this wasn't a bad idea (ama/open)

[MA STAFF]

For a moment it seemed as if the sand attack had hindered their ability to function, causing both trainers to bring their garments up to their mouths and the vaporeon to squint against the gritty gale. Christof was quick to think though and ordered Neypthis into a counter attack. The mist began to work as soon as its foggy presence entered the air from the mouth of Jasmines opponent. All around them tiny drops of mud pattered to the forest floor like dirty rain, speckling the fallen leaves. The group appeared to be recovering quickly and a new presence drew Jasmines attention from focusing on immediate attack. She could hear the flap of wings before she saw the blue feathers and with a wrinkle of her nose Jasmines black pupiless eyes locked onto the Articuno. While Jasmine wasn't one capable of too complex a thought, she was capable enough to know what pokemon packed the most painful punch. Anemos just happened to be one of those creatures.

Jasmine hadn't ever been the one to suffer one of Anemos ice attacks, but she had seen the bird out in the forest, both hunting as they pleased, and she certainly knew an ice attack when she saw one. If there was one thing the cold blooded creature disliked it was a shot of icy chill. Furthermore, it appeared as if that was what Blaine had in mind for her. "Frost Breath! Forward!" It didn't take but a fleeting moment for the arctic chill to blast in Jasmines direction, too quick for her to ready a counter attack. The garchomp reflexively turned, bracing herself to the attack and allowing her shoulder to take the brunt of the chill. The icy beam crackled like static charge as it collided with her solid shoulder, the pain of excessive cold causing the massive creature to hiss in frustration and anger. Her shoulder steamed as the blue glow dissipated, her skin tight and frozen in a spot about as wide as a basketball. All around it the garchomps navy blue flesh twitched instinctively, like a ponytas side might to shoo a fly. She gnashed her teeth, dark eyes roaving between Anemos and the Vaporeon. It wasn't often that Jasmine found herself outgunned and outnumbered, but it seemed as if these were one of those rare times.

With Finn and his pokemon all but forgotten the Garchomp took a step back from the trainers and their pale blue pokemon, her tail lashing angrily. A series of clicks issued from her parted jaws, the sound of a creature who was no longer on offense but defense instead. Muscles bunching under her as she crouched, the large creature leapt upward onto one of the larger nearby trees, using her strong talon tipped wings to climb the side of the trunk. Within moments, as quickly as she had swooped down onto the trainer in attack, Jasmine was gone, with only the flapping of her large wings in her wake.

---

Word Count: --
Notes: N/A

[Christof Drescher]

Now at first, as that dark shadow overhead was seen, Christof couldn't make out what he was seeing, and indeed thought that the approaching form overhead must be Jasmine.  Nephthyus' first instinct was to think so as well, fortunately the clearing of debris from the air around them, and the proximity of Blaine's approaching pokèmon would make it clear this wasn't the case. 

  "Halten Ihre Stellung. Seid Bereit", he called out, before knowing just what was approaching, and Nephthyus was indeed read.  Squaring himself off and keeping an eye on the approaching form, the Vaporeon was fully ready to unleash another attack on the Garchomp that wasn't taking the hint.  However, the silhouette quickly revealed itself to be a large avian, rather than the dragon they had been facing... A very large avian.

    As it became clear just what it was, and Blaine's voice called out to his pokèmon, that was all Nephthyus needed to search for the actual foe once more. However, the Vaporeon, was aware of his trainer's continued distraction.  Christof really couldn't quite help but continue to stare a moment.  Of all the things that might have emerged to come to Blaine's aid, an Articuno had not even fallen into the 'vaguely possible' category.  A soft bark from the Vaporeon as he glanced over his shoulder at Christof was all it took to bring Christof back to the matter at hand. 

 "Tut mir Leid... Halten" He reaffirmed his earlier command, though of course Nephthyus was now focused on the Garchomp that was hit by the Articuno's attack. In the time it took for the Garchomp to make her decision about what her next action would be, it seemed increasingly unlikely that she would continue to attack.  It wouldn't due for them to push the matter, especially once the tone of Jasmine's noises shifted from aggression to warning. Sure enough the Garchomp saw to her retreat, and Nephthyus' ears twitched some, his finned tail flicking absently.  Though eyes remained steadily on their former attacker, the tension faded from the Vaporeon's form.  One thing was for sure, he was glad that Christof's Blaine had that sort of friend to call on.  Taking on that Garchomp was no simple matter.  

---

Word Count: 380
Tags: big legendary bird (XP) 
Notes: N/A

[Blaine Carlisle]

Anemos remained steady - watchful gaze intent on the fleeing garchomp's back. He wasn't going to persue her further, and in fact perhaps felt just a bit regretful that he'd had to cause injury to her at all. After all, he and the garchomp had coexisted in these forests for a while now, neither bothering the other...and he'd been intending on keeping up with that pattern. However, he certainly couldn't have allowed her to harm /his/ Blaine. The other human, well he wasn't familiar with him, but from the way Blaine seemed to have shifted into a protective stance behind him he could only gather that this man must be his trainer's mate. And wasn't that nice?

