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'Unexpected' was probably the biggest understatement that Terpsichore had attributed to a situation in a very, very long time, but she was at a loss for a better term. She had never known Endymion to really get out very often, much less interact with anyone unless forced to. Of course, she rarely went anywhere with him as it was considering he often found her to be little more than a nuisance, but that didn't keep the mounting curiosity. She'd just have to play it off with a little more grace than usual. She was fully capable! Visually, Terpsichore was just as old as Endymion was, and could act her age better, she was sure!

Her meeting with Grayson Willows had been a brief one, if only to catch him up to speed on what had been going on since they last met. He only ever spoke to Nix once every few months, but the researcher had only recently gone back into the wilds, and her and her teammate's mishap happened directly after that had occurred -- the scientist wouldn't have heard of it for a long time after the fact! However, the shroomish was also aware that she wasn't supposed to be there, not until she managed to convince Endymion to go back. Of course, she explained as much, so the head scientist duly noted that he shouldn't say anything until such an outcome occurred.

As the pokémon who followed Nix around, however, they weren't the kind to have any concrete place to stay, let alone to send letters to. They had been told that Nix had a cottage somewhere out in the countryside, but none of them had ever seen it -- he frequented the place considerably less than even the inner city. It was strange that a letter could find its way here, especially addressed to someone Terpsichore had almost been certain had avoided others like the plague.

However, the teenaged shroomish hadn't even needed to be manipulative about it to find out what the contents of the letter held. Endymion couldn't read, but Terpsichore could. Taking into account that it was from someone he seemed to consider a good friend, he wasn't just going to ignore it and be on his way... despite the fact it left plenty of questions on the table and a prying girl in attendance. "Oh, I'd love to meet him!" she had insisted. Apparently she was not going to take 'no' for an answer, either, and had every reason locked and loaded, just in case. Such as the fact that he couldn't read road signs... had never really been into town before... oh, and let her not forget the fact that he panics around people. Should she continue?

"See, there it is!" she stated proudly, pointing out the botanical gardens mentioned in the letter. It was a good thing it was situated where it was, outside the main hustle-and-bustle of the city.

Endymion may have showed a bit more relief to that extent as well, if it wasn't for the fact he was still irritated at Terpsichore for needling her way into this matter. He hadn't seen Jayme for far too long, and even though things were still a bit on the confusing side, that hadn't damaged the fact that they were most certainly, actually friends. That wasn't a label that was so easily tossed out there. "Just try not to..." he sighed, attempting to conjure up the right words, "...Don't make a scene, okay?"

She paused to stare blankly at the scyther, hands resting on her hips, "Make a scene? Endy, tone down the drama." If he could have planted a palm to his forehead, Endymion would have been doing so, but his stressed expression and under-the-breath cursing would have to suffice.

The gardens were particularly large, something that was easily noted upon entering, but nothing that a little experience at the park couldn't solve. They really seemed to take care of this place well, despite the fact that it didn't appear that anyone was working on it at the time, giving it the appearance that it was just naturally this beautiful. Endy was momentarily distracted by it until Terpsichore started injecting her quips, "Well gee, this is almost too fancy... I don't feel like I'm quite dressed right to walk through here." Turning back to the scyther, she snorted a bit, holding back a laugh, "Though I suppose, next to you, I am." He flashed her a glare, but the shroomish had a point... they didn't really look like they belonged there, even if they were enjoying it.

Jayme, on the other hand, was a different story. Scouring for the gazebo that was noted as being in the center of the gardens area, it didn't take them long to find the place to meet up. The more mouthy teen shielded her eyes from the sun as she took a closer look, then down at the paper with the directions. Her voice was disbelieving, "Hey, is that him?"

After their last encounter, Jayme having explained his less-than-favorable living conditions and debilitating timidness, Endymion hadn't been expecting to see him looking so well. The teddiursa even seemed to be in high spirits! It was a rather comforting relief, but being stunned still left its mark on his tone, "...Yeah, actually."

