Operation: Express Car; [train plot log]

[these_balls]

Who: Everyone who wants to participate!
Where: Goldenrod City, the Magnet Train, Saffron City.
When: November 23rd, 11AM-5PM
Summary: Heist on the Magnet Train!
Rating: Might go up to PG-13, possibly R if exceptional violence of swearing occurs.
Log:

They've spent the last few days preparing. He wasn't sure at first, how this was going to turn out, but the Team is confident. They are confident and now he, Archer, is also confident. He has no reason to expect failure; he tells himself, even if they fail, this will cement them back in the public eye. A threat again. It makes his collar hot to think.

He reviews the plans again, Petrel's notes and schematics, engineering details. Phase 2 will be the most delicate, but he's confident in the abilities of the recruits. The aliens, the outsiders, are strange, but useful. They have skills no other Grunt would possess. Archer recognizes he has been given a tool, and only a fool would fail to use it.

At 9:30AM on November 23rd, Archer sends a message through the Rocket Network. It is short, and simple, and jubilant.

Operation: Express Car START

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It's a nice day out, considering. Cold, yes, but the kind of cold that buries itself deep in the lungs and blows the mind into crisp clarity. Cheeks are red, movements brisk to retain heat, and around Goldenrod's white-dusted Magnet Train station, the energy is thick enough to taste. People in their thick winter coats press together, some alone, some with families and friends, most with their trusted pokémon. The larger creatures are returned to their balls, tragically fated to miss the voyage, while smaller breeds are held in their trainers' arms or scurrying around their ankles.

The station attendants are supervising while customers pass through, touching the microchipped Rail Pass to the card readers and moving in slow, sluggish trails through the gates. There is no shoving; the atmosphere seems too cheery for it, excitement manifesting in the form of loud, vigorous conversation. The train itself is gloriously slick, smooth and polished as a new bullet or a freshly-minted coin, humming with power. We ask our passengers to please mind their electric-types, reminds the stationmaster over the PA, as we seek to avoid any trouble or inconvenience during the ride.

Once you've passed the gate, find a seat and stow away your luggage. Relax, unwind; it's a long six hours ahead.

[[ ooc: I kindly ask that players please DO NOT POST until all the subthreads have been made. Thank you!

GO FOR IT! Remeber to tag yourselves in!

NOTE: YOU CAN NPC ROCKETS IF YOU CAN'T NAB A PC ROCKET FOR PLOTTY FUNTIEMS. ]]

Comments

[tapestodiane]

It wouldn't surprise me if they did. Neighboring countries often have very similar customs.

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

True. [His siblings' cultures are similar to his, so he definitely knows.]

How long do you plan to stay in Saffron City?

[tapestodiane]

Long enough to explore a bit and get some Christmas shopping done.

_{[A thing that is apparently exciting to him, if the spark in his eyes is anything to go by.]}

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

Oh! That's right, I almost forgot.

I'm still not used to thinking of Christmas as a big holiday, aru. We do celebrate it in China, but all we do is exchange gifts and maybe go out to eat somewhere. It's not even an official holiday, except in Hong Kong and Macau.

[tapestodiane]

Well, I'd say a gift exchange and good food about covers it. That's all Christmas has ever been about to me. The religious background to the holiday always took a back seat in my family.

_{[They hadn't been terribly religious.]}

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

I believe I already told you that I am not religious myself, aru. Still, the lights and other decorations along with the snow are pleasant to look at.

[tapestodiane]

They really are. And it just wouldn't be the same without them.

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

No, it wouldn't be the same without the Christmas trees either. Though, in China, the trees can only be seen when one goes to the shopping centers.

[tapestodiane]

Big, majestic ones?

_{[That's normally how it's done in America, after all. Big, almost over the top.]}

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

[He nods.]

In the past I've visited Hong Kong during Christmas season and they really do put a lot of effort into decorating the city. Buildings are covered in lights, trees are found in major malls and other public buildings... It's amazing.

I've also had the chance to travel to other countries during this season, whether it be for business or just out of curiosity. They all seem to have beautiful decorations, aru.

[tapestodiane]

I guess that's a thing we're all universally drawn to, isn't it? You can never quite escape the visual pleasure of beautiful things.

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

Of course not.

I would suspect that even if one is blind, they can still enjoy the holidays. After all, they still have their hearing, taste, smell, and touch.

[tapestodiane]

I'm sure they can. It would be appreciation on an entirely different plane.

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

I would imagine so.

This was also my first year experiencing Halloween on such a great scale. I did not dress up, though, aru.

[tapestodiane]

_{[His eyes cloud a little when he nods.]}

That's probably for the better. Some costume choices coupled with the possessions didn't end well.

_{[...like what HE'D ended up doing...]}

[gochuugoku.livejournal.com]

Possessions?