2024-03-11: Psynymph Sibling Social
- Log: Psynymph Sibling Social!
- Cast: Damian Tamaoka, Ida Everstead-Rey
- Where: Viridian City - Emerald Way
- Date: March 11, 2024
- Summary: Damian and Ida arrange a playdate so that two of the psynymphs they rescued together, Mypsy and Erasmus, can bond and catchup. Sal and Silci also share evolution stories, and Damian provides an impromptu concert.
=======================<* 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> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Pokemon Centers are really handy places to hang out! Pokemon health and wellness is certainly an important primary function, no doubt, but they also serve as hostels, cafes, community centers, and whatever else might be of use to a trainer undergoing their Journey.
They also make convenient places to meet someone, as it turns out. They're always open, they're prominent landmarks, and it's usually not too hard to find an out of the way corner to meet, chat, or, in today's case... have a pokemon playdate!
Ida and Damian were part of the same group exploring the Cavern of Crimson Crystals some time back, one that ultiomately found a small group of newly-hatched Psynymphs that were, thankfully, saved from disaster due to the actions of a strange rogue pokemon. One of them, the smallest of the litter, seemingly imprinted on Damian, and he jumped at the chance to raise her. Ida, it seemed, had taken on the challenge of raising another from the same group. This meant that both he and Ida were raising Psynymph siblings!
It'd be a good idea to let them socialize sometime, of course... although Damian couldn't help but admit that it meant that he'd get to socialize a bit too, with someone he thought was nice. (Even if he does worry about what might happen when she finds out about him being in Team Rocket, but... that's a worry to have for another time.)
Damian arrived first, claiming a little corner of the Pokemon center. He's got his hoodie off, and he's bundled it up to make a nice little nest for the mysterious pokemon egg that he's been looking after. Purri is curled up beside him, and he himself is sitting on the floor. He's holding a nest ball in his hands, conteemplating it as if judging Mypsy's mood.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
A bright, cheerful trilling sound echoes through the air, dopplering slightly as the Pokemon making it approaches Damian. Catastrophe Sal flits into the room on patterned white wings, waves a tiny hand to Damian in greeting, then gestures back at the door. "Butterfree!"
"Evoi!" Moments later, Marigold joins her; the Eevee bounds in, eyes glittering at the sight of the egg. She modulates her tone a bit, pads up to Purri, and offers a gentle nuzzle. "Evoi?"
Compared to these two (in one case literal) social butterflies, Ida and Aurora's entrance is downright subdued. The heiress-turned-Trainer follows her Pokemon in, Aurora padding at her heels like an obedient dog. "Damian," she says, smiling warmly. "It's good to see you."
"Evoi," adds Aurora, who leaps atop a nearby chair so as to better observe and supervise the procedings.
Ida unclips her own Nest Ball from her belt. "I have the fuzz-on-a-stick," she says, "but I honestly wasn't sure what else to bring. He seems to favor playmates over toys, and well..."
"Evoi!" says Marigold, with a nod.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Damian smiles a little when he sees Sal, lifting a hand to wave. "H-hey, Sal. Silci's g-gonna be happy to s-see you again." He reaches for his belt, and with a gentle toss out pops Silci the Silcoon.
Silci excitedly exclaims, "Sil! Silcoon!"
There's a little bit more of a smile for Marigold, who was so kind as to sub in for Purri when he was in a moment of need. "H-hey, M-Madame Marigold."
Purri is all too happy to take affection, and she lifts her muzzle up to return the nuzzle. "Purr, purrloin." They're not sure when, but Damian thinks the egg might hatch soon.
"H-hi, Miss Everstead-Rey, h-hi, M-Miss Aurora. I-it's nice to see you, too." Especially when there's very little chance of them being flattened by bolders in the pokemon center.
"W-well, th-that's fine... w-we wanted them to socialize s-some, right...?" Damian looks down at the pokeball and nods. "I-I think she's okay to come out..." With a gentle lob of his Nest ball, Mypsy appears in a flash of red light.
She's summoned right in front of Damian, and he quickly reaches out to gently place a hand on her back to placate her. "Y-you remember, M-Miss Everstead-Ray, r-right? She's taking care of y-your brother..."
