[Now that she was freshly groomed - sleek and shiny and she wanted more, but Silver was consistent when it came to grooming and once it was over, it was over- the espeon had free reign to wonder around while Silver was busy taking care of Shiko and Oda - on the other side of the park.
To be fair thought, she'd picked up the scent of pokemon, and was trotting after it, nose to the ground like a dog. Was it another pokemon? Was it a trainer? She wouldn't know until she found the scent. Though, it didn't hurt to call out a greeting, too. 8-bit sounds gooo-] Mrrei?
[ well then! steven certainly didn't plan on seeing any other pokemon in the park as he took aron for a brisk walk, but it seems like that expectation (or lack thereof) has been changed. both he and aron perk up when they hear that questioning meow, but it isn't without a smile.
he'll crouch down on his haunches when he sees the espeon, gently holding a hand out to her. aron begins to approach her as well, waddling over curiously. ]
Hello there. You're quite the beauty, aren't you?
[ not a steel-type, but he can appreciate the way that her fur looks. ]
[She's seeing that hand making a beeline for it - and rubbing against it like it's going out of fashion. Pettings??? PETTINGS YES???? Ahhh. give her all the pettings please please please. Espeon's are, it seems, the type who purr, too.
Oh wait, pokemon? - her tail flicks side to side happily at the aron, along aside a 'nyreeiow' of a greeting. Is this your owner-human? Does he give good pets?
And a nod - can a pokemon look smug? because she certainly is. Of course she's a beauty. She was raised by some of the best, after all.] Eeiiee~!
[ and pettings ye shall receive! her fur is as glossy and soft as it looks, so he's more than happy to dish them out, along with some light scratches behind her ears. the eevee line isn't native to hoenn, so it's not often that he has an opportunity to spend some time with one. ]
There you go. I suppose you're Silver's, aren't you?
[ aron will chirp a greeting in response, and answer her questioning meow with a yes on both accounts - this is her owner-human, and he gives fantastic pets. the best cuddler in hoenn, as far as she's concerned. ]
[ Aww yesss. Pettings. All the pettings and ohh. Scritches. Ahh. Yes, good human, very good human.
She's purring hard enough she almost misses the question, but her ear flicks at Silver's name - and there's a critical look in her eyes - she's judging you now. You know here human? How, why, Are you friend or foe to him?. Shae's very, very aware not everyone likes her human (he's not the easiest to be around).
Oh? Is that so, aron? Don't mind her trying to crawl onto Steven's lap then. Cuddles, pets and scritches? Yes please and thank you.]
[It's not unheard of for people to ask for a favor or to want to play with animals when they're stressed. What's unusual about this text is that it's coming from Minato of all people; while he's hardly shy he's certainly too reserved to ask for even a simple favor for the most part.]
How are you doing, Steven? It's Minato, I was wondering if I could come and see your Pokemon for a bit.
[If anyone asks Minato's just going to say he took a hard hit to his head recently, okay? Okay.]
Good to hear from you, Minato. All things considered, I'm well. I hope the same goes for you.
[ the message is interesting, but steven responds to it in his usual polite manner. he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't curious about why minato wants to see his pokemon, but it's not in his nature to pry unless something seems suspicious. he doesn't see the young man as dangerous in any capacity, so he keeps to himself. ]
Of course you can. Beldum will be happy to see you.
That sounds like a plan to me. We'll be there as soon as we can.
[ and with that, he'll make his way to the gardens! while beldum is a close companion that's easy to keep by his side outside of its ball, metagross will also be accompanying him on this little rondez-vous. it's for both protection from whatever the colony could or might throw at them today and simple companionship. if memory serves, it hasn't met minato yet.
always one to be fashionably early, minato will find the happy little family in the gardens. steven is sitting comfortably on metagross' head (who doesn't seem to be phased in the least), legs crossed as he watches beldum float around and chirp at its surroundings. when he sees minato approaching, he'll raise a hand to wave in greeting. ]
Good afternoon. [They certainly seem like a happy family, and Minato can't help smiling looking at Beldum being excited about its surroundings. There's a bench near where Steven's seated and Minato takes a seat near to them, his hands noticeably out of his pockets and placed awkwardly on his lap.
Metagross is new to Minato, and he looks up to get a closer look at the Pokemon. ...its eyes bear a resemblance to Beldum, somehow.] Beldum looks happy...who's this one though?
That certainly is one way to put it... But with Cradily keeping a reasonable amount of caution, I've been managing. I hope that the same can be said for you.
Unfortunately, I'll have to confirm that. Especially as of late, we're always expected to deal with "incidents" throughout the colony. The results of such can vary from petty annoyance to grave danger.
I was actually able to walk again for a few minutes during the incident, but since it was at the expense of the mobility of one of my friends, I can't say it was a good experience.
[ Well, here she is again. Otome really ought to stay home, considering how often these "bouts" seem to be occurring where she loses control of her legs, but unfortunately, she can't just stay home when she's capable of helping out.
... So here she is, somewhere on a sidewalk, struggling to push herself up so she can at least drag herself over to her dropped cellphone. Getting Kazfiel to help is likely the way to go, and she'd rather not inconvenience anyone by calling them. ]
[ if things were normal for steven, upon discovering otome unable to move, he'd almost certainly fuss about her pushing herself while obviously not well. there would be gentle scolding about not resting at home, wondering why she's out in the first place, and reminiscing back to their conversations about how things were bound to get worse in the colony before they'd get better.
but when he sees her on the ground at this particular time, his actions don't exactly reflect the relationship they have. he'll rush to her side, of course - that much is the same. he'll pick up her phone in one hand before crouching down to meet her eyes, offering his hand. ]
You look like you could use a pick-me-up.
[ he's smiling... but it's not in the fond way that he usually smiles at her. this one is genuine, yes, but it's unfamiliar and polite - as is habitual when he's greeting a stranger. there's also the fact that he has a patch over his right eye, but that's about to be the least of their troubles. ]
[ It does occur to her that his smile's not the same - but Steven's more than capable of different expressions and it's not enough to tell by something like that - and Otome blinks... but what really catches her off-guard is that eyepatch.
She doesn't reach for his hand, instead blurting out with uncharacteristic dismay-- ]
[ oh. well... that's not exactly the firsf thing he would have expected a stranger to point out, but maybe it does look a bit odd... ]
I'm not sure if you know this, but CERES put implants into our eyes upon arrival. I'm not prone to blindness in any way; if I were to make an educated guess, the implants may be malfunctioning with the rest of the technology in the colony.
[ he seems pretty calm about it - no need to worry this woman with his own troubles, after all. his offered hand remains. ]
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