Marsh Madness

First topic message reminder :

[Energy: 19 - 15 = 4]

"I guess I should explore somewhere... a bit out of my comfort zone..."

Tempo walked towards the marsh, thinking if he was going to explore more dangerous areas, he would need to train up, first. Maybe this would be an OK first place to explore...

Doesn't mean it's not freaky to him. It is a marsh, and he's heard of many poison types living here. He hoped that if he were attacked by one of them, he wouldn't be too sick from the poison... On the other hand, he's heard of the sights being beautiful at night, thanks to the Volbeat and Illumise. Maybe he should stay around until that...

Eventually, though, he reached the flooded part of the flatlands. "This must be the place, I guess." He said to himself. One part of him was screaming to turn back, but another was curious about this place... He decided to wade into the water a bit, before heading out for something more dangerous...

He listened to the Piplup's favorite things to do. He likes reading, huh? Maybe he should read some of the books he read... And he read something about trepanning as well, healing head diseases or something... Clovis also loved to travel, and says he comes from Grassveil. "Isn't that quite far, though?" Tempo asked. Clovis continued. He said the guild might be something that interests him, sending him on 'missions' like relaxing on beaches or heading to a massage parlor. Tempo laughed at the joke. "I'm assuming the guild there isn't very good..." Tempo joked, as well, though he didn't really know what the guild does.

After Clovis finished, Tempo noticed the Volbeat and Illumise surround the marsh water. They began their lights show, practically mesmerizing Tempo. "Wow... Amazing..." He said in a trance. Despite nearly drowning... again... it was worth it to come here to see this.

[Energy: 1 + 1 (page regeneration) = 2]

Clovis murmured a soft "Something like that." in response to either Tempo's comments on how far away Grassveil was, or his comments on the Grassveil Guild. The response was vague enough to work for either, really. But Clovis wasn't particularly interested in talking about Grassveil any further, so he didn't. His entire reason for venturing into the smelly marsh to begin with was dancing around in the skies above him, with dozens upon dozens of flying bug-types displaying soft yellow lights, like a second layer of stars. The numerous lights, while weak on their own, were altogether bright enough that Clovis could see clearly the area around him as though it were daytime.They, the bug-types, flew around with their wings buzzing in harmony, adding an audible element which, while lacking in cadence or beat, was unified enough to almost imitate a chorus, if said chorus was particularly monotonous. Clovis couldn't help but wonder if the addition of music to the performance would make it seem more like a dance. Given the absence of any musicians in the area, he simply whistled a dancing tune in time with the movement of the lights.

Tempo was basically lost in the dances... He's been a fan of music for as long as he can remember, which makes him enjoy the scenery more, though it didn't seem to be coordinated like an actual dance... Clovis, who was floating right next to him, began whistling a tune, all of a sudden, and Tempo decided to join in, as well. He tried his best to make it match up with both the dance and Clovis.

Eventually, though, he started feeling tired... It's getting late, so he decided to take a little nap afloat the water, again. It's not like he's going to be dragged under, right? ...right? The buzzing of the bug types was actually very relaxing, too... It didn't help him stay awake, either, but it was soothing to the sea otter... While there wasn't much exploration, it seemed to have been a good day...

Even without looking at the illumise or volbeat directly, the way the light contrasted with the dark marsh water provided what Clovis considered to be a very pleasing aesthetic. He definitely felt that it was worth going out of his way to get there. Such a marvelous sight. He thought. And to think that this is a nightly thing? The locals must never be bored. One particular area which seemed exceptionally lovely to look over was the part of the marsh further deep within, which was positively swirling with a mysterious, if slightly enticing mist. Supposedly, the misty parts of the marsh led to a rather dangerous mire. The warnings attracted Clovis' curiosity; but it was far too late to go adventuring quite so deep.

