Welcome to Gaia! ::

The hood of the cloak was pulled further over the girl's head with a nervous tug, lime green eyes all but obscured from view from under the fabric. She was nearly holding her breath as she took a step inside the boundaries of town, across the threshold she thought she would never manage to near. So far, so good...

It wasn't that she was expecting to run into anyone that worked on her case, not so close to the lighthouse laboratory without ever coming to check on the state of things, but unknown territory was most certainly an intimidating construct. Everything lately, since taking those first steps out into the sun, was strange and new. Before the changes caused by jirachi's star, the most Beta had been able to experience of the outside world were texts and pictures pulled up on the main computer! Actually experiencing any of it was quite different than an ignorant mind could produce.

Her tail was loosely wrapped around the upper part of her legs to obscure the vine-like appendage from view, hidden in the flowing length of the cloak, but she could still feel it quiver slightly in anxiety. She was merely here to scope out the area -- it wasn't as though she'd really be able to talk to anyone here as it was, not without giving up some sense of who, of what, she really was. Maybe they would think her as merely a poké-human, for they seemed to be more prevalent in this day and age... despite the fact that she never once had ever considered herself to be pokémon. Or human.

She paused, glancing up at the buildings around her as she held her hood in place between a couple fingers. The tall girl was still not considerably far inside the territory, so traffic was quite thin along the sidewalks. She was mentally mapping the area, even though she hadn't a clue as to what many of the buildings were. Sure, she could read, but their names didn't always offer much in the way of explanation, especially for one so far removed from social lingo and entertainment venues. This was definitely... different, but so far, it was actually kind of exhilarating.

Currently distracted by the bright colors of a video rental store's front sign, the streets mostly deserted on this side of the street, Beta hadn't realized how detracted she had become until a sharp sound cut through her silent observations. Her attention turned downward quickly enough, spotting the stone that had been kicked as it skirted past. She stepped out of the way of its path despite being in no danger of contact, watching as the rock bounced down the sidewalk.

It wasn't until she nearly collided with Truffles that Beta finally noticed that she wasn't alone in front of the buildings, nestled to the side of the dusty streets. With an abrupt halt, the mewtwo managed to stumble out of the way before any contact was made, but not before a mental slip occurred with a jolted psychic apology, -S-Sorry!- She ignored the implications for the moment, distressed as she reiterated the sentiment by signing it in the air. Beta was still unfamiliar with the full range of expression when it came to sign language, but she knew the basics well enough -- it wasn't as though she was apt to have long, drawn out conversations with anyone, anyway.

With startled realization, she hesitated. Was that... was she also a poké-human? Beta pulled at the reigns of her curiosity, but didn't move from where her feet had landed when she stepped out of the way.

Oh... oh goodness, this kid didn't look the most... happy to have been stopped, did she? Had Beta done something wrong that she was not aware of? Er... again? It wouldn't have been out of the question; she was constantly learning out here, after all. It was almost too much stimulation to process, except that she had purposefully gone down an all-but-empty street to avoid becoming overwhelmed. One-on-one wasn't too bad, at least if she could keep things together.

So the girl stiffly raised her hands, a catch in her throat at the attempt at showing the other kid that she wasn't armed. Not that showing as much ever meant anything for pokémonkind, what with their inherent reservoir of moves, but it was a start. Scooting to the side, Beta toyed with the idea that it might just be best to back off from this one, despite the mounting curiosity. They weren't always so hostile inside city limits, were they?

Taking a glance behind her to make sure she wasn't running the risk of running into anyone else while she wasn't looking, Beta's eyes turned back to Truffles with a start as the eevee's words reached her. The raven-haired girl didn't feel she was in any real danger at the moment, but she had to remain on her guard if she was going to take advantage of this tenuous chance. Her eyes diverted for a second in contemplation before offering a careful nod, -Are... you a pokémon?- She was still unsure if she should be ready to bolt or not, but it wouldn't be difficult to make a quick escape if it was so needed.

Beta watched the outwardly observable range of emotions that Truffles displayed, her own grip on her defenses slipping slightly. The other girl seemed a little confused, and she had every right to be, but she also appeared to be being just as cautious, similarly guarded, albeit on another end of the spectrum. For one so prone to inquisitiveness, an affinity for learning, this only sparked further curiosity.

A light, experiment of a smile emerged as Truffles answered an affirmative, and Beta lowered her hands in a more comfortable manner, for she did indeed feel more lax around other pokémon. Even when the eevee's own nervous question popped up, the mewtwo seemed less concerned about any implications than she might have otherwise, -Beta could see further if she probed, but she sees no point in doing so. It is more interesting to get information from speaking to an individual than it is to simply dig up the facts.- She blinked once, realizing she sounded a bit more logic-based than she meant to, swiftly adding, -...And she has respect for boundaries. She knows the mind is often the only place some have to hide.- She knew it because she did just the same.

