Welcome to Gaia! ::

((I can feel my brain again! Now I just have to remember how to be creative and hope Siber still has a place for me

Sorry for the long delay Joe))

The first thing to happen was that Ramsden felt his gun clasped firmly into its holster. After a moment trying to free it and failing, he looked up to find Charlesworth directly in his line of sight, glaring. The message was clear; the Oaks were not to be threatened.

The brothers didn't really seem to hear the beginning of the onslaught. They were staring at one another, each trying to read the other, surprised after their respective reactions. "You... you knew who that was?" Sigmund started. Again, their voices were lowered, but Lexi could pick out bits and pieces.

"I just recognized his voice, was all."

"He knew Mom? He knew what we were doing; who is that?"

"I don't know." Edward straightened up as he began hearing what Ramsden was saying. "Charlesworth, would you mind repeating that?"

The bird released his grip warily on Ramsden's pistol, then moved and touched his wing to Edward's arm. The professor's eyes blanked for a moment, and then he calmly addressed Ramsden while Sigmund received the same treatment. "We told you how the children had been modified already. We've given you most of the 'intel' we have." He said the word with an aggressive flick of his chin to the side. "We just now figured all of this out, which we also told you, and you just now got here, and no one has asked you to participate more than what you've done thus far, so kindly feel free to back off if you don't plan on listening to what we have to say. You think we don't know what we're getting into? You look into the eyes of thirty dying children's families and lie to them without flinching. Better yet, do it after killing the children yourself, in the name of something only nothing can confirm, but you have to believe in, because it's the only thing that makes sense. Then tell me I don't know what I'm doing." The professor met Ramsden's eyes with a hard and commanding gaze for a few moments, then continued more calmly, addressing the whole group. "Over this week, we should be able to get you at least basic maps of the areas. You will, in fact, be engaging the mew, but hopefully not in combat. In theory, these three legends will keep the mew from simply incinerating you all when it awakens. If it awakens. If you even find it. If any of this works. All we know is that the fact that people still cannot collect in too great densities means this thing is still alive and the machines and methods that predicted the Calamity predict something far worse, and this is our best bet at stopping it. If you want more, ask Sigmund; I'm tired of repeating myself." He ended agitatedly, then turned quickly and swept back towards the laboratory, tight-jawed.

Sigmund watched him go, somewhat concerned, but awkwardly unable to have any idea how to handle the situation. He shrugged meekly and said, "Any... questions? If... if not, there's really nothing more for you to do here, unless you're bringing us energy shots or caffeine pills. Th- thanks, Ulysses, for the support." He nodded, smiled weakly, and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

The guard was gone before Maddy had a chance to scream at him, this was all ludicrous, magical cards, strange violent fat women, hat man, and this completely worthless guard. Somebody was going to get yelled at, or punched in the face, preferably the later actually. While Maddy stood there, her thoughts spinning around, building up into a hurricane of childish anger Roger lifted himself off the ground and started to drift around aimlessly; Having transformed back to his normal state Smiffy oozed over to the two and in a strange purple reverse-waterfall sort of maneuver flung himself up onto Roger's left magnet. Slowly the floating duo drifted so Roger was entirely sideways, though Smiffy's 'face' remained horizontal.

All at once Maddy's face changed to a terrible grin and she took off towards the building the guard had pointed out at top speed; the two pokemon followed at their own pace. As she neared the door Maddy let out a battle cry and leaped into the air, taking the form of a Power Ranger's style jump kick (for the first time in her life).

((LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLE! READ A LOOOOOOOOOOT! Sorry this took so long. I had to wait for Isa's net to not suck and she had to wait for my b***h-a** to get online and there was some checking with Siber and some of this post got lost so if some parts don't make sense, it's cause I tried to fill the holes myself but probably failed at it so just try to make the best of it. Please forgive grammatical errors v_v Threeways can do interesting things. And pun extremely intended.
/run-on sentences.))

"Let's go Juno. We know where you're going, you'll have your masterball when they finish with them. There's no point in listening to more lies." He walked out the door, Juno followed, albeit semi-annoyed she was being ordered she didn't want to make Ramsden angrier. He waited until he was near the bikes, then pulled out the radio. "Commander, Ramsden. You there?"

