Moonlit Meeting - An RP

                       ------------RP between:
flightyfelon.deviantart.com/ar… owned by
and www.deviantart.com/art/PKMNati… owned by

KindieRoops said the following:

In the dwindling light of the afternoon a certain calmness has fallen over the land, winds dying away and the sky sliding from the warm hues of sunset and into the deep purples and blues of the night sky.

A Mareep, or rather a cross had found its way up the crest of a hill, settling in the cover of a bush looking out over the plains of a pond dotted ranch. Ponds that in the calm evening reflected the night sky making the lands that were Lunar Tide appear as if the night sky had come down to slide across the land.

The plains that held all the ponds slid upward into a cliff side where a lone planetarium stood pointing out to the sea. The cliffs led down to the beaches where salt water Pokemon could live comfortably as well. A water type ranch required a balance of both water areas.

Sycorax, the cross looked out across the lands enchanted by this new sight. As a new comer to the ranch she still had many discoveries to make and many other Pokemon to make but in moments like these she secluded herself for her own enjoyment.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

Ruvik's cloven hooves tore through the wet, sandy mud as he made his frantic dash for freedom.

~~~

Meanwhile, Artemis lounged in the hilltop planetarium with her new friend Niel Halley who had so graciously set out a dish of biscuits and a pot of dark, rich tea. She had come for the evening to drop off her misbehaving Pokemon, hoping that a change of scenery might help the wild Mawile/Skiddo/Carbink cross calm down. The planetarium, from what Artemis could see, was fully operational, with countless star-charts arranged on the walls and almost every available surface. Even know, according to Niel, the massive telescope was making its automatic adjustments to track an area in the night's sky that was the object of tonight's study.

"...and even know the galaxies are colliding, as they have been for a million years, and will be for a few million more." Said the bushy-haired Niel, a bit wistfully.

Artemis smiled and sipped her tea for a moment. Most of this astronomy stuff went right over her head, but she was still trying to make an effort.

"It's a bit sad though, don't you think?" Asked Artemis, "two perfectly happy galaxies, all their stars and worlds thrown into a dance they never asked to join."

Niel lifted her head, revealing just a hint of her bright eyes from under her heavy bangs. Artemis thought they looked like the eyes of someone who had seen into the universe and had would never be able to look away again.

"Maybe... maybe sometimes its the chaos we don't ask for that makes life worth living." Answered Niel.

~~~

It was only once the sun had set completely that Ruvik finally slowed to a slow trot. His small, Carbink eyes had very poor night-vision, confounded further by the confusing way the many tide pools in the area were reflecting the sky to make it feel like holes had opened up all around him leading to nothing but endless star-filled void. Very disconcerting.

However, this might be his only opportunity to escape from human captivity and he'd be damned if he let it slip through his hooves. Steeling his heart, Ruvik changed course for a secluded-seeming area of the ranch in hopes of finding a path leading out of human territory. Besides, the salty breeze also carried the scent of... Mareep?... maybe he'd be able to make a snack of the unsuspecting creature as fuel for what would surely be a long journey.


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KindieRoops said the following:

Getting anything towards a conversation with the creature of the planetarium was a sort of miracle and was only thanks to a little gas ball that had seemingly heard an agreement to meet and kindly needed to remind her master that there were other things aside from space and its numerous worlds and millions of stars.

Rather it was easier said that this entire meeting with another ranch owner was completely orchestrated not by the astronomy that could hardly coordinate a decent set of clothes, and even right now was wearing a sweater with the solar system laid out in its center and a pair of horribly cashing pyjama bottoms, but by the little gastly that floated about him trying to urge him away from his telescope and back to the seating area. She knew full well that once he reached the telescope the rest of the evening he would be unreachable and it was something she wished to avoid until matters were settled.

It was this battle that led the astronomer to come back to the seats to plop down in a show of annoyance, snatching up a biscuit and nibbling on it as he all but pouted at his thwarted plans. However, this quickly fell away to embarassment as he enjoyed the biscuit that were assumed to be from him but had instead been laid out by his thoughtful little gastly.

