FB Bar

[kawaiiconcept]

Cassie looked dissapointed "I don't know, he's my boyfriend and has been missing for almost a month now."
Kawaii smiled "really? thats fantastic. I don't mind changing his name at all." She reached over and gave the seedot a little rub before returning to the trainer she was talking to.
Tengu looked thrilled and moved around more than he had previously.

[Whimsy]

Murray looked on proudly as his attack launched the mystery assailant - now revealed to be a Plusle, away from Tate. The tiny swallow gave a chirp of triumph before turning back to the trainer, trying not to look too eager as he hoped his demonstration of strength had impressed the human enough. A Growl of challenge from behind him soon silenced his ego, however. Murray wheeled around suddenly only to be met with 4 kilograms of furry fury as Plusle rammed into him quickly. The blow sent the Taillow spiralling backwards, but the Plusle was not yet done. It had managed to grab hold of him as he attacked, the pair of them spinning through the air under the mouse pokemon's control. As they span, Murray could feel the Plusle rubbing against him in an odd fashion. Confusion turned to horror as Murray figured out what Plusle's plan was but it was too late - the Nuzzling he he had been given had already starting to take effect. He felt his wings locking up, and he was unable to save himself as he was launched onto the counter by the Plusle kicking off of him. He rolled back to his feet. Tendrils of electricity traced their way through his tiny avian body as the paralysis kicked in, threatening to keep him locked down.
Murray saw red. He gave a loud, violent Growl of his own, the pain of his paralysis fueling a primal anger within him. A crimson aura burst to life around him, flowing wildly in all directions. Murray gave the Plusle a threatening glare before recklessly charging at it, not caring about the Double-edged nature of his attack. He just wanted the Plusle gone...

*Murray's Guts Activated!*
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Dalia continued to remain silent. She didn't move a muscle. She just kept staring, unblinking, at the pair of grass types.
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Michael chuckled a little. He was all too familiar with the anxiety of being in a crowded room - although he'd be fine if the people there were familiar to him, most of the current occupants of the bar definitely put the "strange" in stranger.
"I understand, I get a little overwhelmed sometimes myself. Dikune here usually helps me with that though." He gestured to his Hypno, who nodded solemnly. The pair stepped aside to allow Keith (or was it Jack? he couldn't tell) to explain to Kawaii that her Seedot preferred to be addressed by a different name - which, even though it would explain the acorn pokemon's sadness (probably), didn't explain the strange and empty eyes that it had...
Oh well. Tengu seemed to be so much more lively and energetic now, so that was good at least.
A loud commotion at the door startled Michael somewhat, but he decided against investigating it. At this point, he wasn't going to bother trying to get involved. He would've felt like he was in it waaaaaaaaay over his head if he did.
Michael was about to answer Kawaii's question about her Drowzee when Dikune interrupted him by throwing his arm out in front of him defensively.
"I do not wish for any harm to befall Michael or any of the trainers here. Is she trustworthy?" Hypno asked Kawaii telepathically.
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Mikan was pleased to see that Dennis and DTM were content with her care.
"I'll say! It's like a circus back at the ranch. Something's always going on!" Mikan laughed. A circus was putting it lightly, it was like a theater production where nobody knew their lines, the stage was on fire and the actors got into the occasional fistfight over which was the better performer while she had to smile and just keep everyone topped up. She couldn't deny that it was a load of fun, but she just wanted a break now and then, you know?
As if on cue, Murray crash-landed a few feet behind her. Mikan took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, silently resisting the urge to scream. The look on her face was akin to a mother trying to ignore the fact that her child was throwing a tantrum in the middle of a busy street while strangers watched on with judging eyes. She desperately looked for a topic change - which thankfully came with the arrival of a Skuntank and Stunfisk. Said Stunfisk apparently recognised her, and Mikan's face brightened considerably as she realised why it was.
"Ah, you must be the one Meowth told me about! I never got to thank you for that time. Thank you, honestly and truly!" She said graciously. Something struck her as odd though.
"Wait, but... I didn't know Stunfisk could heal others. However did you do it?"
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"Perci? Cool! I have another friend named Percival too, but he doesn't like being called Perci like you do. I'm Puck! Pleasedtomeetcha!" Puck rattled off in his usual quick pace. He didn't really understand much of the sciency stuff Perci was talking about in regards to Kahakai's skin, but it did sound right. I mean, it sounded smart enough so it must be right, right? Though Perci's demonstration of his electrical prowess was much more to his level of understanding. Puck's eyes grew wide and sparkled, and his excitement grew tenfold.
"Hey, I feel like that all the time! I get all excited and bouncy and it's so wild it feels like magic! OOH! Maybe that means I'm destined to evolve into Jolteon! Then I can be all zip-zap-woosh all over the place! But then I'd be all spiky. I don't think I'd like being spiky, I wouldn't be able to play with people or I would hurt them. But it is an idea!"
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Stephen seemed nonplussed at all the oddities that seemed to be happening around him. His inconspicuousness did lead to him discovering crazier things in his lifetime, as nobody knew that he had caught them. And considering who he lived with, he had a neverending ingot of crazy to mine from.
"I know, and it makes trying to help my teammates really difficult. They freak out and start worrying about being haunted. It's not fun, let me tell you." He sighed.
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If Michael were more observant, he would have noticed that his backpack was a little heavier than usual when he put it on that morning. Needless to say, he wasn't. Thus his little trip to the bar came with an unintended stowaway. Awoken by the (very loud) entrance of Ffion, a small figure shook himself off before crawling out of Michael's backpack undetected. The small pokemon was Axel, Michael's Wooper. He looked around at the state of the bar. It was... well, it was packed to say the least. A bunch of his companions were busy with some unknown pokemon, his trainer was off doing whatever trainers did. It seemed like he was free to wander around on his own. He tottered around aimlessly, with no real purpose other than to just take in the atmosphere. In his tottering, he spied a Timburr, who seemed to be alone. Said Timburr also seemed to be completely unaffected by the cacophony of the Bar. Axel tilted his head, intrigued. The small Wooper waddled over to Terrance, as silent as ever. He recognised the stratched words in the Timburr's log as human language, and began silently reading through it. From the looks of it, his name was Terrance...

