That Fresh Summer Chill (Open/Mod)

[Victor Von Doomstein]

It goes without saying that at the very least, Garcian was well-prepared for the journey he decided to take to the Secluded Spa. He wore several layers over his usual clothing, a neatly-padded jacket to work against the hostile cold of the area, wearing proper underwear leggings to stay at least adequately warm. Of course, he decided to wear his hood than any silly old hat. Those are too valuable to lose to the windy, freezing weather. Finally, he had one last precaution, though it was the one he was most reluctant to take.

In his arms, he holds Lexus, who radiates some gentle warmth for them both. It was an incredibly tough decision, to host the thing in his arms or leave her in her Luxury Ball, which likely would have ended with him chilling his bones off on the way to the Spa. It's not as though it would take very long for him to reach the spa, but poor decision on direction left him stranded in the cold.

Garcian frowned, huffing out short puffs of breath as he went. "Aren't I glad I went with you," he sighed out, shaking his head. "I have no idea how I got lost here, honestly." "Perhaps it is because you have stubbornly denied all forms of guidance on your way, Garcian." "Those people didn't look like they knew what they were doing, anyway. I'm absolutely sure I followed the map perfectly." "I suggest you retrace your steps. There must have been several wrong turns you have taken."

Their little argument continued as they went further down the path. "Just LISTEN to me, you dense earwig. We're going to retrace our steps and figure out where we went wrong. I'm certain the spa is only a small ways away anyway." Lexus let out a short groan as he talked about 'his' plan. They managed to reach a fork in the road, as Garcian sat down in a small, open area. "I suppose that we should rest while we are here." Saying nothing in return, the Larvesta crawled slowly onto his lap.

"Are you enjoying yourself? It'll certainly be the only time I'll let you this close, while we're in this frozen wasteland." Garci twitched as she crept on, while Lexus contentedly radiated heat for the both of them. "I am, in fact. Did anyone mention how silly you look when you are aggravated?" "They d- Shut up!" He frowned and turned his head away to the trees as they sat together, again trapped within that same awkward silence they seem to hold after talking.

[Jay]

Though it was certainly cold given the northern area, the forest itself was very much awake and alive. A few pokemon had even taken a notice o the man that was there. Not far off behind a tree, a Deerling had stuck her head out and was watching Garcian's movements with a mix of quiet confusion and general wonder. Meanwhile, two Murkrow sat in a tree and seemed to be staring as the man passed. Neither one turned their heads but instead continued to eerily stare forwards. Closer still to the man, a Hypno slowly looked out from behind a snowy hill rather interested at least for the moment.

[Victor Von Doomstein]

As the life of the forest revealed itself gradually, Garcian seemed to show few signs of actively caring for it. He attempts to remain secure within the sight of all of these creatures, crossing his arms and leaning forward somewhat as he gets a better look of his environment. However, his perceptiveness only works so well, as he turns his head to look at the Deerling watching him. Dismissing her presence, he turns his attention back to his Larvesta.

"Hey, grub, look. A deer." "I see her, Garci." Lexus crawled off of his lap and approached the deer slowly, as she continued to emit heat, melting snow in her wake. "Just what are you planning to do?" Garcian asked this as she went closer to the deer. Lexus turned around and 'shrugged' her stubby little frontlegs. "There is no harm in making conversation, is there?" She turned back around, moving up to the tree.

Though she tried her hardest to avoid making too much noise or startling her, she stopped emitting heat in order to imply that she was calm. She looked around the area beyond the Deerling, and took note of the Hypno. The larva whispered out gently, in hopes that the Hypno could somehow hear her. <I see you, you know,> After addressing the bearded elephant, she turned back to the deer. <Hello there.> Certainly, it was a simple greeting, but she felt that it was enough.

