.~.Decay, Sweet, Decay.~. [o.p.e.n.]

[.~.Atticus Bordeaux.~.]

The Beginning

of

the End.

A hazy mist lay blanketed over Barkwish, the occasional shadow of a man, woman or Pokemon passing through the town's cloudy depths. Nobody really lives here, save for those scientists who took to camping out at the lab and the grass types who hid amongst the bushes and rubble, tending to the plant life that flourished here.

Walking down one of the dusty lanes was a shadowy figure, most likely male by the looks of it. Long hair messily arranged under a top hat were one of the few distinguishing features of the person, aside from the black trench coat and clicking of boots as he plodded towards his destination, a rather extravagant building. It was made of a dusty grey stone and easily stretched three stories high. This was not including the attic, which in itself was a whole other floor, large enough to fit maybe two more bedrooms and a lounge up there. It was situated at the foot of a hill and was hidden from the town beside it by all manners tall trees and hedges, leaving the building cast in shadows, a hidden paradise to those who had its location burnt into their memories.

The shadowy figure walked forth, slowly, up the stretch to its hardwood door with the numbers "73" emblazoned in silver to it. The figure stopped suddenly, taking off the tall top hat he had been wearing on his way here, tossing it aside. He then placed his gloved hands up to his face, tugging at something. His face began to stretch as he pulled some strange goo clean off, revealing that which hid beneath. The face of a young male, in his early twenties was now revealed. The goo shifted shape, turning a pale pink, revealed to be a Ditto. The man propped it onto his shoulder, before yawning.

"Home, sweet, home I guess. You alright there Psuedo?" whispered Atticus, sweeping his hair from his eyes. He no longer kept it behind his ear, instead leaving it hang messily over his face, hiding it.

"I'm alright, but you really need some breath mints. Clinging to your face for the past week while you took your sweet ass time getting here was not pleasant. I get the whole under cover crap but why now, when I finally master human faces do you use me as a mask. I get that I'm just the sexy but I can't go tossing my looks to ever sad sap who comes my way." giggled the Ditto, taking a bite of a chocolate bar he had found in one of his trainer's pockets earlier.

While all this was happening, the top hat Atticus had tossed aside was now hopping up to the building, blue flames erupting from inside it as it was propelled forwards. A pair of stubby legs, later followed by a body and some arms emerged dizzily, pulling the tattered head wear off his face and back onto his head. The Dusclops yawned, floating slowly over to Atticus, giving the pink blob of DNA a firm slap across the back of its head, knocking the bar of fat and sugar against the porch with a dull thud. "Seriously Psuedo, just shut the fuck up. My head hurts and I haven't set fire to someone for far too long. Now, we go inside and do whatever it was Atticus wanted to do when he dragged us here and then we leave. We return to the Ranger Base where I can torment some newbies and get some decent food. I miss my fried eggs..." hissed the ghost type, hovering a few feet away from a broken window.

Atticus let out a quiet sigh, reaching into his pocket for the fusty key he had kept with him all these years. He growled quietly, teeth clenched as he looked for the elusive key he had on him somewhere. He finally let out and embarrassed sigh. "I... uh...--"

"You forgot it, didn't you?" hissed the Dusclops who was already passing through the door, unlocking it from the inside. The rusty old door burst open, dust and dirt mingling with the outside air in the form of a cloud, causing both Atticus and Psuedo to cough uncontrollably, leaving Fletcher to snicker before remembering he was stuck out here until they found what Atticus was looking for. With that he rushed the spluttering idiot and the toe-jam that took up residence on his shoulder inside,grumbling to himself. It's times like these a ghost wished it could die.

Atticus took a few steps inside, allowing all the memories of him and his family to come rushing back. He walked from room to room, taking pictures of anything he could see, keeping an eye out for anything that was out of place since his visit a few years ago, when the building was even remotely inhabitable. Over time, the plants however did manage to invade his home. he even found a family of Oddish and Gloom curled up in the old fireplace which no longer lit.

Fletcher floated miserably from room to room, messing about with anything he could get his ghostly little hands on. From Gyrados shaped candle holders, to the family painting that resided in the hallway. He even got so bored as to start cutting stick-men out of some family photographs he found, much to Atticus' dismay.

