[Lance] - [a champion defends]

Gameverse champion Lance. Please read rules before following. Arguably always on a semi-hiatus but really just slow & easily distracted.

[psychic-master-will]

@dragoncaper​ @pkmnsdarkqueen​

Their dynamic in a nutshell.

[pkmnsdarkqueen]

Lance, yelling in the back. Bruno like half helping.

Koga: “They’ll work it out….now about the kitchen.”

@eternallyrisen

[dragoncaper]

[[ For the past week, my free time has been pretty much all PL:A while casually watching old Critical Role sessions. Finally got to the credit roll on PL:A, but I’m getting the feeling that there’s still plenty more I need to get through to avoid spoilers--

I have been semi-avoiding the dash to keep away from spoilers but I may take the endgame a little less seriously.

[dragoncaper]

psychic-master-will​:

“…true, though flying on any type of pokemon that can use the move also works.

Just do not fly on them during a thunderstorm.” He remembered that date quite well.

“Theoretically, but I’ll still argue that dragons are the best option.” Because dragons.

He also makes no promises whatsoever about avoiding thunderstorms himself, but, “I’ll be sure not to take you in any again.”

[psychic-master-will]

“You all drive? When you can teleport?”

[dragoncaper]

“Why drive or teleport when you can ride on a dragon?”

Okay, yes, there are time-related benefits to teleporting, probably. But then you have missed out on, you know, dragons.

[dragoncaper]

[[ I feel like if you’re intimidated by me, you are probably unaware that, as a child, I had to have KIX cereal vacuumed out of my nose, and I still have a scar on my face from tripping while drinking out of a cup.

But if you’re not intimidated by me, you are likely unaware that librarians are trained to have some of the most terrifying glares of any industry.

[dragoncaper]

A Xatu arrived with a very nice, neatly wrapped package. Underneath the paper and fanfare was a Mystery Box! (Contents of said box are up to the mun) Attached to the box was a birthday card with a rather nice Dragoniar and Gyarados pattern on the front and the inside. 'Happy Birthday~ I do hope the contents of this box provide quite the pleasant surprise~' - Will

After reading through the card, Lance slices the tape with a knife and removes the wrapping. Truffle may want it, and there's no telling if he'd prefer it folded or crumpled and torn. Lance will let the Altaria decide that for himself.

The box itself is thin and rectangular: a base and a lid that lifts off to reveal a gleaming plaque. It's in the style of twenty-fourth century Starfleet starship dedication plaques, but instead of a well-known ship from the series, this one features one by the name USS Indigo.

It's nerdy. It's beautiful. Lance knows exactly where he'll hang it in his office.

[dragoncaper]

the elites are taking Lance's work for the day by force if needed so he can enjoy the day

Jokes on them; he stayed up late the night before polishing off his backlog, so all that's waiting on his desk is new business. There's the dragons to tend to, of course, but Falkor can handle that.

His plan: to sleep in as late as possible, then get through one of the new Thrawn novels he's been meaning to read.

[dragoncaper]

[[ It’s Lance’s birthday! He’s technically 45 today, but time is an illusion, I have to go blow snow out of my driveway, and I’m missing Japan, so please enjoy these two blessed boys chilling near the peak of Mt. Misen on Miyajima.

[dragoncaper]

[[ Whenever I hear “admin” my brain thinks “administrative assistant” and I wonder who is in charge of screening Giovanni’s calls and managing his schedule.

[reduxed]

✦; starter for @dragoncaper​ !

    Just a few weeks ago, Red and his companions could gaze down from their frigid perch atop Mt. Silver and make out a select few of Pallet Town’s finer details. Today, as he tends to his mother’s garden, the mountain looms conspicuously even through the onset of a thickening fog, haunting him just as his childhood home did while he resided on its peak.

    Knowing that respite is within an arm’s reach is what best keeps the teen focused and steady. Once he’s finished weeding and watering, he can retreat to his bedroom for the remainder of the afternoon, enjoy some pudding and put all that was unearthed during his therapy session to rest until tomorrow—

    —or so he assumed.

    It would seem he has a visitor.

[dragoncaper]

It takes a moment for Lance to even recognize the figure standing in the yard. Four adolescent years and life on a mountain have reshaped him into something only reminiscent of the boy Lance crowned Champion: out of proportion and demeanor like a sibling or a cousin, but surely not the Red he'd briefly known.

But no, it is Red. Definitely Red, just older, differently experienced. Thank gods.

It's impossible to keep the relief off of his face. It's not that he didn't believe all the reports and confirmation, but he'd needed to see it with his own eyes.

