The Heights of Londo [IC 2: Bolted]

[Comissar]

Leah follows Alyssa outside slowly, moving at a limp as she tried to minimise time spent on her injured foot. On joining Alyssa outside, she has the same realisation. Glancing back inside, she commented "Maybe that woman that came over knows the way..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa grins, embarrassed. "Yeah, um, let's find Souf or someone to get directions." Turning back around, she heads back inside to see if someone's around who looks like they might know the way.

[Comissar]

Leah nods, then hesitates, "I, uh, I might stay here if, uh, if you don't mind. I, uh, I don't want to move too much if I can help it."

As Alyssa returns inside, Leah leans up against the wall, shifting her weight onto her uninjured foot. She glances back at the door to the Health Hole, a look of contentment on her face. She becomes aware of Saura staring at her, and looks down to see the Bulbasaur giving her a curious look.

"... What?"

Spoiler: OOC

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I've assumed Alyssa is cool with letting Leah wait outside, if she'd react otherwise, let me know and I'll edit accordingly

[tgva8889]

Alyssa takes a second to process but nods with understanding. "Yeah, um, I guess it would be better for you not to move too much. I'll be right back." She gives a smile and heads back in, some weird feelings and thoughts unsettling her. Luna has to cry to put her back on track. Shaking her head to clear it, she goes back to searching for help.

[Hazuki]

When Alyssa returns to the Health Hole, she spots both the woman who she'd so kindly given paper to, and Souf, who's standing behind the desk apparently having a staring contest with the Lycanroc that delivers drinks.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa walks towards Souf, and then noticing her staring contest, carefully approaches. "Um, Souf, do you have a moment? Leah and I were trying to get to, um, a place on the Eastern Bulwark, and we got a bit turned around. What's the best way for us to get there?" As she's saying it, she realizes partially how silly it sounds to not be able to figure out the way to something that's probably just in the east, which makes her rub the back of her neck nervously.

[Hazuki]

Souf shifts her eyes away from the Lycanroc to recite her answer in a perfectly level voice. "I would be delighted to tell you, Alyssa. If you know where Lady Thundercrag resides, that is in The Eastern Bulwark. If you happen to have any more details on where you're heading, please don't hesitate to tell and I'll do my very best to direct you."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods. "Oh, okay. We can probably figure that out. Thanks, Souf, for your help!" She smiles and gives a respectful bow. "Blue door, somewhere on the eastern bulwark, that should be easy." Turning back, she heads back out the door, looking for Leah.

Once she finds her, she says "Souf says the Eastern Bulwark is where Lady Thundercrag lives, so if we go back there we should be able to find Parkin somewhere around there. I hope. I'm not the best with directions." She smiles nervously and points off in a totally wrong direction. "Is it that way?" Luna shakes her head and points in a more better direction. "Oh, that way?"

[Comissar]

Leah stands a little straighter as Alyssa returns. She nods at her explanation, "Oh, yeah, ok. That should be easy enough to find."

She grins as Alyssa gets corrected on the direction they need to head. "Ok, let's go meet Parkin!"

She set off at a slow pace, Saura sticking close by her and glancing up at her every now and again, making sure she was handling the journey well.

[Hazuki]

Some things change. Thundercrag 's hills isn't one of them. Alyssa and Leah are treated to another venture across the bumpy terrain, putting extra stress on the poor teen's injury and earning a few concerned looks from even the most bustlingest of locals on this fine day. Still, they eventually find their way to the Eastern Bulwark, the familiar shape of Lady Thundercrag's domain, and make their way East. East is easy to find, given there's a giant sea to the North, and the quartet find themselves standing in front of a blue door that, much like the rest of Thundercrag,seems to lead underground.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa spends most of the journey looking back at Leah to make sure she's okay and asking her after every hill, "You okay?" She hides her concern reasonably, but Luna takes on a worried face the further they go. As they make it over the last hill, she pauses for Leah, looking back over her shoulder for her to catch up.

Once they finally make it to Parkin's door, Alyssa turns to Leah with a smile. Awkwardly looking between the door and her friend, she asks "This is it, right? You want to knock, or should I?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods her reassurances after every hill, though her expression is a little more strained after each as well. She's struggling a bit by the time she crests the last hill, her foot protesting at the walk quite loudly. She pushes herself forward, though, and eventually arrives outside what is presumably Parkin's door. She nods at Alyssa's question, smiling back at her, "Yeah, uh, this looks like it should be it." She glances at the door, then nods to herself, "Umm, I guess I'll knock."

Making her way up to it, she hesitates a moment, then knocks three times on the door.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods, noticing Leah's pain but not wanting to say anything. She steps behind, trying to be in view of the door so anyone behind it could see her. A look of concern crosses her face, but she wipes it away when Leah knocks.