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

Atticus walked slowly up the old staircase towards his bedroom, hoping to find what he was looking for. His hand brushed against the mahogany banister, his boots kicking dirt onto the carpet as he made his way up. He walked slowly up to his room, a mahogany door looming ahead of him. He wrapped his palm around the door knob slowly, turning it slightly. He pushed against it with little luck, the wooden door showing little give to his efforts. Atticus stood back, kicking against the door in an attempt to take it off its hinges. With one, well placed kick, his foot crashed through the sturdy wood, leaving splinters and cuts across his leg.

"Shit." he snarled, pulling his wounded leg out of the hole. He pulled a piece of torn fabric from his pocket, wrapping it around his leg to soak up any blood and protect the wound from getting infected. He slid his arm through the hole, feeling around to get at the handle, which did not budge. Just as he was to give up, he found that the door had been locked from inside. He pulled the bolt out of its resting place, leaving the door swing freely on its hinges.

Atticus walked inside and looked around. There was little out of place compared to his last visit, save for some mold and rusty pipes. Still, the door was locked, which was not how he left it last he dropped by for a visit. He decided to look through any books and photographs in the room, hopefully giving him the information he was looking for.

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

Meanwhile, downstairs, Psuedo and Fletcher were looking through bits and pieces of Atticus' past. Fletcher may have spent a fair few of his younger years here, yet he seemed a little on-edge. There was something about being here that wasn't right. Perhaps it was the abundance of cobwebs gathering in all his old hiding places, or maybe it was the utter lack of life in the once bustling Bordeaux household. He remembered coming downstairs with Atticus every morning to the smell of Ms. Bordeaux's cooking. The scent of pancakes and cinnamon were once ripe in the air, making people feel happy and content whenever they set foot inside. Now all that lingers is the smell of moss and decaying wood. The phantom decided to take a rest on the old couch. Perhaps a little rest would make him feel less like sending forth big chunks of ghost vomit. It wasn't like many people would swing by, and Psuedo would be able to handle them. Besides, he remembered to bolt the door behind him when he came in... Hadn't he?

[gennie]

“There is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myself…

There is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myself…

There is nothing you can do that I have not already done to myself!”

A girl accompanied by a larger, towering alligator marched through the low populated city: Barkwash. Truly, the girl considered the place to be abandoned since every time she visited the area she has not once spotted anything besides weeds and…more weeds. An occasional shadow passed through the thick haze, but none of them inspired the petit Ranger to follow—besides, at the moment the girl was already having enough fun with just her head phones in and her body swaying side to side. She was listening to a classic favorite of hers, but the alligator could easily state otherwise.

“I never wanted to dance with nobody but you!” Genevieve sang, a bit off key but who was listening anyways? Her index finger pointed at her companion, Risky, who only rolled his eyes in response before he resumed his former position ahead of the two.

He was used to having to lead the way through ‘dangerous’ areas. Really, it was just him that volunteered himself as the bodyguard, Gennie never asked for protection or anything, it all just sort of came with the package of having a large alligator as your best friend/ father/ brother. Gennie never complained, and Risky was grateful for that. It would grow to be really tiresome if the girl complained about his actions, but secretly—since she never is really open about how vulnerable she was—the girl knew she needed the protection. Seriously? A petit Ranger girl with rockin’ curves, eyes that dazzled, and a fiery-violet hair that complimented her visage so well she looked like one of those picturesque models on posters? Gennie definitely needed protection, not to mention she has been taken advantage of before, but that’s a whole other topic that neither of them liked to mention.

“But you wouldn’t take no for an answer you fuc-[/i]”

“Language.” Risky simply stated as he paused in his steps and felt a slight force bump into his back. He peered over his shoulder and eyed Gennie with an arched brow.

“Huh?” The girl tugged on her headphones and lifted her eyes to the alligator and mimicked the same arched brow. “What did you say?”

“I said language.” The alligator again simply retorted before he returned to his hesitant paces that no matter how slow he took his strides were always twice the size of Gennie’s. The girl hurriedly joined her companion in their walk.

“Oh! I’m sixteen, I can do whatever I want, Risky.” The girl huffed and rolled her eyes, but in spite of her attitude held a friendly smile traced upon her thin lips.

“Oh is that it, ya?” Risky snorted and once again stopped, allowing for Gennie to bump into him once more. This time the girl backed off with a little disgruntled expression that looked too cute to be intimidating.

