|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 1:42:14 GMT -5
Rain poured down on Alyssa’s back as she left Fortree City. As soon as she’d taken off the ground, the sky opened. Typical of Hoenn, especially Fortree’s area, the tropical climate always gave the weather a perfect excuse to change on a dime. Now, however, the rain was colder, signifying the start of the change in the seasons. She urged Flygon to fly a bit faster, to get out of the cold as soon as possible. Just ahead of her own body, Flygon shook his head, his green antenna flicking from side to side as he re-directed his focus on the ground as he began to aim downwards for a landing. She’d not been flying on his back for a while, and luckily from Fortree City to Mauville City would only be a quick trip. They would make no stops along the way, making a straightforward trip. Flygon should have plenty of energy. We’ll be there in no time… Alyssa thought, her pale face being pulled into a smile, the expression reflected in her eyes. Her Pokémon was determined, and she was grateful for that. He deserved a reward, no matter how short the trip would be.
~*~*~*~*~
She felt her stomach flip a bit as Flygon angled more sharply downwards towards the mainland, the humming of his wings creating a soothing sound in spite of the sudden descent. Moments later, her Pokémon righted himself, hovering above the ground so she could dismount. Hopping off of his back easily, Alyssa sighed and looked up at him. His eyes remained clear thanks to the protective red lenses, but within them she could see his tiredness, probably because he had flown quicker than usual to get out of the cold rain. ”Flygon, return…” she said softly, holding out his pokeball. The dragon Pokémon vanished within a few seconds, leaving Alyssa standing alone in a city she’d not visited in a while. Well…I suppose it could be worse… she thought, shaking her head, sending water flying everywhere off of her white hair. Reaching down, she pulled the raincoat off of her body, as though it were an exoskeleton that could be shed easily. She turned the article of clothing inside-out so it wouldn’t get the other contents of her bag wet when she stuffed it in there, soon slinging it over her shoulder as she stood.
Glancing at her cell phone, Alyssa smilied a little. Hopefully Gold would be there shortly. They’d arranged to meet outside of the Pokemon Center, and probably have a drink or two as they got to know each other. Their first meeting had been hushed, low-key, and nearly ended in disaster before the two of them tore off in separate directions. However, he’d kept the paper she gave to him, and gotten in contact with her a short while later. From there, they’d arranged to meet up in Mauville and have a couple of drinks in the casino-city. Now all I have to do is wait… she thought, leaning against the building.
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 1:54:05 GMT -5
There was rain coming down in sheets in front of the trainer's eyes as he planted both hands firmly on Oracle's back, the pokemon grunting in grudging protest but doing nothing to stop him as they dipped lower in the skies. Of course, this was his first time doing this in a long time and the last time he had attempted to fly on the normally stoic Xatu's back it had ended in a crash landing that had hurt a hell of a lot more than it had when he had fallen out of trees when he was younger. Thankfully it had been in a grassy plain, and the place that had been his destination wasn't so far off that it really required any flying. Fortunately, or perhaps it was correct to say unfortunately, this time he wasn't so lucky. Mauville was a place that he wasn't the least bit familiar with - the map he had in his hand currently was one that he bought from some merchant on the side of the road[arceus knew if it was accurate or not] - and as far as Johto and Hoenn combined stretched...well, it wasn't a stretch to say that his legs were bound to break if he tried to bike his way across both regions to his destination.
Of course he had done all he could to minimize the aerial part of the travel; from his location in the middle of one of the many routes that spanned across the region he had taken up the his bike that folded into his backpack, travelling all the way to the edge of the forest before he got too tired to continue. From there, Flare had taken charge; usually, when he wasn't biking the pokemon was his usual method of travel and he had to admit that the weather had been quite caring for them this time, for while the sun had not shown, the clouds were few and there was no rain up until the very second that the two had reached the border of where Johto and Hoenn had met. And only then was he forced to take out the only pokemon he had that could fly. Of course, it'd only been a few minutes into the new region that they had begun to encounter the weather difficulties and while the psychic-flying type wasn't the ideal travelling companion the rain only seemed to further dampen his mood. Beak clacking in front of him almost the entirety of the time, Gold wasn't even sure where the heck they were anymore.
The map showed it was around here somewhere and he tapped the pokemon on the shoulder to signal decent, something they had both agreed was better than talking a long time ago and since the territory was unfamiliar to them, it was only natural that he have to signify where and when to land. It was an almost comforting sensation when the ground became visible underneath him and though his aviator goggles were covered with the rain that had drenched them in the middle of their travels he could clearly make out the landscape below. It looked familiar; he had asked along the way for others to describe the place to him and if the bright lights that lit up one particular building didn't scream 'casino' to him then he wasn't sure what did. This was the right place, it had to be.
Landing was the difficult part; he had experienced failure one too many times and had no intention of experiencing it one more time. But it was okay; he had had one of his brilliant flashes of inspiration awhile ago and certainly, it would work out great. "Stop here." He whispered to the Xatu even when they still hovered a good ten feet above the ground and ignoring the confusion that was on his pokemon's features, he got to his feet, promising silently that the full weight on the psychic-type's shoulders would only last for a split second.
His feet left solid ground - or in this case, feathers - and with a mighty leap, he began his own decent towards the ground, backpack and all. Of course, this had never been a good idea to begin with due to a little thing called gravity but he had always been one for new ideas and wacky tricks. It wasn't necessarily until he began to fall that he realized that it had been much too fast, and when he hit the ground it was a clumsy roll - one that attracted way too much attention than necessary - rather than a solid landing like he had anticipated. "Owowowow..." He muttered, rubbing where his head had grazed the ground, though it had been protected by his cap, aware of Oracle's sullen face staring down at him with an air of embarrassment. "Hey, it was worth a shot." He protested, grinning as the pain receded. Cats really were the only animals that could land on their feet after all.
