(ACE) The PYRITE Team

This was just, plain torture now. The stench had almost completely overwhelmed Tybalt, any previous attempts at trying to catch the scent of the gathered pokémon successfully obliterated by the aroma of blood. His head felt like it was on fire, his nostrils practically burning as he emitted a whiney groan despite himself. There was another voice; almost quiet enough to have been missed were it not in such close proximity. The garchomp growled irritably, his rage at his blindness only heightened by the bloodlust. At least this guy knew what was happening to him. It was painful to fight such powerful instincts, but the garchomp persevered, he wasn’t particularly eager to sign his own death wish. Another voice soon alerted him that they would be unafraid to take action.

"Maybe you shouldn’t be downwind of it. Move away so we don't have to fight you, too, uh... sir."

‘Sir’? Had Tybalt not felt so incredibly pissed, he would’ve laughed at the title. The word seemed so classy and posh for an animal such as himself, but the male had spoken with good intentions – least he’d made an effort. Instead of voicing his appreciation, even humour at the absol’s words, the garchomp almost exploded.
“Move where?! I don’t know where the fuck you are!” He snarled, pure hatred dripping from his words as he turned away from the wall, facing the group. The guy didn’t deserve such a reaction, but now wasn’t the time for pleasantries. The garchomp’s mood had succumbed to the bloodlust; however, his body was still clinging onto the mind’s failing control. With a roar, brilliantly sharp fangs bared, Tybalt blindly staggered away from the safety of the wall, utterly lost in the darkness of his disability. He had no intention of harming them, instead eager to escape out of the smell’s vicinity, but that was easier said than done. He’d taken two steps and the aroma had intensified, causing him to clumsily swing around, his heavy tail proving a deadly menace to anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with it.

This was ridiculous, he felt like a sitting duck, a battle of defiance racking his body.
“Where do I go?!” He roared, infuriated as he stood uncomfortably on the spot, head snapping from direction to direction in a vain attempt to judge the quickest route to solitude. All he could smell now was a victim. It was almost a pitiful sight; a hulking great dragon reduced to begging to find peace of mind. “Please...” It was a rare word for Tybalt to utter, but it was equally as rare for his determination to resist temptation. He’d never needed company before, never needed to go against his natural desire to kill, but blindness had forced him to seek assistance. He felt so vulnerable, so helpless; reduced to a weak, grovelling time-bomb as he desperately looked for guidance. Above the continuous growling in the back of his throat, Tybalt managed to choke out a pathetic piece of honesty. “I-I don’t want to hurt you...”

"Are you...where...Where did you come from?" The Persian hissed as it bristled at him.

Ra recoiled a bit in surprise- he didn't mean to speak out loud. He silently cursed himself for being so clumsy before continuing.

"Erm...sssorry. I didn't mean to sssneak up on anyone." He said timidly, looking at the Persian. "I've....been wandering. I jussst noticcced that your Garchomp friend here is having...problemsss." He finished, turning to the large dragon.

"Hisss ssspeccciesss hasss a bloodlussst that'sss hard to control." He added, nodding in his direction. "It can be remedied by-"
The Arbok was interrupted by the dragons' frustrated roars. Ra stared at the large reptile, confused at his words.
Why can't he just back up...? he thought as he watched him stumble about clumsily, as if he were...
Oh...Hes...blind!

“Please...I-I don’t want to hurt you...” he nearly whimpered, his blind eyes already dilating with the bloodlust. Ra quickly slithered past the others and dodged the large creatures' tail.
"Follow my voiccce, dragon." He said as loud as he could, leading him upwind of the group.

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The little Natu hopped timidly into the empty town, her eyes wide with anxiety.
It would make sense if he stopped here for a rest...he would have to stop here...it's been so long since he did stop...
Fluffing up her chest, she moved forward in determination.
I have to apologize to him! I gotta!

Ra! She cried out telepathically through the whole town.
Ra!

(Ooc- sorry, just not getting the emails)

A snake. There was a freaking snake here now. And not only that, but this was the tenth person to invade her turf today! And it wasn’t even dinner time yet! This had to be the longest day of her life. What the hell was going on that everyone thought they could just come waltzing into her territory, acting like they had a right to freaking be there? Phoenix tried to growl, but the vibrations in her throat threw up massive pain signals and she had to quiet down. This wasn’t fair. First the walking blue disaster, then the weird weasel thing, then the mutt, then a bird, then that bitch raven, then a Umbreon, then a Jolteon, then Kylie, then the shark, and now a fucking snake. Why couldn’t anyone just leave her shit alone?!

Speaking of Kylie though…where’d she go?

She looked around, and when Phoenix saw Kylie hiding behind Rukh her head tilted in confusion. The little bug looked absolutely horrified, and was actually cowering behind the steel bird. She tried to follow the Vibrava’s line of sight, and when her gaze returned to the charred bones and ash that once used to be a Smeargle she understood. Kylie wasn’t just afraid, she was afraid of Phoenix. Her heart broke for the little one, and for a small moment she panicked. Leaving the shark to the snake, who seemed to be luring it away, she rushed over to Kylie to try and apologize. ‘Good riddance,’ she figured.

