2023-12-28: Welcome to Energy Nede

• Log: Welcome to Energy Nede
• Cast: Hannah Curie, Ida Everstead-Rey, Anne Aomori
• Where: Viridian City - Emerald Way
• Date: December 28, 2023
• Summary: Ida and Hannah try to cope with the stresses the day has brought, when they are approched by Anne. She offers information and, most importantly, some hospitality.

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=======================<* Viridian City - Emerald Way *>========================

Viridian City is a city of many importances; it is the major commerce and logistics hub within the Emerald Cape province, providing primary access to the western reaches of the Kanto region. It's of no surprise, then, that it sports an expansive and well-developed commercial district, with Market Way providing a wide variety of shops and goods for all walks of life. Lush and adorned with nature, Viridian's residents enjoy a spacious and relaxed environment, with most living in medium-density apartment blocks three to four stories high. The market is most recently memorably featured in the hit single by sensational Nedean-pop band 2BA, "I'm on the Road to Viridian City."

BGM: Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee & Pikachu! - Pewter City - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGrGjO5F6ZM

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

It has been... a very long and very strange day. A trip to space turned into an existential crisis and then a second trip to space, all the way to this Energy Nede the Ten Wise Men seem to want to reach. They landed in the middle of a pleasant but not-quite-natural forest, though the assembled Filgaian and Lunarian drifters have managed to regroup in various configurations and make their way to a place called Palette Town, hoping...

... well Hannah's not sure yet. Maybe to get some help from the locals, perhaps.

As if all of that wasn't an issue... it's been a very bad day for Hannah's magic. The New Star, the artificial space station Marduk, had a very limited Ley supply, even with the Elw having installed Ley channels into it. This left plenty of room for her anomalous magic to get in, which had a pronounced effect on her spellcasting.

And when Innominant's Domain came out in full force, and suppressed all of her emotions, her magic...

Hannah shivered. She still didn't like thinking about it.

But she hadn't tried casting anything on Nede, yet. She wasn't as tapped into spiritual forces as some of her friends, but she could still tell that something felt off about how the Ley flowed here, and so she had avoided doing anything magical.

But there was no telling just how long they would be stuck here, and with the Ten Wise Men potentially about, well... she'd have to figure it out sooner or later.

This time, at least, she'd learn from her first spellcasting attempt on Marduk and start small.

She's found herself a place well, well out of the way of normal foot traffic, and away from anything combustible (or that she thought might be combustible. Some of the materials here were foreign to her, but trees, grass, and bushes were at least easily identifiable.)

She's sitting, with her back to a rock, cross-legged. Her satchel is some distance away, and ehs' dressed in her denim jacket and jeans. In her lap is a crest graph, an odd strip of paper that seems to be marked with two large symbols and plenty of channels of some kind surrounding them. Nearby, Zephyr is keeping a careful watch from a tree.

She'd asked Ida here to help keep an eye out for her. Zephyr was great, but was limited in what he could do. "Okay, Ida, here goes." Hannah takes a deep breath to steady herself, and oh so carefully... channels just a little bit of Ley into the crest graph.

It immediately explodes in a small burst of flame in Hannah's hand, like a candle that suddenly hit a gas pocket. The sorceress winces as she drops it into her lap, where it immediately snuffs itself out.

"Well, shoot," she mutters, as she looks at it laying in her lap. "Gonna... have to practice some, looks like."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    This is not the first time Ida's found herself marooned on an alien world, but Energy Nede presents some unique challenges. First off, blending in with the locals. Ida tied a clean bandana around her head to help camouflage her ears, but it's a sloppy fix at best. She does not look remotely like the locals in overall manner of dress--she's wearing her reinforced 'leather' duster and the jumpsuit component of her armor, and she's carrying the detachable plating in her backpack. (The backpack feels heavier, too, but Ida's chalking that up to exhaustion.)

