Duplicates? ;; Hoenn ;; Aris

[KANE]

Jan 15, 2012 22:56:34 GMT -5 @aris said:

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] [STYLE=width: 120px; height: 120px; border: 10px solid #4688BA; margin-left: 10px;][/style][STYLE=width: 120px; height: 120px; border: 10px solid #4688BA; margin-left: 140px; margin-top: -120px;][/style][STYLE=width: 120px; height: 120px; border: 10px solid #4688BA; margin-left: 270px; margin-top: -120px;][/style] [STYLE=font-family: AR DECODE; font-size: 36px; color: #131A67; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: -15px; text-align: right;]I see the folly of this war[/style][STYLE=font-family: AR DECODE; font-size: 32px; color: #131A67; margin-right: 42px; margin-top: -15px; text-align: right;]I see the folly of all wars[/style] [STYLE=width: 350px; background-color: #4688BA; overflow: auto; height: 350px; margin-left: 25px; padding: 10px;]Mossdeep City...ooh, it was quite the beautiful city, wasn't it? The sea surrounding it, which probably helped when it came to keeping it firmly in Nox control; the only ways to easily assault it were either via air or sea. That was how she had gotten to the city; by taking a boat from Lilycove. It had been difficult to do it, but she had convinced one of the sailors there to take her to Mossdeep, in exchange for some cash; everything seemed to revolve around money so much lately. She disliked that; mostly because money in itself wasn't bad, it was the people who put value on it that were. The way they used it, that was what made it bad; she felt...dirty, having had to use it to sneak into Mossdeep. Aris signed and looked at the Froslass sleeping next to her; it was easily the strongest of her pokemon, but also one of the most shy. The pokemon never really liked interacting with people, or even other pokemon. One would think she'd have her Growlithe out with her, instead of her Froslass, but he tended to get a bit spooked by all of the water that surrounded Mossdeep. Besides that, he was fairly excitable anyway; she certainly didn't need him doing anything unpredictable. That was when she felt it; the pang of hunger hitting her stomach. She stopped in her thoughts; it would seem she'd have to go fetch some food. Aris gently prodded her Froslass awake, and while the female was waking up, Aris stood up, brushing the dirt that had gotten onto her dress off. She didn't make a habit of sitting in the dirt, but...it was a fairly peaceful day, if somewhat cold; besides, she had felt she needed some time to think. One tended to think better when one was outside, instead of stuffed away somewhere in some motel or hotel. Aris watched her pokemon as it woke up, and finally got up, hovering; Froslass didn't have legs, after all. The timid creature glowered a bit at her trainer, who offered her a kind, but firm, smile. "I'm hungry, and I can't very well leave you here. I doubt you'd like returning to your pokeball either," she said to the creature; it continued to glower at her, but then slowly nodded. Good, so they were in agreement. "Up you go then." she said simply before picking up her pokemon, holding it in her arms tightly. It was a bit...well, not like her to do it, but she was a bit more softer, more kind, to her pokemon than anything else. Aurora let herself be held without complaint; besides, her trainer just might share some of the food with her, and that was worth being quiet over. So the duo began to move, Aris holding onto her Froslass as they made their way to one of the nearby restaurants; when had she last eaten, anyway?[/style] [STYLE=margin-left: 20px; margin-top: -15px; color: #000000; font-size: 11px;] TAGS: Alyssa NOTES: Looking forward to this! ^^ CREDITS: Made by daydreamer95 of BTN [/style]

[KANE]

Alyssa sat at the table in the Astral Mezzanine, waiting for the waitress to bring her check. She’d had a fast meal after taking care of some business at the space center. She was grateful that she’d been able to make short work of dying her hair back to its normal color after Lune had dyed it the atrocious shades of a neon-colored rainbow. Of course, her trip to Lilycove hadn’t exactly been what one would call ‘uneventful’ but, that was behind her now. Reflecting back on it, the events that had unfolded there weren’t exactly unexpected given her position as Hoenn’s Leader. Luckily, though, the assailants had failed. However, they had made Alyssa throw a slight air of caution into the wind. She wouldn’t be intimidated by the threat they’d post, oh no. Just the opposite, actually...or close to it, at least.

