Her long, silvery blonde hair began to come out of it's tight french braid as she twirled round and round on top of a stone stage erected somewhere not too far from the center of Nouvelle, her bow streaking across her violin as she made [whimsical music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KUyPKbR7Q#t=14). Her laugh accompanied the medley as she danced carefree on the stage. Little by little, people began to gather at the foot of the stone steps to watch the odd display, some whispering about the indecency of a "newcomer" playing so near to the center of Nouvelle, while others enjoyed the tune and even danced along. On the roof of a nearby inn Neva perched, his body stiff with purpose as he watched over **his** Sophia. If anyone so much as touched her, the articuno would have to rip them in half. An odd turn of events brought Sophia to this moment of jovial abandonment as her articuno gleamed predatory glances at the people below, though none seemed to notice as it lurked above... ### Sophia Skyheart & Neva **Nouvelle - Lugere** Arctic wind buffeted Sophia as she clung hard to Neva's back to stave off of the majority of the chill. _'Even through my Mark, it's so cold!'_ She thought fiercely, believing for sure she was going to die riding Neva through these harsh skies. _'What on earth was I thinking planning our journey like this!?'_ From beneath her, Neva sensed his trainer's discomfort and began to descend into the trees of the woods surrounding Nouvelle, to help block the gusts of glacial air from reaching her. He wove through the trees expertly, lightly, making sure not to jostle Sophia too much. That was when Sophia began to hear the melodies wafting out from a large city just head. Neva curved hard, banking on the edge of Nouvelle as it sprang into existence before them. Sophia's eyes nearly popped from her skull as she took in the breath-taking view of this wondrous city, and her ears nearly died in delight from the endless music thrumming faintly below. She gestured for Neva to land on the branches of a sturdy tree not far from the city as she pulled one of her maps from inside a pouch on her saddle. She looked it over, mouthing off names as she examined it, **"Stardrop... Icegrove... _Nouvelle!_ Neva, we went the wrong way, we're off course from reaching the Keirnan Estates... uhh, what is it? Oh, Snow Crest, yeah! But..."** Sophia looked over what she could see of the city of arts from where Neva had perched. An odd emotion welled within her. **"Neva, these people... This city... I will be the Lady of it one day... How is it so big?! I knew that it was one of our biggest, but this..."** The map began to crinkle and shake as her own hands shook. Neva gave out a concerned cry, glancing back at her. _'How can I possibly rule over them and keep them safe?'_ The thought was almost debilitating. Her shoulders suddenly felt much heavier, as if an oppressive force was heaping upon them. The world began to sink in on her, staining her vision dark with it's vileness as she waded deeper into the deep abyss of worry. A fierce eye came into her view, breaking her out of her wallowing. Neva was looking at her, an expression that was so worried across his face that Sophia smiled instinctively to ease it. **"I'm sorry, my Neva. I shouldn't become downtrodden by ignorance, I just need to cure it. We're going to visit the Cheviots, I do believe they are the earls of this city. I _need_ to know more about my people."** A half hour later, Sophia strong-armed Neva into dropping her off at the city boundaries with only her violin in hand, as it seemed fitting, and a small portion of their money on her person - just in case. She was going to inquire where she might find one of the Cheviot House among the people here, but as reality would have it, people are jealous, devious beings. Neva kept a close watch, stalking among the rooftops of buildings. **"You need to know where the Cheviot estate is? Don't make me laugh, fledgling! Go play your jokes elsewhere or move up the ranks like everyone else."** A flute player that resembled a snorlax more than a human told her with a cold look in his eyes. And that wasn't the only resident to tell her something similar, many people, young or old, mirrored his sentiments with nearly the same standoffish reaction. She didn't lose heart though, and as she made her way to the center of Nouvelle the people became more distinguished in their replies. **"My dear, you must be lost. The Cheviot Manor is up the hill, but heaven knows you wont be reaching it so easily. Work, work, work your way up!"** An old lady wearing a pristine, floor length fur coat and heavy make-up told her in a lecturing voice. **"How do I work my way up here?"** Sophia asked, looking around at the milling musicians fiddling with their instruments, and artists with their paint brushes flying across the canvasses in front of them. **"Why, young lady, you must play."** The distinguished old woman gestured with a hand to Sophia's violin. As they made their farewells, Sophia looked down at her own instrument. **"I should have thought of it... but working my way up just to meet the Cheviots?"** She let out a sigh, then slapped her cheek with one hand. **"I'm gonna do it!"** She set to looking for a free spot where she could play her violin, someplace appropriate. **"A stage would be fitting, I should think..."** She mused, wandering through the city. Nearby, Neva hopped from roof to roof, sometimes setting flocks of pokemon resting there scurrying to the skies, fleeing the predatory legendary pokemon. And a stage she eventually found. People seemed to almost avoid the stone plateau in the middle of a circular square deep within Nouvelle as if it were a pit of vipers. Sophia unknowingly ascended the steps without truly realizing what she was doing as she set herself up to play. People were pointing up at her and whispering among themselves, and those people brought more people who stood far back from the stage to whisper and stare. She felt stage fright for a split moment, then shook it off. She had played for nobility and in front of the people of Skyheart Villas before, she was no stranger to a crowd. She refused to let herself succumb to that sort of folly! And with that she flew into her medley, quickly forgetting that she even had an audience in the first place. _Her long, silvery blonde hair began to come out of it's tight french braid as she twirled round and round on top of a stone stage erected somewhere not too far from the center of Nouvelle, her bow streaking across her violin as she made [whimsical music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KUyPKbR7Q#t=14). Her laugh accompanied the medley as she danced carefree across the stage. Little by little, people began to gather at the foot of the stone steps to watch the odd display, some whispering about the indecency of a "newcomer" playing so near to the center of Nouvelle, while others enjoyed the tune and even danced along. On the roof of a nearby inn Neva perched, his body stiff with purpose as he watched over **his** Sophia. If anyone so much as touched her, the articuno would have to rip them in half._ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ### Corivana Espada & Kyo (interaction with (man-handling of?) Zavier) **Haven Port, Pokemon Center - Ayero** Corivana barked out a laugh in her delight watching the vulpix cleverly extricate itself from the cage. _'So it understands, after all!'_ The world was so vast, the creatures inhabiting it so varied and colorful that it made a smile come to her face as she stared down at the pokemon rubbing against her leg. **"Yer a clever mutt, I'll give ye that! We do be about to escape on the back of me friend, ye see? She _should_ be down 'ere soon, and we do be leavin' this prison. After all..."** She sat on her haunches to give the vulpix a pet along it's sleek back. **"After all, pokemon are _meant_ to be free."** All of the sudden, an intense rumble took hold of the pokemon center, shaking the glass fixtures in their casements as the walls rattled. Corivana lips quirked mischievously at the vulpix and she swooped it up into her arms as the roof of the room they were in gave way to the enormous form of Kyogre. The legendary sea pokemon barreled through the room, letting out a joyous cry as she saw Corivana. **"Many 'pologies 'bout the mess, ladies!"** The pirate called up to the nurses as she ran and leapt unto Kyogre's back with Zavier tucked under her arm like a football. Her laughter rang out behind the trio as Kyo burst through the doors of the pokemon center with enough force to blow the doors off of the hinges, and her laughter sailed through the air even still as the pokemon took them higher and higher into the sky, far above the city of Haven Port. Below them, her home began to look small and insignificant. And even their famed farms took on a toy-like appearance from these heights. **"Tell me, ye little vulpix, do ye want to go on an adventure with me and Kyo 'ere? Or do ye want to make port back on the solid ground, where life do be stale and restricting?"** She asked, placing Zavier carefully on the back of Kyogre. **"Only ye can decide where yer destiny do lay, afterall."** Corivana's amber eye burned with intensity as she looked down at Zavier, her mouth posed in it's characteristic half-mocking, half-amused smirk. The wind pulled at her brunette hair and at the flamboyant feathers coming from her pirate's hat. Just as fast as Kyogre had sailed into the sky, she descended at the far outskirts of Haven Port, near a cluster of forest that ran alongside the great river that led all the way to the capital of Ayero. **"One bark for yes, two for no - decide if ye do be sailin' with us, matey."**

