2024-04-15: Good and Bad Habits

• Log: Good and Bad Habits
• Cast: Damian Tamaoka, Shige Kiwako, Anne Aomori
• Where: Viridian City - Emerald Way
• Date: April 16, 2024
• Summary: Damian works on training his physical conditioning with the help of Anne, while the latter discovers a hungover Shige in the bushes. Introductions are made, the spiritual landscapes of Nede and Filgaia are discussed, and an unfortunate realization is hand.

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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> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

It's a beautiful day out today. The artificial simulation of a sun is shining, the symbologically-managed cloud cover is clear, and the stochastically managed temperature gradient is producing a nice, refreshing breeze. Really, it's the perfect day to get out for a walk. Or a jog, even.

And that's where Damian finds himself today, in one of Viridian's many parks, wearing a black tracksuit with a dark purple stripe up the side. His glasses have been temporarily stowed (meaning his pale, silver eyes are on full display for the world to see, not that the glasses ever really hide them), and a white sweatband his head does a decent job of keeping his hair out of his face as he jobs.

He's huffing a little, his face red from exertion. He's not used to exercising with this jmuch intent, but... it was at Anne's recommendation. Anne, who had subtly recruited him into Team Rocket but who also, at the moment, was the most supportive and affirming adult role model in his. For her, he didn't mind making the effort.

Purri stands nearby, watching Damian as he does laps around a track. She is standing upright on two legs today, and has a whistle hanging from her neck, and a stopwatch in hand. "Purr! Purrloin!" she shouts, encouragingly, as Damian rounds the bend of his latest lap.

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

Shige was.. near the path. Sort of. She's found herself in a strange new place. A ghostly figure looking down at her like he's disappointed. And wearing armor that definitely hasn't been seen around here in... a very very long time. With her starting to stir, the shadowy figure nudges her with his boot. She swats at said boot. Slowly sits up and pulls a twig out of her ear. Throwing it through the ghost.
 
 Anne may or may not see this. Damian probably recognizes the figure though.
 
 Shige pats around drowsily, finds the bottle and holds it up. Then scowls and carefully stashes it in her pack. She hasn't gone that overboard in a bit and for once it wasn't tied to any particular horror so much as... boredom and curiosity mixed with how strangely spiritually sterile the world feels to her.
 
 Looking around, she adjusts her top. Does a check to make sure nothing's missing, broken or gouged. Then pulls a cigar out and mutters, "I'm up I'm up stop that." Talking to seemingly no-one for a lot of onlookers.
 
 It's only then that she realizes she somehow found herself in a strange place with a familiar figure doing laps. Which she watches with that typical cat stare as she sorts out the wheres and whys.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Anne Aomori takes physical fitness very seriously. This is why she's been supervising--and also sometimes showing Damian how to do it properly. She's dressed in sneakers, shorts, and an exercise top, though she is wearing her glasses. ...And the big earrings, naturally. Her long, gray hair is down again, though she has a hairtie on her left wrist for when she needs to put it up again.

"Keep it up!" Anne calls to Damian. "You're almost there!"

There's an art to jogging like this sustainably, and she's teaching it to him. But...

She does glance over, and see an outline, a ghostly figure. She can't see all the details Damian can, not without making use of a few special techniques, but she can detect the presence of such a being certainly.

And, her eyes tell her, the person on the ground knows it's there.

"...Hold on," she tells Damian. "You can just finish that lap." She won't stop him from coming over to see this person, though.

"Hmmmm," Anne remarks as she stands (towers, really) over the seated Shige.

"Someone knows how to party."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

Damian is... slowly getting the hang of what Anne is trying to teach him. He's working really hard at it, trying to make sure to keep to the right rhythm, keep his posture in check, control his breathing... it's a lot to internalize, but it also helps keep his mind focused, too, and off of some of his other worries.

He smiles, briefly, to Purri's encouragement, and gives a brief nod to Anne, though he doesn't have any words to spare for either of them in the moment. But then Anne tells him to finish the lap and leaves to go check something out... and he tries to track what where she's going, head turning to follow...

A sharp whistle blow from Purri pulls his attention back.

He slows to a stop as he runs past the starting line on the ground, heaving for breath, though he doesn't sound nearly as bad as he did when he first did this.

