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 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 11:32 am
Keiran Keiran simply watched, feeling something in his chest grow hollow as the group tried to reassure each other, to band together and keep moving. Clive was shaken, with his heart aching and his stomach twisted into knots. Ivilon was laden with guilt and doubt, unsure of his place within the team and weighed by the burden of his own loyal spirit. Riley, of course, was like a shattered mirror. He held himself together, remembering who he was supposed to be and holding to that image, but there was something within that hurt and cracked until it reached the surface.
He knew all of these things, simply from the emotions that spilled across the humid air and the aura that threatened to choke the life from him. He knew them, but what he could do to remedy such a situation was beyond him.
Era had taught him a great many things in the time he had been under her care and supervision. He learned to tend wounds and to help in healing the small hurts. He could not manage to bridge this kind of gap alone. Insight into why they felt as they did might have been helpful, but in truth he knew not how to pose the question, or even if he should do so in the first place.
It was certainly clear that Riley missed Era, but now even Keiran had to suppress a dull aching for his friend. Era would not have known the right path, not immediately, but together they might have been able to help.
The Riolu continued walking behind them, silent and watching. Riley’s breakdown had given him much to think about, perhaps in more ways than just his concern for the team. The glimpse into the true depths of Riley’s pain, and the words he had spoken… it reminded him of his thoughts on Aric. Where Riley’s heart was broken, Aric’s very being had been shattered into dust. There was very little left of the person he might once have been.
He concealed his aura from the others, recognizing the signs of his own anguish as he realized why Aric had made him so uneasy. He had seen others descend into such madness before, through only one to the extent that Aric had. At one point, Keiran would have considered him a comrade in their training. That hadn’t lasted long, not once the trials had begun. Not everyone could cope with killing another Pokemon, and for some it was a wound too deep to heal. He had been there to see someone driven mad by the burden of their own guilt and anxiety and they had paid the ultimate price for that weakness, if only to protect those that surrounded them.
All he could remember of that person now was how empty they had felt, how unbearably angry. Keiran closed his eyes, trying to force an even breath from his lungs as he thought of what to do. It was clear to him that Aric was maddened, perhaps irreversibly so, but the knowledge of how extensive it was could not be explained to anyone else. Especially after the explosion of emotion they had just experienced from their captain, such a revelation would only harbour misfortune for them.
If he was to suffer, he would do so alone. He wished very sorely that he’d picked a less trying mission for them to complete, especially now that he no longer knew what path they’d started walking.
Under such a stress, it was easier to shut down. He felt his sadness ebb away as he meditated, still following his companions along the narrow trail. He had a mission to complete.
Keiran was calm, if expressionless when he and his teammates completed their trek to the riverbank. He glanced over their list, already picking out the easiest samples to gather in their immediate area. He could see the water hemlock he’d mentioned earlier, through a little off the beaten trail, amidst other things.
”There are some samples we could collect here,” Keiran commented quietly. ”I’ll start on these, if the rest of you want to track down some others nearby.” He pointed carefully to a few of the samples he’d already noted from the list, and a corresponding number of mismatched glass jars were drawn from their satchel. As he passed Ivilon the list, he did not wander very far from their group. His unease and torn feelings only solidified his will to protect them, though he no longer knew if it were possible for him to do so.
Waving a hand, he uprooted a small section of a nearby plant sample with his aura. He had no intention of touching it, provided he was given the choice.
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:48 pm
Riley & Ivilon They made it to the riverbank. Somehow, by some miracle, they held themselves together for that span of the journey. Clive murmured soft words of comfort in Riley’s ear as they walked, too soft for the others to hear but steady and measured, stopping and starting with just the right pauses to make a murmured cadence. They were simple words—little observances of what was beautiful, anecdotes from his travels, memories of happy moments—but they seemed to be serving their purpose. While Riley wasn’t quite smiling, he did seem to be better than before, dragging his paws less and with the slightest hint of a light in his eyes.
