Introduction
His younger sister is just starting to journey, and with their oldest son doing dangerous things, they wish their daughter to stay safe as well. They enlist another parent to send their son with the daughter, only to find out the two hate each other since they were young.
- 41 posts here • Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 2 authors
"I believe it's that ginger kid you think hates you..." A smooth voice answered. She turned to him with her jaw slack. "Yes, I know. Mother and Father did not plan this at all... Of all the brats in this town..." Jace continued to walk through the house, gathering the needed materials to study the sick Pokemon. The thought made his heartstrings clench. He would fix the little dears and even prevent more outbreaks like this one.
Sumara was raging, while she scoured her room for her headphones, tearing the room apart and then some. She didn't want to leave them here, not at all. She had flipped her bed over when she noticed them on the window sill. Grabbing them, she slid them over her head and thumped down the stairs, her guitar case slung on her back. Spotting his sister, he checked his bag one last time and nodded.
"Mother, Father, I will be escorting Suma to her partner, for now, we shall see if he lives, and then I will be off myself to meet the man you chose to 'protect' me. We will see you." And with that, both the Zabat children where gone, out the door in an instant. They had waited some time for this, Sumara the most. She hopped around her brother, who watched her with a soft smile. As they approached the meeting point for both sets of partners, they slowly sobered up, getting ready for a long, slow journey. They stood at the Pokemon Center door and waited.
That was, until his gaze lighted upon Sumara and her brother, waiting for him in front of the Center. Then his frown of concern for his general well-being morphed into a grimace-smirk. He could not believe how stupid he'd been to fall prey to his older cousin's sacred "no backs" rule earlier in the week. He ought to have known better than to leap before looking, and sure enough, his blurted promise of "whatever it is, I'll do it!" lead him to this situation. Who knew that his family, who were supposed to love him, were capable of such random cruelty? He was pretty sure it would be infinitely safer for Sumara and him to travel alone and risk getting mauled by rogue Pokemon or robbed by highway bandits than to travel together and probably destroy one another within the first hour.
"Hey short stuff," Mar said, digging at the fact that he'd gained considerable height over her in the past year. "So I understand I'm to be baby-sitting you for the next indeterminable amount of time."
Much to his absolute chagrin, the creepy big guy stopped walking near him as well. However, instead of getting Mar into a headlock or punching him out, the guy merely glanced over at Sumara's brother and nodded to him once. "Jace Zabat," he said, not like it was a question but more of a statement. Suddenly Mar wondered if Sumara's brother was the target of the possible hitman instead. "Brigson." Mar had no idea what that meant but assumed it was his name.
Sumara turned to Jace, who was steadily glaring at the large man. Jace's left eye twitched before he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, the least they could've done was get me a bodyguard that doesn't look like he wants to maim me just for existing..." Jace looked over Brigson with a clinical eye. "At least he looks like he can hold his own." He sighed again and readjusted the bag strap.
Sumara glanced at Martin warily before quickly hugging her brother, her fingers a vice grip on his lab coat. "We should get going... And you should as well." She muttered, suddenly very subdued and quiet. Jace held up one finger to signal that they needed a moment to themselves and led her inside the center, just inside the glass doors. "Brother... I-"
"You'll do just fine." He pet her hair softly and gave a rare smile. His baby sister was so mature but could become such a child again. He blamed the lack of attention from their moronic parents and the fact he was so, well, rich and handsome. She was in such a large shadow, that he cast. "Just remember, when you start to break down, turn it into that wonderful music of yours... You'll be the best battler, breeder, idol, whatever you choose to be, I know it." She nodded and let him go before taking a deep breath and running back outside.
"Come on, you soulless ginger, we need to hightail it now! If we're ever gonna make it to the next town we need to go!" She shot past the boy, excited to get started. Jace walked out and watched his sister run to the edge of town and with a grin, hop over the border before she sped off again, his face blank but his eyes fond.
Setting
0.00 INK
Brigson gave Jace a once-over from behind his sunglasses, assessing the likelihood that he could hold his own in a dangerous situation. Though he tried not to over- or underestimate anyone upon first glance, he silently agreed with the decision the young man's supervisor had made to assign him security detail. Taking note of his less-than-enthusiastic reaction to his presence, Brigson smirked slightly, though the expression was not often visible to those looking at his face. Since Jace had merely made commentary, and not asked a question of him, Brigson remained quiet and folded his hands in front of him, assuming the siblings would lead the way on their respective journeys.
When the Zabat siblings briefly vanished inside the Pokemon Center Mar was left once more in the uncomfortable presence of Brigson. They spent the time in tense, awkward silence (at least on Mar's part) until the siblings returned.
Mar rolled his eyes extravagantly at Sumara's "soulless ginger" jab and fell into step behind her, going painfully slow for a time until a nagging feeling that she would definitely leave him in the dust caused him to pick up the pace and jog after her. Damn never-ending energy, he grumbled internally, squinting up at the bright sun overhead and heaving a sigh. He tolerated the accelerated pace to the edge of town and a bit past that into the route beyond before his patience ran out abruptly. "Will you slow down?! The world isn't going to spontaneously combust if we walk to our destinations."
