Galar's New Heroes! [IC]

[Kinro]

"Hey, little guys," Kei said gently, as he approached the group slowly, carefully, keeping his stance low and his gaze away. "It's alright, I'm a friend. Are you enjoying your food?" he asked. "Yummy, isn't it?"

[MCerberus]

Nick

Seeing that everyone appears to be calm and okay with the situation calm, Nick thinks that it's time to actually introduce themselves to momma bug and the grubbins. Opening a bag of dry food, he puts some in his hand approaches slowly, crouching to try and show he's no threat.

"Hey guys, we're here looking for some new partners if you're okay with it. We don't want to be scary or anything."

Spoiler

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Cool +Etiquette
(3d6)[3][5][2](10)

[JNAProductions]

As you approach, the littler ones back off a bit. The momma bug takes the fore, a few currents of electricity running down her back. But with Nick's offer of more food, she tentatively lets the younglings approach.

One of them, a bit braver than the others, scurries forward and starts to munch out of Nick's hand. The mandibles tickle a bit.

[Kinro]

"That's right. You see? We're all friends here," Kei said, extending his hand as well, once the mother's electricity had waned. "We really are just looking for more partners and only if you'd like. Isn't it about time your youngings leave the nest?" he suggested. "We can take good care of them, I promise."

Cute + nature?
(4d6)[3][5][5][5](18)

[MCerberus]

Nick

Nick can't quite hide on his face his pleasure at finding an adventurous one. He puts empties the rest of the food on the ground, and, slowly, and if the grubbin doesn't react with suspicion, attempts to pet its. "Are you the trouble-maker of the group?"

[JNAProductions]

Another of the little mons moves to Kei, chirping brightly. The mother still watches you all, but she starts munching on the initial bait as well.

Martha laughs, quietly, when Nick mentions the adventurous one being a troublemaker. "Probably," she says. Nick's little Grubbin chows down with abandon, eating its way to fullness in short order.

[Kinro]

"Would you like to come with me, little guy?" Kei took out a pokeball and placed it down in front of the grubbins. "I'll take really good care of you and give you good food to eat every day. I'll train you and groom you lots. But because you've all been so good, I'd like it to be your choice."

[TeChameleon]

Ben gave a quick smile that his off-the-cuff plan had worked, and moved forwards a little as well, sitting down cross-legged just close enough for the Grubbins to be aware of him, and held out a handful of food as well.

"This is a good chance to see the world and learn a lot of things, to meet all kinds of other Pokemon and experience as much as we can of what the world has to offer." he says, making small coaxing gestures with the food.

Spoiler

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(4d6)[3][4][5][3](15) Clever + Nature? Trying to tempt the lil' bug with knowledge, heh...

[MCerberus]

Nick

Nick offers his hand to the adventurous grubbin as the others are making their case. "And you, little bro, want to come see what's out there?"

[JNAProductions]

Kei's grubbin seems a little suspicious of the containment device, but all of the little ones are quite happy to have found friends.

Martha lets you know "Sometimes, wrecked or damaged Pokeballs end up down here. They can malfunction and be painful-so maybe don't start off with the Pokeball."

The momma charjabug appraises you all. She moves towards her brood and all of you, and stares down each of you, one at a time. The little grubbins look back, and their parent sends a little discharge their way. The grubbins shoot one back, and then stick with you as the charjabug starts to skitter back to the dank sewers.

[Kinro]

"It looks like it is time to leave the nest after all," Kei mused. "And that is really unfortunate about the pokeballs, but we're not going to harm you." He got out his grooming kit. "In fact, I'm going to make you all nice and clean. It's going to feel really good, you'll see!" he said, unpacking to find tiny brushes and product, to rub away at the grime the grubbin had certainly accumulated.

[Opsimos]

Seeing more friends join their team, Syrus smiled, "Great! Congratulations! Also, thanks Martha for leading us all the way here."

[JNAProductions]

She smiles. "I'm happy to help-though we probably should get out of here. At least, I need to-don't want my dad to worry."

You make the trip back to the surface of the city, coaxing your new companions with you. They follow, a little slowly at first, but are soon keeping pace with aplomb. With Martha's help, you don't get lost or anything, and the fading rays of a sunset greet you when you leave.

[Kinro]

"Well, I think we've done more than enough for a day," Kei said, pausing to scratch his new companion's back. "We just need to get a place to stay and tomorrow, maybe do some training to try to get this one to accept a ball. Probably the same with yours?" he asked Nick. "We can't really have them as part of our team if they don't have one."

