The Perils of Culture Shock (Morgana)

[Garchomp]

This was...

Well, to put it simply, this was not good. Makya growled, the feeling of clawing up the road she was standing on quite acute, as sharp as one of her claws.

She had meant to take an alley into another alley, and from there eventually claw her way up a building and progress by rooftops. That seemed to work well enough so far. So few humans seemed to ever look up, which was only better for her. She could push away the itch for a fight, the nagging desire to dispel her own fears and doubts, and just move across the cities that seemed to crop up everywhere in certain areas. Like here, where it sprawled forever. That sprawl was what had started this problem, really.

She had thought this alley led to another alley. It was supposed to. Her whole plan had been built on that simple fact - but she had managed to walk into a well-used road by accident and something had moved at her and she had thought it was a threat and -

Well, now there was a screaming human and some kind of strange bicycle torn in half and gushing what smelled like oil. The human kept screaming even though she hadn't even touched him and he was barely bruised. It was frustrating, but what was more so was that she was causing a scene. More people were gathering around, gasping and pointing and pulling out phones, and that meant she would soon find herself in worse than just a noisy crowd. Roaring - it silenced them for a second - she darted off in a random direction, hearing the noise start up again as soon as she moved. Heedless of actual navigation, she just went for the closest street.

Surely there had to be some quieter place to lose all this attention in? Even in a city like this, a tunnel or a park or a graveyard - anything would do!

[Morgana Pendragon]

These people of...'New York City' almost seemed like an entirely different species than the people of Camelot. Where Camelot's citizens valued quiet in tranquility, these people seemed to invent new ways to make noise every day. Where Camelot's people took pride in their city, New York's seemed to have an utter lack of regard for the place they lived in - throwing trash in the streets, filling the air with smoke and fumes from their vehicles, pushing and shoving and calling one another spiteful names as they passed. They thought they were so efficient with their modern technology, but watching them as she had over the past several days, Morgana honestly couldn't see how these people ever managed to accomplish anything. As long as none of them caused her any trouble, however, she didn't have too much of a problem with staying in New York for a little while longer. As obnoxious as the city was, it was full of people - which also meant that it was full of information. She wanted to take the opportunity to learn as much as she could about this world before she dared leave this city and see what existed beyond it.

While she was out trying to navigate the city streets that day, however, her attention was drawn by the commotion that seemed to be occurring nearby. A crowd of people had gathered, and were making a bit of an uproar...which, in any world, tended to mean only one thing: there was trouble. It took a moment for her to pinpoint exactly what the source of this trouble was - and when she finally did, it was a moment more before she could fully bring herself to believe it.

That was a dragon running through the street - a real, live dragon! All Morgana had ever heard were stories about the ancient race of creatures - her sister, Morgause, had spoken of them occasionally, and when Morgana had curiously prompted her further she'd been given the information she wanted. It was said that dragons were intelligent, powerful creatures, to be both feared for their strength and respected for their wisdom. But Uther was said to have wiped them out ages ago, during the period in which he'd attempted to purge the land of all things linked to magic. It was just another wrongdoing to add to his long, long list - but now was not the time to think scornful thoughts; there was a dragon in New York City. Judging from the people's already panicked reactions, this wasn't going to end well unless the dragon found a way to escape. This particular dragon, whatever sort it was, didn't appear to have wings, so Morgana assumed that flying was out of the question. Her first instinct told her to help it, but how could she?

Well. The first logical step seemed to be to get it away from prying eyes, at least, since she did not know of a way out of the city. Morgana scanned the streets before her with a frown, and then spotted something that might work: a wide set of stairs that descended into darkness; a tunnel that seemed to run beneath the city. That was...odd, and Morgana had to wonder what its purpose might be, but for now it didn't matter. It would serve its purpose. Slipping into a narrow alleyway and concealing herself in shadow, she murmured the incantation of the teleportation spell under her breath, disappearing and reappearing seconds later in an alleyway closer to the tunnel, some ways ahead of the dragon still. Stepping out as the dragon neared, though she took care not to maneuver directly into its path just in case it didn't feel like stopping, Morgana attempted to get the dragon's attention. "Quickly! In here!" she hissed, gesturing to the tunnel a little ways ahead. It was said that dragons were capable of human speech, and she prayed that this was the case - and that this dragon would listen to her first and ask questions later - now.

