The Dates - Revision history

JWNoctis at 03:41, 29 May 2013

2013-05-29T03:41:57Z

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JWNoctis at 11:42, 14 May 2013

2013-05-14T11:42:45Z

MissFluffyKitty at 17:13, 4 May 2013

2013-05-04T17:13:39Z

KuiperFrog at 07:35, 10 July 2012

2012-07-10T07:35:27Z

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KuiperFrog at 23:40, 6 July 2012

2012-07-06T23:40:15Z

KuiperFrog at 02:33, 22 June 2012

2012-06-22T02:33:11Z

KuiperFrog at 07:49, 21 June 2012

2012-06-21T07:49:19Z

KuiperFrog at 04:30, 20 June 2012

2012-06-20T04:30:44Z

KuiperFrog at 16:22, 15 June 2012

2012-06-15T16:22:50Z

KuiperFrog at 22:10, 12 June 2012

2012-06-12T22:10:34Z

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   | Epilogues =
   | Stories =
   | Rewards =
   | Links = [http://pmd-explorers.deviantart.com/gallery/37129768 All 33 parts]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Story]]
 [[File:TheDates1.png|1000px|center]]<br>
 Throughout the dim room, the surprised sighs and gasps of the audience resonated in unison with the completion of the trick. How did Hugh pull that off? No psychic powers involved! How in the world did he manage to pull that trick off? There were murmurs between friends, whispers between pairs, and the confused mumblings of Pokemon who had gone to the show solo and as such had no one with which to share the experience. That was okay though. It was enough to be a part of the audience at large when such feats were performed. That Kadabra flashed another one of his charismatic smiles over his shoulder (wooing a few ladies in the process) before dramatically spinning around in such a way as to let his cape twirl in the air. He certainly had a flair for theatrics; the stage was his home, and in it he was most comfortable. His incredible intelligence lent itself to setting up elaborate tricks to deceive the audience into believing beautiful lies. It was his craft! Alongside Dee and Nie, Hugh could pull off anything. And besides, it’s not as if he had psychic powers... the Dusk stone ground into the cement and placed all along the walls of the King’s Rock Casino had no real bearings on what Hugh could do. The Psychic-type suppressor was in place so that the casino couldn’t be cheated out of its money. How unfair would that be for everyone if it weren’t so?

