Off the see the wizard! [Done]

[katya]

A nondescript car pulled up in front of the laboratory, with its windows rolled down and the radio playing the latest hits. Dust covered it as if it'd made quite the journey, and it had. Griff stepped out of the shotgun seat with a backpack slung over his shoulder and leaned back in through the window. "Thanks, old man. You have a good one, alright?" he said to the shrink that'd been kind enough to drive him all the way to Hawthorne labs from Oxgate City. Sure, Griff had enough money stored in one of his fake bank accounts to ride in style, but that'd certainly raise a few eyebrows, and besides, he liked talking to the shrinks; they were always willing to give him the benefit of doubt.

Before he went up to knock on the laboratory doors, old habits kicked in. Griff glanced around at his surroundings and then nonchalantly began pacing the perimeters. From his pocket, he produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Griff didn't smoke by habit, but it always gave him a good excuse to loiter outside, and he liked having a few minutes to examine the premises. Even with the tracker around his ankle and knowing that the authorities had sent him here, Griff couldn't help but make sure he an escape route just in case--it was just a matter of standards. Of course, in this case, the front door would probably do just fine.

With the cigarette only half consumed, Griff put it out against the metal Hawthorne Laboratory sign and tossed the stub into a nearby wastebin. In a city, he'd just leave it on the ground, but this place was too pretty to litter with ashes and nicotine.

Griff saw the doorbell and ignored it. Instead, he knocked twice with his knuckles, producing a polite but firm sound. In hindsight, he should've used the bell. That was his patented concerned neighbor knock, and considering he wasn't a concerned neighbor, that was ill-used. Still, it was probably better than the impatient, business-like safety inspector knock and definitely better than the insistent door-to-door missionary knock. As for how Griff himself would do it, he didn't really know. He'd always simply picked the locks if he didn't have the keys already.

He had the decency to straighten his tie, a flashy real-men-wear-pink sort of accessory, and cleared his throat while he waited. It'd been a while since he talked to anyone that wasn't a cop or a shrink, but Griff could handle it. And well, if he couldn't, he'd just have to pretend he could.

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(( Can he get a Vulpix s'il vous plait? ))

[| odysseus]

"Isn't this absolutely pleasant, Lilac love?"

with a giggle professor poured herself a fresh, steaming cup of tea. The vapors rose and graced its fine wisps upon Hawthorne's sense of smell, overwhelming it with scents of cinnamon and other earthy ingredients. Lilac, the ever loyal Gardevoir, stood absolutely still beside her companion's desk, a bright smile upon her face. It always brought joy to her to see the professor happy. When she was upset, Lilac was upset. If there was piece with the professor, everything just seemed to fall into place. As Hawthorne downed a petite sip, her eyes fluttered in ecstasy. "This must be my best brew to date," the professor fawned to no one in particular. "Be sure to write this one down, girl." And in a flurry of sentences she articulated to extreme detail every procedure she had done to make the exact tea she had before her. However, shortly afterward the psychic type felt a small disturbance within her mental security system for the lab.

It seemed to be emanating from the entrance of the laboratory. There was a visitor. With a quick telepathy message she conveyed this to Professor Hawthorne and the two were off to welcome the new trainer. Although the professor couldn't help but toss a forlorn glance toward her perfect cup of tea. Immediately after the two had arrived at the door a knocking came from the other side. Stretching her mouth to put on her best smile, Professor Hawthorne swung open the great door. "Welcome, welcome, trainer! So good of you to come!" The ending came off as a bit halted, however. Keeping her smile firm, the giggled, "What an extraordinary head of hair you have there. Please, do come in and follow me!" With short gestures she willed the male to enter the lab, pushed the door open wide enough for him to enter.

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[katya]

"Welcome, welcome, trainer! So good of you to come!"

"You're too kind. From my point of view, it's good of you to help new trainers out like you do," he replied to her welcome, and he smiled graciously by habit. In truth, and he'd never admit it, he'd been caught by surprise when she called him trainer. He'd been called a whole lot of things in his life--starting with thief and ending with inmate)--but he'd never been a pokemon trainer. So that's what he was now, or at least that's what Griff would be until the cops let him off their leash.