"Good job. Now get the ******** back here before everything goes to hell."

"What? The hell is happening back there Commander? Murder? Tell me murder. I need something to shoot right now."

"There will be if intel from Cliffshire is accurate. ******** are going crazy."

"Cliffshire? The ******** are they doing now?" Ramsden had broken into a run. Juno ran next to him. She had heard Cliffshire; no other motivation to come back was necessary. "About how long before s**t hits the A/C?" He ran towards the bikes. He'd need his, and Willam could do without his helmet, the reckless ********. Juno would need it more anyway."

"Stop running, Ramsden. I can hear you running. Dammit I can practically hear your brain salivating for blood. We have several days. I haven't heard word back from Paul yet, so I don't know what Woodmount is doing. There's no way that b*****d is dead, though, so I'm prepared to wait on that for a while, yet."

Ramsden slowed to a walk when he heard that. "Oh. Well no I wasn't getting all hyped up for blood... okay maybe a little... okay yes I was, but I was more hurrying because I thought s**t was going to go down in a few hours. Days? Why days? What are they planning? Commander now would not be a good time to throw off-guard things at me. These Oaks just rather pissed me off to one of my few anger points. Liars. Hardcore liars these men are, and to children for god's sake. But anyway, what is Cliffshire planning? Should we come back today or can we wait until tomorrow? Juno really hasn't had much time with her siblings yet and we should get a few things while we're here anyway." Ramsden's tone was calmer now that he knew there was a bit of time.

No words came. Only a sigh, and then distant talking, undecipherable over the dinosaur radios they had. Brighton's voice appeared, quiet, like he wasn't talking into the mic. "Yes, it's Ramsden; how did you know?" Laughter occurred afterward. "You done?"

"Yes I'm done. And ******** the both of you." he said, laughing a little himself.

"Get back here. Help us gear up and build defenses. Good luck to Miss Galledeigh and whatever the hell it is she's doing."

Ramsden hesitated. "Sir... sir with all due respect, I promised the girl I wouldn't be going anywhere unless it was with her. I was ordered to protect her and... I can't just leave her now. You know how I get with anyone below 16... but it is Cliffshirians. She might just be willing to fight with us. And it would give her shooting practice... wait one sir."

The Commander indeed, did not "wait one" as Ramsden had requested. Instead, "RAMSDEN YOU GET YOUR a** BACK ON THIS LINE!"

Brighton yelling was far more frightening and motivating than Edward. Rather than an E-1 in the Air Force, Ramsden looked at Brighton yelling as more like an four star Admiral yelling. "Sir, they didn't say anything about staying with her, and I don't think they're exactly to inclined to help me out any after I... kinda chewed them out. Sir how badly do you need me back there? Is it one big fatality waiting to happen without all available hands?"

"Not a slaughterhouse, but I want as few casualties as possible, and you're one way to alleviate the bloodshed, at least on our side."

"Give me a day Commander. I'll go back to the Oaks. Lord knows they'll be ever so thrilled to see me. I'll let you know what I'm doing tomorrow if not later today."

"I can give you a day. But Ramsden." He waited for the inevitable response and barreled onward. "You get the idea of militarizing that girl out of your head. She's not your daughter, and she does not need to be any more in the line of fire than she already is. I expect a call by 0800 tomorrow." The line clicked and went dead.

"Commander... COMANNDER!" He yelled back into the line. No response. Brighton had turned off his radio. "BRIGHTON YOU b*****d ANSWER ME!" He shouted into it, trying to will his voice through an electronic output, for which there was no receiving end. He sighed, anger now palpable, almost infused into the sweat on his forehead. "Juno," his voice was completely calm when he spoke to her, "go back to your house or something. I need to pay a little visit." Ramsden sprinted back to the Oaks and burst the door in. "Alright, I'm a redi-" he was cut off.

"GET OUT OF THIS OFFICE!" Edward roared the instant the door opened. A blast from Charlesworth made the command somewhat more palpable. The older brother stormed after him, slamming the door behind him. "Just who do you think you are?" His features were quivering with barely-contained fury. "To demand answers, out of me?"

