Beau Monde, Swamp Savage!

energy:

Contrary to what most travelers inferred about him, Goro the Croagunk didn't actually hate travelers.

Having made his home deep in the dungeon of the Cattail Marsh, claiming an abandoned, rotting shack and a large stretch of the territory around it, Goro got precious little privacy, and he valued that more than almost anything else. Bearing in mind that passing through the Marsh was required to get to the infinitely more dangerous and resourceful Misty Mire, and taking into consideration that Dungeons were by nature difficult to traverse-- things like directions and time seemed to get distorted while inside-- he'd had more than a few visitors in his time here. Maintaining his stretch of swamp took a fair bit of work beating on feral Pokémon, so it was understandable that when he came across an explorer, merchant, or just a regular traveler wandering through his Marsh, he might be a little tense and jump to... unfortunate conclusions.  

No one ever accused Goro of being smart.

But despite all that, Goro didn't hate other people. It was just when he found them in his metaphorical backyard that he tended to greet them fists swinging. Otherwise, he quite enjoyed sitting down across a campfire and trading stories or learning new things about the nearby settlements.

On a quiet aft'rnoon, like this? Prowling through the murky waters of the Marsh purposefully, Goro croaked quietly to himself, fingers drumming against his sides in a fit of boredom. I 'kin go with th' company.

[Energy: 22-15=7]

All things considered, there were better spots around Rainfront to visit than Cattail Marsh. Rainfront itself held inns, entertainment, and beaches. Out in the ocean, the Coral Forests positively swam with sunken treasure and aquatic life. What did Cattail offer? Well, the volbeat and illumise did put on a rather impressive light show. The misty parts had a nice aesthetical atmosphere. If it wasn't for the 'marsh' part of Cattail Marsh, it wouldn't be that bad of a place to go to more often. The mud, the smell and the locals kept it from being high on Clovis' list of favorite travel spots, but he could stand occasional trips, if only because he liked to watch the volbeat and illumise. Though, he had arrived far too early for that...


Insofar, the piplup had traveled fairly deep into the marsh, completely uninhibited by any other pokémon. He wasn't very much worried about being attacked by ferals anyway. If he had been safe so far, surely he would continue to do so as he went deeper? His biggest concern was more with the threat of getting dirty than anything else. Clovis was probably the cleanest creature in the marsh, having made a conscious effort to swim only through the water that didn't look nasty, and avoiding mud as best he could while he was on land. His appearance had remained relatively untarnished as a result, and this, along with the joy ribbon tied like a string bowtie around his neck area, gave him a vaguely dandy look compared to his surroundings. This was a good thing, of course. Clovis always made an effort to seem his best, even as he was strolling through floodplains, whistling a tune.

On the contrary, Goro didn't mind getting filthy. At all. He knew the muck, dirt, and general filth provided pretty good cover when he lay still enough, and masked his scents from other Pokémon with sensitive noses, courtesy of experience, plus it all came off with enough elbow grease. Most of it, anyway. And that was all that really mattered to him-- he'd never worried about fitting in or making friends since Croagunk weren't exactly the most approachable or friendly looking Pokémon.

Goro certainly didn't look particularly approachable or friendly as he prowled through the waters of Cattail Marsh, uncaring of any wildlife he could encounter. He was perhaps a little agitated, but mostly bored; morning patrol was more boring than it had ever been. Most ferals knew by now to stay far away from his area, and all of the sudden he had a lot more time on his hands. I could run into town and pick up some snacks for tonight... maybe waste the evening away staring up at the Illumise. I sure 'kin think up worse ways to spend my time.

He'd turned a random direction, vaguely hoping the Dungeon exit towards town was that way when his ears picked up a jaunty tune whistling through the air. His back went ramrod straight, and reflexively, his fists rose halfway up his torso before he realized that... well, ferals didn't go around whistling tunes, did they? The poison-fighter hybrid scanned the immediate horizon, darting back and forth before he laid eyes on perhaps the last Pokémon he expected to see. A Piplup. In... my Marsh?

Goro turned, and staring directly at his new visitor, croaked loudly--uncomprehendingly -- before realizing he should probably have spoken, in case the Piplup mistook the dirty Croagunk for a feral Pokémon in the Dungeon.

At one particular moment, right as the whistling-tune approached its best part, a loud croak sounded from some direction or another, quickly silencing Clovis and diverting his attention towards its source. With both of his two eyes, he saw a croagunk, looking at him, and generally doing... croagunk things. Probably feral, from the looks of it; All dirty and such, like it didn't care about avoiding mud. It had yet to attack him or anything, so Clovis assumed that he wouldn't be getting into a fight, but he didn't want to turn his back to it either way. Instead he approached it, slowly, while letting out a growl of his own. Not necessarily an angry or particularly intimidating growl, but nonetheless one which announced his presence and awareness of the situation.

