Stranded (rated M for possible adult themes)

[SyNiKaLiTy]

(OOC: So who's up next in the post? Where's Bliss been? And any word on the stranded OOC post?)

[Crushgaunt]

OOC: I'm ready to post I just need the go ahead to "wake up"

[SyNiKaLiTy]

OOC: Same, although I would like to go first if possible :]

[SyNiKaLiTy]

(OOC: Got sick of waiting, so continuing on! :])

Damion gradually awoke from his earlier passing out to see the sun just barely peaking itself above the horizon. As he stretched out his weary body more recharged from the power sleep he just had, he saw a beautiful sunrise about to happen. Despite the dreary conditions of being marooned against his will on an island when he was supposed to be enjoying a nice cruise to clear his head, he did find some positive in the situation.

"Mmmm, and I was having a wonderful dream too..." Damion said as he wiped some more sand from his body, then brushed his hair back. As he collected himself he thought about some of the female trainers he just starting to become good 'friends' with before he left. "Maybe I'll go back and see Sabrina, or Jasmine, Or even Whitney, that is if i ever get off this island..."

After he got up, he noticed some of the dried blood still on his body. Though his wounds closed up, he decided taking a refreshing dip would aid in both relaxation and cleanliness. He looked around at all the other people who were still asleep from the looks of it.

"Better get this over before they wake up, don't want some of the girls waking up to see me naked." He said joking to himself. As he got undressed, the cool morning air hit his skin and formed goosebumps. He quickly ran down the beach and jumped into the ocean. Surprisingly for how cool the air was, the water was rather warm. After swimming around for a few, and wiping his body off, he headed back to shore to dry off and get dressed.

As he walked to where his bag was, he started ringing out his long silver blond hair. After a quick shake he grabbed a towel from his bag, dried off and then started getting dressed. "Might as well dress tropical." he thought to himself. He decided to leave his shirt off, somewhat showing off his muscular tan physique, and just wear shorts. After tightening his belt, he grabbed his bandanna and tied it over his damp hair.

"I wonder if anyone else has woken up yet." He said to himself, looking over towards the lean-to hut where the others were sleeping.

[Crushgaunt]

As he came closer to full wakefulness Devin realized could feel was a warm pressure on his chest and rhythmic vibration buzzing through his back slowly replacing the dull cold that he had been vaguely aware of. Taking the first waking breath of a new day, Devin’s eyes fluttered open as he realized he was lying on his side on a beach with his growlithe curled into a ball pressing itself against his chest and that the vibrations from behind him had been Frix’s purring combined with the weak electrical current it was passing into his body.

Taking his second breath, this time noticing the tightness in his chest, Devin forced himself to his knees into a kneeling position and tried again to take stock of his situation. His movements had aroused Prowler and Frix from their light slumber; Prowler scratched himself in a decidedly doglike manor while the luxio stretched in a very feline way. He briefly wondered where his little vaporeon had gotten to but quickly reasoned that left unattended it was likely hunting in the shallows, completely invisible to the human eye, and would return at its own leisure.

Belatedly Devin realized a few things: The first being that the sun was just rising over the ocean, which even in his muddled state he knew meant that he had been unconscious for a substantial amount of time. The second was that approximately one hundred yards away, where the beach met the jungle, a makeshift structure had been recently erected. The final thing of note was that there appeared to be a person getting dressed near the surf.

Well, I might as well figure out what’s going on, he though. He stood and started to slowly make his way to this interesting figure, his footsteps oddly muffled in this early hour. “Hey!” he tried to shout but immediately knew the odds that he was heard were slim, with his voice still little more than a rasp and the figure so close to the crash of waves. He sighed and shuffled on, Prowler and Frix padding behind.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

As the sun rose behind the sea, the sunlight slowly crept in through the cracks of the shelter’s ’walls’ and shone on Vincent and the two girls. He blinked slowly, laying still for a while as he stared into the ‘roof’ of the shelter, waiting a few moments before slowly sitting up, stretching out with a yawn. For just a moment, he had hoped it had all been a dream… or rather, nightmare. Sadly, this wasn’t the case, and he let out a quiet little huff as he glanced to the girls. They were still asleep, and he would let them. He needed to go stretch his legs.

Rising slowly, he pushed open one of the large leaves covering up the girls inside. He didn’t even look at the beautiful sunrise, instead noticing the two figures on the beach. One of the people, he recognized as the guy who had exited the jungle last night and simply chosen to get himself some sleep on the beach. Vincent snorted quietly, and then glanced to the other figure. He hadn’t seen this guy before, and he really would have wished that Bliss would have done as he said and checked on the people on the beach.

He mumbled something to himself about having to do it on his own, as he made his way towards the two, as they weren’t all that far away. He decided to call out. “Hey, are you two alright? Do you need any kind of medical attention?” The new guy was already on his way towards the guy who had exited the jungle with Kelsey, so he made his way to the guy he had seen before, in order for them to meet up in one place, instead of standing apart and shouting.

