To say this new floor was eerie was an understatement, but that's what Ziun saw with it. An eerie forest with four paths and eerie lights at the end of each... They had been deliberating what direction they should go, once they got their bearings straight that is. However, Ziun would notice (then again, he was sure the others did too), the shadowy figure on the path in front... and it seemed... to be getting close? He couldn't tell outright... but it was creepy to say the least. With deliberations finally done... they agreed with going left, to which Ziun started ushering them along. "I'd prefer not to stick around and see whatever that figure is... let's just keep moving along." The left path wasn't a straight one, by any means, no it was more winding. But it was big enough to have them walk side by side if so desired. Regardless, it was after a bit that they embarked on the left path... sounds were heard... and thumps from behind. Upon further investigation, there were now corpses that fell from the tree branches... and were now getting up. "...I don't know what I expected at this point." Ziun sighed, moving slightly to prepare an attack. "But alas, I don't think tree corpses were on my list of enemies today... then again, neither were half of them." With that, he cast an Acid Splash on the shambling corpses, which did do damage, but alas... they started to lurch forward towards them. "Okay then, perhaps this then..." Ziun proceeded to cast a few icicles that were launched and hit the corpse's legs. They had ice in their legs now and stumbling, but still on they marched. Ziun clicked his tongue in disapproval, seeing this be the case. He sighed and turned towards his allies, clapping his hands. "So, new suggestion: Shall we out run them?"

Quinn did not realize how much hir legs had gotten used to the constant motion of the boat, and it took a few seconds -- okay, more than a few seconds. Minutes, really -- to reacquaint Quinnself with dry land again, to the point that they had to waddle over to a dockside bench and sit on it for quite a while. If not for the fact that she might have been poked back up to activity -- by Cassiopeia or anyone else -- Quinn might have made like Belladonna and collapsed right there on the dock. What had made this different from xyr arrival to the region, Quinn wondered? Was it simply the type of boat? Or perhaps the act of signing faer name on the interior of the ship had affected his ghostly self. Quinn had joked about immortality, of leaving something behind on the material plane forever. They had not considered the consequences of such an act! Quinn slumped in zir seat, slipping down the bench until Quinn’s back was where his butt was supposed to go, looked up at the sky, and sighed. Despite eir malaise, things were looking up in the friends department. Pisces had proven himself to be a valuable ally. Quinn was going to remember the first time the Goldeen had discovered his affinity for water, unleashing a Water Pulse at just the right moment to catch both the enemy Pokémon and its trainer off guard, quite fondly for weeks to come, a battle so remarkable that any attempt to describe it on a page would surely fail. Plus, Jacklyn and Annelise had agreed to join Bridget and Quinn on their adventures, having just lost a member of their own party. It was refreshing to know that it was not something that only happened to Quinn. Cassiopeia had gotten stronger, too. It was not any sort of outwardly observable strength, but Quinn knew her better than anyone and could see it in her eyes. It was an intangible quality, something to be seen only in how Cassiopeia observed the world around her, how she sized up her competition, or how, in this very moment, she yanked on Quinn’s hand, telling Quinn however she could to get over this vertiginous spell and get a move on. “Alright! Alright! You silly balloon,” Quinn said, using whatever counterweight Cassiopeia could provide to help pull zymself back to its feet. The world felt much more stable now, and Quinn went off to continue his adventure into Korova’s mainland proper. There were so many new things to see! Quinn’s hometown of Eterna City had its label, of course, but it was so old and run-down that sometimes Quinn felt that the name needed to be reevaluated. Skrelp Harbor had clear signs of age as well, of course, but the fact that its history was unknown to Quinn made such wear and tear exciting instead of melancholic. Bridget had suggested meeting at the Pokémon Center, but those buildings were all the same. No, the lighthouse had attracted everybody else’s attention, and as Quinn caught up with the group, she saw that it was not just Quinn’s group that had found the landmark fascinating. It did not feel quite the same as the Malamar statue Quinn, Bridget, and Nathaniel had encountered, but it might as well have, the way Quinn desired to get closer. Quinn weaved through the crowd, pushing where he could. Bridget had gotten the same idea, going so far as to knock on the door. The response from the crowd only piqued Quinn’s curiosity further, and judging from Bridget’s face, she seemed to recognize the synchronicity as well. But it also seemed Bridget did not notice her own ghostly companion in the crowd, turning the other way and heading off. Quinn had to run after Bridget and tug on the back of her shirt. “I heard you express curiosity about the ethereal,” Quinn said, staring up at Bridget. It was a statement of fact. They both knew what was coming next.