Brigson watched the two speed off into the midday sun and lifted an eyebrow at them, wondering why they were traveling together when they so clearly detested one another. Perhaps their angry banter was some sort of complicated teenage courting thing. He turned to Jace and took off his sunglasses, finally revealing his slate-gray eyes, and slipped them into the case he had clipped to his utility belt.
"Are you armed?" he asked with no pleasantries or preamble.
She slid one side of her headphone onto her ear and flicked the switch on her music player, flipping through the songs. She hopped, spun and literally danced the route, her head bopping to an unheard soundtrack. Grabbing the Pokeball off her belt, she released her partner, who barked and ran around her. She smiled, genuinely, and forgot where she was and who she was with, lost in the beats and melodies. Maybe traveling with the moron wouldn't be too bad.
Jace looked himself over and raised an eyebrow at the other male. "I don't carry weaponry, if that's what you're asking." He replied shortly. He tied part of his hair back to keep it off his neck and sighed before pulling out the map that his parents made him take. He pointed to a small island close by. "This is where someone decided to stash the sick Pokemon... We'll need a boat of some sort..." He tapped his chin in thought and begrudgingly turned to his bodyguard. "Any ideas?"
Setting
0.00 INK
Though his better judgment was telling him to just let her be, as she wasn't running too far ahead or trying to punch him, he couldn't stop himself from pushing the envelope again. He jogged a few paces until he was keeping time with her, then glanced over to her and lifted an eyebrow in judgment. "So, what, you're going to dance your way to the next city? I guess you don't plan on getting any battle experience in the meantime... your dance moves will frighten away any wilds within a ten mile radius."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I've got a contact near that area who can set us up with something," Brigson replied curtly, pulling out a piece of abysmally outdated technology that might be trying to pass as a cell phone. Before he dialed up the number, though, he paused and leveled a serious look at Jace.
"I was given the basic details when I signed up for this job, but I need to know everything you know sometime between now and when we get to that island. I realize a lot of the potential risks remain to be seen, but are your people suspecting foul play here?"
Sumara jumped at the chance for a battle. "Lorcan! Tackle it, quickly!" The little Pokemon charged at the bird, knocking it off balance. She hopped as the little bird pecked at Lorcan's head. "Grr! That's not cool! Use Thunder Wave and make it stop!" The Electrike zapped the bird, making Sumara squeal and toss the Pokeball. One... Two... Three! The bird as hers! Looking back at the red head, she grinned. "Beat that, little red!"
Jace sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "They don't know what to think. Considering that the island is a Pokemon reserve and a legendary shrine, they have every reason not to. None of the larger organizations would dare do this..." He growled softly. It was a question he often thought about, creating sleepless nights. "However, I believe that there is something going on... This is too perfect to be natural... Normally, Pokemon become immune to illnesses much faster than humans... From the notes I've gotten from them, it's like... It's adapting..."
He shook his head and looked at Brigson. "Sorry, I ramble when I start thinking. You seem to be the type to dislike talking a lot so I'll try to curb the habit, seeing as having you upset could mean something awful for me." He mused softly. He didn't care if he upset the other male. Honestly, it didn't even look like he could be fazed by words.
Setting
0.00 INK
As they continued on (Mar rubbing his shoulder which definitely smarted a little) he glanced at her Electrike, Lorcan. "So, why don't you just keep your Pokemon inside its Pokeball?" he asked, not really understanding her reasoning for having it accompany her on foot. Some bushes rustled to their left and Mar froze, but whatever it was didn't emerge when he nudged the area with his sneaker. The area woefully clear of new game to battle and catch, Mar started off down the path again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigson's face didn't show it very well, but he'd been deeply engrossed in Jace's speech before he cut himself off. His stoic face probably had given off the incorrect impression that he was staring blankly at him and wondering why on earth he was prattling on and on. Brigson did smirk slightly at the last quip though, and before he hit "send" on his dinosaur of a phone he added, "I'd imagine if I did anything awful to you I wouldn't be trusted to take on jobs like this in the future."
The phone rang fifteen times before Sanders picked up. Brigson's retired partner ran the registry of nautical vessels near the coast where the pair of them had to depart, and after a rambling, enthusiastic greeting from Sanders and about five words total from Brigson, he hung up.
"My contact will have a vessel ready for us when we arrive." He paused there, mulling over something Jace had said earlier. After a moment he fixed an unblinking stare on the smaller man and frowned slightly.
"Perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss it, but I'd like to hear more about your theories." He elaborated, realizing he'd been vague. "The ones about this virus perhaps being genetically engineered by some sort of company."
Sumara watched Martin poke around in the bushes. It was... Different, seeing the boy like this. Almost... Human. She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. There was no use in pondering things like that for now. Maybe when they weren't walking through a busy forest, she could contemplate her rival in everything.
Speaking of busy, she saw tons of Pokemon that apparently the red head couldn't. But she knew where to look, in the tree tops and on low branches, between the bright green. Spotting a particularly cute Seedot who had hopped down for some reason, she none so gently hip bumped the boy into the bush with the little seed Pokemon. "Whoops, my bad." She waved off the other and wandered over to a fallen tree, where she released the newly caught bird and quickly healed him up. "Let's see... What to name you... You seem protective so maybe Warden?" The Taillow nodded and hopped around on her lap. "Warden it is then!"