[Claire*]

Very faintly, the sound of a voice penetrated Victoria’s dream state. How dreadful, to awake from one nightmare, only to be in another. The dream’s details quickly eluded her as consciousness began to reign supreme. The vague details of a shadowy figure chasing her through the woods, shoving her to the ground, and flashing it’s razor sharp teeth. On second thought, the real nightmare was in fact the better alternative.

What she couldn’t figure out, was where this hoodie had come from. The striped pattern looked familiar. Victoria turned her head and saw Kelsey lying in the shade of the shelter. Sitting herself up with a mild groan of discomfort, Kelsey’s Cyndaquil still resting in her hands. Victoria took the little fire mouse, wrapped him in the hoodie and placed him next to Kelsey. Hopefully she would see him first thing when she woke up.

Victoria couldn’t imagine how distraught she would be if any of her Pokemon were missing. Kelsey would be very upset not to know where her Cyndaquil was for sure. Deciding it best to leave her sleeping, especially after the traumatic instance of whatever happened to her the previous day, Victoria grabbed her goggles and stumbled out onto the beach.

The boys looked to be having some sort of impromptu conference. Deciding it best to let them be for the time being, Victoria ran down to the beach while they were distracted and tried to take a quick bath. Sand was everywhere, including many places sand should never be. Quickly removing her pants and top, she neatly folded them and placed them on a rock, goggles and belt resting neatly upon the bunch.

Standing there in her blue undergarments, it was a little embarrassing. She kept consoling herself that it was no less than what people would see her in at the beach on a normal day. The need for cleanliness ultimately won. She dove into the oncoming waves, the effect was like heaven. Sand rinsed off of her by the bucket load, salt cleansing many of the scrapes and abrasions she had suffered the day prior.

She looked back out towards the beach, then out to sea. Where were they? How far off course was this island? She still had to find what Archie had discovered the night before. Maybe some kind of fresh water, at least they knew where they could find berries to eat.

Victoria flung herself back into a wave, letting the sensation wash over her. Whatever it was, it could wait. Floating there in the water, one thought continued to overcome her. As if by insistence of her own sanity and self assurance. “We are going to be ok.”

[SyNiKaLiTy]

Hearing someone calling out to him he turned his head in the direction the voice was coming from. Hearing him say 'you two' he was a tad confused. Looking to his right down the beach he saw someone heading their way.

"I'm doing just fine. All I needed was a good night's sleep!" Damion said in return stretching his arms over his head. "You might want to check out that guy though..." pointing in the direction of the person heading towards the make-shift camp.

As he was surveying the camp in the brighter morning light. He caught glimpse of a girl running off to some rocks. If he had to guess, it would be to take a bath, like he already did. He then reached to his belt and grabbed 2 Pokéballs. He gently tossed them on the beach and a quick flash, out popped his Jolteon and Vaporeon.

"Morning guys, hope you all had a good rest."He said to his Pokémon as they shook themselves and stretched. "Okay guys, I need your help with some breakfeast. Cryo, go into the ocean and find some fish, then use Water Pulse to confuse them into coming to you. Then use your Aqua Tail to knock them up into the air towards the beach. Flash, I want you to get in some target practice and zap the fish with a Thundershock. That way we'll all have something to eat! Okay, now go!" "Jolte!" "Poreon por!" They said in compliance.

As they ran down the beach Cryo quickly dove into the waves while Flash seemed to play around at the waters edge waiting for the fish to start 'flying'. Damion packed up his bag and then started heading to the 'shelter'.

"Hope you don't mind me putting my stuff in your... eh, hut do you?" He said to Vincent as he passed by. "Also breakfast should be 'here' in a short while if anyone wants to help."

[Claire*]

The squawking of a flock of Wingulls overhead, a strong coastal breeze, and a bright morning sun, the setting was almost idyllic. Oh how she longed to remain in the surf, the nagging feeling to be productive continued to rear its ugly head however. “I guess I should dry off,” Victoria mumbled to herself reluctantly. Casting her gaze back towards the beach, the riptide had carried her a good distance from her clothing location. She quickly walked in a parallel direction of the shore and noticed the cooperation of a Vaporeon and Jolteon. They looked to be part playing, part fishing. It really was cute and smart at the same time.

“What a good idea,” she remarked with satisfaction. At least everyone would be well fed this morning, even if fish wasn’t exactly her favorite meal choice. Finding the largest rock possible, and carefully stretching out upon it; she let the warmth of the sun and the faint residual heat of the boulder begin to dry her and her undergarments.

Bored just laying there, she picked up Pixie’s pokeball and twirled it amongst her fingers for but a second, before calling her out. The little Vulpix let loose a yawn and cast a hurtful glare in Victoria’s direction. Obviously still harboring a bit of a grudge for being chastised the night prior. Pixie turned her back to Victoria, her tails the only thing presented in her direction.

“Uhm, listen Pixie...I owe you an apology...” Victoria cleared her throat before continuing. “I guess if you hadn’t led us to those berry trees, I never would have found Kelsey trying to get my way back to Bliss. So... in a way, you helped us find her more than I ever could.” The little Vulpix still seemed upset, the apology obviously not meeting her standards.

