2508/Evaluating Land for Ranching

Evaluating Land for Ranching
Date of Scene:	22 June 2015
Location:	Pokemon-2
Synopsis:	A group goes to look at a chunk of land in the Orre region, to see if it would be a good spot for a Pokemon Ranch.
Cast of Characters:	188, Sanary Rondel, 803, 805

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Lute (188) has posed:
     The Orre region is, more or less, the least livable place in the Pokemon World. Though this land is adjacent to an ocean, the vast majority of it is wasteland and deserts. It can be incredibly scorching hot in this region, and though certain areas do have natural beauty they are few and far between.

     So, it might be strange that Lute is chosing this land to make his ranch. It also makes it a significantly larger challenge. Finding a way to make a chunk of wasteland habitable to a wide variety of Pokemon and Monsters, including an ocean area for aquatic monsters? It's going to be quite an undertaking.

     Lute is standing near the specific chunk of land, wearing his normal outfit. He just looks over the expanse of wasteland that is about twenty minutes of a drive outside of Phenac City. The soil of the land looks rather poor and rough, though a few shrubs of plants are around. There /is/ a small river that flows through this area, though. The source is a mountain far in the distance. But, otherwise... The place is pretty plain and barren.

     Lute slides his hands into his jean's pockets, smiling as he looks across the place, waiting. While he knows it will be a lot of work? He sees a /lot/ of potential in this large chunk of particularly cheap land.

Steve (803) has posed:
    It's a bit of a ride out. Not by car, but by pig. The curious sight of a full grown man making his way across the wasteland, on hogback, is what would greet Lute if he happened to turn around to the sound of approaching trotting. Dangling in front, a carrot is suspended in front of the pig's snout via a string and stick, since how else are you supposed to get these things to cooperate? "Hey, is this the place? Are you Lute," he hollers across the crusted soil?

    After a few more moments, he finally makes his way to within far easier conversation distance. He hops off the saddled pig and, right before anyone gathered's eyes, withdraws what looks to be wooden post from some manner of subspace storage, planting it firmly in the ground, and then securing his prize steed to it with a length of thin rope. For what it's worth, the pig doesn't look that interested in leaving, anyway, though does look mildly uncomfortable in the arid air.

    "Hmm. This is the place you're going to build your place, huh," he wonders, placing a hand over his eyes to glance out over the vast emptiness. He then thoughtfully rubs his stubbled chin, "Flat land... Kind of boring, but makes expansion easier. Course, you'll have to import your own grass. I've terraformed a few deserts in my day."

Lute (188) has posed:
     As Steve arrives, Lute just stares. The very first that thought that comes into his head: Oh dear god, Sanary will love this guy. He hopes the former pig-farmer will be coming today, because seriously, she would /love/ this and he knows it. A carrot and a stick, too? And does the pig even have a /saddle/?

     But, Lute waves in response. Hearing Steve call out to him, he places the voice from the radio. So. This is, in fact, Steve. Lute lifts a hand to wave back towards the guy, smirking a bit. Well, people /have/ told him he needs more male friends... Although the subspace storage raises an eyebrow.

     "Yo, Steve. Yep, I'm Lute. Nice to meet you. And yep! This is the place. Pretty plain, but figured that'd give us a lot more freedom in designing it. I know we'll need to do a lot of work on it, too, though. I want some grassland, a woodland area, a fake ocean to hold large sea creatures. And even if you've terraformed deserts, well... This sounds like a more complicated job. I mean... Terraforming has to be hard for even just one landscape, right? How does the process even work?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     If it hadn't been for her past visits to Lute's backyard, Sanary might have questioned his sanity in picking this area for his ranch. Instead, though, she just seems curious as she finds the two conversing about something or another. She doesn't make her presence known right away, taking a moment to try and comprehend what Steve is even wearing.

     That is eventually replaced by a curious noise from her at spotting the pig. "uh? Hey, Lute. Other guy. Is that yours over there?" As if on cue, she gestures at the pig before approaching the two with a light wave.

     "This the place? Not bad if you got a way to fix all the... Everything." She laughs and adjusts her eyepatch, glancing around again before sticking her hands in her pockets. "Might be workable with enough effort, though."

Steve (803) has posed:
    If he notices any odd looks at his odd habits, he doesn't seem to care enough to ask about it. Instead, in his element now, he's already kneeling nearby to run a hand over the dusty dirt of the wasteland, thoughtfully. Not much better than sand at this point, for all the good it will do. "Hmmm. Well, how I usually do it, is to bring in some dirt from somewhere nice and green. This crud you've got here isn't really fit for much. Unless you want to make some glass, maybe." Still kneeling, he begins a curious process, that basically looks like he's pawing harmlessly at the dirt. After a few moments, he grasps it with his hand, and extracts a cubic meter of the soil right then and there.

    Turning it over in his hand a few times, a few bits and granules do fall off, but for the most part it remains remarkably intact. "Basically, I just yank up the old and put in the new. Course, I usually use a shovel, or my excavation focus. Seldom dig with my actual hand anymore - just for illustration." After a few moments, he places it back where he got it, few traces it was ever extracted in the first place remain, and he dusts his hands off toward a new voice. "Huh?" His intensely blue eyes gaze over at the indicated pig mount, which right now seems to be gazing into the distance with its far-set eyes. "The pig? Yeah. I got some horses, but sometimes you just want to go on a relaxing pigback ride, you know?"

