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Post by Lithre {Articuno} on Sept 28, 2013 6:30:44 GMT -5
An early chill had settled in around the lake, and the water was unusually cool. The lower-than-usual temperature did not seem to be discouraging the various water-types lazily swimming through the lake. On the sands surrounding the body of water, a raven-haired woman sat under the shade of a tree, watching the fish through glasses that she did not need. Her toes rested in the shallows, and the water around her feet was cold, even more so than the rest of the lake. In fact, if one looked close enough, they might even be able to see faint crystals of ice clinging to her skin before being dispersed in the gentle ripples through the water. They were hard to spot, though, and it was unlikely that a casual observer would even notice.
A casual observer would likely not realise what she was, either.
It was peaceful here by the lake, quiet. It reminded her of home. She really did miss Kanto, but it hadn't felt like her home for quite some time now. It didn't mean that she didn't long to return, in quiet moments such as these. But today had been so nice so far, and she didn't want to ruin it with deep thoughts. For now at least she had nothing to do but relax and unwind on her day off. She still had her mobile clipped to her belt, just in case they needed an extra hand at work, and she was ready to fly at a moment's notice but, for now, she was going to sit here under this tree and forget about everything. She'd been doing a pretty good job, actually.
With her toes wriggling gently in the frigid water, Articuno sat in her human form, and watched the ripples spread across the surface of the lake, grey eyes half-shut and slender form slumped comfortably against the bark of a tree. And, for a moment, she felt as though she hadn't a care in the world.
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Post by Ashsurera (Zapdos) on Sept 29, 2013 14:42:24 GMT -5
"Come on Ashsurera, don't look like that." Elec said as he sat on Ashsurera's right shoulder. "You'll find your sister and then go back to Kanto to free the other one."
"How long have we been looking though? Too long. She could be..." Ashsurera started but he went quiet.
He still hadn't found Moltres. And to his knowledge, Articuno was still being help captive. He had been trying to find her since he arrived here, he meet one other legendary so far but that was it. Coming to a stop, Ashsurera sighed and he stood there. Moltres had to be somewhere right? Maybe she wasn't in Remoor.
Just as the thought to go search in another region came to him, he felt it. A familiar presence. It was a legendary but one he knew he knew. The cold feeling to it as well as power. Taking off as fast as he could, Ashsurera drew closer to the lake. The cold feeling in the air was growing stronger. Elec held onto Ashsurera and even though he spoke, Ashsurera couldn't hear him. He knew this presence, the aura that it belonged to.
It didn't take long for him to come to a stop panting, his gold eyes were staring at the young woman. The aura was giving her away, but Ashsurera couldn't remember if he ever saw her in human form before. Elec clinged to Ashsurera's right shoulder with hsi frotn paws, trying to pull himself back up.
"A...A..." Ashsurera started but he decided to try something different instead. "Ro...Rokh?"
It was a old nickname of Articuno's and since it was, surely she would know why someone would call her that. He meant nothing bad by it, he was just asking to make sure if it was really her. It would be a clear give away if he said 'Articuno'. If she wasn't then he would be in trouble. But the aura made him sure that he was right.
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Post by Lithre {Articuno} on Oct 6, 2013 3:05:45 GMT -5
Her eyes had inched shut and Lithre had just begun to drift off when she heard footsteps. They were distant, but growing steadily louder, and closer. The woman brushed it off, assuming they just belonged to one of the groundskeepers, or another person coming to see the pond, and she remained silent and relaxed by the edge of the lake.
Even when the footsteps had reached her, even when the person whom had made them stood beside her, evidently staring - something she didn't have to have her eyes open to guess - she still stayed sitting and displayed as much movement as a rock. Perhaps, if she ignored whoever it was, they'd eventually just go away.
She was quietly pleading that they would simply turn around and walk away, that they'd just leave her alone, when they began to speak, stuttering over whatever word they were attempting to articulate, and she could no longer ignore them. With a sigh, her eyes opened.
