[PRP] Over the River...

[Tymiko]

It was another wonderful day; early morning, to be exact. The sun had barely started to peek through the tree tops when a few soft fingers of it rays reached the girl resting in a canopy cradle. She yawned and shook the drowsiness off, detesting the idea of sleep. Best thing would be to get down and find some body of water to splash on her face. Nothing like cold water to wake one up in the morning!

When she climbed back to the soft, earthy ground, though, Tymiko realized that someone was missing. Her bag was hidden behind the foliage at the tree's base, as usual, but the pokemon who usually guarded it was gone. Both of them, come to think of it. Neither Fathom nor Distance were there.

"...Fathom?" she called quietly, peering through the dense greenery. It felt wrong to disturb the cool, crisp silence of daybreak with shouting. Besides, she was fairly sure her pokemon wouldn't have gone far.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Not too far away (and completely unaware of the young trainer and her missing pokemon), someone else had had similar ideas of sleeping out in the forest. Inigo was snuggled up in a sleeping bag out under the trees, with his upper back propped up against Sonata, and had used the shiny Rapidash as both a heat source and a pillow. Not that she minded, though.

The fire-type's ear twitched at the very soft voice - she didn't catch the word, but she could at least recognize the fact that someone had spoken somewhere - and she raised her head to look around. Inigo, however, remained fast asleep while the early morning light slowly washed over him.  

[Tymiko]

"Fathom? Faaathom..." the young trainer whispered, picking up the bag and gradually making her way through the underbrush. She tried to watch where she was stepping and avoided snapping twigs or crunching leaves underfoot when she could, but at the same time she wanted her pokemon to hear her. Wild pokemon...not so much. She doubted the young eevee who remained in her possession was anywhere near ready to battle a wild pokemon one-on-one yet.

"Fath - " Ty cut herself off mid-word, freezing in place at the sight of flickering flames just beyond. Her brows furrowed and she squinted after a second, realizing that these weren't ordinary flames. They were...silver in color, and almost seemed to sparkle, shining brilliantly like normal fire did at night despite the fact that daylight was already upon them. Curious, she carefully moved a little closer, ceasing her calls altogether in order to investigate the strange phenomenon.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The girl's soft words fell on deaf ears as Inigo remained fast asleep against Sonata. The Rapidash, however, remained alert, her ears perked forward as the voice slowly got closer. She didn't know what the girl was saying, but assumed it was a name. Was she looking for someone? The fire type remained where she was, curious about the owner of the voice, though she didn't see any reason to wake her own trainer just yet.  

[Tymiko]

As the water trainer came closer, she was finally able to discover that the flames belonged to a Rapidash. A shiny one, by the looks of it, yet surprisingly it didn't seem to flee at her approach. It obviously knew she was there, judging by its attentive gaze and perked ears, and had probably known of her presence for some time, but when she saw what was lying against it, she realized why.

This pokemon had a trainer; therefore it had no reason to run away. Also, with the position of the sleeping young man lying against his pokemon, it would have been difficult for the fire-type to move without disturbing him unless he was a really heavy sleeper.

Smiling and waving a hand in a silent 'hello' to the pokemon, she continued to approach, growing closer and closer to the ground until she was crawling forward on all fours. She was careful to watch the Rapidash the whole time, not wanting to anger the pokemon especially because it was a fire-type.

Tymiko kept her distance both from the sleeping young man and his pokemon, stopping about three feet away to cross her legs and sit there in front of him. The girl stared at him, still smiling, trying not to giggle as she wondered how heavy a sleeper this boy really was.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sonata remained where she was, watching the small girl curiously. Mostly she was curious about why this strange girl was crawling on the ground and sitting there, watching them. Either way, the fire type remained calmly where she was, one ear swiveling a bit but she kept her gaze on the girl.

Since the young trainer hadn't spoken and Sonata hadn't moved, Inigo had no reason to wake up - so the Rocket remained fast asleep.  

