Zaegar glared back at the Articuno, the thing was creepy just sitting there like that. Bored and simply curious to see how it would react he picked up a rock and threw it in the general direction of the bird the stone bouncing off the ground and coming to a soft tap on one of Articuno's talons.

Millicent Cheviot Nouvelle, Luguere She...she was laughing. What could have possibly been so hysterical to have sent this girl into tears? Milly's introduction?! Who could possibly have the audacity to do such a thing, especially considering Milly's own unprecedented generosity to allow an audience in the first place. Her face warmed into redness as she felt positively insulated and embarrassed by the girl's opening laugh. Oh how she just wanted to smack the girl across the cheek as the mysterious woman pondered aloud why Mel would know her...Oh. The woman finally gave her introduction and now Milly could feel that warmth of redness flushing her cheeks again. Sophia's introduction was a well-rehearsed one with no stuttering or errors in it, but what really sold it was the fact that Articuno, marked with House's sigil, really drove the point home. Milly's first hint should have been Mel, who probably psychically could read just who she was in the first place, but hindsight did her no good here. Milly, despite not really liking the symbolic act, she returned Sophia's curtsy with a goofy but sincere smile. Thankfully it doesn't appear that Sophia had taken offense to anything Milly had done previously, and it even seemed she wasn't so uptight about this nobility etiquette either. Thank Arceus for that and thank Him for Sophia's desire to calling Milly by her own nickname than her birth name. Although Milly still felt flustered over this whole identity thing and felt her own cheeks blushing, the same as Sophia. "Oh!...um.. Yea, I'd really like that Sophia." Her tone was more inviting and friendly than before. It all started coming back to Milly a bit. There were a few times in her childhood that Milly and her family traveled to Skyhold to interact and bond. Sophia was always a dainty little thing, and it seems like that hasn't changed as the years had gone by. Sophia's legs wobbled with exhaustion or possibly a side effect of the chilling wind that Milly paid no attention to. "Hey, you okay, Sophia?" Milly inquired as she gingerly offered her forearm and gestured her head pointing down the road to the gated pass into Cheviot Hill. "I would be more than happy to escort you to see my parents and assist you to relay whatever message you have for them. I'm sure they will love to host you as a guest as well, but I fear your responsibility will send you to the other holdings, no doubt." With that thought, Milly started to imagine what it would be like to travel again. It had been just under a year since her return from her tour of dueling. It would be nice to get out there again and maybe Sophia needed company. An alluring prospect but Milly didn't get her hopes up. Meanwhile, Mel studied the great bird of Skyhold with some interest. It wasn't too often other legendary creatures come to Nouvelle, but it appears Neva had a lack of interest for Mel, much to her dislike. Instead his attention favored that of a lowly man eating a pie. Mel shot a glance over and instantly saw the stain of commoner blood in his veins and worse still was the fact he was a Morph. She could sense the aura and instantly became disgusted by his presence. Worst yet, the fool tossed a rock at the gathered nobility. Milly froze as she glanced over uninterested in why or who the man was. Mel took great offense to the act, not really caring that Neva was the target but rather that she was in the vicinity and the rock 'could' have hit her. Her eyes glowed a bright blue as if she was going to attack the Morph right there. But that responsibility was better suited for the guards as the very thought of a Morph coming into contact with herself was repulsive. Plus a guard and his Machoke were already approaching the Morph, commanding he desist at once.

Zaegar raised his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, hey, hey it just slipped out of my hands honest, it won't happen again no harm done right boys?" he said ready to flee if they pushed the matter further.

**Korrigan and Shade, Nouvelle, interacting with Sophia, Milly, and Zaegar** Korrigann was currently untying the women who had been taken captive, ignoring their frightened looks. He was used to such looks, as his appearance was rather unnerving to those who weren't used to it, basically almost everyone. The fact that he had also just disemboweled and decapitated several men in front of them with the ease one would use to gut a cow, so that could also be a factor. To be honest, it wasn't hard to do when your opponents had consumed enough mead and rum to drop a mamoswine. Once they were all free, he escorted them towards the town of Nouvelle. Luckily, nothing attacked them while they were walking through, probably because Shade was giving off an a psychic signal of 'come to close, and you'll die' to every thing that came close. They soon made it to the town, where he handed over the women tomthe local guard, letting them know that their bandit problem was over. As he walked through the town, he noticed something near the center, an Articuno, which meant one thing, and one thing only. He smiled as he gave a telepathic message to Shade, then began to sink into his own shadow. A second later, he popped out of Sophia's shadow with a smile on his face. "Hello Sophia, how are you doing and what are you doing in Nouvelle?" From behind Neva,a large shadow began to rise from Neva's shadow. It moved towards the edge of the platform, and its form coalesced into Shade in all of his glory. He gave Neva and Mel a nod to show that he acknowledges their presence, but then he got distracted by how his plumage seemed to be slightly out of place. He immediately began to preen himself, not wanting to look disheveled infront of other people.

