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Sweets, Treats and Pokemon; Natura City - Golden Quarter
Topic Started: Oct 23 2014, 06:32 PM (507 Views)
Rhiann
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"Excuse me!"

The baa'ing of a sheep joined in with a woman's calling out, a large smile on her face as she waved a colourful pamphlet in the air; the others tucked away in the crook of her other arm. The Mareep at her feet had a large light blue bow in its puffy head fuzz, the tiny bells sewed into the bow's middle chiming and pinging as it moved its head to bleat.

"Please come to the Poke-Sweets Bakery!" The woman said in a happy go lucky voice, "We have treats that every Pokemon will love!"

Bleating once more, the Mareep took a flyer from the blonde woman and hopped over to the closest trainer, the Pokemon wagging her tail as she held the pamphlet up toward the trainer.

"We have samples too!"

The calling continued to ring out through Natura City's Golden Quarter; Emily's voice calling out through the shopping crowds.
Edited by Rhiann, Oct 24 2014, 05:54 PM.
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Vulpix Windchimes
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Elissa was not fond of crowds, particularly crowds of humans. This new plane suited her better than the previous one, and she had yet to face any of the cruelty here that she had suffered there, but that would never give her any love for these beings as a whole. She would have no part of them were she able, but they ran this world, like they had the last, like they had tried to with her homeland. She would never be free of them, it seemed.

Elissa was strolling through what they called the Golden Quarter of this city, hidden in the hooded cloak she'd taken to wearing in her previous home. Someone obscuring their face could earn strange looks, particularly during the day, but she would take it over them starting at the face itself. August, her mawile, was toddling about behind her, his long 'jaws' dragging on the ground and arms crossed across his chest in a way that made him look like a pouting child. Their wandering was largely aimless; it wasn't as if she had any money to spend, her old currency useless and many of her belongings left behind, what little of them she had. She was just trying to process how very large Natura Central truly was, and trying to figure out how things worked here. Just returning to her old tricks could spell her doom if she overlooked something important.

She had heard the calling of the woman in the crowd only vaguely, her voice blending in with all others even as Elissa strolled past her. However, it was the sight of something small and fuzzy, reminding her of her precious Lamb when she had still been, well, a lamb, that made her stop in her tracks. She looked down at the little mareep offering her a flyer, and her ears perked, causing a very slight movement in her hood that only someone watching closely would catch. Elissa gave only a moment's thought to her course of action before she cautiously knelt down, giving the little one a glimpse at the bright amber eyes within her hood.

One three-fingered hand with lilac-grey skin reached out to take the advertisement, her claws hidden away as if she had none at all, then the other moved to cautiously pat the wool on the mareep's head, careful not to mess up the bow. "Thank you," she said with her odd, buzzing voice, before she stood up again. She looked at the paper in her hand, advertising a bakery, and then looked up as she heard the words 'samples,' finally zeroing in on the mareep's owner.

Were those pointed ears?

Elissa openly stared, tilting her head to one side slightly, at a loss as to what to do with this information, if anything. August took a more direct approach and walked right up to the blonde woman with the pamphlets and looked up at her with an expectant expression, causing Elissa to hastily step forward to stand with him. "Sorry about him," she said to the stranger, adding to the little steel pokemon, "Don't harass her, August." He merely gave her another of his grouchy pouts in response; he wanted a treat!
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Curon Hifor

The Golden Quarter was just as bustling as always, with the various boutiques, shopping centers, specialist stores, and a whole plethora of trades and wares trying to compete for the attention of practically everyone that stepped into the district. Aside from the residential areas, this district seemed to be the most abuzz during the daytime hours, though to be fair, every district had its times of heavy traffic. Various voices called out, declaring their wares and deals, some handing out fliers, others just holding up signs of various levels of the elaborate. It was not uncommon for people to have their Pokemon with them in this particular district, most of them trying on (or showing off) different accessories or outfits for their companions--or in this case, letting their Pokemon help with the advertising.

Perhaps that was what caught Malcom's attention was a Mareep helping out with passing out fliers for another bakery in town. He wasn't sure if said Bakery was in this particular district or in the Verdant district; either one seemed to work well for locale, in all honesty. Baked goods weren't exactly what he was looking for really--his bird companions typically preferred various kinds of seeds or other sources of protein and nutrients--but it was enough to catch his attention, really. Seeing the Mareep handing a flier to a cloaked-and-hooded individual before said person approached the woman handing out fliers, a strange-looking Pokemon in tow.

The Pidgey on Malcom's shoulder let out a chirp, tilting its head to the side at an almost impossible angle, as if just as curious about the Pokemon as the young aide was. "Seems fairly exotic to me as well," he said off-handedly, pulling out his Pokedex. He had no idea if that was what Pidgey was really asking--it was not like he could talk to birds or anything like his mother seemed to be able to do--but a quick swipe of his finger and the Pokedex took a picture of the interesting pouting Pokemon.

"Marwile, the Deceiver Pokemon," the Pokedex said in its rather loud and digital voice, forcing Malcom to wince out of surprise and lower the volume significantly just to avoid drawing too many odd stares. "Attached to its head is a huge set of jaws formed by horns. It can chew through iron beams."

"Egad," Malcom said, looking down at the pouting Pokemon with an almost fearful look on his face. "Better stay away from those jaws, huh?" He said, looking over at his Pidgey out the corner of his eye, noticing the bird tilting his head the opposite direction, as if it could glean information from the opposite point of view. "Well, might as well be friendly," he said, reasserting his casual smile upon his face as he approached the woman, noticing the cloaked person say something down to the Mawile--August, was it?--before Malcom finally closed the distance to speaking distance.

