The Minami Trainer's Guild (R)

[Lusankya]

Kirov poked at his meal of ravioli with a side of some fries intermittently. Cafeteria food wasn't the best, but it was cheap. If he had wanted a better meal he could've gone to one of the guild's finer restaurants. With the Porygon asking so many questions, it was difficult for him to eat and answer them at the same time. Fortunantly, Airio was able to answer some of the questions, giving Kirov some time to gulp down some of the hot ravioli.

As a dinner partner, Kai wasn't exactly what one might hope for. Kirov continued to get the (mostly accurate) feeling that Kai was only even continuing to be in their presence because his Pokemon partner was dragging him along. The Porygon was quickly proving to be one of the most talkative beings Kirov had ever encountered. That was not the only unique thing about him, his diet of ketchup packets in addition to the very way he consumed food was wonderfully strange as well. Kirov couldn't help but look on in amazement as a blue cubewould magically appear on the plate and vanish, leaving behind one less ketchup packet.

Even though he wasn't hungry, after having caught several insects throughout the course of the day, Airio wondered if the plastic had any nutrional value, and snagged one of the packets Kirov had placed next to his french fries with a thread of silk he shot from his mouth. He nibbled on it. It didn't taste very edible. Whatever the nutritional value of plastic, he decided, it was only usable once transformed into data.

Kirov glanced at his ketchup-eating Pokemon. As the conversation turned towards Porygon and Kai's activities, he wondered if they had ever been involved with some of the many tech-related pranks played on the students. From what Porygon told of him, Kai certainly seemed intellectually capable of such things. Kirov was just about to ask if they had heard of the students that had wandered throughout the school earlier that day, arriving at their classes one hour early, to try and poke a reaction out of Kai, when a girl collapsed onto the floor nearby.

There was instantly a considerably amount of commotion in the area."Ummm... is she okay?" Kai asked as he pointed at the girl, then promptly getting up from his seat and kneeling next to the girl.

Porygon suddenly vanished and appeared at Kai's side. Kirov got up from his seat, craning his neck over the crowd that had appeared as suddenly as Porygon just did. Kai was exchanging some unintelligible speech with Porygon. As Kirov pushed his way through the crowd, Porygon and the girl vanished, and Kai stood up, turning towards them.

"Well, that cuts this evening tragically short. See you around," he said, then ran off.

"Bye," Kirov replied, not sure if Kai had heard him. He turned to Airio, who had managed to scuttle through the forest of legs and climb onto his shoulder again. "Did that look like Amber to you?"

Yeah, that did. Wonder what happened? the spider replied.

"Where did they go?" Kirov asked no one in particular.

Probably to the infirmary, we should go check. You docare what happens to Amber, don't you?

"Uhh, yeah." Kirov started pushing his way back out of the crowd.

Infirmary's other direction, numnuts, Airio said in a condescending tone.

"I knew that," Kirov murmered, and took off at a fast jog.

Kirov arrived at the infirmary mere seconds after Kai did. The girl, who was indeed Amber, was laying in a sickbed already, with a nurse using various medical instruments to check her over. She hadn't woken up yet. Kai was talking to the nurse, about what, Kirov couldn't quite hear.

 

[Master Electrician]

Gavin went over to the small line and waited through it, ordering a plate of eggrolls and taking a glass of water. He walked back to the table took a seat just as Wraith clattered down onto the perch. The Skarmory thought at him Eat more. You're wasting away, Gavin.

Gavin flicked a glance at Wraith and thought back sarcastically, Yes, because bringing it all back up across the table would be so charming, yes? He took a bite of my eggroll and could already feel his stomach begin to churn and tighten. Swallowing quickly, he took a sip of water. With some liquid and taking some time between bites, he thought he should be able to keep it down.

Looking out northwest tightened Gavin's face. Somewhere out there lay the ruins of Herald. He remembered the small town, the close community, be beauty of the area around. It had been a good place to grow up, and he'd had every intention of raising his own children there. Someday. After he served his nation. Now that dream was gone. His face grew hard and the rage flared back up inside of him. Wraith threw him what he'd come to recognize as a warning look. With an effort he forced it back down so he wouldn't have to kick the crap out of something to blunt the edge again.

The clarity let him see something else. A plume of smoke rose from about where Naxos, the nearest city should be. A little odd, but Naxos did have some beautiful land nearby, campers were commonplace. A little late in the season, but he supposed that it could be a wildfire. He sniffed the air experimentally but detected no hint of smoke. You think we should check it out, Gavin?

The young man thought back, Nah, it's probably nothing. Besides, we're not supposed to be leaving campus without permission, are we now? I said, "Hey, Chrys, look behind you. Think that's a wildfire or something?"

 

[Phoenix_Mew]

Chrysanthi looked at Gavin curiously as he sat down with nothing more than a few egg rolls. She watched him eat and sip the water before taking a few mouthfuls of saucy rice herself. Taia slipped up onto the table and gave Chrysanthi a reproachful stare.

