|
Post by spade on Sept 26, 2010 10:37:35 GMT -5
Each individual farewell stood out vividly in the young man’s mind as he strode down the path. Unlike his generally swift strides, the lad’s legs moved slowly as he replayed every moment again and again, his smile widening every so often, shrinking at other moments. Though Cleon was not one to dwell on past events, he decided that this was a worthy exception. He was not, after all, certain of when he would see his family members again.
Yanni, his youngest brother, had implored Cleon to not die in a desert somewhere and get eaten. Maria, elaborating on the six-year-old boy’s request, suggested that he just give up now, since he’d hardly make it to get his first pokemon, let alone a desert. The other siblings had been slightly more supportive, and even his grandfather had resigned himself to approve of his oldest grandson’s journey and wished him luck.
It had been his grandmother that accompanied him half-way to the very location she had started from so very long ago, telling him stories of her own adventures while her Ninetails provided a reenactment of the events. She had left him early-on, to prepare him for solo traveling, and give him time to think. And think he had, though very few of his thoughts drifted to what lay ahead of him. He’d face that when he got to this lab where he’d meet his new partner.
Glancing only occasionally at the directions given to him by his grandmother, the thin teenager found his way to a fork in the road. The lab was down one path, and a ranger station down the other. Ranger Station… he glanced at the note. That was not mentioned. Perhaps it was new? New being relative terms, since his only knowledge of the lab stemmed from a seventy-three year old woman. A Ranger Station sounded much more rugged and exciting than a laboratory, in any case. Cleon peered down each path, ran a hand through his already fluffed up brown hair, then struck out towards the Ranger Station, a spring added to his step as he ventured forward.
In what seemed to be only a few minutes, Cleon found himself standing before a tent. The path ended, so this must be it. Grinning with the thought of seeing what may be here, and slightly amused at the thought that he was simply barging in on some campers, he lifted the tent flap and peered inside.
|
|
|
Post by DR-@@GON on Sept 26, 2010 11:06:42 GMT -5
Ranger Alphonse ! Inside the tent there was a loud commotion as the Rangers situated around a circular fold-up table were playing poker against one another. Like any gambling table, every person had a few drinks to occupy them as they waited for their turn. It was clear by the amount of bottles near him that one man had been drinking far too much.
It was his turn now. Everyone watched with bated breath as the man looked at his cards. Giving a grin, he set down his full, five card hand. It was a full house. He laughed loudly as he raked in the pot amidst shouts of dismay and anger between the other Rangers who, despite their being a bit lightheaded, were still not nearly as drunken as Alphonse was.
"Alright! Let's start another up!" He said, pouring even more wine into his cup before suddenly he noticed a man standing in the entrance of the tent, just staring at them. Grinning, he stood up - albeit a bit unsteadily - and trudged over to Cleon, holding out his cup of wine. "Hey, man. This one's on the house, eh?" He offered, wobbling on his legs.
|
|
|
Post by spade on Sept 26, 2010 11:27:25 GMT -5
Drunks were a common sight in the village he had grown up in -- the town was surrounded by vineyards, after all -- and in an instant Cleon could see that the man had probably had enough alcohol to kill a skinny lad such as himself. Still, he didn't dwell on the fact that he was being approached by a drunken man that he did not know, and instead took a step forward to meet the fellow, taking the glass with his own much more steady grip. "Thanks, friend, I appreciate it."
He raised to glass to his nose, swirled the wine in gentle circles, and took a few tentative sniffs. An unfamiliar scent, but not too unpleasant. Taking a small sip, he paused to savor its taste before giving the interior of the tent a closer look. The wine itself was not bad, though he refused to even begin to compare it to his family's own vintages. Before much examination of the tent could be had, his eyes fell on the group of men and women with cards scattered around them. Cleon grinned. "Poker, huh? That what you guys do out here?"
Switching the glass to his left hand, Cleon stuck out his right. "Name's Cleon," he said after a moment's pause, feeling slightly silly for his lapse of manners. Though he highly doubted his current company minded much.
|
|
|
Post by DR-@@GON on Sept 26, 2010 12:01:58 GMT -5
::rangerm:: ::lickilicky:: Ranger Alphonse ! Alphonse grinned when the man took his glass and drank from it. Still unsteady on his feet, the man hobbled over to one of the foldup chairs, pulled it over, and leaned upon it. His hat slowly slid until it fell onto his eyes and was held up only by the bridge of his nose, but he did not mind in his drunken state.
