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[alchemistake]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, VARIAN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 *** CHARACTER NAME/ALIAS has joined 018.07.154.55 <thealchemist>This thing is SO COOL okay- hey, hi, Varian here! If you're seeing this then you've reached my channel for messages. Leave me one if you need something!

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[yellecaster]

Well...
I'm used to cookin' for six.

[Her whole team's not here to share it with her, so there's a lot there that she just straight up can't eat. It's too much.
But that's why she figured inviting Varian over would knock out two Pidove with one stone; she doesn't have to worry about too much leftovers, AND she gets to repay him for helping her out!]

... But it looks like Ruddiger's enjoyin' it enough, I could probably send you guys back with a little extra, right?

[alchemistake]

[He sure is enjoying it...but raccoons are also known for eating literal garbage, so Varian knows Ruddiger would have likely eaten it even if it was burnt. But he isn't going to say that, of course.]

Well, looks like we wouldn't mind it. It'd be nice to have something I can just grab to eat for a couple days, anyway. I've been so busy working that I forget to head out to get lunch sometimes.

By the way...has anyone told you about the coins that sometimes just seem to...appear on you, yet?

[yellecaster]

[Marnie just stares at him blankly for a second, before shaking her head "no".]

Not yet, nah. I don't talk to a lot of people around here, myself...
Is that really a thing?

[Asked as she serves herself a bowl next, of course.]

[alchemistake]

Yeah! It's a little surprising at first, but you get used to it. Here...

[He reaches into one of the pockets of his apron, pulling out a silver coin that he hands over to Marnie to look at. The coin has a funny engraving of what looks to be a monster on one side, a creature with small bat wings curled up like a gargoyle almost...a Goblin.]

I asked around, and what they are is like...a currency you can give to someone called Mana here who is able to grant people things if you pay her. That's actually how I was able to get Ruddiger here, back. It was the first thing I could think of, so I gave her everything I had.

[Ruddiger lifts his head from his bowl when his name is mentioned, curry staining his white fur around his cheeks.]

If you want your team back, you could bring her some of these coins and ask about them.

[yellecaster]

- I could get Morpeko back.

[That's said without even thinking about it, the importance of her little electrified hamster clear just by the insistence behind her words.

Because holy shit, social interactions are SO HARD without Morpeko here to help her.

She stares at that coin for a moment, turning it over in her fingers, before handing it back over to him.]

How many coins did you need for Ruddiger? Can't have been too much, right?
The lad's fat, but he's not big...

[alchemistake]

It only took 20. They showed up over the month, I'd find around three or five every couple days. I had enough to give her by the end of last month, that way.

[He takes the coin back, looking it over a bit more himself before pocketing it again.]

So if I had to guess, it'd be that much for Morpeko, too.

[...]

Is...Morpeko one of these Pokemon you keep mentioning, Marnie?

[yellecaster]

[He gets a couple of nods.]

My partner, too. I've had Morpeko since I was just five... nearly as big as I was, back then.
This place has been pretty hard without Morpeko around; I'm not really all that skilled at talkin' to people or judgin' character.

At least, not off the field. Durin' a battle, sure, but I can't read a person even a little just by talkin' to'em.

[Which probably makes it even more clear why it feels so urgent for her to get it back.]

[alchemistake]

Huh....wow. I haven't even had Ruddiger for that long.

[It's been over a year by now, at least...but not his whole life. Not even close, even if now he's not sure what he'd do without the little guy.]

You should definitely get them back, then. They don't really talk about Mana like the Fog or Fourth, but Mana has the same kind of power the Fog does to bring things from home...but I guess actual people are the Fog's wheelhouse.

[Because Morpeko and Ruddiger are certainly living things...they just are closer to animals than humans.]

[yellecaster]

I'm gonna try, now that I know I can. I'd heard about people gettin' stuff from their homes...
But not somethin' like that.

[Sitting with her bowl now, she ends up bringing her knees up to her chest. Even puts her chin on them for a second.]

... I bet havin' Ruddiger around's been makin' this place a lot more tolerable, huh?

[alchemistake]

Oh yeah. He's an absolute pain sometimes- [That's said with a little tweak of the raccoon's ear, which earns him an angry bout of chittering before he immediately returns to eating.] -but...he keeps me on my toes, and he's helped me out of more than a few scrapes.

He's...kept me company during some tough times, too.

[Varian brings his hand back to himself, stirring his bowl a bit with his spoon. Ruddiger went with him when he was carted off to prison, after all. He would have been there an entire year, alone, if it weren't for Ruddiger.]

Back home, raccoons are seen as pests. I was trying to actually keep him out of my house for a long time, but he just kept coming back...I'm glad I ended up keeping him around, in the end.

[yellecaster]

So that's what he is. [A "raccoon". She hasn't heard the word.] I've been thinkin' of him like a Zigzagoon... they're not too different from Ruddiger, really.
Just a lot more ready to rock than he is.

[She's seen her fair share of a Zigzagoon pack headbanging outside of the Gym while her brother was using it.]

Though, with how fast he jumped into the fray when I told'im to... maybe I'm a little off on that.
He's a good little guy, really chomped at the bit to fight with ya. I'm glad you've got him here, too.

[alchemistake]

[Hm. Zigzagoon kindof sounds like "raccoon". Maybe they're a similar type of species?

Not that he knows what being "ready to rock" means exactly.]

Hah, yeah...he's pretty scrappy. You should have seen some of the stuff he's done back home.

[Some stuff he did with a little...help from Varian, but still.]

