celebration day | mission | closed

[olivier liesl von wilhelm]

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Olivier had never been to the beach. Despite living her entire life on what was considered a small island region, her family had devoted their life to the flatlands in the center. Of course, she had been informed many times by people her age that the beach was the best place to vacation, but as far as she had seen it was nothing but a lot of heat, sand, and water. And, when you tried to wash all of the sand off in the water, it only got you more sandy when you got out. Not a single part of that sounded appealing to her. Supposedly the sunset on the beach was beautiful, but did it compare to the sunrises she saw hanging over the Crags in the distance each morning? Was the constantly pounding, roaring cacophony of the ocean as peaceful as the symphony of sounds heard on her farm at night, from the Spring Palpitoads chirping down by the pond to the subtle hooting of the noctowl in the forest not far from them? She doubted it. [break][break]

As such, her inexperience with the area had caused her to immediately do some research on the city as soon as she had received the assignment. She wasn't particularly pleased about having been given this particular mission as it wouldn't necessarily be helping anyone. But she supposed any assignment was better than no assignment, and the better she did at completing this one quickly and efficiently, the better mission she'd receive in the future. At the very least, it was more important than restocking vending machines.[break][break]

Her research had led her to the smaller, personal-use docks that separated the leisurely portion of Hyo's beaches with the bay that the cargo ships docked in. Supposedly, it was close enough to the ships for the smugglers to not have to travel very far, but also close enough to the beaches that it wouldn't seem suspicious for citizens to be in that area, especially with personal boats being stored there. While she had originally planned on wearing a set of work clothes retired from the farm, as well as a pair of boots that had successfully protected her feet from rain in the past, she had realized that it would be better to blend in. So instead, she had donned a pair of sandals and some bright shorts, as well as a long sleeve, striped tee. Of course, since it was only just beginning to return back to Anrui's characteristic heat, she had also stuffed a hoodie into her bag, between the two eggs she had brought with her, as well as a variety of other supplies that she might need on her trip. For now, her black leather jacket with the winking meowth stitched onto the back kept her upper body warm from the wind as she whipped through the streets towards the beach.[break][break]

Her motorcycle's thundering roar decrescendoed to a sputtering growl as she pulled into the parking lot, before finally silencing as she killed the engine in a spot close to the docks. Removing her helmet, her blonde hair spilled onto her shoulders from two buns seated on her head. She scanned the beach before dismounting from the cycle. It seemed as though there were enough people on the beach for the season so as to not seem too out of place, and the outfit she had chosen was sufficient enough to blend in with them. After locking her helmet to her bike, she clipped her keys to a beltloop, and then reached into her bag. With a glance around her to make sure no one was close enough to hear the noise, she pulled out a green friendball and released a budew onto her bike's seat. [break][break]

"Hi Band!" she greeted the budew quietly. "Can you ride in my bag and be my lookout from behind? Let me know if you see anyone acting strange?" she asked with a bright smile. The budew nodded and chirped, signaling that she was interested in the job. Olivier opened the backpack before gently picking Band up and placing her inside, on top of eggs. She then rezipped the bag, but left it open enough so that the budew would be able to peak out. [break][break]

Once her budew was settled inside, Olivier glanced around the area. She had a few ideas of where she might be able to find the smuggler, but she needed to decide where the best place to start might be.[break][break]

[break][break]

[attr="class","vagrantNotes"]

+1 lvl to Band (5 > 6)[break][break]

1/10 shiny ponyta[break]
1/10 shiny mareep[break][break]

.02/7 band (friend ball)

[attr="class","vagrantCredit"]SELKIE

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[Deleted]

Well... it's the beach.

Beaches elsewhere are known for their blinding white sands and cool tides that lap at your toes. A beach on Anrui, however, is little to be impressed by. With Plasma's domineering force being the only authority in the region, there are little to no laws on littering - and especially ones that are actually enforced. Empty soda cans wash and wane with the shoreline, and empty bags of chips that have long since been picked clean of their crumbs and grains of salt flutter about unceremoniously in the wind.

