Ten Carat Hill

Llorona Braithwaite


"Is that where the gym is?" She asked skeptically, hiding the smirk that had appeared on her face when her brother half embraced her. Sure it was so that she didn't fall flat on her face trying to be nosey - but it had been the first 'hug' she'd gotten from him in over eight years. She feigned a bit of interest while looking at the map, but as usual, her mind was somewhere else entirely - the tiny female nodding in response and jingling the Pokeballs on her belt. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that her brother had planned for them and it probably should have worried her more than it did. She wanted to go directly to the gym but if he was anything like she expected, Llonora could almost guarantee that he was going to try and rope her into 'exploring' and 'training'. The mere thought of either activity made her feel slightly tired, her eyes following him while he quietly departed from the Pokemon center. "I should talk to him....Maybe."
She spoke aloud, her Rowlet appearing to try and answer her with a squawk that startled the girl enough that she made for the door - nearly trapping her Pokemon inside in the process. "You aren't the only one who can just leave people behind without talking ya' know - In fact some people in Castelia city would argue I am the best in the world at it." She pouted, tilting her chin up and starting down the road towards . . . What was it he had called the place? Ten carat hill? The destination didn't matter since she knew it was going to get her one step closer to that first badge and in return - one step closer to escaping this awful place.

The Rowlet was not sure where it was that they were going, but the poor creature was beginning to get tired of fluttering around behind it's trainer while she walked. Sure he had made quick work of both the Bonsly and the Rattata, but that hadn't meant the Pokemon didn't put forth effort in doing so. This coupled with the fact that Llonora seemed to demand that it follow around behind her instead of cuddling her shoulder or at the very least, laying on her bag meant that Deadeye was about to keel over in exhaustion. "Can't we please rest a moment?" He coo'd, flapping in small circles around it's trainer in an attempt to get her attention. In the end Deadeye gave up, chirping quietly and fluttering on backwards to catch up with both the Litten and the large, emposing male that seemed to love his Pokemon. With any luck SOMEONE would notice how tired it had become and give the tiny bird a chance to rest!

Llorona Braithwaite


"Shocker." She replied flatly. As expected he was going to drag this out by any means necessary. While they walked Llonora kept to herself, for the most part, the woman working her fingers over the keys on her phone. It hadn't occurred to her that anyone from her hometown might have heard about the unfortunate circumstances of her 'vacation' - but just like everything else in the modern age, her shame was already on full display on social media. "Ugh - Why?!" She groaned, stumbling to a stop just in time to avoid colliding with her brother and the Rowlet that had landed on his forearm. They were completely different people, but it had been so long since she had seen him that Llonora wasn't even sure if they had ever had anything in common... The girl watched him from his spot on the ground, surrounded by Pokemon even if the Ledyba did still seem to be pouting. He had some type of animal magnetism that she did not and it was borderline infuriating to her. "Well, let's see." flattening the fabric on her dress, Llonora looked around curiously a moment before deciding on a large rock over the ground itself and clambering onto it awkwardly. From there she drew her knees in and sighed, patting the Pokeballs on her belt gently but deciding against releasing them. She doubted either of her new pets would be all that happy to see her Rowlet right this second. "They were pretty good for a while even after my brother decided to bail. High school was a thing, I graduated top ten percent but only dad came to the ceremony. Oh yeah, and then he died so yeah." She shrugged, knowing she had essentially given him the biggest TLDR of all time. There was so much more to tell but quite honestly the female didn't feel comfortable elaborating anything to Cyren. How could she? As much as he seemed to like Pokemon the man didn't seem to have any regrets or cares regarding their father or abandoning them at home and so she feared any response she might have gotten from him would only set her off.

