Of shiny things [open/mod]

[Puppet]

Finn kicked out at the sandy ground, his eyes lifting as he stared off into the horizon. Heat waves rose from the ground, an utter wasteland of a location. The sailor knew nothing but ocean and waves, and his team of mostly water pokemon were the same. It was under this fact that he decided to explore the deserts of Era, and just see what there was to be seen. At his side was a barely distinguishable pokemon, it's tan coat the same hue as the sun baked sand. The shiny poochyena danced on heated pads, his tongue lolled out in a vigorous pant, occasionally slurping at his dried out nose in vain to keep it moist. Rue would follow Finn to the ends of the Earth...and it seemed as though they had reached it.

Beside them watched a quiet pokemon, strange looking in it's dark brown coat. It was Naka, the son of Rue, who was an odd mix of his father's poochyena and his mother's eevee. He was a proud little canine, newly born and eager to prove his worth to the team. Of course, Finn couldn't care less on what the pup wanted, only on if he obeyed commands. And as the thief looked into the barren lands of their newest destination, he wondered just how he would manage to find anything. He was used to the easy pickings of abandoned buildings, or ships stranded at sea. There, the treasure was obvious, practically screaming 'Look, look! I'm in here somewhere!!' but here...there seemed to be no guarantees. Digging into his pocket, he released another new addition to the team. It was a silver pelted eevee, another child of Rue's. The little fox shook out her coat, standing blandly out unlike her gold furred kin.

"Surru," the man said, trying out her name. Her ears pricked up, but she had little patience for the trainer. Young and eager to explore, she took in the surroundings with the curiosity and excitement of a newborn. If she weren't so dumbstruck with awe, she would've already dashed off by now to explore. "Surru, I need you to help me find something shiny." Her gaze immediately locked onto his. She was the queen of shiny objects, so if there was something to be found, she would find it. And in a blur of grey, she was off, sniffing and digging rapidly at the sand in search of anything and everything. Rue shook his head slowly, still not quite releasing that the newest additions were products of his own doing. Finn was hoping he would evolve soon, and take a role in raising his pups.

[Jay]

Sitting on the large wall of Scorch City with legs directed out away from the city, what appeared to be a dark haired boy sat staring out into the endless sands instead of inwards towards. The boy wore rather loose clothes and had longer hair in the front than what could be seen in the back, and the two long locks of hair on either said of this boy's hair moved in the breeze. This was what one could tell straight off from looking up in the direction, yet one assumption was off. In fact, there was not a boy sitting on the wall but rather a girl. Not that one could tell at all from the way she was dressed and her lack of a bust.

Nero Ishi sat on the ledge watching the sand with a lackluster look in her eyes that she was known to have on multiple occasions. Just below her and pressed up to the wall was one of her Beldum Celestia and the Beldum's father a Metagross named Meteor who were both looking into the city and acting as the eyes in the back of Nero's head per say. Both were looking into the city at any sign of trouble. Meteor was the first to notice that there appeared to be a figure not far off, and in another moment, he tensed alerting Nero to this fact as well. However, she made no move to go change her position there on the wall.

[Puppet]

Finn was a friendly type, able to talk his way out or into most situations. He could wear a mask of friendliness at will, and used it to his advantage. However, whether because of the heat or his lack of ease in the sandy area, he didn't use it today. No, when he saw the person perched up on the wall, his mouth merely tensed into a firm line of displeasure. It was his understanding, limited as it was, that the sea was the best place upon God's blue earth. As such, deserts like this one should be completely devoid of all but the most savage and outcast of inhabitants. So prejudgements were already not in the other's favor.

However, Finn tried to make the best of all situations. Eying the Beldum and Metagross, he haulted in his pursuit of Surru in her scampering search. He beckoned with a hand for Naka to keep an eye on her, and the little hybrid hesitantly obeyed. Rue trod forward a little, making an effort to keep his sandy colored coat from bristling. "Excuse me," Finn began, speaking up to the man-woman-thing. He couldn't tell what the person was, with such a feminine face yet androgynous body. "Would you happen to be familiar with this land?"

His dark skin had the wonderful adaptation to not be prone to burning in this blistering sun, but he couldn't see this other person fairing too long. Sitting up on that wall in direct sunlight, the pearly white skin was bound to be painful. So either the person was accustomed to the desert sun, or had found some sun screen from the old world. And where there was old world items, there was old world treasure.

