Welcome to Gaia! ::

Earlier the courtyard had retained the day's heat as the afternoon reluctantly gave way to evening. But with the darkness had come the wind which hails the changing of the weather and many patients had moved back inside. Others - miscreants, loners, thinkers - remained. Photinus had not really noticed their passing; if they were not bothering him for various reasons - friendly or otherwise - the firefly usually kept to himself. And tonight he was especially focused, the glowing tips of his fingers passing over the page as he read in the dark - the one thing he could enjoy about his... condition. That, he admitted, and the fireflies.

His search for more information on the influx of 'pokemon' patients had been largely fruitless. Since he had little contact with such creatures in person or the media before his stay in government institutions, he could only link them vaguely with a cartoon from his early childhood. To the small child animation had offered little but bright flashing lights similar to police strobes, which he had been frantically instructed to hide from...

He shook his head of dim, unwanted memories and frowned into the page as soft mottled light moved sporadically along its surface. He had finally found something, but it was little more than an old printout with little more than standard pokedex information. He sighed in frustration, probably for the umpteenth time tonight. There was nothing very informative within the document, using vocabulary that assumed a familiarity with the subject. By the time he had learned enough to understand what was being said, and unless he already knew pokemon by sight this document would have become defunct. Even so, memorization of useless facts occasionally came in handy, and so he continued to try to remember locations he had never seen on any map and names that had seemed to him at first like "Nursery Latin," which he now often referred to with exasperation.

Five frustrated green dots light slid through short (but getting longer) blond hair as his recently-gloved hand pushed an annoying forelock out of his eyes. Closing the book -A break, he told himself- and rubbing his eyes, he finally stretched and rose to his feet, surrounded by a tiny swarm of displaced fireflies. Pinpoints of light glinted dimly on his bare arms, shoulders and back. He was feeling the stiffness of the cold and wondering how he had managed to lose the shirt off his back so soon after meeting Dimas. That was only supposed to happen in a financial sort of way, not literally!

Only after he felt limber again did the firefly-boy glance around the place (to do so before could have been deadly had he been in a danger). It was completely deserted-- no, there was one other. Leaning back against the tree he had hoped would shield him from any rain that should fall, he watched as Alphonse entered the courtyard. A rather flamboyant fellow he was, the cut and colors of his clothing were confusing and fancy like some kind of costume. Photinus decided he must be one of those gijinka he had been trying so desperately to study from the sidelines (most of them were just too intimidating to directly engage). Because he was completely unaware of (or just ignoring) Photinus he continued to watch.

He probably would have begun to sneak away except that his swarm of wild fireflies decided to take an interest in him. Tame and inquisitive, they seemed to like to investigate anyone in Photinus' vicinity (or away from, who knows). Tiny, cool little feet landed on Alphonse's bandaged hand and one glowing beetle began an insect's signature cartography of the human hand and fingers. Photinus braved the danger of open grass to stand just out of reach, peering timidly down at Alphonse with wide, pale-green eyes. "Please... don't close your hand."

(I'm really sorry if it wasn't clear, but the lights on his body are reflections on the chitin. Not that Alphonse would necessarily know that. *snickering at his reaction* x3 )

Photinus was bewildered by Alphonse's reaction until his words had sunk in. In that time he felt a surge of paranoia. He's going to do something extreme isn't he? I shouldn't have come, he isn't okay, like Libby turned out to be... Maybe if I hit him over the head -or no, the face- with the book I can get away... He frowned, taking a moment of pause while his thoughts caught up with what he had heard. Popular? "Who, me? No... I'm not. I mean, I am Photinus, I'm not popular. I usually try to avoid people."

At last, the firefly flitted away from the volbeat's hand. It rejoined the others, it's glow flickering a little differently than the others. Then, like a rumor snaking its way through a crowd, the pattern spread among other fireflies. Heedless of this phenomenon, Photinus took a nervous step backward, "Well... it's getting late..." just as a handful of the tiny beetles broke off to swarm excitedly around Alphonse's head, investigating. The firefly-boy paused, his confusion quite plain. Why... are they doing that...?

