crouching_sin | [Video]

_{[Yeesh, that squeaking and crying would get old fast.]}

She's a baby, right? Have you tried rocking her or something like that?

Yes, I have. She still won't calm down no matter what I do. She calms down around my travel partner, but not me.

Hmmm....

_{[He furrows his brow and taps his chin. He's not really good with kids. And he's never had a baby Pokemon to take care of.]}

I was gonna ask if she might be sick, but if she's more attached to your pal, there might not be anything you can do. Imprinting and all that.

Her Pokedex entry says something about Ralts preferring people with 'positive emotions'.

[He's... not exactly the happiest person.]

_{[...Uh oh.]}

That so? What kinda, er, mental state ya been in lately?

Oh, fine. The same as usual. I'm just not exactly the perky sort.

Your Pokemon doesn't seem to think so.

She's been trying to hide from me since she left her egg.

Maybe try doing something you enjoy? Watch a movie, eat a snack? Maybe she just needs to see you excited about somethin'.

We have been on the road for a bit, so it's not like I've had much of a chance to relax. Maybe I'll read a book. ... Or get her one.

Couldn't hurt! A little downtime might just be what she needs. Or both of you.

Heh. I suppose. As soon as we get settled in, I can go find a library. ... Goldenrod does have a library, doesn't it?

Probably! It's got everything else.

It does seem to be the biggest city in the region, as far as I can tell.

Welp, let us know how that works out. Good luck, pal!

Heh. I will. I fully expect terrible Pokemon puns based on what I've seen here before, but at least it'll be books.

[So Nagi actually wasn't going to respond to this. He's not really in the mood for it for a lot of reasons, but it just so happened that his Gardevoir was out in the room right as he was checking videos on the Network. It didn't take long of hearing the baby crying before she was at her trainer's side, flat out demanding he respond. It was somewhat unusual behavior for her, but he didn't have it in him to argue.

...so, instead of responding himself, he gives her the Gear. She could answer, if she felt so strongly about it. So fine, she would. She didn't even care that Nagi made it private in the event that she got a little too passionate.]

Hello. Perhaps I could give you some advice?

[She pauses, then sends another text.]

I am a Gardevoir, you see. I may be able to find out what the problem is.

[Of course she already knows, what with the crying, but she'll wait to see what Naoya's response is first.]

Oh, excellent. That's very helpful.

Alice is still too young for me to let her use the Gear on her own, but I've been trying to calm her down for a while with no success. It's not as if I don't know how to handle babies, even those that aren't human, but she just doesn't want anything to do with me.

Edited 2015-03-27 02:28 (UTC)

She hasn't spoken to you at all?

I assume you mean telepathically, but no.

I do, yes. She seems very frightened. What I can tell you is that Ralts, as well as most of our species, can sense the emotions and intentions of those around them. I do not know if that means anything to you, but that may help shed some light on why she is so upset.

So I've read. I do have a Spiritomb and a Shuppet who enjoy my company if that explains anything.

[...oh dear.]

Somewhat. Though, all Pokemon are different, so that can be subjective.

...is there perhaps any possible way she could speak to me for a moment? Through audio is fine; I will return to text after.

Sure.

[He switches to video and sets it down in front of Alice, who looks down at the video.]

H... hello?

[The Gardevoir switches the Gear to video herself so she can talk back. She considered just using audio, but perhaps seeing her would help her to calm down. She's careful to direct the video at only herself so Nagi doesn't have to worry about being seen.]

Hello. My name is Uchikina. What is yours?

[Yeah Naoya is just going to... step away. Not so far that he can't grab the Gear if something goes wrong, but... enough to give her space.]

... Alice. M... my name's Alice...

It is nice to meet you, Alice. Would you mind talking with me for a few minutes?

Edited (crap defaulted to courier font) 2015-03-27 04:59 (UTC)

... Okay. Um... about what?

About your trainer. I will not tell him anything you have told me. You can speak to me safely. I know you are frightened right now, so please do not worry.

