LuckyBlackCat

Memento Mori (Urban Fantasy)

@The Narrator Do you want us to post a little more before you reply?

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

It had been five years. Jess knew this from the change of the seasons, the varying temperature, the trees outside the cabin window as they shed and regrew their leaves. It felt like much longer, though. She didn't even know why she kept track of the time any more. Each year was a repeat of the last.

She tried to keep her attention on the book she'd been given to keep her mind occupied, but her gaze kept drifting towards the window, her concentration fraying as always. The young woman gave the outside world a longing stare. As she glanced this way and that, her ribs tightened. She could swear the room looked smaller than usual. Standing up, she paced from one wall to the other. Get a grip, she scolded herself, the walls aren't really going to close in. Sighing, she sat back down. Her brain played these tricks on her more and more often these days.

Suddenly, her head jerked up. In the distance, she could hear the hum of a motor, the grinding of wheels against the dirt path - and a growing wave of resentment. She pulled back. This wasn't just somebody here to bring food, only to leave as quickly as possible, radiating guilt. The sound was more like a motorbike than a car. Steeling herself, Jess peered out, watching a purple-haired girl draw closer. Hope welled through her, tainted by bitterness and a pang of unease at the thought of burdening someone, at the thought of needing someone.

Was this even her own bitterness she was feeling? She didn't know. She barely knew who she was.

Be my Sanctuary

Jess

Name: Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Age: 21

Appearance:


Personality: She doesn't know any more. She was ambitious. She was level-headed. She was independent. Trying her best to hold on to those traits, she hates the thought of having to rely on somebody else, but knows she has to if she's going to function.

History: Up until a few years ago, Jess had a fairly normal life. Her parents, believing in encouraging childrens' potential, raised her to be independent. As she grew, this could be both a strength and a weakness. While she developed a problem-solving mindset, her upbringing gave her a reluctance to ask for help.

From a young age, she planned to go on to university to study medicine, and become a doctor - until her life changed in more ways than one. At the age of 16, she started feeling strange in crowds, getting odd, mixed emotions for seemingly no reason. She suspected what was happening. She'd heard of some people around her age gaining the ability to take on others' emotions. She denied it, though. She valued reason and clear thinking, the last thing she wanted was a clouded, overwhelmed mind. It had to just be teenage mood swings.

At the same time, her father became severely ill. With her ability growing, Jess found visits to the hospital near-intolerable, a nightmare of distress, seeping into her from all around. She knew just how much fear and resentment her dad hid behind his smile. That was the point when she couldn't deny to herself any more what had happened to her. There was no way she'd be able to work in a hospital like this, or support her parents.

She didn't want the focus to be on her. It was her father who needed support. If she wanted to help her family, she'd need to find an anchor, even if it went against her values.

There was nobody in her social circle with such an ability, though. At first, Jess held on to hope. She'd find somebody, and her father seemed to be doing better. Soon, the family would be almost the way they used to be, even if her parents may be a little disappointed in her. Months passed, though, and nobody was found. Then, just when it looked like he'd recover, her father died. As much as Jess wanted to be there for her mother and the rest of her family, she couldn't, not without someone to shield her from the emotional fallout.

She's been in isolation since, living with the grief, guilt and confusion, waiting for that someone to help her return to the outside world.

Theme:

I Lost Myself

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Gym

@fer1323 @Heckno12

"I'll get there!" Sophia replied, attaching the Pokeball to her ribbon-belt. "I'll be that trainer!" She couldn't let herself disappoint her new Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Lacey looked over, blue eyes wide, as the other Psychic type appeared. "Gothi!" she squealed, skipping over to the Ralts. Sophia gave a soft laugh. "I think those two will get along," she said, turning to Oscar. "Lacey's pretty cheerful."

She paused, her attention flicking to the Pokemon, then back to her... rival? Friend? Maybe he was more of a friend than she'd acknowledged. "I've got to say this. You really can be an insufferably pushy know-it-all sometimes, but... I've also got to say this. You're a good trainer to Daisho." Her smile grew a little. "He's lucky."

