Pokemon - Saturday, November 03, 2001, 6:54 PM ----------------------------------------------
Mwa ha ha ha ha.
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/ (9#) | Mander the Charmander
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GM Room(#2306RF)
GMG has connected.
(Note: GMG is a 'special' guest GM. He helped me (Hyper) to get the party started by offering a few poses.)
Kiare has arrived.
Lisa has arrived.
Sly has arrived.
Grayson has arrived.
The fair weather clouds in the west turn orange, gold, carmine, and purple as the sun sets. A chill wind blows from the west. In the forest, leaves on the ground rustle, unseen, stirred by the winds. Falling leaves blow past you, whirled around by the wind in the dark. While at the coast, the sea is a dark blue, and the waves are gentle.
It's a crisp and clear evening in Lavender Town, and the infamous Tower, dark and unwelcoming, looms in the village. Nobody in the town is outdoors at this time. Is it too late? Too cold? Or is it the strange sapping chill hanging in the air that keeps all the townsfolk inside their homes? Whatever it is, Lavender Town has a very lonely aura about it tonight.
A large but battered old motorbike drives towards the Tower, stopping a hundred yards away. The kickstand goes down and the larger of the two riders dismounts, pulling his helmet and gauntlets off as he heads for the panniers. The helmet goes in, as does the smaller rider's helmet, and his usual hat gets pulled out and put on his head. Ice-blue eyes scan the area incessantly, wariness almost a palpable aura about Grayson. The Rocket is here.
On the back of Grayson's motorcycle Sly sits, his hands behind his back and holding onto the grab bar. A helmet hides his dark hair, and his heavy black leather jacket and matching boots keep him warm in the cool autumn evening. Even though his face cannot be seen yet, his body language gives his attitude away: the set of his shoulders, the angles of his form, all give evidence to the determination of the teen. Once the bike stops Sly dismounts, handing his helmet to his partner to be put away. After an initial scan of the area, his dark eyes are drawn to the Tower. Lips narrow as he studies it.
To (Hyper, GMG), Sly pages: Shade, Sly's Haunter, is following along invisible.
A girl and her Charmander approach the Tower, talking to each other quietly as they walk. As the shadow cast by the Tower falls on them, the girl stops and looks up, swallowing hard before looking back down at the Charmander with a small smile on her face. "Better to face it than run from it, eh?" she says to the Charmander, who looks over at the Tower and shudders. <Better not to have to run from it,> he says sadly, and Lisa stares down at the ground. "I know," she whispers, and then squares her shoulders, looking more determined. "But it happened, and we've got to try to put it right." She looks around the area near the Tower, and having spotted the motorbike she heads towards it, raising a hand to greet its riders.
Another girl slowly walks towards the Tower, glancing around warily as the evening draws onward. Kiare has never liked Lavender, and the thought of what could happen tonight isn't exactly pleasant. She shivers, more from fear than cold, as she draws closer to the Tower, keeping a tight hold around the nervous-looking Abra in her arms. Going in there for a second time is bad enough, but doing it after dark? Kiare stares up at it, and gulps.
The Lavender Tower, a structure of ancient lore and the sounrce of many ghost stores, looks dark and imposing amongst a frame of thorny, dead, leafless brambles. Vines of poison ivy grow sporadically across the otherwise lifeless branches. Strangely, despite the fact that the surrounding area is clear and crisp, a veil of mist cloaks the foreboding building. As the people gather, the erie mists part from the grounds of the tower and the moonlight glints off of an aging door handle.
Grayson lifts a hand in return to greet Lisa, then locks the motorbike up and turns towards the Tower. The shifting of the mist is noted and he smiles nervously. "It would seem we're being invited to enter," he says quietly, his other hand reaching up to find Sid's soft scales, the Ekans around his neck as usual. The old Rocket's belt contains two pokeballs, one full and one empty; the rest of his pokemon are safely in the computer. He heads for the door, striding swiftly, expression set as he goes about getting it over with.
Sly turns his gaze from the Tower to the trainers. All two of them. His mild frown becomes a scowl. 'We should have tied them all to trees,' he signs to is partner, not looking like he's joking. He moves with Grayson, eyes sharp and watchful. Unseen by the humans, Shade the Haunter follows along, looking muchly amused by this trip. The younger Rocket's belt contains only empty pokeballs, his pokemon in the computer as well.
Lisa nods quickly in reply to Grayson, and follows him towards the door, not quite able to match his pace. Mander, the Charmander, trots along beside her, his expression growing more nervous as they get closer to the Tower. Lisa's hand strays towards her belt for a moment, where two Pokeballs - one empty, and one full - are clipped. She sighs as she looks up at the Tower, which now looks terrifyingly tall from where she's standing.
