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Post by ethan on May 20, 2009 20:05:13 GMT -5
That last comment from the Caravay made Ethan blink a little, like he'd forgotten something moderately important. Which, as a matter of fact, you could say that he had. Names were generally a helpful tool for people to have, after all. Knowing that, the Ranger rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and coughed into a fist as he looked away from the Aubre for a moment. "Oh yeah... Forgot my manners in all the excitement." he muttered politely to the girl, his hand falling from his neck before extending to her in a handshake. "Name's Ethan. Ethan Lynch. Nice to meetcha. The Typhlosion is Fuego and the Blastoise is Duke."
The only reaction either of the Pokemon gave to Aubre was a slight nod of their large heads before coming to stand at a regimented attention behind Ethan's shoulders. They almost looked like soldiers like that, but probably some of the most humorous and unlikely soldiers at best. It was almost endearing in some bizarre and funny way. The thought that the three of them were actually Pokemon Rangers somehow seemed rather laughable, really.
Better to pull a fast one on you, my dear.
After a moment of that, Duke turned to Ethan and spoke a "Blastoise." that sounded a lot more gruff than it was actually meant to be. Duke may have looked like a "big blue battleship" of a Pokemon as Ethan had said, but he was really just a wizened old teddy bear beneath the hard-as-steel shell. That and he was just oh so adorable whenever he passed out after gorging himself on his favorite selection of berries. Ethan knew better than to say that to the Blastoise, especially to his face. When he was actually awake, that is.
Ethan glanced at Duke over his shoulder and shook his head. "Sorry, buddy. No Sitrus Berries yet." he gestured towards the slumbering old man and the shop he was minding. At least Ethan "thought" it was a shop. It looked like one, anyway. Kinda. Sorta. "We can see if he has any to sell, though."
That seemed to be good enough for Duke. The Blastoise let out a contented "Tooiiiise..." and licked his chops as visions of Sitrus Faeries danced in his head. Duke may have been a glutton for berries, but he was a dangerous glutton for berries once you got him riled. Fortunately, getting Duke riled was like trying to do the same to an ancient Tai Chi master with a long white beard and a Fu Manchu mustache. It was theoretically possible, but most people were a million years to soon to be getting under his shell.
Meanwhile, Fuego just cast on odd look at Ethan snuffled questioningly at him, his big furry head tilting to one side with a hopeful expression. "Rawrawr?" he growled softly to Ethan.
"Oh, fine. And some Wapear Berries for you, too."
The Typhlosion just grinned and licked his muzzle.
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Post by A-ub--re on May 21, 2009 23:36:42 GMT -5
The Caravay continued to glare at Ethan, as he instantly became embarrassed, before nodding in satisfaction. Clacking his beak together, he turned to stare at Aubre, as Ethan spoke. "Now it's your turn, Mouse." " I know . ." The girl was currently staring at Ethan's hand as if it might bite--and she was in fact looking for glimmering needle-points, and little teeth. The calm voice jerked her into action. Jerking her free hand forward, the girl wrapped it around Ethan's outstretched one, hoping he did not notice the sweat on her palm--or the tremor of her fingers. Besides that, her hands were also quite clammy--but if he noticed, maybe he would brush it off as side-effects of worry, and not fear of him? "it's okay . ." Aubre murmured, as she untangled her hand from Ethan's, and dropped it back to her side. Aubre's eyes flickered between the Pokemon as they were introduced. "I'm .. Aubre, Mister Lynch, pleasure." The girl murmured politely, before gesturing (with her chin) to the Caravay sagging against her arms; who was getting more then a bit heavy. Shifting the fish to the other arm, she spoke again: "This is Laan . ." Normally the girl would have more of her Pokemon out, but . . .after what Ethan had done to Achilles toe--she did not wish to risk it. Achilles was all muscle . .what could he do to her poor little flabby Persian if he purred too loud? Regardless of the warm weather, a shiver rolled down her back.
Pursing her lips together, Aubre watched the Pokemon, and nodded to each in turn--before returning her eyes to the sand beach. That shell was rather nice--glancing back up at the group, she found their posture rather odd. It was so stiff, that on those three it was laughable! Aubre however, did not dare to laugh--these three were likely dangerous--and judging by current happenings there was no telling what they might do!