I... he's scary! He didn't... do anything bad to me or anything but he's just scary! He has mean thoughts a lot and I can feel a lot of hurt from him and the hurt hurts!

Oh...it is alright, young one. I felt the same way when I first hatched and found myself in my own trainer's presence.

Would you believe me if I told you that I wanted to run away from him when I was still a Kirlia? I actually attempted it, though I never got caught when I did come back.

... I don't want to hurt. I don't want him to hurt either but I can't fix it. So I don't want to hurt.

If your trainer is hurting, it isn't going to be easy. Mine still hurts, even now. But you have to learn to protect yourself; you cannot let his emotions negatively affect yours. It will come more easily in time, but he doesn't seem interested in causing you any harm directly. Speaking to him now and then may help you, since- at the moment- he is a complete stranger to you. It is hard to empathize, and that makes his own pain even worse on you.

... I can catch little bits of things but I don't understand it. Why are humans so weird? There's not even a place with that much sand anywhere!

Sand? What do you mean?

He was thinking about sand. And lots and lots of it!

...perhaps he is thinking of his home, then. He may be homesick.

But that's too much sand!

Humans are surprisingly resilient. But that may just be a place he was passing through, or where he was before he arrived here. Is the sand particularly bothering you, Alice?

No, it just doesn't make sense.

He's really weird. And there's a lot of ghosts with him. He has um. ... Seven Pokemon. And three of them are ghosts!

Edited 2015-03-27 05:25 (UTC)

Mmm...some trainers specialize. Mine has many, many Psychic types with him at the moment. Would you say that Ghost types seem drawn to him?

Yeah. And Dark types, too. He only has two Pokemon that aren't Dark, Poison, or Ghost and that's me and a Ditto.

I see. ...is there anything else you would like to talk to me about, Alice?

How do you make trainers not mad?

[She pauses for a moment, her expression looking a bit...sad. She can sense Nagi's Lunatone nearby, watching as she responds.]

You cannot, I am afraid. You can help by being there for them...try to understand why they are upset. We can feel how they feel, but we cannot change it. That is something they will have to work out for themselves.

How? How do they do that?

They have to experience things. Your experiences shape who you are...and if they can meet good people, then they will be influenced by them. Hopefully, for the better.

Okay...

Um... thank you...

You are welcome. If you ever need to speak to anyone...you may always speak to me, if you would like.

[Nagi probably wouldn't like that, but she would deal with that later, should it become a problem.]

Okay. If I can ever get my trainer off of the Gear anyway... he keeps typing on it a lot with really weird text that doesn't make any sense.

Hm. I am sure you will learn what it is, some day. For now...try not to be afraid. You will be okay as long as you remember that you have the ability to feel his emotions, but that doesn't mean that is how /you/ feel.

Do you understand?

... I think so. Thank you.

You are welcome. May I speak to your trainer again, please?

Okay.

[She picks up the Gear with a little bit of struggling and drags it over to Naoya. She nudges him, and he picks it up, switching over to text.]

It went well, I assume? Since she's stopped crying...

Yes. She needed someone to talk to, that is all.

Are Psychic Pokemon all capable of communicating mind to mind, or is that just some of them? She hasn't spoken to me, but from what I've heard some Pokemon can do that.

...It is an ability that all Psychic Pokemon possess, yes. But if she is not yet comfortable speaking with you, I would not suggest trying to force it.

I wasn't planning on it. I was just curious, and since I'm talking to a Psychic Pokemon I figured I'd ask.

Thank you, by the way.

You are welcome. I had a feeling speaking with another Pokemon may help calm her down some, particularly one of her own kind.

I suppose I'd feel the same if I were in her position.

[Though there isn't really anyone he can feel is 'one of his own kind' but... roughly.]

Hatching can be a strange and scary experience for a young one, especially if her parents are not around. Be patient with her. She is going to need it.

