[PKMN FULL] Crimson Dawn: A Tale of Conquest (IC)

Jeremy "Juggernaut" Daraxus

It wasn't long before two others, a Primeape and Machamp, came in. the Primeape was first, and later on the Machamp came in, announcing, "Punisher here!" He said eagerly. "So... how long is this whole trip going to take? I do want to get to punching some heads in!" He said with a chuckle.

Jeremy simply shook his head, "trips take time... and this 'trip' is not much of a trip and more of a rescue mission. besides there'll be plenty of time to make traitors pay," he swallowed some of his Iron ore, "and I don't see why you are so eager to leave and yet wondering how long it's gonna take... patience is a virtue better kept intact... besides why don't we learn a few things about each other... better teamwork, starts with knowing a friend's strengths and weaknesses. I'll start then, I'm the Juggernaut, I specialize in steel type moves... and am as formidable defensively as I am offensively... and you Punisher?"

Cassandra watched as Tavhir and Thrasher headed off. She momentarily questioned their motives, but the thought didn't linger long. They were allies, and she knew that whatever it was, if it concerned her then Thrasher would have called her as well. She turned towards Pendro, the metang having dozed off, sleeping soundly. At least they were finally able to get some rest for now.

"Gold Tribe, the airship will be leaving at dawn, a short while from now. An order to gather to the Observation Room of the Obdisian Citadel has been given, so best start heading there now. If you're still asleep when we leave, it's not my fault."

So much for resting.

"Pendro," Cassandra said quietly, gently nudging the metang's arm. "Wake up. We have to go. They're calling us."

"Noooo, I don't need to go to school today, my teacher doesn't even know kinetic cumulation theory..." Reaching Mind mumbled, still more-or-less in the land of sleep.

Cassandra nudged him, using more strength this time, tilting his body some. "Psst. Hey, sleepy head," she teased.

The metang shook the aforementioned sleepy head, seeming to come to, a little. "What? Oh- hey, my head isn't sleepy, it just... needs a little chesto juice, is all..." Pendro rubbed his eyes. "Um, so what was it? Sorry I was, uh..."

"Zack is calling us to the Observation Room. Sounds like we're getting ready to leave," Cassandra said, letting out a sigh afterwards. She had hoped they would be able to get a little more rest. Even after a giga drain, she was still sore from the fall earlier. Regardless, there wasn't much to be done. Her and the remainder of the group would be able to rest on the airship. "Come on, we should get going."

Pendro joined the sighing bandwagon, finding the power to lift himself from the bed. He could float now; that was something, at least. The little rest he'd had had done him good, but he sure wouldn't mind a few - or a lot - of extra hours. He just hoped he'd get them on the Emperor's airship once they went off. "Okay, I guess you're right. Erm, where'd Tavhir go? He was with us when I- uh, I didn't fall asleep, he just... evaded my attention." The Metang couldn't help but avoid eye contact a little in embarrassment - he sure hadn't expected to fall asleep so easily. Right after the incident with the Emperor, no less.

Cassandra shrugged. "I'm not sure. Thrasher came by earlier and called him for... something. They're probably waiting in the Observation room for us. Come on." Cassandra rose to her feet off the bed, lightly stretching before heading towards the elevator, pushing the button and walking inside as the elevator arrived. Pendro followed her in, but frowned slightly once inside.

"Oh, so now I can float, we decide to use the elevator? Was it something I said?"

"Did you want to share the same elevator space with the Emperor?" she asked, slightly serious but teasing at the same time.

"Pfft, don't be ridiculous. I suggested that we wait until it came back up."

Cassandra chuckled slightly at Pendro's comment. "Truth be told, I just wanted to leave the room as fast as possible. I wasn't about to wait for the elevator," she said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Oh, you just wanted to leave? How do you think I felt? I just fainted in front of- ugh, I don't even want to think about it, I- sorry, I'm being selfish again, I just... huh... do you remember before an airship exploded on us? Those were good times..."

Cassandra laughed again. "It's alright, you're fine. And yes, those were "good times," I agree." She grinned, before exhaling softly. Pendro's comment about fainting made her think back on that.. less-than-pleasant experience. "What do you think of what Thrasher and Tavhir said in that meeting earlier? Do you really think this is some elaborate plot to separate us from the city?"

Pendro put a claw to his chin. "I'm... I'm not sure what to think. We have very little intel on the enemy - mainly because a certain Emperor won't stand still long enough to let us gather any. It depends on how effective Vektor's army actually is, and whether they were actually using their full force here..."

"That's true," Cassandra mused, thinking back on the large army that Vektor had used when entering the city. "From what I saw, it appears that Vektor has everything under control. As much as I respect both Thrasher and Tavhir, I think they might be worrying over nothing."

The Metang shrugged, "There isn't much that isn't possible in this war, I'm afraid... it's difficult to have anything more than hypotheses when we have so little to go on, though."

"That's what I'm thinking. As crazy as things have been, we don't know much at all about our enemies or their goals. Really, I suppose anything is possible, but it's too early to start formulating plans and ideas."

"Which is why we need some caution, which seemingly everyone in charge seems to be lacking. It- it is all rather depressing, when you look at it. Just- just, uh, glad I have friends to talk with about it, I guess... beats talking to books- which I have, uh, never done. Just clarifying that."

"That's good to know," Cassandra replied with a smile at Pendro's book remark. "But yes, I do agree, to an extent. If only we had more time to think things through, we might be able to devise a better plan."

The elevator pinged lightly, signalling that they had reached the floor to the Observation Room as the doors parted to let them exit. Cassandra quietly made her entrance in the room, taking note of the other who were gathered. She kept silent, lost in her own thoughts somewhat as she stood in the room waiting. Pendro followed shortly, trying not to think about whether or not the Emperor would be there - he almost definitely would be, though the Metang just couldn't help but cling to some naive hope that he wouldn't.

Jeremy "Juggernaut" Daraxus

Jeremy followed Garland, their leader, to the deck of the HMS Grand Megaera, "Truly a grand ship this is," Jeremy said commenting on it's size, and almost instantly out of habit began observing the hull of the ship, the craftsmanship was fine... he was almost sure that this was the finest craftsmanship that he had ever seen. he noticed that the Electabuzz, Castform, and Kadabra, leave the group, just after talking to Garland, excited about something then leave. after the little group was out of earshot Jeremy turned to Garland, "Garland," he saluted the leader with a pound of his right arm over his chest and a slight bow of his head, "If I may ask... who is that Electabuzz? I don't believe I've seen him among our ranks before."

Jeremy continued listening to Garland, which was no difficulty for him, although he did feel the cold upon the surface of his steel frame, the Aggron simply shrugged it off, the cold was another obstacle to be trained to overcome. nothing a little mental training couldn't accomplish. At the moment however that could wait... the important thing to know was, one: who was new, and two: what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are as warriors... that was the true way to victory, at least in Jeremy's eyes, a team must work as a team or else the world will destroy them.

The Emperor called everyone down below the deck of the ship for a feast, Cassandra watching as the others gathered down for some much needed sustenance. She had been jotting things down in her own personal journal while waiting. Sketches, letters to send back home, small journal entries of varying consequence; it was something she enjoyed doing to pass the time. As the others began to leave the observation room, she added the last line to a letter she was writing.

"Can't wait to hear back from you. Good luck, I hope everything works out for you!"

Cassandra signed the letter with her own name in regal cursive lettering, before closing her journal and storing it in the satchel strapped across her shoulder. She'd have to find a way to send the letter at their next stop.

As Cassandra stood to follow the others, she saw Tavhir, standing over the edge of the deck, looking out across the city below as pokemon of all shapes and sizes helped with the cleanup. She could tell from the pawniard's expression that something was on his mind; his eyes looked over the city, yet she could tell that was not the focus. She walked over to his side, following Tavhir's gaze across the streets of Alamanga, the strong winds causing her floral hair to trail behind her.

