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 Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:37 pm
When Declan had awoken from the deep sleep that followed finding one of Jirachi's stars, his initial reaction had been terror. The oshawott had recently been given to a ten year old on their borthday. A starter Pokemon, he had looked forward to going on adventures with this child: only to be abandoned a few days later. He'd been suplied a large bag of jelly beans and a small blanket. The girl had said maybe once he grew stronger, they could be a team again; but if he couldn't beat a bidoof--well, there was no reason for her to keep him, was there? Legendaries were what she was interested in.
The oshawott hadn't understood everything then: but when he looked for her later, she was gone. He had been left. For a while, the oshawott had waited for her. He'd paced between the trees near the Pokemon lab. He rationed the jellybeans and became thin, and hungry.
That was when he'd caught sight of the star. Starving, the oshawott had plucked it off the ground and attempted to make a meal of it. He hadn't noticed the sleep overpowering him until it was too late to fight it.
He woke, naked and frightened--and still hungry, outside the Pokemon lab. He shivered, not from cold, but from the sudden lack of fur. He stiffened, studying his limbs with increasing unease. What was he? What had happened to him? Was he still a Pokemon? What had that star done to him? For a long time, the oshawott had sat, trying to make sense of what had happened. He resembled the child who had abandoned him: at least, somewhat. He had hair, like she'd had. He had arms, fingers--he wiggled them experimentally-he had long legs. Maybe he'd evolved?
Yes, that must have been it! He'd evolved! He still had a chance to find a child who wanted him! But first, he thought, as he heard, not for the first time, his stomach protest, he needed to find food. But how? Would the lab be stocked? He circled it once, hesitating. Would he have to break in? What if they stopped him? What if they caught him?
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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 2:52 pm
MoogerMint MoogerMint
The sun had been obnoxious lately, its rays beckoning the bored child to come out and play. Karma never really understood this phenomenon, for the warmth of the burning star in the sky did not always guarantee a better time than an overcast day, but this lack of knowledge didn't help stave off the persistent longing for the fresh air of summertime. Neither did the fact that none of the scientists seemed too keen on babysitting the ditto as zhe asked to go outside... or the rules not to go out alone, for that matter.
Creeping out the back door, Karma swept over the surroundings with a glance from side to side, making sure the coast was clear. Sliding the shoulder bag closer to zher back, the beaming child adjusted the hat that sat atop zher head and scooted out the door, making sure it shut quietly. Oh so pro! Getting past the first few lines of defense was one thing, though, and the dusty blue-haired kid knew it, so that mouth was going to have to stay shut for a bit longer. That was alright, Karma knew how to play quiet!
Thaliawen
The sudden appearance of the ditto child frightened Declan. He'd been hoping to sneak inside to steal someone's lunch. He had been able to do so just once, but he hoped it was worth the risk. Who knew? Maybe his trainer was in there, waiting for him! Maybe the blue haired child would go away so he could grab something to eat. The oshawott boy ducked behind a nearby tree, watching Karma warily. Would the child leave soon? Declan inched closer to the lab door: and so, closer to Karma. His stomach gurgled audibly. He hoped the blue haired person hadn't heard him! What would happen if they had? Would they catch him? Feed him, maybe? The risk was worth it, he decided. He moved out from behind the bush and wrapped his arms around Karma. Yes. This person would feed him, and be his trainer!
MoogerMint
Karma was absolutely oblivious to the oshawott sneaking around the back of the laboratory, despite raised attention to the chance at getting caught. After all, zhe wasn't supposed to be out here, and despite the bending of such established, local laws of the building. With a bit of hesitation, the brightly-colored child decided that zhe would just have to do something to make up for it later, for it was wrong... but then, wasn't it wrong to never allow zhim to set foot outside on such a nice day? Maybe that was a good enough workaround to avoid any repercussions.
"Eeep!" Karma suddenly jolted as the young oshawott's arms wrapped around zher slight frame, "I'm sorry, I was going to stay right here, honest!" Once the flailing had ceased, the ditto peeked around zher shoulder, only to find that zhe was caught in the embrace of someone that zhe didn't quite recognize. Oh no... was this someone else that zhe had forgotten? "Y-You scared me!" Karma prompted, though still nervous that this was a person that the child should know.
Thaliawen
The oshawott hesitated, blinking for a long moment. He seemed to be assessing the situation. "Scared me!" He mimicked, tightening his hold on the ditto child. "Sorry! Eep!" Were these things he was supposed to understand? He puzzled over the words: they seemed familar, at least some of them. Had his trainer used them before? "Cake?" He asked hopefully. He'd come to understand that word quickly enough! Cake was food, wasn't it? He'd heard someone in the lab request it. He released Karma to circle zher. Hm... No food? Maybe they would have to break into the lab together! Yes! That was a brilliant idea! "Eep! Cake!" Yes, this eep person; whoever zhe was, would make a fine trainer. As long as Karma brought him something to eat!
MoogerMint
As the young oshawott began repeating what Karma had said, the ditto stiffened, the words unexpected in zher ears. At first, there wasn't much more than confusion, sidling slowly into a question as to whether or not the unknown poké-child was mocking the one he had ahold of. The way the words were spoken, though, they didn't sound like they were derisive in tone... so then, was this a game? That must have been it! As Declan walked into view, Karma tilted zher head, confused. "Cake? What about cake?" zhe asked. That seemed utterly random to the ditto; it had been a very long time since zhe had even thought of the treat. As much as Karma tended to like sweet foods, it was not a commonality, considering most of the scientists in the lab did not want to have to deal with the shenanigans of a hyperactive child or two in their midst. With a slight frown, mismatched eyes squinting a little in thought before zhe placed a hand on zher chest, "Karma!" No, zhe was pretty sure they had not met before; this was just too strange.
Thaliawen
"Cake?" Declan repeated, more insistantly. He tugged on the ditto child's arm. Surely zhe had something to eat? Wasn't she willing to share with him? The oshawott studied his surroundings, considering the possibility. He gave her his best cute face: causing his eyes to widen slightly. He didn't seem to understand the meaning of the ditto pointing to zherself and, instead of registering that zhe was introducing zherself, said, "No Karma. Cake!" He tugged on zher arm again. "No Karma, cake! Cake, cake, cake!" He released zher arm, only to wrap his around the ditto once more. Now, would she get him something to eat? He'd asked nicely, even!
MoogerMint
The pleading face that the oshawott offered to Karma at the insistence of cake confused the ditto more than it helped zher understand Declan's predicament. Zhe was confused and slightly nervous about such a random encounter, and as the young boy began tugging on zher arm, Karma's attention focused on the words more than their arbitrary nature, and zher tone saw encroaching irritation, "I don't have any cake!" What, did he really think the ditto was just going to reward him for this sort of behavior? It was rude! Where would zhe even carry something like that? It would get squished in zher shoulder bag! Karma was utterly baffled by Declan's demands and shows of affection.
Thaliawen
Declan hesitated for a long moment. He studied the ditto child, considering zher words--or at least, what he understood of them. He seemed at a loss for words--which was an easy thing, with his limited vocabulary. He swallowed. Oh. No cake. This person had no food, after all. He would have to sneak into the laboratory and see what he could find. "Don't have any cake," he repeated, more to himself. No cake. He moved towards the lab door, pressing his face against it. Maybe if he stayed like this, someone would see him and offer some sort of substance!
MoogerMint
Karma held onto any further words with a slightly held breath, still teetering around the edge on how to feel about this encounter. Instead, the ditto studied the oshawott's reaction to zher slightly busted fuse. He seemed to understand what zhe said, and didn't press the matter further... Karma nodded a little as Declan repeated the ditto's explanation, but flinched as he seemed to try to muscle his way through the door, around to the front. Karma followed around to the side, but didn't near the front -- zhe wasn't even supposed to be out here, and had been planning to stay at the back! "Hey!" Karma hissed, trying to be quiet yet simultaneously regain his attention, "Hey, don't do that, you'll get in trouble!" What made him think anyone in there had any cake? It wasn't anyone's birthday, as far as zhe knew!