"Hello there," he said cheerfully, his Pidgey flapping its wings a little at the sudden movement, lifting up off of Malcom's shoulder for a moment before landing upon the other one. "I don't believe I've seen either of you around here before. Name's Malcom," he said, nodding to both of the individuals before him. He adjusted his glasses with a finger before looking down at the Mawile and Mareep. "I see I'm not the only one who brings their companions along! Such interesting Pokemon!"
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Rhiann
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Used to people approaching her and her sheep companion, Emily took no notice to the pair that first walked up to her; thinking they were just another set of potential customers. That... and it was rude to stare. Working this job allowed Emily to see different types of Pokemon she had never seen before, almost as if she saw something new every day; even though she hadn't left Natura City yet. But that was bound to happen in time! Nerves get the best of even a happy go lucky person. Despite that, her smile stuck around... even as she looked down at the Mawile in curiosity.

The look on her face could only be described as a confused sense of curiosity.

Her attention was caught by the Pokemon's assumed trainer; seeing as she knew this Pokemon's name. Noticing that the cloaked woman had a flyer in her hand, the pointy eared woman beamed a smile at someone finally taking a flyer for the first time that morning.

"Are you interested?" She asked, not catching the apology, "In the store."

Despite not knowing many Pokemon at all; the look of a creature wanting a treat was unmistakeable... Emily was just confused where to hold the treat out to. Taking a small biscuit out of a basket hanging from the crook of her one arm's elbow, the woman bent her knees and held it out in her open palm. It was shaped like a small heart; covered in a very light blue and white icing. She waited for the Mawile to take the treat, standing back up afterward to face the hooded woman.

"We make our most popular treats with the dozens of berries found throughout the world." Emily started to explain, "The ones I have today have dried Oran berries chopped up in a lightly sweet biscuit with Oran berry juice flavoured icing. It's one of our most popular treats!"

Just as she was about to continue explaining further about the bakery and their products, her attention was turned to their latest addition to the conversation group. Noticing the bird on the man's shoulder, Emily gave it a quick wave. Taking another small cookie out of the basket, Emily held it toward the Pidgey. She had seen the birds of this world eat these before, but she had also seen many very picky Pokemon. These things sure were a mystery to her; even after numerous years.

"Of course Lily comes along with me!" Emily said, the smile on her face showing through her voice too, "She's all I have here!"

Despite the sad sounding words, there was not a hint of sadness in her voice at all. It was almost as if the pointed eared woman didn't mind having just a single Pokemon friend and that was all. It took her a moment to clue into his introduction though, looking embarrassed when she finally realized she should offer her name back.

"I um, I'm Emily."Emily said, a faint blush showing on her cheeks, "I work for a bakery here in the city."
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Vulpix Windchimes
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Elissa decided that she liked this woman the exact moment that she looked at Elissa's inhuman hands, gripping the flyer, and merely spoke to her about the bakery, reacting to neither them nor her strange voice. She couldn't assume that the other woman was an otherworlder like herself just yet--for all she knew, humans in this place simply occasionally had pointed ears--but she seemed to be one of the better people Natura could offer, so far, all the same. Elissa didn't answer aloud, but, after a moment's hesitation, she nodded her affirmative; she was curious, admittedly, about the establishment, even if she doubted she'd be able to visit it for some time.

August perked up when he was offered the delectable-looking treat, and he hastily snatched it up in his little hands and took a big bite, revealing that the real mouth was the one on his face while the massive, gaping jaws growing from the back of his head were just for show. He was oblivious to the talk going on afterward, absorbed in devouring the food, but Elissa listened quite attentively. Oran berries. She remembered those from the previous world, and the familiarity was moderately comforting, much how the existence of pokemon here had been.

Then a man entered the conversation, and Elissa became much less comfortable. The tiny, slender fae ducked her hooded head slightly and tucked her hands back under the cloak as she stepped away from him, eying him silently. His friendly tone made her dare to have some cautious optimism, and she would admit to finding the little bird with him charming, and she listened as he introduced himself and chattered about the pokemon. At being called 'interesting,' August looked over with icing on his face, and his fake jaws twisted as if they were 'looking' over his shoulder at Malcom; he couldn't attack with them in this position, but it still gave a very good view of his numerous, sharp metal horns. His eyes narrowed in irritation, making it clear that he was no more fond of the human man than his trainer he was.

It was Emily, however, who finally made Elissa decide to speak up. Not due to her introduction, but from her words before it. All she had. Even without sorrow in her voice, the words struck the hardened woman's stony heart. She remembered the first day, in the bone yard, when she'd just been a timid little girl who'd forgotten her heritage. She remembered clinging to Roberto, the first living thing on that plane to care about her.

Elissa sighed softly, and she straightened out her posture as her three-fingered hands emerged from the cloak again to grasp her hood and pull it down to reveal her face. Wide, expressionless, unblinking yellow eyes looked from Emily to Malcom from either side of her featureless muzzle, and her long ears twitched slightly. "My name is Elissa," she said, making no effort to even try to make her voice more human-like, nor to hide the fangs in her small mouth. "I have more pokemon than August, but they are also...all I have, in this place." The admission was potentially dangerous, but she was going to take a chance here, despite her better judgement. She could practically feel passing humans stopping to stare at her, though, and she ran a hand through her long, dark mane in a fit of nerves that nothing on her face reflected.

