sanctufairy

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"Pretty much. Even other fire mages would still get burned if they tried what I did. Magic's not all that widespread where I live. I think mundanes outnumber aetherials 30 to 1, and that's just in America. I haven't met anyone else completely immune to fire like me, though."

She walked with her hands folded behind her head, casually striding alongside Mikhail.

"What can you grow out here? I don't know how fertile this land is, but it has to be pretty fertile to support a settlement this big."

sanctufairy:

The terms mundane and aetherial might not be familiar to Mikhail, but he had no problem deducing their meanings from context. He hummed and shot Colette a polite glance before answering.

"Mostly berries, but we have a decent variety to choose from. Oasis and some of our Water-type Pokémon draw water up from underground, and we're lucky enough to have rich soil to work with." Looking forward again, his face lit up. "Speaking of Water-types, here's one now!"

A rather imposing figure came trudging towards them: a hulking creature covered with blue fur and sporting impressive white whiskers, as well as bits of armor that seemed to be fashioned out of seashells. As he spotted the two coming his way, he let out a polite chuff.

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail #Lex

[sanctufairy]

You are being spoiled rotten, mage fox!

"I know, right? What did I do to deserve all of this?"

#ask #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

dimensionhoppinghybrids:

"You could say that," said Desire with a coy smile as he looked at Mikhail with a smile.

"The redwood has been treated with enchantments and glyphs that should enhance your magic to some extent and protect the scabbard. My brother made it a lot thicker then usual, and did his best to make it as sturdy as he can make it." he said as he looked over the fine item. The seams were in of themselves, seamless. You wouldn't know where it had been put together in its making.

"He did his best to have it fit you. The red mixing well with your fur." Complimented Desire to Mikhail.

"How do you feel?" He asked, curious.

sanctufairy:

"And it being made of wood makes it more intuitive," Mikhail observed. Being able to channel magic through this wasn't all that different from doing so through a simple stick - with some added advantage, like not having it burn up from use.

The Delphox' tail practically wagged as he gave a nod of agreement. This really tied his whole look together.

"I feel great! This is everything I've ever wanted, and more besides." Still holding the sword in one hand, he went for a hug, not knowing how else to express his immense gratitude.

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Desire #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

@dimensionhoppinghybrids | Inbox Starter

Desire had asked his brother to make something for him. Something that he had heard, Mikhail needed. He had taken measurements of the blade itself, and what desire thought would fit well for the fox.

So, he brought in the wrapped gift. It was wrapped in cloth. The long stick like object standing out of course, but what it was was still a mystery.

"Hey there big guy, got a gift for you~" Desire teased softly as he handed over the gift.

What he would find would be a scabbard made out of redwood. The wood lacquered and polished to a shine. It looked like a staff or as some would say, a stick. Bellum had been given a photo of the sword, and while he felt it looked impractical, he wasn't going to harp at Mikhail for his sense of taste.

Instead he made a practical scabbard for an impractical sword in his mind. Oh well, at least he wouldn't cut himself.

sanctufairy:

This not being his first blade he'd wielded, but still the first one he owned, Mikhail had had some modifications made to what would otherwise have been an ordinary, if fancy, lightweight sword. A pair of rounded carnelian gemstones had been set into the sword's gilded pommel, acting as a magic focus that allowed him to wield the blade as a hand-to-hand weapon and as a magic focus both.

No more flimsy wooden wands; this was his tool of the trade now. It would take some getting used to, but he had all the time in the world.

Desire's gift came as a surprise, right as he was in the middle of practicing some basic swings. Lowering it out of harm's way, he walked up to the Sylveon with a smile on his face, eyes flitting back and forth between Desire and the mysterious, elongated object he was holding. His first thought was that it might be another blade, but he didn't need one of those.

So when he unwrapped it and found an empty scabbard, he turned it over in his hands a couple of times, admiring the material before sliding his blade inside to discover it was a perfect fit.

"I won't ask how you did it," he began, looking up at his friend, "but it's perfect."

It being made of wood gave him an idea, and holding it by the scabbard with the crossguard not far above his hand, he held it up as if casting a spell. Sure enough, the gemstones in the sword's pommel worked as intended, and an aura of flame soon surrounded the hilt.

"Oh, it even works as a staff! Was that intentional?"