[Nerd Violence]

(OOC: Okay, so I think I have taken stock of everyone who has interacted with me or my 'mon. As I've mentioned here and elsewhere, my meds have been in the process of being adjusted, and the worst of my side effects coincided with the boom of activity here; I was basically stoned off my gourde 24/7 while chaos reigned upon the bar. If I'm still missing anyone, please let me know! I'm not ignoring you on purpose!)

--- --- --- --- --- ---

"I think this one is broken," Palaho remarked, hopping towards Dalia. Her tone was a touch derisive, but not exactly aggressive; if anything, she sounded amused. Kauka followed after her, imitating her matron's mannerisms childishly.

"We should fix her," the small bird chimed. She flitted out clumsily, in front of the Mandibuzz, and inserted herself in the Natu's face, staring into her wide, unblinking eyes. "Is she sick? Is she sick?!"

--- --- --- --- --- ---

Kahakai recoiled on instinct from the flying sparks, immediately miffed by the display. Didn't he appreciate her vulnerability?! She found the gesture distasteful and uncouth, regardless of if he meant any harm by it. Nor did the authority which he spoke on her anatomy sit well with the newly evolved Vaporeon. Who was he to talk like he knew? She didn't like the idea of some stranger, some random little rat, knowing more about who she was than she did. She didn't like Perci, she decided. Puck meanwhile prattled on obliviously, as he was wont to do. What was so interesting about Perci? What was so interesting about electric types? What was... what? What did Puck just say?

"If you become a Jolteon, I don't think we can be friends," she scoffed, before she considered the words leaving her mouth. Her tone was harsh, and a little mean. Where had that come from?!

--- --- --- --- --- ---

The chaos of the bar was overwhelming. Trainers yelled. Doors banged. Pokémon made all manner of sound. Kai had just evolved but there was no time to process what was a very emotionally loaded experience with all the goings on around them. There were so many birds everywhere! And then something attacked. Tate screeched like a goddamn banshee as Murray intercepted a blow meant for the woefully oblivious trainer, watching in abject horror as a series of blows were traded in a few harrowing seconds. Flinging both arms in the air -- PokéGear flying off to parts unknown -- the young naturalist leaped onto the bar, knocking over glasses and still shrieking, flailing madly in an attempt to disengage the sudden brawl.

"What are you doing?!" Tate wailed, at the strange Plusle. "Leave him alone! Shoo! SHOO!"

[kawaiiconcept]

Frieghya was not one to take paticular intrest in other trainers but she sensed familiar panic vibes from across the bar. She closed her eyes and focused calming waves to Tate. Soothing her jumbled nerves. In fact the stress and noise were too much for her to handle so she sent out calming waves over the entire bar.
.......
Kawaii giggled "She's very calm. At times she's a bit curious but that's it."

[Missingno. Master]

"O-oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Six murmured. "W-well, I'm sure you'll find him," he added, trying to cheer Cassie up. "M-my Trainer hasn't seen his girlfriend in f-five years, and th-that's her over there talking to him now. Th-there's always hope, right?"


Jack grinned as Kawaii reacted exactly as the Ditto thought she would- she was much more concerned with her Seedot's happiness than with what he thought of her name for him. "This is good, this is a step in the right direction," nodded Jack. "Believe you me, having a name that sounds right, makes a buttload of difference," he said. "I- what the?" he added, noticing the loud commotion Ffion was making as she entered. Shrugging it off, however, the Ditto listened as Kawaii explained to Dikune about her Drowzee. He looked at the Hypno, who seemed ready to defend his Trainer if necessary. "Uh... what's got you in a panic?" he asked the Hypno. "You seem more paranoid than my Trainer's Pawniard, and that's saying something."


"Heh. Sounds kinda like my Trainer's Secret Base," grinned the Venusaur as Mikan explained that things were always hectic back at the ranch. "I mean, things are generally pretty peaceful, but things happen, fights break out, and not to mention, Keith's become kind of a big enemy to Team Rocket, so yeah, they like to try and attack us. They never win, though," Dennis grinned.

The tiny Taillow made a crash landing on the floor several feet behind Mikan, which the Audino did not seem too thrilled about. Dennis said nothing, getting the feeling that this was not a topic of conversation the Normal-type would want to pursue, and sure enough, the arrival of Bellatrix and Rubeus seemed to provide Mikan with a welcome change of subject- she did indeed know of Rubeus. "You're very welcome," the Stunfisk responded, bowing as best as a Stunfisk could be expected to bow. He listened as Mikan then asked the obvious question- how could a Stunfisk heal someone? "Well, my Trainer has something of a talent for finding ways to teach moves to Pokémon that can't generally learn such moves," said Rubeus. "Back then, the only way I could potentially heal somebody would be via Pain Split, and even then, only if I was in considerably better shape than the one I intended to heal, and even then, it could never fully heal them. Keith knew I desired a better way to help others, so when he came across this odd chocolate that could impart the Soft-Boiled move to whomever eats it, his first thought was that I would appreciate knowing such a move. And I most certainly do appreciate knowing such a move," he smiled. "It's a perfect way to heal both myself and others." Then, he noticed Murray. "Dear me," he murmured. He flapped his side fins like wings, rose a little ways off the floor, and flew over to the tiny Taillow. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"So, Rubeus helped you out once?" said the Skuntank. "I'm not surprised- he's really good like that. My Trainer lives above a Pokémon Center, where Rubeus helps out a lot. By the way, I'm Bellatrix, what's your name?" she asked Mikan.