    Somewhat consciously, he's still cleaning off his hands. He looks like he might do so on his nice, purple wizard robe for a moment, but instead opts for the cyan t-shirt beneath, before extending a hand. "Name's Steve! I'm aiming to help with the construction."

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
It's a bit of a walk, but a nice walk isn't something that would bother Nonon. Especially not even in the hardiest of deserts, or the worst wasteland. Gruelling as it may be, Nonon is surprisingly adapt at not minding it so much.

This is doubly surprising when she shows up with a red hat, somewhat large and puffy with a white skull atop it. Also, a pink sports jacket and a red sports bottoms - which honestly looks more like it's for swimming class. Long story short, this is potentially the first time she's been outside of her normal outfit for a while.

"For real, out in this no-where's-ville?" She grouses, crossing her arms as she comes up to two men, Sanary, and a pig. Her gaze rests on the pig. "What."

Lute (188) has posed:
     As Sanary arrives, Lute moves to take her hand, smiling. "Hey, Sanary, glad you could come, too. And... Yeah, it's not much yet, but it really has a lot of potential! It's really cool, right? Plus with it being such a blank slate, it can become really amazing!"

     Lute is, of course, an eternal optimist. He smiles and looks around the place a bit more. Even though the land is super crappy.

     And then he turns to Steve. And his eyes sort of just go blank. Did... did he just pull up an entire brick of soil that easily? He just stares for a while at Steve, a bit impolitely. After a moment, he finally speaks, "...Well. You are pretty good at getting chunks of soil dug up. ...But, hrm. If this stuff could be turned into glass, well. Maybe we could dig up the first layer of soil, and turn it into glass, for use elsewhere in this project? Like, we could use it for the water tank, put viewing areas below the ground so I can watch the Pokemon in their habitat underwater."

     This is giving him lots of ideas. And a /lot/ more options. If they can just pull soil from elsewhere to turn this into a verdant landscape, that... That would be amazing.

     And then, Nonon appears. Lute waves, smiling. He recognizes her from the Confederate database, though he has yet to meet her in person. He speaks to her, rather cheerfully. After all, she /is/ fairly cute, and Lute is... Lute. "Hey, there! Came to check this out, too? I know you're allied with Satsuki, and she has some resources, I think, right? Planning to lend some aid that way? Or just wanted to see the future sight of the /best/ Monster Ranch ever?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Smiling lightly at Lute's greeting, Sanary squeezes his hand firmly before nodding. "Definitely could be great out here. Might even be more impressive once it's all done /because/ of how crappy it looks now." She laughs and uses his shoulder as an armrest, glancing around again before...

     ... giving Steve a long, blank stare as he seemingly pulls a block of dirt out with his bare hands. She takes a moment to process what had just happened before letting out a confused grunt. Her science classes didn't exactly stick in her head all that well, and there were definitely weird things in the Multiverse in general, but there were still SOME rules that just about everything obeyed.

     Or not. Well, it's not as if this was the first weird thing she's ever seen. "Whatever works, right?" She chuckles lightly and looks over at the pig again, furrowing her brow slightly while tapping a thumb against her chin. "Never tried riding a pig before. Might have to do that next time I go back..."

     She takes Steve's hand firmly afterwards, not seeming bothered in the slightest by whatever dirt might be left over on his hand. "Sanary. Talked to you a bit on the radio a while back. Good to meet you in person." She turns to Nonon next, the familiar face drawing a relaxed grin from the healer as well. "Hey, Nonon. How's the sister doing?"

Steve (803) has posed:
    The pig doesn't seem to respond to much. Maybe it's not all there? At Nonon's attention, though, it suddenly turns its piercing, subtly outward-turned eyes toward her, staring intently, maybe even expectantly. It gives an oinking snort. Any additional mount of discomfort is spared as Steve takes the moment to step over to the pig, and withdraws a carrot from that subspace pocket, giving it to the pig. The animal, unsurprisingly, finds food a lot more interesting.

    "Huh?" The mining man can't help but notice Lute's bewilderment, this time, or at least respond to it. Especially when he's questioned on it openly. "Oh yeah. I'd forgotten that this is apparently weird to some people." However, his expression visibly brightens with a satisfied grin at what Lute says next, and if the other man doesn't yank away, he reaches out a hand to clap him briskly on the shoulder, "Now you're getting it! Really, no need for it to be complicated. The real problem is you've just got a whole lot to move around and re-arrange. Logistics. You've got an eye for using the local resources, too. I like that."

    "Pleased to meet you, Sanary," he follows up on that side of the conversation, as well, flashing that grin toward her, next. He glances over at the pig again, and gives a slightly helpless shrug, "Wasn't that great of an idea at first, until I figured out the carrot-on-a-stick trick. It'd just kind of walk wherever it wanted." His grin turns into a reflective frown, at that, as he subconsciously rubs the whole that got banged up as that stupid pig, so long ago, walked right off a cliff. His good nature returns after his flashback finishes, "Heh. Live and learn, right?"

    "Anyhow, Lute. If you've got any sources of dirt and water in mind, I'll help you move it all into place. Maybe even help you set up the glass making. Didn't really bring anything like that with me, today, since we're just looking the place over."

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
Raising an eyebrow, Nonon peers at Lute. Is /that/ the guy? Yeah, it's got to be. Especially as she hears his name. Nonon looks... up. That's all she can do, at 3'10". "Well, it is after school, so I'm free to do as I want." She proclaims, cheerfully enough. At least cheerful as Nonon gets. "Well, more than allied with, but you didn't miss a beat, did you?" She remarks, smirking as she looks around, glancing at the land. Why DID she come here? Well, it was a little of both.