"Something on your mind?" she asked, even though she knew the answer was emphatically yes. Tavhir kept his gaze fixed on the streets, exhaling slightly.

"Yes. Just... thinking."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Tavhir shook his head. "It's not important. I'm just thinking, is all. Don't worry about it." In his mind he juggled all of the events that had transpired, the words exchanged and the actions examined. The words from Thrasher in particular weighed upon him greatly, and he couldn't help but hold on to the feelings of doubt that arose from them. Talk of traitors and traps, keeping an eye out for anything and everything out of the ordinary, disobeying orders if the need arose. As logical as most of it sounded, part of him couldn't help but feel like he was betraying his oaths. He had his disagreements with leadership, true, and he had a tendency to question authority - such was his nature - but he was still loyal in the end. The thought of possibly going against orders, disobeying Garland, or Dareon, or whomever happened to be in charge... he silently hoped that it wouldn't have to come to that.

Cassandra suspected that Tavhir was masking something, but she decided against further prodding. She was insatiably curious as to what Thrasher had discussed with her brother, but she respected Tavhir and Thrasher both. If it had concerned her, they would have told her. She took one last glance down at the city before turning to face Tavhir again. "We should go down to the dining hearth. We could use some food after today."

Tavhir nodded in acceptance. "Agreed."

Thrasher and 'Shadowrend' : Trying to start a conversation​

Thrasher fell silent as they went to the dining area and he sat down slowly in a seat. All sorts of food graced the table and he couldn't help but feel a tinge of resentment. Here they were, practically living on rations during the war and here was royalty simply stuffing his mouth with all manners of food. He did want to push it away at first but his stomach chose that moment to growl rather loudly. Thrasher closed his eyes and forced himself to think as he grabbed some meat and slowly bit into it. This would NOT become his standard. He would remember that this wasn't what everyone had on their plates for every meal. If he turned this down it could very well mean that he slapped away the Emperor's hospitality.

He forced himself to swallow and looked over at Shadowrend. "Brother, we haven't had time to chat fully about what happened when you escaped from the rebels. I hope your journey back wasn't too tiring for you."

"Finally," Gerrick exhaled at the sight of the glorious feast, slumping down in a chair and digging in without a moment's hesitation. He was stuffing himself with everything he could get his hands on, and that didn't just extend to the food. Every chance he got when he was certain none of the others' eyes were fixed on him, he would slip a spoon or dish of gold under his cloak. This truly was a feast for royalty, something Gerrick had been wondering if they were ever going to get.

"Oh Arceus, here we go again," Gerrick did his best to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He was quickly learning that this Primeape might have been the nosiest Pokemon among the Gold Tribe, someone he would definitely have to watch out for. He was always asking a lot of questions. Sweating a bit at his brow, Gerrick wiped it away and quickly stuffed himself with all manner of food he could grab, before turning to Thrasher and beginning to speak with his mouth completely filled to the brim. Not a single word was understood that came out of the Krookodile's mouth, and bits and chunks of food flew all over the Primeape as he 'spoke' to him.

Thrasher just stared on at him. He raised an eyebrow as his brother avoided his question entirely. Why avoid a question? All he was asking was if, essentially, it had been hard to escape. Perhaps if Shadowrend had gotten away then some others had as well. If Shadowrend had been so focused on escaping then he could have missed if others had done the same thing. He crossed his arms, "No worries brother. I can wait until your mouth is empty." He said with a small nod.

Mouth still full, Gerrick laughed loudly, grabbing some more food off the table and continued to fake speak. He looked around the room, as if looking for something, then, with his mouth still full, he pointed to the opposite part of the room while his mouth blurted out nonsense, and he quickly stood up and moved to the opposite side of the room, away from Thrasher.

Thrasher stayed seated as he didn't even turn to look. He knew how well distractions could work, so his eyes just stared all the while at the Krookodile as he moved away. The Primeape didn't hide his journal as he whipped it out and began to scribble in it, purposefully still staring at Shadowrend as he finished his writing and put his items back. He picked up some meat and turned his eyes away. It seemed there was a new item on his list to consider now.

Gerrick felt sweat rush down from his head down his spine, finding the staring Primeape nerve-racking. He couldn't help but return his look, though his own was not nearly as bold as the Primeape's. "What the hell is up with this guy? Why is he so damn nosy? Why's he staring at me like tha- Oh, what the hell, he's got a notebook?! What is he, some kinda spy...thing? Aww, damn it, I'm done for,"

"Excuse me, sir you would like a-" A voice lightly tapped Gerrick on the shoulder. Gerrick, in his nervous and jumpy disposition, reacted instantly to the touch, turning around quickly and spraying the entirety of the contents of his mouth onto the poor soul who had tapped his shoulder. Gerrick finally realized what he had done, spewing all of his food onto one of the servants, who was now drenched in it.

Gerrick couldn't help himself. He began to laugh to himself, finding the situation quite amusing. "Well, let's face it, it's not like that made you look any worse than you already do," He added with a light chuckle, returning once more to his normal persona and humor. He quickly caught what he said only after the fact. Looking around the room, he cleared his throat, and returned his gaze to the servant, trying to appear more earnest. "Err..that is...my apologies. I am not feeling well." Gerrick made his way to the side of the room where the least amount of others sat and tried his best to no longer draw any more attention to himself.

Pendro floated in front of the early arrivals in an odd show of confidence. He didn't like the aristocracy, but these weren't aristocrats - that much he could tell. Rather, they simply held themselves to a certain standard of manners, and he could respect that. The Secret Intelligence Agency were surely reputable gentlemen - whether or not they'd reveal which one was Wallace and which was Jenkins - and as such Pendro would do his best to treat them well.

Plus, they had tea. And Pendro did fancy a bit of tea right now.

The Metang held a hand back to address his two comrades. "It's alright, I've got this. I speak Posh." Reaching Mind promptly retrieved a similar derby hat from a rack in the corner of the room, tipped it to the cats at the table, then replaced it, floating over to them. "Righto, old boys. Though my associates may not be so thrilled, it would be simply riveting to share a lovely cup of tea with such fine, respectable gentlemen as yourselves. Though I feel I must repay the favour sometime in the future - should we ever make port in Skyhaven, I should love to invite you grand fellows for a nice beverage at my residence. What say you, chaps?"

"Oh, a droll golden fella!" Wallace or Jenkins (the Purrloin) exclaimed.

"A beverage would be most exciting," the Glameow, Wallace or Jenkins, added. "Seat yourself besides, fine lad. You happen to be the Reaching Mind, if I am correct? Are you into books?"

"Most indubitably, my good Sir, Glameow Wallace Jenkins." The Metang sat with a smile, silently wondering how on Exathor he'd managed to come up with 'Glameow Wallace Jenkins' without skipping a beat. "There's barely a single book in the city I haven't read."

"Therefore, you have read my most beloved book: the Skyhaven's Symphony of the Heavenly Skyline! A riveting read, indeed." the Purrloin said.

"Could you perchance recall what happened in that tale?" the Glameow inquired, "it seems I have failed to find and read this elusive book!"

"It's a great classic, my good man. The story of a hero's struggle to help people after the uprooting of their shared land. A true literary gem." Pendro answered, before taking a sip of his newly poured tea. "Truly, if you should find it in a library anywhere, I'd advise you to give it a good read. Smashing tea, by the way - might I inquire as to what blend it is?"

"Hesperian Breakfast blend, with the finest harvest of chesto berry juice. Neat for starting the day, especially if waking up so early is a requirement!"

"Quite," the Glameow agreed.

"Marvellous," The Metang said. "I shall have to acquire some on my return."

Zack and Frank, who were sitting quietly in the table for all this time, were looking at Pendro questioningly. "How do you do this?" Zack whispered. "Speak posh, I mean."

Pendro was about to take another sip, but stopped, placing his teacup back on his saucer and onto the table. He turned to the two other Pokémon and floated closer.

