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For some unknown reason, this journal entry is choppy and poorly written. Towards the end of the page, splotches of ink seem to have smeared the words together. It looks as if the writer had spilt something, or perhaps he had fallen asleep and drooled? Or, from the spacing of the splotches; another theory was more likely. The writer had been crying.

Journal,

Came home from the beach alone. It was fun. I saw Cam and Timmy. That was nice. Mitsuru and others were there too. Lots of food, but I didn't have any. I could've brought some home for Daddy. I wish he had been there. But he was busy with work.

I saw my sister, journal. But she didn't recognize me. She was scared of me. Shaking and cowering from me. I don't know why... I'd been told that my sister would know me no matter what. That my changes didn't change who I was and that she would still recognize me. But she didn't, journal. She didn't. I think, before I told her who I was, she hated me. She was terrified. Like I was going to drag her away into a dungeon and lock away the key, like Beast did to Belle. But without the pretty rose and talking clock and everything that makes that movie not scary. I don't think she meant to be mean, and she really was scared, journal--it just hurt. It hurt to know my sister knew so little about me that she couldn't recognize me.

That she had forgotten how I acted. That she'd forgotten my voice. She didn't know me. I was some monster to her. But it hurt even more that she thought I'd left her. She left me, journal. She talked about a picture I had drawn for that nice human, Mariana. But I never was able to find her house. If Cecily had really looked for me, instead of leaving me, she would've found me in the clearing.

It hurts, journal. I didn't know loving someone could hurt so much. But it's clear to me that she's happier away from all people, including her twin brother; me. She was terrified of me, journal. Terrified. I don't want that to happen again. And I'm sure it will. If she can forget me in such a short amount of time--if she can forget everything that makes me me, in whatever form I am--I think it's for the best that she didn't accept my offer to have her come live with us. She's happiest where she is. She can stay there. I don't want to see her again.

I know that's selfish... I don't want to go through that pain again. I can't remember ever feeling so selfish before, journal. I know maybe that my choice will hurt her. But I can't see her again. I can't. Not when I know she might forget me again. Not when I know she'll see me as a monster. I love her so much, journal. I looked for her for months. I hoped she had missed me as much as I had missed her.

But if she had, she would've known me. And loved me. Just as Daddy said she would recognize me. She would've.

- Brenny

Dear Journal,

I know this is going to sound strange after what I said the last time. And it still stands, really. But cutting all ties with my sister and still thinking about her are different things. At least, I think so. I've seen a lot of people break up on television when I can sit down long enough to actually watch it. They cut ties that way, but some of them never stop loving each other. It makes it very sad. I worry about my sister, journal. I've been reflecting on things since I met her at the beach.

I'd asked most everyone I'd met since coming to the city if they had seen--or heard about her. Every one of them said no. What does that mean? Sure, there's more people than I could ever meet in the world--but what if she hasn't met anyone? How would she have friends? What if she doesn't have any friends? Does she even know how to make friends? If she doesn't, will she when the time comes? I don't know, journal. Is being a friend something you can learn? For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to make friends. The idea was so exciting! New friends to share adventures with! To share stories with, to play with! All of the friends I've made in the city--they mean so much to me. I want Cecily to be able to experience that. I want her to be happy.

I want someone to look out for her. Like Daddy does for me. Like Cam and Urban do. She's so shy and scared of people, I don't know what she'd do if she met someone not nice, like the people Cam told me about. She would probably assume all people are like that and be even more afraid. She needs a friend. Someone who can show her people aren't bad. Not all people. I haven't met a bad person, yet, in all the time I've been here. Not one. I know there are bad people; Daddy told me about them, and Cam too. They wouldn't lie to me; but I've never met a bad person. I've met people who pretend to be. Zev's one of them. Urban's the other.

I think Zev just likes to pretend to be tough and mean, but he's really nice. He brought me a movie and helped me count the money I made at my lemonade stand! Then he gave me a whole twenty! Just to help me buy my present for Daddy! He is a good person! He is. But Mei doesn't like him... I'll have to convince her.