"Thank you Nix," he muttered uncomfortably as eyes turned up toward Artemis. He could admit he didn't care so much about his behavior as he did being rude towards Nix, she kept track of him and assisted (ran) the ranch in his stead when astronomical things prioritized his attentions, which was always.

---

The mareep in question wouldn't prove to be an easy snack, even as the beast that intruded upon the ranch came withing range her zorua ears were moving like satellite dishes aiming to catch and pinpoint the sound of something trodding heavily up the slope. With her keen predatory senses the confusing little cross was more then prepared for whatever strange intruder had come onto the ranch, though this was certainly before she caught sight of the beast that was the other creature.

When he came within sight Sycorax was already well on alert and prepared to defend or flee as the case required. Though she was a tough little mon she alo had intelligence and it was this mix that helped her size up the creature that was Ruvik, though this hardly helped except to tell her she should beware as he looked rather fearsome.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

Artemis sipped her tea a bit more as she watched the exchange between Niel and his Ghastly. It reminded her a little of her own relationship with her Carbink, Dara who was currently in charge of the ranch in her absence. She only wished that Dara's offspring shared her sense of responsibility and compassion. However, maybe it was the Mawile in him that made him so feral, Ruvik had made three separate attacks on the other Pokemon at her ranch and something had to be done. The only reason there had been no injuries was because of the cross' relatively low level.

