Seventh Viking Charge [Video]

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid is sitting on a bench outside of one of the big stores in Goldenrod, looking...a bit cross. After a minute of glaring at the camera, she reaches off screen and holds up a blue and yellow guitar.]

Whoever told me you could buy axes in Goldenrod, if this is what you meant...

[Yes, she's cross!]

This is not an axe! It's some kind of music...thing. I don't know. I asked for an axe and the guy sold me this. I don't even know what to do with it! I thought maybe it was a carrying case for an axe, some kind of modern...trick.

But it's not!

[She huffs and sets her guitar back down in her lap, plucking irritably at one of the strings.]

I don't suppose anybody does know what to do with it? I bought it, I have to do something with it.

[Another pause, and then she seems to remember something.]

Oh right, also. There's a thing that teaches pokemon to fly? A disc or square or...I don't know, whatever the word is. Someone said you can use it more than once, does anybody in goldenrod have one I could borrow for a couple minutes?

Comments

[action]

[punchandkiss]

[Astrid looks from Cecil to Meatball and back.]

So she could already fly, but this means I can fly on her. I tried before, and it didn't work, I just...I don't understand why it works that way. Or how it works that way.

[action]

[paladinlost]

No one does, as far as I know. Even the list of creatures that can learn how to transport us makes very little sense at times. But I'd say that being allowed to fly with them is worth a little confusion.

[action]

[punchandkiss]

Yes, I hope so. I mean...I miss flying. [She looks a bit embarrassed.] But it still should make some kind of sense.

[action]

[paladinlost]

If you expect sense from this world, you'll find yourself disappointed. You might as well simply enjoy it.

[action]

[punchandkiss]

[She huffs at that.]

I don't see why wanting the world to make sense should be hopeless.

[action]

[paladinlost]

...Because the more you try to make sense of it, the more you realize that there's something wrong with it.

[punchandkiss]

Is this like Karkat claiming this is all a game?

[paladinlost]

Quite a few people have said that they previously knew this world through video games... But there is also the untraceable meat, the lack of government, strange happenings that took place nearly two years ago...

[It says a lot about his stay that he can say that in such a casual tone.]

[punchandkiss]

...strange happenings?

[paladinlost]

Weeks of stale air, all the music being replaced by a single tune, all the locals repeating a single sentence over and over again, the world itself being made of squares and a handful of colors, the Pokémon no one could identify...

[Funtimes.]

[punchandkiss]

...Okay, that's pretty weird. It hasn't happened since?

[paladinlost]

[He shakes his head.]

Only the once. At midnight on the first of November, everything was suddenly normal again.

[punchandkiss]

...Isn't that soon?

[And now she's a little paranoid.]

[paladinlost]

...Yes, it is. But last year we only believed ourselves to truly be our costumes, so we might be fine this time.

[punchandkiss]

Oh well that's...what?

[paladinlost]

There's a holiday at the end of October that involves costumes and candy. Certain people decided to participate and found themselves acting like Pokémon or other people.

[punchandkiss]

And has that happened more than once?

[paladinlost]

Only once! ...As far as we know. None of us were here three Octobers ago.

[punchandkiss]

So it could happen again.

[paladinlost]

It easily could. That's why you should always be wary when people start speaking of holidays.

[punchandkiss]

Back home holidays are a good thing. We have feasts and parties and...

I guess it's different here.

[paladinlost]

Oh, they do know how to celebrate properly. For our first Christmas, there was a migration of tree-like Pokémon and the officers organized a tree-decorating contest. The results were quite lovely.

[punchandkiss]

I didn't even know there were tree pokemon...but that sounds pretty cool.

[She grins.]

Thanks for Fly, though. I'm going to go see if I can get Meatball here to let me take a ride.

[paladinlost]

I doubt she'll say no, but good luck with that. Be careful in the skies, some flyers care little about other people.

[punchandkiss]

[She almost laughs.]

You mean like mid-air collisions?