"Well, my dear chaps, the thing about that is-" Suddenly, Reaching Mind's voice returned to normal, whispering frantically. "I have no idea! This is crazy! I don't talk to people! How am I talking to people?"

Frank begun laughing at the Metang's odd behavior. "I asked myself the same question once," he said, then turned his head; the table was watching the Emperor headed for his gold-cloth cushion.

"Look!" Zack whispered, "the Emperor!"

Oh, good... Pendro moaned in thought. He didn't dare speak; recent events hadn't left him with the best impression of the Ampharos. It did seem odd to the Metang, however, that Dareon appeared to be smiling. What reason could he have to be smiling? Alamagna was effectively razed and his son was currently being held captive by mad rebels. Perhaps, Pendro considered, the Emperor had recently throttled someone to relieve some stress. Thank goodness there was tea to calm his nerves...

Guardian silently walked onto the airship. He had to admit that he was slightly nervous. He had just joined the Gold Tribe, and thus just got his first real mission, which was this. He walked around, taking in the ship's architecture and it's passengers. He pricked his ears at a particularly interesting conversation about books...and well other posh things. He shook his head at them. Posh talk was used by the aristocracy, and those that loved money. Having originally grown up in a shrine and later mountains, he had been taught that money didn't matter, and of course it didn't. He had proven that to himself time and time again. Money was nothing, life was everything. Well it was everything for those that deserved it.

Currently the mission was to head to Stoneyard where they would be rescuing the prince along with several other Gold Tribe members. Which of course meant that they would be fighting. Guardian of course had no issue with fighting, he was actually worried about his comrades even if he knew none of them. He was now a member of the Gold Tribe, and thus every single one of them was a comrade. He would not let any of them die. He would give his own life to protect them.

He looked around once again, at last deciding to just eat something. He of course being mostly carnivorous, went straight for meat, and water. He never really had a taste for tea, and wine was something he would not touch. Anything that would hinder his performance was not something he would enjoy. And in good news the meat and water were sufficient and tasted good as well. As he ate he listened to others, thinking of joining one of them, he however was unsure of who to talk to, and what to talk about.

Jeremy "Juggernaut" Daraxus

Garland looked up when Jeremy the Juggernaut addressed him.

"That Electabuzz is Skysaber... I believe his name is Zack. You haven't seen him because he was recently recruited - right before the siege, in fact. He's served as the captain and engineer of the last remaining airship in our fleet, which I now believe is... destroyed... I'll have to talk to him about that."

"Garland the Exalted," the Emperor had come to the Observation Room, and he was calling for him. The Ampharos's majestic hair was billowing behind him with the wind.

"Sire," Jeremy bowed his head with a pound on his chest with his arm.

"I have considered Achilles's words; your work here is indeed worthy of praise," he told them in a formal manner. "I wanted to thank you all for your effort. A feast awaits you all at the Dinning Hearth. Eat to your heart's content! Tonight, we celebrate the bravery of the Gold Tribe!"

Jeremy was in surprised to say the least, at the Emperor's change of attitude towards the Gold Tribe. Jeremy remained silent, following Garland and the Emperor to the dinning hall. once there he noticed that there were a couple others who were not members of the Gold Tribe, and from what he could tell... they were members of the SIA, and from what it seemed like they were kiss ups to the Emperor, so Jeremy just ignored them.

things went on fine for a while everybody was eating and enjoying conversation, although Jeremy remained silent he was as watchful as ever, observing the 'Shadowrend' character cautiously... things still didn't add up about that individual. then a curious looking ninetails, with blood red on his tails and fur, caught his attention, Jeremy leaned over to the ninetails, "hello brother," he said in a tone able to he heard but easily overlooked, "I'm the Juggernaut, and you are?"

Jeremy "Juggernaut" Daraxus

Jeremy coughed as the smoke filled the room, starting the members of the Gold Tride and the others in the room, to laugh and to be drugged. Jeremy focused to himself, holding his breath, taking control of his heart rate and went to the door, he opened it and shouted down the hall to the guards, "open up the doors to the outside!, let the air in, clear out this gas." after that he grabbed the door and opened it all the way, forcing the door to stay open. he breathed deep breaths holding onto his self control. then he stepped away from the door, and to the other side where the door, would normal be shut.

Jeremy then keeled himself down on both knees, taking his meditation stance, curling his tail around his left side, and lowering his head to the center of his chest, he breathed in and out deep breaths, slowing his heart rate, taking control of his mind, not letting the drug take it's effect on his body, "I will not be drugged" he though to himself, as he kept himself calm, breathing and under control.

A character sandwich: Cassandra, Tavhir, Punisher, Darvin, Pendro
​

Cassandra entered the dining hall, Tavhir following behind her, the two of them finding the nearest available seats. As the seats began to fill up Punisher found his choices limited. He finally settled on sitting next to Cassandra, having to scoot his chair out a bit to make way for his bulky frame. "Hey sister." He said with a smirk as his four hands moved out to start piling all sorts of meat on his plate, "Some battle back there huh? Too bad we couldn't beat them up a bit more. Still, they have a sizable force... think we'll be able to get into such a big battle some time in the future?" He asked.

Cassandra couldn't help but grin at Punisher's enthusiasm, filling her plate with various fruits and berries. "I certainly hope not. I'm not entirely fond of such large scale battles. Too chaotic, hard to see what's going on in the bigger picture."

Punisher shrugged, "I just go for what's in front of me and that's it. I see a guy punching me, I punch on back, you know?" He couldn't help but flex his upper arms, "Hehe, as long as I have these babies then nothing can stop me. I can probably lift this whole ship if it was on the ground. Wouldn't be too hard, I imagine. And.. there's this." He tapped his belt, "I've been wearing it for so long, but once I take it off... well, I so much as tap someone and I can break some bones, if you get what I mean."

Cassandra giggled when Punisher flexed. The Machamp sure wasn't lacking in confidence. She raised an eyebrow at his mention of his belt. "So, that belt restricts your power? How exactly does that work?"

Punisher grinned, "Well... I have tons of power as a Machoke before, and I still do as a Machamp. What ends up happening is that if I didn't wear this belt, I would be breaking everything I touched. It kind of... well..." He frowned, "The best I can explain is that it feels as if someone is keeping me back a bit. If I let it go I punch full force. You don't want me punching ya when that happens!"

Darvin tried not to cause much attraction to himself; he just enjoyed the possibility to have food after the battle. Not eating much he decided to walk across the hall trying to get a overall picture of everyone in the room, this was when he noticed a Machamp and Liligant together, curious about the picture of these two together he slowly came closer to them. Darvin wasn't one to really be loud and so as he got close enough so that he was sure they could hear him he just looked up "Hey there, I see you are from the Gold Tribe too?" Hoping they wouldn't be startled, since everyone didn't notice Darvin so fast.

Cassandra looked towards Darvin, flashing a friendly smile. "That we are. I take it you are as well?"

Punisher looked at the Totodile, raising an eyebrow, "Uh... yes. Aren't you... a bit small to be in the Gold Tribe?" Tavhir, sitting a few seats away, overheard the comment, cringing slightly in frustration.

Darvin looked to the Machamp slightly confused as he tried to ignore the comment but couldn't held in to say something "Excuse me?" was his answer, he already felt like he met the wrong person, but maybe not.

Punisher shrugged, "I just mean... you're small. How exactly CAN you hold up against a Nidoking and all?"

Darvin shrugged too he didn't want to start something now, he knew it was the wrong place, wrong time, and all the other but he couldn't let this sit on him "Well, I don't need muscles to go up against a Nidoking, as for example someone here as far as I can tell" He said with a calm voice

Punisher blinked and scratched his head, "Uh... was that an insult?" He asked. "Whose this someone you're talking about? It's me isn't it?" He said as his tone fell flat

"Now, boys," Cassandra interrupted, trying to ease the tension slightly. "Size and muscle aren't necessarily indicators of strength. I'm sure our friend here wouldn't have graduated the ECUL if he weren't capable." Cassandra looked down at the totodile, realizing she had never caught his name. "Speaking of which, what is your name, brother?"

