4157/A Knight By The Lake

A Knight By The Lake
Date of Scene:	27 May 2016
Location:	Njorun Station - Central Plaza
Synopsis:	Athela's first meeting with Multiverse people.
Cast of Characters:	20, Silica, Athela Valemore

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Athela Valemore has posed:
A lake! Inside a titanic tree! ... Which is also some sort of fortress bastion for the forces of good in this hodgepodge of worlds.

It was getting to be a lot to take in, especially after the earlier incident with the camera and such. So upon finding the sizable body of water within the structure of Njorun, Athela decided it would be a good point to take a break. It wasn't the oceanic coast she was from, but it was still more familiar feeling than many of the sights she had already been exposed to.

As it was, it did not take her long for find a comfortable spot with a shady tree standing over it to sit. Athela had removed one gauntlet so she could idly scratch behind the ears of the Eevee curled up next to where she sat cross-legged. Her Timburr was the one actually lounging against the tree truck, the hunk of squared off log he used as a club also propped against it. The glob of pink and lavander that was a Goomy sloshed about in the shallows but didn't venture much deeper.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    New people are always interesting to meet, especially when there are other people who come from non-technologically advanced worlds out in the multiverse!

    As Althela is resting with her Pokemon, she might notice that one of the many people wandering about the area is coming straight towards her. A short teenaged girl at about five feet, clad in a casual tank top, leggins that end below the knees, and with metal bangles on her wrists. She's carrying a bag with her as she walks with purpose, looking rather cheerful as she raises her free hand to wave at them. When she speaks her voice should be easily recognisable.

    "Heya there, since there aren't many other people resting by the water I kinda assume that you're Althena?" Perhaps it might be puzzling at first since most Unionites would know just by looking at her, but then again, this teenager has never 'looked' at the woman.

Silica has posed:
    A common sight for most of Njorun, but likely a new one for a certain Knight, is a flying catgirl! Silica was out running errands for people, doing 'quests' for various and sundry because she wanted to help, even if it was just 'grunt work' noone else wanted to do. That's something you get used to playing MMOs, the NPCs are universally lazy things and refuse to take the ten steps to give a package to the guy across the street, because Adventurers are there for that express purpose.

    But she also knows an Event when she sees one, and a Knight sitting by a lake seems like an Event to her! So with a wing-over, and a lazy wide arc to bleed off speed and drop altitude, the Cait Sith, and her Dragonling companion land nearby Athela not long after Toph arrives. "Hey, hi!" she offers in greeting to both, chipper as always.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Despite the attention from earscritchs the little fuzzball is still quite attentive of the surroundings, having been raised and trained as a tracking animal. She perks up as Toph approaches, yowling softly to alert Athela as well. The armor clad woman looks up with a soft slightly bemused sigh, like she's not all that unaccustomed to people having difficulty with her name at first. "Athela," she corrects politely as she starts to stand. "Athela Valemore, yes. You were the 'earthbender', was it no--"

Only to be cut off by several sharp yips from Eevee as someone else descends upon their spot as well. A dragon-like companion, nothing new.

The cat-like human, on the other hand. Uh. "This.. must be one of the 'not quite human' races I was forwarned about running across." She mainly sounds perplexed at the new sight, and trying to not sound unintentionally rude about it.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Oh right, Athela. "Ah, sorry. Some people have problems with my name at times too," Toph grins, clearly not too bothered. "And yup, I'm the earthbender! The greatest one ever, as a matter of fact!" The blind teenager seems a little curious about the Pokemon, though she will let them decide to say hi to her on their own accord.

    Instead she raises her head a bit when Silica arrives, and she reaches out to the punch the Cait Sith in the shoulder as a greeting. "Heya! I think this is the first time we meet face to face, right?" she asks.

    "As a junior officer and somebody who's been in the Union for a few years..." Toph begins, reaching into the bag she brought with her, fishing out some containers with lids on them and handing them out. Upon opening them, the two other girls should notice what Toph brought. Shaved ice with different fruit flavours.

