Snoop, we're not in Pokeland, anymore.

[turntechtrainer]

Characters: Dave Strider of the game transplant type and YOU
Setting: Outside room 3-04, and the cafeteria
Format: Action but if you want prose, bring it and I'll match you.
Summary: So you heard about those two pokemon trainers? Well there is a third...
Warnings: Language, probably. Will update as needed.

Room 3-04

[Going to bed and waking up somewhere new had only happened twice in Dave's life. He wasn't a fan of before and now is no different. Some part of him expected it. Like how his dreams are full of mazes, the screeching of crows, and death painted in so many colorful ways. Once the waking hour happens, he tends to push it out of his head.

Not thinking about it has been his best friend. Unfortunately, now he has to consider it because of a letter. Then again, if it had been old gold tooth who brought him here, he'd expect to be space dust.

He stands in the hallway just outside room 3-04 and frowns down at his pokegear. The piece of shit just isn't connecting which is stupid. It has perfect signal, usually. Dave is different from the one any tower resident would be familiar with. He's clearly older, fairly tall, and starting to fill out and take on more of a resemblance to his parents.

He stuffs the gear into the pocket of his dark coat and looks to the flame maned unicorn to his left.] Don't look at me, man. I got nothing to even say about this. If you're along for the ride that means either I'm asleep, so, stand by for murder by the ticking clock, or, who even knows.

[He reaches out to pat her nose, giving it a reassuring rub with a sigh.] If it's Team Rocket don't settle for hot foot. Roast their shorts.


Cafeteria


[By this point, he's gotten hungry. Anyone treading into the cafeteria will find one blond haired shade wearing douche of a guy in a dark coat sitting between two large dragons. None of them look all that pleased with the food but they're eating the stupid oatmeal anyway. Dave wasn't the only one that got so hopelessly spoiled on Jane's cooking.

Sitting wrapped up in a knitted scarf (red, green, purple, and blue), is a large egg. Dave keeps checking on it, sometimes shifting so he can keep an eye on his scaled bros and the egg at the same time. After a while he just transfers it to his lap where he knows it will be safe.]

Comments

Cafeteria

[tentacletrainer]

[[She's just trying to get something decent that isn't filled with candy - as much as she likes candy, she's not fond of just crunching into it in whatever she happens to be eating - when she spots the Dragonite first. Her mind doesn't even register the rest of the scene, all that goes through it is "Who is he terrorizing?", and she takes her tray and jogs over to the table.]]

John, what have I told you about bothering strangers?

[[When she gets to an angle where she can see around said dragon, and notices the Garchomp, again that's all her mind registers. It's taking a moment for Dave and his egg to also register in her mind, because right now it's just not understanding the Garchomp. And the fact that she's suddenly pretty certain she left John in his ball...

Once her mind finally notices Dave, she has to stop completely, her grip on her tray tightening significantly as her throat tightens. This is definitely not the Dave she met here in the tower. This isn't the Dave who she's spent a few months with now, learning about all that's happened to him at the hands of the admins, or she has experienced some of those incidents with herself.

This...this is the Dave from home. The one coming from a world between their fucked up SBURB session and this fucked up tower. Where he was safe and happy and wouldn't have to worry about danger and dying and protecting his friends or his friends protecting him or---

God. Dammit.]]

Dave...what are you doing here?

[[She is all bewilderment and confusion and worry and a tinge of heartbreak. Just a tinge.]]

cafeteria

[ghostytrainer]

[Doot dee doot getting lunch, la de da gotta find a table. Definitely going to have Chandel flame this burger up a little bit because rare meat? No thanks. He doesn't need some kind of parasite crawling inside of hi-- holy shit is that a Garchomp?]

[Yeah that's totally a Garchomp. And a Dragonite, yet somehow he's pretty sure that isn't Rose's. She doesn't have a Garchomp, after all. And more importantly, that blonde kid sitting between them isn't...]

[There's a loud clatter as John's tray falls from his hands and hits the floor. He'd recognize that back anywhere.]

Dave?!

[IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? OR IS HE JUST HALLUCINATING? He's not sure so he's not moving from the spot until he's certain. Meanwhile, his Zorua is just going to start chowing down on the dropped food and his Litwick is going to zoom across the room and slam into the back of Dave's head. It's a hug of endearment, she swears.]