At first Zavier was surprised at the sudden arrival of the massive legendary pokemon, but quickly enough he is back on his feet. Before she had asked the question Zavier had already known the answer to her question, so he immediately nodded in the affirmative and yipped once doing his best impression of a bark. He then simply curls up on Kyo's back and waits out the rest of the ride. Once they reach their destination, he paws at Corivana to try and get her to help him down to the deck. The entire way he was relay trying to get the collar off, but it seemed practically indestructible and wouldn't budge.

**_~Levinia~_** **_~Ayero - Ladyl Woods~_** Levi had been following the trio as quietly as she could. It was easy enough, after all it was almost the same as when she was stalking prey. Keep your movements slow, your body low to the ground, and watch for any sort of debris on the ground that could result in unwanted noise. The only difference was that her prey were usually humans or other small pokemon that got lost in the forest at night or the occasional mightyena or other large pokemon. This time though, her prey was an unknown bird pokemon, and she was actually helping humans. The very idea would normally seem absurd to her, but she had convinced herself that if she was going to be staying here for a bit she had to teach this bird pokemon a lesson that she was the queen of this forest. It was then she heard the snapping of twigs, the groan of a tree, a whine from a Vaporeon and the shriek of the girl. Something bad, or at least unexpected had happened. She didn't wish to risk getting close enough to lay eyes on the humans again. That Vaporeon and the one without a pokemon seemed a bit too...attentive of their surroundings. Thankfully, seeing prey even at a distance and through obstacles was easy for a Luxray. Suddenly, the Luxray morphs eyes gleamed gold as she turned her head in the direction of the humans. However, she was greeted with an amusing, but sad sight. The girl, had stumbled into a human trap that was obviously meant to capture whatever pokemon had been attacking the city. *"Sorry, sorry. I didn't see the trap. Could you help before Tidal attempts to cut me down. I really don't trust him to get me down without breaking my neck."* Was this human serious? The Levi let out an annoyed grunt. This girl was useless and shouldn't even be attempting this hunt. At least the other two seemed to be somewhat competent. Competent enough to not walk blindly into a human made trap at least. Helping these humans might just be harder than she thought, but she wasn't one to turn down a challenge, especially when she had to teach that flying pokemon to not mess with *her* forest. Speaking of the bird pokemon... *"I see it! The bird Pokemon!"* Well, maybe not entirely useless. Levi quickly turned in the direction the human had pointed, her golden eyes searching the forest as the pokemon swiftly flew away, her keen eyes easily able to track the Pokemon. A confident smirk crossed the Luxrays face, her powerful hind legs pushing off on the ground as she sped off after the flying pokemons retreating form.

|John and Axia| |Ayero, Road to Hiden| Axia was blasted away by the two attacks, not able to dodge effectively due to her horns being in Groudon's claws, the maze of rock blades around them, and her own maddened state causing her to have tunnel vision focus on destroying the legendary pokemon. She went flying through several blades and landed on the other side of them. John immediately went to her side, moving surprisingly fast despite his heavy plate armor. When he reached her side, he saw that she had fainted, but had sustained any fatal or serious injuries. He gave a sigh of relief, reaching into his pack to pull out some firsy aid supplies, some ointments, and salves to help her recover faster. Once he finished, he turned to the owner of the Groudon, wondering what her name was. Something with a C, if he remembered correctly. "Well then, now that the excitement is over, could you perhaps help me take Axia here to Hiden? That was were heading before we stumbled upon you and you big friend here, and I assume that's where your heading as well. Oh, and my name is John Flares, a knight to a Baron that I believe serves under your family, and former Monk of the Heatran Temple." John gave her a bow, just enough to show his acknowledgement of her rank. **Sebastian,** **Ayero, Ladyl Woods** Sebastian sighed when Aledia had gotten caught in the trap, shaking his head at her foolishness. That is why you should always watch your step in a forest. As he moved to help her down, he heard her sudden exclamation, turning quickly to spot it. He just as quickly turned to Seth, yelling an order at him. "Oi Seth, get on Belle and follow the bird to its lair. Once you find it,come find us so we can make aplan. Now hurry before you lose it." After he gave his order, he quivckly drew his knife and set to work quickly, yet carefully cutting Aledia down. After he cut her down, he started carefully inspecting her foot, poking and prodding it. "Tell me if anything hurts, so I can make sure your foot has been broken or sprained."