    The heiress sits cross-legged atop another nearby rock, her pack sitting in front of her, along with her molly rigging. Her hands rest on her thighs. She looks at the ground just in front of her, eyes hooded. Deep, steady breaths. Focus.

    The explosion startles her. Ida's eyes snap fully open, and she looks Hannah over to make sure she's okay. "...At least you're all right," Ida says. "Hopefully you won't have any reason to use it before then."

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

By now, Anne Aomori has noticed a number of Visitors from elsewhere--both from reports from people she has keeping an eye on things, from information she gets from Team Rocket, and with her own eyes. She met one at her laboratory earlier. But now that her work is done, she's decided to take a walk...

And as it happens, it's a very productive walk.

Because....

Zephyr may actually miss Anne, so stealthy is her approach, though she doesn't even appear to be sneaking when she appears. She's just there, all of a sudden, in entirely normal clothes, completely friendly-looking.

"Now that's sure not Symbology," the Nedian woman comments. She regards Ida's unusual attire and Hannah's both. For her part, she's in what is normal for Nedian clothes, a red top and dark jeans with boots, and a few Pokeballs at her belt. No trainer has yet requested a battle with her. That's fine.

"Having trouble with the local energy flows?" the woman offers, and then refers to herself. "My name is Anne. And you, my new alien friends, are...?"

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

"S-sorry if I startled you, Ida..." Hannah sighs. "... can't say I wasn't expectin' something like this to happen, though." She's fine. Her magic doesn't seem to hurt her, after all...

Ida has seen a far more worrying demonstration of that fact, before.

"Yeah, hopefully. It's why I decided to practice first, though, knowin' what happened last time."

Hannah hasn't made any attempts to voer her ears. She's got a bandanna, but... it's pretty obvious regardless, so mostly she's decided to try and keep out of the way.

The sorceress is used to having a second pair of eyes and ears feeding her information, as a gentle chirping sound in the back of her mind. Zephyr's eyesight is pretty good, being a bird of prey and all, and Hannah isn't used to being surprised very often.

She was just about to mak another attempt at her spell when Anne's sudden appearance makes her jump, and her head snaps up to take in the woman who so easily snuck up on them. It's Zephyr's turn to squak in surprise as he has to get the information from Hannah for once. There is a fluttering of wings as Zephyr moves to reposition himself, to make sure Anne can't do anything untowards.

The sorceress eyes Anne warily as she identifies her magic right off, and hastily slips the crest graph away. There is a worried glance back to Ida. They'd heard about the UP3, of course, but... did it apply here? The proverbial cat was already out of the bag, wasn't it? Slowly she nods. "It ain't." Symbology, that is. Difficulty with the local energy flows? "... Somethin' like that."

Hannah scrambles to her feet to be a bit more ready to respond to potential dangers. "Hannah." No comment on being an alien. But then, as a force of Habit, she inclines her head back towards the red-tailed hawk (which is definitely not any Pokemon Anne is familiar with, with her research background) and says "An' that's Zephyr."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "It's all right," Ida says, raising a hand and lowering it. "This has been... a very stressful day." Or more than a day? Time is starting to blur together. It's going to be night soon, probably, and they need a place to sleep. Does anyone have camping supplies? Would Ida be able to find them?

    The heiress' eyes hood again. "It'll be all right," she murmurs. As she drifts off into focus, something in her backpack shifts of its own accord, but...

    There's suddenly a person, there. Ida stays very still for a moment, takes a deep breath, and puts on her best fake smile, and--

    And any hope of concocting a ruse is gone in an instant. Ida deflates, visibly, her shoulders sagging. "Ida," she says.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Anne's initial reaction is fairly inscrutable; she seems pleasant and friendly enough, but doesn't exactly give much away. Instead, she listens to Hannah's explanation, and introduction, and then Ida's.

"...You've had a rough time of it, haven't you?" she asks. "I shouldn't be surprised, if you got here because of the Ten Wise Men."