A sigh escaped the large avian pokemon, feathers along his neck and chest ruffling a bit before settling once more as he shifted his position above them so he could land a few feet away from them without causing the much smaller vaporeon or even the much smaller humans damage. The matter of the garchomp was dealt with, and again he really wasn't going to maintain an attack stance - especially not when his Blaine was so near, and before his visiting day too. Once he landed, he settled down close to the ground - enormous wings folded back against his body in a relaxed position - and then lowered his head so he was more in an eye to eye position with the other two humans, even as his gaze flickered down to the vaporeon. "You held your own, little one. Thank you for protecting my Blaine. " His voice rumbled out, a hint of perhaps amusement, even as he stretched out his neck for Blaine to be able to reach him more easily.

Blaine, in the meantime, was left to feel a hint of amusement himself - the German's uncharacteristic moment of stopping and simply staring as the unexpected articuno made his appearance - and perhaps a strange sense of embarrassment at having called Anemos at all. It wasn't that he was ashamed of the pokemon, to the contrary he was actually quite proud about him. But he had failed to mention to Christof previously that he had such a pokemon on his team, and sort of felt that his calling on him now without prior warning might be interpreted as him showing off. Certainly he'd been accused of such a thing in the past, with others...and Christof meant more to him than those others. Christof's opinion mattered more and he'd hate to think he might have somehow managed to give Christof that impression. 


That didn't stop him from moving closer to the articuno though and offering him the scritches he was no doubt seeking. A grin curved his lips, the same fondness that was there for his other pokemon present, and he gently scritched at the base of small feathers that covered the bird's head. " Thanks for coming so quick, Anemos." Blaine said in the low, warm tones he tended to use when speaking one on one with the pokemon he called his own. After a few more scritches, he paused and glanced back over his shoulder at Christof - checking for where he was. Once his eyes found him, Blaine offered a somewhat abashed grin - again that strange sense of embarassment overcoming him - and motioned him forward.

"He's friendly. And I'd like him to meet you." Then his brow furrowed a bit, his glance moving further back to make certain Jasmine was really retreated, and yes there was a bit of worry for the injured garchomp as well. Blaine hadn't wanted to hurt her...even if there had been no choice. "Hmmm. When we get back to the school, I'm going to have to go find Amadeus so he can get Jasmine looked at. I wouldn't want her to suffer unduly..." 

---

Word Count: 644
Tags: Christof/Nephthys
Notes: Blaine/Anemos (Articuno)

[Christof Drescher]

Nephthyus lifted his gaze to meet that of the Articuno. He himself, of course, didn't really know about rarity of pokèmon apart from what Christof said. Still it was a rather large pokèmon, and so the Vaporeon did have some sense of awe at its sheer size. 

"Thank you for putting an end to it... I like your Blaine, he is good for my Christof and he is a good human; it's no trouble to help protect him", offered the Vaporeon easily. Wandering a bit closer to his trainer, Nephthyus sat himself down beside the German.  
Now that the battle was over, this did leave the two men in a somewhat awkward position. Christof was no more sure how he should respond to the sudden appearance of the very large avian ice type. As Blaine spoke of a desire to introduce them, he did move just a bit closer, just enough to communicate his willingness, but he wasn't sure how to address a Articuno. Usually he observed, kept out of the way so he wouldn't interfere with what he could learn from the pokèmon he studied. 

He would follow Blaine's lead on how he should behave with his pokèmon, wanting to respect the other, and to take his cues as to what the Articuno would like by means of greeting.  The as Blaine's attention returned to the matter of the Garchomp, he too turned his gaze in the direction that she had gone. 

"I think she wasn't badly injured... but yes it would be best to inform him", he offers with a bit of a sniff after his words.  However, before more of his irritation with Professor Faux could be voiced, he turned his gaze to the other man. "Sometime though... you should tell me how you came to find you Articuno. You've clearly taken very good care of him."

---

Word Count: --
Tags: N/A
Notes: N/A

[Blaine Carlisle]

It was difficult for any pokemon of Blaine's to remain unfriendly, especially when one considered the friendly nature of their trainer himself. Anemos was no different than the majority of his team as, like many of them, he'd been found while still pretty fresh out of the egg. So when Christof approached, the articuno didn't start or behave the way a more feral or wild pokemon might have. Instead, he actually stepped in closer so the pretty German man could reach him better and then lowered his head for scritches. He was even kind enough to settle closer to the ground so he wouldn't dwarf the humans quite so badly. 


