A Small Reunion (SG/Mod)

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia forced a smile and nodded before climbing into the cart after Ryan. The moment the doors shut with a loud thud, Jalicia jumped, thankful for the darkness so that Ryan couldn't see how pale her face had gotten. The eerie wind sound wasn't helping matters either when suddenly the cart turned and a light flashed, revealing the monster. Jalicia shrieked and clung to Ryan, hiding her face from the monster until the screaming had stopped and everything faded into black. Relaxing a little, Jalicia loosened her hold on Ryan, though it was clear she was still terrified by the amount she was shaking. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/Ryantable.png);color:#990000;width:470;height:294;][atrb=style,border:3 darkred groove,bTable][scrolly:h(202),w(262),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:52px;margin-left:14px;margin-right:175px;)]Ryan grinned wickedly in the darkness as the woman clung to him. Over the next few minutes, they were assaulted by some dozen or so terrifying noises, flashing scenes of gore and other monsters, several jump-out bits, and a sudden burst of two spotlights accompanied by a loud horn as though a semi-truck were about to smash into them. As a cherry on top, just as the began to get close to the exit, one of the final lights showed a half-second glimpse of a humanoid figure ahead. It would only be the fifth or sixth mannequin, and on its own didn't seem too bad. However, when they neared, another light flashed, and the figure in question- pale and bloody with a wild look in his eyes- rushed toward them flailing an axe and yelling in a deranged manner. Even Ryan froze in terror at this, but refused to allow himself to show more, and after a few brief seconds, that light faded and the large man stopped, resuming his post. [/scrolly]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia must've screamed at least five more times before finally burying her head in Ryan's arm, deciding not to look at the horrifying images for the rest of the ride, though she still shook when she heard the screams and other eerie sounds. After a time, there was silence and Jalicia thought that it was safe to look...surely the ride was almost over...right? As it turned out, it was too much to hope for...one last bloody figure appeared in a flash of light, causing Jalicia to shriek again and cling even harder to him. Then the figure ran toward him and whimper and cling all the more, eyes locked on the axe man, wide with horror as he ran toward them...Jalicia was so sure they were going to die right then and there that she almost didn't believe it when the man just...stopped. By this time, Jalicia was scared speechless and couldn't have screamed to save her life at that point. After a few brief moments in darkness during which the only thing worth mentioning were some cobwebs for decoration, the door opened once again into daylight, revealing Jalicia's stark white pale face and her near death grip on Ryan's arm. The cart came to a stop where they had started and Jalicia slowly released Ryan's arm and climbed out of the cart, hands still shaking. Feeling dizzy, Jalicia walked to the nearest wall and leaned against it, closing her eyes to attempt to fight off the nausea that had come upon her so suddenly. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/Ryantable.png);color:#990000;width:470;height:294;][atrb=style,border:3 darkred groove,bTable][scrolly:h(202),w(242),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:52px;margin-left:14px;margin-right:175px;)]Ryan couldn't help but laugh a bit at the severity of her reaction, but this quickly fell away when she stumbled off, looking rather weak and possibly sick. Wasting no time in following her, Ryan stood a few moments wondering just what to do before finally placing a large hand on her shoulder. "Hey. ...Are you okay?" He wanted to offer more but.. Well.. Ryan was a little lost at this point. Part of him hoped she wasn't just getting sick, but then that meant it was his fault for suggesting the ride in the first place (never mind that she'd accepted), so another part of him almost wished she was... [/scrolly]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia still had her eyes closed when she felt Ryan's hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes. Upon seeing the concern on his face, Jalicia nodded,"I...will be..."she replied in a quiet voice, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down,"Just...give me a minute..." It had been rather stupid of her to agree to go on the ride in the first place...she just had to calm down...that was all. After a few more moments, some of the color returned to Jalicia's face. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/Ryantable.png);color:#990000;width:470;height:294;][atrb=style,border:3 darkred groove,bTable][scrolly:h(202),w(262),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:52px;margin-left:14px;margin-right:175px;)]Ryan continued to look on with concern, easing a bit as she started to look a bit better. "Sorry.." he mumbled, still feeling rather bad about the whole ordeal. "If I knew I wouldn't've suggested it.. But.." He gave a weak grin. "You can hold my hand if yer scared," he almost-teased, but then moved closer, taking one of her hands in his own and wrapping an arm around to rub her back a bit, hoping it would help her feel better. ...As a rather terrible idea came to mind, the redhead suddenly found himself blushing lightly. That.. was perfectly likely to get him slapped, really. Not to mention his general thoughts on such things in more recent years. But then.. He couldn't place it, but there was just something about this girl that made him.. strangely comfortable, he guessed. She was amusing to talk with so far. And she apparently liked to talk bigger than she could act, which.. was oddly adorable, really. Ryan had become somewhat aware he was prone to developing strong feelings for anything he guarded, and.. with all the clinging in the haunted house, he was sort of already protecting her, wasn't he.. Heh. ..And Kitty liked her! That was always a good sign. It wasn't like he wasn't interested or anything, so.. "Or... I could try to kiss it better?" he offered in a rather shy voice. Of course, the near-foot of height difference made it rather difficult to steal a kiss outright, and that was rather more bold anyway, so he simply bent down a bit and softly but quickly kissed the top of her head, praying in the back of his mind she wouldn't just punch him. [/scrolly]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia breathed out a bit as the nausea faded and opened her eyes when she heard Ryan apologize and smiled slightly," 'Sall right hun'..."Jalicia replied in a more cheerful voice before Ryan took her hand and rubbed her back. Sighing, Jalicia rested her head on Ryan's chest and closed her eyes, this did help came her down...even if it was just an excuse to snuggle. By now, most, if not all of her color had returned and the knots in her stomach had vanished when she heard Ryan offer to kiss to make her feel better. Jalicia was about to respond when she felt him kiss the top of her head; a rush of color came to her face as she blushed, for a moment Jalicia didn't know how to respond but found her voice rather quickly all things considering,"Thankya hun'...that did help..." she replied in a quiet voice before looking up at Ryan and smiling,"Whaddaya say we go find Kitten and try to find a ride we can all enjoy~?" [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#A68059;border:3px #A68059 ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#4D2919]