Purri comes over and holds up the stopwatch. "Purr! Purr!" A time improvement. Damian smiles at her and shares a high-five with her, then looks over to where Anne got off to. Purri follows along, picking up a clipboard to make a note on it as she goes.

He can actually make out the ghost a lot better at first, and from further away, than Shige. "... D-Doc...?" When he comes up next to Anne he looks down to Shige and blinks. "M-Miss Kiwako...? W-what are you d-doing here...?"

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

The feline looks at the woman standing over her. Slowly tilting her head as she figures out what she actually said. Like it was taking a moment to catch up. Shige's definitely not a morning person. She starts to move her cigar, then scowls and mutters, stashing it away. It's not polite in company and it's probably not allowed anyway.
 
 Pushing herself up to her feet properly, she brushes herself off and smiles, "Party's probably the wrong word for it."
 
 She slowly turns her head towards Damian though, clearly still working on the wake part of waking up. "I don't know, I'm as confused as you are." She pauses. "Those are very loud clothes."
 
 Then.. she just shakes herself out. Runs her fingers through her hair, stifles a yawn and looks to Doc. "Some lookout you are." Which.. at least the other two can see him. And that he was poking her awake. "Shige by the way. Miss makes me seem too old." She doesn't look at Anne when she says that!
 
 Instead, she pats herself down one more time and adds, "I think I got lost last night and just decided to wander. Nothing feels right here though and the smell's are all funny." Suggesting.. a few things. Without going into details. The smell's probably the oddball one though.
 
 She looks to Anne, then to Damian, "Training for.. something?"

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

It's hard work, but Damian seems to Anne to be taking to it well enough. Once he conditions himself, he'll have a much easier time with it. But Purri can keep him honest there.

Anne instead focuses on the feline before her. She notices her put away the cigar, though it makes little difference to her; instead... She laughs back. "Is it?" she asks. "Unfortunate, then."

Damian recognizes the apparition and the woman both, it would seem. "Well, if there's already a 'doc' here, then I guess you'll just have to call me Anne, Shige."

A beat, "It's not hard to get lost around here. Especially in Viridian Forest. But it seems you have a bit of protection on you anyway."

"Filgaia, or Lunar?" She prompts Shige pleasantly. Then, "It's never a bad time to start getting in shape. Especially if you're traveling on your own."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

Shige doesn't know waht she's doing here. "Um..." He bites his lip, looking between Shige and Anne. Then quietly, he asks, "D-didn't... anybody t-tell you... about the h-hostels...?" That's awfully poor form if they didn't, and Damian might be ready to kick himself for not mentioning it sooner.

He looks down at himself when Shige calls his clothes loud. "R-really? Th-they look normal, to m-me..."

"N-nothing feels right...? H-how do you mean...?" Damian looks to Anne, perplexed. But of course, he wouldn't see anything there as out of place, having grown up in it. Aside, of course, from his own individualized peculiarities.

Training for something? "O-oh, um... k-kinda... J-just trying... to g-get in better shape..."

Purri holds up the clipboard for Anne when she arrives. 10 seconds faster than last time! But yes, Purri isn't hissing up a storm at Doc, so it does seem like both Damian and Purri know the two of them.

Anne comments Shige has a protector, and Damian is looking around. "She d-does, b-but..." He thought there were two others. He's looking at Shige's shadow to check, too. Then he looks up to Anne. "We've m-met, a c-couple of times..."

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

She looks from Anne to Doc, then back again. "I don't know if it's a nickname or a title for him to be fair." Which gets a snort from the ancient ghost, this.. might be a running joke. Especially with the deadpan look she gets.
 
 There's the hint of a look of confusion at the laugh, but it doesn't seem mean spirited in a way. With one big stretch, she looks to Anne before patting her own stomach. "I'm a proud noodle." Suggesting she knows she's not the most physically intimidating feline. Though she does sling that lantern around a lot. She might have SOME strength somewhere there.
 
 "I've considered it, but I walk so much I figure it's fine." Which... well she does. She's too fuzzy to show off any muscle though.
 
 She had considered pulling her shirt off to show off those non-existant abs. Even moves to do so before catching herself. Funny as she thinks it would have been.
 