“Come on, don’t be that way. What do you want from me? It’s a tough situation out here, and maybe I reacted a little harshly. I’m sorry, I really am,” The tone in Victoria’s voice grew a little sad, but serious at the same time.

Pixie turned around, head bowed in submission and acceptance. “Pix, Vul-pix pi,” She mewed, her steps taking her closer to Victoria. Pixie curled up along side her, happy to be with her trainer again. About as happy as Victoria was to have reconciled their differences.

“Well, what do you say? I’m just about dry, want to go and see what the others are up to? It looks like there might be some fish to eat in a little bit, what do you say we go start a fire in preparation?”

Sitting up and judging the dampness of her garments acceptable, Victoria rung her hair out, still severely wet, she let it hang down and slung it over her left shoulder. Putting on her clothes, she had to admit, as much as she hated shorts, it might be time soon to cut off the legs of these pants. No good would come from the chaffing material on her legs all day.

She finished getting dressed, pleased that nobody had seen her this whole time. Strapping on her belt, she slipped the goggles over her head, past her hair and decided to wear it like a choker around her neck. The position was better suited than being on her head while her hair was down. One last check to make sure everything was in order, and she started off toward the shelter, little Pixie frolicking along in tow, careful to avoid any pools of tide water.

Quickly gathering a bundle of leaves and a few sparsely available dry sticks. She quickly called Bubba to the scene, pointed to the ground and commanded him to dig. A decent fire pit revealed itself, just deep enough to contain any stray embers caught in the wind. Throwing the sticks in, Pixie stepped up and gave a small spit of an ember on the kindling.

Before long, a pleasant fire was started; all the better to cook and finish drying by.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

Vincent peered oddly as one of the boys, the one from the jungle last night, simply stepped past him on his way to the shelter, muttering something about the other guy and putting his stuff in the shelter. Vincent shook his head lightly. “No no, go ahead. It’s not exactly my place, it’s more of a… community-thing, I guess.” He shrugged lightly, glancing to the two Pokémon halfly playing and halfly doing a fairly good job of catching a couple fish. (Up to you guys if we’re actually going to have IRL fish, or Pokémon that we cook up. Personally, I like the latter more, due to some moral choices that could come up later, but we’ll see.)

As he turned around, the boy had just continued to the shelter, without saying anything else, which annoyed Vincent a little. Everyone save for him and Victoria didn’t seem to be able to grasp how serious all of this was. He grunted a little and shook his head, noticing Victoria gathering up with a Vulpix and… well, a Pokémon he hadn’t seen before next to her. The boy simply entered the shelter, and Vincent figured he might as well see what she was doing.

He walked up to her and raised his brows in slight surprise as he saw the cozy little fire. He smiled a little and stepped over to stand a little half-awkwardly next to the fire. “This is really good. We’ll be able to cook the fish the… other guy’ll be catching. Now we just need a bit of clean water…” He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck a little, trying to think of something else to say. He didn’t want everything he said to just be orders and “Good job, bad job”’s.

After a little while, he coughed quietly, deciding to say something. “So, uh.. you have a Vulpix, huh? I had one as well. She was my first Pokémon.” He sat down next to Victoria, having to admit to himself that the goggles actually did suit her really well, both when around her neck and on her head. He reached out as if to ask for permission from Pixie to pet her, keeping his eyes on the Pokémon. “What’s her name?”

[Claire*]

Victoria looked up as Vincent approached from afar. Blushing a little and combing the now dry bangs from her eyes, she smiled at his small compliment about the fire. The boy scratched the back of his neck, he looked almost hesitant or shy about something, if Victoria had to guess. She couldn’t imagine what for, he hadn’t done a single thing embarrassing or stupid his whole time here. Unlike Victoria.

She hadn’t expected him to sit next to her all of a sudden. For a reason she couldn’t explain, she tensed as he did so; sitting up a little straighter than before. Pixie studied him, not quite sure what to make of the boy. She didn’t see too many men, aside from Victoria’s father of course. He presented a most curious subject of study in the Pokemon’s mind.

Vincent reached out his hand, an attempt to pet the little Vulpix, if she would let him. Victoria cleared her throat, casting a glance in Vincent’s direction before quickly averting it back to the fire. “Uh... her name is Pixie,” she said quickly.

Pixie saw the outstretched hand, sniffing it appraisingly, she nudged her head against it. Her movements almost catlike, she dove in completely, never one to pass up a good petting. Moving her body, she let his hand scratch from the neck down, a spot typically unreachable for her to scratch herself. Deciding the boy was okay after all, she stopped the petting and walked up to Vincent’s side, curling up into a ball against his body.

Victoria couldn’t help but smile at her little Pokemon, proud that the typically quiet Vulpix wasn’t too shy towards Vincent.

An awkward silence overcame them. She shuffled uncomfortably at the situation, unsure exactly what to talk about and playing with her hair nervously. “Uhm...d-did you know that Vulpix are only born with one tail? They... they uh, split the one tail into the six that you see now as they grow older.” If Victoria could have slapped her hand against her forehead, without looking like more of a moron, she would have done so right then.

