|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:02 pm
Despite the tense and anxious feelings, everything seemed to be going alright until the sound of the bullet piercing the door and embedding itself in the opposite wall. A sharp intake of air signaled Inigo's surprise, even if the backpedaling step hadn't, or when he muttered a curse in Spanish under his breath. He hadn't signed up for this. Guns? Seriously? He'd never even seen a gun before, let alone been shot at.
The Meganium uttered a distressed noise at the scary thing that put a hole in the wall. Recognizing the severity of the situation - or maybe she just didn't want to hear that noise again - she opened her mouth and released a white beam of light aimed directly at the window.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:20 pm
The Solarbeam erupted against the window, bathing the room in a bright white light. Taking this as their signal, Aila immediately recalled all her pokemon, selecting Charmant's pokeball and releasing the pink Arcanine into the confines of the room - her speed would surpass that of Pitre's Magnet Rise, and speed was an essential factor. The fire-type, roughly grasping the situation, stood by and awaited the cue to act.
"Let's go!" Aila moved toward the Arcanine, preparing to climb onto the large dog as the window gave way and shattered. The sound dredged of the memory of the ball, fresh and vivid in her mind, as the Beldum heaved himself through the window and rained down shards of glass on the podium. She'd stepped forward, seized one of those shards in her hand, and laughed as she slew her brother's daughter with the sharp edge.
The small agent was suddenly much smaller, crouching on the floor with a pile of notebooks scattered in front of her from where her arms suddenly rose shudderingly to her head. The door to the office, no longer impeded by the Mismagius, was kicked open, the few officers who possessed guns immediately leveling them at the room's occupants. Charmant recognized the threat and placed herself between her human and the villains, a brief blast of Flamethrower creating a barrier of flame to prevent the enemy from entering.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:28 pm
After the Solarbeam erupted against the window, Inigo's hand shot out with Leilani's ball to recall her, then clipped it back to his belt. In the next moment Aila was crouched on the floor and the door flew open. s**t. Inigo immediately dove behind the pink Arcanine as well, dropping his slingshot and powder bombs in the process. What was wrong? Why was she just.. just sitting there like that? As concerned as he was about what was wrong, they had much more important things to worry about at the moment. Not wasting another moment, the ex-student scooped the small agent up in his arms and stood, hoisting her up to let her get on Charmant's back before he quickly knelt down again. His slingshot and bombs were picked up first, all three fired at the guards at the door in rapid succession before the small wooden implement returned to his pocket. The notebooks were swiftly shoved into a binder before he stood and hopped up onto the desk to have easier access to Charmant's back, since climbing up one-handed would've been extremely difficult.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:40 pm
Something deep down in Aila wasn't sure it appreciated how nonchalantly Inigo kept hoisting her around, even if it was only the second time it had happened. A small cry of surprise accompanied the sudden sensation of no longer being on the ground, but she was able to refocus on the matter at hand as a result and so she couldn't really complain. The Sleep Powder downed a few of the guards, one of which had been preparing a second bullet, the resulting spores in the air combined with the heat and smoke of the flames inhibiting the officers so that they couldn't pursue immediately. Calls were made for back-up, however, and so Aila encouraged Charmant to move through the window.
Renowned for their swift feet, the Arcanine proved a far better choice for escape than the Metagross, and they had departed from the campus within a few brief moments, headed towards the city's residential district.
"They'll notice your stuff was taken," she said, speaking over the rush of the air. "I'm assuming there are things you need at home, so we'll go before they have the opportunity to get there first." An expectant pause awaited some information about where exactly his home was so she could direct Charmant accordingly.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 7:46 pm
"Qué? Oh, right." His house, duh. After a short pause to figure out the best way to give directions - since nobody ever came to his house anyway - he pointed off to one side and gave her semi-detailed instructions. It wasn't that hard to find anyway, and within a couple minutes - thanks to the speedy pink Arcanine - they had arrived. He slid off Charmant with little difficulty, leaving the overstuffed binder sitting on her back, before he quietly moved to one of the windows along the backside of the house. After testing the window to see if it was unlocked - which it thankfully was, and he was grateful nobody had thought to check and lock it yet - he quietly slid it up before hoisting himself into the room.