If all else failed, she could summon Corvus and just fly away. Far away.
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Curon Hifor

"A pleasure to meet you, Emily!" Malcom said with a smile. "I figured from the smell of treats that you worked at a bakery, but to own your own... quite the accomplishment around here, I must say! Well, I will certainly look up this bakery of yours then," he said, noticing movement from the hooded figure, prompting to turn towards the other woman--and his eyes got quite wide from surprise.

The woman's skin was something of a purple-ish grey, her fingers quite thick and very different from those of a human's, that was for sure! She had an almost blunt-looking face, lacking in anything akin to a nose. Her fangs only seemed to appear as she was talking, her yellow eyes unblinking as she introduced herself.

He managed to get over his surprise rather quickly, clearing his throat louder than he had intended, but he forced a welcoming smile all the same. "Well, I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting someone like you," he said, trying hard to keep the inflection in his voice from being rude. It was clear she was NOT from around here. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Elissa," he said, tripping over the pronounciation like the nerd he was.

"I see... so you both are new here in Natura City, I presume?" He asked, looking between Elissa and Emily with a curious expression. "Well, I happen to work at the Professor's Laboratory, where we can provide assistance to trainers and individuals such as yourselves," he offered, more than aware that the number of foreign people were growing in the city. He had heard reports of people from different worlds or planets coming to Natura, but he had yet to really believe them until, well, now.

"We can also assist with lodging if needed," he offered as he looked over at Elissa, who seemed about as out of place as one could be--it was very hard to keep the incredulity from his face, a task he was failing at--and any support she could receive would probably be for the better.

As if reminded about something, he looked down towards the Mawile, August, and had a look of deep concern on his face as he looked at August's expression, causing the human to take a step back and grimace. "Right, well, I can tell you two have very strong connections with your Pokemon companions--a bond that will certainly see you both through many challenges if you are to remain on this world for any amount of time. If either of you require assistance, I'm sure I can be up to the task," he said, raising a finger in a matter-of-fact fashion, as if confident he can meet their needs.
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Rhiann
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"N-no! I'm sorry, I don't own this bakery, I um..." Her voice faded into a mutter, "Just... work there... they asked me to travel around wherever and stir up business."

There was a faint, frazzled frown on her face as she thought of this, but took in a breath to shake it off. There was no use having bad thoughts about her going out and no one else, but it was hard sometimes. Emily was okay at handling people, but to travel around a world she didn't know much about almost seemed overwhelming. The Mareep at her feet nudged her leg, the bells on the bow pinging with every movement the Pokemon made. It was time for Emily to give up on those thoughts and go back to the conversation at hand.

Thankfully for her, the conversation changed so her mind could go elsewhere.

"Oh um, I've been here for a few years... I think. It feels like that." Emily said, musing about her living arrangements, "I guess it doesn't really matter..."

Shifting, Emily made sure to give out more flyers and samples as she talked to others. Some people looked like they wanted to approach but didn't; not wanting to disturb the conversation the three people were having. The Elven woman looked a bit worried, but a smile eventually came back onto her face.

"I went to the Professor's lab when I first came here... Then I caught Lily, and she became my friend." She explained, the story sounding vague, "I didn't meet the Professor though... he was gone. Is he always gone?"

Emily tried to carry the conversation on; actually wondering why she'd never once seen the professor in her years of living here.
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Vulpix Windchimes
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Elissa watched Malcom's reaction. One of her ears twitched at the words 'someone like you,' but she remained otherwise as expressionless as ever to human eyes. If he was so taken aback at her appearance now, she wondered how he'd react to her tail, or her wings, if he saw them. Still, he was showing her kindness, though whether that was out of genuine compassion or because he was afraid of her, she couldn't quite tell. Emily having already received the same generosity some years ago, however, made her lean tentatively toward believing the former.

When he looked at August, he merely narrowed his eyes further. Elissa noticed, and she decided to show a bit of mercy to Malcom. "He won't hurt you. That's just his default expression." He wouldn't hurt him without an order to, at the very least, and as long as Malcom didn't do anything overly threatening. He was a terribly non-threatening human, though, when it came down to. If he was going to harm them, it certainly wouldn't be with his bare hands. "And thank you, for the offer. I'm missing a lot of what I had before I came here...but I think I'll be looking for a home outside of the city."

Elissa had seen enough of crowded, bustling streets full of humans for a lifetime. The only reason she had tolerated the city in the previous world for so long had been the opportunities, and with her a world away from her vow to the Seer and without the resources that came with it, a life somewhere smaller and quieter looked inviting, if there was somewhere out there she could go.

However, her gaze soon turned to the people eying them, and she looked to Emily again, her ears drooping slightly in a way that she intended as apologetic. "I'm sorry, Emily. I think I'm scaring off your potential customers." She reached up and pulled up her hood once more, as if that would make them all lose interest. "I will check out your bakery, though, as soon as I have some money," she assured her, as if that would make up for it. Elissa liked Emily. She didn't want to cause trouble for her.

While the words would imply that she was trying to leave the conversation, Elissa still lingered, a question on her tongue that she felt the urge to ask. "Have you thought about catching more pokemon?" To spend a few years with only one was a bit baffling to her, as Elissa had been capturing them within her first day when she'd stepped onto the previous world, but perhaps Natura was different, or Emily different and had her reasons for not.
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Curon Hifor

Ah, so she didn't own the place. Malcom nodded to Emily all the same, understanding her predicament. So she wasn't quite that successful, but still, a job was a job in this day and age, that was for sure. Of course, there was the vagueness of her story...

