Inside 62

[Rebonack]

[Tristan's Place]

"That sounds awful..." Wyverly mutters.

While they haven't ever experienced it before, the trio of siblings have read at least a little on what sensory deprivation can do to people.

And it isn't pretty.

"Well, I pray you don't ever encounter anyone else who uses you in such a cruel fashion," Kirin says solemnly. "I'm glad you've found a life you can take joy in. If you ever want someone to talk with, or a garden to dig in, feel free to visit us."

Leona glances between her two siblings for a moment before coughing slightly.

"We've been planning on doing some mineralogical exploration once we found our home again," she says. "You could join us for that, too. And thank you for helping us through that maze. It was..." she wrinkles her nose. "Frustrating."

To say the least.

[Somewhere Closed?]

You know who's being sneaky?

And possibly humming the Mission Impossible theme?

Why, it's none other than Khannie!

The little kangaskhan is supposed to be in bed right now, but she has discovered that she can sneak out of the house and go on little adventures in the middle of the night when everyone expects her to be sleeping. This might have something to do with the fact that she only needs to sleep for a few hours each day rather than the eight to ten humans apparently require.

How could anyone ever expect her to just lay around in her bed staring at the ceiling for hours on end?

That was so boring!

So who could get mad at her for sneaking outside at night and finding a fight or two to grind some XP for levels? She would get stronger and tougher and learn new moves and make her daddy proud of her!

[Lady Serpentine]

[Familiar Place]

He blinks, and rubs his eyes against the crook of his arm until she stops glowing. People do that sometimes. "Oh right. Where are my manners. It's Sebastian, and this little fellow is Napoleon." Sebastian doesn't have a hand to offer, and Vana is already likely a little muddy from helping him up, but he gives the crocodile's claw a little wave. The grinning 'little fellow' dangles by his shoulders as Bastion stands up, eyes never leaving the mantis and mouth never quite closing.

"We're very sorry for that. Well I am. Napoleon knows no remorse." The crocodile grunts in agreement. "Can I ask where you found your pet there? I've never seen anything quite like him. That pattern is really quite beautiful."

"That would be... Well, off-plane." She hesitates a bit before continuing, not sure how much she should say, though he's probably already figured everything out just from that. "I've found a few rather interesting things that way. And I'm glad you like her. She is rather beautiful. Though I'm afraid that she'll be utterly terrifying once she grows up if she doesn't start taking better to training." Vana grins a little at him, chuckling again as he apologizes. "Apology accepted. Though I'm afraid that much like Napoleon, she doesn't tend to apologize either. How about him? It's a bit unusual to be carrying a crocodile around with you too, is it not?" The other people in the park certainly seemed to think so.

Wait, that thing isn't fully grown? Just how large do they get?

[Deathkeeper]

Sonewhere Closed

Like the little town garden (it's not big enough to be a park) with its parking lot and hot dog stall. They are definitely closed for the night. But that doesn't usually stop local kids from meeting up there, among other groups.
Like little pokemon in overalls.
Or magical green genie-ladies.
"Hun, it's awful late for someone your age to be here. Shouldn't you be home?"
Asks a voice from her left. It's easy to be sneaky when you're little. It's easier if you don't have feet to touch the ground and you're sort of made of smoke so you don't actually have to breathe. It might be hard to make out details in the dimly lit place, but the voice belongs to a young, mildly curvy woman with green skin, teal hair, the spiral horns and ears of an eland, and nothing but smoke below her belly-button. She's wearing a pale-red vest.

[Rebonack]

[A Smallish Garden]

The major difference between parks and gardens?

Awful monsters are less likely to be lurking around in gardens waiting to accost passers-by.

Regardless!

Khannie was wading through a patch of tall grass that should probably be mowed when someone started talking to her all of a sudden! She gives a little "Eep!" and whirls around, fists raised just in case the someone needs clobberin'.

"I'm not sleepy!" Khannie declares defiantly as she relaxes her defensive stance ever so slightly. She's can see pretty well in the dark, at least well enough to make out the human with weird horns and ears. Khannie can't help but wonder what type of human she is.

Humans sure do come in lots of different types.

It's crazy!

"And I'm tough! I can take care of myself," she quickly adds.

[Deathkeeper]

A Smallish Garden

The floating lady gives a sincere smile to the little tyke.
"Both those things might be true, but when normal kids aren't sleepy after bedtime they stay up reading or playing video games."
The fact that she brings up not being sleepy implies that someone gave her a bed time, and she isn't just homeless. She floats down close to eye level.
"And as a responsible adult I should be telling you to go home where it's safe. But there's one other thing more important. My name's Pat, and I'm a djinni. Do you know what that means?" she asks, her grin growing very excited.

