The CELADON Team

In the cover of night, the form moved through the darkness like a living shadow.
Crimson eyes that shone through the dark like beacons guiding a ship to shore.
The Harbinger's small body weaved through the broken and decayed city of Celadon with ease, rotting pads leaving streaks of black blood on the asphalt where his paws touched the ground.
Running with no fear, a wind light in his eyes shone brighter with the cover of night.

His skin rotted, falling in many strips and peices on his long since hairless hide.
Fur that had once been lush and plentiful was now gone, leaving an eerily skinny rat with no pelt.
Many creases and cuts had no protection from the elements, thrown right into plain sight for anyone lucky enough to see the Harbinger and live.
A Chesire grin of mad joy plastered upon his face, the unrecognizable feline moved swiftly through the human city.
He could small prey.
Excitement made the violet ring markings on his body shine, a pulse that sent shivers through anyone near.

"I can small you.... I will take you all..." he cackled happily, approaching the tallest standing building.
Many undead corpses and gore littered outside the structure, peaking his intrest instantly.
Melting into the shadows, ivory fangs shown through his shark grin as he approached the building.
He could hear them.
He could smell them.
He wanted them.

Once captured his attention above all others, a scent that was sweetly close to his own.
A leafeon.
The harbinger allowed his eyes to zoom into the group. There was stairs, but above those...
He could see them.
The green and tan shape had his eye instantly.
The leafeon would die-- how dare it be in the same evolutionary strain as him but still be such an inferior species?!
But then movement.
A feline came down from farther up, her body slim and her expression unamused.
The umbreon wanted her then and there.

The group was suddenly obsessed with something atop the stairs and out of the Harb's sight.
The perfect opportunity.
"No chance for escape..." the umbreon hissed to himself, tensing his body.
Then he leaped.
Propelling his small body forward with rotting hind legs, the Harbinger was up the stairs in an instant.
Before any of them could even react, the delcatty was screaming, her throat in the umbreon's jaws.

Despite her larger size, the umbreon had her pinned and on the ground with no problem, sharp and bloodied teeth in her jugular while his forpaws kept her stuck right on the ground.
His eyes flickered to everyone around him, a silent challange for any of them to react.
A smirk pulled at his lips, visible even through the thrashing of the feline and the blood splashing everywhere around him.
None of them could do a thing.
And they knew it.

Reaching out, the umbreon brought one clawed paw into the lower stomach of the delcatty, receiving my gargled screams that echoed through the night as he openly gutted her then and there.
The harbinger's eyes lit up in exstacy.
In one smooth movement, he jerked his head back to remove himself from her throat, effectively tearing it out in the process.
The light was dimming in her eyes, the horror clear as she bled and suffocated beneath his small paws.
The umbreon tossed his gored smile at the rest of the group, even winking at his fellow eeveelution, before leisurely grabbing the delcatty by the throat again.

She was long since dead by then and he wished to enjoy his meal in peace.

Dragging her ever so slowly out of the building, the umbreon kept all undead at bay as he dragged the corpse in a long stain of red into the night to feed.

A bloodcurdling scream was quick to lose Capulet’s smirk. Montague grew rigid, terrified, beside him. Exchanging a look of concern, the serpent soon scanned the room, taking a mental tally of who he saw. A chill cascaded down his spine at the delcatty’s absence. The scream had been female and only one ugly explanation stood out in the snake’s mind.
“No…” He spoke in a whisper, the fear blatant in his tone as his eyes widened in realization. The screaming hadn’t stopped – intensifying to hideous levels and Monty had no doubt they were listening to her die. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to move, to act and try to save her. The terror overwhelmed his reptilian form, shame wracking his mind.
“Come on, you coward!” Capulet, despite his often snappy words, was genuine in his intentions to help. He spoke hurriedly, tone laced with a suppressed worry as he moved to drag the snake with him to the floor below. There was no way he could listen to that, helpless to prevent the carnage. Montague couldn’t argue, couldn’t protest. His throat dry, he uneasily followed the ferret, his instincts screaming at him not to.

Looking down the stairs, illuminated by the faulty lights of the abandoned store was Rei – but she wasn’t alone. A monstrous rat of an umbreon, the very definition of death stood over her. Hanging limp from the attacker’s jaws, her entrails hanging from her open stomach, the delcatty had given up living as her blood marred the room. Montague’s eyes were wide with horror as he turned his head away in shame. They were too late…
“You bastard!” Capulet snarled bitterly as the hideous umbreon made its leave, leisurely dragging the feline along with him. Such rage had boiled beneath the ferret’s surface, his eyes firmly narrowed as he recklessly charged down the stairs in a vain bid to avenge the snobby cat. Whilst he hadn’t taken to her nor the sarcasm to match his own, Capulet was adamant no-one deserve to die in such a way. However, this time, he found himself restricted.

