Adventures in Helnith: Assault on the Town of Ash (RPG)

[Feathersnow]

"Yes, please, a ride would be great!" Akio was, technically, a samurai. But that meant little in the modern age. Playing up his over-eager cosplayer persona wasn't dishonest and seemed to serve him better. He was helping people who fought Bandra. Admittedly, he was doing grunt work that seemed unrelated to the fight, but that was a soldier's lot, as he understood it.

[Lord Ruby34]

The time that Less told him made Mark's eyes widen a bit, and he looked at the older man like he was crazy for a second. 5:20? AM? As in 5:20 in the morning? What madness was this? Teenagers were usually lucky to wake up at 7, let alone be out of bed and dressed by that time. "I... guess I'll... get to bed early, then. And set an alarm." And try not to hit snooze on it too many times.

Less's lips twitched in a repressed smile. "I did just acquire a jeep from the Bandra goons Pinklady and I defeated, if that would be more convenient." Less paused. "Of course, that would require waking up a little earlier to get on the road . . ."

[Gnomes2169]

Mark's expression becomes one of true horror as Less continues talking, and he says, "No, no, we don't need to worry about that. That's, uh, that's fine. We don't need to wake up that early." Truly, old people didn't understand how much teenagers valued being able to stay up late. Alas. Mark might need to actually have a real sleep schedule again if he continued working with this man.

He did interrupt this bout of existential dread to watch Flotsam leave with a bit of concern. It was getting late, and she was a young girl... but he wasn't her parent and she'd apparently been taking care of herself so far, so he didn't go after her. Still, he wasn't happy to see her go off on her own...

[Lord Ruby34]

Less failed to stop his lips from twitching. He could only hope that his merriment was partially disguised by his mustache. "Well, if you're certain that it won't be an issue."

"Is anyone else planning on going to Skybreak tomorrow?" Less asked, his gaze looking at Matt and Pinklady in particular.

[gorman]

"I've kind of recently come from Skybreak actually. Or should I say, I have been in the area. Do you need assistance with something?"

[Lord Ruby34]

"Ah" Less said, a hand reaching up to smooth out an errant hair on his moustache. "I suppose not. I was looking for a headcount for our trip to Skybreak in the morning."

Less's eyes drifted to the door. He had to remind himself that he was not Floatsom's teacher nor her Father, and it wasn't his place to bring her inside if she did not want to stay. Still, he found himself worried about the girl. She hadn't objected to Leo's presence before. Perhaps it would be welcome again. With a quick flash of light, Leo appeared from his Pokeball. "Leo, why don't you keep watch outside, like before." Less looked at his Pokemon and hoped the little Poison type took his meaning. "I'll let you know when it's time for dinner."

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Pokémon Center:

And is it always natural, or could someone artificiality shadow a Pokemon?"

Mina was mostly up to her eyeballs in Berry number crunching, but after Mark gave his very through, in-depth response she pulled herself out of her notes long enough to add, “There is supposed to be a Team Snag’em over in Orre that was Shadowing Pokémon. I think they’re why Orre has Purification Chambers available for import.”

"I could take you to a quiet corner? Or um.. how does the Pokéball sound?"

Hilda seemed all in favor of the Pokéball. Gypsy looked tempted, but ultimately shook her head ‘no’ for now.

"I suppose I could help with the . . . presentation. I have to be in Skybreak first thing in the morning anyway. The Bandra goons that Pinklady and I apprehended are being held there. I was hoping to ask them a few questions before they end up transferred to a high security facility."

Mina made an approving noise, then scribbled something into her notes.

"I'm not certain any place is secure if Bandra's leader really has a legendary pokemon if the rumors are true..."

“She’s in league with Aidrelas,” Mina reminded bluntly…and then after the words had left her mouth recalled that she wasn’t really reminding most of the people here, as she’d heard that from Salerdia herself and no one else who was here had been present for that. She’d told Mark, but the turnover rate of their little group meant he was the only one who had heard it, at least from her.

"It seems you're right. I assume there's a limitation to how much a Poffin can help a Pokemon, or making these things would have supplanted training entirely."

Mina was still paying attention sufficiently to nod, but Mark seemed to have the answer covered so she left him to it, just adding:

“Part of the catch is that the limit for Poffin boosts is higher for higher quality Poffin.” Hence her feverish number-crunching.

