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The Sap Sipper

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Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
Jade blinked at the girl, taking more than a moment to absorb what she'd said. So... not Team Rocket, but still a pretty big deal. It hardly seemed real, in that particular way that her own time as a trainer hardly seemed real sometimes.

Human hybrids? Nine would have had a million questions there.

"That's... pretty unique, yeah," Jade finally managed, fiddling with the straw in her drink. "How did you even find out about it? I wouldn't have had any way of rescuing my experiments if I hadn't gotten help from the inside." It hadn't really been her doing, it was all Stalker.
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Laura gave herself a moment, and willed the emotions back down. She could be upset later. Always 'later', as if there was ever going to be a good time to get extremely fucking upset.

"Well, while I was away from home for uni, my... My purrloin went missing. 'Ran away', my parents said. Decided that was the last fucking straw for how shitty my life was at the time, and I bailed on everything to go become a trainer. I swung by the local shelter first to pick out a rescue 'mon for my starter, since, uh. I didn't have a license yet, so I couldn't exactly pick up an official one. Eheheh... Anyway, it turned out my purrloin had been seen there, only to get picked up by this recruiter lady."

Laura scratched at her cheek. There was a weird tingling in parts of her body as she finally opened up about this shit to someone. It was hard to shake the feeling that she'd feel a hand on her shoulder from some suit any minute, asking her to come quietly and sign an NDA. At best.

"I started tracking her, looking into stuff online, and eventually getting a sponsorship from one of their programs just so I could sneak inside the staff area and snoop about. Eventually I put enough bits together. Helped that I got a few weird fucking messages on social media from someone claiming to be one of these hybrids, though they evidently weren't able to keep in touch. Eventually I got what amounts to a confession from the lady who took my fucking cat. I'm... currently trying to figure out... if I can do something about it. I don't... I don't have any help."
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
Jade rubbed the back of her head. "And I thought I started late," she said with a weak laugh. Laura was obviously way older than her, but knowing that she couldn't have been a trainer that long helped, in a way. Still, having done all that investigating on her own, without relying someone to conveniently give access to everything. It reminded Jade of Ajia.

"It... sounds like you've put a lot of research into this. I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere if I was on my own," Jade admitted, holding her arm. There was a pause, and she added, "I hope you find your Purrloin. My Pikachu was taken away once, and I didn't think I'd ever see him again, but..." She trailed off. Just because she'd managed to rescue Nine didn't mean anything when Laura was in a totally different spot. It was probably dumb and naive to imply otherwise.
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
Ouch. Nineteen was pretty late. How old was Jade, anyway? Maybe about seventeen, or something? Or like, a really fucking tall fifteen year-old. Maybe. Especially if she was the 'aged by fucked up traumatic shit' type. Was Laura that type? She sure seemed to be headed that way.

"It's okay," she lied. "Thanks. I'm working on it. Just gotta be ready for her to look really fucking different from when I last saw her."

Machoke turned up with the food, mercifully. Good. And it smelled fucking good, too. "Thanks," she told him, reaching immediately for the potato wedges and the BBQ dip.

Then, to Jade, "Thanks for listening. Seriously."
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
Jade blinked. She wasn't expecting to be thanked for anything. "Oh, uh, sure. No problem." A pause, and then: "I guess it's nice not being the only one." Investigating Team Rocket, the experiments... it all would have been a lot harder if she'd been on her own. But maybe getting to talk to someone else in a similar situation would be helpful for Laura. Hopefully.

With the arrival of food, it was easier to focus on lighter things, at least. The rest of the conversation turned to talk of high-powered Pokemon battles through bites of fried calamari.

Jade hoped Nine wasn't getting into trouble.

<><><>​
 
D2: Odette and Steven Drink Their Feelings (Responsibly /s)

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
Odette Neutral.PNG
It was a good choice to move here from the shop. The overall vibe would make for a much calmer conversation, and it didn't quite feel as exposed. Besides, there were way more drink options here anyway.

Odette returned to the table with three glasses of sparkling water for herself, Enora, and Odile, as well as Steven and Aggron's orders. She set them down with Odile's help.