In her rush to try and apologize to Kylie, it wasn’t until Phoenix actually reached the pair that she remembered she couldn’t really talk. Her throat was coasted in blood and speaking strained it to the point of pain. So the best she could do was settle with wild gestures, pointing at the pile of ash then back at herself, shaking her head madly. It got so frustrating, and finally Phoenix just collapsed to the ground with an audible groan. The Ninetales had no idea if Kylie even understood what she was trying to say, that she would never hurt a child. The Smeargle had deserved it, everyone there wanted to kill it, she just got there first. She lay fully flat on the ground, ears down, tails drooped and splayed out behind her, and her paws up over her muzzle to hide her eyes. She didn’t know what else to do.
______________

Raven was about to go help the poor land-shark when the snake took it upon himself to try and get the poor guy away from the smell of blood. And really, where was the blood coming from? Was someone hurt? That could be why Phoenix and Asche had been whispering earlier. Could Miss Perfect really have screwed up and hurt herself? The Persian couldn't see any wounds on the bright yellow fox's fur, because they certainly would have stood out, so where...?

And then Phoenix went spastic. She charged Kylie and Rukh, and then started acting like she had gone insane. She was bouncing up and down, making all kinds of odd gestures, and Raven couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. This had to be the funniest thing she had ever seen! The Princess acting like a spaz was a once in a lifetime occurrence, and Raven was soaking it up. She only wished she had one of the human contraptions that made images of things like this...a camera! Yeah, that would have been great right about now.

But when Phoenix suddenly went to the ground, Raven stopped laughing. She actually looked upset, genuinely depressed, and the alley cat wasn't sure what to make of it. She had never taken Phoenix for having any personality other than bitch, and in just this one day she had seen more of the golden fox than she had ever thought was in there. She shook her head and sighed, making up her mind to at least try and see what else there might be to the other female. She walked over to where said fox lay sprawled out on the ground and gave her a nudge.

"Hey, you okay there Princess?" The only response was a whimper.

Asche visibly flinched at the shark's angry reply, his tail almost tucking between his legs at the roar. He'd tried... But all snark was gone; that dragon was truly intimidating, and Asche wasn't very sure that, even with it being blind, Asche would come out on top. He felt some small twinge of relief when the new snake began to lead it away with his voice.

The absol's short attention span was diverted when Phoenix made her way to the little vibrava from before, and he instinctively followed. However, he backed up a little when she started making wild gestures, wide golden eyes watching with a mix of horror and fascination. The hell was she doing? He really didn't get an answer until she flopped onto the ground, either exhausted from the activity or emotion, he didn't really know, but the way her form had lost all life and vivacity made him think of guilt, that she felt bad...

He finally looked over to the vibrava, then to Rukh, whom she hid behind, then to the burnt remains of the smeargle. O... OH... Was she... Raven stepped closer and asked what the matter was, which only earned her a whimper from the ninetales. 'That has to be it,' Asche thought to himself, a little proud he had figured it out.

"..I... I think she's trying to apologize," he said to the little dragon, a small smile playing at his snowy lips. "There's no need to be afraid, hon. She's not gonna hurt you. She would have done it already, right?" He hunkered down onto the sand, butt slightly in the air in a position to play. "Come on. It's gonna be ok."

There was a lot of commotion going on. An Arbok showed up, scaring the crap out of the Persian, then he went over to the Garchomp and started couxing him away. I frowned. Despite the fact that I needed to get the hell out of there, something was bugging me. Dylan had always told me to flee if a fight ever got ugly, for me to get as far away as possible, was this the reason why? I felt sympathy for the Dragon but fear kept me rooted to the spot. Hell if I was gonna get involved- I would probably just end up getting myself killed and I did not want to die quite yet. Speaking of dying... Movement to my side made me jump. I whipped around to see that Phoenix was barreling in my direction. My body went rigid with fear- had I really pushed her off the edge so easily?! Terror widened my eyes and I could not move as she came closer. I mentally prepared myself for the killing blow, then end...

...but it never came. I peeked open one brown eye to see that the Ninetales was, well, acting odd. In another life I would have laughed at her- the more than hilarious way she flailed back and forth- but I was a different person and I was utterly terrified on top of that. The Persian clearly had my mindset, and her laughter echoed through the air, but I could not focus on her. I watched Phoenix more closely, and her eyes held no malice. Was she...? Finally the large fox gave up, simply flopping to the ground in defeat. Sudden uneasiness made me feel super awkward. Maybe she was just trying to...

The Persian came over and asked Phoenix if she was okay. And she only whimpered back. Fucking whimpered. I burned with shame as I realized just how wrong I was, overreacting so badly. My antenna flicked back, pressed against my head, as I ducked my head in shame, embaressment making me cringe. Fuck. I really DID have to screw everything up. I only felt worse when the Absol joined up with the thrres of us."..I... I think she's trying to apologize," he explained in a gentle voice, even showing a smile my way. I fought the urge to snap at him, knowing rationally that he was right. "There's no need to be afraid, hon. She's not gonna hurt you. She would have done it already, right?" Please shut up. Shut up. Shut up. I mentally screamed, just wanting the torture to be over. I fucked up and was wriong. Okay. I got that. Now please just shut up!The dark type suddenly moved, lowering his body down and closer to the sand, raising his ass slightly in the aurs. His golden eyes shone. "Come on. It's gonna be ok."

Holy shit. He just made my day.