At least the comment about Griff's hair didn't surprise him; he got that a lot. It was practically his personal trademark by now. Pink hair found at scene of the crime? Yeah, guess who.

Griff followed Professor Hawthorne through the door, not entirely sure what to expect. It wasn't the first laboratory he ever stepped inside, and it looked much the same as any other: clean, orderly, fancy equipment, assistants scurrying around, that sort of thing. The overwhelming scent of tea was a bit strange though, Griff wasn't sure what that was about. (He'd stolen tea once and had felt ridiculous for the effort, even if it was apparently some rare import from Johto and worth a pretty penny on the black market.)

Only half-jokingly, Griff asked, "Are you conducting experiments with tea, or is it a normal thing for raising pokemon?"

[KITTYWHISKERS]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

"You're too kind. From my point of view, it's good of you to help new trainers out like you do,"
Hawthorne blushed slightly, "Oh, you! It is my job... But it's a wonderful one." She smiled at her pokemon slightly, before the boy continued,
"Are you conducting experiments with tea, or is it a normal thing for raising pokemon?" asked the male with a cheeky smile. Hawthorne laughed,
"Ah, yes. Well, tea is my greatest pleasure, can I offer you some?"
She bent over her exceptional cup, taking a few mouthfuls of the steaming liquid. "My research has many different avenues, and I find that tea makes them all a little nicer!" She laughed softly, perching on the corner of her desk.

Lilac the Gardevoir was staring intently at the boy. She didn't trust him at all, although he'd been nothing but polite so far. There was something about him, something that just didn't quite seem right. She didn't take her eyes off him as Hawthorne offered him a seat on the black leather sofas. She conveyed her concerns telepathically to Hawthorne, who waved her hand dismissively. Lilac was normally right in matters such as this, but Hawthorne was far too trusting for her own good sometimes.

"So, what can I help you with?" Hawthorne asked as she sipped her tea, allowing nothing, especially Lilac's paranoid concerns, to ruin the delightful taste and steaming happiness that came from such a cup.

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[katya]

For once, Griff grinned genuinely. Beautiful, intelligent, accomplished, neither ring nor the tell-tale tan lines of one, and still blushing at a few words of flattery? Oh, Professor, how... adorable. By the way she looked at her pokemon, he could guess that she spent her spare time attending to them rather than wasting away in Featherwing's nightclubs and bars. Griff couldn't really fault her too much for that. Certainly a woman like her would only find men far below her league hoping she had shit for standards.

"Ah, yes. Well, tea is my greatest pleasure, can I offer you some?"

Griff's grin froze for a split-second--was that a euphemism for something? No, surely not, it couldn't be; besides, there was actually a kettle of steaming, aromatic tea on the table. That concern aside, Griff returned to a familiar flavor of boyish cheeky, a flash of white teeth behind his grin and a casual hand run through his hair. "But wouldn't you rather tantalize your guests with the smell of a perfect brew? No, no, please don't--I'd love to try a cup," he said, even though he wasn't thirsty and certainly didn't make a habit of drinking tea.

He seated himself on the sofa, and he found he disliked it--far too similar to the soft, plush sofas common in the offices of criminal psychologists that believed the workings' people's minds could be learned from a manual. On the upside, an effected casual ease was his standard for that sort of room with that sort of scientist, although Professor Hawthorne was far prettier than any shrink he'd ever met. The Gardevoir didn't escape Griff's notice, especially since it seemed to stare at him, and Griff made sure to at least keep his mind clear of the gutter.

"So, what can I help you with?"

"I wish I could say I was just here for the pleasure of your company, but that'd be a bald-faced lie. It turns out I don't have any pokemon, and with the new laws in place... well, I need to fix that." Of course, had Volta, who he'd spotted trailing the car a few times on the drive down from Oxgate City. She hadn't followed him to jail, thank god, but he'd managed to tell her to rendezvous in Featherwing City, where he suspected she waited now. So in his mind, Griff was more or less telling the truth. He currently didn't have any pokemon on his person. "The rangers said that you were the go-to girl for anyone in need of a pokemon, so here I am--at your mercy."