The piplup treaded through shallow marsh water, and stopped growling when he was about halfway towards the croagunk. He slowed his pace of walking then, and widened both his eyes, as a form of acknowledgment towards the croagunk, just in case it was smart enough to understand such a concept. And when the distance between the two of them had been quartered, he stopped moving entirely, and stood still, with both of his flippers crossed behind his back. As one final way of testing the croagunk, he murmured out a single, inquisitive "Hmm?"

Despite himself, Goro's head reared back in a show of surprise when the Piplup in front of him actually growled back at his croak. It made progress toward him slowly, but not aggressively-- clearly it wasn't here to start fights, but it was willing to defend itself if Goro thought to attack. It was a surprisingly bold move from a Pokémon like a Piplup; he'd never known one so confident. It stopped a number of paces away, flippers behind its back in a posh, sort of aristocratic manner.

He snorted, amused despite himself, at the Piplup's strange mannerisms and the queerly-tied Ribbon about its neck. What a strange Pokémon. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers. Here he was, just wishing for some manner of company, and he came across someone just after. The Piplup looked self-important and cleanly, so it was probably from some nearby settlement.

"Afternoon, stranger. Ya get lost out here? Or are ya just tryna pass through to the Mire?" He hoped not. He hadn't even tried to enter Misty Mire himself yet-- he knew all sorts of dangerous creatures lived there, powerful water and poison types alike. One Piplup would get slaughtered in such a spot, just as likely a Croagunk would. Then again, there were some crazy folk in the world. Far be it from him to keep someone from such a place. "I'm Goro. This here's my stretch of th' Marsh."

Clovis was a tad bit surprised, the croagunk wasn't a feral at all. Not only was it not a feral 'mon, but it sounded rather sociable at that, greeting him with an introduction and a bit of small talk. Despite his rather brusque tone, the croagunk's words didn't seem unfriendly. Clovis wasn't opposed to the idea of having a conversation with them, so when the croagunk, Goro, asked a question, Clovis had little reason not to reply. He let his flippers move to a more natural position, and assumed a sort of debonair-air as he spoke. "I'm out for a stroll, myself; I hadn't planned on visiting the Mire." Perhaps it might sound a bit strange for someone to visit Cattail Marsh with the intent of taking a walk, but Clovis had determined that, if he really, really put his mind towards finding leisure in the marsh, then what could possibly stop him?

Though it was really just his own, possibly unwise interpretation, Clovis found it difficult to be genuinely unnerved by the presence of croagunk. It wasn't that they were weak, or dumb, or incapable of defending themselves. It was just that they all looked so goofy! Those big, funny teeth, that lazy, curved posture, and those big grins that they liked to put on caused Clovis to take Goro a little bit less seriously than may have been prudent, but he didn't do anything more immediately inappropriate than grin himself.

Goro had introduced himself, therefore Clovis had to do the same. "My name is Clovis, of Grassveil. It's a pleasure, really." A sarcastic observation came to mind, and he expressed it immediately, teasingly. "You sure do have a nice stretch over here."

His suspicions of the Piplup were all but proven right as Clovis introduced himself, speaking smoothly and confidently. Goro let out a content croak as Clovis finished explaining himself and introducing his person. From Grassveil, huh. Haven't got around there yet-- I ought 'ta ask him a few things. He'd heard people talk about the settlement before, of the great bustling town, the booming Explorer's Guild and the myriad of stores in the marketplace. The grandeur of it all was why he hadn't made the trip yet; the Croagunk would be lying if he said he wasn't a little intimidated by the splendor of it.

Goro puffed up with a strong sense of pride at Clovis' teasing remark, oblivious to the sarcastic manner in which it could be interpreted. "Yeah, sure was hard to get it all to m'self. Had to beat back every critter between here, and--- and uh... between here and further away, that is." Goro waved his arm about animatedly as he spoke, gesturing behind him, towards his home, almost aimlessly. "Still got to, every now and then. But they keep me from gettin' rusty, so it works out. Ya run into any on yer way through? Yer a bit early to catch the Firefly Pokémon light th' Marsh up, I think."

Goro didn't quite catch the joke, good. He just bragged a bit on how well he had kept the ferals away from his territory. Perhaps unexpectedly, Clovis was rather impressed by this notion; Anything that promoted the dominance of intelligent pokémon over the totally uncivilized was a good thing, and if Goro's driving off ferals contributed to the pipedream of one day taming or colonizing dungeons, all the better.