Ivilon found himself listening to the hum of the Vaporeon’s voice as he maintained his focus on Riley’s mind. His eye was glazed over, staring through the Espeon’s head to the energies in his mind. Shaping them into their functional form, regulating the chemicals with utmost care, the Beldum kept his captain’s mind from spiraling deeper into the depths of his despair. His Psychic pulsed in response to the heartbeat he fought to preserve, and he was rewarded with the knowledge that Riley was able to keep going with his help; he didn’t care to think about what would happen if he wasn’t there to help. At least doing this he could feel useful.
The Beldum’s eye flickered with surprise when he found the list proffered to him, and his Psychic faltered for a moment as he actively shifted some of his energy to hold the paper. Watching Keiran closely, it occurred to Ivilon that something was not quite right with him. His aura was tight and his face expressionless, the signs of emotional withdrawal. He’d seen the Riolu do it before and it made his mind prickle with unease. It was clear that the Riolu didn’t want to express what he was thinking, but for what reason was unclear. He’d been paying less attention to his vice captain than perhaps he should have been.
When Keiran wandered off, Ivilon hesitated. The pair of Eeveelutions were standing before him, but Riley wasn’t providing any instruction and Clive was watching him with deep concern etched upon his features. Given the situation, it seemed like there was only one reasonable choice left to him. A low chime emanated from him, and he looked at the other two somberly. “Would you mind looking after this list for a time?” he asked softly, sending the parchment over to hover between the quadrupeds. “There are a few plants on this list that can only be found in the water. Given that I can retrieve them without exposing myself to its contaminants, I intend to retrieve them for us.”
Riley raised his head groggily, as though just now registering that they were carrying on with their task. His ears twitched as he lifted a paw to pull the list from the air and he nodded absently. “…Thank you Ivilon. I’ll leave it to you.”
Bowing his head, Ivilon circumvented the two and made his way out over the water, though not before taking a few jars from the satchel and leaving the bag behind for the Eeveelutions to access if need be. He doubted they’d be collecting much of anything though, if he was being honest with himself.
He kept an idle link between himself and the Espeon as he tilted his gaze downward and perused the murky water for what he needed. There! Some glowing orange lichen, distorting the purplish hue of the water just enough to be noticeable against the muddy shallows. With a tug of Psychic energy, he pulled the substance out, holding it a considerable distance away from him as he moved onward, searching for more of the same; in the end he’d amassed a sizeable ball of the stuff in a wide, spherical jar. Staring at the specimen blankly, and noting how it contrasted with the vague sheen of his silver Psychic, Ivilon felt a faint chill run through his body: the sooner he could store this somewhere out of view the better—it looked positively toxic. The other specimens were much the same--something that had to have been algae once, miniature stalks of something that were practically cemented in the muck, even some shockingly pink fungi that had managed to grow under the water. Ivilon diligently packaged them into the jars with his Psychic and proceeded to try not to look at them, holding them outside his line of sight as he turned back to the shore, ready to return with his findings.Glancing back at Riley and Clive however, it seemed that they were still talking. Their heads were pressed together close enough that Ivilon quickly turned his gaze, feeling like he was interfering with something private. If he couldn’t return to them then…there was someone else who probably needed him more at the moment.
Jars hovering behind him, Ivilon made his way back across the water, coming up in an area slightly distant from the others. It was shady here, but he could pick out Keiran’s energy from the shadows as if the Riolu himself were glowing silver. “It seems we’ve made some progress here after all,” Ivilon said, his voice hesitant to permeate the silence. He hoped Keiran would be amiable to conversation, but based on his luck thus far he felt he could no longer trust his instinct. Still, he didn’t have much else to lose at this point. “...Forgive me if I overstep, but you…I do not think that you should be alone at this time.” He said nothing further for the moment, but his golden eye watched the Riolu with a careworn, gentle gaze. Whether he thought it better to disconnect from his emotions or not, there wasn’t a doubt in Ivilon’s mind that Keiran needed someone to acknowledge them now, and the Beldum knew he was the only Pokemon capable of doing so at the moment.
Clive
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:04 pm
Keiran Keiran’s aura had turned a dark silver, looking like a sort of glittering smoke as it coiled itself around the stems of the exotic-looking blossoms and neatly sliced through them a few inches below the flower heads. They fell into the extended jar with a soft ’paff’, the sound only audible through the glass because he hadn’t dared to take hold of it with his paws directly.
