Contents:
Briska
Obvious exits:
North <N> leads to Overgrown Lands - Route 11: Off the Route.

Soki has connected.

Towering white clouds drift slowly through the blue sky. It's hazy and hot, and the glare of the sun seems to drain the color from the landscape. In the forest, the shade under the deep green leaves of the trees is welcome relief from the hot glare of the sun. While at the coast, the sea sparkles in the brilliant sunlight, the waves rolling merrily against the shore.

Lazy Sunday! Arguably the best day of the week, Sunday is a day in which pokemon across the world can slump down onto their bellies and sleep the day away without feeling guilty for not doing work. The weather is humid and muggy, and it's increasingly difficult to muster up enough energy to get up and about anyway. Through some miracle, some impossible influx of energy, the Growlithe family in the Assisi Barn has a Rattata for lunch/dinner, one that took Peppy all morning and half of the afternoon to catch, likely because he probably fell asleep outside. Surprisingly, the adult Growlithe is not asleep at this current time. His mate is, however, and her nose nuzzled into his neck serves as a constant reminder that he has to stay awake and (grumble!) watch the kids instead of going to sleep himself. His face feigns disinterest, but he isn't nodding off into dreamland like usual, and he takes casual interest whenever one of the puppies does something interesting, like a bored king overlooking his jesters.

And, ranking somewhere around palace guard, Soki stands-- scratch that-- sits vigilantly watching the children, even though Peppy's taking most of that job himself. Two heads are better than one, and four eyes are better than two; thus Soki's aid. In truth, he might nod off himself if he didn't have that infernal sense of duty keeping him awake. As it stands... or sits, or whatever... the Sandslash is nigh-motionless, with his arms folded across his chest, the scarred right arm laying in front, and his spines relaxed against his back, which itself rests against the barn wall.

"Grow!" This woof comes from Briska; it's a loud, attention getting sound. Soki has, if he's been staying in the barn for any length of time, likely received a few more stares, some conversation from the pups and the offer to play - though the frequency of said offers depends on how he responded to the first few. Briska is one who's had more interest than usual in Soki today, though he hasn't approached the Sandslash; he's simply been looking at the ground type, frowning in thought at times but usually grinning good-naturedly (if a little empty-headedly). And with all the attention Briska has given to Soki, he's come up with a little something. A little something he wants to share with his family, to judge by the way he looks around with a happy grin and a frisky tail. Some of the pups do pay attention to him - Dusk and Karen, more specifically, since Dakota is mercifully taking a nap, and Flame is off being moody and broody in his fortress of solitude (or, rather, the corner where he usually sits).

Peppy seems hardly aware of Soki's presence in the barn; the Growlithe never locks eyes onto the Sandslash for even an instance, his sight heading along set paths that bounce from puppy to puppy and nothing more. Peppy happens to be looking at his son when he starts to peer about the barn for somebody to share some hidden thought with, and he inclines his head slightly in interest. He doesn't exactly know if Briska is looking for anybody in particular, however, and therefore he only remains in his lying position, regarding Briska in a casual manner. For reasons unknown, his eyes just so happen to stray to Soki, his eyebrows perking slightly when he recognizes the Sandslash, presumably for the first time today. Huh. Looks like he's not the only guardian around today. Wonder if that means he can take a nap now...

Soki miraculously catches Peppy's gaze in his own scans of the perimeter. In that sort of lazy, "there you are again," manner, the Sandslash waves a clawed paw to Peppy, then refocuses his attention on the puppies, Briska in particular. Having had so much on his own mind at times, he's gotton a sense for when other people have thoughts on their mind. For lack of anything else to do, and because he honestly wants to know, Soki asks musingly, <What's on your mind, Briska?> He doesn't really expect an answer, but you never know.

