Sick Encounters [FUROI and CODY]

[||Cody R||]

(Not even gonna fabricate the truth by saying that this post was okay -- it wasn't. xD. But once I get more to work with I'll have better posts...hopefully.)

A pair of black converse tapped against the floor as a male made his way down to Lesterfield. The hallways in the Ranger headquarters were almost absolutely silent, give or take the occasional sniffle or two coming from the gentleman. Everyone else was either wandering around outside with their Pokemon, fighting other trainers to strengthen their Pokemon, or simply enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasted. The same could not be said for Cody, though, for he was suffering from a horrible cold; it was allergy season, and the worst time of the year for him. And while he entered the little shop teary eyed, red nosed, and pale faced, he completely ignored the looks from the customers seated inside.

Making his way over to a table, Cody seated himself, not even caring to ask a waitress to seat him. Gripping a menu he began flipping through the laminated pages, deciding what would help him with his bothersome cold he wanted nothing more but to rid himself of. There were numerous different dishes, mostly small ones, but nothing truly struck him as appealing at the moment, because everything on his tongue just tasted like sickness. So he simply decided on a bowl of soup and a hot cup of tea, then waited for a waitress to make herself known and take his order.

As he waited, Cody’s head hung low over the table. The constant throbbing of his congested head ebbed away at his consciousness, making him slowly drift in and out of a much needed rest. Then there was the annoying sniffing of the nose; he just couldn’t breathe, not with his allergies at their peak. But what was worse was his appearance in itself. The usually handsome adult’s eyes were red, with bags rimming around them underneath, revealing to everyone the sleepless nights he had been experiencing due to the cold. His hair sat messily atop his head, disheveled and tangled as well. His generally bright, life-filled face was now drained of all color, giving him a sickly pallor.

There was no fabricating the truth, Cody looked like an absolute mess. Even his Pokemon hadn’t dared to hide the truth. They told him straight up that he looked like a wretched mess. Rocket, his sarcastic Ampharos, had her own way of expressing what her trainer had looked like in such little words: “Oh, damn!” Cody had shrugged at that, and afterward examined his own reflection in the mirror to take a look for himself. Not one to care for appearances -- Cody was shocked; however, it didn’t bother him much, because he really had no one to impress. Sure, he had his friend Skie, but she didn’t care what he looked like; he could wear a sombrero, a shell bra and a Bellosom skirt and she wouldn’t give a damn.

“How can I help you?” A waitress asked, her eyes widening upon taking a good look at Cody. He just shifted uneasily from beneath her gaze, propping his head up on his chin. “Tea? You know, for the cold. It could do wonders.”

“I’ll have tea…and a bowl of chicken soup.” Cody didn’t even look up at the waitress. Instead, he placed his fingers over the edge of the menu and shoved it across the table so it bumped against her fuller leg. She dipped her head, grabbed the menu, then walked off and disappeared through the back door of Lesterfield, which he assumed to lead to the kitchen. “Ugh!” he groaned, slamming his head against the table, and exuding a loud bang.

Today was not a good day, not in the least, and nothing was about to make it any better.

[Furoi]

[/i] have taken that Nyquil stuff in the morning,”
Furoi rolled her head to the back of her seat, staring at the ceiling with a puzzled gaze, as if she was trying to count the little black specks on the panels above her. Kera, the little mareep sitting next to her, imitated her.

“What’cha looking at?”

“Ceiling fairies…” the girl groaned, rubbing her fingers against her cheeks. She was half serious there; the stupid medicine was making her feel like she was seeing stars. Her head was throbbing too, and the constant chattering of giddy new recruits high on caffeine was NOT helping.

You’d think that in a barren wasteland of all places, people wouldn’t have to worry about allergies, but no, there had to be some kind of flower blooming somewhere nearby and it just had to get into Furoi’s nose. Well, it wasn’t a big surprise to her. Last time she had suffered through allergy season, she was at the base of a volcano, sneezing like she was stuck in a field of flowers. Not that it mattered; she was so drugged up on any allergy medication she could get her hands on that she didn’t look sick at all. Now if only this Nyquil stopped making her look like a druggie and her nose started turning back to its normal color, nobody would ever notice that something was up.

A wave of static crawling up her arm finally broke her out of the daze. Kera was clinging to her side all of a sudden, whimpering. This was normal for the little lamb, being suddenly scared. It didn’t help that the sheep was extremely gullible. She once started screaming in terror when Shii told her that the dust bunnies were going to eat her in her sleep. Furoi lazily patted the big ball of static and fluff, surprised that Kera didn’t shock her accidentally like she normally did.

“S-shii told me that the fairies were out to get us… don’t let the fairies get me, Furoi, I like it here!” She sobbed, nuzzling into Furoi’s side even harder. The teen’s eyes drifted towards the other side of the booth, where Shii was sitting there, chuckling at his little j. The banette was accompanied with Veni, a Kirlia who seemed to be more concerned with getting a chocolate muffin than care about what his teammates were doing.

“What?” Shii said, putting on an innocent face.

“Shii, I have a headache, do yah have to make it worse?”

He slammed his fist on the table. “Are you saying that I’m lying. I’ll have you know that the ceiling fairy invasion will be the end of the world. The ceiling fairies will come on their ceiling cats and attack us ALL! Destinae’s invasion will look a worm in comparison!”

Furoi paused, wondering what to say at the mention of that damn legendary dragon thing. She pulled Kera away from her side, wiping off the tears that were on the lamb’s face. Veni glared at him, eyes bearing into the stuffed doll, “One should not joke about something like that, Shii. Nobody wishes to be reminded of that…”

“Hmph,” Shii scowled, shifting his body away from everyone. He hated it when the girly psychic type was right. He didn’t say anything in protest though, just mumbled to himself, looking out the window. Even he knew that Destinae was a bit of a taboo around here.

