ready to hope. [lab/done]

[ARIBEAR!]

Was she ... being stared at? Walking through Featherwing City, the woman couldn't quite shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Raising an eyebrow slightly, she glanced around. Nobody was there; not in front of her, not next to her, and there certainly wasn't anyone behind her that she could hear. Shrugging, Sinclair continued walking, searching the city for where Professor Maria Hawthorne's lab was supposed to be. She had a map, she had directions, the only problem was actually finding the place.

It wasn't like she would ever admit it, but Sinclair had always been bad with directions. Recalling the kind man's words, she turned onto a small connecting street when she heard footsteps. The woman casually slid a hand into one of her many pockets, tracing the shape of an army knife with her finger. Walking normally, Sinclair continued to follow the directions she had been given -- surely, the lab wasn't this hard to find? -- when the footsteps got closer. She turned around, bringing into view a little kid who was obviously trying to sneak up on her.

"What ... are you doing?" she asked blandly, lifting an eyebrow. The kid refused to answer, glaring adamantly at the woman. Sinclair blinked for a moment, then shrugged. Sharply turning, she resumed walking, noting how the kid once again began to follow her. The woman decided to ignore him for now; he wasn't causing any trouble, and she didn't really care, otherwise. Sin was nearing the final turn before reaching the laboratory when sudden leaping movement from behind caught her attention.

Sinclair instantly spun around and pulled out her knife, flicking it open. The boy froze, eyes wide as the cold metal of the knife pressed against his throat. Sinclair half considered cutting him, only a little bit, to teach the kid a lesson, but decided against it and slowly drew the knife back, closing it. "What ... are you doing?" she repeated coldly, glaring at the kid. "If you want money, just ask." He stared at her for a moment, then began to run away, bursting into tears.

The woman, taken aback, stared at the boy's back for a few seconds. "That was strange," she commented dryly. Hoping for no more interruptions, Sinclair turned around the corner and spotted the beautiful while lab. "... Finally." Sinclair simply strode down the path, the ground crunching under her boots. The woman paused briefly to examine the exterior of the place, then raised her hand and knocked on the polished door.

[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; 170 NOTES; sooo short, sorry ;u; Hawthorn closed her book with a sigh. She lifted up her handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes. "Oh, what a wonderful story! I can't believe it ended like that." She sighed happily to Lilac who rolled her eyes at the Professor. Hawthorne frowned sightly, "Don't look at me like that! It was very well written!" Lilac actually laughed out loud at this statement, a strange, tickling laugh that made her sound a lot more youthful than she normally appeared. Hawthorne stuck her tongue childishly, making the Gardevoir laugh harder. The knock echoed through the Lab, causing Hawthorne to shoot Lilac a warning glance and giggle slightly under her breath. She pulled open the door, grinning at the newcomer as she tried to put her giggles with Lilac to the back of her mind. "Hehe, ah, hello there. Welcome to Nexivus Laboratories, I'm Professor Hawthorne." She called back for Daffodil to make her usual tea and gestured for the girl to come in. "How can I help you today, my dear?" "would you like some tea?" art & template by kitty for pkmn nexivus

[/table]
[/center]

[ARIBEAR!]

Sinclair took a small step back when the door opened, revealing a grinning, beautiful blonde woman. As she followed the professor's lead and entered the building, the teenager was struck by just how ... normal it was. There were no freakish machines, nothing that Sinclair would consider 'abnormal.' Regardless, Sinclair cautiously scanned the room. Once she was finished doing so, she turned to look at the other woman. "I am here for a pokemon, Professor," she said bluntly.

Still standing, Sinclair paused. Was she supposed to say anything else? The professor hadn't asked her anything but what she was here for -- and that much should have been obvious, anyway. Attempting to be social, she added, "My name is ... Sinclair Hope. It is nice to meet you, sir -- ma'am." Sinclair caught herself in the middle of a salute, lowering her hand. Old habits die hard, she supposed. Glancing around the room for a second time, the woman asked, "Is there a list I can choose from?"

So much for being social.

Unsure as to what to do, Sinclair simply stood there, ramrod straight, waiting for the woman to speak again. Conversation definitely wasn't her thing.

NOTES l-lol, it's all right. mine is short, too. and awkward sin is awkward, man.
TAGS professor hawthorne!