I blinked slowly at him at first before my face split into a wide grin, a loud burst of laughter escaping me. It was shaky from recent events, but it was genuine laughter. I stepped out from behind the Skarmory with ease, my wings buzzing happily as I grinned at the Absol. My ears flicked forward as the negative feelings melted away. "Th-thanks bro," I giggled at him. But then I remembered Phoenix. I turned my head to regaurd her, my antenna flicking back again as I regaurded her with wide eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Phoenix..." I could not help but wonder if I would ever live it down. I probably looked so stupid.

The new voice was the only one that stood out for Tybalt. The guy clearly had some knowledge of his species, and he was unusually grateful that someone actually understood the unfathomable torture resistance to instinct was proving. Soon, the male was calling to him, ordering to follow his voice. It’s pronunciation of s’ had already gotten on the garchomp’s nerves, but it looked like the only route away from the temptation of blood. With another suppressed roar, Tybalt focused his entire attention on that single voice, gradually thudding away after it. He was unsure whether the remainder of the group would flee in the time he took to calm himself, but as long as this snake was about, there was at least some hope of coming to terms with his blindness.

He was unsure how far he’d trudged after the serpent but was relieved that the scent of blood was gradually fading into nothing. In an attempt to speed up the process, Tybalt took large inhales of whatever other produce he passed. An amount of sand swept into his nostrils to block the heavenly aroma, and already, the garchomp was beginning to relax. He could hear feminine laughing in the distance, recognising the light tone belonging to the creature that had first spoken to him. That bitch had the nerve to mock him? Growling to himself, Tybalt sniffed another amount of sand, the tiny particles causing painful friction within his nostrils but acting as a sort of anaesthetic to the bloodlust.

“Thank you,” Tybalt turned in the general direction of the arbok, his voice a little shaky but already oozing with his signature gruffness. He ushered a weak smile, unaware that he was facing an unseen being a few metres to the arbok’s left. Gradually taking hold of his breathing, the raptor’s body slumped slightly as the worst of the bloodlust passed. There was still the faint waft of the delicious aroma, but the handful of sand lodged in his nostrils combined with the new position of being downwind of the wounded was restoring peace in the dragon. “Were you here before or have you just arrived?” He wanted to know exactly how poor his judgement was, having only distinguished a select few voices earlier. Now that he listened, he could hear another, small female voice in the distance. Damn it, this was just ridiculous. Frowning, irritated, he licked his lips, wondering whether he should have just chanced it against the group. A quick bite was becoming an ever-appealing idea.

“Thank you,” the dragon said after inhaling long breaths of clean air away from the group, talking to an empty space next to him. Ra smiled uneasily coiling up instinctively. “Were you here before or have you just arrived?”

"It wasss nothing." He said, a bit embarrassed. "I jussst arrived. I heard you all talking and...well, it'sss been awhile sinccce I've ssseen anyone ali-"
Ra!
A sudden voice exploded in his minds' ear, stopping him midsentence.
The Arboks' eyes grew wide, his expression that of horror and incredulity.
How could she have followed this far!?
And she was on her own!! The stupid girl!
His shocked gaze went to the Garchomp and then to the others, positive that they had heard the mental cry as well.
The Arbok could do nothing but stare in the direction he had come from in stunned amazement.

___________________

Fala gasped and wheezed as she hopped forward clumsily, falling flat on her face a few times.
Ra!

...Sister...why?...
Ra?!
RA!
She cried out, her eyes widening as she leaped to her claws and bounced forward with all her strength. In the distance was a large group of Pokemon. She halted as she approached.
Are they...with Ra...?
They don't look very friendly...
She thought as she looked at each of them with her large eyes, puffing up in defense.

Ra....?
She asked quietly, looking for her brother.

(OoC- a little explaining for these two.~ Fala is telepathic. She never speaks out loud, she only talks through her psychic abilities. Ra talks to her with his thoughts if he allows her to read them, which are in italics, and she can read his thoughts and answer back.)

Phoenix didn't even care that Raven was next to her, trying to talk to her like they were old pals. She didn't care that Asche was right there beside her, despite only knowing her for the better part of the day. All she cared about was that she had scared a child half to death and there was nothing she could do to apologize. At her pitiful attempt to make the small bug understand, Kylie laughed at her. Laughed at her like the fool she knew she was making of herself. Despite the rep she tried to keep up, the Ninetales did have feelings and the laughter fucking hurt.

"I-I'm sorry, Phoenix..." Her head shot up, unshed tears glimmering in her eyes, as she stared at Kylie. Why...why was she apologizing when Phoenix knew that it was her own fault for scaring the poor kid. It didn't make any sense. She looked to Asche and Raven to see if she was dreaming that, and the look on the Persian's face said that she heard correctly. Raven looked as confused as Phoenix felt. And Asche- well with his ass in the air Asche just looked like Asche.
__________________

Raven blinked at the Absol as he took a playful stance, not really sure the bug would get it. That was a normal move for a feline or a canine who wanted to play and wrestle, but did bugs do it too? Raven shook her head and tried to nudge the Ninetales with her head, hoping that she would move. The depressing way she was just laying there was starting to bring Raven down too.

"I-I'm sorry, Phoenix..."

The Persian's mouth dropped open and she stared at the Vibrava in shock. Kylie, the frightened bug, was apologizing to Phoenix, the raging bitch? Something seemed off about this whole scenario. Phoenix seemed to take notice of it too, because she looked at Raven and Asche like she wanted to confirm what Kylie just said. The cream colored feline just nodded, not really sure what to say to the fox. But to Kylie..."You do remember she is the reason you are hiding, right? That's what she is trying to make up for. Why are you apologizing?"