[Garchomp]

It was a madcap dash. Makya was rather good at those, and she longed to move faster, just leap and tuck in her fins and fly - but that would make her more remarkable, and besides, moving so quickly was dangerous. What if she hit one of those vehicles? It was just metal and plastic and other human-made things, chemical and fragile enough to her own strength. She could hurt someone.

Such an accident wasn't a fight, and training had ingrained in her the reflex to be careful with humans, to never lash out because she risked killing or hurting them. Thus, though she hurtled forward at an impressive speed to human eyes, she held back quite a bit, lest she do something she regret again.

The Garchomp skidded, gouging a few marks in the concrete, as a human spoke to her. That, rather than shock or screams, was unusual enough, and the words - a way out? Why was she helping her? It didn't make sense, but then, this world didn't seem to make sense in general. She didn't bother to look back - she could tell the humans on the street were recovering, moving after her or calling others, and that this chance was likely the only one she would be getting. Perhaps the tunnel led out of the city? But regardless, it was underground and thus a little more her element.

Heartened, she hissed a curt thanks at her unlooked for aid, shoving away the dragon impulse to scorn such a hint. The superiority of her type had its flaws, as all things did - and right now she was hardly in her element to begin with. Spotting no obstructions along the way, she darted forward, ignoring the stairs in favour of just leaping down the entire flight. Landing heavily, the Pokemon straightened, casting a look around - but this place was a mystery to her, the tunnel stretching on in both directions, with some strange ditch taking up most of it. Faintly, she felt vibrations, but all the tunnel was more cold concrete, not stone or packed earth. Of course, no problem to her claws, but she needed to figure out which way was out first.

There was still the problem of visibility - this area was darker, and echoing, but there were still people. She moved into the shadows of a pillar, hunching to look less spiky and finned and utterly conspicuous, and stared back up at the stairs. No one had followed her down yet....

Perhaps this would even work.

[Morgana Pendragon]

Some of the tension eased from her shoulders as, after skidding to a halt, the dragon actually seemed to listen to her - she hadn't been certain whether it would just ignore her, or whether it might be in too much of a hurry to even hear her anyway. Morgana cast a brief glance around the street once the dragon was safely out of sight. Most people seemed to be in some state of confusion or shock, some of them even panicking somewhat - but so far, none of them were making towards the tunnel, and with any luck that meant that they hadn't seen where the dragon had gone. And hopefully, they wouldn't be figuring it out any time soon - dragons certainly didn't just disappear in the middle of a city, but there were plenty of alleyways this one could have headed down for them to check instead...weren't there?

She hesitated for only a moment, debating her next course of action. She did not know where this tunnel led, or whether anything else was down there - but if there was, it hardly felt right leaving the dragon to face it alone. Not when she'd suggested the tunnel as a means of escape in the first place. And beyond that, Morgana was simply curious. She'd never encountered a dragon face-to-face before, and the thought of doing so made her a little wary - though intelligent, they weren't tame creatures, after all. Even so, before her was an opportunity to gain knowledge. She could not walk away. Squaring her shoulders and attempting to seem as casual as she could, as if she wasn't following a dragon down a dark tunnel, Morgana glanced briefly over her shoulder before cautiously heading down the stairs.

It occurred to her, briefly, to cast some sort of illumination spell - but as she descended, she realized that wherever this tunnel led had its own source of artificial light, though most of the area around the stairs was still cast in shadow. It was there, behind one of the pillars, that she spotted the dragon crouching - hiding, no doubt, from the other people who seemed to inhabit this tunnel as well. Whatever this place was, it was still populated - though not nearly as crowded as the city above. Morgana paused for a moment, and then slipped towards the dragon's position, trying to remain unnoticed by passersby. As she moved into the shadows and paused a safe few yards away, she lowered her head briefly and murmured a quick incantation under her breath. Her eyes glowed golden briefly, as they always did when magic manifested - and there was a slight rustling as the air seemed to stir briefly.