“Stop,” Montague’s voice was calm, almost monotonous as he coiled himself firmly around one of the building’s beams. The tugging on his neck from Cap’s struggles was numb now, the fear and the sorrow intense enough to render the pain obsolete. His saddened eyes met the zangoose’s furious own, the snake adamant that they weren’t to pursue that beast. “It’s too late,”
“That was Rei!” The ferret snapped back, sadness mixed in with the anger. “That monster killed her and we did nothing!” Continuing to fruitlessly pull against the chain, effectively wasting his energy, Capulet remained blinded, reckless, by fear. The anger, the fury, was a defence mechanism – a means to hide the terror that they’d just witness. Arms flailing frustrated in front of him, his eyes locked firmly on the trail of blood – a most macabre path to Rei.
“Cap, please…” Montague soothed, unmoving from his place on the beam as he watched at the ferret’s efforts. He knew Capulet’s ways and this sudden wrath was a clear sign of his unease. He sighed softly, shaking his head as he made every effort to avoid the bloody scene on the lower floor. Another strangled growl surfaced from his companion before the chain slackened slightly. Capulet stood in silence on the stairs, defeated.

The Smeargle giggled at the pokemon. What a strange group they are. She continued to watch the group until the Umbreon came. She stumbled back as it attacked the Delcatty. She gulped and looked at the corpse in pure fear. The Umbreon looked up at them with a grin and just that alone shot fear into the heart of the Smeargle. She stepped back as the Umbreon vanished into the dark with the body of the Delcatty.

The Smeargle let out a small squeak of fear. She turned to the window and used Crabhammer to break the glass. She jumped out the window as her body glowed softly and she Flew away from the horror scene.

(Sorry for the wait, but Peintre's inactive and may be like that for a while)

Dilly had made it through a lot of the past year with runnig, hiding and relying on her tough exterior for survival. With meeting her fellow survivors, the fear that had been driving her will to live was put to the back of her mind; finally for once, there was some semblance of normalcy, and she was a part of it. However, this was soon shattered when a scream echoed throughout the night.

The smeargle's painting forgotten, Dill's body froze as her large, metallic head swiveled to the side, her cerulean eyes wide with fear. Her mind tallied up who it could have possibly been, and when the catty feline was found missing, Dill's heart flustered. What that her? Did that terrifying scream belong to her?

Her questions were quickly answered as the chained duo went to the "doorway" (which was really little more than a gaping hole now) and began to argue on to whether or not go to her aid. Dill was completely in agreeance; they should go after her, but soon saw Monty's point in why they should stay. Rei's scream was cut short, signaling that it was already too late. The hairless thing that carted her away looked up, revealing itself an umbreon. The little aron's form shivered and trembled in absolute trepidation at the sight; it looked up at her.

It... looked at her.

Unable to speak, to scream, to do anything, she stood, rigid with fear, as the duo before her mourned Rei's death. Would it be back? Was it satisfied with their friend or was it happy with dragging them off, one by one? Tears welled up in her eyes, unbeknownst to her. She had been scared before, but this... this was different.

((OOC: I know the umbreon looked at Jude, but she's kind of dramatic like that lol.))

Vel's feathers ruffled at the mongoose's quip about his weight, and tittered indignantly. The small squeaks turned into a shriek of horror as suddenly a hairless rat-thing came crashing into the room and took a small pink cat in his jaws. He didn't even know that she had been there, but it seemed the others had because the chained duo were suddenly arguing about someone named 'Rei'. They had all watched in horror, the painter dog actually freaking out and jumping out of the building to escape, as what proved to be a hairless Umbreon ripped apart the cat.

His heart broke as the Delcatty was spoken of, not sure what to do for the distraught Zangoose and Seviper fought. He was torn between helping them and helping Dill Pickle as she too was terrified and cowering near him. The Leafeon he couldn't even see, and hoped that the creature hadn't gotten him as well. He liked the funky guy. "Come on Vel..." he whispered to himself. "Gotta do something here..." As he looked around, checking outside the room and hallways to make sure that nothing else was stalking them, he realized that the room was fairly small for a bird his size. He was larger than most Braviary and these building already weren't made for his wingspan...

'WAIT!'

Suddenly realizing that his wings could nearly touch opposite walls he stretched out and lay his wings over Dill and the duo, basically getting everyone in a large group hug. He was pretty sure the feisty Zangoose would object but right now they all needed a little comfort. "I am sorry about your friend," he told Capulet, noticing how upset the other male seemed to be about not being able to do anything for her. "But beating yourself up isn't going to bring her back, and you are worrying your friend."

"Death...death is never an easy thing, especially in this day and age. But it is something we have to accept if we are going to survive. If we don't move past this, then the next time they come we won't be able to save ourselves either." His words were hushed, barely over a whisper, but they were meant for everyone. He too felt bad for not doing anything to save the female, but he knew they needed to move past it if they were going to survive this place.

((OOC: I have been beating myself to push out a post for this, lol, Vel is giving me trouble. Let me know if you want me to change it Snitch and Sil (and Ciana if Jude is in there, lol), I just couldn't think of anything else and ran out of time to ask.))

Shit happened fast. It seemed like one moment the group was all high and dandy, talking around the little Dill and trying to help, the next I turned to see the other guy, Boris, suddenly freeze up. His eyes widened with horror as he dropped onto all fours, his mane spiking up in fear. I raised a single eyebrow at him and merely watched as Boris simply fled out of the building.

Huh. Weird.

But a scream rippling through the air suddenly captured everyone's attention. I recognized it immediately as the voice of the cool chick who clearly wanted me: Rei. I dashed forward, ahead of the others, in time to see her completely beaten down. I watched in horror as the monster before us ripped one mangly paw into her soft underbelly, completely ripping out all that it could reach. With it's hairless body and multiple wounds on it's hide, I could barely recognize the thing as an Umbreon, one of my own kind. The sick creature struck something within my heart and I suddenly knew why Boris had fled. But had he sensed this monster before it had even shown up?