Gavin seemed quiet and involved in some sort of conversation with Wraith, so Chrysanthi decided to get Taia settled with some dinner herself. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a ziplock back of food she prepared herself and a small bowl, pouring about half of the bag into the bowl. Taia ate with the most voracious politeness she could muster, which made Chrysanthi giggle a bit.

Then, Gavin spoke to her. Crysanthi paused and held her palm out with a few morsels of her experimental Pokemon food formula in an offering to Wraith as she swiveled around to see what Gavin was inquiring about.

She saw the little bit of smoke rising from the west. Naxos was in that direction, she knew. Chrysanthi actually grew up in Naxos. Her mother and father and her elder brother, now a general in the fort stationed just outside of Naxos were all there. She knew full well that people from all over the country flocked to Naxos to camp around the beautiful forests and meadows surrounding the city. It wasn't uncommon for a campfire to get out of control, especially at this time of the year. It had been a dry start to the fall months.

"It could be as simple as a campfire getting out of control," Chrysanthi mused softly. "I grew up in Naxos, so I know tons and tons of tourists come to camp out in the forest and meadows around the city."

It doesn't look like brush smoke to me, Taia mumbled. It's not brown enough. Brush smoke is always brown. Organic material burns in a more brown smoke. That's black. Like rubber or metal burning.

Chrysanthi blinked at her purple companion. The Espeon was continuing her meal as though she had said nothing, but her quiet offering to the strange event caused a weird twisting in her stomach. Chrysanthi felt her insides knot up for a moment as she looked out over the horizon.

No need for such a depressing prophecy, Taia, Chrysanthi shot back.

"It's been a dry start to fall," the girl said aloud, trying to brush the strange feeling off. "I'm sure it's nothing important. The warning sirens aren't going off or anything. If it were something bad, I'm sure we'd have some sort of word here at the Guild already."

 

[Darkhaven3]

Boring. Absolutely boring. That was the only thing James could think of as the classes stretched on, bringing with them a tide of sleepiness and "I don't care" syndrome. There had hardly been anything to discuss for the first day, yet somehow, most of the instructors had found ways to stretch one speaking point into a good hour or so of inane babbling. It frustrated him to the point where he could barely stand his new instructors much less tolerate them for the rest of the semester... Music Composition had been a different story. As he had been informed before the beginning of the year, he'd remembered to bring his Schuldiner Tribute Stealth guitar in for the class, for the purpose of getting acquainted with everyone's level of skill.

It had also as a side-effect told James who he should and should not befriend in the class. Some people had brought similar model guitars as James, showing their interest in the fine art - but had displayed rather pathetic post-hardcore antics when asked to display their skill on the instrument. It amused the young boy greatly to be taunted for being extremely feminine and to be told he was probably nothing on guitar - this coming from those obviously much less able than he. When his turn came around, he had chosen to play the main riff from a song he had commonly listened to, "Evil Dead". Those truly versed in the field and as he had admitted, much superior than himself, had called this display "noise", and "aggravating, abrasive garbage". This had prompted Mrs. Devins to go into a short rant about the right of all musicians to play what they desire, regardless of butthurt critics. The class took a turn for the more interesting side as someone - a boy of about 19 - decided to challenge Mrs. Devins and continue the running gag that death metal is noise and nothing else. It was enough to keep James awake for the remaining 30 minutes of the class, certainly.

French had been just about boring enough to not even call it a class so much as a nursery, judging from the small group of sleeping people in the corner of the room. James knew better than this, though, as he'd known the instructor beforehand. The instructor, Mister Pai, had seemed to choose not to take notice on these individuals - it was hard for James to see how he could make that choice, as in the previous two years he'd taken French (bringing him to class III now), he had never seen his favorite teacher act that way. Generally James and Pai had gotten along very well the previous classes due to the fact that James was a very hard worker in classes he liked, French being one. The two had talked after class usually, and had become so-called 'friends' enough to speak of personal matters with little tension between them. James had always liked Mr. Pai for his classic attitude towards the class - difficult to impress, but perfectly reasonable. Giving Mr. Pai his full attention, James found that the class passed rather quickly, submitting to the injoke between himself and the teacher that the class was in the middle of a black hole of time.

Then, finally, came swimming. A chance to show off his curvy body, and to check out a boy or two. That would be so if this had not been the first day, he recalled, as he and Snake entered the pool area. Mr. Brian Kula - a man that notably neither James nor Snake had ever laid eyes on before - was heading the class, and nobody else was present. James quietly took a seat against the southernmost wall, with Mr. Kula situated at the all-too-known typical "randomly placed desk in a gym" setup. He was going through papers before the class started, James guessed, and Snake noted, Hey, wait... I've seen this guy before. Doesn't he teach all the phys-ed classes? With a huff, James replied in a whisper, "He's probably got biceps bigger than my ass." The two chuckled quietly, giving away that they had entered the pool area. Kula gave a smile and a small wave, and the two approached.

Kula gave James a quick professional once-over, sizing him up for god-knows-what. He then spoke, "What's your name, miss?"

