[005:] Ecruteak Inn

[brokencode]

Action: Outside the Inn

[As had become the norm, Angel had settled herself outside, seated on a bench while her Pokemon ran about. Today, Floette was facing off against Mari, while Bailey squared off with Skagbait. Each of them exchanged blows, though not particularly aggressively. Occasionally, Adorababy, who watched the fighting pairs, would reach out, adjusting the Floette's positioning. Skagbait, on the other hand, would nudge Bailey into a better stance. As far as she was concerned, it seemed that, despite Angel's own cluelessness, her Pokemon were picking up on the complexities of battle.]

[Settled behind her was her Furret, wrapped around the girl and resting his head on her lap. She scritched at the top of his head every now and again, which he responded with a loud dook or three. All in all, she was firmly enjoying her chilly afternoons. Especially if, depending on the day, she'll have ice cream in hand.]

Video/Action, Route 38

[While Angel might have called herself weak, her Pokemon thought otherwise. As she stood in the woods, with Mari facing off against a lone Hoothoot, there was an unmistakable air of confidence about her. She issued commands calmly and quickly, and while it helped that Mari was drastically over-levelled for the area, Angel's relaxed nature was certainly helping.]

[Once the Hoothoot had been dispatched, Angel turned around, then huffed at Pokemon filming her. The Pokemon let out something like a laugh, dancing backward as the girl swiped at her. It didn't take long for either of them to collapse into the ground, sounds of mirth erupting from the two of them.]

Comments

voice.

[torsion]

Pretty interesting battle. You the sort who likes to study your moves?

[ And your cute pokemon. It's a pleasant change of pace to see something like that on video, really. After the past few years, it's just... nice to see someone enjoying themselves. ]

Action

[a_sin_for_him]

A bit cold to be outside, isn't it?

[Lust is a frequent visitor to the Ecruteak Inn, since Timothy more or less lives there. She doesn't tend to go out of her way to seek anyone else in the inn out, but when she sees Angel, she can't help but stop to visit with the girl for a bit.]

[Lust herself is bundled against the chill in an ankle length, hooded and fur lined gray coat.]

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[kissmyaspis]

... I thought people only eat that during the warmer months.

[Hey, Angel. It's your kinda-mom, staring with a raised eyebrow at the ice cream in your hand. It's not one of Athena's judgy looks, of course not, she's just... almost curious.]

Does the cold not bother you?

Video

[thedifferencebetween]

[Well look at that! His little girl's battling. And she's not too bad!]

Hey, Mari's getting pretty badass! That's some quality training and crap, good for you, sweetheart!

Video

[sunshineprincess]

[Color Anna impressed. She's done the battling thing over the past few weeks, but to see someone do it so effortlessly? It was enough to inspire her to try and reach that level of confidence.]

That was amazing!

Video;

[schachmeister]

Training hard?

[He sounds mostly amused, though politely so!]

Have you thought about maybe catching one of those? Hoothoots are really quite amazing.

[Yeah, okay, maybe he is biased cause his first pokemon was a hoothoot.]

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[radfield]

Nice job on those calls. Guess I oughta look to trainers like you when it comes to coordinating with their team. :)b

[ Chris had come across a few battles himself on his way out of New Bark Town, but majority of them were only kids starting the first leg of their journey. It was nice to see someone show him the ropes in a way. Not to mention he's pretty impressed with their teamwork. ]

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[dreamsofahero]

*Sion's been pretty busy lately, but Dusk simply insisted he take a break after work for a bit, which at the moment means taking a stroll around the city with the absol at his side*

Isn't it too cold to eat that?

[brokencode]

[[Hi I am so sorry I took so long to get to this. I turned off post notifications and... didn't see anything...]]

[By now, Angel was becoming less and less startled by people responding to Skagbait's posts. She simply gave the Riolu a playful prod, who returned the gesture with a playful sort of nip.]

Not... Not really, honestly. But then I haven't battled all that much either. When I did, they mostly worked for themselves. But I figure I can get stronger too, in some way, if I learn to study what the pokemon are doing.

Does that make sense?

[brokencode]

[Angel perked up almost immediately upon seeing the woman. She stood, handing the ice cream to the Furret. The second she turned her back, he gave it a handful of licks, before letting out a series of chitters, as if it were laughing.]