"Well, technically Mina could teleport us to Skybreak since she's been there with her Natu...”

“To the entrance yes,” Mina corrected. “Otherwise we’re liable to get arrested.” Mina had been specifically warned about doing that. She’d be willing to do it in an emergency, but not just to skip the security that was, after all, there for a perfectly understandable reason.

"But if you wanted to do things in pokemon contests, that will also be helped with poffins. You know. If contests start up for real again."

Mina wondered if she should remind Mark of the advertisements plastered over the Ceris Contest Hall for the Contest over in Landsedge (probably long over by now, how long ago had that been?) but decided on balance that was sufficiently off-topic to leave it unsaid.

"We can aim to meet in the center lobby at 5:20. That should leave a little extra time in case we're delayed."

Mina didn’t even look up from her notes, just gave a thumbs-up of approval for this plan. There were worse reasons to give up sleep.

"Is anyone else planning on going to Skybreak tomorrow?"

Mina wasn’t entirely sure she needed to answer, given that she was one of the people with a Teleporter, but she raised her hand anyway.

----------------

Flotsam (outside):

Less’ Croagunk wanders out of the Pokémon Center after you.

((How long are you searching for? I will also point out that Pokémon Center food is free for trainers and their Pokémon if that’s all you’re worried about.))

[Lord Ruby34]

Pokémon Center:
“She’s in league with Aidrelas,” Mina reminded bluntly…and then after the words had left her mouth recalled that she wasn’t really reminding most of the people here, as she’d heard that from Salerdia herself and no one else who was here had been present for that. She’d told Mark, but the turnover rate of their little group meant he was the only one who had heard it, at least from her.

Less looked perturbed. "Aidrelas? I have heard the name before, but I had thought it a legend?" Less said. "I suppose it stands to reason, given that the legends of Salerdia reference him." Even more reason to oppose Bandra, Less supposed, though he didn't like the thought of ancient boogymen come to life, crawling out of the shadows.

If Less was counting correctly, then they had four going to Skybreak in the morning, himself, the girl whose name he hadn't quite caught, Mark, and Akio. Pinklady hadn't said anything, and it seemed that Matt wasn't interested in a repeat trip.

[Gnomes2169]

“To the entrance yes,” Mina corrected. “Otherwise we’re liable to get arrested.” Mina had been specifically warned about doing that. She’d be willing to do it in an emergency, but not just to skip the security that was, after all, there for a perfectly understandable reason.

"Well yes, of course. That's what I meant. I remembered curfew." Mark said, holding up one finger. "For once I remembered something that could come back to bite us if I forgot." ... Was he becoming self-aware? If he was, then Mark was becoming far more dangerous than Bandra could possibly imagine.

"Oh and speaking of remembering things..." He turns his head to look at Mina and casually says, ""If anyone can find someone with a Surf HM or some other way to teach the move, let me know. Helping Fisher learn that would be great. I already asked Wain, but the copy the rangers had was taken by Bandra." Looking back to Less, he adds, "I'll also be available for a bit of work in the afternoon, if you needed a hand with something, but after the chairs job I'll be busy for a bit. A member of the Starlight Squad is helping me evolve my onyx, and I'd rather not miss that meeting." A meeting he would be sending a message to Lijan to confirm the time at that exact moment.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam might attempt to search for some tropical fruits for an hour or two at most. Then she remembers that the pokemon center actually has free food. She doesn't know where exactly they get it, or why they just give it away for free, but she's happy to take some freebies if available.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Everyone but Flotsam:

"Aidrelas? I have heard the name before, but I had thought it a legend?"

Mina laughed bitterly, stifling it when she realized she was probably coming off as crazy or rude or both. “I wish!” She was still coming off as crazy or rude. She should probably turn in soon and hope her temperament improved in the morning. “Sorry. Just…we’d all have been better off if he were just a legend.”

"If anyone can find someone with a Surf HM or some other way to teach the move, let me know. Helping Fisher learn that would be great. I already asked Wain, but the copy the rangers had was taken by Bandra."

“I haven’t seen anything but I’ll keep an eye open,” Mina promised.

