A Fetching Pair

Meanwhile, in the heavy woods themselves, a glass-haired individual picked up a couple odd looking mushrooms, and kept on walking.

Perception: The woods are heavy with a quiet air, the gentle crunching of leaves under bare foot act as a means of comfort. While you would do the little tutorials hovering in the corners of your UI, you instead decided to explore the "Birchwild Woods", as they were called.
Masquerain: Besides, exploring a new area is common in a video game! Especially the first one!
Event Horizon: And right now, in this new area, you are collecting mushrooms.
Haunted: [Easy - check failure] You don't think you were ever quite a fan of raw mushrooms. But cooked ones were always something nice. You don' know why the taste echoes on your tongue, familiar yet foreign.
Event Horizon: [Easy - check success] Don't think about that, just continue to pick mushrooms.

And so, Tabula continued their walk under slightly dappled light, picking mushrooms all the while. Some were simple - button-like mushrooms. Others were odd looking ones that grew along tree trunks, fallen logs, orange and white, brown in small clusters, white and pink...others were a bit harder - brown ones with long round stalks that took an ample amount of tugging.

Endurance: You managed...barely.

And yet, as they continued to walk through the forest, stopping to collect the occasional mushroom, they would drop one to the earth as they walked - arms getting too full to carry the current collection of fungi.

Runner's High: Pick one, leave one, pick one, leave one - save some for the earth!
Encyclopedia: [trivial - check success] ...You believe that is for tree saplings, not for mushrooms. Regardless, you keep collecting.
Common Sense:Who knows what you may do with them when the time comes?

Tabula was picking up a few more mushrooms, when the barking began.

Perception (Hearing): A quick barking, followed by the sounds of shouting in a language you don't know. More barking, and the sound of flames, the popping of leaves turning to ashes.
Haunted: [Formidable - check failure] There is something about the crackling of the fire, the pops and snaps of flame that makes you pause in your step - your heartbeat feels louder in your chest for just a brief moment - the context eludes you.
Composure: [Easy - check success] You take a deep breath. The heartbeat quiets.
Tailwind: Go see what's going on, go see what's happening, you need to know, you need to know-

So, they follow the sound of barking, only to see a dog spitting flame at a...pink ball with cat ears. They blink for a moment, seemingly preparing to say something, but then stop.

Tailwind: What is...happening?
Cat's Paw: That pink haired woman seems like she needs help with the pink cat ball. Should you help?
Common Sense: [check failure] Should you?
Tailwind: What would be the best thing to do in this moment? What could be the best thing to do in this moment?
Masquerain: This is a Pokemon game right? Send out your Pokemon! Let Numa help!

Carefully, the glass-haired person would drop down the rest of their collection of mycelium gently to the forest floor - take out the Pokeball and throw it underhand, sending out the Fuecoco, who glanced around the area before glancing to her.

"Oh, autumn! I love the colour of the leaves in the-oh, hey! What's up?"
"Numa, could you do something about the...pink ball with cat ears over there?"
"...The Jigglypuff?"

Psyshield: [Easy - check success] Hesitance grips your throat - but you push it down.

"Yes, the...Jigglypuff...please?"

The crocodile would look over to Tabula, look over to the Jigglypuff, nod to the trainer, before sending out a burst of flame at the Normal type, filling the air with the familiar smell of cooked mushrooms.

Tailwind: Oh god, a person.
Common Sense: [Easy - check succeed] Just say hi back!

"Uh...hI!"

As the heat in the forest seemed to tick up a few more notches, as flames flew between the three Pokemon, Tabula's body would slightly...tense. Before noticing the pink cat ball inhale not only a great amount of air, but also - hey, their mushrooms! As the dogs chased the ball around, watching it hit the stumps and trees of the clearing, their eyes would light up with an idea.

Encyclopedia: [Easy - check success] Hey, you know how if you throw a ball hard at a wall, it squishes a bit?
Encyclopedia: Does this...Jigglypuff apply that same principle?
Dragon Scales: You'd have to hit it pretty hard though. And it doesn't look like the dogs can hit it!
Encyclopedia: What if...it isn't you...?

"Numa!"
"Eh? Yeah, what is it?"
"Can you hit the Jigglypuff as hard as you can? Squish it against a tree or something?"
"I'll see what I can do!"

The Fuecoco would then take a running start and leap at the slowly bouncing Jigglypuff, attempting to Tackle it against a stump. If a ball can squish against a wall, then maybe the force from the hit could cause it to release the mushrooms!

It takes the glass-haired person a few minutes to find their way back - luckily the mushrooms they had unknowingly left behind had made a perfect trail of...mushroom-crumbs? Is that the right term?

Encyclopedia: [Trivial - check success] No, the correct term would be 'breadcrumbs', the term originating from-
Perception (Sight): Look out! Jigglypuff, dead ahead!

