Fandom Tribal Troubles (Pokemon Gijinka)

[AmethystRoze]

741 × 1078

Diana

"Hehe.. and it's not like you need to worry about me, being so important, i mean, i'm not really all that necesary anyway.." Diana continued to ramble at the alpha, her mouth running on autopilot that was fueled by her nerves..... When suddenly. Oh no....... Fiero burst through the door. This could only end in disaster. Not that she didn't like him, but THE ALPHA'S BROTHER WAS HERE. What would he think of her being friends with a non-tribemate? And, she liked the guy, but heaven knows he's not the most formal guy.

"Oh... hello Fiero!" She said nervously. She looked down at the bag he threw and saw that half of it was crabgrass..... Typical Fiero. "I was just helping the alpha's brother." She stressed the words, hoping he'd put a rein on his energy.... What if the Alik didn't like him? Would she be excommunicated? Would they replace her? "With a headache, we were about to go pick some herbs."

Jayus KiKi Kitsune

AI10100

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Alik

He waved off her concern about his distaste of the taste. Medicine rarely tasted good. He knew that much about healing. That was about it though. Alik found the healer tripping over her own words somewhat amusing and had to refrain from chuckling at her clear nerves.

The alpha’s brother’s ears perked up at that. Quite literally too. “I would be glad to assist you if you would allow. I’m free until the scouts get back and we don’t even know if that will be today.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. He knew better than to explain why the scouts would take his instant attention once they returned. “You also don’t need to be so formal. Emrik is my brother, but I don’t have any official titles anyway.” He offered Diana a smile he hoped was reassuring. He wasn’t great with trying to ease other people.

He looked to the entrance as someone stepped through it. He was instantly on edge as he didn’t recognise the scent as one of his own tribe members. His metaphorical – or real – hackles went down as he saw Fiero enter. He wasn’t particularly fond of the infernape, but Fiero hadn’t caused any issues, so Alik couldn’t find it in himself to dislike him either.

The poochyna nodded in greeting, letting the other two speak. They seemed friendly with each other. Alik didn’t mind. Diana was rather recluse anyway. Someone energetic like Fiero was probably a good person to have as a friend for her.

AmethystRoze AI10100

Taima & May

Taima’s face was still fighting to get back to its usual pale complexion when the human spoke to her. She nodded quickly, not actually considering what he was asking for, but remembering that the gijinka were asked to help the humans however they could. The togepi waddled forward and stood near Taima’s feet with its small arms waving to ask to be picked up. With a timid tenderness, Taima crouched so she could gather the egg-like pokemon in her arms.

The gijinka stood slowly, being very careful about the togepi in her arms. Only once she was fully certain that no harm would come to the small pokemon did she carefully follow after May and Ellis. While she wouldn’t say it – mostly because she was too worried that speaking would break her concentration and possibly result in her falling and hurting Annie – she found the presence of the little togepi calming.

May, on the other hand, was a bundle of stress hidden behind a welcoming smile. “Your pokemon? Oh yes, humans have amazing control over their pokemon. That sounds like a great idea.” She replied to Ellis. She strode with purpose but made sure to go slowly enough that Ellis and Taima were able to keep up easily. “I’ve seen a handful of battles with pokemon. You call them from little balls. That must make transport much easier. I do wonder, can you even get larger pokemon in those little spheres?” She asked as they walked. At his answer, she gave him her full attentiveness.

They reached the area a minute later. Taima was several feet behind, watching the floor with intensity. For once, it wasn’t because she couldn’t meet other’s eyes, but rather to make sure she didn’t trip over anything and hurt Annie. As May looked at the area, her smile twitched but managed to stay in place. One quick look was all she needed to know that this wasn’t going to end well. There were so many small things that had to be finished that should have been done hours before.

May’s had twitched. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Once she deemed herself sufficiently clamed, she straightened her back and strode into the area. All the gijinka who were lazing about or chatting idly instantly shrivelled back as May moved towards them with purpose. She stopped in the centre of the circle where the banquet was going to be held. A low, wooden post wall separating it from the rest of the village. It was where they held most of their bigger celebrations.
“I don’t know who said you could take a multiple hour break, but it definitely wasn’t me.” Her voice was sharp. “You can rest tomorrow when the banquet is done, but for now,” Her eyes glared at each of the gijinka in turn. “Get off your asses and do your jobs.” There was an unspoken warning in those words that the villagers of Azoth knew they didn’t want to be the victim of. After a moment of silence, they all scrambled to their feet and their assigned tasks.

May sighed once most of them were out of hearing distance. “I am sorry about that. The excitement of the whole ordeal has got everyone not wanting to do any work.” She took another breath, gathering herself. “May I ask what pokemon you have? That would make it easier to see what tasks are best suited to you.”

Jayus

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Lexi

The furret gijinka gave a small nod to Lucas. “Yes, we have farms, but a lot of the food that we use for pokemon comes from the forest surrounding the village.” She looked over the pokemon. Seeing they were all satisfied with their meals, she sat across from the humans. She played with her hands nervously.
“We were told to answer any questions you may have. I’m not the most knowledgeable gijinka, but I will try my best if there is anything you wish to know.” With the offer in the air, Lexi pondered for a moment. She reached into her pack and retrieved her notebook which had quick, messy notes. She briefly looked over a few of the points that had questions marks next to them.
“I do have a few questions.” Lexi said with a smile. “Please let me know if I overstep any boundaries. I don’t know what may or may not be taboo in your culture.” The gijinka nodded in acceptance.
“How does evolution work for you? Are you born as – I assume from your tail – a furret?”
The gijinka looked pensive for a moment, formulating an answer. “I was born as a sentret after my father’s side. All children are born as the... first form. When we reach certain milestones – no one is quite sure what they are – we evolve much like a pokemon. Our more... human features stay the same. Some change hair colour and even the tint of your skin. I got paler when I evolved. The more pokemon aspects change more drastically. It took me months before I got used to not being able to stand on my tail anymore.” She chuckled slightly at that.

Lexi had been scribbling notes down as the gijinka spoke. She smiled widely as the woman finished. “That was really informative, thank you!” Lexi looked to Lucas, not wanting to hog all the questions to herself. “Lucas?” Their pokemon were almost done eating and Lexi wanted to explore more once they were. While this furret gijinka had been very accommodating, there was a whole village full of wonders and possibly mysteries.

SpookySableye

 

[Jayus]

Ellis
​

Ellis looked down at the belt slung across his body. The pokeballs rested comfortably in their respective pouches and each member of his team waited patiently for their Henshu debut. Usually when he was walking most of the team would be around him except for Brina. Even though she was by far the largest member of his team she was also very happy to simply lay in the pokeball until called upon for food or battle.

"Why yes I think I could confidently deduce every pokemon can fit inside a pokeball. I could even argue it's rather comfortable for them." He snuck a glance over at Taima and Annie. While he had no reason to distrust such a timid woman he did stress for his little togepi. Annie was most definitely the baby of the group and having her be out of his immediate grasp and in a few instances out of his sight did make him incredibly anxious. Seeing the little pokemon happily giggling and waving her little arms around excitedly in Taima's arms did ease his conscience greatly.

He didn't even realize he had reached the area of the banquet. There was an array of long tables stretched far with many chairs and table lined on the sides. They were beautiful and seemed to be made out of a gorgeous and fine wood, but that appeared to be the only thing which has been done. Many gijinka of all shapes and sizes sat on tables and chairs and were laughing loudly between themselves. The few phrases Ellis caught he assumed were inside jokes. He watched on as May closed the distance between herself and the others. The look in their eyes even from so far away was indication enough for him this was most definitely not what the area should look like and most definitely not what they were meant to be doing. He exchanged an awkward glance with Taima as the scene unfolded before them. He wasn't sure if he should turn away or to slip into the background. Both of which he was good at. Once the Gijinkas scattered across the area May appeared again before him her smile a bit more strained than it was before and he could faintly see a twitch in one of her eyes.

He didn't even register her question at first, but after a long pause he jolted back to reality.

"R-right so..." He started, lacing a slim finger over each pokeball to show who was who for both himself and the gijinka around him.

"This one here is Vadimas and he's an Alakazam. Melaena is a Houndoom. Cindra is a Lucario. Esmond is a Gallade and Brina-" He paused looking around the area. His brows knitting in concern and his face straining a bit under the image of her bursting out the pokeball and destroying everything.

"Brina I don't think will be much help here. And you've already met Annie." He said gesturing back to her. Hearing her name she perked up and happily chortled her name and practically bouncing in her spot. Ellis suppressed a smile.