Jace blinked at the taller man and nodded slowly. "Of course..." His mind was still processing what was said to him. Someone actually wanted to listen to him talk, just to hear what he had to say. It was rare, even in his line of work. Most of the time, he told others what to do or did it himself, limiting human contact. But here was some strange, large man who wanted to listen. Excuse him for being a bit gobsmacked.
Then something else hit him. The man had not only smirked but made what sounded like a joke as well. His unnaturally pale skin warmed slightly and he had to cough in order to breath again. He rested a hand on his forehead and wondered if the stress was getting to him again. One of his Pokeballs snapped open and out sprung Styx, who began to float around him head. "Styx? How'd you get out again? Ah, no matter, I'm alright, you worried little bugger. A bit overworked but I'll live." The baby Pokemon opened one eye to glare at him before attaching himself onto Jace's undershirt. "Oi..."
Setting
0.00 INK
"Watch it!" he snarled at her a second before he realized what she'd done. Flushing red at his admittedly sub-par Pokemon spotting skills, Mar quickly took many steps back and released Bulbasaur between himself and the Seedot.
"Tackle!" he said with no other preamble. Bulbasaur hopped to immediately, bashing the bewildered seed Pokemon with its thick skull. Mar recalled that at this level the seed Pokemon shouldn't give him any trouble--unless it was allowed to finish its Bide attack, that was. Not allowing that, Mar ordered another Tackle to be safe before chucking his first Pokeball at it. Feeling like there was more at stake than his first catch, Mar held his breath and watched the ball wiggle back and forth. If that thing burst back out in front of Sumara he'd never hear the end of it.
Relief coursed through him when the ball finally stilled for the final time, and he scooped it up and tossed it in the air, catching it and grinning. Then he spun around to Sumara, grinning in a smug way. "Well, we're even now, spazoid."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigson raised his eyebrows at the Pokemon that emerged and clung protectively to Jace, but a moment later he smiled slightly at it. However the switch to "strictly business" happened almost at once, and he categorized the presence of the Pokemon as a possible security asset for Jace. "How combat effective is your team? If you and I were to get separated, would they be able to keep you safe?" His brow furrowed slightly at that, not liking the idea of being separated from his charge during any point of this mission, but knowing it was always a possibility.
((Quick question (I'll edit it out once we figure this part out)… shall I have Brigson arrange some kind of transportation for them to the coast? I'll probably just have them get picked up by some kind of flying Pokemon transportation service. If the coast is close to where they are now they can probably fly there directly, and if not they can get off somewhere and take a train the rest of the way :) Just depends how long or short we want the journey there to be.))
Setting
0.00 INK
"Give me the Pokeball for a second, an no, I won't steal it, as cute as it is. You'll want them both in top form, so give it here." She said, one hand grasped around the potion bag that her brother had gotten her. She tapped one foot impatiently.
Jace pet Styx's head and nodded. "The other three battle hardened and will easily protect me. Styx here is the only weak one for now. Part of a miniature pet project of mine on trainer's Pokemon handling techinques and the power capacity of the Pokemon." He scratched behind one of the perked up ears and felt the small purr. He distracted himself to keep from rambling on about useless things, well to the bodyguard at least. He may want to hear about the island theories but he doubted a project such as this one would interest him.
((Seeing as they're in Oldale, which is close to two port towns and near one more, I'd say we let them fly to Slateport, which would have boats to get away on, and grab one from there. The island is far, 2 days of travel from the main land to the island, which still needs a name... Name...))
Setting
0.00 INK
His eyebrows rose considerably at the way his plant-type at once made a crooning, cooing sound of pleasure and looked up at Sumara with undisguised adoration. Mar frowned at that, wondering where his battle-ready tough guy had disappeared to. Perhaps he'd been starved for physical affection and had just never shown it. Bulbasaur head-butted Sumara's leg gently and looked up at her again, obviously smiling.
Almost without meaning to Mar handed over his new Seedot's Pokeball, though the unspoken retort on the tip of his tongue was "I've got Potions of my own, you know." Instead he just watched her, his brain struggling to compute the kind gesture that seemed to come out of nowhere. She really was like a completely different girl when Pokemon were involved. He'd known this peripherally, having grown up around her his whole life, but this was the first time he'd gotten to really experience the extreme change from tough and scrappy to caring and sweet so quickly and in such close proximity. He tilted his head slightly, frowning, and watched her work, not at all sure what to make of this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigson lifted an eyebrow, curious about the details of the project. He refrained from asking, though, wanting to make sure they were situated and on their way before any pleasantries would take place. Brigson wasn't even completely sure if said pleasantries would occur, as he himself was terrible at small talk and tended to put others off with his general demeanor. One phone call later and they were set, awaiting the arrival of a pair of Fearow to carry them on to Slateport. Feeling better now that his list of things to do was shorter, Brigson settled back on his heels and fixed his gaze on Styx and Jace once more.
Alright, time to establish a good rapport with your charge, Brigson coached himself mentally. Wracking his brain for a topic that wasn't firearm training, self-defense coaching or nautical emergency facts, Brigson let out a slow sigh. As much as he wanted to grill Jace for all the details of his work right that moment, he knew they'd have many days to discuss business. It should be okay to let that wait a bit longer.
