When the Ranger scoops Taika up, the little Togepi giggles and nuzzles happily into her arms.[break][break]

Matilda flags down a nearby caterer before taking a seat herself. "Back home? Where's home for you?" She asks Mirri.[break][break]

The caterer approaches, standing between the two women. "I'll take an Old Fashioned, and whatever she's having." Matilda winks at Mirri, handing several bills over to the caterer before the cadet can even think about paying for her own drink. The caterer looks down at Mirri with a smile, holding a pen to her notepad. "And for you, miss?"



[break][break]

Mission: Festival Fantasies [WW][break]
Open thread <3

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

"Oh yes yes, of course!" Embarrassed she hadn't offered sooner, Matilda pulls a chair out for the Ranger, shooing Dziban away so she could sit down. "That's quite alright, there were lots of new faces there and I honestly only remember you specifically because my friend Dom was pointing out the different uniforms for the different ranks." Noticing her own almost empty cup and the complete lack of refreshment on the other woman's behalf, Matilda politely asks, "Can I grab you a drink?" She gestures to a nearby booth serving all manner of beverages, alcoholic or not.[break][break]

Taika toddles over to the gorgeous blue-eyed woman, holding her arms out in an attempt to be picked up and happily chirping, "To-to, togepi!" Dziban had given up the seat when Matilda had waved him away earlier, but he was having a wonderful time floating around the newcomer, inspecting her from every angle.[break][break]

"The two of you are insufferable," Matilda mutters to the two little ones, putting Dziban away with a small flash of light and reaching for Taika to keep her from bothering her new friend any further. As much as she didn't mind the chaos of the small babs, she could tell the other woman was a bit uncomfortable and sought to remedy that as much as possible.



[break][break]

Mission: Festival Fantasies [WW][break]
Open thread <3

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

The grin on the Steelix's face as it appeared in the crumbled tunnel wall gave Matilda pause, her concerns forgotten for the moment. It disappeared before she could act on any of her thoughts however, and was quickly replaced by a concerned Cat.[break][break]

Matilda reassured the girl they were fine and followed Mars back out to the group. As soon as she sees Dom, his expression mirroring Cat's almost exactly, Mattie smiles and wraps him in a hug. "I know, I'm so sorry," she replies, showing Dom her Ice Stone gift from the Snorunt. Cass leaped into Matilda's arms mid-explanation with a happy chirp, and she giggled as she held the little Cinccino close. Knowing Dom and Cass were safe finally allowed her heart to calm.[break][break]

Following Mars back to the group she listens closely to Cat's directions. Cass makes an unhappy face and points to the small opening - she wasn't a fan of water. Matilda nods in understanding and places her safely back in her Pokeball before smiling at Mars.[break][break]

She opens her mouth to respond, but his Meowth grabbed both their attention when alerting them to Eris. Tilting her head in curiosity when Mars goes after the small girl protectively, Matilda wonders what exactly it is that bonded the two of them so closely. He didn't seem to care about anyone else the way he cared for that child...[break][break]

Once Mars and Dom had safely made it through, Matilda triple-checks her mask and makes her way through the crawl space. She'd been swimming plenty of times during Ranger Training days and wasn't fazed in the slightest by the brief underwater foray. The Chinchou don't bother her at all either; rather, they remind her of her Lyra.[break][break]

Surfacing safely, she thanks the Flareon for drying her off and releases Cass. The Cinccino gasps in delight at the new sparkly cavern and without hesitation begins running around, finding the shiniest sparkles she can for Matilda.[break][break]

jpR5Clhh

[break][break]

TL;DR:[break]
-Greets Dom and Cass joyously[break]
-Makes it through tunnel and water safely[break]
-Thank you Flareon <3[break]
-Time for shinies!!
[break]

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

"Alright, so we're basically gonna need furnishings for the whole place..." Matilda begins rattling off the day's shopping list to the stoic Gothitelle walking beside her. Matilda occasionally answers unspoken questions out loud - the Gothitelle never speaks a word, her expression unchanging.[break][break]

The sound of someone calling to them in the distance stops the pair mid-step. They course correct slightly, heading towards the voice, and Matilda speeds up to a jog. "Hey, everything alright?" She asks as she approaches, but it's clear the Absol lying on the ground is in pain and the woman Mattie assumed to be his Trainer was very concerned. Matilda instinctively takes a knee, looking over the Absol but not touching him until she gets more info. "What happened?" The concern in her voice is clearly for the both of them. She knew how hard it was to see your friend in pain and feel helpless.