He spun the metal lid onto his selected mason jar and set it aside. He’d be collecting some of the spongy moss at his feet, too, though it had taken him some time to recognize the species as one they needed. It seemed that names weren’t always useful here, since the toxic nature of the environment had forced such drastic changes in the plant life. It barely looked alive, but he could sense a vague heat to it that told him it still endured.
It unnerved him to see the environment in such a precarious balance between life and desolation. He wasn’t coming back to this place again, not if he could help it.
Clive’s whispers to Riley were barely audible to him from where he knelt across the clearing. The Vaporeon’s words were rhythmic and soothing, but he didn’t try to understand what he said. So much relied on Riley’s strength right now, and on Clive’s ability to help him- that was not a conversation process that he wished to interrupt. His training told him that he needed to know what was happening, but his heart told him otherwise. Riley needed peace, consistency. Those were things that he, being who he was, could provide to the Espeon.
The most that he allowed himself to do was briefly scan Riley’s emotions. He could feel the emptiness and anguish of his captain ebbing and flowing back again, but it was like a steady tide of emotion that he felt was stable. Clive was good at what he did. The Riolu made a mental note to thank him later, for being the person that he could not- and for helping his friend when he was unable to.
Keiran twisted as he felt Ivilon draw near, the cautious and analytical aura replacing Riley’s frantic one as it pressed at the edges of his mind. Ivilon was calm, but there were muted and mingling emotions that bubbled beneath the surface. Keiran glanced back down to his work, unwilling to pry into the emotions of someone who was already wary of his presence for fear that we would reveal the unease in himself.
”Progression in some ways, regression in others,” he admitted quietly, politely ignoring the hesitation in Ivilon’s voice. Ordinarily he might have been a little irritated by it, but under the circumstances he could not say that he didn’t feel like the monster Ivilon saw in him. The Beldum’s next words confirmed such thoughts. ”Stay, then,” he replied, unsure of how to interpret the situation. Ivilon’s tone held some manner of warmth, but his words were not. Keiran couldn’t blame him for that, not after all of the curveballs that had been thrown his way prior to and during their first mission.
They were supposed to be together as a team during such a situation, and yet Keiran could only see them as shards of broken glass. They grated on each other, sharp and not quite one whole despite standing in the right places. ”I’m not offended, and you haven’t overstepped any boundaries that I can see. I can understand why you would be anxious,” He kept his voice forcibly calm, hoping that he might portray some sort of stability for his teammate. Being teammates with a killer would make anyone uneasy. He’d gone through this process so many times, and each time had involved patience and perseverance in waiting for their opinions and feelings to change. Some took a few days to decide his fate, others had taken years. That was no fault of their own, and he would endure it until they had chosen for themselves.
”Is there something else you needed in the meantime?” He questioned, absently cutting a square-shaped sample of moss from the ground at his feet. It was heavy and soaked through with water, and he realized as it was lifted from the earth that he needed to separate it in order to take a proper sample. Cringing as he realized that his aura would not have enough precision for the job, he reached with his aura-shielded paws and wrung the toxic water from the moss. The small stream of foul-smelling sludge that seeped from the moss made his fur bristle and instantly he felt bile rise in his throat. Having it in contact with his aura and skin combined was almost worse somehow- like feeling it twice.
The sample was thrown hurriedly into a glass bottle and Keiran was already using his aura to pull every droplet free from his skin. Said skin was now crawling. ”That was gross,” he added, making a silent note not to hold food with his paws for the next decade.
{{ To be clear, he is completely misunderstanding Ivilon's intentions in keeping him company. From his perspective, he's the guilty party and Ivilon is ensuring that he won't hurt anyone. Lemme know if you need clarification or spot a problem, Darky- it's been a while. xD }}
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:38 pm
Riley & Ivilon "Do you ever think about...running away?"
Clive blinked his eyes open as Riley drew back, feeling a slight tingling sensation where the warmth of the Espeon's forehead began to fade. In truth, he'd been too absorbed in the closeness of his friend to think of anything else. "I...running? Running where?"
