⇨ ALOLA

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE.
When: Day 73 - Day 87
Where: The islands of Alola.
What: The Carnival arrives at its next touring location, a series of tropical islands inhabited by a species of animal called Pokemon and their trainers!
Warnings: Pokemon is pretty PG-rated.

IT'S A POKEMON WORLD↴ Alola is broken up into four different islands, with a number of unique points of interest. Boats can easily be rented in order to get between the islands, or you can just pay for the fair of a scheduled trip. If you can prove you have the skills for it, you can also call on a "Ride Pokemon" - that is, either a Charizard or a Lapras that will fly or swim you between locations. ► POPULATION: Though the islands appear very small as an abstraction in the actual games, that doesn't hold over into the actual reality of it. When interacting with the different locations, imagine that they are about as big and spread out as they would be in real life. It's about on the same scale as Hawaii is on earth. Ignore any wikis that say the population of each island is like 200 people, because that's just adding up all the scripted NPCs, and there are realistically more than six houses per town. ► AMENITIES: Even if they aren't overtly listed on island maps, it can be assumed that all towns and cities will have basic amenities - that is, places to eat, place to go to the washroom, places to buy souvenirs, and the other things one would expect in a tourist heavy area. You can also buy malasadas pretty much anywhere. ► POKECENTERS: You'll be able to find a Pokecenter in pretty much every town - a Pokecenter is a public building in which Pokemon Trainers can rest and get their Pokemon healed. Think of it like free international Pokemon healthcare. You can also buy Pokeballs here, as well as potions and other healing items for later use. ► AETHER FOUNDATION: A peace keeping organization that shelters Pokemon from harm and abuse. If you kill/maim any Pokemon or otherwise act violently in public, they will come to try to take you down with their Pokemon. They also are the main force working against Team Skull. MELEMELE ISLAND↴ [MELEMELE DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU KOKO] [WIKI LINK] ► TRAINER SCHOOL: A full fledged for young, aspiring Pokemon Trainers! Students go here to learn about Pokemon care and battling before setting out on their own journeys. It would be sort of weird for an adult to show up here, like it would for an adult to try to attend an elementary school, but you can probably learn some of the basics just from touring the facility. ► HAU'OLI SHOPPING DISTRICT: The biggest shopping district on Melemele, you can do a lot here, from eating out to getting your hair dyed. A lot of shops are, unsurprisingly, completely Pokemon focused - but there are some that aren't, too. There are also some very nice beach fronts nearby. ► BERRY FIELDS: Berries come in a lot of different types and have different effects when used. Mostly, Pokemon love to eat them, regardless of what type they are. This is a big field of them, most of which are free to take if you catch them when ripe. ► TEN CARAT HILL: The secluded interior of a small mountain, filled with some rare types of rock Pokemon. You have to be able to bypass the left overs of some recent rockslides to get in. ► TRIAL SITE: There is only one trial on this islands, which is the Normal type trial. All you have to do is fight a bunch of Pokemon ferrets, and then fight an even bigger Pokemon ferret that thirsts for your blood. It's not so bad. AKALA ISLAND↴ [AKALA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU LELE] [WIKI LINK] ► TIDE SONG HOTEL: A big ass hotel near the port - if you want to stay on Alola overnight, this is a pretty good place to go. It isn't too expensive, and is also rather nice. ► DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH LAB: Alola, on occasion, has been the site of various dimensional breaks (haha) in which extraplanar creatures called Ultra Beasts have crossed over. There isn't much information about these beasts, but they are something that are being actively studied. Characters who are nerds might find some of this information interesting. ► HANO GRAND RESORT: The inevitably big, fancy resort that tends to take route in touristy places like this. If you actually pay to spend some time there, you can enjoy all the things you'd expect to find in a fancy resort, except with way more Pokemon. There is also a fancy, secluded beach for resort goers only. ► BATTLE