take a look at my hands [volkner]

[Cassie]

[Sarchu!]

He had heard the rumors floating around Lavender Town. It was hard to miss them- it was one of the main features of the small, mysterious town. As soon as he set foot in there he had been bombarded by people telling him of the strange things that were always occurring around the seemingly peaceful town. Of course, during the day he had manned up and pretended to not care. But now that it was dark and scary, and he was no longer in the town but a creepy looking forest, the only light being that from the cell phone clutched in his hands as he frantically typed on it in some attempt to keep himself sane.

The light did not do anything to help his situation. If anything, it made it worse as its feeble rays caused more and more shadows to scare him and make him jump, as if he wasn't doing that enough already. Indeed the blonde looked terrified out of his wits as he continued his walk, making quite a ruckus as he stepped all over leaves and branches.

The truth was, Volkner, Gym Leader and self-proclaimed "big, brave, strong, man" was terrified of ghosts and ghost Pokemon.

Even if someone didn't believe in ghosts, they had to admit that Ghost Pokemon existed. People hadn't not believed in them for AGES. They had been around forever. As if they weren't enough, with being able to be invisible and do who KNOWS what, there were the ghosts of people, too. He could only imagine what they would do... So far, in his text conversation with Flint he had decided that they were going to seduce him (if they had the chance) and then steal his soul and brain.

Well that wouldn't do at all, would it? He NEEDED his soul. It was a pretty important part of him, actually, and he would rather keep it. What would it be like without a soul, anyway...? He shuddered at the thought, and was about to see if the internet connection on his phone was going to work so that he might be able to bring up a map (for he had conveniently left his own who knows where) when an awful noise reached his ears.

It sounded like... crying? Something like that. It was too soft for him to really hear it well enough. Still, the hair on his neck prickled and he stopped, still as a statue as his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. What was he supposed to do now?! If it was a ghost and it was invisible, it could be right behind him even as he thought about what to do. Was it his imagination, or was that a hand on his shoulder...?

Volkner gave a sort of strangled yell, and took off in whatever direction he could manage, still continuing somehow to text with the phone in his hand. However, for the second time that night he came to a stop as a figure loomed in front of him.

IT HAD A HAT.

He managed to type this to Flint, in case he died or something at least his best friend would know it was a hatted ghost that had done it, before surprise at the small shale that overtook the figure caused him to drop his phone. The small light danced across the area for a moment before he scrambled to pick it up, taking a deep breathe.

He could do this. Really. He just had to face his fears... Now or never... He probably couldn't run. Would it chase him? He hoped not. That was the stuff of horror movies (that he never watched- he just lied about it of course. being scared was not manly.) Taking another deep breathe, he closed his eyes and charged towards the creature, giving a sort of battle yell as he did so. He had no idea what he intended to do, but he had to do something, and at least he would die doing something that SEEMED heroic, then.

At least, it might have been had he not tripped over a branch, landing right in front of the figure.

An icy fist clenched around his heart as he raised his arms over his face, yelling and cursing and pleading for it not to kill him.

"Please don't hurt me, I'm too young and awesome to die, a-and I promise I won't invade your territory anymore I just want to get out of here and to Celadon City, I hear they have an all girl's Gym, and-and-"[/b] He was rambling, obviously, running on and on about everything he would do better if he wasn't killed. "I promise I won't cause any more black-outs or say anything mean to Flint ever again, even as a joke-"[/b] He rambled on for a bit, eyes shut tight, arms flailing a bit for effect.

...Why had he lost that map...?



ooc: OMG so bad i apologize. ;o; <333

[Cassie]

[/b][/color]

She informed the man in cool, calm tones that held authority and didn't betray her inner weakness. Although her words were stronger than she felt, her appearance was a traitor. The blonde hadn't yet managed to put on her pokerface, and there were still tear tracks on her blanched cheeks and her eyes were still wide with various emotions. Domino refused to dwell on it though, and decided that the man couldn't really use her less the competent visage against her, could he? After all, he was the one lying in the dirt, and he would be flailing his arms around like a toddler if she wasn't holding his wrists to prevent that. She totally had the upper hand in this situation, tear tracks or not.

"I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"[/color]

She kept her tones calm and hopefully soothing as if she were speaking to a spooked Pokemon. Not that she really went out of her way to talk to spooked Pokemon, she was normally the one spooking them in the first place. Domino sent her violet gaze downwards, studying the top of the mans head, as she tried to summon some sort of inspiration that would help her deal with the situation. Instead she found herself taking notice of his hair.

"Nice hair."[/color]

She observed mildly, deciding that the final comment as about as close to reassuring as this man was going to get for the time being. Hopefully he would clam down sometime soon...

ooc: Haha, scared Volky is so funny. Sorry about the power-playing with the wrist thing, I can edit if you like?[/ul]

[Sarchu!]