"...I see. You do know Professor Hawthorn is a woman, right?" He asked Emily, looking at her with an expression that was both inquisitive and confused. Surely, she would have heard a bit more about the professor to know her gender, of all things. Even so, there was really no reason to try and accuse her of lying. If she had been there, then all was well, and if she hadn't yet, then she probably had a reason for not going there. Either way, it really was none of his business. "That would explain why I haven't seen you--I only started working for Hawthorne just this past year."

Regardless, he nodded to Elissa as she also explained--not just the behavior of her Pokemon, but also her desire to live outside of the city. Malcom gave a thought for a moment, rubbing his chin as he racked his brain for a solution--it was true that a lot of people lived outside the city, but what reason was there for doing so? The City was probably the safest place in all of Natura, and he voiced as much to Elissa before she replaced the hood over her head. "It's your choice, though. I've lived here all my life, and it's probably the least dangerous place in the world."

"But yes, Miss Emily, I will also visit your bakery when I get a chance," he said, smiling and nodding to the both of them--once again feeling an internal shiver when his eyes met Elissa's. She was certainly quite alien looking.

Regardless, she opened a dialogue with Emily, more curious as to why Emily did not acquire more Pokemon companions--and Malcom was absolutely terrible when it came to conversation civility. "I was thinking the same thing, Miss Emily. I capture many bird Pokemon--mostly for my research studies and the like--but I must say, it is strange to see a Trainer with only one Pokemon."
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Rhiann
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There was a point in the conversation in which Emily stopped trying to hand out flyers; a bit too interested in what the other two had to say to each other. Lily, the Mareep, on the other hand continued to hand out flyers-- taking each one carefully into her mouth from Emily's hand every time the sheep got a trainer or even a Pokemon to take the flyer. She saw her trainer was a bit busy in talking to other people; something Emily didn't often do outside of her job, despite her friendly attitude. Her attention wasn't focused until one of them spoke to her, though.

"N-no! It's fine. No one's scaring anyone away!" Emily said, trying to prevent the woman from leaving, even though she wasn't going to leave, "People in this part of the city are um... just... hard to talk to sometimes, and some of them..."

Emily let her thought trail off. That wasn't something she should be talking about when it came to potential customers. Who knew what kind of consequences it could have. Instead, she turned what she was going to say into a positive.

"Oh, thank you. People even just passing by or coming into browse is really helpful. Because then we're in peoples' heads."

It was when Malcom mentioned the Professor did Emily's attitude change, looking like she was guilty or full of shame. Her shoulders sank and her eyes looked to the ground, her body scrunching up when she tried to come up with why she didn't know this fact. She was genuine when she didn't know the Professor was a female, but it was like she felt horrible about not knowing such a simple fact.

"I-- I um, didn't know... I'm sorry!" The pointy eared woman said to Malcom, "The Professor wasn't there, and the person helping me didn't use any gender related words... and I've never been back there since. I haven't needed to... so... I'm sorry if I insulted you, or her, or anyone really."

She felt rather awkward after the entire thing, letting her attention fall on her Mareep, which had stopped handing out flyers and sat at Emily's feet instead. The Pokemon looked curious as Emily looked down at it, the sheep's attention soon turning to the Mawile named August. Lily didn't have too much interaction with other Pokemon up and close like this; most of the time these interactions were just in passing like when it came to getting these flyers out. Wagging the little tail behind her back, the Mareep bleated at the Mawile out of happiness.

Emily looked downward at her companion when the question of more Pokemon being caught came up. There was a hum in thought, looking back to the two new acquaintances of hers.

"Do I have to catch more? Am I supposed to?" Emily asked, "I see people with more than one, but I don't understand why... what if you have so many you can't give them all attention. Won't they be sad? I see people walking around with one a lot, but what about the other ones? They don't get the same attention... "

It seems she had thought about how to answer a question like this before.

"So... why have more than one?"
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Vulpix Windchimes
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Elissa was just a little worried now. Not for herself, but for Emily. What shreds of maternal instincts she had were kicked into gear with how Emily reacted to Elissa's statement about scaring others, and especially with how she reacted to Malcom's comment on the professor. The fact that Elissa was a fraction of Emily's size mattered very little at that moment. While she had decided that Malcom was not a threatening man, she still subconsciously stepped a bit closer to Emily as she said, reassuringly, "I'm sure no one's offended. Just a simple mistake." If someone were to look directly into her eyes hard enough, which was something she doubted anyone would do, they may have noticed that her pupils narrowed slightly as she spoke, appearing more slitted, before bouncing back to their original shape.

Malcom's commentary on the city, however, would have made Elissa laugh a bitter laugh were that a sound she could make. So naive a man. Did he not see the problem with her staying? Then again, he didn't know what she was capable of. "I am far from helpless, Malcom," she told him. "I can handle a little danger." She could likely outright live in the woods and be fine if it came to that, let alone a small settlement, though the idea of living like an animal again left a foul taste in her mouth.

August, meanwhile, looked over at Lily when she bleated at him. His expression was less sour when aimed at her than the human man, but he still had a fairly stony look about his features. He relaxed his fake jaws, letting them hang down and touch the ground again. August was not a social pokemon, exactly, but he knew that mareep were one of the species that Elissa considered worth being nice to, so he raised one his hands and gave an awkward wave as a way of acknowledging her attempt to engage him.