The young waitress that had been serving her dropped the tab on the table before walking away. Reaching for the bag that was on the other side of the purple Espeon curled up beside her. Daybreak had ‘shared’ some of the soup Alyssa had, as though she were much younger than she actually was. The antics of hopping into Alyssa’s lap and putting her paws on the table were years passed, seeing as she was now two-thirds of Alyssa’s weight as an Espeon rather than a tiny Eevee that wasn’t even a quarter of it. Instead, Daybreak’s method of ‘asking’ for a bit of whatever Alyssa was eating consisted of sitting upright, the Sun Pokemon’s fluffy whiskers brushing against her trainer’s arm and silently asking Alyssa in her mind through telepathy with a soft, ‘Please?’.

The white-haired trainer paid quickly and left the small booklet on the table before slipping her wallet back into her bag and shrugging it over her shoulders. ”Come on, Daybreak...we’re ready to leave.” The Espeon gave a soft cry and hopped out of the both after her trainer, on the Leader’s heels as she headed for the door. Alyssa glanced back at Daybreak and heard the door open, but paid no mind to it. ”Where should we go now, Day –“ she was cut off as she partially walked into another person. Alyssa backed up abruptly, giving herself a small shake.

”I’m sorry...” Alyssa said, a bit flustered by the streak of clumsiness or bad luck that seemed to be following her wherever she went for the past week. ”I didn’t hurt you,” she looked up, having looked down to re-shoulder her bag from where it had partially fallen off. ”...did...I?” Her voice dwindled off abruptly as she looked at the person before her, her cerulean eyes widening in amazement. ...Did..I just walk into a mirror? the Veteran Trainer wondered, completely serious. Her heart beat rapidly as she realized it wasn’t a mirror, but instead a person.

...a person who looks exactly like me...

[KANE]

Jan 16, 2012 20:07:19 GMT -5 @aris said:

It was hardly fitting, putting a mirror directly in front of the entrance, for that was what had to be there. A mirror, a trick of the light; SOMETHING that wasn't an exact duplicate of her. But then the duplicate spoke, and Aris blinked not once, but twice in astonishment. She had heard from others that she looked similar to the regional leader of Hoenn, Alyssa; was this the leader? No, no, certainly not; that was a ludicrous thought. What was the leader doing in Mossdeep, of all places?

Shouldn't she be at Lilycove or something like that, doing something to strengthen the position of Nox? Really, that was what bugged her a lot about the war; why not crush Lux out of nowhere with overwhelming force when they least expected it? Of course, her answer came to mind a moment later; that would leave almost all Nox territories vulnerable. Just because the leader of some organization got knocked off didn't mean that organization would just die off; no, there were contingencies, safe plans. Which made her curious; what if she was a Lux member? Practically suicidal since Mossdeep was under control of Nox, but surely it wouldn't be that difficult to slip inside?

She tried her best to put her thoughts to the side, even if it did make her a bit uneasy to be able to encounter the woman so easily. Aris let her gaze momentarily drift to the Espeon with the female; she wondered, could it send psychic messages to people? As far as she knew, almost all psychic pokemon could, her own Kirlia included; it was just a shame she had no way of replying to her. "I..." Aris began to say, confirming again it wasn't a mirror she was looking at. For one thing, mirrors couldn't bump into you without shattering. For another, they couldn't speak of their own volition. For a third, the figure wasn't moving her mouth at all. So WAS she staring at the champion?

"I don't...think you hurt me. More like...astonished me," Aris finished, trying hard not to keep her eyes as wide as they were; this was really just too freaky. It was at that moment that she noticed her Froslass struggling a bit; she had unconsciously tightened her grip a little. "Sorry...sorry Aurora. I'm a bit freaked to be looking at a clone though," she said sympathetically to the creature, loosening her tight grip somewhat. Froslass gave her an affectionate, at least what could pass as affectionate on a Froslass' face, look before looking towards the Espeon, keeping a careful eye on it.