The smile that Phoenix gave her for asking was like lightning striking twice in the same place. A once in a lifetime event that Raven knew she would never forget. Was she thanking the cat for saying what she could not? This had to be the freakiest day in her entire life.

Asche didn't mind the odd looks from Phoenix and Raven; he was just glad he was able to cheer Ky up and stop her from freaking out. A big, silly grin spread over his face when she giggled, and replied her thanks with, "No problem, sweetie." Cute little bug.

However, as Phoenix and Ky talked, a loud shout in what seemed to be his head caught his attention, and soon, he spotted green and magenta plumage not far from their location. Hopping up and trotting over, head tilted in curiosity, he slowly approached the little bird. 'A natu...?'

"...Hi!" Asche greeted, confused, but non-threatening.

[OOC: Skip, haven't quite caught up yet. ;w;]

"It wasss nothing. I jussst arrived. I heard you all talking and...well, it'sss been awhile sinccce I've ssseen anyone ali-"

Tybalt snorted gruffly in response, somewhat irritated at the creature’s accent. Definitely some kind of serpent – but the guy had helped him out, and he was at least grateful to have surfaced without unnecessary bloodshed. But the Garchomp visibly tensed as the stranger’s words immediately halted. Frowning, a wave of panic flowing over him, Tybalt shifted his weight uneasily as he awaited some kind of response, an explanation.
“What?” He demanded aggressively, his head held high – alert for the unseen dangers of his world. He hadn’t heard anything that might’ve caused the individual to silence, but his blindness meant there could always been an enemy lurking in the constant darkness. “What is it?” Tybalt snarled with more urgency, taking a step forward, his tail swinging threateningly in the event of there being some kind of surprise attack. He knew he couldn’t trust any of these bastards – they were probably miles off, laughing at how thick and gullible he was. The shark’s blood practically boiled at the thought.

(( Sorry, short post :B ))

The little bird shivered beneath her fluffy plumage, her eyes unbelievably wide. She hopped back a bit insinctively as the Absol slowly approached her.
"...Hi!"

Fala looked at the large canine before her timidly.
Hi...Um....I'm looking for my brother...She stammered, looking about the group of Pokemon.

_________________________

The Garchomp started to panic as the silence followed.
“What is it?” He asked anxiously, his harsh voice loud as he started to get ready to fight something.
"No, it'sss okay." He said hurriedly as he broke the trance he was in. "Jussst....ssstay right here. There'sss no danger." He muttered as he slithered to the Natu and Absol hurriedly.

"Fala...?" He said quietly as he approached them, his eyes full of concern and worry.
The little Natu bounded towards him, running into his midsection in a flurry.

Ra! Ra I'm so sorry! I missed you! I've been following you this whole time! I-I followed all the way! she said, her words rushed and teary as molted feathers floated down behind her.

(OoC- woot schools done! I can post more often now!~)

God. Damn. It. ANOTHER NEW ONE?! Was her territory now just some fucking playground?! She was so close to just slamming her face into the dirt, over and over again, just to distract herself. All she wanted to do was have some peace and quiet during the end of the world, but no. Not Phoenix. At least this one didn't look like it could do any damage, it was just a tiny bird. It looked like a Natu, but she had only ever seen one before so she couldn't be totally sure that's what it was from way over there.

The little bird charged straight for their other newest 'guest' and her mouth dropped open. Asche just went straight up to them and started talking to the little one and Phoe could only wonder what the hell was going on. Had she lost her edge? Two days ago, she would have torn through anything in her turf without her say so, but ever since Asche the Walking Disaster showed up, she hadn't done anything but kill one annoying ass Smeargle. Maybe she had lost it.

"I hate my life..." Phoenix managed to choke out, the words raspy and dry due to the pain in her throat. She was starting to feel better, but she would need some of the supplies back in her den if she was going to get fully healed. And with the setting sun, that would mean she would need to take this whole lot with her. She figured they would just follow her anyway. With a heavy sigh she stood, throwing her tails up in the air as a signal she was moving, and started to head towards the front of town. She had come out originally this morning to scavenge, and despite the numerous distractions since then, she was still going to do just that. If only she could get a couple of them to follow, then she could carry even more back to the den.

The little Natu seemed shy enough, and Asche was honestly surprised he got an answer out of her. "Hi...Um....I'm looking for my brother..." her mental voice stammered, her eyes flickering over the group of pokemon that was behind the blue absol. Asche turned to look and frowned. He hadn't seen any other Natu or Xatu...

He was about to tell her such when the arbok came back and the little bird nearly rocketed to him, apologizing for... something. It didn't matter; Asche felt more than a little awkward for being present at such an intimate reunion, and he didn't want to screw it up by his infamous bumbling. He quietly ducked away, then turned back to see Phoenix roaming off, tails high. Without a second thought, he followed, padding at a decent trot to catch up.

"Where're we goin'? Whatcha doin'?" he asked as soon as he got to her side. "It's gonna get dark soon... I'm hungry. We gonna go find some food? Now that I think about it, we haven't eaten all day..." His mind roamed over the events of the day, and he was honestly surprised that it had been a mere 12 hours or so since he had met her at the crumbling windmill. Damn. Time sure flew.