Now, as she looked at the young man staring longingly at his telescope across from her Artemis was wondering if this had been the right decision. Furthermore, she was even starting to wonder if the letters she'd been corresponding to had come from Niel at all. They'd all been so polite and... well... interested in helping. Irrationally, Artemis' eyes strayed over to Nix the Ghastly who even know was demonstrating some fine motor skills by pouring Niel more tea... No... that would be impossible...

~~~

Ruvik put on another burst of speed when he finally honed in on the Mareep's scent. His eyesight might be poor but his sense of smell was as good or better than that of a Growlithe. His breath whistled quietly between his bone-white fangs as he wound between the unnerving 'holes' in the ground as he closed in.

THERE! Emerging behind a barnacle-encrusted rock formation, Ruvik found his prey waiting for him. It was just a little thing and the mockery of a grin twisted the corners of his hinged mouth. With one final kick... he launched himself through the air... going for the throat!
((Sorry for making Ruvik such a total jerk! But he tends to be a real brute when he doesn't know you ;o; ))

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KindieRoops said the following:

The silence stretched on for some time, Niel completely distracted by the desire to return to his telescope while Nix did her best to get everything settled in the way of tea cups filled and food offered. However, it became apparent as she continued that Niel had no attention as long as the telescope was an options.

He jumped back in surprise as the little ghost appeared before him, a look of disapproval on her face that was enough even to get him to turn his attention to Artemis. Even effective enough to bring about words from him, "So, what was it that brought you here?"

It wasn't that the letters hadn't of been from the astronomer, or actually it was since the little gasty was fairly clever when it came to a lack of hands as had been demonstrated with the pouring of tea only moments ago. However, she had made certain the astronomer had read the letter though it would not have occured to him to connect the information.

---

The beast heading her way may have quieted as he honed in but the delicate hearing of the cross had her following his path the entire way so she was prepared when he launched from behind the rock and straight towards her. She sidestepped the attack the hard gem on her tail launched at the side of his face to hopefully disorient him.

With her attack complete she made some space between her and the beast, her tail lighting up in a sudden flash to get a better look at her enemy. Which was fairly unfortnate as he was an intimidating beast when the light fell on him all gnarled teeth with a huge hinging jaw. Not the loveliest thing to meet in the darkness of night.


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FlightyFelon said the following:

At Niel's sudden question it was all Artemis could do not to spray her tea all over her host. Nearly gagging, she swallowed noisily. "B-but... You're the one who asked me here! To help me deal with Ruvik -er- my misbehaving Mawile cross. You even provided the transportation!"

Once again Artemis' eyes strayed to the Ghastly who seemed even now to be manipulating her Master into being remotely sociable.

----

The suddenness of the Mareep/Zorua/Illumese cross' counter-attack sent Ruvik reeling off course. He hit the soggy ground hard before rolling swiftly back to his feet. Then, he found himself momentarily blinded as the electric-type unleashed a powerful flash from the tail-bulb she'd just hit him with. Angrily, he shook his massive head from side-to-side but to no avail.

Realizing that this battle would take a bit more technique to win, Ruvik forced himself to square his shoulders and attempt to track his opponent through smell and sound alone...

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KindieRoops said the following:

Niel looked surprised at the reaction of the other rancher, attention turning to Nix who had the decency to look embarrassed...well for a few moment before the puppy dog eyes were employed. Which was a lethal effect as Niel attempted to look stern about it but slowly crumbled and was replaced with the quick avoidance of eye contact with the little ghost. She had won as usual.

"I believe, we have both been fooled. Though, if the offer was made then clearly Nix must have thought it possible to help with your cross," he conceded quietly which in return brought the Gastly to slip under his arm and snuggle up to him, with a blush quick to follow from the astronomer.

"Before that, I think we ought to cover what exactly it was I have been tricked into now," he added, curious of what he'd be dealing with and just what his little ranch assistant had gotten him into.

---

Sycorax didn't expect the cross to give up his pursuit so she needed to end this battle quickly or she might find herself in some trouble. Unfortunately, flying wasn't much of a choice and her move pool was limited unless she could learn something new. She was still a young Pokemon after all and low leveled at that, so she'd found herself in a bit of a pinch.

She needed a way to slow him or to keep him disoriented, though there seemed to be a lack of options in that direction. Though she reached down into the little pool of power that was hers to draw from. She could feel the first tingles of electricity, charging them as eyes were cast warily at her opponent. If she could launch an attack before he recovered then she might just manage to escape those dangerous jaws.

