The Heights of Londo [IC 2: Bolted]

[Comissar]

Leah casts a worried glance back the way they'd come as she slows to a stop. She winces as she does, her gaze shifting to her exposed arms. Her skin had ended up becoming caked in sand. Gently, she brushed at it with her hand, shifting the sand grains to reveal multitudinous flecks of red all along her skin.

"Ah..."

Leah winced again as she began the slow process of cleaning her arms of debris, eyes watering from the stinging sensation as she did. She glanced back at the way they came again, worry written across her face, "Is she really going to be ok..?"

Spoiler: Health

Show

Leah's currently at 30/50 Health

[Merilan]

Linne didn't seem to mind the scratches and tears at her skin and dress, though she took a moment to pant and take a breath as Zeta came up to her side, similarly injured with a frown. "Linne thinks we should find cover. Where would Bibi want to meet up, Ibib?"

[tgva8889]

As she finishes caring for the Hoothoot, Alyssa gives a smile and puts her hands on her hips in triumph. "All done! Maybe take care with how long you're flying for a few days, but otherwise should be back to normal after one or two days rest." She offers the Hoothoot some of the berries she still has. "You're not such a bad fellow, are you? I'm glad you're doing okay."

At Linne's suggestion, Alyssa looks around for a good place to hide out. "If we can find someplace safe and out of the way that might be best." She gives a look around the immediate area to see if there's anywhere that looks safer than out in the open.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Suppose a Perception: (4d6)[12]
Also I have no idea whether Charm is still necessary to make the Hoothoot like Alyssa more?

[Hazuki]

Alyssa can't see any particularly good hiding spots to wait for Bibi, although a few rocks would provide good cover should the sandstorm continue. Ibib points its glow to the trail that led them to the rocky fields, from Licia.

[Merilan]

Linne looked around as well, but shook her head as she pointed to where Ibib was guiding them. "It's dangerous to stay out here for long, especially when the sun will go down. It may be best to just return to Licia......"

She didn't sound eager, though. Ibib could sense that she wanted to wait for Bibi.

[Ceralune]

As they all finally make it out of the sandstorm, Genevieve's distressed - on at least two levels. Not only is Damien hurt, but she's taken a beating as well, and don't even get her started on her clothes! Something tells me they probably don't have proper washing machines in Licia, she laments to herself. Damien wasn't in the sand long, at least, but she can already foresee a grooming session in his near future, as soon as they all figure out what on earth is going on... and, well, once they find Bibi.

The thought of Bibi reminds her that the scarred woman is probably still fighting that Larvitar and, despite Genevieve's reservations towards her, she feels oddly lost without their (apparently very) trustworthy guide. As Ibib points them in the direction back to Licia, and some of the others subtly express their desire to wait for Bibi, Genevieve finally decides to interject. We didn't listen to Bibi once already, and it turned out she knew better than us. I don't think I'm up for making that mistake again.

"If Ibib is telling us to go back to town, I think we should listen."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa gives a shrug, then turns to the Hoothoot. "Hey, um, so I know that Pokemon back there knocked down your home. I know it's not the same, but would you like to come with us? I feel bad about what happened and I'd like to help if I can."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Let me know if I need to make a Charm check for this.

[Hazuki]

The Hoothoot says nothing, but hops up to stand on Alyssa's shoulder. Aside from the mildly disconcerting appearance of its talons gripping her shoulder, it seems content to stand there for some time.

Spoiler: Charm

Show

You don't need to make one. It's considered Friendly to Alyssa.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa smiles at the Hoothoot on her shoulder and gives a small giggle. "I'm happy you're coming." Looking to the others, she says, "I guess we have to hope Bibi catches up to us?" Her voice is calm and collected but she glances back into the sandstorm with a bit of genuine fear.

[Merilan]

Linne frowned softly as she started down the path, but... then said, "Um, Linne will wait, if the rest of you want to head back to Licia first, please feel free..."

[Comissar]

Leah looks torn, not wanting to leave Linne or Bibi behind, but not eager to face whatever was coming to the Larvitar's aid. She glances between Linne and Alyssa, "... I don't want to, uh, to leave you behind too."