"Anywhere Clive. Anywhere at all." There was a glow in his eyes, but it seemed fueled by desperation more than anything else. "Just like the between time, when we traveled and performed together. But we could go further! Away from the Guild and the fighting and the problems... Somewhere they wouldn't be able to catch up with us."
There it was again, that awful proposition. Every time Riley brought it up the same scar reopened, the same burning desire to give in to that beautiful dream and say Yes--yes, I'd go with you to the ends of the earth. So much of him wanted that more than anything else, but Clive knew better. Even if they did, Riley wouldn't be happy, and there was no point in being with the person you loved if you were the source of their unhappiness. Riley needed other Pokemon, he needed the love of a whole audience, just one other person couldn't ever be enough--Clive doubted even Era would be able to mend the hole in Riley's heart completely. What the Espeon didn't understand about himself was that there wasn't any magic way to make the problems disappear. The only way to solve them was to face them, but the last time Riley had done that had made him terrified of ever doing it again. So, just as before, Clive bit back the words of consent that bubbled in his throat and stared back at Riley with watery eyes. "Riley..." he murmured, "You know we can't do that."
The Espeon's ears drooped pathetically. "But why?"
"You know why." Clive shifted his tail and wrapped it around his friend beside him. "Think about all the people who love you, how sad they'd be to see you go. Your fans, your friends, your Team. They'd be devastated if you disappeared."
The frown lines on Riley's brow hardened in consternation. "But I'm not the Riley they love," he said. "Look at me Clive, I'm not anything like myself. Not when I'm like this."
"Liar." Clive's mouth twitched into a smile in spite of himself when shock registered on Riley's face. "This part of Riley is the just as good as any of the others." The Vaporeon pressed his head teasingly into the Espeon's shoulder. "This is Riley at his most vulnerable. Riley who doesn't realize that no one expects him to be a god--just another Pokemon who does his best. And who every knows is always giving it his all for everyone else." Riley's mouth quavered and Clive leaned against him reassuringly. "Don't be afraid of disappointing anyone Riley. The only disappointment comes when you don't take care of yourself."
A tear trickled down Riley's cheek. "Legends Clive, if only I knew how..." His voice cracked again, choked off by a sob, and he shook his head rapidly. "No...No we have a job..."
Clive gently pressed Riley's paw to the ground with one of his own, pulling the list from its iron grip. "This is just what I'm talking about. You've hardly got your wits about you and you're trying to jump right back into things before you've recovered." Looking into his friend's eyes, Clive stared down his anguish with practiced calm. "Don't you trust Keiran and Ivilon? They'll make sure we don't fall behind schedule so you can rest and recover."
"But I--"
"You'll stay right here with me." That was the end of it, Clive's tone left no room for questions. Riley sighed, but allowed his head to loll onto his friend's after a moment, staring at the ground forlornly.
"Clive?"
"Hm?"
"Promise me you'll think about it more. About leaving."
"...Alright. I will."
~~~
Keiran reacted to his presence curtly, which was understandable. He was the one breaching the privacy of the Riolu's emotional space, so that intrusion was bound to be met with some hostility. What was less clear what the contrast of the still-forced calm with his vice captain's claim at understanding. Given that he was then prompted to clarify his own claims, Ivilon mulled over his words as he watched Keiran complete his self-imposed task. The Beldum winced at the sight of the water brushing against his vice captain's paws, resisting the urge to wring it out for him. He could hardly look at it, practically feeling the chemicals that were crawling on the Riolu's skin. "You...You need not do that to yourself." He murmured, voice practically quivering with concern. Silver Psychic glowed around the jar, sealing it and collecting the toxic water from where it had splattered against the sides before lowering it to the ground as though it were something breakable. "Please, if I am able to assist in any way--the less contact you have with this poison the better off things will be in the end I would think."
