(ELITE) The SNOWPOINT Team

He almost felt bad for the terrified little jolteon as she nearly died of fright right there at his feet. Almost. She crumpled under his gaze and for a moment, Dante wondered whether or not it had to do with his apparent new look. Just what did he look like now? He watched the electric fox mumble her way into the ground when the glaceon stepped forward, face defiant and full of an anxiety that spoke volumes. Hackles raised, muscles tensed-- this kid was ready to fight. But the fire hound didn't flinch at the display of defiance; he really wasn't here to fight them himself. That didn't mean, however, that he wouldn't defend himself if the glaceon struck first. Dante merely raised a brow at the icy stranger, the unspoken exchange between them heavy on the air only to be sliced by the jolteon's shaking voice.

"It didn't m-matter what was at the end.." The glaceon seems just as surprised as Dante as they both look to the yellow fox, whose voice grew stronger as she spoke. The fuck was going on with these two? "Just as long as there was something there." She regained her composure, getting to her feet and reclaimed a normal breathing pattern. Dante stared, his confusion only growing with each word she spoke. "We have been out here for gods know how long and its been all but desolate." Her voice teeters on some pain, and she snaps at him, "Is it so wrong to want to know that we aren't the only pair of beings that exist in this.. this.. this godawful place!?"

Dante's mouth opens, but he can't figure out which question to voice. The confusion was still clear on his face, or at least he felt it was, as his icy gaze went from one Eeveelution to the other in a vain attempt to glean an answer from their faces alone. Mouth still open, he shook his head lightly, unsure whether or not he actually wanted the answers he sought. "...Look, I only came down here to make sure you aren't going to fuck anything up. Whatever soul-searching quest you're on is none of my business; I just think it's fucking stupid to follow tracks and be, you know, rocketing around like a pup in unknown territory. As long as you mind yourselves and don't cause trouble, we don't have a problem." Jeez. He looked up to the Arcanine still watching nearby and gave a shrug. Surely even at that distance, he could hear a good amount of the conversation.

Turning back to the strange, strange Eeveelutions, he looked them over again before speaking. "This ain't my turf, but there's a den just past the Arcanine. You'll find a really fluffy Persian-- it's his den. Ask him if you wanna stay--" Something in his peripherals caught his attention, something pink. He turned to look out at the snow dunes, a battered bastard of an espeon and... a... cloudy fluff thing behind it. He let out an exasperated sigh, his shoulders sagging a little. "Legends above, how many fucking Eevees are around here?" he groaned, leaving the two to their own devices as he trotted to meet the new Eevee and its... companion.

As he drew near, a strange sense of deja vu fell upon him, weighing him down. He'd seen an espeon like that one... Missing ear, broken gem, scars all over... right? He slowed as he drew nearer, watching them curiously, still confused by the strange heaviness upon him. Well, it IS the end of the world. You've probably seen a lot of fucked up pokemon, Bucko, he soothed to himself, hoping to eradicate the weird tightness in his chest. The other one, the feathery one, he felt like he'd seen one of them too. It sure looked like another Eevee. Fucking Eevees. He could make a bed out of all the Eevees he'd seen today.

"Are you with those guys?" he asked, gesturing to the glaceon and jolteon with his horned head, his tone echoing his confusion and exhaustion still lingering from the encounter not moments ago. "Because I'd rather not have another stranger have a mental breakdown in front of me, if that's at all an option."

Koru had to fight the rare urge to roll his eyes at Eris' claim of there being a Nidoking in the first aid kit.Was she joking? But the hostility in the room was more or less pushed away with Gregory's suggestion to the trainer. "Maybe Marley can show us what's in there first?"

Koru nodded approvingly, and watched as Marley took up the task of aiding heal the orange dragon. The human pulled on a pair of gloves, picking with careful fingers at their makeshift bandage. "I'll need to move these for a moment," she explained. Koru watched the black dragon, but she merely growled at the other female. "Can I ask how this wound was afflicted?"

That was his cue. Things would be alright. Turning on his paws, the lynx trotted outside, eyeing the Arcanine with curiosity, but not slowing his pace as he headed back outside. "Dante-?" the normal type started to call the canine, but stopped himself. There were a pair outside that he had somehow not heard. Must have been too distracted trying to keep from turning my den into a murder scene, he sighed silently, but perked his ears up and smiled in a friendly way at the new pair.

It was a Jolteon and their ice cousin, Glaceon. While they were common enough, the poor electric type must have been freezing without much fur at all to keep their toes from freezing. "Hello! You fellas lost?" he inquired, approaching them at a trot. "Seems like a great number of folks have been turning up this morning; my name is Koru. This is my den, though it is pretty crowded at the moment," he added the last part almost apologetically, flicking one ear.

---

"...so wrong to want to know that we aren't the only pair of beings that exist in this.. this.. this godawful place!?" Oh no this was not good. Hera's breathing picked up even more rapidly, able to tell the Jolteon was distressed but only the last part of her words as her tone rose in volume. It was Dante, it had to be Dante. She watched like a Deeling in headlights as the massive canine lowers his head, speaking much more hushed than the Eeveelution. Like he always did.

"Um, L- Lucas, the den over there-- that is where the den is. You'll find a fluffy Persian, his name is Koru. Just tell him that I sent you," she spoke rushed, trying to keep her voice from showing her panic as the psychic type addressed the Aiveon. Her eyes were apologetic but also round with fear. But there was no way he could allow Dante to see her. She couldn't come back-- she wouldn't. The fact that he was still here meant he probably had found the Persian not long after she had left him, a chilling thought. The last thing she would want is to put the friendly stranger in that position of picking and choosing his house guests.

But suddenly her one ear flicked, the Espeon snapping her neck around to see that Dante had abandoned the Eeveelution pair, only to be coming their way. Her heart must have literally ripped out of her chest, through the scars she sustained last time she was at Snowpoint, and into the ice. "I have to-- I need to--" Her panic worked against her, the Espeon trying to whip around to make a rapid escape, but she could not in good conscious just leave Lucas there by himself, but Dante was coming right at her, and--

"Are you with those guys?"

Hera snapped around, not unlike a startled cat whipping around to confront a sharp sound. Twin amber eyes were wide, pupils small as she stared up at the other. Dante flicked his head, gesturing to the pair behind him, though when Hera glanced, she could see a round brown spot against the snow. Koru was with them after all. "I-" she started, but her voice died before anything could come out, her ears falling in almost instant submission in the face of her former leader. Her paws were shaking, digging her claws into the frozen ground being the only way to steady them. Would he damn those two, as well, if she said she knew them? Would he damn Lucas because she knew him?

Things were only getting worse. She half braced herself, almost expecting to be hit, but-- "Because I'd rather not have another stranger have a mental breakdown in front of me, if that's at all an option."

The Espeon stared at him, going still as the ice around them as she suddenly stared at him. Is... is this some sort of joke?! Hera opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She glanced at Lucas once more, turning back to Dante, before her gaze fell to the ground. studying her paws, she finally meowed softly, "I don't know them. And... no more mental breakdowns."

Wait. "Stranger?"

Eris didn't take her eyes off Marley for a single second as she wandered over and started to clean Gregory's wound. Her brother flinched, hissing in pain as the human wiped around the edges of the gash, cleaning off the blood with some sort of white, damp cloth. "Be careful," she growled at the girl.

"It's all right," Gregory assured her, his claws kneading the bed beneath him. "It just stings a little bit, that's all."

"Can I ask how this wound was afflicted?" Marley queried as she worked, pulling a clean wipe out of the pack and continuing to cleanse the wound.

"We were fighting a Braviary above the lake," said Greg. He was trying to stay as still as possible for Marley, but his limbs were starting to feel stiff and sore from lying in one position for so long. He felt the need to start fidgeting.

"Persistent bastard followed us for a good few miles," Eris growled, picking at her teeth with a claw. "I finally got fed up of listening to it squawk at us and decided I wanted it dead."

"We defeated it, in the end; it was no match for the two of us, but at the last moment it swooped a little too close to me and ... well, I'm sure you can guess the rest." Gregory wiggled his numbing toes and sighed; he didn't want to offend Marley by seeming impatient, but he really wanted to stand up and stretch. The only problem was whether the blood loss would effect his stamina; would he have to lie there for a good few hours before he was fit?

Eris went very quiet, her claws clinging to his arm. "It was my fault..."
"I've already told you once, Eris - no it wasn't."
"I fucked up ... I misjudged it completely. If I hadn't told you to attack when I did--"
"Accidents happen," Gregory said soothingly, lifting his head and nuzzling Eris's snout. She sniffed and returned the gesture. "Please, you need to stop blaming yourself for everything."