Oh, but she must have sounded weird, saying it like that. She never thought about that before she got herself going, but afterwards... The cloaked girl almost held a hand out for introduction, but wasn't sure the one she was speaking to was as comfortable with the gesture; instead, she tapped her own chest a couple times with fingertips only, -Oh... Beta. Though you have assuredly realized that by now...- Unless Truffles thought Beta had a bad case of dissociative identity disorder, that is.

While speaking through telepathy was the only way Beta was ever known to communicate, the lack of necessity in needing to contact another still left interaction tasting rather strange. It was one thing to talk to oneself, without anyone around, but quite another to do similar directly... well, through someone else. Truffles' reaction to the voice in her head was growing in familiarity, but nonetheless worrisome. Beta was not naive to think that everyone was accommodating to certain quirks, after all. In an attempt to make the adjustment easier, she offered a mellow smile, mild under the shade of her hood. -Beta apologizes, she did not mean to assume. She just has the tendency to hide things that she does not want in the open up there...- she tapped a finger to her temple in demonstration, -... so understands when others feel the need. It is usually a safe place, and Beta does not wish to violate that sense of security.- Everyone had their secrets, but she supposed everyone also dealt with keeping them in their own ways.

The silver-skinned girl nodded in response to the question of her name; it was sometimes difficult to convey introductions when she refused to utilize the pronouns that associated herself with the body she was controlling, to associate herself with a sense of self. Truffles seemed like a very smart girl, though, if a bit on edge. -It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!- she piped up, glad the conversation seemed to be taking a more positive route. Maybe she was getting better at this!

However, Beta seemed to shirk away slightly when asked about her living arrangements. She was against lying, but she didn't want to alert anyone to where she was staying, either... Did she have to be specific? -Beta... does not live in town, no. This is actually the first time she has been here. She did not think there were many people that would be very... open to the idea of telepathy. She knows how humans can be...- Standing back up straighter, she continued, -Psychic-type pokémon are not so rare an occurrence, though, so Beta thought a pokémon would be able to relate a little better. It seems she was correct, yes?- She had to admit, while Truffles still looked a bit uncomfortable, the eevee was taking it better than Beta thought a human might -- telepathy, after all, was not a skill that was as commonplace among them. However, Truffles also seemed like she was nervous about something outside of this encounter, and the mewtwo wondered if it was due to similar reasons of unaccustomed surroundings. -Does Truffles live around here?- she asked, curiosity in her mental tone. Or was that concern?

Truffles was a very curious individual, and Beta found herself intrigued to figure out what made the girl tick. She had to be conscious of this fact, however, and keep posture in the forefront of her mind, lest she start staring, studious to the eevee's actions. The vulpine poké-girl seemed quite conflicted... but out of habit, that didn't raise any temptations for the lab rat to break her code of conduct and dig further. No, to be honest, it was more fun to try to figure it out through mere interaction, leaving lingering possibility, than to get the answers in a manner akin to cheating. She couldn't prod too much, though... she knew the disdain of being studied, and this was supposed to be on congenial terms.

Beta pulled at the hem of the cloak at her midsection, making sure she was still, for the most part, hidden from immediate view. She spotted as Truffles' expression, her tone, took on a more scorned air at the mention of the human race. Had the eevee also had the misfortune of being on the wrong side of their society? Of course, the mewtwo had no idea just how wrong she was... but also how much she simultaneously hit the nail on the head. Their roads were very different, but their views were one and the same, and Beta's own surprise, evident with a start, may have conveyed as much. After a brief pause, words came light like a tiptoe, -Truffles... has not had the best experience with the humans, either, has she?- There was no need to explain herself, that was something they could both relate to easily enough. No wonder she was so jumpy!

With the acceptance of the way that Beta spoke ensured, her own grin came more easily, feeling less awkward. She would have reinforced that trust with the notion that she didn't break promises -- it was against her nature! -- but such statements could not so easily be regarded as fact from one a stranger. Either way, if she didn't pry into the other girl's head, it would have been obvious with the knowledge she said aloud, wouldn't it? Those that kept such devious secrets, they usually slipped up somewhere in the end.

