The Blind Lead the Blind [OPEN]

[ravensong]

After receiving her new Pokémon, the aspiring Breeder skipped along the path, her Squirtle in her arms and her Vaporeon at her side. On the other, her very best friend. She was excited to be exploring new places. Everything seemed to shiny and bright, so new and interesting. Her curiosity had gotten her into a little bit of trouble when she lived on the farm, but it was mostly unplanned encounters with irritated bug Pokémon in the fields, and Pamuya had gotten stronger by defeating each one. It was nothing Dakota wasn't used to. But this place was much different. Skipping mindlessly about around here would get you lost.

That's exactly what happened. Nothing here was familiar, so why should she worry? How can you get lost when you don't know where you're going anyways? Well, she managed it. Here they stood now, at the entrance to a bright and vivid forest when just moments before they had been traveling along the paved roads of Stormcloud City.

"Ohhh! How beautiful!" She exclaimed, eyes wide at the beautiful trees surrounding them. "Isn't it, Kat?"

"Vaporr...." Voiced Pamuya beside her, tail flicking nervously. The Vaporeon hated new territory-- especially ones with low visibility like this. Who knew what could jump out and attack her naive and curious master? Dakota was hardly one to be careful where she stepped.

Nestled in her arms was a Squirtle, which was mostly tucked away in its shell. The shy, timid Pokémon having been nervous since Dakota had left the Lab with him-- and for years before then. 'Kota made it the bane of her existence to show this Water-type what it's like to have a loving trainer to travel with. She hugged the Squirtle gently, laughing, "Are you even awake, Muna?"

"Squir..." Echoed the shell. 'Kota was content with this response, knowing it would take a while to get anything more from the Pokémon.

The breeder cast a sidelong grin at her friend and said happily, "Kat, I have a confession to make." She shrugged, as if this were no big deal. "I have absolutely no idea where we are."

[ryu]

Finally, Ryu had a day to himself. Work was exhausting back in COSMOS farm and daycare. Using his own Drifloon as the example, he had taught them how to properly raise pokemon. It'd taken quite a pretty penny out of his pocket, but it was an expense worth paying for the thought of not having to check up every few moments on how the other breeders were doing.

"Well, buddy. How're you feeling?" He asked the drifloon that was floating beside him.

"loooooon~" The pokemon closed its eyes in a happy 'smile'. It had no mouth, but he could tell be the lighter shade of purple that it was healthy and my its hearted 'hands' being slightly swelled, it was in a good mood.

"That's good! I was more than a little worried when one of them left the shears near you." Ryu sighed, when he had recieved each of the breeders now helping him run the farm, they'd been completely new. More like trainers who had been infatuated and wanted to experiment with something new. Well, once he was done with them, they were ready to raise pokemon! Though, they were still not ready to raise other people's pokemon. Such would take much longer... and they'd probably leave at that point to start farms of their own. Ryu sighed. Guess he'd be stuck here for a long little while, wouldn't he? The Drifloon caught onto his trainer's depression and hovered closer to him, letting out a questioning gust of wind onto its trainer.

"It's nothing... I just thought that after getting away from being cooped up at home that I'd be able to start a business and travel around while it prospered... but it looks like I've stuck myself in a continuous cycle... teaching breeders to raise pokemon only to have them leave after they think they've learned it all." He wasn't surprised, after all, he wanted to travel the world, so why shouldn't any of the others? It was unfair to ask so much of them even if he was paying them for their efforts.

Time passed in silence as the two went further into the forest. Honestly, he'd never stepped foot outside the farm since he got it off the hands of one Blaze Hajime. The man had seemed far too eager to give it away... and now Ryu thought he knew why. Deeper and deeper the two went, not really worried about where they were heading, not really lost either. They didn't know precise locations, but they could find their way back out eventually. With Drifloon able to fly into the air, it would be able to lead him out regardless if they knew where they were or not. Though, he hadn't expected to run into any trainers or anything out here... I mean, what were the odds in that happening?

[ravensong]

Dakota looked to her right. Katrina hadn't replied-- and it was then that the young Breeder had realized that she'd been quiet for quite some time. Her breath caught in her throat as she discovered that her best friend was missing. She spun around, looking in all directions. Just moments before, she hadn't cared at all that she was lost-- but now that Kat wasn't by her side she felt so alone and frightened. She looked down to her feet, where her Vaporeon was giving her a dull look.