[It doesn't translate as well through text, but she's already ready to cut anyone who hurts this baby.]

[He has that feeling, yes.]

I've raised young creatures before. I should be able to handle it. But I'll keep you in mind if I need more advice.

I am sure she is in very capable hands, then. I will be available should you need me.

Yes. We'll see how this goes.

[Neku looks to his Lucario for a translation of the Ralt's squeaks. The Lucario of course can't talk, but his Aura abilities get the idea across pretty well, and Neku frowns]

She's terrified of you.

I noticed.

[He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.]

In retrospect I should have looked up Ralts before getting one. I didn't realize they were so... sensitive.

Well, they're a psychic type, right? Maybe she 'saw' something she doesn't like...

Fairy and psychic, yes. They're apparently empathic.

Emphatic...

[So maybe not that she saw something that scared her as an echo of something Naoya feels]

...well, if there something that's scaring YOU?

[... Excuse him for a moment while he tries to stop laughing hysterically at the idea.]

Hah! There's... there's nothing that can scare me anymore... heh. It was a good guess! But an unlikely one, I'm afraid.

[It's not just Al that appears on-screen when the feed flicks on, but also a Gallade with a Very Unhappy Look. Al himself looks more distressed than anything.]

I know that Ralts pick up very easily on their trainer's emotions, and get scared of pretty much any negative feeling...is there anything you've been dwelling on a lot lately?

[... Oh dear. That... must be one of her parents. He tries to choose his words carefully.]

... No more than usual. Though I admit that I'm not always the most positive of people.

[Yes, yes it is, and he is supremely unimpressed with you, sir.]

Mmm. You might need to give her some time to--huh? Romeo, what...

[There's a moment of silence while Romeo speaks into Al's mind, and his frown deepens for a moment before he looks back to the screen.]

Would you be okay letting Romeo talk with her over the Gear? He says he might be able to help calm her.

[Well, and that he's worried that Naoya's idea of 'not scaring her' might be off from his trainer's, but Al's not going to voice that.]

... All right.

[He sets the gear down in front of Alice, who looks down at the camera, shaking a bit.]

[Al hands his Gear over to Romeo, who gives Alice a kind, sympathetic smile.]

Hello, little one. My name is Romeo. May I ask yours?

Um... um. My name is Alice...

[She sniffles and shakes her head to brush the tears away.]

It's very nice to meet you, Alice. Could you tell me what is wrong? I heard you over my Trainer's Gear, and you sounded very upset.

... My trainer is a scary man! His emotions are... are weird. And I keep getting flashes of scary things from his mind!

[Ah...so it's like that, then.]

...my trainer is the same way, sometimes. Something happened to him a long time ago, and he still has not healed from that. How has he been treating you?

... He's... I guess he's been nice... but he's still scary!

[Rin is more than a little concerned for the poor Ralts. The "overworked mother" look Naoya is wearing helps keep the usual bite out of Rin's voice.]

I - no. I haven't had that problem, period. [Rin, your pokemon are mostly dark-types. Everything you say is invalid in this conversation.]

You tried singin' to her? If she just hatched, maybe she's just scared of how everything sounds?

I tried that, yes. I think she may just not like me.

Then, get her to like you? Show her something that's cool that only you can do. That might get her impressed. ...It worked for my poochyena.

[Okay well that actually manages to get him to laugh.]

I don't think that will work here, unfortunately.

Why not? [beat] Oh! [OBVIOUSLY THIS DUDE HAD SUPER POWERS BACK HOME.]

Try a normal thing that's still cool. Make funny faces at her?

[Magic, super powers, same thing.]

Unfortunately that only seemed to work on my cousin when he was three, not so much on her.

[huh.]

Lemme try talking to her. I can't speak pokemon, but maybe I could figure it out.

[... Sure why not. He crouches and sets the Gear down in front of Alice, who looks into it shakily. She lets out a tiny little whimper. Another person?]

Hey~.