A cloaking spell. It would divert the other humans' attention away from this area, at least for awhile. If they wanted to move, if they were to attempt to escape - well, she'd have to think of something else. And now she found herself uncertain of how, exactly, to address a dragon. She looked up to regard it with caution, not daring to move any closer. There was a pause - and then, quietly, Morgana spoke. "They will not notice you now," she stated uncertain of whether or not the dragon would recognize the brand of magic she'd used. "Not as long as you stay here." She cast a brief glance out at the people crowding together, deeper into the tunnel. Confusion clouded her gaze briefly - things like this, aspects of the modern world - well, they made little sense to her. But a dragon was even more out of place here than she was, and it was as that thought struck her that she returned her attention to said dragon, brow furrowed in thought. "How did you get here?"

[Garchomp]

Her helper descended into the darkness as well, and Makya shrank back a little more, watching her progress. For a human, she certainly wasn't scared or stupid - she noticed her and then approached, but stooped a good distance away. Far enough that the Dragon-type would have to leave the relative safety of the shadows if she lunged.

Not that she wanted to, but it certainly minimized the possibility of attacking.

There was a shift in the air - like a vibration but not - that drew her attention back to the woman, just as she began to talk. She tilted her head, not willing to come any closer. So she was hidden, somehow - that was interesting, but required no actual acknowledgement or speech. Lashing her tail, she tentatively straightened, no longer huddling behind the pillar, and... no one noticed. No screaming, no crowds flinching back or milling around in panic - it was quite satisfying and nostalgic, to not have everyone treat her with so much fear. Of course, she knew she was intimidating, but that sort of respect was different than instantly being assumed to be some ravening monster.

Not being noticed was, for at least a while, better than that. Stepping out fully from the pillar, she stretched and arched her neck, shaking herself, and then glanced back at her unforeseen helper. She owed her something for that hint... snorting, she turned back to the pillar and leaped at it, claws digging into the smooth surface and effortlessly clinging to it. From this position, she peered out at the rest of what she now dimly recognized as some sort of station. A few such had existed in Sinnoh, but her trainer had not frequented them.

"Walked," she rasped in response, and looked back down at the human. Humans were curious - surely this one would have more questions ready.

[Morgana Pendragon]

The dragon had walked here. That itself was unusual, but then again this particular dragon didn’t seem to have wings. Perhaps none of the dragons in this world did, perhaps they were vastly different from the ones Morgana knew - right now, it didn’t really matter either way. It didn’t appear as though she needed to worry about the dragon attacking her, either – at least not for the present. It seemed much more concerned with climbing the pillar to get a better look at their surroundings than lunging at her, and if it had any immediate hostility towards humans Morgana supposed it would have attacked her already – or gone after one of the people outside instead of running from them. She relaxed a little but remained where she was, currently more concerned with studying the dragon than their surroundings. Morgana wasn’t even sure what to make of where they’d ended up; she hadn’t realized the people here in this city made a habit of building things underground.

She paused a moment, her expression still one of cautious curiosity. Continuing the conversation seemed safe enough, at this point, and there were still so many things she wanted to know. “There are still dragons in this world, then?” Morgana voiced the part-question, part-realization plaguing her thoughts aloud. This world was indeed very different than the one she was accustomed to, and up until now she’d simply assumed that all of those differences were bad. But this…if there were dragons here, then perhaps magic and those who used it were not quite so heavily prosecuted as they were in Camelot. The idea that she might not need to hide so desperately here felt unreal to her. Uther had executed anyone who’d even shown inclination towards magic – which was why he’d made sure dragons, being creatures of magic themselves, were wiped off the face of the earth.

Then again, the people outside had reacted to this dragon with fear, bewilderment, and confusion. Not only with the fear of civilians whose home was being invaded by a fearsome creature, but with the panic of people who clearly had no idea what was going on. Perhaps things were not so different here after all. She shook the familiar bitterness away and went on to elaborate a little. “I was…surprised to see you at all, let alone in a city populated by humans. In my own land, your kind are all but extinct.” she said, frowning faintly. It felt almost shameful to admit, that the people of Camelot – and especially their king – had been driven to such lengths by their fear and hatred and misunderstanding. Perhaps it was a good thing that this dragon was unlike any she’d ever heard of in Albion. If it hailed from the same place she did, it might have been decidedly more resentful towards any human it encountered.

[Garchomp]

If there was anything humans were good at, it was talking. Makya listened intently, though a little of it she couldn't quite understand. Dragons were extinct in the other's land? She probably meant in her own world, if this place wasn't her land either - but it too was bereft of Pokemon.

