Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lyle walked into the gym, a backpack on his shoulder and Spinel on his hat. He couldn't help looking everywhere at once, or trying to. This was the Gym he'd be working at! He couldn't wait to explore it all! But first he and his pokemon had to get settled in.

As he headed for the dorm, he passed a small pond with a Bidoof poking around it. That reminded him of something, and he pulled out a pokeball to release his own Bidoof. "Hi, Sentry!" He said to his pokemon, after the furry rodent had materialized and stood at attention in front of him. "The Gym Leader has an idea, that you and some other Bidoofs can live at this pond and fight any trainers who come by. I'll tell you more about it later, by for now you can get yourself settled in. And look, you'v already got a friend here." He pointed at Warden, and his Bidoof looked happy to see the other one. "OK with you?" Lyle asked, and was given a solemn nod in return. "Good, I'll be back a bit later to see how you're doing. Bye!" He waved to his pokemon as he headed off to the dorm.

Sentry watched the boy for a moment as he left. She was being given the freedom to arrange her own nest and guard routines? She was not expecting this arrangement, but it sounded appealing. Then she turned and trotted over to her fellow guard. <"Hello, Warden. It looks like we'll be living together.">

<"Yes, scouting the area sounds like a good plan,"> she said as she stopped near him. <"Once we know the lay of the land, we can figure out an advantageous place for a nest, a guard tower, and establish a perimeter."> Truth be told, the large, open space of unfamiliar territory was a bit daunting, and it felt comforting to have a familiar face with her. As she set out to look around, she kept a little closer to Warden than was strictly necessary.

Sentry considered the question as they investigated the area. <"This pond has promise,"> she decided. <"Plenty of water is always a valuable resource, and it leaves a space free from obstruction that makes it easier to see the surroundings. We could build a dam in the center, which would leave our nest easy to defend, and clearing out the surrounding underbrush for materials would make the immediate area harder to hide in, and therefore harder for anyone to sneak up on us."> She nodded to herself as this assessment. <"We could easily create a secure dwelling, perfect for starting a...a community."> She had been about to say "family," but had caught herself. Where had that come from? <"My trainer said there would be other Bidoofs,"> she hastily clarified.

Sentry felt unexpectedly gratified by the complement, stiff though it was. She noticed Warden's fumble and slight stutter. Was something wrong with him? She glanced over at him and saw he looked a bit distracted. What was he thinking of? Surely he hadn't had the same turn of thought. His fur was fluffed out too, making him look kind of cute.

She decided to offer a new subject to think about. <"Um, perhaps we ought to check if there are any edible plants in the area,"> she offered. <"I expect our trainers will feed us, but it is good to be prepared."> They had come from a place with too little food after all, and they knew the value of having a back-up plan on provisions.

Sentry nodded at his assessment of the plant. <"Good to know berries will be plentiful when they're in season. We ought to search for other edible plants though, for when berries are unavailable.">

She blinked in surprise when he offered her a flower. <"Thank you, that's very kind,"> she said as she sat up on her haunches to accept the flower. She sniffed the sweet scent of it before tucking it behind her headband, opposite her feather so it rested above her ear. She trotted over to the pond so she could look at her reflection and make sure it was in straight. As she turned back to Warden, she found herself asking, <"How does it look?">

The complement had caught her by surprise, and for a moment she was frozen in place, unsure how to answer. <"Th-thank you,"> she finally managed before being at a loss for words again. She ducked her head a little and shuffled her paws uncertainly. Yet somehow the movement edged her closer to him.

Now it was her turn to floof out a little, as she ducked her head a little further from uncertainty and bashfulness. While she was suddenly quite certain of what she wanted, at the same time she did not how to express it. He was a fine Bidoof, dedicated and compassionate. She rather liked the idea of staying with him, perhaps spending her life with him. They may be owned by different trainers, but it seemed they would be left to life their life as they saw fit, here in the Gym. She inched a little closer until their fur was brushing. <"I...yes, I would like that,"> she managed, before reaching out her muzzle to nuzzle him gently, experimentally.