He flicked his wrist to the pouch hanging by his side and recalled Oracle out of the air before even more attention was drawn to them and looked around, searching for the building and logo that he had visited plenty of times in Johto before - eight, to be exact. Even with the remains of rain still in his goggles he spotted it easily; the figure beside was easier to spot seeing as he recognized who she was this time. He grinned to himself - the phone in his pocket was snug and untouched by the rain - and gave himself credit for actually finding his way to the place without having to text her even once. As he strolled up to Alyssa he did his best to look casual despite the flecks of dirt that still specked his jacket and cap from his clumsy landing. "Am I late?" He asked with a grin, knowing fully well what the answer would be. |
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 1:54:56 GMT -5
Alyssa remained leaning against the wall of the Pokemon Center, scarcely paying attention to her own thoughts, even as she waited. Any time that lapsed between when she initially drifted off into the depths of her own mind didn’t register, and she remained in a half-trance state. Her long ponytail brushed against her back as she shifted. Although it was tied at the top of her head in a singular clump of hair, it fell to just below her shoulderblades. It wasn’t until her watch beeped that she realized she’d been standing there for ten minutes, staring at the sky as though she had nothing better to do.
That’s odd... she thought. Gold hadnt seemed to be the type of person to keep someone waiting. But then again, based on the impression Alyssa had gotten from the exchange of text messages Gold wasn’t all too familiar with Hoenn. How many times has he been here...? she wondered. Was this his first time coming to Hoenn? If it was, she felt a bit guilty. He hadn’t said anything against it, but if it turned out that it was his first time, she’d have to make it up to him somehow. She wouldn’t be able to just point to a map and explain stuff to him, or describe places. That would be stupid.
I’ll need to think of something...
A sizable shape was seen out of the corner of her eye, causing her to look up. She blinked a few times while trying to focus on it. It was a pokemon, that was for sure, Xatu probably. Although the shape was a bit distorted because of looking upwards towards the sun behind the bird, she felt sure it was a Xatu. From the looks of it, a trainer was on his back as well. The black silhouette appeared to have almost a teenage shape to it. However, a key point of it was the backwards hat and bangs sticking through them.
Gold...
The young man hopped off the pokemon’s back, with intentions to land on the ground. She watched him just before he leapt off, pushing herself off the building to walk forward, but stopped abruptly when the young man plummeted towards the ground. He was moving too fast, and his position wasn’t right to catch himself in a graceful landing from that height. She grimaced some as he hit the ground and tried to stop himself with a rather ungraceful roll.
She stared at him blankly, blinking a few times before raising a hand to her face, lightly placing the curve of her upper cheek and forehead in the palm of her hand, hiding her left eye behind her hand. Her pale face flushed with embarrassment as she stared at him. Gold sat up, rubbing his head and shouting a sheepish, defensive line at his pokemon, which seemed to be just as embarrassed as Alyssa. Gold turned after picking himself up and walked towards her, dirt coating his features. ”Am I late?” he grinned somewhat, as though he already knew the answer.
”Uh...” she said from behind her hand, the embarrassment still showing up as red patches on her cheeks, and evident in the slight grudging sound of her voice. ”Only...a bit.” she said. It was true, he wasn’t all too late. ”But...way to make an entrance...” she said, rubbing her hand against her forehead and pulling her bangs out of her eyes.
”Good to see you again...” she said, letting a smile spread on her face after the embarrassment lifted as she dropped her hand back to her side.
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 1:56:40 GMT -5
He should have been feeling sheepish, even embarassed of his little stunt; that is, if he was a normal trainer. However, seeing as he was Gold[meaning that he essentially did things his way whether people liked it or not] the trainer found it only necessary to cut some slack on himself for this little stunt of his. He shrugged his shoulders up and down, not bothered that he was tardy even though it was rather ungentlemanly to make a lady wait - though when he he ever been anything like a gentleman to begin with? - that grin still plastered to his features after that clumsy manuver that had only been exciting when he was in the moment like that. "Hey, that's the way I roll." He replied with earnest, adopting the same tone he had when Oracle had shown his own displeasure at the trainer through beady black eyes. "It's my way of doing things." A way that wasn't going to be changing anytime soon, he thought with a wide grin that showed anything but embarassment. It'd been a long time since his entrance had been so flashy that he almost felt nostalgic.
Despite everything that had already happened - and the things that were to happen - he felt much more relaxed than last time, that was for sure; then again, things were different than they were before especially seeing as they were in neutral territory instead of a place controlled by Lux. Not as good as Nox territory, but it was close enough. He wasn't too familiar with the place but hell, it was a lot better than Johto was at the moment. Most of the place was swarming with Lux, if not a complete battlefield, and only the routes were safe for a Nox member to relax. "It's good to see you again too." He put both hands around to the back of his head, careful to avoid the cap as he rocked backwards on his heels to take in the sorroundings a bit more now that he had landed. "Last time didn't really leave much room for chatter at all, did it?" He let out a short laugh, half-joking but half-wondering whether or not all missions were going to be that intense in the future. One thing was for sure; he was definitely not cut out for undercover missions. In the future, it was the straight on 'charge' tactic. Much safer, in his opinion, the best part being that there were no bartenders carrying around guns.