The scent of brine that typically fills the air at most beaches is void, replaced instead with the burn of smog that runs sticky and clings to your throat. Fresh, open ocean air is a luxury that this region doesn't get to enjoy. With Plasma owning the air space overhead and threatening to bring down any random cargo plane that dares soar in its territory, most of Anrui's trade is done entirely by shipment boats. Among hundreds, literally any one of them could be the smuggler of which you seek.

Even if he is to be found, it's unlikely that he'd come peacefully and give up his livelihood and wellbeing for the sake of obeying the law, given that his chosen profession is in no less than at least 15 violations of it. Regardless, if you choose to pursue him anyway, finding him would be the first step; and in a complex web of massive ships and sailors who all somehow look similar, the task might be easier said than done.

If you were a smuggler, where would you go?

[olivier liesl von wilhelm]

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Olivier's eyes scanned the beach and docks immediately in her vision, taking in as many people as she could. Arguably, anyone here was a possible suspect, as the smuggler probably wouldn't look like what one might immediately think of as a criminal. This wasn't going to be like the cartoons she watched growing up, where the bad guy wore a mask, stripes, and ran around with a bag of stolen money and a gun; unless they wanted to get caught, they'd have to blend in. The smuggler could be one of the brawny, sweaty people working on the larger docks a few yards down, but she doubted that would be where she'd find them. While they probably did work at the larger docks, if she was going to catch them, it wouldn't be there. It'd be too suspicious for someone looking to illegally purchase a pokemon to show up on the working docks. Even if the smuggler does work the larger docks, they probably wouldn't do any shady business there.[break][break]

No, Ollie guessed that this would be a profession where the smuggler would have to go to the customers, or at least meet halfway. And while it would make sense to do most dealings under the cover of night, there was potential for it to be happening in broad daylight as well. After all, if you act like you belong, most people will believe that you belong.[break][break]

Or maybe she was wrong. Maybe she'd find someone sitting by the larger docks, dressed in sailor gear and surrounded by illegal pokemon. It'd be ballsy, but she wasn't going to rule out anything. This smuggler had a reputation enough with Plasma to be considered wanted, so she knew she had to be careful. [break][break]

The options flooded her inner thoughts, but she quickly reminded herself that there was no use fretting about all of the possibilities. She was going into this with a plan, and as long as she remained inconspicuous, she could potentially lure the smuggler out. It was only just a little after 1:00pm, so she had plenty of daylight left, and she had been mentally preparing herself for this assignment to go well into the evening since the day that she was assigned this mission. There were too many variables to not be prepared to shift her schedule around if need be.[break][break]

Keeping in mind she had two eggs and a free-range pokemon nestled in her bag, she gently shifted it onto her shoulders. "Remember, we're trying to give the impression that we aren't in Plasma," Ollie said softly, hoping that her budew was listening. "So if anyone sees you, you have to hide, as though you're not allowed to be here." There was another small chirp from her bag, which she took as a sign that Band understood her part in all of this. [break][break]

As she made her way from the motorcycle, the sun shown down on them, heating her back in a more intense way than she had been used to working outside. She decided instead of heading straight for the personal docks - considering she didn't have a boat - she'd go towards the sandy portion of the beach instead. After all, she was just your average Hyo resident, here to spend an afternoon by the surf.[break][break]

[break][break]

[attr="class","vagrantNotes"]

2/10 shiny ponyta[break]
2/10 shiny mareep[break][break]

.04/7 band (friend ball)

[attr="class","vagrantCredit"]SELKIE

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[Deleted]

Spending some time in the sand and getting to know the feel of the area before lunging straight towards the docks may have been a smart call - after all, looking like a fish out of water, like the one that flounders at your feet, wouldn't do any good.

....wait, what?

If you look more closely, to your left, the tide lazily rolls in over what appears to be a mere carcass. Dry on the parts where the water isn't actively caressing it, the cooling waters smoothing out scales like a mother trying to reassure its child. Perhaps it could also be viewed as a form of torture, considering just how close he is to getting a breath of air and a second chance of life again.

The fish flops its tail helplessly, its sides heaving as it gasps and chokes in the smog of the atmosphere. To help it out would, of course, potentially save it - but extending charity towards wild Pokemon in such a crowded area could draw far more attention to you than you'd like.

What will you do?

