A Fall into Fall

Miss T found herself hovering back into the forest she had been in far to much. Although she already had studied all the plants and their effects, which was nothing special, yet was still drawn back to the dull area again. Last time she came was extremely miserable, dragged along by the first ghost type Pokemon she had ever come to hate. She came because she just needed to meditate for a while, knowing no one could be here to bother her since they would be most likely insane due to the corruption, or those who weren't corrupted would be trying to fix it.

Settling on the top of a tree full of vibrant orange leaves and closed her eyes in order to fall into a half sleep. She focused on very simple things in this state, and began her concentration in order to find answers:

What have I failed?
I've failed to complete my one goal which was the cause of my coming here
So what now?
I've already determined that starting such a store would have to much competition
So I need to find something to do in order to replace that
But what?

Russell hung gently from one of the trees in Fallen Leaf Copse, his antenna coiled around one of it's branches and the various hues of red and orange leaves almost concealing him from view due to his autumn plant cloak. The beautiful forest was one of the Burmy's favourite places to just stop and think.

As such, his journal and quill pens were stored in the bag that hung from the same branch as him, a few paces backwards from his current position. Sometimes if he'd just sit quietly for a while and watch the world go by, he'd come up with a way to fix what he was working on, or do what he wanted to do. Russ was rather lucky in the way his mind worked if he were honest.

Miss T: 24 - 11 (entry) = 13

There's nothing I can do
I'm not creative enough to come up with a new shop
And the guild is too... predictable
So what can I do?
Become a treasure hunter?
Float around aimlessly until I waste away and lose my intelligence?
No, perhaps I should take a different approach
Even if it means going back to my old routine
Continuing a purposeless life
Perhaps I could begin studying Cartography...

Feeling much more at ease now, her stress and worry evaporating out of her gaseous body, now levitating at a much more relaxed movement. This attained emotional balance allowed er to continue studying the tree, which was still a fascination. The only thing that caused leaves to dull was when they lost their chlorophyll, thus running out of an energy source and would die, leaving the tree in a sort of hibernation through the winter. Yet the node of the petiole still clung to the stem it was attached to, like a person denying their inevitable death. What was the cause of this nature miracle? A force just as inexplicable as dungeons alone, or were the two mysteries somehow linked?

Browsing the various branches and leaves as if it were a gallery of books, the Misdreavus carefully studied each leaf and their patterns of growth, noticing that the leaves were opposite from each other on their branches. This only happened in a few common classifications: Maple, Ash, Dogwood, and the Caprifoliaceae family of trees. It was already obvious that these trees were maple due to their giveaway leaf shapes, but it was still interesting to confirm these growth patterns. Why was it that this tree was genetically less "intelligent" than trees with alternating leaves; the most common, and therefore default growth pattern? Alternation allows for the most sunlight absorption possible. It was a curios thing that leaves would do something far different in general, but the curiosity of leaves being able to remain orange without dying? That surely was impossible.

Just as Miss T was beginning to inspect the anatomy of the leaves in a much deeper fashion, when coming across something far different startled her out of her close inspection. At a first glance, it seemed to be a weird seed pod that was entirely covered in leaves rather than protective whorled spines, but it only took a second to recognize this as a Burmy. An insect that uses its surroundings to build a home, much like a cadisfly. It was only expected that this Pokemon's cloak matched its surroundings if it lived here. She was over it fairly quickly, and muttered a quiet "Hi," which she normally wouldn't do. It took her by surprise more than she wanted to admit.

OOC:

The autumn cloaked Burmy had just used his psychic hidden power to grasp his journal and quill pen from his bag and hover them in front of him so that he could note down the small epiphany he'd had, when Russell spotted something moving through the tree's branches close by. Turning her attention to the movement, Russ soon identified it as another pokemon, though a species he had never personally seen before.