[break][break]

Mission: Employment: Act I

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Taika had spotted the approaching woman first, her eyes often drawn to beautiful things. It was the little fairy's distraction that caught Matilda's attention. Mattie smiled warmly and stood to greet her.[break][break]

"Did we meet before somewhere?"[break][break]

As soon as the words were out of the other woman's mouth, Matilda felt the vague familiarity, but couldn't place her. "I think...maybe we have," she responds hesitantly. She ran through all the events she'd been to since arriving in Hoenn; the Christmas party, Dom's boyfriend's place, the Ranger lu-[break][break]

"The Ranger lunch!" She exclaims, a touch too loud amongst the pause between singers. A few people glance over at the pair, but they quickly go back to their own conversations. Matilda pays them no mind. "I saw you at the Ranger station, right? You're a cadet?" Her tone is still excited but much more controlled as she extends her hand for a shake.



[break][break]

Mission: Festival Fantasies [WW][break]
Open thread <3

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

Matilda's face lights up when Remi asks her about Pokemon. "Oh I'd love to go into science! If I had a lab I would live in there." [break][break]

"I study all kinds of Pokemon - whatever I come across, really! They're all so fascinating in their own ways, ya know? I like learning about how they've evolved to fit into their environments, what attracts and repels them, how they do what they do. The ability to manipulate elements and forces of nature, secrete poisons, create fire instantaneously with their breath!?" Matilda hops up from her seat on the rock, growing more and more animated as she goes on. "If these things are possible for these small creatures," she gestures to Vega, "why can't people do things like that too? What if we could find out what it is that lets this lil lady grow plants in half the amount of time they normally do - we could manufacture that and put it in fertilizer, effectively ending world hunger! What's stopping us from figuring out how fairies can heal others and recreating it, turning that into a spray or a portable machine that anyone can carry with them? Not every family can take care of a horde of Pokemon to provide for all their needs, but any of them could have a gauze or bandage that, when applied to their children's scraped knees, heals it in minutes or even seconds!"[break][break]

Mattie pulls a Pokeball from her belt and with a flash of light, a small blue amorphous mass appears on the ground. "This, though, is by far the most amazing thing I've ever seen. They can change their cells into anything. Anything, Remi!" she repeats excitedly, bouncing up on her toes. She was careful to give Remi and Bane their space throughout her speech, not wanting to agitate the Pangoro. "They can make themselves look like anything they see - but they can also perform every task the originator can." As she say this, the Ditto turns into a mirror image of Vega and lets loose a line of razor sharp leaves away from any particular entity in the group and they dig into the wall like shuriken. The Bulbasaur doppelganger then puffs a spray of sleep powder onto Vega herself before disappearing. A small blue crystal, much like the one the archaeologist was currently freeing from the earth, is all that's left in its place. "They can change sizes and even turn into inanimate objects," Mattie says as she picks up the little crystal, holding it out to show Remi. "And they make for great party tricks," she adds, the blue crystal melding into a puddle and molding rapidly around Matilda's arm. A thin layer of blue putty quickly ascends to her shoulder then up her neck, lightening to a fleshy tone and completely encasing Matilda's entire head. Within seconds, Mattie is unrecognizable - because from the shoulders up, she's a picture perfect copy of Remi, eyepatch and all.[break][break]

Matilda-Remi gives her counterpart a moment to process, then waggles her eyebrows in a very un-Remi like way. "Pretty neat, huh?" she says, and the Ditto re-molds itself into a blue blob on the ground. "They can fly, they can heal, they can become borderline indestructible like an Aggron." She pauses, a new thought bubbling up. "Imagine the bulletproof armor and cars we could make if we could manufacture Steelix steel!" Matilda looks up at Remi, elated. Her face drops quickly though as she realizes how long she's been babbling. Clearing her throat, she boops away her Ditto with a flash of light and sits back down on the rock, slightly out of breath from her not-so-brief presentation. "Heh, I uh, don't have the resources myself to really study that kind of stuff in depth though," she tacks on as an addendum. "But it's wild, right? The mind boggles." She glances over at Remi to see how the other woman had received her passionate exhibition.[break][break]

Throughout Matilda's address the archaeologist had stopped her digging, entertained by the Ditto's display, and she clapped politely when they were through. Tossing the last of her tools into her bag, the scientist adjusted her glasses and looped her bag over her shoulder. "Well, I've gotten about everything I came here for ladies," she says with a smile. "For now, at least." The archaeologist gestures towards the entrance of the mine and with one last wistful look into the darkness, she heads back out. Matilda follows, making sure Remi and Bane are right behind.