Ohoho, was Terpsichore going to have a field day with this one... Her grin stretched wide as she waved an arm in the air to Jayme -- evidently the one that was occupied by the letter -- and called over, "Heeeey, Jayme!" She could have easily walked over to him, but she had a feeling that Endy wasn't going to hurry up as much as she wanted to. Even with friends, the scyther seemed to be obnoxiously shy, especially when he hissed her name after she pulled that stint, as though to scold. Her grin couldn't have looked more mischievous if she tried.

(( Backup complete. Restore point safely recovered. xD ))

Not once did Terpsichore think it too odd for her to call out to her teammate's friend, at least until either of the boys had the chance to speak up first. Nope, she didn't want to wait that long! She appeared confident enough, with that broad grin on her face, to silently state that she wasn't making a mistake, either, especially when the teddiursa turned to them in response to the name. That was a bingo if she ever saw it!

Endymion flashed the shroomish a glare, despite the fact she wasn't interested in looking in his direction at the moment, and moved past her. She was so interfering... His expression as he turned more fully to Jayme dissolved into one much more welcoming the instance he was recognized. "Hey, Jayme. I hope I didn't make you wait too long!" he apologized sheepishly.

It was only then, as he closed the distance, that the teenaged scyther realized it was not only a change in attire that had thrown him off. His surprise was evident, but that did not wipe the smile off his face, not by a long shot. "Wow, you look great!" Endy exclaimed, noting that his friend looked to be much healthier than before. There was less evidence of the living conditions he had been chained to, and despite the happiness of that fact, he was still a bit puzzled, "Everything okay?"

The scyther hadn't noticed Terpsichore move nearer until her voice cut through the reunion, "I'll say! Endy, he's prettier than me!" Sure, it was a bit of a razz, but she honestly meant it. It didn't even look like Jayme needed to try looking good to do just that!

He winced at that, but indicated the girl with a slight tilt of the head, "Uh... that's Terpsichore. My teammate. She, um... wanted to come along..."

"He can't read," she stated bluntly, simultaneously explaining why she had the letter and not the scyther they were addressed to, "I'm sort of the hired navigator." With a start, despite the sudden urge to embarrass Endymion, she flinched at what could have been misconstrued as callousness, and a worried expression swept over her features, "Oh, there wasn't anything in this you didn't want me to find out, was there?" She didn't think there was... but she didn't want to embarrass Jayme!

Terpsichore may have been excited to be meeting someone under such conditions, but she knew when to back off and give Jayme and Endymion some time to catch back up. There was plenty of time, so there was no use rushing things. Besides, by listening, she could gain even more information to that which she might forget to ask about! It was a fairly fascinating turn of events, all things considered!

Endymion snickered at Jayme's insistence that he hadn't waited very long, shaking his head, "Is it even possible for you to get mad?" Any nervousness he may have been feeling as prelude to this second meeting was swiftly melting off, his nerves slacking to make way for less broken sentence structuring. He perked up as the teddiursa continued on happily about the change in his living arrangements, the most welcome surprise if there ever was one! "You... you made it out of there? Really?" he asked again, astounded; last they had met, Jayme had been so sure that was an impossibility! By this point, it was likely he'd be unable to wipe that smile from his face, "I knew you could do it! Jayme, I'm so glad to hear that; you have no idea how worried I was! How'd you do it?"

Oh good grief, the blushing makes him look even more adorable! Terpsichore noted with a quiet giggle. "Well it's only the truth!" she argued, teasing with a childish raspberry. She could be a fangirl for this kid, couldn't she?

The scyther wasn't so sure of the shroomish's presence himself, and his light grimace told as much. He leaned over slightly and cautioned Jayme, "You just let me know if she starts getting on your nerves..." She was already putting pressure on Endy's patience, but then he didn't have the best track record with that as it was. Why did she have to mention that he couldn't read? He was getting better! Luckily, it seemed that Jayme brushed that off, allowing the teen not to dwell on that little mishap.