[Rin smiles at the poor little Ralts. Said smile turns into a frown.]

Quit crying. Your trainer knows you're sad or scared, but he can't help you if you don't help too. What's up?

[She just sniffles and hunkers down. It's just him, really. It's not that anything's really up, he's just... mean.]

[He doesn't understand pokemon, but he knows body language well enough. And hey! Poochy the Poochyena has wandered over to see what the fuss is all about. Rin sets the pokegear on the ground so that they will have a good view of Alice.]

She's really scared... You're Ralts, right? I'm Rin. If you're scared of your trainer now, then what are you gonna do when bigger, scarier guys come along? Your trainer doesn't seem like the kind of guy that'd really hurt you. -Right, trainer?

[Poochy growls a bit and offers her own advice: ...C'mon kid, you're a psychic type. If you wanted to, you could use some psychic powers on your scary trainer! Then he won't be so scary anymore!]

No, I wouldn't. I've trained creatures before, I know how this goes.

[Granted most of those have been demons, but whatever. Alice squeaks at Poochy. He hurts and that makes me hurt!]

Were the creatures you trained always this .... timid?

[Poochy rolls her eyes at that. Stupid psychic types and their sensitive glass hearts. Then make him feel better instead of crying everywhere! Or I'll come over there and make him hurt a LOT more!]

Not usually, no. She's... very gentle.

[It's not her fault! How do I make him feel better?]

...I think you'll figure it out. You already know she's gentle and you're giving it your best shot. I can send some food over. That helps too, sometimes.

[Poochy has a temper and she's not afraid to lash out at babies. Quit sniffling! You have to get to know your trainer to see what does make him happy. That's how you'll make him feel better. Your crying is making everything worse!]

I can pick up some food. I don't have a problem with that. I think she's just... more sensitive than I'm used to.

[Stop yelling at me! She starts wailing, and Naoya picks her up, trying to bounce her gently and shush her.]

No - I meant homemade food.

Hey, knock it off, Poochy! [Rin pulls Poochy away from the gear by the scruff of her neck. She's still growling but she settles down near Rin regardless.]

Oh. I can do that too - I recently got a job at a bakery.

[Alice calms down slightly, though she's still shaking.]

Tch... whatever your dog said to her must have gotten her pretty worked up.

Wow, I work in a bakery too!

[Poochy sort of became an extension of himself OOPS. He makes a quick bow, and lowers Poochy's head to follow suit. Fujimoto would have been proud.]

Sorry about that. She was probably saying whatever's on her mind since she wants to help out too.

Hm? Really? I'm going to be working at Honeyed Soul, if you know what that is.

And normally I wouldn't mind, but I'm trying to not upset her.

That's where I work! I'm one of the chefs there. ... So you're one of the new people Killua hired! Nice t'meetcha!

Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Didn't think we'd make it worse. [Poochy growls. It is the closest thing to an apology from her.]

Oh? Interesting. I'm Naoya. I'm going to be adding a bunch of Japanese sweets to the menu.

... It's fine.

[Alice sniffles and nuzzles into Naoya. ... He's trying to help her?]

Nice~. I can't wait to try 'em out! I'm in charge of the savory stuff. So you better try out the curry some day.

[Rin smiles a little at how Naoya takes care of Alice. See? He knew they'd be fine.]

Heh. We'll see. I've been told that I'm very good at baking. Curry isn't my favorite, but I'm willing to try it.

Thanks! I'll give your stuff a try too. My brother is an official taste tester, so you'll probably see way more of him than me.

Heh. We'll see. Goldenrod seems like a good place to stick around for a while anyway.

It is a city! Not like there's much to dislike about it to begin with. ...And maybe she'll like the city better.

I do prefer city life. So maybe once I'm more comfortable, she will be, too.

So it's like she's feeding off your vibe! Yeah, maybe getting someplace you like should get her feeling way better.

Hopefully. I don't want to just keep her in the PC all the time...

