other side of the universe (open)

[slaughterous]

WHO: Agent Maine & YOU
WHAT: tattoos, training, and polar bears, oh my!
WHEN: early June
WHERE: all over Nightwake
WARNINGS: n/a


Frostreign — Winter Guild

Maine hits up the Winter Guild right away. Seems like the most sensible thing to do. If he's gotta learn magic—or seasonal powers, or whatever—then going to the Guild is the obvious first step.

The place is surprisingly cozy. A little on the cold side, but so is outer space. There are warm blankets scattered around, and the interior of the stone building gives Maine the impression of some faraway castle. Not that he's ever been in a castle before, but if he had, he imagines it would be like this.

He does some research, then sets about training. He's easy to spot: seven feet tall and built like a barge, with a shaved head and a determined look on his face.

Find him on the second floor as he attempts to create steam … but what he's creating instead is a fine veil of mist that swirls around his feet.

Or spot him later, when he's holding an elemental ribbon weapon and looking at it with extreme doubt plastered on his face.

Amberfall — Tattoo Shop

Magical tattoos? Now, this Maine had got to see.

They give him the option of a permanent versus a temporary tattoo. His instinct is to scoff. He doesn't need some pasted-on crap that'll flake off soon. But they assure him the process is the same. So he decides on the magical effects he wants (Danger Sense and Minor Regeneration Powers). Then it's time to figure out the design.

Catch him standing there in a tank top, muscles on muscles, as he studies various designs on the wall. Looking over, he asks in a deep, gravely voice, "These things work?"

Sunwaning — Weapon Training HQ

Today, Maine is training with a combat knife.

He has some experience with the weapon. That much is obvious from the ease with which he holds it, respectful but unafraid of the blade. But it's also apparent that this isn't his weapon of choice.

After practicing forms for a while, he moves onto the knife throwing range. There, he takes up a blade, aims, and flings it down the range.

SHINK!

It sticks! … Handle-first.

Solarpeak — Giant Pool

There is a polar bear in the pool.

How did the polar bear get there? Who knows! No one saw it arrive. One minute, everything was fine. The next, there was a polar bear in the pool.

The polar bear seems pretty content in the water, but should it be there? Maybe it'd be better to try and convince it to leave…

Wildcard

( ooc: hmu by pm or @ bicepsbrigade for any wildcards! will match prose or brackets )

Comments

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata is... neither, really. He became a cop because it was the only way to still be a samurai, a means to an end, and while he's not above abusing his authority in petty ways, he has no interest in hierarchical power struggles. To him, military and police go hand in hand wherever both exist - that's how it works back home, in any case. At Maine's mention of Rinku, he brightens up.]

Do you want to see them? Or are you in a rush to unlock those dragon powers?

[It surprises him that someone as new as Maine would immediately throw himself at something so daunting. Clearly, the man is a powergamer like him - or there's a specific ability he desperately wants. Hijikata is curious, but they'll have enough time to talk as they traverse the mindscape.]

[slaughterous]

[ Hijikata got it in one: Maine is indeed a powergamer! He did his research and has gone straight for whatever will give him an advantage in this new universe. Blame it on the hyper-competitive environment he was in before his arrival, where a literal leaderboard determined the futures of all.

That said, he's also eager to see Pokémon! So he nods, gesturing for Hijikata to go ahead and show him.

In the meantime, he'll bring out his own Pokémon: a Squirtle! ]

[sangreine]

Sorry Maine she will never see you and not think of the polar bear head.

"Sure, anytime. I was brought here with the first group, so I like helping people feel more at home her if I can."

"And if you change your mind about a training partner, just text me."

[mayoninofukucho]

[He loses no time bringing out his Emboar, Aegislash, and Weezing!]

There are Hinobuta, Maken, and Enenra - guys, this is Maine!

[Crouching in front of the Squirtle, he seamlessly continues, petting the small pokémon's head if it lets him:]

And who're you, little guy?

[His big creatures crowd Maine and his pokémon somewhat in their enthusiasm to sniff respectively inspect them, so hopefully, neither of them finds them scary!]

[slaughterous]

Maine nods; he's sure he will, once he gets more comfortable with his Winter abilities. It's only a matter of time. And patience.

Then he starts heading off down the beach, striding past a group of animal control officers who are looking around for a nonexistent polar bear.

[slaughterous]

[ The Squirtle does indeed allow the contact, waving his little paws and chirping excitedly. It almost looks like he wants a hug? ]

Blue-chan.

[ Blue-chan does indeed want a hug! He'll try to hug Hijikata's arm!

Meanwhile, Maine looks around at all the big Pokémon crowding him, his face carefully neutral. Then he reaches out to pat each of them, one by one, on their respective shoulders and/or heads. ]

[happydreamed]

"Are you stuck in that form? -Please nod or shake your head."

