The Blind Lead the Blind [OPEN]

[ravensong]

Somewhere in her mind, Dakota was trying to urge him to return the hug, but it was clear he wasn't going to offer much. Something about holding back like that must have been important to him, and that was certainly okay with her. However he wanted to respond, she was just glad that he would accept what she needed to do to get her happiness off of her chest. Maybe sometime he'd have something to express with a hug, too. Something that made him happy or excited enough, and she'd be standing right there for that moment. That's what friends did, right? They were there for each other, whenever they needed a hug. For better or worse causes.

The young farmgirl blinked at the question, taking it into consideration. How would she respond to it? What did it even mean? She tried to think back, recounting anyone she ever hugged. Katrina.. her best friend, of course. Her mother and father, obviously. Her pokémon. Well, yeah. Everyone she really knew, she would hug. Then again, she didn't know many people, and the only ones she did were friends or family. She wondered if she would've hugged Nate if given the chance. She had the biggest crush on that farmhand, and Kat never heard the end of it. Though, she decided she probably wouldn't. She might be too shy. So she replied candidly, her smile returning after her moment of consideration. "Nope~! Just my friends." She replied with a giddy laugh.

Finally she thought back to his tale, his childhood and how he grew up. She couldn't help but wonder how many hugs he would've received. He said his parents were never around.. she realized that his sister was probably the only one he would've hugged. The only friend he really had through then, and it made her statement all the truer. She gave him one final squeeze before stepping back again. "I like hugs." She said matter-of-factly, offering a decisive nod along with it.

She picked her Squirtle up, and she instantly shrunk back into her shell. Dakota had a feeling that Muna didn't like being carried, but she couldn't help it. She just looked so timid when she was on the ground, and 'Kota wanted to protect the shelled Pokémon. She looked back up to the sky, her eyes still full of wonder at the beauty of the sunset over the trees. Finally it clicked that the sunset meant night would fall soon and she breathed a quiet gasp, "Oh! It's getting late!" She exclaimed, looking back to Ryu, "Kat's gonna be worried! We should get into town quick if we're going to eat dinner!" She laughed, taking his hand and breaking into a run.

[ryu]

Friends.

The word inspired security and disappointment at the same time within Ryu, though, he felt a lot more comfortable around her. He smirked as she made it perfectly clear she was a hugger, which plastered a smirk on his face as he held back a small laugh. It was only when Dakota mentioned the time that Ryu himself realized she was right. He knew it had been late, but he'd just lost track of time again. Somehow, she did that to him. It hadn't been that long, but it was rare for Ryu to be so consumed that time was no longer a factor.

"Then we should-" He started before she grabbed his hand and pulled him along, laughing. He wasn't sure which was more prominant on her mind, eating or finding her friend. It didn't take long to reach the streets of Stormcloud city. It was a good sized place, no towering buildings, not many franchise businesses, but a lot of family run places one next to the other. It was a mediem sized town, not like Coral or Lunar city which were basically bustling metropolises. The city was nice and typically quiet. There wasn't much crime and it was genuinly a good place to live. It was said the whole city was powered by the Electric Gym. The pokemon being strong enough to light the whole city with the electricity. Ryu wasn't sure if that was feesable, but it added a fair bit of wonder and glamour to the name 'Gym Leader'. And right by the Gym, was the Pokemon Center! The red-roofed building invited trainers, breeders, and coordinators to gather at a single place. The one place to go if you were looking for someone with Pokemon. At one point or another, every trainer that passes through the town goes to the Pokemon Center for the Nurse Joy to take a look and make sure they were healthy.

The place brought back memories as they approached the building. "You know, I used to work here." He stated as they approached the glass double doors with the shape of a giant white and clear pokeball in the center, stretching across both doors. Upon entering, they would see a large crowd of faces, hats, genders, and ethnicities. It was amazing to see others from different regions all mixing into one! This time, it seemed they were particularly busy despite it being night. "I guess we've got a lot of trainers looking to catch pokemon..?" He wondered. Typically people would come in during the day, but it was odd to see so many people. Maybe the gym had something to do with it..?

[ravensong]

Dakota's steps only really slowed as they entered the city, and that was only because she had forgotten anything beyond the entrance to the forest. Nothing seemed familiar (though, it did all seem very beautiful and exciting to her, the way the lights kept the street illuminated as night approached, the way the windows glowed with light as people lit up their houses to see as the sunlight dimmed, the way the roads were paved... the buildings! They all looked so large and grand to her, even if this was a smaller city! It struck awe in her eyes and face, as everything else around here seemed to do.) Still, it seemed like Ryu knew where he was going, so she did her best to keep in step with him, trying to predict where he was going to walk next so she didn't seem as awkward following him when they were side-by-side. Beyond that, she was distracted by the buildings. Hugging Muna close, she kept walking with her bi-hued eyes darting all over the place, as if trying to absorb every detail of the city like a sponge. Pamuya stood close to her feet, not about to get lost or allow her trainer to separate from the only person who seemed to know what was going on.