**Millicent Cheviot Nouvelle, Lugere** It had been a pretty uneventful day and aside from that little brawl from the previous night, Nouvelle was calm. However on her long walk back to her family's manor, she discovered that a musician had drawn a significant crowd. Not only that but the place the musician was playing was considered a bit... sacred, for lack of a better term. The story behind this little stone platform in the middle of this circular urban plaza was that any performance on that stage was to be considered for an audience with the Cheviots, Milly's own family. The platform, and the plaza itself, were in full view of the front of Cheviot Manor, as a main road opened up the densely packed buildings all the way up to the front gates. Some of the crowd turned and noticed Milly had entered the plaza and whispers of her presence was soon exchanged throughout the entire crowd. Of course there were rules and standards involved. For one, you had to draw a large audience and then satisfy their incredibly high standards to draw an applause. It was mainly a musician's way to acquire an audience, and hopefully employment, with the Cheviots. In fact, some of the finest musicians in this era have played on this platform and for some, they would have to play all day to draw a large enough audience to be considered "worthy". That meant they could not repeat a single song they mastered, but rather, they would have to play a whole medley of original or mastered pieces to appease such a critical audience. And may Arceus help you if you botch a song on that stage. The audience would obviously hiss you off and as long as you are recognized, you'll find employment to be a lot tougher. Nobody wanted a public failure on there orchestra. So it was very bold to step up on that stage and this girl, who seemed to have been in her early teens judging from her petite composure, must have been very confident or stupid to play on this stage. Either way, she played her song well enough and while the movement helped her performance, it sometimes hindered the song from achieving strong ponticello climaxes which can help distinguish a violinist from the common rabble and it was the key to a good soloist. But Milly's critiques weren't the best as she hadn't focused on music growing up so there could have been other things people could pick out of her performance. After all, there was always room to improve. The girl finished her song, which seemed to be some sort of preview for a variety of different songs she could play. Perhaps a intro to what she would play that day? If so, all her pieces get points for creativity as Milly had not recognized them. Regardless, once the girl stopped playing, the whole audience turned and looked at Milly and Mel, who were standing towards the back of the crowd. It was considered to be common curiosity to let a Cheviot applaud a performance or whistle them off stage, if they were present. To the surprise of many, Milly gave the girl a few energetic claps but the audience followed and the girl got her applause. After that, many of the audience departed because the girl would get her audience with a Cheviot, simply because Milly had been passing by. Some words of protest were whispered about how lucky this girl was. Some musicians hastily went and retrieved their instruments to jump on the oppurtunity but as they began gathering, Milly ordered her bodyguard to disperse them as she had no intention to sit there and listen to it all. Milly climbed up onto the stage and gave the girl a nod before addressing herself. "La Musique Parle, friend. I am Lady Millicent of House Cheviot and your request with an audience is hence forth granted..." Milly greeted the blonde girl with proper diction, although proper usually left a stale taste in her mouth. "Anyway, what's up, kid? What can I do for you?" Milly followed in her more natural tone. She eyed the blondie for a moment, noticing that she appeared very frail and a bit sickly. She looked familiar and it was possible that they had met before but Milly was drawing a blank. Meanwhile, Mel had also followed Milly up to greet the girl, but Mel immediately recognized who she was and did a brief curtsy to a member of Skyheart. Milly gave Mel a quizzical look before glancing back at the girl. "Erm... I should probably know just who you are if Mel here gives you a curtsy."

**_~Claire and Groudon~_** **_~Ayero Countryside, Road to Hiden~_** As Axia went flying backwards, Groudon gave a loud grunt of annoyance that seemed to say _'Don't waste my time if you're going to lose so easily'_. Groudon moved through the earthen maze he created without much trouble, crushing the blades and causing them to crumble as he walked past them towards Claire. Claire moved quickly as well, meeting the large pokemon just outside of the little ring of blades. **"You did well."** She said to the pokemon, as he lowered his head towards her. She gave him a congratulatory rub on his chin, before taking a look at his claws with a sigh. She had to admit, that Haxorous and her trainer was a worthy opponent. **"Hm. I see no reason as to why we can't help you."** She replied to him, as she climbed onto Groudons back as she began searching through various packs and pouches that were on his harness. Normally, she would have taken them off before a fight but she didn't have time to this time. **"Ah. Here we are,"** She said, pulling out a small sack full of berries. **"Here's a little snack for your hard work."** She said as she jumped off the ancient pokemon. **"You've earned it you big oaf. Just be careful with your claws for a bit. Those horns did more damage than I thought they would."** With that, she tossed a few berries into the air which Groudon happily caught and began munching on. With her own pokemon taken care of, she walked over to John, tossing him the sack of Sitrus berries in the process. **"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, John. I am Lady Claire Terrane, head of House Terrane, Lady of the Vale plains and her mines and any ore, minerals, or other metals that come from the region."** She introduced herself with all the grace and calmness of an experienced noble. **"I must say, I am impressed by your Haxorous. Not many pokemon can easily move Groudon with a single attack."** She stated as she glanced over to where the Haxorous had fainted. **"I have to say though, you're own strategy was lacking - that battle could have been a lot easier for you had you kept your distance from Groudon and used a few more Dragon Dances before going in for a close range attack. Ranged attacks would have probably worked best, actually, had your Haxorous had any. Ah, wait, hold on."** She turned back to Groudon as he munched absentmindedly on what was left of the Sitrus berries. **"Fix the road while I talk with this knight, John."** Groudon gave an annoyed grunt in response, but did as he was told. **"Anyways, back to your question. Yes, we are indeed headed to Hiden. We were summoned by the King along with various other powerful nobles in the region. No doubt concerning the rumors of War. I would be more than happy to help you and Haxorous there. It is my duty to take care of my people, after all since you serve a Baron under my banner."**

Zaegar looked on curiously as the mystery musician got lucky and scored an interview with a Cheviot on her seemingly first performance in this town. Zaegar hadn't been here for long but he still knew that was pretty rare and shivered and looked for the cause on the seemingly sunny day and saw a- Articuno! Then that meant the little lady musician down there had to be a member of the Skyhearts, one of the better noble lineages. He waited to see the outcome of such an interesting meeting while idly eating the Shepherds Pie he had stolen earlier, it never hurt to know what was going in the lives of nobles, although he didn't like the chilling glare that Articuno had. If he wasn't careful the thing would probably smell him and rip him to shreds