“Would you stop doing that?” Gennie giggled not being able to keep her ‘intimidation’ face for too long.

“Sure.” Risky sighed, “Why are we here anyways? There isn’t anything remotely exciting around here, ya….’

Gennie shook her head; a slight smirk slithered across her lips. The girl crossed her arms and stroke her chin, her eyes shut. “You have to look at these types of places with a different perspective. Anything can be exciting, it’s all about what you do with it.”

Risky rolled his eyes, but nodded so he would satisfy his companion, “Oh? Okay Professor, then what about that over there-“ The alligator took a long nailed finger and pointed it at a far off building, estimated to be three stories tall with the same thick mist camouflaging it. “Can you make that run down building exciting?”

Gennie eyed the house Risky had gestured towards. The girl’s grey orbs lit up with hidden interest before she pressed off her heels, sprinting towards the house. Risky, taken back by the sudden burst of energy, too sprinted off after Gennie, slight ‘thumps’ sounding off for every step he took. He reached the house before Gennie did, and placed an arm about in front of the girl as if keeping her away from possibly dangers. “I was only kidding, Gennie.” The pokémon warned.

“Oh no. You wanted me to make this place exciting, and you’ll get your wish.” Gennie grinned and pushed Risky’s arm out of the way as she advanced the building’s front door.

“Gennie!” Risky snapped in a whisper, his feet keeping him from following the girl. A pokémon had some sort of instinctual sense that triggered whenever foreign humans were near by—usually those domestic pokémon lost it, but Risky never did. He sensed something, he just wasn’t sure what it was and he definitely was not going to risk Gennie’s safety with a guess.

“I’m almost to the house, Risky…” The girl teased as she looked back at Risky, inching ever so slowly to the front door. “Oh, I think I can feel the door now, Risky.”

The alligator had it. He pushed himself forward with so much strength that it caused Gennie to squeal—with a smile of course—stumble back and bump into the door. The girl thought the door would hold her weight, but something left it undone and so caused her to open it and fall on her back, now inside the house.

“Oh….” The girl groaned, slightly coughing from the dust that showered from the door swinging open too fast. Her eyes widened when she felt her body being drug across the floor and then lifted in the air. “Wh-What?”

Risky held his owner over his right shoulder, “I can’t have you stumbling into dangerous places-”

The alligator had only needed to slightly turn his head to see two foreign pokémon, one oddly dressed with a top hat and the other… that looked like a pink blob. Risky arched a brow; he wasn’t sure whether to just back up with his owner in hand, or to see if they were going to be trouble. “Who are you two, ya?” His voice stern and direct.

“Don’t be mean!” Gennie ordered as she squirmed on Risky’s shoulder, “Ugh… Hi there! My name is Gennie, what are you two doing all alone in this place?” The girl smiled a bit embarrassed by her current position but waved to the new pokémon nonetheless.
[/size]

[.~.Atticus Bordeaux.~.]

Psuedo was giggling away to himself, sitting on the arm rest of the couch Fletcher was currently sleeping in, a ball of cobwebs and feather duster in his two, petite little hands. "Sleep tight Fle--eeeeeeeeeek!" cried the little Ditto, who nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the girl who crashed through the door, who was accompanied by- eh? What's this? A Feraligatr was trying to drag the girl away? Had Alice been let out of her ball without him knowing. "Hey Alice, who's your friend and since when did you have two ta--" chirped the innocent little Ditto, before being pelted across the room by a rather dusty pillow.

Fletcher climbed up groggily, a pillow in one hand and a will-o-wisp in the other. "Didn't I fuckin' tell yah to shut the hell up while I'm tryin' ta sleep! I fuckin' swear I'll set ye're ass on fire if you fuckin' wake me again!" roared the angry ghost type, not even aware of the girl in the room until he looked up. "Who the fuck are you? Does Alice have a boyfriend I don't know abou'? ATTICUS! GET THE FUCK DOWN HERE!" he hissed once more, the blue flames in his hand flickering in the darkness.

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

Atticus turned his head towards the door when he heard a crash downstairs. Psuedo probably just dropped something. He should check but frankly, he didn't care. He leafed slowly through album after album, looking for anything out of place. Everything was here. From birthday photographs to pictures of him and his sister, Kat, outside. He remembered those days well, he had Fletcher and she had her Chatot, Ava. Those were simpler times, when Pravus weren't ruling the roost and tearing apart families.

