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 Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:26 am
`❖-;Add a Dash of Color,
Habit and fixation can cooperatively work toward a better tomorrow, too! Terpsichore couldn't keep her inward gears from churning up a storm as a strange tidbit of information was brought to her attention. Nix and the rest of the troupe was only going to be here for the night, maybe a couple more if there was a great enough incentive for whatever the scientists were working on at the time. Nevertheless, it would also be Terpsichore's last venture into the city, at least for a while. Why not live it up while she was here?
The shroomish-girl asked the researcher if it was possible to do a little shopping on this last outing before moving out of town. "Sure thing, Topsy," Nix had snickered, using a new-found nickname for the brunette, "There are just a few more things I would like to discuss with Dr. Willows beforehand, if that's alright." Of course it was alright for her; a promise was a promise. Besides, that would mean she may actually be able to interact with that strange little ditto from before! She never actually got to speak with the depressed little blob of a pokémon, so preoccupied with unfounded fear as she was. And then who had showed up but a few good friends from a previous outing? It was assured that she was going to get distracted from meeting new faces when such entrapping stimulation was on board! Excitement, apprehension, and concern: it was all a mix for disorientation, and Terpsichore was determined to right this injustice! She loved making new friends!
Fidgeting as they entered the city, Terpsichore seemed a bit nervous. Nothing like before, though, for the laboratory they were headed to had ceased to make her anxious any longer: there was no poké-human testing going on like she had initially believed. No, this was a different kind. "What if Karma doesn't want to talk with me, because I had just about ignored them the entire time I was there last," the girl asked sheepishly, as though tip-toeing around a dangerous subject.
Nix paused a moment, "Hmm... you don't know about Karma, do you? You were pretty engrossed in whatever it was you were talking to Eilam about." He snickered lightly at that, causing Terpsichore to flush; she didn't mean to be so insensitive! However, that was not the point that the researcher was trying to make, and quickly went on before the shroomish dwelled on her insecurity any longer, "Karma won't feel any ill will toward you, trust me."
The green-freckled child narrowed her gaze, questioningly, "How can you be so sure?"
The duo paused at the front glass doors of the laboratory, for it seemed better to finish this conversation before entering. Nix turned around to face the girl, "Karma has long-term memory problems; it probably won't even remember you. You're safe from any wrath you may have otherwise feared."
The girl's eyes lit up, "But that's horrible!"
Nix motioned for the child to follow inside, "I know, but it's just the way things go."
Of course, while the both of them may have been expecting to run into a retainment-damaged pokémon, they most certainly weren't expecting said ditto to have grown definable limbs in such a short span of time. It seemed that there would be a sure-fire decision that Nix's group would be staying a few days longer than they had initially planned for, as Grayson appeared to have been afflicted with the same sort of disoriented shock Nix had experienced when Endymion had undergone transformation -- the first of his three pokémon.
Karma was toying around with a piece of lime green string, attempting a cat's cradle only to have the motions backfire and hog-tie zher pink fingers instead. The two scientists were trying to stay out of earshot in order to lessen any anxiety their conversation may have caused the newly-transformed ditto-child, but the young kid didn't bother to eavesdrop, too distracted with getting such a simple maneuver down correctly. Terpsichore sidled up to the... boy? Girl? She wasn't entirely sure, but she tried to be quiet as she watched the cotton candy colored child fiddle with a scrap of material. Every so often she would glance up at her acquaintance's face to see if zhe had noticed she was there, but each time she would come up empty. She almost hated to distract, for the... quite colorfully-dressed child seemed pretty focused on zher current project. The shroomish shuffled a little in place as she thought of how to begin.
"Did you want to say something?" the ditto interrupted Terpsichore's planning process without flinching eyes her way. Zher thumb was currently strapped to the side of zher pointer finger, and zhe was having difficulty prying it loose from its captivity.
Well, this was awkward... "Oh! Yes, um..." she started, but her attention was frequently detracted with the annoyance Karma seemed to have found zhimself in. Giving a light sigh in defeat, she tugged at a stray part of the knot in order to loosen the binding around Karma's fingers; the ditto gave a slight giggle and flashed a smile as a way to thank without interrupting the girl from her explanation. Terpsichore's hazel eyes focused on the others', looking serious but not needling, "You don't remember me, do you?"
Karma turned away, as though bored with the conversation. Truthfully, Karma was rather sensitive about the subject, but zhe didn't want to be reduced to misery, not when there was company. The ditto held a breath in zher chest for a moment as zhe fiddled some more with the string before offering any response, "So they told you?" Zher voice was still shaky, but Karma attempted to play it off as a slight scoff.
Terpsichore cracked a soft smile, which was... not what the newly-evolved pokémon had been expecting. She almost hopped in place as she spoke, "Yes, but I think I just came up with a great idea. Would you mind coming into town with me for a little bit? I think I can figure something out to help you."
Karma was befuddled with the prospect. Grayson had been trying for years to come up with something and hadn't as of yet discovered anything that would work. This girl waltzes in here and, in a matter of moments, devises up a plan? While skeptical, Karma was eager to at least give it a shot. Zhe gave a vigorous nod, then held the movement stiff, "But... I've never been out of the laboratory before. The doctor didn't think it was okay. Do you think.... do you think he'd let me go?"
Holding up a finger, Terpsichore winked and scurried off to where the two scientists were discussing matters of blind-sided importance. Karma watched as she got their attention and motioned to the grown ditto on the other side of the room. Zhe fidgeted a bit, preoccupying zealousness by wrapping the lime string around a finger purposefully and rubbing zher feet together. However, movements ceased when zhe saw Grayson smile and bob his head -- was that... did he just agree?