"Here you go," she said. "Let me know if you don't like it, I'll go yell at the bartender to remake it," she added jokingly as she sat down.
Odile Neutral Grin.PNG
Odile was already done with her drink by the time Odette sat down. "̷D̵a̴m̶n̴,̴ ̷t̵h̷a̵t̶'̴s̵ ̸s̶o̶m̶e̵ ̶g̴o̷o̶d̶ ̸s̵t̷a̸t̶i̵c̶ ̸w̴a̸t̷e̵r̷.̴ ̶N̸o̸w̶ ̷I̷ ̴w̴a̴n̵t̵ ̷a̸ ̴S̴h̴i̶r̷l̷e̴y̴ ̶T̶e̸m̴p̸l̸e̶.̸"̷ ̵

Odette Sus.PNG
"Holy shit, were you gonna swallow the fucking glass too?"
Odile Neutral Grin.PNG
"̴I̷s̷ ̷t̷h̸a̸t̶ ̵a̸ ̶d̷a̴r̶e̷?̶"̷
Odette Deadpan w Sweatdrop.PNG
Odette held her credit card up in front of Odile's nose. "Go get your fucking Shirley Temple and please don't eat glass when we have company."

Odile Neutral Grin.PNG
Odile snatched the card and stood up. "̸N̵o̶o̶o̶o̶o̷o̶o̸ ̵p̶r̶o̷m̴i̵s̸e̵s̶,̵"̸ she teased as she sauntered back toward the bar.
Odette Deadpan w Sweatdrop.PNG
Odette sent Steven an apologetic look. "I would apologize again but I can't guarantee that she's not going to attempt it." She shook her head. "But I guess gnawing on glassware is better than harassing the locals..." she muttered as she held her drink to her lips and took a sip.

"So," she said after swallowing her sip.

She set the glass down and gestured to herself. "Clean slate, right? Hi," she stuck her hand out to him, "My name's Odette. The demonic thing that just walked off is Odile. And this is Enora."

Enora Neutral Grin.PNG
"A pleasure to meet you both. Officially, of course," Enora chimed in.
 
Last edited:

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
Odette sent Steven an apologetic look. "I would apologize again but I can't guarantee that she's not going to attempt it." She shook her head. "But I guess gnawing on glassware is better than harassing the locals..." she muttered as she held her drink to her lips and took a sip.

"So," she said after swallowing her sip.

She set the glass down and gestured to herself. "Clean slate, right? Hi," she stuck her hand out to him, "My name's Odette. The demonic thing that just walked off is Odile. And this is Enora."
Steven watched Odile leave over the rim of his iced coffee and marveled at the way she was apparently like that all the time.

straight ahead smile.png
"Well met, Odette," he said, setting his drink down and accepting Odette's handshake, "and Enora. My name is Steven, and this is my partner Aggron."

grumpy.png
...Who was apparently busy scowling at Steven's early evening coffee intake.

hehe whoops.png
"I do apologize for the rough start between us. I'm glad you're open to trying again."

"A pleasure to meet you both. Officially, of course," Enora chimed in.
neutral face.png
"Oh," said Aggron, startled out of his glaring at Steven. "Yeah sorry. We kinda barged in on you at the boat. My bad." He took a sip of his pitcher of ice water. "Thanks for being cool about that."

neutral straight ahead.png
"I don't mean to rush into this, but I'm rather curious about that explanation of yours. I can't say I've ever met a pokemon like Odile before."
 

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
"I do apologize for the rough start between us. I'm glad you're open to trying again."
"Oh," said Aggron, startled out of his glaring at Steven. "Yeah sorry. We kinda barged in on you at the boat. My bad." He took a sip of his pitcher of ice water. "Thanks for being cool about that."
Odette Neutral.PNG
Odette held up her hands, almost as if she were surrendering. "No harm done. Initially," she said. "Those birds wouldn't leave me the fuck alone and I'm convinced they'd have followed me back to my room if you didn't show up." She snickered bitterly as she grabbed hold of her glass again. "Not that I can't handle myself in battle, I just really didn't want to battle. And I have a short fuse I sometimes struggle to keep in check as it is, and that certainly wasn't helping."