‘Really Victoria? Boring facts about Vulpix?’ She thought to herself in a self depreciating manner. 'He probably knew that already anyway..." A mental groan of exasperation rose up in her mind, rolling her eyes to herself in derision.

“So uh, yeah... Where are you from Vincent? Just kind of curious is all," she asked, trying her hardest to make eye contact, despite her discomfort at doing so. A most desperate attempt by her to change the subject.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

”Pixie, huh...?” He smiled a little as the Vulpix sniffed his hand before rubbing her head against it, causing him to let his fingers trail down along the side of her neck and up her side and back, all the while his fingers worked away at scratching the little Pokémon’s fur. He let out a little snicker as it curled up next to him, his hand continuing to scratch and rub over her soft, short fur.

He looked up again, raising his brows a little as she listened to Victoria explain about Vulpix, nodding his head slowly, with a curious look in his eyes. “Huh… I didn’t know that, actually. And I’ve had a Vulpix myself. Heh, kind of embarrassing, huh?” He gave off a small smile. He actually –did- know that, but he had honestly forgotten it up to this point, so at least it –felt- like new information. But to be entirely honest, he mainly said it to not make Victoria feel awkward about saying something, and him saying that he already knew, like a jackass.

He looked down to Pixie again, his hand slipping up to nuzzle his fingers against the fur behind her ears. “Flare loves it when I scratch her behind the ears. It’s funny that they act more like a cat, like a Meowth, than a dog like… Growlithe, for example.”

He looked up out over the sea, the sun starting to rise further up along the sky. It was a very pretty view, but Vincent didn’t seem phased by it, almost as if he couldn’t see it at all. He lifted his right hand to scratch his hair slightly, moving the front tips of his hair back into their slightly spiky appearance.

As Victoria asked into where he was from, he turned his head back to look at her, to find that she was looking directly back. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly wanted to just look away again, but forced himself to keep looking her in the eyes, though without staring like a madman.

“I’m from Goldenrod, in Johto. Yeah, I’m from the big city, but it’s… a long while since I’ve been there. I went out on my travels relatively early, I suppose. I just wanted to get out there and improve myself and my friends, you know?” He nodded slightly at the last statement, almost as if to convince himself that that’s all that it was. He paused a moment before clearing his throat, smiling lightly as he looked back at her again.

“What about you, Victoria? Where are you from?”

[Claire*]

Victoria played absent-mindedly with the googles around her neck as Vincent told his story. The reassuring weight and smoothness of the glass a comfort to her. When he had finished, she flashed him a small smile and a nod of understanding.

“The big city, huh? Sounds like it would be a lot of fun,” she commented in return. Pulling her hand away from the goggles, she cleared her throat and stared at the fire for a second; almost as if trying to think of what to say. The fire was mesmerizing, the dance of the flames like a choreographed ballet of individual performers. Ebbing and flowing with the pass of each breeze, the dry heat radiating from within its heart.

“I’m from a small place outside of Mistralton city,” she said, her gaze locked onto the fire. “There’s a big farming community around the area, a lot of work for my dad. Every summer, him and I would help with crop-dusting the new harvest. That’s where I learned to fly,” She finished retelling, her tone taking on a bit of pride as it reflected on that accomplishment.

Breaking her gaze, she turned to look at Vincent. Her left hand reached for the goggles at her throat once again. The well worn leather a fond remembrance of her father. “That’s where these came from,” she point out. “These were my father’s, he bought a new pair and gave me his old ones.” A smile crossed her complexion at the memory.

“I’ve been there for the past few years helping out my dad, but that’s a bit of a long story. I really wouldn’t want to bore you to death,” She tacked on at the end, almost hurried in inflection. Her green eyes turned glassy for a second, the recollection of her mother saddened her deeply.

“So, I guess you could say I’m a country bumpkin without the accent,” She joked, giving off a small chuckle. She took her right hand and smoothed out the hair resting over her shoulder, the frizziness had died down a little thanks to the water and dry fire heat. The brushing with her hand continued for sometime, a compulsive behavior she wasn’t even aware of at that very moment.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

As Victoria told her story, Vincent continued stroking and scratching the small Pokémon nuzzled up against him as he kept his gaze on the girl, taking in both the story and her looks. He also noticed how she fiddled with the goggles, reminding him of a possession of his own that… well, he had forgotten everything about up until now. He reached his right hand up to scratch at his neck, or at least feigning to do so. His heart sunk considerably as he noticed the object wasn’t where he had hoped it was and he lowered his hand again, without letting Victoria know his mind had been elsewhere for a second or two.

He smiled a little as she mentioned his father having given her the goggles, though not sure where Mistralton was exactly. He blinked a little as she seemed to become a little thoughtful and perhaps… a little sad? He didn’t want to butt in and ruin the mood, though. “Pfft. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Just because I’m not you doesn’t mean I don’t mind a good story, you know?”