He took a few more strides forward, stopping a still-cautious distance away. The last thing he wants to do is be overwhelming, and he's spent the last few years practicing being an imposing presence. Belatedly, he wonders if he should have worn his old jacket rather than his more practical uniform jumpsuit.

"Red. Sorry, I should have called ahead. I just wanted to," be sure you were alive, he doesn't say-- "--welcome you back. Bruno sent treats for your pokémon." He holds up a paper gift bag like a peace offering.

[dragoncaper]

pkmnsdarkqueen​:

There was the smallest of huffs from Karen as he gave rational behind not letting her sleep in the tunnel. It made sense, and he was right but she didn’t want to admit how bad she felt with ruining his evening. It was now starting to phase her drunk mind that she had thrown his schedule for the evening out of whack completely as his face grew evermore pensive. 

Resigning to quietly eat and drink as he shoveled food she tried not to let her anxious mind disturb her too much. Drake was able to wiggle enough space to shake the water from his head, but otherwise stayed put stuck feeling her whirlwind of emotions hidden by a drunken haze. This would be fun in the morning, was all his mind could repeat back to.

Speaking of pokemon Trouble finally hopped off Lance’s shoulder for a moment. Landing on Garnet as she circled around Karen he snagged something off her able to do so without her noticing. When Garnet walked under the table to circle Lance he hopped on the champion’s lap. Waiting till eye contact was made he then set the keys loosely in Lance’s Kimono for him to handle. With that settled he made his way back to Lance’s shoulder going back to surveying the area for them. There now Karen couldn’t be stupid.

“Oh! Lance, Truffle and I will clean your house. See less for you to do!”

She suddenly blurted out after a long stretch of silence possibly still thinking of something else. The excitement came at a jolt of her arm, thankfully with no spilling, but the sudden movement contrasted her lapse of quiet. 

Lance felt the keys drop into his lap just as he gulped down the last of his rice. Yes, good; her pokemon were looking out for her, as well. He could leave her at his house for a while. He clipped the keys into his pokeball belt, hidden in the folds of his layered kimono and gave Trouble a quick, terse smile.

It grew more tenuous and apprehensive after Karen made her suggestion. Drunk Karen, cleaning his house. With Truffle, who absolutely did not know how to handle drunk humans. It was ... very kind of her to offer, but. "I ... think Truffle may already have it ready to go." Please let Truffle already have it done. "But ... if not, I'd appreciate the help."

He did his best to keep the apprehension out of his voice. It was a kind offer. It did not sound like a helpful offer, but maybe he'd be pleasantly surprised. And, if nothing else, it would keep her somewhere safe while he was busy.

Lance finished off his coffee and gathered the remains of his hurried meal back onto its tray. "Why don't we go see how he's doing? Bundle up; it's gotten even colder."

He stood and collected the tray, bringing it back to the bar as pretense to talk to his fourth cousin again. "Alex," he said, voice icily casual, "make sure someone brings more miso soup and coffee to my house before the parade is over. Yes?"

The barkeeper had the presence of mind to look just the slightest bit chagrined despite a cheeky smile. Lance was already turning back to Karen and the pokémon, mentally plotting out the best route to avoid crowds and keep from freezing on the way.

[dragoncaper]

@pkmnsdarkqueen replied to your post

(The other staff once tried to get passed a locked door. The pokemon stopped that immediately, and made sure the story was so terrifying it never happened again. At least that's what I imagine happened.)

[[ That seems like a pretty likely scenario. xD No locked door is safe from the E4 and their pokemon, both from a “they can get through it” and “woe on you if you get through it” sense.

[dragoncaper]

Christmas at the league was busy, especially with Lance's familial obligations. Karen knew this, and when he came home one night he found his office vacuumed, papers organized, laundry done, his kimono for his family's festival freshly pressed and folded, and finally a bag of his favorite coffee on the desk with a card saying. 'Merry Mewmas, remember to sleep.-K."

@pkmnsdarkqueen

December always passed in a blur for Lance. League obligations, the everyday work responsibilities, desperately straining to get through his backlog and get ahead as much as possible in preparation for New Year's ... Inevitably, that final week would arrive before he'd had time to fully accept that the month had begun.

He'd have completely lost track of what day it was if there hadn't been so many holiday functions and odd hours this week. Even then, he was a bit startled to discover his abruptly tidy workspace and the gift waiting on his desk.

Lance would be the first to admit: when Karen first started as an Elite, he'd wondered if he'd made a mistake. But any reservations he'd had had since completely evaporated. These people were just as much--if not more--family to him than the hometown he'd be heading to in a few short days. Karen certainly knew exactly what he needed to get through the week.