Elissa listened to Emily's explanation of her behaviour. A foreign point of view, but one that made its own sort of sense. This was not someone who required their protection or sought any sort of power, but considered them more like pets. Or friends. She had used that word before. Elissa tilted her head slightly. "If they only bond with you, then I can see that being a problem. But many pokemon enjoy having other pokemon around. They all make friends with each other, and keep each other company when they're not with you."

Elissa didn't mention pokeballs and other stasis devices and the fact that it was hard to get lonely when the pokemon's perception of time was distorted, because if Emily was that sentimental about things, she doubted she'd see it that way. She also didn't mention the fact that some of her own pokemon had never graduated above 'grudging tolerance' when it came to one another, but her circumstances were different. Someone who acquired pokemon in the manners she had been accustomed to were unlikely to have the friendliest of companions, and hers didn't really need to be friends, just work together when it counted. They were content enough with their existence, and were grateful enough for her recruitment of them.

"I'm not saying you should seek them out if you don't want to, but if you meet one you and Lily get along with, I doubt it'd be so bad." Elissa stopped, then, her tail giving an unseen flick from where it was hidden beneath her cloak. She'd given her opinion on the matter and had little more to say unless Emily asked her something else.
Edited by Vulpix Windchimes, Nov 15 2014, 08:04 PM.
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Curon Hifor

Malcom shook his head, waving his hands in front of him as his Pidgey tried to keep its balance on Malcom's shoulders. "N--no, not at all, Miss Emily. A lot of people tend not to meet the Professor since she's off traveling and collecting data all the time. It's perfectly alright--no need to be upset," he said, very quick to apologize, much like Emily had been. The fact that she had only been to the lab once, period, was something that he thought was strange but... perhaps she was just socially awkward? Maybe.

He looked over at Elissa, her comment about handling a 'little' danger was something that took him off guard and left him a little flabbergasted. "Danger? In this city? I can't imagine why or from whom," he said, confused and concerned at the same time, as if the very idea of being threatened inside the city's walls was something that had never even occurred to him. The city had always been incredibly peaceful...

He looked back over at Emily, nodding to what Elissa mentioned about having more than one Pokemon. "It was just something that struck me as odd. Most Pokemon trainers go out into the world to do exploring and have adventures. Though, if you're perfectly content with just you and your Mareep, then there's really nothing saying you're wrong," he said, smiling at the end of his statement with a nod, trying to reassure the woman. "Like I said, I catch Pokemon for purposes of my research--and they eventually end up growing to like me, like this little guy," he said, poking his Pidgey in the side, causing it to hop over to his other shoulder. The bird Pokemon finally descended down to the ground near the Mareep and Mawile, chirping to the both of them.

He looked over at Elissa, once again feeling that shiver run up and down his spine. She just looked so... alien. He couldn't get the lingering feeling of apprehension out of his mind. "If you don't mind my asking, Miss Elissa, but from where do you hail?"
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Rhiann
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"I see..."

Looking down at the Mareep, Emily watched the little sheep interact with the other Pokemon. She was trying very hard to be social with the others, even if August wasn't responding very well to it. The little sheep bleated at the Mawile again, getting onto her feet and hopping in her spot. It was hard to tell what Lily was trying to communicate, but Autumn and the Pidgey would at least pick it up as the Mareep wanting to run around and try to be active. While she was never in her Pokeball, she didn't get the chance to wander from her master's side often.

"Maybe... maybe I should consider it..." Emily glanced upward in thought, "I heard about this really cute Pokemon... it's called um. What was it... Jirachi? I would like to see it on my travels... since I have to start traveling away from Natura City soon..."

A look of worry crossed her mind. She had to start traveling just about everywhere and she had never done such a thing before. The two talking to her could see she was nervous; mostly by how much the timid woman was shifting on her feet.

"And I don't want to make Lily fight other things... I don't want her to. But what if I have to? I don't want her to get hurt."

While Emily went on and on about her worries, the Mareep kept hopping up and down, circling around the others. It was obvious that the sheep was getting impatient. Forgetting about her Humanoid company and wanting to play with the other Pokemon, the sheep suddenly darted off to the west-- as if it was an invitation for the other two Pokemon to chase after her.
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Vulpix Windchimes
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Elissa eyed Malcom at his confused statement. "I meant outside," she said. "Saying that this is the least dangerous place implies that there's danger outside of it. And I can handle it if I find it." Part of her almost wished she had suffered human cruelty in this city if only so that she had proof of something to rid Malcom of this naivety of his. It would get him in trouble one day, surely, to think that he was utterly safe. A sheep oblivious to the fact that a wolf still could eat him if it evaded or overpowered the sheepdog. As it was, though, she could only internally sigh at him and hope such a bad thing did not happen to him while she remained an unreadable alien on the outside.

August looked at the pidgey, then at the bleating mareep. He would have looked baffled if he wasn't so stone-faced, but he did more-or-less get what she was getting at. He just didn't know why she'd want to run around. Energetic and speedy he was not. Still, mareep and pidgey were both 'be nice' species, so he just shuffled on his feet due to the fact that he wasn't allowed to just snap at her to back off.

A slight shift of the fabric of Elissa's hood betrayed the perking of her ears at the mention of Jirachi. "I've heard of that one as well..." she commented faintly, though she gave no real opinion of it. She'd stayed well away from the God-Beasts of the previous world and did not seriously entertain the thought of the seeking out the ones here. Jirachi, from what she knew, did seem one of the less temperamental of such creatures.