The number of people Bridget was adventuring with changed an awful lot in her short time in Korova. While she'd initially come here with a few other students from her university at first, soon she was on her own. Then she joined up with Quinn and Nathan, only for the latter to leave not long after. He had his own reasons, surely. But now, the very next day, over the course of a ferry ride, she and Quinn found themselves upgrading from a duo of girl and ghost to an entire quartet of ghost and more girls. And that fish smell was left behind on the other side of the ferry ride, too. That was nice. "Oh, I know what that is! Though, goodness don't you think it looks a little....rundown?" "A bit." "I don't know about run down, but it's definitely not as impressive as the harbor from back home." Jacklyn had taken the words right out of Bridget's mouth. She loved a good harbor as much as the next person, and given the geography it made sense Skrelp Harbor could only be so big. Still, it was no Hulbury. But that was besides the point. "But, that's besides the point. The real point is... we're on the mainland! Now our adventure can really truly begin and we can take Korova by storm to become its champion! And well, now we're a proper adventuring party too. They do say four is an ideal size for one. Though I think I've also heard of the five man band. Well whatever, happy to have you both join our group. Now, let's get adventuring!" "Happy to join," Bridget smiled in return. From her perspective, it looked more like they joined the group of her and Quinn, but that was kind of splitting hairs. The end result was the same either way. Jacklyn had proposed that the team find something interesting to do here now that they were on the Korovan mainland, and Bridget couldn't agree more. After some roster changes, a brief crisis, and a quick ferry ride, it was time for the adventure to really begin. And with that, Bridget left a friendly wave behind as she stepped forth, answering the call of adventure, in the name of science. "Let's meet up at the Pokémon Center later, yeah?" she called behind her. Immediately, the first thing that stood out to Bridget was the lighthouse. They were good landmarks and an important part of any harbor, obviously, but she had other ideas. The tops were good vantage points, and now that she was here, she wanted to get a good look at what lied on the road ahead. If she could get access to the top, of course. As Bridget approached the crowd, she did notice there were others taking pictures in front of it. Probably not local, if they were taking pictures. Annaliese was right though. It did look a bit run-down. Probably wouldn't hurt to ask about that while she was here, depending on how the conversation went. But that meant getting the conversation started, and there would be one if Bridget had any say in the matter. The best way to learn about a place was to ask the people in it. And the best way to get the attention of those people... Stepping past the people taking pictures, Bridget strolled right up to the door of the lighthouse, before giving it a few firm knocks. "'Scuse me! I've got a few questions 'bout the lighthouse!" That elicited a wave of laughter from the crowd. They must have known something she didn't. Now, Bridget was a fairly patient girl, but people laughing over someone not being in the know on something never failed to grind her gears. Most of all when it was her who was out of the loop. Thankfully, one helpful stranger from the crowd at least filled her in on what was apparently so funny. "Nobody in there to answer you young lady. Cept maybe the ghosts." "Only ghosts, huh?" Bridget's face immediately shifted from embarrassed to confident with that information. Now that was a perfect lead. She'd show them. Or at least, she'd get someone else to help her show them. And she knew just the person. And knowing them, he'd probably end up here sooner or later anyway. "Right, jus' 'appens I know someone knows a fing or two 'bout ghosts, so we'll come back to ask 'em all my questions." And so Bridget turned, intent to come back to the lighthouse when she was in more qualified company. No dramatic flair, no other remarks, just the confidence that she was going to win this extremely petty non-fight.