“Trying to follow a bird in flight is a stupid idea,” Seth noted, but ultimately tugged the collar of his cloak closer to his neck and pulled down his face mask – made up of the silvery, if tarnished steel plates of a Skarmory. Belle, who had moved over to nuzzle Aleida's upside-down face in something that appeared to be sympathy (as both the Pidgeot and her human had been caught in many such traps herself in the early days of surviving in the wild), returned swiftly to his side, bowing low to allow him to throw himself on. Holding loosely onto the leather straps wrapped around Belle's midsection, he turned briefly towards Sebastian. “I'll see what I can do to track it. Find a good location for a... lair.” With amber eyes set on the sky where only the faint black dot remained in the distance – too far to determine the species – he squeezed Belle's neck. She let out a trill before taking off in an extravagant spiral, climbing high into the clouds above the orange canopy. Seth's fingers nearly slipped from the leather with the fancy movement, but the tight grip he held with his knees locked him in place. Once they had evened out to a steady, if not the fastest pace, he leaned in to hiss into Belle's feathered head, the rushing wind blocking out most of his voice. “What was *that* for?” A loud, remorseless caw sounded in response, and Seth likened it to the tone his own mother's voice took when she had invited the boys from the village over to play in Featherheart Tower of her own accord, showing them the extravagant glory of a rare chick being hatched. *You need some friends, Seth! So I'll make them for you!* she had told him earlier. He couldn't really complain, either. Daredevil moves were a favourite of his. He huffed in response, eyes scanning the treeline for what he perceived to be the best possible nesting location for a bird that kidnapped children, ruffling Belle's feathers absently as he did so. A tree – a large, massive tree – was not something common to the forest, but it was the only natural location he could think of, the only one large enough for the beauty the villagers were describing. Belle dipped suddenly, dropping into dive, at an old tree whose leaves were already dying and branches dry, in no fit state to support a nest. Only a few seconds later Seth saw what Belle's instincts could; the outcropping of a rocky hillside underneath the vibrant leaves. “Brilliant,” he said. “Good job. As always.” If a Pidgeot could look smug... Slowly, she lowered herself, talons wrapping around a thick branch as Seth lowered himself to get a closer look at the small, dank opening both he and Belle had seen from above. A suspicious absence of rock-type Pokemon confirmed his suspicions, even if birds did not tend to like caves. Taking a few cautious steps into the opening and finding the floor lined with unmistakable waste – feathers and droppings – he nodded to Belle to return to the others and she took off. He wasn't selfish with glory. Both his mother and Belle seemed to believe he needed to make friends. Hopefully they wouldn't take long to get there.

### Sophia Skyheart & Neva (interaction with Milly & Mel, and some Zaegar cameo) **Nouvelle - Lugere** Sophia stood breathless as her performance finished, her gaze sweeping across the crowd in confusion. Silence permeated the air, no one clapped, and instead they all stood looking back at somebody at the edge of the mass of people. _'Was I awful?'_ She wondered as she sucked in chill air between her teeth to fuel her fragile lungs. She narrowed her eyes to see who they were looking at: a pretty young woman, surrounded by what looked like to be body guards. _'Why are they staring at her?'_ Then the pretty young woman clapped into the silence, and the crowd immediately followed suit, the perfect imitation of chicks to a hen, causing Sophia to nearly jump in her surprise. She was still trying to regain her composure, and her breath, when the lady in question came up the steps of the stage and greeted her. Her eyes began to twinkle the more Millicent - Milly? - Cheviot spoke. Something about the the noble woman seemed familiar to Sophia, she was sure she had met the Lady somewhere else before. At a gala, perhaps? Sophia began to laugh, as much for Millicent's change of tone, as for the gratification of finally finding who she was looking for after being reprimanded time and time again by the citizens of Nouvelle. With tears of laughter in her eyes, she returned Meloetta's curtsy with a small bow and then focused her attention on the person she had been looking for so strenuously. **"You should know me if Mel does...? Oh!"** Sophia beamed an apologetic smile at Milly. **"Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner. I am Lady Sophia of House Skyheart, Keepers of the Stardrop Mountains, Protectors of the People, and loyal servants of Maccus, may He rule forever."** She made a small but formal curtsy before Milly. As if to punctuate her statement, Neva leapt from the nearby inn roof without delay, swooping down to land behind Sophia in a brilliant display of plumage. His predatory eyes peered down at Millicent and Meloetta as if deciding which one to eat first. Neva's birthmark, the insignia of House Skyheart, shone across his puffed chest. Sophia gave the articuno a stare that said _"we'll be talking about your behavior later"_. **"And this,"** She sighed with exasperation, **"is Neva, Guardian of the Skyheart lineage, Lord of Hoarfrost Temple, and a legendary pain in my butt..."** She mumbled, glaring at the bird when he swung a wing around her protectively, not caring about her protests or irritation. She pushed his wing down from her face with her free hand so that she could see Milly and Mel, the other was still gripping the violin and bow. Even with his wing protecting her thin frame from most of the chill, Sophia still felt her body beginning to break down from the stress of the day. She hadn't traveled nearly so far, nor walked so much, in all of her life and standing was beginning to be difficult without her cane, proven by her knees wobbling under her own weight. **"I cannot stay long, Lady Millicent, but I was hoping to pay my respects at the Cheviot manor as I passed through Nouvelle... um, may I call you Milly?"** The last she added with a shy blush, dropping some of the formality of her tone. Neva discarded his attentions on Millicent and Meloetta while he stood protectively over Sophia. His head swiveled in the peculiar way that bird's does, and he stared directly at Zaegar as the latter ate his pie, appearing to somehow sense the morph's thoughts. The legendary pokemon didn't make any move to go after Zaegar, but the intensity of his gaze seemed to magnify the longer that he stared. The three plumes jutting from articuno's head seemed to stand on-end and his feathers began to puff up defensively, making Neva appear bigger than he actually was. The articuno wasn't _positive_ of Zaegar's true nature, but the bird was magnificent at sensing morphs. Not to mention, his papa-bird attitude was in overdrive today, considering that Sophia had pushed his patience to the limit by forcing him to remain in the shadows as she traveled through the populated city. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ### Corivana Espada & Kyo (interaction with Zavier, Claire & John cameo) **In the skies of Ayero** After the vulpix had agreed to come with them, Kyo sailed back up into the skies, comforted by the familiar weight of Corivana upon her back. Something about the vulpix seemed to tug at her senses, however she wasn't proficient at sensing morphs, and she had no paticular feelings for them one way or another. If they were friends, she would accept them into her retinue, if they were foes... well, she and Corivana had dealt with many of those in their time together. **"Tell me, little one, why were you so frantic in your cage in the human's settlement? You look as if you are running from the tidal wave before it breaks upon you."** Kyo asked Zavier while curving around a puffy cloud. She and Corivana enjoyed going through them, but she didn't think the vulpix would enjoy getting it's fur wet. While Kyo and Zavier did their thing, Corivana squinted her only eye against the blazing sun that, for some reason, seemed more like a furnace the further inland she went. Normally she wouldn't take on passengers, and Kyo didn't enjoy hauling anyone but her around usually, so this exception was an oddity on both of their parts. She figured that it'd be fine. _Probably_. But the incredible heat was odd to her, as she had never remembered Ayero being quite this hot. With a grumble, Corivana patted her companion's back. **"Kyo, the sun do be a fryin' me faster than a combusken. Do be takin' us below these infernal clouds and closer to the bloody ground."** Kyo descended obediently as she waited for Zavier's reply, curving smoothly around clouds and flocks of bird pokemon as they flew past the odd trio. What the trio didn't know quite yet, but would soon find out the lower they descended, was that Kyo had managed to veer off-course as she dodged clouds and pokemon, and that they were almost directly above, albeit far above, the gathering of Claire, Groudon, John and Axia. And, as luck would have it, the intense heat Corivana was complaining about was Groudon's Drought ability.