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:40, 6 July 2012
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	Rhodes sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed at having to pacify a kid not much younger than he in the presence of a handful of Pokemon trying to go about their shopping in peace. Maple wouldn’t let up her thrashing and screaming the whole way to the entrance. For a brief moment, Rhodes was scared she would spray him in the hut and that he wouldn’t ever be able to get the smell out of his scarf (or the surroundings, something that PK would kill him for, he thought), but Maple didn’t resort to that, thank the gods. Sandy did, however, take the brief reprieve from Maple that Rhodes had granted her as an opportunity to flee up the stairs. This was all Rhodes wanted to accomplish, really.		Rhodes sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed at having to pacify a kid not much younger than he in the presence of a handful of Pokemon trying to go about their shopping in peace. Maple wouldn’t let up her thrashing and screaming the whole way to the entrance. For a brief moment, Rhodes was scared she would spray him in the hut and that he wouldn’t ever be able to get the smell out of his scarf (or the surroundings, something that PK would kill him for, he thought), but Maple didn’t resort to that, thank the gods. Sandy did, however, take the brief reprieve from Maple that Rhodes had granted her as an opportunity to flee up the stairs. This was all Rhodes wanted to accomplish, really.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates_29.png\|center]]<br>
		+	He had intended to take her all the way to her house in the tree, to have Fresnel (that was his name, right?) deal with her, but he didn’t make it as far as the fountain before she finally threatened to make him sorry. He did not want to become sorry, so he tossed her right as she went to spray him. Luckily for Rhodes, but unluckily for one of the construction workers, Maple missed her target. The little Machop girl got hit right square in the face... and consequently passed out. It was very good that she wasn’t carrying any heavy or cumbersome items, very good indeed! Rhodes was starting to get a little ticked off though. Even all the kids he played with in Missy’s house were less of a handful than Maple! All of the kids combined!
		+
		+	“Look what you did, Maple! She wasn’t even doin’ nothin and look what you did to her! You better go make sure she’s okay and go say you didn’t mean it!”
		+
		+	Maple continued to look indignant and defiant, though Rhodes thought he could see a bit of reason slowly working its way through cracks that formed when she misaimed. “Yeah well... you made it happen. This is ya’ll’s fault, not mine.” She made a little sneer with her snout as she said this.
		+
		+	Rhodes picked his next words out very carefully, trying to figure out the best way to get Maple reined and under control. He could do this, he just needed to quickly figure out what would grab her attention over anything else. Mike was gone... so he couldn’t threaten anything about that. But there was that Fresnel guy. He saw Maple with him on more than one occasion, so that had to be the trick. She seemed fond of him, so Rhodes had to place his chips on her whimsical and fickle kid nature not having already caused her to 180 her stance on the guy.
		+
		+	“I guess I’ll go talk to Fresnel about that then,” Rhodes said calmly. He talked low, like he was speaking to himself. It was important to pretend that he didn’t care if Maple heard him or not.
		+
		+	“What? What, why?” she asked with a hint of panic. “You got no reason to do that!”
		+
		+	Rhodes looked at her, as if momentarily confused that someone had butted into his solo conversation. “What? Do... what? Sorry Maple, I gotta go. Maybe I’ll see you around or somethin’.” And with that, Rhodes made a mad dash for the treehouse.
		+
		+	<i>“NOOO! YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”</i> she screeched, darting after him.
		+
		+	Rhodes was up the ramp in an instant (and boy did it help to be able to make amazing leaps). He didn’t know his way around the massive treehouse at all, but hoped that it wouldn’t take longer than a few seconds extra (which was all the spare time he had, really). Many Rescuer teams’ casual conversations were being cut short as Rhodes flew through each of the rooms in a blur. It occurred to him that he should have asked one of them where Fresnel was before continuing, but by the time he came to this conclusion, he found himself climbing a steep flight of stairs up and up and up. The final room... the “lighthouse” room... this had to be his. Rhodes scrambled at the plain wooden door until it opened, dashed in, and closed the door behind him, placing himself against it. He could still hear the angry banshee screeches from Maple steadily climbing up to his height.
		+
		+	Rhodes’s heart was pounding something crazy; he had nearly forgotten all about his goal in his anticipation of Maple’s arrival when he suddenly heard a clearing of the throat.
		+
		+	“Yes? May I, erm, help you?”
		+
		+	Rhodes turned around and caught sight of the room’s sole occupant-- how had Rhodes even missed him before? The orbs on his tail and head glowed so brightly, even in this early afternoon light! He realized how absurd he must have looked in this situation: storming into the room, Maple unleashing deathly screams from below... And this guy didn’t really seem fazed by it, either. As a matter of fact, he simply seemed worn down and listless. If Rhodes wasn’t mistaken, there were lines under his eyes, too. Had those been there a few weeks ago? He couldn’t remember.
		+
		+	“Oh, um, Maple was acting... up. She was being kinda like a bully and, well, I didn’t know what to do. So I guess I made it out like I was telling on her. I don’t really care, y’know, but I wanted to get her out of the store since she was bothering the other customers n’stuff.” Rhodes now felt a bit sheepish for dropping more problems on this guy when life itself was clearly dumping enough of those on him as it was. But, Maple wasn’t the problem of the Merchants. Rhodes would do as he had to to maintain peace in the store. It gave him a bit of pride to make things a little easier for PK lately. He knew that she, too, had gotten enough problems dumped on her lately.
		+
		+	“Mm, I thought that was her I heard out there.” He gestured out one of the windows in the direction of the Merchants’ Hut. He slowly got up and ambled toward the door. “I’ll get it from here. Sorry to have troubled you. She’s been...” he trailed off, searching for the least offensive words.
		+
		+	“She’s been a handful since Mike left.” Fresnel let out a hollow laugh.
		+
		+	Rhodes felt very uncomfortable at that. “I bet...”
		+
		+	He suddenly realized that he had to get out of the treehouse before he felt too bad about the situation there. As much as he liked helping others, he sensed that it was just too complex for a single kid to deal with, and so he climbed up and out one of the windows and hopped down through the branches ‘til he reached the ground. For now, he would stick to helping mainly Sandy, Malt, and PK.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates30.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	Rhodes made his way back to the Merchants’ Hut, checking over his shoulders twice in the process to make sure Maple wasn’t following him. She wasn’t, so that was good. He climbed up the stairs to the second level of the building and called out. “Sandy? Yoo hoo! Ya there?”
		+
		+	Nothing. The upper level felt deserted, so Rhodes made his way around each of the rooms, looking here and there, under this and that, just to make sure Sandy wasn’t hiding. His searching paid off in the end, for he found her under PK’s bed, in a nook just big enough for her to squeeze under.
		+
		+	He peered under and tried to coax her out. “Sandy, Maple’s gone n’stuff. You can come out now if ya want...”
		+
		+	She shook her head vehemently, bumping and shaking the bed frame in the process. “I’m staying right here.”
		+
		+	“Oh... well, okay. I guess I’ll sit here too. Do you mind if I do that?”
		+
		+	Sandy sighed. “I guess not.”
		+
		+	They sat there together for a timeless period, neither one speaking. Rhodes had tucked his knees up to his chin and was slowly and noiselessly rocking back and forth on the wood paneling. He didn’t know if Sandy would talk or not, but that didn’t particularly matter. He just wanted to make sure she didn’t feel alone if he could help it.
		+
		+	Eventually his patience paid off and she spoke. “She’s probably not coming back, is she?”
		+
		+	“Maple? No, she won’t be coming back for a bit hopefu--”
		+
		+	“No, PK.”
		+
		+	This confused Rhodes. Why would Sandy ask that? “She always comes back, Sandy.” Perhaps the day had taken too much of a toll on the poor girl.
		+
		+	“It doesn’t really feel like it.”
		+
		+	“Do... d’ya think so? What makes ya say that?”
		+
		+	She didn’t answer. Rhodes didn’t wish for the conversation to end so early, so he tried to find another way to keep it going. “So, um, ya been helpin Malt out with anything lately?”
		+
		+	“Not a whole lot. I don’t know him very well.”
		+
		+	“Oh. He’s nice n’stuff, you should give’m a chance. I bet he’d like it if you did! I dunno what exactly you could do for him anyway, but I’m sure he could find a thing or two. He’s been having me run errands for him, and he says it’s helped a lot... so I’m sure you could help him too, if ya wanted. I know he’s been real helpful to Miss PK, so by helping him you’d help her!” Rhodes noticed a wince from Sandy at the mention of their leader. This was peculiar. Perhaps related to Sandy’s irrational fear?
		+
		+	Well, he was going to try to pry at it. Slowly. “So... you and PK gonna do anything fun soon?”
		+
		+	Sandy sighed. “Probably not. I don’t think she likes me anymore.”
		+
		+	What? This... this was news to him. She was cranky lately, sure, but not like Sandy? That didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sandy! You know that’s not true, she thinks you’re pretty cool and--”
		+
		+	“Please. Please don’t,” she pleaded. Why...? He started to mentally kick himself in the butt. He had apparently not been observant enough, didn’t notice problems forming beneath his very nose. But he had been so busy lately! Worrying about Shroomsworth, if Tao would be all right, being a pathfinder... But still, how could he not have at least started to figure uot something was amiss?
		+
		+	“If you really think that’s true, can you... at least tell me why?”
		+
		+	“Don’t tell anyone.”
		+
		+	“I’d never,” he promised. And he never would.
		+
		+	“Do you remember Sorbet’s birthday party?” she asked. Rhodes nodded, and when she didn’t continue, remembered that she couldn’t see. So he told her that yes, he remembered. “I gave her a little present I made, but I don’t think she liked it very much. And she didn’t give me anything back, either. I mean... not that I was expecting anything back, but when we went to go sleep, she told me she definitely had something for me... but then she didn’t. I don’t want to say she was lying, I don’t want to say that at all, but she, I think, I think she completely forgot.” By this point in time Sandy’s speaking sped up to a point which made it very hard for Rhodes’s ears to keep up, hut he managed.
		+
		+	“She left when our house broke, she left and ran off and I had to go with Mike, do you remember? I had to go with Mike even though I don’t like him very much, and she left me alone, and finally we found Shroomsworth again, and even though I didn’t like him a lot at first, I liked him more then, and then he left too. And I thought she would be gone forever. And then she wasn’t, but then he left, and then she started to smell like death too. And now I think she’ll leave, and you probably will too, and so will Malt I bet, and everyone will be gone. Everyone will be gone, and then I’ll be all alone and won’t know what I’m doing. I thought maybe I wouldn’t be, but that one night, that one night I got lost because Maple dragged me further and further into the forest, we came back home real late and I came up to this room, this very room, and the door was locked! The door was locked and I couldn’t get in, and I don’t think she even cared that I couldn’t get in! So Maple brought over a blanket for me and we had a sleepover, but it wasn’t very fun, not really, because I wanted to sleep in this bed over my head and I couldn’t! I just couldn’t because she locked me out! I don’t even know what I did and she never told me!”
		+
		+	Rhodes was pretty sure he caught most of what she said, but it had become much more difficult when Sandy started to weep. The whole latter half was uttered in between sobs and hiccups, but Rhodes was pretty sure he understood the situation much better now. But the real question was: what could he do about it? He crawled halfway under the bed alongside her and tried to give her some sort of hug in the limited space. He didn’t know what else to do. Not yet.
	----		----