She doesn't step closer; instead, she spreads her arms. "Forgive my enthusiasm. We don't get..."

Pause. "Well, we don't get any visitors, actually. Ever. Until now."

"I'm a researcher. I have a lab and a home in the city nearby." Then she nods. "Hannah, Ida... and Zephyr. It's good to meet you."

"You can relax. We're a peaceful society; we have no desire to harm you. Quite the opposite. So let me say it properly..."

"Welcome to Energy Nede."

She regards Zephyr curiously. "I hope your friend can hunt the local wildlife well enough. It's different from what you might expect from another world."

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah is... wary, even if Anne doesn't make any agressive moves. She and Zephyr both are.

It is really not often someone gets the drop on them like this, and theyu're both on edge anyway...

She does glance back to Ida, who was behind her and Hannah definitely shouldn't have seen her reaction. Quietly, she says, "Sorry." But then back to Anne...

A slow, cautious nod at the mention of the Ten Wise Men. "... We ain't with 'em, mind. Kinda the opposite. Just so we're clear."

But there aren't ever any visitors, and then a formal welcome. Hannah nods. "Mighty gracious of you." A peaceful society... "We ain't lookin' to cause trouble neither, though, I gotta ask... How'd you sneak up on us?"

hannah rubs at the back of her neck. "I'm sure he can, but... we ain't exactly been in a rush to try the local cuisine, so to speak. Ain't exactly sure what's compatible or not."

Okay, /some/ of them have been sensible and not eating berries that they have no idea are poisonous or not or compatible with their digestive systems.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida nods. The both of them have been through the wringer, and it shows--she's not giving anything away by confirming it. "They came here," she says, "and dragged us here with them. It's been... a day, perhaps?" Her voice lowers. "It's all right," she murmurs, to Hannah. Everyone's on edge.

    "...Thank you," Ida says, because Anne offered them a formal greeting. Ida rises from her rock, folds an arm, and bows. "I'm a researcher, myself. A naturalist. And I have to say, the wildlife here is... unique, among anything I've ever encountered."

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Oh, I'm sure. I doubt the Ten Wise Men would ally with anyone outside their number."

Then, since Hannah asks, "I'm a Pokemon researcher--that is, a wildlife researcher. Sneaking up on potential dangers is part of the job." It's part of the truth. She has no reason to share the whole truth just yet. It still sounds pretty friendly.

"Is that so?" she says to Ida. "I can get you some books on the local wildlife, in that case. We call them Pokemon. They're quite easy to tame, thanks to a long time of development on that front. They can be dangerous, but usually aren't, especially if you stay out of the tall grasses."

Then to Hannah, "Wise. But we can determine that. In fact, I can check you over myself for that among other things, if you're injured."

"I know you have little reason to trust me, except for my demeanor, but..."

"You have a choice. You can walk away now, or you can stay and talk to me for a bit. I won't chase you."

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah nods in agreement when Ida mentions the Ten Wise Men dragged them along. "Think about a day... plus the amount of time we spent back home..." Did anybody bring a watch? Hannah sure didn't.

Since Ida mentioned her background. "... I'm a sorceress, though I do a fair bit of research, too. I might be interested in seein' them, too."

Hannah regards Anne as she explains exactly how she snuck up on them. She's used to dealing with wildlife... There is a brief glance to the side to look at Zephyr, and Zephyr looks directly back to Hannah before they both look to Anne again.

Zephyr is not exactly your typical 'wildlife'... but it's an explaination, and Hannah slowly nods. "Suppose that's a useful skill, given some of the things we've seen these critters do."

And then there's an offer of help. And this time, Hannah does pause to consider what she says. Getting assistance is good... but would this also be giving away more information than is immediately obvious? She looks to Ida. "... what do you think? We could use a helpin' hand or two, but... we might wanna be careful exactly what information we let slip."