_**Sindri**_ **_~Ayero Countryside, Road to Hiden (~Interacting with Zavier,Corivana, Claire, John and their pokemon~)_** Sindri said nothing while the self proclaimed and clearly somewhat... unhinged _Morph_ Hunter spoke, his choice of head coverings hiding whatever expressions might betray what he was thinking. Still, once the man had finished speaking the tone voice betrayed a smile on his face. "I can see why your lord values your service to him. I for one am quite thankful that we don't have such insane and bloodthirsty creatures lurking around back home." Glancing over towards the two women with the legendary pokemon, Sindri continued "Well, since you've already stopped me and its clear that we're not about to be caught between two forces of nature fighting each other I would be more then honored if you were to introduce me to the two noble women who you appear to be escorting."

**John and Axia, Ayero, Road to Hiden** John chuckled a little at the desert man comment, shaking his head a bit to roughly in denial. He was starting to lose his cool, that battle had hyped him up a lot more than he had thought it would. "Well, that oblivious blonde one is Claire Terrane, head of House Terrane, and the drooling lady pirate is not known to me, only thing I know is that she's an Espada since Kyogre is their guardian pokemon. And I," He said pointing at himself with a crooked smile, "am John Flares, a knight in service to a Baron who serves the Terranes, as well as a formal monk of the Heatran Monastery, or was it a Temple. The fainted Haxorus over their is my partner Axia, and I do need to get her some medical attention soon, for you see, got into a little scuffle with the Terrane girl, but nobody got hurt to badly so no hard feelings. Anyway, what be your name stranger, can't properly introduce you with out that, and you seemed to be rightly educated, are you a traveling scholar of some sort." As John spoke, his eyes and fingers began to twitch randomly, sometimes violently, and yet he continued on like he didn't even notice it. He probably didn't.

**Zavier - road to Hiden** Annoyed at getting ignored by the legendary pokemon, Zavier moved over to the human group. He listened in on the talk and when he heard the stuff about morph hunters he hid himself behind the pirate girl. He wasn't sure if they could tell he was a morph, but he was going to try his best not to show it. To be honest thi collar might be a boon, lest he mistakenly shift back to human form. It seemed that the people in this odd land were extremely prejudice tword his kind. Zavier had never understood why neither humans nor pokemon tended to like his people. In any case, one of the people here would be happy to kill and skin him, and he couldn't do much more the burn the guy... This wasn't the best situation, arsias Damn!