With a sly grin on his face, the boy responded quite simply, "James," with a laugh. Snake even let out a small chuckle, and Kula joined in. "Haha, are you serious? You totally had me fooled," he said between laughter, and he then shook his head with a smile on his face. "I guess you meet all kinds at the Guild. Well, at any rate, good to have you in the class. Just hang out somewhere close and wait for everyone else." James followed the command without missing a beat, and took a seat with his back against the eastern wall to wait. Many others showed up soon after, and the lecture on pool safety began. It was to be expected, but it still almost made James want to paint eyes over his eyelids and catch fourty winks. Snake actually did take advantage of the opportunity and slept with her head in her propped up hands. The hour passed without much other event, much to James' discontent.

Finally, with the day over, James felt like a free man fresh out of prison. He knew that in time, the feeling would dissipate to make way for the classic good feeling that comes with knowledge from the Guild - it was like this every year, the boy knew, but for now,
he and Snake would get something to eat. He was starving after ingesting nothing but the cereal bar earlier, and was ready for real food just as much as his trusted companion was. The two headed quickly for the cafeteria after James stopped at their dorm to change into regular "manclothes", which was nothing more than a T-shirt, snug blue jeans and a set of jet black combat boots. As the two entered, they began to converse about the day. It was unusual that they had remained silent to each other for so long after class, and as such, she had initiated the conversation.

"So I take it you've got that gut feeling of being in a prison," Snake pointed out, falling into step behind her trainer as the two neared the back end of the line for lunch.

"Of course. That's the rhythm and that's how it's been for seven years. It'll always be like that, but I come out on top in the end, right?" James spoke back, a small smile painted on his pretty face. The two shared a chuckle, and Snake noted, Yeah, you're right. It's nothing to worry about I suppose.

James had ordered a cheesesteak sandwich - something of a foreign meal if nothing else that not many others in the guild seemed to enjoy - and one for Snake as well. Whether it was looked down upon or not to give Pokemon human food, James could care little. As far as he was concerned, Snake was just another person that deserved whatever food she wanted.

The two took a seat not far from the man that James had tried to hit on very unsuccessfully earlier that day - Gavin - though neither had taken notice. They ate in mostly silence, until James spoke up again.

"My mom wrote me yesterday, too," he spoke solemnly, seemingly distressed. To this, Snake responded with a question: What did she have to say?

"Dad's... He... He was sent away. He's been reported MIA," the boy said, rather flustered and close to tears. He dared not show it in public, but the stress and broken spirit in his face told Snake more than he'd let on. She understood that James was a very troubled child since he and her had begun the bonding process, and part of this process was to know her trainer's deepest feelings and to know the pain in his heart. It was something she had come to peace with that he was quiet about his past, but did speak up when asked. It was just that he preferred not to, and it hurt him a great deal to speak about his father in any light.

Snake gave James a very worried look and dared not press into the questioning further. Instead, she hung her head out of respect and took another bite out of her sandwich.

"I hope he's okay," James continued, a tear rolling down his cheek in the silence. Shocked, and not even thinking about her words before spitting them forth, Snake angrily responded, What? After what he did to you? How can you say that? Finally, after a moment, the Lucario realized what she'd let loose. She covered her mouth quietly and worriedly glanced at James, who was now in tears. The boy remained quiet, and simply continued working at his sandwich.

I... I didn't mean... Snake started, but James shook his head and interrupted, "It's alright. You're right I suppose. But I still love him... He's still my dad, even if he doesn't love me. And mom... Mom just stands there..."

 

[_Diego//]

~Kinda... A strange day, no?~

~Indeed~

Akira and NightSlash had succesfully (not like there were many obstacles..) made their way back to the human's room and were now resting their bodies from all the activities each performed in this first, and rather uneventful, day of classes. Akira lied down on his bed staring at the ceiling of the room blankly, his hands rested on his own bass guitar. A custom-built instrument he made for himself not too many years ago. "A Precision body and neck with a 3 and 3 tuning knob style. Pretty plain desing, but all of the golden details and the lustrous orange color that engulfed the instrument made it a beauty to look at. In the graphite neck golden frets and diamond-shaped inlays on some of those frets were found, while the body consisted of also gilded volume control knobs (5 of them) and a shiny bridge. A pair of completely black presicision pick-ups and 1 luxury soapbar pickup. Finally, 6 golden roundwood strings. It looks amazing..."

~Um.. Akira... Who are you talking to?~ NightSlash asked to his trainer as he dropped the pear he was chewing on to the ground and raised his head curiously, a bewildered gesture located on his face as he locked sights with Akira.

~What?... Oh, sorry. Did I really say that out loud?~ Akira pondered with a laugh. ~I'm sorry. But it makes me proud to see this thing. I mean, it did take me a long time of strenous work to get money to buy all parts and all. This is the result, and...~

~Hey, hey; C'mon. I've heard your story tons of times. New one, please?~ Slash teased his trainer; a joking tone on his voice. While he said this, he jumped up to the bed the human was in, pushed the instrument away and curled himself beside his lap.