As they approached the Pokémon Center, 'Kota was taken with the doors, the walls, the roof, the everything. She decided that it was a beautiful building in particular, and that she favored it. She blinked as Ryu mentioned that he used to work there, her mouth opened to a tiny "o" shape before switching back to her smile, "Really? It seems like a neat place to wo--" Her eyes opened wide as the doors were opened and the huge crowd of Trainers, Pokémon, breeders-- everyone from everywhere seemed to be there. She didn't expect that at all, in fact she had imagined this as empty besides Katrina. She squeezed Ryu's hand, almost whimpering, a little overwhelmed by how many people were there. She broke her eyes away from the crowd to pout at him, "H-how in the world are we going to find Kat in here?! We can hardly fit in the door, there's so many people!"

Where she was from, crowds never got this big. Then again, where she was from only had a few people and was hardly comparable to the way that big cities she'd be traveling to would be. She almost got nervous at the thought. Getting lost in a forest was one thing, there was space between the trees, and they didn't move... but a sea of people was much more difficult to navigate-- and you could hardly hear, everyone was off talking and having other conversations. For the life of her, she was not going to let go of her new friend's hand. She decided right there that she wasn't fond of crowds of people. Boy, was she doomed.

Her eyes darted down to Pamuya, who was already tenser than ever, glaring at anyone who so much as brushed her tail before pulling it close to her. 'Kota couldn't help but offer a sympathetic smile, wondering how crowds looked to something so short. Then she remembered the items that the Professor had given her when she got Muna. Her parents used Pokéballs all the time to round up their Pokémon at night or for any other reason. Still refusing to let go of Ryu's hand even for a second, she tried to maneuver her hand beneath her Squirtle to dig one of the spheres out of one of the hidden pockets on her dress that she had sewn in when she patched the thing together. She knew Pamuya always refused to be in a Pokéball, but Muna was used to being in one. It must've taken major skill to press the button on the ball, have it expand, and tap it against the Squirtle in her arms without dropping her, but she hardly managed it. Muna disappeared with a red glow.

With that, she bent over and scooped up the Vaporeon, keeping her in one arm. She was significantly heavier than Muna, of course, but Dakota had been holding her her whole life since she was a feisty little Eevee. Pamuya was never particularly fond of it, but in this case, she tried to curl up a little to make holding her easier. She didn't want to be on the ground. 'Kota couldn't help but giggle at this, smiling triumphantly at Ryu. "We should start looking for Kat!"

[ryu]

Ryu looked over to Dakota and almost laughed at her amazment. It was so strange, the way everything seemed to amaze her. The people, the busy atmosphere... it wasn't until she squeezed his hand a little tighter and seemed to gravitate closer to him he realized she wasn't liking the change. She looked up at him a little anxious about what lay before her. She sounded like a small child as she worried they wouldn't be able to do anything in such a crowded place. He was starting to get the same idea, but it would be best to reach the front. If Dakota could talk to Nurse Joy, he was sure they would be able to find Kat in no time.

"Don't worry, just keep a hold of my hand and don't wander off. We won't be here for too long." He reassured her. Well, he wasn't sure how long they were going to be, but something seemed to be going on. He hesitated for a bit as Dakota started rummaging around, getting prepared for the plunge into the building. She looked more determined now, her scared face being swollowed up by what Ryu guessed to be Courage. It wasn't evident as such, but she seemed more relaxed than a moment before. She even let out a small laugh. Wow, she sure bounced around a lot... it was amazing how many peaks she visited in a short amount of time.

"Yeah." He nodded once squeezing Dakota's hand once in reassurance. "Stay close." He ordered firmly, almost like a dad would to his daughter when entering someplace she'd never been before. Walking in, he found a path through the sea of bodies where he pushed by the least number of people... of course, he had to help a couple move out of the way, the noise level too loud to hear anything anyway.

Somehow, after being bumped into quite a number of times and looking back to check up on Dakota every once in a while, he reached the front desk. A pink haired woman smiled happily down at him and Dakota.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center! How may I-" She broke off as she recognized his face. "Oh! Ryu! You've come back! And with a beautiful girl friend!" She cooed almost proudly. "my young man is growing up so fast!" She giggled happily, almost claiming to be his mother with the statement, not that it would be inaccurate, she'd been the closest thing his whole life.