Thaliawen
Declan turned to stare at Karma. He studied her with a blank expression, before going to her side. "Cake?" He asked, hopefully. He put his hand to his stomach: perhaps zhe had some and wasn't sharing! Didn't zhe know his situation--no, zhe couldn't. He hadn't told zher. But how could he? He held up his empty jelly bean sack and peered inside. "Cake?" He was hungry! And she wouldn't let him go inside!
MoogerMint
Karma was relieved once Declan moved back to stand beside the ditto and out of immediate sight, and to commemorate it, zhe leaned zher back heavily against the side wall and sighed audibly with relief. By then, full attention was back on the strange oddity of an oshawott, and action began being taken into consideration alongside the words that came from the boy's mouth. He was still insisting cake, but it was less demanding, as though trying to make zher understand. The sadness seemed out of place for the lack of a celebratory treat, so... The ditto blinked, tenseness released as zhe realized an important detail, "Ohhh... is that all you can say? Cake... food? Food! Are you hungry?" To indicate what zhe meant, the child placed a hand to zher own stomach and rubbed it, making quiet growling noises and wiggling zher fingers for effect. Like that?
Thaliawen
Declan hesitated, blinking at the newly provided word. "Food?" He repeated, inquiringly. "Food! Cake?" He hadn't quite grasped the meaning: but then, the ditto child used a word he was familar with. He had often heard his trainer complain of that ailment. "Hungry!" He echoed, dropping the empty jellybean bag and scooting closer to Karma. He leaned against the wall, mimicking zher. "Hungry, hungry, hungry! Cake!"
MoogerMint
Each and every word and action that stumbled off of Declan was scrutinized as Karma tried to decipher the boy's motives and, most of all, what exactly he was meaning to say. It grew more and more apparent that he was struggling with communication, but it still seemed as though the ditto had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. As Declan moved against the wall beside Karma, zhe popped forward and pinned him lightly in place, hands at his shoulders, "Okay, you stay put! Staaay, I'll be right back, okay? I'll get you some food, just stay!" Oh zhe so hoped he could be trained to do that, even if it was just temporarily!
Karma inched off towards the back door again, glancing back a couple times and giving a stern 'stay put!' look to make sure Declan kept himself rooted. Once the door was within grasp, Karma moved as close to a bolt of lightning as zhe could, as long as zhe also remained as silent. The break room was closer to the back than the fridge was, so after noting that nobody was in the room, Karma snatched the first, relatively-large food item that zhe could spot and sped out the back door once more. It wasn't until the ditto-child was back against the wall next to the oshawott-boy that zhe actually took a better look at the plastic-wrapped sandwich in hand. Well... that could work, and it would be simple enough to replace! With a smile, Karma held it up to offer to zher acquaintance, "Food! Hungry?"
Thaliawen
Declan stayed put as instructed: eagerly awaiting what he figured was a promised meal. He felt like dancing! The ditto child had understood after all; had understood and was providing! He beamed upon Karma's return, immediately reaching for the sandwich. He studied it for a moment, and then, without removing the plastic wrap, attempted to take a bite. He pulled away, blinking. Blegh! This didn't taste like food! He made a face to show his distaste, and offered the sandwich back to Karma. "Bad cake."
MoogerMint
Karma grinned back as Declan seemed to understand what it was the ditto had been trying to say, not only with the hunger factor but staying put during the entire time zhe had been gone as well. However, it wasn't until the oshawott bit into the sandwich, plastic encasing and all, and attempted to give it back that Karma realized what had happened. "Oh, no you're supposed to take that off first!" the ditto explained in a hurried fashion, taking the sandwich to demonstrate. As the plastic wrap was removed, Karma offered it back to Declan with a reassuring smile. Glancing back down at the flimsy material in zher other hand, zhe half-stifled a snicker; zhe'd never seen someone try to eat that before!
Thaliawen
Declan took the sandwich again hesitantly. He studied it, turning it over in his hands twice, before taking a bite. He chewed thoughtfully, finally rewarding Karma with a grateful smile. "Good cake!" He announced, mouth still full. "Good, good cake!" He took another bite, and finding it as good as the first, beamed and quickly inhaled the sandwich. Finished, he wrapped his arms around Karma. "My cake."
MoogerMint
Karma clapped zher hands together excitedly as Declan approved of the meal. In a very strange fashion, zhe might add... "Not cake, that's a sandwich! Saaaand-wiiiiich," the ditto attempted to correct by sounding out the syllables slowly enough to be mimicked. Dual-colored eyes blinked slightly at the young oshawott's manners with a full mouth, but decided that teaching table etiquette could come at a later time. Despite the rectification of his vocabulary, the nickname he had opted to give the ditto, Karma had no urge to change. Cake? Actually, that sounded about right... zhe was as colorful as a decorated cake, and would hope to be considered just as sweet! With a giggle, zhe wrapped zher arms around Declan in return, "Just don't eat me, okay?"
Thaliawen
"Not cake?" Declan echoed, wide eyed. He stared at the remnants of the sandwich, as if it had tricked him somehow. "Not cake! Saaaaand-dich! Sanddich, sanddich! More sanddich!" The oshawott boy held out his hand expectantly. He'd keep it for later. He'd gotten used to carefully rationing his food: a second sandwich might last him a day or two! "Not eat," he agreed, tightening his hold on the ditto child. "My cake. Good cake. Not eat." He pulled back to study zher for a long moment. He hesitated. This person had no pokeballs! How would zhe catch him?
MoogerMint
Well, it... wasn't QUITE the right pronunciation, but it was good enough -- definitely a gold star effort for someone who didn't seem used to speaking aloud yet! Karma giggled and nodded, clapping zher hands together once as way of encouragement, "That's right, it's a sandwich!" Maybe he was a quick learner? Who was to say how many other things he could pick up on! However, the ditto flatered a bit as Declan seemed to ask for more, a worried expression knitting across zher face as zhe shook zher head slowly, "I only grabbed the one... I didn't know you were starving!" Well that was terrible foresight on the matter! The squeeze of a hug seemed to be another route of apology, as much as it was to accept the gratitude, but zhe still felt bad about not helping to adequately fight off his hunger, even if zhe had to temporarily steal in order to solve the problem... As a matter of fact, why was he out here anyway, in such poor condition? "Where are your parents? Or trainer? Or... home?" Karma asked, a bit puzzled.
Thaliawen
Where were his parents? A good question, Declan thought. His egg had been taken to a professor's lab to hatch and raise until he was ready to be his trainer's first Pokemon. "Trainer!" He recognized that word. He wrapped his arms tightly around Karma. "You! My cake! Trainer! You mine!" Yes, he'd found the perfect trainer after all. "No more sanddich. More you."
MoogerMint
Karma tilted zher head as zhe watched Declan struggle with the posed question, wondering what was going on in his head. Did he understand what zhe was asking, or was the ditto asking too much? It didn't seem the answer would be so obvious, though, as the little oshawott hugged Karma again, causing the ditto's surprise to manifest as the sudden pressure-released air escaped from zher lungs at the squeeze. Boy, he really liked hugs!