In his slightly hysterical state the young man did not even notice at first that the "ghost" seemed just as frightened as he was. Well, alright, maybe not AS frightened. Or even close to as scared as he was, but she at least did not seem to be enjoying his heroic break onto the scene. Of course, it was only expected that that wouldn't work at all. If anything it was stupider than heading into the forest without a map. But he would have time to berate himself for his acts of stupidity later.

He was too busy continuing with his repents in hope that the spirit might feel generous enough to let him go, including an apology for lying about being sick so he could miss the Sinnoh Gym Leader's Conference and go to the beach. It soon became clear, however, that the spirit could care less about him apologizing for every wrong thing he had ever done, which was made apparent as a hand closed around his wrist.

A prickle of fear was sent down his back, but a small, sensible voice somewhere in the back of his brain told him that ghosts couldn't grab people... Or could they? He didn't really want to dwell on something like that at a time like this, however. He was going to have to use his thought process to help him escape, not decide on the abilities of a ghost. He vaguely realized that it was speaking to him now, as well, so he cautiously opened his eyes in hopes that he wouldn't find something awful with fangs or something looking back at him.

Well, she didn't look like a ghost. But, did ghosts always look like ghosts? What was she doing out here by herself? He supposed anyone could ask him the same question, but that was irrelevant. He was older; this girl looked to only be a teenager or something. And he had his Pokemon (who had refused to come out of their pokeballs in such a spooky place. They were so loyal!) to protect him if the need really arose. Volkner's attention was soon grabbed as she spoke again, this time saying that she wasn't going to hurt him. Somehow managing to find his courage, he sputtered out a reply.

"Well of course you'd say that! What kind of ghost would tell someone that they're going to hurt them?!" While he was already having doubts on whether this girl was really a ghost or not, he had to make sure. Generally asking someone if they were a ghost right out was not the best way to go, but he was running thin on options, here. Still, she was complimenting him. Did ghosts compliment people?

...They did if they were trying to steal their SOUL.

He winced at the thought, but still deemed it polite to respond. It was more of a reflex. Ghostly person or not, when someone complimented him he only found it polite to thank them, and if he was feeling really generous grant them with a compliment from him (which meant a lot, to be sure.)

"Th-thanks?"[/b] His eyes looked up, as if trying to see his hair to confirm that it was actually there. His voice sounded a little squeakier than he had intended it, so he cleared his throat before continuing. "I like your... hat."[/b] Although for reasons unknown to him it had terrified him at first, it was still the most noticeable things from his position on the ground. Oh, except for the fact that she was blonde, too. Could a blonde really attack another fellow blonde?!

"...What's wrong with you?" He questioned rather suddenly, eyebrows raising as he noticed her face. Had she been crying? That might have explained the mysterious noise, but... It was certainly random, but he noticed small things like these. Perhaps she was upset for not being able to capture any unwilling humans that night...

Okay, he really needed to stop.


ooc: idk, idk. xD i rambleee, i'm sorry.

[Cassie]

[/color][/b]

She said with a shrug, and then pursed her lips slightly as a thought occurred to her.

"I guess a ghost who was so badass it just didn't give a fuck, or something..."

She murmured, and it wasn't until after the words had slipped free from her lips that she remembered she was meant to be calming the rabid man down, not putting the fear of ghosts back into him. Oh well, no point crying over spilt milk was there? Domino tried to fashion an encouraging smile onto her lips when he finally gathered the balls to actually look up at her, but she had a sneaking suspicion it lacked a little of the encouragement vibe she'd been going for. She bit back a giggle at the squeaky words, realizing just in time that it would be very unhelpful to laugh.

"Thanks, it's awesome, right?"

She agreed with his compliment with the lack of modesty she was infamous for. Well, in certain circles anyway. She looked at his face carefully, judging his sanity. She didn't want to have to keep holding onto his wrists, and he didn't look like he was about flailing anytime soon.

"I'm going to let you go now, okay? If you try and hit me, I'll castrate you. Got it?"

She delivered this manhood-crippling threat quite calmly, in her 'spooked pokemon' voice before very slowly uncurling her fingers and releasing her grip on the mans wrists. His next words caused some puzzlement to etch itself onto her expression. She decided really she should be asking his question, because it was clear he was the one with the problem, but then she remember what he was talking about. Her hand went to her cheek, and she could feel the dampness on her fingertips. Any colour she'd managed to regain was lost in a matter of seconds as her skin went deathly pale again. She'd nearly managed to push it all away, but now he'd brought it crashing back around her.

"I... I.... I...k-killed somebody..."

