Patching Up [Jay // Open]

[Prince Pony Age]

...Oh. Yukiko had felt Aphrodite's pulse of mad bluh feelings and had understood it was directed at this Felix, but hadn't really thought much of it until his outburst.

The female Gardevoir did not react as the male did, instead cowering next to Yukiko and sending more frantic psychic pulses of 'Oh Arceus sorry sorry I didn't mean to upset you I'm sorry please calm down now oh dear this isn't good what have I done this is all my fault sorry please don't--'

While her Pokemon was rambling and obviously scared, Yukiko quickly leaned over and kissed the Gardevoir's forehead, murmuring "Sorry, dear," and withdrew her again. She hated doing that at all, let alone unannounced, but the poor dear was not only frieghtened and should be less so inside her ball, but out of it she was likely doing more harm than good at the moment.

Not that Yukiko really had time to think about all this, she just leaned over withdrew her Pokemon, then stood up. Drawing on her last reserves of emotional strength, she kept a (relatively) calm facade up and said, to both of her hosts, "Sorry for Aph, she jsut--ah--was likely overconcerned for my well-being and, all." Calm-ish, wuite so relative to how scared she really was feeling (especially as she was belated realizing how bad an idea accepting said offer for tea really was).

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

F E L I X



"You know me, Evil Eye..."

He was so ready to club someone, yet as Aphrodite sent more pulses towards him, it only fueled his anger further. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He screamed, yet before he could even make his way towards her, Yuki had withdrawn the Gardevoir. Instinctively, his vision shifted to the next target, Gavin, and locked. He pulled his fist back and stepped towards the Poke'mon, yet ran into a wall. This wall was Nero, and although Felix was almost half a foot taller than the male (female), he halted regardless, his eye latching dangerously onto Nero.

"Nee Nee..." He growled uncertainly. There was no way in Hell he was just going to settle down that easily, but he couldn't bring himself to strike Nero. KITTY used this uncertainty as a chance to morph into a Felix copy with Zorua ears, and seized her master by his arms, taking him by surprise. "What the-" He startled, looking back at KITTY confusedly. His other four cats continued to tug at his boots.

With a huff, KITTY began dragging Felix towards the door, yet as they exited Felix broke free of KITTY's grip and peered back into the room, still fuming. His gaze wandered around the room before finally settling on Nero, his eye twitching. "Fine. I need to... do something. Stay here dears." He told his cats briefly before storming outside, eyes flickering left and right. He had to find someone to fight. Anything, really. Muttering a string of curses, he slinked off, feeling sour. It was that damn Yukiko's fault... stupid woman, influencing Nee Nee. He would get her. Someday.

The cats sighed, re-entering the room uncertainly. They weren't used to being left without Felix. They looked at Nero uncertainly... should they leave,,,? KITTY remained in her Felix-form as she approached Nero, leaning in close to inspect her for any injuries. "Zooor?" She asked, tilting her (his?) head slightly.

"...You know me, prepare to die."

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/NeroText.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height, 297][atrb=style,border:0 teal none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(251),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:50px;margin-left:242px;color:#3c6b72;)]As Felix turned away and left, Nero stood firm and flat faced until he left the room. However, after Felix disappeared, Nero sucked in a good deal of air and suddenly seemed to deflate. Her head bobbed down onto her chest, and she slowly closed her eyes. Gavin, however, crossed his arms in front of himself and released his irritated emotions into the air causing the walls to vibrate ever so slightly due to his psychic infused mood. "Gavin please stop," Nero's voice finally stated causing Gavin to freeze and blink. Rubbing the back of his neck, the Gardevoir said nothing. Finally turning her head to KITTY, Nero put her hand up and shook her head. "I'm fine," she reassured the Zorua before looking sideways towards Yukiko. "I'm sorry..." Nero sighed quietly to Yukiko. [/scrolly]

[Prince Pony Age]

After Yukiko was promptly ignored by everyone, she had no idea what to do. She knew she should do something, obviously talking wasn't working, but... talking was all she was good at, and she wasn't even very good at that.

Well, that was a lie, she was great at math. That had little to do with anything at the moment, though.

So instead she stood frozen with indecision until Felix left. When Nero turned to her to apologize, she responded, "I.. That was entirely my fault, wasn't it? Don't apologize, it was. So I'm sorry. I... should I leave? I don't want to cause any more problems..." She was talking very quickly again, what little composure she had quite gone.

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

C A T S



=^o.o^=

Relieved, Felix-KITTY smiled and blinked, moving a hand up to flip the eye-patch part of her transformation out of the way. She wasn't used to seeing out of one eye and that was bothersome. Turning back to Yukiko, she giggled, skipping over and patting the girl on the head. "Zorua~" she comforted, nodding her head once before looking around. Deciding to stay in this human form for now, she sat on the couch where Felix had been, one of her Zorua ears twitching.