[ Ryan / Kitty ]

Ryan gave a rather pleased grin when she not only accepted it but reacted well. Blushing a bit more, he nodded. "Yeah.." As he thought on it a bit, he eventually thought aloud, "Maybe a log ride.. Or tea cups.."

As Kitty saw the adults returning, she ran to meet them, followed by a small entourage of Pokemon. Within them, a certain Drifloon was cursing himself mentally, having decided to stay close to Kitty rather than check out this alleged haunted house only to be sorely disappointed. "It's about time!" she exclaimed. She'd been waiting almost two whole minutes!

[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia smiled and nodded, "The log ride sounds like fun~."she replied, pulling out of his hug of sorts and walking back towards where they had left Kitty. When they reached the young girl, Jalicia laughed and knelt in front of Kitty when she said that it was about time they showed up,"Sorry darlin', didn't mean to make ya wait so long...your brother proved to be a lot braver than I did though~. I don't think he even blinked at the end, and that was the scariest part~."she said, in a cheerful voice, standing up and looking over at Ryan, winking at him as she continued,"Ain't that right hun~?" [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#A68059;border:3px #A68059 ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#4D2919]

[ Ryan / Kitty ]

Ryan gave a small, somewhat questioning laugh and sweatdropped a bit. He was about to downplay it, but Kitty rather beat him to the punch. "Of course!" she exclaimed matter-of-factly. "My brother is the bravest ever." After all, he still took care of her even after the bad people scared mommy and daddy away, right? That definitely made him brave and strong and super awesome.