I could only watch with the horror and discust freezing my body, as the beast effortlessly ripped out the throat of the larger feline. THen it glanced around, pure satisfaction and sinister glee on it's face, as it suddenly laid it's eyes on me. And a sinlge bloody red eye blinked. Winking at me. A roll of horror sent chills down my spine and my pelt was suddenly spiked up like a Skitty cornered by a Houndoom. My normally calm gray eyes were wide pools of horrified blue, much too bright.

Nothing changed as Cap and Monty tried to go after it, rushing past me. I could only stand and watch, the ice cold spikes in my heart unable to let me breath properly or even move. As Velshaine suddenly showed up, his massive wing span taking up the whole room, I was finally able to move. I turned to give him a look of utter sarrow, salty liquid beginning to ungracefully trail down my cheeks and drop to the floor. The sound of them hitting the floor sounded too loud to my sensetive ears, but I could not speak.

I just couldn't.

[ooc: I should really thank Umbreon owo Gave me a good excuse to mindfuck Judeipoo again!<3]

In the moonlight, a lone Bellossom danced on top of the department store in Celadon City. Jade hummed a song to herself as she danced, her beauty being illuminated by the moon.

'When she was just a girl,
She expected the world.
But it flew away from her reach,
So she ran away in her sleep.'

It was her favorite song to dance to with Stewart. She vivdly remembers the entire dance troupe, and how vibrant their dances were; like the shades of green present in the grass types, such as herself. Jade closed her eyes and pretended that Stewart was holding her as they danced. As the song ended, she leaned in for a kiss, but fell over when she realized that there was nobody there.

The fact that nobody saw her dance saddened the Bellossom. She went down the stairs silently, mourning the loss of her mate as well as her child (she assumes that they are dead). Celadon felt like the safest place in all of Kanto, so if Stewart wasn't here, he was most likely dead. As she made her way down the stairs, she heard a scream. Jade froze as she looked down the stairwell to see a Delcatty getting torn up by an Umbreon. As it left, she slowly went down the stairs to see who else was there."H-Hello?" She softly called out. Jade's heart raced as she slowly revealed herself to the group, keeping her eyes on the ground.

It was dark by the time Gambit made it back into the city. However, even under the blanket of nightfall, he could tell there was little left of the place he had once called home. The largest buildings, the Department store and the Game corner, still seemed to stand, but most of the rest were rubble. How... Tragic. It felt odd, being this close to the birthplace he never truly knew, after all, Lavender town was only a city away, but the feeling passed quickly enough.

In the silence of night, Gambit was able to pick out a few sounds, muffled as they were by obstacles and distance. They seemed to be coming from the direction of the Department Store. Survivors? Or just more of these Undead trash? Gambit sighed. There was only one way to find out.

Closing in on the store, his nose caught a whiff of the largest decaying body he had ever seen. A Snorlax- or at least, what was left of a Snorlax, was in the middle of the path to the Store. "Hm... I don' remember dis being here the last time..." Slashing his staff downwards, he sent a Psycho Cut that split a small walkway through the corpse and its remains. Entering the department store, he went for the nearest staircase. "Ello?" He called. "Anyone up dere besides more corpses?"

As the horror of what truly occurred settled on Dill's young mind, massive, warm wings enveloped her and everyone else, pulling them into the magnificent bird that Velshaine was. His feathers were soft and comfortable, reminding Dill of the pillows and decorations her trainer used to lavish her home. She looked up, wide blue eyes wrought with terror, her very state of mind leaning on the pokemon she'd known for a mere hour or so. "Death...death is never an easy thing, especially in this day and age. But it is something we have to accept if we are going to survive. If we don't move past this, then the next time they come we won't be able to save ourselves either."

The words soothed her like a warm blanket, enveloping her into a small, fragile cuccoon of safety, much as their owner's wings had moments prior. Small tears welled up in the corners of her face mask, not used to having someone reliable for a pillar of strength. "....Thank you, Velshaine..." She wanted to tell him how magnificent his words had been, how they had lifted her in a moment of darkness, and how he was a valued friend already, but the words wouldn't come. All she could muster was the gratitude, and hoped the rest conveyed themselves in her expression.

Suddenly, muffled noises. Her composure threatened to leave once more as her head darted about, trying to find the sources of the noises. First, the stairwell. There, a bellossum! It seemed healthy and friendly enough, but Dill couldn't even have time to ask before a stomach-lurching slash sounded from the entryway, revealing a powerful-looking alakazam. "Ello?" he called. "Anyone up dere besides more corpses?"

Unable to find the courage to answer either new pokemon's calls, Dill merely squeaked in fear and hid herself beneath Velshaine's fluff. Oh... Oh, how terrifying!

His hug didn't seem to be immidiately rejected so he took that as a good sign, especially with the duo. Even the Leafeon didn't seem to mind, too lost in his own pain. The poor thing. "....Thank you, Velshaine..." Vel looked down at the little Pickle and smiled warmly, nuzzling her affectionately with his beak. But the small Aron's happiness was quickly turned into nervousness as two voices called up the stairs to the group still recovering from its loss.