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 22 June 2012
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	So, she told Twigs she understood why Malt would ordain that, asked that he not take offense, and let him know that she would be delighted to meet him again next week for a day out.		So, she told Twigs she understood why Malt would ordain that, asked that he not take offense, and let him know that she would be delighted to meet him again next week for a day out.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates26.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	“Look out below!”
		+
		+	This was the cue for a certain golden-ringed Deino to try and avoid water filled balloons from falling on her head. She did so (as best she could anyway, which meant she emerged a bit damp), and then waited for more instructions. However, Maple was already done playing that game. Her interest always hopped along many games and subjects; she never had time to stay in one place and do one thing, she was always on the move and thinking up more plans on how to conquer boredom. Sandy helped Maple a lot in these childish endeavors. It distracted them both from the more upsetting things in life.
		+
		+	Sandy heard Maple’s tiny, yet rapid, footsteps creaking the new ramp that their upgraded treehouse had received. Before the ramp had been installed, Sandy never got a chance to check out the Rescuers’ HQ. Now, it was something like a second home. Or maybe it was becoming closer to a primary home, to Sandy’s lament.
		+
		+	“All right I don’t really feel like playin’ that one anymore. Got any ideas? Maybe we should practice our band again... hmm I dunno.” Maple was often in the habit of having most of a conversation with herself before Sandy could interject. Not that Sandy minded much at all; listening to others was usually enough fun for her. Today, however, she was lost in thought, and Maple was apparently just observant enough to catch on.
		+
		+	She startled Sandy with a tiny poke on the nose from a single claw. “Ya there? Maple to Sandy! Maple to <i>Sandy!</i> C’mon!”
		+
		+	“I’m here.”
		+
		+	“Kay, so what’s up?” Maple asked. Slightly suspicious.
		+
		+	“What... do you mean? What game are we playing next?”
		+
		+	“Oh, y’know...” Maple paused. She resumed, speaking in a ridiculously honey-coated voice, “how about ‘Truth or Dare’? I learnt this one from my momma, but I ain’t never really gotten to play it with anyone besides Mike, and I already know all his secrets, so...”
		+
		+	Sandy had never heard of this game before. Actually, she hadn’t heard of most any games before leaving the castle and stumbling upon her friendship with Maple. “How’s it go?”
		+
		+	“Well, it’s pretty easy. No runnin around like a Torchic with yer head cut off or anything... not unless I dare you to anyway. Basically I say truth or dare and then you pick one!” Maple sounded immensely delighted with herself.
		+
		+	“And then what?”
		+
		+	“Oh, then I tell you something based on what you pick. See? Real easy!”
		+
		+	Sandy was a little more assured. “Okay. I think I can play that.”
		+
		+	“Sweet! Kay, uh, truth or dare!”
		+
		+	“Truth.”
		+
		+	Sandy couldn’t see it, but Maple smiled. “What’s gotten you acting so funny?!”
		+
		+	“Nothing!” Not much interested in being interrogated, Sandy took a couple steps back and tilted her head away from Maple. She decided she might go find something to busy herself with if this kept up.
		+
		+	“Oh you little LIAR! That’s not how you play truth or dare! You’re supposed to tell the truth! It’s in the name of the GAME, Sandy!” But Sandy was already trotting back to the hut across Tao, and Maple’s words were lost. <i>“SANDY!”</i>
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates27.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	In her clumsy haste, Sandy forgot to listen for anyone in the entrance of the Merchants’ Hut. Her oversight led to a collision with...
		+
		+	“Watch where you’re GOING-- Sandy? What are you doing?! Knock it off!”
		+
		+	Sandy stumbled backwards and fell right on her tush. She wasn’t sure things could get too much worse today, but didn’t want to push her luck. “Sorry. I was just playing with Maple.”
		+
		+	A silence fell over the two of them, and Sandy was just sure, just absolutely convinced she could feel the contempt oozing from the other’s pores and poisoning the atmosphere. “That’s nice. Watch where you’re going next time. Or, listen where you’re.... Or, whatever you do. Do that.”
		+
		+	Sandy heard PK walk past her, out toward the boundary of the village. “Where are you going?”
		+
		+	“Out.”
		+
		+	Sandy’s chest started to compress, and a lump started to form in her throat and heart. She dumbly opened her mouth and did not speak.
		+
		+	She heard PK talk with that Dislikable Visitor and then slip away with the sound of many hooves on dirt. Sandy felt her legs all go wobbly when she tried to stand, felt warm rivulets trickle down her cheeks from those holes that, if you were normal, were supposed to help you see. A wall of thick, pungent (yet not entirely disgusting) scent hit her, and Maple was there in an instant. She quickly wiped Sandy’s cheeks with her tiny paws.
		+
		+	Sandy could hear and smell the activity of dozens of other Pokemon nearby (mostly Merchants--was that Rhodes, too?-- and she thought also a couple construction workers and Rescuers), but they were all simply background noise compared to her little Stunky friend.
		+
		+	“Sandy, stop being a liar. What’s the matter?”
		+
		+	Sandy made as if to look in the direction of the departed Pokemon, then stopped. Maple looked that way regardless, trying to grasp at anything that might hint at the cause of Sandy’s mysterious melancholy. All she saw was a tiny boxed carriage thing, quickly disappearing into the horizon.
		+
		+	Wait...
		+
		+	“Sandy! You better tell me what’s up with you ’n her! Stop playin’ dumb! I ain’t stupid!”
		+
		+	Sandy lowered her head and scrambled backwards, much like a scolded dog might do if caught in the middle of some distasteful act in the presence of its owner.
		+
		+	<i>“Sandy!”</i>
		+
		+	“What!”
		+
		+	“Just tell me what’s going on!” she demanded. With every stutter and pause from Sandy, Maple grew all the more impatient. However, being a rash little kid very much so wanting to help right now, she failed to consider that Sandy might want to be calmly talked to in a private setting instead of out in the open amongst many gazing eyes. Maple harrumphed and stomped right up to Sandy. “You’ve been acting so weird since... since our sleepover a couple weeks ago! Stop it! Just stop it!
		+
		+	“Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on! I’m getting tired of you being all mopey when we’re trying to play games and have fun! It’s really annoying and just... just stop!”
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates28.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	Sandy couldn’t have cowered any more; Maple had backed her into a corner. It was right at this time, though, that one of the spectators hopped in from behind to save Sandy from more of a talking-to.
		+
		+	“C’mon Maple, can’t you see you’re buggin’ her somethin fierce? Let it alone already...”
		+
		+	Maple whirled around and came face-to-face with a scarfed Sneasel, whom she recognized as one of the helpers around the shop and forest. “Yeah? Who’re you to tell me what for, huh? You don’t know nothing at all you... you stupid scarface! Just shut up and leave me alone!”
		+
		+	Rhodes cocked his head to the side and regarded Maple with the indifference of a wiser older brother who’s been through more in weeks than most go through in their whole lives. He didn’t really have it in him to get upset over immature jabs or petty fights; he just wanted to break up their little scuffle before Maple went too far and made Sandy too upset. Even though he was pretty certain he wasn’t as old as his fellow Merchant, he felt a bit like he was looking out for a younger sibling in that moment. He supposed he was doing just that.
		+
		+	“You’re makin her get real upset. I’m gonna have to kick you out of here if you don’t let it alone. I’ve never had ta kick anyone outta here before, but I learned enough from PK to know we don’t let fights happen in here, Maple. Got it? Cut it out.”
		+
		+	<i>“You’re not my brother!”</i> she screamed. “You can’t tell ME what to do!” She turned back toward Sandy with a huff and a stomp and started to tug on her furry mane. “Sandy! You and me are gonna go talk outside. Let’s go--”
		+
		+	Maple was cut off in one fell scoop from Rhodes; she suddenly found herself kicking and punching at the air, lifted up nearly over his head. “Put me DOWN!” she yelled. “You’re not my <i>brother</i>, you can’t make me do <i>anything!</i> He’s gone! Put me down you ugly buttface!”
		+
		+	Rhodes sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed at having to pacify a kid not much younger than he in the presence of a handful of Pokemon trying to go about their shopping in peace. Maple wouldn’t let up her thrashing and screaming the whole way to the entrance. For a brief moment, Rhodes was scared she would spray him in the hut and that he wouldn’t ever be able to get the smell out of his scarf (or the surroundings, something that PK would kill him for, he thought), but Maple didn’t resort to that, thank the gods. Sandy did, however, take the brief reprieve from Maple that Rhodes had granted her as an opportunity to flee up the stairs. This was all Rhodes wanted to accomplish, really.
	----		----

