[center][h3]— [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4094104] Coraick City[/url] —[/h3][/center]
Korie froze at the boy’s words. At first she’d pegged him as the adorable and unassuming type that had just so get mixed in with the bad crowd — namely, Evian — but now she could see that such was not the case. [i]I guess bird of a feather really do flock together,[/i] she thought, turning and slapping on a smile for Grey, the self-crowned “best trainer” in Coraick.

[color=palevioletred]“Nice to meet you, Grey,”[/color] Korie said in greeting. [color=palevioletred]“I’m Korie. Tell me — do you and Evian sit at tables and rehearse crummy lines together or something?”[/color] she asked, not bothering to pull any punches. If anything, a little bite would teach “Grey” not to go around ignoring social customs.

[color=662d91]"Um..."[/color] Grey had to think about this. He and Evian did not normally sit together. They had, however, kind of rehearsed lines, so that part was true. Whether they were crummy or not-- well Evian had said it would be a cool thing to say but now she was saying something different. He was seriously confused, not to mention unsure of what to say. Well, the answer was mostly no, right? [color=662d91]"Not really." [/color] The answer was sufficient. But now he didn't know what to say.

So he'd been spotted. Damn. Evian's eyes met Grey's; he looked clueless. He debated going over or just leaving. Choices, choices. If he left, he could wander around for awhile and do whatever, but if he stayed, maybe something interesting could come out of it. At the very least, he could troll the fuck out of them. So he hopped up and strolled over a few steps, planting himself in the barstool next to Korie. [color=0072bc]"Hey Kitten, hey Glum, fancy seeing you all here!" [/color] He clasped his hands with exaggerated gusto. [color=0072bc]"How's everyone doing this evening?" [/color] 

Grey wasn't sure why Evian was asking how they all were-- after all, they'd just been speaking moments before. It would make sense to ask Korie, but not himself. He raised his hand anyways. [color=662d91]"I'm okay." [/color]Just in case they didn't know, he would be sure to tell them. 

[color=palevioletred]“Cute, Evian. Acting as if you hadn't just come from the same table Grey just left,”[/color] Korie said, feeling the onset of exasperation creeping up. Why had she thought it'd be a good idea to talk to Evian anyway, let alone anyone he hung out with. [color=palevioletred]“Well, I'm basically done with my meal now, so I'll be taking my leave,”[/color] she said. The boy who'd introduced himself as Grey seemed rather flummoxed at the entire situation, and Korie felt a little bad for brushing him off, but if he insisted on going along with Evian there was nothing she could do about it.

[color=palevioletred]“Thanks for the meal. I'll leave my bill here,”[/color] she said to the bartender, who nodded in response. Pulling out a few paper bills, Korie counted a rough estimate of what her food cost, plus a light tip. It went a little over, but she was willing to pay the extra bit to get away from Evian.

[color=palevioletred]“I'll be heading out then. Coraick forest -- if you two are done being chlldren,”[/color] Korie said curtly. As much as she would have liked to walk out on them, the prospect of a training buddy -- especially in the woods at night, when the nocturnal Pokemon came out to play -- was a fairly tempting. Plus, she could see that Grey -- although a little blank and socially awkward -- didn't have the same irritating vibe Evian oozed, so Korie was willing to risk it dealing with the other two trainers for a little longer.

Oh geez, she couldn't take a joke, could she? Obviously he knew that she had seen him come from the table-- he had only been trying to play around. It was kind of entertaining though, seeing her get all pissy for no reason. Still, here he was trying to be friendly, sauntering over to ask how she was doing and she had to get all huffy over it for no reason. Did she think he was out to get her? Puh-lease, as if she were that important. What a drama queen. Almost impressed with her ability to get fired up for no reason, Evian shrugged, a bubble of laughter escaping him. [color=0072bc]"[i]All[/i] I did was ask how you were. So cold. Brrrr, Korie!" [/color] He shuddered, rubbing his arms, then held up his hands innocently, a questioning and worried look on his face. 

Evian seemed to make Korie upset, Grey was realizing. When it came to reading other people, he was clueless, but there were sharp changes in the other girl's demeanor that definitely pointed to a shift in mood. Or something like that. Right? Gah, people were so confusing. Why was she so different now? All Evian had done was ask how she was doing. And she'd mentioned his line had been crummy-- but why? Had Evian said that Korie didn't like him? He didn't remember. Grey wasn't sure what to do. He considered Evian a friend already made, but even if Korie wasn't his friend yet, he liked her. Had it been him... well, his past exposure cumulated in zero experience to go off of. [color=662d91]"...." [/color] He struggled for what to say. What was he supposed to do in this situation?[color=662d91] "... Are you okay?" [/color] He wished he could mimic the way other people spoke, but it came off as flat and uninterested, which probably made it sound abrasive more than anything.