Zhe patted him on the back with a sheepish laugh, one that was quickly silenced as Declan named the blue-haired child his trainer. Karma was definitely flabberghasted, if not flattered, but... a pokémon... owning another pokémon? Zhe was about to clumsily refuse the offer, but then it dawned on the young ditto, and the excitement was quick to return, "Ohhh... you're like a little lost kitten!" Aaah, how adorable! But oh no, how was Karma supposed to deal with this turn of events? Zher eyes darted around the landscape, remembering the workshop building further behind the laboratory building with a start. Oh, perfect! "Okay, do you think you can be quiet? I can't bring you inside... but I might be able to hide you," zhe considered. Was it really right to do that to him, though? He wouldn't be able to go anywhere that way, staying cooped up in that place... but maybe just for now? Or maybe it would be best to ask Tania for some advice...
Thaliawen
"Quiet," Declan agreed immediately, catching onto the word, but not the meaning. "Quiet, quiet, quiet!" He repeated, beaming at Karma. He didn't mind being hidden, he supposed. Inside the lab seemed nice; they had food; but if the ditto child promised to bring him food regularly, he certainly didn't see a problem with it. "Hide!" He agreed, hiding behind zher to demonstrate. He understood that word! "Hide, hide! Cake?" He moved in front of Karma to study her. "Cake hide?"
MoogerMint
Karma fidgeted slightly in a panic, quickly putting an index finger to zher mouth to emphasize the silence that was required of the situation. "Shh! No, be quiet! Like this!" the ditto-child whispered, "Can you do that?" It was a learned trait, but one that Karma was hopeful he could catch onto with relative ease. At least he understood what hiding was, and with a sheepish but creeping smile, Karma nodded to encourage that behavior more, "Yeah, I can hide for a bit, too." Just so long as he was able to be quiet in the meantime! Motioning for him to follow, the zhe rounded further to the back, off a little across the backyard. Zhe had to take careful note that nobody seemed to be near the back window to see where it was they hid, but once that was established as being clear, Karma took hold of the oshawott's wrist and led him quickly to the back of the workshop.
Thaliawen
"Shh? Shh!" Declan echoed, in a not-quite whisper. He was delighting in the words he was learning, in such a short amount of time, too! "Quiet!" His voice fell into a whisper, and he added, "Sanddich, quiet?" If he was quiet, would he be rewarded with more good food? He followed Karma cheerfully. "Hide sanddich, quiet sanddich." It was starting to sound like a good deal! "My Cake hide. Hide! Quiet hide."
MoogerMint
Oh yuck, whenever people emphasized the volume of their sound effects, they always seemed to spit a little... Karma made a mental note to bring that up at a less frantic time, along with other notions of etiquette, at a later date, there was no time now! Zher face turned a bit more solemn, starting to see more problems with this little idea of zhers than there was positive things to address. He was still hungry? There would be no way that Karma could grab something else, not until dinner... Zhe didn't want him to starve. Flinching, zhe removed zher hand from his person and pulled it toward zhimself, fidgeting slightly, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea..." He seemed pretty high-maintenance; zhe was pretty sure, at this rate, that zhe wouldn't be able to care for him to the point where he was comfortable!
Thaliawen
"Good idea," Declan whispered, reaching for Karma's hand. He studied zher earnestly. He seemed to be trying to reassure the ditto. He couldn't understand english entirely, maybe, but he could recognize facial expressions and tones. Karma had lost zher enthusiasm. "My Cake. Good idea." He glanced around, before adding, "Hide?" Inquiringly. "Good idea, hide."
MoogerMint
With a startled perk at Declan's hand at zher own, Karma blinked a bit in mild disbelief. Did... did he actually understand what zhe was saying? He didn't seem to be messing with the ditto, but he also didn't appear to understand what was going through zher mind, either. It was obvious he was trying, though. With careful consideration, Karma decided to leave the ultimate decision about what to do to the side for now, and just observe how things went from here. Carefully, zhe opened the back door to the workshop and peered inside. Nobody was around, as was expected -- they only really needed something out of here when they were running unusually low on certain supplies, or something big was happening. "I'll hide with you for now," Karma decided, waving him inside; it would be as good a gauge as any!
Thaliawen
Declan went into the workshop, and glanced around. Hm. Thus was as cozy as his pokeball had been, he supposed. Much bigger: there was certainly room for him to move around! He beamed at Karma to show his graditude. "Hide with," he agreed, beaming. He sat on the floor of the workshop. What now? What did one do when hiding?
MoogerMint
Glancing back to Declan as he sat on the floor, Karma giggled and motioned him back up. There were some things in here it was probably best that he didn't get into, so might as well show him while nobody else was around. Pointing up to the shelves full of various supplies, Karma determined the level of danger most of the items posed, but a lot of them also just... would have been best not to move. So after a bit of silence, Karma reiterated before zhe even started speaking a word, "Don't climb on these when you're in here, okay? And don't take things off of them. Um..." There was careful consideration for a moment, a frown creasing zher expression before opting to show instead. With one arm, Karma reached for a beaker on one of the lower shelves, and then swatted at the reaching hand with the other arm, do indicate that was a no-no. Turning around more, zhe spun zher finger to show that they were probably all like that, at least to be on the safe side. "Hm, I'll have to leave the back door unlocked..." zhe concluded, realizing it would be a bad idea to have no way out, if he were to be staying in here. Turning to the back corner, a few empty cardboard boxes sat in a disorderly stack, and Karma waved over toward them, "That's a good spot! Let's try it!"
Thaliawen
Declan glanced up at the shelves indicated as he stood. "Don't climb on these," he echoed. "Don't take." He nodded to show he understood, watching as the ditto child reached for a beaker and then swatted at her hand. Hm. That meant "Don't touch" didn't it? It seemed like everything in the room was a don't touch item. He went to Karma's side. "Good spot!" He parrotted. "Good spot."
MoogerMint
Karma's grin broadened as Declan seemed to catch onto what zhe was trying to relay with much less delay than previously. So he understood it better when someone showed him, did he? Zhe could do that! It still seemed like it would be pretty boring in here for the little guy, though... Karma was sure that something could be done about that if they were able to think a bit on the matter. With an eager giggle, the ditto nudged Declan toward the stack of cardboard boxes before taking the lead, sliding behind them and pushing a few in the center carefully forward for more room. "Oh neat, this could be a really good clubhouse!" zhe chirped happily, finding this all very exciting, "Come on, help me build a fort!" No, zhe didn't think he'd understand those strange words, but the careful actions that Karma was employing to the results may have. Lead by example!
Thaliawen
"House?" Declan echoed, failing to grasp unto the entirety of the phrase. "Good house!" He exclaimed, happily sitting in the center of the boxes. He studied his surroundings for a moment, before he beamed at Karma. "Good house," he said again. He didn't understand what she wanted him to do, and hesitated. "Fort?" He asked, blinking. What was a fort? How did one make a fort? Instead of attempting to do so, he leaned against Karma and gave an exagerated yawn. Building a fort sounded tiring!
MoogerMint
Karma turned zher shoulders, craning zher neck to spot Declan as he clambered between the boxes behind the ditto and seated himself on the concrete floor. Karma's hands were around an empty cardboard box by this point, attempting to dislodge the cumbersome object from where it stood, like pegs in a game of Jenga. "Yeah, we gotta build it. Make the walls better at keeping out the enemy!" the child explained with a bit of a grunt as the box was pulled, causing two more to come tumbling down. Karma squeaked and jumped slightly at the sound, but the boxes seemed to miss the both of them. The sound, however, was slightly more harrowing; hopefully nobody overheard!
Thaliawen
"Nemy? Declan asked, eyes wide. What was an enemy, and why were they keeping them out? Oh well! He stacked a box carefully on top of another. "No nemy!" He declared, beaming at Karma. The smile slid from his face as the boxes fell to the floor. He promptly hid behind Karma, quivering. Was that an enemy? It sure was loud! He took the scalchop he kept on him, and held it up, preparing to use razor shell on the boxes. Hm. They weren't moving. He poked one experimentally with his free hand. Was it alive? It didn't seem as if it was. When someone else entered the room, he stiffened, and turned slowly towards the door. "Nemy?" He asked Karma, quite seriously. He'd fight the enemy to protect Karma!
