Foxside: The Temple of Inari 53 - The New Fluffy Overlords

[Zefir]

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

As Vis looks at the new catched pokemon he smiles.

"Wow. That's an amazing day so far, right spidy? Last time we searched for Pokemon we didn't even catch anyone and now we got two new friends in no time." The little spider nods in agreement. Alex won't make out that he says anything to translate. it seems like the spider did learn to communicate with Vis.
"Best we get to the other family as well. It would be rude if I don't even ask them."

He will bow to the priestress and then release the Torchic.

"Come on, we can head there together," he turns to Alex "if you could lead the way, please."

[Fenric]

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

And away they go! Back the way they came, off into the "wild" unimproved section and way off in the corner. Eventually they come to a small house near the southeastern corner of the lot.

They live here!

He knocks, and a rather feminine Kirlia comes to the door. She giggles at him, then looks at the others

Oh, Alex... did you go and get yourself caught?
Nope! Volunteer! Lisa, this is Vis: we're going to help him win the very first Temple Gym badge!

She smiles at Vis.

Hello, Vis.

[Zefir]

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

Vis bows friendly and Spidy nods(bowing is not so noticable for a joltik^^)

"Hello Lisa. It's like Akex said. I was pointed here, since I didn't got enought pokemon to take part in the challange. So I would ask if any of you would be so kind and help a young trainer out?"

[Fenric]

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

Lisa looks at the rest of the team

Hm... a bit under-levelled, but you have something to counter most of what the club can throw at you. But do you think you can beat Zack's Lucario, Alex?

The Lopunny grins

I will if you're there to cheer me on!

She turns to Vis

I see... then I will add my Psychic abilities to your team, Vis. Between us, the oddly evee-heavy Temple Pokémon Club will be defeated!

[Ionbound]

Full Moon Party-Certain

Azare nods as she shakes Certain's hand. "It's a deal then."

Tzlolth smiles widely. "I can even offer my help with this rescue if you allow me to Certain. You're going down into the deepest parts of hell after all."

Certain shakes her head at Tzlolth and says, "I have my own help, thank you. You're not the only goddess on the premises."

[Fenric]

[Felina's Apartment - three days after the party]

Felina is at her little desk, looking at a small white bit of plastic with a disappointing pink "minus" showing in a window

Figures.

Dragons get all the luck.

I suppose aunt Martha will be glad to know that there's yet another data-point that the Nexus doesn't work for us.

Her eyes flit to the calendar, and she sighs.

---

[Caroline's Office]

Caroline has returned: quietly and with nothing in the way of ceremony. Katrina had been right all along, of course: Altaran already had their own plan and in the end Caroline's feeble attempt at assistance ended with nothing happening at all yet again.

But great success was had with the board: after following Caravan's advice, much of their posturing was proven to be mere bluster and they backed down quickly. Felina had done a tremendous job presenting Caroline's report, holding down the fort and running the full moon party. Caroline makes a note that Felina should certainly be moved up to Fifth Rank now.

The report about Jinkei is strange and troubling, and Keiko hasn't been seen in weeks which surely means mischief is underway somewhere. Here's a couple of wedding items to sort out and...

Ok, slowpoke: just because I'm on my honeymoon doesn't mean you delay your wedding forever. Let's get this show on the road!

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline's Office

Steven enters, a smile on his face.
"Caroline! An acolyte said they saw you come in, so I thought I'd be your welcome back committee, even though I'm sure you've already gotten the repo- hello Noriko what are you doing here?" he cuts himself off, surprised.

[Fenric]

[Caroline's Office]

Noriko grins her usual jaunty smile

Coming to see how big a mess my little sister had left. And I gotta say I'm impressed! Not only is everything still standing, you expanded the place while I wasn't looking. Anyway, hubby's already ran off to confabulate with Myobu in the smithy about swords, so looks like things are off to a good start on that end and so I came to give Caroline here a poke and find out why you're still Steven Linde!

Caroline mumbles about being busy. Noriko shakes her head

Yeah, I kinda figured that'd be your answer. So Steven: I imagine your side of the family is pretty well ready - as ready as they're going to get, at any rate. Am I right?

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline's Office

"I have told them what to expect, and the dress clothes are on order. I don't think I can prepare them for your side of the family, so I suppose the answer is yes, they are." Steven says after some consideration.

[Fenric]

[Caroline's Office]

Noriko nods

Great! Caroline's side doesn't actually have the time constraints - we can just cheat. So that just leaves you, Caroline: Dress, Cake, Food picked out. You doing this our way or something else

Caroline nods

Yes to them all. Traditional, of course.

Noriko turns to Steven

You know what that means? Don't mind? You have a tuxedo?

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline's Office

Well, traditional except the mice. Shudder.
"Well yes, it's hanging in the closet. I do hope if you're planning on rescheduling you'll be giving my folks some warning; they have crops to take care of you know." he says skeptically.

[Recaiden]

[Felina's Apartment - three days after the party]

Arlem stops back here after a round of refreshing and replacing spells, and as he ascertains what's happening, sighs softly himself.