Mypsy is initially tense, but then looks up to Ida with wide eyes. "Psy...?"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Sal's eyes sparkle. She does a loop-de-loop in delight, then lands next to Silci to better catch up with her. "Butterfree?" she asks.
Important Bug-Type business is happening. It's good to provide support to those undergoing metamorphosis!
"Tht was the goal, yes," Ida says, with a little smile. Rather than throw her Nest Ball, she kneels, and taps the button on the front. Erasmus materializes in a flash of red, big black eyes taking in his surroundings before focusing on--
"Psy...!" Erasmus toddles right up to his sister, recognizing her instantly.
"Hello, Mypsy," Ida says, offering a warm, gentle smile. She's calm and composed, a stabilizing presence for sensitive young Psychic-types.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Silci will happily chat and catch up with Sal. "Silcoon, silcoon!" She fought a Fuecoco right before she evolved. It was really scary, but she managed to land some really good attacks. (It was a friendly trainer battle though, so it wasn't that scary, but still.)
Meanwhile, Purri has something to show Marigold. She uncurls and stretches, showing off her claws, which have all been painted a sparkly light purple. "Purr~!"
Damian smiles as Erasmus comes out. "H-hey, Erasmus..." He doesn't really have the ability to project calm and confidence the way that Ida does, but he is still caught up in the wonder if seeing two Psynymphs live in front of him, which is maybe the next best thing.
"Psy!" exclaims Mypsy, and she actually leaves Damian's comforting presence to trot right up to her brother. She seems to recognize him, too. "Psy, psynymph..." She's seen so many new things since they left the cave!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Sal lets out a bright, trilling cheer, then high-fives Silci. (Tries to. It's a little awkward, and amounts to patting one of her silken spines, but the spirit is there.) Her first evolution happened in a real live battle against a real tough Skiddo, and a Muk! It was intense! But Sal gave them the what-for.
Marigold's eyes gleam in awe as she gazes upon Purri's manicure. "...Evoi..." she says. She poses to show off her golden scarf a bit, but mostly she seems happy for Purri.
"Psynymph," says Erasmus. He flops onto the carpet, cuddling up against Mypsy just like he used to do all the time. He's seen new things, too, but... everything is so big. Marigold and Aurora and Sal are taking good care of him--and so is Ida--but it's different, now.
Erasmus nuzzles his sister's neck. Why did that big monster wreck everything...? Everything was fine before.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Silci will accept spine-fives! She uses the little bit of maneuverability she has to do a little hop up into it. It's not much, but she's trying! And she's in awe of Sal's story. "Sil sil, silcoon...?" Sal fought a real battle? She never could've contemplated doing that before... "Sil?" What happened with her second evolution?
Purri smiles and gushes over the golden scarf. "Purrloin!" How fetching! It really goes well with Marigold's fur, she thinks.
Mypsy flops too, readily leaning against Erasmus for support. "Nymph, psynymph..." It is different... and scary, too... Damian takes really good care of her, and Purri does too, and it helps make her not as scared, but... she can tell Damian gets scared about a lot, too...
It makes it hard to be brave sometimes, but she also knows he really cares, which helps.
She nuzzles back. "Psy..." She misses their old home too. She hopes their other siblings are okay.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Butterfree," says Sal, with a somber nod. That was... an even bigger, scarier battle. One of the Wise Men was there, and ordering his Pokemon to... hurt people. Ida fought, and almost got really hurt--but Sal took that hit for her, and her will to see her Trainer safe helped her through. She's a bit more contemplative, insofar as a Butterfree can be contemplative. She gives Silci another pat, reassuring her that it doesn't have to be that dramatic.
Erasmus snuggles against his sister, and closes his eyes. "Psynymph..." Ida really cares about him, too, and so do her Pokemon. Snuggling with them helps him remember what things were like, back in the nest... before the monster. He was so scared.
Ida has watched the siblings interacting in silence, but now she intervenes. She gently rests a hand on Erasmus's back, and strokes his biometal scales, like a cat she was building trust with. "You're very brave, Erasmus," says Ida. "Not that long ago, he came out out of his ball on his own, you know? He wanted to see a good friend of mine."
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
"Sil..." Silci sounds a bit dismayed at the thought of the Ten Wise Men. She's heard Damian and Joy discuss it before, and it doesn't sound pleasant in the least. But she's in awe that Sal took that hit for her trainer, all the same. She wishes she could do that for Damian, who's really encouraging of her, but it still seems super scary.