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[Jay]

Nero made no motion to leave the wall and didn't even bother to move her body. "Somewhat," she answered back in a rather monotone voice that could have gone in any sort of direction between a young boy's and a girl's. Meteor eyed the man with a rather sharp eye as though sizing him up and deciding whether he was a threat or not. However, his daughter, Celestia, quickly moved behind him more or less out of fear. She was a young child, newly hatched, and was largely afraid of the world around her. However, Meteor was not young and was rather stern in visage as stern as a Metagross could be. "Are you lost?" Nero continued to ask in a rather calm voice still not turning her head to view the inside of the city nor the man not far off.

[Puppet]

Finn's frown deepened, his eyes straying over to Naka and Surru. The two were floundering about in the sand like nothing else in the world existed, too young and naive to have a care in the world. Rue still stood silently by his trainer's side, his eyes locked onto the Metagross. There was almost a dare in his stance, something in the way the poochyena was completely still that completely contradicted his usual playful nature. Finn sensed this, and wasn't sure he wanted to start a scuffle over nothing.

"Not lost." He replied, saying the words slowly as though he were thinking about how to phrase the rest. "Merely intrigued. Are their ruins nearby?" He worked to keep the edge out of his voice. The sooner he gathered information on where to start, the sooner he could be out of this scorching world.

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[Jay]

"The desert buries everything that one puts in it," Nero answered back shrugging her shoulders and keeping a monotone voice. "I haven't seen any runes around here unless you count the Amphitheater not too far from here." After a moment, she turned her head and faced the man with a calm set of eyes and a rather blank face. "Meteor, calm down. It's alright," she said aloud before slowly dropping down from the wall to stand on her Metagross.

[Puppet]

Finn was a bit startled, to say the least, to see the person just plop down on top of the pokemon like that. Rue eased up a bit, however, as if the trainers order had been directed at him instead. Finn didn't move, a bit struck into place and so just dumbly stood. He didn't feel done with the city that he had happened upon, so strange was it to see a place completely surrounded by stone. By the sea, such a structure would be a death sentence, just asking to by filled up and drowned like a giant well. But he didn't suppose it would be much of a problem around these parts.

He cast a second glance over the trainer before him, wondering if they lived in the area. He didn't feel like asking further, though it wasn't like they had blatantly dismissed him. But without much more to say, he strode towards the archway of the city, ready to take a break from the blistering heat. Naka seemed to notice that they were moving again, and dragged Surru behind by her fluffy silver tail.

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[Jay]

Jumping just as agilely as she had onto her Metagorss, Nero jumped off of him before taking into her arms Celestia who had quickly flown to her. The woman let out a sigh and simply held the pokemon before watching Finn move to stand in the shade. "Where are you from?" she asked rather bluntly but with a lackluster emotion none the less. She had guessed that he was not from the area easily enough and would have been content with this knowledge, yet for one reason or another, she found herself willing to more or less continue the conversation despite her usual ways.

[Puppet]

Finn glanced over, leaning against the wall the surrounded the city. It's sun baked spires rose high above, marveling him at their desire to get any closer to the sun. Rue splayed against the stone, panting again now that the initial threat of another pokemon was over. The man stared off into the distance as he replied. "I'm from the Ocean, the waters are my home. I know nothing of this land, but everyone's got to leave their comfort zone sometime. What about you?"

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[Jay]

Nero found herself leaned up against the wall with her head staring at the sky now. "I can't remember..." she answered back with a shrug. This was partial truth for she remembered a place near the capital... yes but she would never go there again. Never. "But I've always been in Era," she finally answered back with a still monotone voice. Meteor was rather surprised that Nero was taking up conversation with anyone, but the Metagross said nothing of this. Celestia simply watched surprised to hear Nero's voice so much.

[Puppet]

Finn nodded his head in acknowledgment, staring into the sand below his feet. The poochyena at his side watched the Metagross with interest, it's vivid turquoise eyes unwavering. Nearby, Naka panted with the effort of keeping an eye on his sister and Surru seemed to be completely wound with energy. Her grey ears darted back and forth with the sounds of swirling winds, and though there wasn't much to see, she took in it all. Her fluffy tail wagged viciously, eager to get going.

