gracefall | 002 ✭ video | action for violet city

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002 ✭ video | action for violet city

Question! [ Xiaoqiao is sitting next to an inflatable kiddie pool (it's wailmer shaped, with fins and everything, pink wailmer. she paid extra for the pink) while a few of her pokemon are training not too far from her. Shishi, her Lucario, darts on and off of the video as he dodges fire attacks.

...some of those Embers come pretty close to Xiaoqiao but she either doesn't notice or doesn't care. ]

So...is this normal? [ totally ignoring the kids behind her and instead fishes Xiao'yu out of the kiddie pool to show her to the camera. Xiaoqiao points at a few spots on the Feebas that seems to be...shining a bit? Xiao'yu is just very faintly glittering. it's so subtle it could just be water but she's been staring at it for days and knows it's not. ]

I thought she got something stuck on her or something, but it doesn't come off when I wash it.

[ ...how do you wash a fish? Xiao'yu seems to roll her eyes at the reminder of that particular event. ] Is she becoming discoloured? I hope she's not getting sick...but she still has plenty of energy.

[ she sighs, and she's about to put Xiao'yu back in the water just as a stray Ember attack is tumbling dangerously close. ]

You guys need to be more careful. [ oh, so she is aware of them. she could just step aside, instead she decides to flip the kiddie pool and at her two pokemon. Shishi is drenched, looks like Flaming Rabbit got out of the way though. ]

You should have dodged that! [ she spares a moment to turn off the gear (she remembered!) but it's back to training for everyone. except Xiao'yu, she can just lounge peacefully in the pool again once Xiaoqiao fills it up again. ]

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[Take 3. This time it's broad daylight, and if there's anything Xiaoqiao impressed upon him during their previous encounters it's this:

1. Speak up.
2. Don't sneak up on people.

Old habits die hard however. Although he's not stealthily watching from the shadows… he doesn't exactly announce his presence. He'd been meaning to approach like a normal person (!!) before… getting caught up in the sudden wave of water from the upturned pool. He's not soaked, just sporting some wet sandals.]

… Xiaoqiao.

[ oh hey, it's the young man with the glasses and very little facial expression. she tilts her head as if considering his greeting. ]

...hi? [ it's better than the last time! ]

Um...I guess you're not totally unlucky, but you don't really have good timing either. [ she could apologise for the sandals but...it's not like she was aiming for him and he's not soaked either. it's all good! ]

How long were you standing there?

[No. He really doesn't have good timing at all. If he did, he wouldn't be sulking over that one time when he was out of the village when Sasuke-]

Not long. [He's not too bothered about the shoes. No use crying over spilt... pool water, and all.]

I was only passing through and thought to say hello to an acquaintance.

[So, uh, hi.]

[ giiiive that a moment to register. when that does she practically beams at him. ]

Aaaw! [ she will cheerfully skip over the water and toss the pool aside, Xiao'yu flapping helplessly in one hand. ]

You're actually a considerate child! [ allow her to coo for a moment. ]

[Er. He does allow the fish a concerned glance from behind his goggles. That's... still the same fish, right? It doesn't look unwell, but you have to wonder what she's been doing to it to cause that faint sheen, short of dumping it in a vat of glitter.]

It's not like I would ignore you...

[Often being on the receiving end of that, he does make a conscious effort to remember those who he's met. :|]

[ she washed off all the soap, she definitely did! and she was only trying to scrub her down because of the weird shimmer. Xiao'yu seems to feel the glance and kind of...waves on fin. maybe...she could just be flopping. ]

I'm still glad! [ at this point she reaches to kind of patpat his shoulder. ]

It's hard to remember everyone when you meet so many people here, so you must be a thoughtful child!

... ["Thoughtful" is better than "Young man that didn't speak well". A point in his favour for once?

Unless you're Obito or maaybe Naruto at times, ninja are not very touchy feel-y as a general rule. Shino even less so. He also happens to be very rarely shaken and doesn't have much of a visible reaction to the shoulder pat. Maybe turning his head to the spot where her hand was, before returning back to the general direction of her face again.

That's another thing. Xiaoqiao speaks as if she has more than a few years over him, but doesn't appear any older than Shino himself. Fortunately age means very little to a shinobi, below rank and affiliation, and he has at least enough social grace to not question her age.

He's... just gonna question the fish instead.]

The last time we spoke, your pokemon appeared different to what it is now.

[ good thing she didn't go for his head like she would with people she's more familiar with. ]

She does, doesn't she! I've been trying to figure out the reason but I don't know much about fish.

[ she holds out Xiao'yu so that Shino can see her more clearly. and Xiao'yu is...used to it, she's been held out for display several times already, so she's not particularly distressed. ]

Do you think she's ill? It's not something that got rubbed onto to her since I washed her to try to get rid of it.