Thinking about it too long made her feel strange, like a gaping hole had been torn in the universe that she forced herself to ignore most of the time. Being the only Pokemon around was... it made her feel like she was constantly being stared at, which was very much the case when she actually went through a city street. She wasn't one to go in search of company but it just felt wrong to be completely isolated like this. Drawing her attention back to the woman, she shook her head at the question, and peered out again at the station before jumping back down to the ground. The thud of her impact didn't turn any heads, and she let out a breath in grudging admiration of... whatever was going on.

"Not from here," she rasped at last. "Dragons in home but not... here." That was more than she had intended to say already, but she was nervous, and this person was helping her. It didn't mean she trusted her at all, but... something was owed for this strange protection.

She lowered her head to meet the other's eyes. "Why all dead?" She had simply assumed this place didn't have any of her kind because they had never existed here. The possibility of Pokemon or even just Dragon-types living and then just being all killed -

Who could even do something like that? Wholesale slaughter... it made her bristle, tension coiling and making her want to snap at something. But there were things to take care of, and she had no intention of pandering to her feelings right now.

"Need get out. Away from city," she hissed impatiently. "Will help?" There was a faint booming noise and the constant vibration of something approaching - doubtless one of those human vehicles was going to arrive soon. She hoped she wasn't around when it did - at that rate it sounded like its passage would give her a headache.

[Morgana Pendragon]

So this dragon was not from this world after all. Disheartening as it was to realize that this place had as little magic as she'd initially suspected, Morgana supposed this did explain why the people outside had been so utterly bewildered by this dragon's presence. But now Morgana understood that, like her, this creature had been pulled into a foreign world against its will. It was an overwhelming and bewildering experience - but though people often gave her odd looks simply because of the way she dressed and held herself and spoke, she imagined it was nothing to the sort of reaction a dragon would get - even in a place that wasn't as populated as this city. A brief frown crossed her features. This...was going to be difficult, once they made any move to leave and her spell broke. This tunnel was far more populated than she'd expected it to be, but short of blatantly trying to frighten everyone away, she didn't see much hope of remedying that.

But she was distracted from that line of thought momentarily, when the dragon further questioned the unfortunate state of things in Camelot. The subject made her tense visibly, the familiar anger seeping back into her mind. She hesitated only briefly before deciding to tell the truth. "Our king feared and despised dragons, and anything else associated with magic." The words felt almost heavy as she spoke them. In such a different setting, Uther's unreasonable cruelty sounded even more bewildering than it had in Camelot. "He had them all killed." Uther had been allowed to reign unchecked for far too long; if she'd had just a little more time she would have put her training to good use. She would have stopped him, since no one else seemed willing or able.

Unfortunately that was no longer possible, because she was here, not there. Morgana could not say for certain whether or not she'd ever see Camelot again, but until she did, she would have to put her plans on hold. Especially now, when there were more immediate, pressing matters to attend to. The rumbling noise that filled the tunnels, singling the evident approach of something very large, did little to ease her nerves. There was no telling what bizarre sort of thing this world would fling at them next, and Morgana wasn't sure she wanted to find out - but given the circumstances, she knew she had little choice.

She glanced back to the dragon again, and gave a brief nod. "I will." she confirmed. She had, after all, signaled the dragon into the tunnel, and followed it down afterwards. They were in this together, until she found some way to get the dragon out of the city. "But I do not know these tunnels." Morgana confessed after another moment, shifting slightly with unease. She wished she could offer to lead the dragon to safety with any real confidence, but she knew little about this world in its entirety, let alone these tunnels and where they might lead. "People are coming in through the entrance we just used - but only some of them are leaving that way. This tunnel must let out somewhere else, but...it is impossible to say where." Ultimately, they might just have to risk making a break for it and leaving the result to chance. The panic such a thing would cause was...regrettable, but Morgana wasn't sure they had very many other options.

[Garchomp]

Perhaps it would have been better if she had never asked. Though magic wasn't something she knew about much - except for some stories her trainer had told her, which she hasn't even really understood, that part didn't matter. The reason wasn't something that concerned her. It was the action itself.

A human had just... hated, and saw fit to kill every dragon. How? It wasn't fighting for the sake of something, to protect or eat or anything she could grasp. It was just senseless killing. A waste.