Bye, Journal!

Brenny

For Science!

Brennen was, perhaps oblivious that there was a laboratory nearby, but if he had known, he would have been even more interested in investigating the surrounding area. He'd decided to take the day to explore the woods--and had somehow gone far enough--either in or out, he wasn't quite sure, that he had stumbled upon a building. Once he had scoped the building out, he had spotted a man--a man he recognized from descriptions. He grinned. He broke out into a run, heading over to him. He wrapped his arms around Grayson's neck from behind. "Hi! I'm a legendary and I love you!"

While Grayson was not usually much for being a field researcher, as many of those that worked under him tended towards, there were still instances every once in a while where he was called out to do a bit of it on his own. As a scientist, such cases were quarantined to being within the city, as he couldn't stray too far from the base. He was one of the heads of the department, after all, so it wouldn't do to be missing for too long if he could help it. Karma insisted the fresh air would do him good, too, but he wasn't sure if the ditto-child was just saying that for truth or if it was because zhe wanted to leave the compound, too...
In this train of thought, thoroughly distracted, he hadn't noticed the quickened footsteps of the child behind him until the celebi-boy tackled the man; his brain short-circuited, cutting off what comprehension he would have had at Brennen's statement of introduction as he tried to keep himself from toppling over. "Doctor!!" Karma gasped at the strangely... amusing scene. Despite a tinge of worry, Karma took the opportunity to try to locate any mention of the glomp-happy bug-child within the ditto's scrawled notes.
"I heard you're a scientist!" Brenny exclaimed, releasing his hold on Grayson. His attention, however, landed on Karma, and the excitable celebi boy dashed over to her instead. "I don't know who you are," he observed. "They didn't tell me about you. But I'm Brennen! You can call me Brenny, and we can be friends. I thought since he studies pokemon he might be interested in meeting me!" Brenny paused, beaming as he looked back over to Grayson. "How do you study pokemon?" he asked. "Are you going to study me, are you? I'm a legendary. Come play with me!"
[6/15/2013 11:45:31 PM] MoogerMint Seishin: rayson sputtered, finally regaining his balance and straightening up his stereotypical white lab coat. "You... heard..?" he asked, words broken. He didn't understand, who was actually happy to see a scientist? He watched as the cheery celebi-child sped into view, directly for Karma, and it was then that Brennen's initial words finally hit their mark in his head. "Wh-What!? A celebi!?" he coughed, quickly attempting to locate his notepad in a coat pocket.

Karma sqeaked as Brenny closed so quickly in, dropping the zher own notebook without having located a thing. It was obvious that the boy was just excited, though, so the ditto was quick to relinquish such apprehension, especially when said boy was so eager to be friends. Really? Friends so soon? Karma hadn't met someone so quick to jump to such a conclusion, so was not about to shun such a request, "Okay, I'd love to be friends! Hi Brenny, I like that name. My name's Karma!" The ditto shuffled around, offering a hand to shake, "Oh, the doctor would love to study you, I have no doubt about that! But to tell you the truth... it might be kind of boring." Zher eyes narrowed slightly, as though giving Grayson a warning look.

The scientist had already found his notepad and was scribbling notes down when the questions came aimed at him. "Hm?" he peeked over the pad of paper, "Oh, um... if you don't mind, I'd like to?" He wasn't actually sure if Brenny would appreciate it, come to think of it... He blinked a bit in confusion, "Play..?"

"Yes, from Lucy! She told me you study pokemon and that sounded really boring so I decided to teach you a new way to study pokemon!" Brenny rambled, beaming as he looked back to Grayson. "You can't sit around and write all day," he said, shaking a finger at the man. "You have to play with pokemon, too, to really understand them!" It seemed logical. To Brenny, at least.

"Yay! Hi Karma! You have a pretty name! And you're pretty, too. I like your color." Brenny took her hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Now we're friends! Good! We can teach your Daddy how to study better. He's missing a lot of things by just sitting there," he gestured to the professor, shaking his head sadly. "It won't be boring now," he assured her.