[Rebonack]

[Night Garden]

We'll say this is one of those gardens with neat flowers that all bloom at night to attract moths and bats and stuff. Which means lots of ghostly white flowers.

Pretty!

Khannie, on the other hand, huffs. "But I'm not a normal human! I'm a kangaskhan and I'm really tough!"

Letting people know that she's really tough is very important.

Apparently just as important as Pat giving out wishes.

At her question, Khannie just looks confused. "No...? What's a duhgen?"

Would you listen to that?

Glorious mispronunciation.

[Lost_Deep]

[Tristan's Place]

"That sounds awful..." Wyverly mutters.

While they haven't ever experienced it before, the trio of siblings have read at least a little on what sensory deprivation can do to people.

And it isn't pretty.

"Well, I pray you don't ever encounter anyone else who uses you in such a cruel fashion," Kirin says solemnly. "I'm glad you've found a life you can take joy in. If you ever want someone to talk with, or a garden to dig in, feel free to visit us."

Leona glances between her two siblings for a moment before coughing slightly.

"We've been planning on doing some mineralogical exploration once we found our home again," she says. "You could join us for that, too. And thank you for helping us through that maze. It was..." she wrinkles her nose. "Frustrating."

To say the least.

"Well, I'm not much of a rock head myself, but that might be fun," Copi says, "If nothing else it will be safer than going out yourself."

[Deathkeeper]

A Smallish Garden

"I said kids, not human kids."
She's right. Some elf kids figured out how to practice playing Starcraft while in their not-sleep trance. They're horrifyingly good after years of that.
"A djinni is a kind of being that grants wishes for people! I like going around and giving them to people. But not many people needed my help today, so you can get a wish granted too! It can be more or less anything; I don't have many limits." she says with a nod.

[Rebonack]

[Tristan's Place]

"You're always welcome," Kirin replies kindly.

"If you'll excuse us, we have a whole lot of cleaning to do," Leona says.

"We'll exchange phone numbers and be in touch!" Wyverly adds.

Yay phone numbers?

[Night Garden]

Khannie huffs again, trying her best to look stoic (and tough).

Though at the mention of wishes?

THAT perks her ears up.

"Really?" she asks. She knows of pokemon who are supposed to be able to grant wishes, but she hasn't ever met one. "Anything?"

Immediately her mind is swimming with possibilities! She could wish to be tougher... But that would take the effort out of it. Getting tougher by your own hard work is important! Chowing down on a bucket of Rare Candies would be like... cheating. But what about other things? What else could she wish for?

She can feel it.

The Parental Bond with her daddy. But it has always been so weak... It just hasn't ever felt right. But what if...?

"Well... if I could wish for anything... I wish that my Parental Bond with daddy worked right. It's so frail and... and... kind of not good? It's missing important parts." She wrinkles her nose. "It's hard to talk to someone who isn't a kangaskhan about it cuz humans don't know what I'm talking about. But that's my wish. I wish my Parental Bond with daddy is just as strong and full and great as it should be."

[Deathkeeper]

Garden at Night

It's too bad Pat doesn't play much pokemon, or she might have any idea what she means and not just think she's asking to help fix her relationship with her daddy.
So she just gives Khannie a sympathetic look and snaps her fingers.
"Granted. In return, go home tonight. Play with something at night instead of risking kidnappers or worse. At least tonight. And as favor to me, think about staying indoors from now on. Ask daddy for a weight set if you want to train."

Khannie needs to try Super Training!
Khannie might feel her Bond get a little stronger. She's far from Jace, it's hard to tell...

[Rebonack]

[Night Garden]

Might feel it get a little stronger?

Why, a kangaskhan is very sensitive to this sort of thing! She feels it right away, as a matter of fact! And as soon as she feels that sensation of connectedness grow, a wonderful warmth fills her little heart.

"Ohmygosh it worked! Thank you!"

And then?

Pat may get a hug.

Not sure how that would work.

Smoke legs and all.

But Khannie is certainly going to try.

"Umm... a weight set?" she asks, confused. Super training is just for increasing effort points, isn't it? If she wants to level up, she needs to pummel stuff still. "But... okay! I'll go home instead of beating up feral pokemon tonight. Bye!"

And then?

She'll turn and begin bounding back toward her home!

[Lost_Deep]

Tristan's Place

The trade phone numbers (Copi warns that she doesn't always keep hers charged & on) and Copi takes off!