"And who do you think you are to send children to death?! Oh but wait. You have plenty of children's blood on your hands already don't you. What's three more." was his response. "Look, I will LEAVE, FOREVER no less, if you answer me this! What's more important, Juno or Riverdale? Or," he grabbed Edward's collar in his hand, "I can get an answer a different way." he released him.

Edward licked his lips nervously at the display of physical dominance, though the rest of his expression hardly changed. "I am one of two living human beings in this world with the will and the ability to save us from annihilation." He felt at his throat, clearly intimidated, but by no means willing to back down. "Whereas you are a trigger-happy pawn. We do what's necessary. I didn't enjoy watching them die. And we did." He straightened up. "We made ourselves watch them die, as penance." His voice had become softer as his gaze threatened to blank with the memory.

"Alright, alright calm down there. That was horrible of me, I apologize. Look, I don't like hurting people... well that's a lie. It's rather fun. But I don't like hurting people that don't deserve it I should say. And you don't. You lie, you've lied a lot. I'm going to look past that, I just. want. an answer." He started laughing. "Heh heh. Jesus. I'm so pissed I've looped back around to calm." He brought more laughter.

Edward ignored the apology verbally, but his face showed it had mollified him, at least slightly. "It is more important that Juno be alive and protected, than that she do anything to put her in harm's way. Just like the rest of them." He searched the other man carefully, wondering at the laughter.

"I'm sorry. I laugh at nerves. It's my method of dealing with it. So Juno is more important than Riverdale is what you're saying?"

"Yes. I just said that." Edward finally noticed that Juno was standing there. She must have followed Ramsden back without him noticing. He addressed her. "You need to be alive a week from today, Juno. We need all of you to be." Back to Ramsden. "Cliffshire will not attack here. If it does, it will be torn to pieces. While it is cruel to admit this, Riverdale has always been the felicitous bait that keeps the other cities away from our walls."

"Riverdale won't be wiped out if I don't go back. Juno might be. I may be a damned awesome fighter, but one more man on the field, even me, won't stop our own causalities. There are better fighters there than me. Maybe a little less Section 8, but better. Juno it is then. Preferred, you want that Juno?"

Juno finally piked up, questioning what she had heard in the lab. "So you both used me while unconscious after having lost my parents and use my hometown as bait. Am I getting this right?"

"Both my brother and I? Yes, and our mother. I've explained myself once already; do you need a reminder?" He was not patronizing Juno in the least; it was an honest question.

"Oh no. Just needed to see if there really was a difference between you and the Exterminant. Seems you both have the same amount of
desperation."

A quick frown. "We actually have somewhat less. The Exterminant is made up of fools driven by fanatic frenzy. We at least have some idea what we're doing."

"Look. I don't mean to argue and while I am angry with everything that you've done, I'll hold off on it till after we save the world. Now can you do me a favor and tell me where I can find some skarmories?" Her facial expressions did not change at the professor's words.

"A moment, please. I haven't answered this man's question; excuse me." He turned his attention from Juno to Ramsden. "If you are asking me specifically where you should go, I have no answer for you, but I will not turn away a bodyguard for one of the children."

The apologetic nature by this point, even hearing that,evaporated in an instant upon Oak confirming what he'd done to Juno and the other children; Ramsden's rage returned immediately, in greater amounts this time around. Rather than do anything horribly rash though, he decided instead to bottle it, and conserve for a later day.

"Why don't you actually talk TO me instead of about me?! I'm the one that's going to be going out of the country to find a legendary beast!" Juno spoke to Oak with this.

"Because you are a fifteen-year-old girl!" Edward snapped without thinking.

Sigmund immediately rushed out of the room, somewhat red-faced that he had been listening in, but grabbed his brother roughly by the shoulder. "Edward!" he chastised.

"So you're going to make me face things not even adults will face but you won't give me the respect you would to an adult? How is that even fair?! "I'm a kid yeah! But if I'm going to be risking my life, you couldn't even do me the honor of pretending to care about my opinion?"

Edward started to speak, but was cut off with a glare from his brother. Trying to speak evenly, he answered, clearly thinking he was helping to clarify, "It's not things adults won't face; it's things they can't face. As for your opinion, Ramsden has asked it and you have a chance to give it." Sigmund provided this answer.