The enemy in question was Tania. The shadow mew girl hesitated at the door, before calling, "Karma, are you in here? Are you okay? I heard something fall." She moved further into the storage, looking around. "So this is where they keep all the dangerous stuff!" She grinned.
MoogerMint
Startled by the sudden quiet crash, Karma turned to see the toppled-again boxes, quickly scanning the area for the oshawott that fled from view. Reeling back a little as he pulled out his scalchop, the ditto shook zher head vigorously and gave an imperative whisper, "No attacking, that would make too much noise!" The cardboard boxes were empty, at least, so they didn't make too much noise if they didn't run into anything on their trip down to the concrete floor! The dangerousness seemed to multiply as the front door to the warehouse was opened, causing Karma to flinch and pull both zher and Declan back from view.
The voice was familiar, but the words still instigated a slight fear response from Karma. How did she know that zhe had snuck out? Did anyone else know that zhe wasn't inside anymore? Oh no! Nervously, the child emerged from view, but held one arm back a bit to signify to the oshawott to stay put. "I'm okay, please don't tell anyone!" the child squeaked. Karma was, after all, not allowed to go outside by zhimself.
Thaliawen
"No attacking," Declan seemed disappointed. What was an enemy for, if not attacking? He pulled a face at her, apparently disgusted with her priorities--certainly "no noise" was less important than making sure enemies didn't get his cake? He hesitated when Karma seemed to know this new enemy, and instead of heeding zher, stood. He blinked a moment. Hm. That girl looked a bit like he did, didn't she? He considered the thought for a moment, before beaming. Maybe she had something to eat, too! He glanced at Karma, before wrapping his arms around zher. "Cake! Good?"
"Course I won't tell," Tania immediately agreed. She was always up for causing trouble, and Karma sneaking out certainly qualified! Telling would spoil it. "We can say you were with me all along," she suggested. "Then we can come back out tomorrow--hey, who's that?" The mew girl had noticed Declan. "A new friend?"
MoogerMint
As Tania neared, Karma felt a welling of panic begin, and the hand zhe was using to keep Declan at bay attemtped to push him back at the stomach. Why wasn't he hiding? This was bad! If he was found on the very first day, there was no way zhe could keep him! A soft squeak emerged from the ditto as the oshawott, instead, wrapped his arms around the one that was holding him back, and Karma's attention instantly redirected to the young boy, immediately alerting to his presence without meaning to. "Shh!" zhe whispered, despite it being too little, too late.
As Tania attempted to look at the one hiding behind the cardboard box fort, Karma turned back to the shadow mew, expression pleading as she asked who it was. "D-Don't tell!" Karma repeated, "I found him outside. He's got nowhere to go, and I'm trying to get him to stay put and keep him secret. If anyone else finds out, they might get rid of him!" That's what they did at pokémon labs normally, after all -- Karma and Tania stayed because they were special cases. With a sigh of defeat, Karma pulled zher arm out that Declan was latched onto, in order to give a visual. "You're good at keeping secrets. Will you keep this one, too?" zhe asked cautiously.
Thaliawen
Tania hesitated. She could see Karma starting to panic. "I won't tell," she responded immediately. She glanced at Declan. He did look awfully thin. "I won't tell," she repeated, moving to wrap Karma in a hug. "He'll be our secret, okay? Don't worry!" She didn't think Grayson would get rid of anyone who needed help, but if Karma thought he might, and Karma had known him much longer than Tania had, who was she to argue? "We'll take care of him together," she assured Karma. "Okay?"
MoogerMint
As the fear gripped hold of the young ditto, zhe shook zher head in reply, only half-listening to the consoling words that Tania was trying to offer in the effort to calm her sister down. It wasn't until the girl pulled Karma into a hug did it start sinking in: she wasn't going to play any sort of mean-spirited prank. They were siblings, and this secret was theirs to share with one another. In a way, they could be playing a prank on the science staff... a stealth game, to see how long they could keep Declan hidden, but what would they do once he was discovered? Reflexively, Karma's free arm rose to hug the mew-girl back, nodding at her shoulder, "Mmh, okay. It'll be our secret, between sisters."
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:12 pm
Adventures in Hiding MoogerMint
Ever since the poké-children had begun reaching out and interacting with the scientists more, with the pranks and tea parties, it seemed that restrictions became a little more relaxed, for there was always the assumption that someone was looking out for their well-being, if not everyone. Even if Karma was looking out for Tania, or vice versa, tabs were kept at any given time. The more lax structure gave them a little more breathing space, and more room to do things they otherwise couldn't on their own, like with board games or arts and crafts.
It was also this slack that allowed Karma to slip away from the confines of the lab, as long as zhe stayed on the property. Tania knew where the ditto had gone, and she was also the only one that knew of the specifics... which is exactly how Karma preferred it. Declan was a secret, a special secret shared between just the two siblings.
As the child neared the door to the shed, zhe pulled out a sandwich, wrapped in the cling wrap that had become so familiar with the meal. Zhe poked zher head in and took a glance around before closing the door behind. "Declan want a sammich?" zhe called into the room, waving it slightly as though the smell could penetrate it's wrappings enough to reach the little oshawott, "It's Cake; it's safe!"
Thaliawen
Declan poked his head out from where he'd been resting. "Sammich?" he echoed, beaming. He was always ready for something to eat, always ready to see Karma! He hurried towards her, and instead of making a grab for the sandwich, wrapped his arms around Karma. "Cake! Happy!" He wanted her to know how happy her visits made him: more than when the other one came. "Play today, Cake?" He looked hopefully towards the door.
MoogerMint
Declan's immediate response back to Karma's call had the ditto smiling, at least until the young oshawott ran over and hugged zher tightly. The smile briefly disappeared in favor of surprise, and came back perhaps twofold. Karma returned the gesture, careful not to smoosh the sandwich, "Yaay, I'm glad to see you, too!" With a tousle of his hair, the ditto mimicked the glance to the door before turning back, semi-serious-looking. Zhe went looking for a corner of the cling wrap to get it started, but was sure that Declan could unwrap it himself now. "No play until you eat your food, or you're going to get tired too soon!" zhe instructed, handing over the sandwich, "And then yes, we play. Um, but out the back. There's more room over there." And more room to stay hidden, but that was beside the point -- it was more fun than a flat patch of grass that the yard was, after all!
Thaliawen
Declan had no arguments, it seemed. He took the sandwich and unwrapped it, and after a moment, took a bite. "Good sammich!" he declared, mouth still full. "Good, good sammich." He didn't waste anymore time talking, and proceeded to devour the sandwich. "Cake! Done!" He announced. "We play now! We play now? Out back?" The oshawott was excited to get outside. Maybe he'd see something exciting! Find something tastier than a sandwich (though he doubted that). "We play Cake! We play... What we play?" He asked. Did zhe have a game in mind?
MoogerMint
While Karma was aware that it was usually considered poor manners to speak with one's mouth full, zhe couldn't help but grin as Declan did so, fully enjoying it in his own way. "Yaay, good! I'm glad you liked it!" the ditto chirped, moving to the door to take a peek out and make sure they weren't currently being watched. Karma was fully intent on letting Declan stretch his legs and play outside, there was still only the one door to the shed, which faced the laboratory across the yard. "Yep, we play outside!" zhe answered, ushering the little oshawott out before closing the door behind zhimself and leading him to the other side of the building, "It's more fun out this way anyway." Glancing around the place, Karma hummed a little in thought, "What about... we go exploring? I bet we could find something neat!" Zhe was kind of hoping to find some tracks or other signs of life other than human, though zhe knew it was unlikely within the borders of town. That didn't mean they couldn't play pretend either way!
