"Sekheka..." Atticus repeated quietly when the women began to explain its origins and the reason it was used in the restaurant. He wasn't that familiar with the region's history and only knew a little about the war but he listened on curiously. Stories like those were eagerly accepted by him though and he too wondered why the place recognized the goddess of illness and poison and not the Prism Pokemon she mentioned. When Seymour spoke up and then added his question, he remained quiet so they could get an answer. It was obvious there was a reason to this fancy dinner but it wasn't in his place to inquire. He was simply on a Pokemon Trainer's journey and somehow, his new group ended up here. He didn't know anyone too well yet but apparently it had something to do with Evelyn, seeing as she was related to a famous person.

"Oh, it's quite simple, really. Although Cadien keeps it's border closed, they understand the need for outside trade. Rivierstel is the only place foreign merchant can come to advertise their goods, and only with very limited visas. This makes things difficult, especially for someone in the video game industry. The officials who maintains their internet censorship rarely visits."

As the discussion continues, your meal carries on. The more adventurous of your group tries meal with exotic names like mahshi or shawarma. Those seeking more trusted name go for the macaroni béchamel or the waitress' recommendation, koshari.

"You, on the other hand, have virtually free reign to cross the region. That gives you the chance to name drop our company should anyone ask about foreign entertainment. Plus, I can offer you samples of our games for people to try out. After all, the population of Cadien want to be more open. Getting them hooked on our games will encourage them to pressure their government further."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:35, Tue 10 Dec 2019.

Jake didn't seem to know much about history, so he didn't take the story she told to be anything out of the ordinary. The bit he was most surprised by was that honey was referenced as a type of poison. He didn't bring this up for fear of sounding ignorant though. He seemed to agonize over the decision of food more than one might expect, but ended up being adventurous and getting the mahshi. Upon getting the food, he was confused and seemed unsure how to properly eat it though. He was used to finger food and it looked it could be... but looks could be deceiving.

He nodded to the woman as he tried to understand the confusing issue of closed borders and international trade, but there was a glimmer of recognition as she discussed the games,
"Oh, you mean like a corporate sponsorship? I don't know about games, but it would be cool to rep a hat or a patch."

He didn't seem to think there was a distinction between what the woman was suggesting and a sponsorship. He also wasn't class-conscious enough to note how a privileged person like Eve was getting this meal for free when he had to pay for his hot dog earlier that day. Perhaps ignorance is bliss.

It kind of sounded to Seymour like Regina wanted them to be walking billboards. Or like the person at the grocery store who hands out free samples. And Seymour wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. Especially if they were expected to do it for free.

The young trainer took a bite of his delicious shawarma, then asked, "So... you want us to name-drop your company? Do a bit of marketing on the inside? Would this be for free, or..." He let his sentence drift off, indicating he was looking for more details about what exactly would be expected of them. "I mean, I expect that I am going to be extremely busy trying to compete in this region's pokemon league. There isn't going to be a lot of time for me to be testing games to recommend to people."

She looks a bit flustered at Seymour's comment. "Well, it is rather... difficult to provide you with much after you leave Rivierstel. We have will only have limited ways to contact you, or send supplies. I can arrange some funds before you leave, though.

As for playing the games, that is hardly necessary. Just let people's curiosity do the work, and let them copy the programs on their PCs. That will be quite enough." She gives you all a friendly smile.

Once Atticus was finished with his meal, he did not drift his attention too far away from the ongoing conversation. The lady spoke of games and bringing them to the rest of the region and surely, this was a good thing, right? Especially if they're getting paid for their efforts like she mentioned. "So, all we have to do is transfer these games from us to them?" he asked curiously, trying to make the situation as simple as possible without anyone getting worked up. "And get paid for that? All of us or...?" He was going to be competing in the league too and surely be busy with training and catching, but there was something weird about this whole thing that he knew together as a group they could figure out.

"Of course, anyone of you who wishes to assist would be suitably rewarded. You don't need to give an answer right away, obviously. You can contact me before you leave the city so I can hand you your funds. Oh..." She pulls out a small pocket computer. "If you wish, I can give you a copy of some of our games right now. I have some that will work on either your phones, or your Pokédex. What would you prefer?"