"**Uhh, I've just never been good with captivity.**" Zavier responded to Kyo after a bit of deliberation. "**I've all ways been someone who loved being free, and I've never been less free then with this collar. That madness, and being captured by the guards, was just to much for me. I'm not vary big, and I'm smaller with this collar on... But it seems indestructible, I've heard of such things that couldn't be broken by a pokemon and it terrifies me. That heat waive!**" he said suddenly, jumping when he got close enough to the griund. "**that's not natural, I've felt my fair share of moves and that is one. Maybe you should alert the girl...**"

"I'll admit that I underestimated the defensive abilities of Groudon, and possibly overestimated it's attack power. Either way, I thank you for helping us out, Lady Terrane." John said with another just low enough bow. "As for the rumors, please don't judge me too harshly in saying this, but I much crave it. To be able take my mace and smite those Lugerian dogs would bring me no small amount of pleasure. Speaking of Lugere, I wish to ask of you a question. Do you know of any house that is represented by the legendary pokemon, Darkrai, or possible locations where Darkrai is rumored to lurk. The reason I ask is that I have a *personal* matter with the pokemon, but I have yet to find any concrete information on it, aside that it is most likely to reside in Lugere." While John would never admit this, his inability to gather decent information was mostly due to his inability to read much more than the most basic of vernacular. The monks who had raised him hadn't put much faith in the written word, and he had been to focused on learning how to fight until recent years. He had tried to get a teacher out of the nobles, but they had quit trying soon after due to not being able to handle him. Anyway, he figured that the lady of a higher noble house like Terrane would be able to give him better information than the servants and squires back at home. **Fang, Drakescale Island, equidistant from the coasts of Lugere and Ayero** Fang was currently patroling the northern cliffside of the island, thinking about the outcome of the last clan meeting. It was official now, they had to find a new home. They had grown to large and the island couldn't sufficiently support the clan for much longer. They had at most another year before people began to have trouble finding food, and a couple months after that for the starving to set in. It had been decided that she would take a group to one of the two lands, Lugere and Ayero, for a place for them to live. What ever place she chooses, a different group would head to the othe land, led by the hunting leader, Shane. She was leaving the clan in the hands of the spritual leader, Shaman Maelida. She was going in a grouo of three, te other group will be one of four. It was taking away a lot of the clan's best warriors, but she didn't fear much, as this settlement was unknown to humans, as only flying, rock, and ground type pokemon could live here, as it was more likea plateau in the midfle of the sea than an island. All the edges were sheer cliffs with a very long drop to the bottom. Their were ways to get on the island without flying, but they were hidden by nature and guarded very well. Still, she worried about leaving the clan, but she knew it could survive without her for a few months. Fang turned her eyes to the horizon, wondering where to go. Ayero had nice weather, but it didn't have much in the way of mountains that her people preferred. Lugere eas cold, which they could deal with, but it had a harsher view against Morphs than Ayero. Plus, she would rather not risk falling into the hands of House Umbraisis again. She shivered in the memory of her years of imorisonment and slavery. Looks like Ayero was the winner, she'd head back and inform the others. If they hurried with their flight, they could be in Ayero within the next hour. After that, it was just a matter of not getting caught.

**_Sindri_** **_~Ayero Countryside, Road to Hiden~_** It felt rather strange to walk along a road that had grass on either side of it. To be fair, Sindri had seen grass before but the novelty of just how much of it there was when you traveled outside of the Rust Desert was still rather fresh despite his thoughts being directed elsewhere. The young heir of House Rist traveled alone along the road, his face covered in the traditional head scarf of those who lived in the sandstorm prone desert often wore to try and protect their eyes from the sands. While the threat of sandstorms suddenly springing up out of nowhere wasn't exactly that big of a threat outside of Rust Desert, Sindri continued to wear it because it reminded him of home. Using a fairly well put together spear as a make shift walking stick, the young noble looked less like a noble and more like a traveling nomad. Looking down the road he traveled, Sindri spotted a couple of people... and a bright red Groudon of all things. Either there was a wild Groudon stalking the road or one of the people ahead belonged to House Terrane. Considering that said people were still alive and the Groudon wasn't actively trying to murder them, he was going with the latter. In the same silence that he had traveled for a while now, Sindri continued along the road that lead past the people and the living legend itself.