He directed his attention back to Grayson. "Come on, come on! I'm a legendary! You want to study me! I'll stay still long enough for you to write if you can catch me! But if you can't, you have to study my way."

Grayson found it comical how quickly the celebi-child slipped into his role at directing the scene. "Ahh, Lucy; so you've met my Dea and her pokémon, have you?" he gathered, nodding as he understood, "And she didn't send you directly here?" No, he knew she wouldn't have had the time for it, but he playfully huffed about the situation anyway. He waved the notepad as it was referred to, sounding grumpy though it was obvious he wasn't, "But what if I forget to write something important down later? Can't I just watch you two play and take notes about it?" He was almost whining, as though he were a child debating with a parent. He used this tactic a lot on his children when they were growing up, and sometimes even on Karma.

Karma, who was just about to throw a shoe at the man. It was amusing, sure, but games tended to be more fun when more people were involved! Karma wiggled a little, blushing a bit, "You really think I'm pretty? Usually people just think I'm strange!" Not once could the ditto remember being called pretty. It was most likely because of the fact that zhe had no specific gender, but that didn't mean they had to forgo being as friendly as they were to everyone else! "You like pink?"

Karma gaped, flexing one hand while shaking Brenny's with the other, "Well, I like your color! It matches the forest out there!" Which he had just popped out of, come to think of it, "Do you live in the forest?" The child giggled, nodding in agreement with exuberance, "What game should we try to get him to play? He's gotta use his hands, or they'll just keep writing!" But zhe was quick to play along when Brenny attempted to coax Grayson out, "Tag?"

The scientist was not so quick to catch on, "Catch you? In what manner?" He was still on scientist-mode, and the thought gave rise to the question of whether Brenny even COULD be caught in a pokéball, now that he was transformed. He blinked at the thought, quickly scribbling down the testable theory.

"Nope! I was exploring my forest, and I must have gotten turned around. But I found you!" Brenny beamed. He put a hand to his chin, feigning thoughtfulness. "Hmm..." he hmmed, before smirking at the professor. "Then you'll just have to ask me what you forgot to write down. I know me best, so the best person to ask is me! I can tell you all about me, and being in the forest, and changing, and--" the celebi paused, his expression softening. "Don't worry, though," he said. "I won't let you forget anything really important. You can study all you like!"

His gaze fell back onto Karma, and he beamed at zher. "Yup! Prettiest I've ever seen!" He wasn't sure what Karma was, really, but He? She? was pretty. "I don't think you're strange," he said, frowning slightly. Strange wasn't a very nice thing to call someone! "I do like pink! My sister is pink. But I haven't seen her for a long time. She's a celebi too! But pink." The celebi boy hesitated, before shaking his head slowly. "I used to," he said. "But now I live in the city. I still visit almost every day! I miss it sometimes. Yeah, let's make him play tag! He has to catch me!"

"Come on, come play with us! Please? I'll even run slowly so you can catch me."

"Glad you didn't get too lost in there, in that case," Grayson pointed out, seeming to be a bit concerned, "How far are you from your home, anyway? I don't remember reading any reports of a celebi spotted in the area..." It hadn't occurred to the man that this was due to the fact that Brenny had only been 'in the area' since turning into a child, thinking that he would have stayed where he grew up. He frowned at the suggestion but... honestly, it was better than nothing. What better way to learn of something than experiencing it? "Ahh, so it would be like a documentary sort of interview? I suppose that could work..." he tapped a chin thoughtfully; there was no better way to get that sort of information, either! "You are quite the diplomatic child, if I do say so."
Karma wondered if the statement that Brenny was offering of the ditto-child's features were based off of little knowledge of others, but considering the celebi-boy's extroverted mannerisms, zhe could chance a guess that he probably knew more than zhe did. "Aww, you're making me blush, cut it out!" the blue-haired child giggled, "But being strange isn't so bad, either, so when people call me that, it doesn't upset me. Just means I'm different. I like being called pretty, though! Nobody's ever called me that before, it sounds nicer." Brenny was, indeed, nicer than a lot of the scientists that frequented the laboratory on a regular basis. "Oh really? She's pink?" Karma repeated, making the correlation as to why there was a 'pretty' link in there; the realization was actually quite flattering. "Well that can be fun, being able to live in the city and visit the forest every day. It would be like living in both places at once! Maybe you can go camping sometime, even!" Karma suggested with a slight gasp. Bouncing a little in excitement, the ditto urged Brenny to get a head start on zher 'old man' with a light poke in the opposite direction.