He sighed softly, lifting his right hand to rub the side of his neck a little, turning his head to glance down at the fire. “I wish I had lived my younger years out in the country instead of in the city. It could get pretty rough in there… not to mention the fact that mom and dad were hardly ever around.” He paused for a moment before shaking his head a little. “My dad was a scientist and he spent majority of the time on his studies at the lab, and my mom worked at a Milktank ranch just outside the city. Meant I was pretty much the man in the house and had to… well, learn on the go, so to speak.”

He smiled a smile that seemed somewhat melancholy and shook his head, looking down at the Vulpix again, without really looking at it. “… I guess it’s why I just… do stuff, instead of waiting around for other people to do it. I’ve never really had time to stop up and… enjoy myself. And even when I try taking some time to relax with my two friends… I of course get shipwrecked, on an island where we may very well be for weeks, months… or years.”

Grunting a little, she shook his head somewhat and removed his hand from the Vulpix, resting it in his lap while staring into the fire, going thoughtfully quiet, his hand reaching up towards his neck before lowering again, as if remembering something.

[Claire*]

The mood had definitely taken on a more somber tone, a silence that didn’t need describing permeated the air. Vincent’s tone had turned serious, thoughtful and a little sad or distant. At least, that’s how it read to Victoria. Her gaze was still locked onto the boy, his line of sight averted to the fire. Unsure exactly what to say, Victoria bit the corner of her bottom lip in thought. She hated to see other people sad, her father had shown enough sadness for a lifetime.

The idea of a young Vincent, practically raising himself, it caused a lump in her throat. Pulling her legs close to her chest and throwing her arms around them at the knees, she tried desperately to think of something to say. His hand had moved up to his neck twice in their conversation, only to fall back to its original resting place empty handed. It seemed as if he was grabbing for something subconsciously that wasn’t there anymore.

“I-I’m sorry to hear that,” Was all she managed to say right away. “This is my first vacation in a long time too. I guess you could say it hasn’t gone exactly like I’ve imagined also,” She joked halfheartedly. “It’s kind of funny when you think about it, you grew up in a city, myself in a more rural area. I would have killed, like anyone who grew up in Unova, to live in Castelia city. You grew up in the city, and wished you had been in the country. Maybe life just sucks and Arceus gets a big belly laugh from all this,” She said, casting an arm out in gesture over the area.

“My mom died, about three years ago. So, any plans that I had originally, I kind of scrapped and moved back in with my father. That's why I've been living there.” Victoria pinched the inside of her left leg discretely, a small way to make sure she didn’t begin to tear up. “So, I guess it wasn’t really a long story after all,” She said with a fake chuckle.

“Even if we are stuck here awhile, I figure we should try and make the best of things. I hope the company isn’t too bad for you,” she turned to him, forcing herself to make a smile.

Pixie remained perfectly content, relishing the personal attention she was receiving. Even though Vincent had stopped petting her, she had fallen asleep, a small snore escaped her as she slumbered up against him.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

For a while, they both sat quiet and contemplating, simply thinking a little to themselves. Vincent was half enjoying the silence, and half hating himself for having made the conversation come to a halt. He lifted his head a little as Victoria began speaking again, though not glancing towards her just yet, still staring into the smoldering flames of the fire. “Yeah… heh, maybe life just sucks. But… you know. You play with the hand you’re dealt with, as my mom used to say.”

At that moment, Victoria admitted that her mother had died three years ago. This caused Vincent to turn his head, blinking a little. He frowned deeply and sympathetically as he nodded softly, even as she jokingly tried to brush off the subject. He reached out with his left hand to stroke it lightly against her back in a sort of comforting gesture. “I’m sorry to hear.”

He then took a deep breath and nodded lightly, stretching out before leaning back onto his hands now placed in the sand behind him, though still looking up at Victoria, returning the light smile she sent his way. “Honestly? I think you’re the only person on this island I can stand being around. Even if I’ve only ever met you and three other people so far.” He paused a little, realizing it may have sounded a little rude, which made him shake his head somewhat.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. You’re great company, Victoria.” He said, smiling as he nodded firmly to her, his smile having gained a bit more warmth to it. “And we’ll work things out. I could easily think of worse people to be trapped on an island with. Which reminds me, we need to find some clear water soon… hopefully a lake or something along those lines in the jungle.” He wrinkled his nose a little, turning to look over his shoulder at the jungle.

[Claire*]

For some reason, Vincent’s words cut a little deep. Victoria knew he probably didn’t mean them that way, but it still caused her to flinch a little inwardly. ‘He could think of “worse” people to be trapped on an island with,’ she thought to herself. ‘He can only “stand” to be around me? Out of the people he’s met "so far" here,’ The thoughts continued to race through her head.

It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for her company. Victoria knew she wasn’t good at talking with people, but she thought this time maybe, just maybe, she might have made a friend. Apparently she thought wrong. Even his complement about being great company didn’t quite make up for the rest.

She started to tap her index finger against the knee cap of her right leg again. The rhythm serving as a small escape and comfort. Her persona went from happy to reserved in a matter of moments. She slumped her shoulders forward, withdrawing from him as he stayed stretched out on the sand.

