How Romantic (Fish)

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx listened to Eclipse's explanation, ears pricked forward, and nodded. "That makes sense," he admitted. He wasn't stupid, after all; he could follow her trail of thought well enough now that he knew what it was. He still pinned his ears back and glared a little at Mason when he pulled Trish closer, however. Just because them acting like this made sense didn't mean he had to like it. There was still the possibility of this ending badly somehow.

Trish smirked at the description of the shirt. "My skirt has a Sableye on it. It looks more like a dark purple Clefairy with gems for eyes, really." Her friend had meant well, she knew, but anything that tried to make something Holly's type of cute was bound to make it uncute to Trish's eyes.

When Mason pulled her closer, Trish had the rather uncharacteristic urge to giggle, of all things, which she very quickly beat into submission. She was not quite so good at stopping the steady reddening of her cheeks, however. "I think their faces are cute to her, but, yeah, probably mostly the purple. The soul-burning's the part I like, too." Because what wasn't appealing about something that stole lifeforce and used it as fuel for their ghostly flames? "I think Chandelure are cuter, though. Especially the shiny ones with those red eyes." Well, more orange-red, really, but her opinion stood.

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse merely nodded, letting out a sigh as Mason pulled Trish closer. The Shiny Umbreon wasn't a fan of the idea of this whole 'date' thing. But, she couldn't exactly get mad; after all it was Mason making the moves on Trish.

Mason gave a nod of agreement. "Yeah, but she tries her best. Holly's a good friend, and she does what she can for who she loves."

In the distance, the graveyard was just starting to come into view. "Yeah, but then again, I love all ghost types, dark types, poison, rock...anything like that. I can't really think of a certain one I have to have though. I mean, top of the list was a Shiny Umbreon," Eclipse smiled at this, because she was still the favorite. "Then I wanted a Tyranitar. Got one of those a while back. Melanistic, even."

[SongofWindchimes]

Trish smiled. "She does. I've never had a friend quite like her." She still didn't know how it even happened in the first place, really, mostly just blaming it on Holly being so hard not to love. And she wouldn't change a thing about it, purple skirt or no purple skirt.

The subject of pokemon almost made Trish not notice the graveyard coming into view. Almost. "I don't think there's a ghost, dark, or poison type I don't like, either. I have a weakness for some fire and ice types, too." She sort of glanced in Styx's direction as she said that, though he was a dark type, too. Rock types were more outright imposing than the kind of creepy she generally liked, though she'd be lying if she said she wouldn't love a Kabutops someday, if she could get her hands on one, or a...

Trish wasn't sure if it was the word 'Tyrannitar' or 'melanistic' that caught her attention the most. The idea of a black Tyrannitar immediately appealed to her. "Wow." Trish didn't tend to 'wow,' but, seriously, a black Tyrannitar. "I've always liked Tyrannitar, but I don't really go pokemon hunting much." She paused a moment. Should she mention it? Probably a good idea if Mason was going to stick around. "I do have a Salamence, though. His name's Apocalypse." And he lives up to it.

Styx pinned his ears back and took on a dark look stronger than anything he ever aimed at Mason at the mention of the dragon. "Crazy bastard..." he mumbled to himself.

[KARP KARP!]

<Apocalypse? That...does not sound comforting...> Eclipse muttered.

"That sounds like one hell of a Pokemon. I've got Diablo, a Deino. I need to train him some more, but haven't had much time."

He paused a moment, as they were at the entrance to the graveyard. "Actually, I tend to lean toward anything intimidating. Right now I have E, whom you've met, Melanie, a Feraligatr, Rhyperior, Diablo, and a Crobat. Plus others that tend to hang around the house for the most part. Well, this looks like it."

Then, in a move that made Eclipse gasp with sheer shock, Mason took off his shades before leading Trish into the graveyard. <...What? Mason NEVER takes his shades off...>

E's cries went practically unnoticed as Mason looked at Trish with his bare, pale-green eyes.