Elissa watched Emily as she expressed her worry about Lily getting hurt. She remembered her worry the first time Roberto was injured and inwardly flinched at the memory. "I understand the concern, but pokemon are very resilient. Moreso than most creatures I've seen." A thought crossed her mind that she worried was a bit too forward on her part. She liked Emily, and clearly Emily liked her enough to wish to converse with her, but this seemed to be crossing a line into too familiar all the same. It took only a moment of mental debate before she decided to voice it anyway. "My pokemon know how to fight. They enjoy it, for the most part. Since I'll be leaving the city myself, perhaps we should stick together? We could help protect yourself and Lily."

As Lily ran off, August was left staring after her. He seemed to be debating whether to just sit here or actually indulge the other pokemon, but given that his trainer was standing around and talking rather than doing anything exciting, he decided to toddle off after her, but it was more an act of reluctant following rather any active attempt to chase or catch her.

As for Malcom's question, Elissa turned to stare directly at him when she heard it, intentionally meeting his eyes directly, unless he made an effort to avoid her gaze. She minded. Quite a lot. But she answered despite that. "My homeland is half-forgotten, and I prefer it that way. I am not welcome there. I lived in a place called Opadekka before I found myself here, and it is there where I met my pokemon." She looked away again, denying him any elaboration.
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Curon Hifor

"Jirachi? Hrm... I have heard of that Pokemon before..." Malcom said, trying to tap into his brain for the mental image of the Pokemon--and quickly derailed by the change in conversation, his attention quickly taken away from whatever his curious Pidgey was doing.

"Oh, right--that makes much more sense, I suppose, Miss Elissa. Our world can be rather dangerous, what with the wild Pokemon about--but it also can be quite the extensive adventure! Hundreds of Pokemon trainers go out into the world to seek out new sights, sounds, Pokemon, and places. It's quite the alluring profession, I won't lie!" He said, chuckling a little before Emily's comment about making Lily fight things.

"Well... not all Pokemon are suited to Pokemon battles. Perhaps you could find one that is?" He suggested, shrugging his shoulders a little. He didn't really know where to begin on what kind of Pokemon would compliment her, yet be effective in combat at the same time.

When his gaze met Elissa's, he felt his cheeks burn red, only able to hold the gaze for a moment before feeling too awkward to keep going, preferring to look somewhere--anywhere--else. "That--that does sound like quite the bothersome situation, Miss Elissa. My apologies," he said, not preferring to continue the conversation about her origins anymore if that was the way she was going to stare him down. It wasn't rude, per se, but it was very... daunting. More than he was used to.

As Lily and August ran off, the Pidgey tilted his head to the side, chirping a few times as he watched the other two Pokemon run off to play--so the bird followed, more guided by intrigue than anything else, eluding his master's notice quite proficiently. This was, apparently, not a rare occasion.

"Opadekka... where have I heard that before...?" He asked himself, not necessarily a whisper, but a little quieter than his normal conversation tone, one of his hands tapping at his chin in thought.

Suddenly, he held up a finger. "Wait--Jirachi? Ah--it is the fabled Wish Pokemon! It looks like a shooting star, and it is said to grant a wish to whomever it finds worthy. Quite the lofty goal, miss," he said, turning towards Emily with an almost awkward haste, as if trying desperately to change the subject from what Elissa was speaking about just moments before. He seemed to be incredibly nervous about her at this point--and it was painfully obvious.
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Rhiann
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Not used to getting such an offer, Emily tilted her head at Elissa. Emily knew she had to get out and learn how to live out there, but she never expected that a person she just met would end up offering to help her learn how to live outside while traveling. The Elf woman didn't even have any gear for camping, or even knew how to start a fire, or cook things over one or anything like that! If this woman would teach her these kinds of things. Emily looked like she was in thought the entire time-- because she was.

"Really? You'd help me like that? We barely know each other..." Emily said with a slight blush on her face, "I would owe you so much if you'd help me with that!"

A bright smile suddenly graced Emily's face, knowing she wouldn't have to go out into the world clueless.

"Wish Pokemon?" She would go back to what they were talking about before, "I don't think I'll ever meet it then... I'm not worthy enough for something like that. But that's okay! I'm sure whoever will get to see it will be really happy and deserving!"

The smile remained on her face, chuckling to herself in the end. She had a really positive attitude no matter what... almost. The expression on her face would drop when she looked down at where the Mareep was supposed to be. The two of them could see her suddenly panicking, tears welling up in her eyes. She twirled, trying to figure out which direction the three Pokemon went off to. The woman started to panic, worried that the sheep was going to get in trouble or hurt or even worse.

"Lily!" Emily suddenly cried out, cupping her hands around her mouth to try and call the Pokemon back, "Lily, where are you!"

The one being called for was long gone at this point; headed in the direction of the Professor's lab. The Mareep wasn't going there on purpose and had intended to pass by, running in whichever direction she was headed toward.
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Vulpix Windchimes
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Elissa's tail flicked, unseen, when Emily mentioned that they hardly knew one another. That was very true, but Elissa knew absolutely no one here. Her options for company outside of pokemon were few, and even if Emily had never set foot outside of the city, she had still been on Natura for some time and likely had at least some insight that could be of use to make the alliance worthwhile simply beyond nice company. There was also the fact that Elissa had no money to buy supplies with, not that she generally needed much to survive. The sight of the faint blush on her cheeks made Elissa a bit self-conscious, though, wondering if she really had overstepped a line, but the worry was quickly proven to be unfounded. Even if Elissa herself couldn't smile, she rather liked seeing the expression on Emily's face.