"Are you sure it's anything more than bad luck? Because that's sure to turn to good luck with time."

He goes over to stand behind her, set a hand on hr shoulder, comforting. Hopefully.

[Zefir]

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

Lisa looks at the rest of the team

Hm... a bit under-levelled, but you have something to counter most of what the club can throw at you. But do you think you can beat Zack's Lucario, Alex?

The Lopunny grins

I will if you're there to cheer me on!

She turns to Vis

I see... then I will add my Psychic abilities to your team, Vis. Between us, the oddly evee-heavy Temple Pokémon Club will be defeated!

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

Underleveld? Urg that doesn't sound well. Jotik is from his level higher then Alex and vis doesn't know where Torchic stands. That must mean the Arena is aroun level 50 or higher. Vis is a little confused as he listens to the pokemons talking. He feels a bit out of place. Still he bows as help was offered.

"Thank you." he says, holding up another pokeball to Lisa.

[Fenric]

[Felina's Apartment]

Felina nods, still disappointed

With a six month cycle, Inari made it a lot closer to guaranteed for us than it is for humans... but you're right: it's not a given. It was fun to try, though.

She turns to Arlem and wraps him in a hug, burying her face in his chest

You'll be here to try again, right?

---

[Caroline's Office]

Noriko's ears perk up and she arches an eyebrow at Caroline

Moving it up? When were you thinking of having it?

Caroline mumbles "September sometime" and Noriko shakes her head

Allright: I'm here now - you're officially "not busy" anymore.

Don't worry about the crops, Steven: I'm sure Myobi can be imposed on to keep the crops healthy for an afternoon say... next week.

---

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

Lisa touches the ball and vanishes in the traditional blue glow.

Let us now skip more tedious descriptions of walking around, and go to the Gym! There, Zack is waiting patiently - there haven't been a lot of challengers, it would seem.

Hello, Vis. How'd it go?

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline's Office


Steven blinks and looks at Caroline in surprise.
"Uh, it's unorthodox but I can't really think of any complaints on my end." he admits sheepishly.

[Recaiden]

[Felina's Apartment]

Arlem wraps her up in return, cradling the disappointed vixen. There's rather a lot of that feeling. His own disappointment and dashed expectations, Felina's own feeling of the same, a bit of not-entirely-unreasonable guilt - if he were really the vulpan he looks like, this wouldn't be an issue.

"Of course I will. Maybe there's some preparation to be done for the next try."
Because there very well could be more than bad luck.

[Fenric]

[Caroline's Office]

Caroline blinks. Noriko hasn't been mean, sarcastic, or even particularly snippy this whole time.

You are really going to help us?

Caroline gets a look

Duh! Gotta wrap this up before you guys end up on the short-list for "longest engagement ever".

Oh look! There's mean, sarcastic, and snippy all at once: it really is Noriko
Caroline chuckles and shakes her head.

We are not even remotely close. But very well... since you have no objections, Steven: let us move things ahead.

Noriko beams

Allright! Now you're talking, Caroline! Let's get this party started!

and with that, she vanishes. Caroline blinks

I did not truly think we were taking all that long...

---

[Felina's Apartment]

Felina looks up with big adoring eyes.

Oh, yes!

She gets up and heads over to the small shelf mentioned a while back, and takes down the small box. It has a picture of a vixen and a human holding two little apparently Vulpan kits in a park-like setting.

NexGen: making your dream family a reality

Mersianne Life Sciences
Rue du Technique 250
Foix 766322-09

It's magic: effectively a potion in a chewable tablet, and there are only a very few minor changes to the formula Grandfather Michaud invented all those years ago. The spell combines what can be and favors the mother for what can't.

And his first test couple didn't know they were being experimented on... minor details.

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline's Office

Steven gives her a sympathetic smile.
"We weren't, but usually the date is set fairly quickly so people can plan."
He looks down at Eclipse.
"Now, what to do with you? Don't think you'll look good on a tux." he jokes.

[Recaiden]

[Felina's Apartment]

That's an awful surprise to find out you were in an experiment for.

Arlem looks the box over and nods. He remembers.
"And the spell is general enough to work on races not even from Erda?"

[Fenric]

[Caroline's Office]

Caroline smiles in return

I have some calls to make if this is going to be next week.

Eclipse chuckles

And you would be remiss to be armed at the wedding. I need not appear as a katana, however: I imagine there will be a dragon or two already in attendance, after all. One more should not prove problematic, especially as I would not be the most... imposing... specimen there.

Yeah, compared to Orochi, Eclipse's dragon form is downright cute.

---

[Felina's Apartment]

It caused a certain amount of distress, certainly. In the end, Frederick is probably just as glad though - that was his great-great grandfather and the human princess Y'niva, after all.

Felina nods

It's important to note that most of the people living on Erda are not technically "from" there: we Vulpans are the only ones created especially for that world.
But that aside, my aunt is already overseeing limited production at the facility in Skyside after trials proved favorable. Sales are slower than she'd like, as the Nexus often does perform the same... service... automatically, but they're not bad.