"Did you see her leave, Pamuya?!" Dakota asked desperately, clinging tight to her new Squirtle and spinning around. The movement provoked a groan of protest from the shell. "Squirr--!" With that, the water Pokémon peeked her head out, realizing that her new master was bewildered and scared.

'Kota had a fear of abandonment, and just moments after finding out that her companion had gotten separated from her, her heart was pounding and her thoughts were scrambled. Having gotten all turned around as she looked for Katrina, she now had no idea which way she even came from. Pamuya flicked her tail, but the breeder didn't notice the warning. If she was going to go back and find Kat, she would've gone the other way, but instead she ventured further into the strange forest.

It didn't help at all that Dakota had a horrible sense of direction to begin with. Her pace picked up quickly as she became more flustered. Her haphazard running quickly took her off the path and into the trees without her even noticing. "Va! Vapor!" Pamuya called out after her, trying to get her master to slow down.

It was then that she burst out of the trees once more, her run coming to an abrupt stop as she tripped over a branch and skidded onto the path on her stomach-- just barely missing another person, Muna flew out of her arms and slid even farther. She laid there for a few moments with a quiet groan. Her Squirtle echoed this, curled deep into her shell.

Her Vaporeon however, stepped gracefully from the trees where she had come, but her attention snapped to what appeared to be another trainer. Instinctively, Pamuya rushed to her master's side, taking on a defensive stance and thrashing her tail protectively, growling. "Vaaaporrr...."

Hearing this, Dakota propped herself up a little on her hands and turned to the man, her face now smeared with dust and dirt from the path. She looked absolutely pitiful, her voice shaking "Oh--! I-I'm so sorry! Is this your land? I didn't mean to intrude!"

[ryu]

It hadn't been six more steps before he heard running. Stoping in his tracks, Ryu scowled, looking toward the direction the sound was coming from... odd... it didn't sound heavy enough to be an Ursaring, but it was heavier than most the other pokemon he could think of that would wander around Sakura Forest. Taking a couple curious steps closer to the bush, he jumped back as a person fell out of it, letting out a cry of surprise, the Drifloon spinning off into the air, letting out a sudden gust of wind that sent it twirling up into the air as a defensive mechanism to being surprised.

Ryu just blinked at the form at his feet, the voice slightly groaning in retort to having fallen on the ground. The brown haired teen didn't really know what to make of this and looked around for whatever had been chasing her. Hmm... there was something else coming, but it was considerably lighter sounding than her.

"Ahh..." He had started, half a mind to help her now and half to wait to see if she needed the helping. Before he could choose, a Vaporeon made the choice for him, growing, it stepped by her trainer, protectivly guarding her from him.

"Take it easy fella, I'm just gonna be helping her out." Ryu said calmly, bending down slowly as he showed his hands to the Vaporeon. He looked at the girl who was still half lying on the ground, kinda dirty after taking the spill. He couldn't help but fight back a small laugh, it had been a while since he met someone who reminded him so much of his sister. He didn't really know the girl yet, but he could already see some of the resemblances. "Woah! woah! No need to get all excited now. You're not trespassing or anything. This is Sakura Forest." It was aptly named too, the Sakura trees above them bloomed with color, causing any other forest to seem dark, murky, and lifeless amid the snow of petals. "That being said, the name's Hasegawa, Ryu." He said, extending a hand to help her up.

Drifloon calmed down after a moment, seeing it was an interesting girl who fell out of the bush... and a fish-dog-cat-thing! It'd never seen such an oddly weird thing before in its life (like it was one to talk) and floated over to it curiously, ready to let out another gust of air to carry it high into the sky again.

"You alright? Hurt anywhere?" Ryu asked, not one to typically beat around the bush for long. "That was quite the fall, I think they heard it down in Stormcloud City!" He smirked crookedly.

[ravensong]

The aspiring breeder sat up slowly, a little dizzy from her landing. She shook her head, a crooked smile on her face as she breathed an awkward laugh. "C-calm down, Pamuya. I'm fine." The Vaporeon flicked her tail in protest, barely backing down, her fierce eyes trained on Ryu. She looked around at the forest as she mentioned the name. It seemed fitting enough. Finally she turned her bi-hued gaze up at the young man, still looking apologetic, even if she wasn't trespassing. "Hi there." She scratched her head, nonchalantly smoothing out her ruffled blue hair. "I'm... well, lost. But my name is Dakota Rowe. Pleasure to meet you, even if not under the most proper of circumstances." She giggled.

