* ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

[beathollow]

in the wake of turmoil

What's Up?

Mafuyu and Aerith have hatched a plan to give Braphine's Chosen some time to relax and have fun together! And just in the nick of time...

Date and Location

Afternoon of Monday, October tth into October 8th
The Aquarium within the Office District

The sway of water

It's a normal morning for anyone who's managing to sleep a standard schedule- up until a mass text goes out, that is. Everyone will find the same thing from either Mafuyu or Aerith's username:

ONE NIGHT STAY-OVER AT THE LOCAL AQUARIUM, SCHEDULED MONDAY, OCTOBER SEVENTH!! All of Braphine's Chosen are invited to an exclusive event hosted at the aquarium where guests can spend the day taking tours and then sleep over in qualified areas. Dining will be provided, all we have to bring is ourselves, changes of clothes and pillows and blankets. (And yes, the floors will be extra clean.)

... Simple enough. And should you choose to attend, both your hostesses will be pleased to see you once it's time to head over.

As they said, the aquarium is largely empty save for the group, and it's definitely worth it. A serene song plays overhead while attendants give tours or explanations as needed. The variety of aquatic life is surprisingly vast as well, and spacious halls give way to plenty of opportunity to explore.

Come nightfall, certain rooms dim the lights but the tanks stay lit- or black lit as darker enclosures like the jellyfish hall and the octopus tanks remain- and only a few staff remain to keep an eye on things- so... stay on your best behavior. The two restaurants stay open- a regular fast food joint with kitschy island cabana theming, and a much more upscale lounge where Aerith plans on corralling the adults for fun this evening.

Once it's time for the age groups to split, Aerith will lead the adults to a pleasant lounge with more tanks, large couches or more private tables, and a view overlooking one of the main rooms of the aquarium- wave to the kids if they're there! Or don't. Bouquets of flowers are placed around the room, and it looks like Aerith has a few ideas already, though she won't stop anyone from going out to review the different sections again.

Contrasting Mafuyu, who is content to let the fellow teens do whatever- though if they do congregate, she's not really the social sort and will simply be content to enjoy the vibes. Even if you just want to take a nap somewhere, there's plenty of dark secluded areas to do so.

Out of character!

This log is for an ic sleepover hosted at the aquarium! All characters are invited but attendance is not mandatory. That said, there are still staff members ready to boot any troublemakers out. We wanted to keep the types of displays vague to give everyone creative freedom, and characters are welcome to flit about between groups as they desire, be it to check in or to to snoop or whatever. As discussed with the mods, this does count as an open event and can be used for rewards. Thank you all for your interest!

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Comments

[beathollow]

( given their talks and things he's alluded to... )

... The second?

[supherb]

[Mafuyu indeed has gotten plenty of lore to suss out the lie.]

You got it. Two of my buds back home are, though. I'm not much of a battler, myself.

[beathollow]

How does that work...?

( battling, she means.

...

sure are asking a lot about paldea lately, aren't you, hon. )

[supherb]

You pit your Pokemon up against each other, with the Trainers giving commands for their Pokemon to use in battle. Pokemon battles are common all over the world, and there's even entire Leagues centered around battling. That's where the whole Champion-rank thing comes from.

[He's kind of curious to hear what Mafuyu thinks of the idea. Eli was super weirded out by it.]

[beathollow]

Hm...

And... They're okay with it, right...? Nothing is forced...?

[supherb]

[Well, he'll be honest about it.]

Most Trainers are good about not forcing their Pokemon to fight, but y'know...there's always gonna be bad eggs.

cw vague discussion to animal abuse

[beathollow]

Mm.

... Since animals back home don't have any special abilities like that, there are... battles, but. It's much crueler. It's one of the most vicious forms of animal abuse. But I also don't think you'd be okay with that sort of conduct en masse, even in your own society.

( which is both a measure of faith in arven and in his own judgement, to be honest. )

...

( mabosstiff is getting a hug though. )

cw continued

[supherb]

Wha...?

[Arven is, understandably, mortified to learn of this.]

That's- That's so wrong! Ugh...now I see why Eli got real mad when I told him about battles.