“Anyway, would it kill us to get some service around here?” Furoi turned, looking around for a waitress. She frowned when she noticed one helping a guy a few tables over. They were surprised that they didn’t notice him sooner- the whole table could easily tell that the dude looked like death. She smirked, ”At least I’m not the only one suffering.”

“And you miss,” another waitress came up to her, trying to get the trainer’s attention. Furoi just stared at her for a second- not answering the question. The waitress looked a little irritated with her, “What would you like to order, ma’am?”

“Just some coffee, I guess” she said blankly. Veni started tapping the table feverishly, trying to get his trainer’s attention. He glared at her, almost as if he was demanding that she gave him his pastries now or else he would send something flying across the room. She grinned, “Oh, and a chocolate muffin, too.”

“Thank Arceus,” Veni sighed with relief, returning back to his calm boring state.

“You’re so spoiled” Furoi said, proping her head up with her fist.

“Not as spoiled as-“

bang

“That fellow slammed his head on the table just now…”

“No really, Captain Obvious?” Shii scowled. Veni blinked at him, puzzled. “It’s sarcasm, yah dumbass.”

“You confuse me, Shii. I am neither dumb nor an equine.“

“Agh!” Shii growled, slamming his head on the table in frustration.

“Nor am I an opening in the rear…” Veni continued, “That would be quite unpleasant.”

Furoi chuckled, glancing over at that guy once more. She had never seen him around before, but that’s normal- she doesn’t really get to see much of anyone cooped up in the breeding center all day. She stood up, staring down each of them.

“Sit…stay, don’t kill each other,” Furoi grinned, pointing to Veni and Shii. The ghost just glared up at her; another sign with how frustrated he was. She headed towards Cody’s table, actually walking in a straight line for the first time today. Oh well, that vase she ran into was probably replaceable, and well, pfft, she didn’t mean to walk into that guy on the way here, it just happened.

“Spring making yah sick too?” She slid into the chair on the opposite side of him. Furoi dug into her pockets, pulling out a small bottle that read asprin and rolled it towards him. “No worries, I’m not some kind of drug dealer; I’m just kind of dealing with allergy crap too. It helps with headaches.”

She would have offered something else to help, but most of her other medications were nasal sprays- sharing that would just be gross.

“Hey Kera…guess what?” Shii whispered at the other table, “That guy on the other table probably has Spoink Flu. If Furoi catches it, she’ll turn into a Spoink and, err, die. We could have her for dinner…”

“NUUUUUU!” Kera shrieked, bolting off towards Furoi and the stranger, “I DUN WANT FUROI-TAN TO TURN INTO A PIGGY!”

“Shhhhh, stop it,” she said, sternly, clamping a hand over. Furoi sighed, flicking her blue eyes back at her table. Damn Shii, always messing things up. And, of course, the mareep wouldn’t have stopped screaming just because she had a hand over her own mouth, “mmphf SPOINK FLU, mmpf I DON’T WANT ‘ER TO DIE mmpf SHII PROBABLY HAS BARBECUE SAUCE!”

“God damn it…”
[/size][/ul]

[||Cody R||]

(Woot for internal conflicts! xD And I loved your post. I could see some plottage with Furoi and Cody. They are alike, yet, different. :3)

Bang. Damn. Bang. These. Bang. Stupid. Bang. Allergies.

They were not getting better, not getting better in any shape or form. Cody even thought that they were growing progressively worse, because now, on top of his sniffling and headache, he had a sore throat, which made swallowing a painful task. And as his allergies grew worse, his level of tolerance was quickly dwindling before his eyes. About an hour before he wouldn’t really care for the amount of chit-chatting that filled the room -- Now, though, well, that was a whole different story.

New recruits all around him were talking to each other while buzzed on caffeine. Normally, this would have made Cody smirk or snicker, because he remembered the first time he had Lesterfield’s coffee all that time ago. He could see on some of the younger faces that they were bothered by the sometimes gritty taste, but they still drank the coffee -- they had friend’s to entertain, friend’s that were drinking coffee. Cody shook his head at this before letting it fall back down to the table.

He continued to skim the room, checking out to see if anyone else he hadn’t seen before had entered. There was a larger man he hadn’t known existed, and could almost imagine the thoughts circling around in his mind: “Food, food, fooood. Maybe I’ll have bacon. Mmm, bacon. Or maybe I’ll have bacon, egg and cheese. But with extra bacon! Yeahh, extra bacon.” Next to him was a slender woman, whom Cody didn’t know how he managed to snag a date with.

Shrugging, Cody pulled his roomy hoodie closer to his small figure, then draped the actual hood over his head to shield him away from everyone that was taking part in a conversation around him. It was getting chilly inside the little coffee shop, like a window was open or something; Though, when he found that no windows were open, Cody shuddered. If there was anything more that he hated than having a horrible cold, it was feeling like his body was an icicle -- or a forming icicle.

A tapping noise sounded around the room moments later, startling Cody from his stupor. Across the room was a girl and three Pokemon, all of which looked to be deep in conversation. Cody smiled at this, then watched as the Kirlia continued to tap against the table, clearly wanting something. The trainer, he assumed, said something to the waitress taking her order and focused intently on what her Pokemon were saying. Once in a while she chuckled at something they would say.

She was a pretty girl. A very, very pretty girl, and she was sick, too!

“What are the odds?” Cody said aloud, falling into a coughing fit as soon as he did so.

When the fit stopped, Cody returned to idly staring at the girl from across the room. Even though she was sick, Cody could easily tell that she was a appealing girl. And as she spoke to her Pokemon, something in Cody could tell that the conversation was directing towards him, because the girl was on her feet, looking down at her Pokemon seriously. She then tried her best to make across the room, knocking over a glass vase and bumping into a man all the while.

