[FIN] A Beginning

[LexThetaSigma]

Rory shook his head as he grabbed the clipboard he had been using to record what was happening with the Ponyta. The vitals were picking up and according to the ticking clock, it wouldn't be much longer before the pokemon would be freed. He wrote down the changes in the readings as he tossed her another smirk, "At least we look good for being grandparents," he teased.

When she asked if the timer had slowed down, he shook his head again. "Nope, but she's gonna be out of there very soon. Probably won't be too good for us to be standing right by it."  

[Gwennythe]

"Hee. 'S true. Hip 'f a hundred percent bone. Teeth don't sleep in a glass," Tambrey grinned as she agreed "and not a grey in sight just yet, thank you. We /do/ look good f'r grandparents..."

Ah. He had a point.
She remembered the flaming projectiles from early on in their experimentation and decided she'd rather not be stood right next to where a pokémon might actually emerge as a large one.

"Should we ready a fire extinguisher? Um. Just in case?"
The timer clicked as it passed another minute, taking their countdown, minute-wise at least, into single digits.  

[LexThetaSigma]

Rory tried to ignore what the word 'we' did to his heart rate. "Definitely," he winked at her.

When she asked if they should get the fire extinguisher ready, he looked back at the tank as the memories from their first attempt came rushing back to him. "I'm not sure. After all, this isn't the same as that rust bucket we used to create her. The only flames that should be involved are hers."  

[Gwennythe]

"Well, 'm relying on you." She acknowledged, still smiling warmly- she trusted him "No fire types 'f my own, so I don't know what t' expect here. I mean- I've read stories about burns and such, and I know young pokémon sometimes don't... y'know... have proper, uh, control when it comes to their powers... You've had Pinkie for a long time though so I was just wondering... Could Ponyta flames burn something down? I mean, clearly we can't use the fire extinguisher /on/ her, but if she can set fire to somethin'," 'Or someone', she thought "I mean, then maybe we should have it ready? Did Pinkie ever set anything on fire?"  

[LexThetaSigma]

At the mention of her relying on him, his smile softened and turned slightly shy. He tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head; the one that said he was going to screw this up just like he had screwed Pinkie up.

"She might have control issues," he warned, "especially depending on her personality. Pinkie's always been an excitable little thing and the first few months with her were...interesting to say the least," he shuddered slightly as the memories of the first few months with her came to mind.

"We might want to have it close just in case," he tacked on as he rubbed his eyebrows slightly, remembering the month it took for them to grow back after an accident with his pokemon. "She could be calm and be able to control herself easily but we won't know until she comes out."  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey nodded, no smart remarks or funny comments for what he said this time; she listened quite carefully, intently, then immediately went and grabbed the fire extinguisher closer to them, hefting it up onto a work-surface, where it would be easily in reach.

"So... Just like any child, then." She finally joked a reply "except... a child with the ability to spew fire from herself..." Tambrey was nervous, certainly, but it still sounded like she was still excited and having fun, as frustrating as the wait might have been.

"Should Pinkie be out? Or... um, would that be a bad idea? I mean, the same species and everything- d'ya think that would be helpful? Grass types seem to calm each other, 's all, from what I've seen from Treestar interacting with others... Do you think it could be that way for fire types or... is it the opposite?" The last thing Tambrey wanted was for two Ponyta to suddenly both be spewing fire at each other.
"Sorry... Gettin' a little... anxious..." she admitted, breaking off the ramble of questions after a moment of pause "Very glad you're here."  

[LexThetaSigma]

"Pretty much," Rory responded as he watched the timer continue to tick down, "that's basically what she'll be. At least I think. The experiments don't go straight to adulthood, right?" He had tried to do as much research as he could before they had started and during the course of the process but he couldn't recall what he had read on that subject.

He hummed slightly as he palmed the pokeball that was attached to his belt, the other two were back in his room. "It might not be that bad; she would be able to communicate with her where we can't," he shrugged, "I guess it depends on who well they get along." He wished he could be more of a help but it had been years, nearly a decade, since he had dealt with that sort of thing.

He went over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be just fine."  

[Gwennythe]

"Erm." The accelerated growth meant that the Ponyta certainly wouldn't be 'hatched from egg' size, Tambrey knew, and she was reasonably sure that the type they were using wouldn't scale her up entirely to grown up... Maybe.
It hadn't seemed that way.

She considered her answer while she nodded to Rory's thoughts on the matter of bringing Pinkie out.
"I know I read a bit on some 'f the machines being able t' do that... I /think/, but that's... a lot longer a process and more advanced than what we've been able to do with what we've had access to... Plus, a lot of it was kind of... locked out t' me. Couldn't access it at my rank, so I suppose some of that stuff is used in some pretty important experiments. So. I think she'll be a juvenile kind 'f size but I don't think she'll be tiny. Still, in other ways, she's still going to be a baby, 's why I wondered if it might be a good idea." The explanation was probably a little longer than it could have been, and Tambrey felt it was a little awkwardly worded. "Communication's probably going to be helpful."