~You're not getting any food for a month~ Akira replied with a laugh as he patted the white Pokemon's head. ~Now, let's get some sleep. Hope tomorrow is a more entertaining day.~

~But it's not even that late. I don't feel like sleeping. Let's party!~ The Absol said as he got on his legs again. ~I know it was a boring day; but who says it has to be a boring night? C'mon; get up!~

"I say so. Now, I will go to sleep. You can go out and party if you want, or whatever. But I, I shall rest. Just don't get back too late. Night; NightSlash." Those were Akira's last words before he unmade his bed and tucked himself in, falling asleep just a few minutes after the action. Nothing had happened today that would get him all in a thoughtful state and all, so that blankness of the dark room lulled him like a tired baby. Slash, on the other hand, opened his eyes in shock and let his mouth drop to the mattress in amazement.

~...Oh my my god. Are... Are...For real? Are you kidding? Dude, sweet! I get the night out?! Dude, I love you. I'll behave, I promise... ... ... Though, let me say, if the whole guild is burnt down to ashed when you wake up, it was not me trying to spit fire. You have my word. Good night, Akira.~ The Absol said to his trainer as he jumped down from the bed. He wasn't at all used to being more than a few meters away from his trainer, but maybe something fun would occur and he could tease Akira by telling him he's having more fun and stuff to do than he was. He managed to open the door and silently closing it behind, not locking it so he could enter back later. Perhaps thumbs were needed, but probably he would sort out a way of opening it later. ~Let's do this..~ Slash said as he gallantly walked away from the room.

 

[♥~*Abby*~♥]

Amber laid unconsious on the bed. She couldn't feel anything. She felt like she had been there for what seemed like hours. After a long time of just laying there, Amber finally woke up. Her vision was blurry at first, but gradually got more clear. She saw some guy she didn't know the name of, and Kirov.

"K-k-kirov..." She decided now would be a good time to admit that she liked him. But of course, it would still be extremely awkward. But Amber didn't care. Her feelings had to him some time or another, so why not now?

"K-k-kirov, I had something to tell you..." She said, stuttering in a quiet voice.

"What?"

"I know this is a little sudden, but I like you... a lot. You are rather cute, and I love your personality too. The way you smile at me, the way you don't ignore me like most guys, the way you went to the infirmary to check on me just now..." Her voice trailed off. Her normally pale skin turned bright pink, almost red. She had never admitted to a guy she liked them before.

"Well, way to go Amber," She thought to herself. "Way to probably ruin your friendship with Kirov, or whatever friendship you have. Way to go. You really screwed this one up."

 

[Lusankya]

Kirov stood there by Amber's bed, staring, stunned by the sudden proclamation. He blinked several times, as though his vision had just become blurry. Was it just him, or had the temperature in the room just shot up several dozen degrees?

He felt a small tug on his shoulder, and a soft thud. Airio had fallen off his shoulder. He was now lying on his back against the infirmary floor, convulsing like a spider who was just sprayed with Raid. But he was in no danger; the rocking back and forth and spasms of his pincers and legs, flailing against the air, were signs of uncontrollable laughter.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Kirov took a step back, grabbed a chair, and sat down. For the first time in living memory, he had been shocked speechless. He couldn't think of a single time before where nothing came to mind.

"Uhh... come again?"

Oh, congratulations, he thought to himself, I'm sure that's exactly what she wants to hear. "Come again?" Your social skills are pathetic beyond belief.

"Well, uhh... Amber." Kirov leaned forward, placing his elbows on his thighs and interlocking his fingers, rocking back and forth slightly while thinking what to say. "I uhh..." Think, think, think! "I'm not exactly..." He suddenly became aware of stares behind his back. Turning around slighty, he asked, "Can you three umm, get out of here?"

Smirking, the nurse left the room, followed by Kai and Porygon. Kirov turned back to Amber. "Well, uhh, I'm don't exactly have a lot of experience with girls. But, uhh, you are pretty cute yourself." Looking into Amber's eyes, he noticed that they were a bright, lively, green. He continued, glancing down slightly. "So, umm, while I think I like you too." Yes, Kirov, that's good, whatever you do, don't say you're not sure, he thought to himself."I think I would like to get to know you a little better before we uh, do anything," he finished, saying the last part much more quickly.

 

[txteclipse]

"Look, I know they're expensive, but Porygon can't see where he's teleporting." Kai was in the infirmary talking to the nurse that was always on duty, attempting to explain to her why his partner had crashed into, and therefore destroyed, a very costly piece of equipment after jumping in. The pokemon hovered just next to him, looking as embarrassed as a digital bird could manage. "Maybe if you didn't move things around in here so much, he would remember where everything was. And besides, he was trying to get her here as quickly as possible," he added, motioning vaguely in the direction of the bed that the girl Porygon had brought in was resting on. "It's not like he destroyed the thing just for the fun of it."

The nurse did not appear completely satisfied by this justification, but she didn't pursue the matter. Instead, she began scribbling on the screen of a hand-held p.c. with a stylus, presumably part of her job.

"So…what's wrong with her?" Kai asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"Can't tell you. Patient confidentiality and all," The nurse answered tersely, not skipping a beat with her scribbling.