Juno paused as she attempted to find the words to convey all that she felt. "...okay. Ramsden, if you really wanna stay, go ahead. I need help training and who better than a sailor. And you," she looked at the Oaks. "I don't know whether to hate you or thank you." At least she knew she could make a difference in the world; she could save her siblings and Naya. But for them to do all that they did without ever asking...that hurt. "Now please, where can I find some skarmories?"

Ramsden had lost a bit of his control. "I'd say hate. Meet me by the bikes when you're done." He walked away, heading back to the bikes. "God knows I do now." he said without turning to look back.

Edward merely looked on, tight-lipped, before walking tersely back to the lab. Sigmund opened his palms helplessly. "What's done is done. There's... nothing to be changed, but to work with what we have now." He cleared his throat nervously. "Um.. Skarmories. There were a few flying north of here yesterday. Maybe a... few kilometers? Like three or four."

"Alright thanks. See ya in a week or so." She gave a half-hearted wave as she left and followed out after Ramsden. "Mmkay. We gotta go to a friends house and get a pokeball. After that, we're gonna go find a skarmory. Got a problem with that?"

"Not a week or so!" Sigmund called after, weakly. "One week!"

"Oh well. If we all die we all die. Not that either of you have a problem with that." Ramsden's voice could be heard in the distance.

"WE'RE GOD DAMN PREVENTING THAT!!!" Sigmund screamed.

"Wow. And now we're just being bitchy. Can we just move on now?" Juno said, look of annoyance plastered in her eyes.

Ramsden just shrugged as he kept walking. "As you say."

Panting, face suffused with blood, Sigmund turned back to the lab and slammed the door with volcanic rage.

"...if they get pissy at me, I'm going to hurt you," she said to Ramsden. "I may not be happy with them," she said quietly, "but we still need them 'cause I want this world to live."

"Juno I know. They won't get pissy with you, or at least, Sigmund won't. I just won't show up next time you go see them. I like Sigmund as a person. I just hate him right now. I'm sorry that I got them that way, but honestly, I really don't care about them. I care about their info. They're alive in my books because they have intel we need. What they did, to the kids, to you, it sickens me. I wanted to throw Edward, I really did. The only thing stopping me was the door being open and Charlseworth having full view of us. I just... urgh. I'm gonna be pissed for a while. Maybe we should stop by Cliffshire on the way back. I'll murder a few soldiers to protect some people of Riverdale, I'll feel better, we'll save the world. Easy day? Hooyah Easy day." No matter how enraged he was, Ramsden didn't seem to be able to direct it towards Juno, even in minor frustration. His long wind-edness had returned to him and his voice was calm again. His right hand was a little shaky though.

"Uhh how about we don't hit Cliffshire?" Maybe Juno should have suggested that he left to fight. "But I'm pretty sure we'll get enough adventure fighting a big metallic sharp bird to capture it." She grabbed his right wrist and started pulling him in the direction of Gerard's house. "If you really want to go kill some people, I won't be around for it. Seriously, choice is yours if you wanna go fight or help me."

"No, I want to help you. I'm just... angry. It'll pass. Especially in a few days. If I went back and set up defenses, my anger would pass, and I would regret my choice. Give me a few hours and I'll be fine again... where we going?" he asked, confused at the new direction they were headed.

"We're gonna go see Gerard's - he was one of the kids - family and get a pokeball from them. I need one if I'm gonna capture a skarmory." She almost sounded chipper as she said this. It was probably because she wanted to avoid the anger session. If she could ignore it long enough, it would go away. It usually did.

"Alright. I have a compass with me as well. Sigmund said they were flying to the north, so we'll need to track them. Zips can point us in the direction if my compass broke, though I doubt it did." he said to her. "Soooo... why Skarmory out of everything?"

"Well I thought about the beast I wanted to go after. And I think I'll take my chances with Raikou. So I need something that could possibly keep up with his speed on land. I figure a skarmory would be fast enough in the air."

"Hm. Fair choice. From the stories I remember and the intel I... acquired on the ship, that's the lightning one?"

"Yep. And that's the one in Japan, so hooray overseas trip."

"Oh cause I'm so not used to those or anything" he snickered lightly. "Be glad it will actually be a trip and not a work-your-a**-off-for-12-hours-a-day-in-135-degree-heat trip. I can look forward to that too I suppose. Go on a ship, and NOT hate life. Damn what a concept."