Terpsichore bounced back over and offered her hand to the ditto. "Come on! He said that as long as you stick with me and be back soon, you can come along. Let's go, let's go!" she stated enthusiastically. Karma offered an unsure, still half-entangled hand to the girl and was promptly yanked to zher feet and dragged out the front doors. Whatever the shroomish had in mind, it was apparent that she was fairly certain it would help, at least to some extent. If Karma wasn't shocked into so much bewilderment from all of the sudden stimulation, zhe probably would have been acting more raring as well.
In fact, there was so much to take in from the surroundings that Karma wasn't even paying attention to the destination, but everything bustling past. It was a smear of colors, smells, sounds... designs that Karma had only ever read about before. If zhe hadn't had a firm grip about zher hand to lead zher around, the poké-child most certainly would not have found an end to zher curiosity. How could one learn about and understand everything the town had to offer? There was so much here!
"There we go!" Terpsichore chimed in, gesturing with her unoccupied hand at the store window. Karma barely had the chance to graze eyes across the merchandise at all before zhe was yanked inside and told to wait while she purchased something. The shroomish had requested a coin purse for this small excursion, but she was given a price limit just in case. Luckily, there was nothing extravagant she had her mind set on, at least this time. It wasn't until she had pulled them back outside (needing to pry Karma away from a display of fashionable winter wear) that she began to let the young ditto in to her idea. They moved to the corner of the store so as not to obscure view or admittance into the store before she opened the paper bag and pulled out...
"Bracelets?" Karma queried, glancing up to zher acquaintance to make sure she had grabbed the right bag.
She only beamed, "Yep!" Ripping the price tag off of the bunch of rainbow-scaled, simplistic bracelets, she slid them onto the wrist of Karma's that she still had her grip over before releasing it. Karma stared at them a moment before shaking zher hand back-and-forth, feeling how they felt against zher skin as they moved. As zhe studied them, Terpsichore pulled out some flattened twist ties that she requested when the product was bought and a pen from the binding of a notepad she carried on her person. She wrote something on one of the twist ties, using the notepad as a clipboard, and then offered it to Karma, "This is how you spell my name."
Karma frowned, confused, before snatching up the twist tie and reading it, "Terpsy-Chore?"
She giggled, "No, Terp-sih-core-y."
"What am I suppose to do with it?" zhe asked curiously, knowing she had something in mind with the material she used. After all, if she just wanted to give the other child the spelling of her name, she could have just used a piece of paper from the notepad...
The brunette indicated the bracelets, but tried to hold herself back from forcibly grabbing Karma's arm again, "You notice that there are multiple colors in that pack of bracelets I gave you. I was thinking that, as you meet people, you could write their names down on one of these twist ties and attach them to a color, depending on how you felt about the person. If you really disliked someone, maybe attach their name to the red bracelet. If you liked them... maybe green?" She shrugged, offering the rest of the blank twist ties, "It's up to you how you color code it. Do it in a way that you'll remember how you're suppose to feel about a person."
Karma stared at the bracelets, taking in the information with silent excitement. It was so simple, and yet it sounded as though the task could prove immensely effective! Zhe had to absorb it for a moment or two, but once it sunk in, the ditto's grin finally appeared across the span of zher entire face. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Terpsichore!" zhe exclaimed, bouncing into her with a bear hug of gratitude.
"Buh! Ah, hehe! You're welcome, Karma!" she laughed, taken by surprise, "I hope it works for you!"
Pulling away, Karma glanced at the shroomish's twist tie and then back to the bracelets. Deciding on the color coordination, zhe tied it around the blue bracelet and jangled it, "Good friend."
[[ Word Count: 1,950 ]]
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:29 am
`❖-;No Take-Backs,
Responding to "potentially-dangerous" with one in kind
Terpsichore stood near the makeshift tent that the group had erected about a month ago, feeling safer the closer she rooted herself to a landmark of safety. Her posture was anything but convincing of this matter, however, as her expression drew creases across her brow. Arms crossed over her chest and foot tapping every so often in the patchy grass, she seemed more on edge than angry with how she seemed to be receding into herself. After a moment, she queried, "Didn't you already learn that, though?"
Her self-appointed teammate giggled at the seemingly unfounded observation, a bright, toothy smile beaming back, "What? No, of course I didn't! I just learned it the other day; isn't it neat?"
"Neat is not something I would call it," the moss-freckled girl muttered under her breath. Margarita's smile lessened in intensity, tilting her head a couple of degrees to the side in an attempt to goad Terpsichore to repeat that statement, for she hadn't heard the low tone of it. Instead, the shroomish moved a single hand from the folds of the other arm and lifted it, "But you've been throwing things since you've been with the group. Heck, that's how you first greeted me! Don't you remember?"
The purple-barred girl gasped and pointed, as though Terpsichore had made a good point, "I do! That was funny!" She giggled, knocking a frustrated sigh out of the shroomish, before continuing, "That was a lucky shot, though. I mean, anyone can throw something at another person, but that doesn't make it a learned move, in the pokémon sense."
The brunette waited for Margarita to continue, but the grimer child seemed suddenly preoccupied digging through her lunch bag. Moving her hands to her hips, Terpsichore asked, trying to keep an even tone, "What do you mean by that, exactly?" Her annoyance stemmed merely from the fact that the shroomish, all things considered, just really hated that ability. Why improve a skill to hit everyone that she felt like? Her determinants to initiate such behavior were not the most sound, so wasn't this only going to prove to make things that much worse? Couldn't Margarita see the hole she was digging herself into?
But the sludge pokémon did not grasp subtleties like that, she took verbal cues like Terpsichore's at face value. Pulling a bagged sandwich out of the bag, she studied what was stuffed between the dual layers of bread. "I might even be able to become the best basketball player ever," she snickered to herself, prodding at the surface of the bag.
"Margarita!" the frilled poké-human hissed.
She continued as though no detracting had occurred, "I didn't always hit the target when I threw things, you knew that. That's why I sometimes broke what I threw. Or... what I hit." She scratched her cheek with a single pointer finger, remembering a glass jar that had shattered on impact. Those poor pickled asparagus... though Nix didn't seem too sad about it, at least.