Flickers of a grin appeared on Eris's mouth then, a mischievous glint in her eye. "At least you have a badass new scar."

"The medal of a survivor," Greg smiled back, resting his head again with a sigh. The truth of it was that he was a terrible fighter; he'd been raised in a lab with the humans, and battling had only been an occasional way for him to exercise and gain a few levels as he got older. Eris had taught him a few new things since they'd reunited and helped him to train to become the Charizard that he was, but he was nowhere near her level of skill.

At the end of the day, if he'd been more of a Pokemon than the human pet he'd been raised as, this would not have happened. Eris always dominated the battles they got into as the swiftest, smartest and the deadliest. Gregory did not resent how he grew up, and was glad for the experience that not many Pokemon got to have, but now that the end of the world was occurring and battling to stay alive was part of his daily routine, he reckoned he needed to step up his game a little.

Forcing oneself to change to suit the rest of the world ... how unfair.

Pachi's chest heaved with each breath she took in. The air was ice cold and burned in her lungs but the exasperation would not allow her to slow her intake. You jerk.. Who did he think he was! You big jerk yelling at us for no good reason! She had half a mind to hurdle insults at him! The large canine grew quiet for a moment, hesitating before replying. Hah, she must have befuddled him! If it weren't for the cold that creeped all over her body Pachi would of stood firmly before him, her confidence boosted. She was winning the battle of wits, haha!

"...Look, I only came down here to make sure you aren't going to fuck anything up. Whatever soul-searching quest you're on is none of my business; I just think it's fucking stupid to follow tracks and be, you know, rocketing around like a pup in unknown territory. As long as you mind yourselves and don't cause trouble, we don't have a problem." Caught in her own stupid thoughts of victory the Joltie flicks her ears out of sync while only somewhat listening. She drops one, then the other, then raises them one at a time, then rotates her right ear around. The action was random and weird, but it helped soothed some of her frayed nerves and ease her breathing. "While 'rocketing' is in my nature trouble making isn't, I swear." The Jolteon explains, her voice still shaky but noticeably calmer then it was before, "And Im sorry for any.. trouble I, er, we.. no, I may of caused you." A soft heat flushes beneath her face, a welcome feeling against the cold breeze, as she gets caught up on the technicalities. How many times had she said trouble today? Was this all her doing for being a dumb dumb sometimes? Oh legends she was losing focus again.

"This ain't my turf, but there's a den just past the Arcanine. You'll find a really fluffy Persian-- it's his den. Ask him if you wanna stay--" While the Houndusk's voice faded out and his gaze went elsewhere the Jolteon starting stamping her paws with glee. He had friends. Fluffy friends and a place out of the cold and snow!? "Really sir? That would be super kind of you, thank you!" She barks, clearly overjoyed while the core of what he had just said went over her head.

Glalie watched as the Houndusk's gaze lingered elsewhere. Somewhere.. behind them? "Legends above, how many fucking Eevees are around here?" Eevees? Turning the majority of his body around to see up the slope he spots the pink blot, a beacon against the white snow, but must adjust his eyes to see it as an Espeon. But out here, in a Glaceon's territory? Yet as the Jolteon beside him shook her pelt again and started to bounce around like the talking had never happened could he really find an Espeon out here to be that strange? "Are you with those guys?" He can hear Dante's voice and concluded he meant them but before he could hear any more the shrill chirp of the female blurts in his ears, "Come on, Glalie!" She was looking at him and didn't even see that the Persian in question was heading there way. Tilting to look around her he can see that his fluffiness was not in question. "Hello! You fellas lost?" Swiftly, Pachi spun around but not in a startled way, beaming at the feline as she ponders, "Sort of? I dont really know." While Glalie wished so hard to facepaw her kept all four of his feet firmly atop the snow. Are you kidding me.. Of course she wasn't.

Oh-! With a blink of her green eyes the electric type suddenly realizes she hadn't caught the Houndoom-like Pokemons name, nor the Persain's, or given out hers. Well, bologna! Now that was just rude of her, and it complicated things! "The boney guy over there said you had a place we get out of the snow?" Her voice falters near the end of her question. Was that rude or too abrupt? The Houndusk was talking about someone else's place but they did seem to know each other so maybe it was okay.

The Persain did not seem put off, and his drastically different demeanor eased Glalie's tension. "Seems like a great number of folks have been turning up this morning; my name is Koru. This is my den, though it is pretty crowded at the moment," His brow shifted; there were more Pokemon around? Hell, between them, the Espeon and Houndoom, the Arcanine, and Koru here that was more Pokemon then they had seen in a long while. What else is out here? He wonders, while Pachi replies, "Oh it would be so great if you would let us stay, at least for a little. I haven't been able to feel my toes all day!" Smiling sheepishly, she adds, "Oh, and my name is Pachirisu, and this is Glalie!" With a double 'oh' she blinks and points gingerly to the slope with one paw, "We didn't catch your friends name over there. The Houndoomy guy."

Running into Hera had been a miracle. Lucas had been so hopelessly lost in this icy place, one he had not seen in years, not since the days when his brother had been alive and their worries were so few. Her offer could very well have saved his life, and Lucas could never repay something like that. Walking through the snow and the ice was nothing...but when they ran into the other Pokemon, things had taken a definite turn for the worse. Hera's composure seemed to be falling apart before his eyes; that canine Pokemon, the one covered in bones, it frightened her and he had seen that easily. "Um, L-Lucas, the den over there-that is where the den is." He was about to speak up and ask why she wasn't coming with him, but immediately shut up when she began to speak again.

"You'll find a fluffy Persian, his name is Koru. Just tell him that I sent you." Koru...that was easy enough to remember, but Lucas couldn't just leave Hera alone, not when the Pokemon she was so afraid of was headed right for them. Her movements were snappy and that of someone under sheer panic, but the Aiveon could think of what to do to calm her down. If he did not do something, the Espeon would run away, and he would be left to deal with the one that caused this. "I have to--I need to--" Her panicked words and sheer desperation...Lucas knew he could not just run off and leave her be. The first words that came to his mind seemed empty, but they were all he had.
"Please calm down, you have to calm down. We'll be okay, I swear." Hearing his own voice reminded Lucas of how weak it was, and how little he could really help this Espeon. But it was too late for them to get away from what he could now recognise as a strange Houndoom. Lucas could not tell what he felt about them, how he acted, or what he was thinking; this Pokemon was completely unknown to him, and the thought was unnerving. Why did he scare Hera so bad...? Had he done something to inflict one of those many scars?

"Are you with those guys?" Huh? Barely a second later, Lucas registered that he was talking about the Jolteon and Glaceon, but...unable to think of what to say immediately, Lucas shook his head, while Hera could hardly say anything at all. They made for such an awkward pair, one submissive and the other not even able to speak. What would happen now? Lucas could only hope nothing bad would happen to Hera. He was not made for fighting...and this canine looked strong, far stronger than he could hope to be. "Because I'd rather not have another stranger have a mental breakdown in front of me, if that's at all an option." Um-what? Hera looked completely dumbfounded, staring at the Houndoom as if he had just started speaking a completely different language.

"I don't know them. And...no more mental breakdowns." Lucas refrained from speaking, unsure of what exactly to do in this sort of situation. They either had history, or Hera was scared of Houndooms in general; the only problem was figuring out which one. This was something he had no business being a part of.



She gazed upon the landscape, eyes hidden behind a pair of dark glasses; a thick scarf and hood obscured most of her face. There were no people here anymore, nor any Pokemon she could spot, not even an undead. The bitter cold of her home would only preserve them; had snow buried them below? We will have to be careful. Ma was a capable Pokemon, and the Weavile was well-practiced at detecting hidden undead, but just one misstep could be fatal. Her Pokemon seemed to almost read her mind; the Weavile bounded forward ahead of Candice, making a trail through the thick snow that was easy to follow. It should have been no different than the countless other times she had traveled to Lake Acuity, but that was before everything that had happened. Candice gave only a sigh that was muffled by the scarf.

At least four years had been enough time for her old home to regain its former look on the surface. Those abhorrent creatures had driven her off; she would make sure all of them that still remained were destroyed. The thought of them hiding throughout Snowpoint tainting the city and the land...Candice clenched her fists, smothering the anger that had begun to build in her chest. Keep yourself together. There was no point in rage. It would blind her, cloud her judgment, and that was the last thing Candice needed. She turned her focus only to the cold; anger couldn't sustain a person here.

