Cut and Dry (Fish/Mod)

[Jay]

A rather interesting smirk came to Teme's face. "Heh... well then we have something in common," she answered back crossing her arms in front of hereslf. "I'm a bounty hunter as well." Well this was certainly interesting. She had met plenty of bounties but rarely ever another hunter. Then again, that just meant that she had more work for herself, heh... "How long ya been hunting?" the blond haired woman asked rather interested at the moment.

[KARP KARP!]

"Hmm....that is interesting." Jade replied with a smirk; she'd never met another hunter before, either.

"Hmm...good question, Hun. I'd say somewhere around...ten or so years. Yeah that sounds about right."

Honestly, Jade was sort of expecting a shocked reaction. In Jade's mind, she didn't look a day over twenty. How old she really looked, well...only her peers could tell you.

[Jay]

Teme blinked a moment at the answer that was given to her. Ten years? That... was quite some time... Not even Teme herself could truly boast such an amount of time, and a slight inferiority complex suddenly sprung its way into the back of the blond haired woman's mind. However, that also brought about some other thought from Teme as well. Just... how old was this woman? She couldn't be too old to be working in the business... then again, she might have started working when she was super young (though most of those types didn't live long, really...) Teme mentally sweat dropped at her last thought on the matter and sighed a little rather habitually remembering a certain other bounty hunter that she had come into contact with for a short time. Least anyone get the wrong idea, it was a slight friendship that ended up with Teme alive and the other dead, to say the least of it. After a few seconds, the blond haired woman forced herself to chuckle a little and then nodded her head. "Ah, I see... I've been at the business a bit less time than you," she finally answered back as she continued to walk and look around the jail. "Ya remember your first hunt by chance?" she asked more or less willing to keep the conversation going at that point. It seemed that the work they both did gave at least some sort of connection of sorts to go off of.

[KARP KARP!]

Jade's smile sort of faded. "Yeah, I do. I got mugged when I was sixteen. This lady found me unconscious, and raised me to what I am today, taught me two things. Pokemon and Bar-tending. Once I turned eighteen, I decided to track down and get payback on the bastards who'd mugged me, and got a little pocket-change in the process. Went from there to bounty hunting for a living. Couldn't get enough."

Then, the woman face-palmed. "Did my math wrong. That was thirteen years ago. Oops." Yeah, she was sort of gloating a bit--not about the business, mind you.

"So, Hun, what about you?"

[Jay]

Teme was smart enough to do basic math, and as Jade gave the age and then the years, the blonde haired woman quickly added up and then found herself rather surprised by the age. Ah, so she was older than she looked, really. After a few seconds, she smirked a little and nodded her head at the returned question before growing a tad somber. "Didn't really get paid for it, but these thugs shot my mom and pissed me off enough to where I shot them back," she answered back. For all useful purposes, Teme had resolved to call Meileen her real mother rather than Venus. That other woman who had been playing and messing with her... ugh... it was enough to piss her off again.... Biting the inside of her mouth, Teme sucked in some air and cooled again. "Decided I'd clean up the streets a bit and get paid for it, heh... The first one I actually made money on was for a few thugs that were messing with some old people in a village down in the Orre." She nodded a bit at the thought of it and was rather calm despite what she was saying.

[KARP KARP!]

The blonde woman gave a solemn nod. She knew this was a serious business. Actually, she liked to run a bar on the side to get away from this.

"Well, it's not a glamorous job, Hun. Nor is it for the weak. Hell, I bartend on the side so I don't go completely insane."

And tending a bar is a much better market for a good night, personally.

[Jay]

Teme smirked a bit to herself and nodded. The job was definitely not for the faint of heart, but it certainly was exciting and something that she loved doing, at the end of it. "Hear any good stories at the bar? she asked once again starting to walk around. She kept her eyes open, yet there didn't seem to be anyone or anything around them... not even pokemon, go figure.

[KARP KARP!]