So it was in the next moment that things moved quickly, a thunder wave was released and though weak would hopefully be enough to pause the beast in his actions. Then she leaped forward little bug wings lifting her enough to use the carbinks large head as a spring board and the next jump up onto the barnacle-crusted rock behind the carbink cross. She scrabbled a bit before catching her footing but eventually managed to heft her body atop it and turn to look back at her opponent. She doubted she was completely out of reach but at least now she had the advantage of a higher perspective.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

Though admittedly surprised at the degree of agency the little Ghastly had at this ranch, Artemis couldn't help but smile at the strange turn of events.

"Well, as I've mentioned to... Nix, I suppose." Artemis said, gesturing to the little ghost-type now snuggled soundly in Neil's arms, "Recently I bred one of my Pokemon and decided to keep one of the offspring since he turned out rather... unique. I guess I just hadn't anticipated what would happen if a Mawile's trap-head turned out to be the one controlling the body. Nix told me I could rest assured that you would be able to tame him but..."

Artemis set her half-full cup down on the table between them and nervously got to her feet. Her long, lean body made almost no noise as she began pacing the length of the room.

"I mean, he just has no respect or the other Pokemon at all. I didn't mention this in the letters, and I'm sorry about that, but he's even tried to... eat them."

---

Ruvik felt his limbs go momentarily numb as the Mareep cross sent out a Thunder Wave but then was snapped back into action as she added insult to injury by using his head as a spring-board! The fluffy Pokemon was starkly illuminated on her new perch atop a nearby rock, her insectoid wings iridescent in the moonlight.

Marking her position, he shook his furry mane vigorously, sending up tiny spores in a leech-seed attack. The little motes made a white cloud in the silver light as they engulfed the Mareep cross completely. Ruvik's hinged mouth smiled maliciously as he began to feel the small bits of health flowing towards him through the link.

-however, now that he could see his quarry clearly: Her determined expression, the sheen of her wooly coat, the cute way she set her feet defiantly apart. Ruvik had to concede that she was attractive and didn't quite know what to do with this information...

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KindieRoops said the following:

Niel listened intently as the gist of what he had promised was communicated to him and a glance of quesioning was spared to Nix as she smiled pleasantly and nodded as if encouraging him to accept what had been promised even if not his own idea. Which he would have been willing considering Nix seemed to have a talent for working with other pokemon, but the final nervous words snapped both of their attentions back up to Aremis.

"I-is he on the ranch right now," was the first question that came from Niel as he stood an air of seriousness showing for the first time as Nix floated around him nervously, obviously worried if any of the other ranch pokemon had met the cross in question yet.
Had she known the younger pokemon would have been sent to spend the evening secluded and guarded by stronger pokemon until his threat potential could be assessed. Though to be completely honest even Nix might have refused entirely considering this wasn't just taming but risking the fellow pokemon of the ranch.

---

The spores of the leech seed confused the little mareep until the first sting of health stolen made her flinch. Though the move wasn't all that effective it was still enough to cause the mareep a bit of pain, but her defiant lok still remained since she refused to fall to this beast especially if it could mean harm came to her.

She had a hard time concentrating as the leech seed drained her bit by bit, unable to recall back the pool of power she had drawn her little thunder wave from before. She felt her health slowly continuing to slip away and even in her defiance began to droop bit by bit as the effect worked away at her.

She eventually settled on the last move she knew how to muster, her wings vibrating quickly and her mouth opening to cry out in a noisy bug buzz aimed toward the cross, but also in hopes of alerting any surrounding ranch pokemon to come and assist. With that she slumped down on the rock looking fearfully at the cross knowing that she was in a lot of danger.


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FlightyFelon said the following:

"Y-yes," said Artemis as she guiltily met Neil's concerned gaze (through the hedge of his bangs, of course). "I left him in the metal cage you provided in the back of your truck. We can go see him together if you like." Artemis crossed the open room to the heavy door and was surprised to find that it had gotten dark outside while they'd been talking.

"I promise he's really not as bad as I've made him sound. When he was very small, he was really quite sweet. I just think some of the other Pokemon at the ranch have given him a hard time for his looks. Maybe he decided to be the monster they seem to think he-" Artemis stopped short as her eyes adjusted to the stark moonlight. Her gaze had trailed down the winding slope to where she'd parked the truck. The iron cage in the back was still there, only it was also laying out beside the vehicle, and jammed into the rear window and in fragments about 5 meters away...

"Oh, no."

---