[Ceralune]

Genevieve lets out an exasperated sigh as it seems the others intend to stay and wait. "Okay, well... can we at least find somewhere to hide? Maybe go a little further up the path? I take it Bibi will come find us anyways, and I'd rather not still be in the danger zone when I'm pretty sure she will be heading back to Licia."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Perception: (2d6)[3] to see if there's anywhere to hide.

[Hazuki]

Ibib adjusts the grip of its tentacles on Linne's head.

[Merilan]

Linne nodded and reached her hand up to pat Ibib gently, before glancing around and taking in their surroundings. "Mm hmm..." She reached down to pat Zeta, as the Fennekin sighed softly.

Spoiler: Action

Show

I'll help with Perception - (3d6)[8]

[Hazuki]

Neither of the girls spot a spot that stands out.

[Ceralune]

"Well... I guess this part of the path is pretty barren," Genevieve mutters. "Maybe we can wander a little further towards town, at least until we find somewhere to hide? I really think we should defer to those who have more experience doing this... and right now, that is... 'Ibib.'"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks between everyone as they look around for places to hide. She starts nervously rubbing her arm, and finally just shakes her head. "No, I'm sorry, I, um, I can't stay here. I'm sorry, really sorry." She gives everyone an awkward look for a beat, then starts walking down the path unless anyone stops her.

[Merilan]

Linne turned to Alyssa, before letting out a slight sigh. "Sorry... Linne just wanted to be helpful today and help everyone find new friends--" she paused, and smiled at the Hoothoot, encouraging Alyssa. "Take good care of him, okay? Linne will see you back in town..."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa looks around at the trees and the sandstorm, still nervously rubbing her arm. "It's not that. I just, um, I can't...I mean, I don't want to stay. I'm...I just can't. Be careful." She considers herself for a moment, then grabs Linne in a hug.

[Merilan]

Linne shook her head with a smile, hugging Alyssa back. "No, Linne understands..."

[Comissar]

Leah glances awkwardly at Linne as Alyssa starts to walk away. "Umm... Stay safe..."

She follows after the older girl, walking quickly to catch up to her. Concern in her voice, she asked "... Are you ok..?"

[Ceralune]

Genevieve stares at the two as they walk away, remembering to close her mouth after a momen. How did she end up being left here when she was the one who advocated for listening to Ibib in the first place? And now half of the group decides to just leave them? Well this was turning out to be a disasterous pokémon search indeed. Genevieve may not have much experience with groups, but under the present circumstances, it hadn't felt right to split up. And she finds it ironic and discouraging that she, of all people, decided to stick with that mentality while others just left.

She pinches the bridge of her nose (she's seen her mother do that before - apparently it's supposed to relieve tension!) and turns to face Linne, the temptation to follow her own advice getting stronger... but at the same time, leaving Linne here alone seems like a jerk move, even to her. She thinks, I'm starting to remember why I always went solo at school.

You know what, I'm not her keeper. If she wants to stay here waiting for someone who is coming back to where we're supposed to go, I'm sure she wouldn't choose to do so unless she could take care of herself. "Hey... I'm gonna head back too", Genevieve says, making her voice reasonably calm. "Be careful." She starts off in the direction that the other two went, though at a much slower pace, reluctant to run into the two who just ditched them.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa doesn't respond to Leah at first, still rubbing her arm, though at some point she starts rubbing both her arms like she's cold, despite the weather. Then, likely some distance down the road, she starts to shake and falls to her knees, tears coming from her eyes. She doesn't say anything, sobbing uncontrollably at this point.

Hoothoot, for its part, looks on concerned for a little bit but is utterly confused by the entire situation and has never had anything like this happen before so it just sits on Alyssa's shoulder and turns to Leah quizzically.

[Merilan]

Linne bit her lip and nodded at Genevieve, waving gently at her as she took place on a nearby rock to sit down. She didn't really blame any of them for wanting to go back to the village -- it'd be the smarter move to do, but... well, Linne wasn't exactly known for making smart decisions, just decisions based on her heart. That was pretty much how she handled living in the forest, after all.

Zeta took up residence next to her, and she petted the Fennekin while she picked away at some of the minor wounds on her from the sandstorm, and then looked up at Ibib. "You're not worried, are you, Ibib...? Bibi's tough, so Linne isn't."