[turntechtrainer]

[He knows that tone. There's only one time he's heard it but it cuts through everything like a blade. Dave immediately rises to his feet to come over to her, his casual greeting dying before he utters it. Instead he sighs.]

Didn't have a choice in the matter. What's going on? [Which is Dave for 'How bad are we fucked over'.]

[tentacletrainer]

Oh...right. Admittedly that is a dumb question on my part. [[She and John hadn't had a choice after all.]]

What's going on? Well...I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but you have control of your powers again. That should be a really good indicator of what's going on. I'll go into more detail but...let's sit down.

[turntechtrainer]

[He rocks forward, nearly smacking face first into the remainder of his oatmeal. It takes him a second to register something is clinging to his head and another to realize what. Dave reaches back to pat it and turns in his seat. He'd heard John but, he assumed he'd been hearing things. Nope. There's his best bro.

And awake at that.

He swings completely around to stare at him with a raised eyebrow.] You know your food is getting chowed on. And who else would I be? It's not like there's this many shade wearing awesome guys you'd just happen to meet.

[Something eases that had been wound up tight since John had passed out.]

...nice to see you finally awake again. Rose was really getting depressed about it.

1/2

[ghostytrainer]

[Holy shit it really is Dave. His Dave. Not that the Dave who's been here isn't just as great and all but...holy shit he has two best friends now. This is pretty much the best, he's sure. He cracks into a grin that's almost too big for his face, eyes lighting up. He can practically hear the cheesy, cheerful, reunion background music. Are there anime sparkles everywhere? Maybe. Just Maybe His food is getting eaten by a fox and he doesn't even car--]

2/2

[ghostytrainer]

Wait what? [Yeah that sure was a record scratch to the fauxmo moment there. Thank god.] Awake? What are you talking about?

[turntechtrainer]

[He hasn't noticed he has his time powers back. Dave blinks and flash-steps once, reappearing by his seat and settling in it. Holy shit his speed is back.

Only that's not a good thing, not with Rose making the broken tone and the 'you need to be on your butt for this' warning. He runs a hand through his hair and nods.] Okay, so how badly screwed are we this time? More importantly, how awful is the coffee here.

[tentacletrainer]

The coffee depends on where you're getting it, what month it is and who's in charge of the menu. Sometimes it's not available at all. [[She moves to sit across from him, setting her tray down and finally releasing her iron grip on it.]]

As for how badly screwed we are, well...we can die again. We can die a lot, and not just from the monsters. Which, by the way, are not Pokemon and are constantly roaming a lot of the floors, more terrifying at night as the cliches go. And they aren't all random mobs generated by code of some fucked up game.

[turntechtrainer]

...you probably don't remember since you cracked your head on the way down to coma land. [Good job there dude.] It was after those legendary rock thing gods, or whatever of pokemon wrecked the shit out of things, and you have no idea what I'm talking about at all do you.

[turntechtrainer]

[He takes what she's given him in silence to mull over it. Then he places his broken sword on the table. He runs his hand over the white metal as it flows out to form the full blade again, his body glowing red until it's over.

It's the shoe he kept expecting to fall and from the set of his mouth in that hard line that's stiffen than usual, he doesn't like it. He debates telling her what he remembers. Immediately he dismisses the thought because she's worried enough. There's no need to explain the full scope of hell awaiting them back home.]

You have to admit the random mobs generated by code sucked pretty bad too. Anything about these monsters we can recognize?

[tentacletrainer]

[[She watches him in equal silence, her own frown setting further on her face when she sees his quiet reaction to that news. Rose hates it. She hates that look. But he needs to know.]]

Well, for one, at least a handful come from our...destroyed worlds. [[There are quite a few grains of salt in her voice as she says that. Obviously she only partially believes that notion, but she prefers not to dwell on it.]] There are imps here, for example, but there are monsters from places we'd recognize that aren't the game either. You've played the Zelda series, correct?

[ghostytrainer]

[Does this blank stare mean anything to you?]

Not a clue. [At least he's moved to take a seat across from Dave now. Because it seemed stupid to be standing a few feet away and carrying on a conversation. Michael J. is just going to stay where he is though. Delicious heart-burger.]

