This world is inhabited by creatures that we call pokemon. People and pokemon live together by supporting each other, but now the scourge threatens the safety of the entire region. Kohaku has become a dangerous place, where children stay at home and only brave souls go adventuring.
Welcome to KOHAKU. Come for the nightmares. Stay for the tea and crumpets.
The season is SUMMER. It is easy for survivors to forage for food from the land, as there are entire abandoned farms ready for harvest. On the downside, you can smell the corpses.
swarms
GRAND OPENING !
Welcome to KOHAKU REGION's grand opening! If you're interested in joining, come check out our grand opening giveaway!
ahuda is not awkward, per say, but she does feel like the odd woman out right now. everything here at mercedes' gala is fancy - diamond chandeliers, a classical orchestra playing in the corner, the fine red velvet and silk curtains sketched from high above them on the marble walls. this is a place for fancy, rich people from juno or proserpina. it is not a place for a simple girl from ceres, now ranger. but she is here to make friends, and to meet kaz.
kaz. she hasn't seen him since the amberwell, only texted him once and left him a voice mail once. she doesn't know what he's done since then, only knows that he will be here tonight.
so she stays, and waits off to the side, with no pokemon beside her as they both deemed the gala a too fancy event to attend. she holds a glass of sparkling apple cider that a server pressed into a hand, and she swirls it, listening to the music out from on the balcony, leaning over the marble railing and looking at the night sky. she feels ridiculous, but she'll wait for kaz.
Prior to just a few days ago, Kaz hadn't even known what a gala was. Where he came from, people went to the bar. At least, people in his class. Thinking about it, he figured that Bacchus had similar events, but he'd never been to one. Kaz had only been to a few weddings, but events like that were all the same, vows or not -- everyone dresses up as nicely as possible, make themselves seem much better put-together than they really are, and make small talk all night. With weddings there were those who got absolutely shitfaced, but something told Kaz that this gala wouldn't go down quite the same.
He wore a black suit with a black tie -- nothing too fancy. He'd been saving up as of late, so the look was affordable enough. While he didn't want to attend, one thing he wanted even less was to look like an idiot in front of his coworkers. Was that what he should call them? He sipped on his wine tenderly, the bitter-yet-appealing taste reminding him of home. His eyes slowly scanned the room as he stood near the bar alone, avoiding anything other than a hello. Trainers, Researchers, Breeders and Rangers alike were all scattered about, but he didn't see Ahuda. She was, after all, about 80% responsible for his presence. He needed to speak with her.
He sipped at his wine again, this time finishing it. Kaz set the glass on the bar, smiling at the bartender and making his way outside onto the balcony with renewed motive to find her among the people on the lawn below. As he approached, a smirk distorted his usually serious visage. Perhaps she'd had a similar idea. Or, perhaps she was getting some air. "You promised you'd save me a seat." he cooed teasingly, walking up beside her and resting his forearms on the railing and allowing his eyes to wander up toward the night sky. nette
she turns around when there is a voice behind her, black dress swirling around her ankles, and she smiles when she sees kaz. "i tried, but there were too many people," she says with a laugh, and looks at the constellations with the man beside her.
"...you look good," she says after a while, and looks back at kaz. in a classic black and white suit, he looks like a professional, someone worth paying attention to. it does look good on him, and ahuda isn't afraid to say that. "have you been well?"
it's been a long time since she's seen him last. and she still doesn't know what happened to him after the amberwell.
idly she notices a cold breeze drifting by, from somewhere and going to somewhere that she probably will never see.
Kaz hadn't forgot her sense of humor -- it resembled his, or so he liked to think. He shook his head, smirking, as she tried to reason with him. "It's okay. Looks like you might have gotten a good seat." he opened up his body, looking around at the small balcony, indicating that it was what he was referring to.