Enora Deadpan.PNG
"Really, I never took birds to be so obnoxious."

"I don't mean to rush into this, but I'm rather curious about that explanation of yours. I can't say I've ever met a pokemon like Odile before."
Odette Deadpan.PNG
She exhaled sharply as she looked over her shoulder at Odile, who looked like she was having an intense conversation with the bartender. Nobody was yelling and nothing was being thrown, though, so she wasn't too alerted to it.

"I didn't think so," she said into the rim of her glass. She took another sip of her water, before she began to swish it around. "I've yet to bump into somebody from another universe who has, so I suppose I'm just lucky."

She turned back around to face Steven, putting the glass back down and folding her arms on the table. "But, I'll give you the rundown. I'll preface it by saying that it's a lot to digest, and I already struggled to chunk through it with somebody else. I just ask that you pay attention and try not to interrupt me unless it's really important. You can run my ear off with questions when I'm done. Sound good?"

She waited for the agreement, before launching into her explanation. At this point in time, it almost sounded rehearsed. From the way she talked about the seven deadly sins and how that pertained to Odile's existence, to her type, to her legendary status, to the fact that there were more like her, both legendary and not. Even going into detail about how blood types actually worked and how she'd ended up with her felt like Deja vu. Odette had to remind herself that she was talking to a completely new person about it.

"So when I told you I gave you the benefit of the doubt over you losing your cool, I meant it," she explained. "Odile's presence alone can fire people up. That's just what she is, you know? So if she was filling your head with bullshit and you lost it for a second, it's most likely not even your fault. It's just her, being Wrath."

Odette leaned down and fished around in her backpack for something, before withdrawing a Pokeball. Or at least, it looked like one. A much more secure looking one. It was entirely black, fit with a red button, and a series of small appliances fixed to it that somewhat resembled locking mechanisms.

"This is her ball. It was designed to hold 'mon like her. The legendaries, mainly. It's pretty much the only thing that can halt that passive ability of causing anger and keep her from getting out." She frowned deeply as she turned the thing in her fingers, eyeing it closely. "I have this really intense thing about Pokemon autonomy though, so if I can help it, I don't like putting her in here. But as with training a primordial deity that only knows chaos..." She let the sentence hang as she shook her head. "Sometimes it's a necessity. It's a hard balance. Especially when the thing relies on your blood to battle, too."

She sat it down on the table and rolled it toward him. "Feel free to look. Doubt they have balls like that where you come from."

As she leaned back against her chair, she crossed her arms behind her head and exhaled softly. Giving herself a moment to recover from all of that talking.

"And now, the floor is open."
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
<well that was A Lot>

"And now, the floor is open."
Steven peered down at his distorted reflection in the surface of Odile's jet-black pokeball, the remnants of ice in his glass settling with a soft clink. Cautiously, he picked up the ball and turned it in his hands. It was meticulously detailed and definitely not something he'd ever seen come from one of Devon's R&D departments. There was something unsettling about holding a piece of technology from another universe. He placed the ball back down in front of Odette.

thinking face.png
"Well, that's a lot to digest," he said. "It certainly explains some things, though."

To his credit, he managed to hold his tongue for the duration of Odette's explanation. For how abuzz his mind was with questions about blood types, legendaries surrounding the seven deadly sins, and how the walking, talking embodiment of Wrath ended up with this petite girl from Kalos while she talked, he couldn't pick out a single question to lead with.

He stared hard at the melting ice in his now-empty glass.

"Wait. Didn't Odile say something about her vessel going missing..."

The dawning look of realization on Steven's face quickly turned into horror.

"Oh gods, she meant you."
 

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
"Wait. Didn't Odile say something about her vessel going missing..."

The dawning look of realization on Steven's face quickly turned into horror.

"Oh gods, she meant you."
Odette Startled.PNG
All she did at first was blink. On pure instinct, she reached for her water and took a long drink from it.

"Uh, yeah," she said upon swallowing. "That was me."

She rolled her shoulders uncomfortably, a sense of familiar unease pricking up the middle of her spine. She could see his horror; she could see how the realization jarred him. The most jarred he'd looked since she started talking.