Mypsy is relaxing a little bit more as she gets more time to snuggle up with her brother. After a moment, she asks a quiet, "Nymph...?" Does your trainer ever seem like she's hiding something or trying to keep something secret?
Damian has been sitting back, watching quietly in awe. He moves to gently pet Mypsy when Ida does the same for Erasmuth. The mention of a friend makes him look up to Ida curiously. "Whoa... really? M-Mypsy s-still gets nervous meeting new people... Nina's sister, Nami, r-rushed right up to her once a-and started trying to take pictures, and s--scared her..." He's quick to add, "Sssh, d-don't worry, she w-won't do that again."
"W-what's your friend like?"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Butterfree," says Sal. She gives Silci another pat, reassuring her. Sometimes you don't know you're willing to do something like that until you're already doing it.
Erasmus shakes his head. "Psy." Sometimes she takes out little bits of metal and does things to them, like making them really hot, but he's not allowed to touch or eat any. That's... not a secret, though.
"Oh, goodness," says Ida. "That's... not a way to treat a young anything, especially a shy Pokemon. I'm glad she won't." Ida glances down at the Psynymphs. "Her name is Riesenlied. She's one of the most gentle people I've ever met, and a powerful psychic. My guess is Erasmus could feel her presence, and it was enough like his parents' that he felt safe coming out on his own."
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Silci considers that... "Sil... silcoon..." That pokemon battle felt really scary, but... Damian cheered her on, and she got some really good hits in. She missed a string shot but then knocked Fuecoco into it!
Mypsy tilts her head. "Psynymph...?" Little bits of metal and making them hot... what purpose could that serve? But there's some things Damian doesn't let her listen to, that makes him nervous... but maybe something he's hiding from himself? It's very weird.
She whines a little at that memory, but Damian is quick to comfort her. "I-it's okay... M-me and Purri, and Pixi, a-and Silci a-are all looking out for you... s-so's Alice and Nami." He looks up to Ida. "Y-yeah... but Purri g-got in the way of the photo, at least!"
From where Purri nods firmly. "Purrloin!" The nerve of that girl, and then she had the audacity to chew Damian out for bringing a rare pokemon into a public space.
Damian listens with interest as Ida describes Riesenlied. "I-is she from Nede...?" He looks down to Mypsy, continuing to gently pet her. "I-I have a friend wh-who's a psychic, too... Sh-she's really brave." Unlike him.
Mypsy calms down quickly enough, and then has a chance to remember a good part of that memory. "Psy!" Damian does a thing with a piece of metal that makes a really nice sound, though. She starts humming a tune a little as she recalls the melody.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Psynymph," says Erasmus, with a little full-body shake. It's distinctly puppy-like, and while he doesn't really get what that stranger was doing, the thought of someone swooping down on him makes him uneasy. Ida strokes his crest, picking up on his body language.
"Nobody has the right to do that to you," she says. "And Purri was a good friend, looking out for you like that!" Damian asks more about Riesenlied. "No, she's from Filgaia, too. She runs a group that helps people affected by wars, and other disasters."
Erasmus--and Ida--turn curiously to Mypsy as she starts to hum.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
"Psy..." Mypsy didn't really get it either, but... Damian let her go back inside her ball, so she didn't have to worry about it for long, then.
Mypsy looks up to Ida with wide eyes as she considers her words. Purri, upon hearing her name mentioned, strolls over, rubbing cheeks with Mypsy in a really affectionate way, with a soft purr. "Purr, purrloin." She's got Mypsy's back! She's an old hand at taking care of a scared, young, nervous creature.
The feline goes back to catching up with Marigold, but the extra little bit of affection is enough to help Mypsy settle down again.
"O-oh, you have... a whole group, huh...?" Do the really have so many that they need a group? Energy Nede seems to get by fine with their normal services... Or at least it used to.
Will they need a group like that, if the Ten Wise Men keep causing trouble?
"I-it's nice that th-there are people willing to help..."
He smiles and hums along with Mypsy for a moment, before he realizes that both Ida and Erasmus are looking. He blushes a little. "O-oh, I was p-playing the flute for Mypsy, to s-see if she'd like it." When Damian mentions the flute Mypsy turns to nuzzle him with an eager, "Psy! Psy!"