[KITTYWHISKERS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; padding: 6 6 6 6px; background-image: url(http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g163/spazzy-lil-fishie/Lolsites/salempurple.gif); -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; -webkit-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border: 1px #F2EFEB dashed;] welcome to nexivus laboratories professor maria hawthorne CHARACTER; professor hawthorne MODERATOR; kitty WORDS; 270 NOTES; hawthorne always makes me want some tea... "But wouldn't you rather tantalize your guests with the smell of a perfect brew? No, no, please don't--I'd love to try a cup," Hawthorne laughed at the pink haired boy, leaning over the desk to pour him a cup that she had mysteriously pulled from out from somewhere. (It's always important to have a spare cup for guests!) She smelled the delicious scent as she walked over to the boy, passing him the cup and saucer, "I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable!" She grinned as she returned to her own cup. "I do think it is done of my finest." She purred. "I wish I could say I was just here for the pleasure of your company," Hawthorne smiled at the boy, "but that'd be a bald-faced lie. It turns out I don't have any pokemon, and with the new laws in place... well, I need to fix that. The rangers said that you were the go-to girl for anyone in need of a pokemon, so here I am--at your mercy." Hawthorne nodded, "You are correct, this is the best place for starter pokemon in the entire region!" She grinned, letting out a slight giggle, "Thanks to the Ranger Union, of course." She got up, carrying her tea effortlessly with one hand, picking up a booklet and a leaflet from the bookcase near the back door. She walked back quickly, her black heels clicking on the hard floor. "Here, these are the pokemon that you can choose. Are there any you would like to see?" Lilac continued to watch the trainer suspiciously, as if waiting for him to mess up. "would you like some tea?" art & template by kit for pkmn nexivus

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[katya]

"I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable!. I do think it is done of my finest."

As Griff recalled, he'd nearly botched the absurd tea heist years ago when he failed to come across as an absolute expert on the subject, so this time he declined to comment on the tea itself. (He'd still managed to get behind past the auctioneers to swap the rare Johto white-leaf brew with a bag of weed, which struck him as more than a fair deal, really. He'd rather have had that than the tea--although in the end, he preferred the money over either of the two.)

"Thanks to the Ranger Union, of course."

"What, men don't normally flock to your door without the rangers herding them toward you? With legs like yours, you can't be serious," he said with a grin, then turned his attention to the tea when she turned away.

All he could tell was that it was aromatic like an earl grey, and he suspected it was all bark and no bite until he took a sip, and Griff was genuinely impressed by a bright, full-bodied flavor. "Sweet Arceus--you weren't kidding!" he said, choosing the moment to drop the honeyed words for a smacking of pseudo-honesty. "It's certainly one of the finest blends I've ever tasted. If I may say, Professor, I think you missed your calling. The world lost a great tea house when you decided on a laboratory instead."

"Here, these are the pokemon that you can choose. Are there any you would like to see?"

Griff took the pamphlet and thumbed through it. He didn't come in with any particular pokemon in mind, but he found himself attracted to the fire pokemon. The murkrow warranted a second glance too, but Griff realized if he had one of those about him, everyone would know to keep an eye on their purses--and that just wouldn't do. Ideally, he could obtain a pokemon that wasn't overtly impressive or dangerous, one that was pretty, perhaps classy, the sort of groomed beast that rich boys favored. That was the crowd he'd do best to blend in with, after all.

He set down the manual and found the gardevoir trying to him to pieces with its eyes, or that's what it felt like. Given that it was a psychic type, Griff found that a little concerning. "A vulpix, perhaps? But... I do get to meet the pokemon first, don't I? I know it's silly, but I'm little worried that whatever pokemon I pick will hate me right off the bat," he said, still smiling but this time at the gardevoir instead of the professor.