"So who should I call out? Who would be the most help. I can give you my word they'll all be eager to help in any way they can." Annie cried out her agreements.

KiKi Kitsune

Eliora:​

Eliora had positioned herself in her office. Seperated by the main room by thick vines she sat comfortably in her chair with a book in hand and a few more gracefully floating above her head in a soft lavender light. Hearing the familiar sound of footsteps her large ears pricked up at the sound of it. Her attention rose momentarily from her book to assess how serious it was. Hearing a familiar voice she let out a small exhalation of amusement.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be out in a moment." She called out. Putting the book down she carefully willed the others to graciously fall on a neat stack on her desk. Once she was sure everything was neat and in its place she moved the vines aside and looked around the room. Locking eyes with the scout a small half-smile danced across her face. Despite Drizo always being busy she enjoyed his company whenever he came through which was becoming quite frequent as of recent. She figured he was just making sure she was taking breaks as she rarely did leave the medical hut.

"You know." She said casually. "I just told Ash to not be so anti-social and to greet the humans." She teased him. Planting herself near him in one of the waiting chairs she folded her legs one over the other, her one hand propping her head up and the other lying lazily in her lap.

"So how's the world out there so far? Anything fallen apart? I'll only know by the Banquet."

AI10100

Mallory:
​

Mallory smiled and nodded her head. Gesturing for her and Yldiena to follow her they made their way down the winding path. A few gijinka passed them, but no exchanges were made. A polite nod here and there, but not nearly as much attention as the Alphas brought with them. Not to mention Mallory herself didn't know too many people. Hearing Sayori's next question she was a bit taken aback. She knew perfectly well what games were, but she hardly participated in. Come to think of it she hardly found anything really fun either. Something she herself never had to say aloud. A light pink dusted her porcelain complexion at the thought of admitting such a thing to anyone. She never gave it too much thought, but the idea now was quite embarrassing. She thought hard on what she enjoyed doing, but she kept drawing a blank. Was she really that dull?

Her brows knitted in frustration and her nose scrunched ever so slightly. What did she do?

"I enjoy listening to Eliora." She started off lamely. Was that all she enjoyed doing? Her shoulders sagged gently under the realisation dawning on her.

"I'm sorry if this may be disappointing I don't really do much for fun. If I'm honest I don't remember what the last thing I did for fun was." She said offering a weaker smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She felt bad for the human. There were a multitude of interesting and lively gijinka on the island who she was sure was far more interesting than her.

"I do find great pleasure in my work and helping people. And I do like collecting and finding new plants and flowers. But I'm sure neither of those are particularly interesting." She said rubbing the back of her head a bit insecure by the truth. She hadn't really experienced anything truly fun and lively since... before.

"What about you? What do you do for fun? I'm sure there are many things you and Yldiena can get up to together?" She said trying to change the subject.

AmethystRoze

 

[Jayus]

Anaika:
​

Anaika heaved a dramatic sigh and ran a frantic hand through her long locks. Luckily the human hadn't hurt herself too badly, but the thought that this could have an impact on how she perceived the island and gijinkas alike did bother her immensely. She wasn't the type to be anxious. Rather her often devil-may-care whatever happens happens attitude was enough to drive May and anyone else remotely organized into a panic. This felt a bit different. If humans were discovered by Kiba this could end up a lot worse. Far worse than she can or could comprehend. No! She slapped herself on the face a few times trying to distract herself from her thoughts for a moment. She mustn't think like that! Everyone was! If she thought like that it would cause even more tension among gijinkas who understood the risk. Seeking a distraction she looked around. Perhaps she should go see how the banquet is going with May...

Not a moment later her rose-tinted eyes caught sight of a little gijinka with a large book. Ash. Her face brightened and fell just as quickly. What was the little one doing? And why was she by herself?

"Ash!" She called out, picking up her layered dress up to get closer quicker. In her scurry she gave a few polite nods to those who greeted and a few waves before finally reaching the little litten.

"Ash what on Henshu are you doing?" She asked her voice rising and falling an octave. "What did I tell you this morning? You're more than welcome to read just please not without Suvinay and not today! There's humans here." She said exasperatedly looking at her with a questioning gaze pleading for some explanation.

Nox Aeternae

 

[SpookySableye]

Noah
Noah nodded in response to Nickel's input on a strategy. "Yeah, a sabotage would be very risky." He agreed, "I agree though that the thing we need most right now is time. We don't really know how the humans are going to act, which given the fact that they are staying with Azoth, it only makes predicting the outcome more complicated. The question I'm worrying about is, how much time do we have before someone forces our hand...?" Noah looked like he was thinking again, followed by a look of frustration with himself. He knew that most of thoughts would be things that the alphas would have to worry about, but he couldn't help but attempt to think of solutions himself or with Nickel. "It might be a good idea to try to keep an eye on the humans from the shadows when we can though. However, if they stay within Azoth territory, that could prove to be dangerous..." At this point, it seemed that the two were now getting closer and closer to safety in their territory, which was good. While he wasn't going to just yet, he could now afford to lower his guard a little bit, and not have be as stealthy as they were earlier. That was when something clicked in Noah's brain near immediately, and his mood seemed like it notably improved. This is because there just so happened that there was a certain Zoroark gijinka in the Kiba tribe who just so happened to have a set of abilities that would work great for this situation. "If we end up doing more within Azoth territory, I could get Zora to tag along on a mission." Noah stated, "Her illusion abilities could be very useful if we were to go deeper in and keep a close eye on them."

Pocket ​

 

[Nox Aeternae]

Ash​

Ash looked up, ears swiveling as a familiar voice called her name. Anaika. She stopped walking and waited while the alpha hurried over. Her impassive expression didn't change, even as the older Gijinka scolded her.

"I know," she answered simply. "That's why I was looking for you. I was going to find a quiet place to read, but Eliora stopped me and told me I should try to be more active in today's events. So I decided to see if you or Suvinay needed any help." She blinked. That's when she noticed the alpha's apprehensive state. While it may not be as obvious to others, growing up around her had made the Litten fairly adept at reading her caretaker's unspoken messages, and this whole event seemed to be doing a number on the Persian's nerves. Unless it was something else that was bothering her. "You seem tense," stated the child in a matter-of-fact tone. "Is there something I can do to help? Do you need me to find Mallory so she can cast Aromatherapy on you?" She didn't say it out loud, but she didn't like seeing Anaika anxious, not when she was usually so confident and cheerful. It made her even more determined to help ease her heavy load.

Jayus

Zora​

Zora zipped around the village, completing odd jobs wherever she could find them. The Zoroark was filled with boundless energy today and was trying to put said energy to good use by helping out her fellow villagers. She was also kind of bummed that she hadn't been picked to go on the scouting mission into Azoth territory and was attempting to distract herself with work. However, even though she was disappointed, she still looked forward to the scouts' return and hearing what interesting news they had to share, and so as she dashed to and fro completing her chores, she kept a close eye on the village entrances, wanting to greet them as soon as they returned.
After a little while, she slowed to a stop, deciding to take a quick breather on her way to deliver a load of gemstones and ore to the village jewelry crafters. She took a seat on a bench and leaned back, exhaling loudly. Her eyes closed for no more than ten seconds before the sound of voices and the pattering of small feet caused her to open them again. The Zoroark found herself surrounded by a small group of children, all looking up at her with bright, excited faces.

"Zora! Come play with us!" shouted one of the children, a young Zubat Gijinka.

"Yeah! Tell us a story!" cried another, a Teddiursa. She tugged at Zora's hand. The Zoroark smirked and reached out to tousle the child's hair.

"Sorry kids, but I'm pretty busy today. Maybe some other time, ok?" The children's' faces fell.

"Aw come on, please!" They begged, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Just for a few minutes?" She looked between them, her resolve crumbling. Well, perhaps she could spare a few minutes...

"Oh...alright! Watch this!" She reached into the bucket containing the gemstones and picked out several of the larger ones. Then, she stood and held the gems out in front of her. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed them into the air and began to juggle them. The children clapped and cheered; Zora grinned.

​

 

[AI10100]

Drizo | Fearow
Tribe: Azoth
Moves: Drill Run, Drill Peck, Agility, Aerial Ace, Roost
Interacting with: Jayus
Mentions:

Hearing her approval to his request, Drizo had not wasted any time as he crashed onto the bed - chest pressing down on the mattress. However unfortunate it was, his wings got in the way when he just wanted to fall onto the bed. He had to be extremely careful with them if he wanted to lay on his back. Therefore, he's always found laying down on his front. His wings spread slightly towards the side which showed that he was more relaxed than earlier.