A slightly chagrined smile to Anne. "Sorry, not sayin' we can't trust you, just... well, I'm sure you'd feel the same way lettin' somebody else know about all your Symbology secrets."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "They did seem to be incredibly sure in their superiority," Ida says, her tone dry. She grips her right hand with her left fist, and flexes her knuckles. "...Makes sense. I assume there's more to the wildlife here than the tame specimens in, what was it, Vermillion--no, Viridian Forest. Lots of kids there. Is it a public park? And what's with these?" Ida reaches down to her side, and unclips that strange red-and-white sphere, which took the place of an expended flare grenade. She holds it up so Anne can see it. "They were just... lying around, in pods, where anyone could take one."

    It seems that Ida's already made her choice.

    "I'd love to know more about them, but, ah, first... I would love a warm bed to sleep in, and a place to take a shower, and a hot meal. Do you know of anywhere we can change money, and anywhere we can stay?"

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"I imagine they were. Even we on Nede can't really deal with them anything resembling easily." But--"Right, Viridian Forest. It's not precisely a park, except insofar as most of our wilderness is similar to parks." She considers. "Those are called Poke Balls. They contain and comfortably encapsulate Pokemon, and help with taming them. They make it more convenient to carry and use Pokemon than having to have them out all the time as you walk."

"They're out because we expect children and other travelers to find them. They're free, for whoever needs them. We also place various other helpful items--restoratives and such."

A sorceress. "Interesting! I'm sure your approach is fascinating. There's enough books to share; my lab has a library."

As for what the creatures can do, "And the ones around here are fairly tame; there are much more... concerning, species out there."

"Hmmm, well," Anne says of Hannah's caution, "It's not unreasonable to be cautious, but actually I'd be happy to answer any questions you have on Symbology. You don't need to share the details of your sorceries with me; I'm more interested in what your world is like."

"If you'll accept my hospitality, you can get a shower and a guest bed at my house. There may be more of you all than would fit in the local hostel for travelers..."

"Money changing I'm less sure about--I'm not sure what you have that's valuable--but I won't charge you for dinner, anyway."

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

The Ten Wise men were sure of their superiority. "They were, but it didn't mean they knew everythin'..."

Hannah tries to exhibit some caution and, you know, actually consult with Ida this time on a course of action. And Ida just plunges right ahead into asking for a bath, a meal, and a place to stay. Well, okay then. Hannah sighs, but then slowly nods. "Suppose it would be good to find out if we can actually survive here until we figure out how to get back home. Ain't like my food supply is gonna last forever."

Except the squirrel jerky might last a while yet. Hardly anybody seems interested in taking her up on it, for some reason.

But the answers are handy, and Hannah retrieves her satchel, fishes out her notebook, and jots down a few notes on what Anne is saying. "You can afford to just... leave 'em out for free?" Nobody would really do such a thing on Filgaia or Lunar. Not for something that seems to have as complex of Symbologoy on it as the Pokeballs do.

A small wince as she admits to being a sorceress, but... Anne already saw her with the crest graph. But as for fascinating approaches... "I'm quite partial to it, but..." She looks down. "There might be better people to demonstrate it."

But she perks up when she hears 'library.'

"Really now?"

Zephyr chirps, from his perch, and Hannah sideglances in his direction. "I will, I will."

But she's more interested in their culture, regardless. "Well... it might be okay to share some of that..." Another glance to Ida, for confirmation.

"Well, I suppose if you're willin' to put us up, we'd be remiss in refusin' your hospitality..." As for currency excahnge... "Well, we use a lot of precious metals? But I ain't sure you all would find the same things precious..."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida casts a vaguely worried look Hannah's way. "If... you'd rather not, I understand," she says, under her breath. "Sorry. We can look into the hostel..." Embarrassment joins it as she turns to Anne. "I'd like to consider our options. I don't want to impose. Thank you for your hospitality, either way." Another bow.