Instantly, Aubre's eyes flashed down to Laan for a translation, to which the fish raised a scaled eyebrow. " Can't they . .speak damnit? i'm sorry--but I'm not a fuckin' translator." Judging by the girl's curious expression she too had been about to ask that question, not out of annoyance, but paranoia. Every time they spoke, and she did not understand them--the 'flight' reaction was triggered in her mind, and she had to stifle it. Opening her mouth to speak, the girl paused, shook her head and remained silent. ". . ." This big, gruff, blue-turtle was asking for berries? Glancing back at the shed, she could just make out the shape of berries in the window.
A quick touch to her waist confirmed her suspicions, her berry pouch was ridiculously low. So no gifts to the strangers.
. . .
"I can go check for you. . " Aubre murmured, drawing a odd look from Laan. What the hell was this girl thinking, and what had she done with his trainers?
One look at that lick, and the beak-like mouth of Duke helped fuel her urge to go check on the shop.
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Post by ethan on May 22, 2009 14:30:35 GMT -5
Ethan returned Aubre's handshake with a firm but friendly grip. He couldn't help but notice that the girl seemed a bit nervous towards him and his Pokemon, which he supposed could be understandable considering the way he had handled Achilles earlier. Plus her hands felt as damp as a dead fish, but who was he to judge her? She was, after all, holding a fish.
"Right back at 'cha, Aubre." he smiled to the girl as he stuck his hand in his jacket pocket (and surreptitiously wiped it off inside).
After that, he regarded Laan with what appeared to be a mixture of exasperation, humor, and defeat in his expression. The glint in his eyes made him almost look offended at the Caravay's words, but his expression also told that this wasn't the first time someone had commented about how his Pokemon chose to communicate. Far from the first time, it seemed. "And yeah, they can speak just fine. They are right now." he replied to the Caravay. "See... None o' my Pokemon were born and raised in some complex like most are nowadays. Except for Fuego, I met and fought each one o' them in the few untainted wilds left in Remoor. The way it was always meant to be."
Hearing that brought out a proud snort from Fuego, a wide grin spreading across the Typhlosion's face as a clip reel of his "glory days" played out in his memories. Duke, on the other hand, simply saw the look on Fuego's face and rolled his eyes at him. He almost seemed to say "Silly Firebutt" without using any words or gestures.
"As a result, they just weren't exposed to human tongue when they were babies." Ethan continued. "They probably could speak it by now... But they either choose not to or they simply can't yet. And that suits me fine." he finished while crossing his arms sternly to the Caravay. It was easy to tell that he had given this speech more than a few times by now, and that this probably wouldn't be the last time either.
He turned his attention back to Aubre. "Anyway, let's go see about those berries. And ya might want to get a move on, Aubre. Seems all that splashing Laan was doing earlier attracted the attention of whatever it is that lives in this lake. Wouldn't surprise me if it was a Gyarados due to the freshwater habitat and season." How Ethan knew that much about Gyarados was probably a mystery to Aubre and Laan, much less how he seemed to know that one may be coming near when there weren't any obvious signs! The waters were perfectly calm and the air was quiet!
With that, Ethan tucked his hands behind his neck, fingers laced, and started walking towards the shop where the old man was sleeping. Fuego and Duke followed him closely from behind, their expressions hopeful and their paws rubbing their bellies in hungry circular motions.
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Post by A-ub--re on May 23, 2009 0:46:35 GMT -5
Not able to formulate another answer, Aubre's face once again broke apart in a small smile, which she returned to Ethan. Tilting her head down, the girl caught sight of Laan's stern face--and the smile slipped away. The fish blinked slowly, before jerking his head to the left. ". . .do you want down Laan?" The fish's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head, before smacking his tail gently against the girl's midsection. Like a well trained dog, she switched arms once again, after wiping her sweating palm on her hoody of course. "Quit hugging me like I am some fuckin' teddy bear--unlike you I got some damn guts!" The fish occasionally shot a glance back at the girl--due to her constant fidgeting, but tried to remain with his cool gaze on Ethan.