----------------

Flotsam:

You get lucky early on and find a single Tropical Fruit, but nothing after that, and make it back to the Pokémon Center about 10:30 PM. The Center kitchen is empty as it’s very late, although it looks like someone set up a pot of coffee for morning.

[Feathersnow]

Akio listens but chooses not to interject, before going to bed early for the day tomorrow. Maybe he can get in some training before the others wake up....

[Lord Ruby34]

Looking back to Less, he adds, "I'll also be available for a bit of work in the afternoon, if you needed a hand with something, but after the chairs job I'll be busy for a bit. A member of the Starlight Squad is helping me evolve my onyx, and I'd rather not miss that meeting." A meeting he would be sending a message to Lijan to confirm the time at that exact moment.

Less nodded. He wasn't sure if there was anything the young man could help with, but that might depend on how the conversation went. "I appreciate the offer."

Mina laughed bitterly, stifling it when she realized she was probably coming off as crazy or rude or both. “I wish!” She was still coming off as crazy or rude. She should probably turn in soon and hope her temperament improved in the morning. “Sorry. Just…we’d all have been better off if he were just a legend.”

That was disturbing, if true. It seemed like the young woman might not be all there, but then again, Mark hadn't contradicted her on any particular. Perhaps it was stress. If she had been fighting Bandra, Less didn't blame her. Fighting a war was traumatic at the best of times, and fighting a losing war even more so. Best to give her the benefit of the doubt, for now. "I'll have to revisit some literature then, to look at it with a new eye, if what you say is true."

"But with that, I hope you will excuse me. I need to make sure my Pokemon are all fed, and prepare to retire for the night. Tomorrow will likely be long, and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the morning." Less said. Then he went about accomplishing just that, getting Pokefood from Nurse Joy, and using the opportunity to introduce Connie to the rest of the team.

Less will inquire how Connie feels about her Pokeball, and tell her that they'll be able to have a more in depth conversation tomorrow, if she's willing accept the help of another Pokemon for translation. After that, Less will wait until Leo returns, make sure the little frog Pokemon is fed, and then retire to his room.

[Gnomes2169]

Mark bid the other two trainers goodnight as they went off, and waited a bit to make sure the lobby was mostly empty before pulling out his journal and looking at Mina, Matt and Pinklady. "So. I've got the plan outlined, and after talking with Wain I've figured out that we are going to want more people with us. What do you guys think about those two?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Akio:

You set your alarm sufficiently early to have time for training before the trip to Skybreak City tomorrow. It goes off, as expected, at 3 AM; the sun has yet to rise and the halls of the Pokémon Center are nearly deserted as you leave to find a spot to train.

Two hours later, Akitsu has shown some progress and you have just enough time to grab something to eat before the agreed-upon meetup time of 5:20 AM.

Spoiler: Akitsu

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Pokemon: Trapinch (Akitsu)
Type: Ground
Ability: Arena Trap
Gender: Male
Level: 21
Held Item: NONE
Stats--
HP: 56
Attack: 53
Def: 30 +8
Sp. Attack: 30
Sp. Def: 30 +8
Speed: 15
Moves:
Bite
Sand Attack
Faint Attack

No new attacks.

----------------

Less:

"But with that, I hope you will excuse me. I need to make sure my Pokemon are all fed, and prepare to retire for the night. Tomorrow will likely be long, and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the morning."

“See you in the morning!” The girl with the badly-dyed blue hair responds.

Connie’s answer to your questioning about Pokéballs is mostly squawking, with an interjection of “The house of every one is to him as his Castle and Fortress as well for defense against injury and violence.”

Leo wanders back to you about 10:30 PM; he doesn’t seem particularly distressed or concerned, so presumably nothing terrible happened while he was out.

You are able to sleep without issue and awaken in time for the 5:20 meetup, to find that Akio is already up and awake.

----------------

Mark, Mina, Matt, Pinklady:

"So. I've got the plan outlined, and after talking with Wain I've figured out that we are going to want more people with us. What do you guys think about those two?"