"I've got a Gardening Club, and they report to me ... and it's been slow there." She ponders. "Yeah, looks like a challenge Satsuki would appreciate them understaking." She smirks. Make flowers and plants bloom /in a desert/. <Heelcrack?> THAT IS THE WILL OF HONNOUJIN. "If they can't help you here, what good are they, anyways?" She makes clear.

Then finds herself in a staring match with a pig. Eyes widen as she stares a the alien like swine, eyes narrowing as it seems to expect something of her, /intently/ probing her for weaknesses. Nonon does the same - up until it starts munching on a carrot. Phew. "I think I'll stick to not riding any pigs." She adds, waving to Steve and Sanary in kind. "Make grass? Doesn't it grow." Sanary immediately asks about the sister.

"...Haven't talked to her since." She remarks, somewhat flatly. "She's so busy ensuring she'll never make anything out of herself. It's hard to do much else with focus like that."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute chuckles a bit at Sanary, "Oh, come on, it isn't /that/ bad. I mean, seriously. At the very least, I can think of a bunch of Pokemon that could already live here. Trapinch, Dugtrio, Geodude. ...Basically the Pokemon made of rock and earth." A bit of a pause. "...This place doesn't look /that/ crappy, does it?" He sighs a bit, before continuing again, "Well. This place is relatively clsoe to my hometown, so I'm sticking to it anyways."

     Lute lets Steve rub him on the shoulder. It's actually a bit of a surprise. He's not really used to positive reinforcements from others. But he smirks, glancing around the area more, "Well, we'll need to leave some for the desert dwelling Pokemon. ...I assume we might need a truck or something to transport it all. Or... Hrm. I wonder if we could get a temporary warp gate set up. ...Or possibly a permenant one. I mean, like, I'll still need to access the rest of the Multiverse, after all."

     A sigh from Lute, "Wish there were a way to make a lava area, though. It'd be good for some of the Fire-Type Pokemon to be able to bathe in lava as needed. But that... is usually not feasible."

     He ponders the dirt and water, "...Well. There are some regions of the Multiverse that are super fertile. Like Naturia. If we take some dirt and water from there, it'd be best. If it can be good for crops, too, I know some of my Pokemon want to grow stuff. It'd help the food supply. At the very least, I'll need soil to plant berries in. Possibly fencing, too, to keep the areas seperated."

     A glance at Nonon. Lute is obviously... considering. Thinking. He's trying to figure out something, as he looks at Nonon. But, he speaks on other topics as he ponders it out. "Well, Gardening Club would be good for getting it set up. Food supply for Pokemon, plus setting up all of the trees and whatnot, get a good start on thing. I can just picture this place with all of the greenery it'll have."

     Finally, he gets the courage to ask Nonon, "...How old are you? I thought I heard you were a senior in high school, which would make you like, seventeen or eighteen. But, uh, you look pretty short. I'm trying to decide if you are old enough I can hit on you or not."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Carrots? Didn't think to try that..." Sanary furrows her brow again as she puzzles over that idea. "Never... Had carrots back home, actually. Maybe that's why." She laugh lightly a moment later, although there's still one thought lingering in her mind even after...

     What did carrots even taste like? Her eye wanders over to that carrot the pig's chewing on, although she obviously can't try and eat /that/ one. Although Nonon did mention a Gardening Club, so maybe she'd have to visit that school again some time.

    "The extra help never hurts. I can probably help with the water a bit since I've got the axe, although... I dunno how healthy it'll be to have anything drink it." She pats the gunaxe on her hip idly and eyes it quizzically, almost as if she was considering doing something stupid.

     Thankfully, she doesn't do anything of the sort and turns to Nonon instead. "That so? Aw. You two worked pretty well together back then, though. Could try getting her to join up with us over here so you could team up on jobs or something."

     And then she just snorts when Lute starts being Lute, shuffling over to nudge him lightly with her elbow afterwards. "Careful. She's got this crazy... Music thing that explodes stuff really good."

Steve (803) has posed:
    Not only is it positive reinforcement, but it seems to be genuine, too! Steve gives a light laugh, and then he's back into looking thoughtful, once again lightly scratching at the stubble around his beard. "So you're going to be setting up different environments, huh?" That's not really something he'd tried, even if he had made a few deserts green in his time. He does give an awkward pause, though, as Lute begins talking about lava. "What's wrong with having lava around," he asks, in that honestly puzzled way? "Long as you keep burnable things away from it, anyway." This is a man that's used to carrying it around in a bucket, in his home world.

    After the moment, though, he gives another shrug of his shoulders, "Well, you know best what you need. Fences and all that other stuff, I can help with. Warp gates are something I can't make." A momentarily thoughtful look, then he quickly appends, "Yet." They can't be much more complicated than nether portals. He'll figure it out eventually, of that he is certain. "Naturia, huh? Super fertile dirt... Reminds me of this stuff I found recently, called podzol. Good for growing mushrooms!" Mmm, mushroom stew.

    With that, though, he'll leave Lute to his uncomfortable liaisons, since Sanary is suddenly a lot more interesting! "Huh? What kind of world doesn't have carrots?" It's that same kind of genuine bewilderment that had met the lava conjectures, but he soon gives a shake of his head. It's time to educate this poor, carrot-less soul on their virtues. From within his robes, he reaches in to - nowhere in particular, though when his hand comes forward again, he has a few carrots. Ones that he begins dropping on the ground, if she isn't fast enough on the draw, since he still has yet to master the art of 'handing things to people'.