"Yeaaah, poker. Although I'm the only one that really does poker. Everyone else there is a bunch of pansy pushovers." He said woozily, staring blankly at the wine glass in Cleon's left hand. Clearly he regretted handing it over to him, desiring more of the sweet sap.
His thoughts were interrupted when the man stuck out his hand. Looking up at the man, Alphonse decided he looked kind of hot. Grinning, he took the offered hand and kissed it as if it were a girls'. "Nice to meetchu, Clonny. I'm Alphonse." He introduced, still clinging onto the boy's hand.
Without waiting for him to react, he straightened - or rather attempted to. "You're here for a pok'mon, arentcha? Don't pretend you aren't," He said, smirking. "I can find you one. I'm in the ranger biz, y'see." He hiccuped.
|
|
|
Post by spade on Sept 26, 2010 12:57:23 GMT -5
"Most of my town're pushovers when it comes to Poker. I can relate," Cleon said, nodding knowingly and grinning at the so-called pansies still seated around the card table.
He hardly reacted when Alphonse grasped his hand and gave it a smooch. Choosing to go along with the drunk man's actions, Cleon fluttered his dark eyelashes and dipped a mock curtsy. The wine in the glass dipped dangerously close to the edge, though years of experience kept Cleon's hand steady enough to save the precious drops of alcohol. His hand was still held by Alphonse -- he would rather not risk tugging his hand away only to tip over the drunken fellow. Having noted the fellow's eager advances on the remaining wine, Cleon handed the man his cup.
"A ranger, you say? I should have guessed, what with your demeanor." Cleon's words were sarcastic, though the inflection was nothing more than playful observation. His face, already quite cheerful, had lit up at the mention of obtaining a Pokemon. So this was another option for starting his quest. "If you could help me find a partner, I'd be quite pleased," Cleon continued. The thought did occur to him that the man could hardly stay on his feet, let alone find him a Pokemon, though he let the concern pass. Alphonse was still pretty much a stranger, and for all Cleon knew he could hold his own even while incredibly tipsy. Cleon decided simply to keep an eye on him and make him sit down should he seem likely to vomit.
|
|
|
Post by DR-@@GON on Sept 26, 2010 13:32:45 GMT -5
::rangerm:: ::lickilicky:: Ranger Alphonse ! Alphonse's face brightened at the sight of the wine glass being offered back to him, and grasping it, he took a thankful gulp. This caused him to cough a little, shaking the wine in the now nearly empty cup. Thankfully, though, none of its contents spilled out. After he finished coughing, the drunkard belted out a laugh. "I'm such a shithead, aren't I?" He bellowed, hiccuping. Agreement rang out at the table where the other rangers had continued the game without him.
"Yeah I know. I look dashing in this uniform, don't ey?" He agreed, replying to the man's sarcastic words. He had no time to say much else before Cleon requested a pokemon. "I'm so smart, hahahaha. Okay. Here goes." He said drunkenly, removing the single pokeball from his belt. He tossed it to the side rather carelessly and watched blankly as his Lickilicky exited.
Woozily, he raised his arm and pointed to the entrance of the tent. "Get our man here a nice, sexy pokemon, will ya?" He drawled, slapping Cleon on the back. Lickilicky gave a cheeky grin at the sight of his trainer's drunken personage, but said nothing and simply exited the tent to fulfill Alphonse's request. As he left, the drunken Ranger slid into the chair he was sitting in, letting go of the boy's hand just then.
Just a few moments passed before the Lickilicky came back, bearing his prize - a Zubat that was squirming and flapping in the grasp of the huge, pink pokemon's tongue. Looking up, Alphonse smirked. "Well, it's a bit feisty, but it'll do." He slurred, tossing Cleon a pokeball.
