barring emergencies

[the_very_best]

Bella's not sure where she has wandered. She thought she was about to walk into a shop, but this appears to be an unattended bar. With none of the windows associated with the shop she thought she was entering. It could be an elaborate psychic assault of some kind, but it doesn't feel very... assault-y... and she was in the middle of a town and doesn't think any humans want to sic their 'mon on her. It's strange. She approaches the bar, looking around warily, hand hovering near her belt.

with Max (Benedict)

with Earth and Lightning (kappa)

with Ann and Sabrina (kuuskytkolme)

Comments

[pythbox]

"Would we qualify for Security if we were free?" inquires Earth. "For that matter, would we now?"

[the_very_best]

If you were free, yes. As it is, no, I'm afraid that is unlikely, although an existing Security representative can administer a finer-grained assessment if you like.

[pythbox]

"Well. Thank you anyway. I wouldn't mind cleaning things," says Earth.

[the_very_best]

When there's more of a mess to be had, I'll provide cleaning supplies. You can have, she produces a key, room 033 on a provisional basis.

[pythbox]

Earth picks up the key and tucks it into his vines.

[the_very_best]

The girl finishes scanning the pamphlet, and then says that she'd like to sign on for a Security job, and the bar gives her room 013 and a beeper tells her where to find the relevant office when her beeper announces her shift is about to start. Apparently that time is not right now.

[pythbox]

"Did you want to hear about elemental healing?"

[the_very_best]

"Yes please."

[pythbox]

"There are... hmm, I'll say eight elements with healing applications. Earth, Water, Fire, Stone, Adamant, Shine, Lightning, and Ice. Earth healing is the most common and the cheapest, but you have to understand what you're doing to use it properly. I had to learn a lot about how human bodies work to be able to heal as well as I do, even though I'm reasonably powerful for an Earth. My healing mostly helps with fixing injuries. Water healing can't do much for those, but it cures illness and poisoning. Stone and Adamant can be used to mend or reinforce bones. Fire healing won't do much for serious immediate problems, but it makes healthy people healthier and slows aging, and someone who's already recovering from something will recover faster with a little Fire, and you don't need to have much more than a broad clue what you're doing in order to use it. Shine can heal anything up to and including someone who has been dead for a few minutes, no skill required, as long as there's enough left of the patient's brain - but it takes immense amounts of power, so it's reserved for people who really need it. Most humans with even very strong Shine affinities don't have enough power to do Shine healing without using an elemental."

Earth glances at Lightning, who contributes, "Lightning doesn't really heal, but as long as somebody isn't too dead for Shine, I can keep them alive no matter what's wrong with them. At least until I run out of power. It takes a lot."

"And Ice can freeze someone to preserve them indefinitely in whatever state they're in, which takes less power than maintaining them with Lightning and doesn't need to be maintained once it's done, but in about one of a hundred cases the unfreezing kills them."

[the_very_best]

She takes notes on everything.

"That's really cool," sighs the girl.

[pythbox]

Earth smiles. "I like healing."

[the_very_best]

"Does this all work just the same on humans and elementals and - 'animals'?"

[pythbox]

"Elementals can be healed most easily using their own element, and some things aren't applicable to us because we can't die and our bodies aren't always very much like human bodies. Shine works on all of us, but I couldn't do much for an injured Stone or Air. I think healing humans isn't very different from healing animals, except that depending on the animal, an Earth or Water might need to know different things to help them."

[the_very_best]

She writes this down too. "And 'mon are probably more like animals than humans or elementals, I guess?"

[pythbox]

"Seems like it," Earth agrees.

[the_very_best]

"But maybe a little elemental-y. Mine aren't hurt at the moment, or I might want to have you check them out if you could do that safely."

[pythbox]

"And I'd want to know more about them and how they're put together before I tried anything more than healing very minor surface injuries."

[the_very_best]

"Yeah, Pokécenter's probably a better bet unless I'm in the middle of nowhere and Rachis has a busted wing and I somehow manage to find a door."

[pythbox]

"A Pokécenter being... some sort of non-magical Pokémon hospital?" he guesses.

[the_very_best]

"Yeah - see, when 'mon are in their balls they're sort of simplified in ways I don't actually understand and there's machines that can make repairs to them pretty easily and then they're all better, no waiting time or blowing your money on Potions and stuff, so every town bigger than like three houses together in the woods has a Pokémon center."

[pythbox]

"Convenient," says Earth. "But the machines aren't very portable?"

[the_very_best]

"They're not, in the field you need regular medicines."

The conversation peters out. The girl loiters in the bar long enough for all of her 'mon except the skittish Rachis to receive their free drinks, and for her to receive a grilled sandwich, and then, muttering about how she hopes the Security job helps her find the place again sooner rather than later, lets herself out.

[pythbox]

Earth and Lightning exchange some silent commentary, and then Earth turns to Bar and asks, "Is it usual to find people here who strongly resemble people we already know?"

[alicornucopia]

Sometimes that happens, but not to everyone. Some of them only look alike and others have deep and thorough similarities. And some of the second kind don't look alike.

[pythbox]

"Interesting. Thank you," says Earth.