[PRP] Where it all begins

[insidiousEnigma]

He hadn't expected Jerome to be so calm about it.

Taking a shaky breath, the teen nodded jerkily. "O-Okay." He reached up to wipe away a few stray tears, embarrassed to be crying in front of the older man. "...I don't know where I'm going anyway." He shrugged slightly. Zacharie was more than relieved that the other male didn't seem angry with him. He'd completely forgotten that Jerome had been in the office with him when he'd started shouting at the doctor and was a bit embarrassed that he had seen all of that. It wasn't often that he lost his temper to that extent and it left him feeling a bit drained if not more emotional than he'd been in awhile.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Reaching out to put a hand on Zacharie's shoulder at the sight of the younger boy's tears, not exactly being a huge comfort, but knowing that this had probably been a terrible day... terrible week for the kid.
"C'mon with me, somethin' t'eat and drink probably, till we figure out s'next." He offered, jerking his head down the hall as he shifted his weight in the direction indicated.
"Got some things to talk 'bout too."  

[insidiousEnigma]

Despite not being able to remember the last time he had eaten, Zacharie couldn't say that he was really all that hungry. He just nodded again though and relaxed beneath the warm hand on his shoulder. It was comforting...in an odd, but not overbearing, way. "...Food would probably help." He agreed quietly, shuffling to follow after the taller man. What he really wanted was to sleep, but he was sure that sleep would come after he signed those papers that Jerome had been talking about. Hell, he would sleep on the floor if he had to. Not like he hadn't slept in worse conditions.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Keeping a hand on Zacharie's shoulder, as he half steered him down the hall, not saying anything at first as he frowned lightly at the stretch of walls, though as a few other grunts passed the two the dark eyes shifted down toward the younger boy.
"S'probably ganna be pretty different here from what yer used to." He said after a long pause. "Was f'me too." He admitted, lifting his hand from the boy's shoulder and crossing his arms over his chest.  

[Kitomyx]

As they walked, one grunt observed them from a spot against the wall, pushing off as soon as he recognized Jerome and offering him a crooked grin. "Oi, Jerry-kun. Haven't seen you in a while. Been busy?" Crimson eyes flickered to the unfamiliar male walking beside the ex-gangster.

As he spoke, a Shuppet with a Polaroid camera looped around its neck flew up to them and snapped a picture of the trio. "Shup, shuppet!" She cried happily, giggling a high-pitched mischievous giggle. The picture she took fell out the bottom of the camera and fluttered to the floor as the image developed. The ghost was already flying off, however, having heard the sounds of a pursuer coming after her.

"Wait! Stop!" a young teen boy cried, a little out of breath as he raced down the hall, a black long coat flailing out behind him. Too late did he see the three other Rockets. "Whoa!" He attempted to skid to a halt, his worn sneakers screeching against the tile.  

[insidiousEnigma]

"...Taking orders from people will definitely be a change." Zacharie muttered as he let himself be steered down the hallway. He hadn't had to listen to what another person told him to do in...well probably since he was ten and still had a nanny. He preferred to do things on his own, when he wanted to do it and how he wanted to do it...but he supposed that would change now that he was in a group.

The teen turned towards the new voice, an eyebrow raised...not that you could see it. "...Jerry-kun?" He repeated slowly, turning to look at Jerome with a confused expression. Was that another nickname? Was the dark haired man one of Jerome's friends? ....Should he come up with a nickname for Jerome as well? It seemed that nicknames were sort of a crucial part in friend making here. He didn't have much time to ponder on that though as a bright light suddenly flashed, leaving him a little dizzy. "Wha-?" He stumbled back into Jerome before managing to regain his balance. Note to self, stay away from bright lights for awhile.  

[Blood_Goddess]

a half grin spread over Jerome's face at Zacharie's comment "yeah man, but S'part a things. Still, don't gatta change much." He offered with a chuckle.
They were just about getting to where Jerome was leading Zacharie, knowing there was a cafeteria just around the corner when a familiar form caught his attention and the gangster paused.
Jerking his head in a nod of greeting, Jerome made a gesture toward the thinner man "could say the same f'you Furs," He grinned back, gesturing a hand out to him.
"Kinda busy, now that M'back on full ********' duty" A fact that he seemed to be very pleased about according the to tone in his voice.