"So should we go inside to talk?" He directed a finger behind him to point at the building with the flashing lights to inquire if he was right about the assumption; neutral territory meant that Nox and Lux were free to come and go as they pleased but you could really never be too sure of who was watching - that was his motto, at least. The club, if it was anything like Blackthorn's, would be a good place to sit down and chat without too much trouble coming their way anytime soon. With some luck, the bartender this time wouldn't be completely insane this time, and he told himself that this time, he was getting a drink with a bit more kick. "Or are you going to show me around the place first?" His grin grew wider; honestly, they weren't close enough to really be called friends yet but things just came to him instinctively. He shrugged his shoulders up and down again, that almost mocking smile still on his features as he waited for her response. Hell, she was going to have to get used to that if they were ever going to become anything other than just mission partners. |
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 1:57:34 GMT -5
Alyssa felt a small smile pull at her lips when Gold spoke. ”It’s good to see you again, too.” He took a more relaxed position, hands crossed behind his head and observing his surroundings. It reminded Alyssa of something he’d done on their mission together – sitting in the chair at their table and rocking back haphazardly on the legs of the wooden chair until it propped against the wall at an angle that probably would have held had he kept it up. He was observing his surroundings – smart enough of him to do – if this was indeed his first time to the area. ”Last time didn’t really leave much room for chatter at all, did it?” Alyssa smiled a bit wider, pulling her lips closed in an almost softer expression than the grin that left her lip arched above her teeth. She shook her head in agreement. That mission could have very well ended in disaster if they had been careless in what they were doing, and not paying attention to their surroundings.
Alyssa had definitely not expected the bartender, of all people, to be the biggest Lux supporter in that crowd, much less carrying a gun. The white-haired trainer remained quiet as she waited for Gold to continue, not wanting to risk cutting him off until she felt sure he was done.
”Should we go inside to talk?” he pointed at the building behind her, which was probably the most lively place in the City. Although she already knew both which building he was referring to, and further what the building looked like, she glanced over her shoulder anyway. It was simply a habit, to look where people were pointing. She opened her mouth to speak, but then quickly clamped it shut again as he spoke. She hadn’t expected him to continue after asking the question. ”Or are you going to show me around the place first?” She remained quiet for half a minute longer, his grin widening on his face only supported her feeling that he was done…for sure, this time.
”Well…” she said, tucking her hands into her pockets smoothly. ”That depends…” she said. ”Would you rather talk or learn a bit about the place? I can tell you one thing, from here you’re left with not much else but Routes for a while. To the North is Route 111 and a desert, to the South is Route 110 and Cycling Road, look West and get Route 117 with Verdanturf Town at the end of it, then finally go East and you have Route 118. This City may be hopping when it comes to gambling, drinks and entertainment, but it’s not surrounded by much. Heck, half the people that pop by are friends of Wattson’s – the gym leader – or Rydel’s – the bike shop owner.”
She gave him a small smile, rubbing the back of her neck, almost as though she were nervous about having given such a detailed answer. ”Unless you want to walk a fair bit I’d say we head on to the bar, eh?”
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 1:58:33 GMT -5
Truthfully, he hadn't really been expecting that she actually tell him all about the place but had to admit that once he listened a bit closer, it was quite helpful. From the moment he had entered Hoenn he hadn't stepped foot on solid ground until that exact moment and needless to say, he had been concentrating more on how not to crash land than actually looking at the routes below. The map was helpful in the sense that it allowed him to pinpoint his landing destination perfectly but as of the moment he only knew that this was where he was supposed to be and the sorroundings didn't matter all that much. Hell, he didn't even remember the name of the place he was currently at and even though he was fairly positive that it would only take one glance at the cell phone in his pocket to confirm such, the trainer simply didn't feel like doing so. All he had to remember was that it was a bar of some sort, didn't he? Simple. Gold grinned a sort of mocking grin, rocking back and forth on his heels impatiently and casting a wary glance at the darkening sky. From the looks of things, he was going to need all the help he could get for that long flight home. Of course, once the border from Hoenn to Johto was crossed he was fine on his own but the prospect of crash landing was increased at least two-fold when there was the threat of rain. At least, that was the way he saw it.
"I'll stick with talking, but thanks for the offer." He responded to her statement plaintively and without much seriousness in his tone of voice but he had taken care to keep track of what she had said - snippets here and there - so that he could plan the fastest route home after everything was settled. He chuckled to himself slightly, intrigued by the mention of a bike shop that was located not too far from the city itself. The rusty fold-up bike in his backpack had served him well over the years - and was still in top shape, to say the least - but he wanted more power, more speed to bike farther distances without having to rely on his pokemon all the time. Perhaps this...Rydel would have the solution that he sought. Of course this was all speculation and he reminded himself that there was a more pressing matter at hand; the main reason he had hiked all the way from Johto in the first place.
He showed his support to her last statement by nodding his head in agreement and though he wasn't quite so sure on what it was that they were going to talk about, it had always been his number one motto to wing things and go from there. "Sounds like a plan." Part of his lip curved upwards into a small smile that eventually worked its way up into another one of his famous smirks; one minute he was there and the next second, Gold Harberlein was pelting down the streets, his hair blown back by the air resistance as his eyes fixed on the building with the flashing multi-colored lights. For a split second, the trainer looked over his shoulder, flicking his aviator goggles over his eyes again as he smirked at Alyssa. "Race you there!" Well, it wasn't necessarily fair now that he had gotten a head start but then again, wasn't it smart to always be prepared for anything? |
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 2:00:03 GMT -5
Alyssa smiled a bit as he decided to pass up being shown the general area. Good choice, in her mind. She truthfully hadn’t been much in the mood for giving him a tour of the surrounding area, especially since, like she said, it mostly consisted of Routes. Personally, she didn’t want to walk up and down Routes with no real purpose other than simply walking to show. There wasn’t much, really...probably the most notable thing to the North was the Winstrate Family – they were good battles for younger trainers and pokemon that were more or less starting their journey. Alyssa had defeated them easily, seeing as she challenged them shortly after Wattson and she had an Espeon instead of an Eevee.
If Gold was truly the trainer she’d heard about in Johto, he would have absolutely no problem sweeping the family of four. Unless of course they’ve toughened their pokemon for a time of war... she reminded herself silently. If that was the case they might actually present a bit more of a challenge than they had years back. She put her hands in her pocket when he agreed that it would be best to head right to the bar. The white-haired trainer was only able to take a step before he gave her a smirk. What’s with that face? she wondered for a moment before he took off. Alyssa stood, mid-step in confusion and blinking after him as he tore through the road in Mauville towards the casino-bar.
