(ACE) The AMBRETTE Team

((Skip Peregrine for a few hours! Got a house inspection today and won't have enough time to finish her post))

((Skip just for the night in case I sleep in; it's late as hell and I have just a few more paragraphs to finish))

((Skip! Once Doomy edits his post, I’ll get this one edited asap!))

OoC)) Skip, Dirk is resting this round.

((Skip to restart the cycle; I need Dirk's reply/was the last to post lmao))

((Skip Peregrine, nothing for her to do for a bit until everyone settles and groups up lol.))

Zuri was hesitant to leave Eirlys alone with Yahto, even if he was pretty sure that everything would be fine while he was away. Sure, there wasn't much Yahto could do to protect her if it came to it, but surely leaving them alone wouldn't be too risky, right? The direyena watched the leafeon with a concerned stare, before his eyes flicked down to Eirlys at his feet. The puppy had her eyes up on her older brother, tail beating the dust away from the floor in an excellent impression of a feather duster. Well. Maybe by the end of their stint here, she would be an impressive shade of grey, rather and just pure white.

At least until they went out into the rain again, anyway.

The thought of the rainstorm drew his eyes back to the door they'd come in through, heaving a low but long sigh out, eyes narrowing. This rainstorm was unnatural-- surely any normal town wouldn't rain this much, bayside or not. It had been like this for days now, how long until it started to flood? The fact that they resided on a cliff was at least some solace to the direyena, that mean that it would be far harder for flooding to become dangerous, but someone could still easily be swept away and off the cliffside if they weren't careful.

The thought of Eirlys being tossed off the cliffs was the most sickening of them all, enough to solidify in Zuri's mind that it wasn't safe out there for her. Especially if he had to focus on hunting, and therefore couldn't keep his eye on his charge as well as he wanted. So, leaving her here with Yahto was the best course of action to take.

“Yes sir, I’ll guard her with my life.” Zuri snorted softly at the assurance, head cocked to the side with an amused brow raise. With his life, huh? Well... he didn't doubt that the puppy would give him a run for his money, anyway. Zuri gently nudged said puppy at his feet gently, getting a pleased hum from her as she thought about the prospect of being left with Yahto for a short time.

Maybe she could get him to tell her more stories! Or even get Yahto to chase her around the hotel, Zuri never did that because his long lanky legs meant that he caught her easily. The puppy's tail wiggled back and forth, her paws pacing in place with an excitable whine. This would be fun! No Mr. Grumpy Rules to tell her not to settle down when she got too excited, and Yahto was fun! Surely he'd be more fun than Zuri.

"Thank you," Zuri hummed out, moving to stand up and take a few strides towards the door of the kitchen, pausing only to look back at the two of them, hesitation still clear in his poasture. "If you need anything, I won't be far. I'll be as quick as I can, okay? Eirlys, behave for Yahto." He said, before slipping out from the kitchen to make his way along to the front of the hotel, leaving Eirlys where she'd been sitting, eyeing Yahto up with her endless excitement.

“Would it be okay if we played a game maybe? What do you like to play, Eirlys?” The puppy made a show of humming and huhing about the ideas, before slapping a paw on the ground with a squeaky bark, tail wagging a mile a minute. "What 'bout something like hide'n seek? Or tag! Zuri's always too fast for me, but I think I can outrun you!" She cheered out happily, bouncing a little in place as she looked up at Yahto with her best impression of pleading puppy eyes.

Yahto felt a small bubble of worry in his chest growing as Zuri slipped out and onwards for his task. A deep frown formed on his face only momentarily as he stared at where the guardian had been seconds prior, only to shake it off very literally as he turned his gaze back to the puppy.

She was giving an exaggerated and adorable spectacle about deciding what game to play before she finally landed on an idea: "What 'bout something like hide'n seek? Or tag! Zuri's always too fast for me, but I think I can outrun you!"

He chuckled at the pup’s feistiness, nodding in agreement. “When I was a child, we played sort of a blend of hide and seek and tag. So let’s say I hide, then you find me. Instead of saying, aw darn, you found me, I would take off running and you’d come tag me before I get to safe, which is where you counted. Does that make sense?”

Yahto scanned the room quickly, spotting a pile of old towels. Bingo! “Alright. I’m not going to leave this room, so please don’t wander out of here to find me, okay?”