Garcian simply watched her attempt to interact with them, not at all getting a hint of what she could be communicating to them. "Er, hello? What are you doing?" Rolling her eyes, Lexus turned back to her trainer. "Making conversation. What did I tell you only a few moments ago?" Perplexed, Garcian would attempt to raise a finger in reply, but shook his head and gave up on doing so.

[Jay]

The Deerling seemed to tense a little as though she were about to run away when addressed. However, when it seemed that tehre was at least no immediate threat, she relaxed again and offered a smile. <Hello> she mused a tad shyly. Though she had been watching, she hadn't expected to be called upon to talk, and for that reason, she found herself even more quiet than her normal self was.

Meanwhile, the Hypno slowly stood up from his place behind the snow and chucked ever so slightly. 'I see' he answered back in his psychic ways causing the Deerling to jump for a brief moment before she realized what it was. Sighing a little, the Hypno put a finger to his chin. 'And what is one like yourself doing in such a frosted forest?' he asked carrying a rather nice, if hard to place, accent.

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garcian sat up immediately as the shock of another voice in his head entered him. He looked around confusedly, trying to trace the source of whatever the hell had just happened to him. "L-Lexus, was that you?" His Larvesta turned around and shook her head. "It was not me. If you want to know who it was, turn around to the hill." As she turned back to the Deerling, Garcian turned to look at the Hypno standing on the snow-coated hill. He bit his lip, threatened by the psychic creature's presence.

He attempted to communicate merely by thinking, believing that the creature would likely be able to read his mind, adding more credibility to the simple fact that he should be afraid of him. 'I was.. on my way to another area. I don't actually need any directions, though, of course. I'm fine,' was what he said mentally as a means to communicate to him. However, something managed to slip out anyway. I should have asked for directions and never gotten lost. Arceusdamn this luck of mine.

As Lexus noted that Garcian had bridged his 'communications' with the Hypno, she conversed further with the Deerling. <I'm glad we were able to see you. You see, we are quite lost here. It's something of a predicament, being that my trainer is far too stubborn to realize what he'd been doing. It's nice to see some calmness out in such a cold place.> She spoke amiably to the bashful deer, moving closer to her.

[Jay]

The Deerling watched the communications between the fire bug and the man before smiling a little at the words of Lexus. <Ah lost? Well...where were you headed?> she asked rather goodnaturedly. Indeed, if she knew wher they had been headed, she might be able to help... At least she hoped anyways.

Meanwhile, the Hypno was finding himself chuckling at the young man's attempts at psychic thought. It was rare that people weren't instantly afraid of him for using such measures, and because of this, he was rather impressed at least for now. 'Ah I see...' he mused a bit as Garian 'mind spoke'. The last part, however, left him chuckling a bit more. 'Wayward forest is rather easy to get turned around in.' he laughed a little.

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Lexus nodded approvingly in lieu of a smile, continuing on. Now right in front of the Deerling, she pipes up. <I believe that Garci wanted to take us to a hot spring. Do you know of any in the area?> She looked back to his trainer, who appears literally to be locked deep in thought, though this would be quite obvious given what he's already doing. <I am glad that there is decent help such as yourself even within the forest. To be honest, I haven't quite seen many other Pokemon since I arrived in this region.> Granted that she realized that she was simply making small talk, she shied away from talking any further and awaited her response.

Garcian moved closer to the Hypno, now at the bottom of the hill, simply looking up at him. 'I guess I should realize that you can read my thoughts no matter what, so it is somewhat of an inevitability that you will know how I feel.' He rubbed his temples gently with his gloved index fingers. The chill of the snow actually helped, as he attempted to relax his mind. Mind speaking turns out to be a little bit taxing on those inexperienced. 'I suppose that I should simply tell you everything, then.'

Awkwardly crawling up the hill, he decided to face the Hypno, wary to avoid that hypnotic medallion of his. He had seen some trainers in Hoenn with this Pokemon, capable of hypnotizing others, the term 'others' probably also extending to humans. 'We were headed on our way to a spa, a secluded one at that. I assumed that using this forest would be the most convenient possible way there, so I took the path. I suppose in hindsight, it wasn't such a good idea. The name 'Wayward Forest' sounds a little ominous for someone seeking a direct path.'