Brown-grey eyes were met with the sight of a youthful looking man. Golden hair, so dissimilar to her own dark-navy bordering on charcoal, stuck out about his head. His locks were the same colour as his irises, and his skin was pale, similar to her own tone. Something about him felt eerily, uncomfortably familiar, and just as she felt sure that she was about to place where she'd felt this presence before, he spoke. It was a single word, something that, to most people would mean little to nothing, but to her, it felt as if she'd been punched in the face. Her world froze, everything seeming to slow down and become quieter until her heartbeat, usually only a faint echo, seemed to pound in her ears.
She hadn't heard that name used in reference to herself in centuries, perhaps more.
Her chest felt tight and when she leaped to her feet, looking very much as though she'd been bitten by something unpleasant and venomous, her breathing was ragged. Fear flooded her and her right hand began to shake until, a few seconds later, the emotion was replaced with something different, but equally potent; anger. Grey eyes flashed and the temperature of the air plummeted.
"Zapdos." No nickname was used for him. She didn't think she could, not without hitting him. "It's been a while."
Her voice did not shake, and her face betrayed nothing of the storm breaking beneath the surface of the legendary. Storm-bringer indeed.
"So. Have you come to finish the job, or do you just want to leave me with a few more scars to talk about, hmm?" Her voice was cheery, and in direct contrast to the piercing cold of the words she had spoken.
For once, Lithre was just dying for a fight.
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Post by Ashsurera (Zapdos) on Oct 6, 2013 10:48:37 GMT -5
He found her. He found one of his sisters. But....this wasn't right was it? The way she was talking to him and the fact that she was the one he went to look for Moltres to help free her. What was going on?
"What are you going on about?" Ashsurera asked. "Last I saw you, you got caught by Mewtwo. I went looking for Moltres so we could get you out. Why would I want to fight you?"
Ashsurera's memory was still strange, he couldn't remember the fight that had Articuno so mad at him. He just stood there, unsure on what to say or what to do. Elec on the other hand, stood in front of Ashsurera.
"He's been worried sick about you when he saw you get captured." Elec told her. "Perhaps you should stop thinking about the past and move on. Take into consideration that he's your younger brother and you should know about his memory state."
She should. She was the oldest and she knew her younger siblings better. Or at least, if she remembered that is. Ashsurera looked a bit hurt, emotion wise that is. Articuno's words about finishing the job or just giving her more scars. That's not what he wanted. He wanted to help her and be with her as a sibling. He tried to remember what she was going on about, but he just couldn't remember. The only physical scars that he had were from Moltres, the large burn mark on his back that gave him the black feathers in his real form.
He didn't want to fight. Especially his older sister. True, they had done it before. But all this time he had been so worried for her safety, feeling so useless. Under the impression she was still being held prisoner. Looks like he couldn't do anything right at all.
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Post by Lithre {Articuno} on Oct 14, 2013 1:58:24 GMT -5
Zapdos responded to her anger with a look of complete and utter confusion. That, in turn, made her feel uncertain. What did he have to be confused about? He'd damn-near killed her. He had plenty to be guilty about, even to be angry about, but to be confused when she confronted him about it? It made no sense. He couldn't possibly have forgotten... Could he? She didn't remember Zap, as he had been called back then, experiencing any memory loss but, then again, she never used to have tremors through her hand, either. A lot could change in a few hundred years.
Still, when he asked her what she was talking about, she found herself doubtful, suspicious. If the last half-century had taught her anything, it was that being too trusting could be disastrous. "You... Really don't remember?" Her voice was incredulous, but he seemed genuine. Her eyes fell on the Raichu, and it was more out of habit than malicious intent that Lithre's hand shot to her belt, and the pokeballs clipped there. It was a fairly pointless gesture, anyway, as all but one were empty, the inhabitant out and about, elsewhere. She didn't verbally acknowledge the mention of Mewtwo, but she jerked slightly before settling again.