Goro was the first pokémon Clovis had seen in the marsh, at least for more than a few seconds. "Oh, no. I haven't been within twenty paces of a feral 'mon all day. I suppose that you must be doing your job pretty well, then." Again, a statement meant more as a joke, but one which could be taken seriously just as easily.

(Interpret rolls as you want, if you want, yadda yadda, etc.)

vonSteakhand carried out 7 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

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"Thas' good news, then." He didn't expect to hear that-- normally, the feral Pokémon just kept their distance from him and his hovel, but to hear that this Piplup made it here unmolested? Perhaps his presence here was affecting them more than he knew. The Dungeon was much larger that he could account for, of course, but it was an interesting thought. That'd explain the boring patrols, then. Wonder if I'll have ta go out further to catch more of 'em. His gaze tracked a lone Illumise through the air for a moment, the black and violet hues covering it not quite illuminated-- they wouldn't bunch together until later this evening. He wondered if it was instinct or some sort of group thing that led them all to brighten the Marsh up every night. He'd never met an intelligent one, but he knew that there was probably some out there.

"I ain't one ta judge, o' course, but Cattail Marsh ain't the first dungeon someone would think of 'fer an afternoon walk. 'Specially if yer from Grassveil." His own preferences were different than most other Pokémon he knew of-- the habitat of the Marsh was uniquely suited to his tastes, while every visitor he had couldn't seem to get out fast enough. It was strange to find that this Piplup was the anomaly. There was nothing of true value in the Marshlands, aside from the nighttime scenery and the Misty Mire. "Unless yer one o' them Explorer folk? They got a habit of runnin' through here every now and then, lookin' for somethin' or another."

[Energy: 7-14=0]

It was true, Cattail Marsh wasn't a pleasant place to spend much time in. By all rights, it ought to be a place Clovis despised more than any other, on account of its excess of mud and moist plant life. There were numerous reasons to avoid the marsh, and comparatively few reasons to stay in it. Why had Clovis come there, again? It was curiosity, mostly. Curiosity and the usual hunt for dungeon riches. The piplup was indeed looking for something or another, but not anything in particular. As for being an explorer? Not exactly. "Well," Clovis began, taking a step back and letting his eyes wander off. "I'm not with the Exploration Guild. Granted, I think I'd be a pretty good guildsmon. Those guys will pay you for, what, travelling around and performing odd jobs?" Goro had mentioned that explorers coming through were often looking for things. "Is there, heh heh, anything worth looking for out here, anyway?"

Maybe there was, as a blue little frog pokémon, probably smaller than the piplup, even, splashed in and out of some water under the cover of distant shadows. Seeing other pokémon sneaking around in the marsh would normally be a matter of concern, but, having spotted the froakie with relative ease, Clovis doubted that it was even noteworthy enough to point out.

"Well, there is tha' Mire, o'course. Ain't never been back in there 'm self, but there's gotta be somethin' back there-- them Explorers are always going through. Gotta be some tough critters back there, at least-- you 'kin feel it if ya get real close to the entrance." He turned his head slightly, halfheartedly tracking a Goomy floating through the murky waters in the distance. He'd tried only the one time to enter the Mire, but the offsetting presence was enough to unnerve even him. It was perhaps the only time he was afraid of anything other than another Pokémon; the air was suffocating, and there was a heavy, stifling pressure that weighed down on him so heavy he didn't think he could move. Even if he wanted to, which he didn't, he was sure he'd be unable to take those steps into the Misty Mire.

"As fer the ol' Marsh... Only thing here I've found worth anythin' is the view, really. All them Firefly Pokémon rise up at night and light the place up real good- s' a real purdy sight. But that won't be fer a few more hours, at least-- they don't get started this early in th' day." Truly, it was one of the only reasons he stayed, aside from the isolation and feral Pokémon he could attack without consequences. Days spent fighting and nights spent enjoying such a view was proving to be a great life for him, here. As far as treasures or valuables went, though, the Marsh was either picked raw or simply didn't have anything to offer. Of course, he didn't think he'd been here long, and he certainly hadn't explored the entirety of the Dungeon. "If ya ain't in a hurry, ya might stay fer a bit and watch. Or do some explorin'-- Cattail's a real big Dungeon, and I only got a little stretch of it to me. Dungeon crawlin's real good exercise. 'Course, you'll hafta watch out fer some of the ferals, but as long as yer quick about puttin' em down, they ain't no trouble."

the sunset hero carried out 9 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

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The Mire was a place Clovis had given some consideration to, but, as Goro said, there was a certain unnerving presence to it that announced the presence of some powerful pokémon. He'd have to go there eventually, to see what all the fuss, and the enticing mist, was all about, but not today. Perhaps disappointingly, the croagunk had described the mire as being the only really interesting thing nearby, apart from the bug-type light show at night. Of course, it was still too early for that. Though he did think he saw the faint lights of a few illumise flying about up above.