The first words out of Ethan's mouth seemed more then a bit defensive, and Laan's beak split in a teasing smirk. " . . I mean so everyone can understand them--grunting is not a common language. Though its understandble that you, and I know what the hell they are saying; not everyone is that damn fortunate." Pausing for a moment, he added: "No offense to your friends of course." Listening to the little political speech, the fish felt the urge to barf. "Bah--I never said there's nothing wrong with catyching pokemon the normal way ya dumbass. Hell--I prefer Pokemon not raised by some human--but..I am not a damn translator, and she--has no idea what is going on." Inside Aubre's chest a little spark began to glow, Laan really did care. Then the fish continued, jabbing a fin at Ethan: "I don't wanna deal with her when she has a panick attack--cause ya little flaming-ass badger looks at her weird! Translate." Frankly, he probably understand the pair better then Ethan, he was a Pokemon after all--it was his language. Those idiots just thought speaking human n made them less pokemon, most likely, it just made them look like savages to most humans. But--whatever. ". . .and if they can't . .they don't learn very quick." Either savage, or morons--at least to humans.
Aubre glanced between her fish, and Ethan--half expecting their words to turn to her, and smack her in the face. " . . .I . . can get the gist laan." "Shut up. " Aubre closed her mouth, no longer attempting to pacify the situation--Laan loved fighting. The girl felt like she was somehow being insulted, she had not obtained all her pokemon through hardwork--well most of them--but that made them no less pokemon! Not that she was going to argue.
--
At Ethan's bidding, Aubre began to shuffle toward the little fishing shanty. pausing, she cast a longing glance at the water--Gyrados were amazing creatures. " . .hmm. Judging by the time of day. . I wager they are sleeping--any Gyrados in here would have to be very old . ." At the word 'old', Laan let out a snort, and slapped his tail against Aubre's hip. "get a move on--you can go swimmin' with the fishies later." The teasing tone was purposely there, Aubre obviously adored water pokemon-- but Laan knew very well she had a hard time swimming.
With one more glance at the glittering lake, Aubre sped up---hoping the old man would wake up before she was anywhere near his shop.
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Post by ethan on May 23, 2009 13:29:49 GMT -5
Ethan glanced back at Aubre over his shoulder as he kept walking, a small but impressed smile on his lips. "You seem to know an awful lot about Gyarados. You like Water Pokemon?" Truth be told, he guessed that not many people outside of the Rangers or Team Pravus would know that much about a Gyarados's sleeping patterns. Or anything else about them, for that matter. Most people had been too afraid of them to find out, and that was when they had still been plentiful in the wild. Nowadays... Well, you get the picture.
As the group finally came upon the fishing shack's threshold, Ethan approached the old man who sat slumbering in his chair. How that old fart could still be asleep after the ruckus Achilles had started was a mystery to Ethan. The Statodyle had practically been screeching his head off for a bit there, at least according to Ethan's biased perception. "Oh well.." the Ranger shrugged, his hands dropping down to his sides. "Oi Oi... Wake up, gramps. Ya got customers to wait on." As he said that, Ethan also bent forward slightly so that his face was almost right up close to the old man's.
No response.
That made Ethan arch his eyebrows up in surprise and look back at Duke, his back standing straight with his hands in his pockets. "Boy, he sleeps as hard as you do." he said to the Blastoise, whose only reply was a chuckling"Toisetoisetoise." and a paw lightly smacking the belly of his shell.
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Post by A-ub--re on May 24, 2009 0:20:40 GMT -5
The girl jumped at Ethan's words, she had not been expecting a reply. Blinking, a few times--she glanced down at Laan, who shrugged as if to say 'your call'. With another backwards glance, the girl managed to catch a ripple on the pond's surface. " Yes. Actually I do--I used to specialize in them. . ." Aubre looked poised to continue, but instead trailed off into a hesitant silence. Tooting her own horn was not something she did, biting her lip she added: " I know enough about Gyrados' so i can stay away from them . ." Not entirely true, but she really would not wish to be swimming in the water when they were courting, or grumpy from napping. " . . .you like them as well . .judging by Duke?" What a deft change of subject, right back to someone else!
Both of her bright eyes then fixed on the fish on her arms, who was looking up at her with something akin to interest. Well, it wasn't as if she talked about herself much--she was not at all interesting. A confused look soon worked its way across her face, and Laan turned the other way with a huff.
--
All of the sudden, they were stopped--the trainer's nose merely a inch from Ethan's clothed back. It had only been a quick prod of the tail by Laan that had bowling right into the ranger--which made them uncomfortably close. The girl sprang back from the other trainer, before circling around so she was off to the old fellow's left. Now she was barely able to make out his gnarled form between a broad shell, and smoky veil. " . . .maybe you shouldn't be so close. . might scare him--" A derisive chuckle from laan, caused the girl to stammer: "I mean .. he was probably all alone . . not anything mean . ." Maybe he had not even heard her--he had seemed to be speaking to Duke at the time.