'Kota was definitely raised to be polite, but this situation didn't exactly permit that, which was okay too. She took his hand with a quiet "thank you" and pulled herself up, brushing off her hodge-podge dress and examining herself. "I.. I think I'm fine.." She replied before gasping sharply and taking off running to the shell laying on the side of the road and unceremoniously dropping back into a sitting position, taking the Squirtle into her arms. "Oh, Muna! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to drop you! What a horrible way to start off together!"

The timid Squirtle slowly emerged from its shell, and Dakota placed a quick kiss on her forehead before standing again. Throughout this time, her Vaporeon stayed closer to Ryu, not once taking her piercing leer off the breeder and his Pokémon.

After a few moments, the farmgirl turned around and offered another apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, you must think I was raised in a barn! I'm normally not this flustered, but you see I've lost a friend of mine. We got separated sometime not too long ago-- and since then I've gotten myself lost in this forest.." She let out a heavy sigh, her mind preoccupied by her worry for Katrina.

[ryu]

Pamuya? That was a rather odd name for a pokemon. Or... maybe Drifloon Prime was the weird name... He'd never gotten into giving out names to pokemon, he felt it just confused the issue of calling out a name and having people turn around and having to say: 'no, I was talking to the pokemon'. In the event of multiple pokemon of the same species, he would start using Greek alphabetic letters while calling the first one 'Prime'. Then again, every trainer had a right to do what he or she would with the pokemon.

He gave a nod to her 'hi there'. He couldn't hold back his smile any more. That's exactly what his sister would have said! And the fact she was lost..? Well, perhaps this girl was a bit worse off in that department. Ah... Dakota. He helped her to stand, supporting her arm with his other before she gave a sharp gasp. He instinctivly let go, hoping he hadn't done anything to offend her... before seeing her drop down next to the shell of a small pokemon.

Muna? Another weird name. Ryu couldn't help but think it was funny how she crooned over her pokemon, hugging it like it was an infant that needed to be absolutely smothered in love. This was something that was strictly her own. There's no way on earth Jennifer would ever melt for her pokemon. Rather, she'd toughen it up saying it had to learn to walk sometime, might as well start now.

It was only then he noticed the pokemon next to him, glaring at him and Drifloon who was admiring its new-found friend. Of course, the feeling was in all probability not shared. Ryu found himself taking steps around the Vaporeon rather than past it as he tried to approach as casually as he could with eyes burning into him. The girl rose and gave another smile. Well, from the way she was dressed, he guessed she hadn't been raised in a high class home like he had... To be honest, he realy hadn't considered her upbringing, not that it would really make a difference to him anyway.

"Hmm? lost, are you? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this territory either." He plainly admitted with a small shrug, "I'd say I'm like my friend here." He nodded toward the Drifloon. "I just go wherever the wind blows... only to wind up back where I started again." He smirked, his eyes wandering down to her clothes. "Though I will say, the farm girl look does suit you." he brought a hand up to his mouth to hide a chuckle.

[ravensong]

Dakota watched with a slight sigh as Pamuya defended her stubbornly from the stranger and his Pokémon. He seemed friendly and welcoming, then again everyone seemed that way to the young lady. She was a horrible judge of character, and undeniably naive. Her Vaporeon had her work cut out for her trying to keep her out of trouble, which gravitated toward her like a pack of Persians to a helpless Pidgey.

Pamuya wouldn't let this man come too far between herself and her master, she took slow, calculated steps with him as he headed toward Dakota, but the Vaporeon was also distracted by the bobbing Drifloon as 'Kota replied with a friendly laugh, "Well, I guess you could say so. I was raised on a farm. Both my parents are breeders." She paused, shrugging slightly, "I guess you could say I'm going to be one too-- but I don't know much as of yet. Just what my ma taught me. This is my first time off the farm alone... well, I mean, I had Katrina, but like I said-- I lost her somewhere. There's so many new things out here. I feel really small."

Pamuya's voice growled low, but her owner laughed down at her and murmured. "Now, now, Pamuya. Settled own, okay? I mean-- if that Pokémon were going to attack me, it would have done it by now, wouldn't it?" With that she turned to Ryu, eyes just brimming with curiosity. "Speaking of which, what is it? I've never seen that Pokémon before."