The dark haired grunt smiled at the touch, blinking with some surprise, having not registered Rory had moved, and nodded.
"I know... 'M just... Uh. 'Anxcited'." Now she was making up words, apparently.  

[LexThetaSigma]

Rory pulled the pokeball off of his belt and rolled it in his hands, nodding as he listened to her. "That's true," he replied and stepped closer to the holding container to peer through the glass. The Ponyta definitely wasn't 'just hatched' sized and hadn't been for roughly a week now, but she wasn't anywhere near full grown size just yet.

"I think you're right," he replied as he continued looking at the pokemon, "It might be a bit of a help to you that she's not going to be coming out as a newly hatched pokemon. She might be able to understand us better, possibly," he continued rolling the pokeball in his hands before finally pressing the release.

"It won't hurt to be cautious," he replied as his own fire horse was released into the lab as he went back over to Tambrey's side. He bumped her shoulder with his as the timer continued ticking away and chuckled slightly at the word she created.  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey took her glasses off, to wipe them 'clean' for a momentary distraction from the 'anxious' part of her 'anxcitement'.

"Oh, I'm sure. Um, and she might be able to hear us right now, thinking about it..." Tambrey blurted out the thought as it came to her.
She placed her glasses back on in time to see Pinkie Pie materializing and Rory standing back next to her, bumping her shoulder.

"Thanks," Her smile crept a little up into a little kind of grin and she tried bumping back, though suspected it just made her look silly. She leaned forward after that though, making sure she greeted, and thanked, the pink Ponyta.

"Hi there Pinkie! 'M not sure what Rory's told y' about all this so far," A glance at Rory, as if for some indication "but thank you f'r being here too."

The timer beeped two long notes; two minute warning. Processes were starting to end and shut off.  

[LexThetaSigma]

Rory shrugged, "It's possible. Sort of like a child can hear its parents' voices even though its still in the mother's womb." Where had that comparison come from? He shook his head and grabbed his clipboard again, just for something to occupy his hands.

He felt her slightly bump him back as Tambrey turned her attention to the pink fire horse he had let out. "You're welcome," he responded and went back to taking notes, once again mostly as something to occupy him. Though it didn't really do any good; out of the corner of his eye, he watched his fellow grunt interact with Pinkie.

Pinkie wasn't entirely sure what was going on or why her trainer had let her out but she was thankful. She whinnied at the female; she tried to remember her name, Tam-something, right?  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey nodded, fought off a bit of a blushing expression at Rory's comment, but couldn't think of any response that wouldn't bring attention to, or lessen, the awkwardness.

She smiled still, aware and not minding, at Rory's glance from his clip-board; that he was watching was fine by her, comforting even.
Tambrey was hoping she'd be able to explain to Pinkie, but if she couldn't, then Rory would, she thought, be able to, or be able to correct whatever she confused the Ponyta over, should that happen.

"Octavia- that's what we've settled on f'r her name- is going to come out of her tube any moment now," She glanced to the timer "and we, uh, don't know what to expect, but having you here will hopefully make it easier for us all... I mean, she's kind of like..." A glance to Rory now for help or confirmation "... Well, she'll be kind of like a sister? Sort of?"  

[LexThetaSigma]

The further the clock ticked down, the more Rory's nerves manifested in the tapping of his pen against the clipboard. In a matter of moments their creation would be out of her tank; the nerves had nothing to do with the glimpses he still found himself taking as Tambrey spoke to Pinkie, explaining as best she could about what was going to happen. At least that was the story he was going with.

He snorted slightly at Tambrey's "sister? sort of?" but didn't say anything.

A sister? Pinkie couldn't recall having a 'sister' before. Was it going to be like in the room with the little mouse running around and occasionally the black lizard. Pinkie was unsure of what was going to happen now or why they needed her out but she nodded to the woman before moving closer to her trainer.  

[Gwennythe]

A snort. She'd take that as an 'okay', she decided.
She fidgeted. Was she explaining this right? She hoped so.
Pinkie seemed to 'nod', but Tambrey was still unused to the fire type's gestures and such.
"Um. I guess that means you understand... Thank you." She smiled at the pink horse, then checked the timer.
It was counting down past one minute... then down to 40... 30 seconds...
It was taking no time at all now, yet also, she noted, taking all the time in the world.
The grunt rocked on her heels, lab coat swishing slightly.
Something on the tank hissed and clanked as the final processes shut off and the computer ran a final check.
"Here we go..." She reached up and nudged her glasses back up her nose slightly; finally time to see how all their work had paid off.