He gave her a grin back when their eyes met. He adjusted his position so that he was more comfortable while craning his head against the pillow to properly look at his current companion.

With the addition of the tease, Drizo stuck his tongue out childishly before shrugging. "The others are taking care of them. I'll have all the time to talk to them later." Drizo pointed out. Besides, it was such a hassle to approach them. He'd really rather not to do anything extra for someone else. This made him feel ever so slightly sorry for Ash. Had he caught the kid earlier, he would have given her a chance of reprieve to finish a book or whatever else she was planning on doing. Perhaps that was not the most ideal way of dealing with things, but Drizo was far from the ideal in their tribe.

"Nothing much. Saw May take one of the humans to the Holy Grounds. Wonder how Taima's handling that." Drizo said, recalling the brief moment from earlier. Surely, May wouldn't force Taima to do something she couldn't so he guessed it would be fine. "Drystan and I got into a... disagreement earlier but that wasn't anything big. No trouble on the forefront either but I'm going out later to make sure." His job was a tireless one after all. Hm, the irony was not lost within the gijinka. He'd been lazy since he was young, and yet here he was, a scout. "I can only hope that our buddies from Kiba won't get wind of this." He wasn't foolish enough to tell Eliora about his friendship with a Kiba scout but he had always called the lot of them affectionately.

"And you? How's the clinic? Hopefully not that many injuries?"

Fiero | Infernape
Tribe: Tribeless
Moves: Acrobatics, Mach Punch, Flame Wheel, Flare Blitz, Fire Spin
Interacting with: AmethystRoze KiKi Kitsune
Mentions:

Fiero tilted his head at the rather nervous greeting and the stress on the word's 'Alpha's Brother' being in their presence. Had Diana not known that Fiero knew who Alik was? He might seem like a foolish child most of the time, but Fiero knew how to survive - and that meant knowing most of the gijinkas and pokemon that were at the places he visited. Someone related to such a high ranking position like Alik was certainly someone Fiero knew.

"Oh." So they were going to go together to pick some herbs?

Diana was going to go with another giijinka to do a task? A potentially bond-making task like picking herbs - okay it wasn't what you would do with friends usually but still! Maybe this would mean that Alik and Diana would become friends yeah? Well, Fiero was all about helping Diana make friends with others. It might be true that Alik was someone who had a pretty high position because of his familial bond with the Alpha but a friend was a friend!

Instead of immediately perching onto his usual position near the rafters as he converses with Diana (something he did so he wouldn't get in the way when Diana was rushing around the clinic), he stayed at the position where he was both seen by Alik and Diana. He pointed at himself. "Do ya want me to help?" His eyes flickered momentarily to Diana - sending the vague message that went something along the lines of 'Do you need help with Alik?'. If not, Fiero could deal with hanging out with her at a later date. He was pretty sure that he saw Zora somewhere around there, he could bug her.

 

[AmethystRoze]

Sayori Hatake, and Yldiena

Sayori noticed Mallory's apparent ashamed attitude and smiled, trying to comfort the poor soul, who was being way to rough on herself.

"Well, me and Yldi like to play fetch or tag sometimes, with the rest of our friends. And we like battling with other trainers like us." She said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, we like playing and battling, and we've competed in contests sometimes!" Said the Sylveon gladly, her smile also bright, matching her trainers.

As they walked Sayori looked at the village with a mix awe and confusion. Were they all like Mallory? So not in touch with the world? Have their heads in the clouds?








Diana

Diana pondered the question how she did everything, nervously. If I let him stay he might pester Alik… I don't want him getting bad with the alha's brother.. though he obviously can handle himself Diana he's juvenile, but he knows not to do anything stupid with Alik here..... She fidgeted just a little before answering. "Sure I suppose, the more the merrier... though it's not like it's hard work or anything." Diana smiled nervously, at least Fiero could maybe break some ten...… oh no.. He's trying to make me make friends again isn't he?

"But then again, I wouldn't want to take time out of your schedule." She said pathetically, knowing that her awkwardness would probably only entice him even more..

Jayus KiKi Kitsune AI10100

 

[Pocket]

Nickel​

"Forcing our hand? I hate that expression. Makes me want to do something unexpected out of spite," Nickel grumbled in mock frustration, before continuing, "but ya, I guess everything depends on what we find tomorrow."

Noah continued on, giving Nickel more to comment on, "Hmm..., that's not my style of stealth. If they're under heavy enough guard, me being there might not make that much of difference, so if it's just observation, it's probably best I'm not part of it." Unless Noah felt he really needed that extra protection so he could feel safe enough to risk getting closer than normal, it usually wasn't worth the sacrifice to stealth and speed when scouting in more heavily patrolled areas. That wouldn't stop Nickel from going on his own missions or patrols, he just wouldn't be going as deep.

Something clicked in his head and Nickel began scanning his surroundings as he moved, as Noah started talking about Zora being useful. "That is what she does," he mumbled with yet another grin. The individual known to use illusions to sneak about would indeed be useful in using illusions to sneak about. "Though, that does make me wonder: What are the chances we'll have to keep quiet about all this? I mean..., obviously, we shouldn't run around, screaming "The humans are coming" and causing a panic, ...as fun as that'd be. But what if they make the humans, or, I mean, the existence of the humans... need-to-know information?"

"Eh, whatever. Either way, have to report in before blabbing, anyway. In the meantime, I'm starting to recognize some trees, so if I think yer clear to buzz off, ...if ya wanna," he suggested, clearly having fun with his choice of phrasing. They had made enough progress that they both should be able to make it back home safely with relative ease, and it was important to deliver the in formation as soon as possible. On the other hand, despite the relatively minimal risk, that risk was still there, so it could be argued that it may be wiser to stick together a little longer. Alternatively, they could head for a nearby tunnel. Nickel preferred not to use them, but they were too safe and convenient to ignore sometimes.
SpookySableye

​

 

[AmethystRoze]

Rensaiet

The general walked through the street, looking for something, her eyes darting from one side to the other as she walked a perfect line, not a step out of place.

Soon her eyes locked on to what it was she was looking for in the first place. She walked more briskly towards the zoruark, currently entertaining children.

As she walked closer she touched the scout on the shoulder.

"Zora." Said the general, in a commanding, but not rude tone. "Any report on the other scouts? Or do they still have to return?" She placed her arms behind her back, her expression neutral.


Nox Aeternae

 

[Jayus]

Anaika:
​

Hearing what happened between Ash and Eliora Anaika couldn't help beam with a perfect mixture of pride and relief. The Head Healer of Azoth truly did have a way with words, but the fact that Ash had agreed not to go hide out with a book made Anaika extremely proud. She's always wanted the young gijinka to go out and be social and make friends. Since becoming her guardian not long ago Anaika soon discovered the task was a lot harder than she had originally believed it to be.

Ash's next concerns took Anaika aback. Was she really that transparent?

"Don't worry my dear, Suvinay and I don't need any assistance at the moment. Just a bit of boring paperwork." Anaika pulled a dramatic disgusted face at the notion. She was far more a people person than a desk person. Had she thought it was the best option she'd have Suvinay do all the paperwork whilst she handled communication. However her parents always taught her though that to be a good Alpha you had to be aware of anything and everything.

"I'll spare you the annoying drivel." She said swatting off the idea of letting anyone see such convoluted phrases. Seeing the look on Ash's face she realized she hadn't answered the last question. Managing a smile she cupped the little girl's face between her hands.

"You're concern is appreciated and I must be honest. I'm very worried about this Banquet tonight and moreso the humans. Why don't we kill two pidgeys with one stone and both go together? I'm sure May will need your help and it'll put my mind at ease to see how the Banquet is looking." Her eyes darted across Ash's face searching for a reaction from her.

"And tell you what if you still think I'm not okay I will immediately go to the medical hut. Have we a deal?" She asked holding out a slim hand to seal the deal.

Nox Aeternae

Eliora:​

Eliora shut her eyes unable to even think how timid Taima would deal with such a thing. She could barely handle fellow gijinkas, meeting a human? Eliora was surprised she hadn't seen her in the hut yet.

"That poor dear. She's never been the same since she came back from that trip with Drystan." The same trip which gave Drystan his odd scar which seemed to never fade. She would ask questions about, yet neither of them would talk about it. Whether it was an unspoken pact or just that horrific Eliora had dismissed it as something she simply would never know. Hearing him mention the familiar Scizor General she could only roll her eyes.