There were many Pokémon Dakota had never seen. Most of the ones she knew were Grass and Bug Pokémon she encountered wandering about the farm, or the Normal-types that her parents often bred. That's where her once-Eevee came from. Part of her knew she had a long way to go if she ever wanted to be a real breeder. She squeezed her Squirtle in a gentle hug, still trying to calm herself enough to think where Katrina could possibly have gone. She blinked up at Ryu. "Don't you have a home? Somewhere to go back to? Or.. are you just always lost? I'm usually lost.. but I don't really mean to be." She laughed quietly.


(( Just so you know, I work weekends. 30 hours in two days. Hopefully I'll be able to get on Saturday or Sunday night, but no guarantee. Depends on how exhausted I am. x3 I'll reply as soon as I can. ))

[ryu]

Ryu smirked. So, she was lost. She had been traveling with someone else, but gotten seperated from her friend. The teen hadn't run into anyone else, and the Sakura Forest was a very big place after all. It would take days to search every corner of the forest looking. It was probably best to stick together, make sure she didn't get more lost or run into any trouble. He couldn't help but agree with her as she mentioned feeling very small in such a big world. He felt the same way... being caught up in something much bigger than himself, where every breath is a mystery, where every secret is ancient and powerful.

Ryu's eyes widened a bit as the growl of the pokemon reached his ears again and he turned to look down at the blue pokemon. He was about ready to growl back at it when its trainer murmered calming words to it. The teen was curious if it even listened to her after all. I mean, it still didn't seem like it was ready to just get over the fact he was here talking with her. Geez, it was like a parent hovering over a little kid. However, Dakota's overly curious face caught his attention as she asked about Prime.

"O-oh... that's my Drifloon." He stated, having trouble getting the words at first before relocating his mind. "Well, they're from the Indeterminate Egg group and are Ghost/Flying type pokemon. Evolve into Drifblim and are known to be carried away by the smallest of breezes. They use these breezes you and I can't even feel to move around in errotic patterns, making them quite difficult to catch, let alone hit." The teen explained, "Typically found in grassy, windy regions in packs which can range from a couple to thirty or more. They're normally seen traveling with one or two Drifblims, but this one in particular was seperated from its group by a trainer who caught it then abandoned it. I adopted it some time ago." He reached out a hand and placed it on the purple pokemon who let out a content "loooooooooooon~"

"You see, I run a pokemon Farm and Daycare near Mount Hope some distance back toward the Pokemon Lab." He indicated in the general direction, not really able to see the mountain through the trees. "Most the pokemon there I've bred or adopted through a clinic in Stormcloud City." Money hadn't been an issue, having come from a wealthy family. But he hadn't needed it. The late owner of the Farm and Daycare had just up and left out of the blue, leaving it all to the first passerby who came along who would take it. In this case, Ryu. "You know, I'd ask you if you wanted to come, but we should probably take you back to Stormcloud City. Your friend would be worried and you could meet up back in town." He offered. "That is, if daddy's alright with me coming along to see you safely back to the CIty." He smirked, looking down to the Vaporeon. The species wasn't known to have any distinguishing marks between the sexes, however a vast majority of Vaporeon were Male, so it was a safe guess to say it was a guy.

[ravensong]

Dakota listened to the information about the Ghost Pokémon with a determined face. She'd absorb the information like a sponge. A blue-haired farmgirl sponge. As he mentioned that the Drifloon had been abandoned, however, her expression swelled with sympathy and sadness. She turned the Ryu with a slight frown, her voice quiet. "Muna here was also abandoned. Since then she's been so timid and distant." With that she hugged the Squirtle in her arms, startling her slightly, as her response was the duck slightly back into her shell where she spent most of her time. "I just got her from the lab. The professor told me she could use a kind trainer." Her features quickly changed to show her optimism and drive to accomplish this for the Squirtle. "I'm going to be that trainer! So help me, this Squirtle will know what it's like to have someone who will always be there for her."