You wouldn't do that to a sweet girl like her. Good luck from here on out!

I don't want to, no. ... But thanks.

That's a strange reaction, for a Pokémon that young. How does she react around the rest of your team?

[Maybe the poor thing's just easily frightened, or something like that.]

She's... fine with most of them, other than Legion - he's a Spiritomb.

Well, of course, considering their types that makes sense... Did you ever drop her egg before she hatched?

[And would an unhatched Pokémon even be able to tell?]

No. I'm not uncoordinated enough to manage that.

[He has a sneaking suspicion that it's more the negative energy than the typing, but whatever.]

Cursed too much around her egg, then? Banned her favorite processed snack?

[Both are unlikely, but 'unlikely' and 'impossible' are not quite the same.]

I don't think I curse that much, and she hasn't had any processed snacks yet outside of general Pokemon food.

...Maybe it's just a personality clash, then. That happens. Or maybe she doesn't like being held.

It might be. Apparently Ralts are very sensitive to emotions.

Is that so? Are you frustrated about anything these days? She might be picking up on that.

... Nothing more than usual, though the lack of available computers for me to use is somewhat frustrating.

[Writing it down on scratch paper just isn't the same.]

...If you're half as frustrated as I am by the lack of proper systems and technology, it's no wonder she looks so afraid.

[Amen to that.]

I'm a programmer, so yes, I'm somewhat frustrated. I can adapt, but it's annoying.

My sympathies. Maybe she'll have a better reaction to you if you find a temporary, less-technological occupation to distract yourself from that?

I already have. I'm going to be working at a bakery.

Give it a few weeks, then. Maybe she'll calm down.

Hopefully. Maybe she just needs some time to get used to me.

Could be. That happens, sometimes. It took around three months before Hellspawn stopped trying to claw my eyes out the moment I let her out of her ball.

[Now she waits a whole ten minutes.]

... See, now I have to ask. Who is 'Hellspawn'?

My sweet, innocent, adorable Purugly. Sometimes I wish she was scared of me, instead of homicidal.

Edited 2015-03-30 00:03 (UTC)

Ah, cats. That seems about right.

Doesn't it? She makes your Ralts look friendly and happy, I swear.

I've known cat-demons. They can make your regular, garden-variety cat look like precious and adorable balls of pleasant fluff.

...Can they be taught how to use elemental attacks through disks or tutors, too?

No, they learn them on their own. If you fuse two demons together, they can inherit the skills of a parent.

...'Fuse'? Is that literal, or a weird euphemism for their reproductive cycle?

... More literal than you might think. Essentially, they're turned into spiritual energy and the two energies are brought together. Different combinations of demons yield different results.

...And here I was, thinking Pokémon breeding was strange. Doesn't that hurt them?

Not at all. Some of them look forward to it, since it allows them to push their limitations.

But is it truly their limitations, or those of fusion partner? How can they tell?

Certain demons are just considered stronger than others. It's something like Pokemon evolutionary stages - a baby Pokemon will never be as strong as an evolved form. You may be able to defeat them, but it's due to cleverness, rather than physical skill.

Guess that would make it easier to tell. I just hope they don't use their new skill as an excuse to ignore cleverness.

Generally no, but sometimes they do. That tends to happen more in certain demonic lines, though. Cats tend to always be fairly clever and... well. Catty.

Why am I not surprised? That's already a common trait for them; being demonic should only make that worse.

Pretty much. It's generally those that used to be gods that still think they can get by on brute strength. The Norse ones tend to be some of the worst.

[And then there's Loki, but Loki is Loki.]

...I'm not an expert in myths and legends, but somehow that sounds very appropriate.

I've had to work with a lot of them. Or at least study them enough to be able to work out their summoning rituals.

Let me guess: they usually involve burnt offerings and virgin sacrifices?

I don't think most of them would turn it down, but it's not required, no.

...Sounds like standards have dropped over the last few millenia.

