Manor and Manners [Capture]

A slowly decaying study, filled with the musty smell of mildewed parchment and soggy, overgrown wood. Nothing of note inside, as all the books looked fragile enough that a good poke would cause them to crumble. A shame, though. Starling would have liked to know what little interesting secrets they held.

At least three locked doors. The hinges were probably rusty enough that knocking them down wouldn't be that great an effort, but they didn't feel like demolishing property was something they were up for today. Lucian tried peeping through the keyholes, though he apparently found nothing interesting.

A whole lot of dusty and fraying carpet lining the hallways. Starling noted absently that the dust had been disturbed in a few parts. Hmm. Probably from some prior travelers dragging their feet, tracing little gouges in the layer of dust that otherwise seemed to cover everything in the estate.

So, all in all, it seemed like the stereotypical haunted mansion. Though, Starling would admit, most haunted mansions that were meant for recreational use smelled a whole lot better than here.

"I told you," Starling said to Lucian, giving the pokemon a quick pat on the head. "Nothing to be worried about." He had scurried to hide behind her shoulders at a particularly loud gust of wind at one point, but otherwise, everything was all in order. They sighed. "I was hoping to be able to find more. Or, anything at all. But I guess we should go now. The lab's still waiting back home," they said, beginning to retrace their steps. It wasn't difficult, since the somewhat fresh mud stains were a rather easy trail to follow.

Unfortunately, there was quite an unwelcome surprise waiting for them as they returned to the entryway. Starling's coat was still right where they left it on the chair, and it did look decently dry. However...

Perched on the chair, sitting on top of their coat, was a bird-like form. Bold colors and sharp lines adorned its whole body, meeting in a hypnotic swirl of patterns. For a moment, Starling just stared at it. Huh. They had never seen such a creature before. Coming to their senses, they pulled out their Pokedex to try and see if they could identify it.

Beeeeep: Sigilyph. Flying/Psychich type pokemon. Sigilyph is-

Whatever the electronic voice was dictating was drowned out, as with a loud, oddly warbling chirp, the creature spun around. It lifted into the air, screeching and sending Lucian running behind them, and Starling could see the three blue eyes focused on them. Out of instinct, Starling raised both hands into the air, though she soon realized that such a motion likely meant nothing to a pokemon.

Though her heart was pounding, they tried to project calming thoughts. It was psychic type, wasn't it? Then it might be able to pick up on the fact that she didn't want any trouble. Lucian quivered behind her. "Listen. Sigilyph." Speaking to something that couldn't reply back always felt awkward. Not with Lucian, though, they knew that he understood them. "I don't want to bother you. You live here, right? I'll get out of your home. I just need to grab my coa-"

The Sigilyph screeched yet again, cutting off Starling's words as it snapped up a corner of fabric in its grip. Starling's eyes narrowed. "That is my coat, and I need it back-"

(NO.)

It took a while for the yell to register as words. For one thing, it wasn't really words, not quite. But they still understood it anyway. Wide-eyed, Lucian and Starling both gazed at the Sigilyph, who had now moved up to grab even more of the coat in its talons. (It's mine! It's mine! I marked it so it's mine!)

This could be an opportunity. Full communication with a pokemon? Starling had never experienced anything like it before. As the Sigilyph threw its tantrum, huddling up deeper into the chair and clutching their coat protectively, their thoughts slowed down, turned in another direction. Having the Sigilyph with them would be a valuable experience, both for finding out how exactly this had happened, and for trying to see if it could be replicated.

And.. Though they would never, ever, ever admit it out loud... It was a bit lonely. With just them and Lucian. Connecting with people was difficult. They always seemed to be somewhere else, off doing things on their own-much like Starling themself. But pokemon... Well. A conversation partner wouldn't hurt.

Okay. Okay. Starling had a plan. There were concessions to be made, but there was a plan. "Sigilyph. Listen, for a moment. I do need that coat." When it reared back, pulling back with narrowed eyes like it was poised to attack. "But! But, that doesn't mean you can't have it too. We can share it. I've got a home outside of here, it's full of lots of things. I like some of them, I'll admit. But there are a few that can be yours. You can have a space for yourself, if you'd like."

That gave the Sigilyph pause. (...Really?)

"Yes, absolutely. We can try this sharing thing right now. I'll put on the coat, but you can hold on to as much of it as you want. And then when we get back home, we can talk about how we can split up our things," Starling added, making sure to emphasize that last point. Lucian peeked out from behind their knees, now that there didn't seem to be an immediate threat.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Starling waited for Sigilyph's response.

(Okay.)

They let out a breath they didn't even realize they were holding. "All right. All right, thanks. So, let's see how this goes..."

...

Now toting one more companion than they had when they first entered, coat slightly worse for wear with a few tears running down the back, Starling stepped out the front door. The sky was still rather cloudy. But it still felt like the start of a new day.

...As that thought crossed their mind, Starling snorted, and shook their head. What a silly comparison. "Anyway. How do you feel about having a name?" they asked Sigilyph. 

(A name?)

"Yes, a name. Mine is Starling, and his is Lucian." They gestured towards said pokemon, now displaced to the top of their head. He didn't seem to mind, though, and was clinging to some strands of hair in his hands. "You can have one too if you want. How do you feel about, hm, Teneo?"

(Hmmm. Is it mine?)

"If you want it to be." Lucian whistled in agreement.

(Yes! Yes, I want it! It's mine, a name for me!)