"Drystan would get into a disagreement with his own shadow if he could. I wouldn't pay him any mind. He doesn't look it, but he's a rather paranoid person. Going out later will porobably be for the best. This whole situation is uneasy and personally I just hope it works out. I've been trying to look into the future to see how this will unfold, but the future isn't even definite at this point in time." The last part bothered more so than she liked to admit. While she caught glimpses every now and then if she truly focused she could see what would happen. However, at this point in time everything appeared as a blur of scenes to her that were difficult to read. She shook her head clean of her concerns for now.

"A human came in that was injured. They get cut quite easily, but they seem to bleed as we do. She has a little odd-coloured Sylveon who is very sweet. Other than that a few Gijinkas, but a lot less than usual. I suspect Mallory will be quite bored this evening."

"Will you be attending the Banquet? I heard the chefs have been working extra hard to prepare an array of food and drinks" Eliora asked. Hitting her head lightly she looked apologetically at Drizo.

"Drinks! I forgot to offer you a drink. Would you like some tea? Any particular brew or will you trust me?"

AI10100

Mallory:​

Mallory looked between the two of them a bit perplexed. Battling for the simple sake of battling?

"You battle? For fun? And what are contests?"

Whilst she knew a bit about battling, contests were new thing she hadn't heard of. Contests around these parts were more competitions hosted within a small group for the village to enjoy. There was an array of activities such as interpretive dancing, art and singing. Singing? Mallory suddenly recalled a memory of hers locked away deep within her subconscious. She did have a hobby! It had been so long she almost completely for got about.

"Oh there was something I enjoyed doing. I loved singing. It's been awhile and I'm probably very inexperienced now but I really did enjoy it." She said with a soft sincere smile recalling the small concerts she would perform in her room for an imaginary crowd.

"You'll have to show me some of the performances you did for these 'Contests' if that's possible. I would love to see what you humans and pokemon do in such events."

AmethystRoze

 

[AI10100]

Drizo | Fearow
Tribe: Azoth
Moves: Drill Run, Drill Peck, Agility, Aerial Ace, Roost
Interacting with: Jayus
Mentions:

Drizo was the kind of being that heard things through the grapevine - various talks and secrets whispered under the branches of his resting areas and passing remarks whenever they thought he was asleep. But the particular incident when Taima and Drystan came back was something that was never brought up and the truth never revealed itself. He would say that he's worried about it but since Drystan dismissed it and didn't give him any special instruction to keep an eye out for any particular area or pokemon or gijinka, he figured that it was not something to truly worry about. For now, at least.

"Oh, don't worry, it doesn't bother me that much." He said with a small shrug. He's been dealing with it since he became a scout and Drystan became the general. Any real blowout wouldn't be resolved by a dismissal by their alpha - that would have been too easy. "Kiba finding out about the humans this early into the game wouldn't be good for us, so even I'm worried enough to think that going out again is a good idea." And his laziness was well known, but Drizo wasn't foolish. He knows the usual paths the Kiba scouts took - they always change it up a bit when they were caught but they usually stuck to more familiar paths that would give them the greatest vantage point. Finding nothing would be ideal, finding them would be better, finding traces would be the worst case scenario.

"Knowing the future might help, but I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't go sour." Drizo offered the reassurance. Of course, it was just that - words that he can say but would be very difficult to do. He didn't mind having to say white lies to give some comfort to others - it's always been like that when telling others about his trips after he has reported to the higher ups. They were just problems that civilians didn't have to worry too much about, after all, so why cause unnecessary panic?

He hummed at the report of who had entered. So a human had already come to the clinic to be healed - apparently from a cut. Perhaps humans had sensitive skin that made it more vulnerable. It was unfortunate for the humans if they were going to live in their island for a long time because they would be prone to injury. Well, they should be careful and he would make sure to remind them of that if he ever found them wandering into the woods without a guide.

He bit his tongue inside his mouth as he thought about the banquet. On one hand, he wanted to try the food and maybe talk with the humans. On the other hand, perhaps it would be better to have some scouts outside to make sure that none of the Kiba scouts catch a glimpse of the humans. He didn't care if they were to see the banquet - that would be easily explainable - but humans were another thing entirely. "I'll drop by, maybe. I'll have to scout around for any unwanted guests after all." He offered a smile and maybe Drizo wanted to take Eliora to the banquet and have fun but he could practically hear Drystan and his worrying. He waved his hand dismissively when Eliora hit herself lightly - which he found out to be a very cute trait of hers - and reminded herself of drinks. With a small smirk, he answered. "I already trust you with my life and my being, Eliora, I think I can trust you with my tea."

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Alik

With Fiero here, Alik felt... strangely out of place. Or rather, as if he was interrupting something. Fiero only visited occasionally, so Alik didn't want to get in the way of that. He could speak with Diana whenever he wanted. With a cough to clear his throat, Alik stood and considered his words. "That's quite alright. If you would be so kind as to assist her, we would be grateful. I need to return to my brother." With a quick nod in farewell, he made his way out of the healer's den. Alik didn't have any issues with Fiero, but the wanderer was a bit... energetic for the poochyena.

If he was being honest with himself, one of the last places he wanted to go was to his brother. The alpha was sure to be stressed. More so than Alik. Emrik was not very pleasant to be around when he was stressed. Alik was just getting rid of a headache, he didn't want to get a new one. So instead, he just strolled slowly in no particular direction. He heard the sound of children laughing, so he followed his ears there. When he was in seeing distance, he was able to make out a familiar scout showing the kids some party tricks. A small smile tugged at his lips.

He approached at his stroll, still not in a rush. Some of the kids recognised him and waved energetically. He winced slightly and sheepishly waved back, hoping Zora hadn't seen. He didn't like the idea of others knowing about his soft spot for kids. He felt it was some sort of weak point they might try exploit.
"Hello Zora." Alik greeted as he got closer with a nod."I see you have many talents." He commented with a slight smirk, head gesturing to the gems she had been using to juggle.

AmethystRoze AI10100 Nox Aeternae

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Taima & May

May carefully listened to each pokemon that Ellis listed. That was quite the roster he had. Her brow quirked at the explanation of Brina, but didn't question it. For a moment she considered all the options and what their use would be. "I'm sure an Alakasam would be most useful. Maybe your Houndoom as well, and I can give you the lanterns to put up. Does that sound possible?" She obviously didn't want to overstep the human's offer. It had been kind of him to ask to help in the first place.

Taima had just caught up with them, still walking slowly and carefully. "May?" Her question was easy for the meinshao to pick up on. May frowned slightly.
"I was going to have you do the lanterns. Thanks to your ability, it would have been a good task for you... Oh actually, you're still on lanterns. I think it would be a good way make sure Ellis is comfortable with these tasks." She smiled at Taima and then the human.
"There are a lot of lanterns." She turned back to Taima. "You know where they are?"
Taima nodded. "D-do you w-want them in-in the same p-p-place as the w-w-w-wedding?"
"Yes, thank you. I need to check on the other preparations. Call me when you guys are done, okay?" With a smile and a wave, May left.

Taima watched her leave, then realised she had been left alone with a human. She was suddenly unable to move. She didn't have much against humans. One did end up killing her father, but her father was believed to be human by them. His line of work was more the cause than the fact they were human. Plenty of gijinka killed other gijinka. No, the reason for her sudden stiff back and trembling legs was due to the fact this person was new and a guest of honour. That meant, he was special. Basically a high ranking person. The only gijinkas of any rank Taima could speak to were May and Elliora.

The little togepi in her arms wiggled, bringing her back to reality. "Oh, s-sorry little friend. Was I gripping t-too tightly?" She loosened her stiff arms and patted the little egg creature on the head. Taima looked around briefly at the trees where they would need to string up the lights.
"Uhm... I w-will need m-my a-arms free to h-h-help." She managed to say in a barely audible whisper, half holding Annie out to her owner.


Jayus

Lexi

Once her pokemon had finished their meal, she returned most of them to their pokeballs, only leaving Lola out. While she loved all of them dearly, they could be quite a handful. At least Lola was well behaved. Lexi gave her thanks to the furret gijinka, promising to help when they were allowed outside. Lucas seemed preoccupied, so she took her leave of the house by herself. She walked around for a bit before finding a large tree next to the wall that surrounded the village. Lexi sat in its shade, notebook out. She wrote down answers to some of the questions she had, as well as new questions she would need to ask. This journal had been almost unused when she got to the island, but it was filling up quickly. Good thing she had brought a spare.