The Steel Bird was certainly surprised at how much was happening as he just sat there and preened his feathers. From a little Vibrava hiding behind him, a Garchomp...slamming his head on the wall, and a Arbok and Natu showing out of nowhere. Rukh carefully watched Phoenix, the source of the blood-scented breeze.

"I hate my life..." The raspy voice his the bird's ears and he gently rose a brow, and watched as she stood and began making her way to the front area of the rusty town. Almost immediately Rukh stood as well, his talons giving small clicks as he quietly followed. This was, if anything, unusual for him--to be so quiet and... Out of it. "Where're we goin'? Whatcha doin'? It's gonna get dark soon... I'm hungry. We gonna go find some food? Now that I think about it, we haven't eaten all day..."

Almost on cue, the bird's stomach rumbled and the neutral expression was quickly complemented with a frown. "Er... Yeah. You said you had food back at your place, right? Sorry if I'm being a burden..." mindlessly mumbling, his gaze travelled to the sky. A deep blue tainted with a light of the setting sun, and Rukh felt envious. Jealous of the pretty, glowing sun that came and went without a care in the world. Resentful of the color changing sky that stood free apart from them. The glowing lights filtering against the dirty buildings and mud-smeared cement was making everything look prettier... He grit his beak in frustration, and resumed to follow the bright yellow Ninetales before him.

How he hated this world.

Aaaaaand once more everyone's attention was on me. Fan-freaking-tastic. I was not too thrilled to be met with such skepticle looks from both Phoenix and the scarred Persian. My antenna were still flicked back as I stared wide eyed at the duo. It didn't help when Asche simply trotted off. Traitor, I thought, but there was no malice. I just hated being left to my own screw ups by myself.

I hated being so insecure.

The Persian was the one that really spoke up. Considering that Phoenix seemed unable to speak for some reason, I was not too terribly shocked. But her words took me by supprise.  "You do remember she is the  reason you are hiding, right? That's what she is trying to make up for. Why are you apologizing?" The sleek cat questioned me, still seeming bewildered. I looked at her in almost equal shock. Why did I apologize? Why the hell was she questioning me? I was wrong, so I said sorry. Wasn't that something you are taught before you can even walk? But I was sure as fuck not going to insult the Persian, or Phoenix for that matter, by saying all of that as a response. I half stepped back again, my wings dropping as my posture became uncertain once more. How was I to explain my line of thoughts? Say that I was sure, just three minutes ago, that the eye burning Nintales was surely going to kill me as well, like she did the Smeargle? For some reason I was sure that this was not something you shared with Pokemon you barely knew.

However, I had to say something. Something. Anything. But my mouth went dry. Crap. I stared helplessly at the cat then to Phoenix, only to move to the Persian again. Crap. How many seconds had gone by? And I STILL had not said anything. I fought ti form something intelligible, praying that I didn't look like as much of a fool as I felt. "I- I, uh, I mean..." Brilliant. That was intelligent. Inwanted to howl in frustration. I should have just left when I could- it would have spared them the irritation of having to deal with me. But then suddenly Phoenix was on her paws. I turned to stare at her, my eyes frightened once more, but all she did was display her brilliant tails and simply start to walk away. But she muttered just one sentence. And the words cut deep.

"I hate my life..." 

I visibly flinched at the four simple words. Who else could they be for besides me? I had caused enough drama and trouble just by showing up. First the undead and the making myself look like an idiot. I watched with pained eyes as the Absol and then Rukh made their way to follow the beautiful fox. I made no move in their direction; Phonix clearly had her own agenda. I was just fucking with it. But the Skarmory mentioned food and things became a whole lot worse. Almost instantly I remembered my own hunger. The slight irritation of my empty stomach became a full on throbbing pain. My mouth began watering at the thought of food but the thought of moving made me want to puke. I hated beig so starved. But it was not my place to ask about food, especially not if Phoenix owned all of it. 

My gaze dropped to the ground. I refused to whine aloud but my head was another story. F-food... I needed to go find my own food- maybe even some berries to regain my strength- but first I was determined to respond to the Persian. "I was wrong... She may have scared me, but... I was the one in the wrong. So I apologized. But you can tell Phoenix I won't bug her anymore." My voice was steady but I had to bite the bottom of my mouth to keep my lip from trembling. Fuck, how I hated my own body betraying my feelings. "I'll just go, uhhh... Somewhere." Brilliant way to say goodbye, but I honesly had no idea where the hell I was. Someone said something about Orre, but I had never been to Orre in my life. Oh well, hope that there is some place nearby with food. Another surge of hunger pains ran through my body just at the damn word and I fought the urge to curl up on the dirty ground and never move again, just to make the pain stop.

Not eating in days... Not a good idea.

((Ooc; I know that Phoenix is pronounced fee-nix, but anyone else prefer to think of it as fo-nix? I just love my brain sometimes.))

Tybalt’s company hastily reassured him that there was no danger, and whilst the Garchomp didn’t doubt the serpent, his body remained alert for any threats. He couldn’t afford to trust everything he was told, and as he heard the creature excuse himself, the minute sound of sand shifting at the creature’s movements, anger began to boil beneath the shark’s surface. Who the hell did he think he was? Tybalt emitted a deep, sinister growl at the rejection – left totally lost, blind and vulnerable as the voices in the distance grew quieter. That was it. The Garchomp wasn’t going to stand this sort of treatment; he’d been a ruler once goddamnit and now everyone presumed that his disability had rendered him useless, nothing but a stroppy, clueless bastard. They were wrong. Taking another strong inhale of sand for good measure, the small grains causing havoc with his now raw nostrils, the Garchomp stalked in the direction in which the sounds were only just audible.