She stumbled over the whispered words, feeling tears begin to shimmer in her gaze once more. She raised this tear filled gaze to Volkner, almost beseechingly in a silent plea for him to... Fix her, help her? She didn't know at the moment, she was drowning again and needed somebody to save her. She didn't care that he was a stranger... Right now, he was all she had.

... At least he was blonde. That counted for something, right? [/ul]

[Sarchu!]

Well, of course a ghost would not tell him they were a ghost, but for the sake of not sounding redundant Volkner didn't say that out loud. He was almost absolutely certain that she was human by this point, but the idea of running into a ghost in Lavender Town and living was too exciting a story to pass up. He would probably just tell everyone that he had indeed seen a ghost, and narrowly escaped it's clutches with his amazing skills. That would put an end to those (true) rumors that he was scared of ghosts!

At her murmured statement about the type of ghost that would say that sort of thing, he gave a snort of laughter.

"Hilarious. Scare the guy while he's down, right?" It was more a joke than anything, as he could practically feel his courage come back now that he realized he was not alone in this insane forest. Of course, he had no idea that the girl also had no inkling where they were or how to get back or anything. He wasn't going to think about that anyway- it would crush his only hope. She seemed to be trying to reassure him, but rather than help him it made him feel a little more embarrassed. He had acted like a scared idiot, and this girl had seen it. Hopefully she didn't know who he was, or else he would be the laughing-stock of the Sinnoh Gym Leaders. Right now it was Roark, with his rock...thing, but it would not take long for it to pass to him.

"Er, what? Oh, yeah, definitely awesome." He blinked back into the conversation, attempting to make it as normal as two people talking about the weather, which sounded slightly out of place for a guy lying on the ground as an upset-looking girl grabbed his wrists to stop him flailing about ghosts. "It, um, goes nicely with your wonderfully blonde hair."

At her statement about letting go of his wrists, he allowed his eyes to stray the them. He had almost forgotten that they had been grabbed like that, but now that it had been brought to his attention it was bugging him a little. So he was certainly relieved when she let go of them, and the first thing he did was scramble up so that he was no longer lying on the ground but sitting.

His next action was to give a groan as a hand ran through his hair, which was now covered in stray leaf bits. Why did this always happen to him?

"Relax! I don't hit girls. ...On purpose." He added as almost an afterthought, as he had obviously succeeded in hitting her somehow. But it hadn't been on purpose or anything! He was just trying to ward off evil spirits. He should have taken that Cleanse Tag that old lady had offered, but Flint's warning about crazy old ladies had caused him to attempt to flee from that situation as quickly as possible. He made a sort of face at her threat, but didn't say anything. He didn't know her- he didn't know if she was really capable of putting any sort of threat into action, but he really didn't want to find out, as for one thing he had just stated that he didn't hit girls.

Run from girls? Yes. But normally it was the other way around.

A quizzical expression found its way onto his face as she seemed to change so quickly just from his question. Before he really had time to take this into account, however, she had spoken once more, and what she said sent waves of disbelief and slight terror and pity crashing down upon him.

"You... what now?" He choked, eyes widening quite a bit. She had killed someone?! But she was so young! And she certainly didn't look like she went around killing people normally. But, of course, looks could be deceiving. The slightly panicking part of his brain wanted to say something about how he was scared for a good reason then, but the sensible part quickly kicked its ass, so he was left with gaping at her for a moment instead of doing anything.

Looking as if he was going to say something, he stopped immediately at the look she sent him. Was she... crying? Oh, no, he had never been good with crying... But if anyone had a reason to cry, he supposed she did. She seemed to regret what she had done (if she had really done it; he could still hardly believe it) so for the moment he decided that he was safe for now... and should probably do something to help.

He didn't know why he thought it- he had never met this girl before. He didn't know her name, and as far as he knew had never even seen her out on the street or anything. But here he was, in the middle of a creepy forest near Lavender Town, feeling that he absolutely had to do something to try and make her feel even a little better. He was not good with this sort of thing- he wasn't big on talking about feelings or anything, or comforting people, but he had to try something.

"I-I'm... sorry?" He said quietly (and a little awkwardly) as he glanced up at her tear-filled face. Biting his lip, he did the only thing he could think to do: grab this stranger and pull her into a slightly awkward hug. It was the only thing he could think of. When he was younger and cried, that was always what his parents did. They just hugged him and told him it was alright, and for some reason he believed them and felt better almost immediately. Sure, he had never killed anyone, and had probably been crying about something like a lost stuffed animal, but it might work in this case, as well.

He just hoped she wouldn't misinterpret it as him hitting her and make true to her threat.


ooc: FAIL.