Thaliawen
More fun out that way? Declan beamed. He liked the sound of More Fun. "Sploring?" he echoed. Was that part of the more fun Karma had mentioned? "Sploring!" he agreed. He didn't recognize the word, but he was certain that whatever it was, it'd be great! His Cake had suggested it, after all. "Neat!" He echoed. "Find something?" His eyes grew wide: now that was something he recognized. Tania had told him about trying to find something: the mew had seemed anxious. "Good something?" he inquired. "Sammiches?"
MoogerMint
Karma was unsure whether Declan didn't know what exploring was, or just didn't know the word for the activity, but it made the ditto a little worried. What did he used to do for fun before? He was chipper enough that there must have been something, but zhe was fairly certain that asking about it would only earn a confused expression. Oh well, either way, he was sure to have fun now! "Yeah, we'll find a good something!" Karma agreed with a bob of the head, giggling at his hazarded guess, "No, silly, people have to make sandwiches, they can't just find them! They don't grow on trees!" Grabbing his wrist, zhe tugged him along a little, "Lots of things can hide in the grass, or trees, or anything! And if we don't find something, we'll just pretend we did, it'll be fun!"
Thaliawen
"Yay! Good something!" People made sandwiches? Declan stared in disbelief. That meant someone had been making them for him! "Cake make?" he asked. "Cake make sammiches! Good sammiches!" He allowed her to pull him along. "Pokemon hide in grass," he informed zher, matter of factly. "In trees?" he asked. Bird types hid in trees, didn't they? "Can't fly!" he protested. How were they going to find the things that hid in trees if they couldn't fly up to see them?
MoogerMint
Karma nodded when asked if it was the ditto that had made the sandwiches, for that was often the case. It was easy enough to pester the scientists in the lab for food, but they were often grumpy when it happened too often -- learning to make a snack on zher own was the obvious next step, especially when determined to prove independence. "I can show you how to make them sometime, too!" zhe added; that would make for an interesting picnic! "Oooh, you're right, pokémon do hide everywhere," the ditto agreed, scanning again a little more nervously before pulling at the logic, "Though I don't know if there will be too many in town. Who knows, though? Maybe we can find some footprints or something and track them!" Could even make some friends, if it went down that way, too!
Thaliawen
Declan was delighted at the idea of being able to make his own sandwiches. He gave Karma's hand a squeeze in thanks: yay, soon he'd be able to make his very own! He wouldn't have to wait for Karma or Tania to show up with a meal. "Yay! When? Soon? Later?" Declan's clock had three times: now, soon, and later. "I hide!" he announced, moving to hide behind Karma. He released his hold on zher hand, giggling in delight. "No tall grass to hide in, but I hide! Cake hide me!" Oooh, footprints? And they'd track hiding pokemon? "Happy!"
MoogerMint
Karma blinked, a little confused about when to show Declan how to make a sandwich. He just ate, he can't have been hungry again so soon! "Later, I don't know if I can sneak out of the lab with all that stuff without making the sandwich first anytime soon. We'll make it a picnic. Tania could help, too!" zhe tried to explain. Maybe zhe shouldn't have brought that up aloud, zhe wasn't sure the oshawott would have his mind on the game now. "Hide?" Karma's voice seemed to stagger as Declan let go, "You want to play Hide and Seek instead?" Well, it would at least herd them in the direction of the trees, which made for better cover and an environment that Karma was not so used to, which was where zhe wanted to go anyway. With a slight nod, Karma followed, "Okay, let's hide you!"
Thaliawen
"Later, later good!" Declan beamed. And Tania too! Oooh, maybe she'd bring some of those brown square things! Those were tasty, almost as good as sandwiches! Almost. "She bring treats?" He asked, hopefully. "Ball?" A ball to play with would be fun! And he could share it with Karma! "I hide you look. I pokemon! Come find! I go RAWR! And you go 'Oh no bad guy!'. Then hugs. Hugs best. We find lots pokemon by hiding!"
MoogerMint
Karma grinned at Declan's enthusiasm for just about everything. It was a relief, to be honest, that he was not so easily disappointed! "Ahuh, she will. We'll have a picnic and bring food things, it'll be fun!" the ditto explained, fairly certain the boy wouldn't know what a picnic was but telling him anyway. Hey, once they actually arrived to that day, he'd learn what it was first-hand! That tended to be the easier way of learning things, right? To be hands-on? "Aww, okay. So I should cover my eyes while you hide, then? How long should I give you?" Did he know how to count? Had anyone taught that to him? To be perfectly honest, Karma couldn't remember what all they had gone over and what Declan still needed to learn. With a sharp nod, the child covered zher eyes, "Sounds good! Go hide, go hide!"
Thaliawen
"Yay! Fun!" Whenever and whatever this picnic thing would be, Declan was excited for it. He beamed at the promise of food things. "Close eyes," he agreed with a nod. He considered her question for a moment, holding all of his fingers. "This many," he said. While he may not have known how to count, he'd come to discover if he held up his fingers to Tania, he received more than one of what she was giving him. "I hide!" he said, once he was sure Karma had zher eyes properly covered. He didn't go very far: he never liked straying far from Karma when they were together. He knelt behind a large tree stump and giggled. Karma would never find him here!
MoogerMint
It seemed that every time Karma conversed or played with Declan, he was making improvements with his speech and knowledge reservoirs by leaps and bounds, and the acknowledgment of this made the ditto grin all the bigger behind the hands that were now obscuring zher vision as the oshawott took off to hide. "One... Two..." Karma began, counting slowly so Declan had more than enough time to locate a good hiding spot, just in case, "...Ready or not, here I come!" Karma's hands fell slowly as zhe blinked against the sun from temporary darkness, attempting to locate a shock of blue in the green all around. First notion was to look around the trees, as they were the largest structures in the landscape behind the shed, but not the trunks of those no longer standing at full height. It took a bit of time, leaning over the sides of the small patch of trees and looking every which way before one of Declan's tails was caught by the rays of the sun. "Oooh, I gotcha!" zhe piped up, pouncing on top of the trunk to peer over the other side, "That was a good spot, I didn't think you'd be that close!"
Thaliawen
Declan was so pleased to see that Karma had found him, that he'd forgotten that he'd been hiding from zher. "Yay!" he cried, wrapping his arms around zher. "I hid good! Now it's your turn! You hide, I count!" he couldn't count very high, though... That wouldn't be fair, Karma wouldn't be able to hide. "I count twice," he decided. He covered his eyes with his hands. "Hurry I find you!" He began to count, slowly as Karma had. "One! Two! Three! Five!"
MoogerMint
With a giggle, Karma hugged the joyful oshawott back once his hiding spot had been revealed, still seated on the severed and flattened end of the stump. "You hid very good!" zhe agreed, releasing zher grip after the praise had been given. The ditto slid off zher perch, dusting off a bit and looking around the vicinity real quick again, "Okay, I'll hide! No peeking!" Karma was fairly certain zhe could not hide as deftly as Declan, the bright hues of zher natural tone greatly contrasted with the surrounding area, but that did not mean zhe wasn't about to give it the old college try -- it just meant that there were less places available to zher. If only zher transformation capabilities came back to better force, zhe could try for a camo look... As it stood, only the trees were really big enough to block the child from view without risk; there was a large stone further out, but Karma wouldn't have been able to tell if zhe was fully obscured from view behind it's lopsided shape. Trees were fine, and Karma could more easily play around with Declan that way, too, moving bit by bit to stay out of his line of sight if he neared the correct tree.