Darvin sighed in response. He wasn't here to make himself enemies; maybe the others, but not him, looking up to the Lilligant "I am Darvin, and excuse my behaviour I wasn't searching a disagreement, brother, everyone contributes as they see best, let it be strategic thinking or muscle might" He said to the Machamp.

Punisher smirked a bit, "Heh, true there!" He said as he laughed. "So, you're a strategy guy huh?"

"Excuse me, sir, madam;" A voice called from across the table. "Could either of you perchance pass the mineral salad? I do appear to be positively famished, my good chaps."

Darvin as to curious now felt his need to help push forward as he walked up and hopped with a little jump on the chair closest to him. Now looking for the voice he heard asking for the mineral salad looking at a Metang he said "Excuse me, you needed the Mineral Salad?" Darvin went more standing on the chair than sitting.

"Oh! Righto, old boy!" Oh, Arceus above, that's another person I'm meeting in this voice.

Darvin hopped onto the table and grabbed the Salad in question and walked over the table to place it near the Metang, and the same way he went back and hopped first down to the chair and then to the ground again, acting like everything was normal and looking back up to the others.

"Jolly good show, lad." The Metang thanked the Totodile, only now realising that he could have levitated it over to him from here. He shrugged inwardly. Maybe he would have missed and killed someone - it was best not to dwell on meaningless regrets, he knew, though he probably would have done, were food not a suitable distraction.

Punisher stared on at the Metang and then he leaned over to Cassandra, "Hey... what was Pendro saying?" He whispered to her, "He said a lot of big words and I'm not really the best with that."

Cassandra smirked, leaning towards Punisher and whispering back. "I think he was just asking to pass the salad. Don't ask me why he's speaking posh."

Darvin didn't do much other than getting his hood back up again as he felt he was far too active again and should disappear, but something made him want to stay with this group and so Darvin became quiet and curious as to might happen from here on out.

Punisher just shrugged and leaned on back, "Okay... that's a long way to ask for something specific." He muttered. He then glanced off to the side and blinked, "Uh.... guys?" He pointed over with a hand at the scene being made by Shadowrend. It seemed that there was a staring contest going on with Thrasher, and as someone tapped on Shadowrend's shoulder, the Krookodile just went crazy. Punisher felt a bit sick as the Krookodile just spat out the food he was eating on the waiter. Then there was that comment and finally the dark type moved to another part of the room.

"... You know... I have a strange feeling about that guy. I can't explain... but it's like... it's like he's weird. You know?"

"I know what you mean," Cassandra replied, looking over to where Gerrick sat. She had been a bit confused by his actions earlier. It all seemed so... out of place, especially for someone who, supposedly, was the former second-in-command of the Gold Tribe. "I can't say that I knew him personally, but he's been striking me as odd this entire time. They said he used to be second in command?"

Darvin who got back to overlooking everything and trying to find something odd that could catch his interest, of course noticed the strange behavior of that certain Krookodile saving that in his mind that this Pokemon acted a bit unnatural as everyone else. He didn't try to be really careful as he tried to let it be for a while.

Punisher nodded to Cassandra, about to say something when he began to cough a bit. "Man... what's that smell?" He asked as he pinched his nose, "It smells... odd..." He heard the laughter that Garland was dishing out and he felt his own mouth tremble a bit. He giggled a bit, and then burst into loud laughter as well.


Cassandra noticed the odd smell herself. She made the mistake in double-checking, inhaling the fumes more than she would have liked. Of course, inhaling any fumes at all was more than she would have liked. The lilligant felt hazy, and slightly disoriented, but... content. Strangely happy, even.


"I... know this... smell?" she said slowly. Something about this seemed all too familiar, but in her dazed state she couldn't recall where from. A dopey grin crossed Cassandra's face and she chuckled slightly at nothing in particular.


As many of the room's occupants seemed to descend into laughter of some kind or another, Pendro began to feel slightly perturbed. It certainly didn't seem like... normal behaviour, and even Punisher should have had some level of self-control. He raised a metallic eyebrow and took a sip of his tea, but otherwise kept quiet and still. That is, of course, until the Emperor himself got out of his seat and began to eat off of the floor.


"Oh, lord Arceus above, what in the Torn World is going on?"


Thrasher looked on and sighed, "I'll tell you what, it's cola berry." He chuckled a bit, "Oh man, that brings back memories. Though back then I did five at a time. Looks like they're in for a good trip. Don't ruin it. Trust me, you get someone too anxious while on cola... it never ends well." He leaned back a bit, "I've smoked that stuff so much.... say, Reaching Mind, you've done Cola? You don't seem to be affected."


"Never in my life! How dare you! Even the notion of- wait, why aren't I affected? Am I affected?" He looked at his claws discerningly, as if they held all the answers he sought. "Hmm, no - metal exterior, no, clear body perhaps? Maybe. Or the tea... the tea! Heightens senses, easily a countermeasure, though it may not work entirely without the resistance otherwise gained from my ability..." The Metang shook his head, beginning to rise from his seat in as inconspicuous a manner as he could manage. "Regardless, shouldn't we... evacuate? How did this even happen in the first place?"


Thrasher chuckled and leaned back, "Oh please. This is a good high. Let it wear down for them. Trust me, once you experience bliss you don't want it to end anytime soon. The windows are already open so it shouldn't last long. Nowhere near an hour in fact." He smirked, "But while they are laughing over trivial matters... want to play some cards? It might take them a while to recover."


"An hour?" Pendro crossed his arms. "You aren't convincing me. Nothing that can alter the mind in such a way should be considered a good thing."


Darvin, who went back to himself, started to feel somewhat easy, he watched around the room and noticed the weird behaviour of some, but he just felt like sleeping and so easy. Soon he crawled instead of walking and that to the side of a room and sat down now his minds thoughts started to be clustered as he sat there and just laughed about the things he laid eyes upon.


Punisher fell over on his seat as his laughter died down a bit, "Dude... woah dudes!" He said, "I... I see life. Man, it's beautiful..." He let out a soft sigh, "So beautiful..."


A small laugh escaped Cassandra as Punisher remarked some nonsense about seeing life. As strange and bewildering as this situation was, she felt incredibly amused by it all, no doubt an effect of whatever strange aroma permeated the dining hall.


Meanwhile, Emperor Dareon was on his four, eating the roasted Swanna the servant had dropped from the floor, like an animal, having forgotten all of the courtesies and manners. He was growling, too, and his mouth and beautiful fur were covered in berry sauce. The Emperor's Shield, the Aegislash who was always creeping by him, had become visible next to him and was patiently wiping him clean with his phantom hand. The sight was making Zack double up with laughter and Nik cry tears of joy - the Castform had half a mouth with berry.


Cassandra had her head resting on the table, her plate pushed aside as she had forgotten all about eating. She simply stared around the room with glazed eyes, seeing as the room delved into madness. Yet, in her addled mind, she didn't take notice, simply enjoying the moment of euphoria. It was then she saw the Emperor, hunched over on all fours and eating off the floor. Any sane individual would have been repulsed, but sanity had left the room the moment the Cola started to burn. She looked on at the spectacle, giggling like a child. "Look at that hair. So... poofy, like a pillow. I could take a nap in it..."


Pendro, with all his book knowledge... didn't really have any idea what to do about everyone else. On the one hand, according to Thrasher, it was best to let them be. Though on the other, they certainly weren't in the best of minds, and the potential humiliation - both for them from their potential actions, and to everyone else from their potential actions - wasn't really something the Metang wanted to think about. Regardless, Reaching mind had taken a few preventative measures; he had swiped a napkin from the table to cover his mouth and crossed to the other side of the room to have access to the nearest window, tea in hand lest he feel himself become drowsy.