"So, a training techniques project. What have you tried so far?"
((Sounds good to me. I think I'd like to be evil and say one oversized Fearow was sent to them instead of two, so they have to fly together latched onto each other :P For an island name... how's Sandstone Island?))
Setting
0.00 INK
"Let's get you fixed up." With one well aimed potion spray, the little seed felt better and actually hopped off of her lap to nuzzle the Bulbasaur at Sumara's feet. "There! We're all friends now!" She smiled before standing back up and wiping any of the tree bark off of her. She tossed Martin back his Pokeballs and watched the Pokemon interact with a gentle smile.
Jace, who had finally pried Styx off of his midsection and had him sitting on his shoulder, looked up at Brigson's sudden question. "Well, we decided to split the test into three parts, the three most common training methods. A hands off approach, where the Pokemon and trainer have a weak emotional bond, a semi-hands on, a bit stronger emotional bond, and finally, a completely hands on, where the emotional bond is the strongest." Jace rubbed on finger against Styx's cheek and smiled some before turning back to the other male, face blank.
"So far, we've learned that weak emotional bonds can prevent certain Pokemon from evolving, such as Eevees into Umberons and Espeons. Also, the more hands on you are, the more likely you'll have a loyal partner. The test is still on going however, so we have very little data to work on."
((Dooooo it! I wanna see Brigson's face when Jace curls against him because of his mortal fear of heights/falling! And I like it. The patron shrine of Regirock, Sandstone Island. Nice ring to it!))
Setting
0.00 INK
"Well? Are we gonna sit around and watch them cavort all day, or are we going to move on? I thought dawdling on our journey was punishable by death." He crossed his arms and snorted, watching Bulbasaur, Lorcan and Seedot interacting and nudging each other curiously. For one moment he put his hand back on his Pokeball, intending to recall his Pokemon, but something made him stop. Perhaps he'd see how this whole "traveling with your team out" thing worked for a while.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I see," Brigson said, observing the Pokemon and its trainer. He mulled over the findings Jace had shared, nodding slightly in an absent way. Sometimes Brigson wondered, if he hadn't screwed up so early in life, if he would have had a chance to go to school and work with Pokemon like Jace did. It had appealed to him as a child, but there was no way of knowing now if he'd ever had any knack for it. Brigson wondered if sharing the fact that they had, at once, had a mutual interest would be acceptable small talk. Before he could decide how to word it, though, a shrieking cry and the brief blocking of the sun by an enormous wingspan cut his thoughts short.
The fist Fearow that landed was monstrous. It had to be the biggest one Brigson had ever seen, easily twice as large as most found in the wild. Taking a wild guess that it was a seasoned veteran of the Fearless Flyer Pokemon Transportation company, Brigson peered into the skies to see if the second Fearow he'd ordered would be equally huge.
When none came after a few awkward seconds of looking, Brigson realized that there would be no second Fearow. He frowned, looking at his cell phone as if it could tell him why the company had screwed up his order. A second glance at the Fearow, though, revealed that it wore a harness that was clearly meant for two people to sit comfortably in. Brigson considered calling and demanding two Fearow, not a two-person Fearow, but after a short moment of deliberation he sighed and slipped his sunglasses back on for the flight.
"Well… it looks like we'll be sharing." He walked up to the enormous creature, resting a hand on its feathery flank, watching for signs of skittishness. The bird looked more bored than anything, preening part of its chest feathers and pausing only momentarily to peer at Brigson through one large amber-colored eye. Satisfied that it would not be bucking and shrieking, Brigson swung himself up into the back seat, reserving the front one for Jace so he could make sure the smaller man wouldn't fall off if the bird did any fancy flying. The Fearow lowered itself closer to the ground automatically once Brigson clambered aboard, making itself as low as its considerable bulk would allow. Brigson said nothing but held one hand out for Jace to take.
Setting
0.00 INK
"Oh? What'd you do, Warden?" A trill and a puffed out chest lead her to believe that he may've saved someone or something's life. "No matter. But good job on it regardless." The prideful bird nuzzled her cheek before catching sight of the Seedot. "Not mine, little red's. Still as cute as can be though!" She grinned down at the blushing Pokemon. "See? Just the cutest thing ever."
Jace watched as the large bird landed and wandered over to the bird, wondering why it was here. He glanced at Brigson, who was staring at the sky then at his phone. It only confused him more as he ran his hands over the smooth feathers of the neck. But when Brigson hopped on the Pokemon's back, he began to inwardly panic. He smiled weakly at Styx, who had his head tilted, and returned the curious Pokemon to the Pokeball before sliding it back onto the bag strap. He had a very real and very powerful fear of being too high off the ground after a Skarmory had taken him in her talons and flew him up onto a mountain. He was very young at that point, only 9 or 10. It was traumatic to say the least. He loved Pixie, his Noctowl to death but never taught her Fly because of it.
But he didn't want to look scared, surprisingly, in from of the bodyguard. He brushed it off as the fact he needed to seem independent, so the male left him alone longer. Composing himself, he laid a shaking hand on the shoulder before taking the proffered hand and using it to nearly launch himself into the seat. Once seated, he tensed at every little movement the bird made as it stood again. He felt the other's warmth seeping into his back and felt his face warm. "This is gonna be an awkward flight..." His brain mused right before the thing took off.