Dakota was one to wear her heart on her sleeve, no doubt. With every word, her expression changed to match it, the tone of her voice rang with her feelings. The young breeder was by no means discreet-- and it was quite obvious that she was incapable of hiding this. She was also quite whimsical in her thinking, and things often slipped her mind. It wasn't until after Ryu had finished describing his Drifloon that she realized that she'd just been given a PokéDex. She took it out without a word and pointed it at the Pokémon in a nearly theatrical way, her arm completely extended toward it in the air. "DRIFLOON: A Flying/Ghost-Type--" It began, but the voice had startled 'Kota, and she quickly shut it. Bewildered, she examined the technology and laughed awkwardly back at Ryu. "Err.. sorry about that. I'm still trying to figure some things out."

Her eyes widened as he mentioned owning a whole farm. What were the odds that she had run into another Breeder? One that was already quite well off? She could learn a lot from him, she considered, listening intently. Her mouth opened slightly at his request, which at any other time she would've jumped at. However, the mention of Kat made her curb her enthusiasm and she resigned herself to a nod. "I really should find her. She's probably worried sick. Even with Pamuya, I usually get myself into some kind of trouble." She giggled quietly, but her Vaporeon thrashed her tail once more and Dakota blinked, "I'm sure she'd be okay with-- oh! Pamuya is a girl!" Again, the young lady couldn't help but laugh, even if her companion was offended.

The Vaporeon looked upset to an almost comical degree, tense and bristling, "Va! Vaporr!" She complained, brow furrowed. It was no wonder that the Water-Type was mistaken for a male. Even if the ratio for Vaporeons were more equal, the protective and short-tempered nature of this particular one made her seem all the less feminine.

[ryu]

[[ lol, Dakota's so cute xDD ]]

So, the Squirtle had been the same as Drifloon? It was strange that a common starter pokemon had been abandoned by its trainer. Typically they were kept and raised well. It must have been hard for the pokemon to endure having lost its home, lost the respect of its trainer... and lost its respect for itself. Ryu thought he saw what the professor who gave it to her did. Compassion, the ability to give her all to her pokemon as though they were her own kids. It was great to see that there was such a breeder that was so dedicated to them, wanting to help them as the living, breathing things they were. Wanting to learn more about them for wanting to be friends... not learning to do it for a living as the others helping him on the farm were. Out of all the breeders he'd met so far, she was more promising than even the most hard working employee back on his farm.

Ryu blinked in astonishment as Pamuya's gender was disclosed at long last... and to a surprising result! "Oh! She is, is she? That's rare!" He said, bending over to look at the pokemon. "I mean, out of all Eevee species pokemon, there's roughly a 9:1 ratio of males to females." He said, looking over the vaporeon, much more keen on examaning the pokemon. "Heh, sorry!" He apologized, catching himself early on before he spent a half-hour looking over the Vaporeon, "I tend to get carried away when I see pokemon who are seldom seen in one's life-time. Most the time trainers don't know if their pokemon is male or female if there aren't any obvious distinguishing marks to remind him. So, the already low percentage of females become even slimmer because trainers don't take the time to really get to know their pokemon." Ryu explained with an embarassed smirk.

"Well... Ahh..." Ryu hesitated. It would be getting late, and it wasn't like they'd be able to find their way out of a dark forest. "shall we?" He asked, extending his hand to Dakota. He'd never done this before. Well, he hadn't run into a need to ever offer to hold hands unless it was with his sister... which was slightly different. "I don't want you wandering off and getting more lost." He explained. It was still kinda embarassing for him to offer to hold hands with a complete stranger, but it was the only way to ensure she didn't go wandering off alone like she must have done with her friend.

"Drifloon, see if you can hover above the trees and see where Stormcloud City is." He stated. It wasn't so much a command, but it wasn't like he was asking either. The Drifloon rose into the sky, dodging branches as its tentacles trailed behind him as he climbed higher and higher into the sky.

[ravensong]

[[ XD She's fairly derp. ]]

Dakota smiled widely, almost proudly as he examined Pamuya. The Vaporeon was startled by his gaze, and shrunk away slightly, having not expected to be the center of attention. She usually wasn't-- it was Dakota she had to worry about. Of course, Dakota had no idea that a female Vaporeon was rare, but as she did when she realized her sense of fashion and playful nature were different, she imagined that Pamuya would take pride in being unique.