While he was flicking through some old photos he heard Fletcher yelling down below. He had really gotten into swearing a lot. It was then that he heard his name being called, yelled more accurately. "Oh joy..." he sighed, getting off the bed and walking out the door. If Fletcher hadn't called him, h may have stumbled upon what he was looking for, inscribed on the back of a photograph of him and his sister at the beach. Oh well...

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

"What's wrong Fletcher? Psuedo drop a book on your head?" he sighed, turning to see the girl by the door and the reptilian beast holding her. "Can I help you?" he muttered, taking a few more steps down the staircase. Well this was odd.

Fletcher floated over to Atticus and growled. "Can I set it on fire? If not I'm gonna just go sleep in the sink until you sort things out here." he sighed. If yu knew Fletcher well, you'd know he wasn't joking around here.

"No Fletcher. Not until I straighten things out here." muttered Atticus. "Fine. If you need me, I'll be in the sink." grunted the phantom, before slipping off into the kitchen with his pillow. Atticus sighed and looked at the Feraligatr and the girl he had over her shoulder, who, he had to admit, looked pretty damn hot. He shook his head and stood tall. "This is, or more accurately was my home until the Pravus raids years ago, so technically you're intruders." he said, his brown hair covering his green eyes mysteriously.

Psuedo tugged on Atticus' pants leg sharply, trying to get his attention. "Pssssst! Atticus! She's a Ranger! I remember seeing her in the base a few times! Her Feraligatr is mean though. Can Alice distract him. I don't like the way he's looking at me." whispered Psuedo cutely, eyes flickering cutely like they usually did when he wanted something.

Atticus didn't even have to reach for Alice's ball. A flash of white light emerged from his satchel, taking the shape of yet another Feraligatr. The only difference between the two would have to be Alice's complete lack of maternal abilities. Instead, she solved her problems by yelling. "Who the fuck called me?! I swear I'm gonna eat one of yah!" she yelled, glancing over at Gennie and Risky after she finished herb yelling. "What's the deal with Romeo and his bitch over there? You finally find a girl who's as romantically inept as you?" she yawned, reaching into Atticus' bag to grab a bag of cookies before she slouched on the couch.

Lovely. Now he had an anti-social alligator munching his cookies to back him up. He would have been better bring Lou out, even if all he would do is hide behind Atticus' leg and spray them with spores. Atticus sighed and looked at Gennie. "My Ditto just said you were a Ranger. Is that true?" he asked, hoping to Arceus she was. Asking a Pravus member out is awkward. He'd still give it a shot, although she's probably take a few shots at him with a 9mm. Not fun. Of course, Atticus is a hopeless romantic so getting infatuated right now when he has business to attend to probably isn't the best of ideas.

"So, what business do you have out here?" he asked, standing guard if the Feraligatr attacked. Alice on the other hand was looking over this other Feraligatr. It wasn't often she ran across another Feraligatr of such high standards and he was indeed worth a second glance.

This should be an amusing encounter indeed.

[gennie]

Risky eyed the two pokémon with everything but interest. They slightly annoyed him, but he wasn’t going to say anything for the sake of Gennie, because he knew she’d get on him for saying ‘rude’ and ‘not-needed’ comments when he should really be trying to make ‘friends’ instead of ‘enemies’. Risky was a large alligator pokémon, who wanted to be his friend? Well, maybe his friend, but their relationship would be guided with fear, and that’s no fun--… well maybe it is, but Gennie would still be mad.

The girl giggled at the two other pokemons’ reactions. If she weren’t in such a predicament as to be on Risky’s shoulder, she probably would’ve ran and gave both of them a hug. The ranger couldn’t have helped but to arch a brow at the Ditto when it mentioned a name ‘Alice’ but was obviously referring to Risky when it said it. Was there another Feraligatr about that she didn’t know about it? As Gennie’s job being a Breeder for the Rangers it’s one of her main priorties to try and breed off her pokémon first before the pokémon she is given by the Rangers, but her main two pokémon: Bubbles and Risky, are probably the two most rarest seen pokémon around Remoor, Boo she has no problem with, it’s just the other two. The ranger had turned her head to check up with Risky’s reaction, but he didn’t seem phased and was just staring at the other two with a locked expression.