She sent a look toward Enora, as if silently willing her to think of something to say. Nothing came, and before she knew it, her lips had seemingly detached from her brain.

"E...eight months," she said. "I think. I kept myself busy, so I lost count after about a month."

She wasn't sure why she was bothering to tell him this. They'd just met, and she'd already dumped so much on him, but she couldn't stop.

"I was never hurt. I don't think it hit me it was a kidnapping until I actually...got back. And then seeing everyone else so...ragged. That did it."

Now, she was simply staring at the table. "I don't like talking about this shit. At all. Neither does she. So Odile and I never really had a heart to heart over it. But..." She started rubbing at her cheek, now looking somewhat antsy. "She saved me when I was assaulted. She saved me when I got burned. She's saved me so many times. But that one time...now I get it."

She stopped abruptly and chugged down the rest of her water. "I'm sorry. I could be ten feet tall with all the baggage I'm standing on, and I don't need to be opening it all to you."
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
"E...eight months," she said. "I think. I kept myself busy, so I lost count after about a month."

She wasn't sure why she was bothering to tell him this. They'd just met, and she'd already dumped so much on him, but she couldn't stop.

"I was never hurt. I don't think it hit me it was a kidnapping until I actually...got back. And then seeing everyone else so...ragged. That did it."
"Eight?" was all he could whisper before he broke eye contact, staring at the growing ring of condensation around his empty glass. Suddenly he needed something to hang on to, to grip so hard he wouldn't fall, teetering on the edge of the pit that held something buried dangerously deep...

Aggron snorted an alarmed question at his trainer, and it jolted Steven back to the present with a sharp inhale. He flattened his palms against the tabletop, hoping she didn't see how hard he was pressing.

eyes closed pensive.png
"Odette. I'm so sorry. No one should have to go through that. No one."

Now, she was simply staring at the table. "I don't like talking about this shit. At all. Neither does she. So Odile and I never really had a heart to heart over it. But..." She started rubbing at her cheek, now looking somewhat antsy. "She saved me when I was assaulted. She saved me when I got burned. She's saved me so many times. But that one time...now I get it."
"We don't have to talk about it any more. I apologize for dredging up those memories."

When he looked back at her, his eyes were full of pity.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here with us now."
 

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
"We don't have to talk about it any more. I apologize for dredging up those memories."

When he looked back at her, his eyes were full of pity.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here with us now."
Odette Startled.PNG
She cut her gaze back up to him as he started talking again. The horror had left his face, now replaced with something more...pitiful. She wasn't sure if that was any better.

She stiffened her posture and cleared her throat. "Not your fault. Anything dredges them up nowadays," she sighed. "You don't need to feel bad for me. I might be a midget but I can handle myself." Attempt to lighten the mood with some jokes. It'd suddenly gotten a little too heavy again. However, she was momentarily startled by his last words. To those, she actually grinned.

"Thanks. So am I, actually."

Odile Neutral Frown.PNG
It was there that Odile returned, carrying three glasses of Shirley Temples, one of which was almost empty. "̴A̸l̸r̸i̴g̸h̸t̷ ̸s̴o̸ ̵a̴p̴p̵a̴r̵e̶n̵t̷l̴y̵ ̵t̷h̷e̶ ̵f̶u̴c̴k̶i̸n̷'̸ ̷b̷a̷r̸ ̴i̵s̸-̶-̶"̵

She took notice of Steven's face, and stopped dead in her tracks. "̶W̴h̴y̴'̴s̶ ̶h̵e̴ ̵l̶o̶o̵k̸i̴n̷'̵ ̶a̶t̷ ̷y̴o̷u̶ ̵l̴i̶k̶e̷ ̷y̷o̸u̸ ̴l̷i̷k̸e̸ ̵a̴ ̵S̵l̸o̴w̷p̶o̶k̴e̶ w̵h̶o̵ ̵j̶u̸s̵t̵ ̸g̷o̵t̸ ̷h̶i̴t̶ ̸b̶y̸ ̷a̴ ̵c̵a̴r̵?̵"̴

