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!
This wasn't his city. Griff didn't really know how to work it. He also didn't really know just how far he could push before he got a call from the Nerio Police Department, asking if he'd broken any laws lately.
(He'd gotten one earlier about a lost cat. Griff hadn't been entirely sure how to explain that he wasn't in the business of stealing anything anymore, let alone cats.)
(Although it was quite a valuable delcatty, he was told, so maybe he should look into that business.)
Instead, he wandered through Proserpina Gym--or specifically, the library above it. This was the rarities collection: musty first editions, signed review copies, stunning illuminated manuscripts, and many more.
Griff looked, but for now he didn't touch. He had sticky fingers.
She was pacing. Given her relationship with the floor, it was probably a bad idea.
She couldn’t help herself though. She wanted to challenge the gym. Or rather, she felt she ought to. What sort of trainer didn’t challenge gyms?? But she was also terrified. What if she messed up?? What if she lost?? Becoming a trainer might have been a horrible idea! She might not be cut out for it at all!
So here she was, pacing the library above the gym, trying to work up the courage to go down and try. Iggy the snorunt was sitting on a nearby table, watching his lovely trainer walk back and forth, wondering why she was doing something so strange. Laid out behind him, yawning, was the sneasel Lola. She was simply counting down until the inevitable trip. 3... 2... 1...
“Uwaaaah!” Bingo. Maeve tripped (on the floor, without assistance from things like obstacles) in glorious form, hitting the solid surface with an indelicate squeak. Iggy jumped up and began chattering away with worry, yet being too afraid to try and jump down from what was (to such a small pokemon at least) a rather long way down. Lola was giving the sneasel version of a laugh, now on her back. The entire debacle was on display for all.
He heard Maeve fall. Who wouldn't? There was the loud cry and then the clatter of a body clumsily hitting the floor, the impact of knees and elbows (and softer parts too).
Like any good, law-abiding citizen, Griff immediately went to the source of the sound. If a manuscript remained in his hand--a single slip of old paper with an engineer's mathematical sketches--it just... slipped his mind when he took it with him out of the room. And it was just reflex that made him put it in his bag when he was out of sight of cameras. (He would be back tonight or tomorrow, with a forgery, to replace the genuine article in the library.)
"Anyone hurt?" he called, as soon as he turned within line of sight of Maeve. His concern faded as he approached. She looked more or less alright--a regular sort of fall, the usual daily fail, nothing bleeding.
Griff offered her a hand back up. Even though she looked alright, he asked anyway, "You okay?"
Maeve was beginning to think she’d be able to get up, brush herself off, and pretend as though nothing had happened without anybody noticing her. And then she was wrong. Very wrong. She squeaked again at the foreign voice calling out, scrambling to her knees just in time to look up and spot owner of said voice looking down at her. She blushed hard enough for it to show against her skin. “Y-Y-Yes!” Stammering, she hesitantly took Griff’s extended hand so she could finally get back to her feet. “Th-Thank you.” She actually bowed to Griff, before scooping Iggy off the table and cuddling him close to sooth him. Lola was now watching the two of them with a disinterested gaze, head propped on one clawed paw.
Ooooh this was so embarrassing! Still blushing, she fidgeted even as she nodded to his question. “Fine! I’m fine! Uh, um, this happens a lot, eheh. But I’m alright!” Just a little sore in places but, that was nothing new. She hardly ever got bruises any more these days! …wait. This was a library! And she totally screamed!! “Oh no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you! I was so loud! I’m really, very sorry about that!” And another deep bow accompanied the apology.
She didn't look too pleased to have help back onto her feet. Griff could't blame her. If he'd fallen splat on the ground, he'd prefer if no one was around to see.
People still bowed these days? Over something as little as this? It had came out of nowhere, but Griff only appeared mildly bemused. "Anytime--but let's hope never again. You can be as graceful as a kimono girl from here on out," he said with an easy smile that turned a little nervous at the volume of her voice. It was softer than the screaming had been at least.
He didn't mind that she was flailing about. Griff understood what it was like to drop the ball in a quiet place (he'd set off plenty of security alarms when he'd first started out, it was always embarrassing). Still, he worried that he'd draw attention, the sort of attention that came dressed in uniforms and carried badges.
"Shh," he said as a suggestion. "You're still quite loud. There's not many people here though, especially not in this end. It's all old things here. No comic books or magazines."
He looked around. Coast was clear. No librarians about, and the only security was still at the entrances if he'd taken his bearings correctly when he entered. (You acquired an eye and a habit for these sorts of things after a while in business.)
This wasn't his city. Griff didn't really know how to work it. He also didn't really know just how far he could push before he got a call from the Nerio Police Department, asking if he'd broken any laws lately.
She was pacing.