[Cassie]

[/b][/color]

She muttered, using the heel of her hands to scrub the last of the tears from her face. She couldn't believe how stupid she was acting. She was a professional, she could break down like this. She needed to learn to get a grip, but normally she did. Normally she dug her heels in, and kept her pokerface on and took everything the world threw at her. But for some reason, she today she broke. She didn't understand it, and she certainly didn't want to relive it. She took a few breathes to try and calm herself, before she dared looked back at Volkner.

"I don't even know your name."[/color]

She said softly, biting back an almost hysterical giggle threatening to escape. Oh, she was not doing the giggle thing. No way José!
[/ul]

[Sarchu!]

At the very least, he was relieved that she hadn't attacked him for even touching her. It was really the only thing he could think to do in the situation. Crying person = hug. That was really the extent of his thought process on that one, so he could only be grateful that all of him was still attached. Hell, it even seemed to be helping... Maybe a little anyway, as she continued her sobbing, clutching his jacket. It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that he did not even mind (or think of) that last bit.

He supposed he should have said something, as well, but what did you say in that kind of situation? "It's going to be alright," would just be a lie, wouldn't it? For all he knew it wouldn't be alright. For all he knew, as son as this was done he was going to be her next victim. But... he didn't think so. So, not for the first (or second or third) time in his life, he didn't listen to that reasonable part that was saying "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING." He just kind of went with it, slightly annoyed at himself for not really knowing what he was doing. He might even be making things worse.

When she had gotten a hold of herself and let go, she seemed to be apologizing. He blinked once more, attempted to clear his muddled brain. "I-it's alright." was all he could think to say. He felt like she would practically be able to see the gears in his brain moving.

"Me? I'm... Volkner. That's right, Volkner."[/b] He looked rather proud of himself for remembering his own name. "What's yours? Er, well, if you want... to tell me that is."[/b] He supposed if she had killed someone she might be a little reluctant to tell him her name. Who could blame her, really?

"Uh... do you... want to talk about it?"[/b] He winced involuntarily. That was the phrase always used on him when his parents had wanted to pry into his life and know every little detail. He wasn't prying, really! He just... wanted to know. Was that so wrong really? No! At least not in his opinion. He couldn't help but hold onto the idea that maybe it was self-defense. Perhaps she had been attacked and in defending herself had gotten a little carried away? Stuff like that happened.

He doubted that she was actually going to tell him about it, but it was worth a shot. It was better than sitting here in the darkness not knowing. Vaguely he thought that maybe he should try and figure out how to get out of here... But what if like, the police were after he or something? He couldn't turn her in without knowing what had happened. Misunderstandings happened all the time, and...

...He had no idea what to do.

[Cassie]

[/b][/color]

Such a short, simple sentence yet it could so easily condemn her. Well, they'd have to catch her first, and Domino was smart enough not to get caught. Well, apart from the obvious once, but she'd been young then and far less dangerous. She was about to inform Volkner, that she could deal with the police but she didn't want to give him the impression that she was a hardened killer. Even though... She kind of was in a roundabout sort of way. Fifteen years old, and allready a killer. What a thing to tell the grandchildren.

His next words brought forth a bark of laughter from the teenager as she stared at him incredulously. Domino bit her lip as a rather cynical smile tried to fight it's way onto her lips, and ran a hand through her allready messed up hair. Did she want to talk about it? Not really, no. Talking about it made her relive it, and she kinda of wanted to forget it. But that question usually meant that somebody was undeniably curious, and she realise she owed him something, and it might as well be this.

"You really want to know?".[/color]

She said, arching one eyebrow before heaving a sigh.

"Okay then. I was sent to 'give a guy a message' a few block down from my old estate. It's my job, y'know? Anyway, he didn't like what I had to say, we fought. I'll have some nasty bruises in the morning I think, but I guess I got off lucky, considering... Considering what happened to him... I shot him Volkner. With his own gun. I... I don't shoot people. Honestly, that's not how I play the game but The B.... Somebody changed the rules so I didn't really have a choice. He died on me, I ran away. Got stripped down, showered, and given something to drink and then I ran away again, because running away is what I seem to be doing at the moment...[/color]

Domino sighed again, rubbing her temples lightly as she forced herself to remain where she was and not to get up and run away once more.

"Then... Then you turned up, and you know what happened then, right? So yeah, that's been my evening broken down for you... Any questions?"[/color]

Domino couldn't help the slight edge that entered her final words; cynical, bitter and full of resentment. Sometimes... Sometimes she really did hate her job and the life it made her lead, but then she just focused on the money. The life saving money that was going to make her into somebody... She lifted her violet gaze to Volker, waiting to his reponse to her blunt words. [/ul]

[Sarchu!]

Domino, huh? Well he had never heard that name before. (This was almost a relief to him- he hadn't heard it on any "Kanto's Most Wanted" shows or anything, for one thing.) Although maybe it was a codename. Maybe she was a secret agent of something. It was plausible... Right? ...He really needed to stop letting his imagination get the better of him, especially in a time like this. Now was not the time to be imagining the girl in front of him as a secret agent, doing those rolls down hallways with her own theme song.

