[ORP] The Moonlit Desert

[Gwennythe]

(An ORP for pokémon)

A soft wind blew across the desert- warm, still, from the afternoon sun of earlier, but cooling quickly as deserts are wont to do- caressing the sands into wave-like patterns.
A sea of sand lapping the 'shoreline' where Ambergris sat, dark and gloomy, behind the imposing, regal, figure of a Rapidash.
Her coat glistened faintly beneath the soft indigo glow of her fiery, 'night sky' mane as Nightmare Moon (a moniker that she'd come to have great pride in) stared out across the desert with narrowed eyes.
Somewhere out there was where she had awoken, dumped, abandoned... /Banished/.
Banished from where she had been born, banished by the very humans who had made her.
She often looked back into the desert, to remember, to fuel her hatred.
She had been cast out and now this place- this empty shell of a human city with this /wasteland/ of sand- was her, unsuitable, home.  

[Shadow the Pokemorph]

A Haunter lingered nearby, appearing to be searching for something, though he didn't seem to be in any hurry. There was nothing urgent in the way his crimson eyes scanned the horizon, allowing the desert sands to blow through him when it got to be too much. It wasn't much of a landscape, but at least it was somewhere quiet to think.

Upon wandering the area a little bit, however, a dark, glittering shape stood out against the pale sand dunes. He squinted, wondering if it was a mirage before levitating closer. Hesitantly, as if worried he'd be scolded for seeing things, the ghost pokemon raised a three-fingered claw and waved at the dark figure. Was that a...Rapidash?  

[LexThetaSigma]

A little ways off a black Charmander almost blended in with the darkness except for his tail flame and his eyes. He stood still, sniffing the night air as the winds blew the sand against his body. He breathed in and the flame on his tail blazed a little brighter. The desert was so much better than the park had been; he was glad he had followed those large vehicles with the humans inside a while back.

As he was enjoying the warmth that still lingered from the day, he noticed what appeared to be flames on the horizon. He cocked his head to the side and started to make his way over to see what it was.  

[Gwennythe]

The Rapidash narrowed her eyes as something started to come out of the desert, something dark and... intangible.
Aha, a ghost then; a creature of the night, a /subject/.
She reared up, forelegs boxing the air, in a display of power- yes, that was how she needed to greet a subject, to remind them who they were encountering- and then brought her hooves down in something not unlike a Stomp attack on the sands, mane flickering higher for a moment, casting her stars against the real ones.
The insolence of the thing to wave at her so casually.
'A ghost may not be able to kneel but I /demand/ the correct address as /royalty/.' The fire-horse widened her eyes momentarily for emphasis as she addressed the approaching ghost.

The Charmander's approach might have been more immediately noticeable- with the glow of his tail and all- if the mare hadn't been, as she considered it, /forced/ to deal with such a disrespectful address from the ghost type.
As it was, he may as well have been 'sneaking up' on her.  

[Shadow the Pokemorph]

Taken aback by the indigo figure's sudden movement, the Haunter paused, eyes wide and uncertain. Had he done something to upset her? Or was this her territory and she was warding him off?

He'd never seen a fire-type quite like her before. Though her constantly shifting mane certainly resembled flames, it twinkled and flickered like a glittery, translucent liquid. He remained where he was, unmoving as she returned all fiery hooves to the ground and spoke. Her words and tone immediately broke whatever enchantment her beauty had worked over him.

he repeated, casting a skeptical smirk at her as he crossed his disembodied claws. your majesty, but I had to make sure I wasn't seeing a mirage. Never thought a fire-type could get away with having a flame as dim as yours.> Though he meant it jeeringly, her soft light was actually rather pretty as it danced upon the grains of sand, causing them to sparkle like her mane and tail. It was very much like the radiance that a blacklight gave off, come to think of it.