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Desire #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

Colette chuckled as she saw his reaction. "I'm not even sure 'affinity' is the right word. It's almost like I...am fire in a way. I've always been fascinated by looking at flames dance during campouts. Never tried actually touching fire until much later."

She then realized that she was taller than Mikhail by a good six, eight inches as he looked up at her. That and the way he smiled at her was...well, adorable wasn't the right word. Endearing, maybe? Not a lot of people smile at me. Must be the eyes.

"Well, I've got more experience taking orders than actually making them, but I won't mind trying. Guess you won't have to worry about giving me pot holders. What's on the menu?"

sanctufairy:

"Interesting." Mikhail nodded. "I assume that's unique to you, and not just something everyone has where you come from?"

Her description didn't sound like anything he'd heard before; sure, some Fire-types had bodies mostly comprised of flame, but one look at Colette told him that wasn't the same thing.

Despite him being a grown man, his species just didn't get as tall as most humans -- or whatever human-adjacent species Colette was -- so he'd long ago grown used to having to look up at people.

"I haven't decided yet, but we'll have a couple of hours to come up with something. We don't have everything in store, but you would be surprised what we've managed to obtain even out here." Many of their utensils and supplies had been gifts from former guests, but they'd also managed to grow a few things themselves.

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

pokemon-experiments:

The Lucario would look down and give a small nod. "My aura sense doesn't exactly keep emotions hidden from me so I have had to a bit to adjust and turn it off in a sense. And then a few days to grow accustomed to the environment here. But...I now worry about bothering the others. My aura sense usually allows me to know who is safe to approach and when, but using it here feels like an invasion of privacy." He would then gently step back to better converse with the other.

"I have felt some of the emotions involved with trauma here, and I simply fear causing another undue stress.

sanctufairy:

"You too, huh. Me and Robin are in the same boat there." With a small nod of his head, Jasper decided to step closer before sitting down again. His tail slowly flicked side to side, the split tip vibrating not unlike a tuning fork.

"Oh, that?" He glanced off to the side. "Yeah, I can see why."

After a moment's thought, he once again lifted his head to meet the Lucario's gaze. "But if there's anything I've learned, most of the people here like having someone to talk to. I know I do. It helps keep my mind off... things."

Despite the smile on his face, he also gave off some of that same traumatized aura as the others Ruko had come across -- maybe even more so.

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Ruko #Jasper

[sanctufairy]

"I like the feel of this one. It's light, but balanced."

Mikhail held the sword pointed away from him, his eye following the straight, thin edge of its blade. Its gold-trimmed hilt felt light in his hand, its pommel -- decorated with a red cabochon on either side -- provided a perfect counterweight, and a few cursory swings and twirls of his wrist made him all the more confident in his judgment.

"Yes, this is the one!"

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Mikhail #// update: the 'phox has a sword now //

[sanctufairy]

@pokemon-experiments | Inbox Starter

Ruko had decided to stay in the Bastion. But he had spent most of his time in the room he had been given. But now he was taking steps outside. He had to keep his senses dulled constantly though. And he looked lost on where to go, or who would be safe to interact with.

sanctufairy:

He had been given back his legs at this point, Wodan having cleaned them of dirt and dust and wrapped some parts in fabric to prevent sand getting into them too quickly.

Oasis and the others had left Ruko alone since his arrival, only occasionally checking in to make sure he was physically okay.

The first friendly face he would see up close would be that of an Espeon who happened to be passing by. His tail stirred as he stopped in his tracks to look up at Ruko -- he might not have Robin's empathetic sense, but he could feel the Lucario's discomfort.

"Hey, you. Down here." He blinked. "Something the matter?"

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Ruko #Jasper

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

As soon as Colette saw him spark the flame on the stick...no, wand, she was awestruck. Her eyes lit up orange as she instinctively reached for the flame, the fire dancing and moving slightly toward her as she gestured. Her mouth was agape for a few moments before she snapped out of it. "Sorry, I...really like fire. Can I...?" She didn't finish her inquiry before placing a hand on the flame, letting it dance through her fingers.