    "These things will grow in just about every dirt I've tried them in. Though, the dirt here's probably stretching it too far. Pigs love `em, and they ain't bad for human eating either." As though on cue, the pig that had been tied up saunters over to the edge of where it can pull, and sneaks up one of the bright orange root vegetables. "Hey! Who told you you could have that!" The pig only oinks emptily in response. "Never trust a pig," he adds, in the same breath replying to Nonon's distrust with a nod of his head, "They're sneakier than you'd think. Golems, though. They're loyal little darlings."

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
With somewhat of a yawn, Nonon overlooked the area, tilting her head back and forth to the various desert and broken down land. "It doesn't look bad, it looks like a desert." She states, "That's what it is, isn't it?" Straightforwards, really, though Lute does add a note that Gardening club would help. "I'm sure they can do a bit of terraforming. I don't know about lava, though, isn't there one of those pokemon that can make it or something?" She states, almost waving it off.

There's a pause.

"What's that about an axe and water? That doesn't make sense." She states, as if it was supposed to. Still, Sanary goes on - how the two worked pretty well together. Or 'how Haruko used her as a weapon and swung her around randomly, though sort of followed instructions'. "She seems like the type of person that might join for the buffet and then make a break for it." Nonon responds, eyes closing as she recites this. "I'm not even sure what she was doing there. She just /shows up/." There was a robot hand - and then suddenly there was Haruko. The logic is clear.

Finally, Nonon responds to Lute, "The same age as Lady Satsuki." She answers, in that helpful way, "I'm quite old enough for you to hit on me." She follows up, smirking, "But I'd advise against it. You'd need a rest before me, since I'm quite used to playing through them. That... and the Academy comes first. If I have the free time I'd already be letting lady Satsuki down~." There's a joke also about making him a soprano, but it's one that she decides not to include.

Golems, pigs and carrots, oh my. "Golems? Those rock things?"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute smiles at Sanary, "Well, the more help the better, but... Uh. What do you mean by helping with water through your axe? ...I really have no idea what you're considering doing with your axe to get water here. Axes normally aren't used for retrieving water."

     Sanary is planning somethign stupid. He just knows it.

     And then Lute just looks at Steve. A stare. "...Wait, can you seriously get ahold of lava and just have it sit around? Because if so, like. That'd be awesome. Magmar, Slugma, and a few other Pokemon actually /like/ lava. It'd need to be kept /very/ safe, but. That could be /super/ useful for what I want."

     He nods at Steve, "Well, if you can't make a warp gate, I'm sure there is a way we can get one set up. Otherwise, yeah, fences, different environments... We'll need to make a floor plan."

     Lute considers Nonon as she talks about her age, the academy coming first, and whatnot. He rubs his chin a bit, considering. For now, he'll let it be, but he'll consider this for later.

     He's probably going to end up a soprano at some point.

     "Well, good to know your age, at least. And thanks for the offer for help from the academy. Getting this place nice and green with the Garden Club's help would be useful. What's the Garden Club like, anyways?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Steve's on a roll with drawing those blank stares from Sanary today. First his clothes, then the dirt block, and now throwing carrots on the ground? She doesn't even know how to react at first, although she does catch on quickly enough and start catching the last few. "W-well, we probably had them. My home just kinda... Sucked. Also, you dropped..."

     She pauses to scoop up the remaining carrots on the ground with her other hand, then holds them out to Steve. "... All of these. Er." She watches the pig going for one of the carrots she had missed and snickers, nodding slowly in agreement. "Hey, I saw one after it ate a guy. They can be vicious sometimes. Maybe even as much as those golems."

     Turning to Nonon, a mischievous grin forms on Sanary's face as she withdraws the gunaxe from her side. "Oh yeah... I didn't bring it that time, did I?" After checking that it's loaded with an ice shell, she points the barrel slash handle at an empty patch of nothing several yards away and fires, creating a small explosion of ice at the impact point. It's not a lot of ice, though, apparently tuned more for causing damage than producing usable water.

     "We've got all types here, so she might fit in okay. Mm... Wait. So you and Satsuki are...? But you're okay with... Hmm." She's not really sure what to make of that. She does give Lute a light nudge on the side again, though. "She's strong. So... I'd be fine with it."

Steve (803) has posed:
    The short young lady is correct enough to draw a nod from Steve, as well as a prideful grin. He can't help but correct a little, though, "I can make them from rock, sure. But I've also used iron, and one time I even made one out of wax. Slippery little bugger. Even you'd stand a head taller than those golems do, but they're good workers." He does suddenly remember that the villagers sometimes make golems that are far larger, but as with all of the villagers' works, they are slow, clumsy, ugly, and basically useless for his purposes. Not even worth mentioning. She also mentions a word he'd heard thrown around fairly often today, "These Pokemon. They're those friendly monsters, then? Still can't believe it..."

    To Lute, he gives yet another shrug of his shoulders. "I can't *guarantee* it'll work the same way here, but I was able to yank up the dirt just fine. Lava's about the same way for me, as long as I've got something to carry it in." He gets that far away look in his eyes, again, that suggests he's having another flashback to an unfortunate happening, as he explains, "Not a good idea to try carrying it bare." He gives Lute a manly pat on the back, though, wandering over to the pig again, and pulling the stake post and storing it away, as he climbs back aboard the pig. "Well, I'll leave the planning to you, Lute. Just give me a holler on that talky box whenever you need me to help."