 "Not.. alone really." She tilts her head, "The others must have wandered off out of boredom. If you hear of any weird phenomena my bad."
 
 She does sidelong look towards Damian, "Getting in shape's good for morale though!" She.. was relaying that from Doc. Who grumbled it out while looking at Damian straight on. She's used to translating, in a sense.
 
 "Hostel?" She asks, looking confused, back at Damian. Also probably why she did stop herself from being a bit too irreverant.
 
 She gives Damian a funny look, "I mentioned it before. It feels.. sterile here." She holds her hand out, waving it briefly, "Like it's there, but not. Ephemeral?" She scowls. "I don't think that's quite right, but it is."
 
 She points to Doc, "Your haunts are funny too." She pats the singular pokeball she has, "Even if I like the company of them, they actually eat and that's just weird." There's a pause. "Normally eat." She pauses. "Like, as part of staying healthy."
 
 It's weird trying to cross ghost lore.
 
 As for the protectors, she does nod. "I do. A few of them." There's a pause. Then she looks to Damian, "She your mom?" Starting to add something about haunting her, but she stops short at least!
 
 "Filgaia. Shaman from the north and.. you probably don't know who Ge Ramtos is. Uh. Death. I deal with the afterlife of sorts." She offers a curtsey just out of habit. She's still waking up.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Either works," Anne says for Doc. She isn't particularly mean spirited about laughing! Except for the inherent schadenfreude of seeing someone who presumably passed out drunk.

There is a little of that.

"It's fine," Anne says of weird phenomena. She then says, "It sure is. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. That's something you can rely on."

Hostel! "Yes, we have places for travelers to stay for free around here. I'd recommend you look into it; wild Pokemon might give you trouble otherwise."

Purri's clipboard gets a crisp nod for Anne. "Good work," she tells Damian.

But they've met...

"Yes, ghost Pokemon aren't quite the same as..." She considers. "Well, it varies." A pause, though. "Sterile... You're referring to the magical makeup of the environment?" she confirms. "It's an artificially-induced one. Our planet hasn't survived intact; we're on a piece of it, kept going by advanced technology and Symbology."

But, "Good." Then, a smile, and a shake of her head. "I'm not," she says of being Damian's mom. "He's an assistant of mine. WElcome to Energy Nede, regardless. I don't know who Ge Ramtos is, but I'm curious."

Afterlife...

"That's very interesting stuff. I'd like to hear more about it sometime. Mia, do you want to grab our new friend some water?"

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

Even if Shige isn't that physically strong, Damian definitely finds her ghosts intimidating, and the lantern, and the medium. He's been working on it, but... it's still a struggle. (Having both Anne and Purri there is a great help, though. Speaking of whic, Purri hands the clipboard to Damian, who tucks it under an arm, then leaps up to his shoulder to nuzzle at his cheek reassuringly. She's still wearing the stopwatch and whistle around her neck.)

Damian looks to Doc as he grumbles out his message, nodding in agreement, then blinks and looks to Shige as she repeats it. "R-right. Morale is g-good, and, um... I'm h-hoping that, um... it'll hel pme m-manage s-some other things b-better." As Anne says, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.

Oh right, sterile... "I g-guess, um... I h-haven't... r-really used... it on Filgaia, s-so I can't c-compare..." It being his Spiritsight. Anne knows about it, but in case there's anybody else wandering by, he doesn't want to advertise it that much. But Anne has that explanation covered, at least.

"G-ghost p-pokemon are j-just like every o-other pokemon... um... Th-they can even h-hatch from eggs..." However those eggs get made in the first place.

Damian smiles up to Anne as she compliments him. "Th-thanks."

Is Anne his mom? That one takes him by surprise, and it takes him a moment to work up a response. "N-no, I j-just--" Anne beats him to the punch, and he nods in agreement. Just her assistant. No matter how much he'd prefer Anne as a parent to... his current situation. (Even with the criming, which is saying a lot.)

He looks up, responding naturally to being called Mia and nodding. "O-okay! I sh-should keep my blood cir-cir--flowing, anyway." He sets off back to the area where all their gear is, coming back with several bottles of water for himself, Shige, and Anne. Purri is already holding one for herself, still on Damian's shoulder.