[MCerberus]

Nick

Walking the way back the new Grubbin, who Nick still needs to run by new names for, also hitches a ride along with Eevee. This may be a good or a bad thing, since it's likely Eevee will be chatting with the other pokemon about how best to manipulate people for treats and attention, etc. Hopefully it will also explain the pokeball to grubbin.

Nick's head being full of pokemon trivia instead of general knowledge like some of the others, immediately without much thinking responds to question asked of him, "A pokemon cannot be used unless it is registered by the trainer. Registration has to happen via the pokeball, and it may be a good idea to visit a PC to make sure they're in the system."

Turning his attention to the bug on his shoulder, "What do you say little guy? we'll get you checked in and make sure you're not hurt or sick."

OOC - now a good time to ball 'em up and add them to the sheets?

[JNAProductions]

"Give 'em a little time. It'll be okay," Martha says. "You got a place to stay? My house has a few guest rooms, if you don't want to splurge on a hotel. Let me just call my dad..."

She gets her phone out and goes to contacts, making a call. It rings once, twice, and then the man on the other end answers. "Hi dad! I met some new friends-they're doing the League challenge too!"

...

"Yeah, they're cool. But, uh, any chance they can use the guest rooms?"

...

"N-no! I didn't even think of that!"

...

"It'll be fine, dad. But okay," she finishes. "Love ya!" she adds and hangs up. "Okay, he's tentatively agreed to let you use the guest rooms-he wants to meet you all first, but you're all cool. It'll be fine!"

Spoiler: OOC

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So, overnight you can get your grubbins in their balls. Feel free to stat them up and add them now.

[Kinro]

"That would be really great!" Kei said. "Of course, we'll all try to be on our best behaviour. Right?" he asked the others. "And... well, he won't mind that our grubbins are a bit, well, grubby, will he? They just came back from living in the sewers, after all."

[MCerberus]

Nick

"Can't thank you enough, imagine the pokemon center floor would be pretty hard" Nick responds to the offer.

"Just so we know though, any advice for not getting on your dad's bad side?"

[JNAProductions]

"I mean, be polite, be courteous, don't abuse generosity... But he's a good dad, and a good guy-he might be a little standoffish at first, but he'll warm up soon enough," Martha tells you.

You spend a bit of time cleaning the worst of the grime off your grubbins while Martha leads you to her home. It's a bit out of the way, in one of the nicer parts of the city. There's a corviknight standing at attention outside the home, but inside the fenced area. "Hey Sir Galahad!" she calls to the bird. "New friends today."

Galahad appraises you all coolly. His focus isn't aggressive-but he takes particular notice of all of you. He expects there to be no trouble.

A tall, broad-shouldered man opens the door. "Good evening, Martha," he says. "Would you like to introduce your new friends to me?" His voice is measured and cool.

"Um, yeah! We've got Syrus, Kei, Nick, and Ben!" she gestures to each of you in turn. "Like I said on the phone, they're doing the League challenge too."

He nods. You notice him looking at your generally scruffy appearance. "Well... Come in. I ordered some food from the café. Hopefully it'll be enough."

Inside, the house is very well-appointed. Lots of custom, high-quality work. The dining room table is big-far bigger than you'd need for Martha and her dad alone-though you did spot a smaller, cozier table in the kitchen. There's a wide spread of food set out on the table, and another spread on the floor nearby for your mons. Martha's dad sits at the head of the table, with Martha by his side. "I'm Davis Attenly," he says when you're all seated. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, when Martha told me all of your names. Please, dig in."

[Kinro]

"Hello, sir, I'm Kei," Kei said, smiling brightly. "We've just met Martha today and it's been very kind of you both to invite us!" He let Star out of her ball. "This is Star, we been together for a long time. And this one is Gabby, a new friend we just made." He approached to whisper. "I'm sorry if he's still a bit stinky, he just got out of the sewers, but I'll get him cleaned up soon and clean up any mess he makes."

[MCerberus]

Nick

Despite the introductions and invitation, Nick takes a moment before immediately taking a seat and digging in. Best behavior and all. Pointing out sewer-bug smell... may not have been the best idea. "You are much too kind."

He tries to think of a good way to start a small conversation to keep the good-will coming, but leaves time for the others to respond first.