She lay her head against the trunk, resting her eyes. It was getting towards the evening and the day had been busy. A five minute rest wouldn't hurt. She was still mostly conscious, but hearing a familiar cry instantly woke her completely.
"Lola?" Lexi sprang onto her feet to look for her sylveon. Another mew from the pokemon helped locate its whereabouts. Lexi looked up. The sylveon had climbed the massive tree only to realise it was a long way back down. "Oh no... It's okay girl. Jump to me, I'll catch you." Lexi held her arms out. She tried to coax Lola for a solid five minutes with no luck. The sylveon was terrified. Lexi sighed, rolled up her sleeves, and began climbing the tree herself. "Don't look down, don't look down." She repeated the mantra to herself as she climbed. With quite a lot of effort and sticks pricking her arms, she got onto the base of the branch where Lola was stuck.

Lexi took a deep breath. Sitting with her back against the trunk, the branch was thick enough that it would easily support her weight here. "Come on girl." She held her hands out for the pokemon. She spent another minute trying to coax the sylveon towards her, but Lola was rooted to the spot. Watching her tremble in fear gave Lexi pangs of guilt. She never wanted her pokemon to be in situations where they felt unsafe. Granted, this was of Lola's own making. Slowly, Lexi inched forward along the branch. As she got further, she could feel the branch start to bow under her weight. She cursed under her breath, but forced herself to keep moving. Don't look down, don't look down. And then she had Lola in her arms.
"Come on girl, you're safe n-" There was a noise. Crack.

She barely registered the fall. The impact onto the floor knocked all wind out of her lungs. At least she had been able to move so Lola was sheltered from the fall. Lexi could feel something pricking into her arm. She couldn't move quite yet, so she just looked at what it was. Good thing too. The ground was covered in rather sinister looking spikes. Right next to the wall were typical barricade spikes, but the ones where she landed were more similar to thorns. It would still hurt if she stepped on one.
"Oh... Oh no." The wall. She was now on the wrong side of it. Looking to the other side, she could see the thorns ended not to far from where she landed. With care, she made her way to where it was clear, keeping a very close eye on the floor.

"Okay, the wall is there. I can't stick to it because of their defences, so I need to keep my distance. I can't see the sun through the trees to act as a guide. I don't have a compass. I can barely see the wall from here." She took a deep breath. "Sounds like a piece of cake." Lexi stated with a sigh. Lola wrapped a ribbon around her trainer's arm, making sure they wouldn't get separated as they travelled. With another deep breath, Lexi began walking through the dense forest.

 

[AI10100]

Fiero | Infernape
Tribe: Tribeless
Moves: Acrobatics, Mach Punch, Flame Wheel, Flare Blitz, Fire Spin
Interacting with: AmethystRoze KiKi Kitsune
Mentions:

Diana had been correct in her assumption that Fiero would have been more fired up to help her be better friends with Alik when she seemed to want to get rid of him a bit. It was an attempt to make him go away. And honestly, the Infernape had been more than willing to step aside because he could do a lot more things if he wasn't with Diana. It wouldn't be as fun as bugging the socially awkward Umbreon but weaving tales that would blow others' minds was something he also enjoyed to do.

"Then I'll-" Fiero was about to start his excuse and leave promptly, but Alik quickly said that his help would be appreciated and that he had something to do anyway. He stood aside to allow the unhindered passage of Alik - but he had cocked his head to the side in confusion. If he had a meeting with the alpha, then surely he wouldn't have offered to join Diana in picking herbs. But he knew better than to question the intents of someone inside the tribe. "Give the alpha my regards then." He said with a bright grin to mask his confusion and waved goodbye.

He watched as the Poochyena disappeared before turning to Diana with a defeated face. "And I thought I could help you be friends with Alik." He pouted and crossed his arms, his tail drooping down instead of the usual swaying. It was obvious that he was very disappointed of the change of events. It was all falling into place and it just broke apart. "Maybe I should have come later on in the day..." He continued with a defeated sigh.

 

[Jayus]

Eliora:
​

Propping a bronze pot on the counter she quickly lit a small fire underneath it to bring the water to a boil. A small smirk glinted across her face hearing his comment.

"Your flattery is too kind, Drizo, but I'll do my best." She said reaching for a slarge container of dried herbs and fruits. A strong aroma of spices and berries wafted through the air in gentle spirals of sweet scents and woody notes. Carefully she began to dig for the right twigs and leaves. Most of her ingredients in her small hut were usually fresh or mulched together with other natural pastes, but those that she found had a bit more of a milder cure or a more quick fix she usually left for her tea. She would also be sure to collect some favourites like peppermint leaves or liquorice roots for the picky younger ones and for herself. Finally she found what she was looking for.

"I suppose the scouting life never stops. How long have you been doing it for now?" She said trying to make small talk as she crushed the hard shell of the chesto berries and ground it into a fine powder. Drizo had always been a remarkably talented scout or from what she had heard from a few of her friends she still managed to keep contact with despite leaving the army. She herself had never truly seen the work he had done, but from the sounds of it it was quite challenging and just as exhausting. If she hadn't spent time as a soldier she might've considered scouting as a profession herself and so she enjoyed listening to his stories whenever he came through.

She sliced open the Touga berry and and cut it into finer pieces before mixing the two together and plopping them in the water. Grabbing a spoon she started stirring the the tea until the clear liquid slowly changed to a deep purple. Sneaking a spoonful to test it her reaction was immediate. Her ears dropped flat against her head and her nose scrunched in disgust. She looked down at the liquid offended she could make something so vile and so sour.

"I think your faith in me was mistaken." She managed to strain out, her voice rising and falling an octave as the contrasting flavours burst in her mouth. Feverishly she started scraping watmel rind and seeds into the mixture and already the smell alone was far more pleasant. This was why Mallory usually made them tea. Medicine was one thing, but making a pleasant cup was still something else entirely. To her delight and by some miracle the watmel berry had made it tasted rather nice and with a twinge of pride she strained it into two cups.

Placing the it in his hands she tapped a slim finger on the cup to draw his attention.

"This should help with focus and alertness for later. The watmel is in simply because it tastes horrid without it." She said finding herself back in her seat and drawing a long sip.

"Oh if you come later make sure to look presentable. Anaika is having her head in for anyone who doesn't show up dressed in a tie and cuff links."

"Personally I'm excited. I always have rotten luck and have to miss dances and banquets so this will be my first time. Mallory even helped me with an outfit."

AI10100

Adeliht:
​

Hours passed and the sun was lazily crossing over the long stretch of sky and nearing the dip of the horizon. When the intensely saturated blue sky slowly dimmed to a softer hue he knew it was time to start quietly heading back or he would be forced to walk while night approached. He was about to head down the tree when he heard the familiar noise of movement. Immediately his neutral expression hardened into a scowl and his jaw clenched with fervent irritation. If it was one of those idiotic tribeless gijinka he may just pray to the cosmos that there was somehow enough moon somewhere in the sky to warrant him a strong enough blast to knock some sense into their head. To his confusion he saw a sylveon striding intently followed closely by someone else. He tsked under his breath. Just his luck the Sylveon found him and was now curiously circling the tree. Any moment now and he'd be found. Just great. Why did he of all people always attract company?

The gijinka the Sylveon was with seemed very odd. No signs of what type of gijinka she was family to which is what made her weirder. Was she part eevee? She was a bit too old to have not undergone evolution, and even if she found an everstone there should've been something like a tuft of fur or ears or at the very least a tail. Her frantic movements also made it clear she was lost. She swung her head quickly in different directions taking his first theory that she was in fact tribeless and tossing it quickly out the window. Tribeless gijinka wandered. She was looking for something. She was also most definitely not from Kiba which left Azoth. And he knew no Azoth resident would be out this far without that brash general or annoying scout. So... that left one choice.

