Brightness in a Time of Tragedy (SG/Open)

[SongofWindchimes]

Faux Zoro was a very patient pokemon under most circumstances, and the fact that he was exhausted and had little to do made him all the more likely to hang on to the phone. Not to mention that he was just plain confused at the lack of a response. He may have been able to put together why him answering the phone hadn't been a very good idea if given a little more time, but Alaric's sudden frantic words chose that moment to strike his ear.

"Calm down!" The two words came as a sharp, loud bark. Quite literally; they were distorted slightly by the fact that he wasn't forming them as distinctly with his mouth. If it were possible for Alaric to hear him pinning his ears back immediately in regret regarding the outburst, however, he would have. As it was, there was a short silence as the Zoroark grasped for words.

Faux Zoro prided himself on always having something to say in every situation, even if what he often chose to say was excessively verbose and unintentionally confusing to the listener as a consequence. Today was different. "Bianca is resting. I did not want to wake her." A very brief pause followed that didn't really give an opportunity for a reply as he hesitated to continue, but he quickly did. "Alaric, I know this is not what you want to hear, but the store was hit. But she got out. We all did."

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

Alaric could have pinned his own ears back at the scolding if humans worked that way, but fortunately Zoro did not make him wait long for an explanation. A deep sigh of relief escaped him, and by that time the Zoroark continued, making his heart stop for just a moment at those dreaded words. The store was hit. No no no no no...

That 'but' could not have come sooner, but it still left so much open. All the same, the first thing to escaped him was an "Oh thank God," and he found himself flopping back against the slide upon the base of which he was now sitting. After a few moment's reprieve, though, it was back to business. "Is she hurt? Where are you?" All he'd said was that she was 'resting', but that could have meant in a hospital or anything.

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[Prince Pony Age]

Nodding as he left, Yukiko took another tentative bite of her burger. Meanwhile, her Pokemon reacted to the lioness suddenly in their midst: Aphrodite nervously smiled and waved, Persephone shrugged, Demeter waddled over to Honey and offered her a piece of the chicken from her salad as a peace offering, Hades moved over for a close look as well but with no offering, and Boreas was busy frosting his chicken patties to make them suitably cold and didn't really notice Honey's appearance.

Things were...calm. Peaceful. For now, anyway. Relaxing, even. Yukiko and her Pokemon were fed, and were likely to be so for at least a few more days. While she had met up with Alaric a few times a few years ago, neither meeting lasted more than a few days, and she didn't expect this to be any different.

Those were the days, when she only had Persy and Arachnea, and then--dear Arceus, how can she not remember what she named that Absol? Yukiko felt terrible, but could only recall jokingly telling Alaric she would name it after his own namesake.

...No, those days were gone. She..Well, she no longer had purpose, but she also didn't have the superfluous wealth of those days, either. She also didn't mind battling, then, when she really only used Persephone and her main problem wasn't losing or Persephone being forced into anything, but making sure the Sneasel didn't push things too far.

But as she'd already said, those days were gone. So, too, were the days of thinking she could ever do anything, be anything, of any import. Without the funds of her noble somewhat-family, she could do nothing, and it was high time actually accepted that. Not that accepting it would change her situation, but... well, come to think, Yukiko supposed she had, in a way, accepted that some time ago. She sold off the house she'd bought when she thought she'd make a Ranger headquarters. She went door to door under the guise of raising awareness about Rangers, but that quickly devolved into begging for food and shelter. When she started rooting around in the trash, well, she hadn't even been thinking of her now lofty goal of starting a Ranger station in Era.

Far from that, she was now at least satisfied to know that she and her Pokemon could live at least not uncomfortably for another day or so, due to the charity of this old acquaintance. And then off again... She wondered if it would be better if she found other homes for those not tied to her? ...Well, at this point, that would be Circe, Boreas, and arguably Demeter. Boreas she would have no problem with--she was normally good with Pokemon, but she couldn't understand anything he did at all, despite the fact that his violent behavior in some ways mirrored Persephone's--albeit with less apparent emotion behind it. Demeter would be sad, but probably better with another home. And Circe--what would the point be? She was as healthy as ever, heh.