It's less that and more that the energy that those provide has always been the real catalyst for it. Find alternative sources and you can summon them just fine.

Would a fully functional reactor or power plant count as an alternative source?

... Not that sort of energy. Emotional energy is what's needed.

Damn. I guess that would have been too easy, if expensive.

There's also the fact that I think most demons wouldn't know what a power plant was if you put them in front of one.

...It's not like they had power plants back in their times, unless everything I've learned about history is a lie.

They didn't. Your history books are safe in that respect.

And only in that respect, but I'll take it. It's not as if that particular bit of information is relevant, in my world.

It's important to remember that history is written by the victors. So of course the history books are wrong in many ways.

Sometimes, they don't even need to be victors to write things down incorrectly. Being assholes with an agenda suffices.

Pretty much. Honestly, I don't know why that surprises people anymore. History doesn't change, but the telling of it does.

...And even when the telling is the same, the interpretation can be different.

Exactly. At least you're intelligent enough to be able to figure that out.

That's not intelligence, that's way too much personal experience. history books aren't known for their faithfulness where I come from.

Mine aren't either, even if most people think they are.

With any luck, they'll be exposed for what they are soon. I know mine will be, even if I have to do it myself.

... Unfortunately, with the way things went in my version of events, that's unlikely to ever happen.

[Damn you, timeline splits.]

Not in a position to do anything about it? That's a shame.

When they have angels, demons, and a Messiah on their side, no. Not yet.

...Okay, yeah, that's one disadvantage that'll be difficult to overcome.

I'll find a way. Eventually they'll see.

Good luck with that. Everyone has the right to know the truth about their history.

Agreed. They can't keep me - or the truth - down forever.

Edited 2015-04-15 04:06 (UTC)

And if they try, well. There's nothing wrong with pushing back a little, right?

No. Not as long as it's done with tactics in mind.

Of course. It's a waste of time if you don't fight back properly.

Exactly. Unfortunately I see too many people using their resources for ineffectual flailing all too often.

I hope those people aren't on your side, for your sake.

I try to limit those people, yes.

Try, you say. Harder that it should be?

There's a lot of idiots out there.

Can't argue that one, sadly. I've met more than enough myself.

Heh. My name's Naoya. What's yours?

It's Captain Ash. A pleasure to meet you, Naoya.

Likewise. What are you captain of?

The fastest spaceship in both Earth Federation and Vagan territory, of course.

Yes. I have the strange problem with mine. Apparently, Psychic types response to emotions more than other Pokemon types.

... That's... unfortunate.

[To be fair Ralts isn't totally Psychic type but the Fairy portion doesn't exactly help.]

Yes.

[Crocker looks as if he has a headache. Don't mind the fact the man is wearing an orange prison jumpsuit]

You're not the only one 'issues' training your Ralts.

What exactly is your Ralts doing, mmm?

[Yeah he's. Not going to ask. It's not his business and honestly he doesn't really care.]

Crying, mostly. And trying to hide from me.

Yup. Sounds right.

[Denzel sighs heavily]

I have a friend named Ib. She may be able to help you.

Ib? I'll keep her in mind. How would she be able to help?

That's just a plain silly question. She understands Ralts. And she had mine and hers go on 'play date' which kind of helped...

... Hm. We'll see. If I speak to her, I'll ask.

Well, what'd ya do?

[Yep, just headin' straight onto the "blaming naoya" thing here]

[... It's not like he's unused to being blamed but in this case he didn't even do anything.]

Nothing. She just took one look at me as soon as she hatched and started crying. I'm not that ugly.

[r u sure naoya]

Outside, nah, but how about yer insides? Ralts are... Ah, what's the word... Empaths, there we go.

If there's somethin' wrong with yer mind, then they'll react. They're delicate sorts.

[HE DID NOT KICK THE BABY LEAVE HIM ALONE.]

... 'Wrong' is an interesting way to put it. I'll admit that I don't think like most people, but I don't think there's anything that she should be crying about. I'm not going to hurt her.