"Just uh...just who, exactly, are you? And why are you copying my appearance?" she asked, still too astonished to hide her bluntness.

[KANE]

...alright, maybe not an exactly like me. Alyssa silently commented to herself. Her eyes are a completely different color. But...other than that she’s fairly spot-on. she noticed, raising her eyebrows slightly. She’s the same height as me, her hair’s the same length, and the same...bizarre color. I doubt the circumstances for her hair color are the same as mine, though. If they were, that would be too strange for me to think I was awake anymore... she realized, still silently staring at the girl before her. Alyssa could tell that her ‘mirror image’ was younger than her, but she couldn’t tell by how much. She had a feeling the girl was no more than a teenager, but exactly how old she was remained unclear.

Alyssa glanced down when she felt Daybreak’s fluffy whiskers brush against her leg, soon followed by one of her large, sensitive ears. The Espeon’s deep, violet eyes stared up at the girl. Alyssa could see the confusion that flickered within them, but her gaze did not move. Alyssa knew her faithful companion already understood that the girl before them was an entirely different person, but that did little to lift the curious phsyical appearance shared by the two young women. Daybreak’s tail was brought around laid neatly over her tiny paws, the two tips of her forked tail landing lightly atop Alyssa’s black running shoes. Her eyes drifted from the trainer down to the pokemon – a lovely Froslass – in her arms, and she met the wary, light blue gaze of the Snow Land Pokemon proudly and unflinchingly.

Alyssa turned her cerulean eyes from her pokemon to the girl, listening to her words. A small smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth, curving her lips upward slightly in a relatively kind smile to the younger trainer before her. ”I don’t believe I’m copying your appearance, nor are you copying mine. I believe we’re simply each other’s ‘doppelgänger’, as the term is coined...” she said easily, thinking for a moment before extending her hand. ”My name is Alyssa Akiyama. Beautiful Froslass, by the way...lovely name, too.”

Anybody in Nox, especially Hoenn would know exactly who she was. Any Lux would, too, but they would be foolish to attack her here.

[KANE]

Jan 16, 2012 23:24:15 GMT -5 @aris said:

Was truly nothing different about the two of them? Sure, the other female had said they were duplicates but...to this degree? Aris couldn't help but peer at the face of the woman, to see if there were any differences at all, and she found one. Just...a single difference. Their eye colors. This woman's was a light blue, whereas her own was either a dark or light purple, depending on the light.

More often than not though it was a light purple, an odd eye color to be sure. But then again, so was her hair color; both of their hair colors, actually. She could see this getting confusing, very, very quickly. She was already getting confused just standing there staring at her twin; and already people were starting to look in the direction of the lookalikes. It wasn't every day that an exact duplicate of the Hoenn regional leader showed up, after all. Especially at the same exact place as the regional leader. Aris still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that they were different until she began to speak again.

"So...you are the regional leader. I was starting to doubt my sanity a bit," Aris said, chuckling a bit as she clumsily extended her hand; she was still holding onto her Froslass, after all. It wasn't too difficult to shake Alyssa's hand once she had gotten that out of the way. "I'm Aris Venstron," she said, deciding to be truthful. If there was anyone she could trust in all of the regions, it was this woman right here. Aris might be a bit distrustful of people, but she wasn't stupid; it would be dumb to suspect Alyssa of all people would betray her.

"You've...probably never heard of me, unless you were in Saffron three or so years ago," Aris admitted. Here she was standing in the presence of the Hoenn regional champion and she felt just a tad ashamed; all she was doing so far was secretly sympathizing with their cause. Nothing open, yet; it was only a matter of time until it happened though, she knew that much. She just...wanted to get out and see the world before making a choice on the matter, a definite choice.

"Oh, and thanks. For the compliment. For what it's worth, I've always thought that Eevee and its evolutions are quite majestic and beautiful themselves." Aris admitted, at the same time Aurora's wary gaze dropped, instead reverting to a cheery, if somewhat reserved, one. She was obviously happy at the compliment that had been paid to her.