A flash startled the gangster, and Zacharie bumped into him, causing Jerome to reach up and place his hands on the boy's shoulders to keep him from falling over.
"S'that bout?" the gangster asked as he noticed Shawn running over calling out to something.  

[Kitomyx]

"Yeah, well I've had a few...partner-related things to take care of," Izaya explained. "Good to see you out and about, though." He was just about to ask about Zacharie when the tan-skinned kid came skidding through.

A pair of purple, three-clawed hands appeared at the teen's shoulders, phasing them both through their obstacles until Shawn finally reached a screeching stop. Collapsing with a sigh of relief, he looked up at the red-eyed Haunter that had aided him.

"Thanks," he told him. Looking to the others, he got back up on his feet and dusted off his worn, slightly over-sized clothes with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, guys. Having a little trouble with Eris. She, uh...likes catching candid pictures of people."

Izaya smirked and shook his head. "For a pokemon that isn't yours, you sure know a lot about her, Shadow."

"Well...it's my job as the hall monitor," the teen answered, standing a little straighter. "She's disturbing the peace. And you know ghosts. Can't trust 'em one bit."

The Haunter hovering at his shoulder glanced at the boy called Shadow, but then he nodded slowly in agreement, his face serious, despite being a ghost-type himself.

"Hey, Jerome! Where's Bro?" Shadow asked. "I hate to ask, but...do you think he'd be able to help me track down Eris?"  

[insidiousEnigma]

Once fully righted, Zacharie turned to examine the two newcomers. Well...he supposed he was technically the newcomer since everyone seemed to know each other. The teen quietly watched the exchange between the three rocket members, his head cocked slightly. Furs....Shadow...? Did anyone here have a normal name or were nicknames just really popular among the people here. Nicknames, while personal and solidified friendships, were complicated. Should he refer to these two by their nicknames or would he be expected to call them by their preferred names until they became friends.

...If they became friends. He was still a bit skeptical about talking to the different people here.

Realizing that he'd zoned out for most of their conversation, the purple haired male shifted his weight and glanced down the hall where the runaway Shuppet had gone. At least he wasn't the only one having a hard time controlling a Shuppet. He felt the one called 'Shadow's' pain.  

[Blood_Goddess]

He frowned a little, hearing Shadow's explanation about the runaway Shuppet.
So that's what that flash was. "Hn" He grunted lightly, spotting the picture on the floor and reaching down to pick it up, crouching as he looked it over.
"yeah he's here." Jerome nodded, lifting his gaze back up to the young grunt from where he was crouching.

As if called the Gengar poked his head out from Jerome's shadow, eying the younger Rocket for a couple of seconds before he grinned wider and pulled himself completely out, sprawling his arms as if to say 'here I am!' then promptly floated over to Shadow.

"Looks like he's willin' t'help out." Jerome noted, pushing himself back to his feet and looking at the picture letting out a snort of a chuckle and handing it to Izaya.
"She ain't yers? Who's er trainer then?" He asked, crossing his arms and arching his eyebrow.

He certainly wasn't forgetting the quiet boy standing next to him, not after he had just had to deal with in the city. After a glance over to the purple haired boy he returned his gaze toward the youngest Grunt.
"Hey, Shadow, sorry 'can't be more help, but m'in the middle a somethin' right now. Ya can have Bro though F'ya want."  

[Kitomyx]

The youngest grunt yelped at the appearance of the Gengar. Though they were well-acquainted by now, the boy doubted he would ever get used to Bro or his mischievous ways. Shadow gave the ghost a reluctant smile. "Thanks, Bro," he said, doing his best not to shy away.

Glancing back at Jerome upon being asked a question, the teen shook his head. "No, she's not. Uh...I guess she started showing up around Christmas time with this camera. She might have been lurking around the base since before then, but she only started getting noticed as a pain in the neck when she discovered how to take pictures. Now I get complaints all the time."

