[Fin] In Better Weather

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel watched as Zevran tapped on his cheek to draw attention to that side. "Huh..." The blond frowned and, realizing he was still holding chips in his hand, he popped them into his mouth while he thought on that a bit more. Had he had it when he'd met him? "I honestly don't remember if I saw that or not... But I don't remember Taavi ever mentioning it, and I honestly didn't look at Sasha very hard - I didn't really care to - so I can't really say. He probably had it back then though," the blond surmised, nibbling on his lower lip thoughtfully. "Back in winter, I mean. I only met him the one time." Humm, illegal things... He'd be the world's biggest hypocrite if he said much on that topic, but... "As long as he doesn't end up pulling Taavi into it or anything," he said, his lips pursed and brows furrowed. While Taavi had gotten swept up in Plasma when he was younger, Abel very much wanted to think he wasn't that naive and gullible anymore and thus wouldn't want to have anything to do with whatever illegal s**t Sasha was up to - because if he had any money to bet, he would bet quite a bit that Taavi's boyfriend was indeed up to something.

The psychic-type chuckled a bit. No, he did not know about being busy looking for food. All of his food was provided to him and it always had been, so he didn't really know what that was like. The closest he could come was wondering if Alyssa would feed him that day or not, when she'd had him. he hazarded, flicking his forked tail as he looked over at the little bug-type.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran gave an expressive shrug. "I'm not about to judge somebody for operating a little outside the law," or more than a little, "I'm just rather curious about what could necessitate hiding where you live of all things." To him it rather more than hinted that the activity and the reason for the lie were interlinked. "Or of course they could just be ******** their landlord," Zevran added as an afterthought; Sasha had said they cared for Taavi and that might well be true, they might just care for this landlord too. There were always stories cropping up about people who had managed to live double lives for years.

<> Amigo nodded, <boring. I tell you, you get really sick of looking at leaves and dirt! The city is amazing, there's so much to see and do and the food is way better. Lemons.>> The Caterpie's eyes sparkled and from his tone of voice he was talking about the nectar of the gods.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Yeah, me either -" he'd be a hypocrite if he did, after all, "- I just don't want Taavi to get pulled into it one way or another. I honestly don't know why he feels the need to hide where he lives, but I can't help but be curious just why... And I really don't think that rich young landlord even exists, so I doubt he's seeing him on the side like that. Anyway," he waved his free hand as if to wave away the topic, "I'm sure you didn't come over here specifically to talk about Sasha's shadiness and stuff like that." Abel left it at that rather than suggest a topic of conversation, and took another swig of his beer. Zevran was the guest, so he'd let him pick what to talk about next - or what to do next, if he was tired of talking.

the Espeon said, watching the Caterpie's animated behavior as he spoke. Ah..? He echoed curiously, tilting his head a bit.  

[TawnyAngel]

"No indeed!" Zevran replied with a hearty laugh. "I am glad that we cleared up that misunderstanding though." He was many things but he was not the sort of person who would go along with springing a surprise on that on somebody. "Tell me more about your pokekom then," Zevran suggested with a slight wave of his bottle at the assembled group. "How did you come to have so many? Though I suppose I have collected quite a few in quite a short space of time myself come to think of it."

<> Amigo repeated emphatically. <>  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Me too," the blond agreed wholeheartedly as he nodded his head, then grabbed a couple more chips to munch on. Dip was good, but he kind of liked chips plain.

Zevran's question made his lips twitch into a smile. "I actually have a few more that aren't out here," he admitted, then gestured to each with his beer bottle, "Isaac's been with me since we were both babies. My parents always got a young Eevee from a breeder for each of their kids. I caught Sonia not too long after I moved to Unova about... six years ago now. Elizabeth followed me home one day, my parents sent me Caleb and Tabitha, my Mareep. I found Vanessa - a Lopunny - in the woods, I caught Cadence the Lapras back in winter... when I met Sasha actually. I used to have a couple others too, but," he shrugged expressively, "two of them wanted to go back to the wild, and I sent one back to my parents in Sinnoh." That was rather a lot, wasn't it? He loved them all, so he'd been rather glad when Cyrus and Joel had expressed their desires to return to the wild. At least they'd be able to find food themselves whenever they wanted. Here, he had to worry over whether or not he'd be able to afford to feed all of them. He always tried to make sure they ate though, even if it meant he didn't.