Setting
0.00 INK
He wasn't sure how much ground they'd covered when he heard the first hushed voice and stalled footsteps in the trees. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if this would become their first trainer battle, but something told him this wasn't quite the same situation. Normally fellow trainers would be walking normally or crashing around in the underbrush, trying to scare up wilds to fight or capture. These noises seemed to be made by someone trying to not be seen. He glanced at Sumara briefly, not wanting her to continue on but not wanting to speak up just yet and alert the sneaking figures to their presence.
-------------------------------------------
Brigson reached around Jace's sides to hold onto the reigns, more symbolic than anything as the Fearow would need very little direction to take them where they needed to go. The fresh wind whipped pleasantly at his face as they took off, the initial climb a little rocky as usual, but they would smooth out and find a level flight path soon enough. Not really aware he was doing it, Brigson leaned forward into Jace a bit, bracing him a bit protectively against his chest and between his arms, then tried to find a way to get relaxed. It wasn't usually part of his job description to be this close to another person, but somehow he didn't mind. He glanced quickly over the side of the Fearow, watching the town grow smaller below them.
((Regarding Mar and Suma: I was thinking that these people could be involved with the Pokemon illness thing somehow, and Mar and Suma wind up spotting them and wondering what's up. Then later on someone else can find out they encountered these people and saw their faces out in the wilderness, therefore making the two "know too much" and get involved a little in the larger plot… whatever the larger plot is ^^ Just an idea though. They can also be eccentric trainers and Suma and Mar can have battles!))
Setting
0.00 INK
Peering through a section of bushes, she spotted two people leaning on trees talking. One was male and smoking, the other was covered by a cloak so she couldn't tell. Looking back at Martin, she motioned for him to come see. They were talking about Sandstone Island, making her head snap back at the mystery trainers. Sandstone Island, which she had only visited once, was a paradise on a paradise. Pokemon untouched by humans roamed freely and happily. The shrine for the legendary Regirock also was there.
"So, this scientist is in Oldale then?" the hooded figure muttered. The male nodded and smirked.
"you know your job, kidnap everyone in that house. Especially the sister. If he's not there, she'll make lovely bait... Then the scientist can't go to that stupid island and we'll have Regirock for ourselves. Plus both are quite ethereal in their own right." The man's smirk widened into a sick grin and Sumara had to hold herself back from running. She was visibly shaking at this point, in rage and fear. She pointed farther down the path and slowly began to head in that direction, her hands gripping the cloth of her cloak tightly.
As the bird flew higher and higher, Jace couldn't help the small feeble squeak that escaped his lips as he accidentally looked downward. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth and the other grabbed the harness. He felt the warm body behind him lean closer and relaxed some. The much larger man's bulk encased him and made him feel something he only thought he could create, safety. His eyes widened and he slowly settled against the other, pressing as much of himself against the other.
((Sounds good to me! I had something akin to that in mind anyways but I like your idea much better than my original! Plus both Mar and Suma can see how askew their visions of one another were. Always nice to add more character development. Best part about these onexone's is that you can bounce ideas off one another and play your favorite!))
Setting
0.00 INK
Curiously fear did not even factor into the mix until he and Sumara had trekked as swiftly and silently as they could in a different direction for at least five full minutes. Both were in silent agreement to err on the side of caution before they would speak.
By the time he felt it was safe to raise his voice above a whisper, all he could think of to ask was, "Are you alright?" Images of those men heading to Oldale, breaking into Sumara's home and taking her parents away by force turned his stomach. Even more upsetting was the image of what would have happened to her had they not decided by some twist of fate to start their journeys today.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigson blinked rapidly as Jace pressed harder back against him, and for a moment he forgot that he had to breathe to stay alive. Feeling tense all across his body, Brigson tried not to shift and upset the weird balance they had found, instead flicking the reigns slightly whenever minor direction was needed for the Fearow. The bird soon leveled off high above the world below, gliding on its enormous wingspan in a rather smooth ride.
Unsure if he could even be heard over the rush of air over the wings, Brigson called out, "How are you holding up?"
Setting
0.00 INK
She took a shuddering breath that racked her whole body. "Ya know..." She started quietly, a bitter little smile crawling onto her face. "I should be okay with such attacks on my family... I mean with my parent's large piggy bank and brother's intellect, they're wanted by everyone... Those guys... They've got nothing on the crap I've gone through. Nothing." Her smile turned into a frown, though tears still fell from her eyelashes. "They can take mother and father. Brother won't care... They never gave us any attention, left us to ourselves, abandoned us without even making us leave that stupid mansion. He won't care one bit..." She muttered, looking back at where they had come from. She stood, dried her eyes on her cloak and turned back towards their destination. "Let's just go..." She began to walk again, the worried and bewildered Pokemon trailing after.
