foolishwren | 030. Action (locked to Kaito-- and his gang if he's still with them)

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: Goldenrod City

Entry tags:

*dcmk: kaito kuroba,
@kaito,
action,
claudy,
goldenrod city,
guess who just saw guardians of ga'hoole,
ic,
noctowl,
owlbag has evolved

030. Action (locked to Kaito-- and his gang if he's still with them)

_{[It's been a few days-- almost a week, in fact, since anybody has heard from Heather. The warrant still stands and overall, there's just been total, utter silence from Heather's 'Gear. Attempts to contact her have resulted in maybe a stream of thin static at best, an outright ERROR message at worst.]

[But hey, at least that awful fog's gone, right?]

[In fact, as Friday carries on, the sky over the sprawling streets of Goldenrod City is a bright robin's-egg blue, scudded with puffy little white clouds reminiscent of albino Mareep. In the wake of the nasty wind the previous day, the weather is just downright glorious.]

[It's the sort of day it'd be a downright sin not to be outdoors, enjoying.]

[... And speaking of the sky...]

[A dark, sort of raggedy shape is gliding way up there, although the glide is broken up frequently by flapping that looks incredibly uncomfortably, and for good reason.]

[Owls weren't meant to be long-distance fliers.]}

_{[Wings occasionally pinwheeling, the newly-evolved Noctowl went soaring downwards to the unfamiliar city, trailing a battered and filthy Trainer's pack behind her awkwardly. It couldn't have been too heavy a load if she was flying with it at all, but they weren't meant to be heavy-lifters, either.]

[Claudy wasn't sure just what had happened back there on that foggy day in Violet City-- but what she HAD known was that it was very, very wrong, and after a fairly harrowing escape, she had successfully gotten herself and Heather's team clear of Violet, the ghost Pokemon, and that accursed mist. That had been about three or four days ago.]

[Now? Civilization had appeared on the horizon for the first time since she'd taken off, and it was time to look for a familiar face... any familiar face... Her wings, tatty and ruffled from flight and battle alike, couldn't carry her much further.]

[It was a big scary world out there for an owl who had outgrown her bag.]}

_{[ooc: Locked to Kaito, but anyone is free to say they noticed a big ol' Noctowl carrying a bag around.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

_{[Claudy hunkered there, beak wide open and panting-- a pretty unusual sight to see on a bird, but not too surprising considering just how far she'd flown, likely without much rest. Her feathers rose and ruby-red eyes grew large in alarm as the little Eevee approached, but she allowed herself to be sniffed without much fuss. She didn't have the energy to make much of a fuss.]

[When Kaito arrived to inspect the situation, he'd be able to hear that Claudy was making some nasty rasping sounds deep in her throat. Turns out she didn't have the energy to do her usual crazy old woman screams either.]

[She shuffled around in her spot to face him, burbling a low} "Nokt nokt nokt"_{in reply to the question. It seemed to be a positive sort of answer, but she didn't look to be in particularly good shape. It was obvious she'd been doing some fighting on her way here, judging by the way she was missing quite a few feathers and generally looked ruffled.]

[She was in better shape than the bag, though-- the bag had been dragged through mud, sticker-bushes, water, and if the WET SAND on the inside was any indication, it had probably been submerged in water at some point. It had... it had been a rough trip.]

[But it was Heather's bag, all right. Pokeballs, supplies, spare clothing, a little Sharpie-markered message saying}"THIS IS THE BAG OF HEATHER MASON. IF YOU STEAL THIS, BEES WILL INFEST YOUR PANTS AND I WILL LAUGH FROM AFAR",_{the whole works. Even her prized broken umbrella. Oh, and a sturdy-looking blue egg that nonetheless had a few cracks in it after that rough flight...]

[The only thing missing was her PokeGear.]}

Edited 2010-09-25 19:35 (UTC)

[It was definitely Heather's bag... so did this mean this was Heather's Pokemon? He had met Cujo, and he had seen her Hoothoot, but he hadn't met Claudy in person, and definitely not since she evolved.

One very pressing question accompanied this revelation, too: if this was Heather's bag... then where in Johto was Heather?

The Noctowl looked even worse form up close, and with a visible wince, Kaito reached out to gently place his hand on her back]

Hang in there, girl. The Pokemon Center isn't too far away-- c'mon, Eevee, back off! [The Eevee took a few steps back, his ears moving to lay flat on the back of his head, and Kaito pulled away from the Noctowl to quickly scoop the pokeballs, coins and other items back into the bag]

_{[Wherever she was, she certainly wasn't here with her bag. ... Or her Pokemon. Most of them. If he took the time to check the Pokeballs, three of them contained Pokemon. Counting Claudy, that was... four of her team, total.]

[There's no way she would have let her stuff get this filthy intentionally, either.]