Terpsichore huffed, though it was a deflated sound, concerned, "Margarita, how is that a good thing that you can do that now? Aren't you afraid that you're going to hurt someone?"
Margarita shuddered a little, making her conversation partner think that maybe she was getting somewhere with her points. Arms came up to the putty-purple girl's shoulders and rubbed, "Brr, got a bit nippy out. Do you have a sweater with you?"
Her sigh came sharper this time as Terp stomped her foot, "Margarita, for once, can't you listen to me!?"
However, her reply was more nonchalant than ever. The grimer-child shrugged, indifferent, "What do you want me to say? You don't like the same hobbies I like, so you're never going to agree with me. I just want to have fun in life, so that's what I do." She was tempted to say something more snippy, but couldn't concentrate long enough for that to stay as an interesting thing to accomplish. There was no point in arguing anyway, it wasn't very fun...
Despite knowing that Margarita was, bizarrely, correct in her statements, it didn't lessen the intensity of Terp's aggravation to a very noticeable degree. "Do you find it fun to give someone a concussion? Is that it?" she nearly shouted.
The lavender child almost seemed to be ignoring the angry shroomish now, tugging at the end of an ear as though her wispy hair had been tickling it. She then glanced down at her sandwich, and then to the creek behind her. Shuffling through the lunch bag once more, she located an empty tupperware box and exchanged it for the sandwich. "I'm not going to give anyone a concussion," the short child chided, almost with a laugh, as though Terpsichore told half a joke. The grimer then scampered off to the creek and dunked the open tupperware under the surface.
Terpsichore smacked a palm to her forehead, confused, "Rita, there are better containers to use for water than that..."
The other girl ignored the statement, however, hopping back over with a wide, innocent grin on her face, "I know that! But I'm just demonstrating!"
"Demonstrating? Demonstrating wha--?" the mushroom pokémon started before her answer was unceremoniously received. Using her newly-discovered Fling ability, Margarita tossed the contents of the tupperware at Terpsichore with pinpoint accuracy, getting the brunette as sopping wet as was possible.
And that grin... that grin was still on her face..! The grimer giggled, "Hey, you're not melting, either! Paprika says that means you're not a witch!" She apparently could see nothing wrong with this train of action, regardless of how cold the water or the temperature outside was.
Terpsichore shivered from a combination of biting cold and cresting rage. She never remembered being so furious before, accumulating such a concentration of raw emotion that it was tipping the edges of her vision in a searing white. Thoughts became momentarily half-coherent as venom seeped in, Screw it. If she's not going to try to get along, then neither am I! It was then that emotion took control of her motor skills, and before she could even contemplate what she was doing, she had shot an unfamiliar seed at the smiling form of the girl before her.
When the shroomish came back to her senses, instinct once again taking a back seat, she gasped an exclamation, "Oh my gosh, Rita, are you alright!?"
Margarita blinked, not sure what to make of all of this. Still gripping the tupperware in front of herself with both hands, the lavender pollution monster peered over it at the seed that found its way to the ground. "Woah," she breathed, still sounding a bit amused, "I had no idea that lunch material could be used as a shield!" Margarita seemed completely unfazed by the fact that Terpsichore had nearly implanted a parasitic plant into her, let alone being the first of these potential victims.
Unfortunately, the attacker was not so well off. The fungus-feathered girl's eyes began welling up, even as she attempted to wipe the tears away. "Thank goodness..." she sobbed beneath the obstruction of an arm, "I'm so sorry!"
Before Margarita had a chance to console her teammate, though, the shroomish was already running off. She didn't want this... Terpsichore didn't want this at all!
* * * * *
Level: 5 --> 10
TERPSICHORE has learned LEECH SEED
[[ Word Count: 1,213 ]]
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 9:01 pm
`❖-;Walk the Blade,
Show don't tell, this isn't the answer "End?" the tanned child requested for attention, scuffing a foot into the permafrost of the morning, "Um... could I talk with you a moment?" Terpsichore seemed uncharacteristically melancholy for her usual chipper demeanor, changing her social behavior to one quite withdrawn.
Endymion half wondered if it was because of who she was speaking with and his own shy nature, or if it was actually related to what she had to say; her downcast eyes told him that it must have been the latter. He motioned for her to take a seat next to him in the grass as he observed the surroundings of their current campsite, but she quickly shook her head. She was much too nervous to sit down, something that had her teammate a bit concerned -- not that he'd actually say that, of course. The scyther boy shrugged, turning away so she didn't have to feel like he was scrutinizing every action she chose to make, "Not sure how talkative I'd be, but... go ahead, I'm listening."
She fidgeted in place, unsure of how to begin. She really wasn't very good at a lot of what she wanted to do at the moment: talking about a fear, dealing with all these negative emotions, or heck, even talking to Endymion. However, he was more familiar with this field of inner turmoil... he was always so scared, and had such a temper. Who else could she really talk to about such a thing anyway? Oh, what am I suppose to do..? she fretted, almost pacing where she stood.
Luckily, there was no real rush to be observed from either party. Despite the shorter fuse, Endymion had plenty of patience to spare. He could recognize hesitation well enough when it radiated so heavily off of another, knowing what it was like to be locked in a battle with oneself in such a way. He didn't need to add to the churning indecisiveness. Besides, the silence was actually quite soothing, and even had the potential to help one gather their thoughts.
The weather had long since turned south over the course of the past month. The wind was stagnant, but a rustle through the fields was enough to bring with it an icy lick. The sun had not yet broken fully through the thick bank of clouds, but had already risen above the horizon to give the world a haunting feel. Despite the frosty weather excelling in its ability to lock up the boy's exoskeletal limbs, he really enjoyed being witness to such an uncommon occurrence; it was so different from the norm. Terpsichore seemed oblivious to the sight, however, having dived much too inward to appreciate it through all her anxiety.