(He's so skittish. *cackle* Oh, look! Alphonse is getting excited about something. Sorry, that was mean. He's just, so grouchy and suspicious of everything. owo *pokes him* ^^ <3 )

Photinus jerked and cringed at the sudden cry, now frozen in place more out of fear than anything else. So then, if you avoid them, why..? He recalled another encounter with someone equally interested in his fireflies. He still wasn't sure how he had escaped that man with the glowing wings. This one was a little different, less... predatory, but equally demanding. A little creepy too, maybe. Maybe... he studies bugs? Or maybe he just likes fireflies? But if he's a gijinka, does that make him pokemon, or someone that likes them?

And the fireflies were behaving so abnormally. Sure, they typically investigated everything, and when he had established friends they either crawled all over them like pet mice, or went back to their business doing... bug things.

He was still so unclear on all of it. Finally he sighed, tightly gripping the book in hand now against his chest. "I'm sorry, I don't understand..."

(He's been so talkative! x3 )

"S...so... Alphonse," Photinus began, realizing that the strange hair adornment, which reminded him of laurel, was a real pair of antennae; and now that Alphonse was sitting up, a soft buzzing that could be heard coming from what could only be an insect's wings (This isn't a costume!), "so... you began life as a... volbeat? Are all the, er, gijinka... like that? They were first pokemon?"

Curiosity was winning over fear. This was usually the case, should another patient keep him in their presence long enough to capture his interest. He couldn't help but be so fearful. There were just too many reasons not to trust, at least not at first. His eyes darted around, between the volbeat's hand, extended to fireflies that happily took their turn to land, and to the antennae, and the wings, both of which Photinus was certainly lacking...

"Ah..." His hands fidgeted with the book. "I've read a little about pokemon, but it's difficult to make sense of it." He debated with himself whether or not to show it to Alphonse. That would require approaching again, and assuming that it was even wanted. Ah, can he even read? "A volbeat is large? How large?" They might have been about the same size, it was hard to be certain, but perhaps Alphonse was actually very young, a child... And to be afraid of him would seem a little silly then, under normal circumstances.

(Well I'm glad I get to help with that! And Photinus, he's suppsed to become staff one day. I have proclaimed this. He just quails at the thought. xD )

"Er, yes. There's a library..." he replied faintly, slowly rotating the book before him. That was where he had found this crudely spiral-bound book, sitting on a table as if a staff-member had hastily left it there in the middle of reviewing it. Or perhaps it had been placed there. That thought had also crossed his mind. Then I should take care with it.

Unconsciously, Photinus glanced down at his forearm even though he knew the length of it. Visualizing is sometimes necessary to cement facts into one's mind. Wow... I've heard that bugs can get to be that large, in other places. Africa and Australia came to mind. Still, he was the smallest. They get even bigger. His eyes were wide, almost terror-wide, but not quite.

"But... you're not very large at all." He glanced up at Alphonse. "And... you aren't glowing. Ah..." His expression brightened considerably, and approached a few steps without realizing it. "If you're like a firefly, then you know how to stop glowing, right?"

( Probably a secretary, since he likes books and facts so much. ^^ )

"Ah, yes..." Photinus was about to say, 'I'll show you,' but... he frowned and glanced down at the book. He sighed and instead offered the book to Alphonse. "It's some kind of manual. It's about pokemon. It's the only thing I've found on the subject and I don't really understand it."

His arm dropped a little as he looked down at his feet. So much for hoping for anything that would help him with this problem. Perhaps someday, he'd have an opportunity to look through a copy of his Patient File... He smiled sadly. "I see. I can't seem to turn mine off. Sometimes it fades but it never really goes away." He rubbed at his bare arm, barely feeling through the chitin the rough material that made up his gloves. His voice was barely audible above the wind: "I'd trade with you if I could..." Then I could at least pretend to be normal.

(Yeah, I don't know if Photinus will ever be up to it. But I'll keep trying, lol.)

Photinus watched the fireflies vacate Alphonse's hand as he waved them away. They swirled through the air and joined the larger group. A similar phenomenon as before passed through the swarm, though more subdued than before. He sighed again and glanced back at Alphonse as his words distracted him. The expression was shocking and again he found himself retreating. What was more unnerving, someone he knew was dangerous, or someone he couldn't figure out?

"I don't understand what you're saying. I...I was talking about the glow. I just want to be normal." Not that life before was a great one. But at least it was mine. And there were other kids like me. They were alone, just like me. And now they're dead.

Right now more than anything he would have wished that he hadn't handed over the book. Now he was stuck here until Alphonse decided to give it back, and he really didn't want anyone to see him wiping these tears from his eyes.