Kiare spots the others, and quickly moves over to join them, glad to no longer be on her own, but still just as nervous. She eyes the door with apprehension, and follows Grayson as he moves towards it. Maybe Kiare should have thought of depositing some of her pokemon too, but, unfortunately, she didn't, and four full pokeballs are currently on her belt.
The wind in the area picks up slightly, ruffling the weeds around the perimeter of the tower. The tower emits a low moan and, without warning, the large doors designating the entrance (and, to those who dare venture inside, the exit) begin to open. As the doors spread, the groaning of the old tower becomes louder. The creaking does not last long; the entrance is now only partially open. The wind begins to die down slightly as the doors halt... but certainly, the gusts could not have opened those heavy doors... or could they have?
Grayson nods to Sly's comment, but his nervous smile only gets more nervous as the doors open themselves. He takes his courage in both hands and slips between them and into the Tower. The old Rocket moves as quietly as he can, not to avoid attracting attention but to try and reassure himself, the effort taking at least part of his mind off the trouble he's in. His hand does not leave Sid's scales, the Ekans gently constricting about his throat in reassurance as he too looks nervous.
With Sly next to Grayson, they have two pairs of eyes to watch the situation. This is different though, they know what they're getting into, and are willingly entering. Sly's nervousness puts him further on edge, like the proverbial long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers. Part of his alertness is directed behind himself, to the two female trainers following them. Worried about them attacking? Not likely, the teen is tracking them to make sure they don't try to make a premature exit.
Lisa keeps as close to the other trainers as she can, one hand patting her pocket to make sure her torch is still there. As she reaches the doors, she bends down and picks Mander up, settling him in her arms so that he can see back over her shoulder, with his flame to light the way ahead. "That okay?" she whispers to the Charmander, who nods and 'Chaar's nervously, looking around as they enter the Tower.
Kiare watches the doors slowly swing open by themselves, flinching slightly at the loud creaks and groans of the Tower. As the other move through the doors, she takes a deep breath and follows them into the Tower. The Abra in her arms glances around at the interior of the building, and quietly mutters <We're all going to die, you know.>
The open doors reveal a place of shadows and darkness, full of cobwebs and dust. Shafts of moonlight reveal a pair of spiraling staircases which lead in opposite directions -- one up, one down. The foyer also contains several pieces of antique furniture, covered with a thick film of gray dust. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, lackluster from centuries of lack of maintenance. The moonlight begins to dim, as a lonely cloud passes over the moon, and the place darkens. A single lighted candle lies in the middle of the foyer, flickering, struggling, before a sudden, chilly wind blows it out.
Once in, Grayson's nervousness falls away. He's here, there is no going back. The old Rocket looks to his partner and nods, his smile suddenly one of alertness and relish as he harnesses the adrenaline and puts it to use. After a quick check around the foyer, the old Rocket strides towards the stairs, heading the same way as he did last time. As the light dies away, his eyes open wider, night vision once more at work.
The changing of the guard occurs as a new Farfetch'd swoops down to protect the (data)base. (Saving)
Sly's Haunter fades into view, giggling at Kiare's Abra's comment. He circles Sly and Grayson once, waving to the two Rockets, then floats up over Sly's head to help them watch... or rather to pretend to. He lifts his hand over his eyes, peering about like a cowboy in search of the Indians. The pokemon's act is marred by his soft snickering. Catching his partner's look and smile, Sly returns it. There's still tension around the boy's eyes, but they're in and there's no going back. When the cloud passes before the moon, Sly blinks, trying to speed his eyes' adjusting to the darkness. As the candle blows out, he moves with his partner to the stairs.
Lisa looks around the inside of the Tower again, another shiver passing through her as she walks further in. As the light dims and the candle blows out, she squints to try to see better, and then whispers something to Mander, who nods and holds his tail slightly higher. Blinking at the light from his tail flame, the girl follows Grayson and Sly over to the staircase, checking the Pokeballs on her belt one more time as she moves.
Kiare shuffles nearer to the others as the foyer grows darker, trying to keep close to the Charmander's flame and its source of reasurring light. The place looks the same as it did last time - old, dusty and very creepy. Oh how she wishes she was somewhere else right now. But it's too late to turn back now. She just stops herself from crying out as a Haunter appears, remembering that this particular one is trained. Well, it looks like everyone's going up the stairs again, so Kiare follows them in that direction, still sticking as close as possible to Lisa and Mander.