[Hazuki]

Several moments pass, and the pair hear a faint fumbling from within the building. The door eventually opens, revealing a dark hallway that steeply slopes into the ground. The walls are covered in a dark wood, from top to bottom, with the planks getting wider as they get lower, and a long blue carpet stretching into another door. A couple of paintings sit on opposite walls, one that Leah recognises as komatiite in the middle of a field, while Alyssa recognises it as some kind of rock. The other, further down the sloping hall, features a steadily-shifting hue of blue.

And, sitting right behind the door, is a blue and white Pokemon with a stubby body, a tail twice its size, and yellow patches on its cheeks. "Hmph. Children. Why, do tell, are you lurking in my domain?" The voice obviously isn't coming from the Pokemon, though it seems to be doing its damnedest to match its mouth to the words.

[Comissar]

Leah wasn't sure who she was expecting to open the door, but a pokémon with a penchant for ventriloquism definitely wouldn't have been her first guess. She glances uncertainly over her shoulder at Alyssa, then back down at the pokémon. "U-umm, we, uh, we were told we should come here by, uh, by Lord Bastille..? He, uh, he said someone called Parkin lived here..?" She shuffled a little in place, before adding, "Umm, I, uh, I have a letter..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods and smiles in support of Leah when she glances back. She adds, "Lord Bastille said Parkin was a friend so we thought Parkin might be a friend to us, too. We wanted to say hello,
if we could."

[Hazuki]

"Lord...urgh, that inconsiderate man." The Pachirisu mimics, before the roof of the hall a way down suddenly pops open and reveals a ramp that had been hidden as part of the ceiling. It lands on the stairs with a loud thump, and a woman in a long blue gown emerges. Her skin is dark, her hair long and blonde, and her lips seem like they've been stuck in a pursed position since childhood. She seems about Lord Bastille's age.

"I suppose I'm Parkin." She informs the group, as she picks up some of her gown and strides over to the pair of teenagers, and holds out her hand. The Pachirisu, meanwhile, scampers up the ramp.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa takes Parkin's hand in a proper, respectful manner and says "It's nice to meet you, Parkin. My name is Alyssa. I'm sorry if we're, um, intruding." She bows slightly and lets go. "If you don't mind me asking, how, um, do you know Lord Bastille?"

[Hazuki]

Parkin looks at Alyssa shaking her hand and clucks her tongue. "How do I know him?" She asks, leaning closer to Alyssa with her eyes wide. "I'm his WIFE!"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa laughs, not sure how else to respond, before regaining her composure and bowing again. "Sorry for my disrespect. I just, um, didn't know. He wasn't very clear in the letter." She smiles awkwardly and looks to Leah. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, m'lady."

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates, unsure of how she should be reacting. She glances at Alyssa as the other girl bows, and quickly follows suit. When Parkin leans close to Alyssa, she finds herself shifting uncomfortably. She catches Alyssa's look and gives a small, helpless shrug. Once again following her friend's lead, she bows her head again, "U-umm, it's, uh, it's a, uh, a pleasure to meet you."

[Hazuki]

"Stupid children." Parkin scoffs. "How can I be his wife if she's dead? Do you believe everything you hear?" The woman places a hand on her hip. "Show me this letter."

[Comissar]

Leah straightens up and finds herself blushing furiously, feeling thoroughly cowed by Parkin's chastisement. Mutely, she rifled through her bag until she recovered the letter she'd been provided with. She held it out, half expecting to receive further admonishment for not having arrived straight after visiting Lady Thundercrag.

[Hazuki]

Parkin takes the letter from Leah, reads through it twice, then hands it back. "That seems in order. Fine, you can stay. Have you eaten?"

[Comissar]

Leah accepts the letter back with a shake of her head. "U-umm, no, we, uh, we haven't. Not, uh, not since breakfast."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa finds the situation utterly flummoxing and opts to just shut up and bow politely. Despite it, she hides her embarrassment pretty well. She stands a bit behind Leah, watching Parkin to make sure everything seems right. When lunch comes up, she shakes her head along with Leah, though she doesn't say anything in reply.

[Hazuki]

"Do you want to eat?" Parkin asks, her wide gaze flicking between the girls.

[Comissar]

Leah hesitates, glancing at Alyssa, then back to Parkin. She nods uncertainly, "Umm, yeah, umm, some food sounds good."

[Hazuki]

"Come on, then." Parkin says, as she leads the pair up the ramp and to the room beyond. It's a relatively narrow room, with two doors leading out on the wall opposite the ramp, and a length of rope hanging from the ceiling. As soon as the two girls are in the room, she gives a firm tug on the rope and the ramp pops back into place behind them. There's a single feature between the two doors, as the silhouette of a Pachirisu has been engraved in the wood. "I'm cooking blue rice with beans. My own creation, the blue spice, so I expect you'll enjoy it."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa follows, watching with some interest as Parkin pulls the ramp up. Noting the Pachirisu carving, Alyssa stops to take a look at it before Parkin speaks. Turning back to her, she nods. "Thank you, m'lady. I'm sure it will be quite good."