Grayson mulled it over, but he decided that the young celebi made a good plea for his case. He'd have to forgo some of the research he would normally do, but in return, would be able to gain more insight, more than he normally would with any regular pokémon research. "Okay, I will give it the old college try," he conceded with a light smirk; he hadn't played this game in YEARS, and wondered how rusty he was at it, "I'm comin' for ya!"

Brenny gave a giggle, racing--rather slowly, as promised, away from the scientist. "You can't catch me!" he exclaimed, turning to face him. He hoped Grayson would continue to play with them, even after they allowed him to win. It was fair that way, wasn't it? Grayson was much older than they were. He zipped right, and then left, giggling in delight. This was fun!

While Grayson's questions went unanswered, the chase's beginning was actually quite effective on spurring him to continue with the game, to get to the bottom of such queries. While eager to learn of this celebi-boy, he was also fully aware of how to handle children, and was not about to upset one if he had the chance. Despite what may have been outwardly obvious of the recluse, he was still very much the paternal figure in a number of lives. He was content to keep the game going until Brenny was satisfied, even if he was not the best at running... a fact made clear when he stumbled right out of the door, so to speak. Karma gasped slightly before the response was turned into a giggle, the child prancing backwards so zhe could face zher trainer, "Aha! So you've got two left feet!" The ditto kept distance between zher and Brenny, so they both were incapable of being caught at the same time.

"Oh shush, you," Grayson smirked, continuing the chase. He'd go after Brenny first, if only because he had been the one most eager to play with the man; Karma was merely goading him on so that he would let the celebi, the ditto's newfound friend, have as much fun as was possible while visiting.

Brenny let himself be caught--or rather turned and wrapped his arms around Grayson, giggling. "I win!" he exclaimed. Grayson hadn't caught him, he'd caught Grayson! Sure, that wasn't in the rules--but the celebi boy wasn't sure there was a rule book for tag. "You caught me," he informed the scientist, with another giggle. "Now what will we play?" He gazed up at Grayson hopefully. "Let's play 'Study Grayson'!" The celebi boy dashed off and picked up Grayson's clipboard. He took up the pencil and began to pretend to write observations, giving a convincing 'Hmmm...' every once in a while.

That was not an action Grayson had been expecting! He flinched mid-step, nearly stumbling once more in an effort to resist head-on collision. Luckily, Brenny seemed to know where to aim, and harm was easily avoided once Grayson managed to come to a full stop. Karma slid to a halt as well, bursting into a fit of laughter if only because of the expression that Brenny caused on zher trainer's face. "I caught you? I think it's the other way around!" he chuckled after the brief span of surprise had passed, patting the kid on the shoulder. He blinked at the next suggestion, curious to what the celebi meant by, "Study? What do you..?" He watched as Brenny answered Grayson's unfinished question with action, "Ahh. Make-believe."

Karma tugged at Grayson's lab coat, causing the scientist to relinquish it without thinking better. Gleefully, the ditto slipped it on, much too big for such a slim and diminutive figure, and hopped to stand next to Brenny. Glancing at the clipboard, Karma pretended to readjust a pair of invisible glasses on zher nose, "Doctor, what do you think?" Brenny now had himself a lab assistant!

"I think he's a very wild specimen," Brenny said, putting a finger to his chin in thought. He gave a giggle. "He looks lost though. Maybe we can catch him." He held up a rubber bouncy ball that had been painted to resemble a pokeball. He tossed it towards Grayson. "Missed!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers in mock disappointment. "What kind of pokemon do you think he is?" he asked, glancing at Karma. "Do you think he's a legendary?"

