[ORP] Deck the Halls [Trainers]

[BlackPidgeot]

[Dove, Izaya]

Yuri blinked and raised his brows slightly, wondering why she was so interested in him all the sudden.

"Yeah, Izaya I think."  

[Tori Honoo]

[Yuri, Izaya]

Ah.
Right.

"Thought so," she said, voice lowering a tone, though she did allow herself a small smile. "Could be worse."

Crossing the gap between herself and the table, Dove shook her head, looking to the...thing dangling from Izaya's grip. "What did it ever do to you, Izaya?" she sighed sarcastically, cocking her head.  

[TawnyAngel]

Tymiko

[Tymiko]

"Wheee!" Dith beamed and caught Tymiko around the waist, swinging her around before setting her back on her feet. Ha! And she had noticed. The huge man, still beaming, nodded. "Da, the Triforce! Well spotted. Here though," he lifted Viktor off his shoulder, placed the Espeon on the ground and then removed his jacket before draping it around Ty's shoulders. "I'm quite comfortable," he explained with a wave of his hand, "they call this winter? Ha! When you are up to your waist in snow, that's when it's winter in my book."

Now on the ground Viktor bobbed his head to the other 'eon. he made a little noise that sounded like a chuckle and looked up at Dith, He assumed that Fathom would want to hear of his son, but what of Luna? He never was sure what, if anything the water type felt for her. he said eventually,  

[Shadow the Pokemorph]

[Moonpuff, Dove]

"Uck..." The informant grimaced as the thing wriggled in his pinched hold, more disenchanted than ever as it splattered punch on his clean, white suit and made unholy sounds. The lemon slices just added to the pocket monster's absurdity. It looked like something out of a child's nightmare.

He would have liked to knock it out, maybe, but his most capable pokemon was rather attracted to symmetrical appearances and for all its hideousness, the cratered jigglypuff did appear to be symmetrical - lemon slices and all. Damn Kid's stupid OCD. He supposed it might have been for the best, anyway, since Kid was a rather recognizable absol and he had already drawn enough attention to himself at the event welcoming the League to Kodo.

Finally, without anyone to claim the abomination, Izaya reluctantly dropped the thing and stepped away from it, vaguely watching to see where it would go. Perhaps it really was wild. He couldn't imagine who would want to capture such a monstrosity in the first place.

As he watched it go, however, someone else was approaching and addressed him by his real name. He started slightly, turning to regard his addressor and ready to reach into his pocket for his flick-blade if necessary. He really hoped it wouldn't be; the blade was another weapon closely-identified with his true identity.

Izaya's best emotion-concealing smile flew to his face as he vaguely seemed to recognize the girl who spoke up. "Pardon? Are you talking to me?"  

[BlackPidgeot]

[Izaya, Dove, Anyone Else]

Yuri blinked and watched as Dove approached Izaya. Folding his arms, he decided to wait and watch from where he was.

With a splat and a grunt, the odd Jigglypuff landed on the floor. Standing up, he waved his stubby arms around, groping blindly thanks to the lemon slices that had wedged themselves in his eye craters.

The Pokemon then began stumbling his way through the crowd like some undead moon lemon zombie. Likely bumping into legs and feet as he went.  

[Tori Honoo]

[Izaya, Yuri, Moonpufffff]

Dove stepped away from the ugly pokemon, watching as it toddled into the crowd, biting her lip as she watched it bump into multiple people. Though she had intended to help it, it had already walked too far away...

Instead she turned her attention to the young man in front of her, tilting her head in confusion as she did so. "Of course...who else would I be talking to?" She looked down a moment, racking her brain for his name. He was Izaya, right? She was sure of it... "In any case, you look nice," she added, glancing over her shoulder to see if Yuri were still there. Though she definitely didn't mean to stay at his side the entire night, it was still nice to at least have one...more familiar face nearby.  

[Tymiko]

[Dith, Viktor]

The girl laughed, shrieking in delight as she was unexpectedly swung around before being set down by the large Russian. He was always so much fun. And those Triforce cuff-links only signified the child at heart that Dith still seemed to be. It was one of the things she admired most about him; that he didn't appear to feel obligated to act his age. Nor did he seem to allow it to create a gap between him and his trainer friends.