Rose and I have been here since...well, your birthday. So almost two months to the day now. Last thing I remember was that weekend towards the end of November. You know, when you introduced me yo your good pal Yo?

o9

[papshooshing]

[ for once, Karkat is heading back to his room. to get things out of his trunk. the truth of the matter is that Karkat really, really hates staying in that room. just look at who he has for roommates. they're enough to drive anyone's bats up the fucking belfry. though he's in 3-08, it means he has to pass the room that Dave is standing outside.

yeah, that's not really the Dave that Karkat is aware that's here ( if he's even still here in the Tower, that is ). that is Dave talking to another one of those strange beasts. Karkat's seen John's... the creepy ghost thing that's really not all that bad. maybe he should find the ghost beast and see if it's more tolerable company than Egbert. ]

Is there a reason you were partnered with a flaming horned hoofbeast or have you been secretly channeling a Zahhak all this time and I just wasn't aware of this Strider factoid?

[turntechtrainer]

Played it and found all the glitches, yeah. [He snorts at the mention of destroyed worlds. It's obvious he doesn't quite believe that explanation either. Even as he processes everything else with a growing unease.]

Go on.

[turntechtrainer]

[His lips twitch then he laughs because he is an asshole.] You can't deny Yo is an awesome pal to get. If you ever need some lovin you just let him out of the ball and he'll give it to you like a good pal should.

[Weird shit with time is his expertise so he doesn't even pause at the mention of odd time differences.] It's February for me. Last thing I remember is going to bed in Azeala's hotel.

[turntechtrainer]

[He turns to Karkat and raises an eyebrow. Not the usual thing he hears from Karkat these days and one glance says troll, not messy haired human boy.] Actually I started life riding a pony on a flaming meteor, it's not that strange for me to have another flaming horse. Only this one won't get crushed under my ass.

[He pats her side and she bumps her head against his in what's clearly an affectionate gesture.] And is that really the first thing you're going to focus on. Wow, dude.

[tentacletrainer]

ChuChus. You know what those are, right? You'll find those wandering around here too. As well as things like Chocobos if happen to be at least vaguely familiar with that rpg franchise. But the thing is...they're different. Like they were put under a scalpel. They've been made to be more terrifying, whether just by looks or by power and ferocity. Or both. All of them have.

[papshooshing]

I beg to differ on that crushing point. You need to actually have a posterior in order to make that even a viable option.

[ yeap. saying you have no ass Dave. that's totally a thing that just happened. Karkat's hands cross over his chest. at least Dave hasn't caught him on a day that is either a Makara soothing day or a shower day. right? right. ]

Which means there's really nothing to focus on. Strange psychedelic hoofbeast it is. At least the beast isn't a total eyesore. Can't say the same for its partner.

...And it's much better than that creepy disembodied head with hands that the alternate Egbert keeps around.

[turntechtrainer]

[Well shit. That's...screwed up. Dave takes a few bites of his oatmeal before he's finally got to ask. Because if he doesn't it's going to kill him and he can be vague as shit about it.] Whoever 'saved us', do they show their faces at all?

And worlds. Shit, ours was already gone. Humanity is in one big mass grave. Why are they so late to act on that little mishap??

[tentacletrainer]

They do, yes. I don't know exactly how many admins they are, but from what I've gathered they do make appearances. Of course, I'm sure you can guess that taking shots at them is just asking for punishment.

Who knows. That's what I was asking, which is why I'm so skeptical of this all. I'm not really raising hell about it or anything though. Not yet. There are others in this tower already aiming to do that. [[She's playing it safe. The last thing she wants to do is jeopardize her friends or Pokemon.]]

[turntechtrainer]

First off, that's a Haunter and secondly, how would you know I don't have a bump to my trunk. Because if you've been staring at it I'm going to tell you to stop.

[He folds his arms over his chest and slouches just a tad.] Now that we've reminded ourselves of your stalker powers, what's the last thing you remember from home?

[turntechtrainer]

...any of them have a gold tooth? [He acts very casual about the question which is ruined by how tightly he's gripping his spoon. It's like he's waiting to hear something terrible.]

[tentacletrainer]

Not that I know of, but you could ask around. Again, I don't know if I even know of all of them. Or if I've seen all of them.

[[She notices the tension, eying him with apprehension.]]

Why?

[papshooshing]

I don't really care what that thing is. What I can appreciate about the beast is that it at least knows when its trainer-partner-what-the-fuck-have-you is out of his rotting think pan.

[ of course they were all sick at the time. not like Karkat is going to mention that. nope.

instead he takes the other question into consideration. last thing he remembers from "home." ]

We just pushed off away from the Green Sun. That was what... Nine months ago for me? It's pretty hard to juggle time in this tower.