Jace barely heard him over the roar of the wind and peered up at him. He couldn't crane his neck enough to get his eyes out of the sun so his lashes were lidded slightly. "I... I'm fine..! For now that is..." He managed to eek out over the wind. He had moved his hand from his mouth to the harness, though he still had the leather in a death grip. After an awkward moment of staring on his part, he slowly lowered his eyes to look at a large shoulder. It blocked his view of the tiny ground beneath them and it suited him just fine. He unconsciously nuzzled the shirt under his head, drawing comfort from it.
Soon, but not soon enough for Jace, the Fearow landed in Slateport. Jace sighed and rested a hand over his rapidly beating heart. That confused him. The danger was over but he still had an accelerated heart rate. He blinked as he drew the conclusion that Brigson caused it, but didn't understand how exactly. He shook his head lightly and waited for the other to dismount before doing so himself.
Setting
0.00 INK
"No," he said, catching up to her in a few long strides and putting a hand to her shoulder to turn her to face him. "This is serious. Even if we go from here, we now know that they're after you and your brother. Even if Jace won't think this is a big deal, it is... we need to get the authorities involved to keep you... and your family safe," he said, tacking on the bit about family a little awkwardly.
As he looked down into her face, another uncomfortable stirring of heated emotion stole over him, a strange mix of sympathy, shock, anger that this was all happening, and something else he couldn't define. He told himself to take his hand off her shoulder and let her step back, but found himself frozen in place.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigson spent most of the ride in an uncomfortable state of confused agitation. He felt a combination of relief and ambivalence as the journey came to an end, and disembarked from the Fearow, stretching somewhat stiff muscles. He slipped the proper bills and change into the pouch around its neck and thought of adding a note about the one-Fearow-versus-two-Fearow mix-up, but left it alone in the end. The bird took off, its enormous wings kicking up dirt and dust, and Brigson narrowed his eyes against it before turning to Jace.
"If you're not fond of flying I can arrange for ground transportation from now on. Assuming we will need to do much more traveling once we arrive." He glanced down the pier where they'd been dropped and scanned the numbers for pier 42, where his contact, Sanders, would be found. He was about to head down there when a whoop from a nearby vessel caught his attention.
"Braedon! ... And Braedon's friend! What's up!?" The extremely sunburned face of Brigson's former partner brought a smile to his face for a moment as the other man whistled to the crew of the 30-foot boat and hopped over the edge, barely making it to the dock. Brigson would have rather enjoyed seeing him flop backwards into the water, and chuckled softly as he approached.
"So! Two for Sandstone Island, hm? What business ya got over that way?"
"Classified," Brigson said simply, though it was mainly just to get Sanders to stop nosing around. "You gonna take us down there or will we get a vessel of our own?"
"I'll take ya down there, and once you make port you can secure yourselves a craft should you need to get back here... or I dunno, go on a romantic moonlit cruise." He batted his eyelashes at the pair of them and Brigson frowned deeply at him, shaking his head in exasperation. Some people never changed.
"Let's be off then," he said gruffly, heading over to the craft which was being tied to the dock.
"Not that one," Sanders corrected, grinning at Jace in a sort of predatory way Brigson recognized at once. He groaned slightly, knowing Jace would be harassed frequently during their two-day journey by the over-friendly guy. "This baby." He gestured to a much larger vessel, a little fancy and extravagant for their needs. It was also the opposite of inconspicuous.
"I requested something subtle."
"These things are in the water all the time now! It would be more conspicuous to travel in a small craft. Besides, in a bigger craft like this there'll be more room to set up your defense bazooka and bunker complete with a panic room," he joked. Brigson narrowed his eyes at him.
Sanders turned his attention back to Jace as they walked, and Brigson could hear Sander's abandoned crew at the other boat cursing him out as they left. "So, what brings a no-doubt charming young man like yourself into the company of this grumpy has-been?" he asked, jerking a thumb at Brigson as Brigson rolled his eyes.
Setting
0.00 INK
"Did I worry you, Lorcan? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." She kissed his nose and smiled sadly. "Let's just get into the nest town and find something fun to do..." The dog nipped her own nose in warning and huffed. "Alright, alright, we'll tell someone of what we saw... Besides, brother will want to hear alllll about this big long mess..." She set the Pokemon back down and turned to Martin before gathering all of her courage and giving the boy a brief but warm hug. Her own blush darker than ever she quickly started back down the path, not looking anywhere but forward.
Jace merely muttered a thank you and followed the large male to the pier. A Wingul caught his eye and he watched the sea bird cruise over the water. He turned to see a man almost fall off the pier, making him raise an eyebrow. The banter between his guard and the captain was a familiar thing for them apparently. Staring at the ship that would take them to his only home in Hoenn, he vaguely listened to what the tanner man said.
Though when the crew started to curse at the man he caught a few of them staring at him. He felt his eye twitch and he almost wanted to throw something at them. But the captain was talking to him, asking about why he was traveling with Brigson. "Work" He summarized bluntly. Once they were on the boat, he nodded at Brigson and Sanders before walking towards the front of the boat, where he sat down, removed his bag and somewhat sticky lab coat and stretched his pale arms. Leaning right against the railing, he relaxed with the sound of the ocean. His phone rung once before he answered it. His assistant, Marcus, was on the other side, reporting that his sister was away from the house and that their parents were already in Unova. A thank you and a status report on the Pokemon on the island later, he was alone with the ocean again.