As a consequence to the passing of the candle's diminutive light, the only real emitter of light is Lisa's Charmander. The dark clouds in the sky deter any moonlight from flowing into the tower. It is only a few moments after the candle is put out that, as suddenly as they opened, the large wooden doors behind the trainers slam shut with incredible speed. A loud boom echoes through the tower, and dust from the ceiling snows on the party. The moment the crash's echo becomes faint, chuckling starts up to the right... no, to the left. Or is it above? The snickering is heard everywhere, but loudest behind the trainers nearest the entrance. A little click is heard coming from the doors. They are now sealed shut.
Shade's presence is acknowledged ith a wave, and then the doors slam closed. After jumping at the sound, Grayson doesn't bother to look back, to run or to scream, having expected this to happen. He stops where he is, facing the stairs, standing tall and proud as his coat swirls about him - and then goes down on one knee, head bowed. The ghosts are here and there is nowhere to run. It's the only thing left to do. He reaches up to touch Sid once more and waits.
You paged Sly with 'Yipes. Slipped my mind. Do you want to know what your Haunter detects in the area, or will this contrast with your pose?'.
Sly pages: If it's overly dangerous or threatening, Shade would tell them.
You paged Sly with 'As you can probably guess, there are Gastlies in the area, but they don't seem like they want to personally kill or harm any of the four trainers. Not quite yet, at least.'.
Sly leaps as the door slams shut behind them, and even though the thinking part of his mind knows it's useless, instinct brings his hand down onto the butt of the knife at his belt. His eyes move, trying to track the laughter, little hairs on the back of his neck rising as he fails to pinpoint one location as its source. His hand goes out to Shade, trying to get his pokemon to stay close to them. He glances through the dark towards Grayson, checking on him. As his partner kneels, Sly stands watch over him. His posture isn't aggressive, but it is firm in its defense.
As the doors slam shut, Lisa starts, half-turning to face the doors before sighing and shaking her head, and moving forward to join Grayson and Sly. The dust that falls from the ceiling makes her nose twitch, but she manages to suppress a sneeze, and instead looks around the hallway again. When the laughter starts, Lisa shudders and turns her head to look at the door again, but can see nothing beyond a few metres from the group.
Kiare jumps with fright as the door slams shut, even though she was expecting it to happen sometime soon. Definitely too late to turn back. She coughs as dust falls all around the group, trying to wave some of it away with one hand. The air is suddenly filled with the laughter of the ghosts, and the sound of the doors locking is faintly heard. And... what's Grayson doing? Kiare tightly holds onto Abstract with both arms again, trying to reassure the Abra, who is now trembling slightly. After a few moments she also bows her head, looking down at the floor and waiting.
The snickering continues to get louder and louder, before suddenly... it stops. The room is silent, and everything seems to hang in the air. The room is dark and... crash! Another loud noise is heard, and this one sounds like glass breaking. One of the windows ahead of Sly and Grayson shatters open, and small shards of glass rain on the floor. None should hit either of the two trainers. Bursting through the window is a classic white ghost, a levitating pale sheet with round arms and two black holes for eyes. "GaaAAaaaa!" the undead figure shrieks at the four humans. With the destruction of the glass comes a strong burst of cold wind from the outside. The ghost to flutter in the wind.
Grayson's shoulders jump a little as the window breaks, but he stays where he is. As the figure in the sheet appears, the old Rocket looks up at it calmly. "We have returned as we said we would," he tells the ghost, pitching his voice to carry around the room and hopefully further into the Tower. His hand does not stray from the Ekans' scales, his other hand resting on his thigh as he kneels.
Instead of jumping at the sound of breaking glass, Sly takes a step ahead of Grayson, giving the older Rocket time to get to his feet if he needs it. When he sees the... "ghost", the teen blinks and then almost smiles. Almost. If not for the seriousness of the situation he would truly smile. He likes ghosts and they seem to tend to like him, but tonight they're here on business, and that keeps him from reacting as he might if they were outside. Shade gives the Gastly a wave, then covers his mouth with both hands to keep from laughing out loud. From afar, Sly hopes his IC reaction makes sense. Halloween was just a couple days ago, there were probably "ghosts" like that in every window.
Lisa takes a quick, nervous step back as the glass breaks, and another as the ghost appears. She blinks as Grayson addresses the ghost, and gives a small nod of agreement. Mander taps her on the shoulder, looking worried, and asks, <Wh-why did you move? What's h-happening?> Lisa smiles slightly at him and whispers something, and the Charmander nods and settles back down, reassured.
Kiare jumps again as the window shatters, quickly bringing her head up to see... a sheet ghost? Silly or not, whatever's under the sheet is still dangerous. The sudden blast of cold air causes her to shiver, and she says nothing, letting Grayson address the ghosts. She nods her head slightly as he speaks, gently petting Abstract to try to keep him calm.