" sir . .excuse me . .?" Aubre began, only to have the fish shake his head: "If he can't hear loudmouth. . he isn' gonna hear a mouse." It was then that Laan took in a deep breath, and seemed to spit in the direction of the shop keeper. True as an arrow, the foamy water flew toward the old fellow--latching onto wrinkles as it struck him in the face.
A steady stream of water now dripped from the old fellow's white beard, and a pair of crinkled brown eyes slowly fluttered open: "Whut is it Maria darling . .? I was dreaming about the last time we actually . ." The snores resumed. The man's fishing hat had slipped lower on his broad forehead, clamping down on wisps of grey and white hair. A pair of gnarled hands gently scratched at his stomach--which was clad in a striped shirt, before dropping back to his sides.
The Caravay tossed his fins up in the air.
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Post by ethan on May 24, 2009 17:01:56 GMT -5
Ethan could only shrug his shoulders when he heard Aubre's words. "You could say that. But there really is no one type of Pokemon that I like over any other. On a personal level, anyway." His mouth opened wide in a yawn, which was covered by a hand, before he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "On a professional level, though... And if I could only choose one... I'd have to go with the Dark-Type because of their versatility. Works the best in my line of work, but I'm far from a being a Dark-Type specialist."
And that was when the group came upon the old man and his fishing shack.
Well... That was interesting. Ethan regarded the old man with a quizzical expression before looking back at Fuego and Duke. He seemed genuinely stumped, but then it seemed like the proverbial lightbulb lit up in his head and he had an idea."Huh...." he said to them, his expression wry. "Do you two have any ideas on how to wake up a sleeping old codger?" The Pokemon merely shrugged back at him, although the smiling expression they both wore seemed to hint at what they thought Ethan was going to do next.
Something funny, no doubt.
Standing off to the old man's side opposite of Aubre, Ethan leaned in close to the old man's ear. If he was right about this guy, then this was going to be a foolproof plan. He lifted up one corner of the fishing hat away from his ear, and then smiled and whispered, "Hey look. Coeds going skinnydipping."
He had no idea who "Maria" was, but it wasn't hard to guess what the old guy had been referring to in his sleeptalking. Either that, or this guy was very good at impersonating a dirty old man. Of course, Ethan Lynch was no angel either. Where other people's mind only occassionally had their mind in the gutter, his rented a summer home in there. Came with the territory when one hobbied with the "genre" of books he wrote in his offtime.
[[Editted]]
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Post by A-ub--re on May 28, 2009 20:45:48 GMT -5
“. . I do not think any type better then the others, but water-types are wwhat I grew up with, well that and fighting." A quick glance at the stern fish in her arms, drew a sly smile to her face. While she had been used to water-types at the academy, all the well-trained pokemon, with the crystal cut personalities were nothing like this. Without truthfully thinking about it, the girl laid a cool hand on the Caravay's dorsal fin, which bent beneath her touch. A angered-snort from her fish , made her jump in reflex, her hand dropping to her side. " Dark-types . .hmm . . well . .. " Frankly, the girl had a fear of Dark-types, hidden beneath her thoughts that all pokemon were individuals, memories of glittering eyes, shadowy flames, and pain made her prejudiced against that particular type. Not wishing to anger Ethan however, she settled for: " Dark-types--like most other types are extremely useful. Versatile as you said." In her mind, questions raged back and forth, what job would make dark-types useful? A chill ran down her spine, most dark types were vicious, quick moving creatures .. used for hunting. The visions in her mind were far from the comical images of a fox-hunt, and instead much more resembled a cannibalistic hunt through the woods, where someone remarkable like Ethan sat there with a gentle smile, as his prey was chased . . .the girl gave a quick shake of her head.
Damn, her imagination.
------------------ The girl turned away from the sleeper--deigning him harmless until he awoke. Aubre was extremely careful, to keep her body together---nary a finger or hair strayed into range of the old man's grip. Both of her wide eyes were fixed on Ethan, as he seemed to come up with an idea. The girl's eyes gazed from Pokemon to trainer, as smiles spread across her face, blinking slowly--it was then that the dreamer's words hit her like a slap in the face, her face now burned bright red. As Ethan's plan confirmed her suspicions, the blush seemed to glow --- her eyes resembling those of Stantler in headlights. " Oh . .how . . .oh." The fish in her arms let out a little chuckle, and attempted to help Ethan along: "Oh look at that--all firm curves, nary a wrinkle in sight--oh , oh , ones coming up on the beach now! " Aubre was not used to any sort of lewdness, all of her friends had strayed away from that 'subject, but she somehow knew exactly what they were referring to.