The first of the voices to reveal itself was a beautiful Bellossom that nearly stole Vel's breath away. Her petals were the most delicate things and the colors-! Oh he could just die! His inner fashion diva was screaming at him to shower attention onto the female but a distinctively male voice was still calling. The bird looked at the others and clucked his beak, hoping they would stay put before bending down to nuzzle Dill once more. "Stay put Dill Pickle, I'm going to go check it out. And Miss Flower, your lovely, radiant self is more than welcome to stay here where it is safe, I'll only be a moment." With a brilliant smile and a bow he slowly made his large form squeeze back down the stairs only to find himself face to face with a fashion faux pas Alakazam.

"Uh...Hello?"

"I am sorry about your friend. But beating yourself up isn't going to bring her back, and you are worrying your friend."

Montague, unlike Capulet, was touched by Velshaine’s intentions to lift the group’s spirits with a kindly hug. The serpent smiled softly, his eyes closed as he took a deep breath. The colourful avian was right; there was no point in dwelling on what had happened. They hadn’t acted fast enough and whilst the outcome was horrible, painful, it had only claimed the life of one. If they’d tried to fight that monstrosity, who knew how many would be included in the bird’s hug. A frown hung over the Cap’s eyes, his lower lip sticking out in a pout as his body was forced uncomfortably close to the rest of the group. Even if Velshaine had good intentions, they were simply not made out for the mouthy ferret. Struggling within the hug as the bird continued in a soppy speech, Capulet was at least able to push the matter behind him. Although too soppy for his liking, the bird had a point and the ferret found himself agreeing on the fact nothing more could be done.

As the hug came to end, Capulet swiftly shook himself off, dusting off his fur as if he might have contracted something. Montague merely chuckled at his companion’s reaction, politely nodding at Velshaine with gentle eyes. He appreciated it. However, there were voices. Alert, the serpent hurriedly scanned his surroundings, his eyes first falling onto a flower-like creature which Velshaine was quick to converse with. He managed a weak smile, whilst the zangoose continued to scowl.
“What does she want?” Capulet grumbled to his companion, his grouchy attitude having made a glorious comeback. His partner emitted an irritated hiss, his glare on the ferret before his expression relaxed into a smile as he turned back to the flower. Velshaine had announced he was going to check out the other voice, so Monty took it upon himself to greet the more delicate arrival.
“Um, hello,” His voice was soft, though there was a still a hint of sorrow lingering from the loss of Rei. “I’m Montague. Or if that’s a bit of a mouthful, Monty’s fine. This is Capulet and Dill,” He gestured to the others in turn, hoping that they wouldn’t take offense at his introduction of them. The snake knew Cap didn’t give a shit – he would usually argue for the sake of it, but essentially, he cared not for such formalities. Dill simply seemed too shy to protest. “I… uh, I like your petals,” Whilst Montague tried to be welcoming, using gentle flattery to reassure what looked like another timid creature, his attempts were spectacularly ruined by Capulet’s chortle of laughter. He refused to let it get to him. “Have you got a name, dear?”

Jade looked up at the group to see who was part of the group here. She saw an Aron, a Zangoose and a Seviper connected by a chain, and a very colorful bird. The Bellossom squealed on the inside. The colors of the bird's feather's were just so pretty! It seemed as thought the bird thought the same thing of Jade as well. "And Miss Flower, your lovely, radiant self is more than welcome to stay here where it is safe, I'll only be a moment." Jade blushed at the compliment.

"What does she want?” the Zangoose asked. Jade's blush vanished and she quickly looked away. She didn't like negativity at all. The Seviper, on the other hand, or on the other end of the chain rather, wasn't as mean spirited. "Um, hello,” he said to her. “I’m Montague. Or if that’s a bit of a mouthful, Monty’s fine. This is Capulet and Dill." He gestured to the Zangoose and the Aron respectively. “I… uh, I like your petals. Have you got a name, dear?” Jade nodded. "It is nice to meet you Monty. My name is Jade." Jade did an equivelant of a curtsy to the Seviper. "Have any of you seen a Nuzleaf and an Oddish around here?" She asked. Maybe they had seen Stewart and their son.

Gambit was quite pleased to find living up here. After the mess of the Snorlax from downstairs, he had worried that... well, no matter. There were survivors, and he had found them. The diplomat they had sent downstairs to him, however... He was slightly confused on its gender. It was a Braviary, he was sure, but to the best of his knowledge they were an all male species. It's colors however, seemed rather... flamboyant. Odd. Regardless, it was talking to him rather than fighting, so at least it was friendly. "'ello. I 'sume you and your pals up dere are what... took care of dat mess downstairs?" Either way, he was still curious about that monstrosity. Must be a strong group if they took that thing out. "May I join your little clan up 'ere?"

((Pathetically short post is pathetically short. >.<))

While Dill was busy cowering behind the beautiful plummage Velshaine sported, she barely noticed him walking away to one of the noises. When her armor gave a slight chill, she looked up, finding her magenta veil gone, and gasped with fright. Spotting him quickly by the entrance, she relaxed only a hair upon seeing the other newcomer. A Bellossom! Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the beauty, having seen many in her times of dedicated contest worshipping. So beautiful!