Malcom, on the other hand, she'd clearly gone and frightened. At his apology, she decided to be merciful yet again. "It's all right. You didn't know." She harbored no ill will for it. He was neither the one who'd banished her from her homeland, nor one of the people who had ensured that Opadekka would never truly be a place she could call home instead. His recognition of the place name piqued her interest, but she said nothing. The idea that the two worlds had had contact did not seem quite so farfetched, since she was sure she could not have come here by accident, if that was what it was, without them being closely connected in some form.

Elissa was a bit fascinated by Emily's ability to state her belief in her unworthiness in such an upbeat manner, and was tempted to say something, but the good mood broke immediately when it was discovered that Lily was gone. Elissa's realization that her mawile had wandered out of the sight as well was much more understated, as she looked left and right in confusion. "August? August!" her tone was irritated, not panicked, and one of her hands vanished underneath her cloak as she stepped a bit closer to Emily. "It's all right. I have a psychic with me. He can track them down."

With that, she pulled a pokeball into view and activated it, light spilling out to form the shape of a girafarig. Roberto stretched briefly, blinking his eyes on both heads in an attempt to chase the sleep from his mind--he'd been napping in an attempt to compensate for having stayed up half the night--then looked around at the upset elven woman, the young man, and then his own trainer. *You're interacting with other people, Elissa?* he said, the telepathic voice that he projected out into the general area incredulous in tone. *Willingly?*

An odd, buzzing growl escaped her at the jab. "Make fun of me later, please, Roberto. Emily here has had her mareep run off." Roberto looked at the other woman when she was indicated, blinking once at the pointed ears she had, then turned his gaze out into the crowds of humans. Elissa could practically feel him about to say something snarky about how dense the place was and the fact that finding one mind in it would be like a needle in a haystack. "August is with her." She was perhaps a little too certain about that, but why else would he be gone too? Tracking a familiar mind was much easier than finding a new one in crowd, and that was enough to make her two-headed companion merely nod and set his eyes aglow as he scanned the area.

It would still take a while, though. August, for his part, was oblivious to the psychic search party being sent out, just continuing to follow Lily around and thinking even less than she was about where they were going.
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Curon Hifor

"Don't sell yourserlf short, Miss Emily. Besides, it's just a legend, so who knows what got mis-interpreted in translation? You might be the only one among us it finds worthy," he said with a chuckle, only for his short bit of conversation to be interrupted by the expression on the woman's face, panicking at the disappearance of her Pokemon. He quickly looked around and, indeed, notice the disappearance of all of their Pokemon. How unusual! Pokemon tended to socialize and play with one another, but something like this was very irregular!

"Now where did Pidgey go...?" Malcom said to himself quietly, looking around for the missing Pokemon as well--but just then, Elissa pulled another Pokeball from her cloak and opened it to reveal a Girafarig, which was a psychic Pokemon, if Malcom's brain was operating properly. "Ah, I see... so you can track Pokemon with this one. That must be convenient!" He said, rather interested in Elissa's Pokemon. She had quite the interesting collection!

And then it started talking. Like, not talking like a person, but talking as in a voice could be heard. The Professor's Aide looked around wildly, trying to find out where the source of the voice was coming from--and failing miserably. "I don't suppose anyone else can hear that--wait, is your Girafarig speaking telepathically?" Malcom asked, staring at the Pokemon with renewed interest. "Fascinating!" He declared, leaning forward a little bit, the aspect of his bird Pokemon missing completely forgotten for the time being.

Of course, Pidgey continued to follow the both of them from the sky, flying over the Mawile in an attempt to close the distance with the Mareep. He continued to chirp, as if claiming he could reach her first.
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Rhiann
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Emily did seem to take note that she could hear the Pokemon talking, but by the time she could hear it, she was starting to tune it out as she wandered in circles further from the group. She knew this city well enough, but had absolutely no clue where her Pokemon may have gone. If she were close enough to the Mareep, she'd just recall her back to her Pokeball-- but Emily never wanted to do that unless she had no other choice. The Elf didn't even like carrying the Pokeball around, but knew that it needed to be done.

"Lily!" Emily called into the crowds, "Lily, please. Come back!"

In the meantime, the Mareep was off running deeper into the city. She was heading toward the district that held the cafes and restaurants, running toward the bakery that her owner had worked at. The sheep seemed to want the group to head over this way; but had gotten a bit too excited and went without their trainers. Lily just seemed excited that Emily was talking to other people and that she herself got to interact with other Pokemon. She had wanted another Pokemon companion for quite some time, but wasn't sure how to say it since Emily couldn't understand her.

People occasionally went in and out of the bakery, the ones working there and the regular customers waving at the sheep as she set her front hooves on the window's front ledge to look into the bakery. Business went on as usual, the sheep bleating as her tail wagged. Looking to the Mawile and Pidgey, Lily bleated at them again, trying to see if they'd go inside with her. She finally had a few companions-- even if they were only temporary.

Emily on the other hand was starting to mildly panic. She wasn't thinking straight enough to think of the bakery, her hands shaking as they clutched at the bottom of her shirt.