"Wea," Ma said as she pointed out something ahead with one of her claws. Candice glanced once at her Weavile before removing her glasses, loathe to do so during this time of day. Whatever Ma had spotted, she needed full vision to be able to see it. "Wea, Weavile." Ma had seen...what were those shapes? There were three, all rather small, likely Pokemon of some sort, but Candice could not tell what kind from this distance. While it was unlikely the Pokemon would be able to handle her entire team, not just Ma, Candice knew she would still have to be careful as she approached. They would not be conspicuous in the snow, especially not with Ma's dark fur, so trying the stealth approach was pointless. Should the strangers attack, both trainer and Weavile would be ready.

"Be careful," Eris growled, glowering at the girl, a gestured which Marley returned with a sharp glare of her own. "I am doing what I must."

She listened to their recollection of their fight with the Braviary with mild interest, not looking up from her work. She hoped she was doing it right; she was certainly no nurse, and had learned most of her first aid skills through either trial and error or just plain old common sense. All of her Pokemon had managed to recover from their wounds whenever she'd treated them, so she hoped that Gregory was no different, given that she would certainly receive a very gory death from his overprotective companion. Still, they were brave to have taken on a Braviary; those birds were hard work to deal with even when they were alive.

She wondered just what Greg and Eris's relation to each was - mates, siblings, cousins? Maybe they were just friends. They certainly cared for each other; Marley glanced up as the two of them nuzzled affectionately, a tiny trace of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Gregory lay helpfully still as she finished cleaning the wound. She bent down and retrieved the antiseptic spray from her kit and shook it. "This will sting," she said, pointing it at the wound. "But it'll clean the inside ... get rid of any infection." Gregory nodded at her and clamped his fist into his mouth.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Arcanine's head poking in through the entrance. "Marley," he hissed, "there are a lot of new Pokemon turning up. Four Eeveelutions, and in the distance I see a Weavile and ... unless I'm going slightly mad, there's a girl with it."
Marley's hands jerked, almost dropping the spray. "A girl?" She pulled out a tissue and began wiping off the access antiseptic from around Greg's wound. "A human girl?"
Arcanine nodded. "Looks like one. They're still quite a ways away." He pawed at the ground anxiously. "What do you want me to do?"
"Stay where you are ... keep an eye on them."

Another human? Here of all places? Things were about to change, but whether it was for the better or the worse, Marley did not know. Still, it was certainly a comfort to know that she wasn't the last of her kind in the world; trekking the wilderness and seeing nothing but half-eaten corpses and being chased by zombies definitely made it feel that way.

"Almost done," she told the dragons as she unwrapped a roll of bandages, her monotonous expression masking just how interested she was to see how these events would turn out.

Dante stared in uncomfortable quiet as the espeon nearly rolled over and buried herself into the snow, she was trying to be so submissive. He blinked at her, completely confused, as she quietly confessed, "I don't know them. And... no more mental breakdowns."

The hound could only stare a little longer as the scarred espeon seemed to realize something, her head darting back up to stare right back at him. "'Stranger'?"

Dante's frown deepened with his own unease, his head beginning to hurt. "Yeah...?" he replied in a strained, confused tone. What the fuck was it with these people? "Ok, let's get this out of the way-- am I really that scary-looking?" He took a quick glance to his front paws and back, spotting the new, more vicious-looking exposed rib armor and his completely white tail. Legends, if he could only see his goddamned face. "Because the jolteon back there nearly shit herself and I didn't even do anything." He made eye contact again with the espeon and the... fluffy thing, and shook his head.

"Look, I'm not here to tear either of you a new one; I'm just making sure no one's here to stir up trouble and that niether of you are infected. All right? So keep your hearts in your chest and your shit in your ass because I'm not going to do anything. Jesus." He rolled his eyes and turned to go back toward the den, pausing a moment to look back at them. "There's a warm den if the landlord wants to keep you, just up that way, where there's all the commotion. I'm going to stay out here and make sure this circus tent doesn't attract any attention." With so many new pokemon all gathered in one spot, he'd be surprised if there weren't any other--

Wait. As he stood, a new scent drafted by, mocking him. He could have written it off as one of these new assholes that were flocking to Koru's den like some fabled pilgrimage, but this scent was human... with something else lying just beneath it, and it wasn't that girl that was currently in the den already. It was faint, but the crisp wind was in his favor. He turned toward its source; unfortunately, his eyes weren't as good as his sharp nose. Frowning more, he left the Eevee pair behind with a quick trot to this new intruder, but stopped as he crested a peak of snow to get a better look. With his fire, he at least felt confident that he could handle a single Infected that was likely to be native-- it'd probably end up being an ice type anyway.

But as he stood and stared down at them, he finally recognized the scents-- human, as he thought, but the other was Weavile. A pokemon he hadn't had many good memories with, but easily disposed of once it stopped running around. But the fact that it was with a human in the first place meant it was likely safe. Still, he wasn't sure whether or not these guys were friendly; all the others seemed to miraculously be, but he couldn't keep rolling with this luck forever, could he? However, he kept his spot on the dune, staring down at the bundled human and her Weavile before speaking.

"What's your business?"

The Jolteon whipped around to face him, the Persian blinking in response to the enthusiastic gesture. "Sort of? I don't really know," she responded to his question, earning a flick of an ear from Koru. His blue eyes flickered to her companion, the Glaceon whom had yet to speak, but she continued before they had the chance. "The boney guy over there said you had a place we get out of the snow?" Koru nodded, his gaze pulled back to the female."Oh it would be so great if you would let us stay, at least for a little. I haven't been able to feel my toes all day!" This earned a smile of amusement from the cat. Their species were clearly not meant for the cold, the flatness of her pelt and the lack of any protection, body fat or fur alike, on her legs made that clear. The Glaceon was probably fine, since it was their natural habitat, but the Jolteon was at a disadvantage altogether. "Oh, and my name is Pachirisu, and this is Glalie!"

Koru dipped his head in greeting then. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you," he meowed.
Pachirisu seemed ready to bounce out of her fur, pointing towards where the Houndusk had met up with another pair... was that an Espeon? Koru's eyes widened in recognition, but he kept his attention on the electric type. "We didn't catch your friends name over there. The Houndoomy guy."
The Persian nodded. "That's Dante. He was with me since yesterday-- everyone else whom has shown up have been from this morning," he explained. "I think the guy has been through a lot. Give him the benefit of the doubt," Koru added in a lower tone. The memory loss from the day before was something unfortunate, but the only reason for it that the lynx could think of was trauma. But what trauma?


"Yeah...?" Hera held her breath, unable to get air into her lungs. Surely this is it- But the route Dante took... caught her off guard, to put it mildly. "Ok, let's get this out of the way-- am I really that scary-looking?"
The Espeon barked out, "What?" without thinking. Suddenly she was the one thrown for a loop, the confusing giving her the strength to stand up straight again.
"Because the jolteon back there nearly shit herself and I didn't even do anything." Did not do anything? The psychic type's amber eyes narrowed, her mind racing. Did... Was this not Dante? No, those eyes were too much his, plus the voice, way of speaking, even way of holding himself was the same. This had to be Dante. ...Unless he had... a twin...? The Houndusk sighed, turning back to her and Lucas alike. "Look, I'm not here to tear either of you a new one; I'm just making sure no one's here to stir up trouble and that neither of you are infected. All right? So keep your hearts in your chest and your shit in your ass because I'm not going to do anything. Jesus."

That sounded like Dante. The sigh that escaped her was relieved, though from what, exactly? Had he just magically not remembered her? Had something happened? For the moment, she did not have to worry about it. Though the question of what happened to the pack was on the tip of her tongue. Strix, is he dead? The Manectric, Alice? Any of them, are they here? Her head hurt. Will they not remember me, either? The Espeon allowed her recent confidence to flow back into her form, flicking her ears back up as it became clear a confrontation was not happening then. "We're not here for trouble," she said earnestly.
"There's a warm den if the landlord wants to keep you, just up that way, where there's all the commotion." Hera nodded. That was where she had been heading anyway. "I'm going to stay out here and make sure this circus tent doesn't attract any attention."
"I know Koru from before," she assured him. Least make it seem like she knew what she was doing. Dante immediately snapped to attention, racing off, but soon as he was out of earshot, the Espeon let out a long breath. "We'll be fine," she tries to soothe her companion. Jeeze, if Hera thought she was confused, poor Lucas must be losing his mind. "Between you and I.. I think I used to know him. But he seems to not even remember me," she whispered.