"Right, right." Kai couldn't quite keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Suddenly, another voice sounded behind them. "Hey, can you three…umm…get out of here?" It was Kirov: he had apparently come in to see Porygon's rescuee. Airio was flailing around next to the young man, and Kai wondered briefly if the thing had been smacked on the head or something.

"Uh, sure," the nurse answered, an understanding smile crossing her face. She looked at Kai, who took the hint and marched out of the room followed closely by Porygon. They all three ended up in the lobby, and then took to standing in silence, the nurse continuing her incessant stylus-work.

Kai tried to keep quiet, but eventually he couldn't help but ask. "Would you mind if I had that machine that Porygon broke? Seeing as it doesn't work and all…I was just wondering…" The nurse's glare quieted any further speech. He stood for a few moments longer, and then motioned for his partner to follow and left. "What a witch," he said, after they were outside.

Porygon simply shook his head.

 

[Master Electrician]

"I guess," Gavin said noncommittally. "We're supposed to the the elite-in-training and all." He took another bite, this time daring to try a little of the spicy mustard that had been served with it. To his surprise, his stomach barely objected. A distraction of sorts seemed to help, he really did need the food. A grumble in his abdomen reminded him of this, along with another superior look from Wraith.

The Skarmory looked at the proffered food for a moment, then sniffed it quickly. He decided that it was edible after all and in two vicious bites that barely avoided Chrysanthi's fingers, ate it all. From what Gavin could feel from him, it had been very good and the giant bird thought See? It's affected me too, but I can try and eat something at least.

Wraith, please Gavin thought back tiredly. I'm doing what I can, and I'm not going to starve, okay?

Trying to keep the conversation going so he actually could eat, he asked, "How was your first day back? I mean, I know nothing much happens, but..." He took another bite and chewed it over, swallowing before he continued, "Think the teachers will be decent this year?"

His stomach did act up a little then, and he swallowed, resolving to take it a little slower once again. He could still feel the anger in him, but having to be civil shunted it away a little and allowed his body to function almost normally.

 

[♥~*Abby*~♥]

Amber was a little surprised. No, a little surprised isn't quite enough to describe her shock, it was more like very shocked. No guy ever thought, or at least admitted she was cute. It was beyond her belief.

"R-r-really...?" She stuttered.

"Yeah..." She could Kirov blushing.

"Well, I think I'll be going to bed now." The nurse walked back in.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here for the night?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." After all, Amber liked the comfort of her own room. She hated laying on a sickbed, which had hardly any comfort in the comparison to her soft, cozy bed. She got up. It wasn't that late, but today tired out Amber quite a lot. Her legs were somewhat wobbly. She felt like she was going to pass out again.

"Good night, Kirov." She stumbled across the imfirmary, and then, when she got outside, Angel was waiting.

"What happened, Amber?"

"Oh, I passed out in the Cafeteria again..." amber sighed.

"You should really get medical help."

"Never mind that. I'm exahausted. I'm gonna go back to my dorm." Amber wobbled back to her dorm, opened the door, got changed into her PJ's which was a rather short-cut purple night-gown, and collapsed on her bed. She pulled the covers over her, and drifted off to sleep in hardly any time at all.

 

[Phoenix_Mew]

Chrysanthi giggled gently as Wraith snatched the food out of her hand, watching him carefully to see how he would reacted to the morsels. Swiftly, she pulled a pencil and a notebook out of her bag and made a couple of notes on Wraith's reaction.

She went back to quietly eating her curry. Her chopsticks worked flawlessly in her hands. She smiled gently. "My first day back..." She paused and laughed a bit. "It was a first day back. Thus far, I'm looking forward my breeding classes."

She took another bite of curry. "When I graduate, I really want to get a job with the Breeding Centers. I feel like I'd be making such a difference if I could work with the Pokemon."

She smiled a little more sadly. "But I'm afraid I won't have that choice if these attacks don't stop..."

She shook her head and looked back out. The sun was setting and cast a beautiful glow over the roof. She finished her curry and smiled. "Would you like to walk back to the dormitories together?"

 

[Master Electrician]

Chrys's mention of the attacks killed what little was left of Gavin's appetite. He pushed his plate away, took a long swallow of water, and said, "Whatever. Let's go." He stood abruptly and put his sunglasses back on, hardening his face against the emotions that were rushing through his body again.

Gavin... Wraith warned, ruffling his wings in preparation for their departure. Gavin gave him a look in return, hidden behind the mirrored glass of the aviators but the meaning was pretty clear for anyone who had as intimate a connection to him as Wraith did.

A moment of thought, and Gavin sighed. He thought, I'll keep it in check, Wraith. She's not responsible. Not gonna explode. He hefted he bag from the seatback where it'd been hanging and slung it over one shoulder, made a show of scratching my side to seat the folder properly and headed for the stairs back down without further ado.

 

[Lusankya]

After Amber had left, Kirov scratched his head in confusion and tried to make sense of what had just happened. Amber just confessed to him she liked him, and he had just told her he liked her too and wanted to be closer friends... right?

