#patchwork sanctuary

[aspens-dragons]

🎙️: an audio recording

//Arc Ender: Hide-N-Seek

Bzzt! An audio file has been attached! Listen with Auto-Translate?

Bzzt! The following conversation took place in Paldean and has been translated to Galarian. [Slow, steady footsteps can be heard, as well as various discussions in Paldean. They all seem to revolve around something known as 'oh-four.'] ???: I'm back. ???: [A pause; they seem to take a moment to notice the owner of the first voice continuing to engaging in another conversation.] Ah, Aspen- any luck? Aspen: [Silence.] ???: Is that... [They make a noise of recognition.] ...a heal ball? Aspen: [A short pause, before he begins talking.] I know it's the one thing we aren't supposed to do, but... [He trails off.] ???: [No words can be made out, but a sound like a pat on the back can be heard.] I'm proud of you, kid. Aspen: Oh. ???: [The person continues talking as though Aspen hadn't said anything.] I mean, don't get me wrong, it's gonna be a hell of a lot of explainin' but it's better than having a Type: Null lost in the wild like that. I'll take care of it all; I'll take the ball. Go get some rest. Aspen: [A hesitant pause.] Er- alright. [More silence, some mumbling; then a chorus of cheers and 'thank god...' Quiet footsteps can be heard, the cheering quiets down, farther and farther in the distance. Aspen sighs and whispers.] Aspen: It's gonna be fine. I think.

-RECORDING ENDS-

[aspens-dragons]

Off Screen Post

An Escape Attempt - Part 2

Arc Ender: Patchwork Sanctuary

Date: 08.16.2024 Time: 22:43 Location: East Province, Area One

Aspen could feel his heartbeat quicken with every second that passed, eyes scanning the horizon. All he could think about was everything that could possibly go wrong in that moment, every single what if and worst case scenario he could possibly think up running through his mind. He held onto Spitfire for dear life; if his heartbeat wasn’t accelerating the way his Cyclizar did, he would’ve thought it stopped ages ago.

The sun was rapidly setting. Clouds began to move. Neither helped with Aspen’s nerves or the panic beginning to rise up within him as he desperately searched for some kind of sign of the [DATA EXPUNGED], be it the beast itself or a single footprint.

Spitfire glanced up at her trainer, and even through his anxieties, Aspen could tell he was worrying his Pokemon; if only for Spitfire’s sake, he barely managed to keep his head clear.

As the moon rose, he heard a howl in the distance; for a moment, he took comfort in the sound, reminding him of his island challenge days (He also remembered that he should probably call his brother back, but couldn’t bring himself to let go of his Cyclizar.) until Spitfire perked up and began running towards the sound, picking up speed the way she would during the final stretch of a race. 

Aspen’s stomach lurched. A wave of nausea overtook him the same way it would just as they crossed the finish line. He knew he could trust in Spitfire’s instincts like always, but his breath hitched like he couldn’t believe what they were approaching. The familiar, yet foreign feeling of adrenaline and instinct mixed with calculation rose within him, and as Spitfire dashed towards a figure on the horizon, he exhaled slightly. He stared forward, eyes trained on the beast as Spitfire raced towards it; warm summer wind ran through his hair, shocking his body with a newfound calm.

As Spitfire began to slow, the [DATA EXPUNGED] came into view, a creature indescribable with human words.

Aspen approached it slowly and carefully. He recalled the last incident, and how he grit his teeth through the pain; at this point, he was more than aware of its capabilities and how fickle its trust could be.

“Hey,” he said quietly, “It’s just me, 04.”

The creature only growled at him, taking a step back.

“It’s alright,” Aspen repeated, taking a slow step towards the beast, “It’s just me.” Spitfire took a careful step towards it, but Aspen placed his hand behind him. Not yet, girl. 04 eyed him, still wary.

“You must’ve been pretty scared, hm?” He remained gentle, taking another slow step, then another, but froze at the sound of 04 snarling at him, “Alright, alright. I’m not moving. It’s okay.”

He stood there for a few moments, the stars fully shining down on them by now.