Risky shook his head and was turning to leave before the Dusclops had called out a name. The Feraligatr didn’t know whether to categorize the name as being human or pokémon, but he waited—he was smarter than to turn his back when there was potential danger about. His beady black eyes eyed the staircase as the owner of the name came down. Human. Risky slightly smirked, these must’ve been his pokémon. The Feraligatr didn’t care about the human boy, but Gennie had giggled and raised her voice, “Oh hi there!”

“Would you be quiet?” Risky ordered in a whisper to his owner, his hold on Gennie tightening.

The girl frowned at the word ‘intruders’ but smiled quickly after, “Aw, well we’re not bad, I’ll tell you that.”

“No…no,” Risky shook his head and bumped the girl on his shoulder, “She’s mistaken, we’re very bad, ya.”

“Oh stop lying,” Gennie sighed.

Risky again attempted to turn and leave, but a white flash caught his eyes. He had heard the mutters from the man and his Ditto pokémon, but he only caught a few words and so dubbed them worthless. When his beady gaze met the sight of another Feraligatr, this one obviously female, his eyes narrowed. He only knew what that meant-..

“Awww!” Gennie squealed, “I can’t believe it! A female Feraligatr, finally! Maybe there is some hope of Totodiles!”

And with one motion the girl dropped from Risky’s shoulder and landed with a thud on the wooden floor. Gennie laughed after a few seconds of groaning before she rolled herself over and pushed herself on her feet. The ranger dusted herself off and readjusted her skirt and belt. Her eyes finally gained a good shot of the female Feraligatr and her loud nature. In spite of the pokemon’s obnoxious behavior, Gennie giggled once more and clapped her hands together.

“Yes, yes, my name is Gennie Plasier, I’m a breeder for the Rangers, and you are?” The ranger grinned, her mesmerizing grey hues stuck on the tall boy before her.

Gennie peered over her shoulder at Risky who was stalk still, hunched over a bit and just shaking his head. The girl shrugged before she took the initiative to advance the boy. Once she was a good foot away she leaned in, a bit oblivious to personal boundaries, and stared up with a smile. “You a ranger as well? Because if you are I really like your Feraligatr… hehe.”

“Would you drop it, Gennie.” Risky barked, his fists clenched. He hated the idea of him getting affectionate with anyone, it only meant for him not to be around Gennie, and all-in-all he just thought of it as a waste of time—especially with Gennie. He knew exactly what Gennie wanted out of a pokémon relationship, and he was not going to be a victim of hers.

“Gennie we’re leaving,” Risky stated as he again approached the girl in all intentions of throwing her back over his shoulder, but the Ranger stuck her hand in her skirt pocket and eyed the large Feraligatr with a teasing look.

“Don’t make me put you away, and besides. You should act your best around a lady. First impressions mean everything,” Gennie winked causing Risky to shake his head and take two steps back, his eyes remained locked with his toes.

“So anyways… We were just taking a stroll and we stumbled upon this building in hopes of making it exciting!” Gennie nodded, “That’s all, I promise, do you still want us to leave?” The girl played her best pout face.

[.~.Atticus Bordeaux.~.]

Atticus simply stood there, mesmerized in the girl's grey hues as he listened to her every word, trying to get the gist of what was going on. He had almost forgot why he was even down here, having to constantly remind himself so he didn't sound like an idiot should she ask him. This may have been the old family home, but it was still a wreck, with the loose wooden panels of the floor threatening to give way with every step, no matter how light or elegant.

"Gennie." he cooed quietly to himself upon hearing her name, hoping she didn't hear him quietly admiring her. And then came the breath of fresh air. She was a Ranger, just like him. He sighed with relief, a chill in his breath. It was getting cold out. As long as it didn't rain, he wouldn't get stuck here when he found what he had been looking for, some hint as to the whereabouts of his sister, Kat.

"A pleasure to meet ya'. The name's Atticus Bordeaux, specialist in reconnaissance and stealth missions for the Rangers. I'm surprised that my Ditto has seen you around more often than I have." he snickered, tossing his head back to hide his blushing. He then looked into Gennie's swirling grey hues once more, smiling cheerfully at the violet haired girl stand in front of him.

