Sugar Cane Carnival [Amanda]

[Seria Floria]

Seria decided to go to Mavro City this time properly and do some exploration of the areas, but unfortunately she found herself quite hungry and starved this moment. Thus, naturally the first thing Seria did was to hunt for food. She saw the business district and decided she would go there first, there seemed to be many very nice-looking cafes. Seria first checked to see if she had enough money on her, and fortunately she wasn't broke this time around. She found herself stumbling into a rather classy cafe, that seemed to serve a host of different kinds of coffee, tea and pastries and other such confectioneries. Seria smiled, for she was a big fan of tea.

She made her way over to the selection and keep in mind she wasn't aware of anybody else being there. She eyed what was there and saw a piece of very delicious looking raspberry cake in the shape of a cutesey Ditto. She really wanted that piece of cake. But it was the last one available! Seria was about to point out that one...

[Amanda Dupomme]

SPOILER: Click to show

{''Excusez-moi, pourrais-je avoir le Ditto gâteau de framboise?''}
''Excuse me, could I have the Ditto Rasberry Cake?''

Amanda smiled, handing over a small wad of cash in exchange for the delicious smelling cake: watching intently as it was expertly wrapped in a small package.

SPOILER: Click to show

{''Ici vous allez mademoiselle, bon appétit!''}
''Here you go miss, enjoy!''

The cashier replied in kind, nodding politely, before turning to the other customers. Beaming proudly, she delicately picked up the parcel. While she had been ecstatic to arrive in Hoenn, wanting to see the new sights and sounds. She did find herself missing a few aspects of Kalos. The architecture was different, for one.

Furthermore: the presence of boutiques and cafe's, while existent: simply was not quite the same. It had been her pleasant surprise when she had discovered this small place. With a Kalosian staff, no less! Even more: she had managed to find some of her favorite cake, a delicacy she hadn't expected to taste for many months. With a happy sigh, Amanda slowly turned to move for the door, intent on finding a lovely spot to savor her rare find.

[Seria Floria]

It took some time for Seria to realize, but somebody was speaking in a mostly foreign language to her, but she quickly managed to figure out what she meant when the cashier literally took the Ditto cake and packaged it neatly, before giving it to... a girl. "Aww, dangit! I wanted that one..." Seria groaned as she decided just to settle for some tea, letting the cashier know which tea precisely she wanted, before sighing with intense disappointment. The cashier suggested alternatives and was generally being kind about the situation, but Seria shook her head. She recalled something in said language that her parents used to often say (her parents having been to Kalos themselves) and here she said it - "C'est la vie..."

Seria took the cup of tea she asked for, after paying for it, and stepped away to look at the girl who took the cake. "Tell me how that tastes, okay? I totally wanted that, but you got the last one."

[Amanda Dupomme]

The young mademoiselle blinked in surprise, not having expected anyone to approach her.

''Pardon?'' She queried, turning to face whomever had called her out. The girl seemed familiar, possibly from class or some place around the school. Recalling the same girl had been near her when she had ordered, Amanda realized she must be referring to the package in her hand.

''Je suis désolé, I wasn't aware someone else wanted this!'' she smiled, politely nodding in an apologetic fashion. ''Had I known you wanted this, perhaps I should have ordered something else.''

It was a half-truth, while indeed the ideal reaction for a lady would have been to take the last choice; Amanda briefly wished the other girl had not called out. Being put on the spot, she now had to do something she knew was not desirable. But it was needed, especially as the other girl seemed so very disappointed.

''Perhaps... we could share the cake, I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of something this delicious.'' Amanda smiled, a soft ladylike expression. ''After all, it is a moderately sized gâterie, I'm certain we could both enjoy it?''

It really wasn't that large, but it was the only proper thing that Amanda could do.

[Seria Floria]

Seria blinked as upon further inspection, the girl who took the last Ditto cake was actually someone from the academy. She apologized and said she didn't know someone else wanted it. Which was fair enough, and partly on Seria too, for she had no idea somebody was in front of her in line. As the girl offered to share the cake, Seria had a big grin on her face. "Wow, you'd really offer to share? I mean, I'd probably only ask for a tiny bite-sized bit... Or two..." Seria nodded, she felt somewhat guilty for pointing it out to her attention at this rate, but she really wanted that cake, like, really-really-really wanted it. The cake also was totally not-moderately-sized, so that made Seria feel a bit worse.

"After all, you got it, so... Um, you know what, let's go find a place to sit, first." Seria smiled and fidgeted.

[Amanda Dupomme]

Amanda smiled and gestured towards the door, beckoning for the other girl to follow.
''Eat as much as you want, a lady should always share with those who desire, and it isn't like there will never be another opportunity for more.''

Pushing the door ajar, she kept it open for the other girl to pass first, although in doing so she remembered. ''My name is Amanda Dupomme, by the way. And if you would, I happen to know of a lovely little picnic spot not far from here. The weather outside today is quite lovely, and perhaps we could eat there?'' She explained.