Monty took the liberty in introducing them, which the little Aron was exceedingly grateful for, as the recent events had her tongue-tied. She gave a small, shy but friendly wave when her name was called, then scuttled her way behind Monty. Though she doubted the bellossom was hostile, it still felt better to be nearer the strong duo. Her eyes strayed to their chain, dangling, taunting her and her empty stomach... Oh, why wasn't that thing clean?

The bellossom's own timid voice broke little Dill out of her hungry reverie with a question of her own. "Have any of you seen a Nuzleaf and an Oddish around here?" Dill frowned, then shook her head slightly.

"...I'm sorry, but no... At least, I haven't." She looked to Monty beside her, hoping his answer would prove more useful.

Oh how long had she been up on this roof? Lilia was beginning to dehydrate and the lack of food was gnawing at her stomach. The small Eevee had been running for so long and had hidden up on this roof to escape the large behemoth that had torn through the town not long ago and when the door locked on her she had been trapped. As she lay there, hiding under the small bit of shade of an AC duct, she started to hear voices traveling up through the metal tube.

Curiosity piqued, Lilia tried to prop herself up to hear better, front paws resting on the lip of the duct whose grate had long since fallen off. Unfortunately she still couldn't hear very well so she tried to pull herself up onto the ledge, back paws kicking and clawing at the metal to haul her small frame upwards. Finally she came to rest just on the curve of the duct and strained her ears to listen in, surprised to hear that there were in fact voices down stairs. Maybe they could help her! Figuring if she could hear them they could hear her Lilia sucked in a lung full of air. "Hel-" But her plea was cut short because at that moment a dull groaning started under her feet. The AC duct suddenly gave way and the small Eevee founds herself falling straight down through the building's cooling system.

______________________________

"'ello. I 'sume you and your pals up dere are what... took care of dat mess downstairs?" Was...was that even a sentence? Velshaine's feather fluffed a little, his head tilting in confusion as he pondered the creatures words. "Mess? OH! You mean the big guy! Actually, I'm not all that sure what happened with that thing...some of the others might. They've been here longer than I have." Vel was actually a little ashamed how long it took for him to remember the foul smelling pile of decay coating the area outside the store, he had been so concerned about the stench getting in his feathers.

"May I join your little clan up 'ere?" Velshaine gave a happy trill and nodded enthusiastically. "Sure! More the merrier, right? Come on up!" The colorful bird needed a little shimmying to turn around in the small stairwell but soon he was forcing his way back up to the others. Next time they left, he was using that stupid hole he came in. He emerged back into the room to see the group introducing themselves to the pretty flower girl. "Sorry for the rude exit Miss Flower, but we had ourselves another survivor downstairs. My name is Velshaine, but you may call me Vel pretty Miss."

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

A loud scream in the ceiling turned into an even larger racket in the duct at the top of the wall, a repetitive banging and crashing coming closer and closer. Without warning a round object burst through the grate and another loud scream followed as the object hit the ground with a thud. Jumping back with a screech as the object came close to hitting him Vel's feathers puffed out almost ridiculously in surprise. With a groan and a soft whimper the object uncurled itself and a revealed a tiny brown Eevee, shaking her head to try and rid it of the ringing. But it was the glimmer of jewels by her paws and the sparkle under her feet that really caught his eye. He knew that tiara....

"Bon Bon!" the bird cried, launching himself at the tiny fox. The Eevee let out a surprised shout as suddenly she found herself beneath the bird, being nuzzled mercilessly. She giggled happily as the larger bird began to curl over her, his beak gently preening at her fur. "Lavender stop! I'm fine!" And truly she was. She never thought to find her friend here, as he wasn't native to her home in Kanto. They always met in Paris during Fashion Week, never at home, but it removed a large weight from the small one's heart to see him again.

Velshaine picked up the pink diamond tiara that had fallen from Lilia's head and placed it back in its rightful place before turning and addressing the group. "Everyone! This is Bon Bon -er- Lilia! She's my best friend!" While he was thrilled to introduce his friend to the group Lilia herself was fairly embarrassed about the way she entered. "Um...hello," she offered poorly. "Sorry if I startled anyone. I'm usually much more graceful..." Hopefully this terrible first impression wouldn't stick.

((OOC: Long post is long! lol. But Lilia is now on the team so I hope you guys like her! ^_^))

"It is nice to meet you Monty. My name is Jade. Have any of you seen a Nuzleaf and an Oddish around here?"

Jade seemed a nice girl and Montague was almost flattered at the polite curtsey that came with the announcement of her name. It was rare to find someone with such impeccable manners these days, or perhaps Capulet’s company was just making it seem that way. Smiling down at the petal-creature, his grin faded away at her questioning.
“No,” Capulet answered bluntly, clearly disinterested as he began to pick dirt out from under his claws. Montague gave a slight huff, unwilling to fight against the grouchy ferret anymore. He was thankful when Dill offered a far more kindly, but equally as disappointing reply.
“I’m sorry, dear. We’ve been here awhile and… seen no-one else,” Montague spoke gently, fearful of upsetting the grass-type with something she obviously didn’t want to here. Regardless, people had to learn to face the truth and even the innocents weren’t spared from such an ugly reality.

"Sorry for the rude exit Miss Flower, but we had ourselves another survivor downstairs. My name is Velshaine, but you may call me Vel pretty Miss."