He looked over his shoulder as he ran, shouting a challenge out to her. ”Race you there!” She remained near-dumbfounded in surprise for a moment before she shrugged, smirking herself and trembling with a small bout of silent laughter. He was energetic as ever, moreso than she’d seen in a number of trainers recently. I wonder how old he is... she asked herself, before taking her hands out of her pockets and taking after him at a light run. He seems not to be any more than a couple years younger than me... she figured, But this energy and general attitude he’s showing is comparable to that of a teenager..
She figured he was about twenty-four at best. Maybe I’ll think of a way to ask... she thought as she continued after him, catching up quickly before overtaking him by a hair only feet before they reached the entrance of the casino. Alyssa skid to a quick halt and stood, panting slightly and laughing a bit. ”For the record that wasn’t fair in the slightest.” she said with a grin. She looked at the bouncer, who was eying them suspiciously. Their dash to the casino had probably made them appear yougner than they really were based simply on their actions.
”....er. We’re old enough for access, I swear.” she told him, grinning a bit sheepishly. When he didn’t budge, her eyes narrowed. I guess I still pass for a teenager, then.. she figured. In truth she shouldn’t complain, but at times like this it was annoying. She sighed and reached into the zip pouch of the bag on her back, pulling out the clutch-like object that contained her Trainer I.D. card and all the badges she’d ever earned – all thirty-two to be exact, not including the four badges from the Orange Archipelago (which were there also) – and her Battle Frontier Symbols, both the Silver and Gold.
"You should really let us through. My word should be good enough for that."
The bouncer gave a flustered apology when he recognized her name, paling slightly as he looked between the picture on the ID and her face. She knew displaying her I.D. was what some would consider an unnecessary risk, but she had no other form of identification - therefore, without it she wouldnt have been able to get in the casino-bar. Whether he was Lux or Nox she didn’t care, it would be stupid of him to try attacking her if he was actually Lux. She closed the clutch-like object and nodded to Gold, gesturing inside.
”C’mon, let’s go. I’m rather thirsty.”
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 2:00:48 GMT -5
It wasn’t a good idea to challenge someone to a race when you were in unfamiliar territory; he realized this both too late and only after she had overtaken him did he realize that it hadn’t been one of his better ideas, just like his entrance[though that was pretty flashy, if he didn’t say so himself]. It had only been sheer luck that he hadn’t taken a wrong turn down some completely opposite road on the way to the flashing building in the distance; of course if he had the distance between them when the ‘race’ was finished would have been much more than just a step away. The time that he had spent calling the challenge over his shoulder, coupled with her quick reaction and that brief spurt of hesitation at whether or not he had made it to the right building had guaranteed the win. The trainer grinned to himself and laughed as he skidded to a halt beside her at the entrance, flicking his goggles off with a swift movement and twirling the headgear on one finger. “Hey, winners shouldn’t complain.” Of course, if it had been in Johto, his territory, things would have been different but he wasn’t one for being a sore loser. Besides, there’d been a valuable lesson to be learned in every loss, and this one was no different; prepare before pulling a fast move on others was what he’d learned this time, and with a slight narrow of his eyes he filed away the information for future use. Never hurt to be too careful.
Once he had settled down enough to actually wonder why they weren’t going in already he noticed, for the first time, the man standing at the entrance of the door, glaring at the two of them with suspicious eyes that warned him that they weren’t going to get off easy unless they explained themselves, and quick. Of course, the fact that he had pulled that same red hood over his head again wasn’t helping; he’d looked like a gagster the last time and even minus the sunglasses, this time wasn’t much different. He glanced at Alyssa, trying to catch her eye and ignore the nagging feeling in his gut that they should just power on through by force and face the consequences afterwards. This was her turf – quite literally, actually – and something told him that she wasn’t going to be pleased when one of his little antics wrecked the entire Casino to high heaven. He’d let her decide how to take care of things; from what he had seen she was more than capable of handling a small situation like this without force.
The first plea failed but he waited patiently, and though he had expected her to do something brilliant like one of the five leaders should have, the faint light glinting off so many small medals was the last thing that he had expected to grant them access inside. That was going to be him one day; the only way to become champion of champions was to gain all of the badges in the region like the ones that were already safely in Alyssa’s badge case, as he’d come to know it as. Not yet. He reminded himself, biting his lower lip. He wasn’t ready yet, even though he’d succeeded in taking down team rocket. There was still a long way to go before he was satisfied with his own progress.
“I’m with her.” He muttered and gave a mocking grin at the bouncer as if daring him to do something, following Alyssa into the bar and not looking back. When they were safely inside, he looked around almost immediately, curious as to how the bars in Hoenn contrasted with those in Johto. Of course, the interior was much more upgraded and the slot machines were far more advanced than Blackthorn would ever had; then again, the city was a more rural place and it was otherwise the same; or similar looking, he didn’t bother going into those details for the time being. Once they were settled on a comfortable place at the bar he gestured the bartender over with a hand and paused; the time the man took to get over was all the time that he had but then again, it was more than enough. “Now then,” He slammed his hand onto the table, careful not to make too much noise. “You know who I am already. I’ll confirm it, just in case.” The cap on his head was turned to the front; he took it between his two fingers and turned it so that it was backwards once more. Two of his bangs hung to cover his forehead and minus the sunglasses, he looked exactly as he had the day of their mission. The trainer grinned, finally showing both rows of teeth as he twirled a lock in his fingers before finally letting it drop. “Gold Harberlein of Johto. Nice to meet ya.”