There's also the possibility that Kantera is speaking to an actual, literal polar bear that ended up here somehow, but he is choosing to assume that things have not gotten quite that weird yet today.

[slaughterous]

The polar bear vigorously nods. Way more vigorously than Maine would normally. But he wants to make sure he gets the message across!

Thinking that Kantera might be able to help (he's a doctor, after all!), Maine-the-bear starts swimming toward shore.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Cute!! This is super cute! He hugs the endearing Squirtle without hesitation, beaming. His large pokémon, too all enjoy the attention they get from Maine. Talk about a good first impression!]

Blue-chan? Did Rinku help name him?

[This name has her signature written all over it!]

[wickedprayers]

[ Thane lived a solitary lifestyle for a long time. Even when he was married with a kid, he was distant - literally and figuratively - regrettably. Since repairing his relationship with his son, and traveling with the Normandy crew, he has come to appreciate such connections. He took them for granted until it was too late, and here he is alive and well (hopefully).

So, he accepts. It sounds like a truly spiritual experience, and Maine has thus far been an interesting individual. One he works quite well with. He would like to help him with this and perhaps experience something himself.

Thane appreciates the sacredness of the moment, and despite never seeing a dragon before in his life, his posture almost looks like that of someone familiar with such a ritual. Really, it's just the ritualistic nature of spiritualism that makes this less intimidating and more...comforting?

He's since wrapped his hands in bandages that at least cover his palm to avoid too much skin to skin contact, but Maine is in armor, so he doesn't have to be careful as he takes his hand. ]

[slaughterous]

[ Maine nods, smiling a little as Blue-chan chirps happily, grateful for the hug. Blue-chan definitely likes Hijikata! ]

Came up with -chan.

[ Meaning that Maine's contribution was "Blue." ]

[slaughterous]

[ With contact established, Maine closes his eyes. The ritual begins. Slowly, the physical world becomes more distant… And then they're floating, dropping gently toward a vast, beautiful meadow.

As they land, the scenery changes, splitting neatly in half. Lines of power crisscross the landscape; on either side, a gold thread of power burns bright, signifying touch energy.

On Maine's side, the green meadow gives way to ice and snow. A dark blue ocean is visible a short distance away, icebergs floating in the water. The air is still and freezing cold, Maine's breath rising in warm puffs. A blue thread of power hugs the edge of the mindscape, heading in the same direction as a green thread on Thane's side.

Teeth already starting to chatter, Maine breaks contact to pull on his helmet, sealing away the cold. Interestingly, the cold doesn't seep onto Thane's side of the mindscape. ]

[mayoninofukucho]

[He snorts. It looks like Maine and Rinku are equally creative (but who's he to talk?). He takes out some pokémon snacks and dispenses them (little Blue-chan gets one first).]

We'll have to take them all along with us - no way will they want to go back in their balls now! It's fine, though; the dragon castle is safe. They can run around there under the dragons' watch while we do the ritual.

[Maine must be burning to see that mystical place! Luckily, it's only a teleportation away.]

[slaughterous]

[ Blue-chan is thrilled with the snack, trilling happily. Maine gives a nod, looking eager as well. (Not as eager as Blue-chan… But it's hard to beat that!)

He wants to see these dragons he's heard about. Wants to see dragons, period. ]

Teleporting?

[ He's done so a few times since his arrival. A strange but extremely convenient way to travel. ]

[happydreamed]

Definitely a person, okay. Next question: what can he do?

He tries his power to lift curses, but it immediately fizzles out because the bear is not, in fact, cursed. Just regular old inexperienced shapeshifting.

"-Turning you back myself isn't a power I have, I'm afraid. The best I can do is walk you through the process?"

[slaughterous]

Coming onto the shore, Maine-the-bear shakes himself off and looks slightly pleadingly at Kantera. It's more pathetic-looking than he intends, thanks to being … well, a wet bear.

He nods his head. Yes, please, any help is appreciated!

[mayoninofukucho]

Yeah. Have you used the teleport station in the guild before? Let's go inside, everyone!

[His pokémon follow obediently. They usually travel inside their pokéballs, so this is exciting for them too! If Maine and Blue-chan don't need to take care of anything else beforehand, they'll all get zapped away in a matter of minutes... and find themselves in front of the vast, imposing castle, a huge complex with many towers, hallways and interconnected buildings, standing right on the border of the Summer- and Autumn Segments and surrounded by lush forest.]

Welcome to the no-longer-abandoned castle!

[There are dragons, too - dragons of all sizes, arriving and leaving and milling about. The smallest are as tiny as dragonflies, the largest... well, they probably aren't seeing them right now.]

[slaughterous]

[ They are indeed zapped away! Maine comes out the other side looking slightly uncomfortable: teleportation feels weird! But as soon as he sees the dragons, his expression changes, eyes widening and lips parting slightly as he gazes up at them.

