Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alba mentally noted Claire's hesitation, but didn't comment on it or the strength of her handshake. You could read a lot in a person's handshake alone, if you knew what to look for. Too bad Alba wasn't one of those people yet. All that he could deduce, as he returned with his own determined but careful grip, was that this was someone who could definitely hold her own.

"Ah, yes, thank you." He accepted the pokeball with both hands, as though worried he'd drop it. Spook, noticing what was going on with the humans, turned her attentions from the hungry mouse. She abandoned the half cleaned mess and floated closer for a better look at what Alba held. "Ch~ing?" The pokeball twitched just the slightest, it's occupant possibly knowing of the other Pokemon's presence.

Alba nodded at Claire's comment on the Pidgey's gender. "It can be hard to tell. I wouldn't have known that Spook is female if she hadn't insisted on it herself, and even then she had to be checked when I signed on to be sure."

Alba bit back a grin at the Pikachu's antics. That is, until Spook floated back to the counter, watched Zeus curiously, and experimentally tapped her foot on a cracker. Adding pressure, she stilled with a small, startled squeak when the cracker finally snapped and crunched. That... was so COOL! She wanted to try that agai-

"Spook!" Alba barked, and the Chingling instantly froze on the way to the next cracker. "Clean it up, then get over here." Spook pouted and looked at him with bright, beady black eyes. She gave up when his even stare and stiff posture didn't falter.

Alba let out a breath as Spook returned to sweeping up crumbs and broken crackers. "Sorry," he said, turning back to Claire. "Right, um, cookies. I would like to help, and it's the least I can do in return for, y'know, this." He motioned with the hand still holding the pokeball and finally clipped it to his belt. "I haven't cooked or baked anything in ages, though. I'd hate to ruin it for you." He a small frown of genuine concern slipped briefly across his features. It had to have been well over a decade now since he last even touched a stove or oven.

What could Alba say to that? "Uh, a... alright." Oh yeah. So cool, there. Not really.

The trainee approached so as to gain a better view of the recipe. It looked easy enough, and all he'd really be doing would be following any directions Claire gave him. Like with the oven. "Sure. Let's see here..." Press "bake," enter the temperature memorized from the list, press start. Alba couldn't help a small, relieved smirk. It was just like the oven in his old apartment had been. Good to know- As an afterthought, Alba discreetly tipped forward the door to check inside. Satisfied that nothing was stored inside -- not that he'd ever done so! -- he turned back to Claire when he was called.

"Electri... No. Can't say that I do." Alba glanced around him at the cabinets, trying to think of where such a thing might be stored. "Do you know, Spook?" Spook chimed, but shook her head before floating over to perch on his shoulder.

Alba thought about the question for a second or two. Meanwhile, he set to work putting away the mixer and ingredients. "Hmm... Not really sure. Never was all that creative. What do you think, Spook?" He'd relaxed a considerable amount during the whole baking process, no longer acting like the jumpy and tense person from when he'd entered.

The Chingling chimed from the other end of the counter. She'd obediently been holding onto the Pidgey's Pokeball for her trainer, rotating it and looking at it curiously from perhaps every angle. "Ching. Ling ching!" Rotating the pokeball again, Spook tapped just next to the release button. She gave Alba an expectant look.

Her trainer shrugged, crossing his arms loosely and turning back Claire. "Strange to say it, but Spook knows me pretty well. I'll probably need to let it out to decide on anything for sure." He glanced to the ceiling, and gave an almost embarrassed smiled at a memory. "Took about a day just to settle on hers." He tilted his head in a nod at the Chingling.

Alba nodded his acknowledgement as Zeus was officially introduced, and bit the inside of his lip just slightly at the mention of the Pidgey being nervous. "Yeah," he said slowly, eyeing the Poke Ball in Spook's limited grasp. "Thinking I'll wait until I'm in a safer, less food filled location before I go letting it out. I doubt too many people would like me for letting a twitchy Pidgey get feathers all over the kitchen." Especially if Spook saw it fit to pull her usual scare tactics. Which reminded him...

"Spook and I joined up in Ambergris. I actually named her something else completely at first. 'Spook' was just a joke for the first night. The next day, she successfully scared the ever loving daylights out of me at least twice before I ditched the original name and stuck with this one." He cast a halfhearted glare at Spook, who simply beamed goofily in return.

"Aria." Alba moved out of Claire's way as she worked. "My e... friend... once told me it had something to do with music. At least, I think that's what she said." He pressed the "off" button on the oven, and was promptly satisfied with the resounding click as the appliance shut down. "For a giant bell, it seemed fitting."

Securing the Pokeball in her care between cracker boxes, Spook shuffled her way around the counters. She sat about a foot of way, not sure exactly what she was dealing with but knowing that by gosh those round things smelled gooooood...

Alba snorted at the display. "Thanks." Stepping forward, he picked up one of the cookies, broke it easily down the middle, and passed one of the halves to Spook. The Chingling studied the treat carefully, even glancing a few times between Claire and Zeus below as though observing how to go about this. Alba smiled. "I don't think she's ever seen a cookie before, or at least not a fresh one. She acted just like this when we met, except it was a PB and J she couldn't figure out." He took a careful bite of his cookie half, making sure to properly chew and swallow before speaking, because Spook was now observing him. "These really are good, though."

Spook must have decided the half of a round thing she was holding was indeed safe to eat. Copying Zeus' technique, she shoved the entire piece into her mouth at once. Alba was terrified that she had choked herself when she suddenly rolled backward, but a happy, "Liiiii~iiiii~iiing~" put his fears to rest. Especially when she sat up again with a blissful expression. He couldn't help it, he had to laugh at that.

"I guess she approves," he said, pulling himself together again. Grabbing a paper towel, he wrapped three to take with him. "Thanks for these, then, and again for this." He'd walked back over to where Spook had left the new addition to their team, and attached the ball next to Spook's empty one on his belt.