lackingbeauty | ♕ 001 // Action for Route 29

No, it really don'.

[How did that make it better? But Beast was almost happy for the confusion- it was a decent distraction from darker thoughts as much as she hated confusion as well. She recognized a lack of alertness in the animal, it didn't seem ready to pounce...

But she still didn't touch it.

Instead, she sighed, averting her gaze somewhere off in to the woods.]

Pokemon 'r some nonsense?

[The desire to live in denial wasn't the same as actually managing it.]

Got it in one.

[That brings some relief, too. At least she was keeping herself busy... Although he can't imagine it was for very long. It's with that knowledge in mind that he steps closer to bump his shoulder against hers with a wry grin.]

So ya 'ave been talkin' ta some folks. How many did ya yell at, then?

[It's more a tease than any sort of admonishment. He's hardly going to be upset with her when she's been yanked outta England and plopped right inta some sort of strange fairytale land where hardly a thing makes sense at first.]

[She's regained enough to throw herself headfirst in to confusion, but not enough to respond to his banter like she'd normally. To blush or stammer out some excuse, push him back or start fussing at him even though she wasn't really cross with him at all.

Pokemon...

She shrugged, fingers clutching her own elbows too tight for comfort.]

Few, 'fore I got tired a the mad blabberin'.

Heh, does sound mighty mad when ya first hear it all... Dunno how I got through those first talks myself. Thought for sure I'd somehow got lost in some fever dream, s'the only thing that made sense.

[Well, that and being dead. That'd just worry her more, however- she's still not quite herself, he can tell. Best to never bring it up, just keep it nice and buried. So he reaches over to lay his hand against her fingers where they are.]

C'mon. There's a few other things I have ta show ya before we head out, and before Jims gets here himself.

[A fever dream would be a nice explanation. She'd like that. She'd like to wake up in her bed, sheets sweat-stained not from betrayal but a burning sickness, wake up to Doll fretting and Dagger ineffectively trying to wring out a cool cloth, to Wendy's care and Peter insisting he wasn't worried, to Snake pretending his snakes said something about her and Jumbo's smile, and Joker-

It'd be too good to be true, wouldn't it?

The warmth of his fingers draws her back.]

... Alright.

[If it was just like this... she could handle it. A big cat with a weird gold growth. A weird one she saw on that device that looked like a badger and a stoat had buggered each other.

She can handle that.]

[She seems to be taking Claw well enough. He knew he was a good choice. Makes him regret, just a bit, that he didn't think to bring any of his other normal ones although... In hindsight, he's realizing he doesn't have too many of those. Perhaps out of habit, he'd found himself gravitating towards the eye catching and, admittedly, bizarre.]

[Not too late to bring out Eliza and Robbie, maybe they're a bit more...]

[He stores it away in the back of his head for later as he tries to guide her back into the town a bit with Claw at their heels. The cat's getting a bit fidgety, he notes that as well. Claw and Fang never did like to be left apart for too long...]

Next one's just as normal, color's... just a bit off. [To put it lightly.] S'another cat. Fang! Yer up next, none a that stealthy nonsense!

[But that's like asking rain not to be wet. From what he can tell, it's just a Liepard's nature to be quiet. At least the cat- around Claw's size- doesn't try to hide as it slips around the back of the professor's house. It's just quiet, tail flicking back and forth as it looks over Beast curiously. It'd be no doubt mysterious and impressive, probably, if Claw didn't suddenly bolt forward to cuddle up to it.]

[Joker doesn't really notice their antics. He just keep staring at Beast.]

Ain't too alarmin', is it?

[Beast is uncharacteristically silent as they walk, but at least she's walking. Automatically, she'd brought along the rucksack... thing she'd been given. Don't waste supplies. She keeps the cat, Claw?, in her sights but at least seems to accept it... for now.

This cat... was... purple. And spotted.

Her brow furrowed.]

That one a them leopards? Dyed dark?

[She'd seen one in a rival circus they'd checked out once, part of the menagerie. Wild, straight from India! Or so they'd said, how was she to know? It looks sleek enough.]

[Well, it's not exactly dyed, but besides that...]

Yep! They call 'em Liepards, here, which ta me just seems like sayin' it a different way but I don't much fancy bickerin' with a buncha scientists over somethin' like that.