Ya don't have ta intend ta hurt her for yer brain ta be scary.

I can't exactly change my brain. Not that easily, anyway.

Well, if ya don't want ta scare the little one, ya might want ta make the effort or else you'll have ta have someone else watchin' over her all the time.

I suppose that's true. Maybe once she realizes I don't mean to harm her she'll calm down.

Got any other psychic types? Or the maternal type?

Not... at all, really. Most of my roster is Dark, Poison, or Ghost types.

...Explains a lot about ya.

[And he's known you for all of two minutes]

Does it?

[He's new, okay.]

Yep~. Ya would be amazed at how people end up attracted ta certain types, sometimes...

Although ya should know, dark and ghost types are typically a bit off against psychics, and poison and fairy ain't close friends either, if ya get my drift.

[He means that in more of a metaphorical sense, honestly. God knows his own troupe makes friends however it likes.]

True, though my Shuppet at least seems to be friendly towards her. I suppose maybe because they're both empathic, just focused on different emotions.

[Or maybe it's because Poppet is just that adorable. Who knows?]

Well, that's a good thing ta hear, then! Yer Shuppet like ya?

She seems to. Though she seems to also like pillowcases as much, or possibly more.

[Shuppet you are already a spoopy ghost you don't need a pillowcase on top of your pillowcase-looking body.]

Well, maybe she can put in a good word for ya.

Hopefully. I'm a little concerned that Alice might get dehydrated from her crying. She's not exactly big...

Get her water?

I'm planning on it. Hopefully she'll come around soon...

Good luck with it, mate.

Heh. It's appreciated.

[He's been watching Naoya having trouble with the young Ralts.]

...Should I go get Andromeda out from the PC? She's a Gardevoir, so she would talk with her better.

... If you'd like. I think it's mostly the fact that... apparently Ralts are very sensitive to emotions.

[And his aren't... the best. Yeah.]

...Yeah. Most I can suggest is giving her time to get used to you as her trainer.

[Given what he knows about Naoya now, he can guess why.]

Want me to get Andromeda out now?

... If you think that's best.

[He's just kind of... tired of dealing with a crying child.]

I'll be right back.

[And off he goes to the PC. Have fun dealing with your Ralts a little longer, Naoya. Atsuro will be back in after a moment.]

Sure.

[He does his best to pick up Alice again and bounce her in his arms lightly, trying to shush her. It's... it's not working very well.]

[Atsuro, like he said, eventually returns with a Gardevoir following behind him. She gives Naoya a look, before turning her attention to Alice.]

Okay, Andromeda, can you calm her down?

[She nods and floats over to Naoya, holding out her hands for Alice.]

[He hands Alice over carefully, watching them. Alice sniffles and curls up in her arms. He's scary!]

[Andromeda gently rocks Alice, sending her comforting thoughts. He's a little scary, but he won't hurt you.]

[You can feel it though, can't you? He's... his emotions are scary. Doesn't all of that hate hurt? She hiccups a bit like she's going to start crying again.]

[Indeed, I do. Bottling in all of those dark emotions aren't healthy for anyone. That would mean he need to get the resolve to face them. But I know my trainer.

He would stand by good people. And that includes him, your trainer.]

[... Okay. ... How do I make it stop hurting, though? I don't wanna be around someone who hurts me! She wants to try, she really does, but it's hard to get out of the childish thinking of 'but I don't wanna'.]

[She's still so young...

It wouldn't be easy and it's likely to take a long time for him to heal. He...would need support in order to overcome it.]

[... I don't know how to do that. She just sits down on the ground, pouting a little.]

[By just being there for him and extending your hand, whenever he needs t.

There's no right way to go about it...]

[I'll try... but it's going to be hard with him.]

[Just as long you do your best. And if you ever need someone to talk to, ask for me.

She pats her head. Atsuro quietly watches and looks at Naoya.]

