the Magearna as of now. Perhaps later - later, some time ... But her trusted Chatot is by her side, flying sometimes - sitting on her shoulder more often as they go and ... To her surprise, or lack thereof, she is not the only one.[break]
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"What a place to meet again," she remarks, approaching the familiar ranger, though she wonders whether or not he would remember. The circumstances of their first meeting have been ... peculiar, to say the least, though then again, that doesn't always merit remembrance. But to meet again in such a way - life can really be curious.

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the familiar voice cuts through the oppressive atmosphere, and nick's head snaps up, his hand instinctively reaching for the pokéball at his belt. but as his eyes land on the speaker, his tension eases slightly, though the surprise remains etched on his features.[break][break]

"morrighan," he greets, his voice tinged with a hint of wariness. "i didn't expect to see you here." his gaze flicks to the chatot perched on her shoulder, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he recalls their previous encounter.[break][break]

the fact that she's here, in this particular patch of forest, sets his mind whirring with possibilities. it could be mere coincidence, but something tells him that there's more to her presence than meets the eye. after all, this is the same woman he had helped liberate from certain doom just a week prior.[break][break]

"i don't suppose you're here to admire the scenery," he ventures, his tone light despite the gravity of the situation. "or perhaps you've heard the rumors too?"

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Expect the unexpected, some may always say, but how would there ever be such a way to anticipate to run into a familiar face, under similarly distressing (albeit less immediately life-threatening) circumstances such as now? "It's a surprise to meet you here also, Nick," she assumes first-name, though she is just as equally astonished as he is. Perhaps, they just end up being drawn to similar circumstances, though she wouldn't exactly think of any of them as 'thrill seeker'.[break]
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But perhaps, venturing such an odd place is far more comfortable in company, should it end up being this way. If nothing else, there is a little more trust than she would have extended to a complete stranger, and that is enough to make her inclined for the situation at hand. However, the question is a trickier question to answer, a bemused smile adorning her face, "why, the atmosphere could make for a chilling story ... but I'm no such creative myself. The rumours also are aplenty, so you could probably have your pick amidst the ones that run wild on the internet." Truthfully, there are a couple that intrigue herself, and yet ...[break]
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"Specifically, however, I've heard of dark rituals making their rounds, and thought to inquire," she then specifies at last, leaving the air for him to fill with his own reasons if he wants to, or maybe, leave it at that.

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nick's eyes narrow slightly behind his glasses as he listens to morrighan's explanation. he supposes it makes sense—after all, the promise of an intriguing story, especially one with a supernatural element, is often too tempting to resist for some people. she has described herself as a collector of tales, after all.[break][break]

"dark rituals," he muses, his gaze drifting back to the strange markings on the trees. "i've heard those whispers too." he crouches down, his fingers trailing over the intricate grooves in the bark. "but it seems there might be more to it than just gossip and speculation."[break][break]

he rocks back on his heels, his mind racing with possibilities. a dark ritual, potentially connected to pokémon—an intriguing mystery. likely a dangerous one, as well.[break][break]

"the markings here seem old," he murmurs, more to himself than to morrighan. "ancient, even. whatever happened here, it's not recent."[break][break]

nick rises to his feet again, his jaw set with determination. "i think i'm going to take a closer look," he says, glancing back to the woman nearby. "you're free to join me, if you'd like."[break][break]

he does not often enjoy dragging uninitiated people into dangerous territory, but...[break][break]

nick always has been squeamish about these things. he can't help but hang on the silence and hope that morrighan will agree.

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It seems that those rumours are finding more footing than one would expect for such a thing as dark rituals, but such are the times that are upon them - especially in this strange month of floating ghosts and ever-growing darkness, whispers tend to spread further than a scream may do any other time. "I see ..." she hums, approaching to have a closer look at the markings that Nicholas is eyeing, too, clearly speaking of an old, old language. "Could be related to Pokémon rather than humans, perhaps ... that would be quite an interesting discovery," she remarks further, her tone both intrigued and hesitant. After all, why would there be such a need for wild ones? Or perhaps there is truly more than meets the eye ... and perhaps, she is thinking too much like a human to get behind this in a single thought.[break]
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There is much to unravel, and she does definitely not think about stopping just here.[break]
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"Of course, I'd like to," she replies in turn with a smile to his inquiry - if she notices any unease off the other, she certainly does not comment on it. And any one way, emotions reliant on facial features to be expressed are difficult to discern when the night is upon them, when fog is whistling around, white smoke lingering as Morrighan takes a first step towards the unknown. "Now, I think ... the marks are leading this way."

