Music
This was intense! Until it actually got going, that is. Rick foolishly wanders into the Ghost Tower in Lavender Town, something you would have to be either very brave or very stupid to do.
Since this takes place in Special-Special Puppet Week, I was expecting the worst to happen. As soon as he enters, he discovers a Cubone puppet, but Hyper, the puppet runner had to leave, but he set a date for the scene, which made my anticipation worse. I of course talked to other people about it, most notably Sophia, Rick's partner for HRTC. She didn't want him to go back, discouraging me with stories of a Cubone with a knife instead of a bone. At high noon on the day of the scene, Hyper found Rick hanging around outside the tower, quaking in his IC boots.
Hyper pages: Wow. I gotta hand it to you, your blindly ignorant stupidity might help you get a puppet!
You paged Hyper with 'Gee, thanks... I think...'.
From afar, Hyper shakes his head. Man! Here I was logging on, knowing in my soul you wouldn't be here. ;)
Long distance to Hyper: Rick isn't running away just yet, but that may change...
Hyper pages: Well, you've had two days to think about it. Mwa ha ha. So what'll it be, dude - life or a puppet? ;)
You paged Hyper with 'Er... I'll have both if possible. I'm not backing out yet!'.
From afar, Hyper yawns. Oh, so you want -neither-.
Long distance to Hyper: Rick grins. Let's see how this goes, huh?
Lavender Ghost Tower: Main Foyer
An expansive room spreads before you. Its apparent size is enhanced by the dim light and the shadows hiding much of the walls. Above, a chandelier swings in an unfelt breeze, the lighted candles giving off only enough light to illuminate the chandelier and a small part of the chain holding it up. Your breath echoes loudly in the room, and it seems like there's a hungry breathing right behind you...but it's just the echoes, right....?
The floorboards creak and grate against one another even if you don't move. To the left, there is a spiralling staircase leading up into the tower. To the right, another spins down into the abyss of the basements. Cold tongues of air glide across you as the door begins to swing closed.
Contents:
Cubone
Obvious exits:
Down <D> leads to Lavender Ghost Tower: Basement.
Up <U> leads to Lavender Ghost Tower: Second Floor.
EXIT <E> leads to Lavender Town: Outside the Ghostly Tower.
From afar, Hyper nods. Don't blame me if consensual RP doesn't prevent you from certain types of torture, yes?
Long distance to Hyper: Rick nods. I took a risk by coming in here, so I know what might happen.
<OOC> Cubone rolls her eyes.
Sophia pages: Good luck...
From afar, Hyper replaces might with will and nods happily.
You paged Sophia with 'Thanks. I hope to see you again!'.
Sophia pages: Ditto.
ex cubone
A female Cubone.
Sex: Female
Cubone is owned by Hyper2
<OOC> Cubone says "Your pose."
Although the weather outside isn't perfect, a sane person wouldn't come into the Lavender Ghost Tower to get dry. Does this mean Rick isn't sane, just because he walks through the dread doorway, shaking rainwater from his black jacket? No. The reason the young boy has ventured into the place where people have warned him not to go is currently sat on the boy's left shoulder, arms folded and looking incredibly smug. He is Yuri, the irritating Abra, and his mouth forms a small smile as he watches the scared eyes of the trainer dart about the place, peering into the gloom. "Okay, Yuri. I'm inside. Can we go now?" Rick asks, his voice accented by fear. <No way! You've got to prove you're not a fraidy cat like I think you are!> the Abra replies, his voice cutting through the atmosphere like a hot knife through butter.
<OOC> Cubone laughs lots. Your Abra is named Yuri?
<OOC> Rick says "Yep. Read the last Habari log. He plays quite a part in that. :)"
<OOC> Cubone giggles a lot. Get him a mate named Yaoi and I'll kill myself with laughter.
<OOC> Cubone only suspects you know what she's talking about.
<OOC> Rick says "No, sorry. The name rings a bell, but I named him after someone else."
<OOC> Cubone grins. Yuri is a word for Japanese art depicting two women having sex with each other.