Honestly, I was worried that it might seem a little selfish of me to bring him to a place like this...but I figured if anyone could handle it, it'd be Ruddiger.

[yellecaster]

Well, it helps that he's got you here to support'im. Ya both sound like two peas in a pod, a real Falinks kinda duo.
I'm sure he must've missed you the whole time before he's shown up here.

Right, little guy?

[Said as she just... very gently pokes the side of Ruddiger's round little belly.]

[alchemistake]

[Ruddiger lets out a sort of squeaky exhale when he's poked, already somehow having eaten through his entire bowl of curry to the point where he's licking the thing. His face is also just...completely covered in it, which prompts Varian to rub a hand down the side of his face, smirking.]

More like it's a wonder he survived without me there to mooch off of.

[He's joking, clearly. Varian would honestly do anything for Ruddiger...he's a good boy, even if he's a stinky trash panda most of the time.]

Enough about us though- it looks like you've made this place pretty nice for yourself, so far.

[yellecaster]

I had a little help. Had some guys come in an' clear out all the dangerous stuff so I could call it home.
But the decoratin's been all me, if that's what you mean!

[Even though her face doesn't show it, her voice is bright and cheery with pride saying that. The dissonance is probably a little weird.]

I'm thinkin' about lookin' through some local pawn shops, later. They always have the best stuff.
I could always drag you guys along if you want.

[alchemistake]

[It's a little weird, but he's starting to get used to it. Some people don't show a lot of emotion and you know what, that's totally fine.]

I think we could squeeze you into our schedule.

[Which is to say: yes, he'd love to come. He might actually be more busy soon than he's letting on, but like...the opportunity to find some junk he could tinker with on the cheap isn't one he's going to pass up.]

I'd definitely like to see if I could find some of those things- [He points at the neon sign she has hanging up.] -because I've really been wanting to study how they work.

[yellecaster]

... A neon sign? Don't you have those in your world?

[Alright, he's getting SOME emotion - namely some bugeyed surprise, just about the only face she does make from time to time.]

[alchemistake]

[Varian shakes his head, though he doesn't seem offended by her surprise. He's found out that...his world is pretty behind, technologically.]

Iiii only just got hot running water working throughout the kingdom, if that gives you any idea.

[yellecaster]

[She actually winces a little at that, shaking her head a bit.]

Can't even imagine that... Spikemuth was pretty dark n' grimy, but even a place like that had some good technology kickin' about.
We were known for our neon. Right dark place, but it lit up so nice with all the neon signs everywhere.

[... Hence why she had to get at least one ASAP.]

Kingdoms and stuff, though... Galar apparently used to have a kingdom, a long, long time ago.
So your world's like that, huh?

You ever think you replied to something but didnt

[alchemistake]

[Varian nods, eating a bit more of his curry between words because he forgot about it for a second there.]

Yeah. You see, we don't have cars, or laptops, or just computers in general really. No screens or holograms or...anything like that. We do have magic though, which some people I guess would consider advanced in a way...

[But Varian makes a face when he mentions it.]

But it's not as good as good old, regular science and technology. We're getting there, it's just...you know. I guess I never realized how far back in time we are.

And my home, it's called Old Corona. It's not even in the kingdom, so...things there are even less modernized. It's just a bunch of farmhands living off the land, for the most part.

oh dude literally all the time. literally.

[yellecaster]

[And Marnie listens politely, nodding once or twice... though she still looks like she definitely doesn't like the idea.]

And this place is even worse off than my home was...
Y'know, on that thought, lemme make a suggestion: don't take the idea of cars back to yer kingdom unless you can wean'em off of the gas power.

Air here's so thick, I can hardly stand it. Galar was so much cleaner...

[It makes her wish she had a way to teach people how to switch, but like.
She's a sixteen-year-old girl from a walled-and-roofed city who probably hardly left home. She probably doesn't even know what the fuck a combustion engine IS.]

[alchemistake]

No, yeah...I mean, I didn't realize that's what it was until people told me about cars and stuff. The air quality, I mean.

[It's different when that concept just flat out hasn't been invented yet, but Varian still has to wonder...]

I'd like to think there's a better way, though. You know...some kind of energy source that wouldn't be so excessive.

[He hates to say magic, but. It could be magic...]

I feel like we'll be using horses and carriages for a long time to come, though. Alchemists like me aren't really as plentiful in Corona as inventors and engineers are here. I...wanna say they used to be, back in Demanitus' time, but...

[yellecaster]

Wish I could tell ya what to use instead, but where I come from, we get our power from some kinda particles just floatin' through the air.
Or somethin' like that.

[Not exactly easy to just suggest, especially when it's just known as "Galar particles".]

... Who's Demanitus? Someone important?

[alchemistake]

Oh! Yeah, sorry. He's an ancient engineer from way before my time...and he saved our world from an evil sorceress by combining both alchemy and magic to create a machine he built deep in the mountains. Not only did it have the power to change the direction of the wind, but it contained a chamber with a portal that could trap evil spirits in completely different realms.

[He gestures with his spoon as he talks.]

I really wish I could have had the opportunity to meet him...there was a, uh. A complicated sort of spell thing he used to transfer his consciousness into a monkey, apparently? At least that's what Rapunzel told me...she and Eugene actually got to talk to him for just a little while.

[Any of this making sense yet Marnie, because it probably won't.]

[yellecaster]

... I don't know what a monkey is.

[So no, it's not making any sense. At least she's honest!]

It sounds to me like he did a lot of important stuff for your world, at least. Can't say I followed any of it, but I don't need to, to get it.

Is he why you're tryin' to be an inventor?