[PRP] New Roommate!

[Magician Arcana]

More laughter bubbled from the new grunt as he responded, "Yeah, but if I really flirted with you wouldn't I be kinda like... I dunno dude. It'd be pretty ******** awkward I'd think." Or maybe not. It seemed like Nakura could roll with anything. They would make good friends, Adam decided abruptly. Even when Nakura's eyes steeled and the warning was issued, Adam only felt excitement. Someone to learn, someone who wasn't a pushover, but was fun and interesting to deal with... Yeah. For once, Adam felt a little overly excited. Like everything was going to work out just fine.

His mood took a sour turn when Nakura shared he was an information broker. A lump settled heavily in the grunt's throat. Nakura could get any information Adam needed or wanted. It all happened in a flash. The realization, the slight excitement, the bitter understanding, and the anger. Like a tsunami, the tide of his excitement withdrew and the anger crashed in its place. Even if Nakura found out that information, even if Adam used it, what good would it do? It wouldn't do any good! All humans were trash. Pieces of s**t. Even himself. There's nothing good in this world. You know that. I can't believe I got ******** excited. What the hell is wrong with me!?

If he had been able to move, the grunt would have left the room, or maybe tried to pick a fight with Nakura. Instead, Adam's body quivered gently with pent up rage. Speaking through gritted teeth he replied, "Thanks. Will do." It took a few deep breaths before he could see straight. Once it did, a deep weariness took its place, "I need a ******** drink. God. Is there any sort of booze around here?"

Adam huffed and continued. Talking about anything was better than basking in that rage, "Sounds like you're quite the trouble maker. Sorry to say I guess I am too. But that's what these sort of places attract. The ne'er do wells and all that s**t. You ever tried talking to Jerry about this stuff? Maybe he'd be more understanding if you just fessed up?" Adam shrugged. Wait. He blinked and wiggled his shoulders a little bit. That was the only movement, but slowly the paralysis was fading.

----

Sighing in relief, the Ghastly listened with rapt attention to what Celty said. It sounded like her life had been very different than before meeting Nakura. Being a test subject... Those words together sounded ominous.

Before he could respond in full, a shuppet with a camera appeared. How was it staying around its neck and body? Manny was curious about it, but was still too shy to fully approach it. He wavered slightly when the attention turned from Celty to himself,

Celty saved the day, drawing the shuppets attention to a potential photo opportunity. Manny wondered if Adam would be upset about having such a picture taken, but quickly decided that the grunt couldn't care less. With hesitation, the ghost nodded and stuttered out,

Maybe the shuppet would take the bait and skedaddle to get that scoop. Manny hoped so, and felt bad. His shy nature was starting to kick into full swing.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Why would it be awkward?" Nakura asked, batting his eyes at the other man with a coquettish smile. He seemed to be doing so for the sole purpose of demonstrating his point, but that didn't make it any less convincing. "Are you too insecure about your masculinity to even just play at being gay?" 'It's such fun to watch them squirm.' "Or are you worried you might actually fall for me?"

The transformation of emotions apperant on Adam's face amused Nakura to no end. That was the sort of thing he lived for. That was why his hobby was human-watching. He loved to see the looks on people's faces when they were put in certain situations. The only question was what, exactly, had caused those emotions to change? Did he just really hate information brokers...? This one really would be an entertaining enigma, and now that they were roommates, there was nothing to keep him from observing Adam on a regular basis.

"Oi - are you cold?" he seemed to jest, acting as though he hadn't noticed the other's fickle demeanor. "You're shaking. Uh oh - are you suffering from alcohol withdrawl~?" The sing-song quality in his tone suggested he had no idea what state of mind the blonde man was in.

Curious...perhaps it was easier to get this fellow flustered than he initially thought. Well, with the headstrong ones, it usually was, but he'd begun with the impression that Adam was more laid-back than that. Continuing to study him with his privileged, up-close view, Nakura shook his head.

"Trouble-makers actually aren't as common around here as you might think," he informed him in a more serious voice. "The higher-ups make certain of that. That's why I figured you might be a nice breath of fresh air - at least until they break you." The calm smile and optimistic mannerism he wore with those last words seemed ominous until he brightened once more.