ROYALE DOME: A battle area in which 4 trainers fight each other all at once, with teams of there Pokemon. The trainers here are mostly quite expert, and you need a team of three Pokemon to play, so player characters probably won't be able to participate. However, you can still come to watch, if you like seeing a bunch of colourful monsters slapping each other around. ► PANIOLA RANCH: A large ranch that keeps a lot of Pokemon that resemble earth farm animals. You can leave Pokemon here to stay for a while if you need a break from the strains of trainer life. Quite often, however, your Pokemon will end up getting knocked up and leave you with another egg to care for. ► TRIAL SITES: Brooklet Hill is a lake filled area that contains the Water Trial. You have to fight a bunch of schooling Wishiwashi, and then an even bigger schooling Wishiwashi to win. Wela Volcano Park contains the Fire Trial, where you must climb to the top of the dormant volcano, and spot the difference between a series of ceremonial island dances. Then you gotta fight a team of Marrowaks and a giant Salazzle. The Lush Jungle contains the Grass challenge, in which you have to find a series of rare organic ingredients in order to brew something that will lure out a giant Lurantis. ULA'ULA ISLAND↴ [ULA'ULA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU BULU] [WIKI LINK] ► MALIE GARDEN: A nice big garden to hang out in and chill. Also, there are Pokemon there... and also, Pokemon battles? There's really no end to it. ► MOUNT HOKULANI OBSERVATORY: Up at the top of the local mountain, you can go see a space observatory. Like most things in Alola, it's like a regular observatory, except with more Pokemon, since some Pokemon just straight up come from space. You can take a bus up here, but you can also hike if you want. ► HAINA DESERT: A shitty desert in the middle of the island. Mostly only good for if you want the kinds of Pokemon that live in shitty deserts. ► ABANDONED THRIFTY MEGAMART: A Megamart, but haunted. Extremely haunted, filled with the kind of ghost Pokemon that would actually kill you. You have to take a bunch of pictures of ghosts on your way through here if you want to beat the Ghost Trial. ► PO TOWN: The ramshackle remains of the town that Team Skull have taken over. It's completely walled off from the rest of the world, and is pretty terrible. No point in going in there unless you're fighting crime, in which case you can expect to get challenged to Pokemon battles by a lot of Team Skull knuckleheads. ► LAKE OF THE MOON: A huge, round temple thing in the middle of nowhere. It's used to praise a legendary Pokemon that existed years ago, but there presently doesn't seem to be anything around except cool architecture. ► TRIAL SITES: The Observatory contains the Electric Challenge, during which you have to fend off various kinds of electric grubs, before eventually taking on a giant Vikavolt. The Abandoned Megamart must first be cleared before challenging the Ghost Trial officially, at which point you will have to defeat a powerful Mimikyu. PONI ISLAND↴ [PONI DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU FINI] [WIKI LINK] ► SEAFOLK VILLAGE: A village made of nothing but houseboats and other water fairing homes. It's the only major town on Poni Island. ► ANCIENT RUINS: Most of Poni Island has been reduced to ruins, over time. Not many people live here, relative to the other islands, but there are a lot of abandoned buildings from when they apparently used to. ► VAST PONI CANYONS: Most of the island is comprised of canyons, caves, and valleys filled with particularly strong Pokemon, and also a lot of fight-hungry Pokemon trainers. Most of them will want to fight you as soon as they see you, since they are there mostly to train, but they will back down if you tell them you're not a trainer. Though, at that point they will strongly urge you to go home, because it's too danger for anything other than the strongest trainers. ► ALTAR OF THE SUN: A matching altar to the one found on Ula'ula, except this time dedicated to a legendary Pokemon of the sun. If you play some magic flutes here at the right time then apparently a giant lion might show up, but there's no way to be sure. ► TRIAL SITES: The only Trial here is the Grand Trial, which is a fight against the leader's ground type Pokemon. You may also get lucky and have the Fairy Trial's kahuna deign to fight you, with her fairy types, if she randomly wanders into your path. Both of them are very strong, and are not advised to challenge for new trainers.