"Haha, I'm sure she doesn't mind." Even if she was clearly wrong, as her Vaporeon was quite uncomfortable with Ryu's curiosity, Dakota listened in as he spoke. "Really? I mean, I guess I've spent a lot of time with her.. Her gender's really obvious if you hang around her long enough." She replied with a shrug. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of trainer wouldn't take the time to get to know their Pokémon. She didn't understand the idea of going into battle side-by-side without having a friendship between yourself and your Pokémon. Though, she didn't exactly understand battling either, though it seemed to be Pamuya's instinct.

Dakota blinked as Ryu extended his hand, and for once, her Vaporeon didn't voice any objections. Instead she seemed to be waiting for 'Kota's reaction to this gesture before responding, herself. The farmgirl didn't hesitate too much at all, taking his hand with a happy smile. "Mkay!" She replied as he had his Drifloon scout ahead. She craned her neck skyward and watched it take off before something finally clicked about the embarrassment he had displayed and her eyes widened. She turned to him in surprise, a blush spreading across her features as her hand flinched slightly, "Uh.. Dear me." She said with an awkward giggle, clearly having had a delayed reaction to the hand-holding. "I.. well.. I guess I won't be getting lost." 'Kota determined, hugging her Squirtle close with her free arm.

Pamuya took this reaction pensively, watching the way Dakota responded with a piercing gaze, her fin-like tail flicking.

[[ She's also kind of slow. XD ]]

[ryu]

Yeah... so... ah-hem... Ryu and Dakota stood there for a bit before Drifloon found its way back down. All the while, Ryu couldn't help but look over now and again to look at Dakota. Well, she was just fine for a moment before flinching, starting to mumble and turn a bright color of pink... which only made Ryu think how cute she looked before turning red himself at the thought, looking away. It didn't mean anything. They were just two strangers holding hands because they didn't want to get seperated and Ryu wouldn't feel bad for having lost her.

He was almost surprised that Pamuya hadn't objected to this move. Maybe she didn't know what it meant to humans. Not that it made it any better, but it saved him from feeling even more like he was taking advantage of the situation. He couldn't help but feel how her hand was a bit callused, having worked on a farm. His was probably worse, doing all sorts of manual tasks around the farm. One wouldn't have expected from any other way than his dress and speech that he had grown up in a ritsy home. He was one of the few 'rich kids' who knew what a true day of work felt like and actually enjoyed it.

"So... ah... you lived on a farm?" He askd, trying to take his mind off holding hands, starting forward as a slow enough pace that they were walking casually, letting her keep up easily with him. "What was that like? Did you have any siblings?" He grasped for straws, hoping something would click. I mean, it was awkward enough holding hands, it'd be a lot more comfortable talking than to just walk in the silence.

[ravensong]

Dakota's feelings toward the situation were much different than Ryu's own. Sure, they had only just met, but she was quick to attach to people, and couldn't help but feel she'd already made a good friend in this stranger. The rough nature of his hand reminded her of home, when her father would guide her out to the fields for work, and show her the ropes. The entire duration they spent waiting, a reminiscent smile never left her lips. The color on the young breeder's cheeks remained, but she became less aware of it while the two waited for Ryu's Pokémon to return and guide them. Ever clueless, 'Kota hadn't caught the matching blush that formed on his face before he turned away, and she was quite curious as to what was so interesting in the opposite direction from her. She leaned forward slightly, trying to look around him for a moment before the Drifloon returned.

She nearly fell forward, but quickly covered it up by taking a step, walking beside him in a slightly awkward motion for a moment before looking casual. Pamuya followed on her other side, her attitude towards Ryu slowly transitioning to a more resigned disposition. Though, she somehow managed to keep her eyes on the young man while walking without missing a step. Her owner, however, was less talented at this, and as Ryu spoke, she turned to look at him. She was always taught that it was polite to make eye contact during a conversation. "Yep. With my ma and pa. I'm an only child, so I worked in the field as well as learned to sew and cook. It's a nice balance, and really comes in handy sometimes--"

She cut herself off with a slight gasp as she lost her footing, holding on tight to his hand in order to keep herself from stumbling forward. This day wasn't exactly the best representation of what little grace she had, but she wasn't about to let herself fall flat on her face or drop Muna again today.

