the art of gift-giving. [capture]

Sharp, keen eyes observed the Mimikyu Morph and her large companion from afar, though neither party was fully away of it then. Red-and-brown feathers ruffled rather importantly as the Spearow shifted upon her perch, deliberating if the Morph and her Pokemon posed a threat. Spearow was not a violent Pokemon by any means – if anything, she liked to preach pacifism and solve her problems through words, rather than action.

At the same time, however, she was the self-appointed guardian of this part of the flatlands, and knew that a large number of Pokemon were counting on her to drive away potential dangers. There were young Pokemon, still naïve and unassuming, that could fall into harm’s way if the wrong person happened across them, and Spearow had no qualms about driving such targets away if the need arose.

It was with this in mind that she took flight, drifting upon thermals far above the Morph and her Pokemon and using her expert eyesight to keep tabs upon the pair. If they were doing anything suspicious, she’d certainly be able to pick it out.

“You… like this one?” Dox queried towards Nil, crouching down and reaching out a clawed hand to trace shadowy fingers over delicate, multi-colored petals. The flower in question was a soft white, with a couple of deep crimson specks upon each individual petal. The first thought that flitted through the Absol’s mind was blood, but he pushed the rather grim association to the back of his mind, squinting thoughtfully at the flower. Judging the aesthetic properties of flora wasn’t in his usual expertise, but Dox was clearly expecting an answer. He’d have to improvise.

+… I think it’s… pretty, yes. It’s nice when things have a little bit of color.+

The Spearow’s expression softened a bit at the sight. Despite their appearances, it was clear that neither party here meant any harm. Usually, trainers came here to battle and strengthen their team, and the Flying-type was relieved that she wouldn’t have to become an aggressor on this particular day.

If the Morph was looking for flowers, however… The Spearow shifted her course of flight, flying towards a spot she frequented often. The lilacs that bloomed in this particular area were some of the most vibrant in the entire meadow, and, though she wasn’t sure why the Morph was seeking flowers, the colorful nature of the lilacs would hopefully appeal to the girl.

Carefully clasping two snipped-off flowers in her beak, she took flight once more, making a beeline for the girl and her Absol once more. Both startled when she landed only a couple of feet away, and a part of her tensed, expecting the Absol to attack. But he only stared warily at her, and the Spearow took the cue to hop forward, gently setting the flowers in front of Dox.

The Morph made an ugly, but delighted, noise, shifting to take the offered gifts. And, though the Spearow offered no words, she sank into a brief ‘bow’ towards the Morph and Absol before taking flight once more, vanishing into the distance.

Dox and Nil exchanged a glance, even as Dox ran her fingers curiously over the petals. The encounter had been a brief one, but, as Dox carefully placed the flowers into a box meant for gathering them, she found herself feeling quite optimistic about the entire ordeal. Perhaps other creatures and people in Stellara would approach her with the same friendliness and good will.


tag. 579 words. PASSING on the spearow!

The quiet sound of sniffling eventually reached both Morph and Absol, and Dox ceased her flower-picking for a couple of moments, clawed hand hovering uncertainly as she glanced about for the source. The fur along Nil’s spine bristled as the Absol straightened up, critical eyes razing the surroundings as he scrutinized for the source of the issue. It was difficult to pick out much among the grasses and the multi-colored flowers – especially something small. Neither really noticed the Togepi until Nil almost tripped over the poor thing.

The baby Pokemon – definitely young and childish still on top of technically being a Baby Pokemon – wailed at the sight of Nil. The massive, scary-looking Absol must have been quite the sight to such a tiny, easily-frightened creature, and the Absol flinched back, looking uncharacteristically apologetic. His shoulders drooped faintly as he took a couple of uncertain steps back, not wanting to frighten the Togepi any further.

“Everything… okay… Nil?” a voice croaked behind him as Dox crept forward, one shadow hand extending unnaturally towards the Togepi. At the sight of the Mimikyu Morph – or perhaps the strange feeling she gave off – the Togepi uttered another wail, and Dox flinched back much in the same way her Absol had. For a heartbeat, she was reminded of the way young children had reacted to her – frightened, in the same way as some other people, but not tactful enough to hide the strong reaction. Clearly, neither she nor Nil were any consolation to the little Egg Pokemon.

Frowning beneath her mask, the Morph reached to place a flower in front of the Togepi before quickly scurrying away, the Absol following right behind her. Neither of them spoke until they were far removed from the upset child, and even then, an awkward, uneasy heaviness hung in the air, as though the brief encounter had left them both tired and drained.

… Perhaps no words needed to be said.

Silently, Dox knelt down, picking through the flowers with less enthusiasm this time. Nil sat close beside her. Though his eyes focused upon her work, his thoughts were elsewhere, in a far less comfortable location.


tag. 357 words. PASSING the togepi.

As the Morph sifted almost melancholily through the flowers she’d gathered, she startled back in surprise as something squeaked and writhed beneath her clawed hands. The sharp little sound she made drew Nil’s attention, and the Absol sprang immediately to his large, clawed paws, hackles raising as he glared at the creature that had startled his charge.

Next to the flowers, a tiny, strange seed-like creature was situated, blinking up at Dox quizzically with large, black eyes. Dox had never seen a Sunkern before, and the two merely stared each other down before Dox cast a confused question towards her starter. “Is like flower seed… but alive?” At least this Pokemon wasn’t afraid of her like the Togepi had been.

+A Sunkern – a Grass-type, most likely. And all flowers are alive, Dox. Just… in a different sense of the word.+ Nil’s claws worked in the grass as he stared the Sunkern down, though he seemed to relax a little – nothing about the tiny Pokemon suggested that it posed a danger to his trainer. It didn’t even seem hostile – if anything, Dox had just woken it up, from how it seemed to sleepily blink every so often.

“Oh. … Is Dox… killing flowers…?” she croaked out, sounding decidedly alarmed by the revelation.

+What?! N-no, not at all!+ The technical answer was ‘yes’, of course, but Nil couldn’t find it in his heart to tell the Morph such a thing. +You’re turning the flowers into something better than they were before, and then you’re giving them to people. There’s nothing wrong with that.+ he breathed a sigh of relief as the Morph seemed to relax, turning her attention back to the sleepy Sunkern.

“You… want flower, friend?” she queried, tilting her head to one side as she considered the Sunkern. It felt a bit strange to offer a sentient flower seed a non-sentient flower, but a part of her was quite sorry for disturbing the Grass-type’s rest. She shifted to pluck a yellow-petalled flower from her collect – the yellow matched the Sunkern’s yellow body quite well, in her professional opinion.

The Sunkern turned sleepy eyes to the flower, before squeaking out something else – what it said, Dox wasn’t quite sure. She usually had no trouble understanding most Pokemon, but perhaps the Sunkern was still too young to properly speak. She liked to think that it was saying ‘thank you’, though.

“Take… care. We will… leave you in peace,” she hissed out softly, reaching to offer a tentative pat to the Sunkern before getting to her feet. Her collection was just about full, as it stood, and she turned back towards where they’d come from, gesturing in that general direction.

“Is… getting late. Should leave soon… yes?” she offered to Nil, earning a quiet nod from the Absol as he turned to follow the Morph.


tag. 470 words. PASSING on the sunkern. taking whatever comes next, of course!