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

She gestures to the ghost and waves her hand. He just gives her an annoyed look as Shige gesticulates. "Sterile this way. The ghosts feel wrong. Like it's just.. I dunno." She resists the urge to run her fingers through her hair again. "I've been trying to figure out why. You don't have.. shamans or summoners or any of the other oddness and-" She shrugs. "It worries me." At least she takes her job seriously.
 
 She does nod in agreement about a healthy body being good for a healthy mind. We'll ignore that she was up until recently, sleeping off an alcohol induced stupor in the middle of a potentially dangerous place. "I'll be fine." She states off-handedly. "I should be fine." She's pretty sure she'll be fine. Her grim guardian nods at least. Hand slightly shifting to rest on a spectral sword hilt. She mutters, "Stop that, you'll scare the locals." Not that most can-... she pauses. "You can see him?"
 
 "Water's probably better than hair of the dog. Always hated that saying.."
 
 She seems grateful at least.
 
 She points to Damian at the mention he hasn't really used his ability there, "Be careful over there trying to attract the attention of haunts. Some are pretty violent. There's a few places we could go if you want.. better control." For once she actually sounds both focused and serious. Considering part of her retinue..
 
 The mention that they hatch from eggs gets a nod, "See, weird. That's.. how?" She actually visible short circuits mentally there for a minute trying to sort that out.
 
 The reaction from Damian almost gets her to tease him though. She stops though, wrong person. "You keeping him out of trouble?" she turns, looking to Anne. "Better here than getting in over his head."
 
 She doesn't know!
 
 Shige honestly just assumed Mia was a pokemon. It doesn't even cross her mind. "Jog in place. Or join me on a ship some time if you really want to get some strength." She nods sagely. Striking something of a proud pose. She's still a noodle.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Hmm. I wonder why?" Anne muses. "It could be that many of the spectres and spooks you might expect to exist are channeled into ghost Pokemon instead. Or maybe something is strange about our world on that front..."

"We are a much older society than most you'd have dealt with."

But she says she'll be fine. And Damian is in agreement about how it'll help. He can't compare, though...

Eggs are mysterious, in any case.

"I can detect his presence," Anne says. "Not quite the same as seeing, but it's close enough for now."

So Shige knows about Damian's abilities. Anne looks between them thoughtfully for a moment. "Hmm."

Very mysterious.

Out of trouble, is it? Anne shakes her head. "He helps at my lab sometimes. I support him as best I can."

"Heh. A ship is always something." Pause. "But that's not a bad idea, either. I think we might be done for a while in any case; you remember the cool-down stretches I showed you?"

She takes a water bottle, opens it, and drinks!

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

They don't have summoners or shamans, or any of the things Shige is used to. Damian looks down and slightly away."Th-there are p-people who... who h-help the deceased..." But he clearly doesn't want to get into that topic, from his tone.

Damian has seen Anne perceiving Seraphim, so it doesn't surprise him that she has a technique that works on regular ghosts. (Damian doesn't really need one--his Spiritsight, sadly, is always at least a little bit on.)

"I w-will be," Damian says, of being careful... but he blinks at that offer, and looks like he's considering it. "M-maybe... I th-think about it." He has said he need to figure out how to get it to not wreck his life, after all...

He looks to Anne as she looks between them thoughtfully, looking chagrined. "I h-had..." he can't bring himself to finish that, but Anne's seen it before, with Lanval. Damian looks down. "... th-the first time we met."

How do pokemon egg? "O-oh, n-nobody knows... th-they j-just show up sometimes, wh-when pokemon spend t-time together." One of Nede's great unsolved mysteries.

Keeping him out of trouble... Damian just looks to Anne. The question wasn't directed at him, and he's very grateful not to have to answer it.

"A sh-ship...? I've t-taken a boat, to Cinnibar, a f-few times... How would that h-help...?"

He nods as Anne mentions the cool-down stretches. "R-right!" Purri hops down from his shoulder and Damian hands her his water bottle, then starts going through the routine, stretching this way and that. Purri speaks up a few times to correct him on a form or to make sure he holds a position long enough.