[/left]

[Jay]

The Deerling seemed to frown as she thought over what had been said. Hmmmm hot springs... Those were those hot water things that gushed a lot right? Or were they just the pools of water? Or were they both? After a moment, the Deerling realized that she probably should at least respond to what had been said and snapped back into attention rather quickly. <Ah the hot water area> she finally mused a bit. <I know there is a place with a lot of hot water, but it's way far away> she explained before turning her head and making a general directional point with it.

Meanwhile, the Hypno seemed to chuckle to himself as he listened to the young mans thoughts. Well now, this one was very honest, heh. That was something rare indeed, yet sometimes this led to problems, truthfully. If one was too open, then enemies could take advantage of such a situation, yet then again, the young man understood that he, the Hypno himself, could take what he wanted to know by psychic force though he probably wouldn't do so to begin with. After a few moments of considering all this, he finally nodded his head and crossed his arms behind himself before his eyes settled fully on the man. 'Indeed, the it was once said that the forest dictated who could enter and leave it' he smiled wryly at his own statement. 'It seems to have decided to keep you in its grasp for a bit, heh' After a second or two, the Hypno put a hand to his chin in thought. 'I would direct you if I did know the path you wished to go, but alas I do not know such a spa' he explained.

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Lexus looked at the scatterbrained Deerling confusedly as she appeared to be locked deep in thought. Somewhat entertained by her attempt at determining the proper direction for them, she let her point her head forward. <I see, thank you for your assistance. Granted that I don't believe that my Trainer would listen anyway, I am sure he would be convinced after looking at the experience of natives such as yourselves.>

Conveniently, Garcian turned his head to check on Lexus as the Deerling pointed her head forward. "How the.. Hey, Lexus, you actually managed to get a direction out of her?" Lexus turned, nodding. "She says that hot water is far away in the direction she is pointing in. I am giving the decision to you, but I would trust the wisdom of nature over my own in your position." He turned back around and visibly rolled his eyes in the direction of the Hypno, not intended for him but to express his refusal to listen to a mere insect to him.

Though his concentration was gradually waning because of the communication, he shook his head in an attempt to regain focus. 'I'm sure you've already heard it from my Larvesta, but the deer over there believes that there's a mass of hot water, apparently the closest source, in that direction. If not a spa, then are you aware of any hot springs or large sources of hot water in the vicinity?'

He was starting to get the hang of this mental communication. It would be another ability that may prove useful to him, though anything else but this one he can't quite seem to think of at the moment. This is the very same moment where he had begun to consider the Hypno's assistance. 'Excuse me, but, while we're at the discussion of proper direction, where are you headed off to? I would respectfully allow you to leave if you desire, but I feel as though your wisdom would make quite an addition to my team. Excuse the, er, arrogance of the offer.' His mind brimmed with worry about whether or not the Hypno would approve, and how he would react after having the question asked to him anyway.'

[Rarity]

♥♦♣♠

A lady with hair the color of a fox sat in a very cat-like position in a tree nearby, smiling down at the lost boy from her hidden position. Today, she was wearing a pale green sweater over a striped pink-and-black shirt. It looked strange in a fashion way, but she did blend in covering that shirt with the pale sweater, and she sort of matched Drana, who sat next to her on the branch.

<"Do you think he's lost? I believe he's asking that Hypno for directions.."> Drana stared at the boy, slowly changing color to match her surroundings as if she was planning on going to ask him herself invisibly, but Chessie shook her head and held the Kecleon back.

"No, no, stay here. I've got this, don't worry about it~" Grinning widely, almost a cheshire smile, Chessie leapt down from the tree suddenly, landing on one hand and both feet in an almost cat-like fashion. Her grin widened as she lifted her head slowly to stare at the lost boy and his Pokemon.