[color=0072bc]"Yes, are you feeling alright, Korie?" [/color] Evian rubbed his chin, observing her thoughtfully.

Pausing, Korie looked over at Grey, giving him a long, blank stare. While Evian said the usual stuff — something about how amazing he was, and something about how Korie was overreacting — Grey seemed to be trying to express genuine concern. [i]At least, that’s what his words seem like[/i], Korie thought, looking into the black-haired boy’s equally blank eyes. [i]But then again, he could just be kidding around. Great poker face, this one.[/i]

[color=palevioletred]“I’m fine, Grey. Evian just has a special knack for brushing me the wrong way,”[/color] she said, shrugging. [color=palevioletred]“Guess that’s one of his many talents — or only. Thanks for asking, though. Tell me — how did you come to travel with the likes of Evian, of all people?”[/color]

Not known to them, Grey's Squirtle had actually popped out of its pokeball a while ago. When it happened or how it happened, it was unclear. While the place they were in was crowded, and the little blue turtle had not gone unnoticed by the patrons, most of them just pointed and laughed, thinking nothing of it. It was a clear night, the food was good, and no one was really bothered by a harmless squirtle going around. 

Until the shelled pokemon wandered into the kitchen. There, a myriad of enticing aromas wafted around him, so thick and delicious, he felt himself sticking out his tongue just to try and taste the air. Shuffling shoes and clacking heels passed by him, but he was just deft enough to avoid them. He was a pokemon, and these human feet seemed to be slow moving compared to what he had faced in battle. Right now however, he felt more fired up than he had ever in any combat. Because food! A huge chilled bowl of berries caught his attention; they were on the island that sat in the middle of the large kitchen. Wasting no time, he jumped up and dived in.

At Korie's question to Grey, the two boys eyes flickered to each other and met briefly. Evian only careened his head slightly, a smile on his face, which didn't tell Grey anything. He reached up and started twisting his ashy brown hair, pulling a face. He was feeling a little conflicted and uncomfortable. He was now about sure that Korie was upset, but he also felt sure that Evian did nothing wrong. Yet he also felt like something was missing in this whole equation, so his assumptions were probably still incorrect. This was giving him a headache. 

How was he supposed to answer this question anyways? It felt like a trap. Telling Korie his feelings seemed like a terrible idea, not that he wanted to. Nor did he want to bring attention to the fact that he'd spent a good chunk of time shopping just to see her because it was embarrassing to admit so much effort. He wasn't much of a talker in the first place, and not only because he was shy. He could barely muster talking to his parents either, even though he loved them and was comfortable around them. So he came up with the most succint, honest answer he could. [color=662d91]"Too much to explain, it's not important." [/color] It definitely came off as dismissive. Rude, even. 

But before any of that could even be registered, an angry and thunderous shouting was heard. The clashing and clanging of pots and pans, muffled exclamations of surprise from the back, and then the swinging door to the back flung open, a jet of water bursting out from behind it. 

[i]What the hell?[/i] Evian thought. Luckily there were no customers in the (what appeared to be) water gun's target; it only left a huge, unattractive wet mark on the wall though, narrowly missing some folks and a bewildered waiter who had spilled the food he was trying to deliver on the floor. 

"WHOSE SQUIRTLE IS THIS!" A beefy man with a bandana and a gold name tag came out. "THIS IS A NO POKEMON ESTABLISHMENT!" He was running to catch the bright blue little fellow, but Squirtle managed to scramble through and find his trainer. It was easy, considering his trainer was a taller than most people type human. He loomed over practically everyone. 

[color=662d91]"Squirtle?" [/color] Grey blinked, not properly registering what was going on. Squirtle clung to the leg of Grey's jeans, a 'I did something bad' look on his face.

"YOU THREE! Which one of you's responsible for that pokemon?! You know we could get a healthcare violation for this? Cops are on their way, you all stay the hell put!" The manager growled, coming in hot. "That one's already caused property damage!"

[color=0072bc]"Run," [/color] Evian hissed.

But they hadn't paid, Grey thought, yet he was soon whirled out the door, and into the night, Squirtle barely hanging on but a now gleeful look on his face.