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 2:01:34 GMT -5
Alyssa stepped in to the bar soon after the bouncer let them pass. She heard Gold murmur to the burly man outside, in a way that almost made it sound like he was smirking at the man for being proven wrong based on the assumptions they were to make as a part of their job. Although he probably could have been intimidated into letting them through because of her status, she preferred not to use that as a way to get places unless it was necessary. Plus, she was still getting used to the title for it had only recently been delivered to her. The casino lights flashing from the slot machines and other gambling games and tables set her white hair alight with the colors bouncing off of it. For a moment it made her think of white light, and how it split into all the different colors human eyes were able to see. However, she soon shook the thought from her head. That was a similarity that a young child would draw, probably accompanied by a small outburst of a mild-mannered joke about her hair being like a prism.
Alyssa didn’t see it like that in the least. Truthfully, she still wasn’t fond of the fact that her hair was white before she was even thirty.
She’d hated it when the brown first started getting replaced white coloring. Of course, she hadn’t been able to watch the progress of her bangs turning white, seeing as they were bleached as soon as the light from Daybreak’s evolution faded, but the rest of her hair was slowly overtaken by white coloring relatively quickly – no more than two years. She recalled hiding it as much as possible up until the time she was about nineteen and finally figured there was nothing she could do about it, so she stopped trying to do so. It had definitely been difficult trying to explain to people what the deal with her hair was. However, Wattson seemed to take it better than others, probably because he was the one right there when it first happened.
Alyssa remembered his reaction to this day – the confusion that spread across his face, but was quickly replaced by laughter, accompanied by the sound as well. It had been a hearty laugh, and he’d thanked her after she defeated him in battle for such the laugh.
She had barely even realized it when she slid into a seat at the bar, Gold beside her. He gestured to the bartender before dropping his hand to the bar, the wood beneath his hand resounding sturdily with the slap he delivered to it. She glanced down at his hand once before looking back up at him, into his eyes. They were a brilliant golden color that had previously been hidden by dark sunglasses last time they met. The hood slid off his head with the momentum from the slap he delivered to the bar. ”You know who I am already. I’ll confirm it, just in case.”
So, her guess had been fairly accurate, then? Awesome. She grinned slightly, glancing over at the bartender walking towards them that had been summoned forth. ”Gold Harberlein of Johto. Nice to meet ya.” She nodded some and opened her mouth to speak before she was silenced by what seemed like the materialization of the bartender waiting for their order for the first round of drinks. She glanced at Gold before looking at the bartender to place her order, seeing as he seemed to be waiting on her first rather than Gold.
”I’ll have a Dark & Stormy, please.” she glanced at the selection of various fruits behind the counter that could be used to add some flair to the drinks. ”Garnished with lime, pineapple, and orange wedges.” The tender hesitated before nodding, looking at Gold. He took the order before leaving to make their drinks, letting the two Nox members alone again.
”Once I got a better look at you last time, I had a feeling you were the trainer I’d heard so much about when I took on Johto.” she said with a grin. ”Good to meet you too…officially, that is.” she told him with a smirk. ”As I told you before, m’name’s Alyssa Akiyama. You’ve…probably heard of me before.” she said with a bit of a grin. Aside from our last meeting… she added silently, hoping that much would be assumed. Since they had last met, she’d been promoted to the ranks of one of the five leaders. As a Nox member, he most definitely heard about that, seeing as it had been at least a week and with something as important as that, word got around the pokemon world quick.
”Hopefully this time we won’t have to high-tail it out of here, huh?” she asked with a grin as their drinks were set before them.
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 2:02:24 GMT -5
Even as he finished uttering the last word the bartender came over; the young man was pleased that he had managed to get that all in the short period of time but was slightly disappointed that he wasn’t going to get an answer from Alyssa until their orders had been taken, it seemed. The bartender took her’s first and while he was at it, the trainer observed the man quietly, the memory of the run-in at Blackthorn still freshly embedded into his mind. Even though this was neutral territory there was always the fact that this was no place for Nox alone; Lux members wouldn’t necessarily attack but they would still be listening; it was a good thing that they weren’t discussing anything crucial to either side or they would surely have to be wary of the man again. “English Rose for me.” He replied simply, not mincing words when the bartender looked his way after Alyssa had finished ordering because he was eager to have him leave so that the two of them could be out of range of a pair of staring eyes. “Garnish it with the regular.” Finished with what he wanted to say, the trainer reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of coins, flipping a few on his finger before stacking them up neatly in front of the bartender, who looked at him almost quizzically, asking the silent question of why there was so many in the almost ‘pile-like’ structure Gold had created. “’s for both of ours.” He grinned and the bartender seemed to understand, sweeping up the coins and putting them into a pocket in his dark, black jeans. He nodded once at him, and then disappeared to the other side of the bar to take more orders and make their orders as well.
They weren’t being watched now; he slid lower in his seat and had half a mind to kick his feet up onto the bar counter; heck, if it hadn’t been for the fact that he remembered there was nothing to lean on he would have done just that. Instead, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of the red hoodie he wore and turned his attention to Alyssa. “Likewise.” He waited until she had finished her own introduction to start talking again, conscious that it wasn’t very polite to interrupt her in the middle of a sentence. Of course, he already knew exactly who she was even before the meeting, partly from the small note she had scribbled to him at the end of the last mission and partly from the rumors and chatter that had reached his ears from the conversations of Nox members. It was true that he didn’t have many true friends in the organization – just trainers here and there that could tolerate him as acquaintances – but it was hard to keep out gossip, and the organization had been buzzing about the new promotion, seemingly only one make it to one of the ‘five leaders’ of Nox so far for what had seemed like many days now. He didn’t know her face but the name had been given and with the information on the napkin he had recognized the name after staring at the two words for the remainder of the day, after the mission had been finished. Instead of agreeing right away, however, he gave an elaborate shrug of his shoulders. "Just...here and there. Lots of gym badges, Hoenn's Abyss..." His casual expression curved itself into another smirk as he leaned further backwards on his chair. "How you're the Hoenn region Nox leader...the usual." He wondered for a second if this meant that he had to call her 'boss' or something along those lines. He didn't necessarily like the idea, but if it was required then there wasn't much of a choice, now was there?