::zubat::
|
|
|
Post by spade on Sept 26, 2010 13:54:25 GMT -5
Cleon laughed along with the Rangers at Alphonse's words and antics, though he shook his head in disagreement. He didn't feel like actually voicing this, though a simple shake of his head might indicate that he'd seen drunker men? If he even noticed the gesture, which seemed quite unlikely.
The air was temporarily knocked out of his lungs when the man smacked him playfully on the back; it took a moment for the thin Cleon to regain his composure, though he was smiling with anticipation as soon as he had caught his breath. He was uncommonly silent while the strange pink Pokemon was off attending to its business, staring at the tent flap anxiously. Upon its return, he at first saw nothing, then laughed at what he did see squirming in the large Pokemon's mouth.
"A Zubat?" he said, barely holding back laughter. How many times had he and his siblings tried catching those as they fluttered about at night? Cleon couldn't recall. The idea of raising one of these common pest Pokemon was delightful. Zubats at the farm had, despite common perceptions, never flown into anyone's hair. Perhaps he'd change that at some point when he stopped by for a visit. The idea made his smile grow all the wider. "Feisty's good for me," Cleon replied happily, catching the red and white sphere. Without a moment's pause, he tossed the Pokeball at the fluttering Zubat.
|
|
|
Post by DR-@@GON on Sept 26, 2010 14:22:47 GMT -5
::rangerm:: ::lickilicky:: Ranger Alphonse ! Lickilicky held the flapping Zubat in place as the pokeball left Cleon's fingers. The sphere came, tapping the writhing bat on its blind head and sucking the pokemon inside. Too weak from attempting to exit the fat, pink pokemon's grasp, the mammal had no choice but to allow itself to be captured. The ball had only rolled frantically for a few seconds before falling to a stop, soon emitting a loud beep to signify capture.
Alphonse grinned widely. "Well well, let me go get a starter pack for yaa.." He slurred, standing up. However, getting up so quickly caused him to lose the blood in his head. Combined with his drunkenness, nausea, and utter fatigue, this was enough to leave the man utterly unconscious. Before he even straightened up, the man fainted. Lickilicky had been standing there in front of him, having expected such a thing to happen. The bulky, pink pokemon caught him before he fell, shaking his head in dissapproval of his trainer's actions.
One of the other rangers, a good-natured woman, came up to Cleon with a starter pack in her hand. "Here. Don't worry about Alphonse - this is pretty normal for him." She said, flashing a white-toothed grin before sashaying back to the table.
You caught a Zubat!
::zubat:: Name: Gender: Type: ::epoison:: ::eflying:: Level: 5 Ability: Inner Focus Attacks: Leech Life, Supersonic, Zen Headbutt Personality:
You also recieved:
::pokeball:: x5 ::potion:: x3 ::pokedex:: x1
>> Tunes - AA Investigations - Confess the Truth [Extended] >> Tags - Modded ! >> Ooc - This was fun. <3 [/size][/left]
|
|
|
Post by spade on Sept 26, 2010 14:49:50 GMT -5
Cleon picked up the Pokeball from where it had landed on the ground, his hand shaking with excitement as he stared at the sphere. It was only a Zubat, but it was his. The name "Prometheus," from his grandfather's stories, came to mind. He nodded at the thought, satisfied with the name. Hopefully this little critter wouldn't suffer the same fate. Or maybe Cleon was this Prometheus's Herakles? Yes. He'd go with that.
Brought back to reality by Alphonse slumping to the ground in a heap -- luckily saved by the pink blob -- Cleon stared blankly for a moment. Starter pack? There was more? He glanced at the other Rangers for assistance, and was saved quite swiftly. The woman had seemed to anticipate this turn of events. "I'm sure that it is," Cleon said, grinning back and clutching his new possessions.
"Maybe I'll come back someday, when Alphonse is a bit more sober, and play some poker with you all." Cleon slung the bag holding his starting equipment over his shoulder and clipped the Pokeball containing Zubat onto his belt. After saying his farewells to the Rangers and thanks to the Lickilicky, Cleon started off, no longer alone, on his quest for... well, he wasn't quite certain what he was questing for. But it sure would be interesting, whatever ended up happening.
ooc|| Indeed it was! I am fond of drunken Al. <3
|
|