Utterly oblivious to where his feet fell, having narrowly avoiding barging through the reunion between Fala and Ra, an ugly frown soon made residence on the shark’s face. His mouth hung agape slightly revealing an impressive, well-utilized set of fangs as he trudged forward, relying entirely on his sense of hearing now that his nasal passages were sufficiently blocked. Fortunately, a string of questions from a male voice provided a suitable trail.
“What the fuck is going on?” The Garchomp growled, his temper flaring again as his shoulder scraped uncomfortably against the side of a building. He had generally managed to follow the brigade of survivors, albeit at a far slower pace with a number of collisions with the unseen obstacles of his environment – but it was becoming ridiculous. The male voice was rapidly falling out of earshot and now, a female, previously unheard sound emerged startlingly close. Had Tybalt not caught the insect’s voice when he did, he would have most likely found himself scraping the creature off his foot. He stood directly behind her, lowering his head slightly to catch her words. She was apologizing for something, apparently intending to make leave.

"I'll just go, uhhh... Somewhere."

“Why would you want to do that?” Tybalt questioned almost as soon as Kylie had stopped speaking, his voice adopting a surprisingly pleasant tone. He hadn’t caught sound or scent of this creature before – obviously she was one of the quieter individuals of the group, but the Garchomp was curious to know her intentions. Whilst he wasn’t the friendliest of creatures, Tybalt recognised the value of a group. There was safety in numbers, as well as the opportunity to lead.

Ra looked down at his little sister, his eyes brimming with tears. Her feathers were dull from being uncleaned, and her feet were blistered and cracked, caked with dried blood and sand. The little Natu snuggled against him as she frantically spilled out all her emotions, verbally and mentally. The Arbok could feel her guilt, her sorrow...her fear.

Ra coiled around her gently, trying to comfort her.
"Fala! It'sss okay. Jussst calm down..." He hissed quietly, trying to keep himself from weeping from the mental overload.
I'm sorry sister...I'm so sorry...I won't leave you again...I promise....he thought as he held her, allowing her to hear.

He nudged her gently with his nose, smiling faintly.
"Come on, let'sss go with the othersss." He said quietly, his coils loosening.

The little Natu thought for a second, returning the smile as her big brother released her. She slowly hopped her way up the length of his body, coming to a rest on his head, sniffling to clear her nose.

Within moments, a blue blur was at Phoenix's side and began rambling. "Where're we goin'? Whatcha doin'? It's gonna get dark soon... I'm hungry. We gonna go find some food? Now that I think about it, we haven't eaten all day..." She paused and put a leg up in front of him, trying to get him to stop, or at least to slow down. She had grown fond of the kid but damn he could be annoying. Rukh, too, found his way to her side and asked about food. Why the hell had she said anything? Well, she'd have to take them all back to her den sooner or later, but they were sure as hell going to work for it first.

"Yes, yes, now chill out," her words were still very scratchy and hoarse, barely able to get over a whisper and the pain was incredible, but she needed to talk. Flailing around could only get you so far, but at least the blood stopped. "I have food back-back at the den. But we need to grab some things before we can go." She had to pause and take a breath a few times, the scratching burn on her throat not letting her speak. She inhaled deeply to try and soothe it, and was about to pass out assignments, when she saw not everyone was with her. She needed all paws on deck for this one and some were lagging behind.

Bracing herself for the pain, she sucked in a large breathe and shouted as loud as she could for the others. "Hey guys! Kind of need you over here!" She winced and doubled over on herself as the burning in her throat intensified, whimpering slightly. She looked to Asche with a pained expression and nodded to the store behind her. Hopefully he would understand. It was the only place in all of Pyrite that sold Pokemon items, and she needed a Burn Heal fast. How sad was it that a fire type could burn themselves?

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Raven saw the many different emotions playing across the young bugs face, and felt a little sorry for how she reacted. The Vibrava obviously had a lot on her mind and she had just kind of barged in with a pissy attitude. Good grief, she was turning into Phoenix! What a scary thought! "I- I, uh, I mean..." but Kylie never finished because Phoenix had gotten up and left. She didn't look upset, so to Raven it looked like the fox had accepted that Kylie had forgiven her. That fox was so weird.

"I'll just go, uhhh... Somewhere." Raven whipped back around to try and stop the little bug, knowing that Phoenix would be upset if she left, but the land shark had already beaten her to it. "He's right, kiddo. And the Princess would be very sad if you just left without saying goodbye. After all, at that flailing was to try and get you to like her again." Raven finished with a smile and a small laugh, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Hey guys! Kind of need you over here!"

"See?" Raven asked happily. "She wants you with her too." Though the look on the fox after all that shouting looked really bad. She was in a lot of pain, and Raven tossed old rivalries to the wind and took off full speed to check on her rival. Phoenix was looking to Asche, but Raven wasn't sure he would know what to do because he wasn't a native of Pyrite. She with all of her limber grace she bounded up a few crates to a broken window in the store. Once inside, she scraped around through the mess looking for the right bottle. 'Orange...orange...Ah ha! There you are!' With a triumphant smile Raven snatched the bottle in he mouth and leapt back out of the window to the others. "Here Princess, you look like you could use this."