The shroomish heaved a sigh, causing Endymion to flinch at the sudden appearance of sound. "Well... ah, not to be rude, but you have kind of a, hmm... you seem to get angry easier than the rest of us," she started, trying to put it delicately.
The scyther-child quirked an eyebrow, wondering if this conversation was going to be about him or Terpsichore; was that why she was nervous? Because she wanted to try to change that about him somehow? If that was the case, she should have kept her mouth shut... Regardless, he wasn't about to assume the worst of her unless it was made clear, but he was cautious, and his tone of voice was curt to indicate that he was not liking where this conversation was headed, "You could put it that way, I suppose." Funny how that same short temper that the girl had mentioned was already beginning to surface.
Terpsichore took a small step back, hands clasped behind her back. While not so much worried that she was upsetting the scyther, she knew she couldn't gather any useful information about the subject that was really bothering her if he got too wound up. Endymion took note of the reaction and tried to let go of the frustration while she stalled. "Well, I wanted to ask..." she tried, words spoken more slowly out of ginger tiptoeing, "...well, do you have any advice?"
To say the boy was confused was an understatement; that question seemed to come out of nowhere, "Advice? What are you talking about?" What, advice on gaining a bad temper?
"Advice on dealing with anger," she quickly added, as though she was trying to dump a bucket of water on a fire that was riling to get out of control.
Endymion wasn't getting angry at the moment, however, so merely reacted with a bewildered stare for a second or two. He looked quizzical, feeling as though he were receiving more questions when he petitioned for answers, "Um... well, I could, but... Terp, you don't really get angry..." Impatient and irritated, sure, but she already knew how to deal with those.
"I'm going to be honest with you, Endy, and I am going to tell you right now that this isn't easy for me to admit," the shroomish declared, trying to get hold of her normally strong personality; she may have been putting a bit too much effort into the endeavor, "I sort of flipped my lid the other day and actually ended up... attacking Rita."
"What!?" the boy exclaimed. Terpsichore was afraid he may write her off as being something other than who she really was, maybe even bipolar, and attempted to remedy that outcome with anything she could think of to say in repentance, but her flustered mind was coming up empty. Despite what she feared, the shocked silence was broken by... laughter, "So you're telling me that she's so annoying, she can make even the most adamantly pacifist people go on a rampage? This is too much..!"
The girl glowered furiously through the amusement that was currently afflicting Endymion, "That may be funny to you, but I'm serious! Endy, I'm scared! I've never just gone and attacked someone else before, not like that! What am I turning into? ...Endy, I've turned into a monster..!"
Terpsichore's despair cut the scyther-child's chuckling short, and he quickly shook his head to counteract it, "No you're not, Terp. How many other people did you encounter, in all your life, that acted half as bad as Margarita?"
"Um... oh..." she thought about it, but wasn't coming up with anyone even remotely obnoxious. The closest was maybe Kaida the mutated eevee, but she was more 'excitedly hyper' than annoying, and they got along great! What made the grimer girl so much different? "She's just so... thick-headed. Nothing I say gets through to her," she tried to reason out aloud, biting at her fingernails. Endymion closed his eyes and flicked a wrist, as though saying, 'Well there you go.' The girl heaved a sigh before she asked, "But then my question still stands, how do you deal with the anger?"
Endymion seemed confused, "Deal with it? Not very well, it seems..." When had he ever been in control of his emotions? Terpsichore's eyebrows knit together in contemplation as she tried to think of how to explain where she was going with all of this. The boy was about to continue when long, elfin ears picked up on the nearly obscured noise of shuffling through foliage behind them. It sounded much too large to be any sort of bug-type forest-dweller, let alone any other pokémon that could normally be found in such thick greenery in the area. Flinching, he kept his voice low, "Terpsichore, I-I just heard something out there. Do you hear it?" His icy blue eyes didn't leave their post at scanning the trees for indication of company, and he moved with cautious uncertainty. Blinking, Terpsichore noted that he had also probably activated his Agility ability while he waited for confirmation, he was so on edge.
The shroomish glanced about the trees, squinting in an effort to cut through the masking of shade. "I didn't, but... I wasn't paying attention," she whispered, startled, "You sure it's not just another traveler? M-Maybe--"
"I told you there were some out here!" a voice quietly exclaimed from the shadows. The two poké-children jumped.
"Well then what are you waiting for?" a second scolded, "It looks like they already know we're here!" Two Gaians clad in matching black uniforms stepped from the outcropping of trees toward the two children, though one seemed to stumble a bit on a root. The one that held onto their balance grumbled to the other, "You sure they're not just in some pokémaniac getup?"
The other spat, more anxious than exasperated, "No those are real mutations!" He pointed toward the two bizarrely-evolved children just a handful of yards away.
And that was when Endymion spotted the giant 'R' on each of their shirts. The scyther shoved at the dazed Terpsichore to get her moving, but she just shot him a befuddled frown. "It's Team Rocket," he hissed at her, as though it were instruction, "we need to get out of here!"
"What the heck is a Team Rocket?" she retorted haughtily, though the tenseness in her voice was mostly out of aimless fear. Was she suppose to be panicking? Why?
Endymion cut a sharp breath at the realization that Terpsichore was much too stubborn and lacked a proper flight response to a crisis situation. The scyther may have been a coward on his own, but he wasn't going to let the foolhardy shroomish be made into an example. This is the exact reason why friendship is so hazardous! he growled to himself; he had to momentarily let go of his self-preservation instinct.
"Hey, so you know who we are!" one of the young men exclaimed, "So we don't gotta bother with the introductions, do we?" Seemed the less work he had to do, the better.