Thaliawen
Declan continued to count, sometimes skipping numbers, sometimes making up others. He was on eleven (after skipping up from nine) when he opened his eyes. Where had Karma gone? He looked through the bushes, and paused for a moment. Karma was pretty colored, so maybe zhe was hiding in a pretty colored place. Like flowers! Flowers had pretty colors. He looked around, hoping to find a flower patch the same color as Karma. No such luck. Maybe zhe was hiding up in a tree? Like a bird. Birds hid up in trees when they weren't flying in the sky. He veered his gaze upward. "Cake?" he asked. How was he going to get up there?
MoogerMint
As Declan looked about the play area, Karma scooted around the tree's trunk to keep it in between the two of them, and more aptly hide from immediate view. There were few things that could do as much out here with one so... vibrant, but it seemed to be working quite well, at least! However, the young oshawott seemed to have gotten himself stuck on an idea, one that was close but not quite there. While this would have usually procured an obstacle in their game, Karma did not really care who was the 'winner' when they were just out here to have some fun. While his eyes were stuck to the canopies, the ditto attempted to sneak up on him, only looking to bounce into sight as zhe pounced, wrapping arms around the boy's shoulders, "You summoned a Cake!"
Thaliawen
Declan didn't notice Karma behind him until zher arms were wrapped around his shoulders. He turned to give zher a proper hug. "Yay! Cake!" he was always thrilled to see the ditto, even when zhe was supposed to be hiding from him. "My Cake. I win! New game! Cake picks! Pick, Cake!" After all, new games were the best games. Especially when he could share them with Karma. "Splore?" he suggested. They hadn't found anything exciting while playing hide n seek, apart from each other.
MoogerMint
Karma laughed as Declan's priorities still seemed to be where they should be, "You do win! Congratulations!" After returning the hug, the child pondered on the idea as to what to do. When zhe had suggested exploring, Declan seemed to react almost instantaneously to comparing it to a game of Hide-and-Seek. Was he asking if Karma wanted to play another round of Hide-and-Seek, or was he aware that they were two different things? "Did you see anything interesting when you were looking for me?" Karma asked, directing the scope in an alternate manner. Peering back around the nearest tree, zhe glanced toward the patchy ground, "Did you see any weird footprints?" Maybe they could even track something down!
Thaliawen
"No," Declan replied. He hadn't seen anything interesting, except Karma, who was always interesting with zher colors. "No footprints." he hesitated. He seemed to be looking at something behind Karma. "Something interesting!" he pointed. The grass behind zher was moving slightly, as if a breeze had swept through it, though there was no wind. "Moves!" His eyes were wide: what did they do now?
MoogerMint
Still pondering how far they could run with the idea of exploring in an expanse none too large, Karma could only hope that imagination would carry the weight of any idea that might fall a little short. Despite the touch of distraction, the ditto smiled when Declan reaffirmed that he did not see any footprints, without trying to clamber around the bulky word. He was really learning fast! However, it was in that moment of glee that Karma missed the disruption of grass from behind them, and jumped when Declan pointed it out from over zher shoulder, "Ack, where!?" First thoughts, before seeing what it was that was causing the grass to move was that they might have been caught, then a more cautious optimism that perhaps Tania was trying to play a prank, or set one up. When it became obvious it wasn't any of those options, Karma took a hesitant step against a tree, seeing if they needed to hide. It couldn't have been very big, whatever it was! In a hushed command, Karma motioned for the oshawott to get closer to the ditto, "I don't know what it is, let's just watch for now. It must be little!" Was it hurt? Maybe it just wanted to play, too, or even didn't know they were in the area when it went looking for food! Whatever the reason was, Karma hoped it was not angry, at the very least!
Thaliawen
Declan moved close to Karma. Though he wouldn't have admitted it, he was rather frightened. He'd been in battles before, and they hadn't all ended well. "Little." He agreed, seemingly not at all reassured by the word. When a budew stepped out of the grass, the oshawott calmed. It wasn't an electric type! Good. Grass types had an advantage over him as well, though, and he didn't move from Karma's side. "Little and green."
MoogerMint
As Declan inched a little closer to the ditto, Karma felt a little safer knowing they were within reach of one another should they need. Regardless, Karma was more than a little nervous to find what may have been sifting through the grass, hoping it was just a large worm or something. When that theory failed to uphold the prediction, it only left the child feeling a sense of deterred confusion. Karma had never seen a budew before, at least recently enough to have remembered the encounter, and glanced at Declan for a reaction, in case he might have known. He looked relieved, but zhe wasn't sure why. Was it harmless? "Do you know what it is?" zhe asked, hesitant, "Is it nice?" There was no use taking drastic action when they weren't sure which direction the situation tipped toward!
Thaliawen
"Pokemon?" Declan suggested with a shrug. He didn't know what it was, except for it's color and size. "Isn't mean," Declan decided. The budew hadn't attacked yet. It didn't look like It wanted to, either. It seemed just as surprised to see them as they were to see it. And it wasn't an electric type. "Safe!" he declared.
MoogerMint
Pokémon? That was a good point... they were all pokémon here. There were no humans. Just so long as the little guy was not violent to others, as per random encounter, it should be safe, right? Karma gave a nod once Declan deduced that it was not mean -- the young ditto would take his word on that, either way. Easing zhimself down into the grass, to loom a little less over the small pokémon, Karma motioned to get Declan's attention, "Do you have any more of that sandwich left?" There was another one in zher bag, to leave Declan with later, but it didn't seem right to crack that open yet. With a frown, zhe realized it was not apparent that the budew could even eat that, "Or maybe we should try to find some berries or something..."
Thaliawen
Declan beamed. He handed the last piece of his sandwich to Karma: he'd intended to save it for later, but what if the budew needed it more? If nothing else, Declan understood what it was like to be hungry. "You can talk," he said, but it seemed he was talking to the budew. "Nice," he gestured to Karma. "I'm nice too. Want food?"
MoogerMint
Intrigued, Karma watched as Declan attempted to converse with the little budew. It seemed to be just as unsure and hesitant as they were, at least at first! Karma motioned for Declan to crouch down as well, offering half of what was left of Declan's sandwich from earlier. Taking the portion zhe kept to zhimself, the ditto ripped off a piece of the bread and held it out, showing Declan as though they were out feeding ducks by the lake. "It's okay, you don't have to be scared!" zhe encouraged softly. Blinking, zhe tossed the bite to the ground so the pokémon didn't feel forced to eat out of their hands. With a slight tilt of zher head, Karma thought aloud, "I wonder, is it lost?"
Thaliawen
The budew took hold of the dropped bit of sandwich immediately, stuffing it into its mouth. No longer seeming bothered by the two new comers, it reached towards Karma for the second piece. "Dew?" it asked, hopefully. Was that for it? It was tasty, whatever it was!
Declan was frowning. Despite the budew not being a threat, and having wanted to help it, he now felt a strange sense of dejavu. This was almost exactly how Karma had caught him. He moved between the two. "No, mine," he informed the budew.
MoogerMint
Karma flashed the little budew a smile, happy that it seemed to be greatly enjoying its snack. What was it doing way out here? Where was its trainer? Such speculative thoughts were cut short as Declan cut in, physically and vocally both. "Eh?" zhe blinked, confused, "Wh... What's the matter?" The ditto didn't get what the problem was, frowning in zher attempt to decipher. The problem was, however, that Karma could not recall any details of zher first meeting with Declan -- he had become so ingrained in life that recalling to a time before he was there was almost impossible. So much had happened since then, and daily trials were not as easy to remember as those that they revolved around. Stumbling at it, Karma instead raised zher attention back to Declan and smiled again, "Ohh, do you want to feed him?" Zhe offered the sandwich piece back to the oshawott so that he could use that same tidbit to feed the budew instead of sacrificing what he had stored for later.