Llorona Braithwaite


"Gee thanks." Llonora replied sarcastically, stretching herself out along the rock and lacing her fingers behind her head casually. Part of her wanted to push the subject much further than it needed to go on their first day, but she was too tired physically from a day's worth of walking and exhausted mentally as a result of the culture shock. Yesterday she had been a sheltered college student looking for a method of suing her way back to the top of her father's company, today she was a ragtag sidekick on a pokemon journey with the creepiest partner available. The thought of the poor Rowlet caused Llonora to glance over at her brother and the pokemon perched comfortably on his shoulder. How he could stand the presence of something so frightening was beyond her but at the same time she felt something a little strange given her distaste for the starter she had chosen accidentally... "I am not jealous." The woman stated almost manically- reddening when she realized she had spoken aloud and correcting herself almost instantly. "Uh, I mean yeah! Mom is a weird breed. You should be super kissing my butt right now considering after you left she started to get this weird fixation with making sure to be completely obsessive in your absence. Dunno why but from my eleventh birthday until now I have hardly had a day to myself." Sadly, Llonora WISHED she was exaggerating her previous statement. After her mother's favorite child disappeared, the woman had become something of a perfectionist when it came to her daughter. Everything about Llonora's life became dramatic and painfully meticulous almost overnight. But it had not been all bad, in fact without this constant boot from her parent, the girl reasoned she wouldn't have become half as cunning or devious as she was now. "I know you have this weird moral code against our family's money or whatever it is... but I think we're both adult enough that someone should probably ask you why you really left. So... Why did you leave?" No sooner had she actually managed to get the question out, did the girl sit up in response to the whining sound of the returning Litten, a frown coming over her when she saw the state of the returning kitten.

Deadeye had nearly fallen asleep on Cyren several times, the tiny owl inching his way ever closer up the man's broad shoulders and towards his face every time it felt itself begin to doze off. Unfortunately just as the Rowlet felt the perfect angle for absorbing the sun's rays on his feathers as well as a great position for sleeping - it heard the commotion nearby and chittered a bit, considering an investigation but deciding too late to move as the Litten returned to its trainer in not so good shape. "What happened? Are you okay?!" The grass type chirped in a concerned fashion, watching her trainer apply first aid to the fire type with mild curiosity. Sadly this brought an alarming question to the Rowlet - if he had returned hurt from a battle, would his trainer be as kind as this one was? She seemed too terrified to come near him... And even if she wasn't scared, would Llonora care enough? Deadeye began to shuffle uncomfortably on Cyren's shoulders, ruffling it's feathers quietly while it chirped out a simple reply. "I won't, I will stay here."

Llorona Braithwaite


Laying on the rock as uncomfortable as it was, Llonora watched Cyren attend to his pokemon with mild amusement, though in the back of her mind she had to admit she still felt the strange, fleeting tinge of jealousy that she could not explain as anything other than her own pettiness. What did she care of her Rowlet was more comfortable with him than with her? It wasn't like she personally liked the thing even if it was stronger than she had expected. Thankfully she did not have long to dwell on her emotions - the surprised sound she made when he actually decided to indulge her topic causing the girl to sit up and snort at him in an almost impressed manner. "To be fair, her version of 'love' is probably the only one more messed up in our family than mine. And did you ever even tell her that you were leaving? Or why? Cuz as far as I can recall I just woke up one day and poof - another empty seat at the breakfast table." While she knew in her heart that she could never accurately say one way or another that he had just vanished, especially given that she had only been ten years old, to Llonora that had been just about the truth. One day she had her big brother to walk her down the road to her bus stop and the next she was being accompanied by a butler she had never been overly fond of. When Cy mentioned their father she sat straight up, though quickly shoved a finger into her mouth and began to slowly gnaw on her nail in an attempt to 'bite her tongue'. Unlike her brother, the black haired girl had idolized her daddy for as long as she could remember. No matter how indifferent or distant he could be, she had loved him and even now wanted to be what he was. Of course, neither their father nor Cy had ever really explained what drove him away in the first place, though through occasional mentioning of her sibling, she had pieced together that they didn't quite get along. Llonora had intended to ask Cyren why he had left the moment she knew he was coming to get her but... The moment she saw his face she couldn't bring herself to do it, just as she couldn't now. 'One day.' She thought to herself with a heavy sigh, raising an eyebrow at the mention of what she assumed was a paper map. "We could always get a phone charger? Speaking of.." The woman trailed off, flipping her cellular device open and expecting more of the same garbage she had seen people posting about her in social media. Of course when she found something equally disappointing she forced a laugh and turned the screen to her brother and the simple message that it had displayed. "Speaking of the literal devil. Mom says she has something for me? Or for both of us? Should be able to pick it up at a pokem- what? Camping?!" If she had been tired before, it was long gone at the mention of having to sleep outside. They had plenty of money! Sure the room would probably suck but as far as she was concerned anything was better than a night surrounded by god know's what in a foreign land!