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx glanced at Eclipse at her mutter. She really didn't know that half of it. He almost respected the dragon for his power, but his personality left much to be desired. "Trish can control him." For the most part. She knew better than to put herself into situations where she couldn't, at any rate.

Trish chuckled a little bit. "You have no idea." Then at the mention of Diablo, she smiled. "Sounds like he'll be a real force of nature when he's trained up." It also sounded that the two male dragons ever meeting was a bad idea. Then again, Apocalypse meeting anyone seemed like a bad idea for the most part.

"I lean more toward the eerier ones. Usually, anyway." Eerie and intimidating seemed to overlap often enough, and there were also some big intimidating things that she couldn't resist. She really liked the sounds of his team. Especially the Crobat.

Trish didn't know that he never took them off, but she was still a bit surprised; she knew a barrier when she saw one. Her own eyes softened when they met his, the usual icy barrier of their own fading. For the first time that night, the look in her eyes properly matched the smile on her black lips.

Styx blinked, looking between Eclipse and Mason, before he tilted his own shades down to look at the Umbreon over them. He wasn't sure what to say to that. After all, Styx took his off...sometimes. Not often. Okay, maybe he understood a bit.

Trish found her free hand drifting over a tombstone as they made their way into the graveyard. This place wasn't just creepy, but mysterious as well. The tombstones were elaborate, spooky, clearly not cheap, and not a name on a single one. In short, it was perfect. However, feeling the cold stone through her glove didn't quite feel right.

Glancing away from Mason for a moment to look at the hand he was holding, she slipped it out of his grasp. The reason for this was quickly apparent when she pulled off her gloves, showing the pale hands and black-painted nails underneath, and tucked them in the pocket of her shorts. A small glitter in her eyes, she offered the now-bare hand again as she gestured at the surroundings with her other one. Something else, isn't it? I heard no one has any idea who's buried here."

Styx's Black Glasses slid a little further down in surprise, though his reaction was more subdued than Eclipse's. "Trish just...took her gloves off..."

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse could only stare in shock; from the sounds of it, Trish with no gloves was the same as Mason taking off his shades.

Mason held back the shudder as their bare hands met, and he squeezed her hand gently as he stroked hers with his thumb. "I like Eerie too," he answered. "I have this Zorua; and Absol is eerie and Intimidating..."

His eyes moved to the gravestones while his free hand put his shades in his 'vest' pocket."Yeah, it is. I've always wanted to come here, I just kept putting it off. Now...I'm glad I did." Almost awkwardly, that free hand moved to brush aside a stray piece of pink hair.

[SongofWindchimes]

Somewhere in the background, Raven was drifting around the graveyard, investigating the tombstones, but no one really cared about her right now. Mason wasn't wearing his shades, and Trish wasn't wearing her gloves, and there was something of a urge to make sure flaming rocks weren't about to fall on them, or that there wasn't a flock of pink, winged Grumpig anywhere nearby. At least for Styx there was.

Trish felt oddly hyper-aware in that moment regarding her sense of touch, the warmth of Mason's hand and the feeling of him stroking it with his thumb threatening to consume her attention entirely. Luckily, she could still concentrate on what they were talking about, mostly because he was talking about pokemon, and he'd said the word 'Absol.' Anything with built-in blades and the ability to see disasters was awesome in her book. "I've always liked Absol. They just have this...strong presence..." Now, who else fit that description? "I had a Liepard back home in Unova who could come close to matching it, though. She had this stare that really used to scare people."

When Mason brushed her hair away, Trish almost seemed to lose the ability to speak for a moment, though she tried to her best to hide it. When her voice came back, she said rather quietly, "It's funny...When I first came to Era, a lot of the reason was because of places like this. But then I got wrapped up in the band..." Not that she'd change a thing; she loved the music and her band-mates too much. She smiled. "And normally I have to go alone." Which was fine most of the time, but this was better. Much better.

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse curled up under a tree, watching the two humans. The Pokemon was still sort of wary of Trish, but she trusted Mason's judgement. Really, she sort of wished there was a male out there who'd give her that kind of attention.