He crept around as quietly as possible, stuffing as many clothes as he could into a large bag that sat in his closet. It didn't take too long - nor did he have to worry about fitting everything in, it wasn't like he had that much anyway - so he zipped it shut, then hesitated for a moment. After searching around for a moment, he wrote a short note consisting of only two words that he left on his bed, then grabbed his bag and dropped it out the open window. Next came his bow and all the intact arrows he had, followed by a small bag that looked like the only thing it held inside was a small binder, and then the teen himself before he quietly slid the window shut again. Stuffing the smaller bag into the larger one and putting it up on Charmant's back for the time being, he grabbed the bow and container of arrows before climbing back up onto the Arcanine's back. A strap from the bag was pulled over him to prevent it from falling, and he held onto the Arcanine in preparation for continuing their journey once more. "Alri-- ah." Upon glancing back at the house, he noticed a head of light blond hair framing the face of a young girl in the window next to the one he'd used, who was watching them with large blue eyes and holding a stuffed Espeon toy. The lights in the room were still off and she seemed to be just... watching. Inigo lifted a hand to place a finger in front of his lips before the same hand offered a wave. In response, the girl raised one small hand to return the wave before wrapping it back around the toy in her arms, still watching quietly. "Alright," he repeated in hushed tones to the small agent in front of him. "I think I've got everything."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:19 pm
Aila rested a hand on the binder to prevent it from slipping as Inigo departed into the shadows of his home, her other hand brushing against Charmant's head in a gentle gesture of appreciation. She waited silently, though attentively, until her companion reappeared, bag and other items in tow. She nodded to him in a vague sort of greeting as he mounted the Arcanine, though his somewhat surprised interjection caused Aila to turn her gaze alongside his toward the window.
The small girl, following the shattered window in such quick succession, proved a similarly dangerous stimulus, and with a sharply exhaled breath, Aila refocused her attention forward, brow furrowed in concentration as small hands grasped pink fur. "You think you have everything?" she repeated in a voice that was surprisingly small even to the one uttering the words. "It won't be easy to return for a while, after the mess at the university. You need to be sure."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:23 pm
He completely missed the sudden exhale, though the tone of her voice caught him by surprise. After a few moments of thought, he shrugged lightly. "Yeah, I'm sure," he affirmed, shifting a bit on the Arcanine. "I don't really have much. If I packed anything else it'd be furniture." Or other unimportant odds and ends that he didn't need, nor did they have any significant amount of sentimental value. "We can go," said because he didn't want to sit and wait outside the house for too long. The longer they waited, the guiltier he felt for leaving in the first place, but in his mind he had no other choice but to do so.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:33 pm
She nodded, trusting his judgment and sparing a momentary glance over her shoulder before urging Charmant forward. To her it seemed as though he was making a flippant decision, choosing to abandon his family without thoroughly thinking through all his options. She wasn't particularly sure how she felt about this: On one hand, his research would flourish in an environment that encouraged it, but on the other, it seemed he was taking his normal life for granted. Passingly she wondered if he was aware of how enviable a normal life was...
A few words of guidance later, Charmant slowed to a halt in the clearing near the lake, the height of the moon indicating that it wouldn't be too much longer before the earliest light began to trickle into the horizon. Aila dismounted the large pokemon, waiting for Inigo to do the same before recalling the fire-type into her pokeball. "You did very well, considering this was your first time in any sort of stealth task," she said honestly, if not a bit bluntly. "My offer still stands, if you want to discuss it now." Perhaps in the course of events he had thought of a preferable alternative.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:57 pm
Perhaps he was taking his normal life for granted, or perhaps he had different reasons altogether for the decision - because in his mind, he'd pretty much made his choice already anyway. Still, he might as well get more information about it before signing up, in case he decided living the hermit life would be preferable to whatever organization this was.
He slid off after Aila, dropping his belongings on the ground before pulling his backpack out of the tree he'd left it in before. "Gracias," he murmured absently as he set it down with everything else, then stood and looked over everything briefly. "Yeah, I'd like to." What had she said before? They would encourage his research and from the sounds of it, probably had similarly immoral research already going on. They dealt in catching legendaries and from what he'd witnessed of Aila's stealth and related skills, other illegal activities. That thought alone was a daunting one - he'd be working with criminals, in essence - but if Aila was one of them, which she obviously was, then there was no way it could be all bad. His gaze focused on her again, realizing that he was able to think about things with a clear head now than before when he'd been distressed and almost certain he'd never see Leilani again, or his other pokemon or research. "Where is it?" Oh, wait, she probably couldn't tell him yet. "Uh.. Or, I guess, where would I stay?" He couldn't imagine it was like a normal job, where you lived in your own house and just 'went to work,' so to speak.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 10:04 pm
She frowned momentarily that his first question was one she couldn't answer, and it was a relief when the query was rephrased in a way that she could respond to it. "You would be staying in the building, in the dorms," she explained. "You would begin with a training period lasting two months, during which time you would live in a barracks-type environment with several other people. On your promotion, you would gain a single roommate, and then your own room, and then your own suite - as you work your way up. Meals are also provided as well as a cafe where you can purchase more intricate items and kitchens if you ever feel the urge to cook," though she recalled his confession about his difficulty with even as little as a microwave.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 10:15 pm
"Oh, okay," he said and his expression cleared a bit. That made sense. ...wait, it also begged the question, "how big is this building?" If it had dorms and kitchens and cafes and stuff, it had to be big, and if it was big, where would they hide it? Was it in the city somewhere, or...?