Cyanide resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Puck went on, and on, and on about something or other... something about Jolteon, Cyanide thought she heard, she didn't know, she wasn't really paying much attention to Puck. As it turned out, though, Puck had mentioned the idea of becoming a Jolteon- Cyanide found this out by way of Kahakai, who, in a new and rather rude tone of voice, bluntly told Puck that they couldn't be friends if he chose to evolve into Jolteon. Cyanide's eyebrows rose as she glanced at the Vaporeon. "Daaaamn, girl," she remarked. "You sure you didn't evolve into Glaceon? Because that was cold right there."

[kawaiiconcept]

Oisin giggled at the antics of the birds. Cerno took the staring a little too seriously "are you challenging me little one?" he stated ignoring the others, directing his challenge and Dalia.

[Raves]

The tiny bird didn't see it coming. Rushing into the lesser foe, the Plusle's nuzzle worked like a charm, the small avian crashing onto the counter before some other pokemon, but blood was pumping through the hot-blooded mouse's veins. The Taillow was paralysed, and even with the bird's angry growling, she was determined to put it down despite the red flair. As the Taillow began to rush towards her forcefully, the Cheering pokemon prepared to juke out of the way with a second quick attack, when her initial target leaped onto the counter and started waving their arms around like some sort of buffoon.

It was just a second of distraction, but one second was all a fast avian needs. Turning back, the rodent couldn't react in time as the double-edged impact, boosted by the superior experience and gutsy attitude of the prideful bird crashed into her, carrying her for several metres before momentum continued...

The Plusle rocketed across the bar, eyes tearing up and most certainly not in a fake manner as she slammed into the dartboard, rebounding off it as the block shattered into sizable chunks, hurtled up into the rafters, whirling around a crossbar uncontrollably before being launched into the recording device of the wailing shouty person, knocking it down. She then slam dunked into the counter, sliding and bowling across the bar knocking drinks over as she went before hitting a solid board which propelled her over the head of the man with the hat, the prevailing backwind pushing it back slightly and then struck the ceiling fan, which suddenly picked up a rapid pace as the mouse clung on for dear life. Centifugal force won out in the end, however, as the Plusle was fired past the Audino's group before anything could properly react, with a scream, and clean through the window with a loud, shattering crash, followed a few seconds by a pained squeak.

-----

Perci listened to the excited Eevee's gleeful witterings while Cyanide questioned him on his presumptions, but before he could answer the Vaporeon retorted rather bluntly towards the Eevee regarding friendship and evolution, and Perci could note the air of apprehension around said water type, with a rather obvious reason. However, it was the Umbreon's response which led to the Minun's next choice of words.

"Perhaps I was a tad mistaken in you being an Umbreon. With a quip of that caliber, I would have assumed you to be a Flareon were I blind." Clearing his throat, he then continued. "However, in regards to your query on my presumption, aside from the fact that your species is known for their toxic sweat when agitated, there is the fact you appear to have the sort of mannerism and stance of one who has tolerance and residence with a greater than usual volume of poison types. The nose knows," he concluded, tapping his nose as to demonstrate.

Switching towards Puck, he resumed. "Well, high energetic prowess need not lean toward an evolution to Jolteon. Leafeon tend to consume great volumes of energy to grow and strike, and all possess an affinity to the sun, granting them heightened resilience to illness or swifter movement. Conversely, Flareon, such as our dark-typed companion here," nodding towards Cyanide in a continued swing of the joke, "are highly energetic due to their body heat produced, and are capable of absorbing fire and heat unto themselves to amplify their pyroclastic energy. Some can even build up strength from ailments, but both them, Leafeon and Jolteon differ from their counterpart evolutions in their active lifestyles."

"I mean no alarm to you, Vaporeon, regarding your species. I was simply using the knowledge I learned from my studies into pokemon physiology during my tenure at the r - I mean, while in my travels." The Minun gulped slightly, having caught himself on topics he was not one to share with others, inwardly hoping none of the Eevee family caught this hiccup.

His mood soon changed when a shrill cry and crash of a random Plusle through the window, his calm demeanour giving way to indignant irritance as he put his small paw to his face, grumbling.

"Kindly ignore that foolish mouse..."

-----

The figure ignored the surroundings, while considering their object. Initial fiddling had confirmed the locking mechanism consisted of 64 seperate ticks, which would mean roughly two hours of straight codebreaking to find each of the 12 different signals. Further scrutiny led them to assume the entire system had to be cracked with no error, with going past a necessary tick leading to having to restart all over again.

The noise was only making the task of hearing the very faint ticking of the lockbox even tougher, and they had resorted to pulling a device to facilitate the task, a set of headphones wth a small mic on the end of a wire. Patience was all that was required.

Reaching for another mouthful of their cocktail, their drink was swiftly sent hurtling onto the floor by the crazed figure trying desperately to shoo something away. With nothing being said, the figure's short pause was enough to break concentration, with them merely turning the dial back to neutral to start again, hand heading for their dragon's descent...only for the Plusle's flying form to crash through it, spraying it all over a group of trainers nearby. Their outstretched hand lowered a little, before they sighed. This will be a lengthy night...

[Lil'twick]

Terrance continued to be oblivious to the chaos that was occurring behind him. Not that he minded, he wouldn't have been really to do much in the chaos anyways. Putting down his glass, the Timburr looked around and saw a blue, fish like thing next to him. It seemed to be curious about his log. He waved his hand at the fish, trying to be friendly and say hello. He also then pointed to the word 'Hello' on his log as well. The thing, was it that water typed called Wooper?, Well the fish thing didn't really have hands so Terrance didn't even bother to communicate in ASL. He then kept on pointing and shifting the log until a sentence was formed.

