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 Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:46 pm
"Yes, they do! But not if you keep yourself active like me. And I brush my teeth every night, thank you very much!"
Nice shot, but Alphonse was very immune to such comments. Nevertheless, he gave up in trying to feed the other male a piece of candy, and instead turned his attention to the dark hallway.
"... Shao, would you like to come with me for a night walk sometime? Oh, the stars look so pretty from up there." His index finger rose to point at the ceiling, signaling the rooftop. "I can teach you how to climb, and then we can sit up there together. I do it almost every night, and I think it'd be much more fun if I had someone up there with me. Want to come?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 12:04 am
Shao had his mouth open, ready to retort...only to shut his mouth with an almost audible snap, caught off-guard by the other's rapid change in topic. He stared at Alphonse for a moment, utterly dumbfounded. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with the meowth--every time he got a good flare of temper going, Al changed the subject, leaving him feeling as though someone had knocked the wind from his sails.
Not liking to feel as though he wasn't in control, Shao narrowed his eyes slightly, as if searching for some sort of ulterior motive. Curiosity warred with his natural, ingrained irritation, keeping him silent for a few minutes.
"Maybe for a few minutes..." he said warily, ears flicking to and fro--a sure sign of his confusion.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:12 am
The meowth smirked at his reply, standing up from the stool and grabbing both the empty yogurt bottle and the box of chocolates to toss the first one aside, and hide the second one in one of the cupboards (behind the whole-wheat cookies certain lab assistant had bought. Hah! Like pokémon would actually eat that crap).
"Alright, follow me."
He lead the way out of the kitchen, through the gigantic sitting room, and out the main door. The mansion had massive gardens around the house, all safely guarded by a tall, thick stone wall that prevented passersby from glancing inside. Thus, it was very safe to go on little midnight walks and such, one of the reasons Alphonse liked to stay up until late. Once he'd found the spot he used to climb up to the roof, he turned to his companion. Ah, silent and pouty, still.
"We just have to go up the wall, see? Just grab on to the vines, the thicker ones, and find the creases in between bricks with your feet. No biggie."
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:51 am
Nodding once, Shao padded along behind Alphonse, his steps making nearly no sound, but also making mental notes of the route they were taking--he'd yet to explore too much further than the kitchen with Clint, so most of this was new territory. However, it wouldn't do to admit to that sort of lack now, would it?
Blinking, Shao eyed the wall, taking in the vines, and how high it was. Turning to look directly at Alphonse, he set his hands on his hips. "Looks easy enough--you first, and I'll follow." He wasn't fond of other people having the opportunity to make sport of him--and he'd never climbed anything before. However, looking at it...it couldn't be that hard, could it?
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 10:37 am
So he was to set the example? He shrugged at that.
"Fair enough! Watch, it's not that hard."
Alphonse took hold of the vines, placed his foot in a crease he found appropriate, and pulled himself up to begin climbing. To him, it was fairly easy... though he'd lost many of his feline abilities when transforming (and though he barely remembered ever having them), he was still good at certain things such as climbing, jumping and landing, and moving without being heard or noticed. But Shao knew this already, didn't he? The meowth grinned, a little proud of himself.
Truth be told, he'd been observing the zangoose for a couple of days now, watching him interact with his trainer and move around the mansion... and he'd figured, well, that he might be a good companion to have. It was boring sometimes, to be on his own... and his other pokémon partners weren't always free to socialize with him. Since Shao seemed to have nobody but his trainer to worry about, he figured he'd have some extra time to spend with someone.
Him, preferably.
Once he'd made it to the rooftop, he turned to look down at the other male with a grin.
"See? Piece of cake. Your turn."
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:47 pm
Eyeing the other, Shao swallowed. Seeing how far up the other was, he was having a few more doubts as to whether he could pull this off-particularly, if he could do so without damaging his dignity unduly. At least, if he did slip, the other wouldn't be below him, able to poke fun at how he was holding him up, or anything in that vein.
Inhaling, then exhaling, Shao reached for the vines, winding them firmly around his hands, and scrabbled for purchase with his feet--how had the other made this look so easy?!
Finally, one flailing foot found a crevice, allowing the zangoose to haul his body up, just a little bit, towards his goal. Using his one foot for balance, he felt around with his other until he found a similarly comfortable position for it. So far, so good--if somewhat graceless.
Now...it was time to reach higher along the vines, so that he could haul himself further up. Impatient, he got on his tiptoes as he reached...and nearly fell backwards for his hastiness. Frantic, he clutched at the wall, the vines...whatever he could get his hands on--and was rewarded by not falling the short distance he'd already climbed. Flushing, he regained his balance before pressing onwards.
Some moments later, he finally flopped over the edge, hauling himself up the last little bit to land in a heap on the roof.
"...piece of cake, definitely." he murmured, tone dry.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:54 pm
Alphonse had been watching the man carefully, sniggering silently at his attempts to remain cool and smooth while climbing. Oh, he knew he was good at this because it was in his blood, but if he were in Shao's place... well, he would've fallen flat on his face or his butt, depending on how much flailing he did on the way down.
Once Shao had reached the rooftop, Alphonse gave his arm a little tug to bring him to safer grounds away from the edge.