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:49, 21 June 2012
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	But this wasn’t going to be the reality so long as Twigs kept running his mouth, so she simply swirled 180 degrees and abandoned their conversation for the sake of saving it.		But this wasn’t going to be the reality so long as Twigs kept running his mouth, so she simply swirled 180 degrees and abandoned their conversation for the sake of saving it.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates23.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	Malt stood just inside the hut, apparently waiting to hear what the day’s fate would be. In the dim light it took him a moment to realize she was near glowing with fiery agitation, as opposed to the gloomy variant that had been claiming her, a dark mist invading the mind. As much as he didn’t like seeing his leader upset, he found a touch of relief in the familiarity, in the type of irritation. This was so close to being normal, to being <i>right</i> again.
		+
		+	Malt spoke carefully. “So I take it there’s been a misunderstanding then, huh?” He felt a little bad for so quickly assuming that she really had neglected to tell him something important, but a sort of panicked stage-fright had gripped him when he thought at all that he might have to direct the entire village’s proceedings for a day. He just couldn’t stomach the idea of being a sole leader, and in his scare, had forgotten to question the validity of Twigs’s claim. He wanted to crack a joke about the situation, but found himself coming up short.
		+
		+	“Yeah, something like that,” she muttered. “I think he thought... well, I don’t know, that’s not important. He told Chisel not to come here today. Without my consent, of course. So we’re down a sculptor for today’s ‘stuff to be done’ list. Guess we’ll just have a freakin' giant piece of ice sitting at the south end of town, huh? Suppose it’s no worse than all the piles of stuff we still have lying around.” She stopped to consider. “Oh, today’s the dump day, isn’t it? I hope we can get that plot all cleaned up and nice this week... I mean I know the bodies’ll be gone, but it still smells kinda bad, and we have to get all that trash gone. For Vertigo’s sake, anyway. I still can’t believe Candy’s missing...”
		+
		+	Happily, he noted that her temper was slowly burning out as she changed topics. “Yeah. I was going to try and get extra done today. I’m pretty sure most of the...well, I think Ivory and Chex have finally taken most of the questionable stuff from the dump area, actually. Today was the day to send all the rest of the waste out to the facility near the bay, and then we were going to get some flowers and stuff to try to make the place smell nice before turning it into the new spot for the café. And speaking of flowers, we might want to start planting trees and flowers around the village and in the forests, because they’re seriously just all dying. I arranged for the construction workers to get to take most of them away as some payment for their services, but...”
		+
		+	“Dying... yeah, I thought so. Okay, after we finish with the village, we’ll plant a bunch of stuff. I guess we have to do at least that much. Maybe we can turn it into something fun. And flowers in the dump, huh?” she asked. Malt nodded, and she continued, “I hope they work, and I hope the smell fades before too long. I don’t want to wait ages to have the place built,” she added. She put her tiny hands against her hips and looked down, apparently in thought.
		+
		+	“So, what’s the deal with Twigs?”
		+
		+	“I’m thinking,” she responded. “I’m certain, I just know I didn’t set anything up last time. I’m trying to remember if I might have promised him something when he first showed up, but my memory’s foggy. It’d be really annoying if I said something like ‘Sure, I’ll go out with you a week after the first date, too!’ or something equally dumb like that, but I really don’t think I did.” She looked back up at him. “That leaves me in a tough spot. I don’t want to call him a liar in case I really don’t remember,” she said. Malt didn’t share that he felt Twigs was, in fact, a liar. Everything at its own pace, nothing without evidence.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates24.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	Outside, Twigs had grown a tad impatient with his girl. She was taking longer than any girl should ever take to be on her way. He had said they should do this every week, and she had said she was busy. So he had arranged for all of her day’s work to be stalled so that she would have the day to spare. He considered himself incredibly thoughtful for pushing her obligations back for her so that she would not have to, herself! And here she was, not being nearly as prudent or timely as he had known her to be...
		+
		+	He silently hopped from his carriage, stifling any noise when he landed with his soft pads, and slid along the wall of the hut. It was considerably less shabby since the last time he had laid eyes on it, though really nowhere near as good as he felt was necessary for his girl. It would never be nice enough for her, not ever. By simply being within radius of this... pit, he felt it would slowly erode his capacity for class. He hated the place. He was glad to have nothing to do with it anymore. In his head, he thanked his girl for the good service she’d done him, even if it cost him years without her. He hunkered against the wall next to the door to eavesdrop as soon as he heard Malt speak up.
		+
		+	“... don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be going out there today, even if there’s nothing much for you to be overseeing anymore. There’s always something else I could really use your assistance with.”
		+
		+	<i>That stupid, unsophisticated hick of a cow,</i> Twigs thought.
		+
		+	“Well, yeah, I know, but I should at least visit Chisel to explain what’s up. I think Mica mostly knows what types of things I need done today, and I already talked to the teams who are gonna be helping her out. That stuff can go on without me. Everything else kinda relied on Chisel coming here, so I just need you to tell everyone that’s off and we’ll be doing it tomorrow,” his girl said. She would come with him, and they would have a splendid time together, he knew it.
		+
		+	Twigs heard reluctant resignation in Malt and grinned. But as Malt spoke, his words grew more confident, and Twigs’s grin fell. “Listen PK, I just... I think that guy’s lying to you. I think he’s bad news, and I know you think you should deal with his crap because he gives you things, but that’s a load of bull.” A pause. “And trust me, I know bull.” Apparently this was meant to be comedic, for his girl gave a laugh. Absolutely outrageous.
		+
		+	“I know you... mean well,” she said, ”but it’s just more complicated than that. I’m doing what needs to be done for everyone, all right? Can’t you just...” she said, fumbling for words. Twigs could barely be said to be paying attention to the scene after that point. His mind turned to Malt’s fate, instead. The rest of the conversation rang hollow in his ears.
		+
		+	Eventually--soon enough, at that-- the conversation between the two merchants had finished. Twigs took this as a cue to return to his prior throne atop the pillow. He expertly posed in a matter of seconds in such a natural position that he might have been there for centuries. It was a trick that any cat worth its meddle learned as a kitten. He commenced lazily grooming his paw, both because it gave the appearance of idle boredom and because he really had dirtied his beautiful pads with the dust of this filthy village.
		+
		+	His girl reappeared from beneath the towering Kecleon building and marched over toward him. “I don’t know where you got the idea that I wasn’t busy today, or that you were correct in pulling any of the shit you’ve pulled.” Twigs regarded her anger with indifference. He would be correcting the situation before long, anyway. There was no need for him to get worked up.
		+
		+	“Why, I got that idea from you, darling. We talked about this last week.”
		+
		+	“Yeah?” she said, regarding him with cautious defiance, “cause I thought about that too, and I don’t think we did.”
		+
		+	“Are you certain?”
		+
		+	“Pretty damn certain.”
		+
		+	“You do not recall our conversation? Shortly after I picked you up, after our meal you know, I suggested we do this every week. You said we couldn’t because you had things planned. So, I rearranged your plans for you.”
		+
		+	And then the recollection must have taken her, he was sure of it. Now she would understand the favor he had done her, now that she remembered her predicament and could see how he had helped.
		+