Crap. She’s coming over here!

The pretty girl is coming over here.

Cody quickly pulled away at his hoodie, trying his best to hide the fact that he looked like death in her eyes. But the damn hood wasn’t capable of hiding the clearly obvious red, puffy eyes and pale face his visage held -- so it was no use. His appearance now would have to do, and it wasn’t like he was alone -- the girl looked like he did, maybe not as bad, though. She still held beauty -- lucky, lucky girl.

When the girl spoke to him, Cody nodded, quickly remembering who he had been staring at for a good five minutes; It was Furoi, the Ranger’s talented breeder. Then, without even asking, she sat down in the chair across from him. He didn’t mind however, because he would most likely have asked her to sit down if she didn’t on her own. You’d be stupid if you didn’t ask a attractive girl to sit down with you.

While lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even realize that Furoi had pushed a bottle of Aspirin across the table towards him. He laughed at her joke and popped open the bottle. The label read to take two, but Cody knew he’d need more to help his massive headache, yet, overdosing was not on his itinerary for the day. Actually, it wasn’t on the itinerary for any day. All Cody cared about was helping his cold-ridden self. He wanted to be able to appreciate the beautiful weather while it lasted. But no, he had to suffer.

“Thanks, I really needed this. I ran out, so you saved me -- not really, but…uh…you get what I mean,” Cody said, subconsciously slapping himself across the face.

Damn me for not being able to think of something to say. I’m losing my head to this -- this sickness. Crap, I’m zoning out again, I really have to stop that…

“NUUUUUU!” Furoi’s Mareep shrieked from the other side of the room, bolting towards Furoi and himself. “I DUN WANT FUROI-TAN TO TURN INTO A PIGGY!”

They think…Ah. They think I have the…Nng…

The Mareep was silent for a moment as Furoi clamped her hand over its mouth. Cody just eyed the girl and her Pokemon, awkwardly shifting in his seat as he did so. Someone had told the little Mareep he had the Spoink Flu or something, and conjured up some sick thought about Cody transmitting it over to Furoi. He didn’t think he had the Spoink Flu…they do turn into pigs with that one, right? The moment of silence was ruined, nevertheless; Just because one has a hand clamped over their mouth doesn’t mean others around them cannot necessarily hear what they’re saying. There’s always the exception of a few not-so-enjoyable comments that are always overheard.

“Mmphf SPOINK FLU, mmpf I DON’T WANT ‘ER TO DIE mmpf SHII PROBABLY HAS BARBECUE SAUCE!”

Heh…? A pretty girl, Furoi is, but…her, uh, Pokemon…Well, they’re delightful…? I really have to stop lying to myself, it’s not healthy.

Furoi spoke gravely about herself, which pulled Cody out from another of his frequent dazes he had been having while she was in the vicinity; They were even more frequent than the ones he had around everyone else. It was different, a little too different for his liking even.

“No, Furoi…,” Cody began, searching his thoughts for what he could say at the moment. Why did she have to keep doing that?: She kept making him lose his composure. That wasn’t supposed to happen. If anything, he was supposed to make her lose her composure. “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

Liar. Note to self: Stop thinking too much around Furoi. It’s just a little strange…

“They think I have the…uh…Spoink Flu, don’t they? If they do, I’m sure other people think that, too…”

Again he trailed off. Being flustered around girls wasn’t something ordinary for the unordinary Cody Ronaldson. He usually knew what to say to make the girls he would talk to feel content with him. Right now, Cody was at a loss for words. Everything he could say to girls -- pick-up lines and such -- vanished in thin air. Maybe it was the drugs Furoi had given him?

“She drugged me!” Cody exclaimed. “Crap. That was supposed to…uh…not be heard…?”

Crap. She drugged me, I would never say what I’m saying now unless I was! She’s trying so hard to seduce me! Damn her…it may just be working…

[Furoi]

[/i]- it just came with her young age. It didn't help that the sheep was absolutely terrified of every single little someone made up, yet Furoi could imagine a little kid running around screaming if someone told them that the boogie man was right behind them. Of course Shii wouldn't settle for the Boogie man, though, 'cause that was overused. He just made of the most random thing to set her off. Like Spoink Flu, for example.

“Kera...” Furoi whispered, trying to sound as calm as she could with a Mareep wriggling in her arms, “Spoink Flu doesn't do that kind of stuff, and I don't think he was sleeping by any piggies, so don't worry 'bout it.”

Kera held still, looking up at Furoi with tear-filled eyes, “ b-but Shii said....” the sheep paused, “Ooh. He pranked me?”

“Yeah, he did. Like he always does... now what do you say to the nice sick person?”

“Sor-”

“She drugged me!” He yelled, louder than Furoi would have liked, following with some awkward statement afterward. She blinked, staring at him stupefied. Sure he kind of apologized after it, but anyone could tell that he firmly believed what he said. Great...

“I did what?”

“Shii did what?” the Mareep mimicked her, thinking that the ghost at the table did something bad again. He was good at doing bad thing all the time. That's what Furoi said, anyway.

Furoi seemed to think the same thing, swerving back at her table to glare at the Banette. ”I swear I'm going to kill him, somehow, one of these days. Or stick him in a pokeball and duct tape the seal. Then we'll see how he can do all of this obnoxious shit. Messing with HER medication was going way too far. She could taken instead of this guy. What would have he done then?”

“I seriously don't know what's going on this time,” Shii said, looking bizarrely serious. He was innocent this time, and he didn't want to get in trouble for something he didn't do. Well, he didn't want to get in trouble for stuff he did do. He agreed with the paragraph above, messing with medication was going way to far. Though it was kind of funny to watch a guy starting to confuse his trainer was some kind of poison dealer. He pointed to the zipper on his face, “See? I'm not laughing. Go blame someone else, sheesh.”