The other four cats were still unsure, but decided to gather in KITTY's lap, feeling the most comfortable with her. She may not be the real Felix, but the image was close enough to provide some relaxation. However, no purring filled the air, just wide-eyed anticipation.

=^o.o^=

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/NeroText.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height, 297][atrb=style,border:0 teal none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(251),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:50px;margin-left:242px;color:#3c6b72;)]And in that weird, a slight anxiety suddenly hit Nero's heart, and though her stoic features remained, Nero Ishi at least knew what she was feeling. At Yukiko's words, Nero shook her head. "No it's...." she squeaked causing a sudden flush of sorts to hit Nero's face. She fell silent fighting to keep control of her voice and visage. After a few seconds, she sighed a bit. "I mean....if you wish to leave, you may..." Nero finally stated managing to retrieve the calm voice she had used previously. However, after a moment, a thought hit Nero. "....Why did you want to start a Ranger station in a place like Era?" she finally asked unsure of what she had changed the subject but going with it. Gavin, meanwhile, sighed and shook his head before looking towards the cats and KITTY. <Do you know where he's going?> the male Gardevoir spoke in pokemon tongue which came out far more feminine than he had anticipated it to sound. [/scrolly]

[Prince Pony Age]

"Well, I--" Yukiko started to answer Nero's first bit, about leaving. She almost did want to, but--she glanced at the cheese and crackers and tea on the table. She hadn't actually eaten in--when was it, actually? ...Two days. She was pretty sure it was two days now. Maybe three?

And then Nero asked her about her reasoning, and Yukiko was secretly glad to have a reason to stay (and continue eating). She sat down and started to say something, paused, then said something else. "Do you mind if I let Aphrodite finish her tea and crackers?"

The narrator is assuming Nero says yes here given his/her character.

Yukiko smiled, took out the appropriate Pokeball, and released her Pokemon once more. "Sorry, hon," she said after the other humanoid materialized. "Everything's fine now, dear, you can finish your tea."

Turning back to Nero, Yukiko said, "Well, aside from wishing to be a Ranger myself, I do believe Era would benefit greatly from a Ranger Union here. With..everything how it is, I have to imagine a fair amount of people need help, help that Rangers could offer. ...A large part of it was wanting to be a Ranger myself, though, I--I must admit..."

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

C A T S



=^o.o^=

Having been paying attention to Nero, Nubbins hopped up onto the back of the couch and mewled a long note at her, his tail swaying gently. It seemed as if he was trying to cheer her up, or something similar. He was quickly joined by Misa-Misa, whom sat next to the other Skitty and mirrored his tail swaying, raising a paw up to Nero, as if wanting to touch her. Such nice kitties!

KITTY tilted her(his) head at this Rangers business, ears perked forward interestedly. "Zorua!" He chimed, encouraging Yukiko to continue. Matsuda and Marissa nodded in agreement from their spots on either side of Felix-KITTY's lap, their spring tails entwined somewhat.

=^o.o^=

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/NeroText.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height, 297][atrb=style,border:0 teal none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(251),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:50px;margin-left:242px;color:#3c6b72;)]At Yukiko's question, Nero simply nodded her head. Once the female Gardevoir was released again, Gavin seemed to look over and breathed in quietly. Seeing as he hadn't received any sort of answer to his question from the cats, he simply returned to his own tea again finding it a bit cooler now but still drinkable. Nero nodded her head slowly as Yukiko talked and pet one of the cats (she hadn't been looking which) habitually. "I see," she finally answered back nodding her head slowly. "Era's state is... something unfortunate," she sighed a little. However, even when things had been apparently 'good' at least as Nero believed it to have been, she had never been happy living the way she had and had come to realize this. "It gives opportunity but also takes it away." Leaning forwards, Nero slowly picked up the tea she had set down at some point that no longer registered in her mind and sipped it slowly. [/scrolly]

[Prince Pony Age]

Felix-KITTY seemed to be staring at Yukiko, though she wan't certain why. She smiled and waved over at him (her), though wasn't certain what else to do.

To Nero, she replied, "Yes, indeed I'd... agree." Hesitation because well, it gave opportunity only to those evil enough to take advantage of those less fortunate.

Here Aphrodite lightly prodded Yukiko and mentally spoke, 'The Zorua was asking you to continue.' She couldn't tell how sincere the statement from KITTY-Felix had been, as the latter was Dark-typed and thus had a mental wall that proddings could not get through, but its Poke-speech and body language seemed nice enough.

Turning back to the cats, then, Yukiko said, "Oh. Er--I don't know that there's really anything else to tell... I'm sorry about that."

