Juneau Where She's Going?

[doitrockapella]

Who: Carmen Sandiego (doitrockapella) and a bunch of other people!
Where: Various locations in Johto, over the course of the week!
When: The week of January 26th
Summary: This week, her itinerary's loaded with more than just moving violations.
Rating: PG as a default; deviations from that will be marked!
Log:

⛵ WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO? ⛽
MONDAY January 27th	Goldenrod City — ALL DAY
TUESDAY January 28th	Goldenrod City — ALL DAY
WEDNESDAY January 29th	Goldenrod City — MORNING through 5:00 PM En Route to Ecruteak City — 5:00 PM ONWARD
THURSDAY January 30th	En Route to Ecruteak City — PRIOR to 11:00 AM Ecruteak City — 11:00 AM ONWARD
FRIDAY January 31st	Ecruteak City — ALL DAY
SATURDAY February 1st	Ecruteak City — ALL DAY

People interested in interacting with Carmen or having her pay your character a visit at some point during this week, feel free to throw in a starter with a date and location for the thread! You can either write the starter yourself and I'll have her tag into it, or you can drop a top-level just with date and time and I'll come up with a reason for their paths to cross, either way. o/

Comments

[doitrockapella]

And not a particularly modest one, either. I'm the best in the world, where I'm from.

[...Technically true, even if it's not her precise career path at this specific moment.]

[superordinary]

[ ...Now Naegi's probably wondering if Carmen could beat Kirigiri at crimebusting. ]

What's it like? Chasing criminals is a dangerous business.

[doitrockapella]

[Fun fact: her version of crimebusting involved a lot more swinging around like Indiana Jones and also kicking people with gratuitous martial arts. So maybe, maybe not.]

Dangerous is a good word for it. But it's rewarding enough. I like the challenge.

[superordinary]

[ Kirigiri, your crimebusting game is weak. :|b ]

So you like the challenge, huh... Is that why you became a detective?

[ Beat. ]

...Ah, um, sorry for asking you so many questions! I'm just really curious.

[doitrockapella]

[Hey, man, at least Carmen never dumped booze on her legs and threatened to actively set herself on fire in order to solve a case.]

It's fine; it's been a while since I talked about it with anyone, anyway, so I don't mind telling you about it.

[She picks up the black queen to play with as she talks, turning it over and over in her fingers.]

I started when I was about half your age. It was something to do and something I was good at; I'd always admired Sherlock Holmes as a child, so when the opportunity arose to join a local detective agency, I jumped for it.

[Beat.]

Also, I was better at solving mysteries than I was at making friends, so having something to keep myself occupied with was a bit of a relief.

[ardent]

No, not at all...it would be easier for me if I was, but...

[Hm.]

...Hard work is important; knowing how to handle things for yourself is important. And I've always believed that perfectly ordinary people are able to accomplish just as much. That the world won't be changed by genius alone - the world can be changed by ordinary people, and extraordinary effort.

[doitrockapella]

You say that as though the two are mutually exclusive. Does that mean that geniuses by definition can't be hard workers, or is that just your experience?

[ardent]

[ ... :|a ]

...I don't think it's that they can't...most people just won't if they don't have to, and up to a point, they don't have to.

[solas_ion]

Huh. Guess I'll just have to keep an eye out.

[Tyrogue, apparently bored, started poking at Lancer's leg with the stick it was holding.]

What--oh. Guess you haven't met. This is Ferdiad, and the one with the nasty kick over there is Tyrfing.

[doitrockapella]

Charmed, I'm sure.

[She offers a polite nod, then tilts her head at her Kadabra.]

And this is Chief. Don't mistake his solemnity for lack of manners; he's just the thoughtful, silent type.

[doitrockapella]

Mmm. I think I agree with that, honestly. But I think for me it has more to do with a person's ability to reach their full potential. That's something that really only comes through hard work, regardless of the starting baseline of aptitude — and so really, setting the bar of expectation low enough that a genius can reach it without trying is doing a disservice to the genius, as much as it is insulting the hardworking ordinary person's efforts.

[ardent]

...I know. That's why things need to change as a whole...the way things are now encourages those low expectations.

I want people to be the best they can. That isn't...possible now, I don't think.

[doitrockapella]

You mean with the way things are now.

[...]

For what it's worth, I think you do a fine job of leading by example when it comes to striving for excellence.

[ardent]

Ah...

