[Open!] In search of the perfect playmate.

[Tilly!]

<sub>((ooc; Yay, first post ever with Tilly. x3 ))

"Wasn't seeing Ma and Pa fun, Fara?" The girl's cheerful shrill voice rang in the air and she beamed at the horse Pokémon trotting at her side, a petite Ponyta whose steps were as light and airy as her trainer's mood. Tilly Hays' blonde hair, which bore a striking resemblance to her companion's own tail, bounced happily out from the back of a fruity pink cap. The sun's late morning rays flashed a reflection of the surrounding emerald trees onto the heavy lenses of the goggles fixed atop her hat. Nada's park was entirely new to Tilly; it was a beautiful place as well, and she couldn't help but recall fond memories of the old farm. What made this nice, lush, grassy sanctuary different from her birthplace? Tilly could've listen too many reasons to keep count of, so she chose not to and merely settled for the fact that this was truly a wonderful place, and her Ponyta clearly shared the same opinion.

This park radiated of happiness; whether it be the blonde's cheery grin or just the whole atmosphere of trainers at ease spending quality time with their Pokémon, Fara couldn't be certain. She always felt anxious around so many people, but the park was big, and most people and their partners were spread wide apart. The fire horse didn't mind tagging along with her master--it was enjoyable basking in the light of her constant smile, but the human girl could be too outgoing. Knowing Tilly, she'd probably be dragged along to say hello to some complete stranger. It wasn't that the young Ponyta was unsociable--maybe a little, but it was only a case of shyness. She looked up and shook her head up and down in a nod. "It was. We haven't seen them in such a long while."

A slender hand reached out to stroke the Ponyta's fine cream fur, but it was more of a rigorous pet than a caress. "Yep! This is great!" Tilly twirled once. Her soft boots scuffed up the soft grass beneath while her arms were spread out helicopter-style. "We can play ball for a bit, then eat some cookies I made! I made them how you like them; nice and sweet--soft, too!" She'd run ahead in joyous leaps, still the exuberant, childish individual she always was. A sparkle of amusement shone in the Ponyta's large dark eyes as she cantered after her, embers flying off from her mane as they bounded across the park together for a short while before Tilly stopped abruptly. Her sandy blonde ponytail swayed to a fast stop.

"... Why don't we find someone to play with? It's weird running alone like this. You and me, I mean. At least we should let somebody else look odd with us!" she giggled and whirled around, her right hand automatically flying up to the rim of her hat as though to get the shade out of her eyes so she could see. Several children looked up from the nearby sandbox with bewildered expressions. The Ponyta looked up at her trainer wearily, with one blunt triangular ear pointed forward and another leaned back in uncertainty.

"Um, I don't know, Tilly..." Fara's previously excited, dancing flames had receded a marginal amount, but her doubt and reluctance were clear either way. It was silent for a moment, and for about a split second, the Pokémon was worried her trainer was upset. She needed to think of something, fast. "Erm, I mean, I'd love to, but... actually, I'm kind of tired. Can we head back to headquarters yet?"

A wide smile spread across the blonde's face. "Alright! Now, let's see..." Apparently, she hadn't been upset after all, but she didn't seem to hear anything else the Ponyta had said after "I'd love to." Fara could only let out a sad sigh as her trainer scoped out the area for any potential lonely, miserable people who were messed up enough to actually want to play a game with an immature girl and her little fire pony.

Trees... benches... busy people... Not many of the park visitors seemed to be ready for a fun round of tag. Anything was fine with her, really. TIlly only wanted to goof around with someone else here, perhaps make a friend or two in the short time she'd be here. "Fara, help me look, will you?" The girl rose onto her toes despite everything being clearly visible, as if it would help when it really had no use. The cream pony sulked a little before joining in the search with a half-hearted effort. She cocked her head when she heard a familiar rustling sound. What was Tilly rummaging for in her bag now? A small pair of dark binoculars were pulled out. Did they really need this? Tilly seemed to think so. She lifted the device to her eyes and peered through them intensely.

A strange quiet ensued, with the thirteen year-old looking through her binoculars in silent excitement. A chill ran down Fara's neck as she stood, self-conscious, next to the almost embarrassing young teenager, who really didn't seem like a teen much at all. A warm breeze chimed through the trees like a reminder that time hadn't stopped. Fara was growing uncomfortable here. Hopefully people weren't paying too much mind to her human's quirkiness.