Blinking as Dith let Viktor down to remove his coat, Ty opened her mouth to protest. "Oh, no, that's okay - " But no sooner was the garment around her shoulders did she feel pleasantly warmer. Dith was already assuring her of his comfort and now Tymiko wasn't sure she could say the same without his jacket. "Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at him with gratitude and concern. "Thanks, I'm sorry, I should have worn something warmer, but I didn't know how cold it would be."

Up to your waist in snow?! She had come from warmer climates and was not used to even seeing snow, let alone being up to her waist in it. "Is that your waist it reaches, or an average person's?" Ty laughed. "Because I'm pretty sure I'd be buried at that point, being so short. Is that what it's like where you're from? Just during winter, or all year 'round?" Pulling the jacket tighter around herself, she surveyed the area to spot the food and drinks once more. "Do you want something to eat or drink? I could get you something!"

Fathom, following Viktor's look to Dith, smiled and shook his head. Nodding as the male espeon mentioned Star, his smile broadened a little before faltering a bit at the mention of Luna's absence.

He tried to remain cheerful, but his earfins drooped involuntarily. It would have been nice to allow the four children to play with their own siblings, but the circumstances were just too complex. He exhaled a little sigh.

It was good he had Luna and Rumpleteazer, but with the former being cold and quite and the latter being grumpy, it didn't sound like much fun for a young one who was new to the world and ready to play. He would have liked to see his son growing, too.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

[Yuri, Dove]

Peering over the top of his reading glasses, Izaya realized with a sudden panic that Yuri was there. It was unmistakably the same young man - he hadn't even bothered to change his attire for this event. Why hadn't he noticed him before? Duh, because of the reading glasses; he'd been avoiding looking off into the distance because the classes were meant for close-up things.

How could he have been this careless? But there was still hope. Yuri hadn't bothered to approach him yet and no one could pin anything on him so far as Orihara knew. Wouldn't a Rocket have stolen that freakish puff pokemon? Eh, maybe not...

"I go by the name of 'Chrome'," he told Dove with a polite smile, bowing slightly at the waist. "I'm a writer for a column in one of Kodo's popular fashion magazines. And despite your familiar countenance, I'm not sure we've ever met." He looked thoughtful for a moment before waving a finger. "Are you not the very same young woman who models the latest fashions in Camphoreon? I hear you have your own pseudonym if my sources are to be believed."

Folding his hands behind his back, he nodded at her compliment. "Thank you. I take pride in my appearance, as I see you do. That young man over there...I'm not sure I can say the same for him." He lifted his chin in Yuri's direction, though Dove had already turned to look. "Friend of yours, or aquaintance? His taste in clothing is rather...unique, isn't it?" Orihara frowned. "Are those his formal garments, or did he simply choose to ignore the dress code for the evening?"  

[Tori Honoo]

Turning back to him, Dove shook her head, brows still furrowed. "Alright, 'Chrome," she started, smirking just enough. "I'll go with it. I'm Dove, and yes, actually, Yuri is a friend," she added, hoping Izaya would catch on quickly that Yuri had confirmed his identity beforehand and that she didn't mind his attire...so much. Though it was...really shifty for him to want to conceal his true identity, what cause did she have to expose him? After all, she didn't want to get roped into anything that could be considered questionable, at least, not too into it. Perhaps it would be better for her to feign ignorance this time around...

She smiled, absently watching the crowds as they moved and changed. "So, which column? I've not done a lot since I got here, but I did meet a few people when I came over."

Lovey, following closely behind Dove, watched, head cocked completely to one side, for sign of the pokemon that had wandered away. Scary...  

[BlackPidgeot]

[Everyone]

The strange Jigglypuff continued bumping its way through the crowd until he hit something a bit more unforgiving, the stage. With another grunt he fell backwards, the lemon slices conveniently popping out of his eye sockets. Just in time for him to look up and see a currently unused microphone.

In his eyes, a light suddenly shone with brilliance around the mic, as an imaginary choir of angels sang.

Puffing himself up, the creepy looking Pokemon clumsily floated to the top of the stage. Where he tipped over the microphone with a loud bang. He then opened his mouth, prepared to sing for the throng of people that would surely become adoring fans!