Things were quick to brighten as Velshaine returned to the scene, his colourful plumage alone capable of lifting the melancholy mood within the store. Capulet hated him already. The ferret narrowed his eyes as that eccentric, sing-song voice flowed in his ears, echoing off the walls to provide little escape from his merriment. Oh and look, he’d brought a friend. Rising to his feet, the zangoose looked over the strange creature that had accompanied the avian. Well, it could’ve been worse.
“Alright?” He called over, relaxed as he leant, bored, against the serpent’s side.
“I’m not a wall,” Monty grumbled, yet simply lacked the energy to shake the rat away from him. Essentially, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. In fact, it was rare he chose to be in such close proximity of him, but all those little actions just got under his skin. Clearly the species wasn’t meant to mix after all – it was instinct. Brushing it away, he managed a half-hearted smile at the newcomer. “Uh…hello,”

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!”

The scream, distinctly female, was quick to accompany a small, furry form suddenly plummeting from the ceiling. Montague spooked, slithering away in a moment of panic. Capulet, who had been leaning on him at the time, soon lost his balance, hitting the floor face-first as he was proceeded to be dragged away with the snake. Grumbling as he processed what was happening, the zangoose struggled to his feet, glaring daggers at the seviper as he turned his attention to an eevee sitting in their previous spot of gathering.
“Goddamnit, Mont,” The zangoose muttered exasperatedly, tugging on the chain to bring the serpent back to proceedings. He knew the snake was a scaredy-cat, but this was just ridiculous. At this rate he was going to end up choking whenever that damned snake felt a gust of wind. Brushing his fur off, he turned back to see Velshaine preening the newcomer, clearly past acquaintances- or as the bird put it himself, ‘best friends’. Capulet wrinkled his nose in disgust. Just brilliant. Just fucking brilliant. Oh, and she has a little tiara too! He felt sick.

"Um...hello. Sorry if I startled anyone. I'm usually much more graceful...”

Montague, having regained his composure was slithering back to the others, eased now that the ‘threat’ was nothing but a fashionable companion of Velshaine. Smiling at his own eccentric reaction, quite capable of laughing away his cowardice, he offered his introduction.
“I’m usually much less jumpy,” He gave a kindly chuckle as Cap emitted a snort in response. “Well, if you’re a friend of Velshaine, it’s a pleasure to meet you, miss. My name’s Montague, Monty,”
“Capulet,” The zangoose stated with his usual charisma. He didn’t even smile as he regarded the fox, instead curious to what sort of persona lay behind the cutesy, jewel-laden lady. Appearances were rarely everything.

"...I'm sorry, but no... At least, I haven't."

“No,”

“I’m sorry, dear. We’ve been here awhile and… seen no-one else,”

All these answers were the same. Nobody had seen Stewart and thei son. Jade became a bit saddened by this. "Oh, okay." she said. The colorful bird came back upstairs with an Alakazam. "Sorry for the rude exit Miss Flower, but we had ourselves another survivor downstairs. My name is Velshaine, but you may call me Vel pretty Miss." Jade giggled a little bit at the 'Miss Flower' part. "Please, call me Jade, Vel"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from the duct. Jade looked up at it in confusion until a round object burst through the grate. The object seemed to be an Eevee. Vel seemed to know her as he nuzzled her constantly. "Everyone! This is Bon Bon -er- Lilia! She's my best friend!" The colorful Braviary said out loud. "Um...hello, sorry if I startled anyone. I'm usually much more graceful..." Jade went up to the two, mainly Lilia, as she looked at the diamond tiara. "Oh my god, Lilia, this tiara just looks so beautiful on you! Where did you get it?" She then turned to the Braviary, "And Vel, your colors are just simply amazing! I've never seen anything like them!" She became excited as she circled the colorful Braviary with a huge smile on her face. "Tell me, are the colors natural?" She asked.

(Phoe, I have a feeling Jade is going to love Lilia)

This bird seemed quite...flamboyant. Gambit rarely used the word, but he couldn't seem to find a better word for him. Following him upstairs, he found quite the group of survivors. A Zangoose and Seviper chained to each other - that was rather odd; a Bellossum; a tiny Iron; and a feline creature Gambit hadn't seen before. Gambit jumped slightly when the screaming began, but when the source was revealed to be a small Eevee, and a friend of the Braviary's nonetheless, he gave a small chuckle in response.

He hadn't been acknowledged much by the others, but he caught most of their introductions. The Seviper and Zangoose were Montague and Capulet, and the bird was Velshaine. The Eevee was Lilia. Everyone in the group now had a name to associate with the others, except for himself. "You ken call me Gambit." It was simple enough. Just a name.

Things seemed to be calming down once more, but something else had to crash in on that. Literally. A small brown blur dropped in from the ceiling. When the dust settled and cleared, it revealed a beautiful eevee, clad in sparkling jewels and a magnificent tiara. Immediately, she wanted to gush over the fox's beauty, but her shyness got the better of her. It'd be viewed more of an insult to say she wanted to try her jewels... by eating them.