He felt himself tense at her comment as blood rushed to his head to contrast the chill in the air. His eyes fell to his shirt, checking it for any stains from the wine, and looked over at Ahuda once he realized he was in the clear. "I clean up good." he said matter-of-factly, a smirk on his face. Her dress looked nice as well. "Not being dirty from the muck around the Amberwell suits you." Perhaps it wasn't right to joke about, but Kaz couldn't resist. Ahuda was a courageous Ranger, surely she wasn't afraid of talking about Physis and the other one. They'd made it out by the skins of their teeth. They certainly weren't the first.
He left no room for a pause as he looked out at the stars once more. Okay, he supposed. Kaz wasn't a complainer, and he wasn't about to talk about his mother and the issues that came along with her. "Fine. Haven't found the time to leave Proserpina yet. You?" Indulging in his problems would be no way to talk to a lady.
Surely she'd moved on. They'd communicated over c-gear, and he would have known if she had stayed in Proserpina. Kaz wondered if maybe she didn't want to see him. Maybe he was bad luck to her. His lips pursed as he felt a breeze hit him, reminding him of their first encounter. He suppressed a chuckle as his eyes connected the stars, trying to find a constellation. "I never got into astrology. Couldn't tell you much other than the big dipper." nette
ahuda grins. "no kidding," she teases, gesturing to his appearance, and gives a breathy laugh in surprise at his compliment. "thanks. as much as a ranger is supposed to love nature, i'll take clean over dirty anyday." although that's not what kaz meant, and she knows that. but she's not a girly girl. she doesn't swoon for a man the moment he gives her a single compliment.
(given, kaz isn't like that, not from what she's seen. but still, it's the principle of the thing.)
ahuda'd struck out from ceres the moment she could, when madonnna had been fully healed and ready to go, leaving the assist behind at home with careful, competent hands. she'd blown through di manes, nerio. bonded further with madonna, grew stronger with her, picked up a charmander on the road who'd eventually become her second partner. "i managed to get to nerio before i got word of the gala. picked up a second partner too - a charmeleon, now." she didn't offer anymore information than that - if kaz wanted to know more, she'd wait until he asked.
(some things, she didn't want to share. not yet.)
she looks up at the stars when kaz mentions astrology, a smile curling the corner of her mouth upwards. "i know some. my dad used to teach me about them, but i never paid attention. either of my younger siblings could tell you more about them, probably." she only knew the canis major and the ursa major, to be honest.
Kaz smirked softly as he pretended to brush dirt off of his shoulder. "You Rangers and your nature. Living in Juturna must be hell from anyone who isn't from there." he wasn't exactly aware that Ahuda was from there, but he'd made his assumptions. She had a connection with a Pokemon and nature that far surpassed his own, that much he knew. With another moment to admire her dress, Kaz took her into perspective before turning back away once again at the risk of seeming perverted. Granted, he was gentlemanly, but not overly so.
"You must've been busy." he mused, chuckling at his own slowness. He'd been hoping to make it back to Bacchus quickly, but things didn't seem to be going as planned. Not that they ever did. "If I knew what you'd gotten so far maybe I would have stepped on things. Can't let you get too far ahead." he smirked, even though Ahuda was actually farther than Nerio.
"Stars are too far away to be relevant, so I wouldn't have listened, either. Of course, I can promise you that my parents don't know a thing about astronomy. So maybe it's just my ignorance talking here." Kaz didn't know a thing about stars, nor did he know a thing about siblings or fathers. He was lucky that fighting the Scourge didn't require such trivial knowledge. If you needed a lesson on seduction or perhaps picking weak-willed men out of a crowd, then you could talk to Kaz's mother and expect accuracy.
"apparently. not a lot of people think that's living there permanently is worth their while." and it was true - most people liked the city, rather than the forest. ahuda doesn't mind, as she doesn't mind kaz's glances towards places that he thankfully avoids afterwards. it's the nature of things. she understands that now.
(but nature's laws could be turned upside-down, inside-out so very easily)
she grins as he chuckles. "it would've been nice, having someone i knew somewhere close. i bet that i still would've gone farther than you, though." competition is in her nature, and it's something that she doesn't shirk away from. but company on the road would have been a good thing to have, in the lonely silences that madonna - both her partners, really - were reluctant to fill.