Tilly suddenly tensed and the corners of her mouth curved upward again, which could only mean one thing--she'd found what she'd been looking for--a playmate. She lowered the mini binoculars and extended a bandaged index finger from her free hand to point. "Hey, that person looks like fun!"</sub>

[A-ub--re]

The bright blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see, fluffy bunny like clouds hopped across the wide expanse. The big bright ball that was the fun shone down on the park with wide sweeping rays, casting shadows only on its outermost edges, where low hanging tree fronds hid shy little shrubbery. Occasionally the clouds would block the sun, and you could glimpse the sheen of the thick glass of the dome-roof. The park equipment nearby shone in the sunlight, laughing children adding to the splendor of the park. Sand arose in delightful little spurts, little sneakers slapping against the loose dirt. The air was fresh, clean and free of the smog found in normal Remoor. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, baby Pokemon rolling in the sand with their young owners, old friends spread out on picnic blankets. Nary a rain cloud, or danger in the sky. A rare day, a beautiful place---

Much too exposed. Nothing offered a viable hiding space, too many people lurked on the grass, likely hiding sheer malevolence beneath those smiles. Fur, scales, deadly fangs, razor sharp claws, blistering flames, and bitter cold were as common as the leaves in the nearby forest--too many strange pokemon. The playground was a ground of accidents waiting to happen, a slipped disc, a caught foot, broken bones; what were those parents thinking!? The Frisbees gliding lazily through the air were concussions in the wings. Unlike the carefree gazes of everyone elese, this green eyed one was frantic. It moved back and forth quicker then a demonic typewriter, stopping on each smiling face, and stretched muzzle with fear. The posture was closed, shoulders hunched, arms crossed across a non-existent chest, legs closed. A long sleeved hoody was wrapped around the girl like a sack, obscuring her figure beneath its folds. Even the bright tennishoes seemed drab, and frightened. Choppy bangs hung in front of her eyes like a curtain, obscuring all but her pursed lips from view.

Both of her hands twitched.

--

Only the lack of a truly obvious threat was keeping her in this open space free of protection, and full of noise. A single bark, a too close Frisbee, and she'd be tailing it quicker then any Nincada. Under the edge of the hoody, the white shapes of a few pokeballs was visible, a few more lay on her backside. Currently one of the occupants was free, and towered above the girl like some kind of statue. A giant yellow wall ,of muscle, and scales, topped off with rather comical ears--each tipped with feathers.
" This is far enough Mouse."
The voice was gruff, and commanding--it was obvious he was used to obedience. With what seemed a relieved gesture, the girl sank onto a soft tuft of long grass. The space around them was devoid of people, but about three hundred yards out, in a semi-circle sat similar groups. The girl kept throwing them nervous glances, with a hesitant smile, some waved--and some stared. Either way the girl was slightly intimidated, and turned back to counting the blades of grass at her feet.

--

The dragon gazed down at his trainer with a single orange eye. It was obvious critical, and the set of his mouth was less then happy. With a growl, he reached to a little divot in his back, and threw a beat up old back to the ground. A large green blanket was curled atop of it. A few seconds later, with a few slipped knots, and a quick slash of claws, the blanket fell onto the ground, unfurled , and empty. The bag also contained a few boxes, through their clear tops the outlines of sandwiches was plainly visible.
" .. Meh. Let out the rest of the brigade now--and remember the red one IS MINE!"
Without so much as a stare, which some pokemon might have received for ordering about their trainer, Aubre obeyed.

Five pokeballs gleamed in the bright sunlight, clattering against the ground--each was in different levels of disarray. Many spots of rust, and cracks, not to mention some dents, but the pokemon that emerged from shattered confetti of red light all seemed healthy enough.

A swellow glided from one of the pokeballs, flying above the group in a wide circle. A Kreem stared upon the scene with obvious distaste and boredom. A Persian slunk into the girl's lap, shifting until her hands rested upon his broad head. A Hoppip bobbed through the open air, a little string now trailed from its leg, which the big dragon grasped.