Miss Lust, I was not aware you were here! [She bounded over to the woman, only to stop sort of her. She wasn't sure if they were at the affectionate sort of stage. Nevertheless, the siren wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around the woman in a massive hug.]

[brokencode]

[Athena may well have been her mother, considering the fact that the girl shrank down like a scolded child. She glanced away rather sheepishly, studying a tree rather than taking in what she assumed would be a stern look.]

I feel the cold, if that's what you're asking. [She pantomimed a shiver, which, to her chagrin, manifested into a real one.] It probably isn't good for me but... I rather enjoy it. It's nice to just... feel, you know? Even if it isn't always the best sensation.

Her eyes drifted back to Athena, and she offered the woman a smile.]

Besides, it tastes really good, and I've never had it before. Imagine waiting until the summer months to try something this good. I... I don't think the weather should get in the way of enjoyment!

[brokencode]

[Despite the direction their conversations had been taking, Angel's first instinct was to flinch at the sound of Jack's voice. Picking up on her distress, both Skagbait and Mari stiffened, turning first to look at the 'gear, then to their trainer. She waved them both off with only a slightly troubled look.]

It's mostly her doing. She's incredibly smart. And anything she didn't know, she picked up from Skagbait. Her previous trainer really treated her well.

[brokencode]

[Angel turned to her 'gear, giving Skagbait a slightly critical, but mostly playful look. The Riolu placed a paw to her mouth and backed away. She'd leave her trainer to make friends alone.]

[As Angel settled into a more comfortable position, she lifted her device, bringing it up to her face and offering the witness a grateful smile.]

Do you really think so?

[brokencode]

[Angel lifted a hand, waving at the 'Gear. Skagbait glanced at it, recognizing the voice as the boy she had met a few weeks prior, then settled back down. There was no reason to worry over her trainer when it came to this conversation.]

I've been trying! [An arm lifted, flexing in the slightest, as if she had been the one doing all the work. A laugh followed.]

I've considered it, but I am at the maximum amount of Pokemon at present. I... don't feel right, sending them off to boxes.

sorry for the delay. I shut off notifications awhile back and forgot to turn them back on...

[brokencode]

[Angel couldn't help but laugh at the response. Her techniques had nothing on those of her friends, and certainly not like the trainers she'd seen on the television. If the man on the other end of the line thought she was impressive, then he would be downright awestruck soon enough.]

That is quite the joke. But I am afraid I am only just learning the ropes when it comes to working with my pokemon.

If I can recommend anything, it's that it's always best to listen to what your Pokemon are trying to tell you. It is in their genetic code to do this, I believe. Their instincts are better than ours.

[brokencode]

[A huff escaped Angel, resulting in a steam cloud rising from her lips. She looked up at the man with a playful scowl on her lips. She couldn't recall having spoken to him before, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. There were a lot of things in her first few days that she couldn't quite remember.]

[Regardless, even if she had, it seemed a little rude to come up and question her choices. She didn't feel bad making a few jabs back.]

I don't think it's ever too cold to enjoy something you love.

no need to apologize! you still replied back, right? :)

[torsion]

No, I get it. [ Her voice is soft, a little tired and strangely fond. ] I can't say I've done quite the same thing, but... people change and a way to adapt and learn is from what they see. Past decade, decade and a half I've become a lot stronger of a person because of the strength of my partners.

no way I wouldn't!! I've seen Jill about and I've been p. jazzed to talk to her

[brokencode]

[That... hit oddly close to home, actually.]

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're surrounded by brave individuals, isn't it? [If the Vault Hunters hadn't the courage to stand up to Jack, to keep going even after all their setbacks, then she could be brave enough to stand up to him as well. At least... that was what she had thought back home.]

[And everything had turned out alright in the end.]

tbh you have good timing i was extra lazy the past few days!!! angel's extra cute so i'm pretty hype

[torsion]

That's better than I could've put it. You're right.

