[FIN] Facing the Music

[Suudonym]

Luke approached the vicinity of Rosie and her menagerie with some hesitation, still strangely reluctant about the idea facing his team. He moved himself to stand beside Rosie, offering a slightly raised hand in greeting.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"You are not as little as you used to be, Kiss" Rosie commended, hitching the Raichu up in her arms.

Kiss looked down at herself, before making a soft pouting face, and clambering up halfway onto her shoulder.
Rosie giggled, supporting the Pokemon, who clearly though she was still much smaller.

Kiss was the first to notice Luke when he walked up, her ears perking her expression lighting up as she hopped our of Rosie's arms, landing easily onto the grass next to her.
"RAI!"

"Hm?" Rosie's attention moved down to Kiss Kiss, but back up when she saw someone stepping up next to her.
Her expression brightened. "Luke, Good morning~"  

[Suudonym]

Luke regarded Kiss Kiss with a short nod, impressed with her size. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her as a Raichu, but it was hard not to see her and remember her as a Pikachu. He reiterated the nod to Rosie at her acknowledgement, adding a quiet "morning" to his greeting. There was probably more he should have been able to say, he thought, in regards to her diligence in training or even just how she had slept the previous night, but no coherent words visited his voice.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie seemed okay to take over the talking from there though, showing no indication that she was even remotely offended. No, she was just happy he came.
"How was your first night back?" It seemed to be the most appropriate thing to ask. though she was a bit curious, she had not been blind to the fact that he didn't sleep much at all the last two nights, and he didn't look like he had, so she knew she couldn't expect too good of news.

Pop has stopped punching the air, crossing her arms across her chest and looking across the field with a very unimpressed expression of her face when she saw that her trainer was interacting with that one red head boy. She didn't know him well.
Her trainer did though.  

[Suudonym]

He'd managed a few hours of restless sleep; it was more than he had gotten the past couple of nights, but he was still exhausted. His response was a lowering of his gaze and a raising of his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie hummed lightly, in gentle understanding, though it didn't hurt any less to see that response.
"Well, Next time you can't sleep you should message me," she arched her eyebrows "Nights are pretty boring sometimes."

She knew she would be sleeping, but nights awake alone were lonely, and boring, she could loose sleep if it helped.  

[Suudonym]

His uncertain expression easily conveyed every word he couldn't say: It's okay; thank you, but I don't want to bother you like that. The silent resistance faded before too long, though. He knew fully well how Rosie would answer a response like that. So he instead nodded once, timidly but gratefully.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Indeed, her reply came in the form of one of her smiled, one that very easily said you can never be a bother
Tilting her head, noting that he seemed to be particularly quiet today, she glanced around. "Oh!" She said suddenly, excited, "You should bring you're pokemon out. but I want you to meet someone."
She reached out to tug on the sleeve of his jacket, in the direction the Shiny unimpressed Lopunny was standing. Remembering that it was his bandaged hand, she took care. Though she noticed that the bandages were not there anymore, instead his hand was covered in deep cuts, and stitches.
Her eyes lingered only a fraction of a second longer then she meant them to, but she turned to the Lopunny.
"Pop, come meet Luke."

"Lop..." Tilting her chin up and leaning her head to the side to peer at the two. she shook her ears behind her head, and with a single bound landed rather daintily next to Rosie.
"This is Pop! She's the newest member of my team~ officially completing it."

Pop blinked up at Luke, though not nearly as innocently as Kiss usually does.  

[Suudonym]

He couldn't for the life of him understand the anxiety that took root at the thought of releasing his team; he could only attribute it to a selfish desire to avoid explaining anything that had happened and the reason he had failed to release them for so long. He was saved from facing this, even if only temporarily, by Rosie's talk of an introduction, though his fingers instinctively curled inward when he realized the proximity of her hand to his - the startled terror he had felt in response to the sudden shattering of the mirror and the resulting condition of his hand were still uncomfortably recent. He abandoned the thoughts to respond to the Lopunny's scrutiny, though he wasn't sure exactly how best to go about that task. He eventually settled for a hand raised in standard greeting.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie looked down at the Lopunny next to her. "Pop... his is my friend Luke."

Pop didn't take her eyes off the boy, but she did let out a small "bunny" after a moment, and lifted her down paw up, in a gesture as if to shake his hand.
The warn antique looking gold bands she had decorating her arms and neck just barely glinted in the dull day's light, though doing better in giving the pink poofed bunny a more rugged appearance.

Kiss Kiss pounced up next to Luke as well, smiling in a content, though eying the Lopunny with that look in her eye she usually had when she was ready to shock something.

Rosie watched Luke, folding her hands behind her back.  

[Suudonym]

He watched Pop watch him, blinking at the offered gesture and returning it. He couldn't really tell what the Lopunny thought of him, but she seemed amicable enough, at least. It was an effective reminder of just how unique the personalities of pokemon were, as diverse and rounded as any human he could meet. A hesitant frown ebbed into his features.

"I'm kind of worried that they'll be mad at me," he said, his tone quiet. "Mieu and everyone, I mean."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Kiss spoke to Pop, who had her attention drawn away, and toward the Raichu with a tight lipped stare.

She watched him for a few seconds, until she had a better understanding of what he was talking about.
"Have they not been out much?" She asked, though thinking back she didn't think of a time she saw them in the last few days.  

[Suudonym]

He lowered his head and shook it negatively in small movements.  

[Blood_Goddess]

She tilted her head, stepping over. "They're you're pokemon, I'm sure they will understand. But you should let them out for a while, and we can see how it goes, I'm sure it will be fine, though."  

[Suudonym]

He nodded but did little to move beyond that, apprehension and shame in his expression.