Ryu couldn't help but turn a color of red at her blatant remark. "W-well, it's not-" He stumbled all over his words, the Nurse touched a finger to her nose and winked cutely at him.

"Of course not! Silly me!" She giggled. Ryu couldn't help but sigh, feeling like he was surrounded by a bunch of gossiping little girls who were content picking on the boys, saying they had boy-cooties.

"Hey, Joy, could you please ask for a Katrina to come to the front? We're looking for her and we think she might be here." Ryu explained to the older woman. "Ah..." He looked back to Dakota, "What was her last name?" He asked, the nurse listening so she could call for their friend over the PA system. It would be much more efficent than searching around 'where's waldo' style for an unknown person amid a sea of faces and names. If she was here, she'd definatly hear and meet up pretty quickly.

[ravensong]

Pamuya did not like this arrangement, people hitting her tail, her legs, her fin-like ears as she was carried through the crowd, but Dakota wasn't doing much better. She was doing her best to keep to what he told her, not to wander off, to stay close, and not to worry. It was actually pretty difficult to do, with people pushing her aside, she clung desperately to his hand, frowning slightly with determination. Every step threatened to sweep her aside as a number of people had her off balance. Dakota, in general, wasn't the most coordinated person ever, but she managed not to fall or lose Ryu in the crowd. She began to wonder if Kat was here, as the farmgirl's short height didn't allow for any visibility over the crowd.

Finally, as they approached the counter, 'Kota couldn't help but smile wide at the cheerfulness of Joy's voice as she recognized Ryu. However, like his own, her face turned beet red at her implication. She opened her mouth to protest the idea, but no sound came out. Ryu himself hadn't done much better with his stuttering, but Joy seemed to understand.. something. Dakota wondered if she actually believed that the two weren't together. She was relieved, though. Pamuya had twitched her tail in reproach of the idea, but Dakota didn't notice. The protective Vaporeon wouldn't allow anything along those lines to happen until she had gotten enough time to fish out every hidden motive he may have with her piercing gaze. Not that anything on those lines should happen to her Dakota anyways. She was still a child, if not in age but in mind. It was Pamuya's job to make sure she didn't dive headlong into anything she wasn't ready for.

No, no. Ryu had better not want that. The water-type didn't approve just yet. Both she and Dakota were happy for the subject change, and the aspiring breeder quickly forgot her embarrassment and her blush faded just as fast. She smiled wide as her thoughts changed to her friend once more, how much she wanted to see Kat again.. how much she wanted to introduce Ryu to her. She was just so curious about Katrina's reaction to the nice, helpful young man. They'd all be traveling together. One merry band of friends. "Clark~" She answered happily, the answer more like the chirp of a contented Pidgey. "Kat has really bright red hair-- and she just got herself a Sneasel. She's really really pretty." Her eyes sparkled as she talked about her best friend. She truly admired the girl, for her courage and loyalty. With her fiery personality, Katrina was pretty much Dakota's polar opposite. Yet they got along swimmingly.

[ryu]

[[ fail post D= ]]

"Oh? Another girl? You aren't planning on doing anything, are you Ryu?" Nurse Joy's eyes narrowed slyly as she leaned over the counter. "Traveling with two girls, alone?"

"That's why I offered to go along. Because they need someone to help them." Ryu answered quickly in responce to her accusations. "The only thing I plan on doing is making sure they don't get into trouble. Don't get any ideas, alright?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Nurse Joy didn't say anything, but her smile said it all. More like a 'I'm keeping my eyes on you' kinda smile. Great... she totally didn't believe him. Well, he'd expected as much.

"Katrina Clark. Would one Katrina Clark come to the counter."

Well, this was it. Either she would be here or she wouldn't. Ryu hadn't the foggiest idea of what to expect, but he could imagine two Dakotas wandering about Star Region. Though, something about the story he'd been told before suggested that Katrina would be more like the way his Sister tried to act. Maybe it was the fact both of them were trainers that made him think that way.

"Katrina Clark, could you come to the front desk?"

[ravensong]

She had no idea what in the world Nurse Joy seemed to be implying. She simply tipped her head sideways and offered an inquisitive look before shrugging. She was curious as to what 'ideas' Ryu might get, and what travelling with two girls had to do with it. What could go wrong? Did he want to wear a dress or something? She supposed if that was really what he wanted, it might be odd, but it'd be good for a laugh. Beyond that, Dakota couldn't think of anything he would do with two women besides act more womanly. That made.. some sense, she supposed.