“Yeah, sure,” was all she said in reply under her breath. Her attention returning wholly to the fire. ‘I guess you’re pretty crappy company after all,’ she continued with her inward reflection.

“Archie did discover something on his flight yesterday,” Victoria said absent mindedly, her tone melancholy and withdrawn. “I guess we should figure out what it was...” Her sadness turning to anger, the fire in her belly began to match the fire in front of her. She had a hard time controlling the hurt she felt. Of course, she had only known him for a day, maybe less, but she still had hoped to count him as a friend.

The rest of her Pokemon already out of their balls, she reached down and let Archie free from his Pokeball. He flapped his wings excitedly, swooping over the area and landing swiftly on her head. The weight causing her neck to give a little underneath it. “Chen, chen,” he chirped happily in stark contrast of Victoria’s mood.

[SyNiKaLiTy]

Damion was a little put off by the way the guy just blew him off and didn't acknowledge what he had said. As he continued on to the hut, he gently set his bag down in the shade. He reached in his bag and pulled out an older looking hairbrush that had definitely seen some use. A quick wring out of his hair he ran the brush through it a couple times. As he mindlessly brushed his hair he looked at the two girls who were still contently sleeping in the hut. The one he had rescued the previous night was cuddling with her Cyndaquil and the other was sleeping just as peacefully. He smiled softly at the sight of them sleeping there.

After a few more strokes of the brush and his hair, both more dry and straightened, he looked out on the beach. The pile of Magikarp and Remoraid was getting bigger every minute. He smiled at the sight of his Pokémon working together to help him. Looking to his left he saw a person that was still a ways off, but getting closer ever so slowly. To his right, he saw the girl from the night before, the one who had tried to attack him after rescuing the girl. It seemed that she had made a fire pit and had already got it going.

"One less thing I have to do I guess.." he smirked to himself. He also saw the guy who it seemed just walked right towards her. "Hmmph." Damion shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Can't imagine what's on his mind. Goes right for the first awake girl, before anything else.... children."

He put the stupidity of the situation out of his mind. Instead he turned his attention to the sunrise taking place, the gentle breeze blowing. He paused for a moment to take it all in, finally getting some of the relaxation he had originally set out for. After a few minutes of enjoying himself, he started walking towards the fire pit area, the faint crackling of a fire adding to the soothing scenery.

As he got closer he caught the tail end of a conversation. (Right as Vincent said he could stand her only out of the people so far.)

"Wow, REEEAAL nice guy there. That and laying it on a little thick if I do say so myself." Damion muttered to himself while walking towards them. As he walked he felt the soft sand beneath his feet, becoming even more relaxing and countering the frustration he felt with the boy.

"Hey there you two, don't mean to break up the love connection over here," he said jokingly, "but I could use a hand bringing the fish over to start cooking. I'm sure we have enough for everyone." Seeing the girl brushing her hair with her hands, he reached into his back pocket, grabbed his brush and extended it to the girl handle first. "Here, this will probably do more good than your hands will." He said smiling at the girl.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

Vincent quirked a brow somewhat at the sudden change in Victoria’s mood. She suddenly went oddly quiet, only muttering out a small reply, and the more Vincent watched her, the more she seemed to turn inwards and not wanting to say anything. Just as he was about to say something, she mentioned her bird, Archie, and released him, which flew around before landing on her head. Vincent nodded a little, still not wanting to leave her annoyed or angry at something he might’ve said. “That sounds like a good idea, but I-“

Just as he was about to explain himself, once more, the other boy came walking over, talking about breaking up “The love connection”. It made Vincent really annoyed, that a guy would act like such a jerk, without even knowing them. He didn’t say anything, and instead just glanced over to the small pile of fish the two Pokémon had fished out of the sea.

He nodded lightly and set upright again, stretching slightly out. “Alright, I’ll come give a hand. He slowly stood up, sending a slightly worried glance down at Victoria, without letting the other two see it, his lips pressing slightly together as the boy seemed to just pull a brush right out of nowhere and hand it to her. He decided not to get annoyed, since it was just a friendly gesture… and to be fair, they lacked that as things were right now.

He cleared his throat a little before looking down at Victoria. “Alright, I’ll go help pull the fish up here, and we can start cooking them. Once they’re over the fire, how about we go have a look at that thing Archie found yesterday, Victoria?” He offered her a smile in case she looked up at him, as a sort of “Cheer up” manner, though feeling really awkward. He never had been good with being social, majority of people he talked to annoyed him in one way or another. Despite that, he didn’t have that with Victoria, but he still felt really awkward trying to befriend her, and he wasn’t going to just give up just because he may have made a mistake.

[Claire*]

Victoria Stone

Looking up at the other man who had approached, the one from the forest yesterday, his hand outstretched with a comb in it; Victoria couldn’t help but feel annoyance at him. Even though he hadn’t done anything this morning to warrant her suspicion, he still acted questionably the night prior. His teasing way of jesting at their “Love connection”, was a little heavy handed and improperly timed.