"It's super easy to get more. Sometimes it happens whether you know it or not," he added somewhat ruefully, "but they're pretty great. How many d'you have besides this one and the egg?" After posing the question he finished off what little remained of his beer, swirled the bottle a bit, then stood up and jerked a thumb towards the kitchen. "Question number two: Want another beer?"

the psychic-type echoed once more with a brief laugh.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran nodded along with Abel's explanation of where he had got his pokemon, it was a little reassuring to know that he wasn't the only one who found it terribly easy to pick them up! He would have to be careful not to get overwhelmed, though he could move some on if he got too many as Abel had himself.

When Abel got up Zevran grinned and finished off his own beer. "Another beer would be excellent, thank you." The first one had gone down very well indeed and he fully intended several more to follow it. "Let me see though I have, yes, three pokemon now and the egg," he affirmed with a nod. "Amigo here you know obviously but at the same time as I found him I found a Budew, she is at home tonight looking after the egg. I did not actually intend on getting the egg, I had only gone to ask the farmer if they had a flying type they would employ as a taxi back to the city; they did not but they asked if I might like an egg." Zevran laughed at himself and shook his head. "I thought it a bit of a strange offer but I had not had lunch and so I accepted! I was not expecting to be handed something so large, or so interestingly coloured. Having accepted however I could hardly change my mind, they seemed quite pleased to be rid of it too."

<> Amigo said cheerfully. <>  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Thank you," Abel countered with a grin before he turned and headed into the kitchen, "you were the one that brought them." He listened closely as he opened the fridge to grab two more bottles, then shut it before walking back to the couch to rejoin his company. As he handed Zev a new bottle he nodded his head, an amused grin on his face. "Yeah, 'egg' usually means pokemon egg here, or unless it's 'the egg' and then it's the artifact out in the ocean. But that was..." The blond paused to recount in his head to double check, then nodded, "I think just two. What's the third?" So saying, he flopped himself back onto the couch and got comfortable. It was nice to just sit around with pleasant company and drink beer; it helped him forget about all the crap going on lately.

Isaac nodded, and flicked his forked tail again. His head tilted a bit in thought.  

[TawnyAngel]

"True, but I like not having to get up to get another one," Zevran replied, shrugging and returning Abel's grin. "And I will be more careful about accepting eggs in future." Accepting beers not so much, he took a sip from the fresh bottle and gave a contented sigh. "The third would be a Mantine, which I won in a poker game... last Thursday?" Zevran looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging and nodding. "Yes, I think it was Thursday." Just as Abel was taking another sip of beer he added; "Its name is Sea Pancake."

<> Amigo looked over at his human thoughtfully, wondering just how he was going to communicate that.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"That's fair," the blond agreed with a bob of his head. Hum, that was... Well not odd, but not like any way he'd gotten any of his Pokemon so far. "A poker game, huh?" He repeated thoughtfully, and tried to remember what a Mantine was. He took a sip of his beer as he did so, and Zevran would be rewarded for his good timing with Abel briefly choking on his drink.

"You did that on purpose!" He accused his guest once his short coughing fit ended, though his wide grin and brief chuckling held no malice in them whatsoever. "Sea Pancake, though... Who named it? A kid?" Because really, the poor thing. Sea Pancake...

Isaac asked as he twisted his head to look at the Zoroark.

She replied, ears peeking a bit as she lifted her head to look at him.