“It must be painful,” He said finally, “That mask. They never should’ve put it on you.” It just stood there, staring at him, suspicious and scared. Aspen continued to talk, though it was unclear if he thought the beast could understand him. “If we could take it off, we could. I would, at least. I can’t speak for the others, or the higher ups, or those white collar assholes,” He laughed slightly, “But I’d take it off of you if I could.” He took another step; the [DATA EXPUNGED] didn’t react, and Aspen smiled. He took another, and another. “That’s it,” he said quietly, gently approaching the beast that’d scarred him and his coworkers, “You’re okay.” He stood before the creature, closer than he’d been in quite a while; it suddenly hit him, how large it really was. He figured it could’ve been after 7 or 8 feet tall on it’s hind legs. “There you go,” he breathed out, tentatively reaching his hand out to place it on the beast’s not-face.

As he made contact, his smile widened, “Look at that…” After a few moments, he felt himself being nudged; he looked back to see Spitfire holding his bag. A shiny, new Heal Ball sat inside, the one he kept for emergencies. “Oh.”

Aspen paused for a moment, before taking the Heal Ball with a small smile.

“What do you say, bud?”

[aspens-dragons]

📱

Bzzt! A text exchange has been attached! Read?

[aspens-dragons]

🗣️: a voicemail

Bzzt! The following voicemail has been attached! Listen?

Suriya Sharma, 8:44 PM Hey, Aspen, I know you're probably busy, but you seriously need to fucking return my calls, 'cause why the fuck did we just get a call about the Macro Cosmos [DATA EXPUNGED] escaping from Hideaway? [A quiet, but frustrated sigh.] I know it's probably not your fault, but we don't know jack shit right now, and we kind of need to know jack shit. Call me when you get a chance. Stay safe.

[aspens-dragons]

🎙️: an audio recording

Bzzt! An audio file has been attached! Listen with Auto-Translate?

Bzzt! The following conversation took place in Paldean and has been translated to Galarian. [Rapid footsteps; somebody is running, quietly huffing as they do so. Mildly panicked conversation can be heard from farther away and slowly gets closer.] ???: Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck- ???: Aspen, what are you doing here?

Aspen: That doesn't matter- What happened? Is everything okay? ???: [Silence.] Aspen: [A pause. Aspen swallows.] It was 04, wasn't it? Something happened, right? ???: Aspen, listen- Aspen: I heard that scream, Jasper, and it came from 04's area, what's going on? Jasper: [They stay quiet for a few moments, before sighing.] Yes, it was 04, but we're taking care of it. Aspen: [A sharp breath.] That- that doesn't answer my question- [A short pause.] What happened to 04?

Jasper: [A quiet sigh.] A girl got separated from her parents, and she managed to get into it's section while looking for them- Aspen: What?! Jasper: Calm down, Aspen, she's just fine, but 04 was spooked, and- Aspen: *Fuck!* It tried to escape again, didn't it? Jasper: [A pause.] Aspen: Is anybody hurt? Jasper: Mihael and Jairo, yes, but they're already being treated. Aspen: [A relieved sigh.] So 04 is safe too? [A tense silence fills the air.] Aspen: It- It's safe, right? Jasper: [A pause.] It managed to escape. Aspen: [Aspen takes a shaky, deep breath and his voice is unsteady and quiet.] Fuck. -RECORDING ENDS-

[aspens-dragons]

Off Screen Post

An Escape Attempt - Part 1

Date: 08.16.2024 Time: 19:56 Location: Hideaway Pokemon Sanctuary [South Province, Area Five]

A quiet sigh escaped Aspen Sharma, age 16 as he strolled around Hideaway Sanctuary, or at least the parts he had access to at the time. His employee badge was crumpled up in his back pocket, ready to be whipped out at any given moment. Yes, technically, Aspen was off the clock, and technically he was meant to be exploring Hide-n-Seek, eating food, maybe throwing balls of mud at his friends, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something would go wrong. You’re just anxious, he could almost hear it, We’ve never had an incident since we started doing Hide-n-Seek. Why would we start now?

I don’t know, Aspen would’ve said if it was acceptable, maybe because we have an entire fucking [DATA EXPUNGED] on the premises this year!

Unfortunately, according to multiple regional governments, this was not an acceptable thing to say in public, and accordingly, Aspen could not verbalize the fake argument he was having with his boss.

He sighed again, thinking about the [DATA EXPUNGED] he so often had referred to as his ‘new client.’ At this point, it hardly even registered to him as a [DATA EXPUNGED]; no, the new client was simply the new client, even if it’d been at Hideaway for months. If anything else, he supposed he considered it to be 04, though part of him mused that it deserved a proper name instead of a number.