Jake seemed to be more engaged and flustered as the conversation went on, going from disinterested in the talk to almost... suspicious? Perhaps he was feeling out of place or he sensed something amiss. He was not clever enough to speak what was on his mind subtly, so he avoided doing so at all, rather trying to bend to something that he felt more comfortable with,
"Ah, I don't know. I still wouldn't mind wearing a hat, but I think a game would just be distracting. I got a lot of other stuff to do. I am sure the games are cool though. I'll sleep on it though."

Throughout the conversation Portia had fallen quiet, both out of a desire to enjoy the meal at hand and out of a clear disinterest in the sort of business pitch their hostess laid out.  She'd outright rolled her eyes at the idea of shilling or promoting a product around Cadien but didn't make any immediate snide remark like she had with the other adults they'd encountered thus far.  Instead she busied herself idly spoonfeeding Houdini in between her own bites of food, having shifted her critter to sit in her lap and feed him while he continued to nod in and out of consciousness as usual.

When the suggestion of taking some sample software for themselves came about, the young woman finally saw fit to speak up.  "Pass.  Years back there was a corporate maneuver in Kalos looking to put Lysandre Labs Holo-caster devices - free of charge - into every citizen's hands.  Turned out to be part of a terrorist ploy since the tech was used to spy and track people." Portia chimed in with a flat deadpan tone.  "I don't mean to say this game of yours is anything nefarious, of course, but I'm reluctant to trust freebie tech.  Besides, we're only here in Cadien on invitation and anything we do outside of a League participation is gonna be under a lot of scrutiny.  I seriously doubt the authorities would like the idea of us spreading software all around the place.  No way they'd like us uploading anything to their state-issued PokeDexes either."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:42, Fri 13 Dec 2019.

Seymour wasn't quite as paranoid as Portia seemed to be, but her words did give him reason to extend an extra bit of caution. "I think I will take Faulkner's approach here," he said, gesturing toward Jakey, "And I'll sleep on it. But I figure since our pokedexes record everything and the govenment knows about this deal, then if the games can successfully be downloaded to my pokedex without the government blocking it, it is probably fine. And if they end up deleting the games from my device, I guess I will be fine with that too."

He fed a carrot to the laconney on his lap as he continued. "So I guess in the morning before we leave, we can try to upload the games to my pokedex. I will update my 'dex at the pokemon center immediately before and after to see if anything gets censored or blocked. If not, I'll take that to mean I am ok to distribute your games for a bit of extra spending cash. Which is something I could certainly use. Especially if I end up finding some new pokemon to catch at the beach this evening."

"Which reminds me. Does anyone else want to go hang out at the beach after this?" He scratched the laconney behind the ears. He figured it might like to spend some time in the sand too.

Once the others in his small group spoke up, Atticus didn't feel a need to speak again - especially after Portia spoke. He cleared his throat before nibbling at his dessert. It didn't really spark any of his taste-buds; it was too fruity for his liking. But then a small smile came to his face after seeing Portia feeding Houdini. He excused himself before kneeling down beside the table and letting his Pokemon out of its ball too. "Hey Bubby... got something for you," he said while patting the female's head lovingly. He brought down his dessert for her and muttered a few more things before getting back up and slipping into his seat. "I'm with the others on this one, Miss. I'll sleep on it as well but I will consider your offer for some more funds, if this is all okay."He looked over at Seymour and gave the boy a huge grin at his question with an enthusiastic nod. "I'm down - it'll feel just like home for me..."

While Atticus regretted trying the Sahlab, Bubby seemed to love the rawst berries that served as garnish. Others split their choices between a type of rice pudding, and a type of cheese-filled shredded pastry topped with syrup.

"Well, I'll be sure to await your call." Regina avoids discussing business during the rest of your meal. Once you are done, she offers to have the limo drop you off at the beach instead of the hotel, if you wish.

Atticus was delighted that Bubby enjoyed her dessert, as she had been in her ball for a while and he wanted to reward her for being patient. It was time for her to help him out though, once they got to the beach. He would keep her out of her ball until they got there to save time. "Thank you for the meal, Miss. I'm ready to go to the beach when the others are."

Jake seemed eager to get out of the conversation after Portia called out the woman. He was not totally sure that Portia was right, but there was something off with the offer. However, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with taking the limo to the beach,
"Yeah! Let's go! I've got my swim trunks under these clothes. I'm ready to go swimming... and maybe catch a new pokemon."