However, what came out of his mouth wasn't song, but instead... a loud long belch that was amplified over the speakers for everyone to hear.

... Someone apparently drank too much punch.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

[Dove, Yuri]

Izaya's impassive smile slowly flattened into a thin line as the girl smirked at him. He didn't seem to be entertained by her amusement. "How...charming," he commented in dull tones. "One might have thought he'd have learned to take a bit of fashion advice from one who was a supposed friend of his."

Casting Dove a critical look out the corner of his eye, he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and set down his glass. The pokemon had ruined his thirst. "It's called 'A Bouquet of Boutiques'," he told her seriously, taking out a phone of his and browsing for a few pictures.

"A colleague of mine and I regularly go out and visit the newest shops in Kodo. She tries on certain items and I give a review of the service. I suppose it's more of a co-written column, really, but I can't complain. She's not that bad to work with."

Holding out his phone, he showed Dove a few of the pictures he'd taken when he and Aila had gone on that one outing in Camphoreon. His favorite was still the one where she had been practicing a facade of a regular, happy girl her age before that rude young man had inturrupted them. Izaya wondered vaguely if he still worked there. He wondered if he knew that was the last glimpse he would have gotten of that girl.

Folding up his phone again, he slipped it curtly into his front pocket and cleared his throat. "Like you, though, it's been a while since I've actually done a piece. My colleage is...away. Visiting a brother on Grande Ile." He shrugged. At the stereo sound of the freak pokemon's burp, however, Izaya's mouth twitched. Someone really had to put that thing out of its misery...  

[Suudonym]

(Emil)

Corinne's expression warmed at the Espeon's touch and at the sensation of the fine, silky fur as it connected with her palm; she stroked the creature's head and neck gently. Unable to give verbal commands, the girl was more or less out of luck if she wanted to add more pokemon to her team, so she quite enjoyed meeting those under the command of others - especially when they were such sweethearts. She was glad Lady wasn't the jealous sort.

The girl was quite content to pet the Espeon as long as it and its trainer allowed her, but the spherical shape that waddle past and up onto the stage drew her attention - and how couldn't it? It was… quite a unique specimen. Not the most attractive she had ever seen, to put it lightly. Corinne with drew her hand and looked around at the crowd, expecting to find someone who seemed to be searching for a pokemon. What she found instead was a bunch of grimaces and distasteful frowns. A reaction to something auditory, apparently, given she seemed to be one of very few unaffected. Curious, she turned to Lady, signing out a brief inquiry and receiving as a reply an indication towards the stage and the pokemon that had commandeered its microphone.

Lips pursed, she turned back to the Espeon's owner, her query quickly translated to words on a screen, 'Is something wrong with that pokemon? Do you know whose it is?' It was a distinct enough shape that she assumed it would be easy to associate with its owner, if its owner was known.  

[BlackPidgeot]

[Corrine]

Byakko sensed the passing by of the Jigglypuff, but since she wasn't able to see it, the Espeon really had no reaction. She tilted her head and folded back her ears when the microphone fell, which also caused Emil to wince. But when the belching stared, the blonde boy could only stare. The white Espeon tilting her head as she looked unseeingly at base of the stage. As the belching continued, the boy sighed in exasperation.

His attention went to Corrine though when she presented him her phone. It took him a moment to realize that she wasn't able to hear all that.

"It's... burping. A lot. I don't know whose it is."

[Dove, Izaya]

As the Jigglypuff finished his burping, Yuri sighed with a frown.

"Okay, that's pretty disgusting."

Repede woofed in agreement.  

[Tori Honoo]

[Izaya]

"Oh, he's fine!" she laughed awkwardly, tucking a lock of hair back behind her ear. "I mean, how many people do you see wearing clothing like that on a regular basis?" It might not have been her ideal vision of formal or...clean, but he definitely wasn't casual. More... old fashioned, if anything. Maybe Yuri was trying the whole, steampunk thing? "It's his choice either way, and the security people did let him in, so it's not that bad..."

As Izaya showed her the pictures, Dove raised a brow, impressed. "...thorough. She's really pretty...That top is cute, too..." She smiled brightly now. "So what are the best shops around here? Anything I shouldn't miss out on?"