Terpsichore was too keen to ignore her teammate's warnings, though; he was often full of hot air anyway. "Oh good, I'm glad!" she breathed a sigh of relief, "I didn't want to overstep my bounds before even meeting you! Ah... not that I'd want to at all, but you get the picture. It's a pleasure to meet you, too!" She took a few steps, wandering a bit aimlessly as her hands clasped behind her. No, please, go ahead and keep talking. How the heck did you guys meet!? She was so curious!

There was no mistaking that Endymion looked surprised to hear Jayme confirming that it was possible to anger him -- surprised and just a little skeptical, as the slow frown would convey. No, he didn't think Jayme was lying, per se, but pulling his leg, maybe. Was it possible they had different ideas of what 'anger' was? Regardless, this was something the scyther knew he wanted to hear, and easily found himself nodding in acceptance of the offer to find a seat in the shade to discuss the matter. There were plenty of seating areas in the garden as it was, and many of the arrangements of the foliage led to a more natural cover during different parts of the day, it was just a matter of choosing the most comfortable one.

Endymion recognized some of the names, briefly mentioned from conversations past, but their concepts were vague. Instead of asking for clarification on who any of them were, for it had been quite some time since they were last spoken of, he decided to listen to what Jayme had to say on the matter and decipher who they were from there. It wasn't difficult, for many of them seemed to be friends of the teenaged teddiursa, and that was all the information Endy really needed. "I'm glad to hear your circle of friends really pulled all the stops to get you out of there. That situation was just..." he started, shaking his head; he really didn't need to say it was scary to the one who had been living it, when Endymion had only heard of it! "You're going to have to tell me about this place of yours once we get through everything else," he insisted, refocusing his attentions with a slightly apologetic smile.

Once Jayme picked a place for them to sit, Endy chose a seat that was near yet far enough away that he could still look at his friend as he spoke. While he was a little less sensitive about the damage he could do with his blades in close proximity to another, the extra (if short) distance worked to lessen any residual anxiety he had about the matter. The grimace he made as Jayme admitted Terpsichore was not so bad was more of a tease than anything serious, "If you say so; she can get pretty obnoxious. Did you really learn to read that quickly?" He seemed surprised, but then again, he'd been a bit put off from learning the skill himself. After a short deliberation, he was inclined to give a sharp nod, "Okay, if you really think I can do it that much, I will give it a shot." Sure, he probably would have tried anyway, but the vote of confidence helped to boost that inspiration to actually get it done!

Terpsichore eagerly followed closely behind the two boys, seating herself only after the others had, so as not to interrupt. She was curious to hear all about what they had to say, and as quick as she normally was to pipe up, she didn't want to overwhelm. She was learning proper courtesy, really! Her hands clasped together and tucked between her knees as she leaned forward a little, quietly absorbed. Truth was, Endy hadn't really told Terp anything about Jayme at all; he had a bad habit of trying to push her away, especially when she seemed interested in knowing something about the scyther, including friends. Perhaps she just wasn't the easiest person to talk to on some matters, most particularly due to the fact she seemed like the 'gossiping' sort of social butterfly... but that was all image constructed from the air of a drama actress. In a way, she seemed to mix two separate entities within herself, and that line between the two was only apparent in how her actions followed through.

While Endymion knew the story of how they met -- even the parts beforehand -- Terpsichore's expression told otherwise. She looked concerned when Jayme had mentioned his manager, but the expression didn't last for long as the story progressed and she remembered that he had escaped whatever horrors lay in the past, if only from the way interactions first unfolded upon their arrival this afternoon. The shroomish giggled as the misunderstandings were explained, "Well that sounds about right..." Her frilled ears flicked a little when the story brought up the nightmare, not ever having experienced a dream so bad, "Wow, that must have been some nightmare to spook you so bad! I'm glad you were able to find your way back, the forests at night can be so hazardous! That does not sound like it was the most lucky of months, though, jeez!"