[jello]

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Olivier approached the edge of the parking lot, where a thin layer of sand overlapped the pavement. Like a child visiting the beach for the first tim, she found herself wondering just how all this sand had gotten there, and where it had originally come from. Was it man-made, or brought here by humans? Or was it a natural phenomenon? And if it was natural, why wasn't the entire coastline one big beach?[break][break]

She hesitated for only a moment before stepping onto it, feeling the grains crunch beneath her sandal. Deciding immediately that it wasn't so bad, she confidently took another step into the actual sand, and immediately regretted the decision as her foot sank uncomfortably into the soft grains. The sand was like dirt, but so much worse. As she walked, it forced it's way into the front of her shoe, between her toes and beneath the balls of her feet. Meanwhile in the rear, it was flung up by the back of her sandal, smacking her in every part of the leg. After a few steps, she stopped, and took a deep breath, peering down the beach at a few beach-goers. They seemed to be carrying their shoes instead.[break][break]

"I'm going to try without the sandals," she muttered quickly to Band. The budew made a small peep, but otherwise remained content to look out of her bag for anyone who looked suspicious. Knowing that if she fell, she could potentially smash the eggs inside of her bag, Ollie dug one of her feet into the sand to stabilize herself, and lifted her other foot in order to undo the buckles on the sandal. Once it was removed, she gently eased her foot down into the sand. Still in what one might consider a cool season for Anrui, the sand wasn't yet a scalding temperature, and she found the feeling of her foot buried in it... almost pleasant. [break][break]

After a moment to consider why less sand had been bad, but now more sand was better, Olivier removed her other shoe, and then took them both into one hand to continue walking.[break][break]

Perhaps someday, Olivier might be able to pass as a city-girl. However, that day was not going to be today. Regardless of how much research she had put in about the docks, Hyo City, and all their shadows, there was nothing that could make her into any sort of city-girl other than simply experiencing the city over time and observing how others acted. [break][break]

Back home on the farm, Olivier's family had what one might consider a different relationship with wild pokemon than most city-folk did. City-folk tend not to like pokemon; they find them to be pests and disease-carrying vermin. Back on the farm, there were certainly pokemon that her family wanted to keep off their property - for example, the occasional arbok, who were known for feasting on their eggs - however most pokemon had a sort of symbiotic relationship with their family and produce. [break][break]

So, it was only natural to Olivier that when she saw a magikarp in distress, and in a situation that she could easily remove the magikarp from, she was going to help it. Spotting it from a slight distance, she immediately walked towards it once she realized what it was. She paused on the edge of where the bright. golden sand met the wet, brown sand. Careful to make sure they remained on the dry sand, she set down her sandals and then gently slid her bag off of her shoulders, nestling into the sand even farther than the water line.[break][break]

Sure that her stuff would not get wet, she slowly walked towards the fish. As the water approached again, she braced herself for the chill of it. It was incredibly cold, but it wasn't much unlike walking through a stream - it was just a little colder, and a little more powerful.[break][break]

And sandier. She was sure this sand was never going to come off of her feet.[break][break]

Getting used to the water as it tugged at her ankles, she crept towards the magikarp. Once it was within reach, she tugged her nose up at the salty smell of it, but reached down to pick it up nonetheless. Bending her knees, she slid her arms into the water to scoop the fish up, making sure to lift with her legs and arms moreso than her back. [break][break]

[attr="class","vagrantNotes"]

3/10 shiny ponyta[break]
3/10 shiny mareep[break][break]

.06/7 band (friend ball)[break][break]

proboards won't let me switch to ollie's account so here's a jello post

[attr="class","vagrantCredit"]SELKIE

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[Deleted]

As your hands initiate contact with the crimson scales of the landlocked creature, it's musculature is immediately sent spasming in distress and causing the fish's form to flop and squirm within your grasp. Oblivious to your intent, a tail molded by it's frequent fight against the rapid ocean currents into an extremity possessing quite a formidable amount of strength thrusts towards the sky. Better be steady with your footing or getting knocked over by the massive carp may bring you under the threat of being knocked over!

The spectacle of you lifting up a fish as though it's nothing out of the ordinary has made sure that the eyes of a number of the people populating the beach are now trained on you - some in mild amusement, some in what could be perceived as silent judgement. Somewhere a child looks to their mother and presents an inquiry as to what the lady with the pigtails is doing.