Punisher was still staring up as a hand reached up and he blinked a bit. "Whoa..." Was all that came out as he could feel himself floating. Looking down Punisher could see that he was several feet above the ground. He could see his own body lying down there and everything that was going on around the room. He let his four arms propel him through the air as he chuckled softly. Oh man, this was awesome! He decided to fly up high, just moving past the air ship and right up into the sky as he kept on moving through clouds. To everyone else they would just see Punisher flat on his belly on the floor, his four arms moving as if he was rowing through water as he giggled and blabbered off to himself. As Pendro spotted the Machamp begin his floor rolling, he began deliberating whether he should do something. Soon enough, though, he came to the conclusion that Punisher, if anything, would probably find a way to be proud of it...


"Erm, Thrasher?" Pendro called. "I really do think we should do... something. I mean, look at the Emperor, for Jirachi's sake."


Thrasher just shrugged, "If you want to do something... go ahead." He gestured around the room, "Just TRY and keep them from doing something stupid. You'll never be able to truly stop them if they really want to do something. Now... if say they try to jump out a window, then sure. But for now it's no harm done. Depending on how they react to it, they might forget this whole ordeal or remember every single detail. Varies of course. Though you better hope that the Emperor is one who forgets."


Now that was a pretty hefty reality bomb. Great. Well, I certainly feel in control.


Meanwhile, Cassandra had started to absent-mindedly shuffle out of her chair, slowly wobbling over to where Dareon was seated on the floor. She stared at his long, flowing white mane, completely ignoring the fact that it was attached to a person.


"It looks so soft..." she mumbled, and before she knew it she was standing just over the Emperor. She completely let herself go, falling forward without a care in the world, landing right in the Emperor's mane as one would a sofa. Due to her grass type, the normal static that would accompany such an action went unnoticed, as Cassandra reclined in a drunken stupor. "Soooo fluffyyyyy...."


"Lady, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from his Highness. I am warning you, do not provoke his ire," the Emperor's Shield said sternly.


But the Mega Ampharos hardly seemed to notice the Lilligant on his mane, and he ignored his bodyguard. But when he was done with his personal feast, he rose suddenly, his antenaes perked up. The Stygian flag to his right was messed up, the bamboo sticks all askew from Cassandra's fall. He cleared his throat and looked around, having a perplexed expression. Then he noticed Cassandra.


"What in the world were you doing in my hair?" he asked, lazily, his usually steel tone having softened to the point of almost being friendly.


Cassandra lazily rolled off on the floor, chuckling slightly, until the effects of the cola began to wear off. She looked around curiously... then she suddenly remembered. She recalled in vivid detail what had transpired, blushing like mad and her eyes going wide with horror once she realized what she had done...


"I feel I should do something." Pendro noted. "But I can't seem to move."


"I... I...uhh...!" The lilligant stammered, rising to her feet. Even with his much calmer tone, having the emperor staring at her, especially after what had just taken place, nearly caused her to faint on the spot. She brought her hands to her face, before she bolted out of the room faster than a pikachu using quick attack.


Thrasher began to nod, "Maybe it's a sign then. Don't mess with them. Never know when the mood might change if you do interfere... so take that as a word of caution. Anyways... " He glanced over at the Emperor, "Hello your highness. Seems someone unleashed some coca in here. Do you wish to know what you were doing? Or do you wish to remain naive? I think personally that you might to be naive given what you were doing." He glanced at Cassandra as she departed and he stood up, "I know the feeling she's had. If you all excuse me, I need to talk a Lilligant through this. Pardon me." He stepped over a groaning Punisher and strolled out of the room.


Punisher meanwhile blinked, "Man... I had the MOST intense dream..." He said with a confused glance, "Anyone else dream of being a moon man?"


Pendro took another sip of tea grumpily. "Just a message to whoever did this, if you're here. I hate you with every fibre of my being."


The Emperor looked at Thrasher, looking rather disinterested out of a sudden. His Aegislash servant was whispering in his ear; he had already lost his smile. "I am aware of what I was doing," he said abruptly, shooing some locks of cotton off his hair. He turned to his servant. "Cola, you said it was? ... Who here would dare use this despicable weapon?"


The room was silent for a moment, before Jacob rose from his seat with a solemn expression. "It was I, your Highness. This berry could have been poisonous," Jacob said, "yet nobody saw me set it on fire. You might wanna tighten your security."


Dareon looked as if he was about to burst with anger. He instead let out a gust of sudden laughter that stormed the walls of the room; it was so unlike him. "You are mad," he told him, then turned to Garland, "I trust everyone here with my life. Am I wrong to trust you with my life..." he paused, and the Aegislash whispered in his ear, "... Prankster," the Emperor said flatly. "What a fitting title."


Jacob nodded slightly. "I'm doing what I can to protect you."


Garland saw fit to step in. "Your Highness, he meant no harm. He does these... pranks to test us."


"Yes, yes." Pendro said bitterly, "No harm, just chaos and hideous embarrassment all round. Fantastic test. Love it. Ten out of ten, would perform again. Certainly wouldn't have me begging Yvetal for the sweet embrace of death!"


Punisher blinked at Pendro's words, "Uh... I got to walk around on the mood. I was fine with it." He shrugged a bit, "Hey you have anymore of that... cola thingie stuff left?" He asked Jacob.

Thrasher and Cassandra : Bonding Time​

Thrasher sighed as he walked through and checked through the doorways. He didn't want to make too much noise and scare Cassandra away.. but at the same time she needed someone to lean on at least. He sighed and shook his head, "Come on... where are you?" He murmured to himself. "If I was a female who had just been humiliated... where would I go?" He thought for a moment, then nodded, "Hope I'm right..."

Cassandra had darted off, unsure of where anything was located in the airship, though managing to find a small washroom towards the end of the corridor. She huddled up against the wall, her cheeks still flushed crimson in humiliation, curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees.

Some time had passed, but she would hear a knocking noise on the door, "Cassandra? Are you in this washroom?" Thrasher asked. His voice was... softer this time. "Hey, if you're in there, just let me know. Please."

Cassandra simply curled up tighter, unwilling to make her presence known. She just wanted to disappear after what had happened. She kept silent when Thrasher knocked.

Silence came out and she would hear Thrasher sigh, "Not here... how many washrooms does this place have?" She would hear his footsteps going away, and then suddenly a rushing of foot steps as the door kicked in and Thrasher stood there, "Oh... you ARE in this one." He chuckled a bit, "I did that at least three times before. I didn't think you would be in this one." He walked in a bit, "Cass. It might not sound like much... but I know what you're going through."

Cassandra nearly jumped in terror once Thrasher kicked in the door. She was not expecting that. She turned her head away, looking down at the floor. "Please... just go away. I need to be alone for a while."

Thrasher sat on down, "No." He said softly, "You need someone here. You know..." He let out a chuckle, "Your first time wasn't as bad as mine." He leaned against the wall, "You ever heard the story of my past? I mean, you're younger so you wouldn't have been around when I went through school. In fact, it was a rumor during my time there, a rumor that was really true. It's one of those things where others tried to get me riled up to see if it was true." He snickered a bit, "There was this one time in a history course. A Mienshao walked up to me and talked smack. I punched him hard in the groin, just SLAM right there." He blinked a bit, "Er... getting off topic, right my first time. It was some time ago, back around... fourteen I think."

He crossed his arms, "I had just gotten back from a kill with the others and I was ingrained enough in their organization that they invited me to their usual smoking routine. It was mainly to get the images out of head of particularly gruesome jobs. I... accidentally had two." He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "I'll give you three tries. What do you think happened that night?"

"Oh, I don't know," Cassandra said, bitterness in her tone. "But I'm sure you didn't get so high you tackled the emperor thinking he was a pillow while babbling like an idiot in front of everybody."

He chuckled, "I... well, I woke up in jail. Apparently I ended up performing a spree through the city where I streaked the whole way. Yes, the WHOLE way. From one end to the other. I ended up pissing on some sort of building and got battered by tons of cops as I shrieked about how the sky was going to fall on us. Then after that I ended up... well... it's prison right? Most of the time new guys get beat up, but I was so buzzed that I... well, did it to them instead. I don't remember much of it, but from what they said that's what happened. Of course that got me the boon of having them stay out of my way while I remained there because I scared them s**tless. Of course my stunt was all over the front page of the news for weeks."