As he folded away his phone, she smoothed her dress, looking with a sigh to the spoiled bowl of punch. Now what was she supposed to drink? She had assumed with the security the place had provided, she wouldn't have to worry about bringing her own drink as she usually did on public outings. It was rare for her to drink anything that she didn't have poured for her, right then and there. After all, there had been horror stories back home of people spiking drinks...

When the Jigglypuff belched, she started, nearly tripping over Lovey in the process and bumping into Izaya as she steadied herself. Lovey simply stared, eyes huge, hackles raised. "Sorry... that...whatever it is just...I wasn't expecting that," the young model apologized, cheeks flushing pink at their sudden contact.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

[Dove, Yuri, Everyone]

Orihara had just been contemplating whether or not the pokemon on stage would make a suitable gift for one of his favorite higher-ups. (Frost might have liked to take the thing apart, but Asch seemed in bad need of something to take out his anger on. And who could forget Seth with his love of living projectiles? If this thing wasn't sufficient enough to express Izaya's intense endearment for any of the above, there was always the option of 'chew-toy for Hirss'.) At least until the brown-eyed girl's awkward laugh pierced his thoughts. Almost immediately he reciprocated with a harsh laugh of his own.

"Quite a few, actually, if you've ever been to Grande Ile," Izaya retorted cheekily. "All very prim and proper there; their native language is French, so I suppose that makes them think they're fancy. But I doubt you've been even here on Kodo long if you couldn't even name his country of origin." He grinned maliciously. "Garments originating from Grande Ile are quite unique in style, as you've seen. But they, like their owners, are by no means uncommon in this region. For a model, you're quite uninformed, aren't you?"

The man was smiling again, but now it was with the same condescending manner with which he had been eyeing Yuri just moments before. It was the kind of pitying look that most would have expected to be accompanied by some degree of sympathy, but somehow the informant had managed to devoid it of even that.

"Ah, well...you know what they say." He uttered a chuckle, though this time he seemed genuinely humored. "'Ignorance is temporary, but stupid is forever'." Speaking nothing more on the matter, Orihara left Dove to ponder what he meant by his last words to her as he strided straight toward the Grande Ile gentleman.

Of course they let him in. They also managed to admit an underground info-broker slash Rocket member and the unsightly burping baritone blob offspring of a foul Lunatone and a vile Jigglypuff... How secure can security really be tonight?

'Chrome' pretended not to hear the rest o the female trainer's small talk as he strode purposefully forwards, wishing he really couldn't hear her. Why had he even thought to bring up Aila in the first place? She was dead and long gone. End of story. He'd been through this in his head enough times before, so why did it still affect him...?

Lost in mental self-berating, however, Izaya had not gone far when Dove bumped into him from behind. "Che'!" he exclaimed under his breath as his glasses were knocked from his face. Crouching low, he squinted in an attempt to locate the spectacles before someone stepped on them. Until he spotted them, a vital part of his disguise was missing, meaning that he would have to keep low - literally, in this case - lest he be recognized without them. "Intelligent and graceful," he giggled irritably, not seeming to care whether or not the subject of his talk could hear him or not. "No wonder you became a fashion model."

The man withdrew a pair of Repeat balls from his pocket, still crouching, and tossed them lightly with a flick of his wrist. "Mairu, Kururi: my glasses. Help me find them before they get trodden." No sooner were the dark brown and caramel-tan Purrloin released than they were furry streaks of shadow darting between ankles. It was anyone's guess as to whether they had even heard their trainer, let alone decided to heed him.

Inevitably, this order to the twin kittens summoned yet a third pokemon from a Love ball in Izaya's alternate pocket. "Chingling ching!" it proclaimed loudly, emerging with pride.

"Delic! Get back in your ball!" The informant made to grab the pink-and-white heart-marked bell pokemon, but Delic was too quick. He nimbly stepped out of the way. After all, he wanted to be the one to find the glasses and earn Izaya's true affections at last! As fond of his trainer as the psychic-type was, however, Iza held no more authority over him than the rest of his dark-type team. Such was the fate of an inexperienced pokemon trainer.