And there it is, still bouncing around, warm air and mushrooms sprawling from it as it bounces around the clearing with excess energy.

Tabula throws out a Pokeball, and out Numa appears with a stretch. The reptile's head follows the balloon-like creature before turning to Tabula once more.

"It's still bouncin' around?"
"Yes. Uh...could you do something about it again?"
A slight raise of his eyebrow (if he had any.) "Like what?"

Psyshield: Let him make the decision, it's easier to let him make the decision.
Common Sense: It makes the most sense. It's the easiest thing to do after all. Just try to drift.
Masquerain: Besides, this is a Pokemon game. He'd know what to do...

For a moment, Tabula seems to freeze - body locking up like cold, cold ice - before responding, calm and quiet:
"Whatever you want to do."

The Fuecoco blinks, before nodding and running back into the fray - attempting to Tackle the Jigglypuff once more.

tag: Torino
(almost forgot to tag, agh! sorry!)

Perception (Sight): The battle rages on, and by the look of things, things are going well! The pink-haired lady has joined the fray once more.
Common Sense: Pick up some of the mushrooms! Who knows, they could still be good!

"Numa, could you keep it busy? As long as you can?"
"You got it - one burned cottonball, coming right up!"

As the Fuecoco joins the two Growlithe in attacking the Jigglypuff, bouncing it around the clearing, Tabula moves also to collect the many mushrooms littered across the ground - occasionally glancing up at certain noises or the sounds of fighting. Best to rebuild the collection after all.

Dragon's Scales: You had found a pretty good amount before the Jigglypuff appeared - a nice horde that anyone would be proud of.
Cat's Paw: It's nice to feel appreciated.

tag: Torino

As the pink menace was finally quelled with the smell of cotton candy on the air, Numa would let out an excited cheer as small bursts of embers escaped the Fire Croc's maw. "Haha, nice job everybody!" He'd chime with a toothy grin, looking down at the burst of mushrooms.
Well, if his trainer was currently collecting them, the least he could do is help out with the collecting.

Meanwhile, Tabula was carefully collecting back the mushrooms on the floor, when their eyes met a odd appearing one. "Mmm?"

Perception (Sight): A big looking mushroom lays under a tree root, dotted with blue spots. It seems...unique in some way. Definitely not a simple button shroom.
Tailwind: Is it poisonous?
Masquerain: It's a video game, who knows if it's poisonous?

Though, as the glass-haired person reached towards the fanciful looking fungi, unknowingly, this took them on a path towards the pink-haired stranger, resulting in them not only potentially reaching the mushroom at the same time, but also accidentally cracking their head against theirs.

Endurance: OW-!
Constitution: [check success] Tis but a slight head bump...but that hurt, ow.

Tabula drew back a bit, rubbing their sore head with a soft hiss.

"Sorry...didn't know you were going for that one too...are you all right?"

tag: Torino

Endurance: You'll live.

"I'll live, it wasn't too bad - and ah, thank you."
At the gesture towards the mushroom, Tabula would give a polite nod and take the mushroom, adding the collection to their inventory. She offered the mushroom, it was only polite to take it if it was offered.
At the smile, wide and warm as a spring day, the glass-haired person would give a small smile of their own. "No need to thank me," They began. "I just saw that you needed help, so I just...well, helped."

A baked flatbread was presented to Tabula - and at the mention of take it,

Common Sense: Take the flatbread. She said take it, it's the right thing to do.
Tailwind: Yeah, yeah! You don't want to keep this person waiting!

The food was taken - and munched on, prompting a nod of thanks.

Perception (Taste): ...This is pretty good flatbread. You've never had it before, so you don't have a frame of reference...but for flatbreads with vegetables go - this is good!

At the mention of the mushrooms themselves and their use, the new trainer would shrug. "I'm not...too sure what I'm going to do with them. Just started picking them up as I was exploring around here, seeing what the game was all about." They began, occasionally taking a bite of flatbread. "Maybe I'll figure out how to cook with them too - see about making something for the office potluck."

Masquerain: ...Can you even translate video game mushrooms into real life mushrooms?
Common Sense: No.
Encyclopedia: But regardless, learning how to cook with the mushrooms - video game related though it may be - may assist in learning how to cook with real life mushrooms.
Tailwind: It sure would beat Nancy's chicken casserole.

Numa meanwhile, was also celebrating with his fellow Fire types, his chirps of amusement sounding akin to the gentle roll of wood on rocks - while to Tabula, they just heard laughter quietly in the background of the social moment. They'd glance over to their starter and the two dogs celebrating the defeat of the Jigglypuff, voice having a hint of warmth. "Looks like they're having fun over there."

tag: Torino