Anyways, it didn't matter now. She was excited; hopeful even, that her best friend might be in this very building with them. She faced away from the counter and looked around, standing on her tiptoes and trying to look over the crowd.

No movement towards the desk... no bright red hair and white headband making its way through the sea of people to meet her.. No Katrina. Her heart sank, and her searching became a little more desperate. Her hopeful look slowly turned into a frown as she scanned the group for her friend. 'Come on, Kat. You have to be here.. I don't know where else to look..' She thought with a quiet whimper, Pamuya snuggling closer to her as the Vaporeon recognized the situation. Finally, after waiting a good amount of time, she turned back to Ryu with the most pitiful look.

What would she do now? She had to keep looking, but her stomach was growling, Pamuya was just as hungry. She was lost and worried, and she had Ryu. How long would Ryu wait around for her to look for her friend? She shouldn't ask that much of him, it wasn't polite. 'Kota looked at her feet for a moment before casting one more sidelong glance towards the crowd, not expecting her to be pushing her way through, but wishing for it nonetheless. That's exactly what Kat would do, too. She'd shove these people aside and knock over as many people as it took to get to her best friend. She was so much bolder, more brash than Dakota. And Dakota missed it. She spoke quietly to Ryu, sounding subdued and disappointed.

"I-I'm sorry... I don't know.. where she could be.."

[ryu]

Ryu didn't know what to expect. Out of all the people here, he'd hoped that one of them would be the red-head they were waiting for. Several times he'd seen people moving in the crowd, raising his hopes and looking over the Dakota only to find the person sitting in a chair or making their way to friends or family. Wherever Katrina was, it didn't seem like they would be finding her here. While Ryu was a little disappointed, he couldn't say the news was devastating. That just meant he had more time with Dakota. For better or worse, the pair had some time to kill before checking back again. Ryu's eyes shot over to a downcast Dakota whose eyes were drawn to the floor, taking their failure much harder than him. But it was only to be expected. After all, this was her friend they were looking for.

"No need to apologize to me." Ryu shrugged, trying his best to sound indifferent, "apologies aren't going to find your friend, only make you feel worse about it." He pointed out with a small smirk. "Besides, it was my bad idea to come here so it should be me apologizing to you." He gave an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry." Even while he was talking, he couldn't help but wonder where else they could look for her friend. Well... it was about dinner time, it was a possibility she was already looking for someplace to eat. Casting a glance up to the wall of the PokeCenter, he checked for the exact time. 7:40pm. Yep, defiantly dinner time. He could feel his stomach gnawing on the last of whatever it was he had for breakfast today. Probably oats and milk, but he couldn't remember if that was this morning or yesterday. Not finding that it mattered, the teen mentally shook off the question and took Dakota's hand again, by now comfortable enough doing so that it didn't really affect him.

"Thank you Joy, I've taken up enough of your time." He gave a polite bow to the older woman who waved and called something out he couldn't rightly hear, but it sounded like something he wouldn't dare repeat, making out 'have fun with your new girlfriend'. Like he thought, Joy didn't buy it for a moment. Not that he could blame her, anyone would mistake his generosity for being interested. But that was nothing he had time for! Well, now that he was going to be traveling with her, he would have time for it... but that wasn't the point! Ahh... why was he getting all flustered anyway?

"There's still a place we can look at where I think she'll be." Ryu divulged, looking back with a smirk as he made his way through the crowd with Dakota. "And while we're there, we'll be able to grab something to eat as well. It's around dinner time, so it won't be out of our way to go or anything." His stomach felt like it was about to voice its own opinion on the matter. Really, it wasn't too far away from the Pokemon Center. Take a right at the end of the street and walk to the fancy looking restaurant with the fancy name. "Chou's Bistro is a famous family owned restaurant known for its famous Eastern-Style Cuisine consisting of a mix of sea-food and exotic plants grown only in the Sinnoh Region." He tutored Dakota. "I've been here a few times, but only when I come to town."

As they neared, the glass doors would allow a view of the very classy interior. The place was packed, and mostly filled with the semi-formal attire of those who had something to celebrate. Ryu and Dakota may not have been so well dressed as those inside, but he knew the place wouldn't turn down his business, having made the acquaintance of Mr. Chou himself.

"Two, please." He held out the thumb and index finger of his left hand, releasing Dakota's hand, he stuffed his right in his pants pocket. He wanted to continue holding onto her, but it would be improper in such an establishment. The waiter nodded before commanding them to follow him. Passing tables, they reached a booth by the window looking out at the twilit street. Ryu walked around and pulled out the chair for Dakota to sit in. Once she was situated in her seat, Ryu walked around and sat himself down on the opposite side of the table. He didn't need to look at the menu to know what he was getting. He was addicted to the Shrimp, they were the largest he'd ever seen and came with salad and a dipping sauce.