[Kitomyx]

As her quiet noises of movement and her intense staring hadn't woken the young man up, Tymiko concluded that either this man wasn't a very light sleeper or she was getting very good at sneaking around. Or maybe she just wasn't staring at him hard enough. Who knew? Maybe the ability to 'feel someone watching you' was just a myth after all - or maybe it just didn't apply to those who were asleep.

Whatever the case, a sleeping person was a boring person. Surely this fine fellow wanted to make the most of the day. What was he doing laying about the forest floor like some prince charming with his steed? Ugh; she certainly didn't want to imagine having to kiss him. That was grown-up stuff.

"Is he yours?" Tymiko asked the pokemon, though she knew this was silly. "He's very princely, isn't he? I wonder if he's from a castle or some far away kingdom." Though she might have wished it with all her might, she could not converse with pokemon. Furthermore, it was fairly certain that the young man was the Rapidash's trainer, but she liked the idea of some fantasy unicorn coming around in the middle of the night to warm a human and keep them company.

"...Maybe I should slit his throat and rob him," she murmured in lower tones, her bright gaze flickering back to the fellow. It was hard to tell if she meant her words or not. She smiled. "Good morning," she told him loudly, still not bothering to touch him. "Rise and shine, Sleepy Joe!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Inigo was a pro sleeper in that quiet noises and intense staring didn't wake him at all (thanks to his younger sister doing just that quite often when he still lived at home). Sonata tilted her head slightly, flicked an ear, then snorted loudly at the young girl. She left it entirely unclear if she'd understood the girls words, or simply chose that exact moment out of pure coincidence.

The loud greeting as well as the Rapidash's movements caused the Rocket's eyes to flutter open, and he pushed himself to a sitting position with a yawn that he half-covered with one brown hand. He blinked a little blearily (and a little confused) at the girl sitting nearby, wondering who she was and how long she'd been sitting there. He didn't normally see others in this part of the forest, especially so early. Still, he offered her a bright (sleepy) smile. "Hola chiquita," he offered as he dropped his hands into his lap. "Were you seriously that bored enough to sit and watch me sleep or something?" Probably. Kids were cute. "My name's Inigo. What's yours?"  

[Tymiko]

Tymiko was not one of those people who believed in coincidences. She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips at the Rapidash before she realized that the man was waking. She hesitated, almost having expected him to remain asleep, but then decided that this fellow was not a particularly light nor heavy sleeper.

This was just as well, for she wouldn't have known what she'd done if he hadn't woken by then. A kiss, ultimate sleeping spell-breaker or not, was absolutely out of the question, and she didn't think she could just leave the stranger to his peacful slumber now that her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

His initial Spanish greeting made the girl tense with uncertainty, but she quickly relaxed when she realized he was, indeed, capable of English. "Hola, Prince of the Forest," she answered cheerily in return. "I wanted to see what kind of prince you were. Your pokemon assured me you were a clever and noble young man, as caring as a Chancy and as honest as your sleeping face made you out to be."

Where all of that came from was anyone's guess. "I am called Tymiko, but your majesty may simply call me 'Ty'. Whichever your highness prefers." She adjusted her legs so that she was kneeling and fell forward with her arms extended. "If you are the kind and generous prince befitting this most splendid of Rapidash, I beg of you - please help me find my lost Vaporeon!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The longer the little girl went on, the higher Inigo's eyebrows rose. His gaze shifted to Sonata, who merely stared at him blankly (or innocently? He wasn't sure), before they both watched the girl again. A grin spread across his face as well, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, I didn't know I was a prince. S'cool," he said as he shifted a bit. Though, he felt a little guilty that he wasn't nearly as noble and honest as she'd thought he was; not like he would admit such a thing, of course. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ty." Cute name for an adorable little girl.

However, her request was much more serious than her behavior and demeanor hinted at, and he grew a little more serious as well. "Your Vaporeon is lost?" Man, the sun was barely up, how could she have lost a pokemon so early in the morning? It hadn't been stolen, had it?  

[Tymiko]

Ty sat up immediately from her face-plant of devotion and blinked at his reaction. "Then you must be a lost prince," she concluded. "One whose memories were stolen by an enemy of yours. It happens a lot, actually." The girl brightened, smiling. "And a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellence."