[Seria Floria]

Seria smiled back and blushed a little at the sheer politeness and kindness of this young lady. Well, Seria thought she was a young lady. She was certainly one befitting of such a character. As she passed first, she caught the name of the girl, Amanda Dupomme, it was. She also mentioned of a good picnic spot that wasn't very far from here. Seria actually had a disposable cup of tea, which was good, but that was all she had. "My name is Seria Floria, and it's a pleasure to meet you!" Seria blurted out nicely after she had stepped out of the establishment.

"We could certainly eat at that picnic spot! I'm grateful for the opportunity." Seria simply replied. Wow, she's so elegant and stuff. Like a real lady! And she's very pretty too. Seria blinked as she took a better look at Amanda. Seria felt a little bit inferior in front of her, simply because Seria had never been treated that way or raised that way before. She was simply a 'weirdo.' And one could say she was an airhead. But that's besides the point.

"That said, please lead the way! After all, you are the one who mentioned this spot."

[Amanda Dupomme]

''Mais oui, this way!''

As they walked towards the picnic spot, making small talk. Amanda looked Seria over. The other girl seemed like a very nice person indeed. The company: while unexpected, was turning out to be much more pleasant than she would have anticipated. That Miss Floria was quite appealing to look at, well that made it even better. Really, with the name and her appearance: Amanda felt that brunette very much reminded her of something nice and natural: like a very pretty flower.

Soon, they approached a small shaded plaza, fitted with several benches and tables to sit at. Yet, sparsely populated as most people seemed more inclined to dine within the restaurants and cafes themselves. Gesturing to one of the unoccupied benches: Amanda smiled at the other girl.

''Ici, please: take a seat!'' she invited, gracefully seating herself opposite where she had pointed. The packaged treat swiftly being brought out of her purse and placed delicately onto the table.

''Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?'' she questioned.

[Seria Floria]

Seria nodded as she followed Amanda's lead, and it seemed that the destination was a small shaded plaza, which had several benches and tables. Because there weren't many people here - probably due to the propensity of people to eat indoors - it made it all more quiet and tranquil, which Seria most certainly could appreciate. She smiled and nodded approvingly of the scene. Eventually, Amanda pointed out a place where they would sit, and Seria sat there, whilst the other girl sat opposite. Yes, now that Seria could get a better look at Amanda's face, she could tell that the blonde girl was very well-mannered and quite refined.

She asked Seria to talk about herself for a while. And so, she obliged. "Well... I'm from Sinnoh. Eterna City. My parents are very much into the Legendary Pokemon, so I had to study them, too. I want to meet one of them someday, but a lot of people tell me it's an impossible dream. I joined this academy in the hopes of learning what it takes to become a real trainer so I can prove them wrong and make my dream a reality," Seria said, taking a sip of her tea. "So because of my upbringing, I know quite a bit about Pokemon mythology and folklore. Anyways, that's pretty much me in a nutshell, eheh... And I'd like to get to know you better too! If you don't mind!"

[Amanda Dupomme]

Sitting gracefully, Amanda smiled and listened carefully as Serina spoke: finding it all quite interesting. Meeting legendary Pokemon was quite a lofty goal, and while she would guess that certain people might dismiss is as fantasy. Her own studies into the history of her town and region showed her quite how intertwined special Pokemon were with the hallmarks of history. Perhaps not quite as divine as some records would show, but still rare and more powerful than most that existed. The interest in mythology and folklore, however: now that was interesting.

''Certainly an impressive goal, I wish you all the best in achieving it!'' she giggled, admiring Serinas passion. ''And well, what is there to say about me...'' she continued:

''I am from the Kalos region myself, Camphrier town to be more precise. Perhaps you have heard of it? Yes, it's quite a historic location within the region: lots of traditions and events, adjacent to the grand palace and the Battle Chateu. I must confess: I am quite fond of historic studies from growing up there: when you have all these old traditions, I suppose they do rather influence you.'' She sighed cheerfully, closing her eyes as she made a few small gestures with her hand. ''I spent a lot of time around around historic places, actually: even got involved in plenty of the events that my town hosted. Although sometimes I feel like I act a bit more archaic than most fourteen year-olds.''

Placing her hands back in her lap: Amanda nodded slightly. ''I came here for much the same reason as you, actually. Partly in learning more about Pokemon, and to expand my knowledge of history to a more encompassing scale!''

[Seria Floria]

Amanda mentioned that she was from Kalos, and actually, Seria had never been there, so she doesn't really know a whole lot, just what her parents told her about the region. Camphrier Town certainly would be a place her parents had been to, being a hallmark of Kalosian tradition and culture. It also struck Seria as very interesting and she became intrigued. She was listening attentively to Amanda, and became more interested in being friends with her after she mentioned that she was here for mostly the same reasons as Seria herself. Also, she was fourteen, which made Seria older than her by a couple years. This kind of surprised Seria, because Amanda seemed so mature and elegant for someone so young.

"That's wonderful. I've never been to Kalos, though my parents have, so I know only very little about the area. It would be great if I could learn more about that region from you; you seem very knowledgeable too about it, even though you are only fourteen! I am actually sixteen, myself, so it is pretty surprising for me. A pleasant surprise, no less!" Seria smiled.