Odette Deadpan w Sweatdrop.PNG
Odette rolled her eyes and groaned. "No reason. Steven and I were just talking about--"

Odile Neutral Frown.PNG
"̸W̸a̷i̵t̴,̵"̴ Odile cut her off. She pointed her free hand at Steven. ̶"̴Y̶o̶u̴r̵ ̴n̵a̷m̸e̸ ̵I̷S̵N̴'̸T̵ ̷C̵l̸o̶v̴i̶s̵ ̶2̴.̷0̵?̸ ̶W̶h̴a̸t̵ ̷t̵h̶e̴ ̴f̴u̶c̵k̶,̸ ̵M̴Y̵ ̴L̸I̷F̵E̷ ̷I̸S̷ ̷A̵ ̴L̸I̵E̴?̸"̴

Odette Deadpan w Sweatdrop.PNG
Odette brought her hand back to her face and began rubbing her temples. "Of fucking course his name isn't Clovis 2.0, they aren't even parallels of each other."

She eventually gained the courage to look back up at him again. "Sorry. My boyfriend, Clovis, also has silvery hair and would die for his expensive suits, so she thought she was being funny."

Odile Neutral Frown.PNG
"̵T̴h̶o̵u̵g̷h̴t̴?̵ ̸B̵i̴t̷c̴h̷,̶ ̷I̴'̷m̵ ̷f̴u̷c̷k̸i̵n̸g̸ ̵h̶y̸s̶t̶e̷r̸i̸c̷a̷l̴.̸"̶ ̷she quipped. She took a long sip from the almost empty glass, then smacked her lips together. "̶A̵n̵y̵w̵a̴y̶,̶ ̷w̵e̴ ̷h̶a̸v̴e̸ ̴t̶o̸ ̶l̴e̵a̷v̸e̵.̷ ̶B̷a̵r̶t̶e̵n̵d̷e̸r̷ ̵s̸a̵y̶s̸ ̸t̵h̶e̶y̷'̴r̴e̴ ̴c̶l̷o̸s̷i̸n̴g̴ ̵e̷a̶r̸l̸y̵ ̶t̶o̸n̵i̶g̵h̵t̵.̵ ̶H̶e̴ ̶a̷l̷m̷o̶s̸t̷ ̶w̷o̶u̶l̶d̵n̶'̵t̴ ̴m̶a̶k̴e̴ ̸m̸e̶ ̸t̶h̵e̷s̷e̶ ̸d̵r̶i̸n̸k̴s̵,̴ ̴b̴u̵t̸ ̶I̴ ̵t̸i̷p̵p̶e̵d̴ ̸h̶i̴m̷ ̸$̸50̴0̴0̷.̶"̵

Odette Neutral.PNG
Oh, well. She figured that was as good of a time as any to end it. She stood up and stretched out her arms, hoping that would somehow help her feel a little less heavy. "I'm sure we're going on curfew after all of this bullshit."

She dropped her arms and shoved them into the pockets of her shorts. "Anyway...thanks for letting me--us--clear the air. You seem like a good guy, so I'm willing to keep you in the loop on whatever we--"

Odette Pissed 2.PNG
Odile's words finally registered with her, and her expression change was instant.

"I'm sorry, you tipped him HOW FUCKING MUCH?"

<><><><><><><><><><<>><><><><><>><><><>
 
Last edited:
Day 4 - Steven and Irene meet again

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
Steven finished placing his takeout order with the bartender and leaned back against the bar to wait.

Initially he was going to head straight back to the dorms to wait for Hayes there, but at the sight of the restaurant, he took a small detour. Hayes would still probably be a while at the cove, and he would undoubtedly appreciate some kind of food, given how their breakfast was non-existent with the events of the morning...

He sighed, eyes drifting lazily across the empty establishment. It made sense, everyone was at the cove (or mercifully sleeping in). Except something bright caught his eye, a glint of light in one of the furthest booths--

thinking face.png
"An Ampharos?" he muttered to himself, and peered closer, only to see a more familiar pokemon with bouquets of red and blue.

That Roserade from the marsh. Irene.

Inwardly, he winced. The way they left their last conversation was... not on the most amicable terms. But after this morning, there was something he wanted to ask her.