Llorona Braithwaite


"You could'a told me." She half muttered to her older brother, her eye twitching at the thought. Llonora had never considered Cyren and herself to be all that close but before he left she had considered him one of the people in her life she could look up to and trust. Now he was just some stranger with a free spirit she couldn't understand and a whole lot of extra muscle. When he mentioned the tree, the female actually looked over at it in an almost hopeful manner, palming her face when she realized she had been so absent-minded for a moment that she expected an outlet. "I get it Cy, paper maps are better when you are stranded in the middle of nowhere. . . But do we HAVE to sleep outside with the animals? So far the local wildlife hasn't exactly been thrilled with us." Llonora felt as though the last part of her opinion was valid. How could it not be when they had already been attacked by several different pokemon? The thought of waking to find an ekans, a ghastly, or... god forbid, her own Rowlet standing over her caused the girl to wrap her arms around herself and shudder. "C-can't we backtrack and SLEEP at the pokemon centers? That is allowed, right? I sorta need to pick up whatever mom left for me anyway soo.." She started to look around expectantly at that point, waiting for something to jump out and scare her - anything that could validate the uneasy feeling in her stomach. In the end it ended up being her own Pokemon, the creature fluttering over and perching itself on the rock beside her before it cooed, nearly causing Llonora to topple off of her sitting spot as she spoke. "Unless you count sleeping in the garden back home or the lake house in Icirrus city then NO. I don't like the outdoors Cy, I'm a person not a pokemon!"

"Your tainer is so comfy." Deadeye chirped to his companion when Cyren picked it up and set him down on the ground. The humans appeared to be discussing their current situation and his did not seem all that enthusiastic about it. Not that this surprised the small pokemon in the least, so far his general understanding of Llonora was that nothing about anything seemed to make her happy. 'Except for winning.' He thought to himself, recalling the slight bit of compliment she had managed when the Rowlet saved her from the rock type pokemon she had stumbled over. Digging his beak into his feathers in an attempt to clean himself - Deadeye decided on his own that maybe it could take a page from her brother's book. The male seemed to be doing what he wanted despite what Llonora wanted... Maybe that was the only way to gain her acceptance? With this in mind the tiny grass type fluttered upward, carefully landing himself on the same perch his trainer had chosen even while giving her some personal space. It didn't seem to work very well, but at least she hadn't fallen. "Love me!" He chirped enthusastically, bobbing up and down while she continued to drone on.

Llorona Braithwaite


"I could have handled it Cy." She retorted immediately, adding with an equally quick tongue - "I dunno, probably back with my collection of stuffed animals and shattered childhood dreams? You like new - You've always been the weird one in the family. I like familiar... Unless its shoes, love me some new shoes." With a sigh she recalled a new line of clothing that was to be released back home soon, clothing she wouldn't get her hands on for a long, long time if the pacing of this journey so far was anything to reflect on. At the mention of a walk, the woman began to pluck at the straps on her new sandals, very much wanting to remind her brother that they had currently done little else today aside from walk already. If they were going to be sleeping outside she would much rather spend her time making sure the small area they were already in was at least somewhat habitable. Glancing over when she heard the small grass type Pokemon take off after Cy, Llonora waved them off - some time to herself would do her some good right? "Uh.." No sooner had Cyren and the crew of pokemon behind him disappeared around the closest bend in the path, that she swore she heard a sound from the bushes beside her, her eyes trailing the path her Rowlet had gone before she had to remind herself that the pokemon had deserted her. Reaching for her belt carefully, she didn't even wait to see what it was that had decided to sneak up on her, releasing the bonsly from inside of it's Pokeball and pointing towards the brush. "H-hey, you want to check that out for me? Please?" She asked, the small rock type jumping up and down in an irritated fashion at her request. Thankfully even if it was still a bit sore about the fact that Llonora had stepped on it in the middle of its midday nap - the Roggenrola that attacked it and sent the poor thing toppling over definitely got its attention. The poor bonsly seemed to wriggle on the ground much like a turtle on it's back for several moments while the opponent turned it's attention to Llonora, causing her to jump from the rock and take a few cautious steps back. "Okay, sure.. That... Isn't good. Why does this keep happening to me?!" She snapped to an empty field, shielding her face as the rock type lashed out in her direction with another firm tackle...