Chiming dully in his characteristic version of throat-clearing, Ivilon decided to venture further into his probing. "But, if you say that it is of no trouble to you, then I would ask how you are holding up." The Beldum collected the jars that Keiran had already filled into the collection that hovered behind him and busied himself with floating up toward the tree branches where he began to shift through the leaves, looking for the tiny berries that he'd spotted when avoiding his companion's gaze. He began to pluck them off and collect them in the air beside him, having no open jars left to store the tiny fruits in. "It was...a lot to swallow back there, for all of us. It is too much to ask, I think, to have that exchange and then move on as though it hadn't happened." It was the truth, plain and simple. "While I may not have any explanations for it, or any understanding of my own, it seems better that we don't avoid the difficult questions. It may be that this is what caused such an incident to begin with." Well that put his motives out in the open. "That being as it is, I felt you should not be left alone with whatever you may be facing when there is no reason for it. ...I know it is hard enough for me, and I do not experience these things to the same extent as you must." That was the heart of it anyway. It was odd speaking candidly with someone who set his circuits on edge, but he felt it was the right thing to do here--nobody should have to face this sort of emotional turmoil on their own. And really, in a situation like this, where everything was falling to pieces, what else could he do but listen to his conscience?
Clive
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:47 am
Keiran The Riolu shrugged, only just managing to twist his grimace into a smile. It was an awkward expression, but he hoped that it expressed his appreciation for the offer. His skin was still crawling at the sensation of coming into direct contact with their samples. ”I can’t say that I won’t be taking you up on that offer, at least,” He replied, his voice a little flat. He wasn’t jealous of the Beldum in the true sense, but he did feel a little stab of embarrassment that his control of aura was not as fine-tuned as that of a true psychic. ”There are strengths and limitations to my control of aura.”
He took note of the care with which the toxic water was replaced into the sodden soil, a grudging nod of approval breaking his stiff posture. Ivilon knew better than to throw it around, of course, but it was good to see that caution in action.
The Riolu took the now-clean collection jar and tucked it away for safe-keeping, scanning the area around him for their next sample as Ivilon moved above to collect samples from the low and shrubby canopy. Automatically, the Riolu extended an upward paw, holding a small collection bag for the berries that his teammate had just plucked from the branches. ”For the berries,” he explained calmly.
The dull chime from above told him that Ivilon wasn’t finished, and nor was their conversation. He supposed that such a noise was more habitual than physiological- Beldum hadn’t the need to clear their throats as far as he knew, but he’d also never thought it prudent to ask. It would probably come across as either rude or threatening.
Keiran’s ears twitched, his brows furrowed in confusion as Ivilon’s words sunk in. To ask into his mental state was an interesting turn of events, and certainly not one that he’d expected. His emotions were being monitored, he knew, but he hadn’t expected an open acknowledgement of that. Even among psychics, whose empathic abilities functioned much differently than his own, he knew that lines were usually drawn in how deeply they pried into the minds and feelings of others. He didn’t respond, recognizing that Ivilon had paused but not completed his speech. He would not interrupt him, either, as the Riolu was still trying to conclude what the Beldum’s intentions were.
He twitched guiltily at the idea of not addressing Riley’s concerns, but a small voice within reminded him that it was neither something he knew how to do, nor was it his place to do so. It was his fault, but it was also out of his control.
”I am worried for Riley,” he admitted, ”and I tried my best, but I am not what he needs. It is not my place to delve into his mind, and I can’t imagine that he’d react well to me confronting him with concerns regarding his health. For me, he will always act strong, fight back, because he sees me as someone to be protected. He does not understand our relationship through any other context.”
”I am frustrated that in this case, I can’t protect him. I can’t save him from himself. Clive knows better than I do about how to treat injuries of the heart and mind.”
The Riolu stopped, realizing that this was likely not the answer that Ivilon had wanted from him. Even despite the specificity of his question, he was still answering as if he’d asked about Riley. ”I want to be a captain worthy of respect, Ivilon, but even now I see how poorly my own limitations match up to that standard. I have a responsibility to fulfill the obligations of our team and our captain, to protect all of you from physical harm, and to prevent those responsibilities from falling to the rest of you in my stead.” His expression was dark as he spoke, betraying how serious he was. ”That you are concerned for me is a credit to your character, but I’m not certain that I can deflect my burdens onto you. It conflicts with my responsibilities as your captain.”