She turned back to face Cody, searching for something to say, “Erm, are you sure you have allergies?” He did look a whole lot more miserable than other people with the allergies, nor was he swelling up or covered in rashes. Eww, hives. Gross...

“Yeah yeah, he could be del-del-lee-rus,” Kera agreed, trying to sound out one of the big words that Astell used. Poor Astell, she was stuck watching over the eggs in the breeding center while everyone else was taking a break. Kera hoped that Furoi would let her out to fly around once they get back.”Whenever I look all dizzy-like, Astell or you would feel my forehead to see if I have a feee-vererer.”

”That wouldn't be a bad idea... though, wouldn't feeling a sick stranger's head be kind of...err...creeper-like? Especially one who is looking at me all flustered like that. Plus he thinks I drugged him....” She stared at him, nervously stroking Kera's wool, thinking things through. Or at least, she was trying to think things through, she was too flustered by situation to think rationally

“I'll do it if you are to scared to, Furoi,” Kera said, trying to reach across the table to get one of her blue stubby paws near his face. Anyone with eyes could she the electricity emanating from the Mareep's paw, even though it was unintentional. One of these days, Furoi needed to teach her how to control her electrical powers.

Wait. Focus. Electricity is not good for a sick pretty-boy's forehead.

“No, no no, stop!” she frantically out reached the sheep and placed the back of her hand the dazed guy's forehead. ”Hot... Furoi quickly redrew herself before the guy started freaking out again. Hell, she thought this was rather creepy too. “Sorry 'bout that, but Kera's right, you do have a fever. You probably shouldn't be in a coffee shop the way you are now.”

She searched for some idea what to say before this got even more awkward than it already is.

“I heard that there is a doctor chick working at a bar in Nada's slums, you know, The Pits, she's supposed to be really good with this kind of stuff, but that bar doesn't open up for another, um,”

“Nine hours!” Shii called out across the room.

Not gonna bother wondering why he knows that,

“Yeah, nine hours. That's way too long to sit in the slums and wait for someone. One of my Pokemon, an Altaria, is really really good with, err, motherly stuff, and she's back at my breeding center watching over Pokemon eggs,” She smiled, “So, if you want, you could head back there with me?” [/size][/ul]

[||Cody R||]

(*Snort* Cody is a total putz, but he's adorable nonetheless.)

For a moment, if even just a brief one, Cody could say the atmosphere was calm. Though, in that fleeting moment, all Cody could muster was the blinking of his eyes, the inhalations and exhalations coming from his nose, and the involuntary beating of his heart. He didn’t know why -- or what for that matter, was making it so hard for him to focus on even the littlest of things at that instant. Whether it be the fact that Furoi had obviously noticed his staring, or his fever taking hold of him, he didn’t know. What he did know was that, if he stayed where he was sitting any longer, he would surely pass out from sleep deprivation.

Sleep, such a foreign, malignant thing Cody had almost forgotten even existed. With his current state, sleeping wasn’t in the schedule for the day -- well, days he suffered with it. At night he would lay in bed, his covers resting across his slender form, but sleep never came. Rocket, even though out of character, would lay close to Cody, watching as his forehead perspired. It had been her that noticed Cody’s change in health, and she was the only one who brought it to Cody’s attention that maybe he should see a doctor. Cody just ignored her pleas for him to seek help, he had a feeling that it would pass -- more like a certainty. And as she watched him attempt to sleep that night, Rocket’s features change dramatically from what they usually were. Instead of harboring her usual smirk, speaking with such witty, and at times crude remarks, Rocket frowned. Each time Cody would shift, each time a sneeze would sound from his nose, each time he would cough, Rocket winced wishing for nothing more than to have him recover.

All those nights caught up to him now in the form of a sudden sway, which nearly landed Cody in a up-close and personal meeting with the floor; he just happened to grab the side of the table at the last second, saving him from that would-be embarrassing fall. If he had fallen, Cody knew very well that he would have made a fool out of himself, but he kept his composure and played it off as if he had planned losing his balance for a moment so he could tie his shoe…if only his shoe was really untied. Instead, he just looked like a pathetic disease-ridden man fidgeting with his shoe laces that didn’t need any tying.

He lifted himself back up into a sitting position, then decided to take the initiative to clear the awkward air he had cleared for himself by commenting on his previous accident when he had shouted that Furoi had drugged him right to her face. His words were soft, almost like a whisper, but sweet nonetheless: “Yes, you’ve drugged me. It’s not everyday a man is left completely intoxicated at the sight of a woman as striking as you.”

It was her time to be flustered, hopefully. After all, Cody just sat there with flaming cheeks while Furoi spoke to him in her soft, caring voice she harbored so guiltlessly. To be completely immobile was something out of the norm for Cody and he was just about as unique as a guy could be, so he wanted to see her cheeks flush -- if only just once, or for a short period of time. Maybe that way he wouldn’t feel like such a creep for his flirty comment he had kept hidden away in his arsenal for a while, only needing to bring it to her attention so he could feel a little less discomfited.

Furoi’s voice then buzzed in Cody’s ears, his thoughts quickly forgotten at the sound. “Now that you mention it, I’m not sure. It could be something more than allergies, because I don’t think allergies would last most people…say…a few days now --”

Kera’s voice chimed right in after her trainer’s, cutting Cody’s response off just before he could finish. He didn’t mind, though, the little Mareep reminded him of Rocket when she was a little one herself. But Furoi and Kera once again stopped him from falling into one of his rather annoying thought sequences when they spoke about feeling his forehead -- or something of that matter. The little Mareep lifted a blue paw, but Furoi beat her to the punch and placed the back of her hand against his blazing forehead. The contact broke a second later, which didn’t bother Cody, because he noticed Furoi was becoming uncomfortable herself.