### Corivana Espada & Kyo (interaction with Claire, John, Sindri, Zavier, and their pokemon) **Road to Hiden - Ayero** ------- **"Ahaha! Yer pokemon do be havin' a temper as bad as a beached wailmer, Claire Terrane, Head o' yer House."** Corivana stood with her arms folded beneath her breasts. She had taken a defensive stance between Kyo and the angry Groudon, and she wasn't about to let anyone hurt Kyo, not even a pokemon as impressive looking as Groudon. When Claire managed to settle him down, Corivana's stance eased, though she kept her hands where she could reach her scimitars from where they hung across her back. _Just in case_. When the topic of conversation came to introductions, Corivana locked eye with Kyo for a moment, and the master of the sea seemed to radiate peace. _'If they don't seem dangerous to Kyo, I guess I can introduce myself.'_ She decided, glancing around at Sindri and finally John, who she hadn't paid much attention to before. John was an odd one, perhaps more dangerous than the one dressed oddly, the closer she looked she realized. _'How didn't I notice that before?'_ **"I do be Corivana Espada, not head o' nobody, from the House o' vegetable pickers and boot lickers o' the country o' Ayero."** Her face took on a somewhat disgusted grimace at the mention of her family before she replaced it again with a smirk. **"I do be sailor o' the great sea, and a bloody member o' the King's Guard, pleased 'ta make yer acquaintances."** Her eye glided over to Claire, as if to say _especially your's_. **"This do be Kyo, I do be sure ye know of her. She wont be doin' any fightin', so ye can feel assured ye be safe from her."** Corivana gave Kyo's nearest fin a fond pat, and the legendary pokemon practically beamed her joy.** "And this do be a vulpix I found just recently, 'aven't named the scurvy mutt just yet. He do be hatin' that collar o' his, it seems."** She moved a leg to the side to indicate Zavier, who was huddling behind her and out of sight of the others. **"I do love yappin' the days away me mateys, but I do no want to hold up the Lady Claire. I can escort ye where ye need to go, if ye so wish me lady."** Corivana said with a flourishing bow as she produced a scarlet lily from somewhere on her person to hand to Claire. **"I will protect ye from morphs or bandits, and from the King's Guard itself if it do come down to that, for one as beautiful as ye do be, Lady Claire."** ------ ### Sophia Skyheart & Neva (interaction with Milly, Zaegar, Korrigan and their pokemon) **Nouvelle - Lugere** ------- _'Milly...'_ The nickname rang through her head, and she finally began remembering where she had heard the name before, and why Millicent Cheviot was so familiar to her. Long ago, her father had invited the Cheviots over and their daughter had come along. The other girl was tomboyish in comparison to Sophia's delicate nature, and Sophia had hurt herself during the last visit they spent together. They were playing on the waterfalls of the hot spring pools, and Sophia slipped and hit her head on the concrete... Her lips turned down into a small frown as she remembered her father ordering the maids to take Milly away from Sophia when he found out. They had never played together again, though Sophia did remember those days fondly. She hadn't been able to interact with other children often, and it was a dear memory for her. She peeked through her bangs at Milly and smiled. **"That would be great, Milly! Neva, did you hear? We're going to go to Milly's house!"** Was all she could say before something made all of her hair stand on edge. She knew this feeling, she was positive it was _him_. From behind her, Korrigan seemed to melt out of the shadows along with his pokemon, Shade. **"Korri!"** She exclaimed, losing all of her formality as she threw her arms around him in a hug, then looked at Shade as he preened himself. **"Shade! What are you doing here?! Milly, do you mind if we have another guest come with u--"** All of the sudden Neva tore into the air above the plaza with an angry screech, stopping her flow of cheerful words. Horror put on a play in front of her as her articuno descended upon a young man talking to a guard. The legendary ice bird brought a powerful gust of wind before it, forcing the guard to his knees. **"AWRAAAAAAAAACK!!!!"** Neva screamed through his gaping beak, his predatory eyes gleaming with fury as he prepared to lunge at Zaegar's neck. **"STOP NEVA!"** Sophia's hoarse voice carried across the square as she ran, or tried to run, towards Neva and Zaegar. She tripped at the steps, falling down and rolling till she hit the bottom. One of her elbows was bleeding through her coat, and a long piece of her leggings had torn in the tumble. **"Neva, you are my Guardian, not some barbarian that hurts every one around him!"** The articuno stopped mid-lunge, just inches from Zaegar's throat. He tossed his head back irritably before swiveling his gaze around. When Neva saw Sophia laying at the bottom of the steps, bleeding and glaring daggers at him, he rushed over, leaving the Morph who had offended him unharmed in his haste to be with _his_ Sophia. When he arrived he began to nuzzle her with his head and beak, and he practically cooed at her injuries like a mother would over her children. **"Neva, _stop_ it."** Sophia's tone didn't match her words as some laughter came through, though her expression told Neva he was in trouble with her. **"I sincerely apologize for my pokemon's behavior."** Sophia said as she stood up unsteadily, placing a hand on articuno to steady herself. **"I hope he didn't hurt you."** She gave a small bow of her head to Zaegar and the guard who was now just standing back up to his feet. **"Shall we go now, Milly? Korri?"** The remaining guards who were present had very different ideas about what would be happening, and had formed a defensive line between the aggressive articuno and Milly. Machokes flexed their muscles threateningly, and guards gripped their weapons, all they were waiting for was a word from Lady Millicent Cheviot to dispatch of the aggressors. Sophia placed a preemptive hand on Neva's chest to stop him from doing anything else to make their situation worse, and gave Korrigan a look that said _Please don't interfere_. Sophia's eyes trailed up to Milly, and she gave the other noble girl a knowing smile. She knew that Milly could take care of her own guards, there was no need for Sophia to do a power play in a city that wasn't her's. Especially when she was supposed to be travelling somewhat nondescript.