[break][break]

Remi Cassel[break]
Mission: Digging Yourself Into A Hole

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While Tilly loved Dom and couldn't imagine her life without him, Taika did prove useful in helping keep the peace between the two over the course of the week. The survival aspect was honestly easier than she'd expected. The combination of both their teams had made it a breeze to acquire food and water, and stay warm. Even the weather was proving to work out for them - until the fire.[break][break]

The sound of North's screech woke Tilly but she was still disoriented as her body hadn't adapted to fill with adrenaline at the sound. Dom's hand on her arm yanking her off the platform with him sure did it, though.[break][break]

Looking from the fire to Dom to Haedus, left out overnight for protection, her brain tried to process everything while still sleep drunk.[break][break]

"We have to put it out!"[break][break]

Dom's orders broke through the haze of drowsiness like a rock going through a window. She fumbled at her belt for Mizar, releasing him at her feet next to Haedus. "Mizar, get some Powder Snow on that - Haedus, choke it out with Smog!" The two immediately followed directions, their distaste for each other slowly disappearing with every job they performed together.[break][break]

As soon as she gave them their instructions, she made sure she was glued to Dom's side. There was so much smoke and chaos it would've been easy for someone as small as her to get lost in it.



[break][break]

Dominic Grey[break]
Mission: Deserted Island

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

Taking another sip of her drink, Matilda admired the beautiful decorations. The glow of the sunset lit the park as people's laughter filled the air. Adults and kids alike enjoyed the delicious array of food and the many vendor booths and activities that continued well into the night. Children and Pokemon giggled and ran about, chasing each other with glee. One of the many things the festival offered was a simple but elegant outdoor stage. It was currently being occupied by someone reading prompts off a karaoke machine, singing their heart out to a dozen or so tables all set up for small groups to enjoy dinner or a drink. Fairy lights and paper lanterns were hung in every tree, illuminating the courtyard beautifully. [break][break]

All the tables around her were packed with families and groups of friends enjoying the festivities. The five seats around her table remained empty. She was fine with it - she still hadn't had much time to socialize with people, and oftentimes at gatherings like this you want to be around people you know and are comfortable with. Besides, she wasn't really alone; Taika toddled about on the empty table entranced by the lights, occasionally distracted by Dziban floating around the chairs and underneath the table as he played a rudimentary version of peek-a-boo with her. She would start and let out a small squeal, then giggle and continue their game.[break][break]

When the song ended Mattie clapped along with everyone else, Taika mirroring her with glee. Matilda smiled and glanced around to see if she could spot any familiar faces.


[break][break]

Mission: Festival Fantasies [WW][break]
Open thread - anyone and everyone plz come rp with me!! <3

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

Determined not to be separated from Dom or Cass, Matilda steps forward, rockfall be damned - but Mars pulls her back just as a boulder the size of a Ponyta lands where she would've been. She stumbles a few steps back into him, and by the time he's helped her steady herself the two of them have been plunged into inky blackness. The sounds of the Steelix can still be heard but it's tiny and muffled; any sounds of the Trainers and their companions have been consumed entirely by the earth and rock.[break][break]

Blood pounding in her ears and adrenaline in her veins, Matilda jerks away from Mars and slams her fists into the tunnel wall. "FUCK!"[break][break]

She inhales deeply, quelling the slight waver that was creeping into her breath. It happened. You're here now. The only thing you can control is your actions. Socializing wasn't her strong suit and she'd spoken with a grand total of three Hoennians since arriving here; it'd be a shame to scare one of them away so soon. [break][break]

The click of her lantern coming off her belt is near deafening for her in what she interpreted as slightly uncomfortable silence. She flicks the dial and the light comes on, illuminating the two of them. Head down, she doesn't even check Mars' expression before muttering, "Sorry," her focus on continuing to calm her rushing heart.[break][break]

---

[break][break]

The cold steel doesn't bother Cass' paws at all, her thick warm coat making environments like this more comfortable for her than most. The circumstances weren't...ideal, but she'd been in worse scraps. Her steps are almost silent, though no one could've heard them over the cacophany anyway.[break][break]

She scrabbles across the Steelix, moving on to distract the next one, then the next one. She moved too fast for the Steelix to get a good view of her, but with every Tail Slap to the forehead she pulled another pair of hellfire red eyes off the Trainers and their Pokemon. If she played her cards right she could probably get the monsters to fight each other, saving the people and Pokemon three stories below from grievous injury...or worse.