**Garet, The Ocean - Not far from Coldcoast** "Sir it's time to wake up." The voice seemed to shake Garet and slowly the blackness of sleep faded, replaced with a boy no older than thirteen. "Thank you Bagge." Garet said, and dismissed the boy. Unwrapping himself from the Ursaring cloak that was folded around him he put on his sword belt and stepped onto the deck of the fishing boat. What greeted him first was the cold which struck Garet like a warhammer, with a curse about the cold and rubbing his hands together Garet walked up to the captain. "So our quarry nears?" Garet asked, the captain just nodded and pointed just past the bow, if Garet squinted he could just barely make out the shape of sails. "Damn sailors and their eyesight." He muttered and readied himself. As the other ship got closer Garet knew that was the one he was hunting, a modified fishing vessel that had been pillaging up and down the shores of Coldcoast, and finally Garet had been roped by the fisherman in dealing with the pirates. Finally as both ships got within shouting range a hoarse sounding voice rang out. "Surrender anything of value and ye will not be hurt." A few other voices on the other ship affirmed this, and the captain looked to Garet for guidance who only shrugged, finally the captain spoke his voice shaking. "Alright, please don't hurt us." At this the other ship seemed to row a bit faster and then slow as it pulled up alongside the fishing ship, the boarding plank hit the deck with a heavy *Thud* and a few men wearing a loose assortment of armor and wielding an diverse set of weapons strode on deck looking everybody up an down and then their eyes settled on Garet who walked towards the men his hand on the hilt of his blade as they took in the man they smiled and one even cracked a joke. It was the last thing he uttered as Garet struck like lightning, in a flash his blade was drawn and the man was holding his throat droplets of blood flicking off the edge of Garet's blade as he swung. At first the men were caught by surprise but as it dawn on them that they were being engaged by a single man they turned to him for battle one swung the ax he had been using as a weapon but Garet easily side stepped and cut him in across the knee, another came to take his place swinging wildly but he made a mistake and left himself wide open for Garet to run him through, finishing off the wounded man he turned towards the third who ran back up the gang plank Garet in tow. As Garet proceeded onto the pirates ship he proceeded to dispatch pirate after pirate his movements were like that of a dance that even the most graceful Kirlia couldn't keep up with, as he turned to finish off a man he saw another charging right for him and Garet knew in that instant it was his death by the time he would bring up his sword things he would be dead, but a flash of red emerged from the water at great speed and slammed into the man when the man went down a magikarp was bouncing around on his chest trying desperately to get back to the water, Garet only chuckled and began to heave the fish back into water. "Thanks Piscis." He said, as the magikarp slipped back into the water with a seemingly all knowing wink and slipped back below the surface. As Garet turned around to see if there were any other challengers he let out a sigh of relief as none came, the deck of the pirates vessels were filled with the dead and dying men groaned and screamed. The image seemed to bring Garet back to a time so long ago, shaking away the thoughts he proceeded to explore the pirate ship the fishermen from the village coming to explore as well. He found the pirate captain below deck dead. The man had killed himself rather than be captured, returning back to the boat with the other crew members and leaving heading back towards the village Garet was left with one question that seemed to stand out in his mind. *"Who armed these pirates, and why did the captain kill himself?."* Whatever the answer was it couldn't be good for the little village of Coldcoast or Garet.

**_Aleida and Tidal Ayero - Ladyl Woods_** Aleida sneezed as Belle nuzzled into her face, grinning stupidly, but she was suddenly gone as Sebastian barked and order and Seth prepared to follow the shining bird she had seen before. She watched Seth take off with upturned eyebrows, then allowed her head to drop as Sebastian got to work on cutting her down. She was lowered gently, and as her back hit the ground she prepared to jump up and follow after Seth and Belle but eyes stopped her. Someone had been watching. Sitting up and glancing about, Aleida felt the slight anxiety of being watch come and go twice, and before she could speak up Sebastian was kneeling next to her, inspecting her leg. The ankle which had been caught was red with rope burn, and while it wasn't an unbearable pain there was a slight sting when fingers brushed against it. _"Tell me if anything hurts, so I can make sure your foot has been broken or sprained."_ Aleida shook her head slowly, allowing a somewhat-fake grin to claimed her face as she confirmed that her ankle was fine and that they should try to catch up to Seth. Standing quickly, Aleida threw her eyes to the sky, whistled once to catch Tidal's attention, and began running towards where she had seen Seth fly. She immediately froze when she saw the familiar shadow of Belle, though, and if not for the sudden pang of pain in her ankle she would have smiled. Backtracking slightly, waved the Pidgeot down and quickly got to work on fussing the feathers on her neck, scratching softly as she stared intently at the bird's face. "You found the nest already? Good girl! Can you take us there?" She tilted her head, eyeing the empty saddle on the back of Belle curiously. It would be rude to simply hop on without asking permission. Meanwhile, Tidal had gathered around Aleida's legs, eyeing her wound nervously. He knew she was frail, and he also knew that she hated to depend on others. This little burn could either be a big problem, or just something to forget about. He was hoping for the latter. --- Magenta lights swam through the ever-orange forest, and the lights soon shifted and formed into a body. A fox-like creature, black and red in color. A Zoroark. The Pokemon lurked in the underbrush, slowly approaching where she had seen the bird-boy fly, and rage was clear on her face. Looking closer, one would notice scars, wounds from countless encounters with people and other Pokemon, but they were hidden behind a ravenous stare that might stop hearts if one did not look away fast enough. The creature slowed as the land began to bend upward, and was soon glaring daggers up at the hillside where Seth awaited. _Humans, it must be those damn humans. They must have taken him must have must have how dare they ho-_ Ears perked as a screech filled the air. The Zoroark knew the sound well, and without another glare she was gone, vanishing into the shadows of the woods. Whatever had produced that cry must have met with the Zoroark before, and it was most likely not a very friendly meeting in the end.

### Corivana Espada & Kyo (interaction with Zavier, Sindri, Claire, John and their pokemon) **Road to Hiden - Ayero** ------ **"That is unfortunate, little one. Your collar... I wonder what human would do that to a pokemon."** Kyogre radiated a dangerous aura for a moment that gave her words a more sinister feeling, as if she were going to drag the culprit to the depths of the sea. She was brought out of her brooding by the vulpix exclaiming that Kyo should warn Corivana about the heat. _'The heat...'_ She hadn't even noticed it until Zavier had mentioned it to her, but the heat striggered an instinctive reaction within her. She didn't know why, but she used a small Drizzle to counteract it without truly meaning to, and it staved off most of the intensity from their trio as they descended further. **"That do be a good girl, Kyo! Avast, five landlubbers just below!"** Corivana's eye was great at seeing further, to compensate for the loss of her other, and she spotted the gathering that was still a few hundred feet below them with remarkable clarity. **"Bank to yer right, we do no want to be droppin' directly upon them, Kyo."** **"Hold on, little one!"** Kyo said to Zavier before spiraling downwards to the ground in a tight circle. Corivana swung to the side of Kyo's harness, gripping onto the loops so that she practically was hanging off of her pokemon, her signature cackle accompanying the descent. They made a jarring stop just short of the ground, and Corivana disembarked from Kyo dramatically, one hand on her feathered hat, the other on the hilt of her rapier to stabilize it. She made a show of checking her trove of weapons to ensure they were all secure in their places before turning her attention to the people there. Her eye rested on Sindri, something about him seemed dangerous to her (maybe she was just being overly superficial?) before sweeping around her to see the partially ruined road. **"Good 'morrow ye landlubbers,"** She said with a small flourish of her hat before replacing it atop her short cut brunette hair, **"It do look like ye have battled 'ere not long ago, eh? What do ye bilge-lickin' landlubbers think ye arrr doin battlin' each other on the King's Road?"** She was technically in the King's Guard still, and these _were_ his roads, so any defacing to them were in her responsibilities to fix if she had a chance to see it - not to mention, she hated pokemon battling. Nearby, a Haxxorus laid on it's back, apparently fainted. It left a poor taste in her mouth, seeing unnecessary pain inflicted on pokemon. Though it _did_ appear as if the big red pokemon, which seemed highly familiar to Corivana though she couldn't place a finger on it's name, was already in the process of repairing the road. **"Ye do seem to be takin' care o' yer mess. Good on yeh."** She mused with a smirk, and then dug into her belt pouch to procure a battle of sake. _'I need a drink...'_ Today was beginning to wear on her. Just then, her eye finally locked onto Claire, and her heart gave a thump. _'Bloody ashes, I've already used my pirate-talk in front of a creature as beautiful as her?'_ Corivana groaned. Sweeping a woman off of her feet, especially one as refined as that, was nigh impossible with her pirate accent. However, it _was_ excellent for offending them, as she had discovered in her past attempts with other ladies. To anyone not privy to Corivana's thoughts, it appeared as if this outlandishly dressed young woman hopped off of a legendary flying whale, proceeded to threateningly question everyone gathered, and then started drooling as she gazed at Claire intensely. And then promptly deflated, all of her spunky personality disappearing within just seconds. Behind Corivana, Kyo stared at Groudon, and she knew it was _Groudon_, though she couldn't determine how she knew it's name. It was just... Groudon to her, and she knew it for a fact, as much as she knew she was Kyogre. **"Little one,"** Kyo said to Zavier, **"Maybe Groudon could break your collar?"** She gestured with one of her fins to the legendary master of the land.

