{BTA]Fog-Touched Herbs

Melody had gotten the notice from Blackthorn's message that went out calling to those that would like to help. While she seemed iffy at first, Grimm seemed to gruff at her and Opal nuzzled her cheek. Both pokemon seemed to know that she was at an embassy and she gave them a smile instead. With a soft hand she moved it out and petted both of them, Grimm got her whole hand, while Opal was petted with a single finger. She clicked on the small button that said 'accept' and the details of the mission popped up on her screen. It was a dangerous one regardless and she would pack accordingly.

She grabbed her backpack which she didn't like to leave home without. Inside of it were survival items, there were a few bottles of water, and food bags that didn't go stale. Blankets, and a few small things, but on top of all that was the masks her and her pokemon would be wearing as a precaution. She learned her lesson to be careful and diligent and not to forget the time. She sat the alarm on her TD to go off at 8, just in case she stayed out too long again. Also in the bag were small zip bags in case she found anything she wanted to research and had strong gloves.

She looked at her pokemon and gave a smile, still a bit worried. "If I say we leave, we go alright? I would rather be safe than sorry, even if that means we don't complete the mission, alright?" 

Grimm tilted his head, as if thinking about the answer. Opal responded with a squeak of agreement, and Grimm finally popped in with a gruff of his own. It seemed they were all ready to get going at least. 

Melody smiled toward the three of them with a soft look and a hum, "And no chasing Opal this time, Grimm. This could be dangerous." 

With everything in order and nothing was missing, she pulled her backpack ove4 her shoulders and they walked out of Melody's house in Grovehart. They got a hover taxi and told them the destination. It was in the lower district, just on the outskirts where the fog can just barely touch the plants due to the beacon. Once there, Melody wirelessly paid her driver and told him what time to come back and pick her up. 

The three of them were left alone on the outskirts, and Melody could see the plants from a distance, there was some that seemed withered completely and a few that held odd ends, blackened and a bit of purple dust coming off of the tips, as if spores were being released from these herbs. She didn’t want to stop and think about just… what that could cause to pokemon that may consume it, let alone what could happen to humans if they did so as well. She gulped, and lowered her backpack to the ground. Grimm and Opal waited by her side, watching her curiously as she pulled out their masks. She placed Grimms’ on him first, and then did the small one for Opal, fashioned to fit around the needle-like point that made up her mouth, and lastly she pulled her own mask over her face. It was better to be cautious than to throw caution to the wind and she would never want to put her babies at risk, ever.

With their safety squared away, she pulled the protective rubber gloves over her hands, and hoisted her zipped up bookbag back onto her back. She let out a sigh, and started to walk forward, letting her pokemon know they could move forward as well. She gauged their reactions the closer they got, Grimm seemed to stand back a little, hesitant to move forward. While Opal was curious, but was wary of even sniffing the herbs in fear the spores released by the tips of the blades would enter into her system - even though her mouth and nose were covered by the mask among her face.

Melody lowered her body down, taking a few pictures with the TD of the area around the herbs and just wanted the herbs looked like as well. She took note that she didn’t see any current pokemon around the herbs either, she heard no birds, as if everything was in silence in fear of something, or there… wasn’t anything left alive here in this area. She couldn’t be certain and it was all speculation, but she would need to get these herbs back.

She didn’t just collect from one set of plants, she would take multiple specimens tagged and separated in each bag and always gathered by the gloves she wore on her hands. She was a little nervous to collect so many, but the more the merrier on the herbs right? She smiled, happy with her handiwork and looked at her pokemon.

“We got what we needed, we can return and send these off to the research facility.” 

Her pokemon seemed relieved and though Melody didn’t look bothered, she was also relieved to be ready to leave from this unsettling place. She didn’t like being near these herbs to say the least. 

She called the taxi back, since she got done a little earlier than expected, and with a smile she walked toward the vehicle, stepping inside of it before directing him to take her to the drop box, as she had the envelopes and things to send them off to the facility. She hummed afterwards heading home next, she couldn’t wait to get home and relax and love on her pokemon while watching some television. It seemed like a good way to end a job well done - she hoped that something could be discovered from these herbs, and she slightly… wanted to keep one of them to research on her own, but she knew better.

She did not have the right tools nor the space or safety measures to handle such an unknown and possibly unstable object.

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