Anemos knew what Blaine wanted, and because of that...Blaine couldn't help but smile. "Believe it or not, finding him was something of an accident." He offered Christof easily, even while he took one of the German's hands and placed it at the top of the Articuno's lower head. "He likes to be scratched at the base of his feathers...and he prefers it if you pet following the natural fall of them rather than going against it." His words were soft, and meant for Christof - but Anemos couldn't help but over hear them and found himself chuckling a bit in the process. 


"My human...he is fond of yours." He said, turning to Nephthys once more. "I can tell because Blaine seems almost...shy. It isn't usual for him to be so. I rather like it." A hint of narrowing about the eyes gave the impression of the articuno grinning, even as he continued to wait for the suggested scritches as he did so much enjoy receiving them, and then once they were offered was content to nudge his head up firmer against them to encourage more. A few soft chirrups and whirrs sounded as well - the giant avian's wings twitching happily as his eyes partially closed from bliss. 


Once Christoff appeared to be settling into the idea of petting such a large creature, Blaine merely stepped back and observed - happy to see that Anemos found the German's man attentions to be pleasant. Even Veles, Blaine's more touchy pokemon enjoyed the attentions of the other teacher, so really Blaine hardly expected anything different. And as he observed, he talked - not minding the telling of how he came by such a rare bird.

"We had stopped in this little valley town and had decided to park our gear a bit up the mountain. These people...well, they took a little less kindly to having 'gypsies' like us stay so close to their homes, and we didn't want to cause any trouble for the show...." His voice trailed off a bit, eyes narrowing in thought as he dredged up the memory. "Well, my cousin Emmett thought it was a good idea to go on a hike. Figure out the lay of the land and where the best fishing and such could be found. And this guy fell out of his perch...at the time he was about the size of a football." He grinned. "Imagine my surprise when he just kept growing...."

Blaine chuckled then, settling his hands back in his pockets and absently glanced off in the direction that Ceres had moved. By now, the carnivine probably had the boy safe and sound back by the school and she was likely waiting for them either by the entrance or even back in Blaine's room. She certainly knew her way around the school as Ceres was one of those pokemon that enjoyed wandering as she pleased, and often did so with or without Blaine's permission. They should likely return to the school soon, but Blaine wasn't about to rush the other man either. He wanted Christof to know all of his pokemon, to feel comfortable with them, so he was content to simply let the other take his time and merely wait for the moment.

---

Word Count: 659
Tags: Christof, Nephthys
Notes: Blaine, Anemos

[Christof Drescher]

  He allowed Blaine to capture his hand and guide it to an appropriate place to offer affection, and followed the other's instruction precisely.  As his cautiously began to offer those scritches, he did offer more substantial attention as the Articuno expressed pleasure and his desire for more.  

  "Size of a football... Gott im Himmel Blaine, what have to been feeding him?", offers softly, not quite able to help but chuckle a bit.  Indeed, it was impressive, the condition of the large bird pokèmon. Certainly he didn't mind spending the time getting to know Blaine's pokèmon a bit better. "...It is good though... that something positive came of it.  Certainly your family didn't deserve the treatment you received", offers absently.  Indeed, Christof could hardly get such a closed minded line of thinking.  Sure, he wasn't really comfortable around people, but he wasn't comfortable with all people.  He didn't discriminate, certainly not over something as ridiculous as whether ones home moved or was stationary.  Obviously if Blaine and his family meant to actually cause trouble, they wouldn't come in the open and announce their presence. 

   Nephthyus continued his grooming, until the other pokèmon spoke. Looking up at Anemos he considered the other's words a moment. 

"Odd... I would say it is the opposite for my Christof.  Though most people don't notice... when he actually bothers to interact with other humans.  Your Blaine though... he feels more comfortable, and wants to be around him. "  Gaze moving to take in the two humans in question.  Yes, they were certainly a good match; even if they were still working things out.  "Maybe some time you can meet the rest of us... I think we will all be one pack soon. "  He offers absently, not really sure when that happened, or how they would all know when it happened, but he was certain it was only a matter of time.  Certainly Loki had no qualms with settling himself right in among them. 

---

Word Count: 337
Tags: Blaine, Anemos (Articuno)
Notes: Christof, Nephthyus (Vaporeon)

[Blaine Carlisle]

Blaine couldn't help but grin at the other's exclamation, reaching up to offer Anemos a few more scritches and pets as he couldn't quite resist those soft blue feathers. "Well, he started hunting on his own about six months after I got him. Before that, he existed on a raw diet of ground lopunny, stantler and bouffalant when we could get it. With a good dose of grain and vegetables thrown in. And occasionally some fruit. He quite likes apples, and berries of all sorts."  And wasn't it perhaps amusing how seriously Blaine took the other's question? Especially since it was likely meant in jest. But still, he didn't mind explaining a diet to anyone - least of all Christof - and it was only proper to wonder what exactly the avian pokemon ate to have grown so much.