A exultant cry flew from the fisherman's mouth, as he shot up like a thunderbolt, his head narrowly missing Ethan's nose. The man's eyes quickly shuttered open, as he turned toward the lake--fixing the bright blue irises on the open water. Instead, he found himself staring at a column of navy, and one of sky blue, both obviously male. " What--oh oh ohhhh!" The old fellow's wrinkled face assumed a pout-like expression as he caught sight of Ethan. " You--young man! That was extremely rude, do not go plying with your elders like that!" A callused hand had assumed a resting position at the button of his pants--hell he had been ready to race into the water himself! The bright eyes, which seemed misplaced in the bulldog like face, narrowed. "what the hell you want bub--I have work to do, other then listen to you hissing lies in my ear!" Behind, Duke and Fuego, Aubre cautiously swiveled her head toward the rather grouchy fellow.
"Sorry Sir , we need some stuff from the store ." The girl murmured, her head turned toward the ground--in a futile attempt to hide the blush splattered across her face.
It was as if storm clouds had been ripped away--the old man's face, instantly spread into a snaggle toothed smile. " While of course little lady--wanna come in with me, or your hulking ass of a boyfriend gonna mind? Oh excuse my language, forgot who I was talking to." The girl blinked rapidly a few times, glancing about the clearing for whoever this crazy old man was referring to, until her eyes settled on the grass around Ethan's boots. " No .. no . . uhmm . ." Not knowing exactly how to reply, the girl turned , and bolted farther down the beach. Sand pounding around her in a cloud--as she stopped at the lake's edge?
"Aww...Shy little thing ain't she?" The old man murmured, before turning back to Ethan with a scowl. "Well .. What the hell you looking at?!
The fish in Aubre's arms was now shaking with mirth.
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Post by ethan on May 29, 2009 20:47:17 GMT -5
"Well .. What the hell you looking at?!"
Most people would've probably just smiled and laughed politely at the old man's cantankerousness. It's only the right thing to do, ya know? Be nice to your elders, honor thy mother and father, and all of that malarkey, right? Maybe he couldn't help being a perverted, snaggle-toothed, and senile geriatric who smelled of boiled turnips. Maybe he was just too senile to know what he was saying.
And maybe Ethan just didn't care one way or another.
Without skipping a beat, Ethan stifled a chuckle and stepped back, casually stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jacket, and said "Firstly... She's not my girlfriend. We just met. And secondly... I'm looking at a dirty old fart whose so ugly that the toilet flushes whenever he walks by it. Now are you going to give us some service? Or should we just walk in and leave our money on the counter before getting our stuff?"
At the same time, Duke and Fuego were watching Aubre rush back towards the lake like her ass was on fire. An awkward sweatdrop rolled down the back of their heads before they both looked at each other and shrugged. Aubre's reaction... well, it wasn't exactly normal. But then again, neither were they.
That was when Ethan turned towards the lake and noticed that Aubre had vanished into thin air. "What the...?" he muttered to himself, an eyebrow shooting up in disbelief. He searched for a moment before he found the shadow of her outline near the edge of the lake, her hunched posture making it obviously clear that she was very uncomfortable about something.
Was she...embarrassed about what the old geezer said?
Naw... That couldn't possibly be it.
"OI! AUBRE! Come back, it's all right!" Ethan shouted to her with his hands cupped over his mouth. "The old guy only looks looney!"
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Post by A-ub--re on May 30, 2009 0:09:43 GMT -5
The old man glared at Ethan as he replied, obviously not happy at the younger man's words. The hairs of his beard stiffened, now sticking straight out like Porcupine quills, as his mouth tightened in indignation. "No need to be rude when a fellow makes a honest mistake, you back-talking bastard." Pausing, he seemed to sift through a sizable pile of insults, before gruffly speaking: " Do not insult me you disrespectful little brat." The word little was rather ironic, seeing as the crown of his head (fishing hat included) only came up to the taller man's shoulders. "Keep back talking like that, and I will give you a lot more then service." Taking a shaky breath, he turned away from Ethan, before waddling toward the rustic shop, a whip-like fishing pool wrapped tightly in his grasp. "Don't want no grubby little man going through my crap, might stick a few things in his pocket." The man was usually a very chipper, amiable person, but after being woke up from a nap for no reason, he was rather cranky.