'That's a human huh?' He thought to himself. She seemed rather weak. Even with the sun still high in the sky moonblast could probably hurt her. Why on Henshu were the Kiba tribe so concerned over something so clearly feeble. Wait. The Kiba tribe. The very notion of what he just realized gave him an instant headache. While he could care less if this 'human' got caught and caged it meant that the entire Kiba tribe would be up in arms. The army would get riled up, citizens would get scared and the whole community would band together for comfort and support. He could not have that. He could absolutely not have that. This human had to go back to where she came from before she gets discovered and forces himself to be involved in the community that was Kiba. He'd rather die than be forced to be huddled together with some children before the war ends. Whenever that was. Making up his mind he finally accepted the decision that one human as an extra shadow for a day was better than a whole community around him for who knows how long. Cursing Arceus Adeliht quickly jumped to the ground. Rising to his full height he dusted himself off and his icy blue glare followed from the Sylveon to the plain girl before him. Taking a closer look at her his suspicion that she was a human rose. Still there was the hope that she was just an idiot from Azoth. Folding his arms across his chest he stared down at her, his piercing gaze enough to make any timid gijinka be brought to tears.

"Your a long way from Azoth. Tell me is every human as idiotic as you or do you just have a particular deathwish?"

KiKi Kitsune

 

[Nox Aeternae]

Ash​

Ash studied her guardian's face for several seconds before giving an answer. Finally, her expression softened slightly; she nodded and lifted her hand to grasp Anaika's, giving it a firm-yet-gentle shake. She still believed the alpha ought to take something to help her relax a little, but she decided to drop the matter...for now.

"Deal."

Jayus

Zora​

Zora was so concentrated on her little performance that when she felt a hand suddenly grasp her shoulder she jumped slightly, nearly dropping a gemstone on her head. She was able to save herself though and turned to see the Kiba tribe's general standing before her. When she asked about her fellow scouts the Zoroark merely shook her head.

"The others? Nah, haven't seen 'em all day, not since they headed out this morning. It is getting late though, so they should be back anytime now." She shrugged. "Sorry I can't be of more help." There really wasn't much else she could say.
She began to turn her attention back to her juggling act, only to be interrupted again by a new voice. This time when she looked over it was Alik standing there. She returned his smirk with a toothy grin. "I know, I'm just full of surprises, huh?" However even as she said it, one of the gems slipped from her hand and flew over his head, just barely grazing his ear. She froze, eyes wide and mouth agape at what had just happened. The rest of the gems fell to the ground, one of them bouncing off her head before landing in the bucket. She groaned and rubbed the sore spot. There would probably be a nice sized bump there by tomorrow. Seeing that the show was over, the children ran off to find the missing gem while Zora knelt and began picking up the others to put back in the bucket. As she did so she looked back up at the young male Gijinka.

"So what's up?"

AmethystRoze KiKi Kitsune

 

[Jayus]

Anaika, Ellis, Suvinay and Drystan​

The blonde Alpha's grin widened, happy that the issue had been dropped for now. She was worried she had concerned Ash at all, but if she could prove she was fine over the next hour perhaps it would lighten Ash's worries. Gently guiding Ash's hand to her other she started the short walk to where the Banquet would be set up. As they made there way there she picked up on the fleeting stares Ash got and the occasional meeting of eyes with her own. Most were filled with varying levels of pity. Anaika would glare hoping they would take the hint and most of the time they would. Even though it had been what felt like such a long time ago Ash had started living with herself and Suvinay the stares never stopped and sadly they felt almost normal at this point. Still it didn't make Anaika feel any less horrid. She hoped she was doing a good enough job as a Guardian. On occasion she would wish she wasn't the sole heir of Azoth. Then she could give a bit more time to the young Litten. While Ash did respect her she didn't think they had as strong of a bond compared to Suvinay or even Drystan for that matter. And who could blame her? She rarely had time for herself let alone the young Litten. Her attention turned to Ash who was still gripping her book tightly.

"What you reading there? Is it interesting?" She asked trying in an attempt to get a bit closer to Ash. She didn't care so much for books, in fact, she loathed them. Why read a book when a play could be done and take far less of her time? Both Ash and Suvinay loved them, however, so she felt she had to put in a bit more of an effort.

Arriving at the area she was a bit taken aback how... unfinished it was. Although the table had been set up, the decorations were nowhere near finished and the arrangements were all over the place. Yet as shocked as she was she was not nearly as taken aback as when she saw the human boy open a reddish sphere and have a fully grown pokemon leap out of it. Her grip on Ash's hand tightened and her other flew to her face in shock.

"How did you do that?!" She screamed.

Ellis looked up, almost jumping in his skin. He was surprised to see the Alpha running up the dirt path towards him with a little girl in tow. He looked between May, his two pokemon and her again. He could feel his face heating up being under so much attention, but he willed it not to show. He cleared his throat.

"It's pretty common back where I'm from. I guess the technology hasn't reached the island yet." He said, fixating intently on the small chunks of rubble by his feet. Ellis gestured to his two Pokemon standing quietly beside him. "This is Vadimas and Melaena, they're hear to help the set up."

Vadimas, who was a very mature Alakazam and who had been with Ellis longer than most bowed politely in front of the Alpha. Melaena, the rather curious and excitable houndoom, took a few steps forwards, sniffing Ash and circling around the two of them. Her tail wagging happily back and forth.

Anaika's initial shock died down, returning the bow. There were very few Alakazams on the island and seeing one in person was quite exciting for her. Hopefully this little exchange could make Ash a bit more interested in the humans and what they could offer.

"Ah yes May did mention something along those lines. She also mentioned how the Banquet should be almost done by now." A pointed landed quickly on May not soon after the words left her mouth. "I'm only teasing." She said, playfully punching the Meinshao gijinka in jest. She knew how stressed May could get and she was very sure if she hadn't said anything May would have immediately started crying. "But I'm sure with your help it'll be done in no time. Anywho Ash was wondering if she could help in any way. Is there any jobs she can do? Oh hello Taima, pardon I didn't see you there."

Ellis had to stop himself from choking on air, not noticing sooner that he had been holding his breath the entire time she was talking. Ellis turned his attention swiftly back to his Pokemon, far too scared to look up at her. Melaena was now happily sitting next to the child gijinka, who's markings and tail lead Ellis to the assumption she was indeed a Litten Gijinka. He also assumed this was the 'Ash' the Alpha was talking about. Strange though, if Suvinay was a Scyther gijinka and herself a Persian how did they have a Litten child? Or perhaps it worked differently for Gijinka.

"Melaena was just about to light some lanterns. Could Ash be able to help with that?" Ellis answered on behalf of May. Anaika had barely opened her mouth when she heard loud shouting from beyond the pathway. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was making a scene. Still she did.

Up the path was Drystan walking with a dramatically quick pace and not too far behind him was Suvinay, who had to jog to keep up with Drystan's long strides. His words were an incoherent babble and she could barely understand what on Henshu he was trying to say. With a raised eyebrow she yelled back at him.

"What?"

"I told you so, but you wouldn't listen to me!" He said finally arriving, chest heaving and face almost as red as his hair. Whether it be from exhaustion or anger it was difficult to tell. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face and gathered in droplets near his chin. His hands were shaking and his breath kept hitching. If Anaika wasn't automatically on guard around both Ash and Ellis she would've been worried about what had gotten him so agitated.

"Told me what?" She said bitingly.

"I told you the scouts weren't doing their job properly and you didn't listen to me and now we're-" She placed a hand in front of his face getting him to quickly shut up, not liking where this was going.

"Is this really the time and the place for this Drystan? Also 'Hi, how are you, how's it going' would've been a nice start." Anaika shot. She let go of Ash's hand, finally coming to the realization the longer Drystan spoke the tighter the grip she had on her. She couldn't let Ash in on the fact that how Drystan was acting was worrying her.

Drystan's mouth snapped shut. The tension was thick enough that not even a knife could have cut through it. Looking around he locked eyes with May and Ash. When his eyes fell on Taima he took a deep sigh and attempted to calm himself even if just for the moment. Seeing him trying to steady himself Anaika mouthed a quick thank you and then turned to kneel down to Ash's height.

"I've just got to talk to Drysty for a little bit okay hon? In the meantime why don't you and this sweet Houndoom go and get the lanterns sorted please? And can you go help make sure they're okay?" She asked Ellis. Ellis nodded and turned around swiftly. Anything to get out of this conversation. Once him and Ash were out of earshot she breathed a shaky sigh and stood up to her own two feet.

"Right, so can this wait or must you tell me now?"

Drystan's eyes widened. "Wait?" He said. "Are you kidding me no this most certainly can't wait-."

Once again she stopped him in his tracks. She was one of the few people in Azoth who could actually command Drystan to be quiet and while this was not a qualification to be Alpha, a few people felt it should be. Drystan looked like he wanted to implode, biting down on his lips in a difficult attempt to stay quiet. Suvinay, who up until this point had been quietly standing alongside his brother, piped up.