After a short trip, you reach the beach. It's a far cry from the sandy beach of Hoenn or Alola. Instead, it's a rocky swat of land, stretching between the grassy slopes and the ocean's water. Off to the side, a small wooden dock, missing half it's planks, stretches a bit over the dark waters. Across the river, the Rivierstel docks light the opposing shore, still active even in the evening. Despite the sun having set a while back, the full moon's glow forces through the thin cloud cover, giving you enough light to walk without risk.

The beach is calm, with no other humans in sight. A few shapes moves across the water in the distance, though it's hard to tell what they are from where you stand. Closer at hand, there seems to be a few large seashells, perhaps sleeping Shellder? While you take in the scene, you also hear some movement in the grass, as a pair of birds walk out toward the water.

OOC: You can take a detour to the hotel to grab swimsuits if you wish. It's a bit cold out, but the water is still rather warm at night.

Once the group arrived to the beach, Atticus was a little disappointed that it wasn't quite like the beaches he knew from back home in Hoenn. But that wasn't going to stop him from jumping in the water. Swimming was second nature to him and he was eager to show off in front of his new friends. But first, he was determined to catch another Pokemon - one would not be enough to compete in this region's tough league.

"Ready, Bubby?" he asked his Bulbasaur enthusiastically with a grin before walking carefully towards the large seashells near them. He made sure not to step on any of them in case they were indeed Shellder but did look closely to study them. He had experience with all sorts of Water Pokemon growing up and knew a Shellder would be a powerful addition to his team. He would make his way towards the river using this path, trying to make out the shapes in the water from where he was.

OOC: Atticus would like to try and identify the Pokemon swimming in the distance, unless he triggers something with the seashells.

At the beach, Seymour released his lotad and shroomish from their pokeballs onto the pebbly ground. He lowered the Laconney from his arms as well and let it hop along the ground to stretch its legs. "Go ahead and explore a bit, you guys. But try not to stray too far. And keep an eye out for any friends who might want to join our group!"

As his lotad sprinted off toward the waves, Seymour pulled out his pokedex to scan the area for new and interesting pokemon. He was especially interested in those birds they had spotted. "This is an... interesting, beach," Seymour commented to the others. "Not exactly what I was expecting, but I guess that just makes it that much more exciting, right?"

Like Atticus, Seymour was used to the nice beaches found throughout Hoenn. Especially those around Lilycove City. But unlike Atticus, Seymour was not eager to actually enter the water and swim. The most he planned to do was roll up his pant legs and walk among the waves.

---

Seymour is scanning the area with his pokedex, searching out any and all signs of resident pokemon. He is also just generally relaxing and hanging out with his pokemon buddies as they explore the nearby areas.

Jake was happy to get out of the restaurant and onto the beach. He was a bit nervous though. As a life-long native to Saffron city, learning to swim was never high on his to-do list. Still, he he got in trouble, Skipper might be able to pull him to safety. But in general, he didn't want to get too far into the water. His mudkip on the other hand didn't mind going straight to the beach and playing in the wet soil.

Jake glanced to his companions and heard their reaction to the beach,
"Yeah, it doesn't look like the pictures I saw. Still, it looks like there are pokemon around. Maybe I can pick up a friend for Skipper now. I think I have the hang of being his friend now, so I can find him a partner maybe."

While Jake was mentally prepared to take on another pokemon, he didn't make a sudden break and yank out a pokeball. He stayed calm and with the group, though paid more attention to the couple of birds nearby than to the shells or the distant shapes in the water. He remembered to pull out his pokedex and give them a scan too.

Thanks to Laconney's glowing tail, Seymour doesn't even need his Pokédex to recognize a pair of Farfetch'd with their signature leeks.

For his part, Atticus notices a few bubbles, confirming that he's in front of a Shellder.

It's rather hard to seem most of the swimming Pokémons, but you do notice a Magikarp getting grabbed by a Tentacool.

OOC: if you wish to challenge any of those Pokémon, just pick your target and strategy. Note that the Shellders are currently asleep, so you'll have a bit of an advantage, both if you fight it or if you try to catch it right away.