"Hello, how are you?"

[Whimsy]

(OOC: This is just gonna be a small reply to one thread real quick, so I can get this plot to stay in a similar frame of time for a plan I have for when I reply to everyone)

Dalia didn't even flinch as Kauki got all up in her face. She just remained still, not even responding to Cerno's accusations. Instead, she just kept staring...

[kawaiiconcept]

(OoC: same as whimsy)
Cerno closed his eyes, "as you wish" he fired a fairy wind and the small bird.

[Nerd Violence]

(OOC: Double Ditto.)

Kauka, having never been anywhere near a battle before in her short life, didn't have the wisdom to move out of the way, and simply stood -- an innocent bystander -- between Cerno and Dalia as the attack flew. A mystical wind struck her, and the dark type hissed in agony as a sudden, horrific pain ripped through her by way of faerie magic. Dazed and panting, she slumped forward and then scurried on her belly across the bar to hide behind Palaho, terrified. Palaho's attention snapped to Cerno.

"You wretched little weed," hissed the Mandibuzz, in great defense of her young ward. Slowly, she began to walk forward towards the Whimsicott, talons scraping the wooden surface of the bar.

[Marion Ette]

"MINNY! HAH!" For such a small person, Ffion's boisterous laugh has the power and volume of a fully grown Pyroar's signature cry. "I am soooo using that now. Minny Minny, grudge within me, once ate souls but now I'm skinny..."

If looks could kill, Minerva would be committing an act of genocide, blood spewing across the bar like cheap beer. Shifting and focusing the deathglare on Remilia, she forces a smile. "Yes, please. Speak with Ffion. Take as much blood from her as you like, but... be careful." Minerva pauses, as if debating whether to clarify, but simply leaves it at that, seeming quite convinced that, given her new nickname, any further warning would be too charitable.

Minerva's Mawile seems fascinated - and overwhelmed - by the goings-on around him; perhaps inclined to interact with others, but unsure of where to start, the poorly socialized steel type remains rooted beside his trainer, his smaller face appearing to be contemplating his next action while the larger mouth retracts towards the body, the increasingly boisterous crowd seeming to disturb it. The Pokemon visibly winces as a Plusle goes whizzing by, alcohol spraying over him. Predominantly rum, by the smell of it. His trainer, momentarily nonplussed by the Plusle's predicament and the Dragon's Descent descending upon them, ultimately shrugs her shoulders - she spent enough time in the bar over the years to consider incidents like these as par for the course. Certainly, there were interesting beings lurking in the shadows, as always... but this was not her concern at the moment.

Keith makes his way over, introducing himself in response to Ffion's questions. "Speak of the devil, and he appears," Ffion remarks in a sing-song voice, looking him over with an odd little smirk. "Hmph, you don't look half bad... and neither does your friend, heh~"

Minerva narrows her eyes as Ffion attends to this"friend" of Keith's... Giggling and casting an intense look, Ffion seems quite intently focused on that which appears to be nothing but empty space. After a moment of this baffling behavior, Ffion blinks and shakes her head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Oh, ne- never mind." She turns to Minerva and a big grin crosses her face. "Let me get you a drink!"

With surprising acceleration, Ffion sprints across the bar and vaults over the counter in one leap - her landing is marked with the sound of glass crashing, as she snatches two bottles from the shelf, right in front of the bewildered bartender. Giving him a suggestive wink, she jumps back over the counter with her loot. The bartender, though clearly larger and more muscular than Ffion, seems somewhat intimidated - if not by size, than by the sheer confidence and audacity of the woman, and seems to have made the calculation in his mind that a few bottles of alcohol do not equal attempting to engage this woman to find out what fuels this blatant disregard of basic social norms. Sashaying back like she owns the place, Ffion shoves the bottles into Minerva's hands with a grin.

"One for you and one for your cowboy, Miss Minny~"

"Ffion - Oh, for Giratina's sake -" Minerva turns the bright pink and purple bottles of liqueur in her left hand over with a look of visible disgust. "Why would you give me this cheap, nasty, sugary swill -"

"Oh, the bottles are pretty, don't you think? Who cares how it tastes..."

"You don't even drink alcohol," Minerva growls.

Ffion seems to have already checked out of the conversation, suddenly intrigued instead by the Tapu Cocoa in Heather's hand. Invading the redheaded teen's personal space with an utter lack of apology, she stares intently into the mouth of the container as if the liquid surface within were a scrying mirror.

"You gonna finish that?" Ffion points to the drink, posing the question quite seriously.

Moving towards Keith, her mouth hovers towards his ear, as she appears to whisper something seductive - though the words he hears are Please get me the hell out of here, pronto.

Meanwhile, the Mawile beside Minerva comes to the horrifying realization that his spicy lemonade has been sitting on the counter for a few minutes now, waiting for him - on the counter, where he cannot reach! Disturbed enough to be brought out of his shell, but aware enough of the gravity of his trainer's situation not to interrupt her, he awkwardly, earnestly - makes his best attempts at getting Keith's Meowth's attention by jumping up and down and flailing his arms, while making unfaltering eye contact.

[Heather]

As Heather waited for the break in the conversation she needed, Ffion suddenly decided to...stare at her drink, for whatever reason, though she was wayyyyyyyy too close for Heather's comfort. Suffice to say there were reasons she liked to keep a distance buffer with people nine times out of ten, and this lady was about as up in her grill as she could possibly allow.

"You gonna finish that?" she suddenly asks, making Heather just slightly bewildered about why she'd been staring at it so intensely. Granted, Magus had said something was off about her...did she have some kind of power? This train of thought inevitably led to worry about what Ffion could...find out, shall we say, with this power, if it even existed, but with her moment to think evaporating, Heather decided to answer by taking a quick swig of her beverage.