**Korrigan and Shade, Lugere, Nouvelle** Korrigan laughed as Sophia gave him a hug, glad that she was glad to see him. He was about to amswer her question for Shade, when Neva suddenly tried to kill some random guy on the street. While Sophia managed to calm him down, Korrigan felt a great onrush of disapproving anger from Shade. The legendary expected a certain amount of maturity and composure from most legendaries, something Nva never seemed to be good at when Sophia was around. **_So, this is how the mighty Articuno acts when a youngling like that tosses a pebble in its general direction. Though what should one expect from an one as unrefined and childish as yourself._** Shade was using his general telekinesis, making sure everyone good hear what he was saying to the Legendary Freeze pokemon, **_You bring shame and disgrace to other legendaries with your churlish and immature actions, and likely the same to dear Sophia here. And look at the trouble you ave wrought as all of these guards see you, not as an example of how one should act, but a nuisance that they wish to be gone from their city. Truly, you should practice greater control over your emotions, Neva, before it becomes the death of you._** With that, Shade turned his attention to Milly and Sophia. **_It is a pleasure to meet you again Sophia, and I believe this may be are first meeting Milly Cheviot, though do correct me if I'm wrong. I've been alive for so long, it gets hard to keep everything straight up in the attic, and my master Korrigan doesn't help with hi inability to ay attention to even the smallest details in search for the next thrill to experience._** At that, Shade let out a sigh, shaking his head, **_I don't know what I going to do with him, his recklessness is going to give me grey feathers at this rate._** Korrigan, having decided to let Shade speak rather then attempt to quiet him and cause an even bigger ruckus, suddenly walked up to the Articuno, ignoring the guards as if they weren't even there. Staring at the bird for a second, he turned to Shade with a raised eye. "Shade, I don't think you give Neva enough credit, I think that he can control himself just fine, and I'll show you. I'm going to pet him, and he'll let me do it because he knows if he kills me, It'll make Sophia very, very sad, which he wouldn't like in the slightest. So if you don't mind." Before anyone could stop hi, he quickly reached out and placed his hand on one of Neva's wings, taking a second to marvel at their softness. **John Flares and Axia, Ayero, Road to Hiden** John chuckled a little as Corvianna introduced herself, she really was one of the most interesting nobles he ever had the pleasure to meet. His hand twitched as he thought about how great it would be to fight her, not a spar as had been done with Claire, but a fight, her facing him, Kyo facing Axia, blood every where, adrenaline flowing through every vein in his body as he struck at her again, and again and again and again an- _'No, John get control in of yourself, you contol the madness, the madness doesn't control you.'_ _'That's a dirty lie, and you know it.'_ _'Okay, I know, but still, you got to reign it in, we can't take on two legendary pokemon, and three strangers at the same time, evne of Axia wasn't injured by now, so get a grip.'_ John took a breath to calm himself, before he deemed himself stable enough to speak to Corvianna again, albeit with a semi-crazed smirk on his face as he couldn't completely contained his bloodlust. His gauntleted hands were gripping his arms fairly tightly, a means of restraining himself physically and mentally. "I must say, for one of the King's Guard, you seem rather unrefined, that is, until you speak to Lady Terrane. Raises questions in some minds, but lets set that matter to the side for now, as it's no business of mind what you personal taste may be. Instead, I feel to be missing something about your Kyogre their. How in the bloody blazes does the devil fly. It's been bugging me since you arrived, but how the hell does fly, and how the hell can it breathe with no water around."

**_Sindri_** **_~Ayero Countryside, Road to Hiden (~Interacting with Zavier,Corivana, Claire, John and their pokemon~)_** Listening as Corivana Espada introduced herself and filled in the gap that John had left, Sindri couldn't help but consider what the odds of encountering members of two of Ayero's stronger noble houses on a road in the middle of nowhere actually was. Despite the fact that the only other male nearby was clearly dangerously unstable, Sindri did take a moment to unwrap the rolls of cloth that shielded his face from others. As the cloth fell away, it reveled that the face underneath it was rather unremarkable. Short but light blonde/brown hair, a few stray hairs on his neck that suggested that he hadn't done a good job of shaving recently. Brown eyes looked out at the world, a brightness to them that was often lacking in many people. Standing a little taller, he offered up a rather practiced smile before simply saying "My name is Sindri Rist. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I take it you are all heading towards the Capital as well?"

**_~Claire Terrane & Groudon~_** **_~Road to Hiden - John, Sindri, Zavier, Corivna and their pokemon~_** _"I will protect ye from morphs or bandits, and from the King's Guard itself if it do come down to that, for one as beautiful as ye do be, Lady Claire."_ For the briefest of moments, Claire's cheeks became the same color as Groudon. _"B-beautiful? Wh-what are you talking about?!"_ She almost let that learned composure of hers slip. and her actual thoughts out. Certainly, she liked to think she was good looking, but to actually be called such by someone was quite...odd. Especially by another woman. Ever since she became head of her house most boys her age tended to not go near her. Not that she blamed them...she wasn't exactly the friendliest of people when she was with other people, especially among other nobles and the confines of her home. **"Ahem."** She cleared her throat before continuing, any discomfort she had been momentarily feeling suppressed. She merely looked a Corivana with a small amount of annoyance, ignoring the Lilly handed to her, even if it had been quite a beautiful thing. **"I do apologize for Groudon's behavior. Surely you must know the legends concerning Kyogre and Groudon as well as I do. Not that it matters now. Groudon will not disobey me."** She cast him a brief, but oddly unsettling glance. **"Isn't that right, boy?"** Groudon merely gave a low growl in confirmation. **"In any case, It is time we get going. We have already spent too long here chatting. Being late is not something I make a habit of doing."** She said, looking over the people who had gathered. Quite the large bunch for a country road. It was rather odd to her that they all gathered here like this, but perhaps odd coincidences were allowed to happen every now and then. **"I will take you up on your offer, Miss Espada."** She began to walk away, moving towards where John and Sindri were. **"John, I'll have Groudon carry Axia until she can walk herself. that is acceptable, I hope?"** She said with a small nod towards Sindri, acknowledging his presence before suddenly seeming to recall something before giving a brief glance back towards Corivana. **"Ah...and Miss Espada, if we run across any _morphs_, do not worry. If we run into any, I'll take care of the filthy beasts myself."** She spat.