...Whatever he was eating, he needed to stop.

At her question of whether he really wanted to know of not, he gave a sort of nod-shake of the head. Part of him didn't want to know. Maybe it would be better not to know this sort of thing, and just go on with his life pretending it never happened. But, he knew he couldn't do that. Besides... He couldn't help but be curious. And maybe telling someone might make her feel better? Make it seem more real, at the very least. As he had thought a million times already tonight, he was not experienced in this sort of thing, but he had been bored enough to read random books around the house, including (he was ashamed to admit) some of his mother's old magazines that talked about this sort of stuff sometimes.

...He didn't like being bored, okay?

Volkner remained silent throughout her explanation, his expression serious, which might have been an unusual feature to those that knew him. But it was a serious situation, and he seemed to appreciate the graveness of it at least... Until he opened his mouth. When she finished and gave the short, bitter question he could only think to say one thing: "Yes, Miss Domino. I forgot my homework, can i have an extension?"[/b] he had muttered weakly, shaking his head.

STUPID, STUPID. Here she was telling him about KILLING someone, and he was cracking jokes! Well that was just the way he was, he supposed, but couldn't he have stopped for at least this? Hopefully she wouldn't take that opportunity to knock his teeth out or something. Still, it was a lot to take in, and attempting to joke was the only thing he could think to do before being able to let everything sink in. It was her... Job? Her job was to do that sort of stuff? Was she really a secret agent, as he had so foolishly suggested to himself? Still... The idea of how young she was kept popping up in his head. She was too young to have something like that as a job. He didn't know her, either, but seeing the way she had reacted to doing it... The thought that she just didn't deserve something like that kept floating up int his head. Without realizing it, his fists clenched and unclenched in anger.

"Who the hell would give you jobs like that?! What's wrong with people, really?! U-unless you... like it... but... It doesn't seem like you do. That's not fair, Domino. It's just not."[/b] He was rambling again. It seemed to be a common occurrence with him. He couldn't help but think that she probably thought he was insane, and was pretty close to how she had at least felt at first, if not still felt.

He wearily ran a hand through his leaf-colored blonde hair, suddenly feeling very tired. And maybe older. Being the type of person who tried to ignore all the wrongs of the world, having something like that thrown in his face was not easy. But he couldn't just ignore this, even if he had wanted to try. Still, that didn't make it any easier. He almost didn't know what to say to the girl anymore.

"Just... shit. This is ridiculous. I mean... Come on! Who... who does that... FUCK."[/b] His elegant response was accompanied by his grabbing a fistful of grass and yanking it from the ground in annoyance, confusion, and anger. He then proceeded to throw the grass up into the air, causing the blades to float down upon both of them.

"...Sorry." The quiet reply came soon after, before being followed by more talking. She was probably going to get sick of that real fast. "Listen, Domino. I don't know you, you don't know me, but... You still told me all of this. I don't think you're lying... Er, you're not going to have to kill me for telling me this, are you? ...That's dumb, sorry for asking. But, I mean... It seems like you regret it... Right? So... I guess..."[/b] He gave an annoyed sigh. He was NOT GOOD at this sort of thing! DAMMIT. "Is there anything that I could like... do?" He winced. That was a stupid question, too. He was just full of stupidity tonight, honestly.

Wow, Volkner. Your parents would be so proud. Asking to help a murderer. But then, he never saw things as black and white as them, anyway.


ooc: ...I THINK I'M EATING TOO MUCH SUGAR. D:

[Cassie]

[/b][/color]

She said softly, echoing the first words she'd spoken to him when he'd quite literally landed at her feet.

"Secondly, we need to get all that shit out of your hair."[/color]

She shuffled forward, and leant towards the man her movements slow so that he wouldn't think she was trying to kill him as he'd suggested earlier. Her slender fingers went to his head, as she began to pluck the debris from his blonde locks. She didn't hurry through the task, as she had her own motives for grooming the male in such a fashion. Domino had learnt that in some conversations, you had to have something to distract yourself. If she sat there still and looking him in the eyes she didn't think she'd be able to say the words, whereas the leaf covered hair allowed her to gather her thoughts and fashion them into words.

"Thirdly... It's complicated. I don't expect you to fully understand, and I'll be suprised if you do. I'll try and explain, but I've never been to good at these things. Who does this? Well, my chest is in your face so take a look at the big R, it should give you a clue. And before you freak that I'll freak that your staring at my boobs, don't worry I won't. You're safe there. This is my job, it's the game I play. As for whether I like it... I love it, I'm just not in love with all of it. I like the money, and the freedom that gives me, and the way I can walk through the rough parts of town without having to be scared. But I don't really like the blood and the killing... But, like I said, the money is good. I'm in this whole thing for the money..."[/color]

She heaved a sigh, and removed the last blades of grass from Volkner's head. She didn't move for a moment, just stayed there with her hands in the other mans hair before she mvoed backwards again, and offered him a quicksilver smile.