"I'm coming!" The owl chirped, deciding right away that if Llonora did not want to pay it any attention that he could at least have some fun with the litten and her trainer. Unlike his own trainer, they were fun and they both seemed to like him a lot! Unfortunately, they hadn't gotten more than a few hundred feet away from the small spot they had been resting in when Deadeye began to feel badly for her. Sure she was strange and in no way what he had expected his trainer to be like, and sure - she was not the nicest to him today... "I'm gonna stay with my human... If you see any nice fishies bring them back though, okay?" He chittered down to the Litten. Cats liked to fish too right? Deadeye circled around and turned back towards where he assumed his trainer would be sleeping on a rock only to discover the poor Bonsly it had knocked out from earlier struggling to get up while a pokemon he wasn't sure he had ever seen before approached his trainer. For better or worse it seemed that she needed him, the tiny Pokemon darting down just in time to block the incoming Roggenrola with its head. The Rowlet tumbled over several times, bumping into Llonora's leg and trying to shake off the dizzy feeling the tackle had left it with. For a moment he almost even considered not getting back up - but then he turned his black pupils to her face and saw something he had not expected. 'Is she worried about me?' He thought, watching her facial expression for a moment and hoping to his feet and ruffling his feathers. "All of you rock things need to stay away from her!" He screeched, flaring his wings and firing a volley of leaves towards the pokemon - a very satisfying sound following when the Rogenrola instantly fainted and a Pokeball flew overhead to capture it.

Llorona Braithwaite

This made twice in one day her Rowlet had appeared from nowhere in the nick of time and saved her skin. This time though, the poor Pokemon actually appeared to have taken quite the hit, sitting close to the ground and ruffling his feathers irritably. Once Llonora had retrieved the ball she attempted to get close to the bird type, gathering her courage and reaching into her bag of potions only to nearly jump out of her skin when Cyren and the litten re-approached her. "I'm fine!" She snapped, realizing quickly that it hadn't been anywhere near Cyren's fault that the Roggenrola had attacked her. "I'm fine, sorry." She repeated in a much nicer tone the second time around. Taking to one knee beside the Rowlet, Llonora removed a potion and took to staring at it curiously. Sure she had vaguely recalled proper application of medical items for Pokemon in school- and yes, Cyren had literally used one earlier on his Litten. But this did not necessarily mean she wasn't going to be wary about it. In the kindest tone she had used in.... Well, a very long time, the young woman carefully reached out to her pokemon, wincing when her fingers found Deadeye's wing. "Huh... Erm, hold still alright?" His feathers were shockingly soft to the touch - not that she had really known what to expect. In Llonora's mind bird pokemon feathers were rough and gross, but the reality was much different. When she tried to pull his wing open the first time, the poor creature seemed to chatter at her, nearly causing the green eye'd female to lose her nerve. But then it stopped and took to staring at her, and then the potion she held, considering something before opening up to her. "He hit me really hard but I am okay... My trainer is touching me!" As bad as he felt from the fight with the rock type, everything seemed completely worth it now that his trainer was finally giving him some sort of attention. In fact, when she initially touched him, the Rowlet couldn't help but chirp in excitement! This excitement ended when he realized he was scaring her, but on the inside he was smiling about as much as a pokemon with a beak could! Once she had begun to spray the strange potion onto him, Deadeye's body relaxed a bit, the pain subsiding until it could move freely again. "She touched me, did you see it?" The tiny bird squawked to his friend, watching Llonora stand back up and hopping back a few paces to give her the space she seemed so adamant about having...Unless she didn't? "You win Cy, I'll go for a walk." She stated flatly, replacing the potion and quickly returning the Bonsly she had tried to use earlier before, against her better judgement - extending her arm down to the Rowlet who seemed to look at her in disbelief. Sure, the thought of this creature's claws on her arm made her want to gag - but he had saved her life twice today. Respect was due, even if only for a small while.

