To Hoenn Alone

[Micah]

About an hour after you get on the boat, you can feel it pulling away. Soon after you are hit by a wave of exaustion as all of the recent information crashes down on you and you just decide to get some sleep. The bed is not very comfortable and the room cold, so your sleep is fitful, but you manage to get enough to be rested before waking up.

[Deleted]

Natasha lays there, eyes locked on a ceiling that's so far above her that it's just a basic concept rather than something she can make out in any detail at all. The boat starts to move just about when the woman starts blinking back tears of frustration, and what might be a budding wave of rage at her husband's temper and those who failed to properly keep track of boats with little girls on them and her two Countries for still having deadly conflict over disputes that are so old no one can properly describe what started it all, and...and herself.

Natasha closes her eyes tight, tears streaming down the sides of her face. If she'd been in any shape to help if there was any trouble, she could have gone with her husband and daughter on their trip. If she had, maybe her second child would still be alive; might even have been born by now. If Carl had still decided it was too dangerous for her and Ruby and had to remain behind for some reason, at least the two of them would be together and Ruby wouldn't be going through who knows what with some sort of criminal organisation in a strange country far from home...

It's unclear to her mind, exhausted with the stresses and turns of the last few months, exactly when the darkness brought on by her closed lids pulls her into sleep, but Natasha finds herself swept up in a obstacle course of nightmares, each ending as suddenly as they began when Carl, Mirage or even Anastasia somehow come to her rescue.

Finally, she stops tossing on the bed and falls into a more peaceful sleep. A familiar small spot of fur and warmth having curled up on her chest while a second Eevee--false in some sense, but still filled with as much concern and comfort--curls up on its (present) Trainer's legs.

And suddenly Natasha sees, actually sees through what remains of her eight-year-old's sight, Anastasia playing with a whole gaggle of smaller Eevees. Time passes in that stop-motion way dreams sometimes have and, all too quickly, each of the smaller Pokémon is drawn to a strangely glowing stone and changes into one of the known higher Eevee forms. And then, surprising the woman even through the haze of the dreamscape, they turn to her, and she realizes that they're still only children, despite the fact that others might believe they've grown up.

Before she can actually figure out what they expect her to do, Natasha awakes and when she goes to place a hand upon her stomach, it instead rests on a furry tail. "Annie?" she murmurs, getting a few quick licks at her mostly dried tears in reply. She blinks and buries her hands at the base of her dear friend's ears, scratching and fondling them until a contented noise escapes the small canine. "Did you and Mirage get hungry then?" she asks, her mind grasping the last words she had actually spoken before falling asleep.

It's Natasha's own stomach which growls in reply, though, surprising the woman by summoning a short laugh from her lips. "Well, I'll get you something too, to be on the safe side."

She frowns and carefully coaxes first Anastasia then Mirage off of her body onto the bed--shivering slightly at the loss of warmth--before getting to her feet and making her way towards her shoes near the door. "Unless I've slept past supper time, that is..."

[Micah]

You follow the directions that the greeter had given you to get to the food court. Its not that long of a trip, though it is pretty cold. When you arrive, the dining area seems to be deserted, but there is someone standing behind the counter who greets you when you come in. "Its a good thing for you we have 24 hour service Ma'am. Can't fault anyone else for their sleeping habit though, considering my own. "What can I get for you Ma'am? We have plenty of leftover pork and fish from dinner last night, but I can also make you anything on our menu if you don't mind a bit of a wait. Plus we have plenty of foods for pokemon if you happen to be looking for something in that regard. I'm pretty bored at the moment, so I'd be more than happy to make you pretty much anything we have ingredients for."

[Deleted]

Natasha realizes a little late that her face still shows signs of tears, but she's rather calm as she uses her sleeves to wipe them away before replying in a tone that while she might be physically well rested her emotional state is not quite up to far, "I'm glad to learn of the hours. Do you have flavoured Pokémon food? If so, I would like something Sweet and something Salty." She pauses, considering her next words carefully before deciding that there is nothing to lose by asking. "Is there any chance that I could gain access to the kitchen during the trip? I have an Egg which may Hatch, should be be--" she frowns at the thought crosses her mind and the word leaves her mouth, "--delayed, and I would like to make some Baby Food, if I may. I can also make Candy Bars, Honey Candy (if you supply the honey), Enriched Water, Super Soda Pop, Sweet Surprises and Salty Confections. I would be more than willing to make multiples if I am able to keep some for myself."