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

Maybe Dusk and Karen were having a conversation, or maybe they're just tired, for they don't seem as interested in their brother as they usually are. Briska doesn't mind - maybe he just figures that everyone has their eyes on him anyway, even if they don't look like they do. He gives a little chortle, one that reeks of 'This is gonna be great!' Soki speaks, and Briska gives him the broadest grin imaginable. Then, emerald eyes glittering, lips fixed in an upward curve, he takes a deep breath and...rises up onto his hind legs. He begins to stumble before he shoots one hind leg out to steady himself. It doesn't look like it helps much. His front legs jut out perpendicular to his body, his paws pointed downward showing off the two claws on each of his front paws. <Soki! Briska is Soki Sandslash!> he crows victoriously. He even scrunches up his eyes in order to mimic Soki's more rounded oval eyes. The fluffy pup gives one swipe at the air, before his front paws begin to waver and his back legs - which have been shuddering all this time - fail to support him. Briska drops to the ground, not elegantly, but at least on his feet. Boy, that tail of his looks like it's going to fall off if he keeps wagging it.

Peppy blinks once or twice, raising himself into a more aware position, head and chest held high. It's not that he's particularly concerned that Soki is going to go psycho-mon and tear into Briska; it's more than the Growlithe is intrigued by how the Sandslash not only knows the name of his son, but almost seems to have some remote sort of relationship that extends beyond "I'm going to beat up anybody who goes near you, otherwise don't talk to me". Peppy continues to peer over at Soki thoughtfully until a little call disrupts his thoughts. Flickering his eyes over to Briska, Peppy cocks his head to the side at the puppy's antics, unsure of what to make of it. ... Briska is Soki Sandslash? But... isn't Soki Soki Sandslash? Shouldn't Briska be Briska Growlithe? This is not making any sense to Peppy's already-fuddled-up-enough mind, and he finds himself unable to thing of anything appropriate to say. He can only watch Soki's reply helplessly, hoping to grab onto a ledge and understand even a bit of this scene.

Soki's reply consists of twenty rapid blinks in quick sucession. That made little to no sense, and still doesn't even after the Sandslash runs it through his mind several times. "Soki! Briska is Soki Sandslash." Nope, no sense at all. His former use of poorer grammar than he's used to evaporates as Soki attempts to correct Briska's thought processes. <Briska is a Growlithe, Soki is a Sandslash. Briska is not Soki!> Okay, so perhaps he's refering to himself in the third person, but it's still a step up from what he was using the last time he talked with Briska.

Briska swings his head up to the ceiling, and begins...laughing. Long and loud guffaws that come from his belly and up out of his throat, blaring his amusement and joy into the air. For he is a clever little Growlithe, isn't he, being able to do such a good impression! He does, fortunately, quiet down for Soki's words, but he can't help snickering and sniggering. <Briska..hee! Briska is Growwwlithe,> he begins, and his overenunciation of the word makes him chuckle s'more. It's an odd day when Briska has to explain things, but the large pup doesn't seem to catch this - he's just too darn amused. <But, hah! but Soki no..> and here he takes a few steps forward. <Soki is no Growlithe.> He chuckles at the silly, silly thought. <But, Briska go...> and here he rears onto his hind-legs for a few seconds, and flops back down, <Briska liddle of Soki; 'cuz Soki...> and he rears onto his hind legs again, the motion a small one this time. <But Briska is Growlithe, so Briska go...> and he walks on all four paws. Then he gives an impish grin and looks at his sisters, proud as can be with his reasoning - however incomprehensible it is to anyone else.

Soki's response, unfortunately, doesn't help poor Peppy. Well, perhaps a little bit - it appears as though Soki is telling Briska that they aren't the same pokemon. That's true enough, even if it doesn't clear up much. Briska's following actions don't help at all, either - Briska is Growlithe, Soki is no Growlithe, so Briska go... and then he stops standing on two legs. If Peppy thought bright-hole was difficult to understand, this is far beyond any scope of knowledge he has. With a soft sigh, Peppy pushes himself off the ground, rocketing into the air, mumbling a little growl of discontent. Shaking his head once or twice, he peers over at Soki, grins a little uneasily, and starts to slink off towards the Sandslash, moving slowly and cautiously so as to not disturb or distract Briska. Who knows? Maybe the pup will drop a clue that will help Peppy figure out what in the world is going on.

Soki thinks. It's an interesting point, and it has many facets... even more than it would first seem. While Soki would love to go off on a mental tangent or two on that, he has to deal with what Briska's telling him first. <That's true. We're different in some ways but similar in others,> says the Sandslash, intentionally adding some new words. Though he isn't going to put them to use now, Soki starts mentally preparing some examples of "different" and "similar," if the words confuse Briska... which, by Soki's calculation, they might.