    "Pii~," says Ida's backpack, soft and contemplative. A single compound eye peeks out from beneath the flap.

    "I..." Ida says, her face twisting. "I just brought bills." A pause. "It's less mass for the rocket flight, and I didn't think we were going to need it, and..." Ida closes her eyes, and breathes. The thought of pawning things for emergency cash is not a welcome one.

    "But yes!" Ida's eyes open. "You're a Pokemon researcher, Miss Anne. Do you have any... pets, I suppose, yourself?" Smooth topic change, Ida. So smooth.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

A sore point, it would seem, the Wise Men's arrogance. Well, fair enough.

Anne looks between the two as they seem to sort out the matter between them. "By all means, think about it for a few, but the offer extends until I say otherwise."

Thn--Hmm. A Caterpie...

But to Hannah, "Of course. We have plenty of resources, and we want to support travelers. It's common for our children to go on journeys about Nede, so it's in everyone's best interest to ensure that those journeys go smoothly. My daughter is on one now."

She notieces the wince. "Hmm. No pressure," Anne says of her sorcery. "But really. I'll show you the lab after you get a chance to shower and eat something, maybe in the morning?"

Precious metals, though... "Hm. We haven't used paper or coin currency in a very, very long time. I'm not opitmistic about an exchange rate. But I'll at least take care of you for today. We can figure out what else from there."

Rocket flight! "Oh, how nice. A rocket!"

But Ida's question, "My primary partner is of a species known as Typhlosion. He's about..." She extends her hand about a foot shorter than she is, "This tall, ermine shape, can spout fire from his back. He'd be interested to meet you, I'm sure--but best not here. We might scare the friend in your backpack a little much."

She considers. "I do have some others with me... But you can meet more back at the lab." Maybe many more if Jessie and James do their jobs right. But that's another issue.

"They're pets for some--partners for others. Pokemon are involved in both work and play. And some people, called Trainers, use them to battle one another, and grow closer in the process."

"So where are you from?" She gestures, as if to indicate that they should follow her, if they're up for it.

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah shakes her head to Ida. "N-no, it's fine. I'll follow your lead. Y'all have been stranded like this more often then I have, so..." This is Hannah's first time getting stranded because of a major narrative event. She's still trying to learn how this works on the fly.

"I mean, I kinda brought along mine out of force of habit..." Her coins, that is. 'Being stranded on an alien world' wasn't really on the itinerary.

She looks to Anne curiously. "Your children go travelin' in the wilderness...?" Hannah makes a note, and then looks at her paper contemplatively. "We got a lot of folk who travel around explorin' back home, but most of 'em ain't children..." She mutters to herself, "Then again, ain't exactly like we can avoid trouble by stayin' out of tall grasses, neither..."

Labs are, honestly, almost as good as libraries. (Depends on the lab and library in question, and on Hannah's mood that day.) "Well that'd be mighty fascinatin' too..."

Money might be difficult, but Anne seems willing to help them out tonight. "Sounds good to me, I suppose. Ida? I'm fine with it if you are."

It would be interesting to learn more about the creatures, but Hannah pauses when Ida's backpack is mentioned. She glances back. "Wait, did you catch one, Ida?" She looks to Anne again next. "Work and play? But..." She scratches the back of her neck a little. "... still feels off puttin' 'em in balls like that, even if it makes it safer... you sure they don't have a problem with it?"

And some people fight battles with them. Hannah has a very mixed reaction. "I mean, a... a Caterpie? Right, Caterpie I found on accident tried to protect us from a Weedle, but that just kinda happened..."

Hannah starts scribbling something down, then rips it out of her notebook and folds it up. "Zephyr, take this to Eleanor, an' then come find me, okay?"

From his perch Zephyr chirps.

Hannah sighs. "Yes, yes. We'll make sure it's safe."

A happier chirp, and then Zephyr swoops from his perch, snaps up the folded piece of paper in his beak, and then flies off.