[And that...seems to hit him strangely; give him a moment.]

...I wasn't able to change anything, in the end. Everything I did back home was for a goal that never came to pass...and nothing I do can change that.

But I...

[He trails off, his gaze darting away; it takes him a moment to recover himself, but he manages eventually.]

...I don't think that it was for nothing, either.

[doitrockapella]

Not reaching the goal you'd had in your sights isn't the same thing as achieving nothing. That's true.

[She's just going to let him have his space; right now it's just as well, since she's trying to keep her own focus on saying legitimately helpful things, too.

Given her track record, this is a noble and admirable undertaking.]

You've mattered, Ishimaru. Even if it wasn't the difference you'd set your sights on, I hope you can at least take comfort in that: the knowledge that you've made a difference in the first place.

SHORTLY BEFORE 11 ON THURSDAY

[enjoymyatelier]

[Ahhh why is it getting cold again? At least, it seems to be getting cold again. Maybe it's just a temporary thing...? Kayneth hopes it is just a temporary thing.

Well, if it isn't, he may as well get a bit of training done before it really gets cold. After all, he only recently got a few of his Pokemon to level 100, and it was time to rotate them out for a few more inexperienced Pokemon. So, he makes it a point to head out to the route leading to Goldenrod early...ish.

Well, okay, at least before it gets too late in the day. He's admittedly a bit bundled up anyway, even if it isn't too cold out. Currently, he has two Pokemon out... well, he knows that, at least. One, a Drifblim, is floating in his general vicinity, scanning the area, and Kayneth also seems to be looking for something in abject frustration.

...meanwhile, travelers on the route may encounter a Pokemon that... really shouldn't be there, as wild Vaporeon aren't generally a thing that happens.

...also, they usually aren't temperamental enough to snarl at people and slip back into tall grass.]

[superordinary]

[ That is a good point. What the hell were you thinking, Tinygiri. ]

You must've been some kind of child prodigy... That's amazing. I wish I had talent like that.

[doitrockapella]

[LOOK UP IN THE SKY, IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE — actually, no, it's just a Togekiss soaring along like the majestic feathery stallion it is, faithfully following its owner-set course for Ecruteak City.

And it really is an owner-set course, because if anyone happened to be watching closely, they might observe that the aforementioned owner (and current rider) is not actually flying at the moment; she's snuggled down into the marshmallow owl's big floofy feathers, apparently fast asleep.

Which is sort of a problem given that Teri the Togekiss has just spotted that "wild Vaporeon" in the tall grass and decided to make an abrupt course correction to further investigate this strange phenomenon on behalf of her trainer.

...which is sort of a problem because doing so happens to jar the aforementioned owner right out of her sleep, which in turn makes her jolt awake, which in turn makes her lose her balance on the bird's back.]

AUGH!

[BOMBS AWAY, KAYNETH. You now have a woman falling for (or at least toward) you, instead of the other way around.]

[doitrockapella]

You could say that.

[Mostly because yeah, that's...basically it, yup.]

My agency...was a little something like your school, I think. They have a particular interest in exceptional children.

[superordinary]

In general, or children who'd make good detectives? Hope's Peak Academy didn't discriminate when it came to talent. They even recruited the best yakuza member.

[doitrockapella]

In children of high intellect in general. A fair number of them train as detectives, but there's a reasonably large research division, also. Science, history, foreign language. They look for the brightest and best, really.

[ardent]

[He mulls that over for a moment.]

...I never hurt anyone. Back in the school, I mean. Even after...Ishida happened, I never hurt anyone.

I'm doing what I can to look after everyone here - because it's what I want to do, not because I think I have to. I want to...make sure that everyone's okay, even if I couldn't do that back home. But in some ways it's...good. To know that I didn't hurt anyone back home.

[...]

Sometimes I feel like that might be good enough. To know that I did everything I could, and even after I couldn't do that anymore at least I didn't hurt them.

[superordinary]

Detective agencies have research divisions? I wasn't aware of that. It does sound a bit like the school, though... It had research labs and everything the students needed to cultivate their talents.

[doitrockapella]

We don't have to talk about Ishida if you'd rather not. I know it must be painful for you.

[...]

I don't think you're the type to hurt anyone. No matter how upset about him you might've been.

[doitrockapella]

My first partner was an AI who'd been given a fully functional robotic skeleton to walk around in. I'm told that's not precisely the norm for most worlds, either.