A frown creased across Beta's face, but it was one of calculated thought. -Is it difficult, to live out in the woods like that after transformation?- she asked, hoping it wasn't asking too much to query her way of life. Beta knew that wild pokémon made their homes in the woods all the time, but she wasn't sure how they fared when the world saw them as something more than just pokémon. At least it sounded like Truffles had others with her to help her out, and there was some respite there from feeling pity where she could do nothing to help. Especially when Truffles seemed so self-sustaining! -Work? What kind of work can Truffles perform for the humans?- she blinked, confused but fascinated. Beta had been much too blinded by the differences between pokémon and human that she... didn't think of switching their roles, at least in such a manner. Did humans actually accept them for such ability, instead of looking down on them as a beast, after transformation?

Beta still had her hands clipped around either cloak hem at her chest as the gust kicked up, and she tugged a little tighter to ensure the fabric stayed more or less in place, keeping her lime green whip of a tail from view. She had to tilt her head downward for the hood, but it was within the limits of speculation on the matter as well. Beta hadn't really met many others that had been transformed before, and of the ones she met, discussion of interaction with the human race was minimal. It made her wonder just how many pokémon under their similar circumstance truly got along with humans. Even further, how different was it for a captured pokémon than it was for a wild pokémon to adapt? Her deliberations were silent on the matter, but the focus displayed in her expression denoted how one question answered stirred up a flock of unanswered questions of similar caliber. No use asking them aloud, but curiosity-inducing nonetheless.

It wasn't difficult to see that Truffles seemed to have gone through a greater 'revamp' when she found her star than Beta had, at least from what was visible on the outside. -Truffles is an eevee, yes?- she asked to clarify, attempting to avoid the inclination to assume. While the mewtwo-girl hadn't actually ever met a very varied number of pokémon face-to-face, she had read up on plenty of them -- it was one of the perks to monitoring a computer system all day. Beta herself had only a handful of large changes to overcome upon the after effects of touching the magicked star. There was a definite height difference, and the legs bent funny from what she was used to... She released her grip on her cloak with a single hand and turned it over, -The hands are a pleasant change.- She had hands before, but they had lacked the mobility for fine detail... or the capabilities to fit into an ordinary pair of gloves.

The tonal difference in Truffles' mood was obvious, but it no less sparked on further curiosity. With so much of it at her disposal, it was beginning to get difficult to keep it all in check, and her sympathies were slightly disregarded. -It would make sense that they would allow us to work the same shifts. We can do just as much as they can, in certain cases even more,- she observed, indicating the abilities pokémon seemed to keep upon transformation: there weren't many humans that could call upon various elements to come to their aid, after all. She nodded her head slowly as Truffles explained the various tasks she had done at her previous job before the position was terminated. It seemed like a fairly generic assignment! -Does Truffles think she would be able to secure another job with similar job specifications?- the girl asked inquisitively. Or was she looking for more to do? Beta was a bit curious to see how a job search would be performed, but... wouldn't that require delving deeper into town? She didn't feel she was ready for that...

It was easy enough to assess the surprise that caught hold of Truffles as she was asked of her identifying pokémon species, and a quirk of an apologetic smile edged briefly at the corners of Beta's mouth. Were most incapable of determining that the young girl had once been a very identifiable eevee? Was it supposed to be a secret? With a start, Beta reprimanded herself: why else would she be wearing such bulky clothing? Was the silver-skinned girl not trying to do the very same thing?

Instead of apologizing for something that seemed rather invalid now, she bobbed her raven-crowned head in acceptance of the street-smart girl, knowing full well it was not only bitterness that drove her words home. Perhaps the humans were afraid of them, with all their power, or envied their capabilities? Beta was still far more prone to falling back on the idea that they were merely afraid of the unknown, and that which was different, however. -It is because of pokémon traits that the humans struck out to harness their abilities in the first place. Perhaps now that they know pokémon have a will of their own and are not fully under human control is what frightens them,- Beta hypothesized aloud, the tone taking on a much more cynical tone, -If they know that pokémon can do more, then that is why their trust wavers.- Humans were never ones to stand side-by-side other species when it came to power: their pride led to their belief that they had to be on top. It was all or nothing. Of course, this was all merely speculation...

It was likely because of such a train of thought that Beta's next sentiments sounded more concerned, -Beta wishes Truffles the best of luck in acquiring her next job. Someone who can look past differences to see that we are not all that different.- Or, at least, that most of them were not all that different. She hesitated when asked about what type of pokémon she had been, stiffening and pulling the shoulders of her cloak tighter around her, -Beta was... not a pokémon; such a title would have been a compliment.- Her eyes darted away, but she did not turn to follow suit, -...Beta was what the humans call a mewtwo.- Or, as she would have rather called it, an abomination -- the result of those that harnessed science in order to ascend to the ranks of gods themselves by creating life. They were synonymous, as far as she was concerned.