[Claudy warbled tiredly but amiably at the comforting pat. Then, as he started to sweep the various supplies back into the bag, she just sort of... invited herself to try and delicately (or as delicately as possible, considering she was no longer a cute little owlet and was in fact a big heavy Rattata-eating machine) climb up his arm. This Pokemon had been pretty much spoiled rotten by being carried around in that bag all the time and after flying so far, she would pretty much rather DIE than waddle to the Center on foot. Er. Talon.]}

[Kaito had a rather large bird of prey of his own, so as soon as the items were gathered and placed neatly back into the bag, he shifted to let Claudy climb up his arm. She was pretty heavy, but no heavier than Komi was, and he was certain he'd be able to carry her to the Center. She wasn't in any condition to be walking (or flying) there on her own, after all.

So with Heather's bag slung over his shoulder and Claudy perched on his arm, he broke out into a brisk walk toward the Center. Biz and his Eevee followed closely behind him.

Questions about Heather could wait until Claudy was right as rain again]

_{[He was well-acquainted with talon ouchies, then. Claudy had a very strong grip, although she was a gentle critter by nature and tried not to dig in too much, even as she pinched the fabric of his shirt with her beak as she climbed. She did, however, just sort of... lean docilely on his head once she got onto his shoulder. S-SO TIREEEEED. ;-;]

[And so she would stay until they got to their destination.]}

[Her talons dig into his skin slightly, but he doesn't flinch or wince because... yeah, he's definitely used to it at this point. She isn't being overly rough with his arm anyway, and he's gladly letting her lean against his head to rest while he makes a beeline for the center.

Some Goldenrod residents shoot him weird looks as he hurries down the street, and it isn't long before he manages to reach the Center and throw his free shoulder into the doors to push inside]

_{[On the bright side, she makes an absolutely lovely ear-warmer.]

[Once indoors, though, she knows the drill. Straightening up, she folds her wings and makes a sort of shrill noise, bobbing up and down a little as the counter comes into view.]

[AW YEAH POKEMON CENTER, ALL WARM AND COMFORTABLE AND PINK. WITH PILLOWS.]

[Claudy fails at being a wild animal. Hard.]

[Needless to say, the Nurse Joy behind the counter looks up from her work and raises a brow at the sight of Kaito and the raggedy owl.]}

... Did you just finish a battle, dear?

_{[... And like with all doctors, there's that little underlying note of judgment in her voice. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. THAT POKEMON IS JUST SLIGHTLY MORE ROUGHED-UP THAN I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE. ~*~JUDGE~*~.]}

[WHAT IS IT WITH ALL NURSE JOYS AND THAT HAUGHTY ATTITUDE. Kaito forces himself to ignore the JUDGMENT in her voice as he sets Heather's bag on the ground next to his feet and gently places Claudy on the counter]

She's not my Pokemon. I found her outside already like this.

[TAKE THAT NURSE JOY, THIS NOCTOWL'S CONDITION IS NOT MY FAULT]

_{[IT JUST COMES WITH THE JOB. IF THEY ARE NOT TOTAL SNOOTS, THEY DON'T GET HIRED.]

[Claudy immediately waddled towards Joy, clicking her beak. GIVE ME MEDICINES AND FOOD PLZ. WANT WANT WANT.]}

Oh... I see.

_{[OH WELL, SHE'D BUY THAT. FOR THE MOMENT. She's still judging, though. Secretly.]}

Do you have any other Pokemon that require care?

Mine are just fine, but--

[he bends down to pick up Heather's bag again now that his arm is free. It takes some digging, but he manages to produce the three pokeballs that are currently being occupied. If Claudy looked this bad, there was a pretty good chance the other Pokemon were in rough shape too]

I dunno what these guys look like, but they could probably use some care, too.

_{[The subtly haughty look disappeared in favor of surprise and curiosity when she held up the bag. Allowing Claudy to climb onto her own arm (Joys were basically immune to all Pokemon-related pain ever so she didn't even flinch. Joys are hardcore), she took the Pokeballs and squinted down at them.]}

Did you find that?

Who does it belong to?

_{[Officer Jenny might have said that suspiciously, but Joy was genuinely curious.]}

[Kaito opens his mouth to answer, then closes it again. He hadn't forgotten about that warrant issued for Heather's arrest, and even if Nurse Joy meant well, he wasn't about to betray his friend like that so easily]

I dunno. I was hoping you could heal them, and then I could go out and look for the owner once you were done.

Edited 2010-09-26 01:13 (UTC)

_{[Joy purses her lips a little, brows furrowing. ... But his response checks out, so she nods after a moment.]}

All right.

Thank you for bringing them in. This Noctowl is severely exhausted and probably wouldn't have made it much further in this state.

_{[Taking the Pokeballs, she turns her back to the counter briefly to do the customary plug-balls-in-listen-to-cheery-elevator-music-while-they-hum thing.]}

Will you be taking them with you after this or...?

_{[There WERE kennels in the Center, obviously, but ...]}

[... the poor Noctowl. But he nods at Nurse Joy's question. Claudy might be able to help him find Heather, after all]

I'll take them with me and look after them when they're healed. Like I said, I wanted to go out and find the owner myself.

_{[Even without a deranged Heather being involved, Claudy'd had quite a rough experience all on her own.]