Without waiting for a response, she trotted forward, waving her tail to encourage the Aiveon to follow. As she approached the Glaceon, Jolteon, and Persian, her face split into a genuine smile. "Koru!"
The lynx turned to face her, walking forward a few steps so that the small group was altogether. "Hera! What brings you back so soon?" The fluffy cat licks her cheek in greeting before nodding to the pair beside him. "Hera, the Jolteon is Pachirisu, her companion Glalie. Guys, this is Hera."
The Espeon gives a smaller smile to the pair, storing their names in her head. "Pleasure." She looks at the Persian, waving her tail behind her from where the Aiveon would follow. "I brought you another stray, Koru. I could not just leave him lost out there. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Koru responded instinctively, smiling warmly at the newcomer. "Might have heard already, but it's a party, so I don't mind repeating myself." The Persian gave a short chuckle. "My name is Koru, this place is my home. Normally I would have more room to offer, but seems that we might need to break into two groups. Two Charizard, one human, four Eeveelutions, a giant Houndoom..."
"So many?!" Hera gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. She could always leave if there was no room, not that she could say that out loud. She had a strong feeling that the Persian would simply brush off her concerns. She looked over her shoulder, giving an encouraging smile to Lucas. He'd be much safer here, at least. She did not intend to stay long herself, but that news could wait.

Gregory lay wearily as he waited for Marley to finish cleaning and dressing the wound. Normally he was very patient, but laying so still in one place was beginning to bother him. He felt useless and encumbered; if any infected decided to attack he wouldn't be able to do a thing. He wouldn't admit any of it to Marley, seeing how she had been so generous to use her medical supplies on a Pokemon she'd only just met, but he wanted to be back on his feet as soon as possible.

"This will sting," Marley then said, holding a spray bottle filled with clear liquid up to his wound. "But it'll clean the inside ... get rid of any infection." Gregory nodded and shifted slightly to pull out his paw from underneath him. He clamped his teeth around his wrist and nodded at the girl. He'd rather have left a few bite marks on his scales than to make any noise and attract unwanted attention.

It did sting. Gregory squeezed his eyes shut, groaning as the liquid seeped its way into his wound. It felt like it was on fire, but only for a moment. He'd barely even left any bite marks at all by the time it had all sunk in, and Marley was already beginning to unwrap a roll of bandages.

"You OK?" Eris asked from his side, looking considerably calmer than before much to Greg's relief. "That looked painful as fuck."
"It wasn't so bad." Greg attempted a shrug with a wince. "But if it stings, it means its working."

But just then, Marley's Arcanine poked his head in from outside, looking concerned. "Marley, there are a lot of new Pokemon turning up. Four Eeveelutions, and in the distance I see a Weavile and ... unless I'm going slightly mad, there's a girl with it."

Whatever calm Eris had managed to adopt quickly died. She whipped around at the large canine, baring her fangs. "Another one?! she raged, lashing her tail up and down. "You're shitting me, right? Another human?!

This wasn't good; Eris was only just starting to get used to Marley's presence in the room. The arrival of another human wouldn't help. Gregory could only sigh and flop his head back down onto the bed, hoping that he was wrong and by some miracle Eris would decide to be hospitable for once. He chuckled sadly under his breath; that was like asking a Gyarados not to go on a rampage.

"What do you want me to do?"
"Stay where you are ... keep an eye on them." Arcanine nodded and did as he was told without comment. Marley was quiet for a moment, slowly unraveling the bandages. For a girl with such a blank, almost bored expression, Greg couldn't miss the spark of curiosity in her eyes. "Almost done."

"Thank you, Marley," Gregory smiled, turning his head to meet the girl's gaze as Eris fidgeted beside him, hissing in distaste. "You're very kind to have done this." If he hadn't been watching her closely, he would've missed the tiniest trace of a shy smile that flickered across her lips.

The Glaceon remains quiet but already the Persian is a welcoming presence. Generous wasn't a strong enough word when the cat could already see his resources were stretched thin. You are much too kind. If he ended up at a loss his kindness would be no more then folly. Yet the cat seemed to be in prime health so that worry quickly faded from Glalie's mind. He was more then willing to stay outside with the Arcanine, as disconcerting as that sounded, if space was really a problem but that was yet to be seen. One of his paws shuffles the crispy snow; it wasn't like he was bothered out here anyway. "That's Dante. He was with me since yesterday-- everyone else whom has shown up have been from this morning," Dante? That was a sturdy, fitting name for the hound. "Oh, okay." The Jolteon chirps in acknowledgement.

But only yesterday? 'Everyone else'? Those he has taken in are no more then a freshly made collection of strangers? The Glaceon's brow furrows. While he could believe they were all just poor souls lost in the snow who required aid, and did not seek malintent, Glalie's mind clouded with doubt. Cramming strangers in a foreign space without knowing their personalities and ticks was playing with fire. A tight room with unknown and possible threats may cause anxiety to spike and tempers to flare, a panic sense with no escape. A brawl in such an environment could prove fatal.. but then again, it could just be people who needed help and a warm place to rest and that all these worries were unprecedented.  

"I think the guy has been through a lot. Give him the benefit of the doubt," Blinking her green eyes as she glanced back at the hill Pachi keeps quiet for a moment. A lot of good Pokemon had been through hell and back because of this pandemic, innocent Pokemon even. At least the hound seemed to be holding together and showed not but caution. "He's not a bad guy. Even I can see that." She murmur whimsically, bringing her gaze back to the cat. Everything takes time. If they had that then the rest would surely follow. "Again though, tha-" She starts but cuts off first at the sound of approaching paws then call that followed. "Koru!" Flipping her head back again the Jolteon unintentionally stares at the Pokemon approaching, shuffling to the side a step or two. They were a cloudy, feathery cutie that she did not rrecgonize and an Espeon that embodied the phrase 'been through a lot.' With a blank, dumb face Pachi stares at both Pokemon longer then she should of, intrigued by both for different reasons and taking in each of their appearances.  

Shifting closer to his companion Glalie shoots her a glance but she does not notice. Giving her a gentle brush of his flat tail the Joltie flinches, blinking her eyes hard as the trance breaks. "Hera! What brings you back so soon?" Back? They knew each other. How long, he didn't know, but the cats excitement suggests it was longer then a day. Maybe they live together and she was hunting? It was unlikely.. Dante seemed agitated when he saw the pair and if she lived her he wouldn't of been so defensive. Whatever the reason if there was a past friendship here then the approaching eeveelutions were not threats. "Hera, the Jolteon is Pachirisu, her companion Glalie. Guys, this is Hera." Giving no more then a polite nod and a twitch of both of his eyes the Glaceon is overshadowed as the Jolteon bounces, both her forepaws sinking into the snow, "Hello! That's a really pretty name!" She squeals with painfully obvious excitement.

Luckily, it wasn't too daunting and the psychic politely replies, "Pleasure." Beaming, the Jolteon looks at her pale-furred friend for just a moment looks turns away when she finds she can not read his expression. "I brought you another stray, Koru. I could not just leave him lost out there. I hope you don't mind." Flinching at the word 'stray' Pachi looks at the little lavender cutie. He reminded her a lot of her own kits, if not only by supposed age and being 'lost.' I hope they are alright.. How long had it been since she last saw them? A whine escapes her maw as her heat aches and she can not recall the answer. Another gentle touch from Glalie stirs her away from her distressing thought and electric type realizes she has missed half of what Koru was saying.  "-we might need to break into two groups. Two Charizard, one human, four Eeveelutions, a giant Houndoom..." "So many?!" Had she overstepped her bounds? Were they no longer welcome here with such a vast list of guests? With her heart still aching the Joltie flips her gaze between the felines and swiftly chirps, "If it's too much trouble we could go!"

The Glaceon stiffens, the fur along his neck bristling, at the cats words. Of all those names he locks instantly onto one. Human? Man still lived? And one was out in this environment? Disbelief floods his visage. It didn't seem possible. For them to still be alive, maybe, but out here? There was just no way. To be willing to stay in the shelter of a wild Pokemon in such a harsh environment.. they must truly be desperate. The cat seemed utterly content by this, as though he had not said something so mindblowing. Giving the dens entrance a swift glance the Glaceon's paws shuffle against the ground as he near asks Koru to repeat himself. A human.. He could of lived out his days without meeting another one of those.
Though it is common for him to do the gesture it is still unexpected when Pachi gives him a gentle brush, a first shocking then soothing contact. "Two groups like an indoor and an outdoor? Or like a build-another-shelter team and a rest team?" She asks, doubling back.

Now the Houndoom looked-and sounded-just as confused as Lucas felt. "Yeah...?" He didn't seem to recognise Hera; she must have mistook him for another, different person. But who else had those weird bones all over their body? Even the Houndoom began to look over himself, as if he had not even noticed that gleaming white armor existed. Lucas was...not sure what to think. The whole situation felt like some weird, oddly lucid fever dream, and that did nothing to comfort him. "Ok, let's get this out of the way-am I really that scary-looking?" Well...yeah. It was kind of intimidating to have what was basically the Grim Reaper right in front of you. Lucas hates to think it, but this guy was certainly a little bit blind if he thought his appearance wasn't going to cause some discomfort. Most Pokemon were afraid of just a normal Houndoom, let alone one covered in bone armor...stuff. He didn't come off as the most friendly guy in the world, either. "Because the Jolteon back there nearly shit herself and I didn't even do anything."