Llorona Braithwaite

The Rowlet's eyes grew wide when his trainer offered out her arm, resisting the urge to cheer in favor of having some 'class' as he expected she might want. With an exaggeratedly slow waddle, the small Pokemon made it's way across the small distance between them and sat awkwardly on her forearm a moment before carefully making his way to her shoulder. Even then Deadeye was weary of her space, leaning away from her slightly in an attempt to make her more comfortable no matter how awkward they must have looked. "Super weird! But I don't care! She's letting me up!" He managed in the most hushed and yet excited chirp ever conceived by a pokemon. It took everything within the Rowlet not to try and nuzzle her cheek! When Deadeye looked down at her arm he noticed the goose-bumps there and took them as intended. She was still very uneasy about holding him... But at least she was trying? "I hope she keeps being good. I think I scare her a little." The poor owl did not understand her fear of him, after all, she had chosen him and he was doing his best. But again, she was trying and that was all he needed to be content for the moment while they began their stroll to wherever it was that the humans intended to go.

Had Llonora her wits about her when Cyren began to pat her head as if she were still ten years old, she would have cuffed him a good one for sure. Since the woman was much more preoccupied with the creeping sensation of her Pokemon clambering onto her arm, however, the action was ignored almost entirely, her skin breaking out just slightly under his touch even when she realized the physical action was neither harmful nor painful to her. "I'm definitely not staying her alone again. If we gotta walk, then let's get this over with." She huffed while following them until they finally encountered a Pokemon she readily recognized! "Oh! Hey a machop!" She sneered, removing a Pokeball from her belt only to scowl when Cyren's Ledyba immediately engaged it. This was hardly fair! The first Pokemon she knew how to use effectively and her brother had managed to get to it first?! With a sigh she continued to hold the ball in her palms in the 'unfortunate' event that all of his Pokemon were defeated, her eyes narrowing as she actually leaned into her grass type and muttered - "If they all lose you knock that thing down so we can catch it M'kay?"
She had hardly finished the sentence before the struggle ended with the bug type just narrowly defeating the Machop, Llonora's shoulders slumping when she put her own empty ball away and fell into step behind her brother once more.

"I dunno, if I fight another bird I think it's a pecking contest so.." He responded automatically when the Litten spoke to him, bobbing up and down enthusiastically while the fight continued. He was pleasantly surprised that the Ledyba had done so well against its opponent, especially given that it had already been defeated twice today! Once the battle was over, Rowlet's pupils seemed to dilate while it observed Cyren and his bug type, a happy chirp following soon after. "I think that the bugger is... What is the human word? Smitten? I think it is smitten with your trainer!"