"Nice place, huh?" Ryu smiled to her. "You see your friend anywhere?" He knew it was unlikely, but if Katrina had heard of the famous Chou's it was possible she would have come here to dine at some point.

[ravensong]

His words cheered her up, if only a little. He encouraged her to continue their search, that it wasn't an inconvenience to him. She did so dislike being an inconvenience. Almost immediately, her face brightened a little. She wasn't one to hold on to sorrow or grief. Though, she did seem a little sad that Ryu had blamed himself for coming there without finding her, "It's perfectly fine! Even though she isn't here, it was a great idea! I wouldn't've thought of it.. Kat probably would've, though." Her voice got progressively quieter as she spoke, until she was almost trailing off as she spoke Katrina's name. She did feel badly, still. Though, the young man didn't seem too upset, more like he had something else on his mind. Maybe more ideas as to where Katrina could be?

As he apologized to Nurse Joy and took her hand once more, she couldn't help but smile again. It wasn't awkward to hold hands anymore-- which made her happy. It meant he thought of them as friends now, right? Not two strangers that were uncomfortable with any sort of physical contact. Still, she wondered if he would blush again were she to hug him now. Dakota didn't see too much of a difference between the two gestures. Holding hands was just as friendly. She barely heard Nurse Joy's voice over the constant murmur-- no, more of a quiet roar, or drone --of the crowd's talking as Ryu guided her into the sea of people once more. She hugged Pamuya close with her other arm, glancing over her shoulder with an inquisitive look, wondering what it could be that the Nurse had said to them as they left. Probably a goodbye.

Soon Ryu's own voice met her ears, and she turned back to face him, straining to hear his words. Her eyes lit up with hope as he mentioned another place she might be. The idea that she may get something to eat there also appealed to her. She'd bet that Kat would've eaten already-- or might be somewhere doing just that about now. The pair hadn't had even a bite to eat since breakfast that morning before they headed to the lab. She was very glad for Ryu's assurances that nothing was too out of the way for the two, but as they reached the street and she could hear him properly, her eyes widened.

Something there had to be lost in the translation. It all sounded so entirely fancy-- so expensive. The only money Dakota and Katrina had had on them was what they received from their families for the trip. Katrina couldn't possibly be in a place that was too elaborate. Besides that, she wouldn't want to be. Growing up in a family of seven brothers didn't exactly give her the best table manners. Despite her own humble upbringings, Dakota was taught to be very polite at dinner. The two Breeders kept walking together, hand-in-hand as she thought over what he had said about the place, letting ideas tumble around like newborn Vulpixes in her head as to what the restaurant could possibly be like.

She didn't expect this at all. Even before they opened the door, every fancy little detail made her heart flutter. She gave his hand a squeeze as her bi-hued eyes scanned the beautiful interior of the high-class restaurant, but he let go. His hand pulled away from hers and she couldn't help but feel a just a little rejected by it. She would've reached out to take it again if he hadn't shoved it into his pocket. So she just let her gaze travel about nonchalantly. She shouldn't feel badly, right? There must be a rule or something against hand-holding in a place like this-- a place she'd never even dreamed about before. Something so grand and elaborate..

As they were led to the table, Dakota's eyes were darting everywhere, occasionally to people, so fancily dressed and gorgeous. Finally she blinked as Ryu pulled her chair out for her, and she hesitated a moment-- thinking her chair must be the other one, then. She realized soon enough that he had done this for her, and blushed slightly, a sheepish smile spreading across her lips, "Th-thank you.." She murmured, taking her seat. Somehow she felt like she shouldn't talk as loud as usual in such a fine establishment. She fixed her eyes on the table decor as he sat on the other side.

When he asked the question, she couldn't help but laugh a little-- quietly, and shyly --but she had a hard time picturing her Katrina in a place like this. Her T-shirt and jeans standing out about as much as Dakota's makeshift clothes in this formal place, she would kick her feet onto the table, chew with her mouth open, talk loud, any other thing that 'Kota was always taught not to do. Katrina was so amusing in the way that she was so informal with everything. Ryu... was the stark opposite, she looked up at him, her blush darkening as she realized she'd gotten lost in thought. She offered a playful smile. "Trust me-- if Kat were here, we'd know by now." With that, she let out another little giggle at the thought of her friend.

[[ LONG POSTS-- AM I DOIN IT RITE? XD ]]