Oh, what? Dammit, during her introspective wondering Yukiko didn't notice Boreas notice Honey. Fuck this didn't look good what was happening Boreas stop that--

she dug around in her bag and found the Cryogonal's ball. "Boreas, return." A red light came and evaporated the giant snowflake, taking it into the ball. She then turned to the Luxray and said, "I'm sorry about that.."

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

WOHGWIOHGWEOIHOWE GWEO GWE HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Honey glared with simply wild eyes at (or possibly through? could those eyes see even inside that, or was it an exception?) Boreas's PokeBall even after he was recalled with fangs bared, hackles raised, and fur literally crackling on end. She had never in all her eleven years--!! She swore on whatever deities anyone here even may believe existed that if she saw that... horrid excuse for a Pokemon again!

Giving a prolonged shudder, she finally forced herself to at least attempt to take Yukiko's apology. She'd at least called off the wretched... thing, after all. Slowly but surely, she managed to settle, though not without giving a sweeping glare over the others to make sure no one else had any ideas. Afterward, her eyes shifted towards the playground where Alaric sat, seemingly unaware of what she'd just been through. Leering, she huffed a sigh and flopped down then to pout, unaware that he was currently a little bit preoccupied wondering why Bianca's Pokemon was answering her phone in her stead. Some thirty to forty-five seconds later, the sound of him flopping back against the slide would make her ears twitch, but after worriedly bolting to attention at first only to realize he was in fact still all right and speaking, she rolled her eyes and settled down again.

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

[SongofWindchimes]

Is she hurt? Where are you?

Faux Zoro was not a liar. His illusion skills could easily bewitch the eye and make it believe anything he wished to conjure, but he himself could not actively deceive someone with words. Especially not Alaric; he was among the most honest humans the Zoroark had ever encountered, perhaps even to a fault if that was possible. He did not tend to volunteer such information, but he would admit to himself that he occasionally envied the man for that, as much as Zoro was capable of the emotion in the first place.

Still, the fact that it was the truth did not make it any easier to say what he wanted to, not the least because he knew Bianca would not want Alaric to know the true extent of her physical state. Zoro forced himself to believe, however momentarily, that that didn't matter right now; he would not dodge the questions. "She...There was shrapnel," he admitted, "But it didn't penetrate deep, or strike anything vital. We are in the Pokemon Exchange right now."

Maybe he was trying too hard to be concise. Zoro didn't really care at the moment; if he talked for too long, a truth Alaric hadn't asked for felt like it may slip through. The last thing the man needed was the knowledge that the Zoroark on the other end of the line was being torn apart inside by the belief that he should have been the one pierced by shrapnel; if he'd been an Absol, or even just a little faster...maybe he could have shielded her. He'd failed.

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

As it was, Alaric got absolutely none of Zoro's guilt, nor did he think for a moment of blaming him. "Fuck," he hissed, the hand not preoccupied by the phone grasping at his face. He was far from hyperventilating, but his breathing still hadn't calmed, either; and, while each breath was slow and not too shallow, he did seem to be exhaling much more than inhaling, save for the occasional sporadic bit to catch up. "God, I shoulda called 'lready, I 'as just there, I..."

Whatever the Zoroark tried to tell him, he could just imagine his poor Bianca- yes, she was still his, and no it didn't matter that they'd broken up almost three full months ago and no it really didn't matter whether or not she might have found that thought process uncomfortable; Bianca was his just as Yukiko and just as Ava and just as everyone else who could turn their back on him today only to find him still guarding it years later. There were girls whose presence he enjoyed, and there were girls he cared for, and then there were the few girls who'd for whatever widely varying reasons made a real impression on him, who he simply adored, who he liked to think of as friends.

He could imagine her torn to shreds, in so much pain. Nothing deep or life-threatening, Zoro thankfully assured him, but that didn't mean it wasn't still serious. Her beauty could never be marred in his eyes, but he hoped and prayed for her sake that the damage was minimal.