Another glance at Hera didn't give him even a slight grasp on what was happening, but the canine wasn't yet done speaking. "Look, I'm not here to tear either of you a new one; I'm just making sure no one's here to stir up trouble and that neither of you are infected. All right? So keep your hearts in your chest and your shit in your ass because I'm not going to do anything. Jesus." His blunt words give Lucas a tinge of discomfort, but he shrugs it off; there was no point acting so sensitive. He was not a child anymore, and besides, at least the Houndoom wasn't trying to kill them both. Still...not a very classy guy. As the Fire-type turns away, Lucas once again looks to Hera, unsure of what to say. Did she trust him to keep his word, and not attack them? She seemed far more sure of herself now, but..."We're not here for trouble." Lucas gives a reassuring smile, but the Houndoom doesn't take notice of it. Disappointment tugs at his heart, but he pushes it aside-being overlooked was nothing new.

"There's a warm den if the landlord wants to keep you, just up that way, where there's all the commotion. I'm going to stay out here and make sure this circus tent doesn't attract any attention." Landlord, huh? Must've been the place Hera was already taking him to, though there had been no mention of other Pokemon. Well...she didn't know. Lucas refrains from giving a sigh of relief as the Fire-type runs off-sheesh, that had been far more intense than he'd expected. Even his companion seems a lot more at ease now. "We'll be fine," she says, the words encouraging, though Lucas was unsure if things really were fine. Still, it was probably best to just go along, and not try to cause anything. That would be...bad, not just for him but everyone. "Between you and I.. I think I used to know him. But he seems to not even remember me." So she did know him. Thousands of questions race to the tip of his tongue, but before Lucas can say a word, Hera walks ahead of him to the other Pokemon. He shuts his mouth immediately and casts his eyes to the ground; guess she didn't want to talk about it. At least not with someone like him. That was okay. Following after the Espeon, his steps became strangely slow, almost lethargic.

"Koru!"
"Hera! What brings you back so soon?"
Lucas tries to listen to the conversation, but a strange ringing in his ears distracts him, taking his focus from the other Eeveelutions and the one named Koru. His mind was buzzing from all of this new information and new Pokemon-he'd never been good around around a lot of them, and right now was no exception. He was no doubt grateful towards Hera for helping him, especially when she could have easily turned away, but...if only there hadn't been so many Pokemon. That sounded so ungrateful and petty.
"I brought you another stray, Koru. I could not just leave him lost out there. I hope you don't mind." Oh-was she talking about him? "Stray" was an awfully negative way to put it, but it wasn't wrong, and Lucas does not comment on it. A part of him cannot help but feel as if Hera saw him as nothing more than a burden. No. That's stupid. Don't think like that. The thought doesn't help.

Now Koru acknowledges him, giving a friendly smile; Lucas gives one in return, though it was no doubt far more awkward. "Might have heard already, but it's a party, so I don't mind repeating myself. My name is Koru, this place is my home."
"I'm Lucas," he responds, wondering what the heck Koru meant by a party. There was a lot of other Pokemon around, yes, but a party? He feels anxiety gnaw at his stomach; oh, please don't let there be even more of them around. Lucas wasn't sure if his already stressed out mind could handle that. "Normally I would have more room to offer, but seems that we might need to break into two groups. Two Charizard, one human, four Eeveelutions, a giant Houndoom..." Lucas' eyes widen upon hearing the list, and his heart practically stops; they have a human around? Claus loved humans, but him-Lucas-he feels a shiver run down his spine, and not from the cold. This could be very, very bad.

"Umm...Koru...maybe I misheard, but did you say there was a...human?" Arceus above, don't let there be one. Please.


Ma hisses at an approaching shape-some sort of canine Pokemon, though at this distance Candice cannot pinpoint its exact species. It has a steady pace, not the usual gaunt of the more rotten undead or the desperate dash of the newly turned. Likely living, then...and though that did not necessarily mean "friendly", Candice retrieves her communicator anyways, adjusting the volume as the Pokemon gets closer; now she can recognise the general shape of a Houndoom, but this particular specimen has bones attached to its body. Gruesome, maybe unnerving to some, but also a mystery, and one Candice has no reason to solve. The Pokemon stares at her, and she stares back, waiting for its reaction. Will it attack? Ma is practicing trembling from what was probably nerves.

"What's your business?" A straight to the point question; Candice could appreciate that. She unwraps the scarf from around her face, hardly bothered by the sudden cold sting of the freezing air. Snowpoint's weather was something she was far too used to. Her eyes don't leave those of the armored Houndoom, and finally Candice begins to speak.
"I live here, and I saw strangers. I had to make sure they weren't going to be a problem." She pauses, her eyes for a second glancing over at Ma; thankfully the Weavile was keeping herself close, and not assuming any sort of aggressive stance. Of course her Pokemon were smart enough to know what to do in these situations.
"Isn't that what you're doing right now?" Candice keeps her tone even; unintentionally provoking a Houndoom of all things would not be an intelligent course of action. She waits for his response, alert for any sign of hostility.

Marley finished applying the dressing quickly, but making sure to secure the bandages properly with a strong tug of the end. She cut off the rest of the fabric and stuck it down into place with a small strip of cellotape. "There," she said, retrieving her first aid kit from the floor and placing what she had left back inside. "That should do it ... just try not to move it too much..." She was confident that Gregory would make a full recovery soon enough, even though he probably wouldn't be able to fly for a while. At least Eris was preoccupied with the apparent arrival of the second human to make any jibes or insults at her work.

Marley narrowed her eyes as she packed the medical kit back into her bag. Now that Greg was resting, now was a perfect time to see what was going on outside. There were plenty of voices floating in, both male and female; just how many new arrivals were there? Marley hadn't expected anything more than a few infected when she'd arrived here and now she practically had an entire group in front of her.

But she told herself that this was a good thing, despite the unpleasant jolts of anxiety gnawing at her stomach. This meant that there was hope; that there were more Pokemon and people out there and not just her. Maybe they were fighting for their freedom as well, or looking for a cure. Not that there was any hope in achieving any of these things; the world before was long gone, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

She flung her backpack back on with a huff and wandered casually to the den's entrance. Arcanine noticed her, nudging his snout at his Trainer as she approached him. Marley petted the large canine as she poked her head outside, her eyes immediately latching on to the fellow human. Marley knew this woman; that black hair, stripy kneesocks and well-trained Ice-type Pokemon ... there was no doubt about it.

"I know you..." Marley's voice held little emotion as her eyes slowly scanned the Trainer from top to bottom, completely ignoring everyone else there. "You're Candice ... the Gym Leader."

The human removed her scarf to better reply, her face stern and hard, as far as Dante could tell. But it didn't look like she was about to attack. That was a decent start, at least. "I live here, and I saw strangers. I had to make sure they weren't going to be a problem." She paused and looked to her Weavile, who stood its ground. Dante wasn't entirely sure whether or not they were exchanging something, but it didn't look like the little ice type was revving for a battle. Besides, there were few situations where a Weavile would overcome a Houndoom. Or... whatever he was now.

"Isn't that what you're doing right now?" she called up to him, inciting a light chuckle. She had a point. But as he was about to reply, he heard crunching behind him. His muscled coiled and tensed as he turned quickly to see who was approaching, but it turned out to be the strange human and her arcanine again. Dante wasn't quite sure whether or not she'd succeeded in aiding the fallen dragon, but he gave a slight nod to the fire canine in greetings.

"I know you..." Dante looked to her confused, following her almost vacant gaze down to the human below. "You're Candice ... the Gym Leader."

Well, that made a lot of sense. She did say she lived here, even though this place was looking to be nothing more than a frozen wasteland. But if she was a Gym Leader, was there a town nearby? A real town? He pondered whether or not Koru had said something about it, but his memories were still fuzzy. It'd been a busy morning.

Well, things were beginning to look desperate. There were too many people in that tiny den, that was a definite fact. Wandering into a snow-cloaked ghost town likely wasn't the best of ideas, but this human seemed capable, in the very least. Perhaps she had a bigger lodging, access to more medical supplies for the dragon? Food, even, for the rest of them? Though Koru was a rare soul in the midst of all this horror to reach out as he did, Dante knew that half frozen Buneary wasn't going to keep stomachs from rumbling for long. Something had to be done.