Out the corner of his eye, the Haunter noticed yet another dark fire-type, though this ones' flames shone a lot brighter. Even if they were still a strange, blue variant. He blinked, starting to wonder just how many peculiar pokemon lived out here. Was their strange coloring all a result of Team Rocket's lab experimentation? He knew his had been. Still, now was probably not a good time to ask.

He asked the Rapidash mare, gesturing a claw toward the glowing blue flame and bright eyes that dispelled the dark.  

[LexThetaSigma]

The Charmander hunched down at the Rapidash's movements. She was bigger than him, much bigger, but he wasn't scared. He was curious actually. He had to admit she was pretty for a Rapidash and her flames were different colors, similar to how his own were.

Royalty, huh? That's what he thought he heard from the nearby Haunter. The Charmander puffed his chest out slightly before he stepped closer and made his way over to attempt to sniff the horse pokemon. She didn't smell royal to him. She mostly smelled like sand, like the rest of the desert.

He shook his head after sniffing her and turned to the Haunter. He raised one claw and waved slightly, [Hey!]

Another slightly strange looking pokemon. Maybe one of them had a human? Maybe one of them could help him get inside the building to find the humans he had been trying to find?  

[Gwennythe]

'My fire burns with the ferocity of the stars themselves; it holds the beauty of the night, not some common luminescence that some... peasant may huddle around for /warmth/ and /light/. My 'dim' flame, as you might call it, has a soft glow that rivals the moon for its beauty.'
The horse pokémon snorted, offended, as she retorted the ghost's jeer.
Insolence.
This was, of course, the human's fault.
Casting her out to this /wasteland/, the thing before her would not dare to address her so disrespectfully if she'd been given her rightful, ruling, place above all other life.
'The sands and the citadel behind me. These are my realm for now but I /am/ the rightful ruler to /all/ you shall encounter upon this land.' She had no real idea how big 'her' realm was, but she was certain that, although not yet visited and claimed, every bit of land she would ever encounter was 'her birthright'.
'Friend? I have subjects; Royalty has no need for fri- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!' The Rapidash whinnied and screeched in anger as she turned her head to follow the Haunter's gesture and found herself being sniffed by some strangely coloured Charmander.
At least this was a fire type, but the audacity... the sheer disrespect... in coming over and simply sniffing her!
'How /dare/ you!' Nightmare's flames burned high and her eyes, wide in fury, stared down at the Charmander. She, of course, did not return his greeting.  

[Shadow the Pokemorph]

the Haunter answered, sounding bored. In truth, he was still a little insulted by the Rapidash's remark that he was unable to kneel. He resented not having much of a body, so he took out this unspoken resentment on the arrogant fire-type. He felt she could have done with a little humbling.

<Peasant?> The ghost wasn't sure he'd heard right. His broad mouth split into a wide grin. you from? The medieval ages?> Shaking his head pityingly, he murmured,

He wasn't afraid of her, though perhaps he should have been. The Haunter had had his fair share in dealing with psycho female pokemon before, though, so he had some confidence, at least, that he'd be able to take whatever this one could dish out. What were a few burns to a ghost? At least she couldn't try any of that stupid stomping business.

With a sigh, the Haunter eventually decided it was probably just better to play along. While he wasn't all too happy about being considered a 'peasant', it was actually closer to the truth than he cared to admit. Besides, if one wanted to avoid causing a child's screaming tantrum, one was better off playing by the kid's rules and indulging them in their imaginary world for a bit, right? In addition, the Haunter wasn't one to start a fight if he could avoid it, particularly because he very much disliked utilizing his pokemon powers.

<...Okay. The sands I get, but what citadel?> he ventured, attempting to peer around the temperamental fire-type. Surely she couldn't have been referring to the Rockets' headquarters...could she have? As she continued speaking, however, he had to make a conscious effort not to laugh or even smile at her proclamation. He couldn't look her in the eye, which was probably for the best since in the old days, to do so with someone of a higher standing than oneself was considered extremely rude.

he attempted, focusing on her hooves as he bowed his head in 'respect' and hoping that his actions would pacify her. At least to some degree; no doubt this one was the sort with endless demands and a thousand things to complain about. He could only be glad she wasn't psychic.