"But really, the majority of people here are either nice or just anti-social. Did you really think delinquents and ne'er do wells would be recruited to, let alone last, in a highly-sophisticated, technologically advanced criminal organization? They haven't survived this long by being comprised of complete idiots." He cocked his head slightly, relieved to know his neck was starting to regain some of its former movement.

"Besides, all sorts of people have all kinds of reasons for joining; there isn't any one kind of stereotype that prevails. Whatever impression you got of that must have been fed to you by the media's portrayal. In reality, some just want to do research they can't do anywhere else, while others joined to have a place to live off of the streets. All of those here are exceptional in some way or another, whether in skill or potential. Otherwise they wouldn't have been deemed worthy of the name 'Rocket'."

His grin became crooked. "Jerome was the one who came looking for me to talk about it," he said. "Otherwise I wouldn't have known he had seen my old notes while I'd been in jail. I doubt anything I could have said would have made him feel better, since it was something I'd done before I even knew the guy. He just felt betrayed, I think, because he must have thought I would have said something sooner. Silly idea, really." Oh, he could shrug his shoulders, now.

"It was just business. It's not like I even gave his friends' information to their enemy gang out of spite. How was I supposed to know they were going to kill them in that ambush? Even if I had, it wasn't my problem. I was just doing my job." It might have also had to do with Jerome's prior knowledge that Nakura relished in what he did, especially when it caused conflict, but he wasn't about to dwell on that.

--------------------------------------------------

The Shuppet seemed reluctant to leave Manny, because even photos aside, she liked talking to new pokemon. Still, she knew the situation they spoke of wouldn't last long, and at least now she knew where Manny was staying (and would soon discover what his trainer looked like), so perhaps she could drop by to chat another time.

Giggling, the Shuppet gave him a playful wink and blew a kiss. And with that, she flew past in the direction of the room they'd just come from.

When she was out of sight and sound, Celty shook her head with small, whirring giggles of her own. she apologized. Looking back at Manny, she said,

--------------------------------------------------

Back in their room, Izaya and Adam would soon find themselves under attack. A barrage of photographic flashes pelted them from the instant Eris entered the room, acting as a one-pokemon paparazzi press circus. Whether or not they were still paralyzed, they may as well have become temporary blinded, too.  

[Magician Arcana]

This guy. There was something seriously fun and different about Nakura and Adam had no clue what or how to express it. Just the way that things seemed to bounce off him and how he hid things before grins and laughs. All of it, all of it was masterfully done. It came to the blonde then, the question that would haunt him and cemented the idea that they would be friends.

What made Nakura-Nakura? What happened to him? How could he love humans? and most importantly...

How can I make him stop being Nakura? All of that was decded as the other responded to his questions, and mocked him for being angry. Adam, usually so talkative, only grinned toothily and added a few mms of understanding at appropriate moments.

"Guess it all makes sense. Well, maybe when you break down and miss him you'll go back crying." Adam teased softly and decided to answer the unasked questions, "Nah.. I'm... not having withdrawals and how could I be cold with a hot guy in my arms? Jeesh." Two birds, one flirt. He winked.

That flirtatious grin was still on his face when the first blast of light came. Yelling in shock, Adam's eyes reflexively closed as the barrage of flashes continued, "What the ******** is going on!? What the ********?" Adam's voice raised to make the bombs of light and snap of shutter lens. C-camera.

"S-s**t someone is photoing us?" When it ended up, and thank god it ended, Adam opened his eyes and found they still stung. Someone, or a pokemon, came in and took a bunch of pictures. ... "I want to get a copy of that." Bright laughter poured out of the grunt, amused to no end that now there was a photo of the two snuggling on the ground in the world.

-----

Manny didn't know how to handle Eris. When the other gave him a playful wink and a kiss, the ghastly's cheeks burned a deep purple as he shyly backed up to float behind Celty. It didn't seem like anger or exasperation was tagged in that sentence, but mild amazement and definite flustering.

Something earlier? Manny shook his head,