[KANE]

Alyssa couldn’t completely pull her eyes away from the young girl before her. It was so strange, and such a coincidence. She’d heard people talking about their ‘hidden twin’ only a few times, seeing as it seemed to be a dying interest for people to find a person that looked exactly like them. She’d never felt a compulsion to do such, seeing as she’d figured that there was nobody that would look like her, not one relatively her age, anyway. Most people she knew with lighter-colored hair were at least a couple of decades older than her, and even then their hair was often gray, whereas hers was white. I’m seriously considering the possibility that a Psychic pokemon has cast Hypnosis on me...and I’m somewhere now. The only reason Daybreak wouldn’t be reacting is because she’s a part of the dream-enduced illusion as well.

She gave herself a furious mental shake. She was sure she would have noticed something if a pokemon tried to use Hypnosis on her. This was real, and the girl before her was no illusion. It’s so strange... she thought, showing no outward reaction of the river of thoughts that flooded their way through her mind. She allowed herself to give a small, kind smile to the ‘twin’ before her. I’m doubting this portion of my sanity as much as you are doubting your own, don’t worry... she silently comforted the girl, gazing at her unblinkingly as a hand grasped her own.

”Aris Venstron...” Alyssa murmured softly, committing the name to memory. She had a feeling she was going to want to keep in contact with this younger female. The certainty at the thought was largely unexplained, but Alyssa didn’t argue it. The Veteran Trainer shook her head slightly at the mention of Saffron City. Just before the war broke out, three years ago? No, she was training in isolation within Meteor Falls and scarcely left.

”You’re welcome. The ice crystals upon her head have a healthy, blue color to them. She’s clearly healthy and raised well.” Alyssa felt knowledge she was forced to give credit to her parents for welling up. Being raised by a pair of Breeders, she was bound to notice things in pokemon that presented themselves as positive traits in some way, shape, or form.

She heard Daybreak’s telepathic voice echo within her head, asking her to thank Aris for the compliment while the Sun Pokemon kept unblinking eye contact with the younger trainer. ”Daybreak would like me to thank you for her for that compliment...” Alyssa said with a smile. ”She appreciates it. She’s nearly seventeen years old and yet she resembles an Espeon years younger than her.” She felt annoyance flash from Daybreak, and Alyssa couldn’t help but grin a bit sheepishly. Pokemon aged remarkably well, it was only after a long while that they began showing signs of any age they held...twenty being the earliest Alyssa had ever heard of it.

[KANE]

Jan 18, 2012 0:58:01 GMT -5 @aris said:

Aris couldn't help but let an idle thought flow through her mind; was the regional leader really going to remember her? Aris just couldn't see why. Then again...she had to be threatened daily whenever she went anywhere that wasn't Nox territory, right? Aris peered at the woman, trying to see what she might be thinking; all Aris could come up with was shock. Or maybe she was just projecting herself onto Alyssa; it was still very difficult to believe that her clone was standing right there in front of her. Who would have thought that she'd just randomly bump into the woman, this twin, in the middle of nowhere?

"You can hear what she tells you? Interesting...I had thought all psychic types could at least do that, but I wasn't sure. My Kirlia can do much the same," Aris admitted; it still felt strange to talk to her. Granted, Aris was starting to notice some more changes; Alyssa seemed to have more of a...mature air about her, Aris would call it. Maybe it was because she was older? Aris did feel a bit younger compared to the regional leader; perhaps that came with the older woman having experience?

"Oh? I don't know, you're probably being a bit generous to her. She looks quite a bit older than she actually is," Aris teased, which was...quite unlike her; she felt a bit safer around Alyssa though. Why? Because of the fact that she was older? Or simply because of the fact that the girl was certainly more skilled when it came to battling? Aris shook those thoughts off to focus on the Espeon, giving it an apologetic smile.

"I was kidding. Don't get too upset, Daybreak," Aris informed the Eeveelution before looking towards Alyssa. How was it that the older woman was able to make her more cheery than she usually was? Aris did not know the answer to that. "I take good care of all my pokemon, really. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to any of them," she admitted; that was a sore spot for her. She couldn't imagine what would happen once she chose to join the Nox war effort; she knew it was inevitable that she would, but she didn't know when it would happen, when she would be convinced. She couldn't bear the thought of any of her pokemon dying, or even getting injured; particularly the three pokemon she spent the most time with.