Hn. Fever. Could have seen that one coming, being that the room dropped, like, ten degrees in the matter of a few seconds… Cody thought, drawing his sweatshirt even closer to his weakened self. Doctor? I hate doctors. They touch you and probe you in places their hands shouldn’t roam. Ugh. The idea really didn’t sound that painful as Furoi spoke -- and then she mentioned the location…The Pits. Cody absolutely hated that place, and if some doctor was working in a bar…Well, how sanitary could that be? Chances are drunks would wander in saying they have fevers too, only to ask if they should remove their pants. No, Cody decided against it -- he wouldn’t go to that doctor.

“So, if you want, you could head back there with me?”

“Are you…uh…” Cody swallowed uncomfortably before continuing, “sure you’d like that? I wouldn’t be a bother…not in this state at least.”

If she’s seen me around she probably knows I have a reputation of acting…Well, out of line…

“My Pokemon would probably enjoy meeting yours anyways. Well, Rocket, my Ampharos would probably love Kera.” Cody glanced down at the little sheep Pokemon and patted her softly on the crown of her head. “She doesn’t really have any girl friends to communicate with either, ‘cause my whole team is boys except her.”

“But, like I said, are you sure?” he asked once again, not wishing to be a pest. He only wanted her to be certain.

[Furoi]

Furoi took that brief moment of calm silence to look at him, like really look at him. He was definitely what most girls would consider attractive, even when he looked as disoriented as he was. She wondered if this pretty-boy really knew how pitiful he looked as he was trying to muster the strength to stay awake. Part of her wondered how he really acted when he wasn't sick; she knew for a fact that most people acted different when they were under the weather. Not that it mattered, she'd probably never see this guy again after this whole ordeal was over. She would just go back to the breeding mines, handing out little pokemon to the rookies, and he'll forget about her and go back to doing...whatever the hell he does.

It's pathetic, but that's how we've been working for the past eight years. Living in a base full of gung-ho optimists isn't going to change that... She sighed, rubbing Kera's head that was resting on her shoulder. She lazily glanced at Cody again, trying to come up with something to say to fill the gap of silence. If only she had brought her cards or something, maybe she could entertain him with a little card trick she thought up when she was younger. Guys liked card tricks, right? Well, the drunk college guys thought she was entertaining until she won all of their pocket money and started talking smack and...

Wait... did he just fall? She blinked, watching him fiddle with his already tied shoe-laces- a very weak cover up. He did look pretty tired, but she didn't expect him to, well, almost pass out. Maybe she should have brought a pillow and blanket with her instead of some allergy meds. 'Cause that wouldn't be embarrassing at ALL.

“Dude, Ven, I think I know where I've seen that guy before,” Shii whispered back at their table, “Silver hair, sweatshirt, not wearing a visor with little red lights...he's the guy that likes to pick up chicks. Shit!”

“Hmmm...wait. We have two people on base that are prematurely graying? Interesting...”

Shii's eye twitched as his cloth hands wrapped up into tight fists, his voice raging with intensity, “That's not the point, prick. If he says ANYTHING suggestive to MY Furoi, I'm going to rip out those green eyes of his!”

Veni rolled his eyes, placing his dainty little hands on Shii, “Possessive today, are we?”

The banette swatted at the psychic pokemon's hands, turning to give him a menacing glare,“Shut up! I'm trying to watch!”

Furoi couldn't hear what the two boys at her table were whispering about as she watched Cody lean in to whisper something. She grinned as got an even better look at his oh-so attractive features. ”Hnn, pretty boy should stop flaunting his looks so flawlessly. Unless he wants a bunch of bubbly-headed girls crushing on him. Heh.”

“Yes, you’ve drugged me. It’s not everyday a man is left completely intoxicated at the sight of a woman as striking as you.”

She gave Cody the reaction that he wanted, her face was immediately flushed as soon his words rang in her ears. Damn it, he caught her off guard. She fell silent, trying to think of something clever to say but she was coming up with nothing. Damn it, I bet he's enjoying it, seeing me like this. If the guys back at the table...or Theo saw me like this, they'd never live it down. Shit!

Shii saw his trainer blush causing him to get hot and to stand up abruptly on his chair. “Ven...what did he say.” he growled, eyes narrowing on Mr. Pretty-boy.

“Hmm, what makes you think that I can hear whispers this far?”

“Oh shut up. I know you can do the whole, I-can-hear-through-my-mistress's ears bullshit, so tell me what he said before I kill you.” He snapped, shifting his glare back at the kirlia. Veni seemed to ASKING for an ass kicking today.

Veni smirked, glancing over to his trainer and the silver haired man she was talking to.“Sorry, mundane, but I can not deviate information without my trainer's consent. You insolent ghost types would never understand.”

“Fag!”

“Imbecile!”

Shii glared at him even harder, but broke the stare to look out the window out the again. Pfft. He didn't care if trainer was being canoodled with or whatever. It's not like he's coming back with them to the damn breeding center or something.

…

Cody didn't seem to like the mention of the doctor at the pits. In retrospect, not everyone seemed to like that little bar in the slums of Nada. Oh well, it was the only doctor she knew of. They seriously needed to get a doctor for the base, especially will all these people self medicating and putting a bandaide on their broken legs and other crazy crap. She didn't mind the Pits unlike other people- dark lit bars always had drunk pravus members trying to play a little poker. Heh, those people are so easy to read. A grin lined her lips, “You don't have to go there if you're scared.”

”Pretty boy got buuuuurned.”

“Are you…uh…” “sure you’d like that? I wouldn’t be a bother…not in this state at least.”