The distant bellow of a horn, deep and capable of carrying itself across a sizable stretch of the atmosphere, signals the arrival of a cargo ship somewhere well beyond the barriers of shipping containers that oversee the beach and create a sharp line of separation from the dock area. Among the numerous shipments of goods that travel to the region across the water the chances of this one in particular bearing any connection to the smugglers to whom your presence at the location relates are rather slim, but a possibility does exist.

[olivier liesl von wilhelm]

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Like a concerned mother swanna watching her baby ducklett swim for the first time, Band kept her tiny eyes locked on her trainer. Although she obediently remained hidden out of sight, she had wiggled herself at just the right angle that she could see her trainer quite clearly through the opening in the zipper. She stood carefully on top of the eggs inside, her couple pounds of weight having no effect on their sturdy shells. [break][break]

While at first the water just seemed chilly as it lapped at her ankles, the longer that she stood in it, the more icy it felt. When she shoved her arms in nearly to where her sleeves ended, it only felt worse as more of the cold, grainy water bit at her. [break][break]

Of course, a fish would flop around as a strange predator picked it up out of the water. The magikarp's flailing about was not what Olivier had underestimated or overlooked in this situation. What she had underestimated was the strength of the pokemon's spasms - one of the weakest pokemon known to man! - as well as the sinking sensation she seemed to feel as the receding tide drew sand in above her feet and around her ankles. While she was used to the sucking and squelching of mud in a crick, the all-embracing grip of sand was unfamiliar, and unexpected.[break][break]

With her hands only gripping the underside of the fish, there was no way for her to steady the pokemon in her arms. It wiggled and flopped, and at first she thought that it was going to fly out of her arms. Quickly, she leaned forward so as to catch it, however just as she did so it flopped again, this time flying towards her face. Unwilling to allow the briney magikarp to touch her face, she flung herself backwards, only to find that her feet didn't move to catch her like she thought they would, having been sucked into the sand by the shifting tide.[break][break]

Completely losing all interest in holding onto the magikarp, Olivier tossed her arms out and back, wiggling them for just a moment to try to catch her balance. Her efforts were fruitless, however, as she quickly found herself falling completely backwards, a small cry escaping her lips. With a loud splash, her butt landed in the sand beneath the water, however her arms were able to catch her before her entire body fully hit the ground. [break][break]

She vaguely heard the sound of a pokemon screeching from her bag, but her own loud gasp resonated from her lungs, drawing her attention. Eyes widened and quickly entering panic mode in light of the cold water that was now filling her shorts with sand, she yanked her feet from the sandy clutches, and then quickly shuffled to lift herself back up. Sure that she didn't want her feet to get stuck again, she bolted from the water, her feet traveling high and her strides long to minimize the amount of time her feet touched liquid. As she approached her bag, her eyes took in the sight of her budew, standing worriedly in the sand, however in the moment she couldn't find her voice to ask him to get back in the bag. Instead, her body tensed, and she lifted her hands to her head, her fingers searching for her pigtails to weave through. Her eyes closed, clenched tight, and her shoulders lifted as she held her breath for a moment.[break][break]

[attr="class","vagrantNotes"]

4/10 shiny ponyta[break]
4/10 shiny mareep[break][break]

.08/7 band (friend ball)

[attr="class","vagrantCredit"]SELKIE

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[Deleted]

With the beach packed full of life as both adults and children alike run around - enriched by the salty waves, the soft sand, and the warm sunshine - it's safe to assume that perhaps your marvelous spectacle of attempting to wrangle a fish and then falling backwards on your behind went unnoticed. Safe, yes - but not entirely reasonable. Even with the beach being full of entertaining things for children to do, not all of them are so keen on splashing around in the water, chasing flocks of seagulls, and building sandcastles while pestering their parents for snacks in styrofoam coolers.

One young boy stands and stares at you, a bright innertube as blue as the ocean that lapped at your ankles tightly clutching his hips. He rests his palms on it, brown eyes unblinking against his olive skin - and then, without warning, his palms slap down on the surface of the inflated plastic as his mouth opens in a loud guffaw. He reels his head back in laughter, as though it had taken him a moment to get the joke - only once he did, however, it could be argued that this was perhaps the funniest thing that the child, growing up in such a harsh and serious environment as Anrui, has ever seen.

