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Interesting Conversationalist
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 Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:49 pm
Liam was bored. Quite a hard thing to do, in a bustling, populated, exciting city such as Katarina, where stores and the harbor and even the forest nearby filled with pokemon whisper your name and beg for adventure, excitement, and if nothing else, at least there were new relationships to be made. Liam however, against all odds, had accomplished it. And had accomplished it quickly, considering he'd only been living in the city for a month. He had decided around that time ago that taking care of the pokemon in his small town wasn't worth staying in the town for. How exciting was bandaging up a cut the neighbor's ponyta got while taking the apples to the market? Not very. While he had grown up in that town, it lacked the experience he needed to become a great healer. So he left. And here he was.
Sighing, Liam let his chin rest on his fist and began fingering the green medical cross that hung from a short chain from one earlobe, watching the cars go by from above, the wind tugging at his reddish pink hair. Yes, he had pink hair. Not deep pink, more of a darkened red (or so he liked to think), but the pink was there, a testamony to his strong, albeit slightly distant roots. For Liam was related to Nurse Joy. Or... one of the Nurse Joys. The one from Veridian City was his first cousin. Meaning... Nurse Joy was his mother's cousin. ... or something like that.
Exhaling heavily, the pokemon healer turned to glance back over his shoulder at his small, one bedroom apartment, staring at the mess of clothes and healing potions and ice heals and bandages and all the rest of his medical supplies, looking upon it with not a trace of irritation in his cerulean blue eyes. It didn't bother him that any normal person would find his living space disgraceful. In fact, even if he DID try to clean it up, it always seemed to return to the same level of messiness a few days later. So Liam never bothered with it. Instead, he worried about important things. Like healing potions. Which he desperately needed.
Getting up from the window sill, brushing off his jeans briefly, he skirted around the mess, picking up a chain with another green medical cross hanging from it and sliding it around his neck, moving some things, returning a cup full of berries to it's upright position and finally grabbing his keys and wallet, heading out the door, down the stairs and out into the sunshine towards the Pokemart.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:01 pm
"So this is Katarina," muttered Ridley in an undertone, his baritone tinged with idle interest as he looked from the deck of the ship towards the port city. He adjusted the pack on his back and checked that the prominent red R on his leather jacket sleeve was covered. He didn't need to bring unnecessary attention to himself while he was moving in.
Team Rocket was sending grunts over to Zatao en force. Ridley was one of many on this single ship, he knew, wearing their red Rs under cheap disguises. He wasn't wearing the hat, which offended his personal taste among other things, and his short black hair was waving unkempt in the stiff breeze off the shore.
As the boat slowly floated in and landed at the dock, Ridley stepped to the front of the line to get off the boat, his six foot tall frame moving easily through the crowd. His first stop should be the Team Rocket HQ in Katarina, but he was starving. Not that the food on the ship hadn't been all right, but he was tired of the prepackaged meals they kept shoving at him. He wanted some real food.
Spotting the blue roof of the Pokemart between the buildings as he walked down the ramp to the dock, Ridley headed in that direction so that he'd at least have a vantage point.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:20 pm
As usual, the people of Katarina were busy going about their day, sifting through the city streets and into the plethera of shops, one for everything you could possibly ever want. Food, art, music, pokemon, clothes, jewels, toys, supplies, all set on display in rows, complete with bright neon signs advertising their chief good. That wasn't taking into account the multitude of small stands set up along the street, selling candies or flowers and miracle creams. Cars speed down the streets, men walked with their briefcases, women clicked along the sidewalk in their heels, mothers held onto their children's hands extra tight as the babes peered in the windows.
Liam immersed himself in the rhythm of the city, shoving his hands into his pockets, chin up, eyes skimming the streets lazily.
'For such a big city,' he thought to himself, 'there sure isn't anything exciting going on.'
Brushing past a man selling 'perfect pokeballs' on the street, skirting a man who looked to be arguing with a police officer and walking a bit faster across the street in an obvious example of jaywalking, Liam pushed open the door to the pokemart with his shoulder, glancing around briefly before beginning to meander the isles.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:29 pm
Ridley was so hungry that he didn't care about all of the sights and sounds of the city around him. He'd come from a rather large one himself-- Saffron City in Kanto--so all of it was as natural as breathing to him. He maneuvered around people as if they were hardly there, inconspicuous as always.
Some of the stalls did tempt him-- roasted bananas, dumplings, hell, even the Pokemon food looked good at this point-- but he kept his eye on the Pokemart. It wouldn't do to get lost the instant he set foot in the city. He still had to find HQ and get his assigned Pokemon.
Ridley had truly only signed on to Team Rocket rather recently, taken in with the promise that he'd get a free ride to the new region and his own Pokemon. He'd never been allowed to take his own Pokemon journey as a boy. So now, at 20, he was determined to do something with himself.
Jogging across the street and nearly running down a trainer with their Girafarig to avoid getting hit by a bus, Ridley made it to the Pokemart and stepped in a few moments after Liam. As soon as the glass door swung shut all of the noise of the city dimmed and the elevator music blasting from the overhead speakers took over. Ridley didn't mind. He headed right for the snacks aisle.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:44 pm
Liam didn't notice Ridley come into the shop, having already headed down one of the isles to browse the supply of medicinal herbs and pokemon items, his eyes drifting over rows of potions, ethers, max heals, as well as a whole row devoted to TM's. He, of course, having no pokemon with the exception of Elizabeth, the male nidoran whom he was babysitting, was not interested in much of it, and, moving directly to the antidotes and potions, took a few from the shelf, moving towards the counter.