Her Growlithe, her Froslass, and her Whimsicott; what was it with small, cute pokemon that caused her to get so defensive over them? Granted, Kirlia was somewhat cute too, but still; her evolved form definitely was not. It was at that moment that the door to the restaurant opened, and bumped into Aris a little bit, causing her to move a little out of the way of it so that it wouldn't happen again.

"Uh...I don't think it's a good idea to just stand around talking right near the entrance." Aris pointed out to her twin.

[KANE]

Instead of doing what she normally did and wait until whomever she was in conversation with was done speaking, Alyssa decided to forego that personal ‘etiquitte’ she’d enforced upon herself years back. Generally, she was a listener in conversations, with little interjection into a conversation until everybody else involved had said their pieces, or it was her designated turn to speak. There were rare occasions, such as the one now, where she would choose to speak before the other person was done, but more often, the reason she interjected was to defend herself or smack down an incorrect claim, which she showed no hesitation to do so.

This, though, seemed like an appropriate thing to do because it would keep the conversation flowing easily. Or worse, the young girl would perhaps think a pause after her words indicated Hoenn’s Leader trying to think of what to say, as though her words had triggered something within Alyssa’s mind.

”Daybreak communicates with me telepathically, yes. It was only four years ago that she first contacted me using her thoughts, and ever since she has forged a link between our minds that allows me to detect flashes of her emotions.” Alyssa chuckled slightly. ”If I were a Psychic I would probably be able to sense more than I can. Daybreak still retains full capability to block anything and everything from me, as though severing the link she worked so hard to establish.” Alyssa crossed her arms, shifting her weight slightly. ”Further, only certain Psychic-type pokemon are capable of such. Researchers have determined that pokemon that have had the chance to bond with their pokemon are more likely to willingly create a link between their mind and their trainers. However,” she paused before continuing. ”The pokemon has to be powerful enough to do it in the first place.”

The Veteran Trainer knew that saying Daybreak had only contacted her four years could give the impression that she was not powerful enough. Truly, Alyssa didn’t know why Daybreak had waited that long, but she’d never bothered to ask.

Hoenn’s Leader felt annoyance flash from the Espeon at her heels, though her gaze remained steady and unchanged. The small, cat-like pokemon relaxed a bit when the younger trainer quickly informed her that she had been joking. Contact between the deep, violet gaze of the Espeon and the girl’s form broke when Daybreak closed her eyes, the red gem upon her forehead lighting up momentarily as she foresaw and event in the very near future. She stood quickly before moving directly to the side.

Moments later, Alyssa stepped right to where Daybreak had been just seconds before her, given she was stepping out of the way of Aris, who’d been bumped by the door. The Leader nodded at the younger trainer’s words, and gestured to the side, in a small observation area that passed for a greenhouse to their left. It was a nice thing to add to the restaurant, really.

”You were coming here to eat, probably. I won’t keep you too long. But, for now we can talk in there.”

It was up to Aris whether she would follow or not, but Alyssa made her way to the glass-enclosed section of the restaurant quickly, closely followed by Daybreak, whose large ears twitched as they moved.

[KANE]

Jan 18, 2012 21:21:08 GMT -5 @aris said:

Flashes of emotion...to be quite honest, Aris envied the leader a bit; she wanted to feel what her Kirlia felt at times. The only way she knew for sure what the little pokemon was feeling was when she was informed of it via telepathy. She should probably have been grateful to even be able to have her Kirlia do that much, but she just...wasn't; she couldn't be grateful. She couldn't help but be envious of the older female; once more, Aris glanced down at Daybreak, thinking of her own psychic type. She had rescued Kirlia, or Psyla rather, when she was a Ralts.