"Technically, it IS gonna be a work-your-butt-off mission. And better Japan than freezing Scandinavia or overheated Africa."

"True. Very true. But while Japan is not freezing or blazing, it's kinda covered in fallout. Oh, uhh, how are we supposed to get around without getting more cancer than those who live in indoor cigar shops? Or did they Oaks conveniently leave that detail out?" He rolled his eyes on conveniently.

"Uh, they mentioned that Charleston was gonna be going on the Japan trip to prevent getting cancer on the streets."

"Charleston?"

"Remember the xatu back there? That's Charleston."

"I thought his name was Charleworth. Eh. He probably doesn't like me to much so I'll probably not be receiving much psychic shield." He joked... sort of.

"I meant Charlesworth! Don't make fun of me, I had a long day," she said as she stuck out her tongue. "Well, I'm sure he'll protect you too regardless of like or dislike." She shrugged. Charlesworth seemed the type to not let feelings get in the way of duty.

"I wasn't making fun of you. I was just confused on names. Well, let's hope so. He'll stay close to you though. I'm on my way to cancer. You should probably be protecting yourself as best you can from sicknesses. Also, is there a gun shop around here?" He got really quiet and kinda close for his next words. "I'm just gonna give you my M9. It's a great gun, but better for training." he returned to normal height and his volume went back to standard. "I wanna see if there are any USP .45s in this town."

"We can probably ask Gerard's parents about that. Thank you for the gun...that makes it my second one." She pocketed it and then pulled out the second one. "I know nothing about guns other than how to shoot them. Is this the kind of gun you're looking for? I haven't exactly asked about gun shops, but I'm sure there's one around." She showed him the second gun and waited for his answer.

"Look at you all high and mighty pulling our your weapons in the town Naya is in. Here let me see it." He took it from her, and it seemed lady luck had given him a free pass. "Hollllllllllly s**t yes it is! Awesome! How many rounds do you have for it?"

"Whatever there is in that gun. The woman who gave me the gun didn't exactly give me much else than that." She shrugged. "Have fun with it."

Ramsden checked the clip. It was pushed down about half-way. Well that's no good... And just as lady luck administered a free pass, it turns out it was to the shittiest comedian of all. Not even funny when you were piss-faced drunk.

Oh hey, here we are!" In front of them was Gerard's family store. "Let's go and ask our questions."

Having listened to the Oaks speak and feeling the Mewtwo think into his brain, Gerard was at a loss. He had felt that the Oaks were not being entirely forthcoming - that much, at least, was to be expected in a situation like the one they were in. They were dealing with children, for the most part. But to hear their lies so fully and deftly revealed and debunked by the purple interloper? It certainly gave the young man a reason to pause.

Gerard left the area a little while ahead of Lexi, Juno, and the others, wandering slowly towards his family's shop. He didn't know if he was ready for all of this; if he wanted to leave his family for what could well be a suicide mission on another continent. He had never even been out of the country before! There were so many things in life that he never got to experience, because the Calamity had to come along and ruin the entire world.

But wasn't that what he was going to try and prevent? Another event like the Calamity? The Oaks were proposing that they, the children, go out into the world and accomplish a task that apparently no one else was qualified for, and in the process they would stop the Mew from destroying civilization again. His role should be to serve to protect the future for others like himself, that would never get to experience life in full otherwise.

If only things were that simply put. Gerard Waverley did not want to sacrifice himself for the good of people he had never met, and was never going to meet. The young man was noble and decisive, but what they were asking him to do was risk his death and the death of his friends in order to make a meager attempt at stopping the second end of the world. A flimsy chance that was.

He was outside of his store now. He looked in through the front window and saw his parents unboxing items, and his older sister gently chiding his younger sister. Life, for them, continued on no matter what, and it was because they were family and they had found their happiness in life. Watching them, Gerard knew that it was his job to protect his family and what made them happy. It would be a long shot, a risk; there was no guarantee that he would even come back alive, which would be the opposite of protecting his family's happiness. But he would not give up the chance to keep them safe from another disaster.

He stepped into the shop with a quiet smile. Before his family could say anything, though, the door opened again and Gerard turned with a surprised look to see Juno, Ramsden, and Lexi in the store. "Well hello," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "What can we help you with?"