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

C A T S



=^o.o^=

KITTY-Felix blinked, shaking his (her?) head somewhat with a broad smile. In retrospect, it may be a tad... odd to see Felix's form played in such a gentle, quiet manner in comparison to his usual robust and rowdy (unpredictable...) self. KITTY liked this form, really... well, she liked trying any human's form. They all felt so different, yet Felix was her favorite... although that view could be biased, considering her bond with the man. That was most likely it.

Misa-Misa purred loudly when she was pet, nuzzling her head further into her palm. Miss Nubbins had a different idea, however. He crouched down, wiggled his rump and leap up gingerly onto the woman's (man's? Oh lord these gender confusions!) shoulder, clinging to it with gentle paws. He didn't need his claws to cling; he had been doing it for a while now, though usually on Felix's shoulder. With a loud purr, he nuzzled his head against Nero's cheek.

=^o.o^=

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/NeroText.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height, 297][atrb=style,border:0 teal none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(251),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:50px;margin-left:242px;color:#3c6b72;)]Nero blinked a little a tad confused for a moment at Yukiko's statement on KITTY's pushing. "It's... not your fault that you don't have extra information," she finally stated breathing in quietly after stating such. As the cats came around her, Nero found herself mentally flinching ever so slightly. She didn't appreciate being surrounded in any form or fashion and found one of her hands gently rapping on the arm of the chair. Gavin watched the cats and tried to surpress the emotions running off of Nero about them being so close. Relax.... he hummed gently causing Nero to breathe in ever so slightly and calm just a bit more than before. [/scrolly]

[Prince Pony Age]

"Oh, I was saying that to the, uh, cats. They apparently were interested and wished me to continue, however..." Yukiko trailed off, realizing that if she'd continued she would have just repeated what she said a moment ago. To help with the awkwardness (and her stomach) she instead took a cracker with cheese and too a small bite of it.

She was of course/as usual (take your pick) oblivious to the plight of her host(ess) as she was much more in-tune with how Pokemon body language worked than humans'.

Aphrodite took note of Yukiko's (usual) awkwardness, and patted her trainer on the shoulder to to try to make her feel better, and went back to her tea.

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

C A T S



=^o.o^=

Sensing discomfort, Misa-Misa and Nubbins blinked, becoming uneasy. They hopped away from Nero and clambered back onto Felix-KITTY's lap, staring at the woman uncertainly. They... didn't like it when Felix wasn't around. Even KITTY was set on edge a bit, her (his...) gaze flickering over to the window every so often, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man returning. Matsuda and Marissa were more relaxed, almost dozing off in their spots, tail springs bouncing ever so slowly.

After a moment, KITTY pouted and stood, the other cats filling up where she had been sitting and mewling up at her curiously. She walked over to the window, looking out of it, before a determined look crossed the man's features. She looked back to her crew and held up a hand to signal 'wait here', before nodding at Nero, a determined gleam in her eye. Without further adieu, she crossed the room to the door, and left.

As soon as she was gone, Miss Nubbins began shivering. He... didn't like this! He began meyowling in a Skitty cry, the other cats rousing and nuzzling up against him, comforting. They... they wanted their Felix back. ;___;

=^o.o^=

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/NeroText.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height, 297][atrb=style,border:0 teal none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(251),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:50px;margin-left:242px;color:#3c6b72;)]Nero looked slightly confused at Yukiko's answer but took it for what it was at least for now. As the cats gave her some space, Nero relaxed considerably again and seemed to take her own cracker and take a bit. However, as KITTY suddenly got up and left, Nero found herself watching as the Zorua left causing her mind to drift to Felix and finding worry setting in there. Felix... shouldn't have left his cats <<; 'Gavin could you....' Nero stopped a moment realizing that the Gardevoir probably wasn't the best one to send looking for Felix. Well.. he did like cat-like things and... Fishing out a pokeball, Nero released Est, causing the lilac Espeon to look around the room a moment before looking at Nero with a confused look. "Est, please.... follow after the Zorua that just left," she stated after a moment. The psychic turned his head, shrugged, and started out the door as well. Though she was a bit more oblivious to awkward situations than some, Nero was starting to sense it now and found herself looking back at Yukiko. "....Did you... lose family to become homeless?" she asked suddenly stopping then wondering if she was asking too much. [/scrolly]

[Prince Pony Age]

Yukiko watched as first the Zorua, then the Espeon left. She really ought to have noticed the cats' body language and tell they were upset, but she felt too nervous and somewhat out-of-place here, and she wasn't totally certain why--though the fact that this Felix who seemed both dangerous and not terribly easy to reason with would be coming back soon.