Ruvik flattened his crystalline ears against his skull at the sudden onslaught of noise. Acting instinctively, he began head-butting the rock Syncorax was clinging to. Partially, he was trying to make the noise stop but mainly he was just looking for pain to distract him from the incessant keening sound. Even so, he continued ramming the barnacle-covered base again and again until with a dull 'cruck' the crag gave way and began to fall!

Ruvik retreated away from the falling rocks that began slamming into the muddy earth around him, feeling very drained and weakened from the attack and the recoil of head-butting solid rock. He was starting to wonder if this little Mareep Cross was more trouble than she was worth...

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KindieRoops said the following:

Niel followed his fellow rancher out to the truck, relieved that the pokemon in question was secured, though that was before they discovered the remnants of the cage and both Niel and Nix both shared a look, a nugget of worry twisting up in their the astronomer's stomach.

"So your pokemon is somewhere on my ranch...and may be trying to eat one of the pokemon that normally are given freedom to roam," he summarized matter of factly despite his extreme worried it seemed important to get the facts straight before attempting to find the monsterous little cross in question.

However, before they could begin to wonder where the cross might of run off to a loud keening could be heard in the direction of cliffs. Niel turned to the other rancher as Nix hurried off, "I hope we can find your cross before anything happens to one of my younger pokemon." He turned and hurried off in the direction Nix had headed trusting her to pinpoint whatever had made the noise as she knew the ranch even better then he did.

---

The cry cut off with the sound of the cracking rock, a feeling that vibrated up the rock and alerted the little sheep that her perch was quick to crumble. In her relative weakness she looked about for a soft place she could land on, but it seemed her only option would have to be....the monster that was after her but at this point it seemed better then nothing.

She pushed herself up on wobbly feet as the rock fell apart, launching from her perch and down on top of the skiddo cross. While she may have been tiny the little cross was heavy and landing on the other pokemon was sure to be enough to add some more damage onto her previous move with the unintentional tackle. She whined out to the skiddo cross beneath her, energy too wasted to even lift herself and escape from the beast.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

Ruvik had been so busy dodging the falling rocks that the Mareep cross' tackle had seemingly come from nowhere. Hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades, the sudden force buckled his already weak legs and sent him sprawling forwards into the sandy dirt.

With an impotent growl he tried to gather his strength by found his body too battered to answer. "Jusht.. Great.." He muttered miserably and with a pronounced lisp. Now his plans for freedom were completely ruined, all because one little Mareep had refused to be eaten! Accepting his defeat with all the grace of a consumate sore loser, Ruvik turned his massive head to the best of his ability and grumbled:

"What'sh you name, anywaysh?"

-----

Artemis followed Nix and Neil on their mad dash through the tide pool-dotted landscape. Ruvik had left an obvious trail, his cloven hooves leaving deep furrows in the sodden terrain. They must be getting close now, Artemis hoped.


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KindieRoops said the following:

The cross perked her ears at the first sounds from the beast she had landed on not catching the what were words at first. She pushed herself up slowly, pausing at his question and looking down at the cross who for the first time didn't seem so intimidating.

"Sycorax...," came the delicate voice of the little mareep cross. She slid off the back of the skiddo, flopping down beside him to rest now that the he was less willing to fight.

"It's a bit...late to introduce yourself after so rudely attacking me," she pouted and nudged her fellow pokemon in the side. "Share your name, now that you've choosen to be social," she commanded more then asked.

---

Running across the soft terrain between pools of water was slow as the ground liked to suck down at the rancher's shoes and try to pull them in but Niel was somewhat used to the effect having explored the ranch several times for the best stargazing location. However, Nix was still well ahead of them, not encumbered by the effects of terrain.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

Syncorax? Of course she would have a name he couldn't possibly hope to pronounce. She'd only laugh at him, like all the other Pokemon had laughed at him even as they'd been afraid of him. Ruvik had never asked to be made this way, and he couldn't help but resent the poor hand he'd been dealt in life. Still, the fact that this... Syncorax had answered him at all was encouraging.

"I'm.... Ruvik." He said, gathering his hooves and slowly regaining his feet. He kept his head turned away from the Mareep cross out of shame, knowing that he wouldn't have the strength to continue his escape plan either way now. Possibly, the evidence of his escape had already been discovered.

Still, his blue, gimlet eye stared at Syncorax as he self-depreciatingly dared her to call him out on his weakness.

---

'CRUCK' the sound of rock shattering split the night, coming from the direction they were already running in. The noise pulled up frightening memories of rock slides and avalanches from Artemis' past -but now was not the time to dwell on those things!