So, what could Clovis do? He didn't think he had enough conversation topics prepared to just stand there chatting all day, even if he had plenty of time to kill. Maybe he would wait on the light show. Or do some dungeon crawling. Or something. "So, what are you doing ouside, patrolling your 'stretch'?" he asked, sounding a bit bored. Clovis wouldn't even mind having to fight a few ferals, if it meant having something to do.

"Well-- I mean... " He tilted his head, considering. Honestly, he'd just been milling about, wasting his time, waiting for another feral Pokémon to jump out at him. Battling the Pokémon around his territory was what he did all day, now that he thought about it. What did it say about him that he spent his free time looking for wild ferals to attack? Nothing good, he'd wager-- especially with a Grassveil citizen. Even if he was strong enough to make it through this far into the Marsh. Probaby shouldn't mention that sorta thing. It wasn't as if there was much else to do in Cattail Marsh, but

"I was thinkin' about runnin' back 'ta Rainfront, n' pick up some foodstuffs. But if yer gonna be runnin' about here, I could show ya around. Granted, there won't be much 'ta see 'til tonight, but if any wild critters get the wrong idea and think 'ta try their luck, I could help ya out. S'probably what I ought ta do, really, since this is my place an' all. Wouldn't do fer someone ta get hurt while I could help it." In all honesty, it wasn't the worst idea he'd ever had. He'd probably like to fight the strange Piplup rather than with him, but either way would be a step up from the same old, same old he ran into in his home Dungeon. He had a few questions about Grassveil anyway- perhaps they could walk and talk, and hunt for a good scrap in the meanwhile. "If they git the idea of runnin' at ya together, it ain't hard ta get swarmed."

ooc:

Going out and about with the croagunk didn't sound too bad. Oddly enough, Goro was one of the most outwardly warm and friendly pokémon Clovis had met in quite a while, and almost certainly the nicest he had seen in such a place as this. Though his accent was still a bit silly. "You 'n me, then?" He asked, imitating the croagunk's manner of speaking in a playful way. "Back ta back, fightin' off swarms o' savages with nothin' but our own fists and sense a' intuition? Not gonna lie to ya, that sounds pretty badass."

It did sound pretty badass, and Clovis wasn't usually the sort to go looking for fights. Still, he had no objections to roughing up feral pokémon, the vast majority of them were beyond reason, and it would practically be a favor to introduce them to some of the tactical benefits of civilization. A good bit of fighting, when done for a just reason or as part of an agreed upon session, was an altogether chivalrous thing. "Some foodstuffs don't sound too bad either, though. I've seen some pretty-looking mushrooms in these marshes, but I have no idea if they're meant to be eaten." He was mostly just musing, but if Goro wanted to bring him some food, that was fine just as well.

"Sounds good ta me. We 'kin head deeper in the Marsh, if ya want. That's where the stronger ones tend ta stay. Ya probably noticed a few flitterin' about here-- I think they're startin' ta get shy around me." Case in point, he thought, spotting a pair of Froakie skirting past in the shade of some trees. They weren't so bold as they once were when he first arrived-- back then, he'd was challenged much more often by the local wildlife. Now he had to go looking for a good time. The Volbeat and Illumise were generally indifferent to him and his excursions, as long as he didn't get too close. Which was fortunate, since there were distinctly more of them than perhaps any number of Pokémon in the marsh combined. "If ya really want, we 'kin nip out to Rainfront after for a bite, and be back in time fer the Firefly Pokémon ta come out. Ya really don' wanna miss it."

He paused for a moment, taking in the Piplup in front of him much more consideringly. He seemed confident, sure of himself and must at least be strong enough to enter the Marsh, so it was likely safe enough to take him along. Water and poison-types were the norm down here, so they wouldn't stand out too much, even if one of them was a Piplup. And it'd be interesting to see how a civilized water-type battled; all of the ones he'd seen so far had been wild. A familiar tendril of excitement ran through him at the prospect of the upcoming battles.

It really was a stroke of good luck-- Goro had been meaning to explore the deeper levels of his home Dungeon, but he'd been unsure of his chances by himself.