Suddenly, an urge came over him to stop pissing and moaning- to run back there right now instead and just check on her, but no sooner had he bolted up than he remembered that he'd need to get Honey, and that he still had Yukiko, and that Bianca was resting, and that he still had one more call to make, in that order. With a heavy sigh, then, he finally went on, "I'm... gonna try to be by there pretty shortly to see- you guys.." His first thought was of course 'her', but he thought better to correct it at the last second.

Interestingly enough, Zoro could probably qualify as one of his best 'guy friends', simply by merit of the fact that he was capable of speech and did not present the same aversion that human guys did despite that (even if slightly more aversion than he may have had if Zoro couldn't talk, or at least didn't sound distinctly male; if nothing else, it was just a little foreign to him to carry on a conversation where the other speaker's voice nearly matched his own). He was never just exceptionally fond of the fox or anything- not like little Tyson or all Bianca's precious cats (who he could only pray were included in 'we all did'), anyway- but he thought well enough of him and certainly was concerned about all those beings attached to his pirate queen, even if not as greatly as he was for her.

"If you could..." He choked a bit and wasn't even sure why. "T-try t'look for me ww..." He thought on it. "...Within the hour, I guess.. if that's all right.." That should hopefully give her some more time to rest, and him a bit of time to call Riku and let Yuki and everyone finish eating, and then maybe hopefully think of something better to do with Yuki than drag her around with him, even if that looked to be what was going to happen. Well.. at least the Shelter wasn't too far... "... Guess if don't see you I can call..." he mumbled as an afterthought.

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[SongofWindchimes]

Zoro winced at the curse word; he knew that he should be desensitized by now given the company his trainer occasionally kept--some of those humans seemed to consider such language a form of punctuation--and he knew intellectually that they were just words, but, well, blame the upbringing that gave him the flowery speech and tendency to bow. But the Zoroark could admit that Alaric had every right to his reaction, and he kept silent even during the pauses where he heard nothing but breathing.

"I will be at the entrance." Not 'I will try to be.' Just 'I will be' A bit more quietly, he added, "Thank you." Zoro held a respect for Alaric that he doubted the human man would ever realize the extent of, compounded with the fact that Zoro knew that it would help Bianca so much to be reminded that she still had a friend in this former boyfriend, rather than having been forgotten.

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

The sincerity in those words from a male voice was also something to which Alaric was very unaccustomed, and for a moment it caught him off-guard. "...Of course," was the eventual quiet reply, and then he could think of no more to say. Imagining that was as good an ending as any- and assuming Zoro had not already ended it- he hung up then, and sighed heavily. One more, then...

He found Riku's number and hit call, but after a number of rings he got the message stating her unavailability and ended it. "Damn.." he sighed as much as spoke. ... Maybe.. when he made his rounds again, he would go backwards this time? ... Granted that conflicted with the logic of avoiding the biggest potential losses until after he'd done most or all of what he needed to do, but... Eh he'd already taken the risk in moving onto the end of the list before the beginning had been fully cleared, right? ... Then again if he'd waited he may never have reached the end since some of those numbers might have been permanent losses and just not fully reflecting that quite yet and--

Dammit this wasn't the time to dwell on it.

He'd just go check on Yuki and if he had some time he'd try a few of his end-list numbers again in a minute and if not he'd start making rounds again in an hour or two or something. Right. That sounded like as feasible a plan as any.

Abandoning his place on the playground, he slipped the phone back in his pocket for now and returned to his companions. ...Was Honey sulking? He was almost certain of it, but... Well how was everyone else doing? He was sure he'd hear about it if it was more than just her periodic moodiness. "Everything all right?"

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[Prince Pony Age]

"Yes," Yukiko responded to Alaric. She was nibbling on her apple slices, her burger half-eaten as he came back. "though Boreas uh--I'm not sure what he did but Honey still seems upset about it and apologizing and withdrawing him only barely helped. I'm sorry..."