<OOC> Rick snickers. You aren't going to keep a straight face now, are you? ;)
<OOC> Cubone says "No, which is a really mean thing to do if I'm trying to pose in the Lavender Tower."
You paged Sophia with 'I've made Hyper laugh! :)'.
From afar, Sophia grins. Cool!
Even though it is midday, the Lavender Tower is still a horrible place to be. The floorboards creak and crick with every step, and sounds from the other side of the mansion echo throughout the halls - manical laughter, shrieks of torture, high-pitched oos that ripple down the spine and set hair on end. The grey skies above prevent sunlight from seeping through the cracks of the Tower, so it's a little difficult to see too far. Though no pokemon can be seen, Yuri - and, to some extent, even Rick - will feel eyes watching them as they walk through the tower. Perhaps Rick is right. The air carries a tinge of discomfort, though perhaps that's what a haunted mansion is supposed to feel like.
Rick continues to glance around nervously, focusing on the directions different sounds come from, eyes wide. Yuri seems to sense presences all around, but his purpose is to scare Rick out of his mind, which won't be hard. <Come on now! Carry on! We're not going to prove anything by just sitting inside the doorway!> "Okay, okay. You win. I'm running at the first sign of trouble though, you know!" Rick responds, not even looking at the Abra. Cautiously, the boy continues to walk further away from the door, from relative safety. The Abra mutters something under his breath, probably along the lines of 'wuss'.
Crick, crack, creak. A humid warmth of breath mixes with a slight panting noise behind Rick, though if he were to turn he would find absolutely nothing but stuffy air and the door - the door that leads to his freedom, no less. If he does happen to turn around, he'll catch one last glimpse of the outside before the door slam shut with a loud crash that unsettles the dust and causes it to come raining down from the ceiling. The door is not locked, should Rick happen to walk back and open it - as a matter of fact, if he just so happens to touch the door's handles, it will swing open on its own accord, flooding the room with light once again. The ghosts here obviously don't care for intruders in their home. There are no pokemon in the large room, but there are stairs to the left and right, leading up and down respectively. Left, right, or back - those seem to be the options.
Rick shudders as the door slams shut, and he spins around quickly, only to see his way out (supposedly) sealed. As a consequence of his motion however, Yuri once more grabs onto the trainer's brown mop of hair, causing him to emit a girly squeal. "Ow ow ow ow! Yuri! Stop doing that!" Thankfully, the Abra retains his seat and releases the trainer's hair, showing a grin on his distinctly amused face. <Sorry!> he says, although it is clear from his tone that he doesn't mean it. Turning around again, slowly this time, Rick considers his options. "Eeney, meeney, miney, mo!" Rick says, pointing at each of the staircases in turn, settling eventually on the right hand one. "Well, Yuri. I hope you're happy..." he mutters as he makes his way towards the staircase. <Very...> Yuri replies under his breath.
A ripple of unrest runs through the room, no doubt because the invisible ghosts are marveling at Rick's bravery... or, rather, to them stupidity. There's no gust of wind, no noise of the ordinary or anything sensed - the disconcerting feeling is rather just felt in some inexplicable way, a horrible pit in the bottom of the stomach. Still, no tricks await Rick as he walks to the staircase. The floorboards hold, the noises in the distance quiet down, and the feeling of eyes upon the foolhardy duo gradually fade. Perhaps they are submitting to Rick and allowing him to enter - or perhaps they realize that it's harder to escape on the second story.
Bright colors, sweetness, and light! Candylion-springtimes! (We're saved!)
Rick's face is drained of all colour right now, and he looks marginally like a ghost himself, if it weren't for his scared expression. His footsteps are small and cautious, but he makes his way forward. Curiosity? Stupidity? Bravery? A combination of all three? It is difficult to tell, but the most dominant feeling showing in Rick's demeanor is the feeling of dread that intensifies with each step he makes away from the closed door. Yuri glances around with his closed-looking eyes, and seeing nothing threatening, he urges the trainer onwards. <Come on, fraidy! Show me that you're worthy of me guarding you!> he says with a hint of mischief. The trainer ingnores his words and continues at his own pace, which is amazingly slow. He does, barring any incidents on the stairs of course, eventually make it to the top of the staircase however.
