[PRP] Down but not out (fin)

[TawnyAngel]

[Dice one = Thanatos. Dice 2 = Puck]

"Right," Aulus agreed with a shrug. What else was there to say? Not a lot he guessed. "I'm pleased you're taking it well anyway." It was true there were worse things than losing a body part but that didn't make it easy. Everything was different, or he felt differently about it or about himself or... something; he didn't really know and so he just kept watching the battle, trying to estimate how much health Grims would have lost to the curse by now and wondering if Thanatos would have Puck us it on somebody else too despite the fact that it would faint her.

Thanatos meanwhile had his own issues, namely his body seizing up. Unable to move or speak the water type remained rigid, hoping his companions would keep going.

They did.

With a lack of other input Rose, grimacing as the burning teeth dank into him, lashed out at Sideways with another Double Kick partially to do damage and partially to shake the Flareon off him. <> he exclaimed, sounding pleased by this fact.

Puck glowered at the little bug who had just struck her with electricity; it was making her flicker slightly, making it harder to move herself in the physical world. Unlike Thanatos however she was not completely frozen and managed to target Grims with a Confuse Ray in turn.  

[Shaddaling]

“So, have you ever been clubbing?” Lex questioned, shifting up and looked over the group. “Sides, darling, you’re out. Now get your little butt over here and plop.” He looked over the group, judging that Grims and Sunspot could continue a bit longer.

“Cause, I’m looking for some people to go with. So, depending on your tastes, we could figure something out.”

Sideways let go, wavering on his feet before sighing and nodded. He gave a wary tired shake and padded over, sinking to his feet besides his trainer’s chair.

Lex slid down and combed his fingers through the flareon’s fur, pulling out water. “It be alright, now inhale deep, hold it, and exhale slow.” Lex coaxed, smiling at the flareon. “You did well. And smart thinking taking out one of them.”

Sureee… he should totally go with the ity bity fennekin that wasn’t looking all that good. Sunspot snorted, skittering a puddle of water and clambered up onto Thanatos to launch his next Thunderwave attack at Rose.

Grimlock wavered, dizzy and tired and wasn’t it pretty when things spun? She flickered her tail and moved again, attempting a second ember attack on the ghastly. Except instead of hitting the ghastly, they dribbled down and all over her fur. Hot! Hot! She squeaked and started to roll on the ground.  

[Shaddaling]

Rolling, rolling rolling
First Suns, Second Grims  

[TawnyAngel]

[Dice one = Thanatos. Dice 2 = Puck. Dice 3 = Rose]

"You what?" Aulus turned away from the battle to stare at Lex. "You want to take me clubbing?" he asked incredulously. Why would- why, just why? What did Lex stand to gain by asking him out to socialise? As he tried to figure this out or if Lex might be hitting on him or something Aulus vaguely noticed that Sideways had left the battle. The curse should just about finish Grims off soon but that wasn't important in itself, what was important was whether Thanatos knew that and took it into account.... Lex had just asked him to go out clubbing. It was a fact that kept pulling the mind back to it like a magnet tugging iron filings around.


Thanatos finally jerked out of his fixed post and gave himself a vigorous shake. The water type had decided that this was a good idea because Rose had taken damage but the little bug as yet had not which was reasonable strategy. What was less so was what he did next, which was shoot Water Pulse at Grims having forgotten all about the Curse that was afflicting him.

Rose nodded to Thanatos and focused deeply until a beam of white light sprung from one of his hands and struck Sunspot, redistributing their energy with Pain Split until it was even.

Another thing Thanatos hadn't taken into account was that Puck's only directly damaging move wasn't very effective. The gastly wasn't prepared to disobey him however, and it would still do some good she guessed; the ghost rushed forward to Lick the little bug with her long tongue.  

[Shaddaling]

“Yeah, there are a lot of different clubs available.” Lex rested his head on Sideways’ back listening to the Flareon’s breathing as he combed the fur. “I tend towards raves, but we could do something more highbrow. I’ll ask K.O. for a list.” If anyone would know which clubs were the fanciest, he would.

“Aww, poor baby.” The water pulse had knocked his already drooping fennekin down and she was fainted in a puddle of water. “Excuse me, got to get and warm up my fire type.” Lex stood, stroking once over Sideways’ head before moving towards the tiny sodden form. “Come here Grims.”

He was surrounded by giants. Sunspot huffed and bristled, body sparking at Rose as he eyeballed the giant. Come and get himmm oh shi--- that light hurt! Annoyed, Sunspot pushed up on his feet, angling his spinnets and blasted the ghastly in the mouth with a string shot right as she licked him.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Alright alright enough!" Aulus waved his hand irritably at his pokemon, causing the trio to pause in confusion and nearly slopping the last of his tea out of his cup.

Aulus however was oblivious to their bemusement and his endangered beverage, his mind was currently filling up with confusion and suspicion of his own. "Why would you want to take me to a club?" he demanded of Lex, his voice picking up a sharp edge. "I mean why- why?" He couldn't think of any benign reason why Lex would want to socialize with him and even if he had been able to... Even if he had been able to the whole thing just sounded jarring, he couldn't imagine just going out somewhere and trying to have a good time right now. He should probably 'buck up', right?  