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

Shige's considering Anne's statement, then replies, "Yeah, but eggs?" She pats herself down and frowns. The water's nice at least and she does drink.. the whole thing. In one go. She knows the rules for hangovers.
 
 "Doesn't change that it feels funny!" She states simply enough after, "Just might mean something else is up and I have to find out why. Don't want to find out you're all stuck in.." she waves her hand up skyward, "Some ventilation or something." There is a brief moment where she snorts and giggles at the mental image even if it's horrifying in a way.
 
 Probably not surprising there's some gallows humor in the reaper.
 
 "He's been with me the longest. He keeps insisting there's more to do and won't go on, but I think he's just a softy that wants to make sure we have some help running around back home." Either answer gets no reaction though.
 
 Damian's suggestion that there are people that help the deceased gets a surprisingly critical look from Shige. She doesn't say anything about it, but it's probably clear what her thoughts are. That hint of amusement and curiosity briefly dashed aside.
 
 "I find out you're over there getting into that kind of trouble without some outside help and I'm dragging you back by your ears!" That's also dead serious. "They're seriously dangerous with some of the older manifestations. There are some very violent hauntings and-" she pauses. Frowns. "Find me before you go ghost hunting back home."
 
 It's from a place of concern and familiarity with what she sees. And suggests her carefree nature involving those ghosts might.. be more serious than some would think. Or she doesn't think she's in over her head in her line of duty?
 
 She looks to Damian, "Lab work huh? Figured you wouldn't have enough time then.." She knows something!
 
 "Wrong boat. Talking like fishing boats and the sorts of things you have to do a lot of work." She holds her hands out, "Like netting and sails."
 
 She does give Damain something of a funny look though as she realizes the feline's giving the orders. There's a joke there, she just can't quite put her finger on it.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Anne shrugs. Eggs! But the water is good and refreshing, at least. It feels funny to Shige... "Well, by all means investigate," Anne says. "Tell me what you find, if you would."

A laugh, at the joke.

A critical look, is it? Anne doesn't challenge it for now.

"I think that sounds wise. Take good care of him, if he chooses to go."

"Heh. I think the regimen I've had him on will handle it, though hard work in the water would always do something. You find out what you can handle, when you work hard."

"He's doing well on that front," she nods.

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

"I w-was taking care of an egg," Damian volunteers. "Th-that's how I m-met Doctor Aomori! Rishi h-hatched, though. Sh-she's really cute."

Something is wrong... "M-maybe Energy Nede j-just works d-differently...? Y-you have t-types of m-magic we don't have. C-crest sorcery, a-and prayer magic." He means the Blessing.

"Th-that's n-nice, if he's l=looking after you..."

He shrinks back, though, when Shige gives him that critical look. "H-hey, I know i-it's important. I-I..." He looks down. "It j-just..." He fals silent for a moment, then looks up to Shige, voice very quiet as he asks, genuinely, "H-how d-do you deal with it, w-when..." He struggles to find the right words, then finally gives up and just taps the side of his head, like that explains everything. "D-doesn't it f-feel awful...?"

That is a detail that he has shared with precious, precious few. He might have alluded to it, before, but this is the first time he's gotten that specific in front of either Shige or Anne. He trusts Anne with a lot, and Shige... well, Shige is similar to him, right? She must have the same experience... right?

Damian's hands reflexively go to his ears as Shige threatens them. "H-hey, I-I've never gone to Filgaia w-without other p-people! Promise!"

All he can do is glance away when Shige questions his availability for lab work. He'll tell Anne Shige knows later. But she can't bring it up now for... obvious reasons. He does not have a good poker face, at any rate.

"O-oh, h-huh..." Lots of hard work on a fishing boat... That doesn't sound terribly appealing, though... But Anne thinks it might be a good idea, and Damian looks up to her, still a little unsure. But he does smile when she says he's making good progress. "Th-thanks!"

But Damian is working on stretches throughout, and Purri is speaking up every now and again. "Purr!" Damian looks to her, and she moves her arms to mimic Damian's posture, and then adjusts her own arms into the right position.

"O-oh, right! Th-thanks, Purri!" Damian adjusts his arms and keeps going.