The redhead laughed rather more brightly at this. "I dunno about all that.." He had to admit, though, he certainly couldn't complain about all the stroking his ego was getting. It was nice feeling appreciated, particularly when he had been so concerned walking away from the gang would mean leaving all respect he'd earned as well. Not that that was the only thing he missed.. heh..

Pushing that thought aside for now, Ryan smiled down at the little brunette. "But Kitty, we were wondering if you wanted to try the log ride next." At her intrigued look and 'huh?', Ryan explained a bit about the water ride, receiving a rather excited reaction from the girl. As they all seemed in agreement, Ryan led the way toward what looked like the top of a log ride a little ways down a row. As they drew closer, it appeared the ride was heavily themed on a tropical rain forest, with the line area covered in a thick leafy 'canopy' and equipped with sprinklers that went off periodically with a light spray. Ryan almost wondered at this for a second, but realized anyone going on the ride would get wet anyway, so.. Heh.

[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia laughed at Kitty's reply to the suggestion of the log ride and followed Ryan until they reached the ride and it's apparent rain forest theme, complete with the humidity...and sprinklers to mimic short rain showers. Which of course just happened to turn on the moment Jae entered the canopy area, accompanied by her short surprised squeak and near cling to Ryan before she realized what the sprinklers were and blushed, rubbing the back of her head rather sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that hun...they just surprised me is all..."she said rather quietly, refusing to look Ryan in the eye, rather embarrassed about what she'd just done. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#A68059;border:3px #A68059 ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#4D2919]

[ Ryan / Kitty ]

Kitty had squeaked when Jae had out of sheer instinct, though she'd been trailing behind with the various Pokemon. Ryan, however, jumped a little bit startled and then just laughed lightly. "Yer sorry you got surprised? That's a bit silly, ain't it?" Grinning, he headed under the ongoing sprinkler himself and closed his eyes to look up, allowing his face to get soaked before coming back out and shaking a bit of water out of his hair, laughing again. "There.." Kitty laughed a bit too at Ryan's attempt to cheer Jae up, but was quickly cut off with a "Oh Cat, you should prolly recall all yer Pokemon if we're all goin' on a big ride. We don' wan' 'em blockin' the line, an' I dun think they can come along."

But.. But!! Floon was having a small spasm. But this ride was actually dangerous! Before he could do anything, though, the girl just nodded with a "Yeah, mmkay," and recalled all three. Sage waved a quick goodbye to Nerina, and Momo just made sure not to pull any of Kitty's hair as she was pulled in. Kitty didn't think too much of it. She could always bring them right back out, after all.

[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia blushed a little when Ryan said that it was silly to be sorry and found herself laughing softly at Ryan putting his head underneath the sprinkler. When Ryan mentioned returning Pokemon, Jalicia remembered the two she had out still and returned her Pokemon as well, smiling at Kitty,"You can hold Muffin again as soon as we get off the ride mmk~?"she told Kitty before putting both pokeballs in her purse before looking back at Ryan,"Now you're the one who's being silly hun'....but thanks..." Nerina waved goodbye to Sage and Kitty when she was returned while Muffin licked Kitty's face goodbye before she was pulled in. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#A68059;border:3px #A68059 ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#4D2919]

[ Ryan / Kitty ]

Kitty just nodded with a little 'mmkay', figuring the same about Jae's Pokemon as her own. Meanwhile, Ryan half-heartedly leered for just a moment, but then laughed almost dejectedly and shook his soaking wet head. "I'm not, though.." he somewhat sighed. After a moment, he smiled and grabbed her hand again, pulling her down toward the end of the line, but stopping as they got into the next active wave of sprinklers. Poor Kitty almost felt forgotten a moment, but Ryan knew she would follow, and she did.

