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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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 Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:06 pm
"He won't talk to me anymore," she admitted with a noticeably distressed frown, her tones indicating she was obviously upset about this. "Well, he did earlier, but not.." Not as a friend would - it had only been to explain himself and his decisions and actions, nothing more. He didn't want to be her friend anymore, didn't need her or anything, and she wasn't sure which was more upsetting - that, or failing to help him as she'd promised Luke she would. Her current distressed state was likely a combination of both.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:26 pm
"...Oh." It sounded like it might well be then. Should he tell her what Lucas has said to him? Probably. "I ran into him in one of the training rooms a little while back," Aulus said slowly after some moments, looking down at Blue to avoid looking at Claire. "We were talking about... stuff? Oh, right, he was apologising for the stuff he said to me in Ambergris. We got onto talking about pokemon and the labs and Shadow pokemon and how I wouldn't let them do anything to Tortie and something about being protective of the things we care about. Then I mentioned you, something about how you'd said you and he were like siblings..." Aulus trailed off for a moment before shrugging and adding; "Basically he went all cold, said that he didn't see you like that, that you were just a co-worker or team mate... So did he say that to you too, or something like it?"
Lucas. Bloody Lucas. Psycho and arsehole extraordinaire. He supposed he should have expected this to happen after that conversation. She was nothing to the man, and she'd found that out. b*****d.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:51 pm
Violet eyes slid upwards to study Aulus absently as he spoke, brows knitting together more as he explained. When he'd finished she didn't reply right away, her gaze drifting off to the benches behind him. "...oh." A thoughtful pause. "Well that makes sense." It had seemed like just a random realization on Lucas' part until now, so at least she knew why he'd suddenly got it into his head and it made more sense. She couldn't imagine him realizing the fact on his own.
She was cold now. Lifting her head slightly, she removed her hand from Artemis and pointed to the benches with it instead. "Go get my towel please," she said as she finally stirred from the original position Aulus had found her in. The Growlithe remained crouched where she was, looking between the pair of humans with something of a confused look. What was she asking? "Awrr?" She whined uncertainly, flicking her ears back as her tail wagged much more slowly.
Claire's brows furrowed slightly, still pointing, and also uncertain of what to say to make the puppy pokemon understand the command. "Fetch?"
Oh, oh! She could do that, yes, she was very good at Fetch, it was her favorite game besides Find. With an excited bark that echoed off the walls in the spacious room, Artemis turned and bounded towards the bench. The lavender towel was grasped in her teeth before she bounded back, not seeming to notice that most of the towel was dragging along the tiled floor.
This didn't seem to bother Claire too much, and apparently neither did the fact that Aulus was sitting right next to her. While the last time he'd caught her in the pool she refused to move above a certain water level until after he'd already left, this time she didn't seem to care at all. This was more than likely due to how preoccupied her mind was at the moment, filled with thoughts of the information he just gave her and the conversation she'd had with Lucas.. how long ago had that been now? How long had she been in the pool? Huh, it couldn't have been too long, could it? Either way, as Artemis trotted back, the agent easily hoisted herself out of the pool right where she was, then stood before wrapping the towel around herself beneath her shoulders to keep her arms free. ..crap, now the tile was wet, and she didn't want to sit there. Eh, the bench was fine, so she moved to sit there instead with a sigh. "Lucas is... difficult," she said after so long without speaking, reaching up to rub her forehead a bit as she inhaled deeply, "to understand and to explain. That's why I'm not really surprised this happened," though that didn't mean she was happy about it, because she wasn't. Not at all, and this was still obvious.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:55 am
Watching Claire get out of the pool was fun, but before she made it all the way out of the water he forced himself to look down at Blue rather than at her assets. Aulus didn’t claim to be a gentleman or even a nice guy, but even he didn’t feel right about ogling somebody who was close to a friend and was clearly miserable. “I’m surprised,” he said, turning back to Claire as she settled on the bench and getting to his feet. “Mind you,” he shrugged, “all I really know about him is that he likes to threaten people with death on your behalf. From that I assumed you had to be special to him...” This probably wasn’t helping.
Giving a heavy sigh Aulus moved over to sit on the bench a short distance away from Claire... Oh. Here eyes weren’t hazel. She still had her contacts in. For some reason he felt vaguely disappointed about that, but he didn’t have time to consider why that might be and so he mentally set the issue aside. “I don’t really think there’s anything comforting I can say,” the scarred man said after a few moments. “All I can really offer is... Well, I’m sorry he’s been a d**k to you. Do you want me to offer to threaten to beat him up for you? I’d probably be shot and killed if I tried so I won’t actually do it, but if it would make you better we can talk about all the places you want him kicked.”