He doesn't exclaim aloud or go running to investigate. No, his excitement is subtler than that. It mostly shows in his eyes, dark and twinkling with delight as he takes in some of the more massive, powerful-looking dragons. ]

Awesome.

[ He's suitably impressed!! ]

[mayoninofukucho]

Now this is high fantasy, right?

[Hijikata is happy to see Maine's amazement first-hand. Showing newcomers around this fantastical world is always a joy.]

Let's find a dragon who's free to assist us with the ritual.

[He leads the way, but allows for some getting sidetracked. After all, it's the first time for both Maine and any of the pokémon to see dragon nests and -hoards, not to mention their owners! Who knows, perhaps it'll be the newcomer who'll identify a match for their endeavour.]

[slaughterous]

[ Despite not knowing where anything is, Blue-chan starts trying to give an informational tour. It sounds like a lot of "Squirtle Squirtle Squirtle" to Maine. But Hijikata's Pokémon may understand Blue-chan's attempts!

The information given is mostly obvious, of course. "This dragon is really big!" and so forth. But it's the Pokémon's antics that actually get the attention of a dragon, who asks if they're here for the ritual. ]

Good job.

[ Said to Blue-chan as the dragons get everything ready.

Soon enough, they're at the stage where it's time to hold hands, relax, and let their minds slip away… ]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata admonished his pokémon to stay within the confines of the castle grounds and look out for Blue-chan, and seeing how they've all taken to the cheerful little one, his instructions were well-received (though the creatures all did look on as the ritual was set up, making sure their trainers would be OK).

Maine and Hijikata find themselves on the metaphysical plane already half-familiar to the latter - and half is literal, what with the landscape being split in the middle. Hijikata's half features open plains under an equally open sunny sky, looking not unlike the Summer Segment. In the distance, various settlements can be seen: A large city with modest outskirts giving rise to skycrapers and a tall silver spire in the centre, another one crowned by a medieval-style castle not wholly unlike the one their bodies still reside in right now, a futuristic place with a whole other level floating above the one on the ground, different mountains with different settlements yet... there are even more places they can only vaguely guess at, far away.

Despite the fond look in his eyes as they scan the horizon, he soon fixes them on the colourful energy streams in the air. For him, there's plenty: The many greens of summer, the dark purples of his death magic, the pale yellow Dragon Slayer magic, the golden touch energy.]

We need to follow the magic. Now's the time to warn me: What kind of monsters do you have back home? If you're a troubled guy, they might manifest here and come for us.

[He doesn't really sound apprehensive about that possibility, be it because Maine gives him a stable impression or because he's just so sure of his ability to defend them both.]

[slaughterous]

[ On Maine's side of their shared mindscape, the scenery is starkly different. Snow and ice stretch out before him, a dark blue ocean visible in the distance, icebergs floating in the water. The air is still and freezing cold, Maine's breath rising in warm puffs. A gold thread of power thrums through the ice and snow, as well as a blue thread which hugs the edge of the landscape, going in the same direction as Hijikata's green threads.

Maybe it looks fitting for a Winter. But Maine himself looks somewhat surprised, looking between their vastly different landscapes. It's a lot to take in! ]

… Aliens, [ he says after a pause. ] Different species. Use guns, not magic.

[mayoninofukucho]

[While the temperature clash is jarring, at least they definitely don't run a risk of their landscapes merging! Granted, even with more similar dispositions that would hardly have been a risk, seeing how unfamiliar they are to each other. At Maine's warning, Hijikata simply nods, starting to follow the energies' course.]

Your world, too, huh? Invaded, I mean? Or did you meet them in their territory?

[slaughterous]

[ Maine shakes his head as they start walking, his boots crunching over snow. Thankfully, the cold doesn't seem to be negatively affecting him. Maybe because he believes it isn't real?

He's quiet for a moment, considering how to explain. Where to begin. ]

Humanity's spacefaring, [ he says at last. ] Colonized hundreds of worlds. Thought we were alone.

Aliens found a colony. Glassed it. Started hunting colonies. Searching for Earth.

War's lasted over 20 years.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Again, Hijikata nods knowingly. A sligthly sardonic grin makes it onto his face.]

In a multiverse this big, you're never alone. In my universe, they got to Earth before we ever made it into space, and our war of resistance took half about as long as yours, give or take. I was still a kid, then. By the time I'd grown up, it was over. Being colonised sucks in many ways, but we have a lot to be thankful for too - advancements in technology, medicine, whatever else you can think of.

[He briefly stops to point at one of the cities in the distance.]

That's my Edo. You can't see it from here, but the suburbs are still the same as before the invasion while the city centre's all fancy and modern. That tall tower is our space terminal where the starships arrive and depart.