		+	She shuffled on her feet, glared down at the ground and then back up before speaking. “That’s not really what I meant. It’s not okay to mess around with my work. It’s... never okay to do that.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “This isn’t going to work unless you get that. Okay?”
		+
		+	“Of course, darling. You should just be clear next time. I’m not a mind reader.”
		+
		+	She exhaled a sigh--or maybe it was closer to a huff--and then climbed into the other side of the carriage. He already knew that she had wanted to see Chisel, but knew it wasn’t a good idea to reveal that he’d overheard. Not a good idea if he wished to have her decide to mute Malt herself.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates25.jpg\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	It hadn’t gone as badly as she feared it would, thank goodness. Chisel was very understanding of the whole situation and assured her that he would arrive the next day and stay until the memorial was completed. They further discussed details that would need to be double-checked upon Chisel’s arrival in the village. She told him of the list of deceased who lost their lives during the rampage, and he was confident in his ability to perfectly fit every name in an aesthetically pleasing manner inside the roof of the thing. Now that they finally had gotten a chance to meet face to face, he seemed equally as into the idea as his original letter reply had let on. She was glad for that. It was never any good to commission an artist who did not take to your idea right away; the end result was usually about on par with how much they cared about the project. It also helped that she actually had a good idea for the village monument. Nevermeltice was perfect, he had said, to symbolize the tragedy itself, but to also immortalize those lost. To put that ice in the shape of Kyurem’s tail was a great way to never forget, he had said. She didn’t mention how she got the idea from the altar that she had used to awaken Sorbet.
		+
		+	But, that was that. It was settled and things would go well now that she had both cleared the misunderstanding with Twigs and spoken to Chisel.
		+
		+	…she found this a reasonable assumption until they had arrived back in Tao, at least.
		+
		+	Before then, however, Twigs had taken her out to dinner yet again. PK found herself feeling more and more uncomfortable with every extra Poke that he showered on her. It seemed almost like nonsense; why should a Merchant be unhappy about free meals and free money? It was a dream that most of the villagers would never experience themselves, and here it was for her enjoyment and taking! Take she did, enjoy she did not and could not. She was trying. She was really trying to just enjoy the evening and accept that he continually offered to pay for about any expense there had been to be covered. She barely had to even touch her own cache of funds! She would have been utterly broke and unable to pay for the memorial if he hadn’t stepped in when he did, so she should have been grateful and happy!
		+
		+	And yet...
		+
		+	Perhaps what really held her back was that Every Single Thing she did not pay for felt much like a debt she now owed. It felt like there would be a delayed payment that she would have to make on her own behalf later, when she wasn’t at all expecting it. And what if she didn’t have enough? What if she couldn’t...?
		+
		+	But that was ridiculous... it wasn’t as if Twigs was really pouring his money into the mix just to make her cough up her own money later. He had enough funds to run his little villa in extreme comfort for the rest of his life . And past experience dictated that he was never interested in any lost goods. So, she should have been comforted. Should have, but was not.
		+
		+	She had this nagging feeling that her imaginary debt to him wasn’t accruing interest in the form of Poke, and that she would eventually have to pay up in one instant.
		+
		+	This feeling passed.
		+
		+	Twigs was waiting in the carriage for her. She had lagged behind a little in leaving the restaurant of choice (another meat-serving place that she wouldn’t ever mention to Malt), and cool rain came crashing down to the warm sand as she made her way to their shared ride. It didn’t rain often in Alomomola, but when it did, it was quick and hard. She climbed her way inside, dripping all over Twigs’s plush pillow. Not only that, but the wet sand stuck to her feet only to rub onto that same pillow (getting dirtier by the second, something Twigs no doubt hated). The carriage took off when she was securely within.
		+
		+	Instead of moaning or complaining at the unfortunate sullying of his expensive seat, he simply adjusted himself to be right next to her. Nearly brushing up against her, in fact. This was... this was way too close for comfort, and for a brief instant she started to panic that he was going to take her, taking all of his interest, collecting on that imaginary debt that grew with every additional gift he bestowed upon her... And she was not prepared to pay that. She knew her compatibilities, and she wanted absolutely no permanent ties with any other Pokemon, least of all a gods forsaken egg. Nope, no way, nuh uh.
		+
		+	It was to her surprise that he did not make a move, didn’t so much as speak interest on the topic. Instead, he placed a paw on her arm and started to... lick the side of her head. She was confused for just a moment before realizing that he was grooming her, licking the rainwater away.
		+
		+	To her further surprise, she found it quite all right. No... it was really pleasant. No, that still wasn’t right. She really, really enjoyed it. His tongue’s barbs itched and scratched her scales in one swift motion, over and over, sweeping along her frills. He made sure to thoroughly lick all of the funny angles along her head, missing none of the droplets in the process. Slowly working his way down her back, he moved his paw to push her down. It was hardly a gesture to be wary of or feared; it seemed mechanical, simply part of a procedure to change her position to make it easier on straining his neck. She allowed herself to be pressed to her side on the pillow, and he continued grooming along his course.
		+
		+	Suddenly she became aware that he might try to pull something <i>now</i>, or in the near future, after making her whole body so relaxed... and so she put her guard up. Boys could be funny like that, couldn’t they? They tried lots of bad and mean tricks if you didn’t keep a watchful eye on them. There would be no more breaking and entering; not now, not ever again if she could help it.
		+
		+	But as she waited, his insistence or forcefulness never came. She drifted in and out of sleep and he simply continued, even when they had been long out of the rain and her scales were bone dry. She didn’t mind this at all, of course, but if he did try anything, she’d definitely be ready and sock him one right good--
		+
		+	Except they were now in Tao. How long had it been? Had the journey really gone by so quickly...? Apparently so! The sky was dimming and the mostly rebuilt Merchants’ hut loomed over them. It was definitely later, and they were definitely in Tao.
		+
		+	Feeling a bit of greed wash over her, she invited Twigs in for a bit, hoping he might continue his tongue brushing and she might get a good night of sleep.
		+
		+	But then he said he couldn’t.
		+
		+	Then he said that Malt had made it clear that he didn’t want Twigs in the village, and so Twigs would respect her assistant’s wishes. He smiled sadly at her as he said this.
		+
		+	She was in disbelief, but then it turned to annoyance. A seed of resentment for Malt had planted itself somewhere inside her head. It wasn’t enough to actually confront him or to get angry over anything, but it was there, waiting for something (or someone) to help it gestate, grow, and blossom.
		+
		+	Purely the act of communicating with Malt would have displaced that little seed and stomped it out of existence, but she was finding it harder and harder these days to communicate with him or, really, with anyone. She hadn’t spoken to Rhodes much since the day her team got broken up. She gave him menial tasks sometimes, but he mostly kept himself busy. That was good. She felt a little bad for not approaching him a whole lot, but she didn’t want to burden his kid mind with adult problems. Same for Sandy.
		+
		+	And as far as Malt went.. she had no good excuse for not disclosing everything. She discovered, sadly, that it’s both easy and immediately gratifying to shut out those who genuinely care (despite how devastating it almost always would be for relationships in the long term). And so she had done just that. Then she would <i>definitely</i> be right and justified in thinking she was replaceable, forgettable, and alone.
		+
		+	So, she told Twigs she understood why Malt would ordain that, asked that he not take offense, and let him know that she would be delighted to meet him again next week for a day out.
	----		----

