First Viking Assault - [Video]

[punchandkiss]

[When the camera turns on, it’s upside down, and shows a lovely pair of fur lined brown boots sitting on the ground, folded beneath a red leather skirt covered in…are those spikes? They certainly look like spikes. The camera shakes a few times, and then violently shifts to the left as though someone smacked it. And then there is a sigh.]

This can’t be right.

[The voice is female, and frustrated, and after a moment the camera moves wildly again, as it lifts up into the air, showing an image from above of a blonde teenager sitting on the grass somewhere, leaning her back against a tree, and there is a green pokemon curled up on the ground next to her chewing intently on what might be a rock. She looks like she’s about to throw the pokegear away, even make a little growl of frustration, but she happens to glance up at the last second and see that the screen is actually doing something.]

[She brings it back down, frowning at it (still upside down) as she taps the screen with her thumb a few times and finally turns it the right side over. After a few more seconds of poking and prodding, and a few more of pushing her Pokemon out of the way when it becomes a bit too curious about what’s on the shiny machine, she slumps down where she’s sitting and just stares at the screen.]

Okay. That guy. That professor said I can use this to talk to people. Other people, I mean, besides…everyone in this town…people who also woke up in a weird house with a little creature following them around, I mean.

[Some of her anger might be showing through there.]

So, hello. Hi. Whatever. I’m Astrid. I need- [She cuts off as the Axew suddenly pokes his head back into view again, and there’s more shuffling as she pushes him back off-screen.] Sit. Stay. Right there. Good boy.

Anyway. Other than some stuff that didn’t make any sense, all I know is I’ve got this guy following me around and something about training and collecting and…look, it doesn’t matter. I just need to know where Stormfly, my dragon, is…and my axe…and how to get home.

In that order. Thanks.

[Some more fumbling and after about fifteen seconds of a lovely shot of the palm of her hand, Astrid manages to turn the device off.]

Comments

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

Snow and hail, mostly.

[She shrugs.]

I'd like to get home, but I'm not in any rush for more snow.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Well, you're in luck on that note. Chances are you might not GET home for awhile, so...

_{[She spreads her arms a little and speaks in a croaky drawl.]}

Enjoy the weather.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

So people keep saying. [Astrid is less than pleased.]

But nobody seems to know Why.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Yeeeeaah, you'd think we'dve figured it out by now, buuuuut...

_{[She sounds more despondent than anything else, though. She's too pissed off at the current situation to care too much about the perpetual plight of the newbies.]}

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

How long have you been here?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

_{[There's a pause.]}

... Man, I don't think you're gonna like my answer, but to be fair, not many people have been here as long as I have.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

I was already told somebody had been here for two years, it can't be worse than that, can it?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

... OH.

In that case.

YEP. Two years.

... Give or take a month, I guess.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

I really hope that doesn't happen to me...

[Video]

[foolishwren]

It doesn't to most people.

I'm one of the only ones I know of who've been here that long.

_{[Most of the others have gone by this point... or gone and then later returned.]}

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

...People show up and leave a lot?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Yeah. On a pretty regular basis, actually.

So I wouldn't worry too much about getting home. Chances are it'll happen at some point or other.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

[She shakes her head.]

Doesn't that make it hard to, I don't know...care about being here? If you might leave any second.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Ohhh, believe me, there are quite a few times I've wished I could stop caring about what happens in this place.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

...Why?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Be easier to get the hell over it when someone you were friends with disappears, for one thing.

Re: [Video]

[punchandkiss]

...Right.

[She hadn't thought of that, but it made sense.]

Guess it's pretty hard to just not care, even if you know they might leave...

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Yeah.

S'human, pretty much.

Much as it sucks.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

Yeah...

I bet it's awful both ways, really. Even if you go home, you miss people, right?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Yeah. 'Zactly.

<sub>[She hasn't been home. But she's already spent countless nights imagining what it would be like to go back. Back to that gray world, without her Pokemon, without all the friends she's made, and without her father.]

[It's not something she likes to think about.]</sub>

... So yeah.

For some of us, s'better if we stay.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

Really? [It's not that she doesn't believe her, she's just surprised. Even after two years she assumes she'd still miss her family and everything.]

I mean, you don't want to go back?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Me?

NAWWW.

My world sucks.

Everything I could've ever had there, I've got here.

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

Oh.

[Yeah, no idea what to say to that.]

I...guess that's good then? That you're here?

[Video]

[foolishwren]

For me, yep.

_{[She pauses, then actually LAUGHS a little.]}

Jeez, I've sure made things sound grim, huh?

[Video]

[punchandkiss]

...Kinda, yeah.

Is it really that bad?