Vincent whimpers again, trying to find where he could go. _These people, they hate my kind. The things thair saying it's just... Well Arisis Damn, I'd better get on walking._ he decided to walk beside the pirate girl, though he didn't quite trust her as he did before. She was of course walking beside the princesses type which worried him as well. As he walked he thought about how in the last few days he'd likely traveled more then ever before in his life! Before he'd lived in a graveyard, visited only by ghost pokemon and psychics. He unconsciously nussled against the pirate girl, he was happy to be traveling. He really was glad about the collar, as a pokemon he could do things like this... He was never good as a human, and these morph hunters... He whimpered a bit.

**John and Axia, Ayero, Road to Hidan** John gave a small chuckle, walking to Axia's prone form, where she seemed to be stirring a little. She'd probably wake up soon, but she'd be in no shape to walk until he got her to a proper healer. Taking a breath, he picked her up, carrying her over his shoulder. A vein popped up in his head from the strain of it, but over all he seemed to be handling the weight rather well. He walked over to Groudon, then placed Axia on his wide tail, letting out a breath of relief, then turning back to Claire. "More than okay, as I would have some trouble carrying her all by myself. And if you don't mind me saying, why the hatred against Morphs. I hunt them because it's good sport. but so are bandits, criminals, and regular Pokemon. Other hunters, it's because of prejudice, but you seems to have a personal issue with them." John then turned his eye to Sindri, trying to think of where he heard the name Rist before. "Rist, is that a noble house or something?"

**Belle – Ayero – Ladyl Woods** Belle ruffled her feathers and studiously ignored the rude human but lowered herself by quite a bit to allow the short female human to climb on, if she so wanted. The pidgeot's eyes were still closed in a pleasant expression of serenity, even if she thought that the little itsy-bitsy vaporeon didn't like her much. That was okay by her – it would change! He seemed so prickly, but not at all different from her own human. Protective! Sometimes Belle wondered whether her Seth would ever find a nest of his own. It had been over ten cycles, she knew, since they had last stayed anywhere longer than a month – and that had been because of an unfortunate blizzard. Still, while she hoped her master would stay with this little group of humans, the future was never certain. She would try. Still, she snubbed Sebastian completely, her few tailfeathers shaking in a gesture of utmost disrespect. Not even her human's mother could speak to her like that, like she was a common *rattata*. Ew. No boy like that would be flying with *her*.

**Sebastian and Quazar, Ayero, Ladly Woods** Sebastian knew the bird was snubbing him, and it was pissing him off a great deal. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he considered what he was going to do. Him and Aleida couldn't both ride Belle, and he doubted he'd be able to catch up with either of them on foot. Suddenly, a [shrieking cry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1UniUgUf78) pierced through the air, causing Sebastian to look up into the sky. Coming in from way up above was Quazar in all of his majesty. He stopped just above the treetops, staring right down at Sebastian. **_Hello Sebastian, did you miss me?_** Quazar spoke to him through their mental connection, but it was only between them and nobody else could here it. _'I missed you like a missing having to pass a kidney stone, besides, how can I miss someone whose never there'_ Sebastian replied bitterly, his already soured mood becoming even worse at the legendary dragon's remark. _'Anyway, you did come just in time as I happen to need a ride.'_ **_Is that anyway to speak to your partner_** _"Nope, good thing I don't consider you a partner, just an aquaintence. so are you going to help me out or not." _ **_. . . Fine, climb up the trees and get in the harness_** Sebastian nodded, climbing up the nearest tree with a practiced grace and ease, jumping on to Quazar's form when he reached the top of one. He then crawled up to the harness situated near Quazar's head. Once he was nice and strapped in, he looked down at the three below him, a snarky smile on his face. "I may not have been entirely truthful earlier, so allow me to reintroduce myself, I am Sebastian Liastine, former heir of the now defunct House Liastine of Lugere, and this is my aquiantence, Quazar, though you may know him better as the legendary pokemon Rayquaza. Now before you say anything about how I lied about having a pokemon, that isn;t true, foe you see, I am not his master, and he doesn't have to listen to me. We are merely stuck together by fate and circumstance. Now then, since that's out of the way, let's have Belle escort us to the lair of our quarry and the location of her master." **Fang, Lugere, Snow Crest, Arceus Spike Mountains** Fang and her group, comprising of Ash, a Salamence Morph, and Fluff, an Altaria Morph, were currently overlooking the human settlement of Snow Crest. They were in human form, and were currently wearing clothes befitting the climate, all of them shivering and cursing their dual-weakness to ice. Ash was a tall man, with red marks around his golden eyes, and wild red hair. Fluff was a slender women who had blue and white hair and ice blue eyes. "I don't see why were considering making a deal with a human for land in the area, they'll turn us in the second we have our backs turned." Ash stated, not liking the plan in the slightest. "Besides, I thought we were heading to Ayero, not Lugere, why the change." Fang sighed, giving Ash a glare that said 'shut the fuck up before I frickin' blast you', before replying. "Because Lugere is a much more dangerous place for Morphs due to House Umbraisis placing High bounties on any and all morphs Dead or Alive, with Alive being preferred. I know this place better than any of the clan, and it would be selfish of me to send others while I went off to Ayero. As for why we're here, it's simple. From the few times we've sent people over here to gain information, it's been stated that the lord of this settlement is under constant threat of assassination. He gives us land, we offer to protect him from assassins. We could have Noiverns and Talonflames patrol the skies, Dragalge to taste his food for poisons, and Haxorus and Tyrantrum to guard his home and hunt assist in the hunting of the local game. In exchange, he gives us land and protection from any morph hunters tha might find us here. Plus, this place is rather isolated, so the chance of discovery is very low, and our main worries will be the Ice-types that roam the woods, but we have counter measure for that already prepared. So then, any more Questions Ash?" Silence was the only answer she needed. With a nod, she started walking into the town towards the manor, Ash and Fluff following close behind.