Comments

[atouts]

If he can resign himself to the inevitability of Strange being Strange, it isn't so much a stretch to just deal with Lambert being Lambert or, frankly, anyone else being their own bizarre self within the carnival. Annoying on occasion, but still not the worst.

"Sounds more like the beginning of you falling off your horse," Childermass points out, even though he's already aware the witcher would have to go through several bottles (probably) to get that drunk. Overall, still seems like a bad idea. In any case, pockets full, something he's easily at home with doing — some people here used to be urchins, Lambert, including present company! — and so he just shrugs at the question. It'll be enough for Baker, even if he ends up giving up whatever else he's bringing along for himself.

"You'd be surprised at what he's able to eat," he adds after a second or two, when he turns to head back out the door again. "Fruit actually seems the better choice over meat."

[whattaprick]

Childermass really needs to set better standards for his company.

"Pig wouldn't let that happen. Besides, I finished off the last of the White Gull I had with me, so I'm not getting properly drunk for a while." And doesn't Lambert sound wistful about that. Whiskey's good enough to get him buzzed, at least, if nothing else, until he gets a proper alcohol brewing setup. For now, it's filching whatever he can get away with from the cookhouse, and after a moment's consideration -- good point, Childermass -- the last thing he picks up is a bunch of grapes, dropping it into one of the mugs to hold it.

He follows the magician back out to the Carnival, keeping pace beside him this time. With a performance on, the trailers are mostly empty and quiet, though the muffled sounds of the Carnival in the distance aren't very far. Lambert walks with confidence, even in the shadows, though he's surprisingly quiet as they head for the lakeshore.

Not that it lasts for long. Once they get there, though, they'll find the simple, muddy enclosure Lambert normally keeps Pig in empty and deserted -- except for the small mound where he'd planted the seed the Ringmaster gave them, already grown into a small tree with its leaves quietly shifting in the lake breeze. No fruit yet, and given the Pokemon propensity for consuming them, maybe Lambert should move that somewhere safer.

That will have to come later, though. For now, he sets the bottle and mugs down by one of the posts, puts fingers to his mouth, and gives a sharp whistle, the sound dipping and rising in a short pattern before dying off, though the water picks up the echo and carries the sound. Nothing, for a moment. And then in the distance, a growing rumble of sound and sharp, happy barking. The ground starts to shake violently beneath their feet, and Lambert grins widely.

"Looks like he found her after all."

[atouts]

If he set better standards, he'd spend all his time being gloomy in a dark corner somewhere, and so here he is, hanging out with the likes of Lambert instead.

With the enclosure and plant, it's almost a wonder the witcher hasn't petitioned to drag his own trailer down to the lakeshore and live next to his horse instead of with the other supervisors. Not that Childermass would blame him if he ever tried. The lake at night, even with the dull roar of the carnival behind them, is a peaceful place.

Or... was peaceful, up until about three seconds ago.

"Yes, she has and she's about to start an earthquake over it," Childermass says, sounding a little less than pleased. Pig wasn't so bad, but her habit of shaking the ground as such was going to be a problem one day. Maybe not today, but the ground is moving enough that he's forced to put a hand against something to steady himself and that something is, once again, Lambert.

[whattaprick]

Lambert's lashing tail seems to serve as a fair counterbalance, which he turns out to need to steady them both, with the magician hanging onto him like that. He's rocking with the way the ground trembles, riding out the shock of force, and the rumbling's grown loud enough that he has to turn his head and put his mouth by the magician's ear to be heard.

"Sounds like you're jealous. Never had someone move the earth for you before?" He pulls back with a flash of sharp teeth, just as Pig and Baker finally come into sight, the Mudsdale's hard gallop slowing down into a steadier, plodding pace that still sends dull vibrations through the ground. Of course, she's taller even than Lambert now, and Baker barely comes past her hock, so they make an odd pair as they approach their masters. Pig's had her mane brushed through and plaited with red ribbons, clean of mud, but unfortunately the same can't be said of her tail. Lambert groans when he catches sight of the muddy mess clumped together, much like her forelocks, and shakes his head. Baker's looking pretty muddy too, from whatever the two were up to before they showed up -- in fact, given that a bit of muddy red ribbon has plastered itself around the Growlithe's neck and back, it's probably not hard to deduce whose fault it was the ribbon came loose at all.

"Not again, Pig." The horse is ignoring him right now in favor of striding right on up into Childermass, though, nostrils flaring as she sniffs at the-- "Careful," Lambert starts --magician's and his coat. Too late. Sorry, wardrobe.

[atouts]

That earns Lambert a scowl and a shove once the Mudsdale slows down enough that the shaking no longer threatens to knock Childermass over. He won't dignify the witcher's teasing with an answer and instead focuses down on his own Pokemon, who may as well be a Muk at this point with how mud-covered he is.

"Did you really have to run through it with he—" He doesn't get much farther in admonishing the dog before Pig intervenes.

He'd been expecting the horse to stop and bother her own master, but she apparently has different ideas. Ideas centered on the food in his pockets, naturally, but it's still unexpected when she grabs at a coat pocket, nearly knocking him over a second time (just not indirectly). Of course, he's not giving anything up that easily, even if the horse does have the, well, everything advantage. He stumbles back a step before steadying himself and grabbing at her nose, trying to push her head back. Doesn't matter if that means further smearing mud across his coat and even hands, he'll still do it.