The ghost immediately stops blowing in the wind. The stubby round arms of the undead creature droop, and the unholy creature mutters, <What, I wasn't scary?> The sheet falls gently to the floor, and nothing is beneath. Go figure. One can picture the invisible Gastlies rolling their eyes at the novice. The chilling wind from the outside stops. Ahead of Sly and Grayson, in the same location as the "ghost", a wad of cotton candy pops out of nowhere and hovers off the ground. A second later, a large tongue removes part of the fluffy sweet, and a Gastly materializes. She closes her eyes carelessly as she continues to "eat" the food (though it simply disappears when it enters her mouth). <You're back,> she says pointedly, giving the impression that she cares more about her food than the humans. Elsewhere in the Tower, a Gastly materializes and begins munching on a corn-dog. Two others manifest and share a large box of popcorn. Chances are, however, none of the guests will notice any of these three newcomers.
Grayson rises smoothly to his feet as Sid hisses a quiet translation in his ear, showing no surprise at the occurances. "We are," he nods, calmly stating a fact. "We said we would return, and we have, as asked. I made the bargain in good faith, and I keep my word." His coat shifts about him as he smiles a little, regretfully. "Others may have caused problems, but that was not my intent." With trainer peripheral vision, he spots movement; he doesn't turn to look, keeping his attention on the ghost in front of him.
Shade the Haunter sees what his trainer does not, and with a soft *poof!* a triple-decker ice cream cone forms in his hand. His tongue comes out and snakes around it, sampling the treat as he giggles to himself. Sly looks up at the ghost and cocks his head, but if Shade answers the unspoken question, the teen doesn't understand it. The Rocket forces his hand off his knife's hilt; not only will it do no good against anything they encounter in here, it might appear threatening. Once Grayson stands up, Sly retreats that single step, moving back to the taller man's side.
Lisa watches the conversation in front of her, and at the mention of 'problems' she looks down at the floor for a few moments. Mander, still looking over Lisa's shoulder, catches movement at the edge of his vision, and looks around quickly, but whatever it was has vanished or moved. The Charmander shivers slightly, his tail flame flickering for a moment.
Kiare blinks as the sheet falls to the floor and a Gastly appears. A Gastly with cotton candy. She shoots a quizzical glance at the Haunter's ice cream. Okay, this is getting weird. She watches the Gastly as Grayson speaks to the it, nodding in agreement and then looking down at the floor once more as he mentions 'problems'.
The cotton candy tumbles to the floor and melts as it hits the wood. The female Gastly's eyes are a dark red, and her face fills with malicious intent. <You caused as much as the others,> she hisses loudly, obviously very passionate. Two Gastlies elsewhere in the room howl a "Gaaaastly!". The ghost pokemon hovers back a foot or two. <What do you want here? Why have you come?> Perhaps the Gastly is not completely clear about everything.
Behind the unsuspecting group of trainers, a ghostly fog coalesces into a thick cloud and begins to swirl like a hurricane. The figure of a Haunter manifests itself under it, looking cross and furious. His semi-translucent hands cross over each other. His eyes glow an angry red. Rain begins to pour from the dark cloud above him.
Grayson remains calm, only the touch of one hand on Sid's scales and the closeness of the other to his leg betraying his fear. "What I want here is to get out alive with my friends," he answers honestly. "I came because I said I would when the Haunter asked it - and because there is unfinished business between us that I would like to see resolved. I cannot tell you how sorry I am that our bargain was broken by others, and not just because I fear for my life - to have someone else break my word is something that I do not usually tolerate." A flicker of rage fills Grayson's own eyes, then fades away back into calmness. "So I am here, ready to face the consequences of the actions of others - and my own actions."
Sly sends another glance at Shade, brow furrowing at his ghost's seeming lack of taking this serious. He makes a sign to his ghost, asking for the status of the situation. As the Gastly hisses at them and the wild Haunter appears, Sly takes a half-step closer to Grayson, close enough that their arms will almost touch. He sends a look up at the older man, then lifts a hand to make a sign to him as well. Once Grayson is done addressing the ghosts, Sly nods agreement.
From afar, to (GMG, Hyper): Sly will leave it up to Hyper if Shade reports anything. The sign to Grayson was a personal one, but if you want I'll tell the two of you.
Lisa looks down again at Grayson's words, her expression one of resignation as she nods her own agreement. A flash of despair crosses her face, and she sighs, nodding agreements again, not trusting herself not to say something stupid. Mander, however, notices the Haunter and his storm cloud forming behind the trainers, and tugs frantically on his trainer's jacket, causing her to start to turn around to see what the matter is.
Kiare watches Grayson talking to the Gastly, wondering how he can stay so calm when the ghost is directing its anger at him. With her gaze on the scene in front of her, the appearance of the angry wild Haunter is not noticed at first. She still says nothing, simply nodding sadly as the older trainer speaks. Sudden movement from Lisa causes her to also turn around, to see what's going on behind her.