"Not lately, just the usual crap everyone knows already. Unless you count gossip and who's slept with who as good stories."

The woman smirked at this; mostly because she was usually the one trying to figure that kind of thing out. But...now wasn't the time for that.

Jade looked around as well. It was just...too quiet....

[Jay]

Bleh....
If it was one thing Teme wasn't a fan of, it was that kind of gossip. However, instead of showing any sort of extreme hateful look, her face just hardened a little. "Ah," she answered back after a moment managing to nod a little. "People seem to love that stuff," she sighed a bit as she continued to look around. "Not really my type of drink, really."... Well there was one version of 'cup of tea' that seemed to be corrupted.

[Admiral Striker General]

As the women carried on with their peaceful conversation, elsewhere upon the island, danger was afoot! Of course, all the while, little Pokemon had been wandering about occasionally- a Surskit here, a Wingull overhead there- but all had been pretty far out and ambient. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, came a band of five Pokemon all at once. Not only did they come into view at the same time, but they seemed to be actively traveling together, and at a pretty fair pace.

At the helm was a Patrat, a little larger than average, carrying with her a.... mushroom? Yes, it seemed to be. The cap was large and wide, and she seemed to be wielding it as some sort of shield. Behind her, a rather violent-looking Diglett and Buizel followed fully ready for combat. A rather serene and wise-looking Poliwhirl followed them, with a calm but cautious-looking second Patrat at his side. It was a strange party for certain, but all moved with unity and purpose.

Upon spotting the large human females, the Patrat called out over her with a sharp yip that seemed very likely some form of 'halt', as afterward she stopped in her tracks and held firm, mushroom shield in place, and her followers halted behind her. After looking over them more thoughtfully than the others- both Patrat seeming wary and the mustelid and mole both seeming ready to jump, the Poliwhirl finally stepped forward to stand beside their leader. She seemed to snap at him a moment for this, but a few calm words silenced her, and he turned his attention back to the women. "Humans. We wish you no harm, but we must be certain. Be you in league with the toxin queen?"

[KARP KARP!]

"I have to listen to that stuff, considering what I do. But each to their own." A twinkle formed in Jade's deep blue eyes as she looked at Teme. "Though, ya know, Hun, I'd much rather--" The last part of that sentence fell to the wayside when the Pokemon showed up. The blonde's head whipped to look at them, her still-wet hair smacking her in the face.

Two Patrat, a Buizel, a Diglett, and a Poliwhirl. Adorable, yet Jade still felt mildly creeped out. Especially when one spoke. "Erm.....what?" She looked over at Teme.

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/temetable.png);][atrb=width, 500][atrb=height, 300][atrb=style,border:0 red none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(230),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:38px;margin-left:265px;color:#8f262f;)]Much rather-? However, as the voice of the pokemon hit her ears, Teme turned her head and stared. What the heck.... Raising her eyebrow but not saying anything, she stared at the leader of the group until the Poliwhirl spoke in human. Some part of Teme was reminded of a particular talking Dragonite, yet that thought was pushed away at the question. A toxin queen? Teme's eyebrow raised rather high on her head and threatened to contort her forehead permanently. "Who the heck is that?" she finally asked. [/scrolly]

[Admiral Striker General]

The girls's reactions sparked some gasps among the Pokemon, followed by a huddle up and a debate of some sort, mostly between the wary lead Patrat, the outraged disbelieving Buizel, and the calm and pointed Poliwhirl. Eventually, it seemed the others reluctantly agree with him, and he turned back to face the humans with explanation. "Thou knowest not of her reign, then... Some three months ago, a savage and deformed beast appeared on this isle. Once a mere nuisance, her power soon grew as she gathered underlings- those among our brethren who were as corrupted as she, or merely imbeciles she found a way to manipulate. We who remain true to our ancient teaching have taken to calling her 'the toxin queen', for her evil is like a plague sweeping over this fair isle." Really, how he was talking was a mystery. Nothing really moved; words just came out.