"**Do you really think so? I mean, that creature looks strong but as far as I can tell this collar is ment to be indestructible.**" Zavier asked the flying whale. "**I don't know, what if in trying to take the collar off I die? I suppose I'd be willing to try, but hmmm... I'll go over to talk to him**" and at that he nuzzled the sea pokemon and walked over to groudon. "**Hello? Mr giant pokemon sir? My new friend suggested that you might be able to take care of my collar, it'll choke me if I try to... But never mind that, if you'll help I'd be much abliged**" He asked Groudon once he got close, nussleing the giant pokemon's leg for attention and persuasion.

**_~Claire and Groudon, Road to Hiden.~_** _**~Interaction with Corivana, John, Zavier, and Sindri.**_ _"Quite bloodthirsty, aren't we?"_ She thought as he introduced himself. She herself didn't like fighting, but wasn't opposed to it. Of course, she was never one to attack first unless ordered or had a really good reason for doing so. Such as her target being a morph, or it was an order from someone higher ranking than she was. However, before she could say anything to the man, he asked a rather interesting question that caught her slightly off guard. **"Darkrai? I would question the existence of such a pokemon, but I don't think I have a right to do so."** She thought for a moment, trying to recall any legends about the notorious legendary. While she was familiar with all the other legendaries and their respective houses, she was unsure if Darkrai had a patron house. She wasn't sure anyone of any reputable standing would revere such a pokemon, in any case. **"Unfortunately, I can not say that I know of any houses that represent the pokemon. If there is one, I am not sure that they would be anyone I would ever associate with or allow to exist in the first place."** She perhaps stated a bit to harshly. By now, Groudon had mostly finished getting rid of the earth spikes he had created during the fight. However, for some reason, he felt...agitated, and was restlessly shifting its massive weight between its feet. It couldn't quite place this feeling, but it wasn't the first time he had felt it, but what was it? Whatever it was, he decided it didn't matter. Claire had told him to level the road, so he did. And then a flying blue blimp came crashing down from the sky. Claire, was stunned. It was Kyogre, the legendary pokemon of house Espada. What was it doing here, of all places? Had it been attracted to Groudon? No, someone was coming off of the pokemon, someone who had most likely commanded the pokemon to land here after seeing them. That was good - if these two pokemon battled, then chances were it was not going to end well for either of them. The woman in question...seemed to be the crude sort, as she started to question them about destroying the road. A simply misunderstanding, so Claire did not think much about it. However, the way she talked, she actually found quite amusing. She sounded just like a pirate, or at least how she sounded when she played pirate with Gallade as a kid. She had to refrain herself from giving an amused chuckle. This woman...who was she? She wasn't overly familiar with her, which means that she wasn't someone to spend a lot of time with the rest of the Espadas. Judging from her mannerisms and her partner, she spent quite a bit of time at sea and very rarely made port. The stare she was getting from Corivana though, was a bit...unnerving, to be sure however. **"Ah, I apologize."** She gave a friendly smile. **"I am Claire Terrane, head of the House Terrane and supplier of most of Ayeros precious metals and ores. And you must be someone from house Espada, since you are riding their legendary-"** However, before she could say anything else, a loud roar was heard. She immediately knew what that meant. Groudon, was not happy about something. The large pokemon was looking right at Kyogre, claws raised and its mouth opened in a snarl completely ignoring the small pokemon prodding at its feet. Claire immediately acted, running over to the large pokemon and climbing up the straps that crossed the pokemons body. She made her way up to his eye level, wrapping one of her hands around the spikes that jutted out from its head, just behind it's eye. She should have known he might not react kindly to Kyogre just showing up out of nowhere. She knew the legends about their cataclysmic battles well, better than most probably. **"Alright, easy there boy. Kyogre isn't going to trouble us, and I doubt it's here to cause you trouble."** She spoke in a calming, almost motherly tone to the beast. However, Groudon didn't seem to respond, and took a threatening step towards Kyogre, almost crushing the small pokemon under its claw. Claire frowned, her expression going from one of motherly concern, to disappointment and disapproval. **"So...let me get this straight. You're disobeying me?"** At that, Groudon immediately stopped. **"Good. Now, you and Kyogre are going to play nice, at least for now. If you don't..."** her voice lowered to a whisper that only he would be able to hear. Whatever she said, caused the large legendary to immediately take two steps back from Kyo, and lower its head in a seeming apologetic manner. Claire climbed off the legendary, giving him a friendly rub on the side of his leg. **"Sorry about that, I should have guessed he wouldn't like being near Kyogre. Now, where were we, miss?...."** **_~Levinia - Ladyl Woods~_** Levinia had tracked the bird pokemon to a cave in a rocky outcropping next to the caves. Unfortunately, one of the humans had beat her too it. She wasn't as fast as that bird pokemon, Belle. She growled in annoyance. If only she could have gotten here first, she could have taken it out before those foolish humans had even gotten involved. Tch. In any case, she needed to lay low until all of them got into the cave, or at least that one got far enough in for her to approach without being seen. Though, now that she thought about it, the humans would have trouble seeing in the cave, wouldn't they? Unless it had a natural light source, it was bound to be dark. She wouldn't have that problem of course, but she wasn't sure she should get directly involved with them...She shook her head in impatience as she continued to obverse from a distance.