"Hmmmm," Karma mimicked the celebi-boy, looking thoughtful and scrutinizing the amused man before the children, despite no further observations coming to mind. The ditto watched as Brenny pretended to throw a 'pokeball' at Grayson, leaning forward to watch only to have the ball bounce off a shoe and careen off at a ninety-degree angle. Snapping zher fingers, Karma tsked, "Rats! So close!" Grayson laughed at that, and pretended to try to be sneaking off. Karma gave him a wary glance, musing, "Well, he's definitely not one I've researched before. It's possible he's one-of-a-kind like that! We should tackle him to make sure he doesn't escape, so we can run more tests!" The colorful kid giggled mischievously, child-like behavior overturning the stoic scientist air zhe had been aiming for.

"Let's capture him!" Brenny exclaimed, racing towards Grayson. He wrapped an arm around one of the man's arms, giggling. "You have to help me hold him!" he called to Karma. "He'll escape if we don't work together! This is for science!" He paused, looking up at Grayson. He put on a thoughtful expression. "He's a very big pokemon," he observed. "I think he must be a legendary. Rarer than Celebi, Mew and Arceus put together!"

Karma pumped a fist into the air in response to Brenny's suggestion, excited about being able to capture zher own trainer like a trainer would a pokémon, "Alright!!" Zhe was quick on his heels, hardly needing direction before flinging zhimself at Grayson, tackling his stomach and pinning his free arm to his side, "Okay, I think I got 'im! For science! And for fun, hehe!" Indicating the scientist's size with a tap of zher head to his chest, Karma replied, "Or is he just a well-fed pokémon?" A sly smile appeared, referring to an alternate meaning of the term 'big.'

"Hey now, Karma," he warned with a smile. He feigned an attempt at wiggling free of their grasp, but gasped in defeat, "Alas, the great Grayson-mon has been captured!"

"Yay!" Brenny exclaimed. "We caught a well fed pokemon!" He was oblivious to what Karma was referencing. "So he must have a good home. I wonder if he has a family." He gasped. "I know! He's the pokemon we've been taking care of all this time! I was leaving bowls out for a pokemon, and this one must be that one! He's our pet!"

Karma giggled as Brenny went along with the idea of Grayson being well-fed, unaware that he didn't get that zhe was poking fun at the man. The grin didn't leave, knowing full well what sort of family the scientist had -- zhe was part of it, and felt that zhe was a good addition! While Karma was confused at first with Brenny's exclamation, the ditto quickly realized that zhe should still be playing the part of the scientist's apprentice and gasped as well, after a moment, "Oh you think so? Who would have ever guessed!" There was a giggle, a brief pause, and then Karma leaned over slightly to whisper, "Brenny... what's a pet?" Oh how curious!

Grayson sighed, remaining in his defeated frame of mind, "You caught me. It just smelled so good..." It had been ages since he had last pretended, in play, to be someone else, but he fell back into the role with little struggle.

"Oh is that what a pet is?" Karma gaped, wondering why they didn't use that term more often. Zhe liked the idea! Though the thought of considering him Karma's baby seemed a little awkward... zhe still viewed zhimself as a child without attachment and responsibilities on that frontier, and much preferred it that way! So friend it was. "Yaay, Grayson-pet!" the ditto chirped, squeezing the man's midsection, "These scientists will take good care of you for sure!"
Grayson chuckled, the thought of being the pet of his own pokémon and a legendary being a rather amusing one! But hey, he was in it this far, why not just continue to roll with it? Kicking at the toy pokeball, he managed to roll it a few paces away, "Catch!" Why yes, that was a lousy, er... 'throw.'

Both Grayson and Karma, still latched onto the scientist, watched Brenny move for the toy pokeball with curious interest. The ditto gaped as the ball was held aloft, then attention was turned back to the trainer-turned-pokémon, "Oh he does!" With a giggle, the colorful ditto-child released zher grip and hopped backwards to stand next to the celebi, "Play catch? Is that what we're playing now?" Rocking on bouncy feet on idle mode, Karma almost dropped the ball when it was passed to zher, fumbling with the sudden object.

