[FIN] Pythagorean Theorem

[BlackFireKitsune]

It was painfully obvious that the Feraligatr wanted the baked goods held within the bags attached to her saddle - even if said Feraligatr hadn't practically harassed her previously for that exact reason - and it made Epona quite nervous. As such, the fire-type tossed her head with another snort and side-stepped a bit, her fiery tail flicking in anticipation.

As Atticus began to browse the internet for their query, Nicolette watched with attentive, wide eyes. "Oh, yes! I agree, and yes I do," she replied quickly with an affirmative, if not eager, nod of her head. She paused though as she considered something, and turned to glance up at him, "Don't you also want to read it?" Would he read it at the same time?  

[Suudonym]

Pythagoras crept forward the extra distance that Epona had put between them, a sense of mischief glowing in her gaze. The idea that the Rapidash might try to run was interesting and sounded fun, and she wondered how she could best incite it.

Atticus nodded, leaning aside to allow Nicolette to easily view the screen. "I dislike reading aloud, though. Let me know when you're ready and I'll scroll down." The article outlined that while it was indeed more common for people to experience the common cold in chillier times of the year, the old wives' tales suggesting a connection were largely unsound. The science seemed to indicate that the virus thrived in the dry air that accompanied a winter climate but that the most likely causes were in human behavior, such as the tendency to gather in closed spaces during colder months. There was also the suggestion that cold temperatures would cause the blood vessels closer to the surface, such as those in the nose and mouth, to constrict, hindering the effectiveness of the white blood cells that fought off illness.

"Then there you have it," Atticus said, satisfied, when they had reached the end of the article.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Epona's ears swiveled back and forth, as if trying to catch any and all sounds going on around her, as she trained her gaze on the Feraligatr and awaited her predator's first move.

Nicolette nodded dutifully to Atticus's words, and read it as thoroughly as she could to ensure proper comprehension of the various points the article made. Once finished, the girl hummed thoughtfully before speaking, "So it's a combination of the colder temperatures inhibiting the immune system a little, and large amounts of people in closed spaces. That makes perfect sense," she said with a nod as if that would further confirm the article they just read. It wasn't long before a frown formed on her face, and she aimed it at Atticus. "Well, then, if not a cold, then you could get hypothermia from being in the cold water for too long."  

[Suudonym]

Pythagoras moved forward at a snail's pace, slowly, slowly reaching up a clawed hand toward one of the buckles securing Epona's luggage.

"Shall we investigate that as well?" Atticus replied, though his question was evidently rhetorical as he was already entering a new search term, landing on a medical website. "Apparently," he summarized, "hypothermia doesn't occur until one's body temperature has fallen below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Significant shivering would occur long before any major damage could occur, so hypothermia shouldn't be a concern as long as you monitor your body's condition."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

As Pythagoras slowly moved towards her, Epona matched her pace to move away, staying just out of reach of the Feraligatr's claws.

The girl nodded enthusiastically, though her response was largely unnecessary as Atticus navigated to a different article anyway. The results he found were quite satisfactory, and Nicolette nodded happily, "That sounds alright. So you should be fine in the water as long as you pay attention to yourself and your condition - though with the water being so cold, I'm not sure why you'd want to be in it at all," she finished, her statement obviously more personal since Atticus's motivations couldn't really be searched as readily as illness symptoms.  

[Suudonym]

Pythagoras lashed an arm outward suddenly, swiping at Epona's bag.

Atticus adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, "Swimming is my preferred form of recreation. Given that access to indoor facilities are rarely free of charge, I prefer to swim outdoors as long as is at least marginally reasonable."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The Rapidash ducked away from the Feraligatr's claws, her ears pinned backwards as she turned to fully face the water-type, rather than exposing her side and therefore her trainer's things. A quiet noise that sounded rather displeased escaped her as she backed away from Pythagoras and watched her very closely.

"Well," she began, a light frown crossing her features, "that makes sense." Though she still wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of someone swimming with lower temperatures. Oh well. "Hopefully once the weather gets too cold, you can find somewhere indoors to swim," the girl said in more positive tones, a smile replacing the previous frown, but that quickly changed to a more curious expression as she added, "Was there anything else you wanted to look up?" That had been all she'd wondered about, but maybe he wanted to research something else.  