[| odysseus]

PROF. HAWTHORNE

Professor Hawthorne could not help but reminisce on the last paragraph of her book as her visitor entered the lab. It’d taken a complete 180 turn from what she had been expecting. However it seemed better that way, or else the predictable ending would have provoked some angry e-mails from the author’s readers. The professor herself could never write a book; too much politics in it. Of course she has had to compile research findings and record important information she discovered, but has never put an entire novel together. She was not imaginative enough to conjure up an entire new world with colorful characters with vibrant personalities. Hard, cold facts were what—she was suddenly shot back to reality at the girl’s hurried response. The professor had nothing to say to her; she was still shaking the after-effects of her day-dream away.

Unfortunately a second awkward silence ensued, only to be doubled by the girl’s halted introduction. If the Professor hadn’t been paying close enough attention her mouth would’ve been gaping. What an obtuse little lady. She’d just called Professor Hawthorne…sir. Involuntarily the woman flinched at the word before quickly recovering and clearing her throat to say, “Yes, of course. In this booklet you will see all of the beautiful starters we have in our possession.” With a quick motion Maria handed the other female said booklet and allowed herself to wallow in her self-pity and remorse. Sir!? It took all her self-control not to think dirty-things about her.

[ARIBEAR!]

Sinclair silently took the booklet, not noticing the effect her little mistake had on the professor. Then again, she rarely noticed anything of the sort. Flipping it open, the woman quickly scanned through its contents. Once she was finished reading through it, the brunette paused. What would be the most useful pokemon? Opening the booklet to the correct page, Sin turned it around to show to the professor.

"I want a Mareep," she said brusquely. Sinclair blinked in the awkward silence that follwed. "... Please," she tacked on. This is why I don't like talking, the girl inwardly sighed. It seemed that everytime she opened her mouth to say something, her words were met with a terse silence. It wasn't like she wanted to make people so uncomfortable.

It just happened that way.

Not wanting to be rude to the professor (although she may already have done irreparable damage), she took a glance around the lab once more. "Your laboratory is very ... pretty," she commented. "And it ... smells very nice."

NOTES ... she is such a fail. /facepalm. and I'm so sorry about the length.
TAGS professor hawthorne!

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

Hawthorne shook herself out of the self conscious thoughts plaguing her mind when Sinclair produced a certain page from the booklet and requested a Mareep. The Professor clapped her hands together- almost as if to get her head back on track- and put on a big smile. ”Why, of course! Mareeps are darling, aren’t they?” Hawthorne ignored the fact that Sinclair probably didn’t care about how adorable the sheep pokemon was, nor did she allow the awkward silence to ensue this time. Her hard headed hostess instinct kicked in full force.

”Your laboratory is very… pretty. And it… smells very nice.”

Okay, so that strained the Professor’s smile a bit, but she persevered. Almost awe-inspiring, though, this young trainer’s ability to make a situation awkward. Nonetheless, Hawthorne blustered on: ”Well thank you darling. I do try to keep it clean in here, but with all the soon-to-be-trainer traffic it can become a bit of a mess. Luckily, I have a sweet little pokemon, my audino Lavender, who quite enjoys cleaning. Makes things a little easier on me! I swear, without her…” The Professor’s voice faded as she went into another room to grab the mareep pokeballs. Hawthorne continued rambling, however, in order to subtly keep Sinclair silent. As long as Hawthorne was talking no more awkwardness could be injected- or so went her thought process.

”… and after that, I knew I was never going to want a ghastly.” Hawthorne returned, expression bright, and produced three pokeballs. ”These are the mareeps currently in our possession. Here, I’ll let them introduce themselves.” The professor let the pokemon out of their separate pokeballs. In a burst of light, three electrical pokemon appeared in the room, looking around curiously to gather their bearings.

”Mareeeep~” One of the little pokemon burst out, looking quite cheerful as she pranced up to inspect the new trainer. Hawthorne’s gaze fell onto the creature and she sighed almost inaudibly. ”So… that one has a bit of a… personality disorder. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a sweetheart most of the time, but the smallest things can flip a switch in her and she’ll become quite defensive and territorial. Perhaps this could be controlled over time- and believe me, she can be one tough cookie when she gets in those moods- but she is a handful.” Hawthorne watched the mareep prance around Sinclair’s feet for another moment before moving on.

A second mareep stood almost completely still, although not stiffly. He looked relaxed, but was simply taking in his environment, specifically the new trainer in the room. His eyes were appraising. ”He’s almost the opposite of that first mareep there. This guy’s incredibly levelheaded and observant, he prefers knowing his situation before acting rather than jumping in impulsively. Not very exciting, but very dependable.” Hawthorne’s smile returned. She was fond of the male mareep’s cool attitude.