There were no signs of her flesh or fur burning. She didn't even seem to be in pain. She had a toothy smile on her face as she played with the fire.

sanctufairy:

All right, that... definitely wasn't normal. Mikhail at first made to pull the torch out of Colette's reach, but her reaction had caught him off guard to the point where he reacted too slowly and he saw firsthand how... nothing happened at all.

"You're not a Pokémon," he thought aloud, "but it seems you have even more of an affinity for fire than I do. Even I'm not immune to getting myself burnt."

After letting her mess around with it for a while, he pulled the stick away and let it fizzle out before tucking the now-charred wood back into his long fur. He looked up at her again, smiling. "If you like fire so much, maybe you could help me cook dinner tonight?"

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"The way I see it, both races can't do something without the help of another. If there's anything that's keeping the power balance from being neutral, you eliminate it, simple as that. If blood has to be spilled, so be it." She took in a deep breath through her nose, closing her eyes. She opened them back up and said, "I can smell magic in this place. I can smell magic in you. Little different from the one I'm used to smelling, but there's no denying it. These humans, they use magic, too?"

sanctufairy:

Mikhail hummed. "If you want to call it magic, I guess that's as good a name as any... in which case, no." He shook his head. "Except for some gifted individuals, humans don't have the abilities we Pokémon are blessed with."

Reaching into the long fur of his sleeve, he pulled out what looked like an ordinary stick... then lit the end of it on fire with a simple twirl of his wrist before holding it up for Colette to see.

"What exactly we can do depends on a couple of things. I'm a Fire type, which means most of my skills revolve around flames... but I'm also a Psychic type, as I can see a little into the future. My sister is better at that part than I am, though."

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"Wait a minute, humans exist here? And they enslave you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why would you just let humans carry you around in Po-ke balls? Just drive a car. You have the technology to carry other people around in small balls, but you don't have dune buggies to get around this place?"

It must have spoken volumes about her world to sideline the revelation about Pokemon and to instead focus on humans. Something about the situation just didn't sit right with her.

sanctufairy:

Surprisingly, she wasn't the first to react that way to the revelation that humans existed -- but she still managed to catch Mikhail off guard with the latter part of her response.

"Enslave?" He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before chuckling and shaking his head. "I'll admit that the dynamic between humans and Pokémon isn't as... neutral as it once was, but we do still have a choice in the matter. Most of the time, at least. We partner up with humans because we can do things they can't, and in return they bring out the best in us and allow us to grow in ways we couldn't on our own. It's a... complicated arrangement.

"A human may press the button, but we still get to choose if we want to go along with it. Many Pokémon don't even go into their Poké Ball unless they're injured."

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"I'm from Philadelphia. Has a bit of significance in the beginning of my country's history. It's known for having a big, cracked bell at an old statehouse, several museums, and a national delicacy known as...cheesesteak. You mentioned Pokey Balls and Pokey Mon. Is this the point of origin for the legendary Hokey Pokey?"

If Mikhail was serious about not knowing much about the "modern world," Colette was gonna have a field day messing with him. She already planned on talking about the ancient artifact known as the Cube of Rubik.

sanctufairy:

Every other sentence of Colette's explanation was met with a thoughtful nod, Mikhail stroking the slightly longer, almost goatee-like tuft of fur on his chin in thought -- only to stop and smile when she asked that question. So he wasn't the only one who lacked knowledge that others might find painfully obvious.

"Not Pokey, Po-ké. A Pokémon is, hmm... how to put it. A type of creature, although there are many different kinds. You're looking at one right now."

He smiled. "And a Poké Ball is a kind of device that humans use to contain us Pokémon and carry us around. With our consent, of course," he added. "They didn't exist when I was young, at least not in their current form, so I don't really know how they work either."

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"Cell phones, check." She reached into her waist bag and showed him a sleek smartphone with an orange case. "Bikes, check. Poke Balls? Well, let me take you to dinner first." A thunderous sound erupted as she smirked at him. She walked inside the village gates and continued, "One thing you'll learn about me, Mik, is that no question's too odd where I'm from."

sanctufairy:

The sound caught Mikhail by surprise, almost as much as the nickname did -- to say nothing of what he clearly recognized as flirting. She certainly was outgoing, wasn't she?

"I... I see." The Delphox cleared his throat. "The same can be said here. You wouldn't believe the things some Pokémon here have gone through..." He sighed. "But those stories are not mine to tell."

