[FIN] It Didn't Work

[BlackFireKitsune]

she replied as she moved her head away a bit and tilted it.

The Meganium leaned her head back and looked around, as if to make sure no other pokemon were out, before she snaked her head back down to be on Treestar's level and looked at him with large, serious gold eyes, before saying in hushed, serious tones,  

[Gwennythe]

The Chikorita screwed up his little face in thought as he remembered Jace protecting him, getting bigger and then charging the enemy like he had. He wasn't sure if that was what 'more confidence' had done for his friend but he did, still, feel guilty that the same hadn't happened to him.

He looked back up from the bed, into Leilani's eyes as she came down to his level and asked him if he wanted to know a secret.
Treestar couldn't think of words to say in reply to that, but nodded 'yes', he did want to know; though his eyes, curious despite the upset, might have given that away before the gesture.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Leilani looked around again as if to double-check no one could hear - not including Tambrey - then looked back to Treestar and finished in a whisper,

She smiled then, and nuzzled his head.  

[Gwennythe]

Treestar wrestled with the concept in his head. He wrestled with whether the secret was good information or bad.
Leilani was at the final stage of the line, what he hoped, one day, to become, and yet... big as she was, she was telling him she still got scared.
<> She'd clearly evolved, yet still got scared? Other pokémon were brave- confident- because they were big, he'd thought... or were they just 'doing things anyway' too?
He wasn't sure, because he didn't think it could possibly be, at first, but something in the words were bringing him some comfort. He almost felt on the edge of realising something important.
<> He felt, suddenly, like it was the most important question he'd ever thought to ask.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

she said with a confident nod. every pokemon gets scared, and some get scared a lot more often than others, but everybody gets scared sometimes about something,> she finished firmly.

The question, though, gave her pause. A thoughtful frown scrunched her face, and her antennae twitched. After a few moments, she replied, Her antennae twitched again, though her face wasn't as scrunched.

she went on, shifting her feet a bit, the Meganium explained with a sad frown. she said with a more amused smile as she leaned closer and hushed her voice again, he gets scared more often than any of Inigo's others? And he's the biggest of all of us! Being scared isn't always a bad thing though, it can be good - it means you realize how dangerous something is, and how important it is to help protect your friends from it.>  

[Gwennythe]

The little grass type nodded as he listened. His face registered clear surprise as she told him about the Aggron. Well then.
The Chikorita seemed calmer now, thoughtful more than upset for sure.
<> His little mouth pulled sideways as he pulled a face, thinking 'very hard'.
He couldn't quite finish his thought all the way through, though he felt like he was closer to understanding something.

<> He said after a moment, instead, though he didn't ask why a school would take pokémon away. <>
He'd still been young, just a baby in some ways, when Tambrey'd been among those taken by Galactic- he'd spent just about all of his time inside his pokéball then anyway, and he wasn't sure if he remembered it so well.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Leilani was very grateful that the Chikorita no longer looked upset, it made her feel loads better, and she nodded at his halting words to try and grasp what she said.

His last comments though made her tilt her head a bit, but she smiled warmly. she said sadly, her antennae drooping. she said, leaning down to nuzzle the top of his head again.  

[Gwennythe]

Treestar nodded again; this fit with where his mind had gradually been going.
<< That sounds hard but it makes sense. I did not like feeling scared but I've been feeling bad because I couldn't do anything except feel that way at the time...>> The Chikorita admitted, still mulling it all over in his head. His leaf twitched back and forth and he listened, then even smiled as she nuzzled the top of his head.
<> The smaller grass type mused, his expression clearing properly, before stepping forward with the intention of (with out having arms to hug) nuzzle the side of his head against his friend. <>  

[BlackFireKitsune]

the Meganium said with a sad shake of her head. But, the fact that he seemed to understand now made her happy, and she crooned before she nuzzled his head in return.

It was about then that Inigo returned, a faint knock and the creak of the door announcing his arrival before he slipped in. "Alright, I found a pencil, and I wasn't sure what you like to read, so I stopped at the library and got a couple books," he said as he moved over to the bed. Indeed, in his arms there were three or four novels of varying genres from different authors, probably hoping that at least one of them would interest her.  

[Gwennythe]

The grass type, now, had a lot to think about, and he knew he'd have to see and talk to Jace about it. Find out what, from the fire type's point of view, had happened and what it had all been like, but his smile, now, stuck and the happy little Chikorita from before the mission seemed to be peeking back out from under the leaf again.

Tambrey had been watching them, idly, clearly not understanding what they were saying, of course, but seeming to understand that whatever they were talking about seemed to be helping her little grass type.
She could already see the change in his mood, his leaf flushing a little greener and his whole posture becoming different.
She startled only slightly, having been slowly drifting into her own thoughts, as Inigo reappeared and then looked quietly surprised and amused, but gratefully so as he appeared with, not only the pencil, but a few novels.
"Inigo, you didn't need to go all the way to the library- anything, a magazine, would have been fine- but thank you," She grinned "books are much better." She then gestured at the two grass types. "I don't know what these too have been talking about but it seems to have cheered Treestar up."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

He offered her a sheepish grin. "That's what I kinda figured, honestly," he admitted as he moved to put the books (and the pencil) on the table beside the bed, "I don't really like magazines myself." Books were much, much better, in his opinion. Not that he read a lot of them, but still.

When she directed his attention to the pair of grass-types, he dutifully turned to regard the pair with a warm smile. "Ah; good! I'm glad. He does seem to be a little happier now than he did before," the grunt commented with a slight tilt of his head. Before he left, the little Chikorita seemed to just want to lay there and mope, whereas now he looked more animated and seemed more eager to converse with Leilani. Inigo turned to give Tambrey a lop-sided grin, "I'm glad we could both help, then."  

[Gwennythe]

"Oh... Well. I don't mind some... I mean, the contest magazines are kind of neat... Um, anyway. Yes, books are much better though, thank you. And thank you for helping." She nodded "It's good. I'm feeling better now that Treestar seems better... Uh. A little relieved? I guess I didn't even know how much that was bothering me."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Inigo raised a hand to deflect her thanks and offered a grin instead. "My pleasure," he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, though his gaze focused on the pair of grass-types again with a fond smile. "Ah, si; I know what you mean. It bothers me too when any of mine are upset. Or, well, more upset than normal," he corrected as he thought on a certain pink Whimsicott who was always some level of irritated, "so I'm glad he's better."

After a brief pause, he turned an inquiring gaze on Tambrey as he asked, "Did you need anything else?"  

[Gwennythe]

"More upset than normal?" Tambrey found herself curious about the choice of words? Honestly she really only saw Leilani when she and Inigo talked, and she always seemed very happy to her.
"Um. I don't think I do. I just want to be able to leave, and to talk to certain people, but the books will make those come faster, I think."

Treestar had decided to try and show off how good he was getting at manipulating his leaf... by pretending it was a cape or long cloak, and impersonating Tambrey's room mate, in the hopes of amusing the Meganium. He was definitely feeling better.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah, one of my Whimsicott, Bonnie, is always angry at something," he said with a chuckle as he sheepishly rubbed a hand through his hair. "She's a little handful."

Leilani leaned her head back and laughed at Treestar's impersonation - she had shot Star with a Solar Beam, so she knew the man quite well - then moved her head forward to gently bonk his forehead with her nose.

"Books are awesome like that," Inigo said as he chuckled again at the pair of grass types, then stepped over to pat her neck. "We should get goin' though, but we'll come back and visit sometime while you're still stuck here, if that's okay." He could only imagine how bored she'd be here - he remembered how bored he was after he got shot - so visits would be good to break up the monotony.