[Nurse Joy nodded again. In a less innocent world, she might have questioned further, but haughty or not, as a general rule, she assumed the best of people. You sort of had to when you were a doctor in a world of magical dogfights.]}

All right, dear... It shouldn't take too long for them to heal, but don't try to work any of them too hard for the next twelve hours or so, all right? They seem to have had a long journey.

[Kaito flashes the nurse an understanding smile, accompanied with a nod]

Don't worry, I'll let them rest.

_{[And lo and behold, a few minutes later, the Pokeballs were handed back over, along with another stern reminder to allow them plenty of rest. Claudy was looking better, having been given some fluids and general ~*~healing rays~*~ or whatever the hell's in those machines. But she looked a lot more bright-eyed in general as she made a beeline across the counter for Kaito's sleeve and climbed up it again. HIS HEAD WAS NICE TO LEAN ON OKAY. EVEN IF IT HAD A PURPLE MONKEY HAT.]}

[Biz lets out an indignant cry as the Noctowl does this. You are moving in on my territory man >| Kaito thanks the nurse and shoulders Heather's bag (but not before tucking the rest of her pokeballs inside), and makes a beeline for the door. Stage one of his mission, completed!

Stage two takes place outside... now that the Noctowl is healed, Kaito doesn't feel guilty asking her about her trainer]

D'you know where Heather is?

_{[Unlike, say, Heather's Furret, Claudy doesn't have enough of an attitude to be snippy back at Biz-- so instead she just sort of... raises all her feathers at once, suddenly making herself twice as big oh shit and just looks at him with an incredibly surprised expression. It is a shoulder, she is going to sit on it, okay.]

[Unfortunately, when Kaito asks his question, he gets a similar-looking response. This one with a sort of apologetic twinge to it, as well as some how whuffling noises.]}

[Biz raises his hackles in return, and though it's very difficult for a constantly smiling monkey to look... menacing, he still tries. He also happens to fail.

Kaito grumps and lifts his free hand to swat at Biz. At his heels, his Eevee lets out a confused 'vee' at the commotion]

C'mon you two, my shoulder isn't a battlefield! [And at Claudy's confused response, Kaito just... sighs]

Do you remember when you last saw her?

_{[~*~SHOULDER BATTLE~*~ except not because Claudy is pretty docile and would probably back down if Biz got really upset.]

[In fact, when Kaito asks the second question, she actually sort of shuffles around and stiffly edges back down his arm onto the nearest flat surface. Once there, she started.... kind of bobbling around in a somewhat meaningful manner. Or it would have been meaningful if Kaito was an owl.]

[It was frustrating to be able to understand humans but not speak their language. <8I]

[ARE MY ABSTRACT DANCE MOVES CONVEYING THAT HEATHER WAS GOING KIND OF CRAZY YET.]}

[... communicating with Pokemon was hard 8(

Nevertheless, when Claudy climbs off his shoulder, Kaito squats down in front of her, brows furrowed in intense concentration as he tries to make heads or tails of her movements. Biz leans forward on his head and does the same, his little paws curled around Kaito's wild locks.

Eeveen just kind of tilts his head and stares.

AND FINALLY, after a few moments of... not quite understanding, Kaito lets out a frustrated sigh and shakes his head]

_{[When Kaito sighs, Claudy just... deflates for a moment. WHAT IS SOCIALIZING SHE IS NOT GOOD AT THIS, WHERE IS HER BAG SO SHE CAN HIDE IN IT OUT OF SHAME.]

[... Then a sort of idea occurred to her, and suddenly she hunkered down, the feathers on her back bristling like hackles and her red eyes growing wide and staring in a completely different direction than at Kaito-- as though she was seeing something that wasn't there. Her beak opened as wide as it could and she let out a hideous, death-rattly hiss that held undercurrents of something that threatened to become a shriek.]

[YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS THIS IS HOW SCARY HEATHER WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW HER. THIS IS BASICALLY WHAT SHE WAS DOING. DO YOU GET IT Y/N?]}

Edited 2010-09-26 05:52 (UTC)

H-hey--! [for a moment, Kaito thought Claudy the Noctowl was going crazy on her own, before it occurred to him that... in the absence of speech, she was most likely trying to convey to him what had happened to Heather.

Taking into consideration the fog, the ghost Pokemon, the nightmares, the hallucinations, and the bits and pieces of what he saw Heather going through over the network... Kaito can kind of guess what Claudy is trying to say]

She had hallucinations too, didn't she. [it's more of a statement than a question; he already knows the answer]

_{[He's right on the money, and his response triggers some enthusiastic bobbling on Claudy's part. More or less the closest thing to 'yes' she could convey.]

[Hallucinations had been on the menu for everyone, it seemed, but whatever Heather had seen had apparently had the side effect of making her disappear. ... Or maybe that had just been because she'd deliberately stayed solo in Violet without a group of people to keep her grounded.]}

[action | YOU BRING YOUR KNEES IN TIIIIIGHT~!]

[action | BUT IT'S THE PELVIC THRUUUUST~]

[action | THAT REALLY DRIVES YOU INSAAANE!]

[action | LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAAAAAIN~~~~]

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