Looking down at the white-haired woman, Ryan tried to laugh as he made them both get even more wet, even if the sprinkler turned off just after.. only to find that laugh fading to be replaced with awe. The way she looked now, he just wanted... Oh wow... He really wasn't this bold, but... There was just something about her that felt so... comfortable... Almost familiar, even. And... well... She'd reacted well before.. "You are... really beautiful..." he murmured, blushing. "Have you ever been..." He waited for a few moments for the sprinkler to come back on overhead, then smiled both nervous and ridiculous before finishing, "Kissed in the rain?" He felt the need to again announce it to ensure she had plenty of warning to avoid it if she wanted, imagining the rejection to come with that would be much less severe than if he managed to steal something. That done, he made sure his body would block Kitty's direct view, then leaned down, hoping very much to this time kiss her on the lips.

[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia laughed when Ryan said that he wasn't being silly only to find herself being led towards the end of the line,"Hun'...? Where are we going...?"she asked in a very confused voice only to find herself stopping underneath the sprinklers again. Realizing that she was still being teased for being surprised at the sprinklers, Jalicia found herself smiling and laughing as she got even more wet than before. When Ryan stopped laughing and just looked at her, Jalicia blinked and found herself just gazing into his eyes...how was it possible...when she had just met him today...why did it feel as if she'd known him longer than that. When Ryan broke the silence with the compliment, Jalicia felt her face heat up and knew she was blushing and didn't care to hide it. Jalicia blinked again when he started asking her a question only to stop for a moment while the sprinklers came on again...now why would-. Jalicia's thoughts came to a sudden stop as Ryan finished the question and felt her heart skip a beat...well no...she hadn't but it would be rather nice. Closing her eyes, Jalicia leaned into Ryan and kissed him, all thoughts vanishing the moment their lips touched. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#A68059;border:3px #A68059 ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#4D2919]

[ Ryan / Kitty ]

Her lips.. were intoxicating... and he kissed her again, and yet again. Ryan... wanted more... Part of him wanted much more, but the rest of him rather tried to ignore that. Pulling her closer, holding her tighter, he kissed again, and once more.. Finally his lips parted a bit as his tongue pushed past hers-- only to quickly pull back as Ryan's eyes flashed open wide. Almost instantly he released her, turning bright red as it suddenly hit him he still didn't even know her name, and then just went and-.. "I-- I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-..." Well. He did, but not like... Oh God.

Meanwhile, Kitty- who was seven, not stupid- had been very much forgotten for just a few moments by her brother, had made her way around to watch, and had burst into an utter fit of giggles even as Ryan began to stutter. She waited just long enough she thought he was done, because it was rude to interrupt. Mocking, however, was apparently just fine, as she sang, "Ryan and Jalisa sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!" The girl just giggled more from there, completely unaware that the adults hadn't realized.

Some part of Ryan died inside as he went completely..... hollow, really.. Kitty... had mispronounced it, but... Those... and that.... How had he not seen it! Ten million knives pierced him for such stupidity. But... she had become so.... There was just no way that.... His voice cracked- almost squeaked- as he barely broke a whisper. "....Jae-bird...?"