He looked around the bar for a bit; while it was a lot bigger than the one in Blackthorn and much more populated just the fact that it was neutral territory gave him a look-see at a much less tense atmosphere. While the people were the same and the bar as well as the dance floor remained unchanged[there were upgraded slot machines and roulettes, but that was another story] there was much less chance of them being chased out or shot, that much was for sure. "Hopefully not." He responded with a laugh, tapping his finger idly on the bar counter in a steady rhythm, concious that it was a bit on the irritating side after awhile. "Though I gotta admit, I thought it was pretty exciting." Even though there had been that risk of danger once he had gotten over it, the experience had almost seemed close to fun, really. "Got the adrenaline pumping and everything, yeah?"
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Dec 10, 2011 2:03:01 GMT -5
Alyssa allowed herself to smile a bit as he spoke. Here and there, huh? she wasn’t too surprised with that. He was from Johto, after all, and her name through Nox hadn’t been made until quite recently. However, were he from Hoenn, she was convinced that would have been a different story. She’d made a point at the start of her ventures to become an even more well-known trainer than the Champion of the region. Through her exhasting quest of conquering the region’s eight gyms, she’d managed to start paving the way for that to happen. By the time she’d swept through the other regions and toppling the gyms there as well and returned to Hoenn, she was no longer sipmly the ‘trainer that wanted to be famous’. That much had made her happy, and inspired her to train harder than ever before for a couple of years before taking on the Pokemon Leagues...but then she’d never gotten the chance thanks to the war. It doesn’t mean I’ve given up on that dream, though.. she thought, clenching her fist by her leg as she thought when he finished speaking.
Looking up to movement out of the corner of her eye, she nodded a little as the bartender placed their drinks on the coaster before them. He pushed the drinks in their direction before looking to them for anything else, possibly a bite to eat? Nah... she thought, shaking her head slightly and giving him a wave to send him off. Not now, at least. She glanced at Gold before pulling her glass closer to her, and picking the toothpick off the rim and admiring the three pieces of fruit skewered onto it. Although she didn’t get the chance to eat it often, fruit was perhaps one of her favorite things to eat. She couldn’t lay her finger on it, but did she really need to? No... Her eyes followed Golds to the back of the bartender before she looked back at him. He was remembering the mission too, probably. In the more or less ‘neutral’ – though truly disputed – territory they were in now, it was only moderately safe for a member if they were with somebody else. However, were they alone, it would be a different story. Luckily, Mauville wasn’t as war-torn as other disputed areas, so that gave it a bit of safety as well.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Alyssa raised the toothpick to her lips and bit down on the pineapple, sliding it off of the wooden skewer before chewing it and looking at him. Mauville... she thought silently. I’ll need to assign some others the job of establishing a Nox base here to make a statement of where I stand...it’s long overdue... She looked up at Gold and swallowed the piece of fruit. ”Well it may have been exciting..” she told him, raising her glass to her lips to wash down the fruit. ”...but not necessarily the kind of exciting I tend to look forward to...” she returned his smirk and took the first sip of her drink. Ginger-y, flavorful, and on the ‘wake-up-call’ side of things. Good, as always...
She couldn’t think of a time when she’d ever been disappointed by a Dark & Stormy. However, she greatly prefered fruity, sweeter drinks. That might be my next one... she said, smiling a little as she kept in mind that she should go from a more bitter flavor to a sweeter one. A better treat for the tongue.
”Eh, I wouldn’t say I’m totally used to that title and the job that comes with it yet...” she said, smiling almost nervously and taking another quick sip of her drink before setting it down. ”Give me another week and I’ll probably be more into the groove of things.” She tapped her fingers at the side of her glass, her nails clicking as they struck the object. ”Thanks for buying the first round, too.” she told him, smiling some, looking at him almost sideways through her bangs. ”It was generous of you.” She had a feeling that the actual motive for his actions was the actually the fact that she had bought theirs back in Blackthorn.
”Oh, by the way...” she said, looking at him, her smile shifting more into one that would be seen on the face of an adult, possibly, when they were complimenting a child. ”...I heard about your victory in the Battle of Olivine...” she kept her voice relatively quiet, in case there did happen to be Lux members around and they were still touchy about the victory Nox had attained with special thanks to Gold, the young man Silver she had worked with, and herself. ”You did a good job. I’m pretty sure your name won’t be forgotten...”
By either side... she added silently.
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Jan 7, 2012 20:46:25 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=CellPadding,4,true][atrb=CellSpacing,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,width: 400px; padding: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 18px; color: f0f0f0; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background-color: 81A8B8;]CODED BY TSU DOLL OF LOVE STAMP | | [atrb=valign,center][atrb=style, padding: 20px; background-color: FDFCF7;] [style=width: 350px; height: 250px; background-image: url('http://i.imgur.com/0ce3F.png'); font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; overflow: auto; padding: 15px; color: 81A8B8;]The bartender returned with their drinks almost as soon as he had finished uttering the last few words; Gold also shook his head at the silent question of getting something else to go with them but as soon as the bartender gave Alyssa her drink he had another one of his 'bright ideas' and, without even considering what consequences it had in store he put his arm up in the air and gestured for the bartender to throw his drink instead of passing it over like they normally did. There was a second's silence, followed by something whirling through the air and he barely, barely caught the glass in his outstretched hand, fingers grasping the slippery sides as he put it on the table as gently as he possibly could - but not before a few splatters of the alcohol got onto the counter and making a rapidly spreading small puddle. Golden eyes stared at the liquid for a moment and after a second had passed the young man shrugged, tugging at of the sleeves to his red hoodie and hurriedly wiping at the thing without so much of a second glance. But hey, he was a guy; guys could do these types of things without being judged by too many people. Whatever that meant(he wasn't quite sure why ladies couldn't do that too but it was a 'girl' thing the last time he'd asked).