[break][break]

TL;DR:[break]
-Mattie's now stuck in snowland tunnel with Mars[break]
-Lantern acquired - more gem searching is nigh[break]
-Cass bebops all over them Steelix - still fast as fucc, boi!![break]
Martín del Mar

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

Taika toddles happily over to the tree, fascinated by the decor. Coincidentally enough, the fairy lights twinkled in the little fairy's eyes as she touches tree branches and tinsel gently, giggling a soft little "Togepi!" with every new sensation. Sitting cross-legged on the floor a few feet away, Matilda smiles at the little one. She'd missed holidays like this.[break][break]

The sound of rustling down the hall got her attention, and she boops Taika away to go check on things. Following the noise, she finds herself in a seemingly self-sufficient kitchen, a tired Remiel sitting at the counter. When she spots the floating Sinistea she realizes exactly who was taking care of breakfast and she smiles.[break][break]

Walking over to the host, she takes a seat next to him. She isn't trying to hide her footsteps, but she doesn't consider the fact that her fluffy winter socks muffle most, if not all, of the sound of her footfalls. "I see now who took the brunt of hosting this magnificent party," she says teasingly to Remiel, flashing Earl Grey a conspiratorial wink.


[break][break]

Remiel Calcifet

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Matilda nods at Remi's advice, paying close attention and taking mental notes. Stance, chin up, scowl... Matilda is too busy running through the steps in her head to be bothered to look around. She isn't a trained bodyguard, and she felt very safe with Remi and Bane here.[break][break]

Remi's comment about her curiosity pulled her out of her mental drilling. She blushes and rubs the back of her neck, smiling bashfully. Her companion's mention of multiple side gigs made her curious about what her day-to-day job looked like, but she knew better than to pry too hard into things like that.[break][break]

"Ah, sorry about the questions. I'm a 'naturally curious soul', as my Aunt Fawna would say." Mattie chuckles nervously. "I like learning about...well everything really! I typically study Pokemon, both their biology and psychology, but being new to Hoenn I'm doing my best to learn about the people and their lifestyles. Find somewhere I fit, ya know?" A soft pink blush of embarrassment floods her cheeks again. She hated bringing up how awkward she was; typically it would drive people away or make them pity her, and neither was what she wanted. After clearing her throat, she adds, "If I uh, ever ask too much, just let me know - I don't wanna make you uncomfortable." Matilda smiles as reassuringly as she can to Remi, but she's sure it just comes across as awkward.


[break][break]

Remi Cassel[break]
Mission: Digging Yourself Into A Hole

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Stopping short so she wouldn't run directly into North, Matilda blinks at the Noivern a couple times in surprise, but just as quickly he takes off. If he was up, Dom was up.[break][break]

A few minutes later Matilda steps out of the foliage cradling a large leaf with both arms. In said leaf was a dozen or so berries; not a lot, but they would make a yummy snack for the group later. Vega comes charging out of the underbrush twenty feet away, Rigel sitting on her back holding tight to an egg. The two Pokemon were covered in grass and streaks of dirt but they both looked elated.[break][break]

Matilda giggles at the pair, but thanks them profusely as they hand her the egg. She sets the berries down on their sleeping platform and adds the egg to the bundle, smiling at Dom. "Hey there sleepyhead," she teases. He was always awake before her - she had to get her jabs in while she could.



[break][break]

Dominic Grey

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[attr="class","credit"]milky

Immediately sensing Remi's unease, Matilda avoids the subject of her brother. "Oh man, that's the only way I've ever met a Pangoro with a Trainer is when they've been together since their Pancham days. I've heard rumors and stories of Trainers wrestling Pangoro into submission, but I've never actually seen it." She leans back a bit, raking her eyes up and down Remi's figure. "Hm, I bet you could do it though," she says confidently. "If there's a Trainer out there that could, it'd be you." Matilda states it like a fact rather than an opinion.[break][break]

Vega looks Remi up and down simultaneously with Mattie, and nods in agreement before turning back to watch the archaeologist dig. She notices the Pangoro's slight discomfort, but takes it as a sign that he's not used to compliments so she doesn't draw attention to it. She does, however, hide a smile behind the archaeologist's silhouette. [break][break]

"What made you decide to get into bodyguarding as a job?" Mattie asks, changing the topic for Remi's sake. "Do you have a different full time job and this is a side gig, or do you two do stuff like this all the time?"


[break][break]

Remi Cassel

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