Silica has posed:
    Silica gets punched in the shoulder. That punch makes her stagger a bit more than a normal human would from the impact. Being a light-body fairy sucks sometimes gaise. She clicks her tongue and draws Pina back to resting on her shoulder, tickling the dragonling under the chin before offering a peanut, which is munched happily. "Oh... thank you." she says to Toph, peeking into the container, but not making move to eat any.. "Oh, yeah, I'm Silica, the Beast Tamer. I'm still pretty new to the Union, though I've been in the Multiverse for a pretty long time now." She then smiles brightly at Athela. "It's nice to meet new people, and uh, this isn't my /real/ body... it's just a virtual avatar that I can bring out of the game it's from into the rest of the Multiverse."

Athela Valemore has posed:
The Timburr hasn't moved from the tree. To his credit he may be trying to avoid a repeat of earlier incidents. Or ... more likely, he's asleep. Toph can probably hear his faint snoring, which unsurprisingly considering his weapon sounds like a small saw grinding against wood. The slug-like Goomy however does eventually squirm its way over to lurk around Athela's heels alongside the fox-like Eevee.

"So something akin to a Pokemon Trainer then." Athela gestures down at the two that gathered next to her as well. "A pleasure to meet you, both of you." Though pretty much the rest of what Silica says goes right over her head. "... I think I shall just take your word for it."

And then Toph shoves something into her hands. Goodness that feels cold to the touch, especially without her gauntlet on one hand. "What, some manner of gift?" Both her pokemon tilt their heads (relatively speaking for Goomy) to try and see as Athela turns the container over in her hands a few times brows raised. "It seems to lack an opening..."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "It's somewhat sweet, Pina and the Pokemon can have a taste if they want," Toph encourages the other two with a grin, then shows Athela how to open it. The boxes aren't that hard to get open, and the logo on them seems to be like something you get from a fancy ice cream store, at least to Silica who might be more accustomed to such things. "It's shaved ice with flavour, it's a treat. My favourite kind of treat, really!"

    Once they have their boxes open Toph will hand out spoons for them to enjoy their treat with, then she kicks the ground... and up rises a makeshift little bench with room for Silica to sit down on as well. The earhtbender herself flops down in a comfortable manner, looking rather pleased. "So how are you finding the Union so far? That goes for you too, Snow White," she asides to Silica. The beast tamer has been in the Union for a while, though she hasn't gotten the chance to talk much with her.

Athela Valemore has posed:
If Athela is embarassed by being stalled by a simple lid, she doesn't show it. She just 'oh's softly when Toph demonstrates how it works. And it is full of ice. No wonder it felt could. "You.. eat ice?" Or, it is some kind of snack, by Toph's explaination. She uses the spoon (THAT isn't unusual at least) to scoop out some for herself and takes a tentative taste. "Flavoured ice," she repeats. "It must be a marvel in this container to keep it from melting!"

She gets down on one knee and scoops a spooful out. Eevee sniffs at it, takes a lick, then licks up the rest of it after the test proves fruity tasting. "Vree~" Another spoonful is held out for Goomy... who just gulps it down without bothering to test first. Leaving a trail of greenish slime on the spoon afterwards.

".. I do no that think I wish to reuse this spoon." Athela, despite being use to this occurance, still holds the slimed utensil out between two fingers. The Goomy slime is quite viscuous, dripping off the spoon very slowly in long thin globs.

And then Toph goes and makes a seat for herself, from the ground itself. "-Definately- an Earth Shaker."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Toph definitively looks amused at the Pokemon's reaction to the shaved ice, and she digs in the bag to find another spoon for Athela. "Here ya go, Athy," she says. "At least your Pokemon seem to like it too. Just don't eat it too quickly, or you might get a brief headache." Might be best to warn her if she hasn't eaten this before.