Yeah, she couldn't even control her own Pokemon. She should sell him next chance she got. Why she bought him in the first place was beyond her, now.

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

Alaric only chuckled a bit though. "She's always like," he brushed it off, rolling his eyes. He didn't seem to catch the half-glare, half look of terror that Honey shot him as if to say you have no ideeeaaa. At any rate, he was glad to see she was managing to hold down a bit so far, and also that it seemed the whole kid's meal option had been good after all. Speaking of, some of that extra fruit he'd ordered didn't sound bad at all.

He took a seat across from her again and pulled a thing of that over before working on how to bring up what needed brought up. He... was not looking forward to this even without the factor that Yuki seemed so weak. Being around two people... G-..granted.. There would actually be like a few-hundred people but.. Two people for whom he deeply cared who did not know each other otherwise and... Alaric sighed. The fact he'd never really been involved with Yukiko did make it better.. The last time two girls he'd dated (technically one he was still dating at the time it happened) met--....

ANYWAY moving right along-

Fuck it, he'd manage. "So.." Except maybe he wouldn't, as his nerve suddenly failed him again, making him mentally facepalm at his own ridiculous insecurities. He'd been just fine when he and Yuki had bumped into Crystal (even though 'bumped into' more meant 'specifically went to the place she was working') and he'd survived a few encounters already with Bianca and various other girls; he'd be fine. After eating several pieces of fruit rather quickly in a vague attempt both to stall for time and to work out his nerves, he went on.

"Everyone else I could get ahold of seems all right.." And a few more pieces, at a little more natural pace now. "A few injuries here and there, but they seem all right.." He hesitated briefly. "But.."

Even Honey started paying attention at this point. But? ..Oh no. Sure enough, he confirmed they had another adventure ahead of them. "One other friend of mine.... H-..." He swallowed, working to remain calm about this and not fall back into his panicked state. "Her store was hit, and.. It doesn't sound like she's hurt too badly, but... I really just wanna check on 'er... if..." He looked off a bit, scratching idly at the back of his head. "If you wouldn't mind.. maybe.." He considered saying 'waiting for me', but.. He really just couldn't bring himself in good conscience to think of leaving her alone. "Coming back to the Shelter with me, once you're done eating... I guess..." Fuck.

Honey twitched a bit. A friend... with a store.... Dear God... not that one, she hoped and prayed. While better than some people, Honey really didn't like that one... Oh God she had a horrible feeling about this.

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

[Prince Pony Age]

Yukiko listened to Alaric, slightly puzzled. She didn't remember him being this--halting--at any point. Granted, she reminded herself that she honestly didn't know him very well, and shouldn't make assumptions about his character of any sort.

After all, he had just heard, well, not terrible news, but fairly bad news anyhow, of a friend of his. She vaguely remembered their...argument? No, not really, but--disagreement almost? No, not that either. The time in the cave when they were explaining "oh my god I am a terrible person" "no I'm worse than you" "my past is terrible" or something. The main thing she remembered was that it was emotionally charged and also awkward because they didn't know each other well at all at that point and Alaric at some point admitted that he moved from woman to woman, Crystal (she thought?) at the Pokemon Center meant that... it was probably a lady-friend? Of course he could have other friends that weren't like Crystal, but that's what she thought.

Wow that was a lot of thinking. It didn't take as long to think all that as it took to read or type it, but it was a few moments anyway before Yukiko snapped out of her tangential thoughts and responded, "Uh, yes. Sure. That sounds perfectly fine." Another moment, and she continued, "Thank you for letting me finish. I think I am nearly done, though."

That mystery soup from the shelter was fairly filling as it was mostly water, but it wasn't very nutrition-filled. After a... well, at least moderate meal, Yukiko was obviously thinking much more clearly than before. Well, that and her rather comfortable nap, she supposed.