"Yes, quite. Also...personal space please I'm sorry this is just kinda awkward right now?" she replied, shrinking back from the lady a little. Grace, for her part, wordlessly stared the woman down in her best attempt to be intimidating.

Magus I know you're busy conversing but what the hell is this lady's deal what's up with her what power does she have!? Heather thought frantically as she did so.

Ugh...relax. I've got no clue what exactly is up with her, but if she could tell the exact nature of your secret, it's the sort of thing someone like her would have brought up by now, I wager. At most, I figure she knows it's there. the Misdreavus' voice came reassuringly, or, at least it was meant to be.

You wager. How reassuring. Heather thought back, trying to not let the sarcasm get to her face.

I can't be certain, but I'm not usually the betting type. You're fine. Magus responded. Now can you please let me converse with this Numel in peace?
he finished, slightly annoyed.

...Sure, go ahead. Heather said, shaking her head before refocusing on Ffion.

"So...I don't believe we've met. Then again, I don't think I've met anyone besides Keith over there, so that's not saying much..." she said, trying her best to keep some semblance of composure.

[Missingno. Master]

Ffion's continued presence proved no less bewildering or unpredictable as her entrance. Minerva was quite obviously irritated with her, and as time went on, Keith began to understand this. Ffion was, to put it nicely, very spirited. For the most part, Keith watched the goings-on in silence, a look of bewilderment on his face, especially as Ffion made reference to some friend of Keith's, who was apparently occupying what everyone else perceived as empty space, visible only to her. She then jumped clear over the counter, procuring two bottles of what Minerva quickly identified as low-quality booze, having selected them purely based on how pretty the bottles were. Even Keith, seldom as he drank alcohol, knew this to be pretty damn bad logic. At long last, Ffion turned her attention elsewhere, though considering what her attention span had proven to be thus far, Keith had a feeling she would soon move on to someone or something else. And Minerva seized this opportunity, whispering to Keith, pleading for him to get her the hell out of here. Keith nodded in response, and turned to Meowth, though he was busy looking on as Mawile was trying to get his attention. "Meowth," said Keith in a low voice. "Me and Minerva are getting out of here. You and Jack are in charge of the others, alright?"

"Right," Meowth replied, before jumping down to the floor. "Wat's up?" he said to the Mawile.

Keith, meanwhile, pressed a few buttons on his Pokédex. A Poké Ball appeared on his belt. He put his Pokédex away, and opened up the Poké Ball, sending out into his free hand a Qwilfish. He put the ball back on his belt, then took hold of Minerva's hand. "Hebenon, Teleport. Back to the house," he instructed.

"Qwil," nodded the Qwilfish, before closing his eyes and focusing, focusing on warping himself, Keith, and Minerva back to Keith's Secret Base. Keith's first idea had been to simply lead Minerva outside, but he considered two things. One, Ffion could easily follow them if her attention strayed from that Tapu Cocoa. And two, considering Minerva's reactions to Ffion's various antics, Keith was willing to bet Minerva really, really didn't want Ffion following them.


Cyanide chuckled at the Minun's quip, then nodded as he explained that he perceived Cyanide's mannerisms, and odor, apparently, to reflect the fact that she hangs out with a lot of Poison-types. "The nose apparently does know," she nodded. "My Trainer's all about Poison-types. Honestly, I consider myself kind of a Poison-type at heart, myself- it's my Hidden Power type and everything."

[Nerd Violence]

"Percival, was it?" Kai asked, of the Minun, suddenly. She moved a little closer, though her steps were apprehensive -- she was distrustful of the Electric type simply by virtue of the power he innately held over her. "I have a name -- it's Kai."

She sat on her haunches, thick and muscular tail swinging laxly from side to side. A part of her realized she was being a bit petty, and she sighed. "...forgive me. Where... did you say you were from?"

--- --- ---

Tate yelped as the rodent broke the window. Sliding off the bar with a grunt, Tate paused long enough to offer Murray a hand to perch in, deeply impressed with the display of bravery. "We have to go see if it's okay," the trainer urged the little bird, hoping to coax him to join.

[Princess Ana]

"Don't worry Minerva, I won't kill your friend. If I drank that much blood in one sitting I would probably throw up." Remilia smiled, knowing that she had gotten under Minerva's skin and gotten away with it. One of the trades with being friendly with Remilia is that she always liked to find ways to toy with you. For Minerva, that would be Minny. For Ffion...Remilia wasn't sure. She couldn't quite tell what was going on with the woman, but even Remilia knew that she was a little odd. It's almost like Ffion is still a kid. A kid in an adult's body. It's a shame we don't know ANYONE with any experience with that. Remilia figured with someone like Ffion she wouldn't have to hold any pretenses; she might even agree to have her blood sucked out of her. She saw that she was now harassing a redhead, unsure on who the girl was. It didn't matter anyways, since the redhead wasn't the one she wanted to talk to.

Remilia took a stool next to Ffion, politely tapping her on the shoulder. "Hello there, my name is Remilia. I would ask you of your name but I think its already gotten around. So, Ffion, tell me about you." Remilia motioned to the bartender, who gravely nodded. There was a peculiar drink that would be served if Remilia had wanted as such, and the bartender came out with a chillede bottle. It looked like a bottle of wine at first glance, but the date of the bottle was quite recent; only a month ago. Wine couldn't be made, at the very least good wine, in just a month. The barkeeper poured the liquid into a glass; a deep crimson liquid that most people would probably identify on sight. "Thank you...I hope this bottle is as fresh as it says it is. The last time Lillian got me a bottle it was actually a y-" Remilia took a sip, before spitting the liquid back into the glass. "If only you could call like, the FDA about this. This fucking company is the only supplier and keeps trying to peddle off year old blood for fresh stuff. Gross". The bartender took the glass back, before she looked at Ffion.