He slunk away with long but quiet steps over to the towel fort. Giving them a sniff and a quick check for any blood or otherwise ick, he then crawled underneath them having decided they were ick-free. He was careful to hide all but the tip of his tail, strategically placing it where it wasn’t obvious but also not impossible to spot in case she got frustrated.

Gee, these towels smelled.

Dirk looked upon his work and it looked like a makeshift bed but without the comfort of one. The druddigon couldn't scratch his head on what else he needed. Holding onto a few rocks, Dirk needed to place them somewhere that would make enough noise to alert him of anyone coming. Though little did he know that two pokemon was behind him. "Greetings friend." A voice called to him. Startled by the sudden voice, Dirk accidentally tossed the rocks straight up before they came down smacking his helm three times. His eyes widen a bit before he turned around. "Nice to see another soul in this town." Another soul? They must haven't been inside yet. Well perhaps that would be true if he was the first one they seen. "Is everything alright?" The Delectroke asked. Well, if in a sense, they did startle him and unexpectedly.

The Druddigon finally speaks. "Yes, sorry, you startled me a bit. I wasn't expecting other pokemon to be out in the horrid weather." Dirk looked at both of them, The Raichu seemed nervous, maybe even be afraid of him. What on earth could be the cause of that fear? From a rough guess, the druddigon might have concluded that the fear was caused by another dragon type. If so then this might be a tough approach without causing alarm to the Raichu. "Is your friend okay? She looks a bit nervous." Dirk said in a concerned voice. Surely he could slowly try to gain the Raichu's trust but for how long wold it take? That was up to fate to decide. Hopefully he could talk with Yuri and make amends at the same time on this rainy morning. Odd though that the rain hasn't died down or stopped completely. A mystery that will have to be solved at some point but for now, it was basically showing trust and proving himself worthy of it.

Standing loosely with soft knees the Delectroke waits patiently and tries to ignore the tight grip of small brown paws against his neck. The Druddigon must have been fully engrossed in his project, whatever it may be, as he flinched upon hearing B'doke's voice and lost his hold on the stones he was moving. More flinches shook him as his collected stones fell and plunked against his skull, and the hound was left wondering if such incidents had prompted him to wear a helm. "Didn't mean to spook ya." He apologizes, voice gentle if not sympathetic. A sturdy dragon would not be harmed by such an insignificant strike, but embarrassment was another matter.

"Yes, sorry, you startled me a bit. I wasn't expecting other Pokemon to be out in the horrid weather." With a gentle grin and accompanying nod the Delectroke could not agree more. "Yes, it's not the best morning for a walk." Friendly chatter aside, it seemed unsafe to be so distracted while exposed. With a group perhaps it would be safe, but B'doke could not sense or smell other Pokemon watching them out here. Had he been separated? It would explain the sort of pacing. Maybe he was the one keeping a lookout. B'doke's brow raises at the thought; he was not a very good watch if that was the case.

"Is your friend okay? She looks a bit nervous." The fellow asks, and instantly B'doke can feel the grip squeeze even tighter against his thick neck muscles. Riley pushes her belly lower into his shoulder blades and pulls her head back behind his neck, her peeking exposing her too much though both Pokemon knew her perch did not hide her from view. Tilting his head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of her in his peripheral the Delectroke did not need a clear view to know she was a ball of nerves. Poor thing was on edge, but he would not bow to her fears so easily. Letting out a slow, gentle breath he knows all too well that introductions were not her strong suit, and he would once again take the reins.

"She's fine, just a little shy is all." He explains, motioning with one paw as he spoke. "It can be hard meeting new Pokemon these days." Letting his smile grow a little bit he hopes to see the Raichu perk up but she simply looks on with large, worried eyes. No dice huh? This fellow had been polite to them yet she still looked worried to be around another being. Well.. maybe she wasn't wrong; he had been kind but that did not make him welcoming. He offered no greeting, not even a name, and gave away nothing. Yet the dragon did not feel defensive or come off aggressive, giving the Delectroke hope that things would continue smoothly.

"Name's B'doke, and this is Riley." He pushes for an introduction, shuffling his shoulders to make sure his shadow could not remain silent. Against her own desires the Raichu pops her head up, and gives a slow, timid wave. "..Hello."  Is all she can manage to say, though she does not shy away a second time. Giving the dragon a another look she can not see or feel a hungry gaze, no predatory intent. He was.. safe enough. B'doke shifted his shoulder again on one side, and with a quick breath in the Raichu stood a little taller- if the Druddigon was going to jump them he would have by now. "What are you doing?" She asks, trying her hardest to speak up and keep her voice from trembling. They were, unfortunately, still standing out in the rain which made this all the more uncomfortable. "Wouldn't you rather be inside?" The thought of exploring was severally dampened by the thought of new company, let alone someone that knew the lay of the land, but a dry space was worth it nonetheless.