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:30, 20 June 2012
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	PK very much so wanted to find candy and strangle him, herself, for causing even more problems during a troubled time. She reconsidered upon realizing that she did not actually know if Candy had actually killed a bunch of Pokemon or not, and did not wish to point fingers without concrete evidence. Again. Devonshire’s presence ensured she did not forget this shameful lesson.		PK very much so wanted to find candy and strangle him, herself, for causing even more problems during a troubled time. She reconsidered upon realizing that she did not actually know if Candy had actually killed a bunch of Pokemon or not, and did not wish to point fingers without concrete evidence. Again. Devonshire’s presence ensured she did not forget this shameful lesson.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates21.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	Malt had woken early that day to get a head start on the workload before him. There was always a lot, and there would always be a lot left to do for at least another few weeks, but they were getting there. That steady trickle of progress was important. Best of all was that it turned out that he didn’t need to talk to PK at all after her mini-vacation; her mood had gradually lifted and he had even spotted her talking to Palette a few days prior. That was a gigantic improvement as far as he was concerned. Smiles were more frequent and it seemed like at least part of her burden had been removed. That was good. That was great!
		+
		+	Aside from such, she had presented plans to him for a memorial. He thought this especially touching, but dared not say so. She still snapped if he commended her for being compassionate in the least. He had tried to express how happy he was that she did her best with the Palette situation (going so far as to give the two artists land even, for all their troubles!), and she had simply gotten snippy with him. So he changed the subject. All would be well with time, he knew, but he still wished with all of his heart that she would just open up a little. He wanted to encourage her, but her well of words dried up any time he had tried.
		+
		+	So... it was relieving that her mood was gradually fixing itself, that her color was gradually restoring itself, even if he wasn’t able to fully express himself yet. It was just a matter of time, of waiting it out.
		+
		+	In that same matter, he thought to himself that he might send a letter to Shroomsworth after enough time had passed. He had badly wanted to speak to the ex-leader right after everything had come crashing down, but did not out of fear that he would exacerbate the situation. Malt was patient if anything, and would wait for the right moment.
		+
		+	And who knew? Maybe the situation would fix itself without his meddling; maybe time truly was the healer of all. And it’s not like they’d ever be short on that, right? Time was always plentiful, the only unlimited resource.
		+
		+	Pleasant thoughts of a better future drifted lazily around Malt’s head as he exited the hut (which was coming along nicely) when a familiar sound crept into range of his hearing. It was a rolling tremor; Malt didn’t have to look to the east to spot the carriage’s passenger, for he already knew who the visitor would be.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates22.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	PK was surprised: she had forgotten, it seemed. It wasn’t very like her to forget appointments or obligations. She was usually punctual for any arrangements. But somehow she had forgotten that she was supposed to go with Twigs for another day in the bay. Or, that’s what Malt seemed to be telling her. She was rather groggy, and by the light outside, she judged it to be approximately 5 or 6AM. She finally had been getting better rest, so it irritated her a smidgen that it might be ruined by someone other than herself.
		+
		+	...though if she really <i>had</i> forgotten she was supposed to go out today, then scratch that: her sleep had been ruined by her own forgetfulness, as much as she wanted to blame it on an increasingly agitated Malt.
		+
		+	“So, what’s going on?” Malt demanded. She didn’t enjoy his tone, it was a tad harsher than she liked. “Are you going to skip out on today, then? There’s a lot to do, and I don’t really know what you want done with that missionary or the memorial and that sculptor guy’s supposed to be coming out here. I don’t know what I’m doing, so I really don’t think it’s a great idea for you to just up and disappear for the day. Y’know?” he said, a slight panic creeping into his voice. “I can’t handle this stuff myself. I really don’t know what you want done, and it’s hard for me to explain it to them when I don’t have a good grasp on the situation. So...”
		+
		+	She rubbed her eyes, blinked wearily, and then slowly stumbled out of bed. It wasn’t hard to figure out the real issue Malt had here. He simply didn’t know how to be a leader. He didn’t seem to care as much about her doing her own thing as he cared about having to lead others blindly. Which was, in all actuality, ridiculous; her plans were pretty concise and her instructions were usually very clear and dry. The only difference here if she went out is that Malt would be reading the instructions instead of PK expertly recalling them from her etched memory. He was a smart guy, he’d be able to infer the right choice out of anything that was left vague.
		+
		+	...then it slowly struck her that she really never did forget obligations, appointments, or arrangements. Even in the fog of the past month, she had been very good about that, not letting her despair entirely consume her. Nope! She’d fought it back. This seemed entirely incorrect: that as she felt better she would forget something as important as being gone for an entire day, let alone not even mention it to Malt, her biggest help.
		+
		+	“Malt, I don’t know, stop talking. Let me see what’s up,” she said, pushing her way past him. She descended the curved flight of stairs, stepped over the one step that was still broken, and strode outside to greet their early morning visitor. Malt followed suit.
		+
		+	Twigs was perched atop a royal purple plush pillow, paws crossed on the open window, waiting patiently in his exquisite little roofed carriage. It was prettier than the one he had ridden in on during his previous trip. Two Zebstrika stood, silent and watchful sentinels tethered to the front of the carriage. She guessed it had been the same two from before.
		+
		+	Twigs was the first to speak. “Let us be off, darling. You can nap on the way, if you’d like. You don’t look quite rested.”
		+
		+	That wasn’t gonna fly. “Look, I don’t know why you’re here. Now that I think about it, we never set up another date. At all. March your pretty ass back home, cause I got work to do. I can’t blow this off.”
		+
		+	“Darling, I know you have work to do, which is why I told Chisel you’d be out today and to come back tomorrow.”
		+
		+	“You <i>WHAT?</i>”
		+
		+	“He was grateful that I saved him a useless trip. He hates his time being wasted, you know. I was a mere five minutes late once--at my very own villa, mind you--and took quite a scolding from this fellow. Tardiness ruins his muse, he says. We can’t have that, can we?”
		+
		+	PK felt herself flush from anger, and as it worked its way up and up, a headache was crawling along that same path. It took incredible self-control to not break into a scream, and she silently commended herself for this achievement. She wanted to talk. Calmly.
		+
		+	But this wasn’t going to be the reality so long as Twigs kept running his mouth, so she simply swirled 180 degrees and abandoned their conversation for the sake of saving it.
	----		----