He smirked at her, "You really think anyone here is going to be spreading rumors of what you did eagerly? For about a month at a time? At least you didn't show any of your more intimate parts while at it. Let me tell you that. Didn't help I was anxious when I had the drugs and got as bad a trip as I did."

Cassandra gave a weak laugh at Thrasher's story, before letting out a sigh. "They don't have to spread rumors. They all saw it though... Garland, Tavhir, Pendro... the emperor himself probably thinks I'm the biggest fool to ever be with the Gold Tribe."

Thrasher smirked and reached over, using his strength to pull her into a hug, "Hey." He said softly as he patted her back, "Remember, it's not the end of the world. It seems like a light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm here for ya." He smiled down at her, "Anyone gives you a hard time, send them right to me okay? I know we're Gold Tribe and we're supposed to be tough on our own, but even we need help from time to time. Nothing wrong in asking a brother for help. Right?"

Cassandra at first resisted the embrace, but eventually gave in, returning the gesture as she wrapped her arms around Thrasher. "...Thank you..." she muttered, a small smile forming as she did.

He smiled and stood up, holding down a hand to Cassandra, "No need to thank me sister." He said, "Now you might feel embarrassed around them initially, but just act like it was no big deal. Maybe offer an apology if need be... but." He glanced around, "Jacob admitted to it. Just saying..." He gave a shrug, "Anyways, as long as no one is seen harming him, then there should be no problems. It isn't as if there is a prior assassin here who happens to know a few tricks and could try and prank back Jacob hard or something like that... right?" He asked as he looked back at Cassandra. "Maybe even let a friend in on it... but there's no way that could possibly happen."

Cassandra smirked, letting out a light chuckle as she glanced back at Thrasher. "No, no way at all..."

He smirked, "Ata girl. Now, how about we head back together and get our job done?" He asked. "It's Demetrus by the way."

"Thank you, Demetrus," she said, placing emphasis on his name. "How'd a tough guy like yourself get such a regal-sounding name?"

He chuckled as he began to walk, "Well... it started all the way back in a city named Wrothgar. Mind you I haven't told anyone else about this..."

Jeremy "Juggernaut" Daraxus

Jeremy opened his eyes from the meditation from outside, the doorway to the dinning hall just as a lilligant ran from the room and into another room down the hall way, soon followed by another pokemon who insisted on knocking then kicking in the door, and started up a conversation. Jeremy didn't go and chase them, or ask questions.

Jeremy stood, poked his head in the door, and sniffed for a second. after a determination that the smoke was gone he stepped in the room, shutting the door behind him. to join in on the conversation, Pendro took another sip of tea grumpily. "Just a message to whoever did this, if you're here. I hate you with every fibre of my being."


The Emperor looked at Thrasher, looking rather disinterested out of a sudden. His Aegislash servant was whispering in his ear; he had already lost his smile. "I am aware of what I was doing," he said abruptly, shooing some locks of cotton off his hair. He turned to his servant. "Cola, you said it was? ... Who here would dare use this despicable weapon?"


The room was silent for a moment, before Jacob rose from his seat with a solemn expression. "It was I, your Highness. This berry could have been poisonous," Jacob said, "yet nobody saw me set it on fire. You might wanna tighten your security."


Dareon looked as if he was about to burst with anger. He instead let out a gust of sudden laughter that stormed the walls of the room; it was so unlike him. "You are mad," he told him, then turned to Garland, "I trust everyone here with my life. Am I wrong to trust you with my life..." he paused, and the Aegislash whispered in his ear, "... Prankster," the Emperor said flatly. "What a fitting title."


Jacob nodded slightly. "I'm doing what I can to protect you."


Garland saw fit to step in. "Your Highness, he meant no harm. He does these... pranks to test us."


"Yes, yes." Pendro said bitterly, "No harm, just chaos and hideous embarrassment all round. Fantastic test. Love it. Ten out of ten, would perform again. Certainly wouldn't have me begging Yvetal for the sweet embrace of death!"

Jeremy stepped forward into the group, glaring at the 'Prankster' briefly, "although there is a time and place for everything. although... I wouldn't use such tactics to test security strength," he looked at the Prankster again, " although there could be a couple simple methods to make it easier to keep one's mind under-control, try the old Eshir method of mental preparedness... a kind of meditation, used to keep a warrior's mind sharp and strong, ready for combat and for the mental strain and chaos that goes with it." he then turned to the Emperor, "with the greatest respect for your Excellency of course."

Punisher just watched the commotion going on. He remembered clearly going to the moon... but now that he thought about it... it did seem a bit off even for someone like him. Cassandra had left as had Thrasher... so did that mean that the meeting was over? He didn't have Cassandra to ask this time so he just crossed his arms and rocked a bit in his chair. Given how angry the Emperor was now... especially toward Jacob, the Machamp didn't want to say anything that could cause that anger to be turned to him. Besides, if the Emperor let it all out now then there wouldn't be that much anger toward them near the future, right?

He looked over at Pendro and smiled a bit, "So... what's going on?" He whispered. "Something about cola?"

Pendro sighed in mild annoyance. "Jacob lit a cola berry on fire under the table, which filled the room with brain-addling smoke."

".... What does addling mean?"

"You... how do you even speak?"

Punisher shrugged, "With my mouth. Sheesh, you're not very smart are you? Probably making up words too."

Pendro rolled his eyes. "Addle: verb. Gerund or present participle: addling. To make someone or something unable to think clearly, or to confuse said entity."

Punisher snorted and looked away, "Now I know you're making that up!"

"I- that's an entirely succinct explanation, what possible reasoning could you have for disbelieving me?"

Punisher just stared at him, "Cause you're making stuff up! Trying to make me look dumb!" He huffed and crossed his arms, "Smarts don't matter much when someone is about to slice you open."

"'Smarts' - which, just so you know, actually isn't a real word - make sure you're never in a position to be sliced open in the first place. Besides, I'm not trying to make you look dumb, it's just... well, you could maybe benefit from a dictionary."

Punisher, at that moment, stood up and pushed his chair back, "If you think I'm stupid, say it straight to my face! Don't hide behind your words!" He said angrily.

Pendro retreated slightly in initial shock, then shrugged. "Um, well - you certainly lack articulation and certain higher-level technical thinking, but, erm, for the most part, you aren't stupid at your mind's core. Otherwise, your morality would be askew, which it doesn't appear to be - that's all I can say from an outside perspective, I wouldn't actually dare to comment further were I not sure of myself." By now, the Metang was mostly rattling just to keep his nerves in check, not even looking at the Machamp any more. "The mind is an interesting organ in that we know relatively little about how it works. There are different sections to the brain; the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe and the temporal lobe..."

Tavhir sat opposite Punisher, his head resting on the table as he was... sleeping? Unlike the others, the effects of the cola didn't cause him hallucinations of any sense of euphoria, but they did cause him to feel incredibly relaxed, and before he knew it he had completely shut down. Tavhir had slept through the others' shenanigans, a small puddle of drool forming on the table as he mumbled in his sleep. "No... that's my... sweetroll...zzzzz...."

Punisher meanwhile reached out, grabbing the Metang angrily and held him up into the air, "Oh, so I'm just so stupid I can't understand what you're saying right!?" He asked angrily, "I guess I'm just too stupid to even know how a brain works huh!?"

Pendro panicked, curling up in an Iron Defense. "What? I never said any of that! Please... I don't want this..."

Punisher glared at him for a moment, then let him go, "Fine, whatever." He muttered as he sat on down, "Do it again and I might have to bust an arm."