    It's Sanary that gets his final regards, which is for a second just a thumbs up when she retrieves the carrots. "Keep them, till some dirt and plant them. I've got plenty back home. And potatoes and wheat. Those golems I mentioned do most of that stuff for me, these days." He once again gives a glance out to the, for now, empty field of Lute's dreams, and rubs his chin, "Might bring some to help with this, when the time comes. They're not that smart, but they can carry things around where you tell them." With this, he once again produces the carrot tied to the stick by a string, and holds it in front of the pig, which despite having eaten just a little earlier, is already walking forward to try and close the distance. He does this in the direction back towards town, "I got stuff I need to finish, so I'll see you guys around!"

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
eIt's not a promise, but in the future, Lute may see enough of Nonon regardless. He would not be alone, after all, if he was watching the Elections, many got a good view. Something something 'Fiber lost'.

He wouldn't be the first that attempted, though there were only so many in Honnoujin with the time to even consider any relationships. Less so the higher up you went in rank. It is no surprise that Nonon's closest relationship, heavily in one way, was Satsuki herself. Not that she speaks on that very often.

"Well, you already comitted that unspoken sin of asking a woman her age, so you have nothing to lose." She admits, and she called her short. The snake may as well hiss, at this rate! The venomous fangs are out in full force. "Well, you'll meet them soon enough. Just try not to become plant food when you do." Because they may make it interesting, on Nonon's orders, now. It's unlikely Lute would be devoured, but they need to be whipped into shape, regardless.

There's a brief raise of her eyebrow as Nonon crosses her arms in that sports-outfit as she watches Sanary fire the gunaxe and /what/. "So it just flash freezes right at the point, from a gun?! ...Not bad." She relents, though having that on an /axe/ is way better. Eyes slide over to Sanary talking to Lute, her expression flattening again. "What does that mean?" She asks, out of 'curiosity'.

Steve's explanation of golems made out of /various things/ is another kicker, though she understands that better. Biology did try sort of those things, but only made flesh golems. Actual golems out of random things though? "Are you some kind of poltergeist?" She has to ask of Steve, giving life to random things that he seems to make! Moving things that shoulder not be moved! Riding PIGS!? Which he does away, "I don't think they're always friendly? From what I heard, you've got to beat them into submission for them to follow you. Have a ... safe trip back?" Eh, he's at the speed of bacon, now.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute just smiles as he watches Sanary pick up the carrots. It's... a bit weird, but Lute keeps reminding himself. Steve is from a world where he was the only sapient creature. He doesn't know how things work. He'll need to help educate Steve at some point. But, the whole 'ice canon' thing is a bit of a surprise. He ponders, looking at it a bit. "Well, that might be an ineffective way to make water, but... It might work in a pinch. We'll ahve to think on this option, too..."

     And then, a slight pause, as he looks at Sanary as she talks about Nonon, "...Well, whatever you say."

     Lute nods at Steve, "Yeah, Pokemon are friendly monsters. ...If you didn't have to take off, I'd show you. But, hey, next time, alright? And Pokemon are pretty cool. I think you'll like them. But yeah, I'll let you know when I need you."

     He'll have to think about the lava thing, though. It /might/ be worth a shot, but if there is no guarantee... Ehh, still probably worth at least trying, because science.

     Lute just shrugs at Nonon, "Well, I'm sure the gardening club won't cause me problems. ...Though, really, if I've already pissed you off by asking your age, guess I can't piss you off all that much more by asking you to dinner sometime. It'd be fun, right? I keep hearing I'm a good date. Up to you."

     He smiles and looks around, though, "But, back to the matter on hand... Anything you two think this place might need? A woman's touch could be good in something like this."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Like potatoes, then. Gotcha. Thanks. And be safe!" Sanary chuckles and tucks the carrots safely under one arm while hooking that gunaxe back onto her belt, tapping two fingers to her head in a quick salute to Steve. Of course, her mind is starting to wander into a new dilemma...

     Whether to eat a carrot now or save it for planting. It's a tough choice, considering how she has no idea how long it'd actually take for the things to grow, but... Well, they can't be /that/ rare, right? She takes a bite out of the carrot she had caught and immediately regrets it, forcing herself to swallow that bit before putting that with ther others.

     "Definitely... Something to feed other... Not people." She gags briefly before turning back to Nonon. "Uh? Y-yeah, I just put my magic into the handle and pull the trigger. Then, depending on the shell I have in there, it shoots ice or fire or lightning. Can even swing it and make the blade get the effects. Real convenient, since I don't know how to actually cast that kind of stuff on my own yet."

     Thankfully, she doesn't linger on what she had said to Lute about Nonon for too long aside from clearing her throat and waving a hand dismissively. "Ah, don't worry about it. Anyway! What else goes in here..." Different area types for the different creatures was already covered. Food and water was a given.

     "Maybe... Some really long leashes so they don't get lost or wander out too far? Or a... Pile of stuff they can play with or break when they're bored?"

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
It's quite easy to 'piss off' Nonon, as she happens to have a rather hair-trigger when dealing with others in certain ways. One of them being the whole relationship angle. "Oh, out of all the women in the multiverse, and you ask the one out that's so very short~. How sweet~." She cheerfully proclaims, "I'm sure everyone will be so understanding~, -~*/Tousan/*~-." She remarks, flatening her voice and also dropping the whole act, facial emotions and all.