He realized belatedly that he couldn’t bring himself to meet the Beldum’s gaze, and felt a little relieved when he simply continued in his work. It was touching that Ivilon worried for him, but it made his heart ache with guilt. He was fully aware that he would disapprove of the memories he was drawing on, or the skills that he might have to… He didn’t want to use them, either. Riley had told him that he would defer to his judgement, if such a situation came up that he saw no other option. To consider that so early would be a discredit to his captain’s character.
Feeling frustrated and ashamed, he buried his emotions ever deeper into his heart. His eyes were filled with a glow of silent resolve as he looked again to his teammate in the treetops. ”I can cope with my emotions. I've managed it for my entire life. For right now, my emotions are just something that would cloud my judgement. When our work is done, and I can guarantee your safety, then we may speak of this again.”
’If you still want to, and if I am able to protect you as Riley would want me to do.’
Keiran knew what their client was capable of, and to what depths he had fallen, but the others would never understand. Even if he were to try and explain, it would only discredit his own words. But he knew, and knowing was half the battle. All he had to do was stay vigilant and get them home safely- the guild could handle the Quagsire without his intervention.
[[ OOC: Please let me know if something's weird in this- it was written in multiple parts and at different times.
-forever shamed in the dog house for taking literal months to make a post- ]]
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 9:40 am
Riley & Ivilon As he was instructed, Ivilon lowered the berries he'd collected into the bag that Keiran held open for him, offering a nod of appreciation in turn for the gesture. When he'd finished with the cluster in the current group he scanned the branches for more like it, and was rewarded with a few more branches to pluck from. So long as he kept busy he didn't have to see the look that Keiran was giving him, whatever that might be; both of them were strangers in the end, so it was more comfortable to avoid the intimacy of eye contact.
Ivilon was surprised to hear what came next, mutely allowing Keiran to proceed through his speech as he saw fit and staying silent for a few moments longer even when the Riolu had finished. "I would not say that it transgresses your obligations," the Beldum said after a moment, and when he turned to face his vice captain his expression wavered with reluctant melancholy. "I cannot claim to know anything about the way things stand between everyone here, but I can say that it seems the thing that cuts the deepest is the way that more is learned through aura and psychic than through words. I would not say that anyone intended it to be as such but that is undeniable I think, and because the communication isn't there it forces reliance on things that should be used only in dire circumstances." The abilities that Pokemon had were a part of them, but they were primarily tools of self-defense--something so martial in nature...was it truly supposed to stand in for basic contact?"
The Beldum blinked, his gaze shifting back to Keiran from the faraway place it had been before. "Please do not mistake my meaning--I do not mean to claim that the bond between you is false, merely that it has grown fragile because of the need for a different form of affirmation." Ivilon dipped his head and lowered the jars and berries that he'd collected to the ground, having no further work to hide behind. "It may not be the traditional time or place for such reflections as these, but perhaps your belief that emotions dull the senses is keeping you from understanding something. Or perhaps I am merely misplacing conjecture." He couldn't say what the Riolu felt, but that was the closest thing to his opinion he could give without overtly stepping out of line. It seemed to Ivilon that Keiran needed to reevaluate the meaning of a Team, much as Riley did; the Beldum had never known a singular member of a collaboration to insist the burdens weren't to be shared between them, but now he knew two. Was it an issue of trust? Was it a product of the Riolu's former profession? Ivilon couldn't be certain, especially because he knew and recognized the bond he'd mentioned. It wasn't that they'd lost connection--that was strong--it was more like they both refused to believe that connection was real. He couldn't speak for himself or Clive, but for Riley and Keiran that seemed to be a sticking point.
"How are things going over here?" Ivilon turned at the sound of Clive's voice, finding the Vaporeon smiling warmly at the pair of them, Riley lingering behind him. "Sorry we took so long--Riles insisted that we bring something to add to the collection after we got finished."