"Where are you trying to go, lost boy? Are you going to go this way or that? Are you certain that's the correct way? Should one listen to strangers for directions when said strangers appear to be.. untrustworthy?" In truth, the Deerling was probably very trustworthy, but Chessie was merely playing the part of a confusing character, attempting and perhaps succeeding in placing doubt in the boy's head even as he began to become certain. Whom would he listen to, lady or Pokemon? Which way would he choose to follow blindly?

Drana shrouded herself, save for her pale blue stripe, and leapt down to stand near her trainer, waiting silently. She hoped Chessie wouldn't get herself into too much trouble, but she knew that her trainer was more than capable of getting herself out of trouble as well. She was there merely as back-up if something went wrong, really. The lizard shuffled the snow just a bit to cover her stripe, and then was silent and unmoving again.

♥♦♣♠

[Jay]

The Deerling smiled a little at the Larvesta and nodded her head before watching her talk with the boy. o3o Human speak was odd, at least to the Deerling. However, after a moment, she sighed a little and turned her head to one side. <I could probably lead you there if you need> she spoke if a bit quieter now possibly from a bit of nervousness that had caught her by surprise for whatever reason.

Meanwhile, the Hypno couldn't help but find himself rather amused by the interactions between the young man and his partner pokemon of sorts. However, as the question on hot water came about, he put a hand to his chin and seemed to think rather carefully before finally removing said hand and making a directional point in the same direction as the Deerling had pointed, in truth. 'I believe that way' he answered back rather honestly.

The next offer of sorts caught the psychic completely off guard, and he found himself blinking slowly. However, before he could answer or even begin to formulate an exact adequate response, a human suddenly came onto the scene. Looking sideways, the Hypno fell to complete silence as the woman talked. Who was this? Was she a friend of the young man's or....? 'And who are you?' the Hypno asked psychically as he addressed the woman rather carefully. For whatever reason, even her presence had set him on edge, and he wasn't all too sure why.

Meanwhile, the Deerling had caught the sound and words of the woman before frowning greatly. She wasn't a lair! ;3; That was mean............Sniffling a little, the Deerling frowned even more and made something of a sad whimper sound. She wasn't a liar! ;-;

[Victor Von Doomstein]

When the Deerling offered to lead them, Lexus clapped two of her legs together. <I am grateful for the offer. If I can somehow convince Garci to follow you, I am sure he will realize the error of his poor judgment.> Just as she turned to Garcian again, he piped up.

After having seen the Hypno himself point in the same direction of the Deerling, he turned around, allowing the prior question he had asked the hypnotist to sink in his mind. "Lexus, we're going to the direction both the Hypno and the deer pointed in. I suppose they both know the way we are intended to go."

Just before Lexus could say anything, the new arrival just so happened to jump from the tree. Her grin seemed to appear to be ominous, mischievous, something she had a feeling Garcian wouldn't stand for. When she landed on the ground, Garcian took a surprised hop backwards, going into something of an apprehensive stance, his right eyelid raised up a bit in confusion.

'Has she been following me the whole way here?! He thought this both as a telepathic question to the Hypno, as well as a question to himself. His eyebrows slightly narrowed at her grin, and as she started talking, he turned his head to its side somewhat to express his suspicion. "And just what business is this to you, lady? Why, exactly, do I have to trust your guidance over theirs?"

Garcian's stubbornness seems to refute any sort of doubt in his mind - these animals who have probably lived within this forest for their whole lives seem much more trustworthy than some crazy woman who has the agility of a monkey and the similar trickster attitude of one. He didn't seem to have noticed the Kecleon following along, and nor did Lexus.