[ThirdEmperor]

[Familiar Place]

"Planes. Most people just call them worlds or dimensions." It isn't quite a question, because you can't go chasing every wild coincidence here. You'd go mad quite quickly. But Sebastian does smile, and try to brush the clinging shrubbery from his hair, letting Napoleon down to the ground to roll happily in the mud - his hand stays on the leash, and tugs back when the crocodile tries to poke its nose at her feet. "Most people would also call her terrifying already. Obviously, I'm not one to talk."

"Him, I only picked up at a pet store, but now he's a sacred vessel of the god Sobek. And I fear it's gone straight to his scaly little head." And a cute little head it is too, Napoleon grudgingly allowing his owner to scratch him between the nostrils. His tail sweeps the grass in a way entirely indignities for a fearsome and sacred beast. "Actually, and if you wouldn't mind, could I sketch her? It would only take a minute." Bastion looks up to ask, and then at a pause, glances back, "I'd just need to run and go find where I dropped my things."

[Lady Serpentine]

[Familiar Place]

"Odd that you'd know that," Vana replies, smirking at him; if proof she's a planeswalker is what he's fishing for, it's pretty clear he's going to have to work a bit harder, if he wants explicit confirmation. "And I'd have said it's fairly clear you are, since that's exactly what we're doing, is it not? Not that I'm not apparently one to do so too."

"...Sacred vessel? Interesting." The stories she's heard of divinely inspired Planeswalkers, which she's starting to suspect he might be too, aren't good. But no need to point that out just yet. Who knows? He might have heard the same ones and be trying to avoid them, or he might be just as bad and try to kill her for mentioning it. "But in any case, yes, you can sketch her, if you like. Do you want her off me for that?"

[ThirdEmperor]

[Familiar Place]

And Sebastian can only roll his eyes to that, his turn to laugh now, a dry and quiet kind of laugh. "'Odd' comes a little cheap around here." She's definitely something. The glow creeps back around the corners if he's not careful, breaking into patterns of sharp, distinct color, and Bastion can't help but see some small resemblance to the sorcerer's aura. But he's not one to press a point she would evidently rather evade.

Besides, that's not precisely a safe resemblance.

"And no, you should definitely hold her." He nods to a bench along the gravel trail that encircles the valley of tall grasses and ornamental ponds, sheltered by the boughs of spidery, pale skinned willow trees. "Over there? I could tie Napoleon up while I go find where he's lost all my things. Or you could hold him, if you feel brave." Sebastian lifts an eyebrow, while his toe nudges a silent message to the crocodile. It would be bad if she actually got bitten.

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline

So, two khangaskan get onto a train. There's no punchline, there's just a pokemon with her child getting onto a train. One large brown pokemon with a backpack full of beach towels, one smaller one in her pouch with...whatever she packed. What did she pack? Either way, surely the train ride to Seaside will be very scenic.
"I forget, have I taken you on the Riftline before, Khannie?" asks Jace as they get seated. Khannie may want to get out and sit in the seat proper.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

Khannie packed a bucket, a shovel, and a pair of boxing gloves.

Just in case she needs to punch a crab, I guess?

Anywho!

Ah, public transportation.

You know how there are often really weird people on public transportation in large cities?

Well, when one is Inside just multiply that factor by all the things and you'll have a pretty good idea of the sort of nonsense you're dealing with. Like the goldfish bowl (plus goldfish) hooked up to a hulking suit of powered armor. Or that stack of polyps idly flicking tendrils in and out of a geometrically impossible tangle of coral. Or that kobold dressed like an 80s 'super-hacker' complete with an old keyboard under one arm. Or maybe that super-hero in the spandex blue and orange outfit with the conspicuous gecko pads on his fingers and feet. How about that floating collection of iridescent orbs, each one wearing a hat? Or that strange bird/pterrasaur thing sitting there folded up like a kite? Maybe that sheep covered in foliage instead of wool?

And then all those weird normal humanoids just sitting around being boring.

What's up with them?

Khanni seems intent on remaining in the pouch for the time being, excitedly bouncing up and down.

Oof... she's almost too big for it.

"Yeah! There are always lots of neat people on the train!" she giggles.

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline

Jace gives a small flinch and rubs Khannie's head.
"Khannie, mommy's pouch isn't super stretchy, and you're a bit old to be riding around it anyway. Please calm down." she says gently.
Ow.
Jace thinks there's a shovel jabbing into her ribs, too.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

Shovels jabbing you in the ribs builds character!

"Aaww..." Khannie grumbles before scrambling out onto the seat next to her mother. She sits there silently for a few moments, watching the giant volvox colony in the seat across from theirs waving its many cillia. Boy, that thing sure is weird. Looks like it should be Grass/Water type. That's a funny combination, Khannie thinks.

Grass and Water.