"I guess that makes me a bad person, but to be honest, I'm not bothered by morality. As for you... Thanks for just... Y'know, the whole sobbing thing. Not a lot of people would do that. Feel free to run away like fuck now if you want Volkner, I won't blame you or try and stop you...Oh, and I promise I won't kill you. Spy's honour."[/color]

Domino laughed softly to herself, and gazed off into the trees in the direction Volkner had come from. A thought suddenly struck her, and she turned back to the male eagerly.

"Wait! Before you run for you life... Did you come here from Lavander Town? Becuase I have no idea where the fuck I am, so any help would be much appreciated..."[/color]

She trailed off as she realised she had no right to ask for help, and chewed her lip, wondering what Volkner's reaction would be.
[/ul]

[Sarchu!]

As she spoke, Volkner blinked, glancing back towards her. A sheepish grin bloomed on his face. He really did need to calm down, he supposed, but it wasn't something he could help. It was a distressing situation, after all! But he was really not helping matters at all, and he needed to keep his cool. He could scream into a pillow later (and he probably would, if he ever managed to get home.) But that would be for later; for now he had to deal with it as best he could, so he nodded (perhaps a little too vigorously) in agreement.

"R-right! Of course! Just call me Mr. Composure." If not for his awkward position sitting n the ground, he might have struck some kind of pose (because that always made everything cooler), but instead he settled for an attempt at a grin. It wasn't his best work, but it would have to do for the moment. His eyes followed her hands silently as they roamed to his hair to get rid of all of the leaves and such. Ordinarily he would not allow anyone to touch his amazing head of hair (he spent a lot of time on it, after all) but it really was getting ridiculous with the amount of crap getting stuck in there. It had to come out sooner or later. And she seemed to understand the importance of blonde hair, so he let it slide.

"Thanks. Nature's great and all, but not on my head."[/b]

She had come to what seemed to be another speech, another one that he avoided interrupting. He was getting good at that, really. He didn't understand, though. Well, that was putting it lightly. When she mentioned looking at her chest, he took a hesitant look and that confirmed her story of being in Team Rocket. Team Rocket...? He'd heard about them. They had never been big in Sinnoh, but he knew that Kanto always had problems with them. It was in the paper occasionally, as the news from other regions was also written down in Sinnoh. They... weren't good, to put it in simplest terms. They stole, hurt people... murdered... his eyes frantically glance back up towards the girl as ice dropped into his stomach. Had she ever been one of the people he heard about in the news? It was possible, he supposed. But, even with the uniform, it just didn't seem real.

She didn't seem like the Team Rocket type. What was the Team Rocket type? He had no idea. And yet, here she was, telling him about how she had killed someone, and how she liked being in the organization, enjoyed the way it made her feel. At least, she didn't like the killing. Said she didn't like the killing, but he felt like this whole little thing was enough to prove that she didn't like it. Well, it made sense for someone belonging to something like that to like at least some of it. Why would they even bother anyway? It was a dangerous life, he could see. He supposed he should really be bothered by how calmly she was telling him all of this, but he didn't have time to think about that.

"Well... Damn. You're right, I don't understand, and... I'm not going to pretend to. I'd be awful at it anyway. Much better to tell the truth abut understanding things, so you don't look dumb."[/b] He let out a breathe, giving a small shrug. "I guess... I can understand that there are things you would like about it... Obviously. I don't know enough about it or anything to know if it's worth it, worth... stuff like this. I don't even know you, so I'm not going to give you some kind of... lecture or something about the forces of good and evil or whatever. That stuff gets boring, anyway, real life isn't like that. So... I don't know."[/b] Was it enough to not know? Was it enough to admit that he didn't know, admit that he didn't understand and that he might never? Enough, to know all of this, and still be sitting here right now, talking to her?

"Nah, I'm not going to run. As long as you really aren't going to kill me, and I believe you. I mean, come on! Spy's honor? That's intense."[/b] He leaned back a bit, glancing up at the canopy of trees above him for a moment, as if to see if any more light would ever penetrate them. Soon enough he returned his gaze to her, however, giving a slightly embarrassed shrug.

"I-It's not a problem. Really. I just... hate when people have to be upset."[/b] Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen! Volkner was one of those people who still continued to wish that everyone in the world could just be happy and peachy and wonderful, no matter how impossible he new it to be. He really did hate for people to be upset, however, and although he had proven not very adept at helping them, he at least tried. That was what counted... Right? And Domino seemed to appreciate it, anyway, so he gave her a smile.