Setting
0.00 INK
They continued on in silence, Mar's mind whirling back into full swing. His thoughts scaled the cliffsides of confusion and a flustered feeling akin to embarrassment, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why that should be the case. He was much more paranoid and uncertain as they walked along the path to Petalburg City. For the most part he let Sumara lead the way, and glanced at the back of her head periodically. He'd never before thought there was much mystery about the girl; she seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve and was never shy telling him exactly what she thought of him. Now he found himself wishing he could read her mind.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanders chuckled at Jace's stoic response and yanked Brigson aside once they were on their way. "Seems like a good replacement partner for ya. You both just can't seem to stop yakking."
Brigson smiled briefly at Sanders and shrugged, mostly just to incense him. Sanders threw his hands up and muttered about antisocial people before moving off to check on the crew and bring the hammer down on slackers. While he was momentarily distracted Brigson headed over to Jace and took a seat nearby. Jace was just hanging up the phone when Brigson sat down, and for a while they enjoyed silence.
The nagging little feeling in Brigson's mind returned though, and he cleared his throat as a preamble to his questioning. "So, would now be a good time to discuss more details regarding your current project?" He cast a glance behind them to check that the crew was paying them no mind.
((Crazy weekend is over! Regarding Suma and Mar, shall we fast-forward a bit so they get to Petalburg soon? Or was there anything else on this route you had an idea to do?))
Setting
0.00 INK
Spotting one, she watched as her Pokemon bounded off into the clearing, excited and playful once again. She followed them, not daring to look back at Martin, lest her face heat up again. She hummed softly as she began to clear the area, her instincts and training kicking in. She had her sleeping area set up and nodded once at the tidy and efficient space.
She, again forgetting about Martin, started singing, her voice floating through the trees like the soft breeze that roused her long hair. She sang of her unwanted name and the fact she could barely do anything without being swarmed by fans and her fear of being chased around town again, but it sounded like it was from someone else's story. As she got towards the end, she slowly stopped and looked at her hand. The next verses were about the main character of the song finding someone to sing for and doesn't feel that sadness. But she herself haven't reached that part in her story. Her eyes held a deep-set sadness.
Jace looked at Brigson for a second before opening his bag and pulling out the overstuffed notebook. Running a hand over it, he flipped to the section just for this mission. "Now is perfect actually." He read over the notes he himself had gathered from the data sent to him. "It has an array of symptoms that can go to a number of Pokeviruses. The way we figured out this is something that was new was the fact many of these symptoms don't exist anymore. The viruses were cured years before..." His hand tightened over the book in his hands, his temper flaring to a dangerous level.
Taking some calming breaths, he continued the briefing. "None of the current medicine has any effect, long term. It appears to work but the virus reappears within 24 hours, stronger. We've nearly lost two Pokemon to this megabug, as the others call it." He left out that one of them was his own Pokemon, one he left to protect his favorite place in the world. His entire posture tensed at the thought of someone tainting it. Revenge would be his, in the end. No one crosses a Zabat and lives untarnished, or sane for that matter. A wicked little smile flit over his petal white lips before it faded again.
((We can't skip the first time they sleep outside together! Best part of a journey! But after that, we can jump to them in Petalburg. I have plans for them... Hifufufufu... Oh and the song that Suma's singing is Kisaragi Attention by IA. An amazing song))
Setting
0.00 INK
When Sumara started singing Martin froze in place, listening. In the past he’d had fun teasing her about her insistence on singing along to so many songs, but this one sounded different. It wasn’t any of the top hits or oldies he could recognize, and as it continued he started to wonder if she’d written it herself.
When the song abruptly cut off Mar felt like he was emerging from some sort of fog. Bulbasaur and Seedot had settled down (taking up all of his sleeping bag) to listen to Sumara, and when she was done they made quite sounds that seemed approving to Mar. Then Bulbasaur began to play with Seedot, rocking the little Pokemon around using its vines.
Not sure what to do next, Mar cleared his throat. “I haven’t heard that one before,” he said, referencing her song.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A virus cured years ago? Brigson thought, a frown settling over his face. That smacked of suspicion and he could now understand why he had been commissioned to accompany Jace, just in case. When the smaller man’s hands clutched his notebook hard Brigson was struck anew by just how important this job was, not just in and of itself, but to Jace on a personal level.
As Jace finished up the briefing Brigson nodded, taking it in. Something must have crossed the other man’s mind, though, because at the smile that flickered over his face Brigson felt a quiet chill. It was part appreciation at just how little he would ever want to be on the receiving end of that look, and part strange fascination.
He cleared his throat to get his head back in the game. “I see. Thank you for telling me all this. It does sound quite suspicious.” He left it at that for the time being, thinking. Then he asked, “What reason do you think anyone would have to manufacture a virus like this… if that is indeed what’s happened here?” He wasn’t 100% sold on the conspiracy idea, but one had to cover all their bases when dealing with a potentially dangerous situation.
((Sounds good! I'll listen to that song as well... I always like getting suggestions for new music :D))
Setting
0.00 INK
She smiled and cooed at them before flopping back against her own sleeping area, noticing the small amount of space that was between the two bags. It was maybe a foot, foot and a half at the most. She shrugged, thinking that it wouldn't affect her too much to have another human being close to her as she slept, in fact she might sleep better like this. She smiled faintly as she remembered her brother soothing her to sleep countless nightmares.