"Th-this has never happened... I don't understand why she'd run away!"
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Roberto twitched an ear at Malcom's show of interest, his main facial expression remaining one of concentration, though his tail shifted to turn the little head at its tip to face him. *Yes,* he responded dully, *I am adept at a number of psychic abilities, including telepathy. Now, if you would please not distract me?* His tail-head's teeth clattered warningly after the final word. He was in a poor mood and really did not want to deal with curious humans at the moment.

Elissa watched Emily as she continued to panic and started to shake. She was not good at comforting people. She was better at intimidating or inspiring, skills a life being born into war had instilled in her. There was another in her life who had known how to soothe, a man whose face and name eluded her memory, dancing away from her mind's eye when she tried to recall him. All she had were vague feelings of a hand on her shoulder, and a deep, gentle voice that had addressed her as his sister. If she could only remember him more clearly, maybe those memories would tell her what to do.

Elissa walked away from Roberto, knowing that her hovering would do nothing to help him find the other pokemon faster, and approached Emily. She could hear the distress in her voice, and she responded by reaching out to tentatively touch the other woman's arm. Her alien hand, with its lilac-grey skin, stood out sharply, but she pretended not to care about that. "We'll find her, and when he do, we can ask why. I'm sure she never meant to upset you."

Now, seeing the bakery, that got August's attention. Lily was finally onto something, there, and he toddled up to put his hands on the window ledge as well, beside her. At her inquiring bleats, he nodded, speaking up for the first time since they'd met by letting out a short, lyrical sound meant as an affirmative. He sure wasn't going to turn down the offer to go inside of a bakery, especially the one that had provided that tasty treat Emily had given him.
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Curon Hifor

The moment Emily started to become rather nervous, Malcom did as well, not really sure how one tried to calm down a woman going into hysterics like she was--not to mention the Pokemon had literally ordered him not to interrupt and distract him, causing the Professor's aide to be, more or less, silent throughout most of the exchange.

Nearby, as Lily and August neared a bakery, the Pidgey caught wind of the smelly things inside--smelly things that smelled absolutely delicious! Spotting something through the window, the Pidgey flew towards the window, looking to snag a snack from a clearly visible rack and--

BAM!

The Pidgey smacked headfirst into a window, unable to discern that there was, indeed, some kind of invisible barrier between him and the food inside. He chirped in front of the window, hopping back and forth, trying to figure out how to get in.
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Rhiann
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The loud thunk from the bird hitting the window caused one of the employees inside to be startled, looking up from the stand she was stocking with newly wrapped products to the window itself. The employee could see the Mareep hopping up and down as if trying to get attention, recognizing the bow on her tail. Although the employee didn't speak with Emily much, she did know this was Emily's Mareep. Glancing back to make sure that others were busy and she was done her job, the employee dusted her hands off on her apron and went outside.

Lily hopped up and down and bleated at the confused employee, bleating at the woman so much that the Human was getting confused.

"Er... What is it?" The employee asked, "Did you bring friends? Do you want inside?"

The sheep kept hopping up and down and at an even quicker pace when the employee said this, the woman wondering if she was going to regret this. Opening the door some more, she let the three Pokemon inside-- Lily setting off in a run for the kitchen.
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August watched the pidgey slam into the window and hit the ground without so much as flinching, though he did have something of an urge to smack his own forehead as the little bird hopped around and Lily jumped up and down to try to attract attention. He was very close to just talking over to the door and prying it open with his iron jaws when the bakery employee came out to speak to them.

Now they were getting somewhere. August toddled in through the door after Lily, but when she took off running, he showed true haste for the first time as he ran right after her as fast as a metal creature with massive faux jaws weighing him down, eager to get into the kitchen where the tasty smells were coming from.

*I have something.*

Elissa turned to look at her immobile girafarig, his eyes still glowing. "You can sense them?"

Roberto's tail-jaws clattered as he replied. *I can sense August, and there are indeed pokemon with him. No signs of distress. In fact, he seems excited over something. Just don't expect me to order him to come back for you. My transmissive telepathy doesn't have a very far range.* Elissa knew that, of course, but he figured that he could share a bit of interesting information for the sake of the curious human among the gathered group.

Elissa looked back at Emily. "See? Our pokemon are together and are safe. Roberto can lead us to them." He snorted slightly at his trainer's oversimplification, since just because he knew where the other pokemon were in a 'straight line from this location' sense didn't mean he could easily navigate the streets and buildings of an unfamiliar city, but he said nothing. This woman was being granted an unusually nice attitude from his trainer, so he was going to, for the moment, take that as a sign that she was important in some fashion. This was only reinforced when Elissa suddenly did something that seemed entirely out of character, which was moving with the intent of threading her arm through that of the taller, pointy-eared woman. "Come on."

Taking that as his cue to start moving, Roberto took off at a slow trot down the street, not even bothering to glance back and see if the three humanoids were following him as he tried his best to zero in the mental signature of his steel-typed comrade.
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Curon Hifor

The pidgey was quick to follow after the Mareep and Mawile, its small feet tapping against the floor like the staccato of a typewriter. It occasionally chirped as it looked around, apparently unperturbed by the various people around as it followed its companions into the kitchen, where it smelled all kinds of different sweets.

Meanwhile, Malcom tried to follow after the pair of women and Roberto, the young man occasionally stammering to 'wait up!' for him and whatnot. He seemed rather flustered at all the excitement, though it was a relief to hear that his Pidgey was relatively safe. He had made it a point to keep close tabs on his Pokemon--until now, at least!
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