From afar, Aubre watched the conversation, blinking as the old man turned into a ball of anger, and annoyance. A few words drifted to her, but for the most part she was deaf on the conversation. Upon meeting the eyes of the Typhlosion and Blastoise, she tilted her eyes back toward the sand--her attention quickly jumping from man-made shells, to bright grains of sand. Even at such a distance, the bright crimson on her face was easily visible.
Away from the lewd happenings, the girl's pale face was rapidly returning to normal, the freckles surfacing again. The Caravay in her arms felt this was not quite entertaining enough, and murmured in a awed manner: " Boyfriend--man , did you see those muscles..bet that wouldn't be a bad thing. Those hands .. ." Like a incoming tide, the blush washed back up her face, turning the stems of her bright hair maroon. Why did Laan have to go saying things like that ?
Ethan's words echoed across the beach, which caused her head to jerk up rapidly scanning the area for the other man.
Trembling like a leaf, she took a few deep breaths, tilted her face toward the ranger, and nodded. It felt odd to scream in reply, but she did so: "Go on ahead-- I'm coming!" Deciding that she likely needed to attempt a explanation, she added: " I thought I saw something .. in . . the . . .water." In her arms, the fish rolled his bright eyes--what a horrible liar his trainer was! Hopefully, the ranger did not notice that she had been turned toward the shed when she raced away.
Turning her head back toward the ground, the girl shuffled obediently toward Ethan. No reason to cause any problems. Maybe the old man meant no harm?
At least, that was what she wished to think--and as one can guess her mind did not generate pictures of the shop owner fishing.
--
The old man stopped at the door into the shop, before turning to the little-hooded trainer with a wide grin. "Come on --Aubre honey! I promise I don't bite--unlike that nasty piece of work over there!" The sweetness of his words, contradicted his earlier speaking with Ethan, and caused the poor girl to sigh.
Why couldn't people be easier to understand?
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Post by ethan on Jun 2, 2009 19:11:54 GMT -5
At the moment, Ethan didn't know if he wanted to punch the old bastard in the mouth or clap him across the back like they were best friends. This guy was kinda fun! All of this back-and-forth banter they were having was giving him an almost nostalgic feeling of when he had first joined the Pokemon Rangers. And of a certain old man who had made him and his Pokemon into what they are now.
In a way, it was almost like Ethan was talking to that man right now.
"Wait a second."
All of a sudden, both Ethan's eyebrows shot up in realization and he took a closer look at the face of the old man standing right next to him. He thought he could see a familiar squint in the old man's eyes, and the way his nose seemed very slightly crooked to the left also struck him as a bit odd. It was almost like someone had taken Ethan's former mentor's face and put on a fake beard, fishing hat, and put a mole on the left side of his neck.
Could it be?
"......Naw." Ethan thought to himself with a shake of his head.
Once Aubre had caught up with the rest of the group, Duke and Fuego came lumbering close behind her as if to make sure she didn't bolt off in fright again. Call it a natural instinct, if you must. Either way, both the Typhlosion and the Blastoise were getting hungry for their promised berries and they were starting to get impatient for them. Duke gave Aubre a puzzled look and rumbled "Toiiiise." to her. Fuego simply shook his furry head and came towards Ethan to stand next to him, a growling "Krawr." spoken though his big muzzle.
"All right, all right." waved off to the two Pokemon. "You can go inside, but mind the shelves and stuff. And don't get grabby with anything. I'm the one paying for it all, ya know."
With that, the two Pokemon smiled widely and hurriedly lumbered into the shack and began sniffing around inside for the Berries they wanted. Ethan followed them inside shortly after, ever watchful of what his Pokemon were poking and sniffing. He was getting the distinct impression that he'd be charged for a literal arm and a leg if anything was broken.
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Post by A-ub--re on Jun 2, 2009 22:21:55 GMT -5
At Ethan's scrutinizing, the old guy narrowed his eyes, and scowled. "What amazed by the beauty?" Not a drop of humor existed in his question, even as he spoke, the man opened up a fist and waved Ethan toward the shop. " You gonna stand around muttering to ya damn self all day, or ya gonna go shopping?" The other hand at his side, gestured violently to the shop--before he stomped past Ethan. "What ya nawing--and yawing about ya hick?" Moodily pulling his fishing hat over his brow line, the man turned toward his shop--the line of his fishing pole swinging behind him like a thin tail.