What Cody didn't know is that Furoi didn't really know much about the other rangers. If someone mentioned Skie and chocolate eating habits, she'd just stare at them, confused. She seriously needed to start meeting people without having her pokemon barge in and make people uncomfortable and miserable. “Yeah, it's fine. We have plenty of space. ”

Kera perked up at the mention of an Ampharos, “Am-phie-ros? Where? My mommy was an am-phire-ros, mister! Did you know that?”

“Kera gets all starry-eyed when it comes to Ampharos. She'll probably love Rocket,” Furoi grinned as he asked if it was okay again. “Pfft. It's fine, we have plenty of people travel up...to the breeding center... god that sounds weird, but anyway, you don't have to if you think it'll be weird.”

[||Cody R||]

Cody had never felt so…horrible. Even as a pretty girl sat before him, clearly eying him for a moment or two, he still felt as though the lights were to close in on him at any second…which they most likely would, being that as the moments passed he just inched closer and closer to his impending unconsciousness whether it be a brief or lengthy one. He could only wonder what thoughts intruded the catacombs of her mind as she sat before him, nevertheless. Obviously his appearance would come into question, no matter how attractive he really was. At the moment, he looked to be a pretty horrific sight, and was without a doubt. Knowing that Furoi, with her wondrous eyes could take note of that -- well, it was depressing. If only he hadn’t met her first while sick. Maybe then she wouldn’t see him as a sick, unattractive thing.

Even smooth talking her like he usually would have wouldn’t work now. She’d already seen him fumble with his shoes in attempts to hide his clear stumble. If anything she most likely now saw him as an unimpressionable twenty-one-year-old with absolutely nothing going for him other than working as a Ranger for the time being. Then again, being a Ranger gives me sex appeal. Yeah. She probably has seen me around, probably sees me as a sexy beast, too! Meh. So…maybe she doesn’t. Most of the breeders don’t see the outside of their quarters anyways… Cody thought, suddenly dissapointed in the thought of Furoi never getting out of her room to meet people. If he had been a Breeder -- which he thankfully wasn’t, living with a bunch at home got pretty bothersome -- he would take as many chances as he could to meet people. Then again, he didn’t know what sort of work load Furoi had; breeding Pokemon did sound pretty complex as it was.

She gets to see the male to female dynamics, yet most likely hasn’t experienced it herself. Hn. Funny thought…Hokay, not really. His attention drifted a moment towards Furoi’s other two Pokemon and wondered just what they could possibly be saying. The looks on their faces, on the other hand, suggested nothing in anyone’s favor no matter who they could have been conversing about. He figured that, if they were talking about him, it was probably nothing positive. He had been given a reputation back when he first joined up with the Rangers: Chick Magnet. Yeah, chick magnet. Not anymore, heh. Girls just…Well, there aren’t many I feel anything for anymore, Cody thought, a somber expression flickering past his already sickly features.

Allowing his gaze to return back to Furoi’s pretty face, he noticed a small smile caress her lips. His lips pursed a bit as he tucked the skin between his teeth and bit down lightly. At the moment, if he was given a wish from a genie or something, he would have wished that he could have the power to read minds. To know what she was thinking as she smiled -- hn, it bothered him tremendously that he would never find out. He did know one thing though: whatever she was thinking about had been a good thing, because once his compliment rang through her ears he could have sworn her smile grew even wider while a blush scored her cheeks. Score one for Cody…five hundred for Furoi. Shit. He then blushed for some obscene reason as he thought of their obvious flirt session as a game…always a game with Cody…

…though, this time…he really liked the game.

Again, another grin. Furoi’s smile was pretty…so was she, though. Wait! What? Scared…Oh no, babe. Cody does not fear anything! … Psht. Pshtttt! She had gotten him good that time, definitely making an indent in his already somewhat inflated ego due to the fact that he was always one to make girls fawn and simper his way with his looks. Furoi, well -- well, she had a package with her: wit, beauty and a smile that could heal even the most broken souls.

“Scared? Really now?” Cody asked, leaning forwards on his chair -- or stumbling, he didn’t know the difference at that point. “You see…Furoi. I’m the furthest thing from scared. I’m Cody Ronaldson…friggen’ sexy god --” He paused, eyes widened. “Shit. Did I just say that…?”

Without further dwelling on what he had slipped out, Cody answered Furoi and proceeded to answer her little electric Pokemon. “Okay…well then…I guess I’ll join you.” He lifted himself off his chair, a bit wobbly and weak in the knees, but regained his strong stature after just a few moments of struggling.

“Yes, Rocket is an Ampharos; she’s in her Poke Ball right now resting up for a bit. And yes, I did know your mother was an Ampharos.” He beamed down at the Pokemon, then pat her wool head once again. Something about her naivety and look of pure innocence reminded him of Rocket before she had become the somewhat rude -- no. Kera reminded Cody of what Rocket had been like as a little Mareep herself. He didn’t let his mind wander, save for what Furoi said next. And where his mind wandered…heh. It wandered into the gutter and stayed there for a while.

“Breeding center. Heh. That…uh…hnn. That does sound funny,” Cody muttered, trying his hardest not to laugh himself to death in front of Furoi. That would have been embarrassing. “Rocket would love Kera as well. Just a warning, though…Rocket doesn’t really like me exactly. So if you hear any rude remarks, curses, insults, etcetera -- just know I warned you.”

[/size][/font]

[Furoi]

It was strange how much this guy made her smile, and it was not the fake awkward smile she was used to using. It was a good thing, to smile sincerely. Maybe her allergy meds were messing with her head a little, but there was no doubt that she was enjoying this guy's company- which was a little weird in itself because he was barely conscious. He was still a mystery to her, like most of the other rangers she had come across. But this time, for some reason, she despirately wanted to know more about him: what he did here, why did he choose the loosing team, what his name was. With all the crazy actions from her team of personal space invaders, Furoi couldn't even ask something that simple.