He'd barely moved from his spot at the bar when her head turned toward him sharply.

Aggron perked up from where he was hovering near the door, anticipating a quiet in-and-out with their food. Steven noticed and held out a hand to signal for him to stay there. He had no intention of approaching Irene the same way he had the day Reena disappeared.

Steven stopped a respectful distance away from Irene's booth when he addressed her.

neutral straight ahead.png
"Good morning," he said. "I hope you're doing alright since, well..." It still was hard to even say.

He figured he would try to ease into his question, since he was sure it was still a sore subject to breach.

"Neither of the security officers have bothered you about that morning, have they?"
 

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
  9. porygon
Irene had mostly been staring at her drink for the better part of the last half hour, barely sipping it. Roserade was picking at her own food, but seemed more concerned, or perhaps miffed with her trainer's mood.

As Steven approached, Ampaharos perked up and let out a warning pulse of light but relented when Irene gave a dismissive wave.

"Oh hey, its you," she said dully. She swirled her drink in her glass and witheld a sigh. "Yeah, they grilled me pretty good. That Manectric caught my scent later, and Officer Jenny came around. Not like I actually knew anything though." She kept her eyes on her glass, her shoulders hunched. "What about you? Find any clues on what... where Reena is?"
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
"Oh hey, its you," she said dully. She swirled her drink in her glass and witheld a sigh. "Yeah, they grilled me pretty good. That Manectric caught my scent later, and Officer Jenny came around. Not like I actually knew anything though." She kept her eyes on her glass, her shoulders hunched. "What about you? Find any clues on what... where Reena is?"
eyes closed pensive.png
Steven shook his head. He'd been foolish. "Ah, of course they found the same trail that brought us to you. I'm sorry you had to go through that twice. And I'd like to apologize for my behavior that day. Things were... hectic that morning. I let my emotions get the better of me."

neutral straight ahead.png
"Allow me to make amends with a proper introduction. My name is Steven. And I wish I could say I had better news, but there's been no sign of Reena's whereabouts. Though, forgive me, it sounded like you were going to say something else?"
 

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
  9. porygon
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Steven shook his head. He'd been foolish. "Ah, of course they found the same trail that brought us to you. I'm sorry you had to go through that twice. And I'd like to apologize for my behavior that day. Things were... hectic that morning. I let my emotions get the better of me."

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"Allow me to make amends with a proper introduction. My name is Steven. And I wish I could say I had better news, but there's been no sign of Reena's whereabouts. Though, forgive me, it sounded like you were going to say something else?"
"No its fine. I deserved as much, I suppose. I can't blame you for wanting answers, I hardly deserve an apology." She sipped idly at the drink, as if trying to distract herself.

At his next question, she seemed to consider her words. She cast a side-eyed glance at her Roserade, as if for reassurance, but the Roserade didn't seem to give any indication she noticed. "It's just... I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to her. I want to believe she's just missing but..." she shook her head, squeezing her glass a little tighter.

"Nevermind that, I just hope we can find her safely. Her and the other trainers." Her tone seemed to waver, barely noticeably. It almost seemed as if something were eating at her.
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
"No its fine. I deserved as much, I suppose. I can't blame you for wanting answers, I hardly deserve an apology." She sipped idly at the drink, as if trying to distract herself.

At his next question, she seemed to consider her words. She cast a side-eyed glance at her Roserade, as if for reassurance, but the Roserade didn't seem to give any indication she noticed. "It's just... I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to her. I want to believe she's just missing but..." she shook her head, squeezing her glass a little tighter.

"Nevermind that, I just hope we can find her safely. Her and the other trainers." Her tone seemed to waver, barely noticeably. It almost seemed as if something were eating at her.
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"I'm not sure anyone deserves to be treated like that, answers or not," said Steven. "It's clear you care a lot about her..."

He trailed off, unsure if he should broach the subject on his mind. He knew why he had been so upset by Reena's disappearance, but he doubted it was the same reason Irene seemed to be struggling with her own emotions right now.