“The older gentleman seemed eloquent,” Mina opined. Naturally she hadn’t seen any of the battling, and couldn’t comment on that. “…and was the armor that other man was wearing real, because I’m feeling kind of under-dressed now.” Half of Helnith ran around in cloaks, Mina did not discount the possibility. Also, until Natu had learned Wish Mina herself had been wrapped in bandages courtesy of a Graveler exploding at her, actual armor didn’t sound like a bad idea, either.

[Lord Ruby34]

(Before Leaving)

Less gave an acknowledging wave to Mina before leaving the room.


----------------

(In his room at night)

"I hope that means it makes you feel safe, Connie." Less said, sighing. Buck rumbled his disagreement, but Dancer was nodding both her heads. One of his hands drifted to Buck's head, while the other very carefully stroked Hero, who had made her way into his lap. "We're all going to have to get stronger in the coming days, and quickly." Less took a moment to fully fill Connie in on the situation with Emilia. "My only lead is that she is likely in the south, being pursued by a Bandra Officer named Ray. I can only hope those two we captured earlier might have a real lead, and that I can convince these others to help." Except for Matt, they were all so young. Not children, but barely removed. It was always the young who suffered the brunt of the costs of war.

Less recalled all his Pokemon except Buck, and laid down for the night. Sleep didn't come easily, though it rarely did anymore. Eventually, with the comforting weight of Buck's head on his chest, Less managed to doze off, waking before the dawn.


----------------
(In the morning)

After grabbing a cup of coffee, Less stepped into the hall and saw Akio already waiting. "Hello," Less said. "Akio, I had wanted to mention that you and your Pokemon performed valintly against the shadowed flock, and to express my thanks for helping carry the shadowed Pokemon back here, but I did not get the chance yesterday. I appreciate both."

[Gnomes2169]

Mark, Mina, Matt, Pinklady:

“The older gentleman seemed eloquent,” Mina opined. Naturally she hadn’t seen any of the battling, and couldn’t comment on that. “…and was the armor that other man was wearing real, because I’m feeling kind of under-dressed now.” Half of Helnith ran around in cloaks, Mina did not discount the possibility. Also, until Natu had learned Wish Mina herself had been wrapped in bandages courtesy of a Graveler exploding at her, actual armor didn’t sound like a bad idea, either.

He nodded along. "The samuri guy might just be a dork or cosplayer, but... well, if he isn't then he might be nice to have around. And Less seems like he'd be reliable. Should I bring them into the plan tomorrow?" He paused for a second, then his eyes glanced at Mina's injured side and he asked, "Also... how are you doing?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

He nodded along. "The samuri guy might just be a dork or cosplayer, but... well, if he isn't then he might be nice to have around. And Less seems like he'd be reliable. Should I bring them into the plan tomorrow?"

Mina shrugged, though she figured that question was aimed more at Pinklady and Matt anyway: she had only interacted with the potential new recruits for maybe an hour or so total. Not really enough time to get an idea if they were competent or trustworthy. “What did Tattersail think?” If any of them had been lying about their motives or otherwise hiding something, Mina would have expected the emotion-sensing Psychic type to have noticed.

She fully intended to text Ranger Wain or maybe Mindy to see if any of the possible newbies had links to Bandra regardless, but no sense in not checking with the Psychic type first.

"Also... how are you doing?"

It took Mina a moment to figure out what Mark was talking about. “Hmm? Oh!” She rolled up her sleeve to show part of the old injury. “Much better now.” The wounds might scar, but thanks to Natu they weren’t in danger of breaking open and bleeding every time she needed to do something strenuous any more. ((DM note: humans don’t generally heal as well or as quickly as Pokémon, even with the help of moves like Wish and so on.))

[gorman]

"Well there's no time like the present for potentially traumatizing adventures, the more the merrier." Speaking of which, I should probably swap Pyrofyl and Taillow out for healthy pokemon if we're going traveling... Let's grab Weepinbell and Poliwhirl out of storage in exchange. Hopefully they'll be better after...uh....however long this excursion takes.

[WindStruck]

Flotsam returns to the Pokémon Center rather late, and with it feeling kind of empty, and deserted. Of course, the nurse was probably there, somewhere, maybe in the back sleeping by this point too, but there wasn't food in the kitchen either.

Flotsam looked to her flock of Pokémon, wondering what to do. She shrugged and said, "Seems kinda dull in here," her voice quietly low, as if not wanting to disturb anyone that could be sleeping.