Then there was the last mareep, who appeared to have fallen asleep. ”Oh, and this girl. She’s more of a lover than a fighter. The male mareep shot her down already, or else she’d be flirting up a storm right now! She quite enjoys the attention. Second to attention she loves a good nap. Honestly I think she’s fit for breeding, but we found out not too long ago that she’s a rather fantastic fighter… when the opponent is female. An interesting little mareep.”

After her final speech, Hawthorne glanced at Sinclair- crossing her fingers that they could make it through the last bit without that awkwardness- and continued, ”do any of them suit you?”

[ARIBEAR!]

The woman couldn't help but admire the professor. How anyone could talk like that, on and on and on and on was ... well, frankly, beyond her. She was content listening to the faint strains of the professor's voice as it went into the next room -- it wasn't like Sinclair had anything to contribute to the one-sided conversation, anyway. She simply took the opportunity to examine the pretty little laboratory further. Sinclair wasn't lying when she complimented the smell; to her sensitive nose, the air in the lab smelled pleasantly of tea and ... was that lavender?

Her attention was drawn back to the blonde professor as she reentered the room, this time with three pokeballs in hand. The brunette blinked once as three bright red flashes of light appeared, materializing into the adorable electrical sheep pokemon. Hearing the soft squeal of one of them, Sinclair glanced down in surprise as one of the little sheep happily approached her. Kneeling down, the woman slowly reached out to stroke the soft wool. Ignoring the strong electrical shocks that were being sent up her arm, Sin gently petted the cheerful pokemon. Was that a smile appearing on her face?

Looking back up at Hawthorne, her gaze was drawn to the next pokemon the woman described. Meeting the male Mareep's stare with a stare of her own, Sinclair had a feeling that she and him, if the woman was to choose him, would be like two peas in a pod. Two very still, silent peas in a pod. She couldn't help but gain some more respect for the professor -- she was in charge of all of these pokemon? Quite the job, she observed cooly. Not to mention the fact that the professor had to deal with -- shudder -- other people on a regular basis.

Sinclair definitely was incapable of anything of the sort.

Raising an eyebrow, Sin examined the last Mareep. As tempting a challenge as it was to train the currently-napping Mareep, she had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to give the pokemon the attention it needed -- or wanted. Glancing down at the Mareep that was currently nuzzling her lap, then back at the cool, observant Mareep in front of her, it was a difficult decision. "Professor Hawthorne ..." she slowly began, thinking it over. "I want this one." Sin gently placed another hand on the Mareep at her feet, affectionately stroking the pokemon's wool.

It was no lie. There was no doubt. Sinclair was smiling.

NOTES oh my. pokemon seem to be this girl's weakness.
TAGS professor hawthorne!

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

Hawthorne couldn’t believe her ears for a moment: did this girl actually want the bipolar mareep? Hawthorne herself barely liked it—the way it would suddenly attack you for a reason you couldn’t possible know… and then pretend everything was fine afterward? After your tea kettle was broken and your hair was fried and you needed a new haircut? Well, okay, that was a bit specific but still. Hawthorne stared at Sinclair for a few more moments, then finally shook her head in bewilderment and shrugged.

”Okay then, I’m glad she found a home!” –and I won’t have to deal with her anymore- ”Here’s a consent form I’ll have to ask that you fill out, and this is a little bag of items we like to hand out to all the new trainers. Just be safe!”

Sinclair received a mareep!

Gender: Female
Attacks: Tackle, Growl, + ONE EGG MOVE
Personality: Bipolar: Territorial & Tough / Affectionate & Impulsive

[ARIBEAR!]

The woman took the paper, quickly reading it over for any traps (such as a three-thousand percent interest rate on whatever she would recieve). Deciding it was safe, she signed it and handed it back to the professor. Taking the bag, the now-trainer snapped a brisk salute. "Thank you ... Professor." Lowering her salute, she slipped the pokeball into her bag before bowing deeply. "I really ... I really appreciate this." Standing straight, she turned around and stepped out of the Nexivus Laboratory, making sure the little Mareep was following her.

Once outside, Sin turned around and knelt down, addressing the sheep pokemon. "I will name you ... Rydia." Receiving an affectionate nuzzle from Rydia, Sinclair decided the Mareep liked her new name. "Well, then, Rydia. Let us go," the brunette said softly. She gave the pokemon a gentle pat, then stood and began to stride into the heart of Featherwing City.

I am sure you and I shall have quite interesting ... adventures.

NOTES lefin~
TAGS nobody!