He took a few more steps forward, but stopped before it could be seen as an aggressive motion. "There's a lot of refugees that have congregated in a small den nearby. All capable pokemon from the looks of it. We need food and decent shelter, most of all. You have any?" If maybe he could broker shelter, it'd be able to ease the burden on Koru's den; he owed the cat, after all.

(( OOC: Sorry guys, can't do a full post /sigh But I tried to leave enough to give Cinder and Balth something to work off of

Cinderspark wrote:Giving no more then a polite nod and a twitch of both of his eyes the Glaceon is overshadowed as the Jolteon bounces, both her forepaws sinking into the snow, "Hello! That's a really pretty name!" She squeals with painfully obvious excitement.

Hera glances at Pachi, her smile brief but it's clearly uncomfortable. "Oh... thank you," is all she says, but very softly.

Balthazar wrote:"I'm Lucas," he responds, wondering what the heck Koru meant by a party.

Koru acknowledges this with a broad smile and a nod.

Cinderspark wrote:With her heart still aching the Joltie flips her gaze between the felines and swiftly chirps, "If it's too much trouble we could go!"

Koru's head turns quickly to Pachi and he gives an apologetic shake of his head. "No, no! I won't turn anyone away as long as I've got a bounce in these tired paws. You're both welcome, I assure you."

Cinderspark wrote:"Two groups like an indoor and an outdoor? Or like a build-another-shelter team and a rest team?" She asks, doubling back.

Koru hesitates here, glancing back at the den and along the ridge that leads to the lake. "Well... there is another den, but it is smaller than this one. Maybe with Dante's help we could melt some snow inside and carve it deeper?... I am not sure as of yet. For now, there are jobs that can be done by those able, so we can put finding space for everyone on that list, along with getting food. Y'all omnivores or herbivores?" He asks Pachi and Glalie, looking at both of them, openly inviting either answer. He doesn't care if they eat meat or not.

Balthazar wrote:"Umm...Koru...maybe I misheard, but did you say there was a...human?"

He turns to Lucas right after asking the question, or maybe their response, and his eyes are gentle. "There is, lad. I understand there might be unease about her," he glances at Hera, Pachi, and Glalie here. Hera herself is stiff, eyes wide but otherwise not reacting. "But she saved the life of a dragon in there, I say that proves her worth and character enough, right? Long as she pulls her own weight and causes no issues, she is welcome just as much as you lot." Hera glances to the side, lost in thought and remains quiet, but half flinches when Marley walks out of the den and past them down the path.

"Is that another?!" Hera hisses, seeing Candice. Koru snaps around, his ears alert and eyes round with shock, too.
"Well burn my biscuits... She's a new one."

Hopefully that is enough. Sorry. Might make this an actual post later, but for now, sorry. Also, Balth, if Candice has some place for shelter that would fit them all, please for the love of god let her bring it up xD Koru is legit out of space but trying to not make a big deal of the issue yet. He's going to need help LOL ))

Gregory smiled up at Marley as she finished her work, giving his shoulder a quick rotate and wincing as it stung. He tried flexing out his wing, but it yielded similar results. Eris, he noticed, kept glancing up at Marley but quickly averted her gaze whenever she met the girl's eye. Gregory guessed that his sister wanted to thank her for quite possibly saving his life, but she couldn't work up the will to actually say the words. Gregory sighed softly as he rested his head; he could tell just by looking at Eris that she was more than happy with the results.

"...Phew," the shiny Charizard gasped, flopping her head down next to his. Gregory felt her tail coil gently around his. "Glad that's over. You OK?"
"Yes, I'm fine. It stings a little, but that's to be expected."
"You reckon you can get up soon? We could do with getting out of here before it gets dark and -- where's she going?" They both raised their heads to see Marley wandering outside with her Arcanine in tow. "Huh. Don't tell me she's just leaving."
Gregory tilted his head a little as he listened. "It ... sounds to me as if she knows the other human ... I think she called her Candice. The Gym Leader, hm? That's interesting."
"The hell's a Gym Leader?"
"A Trainer well-known throughout their region for their skills and prowess in battle." Greg's tail twitched happily as he listened to the conversations floating in from outside. "I've always wanted to meet one. Quite often, they have very well trained Pokemon."
"Do they, now?" Eris hissed at the door, flexing her claws. "Well, if she decides to make trouble--"
"I'm sure it'll all be fine," Gregory said gently, placing his paw onto his sister's. "Just ... use this opportunity to rest. It's been a ... rather turbulent day so far."

Eris sat to attention for a few moments before letting her head drop onto the bed with a sigh, nuzzling his snout. Gregory returned the affection, but couldn't help but sneak in the occasional glance outside at everyone else. All he could do was hope that none of them would ruin Eris's rare moment of peace.

The Joltie's paws work anxiously at the snow below. So many faces and possible new friends! Oh it would be so wonderful to stay here and meet them and get to talk for a bit while ignoring the painfully desolate and blank land around them. Oh! But.. I dont want to be a burden.. The bitterseet possibilities made her stomach churn. She had already done a fantastic job of messing up their introductions. Being super fresh to the group and awkward would just make them all the easier to shoo away. "No, no! I won't turn anyone away as long as I've got a bounce in these tired paws. You're both welcome, I assure you." Smiling with thanks Pachi's paws relax slightly, her toes still crunching the snow but not nearly as twitchy as before. "Alright, thank you."

Taking in yet another deep, calming breath Pachi vainly trie to ease herself. Dont screw things up! Her partners disappointment and scrutinizing gaze was too much to handle. If she didn't secure shelter with these Pokemon after all this tribulation.. oh no, she didn't want to even consider that outcome. Daring to look at the ice type without moving her head her gaze instantly snaps back to the Persian upon seeing the Glaceon's blue eyes. Im trying, I swear! Thankfully, Kora seemed unaware of her turmoil. "Well... there is another den, but it is smaller than this one. Maybe with Dante's help we could melt some snow inside and carve it deeper?... I am not sure as of yet. For now, there are jobs that can be done by those able, so we can put finding space for everyone on that list, along with getting food. Y'all omnivores or herbivores?"
Glalie's ears rotate forward and back at the.. suggestion? No.. There was hesitation in the felines voice and the idea didn't quite line up. If you don't have the accommodations please don't go out of your way for us. It wasn't like they were injured or about to keel over. They could manage, they always did, and stressing the big cat out over it was not his primary intention. "We can do whatever you need!" The Jolteon cheers, "And we're omnivores, both of us." The Jolteon replies after several long moments as though she needed time to process such big words. "Though.. I wouldn't know where to find edible plants that could live in the snow." The Glaceon nods in agreement. Even if they didn't get to stay long he would be more then willing to offer what little he could to these Pokemon.

"Umm...Koru...maybe I misheard, but did you say there was a...human?" Blinking his blue eyes at the small lavender form Glalie hones himself for the answer. Yes, please explain. Was she a hostage, a food reserve, an ally, a friend, their trainer? He could hardly believe there to be a human present. For what reason they would be here, he had no idea. "There is, lad. I understand there might be unease about her. But she saved the life of a dragon in there, I say that proves her worth and character enough, right? Long as she pulls her own weight and causes no issues, she is welcome just as much as you lot." While the ice type had been saying 'she' instinctively he releases a breathe upon confirmation. At least that solves one problem. Giving Pachirisu a swift glance he sees no signs of fear in her green eyes. Had this alleged human been male it would of been another story. Koru is right. Human or otherwise everyone deserves a chance.
The gentle crunching of snow bounces against his sensitive ears, catching Glalie's attention and breaking his thoughts. The Glaceon entire body stiffens, his eyes growing to the size of moons as they watch the monochrome colored figure stride past them. They live.. It was a human. Female, healthy, living, right as rain human walking past them. "Is that another?!" What!? Impossible. Seeing one, he could accept, but two?? "Well burn my biscuits... She's a new one." A NEW one? Spinning on his heels the ice type flips around and stares wide-eyed at the now to humans, both female, standing before Dante. How is this possible.....

"Woah!" The Jolteon barks, giving three small hops. "Its two humans! I didn't think there were any left!" Thrusting her head behind looking at the girls on the slope and Koru Pachi starts to pant from her own excitement. "Dragons, humans, snow! Oh-h man, please. Anything you need, put me to work!" There was no way she was going to walk away from this much fun.