But Shige is given them a funny look aand Damian blinks as he looks back to her. "Wh-what?"

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

Shige watches Anne briefly, "I intended to. It's important even here." that is, she's definitely strong in her belief in her duties. For better and worse in a lot of ways. That it might just be different here has crossed her mind, but others have commented that it feels.. off too.
 
 "You also learn a lot of neat language and get your sea legs. Which.." she shrugs. "Useful, but annoying when you get back on land."
 
 She does look to Doc who is now looking at Damian, "Careful, he doesn't like to show it. All stoic and mysterious." She leans in and adds jokingly, "His job aside, probably was a good guy in his time."
 
 Standing straight, there's an actual question though. "Not really. I take the time to talk to them. To get them where they need to go. To give them proper burials or other last rites and I document their last words." Her tone's more neutral, but serious still. "Sometimes you just have to get help to move on and-" she glances to Anne and raises a hand, "She can detect them, but couldn't help them. I can. So I do it." It's clearly a duty, an important one to her.
 
 "It's not about other people. I specifically mean don't go ghost hunting. You've met the others, you've seen the long haired one. She was an actual nightmare and she's the only one that isn't free to go. I'm trying to.. help her so she can though."
 
 "It's what has to be done. It helps put them to rest and it helps the living if you do the job right."
 
 There's a guilty look from Damian and Shige gives him the 'naughty naughty' hand gesture. At least she's being somewhat coy.
 
 "I like my work though." She finally admits. "It's important and you meet interesting people and hear a lot of neat old stories that would have been forgotten otherwise. People, battles, parties. Villages." That last one is slightly bitter.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"She is," Anne agrees with Damian of Rishi. And maybe Energy Nede does just work differently. But Shige clearly is not to be dissuaded, and Anne is inclined to see whre that goes.

A laugh, then, at the matter of neat language and sea legs. "I don't think you should actually do it, Mia. Not anytime soon. But it would be an interesting experience, for sure."

A detail that Damian gives is notable. Anne looks to him, for a moment, and back to SHige; she catches what he's putting down, even if Shige seems to catch something different. ...She doesn't comment on that part yet. Instead, "It's an important job," she agrees. "...People who choose that path should take it very seriously. Like you do."

Naughty Naughty... Anne can guess, but it's better if she doesn't, so she doesn't do it aloud.

"...Good enough advice," Anne says. "But I don't think you wanted to go ghost hunting anyway, Mia. Did you?"

Purri is still going. Still encouraging Damian. That's good.

"I'm glad you like your work," she says to Shige. "I find work goes a lot better when you find something you like. ...For now, I think I may need to get back to my own. Mia, do you want to come along, or spend some more time with your friend?"

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

Damian smiles as Anne agrees that Rishi is cute. And without Anne's help, he might not ever have gotten the chance to hatch her.

He blinks at 'neat language.' "D-do they speak a d-different language, o-on ships...?" He didn't notice anybody saying anything different when he went to Cinnabar that one time... He nods as Anne says maybe not yet. "O-okay, m-maybe later..."

He draws back a little as Doc looks at him, and he just nods to Shige's warning. The less ghostly attention, the better.

Shige gives an answer to Damian's question that is, genuinely, very interesting. And Damian respects the work that Shige does, he really does. It's just... there's something about it, for him, that nobody else similarly situated ever seems to really acknowledge, and if it's such a discomfort for him, and presumably everybody else is the same way, but nobody else has a problem dealing with it...

... The fault must be with him, right?

He's listening, intently, to what Shige has to say, but... looks progressively more distraught as he realizes he's failed, again, to communicate what it is that's bothering him. But, Anne seems to have picked up on something...

Damian will definitely tell Anne later, to confirm.

But Shige does clarify one thing. "O-oh! I w-wasn't-- I w-would never. Um... S-sometimes th-they find me, b-but... Purri p-protects me, wh-when that happens..." But there is just a little bit of a smile as Anne addresses him as Mia, and that seems to put him at ease a little bit, even with the serious topic being discussed. "N-no, d-definitely not!"

"I-I'm glad you l-like your w-work... I know... i-it's important work..."

He considers Anne's offer, stopping his stretching and taking his water bottle back from Purri. "L-let's go back?" He looks to Shige. "Um... it was n-nice, seeing you again..."