[He grins over to the pair, both cats having already settled down with one chewing on the others ear and being dealt with patiently enough. Sometimes they remind him a bit of Peter and Wendy, always together. About as polite and generous, too, which meant not at all most of the time. Maybe it's why he puts up with their shenanigans.]

Most a the creatures here ain't that different than what ya would see back home, whether in a circus or out in the forests and such. Cats and birds and things like that. [He pauses for just a moment.] Some are a bit more... Well, I think ya would benefit sittin' down, ta put it kindly. They're definitely a sight ta see and... one of 'em is why we're gonna have a shorter trip.

[Liepards certainly did sound like someone putting on airs when pronouncing "leopards", if you asked her. Beast snorted a bit in derision, quite glad with her own label for the cat even if it... definitely wasn't right. The tail was wrong, and the shape of the face-

She'd manage denial for a bit longer, perhaps.

But at his suggestion, Beast looks from the ground back to Joker as if asking him to reconsider that he just asked her to sit down.]

An' 'ow is that?

[Something that made the trip shorter- a horse, right? What, did this one have three eyes?]

[For a brief second, he glances back to the pair of cats like they'll offer any support or advice. He should know better, really. They might not be normal cats, the kind he's familiar with, but they still manage that utter look of apathy just as well as any housecat lounging about. It wasn't their problem. They, thus, weren't interested even for as much as Joker figured they liked him.]

[Ah well. There... really wasn't any normal or sane sounding way to put this.]

Yer gonna think I'm daft... or gone mad... or both...

But flyin'. It's somethin' that can fly and big enough ta carry a person.

[Beast follows Joker's gaze to the cats, then looks back at his face even more confused than she was before. What- like they were going to help him out? They're cats.

Really... oddly well trained cats.]

An' I'm the Queen a bloody England.

[She definitely looked anything but amused by what had to be a joke.]

[Well. Seeing is believing. Even if it's believing you've utterly lost your mind.]

Well, Your Majesty, first off it's an honor for a humble ringleader such as myself ta be in yer presence. Secondly, if I may introduce an acquaintance a mine... [A deep breath-] ARIEL! Time ta meet someone!

[It takes a moment. Ariel is not the swiftest of Pokemon on a good day and the sun is heading downwards- the perfect time for a nap probably. But at least he's safe in the knowledge that Torch and Angel are still back there. Soon enough, there's some heavy footsteps and the Dragonite's towering form peers out from around the same corner his Liepard did just a moment ago.]

[There's one small blessing- Dragonite's are silly looking things. They're all soft curves and roundness, not particularly threatening if you can manage to get over the fact that they're almost guaranteed to be taller than you. Ariel in particular is good natured, a sleepy look on her face as she gives a blink while staring at them.]

[What Beast had expected was crickets and Joker insisting on holding on to that joke an instant longer than anyone ought to before having to admit he'd been pulling her leg.

So to speak.

But then she starts... hearing things. Footsteps. Big ones. Not as big as her elephant, but.

Big.

Beast's expression turns more and more nervous by the second, eyes darting between Joker and where the noise was coming from, looking for confirmation that this wasn't happening. It definitely wasn't.

Except then some towering thing poked its head out from behind the house, and it has scales, and wings, and a tail, and it's a bloody dragon-

Stumbled back, some instinctive move to get away from it, deny it, something, but she tripped when her legs (leg) locked up in fear, landing flat on her ass, mouth open-

Nothing came out.]

Oh hell-

[He can't keep her from falling back, but he can grab a hold of her and follow her down with him kneeling besides her. Well, he warned her to sit down- Joker gently starts to rub at her back like that will help soothe her.]

Hush now, ain't no reason ta get much of a fright, she won't harm ya any. Just take a breath, yeah? Ariel, stay over there, got it?

[The Dragonite doesn't seem much inclined to move anyway. It just gives an absentminded nod before turning its head to yawn, raising a claw up to its mouth in an almost human-like gesture. Take your time... She's not going anywhere.]

[It's not helping.