Pendro clattered onto the table, still curled up. He'd only done what Punisher had asked of him... why was he getting so angry? "I... I didn't do anything..." As Pendro fell, the table shook, causing Tavhir to fidget in his sleep. After a moment, he cracked one eyelid open... then the other, blinking several times. He got up and saw the mess that had been made of the place, the faint smell of... something, still hanging in the air.

"I... wait... what just happened?" he reached for a napkin, quickly wiping his mouth as he realized he had been knocked out cold. "What's going on? Are we under attack?!"

Punisher looked at him, "No... we're not." He said slowly, "And yeah you did." He looked at Pendro with a frown, "You just shouted big words at me. I know when I'm being mocked."

"Big... words?" Tavhir said, placing one hand on his head as the cola gave him a temporary migraine. "What... can somebody explain to me what exactly is going on?"

Punisher pointed right at Pendro, "He was mocking me! Then he chickens out when he won't fight!"

"Punisher... oww..." Tavhir replied, rubbing his head. "Stop shouting... my head hurts. You'll get to punch stuff later at the Stoneyard, I'm sure."

Pendro spoke, still confining himself to his ball form. "I wasn't mocking you, Punisher, I'm... sorry, I guess. I don't want to fight anyone."

Punisher blinked and then he rubbed the top of his head, "Oh... oh. Uh... I guess I'm sorry too." He shrugged, "I thought you were mocking me."

"Wh- no. Why?"

He sighed, "Everyone did it back in school. Say big words. You were... you were just sounding like them was all."

"Oh, um, okay... people picked me up in school. Well, they tried; only the stronger ones managed it... the other ones had pretty sore feet for a while. Glad I got out of there so quick."

Punisher snorted, "I had to spend years there. It was so hard. You got it easy."

"I... maybe." Pendro sighed.

"Well, that's just great. I'm so happy for you two, I can barely contain myself. What is going on?! Why am I sleeping and covered in drool? Why is there food all over the floor? Why does it smell... ahhhh.." Tavhir rubbed his temples in pain, still suffering from his headache and taking in a deep breath to calm himself. He took a look around the room, noticing that others appeared to be missing. He lowered his voice considerably before speaking once more. "Are we missing some people?"

"Yeah." Punisher said, "They left for a bit. Anyway, yeah, sorry about that Pendro." He said with a soft chuckle.

"It's uh, no problem." Pendro replied, coming out of his defensive stance on the table and levitating slightly, turning to Tavhir, who appeared to have joined the land of the conscious once again. "Jacob had the fine idea of lighting a cola berry under the table. Smoke filled the room, and most of the occupants were rendered, uh... changed. Chaos ensued. The Emperor ate off the floor, Punisher had some kind of out-of-body experience, and Cassandra- oh, dear, she ran off, we should probably do something, uh, uuhhhh..."

At that moment the door was pushed open. Thrasher led the way in, smiling a bit as he was saying something to Cassandra softly and chuckling a bit after. "Hello all. Your highness." He gave a brief nod to the king. He made his way back to the table and sat on down, "Is the dinner still continuing?" He asked, "Or are we moving on?" Cassandra followed in behind him, her laughter fading slightly as she entered the dining hall again. She followed Thrasher and took a seat next to him, trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. Thrasher leaned over to her, "The trick is to make a joke out of it." He murmured softly, "You laugh it off, everyone else laughs it off."

"Oh, well, that situation appears to have resolved itself." Pendro noted. "Well, um, I don't really know about dinner, but I'm still a bit hungry." He reached over and took a sitrus berry from the table. "Everything does seem a little bit derailed now, though..."

Cassandra mustered up the courage to speak up. "I'll say," she replied to Pendro. "Hopefully... we can get some rest after this. Well, except for me. I got enough rest from that comfy 'pillow' earlier... heh..." she gave a weak laugh, trying to take Thrasher's advice and make a joke out of it. She looked over, seeing Tavhir hunched over and rubbing his temples, before she noticed the dried saliva and the puddle on the table. "It seems I'm not the only one who got some rest, either."

"Urrrgh..." Tavhir groaned in response.

Jeremy "Juggernaut" Daraxus

the night before the meeting Jeremy enjoyed a nice relaxing meditation session, centering his mind on the day ahead then he rested as much as he could.

the following morning Jeremy followed his morning routine, waking every muscle in his body with an extensive training exercise, then followed with a long meditation, once again focusing and sharpening his mind, pushing out all distractions. once done he rose grabbed his bag and left for the dinning hall.

He was there throughout the entire meeting, so far although he was having a hard time not questioning their resource, 'Jenkins' and not to mention question the usefulness of the SIA entirely, when Garland turned to the group saying, "what do you make of all this?" Jeremy stood, "I don't know... from the sound of it... well to be blunt it sounds like bait... bait to distract us from our main goal, or even divide our group up, as the old strategy goes, 'divide and conquore'. I would advise caution when dealing with this. perhaps if we complete our primary objective first we could deal with the scientists after... but, this could change things... drastically," he then turned to Garland and the Emperor, "I strongly advise that we gun for the other Gold Tribe members and the Prince... while our SIA 'friends' look deeper into this matter," he said friends in an almost mocking tone as he didn't trust the SIA, he then turned to the Purrloin, and Glameow and said, "after all it is your contact, and obviously some more investigation should go into it... before we blindly go charging in there gun's blazing... into a death trap."

Thrasher was silent through the proceedings. He had slept well enough the previous night, but there were troubles on his mind this morning that he made sure to mark on his journal. As the Emperor turned to them he stepped forward and pulled out his journal, "I've been making notes, your highness." He said, "Mostly on past observations and the like. I will say that it is best that we contact some historian or the like who can help us decipher those runes. Give them access to Brynjolf's memory and see if they can decode them. You heard what Brynjolf thought; if those runes are traps then we could all easily be killed. If we try to reach the captives and happen to cross a rune, anything could happen. A fireball could erupt or maybe we are led into a deep sleep. We can use long range communication in that regards."

He frowned at the news, "As to why they are interrogating scientists and the like... it could be that the Shukahen tribe has decoded some of the runes around there, and if that's the case, then that would be the reason why runes were drawn down there. I have no idea what power those runes hold, but if they know how to make traps from them, then we are at a disadvantage. There is also a graveyard close by with deceased soldiers. Those spirits we saw tormenting Byrnjolf could be tied to that graveyard. Remember, Brynjolf did cross those runes. It could be that they inflicted the curse on him and bound some dead spirits from the area to his soul. It could have potentially imparted a compulsion upon him to show us that specific memory.

Now... since they are in Stoneyard, and in an underground cavern, we'll have to find a way to sneak in. Obviously there are tunnels already dug so we'll need some blueprints, however there are likely guards set up to send out an alarm once we arrive."

He frowned, "The rebels have already shown that they have thrown any culture they have out of the window. It's possible if we head down there and find our brothers and sisters... that it won't truly be them. It could be that Ditto and Zoroark are taking their place. Of course, if they look beat up then naturally we wouldn't want to put any more stress on them and we'll escort them to the ship. We'll have to treat them like enemy combatants until we can verify their identities. At the worst, they could be illusions set up so once we try and touch them an ambush is unleashed on us."

He paused, "One thing that we can do is find some high ranking rebel and capture them. We have no idea of what has been done to the captives. Perhaps they are poisoned before we get there and slowly die in our care, or had been inflicted with so much torture that they were driven insane. IN such a case we need to capture someone who would look over them, like Polo, and interrogate him over what the captives have gone through. Once we get in and get to the captives we could have another group come in and capture a scientist to figure out what is going on up top."

He crossed his arms, "We don't know how many soldiers are there and it could very well be an ambush. It's been a month, so I could see them moving the captured ones to another location and simply waiting for us to arrive so they can kill you, your majesty. And... there is that dark stone that was seen in Brynjolf's memory that apparently spooked him out. That could likewise be another trap waiting for us." He gave a meek nod, "That's all I have for the moment."

Pendro raised an eyebrow, tapping the Primeape from his left side. "All you have Thrasher? I'd like to see what you consider a large amount of information... heh, um, good... good thinking, b- uh, brother."