"Anyway, this is Psuedo and Alice, and the Dusclops who is taking residence up in the plumbing would be Fletcher. He's always a bit of an asshole. Don't let it bother you." he said, patting Psuedo on the head while the small, gelatinous creature tried to reach for a lollipop hanging from the corner of his trainer's satchel, drooling at the sight of the sugary delight that lay just out of his reach.

Alice grunted at Gennie and Risky. It was her way of saying "Hello. I'm Alice and I'll make things hard for you if you step on my tail." She seemed to have a thing for flicking chocolate chips at Risky's head. Perhaps it was her way of flirting, either that or watching the other blue reptilian go all flustered deeply entertained her.

"The question is honey, can your big blue friend over their handle me? He seems nice an all but he's a little dull for my tastes." snickered the more feminine Feraligatr, still trying to get one of the chocolate chips into her male counterpart's eyes.

"Alice, is it so hard for you to try and act nice?" sighed Atticus, running his fingers through his slightly damp, chocolate brown hair. Damn freak storms. He was sort of taken aback by the girl's lack of respecting personal space, but otherwise enjoying her looking up at him.

Psuedo, letting his curiosity get the best of him, had wandered over to Risky's tail, watching it sway back and forth. He was definitely bigger than Alice, but that wasn't everything. He knew what that demonic, reptilian bitch was capable of. The little Ditto smiled cutely, hopping onto the Feraligatr's tail. "You don't seem as mean as I thought! Maybe we could have more Totodile babies! I could be an uncle! I just hope Alice doesn't eat them... She isn't great with kids..." he cooed, swinging about on Risky's tail. Last time he did this to Alice, she chucked him out their bedroom window.

Alice snarled at the younger Pokemon's remark and was a little more than tempted to swing that sucker around a few times, even if it meant taking tail Risky's clean off. She ate another cookie, digging her claws into the couch's fabric as she did so.

Atticus smirked, taking half a step away from Gennie before he keeled over from her heavenly scent. It's no secret that Atticus is a hopeless romantic but this is fucking ridiculous.

"So..." he whispered, eying the flickering light bulb above his head. Strange that there was still power supplied to this place. Also the possibility of some stray electric types living nearby. He wouldn't have a problem with it if it would just stay lit. It was beginning to give him a migraine.

"Nah. Ya don't have to leave. As long as you aren't Pravus I'm good." he smiled, before freaking out over what he said. "Not that you made me think you were Pravus! I mean, they're all assholes over there and seem all cranky, not that you strike me as cranky... OR an asshole. I... um... yeah..." he muttered, scratching the back of his head in a flustered manner, eying the still flickering light bulb so not to make eye contact with the girl he may have just insulted. He wasn't sure at this point. He should really pay attention to what he's about to say. Maybe that's why the girl at the desk in the Ranger HQ's lobby always throws any files for him at his head... It's a mystery.

Coming to check what the racket was, Fletcher floated through the wall, yawning. He looked at Gennie and Atticus and sighed. "I don't wanna ask what she's still doing here or why she's that close to you." he muttered, waiting for this miserable excursion to end. If only knives didn't pass through him, then he could leave this hellish nightmare sooner. Maybe get reincarnated as a Chingling and finally be just that little bit more positive about things. No such luck as he slouched beside Alice on the couch, munching away at her cookies.

"So, what made you pick Barkwish for your little excursion?" asked Atticus, even though she could ask him the same, dimwitted, overused question. I guess it's best just to sit back and watch the events to follow. Let's just hope those storm clouds hovering overhead don't come in to play.

[gennie]

Dull? Did he really seem that dull? Risky always found himself as the fatherly figure towards Gennie, which was ironic seeing how he didn’t like kids, especially little Totodiles. Sure the Feraligatr always had that ‘woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed’ attitude most of the time, but he was gentle when he wanted to be, it was just… he never really wanted to be. He considered anything too gentle to be a dumbass. Even Gennie had her guard up most of the time—sure she didn’t look it—but if she were ever caught in a bad predicament she’d think first before her actions, or she’d simply run away. Though Gennie never really had to worry about anything because Risky was always by her side, maybe not all the time during the day when she strolls through the Ranger’s HQ, but definitely at night when she decides to go out. Hence him being there now, it wasn’t night, but when Gennie had earlier said that she wanted to do something exciting, and that involved her exploring a new place she hasn’t been to yet, Risky took it as he just had to go without even being asked by Gennie.