With the chill from the rain slowing her flight and the corpse in her grips weighing her down, Peregrine's trip back took longer. She dipped down to land outside the pokecenter with a heavy thud, her wings coming down to walk into the pokecenter, dragging the corpse in behind her. Once under the cover of a rooftop, the noivern shook herself out to get the cold water from her scales and fur, tossing the limp and bloody corpse into the middle of the room with a timed curl of her body and a rough kick forwards. It rolled and tudded across the floor with a gruesome flop, red smearing across the tile and leaving a trail of bloodied viscera from where entrails rolled from the cavity of the body from the movement.

Such a goreish scene was normal by now, calling the others in the pokecenter down to eat as they clambered from all over the building down to the corpse pulled in by Peregrine. Some others helped their own bags of pokemon kibble that had been looted from different houses, eating fistfuls of that over the fresh body, either too squeamish to eat it themselves, or unable to digest such a rich meal of raw meat. Peregrine herself set about cleaning her claws and jaws off from blood, turning on her heel to head right back outside, only pausing at the door to look back at the feasting group.

"Once ye fuckin' mokit dumbasses have eaten, git oot there an' start patrolin' tha fuckin' streets. There's corpses to be found oot there 'n my fuckin' to'en an' I want them gone." She hissed out, heading back outside with a tump of her tail against the wall of the Pokecenter, taking back to the skies to patrol across the town again, eyes down on the roads below her.

Now where, oh where was that pretty white pelt of the dogs they'd seen all those days ago? She wanted that thing to gut and show on the entrance to the pokecenter. What a staple it'd be, to show anyone else coming into her town that she was not friendly to newcomers unles they made themselves known to her on entering, and were useful. Peregrine had no use for worthless scraps after all.

He never enjoyed leaving Eirlys out of his sight, there were too many things that could go wrong, so much that she could get into to injure herself and Zuri wouldn't be there to help her. The old police dog heaved a sigh, looking up at the roof above him. Yahto was there; she wasn't completely unsupervised. He sucked in a slow breath, eyes closing as he paced himself, counting his steps towards the door of the hotel, ears flicking and twisting as he walked. Outside was far noisier than inside here, the rain would be pelting him so he'd need to focus on the task at hand. Eirlys would be fine, he had to believe that.

Zuri shook himself out and open his eyes again, slowing his pace as he approached the door. With a form frown, he carefully nosed the door open, immediately squinting against the rain that assaulted all of his senses. The strong scent of rain enveloped his nose and his face was sprayed with the water, soaking his white fur through within a matter of seconds. Ugh. Well, he was in it now, may as well keep going.

Zuri nosed himself out of the building and kicked it shut behind him with a back paw, looking around through the hazy fog of early morning, and the constant rain that had haunted him through the whole time he and Eirlys had been in this godforsaken town. Maybe while he was out he could find something out about that cursed rain; it definitely wasn't natural, he could only count his blessings that it hadn't started flooding yet. Being a cliffside town meant that at least the water had somewhere to go instead of becoming a dangerous flood.

Lifting his nose to the sky, Zuri took in a deep breath, his eyes closing to sort through the scents brought on the wind. Tracking through the ground would be useless; the rain would wash anything useful away. However the air still clung to what little scent it carried underneath the heavy rain scent. Underneath, focusing, Zuri could detect Dirk's scent, still fresh - was he still around somewhere? If he'd moved on the scent would me stale by now, nearly gone... but what got his attention was the scent of two others, closeby as well.

Did Dirk have others that were with him? Zuri's wet fur bristled and he opened his eyes, looking around through the dense haze created by the rain. Was Dirk's commentary in the hotel last night just a play to get his comrades here to attack? Or were they new? Strangers he hadn't yet seen and were simply in the same boat as Yahto and Dirk? Gods, he hoped they were halfway competent at least, and not like Dirk had been.

With the idea of food put on the back burner, Zuri sniffed at the air again before slowly starting to make his way towards where the faint traces of scent were coming from. Food later, he needed to make sure these new scents weren't dangerous first.