"Sure thing," Mrs. Waverly answered cheerily, shooting a quick glare at her husband for his hesitating before moving to retrieve the requested ammo. A few other people were in the shop, picking up various wares. The rare one or two went for pokéballs, but the concerns at this point were food and personal weapons, for self-defense. Glenville, miraculously, was a relatively unified city. Crime had fallen to almost nothing after the Calamity decimated the residence's population. The quick rise of an effective and competent oligarchy truly concerned with preserving infrastructure had left the people generally cheery and, while certainly not pleased they no longer had certain luxuries to which they had become accustomed, they were also not embittered by losses. The Pack had been devastating. Repairs were in the works, and would be for a while; all the same, considering what would have happened without the appropriate defenses, noisy complaints were drowned in honest mourning and empathetic condolences, and the dark tinge of gloom lit by the silver lining of survival and the promise of eventual renewal.

It sickened Willam.

He had heard everything. Everything. He had listened to the professors. He had felt the cool, devoid voice of the purple thing. He had heard the "conversation" among the Oaks, Juno, and Ramsden. And then he had watched her walk away with him, after all the warning he'd given her; after making it clear - beyond the shadow of a doubt - that he would protect her. The aipom on his head chittered angrily as he sat on the roof of a nearby home, seething, flipping a butterfly knife in intricate knots between his fingers, alternately popping stolen bites of bread and apples in his mouth. Dark purple and black ringed his eyes; he hadn't slept. He had scouted the area; he had snuck down deep inside the old hag's home and come up with a trio of new pokémon.

But... wait... had his vision split? Surely he wasn't that tired... but... one of the girls... Lexi, was her name - seemed to have appeared twice. One copy was in the shop, following behind and quiet. The other was engaged in active conversation with... the cat-thing. They were walking swiftly towards the Woodmount exit. Its eyes turned and met his, then glowed.

He was quite suddenly standing next to Lexi, walking beside her not of his own volition, his limbs moving involuntarily. Panicking, he reached for his butterfly knife. It fell, closed, into his jacket pocket. He frantically started grabbing at the half-dozen other knives, two pistols, three grenades, six feet of cheese wire, gardening gloves, straight razor, book of matches, rags, and Coke bottle filled with gasoline. His arms, however, would not obey his commands. Lexi, not noticing, continued walking, conversing with the mewtwo.

Several moments earlier...

"Do not be alarmed, Alexis Hale." The voice came with a slight, unspoken warning as Alexis peeled away from Juno and Ramsden on her flight home. Moments later, translucent, the mewtwo from before was walking beside her, matching pace easily and calmly. "I want to talk to you. About nothing in particular, or anything you wish." He blinked once, watching her curiously, and then gazed straight ahead, following, turning, quickening, and slowing as she did without hesitation.

---

For Maddy, the experience was excruciatingly exhilarating in its absolute success. The door, which was opening as she flew into it, broke the nose of an new recruit on his way out and sent him stumbling to the floor. All noise and activity in the busy recruitment center stopped immediately to look at her, as though expecting some kind of speech. When she said nothing, a single pair of hands clapped once. And again. And again.

The entire room broke into cheers and a standing ovation. The officer in charge cheerily beckoned her over to a table in the relatively large, empty room, and pointed to a line where she could sign her name, telling her she was in without question and grinning the whole time while shouts of "Holy SH*T that's a woman! Give her a battle rifle! We got any katanas for this chick? Man, I hate that guy!" galavanted around the room.

It was easy to impress a room full of accountants-turned-farmers and other peasantry. The real military were a block away, going through training exercises and planning invasion strategies; practicing maneuvers and guerilla tactics; for all intents and purposes, forgetting they had been police officers and firemen six years ago.

Maddy, for whatever intents or purposes she had, had successfully infiltrated the Cliffshire armed forces.

lily564: +2 AP - Taste the Rainbow

((Actions and items and such are approved. Updating AP cost immediately after this post. I can't promise anything about when the next one will come, but it feels good to at least get something down ^.^))

Juno smiled widely at Gerard, false bravado covering her insecurity completely. "Hey dude. I am here to buy a pokeball." She would have said more to him, but then Talia came and spoke to her.