As Phoenix hoarsely spoke to them, Asche watched as pity began to enter his eyes. Such a firm, confident leader, and Phoenix couldn't even talk. He tilted his head, though, when she looked to him, eyes pleading, and then to the Poke Mart. Instantly, he understood, and gave her an enthusiastic nod, bolting off to the Mart. He crashed through, breaking a window, even though there was an open one on the other side. He glanced around, knowing what he needed. He soon found his prize, a Bottled Water, and hopped back out to greet Phoenix.

However, little to his knowledge, Raven had done the exact same thing, except she had emerged with a Burn Heal. His tail lowered at the sight; was that what Phoenix had been silently telling him to do? His eyes went down to the water bottle in his mouth. 'Wrong again, Asche...' his mind grumbled irritably at him. Still, he figured she could use it and put it down next to Phoenix. He opened his mouth to comment, but closed it when he glanced to Raven and her correct remedy. He just needed to shut up and try to blend into the background...

Rukh listened as Phoenix spoke, her voice still scratchy. The Steel Bird stood a metre or two away from her, as Raven and Asche both went inside the Pokemart that they stopped by. Maybe I should go too? He motioned to go, but stopped himself. Two's enough, just stay outside just in case. Soon enough, he say the Persian coming back with a burn heal. "Here Princess, you look like you could use this."

Then came the blue Absol, holding a water bottle. Rukh looked amused, glancing between the two items. After, he directs his sight to where the Garchomp was, and Kylie was there too. "C'mon!" he calls, waving a wing. "Aren't you coming?" he asks, a small smile growing on his face. He had heard the comment of the young Vibrava wanting to leave minutes ago, and he wouldn't have let that happen. The Skarmory wasn't one to abandon others who seemed sad, or hurt. Or else I'd be a royal douche. He mused.

I nearly jumped outta my fucking skin when there was suddenly a voice behind me.  “Why would you want to do that?” The voice was deep and gravelly, but despite all of those characteristics, it held a soft tone. I slowly turned to look over my shoulder just to see the huge Garchomp from earlier above me. My mouth suddenly went dry. He may have not done anything to me personally, but just his huge bulk as well as the many scars littering his body scared the bejesus out of me. I forced myself not to flinch but was saved from having to reply as the Persian spoke up. 

"He's right, kiddo. And the Princess would be very sad if you just left without saying goodbye. After all, at that flailing was to try and get you to like her again." She ended with a laugh, smiling in my direction and I returned the favor hesitantly. Maybe I could stay... Just for a little while. But then Phoenix's voice called through the air and I turned just in time to see her wince. "Hey guys! Kind of need you over here!" I blinked at her almost in wonder. So... So it did include me! I felt like I could buzz in joy and the cat's words drifted to me happily, pointing out that she would like to have me around as well. I nodded gratefully to her before she suddenly turned and sprinted in the direction of the fox. I guess I could stay after all. The thought took a weight off of my chest and, despite the terrible hunger pains, I felt good for the forst time in a long while.

"What an alein feeling," I mused to myself with a buzz of my wings. "To be accepted and wanted so quickly. Maybe this pandemic is not as bad as I used to think." I was barely awear of speaking out loud, just kind of thinking without truly thinking about it. But then I recalled the Garchomp behind me and I tensed. Crap. The Persian left me alone with this stranger- surely I could not make thing any MORE awkward? I took to the air slightly, flapping my wings to levitate just enough to turn amd face the dragon. Damn... He was a wee bit close. I took a few cautious steps bakward before finally adressing him. I didn't mnow his name, so I figured start with that. "S-sorry about that. My name is Kylie- what's yours?" While I craned my neck to look at his face, I finally took into account the scars around his small eyes. And my stomach dropped.

Who feels like a superdouche? This girl!

I cringed, only then realizing the reason behind his strange behavior and the way he never seemed to be facing anyone when he spoke. Fuck. This guy was blind. Just... Just do NOT let him know that you just figured it out. I silently groaned. I really sucked sometimes. So I added to the Garchomp,"H-hey! The others are all leaving." I began to follow after Phoenix and the others on foot, buzzing my wings loudly. I smiled, feeling so damn clever as the idea came to me. "You can come with us, I'm sure. Just follow the sound of my wings- I can guide you. Th-that is, if you want my help," I quickly added. My antenna flicked back as I suddenly felt unsure. What if I just offended him instead? Crap.

The feline was there too, backing him up as she persuaded that this ‘Princess’ character wouldn’t be happy to see the insect gone. Tybalt’s head jolted up at the sound of Phoenix shouting to them in the distance. The strain in her voice was hideously apparent to the Garchomp, his sense of hearing heightened with the loss of his eyesight. His nostrils flared slightly, testing the air for the sweet aroma of blood, but instead, the gravelly sensation of sand defiantly scraped across the inside of his nose - preventing the provocation of any aggression. In a way it was unnatural to the Garchomp. He had always followed his instincts – spoke his mind, act how he felt, killed to survive, and now suppressing the scent of a victim seemed strange.

"What an alien feeling. To be accepted and wanted so quickly. Maybe this pandemic is not as bad as I used to think."