The cats she could handle. They didn't help, but she could handle that. They looked like cats, and cats were real. Malformed and odd colored cats, but cats. This was a dragon. It was definitely a dragon and dragons definitely were not real-

It couldn't be real-

Beast had gone pale, not even seeming to notice Joker's hand on her back steadying her, staring at the... what? Thing? Creature? Beast? Dragon? Despite all the things they'd seen in their lives, (dead bodies in dark alleys, the abused, the people they'd had to kill themselves), it seems that she finds this the most terrifying.

Those things they'd seen had been sick, and wrong, but they'd been real things that happen to real people.

Her corset wasn't laced that tight, but it was seeming awfully difficult to breathe, her hearbeat thundering in her ears. Everything in her said she should just run- it was crazy. It was impossible.

Dragons didn't exist...]

[And suddenly, neither did Beast.

Consciously, anyway. The edges of her vision went dark, focus narrowed on the impossible things she was seeing, forgetting to inhale, unsure if she felt like she was going to vomit or just-

Eyes rolled back, and as fast as you could say "pretend it's just a hallucination", Beast had fainted straight away.

... Considering she'd never have been convinced to fly on a dragon, it might have even been for the best.]

[It's a good thing his hand is still at her back, then, even if it is a bit of a trick to keep her from slipping out of his grip. For a moment, Joker just stares and the only thing that comes to mind is-]

Ah, hell.

[He says it absently, his mind fumbling to figure out a course of action now. That's... That's certainly not a good reaction, really, compared to everything else. Actually it's not a good reaction no matter what the occasion. But that... does take away the issue of convincing her to get on the great big bloody thing. Right? Assuming she doesn't wake up in the middle of the flight and panic or fall off...]

[What happens after is a bit of a team effort. The cat pair are finally convinced to be useful instead of lounging around like brats, acting as a cushion for Beast's head as Joker removes his scarf and his cloak. It'll mean he's going to be a bit chilly... But he'd rather she be warm and comfortable on the way there. Maybe it'll help keep her in dreamland a while longer. One can only hope. Angel helps where she can, displaying more of his worry on her face than he himself is on his own. Faintly, a part of him hopes Beast doesn't pick up on that habit of Angel's. More strongly, he hopes that she doesn't get more distressed at Angel's appearance. At least dragons are just large lizards with wings, when you get down to it.]

[There's no real decent way to explain a tiny clown that isn't a person and instead some sort of... beastie. Animal. Something. Fairy?]

[When Beast is all bundled up, Ariel finally takes her. She won't go fast, or be reckless, or drop her so long as Beast stays unconscious. Really, besides the whole fact that she's a dragon, she's a good choice. Joker tries to console himself even as he brings Claw and Fang back to their Pokeballs. He'll be flying with Torch, and Angel will be out just to make sure nothing horrendous happens, so... He should be ready.]

[But he lingers for a moment, even after he sends a message to Jimmy that he'll be heading to Cherrygrove a bit ahead of him. He keeps a hand on Beast's shoulder. She's really here. It's not a dream. Ten months of going through things in this dreamlike world, only Snake to stay with him for any long bit of time, losing Doll and knowing what lay ahead back for them in England... She's here. It's not a dream keeping him up at night.]

[Angel tugs at his pants leg after a while, convinces him to finally get with Torch. Soon enough, the familiar sight of all of Johto beneath them is beneath his feet. It takes some work to keep Torch from charging ahead. Instead, he keeps her and therefor him beneath Ariel... Just in case. You can't be too careful. He keeps looking up at her and Beast the whole couple hours it takes to fly to Cherrygrove. The inn is still open- they always are. They know just as well as the Pokemon Centers that trainers and breeders and other sorts arrive at all times of the day and straight through the night. It's one of the few reliable things in Johto, really. There's always a warm bed waiting for you so long as you have the money... And don't release a hundred bats into the rooms.]

[Money he does have, thanks to the Circus in Goldenrod. The big shows always draw in steady crowds, and the smaller stalls and games are always open and thus bring in a decent steady income. In all honesty, he's rather pleased about it. He hopes she'll like it too.]

[Once he gets a room, he's quick to get Beast up to it along with the cat pair. She'd reacted best to them, so they were good, right? They can fit in the room, too, and keep her safe. Not long after, and Jimmy shows up- another good thing because Joker's suddenly worried about her lack of changeable clothes and if she'll be hungry after being startled into fainting.]