Thaliawen
Declan seemed almost puzzled by Karma's confusion. Zhe didn't seem to understand that he didn't want to have to share zher love and affection. "My Cake," He said, by way of explanation. "Not budew's Cake. Declan's Cake." He did take the bit of sandwich though, and held it out to the budew. As long as the small green pokemon wasn't planning on stealing Karma away, Declan didn't seem to mind him. "Here. Sammich for you.
The budew took the piece of sandwich, stuffing it into its mouth. It turned away from the two children then, as if planning to leave.
MoogerMint
Karma's face increased into a deeper frown of confusion as Declan tried to explain himself, as though zhe were scrambling to try to find and pick up the pieces to a glass bottle that lost a battle with the floor. It wasn't until zhe remembered that Declan primarily called zher Cake that it was starting to make sense -- he couldn't have been annoyed about sharing food he mislabeled as 'cake'! "Aww, I'm not gonna stop being your Cake!" Karma giggled, rising back up to zher feet and giving the irritable oshawott a hug, "Never ever!"
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:14 pm
If a Robber falls in the forest MoogerMint
It had taken some effort to give the scientists the slip, but Karma finally got zhimself some breathing room. It wasn't everyday the resident ditto hit teenhood, and even though they weren't the type of people that would poke and prod zher to run tests on how this all worked, they were still very interested in what exactly happened. Zhe knew it wouldn't do them much good -- zhe knew about as much as any one of them about it, after all! Truthfully, though, it wasn't the focus of today's activities. Once shift started, Karma was pretty much left to zher own devices, but it was more interesting to think that zhe was able to sneak out.
In zher hand, Karma held a sandwich, cut in half and wrapped in cellophane. The ditto had made it for Declan, but now the young teen stood at the door to the storage area where the secret oshawott was staying hidden. Zhe had a feeling this was going to be awkward... but then, maybe zhe was just being nervous for nothing? Karma sharply inhaled and held the breath as zhe pushed the door open and stepped inside. Zhe waited until the door fully closed under its own power before Karma said anything, peering through the dark to spot the stack of cardboard boxes to the back. "Declan?" Karma called out, heading toward where zhe had last seen the boy, "Declan, I've got a sammich for you!"
Thaliawen
Declan was instantly suspicious of the taller than Cake person coming in. It wasn't Tania, she was small; and this person knew his name. He poked his head out from behind a box he'd been coloring behind. "Not Cake!" he decided aloud, eyes narrowing slightly. This person had brought him a sammich though... He scampered over, took the proffered sandwich and sat on a box. He started to unwrap it. "Hn. Not Cake is nice! Thank you for sammich!" He smiled at the Not-Cake person.
MoogerMint
Karma froze when from the shadows emerged a young oshawott with a fiercely skeptical look. Surely Declan would notice who zhe was, right? His denouncement made the newly-grown ditto flinch, and the nervousness resurfaced all the more intensely. What was zhe supposed to do to link the child-Karma to this new incarnation, when Declan barely realized he wasn't fully a pokémon anymore either? Karma remained indecisive on the manner to which to respond back as he took the offered sandwich and proceeded to unwrap it to eat. "But..." zhe started, pretending to huff about it, "But I am Cake! I just got bigger! You remember getting bigger, too, don't you?" At least he was still enjoying the sandwich, so even if he didn't want to agree, they were still on good footing.
Thaliawen
Declan studied Karma carefully. He put a finger to his chin and scratched it, as if in deep thought. "Not Cake is...Cake?" he asked suspiciously. Bigger Cake? What sort of thing was that? Trainers weren't supposed to evolve! But it did look like Cake... Still the same colorfulness he so admired. "CAKE!" he hugged Karma around the waist. "Why bigger now?"
MoogerMint
Karma nerviously chewed at zher bottom lip as Declan tried to come to a decision as to whether Karma was really Karma or not. Zhe was sure there were other ways zhe could try to convince him, but... did zhe really look so much different? That insecurity quickly evaporated when Declan hugged zher, replaced by bubbling relief. Hugging him back, Karma took a little time before answering the posed question, and by then zhe was sitting on the floor; it was strange to be so much taller. "Do you remember when you got bigger? You used to see things at... uhh, this height?" Karma asked, trying to gauge the height of the average oshawott with a hand hovering over the floor, "And then suddenly, you can see over these boxes without having to climb on them!" True, he hadn't been in this room before he changed, but the stack of boxes he hid behind were still taller than he would have been. Truthfully, Karma had forgotten that Declan did not see zher as a pokémon, but rather, as a human.
Thaliawen
"Evolved," Declan nodded. He remembered when that had happened. It'd been just after he'd received that large bag of jelly beans. "Cake evolved too! Yay! Bigger Cake!" Declan took a bite of his sandwich, taking his seat on the box again. "I'll get bigger too? Don't want to!"
MoogerMint
"Heh, yeah, I evolved, in some sense," Karma laughed sheepishly. Dittos weren't supposed to evolve, which only made this whole development all the weirder. It was a good thing the ditto was good at rolling with things, zhe supposed. A light smile appeared on zher face, trying to give off a more calming effect, "You'll get bigger, but not until you're ready to. It'll be alright! I'll still be your Cake!"
Thaliawen
"Good. Always my Cake." Declan finished his sandwich and smiled happily. "No matter how big. But try not to be too big, Cake!" He hugged her. "Can we play out today?"
MoogerMint
Karma laughed, hugging Declan back once he was finished with his meal, "I'll try not to get too big, okay. I can at least promise that much." Rolling to sit back down, Karma considered what sort of play they could do. Zhe was still unused to this gangly figure that sprouted overnight, but that didn't make zher any less stubborn to keep things as they always had been. "Sure, we can play outside, we just gotta stick to that side of the area," zhe specified, pointing to the backside of the storage facility. The laboratory may have had a lot of windows, but there were always things to block the view. While Karma was sure playing with someone new in full view was probably nothing alarming -- kids stopped by all the time, usually trainers -- it was still a precarious thing to do. Maybe soon, when everything wasn't hitting the fan. Standing up, Karma brushed off any loose dirt, "What did you want to play?"
Thaliawen
"Anything," Declan said. He was always happy to be in Karma's presence, he didn't mind what they did. "No more paper," he added, looking towards the boxes he'd emerged from earlier. Could she bring him more? He took her hand. "I love playing with Cake! What does Cake want to play?"
MoogerMint
Karma looked over to Declan's hiding place, a visual for the request he gave, "Oh sure, I'll get you lots more paper after we play." It was inside, after all, and zhe didn't really want to go back in there and try to sneak out again so soon. Zhe swung the arm now held onto Declan's, back and forth as one might when walking, "What about cops and robbers? The robbers can be imaginary -- just pretend!" Zhe wasn't sure he really knew what that was at all, but it might have been worth a shot. They could always change what to play!
Thaliawen
At the promise of more paper, Karma was rewarded with a bright smile. "Cops and robbers?" he echoed. Pretend robbers? That meant they weren't really there, didn't it? They'd played pretend before, hadn't they? "Yeah! Cops and robbers!"
MoogerMint
Karma's grin broadened as the ditto led the young oshawott outside. Karma hadn't really played this game with imaginary enemies, but it didn't seem like it would be a good idea for the both of them to be on opposite sides. "Okay, let's pretend the bad guys, they stole... hmm..." the teen considered what they might be fighting against, finally landing on what was likely the most over-used context, "Okay so they're holding up a bank. Oh! And they've got hostages! We should rescue them!" Perhaps generic, but no less fun. Karma held zher hands together, as though there were a rifle in the center, "You ready, partner?"