"Do you like pushing your luck or is it some kind of attempt to provoke me?" The small woman remarks, on the edge of resorting to cruel and mean words! "I don't get the fun part of a date, anwyays." She answers, straightforwardsly and not with any intent of annoyance or hatred to Lute.

"Maybe it's what normal High-schoolers do, but Honnoujin isn't a normal highschool." She states, turning away from Lute. It pisses her off doubly so because of what she knows. Something she's not about to say. She sighs, and Sanary explains the axe. It's a wonderful contraption, and grasping one of the carrots, Nonon chomps into it. Where Sanary regrets it, Nonon doesn't seem to skip a beat. It may not have even affected her, for all the response she did.

"Sure." She remarks to Lute, smiling a little. "A date." She turns to both Sanary and Lute, nodding her head. "I apologize. It's been a bit stressful. Lady Satsuki expects so much of us, and I wouldn't want to let her down." She even bows to Lute and Sanary, much unlike her, it may seem. "There's an event we're preparing for. The Cultural and Sports Festival, at Honnoujin Academy. It has to be perfect." She remarks to the two.

"We'll have the date after then."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute considers. Leashes... He ponders at that a bit, before finally giving his answer, "...Leashes are a bit of a problem. I'll probably have a big wall surrounding the area. The more free range, the better. If I get some monsters that are absolute problem cases, who are /really/ hard to train... ...I might put in some just for those situations, and have them on leashes until they know not to hurt the others."

     And then Nonon sort of flips out. Lute is honestly completely unsure what to think of her. She's acting not quite like any woman Lute has met before. An eyebrow is raised as she speaks, and he just sort of listens, rather calmly. He's trying to figure when best to inerject. But, finally, he speaks.

     "Well, I mean no offense. I like short girls. Just, I don't wanna get in trouble, and girls under a certain age are a problem, you know? ...but, well. You are pretty cute, so I mean this pretty seriously. ...But yeah, after the Cultural and Sports Festival works! I'll look forward to it."

     Nonon is probably made enough as is. Lute does not want to bring up the fact he is polyamorous right now. She'll learn on her own eventually. He's sure it'd be better if someone else told her.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Definitely some leashes, at least. Don't want the angrier ones biting anyone or eating each other before you get a chance to train it out of 'em."

     If Sanary wasn't already intimidated by Nonon before with all the exploding music and strange sounds she had fired off during that one night, she definitely is now. She can't even gloat about being significantly taller than her like this! The healer looks between the two slowly, debating whether to even try and interject at all.

     She does speak up again eventually, though, going back to using Lute as an arm rest for her free arm while giving Nonon a reassuring smile. "Hey. Remember, we're around. If you or Satsuki need any help with that, we can probably figure out something even if it's not a lot." She glances between the two again and holds back a snicker. Sanary does seem a little more surprised at her ability to eat that carrot so easily, though, but doesn't react to it verbally.

     Maybe it's an acquired taste.

Nonon Jakuzure (805) has posed:
That is because Lute is asking a fanatic on a date. A well functioning one, of course, but a fanatic none-the-less. For her to go on a 'date' with Lute would be as if a limb of Satsuki Kiryuin had warpped itself around Lute's shoulder and caressed his neck. That is to say, unlikely. For him to suggest such a thing is a slap in the face. It is not Nonon's point to be happy, for Lady Satsuki has never had a chance. It is not Nonon's place to acquire such happiness while their leader knows only sacrifice.

It is, to say the least, unlikely.

"Well, you have good taste." She notes. Unaware of his nature, but it doesn't matter. "I am well aware of the age issue.~ It's why I called you Teacher." She smirks, before nodding. Yes, she knows she's cute, but her face shows a stony exterior as she stares at Lute, until he finishes. "Yes. I cannot say when it is yet but I'm certain it will surprise us with how quickly it arrives," She shrugs, "And that wouldn't come off well, if we're not prepared, even if we're surprised." She exclaims, a smile crossing her face.

Yes. After the Festival. There will be so much time then, wouldn't there?

To Sanary, Nonon gives her a rare smile as well - one that is not the normal faux cheerful one that she usually wears. "I won't forget that - but I don't know if you can help. There will be plenty of work leading up to it but it'll be an important day for the Academy and its students. If Lady Satsuki were to welcome you, then I would as well."

With that, she looks down, "Oh~, would you look at that... practice is creeping up on me. I can't be late now, it'd set a bad example. I'll have to break the rhythm of conversation with you two~." It is not long before she's off, at some point, the hat on her head growing dust as it's pitched into the ground - out of sight, at least.

Lute (188) has posed:
     With Sanary offering help, Lute nods, smiling, "Yeah, if Satsuki needs help, just let me know. Satsuki seems to be working pretty hard at... whatever her goal is." Yeah, Lute just doesn't fully know what Satsuki's endgoal is. Power, obviously. World domination? Likely. But he has no idea the end plan for any of that. Satsuki is a very private person from what he has heard.

     Lute also does not know exactly /how/ fanatical Nonon is to Satsuki. But, he is beginning to get hints.

     But Lute still has some things to clarify. "...Well, uh, first off. I'm not /that/ old. I'm like only nineteen, physically. ...Okay, twenty-something as far as existing years, but I'm from one of those worlds where you stop aging at a point, so." His age is confusing. It always is, when you don't age.