The girl was tempted to ask regardless, even if it was just to ask what they wanted with a couple of kids, but she was cut short. She could feel a familiar combination of strong emotions radiating off of her teammate, but she hadn't really experienced the sensation so strongly before. Maybe she should be worried... if Endymion was going above and beyond his normal rage-fueled panic attack like that. Terpsichore's own guard shot up, ready to launch the same fateful Leech Seed she had been so terrified of using earlier as Endymion braced himself, attempting to divert attention to himself instead of the mossy-freckled brunette, "I'm not going to warn you again: leave now!"
The more calm Team Rocket grunt flicked a hand to indicate the two poké-children, but turned to his partner instead, "So what should we do about this? Think regular pokémon would be very effective against them, or are we suppose to take them down ourselves? Because I don't know about you, but I was never very good at wrestling in high school."
The eager grunt pulled a pokéball from their belt with a mischievous grin, "We can always try both, you know." Chucking the ball to the space between both parties, out popped a very disoriented venomoth.
The first Rocket member smacked a hand to the lower part of his forehead, "You brought a bug pokémon to fight another bug?"
"The rules might've changed, we gotta check out all our options!" the second tried to redeem his oversight with a meek shrug, "Besides, what if this doesn't--"
It was pointless to allow the both of them to keep yammering the way they were, and Endymion was intent on illustrating this fact. He had already given them what terms he was working off of, and the two men either blatantly ignored the direction, or sending the venomoth out was a statement that they weren't going to be brushed off so easily. Either way, there was only the one result that the scyther boy was looking for, and he was locked onto reaching it in one way or the other. Completely bypassing the opponent the Rocket members sent out, Endymion aimed straight for the grunts themselves; his panic had nothing to do with the pokémon, after all, only what Team Rocket would end up doing if they got their hands on Terpsichore or himself. Maybe the two men weren't taking the encounter entirely seriously, but a threat to livelihood was a threat nonetheless. "I warned you," the boy growled, movements enhanced by the Agility he had activated earlier.
Terpsichore jolted, spurred into action by being witness to the start of the conflict. She hesitated with the Leech Seed, and after a moment of indecisiveness, shook her head as though to respond to a mentally-formed question to herself. She glanced at the venomoth, the insect unsure of what it was suppose to be accomplishing by being sent out against what appeared to be two very obsessed children. The shroomish smiled and gave a tiny wave with a wiggle of her fingers before diverting her attention to the bullies just past the offered combat zone. Inhaling and holding the breath, she followed her teammate's lead and readied a Tackle instead. She didn't really have the heart for it, though, so unsure of what she was suppose to be doing or how she was meant to feel in a time like this. Were they really all that dangerous? They were just people, after all...
Endymion didn't have so much hesitation, however. Self-preservation was one thing, but protecting something else was another. He wasn't used to using his fear in such a manner, and was unable to control it to the extent he may have been able to had he only been looking out for himself. Instead of perhaps luring the two men away, he dove in and used an attack that was sure to have them second guessing their choice in responses. The first Rocket member he reached, he shot a False Swipe at with no heed to any consequences it may incur. Terpsichore skid her body to a halt as she saw the blade move through the air with such precision, but was a little less adamant about such an outcome, and made that surprise indicative in a more vocal manner, "End!"
"Okay, okay, retreat!" the non-targeted grunt shouted, grabbing his partner before he did any further damage to himself as a result of the fall. Quickly, he dragged the shorter one a few more yards away, resisting any other attacks that may have been aimed at the two of them. While glaring, it was obvious that he was in no mood to continue this little affair, not at the moment, "We're leaving, already. Come on, Venomoth." The pokémon swiveled its body in midair, faltering a bit at the lack of reason for the insect's arrival; it didn't seem too attached to the dazed man that had tossed the pokéball, unconcerned with his current status.
Terpsichore watched as the small group fled, nearly as quickly as they had arrived onto the scene in the first place. She was frowning, a mixture of all kinds of confusion playing out across her mind as she approached Endymion at a snail's pace. After the two men and their pokémon had disappeared from sight -- and even for a bit longer after that -- she turned sharply to the scyther, her scowl deepening. "Endymion, what was up with all that? Why did you attack them!? They didn't--" she started bitterly, but quickly cut herself off from going any further.
He was completely terrified over what just happened, and he was doing a horrible job of masking it. The girl sighed and lifted a hand to place it softly at his shoulder, but he flinched and moved out of the line of its reach, shaking like a leaf. "I can't do this anymore," he breathed, "I have to leave."
"W-What!?" it was Terpsichore's turn to be utterly lost. She tried to read the boy, but he wasn't offering any hints, "Endy, that's not going to solve anything. Be reasonable..."
He shook his head, the fear running much too deep for words to cut through, "I have to leave!"
[[ Word Count: 2,676 ]]
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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:55 pm
`❖-;Fray,
No quick fix will heal this tattered mess There was very little time given to anticipate such a drastic move. Never in the past had something careened off the deep end into such a spectacular mess; things always seemed to have a way of righting themselves when they were turned on their heads, and by extent tended to be made better in the learning process, individuals and situations both. Of course, time was needed in order to be able to see that silver lining, but it was almost always there, if one were bold enough to take a chance on the optimistic side of life.
Unfortunately, time is what they seemed short on, and the precious little they had been left with was quickly dwindling. Terpsichore kept her distance from her now-teenaged teammate and their so-dubbed trainer, restraining Margarita from thinking it wise to launch herself headlong into the conflict. It took surprisingly little effort, the grimer noticeably more solemn on the matter, perhaps even concerned.
Had it even been twenty-four hours since the scyther had found himself grown? With everything that had happened in these short days, it was difficult to determine, to find a time where life wasn't chucking another curve ball. Terpsichore may have seemed outwardly adamant, keeping her cool under the trials, but she was scared of what the circumstance might lead to. Margarita was more outwardly rattled, clutching Paprika tightly to her chest with both violet-tinted hands. "I haven't seen them argue so much before..." the grimer murmured, quickly silenced when the shroomish placed an index finger to her lips; she didn't want either of them to invoke any sort of wrath.