Anemos did enjoy the attention, but he could tell by his Blaine's occasional glances in the direction of the school that soon they would have to jaunt off to do teacherly things. Honestly, the articuno didn't mind as he knew he'd see his Blaine again. And possibly this new and interesting human as well. So rather than linger too long, he leaned down and nipped lightly at Blaine's fingers - and butted the top of his head lightly against a Christof by way of a friendly farewell. Then he turned his attention back to the vaporeon, the bird's long graceful neck dipping low in a sort of bow to the other. "I would like to meet your others...especially the one Loki talks about often enough when he comes out to see me with Blaine." The giant avian chuckled, the sound a deep rumble - almost a purr - in his chest. "I believe my little vulpix friend is quite smitten. For now though, I think I must be off. It seems like the humans are feeling the need to attend to matters back at the school. Maybe when Blaine comes out to see me next, he'll bring you and your human...I would like that." Again, he gave the impression of smiling, and then after receiving a farewell pat just below his wing...he backed away so he could take to the skies safely, deciding to head back to one of his favorite roosts for a rest as the day had been more eventful than he'd planned. 


Blaine watched Anemos fly away, smiling a bit after him and then turned back to Christof - his expression shifting into something just a bit more...speculative. He was going to try something, and he wasn't sure if it would be welcome or not. But that didn't mean Blaine still wasn't going to try. "I think we should be heading back now, don't you?" He asked quietly before, of all things, holding out a hand for the other to take. If it was taken, then Blaine wouldn't hesitate to twine fingers with the other - making it clear that he intended to walk back in just this manner. It was true that something as simple as holding one's hand could be seen as slightly childish, but Blaine wanted to be connected to the other. Wanted that sense of closeness...and silly as it was, he wanted to just hold the other's hand in his own. 


Either way though, whether his hand was taken and held or whether it was dropped to be stuffed idly in a pocket, he'd start heading back when Christof did, content to follow the other in relative silence if that was what the German preferred - or with conversation if Christof initiated it. His mind was still on how he'd deal with the matter of Amadeus and Jasmine...but only partially as Christof tended to take things over in there far too easily. He doubted the other knew it, but Chris was often on Blaine's mind...and he honestly couldn't say if the other would be pleased to hear such a thing. So for now, he kept silent about that and merely enjoyed the other's presence - however the other dictated that should be done as it wasn't in Blaine to push. 

---

Word Count: 692
Tags: Christof/Nephthys
Notes: I think maybe just a Chris post and then this thread can be closed too. XD 

[Christof Drescher]

   He couldn't really help where his mind would go, as it filed away the information that Blaine offered.  He'd observed an Articuno before, but he had been sure it was a freshly kicked out of the nest juvenile. Now, he had no doubt.  He hadn't had the chance to observe one of this size, nor their nesting habits. The thought of this giant pokèmon, tending to one the size of a football was rather extraordinary, one of those things that would never lose it's wonder no matter how many times a person saw it.  He kept such matters to himself though, in part because he wasn't used to discussing such things verbally with another person.  Really though, the main reason was he remained mostly absorbed in the matter at hand. 

  As it came time for the avian pokèmon to leave, he offered Anemos a few parting scritches, before letting himself just watch the other take off. Now, they would have to consider more serious things, like what was to be done about Jasmine, and more importantly, about her trainer. 

  Nepthyus stood once more, as the other pokèmon spoke, tail fin twitching just a bit. He had noticed how 'friendly' Loki tended to get with a certain pack alpha.  Stretching out, he offered another dip of his head, pleased that the other was agreeable to being friendly. One didn't always know when a pokèmon might get too territorial about its human. 

   "Hopefully that will be soon. Maybe Christof will start bringing your Blaine and your pack...", there was a pause as his finned ears lowered just a bit in thought.  Birds didn't call their groups packs.  "... Your ... flock? with when we go on our journeys.  Then you could join us"  That did sound so ideal.   As the other took his leave, the vaporeon made his way to offer Blaine a gentle, nudge and a lick.  If not for the fact that they had to go, he might have tried to get some scritches from the human, but as it was, he was ready to go.  

   "Yes, there is a lot for us to deal with." Just as they were heading back, he was in for a bit of a surprise. Christof hadn't been expecting his hand to be sought.  Still, the moment of consideration was brief.  There was no harm in trying out this gesture of affection.  So he did, indeed take that hand, and kept hold of it, except of course in any case where they might need the freedom to steady themselves along any rougher terrain. Then would begin the real challenge, dealing with Mr. Faux. Hopefully it went more smoothly than he was imagining it might go.

---

Word Count: 461
Tags: N/A
Notes: yep yep ^_^ I'll wait for you to claim it and such before I move it ^_~