It had been a good day of rest for Reaching Mind, too. After the cola berry scandal had been dealt with - for good, with any luck - there was a good amount of time for just eating and sleeping. Of course, he wouldn't have minded a little longer, but frankly, if he had it his way, this whole rebellion thing would just disappear altogether. And besides, there was still plenty of time left on the trip for a relative amount of rest.

Thrasher nodded at Pendro, "Thanks. It's just side work." He said casually as he slipped his journal back into his bag.

The Pokemon on the far end of the table were left glancing nervously at each other when Thrasher was done speaking. The Purrloin and the Glameow of the SIA looked at him apologetically, and the Glameow said mellowly, "that was an inspiring display of wit, Thrasher. We appreciate your insight." The Glameow put the paw on his chest and licked it while the Purrloin continued talking for him. "You mentioned that the Shukahen might have at last been able to translate the runes that were shown on Lord Brynjolf's memory, if I understood correctly...?"

"It doesn't make sense," Zack reflected suddenly, as if he was interrupted from his thinking. The Electabuzz was still pacing up and down, rubbing his hands together. "I haven't heard of a single historian who hasn't whined about not being able to read the runes on Stoneyard. And suddenly, these Shukahen guys show up, only for a week, and they crack it up? That's impossible."

"Yeaaah..." said the bored Shellder; the spy on Stoneyard was still on the line. "He's kinda right... they're clueless, I'm telling you. Wait... did someone tell me to look further into these guys? That's all I can give you right now, you know, YOUR WELCOME! I've a couple of words to tell ya golden unappreciative c--"

The Purrloin chuckled nervously, covering the Shellder's mouth and clamping it shut. "Excuse my comrade. He is a fragile soul. Quite literally. From what I gather, our spy cannot approach our suspects any further, lest his cover is blown."

"Tunnels!" Zack shouted, ignoring the last part. He pointed at Thrasher, "he said tunnels! We saw them in the memory, they have to be there, right?"

It was Frank who spoke this time. "No, not that we know of. We would love to have the blueprints of the Monasteries; if they existed. They do not. Believe it or not, the place is not even fully explored yet. I've heard talk... my father, has, I mean, of an area in the Spirit Summit that... swallows people."

"AH!" Zack exclaimed, clutching his head scared. "It's just another creepypasta, it's just another creepypasta!"

"Anyway," Frank continued, "that's not the only reason it hasn't been explored. The Spirit Summit has been locked up for many, many years. Our best bet in getting into the monasteries won't be in the underground, I fear."

Punisher thought on the words, "Uh... well... does that mean that... well... maybe those tunnels are part of the spirit summit?" He gave a weak shrug, "Back whenever I had something stolen from me it was always put in the last spot I would look in. Kind of like here in a way, right? I mean, where they took our brothers and sisters lied close to Hesperia, where we would never look. And if it's in a place no one ever looks in and a place no one has ever opened, then it's easier to work there. It's kind of like that closet my gloves were hidden in that one time..." He frowned a bit, "They were in there for two weeks yet I never opened it once." At that point Punisher seemed to have flown off to another thought.

"That is a reasonable conclusion," Garland admitted. "Where else but the Spirit Summit? All the secret places of the monasteries are there. Well said, brother."

"But wait," Cassandra spoke up from her seat, Tavhir sitting beside her. "If the Spirit Summit has been locked up all this time as Frank has pointed out, how exactly are we supposed to get in there?"

Thrasher frowned, "Well the rebels got in through some way. Has anyone actually TRIED opening the doors in recent years? It's kind of back in school. You wait outside a door you think is locked, then someone shimmies up after a few minutes and tests the knob only to find it's unlocked and everyone swarms in. It could have been unlocked years ago, yet no one even thought to walk up and twist the handle to open it. But that brings up another query... this place was prepared for our brothers and sisters to be brought to. It means that some time ago, well before the month when the negotiation party was sent, someone had to know of this specific underground system and get it ready. We're talking about laying down those runes and lighting the place up. This was revenge for us defeating them in the first rebellion. It would also explain how they managed to defeat us at the Deathbringer's mark this time around. They probably planned for that battle ever since they were defeated and made sure the second time around they would win."

Cassandra's expression grew worried as she thought over the situation. "If that's the case, then aren't we walking directly into a trap?"

"And so what if we are?" Tavhir interjected. "We all saw that memory, we know that our brothers and sisters are being held captive somewhere down there, along with Cyrus. Even if this is a trap, even if we're being set up, well, that's just a risk we'll have to take. Unless anybody else has any ideas...."

Thrasher sighed, "As I stated before... if it is a trap it's highly probable that our brothers and sisters were quickly moved to another location while we go there. Yet at the same time, even if they are not present, we could find information about their whereabouts. If this is a sort of base for the rebellion, we might even be able to find documents or the like there."

"Even still," Tavhir responded, "if there's even the smallest chance that they are still there, then we should take it. Even if this is a trap, I say we spring it and show these rebels what happens when you provoke the Gold Tribe."

Cassandra gently placed her hand on the pawniard's shoulder, grabbing his attention; he was doing it again, letting his emotions speak in place of logic or reasoning. While she admired his commitment to the cause, Cassandra always felt worried when he began talking like that. Tavhir looked towards his sister, nodding silently in understanding. "What I mean to say is... we can't let fear of the unknown hold us back. We need to go in there, whether to save them or find out their true whereabouts, regardless of the risks. They'd do the same for us, right?"

Zack was pacing round the table, his hands moving as if they he was trying to catch an invisible trail. And he then, he stopped, and gave his comrades a surprised look. "Why would they move them?" he whispered, puzzled. "I don't think they would move them," he said. "Why waste time on moving captives? They don't care about captives! Look at what they did in Alamagna!"

"Their Caretaker was called their new Emperor," Frank noticed, adding to Zack's reasoning, "And an usurper must kill the heirs of all the former monarchs, lest they rebel against his rule in some other, later war - it's been proven in history many times. What General Ingvar of the Illinkar did is a notable example: he destroyed most of the noble bloodlines of Hesperia and Stygia, in order to rule unopposed."

"Exactly," Zack said, "what Frank's saying is this: if the Caretaker is supposedly the Emperor of Exathor... he would want Cyrus dead as fast as possible. They don't want to trade any captives, and they won't waste time moving them either."

Tavhir crossed his arms, pondering what had been said, before speaking up again. "Whatever the circumstances, we need to discuss our plan of attack, so to speak. We don't know if they've been moved or not, but we'll never figure out until we actually get inside this Spirit Summit. We can debate the hows and whys once we actually figure out what the exact situation is."

"I would, erm," Pendro cleared his throat into his hand. "like to just, uh, put in my vote for caution, again. As previously said, the rebels have no reason to stall for time over the, um... fates, of the captives. Either they are dead, or they won't be. For our sake and theirs, we need to go in stealthily and cautiously - gather heavy reconnaissance before making any rash decisions. Also," the Metang added, taking a notebook from his back and scanning over it. "it may be a viable option to draw them out. Feign ignorance of their location and - assuming that it is the Emperor they are after - ready ourselves for a counterattack should they choose to go on the offensive. Just another possibility, of course, but it helps to have all the options available..."

Thrasher nodded, "Now... the problem is getting down there. If this is the spirit summit we have to take two things into account. The first is that with it being locked up and no one ever going in there the rebels have probably found every single secret in there. If they did plan to use this location once the second rebellion hit off then it's possible that for months, or even a few years, they've been placing traps or other surveillance items in there. They probably even have lower soldiers patrolling the area. If there are teleporters that do know to get there we also have to be prepared for reinforcements to arrive at any time. Stealth is essential, meaning we go inch by inch, whenever we see someone take them out immediately. We can't risk any alarms being sounded."

"I agree entirely." Pendro noted. "Also, we should make use of Psychics and the like with Miracle Eye to detect any traps that may be set for us."