He spared a glance at Irene's two partners. They were both strong looking pokemon, and well cared for. If she had chosen to help Reena fight, rather than run away, would it have made a difference from sheer numbers alone? Or was their enemy so strong it would have been a hopeless cause? What did she see that morning that scared her so much? And why would she assume something worse than vanishing might befall Reena?

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"You said you could never forgive yourself if something happened to Reena," he began softly. "Why would you shoulder the blame for her disappearance? I know you were at the beach at the same time that morning, but I don't know how you can fault yourself for what happened."
 

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
  9. porygon
Irene didn't look up from her drink for a long time. Her Roserade kept shooting her almost exasperated looks that she ignored.

Finally, Irene took a long swig and set the glass down. A bitter smile crossed her face. "Got nothing to lose..." she muttered to herself. "I've had my eye on two trainers ever since I got here. Her... and you. But she was the easier mark." She glanced up briefly at Steven.

Ampharos scowled slightly, looking as if her wanted to protest, but just watched her evenly as she continued, dropping her gaze to the table again.

"Everyone else came here to celebrate or train or enjoy friendship or whatever. I figured it was the perfect place for a bunch of trainers who were easy marks. Money. Reena was my mark. I figured I'd catch her alone, swipe something valuable. I came here to steal whatever I could. That's why I was following her. But now I keep thinking if maybe I'd been less focused on... that... Maybe I could have actually done something. Stopped her from being taken."

Irene looked up at Steven, clearly forcing herself to meet his gaze, shame and regret in her eyes. "I'm a thief but I'd never hurt a child. And I never lied to you about what I saw. But that doesn't really change the fact that maybe Reena could still be here if I was... better. Perhaps I could have intervened."

Her expression shifted, hardening. "So yeah, there you have it. I'm not anyone special who was invited, I'm just a thief. You can let officer Jenny know now or whatever."
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
Steven looked on with a stunned expression on his face. He opened his mouth, then closed it when no words came out.

He'd thought that maybe Irene had become fast friends with Reena, or maybe she'd come to know the young girl and wanted to mentor her, keep an eye on her, keep her safe. Like older, more experienced trainers should do for younger ones.

Not mark her as an easy target to be taken advantage of, to be preyed upon.

A wave of anger washed over him, and his jaw clenched tight.

frustrated.png
"You didn't care about her," he grated out. "You never cared."

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"Because if you did, if you truly did, you'd never have run away and left her there."

Steven broke eye contact and stared hard at the floor, his stomach twisting in knots. Behind him, he was faintly aware of Aggron's presence, not to attack or defend, but simply to alert Steven that their takeout order was ready.

"It's a shame. Your pokemon look strong, both of them," he said, still unable to look back at Irene. "If only you grew a conscience before a little girl was abducted, maybe she'd still be here."

His lips pressed into a thin line. He knew his words were harsh. This morning's incident was more than enough proof that neither numbers, type advantage, or strategy would be enough against the culprit. He still couldn't believe what Irene had admitted, though. Well, he could, but he didn't want to.

eyes closed neutral.png
Before he could change his mind, he turned his back to the booth and said quietly, "...I'm sure the good officers have enough on their plate with these mysterious disappearances. You can help us find the culprit and get Reena back safely. Or not. Whatever you decide to do, hope our paths never cross again. For your sake."

Without another word, he walked across the restaurant and out the door, Aggron trailing in his wake with their bag of takeout nestled in his grasp.

<><><><><>​
 
Day 7 - The Host’s Predicament

Hanafuda

Novice Ornithologist
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. rowlet
  2. koraidon-apex
Seb stood at the entrance of the bar. It definitely wasn’t the Dragons’ Maw. Yeah, it did have some fancy decor and soothing music in the background, but he could see bottles with alcoholic beverages aligned along the wall.

“I didn’t know there was a place like this,” Seb muttered in confusion. “Man, getting lost can get you places.”

Behind him, Zack and Jack, the latter sitting on the former’s shoulder, looked around, not as confused as their Trainer, but still amazed.

“So this is the place where you can get drunk?” asked the Pidgeot.

“I wouldn’t like what would happen if you did,” replied the Farfetch’d with a quick shake of his head.

“We can do that after we deal with the bad guy.”
 
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