Candice's expression remains unchanged as she watches the approach of the other human, one smart enough to keep a Fire-type around in these icy wastes, though the presence of not only a Houndoom but an Arcanine as well is enough to make her narrow her eyes slightly. She did not expect another one of her kind to be here amongst the howling winds and the biting cold, but humans were a stubborn species. And this one looks vaguely familiar... Candice had seen countless trainers pass through Snowpoint in the years before everything went to shit, but only a few still stuck out in her mind. This woman didn't happen to be one of them. "I know you..." the Trainer says in a lifeless, almost bored voice, "You're Candice ... the Gym Leader." Former Gym Leader. The Gym belonged to the undead now, as much as she hated to admit that to herself. Lost because she had been a weak, foolish girl who knew absolutely nothing of the world; good people had died because of that. Well, it was never going to happen again. Not that there's anyone left there.

"That I am," Candice responds, watching the other woman for even the slightest flicker of emotion on her face. "I'm guessing you challenged the Gym at some point?" She was not one for small talk, but such a question might make the other Trainer let something slip about how she battled against Ice-types. Even people who weren't naturally braggarts could be that careless on occasion. If this one had beaten Candice before, then she needed all the information possible on how to form a counter, especially against that Arcanine. Speaking of Fire-types, the Houndoom steps forward, as if to catch her attention. Obviously, he has something important to say. "There's a lot of refugees that have congregated in a small den nearby. All capable pokemon from the looks of it. We need food and decent shelter, most of all. You have any?" Candice thinks back to their shelter, located all the way in the outskirts of her city itself. Capable Pokemon...she thinks of the Gym and the temple, the inner city, and how all of the buildings were no doubt crawling with undead stuck in the process of decaying. Candice has yet to venture into the entirety of Snowpoint, but...would these "refugees" be willing to risk that?

"I have a place. A building in the city, with supplies we've gathered," Candice explains, pausing: she already has her own sizable Pokemon. She and her four could always stay outside as guards during the day, but nighttime... "How many of you are there exactly?" If Candice accepts these Pokemon, and that was still a big if, then there were going to have to be accommodations made.

(ooc: I'm so sorry this post isn't that great...I tried to give you guys stuff to work with, but I'm not entirely okay right now)

Marley was aware of the Pokemon's startled reactions to her appearance, but was not even remotely interested in them as her weary gaze stayed firmly on Candice. The Gym Leader seemed to be watching her face closely, almost as though she was looking for some sort of reaction. She was unlikely to get one; Marley's face may have been bare of emotion but her mind was whirling madly inside of her head, curious, anxious and excited voices that only she could hear shouting out at her. This was very interesting indeed...

"That I am," Candice responded, not looking too excited by her appearance. "I'm guessing you challenged the Gym at some point?" ...What? She didn't even remember her? Was she really just one of those countless challengers that had battled Candice back in the day? Had she forgotten those times that they'd all met up at the Battleground?

...Of course she wasn't going to remember her, not when there had been people like Mira, Buck and Riley there to steal the limelight. Who would remember the quiet, moody girl that sat on her own in the corner and didn't speak a word unless she was addressed first?

"Yes, I did," Marley replied, one hand resting on Arcanine's warm, shaggy fur. "...And I won," she decided to add, not bothering to try and mask the snide tone to her voice. Seriously, how did an Ice-type trainer expect to stand up to an Arcanine? The match had been a damn cakewalk, but she chose not to include that part.

Candice seemed to lose interest in her pretty quickly, turning to Dante. "I have a place. A building in the city, with supplies we've gathered." ...Damn. If only she'd gotten there first and not allowed herself to get distracted; she could've been helping herself to the goods by now. No, Marley, no ... you're a good, kind person, remember? Good and kind... "How many of you are there exactly?"

Marley pointed a thumb behind her at the den. "Two Charizard in there ... one's wounded." And the other might try to maul your face off.

The human, Candice from Marley's assessment, seemed to consider Dante's words for a moment before answering. "I have a place. A building in the city, with supplies we've gathered," she explained, giving Dante some hope of repaying Koru. With enough space, they could leave the poor cat alone and not completely destroy the little den. "How many of you are there exactly?"

"Two Charizard in there ... one's wounded." Dante cast an annoyed glance at Marley; he wasn't even sure if it was a good idea to let this Candice know all of their cards just yet. He felt that after the small quip that she'd beaten the other was fueled by hubris. One misstep could mean disaster. He flicked his tail as his mind worked quickly to try and recover; she did say "wounded". So she'd succeeded in saving the dragon. That was good news at least, but it meant liability.

However, he felt that honesty would get him further than ambiguity here. "Myself included, the pokemon number about 6, excluding Marley's since I don't know how many there are. Strong, capable pokemon, many with access to fire and powerful enough to kill most of those rotting assholes." He looked down at the trainer and her Weavile, unsure of how hard to push. "We could raid the rest of the city for supplies. I'm really good at killing them."

((Skip. There really isn't much for my two to be doing, seeing as they're in the den on their own. They're still just having a breather after the drama.))

The Joltie bounces from paw to paw, ready to get moving. Her inner spark buzzed and called for action, to put the excitement into motion, and to get her muscles moving once more. This was the best snow day ever! Every strand of fur in her pelt stood up, keeping the warm happiness in while defending her from the chill that was rapidly seeping into her bones. A small shiver ran through Pachi's body, starting at the paw and traveling up and into her ears. Its so cold out here. She acknowledged the obvious, a small breeze pushing her ears to the side. Really cold. Tilting her face away from the wind Pachi angled her green eyes toward the Glaceon and noticed that he was completely unphased by the cold air or icy snow. His paws were so big and his fur was so thick, making him near immune to the drudgery she and the rest of them were sitting in. JuJu shifted his paws and head when he noticed the Jolteon staring at him, a silent What? coming from his visage to which Pachi had no reply.

Blinking, the electric types attention rests on the quieter shapes beside them, looking past her companion to view their soft lavender pelts. Hera and.. and.. Lucas! The latter name took a moment to remember but once recalled the Jolteon latched onto it. Between the two she could easily place a name and type on the Espeon, her kin and a welcomed sight in spite of the females state. Lucas however, she could not. His form really looked like he could be kin but, then again, any foxy quadruped kinda did. Like Ninetales or Liepard! Again her inner spark quivered, and, obeying it, she tried to bounce right in front of the Aiveon but was abruptly stopped one pawstep in by a swift movement from Glalie. Calm. His eyes stressed, as though he could already tell her need to run and jump was starting up again. Brushing his thick, flat tail forward the Glaceon gently laid it across Pachi's paws as a double incentive to keep her still.

Keeping a steady gaze on the Jolteon Glalie's attention drifts back to those on the hill. The humans and Dante.. Humans.. his eyes did not lie but he still could not believe they had run into two of them. But as much as he longs to he can't focus on the distant conversation; its out of earshot and Pach's face puffed with emotion, her eyes reading, Fine fine! With a small whine the female vulpine flicks one ear anxiously. "Eh, uh.. Lucas?" She starts, keeping her small paws planted in, and sinking into, the snow. "Can I ask a question?" The Glaceons head cocks sideways and holds for a moment before he turns to look at the Nebula Pokemon. The fur along his neck stiffens. The male had been rather quiet and direct.. enthusiastic questioning may scare him off.. But Pachirisu was not to deterred and sputters out her question, "You, I mean.. what are you? I mean like, you look like kin! Are you, I guess were you, an Eevee? Or am I totally off base?" Her voice trials off into nervous laughter, as though she suddenly regretted asking him such a personal question.

Lucas can already feel the spike of anxiety, so much like a pointed needle stabbing into him; Koru's reassurances were welcome, but they did nothing to completely soothe his doubts. Two humans...one would have been enough, but two was a whole other story. He was no Claus, and even the time spent in his travels had never fully adjusted Lucas to the presence of man. Shifting his freezing paws in obvious discomfort, the Aiveon is half-tempted to suggest they move the conversation somewhere without snow, but he keeps his mouth shut. I can handle it...there's no need to be rude. Still, it would be nice if someone else brought that up. His feathers were going to fall off of him; was he shivering, too? Dear Azelf, he has to be tougher than this shaking pile of fluff and loose feathers. To keep his mind off of the unfortunate weather, Lucas looks at the other two Eeveelutions; one was spiky and bright yellow, and the other feline all different sorts of blue. Jolteon and...Glaceon? The ice cousins were always difficult to recall, but it was almost funny how their types reflect them. One's so bouncy they can't sit still, the other's still as ice, yep... Makes sense. It's almost enough to bring a smile to his face.