**Aleida and Tidal - Ayero - Ladyl Woods** Her eyes narrowed, only for a moment, and focused in on Sebastian. A sudden feeling of greed washed over her as he spoke, but it was gone in an instant. She would have spoken up about it if not for the sudden shift in her hands as Belle lowered herself to allow Aleida to get on. With slight trouble she managed to pull herself up onto the saddle, and as Tidal situated himself between her legs a powerful force and shriek rained down from the Heavens. Aleida let her head drop slightly as the pressure filled her mind with an unneeded pain, and after a second of getting used to the ache she glanced upwards, and nearly fell off the Pidgeot. There, just above the trees, stood Rayqueza. The Sky High Pokemon. Images of etchings on walls and fire flashed briefly through her head, and her hands tightened around Tidal's body before she turned to stare at Sebastian, confusion clear on her face. She watched him scale the trees, face focused on the green serpent above them, and after he seem situated on the back, a sly smile became apparent on his face. _"I may not have been entirely truthful earlier, so allow me to reintroduce myself, I am Sebastian Liastine, former heir of the now defunct House Liastine of Lugere, and this is my acquaintance, Quazar-"_ Aleida stared up at them blankly, and for a split second, betrayal painted her face. She had been tricked, lied to, she had once again been too naive to catch a lie, and after inhaling deeply she straightened her back and grinned her stupid grin. Her trust for this man was slipping fast, but she would't let that show, she had to finish this mission, and without help how would she? Aleida stared up at the Rayqueza with narrowed eyes for a moment, biting her lip as, once again, her foggy mind attempted to remember _something,_ but it was just kept out of her reach. No, now wasn't the time to worry about something like that. Her hands drifted to Belle's feathers and she squeezed tightly, nodding, "He's right, Belle, we should head over to the place before Seth gets in trouble." --- **Mysterious Bird Pokemon - Ayero - Ladyl Woods** The cries of a children echoed off the walls of the cavern, their throats sore from overuse. A far off, familiar cry silenced some of them, and a sudden gust of wind blew most of them back against the wall. The Pokemon, their kidnapper, stood before them, gleaming in the sunlight that drifted in through the cave entrance. In its claw another child lay, sobbing into her hands as she was gently place onto the rock floor, and the other children stared up at the bird with frightened eyes. One child, a boy in the corner, clung to a mass of black fur, one eye on the bird. "I-It's going to e-e-eat us!" The child cried, causing the others to fall back and wail even more. The new girl quickly joined the four other kids, face red from tears, and the bird let out a low growl, wings glinting orange in the sunlight. It was beginning to feel rather hungry.