"Of course, even after a month blood begins to taste a little odd. It only tastes the best when its taken straight from the body." Remilia revealed one of her fangs as she said this. "I only kid though, unless your offering. But really, tell me about yourself. A friend of Minerva is interesting enough for me to talk to, at any rate."

[Gemini Spark]

Remilia didn't go into details, just that she was away doing something, but then the woman named Lillian revealed that she used to be Blaze, just before Remilia kissed her. Hyrem couldn't fully understand what was going on, but he had at least heard of a few people whose genders had changed for various reasons. "Well, nice to meet you, Lillian...uh, again," he added. "From what I remember, Laika evolved into a Mightyena on the way to your base when we first visited, and then Michael evolved into a Banette at a party you had at your base..."

Meanwhile, Andromeda told Sera that it just seemed to know what kind of a trainer Keith was, and it took Sera back to when she first met Hyrem all those years ago. Indeed, she replied. I was Hyrem's very first Pokemon, and I simply...bonded with him as soon as I met him. It was just so natural for the both of us to do, and I do not want anything to break that bond.

There she was. The dark haired woman, known recently as Coselle, now apparently going back to her original name of Minerva, the name she had when she was a Banette under Marion's ownership. "Oh, Minerva then. I actually kinda like that name better..." Coselle- oops, Minerva, gonna take some getting used to for me- anyway, Minerva then spoke about Marion as if the two sisters had a pretty big falling out, making it quite clear that Marion probably wasn't going to show up while she was in the vicinity. She then spoke briefly with Remilia, then offered to talk later when another woman burst through the door, seemingly associated with Minerva, albeit to the Banette-turned human's distaste. The two exchanged words, and the new lady, revealed to be known as Ffion, seemed to draw as much attention to herself as Minerva's desire for something, anything, to randomly cut this woman's life short.

She seems to be keeping herself under control for now, Sera, Hyrem thought.
For now, replied the Gardevoir. However, I suggest we stay on guard; who knows when she might decide to snap, like she did years ago? And this new person seems to be...I believe it is called "pushing her buttons"?
That'd be a good phrase to use here, yeah, mused Hyrem.

However, he looked back towards Minerva and Keith and saw that they had vanished, their Pokemon all left behind. "Huh, where'd they go?" Hyrem asked aloud. "They were just here a second ago. And wasn't that Mawile with Minerva?" Indeed, the Mawile he saw clinging to the woman was still here, though Keith's Meowth was at least keeping him busy for the moment. "Oh well, they'll probably be back soon, I'm guessing," he continued, turning back towards Lillian. "Anyway, what else do I remember about you- oh yeah, we met your sister at your base too! How is she?"

At that moment, Hyrem caught a glimpse of a man in a hoodie with a Houndoom and what looked to be a Houndour of an unusual blue color. "Whoa, look over there!" The shiny Houndour looked quite young indeed, at least compared to the Houndoom, so she might be friendly enough to interact with. However, as the man approached the bartender, Hyrem soon recognized him. "Hey, I remember you, you were at the nightclub a while back! Michael, right? I remember your name because that just happens to be what my Banette is named. Also I really like your Pokemon, especially your Houndour, she looks really cute! I wish I brought my own Houndoom so he could meet them, but..." He then took out his second Love Ball and opened it to reveal a Gothita, her unusual purple body making her stand out as much as the blue puppy before her. "I guess I can let my own special bundle of joy walk around! Now Marion, don't just stare at anyone for too long, okay?" he warned. "Try talking to them, and you'll get to know them much faster!"
"Gothita!" she said before seeing Sera and start to puff up her cheeks before wandering towards the other shiny Pokemon in the vicinity. Sera, seeing this, tilted her head to the side with a confused smile. "Oh dear," she sighed out loud, "I wish she did not have to see me as any sort of rival all the time..."

[Marion Ette]

Warmth engulfs Minerva's hand as Keith's fingers wrap around it - the years had not dulled the radiant spread of heat and flush his touch ignited, up through her arm, straight into her core. She tries to stifle the smile, but hasn't the time to compose herself, as Keith summons a familiar Pokemon to assist with their escape. Who could forget the Qwilfish that can teleport? Hebenon was a force of nature unto itself, and Minerva had to admit to herself that it was genuinely nice to see him again... Until she learns the intended destination. The plan had been for a quick encounter, if any - a brief exchange of hellos, an explanation, and a goodbye as she continued on her search - but even without Ffion complicating things, the bar had become a hotbed of activity seemingly without warning, and Minerva's senses were not what they used to be...

Of course, running was not an option. Even if the Nightwatch Oath did not bind her to see all difficulties through with pride and conviction, she lacks the strength to break his grasp, gentle though it was.

If to the earth you wish to return, then to the earth you must be tethered -

The order is issued, the ground drops from beneath her, and all becomes light and silence.

EXIT - MINERVA

---

Ffion simply shrugs her shoulders at Heather's initial response, though try as she might to hide it, she remains focused on the cup of Tapu Cocoa. However, the moment Heather mentions not having met Ffion before, she immediately shakes her head and gives the young woman behind the cocoa mug some attention.

"No, we have. At least, I met you." The decisiveness and matter-of-fact attitude with which Ffion makes this declaration is disarming. She pauses a moment, as if bringing forth a recollection, before continuing; "It was the dream I had when you were... eh, it doesn't matter. You simply don't remember, do you? Such a shame, it was such a beautiful moment in our lives... or perhaps you weren't really there at all. I know I wasn't." Ffion laughs a bit. "Still, I know your face. Not that you would know mine. You drank the cocoa, after all, without even looking to see whose reflection was in it..."

Ffion trails off, distracted by the sudden tap on her shoulder. Turning her attention to Remilia for the moment, she seems to regard Remilia's request for more information about her with an expression of amusement.