She blinked. He said WHAT? Furoi found herself biting her lip, barely able to contain herself. A giggle managed to bubble to out when he realized what just said. Giggling was definitely not a normal thing for her; it was embarrasing. She quickly put both hands on her face in a feeble attempt to hide the blush that appeared on her face.

“Stupid stuffed animal head without ears, who the hell makes a doll without ears?” Shii mumbled, glaring at his reflection in the window. The banette eye's narrowed as he watched the two of them talk from the corner of his eye. Okay, maybe he wasn't done caring about this guy, but who could blame him? Shii used to be the one that made her laugh like that, before things kind of...changed between them. But there was no way in HELL he was going to let this sick idiot take his place and ruin everything. It didn't matter...it's not like he was coming back to the breeding center with them. Not that he was-

“You're jealous,” Veni said in that evil little monotone of his. God, he hated it when Ven got inside his head- especially when he announced it like it was no big deal. 'Cause it was a big deal. The Kirlia knew that he was pushing his buttons when saying that too. He watched him edge away from him in his seat, like he was afraid of Shii strangling him or something. “Now calm down before she comes over, which should be any second now, by the way.”

Hmm, strangling wouldn't be a bad idea.

...

“Whatever you say, Mr. Sexy God,” she laughed softly, scooting back in her chair. “but you're not going to get any better hanging around here.” Her voice faded, eyes lingering back to her table. So his name is Cody? Cody Ronaldson... I'll have to remember that.

Furoi stood up taking in a deep breath- she didn't want to deal with Shii's inevitable reaction to this. A guy coming back with her, to the breeding center of all places was a recipe for disaster with him around. If only she had enough foresight to bring his pokeball with her, then there wouldn't be a problem. Too bad it was sitting neatly on her desk with all the others.

“Kera would probably like her either way. She's used to one of my other guys being rude all the time. You could probably guess which one,” a flicker of guilt passed her face. Obviously he hadn't heard of Shii and his antics before. Part of her wished that he might be good this time, but the other half knew that was like wishing for Pravus to be kind, moral citizens. It just wasn't going to happen. “Kera's a big softie, maybe Rocket could toughen her up.”

“Don't listen to her, Mr. Sexy God. Last time we trained, I fought six light bulbs. At a time.” Kera chirped, hopping up and down. Her face turned serious, as she recalled the training session. She whispered, “They were asking for it.”

She doesn't think his name is... pfft. Poor guy... maybe Rocket could inspire her to have some brains, too. Furoi pretended not to notice what her pokemon said, and headed straight towards her booth. It would be better to hurry out of the cafe, she thought, before Cody collapsed in the aisle. He did look shaky enough to do so. She placed both of her hands on the table, a look of grave seriousness on her face. “Guys, change of plans, we're going back home. Cody's coming with me.”

Shii's eyes widened, showing a face of pure disgust, “You're bringing that thing back to the breeding center? The BREEDING CENTER? Are you fuckin' insane!”

Furoi put a hand to her head; God, he was loud. “Yeah, he's sicker than me, and Astell could probably help him. And Shii... he's a person, not a thing. Oh and you're not coming; you're staying here.”

“What? There's no fuckin' way that I'm leaving you with that-... WHY?”

She sighed. “Because I need Veni in case he passes before we get there, and we need someone with arms to pick up our food. So do it.”

Shii glared up at her, then towards Cody. He didn't like this, not one bit. But he didn't have an argument. That guy did look like he could barely see straight, and if he protested, well, Furoi would probably find a way to make his life difficult. Ugh. Shii hated when she was right. He huffed, sliding down in his seat. “This is stupid. Just...get the hell away before I change my mind.”

Veni smirked, climbing on to Furoi's shoulder. “Don't forget my muffin. I refuse to forgive you if you do.” He said, folding his arms and sticking his head into the air. Shii glared at the Kirlia, cursing under his breath. Furoi sighed, and walked eagerly back to Cody, and gently grabbed his arm. “Okay, c'mon, let's go. You're not getting any better just standing there.”

“My room is just down the stairs and to the left. It's not that far of a walk.” She said, with a gentle smile. Furoi guided the man out of the cafe, eyed by Shii the whole way. He didn't like this. Not one bit. And he was going to do something to that guy... right after he destroys Veni's muffin.

[||Cody R||]

Cody had absolutely no intentions of entering Lesterfield and meeting anyone new, but now after much consideration he couldn’t be any happier. In a place with so many people, finding someone genuinely intriguing to talk to was pretty hard. Most Ranger’s were either seeking some sort of hope for a better future, or a job. Even if they weren’t the most logical explanations for why one would join, Cody had heard all the stories. He had heard on countless occasions the many newer Ranger’s conversing with each other while holding their brand new partners in their arms. Most of them were giddy, while other’s looked somber and disturbed; the difference was all in the eyes. As for Furoi’s eyes, they were so hard to read. He could see their beautiful hue, yet nothing beyond. No feeling or emotion other than happiness lingered, no deeper meaning was capable of being distinguished.

Now Cody was curious. He wanted to know about her, wished to talk to her about why she joined, wanted to know what she thought of her job, what she thought of the Ranger’s, what her views on the war were, what she thought about…him. It was too early for anything serious, and yet, he still wondered. He wanted learn something new about someone, desired it to be Furoi. Now that she had invited him back to her place, his wishes had been granted. He could delve into her thoughts, into her views and into her personality. And even after speaking with her, he knew there would be more to see, more to know. It was odd for him to think such after only just meeting someone, but something just sat right. He was sure he felt something strange, something magnetic, and maybe she did too.