The man pushed the door open , a bell jingling above his head. With a smile on his face he turned toward Ethan: "Come'n Hick--but don' go stealing nothing." The second he was in the shop, he raced over to the counter a variety of raunchy magazines disappearing onto a wide desk beneath the counter. Shifting his position, the man used his considerable bulk to hide the tanned skins of the naked girl's strewn about the magazine's bright covers. Removing the hat from his head, he pulled a stool from the wall behind him, and sat down. Light filtered in through grimy windows set into the rotten looking wood that made up the inside of the shop. Fishing poles, and nets hung from the ceiling--accompanied by plastic fish, and little boats.
The berries lay in various bins around the room. Small rotating pillars were scatteredi n the corners. An empty fish tank took up one corner, while the others were filled with either aquatic plants, or a bundle of life-preservers.
The little columns held things from sunglasses, to key chains, to brightly colored pre-lured fishing hats, and giant t-shirts, with fishing puns scrolled across them.
--
Aubre now found herself fenced in by masculine muscles. The giant shape of Fuego, cast shadows over her feet, dwarfing her, wile Fuego's body heat (or his type) caused sweat to slowly pour down the girl's shirt front. Turning her head from right, to left, she quizzically stared at the turtle like Pokemon as he spoke. " Huh?" " Nothing--just get going Aubre." The girl paused, and nodded at the two pokemon, before stumbling in the shop after Fuego. As she did so, the girl took a deep breath, as she tried to calm her shaking nerves.
The first thing that hit her about the shop, was the slight salty smell, the second was the dimness of it. The third however, was the touch of a callused hand on her brow. " So whatcha looking for little lady ?" The girl almost sighed, she had escaped the guard of Fuego, and Duke, to find herself now harassed by a old codger. The girl did not shrug, or even answer--but instead blinked at him, before ducking under his arm and heading toward the other side of the shop.
The fish in her arms looked around in disgust. " All this shit just to get us fishy outta the water.." Laan's bright eyes settled on a hook: " I wish we could shove that in your mouth--see how it feels." Aubre merely nodded her hooded head, before shuffling off to the little rack containing the fishing hats.
--
The old man looked after the girl, before sidling over to Ethan, and laying a hand around his shoulders. 'What's up with her?" The man asked secretly, raising his eyebrows in Aubre's general direction. It was extremely confusing to him, he had smiled at the girl, complimented her, and such--and she ran away from him like a leper.
--
Turning her head away from the shelf, the girl moved on to a bin containing berries, fishing until she came up with a ripe Sitrus berry. "Err. .Du--k..e..? " Aubre murmured, hoping that he could hear her--Aubre did not want to draw the creepy old guy's attention again--but she did want the Blastoise to hear.
Inches from her face, a stuffed Magikarp stared blankly at the side of her head, and the girl felt a shiver run down her spine.
With all these fake eyes hanging around, the girl could not shake the feeling of being watched.
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Post by ethan on Jun 4, 2009 16:42:14 GMT -5
Ethan shook his head to the old man. "Couldn't tell you. I just met her a little while ago." he replied, a wary glance given to Aubre as she came near Duke. She definitely struck him as being a bit odd. And jumpy. It was almost like she was running away from something. Something that terrified her down to the core. "If I had to guess, I'd say she might be a runaway." he whispered to the old man.
Meanwhile, Duke and Fuego were still busy meandering through the shop and looking for their promised treats. Fuego had eventually found the bin where the Wapear Berries were kept, and a big grin spread across the Typhlosion's muzzle as he started to rummage through them to find the perfect Berry. Unfortunately, his size, eagerness, and hunger made the rummaging a bit... sloppy. The occasional Wapear Berry could be seen flying through the aisle, flung by a certain Typhlosion's large and excited paws.
Duke, on the other hand, was being a bit more quiet about finding his treat than Fuego was. But that was mostly because his own large size prevented him from even entering the aisles and looking for Berries. If it hadn't been for Aubre's kindness, he probably would've never found his favored Sitrus Berry. Upon hearing the girl's voice, he uttered a confused "Toise?" and clumsily turned around to see what she wanted, his head tilted to the side.
And then he saw the Sitrus Berry she was holding.
Duke's large jaws opened wide in a turtle smile and he leaned down so that his face hovered inches in front of her's. "Blastoise." he told her, obviously thankful for her generosity.