"This really can't wait I'm afraid."

The gravity of the situation kept rising. While Drystan being dramatic was something she could chalk up to as nerves, Suvinay agreeing with him was a whole other story entirely. "May, Taima." Anaika addressed the two girls. "If you'd be so kind could you please leave us alone for a few moments."

Once it was just the three of them Anaika finally gave Drystan the floor.

"Kiba knows." He said. Anaika's eyes went to the size of dinner plates.

"What do you mean, Kiba knows?"

"Exactly what I said Anaika do I need to spell it out for you?" Anaika and Drystan's voices rose quickly like two kids bickering over a single toy and Suvinay once again playing mediator had to quickly quieten them down.

"Drystan tell Anaika what you told me. And quietly. We can't have this information getting out just yet." Drystan sighed.

"Like I was saying, I was walking around the perimeter of the walls when I saw some scouts nearby. They were hiding from me, but they didn't do a good job."

"That doesn't prove anything except Kiba was nearby. Did you do anything?" Drystan rolled his eyes.

"No Anaika, I did not do anything. I pretended I didn't see them. Still if they were peering over the walls they must've caught wind of something." Anaika stroked her chin in deep thought. Wordless nothings escaping from her lips as she tried to quickly analyze the situation. Drystan stood, arms folded, and watched her pace back and forth quickly on the spot. After a few moments Drystan tried to butt in.

"I'm thinking!" She spat.

"Look you stay here. Suvinay and I are going to go talk to the scouts." It was Drystan's turn to look shocked.

"Stay here? Why should I stay here-"

"Because you're going to lose you cool and freak everyone else out. We just know scouts were nearby that isn't grounds for us to set an entire army on Kiba. I agree it's bad there were scouts at all without our knowledge, but if we go from 0-100 right now the Banquet will be ruined and any chance of connecting with humans will be futile."

"You stay here, calm down, and help out with the Banquet. Suvinay and I are going to talk this through and make a plan. If we need you we'll come back for you. In the meantime keep this information on the down low alright?" Anaika finished. Drystan didn't look at all pleased with her plan and the thought of just sitting around and helping with decorations was beyond ridiculous. Still it was an order from his Alpha. He grunted, which both of the Alphas knew was Drystan's way of saying he wasn't happy, but he would do as commanded. Anaika rested her hands on Drystan's shoulders. It wasn't difficult to see how tense he was.

"It's going to be alright, Drystan. Don't worry." She said soothingly. Drystan's face went red again.

"What won't be alright is if this isn't ready by the time I get back." She said and gave him a quick jab in the rib, causing him to keel over. Whatever tension there was between them was gone in an instant.

"May! Drystan offered to help! Me and Suvinay are leaving now! Toodles!"

Nox Aeternae KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Alik

The smallest of snickers escaped his mouth before he quickly hid it behind his hand, turning it into a cough. The gem flying past his face had caught him off guard but hadn't caused any injury, so it didn't really bother him. He closed the gap and started helping pick up the fallen stones. At her question his ears perked up only to droop again. He sighed and ran a now dusty hand through his hair.
"I'm... concerned." He placed the gathered gems back in the bucket, sitting on his haunches. His tail swished back and forth as if it had a mind of its own, kicking up dust. "My brother is stressed and the scouts aren't back yet. Something is going on, that much I know. But what it could be... It's frustrating to have to wait." Suddenly, he frowned. That wasn't the response someone should give to a light conversation started like the one Zora had used. Arceus damn it, he messed up again. His brother was far better at talking to people. Even Fia with her lack of words somehow managed it better.

He ran a clawed hand down his face, mumbling a barely coherent apology. "How's your head?" He asked after a moment. The hit had sounded painful. He stood and offered a hand up to Zora. As he did, he peered at where he had seen the gem hit, checking to see if there was an open wound. An infection might out her out for a week which they couldn't afford at this time.

Nox Aeternae

Taima & May

May returned quickly when she heard the all too familiar voice of the alpha. Unlike Anaika, both May and Taima had seen pokeballs before and weren't surprised by the pokemon emerging from them. Taima, however, looked like she was frightened. Mostly because the alpha was there. Anaika had always been very nice to her, but her high rank made it impossible for Taima to look her in the eye.

The two girls watched in relative silence as the alpha spoke to Ellis. At Anaika's comment, May winced. "It would have been if all my instructions had been followed." She grumbled under her breath, still irritated at how little had been done while she had been escorting the humans. When Taima had been called on, the small girl let out a squeak and jumped. "Y-y-y-y-yes A-a-a-a-alpha. H-h-h-hello." The togekiss quickly shrunk in on herself. She peered up at Ellis from under her bangs. It must be nice having the confidence to speak to Anaika so easily. The suggestion of Ash helping with the lanterns perked her up somewhat. Taima liked the small child. She was far sharper than Taima, but held a sort of... quiet calm which she could appreciate.

At the yelling, her head shot up so quickly, May swore she heard something snap. Taima's face changed colours faster than a Kecleon as Drystan seemed to stare at her. May's eyes widened at the possible intention of the words, she moved closer to try better hear what Drystan was rambling about. Taima was still rooted to her spot, as per usual. At the request to leave them, May opened her mouth to object. She was the apha's aid. Whatever the problem was, she was meant to be there to help. She slowly closed her mouth with effort. Now wasn't the time. "Of course Anaika. Come along now Taima." May had to place a firm arm around the togekiss and drag her away, Taima still being unable to use her own legs with so many high ranking gijinka nearby.

May sighed when they returned to Ellis and Ash. "Alright, you guys know what to do. I have to fix..." She looked around, face falling another notch. "Everything else." She patted Taima on the back. "You'll get there eventually." The white haired girl looked quite glum after her failure of being able to speak properly. May turned to move away, but stopped mid-stride. She did a double take at the grumpy general coming towards them. "Maybe sooner than we thought too." She laughed.
"Drystan, coming to help?" She smirked at the redhead. Taima gave a small squeak, but didn't look up.
"M-May, please tell me you're joking." Taima begged. The meinshao just chuckled.

Jayus Nox Aeternae

Lexi

Lexi had been wandering for quite some time in what she assumed was the right direction. A gijinka suddenly falling out of one of the trees was some cause for concern though. He seemed far more hostile than any of the gijinka she had met in the village and what he said was also suspicious. Not to mention...
"I'm a long way from Azoth?" She cursed under her breath. She hadn't been confident, but surely she hadn't gone in the completely wrong direction, had she? What little light she could see through the trees made it look like it was getting into the evening. She didn't want to miss the banquet. She was looking forward to seeing what sort of food gijinka ate. Not to mention, she was just hungry in general and any food would have been good.

She paused. She looked at Lola who was peering at the new gijinka with utmost curiosity. Lexi did the same, eyes going back and forth between her pokemon and the gijinka in front of her. She rummaged around her pack for a moment before retrieving her notebook and a pen. The human jotted down some quick notes, looked back at the gijinka, then wrote down some more. With a satisfied nod, she placed the book back in her bag. Lola remained on guard, and at a closer look, Lexi did too despite her mostly calm exterior. One of Lola's ribbons remained around Lexi's wrist at all times.

She held her hand out to shake with a smile. "I'm Lexi, it's nice to meet you."

Jayus

Darren

He darted between buildings, following his ears away from feminine voices. He had just gotten back and didn't feel like wasting energy running away from girls. Instead, he wanted to say hi to his favourite cousin and maybe grab a free cup of tea while he was there. A few more minutes and he managed to make it to the healer's hut with minimal difficulty. He was grateful for all the trees and bushes in the village. Camouflage was easy for him in this environment. He pushed aside the curtain as he took a leaf out his hair.
"Your favourite boy is back~" He stated as he strode in. "Miss me? Of course you did." He grinned as he pulled down his face mask. He only saw one of the healers and it wasn't the one he was looking for. Darren let out a huff, hands on his hips.

"Elly~ where's Mal?" He dragged on the names dramatically. He looked around, still seeing no Mallory, but waved lazily to Drizo. While they were both scouts, they rarely worked together due to their different fields of expertise. Drizo's wings weren't very useful in thick forest and Darren couldn't exactly fly. The sceptile sat cross-legged on one of the stools and peered at all the various herbs lining one of the walls. He knew most of them just by being there so often. Mallory also seemed to enjoy talking about it, so Darren was always eager to listen.