However, Endy wasn't exactly sure how long ago this all happened, and he was quick to ask about it instead of the point to the story, "But you healed up fine after that, right?" It was mildly disconcerting when Jayme had said he was having difficulty healing up, after all, and the scyther wasn't aware of how much time he'd have had after the fact. Despite the concern for something he was sure he probably didn't even need to exhibit on the matter, he managed a snicker at the conclusion, "Knowing how much you keep everything bottled up, he probably has a good point. Maybe you should try it next time things don't seem to be going right and see how it does for you!" He still couldn't imagine Jayme being enraged enough to raise his voice, the thought sounding absurd, but there was no reason not to believe it.

Once the notion of 'teammates' was put onto the table, Endymion seemed to flinch a little. Luckily for him, still resistant to delve that far into the past, Terpsichore wasted no time in explaining, "Well, when we first met one another, we were still both unchanged pokémon. Endy was traveling with a researcher at the time, and I decided to join up with them. Seemed a good opportunity to see the world more, and I wouldn't have to do it all alone!" By this point, Endymion had glanced away, but he didn't seem any more hesitant about Terpsichore's telling of the story outside of that. "We were never actually captured by the researcher, though -- Nix was his name -- but we might as well have been. So that's why we're teammates! I suppose, in a way, it's sort of like family, but... I don't know, it would seem weird to say that we were siblings. That's what the humans would call us now, wouldn't they? Adopted siblings?" she considered, amused at the thought. She never actually had a brother before, after all!

With the recollection that Jayme underwent aloud to describe his recent happenings, the two teens he was explaining things to could easily come to the conclusion that, comparatively, their own experiences seemed to be quite uneventful lately. "Wow, small world, isn't it? It's great that you were such close friends with all parties involved," Endymion grinned, glad to hear that it seemed things were most certainly looking up for the teddiursa for once! Although some portions of his tale went clear over the feral pokémon's head... Wedding? Maid of honor? ...Skinny dipping? He slid a questioning look over to Terpsichore, who seemed to understand it all without issue.

And boy, did she understand! A hand had shot up to her mouth at the last part, as a nervous chuckle escaped from her. She was embarrassed for Jayme! "Sounds like you had a really great time, but they seem to have overdone it a little!" the shroomish giggled. It helped to be the studious one when it came to human culture, but did she really have to explain that one to Endy? Maybe it was better he was left in the dark...

The scyther hadn't really considered the aspect of reading that was an outlet for escape from the real world. He blinked in sudden understanding, and all of a sudden, the ability to be able to read felt immensely more compelling with the incentive. Maybe it could be used as another method to keep his frequent panic attacks under control... "No, that actually makes a lot of sense. As long as I can keep working at it without getting too upset with the progress, I think that could actually help me out. Thanks," he responded with a meek smile. The anger issues, it seemed, would be the biggest hurdle there.

Terpsichore nodded as she was addressed more fully, a frown creasing her brow and her mouth twisting as she bit at the inside of a lip. Leaning over, she reached to supportively pat at Jayme's knee, "Well I'm glad that it's sounding like things are looking up now! You don't hesitate to get any of your friends to help, if you think you need it. You can never be too careful in a situation like that! Heck, I'll protect you!" And with that, the shroomish made some punchin motions at the air, as though at a dangling bag before her. Never mind that she was pathetic in level and fighting prowess, but there was more than one way a girl could fight! She was an actress, after all!

Endymion fidgeted a little, "I'm just glad I could help you out a bit." It didn't seem like he had done much at all, but at least he had been able to get Jayme's mind off of his situation, if only momentarily -- in fact, the meeting had worked both ways, in that respect. A sigh emerged as the teddiursa relayed how bothersome Reese had been to the healing process, the sound coming as a grumble of irritation. If there was anyone more deserving of an attack... Terpsichore felt a fluttering of uncertainty, able to pick up on the fact that Jayme's manager had most likely been a human, and fearing for what thought paths it may lead.