Hannah resumes following Anne. "Well... our home planet's called Filgaia, but we got a moon, too, called Lunar...."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "If you're sure," Ida says, and she puts a hand to her temple. She's not sure what other options there are, though. The first time this happened, Ida was lucky enough to emerge within walking distance of a small town where she could internalize her Domain, and give gella to an innkeeper who didn't ask questions. Now, though...

    She has no money, and no documentation the authorities would recognize beyond 'some sort of club card?". Everything she's seen about this alien society suggests it's something like Guild Galad, except moreso, and she...

    'We might scare the friend in your backpack a little much.'

    'Wait, did you catch one, Ida?'

    "No," Ida says, blinking. "At least, I think I didn't." Definitely not a four-foot-tall ermine that shoots fire. Ida walks back to her backpack, pops it open, and...

    Out leaps a foot-tall caterpillar, round and chubby and green and gold. Ida catches it, wide-eyed, and freezes as it nuzzles against her chest. The weight of suddenly being responsible for another living thing's welfare crashes down on her. She stares down at the alien creature. It stares back at her.

    "...Cater...?" It cocks its head to the side. Ida thinks of how Lola would look at her--not exactly like that, but close.

    "Thank you," Ida says. The Caterpie chirps, and nuzzles into her arms.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"I did when I was her age," Anne says of traveling. "With Pokemon on your side, and in our wilderness, it's perfectly safe. And it teaches important lessons. My son went on one, too."

Labs and libraries! Anne is willing to share... Though maybe, down the line, there might be questions about why she was so willing to help for seemingly nothing. But her help will be as good as her word, at least for now.

"That's right," Anne says, of 'work and play'. "Some are very helpful in certain jobs." A shake of her head. "No, they don't mind. And those that do, rarely enough, aren't stuck there; they can break out of them most any time they feel like it. That's why you have to coax one before you catch it--get it used to the idea of being with you if it didn't want to be otherwise."

"Though I do let my own out at home, and at work."

"They'll fight each other. Sometimes for food, sometimes for dominance... Various reasons."

"I'm sure," she says then to Ida. "The house is a little lonely without the kids anyway. So some company is welcome. So long as you don't interfere with my work, I'm happy to have you around for a couple days if needed." Any longer than that and they'll have to renegotiate, of course--but would that be a surprise?

And there's the Caterpie. Anne smiles at it. "Caterpie's one of the friendlier ones. Careful, though--if you threaten it, it releases the most atrocious stink to defend itself. Otherwise... You've made a loyal friend."

Then she looks over Zephyr, thoughtfully. "Interesting." She doesn't inquire who 'Eleanor' is. But she does notice the way Hannah and Zephyr interact...

"Filgaia," she repeats. "And Lunar. So your moon supports life, and you can travel between the two..." Curiouser and curiouser.

"We don't do much traveling. Energy Nede has been closed off from the rest of the universe for... Oh, what?"

"Forty thousand years?"

She goes on, as if this were an entirely normal number.

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

'If you're sure.' "Ida, I'm sayin' I'll go with you if you wanna. Ain't that supposed to be my line?"

And there is, indeed, a Caterpie in Ida's backpack. Hannah looks on curiously. "Oh, huh. Wonder when that little guy got in there. Mine's really friendly, I bet yours is too."

"How old were y'all when--" Hannah pauses. She'd been about to ask when they went on their Pokemon journies, but... "Wait, I have no idea how we both measure time..."

But Anne has some very encouraging reassurances. "Oh, they can? So... they ain't stuck in there if they don't wanna be? That's... really good to know, honestly. It kind of seemed... creepy, otherwise." She winces a little, "No offense, but we ain't exactly got anythin' like this back home."

Food and dominance. "Well, that's the same as our wild animals, at least. Ours ain't exactly tameable though. Not as easily as chuckin' a ball at 'em, at least."

Says the girl who just asked her avian friend to deliver a message to a recipient by name.