Whether it was determined to be an act of rash behavior marked by dread, a flipped switch, or any number of other things, Endymion seemed dead-set on leaving. No amount of Nix telling the scyther that he was acting foolish was going to change his mind -- it only cemented the action, as the researcher feared it might. He persisted an interim longer, but could identify a lost cause when he saw it... as much as Nix didn't want to see it.
The argument was much too one-sided. While panic was a strong contender, it also made negotiation a blunt and ineffective weapon. Nix soon discovered this, and the logic he was attempting to insert into the conversation was quickly silenced because of it. His mind may not have shut up with the retorts, hasty as they were on the uptake, but he didn't want to risk the backlash of voicing them. As comments were met without resistance, Nix noticed they became more desperate, anger being replaced by fear. It was difficult... but this wasn't something that could be reasoned out.
"You're all the same, and I want nothing to do with you any longer." I wish you wouldn't generalize... everyone's different.
"I can't risk being turned into some demented science experiment. I'm a living being, too; I have a life." I never considered you anything less than that.
"I just don't think I can handle things right now. I-It's almost claustrophobic, and staying here is only making it worse." Nobody is going to make you do anything you don't want. You just need to calm down... There's no need to take such a drastic route!
Endymion was no blood relation, and wasn't a child; Nix had no right to keep the teen here any longer than what the scyther wanted. As much as the man feared that End wasn't equipped well enough to handle it out on his own as he now was, he had to consider that the poké-teen had done so for who-knows-how-long before he had ever come across the field researcher. He was a wild pokémon, and apparently not so easily tamed.
"You're just going to let him leave!?" Terpsichore verbally cut into Nix's thoughts as she reached to tug on his sleeve. Her stern expression belied her deep concern, as Endymion was already on his way from the campsite carrying the bare essentials, "Aren't you going to stop him?"
"I can't, Terp," Nix sighed. The shroomish girl would have grown in exasperation if she couldn't hear the hurt in the man's voice, but such notes only inflamed a greater sense of urgent concern. "There's nothing I can say that will succeed in changing his mind. He seems dead set on it, and making him stay would only cause the hatred to multiply. I'm not... I don't know how to deal with situations like this..." he admitted, brushing a hand through his short hair.
The green-freckled child watched her teammate as he continued to put forth the distance. If there was going to be any salvaging this utter wreck of a situation, assure some semblance of control, she was going to have to act drastically herself. Her firm stance was illuminated in her fierce gaze, "I was there when this all came crashing down. Right now, he's afraid of all of humankind, and probably most pokémon. I don't know what will happen to him if he goes out there, all alone. He's got nowhere to go except to come back here, and who knows when that will be." Her gaze drifted momentarily, as though determining whether her next words were going to be the best, but the girl was backed into a corner herself. She was the responsible one... and she would rather make sure everyone was safe than heed her own preferences. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Nix, "I'll go with him, to make sure he doesn't do something stupid."
"Terp, you don't have to..." he began, cutting himself off as he released a breath; her stance, her expression, told him what he already knew, "...You do, don't you? I'm sorry, Terpsichore..."
"Don't be," she swatted at his upper arm as she went about to gather her things. She was putting on a brave face, but it bothered her nonetheless. "We'll be back. I'm just with him until he comes to his senses about that, and then I'll drag him back here by the collar, if I need to," she stated.
The researcher watched the shroomish-girl weave an arm through her backpack, "How are you going to find us?" He was nomadic, so it wasn't like one could merely stop by and knock on the front door...
"Doctor Willows," Terpsichore replied simply, resituating her materials and ready to get going. Her smile was forced, but she didn't want to leave on a frown, "I went with you the last time we were in town, so I can find the place again. If he doesn't know where you are, then we'll wait for you to stop back in again. I gotta go before Endy gets too much of a lead on me, sorry. See you again before you know it!" She gave a brief wave, tilted slightly to a frightened Margarita as well, before she dashed off.
The brunette would not have been able to last a longer farewell. It was enough to tear at her with the notion, but she had more important things to attend to... such as a block-headed and irrational teammate. First things first.
[[ Word Count: 1,194 ]]
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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:57 pm
`❖-;Growth Sprout,
Child actor turned teen sensation? She had read about things like this occurring before, when she had scoured every bit of written work she managed to get her frills on where it referenced the human race. The mushroom-pokémon found the world utterly entrancing, and even the smallest informative piece she could snatch a hold of was capable of pleasing the obsessive actress of a shroomish. Every little bit could come in handy at some point, she was sure -- nobody ever knew when useless trivia would, but it didn't always stay filed under such labeling, after all!
As a pokémon, it had been Margarita that caught hold of her star after Endymion had, leaving Terpsichore as the only one of the team that still had her original, primary form. She had also been the only one that had shown interest in such a path to begin with, so of course she felt the bite of jealousy where that was concerned. Instead of letting it eat at her, however, she used it as an opportunity to gain more knowledge on how to get to such a state herself. Had either of them done anything that provoked the uncovering of such a strange artifact from the sky? Was it something that Nix had done, as a human and scientist both? Did they actually want to be turned into such a form, and just didn't voice it?
With Endymion's reaction in that regard, however, the last query was easily dismissed. Margarita was the same no matter what form she took, too. Was the shroomish just trying too hard, then?
It seemed unrelated to any of these ideas, however, when at last she had found her own star. Of course, she was quick to attribute it to Nix's presence -- never had she gotten closer, let alone succeeded, in her trials toward becoming human before teaming up with the rag-tag entourage. Heck, Terpsichore had been unaware it had been done in the past at all before that point!