    As for the comment on her bending? "Yeah, been one since I was little. In my world you're either born with the ability to bend an element or not, most figure it out when they're young. I can bend metal too, as a matter of fact I invented it," she explains after eating a spoonful of her own treat. "And don't feel bad if you don't get everything all at once. There's lots of technical doohickeys I don't understand yet either, and I've been in the multiverse for three years now. We didn't have radios in my world either, nor cameras. You do get used to it, really."

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore accepts the new spoon with a nod of gratitude. "Most pokemon enjoy the flavour of fruits and berries, though they can be picky about which ones. Berries can be easily dried or juiced so they don't spoil, and thus easy for a traveling trainer to keep at hand." She spoons out another helping for herself, then turns her head a bit to look over her shoulder. Timburr is still sound asleep by the tree. Oh well. Instead she gives a sharp whistle.

Something fairly large can be heard breaking the surface of the lake with a resounding splash. Something similar in form to a sealion but many times larger, clad in it's own knight-like armor no less (granted Toph probably hears the metal more than she 'sees' anything) hits the ground and slides up next to Athela. She holds the container out in one hand after taking another spoonful. Samurott sniffs at it, then curls back his whiskers to shove his snouth into the container. "I do believe your 'treat' is a success." Cold probably isn't going to bother a Water type to scarf down like that. After a moment he pulls away, only to have the container stuck on his snout, and ducks down to try and grab it between his front limbs to get it off. Athela takes a step back out of the way almost reflexively. "Mindful of your horn blade, Lancer," she lightly scolds.

Then turns her attention back to Toph. "So this kind of elemental control is normal for your world? You mean like..." Athela pauses with just a hint of amusement, curling her ungloved hand a bit. A few watery swirls manifest into her palm, forming more or less a water balloon. Just made entirely of water... That Toph might not actually 'see' until Athela lobs it at her lightly. "This?"

Clearly, unlike some of the knights and paladins you read about, Athela actually has a sense of humor.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The comment about fruits and berries earns a nod. "I have met Pokemon from other worlds before, that's why I picked fruit flavour so your Pokemon could try shaved ice too!" Toph informs Athela. Huh, seems like the blind teenager isn't an enemy to animal like creatures.

    The first thing Toph hears after the whistle is the sound of something in the water, and she curiously turns her ear towards the splash. And then she arches an eyebrow. "Is somebody swimming with /armour/?" she asks, then leans a little forward in her seat. Huh, seems like a seal... with a horn? And she grins when the Pokemon likes the shaved ice. "My mom do say I have a sweet tooth!"

    The blind bender leans back and resumes eating her own treat, nodding at the question. "Yeah, you got earth, fire, air and..." Sure, Toph can 'see' that Athela is moving her hand. Though she doesn't have any way to notice the gathering wather, not until it hits her arm.

    "... water. Yeah, that."

    Well, at least it wasn't a lot, though Toph can't help but roll her eyes. "Are you gonna be one of those water people who enjoy splashing me?" While Toph has a teasing tone to it, she does point /straight/ at Athela's face. "If you ever splash me with a lot of water or try to drown me, then you gotta be prepared for a boulder coming your way, you are hereby warned." Nopes, doesn't seem like the blind girl is fond of large amounts of water for some reason.

Athela Valemore has posed:
"I guess I should not be surprised. Most Ground pokemon dislike larger amounts of water as well." Athela, after a moment, shakes her head. "Sad to say it would not be the first time I have had rocks thrown at me." If it's by a pokemon or these 'Earth Shakers' she has mentioned before, she does not specify. She doesn't throw any more water at Toph though, having gotten the point that the girl certainly does not like it.

Instead she reachs over to pat the back of the Samurott's armored neck. "And yes. My Samurott is both Water and Steel types." Because it may be different types than other worlds but it would just be needlessly confusing to try and give it an entirely different name.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I'm as earthbendery as you can get. It's how I interact with the world, and it's how I fight." Perhaps it might not be so strange to a Pokemon trainer that a short girl, while not exactly scrawny, can love to fight.