After Nero asked her the question, she blinked--it was rather unexpected, though she supposed she ought to have expected something. She hesitated, and answered, "Well--yes and no? Not--not like you're implying, no one died, I... I wasn't wanted, and I didn't want to be there, so I left. I--I just have no marketable skills is more the reason... Being good at calculus and maths in general doesn't help get a job much when you've no professional schooling.." Yukiko wasn't...exactly being intentionally vague. She did intentionally leave out that "oh yeah my mom was a noble and so was my dad except he wasn't actually my dad" because even the super abridged version typed here took almost a whole line of text, and Yukiko never actually manages to tell the abridged version. Ever. Or course, she didn't think about the fact that she painted herself into a corner in that she was almost certainly going to be asked about the nature of said schooling--and, well, that would bring other things to light.

Aphrodite munched a bit more, paying Yuki close attention. She'd been told (most) of her trainer's past, but always liked to hear how she told others, and seeing what bits she left out. There was little more she could do to help Yukiko feel better, so she just munched and listened.

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

((Feel free to skip my posts for now, you two. The cats are being... catty. Perhaps they even fell asleep. ;p))

[Jay]

[atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc64/Heart-of-Thorns/VC/NeroText.png);][atrb=width, 497][atrb=height, 297][atrb=style,border:0 teal none,b,Table][scrolly:h(216),w(251),sy,as(padding:4px 0px 5px;margin-top:50px;margin-left:242px;color:#3c6b72;)]Before she even realized it, Nero unintentionally bit her lip at the thought of not being wanted, and her own past squirmed to the front of her mind before being kicked back into the back like the dog it was. However, at the last part on schooling, she was reminded of that person... that she'd met in the clock tower what felt like so long ago... S/he had talked about going to a higher schooling, and in truth, Nero'd actually been taking it more and more into consideration as it went. If she could get enough money and possibly leave Era... But then she couldn't leave Era with the gang here and all.... Realizing she had been quiet for a good thirty seconds, Nero blinked and nodded her head. "I see..." she finally answered back picking up a cracker and taking a slow bite as though trying to bide her time as she thought over what she wanted to actually say. "Reminds me of what happened to me somewhat," she admitted before actually even realizing that she had said it. Pausing a brief moment and debating whether to continue, she finally breathed inwards. "I wasn't wanted much either and ended up leaving," she stated leaving it vague for her own reasons. Gavin, meanwhile, had relaxed a good deal and seemed to be more at peace now than he had been before. He kept his ears open and was listening but not as key as he might have if Nero had been fully outright about everything. [/scrolly]

[Prince Pony Age]

...
.....
.........Had she said something wrong? Yukiko uneasily sipped her tea, unconsciously putting her pinkie finger out as she held the teacup. She put it down, nibbled on a cracker, and sipped more. The silence drew on, and felt much longer than the thirtyish seconds that it really was.

Oh, she did finally resp--...really, just 'I see'? Yukiko had no idea how to reply to that! Maybe, uh--

--oh, she was continuing. Okay then. She... Yukiko still wasn't really sure how she could work with that, conversation-wise, as she didn't like to pry at all--especially when she was hoping to keep her own past ambiguous.

"I'm--sorry to hear that."

The silence that followed was very uncomfortable, at least on Yukiko's end.

---Yukiko's Current Team---

[DJ Boomkitty]

F E L I X



---

It wasn't very long after the silence that a thump could be heard from outside, near the side of the building. For KITTY had returned on the back of Snappy, and she knew better than to come barging in with Felix and the large shadow dragon; it may well... it may disturb the neighbors. Just a little, anyway. KITTY decided to land the Hydreigon around the side of the apartment, returning Snappy to her ball and them morphing back into her Felix!KITTY version, hoisting the man up and hauling him around to the front. She only hoped anyone nearby wouldn't ask questions.

At the noise, all four other cats had scurried to the window, bouncing up onto the sill and peering outside. Was it Felix? Felix! Yay and KITTY too! Their chorus of mewls bounced off the walls as they bounded to the door, ready to be greeted by the man's friendly face andand- oof! The door was opened quickly, bowling the felines across the floor, but they recovered quickly enough. Matsuda was the only one to rub his face tenderly with a paw; that had hurt! @@

As Felix!KITTY came in, she barked at the other cats quickly, causing them to scuttle backwards with confused looks. Whuu? They just wanted to say hi! Oh but... oooooh, Felix was sleeping! That made sense! They didn't want to wake the man. Their mewls fell into loud purrs as they bounced back to the couch completely oblivious as to their master's... horribly bludgeoned and bloody body. 'Sleeping' was not exactly the right word for this... or at least not sleeping peacefully. Felix!KITTY looked over at Nero pleadingly, a small whine escaping her/his throat. She understood and... she was scared. ;___;

---