GMG has disconnected.
The female Gastly emits a scoff, a dark kind of humor that sets off a Gastly or two into snickering. Those chuckling Gastlies are soon silently hushed. <Oh,> the Gastly murmurs, causing another wad of cotton candy to materialize out of thin air. <I don't think I'm the one you should be talking to about this.> Her eyes look tired and haggard as she speaks, and she rolls them upward as she speaks. <Wouldn't you rather speak with...> A devious little grin crosses the ghost's face. <The Haunter?> All of the Gastlies in the room are now visible to the human eye and, quickly, they head over to the trainers with the intent of forming a ring around them and the Haunter. The large Haunter pauses in his path and, anger still obvious on his face, gives a deep, evil smile, his eyes directed at Lisa. <Good evening.>
Grayson eyes the Gastly warily as she smiles at him, apparently unsurprised when the other Gastlies move in. Something is afoot, but as yet he doesn't know what. At the voice behind him he turns swiftly; on spotting the Haunter he inclines his head, half-bowing and then straightening again. Since he is not the one being addressed, he remains quiet as Sid hisses a translation in his ear; one hand twitches, then moves towards Sly's shoulder.
Sly watches the Gastlies circle them, sends a glance at Shade and then Grayson, then turns towards the haunter'ing as well. He doesn't move to avoid the hand going to his shoulder, instead standing taller under it. That the wild Haunter is turning his attention to one of the people it belongs on gives the boy a little hope.
Lisa gulps as the Haunter appears to be addressing her, and listens to Mander's whispered translation. She looks up, no smile evident on her face at all. "G-good evening to you, too," she replies, her voice shaking slightly. "I'd like to apologise... for the stupid and rash things I did. I know they were foolish, and I... I a-accept the consequences." There is a hopeless look in her eyes as she looks down again, settling Mander in her arms in a more comfortable position.
Kiare whimpers quietly, seeing the Haunter. This is -not good-. She casts a worried glance at Lisa, since she's the one the ghost appears to be talking to. Abstract eyes the Gastlies warily as they move to surround the group, then turns his gaze on the Haunter. Kiare looks down at the floor again, knowing that the large ghost should also be addressing her.
The Haunter's mock-smile fades a little as he notices Grayson at the front of the pack. He rises slightly and, looking straight into the female Gastly's eyes, gives her a light wink. Nodding her whole body slowly, she hovers back to join the ring with her fellow Gastlies. The ghost turns his attention back to Lisa. He listens to the girl's reply, but the emotions visible on his face do not change. His eyes then jump from her face to Kiare's, then down at the small Charmander. He half-smiles... and vanishes from sight. Shade may know what the Haunter is doing, but it doesn't matter; the ghost should not be able to tell his trainer in time. Only a few moments pass before the Haunter reappears in front of the group, haunting, menacing. "Haunter," he emits. His intention? To announce his new position.
Grayson's hand leaves Sly's shoulder and returns to his side as the Haunter vanishes, the old Rocket waiting for the ghost to do something or be somewhere else when he reappears. That the next words come from behind him is no real surprise to the old Rocket, who turns back to face him, coat swirling out and back down again at the movement. The movement is smooth, graceful and perfectly balanced despite its speed.
Sly's turn towards the voice is a fast one. A line has formed across his forehead, and restless nervousness has made his palms grow moist. His eyes go to the Haunter, the leader of the group of ghosts, trying to communicate with the pokemon: He won't just stand aside if it does something to Grayson. Shade flies back and forth, first next to Sly, then next to his partner.
Lisa looks up again as the Haunter's gaze moves onto Kiare, and then to Mander, and her arms tighten around the Charmander protectively. As the Haunter vanishes, the girl blinks, looking around, and it's only when she hears it behind her that she turns quickly, Mander still held protectively in her arms, so tightly that the Charmander whispers <Can't... quite... breathe...> to his trainer. Lisa grins an apology and loosens her grip slightly.
Kiare whispers something to Abstract as the Haunter disappears, and gets only a small shrug from the Abra in response. Both obviously have no idea what's happening now. The ghost reappears behind them, and says... something. Abstract doesn't seem to understand, for Kiare recieves no translation from him as she whirls around to face the ghost again. She keeps her eyes on the Haunter now, unsure of what it's going to do.
