[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

It's too dim to make out any of the words or figure out what the rough sketches are before Nathan's noticed Ventus and started packing everything up, but the colored pictures are teardrop and hexagon shaped.  They're lined up in a straight, horizontal line, and there's question marks in the spaces between each one.

"...just...working on trying to...*yawn*...figure something out...that's all...need some...further input from experts and...more reliable...sources...*yawn*...though...maybe...after we get out of these cave, I'll be able...to...figure it out...I know...exactly who to ask..."

Calam's eyes gleam bright red in this darkness as he stares back.  He pays Malphena zero mind at first besides that.  To Aspis, he shoots her a look of his own, the look of one who's seen many hard battles.  It lacks the superior haughtiness of Aspis's, but it doesn't need it to be all the more intimidating, particularly with that scar of his supporting it.

When Aspis looks at Ralts, Ralts stares back, as if trying to tell her Nathan's fine.  When Malphena purposely tries to aggravate him, he turns and looks at Calam.  Unfortunately for Malphena, Calam gets along rather well with Ralts despite the type disadvantage.  There's a clear sense of camaraderie between him and the Feeling Pokemon, and that's why he's keeping a careful eye on the ghostie....

"...I'm fine, Aspis.  Just tired.  We're all gonna go...get some sleep now...."

...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Day 57

Nathan spends a good chunk of the morning during breakfast working on a drawing of that Toenail Fossil in his journal.  Ralts can't help but eye it curiously.  Could that rock really be turned into a new friend?  It looks so...simple.  That Omanyte from awhile ago at least looked like it was just hiding in its shell while it was a fossil...Ralts finds it a little hard to believe a toenail of all things could potentially become a pokemon...

He also summons Ditto before everyone sets out for the day, intending to get the Transform Pokemon ready for the trip ahead.  Maybe it'll be...useful...for...

Nathan wasn't expecting to be face to face with a Lunatone when he summoned Ditto, though.

While he saw scant of the boy's journal, those hexagonal shapes instantly brought to mind the Lake Trio Gem Halves (Whole, in Nathan's case) that each member of the group possessed, and their drowsy response all but confirmed it to Ventus. 'But where and who is going to find that holds any credible knowledge about the Lake Trio? So far as I know, information concerning Sinnohoan Legendaries is notoriously scare and spotty if it doesn't come from myths or epics, so who could he be thinking of....' the empath pondered to himself as he silently nodded back to Nathan, once again is complete obliviousness of his blond haired and stylish friend's true identity making an unintentional fool out of himself. Oh well, ignorance is bless~

Malphena flitched away as those blood red eyes of Calam boor right into her CORE, causing her to rocket away from the boy and take refuge in the deep darkness outside of Swiftfires light, putting more distance between her and the brute. Once their, she began to muttering foul curses in her species language as she glared sullenly at the Dark feline, furious at him so casually putting her DOWN and ruining her fun with that abnormal Ralts. What a rotten spoil sport he is! One day, one day she'll show him the consequences of messing with a witch, and his Dark type won't protect him when that time comes, *Screee.......!*

This exchange did not go unnoticed by Ventus, as he turned and calmly quirked an eyebrow at the doomsayer, as if to say 'Don't finish what you can't start, but good luck all the same,' before letting out a small *Sigh* and divorcing himself from that matter. If Malphena and Calam wanted to start a rivalry/feud, then he wasn't going to step in and stop it unless it got out of hand. He just hopes neither goes to far in their respective actions....

Apsis returned Calam's stare with a most deadpan of her own, unimpressed and unintimidated by them despite how scared he was and the aura of experience he possessed. She's faced off against an Gyrarados before and nearly was the victor of that battle, and has struggled against many powerful foes since then, so compared to them Calam was just an oversized putty cat! If he ever tried to seriously challenge her, he'd be Sprayed down in Acid, Wrapped Up, and afflicted with almost every malady under the sun before they could start to put up a decent fight, so he'd better keep himself curled up liked a good kitty and continue to be beneath her notice, *Hiiiiissss.....*

To Nathan, however, her attitude took a complete 360 degrees, giving Ralts a pointed look before grumbling and bobbing her head in response, before she leaned down and started to but her head at the child's chest, urging him onwards to the tent to get a good night's rest. He won't grow strong or be alert from danger without it, so off to bed with you now, *Hiiiisss!*

'Morning' of Day 57

Tired but far from exhausted due to mostly lightly dozing in the protective grasp of his venomous sister throughout the later half of his watch after it became apparent no other gutsy beast was going to make itself an unwelcome guest, Ventus arose in the morning, stretching and freeing himself from his sister coils before having a 'hearty' breakfast of strong tea and half an energy bar. Not fine cuisine by any stretch of the imagination, but it would suffice getting him through the day.

He spent most of his morning afterwards continuing to keep watch while the rest of the grouped readied themselves to resume their expedition, recalling Apsis and Malphena and summoning Raphael in their place to both let his child serve as the scout for today and let the rest of his Pokémon get more rest. A sharp spike of bewilderment and vexation coming from what felt to be Nathan, however, distracted him from his self imposed duties long enough to see him standing opposite of a Lunatone of all things. Initially the researcher was just as confused as the boy was, until he realized that it actually Ditto all along, at which point he just mentally shrugged his shoulders and smiled as he went over with his archangel to greet the pair, both of the giving a wave as they did so.

"Good morning, Nathan, Ditto. I trust you slept well, and are ready to resume our treck through these laberathine depths of Mt. Sentry?"