A Butterfree broke from the group, and arced through the sky, a very shaky rendition of "OLD MACDONALD" rocketed from its vocal cords, and it was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Flitting through the air, and sniffing at the trailing pollen of long dead flowers , he glided about the park.

Upon spotting Tilly, his grin seemed to spread wider, and he dove toward her with wings outspread.

[Tilly!]

<sub>She let out a gasp. ”Wow! Look at that! Fara, are you watching this?” The girl’s voice was filled with awe, and if one were to record a clip of her voice and play the audio over, it would sound as if she were watching a magic show or something of the like. Instead, she was only gaping in wonder as she watched the person in the distance cast out a multitude of Poké Balls, five, to be more precise, as they clattered to the grass, each releasing their own beam of brilliant red light, all of which materialized into solid forms. She was too far away to see the balls themselves, which were rusted and aged, but if she had, Tilly wouldn’t have cared either way. The blonde was more interested in the Pokémon themselves, some of which she’d never even seen before. Living on a farm in the middle of nowhere didn’t exactly grant her a lot of worldly knowledge.

Firstly, there was a yellow bipedal scaly creature at the hooded girl’s—who looked to be a young adult, or maybe an older teenager—side. Its limbs were an orange tinge, as well as the tip of the tail, where it spread out into three triangular… features. Tilly wasn’t exactly sure what those were, for she’d already put her binoculars away and was squinting from afar. From one of the five balls burst a large bird Pokémon with striking blue and red plumage, this one relatively normal to the thirteen year-old, a Swellow. Then there was a fish-looking one; Tilly couldn’t label it with a name. Still, it looked vaguely familiar, but she was unable to guess why. Perhaps it was in one of those old picture books she read.

A nudge broke Tilly out of her trance. “Fara? What’s wrong?” Warm air from the Ponyta’s nostrils reached her arm. There was a glisten of panic in the horse Pokémon’s wide coal eyes. Huh…? She reached out with both hands and grasped Fara on the sides of her snout. “Hey, I’m not a mind reader,” she smiled playfully and blew a puff of air onto the obviously miffed and frantic Ponyta’s nose, oblivious to the large bug flying straight for them. A startled cry broke into the air as Fara sped behind her trainer in a hurry, with Tilly turning her head around in a confused manner. “Neh? Where’d the sun go…? It was just bright a second ago…” It took a final tilt of her head to notice the broad-winged, bluish purple-bodied butterfly spread out above. The shadow it cast seemed to shrink, for it dove right for the two.

It would be safe to assume that any smart person would run or dodge in fright if a three foot-something bug was plummeting from the sky with a crazy grin both in its eyes and on its face, but Tilly only stepped lightly to the side and beamed back at it. “Hey, you wanna play?” the girl squealed happily, elated to see that this Pokémon was equally cheerful. I wonder if bugs know how to catch balls… A single finger moved up to her chin in thought, but she dismissed it quickly. Might as well find out, she figured, and promptly began to dig out a small orange ball from the bag resting snugly on her hip before waving the round toy, which fit right in the palm of her hand, around in the air.

“Um, Tilly, what about that girl…?” the Ponyta swiftly cut in and sent a nervous glance over to the shady looking female human who was still standing there farther off, surrounded by the remaining five Pokémon of hers. Well, it was true that nearly all people got Fara uneasy, and so the girl who Tilly had originally seen wasn’t really anything remarkable or suspicious.

Several blinks followed. “Oh, right!” Tilly laughed and brushed a strand of light hair to the side of her face. ”Almost forgot,” she giggled and twirled around to see the hooded girl whose hair seemed to obscure her own vision. She waved a hand in the air. “Hi!” she called out jovially. The smiley shine in her eyes wasn’t needed, for the kooky grin of hers was plenty enough, but it couldn’t be helped. “Is this your Pokémon? He’s really cute!” Her voice had risen into that high squeal again.

I wonder… should I tone it down a bit? It doesn’t look like anybody else is acting this way… It was the first time she’d noticed, and it was almost awkward to be the one to stand out in the park. Her light olive eyes darted around quickly before she stepped forward a bit. Each step she took had that instinctual bounce to it, and it was difficult to try and suppress it. What was it Pa told me? Oh, right. Blend in… ‘kay.