Mason smiled at Trish, loving the feeling of their bare hands touching. "Maybe you can meet Abaddon later," he replied.

Those pale green eyes continued to stare into Trish's, before finally, Mason leaned in. It is true that the saying goes to never kiss on the first date. But that night, in the graveyard, under the light of the moon...Mason leaned in, his lips gently meeting Trish's. Besides, Mason Marxx played by his own rules.

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx rather ungracefully plopped onto the ground at the base of the same tree and pushed his shades up. The sneasel's muscles were still a bit tense, as if he were expecting to have to leap to Trish's defense, but the fact that he was sitting down over there instead of standing practically underfoot spoke volumes. He, just maybe, didn't hate Mason anymore, but that still didn't mean he had to like this.

Trish smiled back. "I'd like that."

But nothing prepared her for the kiss. Trisha Walker was not a stranger to kissing in the slightest, but that night it may as well have been her first one. She kissed back gently, squeezing Mason's hand as her other hand reached up to lightly touch his shoulder.

Raven stopped her investigations of the tombstones to nothing short of stare, still not showing much emotion but clearly surprised to some degree, and Styx's mouth dropped open for a brief moment, his shades nearly sliding right off his face as if they had a life of their own, before he quickly looked away and became very interested in his claws. Trish didn't notice either of them; for a moment, it felt like their only audience were elaborate gravestones and the long-forgotten dead below them.

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse let out a small squeak at the kiss. <That's....that's not...> She lay down, letting out a whine. <But...>

Mason's free hand rested on Trish's back, rubbing gently as his hand squeezed hers. The kiss went on for a few good moments before Mason finally pulled back.

<I've never seen Mason do that before...> she murmured.

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx tore his eyes away from his claws to glance at Eclipse at her whine, not saying anything. His expression softened a little at her murmur and, without thinking, he pulled his Black Glasses off and set them aside while reaching out hesitantly with the other paw, not entirely sure what he was doing beyond putting the paw on her shoulder if she didn't try to bite it off or something first. He supposed he wanted to...comfort her? Styx wasn't sure if he should say something, or even what to say if he should. He felt incredibly awkward, but he couldn't just sit there and ignore Eclipse.

When Mason broke the kiss, Trish was left with a little smile on her face, not moving the hand on his shoulder. She really didn't want to come across like some smitten teenage girl, put part of her wanted nothing more than to lean in for another kiss. And another after that. That impulse was postponed, however, when one of her pokeballs exploded.

Well, maybe not exploded, but the burst of red light as it opened of its own accord did startle Trish a little, even if she didn't show in beyond a faint twitch. You didn't train ghost types for years and end up jumpy, after all. However, what formed was not one of her ghosts, but a tall, slender Ninetales who looked like he'd been done up in similar makeup to his trainer. "Hey, Gabriel." Trish had almost forgotten he could let himself out, mostly because he rarely seemed to have a desire to.

Gabriel looked at Mason for a moment, his solid blood red eyes unblinking and his ears pricked, then turned his head to look at Trish and seemed to sigh slightly before sitting down and curling his mostly-black tails around himself. The Angel of Darkness was at peace with this, even if he really didn't understand why his trainer even cared about dating in the first place.

[KARP KARP!]

Under normal circumstances, Eclipse would have undoubtedly tried to bite Styx's arm off at the elbow. Tonight was obviously different, as the Umbreon didn't even notice the Sneasel reaching for her until she felt the paw on her shoulder. Letting out a small, quiet gasp of surprise, she scooted a little closer. The contact really was sort of comforting.

Mason was about to lean in for another kiss when the Ninetales popped out. Smiling a little, the man gave a nod. "Love the coloring," he commented. "I have a Larvitar colored kind of like that; Melanie's son. Go figure." He chuckled; still trying to figure out the odds of a melanistic having an abundistic baby.