This faded slightly at her next question.

"Ahh, well... Er... Lavender Town was... Like... That way? I think. It's possible, anyway. It could be that way, after all."[/b] He pointed over his shoulder, eyebrows etched in confusion. Maybe he really would have to check if the internet on his phone was working, since it seemed a map was going to be necessary at this point. "I was trying to get to Celadon, myself. B-but wait!"[/b] Suddenly, he turned towards her, an almost pleading look on his face. "You can't leave! This place is haunted, full of ghosts and ghost Pokemon, and... You can't leave me alone in here! And I can't leave you alone. They'll steal your soul!"[/b]

He had almost forgotten why he was so frightened in the first place, but it came back to him quickly enough. She had already seen him scared, so there was no use hiding it. He would just have to warn her, nevermind that she probably didn't believe in ghosts or care about the Pokemon. What kind of person would he bet to let her wander around with those things loose?!


ooc: OMG SO TIRED. Dx

[Cassie]

[/b][/color]

She agreed after a moments pause, her eyes fluttering open once more, a glint of laughter shimmering in their depths. She stretched her arms above her head, feeling the weariness of the evening creeping up on her.

"Besides, from what I've seen of your running, and all you seem to do is fall on your face."[/color]

She observed with a short laugh before heaving a sigh, and then climbing slowly to her feet. She crinkled her nose as she saw all the debris clinging to her form, and set about brushing her off. She listened to Volkner's words as she brushed a few paticularly offensive leaf's from the back of her skirt. She was confident she'd removed them all, and was about to turn and study the broken-plant trail he'd left and consider following it, when he cried out for her to wait. She fought back a giggle at his words, reminding herself that he was most likely afraid of ghosts and seeing how nice he'd been, it would be slightly too cruel to laugh. Instead she pursed her lips and considered his words, weighing them up in her mind.

"Celadon, huh? Well... It's not the far from Saffron which was where I'm heading. it shouldn't take too long to get there. Of course, that's only valid if we're where I think we are, which hopefully we are. So, seeing how you can't leave me here, and I can't leave you here, and we're both totally lost, how about we stay lost together for a bit longer and see if we can find our way out of here and hopefully become un-lost?"[/color]

She questioned with a slight smile on her lips. She extended a white gloved hand towards the male sitting before her, an extension to her offer of company as well as a hand up. She could do the whole nice thing if she wanted to, it was just that most of the time she didn't want to. So she didn't. Quite simple really.

"Oh, and I promise to get you home to Celadon with your soul intact, and mine too. Okay?"[/color]

Okay, so she giggled a little on the last words, but c'mon!? Soul stealing ghosts...? It was funny.

ooc: omg. -stabs- it's so bad, i'm soooo sorry! [/ul]

[Sarchu!]

"Falling on my face isn't all I do. It just happens to be what I've been doing a lot... tonight."[/b] The young man gave a sheepish grin in response to that. "I can do a lot of other things, you know! I am a person of many talents."[/b] He supposed he was talking too much; that was just what happened when he was scared, nervous, or any similar feelings. Hopefully she wasn't going to duck tape his mouth shut or something. He supposed she might even have some duck tape, or rope. Didn't spies have that sort of thing? To tie people up with and interrogate them? If she had been the one to stumble upon him and not vie versa, would he have been tied up to be kept out of the way...?

He really had to stop thinking about these things. It did not do to wonder about those strange possibilities, especially if he was fairly certain that they would not happen now. She had given spy's honor, after all! (it hardly mattered whether she was a spy or not. He would probably just keeping on thinking of her as one, just as he kept on thinking of her as a ghost even when he knew it wasn't true.) And then, even if he did die here tonight, at least he had warned Flint about it. Now the world would know of his awful demise. He could only imagine the sadness that Sunyshore, at least, would feel...

He stopped that train of thought immediately as he visualized parties to celebrate the end of the blackouts he had caused so often. They had already given him a huge going-away party when he came to Kanto. They would probably not miss him. But then, Flint would want to take over his Gym! And that would not do, and-

Bringing himself back to reality, he accepted her hand and got to his feet a little shakily, nearly falling over once again.

"Sounds like a plan to me!"[/b] he said, sounding much more cheerful than he felt. He felt like he wanted to hide in a tree or something until it was daylight, then run the hell out of that forest, but that wasn't going to happen. The least of the problems with that was that he had heard that this particular forest was so dense that it was even dark and eerie during the day, like that one forest he had heard of in Johto... Illix? Aylex? Something like that. It didn't really matter.