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:11 am
A faint smile appeared on her lips at the offer, though it disappeared just as quickly. "No, I don't want that." Even if he was being a big jerk, she still felt bad. This wasn't her fault, why did she feel bad? Well, maybe not about the circumstances, but she felt bad for Lucas. He was such a lonely person, and she'd been hoping to help change that. So much for that plan. She sighed, furrowing her brows as one hand fidgeted with the edge of the towel at her side. "You're surprised because you don't know him," she started, studying a specific tile on the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world at the moment. "He hasn't exactly.. had the best experiences with people ever." His whole life. Arceus, did it make her feel bad... Should she explain more? Well, that might make Aulus understand, but she didn't exactly feel right talking about Lucas' whole life story without his knowledge. Even if he was being a jerk.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:28 pm
"No," Aulus scowled, "and I don't really care to... I know you care about him, but I find it hard to let go of the fact that he threatened to kill me. I'm sorry he's not had the best experience with people or whatever but... Well I don't think it's an excuse for what he said to me, or what he's done to you. You don't just say you're going to break somebody's spine for no reason, or be all warm an pally with somebody one day and stop talking to them the next; I freely admit to being a git and even I know that."
What did Claire see in the stupid old man, Aulus wondered as he turned away to watch Char's industrious mopping. She'd be better off without him once she got over it, and he was better of without the nutter skulking around Claire too. He'd apologised for his words in Ambergris, but they weren't forgotten 'I was stressed!' Yea, so, what about next time you're stressed? Crazy b*****d.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:02 pm
Oh yeah; she'd almost completely forgotten that Lucas had threatened Aulus already, though it didn't surprise her in the least that he had, all things considered. Aulus didn't know any of these things though, so it was no wonder he didn't care for the older man in the slightest. "There are no excuses, but there are reasons that explain why he says things or acts or thinks the way he does," she explained with a sigh, rubbing her forehead again and looking like she was trying to figure out whether or not to say something. Apparently she'd decided. "Well, Lucas is a very chivalrous sort of person. Has been for years. He'd never hurt a girl on purpose, and he would never allow someone else to. His favorite girlfriend was.." She still couldn't say it. "..hurt, I guess you could say. So when Lucas found out about it, he went and beat up her ex-boyfriend." It was so much easier to say when it was in different sentences. Then again, Lucas hadn't fully beaten the guy up - he'd broken something on him, but the conversation had been a while ago and she couldn't really remember it exactly. "Anyway, that's why he threatened you," she finished, her gaze having drifted to another tile at some point during the conversation.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:17 pm
"Tarred with the same violent brush?" Aulus snorted. "Nice. Kind of sexist if you ask me; all men being potential woman bashers, and all women being helpless damsels that need him to charge in and save them with his spine-snapping and... I'm sorry." Aulus sighed and rubbed his face. He was no good at this. He hated the guy, but Claire thought of him - or had thought of him - as a brother. He ought to show some degree of respect for that.
"This isn't about what I think of what him," he went on after a moment, looking down at his boots, "it's about you being upset that he's not talking to you. He was good to you, so you like him. Maybe in time I can learn to drop my grudge and think more about the whys of the way he acts, but right now I can't so let's just leave my opinion out... Is there anything I can do? I mean... Well I can't make him be your friend again be I can try to take your mind off it." He wanted to help, he realised as he looked back at Claire. Really wanted to help, not just thought he might as well if it didn't put him to any trouble. She was the closest thing he had to a friend around here and... and he didn't like seeing her sad. "Hey," he gave a small smile that softened his harsh scarred face considerably, "if it would make you laugh I'll do something stupid like jump in the pool with my clothes on. I'm off duty after this anyway."
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:53 pm
She wasn't exactly pleased with his initial rambling on about Lucas, but didn't say anything. Her displeasure was certainly obvious, though. However, at the mention of jumping into the pool with his clothes in, her violet gaze shifted from the tiled floor to his face, a slight smirk slowly forming on her face. "You wouldn't." Her tone suggested more of a dare to do so rather than a thought that he wouldn't.
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:33 am
“Would too!” Aulus retorted with a grin, unzipping his boots and removing all non-waterproof items from his pockets. Getting to his feet he sauntered along the edge of the pool and climbed up to the diving board. Throwing Claire a mock salute he bounced once on the board, and bombed into the water.