[Suudonym]

Pythagoras replied with a broad, toothy grin, opening her maw and spilling out the waves of her Surf attack.

"Ideally," he confirmed with a nod. Indoor facilities tended to be a bit noisier, though - but certainly not noisier than the summertime beach. "There is not. If you're satisfied, I believe we may be done here."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Epona's eyes widened and she scrambled backwards a few steps before the water crashed into her, pushing her backwards and eliciting a distressed cry.

Nicolette nodded happily and straightened up. "No, I'm perfectly satisfied," she said happily, and indeed she was - learning something new always left her feeling invigorated and a little excited. With that in mind and his last words, the girl turned to head towards the exit. "Thank you for coming to the library to research that. I love to learn new things," she said, folding her small hands in front of her as she walked, a smile on her face and a slight bounce in her step giving truth to her words. "Do you?"  

[Suudonym]

Pythagoras shut her mouth, ending the water flow, and pounced forward on all fours, cutting through the dissipating Surf to reach the Rapidash and get her claws on the fire-type's bag.

"Yes," Atticus replied, following. "There is far less bliss in ignorance than most people would lead you to believe."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The Rapidash staggered backwards further, grateful that the water ebbed but annoyed that she was now significantly weakened by it. Her eyes widened a split second before the Feraligatr pounced, and then did the only thing she could think of: She reared, her hooves pawing the air as she let out a high-pitched, distressed whinny.

As they continued walking along, the girl nodded emphatically at Atticus's words, "I agree completely." She opened her mouth to further add to the subject, but a muffled cry outside cut her off, and she frowned in the direction of the doors before worry finally began to manifest in her features. "That sounded sort of like Epona," she noted as she raised her hands to her cheeks and her gaze to her company's face, looking to him with uncertainty, as if he could affirm if it was or was not her pokemon. Perhaps it wasn't? It could've been something else, right? Epona had no reason to be upset by anything, surely. Regardless, she found herself walking more quickly towards the exit, just to make sure.  

[Suudonym]

"Most likely equine," he murmured, not halting his pace. He wasn't familiar enough with Nicolette's Rapidash to know whether it was in fact hers or if another horse pokemon had wandered into the vicinity, but he had his suspicions.

Atticus passed through the door to exit, stepping immediately into a draining puddle and looking to the source of the commotion with a frown as Pythagoras opened her mouth wide in preparation for a Crunch. In a fluid motion, a dive ball came from the man's pocket to his hand, and he withdrew the Feraligatr before further damage could be done.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

One second the Feraligatr was bearing down on her, and the next her assailant had disappeared. The Rapidash lowered her front hooves and quickly looked around in case the water-type was trying to sneak up on her, but suddenly found Nicolette's hands on her face and muzzle. Epona jerked her head away in her distress and anxiously pawed at the pavement with a hoof, but the girl's gentle hands and soft words in French eventually calmed her frayed nerves.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Nicolette asked of Atticus without turning to look at him, too busy focusing on her Rapidash and first ensuring her emotional state before checking her physical state. Epona certainly didn't act like it had been any sort of game - had they been battling or something?  

[Suudonym]

"I apologize for any distress caused," Atticus said sternly, frowning mildly at the blue pokeball in his hand. "I doubt Pi's intent was malicious - she was likely attempting to frisk one of the pastries from your pokemon's possession without my knowing. But that hardly excuses her behavior." The apology was as much to Epona as it was to Nicolette.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Epona snorted as Atticus began speaking, though the look she gave him could hardly be described as anything other than greatly suspicious. Nicolette nodded though, her hands remaining on her Rapidash to ensure she remained calm now that the Feraligatr was gone. "She's not hurt, but I think I'll take her to the pokemon center just to be sure," she said, her gaze lingering on her pokemon another moment or two before she shifted to focus on Atticus instead, offering him a small smile. "But, no harm done."

Epona looked like she'd taken mild offense to that statement.

Nicolette didn't notice and instead went on with a curious tilt of her head, "Does Pythagoras like cupcakes that much?" If she had wanted one so badly, she could have simply asked nonverbally.