"So I've heard,"[/b] He continued on, almost conversationally as he mimicked her in brushing leaves and other forest debris off of his backside. "That is you do see a ghost, you're supposed to try and scare them back enough so that they run... er, float? off. But, how are you supposed to scare a ghost?"[/b]

He looked thoughtful for a moment. If he was a ghost, what would scare him? Besides himself? Face lighting up for a moment, he grabbed the cell phone that he had still had, and pushed a button. The screen lit up dully, and a small beam of light came out of the front of it. It was pretty pathetic as far as flashlights went, truly.

"Light!"[/b] He declared as if it was the simplest thing in the world, grinning as he waved the phone around, allowing the weak beam of light to travel through the little area. "W-well it isn't much of a light. But it's all I have... I don't know about you. Shouldn't spies have some sort of belt with useful stuff in it, like flashlights and rope and... er.... stuff?"[/b]

So, despite not really liking movies (you had to sit still for far too long) he had still at least seen a few old ones with spies and secret agents and the like. That much was obvious, at least.

With a shrug, he turned on the spot, glancing around for wherever seemed to be the best route to take towards Celadon. "Well I don't actually live in Celadon,"[/b] He said absentmindedly in an attempt to fill the dark with speech (if that made any sense at all.) "I'm from Sinnoh, visiting... Which is why I have no idea where the hell I am."[/b] After looking at a spot thoughtfully, he nodded.

"This looks promising! At least, I think it does! And you better hope no ghosts get our soul, or we'll be soulless husks for the rest of eternity."[/b] As if to prove his point, he put the "flashlight" up to his face, like some people were fond of doing when telling scary stories around a campfire.

A campfire would be WONDERFUL right now.




ooc: LOLOLOKAYDONE.
-fail-

[Cassie]

Domino took his weight easily as he pulled himself up, not that he really let her carry much of it. Her stance had shifted automatically, and even though she was a great deal shorter than the man, she was confident that she was stronger. Or at least better trained to fight. Not that she was intending to fight him, for the moment anyway. However she couldn’t help herself from thinking and calculating, it was what she did. Apart from when she wept on random forest floors and stuff like that. But that was in the past now, Domino could feel herself returning. She decided that she could credit that to Volkner, in some ways at least. For one, he meant she wasn’t alone and Domino had discovered you always felt more pathetic when you were alone. When you were with company, you had to at least try and keep up an image. Not to mention the fact she had no choice but to pull herself together again, because Volkner was acting like a total wuss and if she didn’t take charge… Mew only knew. They’d end up sitting here until daybreak or something. She half-listened as he spoke about scaring ghosts, nodding along with his words even as her eyes scanned the surrounding area. She saw tree’s mostly.

“Because falling on your face and pleading for your life is totally scary.”

She remarked with a smirk, unable to resist. Her eyes didn’t leave the trees as she scanned the area slowly, trying to pick out something that could give her any more idea about where they were. Apart from a slightly wonky looking tree, there was nothing. Zilch. Nada. Domino decided that when she was older she was going to return to this Mew forsaken bit of forest and put a bloody big signpost in it, saying ; CELADON CITY, THIS WAY!” or maybe evn ‘That Way’ but she decided to with her initial instincts which were This Way. If it failed, maybe they’d turn around and go That Way.

Her attention was snatched from her debating by a sudden glow, which made her spin around to face Volkner. She was prepared to kick a ghost in it's face, or at least try when she was aware of the fact it was just his phone. She had to admit, she was a little impressed with this common sense, and was almost about to praise him... But then he spoke.

“Oh yes Volkner, did I not mention the survival kit I have hidden in my bra?.”

The sarcasm was so obvious it was amazing it didn't jump right up and slap the blonde man right around the face. Domino rolled her eyes, wondering for the umteenth time about the mans sanity. Had she just not explained the whole killing-freakout thing? When you ran like that, you didn't normally stop to 'tool-up'. If she had, she'd be long gone. Deciding not to tell Volkner that the light he'd provided, (because he was being stupid) Domino turned back to the path he'd created and therefore the path that seemed the most logical to follow. She really needed to think, but mind didn't want to let her. It kept pushing her outside, and pretty soon it might even change the locks!

“Okaaay. If you don't live there, what's luring you towards the city of grass and perfume-loving chicks?”

She asked, not realizing she'd answered her own question by mentioning the chicks. Instead she started to walk forward towards the path, deciding it was about to time to get moving. She did glance over her shoulder to catch him holding the light to his face, and couldn't help but give a snort of laughter. The idiot.

“You are ridiculous.”

She told him, shaking her head lightly before taking another step.

“Now get moving dumbass, or I'll leave you behind for the ghost to suck your soul and shit.”

She said, biting back a smile before turning and walking away from Volkner, pushing aside wayward branches as she headed in what she hoped was the way to Lavander Town and from there... Home.