The Espeon smiled weakly, twitching his tail forward and bringing forth a tangled collection of thin, dirt-clotted roots. "You might have some already, but I remembered these were on the list and I spotted them nearby." Riley's front paws were flecked with dirt where he'd been digging, and his cape looked a bit dusty from the work, but otherwise he seemed relatively normal. Ivilon noted his breathing was regular and his eyes had dried, though he still looked exhausted, and trembled slightly when a warm breeze carried the scent of the water over to them. Their Leader looked to Keiran, stepping forward hopefully to see what the Riolu had to report. "It looks like you've managed to find some things in my absence?"
Clive
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 6:46 pm
Keiran Keiran looked at Ivilon with an expression of interest, but there was a shadow of doubt that seemed to flicker in his eyes. It was one thing to understand his intentions on a level of logic or reasoning, but another to take those intentions to heart. He would definitely have to consider that perspective, particularly since so many Pokemon lived without the sensation of aura at all. It struck him that he could not remember a time when he’d been without it. From what he understood of his kind, all Riolu were born with the innate ability of an empath. It was his physical manipulation of the ability which was learned, rather than born.
What was it like, to not feel the touch of another’s soul beside you? He couldn’t imagine that he would be totally blinded, unable to infer anything at all, but that seemed to be the implication. The thought was unsettling in more ways than one, but he still felt a stab of guilt at his blatant rejection. That bias would be another thing to sort out, once the remainder of their mission had been settled.
The Riolu twitched his ears as Ivilon continued, and his expression settled into a contemplative frown. ”Conjecture is never misplaced, for it can be useful even in extreme circumstances. I will always listen, even if it is not to my liking,” he answered cautiously. ”Your words hold some truth to them, although I feel like what we each mean to say… has not been expressed in the depth that we understand them ourselves.”
There was a small and grim smile, though not unfriendly, that seemed not to reach his eyes. ”Then again, that is exactly a part of your warning for my relationship with our captain, so you may be closer on the mark than I am willing to admit.” He sighed quietly, though he abruptly silenced himself as Clive’s voice carried through the marshy air.
He spun on his heels, standing straight to address the incoming duo. He’d advised to set aside the discussion of emotions for now. Perhaps he should stick to that advice himself. After all, they did have a job to do. ”We don’t mind at all,” he dismissed, paws eagerly outstretched to take the samples from his captain. He gripped the soiled tubers, turning them over with a cautious claw to make sure that the surface was intact. He vaguely recognized them by their description, but it wasn’t among the named samples for him to remember the specific species. Everything here was potentially poison, as far as he was concerned. Judging from the way Clive lifted his paws an extra half-step, the Vaporeon whole-heartedly agreed.
”We’ve found a couple of the other samples. Mostly plant cuttings from the transitional zone between in-land and the riverbank. This will definitely help, though. I wasn’t sure how close we could get to the river itself to get these, all things considered.” He shot his captain a sympathetic glance. ”I’m admittedly a little glad that you found them further back, because I’m not in the mood for a swim.”
He offered them to Ivilon with an open palm. ”Would you mind bagging these? We should be alright to reserve the sample jars for some of the trickier specimens.”
As soon as the roots were out of his paws, he set to taking out the list for himself and the others, spreading it over a lifted kneecap to read it more thoroughly. The list was long enough, but it looked as though there were only a couple more samples in their immediate area. Anything else would be much further from the river, and hopefully a great deal safer for them to procure. He glanced back to the pile of samples they’d gathered, and once at the roots which Ivilon was wrapping up, and tentatively formed a mental to-do list. ”You have something to write with, Riley?” He asked his captain hopefully. He usually had something up his proverbial sleeve. If not, he could always poke the tip of his claws through the paper for each sample.
”We have these four, and I believe these as well,” he explained to the Espeon, pausing as he gestured to each of the samples. ”These two should still be nearby, though. This one’s a ground-cover, so it should grow in carpets under any amount of shade. This one… it says it’s an orchid, but I’m not sure…” The Riolu made a face, and looked up to his captain for confirmation. ”You’ve used orchids in your shows, right? You always said they were delicate flowers. How would they even grow here?”
[[ Moving to new guild. Read the full mission here. ]]
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