     But still, though, he nods as Nonon leaves, "Well, just take care, okay? I'll look forward to things. Have fun with practice! Maybe you can teach me to play an instrument some day?"

     Yes, his name is Lute and he does not know how to play an instrument.

     Finally, he turns back towards Sanary, smiling, "...Well. I have no fucking clue what her problem is, but she seems a bit high strung."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "I'll figure out something. Even if it's just... Uh." Sanary hums, then gives Nonon a blank stare. "I have no idea what a Culture Festival is. But the offer still stands, anyway." She's relieved by the vaguely different smile, although she doesn't have much to work with aside from speculation and the more annoyed side that she had seen of Nonon back at the club.

     "... Wait, there's worlds where you just /stop/? That's.. Hmm." She furrows her brow, but can't quite put her finger on whether living in such a state would be a good or bad thing.

     "Pretty sure that's not how it works on mine, but.. Eh. Anyway, be safe, Nonon." Sanary taps two fingers to her head in salute as Nonon leaves, eventually turning back to Lute with a light shrug. "Probably the stress. I'm not even in any clubs, but work's probably not too different from what she's got going on."

     Thens he snorts. "Was that a music pun?"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute just nods at Sanary, "Yeah, some worlds have no aging. ...Don't worry. Even if you're from one where aging didn't stop, which is a lot more common? I won't stress you aging. ...No idea if that worries you, but. Yeah." It is something Lute actually worries about. If he ages, and his girlfriends don't... Will they outgrow him?

     Lute nods about the whole stress thing, "Well. Class clubs can cause a lot of stress. Japanese schools are a lot tougher in general, too, so that's probably a large part of it. We should convince her to take a bit of a break, sometime. Maybe Satsuki too. ...Plus I think she's not just the head of a club, but on the student council or something?"

     A bit of a pause. "...Actually, it wasn't meant as such, but it totally is, isn't it?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Well, if getting older means becoming an even better fighter like the ones in the stories? I need to get older faster." It's not stressing Sanary out too much, at least. Age has always just been a number for her, after all, and getting worried about that instead of worrying about survival probably wouldn't do her many favors, anyway.

     "A break wouldn't hurt for them, either. Haven't seen Satsuki since that Election, but we could try and drag her and the others to the beach house. Then..."

     There's a long pause followed by a slowly forming grin. "You just want to see her in a swimsuit, don't you?" The healer laughs loudly and drapes an arm over Lute's shoulder, a low hum escaping her after a few moments. "Might not be too had, actually... Did you see any videos from the Natural's Election? The whole Student Council was in these weird getups that didn't leave much to the imagination."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute just stares at Sanary for a second. The look is one she is probably used to. IE, a look of questioning her logic. But, honestly, Lute himself doesn't even know if she is wrong or not for certian. She.... She might be right on this. A lot of the most powerful people /are/ ancient warriors...

     "...No that is /not/ the only reason I want them to relax. Hell it doesn't even need to be at the beach! Plus, like, the beach has other things too! Not just the beach. Like, you and I should go get some saltwater taffy soon, too!" And, a slight pause, "...Yeah, I saw some video of that."

     With the other two gone, he leans towards Sanary, to give her a bit of a tight hug, and a soft kiss. He looks towards the land nearby, smiling, "...Anything you in particular want, here? I mean. As long as we keep dating, you'll probably be visiting here with me a lot. So it should feel like home to you, too."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Suuure it isn't. Still, ice cream on a hot day... Definitely doesn't sound bad. Not sure what this taffy stuff is, though." Laughing again, Sanary blinks lightly at the hug and kiss before returning them. "Think they'd like the stuff? I mean.. Ice cream, definitely, but salty taffy sounds dangerous."

     She peers at the arid area once more while pondering just what else could go in here, letting the gears turn in her head for a while before shrugging again. "I... I got nothing. Maybe a guest house or something if we just wanna take a break after the summer's over?"

     Another pause. "Or... I saw this huge place called a gym a while back. Lots of space to exercise, showers, crappy food machines... Might be able to make some money off that if you get people to buy into that."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute chuckles a little, "Taffy is basically a type of sugary treat. It's like... Really sticky bits of condensed sugar, flavored. It's really good, especially if you get it at the beach. We can get that, and ice cream. It's pretty fun."

     As Sanary mentions a guest house, he nods a bit, "Yeah, that'd be a great idea. Nice little place for us to relax. I'll work it into the facilities. ...And yeah, a training facility would be good. I almost want to... Well."

     He pauses. He looks around the land a bit. And then, he looks towards the distance. Specifically, he is looking a mountain in the distance. A volcano. It towers off in the distance, and is visible throughout the whole Orre region.

     "...I almost want to put in a Pokemon Gym, or something similar. A facility where people could challenge me, as a Gym Leader, to prove themselves. ...Or maybe, even more lofty of a goal... Become the Pokemon League Champion. The strongest trainer in this entire region. I'm... already pretty close on that front, though. I might be the strongest in this region, already."

     He looks off to the distance, wistfully. Mount Battle...

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Sounds... HMm. Gonna have to try it first." Sanary still sounds a little skeptical about this whole 'taffy' thing, but if Lute's recommending it? It should be decent.

     She listens intently as he starts talking about a potential new goal, her brow furrowing as a slow smile crosses her lips. Following his gaze to the volcano, she... Actually doesn't seem to get why he's lookingin that direction specifically. Still, she reaches up to clap a hand against his shoulder.