"Minny didn't tell you? Oh, I guess she has been gone awhile..." Ffion grins, before turning in Minerva's direction... and realizing that she's not there. Ffion's jaw drops, her eyes wide. Turning to Remilia, it becomes obvious that the formerly lackadaisical persona is crumbling, revealing anxiety underneath.

"Remilia, I hate to rush the foreplay, here, lovely as it has been... but can we get to the good part?" She holds her arm out to her in offering. "Consider it my way of lending you a hand, or an arm in this case, haha..." The joke lacks the gusto of Ffion's earlier remarks, as the small woman's eyes remain fixed on the spot where Minerva and Keith once stood. "By the way, Remilia... Did you happen to see Minny and her cowboy here a few moments ago? I, uh..." Ffion sighs. "I... thought I saw them, earlier..."

---

OH! The Mawile startles at Keith's Meowth actually responding to his attempts for attention. With wide eyes and a meek, quiet voice, he begins attempting to formulate his question. Er, yes, if you would so very considerably and kindly, provided it is not of great impedance to you or to your present concerns and livelihood, at the present time - er, that is, a few moments from the present time, once I present the request, if you would so very patiently and kindly -

A significant pause, as the Mawile begins to realize that his trainer is vanishing before his eyes -

Oh, oh dear - The Mawile's smaller mouth frets as he stares into the empty space his trainer once occupied. I, oh, oh bother, this is -

Her eyes are no longer watching... the larger mouth bellows, in a low, yet powerful growl.

[kawaiiconcept]

(OoC:reminder to mm that cassie is still out.)

[Missingno. Master]

(Unless I'm missing something, Cassie never responded to Six?)

As a somewhat more frantic Ffion was talking to Remilia, a certain Shiny was regarding the latter with interest and curiosity, having overheard her gripes about the taste of aged blood. Rather than aging like a fine wine, blood tended to age like milk, and Fatale knew this quite well. She preferred her blood fresh from the corpse- second only to getting to drink blood from a live victim, of course. Nothing quite like steadily weakening screams of agony to go with a nice fresh meal, in Fatale's opinion. She was rather inclined to approach Remilia and state her agreement with the previously stated distaste for aged blood, but she decided to hold off until Ffion was a bit less... frantic.


I would not say I bonded with Keith immediately, admitted Andromeda. When first I met him, Team Rocket had me chained up in their lair, including some sort of shackle that covered up my core, which prevented me from freeing myself with any attacks. I was in a very vulnerable position, and so I wasn't inclined to trust anyone at that moment. I yelled at him to go away, but he didn't- he set me free, and he earned my trust by helping me escape. After we had dealt with every Team Rocket member in there, I helped him escape- the Executive's last act was to order his Electrode to blow the whole place up. Had I not intervened, Keith would not have escaped in time. By that point, I came to realize that Keith was someone I could put my complete trust in. I asked if I could accompany him, and he agreed. The Starmie then saw as Hyrem sent out a Shiny Gothita, and was intrigued by the name he called her. The Gothita's name is Marion? inquired Andromeda. That's the same name as one of my former Trainers.


Meowth listened as Mawile stammered through his request, without actually getting to the request. "Just calm down and tell me wat ya want, it's fine," Meowth said as Mawile paused. Then, he followed Mawile's gaze, and realized that the Steel/Fairy-type was now aware that Keith and Minerva had vanished. "Eh, don't worry about dem, dey'll be fine-" Meowth began, before being interrupted by a decidedly less meek voice, emanating from the same Mawile- just not the same mouth. "...Ehhh, I dunno if I wanna know the answer, but... what was dat?" Meowth asked Mawile.

[kawaiiconcept]

(ack my bad)
(here is everyone)
KAWAII:
Kawaii looked startled as Kieth teleported out but kept her attention on the trainer in front of her.
FRIEGHYA:
Frieghya turned her attention to her friend since the vaporeon seemed preoccupied. "That was a sweet burn on the whole Glaceon thing." she comented.
DTM:
DTM had dozed off whel the otgers were talking and had compleatly missed the last couple minuets of conversation. She sat up wildly "what huh? Oh gosh I zoned out didn't I"
TENGU:
Seeing that the Ditto's attention had shifted the seedot rolled off the table towards a more interesting part of the bar.
CERNO:
The whimsicott cleared his throat "My apologies madam I was aiming at this natu who was challenging me."
CASSIE:
The lilipup sighed "I hope so , sometimes you gotta cut your losses thogh."
she heald the pendant shaped like half a heart in her paw, the name WOLFIE inscribed in it. "I wont forget him. I just wont wait for him."

[Heather]

Up to that moment, Heather had been trying to maintain an appearance of calm collectedness. But Ffion's declaration took a hammer to it and smashed it into dust. The redhead set her drink down gingerly on a nearby empty table, visibly shaking. It couldn't be. The way she said that, that most likely meant-!

"It was the dream I had when you were..." Heather both thanked and cursed the gods above that that sentence wasn't finished-if it had been going to finish the way she thought, she did not want Ffion spilling that information casually with third parties present in such numbers, even if it wasn't likely to be overheard. She cursed because it left the thought unanswered, incomplete, leaving her uncertain of whether this woman actually did know her secret or not.

What fun, the ADHD spooky lady is likely to know things I'm trying to keep secret for my own safety... I guess this is why Magus isn't the betting type. she thought to herself. But still, she couldn't leave that question hanging in the air. If Ffion knew, she had to be informed that she could not disclose that tidbit, under any circumstances. If not, then perhaps Heather could rest easy, but...hm. She needed to stop, think this over, as much as she could. Ffion had apparently met her sometime before, but it was a one-sided memory from the sound of it. Something was different about Heather was different between then and now. While the obvious candidate existed, it wasn't certain. Ffion described it as a dream, so had it even really happened? Granted, dreams couldn't make up new faces-Ffion had to have seen her somewhere before in the waking world... Either way, Ffion described their apparent meeting as a beautiful moment in both their lives...a bit of evidence suggesting against what Heather feared, for she hardly considered those times to be beautiful, yet not enough to drive that fear out of her mind. Logic wouldn't help her here, there was too little to go on, too abstract at that.