She turned her head, her eyes flicking from him a little awkwardly. Had she really just said that to the guy who'd been annoying the hell out of her earlier? Would he just use that as an excuse to gloat later, or keep pushing her to show that side, the vulnerable side that admitted those things? Probably, knowing him. Still, it couldn't be denied.

Her gaze settled on the Ralts. "Daisho... Do you want that?" she asked. "Do you want me to help you train?"

As soon as she said it, a shudder ran through her, accompanied by a squirming feeling she tried to ignore so as not to disturb the Ralts. How would she help Daisho develop his abilities when she could barely develop hers? She cupped the capsule containing Lumas, reminding herself to keep striving to achieve her goals. She'd get there. Like she'd said, she'd get there.

Notes

Pokemon Party: Gothita "Lacey" lv13, Purrloin "Grimalkin" lv12, Staryu "Arcturus" lv11, Darumaka "Lumas" lv10
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x2, TM33 (Reflect)

Pokemon Spiral

@Heckno12 I'll reply with Amber once @Dusksong posts.

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Gym

@fer1323 @Heckno12

Sweet side

Peering behind the statue-like Pokemon, Sophia saw it. A small, red monkey, its limbs pulled in, swaying a little as it slept. An adoring smile spread across the trainer's face.

"Ita?" Lacey slowly approached the Darumaka. It sprung awake with an excited cry, jumping up and down, contrasting with everyone else in the room. Sophia couldn't help but give a slight chuckle.

"Well, hello there," she whispered as the Fire type ran towards her. "Aren't you just full of energy?" She turned back towards Lan, eyes filled with delight. "You'd really be ok with that?" The Darumaka was warm to the touch as she tickled it. Comfortingly warm. "And you? Is that what you want? To travel with me, and Lacey here? It... won't be as quiet as it is in here."

The little Pokemon grinned and hopped about, starting to run in circles. Giggling, Lacey tottered after it. Sophia watched with a mix of admiration and uncertainty. This Pokemon would undoubtedly help her later on - but what if she ended up distressing him? No, she wouldn't. By then, she'd surely be on her way to becoming stronger. She'd have nothing to be insecure about. And such a spirited Pokemon would remind her to stick to her goals no matter what.

"Then come along!" As soon as Sophia held out the Pokeball, the excitable little monkey leapt into it. "I'll... I'll make sure to be the trainer you deserve!"

She looked over at Oscar, that gentle smile still on her face, as she heard him mention letting Daisho out. "You know, what I agreed to earlier, helping you train Daisho... I'm sticking by it." She hoped it wouldn't end with another argument, but it was only fair to keep her word. Maybe she'd be able to keep the distressing thoughts at bay and avoid upsetting the Ralts, with this Darumaka around. A glimmer of light in the darkness.

"Lumas," she said, cradling the Pokeball. "Your name's Lumas."

Notes

Pokemon Party: Gothita "Lacey" lv13, Purrloin "Grimalkin" lv12, Staryu "Arcturus" lv11, Darumaka "Lumas" lv10
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x2, TM33 (Reflect)

Pokemon Spiral

Sophia Danvers

Mesalon Gym

@fer1323 @Heckno12

The sweet side shows

Sophia rolled her eyes as Oscar did his usual thing of trying to sound profound. Even so, she found she couldn't be as annoyed as she'd been before. Not with all these Pokemon in the room.

"I'm sorry..." she blurted, her voice unusually soft as she faced the nearest Darmanitan. She thought back to what Ray had said about her unstable aura, and attempted to quell the pang of guilt, so as not to upset the Fire-Psychic types further. "It's ok... I-I'll be alright." There was nothing defensive about her tone this time. Instead, she sounded reassuring, or at least tried to. Reaching out, she gently petted the stone-like Pokemon, giving a little smile.

"Lacey," she whispered, letting out the Psychic type. "Say hello to these Pokemon here." The Gothita stared around in fascination, then approached the closest one with a soft squeak. Sophia watched, hoping Lacey would be able to comfort the Pokemon whose peace had been disturbed.