She wandered back outside and said, "It's a beautiful night. We can camp out here." Though she didn't actually have tents, sleeping bags, or other camping supplies. And she might have wanted to be out and about, regardless of the weather, too. This was the norm for Flotsam anyway. They find a nook between some trees, nestled under some shrubs. Flotsam shares the singular tropical fruit she found with everyone, and offers to put each of her water Pokémon in Pokéballs if that's how they preferred to spend the night.

As for the wild Luxio, if it still chose to hang around, it understandably already slept normally without going into a Pokéball at night. Eventually, after gazing at the stars, Flotsam drifted off to sleep with a warm breeze caressing her skin.

Spoiler: ooc

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+1 tropical fruit from the previous post. Aaaaand it's gone!

[Gnomes2169]

He took Matt's comment as a confirmation on bringing Less and Akio into the mission. Excellent.

“What did Tattersail think?”

Well, that was a good idea. Glancing back at Tattersail, he asked his psychic type, "Well, what did you get from them?" He relayed her response to the others word-for-word.

It took Mina a moment to figure out what Mark was talking about. “Hmm? Oh!” She rolled up her sleeve to show part of the old injury. “Much better now.” The wounds might scar, but thanks to Natu they weren’t in danger of breaking open and bleeding every time she needed to do something strenuous any more.

There's visible relief on Mark's face as he gets that brief look at her injury, and he lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "That's a relief. I'd worried that running around in the rain might have... well. It's good to know it's finally healed." She'd been in a hospital bed enough already. He... didn't want to see her in another one any time soon. "... Maybe we should look into buying armor. Though, maybe not for missions where we're sailing. Hard to swim while wearing metal."

[Feathersnow]

(In the morning)

After grabbing a cup of coffee, Less stepped into the hall and saw Akio already waiting. "Hello," Less said. "Akio, I had wanted to mention that you and your Pokemon performed valintly against the shadowed flock, and to express my thanks for helping carry the shadowed Pokemon back here, but I did not get the chance yesterday. I appreciate both."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I want to help in any way I can." Akio seems sincere, but distracted. He's not entirely used to being thanked, in part because he's not used to doing things to be thanked for, as a rich nerd.

[Lord Ruby34]

Less nodded again. If the young man was distracted Less was willing to put it down to the early hour. "A fine sentiment."

There was only a little bit left to do before the day, so Less started double checking his bag to make sure he had everything important. it would be embarrassing to realize he had forgotten an essential, like his money. His money was there, but what he found momentarily surprised him. He still had the Pokeballs with the Bandra Pokemon in them, rattling around in the bottom of his bag. With everything going on last night he had completely forgotten they were there. Less took out one of the Pokeballs and looked around for Nurse Joy. Perhaps she would know what to do with them? Buck had decided that sniffing them was the appropriate action, though Less didn't imagine that would particularly help him make a decision.

Spoiler: OOC

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LordRuby forgot that Less had these until I did a quick reread to see what Less had been thinking about. Whoops!

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Matt, Mark, Pinklady, Mina:

((Swapped out Pyropyl and Taillow. Also fair warning, because of the stasis thing I mentioned in the OoC, you’re going to need them in your party at least part of each day to keep making progress toward them getting to be back to 100% health.))

"... Maybe we should look into buying armor. Though, maybe not for missions where we're sailing. Hard to swim while wearing metal."

“True, but on that subject we might want to consider borrowing some life jackets for those missions.” Mina could swim, but not especially well, and it was one thing to dog paddle across the school pool and quite another to try to do the same across five literal miles of seawater.

----------------

Flotsam:

((-1 Tropical Fruit, 0 remaining))

It might not be raining anymore, but it’s still quite wet outside, so both Flotsam and all her Pokémon wake up covered liberally in mud, bits of grass and weeds, about 7 AM. Flotsam also notices a number of fresh bug bites after her night outdoors, but the Luxio’s Intimidating presence means she wasn’t bothered by any wild Pokémon during the night.

----------------

Akio and Less:

((Yes you definitely want to take care of that before going through security…

But part of that is my fault; I should have added them to your inventory. Feel free to call me out if I forget that sort of thing in the future.))