---

This was already more fun than Zuri's idea of playing! Eirlys sat her rump down on the ground, listening to Yahto with her head cocked to the side. Ears flopping as she listened and nodded along with what the leafeon was saying. “When I was a child, we played sort of a blend of hide and seek and tag. So let’s say I hide, then you find me. Instead of saying, aw darn, you found me, I would take off running and you’d come tag me before I get to safe, which is where you counted. Does that make sense?” So it was like tag and hide and seek? Eirlys nodded with an excited chirp, standing up so she could pace her feet around, dropping her chest to the floor so she could cover her eyes with her paws.

"Yep, yep, yep! I'll look for you first, so go hide, go hide!" She yapped excitedly, her tail wagging a mile a minute. Her floppy ears perked and twitched as Yahto moved about, listening for his voice to guess where he'd wandered off to.

“Alright. I’m not going to leave this room, so please don’t wander out of here to find me, okay?” He said he wasn't going to leave the room but what if that was just a trick so he could hide longer?! Oh but wait-- Zuri told her to listen to Yahto, so if he didn't want her leaving the room, why would he go hide outside the kitchen? Eirlys nodded - which smushed her nose into the floor from the movement before she wiggled down to lay on her belly, counting down with her paws over her eyes so Yahto could go hide.

"Okay, okay! Ten, nine, eight..." She started to count out loud, the last second instead coming out as an excited bark as she shot up to her paws, head swivelling back and forth excitedly. Okay! Hide and seek, she was great at this! Zuri had taught her all sorts of different tricks, so she should show them off now too! Eirlys stuck her nose to the ground and took in a deep breath, jerking her head back as it filled with dust and then sneezing loudly.

Okay, note taken- don't be that rough with it! Zuri told her tracking was a gentle thing! She shouldn't sniff that roughly but the idea had been so exciting she hadn't paid attention at the time. She she understoon why. Loweing her nose again, Eirlys took a more sensible sniff at the ground, brows furrowing as she sorted through all the confusing smells that flooded her nose. Dust, dirt, Zuri's scent - he smelled like sharp iron and the weird leather collar things they'd always use at the shelter - and the weird plant smell of Yahto. She followed after Yahto's scent, her nose to the floor as she wandered about, tail wagging happily as she trotted about trying to follow where the leafeon had slunk away to.

((OoC Skip Yahto, he’s still hiding.))

Name's B'doke, and this is Riley.” The Deletroke said and they seemed pretty friendly. Maybe they’re lost and just looking for a place to stay dry. As much as Dirk would want to provide them shelter, he couldn’t at this time. Not only that, he felt that there’s things on his mind that he wants to be alone on. Not to be rude to them or anything but it would just make him feel better if he got that stress out. “Wouldn't you rather be inside?” Dirk wanted to tell them why he was outside and not inside, yet he didn’t want to cause any trouble for those inside by bringing up what happened. Only thing he could really say was that he needed some time outside to think.

The Druddigon gave a small smile in his response. “I would but I just need some time out here alone. Some rather complicated things are on my mind and unfortunately I just need some fresh air to get things off my mind.” He said respectfully to B’doke and Riley. Not that he didn’t want company but he didn’t want to be misrepresented as a threat. “You both aren’t locals here either I assume?” Dirk asks them both. He wasn’t even sure if anyone here are local pokemon but he’ll find out eventually.

“I would but I just need some time out here alone. Some rather complicated things are on my mind and unfortunately I just need some fresh air to get things off my mind.” A deep frown settled on Riley's face as she listened to the dragon. While she still was not a fan of this new Pokemon she could be sympathetic for someone wanting space. Whatever was troubling him must be heavy for the dragon to be willing to stay out in the rain. Or maybe it just doesn't bother him. She realized mid-thought, but that was not important and she was not about to ask. At least, she sighed internally, it didnt seem like he would harm them.

"Ah, sorry to bother you then." The Delectroke replies in her stead. Space was valuable, respectable, needed and healthy, but a troubled heart often healed best with the help of others, and he couldn't help but want better for this amiable dragon. His paws hesitated, still wanting to head in the direction of the hotel for all their sakes, and he could not get himself to turn away despite his own farewell. “You both aren’t locals here either I assume?” With a gentle nod he answers, taking the conversation as a chance to linger. "Just wanderers passing through." An earnest explanation, the electric types had not settled in any one place very long since starting their travels. "Got a little turned around by the weather, but we're making the best of things while we wait it out." With an awkward but fervent nod Riley chimed back in, her guilt a ball in her stomach that she had to swallow back down. "Like searching a spooky hotel."