[ Unfortunately, Jill just thinks he's a flirty kinda weird guy with terrible taste in music. ]

I've changed a lot. I wasn't exactly untrained in my early twenties or anything, but I had to adapt really quickly and find out what worked best for me. I'm a small woman and I think I focused on what ended up being right for me. Never bad with weapons or hand-to-hand, but I had to hone my skills and my body in a way I thought I might end up regretting.

[ Though that's something she realizes as she confesses it. She could've walked away or become a different person. Instead, she became a better version of herself. Maybe, anyway. The past three years have laid a lot of doubts in her. ]

It's... probably not something you'd tell a stranger if so, but you okay? Kinda get the sense that... I don't know. I guess I'm saying if you need help then I'm offering.

[ She's not sure with what, but there's this lost sound about her. ]

woohoo! go me. also thank you. Angel is the most precious

[brokencode]

Trained yourself...?

[Angel hadn't been feeling any worse for wear. Perhaps tired by the battle and subsequent rough housing, but certainly nothing more. Thing had been looking up in the past few weeks, perhaps even the past few months.]

[Things were even relatively decent with her father.]

[Yet the woman had brought up an interesting resurgence of emotions. She was right in assuming that Angel wouldn't talk about it, though certainly not for the reasons she might have thought. She'd been open about her experiences back home, simply for the sake of keeping the general public wary of Jack.]

[But it didn't feel appropriate at the moment. Not when things were going so well.]

You said you trained yourself in a way that fit your body type. Could you... could you perhaps teach someone else?

[She was absolutely avoiding the question, but hopefully she wouldn't get called out on it.]

only as well as someone writes her, if you get my drift! :>

[torsion]

[ The way she says it, Jill briefly worries she might have totally just confused what she meant. Maybe she had just been talking about pokemon, but as she carries on she very nearly sighs out of relief. She's friendly enough, but lately hasn't been quite on point with her conversation skills. ]

I occasionally do. I'm a founding member of an anti-bioterrorism group and though I typically work partnered in the field, I've been known to train rookies.

[ Not many are women and frankly, even if they were like her in stature it isn't always beneficial to work the same way. It takes years to learn to really flip or use your legs like some do arms and some just find it easier to focus on their body as a whole. Maybe she couldn't create someone who was exactly like herself, but much like learning styles of dance or any kind of martial art for show rather than offense and defense... it's always possible and it always helps when someone is there to force your body or correct form. ]

It's been a while, but I'm better with movements than words, I guess. [ She doesn't want to pry, but it does sound like she feels the need to know how to protect herself. ] I've been looking to spar, but teaching is just as well. Jill Valentine -- I mostly use kicks, but people don't expect a hard punch from you when you do that.

[ She laughs, even if it's hardly a joke. At least she seems to understand how the element of surprise works? ]

[kissmyaspis]

[... It's almost amusing, that Angel looks a little guilty over this. Not because of what she's doing, oh no, but it's just... coming from a world like Pandora, where even good people are capable of doing some pretty bad (or at least questionable) things... it's a little funny that someone would get nervous over food like that.]

You're simply enjoying something you were never able to indulge in back home. I suppose I can understand that. [She... won't touch on why. Of course not. She'll just take a seat next to Angel, watching her out of the corner of her eye. She saw the way the girl shivered...] Having an overabundance of foods that would be considered the highest luxury on Pandora will likely make one a bit... impulsive.

[But she totally wasn't like that when she first arrived. Nope. Not at all.]

[thedifferencebetween]

Well that's good, it doesn't always work out that way. With ones that had other trainers first, I mean. I got a couple of those and...sheesh. I can't even let one of'em out of his ball.

Ha! Skagbait.

[a_sin_for_him]

Just visiting my gentleman. I live in Goldenrod, it makes more sense for me to come here.

[She offers a smile and a speculative look at Angel's...enthusiasm. Lust's never certain what the social rules on physical contact are, either. She tends to avoid them easily enough, her friends and family don't tend to be very physically affectionate. Not in any seriousness.]

[schachmeister]

[Armin can't help but smile when she flexes her arm. She doesn't strike a very imposing figure, but then, neither does he. In fact, it is partially why he likes pokemon training so much. For once even he can be competitive without being held back by his weak body.]

I worry about that too at first. But then don't really seem to mind. I try and switch them around as often as I can, but it is easier when you are near a poke-centre.