The tension in the air between the two said it all. They both felt it. With every stumble, every chuckle, every smile and every bubbly giggle the nervousness just grew. They had some unbeknown chemistry, even if Cody didn’t realize it. It was as clear as day--so clear a blind man could see it…hear it in their short, giddy statements. Cody liked that. He really liked it. It didn’t matter to him that he was falling over every other second, nor did it bother him that he stumbled over his every comment. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that she’d gone unnoticed for so long, possibly not only by him.

“Don’t cover your face, you never know who might be looking,” Cody chuckled lightly, his eyes glowing as she clapped both of her hands over her face. His hand, sitting underneath the fabric of his sweatshirt tapped in an unfamiliar tune across the table, stopping when he reached her arm. It immediately drew back at the close proximity, folding neatly across his lap. “Giggling while sick, Furoi? It’s…uh. It’s…cute.” He blushed as she continued her giggling, while Cody merely listened. The sound brought a smile to his face…such a soft, almost melodic tone.

“Get on up it’s time to dance, yeah! It’s so much fun being up on your feet. So we go up, up, doing the jump, move around and clap your hands together. Down, down, turn around, having fun is what it’s all about!”

Cody’s eyes narrowed for the first time since Furoi had sat down upon hearing the singing voice of his Dia. He didn’t know where the Pokemon was, nor did he care as to why he was in the little shop, but he did know that wherever the Pokemon was…well, he was near. Almost a little too close for his liking. The man slumped back even further in his seat, while he tried his hardest to not repetatively smash his face against the table before him. Out of all times the baby Dia could come around and bother him, it just had to be now. It just had to be. Why let Cody have a break? He doesn’t need one. Nope. He just loves interruptions, especially when he’s talking to a girl. Damnit! Cody thought, grimacing.

“Cody, Blaze turned off Lazytown! Now I can’t see the end of the episode, and that’s the best part. They start singing Bing Bang, and I loveeeee that part,” Casper whined, throwing his head back. “I wanna see it, Cody! I wanna!”

“Sorry about him, he’s Kera’s age…and, well--you know, they’re little,” Cody apologized, and lifted the Dia onto his lap. “How about you come to Furoi’s place with me. That way you and Kera can watch Lazytown together, even though I doubt she’s ever watched it. You know that there are always marathons of that show on, so no need to cry about it. And I know you love that part, you say it everyday, yet you keep repeating how much you love it. So shh, alright buddy?”

Casper nodded fervently, then glanced down at Kera. “You watch Lazytown?” The Dia hopped down from his trainer’s lap and positioned himself right beside the Mareep, a smile growing across his beaked lips. Casper didn’t have any friends his age, being that Cody’s team was rather old, so maybe hanging around other Pokemon his age would be beneficial. Not to mention it would help him with his…cursing problem. For such a little Pokemon, Casper really did have a potty mouth; Cody thanked Rocket and Blaze for that one.

----

“That is true. I won’t get better just sitting here. Hm, Sexy God? Once again, I didn’t mean to say…uh…say that. I meant to say something else, you know how that happens. One second your saying one thing, and another you’re saying…another? Meh. I should just quit while I’m ahead, shouldn’t I?” Cody babbled on, embarrassed now not only by his Dia but his remarks made from earlier. How could he have let that slip? Normal people didn’t say they were sexy gods to people’s faces. Then again, Cody was far from normal.

There was nothing to be done, he couldn’t take back what he already said, and climbed to his feet. He somehow managed to make his way around the table and over to Furoi’s side, rubbing his eyes mercilessly. Why won’t they just stop itching? A sudden tugging on his pants stopped his itching, his eyes connecting with his Dia’s. The man smiled down at him and pat his head. He was just too damn cute.

“Cody, are you al-lergic to Furry-oi?” Casper asked.

Cody shook his head. “No, I’m not allergic to Furoi. We really need to work on your names, it’s bad, buddy. Well, not really, but you’re learning.” He turned to Furoi and continued, “Rude Pokemon. You have one, too? Seems like it spreads like a disease here. Heh. Rocket could toughen her up, even though she’s sort of laid back herself. She’s just mean to men, you have no worries there.”

Cody’s eyes dropped to the little Mareep as she then spoke. He ignored her comment about his “name” and chuckled, “Well aren’t you a tough one. Maybe you can toughen up Casper, he’s a wimp right now--”

“Am not! Don’t listen to him. It’s all lies! I’m your master Cody, you just remember that!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cody answered before following Furoi to her booth, which turned out to be a bad decision. As soon as Furoi mentioned him coming back to the breeding center, her Banette started shouting--cursing even. Casper’s senses heightened as he learned a new word, while his eyes glimmered. Well that’s just great. I’m being called a thing and Casper learned a new word…Just. Great. He shook his head, pushing the thought into the back of his mind and shoved his hands in his pockets.

What was tossed between the trainer and her Pokemon was that of a jealous boy with any girl he was attracted to, he wasn’t blind. It was actually cute, seeing the Banette grow jealous because of a crush. However, Cody was confused. He wasn’t a threat to the ghost, he wasn’t trying to make him feel uncomfortable, and he was. He almost felt…he almost felt bad. He was a man and understood how the Banette felt. Men are men. They feel the same things, hurt the same way, and act the same way.

“Your Pokemon said a bad word Furry-oi,” Casper grumbled. “He said two bad words.”

“And yet you say them all the time. Come on,” Cody muttered before following Furoi out of Lesterfield. Walking came unnaturally, as bad as it sounded. He felt like his legs were jello, wobbling and buckling from below him. Thank Arceus Furoi stood in front of him…seeing him now would be embarrassing. But after a few moments of adjusting, he felt slightly better about his footing, only trembling from the cold enveloping him. He just wanted to lay down right about now, talk to Furoi thanking her profusely, and then maybe catch up on his lacking sleep. “Thank you again. I mean it, thank you.”