At least it looked like Jayme understood that not all humans were the same, and at that realization her smile returned more readily. "Hehe, yeah! I don't know if I ever would have found the star that transformed me if I hadn't been traveling with him. He's a little scatterbrained... but well-meaning!" she explained with a snicker. Endy rolled his eyes a bit, but continued to refuse to say anything.

Terpsichore perked at Jayme's explanation of what he thought the description of 'family' should be, hopping a little in her seat, "Oh, perfect! That's an excellent way to describe it, and you're totally right! I never really knew where to draw the line between friends and family when it came to something like that, but you figure... well, you live with the other person, kind of like roommates, and that's it. But then I met some of Nix's extended family, and learned that I could consider their pokémon to be 'cousins.' They have a name for everything!" she heaved a breath at that; it was all so fascinating, even if it seemed convoluted at times. She smiled and nodded her agreement hastily, "Yeah, I think you're right. I usually hear that when people talk about being able to 'pick friends, but not family.' Why not pick family, though? I think the word has a warmer feel to it." Not that friendship was a bad thing, but family could even be considered both, from what she'd researched on the matter!

The scyther seemed a bit hesitant when Jayme had mentioned that he was working in another club, even if he didn't quite understand what such an establishment was, but the initial feeling was swiftly snuffed out upon hearing the name of the one that owned it. Wait, had he heard that right? His eyes flashed fully alert, "C-Carwyn? You mean the drapion?" Terpsichore probably couldn't have turned a more confounded expression on him. How many people did the antisocial scyther know that she wasn't even aware of?

Despite the fact that Terpsichore had known Jayme for little more than an hour by the time Jayme's troubling history at the club was revealed, it was quite possible her concerns rose close to similar heights as Endymion's had. Due to this, the relief was genuine when reminded that it was all in the past, and that it was not really a worry that held much ground anymore. Jayme was safe, and he was with friends, ones that were guaranteed to help him out if the goings got rough or dangerous. There was little more that one could hope for, at the end of that nightmare of a road that Jayme had no choice but to traverse. The lingering terror was behind him now.

The past was bleak, but the future was turning out to be much brighter. The teddiursa was already looking much healthier, and his smile less forced, more contagious. It was a stark omen -- it was possible for good to come out of so much fear, and to overcome the trials that seemed impossible to escape. Friends... really were invaluable. Suddenly, it seemed as though asking for help was not a sign of weakness, but of great strength, a notion contrary to what Endymion had believed. Was it just because it was Jayme, or was it the same for everyone?

It was a lot for someone to have to take in, a lot of deliberation that the scyther had not anticipated, but it was not unwelcome. Maybe they all really had needed this meeting, more than he would have thought. In a way, these discussions were a healing process in and of themselves.

However, it was also not something that could last forever, at least without the necessary breaks, whether invited or not. Terpsichore was a motor-mouth, but while it wasn't a bother this time around, it did make it harder to have to draw that line. Endy's eyes flicked briefly to the sky, knocking a sigh out of him in irritation. He hesitated a moment before saying anything, though, as though the futile pause would buy them some time, "...It's getting late." The sun seemed to have descended rather quickly, but apparently it was easy enough to get so wrapped up in a conversation that time seemed to move in an unsteady manner, "We shouldn't keep you, or we all might be caught in the dark."

Terpsichore pouted, "Endy, no! Why'd you have to ruin it like that?" It was more a tease, but it wasn't any less disappointing. Huffing, she stood up, "Well it was a pleasure to meet you, Jayme!"

It wasn't an opinion that Endymion didn't share, either. It was almost a fluke that they were all able to catch one another here in the first place, so much so that the scyther was afraid it wouldn't be able to play out this smoothly again. Would he even be able to see Jayme again? There was slight hesitation at the thought, and that unease wasn't able to stay completely out of his words, "Hey... don't be a stranger, okay? We should do this again sometime."