The Burmy watched the ghost type as she flitted through the leaves, gaze landing on them and remaining there for short periods of time, as if she was analysing their existence. Eventually, the ghost type caught sight of him. He held in a small chuckle when the stranger didn't seem to react to his presence to start with, but then openly let it out as the Misdreavus seemed to realise that he actually was a pokemon and chose to greet him with a small, 'Hi'.

"Hello," he chuckled brightly in return, glancing from Miss T before returning his attention to his journal. He moved his quill pen with his psychic hidden power, beginning a sketch of one of the leaves from the trees he was in.

Miss T: 13

It took the intelligent ghost type longer than usual to realize how stupid it was of her to speak to the Pokemon. Clearly, it had to live here, so wouldn't it be feral? However, its vocal response and civilized object of use made Miss T feel better about her slip up; it was intelligent, after all. If it weren't, she might as well have been talking to a brick. All her studies on feral Pokemon concluded that they were insane, incapable of even low level problem solving and math. They displayed no ability to have memory or basic use of everyday objects. Since this Pokemon was using a journal, it most likely wasn't feral.

Just a little curious, Miss T floated behind the burr-like insect to see what it was noting. A fairy detailed image of a maple leaf was forming by the pencil. The bug type was more intelligent than the ghost could ever imagine. Before the bagworm Pokemon might've started labeling the anatomy of the leaf, Genevieve spoke from behind him.

"Interesting, it is, that the maple leaf is usually the first to redden in the autumn as opposed to most trees, due to its high dependence on sunlight and their thin membrane structure of the blade. But these leaves are a curiosity... The foliage covers the ground, yet the trees are still full of healthy basic fronds, the axils remaining clung to the branches..."

Perhaps the small talk would grow into a full conversation. The Misdreavus was starving for conversation with someone who could even slightly match her intellect. She was an expert on botany, so anything the Burmy told her, she'd already know, but it was still nice and thrilling to discuss the science of the Pokemon world.

Russell was vaguely aware of the Misdreavus's eyes upon him as he gently sketched the leaf, glancing up from his work now and again in order to double check the realistic details. First an outline, then the veins, the Burmy vaguely shading areas that were, in reality, shadowed from the leaf's position slightly out of direct sunlight. Still being so new to the area, Russell had so much to document and learn about the forest of perpetual autumn, but with his sketches, he could certainly make a start of exploring the dungeon's beauty in his journals.

Before Russ could write anything to accompany the finished sketch, the ghost pokemon spoke up again. At her words, Russell couldn't stop the small grin that spread across his face.
"Ah, but such mysteries are part of the wonder and beauty of this place," he chuckled in reply, "Though I admit I would love to solve them."

Miss T: {13}

The ghost type grinned at the Burmy's response, which she rarely did, but she supposed it was because she felt so at peace with herself and at home with someone else who viewed the world as she did.

"A great beauty, indeed. But alas, most of these mysteries weren't meant to be solved. Nonetheless, I still try." she sighed, caught up in her poetic way. "I actually happen to be an expert on botany, yet this still remains to be something inexplicable. I don't suppose you know much more about this than I, do you? I am quite distracted by many other studies to the point where it's possible that I could forget minor facts."

Because the insect was not only covered in leaves, but also masterfully sketching the foliage, Miss T only assumed that maybe it would know about plant growth and science. After all, the leaves were not a part of its body, which is why it was never classified as a grass type, so perhaps it could identify leaves for which worked best for a cloak and such. If it had enough botanical knowledge, a new friend might just have been sold to the choosy ghost.

The Burmy couldn't help but feel elated at the idea that someone else understood him as easily as this. With a bright smile on his face, he had to admit he already liked this Misdreavus.

"I can't say I'm an expert on botany itself, as I specialise in cartography, but I am very familiar with various concepts as I often explore different areas in search of mysteries and oddities." he grinned before continuing with a small chuckle, "I've made many attempts to solve such enigmas, though not all of them successful."

"In fact I formed an organisation that strives to do just that," he added as an afterthought. It was true that he didn't have too many people to share the library with just yet, but the location itself had just called out to him. Perhaps this misdreavus would be interested enough to hear his proposal and help him in his quest to explore all there was to see in the world.

