Taglio! [done]

[Mutt]

River sighed in frustration as he made the walk to the lab. He really didn't have that much interest in raising a pokemon. Raising and breeding were very different things, and while he was good at the one, he wasn't sure he would do so well at the other. Different kinds of pokemon had different temperments as well. What if he got one he couldn't handle? "Don't be stupid." he chided himself suddenly. "You breed Fire pokemon. What can be harder than caring for Fire pokemon?" he muttered to himself, looking up at the lab. Here goes nothing.

Stepping towards the door, he took ahold of the knob and started to turn it, then hesitated. Perhaps he wasn't supposed to just go on in. Was he supposed to knock? He'd always gone on in before, but just to be safe, he pulled his hand back from the knob and gave four healthy knocks against the door.

Taking a step back to wait, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuck one in his mouth. He went to light then, then stopped again. What was he doing? He couldn't go in there smelling like smoke. What if the pokemon didn't like it? He didn't want to frighten any of them, so he pulled the cigarettes from his mouth and returned it to the pack, and the pack to his pocket. He'd just have one later. He needed something to calm his nerves, though, as sudden shivers went over him. What was his deal? It was just a pokemon. It wasn't like he'd never had a pokemon before. He couldn't tell if he was nervous or excited.

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

A fresh pot of tea screeched from the stove. Hawthorne all but danced into the room and removed the kettle, gracefully pouring herself a cup. Oh, the taste of fresh tea! It was bliss. Times like these were where Hawthorne was in her best mood (that is, the times the fresh tea is ready). Her expression mirrored this fact as she savored the first sip of the new batch. Mmmm.

The knocking from the front door couldn’t have come at a better time. Hawthorne swept over to the door and opened it wide, a friendly grin enlivening her beautiful face. ”Welcome!” She greeted the man at the door, barely noticing his somewhat nervous air. It was a good idea on his part not to smoke, as that easily could have wiped away this conveniently wonderful mood the Professor was in. ”Can I offer you some tea, my dear? There’s a fresh pot on the stove, and it’s fantastic!” Hawthorne beamed as she ushered the man inside; she’d noticed his nerves by now, but assumed they would melt in awe of her friendliness. He was rather cute, too! Cute in a nervous way, at the moment. His different colored eyes were especially interesting- Hawthorne was almost envious. ”I’m Professor Hawthorne, by the way. What may I call you?”


Always helpful, Lilac had floated into the room almost right after Hawthorne had opened the door. The psychic pokemon was carrying the booklet of starter pokemon for this new trainer to look at. It was always best to be prepared, especially in times like these when the trainers were so eager to start exploring!

[Mutt]

He was glad he'd chosen not to have a cigarette, as the door opened a moment later and the professor appeared. He looked up and as his mismatched eyes came upon her, it almost took his beath away. Her striking blonde hair and bright smile reminded him of his mother, and he gently pressed a hand against his chest as if to ease pain from a wound. Welcome! River smiled back and followed her in, the smell of freshly brewed tea hitting his nostrals and bringing a smile to his face. He wasn't a terribly big tea drinker, but it was certainly good every once in awhile.

He looked around the room for a moment, then back over to the professor, noticing her expression when she saw his eyes and glanced away shyly. As she introduced herself and asked for his name, though, he quickly looked back, realizing how rude he'd been. "River. River Barnett, and I'd love some tea, thank you." he said, offering a hand to shake incase that was what she was used to. He shifted the one strap backpack to his other shoulder, and glanced up at Lilac, then to the book that was offered. "Thank you." he said, taking it and glancing through. He had a pretty good idea what he wanted, though. There were some interesting looking pokemon, though, and he looked over the information for Pichu.

Not that he was very interested in electric at the moment, but he'd had a penpal with a Pichu and had always been talking about it and sending him pictures. His boots clunked noisily on the floor, and he glanced down, realizing he hadn't changed out of his work boots before coming here and thunked himself on the forehead for being so forgetful. What must she think, he thought, wishing he'd dressed a little better before coming here. She looked so nice and neat, professional. And he looked like something raised in a barn! Of course he was exaggerating a bit. Aside from the boots he actually looked rather decent, but oftentimes a person's worst critic is themselves.

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

Hawthorne shook the boy’s offered hand hardily, always appreciating the polite sort. ”Wonderful choice, River,” Hawthorne trilled, hurrying off to pour River a cup of the lovely freshly made tea. After she returned and handed the tea cup off to the soon-to-be-trainer, the Professor sat down in the chair at her desk and crossed her legs. She sipped her tea and looked over a few items on her desk while River examined the pokemon booklet Lilac had passed on to him. Such a wonderful day~ even work was going smoothly!

A few minutes passed; Hawthorne looked up from her desk. ”Do you need help choosing, sweetie, or did you find one you might like?” The woman didn’t pay any attention to how River was dressed, so the boy’s worry over his clothing situation was for naught—just earlier, a naked woman had passed through! These days it all seemed to be up for grabs. There was no telling what the next person through the lab door would be like.



// >< Apologies for the short failness. Just woke up...