A thought seemed to strike him suddenly, and he quickly pulled a pokeball from his belt to release Leilani. The large Meganium took a moment to take in her surroundings - probably to make sure she wasn't stuck in the office or a building anymore - before an overjoyed "niuuu!" escaped her and she nuzzled her head into his chest and shoulder. He grinned and threw his arms around her neck - partly because of how much he missed her and how glad she was safe and sound, and also partly because if he didn't she would've knocked him over - and she gleefully curved her neck over his shoulder in a make-shift hug of sorts. After a few moments - and another happy cry from the grass-type - Leilani bounded the few steps over to Aila to do the same, probably because she remembered seeing her with Inigo in the office and realized that she'd helped him.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 8:42 am
"Quite large," she answered vaguely, elaborating, "six floors above ground and at least five below. Possibly more; the lowest levels are restricted to relevant personnel only, so I haven't had the chance to explore everything."
She folded her arms loosely, holding her hands at her elbows, and watched the pair's reunion with a faint sense of empathy that pulled her own lips into the suggestion of a smile. She had never been forcibly separated from her pokemon before, especially not on the premise of never seeing them again; she imagined her reaction being a bit less resignatory and a bit more indignant and combative. The thought made her spare a moment's consideration for the hiker she had met as a part of Seth's training exercise, from whom she had stolen her Acier. She couldn't imagine peaceably passing by if they crossed paths again... Perhaps she needed to be a bit more alert when--
"Ah--" All thoughts derailed by the sudden presence of a Meganium in her immediate person, a long neck curled around her shoulder. She held her hands up hesitantly, unaccustomed to receiving arbitrary gestures of affection, before patting the curve of Leilani's neck in reply.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 9:11 pm
Whoa. That actually sounded pretty freaking huge. He couldn't help but wonder how they hid it, since Camphoreon seemed like a very unlikely place to be able to effectively hide such a large-scale organization like that. It actually sounded sort of like living on-campus at a university - not that his parents would ever be able to afford such a thing - except it was work and not taking classes, and he would get paid and not have to pay.
Pleased with this reaction, Leilani crooned happily before bounding back to Inigo to knock him over do the same to him again, and he responded with a grin and a hug around her thick neck. His resignation before was due mostly to the immense feelings of helplessness and the thought that he couldn't do anything about it, especially not by himself, unlike Aila with all her experiences, her tools, and her pokemon. Even with her help, he'd been questioning if they would succeed or not.
Oh, right, their conversation. He hummed lightly a bit as he tried to think of any other questions, but he honestly couldn't think of that many. His gaze finally returned to Aila and, after a brief moment of hesitation, he asked, "do you like it there?"
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 10:20 pm
It was something of a relief when the grass-type removed herself from Aila's space; she liked Leilani well enough, certainly, but the phrase 'too close for comfort' was an applicable one.
She waited expectantly at his thoughtful hum, a sound she recognized at one produced by a person who was in the midst of thorough introspection. The question he finally posed, however, was an unexpected one, and she blinked in mild surprise and processed her reply. Where his gaze fell on her, hers fell downward towards the hands she linked in front of her, putting as much thought into the answer as he had put into the question.
"I've worked with them for a year now, and the only complaints I can offer are trivialities when weighed against the praises," she said, explaining, "Living arrangements at entry level are cramped, food prepared in the cafeteria is relatively unsavory, and instructors tend to be sharp-tongued. But your skills will be accommodated and nurtured, and your superiors will press you to succeed and improve." She raised her eyes to his with a mild smile. "Where I am now, I'd say I like it more than anywhere I've ever been before."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
|
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 12:28 am
"Really?" Well, the first things didn't sound very good at all, but he would love to be somewhere that would accept - encourage, even - his research. Maybe even help with it. Oh, oh man. If it was such a big organization, they had to have standard equipment and research labs, and -- "That sounds awesome. Well not the first couple things anyway, but you know what I mean," he said with a small, sheepish grin as he reached up to run his hand through his hair absently. It really did sound awesome. Even if it was a criminal place, but then again... He'd just broken into the university, knocked out security guards, and by property of association set fire to the dean's office, broke into half his cabinets and broke the window. Not to mention being shot at. If none of that made him a criminal, he didn't know what did. "I'll join," he said at length, a more serious tone entering his voice, though his expression only toned down a bit. Even when he was being serious, he couldn't help but give everything at least a partial grin or smile. Well, most things. "I'd love to be somewhere that I can keep doing my research and put it to good use."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|