Artemis found that her new friend was slowing down beside her, and dropped her speed to match. For the past few years she'd spent her time training herself martially in high altitudes and sometimes she forgot others weren't as fit as she was.

"That came from ahead." Artemis stated the obvious, feeling the little knot of worry in her gut growing steadily.

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KindieRoops said the following:

Sycorax watched at Ruvik rose from his position on the ground, curious as to why he turned away and seemed to be avoiding her. She was a curious little thing afterall and so she pushed herself up to walk around the skiddo cross. Eyes looked up at what was still one intimidating pokemon, but she had a certain appreciation of him even considered him a bit cool. Though the little cross having a bit of a witchly quality herself she appreciated the oddity in Ruvik.

She gave a small smile and offered in a quiet voice, "Sycorax is a bit long, I've been called Syra by a few." She had noticed his difficulty speaking and knew all too well her name was a mouthful even for some of the pokemon on the ranch and had come accustomed to offering a shortened version that even she prefered.

"Why were you trying to attack me?" she questioned, a careful look spared to the skiddo cross, a look that had a bit of confidence as if she was seeking out an answer to a suspicion. She had some nagging thought that Ruvik giving up meant that he hadn't been all that desperate for food. Though that could have just been a young pokemon's naivety.

---

Nix glanced back to see Niel slowing behind her and whipped back around when the sound of cracking rock alarmed her. She hurried over to the two ranchers, moving behind Niel and pushing him impatiently. Niel knew just how much the other pokemon on the ranch meant to the little gastly so with his best efforts he attempted to speed up a bit, though it was just a bit and an impatient little gastly still pushed at him in some hope he might suddenly become an athlete and leab and bound forward to the scene of the action.

"Ye- Nix please I am going as quick as I can," he whined a bit in embarassment knowing that he wasn't the most fit and a bit miffed that the gastly was trying to remind him in such a hectic moment.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

The Mareep-cross' intent gaze was making Ruvik a little uncomfortable, since he'd never really spent any one-on-one time with another Pokemon before. Well, one that hadn't tried to attack him out of pre-emptive self defense (even when he'd just wanted to say hello!).

"Ssssh... Shyra." Said Ruvik finally, his forked tongue and widely-spaced teeth struggling around the word. Sycorax, hm? "Could I call you... Cora, inshtead? I... I'm not to good with..." Ruvik was trying desperately to make a sentence without any sibilants and was failing. The sudden rush of anger and humiliation made his fur bristle and his teeth gnash together, but at the same time he really didn't want to scare away this little creature who was actually speaking to him despite his monstrous appearance. With a concerted act of will he forced himself to calm down.

"Or... Shhyra, if you like." He said, forced to stare directly at the cross who'd defiantly positioned herself in front of him. Her expression wasn't exactly trusting, but she wasn't running in fear, either. Ruvik really didn't know what to make of this.

It was at this point that Nix, Neil and Artemis rounded the same outcropping that Ruvik had used to conceal his approach a few minutes earlier. Artemis was surprised and elated to find her misguided Ruvik not only not attacking someone as she'd feared, but seemingly conversing with another Pokemon in all civility!

However, the churned appearance of the surrounding sand and the way a huge-barnacle encrusted boulder seemed to have toppled over, spider-webbing cracks radiating from its base... she assumed that the small Mareep-cross had had her hooves full in the beginning.

"Ruvik!" Artemis called as she ran up the final slope to stop a few meters away from the two pokemon. Ruvik's new... friend(?) appeared to be interrogating the fearsome Mawile-cross. Not sure if she should interfere any further, Artemis let Nix float ahead of her and take the lead.

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KindieRoops said the following:

Sycorax noticed the other pokemon's discomfort giving a little smile as she came to understand the issue through his words and his own response to it by body language. It wasn't a hard thing to discover afterall and seemed to be something that caused Ruvik a bit of hurt.

"Cora is just fine, call me whatever works best," she said with a reassuring smile. Ruvik may have been an intimidating pokemon but Sycorax had learned from her time on the ranch that appearances could be very decieving. Some of what could be intimidating pokemon could be the sweetest and vice versa.

Which was when the cry from the rancher turned the little crosses attention to see that a certain gastly had come around the outcropping. A gastly who hurried over when she saw the destruction of the surrounding area and began hovering and checking over the little mareep cross with careful attention. When convinced Sycorax we fine and no serious injuries were taken in what she was sure had been a difficult scuffle with what had turned out to be a more dangerous than expected pokemon.

So it wasn't too surprising when she turned upon the cross an effective mean look managed by the generally gentle pokemon, but when it came to the other ranch pokemon she could muster a tiny bit of intimidation. However, Sycorax stepping in front of her had the look from Nix softening a bit and a curious look replacing her annoyance.