He let the gate slowly fall shut behind them as he walked alongside Colette, unsure what to say next. Most people had questions upon first coming here, but she didn't seem to have any at all... and he struggled to come up with a way to fill the awkward silence.

"So... where are you from? I won't pretend I know the place, but you could tell me about it as we walk."

Not like he could tell her much about the various trees, streams and random Pokémon they came across along the way.

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail #suggestive

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"Colette, and the pleasure's all mine." She performed an ojigi bow, bending at about 15 degrees, keeping her back straight and arms to her sides. It didn't occur to her until afterwards that women typically kept their hands folded in front of them instead of at their sides, but she also figured she was far enough away from Japan for it to matter. "What is this place? Am I still on Earth?"

She was still breathing normally, and gravity had the same effect on her as before, but it wouldn't have been the weirdest thing to travel to an alternate Earth of sorts.

sanctufairy:

Mikhail raised an eyebrow at that. Already, Colette was making quite the impression of herself -- though good or bad, he couldn't say... and besides, he was in no position to judge.

"Of course you are. You... are from modern times, aren't you? Cellphones, bikes, Poké Balls?" 'Modern' was a bit of a relative term, but he hoped she got his meaning anyway, especially with those examples. His knowledge of the modern era had its limits, too.

"I'm sorry, that must seem like an odd question. It's just that I've learned not to make assumptions."

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

Colette saw the foxlike guard from a distance and thought, Huh, maybe this place is a tourist trap of sorts. Would explain why they set such a pretty watchwoman at the front.

But as the fox spoke to her, she chuckled and spoke to him in English, "Hehehehe, you probably, get this a lot, but you caught me a little off guard when you spoke. It's not often I see a man look so pretty. And you're right about that. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here. One moment, I was bored and started to do some urbex, the next I end up in the middle of some desert. You're the first face I'd seen in a couple of hours."

Her tone was bouncy and upbeat, her tail swishing slowly as she looked the fox up and down. He wasn't like any vulpine she'd seen in and around Philly. No, he was so much...floofier, but with sharper features in his fur, too. She wondered how someone could have tolerated having so much fur in a desert. Maybe he has an affinity for heat like me?

sanctufairy:

The fact that those were the first words to leave the stranger's mouth -- not counting her song earlier -- made Mikhail's ears twitch as he smiled with amusement. "You're absolutely right, I do hear that more often... but I've come to see it as a compliment."

He blinked, unsure what 'urbex' was supposed to mean, but it was probably a sport of some kind. A physically active lifestyle would definitely explain why she still seemed to be doing so well after wandering the desert for hours -- that, and maybe she was a desert-adapted species like him. What was she, anyway? Not human, that much was certain, and no Pokémon he knew looked anything like her. Her facial features reminded him a little of a Mienshao, but just about everything else -- from the colors of her fur and eyes to her height and overall body plan -- was drastically different.

Trying not to make it seem like he was checking her out, because he really wasn't, he turned to the side and pushed the gate open a little further, which gave her enough room to walk in past him.

"Well, if you need a place to rest, you're more than welcome here. My name is Mikhail. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

@redemptioninchaos | Inbox Starter

In a desert as hot as that, one might have expected someone to have complained about the heat before reaching an oasis. It wasn't so with Colette, a yellow mongoose with golden brown fur and all-black eyes. She carried her red hi-top sneakers in one hand, walking barefoot through the sand and happily singing an anime opening in Japanese. She eyed the sandy walls ahead of her. She didn't find the oasis a moment too soon; she was hungry after her last battle.

sanctufairy:

The sound of her singing was bound to reach ears the size of Mikhail's sooner or later, and it wasn't long after that he spotted the source. Smiling to himself, the Delphox made his way down from atop the wall and pushed the gate open to greet the newcomer.

Of course, he still had his guard up -- just because she seemed in a good mood didn't automatically mean she had friendly intentions. But he might as well start out cordial and see from there.

"Hello," he began, defaulting to human speech since the stranger was clearly singing in a language that, while unfamiliar, was still unmistakably human too. "You seem to be far from home."

#Building a bastion. (ic) #Colette #Mikhail

[sanctufairy]

Delphox is still my favourite Kalos starter :)

#musings #Mikhail #Fiona