Despite the small weight on his back the fur along B'doke's neck and spine started to raise, and unnerving sense tingling down his body; they were not alone. Dirk was not causing the sensation, but the bead of sweat forming within his damp fur could not be denied. Had they been spotted, where they being watched? That he could not say, but the battle worn Pokemon knew to keep his guard up regardless. Hicking his shoulders slightly the Delectroke makes a small huff and flicks his ear, and without any further communication Riley lowers herself back down between his shoulder blades. With perked ears and alert eyes she reduces her size why scouting for her mate. She knew not what tipped him off but would listen without question.

((Skip Peregrine, she's flying over the town looking for people. Don't want her finding them too quickly lol))

The downsides to such bright fur was the fact that stealth was near impossible. Zuri briefly put his nose to the ground to see if there was anything of use scent wise, only frowning as his first thoughts had been correct; the onyl scent that greeted him was wet mud and rain. Scent was wasted in the rain, and what little wisped in the air was short-distance at best. He took careful steps toward as he lifted his head to the sky again, eyes squinted against the rain. The heavy smell of water flooded his nose, but he was to sift through that to look further underneath for what he was actually after.

Zuri hummed out a low growl as Dirk's scent and two others were picked from the air, twisting himself back and forth to try and pinpoint the direction. He paced a few more steps and scented the air, only to turn and wander the other way. Food was less of an important thing right now, he wanted to find out who else was here. If they were a danger to Eirlys, he wanted to know sooner rather than later. He paced forward towards the path, looking through the hazy rain and to the skies, trying to see if there was anything in his sights.

With scent next to useless he next senses were his best bet. Ears perked high and head lifted to look around, Zuri swivelled his head around before pausing at the sight of a shock of yellow against the neutral tones of the ground and walls of the buildings. He froze, tail lifted over his back in confidence and head held high. Cautiously, Zuri stepped forward to try and get a better look, head dipping slightly as he did so to sniff causiously in the direction of what he was looking at.

After sifting out the scent of rain he confirmed this was the scents he was looking for, carefully stepping a few more paces forward. There wasn't a scent of rot, the clean smell of something living was something he'd very quickly learned to differentiate, and Zuri let his cautious hackles flatten slightly. Of course he was still cautious, he didn't want to let his guard down without properly figuring out ig these newcomers were a threat or not.

He could only see one of them, and lifting his head slightly he could see Dirk behind them, blinking slowly. Of course, he hadn't left. Zuri didn't expect anything else, really. But his nose didn't lie - he could detect three scents. So who and where was the third one? He shifted cautuously, swallowing hard to steel his nerves and took another careful step forward, calling out over the rain, "dreadful weather isn't it? I mean you no harm. I picked up your scents under the rain and wanted to see if you were safe." He stayed where he stood, not wanting to start a fight right now, especially so early in the morning.

He still needed to get food later, and getting himself injured would not help with that endeavor.

---

This was fun!! She's gotten more dust in her nose afew more times as she sniffed around, nose to the ground and tail going a mile a minute as she snuffed around. Eirlys sneezed again as a particularly vigorous sniff had more dust going up her nose, shaking her head back and forth. Zuri made this look so easy! How was it so hard to follow someone's stink? Zuri never lost his trails when he was tracking, Eirlys had seen it! So how did he do it?

Wandering back along the floor of the kitchen, she sniffed around, trying to find that weird plant smell again. Once she found it, Eirlys focused right in on it as best she could, trying to chase the little scraps of smell on the ground and in the air as she ran back and forth to look for Yahto. The closer she got to where she assumed he was hiding the stronger it got, which was as good as she'd get, really! Eirlys's tail thumped against the walls and counters around her as she hurried back and forth, lifting her head up again with a stong sneeze before her eyes locked onto that pretty pretty tail of Yahto's sticking out of a pile of towels.

With an excited bark she went running for the pile, lunging herself into the pile with reckless abandon to start digging down to where the leafeon was. "Found you Yahto!!" She squealed excitedly, snuffing her nose and face into the towels to try and find the grass type and where he was hiding so they could play the fun tag part of the game. She wanted to chase Yahto around now! He had to be slower than Zuri, so she'd definitely catch him for sure!

Yahto tried to stifle a mischievous chuckle as he observed Eir checking everywhere except where his tail was currently parked. An absolute genius at hide and seek is another thing he could add to his resume, and he was not going to be humble about it.

