All Paths Lead To Fear - Event

[Leo Lockward]

Leo Xander Lockward 

Well Halloween was drawing near and Leo had recently seen a flyer advertising a scare maze at the Sweet Aguav Acres.

He had decided to take Vanim as it seemed a fitting setting for the ghost type canine pokemon. However he would only agree to join if Freya came alone as well. The equine pokemon wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea, but the pair were bonding and she didn't want to let down the pup.

Of course, being Halloween, the teen insisted that the group dressed up. Well, at least him and Freya. Vanim was ghoulish enough on any given day! It was never something to be taken so seriously and given his damaged state currently, he could say the irony in dressing up as a slightly more seductive nurse, whilst also attempting to hop around with his crutches.

Freya meanwhile simply placed a skull mask over her face. It was minimal, but given she wasn't too interested in the event generally, she was happy with her efforts.

Approaching the entrance the the Maze, the teen grinned excitedly as he could hear the creepy music playing. "Oh guys this is going to be so fun!" he squealed, the two pokemon looking back to him and rolling their eyes.

"It's a maze. We're going to get lost... No doubt about it." the fire type sighed before turning her attention towards the entrance.

"Shall we?" 

tagged: X || word count: 233

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Active Pokemon

Vanim

Freya

xxx

[Persian]

The wonders of the maze offered themselves up quite readily to the healer in need of healing and his clearly very undead companions. These wonders included faintly glowing eyes deep within the bushes, only given away by the occasion tripping hazard of a previously rug-covered electrical line; the a ghostly sheet filled with half-deflated balloons, tethered to a shrub so as to give the perfect illusion of some malevolent being moving and waiting for a victim; and, the traitorous, motion activated recordings young children wailing and indeterminate beasts snarling.

All of this complicated the maze and would make the journey to its heart all the more frightful. But, at the moment, a simple problem presented itself to Leo and his party: the first split in the path. One might describe this path as going northward and that one as going eastward or some other description befitting someone used to telling direction by sky and sun-made shadow, but for this visitor, the choice was simpler.

Make a choice.

Right or left?

[Leo Lockward]

Leo Xander Lockward 

Slowly making their way into the maze, Leo was impressed by the attention to detail that had been put in to making the maze. He didn't dare try to imagine how long such a task would have taken.

The glowing eyes were certainly a nice touch, although not quite enough to cause the teen's nerves to falter. The motion activated screams did however cause a slight jump out of him. Freya seemed to be on high alert, her eyes dashing around at each sound or light that flashed upon their way.

"Wow this is SO good!" the teen chirped excitedly hopping along before stopping to straighten apron he had over the top of a pink dress.

"You look like such an idiot human." Vanim huffed rolling his eyes as he continued to plod along next to them. "Although I guess you would scare anybody that looked at you" he mumbled, with a chuckle from Freya following very quickly after.

Rolling his eyes, Leo continued to shuffle along the path until they came to a fork in the road. Left or right. Oh decisions, Leo was not fond of such things.

Pausing to consider his options, the teen raised a hand to scratch the back of his head. 

"Erm..."

He continued to state at the two paths for a moment before waving a finger back and forth between the two. 

"Right it is." he sighed before taking a breath and heading towards the right path. 

tagged: Persian || word count: 244

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Active Pokemon

Vanim

Freya

xxx

[Persian]

The right path lead down a grove of bluk berries. Within, barely visible wire mesh frames held a menagerie of pale clothes aloft, as if worn by unseen guests! Lace gowns, fine suits of pale blues and yellows, and even frilly children’s dresses were all about in various poses. Repeating giggles echoed the area. None of the figures moved except for that which was ruffled by the unseasonal wind.

The rolling fog in this area would eventually reveal another figure amid the wire statues. The tiny girl looked up adoringly at one particular set of figures. A wire statue draped in a slip dress and held aloft a tiny figure. She watched them with a loud, longing sigh and a tilt of her head. It was only when she heard the beat of multiple pairs of feet that she hid… Though, the wire framing she ducked behind wouldn’t do much to obscure her.

A little girl hides from Leo's party.

[Leo Lockward]

Leo Xander Lockward 

Following their chosen path, Leo's eyes scanned the area, noticing the berries lacing the bushes, amongst numerous clothes floating as if they were worn by beings, not of this plane. The look of wonder lit up his face as he continued investigating the area.

Vanim huffed as he continued plodding alongside Freya. "This is going to take a while isn't it?" he grumbled as Freya chuckled. "I mean, I am pretty impressed at the craftsmanship it has taken to make this... It could be fun!" she responded, a warm smile hidden behind the skull mask covering her face.

As they continued, a blanket of fog began to form, with the sounds of giggles echoing around the group. Leo paused for a moment, to scan the area again. "Well, that is slightly unnerving, I must admit." the teen mumbled before letting loose a nervous chuckle.

Vanim suddenly stopped, his ears pricked up, detecting the presence of somebody nearby. "Someone's here..." he announced as he pressed his nose to the ground and began sniffing around, trying to track the presence.

Leo cocked his head slightly, as he began following the pup towards another ghostly statue where he stopped.