Llorona Braithwaite


"Type advantage? Ledyba is a- uh..." Despite knowing how absolutely stupid she looked whenever she actually paused to think, Llonora stopped a moment and seemed to go into deep thought, remembering page after page of her Pokemon combat and study course until something in her finally clicked, causing the female to rub the back of her head as she reddened. "Oh yeah - Bug-type and flying type. I guess it did have the advantage. That does not make it any less cool that she managed to knock that Machop out... If you had failed I would'a been right there to catch it and rub it in your face!" Clearly she was in a good mood with the Rowlet on her shoulder,  even if a small part of her had been completely serious about taking advantage of the situation should it have occurred. Llonora actually started to take in her surroundings while they walked, somewhat due to the fact that the area was quite pretty even if she didn't much care for the outdoors - with the other, more prominent reason being that she shivered whenever she met eyes with the owl pokemon now that it was a foot from her face. Anything was better to stare at than it's blank eyes.
"Ledyba and trainer, sittin' in a tree~! K-...Erm... Kissing." If the Rowlet was afraid that the Ledyba would attack it, the little grass type showed none of his fear, chirping lightly so as not to frighten his trainer. He was happy the bug had ended up with Cyren, the trainer seemed to love it like he loved all of his Pokemon so far. While they walked, Rowlet amused itself by watching the Litten, his sharp eyes dilating repeatedly whenever the small fire starter would run ahead. "I wanna come play but I dunno if my trainer is going to let me snuggle her more if I leave." Deadeye called to the Litten at one point, shrinking down a bit when the noises he had made seemed to startle Llonora.  He only hoped she got over whatever nervousness she felt soon so that he could be by her side every day. By the time they had reached their stopping point, Llonora yawned lazily, settling herself down onto the first rock she came across in this particular area and slumping forward. A small part of her hoped the Rowlet would fall or fly away once she did so but the thing seemed very determined not to leave her... Which she supposed was okay for now. At least it had stopped squawking into her ear. "Huh? What - this guy?" She asked, snorting and pointing to the owl on her shoulder before waving her brother off. She might have enjoyed the perceived comment but that did not mean the woman had any intention of letting Cyren know that. "He isn't all bad for a bird." Stretching herself out a bit and crossing her legs, the green-eyed woman looked at her brother deviously and smirked - using her best little sister voice to try and coax him into giving into an impossible demand. "Oh yes, mother will be so proud of me. Maybe if you just... Ya know, spin the story a bit and let her know just how impressed you are the old hag might let me come home tomorrow? You are her baby boy after all!" She giggled, straightening out her dress. Of course he wouldn't do that for her but it never hurt to hope she could be on a plane tomorrow back to her hometown.

Llorona Braithwaite


"Hey!" Deadeye jumped from his trainer's shoulder and into the dirt, flaring his wings a bit in irritation at the comment provided by the bug type Pokemon. He had only been teasing the Ledyba but the annoying insect seemed to think it was alright to insult him as a result. "Birds eat bugs, remember that." He chittered in warning, his head turning completely around when he realized what he had done. Llonora seemed to be staring at him with the same look she had been wearing most of the day again, probably as a result of his shrill cry and sudden movement from her shoulder. "Oh no..." Turning its full attention back to his trainer, the Rowlet hopped along the ground carefully until he was at her feet, nudging his soft feathered face against her leg gently in apology. She seemed to understand at first but that did not stop the woman from drawing her legs up onto the rock a few moments later and wrap her arms around them. He had been so close but the Ledyba had ruined it for him! The Rowlet hung its head a bit, waddling a bit closer to the rock and puffing itself out. He would have to avoid touching her again it seemed, but that did not mean he was going to stray any further from her than completely necessary in case some other annoying insect or rock monster thought they could bother his trainer!

"I know, I know! But it doesn't hurt to hope okay? But how else is she going to know if I am doing well unless she either flies here - which we both know isn't happening or asks you how I'm doing? You could definitely put in a good word, I am your sister after all!" The 'positives' he spoke of caused Llonora's eyes to nearly roll back into her head, the woman heaving a sigh after her Rowlet scared the living day out of her shortly after. It was upset about something clearly and she really just hoped it wasn't another wild Pokemon coming out of the woodwork. She had, had all she could stand of this area and it's nature for one day. As Cyren released his Machop the girl seemed to almost have a moment of clarity. Should she have chosen to, she could have easily let her own partners out and let them play. "Are you gonna be naming them all? And weird names at that... I got a skitty had home that we've had for six years and I haven't named it yet." She shrugged, seemingly ignoring his comment regarding how good the Rowlet was going to be for her. If she was going to be traveling with it and he was going to keep being fantastic in a fight - then sure, she could handle how alien the thing was. But that did not mean she was going to like him any more than she absolutely had to. She watched Cyren's Machop for a few moments before recalling her earlier thought - carelessly tossing her three other Pokeballs to the ground in front of her one at a time until a small crowd consisting of a black rat, a tree-shaped rock, and a ... well, a not tree-shaped rock sat before her, each of them looking first to each other and then to her in immediate confusion. Thankfully a few chitters from Deadeye seemed to get their attention and prevent panic. Whatever the little Owl had said it had straightened the others out.