"Off! You don't just get to pick whatever you want out of my pockets!"

Come on, Pig, at least let him feed Baker first!

[whattaprick]

Pig isn't as feisty as she was when she was just a tiny Mudbray -- something about being less compact has mellowed out that fighting temper -- but her appetite has at least doubled. She is easier to deflect than Baker tends to be, though she just has more weight to throw around.

When his hand lands on her snout, Lambert doesn't get to warn him against the way she tosses her head, knocking the magician's hand (and the magician with it, considering the force she puts into it) backwards. Her ears flatten and she retreats, huffing in offense, so at least he accomplished what he wanted. The witcher, coming up behind Childermass, reaches out to steady him by the shoulder, but when he speaks it's not to the other man.

"Back up," he directs, voice low and brooking no argument. Pig huffs again, but she grudgingly takes another step back, and Lambert smirks. "Good girl. You remember Childermass, don't you?" He's pretty sure Pokemon carry over their memories through ... whatever strange transformation that was she went through, but hey, the reintroduction can't hurt. "Don't squash him flat. You'll make Baker cry."

[atouts]

Overall a bad idea, even Childermass knew from the second he touched the massive horse's face. Horses don't like that. He should have known better, considering he had his own horse to care for back home and had it been Brewer, he also imagines he would've risked getting a hand bitten. Pig, apparently, really is more mellow than that ugly bastard he left behind before stepping onto the faerie roads.

Not that knowing that now saves him from being knocked back, only a few steps until Lambert steadies him and that's what keeps him from falling straight over onto his ass. Well, this is getting annoying... Just how many times is he going to have to deal with Pig nearly knocking him down? This makes it three times now for sure, possibly more than that.

"I don't doubt he would get over it once you got him another ear to chew on," Childermass says, sounding a little dour. He looks down at the muddy noseprint left partly on his coat, partly on his vest. The nice ones, too, with black silk and silver embroidery. That's straight from wardrobe. Well, at least at that he lets out a small laugh. "I'm beginning to think I'm cursed. I can't go two weeks without ruining a shirt in one way or another."

[whattaprick]

Whatever gentleness is in Pig's temper certainly isn't there by Lambert's care -- more like it's there in spite of it. The dourness in Childermass's voice makes him snicker outright, the amusement lingering in his voice when he speaks.

"Heard there aren't any spells for doing laundry. Maybe you should invent one." Of course, the real oversight was not changing out of the fine clothes in the first place, and he'll happily take the blame for that. It seems to occur to him then that he hasn't let Childermass go, but rather than doing so, he's straight up going use it to hold him in place and try and slip a hand into the pocket Pig was attempting to nudge an apple out of.

It's possibly going to get him kicked again or elbowed, but this time he's keeping an eye out for that, ready in case the magician choose to express his offense physically again.

[atouts]

In retrospect, visiting a horse with an affinity for mud would have made a good case for stopping by his trailer before the lake. Overall, though, better something out of wardrobe than his own coat, though he suspects that would have been easier to clean.

"Ask Strange, then. You'll want a real magician making up spells like that," Childermass retorts, not quite with a huff, but the sarcasm is there. He'll let that one go eventually, not like to hold grudges over something so petty and, honestly, expected enough. It isn't Lambert's problem, in any case. No, what his problem is would be that he's searching pockets that aren't his.

It doesn't earn Lambert any violent reaction this time. Before had been in defense. The witcher may not have actually been trying to attack him then, but he wasn't the one on the recieving end of trying to take the necklace back. This? This is just him rooting around for an apple, which is easy enough to find, though it does have Childermass turning his head to look back over one shoulder. He arches an eyebrow.

"Your no better than she is, Lambert. You could have just asked."

[whattaprick]

"Aren't you one?" Lambert counters, automatically, meeting that sarcasm with a sardonic laugh of his own. "There's a tent full of people behind us who'd say so. That applause wasn't for falling on your ass." Even saying that, he supposes it's a good thing neither Childermass or Strange are much like the magic users from his own world. Otherwise ... well, otherwise, they probably wouldn't be here right now.