[Amanda Dupomme]

Amanda giggled, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. ''A pleasant surprise you say? Why is that, might I ask?'' she smiled: leaning slightly forward. She herself hadn't expected Seria to be older than her, not that she particularly minded, age had little to do with most things. Indeed, some of the most mature people she had met were quite young, whereas older individual could be less so. Regardless: it wasn't often that people asked her about Kalos. Even when she had been younger: tourists in Camphrier were usually more interested in taking photographs and taking part in festivities; rather than learn the history itself. That was fine, overall: any appreciation for the things that she loved were enough to bring a smile to her face.

But yet, the opportunity to actually discuss it at length was a truly exciting prospect!

''Well... there really is an extensive amount of history to discuss regarding the Kalosian region: but if you don't mind, I would like to tell you about one of the traditions in my hometown of Camphrier...'' She began, pausing to withdraw a Pokemon ball from her purse. With a quick press of the button; the Pokemon inside: Shabboneau, was released!

Present Pokemon: 

''You see...'' she continued: ''the Snorlax line of Pokemon is quite famous in my town. History has it, that when the town was first built: a Snorlax would visit us. The Snorlax was always quite friendly, and the townspeople would give it food, only for it to eat so much that it would fall asleep!''

Amanda giggled, lost in the mental image. ''Of course, we couldn't have a large Pokemon sleeping in the middle of our town. So the Lord Shabboneau at the time: commissioned a special flute that could be played, awakening the Pokemon from it's slumber. It worked quite well, except for the next year, the Snorlax once again returned!''

She sighed happily, leaning back: ''The situation repeated itself again: and then every single time the Snorlax would fall asleep, the current Lord Shabboneau would play the flute and awaken it. Since then, this has become a very important tradition in Camphrier, and we have a grand festival every year! It was my favorite thing when I was a girl, enough that I chose little Shabboneau ici as one of my starters.''

[Seria Floria]

Seria nodded attentively as Amanda soon began to share a little story regarding her hometown of Camphrier. At some point, she sent out one of her Pokemon, which was a Munchlax. It was the baby form of Snorlax, a large Pokemon said to only eat and sleep, and do... pretty much nothing else. Apparently, this line of Pokemon was famous due to a historical event that took place during the town's establishment. A Snorlax would visit. It was friendly, and so the townsfolk did feed it, to the extent that it camped there. And that led to the creation of the "PokeFlute" as Seria recognized it in Kalos. So, it appeared that there's some story as to the origin of the PokeFlute. Or was it just one origin story? Seria was quite intrigued by this.

"That's actually pretty fascinating," Seria said softly, nodding approvingly. "So it's actually possible to craft PokeFlutes after all. I had heard stories of such an instrument that is capable of waking up anything from its slumber. But I honestly had no idea that it was possible to create something so exquisite. I'm really quite glad you shared this story to me. I like learning new things and tidbits about how wonderful this world is." Seria nodded and smiled to nobody in particular.

"The lil' Munchlax looks adorable, too."

[Amanda Dupomme]

Amanda nodded enthusiastically. ''That's right!''

''Poke-Flute crafting is actually quite a known artform in the Kalos region: but for the better part: the flutes are usually decorative and do not differ from the average musical instrument. The actual one used for the Snorlax ceremony is an heirloom, and has been passed down for generations!''

Curiously, Amanda bit her lower lip: recalling something she had once read. ''If I am not mistaken, however: I do believe I once heard of a certain flute crafting establishment here in the Hoenn region. Rumor has it that they can also craft special flutes not unlike the one used to awaken Snorlax. This is all rumor, of course!''

With a smile, Amanda reached for her purse once more. ''Of course, here I am talking nonstop, perhaps we could eat that cake, no? I'll just... wait...''

Frowning, Amanda plopped the purse into her lap, rummaging through it. For some reason, it was no longer there. Giggling, she recalled how she had placed the cake on the table. The table that was now also occupied by a Munchlax.

With a groan, Amanda turned to where she had placed the treat, and indeed: all that remained were a few pieces of wrapping paper, and a very satisfied looking Munchlax.

''Oui...'' she stated, monotone. ''Très adorable.''

[Seria Floria]

Seria noddled as she paid attention to Amanda's own thoughts on the matter, and when she mentioned Hoenn, Seria smiled. "That place is real, let me tell you! My parents and I took me there, it's near Fallarbor Town--" Seria blinked as she just mentioned the name 'Fallarbor Town.' Oh, that was where Tanya came from. I'm so dumb for not realizing that I'd have been to that part before on vacation! "...Fallarbor Town, yes! There's a place there which collects the ashes that fall in that part of the region, and then uses them to craft colored flutes that make different sounds and do different things! My parents wouldn't let me bring the one they had made as a souvenir though, or I'd show you!"

Soon, Seria blinked as Amanda began to reach into her purse to get the cake. Well, the cake which no longer existed, as the Munchlax pretty much just ate it. Seria blinked again, but didn't seem upset that it happened. Instead, she started laughing. "Oops. I guess we got carried away and let the lil' cutie get it all for himself! Shall I go back and get another one for us? It's the least I can do."