[ryu]

Ryu hadn't noticed the first stumble, more because he was trying to recompose himself than looking at her. I mean, he was a bit too... nice? eh, probably the wrong word. He wasn't exposed to that sort of thing often, and it wasn't like he'd ever seen his parents doing stuff like that. Thinking about them just made him forget about his embarassment all the quicker. By time he looked back and asked his question, he was trying to think of this like he was leading his sister through the groves back home or something. Learned to sew and cook? He'd learned to cook out of necessity, but he'd never sewn before. Normally had the Butlers go out and by new clothes should the old ones get damaged.

He saw her eyes widen and stopped his pace, bringing his other arm around quickly to catch her, the small shelled pokemon between them. The moment felt drawn out as he looked down at Dakota. "Ah..." He hesitated, not really sure what to say. "Are you always so clumsy?" He huffed, getting defensive and rather annoyed with himself for the mixed feelings as he began walking again, keeping her hand gripped tightly in his. He didn't mean to be rude, but he was afraid being soft on her would only make matters worse. I mean, he wasn't here to convince himself to go on a world tour or anything, he was here to help a lost girl get back to her friend. That's it.

ugh... who was he fooling? Ryu took a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh. Damn... he could see his sister in most every clumsy step she took. The adoring girl who looked up to him and depended on him. The girl who grew up trying her best to seperate from him by pretending she didn't like it when he babied her, by going off and leaving him alone to be a pokemon Trainer. Of course, she never could go long without calling home and updating him of her progress. After all, she was still his little sis.

He hadn't realized a smile had grown on his face and quickly subdued it. Had she seen it? "So," He started, a different tone than he had before. "an only child... and grew on a farm, eh? Sounds dreadfully dreary. Waking up, going through a schedule, going to bed. Minute differences, but not enough so the days don't blend together." He shrugged. "So, I suppose you chose to escape by traveling around the world while your parents tend to their farm... is that it? Running away from the monotonous life you couldn't stand?" He asked, perhaps a little accusingly. He was starting to feel a bit protective of her, but he couldn't have her mistaking what he was doing here. Holding hands, talking, anyone would guess at what they were doing... and it wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't something he was ready for just yet.

[ravensong]

Her fall came to a surprisingly gentle stop as he caught her, but the situation left her looking up at him with a blank stare as the moments ticked by. She felt Muna shifting around in her shell, as though the Squirtle had expected a rough landing and was considering popping out to see what was going on.

She didn't expect his tone. To her, it seemed like his whole demeanor had suddenly changed, and as she found her footing once more, she shrunk back a little. Her voice was quieter, almost hurt sounding. She must have done something wrong, "I.. I'm pretty clumsy, yes. I've gotten used to landing on my face more than once a day." She joked, trying to lighten the mood slightly as she laughed nervously.

Dakota decided from that moment on that when he talked to her, she wouldn't go out of her way to make eye contact. She'd keep her bi-hued gaze on her feet and the path ahead of them so that she wouldn't slip up again. She didn't mean to irritate him. Still.. she couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at him as they continued walking, and to her confusion she saw a smile spread across his face.

Her thoughts were scrambled by now. 'Kota was a simple girl, and she could hardly read the mixed signals she was getting from him. It was like he was speaking a different language. Why didn't he just show what he actually felt? That would be so much easier. Then she would know if he would consider them friends, too. After all, if they said goodbye, she'd miss him. She would remember his name and his face. Would he remember hers?

She nearly winced as he spoke of her life as though it wasn't enjoyable. She would thoroughly disagree with every word, "I.. no. I loved my home, my parents. Waking up every day and working hard. I miss the farm a lot already. But Katrina wanted to be a trainer after the attack.. She and I are best friends, so she asked me to go with her." She would never have left her farm if she hadn't met Katrina. Katrina hadn't even wanted Pokémon until the day the two had that encounter with the Charizard. She looked down at her gloved hand, clasped firmly in Ryu's own. She breathed a quiet sigh as she recalled the burns she got that day from protecting her friend. She usually didn't mention it to people, then again, she never had a person to tell it to that wasn't there but her parents.

She looked back at the road, avoiding looking at him as she felt a pang of homesickness on her very first day away from where she grew up. She missed Katrina more than ever, now. She was the only person she had with her from home. She had Pamuya, of course, but Kat was the only reason she left.

Speaking of Pamuya, the protective Vaporeon didn't like the tone that Ryu had taken on either. She didn't like that her master felt badly about it. She thrashed her tail in a warning as she walked beside Dakota, voicing another warning. "Vaporr..."