[Comissar]

Leah gives Alyssa a concerned look as she fails to answer her question, but doesn't break the silence as they walk. When her friend collapses to the ground in tears, her eyes widen in alarm. Quickly dropping into a crouch next to her, her eyes ran across Alyssa as she searched for some kind of injury. Seeing nothing, and looking up to the older girl's face, her own eyes started to water in sympathy as she felt a pit start to open in her chest. At a loss for what to do, she acts on instinct and tries to pull Alyssa into a hug.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

I'm not sure how successful said hug-pulling will be, it kinda depends on how Alyssa is sitting and how receptive she'd be to the attempt. I'm happy to let tgva describe the success/failure of Leah's attempt

[tgva8889]

Alyssa at first simply allows herself to be pulled awkwardly into a sort of side hug, but after a moment she turns around and hugs Leah fully, sobbing onto her shoulder. It takes her a little while before she can get enough air to form words, but when she does she speaks slowly, between sobs. "I'm...so...scared." She takes a deep breath and tries to say more but just ends up sobbing. For a while Leah can feel her fighting between breathing and sobbing, until she starts hyperventilating. Her breaths come sharp and fast, and she pushes a bit at Leah as if to make more space. At this point she manages to squeak out, "Help" and she can't stop crying or breathing too fast.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Qualified success?

Explanation for Alyssa's state sure to come soon, once she stops freaking out.

[Comissar]

The pit in Leah's chest only seems to deepen, and words fail her, as Alyssa expresses her fear in halting sobs. All she finds herself able to do is give what she hopes is a comforting squeeze to show her support. As Alyssa's breathing becomes more erratic and she pushes away, Leah moved back with concern, hands still resting on the older girl's shoulders.

"Help"

Leah's mind raced even as she felt her throat seem to close up. She desperately tried to remember everything she could about panic attacks, wishing she had someone with her to help. Fighting back her own rising worries, she looked at Alyssa and said "..."

Closing her eyes, and fighting back the lump in her throat, she tried to calm herself enough to help her friend. Opening her eyes again, she locked her gaze on Alyssa's and forced herself to speak slowly, "I-I'm right here. You're safe. We're going to be... To be ok." She swallowed dryly, briefly glancing over Alyssa's shoulder to check if anyone was coming, "You're not in danger right now. Just... Just try and breath slow. I know it's hard. I-I know you're scared. But I'm right here too, a-and you're not in danger."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Not sure if you want me to do so or not, but Charm roll to see how well Leah can get through to Alyssa?

(1D6)[5]

[Hazuki]

Linne

Linne gets an image of Bibi emerging from a dank cave, covered in scratches but with a triumphant torch in hand. The sandstorm continues to rage just a few feet away from her, and she spots a few more Pokemon slinking out of its shadows or else taking cover near rocks. Not many, but there are a Hoothoot or two that are only now returning from a night of berry-hunts.

After a minute or two, the sandstorm starts to shift away from her. More minutes pass, and the Pokemon on the edge of the rocky fields gather up the courage to head back in. The moments stretch on until she spots a figure shambling out of the rocks, lank and burdened and covered in blood.

[Merilan]

Linne let out a little sigh, then nodded to Ibib as she shared the image -- and when the sandstorm subsided, and she saw the bloodied figure, she rose up to approach her. "Bibi...?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa listens and nods, glad to have Leah there to help. Just hearing someone else help her through helps calm her down enough that she can focus. She puts her mind to task and after some tense moments she seems to be quiet and still. She takes deep and long breaths, trying to keep her emotions level, though there's a clear raggedness to them. After some silence she tries to wipe the tears from her face but she can't wipe away the red streaks they've left behind. She looks at Leah and offers a smile which fails to hide her real feelings. "Thanks, Leah. I'm...glad you were here. We should...probably go." Despite her suggestion, she doesn't really make any moves to stand at all. It seems to take her a lot of effort to shift to her knees, though she's clearly not injured in any way. "Can you help me up?"

Hoothoot is mostly still not sure exactly what's going on, and looks between Leah and Alyssa for a moment before opting to instead observe the area in case anything should come upon them by surprise or something.