[So, after scrawling out a note and sticking it on Jimmy's chest- This is Jims, he's a good lad, just went to get some things- Joker just hurries out and promises himself to be quick.]

[One thing Jimmy enjoyed about flying with his Volcarona was the fact of how warm she always was. It was starting to get colder at night, and he still wasn't used to it being this chilly ever, so it was nice to have something soft and heated to hang on to while she flew high over the land. It was something he'd probably never get tired of, after so long of dreaming of getting to fly someday.

He makes it to Cherrygrove soon enough, the sun having long since set by the time he hops off of the fire moth's back and reaches up to pet the side of her head after the long flight. Perhaps it's a good thing that he returned her and let Buster the Lillipup back out of his ball instead after everything Beast had gone through so far. A giant dragon was one thing; a giant moth that could breathe fire was entirely another.

When Jimmy gets into the inn and figures out what room Joker has booked, he hurries to it with the Lillipup trotting at his heels. He doesn't have a whole lot of time to get a sense of the situation before Joker sticks the note to him and takes off, leaving him standing in the doorway. He takes the note off and scans it briefly before putting it back, exchanging a glance with Buster as he slowly steps into the room.

Hopefully she'll trust the note- or at least take a moment to read the thing, given she wakes up before Joker returns. Jimmy brushes his hair back with his hands and hooks his thumbs in his pockets as he leans up against the wall, keeping an eye on Buster to make sure he doesn't try to hop up onto the bed and potentially frighten Beast when she comes to.]

[Somewhere along the line the faint had turned in to something more like sleep, and being put to bed had aided in her getting some decent shut eye. Simply put, she'd been exhausted from the get go, not having really slept two nights previous, having been spirited away in the dark of the previous one, only for it to be morning suddenly and then waiting up past midnight for Joker's arrival.

But the nightmares set in soon enough. There were dragons... and they killed everyone. Jumbo, Doll, Peter, Wendy, Dagger, Snake and Doc- two dragons, one soft and innocent looking and the other sharper, fiercer, and-

Still mostly asleep, Beast's brow had furrowed and she'd begun to toss and turn.

Before wakefulness began, and with the return of consciousness, the return of the memories of what exactly had happened to her.

Sat bolt up right almost fast enough to get whiplash, inhaled with a sharp gasp, eyes wide.

- Where... ?]

[After being told firmly that he wasn't allowed on the bed, Buster had taken up a spot on the floor nearby to watch Beast as she slept, still curious about the stranger. When she suddenly sat up, he jumped so hard that his nails scraped against the wooden floor, startling Jimmy into jumping as well. The Lillipup hurries past the bed and runs over to Jimmy's legs, hiding behind his ankles with his huge ears pinned as his trainer watches Beast, letting out a shaky sigh with his hand gripping the front of his shirt.]

M..Miss? ...it's okay....everything's okay.

[He hesitates, then remembers the note.]

Joker will be right back.

[Beast was on guard already, and at the movement elsewhere in the room she instinctively reached for the knife she kept beneath her pillow-

Except this wasn't her pillow. Or her bed. Or her tent.

That's right.

Eyes focused, tried to let her brain catch up. Boy. Jim. Jimmy. Something? Dog?

She felt foolish the moment she said it, but at the same time...]

Where's the bloody dragon?

[Jimmy blinks a few times, a bit taken off guard by the question.]

Dragon?

[...Dragon...dragon....oh.]

Oh! You mean Ariel, right? She's probably back with Joker right now.

Shit-

[Cursed under her breath, even as she struggled to extricate herself from the blankets that had gotten tangled about her leg(s), apparently intending to go somewhere. Like right now.]

Where's Joker, then?

[An irrational fear, perhaps- that if she let him go off somewhere again something bad night happen. Something worse than being stuck in this too-strange, too-foreign place was. But she couldn't let that happen. It was already too much of her fault for her to stand any more.]

[Jimmy doesn't approach Beast, but he does hold up his hands a little, shaking his head.]

Ah- He just went out to pick up a couple things. He'll be right back, okay? ...You should probably stay here until he gets back.

Where the 'ell is 'ere?

[She tore off the blankets finally, swinging first real leg then "ceramic" one out, putting weight on one then the other, a practiced movement before she stood, marching to the window to look outside.]

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