The Raichu's decision to speak up drew a calculating stare from the legendary, as she considered whether the electric-type was being sincere. After a few tense moments, she obviously decided that they were telling the truth or, if they weren't, that it wasn't worth continuing on in the current direction. "...Memory problem? I don't remember that..." She sighed, and raised a hand to her temple. This was just giving her a headache. "So... You really don't have any memory of what happened?" She shook her head. "Actually, nevermind. It doesn't matter." She could hardly blame him for something he didn't even remember doing, but her irrational side still waited for the threat that would justify tearing into him.
She wasn't going to apologise, not just now with her nerves so raw and her pride stubbornly set in place.
"Well, as you can see, I am no longer in Mewtwo's grasp." She spoke tersely. She had always been a creature of solidarity, and, right now she needed a few minutes to process what she had just been told. Or perhaps a few years. She felt another pang of longing for the arctic expanses of her old home in Kanto, away from such dramas and problems. Things had seemed so much more simple in her icy kingdom with no humans, no wars, no siblings. But she wouldn't have been able to stay there anyway, knowing the dangers and perils that lurked just out of sight, across the sea, in a land torn by war and infection.
"...What have you been up to, then, Zapdos? I assume you have a new nickname by now, though." It felt strange, to be so civil to her brother when her last memory of him was so fraught with pain and fear. This reunion certainly wasn't going the way she had pictured it would.
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Post by Ashsurera (Zapdos) on Oct 14, 2013 13:11:07 GMT -5
She didn't believe him did she? Her question about him not remembering proved that much. He couldn't remember how the fight had started, how much damage was done, and what came out of it in the end. He could only see pieces. Rather fast and blurred pieces of the fight itself. But that was it, the only thing that was clear was him returning to his island.
"I....I can't remember all of it. Most of it is blurred so badly I can't figure out what's going on. How the fight started, I don't even know. It's all black for that and most of the fight save for what is blurry." Ashsurera explained.
When he saw Articuno reach for a pokeball, he didn't know what was going to happen. Instead he grabbed Elec and pulled him away from Articuno. Was the raichu making her nervous or uncomfortable? Whatever it was, maybe it would be best to keep Elec a bit away from her. Elec made a gasp sound as Ashsurera's arms were suddenly wrapped around him and he was dragged back.
Ashsurera was about to answer again, but his sister said nevermind. So, that meant she didn't want an answered. He sat down on the ground, still holding Elec. He was being careful not to hold him too tightly to hurt the pokemon. Elec sat in Ashsurera's lap, he didn't like the fact that he was pulled back the way that he was but oh well.
"At least you got free...guess it was stupid to think I could help." Ashsurera muttered.
Upon being asked what he was up to. Ashsurera sat there for a moment. Would she even believe him? Most likely not.
"I've been searching for Moltres so we could go help you." Ashsurera answered. "But I guess there's no need to. Since you freed yourself."
He was glad that she was free but it also made him feel useless. He wanted to do something to help her, but he only ended up in failing.
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Post by Lithre {Articuno} on Nov 18, 2013 9:44:20 GMT -5
Blind belief was something that Lithre the ability to have many years ago. Suspicion came naturally to her as a defense. Much like her cold exterior, it was another way of making sure no one would get too close and end up hurting her. Unlike her brother, though, she remembered every detail of that fight, right up until the ground began to rush towards her and she blacked out. Every single moment was memorized in agonizing clarity, every sensation and smell and sight and sound. Putting it behind her would be easier if she could forget.
If he was telling the truth, and he seemed to at least believe that he was, then she envied him that. A perfect memory could be a curse at times.
As he spoke, however, her suspicion began to wane, and as she listened she just found herself feeling so, so tired. Tired of being frightened and angry and not being able to trust anyone. "OK," Her fingers massaged her temples as she closed her eyes for a second and inhaled deeply, trying to regain a sense of balance. She didn't have the strength to argue anymore. Now that she couldn't hate him for what had happened she felt lost. "OK."