The poor thing had been on the side of the road, gravely injured from...something. Aris had been young then, and had just received her Growlithe as a birthday present a few weeks before that day; she had been anxious to try it out in battle. She remembered how she felt upon first meeting the Ralts; sympathetic for it, anxious for a battle, confused due to the state of the Ralts. All of those emotions and probably other, smaller ones had clouded her mind at the time. She had eventually settled on just tossing a plain old pokeball at it.

It was during her thoughts on her Kirlia that Alyssa moved into the greenhouse; after a moment, she decided to follow after. To be quite honest, she had completely forgotten about the meal, though her Froslass did look mournfully at the plates of food in the restaurant before she was carried away by Aris. At times, the Ice/Ghost pokemon could compete with her Honchkrow, Shade, when it came to who could eat the most, though Aurora was mostly in it for the taste of the food, whereas Shade just enjoyed stealing food from people and eating it in front of their faces. He still did that to Aris herself sometimes, in fact.

"Interesting to hear that, Alyssa. My Kirlia...she was hurt when I first found her, so caring for her probably helped her to trust me more. I have to admit, I wish I could sense what she was feeling though. I wish I could sense what all my pokemon were feeling," Aris admitted, hoping she didn't sound as...well, weak and lame as she thought she did. Even if she did sound like that though, would the leader point it out? Aris didn't think so; she did not seem to be that type of person in the slightest, the type to make fun of people for their faults.

"And about eating...again, to be honest, I forgot about it. I'm far more interested in learning about my twin, so to speak," she said, giving the similar-looking girl a smile; by now, the rest of the patrons had stopped paying attention to them for two reasons. One, they were not easily in public earshot anymore, and two, they had been speaking for a while, so their interest had waned. Aris was glad for that; she didn't want rumors flying around, after all.

"Though, I have a distinct feeling Aurora here didn't. If I let her, she'd probably terrorize the kitchen staff into making food for her." Aris once again spoke up. It was...odd, chatting in such a friendly tone to someone she had just met. But out of all the Nox members, she looked up to its regional leaders, Blue and Alyssa. They were strong, courageous, and weren't afraid of waging a war that had to be waged, even if they disliked it.

[KANE]

Alyssa glanced at Daybreak when she stopped, the Sun pokemon by her heels. After sixteen years together their bond was truly something Alyssa cherished. Something that she wouldn’t give for anything in the world. As a child she’d considered becoming a Psychic-type specialist, but in the end she hadnt been. She was also glad that she had made the choice not to be. Despite that, she felt as though she held a certain affinity for the type. Or perhaps I’m just biased she thought, the words echoing with silent laughter. Glancing back when Aris arrived, Alyssa turned slightly, giving her attention to the younger female.

Hurt when she was first found, the Kirlia was? Similar to my encounter with Aurora... Alyssa realized. Her Gardevoir had found her as a Ralts, too, alongside the Kirlia that became Knight, her Gallade. They’d been together, and they were both hurt, as though they’d had a rough encounter with a particularly stubborn Poochyena or two. At any rate, Alyssa had felt her heart – softer than it was even today – melt a bit for them and she’d taken them in out of pity and concern for their well-being. Now she was glad she had.

Alyssa waited until Aris was finished speaking before she did. With a light chuckle, she spoke easily. ”Ask me anything, Aris...” she said evenly, glancing down as Daybreak woudn her tail gently against her trainer’s leg. ”You’ll most likely get an answer.” Accompanying her words with a friendly smile, Alyssa had a feeling the young doppelgänger wouldn’t ask anything that required the truth to be skewed.

[KANE]

Jan 20, 2012 0:32:24 GMT -5 @aris said:

The first, immediate thought that jumped into Aris' head was one of suspicion. Is she lying to me? was said thought, and almost immediately, she felt ashamed for thinking of it. Here she was, standing in the presence of the regional leader, and all she could think about was being suspicious of her? How pathetic was that? In Aris' words, it was very pathetic, worse than dirt in all honesty.

Why would she immediately jump to that thought? No, there was no way the girl was lying to her; Aris judged that based on the look Aris was giving her, as well as the honesty she had been given so far. "You'll tell me the truth, about anything I ask?" Aris questioned, and then she wondered; what should she ask the female? What did she need to know? She thought about that for several minutes before she spoke again, intrigued to hear what the woman had to say.