**Seth – Ayero – Ladyl Woods** This was a problem. A small part of him had hoped that the bird-Pokemon hadn't been carnivorous, that all of the children were safe and happy and in immaculate condition, that the creature had only wanted to fill an empty nest – as Belle often did. Not all were as friendly as Belle, however, and at one time he had known that. The Pokemon's descent into the cavern was too fast for the human eye to see and now, shrouded in darkness, it was impossible to make out the species or weak points of it. The light filtering through the entrance did nothing except illuminate how utterly impossible the odds were. It was *huge*. And yet, he couldn't waste any more time – he knew that. The cries of the children were too frantic for them to be safe. Patting down the pockets of his trousers, he found a bent matchstick, but no other source of light. Thank the heavens for keen eyesight, Seth thought, drawing his bow and taking out an arrow from his quiver. Breathe in. Breathe out. *Don't hit the children*. He could hear them, but he couldn't see them. If luck wasn't on his – or their – side, then the attack would quite easily reach them instead. Still, a pinning shot to the wing... it might be a risk worth taking. Seth nocked the arrow, pulled his bowstring back with a steady arm and, against his better judgement, sent it into what he was sure was a stone pillar – something safe. He could hear the arrowhead clunking against the rock, no doubt catching the beast's attention. “Hey, you!” Seth retrieved the matchstick from earlier and struck it on the side of his leg, illuminating his position from near the entrance of the cavern. “Why don't you pick on someone your own size?” Or someone much, much smaller than you, Seth mused. Cliched though it was, it was something *heroes* said, right? The shape moved, taking a step in his direction, and the trainer started to back away and out the cave – not too quickly, lest the beast lose interest. Once he managed to get it outside (and he refused to think of it in terms of *if*), he had a clear shot, and Belle would too, when she returned. --- **Belle – Ayero – Ladyl Woods** Only wasting one more moment to greet the Rayquaza with a trill – it wasn't the Pokemon she was upset with, after all – Belle stretched out her wings and took to the skies, careful not to jostle the girl who was not quite as accustomed to flying as Seth was (though few humans were). Forsaking the flashy spiralling action she had used with her own human, Belle pushed herself further and faster than before, already knowing the location she was looking for. Still, she left out the nose-dives to pick up speed. Seth always complained about how dangerous they were, especially when they picked up strangers for extra coin. Plus, it made her human turn particularly green with illness... or was it panic? Belle let out a shrill cry to alert Seth to her presence as she descended at the edge of the forest, loud enough to cause the trees to shake as a colourful collection of seasonal bird Pokemon scattered. He was nowhere to be found, but there was only one place where he could be: the nest.

**Levi & Seth - Ayero** **~Ladyl Woods~** As Seth made his way into the caves, Levi quietly followed the human, quietly stalking up to the entrance of the cavern. And that's when she heard it. The cries of the children sent shivers down her spine. She had no idea what the bird pokemon wanted with the children, but it couldn't be anything good. If it was hungry, then why take human children? Couldn't it just hunt like normal pokemon did? She supposed it didn't matter what it's reason was. Taking children, human or morph, from their home was despicable. She hadn't seen what the creature was - even her sight that allowed her to see through solid objects couldn't tell what the creature actually was. All she knew, it was big and it flew, which meant she could easily deal with it for her. But this human...wouldn't stand a chance by himself. Not to mention, there was a high chance he would hurt a child with one of those arrows of his. All he could do was hear them, however.... The large Luxray morph disregarded her own instincts as she walked into the cave, her eyes still gleaming a bright gold as she took in the surroundings. She stopped right by Seth, and gave him a rather impatient look before turning back to the depths of the cave. With her head, she made a motion that seemed to say 'if you want to, follow'. Irregardless of whether he actually did, she began to walk further into the cave, her eyes easily adjusting to the darkness. If he didn't follow, she would take care of the bird herself. Those children were in danger, and she couldn't let herself stand idly by out of her own hate for the humans. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Fang and company approached the manor, several people from the village cheerily greeted the travelers. Some of the pokemon walking about though seemed wary of them, but for the most part left them alone. A frigid air blew as they walked, the fires scattered around the village threatening to be blow out, but they endured. However, their advance would come to a halt as they reached the gate of the manor. Four guards stood watch, two on each side of the large, ornate gate. **"Halt."** One of them said, blocking their way forward by moving in front of the gate. **"What business do you have with lord Cyrus?"**

**Sebastian and Quazar, Ayero, Ladyl Woods** Sebastian had noticed the flash of betrayal that had passed over Aleida face. Why are people always so easily hurt, and what was the big deal anyway. So he half-lied about having a pokemon, what was he supposed to say that he, a random stranger, was working with Rayquaza, one of the strongest legendaries to ever exist. Yeah, they wouldn't have believed him, and might have cut him out of the rescue for telling such a ludicrous lie. So he just said the easily acceptable thing, that he just didn't have one. Oh well, the girl could be as mad and upset as she wanted, as long as she didn't get in his way. 'Come on Quazar, we got ourselves a bird to fry' Quazar didn't respond, instead giving Belle a nod of acknowledgement. He followed her to the cave, barely able to see the large bird pokemon that resided with in. He let out another cry, challenging the creature to come out and face the Lord of the Sky. WHile he was doing this, Sebastian took out and knocked a poison arrow, pulled back so that it was fully drawn and waited for the creature to exit before he took the shot, as he doubted the people of the village would reward him if he killed one of their kids. He also took notice of Seth and a rather large Luxurray that seemed to be heading into the cave. That wasn't normal pokemon behavior, so either that wasn't a normal pokemon, or it was a Morph. Not that it matter, the more help to take this thing down, the better. **Fang and her posse, Lugere. Snow Crest** Fang silenced Ash and Fluff with a raised hand, looking the guard who stopped her right in the eye. "My name is Fang, and these are my companions, Ash and Fluff. We come from a far off clan that is seeking a new home in the country of Lugere, but we also require protection from those who would seek to harm us. This area suits are needs, and we believe that your Lord could provide protection, and in return, we would provide many useful services to him. For example, we can provide better bodyguards than any other to protect him from any attempted assassinations. At the moment, all we seek is an audience with him, and if he doesn't wish to speak with us, then we will move on and never bother him again, this area is preferred, but it isn't are final option." She spoke properly and with steel in her voice, showing that she was not intimidated in the slightest and meant every word she said. If she wasn't given an audience with him today, then she would continue her search elsewhere and wouldn't bother with the Lord of Snow Crest ever again.