It worked on shore and she can certainly use the distraction (especially in light of that vague lingering image in her mind of many little Eevees surrounding her and Anastasia), so the woman waits to hear the man's reply...at least until her stomach growls. "And anything light would be good... I don't think my stomach could handle anything fatty at the moment."

[Micah]

"Officially I can't let you back here ma'am, but I'm the only one on duty after midnight until seven, and I certainly don't mind company, so feel free to drop by during that time period and I'll let you in. This place is all you can eat, so feel free to use as many ingredients as you want. As far as pokemon food, I've got salty and I've got sweet. And for you, I'll make a salad if you don't mind. I want to finish off this bag of spinach I opened up for dinner." The man brings out a couple of Styrofoam containers that he puts some pokemon food into, labeling both though in script that is a bit too small for you to read. Unless you ask for something else, he sets to work making a salad.

[Deleted]

((I didn't think she could actually read at all?))

"Could you make a dent or other mark in the corner of the salty container, please?" Natasha asks, seeing the man reaching for a pen. Perhaps it was too dark for the man to make out just how pale and clouded her violet eyes are? "A salad would be fine, thank you, and could I please also get a bowl of water for my Pokémon?"

She takes the food and water back to her room and sets them on the ground, along the far wall where she won't accidentally knock them over when she returns, and gets her VisaDex to give her the time before making her way back to the galley. If there's time to cook something, she'll work on baby food, making soft nut, berry and seed patties that last a fair amount of time without risking that they'll go bad.

Otherwise, she'll just eat her salad in silence, asking for a cup of water when she's done and heading back to her room.

((Well, that's a 7 hour pause, so either Natasha won't be getting any more Eggs during the trip, or she'll just have to head out an hour or so early to eat, cook for one or three hours, check on the 'mons, then cook for another four but still finish before 7.))

[Micah]

The man makes the mark and gets you the bowl of water. When you get back to your room and drop the food off your visadex tells you that it is 4:15 in the morning. As such you head back, eat your salad, and start to do a bit of cooking. The man helps you figure out where everything is located in the kitchen and then pretty much gets out of the way. He offers a few suggestions as you are cooking to help the process a bit, but otherwise seems content to just watch you cook. At around six, the man starts cooking stuff of his own, getting ready for the breakfast crowd.

[Deleted]

When the man starts to get ready for breakfast, Natasha cleans up the station she used and quickly does the dishes, intent to be out of the way before she risks getting him in trouble.

Once that's done, she steps out of the cooking area and does a quick mental inventory of what she's made that night. The portions of Baby Food are carefully wrapped in a cloth and stowed into her bag before she asks the man for two more portions of food (one sweet, the other salty) before checking the time again and deciding to risk a proper meal, waiting for it to be prepared. Once it's past 8:15 according to her VisaDex, Natasha goes to her room and puts the two bowls of food by the wall near the door, glancing over to see if Mirage and Anastasia seem otherwise set for the morning before she heads out.

Natasha will spend the hours until lunch wandering the deck before getting a quick meal, picking up two more portions of food for her Pokémon and heading to sleep, putting any Egg which she might find into the Egg warmer and running her hands over the one in the bottom left section to see how it's getting along.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Breeding}
Ed: Pokémon 1137693593d6+2

[Micah]

The breakfast meal ends up making you feel a bit queezy, but you feel a lot better a bit later and by the time you have dropped off the food for your two pokemon, everything seems to have settled down. While you are wandering the deck waiting for lunch, a few people try to engage you in conversation, but the attempts are half hearted and the discussion rarely gets past the weather or the length of the trip. When you return to your room after lunch, you find a new egg, and when you feel your old one, you feel it moving around, it must be close to hatching. Your hand slips off the egg as you pass into sleep, your body not particularly liking this new schedule so far. When you wake up, your pokedex informs you that it is 9pm.

[Deleted]

Maybe blandly stating how she really likes the shapes the clouds are making in the nice clear sky was a bit much, but Natasha just wants to be left alone, so she's only relieved when the other people go away and leave her to her thoughts.

The new Egg is placed just above the other, and the woman's eyes widen first in surprise, then pleasure as she feels the movement beneath the warm shell.

When she awakes, she shakes her head slightly and makes her way for supper, picking up her Pokémon's food, returning the empty bowls, refilling the water, eating her own supper/breakfast and waiting for the dining area to clear before getting set to cook once more. A little past midnight she goes to check on her Pokémon, bringing them a half-serving of food each this time. There's no reason to upset their digestion.