Now she'd known Talia through school, but they'd never really gotten a chance to talk. But the girl in front of her? It did not match the previous Talia...and that was probably because of what they'd all just gone through. While Juno's own experiences brought out her courage, it seemed the other girl's adventures did something else. "It's been a doozy. Hey, hold on a moment, let me get my pokeball first and then we can catch up." She waited for one of Gerard's parents to be free and finally got what she'd came for. "Hey Ramsden, I'mma head out for a little bit. I wanna catch up with Talia." And if he fought her on this, she'd argue right back at him. The sailor wasn't her father and she knew she was relatively safe in her town. Besides, she had Evie and the blue creature was obsessive with the blond's protection.

Then again, after everything that happened, maybe Evie had a reason to be so overprotective.

Juno went and dragged Talia out of the store and the two started walking down the sidewalk. "I hope you don't mind that we got out of there. I just needed some space, you know?" Now that she knew Ramsden wasn't going to kill anyone or go crazy angry, Juno felt better about taking some time away. For some reason, he really cared about her, and if it meant staying around him to keep him from going off on anyone, she'd be right beside him to prevent any harm from coming ('cause really, Ramsden vs. Oak? SO not hard to guess who'd come out on top). "So...What's up with you? You don't seem like yourself." Old Juno would have waited for Talia to speak up and talk about whatever. New Juno no longer cared about that. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if the other girl threw the question back at her. Juno knew she wasn't acting anything like she did before. If nothing else, maybe the two girls could bond over terrifying experiences. It couldn't hurt to extend an olive branch to Talia.

---

Alex stared at Lexi and didn't answer. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go with Lexi to her home. It wasn't that she didn't like Lexi (God knew the girl was the only one with common sense around here), but more like...Alex was afraid. She liked the girl more than she should have - not like that! - and well, she had a job to do. She had to go kill Beati. And if she stayed with Lexi, the younger girl was bound to get hurt. But Lexi was going to be hurt anyway, wasn't she? And she didn't like Glenville all that much. Too much drama for her tastes.

She shrugged with a smile (not that anyone was paying attention) and followed the younger one around town. She was mostly quiet and fidgety, until a transparent mewtwo and some random kid popped up in front of them. She instantly jumped but otherwise did nothing. Since she wasn't addressed, she did not speak up. She pet Lance's head (being mindful of the horn) and tried to look inconspicuous. Mewtwo could probably explode her brain without trying right now. It would be stupid to try and annoy it.

Juno nodded while her hands were entwined behind her head. "Yeah. I know what you mean by encounters." Talia obviously didn't want to talk about it. Okay, Juno could respect that. Kind of. Maybe.

Nope. "I don't believe that 'feeling under the weather' crap, but hey. I'm not gonna force you to talk about it if you don't want to. But you know, I think you ought to talk to someone 'cause we no longer have the luxury of being conflicted." When asked about herself, Juno flinched.

"Yeaaaah...that uh, that's a long story." But instead of hiding it, she let the pain show in her eyes for a moment before lowering her hands. "To summarize, I had to fight a dinosaur and watched it scream when I burned out its eyes. I nearly died multiple times. I found a cult which almost killed me. I met crazy people who wanted to protect me. I killed pokemon. I was ready to kill people. I saw my parent's graves. I lost faith in authority. I think I might be preventing someone from going on a crazy killing spree just by being around. And I've been moving nonstop and never really got a chance to talk about it with anyone. My little quest got - and please don't tell Naya I said this - ******** up." She gave a sad smile. "And I know it's about to get a lot worse."

"But I can't really explain it to anyone who hasn't experienced it, you know? Maybe it's the same for you." Juno felt no regret over what she'd had to do to get through yesterday. Did she feel more hate and anger? Sure. But would she have changed anything? No. She was alive and so was Evie. "And it's hard to be back. 'Cause my siblings look up to me and they think I was on some great adventure like all the fairy tales talk about. And it's not. It's really not at all like the stories say." It sounded like something a stupid little kid would say. She kind of wanted to cry, but she knew she wouldn't. She was still the tough girl and she had to stay the tough girl. She could open up about her experiences to some extent but cry? Heck no. It made her eyes puffy and it sucked. But if her eyes started to get a little shiny, it was because she had a speck of dust in her eye.