The appearance of the two gorgeous creatures -the eevee and the bellossom- rattled more than her sense of security in the place. Vel and the eevee seemed to know each other, rendering her own place in the group of pokemon further down the list. She was the smallest, possibly the weakest, and the heaviest. Her eyes fell to the floor when another stranger came up, a strange-speaking alakazam. No... this place was getting way too crowded, and it could use being without her giant rear. Seeking solitude, knowing she wasn't fit to be around these beautiful pokemon, she ducked behind the chained duo and began skittering her way out. She found her little hidey-hole once more, and chewed her way through some of the rubble. She didn't belong here...

((She's not going anywhere, lol. Just bein emo))

"I’m usually much less jumpy.” Lilia couldn't help but giggle slightly as the serpent made fun of himself. “Well, if you’re a friend of Velshaine, it’s a pleasure to meet you, miss. My name’s Montague, Monty.” She gave the Seviper, Montague, a slight bow when his companion also gave his name. “Capulet.” It was short and to the point, just the way she liked it. None of that pomp and ceremony that the people in France had always done when they visited. After all, who cares if you are the fifth of some long since dead line of dukes, or whatever? She gave them both a sweet smile and a wink. "A pleasure to meet you both!"

It wasn't long before everyone was introducing themselves and Lilia found herself with a bubbling flower gushing over her jewels. "Oh my god, Lilia, this tiara just looks so beautiful on you! Where did you get it?" The now blushing Eevee skittered back slightly, a little taken aback by the sudden openness of the other female, and opened her mouth to answer but the giddy Bellossum was quickly onto Velshaine's feathers, causing the bird to puff out proudly. He always did take compliments well, especially when it came to his feathers. "Tell me, are the colors natural?" She asked the tickled Braviary, who simply flashed her a brilliant smile. "Of course they are! No dyes have ever touched these beauties!" For emphasis he stuck out a single wing and held it up high, letting the female get a better view of the multicolored feathers.

Lilia chuckled at Vel's antics and decided to move out of the spotlight that always seemed to shine on her friend. She much preferred just sitting on the sidelines. Her Mistress always called her a 'wallflower' but that never bothered Lilia. All that attention always made her so uncomfortable. No, it was much more preferable to sit and watch, taking her joy in the joy of others. Lilia decided to take up a small spot in the corner nearer to the chained duo Capulet and Montague, as everyone seemed to let them be which made it easier to keep out of the limelight.

She sighed sadly and looked down at the twinkling gems on her bracelets, pawing at one of them gently as she thought back to her Mistress. It was hard knowing that she was stuck alone, but at least she had Vel now, more or less. He was simply gushing over the attention, but then again that was just the way he was. She looked over to Capulet and Montague and gave them another smile before a glimmer caught her attention. It was the little Aron that had been with Vel, but she seemed so sad and was tottering off. Without hesitation she rose up from her spot and followed after the iron bug to find her in a small hole. She lay down in front of it, eyes trained on the small glimpses she could catch of the bug, tail swishing back and forth languidly as she watched. After a few moments she finally had to ask. "What are you doing? Sorry if I'm bothering you but I didn't catch your name before. I'm Lilia."

As she waited for the small female to hopefully come out and answer a shadow overcast her, and she looked up to get a face full of pink. Vel was standing over her, apparently. Her muffled pleas into his wing for him to move were almost too soft to hear but eventually he moved, lowering his head to hers and peering into the hole. "Dilly Pickle, darling! Why are you in a hole? I wanted Lilia to meet you sweetheart!" He gave a happy trill, tying to coax the small girl out of hiding. Lilia backed off slightly allowing him room to get 'Dilly Pickle'. Surely that wasn't her name, she knew Vel to come up with outrageous nicknames based on how he saw someone. Like her nickname of Bon-Bon, it was simply because she was fluffy, brown, and as Vel put it, 'sweet as sugar'. Well, at least if it worked she would be able to meet all of the exuberant bird's friends.

((OOC: I'm so glad Radio! Lilia is just a little darling.))

Hiding in the shadows, nothing did stop the sarrow and fear and guilt that wrapped around my heart like a vice. I didn't understand- what was it abut this group that drove me mad? What made me be affected by them like I was? I had already felt the unusual feelings of betrayl and sarrow when Kaidan and Ari left looking for their brother and sister respectively. But Rei had been nothing but a pretty face, a silent but cold shadow in the back of our group... why did this group effect me so much worse? I did not even care when my trainer left me, when Shiver disappeared...

An irritible snarl pulled at my lips from where i stood, unseen, in the shadowed corner. The hell is wrong with me?

I merely watched as the scene played before me. A crapload of newcomers showed up- a Jade, a weirdo called Gambit, and an Eevee named Lilia. I blinked curiously at the 'Gambit' guy, even if I was still in my hiding spot. Can he not speak correctly? Da hale is wrong with him? I smirked, allowing myself to shed my negative feelings once more as I found a way to amuse myself. Maybe he was never taught to speak correctly. I snickered softly from where I was hidden, reveling in the back of my mind that I was able to move on just as easily from the unexpected death like I always did. Life would go on, no need to dwell so much on the past. Just a waste of my time.