The large Feraligatr towered the two, his eyes lifted and locked hard on Gennie. His teeth gritted; the beast hated when his owner got too close to boys, half the time Risky just wished Gennie was an average teenager with average drama, but with her being so oblivious and gullible, his stress level tended to raise to its highest peak. At the moment, Risky was attempting his best to forget about the female Feraligatr in the room, but as he felt little chips hitting his head the beast took a step to the right so he would now be out of the line of fire. His beady eyes refused to snap a glare at Alice, only because he knew Gennie would spark up and lecture him. Never did Risky ever felt so pathetic before, all he could do was stand there and swat away the chocolate chips. Risky grumbled.

“There will be no Totodile babies,” Risky snapped, his tail raising. The beast shot his head back to snap a glare at the thing on his tail before he sighed and lowered his tail allowing the Ditto to cling to it. “I hate children.”

Gennie refused to listen to her Risky’s complaints and so only kept her gaze upon Atticus. She couldn’t help but to giggle quite a few times at the man’s reactions. She was known to be a bit slow in understanding people’s behaviors, especially when it ever seemed to be affectionate. The girl smirked, straightening her posture as she cutely poked the man in his chest before she continued, “You’re cute. Are you always so flustered?”

The Ranger stretched her arms, bent them past her head and stuck her hip out. Normally it was hard trying to find a comfortable position while standing, but the girl was good at finding out new things. She puckered her lips in thought and allowed her eyes to survey the room. She never really came off as intimidating and definitely didn’t come off as an asshole; it was just too damn cute with Atticus tripping over his words. But then she had to think, she knew if she were to stay with the boy and his various pokémon, she’d be signing Risky off to an early grave; then again, when did Gennie ever really listen to Risky when it came to finding new friends?

Gennie parted her lips before another voice filled the room, her eyes immediately darted to the owner and she nearly squealed when she spotted the Dusclops with a top hat. The girl clapped her hands, and smiled widely, unaware of what Fletcher was referring to about her and being close to Atticus. (She obviously had no sense of personal boundaries). Her smile transfigured to a large grin as she averted her gaze back to where the boy was, she stepped closer to Atticus, pressing both hands on his chest as she once again leaned in.

“How do you get your pokémon to wear accessories? I always try but they never listen to me,” The girl nodded, giggling as she backed up and swung her hands behind her back and rocked on her feet. “Maybe you should come over to my room some time and-“

“There will be NO one coming over to your room,” Risky interrupted, fists clenched, if he were to put any more strength into his hands he would’ve started bleeding then and there. “First that Gregory boy… now him.” He muttered.

“Oh lighten up,” Gennie tossed her hand in an uncaring way, “It’s my room.” Gennie pouted as she crossed her arms.

The Feraligatr growled, he couldn’t answer to that. It was her room and not his, and she had no problem with returning him to his pokeball—how he dreaded that thing. But pokeball or not he wasn’t going to allow a stranger into a room, not Gregory and definitely not this man. His eyes narrowed at Atticus, maybe if he intimidated the boy he’d leave Gennie alone, for good.

“Forget about him,” Gennie rolled her eyes smiling.

The Ranger again puckered her lips in thought this time drumming her finger tips upon her lips, her eyes locked on the ceiling. Why did she choose to wonder around Barkwash? She never really had a reason to do anything now-a-days; it was just ‘because’. She attempted to conjure up a reason, but came to no avail. She frowned, and returned her sparkling grey hues back to Atticus, “I really don’t have a reason, I’m a girl who does things out on a whim. Though I don’t know if I’m really that wild and exciting or not? Hey if you’re ever around the Ranger base and are bored hit me up, we can go do something! I don’t have many friends except for a select few, but Risky hardly ever lets me go do things on my own, and besides that I’m usually only in my room doing my job as a breeder and just baking. Hey do you like to bake? If you do you should definitely come over! I have another friend who likes to bake and so you know the saying, two is company and three is a party. It’d be fun, I promise.”

The girl inhaled, “I’m sorry for talking so much, I just don’t see people too interested in me that often. So Atticus I know you said that this was your house, but what are you doing here? Need any help?”

“Ugh, don’t offer to help, we should really get going,” Risky grumbled, but was hushed by Gennie.