He remembered several chapters in a book he had read titled How to Make Friends in 3 Seconds that had been devoted to the reading of body language. He rewinded the scene that had just passed in his mind and tried to reanalyze the actions of Amber and him to see if there were any hidden messages he could decipher.

No good, he could barely remember anything from the book, asides from the most obvious things, like "crossed arms means determination or skeptism", and "drumming fingers, tapping pencils, and other actions like these mean boredom, so you'd better move on quickly!"

Maybe he was trying to approach this too scientifically, though. Kirov would have bet all his meager amount of money that, for the author of the book, those abilities came naturally.

Airio was still having his convulsions on the floor, although now they were more of an effort to get off his back and onto his six feet rather than pure laughter. Kirov decided to be annoyed at his companion's behavior and kicked him across the room, sending the spider-Pokemon sliding on his back under beds, hitting the wall with a thump. It also managed to knock him onto his side, and as Airio clambered onto his many legs, he taunted Kirov a little more. "I guess there's someone out there for everyone, isn't there?"

Kirov grunted in reply, glowered at his Pokemon, and left the room.

"Hey, wait up!" Airio yelled, and scrambled after his human partner. Narrowly avoiding the door closing on him, he crawled up Kirov's leg onto his shoulder. "Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, man."

"So you're not completely evil?" Kirov didn't look at his partner.

"No, I don't think so. I'd like to meet a nice lady spider myself, you know."

Kirov smirked at the thought of Airio getting a girlfriend. It was probably almost as funny for him as it was for Airio imagining him doing the same.

When they arrived back at their dorm, Kirov tossed Airio onto his web in the corner of the room. Not even bothering to change his clothes, he set his alarm clock 30 minutes earlier and plopped down on his bed. Sleep's sweet embrace took him within minutes.

 

[♥~*Abby*~♥]

Amber got up. She got dressed into a very crazy outfit. She put on a plain, black tank-top, a plaid skirt with the colors gray, white, and black, and black fluffy ankle boots. Amber looked at Angel. She looked different. Instead of reddish-brown for, her fur was off-white. Angel was much bigger, and had nine tails.

"Did you get into my purse and steal my fire stone?"

"Yep. " Amber just realized, she needed to go to drawing class. She looked at her clock.

"Oh my god, I overslept! I only have 5 minutes to get to Drawing Class!" Angel ran one the side of Amber, and they both ran very fast to drawing class, Amber was almost tripping over herself while running. At drawing class, she drew a picture of Angel which was surprisingly good. She went into the hallways, hoping to see Kirov. She looked around, but didn't see him.

"Oh well, I need to get to photography class anyway..."

 

[Phoenix_Mew]

The walk back to the dorms was quiet and a little uncomfortable. Crysanthi kept wondering what on earth she had done wrong. She must have said something. That was it.

She smiled and bade Gavin a fond farewell as she walked up the stairs to her dorm room. She sighed as she entered, stripped out of her clothes and flopped down onto the bed. She was asleep in moments.

She awoke to the sound of someone pounding on her door. "Chrysanthi. Open up. This is staff. Open up."

This was extremely unusual. She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and opened the door. An official looking man stood there with an Electrike for a bond. She looked at him curiously. "Can I help you?"

And then the bombshell.

"There was an attack on Naxos last night. Your mother, father, and brother have all been killed. Your brother died an honorable death fighting to save the city. We need you to come to the Infirmary for a moment."

Before she knew what she was doing, Chyrsanthi had burst from the room, rushing down the stairs and bursting out the door. She ran off, fighting tears. She was hurtling toward her hide-out behind the amplitheater, only to run face first into someone along the way, tears streaming down her eyes, and a worried Taia following quickly after.

 

[Darkhaven3]

The evening began for James with the contemplation of a valid venting mechanism to get his mind off of his father; Snake had convinced him that a walk would be good for his heart at this point. Taking into consideration that Snake at times knew him better than he did himself, he simply sighed and exited his dorm with her. The dialogue between them was very short and carefully placed, as if James was gingerly avoiding any kind of contact at all - sensing this, Snake began probing him desparately for interaction. She worried for him constantly when he was in a state like that, generally unreachable by others - but she had also come to peace with the fact that he was lost in his own mind at times, fighting emotions she could never understand why he held dear to.

On the brink of tears for the third time that day, James made sure to keep ahead of Snake to hide his new, ghastly features; his eyes had been stained nearly pure-blood-red, and his eyes were sunken-in, hidden partly by his pretty long hair and by the fact that he hung his gaze towards the ground somewhat. The deep, carved channels beneath his eyes rested in patches of dark bruise-colored flesh, as if he hadn't slept for days. He seemed starved and gaunt, barely able to ambulate on his own power down the paved pathway as he aimlessly continued his walk. His Pokemon simply allowed him to keep his pace ahead of her, staying within four or five feet of him.

Apparently, James had been paying even less attention to his direction than he thought; he paused his gait near the amphitheater, taking a good long look at the building's entrance. He considered sitting in silence in there, though he didn't possess his guitar at the time and it would be ultimately fruitless to merely sit in desolation. Shaking his head, he turned to Snake.