[Naoya looks away briefly. This feels... intimate. Something he shouldn't be privy to.]

[Alice nuzzles Andromeda a little, before nodding. Okay...]

[When Atsuro speaks, it's just a whisper to Naoya.]

...Seems like they settled it.

... I think so. She seems calmer now, at least.

Right.

...I guess I'll keep Andromeda on my team for a while.

That one...isn't it a Psychic-type? Those're always a little weird.

Psychic and Fairy type. Though I honestly should have expected it from a Fairy type.

[Fairies why. ... And speaking of why, a beak and black feathers try to sneak into the shot before Naoya pushes them away.]

Not now, Badb.

I just know I got a couple Psychics th--

[and then the gear goes flying and gets fumbled]

SHIT GODDAMN GET IT AWAY-

Edited 2015-03-28 22:18 (UTC)

[... Oh okay well.]

Badb, get down.

[He pushes her away, and finally she goes off to investigate a corner.]

... Bird problems?

I don't like cr--Why would you name it after her.

Why not? It's a fitting name. The other two don't fit, certainly.

I'm pretty sure they would.

[badb and macha lose points for being associated with the morrigan at all]

I can't believe anyone's crazy enough to train those little demons.

I'm pretty sure she likes me. She and Caladbolg get along pretty well, too.

. . .

What did I ever do to you.

Hm? What do you mean?

I'm just sayin', you start a naming trend like that and I might think you're out to kill me or somethin'.

[lancer has a habit of occasionally forgetting he hasn't told his name to everyone he knows]

[he is not always a smart man]

[That... makes him suspicious, and he flicks the video to private.]

Possibly an usual question, but you wouldn't happen to have some... deep connection to Celtic mythology, would you?

...huh? Did I never say anything? I mean it ain't exactly a secret anymore.

I'm Cu Chulainn. I only go by Lancer 'cause it's an old habit and nobody can pronounce my damn name.

[... He's silent for a moment, before he starts laughing. It takes him a few moments to calm down, and then he switches into Old Irish.]

I know you. At least, I know the you in my world - not personally, but indirectly. I never met you before you were passed into legend, but I remember writing the code to summon you into the program that I made.

I'm curious... how familiar are you with the early stories that people call the Bible?

[Lancer raised an eyebrow at that--that was a new one. It reminded him of Walter and Souji--he was a demon to one and to the other...what was it, a Persona? Something weird like that. Either way, it had been one hell of a long time since he'd heard that language from anyone but himself, so he answered in the same way.]

I'm familiar enough with the more modern world--don't ask me why, it's a long story. And I used to deal with this really aggravating priest, on top of that.

Couldn't tell you details of the damn thing, but I know the general idea. What about it?

Heh. You're not the only mythological figure floating around. Have you heard the story of Cain and Abel, perhaps?

Hm...hang on, let me think.

[It had been a while since he'd had the information from the Grail's whole system running through his head, but knowing legends attached to a legendary figure's true name was the most important part of it. Lancer frowned, thinking carefully as though trying to recall a chapter of a book that wasn't open in front of him.]

That's...the one about the first murderer, right? [Beat.] So which one are you?

[Whether that meant 'which brother' or Lancer assumed he was fro another war and was asking 'which Servant' was probably up for debate. He didn't seem to recognize 'Lancer' as a class name, so the latter was highly unlikely.]

That's right.

[... He just snickers. As if he could ever be Abel.]

And... I'm the former.

...Huh. I wouldn't have guessed.

[he's not really one to judge murder, let's be real.]

Mm. Reincarnation helps with that.

Reincarnation, huh? Sounds like a rough time.

You have no idea. Most people get a blank slate when they reincarnate... and I remember every life.

...

I'm startin' to think I might know why that Ralts is terrified of you.

It does make sense, yes. ... But I don't intend to hurt her. I really only want to break this curse, and she has nothing to do with it.

[A shiny Honedge peeks his hilt into the frame, 'smiling' at Lancer. Hello!]

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