First Feather - [Video/Action for New Bark Town]

[charcoalfeather]

[Seems like it's a busy day for the network, and it wasn't about to stop just yet! The feed of the Pokegear's video setting flickers to life, showing a young face fixating on it with her wide, brown eyes. It's likely immediately obvious that this person is new to the world, as the snowy setting of New Bark town sits in the background visible behind her. ]

... O-okay, then that must mean...

[Rakka looks away for a moment, and the sounds of paper being flipped reaches the Pokegear. Looks like Rakka's found a bench to sit on while she slowly, carefully makes her way through her Trainer's Handbook. Flip, flip, oh.]

... So that means it has to be on now. [She says quietly, affirmingly. To herself. Okay, you can do this, Rakka. Just breath in...

Give her a second, she's nervous.]

H-hello? Can anyone hear me? [Dumb question, she's trying.] If anyone can hear this... I think I really need some help.

[Her voice trails away a bit, confused and worried.] My name is Rakka, and I'm a Haibane from Old Home, in the town of Glie? I... I was there a moment ago, and now I'm here in... Joh-to? A woman calling herself "Mom" pushed me out of a house, and wouldn't let me back in. A-and now I have this little ball that had a bird inside it!

[Everything blurs together as Rakka moves the screen until it focuses on... a disinterested Doduo, plodding around in the snow, both of its heads trying to snatch snowflakes out of the air.]

... I think she's a bird. [The view returns to Rakka. Her tone has equal parts wonder and anxiety.] But she's also a 'Pokemon' and it's so much bigger then the birds I've seen, and it walks around instead of just flying, and it has two heads...! And now... I'm all alone here.

[She's trying not to panic, oh she is. But it's plain-as-day that she's feeling the stress as she speaks up:]

If anyone can tell me the way to leave this place, or if you know Kana, Hikari, or Nemu... please tell me. I'd really appreciate it! [A slight nod and an added:] Thank you!

[... She doesn't know how to turn this off. Uh. Hang on. She'll get it eventually...]

Around New Bark Town.
[Rakka was positive she'd never been here before... yet, there were a number of similarities that she couldn't just ignore; they were literally standing all around her.

Windwills, turning ever so slightly in the breeze. There's one situated almost in the middle of town, and Rakka's almost instinctively drawn towards it. It's big, noticeable, and it's something she recognizes. Which is comforting because a LOT of things seem to be happening today, and they don't seem to be stopping. She reaches out to touch it, big mistake. Cold! Cold. But real all the same.

So that's where she decides to be right now, standing at the base of one of the windmills, rubbing her hands together and giving a jolting sneeze while she watches those giant blades turn.

It's boring, but something to focus on.]

Comments

[Action]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Why the heck are the windmills turning in the winter? Wouldn't that make them more cold? ...Ashley actually doesn't know, she's never researched something like that for a book or outline or whatnot. Regardless, it looks like a good place to wait for York's Talonflame, who is coming to help her along to the next town. Litwick (she needs to think of a name for this little thing, because it feels weird, like calling a cat "cat" or something) has, as it turns out, grown weary with the cold, so Ashley instead is- well, she's warm, so long as she's careful with the flame, and she's not really inclined to shove her in those Pokéballs she's read about...

So here we are, a girl who needs a heckton of sleep carrying a sentient candle approaching dear Rakka. She hadn't quite realized anyone was standing by this one until reaching her, but uh, well, here we are?]

Are... Uh, are you...new here too?

[charcoalfeather]

[Why do they have to use windmills anyways? Rakka wasn't even sure why she had windmills back home, and yet there were herds of them there... 'herds'. There has got to be a better word for it then that, maybe if she thought about it real hard....]

Huh...? [She looks back and- Oh. She's a bit surprised there's anyone out here, let alone the living candle in Ashley's arms. It looks alive at least.]

Uh... [Make words. She nods.] Yes, I am; I woke up here a little while ago, and someone named 'Mom' pushed me out of that house over there.

[She stops rubbing her hands to point towards the dark house Ashley will probably know about.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[She most definitely is alive! A little Litwick wave. Hi, Rakka, you come here often?]

Mmm, yeah, uh. Same here. Just earlier today, weird woman calling herself my mom and all.

[charcoalfeather]

Oh. [She says, brow knitting together.] Someone calling themselves a parent and doing that feels so strange.

[Also... a little Rakka wave. Hi, Litwick, you're a living candle. That's a thing that is happening in this world.]

Um, your candle just waved at me.

[SHE'S SORRY, THAT MIGHT BE A DUMB STATEMENT.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Litwick!! [The candle protests, she's a Litwick, not what they're calling her!]

That she did, she... [Oh, this little gal needs a name. Ashley frowns down at her and just.] She's a Litwick, apparently, and her name's...Agatha.

[Oh? A name? ...She approves.]