"I have been wondering...where is everyone? All the high ranking people in Nox? Blue, Volkner, Cheren...heck, even N. Where are all these people at?" she questioned, and then she realized something; aside from Blue, this woman was the perfect one to ask about when it came to the purpose of Nox, what it was truly about. She was the second regional leader of the group, after all.

"And...what, exactly, is the purpose of Nox, Alyssa? What's it about, at its core?" she questioned. There were more questions she had, so many more, but the ones she had just asked...they were much more important than any of the other ones in her head right then.

[KANE]

Alyssa gave a half nod and shrug to answer Aris’ words. Almost anything. Of course not the more confidential matters that only she and other Leaders discussed, but that was common sense. Anything else, however, was probably fair game for an honest answer. Alyssa had disliked lying since she was younger, and only did so as needed. Alyssa allowed the girl’s silence to persist uninterrupted. She wouldn’t rush her white-haired counterpart. Her two questions didn’t leave Alyssa all too surprised. A younger member of Nox would be bound to be curious about those sort of things. Alyssa wasted no time in answering, although she chose her words carefully - both for the sake of the new acquaintence of hers and the people surrounding them. Even in Nox territory, she couldn’t risk saying something that others would potentially use against her.

”I can vouch for Blue, Volkner, and N.” she informed Aris smoothly. ”The first two moreso than the last but all the same they’re still here and support Nox’s cause. Cheren, however, I have yet to hear much from.” The name Cheren waved a flag in Alyssa’s mind. He was one of the well-known trainers from Unova, though she had yet to be graced with the privilage to meet him.

”As far as Nox goes...” she took a breath, checking her words before speaking. ”I think the easiest way to answer your question would by telling you what Nox fights for. In doing so, you’ll learn what I fight for.” She paused, then continued. ”I fight for our freedoms. For our rights. For peace. I know my actions elsewhere would argue such, but it is ultimately what I fight for, because I believe it is right. Myself and others fight for freedom that has been supressed thanks to Lux’s tyrannical laws and iron fist that they’ve ruled with. We fight for the rights that were taken away from us. Nox are called terrorists and unorganized rebels that care nothing for the lives of others.” She frowned slightly.”That may be true for others, but not for myself and those I have allied myself with within Nox. I am a Revolutionary. I, along with the rest of Nox, fight for our voice – that Lux took away - to be heard.”

She shrugged slightly and glanced Aris again, looking up at one of the stained-glass pieces of art hanging in the line of sun. ”What else?” she asked.

[KANE]

Jan 20, 2012 18:52:07 GMT -5 @aris said:

The girl's answer frustrated Aris just a tad bit; was Alyssa purposefully not telling her where these comrades were at? After a moment, Aris had her answer; not by Alyssa giving it to her, of course, but by her thinking it over. It would be foolish, extremely so, if Alyssa were just to tell her where these people in league with Nox were at.

What if someone happened to pass by and overhear them? Surely they'd have to get rid of said person, and that thought...it wasn't a pleasant one to have, especially seeing as how the teen had yet to kill anyone. It was inevitable she would, if she wanted to get as active in the war as she did, but still.

"Thank you. That's...what I thought Nox was, but I couldn't be sure. Especially since innocent civilians tend to get in the middle of battles between Nox and Lux forces," Aris said, unsure how to proceed from here. She had her answer, didn't she? What else was there she wanted to know that wouldn't pale in comparison to the other two questions.

"If I...if I wanted to make an actual change in the world, what would I do? I want to join Nox, but...being a common soldier, I don't know. That doesn't seem a big enough role to do anything about this stupid war going on," Aris stated in little more than a whisper, mostly because she was also growing worried that people might perhaps hear them. True, this was a Nox allied town, but did that mean Lux members would automatically be vacant from it? Of course not. After all, it wasn't as if Nox required mandatory IDs on your person at all times; Aris herself still had her fake ID on her, somewhere.