“Mwahahaha…”

His heart thumped anxiously every time she approached where he lay, charting a path to freedom— such a small pup couldn’t possibly be a fast runner, could she?

Hmm…

Maybe he was being too competitive. Was that wrong? What if he won this game and then let her win the second one… she was a smart cookie though, too much leniency and she would figure out he’s throwing the game. Couldn’t have that!

Yahto watched the pup scent about excitedly, with her tail happily smacking her surroundings as her search intensified.
The Leafeon laughed quietly to himself at the antics, especially the movie-esque sneeze— but what quickly followed was the pup’s eyes locking on his location as if the sneeze had been her shifting into her second phase. Yahto definitely heard boss music now, and she was coming straight at him.

"Found you Yahto!!"

The Leafeon yelped a squeak of surprise and terror, barreling out of the towels the best he could, scrambling away from this— this savage— with the grace of a newborn girafarig, but the horror this feisty puppy struck  into Yahto was overpowering his clumsiness and driving him to flee his tiny pursuer around every curve and roundabout the kitchen had, rather than aiming directly for “home.”

Taking a moment to breath, Dirk then considers trying to catch up to the other two. That was until he heard a voice that froze him in his tracks. "dreadful weather isn't it? I mean you no harm. I picked up your scents under the rain and wanted to see if you were safe." It was Zuri but he seemed less agitated. Dirk's instincts had told him not to do anything rash this time instead show he's willing to cooperate as long as it takes. Come on Dirk, just move out there, tell him you're sorry and tell him that you're willing to cooperate with him. Try as he might, he was locked in place. It would be more embarrassing if he was ordered to come out but he wasn't going to let it happen. Finally he began to move from his position.

Dirk takes some deep breaths but then he stops to let Zuri finish up and not interrupt him. He waited until the conversation was over but until then, he reflected on his mission that he was tasked in case he was missing any key details. So far he hasn't missed a single detail except one. That's when it hit him. That was his mistake he made. Ahh hell, guess trying again wouldn't hurt. Better let those three finish talking first before I try again. With that in mind, he waits until they're done.

Whether their idle musing were not entertaining enough or the answers not what he had wanted to hear the dragon turned away from the conversation and resumed whatever he had been doing before. B'doke gave a respectful nod our of habit, they had already given a dismissal after all, and shuffled his paws to signal they were moving on to Riley. But even lifting one foot made her tense up, her small brown paws gripping tightly at his fur as if to say, dont move. The uneasy feeling of being watched had not waned, if anything it was getting more acute, but he knew standing around would aid them not. An uncomfortable twinge tingles against his spine, and while the Delectroke did not panic he instinctually looks to Dirk for answers. Lost in his own world the dragon did not seem aware of the presence and continued about his business. Was it a trap, something he was in on, or was he doubting an innocent bystander?

Digging his claws into the ground B'doke did not know, and decided to cut their loses while it was still possible. He turned slightly, not wanting to completely turn his back on the Druddigon nor go back the way they had come, and he finally spotted the flash of white. The brilliant color had not been there before, but the trained hound did not react and knew not to directly stare in its direction. "We can always search somewhere else," he breathes out, responding to Riley's last remark that had gone unanswered as a true mark of departure. He could feel her shuffle, clearly disappointed that they had not managed to persuade the dragon into letting them inside, nor had they even attempted to make a deal. Sorry Riles, gotta play it safe. Was this white thing friend of foe, to them, Drik, or both? The Delectroke takes a couple steps, keeping himself perpendicular to the spot he had saw and giving it no indication of notice, but gods he was ready to protect himself, Riley, and even Dirk if needed.

When the creature did move forward it was not in a flurry of heated paws or an attack, but calm, firm steps. As he appeared B'doke gave in to the chance to look, and was genuinely surprised to see another unusual Pokemon with an even more striking coloration. He spoke with a confident voice, cautious but not outright aggressive as he greeted them. "Dreadful weather isn't it? I mean you no harm. I picked up your scents under the rain and wanted to see if you were safe." With a small tilt of his head the massive electric type eyes his fellow hound. The Pokemon seemed in good health, strength clear within his pelt, and he could not detect any other watchful eyes around them. "Not the best morning for a walk." He jests back in earnest, unburdened by the rain though he was always partial to the arid tinge of his home.