The piplup looked over to his companion, who appeared to be taking a little nap on the surface of the water. Who could blame him? The atmosphere was rather relaxing. Clovis was feeling rather relaxed too, and relieved of inhibitions. He decided that a short swim in that general direction couldn't hurt him. So, he made his way deeper, towards the mist. He wasn't  swimming very quickly, rather he swam slowly, gently, and calmly. He didn't intend to reach Misty Mire proper, he just wanted to get a view of the entrance, that was all. Mist became thicker the further he went, and likely would have kept getting thicker, if not for the fact that the piplup stopped when he could no longer see clearly the bug-type light show. No point in sticking around if the mist is this thick, I suppose. Arceus only knows what lurks this deep. With his curiosity at least temporarily satisfied, Clovis began swam back to where he had left the oshawott with an unhurried backstroke.

vonSteakhand carried out 2 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

,

After a while, Tempo wakes up. It wasn't a long nap. Maybe a minute or two, but it was still relaxing. He sees Clovis look deeper into the marsh... Peeking a bit into the misty area of the marsh, actually... It triggered the adventerous side in the Oshawott, but he decided to wait until he got a bit stronger to explore the area. Clovis seemed to be swimming back, after looking into the mist. He must've not been able to see anything...

Then Tempo remembered the entire reason why he is here. He wanted to try and get stronger to be able to explore other places! He wanted to explore the world, after all, and how can you if you're too weak to be able to fight, say, a Bidoof or a Rattata? He begins swimming around the marsh, once again. He doesn't dive under, because it went so well the last time...

DJOshawott carried out 2 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

,

Clovis saw Tempo swimming around in the distance, doing whatever it was that oshawott liked to do in water. Nothing unusual there. He scanned the marsh with his eyes, perhaps there was a certain angle he could look at to make the lights seem even prettier? While he didn't find a better viewing perspective, he did see a frogadier making its way up a tree. While this behavior was, perhaps, suspicious, Clovis felt he had little reason to be concerned. If I can see the stealthy njnja frog, then it must not be very good at being a ninja, now is it? His attention went elsewhere. On the land, a pretty little red mushroom grew, standing out from its surroundings by virtue of its bright color's opposition to the dark water and drab plant life. Mushrooms like this, if he had been told correctly, had something of a small cult following among fungus aficionados. Or maybe they were just good with rice. The piplup had space in his bag, so he plucked it and took it with him. Then he went off to show Tempo.

While swimming around, Tempo encounters two Poliwhirl who offer to help him train up a bit. Tempo, needing the training, agrees, and decides to fight for a bit. However, the fights took a lot out of him... "Whew... Thanks... for the help..." He says to the two Poliwhirl as they swam off.

He noticed Clovis picking up something off of the land. Was it... a mushroom or something? It's not something Tempo's ever heard of, that's for sure. Maybe they had some use... somewhere. Clovis seemed to be swimming back to him, so now seemed to be a good time to ask what the mushroom was for... if he wasn't exhausted from the sparring he did, earlier...

Clovis could have sworn that he had seen Tempo talking to some poliwhirl earlier, but he never bothered studying them, or really reacting much to them. Clovis had never met a poliwhirl that he liked. Their beady eyes were unnerving, and looking at their belly patterns made him dizzy. One could even say that he had made a conscious effort not to look at them.

He approached Tempo in the water, and held the mushroom in his flipper. The oshawott seemed a bit less energetic than he had earlier, for some reason. Was he getting tired of swimming? He showed his mushroom to the oshawott anyway, paying little mind to just how fatigued he may have looked. "Tempo! Do you know what this is?" The piplup's question was purposely intoned in such a way that it sounded vaguely rhetorical, but he expected an unironic answer nonetheless.

Tempo saw that Clovis was next to him, holding up the mushroom from earlier. Clovis then asked a rhetorical question, and Tempo saw it as a good time to give a... response... "Oh, lemme guess, is it a Joy Seed? No, wait, I think it's one of those grimy pieces of food, like this one!" He pulls out the Grimy Food he grabbed earlier. "So, no! I don't think I know what this is!" He finished his sarcastic response. "On a serious note, though, what do you use those things for? I highly doubt they're edible, but I do remember people going crazy about these things... Maybe they're actually delicious or something? Mind if I take a tiny piece off of it?" He said, curious.