"Not bad. A little more practice and you'll be able to climb up almost as well as me." he then proceeded to seat on his usual spot and turn towards the distant city. The mansion had been built somewhat far from downtown, thus it was a fairly quiet and peaceful place. But sometimes, he wondered... what was out there? He had vague memories of once wandering the streets with someone, but whom? And why couldn't he do that anymore? Turning to his 'guest', he gave him a grin. "So, what do you think? Much better than the kitchen, isn't it?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:16 pm
Grunting, (likely the closest he'd come to thanking the other--both for the helping hand, and for the supportive remark) Shao followed the other's gaze, jaw dropping as he took in the skyline of the city, distant though it was. He'd never seen anything like it--even before the change...he was sure of it.
Not prone to romanticizing such things, he nonetheless couldn't quite shake the idea that the flickering lights in the distance were almost magical looking, as if someone had hung lightning bugs in front of distant buildings.
Silently, he sat beside the other, allowing quiet to fall between them for a moment as he took it in.
"Considerably." For once his voice lacked a certain, irritable harshness, and instead was softened by what could only be described awe. As the initial shock wore off, his expression slowly returned to its usual state, although he continued to find himself reluctant to look away from the landscape that spread before them.
"How did you find this place?" The curiosity was genuine--he presumed the other hadn't been there much longer than he--and yet, he was sure, he never would have discovered this vantage point on his own.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:44 pm
Alphonse couldn't help but smirk as the other gazed at the landscape, letting his tail flick behind him in contentment.
"Exploring."
He often wandered the halls at night, making sure to stay away from the other pokémon's rooms to avoid disturbing anyone. He'd also explored a great deal of the gardens, but had always kept a safe distance from the stone wall. His trainer had told him it was best that way.
"Now do you forgive me for startling you earlier? I admit I enjoyed it, but I meant no ill will. Honest."
As if to prove it, he rose both hands with outstretched fingers like one would do to show he carried no weapons, and smirked in an attempt to make amends.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:59 pm
It would seem he'd need to do more of that himself, if this sort of sight was the reward for wandering about on his own more often.
"Hmm?" he returned to himself with a jolt, barely catching the other's question. Finally tearing his eyes from the cityscape, he peered at Alphonse with narrowed eyes, as if measuring the merit of the other's apology.
"I suppose." His tone was blunted, and then he nodded, once. "It did no permanent harm, after all." It felt...odd, in a way, to share a companionable conversation of this length, without his standard, typical flashes of resounding annoyance.
"What's your trainer like?" he asked, after allowing the silence to lapse for a few moments.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:07 pm
He'd pulled his legs up a bit to support his elbow on his thigh, and his chin in his palm. The question made his lips curl up into a smirk.
"My trainer? Well, let's see... he's somewhat distracted, but very busy... he spends most of his day at the laboratory... he doesn't battle much anymore. Oh, he wears glasses and a scarf, too, even in the summer. Go figure."
His trainer was one of the two eccentric scientists responsible for this... whatever it was. He didn't know if it had a name, but he knew more and more pokémon had been appearing in the house. Human-like pokémon, that is. Like Shao.
"I don't see him often, you know? That's why I'm always looking for new companions. And Sophie, she's my roommate... but she's not always good to talk to. The woman's head is up in the clouds, I swear, she's so hyperactive..."
Then he turned to the zangoose again and tilted his head. This little chat was turning out to be nice, after all.
"So, how long have you been around?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:50 am
Shao nodded, mulling that over. In some ways, it sounded wonderful--he'd bet the other rarely was bothered while napping, woken up to ramble at about how, wasn't it wonderful that the banisters along the staircase were PERFECT for sliding down?!
"I'm not sure...I only really remember these past few days, after Clint picked me up from the labs...everything before that is fuzzy, and sort of...teases at the back of my mind, as if it can't even decide whether it's really a memory or not."
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:52 am
"Ah, so you can't remember much, either... I wonder why that is."
His owner had mumbled a thing or two about experiments being successful, and he did remember the laboratory. His roommate, the obsessively optimistic poochyena, said they probably had been born there! But he doubted it. He felt older than he would be, according to her theory.
Oh, well, no use in worrying himself too much over such things, not on such a beautiful night.
"Would you like me to show you the rest of the mansion? Not right now, but maybe tomorrow. I'm sure your trainer won't mind too much."
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:37 pm
"Hmmm...strange, isn't it?" And vaguely disturbing, if he dwelled on it. Giving himself a mental shake, he pushed that line of thinking to the far recesses of his mind, to ponder upon later.
"I'd...like that, I think." At the mention of his trainer, he shrugged, the beginnings of what might be his first grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's not like I plan on giving him much choice...however, I don't think slipping away when he's suitably diverted will be too difficult."
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 4:06 pm
"Just tell him you've something to do. A date, an appointment, something ultra secret trainers aren't supposed to know about."
He lifted his free hand from the roof to point towards the left side of the gardens, grinning. "There's a fountain over there with fish. And a veranda." Then his hand moved to the other side. "And over there is a pond. The people here must really like water."
"As for the mansion itself, well... sitting room, kitchen... oh, have you seen the training room they have yet? It's really nice!"
Of course, he wasn't the best battler... yet. So, training wasn't one of his priorities.
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