Hannah watches Zephyr fly off, and then looks to Anne when she says 'Interesting.' "Hmm? What is?"

"It sure does... was a surprise to those of us on Filgaia though. An' we were a surprise to those on Lunar, too."

Hannah stumbles a little when 'forty thousand years' comes up. "Okay I don't know what the conversion between our years is but that's still gotta be a mighty long time."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "True," Ida says, with a little tilt of the head. "And... I don't know. I took my pack off to rest a while, they must've crawled in, and I didn't notice." Which in retrospect is kind of embarrassing, but it's been a long day, and Ida is learning to practice self-forgiveness. The Caterpie nuzzles her face, and chitters with what Ida can only assume is happiness.

    Ida is still digesting the idea of children going alone on cross-country journeys. This must be a very different world, if what Anne's saying is true. "So... what's inside the ball, then? I opened it earlier, and it was empty." Avile gave her account, but this'll be a way to confirm that... and maybe, other things.

    Another pause. "And we had some minor issues with another kind of... spider? Arachnid? About this tall--" Ida makes a C-shape with her hand, indicating 'not very big'-- "Yellow, fuzzy, two pairs of blue eyes, says 'Jolt-ik?'?"

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

So Hannah also has a Caterpie. Good to know. Anne looks between the two as they seem to settle on matters between themselves, but doesn't interfere. Instead, she reflects on what could've happened, and, "They're very sneaky," Anne offers for Ida's sake. "If you were tired, you could well have failed to notice."

But how old? "Fifteen of our years old," Anne answers the unfinished question. "About twenty years old is when we consider a Nedian an adult. Some go younger, some older."

But the ball? "They can, and sometimes do. There's balls developed that are harder to escape from, but even those can be broken." A shake of her head. "No offense taken. Most worlds haven't mastered their wildlife to the degree that we have."

Then, "It has an idealized environment tailored to the Pokemon, created by a combination of technological reading and Symbological energy."

A surprise, then... "Yes," she agrees with Hannah. "Quite a while."

Ida explains the Joltik, and thanks to her research background, Anne recognizes it. "Joltik. It's a small Pokemon that feeds on electricity. Too small to generate its own, it typically attaches to larger Pokemon or other energy sources in order to feed and survive. It's mostly harmless."

"As for years, I believe ours is based on the galactic standard year, which is..." Hmm. "Well, we can do some conversions. If I can check your DNA, I can determine how old you are by our standards, and we can go from there. It's a painless process."
📱 You paged Anne Aomori with 'Checking Hannah's DNA might yield some... interesting results, Haha.'
📱 You paged Anne Aomori with 'Then again on reflection it might not necessarily be anything ehs'f amiliar with.'

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Right after Ida took her pack off... "Oh, right, right after we cleared that boulder out of the way." Been a few boulders popping up in undesirable places recently, for some reason. "Well, it's been a really taxin' day, and he's been really quiet 'till now, so..."

Hannah is also not used to the idea of children taking journies. "15... an' an adult at 20... Hmm."

"You... mastered your wildlife, huh? How exactly you'd manage that? We got some domesticated species of animals, but I guess it's mostly only those we found useful in some way." She nods along at the mention of technology and Symbology. So it's like they thought.

"Galactic standard..." Hannah frowns. "Okay, I don't rightly know what that is compared to the calendar we use." And yet they have rockets and the means to get to Energy Nede, somehow. She looks to Anne with curiosity. "You can determine it by DNA?" She glances to Ida, thinking of all of the... extra things she's got going on.

"I dunno if Ida wants to check hers, an' I don't actually know exactly how old I am... I was found as a baby." She glances off to the side, coincidentally in the direction Zephyr flew off in. "There's a number of us, though... there's gotta be someone suitable to check with."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida strokes the Caterpie's head. Sadly, it has no fur or fluff, but it does trill again...