Jayus AI10100

 

[Pocket]

Nickel
​

Sure enough, Noah took off. He didn't say where he was going exactly, but Nickel knew he had trouble flying in confined spaces, so generally he would likely check the surface for any of the Kiba leaders before using one of the larger entrances closer to the core, if needed. If one of said leaders was outside somewhere, he may have to search and ask around, which could result in them circling each other for an annoying amount of time. Of course, though unprofessional, it was also possible he had other errands to run, whether it being grabbing a quick bite, taking care of something important that could be affected by the coming war, or maybe even a secret secondary mission. Whatever the case, when Noah took the high road, Nickel would take the low. It was his only chance to make it to down there first, when Noah was busy with things above.

Nickel didn't really like taking the tunnels. He was fine with caverns, but the tunnels that were merely underground pathways were too cramped. Even the somewhat wider ones made him feel like he was taking up too much space. Plus, there was often little to look at or listen to until he got closer to town... or managed to annoy a local sleeping resident. On the other hand, he felt powerful. Not only would the majority of his potential opponents have their mobility hampered (outside some Ground-types), but when he was shrouded in darkness, then ignited the inside of his jaw with Fire Fang, ...the image was gloriously diabolical.
SpookySableye

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After a while of walking and talking to himself, and a brief moment where he had to shoo away a member of the tunnel patrols, he finally arrived. Ignoring the voices and noises of civilization, he only stopped to ask if the Alphas were present before heading the direction of their hut. Not only did he have a mission to finish, but he was hungry, and it would be unprofessional to have a full meal before reporting in.

Having finally arrived at his destination and located one of the required superiors, he hesitated briefly. Nickel pondered a moment about whether he should deliver the news a particular way. Like, should he ask them to sit down first? Use a somber tone? Nah, this was all overthinking. Might as well keep it professional. Relatively speaking.

With a little wave, NIckel rather casually greeted with, "Ya hear we're all gonna die, yet?"

To be fair, outside his initial hesitation, this was one of his usual ways of announcing he actually had something to report, whilst simultaneously asking if whatever other scout had reached them first. On top of that, it also doubled as a way to give his leaders a chance to pull him aside, or dismiss a guest before he started spouting out potentially sensitive information.
KiKi Kitsune

 

[Jayus]

Drystan:​

Drystan's complexion was about as red as his own hair. One would swear he was a fire-type gijinka from the sheer amount of steam emanating from the top of his head. How Anaika could even convince herself that no action was the best action was beyond him. Her priority might be the humans, but his was the safety of Azoth. Had it been anybody of lower rank he would've scoffed in their face at the idea and gone off to do what he felt was best. Yet in this situation it was the only individuals higher than him that had given him an order and he couldn't disobey. No matter how much he disagreed.

His shoulders were tense and his hands were dug deep into his pockets in an effort not to frantically punch at the air out of pure frustration. Hearing her question his gaze fixated on May, who's playful attitude was not at all helping his mood.

"It seems so." He said through gritted teeth. The amount of tense energy Drystan radiated spread over the other workers. The very sight of Drystan had gijinkas working at a faster pace than they had been the whole day. That accompanied by May's building annoyance was a sure-fire recipe to get the most out of everyone involved in aiding the banquet. Drystan didn't seem to notice or care about his effect on anyone. He was too busy with his own thoughts. Slowly he breathed in and out. Practicing his calming exercises Eliora had taught him whilst in her hut. At first he felt stupid having to steady his own breathing, but he couldn't deny it did help him with his mood.

"Whatever you need me to do I'll do it. Just don't make me wear any of that fru-fru nonsense." He said with a shudder. A few weeks back when May was picking out uniforms for the staff she needed a second opinion from pretty much everyone including the General himself. While he didn't see the reason for his opinion she ensured she wanted everyone to have a high opinion about the event. To say she was upset that he couldn't see the difference between cream and eggshell would be an understatement. All he knew was that he did not like them. He looked over to Taima. Another piece of advice Eliora gave him was to immediately distract him from whatever was causing him stress or would cause him stress.

"What are you doing, Taima? Do you need any help?"

Adeliht:​

Adeliht looked down at her extended hand completely perplexed by her odd action. With a slim finger he firmly yet gently moved her hand away showing full well he was not interested in any kind of friendly introduction.

"Your first step should've been to deny being a human at all and to say I was some odd conspiracy theorist. Had I been anyone else you would've been killed on the spot or brought back as some sort of prisoner or experiment. Which now has me to believe you are a human and I hope not a very bright one because Arceus I would not know how your species has survived."

Placing his hands on his hips he studied the girl from her head to her toes. Her clothes were a bit dishevelled and a few pieces of dirt clung to her hair giving him the impression she had most likely fallen. Judging from the lack of rustling around or near them and lack of scouts in the sky she most likely had accidentally fallen out of Azoth and nobody had noticed the absence of her presence. Which begged the question just how many were there?

"Look I'm giving you one opportunity to let me guide you back to Azoth and for you to stay there and stay out of trouble. Unless you want Kiba to make you into a kebab and have your Sylveon as garnish."

Eliora:​

Eliora looked up from her conversation with Drizo and a smile bloomed across her face. Mallory's cousin was a welcome character who always livened up the air in the hut. Whilst the tranquility was nice she couldn't deny his vibrancy did entertain both the healers on more than one occasion.

"Good timing Darren I had just brewed a cup of tea. You know where the saucers are so feel free to help yourself. I made sure to add ingredients to help in your scouting endeavours."

Darren was a formidable scout. One of the best or so she had heard although she was mostly sure it was just being exaggerated by the female visitors who frequented the hut. Eliora did pride herself in making the medical hut a safe space for Azoth residences, but that did not change the fact she was also amused with people taking up space. Most of the time these women were around at the off chance Darren was or to confirm for the umpteenth time Darren was not dating her or Mallory. When they learn Mallory is related to him they seem relieved, but not before casting a weary eye at Eliora. Not to mention they think getting closer to Mallory will get them closer to him. They don't seem to realize or care it makes all parties very uncomfortable.

"Mallory will be back soon. She's just showing a human around. Have you met any of them yet? They seem very interesting albeit plain-looking."

KiKi Kitsune

 

[AI10100]

Drizo | Fearow
Tribe: Azoth
Moves: Drill Run, Drill Peck, Agility, Aerial Ace, Roost
Interacting with: Jayus KiKi Kitsune
Mentions:

Drizo flopped back onto the bed, watching her make the tea. "A few years. Around... eight years now. Yeah, I think that's right." He had started out young. His natural ability to fly around was instrumental in the decision of him becoming a scout for their tribe and he had easily accepted it. His parents had trained him and he was prepped ever since he was a child. He had been doing it even before he was finally assigned as one - he was just doing it for training but it already felt like a job. Since it was given to him, he had no choice but to follow. He's grown to appreciate the job and he doesn't have to do much else aside from scouting. Sure, he got involved in fights but that was rarely.

"It's an exciting job anyway. You get to see the island uninhibited." It was no secret that he sometimes goes out of his way to circle around their island. It was how he had met some of the scouts of the Kiba tribe. Their reactions were mostly the same, they just get kicked out but nothing much happens aside from a small brawl. Still, it was rather fun to fly around without a care in the world. Because, perhaps, eventually, everyone would get to know the feeling of seeing the entire island without having to look over their shoulders for an attack.

He let out a questioning hum when she didn't seem content with the tea she had made before letting out a self-admonishing remark. He let out a chuckle at it. "Honest mistakes happen." He pointed out with another laugh. She then went on to save the concoction she had made and he had sat up when she had approached him with the cup and he looked down at it. "Thanks as always Eliora." He brought the cup to his lips and began sipping it. It didn't taste bad. Not the best thing he's tasted but he wasn't going to say that to her. Honestly, he would take the bitter concoction from earlier if it would make Eliora happy. Ugh, he was probably too far gone for this woman.

He let out a grumble when she mentioned formal attire, lowering his cup to his lap. "I... I'll probably have to ask someone for one then." That was if he was going to have some free time. He then gave her a nod. "Have fun then. Celebrations are pretty nice every now and then." He took another leisurely sip when someone had come in. He knew who it was even before he had turned his head. He gave Darren a smile when their eyes met but he knew that the other scout was here for another reason. As a frequent visitor of the hut and his co-worker, he had known Darren well enough to know that he frequents the hut as much as he did because of his cousin - Mallory. It gets a bit too rowdy when it happens though since other females seem to want him around too.

"Finished with your rounds too Darren?" He decided to speak up before taking another sip. "The humans seem okay at least. From what I've seen, they're not rude. Mind giving us some light in the situation?"