Despite his anger, the Haunter cannot help but snicker a sinister "Hau Haunter." The ghost has a somewhat daydreaming look in his eyes as he looks at Grayson, as if he is trying to recall some kind of aspect about the man. The Haunter recovers his posture and begins to speak. <You all...> The ghost makes a brief pause here, as if he is summoning up the strength to speak his next words. <...Have angered me.> The Gastlies spring into action, though Sly's own Haunter should not detect any evil in the wild pokemon. Indeed, the intentions of the ghosts are clear as one of them, with a frown on her face, causes a medium-sized neon sign to appear from nowhere. In bright green colors, a large arrow now points at Grayson's head, and in the area of the arrow is the word "Deceiver". The other Gastlies soon follow the first one's example, and now a number of arrows and other designations point at the trainers. The Tower lights up in vibrant and contrasting color as the arrows pop out, and each has a different word. Liar. Robber. Thief. Backstabber. Fraud. One of the smaller Gastlies creates a sign stating "Murderer", though he is immediately reprimanded and his sign vanishes.
The changing of the guard occurs as a new Farfetch'd swoops down to protect the (data)base. (Saving)
Grayson nods at the Haunter's words. "You are angered as I have been angered. The retribution is yours, to take as you see fit or to allow me to take. But I have kept my part of the bargain in good faith - others broke it, not I." The signs get no more reaction than a slight smile from the old Rocket - he knows what he is, and he's aware that the Haunter knows too. That the 'Murderer' sign vanishes, however, gives him pause, a frown of puzzlement finding his face. "Ladies," he says quietly, gesturing to the girls to join him, "Perhaps you had best tell the Haunter what happened, since you were there."
Sly looks up to read the first sign that appears, but before he can react to it the others start flashing to life. He doesn't protest any pointing to himself, but the one aimed at Grayson's head gets a scowl and a firm head-shake no. He tries to catch the wild Haunter's eye, and points to it and shakes his head no again. Being on edge since they walked into this place is getting to the teen, and the muscles of his shoulders and arms tense as his anger grows. 'We didn't do anything!' he signs, even though the ghosts won't understand it. 'We didn't do anything wrong!' The one time the Rockets haven't been bad and they're getting in trouble for it anyway! Anger lines the boy's face and radiates off him. He nods to Grayson's words, backing up the truth of them.
Lisa blinks as the Gastlies' signs start to appear, and her eyes flick to each new arrow, sweat starting to bead her forehead as she reads their words. At Grayson's words, she stares for a few moments, and then nods and takes a few steps forward, her voice quiet when she starts to speak. "There were... the two of us, and another trainer. He suggested we try to catch the ghosts who'd been... assigned to us. I... well, I thought we shouldn't, considering the deal you'd made." At this point she looks up at the Haunter, then at Grayson, before staring back down at the ground as she continues. "But he... he didn't seem to be that worried, and so I..." She sighs, a look almost of despair on her face. "I know it was stupid, and there was only one attack thrown, which I don't think hit any of them... after that, we backed off."
Kiare stares up at the neon signs in surprise as they pop into existence around the group, blinking as she reads the messages on them. She nods to Grayson as he speaks, moving slightly closer to him, and nervously addresses the Haunter, adding to Lisa's statement. "Yeah, the three of us... we made a very stupid decision... I'm really sorry, I should never have tried it..." she pauses, and stares at the floor for a few seconds, then looks back up at the ghost. "And if you want to punish anyone, it should be me... It's my fault the atack was thrown." Abstract squirms slightly in her arms, and meekly adds, <And me. I... kinda... did the attack.>
The Gastly holding up the "Deceiver" sign glares bitterly at Sly. Though she does not know sign language, she still didn't appreciate the headshake. She sticks her tongue out at the boy, and vanishes from sight, her sign leaving with her. The other Gastlies do not become invisible, but they do destroy their signs and back up, forming the ring once more. The Haunter's eyes slit a little as Grayson requests for the girls to step forward. Lisa has the Haunter's attention, though, like before, he doesn't show any facial expressions. The Haunter turns his eyes slightly to glance at Kiare while she speaks. Again, he does not show emotion, although a few of the Gastlies seem disturbed. His gaze flickers to Sly, and then to Grayson. <You,> the Haunter said, his voice directed at Grayson. He pauses for a moment, his eyes locking with the old Rocket's. The area begins to chill once more, though it is only a cool and perhaps even refreshing feeling to those red-faced and hot out of fear. <What do you think we should do?> The question may seem to display uncertainty, but the Haunter's piercing gaze suggests that he already knows the answer to the question. Despite this, half of the Gastlies blink simultaneously, and the rest follow suit. Nothing is said or whispered, however, and the ghosts remain in their orderly circle.