[Deathkeeper]

Caroline's Office

"Oh, don't feel bad. I'm sure most dragons look small next to Orochi."
He has a point.
"And I'll leave you to it, then. Good to have you back." Steven says to his fiancée, giving her a kiss on the cheek before departing.

[Zefir]

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

Lisa touches the ball and vanishes in the traditional blue glow.

Let us now skip more tedious descriptions of walking around, and go to the Gym! There, Zack is waiting patiently - there haven't been a lot of challengers, it would seem.

Hello, Vis. How'd it go?

[Pokémon MiniQuest]

"Oh, it went well. Not only did those families help me, I also found a torchic." Vis says.

[Fenric]

[Pokémon Tournament]

Zack grins

That's what I like to hear. Allright, Vis: first off you'll be facing Kelly! She will be leading Sparky, the Jolteon; Ember, the Flareon; and Midnight, the Umbreon. Pick your three!

... all Evee evolutions? So that's what Lisa meant.

---

[Priest's Quarters]

(( I'll just edit this in here, since no one is meant to respond - not that I'll stop anyone, naturally. ))

Noriko returns, still in human form, and is joined by three others who all look very similar. Two are accompanied, one is not.

Ah, good. Myobi said she will handle the folks from Erda, so we just get to have fun for two weeks.

Tsukiko grins

It's been a while: we didn't get a vacation for your wedding.

Hoshiko laughs

Now, now: only mortals count for getting a holiday.

Yumiko grins

So does that mean Keiko counts? She just got engaged too, you know.

Noriko rolls her eyes

Yeah... yeah...

and they head into the building.

[Zefir]

[Pokémon Tournament]

"Thank you." Vis says as he turns away to set his pokemon free.

"So, I was told what we will have to deal with. I'm sure spidy would be a good coice, just for Jolteon and Umbreon. Torchic could withstand Flareon, but that goes the other way as well. Any of you got an idea?"

[Earl of Purple]

Full Moon Party- Emily

"It will probably be a slow process. Nature will take a long time to return a large desert to its original state, and might never fully succeed. After a while, deserts become sort of self-sustaining. That's the funny thing with curses; when broken, direct effects are reversed instantly, but indirect ones take longer. When the curse that kept a castle asleep for a hundred years is broken, everyone wakes up, but the structural damage and rampant growth required physical action." Emily doesn't know much about deserts, but she has learnt about curses and powerful magic. And what Kitnick describes is a very powerful curse indeed.

[Fenric]

[Pokémon Tournament]

Alex winces a bit: that lot would not be fun for him.

Lisa smirks

I've beaten Midnight before: he might have a couple of levels on me, but I'm better.

---

[Full Moon Party - Emily]

Kitnick nods and smiles

That sure does sound exactly like what's happening. And I'm sure at least some of it was already desert before the curse: there are parts where it hardly ever rains because the mountains block the clouds. Over where we live there are mountains, too... but they're not the same and there's grass on the other side. We're expecting the area around the city to get a lot nicer, and our crops are doing a little better each month.

[Earl of Purple]

Full Moon Party- Emily

"Rain shadow deserts. Don't know more about them besides the name, but that's enough to know it's a recognised phenomenon. It's probably going to stay dry and dusty, even when it's returned to its pre-curse state." Emily's running out of conversation for this subject, alas.

[Recaiden]

[Felina's Apartment]

It caused a certain amount of distress, certainly. In the end, Frederick is probably just as glad though - that was his great-great grandfather and the human princess Y'niva, after all.

Felina nods

It's important to note that most of the people living on Erda are not technically "from" there: we Vulpans are the only ones created especially for that world.
But that aside, my aunt is already overseeing limited production at the facility in Skyside after trials proved favorable. Sales are slower than she'd like, as the Nexus often does perform the same... service... automatically, but they're not bad.

Well, happy for Frederick. But how did his great-great grandparents feel?

Arlem nods.
"So if it can do all that, it shouldn't be a problem between us! And the coincidence of the nexus fails often enough."

[Priest's Quarters]

Noriko returns, still in human form, and is joined by three others who all look very similar. Two are accompanied, one is not.

Ah, good. Myobi said she will handle the folks from Erda, so we just get to have fun for two weeks.

Tsukiko grins

It's been a while: we didn't get a vacation for your wedding.

Hoshiko laughs

Now, now: only mortals count for getting a holiday.

Yumiko grins

So does that mean Keiko counts? She just got engaged too, you know.

Noriko rolls her eyes

Yeah... yeah...

and they head into the building.

Somewhere, Cleo feels annoyed at Noriko for no reason she can identify.

[Fenric]

[Full Moon Party - Emily]

Yep... that topic's pretty well done. Kitnick stirs a bit

Well... I'll leave you to your dinner. Glad you like the food, and enjoy the party!

---

[Felina's Apartment]

Oh, they were really quite angry.

Felina nods

Yes, it's quite hopeful.

Box goes back on the shelf

But for now, it doesn't look like we're going to be parents quite yet.

[Recaiden]

[Felina's Apartment]

Still, in the modern world, we're glad to have Frederick.

Arlem gives her what is hopefully an encouraging smile.
"The key being 'quite yet.'"