As she finished her meal, Yukiko thought about how uncomfortable this would be. Oh, well, she'd just linger behind Alaric, probably wave when introduced, say a few words, and just... follow. As wordlessly as possible, probably. If she did that, she probably wouldn't be addressed much, and could just... hang on to Alaric's coat tails for long enough to get another meal or so.

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

Once everyone had finished eating, the Pokemon were recalled, and what leftovers he thought would keep well enough and be good later were stored in his bag, Alaric debated whether or not to carry Yuki back to the shelter. However, he didn't know whether 'at the entrance' meant Zoro would be waiting toward the front or at the door or even outside, and if he was outside or could just see out that could have become very awkward (as if the whole thing wasn't going to be anyway). Somehow it didn't occur to him to warn Yuki 'oh by the way her Zoroark can talk', nor did he consider Zoro may take on an unconventional form to meet him.

Instead, even the thought of how awkward things were going to be was making him quiet and awkward, and the two headed back down the street to the Pokemon-And-Refugee Shelter in relative silence, with only a few inconsequential words exchanged between them. By the time they reached the destination, Alaric had been regretting this for at least twenty, maybe thirty minutes-.. which was coincidentally about how long it had taken them to finish eating and walk all the way back here after he'd made up his mind to just bring Yuki. Well, it was a little late now, anyway.... He began scanning for a furry figure as soon as they got close. Now where is Zoro...

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[SongofWindchimes]

Luckily, Zoro was not hard to find, as he was waiting outside of the building. The Master Illusionist generally had some sort of subtle modification, like the tophat he frequently conjured, when he wasn't outright changing his form entirely, but today he was simply himself. He wasn't standing right by the entrance; he was well aware that people may find a dark humanoid fox lurking too close to the door unsettling, but he was still close enough to be easily seen. Even without any illusions, he was still definitely Zoro; he stood perfectly upright, more like a humanshape pokemon, and the wild mane that most of his kind boasted was much straighter and properly tamed...though it was clear that the circumstances had left it less immaculately groomed than he preferred.

However, he was not alone, as a yellow blur suddenly darted toward the pair of humans, yapping all the way. Alaric! AlaricAlaricAlaricAlaric! Taylor the Jolteon had been more-or-less considered breeding stock to Bianca for at least the first little while but, well, she was a softie and he was...less than suited to enjoy the position, anyway. So he became her puppy and had been allowed to hang around the store just like the rest as long as he kept out of trouble.

Zoro followed the Jolteon, who had noticed Alaric's companion and so had launched into a state of oh no what happened to the poor lady would snuggles help? He settled down to nuzzle his head against her leg and whimper sympathetically, his spikes flattened to a point that he'd be perfectly safe to pet.

The Zoroark gave a small bow of his head in Alaric's direction, as was habit. "Good to see you, friend," he spoke, thinking little of the potential reaction strangers could have to his linguistic skill, as always. He gestured a clawed paw at the yellow dog. "Taylor thought I should have company as I waited." He had also thought Taylor could use some fresh air and to stretch his legs, which was the main reason he had agreed to said company. Fellow canine he technically was, but the Jolteon was still not exactly a riveting conversation partner.

Then, he turned his attention fully to the woman present, and he too was struck by the state she was in. Though perfectly fond of humans as a whole and more than willing to consider some of them friends, it was rare that one tugged at his heartstrings in a manner anywhere near that of his own trainer due to the strong pack--or 'brotherly,' as Bianca sometimes called it--bond he felt for her. However, for the barest moment, his ears pinned back and he had the brief urge to act similarly to Taylor; she was just...how did someone like this not make a being with any heart want to do something to make it better? Thank the Creator she was with Alaric now and would surely recover.

Zoro bowed to her, not quite as low as he tended to for Bianca but more fully than he'd offered the familiar Alaric. "And my greetings to you as well, my lady. I am Faux Zoro."

[Prince Pony Age]

Yukiko was startled as the Jolteon dashed toward Alaric and her, though more by the movement than anything else. As he noticed Yuki and decided to nuzzle her instead, she smiled and reached a hand down to pet him and scratch his ear.