It was difficult not to just keep snickering at Brennen's reactions, all the affection and all the exuberance. "I'm flexible in my ways of learning," he laughed, returning the hug to the small child with a one-armed pat on the back. He'd still prefer to do studying in his usual manner, sure, but he could always wait on that.

"Now you get to study me the way you want to," Brenny informed Grayson. A promise was a promise, after all. "You caught me and we played. So it's your turn to do what you like to do, even if my way's better." He handed Grayson his clipboard. "But afterward, you have to play with us again!"

Grayson shook his head and snickered, indicating that he thought Brenny's stand on his own way of learning was the best. "If it works best for you, then it's the best to you, huh?" he laughed, "That makes some sense, if you take that stance in life. I just learn best my own way is all." It was a means for him to teach Brenny a thing or two, in his own way, but he didn't know if it would be read as such. "Thank you, Brenny. If it isn't too late, I would be happy to play with you again, if that's what you want," he stated, grinning and readjusting how he held the clipboard to a more comfortable position, making it easier to write on, "Now Brenny, as a celebi, what can you tell me about yourself? Your habits, before you changed into your present form. What sort of things did you do? What abilities did you have, and how did they work? Can you still do them?"

"Doctor..." Karma needled, making sure the scientist realized when to back off on the bombardment of questions. Zhe already thought that was way too much!

Brenny thought for a long moment. "I lived in a clearing in the forest," he said, pointing in the direction of the clearing. "It's deep inside the forest and before Mariana showed up, I had never seen a human before. She taught me to draw. But before that, I--" the celebi boy hesitated. "I don't really remember," he confessed. "I was really young then. I hatched in early January. I mostly stuck to playing with my sister and searching for berries--there weren't any." The boy hesitated again, blinking. "I flew around a lot and played. I could fly and travel through time. At least, that's what I've been told. I never bothered to try... I haven't tried flying in this form, either."

Karma quietly cheered Brenny on for remembering all the questions; zhe sure wasn't sure zhe could have done similar! Grayson took the notes down, taking heed not to interrupt the boy for further probing information for fear of accidentally detracting from the boy's memory process. This was good information regardless, and he wanted to make sure he got it down. "I hadn't realized you were just a baby pokémon!" he blinked in surprise, once Brenny caught his breath, "You've already learned so much in such a short period of time, it's amazing! So it was just you and your sister, there were no other family members? And what happened to the one who was teaching you?"

Karma squinted, repeating the single word from before in a drawn-out manner, "....Doctor..." Brenny acted like his history was a bit of a sore spot, so he had to be careful not to probe too far for fear of hitting a wound not yet sealed! Eyes turning to the boy, Karma insisted, "Don't answer anything you don't feel comfortable answering, just tell him you'd rather not. He won't get mad."

"She stopped coming," Brenny said, frowning slightly. "I don't know what happened to her, but I know she abandoned her vanilite around the same time. I met with him and we were friends. I don't think celebi have parents," he added. "I've heard eggs appear deep in the forest, and that's what happened to us." He took a step backwards, away from Grayson at the question concerning his sister. "Right," he said. "Just me and her. She's a shiny celebi. I haven't had any contact with her since Daddy brought me to the city."

Grayson was jotting the notes down, but his hand slowed when Brenny's replies came more and more broken. Well that was cause for concern... He took a deep breath as he finished writing what was said before offering any insight into that matter, "It's possible she couldn't stay, not that she didn't want to. Depending on her line of work, or even family matters... things can get complicated." Not that he knew for sure... but Brenny was starting to get upset, even the scientist could see that in his body language, growing more tense by the question. He diverted the questioning to concern those of his current form instead of the form he was born in, "Did you come to the city by choice, then?"