Shameless about being caught as ever -- the only way Lambert would make a halfway decent pickpocket was if he stunned his target first -- the witcher pulls the apple from the magician's pocket, meeting that glance and raised brow with a grin full of sharp teeth. He tosses the fruit up and down so the firm flesh smacks into his hand, expression thoughtful.

"Where's the fun in asking?" Lambert releases the grip he has on Childermass's shoulder, only to prove his point by stroking the back of a finger against the feathers on the side of his face. Far be it for him not to take advantage, now that it's conveniently turned towards him. In a single, easy motion, he runs his forefinger from the curve of his jaw up to his ear, then steps away to hold the apple out to the Mudsdale.

[atouts]

All that nets Lambert is his hand being batted away. If only he could frown more than he's already frowning! But it's pointless. Telling the witcher off for it is likely just the reaction he would want and, ultimately, messing with his feathers isn't worth it. It's not as if it hurts him, though the strangeness of how it feels to have them brushed by like that is ever a distraction.

"Stick to monsters, Lambert. You're an awful thief," he goes that route instead, mostly ignoring the comment about being a magician. He knows he is, but the previous radio conversation still rankles for now. With him off to feed Pig, though, he finally takes the time to drop into a crouch and call Baker over. The dog happily breaks away from the towering Mudsdale and the witcher to him, where he'll get a scratch behind the ears. Childermass takes the chance to peel off the errant ribbon stuck to him, as well, and toss it aside.

Though when he gets back to his feet, he does take a second to pick the whiskey bottle back up as he goes. Of course, now he just has a bottle and nothing to pour it into. That's a dilemma. The fix to it? Still attached to Lambert, unfortunately.

"Now," Childermass glances down at the mugs he's brought along, "are you going to offer me one of those or are they actually meant as decor for that lizard tail of yours?"

[whattaprick]

The apple disappears in less than two bites, since Pig is ... well, a pig. The witcher pats the side of her neck when she's finished, both of them tending to their own animals for a while, at least until Childermass addresses him again.

"Back to lizard again, hm?" He'd half expected him to pull out the necklace before they got down to anything, but it's not like they haven't gotten tipsy more than a few times with each other by now. And not just at the magic-heightened frenzy of the Celebration, either. Aloln's tropical distractions means the magician's had ample time to discover that hangovers aren't a thing Lambert experiences.

Clawed hands deftly unhook the mugs from his tail, and he holds out both in his hands "Go ahead and top us both up, if you're pouring."

[atouts]

"Dragon, lizard, the only difference is size," he points out. Fundamentally, that's probably untrue, but the only dragon he has to go by is the Ringmaster's form from Hell. He will, though, crack open the bottle and pour for both mugs. For Lambert, more than one would typically pour out from a bottle of whiskey.

For himself? Less so. He isn't planning on resorting to the necklace because he isn't planning on drinking terribly much.

[whattaprick]

"Just wait until I start breathing fire and swallowing demon hearts," is Lambert's cheerful rejoinder to that, nodding in approval once Childermass fills up the mugs to about what's appropriate for their respective metabolic processes, holding the magician's mug out for him to take once he's done. It's pretty obvious whose is whose.

"Seems like we should toast something," he murmurs. "We're not going to be here for much longer." 'Here' being Alola, even though they're standing in the Carnival, it's still anchored to the world by the gates they enter and exit through.

Watching their Pokemon -- the comical contrast between the stoic, gargantuan horse and the tiny, hyperactive dog dashing around her legs -- he wonders if they'll even have any awareness of leaving the only home they've ever known behind.

[atouts]

"Seems a fair enough way to get rid of demons, so by all means, do," he replies, capping the bottle again before taking his mug from Lambert. He tucks it under one arm for the time being and looks out towards the two Pokemon again. He wouldn't be able to say the same thought has crossed his mind, seeing it as with any other animal. They go where the trainer goes, simple as that.

To the rest, he can only break away from watching the two Pokemon play, to look at Lambert again, and shrug. Overall indifferent towards the idea of toasting, apparently.

"And to what would we toast? To one stop without anyone getting hurt? To your promotion? To the carnival gaining a horrifying plant monster?"

Yeah, don't think he didn't notice what the Ringmaster is letting creep around the forest. Where did that even come from...? Oh well. He'll probably never know.

[whattaprick]

"Hmm," Lambert takes a moment to think that over, then shrugs. "How about: to changes, in all forms they take?"