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

Hawthorne giggled softly at the pink haired boy’s flattering words. My, such audacity! While still appreciative of Griff’s kindness- or perhaps pseudo kindness- the Professor wasn’t new to such attention. She was, after, renowned for her beauty. Nonetheless, Hawthorne had taken a liking to this soon-to-be trainer. Waiting patiently with a smile on her lips as Griff flipped through the pokemon booklet, Hawthorne sipped her tea and watched.

However, Lilac still watched the boy with prying eyes. He had yet to mess up…

"A vulpix, perhaps? But... I do get to meet the pokemon first, don't I? I know it's silly, but I'm little worried that whatever pokemon I pick will hate me right off the bat,”

”Oh of course!” Hawthorne enthused, taking a last sip of tea and popping out of her chair again. ”I wouldn’t have my new trainers running off with a pokemon they hadn’t even met!” About to hurry off to gather the vulpix pokeballs, Hawthorne stopped a moment and smiled at Griff, ”as if there’s a pokemon that wouldn’t like you, Griff. Ha ha!” Laughing amiably and ignoring Lilac’s psychic attempt at disagreeing with her, the Professor disappeared to grab the pokeballs.

It was only a few moments before Hawthorne returned, but Lilac attempted to make those moments count. She hoped her astute stare would drill caution into this new trainer. However, the effect was sort of ruined when Hawthorne’s sudden return surprised the gardevoir into a little jump. ”Here we are!” Hawthorne strutted back into the room, releasing the three vulpix’ as she sat back down.

Only one of the vulpix’ immediately approached Griff, cautiously keeping his eyes on the human as he sniffed the air. Ears twitched back, the vulpix walked boldly closer and sat down in front of Griff, eyes still locked on. ”Vul!” He barked. Hawthorne smiled fondly. ”This one errs on the cautious side, but he’s rather intelligent and brave. You’ll need to have a strong will with him or he might start to ignore you, however, since he’s so willful.”

The other two vulpix’ hung back. One sat loyally at Hawthorne’s feet, staring off into the distance—or it atleast appeared that way, due to the fact that she was blind—and the other sat off to the side, cleaning her paw daintily. ”This pup,” Hawthorne continued, ruffling the blind vulpix’s hair, ”is a feisty one, in spite of her blindness. She was attacked by her mother before the Ranger Union adopted her, but she copes well with the blindness due to her enhanced hearing and sense of smell. Nonetheless, she’ll require patience in order to gain her trust.” Looking over to the last vulpix, Hawthorne finished: ”She’s a bit of a haughty one, but her determination and loyalty help to make up for it. If you could get her to pay attention she’d be a fantastic battler!”

Still with that friendly smile, Hawthorne asked, ”Do any of these fit your fancy?”

[katya]

Griff met the gardevoir's gaze with a serene, good-natured smile before he looked away, not keen on getting into a staring contest with a psychic type. The pokemon was leveling him with the sort of suspicion that, if it were human, Griff would've offered it a handshake. Griff was the master of the honest man's handshake, as most dishonest men were. But in Lilac's case, he doubted such human habits would ease the gardevoir's doubts anyway.

When Lilac startled, so did Griff. Like the teacup magically produced from thin air, Professor Hawthorne stealthed back into the room like a trained assassin, out of the shadows with no warning at all. Griff was going to say something witty, but when the vulpixes appeared, the professor didn't seem to matter anymore.

The first vulpix approached him, and Griff met its honest eyes with his own. He knew right off the bat that this one wouldn't do. Some pokemon, like people, had a strong will and an even stronger sense of justice. Sure, Griff could dupe a pokemon just as he did people, but for his pokemon, he'd rather build a relationship off of trust than off of lies. He'd already learned the hard way that lies always took their toll in the end. Gently, he scratched the vulpix's ears fondly, but then Griff moved on.

Of the other two, one of them was as haughty as Volta, with brightly intelligent eyes and preening confidence. Griff disregarded that one as well. Sure, Griff loved his emolga Volta dearly despite (or even because of) her nature, but the last thing he wanted to do deal with was another version of her, except armed with a flame-thrower. That just sounded like a bad idea no matter how he looked at it.