"Stop breaking into my space," he jokingly told the empty air. If anyone was, in fact, watching surreptitiously, the grateful grin on his face would be impossible to miss.

[dragoncaper]

Lance found his first grey hair at 22. He pulled out the first three he saw, then remembered that his grandfather is bald and that every strand might be precious. He left them alone after that.

[dragoncaper]

For Lance, New Year’s is a time for family. Christmas (or Mewmas, or any itteration thereof) is a largely secular or commercial holiday, generally spent with friends, co-workers, etc. New Year’s has more traditional significance, especially in Blackthorn.

New Year’s Eve is a festival day, marked by vendors, food stalls, and entertainment. It’s become something of a tourist event in Blackthorn, and clan members take turns staffing the festival. The highlight of the day, however, is a fireworks display, timed to end precisely at midnight.

As soon as the fireworks end, all visitors are shooed out of the city. Then, the city is cleaned, starting with the Dragon’s Den and spreading out into the streets and other public places, and finishing in individual homes. All cleaning must be finished before daybreak, and it’s a mark of honor to keep working all the way through the night.

[dragoncaper]

At dawn, everyone still able shuffles out into the streets, and all the flighted dragons take to the skies at once, trying to block out the light of the sun over the mountains with their wings. The sky never quite dims fully, however, and the exact meaning of that ritual has been lost. Was there a time when there were enough Dragonite in Blackthorn that they could blot out the new year’s dawn and forestall its arrival? Is it meant to be a futile attempt, to indicate that new beginnings can defeat even the strength of dragons? Or is it simply a way to great the new year’s first dawn? Even the Elder isn’t certain.

For the next seven days, visitors are still barred from Blackthorn. Those days used to be very structured and ceremonial, but in the past few decades, they’ve become considerably less so. The first-four celebrations, which were originally closed to anyone not part of the dragon clan, are now open to any full residents of Blackthorn. Schools are closed, but businesses and entertainment venues are often open limited hours, and those who aren’t working often take the opportunity to relax.

The first four of the seven days involve celebrations and ceremonies. January 1st celebrates all babies born in the previous year, human and dragon. The 2nd is a coming-of-age day, and it celebrates all those who have received permission to officially train their first dragon. The 3rd, somewhat less formal, celebrates those who have reached another milestone: received acceptance to a school, taken a position within their career path, celebrated a marriage, become first-time parents or grandparents, reached the age of legal adulthood (and/or legal drinking age), etc. The 4th is a bit more somber, though still decidedly a celebration: a day honoring those who died in the previous year.

The fifth day is reserved for clan and city meetings, though these meetings often spill into the sixth and seventh days of the new year. Unlike the first-four celebrations, only clan members are invited to attend clan meetings. Participants in clan meetings must be clan members who have been partnered with a dragon. City meetings are open to all residents and are often more mundane: discussions of ordinances, planning committees, utility contracts, and the like. Election of city officials and appointment of clan council members also occurs on the fifth-seventh days.

[dragoncaper]

Lance isn’t directly involved in any of the planning, and most years he isn’t able to assist with the set-up for the New Year’s Eve festival, but New Year’s Eve is always a full day and night of work. The festival begins at daybreak and runs through midnight.

To avoid congestion and potential hazards, especially in Blackthorn’s narrower streets, neither Lance nor Clair is scheduled to work at any of the booths for the event. Instead, they run errands for the stalls, delivering supplies and ensuring the booths are properly staffed. This makes seeing them a chance, brief experience and encourages wandering throughout the whole festival grounds. Both are also featured in the parade that leads up to the fireworks presentation.

[dragoncaper]

psychic-master-will​:

“It comes out every year with some relation to Santa. It started out as something harmless to entertain children until Santa arrived.” Now it became a toll for him to have a little fun with people he knew/

He’s a little concerned by the qualifier. Started out as something harmless? “Hm.”

Mewmas had never been much of a thing in Blackthorn, especially with the New Year so close at hand. He used to think that he’d missed out, but then things like this showed up, and he was increasingly relieved to have avoided them. Whatever the heck they are.

“I have questions that I probably don’t want to know the answers to. Has this always been a thing?”

[dragoncaper]

psychic-master-will​:

“Okay, but consider: It’s Mewmas.”

A pause. “Alright. You are exempt from the doll.” Koga, Bruno, and Karen were not.

“Appreciated. But ... Feel free to explain to me where exactly how that,” and he gestures in the vague direction of that horrible doll, “has anything to do with ‘holiday cheer.’“