**Aleida and Tidal - Ayero - Ladyl Woods** Flying was one of the many pleasure Aleida did not experience often. The feeling of air whipping at her face, messing up her hair, the weightlessness, the view, everything just filled her with a sense of jolliness that could not be contained. Her smile was wide, and her momentary worries had been lost with the wind (pun intended). That was, until she felt _it_, the unmistakable feeling of rage. Belle cried out and dove down, and Aleida, whose smile had fallen, lowered herself down and clung tightly to the Pidgeot's feathers. Tidal curled close to Aleida's waist, eyes closed tightly as the whistling of wind filled his ears and whitened his mind. To tell the truth, he was terrified. Sitting on the back of this Pidgeot that he still had some trouble trusting, ten thousand feet in the air, next to Rayqueza of all Pokemon, was making his heart pound heavily. And now, with Aleida's sudden tenseness, he couldn't feel anything but worry. Belle landed just to the side of a rather large opening, and with the wind out of her ears she could instantly hear the sobs of children, and the yells of Seth. Sebastian was already running to the side of the entrance, drawing an arrow, eyes narrowed with concentration, and Aleida stared at him blankly. Her eyes were wide, head tilted slightly towards the sound of the screaming children. Her head felt warm suddenly, cheek burning with what was it, what was it? Rage. _I'm easily influenced, right, right..._ She slipped down from Belle's back, ignoring the confused sounds of Tidal as she pull the fishing rod from her back. Her foot steps were slow and wobbling at first, eyes blankly staring forward. She froze just before the cave, glancing in once. Seth and a rather large Luxray were present. The bird Pokemon was next to be seen, hidden by the shade of the cavern, and finally, the children. The children, who were crying and screaming from fear. The Pokemon, whatever it was, was turning slowly away from the wailing kids, focusing first on the arrow that had caught its attention and then the Luxray and small human that had dared cross it. Yellow eyes gleamed from the darkness, but instead of rushing forward to follow Seth out of the cave it threw forward an attack. Wings half-spread, unable to fully open due to the cavern walls, and a slash of wind flew towards Levi and Seth quickly. "Heads up!" The phrase fell from her lips like acid. The crying of the children, the tension of the cave, the rage, Aleida felt it all, and it was effecting her in a very obvious manner. Her eyes were narrowed and dark, teeth bared in a sneer, and her usually pacifistic ways were lost as she prepared to take the beast head on. The slash of wind struck both her fishing rod and her, the thick wood of the rod just barely saving her from more intense wounds. Blood spurted from cuts on her upper arms, and the fishing rod gained a new deep gash, but still refused to break. Aleida hissed in pain, but did not falter, instead glaring up at the bird Pokemon with intense eyes. Her arms rose slowly, shakily, and began spinning the fishing rod in a circle, allowing the weighted thread to gain some speed for an attack, and then, with the flick of her wrist she let the weight fly. As soon as it connected with the Pokemon, though, the sound of metal on metal filled the cave. Her eyebrows hitched upwards for a moment as she realized finally what is was, but they fell again as she took a step back, a sheepish yet angry smile claiming her lips. She pulled the rod back, ignoring the fact that the weight was currently scrapping against the too close walls, and laughed oh so quietly, "We're lucky, huh?" She glanced at the Luxray, eyes shadowed by her hair, "got the perfect Pokemon to go against a Skarmory, care to help us?" The Skarmory shrieked as its name was uttered, charging head first towards those remaining in the cave. Aleida dropped down, just barely dodging one of the half-opened, razor sharp wings, and instead of turning to follow the metallic bird ran deeper into the cave, eyes still dark with anger. The children, still sobbing, backed away at the sight of her initially, eyeing her bloodied arms and over all odd appearance, but after she forced a kind, kind smile and slowly rose her arms to hug them they ran forward, sobbing into her chest and shoulders. Meanwhile, the Skarmory was finally outside of the cave, wings finally unfolded fully. It released another shriek, eyes crazed with rage and body trembling, and after another quick yell is flew up, sending a flurry of steel feathers down on those outside of the cave. The attack was scattered heavily, a clear sign that the Steel/Flying type was not in a safe state of mind. Tidal dodged easily and countered with an Aurora Beam, which managed to stun the Skarmory for a moment or two, giving the others a chance to attack.