Instinct trumped rationality almost every time. When Elec approached, it was no exception. Normally, she wouldn't be so jumpy but, considering the circumstances, she was having enough trouble holding it together as it was. A sudden approach by an electric-type was enough to have her preparing for a possible attack. Once she realised what she was doing, she lowered her hand, tried to relax. "...Sorry." The words almost caught in her throat. She hated apologies.
In all honesty, Lithre would have killed for an answer. She wanted nothing more than to understand - just not right now. She needed time to process and adjust, to accept. As her brother sank to the ground, still holding the Raichu, she let out a shaky breath and resisted the urge to begin pacing.
Those whispered words made her heart constrict painfully. She hadn't thought of how her own captivity might have hurt her family, how they might have wanted to help. Then again, how many hours of her waking day was spent deliberately thinking of anything but her family, her capture, her failures. Looking at her brother, she had the feeling that she might have screwed up yet again. The guilt made her pale face flush slightly. She pushed her glasses back on her nose with a shaking hand.
"That wasn't your fault. I was the one who was stupid enough to get caught." She shook her head bitterly, and managed a tight, ironic smile.
When she heard what he had been doing, it evoked another tug in her chest. He'd been trying to help her, he'd been trying to save her, after all these years. Then, another thought dawned, and she spoke, slowly. "Wait... You're looking for Moltres? In Remoor? Moltres is here?"
And she'd never even known, never suspected in the slightest. That headache was getting worse. Was there anything she could be sure of any more?
The hurt in his eyes hadn't gone away, and neither had that guilt, though. With a sigh, she sank down to the ground too, to join him at his level. "Look, I'm sorry. I... had no idea that you didn't even remember." Even such a simple apology took a great deal of effort.
Shifting awkwardly, she searched for something, anything, to shift the conversation to. Her eyes fell on the Raichu. "...I apologise for earlier. It was rude of me. It's just... a lot to take in. I've not met you before. I suppose Zap's told you all about me, though." She extended her steady hand, taking care not to draw too much attention to her other limb, and the tremors shooting through it.
"I'm Articuno, or Rokh, although I go by a different name these days."
Arceus, she felt so freaking awkward. Not to mention dazed. And in the back of her mind was the thought that she could really go for a drink right now.
((Sorry that it took so long and ended up so scatter-brained))
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Post by Ashsurera (Zapdos) on Nov 25, 2013 13:03:51 GMT -5
It was hard, all of it was hard. He wasn't the strongest of his siblings and certainly not the oldest. Articuno here was the oldest. Holding Elec in his arms and close to him, the legendary thought over how much of this his sibling would write off as nothing but nonsense. Probably all of it, however he responses seemed to say different.
Hearing her question about Moltres, Ashsurera looked back up at her.
"I'm not sure. She wasn't in all the other regions I looked so...I had assumed she'd be here." Ashsurera answered as he sat there. "Although, so far I haven't had any luck in finding her let alone a trace of her. Can't do this right either it seems."
Loosening his grip on the raichu, Elec sat there and glanced up at his friend. He was always like. Beating himself down and hardly ever getting back up completely. Elec's ears twitched and he turned his attention to Articuno as she spoke to him.
"He's told me about both of you. Nothing bad, just the things he can remember." Elec said. "We haven't meet before, I meet Ashsurera when he started to go down to the human town back on his island home."
Ashsurera only sat there. He didn't know what to do. Moltres was unknown in terms of their location and status, and here was Articuno alive and well. Well, she was most likely well before he came into the picture again and caused her a trip down memory lane. No harm had been meant but there was always some sort of harm in the end when going down memory lane of some sort. With Elec still in his lap and his arms wrapped around the electric mouse, Ashsurera sat there unsure on if he should try to talk to his sister or just let his friend.