"Flounder knocked you down!" He exclaims between bouts of laughter, pointing at the Magikarp. "It's been a week since he last got someone like that!"

Huh... what could be possibly be referring to?

[olivier liesl von wilhelm]

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No amount of breath trapped inside of her lungs could stop the tears forming in her eyes. Holding her breath served not as a dam for her tears, but instead for her thoughts. She could feel herself begin to focus, the mishmash of thoughts that had shot out in all sorts of directions the moment she realized her butt was going to hit the water beginning to spiral in, becoming a tight whirlpool of emotion instead, the thoughts flowing like water to focus on how it felt to hold her breath. Her lungs ached, desperate for fresh oxygen, and after a moment she gave them what they needed in the form of a slow breath out, followed by a deep breath in. Her eyes fluttered open, releasing the salty, emotion-packed tears onto cheeks that had a fresh, rosy hue from having held her breath. Her fingers untangled themselves from her hair, migrating down to her arms to squeeze some pressure onto her limbs before making their final stop on her butt, which was thoroughly soaked, along with some of her back, her front, and most of her legs. [break][break]

The last of her tears dripping down from her eyes, she sighed. She hated being wet.[break][break]

A small, nearly irritated sound drew her attention back down to the sand, where her budew stood in front of her. While she was leaning on the bag of eggs that she had been tasked to support, Band’s tiny face was adamantly focused on something near the water. As Olivier let out a small, semi-choked ”Hm?” in response to her pokemon’s annoyed sounds, the budew looked up to her, her darkened expression displaying a visual of her irritation as well. It was only a few moments before she looked back in the direction that she had been looking, and let out a series of more annoyed sounds. [break][break]

Olivier followed her budew’s gaze, and for a moment she thought that perhaps her pokemon wanted to battle the magikarp that had caused her to fall. Now, however, there was a small boy standing close to the pokemon, laughing no doubt at her expense. She felt heat rush to her cheeks and tears once more form at eyes, only this time they were not tears of panic, but instead tears of hurt. They were calmer and slower forming, welling up at the same speed as her embarrassment and gently dipping out of her eyes. [break][break]

She would have passed it off as the cruelty of a child who found humor in the expense of others had it not been for what she heard him say between guffaws. She was unsure if “flounder” was a nickname or a child’s inaccurate labeling of the fish in the sand, but the way that he had not hesitated told her that he was speaking with familiarity. He continued, his words expressing that not only was this fish knocking people over a regular occurrence, but also that the child was familiar enough with the activity to be able to keep track of how often such a thing happens, as well as to supposedly know what gender the creature was. [break][break]

Her eyes narrowed a minuscule amount as she considered the details of the situation laying itself out in front of her. She wanted to keep up the facade that she was not a member of Plasma, so she couldn’t interrogate this boy with the intention of finding out if the pokemon was owned by him, but… Magikarp were an incredibly populous breed of fish, occasionally the sheer numbers of them choking out the local wildlife. Surely if the pokemon was his, he could have just caught it himself, but what if his family had purchased it for him?[break][break]

She didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to find some clues as to where the smuggler would be. Still, if this kid was raised in Anrui, he’d know to keep the fact that he was training a pokemon a well-kept secret, which almost made this situation even less clear. Could the kid be so bold to allow his magikarp to trick people, and then directly claim ownership of him?[break][break]

There was no use in waiting around and picking out even more details to make the situation hazier. Instead, she wiped the last bit of tears away from her eyes and glanced down to Band. ”Stay with the eggs,” she said quietly before approaching the kid.[break][break]

”Hey, that was a pretty good prank,” she said to him, feigning what she could of a smile despite the fact that she was still fairly upset that she had gotten wet in the first place. ”Do you get a lot of people that way?”[break][break]

[attr="class","vagrantNotes"]

9/10 shiny mareep[break]
9/15 shiny ponyta[break][break]

1/7 band (friend ball)

[attr="class","vagrantCredit"]SELKIE

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