He hesitated now, then drew in a deep breath (who knew through what) in an attempt to draw courage, or perhaps as a sign of reluctance. All the same, he kept his serene expression and tone perfectly. "My comrades are unnerved by your presence, but I sense strength in thee.. Our leader, Lina," he motioned to the Patrat with the shield, "finds it odd to consider traveling in a group of more than five, but I see no reason why more power should be turned away..." He bowed to them now, one arm crossing his chest and the other tucking behind his back. "I pray thee, fair maidens. The queen's latest act is inexcusable; she has kidnapped our beloved king, and it has fallen on us to see his safe return. Would thou aid us upon this quest, humans?" Despite the discussion before, the Buizel spit at the air when the words actually left the Poliwhirl's-... well left the Poliwhirl.

[KARP KARP!]

Jade listened, blinking and wondering what the hell was going on. Those deep blue eyes darted from Pokemon to Pokemon, then to Teme before starting over again.

Toxin queen? King? Help them? How in the name of Arceus was that Poliwhirl even talking?

After several moments of pondering on it, Jade finally spoke. "Okay...call me crazy, but I'm in."

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/temetable2.png);][atrb=width, 500][atrb=height, 300][atrb=style,border:0 red none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(230),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:38px;margin-left:265px;color:#8f262f;)]Teme had listened and was now deadpanning a little. A toxic queen... a kidnapped king... what the hell was this some kind of fairy tale? What the --- ok. She lived in Era, a kingdom of old and with a hell of a lot of history on royals and nobles and what not. She'd heard the terms king and queen... but from pokemon? Had she ever even heard of such a thing? Teme wasn't sure, but that talk had oddly awakened that weird part of her childhood that had once believed she was princess of the Under. Damn it. Though she was trying to change her face, said visage simply continued to remain as it was. After a few seconds, she breathed inwards and looked at Jade then at the pokemon. When the other woman then said that she was in, Teme blinked. Crazy is as Crazy does. Hell.... Teme opened her mouth and waited for her own words. "I'm in." Well, there it was. Whether it was possibly becuase she hadn't wanted to be left as Jade went off with the pokemon or whether it was simply because she thought the odd adventure might have something to gain, Teme had resolved to come. [/scrolly]

[Admiral Striker General]

The reactions from the Pokemon (or at least those with mouths and not-soulless eyes) ranged from pleasantly surprised to irritated reluctance, but none protested openly now. The Poliwhirl placed his fists together in front of himself and bowed deeply. "Our deepest thanks, humans."

However, the shield-bearing Patrat made it quite clear that while she was allowing their presence, she was not going to play second to the humans. She let out a string of "Pat patrat trat pat"s and such, mostly as a courtesy to let the humans know she was speaking even if they couldn't understand her as she barked out orders. After a few moments, the others let out united sounds apparently in agreement, and they headed together through a doorway.

"There should be some guards around here somewhere. Keep a sharp eye, humans," the Poliwhirl warned. Somehow as they moved through the halls, the prison seemed to grow explicitly danker, less like a run-down containment facility and more like a medieval dungeon. Everything was quiet overall, with only the occasional sound of water in the distant accenting their footsteps. At the next doorway, however, a sound broke out.

The party of Pokemon took defensive stances and looked around, only to be taken by surprise anyway as two Pokemon suddenly leapt out from the shadows like a pair of ninjas. One was a Throh, taking a squared pose ready to catch any charge their way, while behind it stood a Sawk, taking some sort of martial arts pose. While the Throh looked normal, the Sawk was slightly purple in color, his skin reflecting the light a good bit more strongly than his partner. "Halt strangers," hissed the Sawk. "You shall not pass," added the Throh. "Unless our might you can surpass!"

[KARP KARP!]