Fara followed behind anxiously, half expecting to be embarrassed by her trainer’s childish behavior in public, but she was surprised to see the girl calm down so quickly. It was almost an unnatural switch, actually, and the Ponyta was unsure what to think of it.

“So, do you like, come here often or something?” came Tilly’s cheerful, amplified voice again. The cream-furred pony’s fiery mane flickered with uncertainty. She stood farther away; keeping a safe distance between herself and the other human’s Pokémon. Was this how people made small talk? Fara certainly never saw others do the same, but then again, it seemed that so many kept to themselves. Her eyes were cast downward away from her young trainer. Maybe she should bring that up later.</sub>

[A-ub--re]

The Butterfree briefly relished the sensation of dropping through the air. The breeze gently tugged at the raised veins along his wings, pollen tickled at his bulbous blue nose. Even though it seemed impossible--with only the circular nose, a tiny hole, and two tiny teeth--Vermi was grinning wider then the Cheshire cat on his birthday. The odd thing was it was not most obvious in the slight widening of his mouth--but in the gleeful gleam in his faceted eyes. The wonderful little dive came to a screeching halt as Fara screamed and dashed behind her trainer. Wings now spread open, the Butterfreee came to a complete stop, whirling aabout, and shaking a tiny little hand at the empty air.
"Get away monster! I know ..errm...Butter-fu!"
It was then that he noticed the lack of an evil beast, and turned back toward Tilly and Fara.
" Oh! Oh! Miss Pony! Were you cared by Achilles--he's about as harmless as a banana!"
So says the bug who had almost been left wingless, making a fruit reference in the dragon's earshot.
"He's really a sweetheart! Nothing to worry about!"
The Butterfree was now hovering over Tilly's shoulders, speaking to the flaming horse cowering behind her. With a powerful thrust of his wings, the Butterfree surged forward, back feet scraping at the girl's shirt, twirling about, he allowed a single wing to brush Fara's back, before shooting back around to grin at Tilly.
" The sun didn't go anywhere! Silly! Play!? SURE!"
The Butterfree acted nothing like his age--and loved doing silly things like playing ball. Watching the orange ball with obvious interest--if you could judge by his frantic twitching--the Butterfree waited for it to be tossed.
"What girl--? I don't see a girl."
The Butterfree murmured, looking in the opposite direction of the Ponyta.
"I see lotsa trees."
At least Arbori wasn't over here.


Instead however, the girl turned toward an unseen group of people and began to yell. Following suit the Butterfree raised his stubby little hands in his own wave.
"HELLO FRIENDS~ HOW ARE YOU?"
Opening his eyes, he grinned. It seemed he did know someone in the park!
"Oh you guys! Say hello it's nice! COME ON! Unless...hey Ahilles move, I wanna wave to the people behind you."
Even from this distance, the growl which reverberated through the Statodyle's body was audible, but the Butterfree merely grinned.
'Killez is hungry~ which is way we made him ten sandwiches!"
Of course if anyone else ate that many sandwiches they would be chubby, or at least chubbier then the Banana Dragon.

--

Aubre's reaction to the greeting was neither boisterous, or even happy. Instead it was much like Fara's reaction. Head snapping up, the girl jumped--the high pitched squeal of Tilly's yell echoed in her head like a badly tuned violin. Instantly her head whipped around for the source of the noise, and upon spotting Tilly, she began to gnaw at her lip. Maybe she was talking to someone else? Glancing behind her, she found the grass mostly empty, and the next speaking voice--Vermi--it appeared someone wanted a conversation. So what if the girl looked completely harmless? Maybe her voice was that ridiculously high because she was only pretending to be female? No doubt that Ponyta behind her[him] was some kind of firebug!

Aubre was not really someone who should talk about cross dressing though, more then one person had taken her for a boy. A very long-lashed boy. Now over her initial shock and denial the girl decided to reply to Tilly.
" Hello ..."
The voice was likely barely audible, or nothing more then a trailing whisper torn apart by distance and a gentle breeze. This young lady was not one given to shouting, in fact she considered it rude. When the girl mentioned Vermi, Aubre cast a glance to make sure the Butterfree was absent.
"Ye-e-s. Yes. He is--I am sorry if he scared you."
Once again, Tilly probably would have barely caught that, if at all. The girl's eyes were still hidden beneath a crop of bright hair, but underneath the curtain they looked slightly frantic and sheepish. The Persian next to her was glancing at her face uncertainly, the Swellow perched on her head was half tempted to go introduce herself--and calm the frightened little Ponyta, but decided against it.