With little more ceremony than that, he taps their mugs lightly together and takes a long drink, whiskey burning down his throat like a bad decision. After that, it's back to turning their attention to the Pokemon, Lambert coaxing Pig back to his side to give Childermass the opportunity to actually eat his damn dinner (assuming he doesn't feed it all to the dog) and brush Baker clean of dried mud. An attempt to play with the Growlithe by tossing grapes for him to catch in his mouth is cut short when Pig uses her height advantage to steal the whole bunch out of Lambert's other hand. Eventually, though, the witcher will step over to the other end of the enclosure and retrieve a simple bit and bridle, slipping it onto her head with practiced ease and using the reins to lead her over to the magician.

"Ready whenever you are," he grins, sharp teeth flashing in the dark. "Don't back out on me now." Of course, there is the question of whether they're riding double up or switching off, but the lazy ease Lambert holds himself with suggests he's not too worried about how things go from here.

Or possibly, he's waiting to see exactly how Childermass is going to manage scrambling onto her back. Either way, he expects to be entertained, and his tail lashing and curling behind him says as much.

[atouts]

"I'm not sure that's something I would ever toast to," Childermass has to say, but fine. He toasts to it regardless, for lack of anything else to toast to, and drinks. As for the food, he does, in fact, eat most of it, but it's inevitable that at least half is lost to Baker. The apple had originally been for the Growlithe, but Pig and Lambert both put a quick end to that idea.

Moving past all of that, however, and onto what the magician already knows all too well is expected to be the Nightrider's amusement for the evening. He probably expects him to go about this in a useless manner, seeing how the horse herself is taller than the both of them.

"Is she even trained to accept other riders?" Is the first thing he's going to ask because he's not an idiot. He doesn't want to get thrown, not by something that massive. And even as Lambert leads Pig over towards him, he shakes his head and sets his mug aside — still a bit of whiskey in there, he really nursed that drink this time around.

The headshake isn't meant as a 'no', however, but rather that he'll gesture for Lambert to bring her up alongside the enclosure itself. Time to see how well built this thing is, eh? There won't be any scrambling, provided Lambert's answer about how ridable she is seems positive enough. He'll be using the makeshift fencing to boost himself up half the way instead. From there, making his way up onto Pig should be simple enough.

[whattaprick]

"Since she evolved? You'd be the first," Lambert answers, not particularly reassuringly. His good mood's likely from the fact that unlike Childermass, he did indulge, though even two mugs of spirit's only just enough to render him pleasantly buzzed.

"She's never tried to throw me, and she knows you. I can catch you if she bucks," he adds, though his tone of voice suggests that's not something he's worried about at all. Indeed, while Childermass swings himself on top of her back (the fence, for a wonder, doesn't wobble under his weight), Pig's stoic as a wall, the flick of an ear the only indication she gives that she's noticing anything going on back there. From on top of the horse, Baker seems smaller than ever, a blur of orange and yellow fur darting around on the ground. It's a wonder she never steps on him.

Once the magician's found his seat, Lambert doesn't swing himself up behind Childermass just yet -- he'll step forward to check on how Pig's doing, pat her on the neck and murmur something low in her ear, before glancing up.

"Can you hold her steady for me?" he asks, offering him the reins. That probably answers the question of whether he was planning to ride behind him or not, at least.

[atouts]

It is a wonder, but one he can be grateful for. Baker is only useful if he isn't flattened. Childermass takes a second or two to watch the dog dart about, then glances back over — and down, which will be nice while it lasts — at Lambert. He arches an eyebrow at him.

"I could do that," he begins, "However..."

He won't. Now that he's taken the reins that the witcher so helpfully handed over, he's giving Pig's sides a gentle nudge with his knees and leaning the way he wants her to start trotting off in. Let's see just how loyal the Mudsdale is. Will she ditch Lambert? Will she stubbornly stand still?

Childermass honestly doesn't know. Baker may be quick to jump sides depending on whoever is giving him the most attention, but Pig may very well be the complete opposite.

[whattaprick]

Pig shifts her weight, lightly, but that's all the reaction the magician will get out of her. Sorry, buddy, she knows where her food supply comes from and it ain't you, so she stays with her feet firmly planted on the ground. If he was more inclined to spoil her it might be a different story, but alas, it seems Lambert's horse has all the disciple that her master lacks.