Jade followed the Pokemon down the halls, looking around. If there was anything both of her jobs had taught her, it was to be prepared for anything. Just to be on the safe side, the woman called out Zander. Sure, the Charmeleon was a big baby, but he was powerful, and he would protect Jade at all costs simply because he cared for her. However, the Fire Type sort of stayed just out of arm reach, since Jade was still wet. Even still, Zander looked around as they went, one clawed hand clutching his Dragon Scale.

Jade took note of the change in atmosphere; she felt like she was now in some medieval dungeon or something. For a brief second, the woman wondered what sort of freak-fairy tail she'd gotten into. "Guards. Of course," she muttered, looking at Teme when they saw the Sawk and Throh.

The blond woman blinked when they spoke. "What sort of Dr. Seuss book from hell did we stumble into?" she asked, motioning to her Charmeleon, who stepped forward, a rather confused look on his face. Zander didn't say the first word, he just watched and waited.

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/SojiRem/temetable2.png);][atrb=width, 500][atrb=height, 300][atrb=style,border:0 red none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(230),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:38px;margin-left:265px;color:#8f262f;)]Temera had simply followed after the pokemon. Looking sideways when Jade had released the Charmeleon, Teme raised an eyebrow then reminded of dragons and dogs. She would probably have let one of them out had she not been more wary that it would be some sort of challenge to the Patrat and this slightly whacked up group. Though she was up for any fight when it came down to it, Teme was actually a tad intrigued as to what the toxic queen looked like... Maybe she was some strong rare pokemon? If she was, Teme could catch her and simply sell her off if she was moderately strong or keep her if she was really as strong as they spoke. When the guards had appeared, Teme's bottom right eyelid twitched ever so slightly. Now why the heck did they look so familiar... Somewhere in the back of Teme's mind, she was reminded of her trip to Paradise Island and the massa--- that's where they were from... those twins... damn creepy people.... "That a challenge?" smirked suddenly pulling out a pokeball. [/scrolly]

[Admiral Striker General]

The Patrat nor any of her group had made much protest when the Charmeleon was released, though it did clearly put some a little on edge. All the same, they'd already broken their usual five-mon limit- and with humans no less- so one more really didn't hurt at this point. However, when Teme drew her PokeBall- Lina? Wasn't that what the Poliwhirl called her?- Lina turned to the trainer and called out scoldingly, then seemed to propose something to both women. Whatever she said seemed to intrigue all the wild Pokemon, including the Sawk and Throh.

The Poliwhirl... nodded? Or had some sort of spasm. It was kind of hard to say coming from a massive head with arms and legs. "She speaks wisely, humans. This is our battle first and foremost; it would be kind of thee to simply be here in the event we fall." Here he would have smirked, had he had a proper mouth. "However, our leader has a proposition. Some humans appear to be skilled as commanders according to my studies. If thou art among them, we would be much obliged for your leadership and additional eyes in combat. Lina leads herself, but her husband Westley," he motioned to the other Patrat, "And the remainder of us would be happy to test thy usefulness in this role." As if to confirm his words, Lina nodded firmly, and the rest of the party more calmly a few moments later.

The Sawk and Throh meanwhile stood, just watching. They didn't mind the coordination. Their job was to guard the door, not attack anyone who came in the general vicinity, after all. "Plan and plot to no avail." "No matter what, you're doomed to fail."

[KARP KARP!]

Jade blinked as the Poliwhirl spoke again; and the Charmeleon looked at her questioningly. "You heard 'im, Zander. But stand by just in case."

"Char." The Charmeleon nodded, then backed up, standing beside Jade. The woman surveyed their circumstances; her mind wandering to all the Pokemon had said. Maybe when all was said and done she'd have a few additions to her team...

Pushing that thought far from her mind, she looked at Teme."This rhyming thing is really starting to get on my nerves..."

Honestly, the woman wasn't sure how to feel about this; she knew nothing about these Pokemon, so that would make them harder to command than her own since she didn't know what they were personally capable of.

"Alright, Teme. I'm not used to a human partner," Not like this, anyway... "How ya wanna do this, Hun?"