At the top of the staircase lurks... nothing. No drooling bloodied beast, no unspeakable abomination of horror, no terrifying demon of dimensions unknown - just stuffy air and a little vase on a table. Yuri will notice something odd - there is no more presence of anything in the room but bugs and bacteria, no unseen ghosts, no undead being. Indeed, the entire tower is still. Should Rick still not be able to take the most obvious hints and still blindly continue exploring the upper story, it won't be long before he spots something that might interest him. A Cubone, plopped down on her bum, is chatting happily with two Gastlies, waving her bone around like she's telling a story. The Gastlies look very amused and friendly, as though the organism fits in just like that.
Rick does indeed continue his explorations, but only because the annoying Abra is just waiting for the trainer to run screaming from the Tower, and Rick is determined not to oblige. <Come on! This place is supposed to be scary! Where are all the spooks and zombies and whatnot?> Yuri asks in an irritated tone, showing disappointment in more ways than should be possible. Eventually Rick stumbles on the odd scene. The appearance of something living inside the tower is less frightening than the atmosphere has led him to expect. Still, the boy's heart attempts to bash its way out of his ribcage, and he is sure the creatures will be able to hear it. Yuri isn't quite as interested in stealth however, and he stands up on the trainer's shoulder. <Yeah! Ghosties! Come on, scare him!> he calls out, waving frantically to attract the attention of the residents.
The Cubone casually glances over in Rick's direction - and is appalled by what she sees. Frantically, she leaps up to both feet, waving her bone excitedly at the two strangers. The two Gastlies look over as well, though they don't share the Cubone's excitement. <Oh my gosh, you guys! It.. it... Gastlies!!!> she shrieks at the top of her lungs, clutching her head - no easy task with that giant femur in hand. <Run, you guys, run! The Gastlies are going to attack us!> With overexaggerant motions, she "pushes" the Gastlies away, and they vanish into the walls. With a squeak of horror, the ground-type spins around and runs down the hall, making it four steps before crashing into the wall and stumbling back.
<Aww. Ghosties gone. Drat.> Yuri snaps his fingers and sits back down on Rick's shoulder. The peculiarity of the scene has allowed the colour back into Rick's face for now, and he looks slightly like his old self. Thanks to the psychic abilities of the Abra, Rick can understand the words of the Cubone. "Gastlies? Where?" He looks around, puzzled. If the Cubone thinks that the human and Abra are the Gastlies, there will be nothing to find. If not, Rick will probably be in for a surprise.
"Cuuuuuuuuuu!" cries the ground-type, running around in a tight circle and clutching her head like a Psyduck with a brain freeze. She eventually comes to a stop, points dramatically at Rick once again, and squeals, <Be gone, undead freaks! Eeeeeeeeeek!> With that, she spins right around, and rushes into the nearest room, squealing at the top of her lungs, <Run, you guys! Run! Gastlies are here to come and... and... and eat us, I think!> No sounds emerge from the room, but Rick and Yuri might be surprised to see two Gastlies, one male and one female, go through the wall, and pass right in front of them as they dead into the room on the other side of the hallway.
Sophia pages: Rick! Still alive?
You paged Sophia with 'Yep. For now...'.
Sophia pages: For now...?
Long distance to Sophia: Rick nods. I have seen at least four Gastlies as well as a very confused Cubone here.
Sophia pages: Offer them cookies! O.o;
"Okay, I'm confused. Weren't those Gastlies she was talking to?" Rick asks the Abra, who sports the same sort of expression. Without answering, Yuri teleports down onto the floor next to the Cubone and attempts to grab her by the shoulders with his three-fingered hands. <Who are you calling freaks? I'm no Gastly! I'm Yuri, and you'd better remember that!> he says irritably, whether he catches her or not. If he manages to grab her, it should provide proof that he is no ghost.