When Zoro began to talk, Yukiko raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet. He was clearly speaking to Alaric, so would not interf--oh wait, what now?

Unable to stifle a pathetic sort of laugh, Yukiko responded, "My, it's been an age since I've been called that.." Then, remembering some manners a moment later, she continued, "Right. Hello Faux Zoro, I am Yukiko." ...She felt as if she should say a last name too, but, well... It was pretty clear she wasn't actually connected to her 'family' anymore, and she hadn't decided on a new last name to take on, yet.

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

Alaric was fairly surprised to see Taylor, but when he went in for cuddles with Yuki he wasn't very well going to protest. She needed all the cuddles right now. Somehow, Zoro's title for him made the man twitch a bit. Why did that feel odd? After a moment, he'd just answered with a small "You too," before Zoro went on to explain the Jolteon.

He listened as Zoro and Yukiko exchanged introductions, but something in Yuki's words surprised him a bit. "..Has it really?" he asked a little belatedly. He blinked, thinking over their conversation since he'd picked her up. "..Oh wow. I guess I didn't.." 'Milady' was one of his most prominent pet names for everyone, after all. He gave a small laugh. "I must be slipping.."

Shaking his head a bit, he settled into a bit more serious mood again and returned his attention to Zoro. "But right.. Where is she? ..Is she up yet?" Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd feel pretty bad waking her... but if she didn't know yet that he was coming, it might be kind of fun to see how she'd react to waking up to his face suddenly after this long. Heh.

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[SongofWindchimes]

Taylor was most certainly in agreement right now. All cuddles possible were needed for the poor lady. He wagged his spiky rear and licked at her hand when she petted him, content to do his job as a cute puppy and let Zoro handle everything else.

The Zoroark blinked slightly at the response, and his train of thought was betrayed when his ear flicked in Alaric's direction a moment before he actually spoke. After all, though his own trainer had earned a different nickname, Zoro did have some idea of how the man tended to address females of his own species. All the same, Yukiko was a lovely name; Japanese in origin, if he were to hazard a guess. He likely would have said so, but Alaric spoke again, making it clear that it was time to return to why they were here.

Faux Zoro's smiled slipped away as his own expression became more serious, but it was more his usual calm than anything unusually grave. "She was awake when I left to wait." Of course, this was Bianca they were talking about, who was dedicated to the philosophy of 'five more minutes' at the best of times. There was also a distinct difference between 'awake' and 'up.' "We have claimed an area of the Exchange some distance in. I will take you to her."

Zoro turned toward the door with the intention of doing just that, though after a couple of steps he faltered. The dark pokemon looked down at one of his large forepaws, flexing the blood-coloured claws, and his ears pinned back. He glanced over his shoulder at the humans and Jolteon, shuffling his hind paws in what almost looked like embarrassment as he opened his muzzle, then snapped it shut again. This kind of indecision was not normal, but, then again, neither was what he was trying to find the best way to ask.

"Forgive me," he started, turning around to properly face the pair and lower his head slightly in apology, "But I discovered through a great deal of the reactions of the poor people this place shelters as I made my way here that my true appearance is a source of unease for them. It would seem that I have something of an eerie presence." There wasn't a hint of bitterness or irritation in his voice, merely that continued apologetic tone. "I do not wish to place stress on those who already have so much if it is not required, and would take on a different appearance as we navigate the crowd."

Finally getting to the point, he asked, "Would it offend either of you if I chose to appear as a human?" It wasn't something Zoro would normally do, but just taking on the form of any old pokemon could either draw more negative attention or possibly cause him to be too difficult to follow, given the fact that there were so many people and Bianca was not close to the entrance. Taking on the form of species of similar size and shape that was not human seemed obvious but...he did not wish to frighten his own trainer, either, if she did not recognize him immediately.

Taylor cocked his head to one side, briefly, not really seeming to get why that would offend somebody, but Zoro knew better. Sometimes that sort of thing could be strange and creepy to humans. His illusion skills in general could be to some. He wanted to be polite.