Miss T: {13}

While the Burmy turned out not to have too much botanical knowledge, it was sensible that such an artistic Pokemon was skilled at cartography. Mapping is a very important skill, as it takes data and the known world around one, pressing it into an aerial view that can help visualize information into the strongest sense: sight. Maps could be of virtually anything; even a diagram of an object could be a map so to speak. Miss T's favorite thing about them was scale, and it bothered her if maps were not to scale. 

At the mention of an organization, the ghost's attention was caught and sealed in a jar, held by the Pokemon dangling before her. 
"An organization you say?"
This already sounded like an outstanding opportunity for the ex-shop owner. Her ideas never really came together, and she really needed something to do. If it meant spending time with other intelligent Pokemon, discovering the science of the known world, she was more than interested. 
"Tell me more..."

The Burmy's expression lit up like a child's on christmas morning as the Misdreavus showed interest in his craft and the organisation he had formed to help him achieve his dreams. Flipping the pages of his journal as if looking or something specific, he began to explain about the organisation he'd created.

"I called it the Windrose Scouts," he began, feeling like it was simplest to start from there, "I formed it because it's actually a dream of mine to create a map of the whole known world. But in trying to fulfill that dream there's one key issue," he paused as he seemed to finally find the page he wanted. Russell turned it to face the Misdreavus, showing her what appeared to be a roughly sketched map, surpisingly neat for only a sketch, though a large portion of the map remained blank, not filled in by drawings of trees or the like.

The drawing was labelled 'The West', and the empty portion of the map labelled 'Fallen Leaf Copse', with the stepping stones that allowed entry to the autumn forest marked on the map, but fading into emptiness once it reached the beginnings of the forest itself.
"Mystery dungeons are impossible to map," he finished, turning his attention away from the journal now that he'd shown the misdreavus what he wanted. The journal itself remained open, floating in front of the Burmy via his psychic hidden power.

"So I decided to take it upon myself to also learn the secret of mystery dungeons, to learn why they change every time you enter them. What allows them to do so and why we can't prevent it. The Windrose Scouts specialise in investigating rumours and oddities, in the hopes that they can solve both this key mystery, and others that are found in the world," he finished with a cheerful grin.

Miss T: {13}

Before the insect even began speaking, he seemed to be filled with enthusiasm as he searched through the pages of his journal for something specific. Miss T continued to grin at this, and eventually he began to explain. The longer the ghost time listened, the more she was intrigued by it. They sounded like her very thoughts at times, ones she went over several times in many dungeons. It was a common event for her to end up thinking about how dungeons might work, and it turned out that she wasn't the only one.

The insect exhibited an image of the island they were on, only it was a little odd. It showed the water of the lake and the island's outline of shape, the stepping stones, and some key landmarks on and around, but the inside was not filled in. It was almost as if the map were unfinished, but it was. Since dungeons were ever changing, as the Burmy was explaining, they would be impossible to map. The Misdreavus knew this already, but his interpretation of the dungeon was far better than she could ever do.

This sounded like exactly what she was looking for, so after thinking the entire summary over again, she decided. "That's ingenious; collecting fellow philosophers and theorists to collaborate and discuss the mysteries no one has been able to comprehend to the point where they might just be solvable... What does it take to join?" Miss T doubted she wasn't already qualified, but she knew nothing of what they'd actually be doing. They might even be in the field most of the time, testing and battling feral Pokemon or tracking the rate of finding berries. While she didn't look forward to doing anything of that sort, she still wanted to see if she could find a new purpose of moving away from her home mountain. At this point, she'd do whatever it takes.

Russell's grin only brightened as the Misdreavus expressed an interest in joining his humble organisation. He'd pitched the idea to people before, but those who actually considered it as a worthy cause to join appeared to be few and far between. Of course, this Misdreavus had another step that she'd need to pass through before he could truly consider her a member of the Windrose Scouts.