On this day, however, things seemed a little topsy-turvy. Endymion had grown into a more teenaged form perhaps a week ago, though more precise measurements of time escaped the girl. Surely Margarita would have grown next... While the brunette couldn't establish whether this insistence proved to be true or not, it seemed to lack a little in necessity, for Terpsichore could prove without a doubt that the shroomish had grown, whether the grimer had or not. Maybe Margarita had grown while they had been on the road, too? "Most peculiar..." she mused as she studied her newer, more developed and lengthier body.
She was still on the smaller side in build, which the girl was happy to note -- the slim build would help her on her road to turning into the star she was so adamant on becoming in the world of drama. A little extra height couldn't have hurt, though... and she pouted slightly at the realized difference between the two of them when she had shown the new development to the scyther. That and at Endymion's own unsure reaction on how he should take it, considering he seemed less than pleased. Then again, he hadn't even wanted her to tag along in the first place, so the newly-grown teenager was apt to let that slide. There was still that whole eight-inch difference between the two of them, though... was she going to have to learn to walk in high heels?
Speaking of which, that was one thing the young shroomish had not packed for. Fidgeting, she tried to readjust her shirt without snagging it, realizing it had grown much too tight overnight. There were so many things she was going to have to get used to, with her body now shaped more... womanly than the board-like form she had as a child. Maybe she should be grateful she wasn't too overly developed. She was lovely in her own right, she was sure, but more fitting dress would help on that front as well.
"Endy's not going to like that..." she sighed, lifting her bag over her shoulder. They hadn't been near any town since the both of them left to go solo... duo? Shaking her head, Terpsichore decided to bring another matter to the table to justify the decision more concretely, "We're running low on supplies. There's only so long we can go, living off of the meager amount of berries we can collect." There was also the guilt-tripping route; she could always say she grew due to the stress she'd been feeling lately. From what she had read of humankind, that direction was not without foundation in truthfulness, either.
Nix had left her with a bit of cash, and maybe she would be able to make a bit more herself while in town. She just needed to devise a good act!
[[ Word Count: 804 ]]
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:30 am
`❖-;Roleplay #6, Link: Take a Bow
Participants: Ilmari & Terpsichore
Stages: Teen (Both)
Status: Ongoing
Premise: Everyone's got to start somewhere; unfortunately, we're still at the beginning.
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 8:23 pm
`❖-;Roleplay #7, Link: A Survey of Decorum
Participants: Lightning, Deanna, & Terpsichore
Stages: Child (Lightning) & Teen (Terpsichore)
Status: Ongoing
Premise: The way one should treat reality is not so cut-and-dry, so let's have fun with it!
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:37 pm
`❖-;Refugee`s Closed Canvas,
Is it safe to feel safe? She had told herself that she shouldn't, that she should wait. Grabbing hold of that one small piece of familiarity would only leave her craving more, missing that which was once in her grasp but a handful of weeks prior. The big city life was always something she thought she could only dream of, but when so forcibly ejected into its midst to fend for herself, to learn of expected courtesies and routines of the everyday citizen, well... it was difficult not to just fall back on personal securities, built from previous experiences. As much as she was loathe to admit it, the world could be a scary place when one was on their own for nigh the first time!
The truth was, it wasn't the first time. However, as eager as Terpsichore may have been to see the world with her own two eyes outside the confines of a book, she had been just as quick to team up with the amusing researcher Nix. Perhaps, even then, the thought of traveling the world frightened her.
How quick she had been to once more fall under the care of someone else, to be at the mercy of another individual's whims. She was stronger than that! Perhaps even Terpsichore, the headstrong and sensible one, needed more confidence than even she herself realized.
At the very least, the shroomish could certainly say that she was an adaptable sort, even if that didn't seem like the most comforting of skills at times. She was determined, stubborn to give her gifts a whirl in the attempt to improve her and her teammate's current situation. Sure, it was not without its faults, and was currently haphazard at best, but it was a learning experience, and an invaluable one at that. She had, after all, nobody to base her skills off of but for the professional actors and actresses off of the silver screen, for reading about their exploits did little to teach the practices. One day, maybe she would be able to experience the thrills of a play, but for now, her knowledge base was quite limited to that extent.
Her anxiety, by contrast, was a little more difficult to mask when she hadn't the mindset of work to drive her. She was on her own while here in town. Sure, Terpsichore had run into quite a few friendly folks, even a couple of familiar faces, but she was left alone the majority of the time. Her voice only carried so far, and many of those that heard the impromptu stories the girl weaved out of thin air went out of their way to avoid her. Maybe it was because she was an oddity, or maybe it was because they didn't want to be responsible for paying for her next meal. Either way, it made things difficult to be successful towards her goals, both short term and in the long run.
In the face of such mental adversity, the mossy-pocked teenager found that her feet led her back to a familiar haven, one that she had sworn not to go back to until tensions were low. This was not the right time... and yet, Terpsichore felt an uneasy necessity to enter the laboratory of the researcher's uncle, to feel the comfort of linoleum under her soles.
Perhaps it might be best to explain what had happened, even if the situation had not altered course since?
For the most part, barring herself from the laboratory had been a choice, in the effort to give the girl a goal to reach when the hard part had passed -- a refuge after the storm. She could make it that long, she was sure of it -- if Endymion was going to be so stubborn, she could top it! -- but the question remained: did she even want to? If she was suffering this much already, with so little familial contact? Why? And was it to her benefit, or someone else's? Was there any benefit at all?
Slowly, the glass door pivoted open on its hinges, barely making a sound at all. Terp's hands clung tightly to the edge as she hovered at the doorway, only just now realizing that anyone here might not even be able to recognize her new, older appearance. It felt uncharacteristic for her, the social butterfly, to feel so nervous, but her mind would not release the notion that she was not supposed to be here. Like a scolded child sent to time-out and refusing to obey, she lingered at the door for a few moments longer before slipping inside, side-stepping the main floor in favor of holding up the wall to the side of the entrance. Everyone seemed generally preoccupied with what they were working on, numerous projects running under the guidance of the scientists that worked there. It was at such an observation that she remembered with a start just how tense this place made her.