A patch rainbow colors in the corner of his eye caught Liam's attention as he went by the food isle, and the nineteen year old stopped, staring at the multi-colored wrappers and containers, looking a bit skeptical. Rainbow colored food. Not what he wanted to walk out of a store with. Although he hadn't eaten today, and there wasn't any more chinese in his fridge...
Giving the rainbow aisle an almost amused look, Liam shoved his hands into his pockets again, rolling his eyes and making his way through the multitude of brightly colored packages, searching for something delicious.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:50 pm
Ridley instinctively reached for the ramen, but remembered that he wouldn't be able to prepare it... He should have bought something from a stall outside. Turning from the aisle, he went for the door, then paused as his stomach growled rather loudly, the sound nearly echoing in the relatively quiet store.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:55 pm
Glancing up from the piles of multi-colored packages, Liam looked towards the door at the guy in the black jacket whose stomach rumbled quite loudly, unable to keep the grin off his face. Or his eyes off his body.
But he wouldn't go there.
Quirking an eyebrow at Ridley, Liam turned back towards his own quest for something to keep his stomach at bay, leaning over a bit to peer at the labels in a bored manner.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:58 pm
Ridley didn't have time to dawdle looking for a good stall. He went over to the guy in the aisle he'd just left to seek some advice.
"Excuse me, is there a decent place to eat around here?" he asked Liam, a touch sheepish. Everyone must have heard his stomach's complaint.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:07 pm
Liam looked up again to find Ridley looking down at him, looking sheepish and a bit lost, all of which did little to make his amused look disappear. Straightening, Liam was a touch surprised to find himself almost at eye level with Ridley.
"Not from around here, are you?" He said with a polite, neutral expression, his blue eyes twinkling with the amusement his face didn't express. Glancing back down at the food, he tilted his head, continuing. "There're plenty of places to eat. It all depends on what you like." Making a face at the food, he shook his head, looking back at Ridley. "I can show you if you want."
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:13 pm
Ridley was immediately struck by the pink (pink!) hair on the youth before him, and he did notice the amusement on his face before it slipped away. Normally it might have irritated or embarrassed him, but he was too hungry to care at this point. So he'd amused Liam.
"Nope, I'm literally fresh off the boat," he smiled easily. Shrugging, he didn't look away from Liam. Probably around his age, but a kid, Ridley supposed. He was a nice looking kid.
"Could you? That would be great. I just want something hot and preferably meat," Ridley looked at him hopefully.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:24 pm
Liam almost frowned when he noticed Ridley staring at his hair, but managed to contain it in time. He could not keep himself from lifting his eyebrows, however, a subtle challenge for Ridley to say something about his feminine colored hair.
Letting the challenge drop, Liam gave a slight smile at Ridley's response. "Sure. Let me just get this stuff," he replied, grabbing a bag of rice for his apartment, heading towards the counter. "There's a good sit down place down the street I found a few days ago. We'll head over there. Mind if I drop this stuff off at my apartment first?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:27 pm
"Uh..." Ridley paused, thinking he really should head over to HQ and he was really, really hungry... but then he thought what the hell.
"Sure, that's no problem," he grinned, and then unconsciously ogled him when he went to the counter. He caught himself and smirked a little. "Thanks, by the way. I'm Ridley," he introduced himself, coming up to stand a few feet behind him while he waited.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:34 pm
"Liam," the healer replied, grabbing the bag and thanking the cashier when he finished, "And don't mention it. I haven't eaten in a while, so really you just made it more convenient to eat now."
Pushing open the door again with a brief glance over his shoulder to make sure Ridley was coming, Liam started heading towards the building he lived, walking quickly through the crowds and crossing the street, once again jaywalking. "So Ridley," he looked over at the raven haired guy again, keeping his expression polite but guarded, "what brings you to Katarina?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:39 pm
Ridley followed him, having no trouble keeping up with his long strides. "Pleased to meet you, Liam," he answered automatically, his eyes never straying from the healer. Ridley was a rather one track guy.
Blinking at the question, his first worry was that his Rocket R was showing, but he wasn't sure enough to check. A million things flashed through his mind but he finally said, "Oh, Pokemon collecting. I just started recently and I figured what better place to start out than the new region?" he grinned, a little proud that he'd come up with that excuse so quickly.
"What about you? You a healer?" Ridley asked, because he'd seen Liam's jewelry and the boy bore an uncanny resemblance to SOMEONE... he just wasn't sure exactly who.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:48 pm
Liam smirked, giving Ridley a sarcastic look. "No. I'm with Team Rocket." he replied, flicking his pink (red!) hair out of his eyes. "Yeah, I'm a healer. Not very well known, not like Nurse Joy... I don't really care for the whole Pokemon Center thing."
Skipping the steps two at a time, Liam grabbed his key out of his pocket, pushing open the door to his apartment and dropping his newly purchased things on the floor with all the other crap. Elizabeth poked his nose out from under the covers of Liam's bed, making a face at him.
"What're you lookin at?" Liam asked the nidoran, wrinkling his nose.
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