It was something he felt he should avoid, given that this stranger had followed them through the whole path. They were both trainers, he knew this, simply by looking into her eyes. This same eye contact could launch a conflict, or he could merely back off and ignore her. Lexus seems to be fired up, not in the literal sense, of course, but metaphorically upon seeing the poor Deerling sniffling when her credibility had been brought to question. Somehow, she actually managed to agree with Garcian in wondering just what grounds the woman had for intruding so suddenly and asking these questions in a clear attempt to fill them with doubt.

[Rarity]

♥♦♣♠

The fox-haired girl tilted her head, grin widening with amusement. This would be easier than she'd originally thought! She stood up, taking a step forward, and took on a slightly concerned expression.

"Well, if you must know, I was merely worried that these Pokemon were going to send you gallivanting off in the wrong direction. You see, if you were to smell the air, the hot springs appear to be.. that way." Chessie pointed in quite the opposite direction from the way the Pokemon had stated; and indeed, one could smell hot water in that direction if one's nose was strong enough.

Drana was slightly confused by the way her trainer was going about this, but she didn't interfere either way. Instead, she burrowed into the snow and carefully, slowly made her way towards the male trainer and his Pokemon. She went around behind them and waited, still invisible, for some sort of signal from Chessie, who knew exactly where the Kecleon was.

♥♦♣♠

[Jay]

At the words that were exchanged and the thoughts that were also exchanged, the Hypno found himself frowning a good deal. However, he did do his best to try and smell the air in the direction that was pointed, but for some reason, as he smelled the water... He could almost detect there was something else in it. However, the Hypno had no idea what it was and was therefore left with a questioning look on his face. His eyes directed themselves at Chessie, and his head slowly turned to one side. 'Why does that smell...smell funny?' he finally questioned with an honest confusion.

Meanwhile, the Deerling looked even more confused and blinked a good few times in just a general 'wait what?' motion and expression. Turning her head from one side to the other, she frowned and looked back where she had directed and then back again. ._. But she was sure it was that way.... What was over there then?

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garcian nor Lexus could properly sense whatever was in the direction that the woman had been indicating to. His senses were not necessarily honed, nor was she capable of detecting scent from very far away. She could feel the heat in the direction, but the same could be said for the Hypno, the Deerling, the woman, and Garcian himself. Peculiarly enough, she detected another, faint signal of heat that quickly disappeared, something she had dismissed as something faraway.

'Wait, you smell something as she does? How far away is it?' Garcian subtly dug his boot backwards to make a pointing impression. The heel of his footprint is pointed in the direction that the Deerling and the Hypno indicated to, should a battle or other such occasion occur and he would lose his direction. "You continue to forget yourself, lady. You have said nothing about how I would be able to trust you over these Pokemon."

Lexus moved forward, now a few steps away in front of Garcian. She seemed to be more open, less suspicious, but inquisitve instead. "My trainer may have.. lapses, in judgment," "Excuse me?" "...but I agree with him now. What evidence do you have that would allow us to believe you with all sureness?" While she asked the trainer, Garcian snuck out one of his Pokeballs from his belt, a ball marked with the 'dome' on top of a Pawniard's head. He grasps it, minimized, within his fist, prepared to send it out if the conflict heats up.

'I don't trust her. She approaches us in that manner, then seems to be acting so worried about you two misleading us.' As Garcian communes with the Hypno again, he notices something in the trees. Oh. Two Murkrow. It's odd that he hadn't seem to have noticed them before, but they're not very far off in the path at all.

[Rarity]

♥♦♣♠

Chessie sat down, arms planted on their knuckles in front of her and legs curved up and back down like a cat's legs. She tilted her head the opposite way, grin remaining plastered to her face.

"Don't trust me? Fine, have it your way, child." The girl lowered her head, casting her eyes in the shadows of her hair. "Do as you wish~"

She suddenly seemed to disappear; really, she pulled a white cloak out of a side pocket and covered herself with it before swiftly moving away and into another tree. Balancing carefully on a branch and slowing her mind processes so as not to be detected by the Hypno, she watched and waited.