[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia returned every kiss, leaning into his embrace, lost in the moment until she felt his tongue on her lips a moment before he pulled back. For a brief instant, Jalicia was confused until she realized what had happened and put a hand on his arm, smiling,"'sallright cowboy~."she replied in a quiet voice until she heard Kitty's teasing voice and blinked, removing her hand from Ryan's arm, utterly confused. Wide eyes turned to Kitty, then back at Ryan, shocked that the girl had guessed her name but then...how had the girl known her name...she hadn't even mentioned it before...had she? But...the man had said her name was Kitten right, could it be that this was-..nah, couldn't be. Wait...Ryan...? Well...it was a common enough name...she shouldn't get her hopes up over nothing, after all what would be the chances that the man she had just kissed-. ....Jae-bird...? The name made her freeze, looking up at Ryan with alarm as she took a step back from him...only one person had ever called her that and....he had-. Jalicia found herself blinking back tears as she all but gawked at the man in front of her,"R.....R..Ryan?"she said in a near whisper, shocked that after all these years of hoping...wishing...he had found her and-. A thousand questions filled Jalicia's mind, where had he gone, how had he gotten back, when had he gotten back, why had he left...she wanted to know so much but...what was she thinking. Ryan had left her! The hurt was very clear in Jalicia's eyes as she blinked back tears, she wasn't about to let Ryan have the satisfaction of seeing her like this...seeing how much he had hurt her by leaving like that. "Why-..."Jalicia whispered, her voice cutting off as soon as she started. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Ryan with hurt, angry eyes for a few moments before finally finding her voice,"You....why did you leave...? You didn't even say goodbye..."Jalicia said in a quiet, hurt voice before raising her voice to the point where she was almost yelling,"I waited for you every day hoping you'd come back and you never did! What was so important that made you disappear?! I looked up to you and you know it; was I that much of a nuisance to you?!" Jalicia was shaking by this time, fists clenched in anger before looking away from Ryan, lowering her voice to just above a whisper,"I was 11-years old Ryan....did you even think for once that I wouldn't miss you...I....tried to leave...tried to go find you...but my sisters didn't want me to leave. I stayed....stayed so that I wouldn't hurt them the way...the way you hurt me..."Jalicia said in a deceivingly calm voice even though it felt like her entire world was falling apart at the seams. She wanted to run, wanted to disappear but Jalicia's feet were rooted to the spot...she couldn't move...just stood there under the sprinkler as tears that had long since been bottled up ran down her cheeks, but at the moment, Jalicia didn't care. Let Ryan see how much he hurt her...maybe then he would feel a little of the pain she had felt when he left. [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#A68059;border:3px #A68059 ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#4D2919]

[ Ryan / Kitty ]

Ryan.... didn't know what to say. Part of him was desperately trying to counter her points as she made them: "I didn't-..." "But I-.." "That isn't--!" "Now hold on!" The first full thought he actually managed to get out seemed to go ignored and she spiraled deeper into this eleven years of pent-up feeling. "You coulda-... But I didn't even-..." His face had gone red as much in frustration as embarrassment as anger.

The man never had done well under pressure. Hell, if he had, they probably wouldn't be having this conversation. But as if that wasn't enough to make him fumbling and flustered, more of his mind than was trying was preoccupied with a single thought: I just made out with Jae.. That simple little fact made his head spin, to a point he was physically feeling light-headed and dizzy. I just.. made out.. with Jae! She was... the little girl who'd tailed his every move when he was eight years old and she was a toddler- the bratty child who got him grounded when she learned he smoked- the....

How... did that awkward child he'd left.. How had she grown up to be-.... Enough to make him-..!! If... he'd met her two years ago and she'd have had him, he would've.... without a second thought even! Jalicia! His-... As far as Ryan was concerned, he may as well have just made out with (and been turned on by) Kitty. It really didn't matter if she was seven or ten or twe-... uh quick math... twenty-two now? ... Damn he was not that old already. But she... she was still like his sister, and.. Ryan visibly shuddered for a moment.

Kitty, meanwhile, had stood watching in utter confusion, then slight fear when Jae had started yelling. However, she only ducked behind Ryan slightly at this and continued to watch. Dedrick said his sister could be scary, but she was still nice, so Kitty knew she wouldn't actually hurt her, but... Yeah, it was still kind of... yeah. Finally noticing her there, though, Ryan pushed away all his other thoughts for the moment and looked down to her with a painfully fake smile. "Hey, I just had an idea~" Kitty looked up with intrigue. "While we wait in line, why don't I have Fae take you around to see what else you want to do after?"

Kitty blinked. Um... Well... That sounded a little scary but.. Fae was pretty nice. And she was like a REALLY big pudgy butterfly. "Yeah, mmkay!" she chimed. With that, Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a PokeBall, leashing a large Volcarona. As Ryan explained, Fae sweatdropped a bit, irritated, but sighed and agreed at seeing how very much her trainer seemed to want it. Eh, the girl was light... She could just make it fast. Wrapping her legs around Kitty and making sure she had a tight grip, the massive bug and tiny girl lifted off into the air. "Fwee!" she called as they faded off.