     "Well, you know what? You've probably seen and fought a hell of a lot more than any others in this area, so you're off to a good start. I'll be around to help you out with whatever you decide on. Whether it's helping other people get stronger, getting stronger yourself.. Maybe even both. I don't know much about this Pokemon stuff, but.. Hell, I can heal 'em up to keep the training going longer. Or even punch 'em in the wherever so they get build a tolerance to getting hit."

     She pauses for a moment, then straightens up and turns to face Lute suddenly. "... Oh! Uh. Do you know anything about demons? Ones in phones that make contracts with people for mutual protection and stuff."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Sanary reassures Lute. She encourages him. He is still not used to people doing this. His eyes turn away from the distant goal, and instead he focuses on the present. He moves to wrap his arms fully around Sanary as she talks. A soft smile on his face. His breathing is calm, for with her encouragement, she always feels much more relaxed. She will support him, no matter what, won't she?

     Instead of giving an verbal response to this, he leans forward to give a kiss. Or at least he was /about/ to. And then the question about demon phone contracts causes him to pause.

     "...I have absolutely no idea about demon phone contract things. I really have no idea."

     And he just gives a baffled stare, trying to think back, as the moment is /slightly/ ruined, likely before Sanary even realized there was going to be a moment.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Sanary Rondel: MOMENT KILLER.

     Leaning into the semi-hug, the healer doesn't seem to have noticed a thing even as she's looking up at Lute. At least she looks somewhat excited suddenly.

     "Really? Okay.. I need to take you somewhere one day, then. Don't know what the place is called, but I remember how to get there. There's..." She pauses for a moment. Would it be ruining the surprise to tell him what she found in that weird place? Well, he probably already had some suspicions. Might as well give him a better idea ahead of time.

     "... Demons. Well, they called themselves demons, but a lot of 'em were tiny and cute. Then a bunch of weird looking ones that were all... Floaty. Might be worth looking into that place if you really wanna branch out." She gives him a playful nudge and slips a beat up smartphone out of her pocket.

     "I actually got one in here myself! I just... Don't know how to turn it back on."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute considers the demons. That's.. something he hasn't heard of. Demons with contracts through phones? He pauses for a moment, obviously in thought. His hand is placed on his chin, as he looks at the phone.

     "...That... Hrm. That actually makes some level of sense. Pokemon are kept in Pokeballs through technology that makes them somewhat digital briefly. Doing similar with demons... /is/ theoritically possible, so, yeah. That sounds... really wild."

     He looks at the phone. Demons are something he /has/ toyed with before, just not in this way. He pauses, considering.

     "...Can I see it? I might be able to figure out getting it on. It's just a smart phone, after all. ...I'll have to visit this place."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Really? So... Maybe Pokemon are demons, too. Or... They both end in mon. Maybe it's /De/mons?"

     There's the barest attempt at a laugh before Sanary just groans. "Sorry."

     Back to the matter at hand, though: Demons in phones! "But yeah. They seemed pretty reasonable when I saw 'em that time, and this one came along after asking me about power and rulers and stuff."

     She holds the phone out to Lute, and at a glance? The thing's definitely not on. If he tries to turn it on, he'll also find out that the battery is dead. Assuming it had worked when she first got it, she probably didn't charge it once since then. It's an older-looking smart phone with more weight than more recent models, although it's also quite sturdy despite all that.

     "You've seen these kinds of things before? Hn... But nobody pulled demons out of 'em before? Does that make me the first one?" She actually sounds mildly excited about that.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute shakes his head, "No, Pokemon are not demons. Just like Digimon are not Pokemon. Species are very different. But, yeah, they're really not. And yes that joke /was/ terrible but I'll forgive you anyways."

     Lute holds the phone in his hand, looking it over. He ponders more. This is... really out of his league. He frowns a bit seeing it isn't charged, and looks at the connection for charging. It... probably wouldn't be hard to find a charger. But, he gives it back to Sanary, smiling.

     "You may not be the first, but it's the first I heard of it. Let's ask around in the Confederacy, and get a charger for this phone. These usually need batteries. ...But let's be careful. The demon inside might be angry. We'll need to be ready for if it /is/."

     A smile, "And let's visit the world you got this from as soon as possible."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Luckily, the smartphone doesn't seem to have any bullshit proprietary connections to worry about. It's just old. "Hmm... Well, good enough. I don't really know what mine really does other than float around, but we'll figure out something."

     Then there's a pause. "... You don't think he's pissed, do you? Uh. I let him out whenever I'm in my room or when I was outside before today." She furrows her brow slowly before shaking her head quickly. No sense getting worried about that now!

     "Ah, it'll probably be fine. Mutual protection and all that stuff. But yeah." She grins again and moves her hand behind Lute's head to pull him in for a quick kiss. "Let's do that."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute sighs in relief, "Alright, if you've tlaked to him, it's fine. The phone just needs to be charged, then. I can't wait to meet the demon. We'll find a battery. My main concern was just... Whether or not you actually befriended it yet, or if it was angry. He shouldn't be pissed."

     And then Sanary pulls him in for a kiss. Lute kisses back, softly. His hands gently wrap around Sanary's waist. As it breaks, he smiles gently, "Yes, let's. We'll charge up the phone first before we go, okay?"

     He looks at the sky a bit. Pondering, "...Though. We should probably get back now. We've done what we came for, checked out the land and considered some plans."