"Since when are you a horse thief?" For his part, Lambert's laughing, already setting a foot into the fence and using it to vault up onto Pig's back much the same way that Childermass did before, tail lifted out of the way so he doesn't awkwardly sit on it when as he slides up behind him. As before, she doesn't step or stagger, but her ears prick up a little and the muscles of her back flex as she adjusts to having two riders instead of one.

Once he's in his seat, and neither of them seems in any danger of getting thrown off, Lambert's hands drop to grip Childermass's waist, clicking his tongue. That seems to change the horse's mood, and she paws at the ground with a hoof, suddenly antsy.

"Try again." The witcher's grin is audible. He's using his own knees to keep himself on the horse rather than direct her, but this time, she'll respond to the magician's command, the same thundering stride that sets the ground to shaking underfoot a very different sensation to an actual rider.

[atouts]

"Since never, apparently," Childermass says with a quiet huff. Not quite a laugh, but close. He supposes he should have expected that, too. "It doesn't exactly count if it didn't pan out."

The thought had been to avoid just this, Lambert sitting behind him and hanging on. Admittedly, Pig is definitely big enough to carry two, but it doesn't have the same humor to leaving the witcher behind in the dust and probably just taking the horse back to his trailer. Seeing how Baker is bound to follow, it would have been a fine joke.

He tosses a look back over a shoulder at Lambert once he's settled behind and he signals Pig that it's fine to move, then shrugs and does just that, repeating what he had tried before. Rather than aim for making Pig turn back towards the backyard, though, he'll lead her towards the lakeshore itself.

[whattaprick]

A fine joke until an errant hoofstrike upended the trailer or turned it to scrap, at any rate. Pokemon can be appallingly destructive creatures.

Pig goes as Childermass directs, and Baker follows close, though less underfoot now that she's actually on the move. The Growlithe won't have much trouble keeping up, because her pace is a gentle one as she heads for the lakeshore.

For his part, Lambert's grip on Childermass is perfunctory, more or less for balance than to actually hold himself on. Her back's wide enough that it isn't terribly difficult to stay on, though the trot makes it a bumpy ride, jostling them together as she goes, until Lambert finally has to say it:

"Are you trying to crush my stones again? You can take her faster than this, you know."

[atouts]

"You made the decision to ride double, Lambert," Childermass shoots back in that typical bored-sounding way of his, as if this is clearly Lambert's fault. "You could have walked."

But no, apparently the horse doesn't go without Lambert on and so here they are. He will lean forward, though, giving Pig another squeeze to the sides to get her to pick up speed. He doesn't particularly want to cause any earthquakes, which seems to happen whenever the damn creature runs, but if that's what Lambert wants, well, he may as well take advantage of having a horse for the brief few moments he can.

[whattaprick]

"I didn't think you rode like an old woman," the witcher answers, with as much of his casual scorn as usual. "No wonder you said you've never been thrown."

A silly detail to remember, from a stupid game that was one ill-advised decision among many -- though without it, would they have caught onto what was going on? Lambert doesn't dwell on what-ifs, preferring to focus on the present. For example, when Childermass lets Pig pick up the pace. The difference is immediate, the hard, bouncing trot smoothing out into a canter more natural to move with. Of course, it causes the expected damage to the environment underfoot. Lambert presses his calves into Pig's sides to keep his seat, clawed hands tightening their hold on the magician for that first initial jolt forward then relaxing once she hits her stride.

Baker, of course, has no difficulty keeping up with her despite his much shorter legs. Pig is big, but she isn't fast, and it seems to be more of a game to try and keep ahead of her, then fall back to let her pull ahead, only to race forward again.

[atouts]

"There's a difference between 'old woman' and 'being sensible'," Childermass replies right back. He would roll his eyes, too, but he doesn't want to take his attention off where the Mudsdale is going, not even for a second. He's mostly sure Pig wouldn't run over or into anything, seeing how intelligent Pokemon seem to be, but it's better safe than sorry.

He's not much a fan of causing the ground to shake, however. Brewer was faster and much quieter, so he reckons he'll still prefer a normal horse over this. Just as well he decided against a horse from that world, he supposes, considering the options were increasingly odd (like one with a literal fire mane). Those thoughts aside, he lets Pig canter on along the lakeshore, occasionally letting his gaze stray to where Baker is darting about once he's more certain the way ahead of them really is clear.

Baker is definitely in no danger of being crushed, with how fast he is on his own, though he really wishes the dog would stop weaving in and out of Pig's path like that...