When she returns to the kitchen and watching setting a pot of water to a light boil, as she carefully enriches it with that certain mixture which accelerates natural healing, Natasha does strike up a conversation with the kitchen worker. "Do you know if the hours match between Hoenn and Kanto? It was hard to keep track of the hours on the boat there, so I didn't really notice any changes, but now I seem to be turning into a HootHoot..."

Once that's answered, she looks pensive, turning down the heat and slowly stirring the pot, "Do you know anything of Team Aqua? I'd heard them mentioned in relation to Hoenn." She tries her best to keep her voice even but still light as she breaches that rather painful subject.

((How much Baby Food, if any, did Natasha get? I'll go update the timeline on my sheet now.))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Not sure which roll covers this...}
So I did them all!
Charm 13510313593d6+4
Command 1d6+4
Focus 2d6+4

[Micah]

"Hoenn is six hours off from Kanto. When it is three pm in Kanto, it is nine pm in Hoenn. I'm afraid you are pushing your sleep schedule the wrong way for it to help you out in Hoenn. If you keep it up you will be straight Noctowlnal when you arrive." His voice hardens a bit when he responds to your question about Team Aqua. "Anyone who lived on the coast of Hoenn for any length of time could tell you about Team Aqua. Until recently they were mostly composed of old sailors and fisherman, and didn't cause any trouble, simply held a strange belief in the power of the sea and a faith in a god named Kyogre. In the last few years however there has been strange tales about the group. They have been recruiting young trainers and been much more militaristic in trying to spread there faith. There have been reports of the leaders of the group having some sort of miraculous powers gained from Kyogre. There was video evidence of a woman from the group singlehandedly quenching a forest fire and some more disturbing reports of small fishing villages on remote islands being wiped off the map and covered by the sea. They also seemed to have deepened their rivalry with Team Magma, who had a similar story, but for the mountains of Hoenn instead of the Coasts. The rivalry seems to have turned to hatred and both sides have gotten a lot more violent. A bad business all of it I think. My dad was part of Team Aqua, but he died before it started getting strange."
#With several hours dedicated to cooking baby food, I would guess that you probably have a gallon or more of the stuff.

[Deleted]

"Ah..." Natasha offers to the explanation of the timezones. "In a few more days I'll have a Hatchling to care for, so I suspect that I won't be remaining here as long after that point. For now though...this--" she puts the last handful of spices into the water she can her gently rolling in the pot, "--is the distraction I need."

As the man's voice hardens, she turns from the pot which needs to be left to allow the water to actually become enriched. She listens to his tale of Aqua and Magma in silence, her expression hardening as he speaks of their attacks and recruiting, and she swallows hard, turning back to the pot of water as her mind turns to her daughter. "Does Team Magma have their own God then?"

((Wow. How many servings is a gallon of little nut/fruit/seed patties are in a gallon!? She had offered to only take a share.
((To see if she knows of Kyogre (and Groudon), Ed:Pokémon 11215504183d6+2))

[Micah]

You have heard of never heard of Groudon or Kyogre before by name, though there is a common legend about a earth and sea pokemon being involved in the creation of the world.
I guess we can assume a cup is a serving, so 16 servings.
"Yes, Team Magma's god is Groudon, and their leaders seem to be similarly empowered. Traditionally the two gods are said to be sleeping after having been defeated during the creation of the world by some sort of green dragon, but according to the two cults, the gods have awoken, their ancient feud reignited."

[Deleted]

Natasha closes her eyes tightly and sighs, "It's always something..."

The woman works in silence for the next few hours, offering the enriched water to the man to be served with the morning meal, "I don't have any bottles, and I feel poorly using your supplies and giving nothing in return." She smiles as she leaves the kitchen, "I'll be trying to shift my sleeping slowly over the next few days, but I will be back tonight, if I'm welcome. For the moment, though, I should leave before anyone else arrives."

Natasha leaves the Galley at about five in the morning, heading to her room, checking (and stowing) the Eggs, and then heading to bed. She is not sure if she's pushing her schedule the right way, but she's tired enough not to care.

When she awakes, she goes to get food for her Pokémon and then returns to the dining area to get some food for herself before getting Anastasia into her harness and seeing if Mirage wants to follow as an Eevee, ride along as glasses or stay behind, before the group leaves the room to wander the deck for a few hours.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Eggtastic?}
Ed: Pokémon 10588963173d6+2

[Micah]

Sorry, kinda out of it today, so I'm just going to say that the day goes as planned and you find another egg, with no further embellishment. I'll be a bit more creative for the next day.