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:22, 15 June 2012
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		+	[[Category:Story]]
	[[File:TheDates1.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>		[[File:TheDates1.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
	Throughout the dim room, the surprised sighs and gasps of the audience resonated in unison with the completion of the trick. How did Hugh pull that off? No psychic powers involved! How in the world did he manage to pull that trick off? There were murmurs between friends, whispers between pairs, and the confused mumblings of Pokemon who had gone to the show solo and as such had no one with which to share the experience. That was okay though. It was enough to be a part of the audience at large when such feats were performed. That Kadabra flashed another one of his charismatic smiles over his shoulder (wooing a few ladies in the process) before dramatically spinning around in such a way as to let his cape twirl in the air. He certainly had a flair for theatrics; the stage was his home, and in it he was most comfortable. His incredible intelligence lent itself to setting up elaborate tricks to deceive the audience into believing beautiful lies. It was his craft! Alongside Dee and Nie, Hugh could pull off anything. And besides, it’s not as if he had psychic powers... the Dusk stone ground into the cement and placed all along the walls of the King’s Rock Casino had no real bearings on what Hugh could do. The Psychic-type suppressor was in place so that the casino couldn’t be cheated out of its money. How unfair would that be for everyone if it weren’t so?		Throughout the dim room, the surprised sighs and gasps of the audience resonated in unison with the completion of the trick. How did Hugh pull that off? No psychic powers involved! How in the world did he manage to pull that trick off? There were murmurs between friends, whispers between pairs, and the confused mumblings of Pokemon who had gone to the show solo and as such had no one with which to share the experience. That was okay though. It was enough to be a part of the audience at large when such feats were performed. That Kadabra flashed another one of his charismatic smiles over his shoulder (wooing a few ladies in the process) before dramatically spinning around in such a way as to let his cape twirl in the air. He certainly had a flair for theatrics; the stage was his home, and in it he was most comfortable. His incredible intelligence lent itself to setting up elaborate tricks to deceive the audience into believing beautiful lies. It was his craft! Alongside Dee and Nie, Hugh could pull off anything. And besides, it’s not as if he had psychic powers... the Dusk stone ground into the cement and placed all along the walls of the King’s Rock Casino had no real bearings on what Hugh could do. The Psychic-type suppressor was in place so that the casino couldn’t be cheated out of its money. How unfair would that be for everyone if it weren’t so?