Standing there, appraising the woman before her, Aris realized something; here was someone so similar to herself. Not just in personality, but in mindset. Aris could guess that the woman didn't like people getting involved, innocent people, in the battles between Nox and Lux. She also seemed to truly care about having the people's voice be heard; she thought back to her friend. Even if she had been a supporter of Nox when she and her family had been taken, so what? Did that automatically mean their lives, their existence, should have been forfeit? Of course not.

"I know it sounds presumptuous, but...soldiers would be limited by the fact that anything major they could do would only be by the orders of higher ups." she clarified a moment later, dropping her gaze a little to the Froslass that was slowly falling asleep in her arms. One wouldn't guess it, but pokemon, especially ghost-types if Froslass was any indicator, seemed to love sleep.

[KANE]

The side of Alyssa’s mouth pulled downwards in a frown at the mention of innocent civilians being harmed. Alyssa was happy that at Olivine, the lighthouse she’d struck with enough force to slowly start its decent towards the ground had fallen away from houses and most of the people, but instead falling towards the beach and ocean. The Veteran Trainer responded easily to the younger trainers words. ”The best thing you can do for Nox now is train your pokemon and keep out of the way of Lux until you’re more experienced.” She answered honestly. She didn’t intend to offend the young trainer at all, though she knew her next words might. ”The fighting forces on the front lines are filled with experienced trainers, a good number of them the Ace Trainers and Veteran Trainers such as myself. I would hate to see what an unforgiving member of Lux would do to you or your pokemon.”

It was her honest answer. Froslass stood a chance, yes, depending on how Aris had trained her, but the other pokemon Aris had mentioned so far didn’t sound as though they would be able to stand for themselves. Alyssa had witnessed her share of battle on the Front Lines, and she’d only just begun actively participating in the war, compared to others that had been fighting since the war first broke out. She would hate for the younger trainer to feel the pain of losing one of her beloved pokemon.

”There are a few people your age in this war, fighting for both Lux and Nox. I wish they wouldn’t for fear of their lives as well as their pokemon’s.”

[KANE]

Jan 20, 2012 21:22:48 GMT -5 @aris said:

She, inexperienced? That was a laugh, a large one. The only pokemon she had that were not fully evolved were Growlithe and Kirlia; both of those were her choice too, as she preferred their current forms.

The rest of her pokemon were completely evolved to their final stage, so where did Alyssa get off on calling her inexperienced? She tried to keep her temper under control; the woman wasn't even fully aware of all the pokemon Aris had, nor the amount of time they had spent together, training and growing stronger.

”So because I'm young automatically means I'm not able to fight for what I believe in? Isn't stopping people from fighting for what they want to fight for exactly what Lux is doing, except not as blatant? No, I'm experienced enough. What gives you the authority to say who does and who doesn't have enough experience to fight on the front lines?” Aris questioned, glaring at the woman; wait, glaring? At Alyssa? Aris tried her best to calm herself once more; glancing down at her Froslass, she felt she managed to do that rather well.

”A Blastoise, Kirlia, Froslass, Whimsicott, Growlithe, and Honchkrow. Those are the pokemon I have, the ones I've trained with and trust deeply when it comes to just about anything. It's my choice that Growlithe and Kirlia haven't fully evolved yet; besides that, do you realize how ludicrously expensive a Fire Stone is? Let me tell you, too expensive for my dwindling funds,” Aris had somehow managed to work up her temper again while she was speaking; at the beginning, she had been calm, but in the end, she had been much less than calm. She had been angry again.

”I'm sorry for snapping at you like this. But really, Alyssa. There's only so much training that can be done; I have a feeling that if I trained as much as you wanted me to, the war would be over before I finished training.” Aris told her. She had been given an honest answer by Alyssa, and so the older female got an honest reply.

The sound of Aris' intense words seemed to cause the Froslass in her arms to stir a bit, but she remained blisfully unaware of the tensions between the two similar-looking girls. Thankfully, no one had noticed her little outburst, though some people had glanced in the direction the girls were in upon seeing the intensity with which Aris had spoke.