[TeChameleon]

Ben inclined his head when he was introduced, just a hair short of turning into a bow, and Bellerog actually did bow, putting one forepaw across her opposite leg in a surprisingly credible imitation of a curtsy. The new grubbin, perched on Ben's shoulder, looked curious, but wasn't exactly anatomically equipped to bow even if he had figured out it was expected.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir." Ben said. "We appreciate the hospitality very much; this is actually the first night of our journey, so it's kinda nice not to need to sleep outside."

He paused. "Oh! This is Bellerog-" he said, indicating the houndour, "And this is Taranis, who we just met today." he finished, jerking a thumb at the grubbin who was apparently content to stay on his shoulder for the moment.

[JNAProductions]

There's a momentary flicker of a bright smile when Ben indicates Taranis.

Spoiler: Two Successes On Some Kinda Insight Skill

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Martha clearly has an affinity for the bugs, so seeing someone else do the same is nice for him to see.

It's barely noticeable before his face returns to the calm stature it defaults to. "Where did you meet Taranis?" he asks.

[MCerberus]

Nick

((I don't think Nick's got 2 dice to roll together to even try))
Nick can be a bit... oblivious some times when it comes to the small things about polite conversation. Instead he keeps along the line of the name discussion. "I haven't run past any names to my new friend here," he motions towards where he the new Grubbin and Eevee should be. Hopefully they haven't already gotten into trouble. "I'm thinking Ace. Except spelled 'A' 'C'. We all promised their mother we'd take good care of them."

[Kinro]

"I've alrady decided mine's Gabby," Kei said. "I really think we're going to get along well together, too! And I've already planned how I'm going to train him tomorrow morning."

(Insight + empathy (4d6)[4][5][5][6](20)

[JNAProductions]

He nods. "You've got to treat your Pokémon well. Galahad's been by my side since I was young, and we've never let each other down."

"Did you ever think about doing the League challenge, dad?" Martha asks.

"No," he replies, shaking his head. "I never had the time."

[MCerberus]

Nick

The 'never had time' remark hits part of Nick's brain, affirming the group's sudden jump into adventure for this season of the league. The plan to train tomorrow was something he was going to bring up, so they can coordinate. The young trainer finds himself a good seat and pulls up, still not eating before the conversation dies down a bit.

"We could look into getting some supporter seats for the opening ceremony if you're interested. Can't hurt to at least inquire."

[TeChameleon]

Ben angled his head at Martha, careful not to dislodge his shoulder-perched grubbin.

"We met them all in the sewer- Martha helped us find them, she seems to have a talent in that direction."

He hesitated. "It seems a real shame that you weren't able to go on the challenge, sir. We've been out one day and it's already been... quite an experience."

Spoiler

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Clever + Insight (5d6)[4][1][5][6][4](20)

[JNAProductions]

His smile returns-broad and genuine. "I don't regret the path I took-but it's good to know that Martha's way will be good as well."

Martha blushes a bit, and leans over to one-armed hug her dad. "Thanks dad."

The meal continues, the ice properly broken now. You talk more about your lives, and learn that Mr. Attenly was an early worker in the Corvinkight taxi system. He grew up poor, but became friends with the founder of the taxi system, and worked his butt off to make the company succeed. He's now pretty well-off, and while he's never let Martha feel the crunch that he did in his youth, he's instilled in her a good set of values and appreciation for the work of others.

Eventually, the food ends, and you relax into your seats, properly full. Mr. Attenly takes a call, leaving you five alone in the dining room. "Okay... We should probably get some sleep," Martha says. "Full bellies always do that to me! Erm, we've only got two guest rooms, but we've got some extra bedding and stuff. I'll help get everything set up, kay?"

True to her word, Martha helps dig for some extra cots and bedding and other creature comforts, and soon enough, you've each got a bed to sleep in. Mr. Attenly returns a bit after everyone's getting situated. "If you need anything in the night, the kitchen is just down the hall. Water's from the sink, though I suggest against any late night snacks. Doesn't do a body good."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll let there be some responses to this, but I'll move towards morning soon. :)

[TeChameleon]

Ben promptly claims a piece of the floor for his bedroll, figuring that he was probably better off getting used to roughing it (even a little bit, like this) sooner than later.

He thanks Martha again, then bids her and the others good night, settling in with Taranis sleeping just above his head, cuddling a little under the pillow, and Bellerog claiming her usual spot sitting on top of him.