She turned to pull Ffion aside, but noticed she was talking with someone else now, and visibly anxious now that...Keith and the woman with Heather at the bar itself earlier had vanished!? Well, that was something, wasn't it? Either way...

...Why am I even going to ask this? Do I...do I want to know that someone recognized me from meeting me as a boy, back when I was still Daniel? How can I even ask in a place like this, with so many listening ears? Do I want to worry about someone knowing that I'm trans? ...It's not like I have any choice in the matter. If there's a possibility, I have to worry.

Heather approached Ffion once more.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but...when you're done with her, I would need to ask you something. In, er, at least relative privacy?" Heather said, barely able to wait for a response.

[Princess Ana]

Remilia looked a little surprised when Ffion's personality before seemed to crumble before her once she realized that Minerva had left the bar. Remilia understoof to a point, given Minerva's reputation. She wondered if Ffion had been sent to keep an eye on her, like Minerva had said. Her reaction seemed to suggest as much. "No, they were definitely here Ffion. It's likely that Minerva just wanted to get out of the Bar. She has always had a habit of attracting company no matter where she went. There aren't a lot of places to go right now either, but I can't say for certain where they went off to." Remilia didn't quite think having the tail around would be all too fun, as she had at least a decent idea where they were. After all, it didn't seem like Minerva came in with any Pokemon, and in trying times like this...there really was no place like home, was there?

Seeing Ffion offer up her arm was a little bit of a surprise. She figured there would be at least some resistance. Who knows, maybe she liked it? Even Nightingale had her spots...Remilia bit slowly into Ffion's arms, allowing a slow but steady flow to enter her mouth. Something immediately seemed off about it. The taste was bizarre. Quite frankly, it was unlike anything Remilia had ever tasted before in her life. She was curious, but stopped herself once she felt satisfied, which didn't require much. Despite the weird taste, nothing seemed to be wrong at first. Remilia smiled, ready to thank Ffion for the drink and continue trying to see if she could get any conversation out of it.

"Thanks Ffion for t-" Remilia stopped and fell off of her stool, scooting back. She looked horrified as she stared at Ffion's face, or rather the monstrous looking starfish that had Ffion's face took the form of. It looked just like the things that Hades had summoned when he attacked Blaze and the r-. But just like that it was gone. She was staring at Ffion again. She shook her head. "What the...sorry Ffion. Thanks for the drink..." Remilia slowly got up, making sure that she hadn't hurt herself. Despite her tumble, she seemed to be okay, although maybe just a little bit unsteady. In fact her head felt just a little bit woozy, like she was going to vomit. There...there was something in that blood. I know it. No way she's just sick.

Various splotches of red and blue swam in front of her like small fish in a lake. At least compared to the last hallucination, this one was a lot less threatening looking, but Remilia was still terrified. She had never experienced something like this before. She steadied herself on the bar, causing the bartender to look a little concerned. But hey, as long as he wasn't likely to be shot. The hallucination subsided, but Remilia now grew hot with anger. She glared at Ffion, "What, in the world, is in your blood?"

---

Hyrem repeated some of the happenings that occured at Lillian's secret base, to which Lillian simply smiled: she didn't really remember any of this. No one had been to the Secret Base other than Remilia, Lillian, and a few of Remilia's Pokemon for quite a long time now. So the idea of there being people and Pokemon coming and going was foreign to Lillian. But the mention of her having a sister was the real shocking part. "A sister...umm, are you sure? I think I would remember having a sister. Maybe you're remembering Flandre, Remilia's sister? Hmm..." Lillian tried to remember what Hyrem was talking about, and something did seem familiar about it...but she couldn't place it.

[Gemini Spark]

Lillian didn't remember her sister? "Oh wait, it wasn't you who had the sister, it was your friend, Dusk! Sabrina the Gym Leader's her sister, right? Wow, here I am doing a really good job at jogging your memory..." Hyrem said sarcastically. To be fair, it had been a while since he met Blaze, now Lillian. He was bound to forget a few details... "Anyway, do you remember what Pokemon you had? I think you had a Lopunny at one time, and I know about your Snorunt since she blew a bunch of freezing cold air in my face..."

Sera nodded at how Andromeda met Keith but was surprised when it mentioned that it used to be owned by a trainer named Marion. Wait, Marion? As in Marion Ette? she asked. We know her! How long ago were you owned by her, was it recent?

[Nerd Violence]

"Challenging you?" The Mandibuzz bellowed, low and throaty, her words little more than rumbles and hisses to the human ears which filled the bar. She looked at Dalia, sharp beak raised in the air haughtily, and did not seem impressed with the petite little bird who simply stared, on and on.

"Is this your idea of a threat?" She asked Cerno, an air of disgust to her tone. She threw her wings open, and at once it became truly clear how large a creature she was; nearly ninety pounds -- with a wingspan just short of four feet -- the four pound Natu was truly nothing to behold in comparison.

"Is this what you do, you inconsequential little puff of dander?" Palaho taunted mercilessly, advancing on the Whimsicott with slow, precise steps. The stars themselves seemed to drip from her violet wings. "Escalate? Is a look all it takes to stir you to battle? Do you not care whom you catch in the crossfire? You know, I can harm loved ones too."

She paused as she closed the final steps between herself and Cerno, and extended her long neck, pressing her bill to the nape of the faerie's neck. Slowly, eerily, she inhaled.

"You smell of Deerling."