And, mine's Ashley. New involuntary resident of magic monster world.

[charcoalfeather]

Whoa, it can talk! [Hoping backwards a little, startled by that might be a completely common occurrence here. But what if the windmill is alive?? are they just doomed?]

A-Ashley, and Agatha. [Not names she's familiar with. At least she can try to give her a smile.] My name's Rakka, I'm a Haibane from Glie.

... And I think I'm stuck in this world too.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Litwi- Agatha appears a little affronted. Yes, she is alive, wanna make something of it? Wanna go? Wanna-

stay right here in her trainer's arms because she doesn't like walking on snow.]

A...what, from where? I don't recognize either of those words.

[charcoalfeather]

[There would be no fights starting. Rakka would literally fight a candle and lose.]

Oh... I'm sorry. [maybe she was hoping someone would recognize that.]

Glie is the town I'm from. And, a Haibane is... W-well, it's hard to explain, but we usually have wings.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

What? Wings... You mean you...aren't human?

[This is a lot less worried than when talking to Undyne but it feels like less of a "monster thing."]

[charcoalfeather]

Uh... Yes? [Says the 4'11" girl that looks absolutely human. Please hear her out, Ashley.]

A Haibane is supposed to have wings-oh, and a glowing ring that floats above my head, too. [points to... air.] And when I woke up here they were gone!

[It was a startlingly morning for Rakka, when she found out she was Human.]

1/3

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Wings and a...

[...]

2/3

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[...wait]

3/3

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[holy kickflipping crucified christ are we really going here]

A halo?!? Oh my GOD you're an angel?!

[charcoalfeather]

[One constant fact stands firm, in this universe and others: Rakka will never be prepared for Ashley Williams flipping out.]

I-I, uh... wh-what's an angel?

[Asked completely straight despite being surprised and also very confused.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[It's the little things in the multi-verse like this that keep you on your toes, right?]

What's a- it's- a thing, a heavenly, holy-thing with wings and a halo, like- celestial messengers of God or something like that! That's exactly what a- ...what'd you call yourself? Haibane! That's what it sounds like!

[charcoalfeather]

[Rakka's on her toes most of the time anyways, everyone's so tall!!]

"Celestial messengers... of God"? "Heaven"? I... [Rakka... is intrigued, but she's also freaking out just a little bit.]

I'm really sorry... but, I've never heard of anything like that before. I mean, except for "God" I think...

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Well Ashley's face just melts into confusion.]

You...huh? That's so weird, and baffling and- oh gosh, I probably just really confused you then, didn't I?

[charcoalfeather]

[Cool, now they have matching expressions.]

Umm... [nodnod??]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Sorry. Just- forget about it, I...must've been mistaken, you know?

[Nothing is as she thought it was..... This sure is frustrating.]

[charcoalfeather]

I-I'm sorry too. [for what] Everyone back home knows about the Haibane. I guess I wasn't thinking about it too much.

[Not that it made things any better sometimes.... Bluh, this is indeed frustrating. She shakes her head.]

But, that thing about angels you were talking about... it sounds really neat, Ashley!

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Oh god honey don't apologize you'll break her heart looking like that]

It's fine, fine. Don't worry about it, I assumed too much.

[now that that's done...]

I mean, well, angels are like...religious symbols. They're supposed to be servants of Heaven? Full confession, I'm not the best person to explain this, since I'm not really into religion. But everyone knows what angels look like, because the imagery is everywhere, in books and movies and stories of all kinds.

[charcoalfeather]

[She can't help it, it's kind of a compulsion.]

Well... I think you're better at explaining it then I am. [yup, that's a joke. She laughs softly at herself.]

Oh, well, I've never heard that before. But, I guess what I used to look like was like an angel. I really did have wings and everything.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Wooow. So...you look like an angel without any of the religious ties or baggage? That...is really kind of cool?

[Sure, let's just accept this. Like, if monsters like wendigos and video game worlds and stuff like that are real then why not angels who aren't traditional angels?

She's very adaptable.]

[charcoalfeather]

I guess...? If that's what it seems like, then, yes! I guess I'm kind of like an angel. But I never really did anything really "angel-like" like you talked about back then, I was just kind of a normal girl.

[It's a circle of confusion, Ashley. Suddenly, a rather stiff breeze blows through. Rakka's already wearing her winter attire, but it gets a good shiver out of her.

Right. It's cold out here.]

A-and I guess... I really am normal now.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Ashley, who is not wearing winter attire, shivers a bit more. Agatha responds by heating her flame up just...a little. Thanks, candle.]

Why is that? It's so weird, there was that- um, fish-lady [little tiny internal screaming] but there's also you and- you just had wings and a halo? You already would've looked human enough, what's the point of... If the intention is to normalize everyone so they appear human, that is, but I don't know what else it could be. Why- why are people healed up, or cleaned up, or changed...

[You've reached questions hour.]