Damian reaches to pull his backpack closer. "W-would you like to hear...?"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
If Purri is amenable, Ida reaches out to pet her, too. She grew up with cats, and while Purri might be a Pokemon cat, she still gets the good head-scritches, should she desire them.
"I wish we didn't have need for the outreach, but I'm glad it exists." She wishes that people weren't displaced by war, and the scheming of ancient and terrible powers, but the Outreach's role is good and necessary. Saving the world is one thing. Ensuring that people have the means to live in it, no matter what happens? That's often more complicated.
"I'd like to hear," Ida says.
"Evoi!" says Marigold, chiming in from where she's cuddled up with Aurora.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Purri is very amenable! She is a support pokemon, after all, and she's very open to affection from others. (Though she's still a Purrloin, so she's also quick to voice her displeasure should it be necessary.) She strolls right up to Ida with a loud purr, rubbing all up against the Drifter's leg with her side as she makes a pass by. (Her coat is super soft and glossy--Damian takes excellent care of it!)
"Filgaia s-seems pretty scary... b-but it's nice to know there are n-nice people there, too..."
Well, he's got several votes... Damian nods and pulls out a small black case, opening it up to reveal a small metal flute. Nothing so grand as a concert flute, it's got way less moving parts but is far more portable for it.
He also pulls out his phone, fiddling with it a moment before loading up a backing track to go with his flute performance. And once everything's ready, he starts playing.
BGM: Flight into the Unknown (Secret of Mana) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMkgyjpmqF4
What Ida might not realize is that Damian's current repitoire is all video game themes. (Okay, he'd probably have to explain video games first, and then soundtracks.)
But he's pretty good, closing his eyes as he gets into the piece.
Mypsy, for her part, is eagerly chirping along as best as she can.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"There's good people everywhere," Ida says.
The Drifter and her Pokemon watch Damian with interest. The flute is... refreshingly ordinary for something from Nede, but perhaps musical instruments are one thing that rely on simple, effective design no matter where you're from. Ida's head tilts as the phone starts playing, and Damian starts playing with it. Accompaniment? It's a very chipper little tune.
Sal lets out an encouraging trill from where she's seated next to Silci.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Being simple also means it's easier to carry, and there's less things to break, which are important considerations when you're carrying an instrument on the road. Damian has a few flubs here and there, but he sticks it through. He's got dextrous enough fingering that it might suggest that he's not new to playing a flute--that he's had a lot of practice and skill development, in fact. He's just getting used to playing this particular flute and this song.
Silci and Purri both also voice their approval as Damian plays.
Mypsy, meanwhile, has strayed from Erasmus for a moment to plunk herself down in front of Damian, entranced by the song. "Psy, psy!" To her, able to feel some things psychically from her trainer... it feels like flight, when he plays these songs.
Damian's doing his best to share the feeling, but the only way he knows it for himself is from video games and movies. So that's what he shares.
The backing track finishes as Damian plays the last tune, and finally opens his eyes again. He blushes as he realizes that everyone's attention is on him now, but smiles shyly. "I-it's one of my f-favorite songs... m-my parents didn't like me playing th-that kind of music, but..."
Well they're not here right now, are they?
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Erasmus whines softly as Mypsy leaves his side, but Ida is quick to reassure him with pets and scritches. In a few moments, he's back to listening--and, perhaps, getting that same feeling of flight his sister is.
"That was lovely," Ida says. "And it sounds like the Pokemon enjoyed it, too."
"Evoi," says Aurora.
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Damian smiles shly as Ida compliments his playing, looking down at his lap. "Th-thanks." He might be blushing a little from all the attention, but... it's good attention. He reaches out to scritch Mypsy, who chitters happily at the affection before returning to lay down next to Erasmus once more and giving him a nuzzle.
Purri's quick to curl up at his side though. "Purr! Purr!"
Mypsy joins in with a "Psy! Psy!"
Damian looks up to Ida. "I th-think they want more... H-here's a l-longer one I'm trying to learn still..."
He starts up another backing track (He explains it's from a movie soundtrack but forgets to explain what that means) and then launches into a longer one as he continues the impromptu concert for the pokemon.