As for the last, Griff approached the blind vulpix slowly and knelt in front of her. A moment passed and some judgment was made in the blind vulpix's mind before she acknowledged his presence at all. Griff never doubted for a moment that she knew he was there even when she stood still, so alert were her ears and her nose lifted keenly into the air.

Griff let her make the first move, and when the vulpix came closer to him, he reached out a hand that she sniffed daintily like a connoisseur, as if his fingers were the first honeysuckles that'd blossomed in the spring. Griff smiled with an unfamiliar shyness as the vulpix began to lap at his fingers, pausing only to stare up at him with her blind, grey eyes.

"Professor Hawthorne," he said softly, his voice tinged with a gentleness that he hadn't known he possessed. "I'm afraid you're not longer the greatest beauty in this room. This one's wonderful. If you'd trust me to do right by her, then I've made my choice."

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

Hawthorne was pleasantly surprised by Griff’s choice. While she was always rooting for the blind vulpix to find a loving home, she would have thought this trainer might want a bolder pokemon. But why think too much about such a great turnout? The Professor beamed happily and recalled the other two vulpix’, who didn’t appear too disappointed. Vulpix’ were popular; no doubt the other, non-disabled ones would find a home with lightning speed. That’s why it made Hawthorne so happy that her favorite blind little pup had found a home so quickly, herself!

"I'm afraid you're no longer the greatest beauty in this room. This one's wonderful. If you'd trust me to do right by her, then I've made my choice."

”I couldn’t agree more, my dear. This vulpix has a fond place in my heart. I believe you’ll do wonderful by her- it’s a relief to know she’ll be going to such a caring trainer!” Happily, the Professor pulled out a clip board with a sheet of paper on it. ”Once you fill out this consent form you may leave.” Behind Hawthorne even Lilac seemed pleasantly surprised by Griff’s decision, the psychic pokemon wondering if perhaps her readings on this man had been off. The gentleness in his voice was quite genuine.

Hawthorne handed Griff the consent form and empty pokeball. Gardevoir floated past the professor and handed over the starter pack of items herself, almost as a gesture of approval.

Griff received a vulpix!


Gender: Female
Attacks: Tail Whip, Ember, + ONE EGG MOVE
Personality: Cautious, Feisty, Loyal

[katya]

(( craptastic post is craptastic. ))

Griff took the empty pokeball and gave the vulpix a scratch on the back of the neck before he recalled her into it. She seemed to appreciate the attention, purring contentedly as she disappeared into the pokeball's red light. Somehow, her contentment made him feel like a slightly better person, at least for the time being.

Putting the pokeball away, Griff took the clipboard from Professor Hawthorne and actually read the entire paper before he signed it. It didn't have anything unusual or even worth noting, but it still never hurt to check the small print. This was a government-run institution, after all, and Griff trusted the government about as far as he could spit.

Pen in hand, he considered filling the form out with his full name, but instead he went with the shortened Sun Griffith. If anyone came after him later, he could always just say he hadn't realized they were so particular about him recording his name exactly as it appeared on his birth certificate. With an angular, cursive scrawl, Griff signed his name at the bottom of the consent form and returned it to Professor Hawthorne.

For once, the gardevoir wasn't giving him the stink-eye. Griff didn't know what he'd done that'd salvaged the pokemon's opinion of him, but he wasn't about to complain. With a polite thank you to the gardevoir, Griff took the set of items and put those away as well. With a new vulpix and some free items in tow, Griff considered the day well spent. Given that he'd only come here at the insistence of the juvenile justice system, he'd expected to make lemonade out of lemons, but instead, he felt like he'd come out ahead.

He grinned, a return to the boyish charm he'd displayed when he first entered. "I shouldn't be keeping you any longer then, Professor, so I'll just... show myself out." Griff meant to turn about and leave, but he paused at the doorway. As a vague afterthought, he said, "The rangers are right to trust you with the pokemon, I believe. Thank you."

It was only after he left that Griff realized he should've asked for the professor's number, because... well, because. Just in case, you know, something happened or whatever. Such as him wanting company to go out with one night while he stayed in Featherwing City.

Oh, well.

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