[Prince Pony Age]

As Alaric and Zoro spoke, Yukiko did her best to be unobtrusive and just quietly stood and let Taylor snuggle against her and returned the overtures of affection in kind. Well, not quite as vigorously as the Jolteon, but oh well.

"Hm, what? No, no of course I don't mind. Makes quite a bit of sense, actually.." Yukiko half-smiled at the Zoroark as she responded, and made ready to follow whatever his human appearance would be into the shelter.

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:goldenrod;border:3px goldenrod ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#94701A]

[ Alaric ]

Alaric was relieved even though he couldn't place why at Zoro's news of Bianca, but at his request he'd found himself hesitating. Blinking and blank, the blond couldn't for the life of him figure out what could have possibly been offensive about it either. If anything, he kind of thought it was pretty cool, though he at least knew well enough to realize not everyone would agree with him that far.

Still, if Zoro thought it might be offensive, then apparently it could be? He was the one with the experience in illusions, after all, and may well have been speaking from experience with bad reactions in the past. In all reality, there were several ways Alaric might have been offended or unnerved by that, such as Zoro trying to pose as a human long-term and without specific cause, or him taking the form of a woman. Neither of these occurred to him at the moment, though.

A glance to Yukiko revealed that she was fine with it, though, causing Alaric to drop his own concerns. If she was fine and he was fine and presumably Bianca was fine (he was aware to a point of her aversion to humanoid Pokemon, but this was her dearest Zoro and he was certain to have done this sort of thing before, right? Not to mention Alaric was quite certain Zoro would no sooner spare others's feelings at the expense of Bianca's than Honey would do the same toward him), well they were the only ones it directly affected so screw the bystanders. (All right so he'd feel kind of bad if someone happened to catch Zoro transform and got too freaked out but certainly anyone with even basic knowledge of Pokemon should know it was possible so oh well.)

He shrugged and gave a sort of barely half-smile then. "Sure, I'm fine." At that moment, something finally did occur to him, and the look took a slightly wry quality as he dryly added, "Just so long as you don't look like me or anyone else I hate." A small chuckle escaped him. In the meantime, he remained completely unaware that he'd even said that 'else' in there, though the statement was just as accurate with and without it.

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[SongofWindchimes]

Luckily for Alaric, maintaining such a masquerade long term and taking on the form of a woman were two things Zoro would not do unless absolutely required. He didn't really like taking on a human form in the first place, let alone a female one. As much as he liked to think he could divorce himself entirely from his true self, the truth was that he was not nearly that perfect an illusionist. Besides, trying to appear convincingly female would have to involve feigning muteness.

Zoro smiled at Yukiko's reply, though Alaric's caught him off guard a little, mostly because he'd caught the 'else.' He didn't give any reaction to that, however. After all, slips of the tongue were often simply that; accidents that meant nothing. Looking for a hidden meaning in everything often blinded you to what was staring you in the face. Instead, he gave a deep chuckle of his own. "I believe mimicking the one I escort would simply draw more attention," he pointed out.

Letting his expression return to neutrality again, Zoro took in a slow breath, his form rippling from the top down in time with his exhale. The distorting image of the dark fox then seemed to shatter, the bits appearing to float away like pieces of paper in the wind; even now, he was an artist. Left behind was a human man and, true to his word, he didn't look like Alaric, though there could be little debate about who he had taken inspiration from.

Zoro's form was not nearly as tall as Alaric; in fact, he had stretched his apparent height only a few inches higher than Yukiko. He was also fairly slender in build, very much the pretty boy, though he certainly hadn't been aiming for that. His skin was a rich olive, and his hair, long and pulled back in a ponytail, was a very deep violet, though his sharp eyes were still very much the same. He was wearing all black, including a long coat and a set of shades currently sitting on his forehead.

Zoro glanced down at himself, an action he wasn't overly prone to but indulged in anyway just to be absolutely sure there were no flaws. He then reached up and pulled the illusory sunglasses down, since they didn't impact his sight at all, and returned his attention to the door. "Come," he said, "I would hate to keep her waiting much longer."