Her smile dampened at the seriousness that suddenly took over his tone, but then it bloomed again, more tender than before. "Your pokemon was right after all," she commented admiringly. "You really are a caring prince." Brushing the dirt off her capris, she stood up, matching his seriousness in demeanor and tone when she next spoke.

"Yes, he's lost. It's strange, because he usually doesn't go farther than earshot, but maybe he went for a swim or something. Water is so loud when its running, and it fills anyone's ears when they're underwater." She turned back to him with a tilt of her head. "Is there something worrying you, Forest Prince? Do you fear a worse fate may have befallen him?" The concept that her pokemon might have been stolen hadn't even occurred to the trainer.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"A lost prince with amnesia, huh?" He asked with a breathy chuckle as he moved off his sleeping bag so that he could roll it up and strap it to his backpack. "They would've had to replace my memories with other ones then, cuz I remember pretty much my whole childhood, so." Chore finished, he stood up and slung his bag onto his back, and his shiny Rapidash stood as well.

He returned her a moment later however, and instead loosed his newly evolved Vaporeon. "Hey Nerius," he began, "wanna help us find her lost Vaporeon?"

"Vapor!" The striped water-type agreed, fins perking up.

That done, Inigo shoved his hands and his pockets and turned, trying desperately to ignore the underwater comment, and indeed the topic altogether. "I don't wanna worry you, but it could've. Some trainers have had their pokemon stolen before by other people, so you really have to be careful nowadays," he informed the girl with a serious tone that he didn't usually use.  

[Tymiko]

"Only amnesia about your princely memories," Ty corrected. She seemed thoughtful at his proposed explanation. "Hm...that may be. Hypnosis could have done the trick. But fear not! I'm certain this small hindrance will in no way conceal your true, good and honest nature."

Watching Inigo put away his sleeping bag and finished packing up as she spoke, the girl then waited until he and his Rapidash stood. When Inigo himself called out his own uniquely-colored Vaporeon, however, her brows shot up in surprise. "Nerius..." she repeated the name under her breath, trying to think of where she'd heard it before. Some myth or other, likely. "Hello, Nerius. Thanks for your help! With it, I'm sure we'll find Fathom in no time."

Looking to the pokemon's trainer when he spoke up again, Tymiko hadn't seemed to have notice him turn away. "Oh. Thank you for warning me, Majesty. I hope that wasn't the case this time...but I guess anything's possible." She sighed. "I know my Vaporeon sometimes likes to go fishing for breakfast in the morning, but he usually checks in with me first. Still...do you think it might be a good idea to find the nearest fishing spot?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, right, yeah," he corrected himself when she spoke, and he grinned a bit as he nodded. Good and honest indeed - he was nothing more than a shameless thief that was part of Team Rocket.

Nerius didn't know the other Vaporeon's name, but from her words he guessed it was Fathom, so he nodded and in response offered her a bright and encouraging, "Poreon!" Oh yes, they would find him no problem.

Rather than continue on the topic of people stealing pokemon, Tymiko instead focused on water-related topics. "Makes sense," the grunt replied as casually as he could despite the topic, "and probably a good idea, yeah. Closest should be, ah.." He paused briefly to get his bearings and look around, then pointed off one way, "that way." Just because he was absolutely and entirely terrified of water didn't mean he had no idea where water was here. He'd practically grown up in this forest, after all, and even though he didn't know it as well as he used to, he still knew where most of the landmarks and bodies of water were.

With that, Inigo turned to begin heading in that direction, while Nerius decided to go on ahead and moved away at a brisk trot. Humans could be so slow...  

[Tymiko]

The girl smiled briefly as the young man pointed the way. Though she knew she had only dubbed him Prince of the Forest for fun, he really seemed to know the place well. Perhaps the title had been more appropriate than either of them had realized.

Not far away, there was a small pond about four or five feet deep. Suddenly a small eevee broke the surface of the water, flailing and crying out frantically as she tried to keep afloat. It didn't appear as though she could swim.