She looked past the brush and up at him, he had a smile plastered on his face. His effort had certainly seemed genuine enough, she could sense no malice or deceit. She just wasn’t in the mood for people.

Pixie stirred against Vincent’s thigh, right before he stood up in preparation to go help with the fish. Pixie jumped at his sudden motion, happily rubbing herself against his leg where he stood. Whatever had happened to Victoria, Pixie was evidently still in heaven.

Victoria turned her attention away from the Vulpix and back to the man with the brush. “No thanks,” she said, pushing the brush back towards him. “I’ll be okay, thanks though,” she added, forcing herself to smile at him.

Archie knew something was wrong, he always knew. The little Archen ruffled his feathers and glared at the two men. Something had happened and he intended to find out what. His eyes searched hungrily for clues, his gaze studying both men in a predatory fashion. He wasn’t about to stand for someone hurting his trainer. He looked at Vincent, recognizing him from the night before. He hadn’t trusted him then and it looked like he still didn’t trust him now.

The situation grew increasingly uncomfortable for Victoria. She had to do something, any kind of busy work. Quickly standing to her feet, getting her balance underneath her on the shifting sand, Victoria ignored Vincent’s gaze and looked past him at the pile of fish. It was a writhing pile along the shoreline, a few of the Pokemon still splashing with minute traces of life.

She walked past Vincent, her Pokemon now in tow. She had no idea what Bubba had been up to this whole time, he suddenly reappeared from under the sand nearby and walking in his trademark slow pace. Victoria still never made eye contact with Vincent, her only answer to his inquiry a simple, “Sure,” in reply.

Taking a few steps past them, Victoria stopped and cocked her head slightly towards the other man. “Sorry, I almost threw a rock at you last night. I guess I owe you an apology,” she said, before continuing towards the fish pile. Her pace moderated and steady.

The pile of fish was impressive for the work of just a Vaporeon and Jolteon working together. It looked to be a mixture of many different breeds too. Magikarp, Remoraid and a lone Carvanha. The last one definitely not looking like very good eating material. Victoria picked up a Remoraid, the little Pokemon being more solid in weight than she had anticipated. It flopped desperately in her hands, its eyes pleading with her, as if to beg for its life. The little Pokemon had a damaged pectoral fin, its life must have been a hard one. The handicap must have been a severe hinderance in the hard ocean life.

She couldn’t do it, the thought of eating this creature truly saddened her even more, she didn’t even really like fish. Placing it on the ground and discretely pulling one of the empty balls off her belt, she dropped it on the Pokemon. She sympathized with it greatly, both of them damaged and broken, just in different ways. The ball gave off an audible “Click”, the shaking motion came to stop.

Quickly returning the ball to its harness location, she knew that her Pokemon had to eat. She couldn’t save them all, but that one wasn’t going to survive its whole life only to become breakfast. Turning back to the pile, she reached for a Magikarp and began to walk back towards the fire. However, this time, she made sure it was already dead.

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent Phoenix

Vincent watched as Victoria seemed alot more cold than just a few moments ago, almost uncharacteristically so. She refused the brush before waving Vincent off and headed towards the fish with her Pokémon in tow. Normally, this would annoy Vincent to the point of no return, but since he knew that this was probably his fault, he only felt annoyed at himself, letting out a soft sigh.

He gave the other guy a glance before shrugging his shoulders lightly, reaching to his Pokéball hanging at his belt. “I guess we better get the fish cooking. By the way, good job on catching them.” He gave the other guy a nod before releasing Ace, his Kadabra, once again. “Hey Ace. We need the fish up here. Could you use Psychic to take them along?” Ace nodded and they both went towards the pile of fish, Vincent trying not to look into Victoria’s eyes as he passed her, not having noticed that she had caught one of the Remoraids.

He stopped in front of the pile, his mind still occupied with Victoria as he gave his head a little shake, grunting somewhat. “Alright, just grab a bunch and I’ll try to take a pair as well.” He waited for Ace to lift up a couple of fish with his psychic abilities and slowly hover them back towards the fire, before picking out two dead Remoraids, which he carried under his arms, with a bit of trouble, considering how slippery they were.

After a few moments of fiddling with having a good grasp of them, he went back towards the fire, placing the fish next to the ones Victoria and Ace had brought back, dusting his hands off. “Alright. I’ll go get a few sticks we can use to cook them on.” With a reserved little nod, Vincent went over to the edge of the jungle and began looking for sticks long enough to use them as sort of spears to hold the fish on, Ace meanwhile sitting down next to the fire, crossing his legs and closing his eyes in a meditative manner.

As Vincent were looking for the sticks, he was beating himself up mentally for ruining what was starting to become a rather nice friendship, but he wasn’t just going to let up there. As soon as he and Victoria went into the jungle to find what Archie had found, he would try to make amends. With a plan in mind, he seemed a lot more at ease, nodding to himself as he continued to rummage through the undergrowth.

