consilio et animis [open]

[CAEDMON]

when something growls at you from behind a bush in lake pax, you run. elias wouldn't do that anywhere; most of the time it was just a pokemon. in fact, what he had heard was probably a pokemon, but in this place, he'd still run. he's no idiot.

the boy is careful not to scream or breath heavily, and he's constantly avoiding sticks and stones littered across the ground. this isn't any play, no game. he's running for his life, and his pokemon's. elias doesn't exactly enjoy this, like some, odd, creepy people would. in fact, he's started doubting his decision to ever travel, and now he's almost sure that he's going to get home as fast as he could. home to proserpina, where it's safe and zombie-less. that's the way he liked it.

who knows, maybe elias needed some talking down. he certainly needed to stop running through these ruins, as her feet clacked loudly against every stone. he probably was an idiot.

[vertigo]

while neo was off securing the perimeter for their camp, J decided to take a look within the institute for signs of scourge pokémon. he'd left cross at camp and brought along with him dust's pokéball for safety measures. he figured that even if he couldn't win scourge, an aggron causing general havoc would be loud enough for neo to notice.

he heard footsteps around, and froze. they certainly sounded like human ones, though, based on the frequency; J narrowed his eyes, remembering other human-like species of pokémon. his hand rested on the pokéball, and he considered whistling for wing as well, but as he saw the distinctly human shadow pass his tracks, J relaxed, but kept his hand on the ready to summon dust.

"trainer?" J called out, voice clearly heard in the institute.

[CAEDMON]

he continued, heavy breathing uneven and broken up into odd patterns. the boy was just about ready to break down; he couldn't stand running anymore. this was a nightmare. quickly dashing around the corner, he stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall. maybe he should just fight this thing head on. if it was trailing him (it wasn't, but elias wasn't smart enough to know that) it might be best to stop and try and kill it. that seemed smart, right? he wasn't crazy, right?

but then- a voice calls out. a question, and elias gulps as he peeks around the corner. he sees no one. not that a pokemon could actually form human words, but the boy doesn't want to rule anything out. these are dark times. "trainer." he confirms with a heavy sigh, raising his hand. maybe someone would come and save him.

man, elias hoped so.

[vertigo]

"eos? if so, trainer card."

J figured he might as well be careful. he wasn't sure if he wanted to meet the other trainer head on, especially if he had a garchomp out and ready to slice him into ribbons.

naturally, J retrieved his own card from eos and prepared to exchange it with elias's in return.

[CAEDMON]

elias is calmer than he was before; hearing a human voice is quite helpful. the boy listens very carefully, as he needs to make sure this conversation goes perfectly so he can be safe. his ears register a question, but they can't seem to find out where the voice is coming from. elias doesn't stop looking around- he's determined to find the stranger.

"yeah. started a while ago." he says, not knowing where to speak. the boy speaks up at the ceiling, trying to ensure that he is heard and understood correctly. has it really been a 'while?' elias is quite surprised that that word came out of his mouth, but he goes along with it nonetheless.

he holds his trainer card up, believing that the person can see it, wherever he or she is.

[vertigo]

this was the moment where J wished he had cross along with him. the mechanical eye of the beldum would certainly come in handy. he said nothing, and decided to give elias the benefit of the doubt. he stepped out of the darkness to face the boy, his own trainer card reflecting whatever light was in the institute.

"J," he said, unsure if the boy could read his name. "just arrived?"

[CAEDMON]

elias wishes he had released some of his pokemon as well. it was too late for that now; if he did he'd probably be regarded as a threat. he just had to hope that no pokemon came around, and if they did... well, he'd have to try and get rid of it. maybe he wouldn't be here by then.

he knew it was unlikely that this trainer was holding a gun (or some other weapon) but elias couldn't be sure. crazy events led to crazy people, and who knows what someone would do to get a backpack full of food and other supplies. "yeah." elias repeats. "elias."

[vertigo]

J relaxed, but his eyes were still trained on elias. "i hope you have pokémon strong enough to combat scourge," he said, remembering the sudden quietness that had taken over the infamous lake as soon as neo and him had arrived in the vicinity. it had been too quiet; wing hadn't seen anything and cross hadn't picked up any sort of movement, physically or psychically in the area.

it was almost unnerving to think that there were many more humans around than before, yet no sign of scourge, but J had remained composed throughout and navigated the area with a steely eye that rivaled his skarmory's.

"it's been too quiet around. there's people around though, but no attacks yet."

[CAEDMON]

he takes a good look at j, scanning him for any weapons or odd possessions. the stranger doesn't seem very hostile, and elias doesn't note anything specific that looks dangerous. his shoulders slump, compared to their previous tense state, and the boy shoves his hands into his pockets, fingering the dirty pokeballs inside. his belt only holds four, his most precious two reside in his zipped up pockets.

his hands clench them tight as he considers speaking. his pokemon aren't really strong enough, are they? the boy realizes this in an instant but doesn't want to say it out-loud, as he may be told to just get out while he can. sure, elias may not be ready for this yet, but that's the only reason he's here. he wants to know what he has to be ready for.

he listens to j's second comment and responds, quite surprised. "none?" his head is tilted. "what do you think they're doing out there?"
vertigo

[vertigo]

"no idea. i hope you're prepared, though."

a fire lit up and soon, there was the glow of a cigarette.

"it's safer in numbers here."

[CAEDMON]

"uh, my pokemon..." he says, wondering if he should admit the truth. "aren't really that strong."

numbers? is j alone? elias certainly is, and it's even more dangerous for a guy who hasn't trained nearly as much as he should have.

"do you have a group?"
vertigo

[vertigo]

group? they were more like a ragtag bunch of people of which one he had yet to meet. neither of them he knew on a personal level, neo excepted. neither knew him on a personal level, which was to be expected.

likewise elias not having strong pokémon came as no surprise. he had a lack of strong pokémon when he reached lake pax, too. he saw nothing wrong.

"that's fine. i did say numbers. and yes, there was some sort of gathering."

he paused to wonder how much he should say.

"there may be a second one. look out for a pink-haired trainer."

[CAEDMON]

a gathering? what would this gathering be for? elias thought the idea was to travel in groups, not meet up with a few people every now and again. the teenager wasn't ready to travel alone yet, at least not until his pokemon could handle the scourge. he might as well wait in the area until that second "gathering" starts. hopefully it's soon enough for him to avoid any scourge attacks.

elias is glad that j didn't address his statement about weak pokemon. the stranger had just pushed on in the conversation, and that was good. "pink hair? alright, i guess i'll keep an eye out." he didn't know many people with pink hair, but decided to ask for more information anyway. "what's her name?"
vertigo

[vertigo]

"thalia de luca," J repeated the name he'd memorized from thalia's trainer card.

[CAEDMON]

"thalia de luca. pink hair." he confirms, slipping his hands out of his pockets. "got it." he needs to find a safe spot now, but elias needs a mighty good one to avoid scourge. "hey, do you know of any good places to sleep?" he asks reluctantly, adding a few words to the end: "i had a good one, or so i thought, but uh, i heard growling."
vertigo