"Is there anywhere we can go to just... Sit in peace... Besides the dorm?" he said shakily, barely holding himself from cracking down into miserable tears. Snake shook her head blankly, noting that she was unaware of any place at this time of night that would be good to admire the peaceful darkness within. James shook his head part-angrily-part-sadly, before turning resolutely towards the gym typically used by humans attending the Guild. It seemed a much more effective way to rid his thoughts of his father than simply walking around aimlessly, which in effect caused his mind to drift further into that realm.

Before he had made any mental connection to the sudden impact, someone had collided with him bearing enough force to nearly overturn him. Throwing his balance backward, James stopped his descent by shifting his leg backward and locking his knee, and he caught the person that had run into him with both hands on her shoulders. He pushed back gingerly, allowing her to regain her balance on her own accord as he did the same, and he took a moment to brush himself off before quirking a brow in her direction. He did not recognize the person, nor did she particularly seem to jump to any conclusion about him.

Juggling his depression for a neutral tone, he finally spoke up after a moment of tense silence, "I'm sorry, that was my fault."

 

[lorddarigarn]

Name: Thaeo Miredan (Thay-oh (rhymes with "fey") Mere-dan)

Age: 16

Appearance: Thaeo is a tall boy, about 5"11, with a moderate build. He has slightly tanned skin and pitch black hair, subtly streaked dark red, falling halfway down his back and gently curling up at the bottom. He has deep, night blue eyes, soft yet sharp. He has a small, thin nose and thin lips, a scar cutting diagonally across them. He has long, thin fingers, like a pianist's, with short fingernails. He wears a black jacket with a large collar and a dark red trim, a black, long-sleeved shirt and black legs and polished black shoes. He also wears two small golden earrings and, under his shirt, he wears a small obsidian dragon-head necklace on a black string.

Personality: Thaeo is a quiet, laid-back person. Though he doesn't mind being in crowds, he likes to be own his own and do his own thing. He is very intellectual and likes to learn. He would happily spend a day sitting in a corner, watching the coming and goings and reading a book. He prefers to hang back in conversations, getting the measure of the people around him. He sometimes gets teased for his long hair, but he waves it away every time. He has an outstanding memory and god attention to detail. In all of his doings, he likes to be calm, quiet and subtle.

History: Thaeo was born in a quiet town a few miles from the guild, Thaeo is an only child. He often spent his time hiding in the forests on the edge of the town, reading or making some elaborate base with traps made of whatever he could find and carved-out shelves for his books. He knew all the quiet spots and all the places he could retreat to when the world overwhelmed him. As he grew older, he tended to be a quiet intellectual that suggested maturity before its years, sitting thinking with his hair gently flowing in the wind. He almost had a relationship with a girl, Farah, once, but he was whisked away by the guild. The town has since suffered numerous attacks and, while the people are unharmed, they have been forced to scatter and leave the town abandoned. He still keeps in contact with his parents and Farah, with which is a good degree of friendship now but no more.

Pokemon: A Sneasel called Erebus. She, like Thaeo, is a calm and collected person. She likes to set herself challenges, and will push herself to achieve them. She, like Thaeo, is very strategic and uses all her subtle skills to win a battle.


Class Schedule:

• Human Psychology
• Ninjutsu
• Zoology
• Physics
• Terrain Battle
• Human/Pokemon Relationships
• Drawing
• Pokemon Wellness

RP Sample: Thaeo sat on a bench in the training facilities, making the finishing touches on his latest greyscale while Erebus trained a few metres away. Erebus glanced up from his sketch, pencil in hand, and checked his watch. About 11. HE glanced up at Erebus.

"Ok, Erebus. Remember, not one touch the floor. Ready?" The Sneasel nodded back, her eyes slits. "Ok. Go!"
He slammed a button next to him. Five clay disks shot into the air, and Erebus jumped. She slashed a disk, which exploded in a rain of clay shards. The force of her jump drove her into a wall, and she rebounded at a second disk. Her claws glowed purple-black and, spinning to gain momentum, she tore through the second disk, shooting onwards, she began to kick out. A third disk she shattered with an upwards kick, and a fourth with a sideways one. Glancing round, she saw the final disk about to land on the floor. No. Inhaling deeply, she shot a blast of ice-cold wind, sending the shards of the fourth disk smashing into the fifth, which broke. Yes. She landed nimbly on one knee and stood up, glancing over her shoulder. She didn't have to say a word. Thaeo brushed dust off his picture.

"Ok, so what if I'm not as quick as you? At least I can draw. I'd like to see you try." He brandished his half-finished sketch. She snorted slightly.
"So? What use is that in a fight?" She waved her claws?
"What use is preening your feathers or grooming yourself?" he counter casually, stashing away his sketch.

She made a dismissive flick of her claws, then wandered over and curled up at his feet. He gave her a scratch on the head and she made a contented purring noise. His lips witched into a small smile, then he opened up his case and pulled out his laptop. Giving Erebus another small scratch, he opened his mail. Nothing new. He paused a second, then flicked open a folder labelled "Zoology". He'd do his homework now, then see what time he had later. He idly tossed a scrap piece of paper into the air, and Erebus lazily flicked her claws. A blur shot past and single ice shard stuck in the wall, nailing the piece of paper there. It juddered in the centre of a pencil-drawn crosshair.