Riley's pelt was a wash of cold apprehension as she stayed in her low position. He had smelled them under the rain, through all the moisture and mud? That was impressive to say the least, if not disconcerting to know they could be tracked so easily. That they could be hunted even with the wet blanket.. "We're quite alright, just trying to look around a bit while we're here. Is there something out here we should keep an eye out for?" B'doke inquires after another repeated explanation. What could be out here that another sturdy Pokemon was warning about safety? Even with Dirk over yonder the majority of those present were powerful Pokemon who had been around the block so to speak. The weather itself was troublesome but not outright dangerous, bringing both electric types a bit of curious concern. The bird? Riley doubted her own thought, knowing all too well a prey creatures fears meant nothing to the boys around her.

((Once more skipping Peregrine to let people settle in and get to know each other.))

Zuri's red eyes scanned the larger canine in front of him. It wasn't often that the ex police dog felt dwarfed by something else these days, but the sheer size of the hound in front of him was certainly a humbling reminder to Zuri that there was always someone bigger. Not that it would dissuade him from keeping his charge safe - and now Yahto as well, he supposed. He slowly scanned his eyes up and down the other pokemon, not sizing him up but merely observing. He wanted to know who else was here after all, and if they were another possible friend.

Someone of that size definitely knew how to use it, Zuri would assume. And they way they held themselves said they too, were protecting someone. His gaze softened in recognition, giving a curt nod in greeting, his tail lowering slightly and hackles laying flat. He wasn't here to act like he was going to attack them after all, posturing aggresively would only cause more damage when it wasn't needed. Zuri placed his feet evenly to shift his weight to a comfortable stand, head rised confidently to meet the bigger hound's gaze firmly but without malice.

"Not the best morning for a walk." Zuri huffed out a soft breath of agreement, his mouth curving very briefly into a relieved and amused smile. Well, they had a sense of humor at least, that was better than what could be said for others. Zuri found that having some humor in times like this was always better than simply looking in the doom in everything. Living with a child gave him a better view on the positives, even if only for her sake rather than his own.

While Zuri kept his eyes up on the new pokemon to show he was attentive to what they were saying, he kept himself at a slight angle, ears swivelled back to listen intently to the rain pelting down around them in case there was a shift in how it fell. The last thing he wanted was to get snuck up here, and he still hadn't figured out where exactly that third pokemon was hiding. "We're quite alright, just trying to look around a bit while we're here. Is there something out here we should keep an eye out for?" To look out for; definitely. Zuri had seen the shadow in the skies through the days he'd been here with Eirlys alone, and with such a small puppy with him, her small size was the perfect target for a hungry flying pokemon looking for a meal to take from a isolated location like this town was.

He flicked his eyes up to the clouds above, scanning to see if he could see that dark shadow up there in the early morning light that filtered gloomily through the clouds. He couldn't see it; but he wouldn't rule it out that it was there either. "My charge and I have been here for a few days now, and I've noticed a shadow in the skies intermittently throughout the days and nights. I'm not one for taking risks on the best of days, and with this miserable weather I don't feel like finding out what exactly it is on my own." He explained quietly, lowering his voice with a sidelong glance at Dirk behind the larger electric type, before looking back at the hound.

"The last 24 hours has been the most active I've seen this place in days, before now it's only been myself and my charge for almost a week now. I would've moved on long before now, but I cannot risk their safety with unknowns in the sky." He explained, pacing himself in a slow circle briefly before sitting down, facing squarely ahead at the larger hound with his head held high. "What about you? What brought you here, surely not the scenery I'd hope."

---

The moment Yahto was exploding from the towels with a flurry of purples, blues and linen had Eirlys barking excitedly and scrambling herself from the towels to follow after the leafeon as he fled like a bat out of hell. Short and stumpy paws scrabbled to grip the tiles of the kitchen and Eirlys stumbled the first few steps before she got her paws under her and sprinted after Yahto with reckless abandon.

Another set of excited barks escaped from the puppy as she ran as fast as her little legs could take her around the kitchen to chase after the pretty purple and blue tail of the grass type. Short claws scrabbled for traction and her tail wagged a mile a minute to thwack against the walls, counters and anything else in the way, sweeping abandoned mops and buckets across the floor with a loud clatter and dragging old, musty washcloths from the long abandoned countertops.

Eirlys watched as Yahto ran around a counter island and skidded to a halt to circle around the other side to try and cut the leafeon off, though stealth was completely out the window thanks to her excited giggling and barks. "I'll get you Yahto! Don't underestimate me!" She laughed out joyfully, scrambling up on top of one counter to race across and send cutlery scattered into the various empty sinks and pots that were left up there, trying to jump down on top of the leafeon from above.