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

Shige doesn't know who Rishi is off-hand to be fair. She does move on neatly though!
 
 "Uh. It's more colorful language." That's a polite way of putting it. It's honestly lucky Shige doesn't cuss like the sailors she grew up around!
 
 Shige may have missed the point. She does catch the look and vibe though. She drums her fingers against her hip before asking, "What is the issue? If it's not the sense of duty you'd stressed prior?" That might be part of the confusion. She gives him a more scrutinizing look.
 
 "Do you set boundries with them? Or are they always intruding?" She taps her foot, trying to think of some early teething problems. "I.. may be the wrong one to ask if I guessed wrong I've spent too much time in the company of death." Literally and figuratively. Sadly.
 
 She does note both are trying to bail though!
 
 She checks her pocket watch. Shakes it and frowns. Then looks up at the sky and mutters something else as she realizes the sun might not be accurate either. "You two keep safe. I'm going to go.." She points, "I think I need to find a shower."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

"W-well they do talk a-about how the seas are b-blue, o-or wh-what the color of the s=sky means f-for the weather..." Not... the right type of color, Damian.

But Damian had given hope on this attempt to be understood, but Shige, thankfully, presses the issue a little instead. "I-i-it's... y-you know..." Just thinking about it is causing a certain amount of distress for him, and Purri takes that as her cue to hop into his arms and nuzzle into his chest. Damian puts the water bottle into his pocket so he can hold Purri with both arms.

He feels foolish, having to describe it to someone else with a similar ability... but Anne just has a special technique that lets her see extra things, it's not the same (to him) as what he and Shige can do so... it feels okay to explain, even if it's just for her.

Damian's voice is quiet and strained as he continues. "Wh-when... i-it gets inside your head, l-like p-p-p-pressure, o-on the inside of your s-s-skull, s-squeezing, a-and..." There's more, but he cuts himself off and just resorts to hugging Purri for a moment. Purri lets out a steady purr to soothe Damian, leaning up to nuzzle his chin and rub cheeks with her trainer.

After he's a little bit more composed, he looks up to Shige, eyes starting to water. "H-h-how? H-how do you p-put up w-with it?" He's asking it like it's so obvious, like of course Shige should know what he's describing.

But as for finding a shower... Damian looks down to Purri, actually nuzzling her back a little as he continues to try and compose himself. "Th-there's a P-Pokemon Center on the w-way back... we c-can show you wh-where it is..."

<Pose Tracker> Shige Kiwako has posed.

Shige's ears flick idly. Doc's actually paying more attention, listening to the description too like he might have some insight into it. He does something of a shrug for Shige, though but points to the path they'd been jogging along and mimics running.
 
 "I never had that kind of problem." She says simply. "I think.." she shakes her head, looking to the spectral mercenary. "He thinks training would go a long way. He's also talented in other areas of magic though."
 
 She pauses, considering. Reaching down to adjust the weight of the lantern at her hip. "I know you didn't like being near my medium before. Is it still that bad?" She doesn't reach for that. She doesn't want to show anyone where she hides it even if it's probably obvious.
 
 There's a pause and she looks down, "Or the lantern?" Like she wants to maybe offer some focus point. Something she relied on.
 
 "I'm not Nedian though. I don't know what-" She points, maybe even tapping his head, "Goes on betwixt those ears and trying to guess would be a nightmare of it's own undertaking." She looks to Anne briefly. "I assume he's talked more to you. If you have ideas."
 
 Still, there's a brief tap of her foot. "Or you're stifling something. Trying to bottle it."

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Not that kind of colorful, Damian. But while Anne was ready to leave, Damian has to explain his issue more; Anne waits for this, as she can see it's something important he has to say...

And there it is. It's not just that he's afraid of ghosts themselve,s it's...

She nods. Training...

"He may be right," Anne says of training, looking over Damian for a moment. "No," she says. "This is the first I've heard of this particular issue."

"Mia," she says. "I think you should take some time to compose yourself, prepare yourself. And eventually, I think you should talk to Shige here about how to master your ability."

"It'll follow you around until you do. Then, you can decide for yourself what to do with it."