[Mutt]

As the Professor poured him some tea, he finished looking through the book, taking the tea with a nod and sipping it carefully. It was hot. Setting the book down, he quietly drank his tea as he pondered through the pokemon in his mind. Not sure if he should take a seat or not, he remained standing until told otherwise. "This is good." he said with a smile, reffering to the tea.

After a few moments Professor Hawthorne asked him about his pokemon choice and he set the tea down for a moment, turning some of the pages. "Well, I was interested in this one, Vulpix, if you had any still." He wasn't really sure how many of a certain species they kept at a time. If they were out, he would simply choose another, but he hoped they did. It looked like the most interesting to him.

He set the booklet down once more and picked up his tea again, taking a sip. He wasn't all that thirsty, but the tea cups were relatively small, and he didn't want to appear rude. Looking around, he glanced briefly at the pokemon who had given him the book. It was a psychic pokemon, right? Those types had always given him the creeps a little, but this one seemed pretty friendly.

[[ Sorry for the shortness. Hopefully it'll work okay. ]]

[Ava]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

”This is good,” the boy commented with a smile. Hawthorne returned the smile brightly—it was never a bad day when her tea was being complimented! ”Well thank you! I’d certainly have to agree.” Briskly she moved on to the topic of the boy’s starter pokemon. With a quick not of assurance, she continued, ”not to worry, we have plenty of vulpix’. They’re one of our more popular starters. One moment please and I’ll show them to you.” And with that Hawthorne hurried away into an adjacent room.

While she was gone, gardevoir examined River from her place by the desk. The psychic pokemon sensed the new trainer to be of good heart, if somewhat skittish. Overall she decided she approved as the Professor reappeared in the room. With a gleam in her eye, Hawthorne released the vulpix’.

The first vulpix pranced over to River, eyeing him curiously. ”That one’s a doll. She’s energetic, friendly and a bit of a flirt. She’s an easy one to handle as she’s very agreeable.” Hawthorne swiftly switched to the second vulpix, as there wasn’t much to say about the first. She was overall quite nice. The second vulpix had a more haughty air. ”This one has a bit of an attitude, coming from the fact that she considers herself the center of the universe. She is quite pretty and tends to catch the males’ attentions, which is what filled her head with these ideas in the first place. She’s also pretty fearless, which I suppose comes with the confidence.”

And there was one more vulpix, standing off to the side but eyeing River wistfully. ”He’s a distant fellow.” Hawthorne explained. ”He would like to get out and explore, but his anxiety keeps him from risking it. With support, though, I’m confident that he’d become a strong, eager partner.” Leaning against her desk, Hawthorne crossed her arms and smiled thoughtfully at River. ”Do any of them suit you?”

[Mutt]

River smiled as the Professor assured him there were plenty of Vulpix'. Quietly he finished his tea as he waited, not sure where to place the cup, though. As he looked around he noticed Lilac watching him, and he gave her a friendly smile. Hawthorne reappeared, and he turned to face her. This time there was no mistaken the excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

The first Vulpix was released, and she raced over to him. Kneeling, he chuckled as he held out his hand for to investigate him. She was pretty, and her coat smooth and soft. The second Vulpix was similar, but with more of an ego. He held a hand out to her, but she was playing hard to get as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. The one that caught his eye, though, was the young male. "Did something happen to him? Or is he just this way?" he asked curiously, holding a hand out toward him. He seemed curious enough, but didn't have the confidence to come forward and make himself known.

He glanced briefly at the other two again, but he felt he'd already made his decision, though he suddenly felt a bit nervous about it. What if the little male didn't like him? What if he could provide the support he needed? What if... he shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the worries. Rising to his feet again, he smiled over at the Professor. "I think I'll take him." he said, nodding the little fellow. If he and his father could learn to get along after years of barely knowing each other, he could make a bond with this shy little Vulpix.

[KITTYWHISKERS]

NEXIVUS LABORATORIES

"Did something happen to him? Or is he just this way?" asked the male, causing Hawthorne to put a finger to her lips as she thought. "Well, he's always been shy and gentle, but he's definitely gotten worse recently. It's starting to take some encouragement to get him to go outside, so we think he may have encountered a pokemon in the back fields that attacked him. We can't be sure, of course, but that's our best theory." She nodded as she finished talking. After returning all three of the foxes, she quickly handed the male's pokeball to the boy, as if she was worried he would change his mind. She smiled brightly, handing him a bag of items and a clipboard.

"Just fill in that form and you're free to go!"

Congratulations!
You have received a VULPIX!

Gender: Male
Attacks: Ember, Tail Whip, +1 EGG MOVE.
Personality: Shy, Anxious, Reserved.

You may now continue on to Featherwing City!

[/size]

[Mutt]

River nodded, taking in this information. Well, at least it hadn't been abused by a previous owner or anything. The Vulpix' were withdrawn, and the male's handed to him. "Thank you." he said, taking it and turning it over carefully in his hand. Then he smiled, and held the ball firmly, smiling up at her as she handed him the bag of items and the clipboard. Taking both, he looked the clipboard over and started filling it out. This done, he handed the clipboard back and put the items into his backpack, the Vulpix's pokeball still held in his hand. "Thank you again." he said, then turned and left the lab, excited about learning about his new pokemon.