The spiky girl is the first of the two to speak to him, and comes off as if she's waited lifetimes to do so. "Eh, uh.. Lucas?" His fluffy ears perk as he hears his name, and Lucas' light blue eyes meet the green ones of the Jolteon. His heart thumps in his chest; he hasn't talked to others in a long time, and his poor mind has no idea how to properly react. Should he say something, or wait for her to talk again? By some stroke of luck, he doesn't have to wait long for that question to be answered. "Can I ask a question?" A question? Lucas doesn't know much, not truly, and suddenly he's not so sure of whether accepting the question would be a good idea. The last thing he wants is to make this group upset with him, and questions had a funny way of making that happen. Still...not answering would be equally rude. Hobson's choice number one.

"Sure. Go ahead," Lucas answers uncertainly, his focus drifting to how the Glaceon was staring at him. A thousand invisible ants start to crawl all over his fur, not because of the Ice-type himself, but...Please look away. I don't-Don't stare. Please. If only his thoughts could be beamed to the Glaceon; if only he were an Espeon instead, like Hera. "You, I mean.. what are you? I mean like, you look like kin! Are you, I guess were you, an Eevee? Or am I totally off base?" Lucas is practically knocked over by the barrage of questions-she didn't know what an Aiveon was? He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not; for all he knew, they would think of him as a mutant freak for it. "Treading on thin ice" didn't even come close to this.
"I-yes, I used to be an Eevee," he responds carefully, "The humans called me an Aiveon. My br-I'm supposed to be pretty rare, or something like that." Lucas nearly bites down on his tongue; had he seriously almost said "my brother and I?" No, he does not mention Claus, especially not to strangers, no matter how friendly they seemed to be. Hopefully the Jolteon wouldn't try to pry into that slip up, because that is the very last thing Lucas needs.


"Yes, I did," Marley says in a tone that does not sit right with Candice. What was the woman getting at here? "...And I won." Ah. There it was-the old dig, the stale joke, one Candice has heard a million times before even if Marley did not outright say it. Fire-types. All of her usual tactics to deal with them had fallen flat in the face of something as damnably fast as that Arcanine, but that was the old world. If Marley wants to drag up that old victory, then she could be Candice's guest. Her new self wouldn't be so easily taken out. "You and a lot of other people," she replies with a disinterested shrug.
After asking her question, it doesn't take long for Candice to get a response-good. She has no interest in waiting around for hell to freeze over. Even Ma looks to be getting twitchy standing around, the Weavile pacing from her left side to the right, and back again.

"Two Charizard in there ... one's wounded." Charizard, now that was an interesting species to find out here in this white, howling landscape she calls home. And two of them, no less. The armored Houndoom doesn't look very happy with his companion's response, but Candice has little interest in any drama between them. She needs information, and that's it. "Myself included, the pokemon number about 6, excluding Marley's since I don't know how many there are. Strong, capable pokemon, many with access to fire and powerful enough to kill most of those rotting assholes." Strong Pokemon is exactly what Candice needs, and fire was never to be refused, despite her so-called glaring weakness. Trust was a different matter altogether, as these were complete strangers, but that could be dealt with if need be. If they did have as many Fire-types as they said, that'd be a problem, but nothing Candice cannot handle.

"We could raid the rest of the city for supplies. I'm really good at killing them." A bold statement, one that would no doubt be tested in time. There were plenty of undead to be found in the city's heart, ones that would need to be removed before their ugly taint could spread. "That's what I had been planning to do," Candice says with a nod, "This Charizard, how badly wounded are they? Can they move on their own?" It irks her to ask so many questions, but it was all necessary. Bringing in newcomers was not something that couldn't be taken seriously. It would be best to send either Ma or Borealis ahead, to warn the other two that there would be company soon enough. "The shelter I have is not the most spacious of places, but we can make things work."

Marley sighed and leaned her head into Arcanine's warm, fluffy side as Dante suggested that they traveled to Snowpoint for the supplies that Candice had mentioned. She had to agree; at least there would be more to get out of the city than this frozen, empty wasteland. From how it sounded, there would be a few undead lurking around that would need to be dispatched. Not a difficult task, considering how many of them there were. "This Charizard, how badly wounded are they? Can they move on their own?" the Gym Leader asked.

"I cleaned and dressed the wound..." Marley replied, not moving her head from Arcanine's toastiness. He was like a giant, furry radiator. "He's already had some rest ... he should be OK to walk soon but ... I don't think he'll be able to fly properly for a while." She felt it was time to mention Eris, although putting the possibility of her turning hostile on Candice into words without actually saying that was proving difficult. "The other is his ... um, friend, I think? Or something..." she muttered after a moment. "She's perfectly fine ... plenty of fighting spirit." Yeah, that would do. A warning, however vague it was, was still a warning. Now at least she couldn't be held responsible if Eris decided to barbecue the poor girl.

"I'll just head back in for a moment ... check that they're OK." She pulled herself away from Arcanine's warmth and reentered the den to see the two dragons nuzzling closely, Eris's head resting on the bed beside Greg's. They were ... oddly cute, for big, fire-breathing reptiles.

"We're planning on heading to the city to look for supplies," she told them. "Candice says that she has some to share ... are you two coming?" She looked at Greg. "Now that you've rested a little, do you want to try getting up?"

"That's what I had been planning to do," Candice firmly agrees, easing Dante's mind. At least they had a similar goal here. And with Marley adding to the not-so-subtle hint that if need be, Candice could be defeated, it made trusting this new person, her pacing Weavile and everything else about this awful situation a little more bearable. For now, even with the wounded dragon, it looked like they had the upper hand, despite being the homeless ones. "This Charizard, how badly wounded are they? Can they move on their own?"

"I cleaned and dressed the wound..." Marley replied in her apparently token stale voice. She didn't bother to move from her Arcanine, either. "He's already had some rest ... he should be OK to walk soon but ... I don't think he'll be able to fly properly for a while." She paused a moment as Dante continued to look at their surroundings-- the Weavile's anxiety was infecting him as well. Staying in an open spot so visibly in the snow was flaring every instinct he had. "The other is his ... um, friend, I think? Or something..." Get to the point already, girl... "She's perfectly fine ... plenty of fighting spirit."

Marley soon dismissed herself to go and check on said dragons, leaving her Arcanine where he was. Dante turned his grand horned head back to Candice, more than eager to get the group moving again. "The shelter I have is not the most spacious of places, but we can make things work."

He nodded, then glanced around. "The wounded Charizard may need to be carried still, but I or another large pokemon can handle that." He gave a side glance to the Arcanine, then back to Candice. "The quicker the better. I don't want to stay out here any longer than I have to-- I'm sure you'll agree. Do what you need to do to prepare your den; I'll see that the others are ready to move when you are. Send someone quick." A gust of wind suddenly picked up, hitting Dante square in the side as it died down as quickly as it had risen. It felt like a warning shot.

With that, he bounded to the others who were standing outside the den. Koru and the scores of Eevees that had managed to find one another. Knowing that he spooked at least half of them, he tried to mind his distance. "We're moving, everyone. Get yourselves ready-- shouldn't be too far of a trip." He glanced toward the den's mouth, where Marley had gone to check on the dragons. He nodded to it, asking, "You know how they're doing?"

Koru remained politely beside the others, his tail flicking gently from side to side while the espeon remained crouched. Hera's single ear kjept bent down, watching the pair of women and Dante from far away, the mistrust in her amber eyes clear. What are they talking about... But her hearing was not what it used to be, not from before the attack. Her large ears even towered over the fluffy persian. I bet his hearing could pick their words up. Sure enough, Koru was indeed keeping one tall antenna pointed their way. The words were soft but clear, however he became distracted when the Jolteon, Pachi, bounced forward with the question to Lucas.

Lucas explained he was something called an aiveon, a creature new to both of the cats, and evident as Hera's eyes flicked with emotion other than anxiety and she turned back to the feathered cat. I could have been one of those, she mused with nothing but mild curiosity. It was a releif from the stress, a distraction. The espeon enjoyed her species, she would not have changed it for anything, and she tried to give an encouraging smile to the aiveon, though her whiskers twitched. Hera was caught off guard, though, distracted by Lucas' explaination that she did not realise Dante approaching until Koru gave a chirplike meow in greeting.

"We're moving, everyone," the Houndusk explained, earning a blink of surprise from the Persian, though far from displeased. Hera's fur bristled slightly along her spine. "Get yourselves ready-- shouldn't be too far of a trip." Koru's thick lips pulled up in a grin while Hera slunk backwards, behind the lynx. "What an adventure!" he chuckled softly, kneading the snow with his large paws.

"Youu know how they're doing?" the Houndusk asked, Koru's nose pointing the same way as the dog nodded. His ears flicked. "He was awake, at least. But the space was getting crowded and I did not see how well he was faring," he admitted. Hopefully the human would not cause too much trouble.
"Where are we going?" Hera's voice was soft, eyes flickering over the form of the massive canine.