 

[SailorShadow]

Name: Kate
Age: 14
Appearance: Kate is tall with long brown hair and green eyes. Her usual outfit consists of a black tank top with a red flame on it, black jeans, red belt, black sneakers, a black beret, and black fingerless gloves rimmed with red.
Personality: Kate is a bit of a loner. She seems cold and indifferent except to those that know her. When she is mad or upset, she pushes everyone away so she can figure things out on her own. Kate is extremely independant. She is also persistent. Even though she seems negative at times, she can be really encouraging. She is incredibly sarcastic and sometimes has a dark sense of humor. Kate tends to be late a lot and worries about everything.
History: Kate's mother died when she was young and her father left her. She lived with some family friends until they noticed how much she loved pokemon. They shipped her to the Guild on her tenth birthday, with an Absol she got from her mother's best friend, who had graduated from the Guild. She loves singing, writing, and her Absol.
Pokemon: Shadow (Absol)
Other: Nothing now.
Class Schedule:
Minami History
Human/Pokemon Relations
Pokemon Mythology
Creative Writing
Music Composition
Armed Combat
Battle Strategies/Tactics
Type Study
RP Sample:
Shadow tapped Kate on the shoulder to wake her up. Kate hopped out of bed and looked at her clock, which read 9:00 AM.
"Oh no! We're going to be late for Minami History!" she wailed, getting dressed fast. Why didn't you wake me sooner?! she thought to Shadow while pulling on her shoes. You needed the sleep, Shadow replied. Not as much as I need to get to class! Let's go now, Kate shouted in her head. She grabbed her backpack and headed out of the dorm with Shadow by her side. Kate sat down just as the late bell rang. The teacher glared, but started class. Kate took notes as the teacher talked about the origin of Minami. Between History and Relations, she took out a snack and gave a Poffin to Shadow. Shadow was happy with the Poffin, since Kate had rushed out the door so fast neither of them had time to eat. Kate munched on her chips, then ran to her next class with Shadow.

 

[Slave to the Poké-Rave]

Name: Konrad

Age: 18

Appearance: He has long black hair, tied back in a pony tail, with some hanging from his fringe over his face. He has light stubble on his chin. He has a muscular body, with strong arms and legs. He is around about 5'9. Konrad wears baggy jeans or combats, with t-shirts that have a gothic edge to them, or no shirt at all. He wears large skater shoes, or boxer boots.

Personality: Konrad is a very deep person, and thinks many things through. He is very stubborn however, and when he has formed his opinion, it is hard to make him change it. He does not seek conflict, and tries not to get angry at others. He will do what he thinks is right and nothing to him is an obstacle, simply a challenge to be traversed. Or destroyed. Towards friends he can be lively, but has a very dry wit and cannot stand immature people. He does like some good food.

History: Konrad was brought up in a family of soldiers. His great grandfather had fought in the war to claim the region, and his grandfather, and father, were also in the army. They lived a few miles from the guilds, in a small complex. His family was the kind that believed women and children were to be seen but spoken and therefore his father only talked to him at dinner or when practicing fighting techniques. His father fought with a Hariyama, and had massive muscles. He often fought with his pokemon. They were called away to fight a few weeks before Konrad was taken to the academy. He took great interest in the biology as pokemon, and seemed adept at fighting classes, having had minor training from his family. He was gifted Akashi at 14, and they often spar with each other, the razor sharp claws of his pokemon like blades, his body armoured.

Pokemon: Akashi the Scizor. He too is very head strong and determined, and not known for getting angry fast. He also likes his food.

Other: other what?

Class Schedule: Biology, Zoology, Creative writing, Calligraphy, Weights, Armed Combat (Weapon [if im at that stage] - Wakizashi & Tanto), Ninjutsu, Type Study

RP Sample:
Konrad shook his head, closing his eyes to focus. The sand beneath his feet was cold, soft powder on his firm, bare feet. His blades rang as he drew them from their scabbards.

'Lets go!' he said, rather loudly, and ran forwards, blade pointed behind him. He brought his tanto up, blocking the scizor before spinning to the right and ducking low, the wakizashi above his head to block the double downward attack of his pokemon, and prodded the red abdomen with his tanto.

'Alright, you're good, but can you do this?' Akashi said mentally, looking deep into Konrad's eyes, suddenly launching a flurry of jabs, the claws snapping open and shut. Konrad moved back slowly, a foot at a time, his blades a blur to stop the onslaught of his pokemon. He rolled right, then whipped right with his leg, sending the scizor crashing to the floor. He rolled again, getting to his feet, before turning to see Akashi standing. He nodded, the scizor mimicking him. He put his blades back. He soft sand was like grit beneath them, and he slipped his sandals on as he left the training room.

'I need some food.' Akashi said mentally.

'Plan, my man.' Konrad replied, laughing as he clapped the pokemon on the shoulder.