Karma was feeding off the nervous energy as well, and fidgeted, knowing there wasn't much more zhe could do to help. To keep such nerves from getting too wound up, zhe pulled a piece of lime green string out and began tying it around zher fingers as zhe listened to the discussion carry on.

"I don't know," Brenny said, with a shake of his head. "The vanilite said she also had a deino, but couldn't tell me if the deino had also been abandoned. I certainly never found it." The celebi boy sighed. He had looked for Mariana, not to the extent of how he had searched for his sister, but he had hoped to find her for days. He was relieved when Grayson changed the subject, a smile quickly replacing the frown. "Yeah," he said. "I was alone, and it was cold," he gave a shiver at the thought. "I would've come anyway, even before I changed. But I changed before I came! Daddy brought me and he took care of me." He glanced over at Karma, and studied the string in her hands. That looked interesting! He wondered if she could teach him how to do that after Grayson was done studying him.

"Curious situation..." Grayson mused, hoping that Brenny's first human friend was still doing alright; it was worrisome, when someone disappeared like that without warning! However, he wasn't going to worry the celebi more than was necessary, so didn't speak of these verbally. He mirrored the smile as it was given, glad that Brenny was feeling more relaxed now, "Ahh, I would imagine you wouldn't have been so used to the changing of the seasons. Was it difficult to adjust to living here, or would you say you're fairly adaptable to change in living conditions?" Grayson could tell Brenny was starting to get restless, so he wanted to fully reassure the boy, "Last question for now, I think."

"Ack!" Karma hissed quietly, realizing zhe had tied a knot too tight around a pink-marked finger. The ditto began tugging it away, and luckily it slipped off without too much issue. Pouting, the ditto transformed an eye at the palm of zher hand to assess the damage, smiling when zhe realized the red mark was already almost gone. The child was fairly used to passing the time on zher own, but wouldn't mind sharing!

"I think I adjusted okay," he said. "It was easier to adjust with Daddy helping me. I learned a lot and I met a lot of people. And I've made a lot of friends," he added with a smile. "Like you and Karma. But I still like visiting the forest. I have two homes. And sometimes I hope I can find my sister. But I don't. I never do."

Grayson was glad to hear that! It was an expected response, to being adaptable at such a young and resilient age, but not one that wasn't sought. "I think your friends and family probably feel the same about you in return, if you are always this friendly," he stated matter-of-factly as he wrote the last of the data down and clipped the pen to the board, "I also think that it is good to broaden your horizons like that, learn from and in different settings to get a better scope of the world on a whole. It's good practice, and leads to better understanding. The world is a big place, but it doesn't go on forever. If you keep looking, and are diligent about it, I'm sure you could find whatever you set out to find." Standing up fully upright once more, he nodded, "But I think that's enough out of me. It's not fair to drill you with questions for too long a time!"

Karma busied zhimself attempting to keep a string-made Eiffel Tower intact on the one finger at the apex of the building, to no avail. "Rats..." zhe grumbled as it unraveled, unaware that the interview had concluded.

Brenny blinked up at Grayson for a long moment, before beaming at him. "Yay, studying is done!" he exclaimed, moving to Karma's side instead. "Let's play, Karma!" Oblivious to the fact that she'd just toppled the Eiffel Tower, he invited the ditto to play. "Your Daddy is going to play too, because he said after studying he'd play with us."

Ahh, he thought Brenny would be glad to hear that bit of news! "Yep, that's it for studying for now. Don't want to wear out my welcome too soon!" he laughed.

The string was now merely a loop of an oval hanging from Karma's index finger as the ditto glared daggers at it. The distraction was a welcome change, for zhe didn't really feel like recreating the lime green structure across zher fingers all over again in the span of such a short time. The child was quick to stash the string back into the confines of zher shoulder bag, a broad smile splaying across the ditto's face, "Okay! What are we playing this time?" Dual-toned eyes pivoted to the scientist, wondering what other tests the two children could perform on this full-grown man. Oops, zhe meant 'well-fed pet!'
"That's right, I promised that I would try to play with you some more once I was done with my notes," Grayson confirmed with a nod.