[SyNiKaLiTy]

As the brush was refused, he had a confused look on his face. He looked at the brush and then again back at the girl. Puzzled at the refusal, he shrugged his shoulders and put his brush in his back pocket again.

After the girl had apologized to him for the prior encounter he put his hand behind his neck and titled his head to the side. "Hey, don't worry about it. Had I been your position I'd probably be cautious as well." He let out a slight laugh and smiled at her. He watched her get up and head towards the pile of fish. Directing his attention to the other guy who complemented him on his work. Although it felt shallow and he seemed annoyed at his presence.

"Thanks." he said in reply "I figured none of us have probably eaten in over 12 hours." Seeing him get his Kadabra to help he thought of his Flareon who hasn't been out yet. Grabbing the Pokéball on his belt, he let out his Flareon. "Pyre, need a quick favor from you, use ember on the fire pit so we can have a good bed of coals to cook on, then you can go play with Cryo and Flash." Pyre quickly complied shooting its ember attack at the fire pit turning it into a nice bed of coals. "Flarey-flare" it said with enthusiasm as it ran off to its companions.

As the girl came back with fish in hand, he smiled in thanks. "Thanks for the help. By the way, I'm Damion."

[Claire*]

Victoria Stone

Oh great Arceus in the heavens, Victoria so desperately wanted to be alone. Vincent had come back with some fish, his Kadabra levitating a great deal of them with telekinesis. His Kadabra had been so helpful so far, Victoria made a mental note to thank it for all he had done. Besides, it’s not like the Kadabra did anything wrong to her.

The dead Magikarp, now thankfully out of her grasp, she watched Vincent go and say he was searching out sticks for the fish. Victoria, for reasons she found impossible to explain, couldn’t help but watch him as he walked away. Anger swelled in her again, a fire struggling to be contained. Her ire was up, very few people had an ability to make her truly angry or hurt. Normally she would just blow off stuff, sure she held onto grudges for a long time, but it didn’t mean she had a lot of them.

She found herself clenching her hands into fists, shaking bitterly with petulance. It was like he didn’t even know what he said, or the effect his words could have. Her Pokemon tensed in response to her behavior. They very rarely saw her like this, maybe the occasional row with her father, but not strangers. Archie pecked at her head lightly, his attempt at playing with her. She waived him off, his squawk of surprise echoing across the sands.

The other boy had been talking all the while her attention was diverted. Quickly pretending to act like she was paying attention, Victoria turned to him and responded, “I’m Victoria.” Her response was probably a little more short and terse than she had intended.

Never really having too many friends before, she wasn’t sure what to do when you got in an argument with one. Her father would usually find someway of calming her down, a nice chat, or maybe even a game of cards.

Turning her attention back to Damion, his smile seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face. “Hey, uh, listen. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. My mind is just...elsewhere...” Her voice became distant and sidelong. Her mannerisms stiff and tempered, as she tried to sell a fake smile.

“Once he gets back, I guess we can go ahead and start cooking,” she said in passing, on her way to sit on the Kadabra’s left.

[SyNiKaLiTy]

Damion's face turned a bit more somber at the girls apparent distaste for something. He walked over to near where Victoria had sat down and gently knelt down by her.

"Hey, I know that look. You probably have a lot on your mind right now, I know I do. What usually helps me to clear my mind and sort things over is to either talk or, considering the scenery, just to look out at the ocean and think about, well, whatever it is that that has you vexed." His eyes trying to show some true sympathy towards her.

"I'm sure myself and the other guy can mange getting breakfast ready if you want to take some time to yourself." His voice also took a more somber tone as he remembered back to when he was younger. His gaze started to drift off into the fire as his mind was filled with the memories.

[Claire*]

Victoria Stone

Damion was trying to be nice, Victoria knew this. Her anger still flared violently, her normally calm and cool personality diminishing by the second. His words of comfort struck her as offensive. She was not a child who had to be coddled, who had to go calm down while they made breakfast. Glaring at Damion, sympathy reflected back at her from his eyes. It wasn’t that he was doing anything wrong, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I am not some damn child that has to go take ‘time for myself’, or ‘talk about my issues’,” she quoted him sarcastically. Her body remained perfectly situated on the sand, unmoving like a statue. Pixie began to rub herself against Victoria’s back to try and calm her down. It didn’t work.

“You know, instead of spending time worrying about me or whatever. Why don’t people just leave me the hell alone!” She turned her face away from him, talking more to herself than at him. “Here I was, starting a fire hoping to help cook the stupid fish. Oh no, we couldn’t just leave Victoria alone. No, of course not, we had to come and have a little socializing, tell a story, a powwow even!”

She caught her breath, the rant seemed to be taking a lot out of her. Pixie began to cry for her attention, the other Pokemon of hers knew to stay out of the way. “Forget it, just forget it. I’m sorry, you don’t deserve that Damion. Ignore me, I can get a little...flustered when I’m mad.”

“I just want to cook these Arceus forsaken fish, so I can feed my Pokemon,” Victoria said, regaining her composure and stretching out her legs. “Where is he with those stupid sticks?” Her voice still harboring a tinge of aggression.