Biting back the anxiety, the teen pushed off the wall and headed toward the first person that crossed her path. Tapping the busy employee on the upper arm a few times, Terpsichore made it a point to take up as little of their time as possible, for her own sanity as much as a courtesy for someone taking time out of their schedule to help her out. "E-Excuse me, is Doctor Willows here?" she fumbled, quickly restoring her composure mid-sentence.
While the scientist was slightly bewildered at first, to be torn from thoughts on a completely separate matter, the confusion was easily wiped and a smile emerged from her face, "Ah, why yes he is! If you'll just--"
"Terpsy-chore!" an excited voice broke through the conversation, derailing it with a bounding, colorful child and a grin. Karma's hand flicked slightly at the twist tie around a blue plastic bracelet.
Blinking a bit, Terpsichore giggled at the familiar face and mispronunciation, "Terpsichore, you silly goose. It's great to see you, Karma!"
"Oh that's right... I even wrote that down in my notebook," the ditto recalled, hastily grabbing at zher shoulder bag's metal clasp at the mention but leaving it closed; there was no need to pull it out right now. Instead, the child turned back to the girl that was now considerably taller than last they met, even if there was still a lack of extreme disparity, "Wow, you got bigger! I like it!" Zhe flashed another grin, but nearly cut zhimself off from the action with another sudden recollection, waving a little to pull the shroomish further inside, "Oh, the doctor... he had something to give you anyway. This way!"
"Something to..." Terpsichore partially repeated with a quirk of her head. Had she accidentally left something here the last time she had visited? Glancing back, she offered a smile in thanks to the scientist that she had pestered before following after the ditto-child down the hall and into a separate room.
The walls were covered in cubbies, similar to what a post office might look like, though the metallic boxes that lined the room varied in size to suit a range of functions. There were some lockers against the far wall, making the teenager come to the conclusion that this area took on the duty of holding objects that couldn't be carried around throughout the laboratory, or while on the job in general. "Weird, it's almost like a classroom in here..." she marveled tenuously, observation interrupted as she spotted Grayson across the way.
Karma tugged at Terpsichore's hand, plastic bracelets clattering together as zhe began waving down zher trainer with the other, "Doctor, Terpsichore is here! She came to visit, isn't that neat? You said she wouldn't come back for a while -- ha!" The tittering tease was followed by a smug smile, but Karma merely seemed glad that the girl was here at all instead of having to exercise that annoying condition that was patience.
Grayson glanced up from a stack of papers, shoving them neatly back into the manila folder he had pulled them from. His expression showed genuine hospitality, but the confusion was evident almost immediately, and certainly before he even opened his mouth to speak, "Ah, great to see you! Seems you've had a bit of a growth spurt there... was it really that sudden?" He wasn't lingering on the question long enough to grab for an answer, it being mere observation as he adjusted his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "Didn't Nix already head out of town?"
"He did, a while ago actually," the mushroom pokémon stated without hesitation. Despite her current surroundings, those that she considered family offered much more peace of mind than she felt she had experienced in far too long, and her shift to a casual demeanor was easy enough for her to identify, as suddenly as it had come on. "It was a big mess... and a long story. If you have the time, I can elaborate," she went on, trying to stay conscious that she didn't take too much time out of Grayson's schedule for chatter; as much as she wanted to stay put, she wasn't completely self-serving and illogical. Her eyes flicked briefly to the slightly-distracted ditto at her side, "Karma said you had something for me, though?"
With a soft inhale at that thought, Grayson held up a finger as though to signify 'one minute.' His hands shuffled through some of the smaller cubbies, trying to locate the papers addressed to the correct individual as many an unorganized stack obscured the cheap paper plaque under the small alcoves that would have indicated as much. Pausing a moment to verify the handwriting, he pulled out an envelope and offered it to the petite girl, "Endymion... he also travels with you and Nix, doesn't he? I got this letter for him earlier this week; was he expecting something?"
To say that Terpsichore was utterly baffled would have been a gross understatement as she took the envelope. She had to read the name it was addressed to just to make sure it wasn't some sort of misunderstanding, but nothing she found indicated as much. "...He does, but... wow, why would he be getting a letter? I don't get it..." she flipped it over, still not fully convinced this thing was real, "...He's afraid of everyone. Who would send him a message?" With a start, a different realization came to her, and her look appeared almost pained through the confusion, "Let alone a written one... Whoever it is doesn't know he can't read..."
Grayson couldn't help cutting through with a chuckle at her motoring perplexity, which helped to silence her verbal assessments. "I guess you'll just have to ask him yourself, then. It seems that people can be full of surprises," he stated, shuffling his papers loosely to his side, "I was surprised as well. It's not every day we get mail for you guys, after all. Smart move, I must say -- I doubt Nix stops by his place as often as he does here."
"He has a place?" Terpsichore scoffed, but it was an obvious joke by the way a wry smile tugged at her lips. Her eyes ran back over the front of the letter before she pocketed it, not intent on losing it before she got the chance to find out what it was all about. "Consider the message delivered, kind sir," she announced, trying her hand at a hint of an English accent; that was going to need some work...
With a grin, the head scientist motioned to a chair in the closest corner of the room, "Now, you said you had a story to tell me..." Even if the doctor was always working, he simultaneously also always had time for family and their concerns.
Terpsichore's face lit up. She really was home.
[[ Word Count: 1,975 ]]
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Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:41 pm
`❖-;Roleplay #8, Link: Making friends with your friends friend
Participants: Jayme, Endymion, & Terpsichore
Stages: Teen (All)
Status: Complete!
Premise: Wait wait, what's with all the adorable? If it wasn't plainly obvious that this meeting was going to be unusal before, it is now!
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