He was laughing harder than he could ever remember since this… epidemic.

The back of Yahto’s throat grew irritated with the heavy breaths in between fits of laughter as he fled his small pursuer through the room. As he rounded the corner of the cluttered island, his self proclaimed Yahty-Senses kicked in— which were nothing more than detecting Eirlys’ giggles and barks shifting from behind him to in front as he skidded to a fast halt.

"I'll get you Yahto! Don't underestimate me!"

His freeze response activated upon hearing the creative canine clamber atop the said counter and power through any and all roadblocks. Uh oh— knives! She could get hurt! He inhaled a breath ask Eirlys please not to do that—

Suddenly the puppy burst into his sight from above like an epic introduction in an action movie. The sound he made was comparable to a horrified squeaky toy and he was whirled around to run once more in almost an instant. His paws fought to find traction, leaving him running in place like a glitching video game character.

The weight of the puppy crashed down onto his spine and resulted in an immediate KO— a sharp huff left his open mouth as the surprise pressure forced him onto his belly.
“Noooooooo!” He cried out with playful dramatics. “I was the champion of hide and seek! My crown— it has been taken awaaay!”

The Leafeon huffed and chuckled— you would think his cardio would be better for how often he flees from fights.

“You are very good at this!” He sat back up and gave a bow of respect to the puppy, “Your turn to hide!”

OoC)) Skip, Dirk is just waiting this round until he and Zuri are alone.

"My charge and I have been here for a few days now, and I've noticed a shadow in the skies intermittently throughout the days and nights. I'm not one for taking risks on the best of days, and with this miserable weather I don't feel like finding out what exactly it is on my own." B'doke's muzzle settles into a furrow of thought, and while he was listening respectfully he could not help but feel Riley utterly deflate behind him. Her form shrunk down even more then he thought possible, a chill seeping throughout her body that was not caused by the rain. A twinge of guilt deepens his frown; she has been so frightened this morning yet he had played it off like nothing. If this respectable Pokemon did not wish to engage this shadow then Riley would have never stood a chance. A shiver runs along his own spine; he could easily be alone right now had she not been so lucky.

"The last 24 hours has been the most active I've seen this place in days, before now it's only been myself and my charge for almost a week now. I would've moved on long before now, but I cannot risk their safety with unknowns in the sky." Shuffling his weight upon his paws the large canine gives another nod as the white dog paces about. "A shadow you say? There was a run in with one of those this morning, though admittedly I hadn't thought much of it at the time. I guess we got lucky." As he spot Riley dug her paws into his pelt and squeezed, the intensely enough to make him twinge. "Lucky?! I was horrified!" She yelps, standing up tall to peak over and look him in the eye. The deathly sensation of looking down on, of malicious intent, of impending doom- she had not imagined it! Staring at him with a sullen scowl the Delectroke looked back with an almost awkward glance. It was not the angle causing it, and after a few moments felt her body stiffen up with realization. Letting her blue gaze slide forward she looks at the white hound much like a deer in the headlights, her own hesitations forgotten in her outburst. Her lips squeeze together as if to say something, but no she can not move them or any other part of her even.

Even her tail fell limp, clumsily dangling all the way to the ground as she froze up. With a tiny sigh B'doke looks back at the white canine and gives a sheepish smile. "Maybe I'm not giving it enough credit." It was hard to say if this shadow was even the same thing; Riley jumped at the smallest sound sometimes, and he had not witnessed this flying thing himself. Yet, worrying about it now was getting them nowhere, and he shuffles his shoulder to break Riley from her self-imposed trance. "But where are my manners? My name is B'doke, and this is Riley." Lifting one paw Riley gives a halfhearted wave and does not bother to hide herself again. What was the point, she thought, of having a hiding spot if she never stuck to it?

With the warning given the canine asks a more lighthearted question. "What about you? What brought you here, surely not the scenery I'd hope." While he was being amiable B'doke doubted the question was just for friendly banter. "Just a couple travelers passing through. Heading north along the top of the coast but got a little sidetracked with the weather and all." Tipping his snout a bit more to the sky B'doke looks past the town and buildings for the clifftops in the distance. Where exactly had they slid down, he wondered, was it visible from here? It all looked the same in the night, and try as he might nothing looked familiar from that movement. "Oddly enough we were headed to a quiet town up north, supposed to be beautiful. With the condition of these cliffs in the rain though it may be best to wait out the weather."