Besides, she probably had it coming for one reason or another, I told myself as I casually strolled out of my corner. No one seemed to notice my own absense and for that I was thankful for. Now, onto buisness... My soft blue eyes easily captured the Eevee's small form beside Cap and Monty. She sure was a looker- much better than that Delcatty. I walked at a leisurely pace to where the other Eeveelution was. Winking at her before sitting at her other side, I took in the group with a lazy stare. Still keeping my charming half smile, I spoke my own introduction for the others. "Name's Jude." I was facing the Eevee as I said so, but my voice was loud enough that the others should have easily heard. "Nice to see a beautiful young lady like yourself safe and sound, Lilia," I murmurred softly to her, my eyes working to catch her own.

[ooc: Jude, Jude, Jude... he's back. ;3]

They were gushing over appearances… again. Capulet’s eye subconsciously twitched as he watched the flower-creature gush over both the new Eevee and the shiny Braivary that stood kindly over her. This was getting ridiculous. Thus far, the ferret had kept his mouth shut on the matter, but if this was going to be a regular occurrence he was sure his famous temper was bound to seep out. He was thankful however, when the Alakazam offered a short, heavily accented introduction. It wasn’t overly friendly or sophisticated. Capulet liked him already.
“You’re not a beauty queen as well, are ya?” The Zangoose flashed a quick smirk, nodding his head in a polite greeting. His attention flicked to the Aron as she skittered past in silence. Frowning, he nudged Montague, wondering whether it was wise to bring up the topic of their chain again. At the time, the ferret had thought it ludicrous, his anger ensuring that he would escape help altogether – but as the metal clinked defiantly between the prisoners, it was looking like their best shot.

Montague was all smiles, tired but remaining friendly and polite regardless of the growing fatigue. He was only half-listening to the conversations around him, a glazed look in his eyes as he was brought out of a light nudged from his companion.
“Hm?” Giving a quick shake of his head in a bid to wake himself up, the serpent turned to the ferret sleepily to find that he had looked away. Obviously he hadn’t wanted to talk that much. A sarcastic quip must’ve backfired or something. Shrugging, the Seviper turned back to see that the group had now relocated – mainly crowded about a small hole housing the steel-type. She was an awfully shy little one. A look of sadness crossed his face as he turned his head to the scene, touched at the fashion-duo’s determination to bring Dill out of her hesitance, or was it sorrow? The snake couldn’t tell, but he would prove useless to the situation either way. He was an emotional creature, but as far as giving advice and offering comfort went, he was firmly placed in the category of amateur.

"Name's Jude. Nice to see a beautiful young lady like yourself safe and sound, Lilia,"

Capulet turned at the sound of that familiar voice, his ears flicking back as he regarded Jude. Was he…? No. Not five minutes in Lillia’s company as he was already flirting?! The Zangoose could hardly believe what he was seeing, eyes narrowed in distaste – but they never met their mark. Jude’s orbs were far too engrossed in the Eevee, there was no way he was going to catch the bitterness within Cap’s. Content to simply glare from a distance, Montague struggling to keep consciousness beside him, Capulet watched the scene with a readiness to intrude. He would give the grass-mutt a chance and if the pampered fox decided she liked his advances, well, that was down to her own idiocy.

"Of course they are! No dyes have ever touched these beauties!" Jade was in awe as the colorful bird held up a wing so she could look at the feathers. The colors were very bold and it left Jade speechless. All she could let out was "All I can is with those colors, you would have been perfect for my old dance troupe." She let out a smile at the bird.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Dill was going into a hole by herself. She must've been depressed over something, but the Bellossom had no clue what it was. Lilia and Vel were over by the hole, trying to talk to the little Aron. Jade decided to join them in their attempt to help her. "Dill? Honey, are you alright?" She soon took notice of the Leafeon named Jude. He looked cool, and seemed like an interesting fellow. Jade took in her thoughts of the group. The strange Alakazam. The colorful Braviary. The beautiful Eevee. The cool Leafeon. The cute little Aron. The Seviper and Zangoose who were chained to each other for a reason that the Bellossom didn't know. This certainly was an odd group, but so was her dance troupe.

Jade could never call something odd. She would call it "unique" instead. So to Jade, this was a unique group.

((Skip please, I simply can't think of anything for him to do. >.<))

Dill's sapphire eyes widened in shock as nearly everyone in the group crowded around the small hole she'd dug herself into, her mind reeling from the attention and concern. What... No one paid her so much mind... She was always overlooked and forgotten; what had changed? Surely all of these beautiful and strong and not-fat pokemon had other things to do, more important tasks to carry out. But no... there they were, inquiring her as to what was wrong. Her eyes lit up, heart swelling with appreciation. How... thoughtful...

She tottered back out, now stuck with a reason to explain herself. All eyes on her, she wasn't sure of what to say for a moment. It was as if she were in a contest, all attention on her. A small, cute smile came on her face before she answered their many queries. "...I was just looking for a place to settle in," she began, yawning to prove her point. "It's been such an exciting day, I can't stay up much longer...." She then turned to the gorgeous eevee, who had introduced herself as Lilia. "Oooh! What a pretty name!" Dill gushed, her eyes alight with genuine adoration. "I'm Dill... not nearly as pretty a name..." The last bit was said with a bit of sorrow, but she soon picked herself up out of it. The show must go on.

"Uhm, but we should get some sort of rest..." Her stomach rumbled, prodding at her memory that it should be fed. "And... then in the morning, we can find something to eat!" Her smile still bright but tired, she nodded to herself and looked around. "Where should we sleep?"