Though it was nice to get such a big meal for once, Portia left the dinner feeling displeased with the turn of events.  It was her experience that adults always had ulterior motives; as if they couldn't do anything purely at face value without there being some catch or underlying, dishonest thrust to it.  Such inner grumblings kept her outwardly quiet on the ride to the beach and, rather than pick up a change of clothes, she contented herself to sit on the shore and simply watch the boys romp about as they pleased.

After a while of just sitting with Houdini cradled in her lap Portia sighed and withdrew the TM she'd swiped earlier.  She couldn't help but glower at it as if the device had somehow insulted her personally, to which her Abra seemed to catch onto and cant his head aside with a soft trill.  "You really sure about this, Houdini?  I don't know how I feel about you getting into fights..." she muttered.  To his credit the Abra offered her a reassuring nuzzle but, all the same, suddenly lit into a dull red glow as he returned to his Pokeball of his own accord.  That settled that, Portia figured with a defeated slump of her shoulders.  She withdrew the ball from where it was always protectively nestled inside her coat's breast pocket and set it into the locking divot at the center of the TM device.  It would take a little bit, but in the meantime all she could do was quietly watch as the disc inside spun up and began filtering digitized knowledge directly into the Pokeball's resident.

Portia's not going to hunt for any Pokemon and will take the opportunity to use her TM to teach Houdini "Psyshock".

Atticus gasped excitedly when he realized he was indeed in front of a sleeping Shellder. He had many fond memories playing with that Pokemon growing up so it was only fitting that he caught one to join him on his adventure. He unclipped an empty Pokemon from his belt and took a step back. He signaled to Bubby to stay alert in case it decided to attack. With baited breath, he threw his ball and waited to see the results.

OOC: Atticus will attempt to catch the Shellder in front of him with a Pokeball, keeping Bubby on standby in case it attacks. If the attempt fails, he will tell Bubby to attack with Vine Whip.

Jake decided to approach Seymour with an idea as Atticus seemed more interested in the river and Portia seemed more interested in her Abra. There were two Farfech'ds and only one Jake. He recognized the pokemon as both him and them were native to the kanto region. He liked their style, how they held their leeks, it was all very cool, mysterious, and earthly at the same time. That, and they were a bird pokemon that could learn fly.

Despite talking to Seymour primarily, he talked loud enough that the others could probably hear... he wasn't being secretive, just talking to the one he thought could listen best,
"Hey, there are two Fetchers there. I don't know if you want one, but I sure do! I am a bit afraid that Skipper will get beat up if I fight them alone though. They definitely would not want to be separated. If you want a Fetcher too, we might be able to convince them to come with us together, or maybe you can help me battle them and catch them."

Even when sleeping, the Shellder takes a couple of Pokéballs to catch. Still, Atticus is now the proud trainer of a bivalve Pokémon.

OOC: Atticus' Pokéball rating drops to Below Average, and his Shellder is in his PM.

With a proud grin, he patted Bubby on the head after a successful capture in the unfamiliar region. "Good job, Bubby, I think I'll name him Shelby," he added happily as he recollected himself from the encounter. The boy took another glance around to see where the rest of the group had gone off to. The other two boys seemed to be invested in capturing the bird Pokemon that populated the river's edge. He saw Portia in the distance with what looked to be a TM machine. When he took another glance at the water, he stripped down to his swim trunks and waded in. That's when he noticed the struggling Magikarp and he immediately felt bad. He knew it was the circle of life and all, but he couldn't help but want to save the poor helpless fish. "Up for a rescue mission, Bubs?" he asked the Bulbasaur quietly as they both approached the scene. He figured it would be a good opportunity to train Bubby too, if the Tentacool wasn't a huge challenge.

OOC: Is it possible to try and save the Magikarp?

"I'll follow your lead and do what I can to help," Seymour assured Jakey as he called his lotad back over. "Although both my lotad and shroomish will be at a type disadvantage if a battle breaks out. Still, I am up for that challenge if necessary. Unless..."

Seymour turned to the laconney he had been hanging out with recently. "Laconney, you don't happen to want to help out too, do you?"

---

Seymour will follow Jakey's lead and help him attempt to capture one or both farfetch'ds. If a fight breaks out, he will use lotad (unless the laconney agrees to help instead).