Ice-blue eyes meet the Haunter's red gaze, the old Rocket calm and almost at peace with himself. Fear crawls up his spine but he refuses to allow that fear to dictate what he should do. "I think you should blame the one who broke the bargain," he says quietly. "I think you should blame the one who persuaded the girls to attack the Gastlies, the one whose greed overrode his common sense. If the girls have any blame to take in this, it is that they were too easily led; if I have any blame to take, it is that I did not watch their every move. My nephew and I have done you no harm that I know. We kept faith. The punishment is yours to decide, as is the guilt."
<OOC> Grayson coughs and tacks his name onto that.
The "victory" over the deceiver-sign-holding Gastly boosts Sly's confidence. When Kiare moves closer to himself and Grayson, she gets a narrow-eyed glare. His hand drops to his knife again -- it may not work against the ghosts, but it would against her. He's not going to let her seek safety near them or make herself seem part of them. He doesn't fully understand the Haunter-language, just enough to get the basic idea of things. Sly glances between the wild Haunter and Grayson, trying to see if he understood the question correctly or not. A nasty little smile forms on his lips. Once Grayson voices his decision, the boy makes sure not to let his disappointment or disagreement show, instead he gives a nod to back it up.
Lisa bows her head slightly at Grayson's words - there is nothing more that she can add, so she simply keeps a tight hold of Mander, and bites her lip to try to keep her fear under control, giving a small nod of agreement when he's finished speaking.
Kiare keeps her gaze on the Haunter, allowing it to drop slightly as Grayson speaks. She doesn't show any other reaction to his words apart from a slight nod. If the ghost doesn't approve of that suggestion, it's not like she can do anything about it.
The Haunter's daydreaming eyes show a spark of life... if that is possible for a deceased pokemon. <I see,> the Haunter drolls quietly, hovering a few inches further from the ground. <You speak the truth.> His gaze flickers to Sly, then Lisa, then Kiare. None of the trained pokemon are even glanced at. <That's what I thought you'd say.> The Haunter directs his stare at Grayson, and he has a strange sort of emotion on his face; whether he is amused or not is impossible to tell. <Where... is this human now?> he asks the man. <I'd like to hear his opinion.> Some of the Gastlies are now downright shocked, and it takes every ounce of the energy comprising their bodies to resist shrieking something aloud. <Why doesn't he just kill them now?!> quietly growls one Gastly to his partner. Wisely, the receiver of the furious question remains silent.
Grayson shrugs ruefully as soon as he hears the translation. "I have no idea," he answers, again honestly. "I've had my associates looking for him, but they haven't seen him either. If I knew, he'd be here too." His tone suggests that Grayson would not have been averse to using force to get Scotty to come into the Tower again. Ice-blue eyes flicker with rage again. "As you know, I don't care to have my word broken," he growls, all the anger directed at the absentee. The rage fades back to calmness, and Grayson waits.
Sly's fingers trace along the butt of his knife's hilt, slipping along till his palm is above it, then settles down onto it. Even though he doesn't draw it, the feel of it in his hand is a comforting one. Shade fades out of view, which gets a frown from his trainer. Nervous anger swirls through the boy, tensing his muscles and keeping him on edge to react ... or overreact. His eyes scan the Gastlies as his weight shifts, fighting an internal battle to keep from moving from Grayson's side. How long are they going to just stand here?!
Lisa looks up at the Haunter again, ready to reply if a question is directed towards her - since Grayson is the one being questioned at the moment, however, she stays where she is, watching the ghosts' reactions to the conversation, and keeping a firm hold on her Charmander.
Kiare shrugs in response to the Haunter's question about Scotty's whereabouts, even though it wasn't directed at her. She warily watches the other ghosts, and holds her Abra a little tighter.
If the Haunter is aware of Sly and his knife, he shows so signs of it. <Your associates,> The Haunter repeats plainly, as if there is nothing special about what Grayson said at all. No knowing wink. No mischievous grin. Only the repetition of the word. <You do believe you can find this...> He hesitates here. <Traitor?> A few of the Gastlies, the more intelligent and/or more loyal ones, nod their bodies slowly. Most of them, however, keep their bottled up hatred.
Grayson nods. "We will find him," he says quietly, entirely certain about what he says. "It may take time, but we will find him." One of his hands reaches towards the restless Sly's shoulder. "Need I ask what you want us to do with him when we finally catch up with him?"
The changing of the guard occurs as a new Farfetch'd swoops down to protect the (data)base. (Saving)
Sly's muscles are clenched under Grayson's hand, and while the touch doesn't relax the teen, it does keep him from exploding out in some random direction. Knowing the older Rocket is alert and watching things, Sly allows a second to close his eyes and take a deep breath in. He looks ready to go out and hunt down Scotty now, anything to get them in motion and preferably out of the Tower.
Lisa stays silent as Grayson and the Haunter talk, though at the question of what will happen to Scotty, she swallows and looks down, concern showing in her eyes for several seconds before she schools her expression into calmness.