Turning to back to his one-time friend the smile fell from Ryan's face. He couldn't.... She was still just... And in thinking of her childhood version, he finally found his response as a sudden mild rage boiled up. "Are you still eleven?" he snapped. "My leaving had nothing to do with you! So why don't you grow up and get over it?" He... was lashing, but... She was going off on him after all this time and just-... Somewhere deep down, Ryan was mentally flailing.

[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=style,height:176;width:528;border:0 black none;][atrb=style,border:0 black none,bTable][atrb=background,http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/jaetable.png,bTable][cs=3]
[atrb=width,25][atrb=style,border:0 black none;]	[atrb=style,BORDER:0 BLACK NONE;height:250!important;width:300!important;color:#84b4b8;][scrolly:h(250),w(300),sy] Jalicia had been so shocked upon realizing that this man was Ryan that she had completely forgotten Kitty was still there until Ryan spoke to Kitty, asking if she wanted to leave for a bit. Feeling the blood drain from her face as she realized what she'd just said to Ryan...in front of Kitty, she watched as the girl flew away on a Volcarona before Ryan started to yell at her. At first, Jalicia was stunned...the Ryan she had known hadn't once gotten angry at her, not that she had remembered...well there was that time she had caught him smoking but that was entirely different. And now Ryan was yelling at her for something he caused in the first place! "Am I still-.."Jalicia started before shaking her head and starting again trying to form a coherent thought,"If I-.." "Then why-.." "But then..-" Jalicia's eyes flashed with anger when she heard the next part of Ryan's words and stepped towards him, not about to back down now. "Get over it?! That's all I haveta do? You really think it's that easy?!"she yelled right back at him,"I have tried that! Dontcha think I haven't! You have no right to tell me that after being gone all these years! And now you're telling me to grow up...hun' take a good look, I have. That doesn't mean that I didn't spend near everyday looking for some sorta glimpse, some clue as to where you were. I can tell you what the lives of darn near everyone in town are like but my best friend?! NOTHING! I had no clue where you were or how you were doing...I was worried about you and now...." Jalicia took a deep breath, pushing the lump in her throat back down and continued,"You never once left my mind...not once..." [/scrolly]	[atrb=style,width:195;border:0 black none;]
[atrb=style,border:0 black none;][atrb=height,128][cs=3]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/Ryantable.png);color:#990000;width:470;height:294;][atrb=style,border:3 darkred groove,bTable][scrolly:h(202),w(262),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:52px;margin-left:14px;margin-right:175px;)]Ryan was... stunned, to say the least, color in his face growing deeper as she scolded him like he was the child here. What... the hell was she trying to do? Guilt him? Was... that what this was? Ryan barked a harsh syllable's worth of a bitter laugh. "Of course not." He wasn't actually sure if he believed that or not.. His first instinct told him it was just a sympathy ploy, and he wasn't falling for it. Another thought, however, noted that as much as she'd stalked him all their lives, it almost wouldn't be surprising... Feh. What was she even wanting, anyway? Some kind of apology? What the hell was that supposed to accomplish? Especially when it wouldn't be sincere, and he highly doubted she actually believed it would be. What right did she have to just assume-... Surely she'd realized by now-... Somehow, the thought that maybe she didn't only made him that much more bitter, and his voice lowered in both pitch and volume. "Did you ever stop to think..." he almost-hissed, turning her accusation on her. "Maybe I was trying to be a ghost?" He.. shouldn't... He should leave it at that and just make her run away, but... Dammit all. She was probably going to run off anyway. As pissed off as he was, he.. He did still trust her, at least enough he didn't think she'd intentionally lead someone to hurt him, especially not with Kitty. Sighing, he added, still bitter but less harshly, "Did you ever consider just maybe... Maybe I was protecting you?" [/scrolly]