[Shaddaling]

Lex took the moment to also scoop up his ity bity joltik and set the black mite pokemon back in his hair. He snuggled Grimlock, uncaring of the water soaking his shirt and cooed over the young fire type.

“Mmh?” He paused, looking at Aulus, paused, and laughed. “Ooh, ooh, it nothing horrible. Just, we been through hell and back, and I’m social. Clubbing, it’s something I do after everything been to s**t. There’s drinks, and people, and heavy music and ********, I sort of want to get semi plastered, wear my solid purple eye, and get a derma piercing here.” He brushed the lower corner of his destroyed eye. “Normal things… and thought you might like to do something different.”  

[TawnyAngel]

The laugh made him bristle but he didn't immediately lash out; he was better at hearing people out before he gave them a tongue lashing these days. As it turned out the explanation was... well... well he got it but that didn't mean it didn't still feel incongruent.

Aulus scowled and looked down into his tea. "How can you do that? Just... just go and do normal things?" The razor blades in his tones dulled as he spoke from gleaming keen to dull and worn. Would it be fun if he just tried to make it fun? Just buck up? Remember that things would get better? Maybe Lex's approach to life was better, healthier. Maybe he should take up the offer, be sociable for once. It wasn't every day people - people other than Alex or Tam - asked him if he wanted to do things.  

[Shaddaling]

Lex rocked on his feet, thoughtful. “Well, part of it has to be the hypomania. My brain be hotwired for elevated moods and recklessness.” He brushed a hand through his hair, feeling the short curls. “So, yeah… getting drunk and piercings aren’t the best idea but I like things like that. I like piercings, hair dye, tats. I like the clubs, and the press of people, and pfh occasionally the drugs that exchange hands.”

“It’s normal in a way. You guilt yourself up over every little thing you can’t change. I rather turn to self-destructive behavior, which I’m sure is what everyone else would label it. Like right now? I really want to go outside and smoke a half pack of cloves. Not going to… just want to.”  

[TawnyAngel]

On top of worn out and suffused by gloom Aulus suddenly felt extremely tame and perhaps borderline dull. For all that he'd projected some kind of tough guy image since his early teens he didn't have anything pierced, or any tattoos, and when he'd tried to learn to smoke it had just made him gag.

Aulus finished his tea in the manner of one who has made a very deliberate decision. "Alright. Clubs then. Where do you want to go?" What was the worst thing that could happen? If he had a miserable time he could always leave and maybe, well, maybe getting pissed would take his mind off things for a while. It had to be worth a try, right?  

[Shaddaling]

"Don't know yet. Raves tend to be hit or miss, I know people and I would have to contact them to get where and when one would happen. They tend to be a bit less then legal and I don't know if running from the police is your thing." Lex was going with not.

"Second option is to hit up Kirk and get a list from him. Cause it is Kirk, and he knows thing. Third option is just leave, go to a major city, and club and bar hop till none of us remember the way home and we have to crash in whatever motel will have us… or an alleyway.”  

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus stared at Lex for a moment or two. He then laughed; briefly, sharply, but with apparent actual mirth. "Come on, look at my life choices. I think going to an illegal part is a bit of a drop in the ocean at this point don't you? I haven't got a clue who Kirk is, what sort of places would he send us?" What the hell was he getting himself into? Why was he offering to spend time with this guy who he didn't really know?... Though he supposed they did have stuff in common, and he had been on at Alex about how he wanted more people to like him, and Lex didn't seem to dislike him even though he wasn't making an extra special effort not to be a git anymore. Maybe he'd make a friend, or at least an amiable acquaintance. Maybe he'd have a good time.  

[Shaddaling]

“The red head with the red eyes, and the little goatee and works in chemistry I think. He’s terribly hot, rather vain, and a tad short? I mean he is taller than me, but I’m short.” No one was certainly going to call him tall, and Lex knew he was pretty, not hot. “And likely some club that has a dress code. He wears tailored suits.” It was bound to be ritzy.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Oh him," Aulus looked mildly sour, "sewing guy." He didn't care for the man's little smirks in the least, he always felt like the man was laughing at him internally. He had to admit that Lex was right about the kind of hot bit though, not that he was going to say so. "I would guess you're right, in which case I'd rather not, and by rather not I mean I'd rather clean the trainee toilets without gloves whilst being forced to listen to 'Friday' on repeat than go to a place like that. Bar crawl, then, or rave if you can find one." They'd stand out too much for his tastes in a posh place, if he was going to do this then he didn't want to go somewhere he'd just end up feeling like an exhibit in a freak show.  

[Shaddaling]

“Tailor,” Lex corrected absently. Sewing guy was just as misleading as hair cut guy, and rather annoying. “Bar crawl it is. I think it would suit you better, and I haven’t been on a good bar crawl in ages.” Not to mention the possibility of specialty beers! Small family own breweries! “You can invites some peeps, if you want.”