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Post by A-ub--re on Jun 4, 2009 23:41:22 GMT -5
The old man quickly glanced from Ethan to Aubre, and back to the silver haired man. A pensive expression on her face, he shifted his hands into his pockets. " Really? Huh--with the way she doesn't mind the giant turtle--Ida thought you knew her a while." Speaking of giant turtles. . . the old man's whisper turned into a shout, as the Blastoise neared a drooping net--with a fishing pole dangling from it. "Watch where ya walking ya big blue menace--don't go breakin' anything, or I'll use ya shell for a boat!" It was rather odd that the giant beast had managed to fit inside the little hut at all--but who was he to question the power of hunger? Once again, the wrinkles around his eyes opened up--and they landed on the hunched figure of Aubre, who was currently trailing her fingers around a dusty shelf holding the antique fishing poles. The girl kept throwing nervous glances toward where Ethan, and the shop owner were chatting.
Smiling, so widely that the edges of his dentures were visible, the fisherman waved a callused palm at the girl. Aubre smiled nervously, before quickly twisting back toward the pillar with the hats--her hand gripping the cool metal of a fishing rod.
Upon being sure the girl wasn’t listening, the old man hissed to Ethan: "What the hell could a sweetheart like that have to yell about? Look at how she handles the fishy, and the turtle." Pausing, he yelled again: "Watch it shell-head ! That fishing pole is older then your grandpa!" This comment affected Aubre however, who hastily dropped the fishing pole she was examining with a clatter before turning back to the owner of the shop. " So-rry . ." "Not you dear." " Look at her..jumpier then a jackrabbit...must be something pretty bad . ."
A spiky Wapear berry struck the wall next to Aubre's head, sliding down into a nearby bin. The fish in her arms scowled: "Watch what ya doing ya fuckin' sloppy-badger! This isn't a batting range!" The sail-like fin about his back had spread open, the spines jutting out inches above his trainer's shoulder, causng the girl to twist her neck to speak to Duke properly (or hold a one sided conversation with him).
Holding her palm upward, the girl presented the Sitrus berry to the giant turtle--resisting the urge to gulp. That giant beak could eat the berry, and her hands--with room to spare. The ridiculous smile on his face though, stayed her muscles. "Here ya go big guy. Ya welcome." Aubre murmured with a smile of her own, holding the ripe berry in the air between them. Managing to keep the smile on her face, she waited for the much larger creature to take it.
In her arms, Laan observed a nearby bin with greedy eyes, his beak clacking in anticipation. "Get me a Cheri berry." It wasn't a request, it was an order. Holding her arm straight out at Duke, the girl attempted to drop the fish near the other bin--failing, and flailing in a comical manner.
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Post by ethan on Jun 7, 2009 16:04:23 GMT -5
One sniff of that Sitrus Berry in Aubre's hand had Duke's mouth already watering for it. The Blastoise uttered a low "Toiiise." in thanks to Aubre and dipped his head politely to her, and then he opened his big blue jaws and snapped up the berry faster than a blink of an eye. How Aubre still had all of her fingers was a bit of a mystery, but one that was probably better left alone.
After swallowing the berry with a happy gulp and a contented sigh, Duke rose up to his full height on hind legs and patted his belly with an oversized blue paw while licking his chops. The way he was acting almost made him look like someone's fat uncle who had just finished devouring the Thanksgiving turkey all by himself.
One who was also in need of a nice long nap, too. Judging by the size of the yawn in his turtle jaws, anyway.
Meanwhile, Ethan and the old man were still busy speculating about the odd girl in the hoodie, Aubre. The Ranger could only shrug lightly at the old man's words about how Aubre acted around Duke. "That's probably only because she's the most comfortable around Water Pokemon. Might explain why she's so attached to that weird Caravay she's got." he replied quietly, his arms crossing over his chest. He normally didn't like to get himself mixed up in other people's personal business, but Aubre's situation was starting to bother him.
Ethan shook his head and looked away from the girl and giant turtle. "Anyway, it's none of our business, gramps. It's useless to keep speculating about something she doesn't want to talk about." With that, Ethan turned towards the bin where Fuego had gone running off to...
...just in time to nearly get hit in the face by a fresh Wapear Berry.
"Damn it, Fuego!" Ethan roared angrily, stomping towards the Typhlosion to wrestle him away from the berry bin. "How many times do I have to tell you!? Be more careful! Geez!
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