[For tracking the two Poliwhirl from earlier: 2 + 2 (Natural Regen) - 4 = 0 energy]

No, this was not a joy seed! Although grimy food wasn't a wholly inaccurate label to give this mushroom. "You wanna talk about joy seeds, do you? Take a look at this!" He pointed out the joy ribbon around his neck area with his free flipper, keeping himself afloat with only his legs for a second or two. "This is a genuine, bonafide, joy ribbon! I dove to the bottom of the Coral Forests and met an oshawott just like you when I got it! Except she had a much sharper tongue than you. Prettier, too. What I'm saying here is, uhh..." Clovis had no idea what he was saying. His drowsiness rather inhibited his normal thought process. "Anyway, the point is that you cannot eat this mushroom! It will make you go blind! I think. I have no idea what this thing is. What about that, erm, dubious looking meal you brought with you? Aren't you going to eat that?" He referenced the oshawott's grimy food. Its smell made Clovis grimace.

What, Clovis didn't get his sarcasm? He seemed to be taking it rather personally. He listened to his yelling, anyway. He found the Joy Ribbon on his neck at the bottom of the Coral Forests, huh? Maybe he should visit them, sometime... Ah, who was he kidding!? Of COURSE he's gonna visit them! The ocean's practically the place he adventures in! And Clovis also met another Oshawott? Prettier? Was he making fun of him?

All of a sudden, he went back to the mushroom in his hand. Like Tempo thought, it was inedible. If he ate it, he probably would've had a worse fate than drowning in the marsh... He's glad he didn't. Clovis pointed out the Grimy Food in Tempo's hand, asking if he was going to eat it. "What!? N... No! The day that I eat this food is the day that I die!" He put it back in his bag. Now that he noticed it, the two did seem rather tired... "It must've been a long day, huh?"

"Wait, wait. You mean to tell me that you took that nasty food with you, but you won't eat it?" Discounting that, the oshawott had a point. It was late, Clovis was tired, there wasn't much reason to stick around, and he certainly didn't intend to sleep in the marsh. "You're right though, I'm just about ready to hop right into bed myself. I'm not sure if you're finished with, ah, whatever it is you came here to do, but I think it's time for me to head back to the inn."

Clovis had had his fun in the marsh. Nothing was left for him to see, although the misty depths did beg further exploration. He'd have to venture down there when he wasn't so tired. "Are you going back to sleep in your, eh, cave? He didn't think he'd ever get over the fact that Tempo actually, well, and truthfully slept in a cave.

"Hey, might as well keep it for a quick boost of energy, right? These adventures can be tiring..." Tempo replies. Clovis seems to agree with him about it being late, at least... He seems to be curious about the heavily misty area. "I guess that can be an exploration for another day..." Tempo thought to himself. Clovis asked if Tempo was going to sleep in his home, though he still seems to be making fun of the fact that Tempo lived in a cave. "Yes, but what's wrong with my home? I like it, so it works out!"

Tempo was rather determined to defend his primitive homestead. "I just hope you've at least got some candles in there." Inversely, Clovis was not at all determined to press the issue further. The only thing he was really in the mood for was sleeping. Or perhaps eating boiled shellder with some lovely berry juice, while sitting in front of a fire. His dinner had been a bit small...

Goodbye to you then, marsh. Maybe I'll return someday. Or maybe not. I get the feeling that the light show is only really interesting the first couple times. All around and above, even some volbeat and illumise seemed to be returning to wherever it was that they came from. Clovis turned in the direction from which he had came, and gestured for the oshawott to come with him.

"Well... I don't really have any lighting in the place... At least it's comfy to sleep in..." He said to Clovis. It still seemednto freak the Piplup out that he lives in a cave... Though, to be fair, Oshawott normally don't choose to live in a cave... Nor do many non-ferals, really... Clovis didn't seem to want to continue the conversation about Tempo's home. It's understandable. Tempo was kinda getting annoyed bing berated by this Piplup...

Clovis appeared to start leaving, gesturing Tempo to follow him. Tempo noticed the light show was over, and he was exhausted already... Might as well head home and crash... When he leftthe water, he felt absolutely disgusting... "I'm going for anquick swim in the ocean before heading to bed... Will be a lot more comfortable..."