Kiare listens to the conversation, remaining silent, although her expression becomes slightly more worried as the subject of finding Scotty is discussed. She gives no other indication of her opion of the decision, though.
A small smile creeps onto the dark ghost's face, and he rotates to face the Gastlies to his side. The Gastlies peer back at the Haunter, some of them wanting to reply for the superior ghost. <Don't harm him.> The Gastlies stare at the Haunter like he's gone crazy. All but three look ready to go crazy; those very few that don't feel horrified by the Haunter's words each have a smile on their face. The Haunter turns so that he glances at Grayson with only one eye. <Bring him here.> The Lavender Tower is deathly silent for a moment. In a sudden volcano of sound, the Gastlies burst into a chorus of cheers of joy. The ghost pokemon start to bounce around the room, some of them even singing. Fire cracker illusions go off. Sirens sound. The Haunter stands amidst the noise, eyes focused on Grayson. He waits patiently for the man's reaction.
Grayson's fingers tense on Sly's shoulders as his head tilts upwards to an angle where hopefully the girls won't see his expression, an expression that lasts but a moment. A smile crosses the old Rocket's face, a smile of pure evil, anticipating what will come with a malicious breed of unholy joy, eyes glittering with amusement and malevolence. The expression fades a moment after it appears, and Grayson bows both deeply and gracefully. "As you ask," he says quietly, voice revealing nothing other than the same calmness as before. "It will be done."
Sly can put two and two together. If there was a thread of empathy in the boy, he'd feel bad for Scotty... but there isn't and he does not. There's only a brief look of disappointment that they won't get to kill the trainer themselves. He doesn't fight or shrug off Grayson's hold on his shoulder, the contact appreciated -- even if it's restraining. A single nod is given, agreeing with his partner's words.
Lisa blinks in surprise, relief mixed with worry in her eyes. The Gastlies don't sound like they're angry any more... but then, the thought of Scotty suffering the kind of fate she was expecting is not an appealing one. Still, she has her Pokemon to think about, and any kind of argument now would draw the ghosts' attention to her - so she stays listening and looking, not venturing any comments.
Kiare has a good idea about what's likely to happen to Scotty, but doesn't argue. Whether Scotty deserves it or not, he's only made things worse by not turning up tonight. And at least it appears that everyone's going to get out alive... tonight.
The Haunter allows the Gastlies to rampage about the Tower a little more. The hyper balls of gas energetically rocket across the room, showing no signs of slowing down their adrenaline rushes anytime soon. The Haunter proves otherwise. <Silence!!> the Haunter commands, his voice taking a surprisingly forceful and demanding tone. The Gastlies all stop in their tracks, and blink at the Haunter. "Hau, Hau, -Haun-ter." A few of the Gastlies snicker quietly, and all of them rise up and return to the ring they previously held. The Haunter, levitating a few inches higher, directs his next statement to Lisa and Kiare. <You two do not need to show up when the boy is caught. However...> The Haunter floats back slightly; he is coming close to the wall. <You may want to come to defend your... "friend".> The Haunter tries to control a devious and evil grin, but fails. His true excitement is almost overwhelming. <Or, perhaps...> He backs up more until he is almost pressing the wall. <Perhaps to help condemn him.> The Haunter bursts into a fit of laughter as he sinks back into the wall, and out of sight of the humans. The Gastlies instantly become invisible, as well. The Tower is silent once again.
Grayson bows again in the direction in which the Haunter vanished, his hand releasing Sly's shoulder. "Time to go," he says quietly, turning towards the door, still just as apparently calm as before - though his hand does tremble a little as he lowers it to his side. His expression is one of cool relief, almost masklike in the dimly-lit room as he strides back towards the door, coat billowing out behind him as he goes, moving with a sinuous grace not usually displayed.
Sly glances around as the ghosts all become invisible, but doesn't permit relief to lower his defenses. He looks up at Grayson, then cocks his head towards the front door at the same time as Grayson verbalizes the message. He doesn't wait for the two girls to go first, or even for them to get out of his way. He strides towards the exit, and if they're in his path, they'll be shoved. Hard.
Lisa swallows again as the Haunter addresses her and Kiare, giving a small sigh of relief when the ghosts eventually vanish. She looks over to Grayson and Sly, and steps out of Sly's path quickly, following a short distance behind the two, the Charmander in her arms seeming less nervous than he has been since they got into the Tower.
Kiare looks around, still wary that the ghosts haven't really gone. She does get shoved by Sly, and stumbles forward several steps before regaining her balance and following Lisa towards the door. She sighs quietly in relief at still being in one piece, and the Abra does the same.