    "Water and steel, huh? Haven't met many water Pokemon before. I did get along well with an Onyx though!" she adds with a grin, clearly having forgiven the brief water splashing. "So you fight along with Pokemon, is that it? Or is there anything specific that you guys do?" Might as well learn something about her new ally, especially if there's anything in particular that she might need help with.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Not so strange at all. Nor is the comment about an Onyx. "I had a feeling you've at least seen pokemon before, as you did not react strangely to them." Took them into consideration with her treat, even. Toph did say she's been here for a while though. "Where I come from Trainer and Pokemon fight alongside each other... Though I am told that is not so unusual around here, either." He face scrunchs a little as she tries to remember some of the things the recruitment officer had told her. "Something about a kid that went around beating up Elites with an electrified rat? Must of been a Denene or Pikachu." She shrugs a little, pauldrons rattling faintly with the gesture.

"Of course, some take it more than just 'aside'." In one fluid motion Athela grabs one of the prongs on the back of the Samurott's neck armor and hoists herself onto his back as easily as one would saddle upon a horse. "Lancer here is also my valiant mount."

A knight riding around on a giant armored sealion with a lance-like horn.. That one might need a little time to sink in.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Seen them? Nopes. Met them? Yes." Is she... grinning?

    It does seem like Toph knows what Athela is referring to, and she nods. "Oh yeah, Ash was a guy who had a Pikachu! They were nice, it was his Onyx that I met. Pokemon can be really different, huh?" And so useful and nice. At least when Confederate Pokemon trainers aren't making them attack her, she guesses.

    It's a bit curious when Athela mounts the Samurott, though then again... it's not the strangest thing Toph has witnessed. So she shrugs. "Eh, one of my friends rides a flying bison. Why shouldn't you be allowed to ride an unicorn seal?" Things make more sense if you put them into perspective. "Just as long as you don't make me ride him. I prefer walking. Though, oh right..." Something seems to dawn on Toph. "Lots of people ride mechanical constructs around, some of them make a lot of noise. Just so you're warned. Some of them even fly through the air like big, clumsy birds they say." Better warn her about cars and stuff too since she didn't know how to handle a camera.

Athela Valemore has posed:
... Flying bison...? There must not be a pokemon she can try to compare that to mentally, because Athela just.. well, she's been looking confused a lot lately, and this is just adding to it. At the same time, she seems about as curious about these new things as she is bewildered by them. "A flying bison must be quite the thing to see." Does it have wings? Or does it just float like some pokemon seem to do, defying nature. Would it be rude to ask? Maybe a topic saved for a later time.

The 'unicorn seal' does get a faint snicker out of her. "I was warned about 'vehicles' by the officers, yes... Though your description is much more... colorful." Said warning probably came after the camera incident and the recruiter realized she really was from a Dark Ages time and not just dressed the part. The later can be hard to tell with some Multiverse worlds.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The blind girl snickers a bit, nodding. "Well yeah, I prefer to describe things colourfully. Despite what I am," she adds.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore gives a bit of a nod, and a smile. "Thank you, for the assistance with... adjusting to all this, as it were. And now that we have had a chance to rest, I think we shall finish our seeing of this marvelous structure." She gives Goomy a nudge with her toe. "Go wake up Mizzen."

Happily the slug-dragon wiggles over to the Timburr and sloppily licks his face, causing the 'mon to bolt awake with all the slime dripping off his bulbeous nose. With a yowl he reflexively grabs his board... only to realize its the small slug looking at him cutely and not an attacker. So instead just gruffs sourly while wiping the slime off with an arm.

"Come along you lot. We've got more of this fortress to investigate." Athela nudges with her heels, and her Samurott slides off, using some sort of hydroplaning method to glide around on solid ground like that.