He sighed. "She started leaving those photos lying all around the base, so I put up a sort of bulletin board for her to stick them up on. That was a mistake, because now she uses Rory's and my room as her personal photography headquarters." Shadow shrugged. "What's one more ghost to keep me up at night?" He paused to regard the unfamiliar Rocket. "Hey, cool hair. Did you just join?"

Izaya looked at the picture with a smile before offering it to the purple-haired individual. "I think our friend might need a little time to take everything in," the informant told Shadow. "He's probably newer than you realize."

"Oh," the street kid said. "Right, sorry to interrupt," he told the three, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Um, if you ever need a guide to show you around base, I'm your guy. I know this place like the back of my hand, now. I'm usually just patrolling the halls, so let me know." With a quick wave, he turned to follow the path the Shuppet had taken down the hall. "Catch you guys later!"

The Haunter gazed at the long-haired stranger a while longer before glancing at Bro and following after Shadow.

Izaya shook his head. "And to think that kid used to be a pokephobe. Wonder how they fixed that." Turning back to Jerome and his companion, the crimson-eyed man beamed cheerfully and held out a hand. "I'm Izaya. Codename is Grunt Nakura, but I don't really mind what you call me. Jerry-kun calls me Furs, others call me 'jerk', 'b*****d', etc. I'll answer to pretty much anything." He inclined his head curiously. "And you are...?"  

[insidiousEnigma]

Zacharie gingerly took the photograph handed to him and curiously examined it, wow...was that what he looked like? How was this...Shadow person complimenting his hair when it was obviously caked with blood and dirt? "...Yes, I just arrived." He said slowly, self consciously bringing a hand up to brush at his hair. He waved as Shadow ran off and stared back at the Haunter until it too disappeared down the hallway. Briefly, he wondered where Jabari had run off to if he wasn't tagging along with Bro....but he wasn't too worried about it. The Shuppet would turn up soon.

With just 'Furs', now known as Izaya, Jerome and himself standing in the hallway the teen let himself relax a little bit. He hadn't expected to run into so many people at once.

And yes, two people was a lot.

Despite not having manners drilled into his head like most children, Zacharie knew it would be rude to ignore the hand offered to him. "...Zacharie." He replied simply as he shook Izaya's hand. You would think that it was impossible for a simple handshake to be awkward...but somehow the purple haired teen managed it. After three shakes he quickly withdrew his hand and stuffed it into his pocket. "It's ah...interesting to meet you." He shrugged lightly. He wouldn't say it was good to meet him or a pleasure, but he had to admit that Izaya was indeed interesting.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Shadow seemed to be in a pretty big hurry, and with Bro cackling after them, Jerome sure he would be seeing the ghost again, he watched the boy run off before he turned his attention back onto Izaya and Zacharie.

The younger boy's response to Izaya drew an amused grin from Jerome, "Interestin'" He grunted himself, "Yeah sounds bout right." He said, with his grin shifting up to Izaya teasingly.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

The man with the fur-trimmed parka chuckled at his companions' responses. "Honest. I like that," he said, appraising Zacharie once more. "Well I can honestly say that the feeling's mutual." Leaning toward the newest recruit, he paused about an inch from his blood-matted bangs, raising a forefinger and thumb to lift a few. He seemed to be searching for Zacharie's eyes behind the messy curtain.

"Heh. You seem like Jerry-kun pulled you fresh out of a fight. Have you not even allowed this poor fellow a shower?" he asked, suddenly seeming to address Jerome, his gaze still on Zacharie. "Even you were properly cleaned up before they handed you the paperwork, didn't they?"  

[insidiousEnigma]

...Was Izaya not aware of a concept called 'personal space'?
The teen flinched back as the dark haired male leaned in close, "What are you-NO!" The minute those slender fingers touched his hair he reacted violently. "Don't ******** touch my face!" He exclaimed, smacking the others hand away. Maybe he was overreacting...but seriously, people should ask before touching people they just met!

...He'd read that in a book.

Bringing a hand up, Zacharie pressed his bangs firmly against his face to prevent anyone else from trying to take a peek. "Just....no." He muttered, turning his body away in a defensive manner.