[SongofWindchimes]

The gasp made Styx freeze, but he relaxed when Eclipse moved closer. He wasn't afraid of her -- Styx never feared other pokemon -- but all the same, pissing off others wasn't something he cared to do without cause, even if he frequently managed to do it anyway by being blunt as a hammer. He still had absolutely no idea what he could say, though he made an attempt at a reassuring smile.

This was foreign territory for Styx, really. There was the person he guarded, there were threats, and there were young, and he knew how to handle each (his soft spot for children tended to catch people off guard, for some reason), but Eclipse didn't sit in any of those categories. It was only now he was letting himself really realize that she was an adult female. Of a similar species. Whose blue markings sparkled and...Uh-oh. Styx had the sudden urge to put his shades back on, but he settled for darting his eyes away suddenly and silently thanking every Legend in existence that his fur was dark enough to hide any hint of blush, though his paw stayed where it was. Where in Darkrai's name had that train of thought come from?

Gabriel nodded his head slightly at the compliment, a small smile making its way onto his muzzle. "Nine," was the soft, and oddly deep, reply, having no true meaning in his language but intended as a thanks. He decided he rather liked this human, even though he had little intention of being a captive audience to any wooing that went on. Raven drifted over, waving a tendril, and Gabriel rumbled a greeting to the skull-ghost.

Trish interest, however, was piqued at the mention of the Larvitar. "Really? Sounds cute." The mental image of the little rock beast with markings like her Gabriel was downright adorable. Not to mention..."You know who his father is? I'm pretty sure that only happens when the father's albino." And even then, it was a, what, one in ten chance? Maybe? She couldn't remember. "Not that I know much about that stuff..." Truth be told, she'd been looking briefly at breeding information because of her own albino Banette; not that she was sure she'd even actually breed Cerberus, but it didn't hurt to look, right?

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse let out somewhat of an involuntary purr-like noise, calming considerably. Moving closer, the Shiny Umbreon pretty much forgot that this was the same Sneasel whom, only earlier she'd been prepared to separate from his head. But now, she was starting to realize that though strong, he was also gentle, and judging by his actions, caring. And he was pretty easy on the eyes. Especially with those shades; they made him look so ho--Whoa where did that come from? Looking away, Eclipse was also thanking every Legendary that came to her mind that she was dark colored and hid a blush well. However, that didn't stop her from leaning into the male's touch a little more.

"Never met the father. It was just he and Melanie when I found them. I don't either, but it's a cool effect." He smiled softly. "So what are the plans from here? Or are we just playing by ear?"

It was then that Mason looked over and happened to see Eclipse and Styx. "Trish," he said softly. "Look over there."

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx was practically begging for the ground to open up and swallow him as the heat in his face continued to rise. The single train of thought had opened a door he couldn't close, and now he couldn't unsee Eclipse as a beautiful female. A beautiful female who was strong, observant, and clearly cared for and desired to protect her trainer just like he did. A beautiful female who was leaning into his touch and who he still couldn't think of a single thing to say to.

Realizing that actually looking at her might help, Styx flicked his eyes back toward Eclipse as he toyed with his shades with his free paw in an attempt to ease his nerves. It was then he noticed that she looking away like he had been, and a concerned expression crossed his face. "You okay?" he asked gently. Then he realized he should have asked that back when she was whining and mentally slapped himself. Better late than never, though, right?

Trish smiled and chuckled slightly at the question. "I was thinking play it by ear..."

However, when Mason said to look, she followed his gaze and..."That...Wow," she said quietly. Trish was happy, but still pretty shocked; she was pretty sure there was a betting pool going on amongst her pokemon about whether Styx was asexual or not. Okay, to be fair, the Sneasel did have a nuturing side, but Eclipse wasn't a child. Gabriel looked as well and pinned his ears back, coming to the same conclusion as Trish about the circumstances of the cuddling. Not Styx too.

[KARP KARP!]