**John, Ayero, Road to Hiden, with Claire, Corvianna, and Sindri** John nodded to Claire, not trusting himself to speak as he was sure it would be something quite unpleasant. He was spared further deliberation on the matter by a giant floating blue whale that he easily recognized as Kyogre. Which meant the Lady with the wimpy looking vulpix was an Espada. And attractively interesting one at that, as she didn't talk or walk like nobility at all, but more like a stereotypical pirate. His fingers twicthed unconsciously, a psychotic smile spreading on his face, an insane look in his eyes, only for a split second before he returned to normal, on the outside at least. *'I can tell just from looking at her that she's a fighter, and a really good one at that. By Arceus, it's been awhile since I had a good duel. That match with the Groundon was a goid spar, but not what I need to sate my thirst. No for that I need blood, worthy blood, and that one eyed corsair has plenty of it.'* If it wasn't for the fact that Axia was in need of some medical help, he would have likely challanged the Espada to a duel. For now, he contented himself with being amused by her poorly hidden lusting for the Terrane, and the Terrane's inability to notice said lustings. He considered commenting on it, when Groudon broke that train of thought with his little temper tantrum, which quickly and impressively put to rest. She was definitely a woman that one did mot fuck with, even if one is a legendary god of the land. Itnwas then he noticed a man attempting to walk by, dressed as if he was expecting a sandstorm. Odd to say themleast, even stranger that one wouldn't gasp in awe at the legends before them. This immediately rulwd him out from being a simple wanderer, plus the fact that he had no pokemon. While this wasn't that uncommon, but it still seemed rather suspect to him how this mam seemed to be trying to avoid attention to himself. Walking up to the man, he placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping a strong grip on it as ge held a not so friendly smile on his face. "Why hello there friend, I couldn't help but notice you trying to remain unnoticed and avoiding us fellow travelers. You should know that there have been rumors of bandits and even worse, *Morphs*, stalking this road. I insist that you travel with us friend as I can tell by your garb that you are a long way from home." His tone, and the way his hand was creeping towards his mace, gave the feeling that refusal was a very unwise choice to make. **Quazar, Ayero, High above the Road of Hiden** Quazar breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Groudon's master reign him in befire hebstarted unneeded conflict. He knew he didn't have to worry about Kyogre, as he doubted she even remembered that far back, at least not consciously. Quazar had come here on a feeling the two would meet, and had prepped himself for battle, but it seemed like the human's had it under control. 'Speaking of humans, I wonder if Sebastian has found those children yet. I hope so, I won't be able to help him much in Ayero, not that he really needs it but still.' Quazar began to head in the direction of the forest in which he had left Sebastian last, appearingnto al. below as a hard to see lne of green in the sky **Sebastian, Ayero, Ladyl Forest, with Aleida and Belle** Sebastian stifled a few choice words he wanted to direct to the bird man as he flew off after their quarry. *'If I ever see that guy again after this, I'm probably going shoot an air into his ass. A barbed one, I want to hear him scream.'* Sebastian chuckled to hi self, thinking of his petty vengeance, as he followed Aleida, taking nite of her slightly favoring her non injured foit. Stupid chick,why the hell did she lie about her foot. Oh well, wasn't his problem of she wanted to get herself killed due to her own stubborness. When Belle came back without Seth, Sebastian walked up to her, snapping his fingers to gey-t her attention. "Okay Belle, take us to your master so we can call this a day and get those kids back to their parents." *'If they aren't already bird feed that is.'*

**_Sindri_** **_~Ayero Countryside, Road to Hiden (~Interacting with Zavier,Corivana, Claire, John and their pokemon~)_** Sindri paused as the situation in front of him changed dramatically. It was rather hard to keep track of it all, but a pirate knight of some kind had dropped out of the sky with **Kyogre** of all things. Anyone even remotely familiar of the legends surrounding Kyogre and Groudon would know that the two of them weren't exactly on the best of terms. A feud that Groudon was clearly in the mood to restart when who he guessed was his trainer brought the lord of the land to heel. It was actually rather... embarrassing to witness such a mighty pokemon laid low like some sort of common house pet at the heel of a creature so much its lesser. Walking up to the group and taking a look at the different members who made up the strange gathering, his eyes trailed towards a Vulpix of all creatures that was trying to snuggle up to the Groudon... and avoid being stepped on, most likely without the legendary pokemon even realizing that the little fox pokemon was there to begin with. Great and powerful pokemon tended to forget smaller details like living creatures during their day to day lives... A hand was placed on his shoulder and an invitation that wasn't really meant to be an option. Sindri's face might have been hidden by his garb, but his eyes clearly narrowed a little as he took in the person who had reached out to _invite_ him to travel to this group. His gaze seemed to take in the fact that the man was reaching for a mace rather quickly. "And which, pray tell, are you? As I recall wishing to travel down a road by yourself was not a crime punishable by death. At least not this road at any rate." His voice suggested that the speaker was actually rather educated. "As for not wishing to be noticed by you and your group..." Gesturing towards the two legendary pokemon, he couldn't hide the smirk hidden from sight as it leaked into his tone "When one comes across a meeting of the rival rulers of the Land and Sea, the smart thing to do is to try and make it to a minimum safe distance away before the two of them have at it."

John's first instinct was to bash the guy in the head, then take his mace and continue to do so until it was a nice red mess. He didn't think, however, that the nobles behind him would take very kindly to that and he was currently way out matched in terms of firepower. So he pushed down his urges, an action which caused his left eye and cheek to twitch uncontrollablly for a second, before he let gp of the man. "I guess your right that, but still you must be careful if your going to walk the roads all by your lonesome. Morphs are vicious things, their instincts sharp, their movements swift and their attacks fierce. I'm a morph hunter for my leige lord, so believe me when I say they aren't something to take lghtly. I remember this one time, me and some other hunters had cornerd this Salamence Morph somewhere near Havenport. Desperate tp survive, he fought with the verpcity of an animal, but with human intelligence to supplement it. Me and my Haxorus were the only ones to return from thay fight, but I can't thing of a time where I felt more alive." John faced had grew into an evermore twisted grin as he spoke, the facade of sanity slipping away as he talkee off his favorite hobby, only to snap himself out of it when he realized what he was doing. "Whoops, sorry to talk your ear off, stranger, I tend to do that when I think of things that excite me. Be on your way than, and remember, stay safe and don't look so suspicious."