The trainer watched his pokemon half heartedly as he spoke. "That must be rough...not knowing your origins. They're what makes up who we are today. Without them...you wouldn't be able to know yourself better than the person next to you." He looked up, the sun flashing off the lenses of his goggles. "Do you have a goal for your future, even without a past?" The words came out faintly, as if speaking to himself as well. As a pirate, a thief, the only moment was the present. Would he have a future?

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[Jay]

"I don't have a straight goal," Nero said aloud shaking her head but keeping a rather straight face. "But it doesn't matter. I can be freer that way," Meteor was watching the Poochyen and then the smaller pokemon with a careful eye. Celestia slowly moved around in the air until making her way forwards towards Surru with a curious look. Meteor watched this and so did Nero for a moment.

[Puppet]

"Hey, me either." Finn smiled over to her, a genuine one for once. "Goals are for people who can't think of anything else to do with themselves." He stared back out over the sands, thinking of what he was doing there. Roaming a godforsaken desert, just because he wanted to. That was rewarding enough for him, no need for goals. Unable to think of anything else to say, his mind began to wonder further into itself. Surru spotted her own wagging tail and chased it in circles, throwing up sand on the others in the process. Naka snorted irritably, quickly losing patience with his new sister, while Rue mildly shook off his muzzle.

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[Jay]

"Goals are for people that feel themselves not whole," Nero said aloud still rather monotone. In truth, she didn't quite feel whole herself but that was for a different reason all together....The calm woman's eye moved on her Shiny Metagross, and after a moment, she put a hand on him and stroked the pokemon rather easily.

"Yet small strives are not the same as goals, and they actually work in the world." This was true as far as Nero was concerned. The dark haired girl looked over again with a calm stare. After a moment, her stomach made some sort of complaint. The dark haired girl ignored the need for food for the moment and then crossed her arms in front of herself as though it would stop the hunger.

Celestia had been sprayed with sand and blinked a moment rather surprised. However, after another moment, her single eye turned to a lighter look and she almost laughed if she could....

[Puppet]

Surru stopped spinning and her ears perked up at the slight sound of tummy grumble. Suddenly, she thought of her own stomach and began mewing frantically to Finn. She pawed impatiently at his pant leg, making little anxious noises. She wasn't that hungry, but knew that it would get them moving at least. Naka and Rue watched quietly, wondering how their trainer would react to such behavior.

The sailor sighed, his eyes trained on the little fox. After a bit, his gaze returned to the woman, a short term quest forming in his mind. "You wouldn't happen to know the city well enough to find a bite to eat...?"

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[Jay]

Nero blinked a moment and then nodded a bit rather slowly. "There is a store down the street," she answered back looking down the street before looking back. She had more or less assumed that he was feeding his pokemon rather than himself. Whether this was right or not, she really didn't care. Celestia blinked and slowly made her way back to her father's side and remained hovering there and watching. Meteor made no motion and no sound.

[Puppet]

Finn nodded silently, staring back towards the city. He was slightly hesitant to just leave after such a perplexing conversation, but with Surru's continuous whines, there wasn't much of an option. The fox yipped delightedly as he moved away, heading into the city. The other two dogs followed behind like a miniature pack of guard dogs. "Thanks for the help." he called over his shoulder as they moved on.

[Jay]

Nero nodded slowly as she watched the man walk off. Looking down for a moment, she breathed outwards before looking up again, returning her pokemon to their pokeballs, and starting to follow. "Do you mind if I come?" she asked rather calmly not bothering to raise her voice in any nature or format.

[Puppet]

Finn stopped, his mouth hanging a bit open in words that wouldn't come. Instead he numbly closed it and nodded, waiting for her to catch up before continuing on. In a way, he was relieved to have the company. With the little tyrannical Surru added to the team, his patience was wearing thin on hearing only pokemon cries for company. Even though the other trainer didn't seem particularly talkative, the effect of another human was enough. "You can tell me when we get there." he decided as they entered the city. It was completely crowded with shops and street venders, filled with people despite the heat. He knew that in this mess, he would be hopelessly lost.

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[Jay]

Nero hadn't rushed to catch up nor did she increase her speed once they entered the city. The crowds made her uneasy, yet she reflected none of this. "Alright," she answered back more or less to his previous statement. They walked down the street past many of the strange more out door market sort of places before finally reaching a store that was actually functioning fully indoors and with a rather controlled internal environment. It was rather cold inside in contrast to the outside.