As he fingered at his own drink eyes drifted over to where Alyssa was; she had ordered something different from him and while he preferred to just go ahead and drink his drink along with the garnish(sooner or later the drink would take whatever fruit was there along with it and both of them would enter his mouth at the same time) and it was only for a second that the teen considered chugging the entire thing there and now but thinking better of it a second later. He had seen where that led him the last time they had met and since he was one of the more 'new' drinkers, having just hit the age of twenty-one it was only reasonable. Then again, he wondered how Alyssa could hold her alcohol so well. Perhaps she had been practicing? The trainer kicked himself mentally for thinking such thoughts for a moment but he paused, seriously pondering the thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and deciding to kick that out of his train of thought along with the billion and one other useless things this new 'strategical thinking' thing had brought along, one elbow resting on the counter aimlessly as he chewed on the toothpick like a hillbilly.
"...Huh?" Murmuring lightly he sat up straighter, suddenly aware that she had spoken without his knowledge and despite the fact that his eyes were on her, his brain was somewhere else altogether. "Er.." He frowned, remembering some words and trying to piece everything together. "Hey, take what you can get, right?" He grinned, shrugging his shoulders up and down as fingers reached for the semi-small glass to take a sip of the drink. "I dunno about you, but with the exception of all of those territorial claims nothing exciting's really happened to me." All the war seemed to do was separate him and his friends; the teenager had not run into any Lux members on the roads and though part of him wanted to stay clear the other part - the immature part that would probably remain so forever - wanted to battle someone, then beat them and become wanted or something, y'know? It would be the perfect opportunity to finally test out the extent of his abilities and see just what he needed to work on to become the best of the best. But then again, now that he thought about it, perhaps there was more than enough excitement being one of the Nox leaders - the young man's vision of things was some underground organization that sought out wanted Lux members or something to that extent - so that little skirmish hadn't been anything new to Alyssa. Yeah...a small smile curved on his lips; that had to be it.
"Really?" The trainer started, somewhat genuine curiosity prickling at his features as he stared at her, not quite understanding the meaning of those words. "Seemed to me like you knew what you were doin' back there." Leadership sounded pretty exciting but it seemed to him that it came with a whole lot of work as well. Though there was the power to command over many of the Nox units - as many as there were in Hoenn, anyways - it seemed like a heck of a lot of responsibility that he wasn't sure he himself could handle. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Alyssa and looking her up and down and eventually coming at the conclusion that she looked like she fit the role quite well despite what she had said; perhaps it was just modesty or something. Again, another 'girl' thing that he still had yet to get. "No sweat." The trainer muttered, nudging her slightly with an elbow as he did with most of his other 'friends' and smirking. "You bought the last round and this time I did. Now we're even." Of course his actual reason for buying the drinks wasn't completely because of that but things like that didn't fit into this kind of conversation so he left it at that, drumming his fingers silently and wondering, somewhere in the back of his head, just how many Lux members were really here in neutral territory. "You really think so?" Unconsciously he felt his ego swelling again, a habit he had still been unable to break even after all these years of training, as he grinned, breaking his staring to look behind his shoulder for a split seconds, lest any Lux members heard and became disgruntled over the fact. Most of the barbarians he had met were more violent that Nox and being neutral territory, there was no telling if one of them felt gutsy enough to outright attack. But there was none, and a second later he turned around without so much as another thought about it, taking a sip of the drink almost unconsciously as he wondered what out of the dozens of things he wanted to ask her he would question about first.
A second later he made his decision(Gold Harberlein was not one that took time to think things over, thus his hesitation with decisions was never more than a second or two). "So...." He began, landing his palm on the counter with a light thud sound that was barely heard in the chatter and commotion inside the bar. "What's it like being Nox leader? I heard its a whole new kind of 'exciting'." Literally speaking he had no idea what it was like being one of the leaders but there had been rumors here and there about things you did, the dibs you got with the other 'higher-ups'. He grinned a wide grin. "Truth or lie?" The trainer asked. It was time to hear the truth with his own ears instead of being handed down the information from some damn gossipers that didn't even know what they were talking about half the time.
[/style] | [atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 18px; color: f0f0f0; background-color: 81A8B8;][style=float: left; background-color: FDFCF7; padding: 10px; margin-right: 5px;] [/style]NOTES, A MIRRION AND ONE YEARS LATER.
Here you go. A post with Gold stareeeeeing at Alyssa. B]
TAGS, Alyssa ! |
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Jan 15, 2012 21:40:00 GMT -5
Alyssa had smirked a bit at Gold’s antics as he caught his drink but wound up splattering some of the liquid splattered on the bar. He had hasitly cleaned it up but she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. The way he behaved reminded her of some of the boys she’d met as a teenager that had let her come along once or twice to dinner if they were ever in the same city. The only reason she’d managed to prove herself to them was through defeating them in battle. It wasn’t as though she’d strived to fit in with them, it was that every once in a while it was nice to have a normal meal with people her age.I suppose that reminded me a bit of myself as well... she thought, reflecting on it. I wouldn’t have had a problem doing that. Of course, I probably wouldn’t have much of one now other than I guess I have an image to build and maintain. I won’t let that affect Gold, though...she reminded herself, smiling slightly before she looked back at her drink.
”I duno about you, but with the exception of all those territorial claims nothing exciting’s really happened to me.”
Judging by that statement he seemed to be the sort of person that thrived off of high-energy excursions and hairy situations that got one’s adrenaline pumping. A sense of adventure coupled with what she could tell was determination within him, as well as a courageous heart. He is one of the famous trainers from Johto...he helped drive Team Rocket from the region if I recall correctly... she mused slightly, looking back at him. She could tell he was looking at her, though she made a point to seem like she was concentrating on a spot over his shoulder rather than him himself.