Less finds the nurse in short order. When he questions her about what to do with the Bandra Pokéballs, she takes them immediately and then disappears into the back.

A few minutes later Less gets a phone call. The number looks close to Ranger Wain’s but a few digits are different.

[Lord Ruby34]

Given the hour, and Nurse Joy's recent taking of the Bandra Pokeballs, it was likely someone from the Ranger's office. A good enough reason to answer, though Less wasn't sure whether he was about to be yelled at for forgetting in the first place or commended for turning the Pokeballs in. "Hello", Less answered.

[essCee]

Pinklady suddenly sat up. She had nodded out a bit from the earlier exhaustion and from listening to the others talk - especially since the talk was without much she wanted to interject on, mostly just stuff for her to pay attention to.

"Ah! Right, sorry. Those two, I don't know much about the armor or its wearer. But Less has been great! Especially in the whole battling and planning and befriending trifecta."

She smiled.

"Plus... I'm pretty sure he'll be working against Bandra, with or without us. So with would be better. Definitely better."

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Less and Akio:

Spoiler: Less’ Phone Call

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“Hello Less, this is Viola,” says the voice on the other end - and now that’s she’s spoken you can recognize her voice from Jon’s call the day before. “Jon’s not available but we got a report from the Rieva nurse you brought in some Pokemon you said were Bandra’s?” She gives you a chance to respond before continuing. “I just wanted to warn you to be careful doing that. Since we have their trainers in custody this time, we can confirm that pretty easily, but we don’t have every Bandra agent on file and it’s not out of the question that if they had gotten away they could come back out of uniform and press charges for Pokémon theft. Jon said you were planning to come to Skybreak anyway, if you’re going to be making a habit of this I’m going to recommend you stop by our Ranger Base there and apply for a Bounty Hunting license, that will give you some legal protection. And if you’re still hanging out with Matt and his young friends, Jon gave some of them an App for the Pokédex that will detect if a Pokéball has been scraped - by which I mean someone stole it and wiped the original trainer’s information. Either way, take care!”

----------------

Mark, Pinklady, Matt, Mina:

"Well, what did you get from them?"

<The old man was in pain.> Being mentally linked Mark could tell she meant emotional pain, not physical. <He’s looking for someone or something of a personal nature. He was sincere in his dislike for Bandra. The boy in armor is uncertain and wants to prove himself.> ((Feathersnow yell if this is inaccurate or if the mind reader should have noticed anything else.))

"Plus... I'm pretty sure he'll be working against Bandra, with or without us. So with would be better. Definitely better."

“All right, so it sounds like Less is in” Mina privately hoped she was attaching the right name to the right person and hadn’t gotten them switched around “assuming he wants anything to do with us.” Mina was still going to bug the Ranger about him, of course. Being paranoid was practically her job at this point.

[Lord Ruby34]

Akio hears Less's end of the conversation, as the older man isn't particularly inclined take privacy precautions.


"It's nice to meet you, Viola." A pause. "Indeed." A longer pause "A troubling thought. I'll do both of those, thank you, Viola."

With that Less sat and waited for the others. It looked like there would be more paperwork than expected today, but he'd prefer not to get sued if he could avoid it.

[Gnomes2169]

Mark, Pinklady, Matt, Mina:
“All right, so it sounds like Less is in” Mina privately hoped she was attaching the right name to the right person and hadn’t gotten them switched around “assuming he wants anything to do with us.” Mina was still going to bug the Ranger about him, of course. Being paranoid was practically her job at this point.

After relaying Tattersail's impressions, he would nod at this and say, "If Less is in, then we should probably bring in Akio too. That way we can split into two groups of three, one for the north the other for the south." Rubbing at his chin, he says, "Uh. If one of them has a water type that can carry multiple people, at least. Or a ditto. Fisher could probably hold three of us comfortably." Well, as comfortably as a coral-like shell can be, at least. "And yeah, we should bring along life jackets, and extra fresh water to drink while we're sailing. It can get hot and weirdly dry while you're surfing... someone having a heat stroke in transit would kinda defeat the point." Yes, he's remembering when that happened a few days ago. "Anything else we can think of before we go to bed?"

[gorman]

*yawning* "If not there's always time to think in the morning before we leave. Think I'll go to bed now though."