Eventually she leans back into Jace and gives her mom a hug.

"Sorry I made a mistake... I really just wanted our Parental Bond to work right. I didn't think it would make you different."

She really, really REALLY is sorry about that.

Really!

Even if riding in her mom's pouch for a while is fun.

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline

Jace uses her mighty Khangaskan hugging arms to pull Khannie into a side-hug.
"We'll worry about that tomorrow, Khannie. This has happened to me about five times now. I'm already used to it."
Right now the score is 2-Libra, 2-Fortuna, 1-Khannie. She needs to catch up!

[Lost_Deep]

Riftline

The Riftline pulls into a station, and people get on and off. In particular, Jace and Khannie might notice a Kirlia that's a bit too human get on. She's wearing a vest and a fanny pack, and she's listening to something on headphones. She has a duffel bag over one shoulder, and sits down a few seats away from the pair.

Kellia doesn't think twice about kangaskhans, it seems.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

Hugs are nice.

Hugging helps all the more to strengthen the bond between people. Between parent and child especially. Having a functioning Bond is just wonderful, as far as Khannie is concerned. She just wishes she hadn't gotten in trouble to fix it... But everything would be okay, right? Her mommy would be her daddy again, but they would keep the Bond and everything would be great!

She's sure of it.

That's exactly how things are going to go.

And then?

Suddenly Kellia!

Khannie watches the strange dress-wearing (is that even a dress?) human/pokemon board the train.

"Is... umm... mommy? Is she a pokemon or a human?" Khannie asks curiously, glancing up at Jace with puzzlement etched on her face.

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline

"That's Kell, one of my old roommates. I don't have an answer for that; she's an interesting story. And uh, I wouldn't ask her. I doubt she has the answer either."

Khannie should feel very distinct embarrassment. Jace clearly doesn't want Kellia to see her like this.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

"Oh..." Khannie replies, not really getting it.

Which isn't too much of a shock, since she got a non-answer.

"Is it okay if we ask her to sit with us?" Khannie asks innocently. "I like meeting your friends. They're neat!"

Very true.

Khannie has yet to meet a friend of her mother's who isn't neat.

But then again, most people in the Nexus are neat.

The Nexus is just weird like that.

Also!

A gaggle of Gloom Pones tromp onto the train, bundles of tools tied to their backs. They're having a pretty animated conversation about the next park they're going to be working on. Apparently that's a thing Team Nightmære does. They've been cleaning up parks around the City and making sure they're safe. What helpful unliving abominations!

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline

"Uh..." fumble, Jace! Fumble!
"She seems to be enjoying her music right now. And I think this might not be the best place to have to explain the uh, current situation."
Kellia's always the one making fun of how many silly things happen at Jace's house. This really would be just a drop in the bucket.

[Lost_Deep]

Riftline

"Oh, no, no trouble," Kellia says as she stands up to let the ponies all sit down together. She walks over and sits down besides Jace, on the far side from Khannie. "Pardon me."

She doesn't recognize either of them.

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

The ponies thank Kellia for her kindness. She even gets a cookie from one of them for her trouble!

Khannie is clearly picking up on her mother's discomfort.

That much is obvious to her.

She can feel it spiking as the odd poke-person sits down next to them.

And you know what she decides?

She decides the best way to make her mommy feel better is by talking with Jace's friends!

"Hi! I'm Khannie Vallarm!" the little kangaskhan blurts out. "Mommy says you used to be one of her room-mates!"

Welp.

Cat's out of the bag.

[Deathkeeper]

Riftline

Jace face-paws with both paws before sloooowwly turning towards Kellia.
"Hello, Kell. I forgot that you haven't met my daughter. Before you say one word, yes, she's normally like that, and I am being an extra- responsible parent for the day. " she insists.
Because extra-responsible parents subject themselves to species changes to make their kids feel better about themselves.

Jace is best parent. If you asked the people in the train, two whole people would agree to that!

[Lost_Deep]

Riftline

Kellia's about to eat that cookie when this is dropped on her. She looks at Jace, and then at Khannie, and then back to Jace.

Well... she doesn't laugh. She just appears to be shocked.

After a moment, she offers Jace the cookie. "You seem like you need this more than I do."

[Rebonack]

[Riftline]

Khannie pouts.

She wants a cookie, too!

All it would take is asking those ponies over there, but that hasn't occurred to her just yet.

Give her a little bit of time.

"We're going to the beach!" Khannie announces. "I haven't ever been tot he beach before, but I think it'll be lots of fun! Where are you going?"

Important question, that.

Is Kellia going somewhere cool?

Somewhere fun?

Like... maybe to the beach?