He rubbed his shoulder absentmindedly, feeling the raised remnants of the previous incident that’d occurred with 04. It occurred to him now that his anxieties surrounding Hide-n-Seek had almost entirely revolved around 04, and he pursed his lips. Maybe he should’ve been more vocal about his protests, or maybe he should’ve sought an alternative solution. Nonetheless, it was far too late to do anything now. Aspen brought a hand up to push his hair back, but the gesture was more of a habit than anything; he’d forgone any semblance of styling his hair that week, and it just fell flat, down into his face and over his eyes. All around him were laughter and giggles and the occasional gleeful shriek, young children running around and followed by apologetic parents; more than once he’d narrowly sidestepped out of a collision with a toddler, and he’d already helped one scared child find his mom. The kids were a comfort, their laughter serving as a reminder that the event was going off without a hitch, and in just a few hours, his fears of another incident would be put to rest.

It was when Aspen sighed for the third time that disaster befell for him.

A piercing shriek rang out, and time seemed to stop when he realized where it’d come from.

For not the first, but maybe the second or third time in his life, Aspen Sharma, age 16, hated being right.

[aspens-dragons]

hi guys.

so if you're involved in the conservation/shelter/etc scene in paldea then you probably alr know about this but hide-n-seek 2024 is happening from august 12th to august 16th!! hide-n-seek is basically an annual event that hideaway does every year to share updates about what we've been up to, spread awareness, fundraise, and get the community involved! all three days will have food available for purchase and for days 1-4 the sanctuary will be open for extended hours! we'll also be selling raffle tickets from the beginning of day 1 to 3:45 PM on day 5! the raffle's gonna have a shit ton of cool prizes ranging from a set of PENCHAM brand pens to a limited edition conservation themed uno deck to art pieces of the pokemon here and even game consoles!

day 1 (august 12th) is going to be photography themed this year, where we'll be having a free workshop on wildlife photography and letting visitors with special day passes in to take pictures of the pokemon! important note: these day passes must be scheduled in advance. if you would like one please visit www.hideawaysanctuary/events/hide_n_seek/photography_day_pass

day 2 (august 13th) is going to be themed around ride pokemon!! we're gonna have a petting zoo open with some of our most gentle pokemon, and offering short rides on certain pokemon as well. we usually close early on tuesdays, but on the 13th we'll be open all day. the petting zoo does cost 645₽ per person, as do rides, so keep that in mind. this is one of the best days to come with kids though!

days 3 and 4 (august 14th and 15th), like always, are days specifically meant for trainers who are looking to adopt a new pokemon! we have plenty of pokemon of various demeanors, shapes, and sizes, so whether this would be your first pokemon or your 50th, there's no need to worry; there'll be a pokemon for you. for these two days our adoption fees are also 25% off.

day 5 (august 16th) is our day especially designated for kids and family! while all days of hide-n-seek are family-friendly and kids of all ages are allowed to participate, day 5 is when we host a variety of educational and fun activities for elementary and middle school aged kids! the girafarig feeding is one of those, but we'll also have the petting zoo from day 2, a safari activity, a falconry workshop for older kids, and a ton more! at 4:15 we'll also be doing the raffle drawing!!

ummm feel free to send in asks if you have questions, dont forget to schedule ur photography day pass if you want one (the deadline is august 10th), and make sure you buy a raffle ticket if you can!! theyre like 200₽ literally the price of a poké ball!!!

//OOC section under the cut!

I know this post is alr long as hell, please bare with me 😭

Just adding this ooc section to make it known that hide-n-seek is going to be a small arc spanning the next two weeks and ending on August 16th. While hide-n-seek is going to be very low stakes for the most part, on the 16th it will become a higher stakes event as the end of this arc converges with the end of patchwork sanctuary. As I figure things out more concretely for the end of the arcs, I might make a post that is more detailed, but for now, what I know for sure is that the ending of the arcs will involve a Pokemon attack and potentially a child getting injured. I'll be tagging with #tw animal attack and #tw child injury so feel free to block those tags if need be, as well as #patchwork sanctuary and #hide-n-seek

That's about it for now!!

[aspens-dragons]

i cant remember if i mentioned this but meat pumpkin went REALLY WELL. the client was having a lot of fun with it yayyyy

also dandy got into the bread. somehow. i dont know how