[ Xiao'yu stops moving for a moment at the mention of that particular event and then...slumps? please don't do that again, Xiaoqiao... ]

The same could be said for myself. [Bugs? Easy peasy. But he can speak about fish as much as he can about dogs. Not any more than the average person. So consider this a warning that he won't exactly be of much use. There are diseases and types of fungus, but he's never heard of one with shimmering as a symptom.] The reason is that they are not my specialty.

[Since Xiaoqiao is letting him take a look, he'll move in a little closer. Of course he's not going to be prodding at the fish. Only looking down at the poor thing. Hello there, Xiao'yu.]

It seems different from what is known as a "shiny" pokemon... [thank you for that helpful contribution, Shino.]

Edited (speech patterns what) 2013-06-02 04:06 (UTC)

I don't imagine a lot of people specialise in fish. [ because...they're fish. ] Oh, I guess some people might in this place.

[ unfortunately she doesn't know any water/fish pokemon specialists. she wonders if maybe one of the gym leaders would since the one she beat specialised in birds...but that doesn't help her right now. ]

Shiny pokemon hatch like that, right? Xiao'yu just started um...shimmering? She just started a few days ago. [ Xiaoqiao...does poke at Xiao'yu. she rubs at the hard scales a bit to indicate a particularly shiny spot. look at it, look at that! ]

Perhaps not, but no doubt there are individuals with medical training. [L-like a Pokecenter maybe?] They may be able to offer help... provided she is sick.

[Ah. He can see it, Xiaoqiao! Other than the shimmer, nothing really stands out as wrong. The fish itself doesn't appear to be all too bothered - there's certainly no lack of energy. Fingers crossed it just doesn't suddenly drop dead or something. (How morbid!) Because otherwise, there doesn't seem to be a problem.]

Have you considered it may be natural for this species? Most insects undergo multiple physical changes during their lifecycle. Although they are not fish... it is not something exclusive to insects alone.

[You know, it's amazing how this is their third meeting and it's the first time he's referred to bugs. The spell is broken!]

...oh, that's true, isn't it? [ she kind of forgets that Pokemon Centers count as...medical training. because really, they stick pokeballs in some weird blinky machine. that is not what she thinks of when she thinks of medicine and such. the tray looks just like the ones she sees called 'muffin trays'. ]

I was thinking it might be...I was hoping someone that's raised a Feebas before might be able to tell me but it looks like they're not really common. [ except why are you comparing her fish to a bug. ]

...uh you mean like how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly? [ well Feebas do evolve into something rather grand and lovely looking but... ] Since they evolve I guess all pokemon are a bit like that...

Oh! Maybe she's getting ready to evolve! [ that would be great, please let that be true. ]

[He nods, glad she is following and didn't completely shoot down the possibility. sob. Butterflies and caterpillars.]

Am I correct in thinking she is your starter? If your fish has been with you for this long without evolving... then she may have other requirements other than meeting a certain level. [Although... his own starter had taken an exceptionally long time to evolve as well. But the wait was worth it because dayum giant flaming moths. He's heard of certain kinds of special stones, and having to physically trade Pokemon. The idea that such an action could prompt such a dramatic change... What's to say there aren't other equally strange methods behind it.]

She may be currently undergoing that process.

[ A caterpillar doesn't ~suddenly~ find itself in a chrysalis usually. Although caterpies becoming butterfrees is only called evolution in Ridiculous Pokemon Land. The concept of instantaneous "evolution" is still somewhat baffling. It's arguable whether one species can evolve and branch off into something else in a single generation, or is it a gradual change. If so, where does one draw the line? So yes tl;dr Shino agrees that the fish might evolve. Reconciling both how the world works from home and here is just difficult at times. Poor guy.]

She is... I didn't think it had to do with that since someone told me Feebas need an item to evolve. [ she kind of forgets what the item is actually. she did think about looking for it but it's complicated. she wanted Xiao'yu to be comfortable with herself before...morphing into a new shape. she was trying to be considerate in spite of her impatience... ]

But maybe it means she's growing up. [ she holds Xiao'yu up to stare into her funny eyes... yeah she's still not good at interpreting fish. ]

Wouldn't she be continuously growing up? After all, we are a day older than we were yesterday. [Sorry he just

has to point it out.]

It simply often goes beneath one's notice more often than not.

That's what I'd think normally. [ but evolution has confused her significantly. ]

It's weird here! They shine and suddenly they're bigger! I can't decide what to think of that at all.

What is normal for you, may not be the same for everyone else. Why? Because many of us come from other places.

But I will agree. Most seem to think this is vastly different to what they are used to.

[Of the... few people he's actually managed to find out about. What is making successful conversation with strangers.]

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002 ✭ video | action for violet city

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