Notes

Pokemon Party: Gothita "Lacey" lv13, Purrloin "Grimalkin" lv12, Staryu "Arcturus" lv11
Pokemon in PC:
Inventory: Pokeball x3, TM33 (Reflect)

Pokemon Spiral

@AbysmalDemon Welcome back! And don't worry, real life is more important.

Memento Mori (Urban Fantasy)

Hahaha the dragon's pretty big, but not quite THAT huge. (Same way an incorporeal spirit rests its head... heh, couldn't resist, Tatsua.)

Pokemon: New World

✿ Florence Hadley ✿

Location: Greenhaven

@Dusksong

"Yeah. That way, he'll be able to be properly looked over," Florence replied, nodding towards the Swablu. Throughout the journey, she'd kept an eye out for any signs of major head trauma, but he'd thankfully shown none. "And Chay here needs some rest."

Turning her head, she caressed the little bug on her shoulder. Once his wings had dried, Chay had insisted on flying for part of the journey, but had quickly tired. The Cacnea following close behind, on the other hand, showed no signs of fatigue. This particular species was known for its hardiness, after all.

"Uh..." Facing the Cacnea, Florence bit her lip. "Are you sure you want to come along? We've got a pretty tough challenge ahead." Far from deterred, the Grass type gave an eager "Cac!", his grin growing wider.

They don't just endure tough conditions and situations, Florence reminded herself, they seek them out. "Umm, well... if you're sure..." Holding out a Pokeball, Florence watched the Cacnea tap it with a thorny hand and disappear in a flash of light.

She looked at the Pokeball, eyebrows furrowed with worry, before shuffling behind Ella and Leisy towards the Pokemon centre.

Florence

TP: +1 +5 (caught Cacnea) (28)
Pokemon:

• Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv5 (Missing)
• Budew (Bonica), female, lv6
• Happiny (Panacea), female, lv4
• Cutiefly (Chay), male, lv1
• Cacnea (currently unnamed), male, lv1

Inventory:

• Pokeball x1
• Rare Candy x6

Rank: Beginner
Organisation: Aether Foundation

---

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Greenhaven

@Dusksong @Dark Light

"The cave's here," Ella explained, showing Leisy the location on her Pokedex. "But yeah, we'd better head to the Pokemon centre first."

The building was fairly easy to find, right in the middle of the small village, near the spring. Heading inside, Ella handed over the Pokeball containing the newly-caught Nidoran to the nurse before sinking into one of the chairs, letting out a moan of relief. Her feet ached, but the group couldn't rest for too long.

While waiting for the Nidoran to be healed, she typed up a reply to Vivian's message.

"Finally here! We're in the Pokemon centre, but we'll be over ASAP."

Just as she sent the message, something caught her attention. Her bag shook. With an excited gasp, she took out the brown egg she'd carefully tucked in there. It wriggled again, a tap-tap-tap noise coming from inside. The shell cracked, the Pokemon inside jabbing through with a sharp stinger on its head. Uncurling herself, pushing away more shards of shell as she did so, she crawled onto Ella's arm, gripping with several stubby pink legs.

"Ohh!" Letting out a joyous laugh, Ella looked down at her newest Pokemon, who met her gaze with beady black eyes. "Well aren't you cute?" The Weedle tried to climb further up her arm, nearly falling. Reaching out with her other hand, Ella supported the newly-hatched little grub. "Whew! You alright?" she said as the bug scuttled onto her lap, her first movements a little clumsy.

Ella remembered the guy with the Weedle she'd met during her first day as a trainer. Now, she had one of the soft, fuzzy Bug types of her own.

Ella

TP: +1 (79)
Pokemon:

• Trubbish (Treasure), female, lv20
• Ekans (Smiley), male, lv8
• Duskull (Brighteye), female, lv28
• Inkay (Jumbles), male, lv11
• Stunky (Allsort), male, lv10
• Pumpkaboo (Lucette), female, lv8
• Weedle (currently unnamed), female, lv1
• Nidoran (Pincushion), male, lv1

Inventory:

• Black Sludge x1
• Pokeball x1

Rank: Skilled
Organisation: None

---

CP

+1 (59)