The Cubone pulls her head out of the room to peer back at Rick and his Abra, and she sneers at them from behind her bone mask. The Abra attempts to grab her, but the Cubone will do anything - bat, whack, duck, jump back - to avoid being touched by him. <Don't try to fool me with your mind games, Gastlies!> she cries at him with a sharp point. <You will never hurt me and my friends!> With that she practically dives across the hallway, sticking her head into another room, and wailing, <Gastlies! Gastlies are here! Run, my friends!>
Rick smiles as the attempts of the Abra are thwarted by the solid 'clonk' of femur hitting cranium. <Ow! Hey! What did you do that for?> asks the rather irritated Abra. "Come on, Yuri. Let's get out of here. I think I've proved my worth, don't you?" Rick interrupts, but the Abra isn't listening. Regardless of the response he recieves from the Cubone, Yuri Teleports once more, trying to block the pokemon's path. Rick takes this opportunity to reach for his pokedex, pointing the device at the Cubone in order to get some information about it.
'Cubone' scanned and added into your Pokedex. Type '+pokedex/pokemon Cubone' for information on this pokemon.
Long distance to Sophia: Rick got a scan...
Sophia pages: Cool.
You paged Sophia with 'For some reason, she is convinced that both Rick and Yuri are Gastlies. She is evacuating the real Gastlies. ;)'.
From afar, Sophia chuckles and grins. Cute. ;)
And the Abra Teleports in front of her! Any courage the Cubone had left dissipates into the air, and the ground-type falls back, stumbles onto the floor, and cries her eyes out. <Noooooooooo!> she screams, wiggling and screaming and crying. <Please, no, no, don't hurt me, Gastlies! I'm so scared of ghosts, so scared, I don't want you to hurt me! Please let me alone! Please please please please!> There's simply one problem... The Cubone, obviously, is a good friend with the (real) Gastlies. Why, then, aren't they coming to help her while she is in need?
"We aren't Gastlies, and we don't want to hurt you! Honest! Those were Gastlies you were talking to when we arrived!" Rick explains, keeping his distance in order to appear unthreatening. The Abra nods. <Why are you afraid of Gastlies when you are living among them? And why did you hit me? You can't hit ghosts, silly!> Rick looks around, just waiting for the real Gastlies to wreak vengeance for their trapped comrade. "Uh, Yuri... I wouldn't scare the little thing if I were you. I don't want to meet the wrong side of a real ghost or two... dozen."
The Cubone wails at the top of her lungs, and if she hears Rick and Yuri, she completely ignores them. She's too busy scrunching up into the floor, cuddling up into herself to keep away from those evil "Gastlies" out to get her. She's quite obviously scared silly, and tears leak from her eyes like water.
Bright colors, sweetness, and light! Candylion-springtimes! (We're saved!)
Rick sighs as his words go unheeded. "Dangit. I don't want to capture something without asking it first, but if I let her keep crying, we'll attract attention..." Rick removes his backpack from his back, and takes a pokeball from inside. He enlarges the device, but doesn't throw it yet, for some reason. Yuri just rolls his eyes towards the ceiling, but he doesn't move, he just stands there, his arms folded. Rick looks at the pokeball in his hand once more, then he throws it towards the poor wailing creature.
<OOC> Rick says "Permission to +throw?"
<OOC> Cubone says "Go for it."
Rick throws a pokeball...
...and it fails.
<OOC> Rick says "Uh oh..."
<OOC> Cubone has the Gastly eat you alive and spit on the parts it doesn'
<OOC> Cubone says "... Doesn't eat!"
You paged Sophia with 'This is where things start to get nasty. I just failed my first +throw...'.
Sophia pages: Uh oh.
You paged Sophia with 'That's what I said!'.
Sophia pages: Run. O_o;
Rick's timing is poor. By the time he has thrown the ball, the Cubone, though her eyes are squeezed shut, realizes that if she hasn't been attacked by now, -something- but be distracting the evil Gastlies from haunting her mind. With no warning at all, she quickly rolls onto her side, onto her stomach, pushes up from the floor. The pokeball smashes into the wood. <You Gastlies will never get meeeee!> she squeals, her eyes still shut, as she runs in some random direction that just so happens to be away from Rick and his Abra.