Entering the building, Zoro walked fairly quickly, but glanced back every once and a while to make sure he hadn't lost the pair. His disguise was flawless...well, as flawless as a guy walking around indoors with sunglasses could be, but it was still far better than navigating crowds of people while looking like he normally did, and he liked the sunglasses. Taylor was practically adhered to Yukiko the entire time, happily trotting at her side.

Eventually, they reached her. Zoro slowed just a little bit as they got closer to the woman nestled in a thick blanket that clearly wasn't one of the free ones; her eyes were shut, but she was sitting up slightly, leaning back against a pokemon that Alaric wouldn't recognize. In fact, it would probably look more like she was leaning against some kind of jagged, black chunk of something, before the beast's head rose and it revealed itself as a melanistic Druddigon, albeit a smaller-than-average specimen. Mercury looked at the approaching humans and made a small noise before covering her craggy face with a clawed forelimb shyly.

The movement roused Bianca, who mumbled something before her eyes blinked open and she saw her visitors. Zoro immediately lifted his shades and bowed slightly. "I return, my captain. I trust you have been well in my short absence?"

Bianca stared at her Zoroark for a moment, then gave a very weak laugh. "Nice outfit."

Zoro gave a laugh of his own in turn. "A bit much?" he asked, before his form snapped back to his proper one and he dropped to four legs, padding over to the five cat carriers sitting nearby, including one that looked more suited for holding a dog; Blue had always been too big for a standard one. Bianca's trademark bandanna was sitting, folded, on top of Pixie's carrier, distinguished from others by the fact that a its resident's fluffy, white face was peering through the door, trying to see what was going on.

"Just a bit," Bianca replied with a smile, before her attention moved to the two actual humans, and she tried to sit up a bit more. The attempt caused her to inhale sharply and grit her teeth from the pain, making her Duddigon lift her head again and whimper slightly, a sound Taylor echoed. Her blanket also slipped down a little, showing some of the bandaging on her right shoulder and arm. Still, she offered her ex-boyfriend a weak smile and a small, "Hey, Alaric."

Bianca hadn't really known what to think when Faux Zoro informed her that Alaric had suddenly called her for the first time in a couple of months. For one thing, it had only then really occurred to her that it had been a couple of months; though she certainly hadn't forgotten Alaric, she had a lot to keep her busy, and Bianca couldn't really be said to 'miss' the majority of people she knew to any strong degree. Still, under better circumstances, she would have been happy to chat with and see him. As it was, she was more than aware of how pathetic she looked, and she hated to have her friend--which he most certainly was, even with the lack of contact--see her like this.

Letting a stranger see her this way was a little easier, and Bianca flicked her gaze the way of the woman who it looked like her Jolteon had adopted. Seeing Alaric with a girl actually lifted a small weight from her shoulders, even if she was still being metaphorically crushed by current events. "Hope Taylor hasn't been any trouble," she added quietly toward the other woman, trying to smile at her, too.

[Prince Pony Age]

Yukiko hung back a little as she followed inside, staying at the end of their little line (with Taylor by her side) until they reached Bianca and stopped. Even then, she stood a little behind Alaric and avoided eye contact with everyone ever.

In fact, since she was already back here at the shelter--Yukiko wondered...

While Yukiko had no doubt that she could milk a few more meals out of Alaric, she realized now that he probably not like her anymore, seeing as her thoughts and priorities and everything was so different than when they were sort-of friends some time ago, and he would probably grow used to her homelessness and she'd be back out here soon enough. Maybe? He seemed not to have changed since she knew him, but how well did she know him ever? Then again, it wasn't really an issue of whether he was willing to help, it was how long.

Everyone she'd met grew tired, eventually.

Maybe it would be for the best instead of tagging along with him, she just--

Oh that was addressed to her, wasn't it.

"Oh, no, no trouble at all miss." Flashing a weak smile at Bianca seemed to be about all she could muster before averting her eyes again.