<Hm?> Eclipse blinked, looking over at him. But she didn't want to leave his touch. <I'm fine now,> she sort of involuntarily purred, snuggling into him. Mentally she wanted to smack herself but...it felt so good and she couldn't help it. Eclipse, what is WRONG with you..

Mason chuckled lightly. "I've never seen E like that before. But we won't have to worry about them hurting anyone now."

Looking back at Trish, he smiled again, running a hand through her hair. "I think I like playing by ear..." He kissed her cheek gently, wrapping one arm around her.

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx's brain completely froze for a moment, the Sneasel simply blinking at Eclipse as she snuggled up to him. His dark fur was no longer adequate to hide his blush. Okay, Styx, you can do this. You can. As soon as you figure out what 'this' actually is. "Good," he said quietly, giving a small smile. Lacking any kind of pocket to tuck his shades into, he finally set them back on his face, but sitting low enough that his eyes were still visible over them. He'd stay as long as Eclipse wanted him there; it was all he could really think to do.

Trish smirked. "I haven't seen Styx like that either." She really did think that betting pool existed, which meant she might have to be looking out for Maddie-style makeovers on the losers. The two dark types did look strangely docile like that, though, almost as if they hadn't been about to rip each other or each other's trainers apart at the drop of a hat.

Trish's attention was effectively brought back to Mason when he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She smiled at him. "Planning every minute really isn't my style," she said with a faint chuckle. Frankly, planning much of anything wasn't her style, with few exceptions; most of Trish's decisions were fairly spur-of-the-moment.

Gabriel looked from one pair to the other, clearly exasperated, then glanced up at Raven, who stared back with her single glowing eye for a moment before one of her tendrils tapped him on the head and she went drifting off a little faster than normal. Gabriel smiled a little and went trotting after her, leaping deer-like over a tombstone as he pursued the skull ghost, not really trying very hard to catch her, since Raven was so much slower than him. Winning wasn't the point; playing tag in the graveyard was just more fun than watching everyone fall victim to cupid.

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse pressed against Styx, closing her eyes as she rubbed against him. <Mmmm...> she moaned quietly, looking up at the Sneasel with a soft, almost...loving? stare. Of course, in the back of her mind, the Shiny Umbreon had to wonder if Styx really knew what he was doing, since he wasn't doing much of anything.

Mason paid no mind to Gabriel; his entire focus was back on Trish now. "Me neither; I just wondered if you had an idea. But I gotta say...I like this." Then, he leaned in and planted another tender kiss on her lips.

[SongofWindchimes]

Styx was beyond the point of thinking straight. The look Eclipse gave him...By Arceus, she really was beautiful. He met her eyes with his own gentle gaze, and, without thinking, he lightly touched the side of her face with his free paw and leaned over to plant a kiss on her forehead. Only after the act did he find himself hoping that he hadn't just done something incredibly stupid.

Trish kissed back and smiled when they parted. "So do I." Holly, I'm never going to able to thank you enough for this. This was just so perfect; she'd be content just to stay like this for a while.

Which, of course, was the cue for the momentary distraction of Raven zipping over their heads in her usual silent manner. Trish glanced to the side to see Gabriel slow to a gentle stop and flick one of his tails. Hmph. Cheater. He easily walked around the human couple and then took off running after Raven; just for that, he'd actually try to catch her.

Trish chuckled faintly at the antics. "Those two..." She shook her head a little and looked back at Mason, smiling and going in for another kiss. They weren't going to take her attention for long. Not tonight.

[KARP KARP!]

Eclipse smiled, her heart skipping a beat when he kissed her forehead. The Umbreon squirmed a bit, leaning up toward Styx, then licking his cheek. But she didn't stop at just the one, no. Eclipse continued planting her brand of kisses, not really thinking about what she was doing. She just knew it felt great and she wasn't about to let up. She never said a word. After about a minute, she stopped, just looking up at him, eyes shimmering.

Mason looked at the two Pokemon, chuckling. But when he looked back to Trish, he was met by another kiss. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close as they kissed. In its own creepy way, it was actually really romantic.