Rick gapes at the sudden burst of action in front of him. "Wow. Fast Cubone..." he mutters, removing another ball from his backpack. <I'll get it!> Yuri calls, Teleporting once more. If he is fast enough, he will appear once more in front of the Cubone, an evil-looking smirk on his face. "No, Yuri! Let her go if she wants! We have to prove that we aren't ghosts!" Rick calls out to the Abra, the pokeball still in its shrunken state in his right hand.
Boomp! The Abra is fast enough to get right into the Cubone's way, but the Cubone won't stop. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and she can't see a thing. Needless to say, the Abra is about to get tackled, for the Cubone is moving quickly, and he will undoubtedly not have enough time to escape immediately after a teleport. Crash! The Cubone and Abra go down in a tangled heap of pokemon... and the ground-type immediately shrieks at the top of her lungs. <Aaaaaaaaah!! They got me! They caught me!! They're going to kill me! Aaaahhhh!!!>
"Yuri! Drat..." Rick mutters, wincing at the collision. <Shut up and get off me!> Yuri yells, trying his best to match the Cubone in pitch. Rick quickly runs towards the tangled heap. "Yuri, quiet! You'll bring the house down!" The trainer quickly enlarges the pokeball in his hand and throws it at any bit of Cubone that he can see, in an effort to quiet her.
Rick throws a pokeball...
...and it works.
<OOC> Cubone glares. I didn't give you permission. This throw is invalid.
<OOC> Rick says "My apologies. Permission to +throw?"
<OOC> Cubone says "Actually, I'm kidding. Seeing as how I obviously haven't scared you through this RP, I thought I might as well attempt to scare you with that. :P"
<OOC> Rick grins. It worked, almost...
Long distance to Sophia: Rick bags a Cubone.
You paged Sophia with 'Now all that's left to do is get out of here alive...'.
The squealing, shrieking, yelling, and crying all vanish when the pokeball smashes into the Cubone's back, sucking her in with a flash of light. The pokeball falls onto the wood, and all falls silent. The room becomes devoid of undead presense, and the house is once again entirely dead.
Rick finally dares to breathe again, bringing a slight sound back to the eery building. "Okay, let's get out of here, Yuri, before this little missy's pals come back." The voice is hushed, sounding almost as dead as the tower itself. Yuri nods. <Yeah, okay, I suppose. You really aren't chumpish, are you?> The psychic pokemon returns to his previous seat on his trainer's shoulder. Picking up his newly filled pokeball from where it lies, Rick makes his way back the way he came, with definitely more haste than he came upstairs with. Barring any incidents on the way, Rick will make his way back outside the tower, glad that the large wooden door moves of its own accord.
Bright colors, sweetness, and light! Candylion-springtimes! (We're saved!)
<OOC> Cubone says "I'm so bored and sick of you that I find you unworthy of a final pose from me, so I guess we'll end here. Thanks for wasting my time, and please don't ever talk to me again! Good riddance~!"
<OOC> Rick says "... Sorry!"
<OOC> Cubone says "Bah. See, I could do this to Scorch, no problem, but when I say it to Rick as Hyper, I feel so guilty, like I'm not really kidding as much as I really am. :P"
<OOC> Cubone says "Well, have a nice night."
<OOC> Rick says "Thanks muchly for the Cubone!"
Staff Note: This Cubone lived in the Lavender Tower until Rick captured her. She has a small problem; she's deathly afraid of Gastlies and Haunters. When she sees them, she chokes up and cannot battle. What's more, however, is that she gets these ghost pokemon confused. She thinks all pokemon and humans are Gastlies and Haunters... except for Gastlies and Haunters, which she thinks are friendly Cubones. (Set by: Hyper)
Well, I learned something new from this scene, and that is something really funny about the Abra's name. Thanks to Hyper, I will no longer be able to type it without smiling, and I have promised him that if I find a female Abra, I will name her Yaoi.
This was Rick's first trip into the Tower, and it is unlikely to be his last. But will the last thing he ever sees be the large wooden door slamming behind him for one final time? Watch this space to find out!
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