She had gone tense, growling softly and hunkering down, the better to bite or claw or just dig and get away from this strange, incomprehensible fact. That wouldn't help her now, though, and she had nothing to attack, nothing to fight. That felt wrong too - to know that something so terrible and wasteful had happened and not being able to do anything.

What she could do, however, was calm down - as much as possible, with no proper way to simply get rid of the tension and the cold, empty feeling that gnawed at her. Shaking her head quickly, she straightened up a little, and glanced around. The train was coming closer, the vibrations and sound bothering her more with every passing moment. But once it arrived, surely everyone here would get on it. Maybe she could follow after it on the tracks, too - tunnels were tunnels, after all, and eventually following one would lead her out and away from the mess aboveground.

"Something coming," she hissed. "When it comes, everyone should leave. When it leaves, will follow it out." And if the woman really wanted to help, then maybe she could also get into the train - that would be safer than just leaving her here, right?

Clearly, nothing in this hasty plan could go wrong.

[Morgana Pendragon]

It made sense - following these people in search of a way out. Surely none of them stayed down in these tunnels forever. The problem was, a dragon following them out could very easily be misinterpreted as...well...a dragon chasing them out. With few other options available to them, however, Morgana could only hope that whatever they were using to transport them out of the tunnel would somehow serve to keep the dragon out of the passengers' view. She hesitated briefly, peering out towards the crowd. As the rumbling of the approaching...whatever it was grew louder, the crowd seemed to shift and compact into one area - gathered around, clearly waiting.

"Whatever it is, it's approaching quickly." Morgana warned quietly. "If you're certain you'll be able to follow it..." But she'd seen this dragon just moments ago, racing through the city streets. She could guess it was capable of great bursts of speed - even if it couldn't fly, she would simply have to trust that it would be capable of keeping up.

The way the ground trembled slightly told her that whatever was approaching was big...but all the same, she hadn't quite prepared herself for the sight of it. No horses or oxen or other beasts of burden pulled it - it ran by itself, similar to the "cars" that were so common out on the streets of New York. But this was larger than any car. Much larger. Large enough to fit many people inside of it, which she supposed was the very point - still, she wasn't quite certain she trusted this sleek metal train that tore through the underground tunnels. Not that it mattered whether she trusted it or not. People were already beginning to prepare to board it as it slowed and neared, and they would need to act quickly if they didn't want to miss this opportunity.

"I..." Faint uncertainty made Morgana falter briefly, before she forced her doubts away and lifted her chin slightly. "I will board the...transport cart, and assist you in getting out of the tunnels once it stops." Wherever it stopped, that was - she still had no way of knowing. But she had to hope that it would lead to an immediate exit. "Once you leave this spot, they'll be able to see you - be careful." She somehow doubted she needed to tell the dragon to be careful, but the words slipped out automatically - not so much warning as wishing her newfound companion luck. Not permitting herself to hesitate any further, she darted forward into the crowd, slipping quickly past the men stationed nearby (who seemed to be monitoring who got in and out - they called out after her, but she paid them no mind) and shouldering her way forward and onto the train.

It was, predictably, crowded. Rather than scramble to find a seat, however, she instinctively clung to one of the metal poles scattered throughout the train- and prayed that this little impromptu plan would run smoothly.

[Garchomp]

For a human, this one was smart. Not only did she act quickly, she didn't ask too many questions, and even if she had seemed nervous about getting on the train, she did so without any faltering. Makya hung back, watching the metal doors slide closed and ignoring the shouts of the men monitoring it. Good. Her helper was inside, which meant... she was safe enough, and no one would pay any attention to her. Now all she had to do was wait for it to move....

And move it did, gathering speed after the initial lurch and rushing forward. The crowd had all but disappeared, and once she was sure the others were going back aboveground, the Garchomp took a few steps out of her hiding place, head raised and trying to track the vibrations of the ground. Nothing else was coming down the same tracks. Good.

All that was left was to follow it, and the faint sense of fresh air. Somewhere, these tunnels opened out onto the surface. And somewhere, they led out of the city. That was what she needed, and hopefully this would be straightforward enough.

Maybe if she had been human, she might have thought she was jinxing it, somehow cursing the endeavour by believing it simple - but she was a Pokemon and thus couldn't care less. Leaping down onto the tracks, she settled into a smooth and rather intimidating run, eating up the distance between herself and the train and maintaining a steady presence just behind it. She would get out of here. It would just take a little time.