Achilles took the reins from there, and beckoned to Vermi A single ivory claw turned toward his chest, both of his eyes spoke of aggressive actions.
"You. Get over here. Going around and harassing little girls. Little bugger--come sit down and behave! Try not to annoy us to death!"
His deep voice easily carried through the park, and the Butterfree flat out ignored him. Instead he now lighted down on Tilly's shoulder, as the girl began to move toward the other group.

--

Aubre only stood her ground out of fear of coming off as rude if she didn't, a single hand did snake down to rest on her Persian's broad scalp though. The Dragon let out a muted growl, but curled up on the ground--little bug would get it later. The rest of the party merely watched.
" .. I ...no..not very often.."
In fact last time they had been her, she had lost her Persian. Time before they had met a group of creeps. Time before that one one of her pokemon had been ruthlessly murdered.

It was obvious that Aubre was not exactly a gabby-abbey. The picnic basket actually looked like a tempting projectile, throw it at the girl with the squeaking voice, and run for the hills, or at least the hillier part or the park.

The Swellow leapt from Aubre's shoulder a few moments later, snapping her wings open, and gliding toward Tilly .

[Tilly!]

<sup>Fara blinked her wide coal eyes and gazed up at the large bug, still wondering who this “Achilles” was that he kept referring to. It was exhausting, watching both Tilly and this complete stranger of a Butterfree acting so springy as if they were good friends already. She should be used to this by now. Two years with the girl built up a certain tolerance, after all. Hadn’t the winged creature said something about someone being… as harmless as a banana? A low growl came from the Statodyle a little farther away. But bananas can make you slip… Fara assumed that he must be Achilles—or was it Killez or whatever the Butterfree said? He wasn’t making much sense to her, but then again, her trainer was hardly any better. Fara didn’t linger on the issue for too long. She was too busy being embarrassed by Tilly’s loud behavior, inappropriate for the setting.

Sometimes Tilly's cheerfulness was a welcome thing for the Ponyta, but right now just wasn't the time. Fara could sense Aubre's discomfort, but Tilly apparently could not.

Tilly’s head dropped to the side a little as she inspected the girl’s… or boy’s, clothes? Ah… I can’t really tell anymore? I thought Fara said it was a she… Of course Pokémon would be better at distinguishing things like gender and whatnot, but as for Tilly, she couldn’t help but feel like a fool if she’d thought this boy was a girl. Or was it the other way around? She was getting confused already. His—or her face had a certain delicateness like that of a female’s, but it was still too ambiguous. As long as she didn’t outright refer to him or her as either, it’d be fine, right? The person’s mouth twitched as if to say something, but the blonde couldn’t distinguish what had come out. Oh, must be one of those shy types… She’d known shy people as being nice in a quiet sort of way.

She was tempted to blurt out, “I can’t hear you, speak louder!” but as if sensing what the predictable TIlly would do, Fara nudged her slightly. The yellow dragon-dinosaur looking beast roared something to the Butterfree, startling the Ponyta slightly in the process, while the others seem unfazed. The purple Pokémon was heavy on her shoulder, but she managed to stand with just a slight tilt in her posture, and he wasn’t much of a trouble as the dragon said. Tilly could only smile a little. At least she could understand what the girl--she was pretty sure the person was a girl now, since her voice was more feminine than masculine—said now. “Oh, really? This is my first time here,” Tilly grinned, hardly considering the fact that the girl could be reluctant to continue any sort of conversation. Her high and what others would call annoying voice was a blatant contrast to the other’s quiet one, which was hardly more than a whisper, really. “It’s really nice here… also; did you know that you’re really quiet?”

Now, Tilly isn't the kind of person who understands others all that well. She doesn't know that perhaps, maybe, they don't want to talk, or maybe, they're in a bad mood, or that they're just not like her.

If a horse could facepalm, Fara wouldn’t hesitate to at that moment. “Tilly…” A cold shiver ran down the Ponyta’s spine, despite being a fire type. Her clueless trainer hadn’t caught on, though, and only continued her unintended obnoxiousness. Hopefully the Swellow approaching would quiet her down a notch. Tilly smiled.