Leo hopped forward, looking around the statue for a moment before his eyes fell on to a young girl hiding.

"Hey sweetie. Are you lost?" 

tagged: Persian || word count: 221

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Active Pokemon

Vanim

Freya

xxx

[Persian]

She’d been spotted. But, she didn’t rise from where she was crouching. She just looked through the wire mesh, large eyes blinking slowly. Her gaze fell from Leo to Vanim. Her look lingered for a moment before she addressed Leo once more. Her expression was gentle, but there was a lack of sharpness in her eyes. She wasn’t focusing on him, just looking in his direction.

Words passed from her smiling lips. “No,” she explained. “I’m just waiting.”

She pulled at the crushed grass, trampled by all of the work that had been done to put the maze together. The blades fell from between her fingers. She laughed, having not stopped turning her head in Leo’s direction. It was an empty, airy sound.

“Why? Were you going to help me?”

A little girl is here.

[Leo Lockward]

Leo Xander Lockward 

Well, she was a little... creepy?

The teen looked back at the young girl who was staring, what felt like straight through his soul as she addressed him.

"Waiting?" he repeated curiously, cocking his head slightly before the young girl began picking at the crushed grass beneath her. "Waiting for anything in particular?" he began to ask before the laugh escaped the girl.

Yup, definitely creepy.

Vanim felt a strange air about the girl and began to growl quietly, looking to Freya and Leo. "Something's off about this girl..." he warned, stepping in front of Freya.

Leo looked to the canine for a moment before looking back to the girl who was once again speaking and asking if he was going to help.

"Well, if you need help then we can try, but it depends what it is you -"

Vanim let loose a bark, shooting Leo another glare. "Don't be stupid, human!"

tagged: Persian || word count: 152

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Active Pokemon

Vanim

Freya

xxx

[Persian]

Her gaze once again dragged to Vanim. “What a bad pokemon,” she said, voice small and light as it had always been. She stood, finally, fingers anchored into the wire framing like claws as she dragged herself up. The fake-phantom crumpled a touch under her grasp. She stared at the half-ruined handiwork as if she didn’t understand what had happened.

“... Everything breaks too easy. … You’d break too easy.”

She snapped her attention to Leo’s leg and then back in the direction of his face. She shook her head, giggling again. “Already did…! Shame, shame, shame.”

She stepped out from behind the ghost statue she’d been ineffectively hiding behind. She staggered toward Leo and his party, movements stiff as if her legs had fallen asleep despite her squatting only for a short time.

“So, maybe I should help you! We could help each other!”

A little girl is here.

[Leo Lockward]

Leo Xander Lockward 

Vanim barked aggressively in response to the young girl calling him a bad pokemon and continued to growl as she finally stood up.

Freya stepped closer to the canine and softly nuzzled him for a moment. "Pay no heed. You're not a bad pokemon." she spoke softly before shifting her gaze to the young girl and lowering her voice. "She is a little strange though..."

Leo cocked his head slightly as the girl spoke of things breaking too easily and then bringing up that he himself was already broken. "Wha...?" looked to his leg and back to the girl.

As she stumbled closer to the group, Vanim and Freya stepped backwards to be in front of Leo as if guarding the teen. "I don't like her..." Freya mumbled, the teen sighing softly in response.

"What is it you need help with? We just want to reach the end of this place..." 

tagged: Persian || word count: 151

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Active Pokemon

Vanim

Freya

xxx

[Persian]

At his words, she perked up. She looked at him, truly at him, for the first time. Excitement danced in her eyes. “Me, too! But, not yet.” She tilted her head. “... It’d be easier to wait somewhere nicer…” She grinned. “Tell you what! If you help me find a nicer part of the maze, I’ll tell you how to go a little further!”

What could be a nicer part of this maze? It was Halloween themed, after all. But, this part was serene enough. The horror of it was melancholic, not active terror. Still, her request was a tall order.

And, her offer even more ambiguous… Still, she’d snapped (mostly) out of whatever strange, ethereal fit she was in when Leo and his team had first arrived at his confession of his goal.

A little girl is here.

[Leo Lockward]

Leo Xander Lockward 

Leo paused as the young girl explained that ultimately she wanted to reach the end of the maze, but not straight away. She wanted to wait somewhere nicer. Cocking his head slightly, he shifted his gaze from the girl, to his two pokemon and back again. "Wait for what?" he questioned, a puzzled look painted upon his face.

She certainly was strange, but perhaps if she knew how to get further into the maze, he could help her in finding a more suitable hiding place, for whatever reason she had.

Vanim rolled his eyes before looking to Freya and then to Leo. "Human. If you're going to be an idiot and follow her, at least do not let your guard down." he muttered, just loud enough for the teen to hear him. Freya nodded to Leo, in agreement with her companion's words. "Yes, we must be cautious here..."

Leo sighed, before nodding to his pokemon and returning his gaze back to the young girl. "Okay. Lets go and find somewhere nicer shall we?" He spoke softly, raising a hand to scratch the back of his head. "Although, given the circumstances, I'm not sure there would be anything nicer than the beginning of the maze...."

tagged: Persian || word count: 204

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Active Pokemon

Vanim

Freya

xxx