Thank Arceus he'd encountered medieval-obsessed lunatics like this in the past. It had given him some idea of how to speak while pretending to be in 'ye olden times'.

But something else had already caught the dark Rapidash's attention. The ghost-and-poison-type hesitated, startled by the sudden outburst. Okay, now it was really hard not to laugh. He settled for a smirk and hoped the armored unicorn wouldn't notice in her outrage.

Once he'd managed to recompose himself, the red-eyed Haunter swiftly flew to the Charmander's side. he held up his clawed hands in an attempt to calm 'Her Royal Highness'.

Glancing to the black Charmander beside him - wow, he really was similar in coloring to this Rapidash - he gave a wink and managed to whisper, Hopefully the other would get the hint and play along as well. He seemed like a curious sort, perhaps with a playful side and a sense of humor.  

[LexThetaSigma]

The Charmander startled and couldn't help a small chuckle when the Rapidash turned on him. He ignored the angered look she sent his way and turned to the floating ghost that came over to him. At the wink from the Haunter, the Charmander smiled slightly and nodded. It seemed the ghost wanted to play along with the delusional horse, so maybe he should follow suit.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I've never observed anyone with a scent like yours before. It's very....intoxicating." He felt like trying to find a bit of water to wash out his nose; Her Highness definitely needed a water peasant to give her a bath. Then again they were in a desert so that probably wouldn't be likely.

He bowed his head slightly and put a claw over his chest. "Forgive me, Your Highness, for not recognizing your royalty at the first sniff."  

[Gwennythe]

The fire horse took a moment to calm down; the various 'proper' ways of doing things swirling in her head.
She should make an example of the overly familiar Charmander (especially as she was embarrassed at the scent that humans may have left upon her) but now the ghost and the Charmander seemed to both be accepting, if a little without the fear she believed they ought to have to show proper respect, of her clear royalty.
Her flames remained burning fairly tall as she looked between them, fury slowly turning to haughty suspicion as the excuses she heard given.
"To be unrecognised is affront enough..." She spat, bitterly "but perhaps my subjects have simply been under this human /spell/ too long. What would royalty /be/ without mercy?" She mused, eyes slyly lighting back up; yes, they must be truly recognizing her- that /mocking tone/ that knew she detected would fade soon enough, for she /was/ Royalty under the night. Her eyes changed, become more (what /she/ thought) 'generous', narrowing in shape and still reflecting how much she believed she was powerful.
"Perhaps you can be forgiven this once. I am," She gave a rather disturbing smile, eyes perhaps reflecting a little of some form of dark insanity "/quite/ intoxicating, it's true."

"You have asked after my title." She suddenly seemed to remember, looking back to the ghost and frowning for a moment. She thought, perhaps, she recalled someone calling her 'Princess' as she grew... while she was young in that place! A /human/ pet-name... Fine then. "I am /the/ ruler, thus 'Your Majesty' will suffice." She stood tall and gestured across the sands with her head, then swept her neck, regally, back to show the outline of Ambergris behind her.
"My sands and my citadel."  

[Shadow the Pokemorph]

Impressed with the dark lizard's willingness and ability to improvise, the Haunter felt encouraged. Even better was the fact that the Rapidash seemed to calm down - at least a little. Now it was just a matter of translating her strange mindset into what she wanted from reality. Command over others and power was evident. Recognition was a definite desire. But she still seemed suspicious of them.

The Haunter was about to remind the sparkling mare that they had never before met their monarch and therefore had had no way of recognizing her when they met her because she was so...high above them in status. However, the problem seemed to solve itself before he had even opened his mouth, which was just as well, because the ghost didn't think that excuse would have convinced anyone, no matter how deluded they were.