“You should speak up some more.”</sup>

[A-ub--re]

Aubre was worried when the girl didn't reply to her apology. Nose twitching like a nervous rodent's the girl took a single step back. Both of her bright eyes remained on Tilly and her Ponyta. Inside her pockets, her hands were slick with sweat, and cool to the touch. Grass parted and lowered as the girl slid her left shoe backward, worn bottoms brushed against the ground, before the right followed in suit. Like a game of tag the feet chased one another through the astro-turf. No doubt to them it seemed to be a great green forest--to Aubre it was a land of corpses, a jumble of bugs, and a mass of bacteria. The matter of the ground below her feet however was nowhere near as daunting as the bundle of high-pitched energy speeding toward her.

Why hadn't the girl replied? Maybe she hadn't heard her? Or more likely she was afraid to reply--afraid of whatever raw emotion would come tumbling out. Maybe it wasn't even a her? Why was the Ponyta behind her so nervous? It seemed to be a skittish cold, especially judging by its reaction to Achilles. Wasn't being so shifty a sign of guilt? Why was there guilt? Not to mention Vermi was a horrid judge of character, no doubt this girl was insane, even worse, dangerous.

The game of backwards tag came to a quick stop, as a trio of jagged claws hooked themselves into Aubre's hoody. With a bit of recoil, the girl stopped stumbling backward. A pillar of thick muscles now held on to her like a chain, ending in a ball of yellow scales and flesh.
" People are looking at you Mouse. Qui acting like a damn freak! If that girl tries anything she'll be a pile of dead flesh at my fee. So chill the hell out."
Aubre stared at the dragon for a moment, her mouth slowly opening, as she attempted to protest. The words came out in a jumbled whisper.
" ..Violence.. no.. no don't hurt her. Wait--she probably heard you.. why did you say that.. she won’t be happ--"
The dragon merely signed, and laid his fang filled snout on the sun-warmed grass, his tail gave a quick lash of disinterest, before it too came to a stop in the green.

The girl's head snapped back toward Tilly when the girl spoke. The noise was no more pleasant the second time--Aubre's brain instantly brought up images of fighting Persian's this time.
" Oh. It's nice ... isn't it? Are you sure Vermi isn't bothering you? I can...move him."
Aubre spoke a bit louder this time, mostly because she was nervous, and wanted to be sure the girl had not just avoided the question. In fact Tilly still sounded happy, unless that was an act. No doubt it was. After all who approached strangers in a park without some kind of nasty motive? The only person who did not listen to that advice were the most dangerous of all.
" ..ooh. Am I? Sorry Miss."
In the grass at her feet the dragon chuckled, before he turned to glare at the Butterfree perched on Tilly's shoulder.
"Vermi. Ass face. I thought I told you to get back here--or your ears as useless as your brain?"
the dragon ordered, and what did he receive in terms of obedience:
"I am coming Banana~ it might just take a while!"
Only the threat of Aubre bolting into the blue kept the dragon seated. Sparks raced along his snout though, his teeth ground deep in his jaw, and it was obvious he was displeased.

The Swellow came to a pause a few feet in front of Tilly.
" Hello there M'lady~ before you come any farther. I need an introduction."
Names told a lot about people. If the name met the bird's requirements, then this young girl would be allowed to pass.
"Also--can ya please stop screaming when ya talk? Some o f our ears are quite sensitive~"
The multi-colored wings clapped together, when they parted the bird was smiling.

---

Aubre blushed when next Tilly spoke, her eyes instantly became interested in a pebble at her feet. Both of her cheeks blazed red.
"..Sorry about that. I could try to. "
The older girl spoke--her voice now at the same volume as Tilly.
" ... err.... why are you...here?"
A quick way to either get a lie--or an answer to her questions.


"CAN SHE EAT WITH US AUBRE!?"
Vermi piped up.


---

I know what a Stantler in the headlights feels like......
Aubre thought to herself, as her eyes slowly rose to meet Vermi's, a fake smile quivered on her lips.
"Wha .. umm...Sure...why not?"

Damn Butterfrees.

[ This post is made of epic phail.]