She rolled onto her stomach and stretched her legs out into the air, giggling as Warden found them to be a suitable perch to preen and gloat. She slowly brought her legs towards her head, not wanting to startled the bird just yet. The bird was surprised as he was suddenly beak to face with his grinning trainer. He looked to see her in a near perfect circle, her feet almost flat to the floor. She winked at him and unrolled herself, proud that she could still do that. Warden was still trying to cope with the fact that she could bend like that. "Heh. Didn't hurt too bad that time!" She grinned, flexing her legs. Lorcan barked happily and snuffled the sleeping bag.
Jace sighed and nodded. "I have one and it may be the only one someone would need to do this. Regirock. What to most is a shrine is actually a resting place for the golem... I've seen him many times... He's powerful and can summon the other two Regis and with their help, Regigigas. It's any wonder that island hasn't been invaded before... " He murmured softly, looking out at the water again.
He thought back to the first time, as a child, he saw the titan. So large and powerful, but gentle and kind. He wanted to protect that Pokemon just as much as he wanted to protect his sister. Both were forces to be reckoned with but could easily be captured and harmed. He didn't like those thoughts so he tore his eyes away from the sea to look back at the black notebook. "Whatever, or whoever, is behind this will be fixed. Permanently." He said quietly, thought the repressed malice and rage made it seem like he screamed it.
- 41 posts here • Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
View All »Arcs
Arcs are bundles of posts that you can organize on your own. They're useful for telling a story that might span long periods of time or space.
There are no arcs in this roleplay.
View All » Create New » Quests
There are no quests in this roleplay.
Add Group » View All » 0 Factions to align with
Here's the current leaderboard.
There are no groups in this roleplay!
Game Master Controls
Welcome home, Promethean. Here, you can manage your universe.
Arcs
Arcs are bundles of posts from any location, allowing you to easily capture sub-plots which might be spread out across multiple locations.
Add Quest » Quests
You can create Quests with various rewards, encouraging your players to engage with specific plot lines.
Add Setting » 1 Settings for your players to play in
Settings are the backdrop for the characters in your universe, giving meaning and context to their existence. By creating a number of well-written locations, you can organize your universe into areas and regions.
Navigation
While not required, locations can be organized onto a map. More information soon!
Add Group » 0 Factions to align with
There are no groups in this roleplay!
Collectibles
By creating Collectibles, you can reward your players with unique items that accentuate their character sheets.
Once an Item has been created, it can be spawned in the IC using /spawn Item Name
(case-sensitive, as usual) — this can be followed with /take Item Name
to retrieve the item into the current character's inventory.
Mobs
Give your Universe life by adding a Mob, which are auto-replenishing NPCs your players can interact with. Useful for some quick hack-and-slash fun!
Mobs can be automated spawns, like rats and bats, or full-on NPCs complete with conversation menus. Use them to enhance your player experience!
Current Mobs
No mobs have been created yet.
Spawns
Locations where Mobs and Items might appear.
Events
You can schedule events for your players to create notifications and schedule times for everyone to plan around.
The Forge
Use your INK to craft new artifacts in Intertwined Fates. Once created, Items cannot be changed, but they can be bought and sold in the marketplace.
Notable Items
No items have been created yet!
The Market
Buy, sell, and even craft your own items in this universe.
Market DataMarket conditions are Quick Buy (Items Most Recently Listed for Sale) |
Open Stores
View All » Add Character » 4 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Sumara Zabat
"Me!? With that... Thing!? NO! Arceus no!"
Jace Zabat
"Grr! I don't NEED your help and I don't WANT your fricking help!"
Martin (Mar) Appleby
A snarky, proud young trainer with seemingly no brain-to-mouth filter and endless amusement at others' frustration.
Braedon Brigson
A former member of the Saffron Police Department turned impromptu bodyguard. A man of few words.
Trending
Jace Zabat
"Grr! I don't NEED your help and I don't WANT your fricking help!"
Braedon Brigson
A former member of the Saffron Police Department turned impromptu bodyguard. A man of few words.
Sumara Zabat
"Me!? With that... Thing!? NO! Arceus no!"
Martin (Mar) Appleby
A snarky, proud young trainer with seemingly no brain-to-mouth filter and endless amusement at others' frustration.
Most Followed
Martin (Mar) Appleby
A snarky, proud young trainer with seemingly no brain-to-mouth filter and endless amusement at others' frustration.
Braedon Brigson
A former member of the Saffron Police Department turned impromptu bodyguard. A man of few words.
Sumara Zabat
"Me!? With that... Thing!? NO! Arceus no!"
Jace Zabat
"Grr! I don't NEED your help and I don't WANT your fricking help!"
Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » Intertwined Fates: Out of Character
Discussions
-
- Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Intertwined Fates
by Child of the Winged on Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:01 pm
- 0 Replies
- 261 Views
- Last post by Child of the Winged
on Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:01 pm
-
Intertwined Fates
Most recent OOC posts in Intertwined Fates
Intertwined Fates
You may edit this first post as you see fit.