The bug’s words had caught the raptor off guard, a confused frown appearing over his unseeing eyes. Apparently she hadn’t wanted to the words to surface and soon apologized, instead requesting his name. Whilst he would typically tell her to mind her own business, Tybalt remained civil. He needed these strangers – he couldn’t afford to muck up his chances of survival through his own grouchy personality.
“Tybalt,” The shark answered bluntly, his face blank. She sounded young and for a moment a flicker of guilt surfaced in the creature for talking in such a harsh, serious way. It was suppressed as quickly as it had appeared, however. Tybalt hated children. Youngsters had to grow up, there was no point in giving the weak false hope or something to be happy about at all.

"H-hey! The others are all leaving. You can come with us, I'm sure. Just follow the sound of my wings- I can guide you. Th-that is, if you want my help,"

He could hear the bug’s wings, a constant little buzzing sound that was beginning to grate on the raptor already. Whilst he appreciated the bug’s offering of help, her words had had an adverse effect on him. ‘If you want my help’... Tybalt wasn’t sure. All his life he’d prided himself on his strength, clawing his way to the position of a feared, respected leader and now, a child had to help him. He felt old, weak. Snorting in annoyance, his ego wounded at the realization of how pathetic he had become, his reply suppressed his frustration.
“Thank you, but I’ll not join you,” He looked in the direction of the buzzing, managing a weak excuse for a smile. “I...” He hesitated for a moment, trying to formulate a reasonable excuse for refusing the offer of joining a team. The truth sounded foolish – too stubborn to accept help and determined to learn to navigate in the darkness alone. “I’m trying to find someone,” It was a lie, but it would do. “Thanks again. Keep your friends close, kid – you’ll survive this,” He turned with his final piece of advice, determined to make a fluent exit. His foot slithering forward into the large footprints he’d made on his walk over, Tybalt retraced his steps, gradually disappearing from vision.

(( I’m going to be putting Tybalt in inactive for a bit as I’m struggling to get used to his character :/ It’s been great roleplaying with you all! ^^ ))

(OoC- I'm so sorry, I'm really not feeling good. Please skip)

Phoenix was amazed to see both Raven and Asche jump into the store to fetch her something to heal with. Raven came out with the Burn Heal she needed, while Asche made it back with...a bottle of water? She stared at it in confusion for a moment, and then saw the look on his face. Oh, he must have thought it would help cool her throat. A soft look replaced the confusion and Phoenix found herself giving Asche a smile an affectionate head bump. What could she say, the kid tried.

She gave Raven a wary look before reaching over and taking the Burn Heal, gulping it down quickly by snatching the bottle into her mouth and tilting her head all the way back. She almost choked on the thick liquid, and had to spit the bottle out when she started to gag, but it worked. The burns in her throat she could feel closing up until all of the pain was gone. She then snatched up the Bottled Water and gulped it down much the same way as the Burn Heal, and felt an energy return to her that had been lost when she killed the Smeargle.

"Dear. Sweet. Arceus! I can freakin' talk! Hells yeah!" Phoenix began to dance around, strutting back and forth like it was a perfectly normal thing to do, and jumped high only to land in a crouching position. She felt great! But they were losing daylight fast, and there was still a lot to do. She looked around to notice that while the rest of the group had joined her, shark boy had taken off. Huh, well one less mouth to feed. But also one less set of paws, or jaws, to carry with. They'd have to make due.

"Okay guys, listen up. Before I take you back to my den for some R&R, we need to grab some shit. That's what I was doing out in the first place." She looked around like she was compiling a mental list, and once she had a good idea of what they needed looked back to the group. "Now everyone is going to need to snatch whatever comfortable thing you can find because that is going to be your bed. I have my own stash of comfy things, but I don't share those. Food I got, so don't worry about that unless you find some fresh berries. What we want is medical stuff and wood for fire. Don't stray from the buildings around the square! I want everyone within shouting distance if shit goes down so that anyone nearby can make it to help."

Phoenix knelt down beside the little Vibrava and gave her a warm smile. "Kylie-doll, I got a special job for you. I'm going to need you with me because you are the only one small enough to get into an area I've been having trouble with. Think you can do it?"

_____________________

Raven watched in morbid fascination as the fox guzzled the two bottles, and was still somewhat in shock from her practically hugging Asche. Somehow, in the last few hours, the Princess of Pyrite had shown that she was more than a pretty face with a bad attitude, and that left Raven wondering. Had the other female always been like this? Had they spent years as enemies simply because she had never bothered getting to know the Ninetales better? Or had she become this way after the infections spread?

All those questions started making her head hurt, and she rubbed a forearm over her face vigorously to wipe them away. When the fox started jumping and dancing around though, it reminded her more of the old Phoenix. And pretty soon, the fox showed why she had so easily had control of her own gang as she started talking about their next move. Listening carefully, she realized why Phoenix was such a good leader. Raven knew she would never have thought about beds for everyone, and would have wanted the focus on food. But if there was already enough then healing items were certainly better. And keeping everyone close together? She wasn't sure she would have thought of that, either.

"Just tell me what you need me to do, Phoenix." The look the Ninetales gave her was one of guarded suspicion, but she nodded anyway and told Raven where to search. And so the Persian was off, making sure to keep with in the square in case on of the others might need her.

((OOC: Bossy Phoe is bossy, lol. But she means well.))