A few moments later his head broke the surface again and paddled over to the side. Resting his elbows on the edge, he regarded Claire with a smirk. “There! Happy now?” This had probably been a bit of a silly idea, he’d be dripping all the way up to his dorm, but if it cheered Claire up it would be worthwhile.
Further away from the water, Char had paused to watch his trainer’s antics. After concluding that he worked for a madman the fire type got back to work; the floor would not clean itself, and if his master would either than it fell to him.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:06 am
The smirk on her face widened as he made his way to the diving board, watching him expectantly as he climbed it... and actually jumped in. When he surfaced, Aulus would see her giggling while a raised hand half-covered her mouth. His clothes were soaked, his hair was drenched - he looked like a drowned Rattata more than a person, and it was hilarious. He had pretty much literally made a fool out of himself. The thought that he'd done it to cheer her up was sweet, and possibly a little touching (though she wouldn't want to admit it). It had succeeded in pulling her from her thoughts long enough to realize it wasn't good to just hang around and mope. Not in public, anyway, her bedroom would be fine for that. "I can't believe you actually did it," she chuckled, leaning against the hard wall of the pool room. He looked like a hilarious drowned Rattata. Hilarious.
Artemis, after watching this exchange, bounded happily over to Char. Clearly this was an amazing feat, since she hadn't been able to accomplish anything close to that by simply laying there. Of course, she wouldn't have jumped into the pool.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 10:36 am
"Said I would, didn't I?" Aulus grinned, feeling vaguely warm and fuzzy inside. She had a cute giggle. "Anyway," the scarred man hauled himself out of the pool, "anything else you want me to do for your entertainment now that I'm drenched?" It wasn't like he could look much more foolish than he already did and besides, it was just the two of them plus some of their pokemon. Claire teased him anyway no matter what he did, so he supposed he didn't have much to lose by acting like a prat for her amusement... He'd just jumped into the pool fully clothed. It wasn't something he'd do for anyone else on base. It wasn't something he'd thought he would do for her until he'd actually done it.
Halting his cleaning again, the Charmeleon looked over at his trainer with a thoughtful frown. he observed,
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:52 pm
Artemis agreed with an (overly)enthusiastic nod of her head. both be pleased!>
"No, that's okay," she chuckled, shaking her head a bit. "You looking like a drowned rattata is entertaining enough." Because he sure as hell did look like a drowned rattata. She really didn't think he'd do it, all things considered. He didn't seem to like people laughing at him - because honestly, who did? - so why did he do it? "So what are you going to do now that you're absolutely soaking wet?" The chuckling had finally ceased, but an amused smile remained on her face. Why had he actually gone and jumped in the pool?
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 2:31 pm
"What am I going to do?" Aulus gave Claire a very serious look and squelched down the length of the pool. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do: my job." Picking up his mop, the scarred man set about cleaning the floor on the opposite side of the pool to Char. "World would come to an end if I didn't," he went on the wry tones, "everyone would get some kind of foot fungus and die. Aren't you glad I'm here to save you from the foot fungus?" Now he really was acting like an idiot, but he still felt in inexplicably high spirits. He wanted to hear her laugh like that more often, even if it meant making a fool of himself.
After a few moments of thought, Char shook his head. An annoyed trainer was the last thing he wanted, especially over something that he could have prevented.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 3:12 am
Oh yes, she would completely agree - he really was making a total fool of himself. Her giggling paused for the length of his explanation and several seconds thereafter, then suddenly continued with renewed vigor. "Oh, yes," she agreed through her giggling, a hand mostly still partially covering her mouth, "I'm so glad you're here to save me from it, I would probably get horribly sick and die at any moment from it without you. My hero," she finished, trying to reign in her amusement, though it was pretty hard to while he went on about foot fungus people would die from, looking like a drowned Rattata while making such a show of mopping... okay it was damn near impossible, but she still tried. He really did look absolutely ridiculous. What would he do if someone else came in? Did he even care? ...on that note, why didn't he care that she saw him like this? Why did he even do it in the first place? ...did he do it just to try and cheer her up? She knew he liked to come off as some sort of manly tough guy, and at the moment he was anything but, so he had to have done it for her. This thought - and the sentiment that went with it - tinged her cheeks with a subtle shade of pink. Of course, it could also be easily associated with her amusement, which had by this time settled into quiet giggles.
Artemis turned to regard Aulus with bright orange eyes, tilting her head in the typical curious dog manner. she agreed, thumping her tail against the tiling. The thumping suddenly increased in pace as she got an exciting idea. Then he will be pleased!> Oh, yes, this was a very good idea!
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