The dark-type frowned thoughtfully for a moment before a small yellow bottle manifested on the coffee table, its shape reminiscent of a lemon itself.

the Espeon said with a flick of an ear at the illusion.  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran affected an air of pure guilelessness. "Me? Do that on purpose? Why would you think such a terrible thing of me?" he asked in overly innocent tones. A couple of moments later he grinned and added; "But if I had done it on purpose, which of course I did not, you must admit it would have been well timed! I can't say who named the poor creature, I didn't even know what it was until I took it to the pokemon centre let alone the name registered to it. For the sake of the creature's dignity I have decided that I shall call it Pan though, I haven't had a chance to let it out yet but I shall head to the beach tomorrow I think and do so." He wanted to see if it really could leap as high into the air as its pokedex entry had indicated but he was already starting to take them with a grain of salt, it seemed as though some of them were more myth than fact.

<> Amigo studied the illusion carefully for future reference. <> the bug said, chittering a laugh to himself at the understatement.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel smirked at him. "I guess I'm just a terrible person," he said with a shrug, "so I think such terrible things of other people. Unfairly, of course," the blond made sure to add, then took another sip of his beer - uninterrupted this time. After a few moments he continued with a nod, "Yeah, no, that was perfect timing. Pan sounds like a much better nickname for the poor thing, too. Sea Pancake..." Would he ever get over that kind of name? Probably not. Seriously... It was too bad Zevran couldn't really change it officially, but at least he could call it Pan instead. "The beach sounds good. Is it a water-type then? I mean with a name like Sea Pancake I'd assume so, but you know what they say about assuming," he said with an airy gesture of one hand.

"...do you know if it's friendly or not?" Abel asked after a thoughtful moment. That was an important thing to know, too. Did it know it was up for grabs in a poker match? Was it okay with that? Probably not in either instance. It wouldn't sit too well with him to be a poker prize if he were a Pokemon. "An empty stretch of beach is probably a good spot to find that out I guess, if you don't know if it is or not."

Isaac smiled and nodded at Amigo. Sonia merely made a quiet noise, so the Espeon said on her behalf, the psychic-type's expression morphed into an amused grin, he suggested.  

[TawnyAngel]

"You are, quite simply awful, but because I am a kind and giving man I shall forgive you your faults," Zevran replied playfully. "And yes it's a water and flying type, quite large apparently. Ahhh, let's see." Zevran set his beer down on the table, dug his phone out of his pocket and searched out an image of a Mantine swimming with a diver. "Quite an impressive wingspan... finspan?" he said as he showed the picture to Abel. "And I've heard that they can leap a long way out of the water if they get up speed, something I should like to try! Once I work out whether or not it's friendly that is, I think I shall take your advice and let it out somewhere quiet the first time. They don't look especially savage but I assume they're not to be underestimated."

<> Amigo laughed. <> So long as it didn't actually hurt his trainer of course.

The cackling noise coming from Amigo attracted Zevran's attention as he picked his beer up again, and at that point he spotted the illusionary bottle of lemon juice. He raised an eyebrow. "This is the height of comedy now? Bottles of juice?" he asked in amused tones.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

With a thoroughly amused chuckle, Abel shook his head. "I don't know how you've found it in your charming heart to forgive me, it's very gracious of you." And then there was a picture; the blond leaned closer to his company to get a better look at it. Ah, yep - that was definitely nothing he'd seen before. "Mantine, huh... They look pretty cool; not very intimidating-looking either, although looks can be deceiving," he noted with a nod, "so yeah, better to do it somewhere quiet until you know it's not going to attack anyone or anything."

Isaac agreed with a smirk, picturing the scene in his head as they spoke. It really was very funny, and he couldn't help but hope it actually happened at some point. Not that he should hope such a thing, but there it was.

The cackling as well as Zevran's comment drew Abel's attention to the pokemon next, and a slow smile spread across his face as he began to chuckle. "I guess it is, though I admit I'm not sure how," he admitted before he took another sip of his beer. That was the last sip of it, too, so the blond got up to fetch more for the both of them, eager to continue their quiet evening of beer, snacks and companionable conversation.