"really?" she asks with interest, leaning a bit closer conspiratorially. she's never heard of kaz's childhood or family before, and she's curious, to be honest with herself. "maybe not ignorance, though; if you were ignorant, you wouldn't know about stars at all."
"Then I guess a lot of people might be mistaken. Life would be so much easier in the forest without so much crap to worry about." he wasn't sure what crap he referred to, but, nonetheless, Kaz found himself wondering what it would have been like to have lived in Juturna, disconnected from the Scourge. A chuckle rose from the back of his throat as he realized how silly the thought was nowadays. Juturna was in this just as much as Bacchus.
He nodded at her statement. Maybe if he'd have stuck with Ahuda he'd be farther along. There was probably a second meaning to that thought somewhere. "Probably." he smirked at her, fully believing the statement. Unlike Ahuda, Kaz couldn't care less about competition. She was much more driven about all of this than he was, anyways. Had he gotten to Nerio already, who the hell knows what could have happened. Kaz may have been dead or on his way home. The idea made him really wish he'd stuck with someone as motivated as Ahuda. "I'll be sure to hurry in the future. This is probably all easier in pairs. Trios. Battalions."
He thought about his statement. "Really."
"Then again, I guess I can't say that about my father. Only God knows what he knows. I sure don't." he shook his head, not out of spite, but disbelief. He'd come to terms with his father's flakiness a long time ago. Just being able to say that he didn't know anything about his father was troublesome. "But you may be right. If you can consider that knowledge." nette
"well, ceres doesn't have a lot of crap but it's not completely without it, either. it depends on who you ask, i guess." there are those retired at juturna, yes, but now almost every day scourge are knocking at the doors and loitering at the steps. even the village isn't completely safe anymore.
"easier, and safer. it'd be slower going, though." and in a distant part of her mind, one that she's ashamed to admit the existence of, ahuda's not sure she wants to stop or even slow down. she feels like if she stops, she'll never get back up, nor gain that momentum again.
(she'll start falling again)
ahuda grins at kaz. "everything's knowledge, you just have to memorize it. at least, that's what my mom tells me. personally, i consider anything that you can use knowledge, and knowing stars and constellations come in handy when you're in a forest. pity i never learned them all, though." that's just another part of her childhood she'll have given up in favor of enriching her siblings' own. the sacrifice isn't anything new.
but her curiosity refuses to be sated by a mere sentence. "your father? why, what's his profession? what does he do?" arceus damn ahuda and her need to know almost everything about her friends.
Kaz studied the tips of his shoes. They weren't comfortable. "And if I asked you, what would you say?" Someone as outspoken, bold, and courageous as Ahuda likely saw some crap in the forest. They needed more people like her, he knew, thinking about her trying to combat the Mamoswine in the forest with no more Pokemon. Kaz withheld a smirk.
"I like a slower life. Even in Bacchus, I was happy."Well, as happy as I could be. With the thought of his past life, Kaz suddenly found himself consciously acknowledging the smell of the wine once again. Harvesting grapes. That had been his responsibility. This fast moving, unfamiliar life came with a different set of circumstances. "It let's you appreciate things you don't appreciate at time's like these." he smiled at this, the bitter, biting aroma of the wine tingling the back of his nostrils.
"You mother sounds like a smart woman." Kaz couldn't bring himself to believe that knowledge was something so limited to memorization. Then again, maybe he could. He didn't like the existential kind of topics. Ahuda sounded more right. Kaz wondered where he'd be today if he'd had parents more like Ahuda's. "Your guess is as good as mine. He left my mother when he found out she was pregnant. Never made any contact. Never sent money. He probably figured she got rid of me." he didn't sound bitter, but the last few words were heavier than the rest. Kaz ignored it, swallowing hard as he attempted to push the thought out of his mind. Then again, maybe his mother would have been better off without having to take care of him. It was no different from what he was doing right now. nette really hated this post because woobie but w/e
"i'd say that ceres can do with some good ol' pressure. but that's just my opinion. others differ." she gives a small smile to kaz. the tension in juturna is high - some wish to actively defend against the scourge, in any way possible, while others simply want to imagine the threat away. ahuda can sympathize with both, but she'd chosen to do neither, and join eos instead. "mine isn't a popular one."