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:10, 12 June 2012
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	She pondered this for several more minutes before the call of Malt’s voice rang through to her. She decided that he could wait, and walked off toward where Palette disappeared to go apologize herself.		She pondered this for several more minutes before the call of Malt’s voice rang through to her. She decided that he could wait, and walked off toward where Palette disappeared to go apologize herself.
		+	----
		+	[[File:TheDates20.png\|1000px\|center]]<br>
		+	Shortly after PK and Palette had a heart-to-heart, she made her way to Devonshire’s office below his building. As he went over the paperwork and presented the sum to her, she thought back to visiting this same office weeks ago. How woefully easy it had been to remove any mention of her ex-partner from all paperwork, to erase his very existence in the village! It... ah... nevermind. Best not to think of such things.
		+
		+	She asked if Devonshire had seen or heard from Candy since the discoverance of the bodies in the dump, to which Devonshire once more replied that no, he had not, and that he would mention it to her first thing should he come upon anything to do with the missing fellow. He further mentioned that Chex and Ivory should be done soon with clearing the area (free of charge, even!), and that the dump would be open to whatever she had in mind for it after that.
		+
		+	PK very much so wanted to find candy and strangle him, herself, for causing even more problems during a troubled time. She reconsidered upon realizing that she did not actually know if Candy had actually killed a bunch of Pokemon or not, and did not wish to point fingers without concrete evidence. Again. Devonshire’s presence ensured she did not forget this shameful lesson.
	----		----