She allowed herself to smirk a bit when he commented on her claimed ‘comfort level’ with her status as one of the five leaders. It was still a relatively short time ago that she gained the appointment to the ‘Leader’ status, and she still didn’t see herself as a Leader. I only want to purge Hoenn of Lux... she thought, stroking the sides of her drink as she turned her cerulean gaze back to it. My home...both region and home town are fair game for Lux. Well...Verdanturf is already under Lux’s wing. Unfortunately.
She sighed a bit, smiling somewhat to herself, though it had a distinctly sad tinge to it. It would be a while yet before she could go home, seeing as her parents were faithful Lux supporters and two of the biggest names in the town. It was a tiny town, anyway, so it wasn’t hard to make a name for yourself. The sooner it gets re-claimed by Nox, the sooner it will be possible for me to go home. However, I think that my parents would have to leave in order for my life to no longer be threatened if I come close to the Verdanturf border...
She looked back at Gold and looked him up and down carefully for a moment after he asked his question. His eager attitude to learn more was a bit endearing, and she couldn’t help but smile a little. He’s cute... she thought. It was true. He reminded her of a gutsy teenager that wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. He sounds kind of like me... she thought, grinning some before considering how to answer his question. Within moments she had her answer.
”Well, Gold...” she said, propping her chin on top of her hand to lean against the counter. ”Truly, it depends on your definition of ‘exciting’. So far it’s remained similar to what I did as a soldier...I just have a bit more paperwork and a heavier sense of responsibility.” she paused, before adding, ”Also, I have more of an image to upkeep than I did previously. It’s almost like it restrains you, but at the same time grants you a level of freedom you can exercise to any extent. However, you need to think what is acceptable and what isn’t. If you like heavy sense responsibility you could compete for the spot as a Leader. Otherwise, you’re better off becoming close friends with a Leader to see where that gets you.”
She sipped her drink before continuing.
”However, if you have enough of it, determination can almost outweigh any cost of becoming a Leader.”
|
|
|
|
Post by KANE on Feb 21, 2012 21:14:06 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=CellPadding,4,true][atrb=CellSpacing,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,width: 400px; padding: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 18px; color: f0f0f0; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background-color: 81A8B8;]CODED BY TSU DOLL OF LOVE STAMP | | [atrb=valign,center][atrb=style, padding: 20px; background-color: FDFCF7;] [style=width: 350px; height: 250px; background-image: url('http://i.imgur.com/0ce3F.png'); font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; overflow: auto; padding: 15px; color: 81A8B8;]Paperwork? The trainer made a face at that one, eyes narrowing briefly in displeasure at the thought before everything was normal again, taking a sip of his drink as he continued to listen to her explain the role of being a region leader. He'd always thought that the leaders of the regions got to participate in much more of the 'inside' aspects of the organization itself, first dibs on upcoming fights and getting to plan out invasions and stuff like that. Of course, there was also the matter of paperwork(arceus knew what that was about but he wasn't about to question something coming from a first-hand experience), but surely there was a lot more of the sense of battling for them than there was such boring things like that, surely? The thought of the responsibility was also one of pressing matter to the young man, who usually tended to never do good under situations like that, didn't like having other people depending on him. No pressure or anything, you know? Those were the kinds of situations that he hated with a sort of burning passion - not that he was going to say that out loud, of course.
But why was he even thinking of it this way? As much as he wanted to know about the experience of being leader, the first comparison that came into mind after even briefly imagning himself as leader was a train wreck - a complete scene of chaos that would take forever to piece back together. Being leader demanded a variety of character traits - leadership, being able to think for the good of a whole rather than yourself and more importantly, maturity. It was just something that he just didn't think that he had; having a one-track mind would probably lead to him guiding Nox members to their death instead of further helping the organization, and as for upholding an image - it was embarassing to admit, but he just didn't care enough about that to have an image to begin with. The only thing that was ever on the trainer's own agenda was to make himself famous, out there for the entire world to know as long as it wasn't an embarassing event. He wanted to be the best of the best, and worrying about some image wasn't going to get him there anytime soon, that much was for sure. A champion of champions...the words rolled off his tongue and he relished them by licking his lips slightly, concealing the mouthed words by taking another sip of his drink as he realized that he'd missed another good part of her sentence after the whole 'having an image to keep up' part. "...Nah, I'll pass. 'Don't really think the job is suited for me." He responded, shrugging his shoulders for a second as his eyes followed hers almost simultaneously as she looked him over, wondering what she thought of him along with a dozen of other questions that he still needed to ask her. Damn, was the alcohol getting to him again? His thought process felt kind of...well, strange.
So with whatever was left of his thought process the young man did the only reasonable thing that came to his mind - address all of her points with his own opinion while also taking the opportunity to ask her some of the other questions that were in his mind(while hopefully not making a fool of himself in the process, of course, but that was beside the point). "It sounds a bit different from what it's like just being a normal member," He mumbled under his breath, cracking an almost mischievous smile at her(though he had no idea why). "But I guess what matters the most at the end is still who ends up on top, yeah?"
So he'd answered everything that he felt the need to answer now - now that that was done, the young man found it only necessary to move on to some of his own questions - ones that he was very curious to know the answers to. "Is that from first-hand experience?" He blurted out, only conscious as to how awkward that sounded after the words had left his lips. Arceus I hope this shit wears of soon... He thought to himself, yet still took another sip of the alcohol clasped in his palm. Not like it really mattered now, right?[/style] | [atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=style,padding: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 18px; color: f0f0f0; background-color: 81A8B8;][style=float: left; background-color: FDFCF7; padding: 10px; margin-right: 5px;][/style]NOTES, I finally got this done. 
TAGS, Alyssa ! |
|
|