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nick nods, a flicker of relief sparking in his eyes at her acceptance. he can't quite pinpoint the reason behind his gratitude, but it's there regardless. he supposes it might be because, after so long of solitude, he relishes in the company of someone he can tolerate, or maybe because he finds morrighan a steadying presence in an uneasy situation.[break][break]

his gloved hand comes up to rub the back of his neck as he takes a step forward, following the line of the markings deeper into the forest. the trees seem to close in around them, their gnarled branches casting eerie shadows in the fading light. it feels as if they're being watched, though nick knows there's no one else around for miles.[break][break]

the uneasy feeling only grows stronger as they press on, but nick forces himself to keep moving. he's a ranger, after all—it's his duty to protect and serve the people of hoenn, even if that means venturing into the unknown.[break][break]

"keep your eyes peeled," he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper. "we don't know what we might find here."[break][break]

and truthfully, that unknown factor is what scares him most. his grip on his pokéball tightens, but he resists the urge to release any of his companions just yet. they'll come when he needs them, but for now, he hopes it won't come to that.[break][break]

onwards they walk, the fog thickening with every step, the only sound the crunch of leaves beneath their feet and the distant, haunting call of some unseen bird. the markings on the trees grow more intricate, more frequent, and as nick's flashlight begins to flicker, he knows they must be getting close to something... but whether it be friend or foe remains to be seen.[break][break]

his heart lurches into his chest as he looks down at his flashlight and shakes it. "not a good sign, i imagine," he mutters, feeling a cold sweat begin to accumulate at the nape of his neck. "do you see anything odd?"

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If she notices his relief, she makes no verbal note of it - perhaps only in her head, wondering how company could - in even the loosest sense of the word - comfort someone, but strangely enough, over all the time she has spent in Hoenn now, she feels something akin wake from its long-forgotten slumber, too, something that makes other people seem ... less like a burden.[break]
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For a brief moment, she wonders how she would react, would perceive this absurd of a thought - but the shadows of her past are behind her, for so, so long ...[break]
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And this is not there. She will not be consumed by her own mind in this obscure - obscured place, of all things.[break]
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"Quite so ..." she remarks in turn to Nick's words of caution, her own eyes wandering from one to the other - feeling like there are eyes on them, but perhaps, there isn't. Still, she feels how leaves are rustling here and there and she wonders about the fairytales that children tend to tell. However, cases of dark rituals aren't always present in their retellings, but that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be something like that around ... As the fog thickens, so do her steps slow down until she comes to a halt completely, reacting both to the other's flashlight and the markings on the trees that grow more and more intricate. And yet-[break]
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"Do you - perhaps - think that the markings look familiar?" she speaks aloud, her usually composed voice quivering a little in face of what she thinks. Perhaps, her mind is playing tricks, too, but perhaps ... "Have we been running in circles? Are we ... trapped?"

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his flashlight flickers, flickers, flickers, then refuses to go on. the last dying embers of light in the forest fade into nothing, and sends his heart into a dark, staccato rhythm.[break][break]

he's no fool. he's seen countless horror movies in his heyday, and while he can't lie and say he was particularly brave about any of them, he's at least familiar with the tropes. the flickering and subsequent dying of a flashlight, their only lifeline to the real world, signifies a severing of their connection to reality. it may as well be as obvious as literally crossing a threshold. they are no longer wandering their own world.[break][break]

morrighan solidifies this inkling with her observation. at her beck and call, nick draws closer to a nearby trunk, his eyes tracing the markings carved into the bark therein. though the darkness warps and bends the symbol before his very eyes, they strike a chord. indeed, it is the same symbol nick had first observed on the edge of the forest.[break][break]

"maybe," nick assents, voice tight. "i don't know."[break][break]

he straightens, stomach roiling, as he enters the denial stage of grief. perhaps the markings are repeated throughout the forest. perhaps one marking can mean multiple things. certainly, they couldn't be lost in a timeless wood, cursed to forever wander its spiderwebbed groves and meadows.[break][break]

he reaches for his walkie-talkie again, hoping against hope that he'll be able to get through to ranger headquarters. but as static crackles through the speakers, followed by a low, ominous hum, he realizes with a sinking heart that they are truly alone out here.[break][break]

"damn it," he mutters, stuffing the device back into his pocket. "looks like we're gonna have to figure this one out on our own."

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As they come to a halt, observation is all they can do in this moment - their surroundings that are clouded in fog and mist, concealing secrets that none should be wiser of, and yet trapping them in this elaborate scheme, as if the only way out is to find what lies at the very heart of it. Perhaps, it could be considered a kind of heroes' journey, too, or ... simple the basic outlines of a horror movie. Something happens, and something worse follows.[break]
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Whichever it may be, though, Morrighan wonders where it may end.[break]
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Noticing the noticeable distress in the other's voice, she tries to offer a reassuring smile as her eyes wander around. A part of her wants to split, actually, have each walk into opposite directions, to see if they were to reconvene at the same point ... but if that wouldn't be the case, then each of them would be alone in this forest of myths and rituals. "It seems so," she remarks in turn as any kind of communication to the 'outside' world seems to have died down.[break]
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"How about it? I'll send Calendula to fly back, see if she meets us at ... quite the same place again, and we can investigate this specific place further? It does seem like it might be key to ..." she then begins to strategise, think of some kind of plan to provide, though the story collector is quite unable to fill in the last gap, ending only a somewhat unsure "... something" herself. Perhaps the thing behind this loop. Perhaps the dark rituals mentioned. Perhaps some entire other mystery.

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