"In order to join the Windrose Scouts, each member has to complete a small task set by me," he smiled cheerfully, "I use them to ensure that each of our members are capable of exploring different rumours that come to our attention, as I don't want to send those who aren't up to the challenge into dangerous areas where they might get hurt," he explained, pausing thoughtfully.

The Burmy seemed to contemplate something, settling his gaze on the sky above the forest. Though it wasn't evident from outside, in his mind he was going through different options with which to challenge the interested Misdreavus. Finally settling on one, he turned his attention back to Miss T.
"Have you ever been to Shadowhue Forest?" he asked, curiously.

Miss T: {13}

As the Burmy continued to explain, the ghost type involuntarily levitated her notepad and pencil out and took notes, not even realizing that it was happening. She was fully aware and attentive on what the dangling insect had to say, and was able to take notes without being distracted. It was a useful skill to multitask in such a way, because even if she didn't remember everything someone said that had any significance to her, she'd have them on her notes anyway.

As he went on, it did seem like she would have to go out somewhere to fill out a task, most likely going to be very difficult. Gina didn't like the idea of fainting again; it already happened to her, and frankly, she didn't want to have to deal with it again. But if doing one such challenge meant she would become a part of this, she supposed it was worth it.

It quickly came to the ghost's mind how odd her answer would be to the insect's question. She had surprisingly never been to Shadowhue Forest, even despite the nice, dark atmosphere and quiet surroundings. If the bug type was planning on sending her there, that would be a fantastic opportunity for her.

She swiftly thought over the description of the challenges, and replied to a question with a brief "No," Miss T suddenly remembered one thing she didn't know, and should probably ask now.
"By the way, what's your name? Just so I can know your calling..." she asked as she was then aware of the fact that she was jotting down facts on her pad of paper.

At the Misdreavus's answer of no, the young Burmy, swung around on the branch he was on, his antenna still holding him on the branch despite the altered position due to it's unique, coiled appearance. Russel rifled through his bag with his tiny feet until he found his loose parchment paper.

Flicking through his journal again, he came to a page about Grassveil Town and it's surrounding areas. Skillfully, he began to sketch a map from where they were now in Fallen Leaf Copse, to Shadowhue Forest, using Grassveil Town as a good landmark as most individuals knew at least where the town was. He was so focussed in his task that he forgot to answer Miss T's question until he was done.

Titling the map 'Path to Shadowhue', he turned back to the misdreavus, pen still poised on the paper as if he wanted to write something more but didn't have all of the information he needed.
"Oh, i'm Russell," he grinned, "Pleased to meet you. What's your name?"

Miss T: {13}

As the bug type literally swung into action, the Misdreavus waited quietly and patiently, although still very curious about what he might be doing. As he began sketching something, the ghost observed the pen's movement across the paper from where she was to determine what was being drawn. She had done this before, and it took practice to achieve it, but it was far less invasive than going back over his shoulder. He seemed to have been making some sort of oblong structure, with small details inside, but then the distinct movement of the pen that only occurs while writing caught Miss T's eye. By observing the angle and alteration of the angle of a pen, one could decipher what someone was writing without looking at their paper. Although this was very difficult, an easy to tell S at the beginning of the word, a d right after, a w in the middle with an e at the end made it easier to distinguish the rest of the letters, almost like they had been blank spaces in a game of hangman: "Shadowhue". The Burmy must be drawing a map, and since his actions were triggered by Miss T's answer, it must have to do with her never being to Shadowhue before. The Misdreavus grinned, enjoying how smart she was with her detective skills. 

Not thinking anything more of the map, assuming he would just show it to her and send her off, which really wasn't a problem since she had photographic memory (or so she convinced herself), Miss T simply relaxed and waited patiently, hearing him introduce himself after she asked. She would have introduced herself whether Russel asked or not: "I go by Miss T, and the pleasure is mine," she responded in her misty voice, far friendlier than she had ever managed to be.