[He shakes his head. Yeah, he'd definitely be grossed out by the idea of dog fighting and the like.]

We've got medicine and technology to heal Pokemon right up, but even still...abusing them is looked down upon. Big time.

[beathollow]

... Yeah, I bet he blew up a little. But... like I said, I trust you and your values. Any lingering feelings would likely be on my own part from hearing the horror stories.

( mafuyu exhales slowly, before tugging arven over to lean over her. )

I'm sorry. I know that was a lot.

[supherb]

[He's easily pulled to her side.]

It's okay. I mean...now I get it better than I did when Eli lost it at me. I can't blame you guys at all. I'd probably have the same reaction if I came from your world. Regular animals are so, so different from Pokemon in a lot of ways.

[beathollow]

( mafuyu's pretty certain that if arven ever came across an animal abuser in person, he would be filled with exactly the amount of holy power to smite them where they stand.

mabosstiff is still getting pets. it's only because of him that she understands that pokemon are even able to communicate as well as they do, so... she was confident that she could ask to begin with. )

They are.

[supherb]

[He wouldn't even sic Mabosstiff on them, he'd just bite them himself.

Mabosstiff appreciates the pets. The topic of conversation isn't lost on him either, and Mafuyu really has nothing to worry about there. If anything, Mabosstiff is more enthusiastic about battles than his Trainer is.]

...Not too long before we ended up here, Mabosstiff got hurt really bad in an accident and it took a lot of research to find a way to make him better. I don't understand why anyone would willingly get their animals into that kind of situation.

[beathollow]

Because they don't care. Not like any decent person would... let alone someone who genuinely loves them.

( mabosstiff and mafuyu's future bunneary will at least be able to have their own little spars, at least. )

... Lets change the subject?

[supherb]

[After a long sigh, he nods.]

Yeah, good plan.

[Hmmm.]

Was there anything else you wanted to know about Pokemon?

[beathollow]

Yes, but I'm not entirely sure what to ask...!

[supherb]

[With a laugh,]

I guess it's a pretty broad topic. But I will say that they're pretty much part of every corner of life for people. Some Pokemon even provide food!

[beathollow]

Really?

( the way he says that makes her think its not just hunting he's talking about. )

[supherb]

[It's definitely not hunting.]

Yeah! For example, I've got this Pokemon called Garganacl. He's a huuuuge rock-type Pokemon made out of salt. He rubs his hands together to give me salt to season my meals! My Toedscruel can regenerate parts of her body, so she's let me use it for my cooking too. It's like eating a regular mushroom, only tastier.

[It probably sounds wild from an outsider's perspective, but like...no Pokemon were harmed in the making of this particular instance.]

[beathollow]

( ... so- like foraging, but from animals. and she's sure arven is respectful... and that the pokemon can put the fear of god into anyone who tries to take more than they can. )

I see... It sounds like you all work together.

[supherb]

Exactly! That's pretty much what the bond between humans and Pokemon is all about. We've been working side by side since, like...well, maybe not forever, but ages.

[beathollow]

( i think i lost this so i went and tracked it down myself. )

That sounds much kinder. ... Animals and humans mostly live separately, but there's domesticated animals, and aquariums and zoos for conservation efforts and education purposes.

[supherb]

I think it was more like that in the past...the whole living separate thing. But you're saying there's still a lot of animals that wouldn't live with humans? Like the sharks and stuff here?

[beathollow]

No- they're much too big, and can't leave the water. It would also be dangerous for the shark and for the people around it. Then there's just... the logistics, with specialized diets and environments... it's genuinely safer for wild animals to stay in the wild, with rare exceptions. It's mostly for them, though.

... What about yours...?

[supherb]

Wow. That is a lot to consider. If there wasn't universal Pokemon food then I guess it'd be a lot harder to own some over others. But as far as I know, the sky's the limit when it comes to Pokemon ownership. They can even live outside their natural habitats, though obviously a fish Pokemon is gonna have a lot nicer time in the water.

[Truly, the Pokemon world is just one of those places you really have to experience for yourself.]

[beathollow]

Didn't you say they're omnivorous, also? ... The world must be especially friendly to allow such freedom.