    And then it hops right back into her backpack, and looks up at her with big, woobly bug eyes. "All right, then," Ida says. "If you insist."

    "Piiii~!"

    A new, surprise companion is a lot more digestable than a civilization that's lasted for forty thousand years, that makes it what, eight times older than recorded Filgaian history? Ten times? How long did the Zeboim stay around?

    Rather than contemplate that--she's perilously low on spoons as it is--Ida looks down at the Pokeball on her belt, picks it up, and... gently taps it against the Caterpie's forehead. A faint red glow engulfs the Pokemon, and in the blink of an eye, it's gone. Ida cradles the ball in her hands, and returns it to her belt, like she's seen other people do.

    "I'd... prefer not, no," Ida says, inwardly reminding herself to thank Hannah for that. "But if you can help me learn more about my new little friend, I'd be thankful."

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

The Caterpie has been quiet, it seems--and it's very cute! Super cute. But Hannah's question is easy enough. "Genetic engineering, mostly. We sequenced all their genomes a long time ago." She talks as if that's just a thing that one does, normally. If she's surprised they know about DNA, she doesn't say anything about it.

"I'm not even sure it is the galactic standard anymore," Anne admits. "I doubt it. But sure, DNA's easy." A pause. "It's hardly the only method though, so don't worry about that." She was certainly curious to get a look at a new life form under the microscope--but that was a side benefit, not the main course.

"I'll get you some information on Caterpie and its evolutions," Anne says to Ida. "For now..."

They emerge from the path into the city, and Anne gestures. "This is Viridian City. My house is this way."

<Pose Tracker> Hannah Curie has posed.

Hannah smiles as Ida seems to have made a new Caterpie friend. Lucky she had the extra Pokeball around, then.

She is absoltely about ready to try adn contemplate the enormous span of Nede's history but is also trying to avert her train of thought away from that unfathomable idea.

Good thing, then, that Anne gives her another one. They tamed the wildlife... with genetic engineering. Hannah pauses, midstride, and has to process that. "You..." Her face contorts as she tries to process that. "... all of it. All of it? For such a long period of time..." She turns to stare at Ida. Hannah understands enough to understand just how enormous of an undertaking that would be.

She turns back to Anne. "So you could... you could modify it," she says quietly, still trying to process it.

"Yeah, we ain't exactly sure what the current galactic standard year is..." Ethius would know, probably, but he's not here right now. "Ida, you got a minute timer in your field kit? Might be the simplest way to do it, honestly."

Caterpie and its... "... evolutions? How do you mean?"

"Viridian City... mighty impressive city, I gotta say."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida picks up her backpack, which now feels a little emptier without Caterpie in it. She dons it, then secures the detached molly webbing overtop.

    "I see," she says. She knows what that is, thanks to exposure to Zeboim tech, and to investigating her own condition in Shevat!

    "I appreciate it. I... have pets back at home, and I've got to keep the same standard of care for this little one." She arches a brow at a bit of phrasing, though: "...Do you mean metamorphosis?"

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Yes," Anne answers, and decides to save some of the information for later; it already seems to be somewhat overwhelming. Which is not unfair, considering. Nede is... advanced, by any standard.

"We did," she says, modify it. "We still do."

A minute timer! "That's even simpler," Anne says of that. And then, of evolution, "We call it evolution, because of the nature of the transformation. But metamorphosis is just as good a word. Caterpie turns into Metapod, which turns into Butterfree. I'll show you the details; it's one of the better-known Pokemon out there. Lots of kids love Bug-type Pokemon."

An impressive city... Anne smiles.

"Glad you think so. It's not where I'm originally from, but it's got a certain charm, I think."

A pause. "When you get your money situation sorted, we can talk about care for your Caterpie. For now, do you see that building down there with the red roof?" she says. It only might be visible from here. "That's a Pokemon Center. If your Pokemon are hurt, they'll heal them up for you at no charge."

"But right this way. Make yourselves at home, all right?"