"that is true, but still - sometimes the only thing left to do is push forward, instead of lingering to smell the roses. although going slow is a good thing too; i guess it just depends." in ceres, she'd been the outdoorsy one, out of doors and climbing trees, only the blue sky above her head acting as a roof.
she grins in pride of her mother. "she was. always insisted on law and order, though. and way too fond of her romance books. but still." the smile on her face fades when kaz reveals more about himself, making a sympathetic noise in the back of her throat without realizing. "i'm sorry about that." in times like these, she's reminded just how lucky she is to have parents like the ones she'd had.
(and the realization hammers home the fact that she needs to stay away from them, stay in the frontlines, and keep them safe.)
"Pressure?" he inquired, more out of curiosity about Ahuda than anything. She wasn't your average Juturnan, he didn't think. Kaz didn't think anyone should be subjected to something as horrible, unspeakable as that Scourge, no matter the mindset. Of course, he didn't know what things were like in Juturna like she did. And places were in rubble, actual ruins, from the Scourge. Maybe they needed a threat like the one they had now to solve future ones.
Heh, future ones, so much for any kind of optimism. "The popular opinion isn't always the right one. Look at the ratio of Eos members to civilians." it was probably the first time he admitted aloud that what he was doing was on a moral basis, as much as he liked to think otherwise. It was a strange thought.
"Yeah, you're right. We always need to be moving forward, regardless of the circumstances. Even if it means going slowly." sometimes his mother needed him, but the region needed him more. Even if he was just one trainer. He chuckled at the mention of romance books -- his mother liked them, too. "There's nothing wrong with law and order. Can't say my own mother was so familiar with it, but..." his voice trailed into a chuckle, and he smirked at the thought. No, no she wasn't so familiar with law and order. Particularly the law part. But she raised her son, so Kaz could not fault her. He suddenly heard Ahuda more clearly. "Was?" he was referring to her mother -- was she dead?
He shook his persistently head at the mention of his father. Kaz truly did not care; he was fine now, after all. No paternal figure required for assembly. "Don't worry about it. I've made it this far without. Never needed him before, don't need him now." nette
"mostly things that'll get them off their high perches and actually come down to reality, but yeah. pressure." being in a forest that is actively protected by rangers has let ceres get sloppy. it's about time that they wake up and see how much trouble they're all in.
"yeah, there's not a lot of us, are there? it doesn't help that the newbies either get wounded in-field too quickly, or wash out and go home, either." if they had a home to back to in the first place, anyway. not a lot of them do, now.
"yeah. was. she's not dead or anything -" although there had been that rather close call with a heracross a few years back "- but she's just gotten more... subdued, lately. quieter. grimmer. like the rest of kohaku, i guess." it's not a good look on her mother, and it doesn't help that her father is risking his life against the scourge without a care or a vaccinated pokemon, either. she has a small frown on her face as she peers into her drink. arceus, it's been a long time since she's seen her.
"if you say so." it seems like a lonely way to live, cutting off ties so strongly, but who is she to say?
(isn't that exactly what she's doing right now? ahuda pushes the thought away.)
"so... got any plans for the rest of your week? or are you skipping out right after the gala?"
ahuda is not awkward, per say, but she does feel like the odd woman out right now. everything here at mercedes' gala is fancy - diamond chandeliers, a classical orchestra playing in the corner, the fine red velvet and silk curtains sketched from high above them on the marble walls. this is a place for fancy, rich people from juno or proserpina. it is not a place for a simple girl from ceres, now ranger. but she is here to make friends, and to meet kaz.