(OOC: It's okay, sorry that this took so long. I didn't see till now since I got busy)
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Post by Lithre {Articuno} on Nov 29, 2013 8:00:49 GMT -5
Based on height and weight alone, Zapdos was correct - Moltres was the largest and heaviest, and Zapdos was the smallest and lightest of the three. Articuno remembered how, when she was younger, she had always considered herself to be the protector of her siblings, the responsible one, being the oldest. Now she knew better. Just ebcause she was older did not make her wiser, or stronger. It just made her, well, older. But she was the eldest, and that meant she had to at least try to be the most mature. She shoved her doubts aside for the second, and tried to recall how to be the big sister once again.
He hadn't been able to find Moltres. For the first time in years, Articuno felt a sharp stab of worry for her sibling. If Zapdos hadn't found their youngest sibling, could it be that Moltres was in trouble? She'd been avoiding her family for so long that she had never really considered such a possibility. It took her a minute to register what her brother was saying, and she scolded him gently. "Nonsense, you did a fine job looking all on your own. It's not exactly a small world after all." But not even a trace? "Look..." Lithre paused, considered for a moment and then spoke before she could reconsider. "We could search for her together. It'll be easier with two sets of eyes." She wasn't entirely sure she was ready to find Moltres, but she couldn't let her little brother down. Especially if she had been holding a grudge for all this time for nothing, as it seemed she had been.
"Ahh, good, no embarrassing childhood stories then?" Lithre joked, makng an awkward attempt at lightening the mood. "So, it's just the two of you then? I made a few new friends myself although most of them are busy at the moment. I'll have to introduce you some other time." She hoped she didn't sound too strained in her attempts to be civil.
Zapdos seemed awfully quiet. Lithre gave him a concerned look. Now that she knew he couldn't even remember what happened, she hoped he didn't feel too guilty. Perhaps it would have helped if she could get her damn hand to stop shaking, but the limb appeared to be running on its own schedule as usual. Nerve damage was such a pain.
"Zapdos... Please, don't feel bad. I... I'd like to spend time with you, get to know you properly again. It's just... going to take me a while to get used to the idea of this." Arceus, she sounded like such a sap.
"Next time I vote we meet somewhere with easy access to alcohol, though." She joked, and punched his arm lightly in what she hoped came off as a sisterly action. It felt like such a strange, alien gesture to her, though. This whole big sister thing was going to take her a while to get used to again.
((It's fine, you didn't take long at all, unlike me xD Sorry again ^^ Don't feel bad if posting takes a while, I'm the master of slow replies))
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Post by Ashsurera (Zapdos) on Dec 2, 2013 14:17:55 GMT -5
True. This world wasn't small, it was big and it seemed to continue growing. He hoped that it wasn't going to get any bigger, it was hard enough finding his way here. Upon hearing his sister's words to go search together, Ashsurera looked up slightly confused. Did she want to really? Moments ago she had a strong dislike toward him and now...she wanted to look for Moltres with him?
"Nope. No childhood stories that are embarrassing or aren't." Elec answered. "Yeah, it's just us two. Ashsurera here was more focused on finding Moltres to help ya to really stick around in one place socializing for very long. No matter how long we were there."
It was true. Ashsurera had many opportunities to gather new friends but he never bothered. He just kept looking around for Moltres so they could return home to help Articuno. WEll Elec never pressed the matter, he had hoped that Ashsurera would've at least picked up one friend other than the raichu himself. The young Legendary needed some more friends in his life.
Ashsurera did feel guilty, she blamed him for so much and disliked him for so long. And he was so stupid he couldn't even remember why she did. He looked up at Articuno as he sat there.
"I can't remember anything really, how can I not feel bad?" Ashsurera asked as he sat there. "Everything's either black or so badly fogged up that I can't see it, and what I can see is things that don't help explain what it is I can't remember."
Receiving the light punch in his arm from his sister, Ashsurera sat there. He could tell it wasn't meant to hurt or be taken as a act of violence. But other than that, he couldn't tell what it was.
"I don't think such a place will let me in." Ashsurera said. "I don't really look old enough even though I am."
(OOC:okay)
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