Sycorax raised up on back hooves, front hooves coming to rest on Ruvik's snout. She turned her gaze to Nix using all the cuteness in her power on the gastly as she claimed, "He's not bad."

Nix studied the little mareep cross, wondering what it was that made her say this, though eventually she just settled on offering a little nod and floating back to Niel who had sunk down onto the ground as he recovered from the bit of exercise.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

Ruvik's hackles raised again in response to the Ghastly's Mean Look and he braced himself for another fight. However, he suddenly found his snout closed for him under the gentle pressure of Sycorax's front hooves. The unexpected contact made him blush despite himself, ruining the fearsome look he'd been cultivating.

"Er... you can get off, now." Ruvik said gently to Sycorax, selecting his words carefully as Nix floated back to her master. He watched the little Mareep-cross smile as she returned to her natural sitting position and Ruvik couldn't help but wonder when the last time he'd let another being touch him had been... he honestly couldn't remember.

Artemis, gauging that Neil was going to need a few moments, came over to crouch beside her renegade Mawile-cross. "Ruvik are you al-" She began reaching out to check for injuries, but Ruvik's nervous flinch away made her hand pause in midair. Awkwardly, she retracted her hand and looked to the smaller Pokemon instead.

"Hi there, I'm Artemis." She said in her most calming voice. She couldn't help but notice the way Ruvik's gaze kept wandering to the little Mareep-cross and wonder... had the Ghastly known something like this would happen? Or was this just coincidence?

As Artemis saw Ruvik's eyes flicker at her protectively when she addressed the Mareep-cross, she wondered if it could have been fate, after all.

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KindieRoops said the following:

Sycorax found herself relieved that the interaction between Nix and Ruvik had not resulted in a battle, though a bit oblivious to the effect her behavior had on him overall. It was something Nix had caught onto though as she floated away, and something she took a bit of pride in even if an accidental matchmaking.
The little cross looked up with interest at the woman who came to speak with Ruvik, the one who had brought him here? She wondered but found there was little time for that as she found introductions being offered. It would have seemed odd to any other pokemon but considering the zorua side of her gave her the talent of mimicry she had begun to pick up on the human language with some help from Nix.
"A-arte..." she stuttered out in an uncertain human voice. The effect was a strange one, the words not matching up with the movement on her mouth, more of a telepathy then actual speech.
She perked up suddenly and claimed in quite a proud little voice, "Mis, Mis." This seemed to be something the little cross would not ask on as it was something for simplicity. Once a name for this tall stranger was settled on the little cross brought a hoof up to tap her fluffy little chest and called out, "Syra!" She had some difficulty with hard sounds in this human voice so she offered only the soft sounds of her name, the nickname that she was accustomed to on the ranch.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

"Pleased to meet you, little one!" Said Artemis, mildly surprised that the little Pokemon actually answered. Artemis simply smiled brightly and stood up again to regard Neil, who seemed to have recovered somewhat.

"Well I guess there was nothing to worry about after all. You're really lucky to have Nix watching out for all of you." She said warmly, wondering if her own Carbink Dara would be a good friend for Nix. They could both be.... Responsible together.

"And so..." Artemis tried to phrase this as politely as possible. "Would it be alright if Ruvik stayed here a little longer? I think Syra here would be a good influence. Not... Indefinitely, maybe just until he grows up a bit."

Ruvik snorted indignantly at being called immature but couldn't deny the truth of it. Besides, staying here with Sycorax for a while didn't sound so bad at all.

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KindieRoops said the following:

Sycorax seemed pleased at her success in communicating with the rancher and even a bit excited at the mention of Ruvik staying for a time on the ranch. She made her way back over the and leaned against him and looked expectantly to her owner for an answer to the suggestion.

Nix turned her attention to Niel as well who seemed to just catch that attention was once more upon him. He looked from Artemis, then to Syra who seemed to get along chummily with the cross they had been so worried about, and lastly to Nix who was playing up the cute charm in a way that he just knew it would be impossible to deny.

"I don't have much choice in this, my Pokemon seem to have chosen...though I ask that he not eat other Pokemon, of course," he said making a point to show some control of the situation. He may not interact much with the Pokemon of his ranch but he had a certain soft spot for all of them and wished to avoid any harm for them, and that meant a wild Mawile cross couldn't go around trying to snack on some of the young and weaker Pokemon.

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FlightyFelon said the following:

"I don't think we'll need to worry about that, after all." Said Artemis, vastly relieved. Almost bashfully, Ruvik had sidled up beside the smaller Mareep-cross and was sitting there protectively. It was the first time Artemis had seen the fearsome Mawile-cross with such a look of... contentment.