Human spell...? His brow furrowed briefly as he tried to understand what she meant. Has she already encountered the humans? Rockets, or others? It would have explained why she was so oddly-colored, but not how she had escaped the labs. Before he could consider this, though, the female fire-type's frightful smile drew his attention back to her as she resolved to forgive the impudence of her subjects.

the Haunter murmured absent-mindedly, the flicker of madness in her eyes intimidating him for real. The sweetened words were so slathered with flattery that the ghost thought he would be sick, but as long as it kept the Rapidash from going berserk, he'd gladly say whatever he had to.

While she was considering her past, the ghost glanced frantically toward the Charmander, wondering if he had any idea what was going on. He was a fire-type, right? Could he read her temperamental moods? And the black Charmander was just as oddly-colored as their 'ruler'. Had they come from the same place?

Suddenly she was speaking again. 'Her Majesty' it was. However, the Haunter was not sure whether to be relieved or not to realize that her 'citadel' was not, in fact, the building he had been thinking of. In fact, it seemed like a whole town. Maybe bigger. he acknowledged, a little dumbfounded at the revelation. No, no, he had to stay on task. What was he doing? Right, trying to figure out what she wanted. What was that word he was looking for again?

Deep breaths. He just had to keep it up a little longer. With luck, the lizard pokemon would be more skilled at this than he was. His memory was still rusty, and it was so awkward to speak in this manner. he finished, trying not to stop too much to think between words. Maybe she wouldn't mind if he didn't keep to the old speech.  

[LexThetaSigma]

The Charmander tried his hardest not to smirk at the insane creature. He wondered how such delusions had made it into her mind. The lizard hung his head so she wouldn't see the small smirk on his face.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I've been under the humans' spell for too long. I'm pleased that I was released from their spell and able to recognize your...royalty." Not that he had been happy when his former trainer had released him to roam the city on his own. If he could ever find that guy from the party, maybe he could lead him to where he had hid the pokeball that he had been left with.

"I'm very grateful for your pardon, Your Intoxicating-ness," At the look the Haunter sent his way, the small fire type did his best to shrug. Whatever this pokemon had been given, he was sure glad he hadn't found any of it. He'd have to start sniffing cups when he steals them now just in case.

He looked towards the direction the Rapidash claimed as hers. If that was where she came from, he definitely wouldn't be going over there for water. He'd claw at a cactus first.

Now the Haunter was offering the psycho their help? What?! He shot a look of confusion towards the ghost pokemon but decided he would be better playing along. "Yes, we would be honored to help you find what ever you're looking for."  

[Gwennythe]

'Your intoxicating-ness'; it wasn't a title she'd asked for and, perhaps, most pokémon might have been insulted or unsure whether to take it as an insult or complimentary title, but the Rapidash seemed to /like/ it. Her mad little smile twitched just slightly bigger at being given a new title.

"Yes. I /am/ gracious." She acknowledged, as though this was something obvious that she knew, and liked, about herself, before thinking about how to answer the queries she was given.
She frowned a little, holding her head high.
"My citadel is my capitol; these are still my lands and my subjects," The fire-horse looked pointedly from Haunter to Charmander "are still to be found out here in /my/ night time."
Was she looking for anything? Well, not consciously, she thought to herself, a little troubled by the idea, but perhaps she was...
"No, but I must take care of threats to my rule, guard against them so that my subjects may bask in the moonglow of my rightful time as supreme and /only/ ruler. The humans and their spells are the biggest /pain/ to all of us, of course..." She quite clearly believed that ruling was her right, that 'her subjects' would be content as subjects and that humans were some magical enemy.  

[Kitomyx]

The Haunter could only offer the Charmander a brief glance back before nodding slowly in response to 'Her Majesty'. He wanted to get a complete picture - or as much as he could - of the situation before they did anything rash.  

[LexThetaSigma]

The Rapidash was insane and the Haunter was going along with it. Suddenly the Charmander wasn't so sure he wanted to be near either of them. "Right, the humans' spells...what sorta stuff and where are the rest of your subjects?"