Still hidden near Garci was Drana, buried just a bit in the snow and also waiting. She would tail them when they went somewhere else if they decided to move along.

♥♦♣♠

[Jay]

The Deerling looked horribly startled to say the least of it, especially when the woman suddenly disappeared. Ep! Where had she gone? Looking around with a weirdly confused panicked expression, the Deerling couldn't help but wonder what in the world that had been about. Finally settling her eyes on the Larvesta and her trainer, she blinked slowly and turned her head to one side. <That was weird....> she finally spoke what had been on her mind.

Meanwhile, the Hypno had a stoic expression of thought on his face. A bit of curiosity as to what was actually over there now posed in his mind. 'I'm curious to know what is over there now... but at the same time I'm sure of what I know to be over there instead' he hummed psychically now rather unsure of himself in all regards. He disliked this doubtful confused feeling that was now dripping into his being, yet there was simply nothing he could really do about it.

[Victor Von Doomstein]

Garcian just watched as she went into that bizarre cat-like pose. With a sense of perception, and having seen cheap Pokemon magicians before, he noticed her hand reaching into her pocket and placing the veil over herself. As she allegedly disappeared, he watched her leave a visible footprint into another tree. However, that's really as far as he would be able to go, as he wasn't able to see her going into the branches. "I feel like that will not be the last time she's going to show her pretty little face around here."

He communed back to the Hypno, 'Yours and the Deerling's senses are more credible than whatever wild goose chase she was prepared to send us on. I'm going to head on that way to the spa. My offer still stands, if you want to follow me.' Turning around, he noticed that the footprint remained. Oddly, it was slightly disturbed, the snow raised under it somewhat. It must have been some addition of snow of some sort, probably from him turning around.

"Maggot, we're going to the way the Pokemon sent us. Take the Deerling with you if she wants to." Lexus giggled. 'Maggot.' It must have taken him all day to come up with that snappy observation. Such naivety from such a young, insufferable boy. She gestured with a stubby leg to the deer. <If you do want to come with us, don't be shy! You can just follow us to where you directed us. I guess Garci doesn't trust whatever direction the woman pointed in.>

Garci muttered as he started to walk in the direction of the hot water the Pokemon pointed to. He didn't care about how long it would take, he just felt absolutely assured that they were right. "Thinks that I could ever trust a sudden stranger with that sadistic, foxy grin. The nerve."

[Rarity]

♥♦♣♠

Chessie nearly purred aloud, then realized that she shouldn't and stopped, settling instead for an inward purr. Too easy~ She silently moved from branch to branch, following the boy and being careful not to shake any branches with snow on them.

Below, burrowing under the snow itself in a way that didn't disturb the surface of the snow, was Drana, making sure she couldn't be spotted by being invisible below the snow as well. She was doing quite well with her tracking even though she couldn't see the person she was following through the dense flakes in her face.

♥♦♣♠

[Jay]

As it seemed that the man continued to follow in the direction that was suggested, the Deerling looked to Lexus and slowly smiled before nodding her head. <Sure that sounds like fun> she answered back a bit quietly but slowly growing confident there at the end. Somehow the woman's words were still aching at her heart, and she was starting to feel increasingly sad that anyone would call her a liar. ;_; It just wasn't nice and and and... Oh she was just depressing herself now.

The Hypno brought a finger to his chin still wondering what in the world could possibly be over there, yet after a few seconds, he soothed his curiosity and looked back to Garci as the man spoke. 'She's certainly an odd one....' he mused after a moment before turning and starting to follow after the man. Though he would never admit it, he was now following the man to see if the woman really would appear again. She had somehow managed to intrigue him a bit more than most humans did.

Farther off, a Jynx could be seen walking around with her hands on her hips and a slight scowl on her face. Oh where had that little girl gone? <I swear I can't take my eyes off her for one minute> she muttered to herself and continued to frown.