Thaliawen
Declan seemed thrilled, imaginary villains or not. He pulled his scalchop out and held it up, indicating that it would be his weapon of choice. "Hostages!" he didn't know that word, but if the bad guys had them it probably meant something bad! "We should rescue them! Ready! Yay, we're rescuing hostages, Cake!"
MoogerMint
Karma giggled at Declan's choice of firearm before fully immersing zhimself in the game. Once outside the storage area, the sleight ditto pressed zher back against its outer wall, as though sneaking around the bank's inner walls, attempting to get the jump on the robbers. Still holding the imaginary gun with one hand, Karma lightly tapped zher lips with the side of an index finger, speaking in a hushed tone, "We gotta be quiet. They don't know we're in here, and we don't want the bad guys hurting the hostages." Zhe slid to the edge of the building and leaned forward, trying to see down a make-believe hallway further toward a patch of trees -- what was supposedly to the back vault. Karma squinted, "I don't see them but I think I hear them. They must be down that way."
Thaliawen
Declan happily followed, mimicking Karma's every move. He pressed himself against the storage shed, pressing his finger to his mouth. "Gotta be quiet," He agreed. "Hear them? Bad guys go away!"
MoogerMint
Karma nodded in response, neck craning the other way to make sure that there weren't more people down the 'other hallway' -- or really, nobody coming to find the both of them outside back here. "Coast is clear," zhe confirmed, backing into an adjacent, invisible wall and sliding sideways, further back in the yard. Zhe came to a stop, peeking around another false corner, but only for a second. Karma waited until Declan came up before pointing around zhimself as zhe explained quietly, "They're right around there, we're gonna have to be careful. Have any plans to get 'em?"
Thaliawen
"Coast is clear, coast is clear!" Declan echoed. Despite not knowing what that entailed exactly, it was exciting! He followed zher happily. He held up his scalchop and waved it to indicate that was his plan. "Bad guys get time outs!"
MoogerMint
Karma stifled the laugh at Declan's result for a plan. Holding up the 'gun,' the ditto added, "I suppose that is one way of putting it! I don't think they're gonna go down without a fight, though, so make sure you're ready!" Karma waited a little on that thought before adding, "We can tie them up, maybe then we can give them a proper time-out." Still, the thought of prison being the adult form of 'time out' was a particularly amusing one.
The lanky ditto hopped forward, back now facing the opposite direction as Karma readied for charge, "Hold it right there" Karma blinked, and lowered zher make-believe ammunition, "They're getting away, after them!"
Thaliawen
"I'm ready!" Declan rose his scalchop to demonstrate readiness. "Tie them up, tie them up! They get time out!" The oshawott was pleased Karma had agreed to his plan. "Hold it right there!" He echoed, following Karma's lead and turning to see what she was facing. "Getting away!" These imaginary villains were fast and sneaky! He chased, and pulled out invisible ropes. "Got one, got one!" he announced.
MoogerMint
Despite the fact that zhe was pretty sure Declan was only half-understanding most of this game, he seemed to be adapting to it fairly quickly. Perhaps this was a really good way to learn about how things were structured out in the real world? At least, for a pokémon, that seemed adequate enough -- Karma was rather sheltered as well. With a quick grin back, Karma observed as Declan pulled an invisible rope out, "They won't be able to get away when we're working togeth- aah!" With a quiet yelp, Karma cut zhimself off as zhe tripped on a clump of uneven grass, catching zhimself enough to land on elbows instead of zher face. "Owww..." Well that was embarrassing.
Thaliawen
When Karma fell, Declan's scalchop extended into a blurred sword. His expression had darkened, but he seemed just as surprised as the tree nearest him began to tip. His eyes widened and he hurried to Karma's side. "Oops," he muttered. "Cake okay?" he asked.
MoogerMint
Karma eased zhimself up to sit on zher feet, hearing the creaking and rustling of the tree's boughs but unsure from where it was originating. Karma's head was already a little dizzy, so it took a couple of seconds for zhimself to right zher head to the world at hand. Zhe was about to respond to Declan's concern when the leaning tree, still immediately nearby, increased in volume and velocity. Wide-eyed, the ditto scrambled back up and yanked Declan out of the way, despite the tree not falling in their direction. "Eep!" zhe braced for the sound, now frozen in place, "W-What happened?!"
Thaliawen
"Sorry," Declan said, apologetically, and then looked towards the tree. He stared. "Cake, I did that," He confessed, holding his scalchop guiltily. "Didn't mean to. Was worried about Cake. Cake okay? Not hurt?"
MoogerMint
As the tree stilled itself, Karma stared on in bewilderment at it, as though expecting it to do something else now that its world had turned sideways. Zhe didn't respond to Declan's explanation right away, but when zhe gathered enough of zhimself to turn back to the oshawott, zhe realized how worried he was. Instead of reprimanding, instead of complaining or whining, Karma instead gaped, "Woooow, you did that all by yourself? I didn't know you were so powerful!" Wait until Tania heard about this! Lifting up an elbow, Karma brushed off some loose grass; other than the green road rash, there didn't seem to be too much that hurt. "Not hurt! Cake is fine! Cake turned green a little, though," zhe stated, showing him an elbow with a smile.
Looking back to the tree, the ditto laughed, "Well I don't think the bad guys are going to put up much of a fight now, knowing what you could do to them if they decide not to surrender." Leaning over, Karma whispered, sneaky-like, "Don't tell them that you wouldn't actually hurt them. I know you wouldn't hurt them, but they don't know that!"
Thaliawen
Declan's eyes widened. Wasn't knocking a tree over at least deserving of a time out? He was just as bad as those villains! "Powerful?" He echoed, doubtfully. He hugged Karma then, at the reassurance that zhe wasn't hurt. "Love Cake," he said. "Cake green now? Only a little. Still pink! Still blue!" He beamed when they seemed to still be continuing the game. "Bad guys better surrender," he agreed. He nodded at Karma's suggestion and announced, "Bad guys, I'm gonna hurt you!"
MoogerMint
Declan's concern over being labeled as the ones the both of them were after was lost on the young ditto, still impressed by the feat. Even if Karma had thought about matters in a touch more detail, it could easily have been shrugged off as self-defense, or more closely, defending another. That wasn't the way those that were bad acted, at least insofar as Karma knew. Zhe giggled at the hug, surprised but eager to reciprocate the action, "Yeah, just a little more green! It'll come off." Standing back to zher feet and swatting free zher knees, Karma looked back to where the imaginary crooks were stationed, "I don't think they're going to try anything bad anymore. I'm pretty sure they don't want to be stuck under a tree!" With a grin, zhe held zher hand out to Declan to shake, "A job well done, partner!"
Thaliawen
Reassured more by Karma standing than he'd been by her words, Declan began to smile. "No more bad stuff," he agreed. Even bad guys wouldn't want to get squished. "I love you, Cake! Yay!" He took Karma's hand and shook it. "No more bad guys, what now?"
MoogerMint
"Yeah, we took care of them good!" Karma agreed, swinging their arms once zhe had finished shaking Declan's hand, now back to reality from make-believe. "Ah... hmm..." zhe thought about the posed question, looking around curiously. While it was still not too dark to play another game, Karma was getting increasingly concerned that others might get worried if they had noticed the missing tree, or had heard it fall to begin with. Perhaps it was not best to chance things, in this case. "I dunno, the others might be getting suspicious," zhe admitted finally, "How about we take it easy. I'll go get you a lot more paper and we can color inside, okay?"
Thaliawen
Declan sighed. He nodded in understanding though; they'd go back to the shed where they wouldn't be seen. "Okay, Cake," he agreed. More paper was always good, it was a good time waster! "Don't want others getting worried. C'mon, we color!"
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:27 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2016 6:14 pm
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 10:43 am
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 8:09 am
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:38 pm
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