MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Jul 13, 2019 15:39:18 GMT

All social anxiety seemed to melt away at the prospect of a fun day at the Ren-Fair. It only came once a month for a short period of time, and for the last couple months Avery had been too swamped with daycare chores to just relax and have fun.

She had promised Munchlax and Riolu they would get to go this time and enjoy the festivities.

For the most part, Avery had remained low-key and invisible in the crowd. She wore a very pretty floral dress, hair braided to the side with a lovely ribbon neatly tucked in.

The trio had just arrived on site and headed directly for the ice cream cart, as Munchlax had been adamant he wanted something sweet to snack on.

"Okay, okay! What flavours do you guys want?"

She herself had gone with a lemon flavoured cone to battle the heat. Riolu eventually settled on chocolate, and Munchlax went with strawberry cheesecake.

However, when she turned around abruptly, she felt herself bump into another individual. She heard a slop and smack, as if something had fallen, but her own cone was still held in her hand, untouched.

"Oh my goodness! I didn't hurt you, did I? Did you drop your ice cream? I feel horrible, please let me buy you another!"

@anyone ren-faire mission

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cai

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jul 14, 2019 18:53:17 GMT

gardevoir ♂: synchronize - moonblast | teleport | magical leaf | psychic | heal pulse | calm mind

cait's gaze lingered upon the thoroughly ruined ice cream, a mournful look temporarily affixing itself upon her done up features before she masked it with a patient smile.

"it's fine."

the frozen treat which had formerly occupied her hand was quickly replaced by a fan, the decorated piece displaying imagery of celebi upon its expertly creased surface.

"i should have been more careful."

'nothing's on my dress, i hope.'

cait glanced down at her beautiful, green dress - the layer of handwoven material appearing unblemished at first glance. she released a small exhale, worried that she had somehow ruined her courtesan's garb for the evening.

- there's nothing amiss, mistress, - her gardevoir assured, his gaze sweeping.

she released a subtle exhale, a hint of relief present within her expression.

'thank you.'

"i don't think i've had the pleasure," she said.

she idly waved her fan, hiding the slim grin she wore as she peered over the accessory at the apologetic avery.

"i'm cait and this is gardevoir. it's a pleasure."

both cait and gardevoir dipped their heads in greeting, exuding an air of refined grace as they executed the movement as a pair.

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TAG WITH @Deleted

POSTED ON Jul 16, 2019 19:20:05 GMT

"Ooooh my goodness, I hope you didn't spill it on your dress!"

Avery cries out, horror making her voice shake. She voices Cait's internal thoughts, quickly giving the woman a once-over to make sure she hadn't ruined her gorgeous outfit.

Once both her and the Gardevoir confirmed nothing was amiss, Avery would lean back on her heels and breath out a dramatic sigh of relief, back of the hand to her forehead and everything.

"This was definitely my fault though. I keep telling myself not to walk backwards without looking over my shoulder first. I'm very clumsy."

The pleasant smile on Cait's face was automatically soothing for the pink-haired girl, who seemed to visibly relax. She'd glance at the woman's celebi-painted fan and gasp in awe.

"No, the pleasure is mine. Look at that beautiful fan! Did you paint that? It's absolutely amazing! And your dress? Oh my goodness."

She glances down at her much less fancy clothes and shrugs, smiling still. Her eyes grow a little wider at the woman's introduction.

"Cait? As in Cait Alfric, the gym leader of Mauville? I'm honored! I haven't been to Mauville in some time, but I've been told by several customers that you've done great things for the city. My name is Avery. Collins, Avery Collins. I run a little daycare in Lilycove."

Riolu was transfixed on the beauty of the Gardevoir, but a little bewildered at the fact it was male. Not that that was a bad thing, of course. Riolu blushes at his own insensitive thoughts, and then takes a lick of his ice cream cone to distract himself.

"Oh! And this is Riolu and Munchlax."

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jul 16, 2019 20:42:47 GMT

"'miss collins.'"

she took a moment to commit the name to memory, a brief pause having immediately followed the quiet utterance of the pink-haired woman's title.

"and then there's munchlax and riolu," she continued.

cait's green-eyed gaze swiveled toward the pair, the pokemon appearing relatively young. she quickly noticed that the riolu appeared transfixed by her gardevoir, and she derived no small amount of amusement from the realization.

"it's a real pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, taking care to address them all.

gardevoir smiled serenely, apparently satisfied by the young steel-type's awe.

"i had a designer procure both my outfit and the accessories," she informed. "it came at a surprisingly reasonable price - but i suppose i was given a discount."

cait decided to veer the topic of discussion toward collins chosen profession.

"so you take care of pokemon? i heard there's a decent amount of money in that."

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POSTED ON Jul 19, 2019 0:32:12 GMT

Avery nods while Cait repeats her name, though she blushes at the formality of it. She supposes now, in hindsight, she should have referred to Cait as 'Miss Alfric' and not responded with such excitement.

But she does smile when Cait turns to greet her two young friends. Riolu blushes as the Gardevoir looks at him, averting his eyes. Meanwhile, Munchlax doesn't seem at all interested in interacting, as he's too invested in enjoying his ice cream cone.

"No, please, ma'am. The pleasure is all mine, except for your ruined dessert. I am really, terribly sorry about that. I'd never take pleasure in meeting like that, really."

She shifts her attention back to Cait's dress, eyes wide with awe as the woman explains where she got it. Avery could never dream of owning such a beautiful article of clothing. Working with young Pokemon is grounds for ruined clothes no matter the occasion.

"It's quite lovely, I'm a little envious. I can't bear to wear anything pretty, my youngsters just muss everything up within five minutes."

She laughs, but it's genuine. There's a deep compassion in her voice, she really loves her Pokemon dearly.

Avery blinks, however, as Cait turns the conversation back around to herself. She even points to herself in surprise, mouth open.

"Me? Uhh.. yes. I supposed there's decent money in it. But I'm not really too fussy about that. I work with young Pokemon because I love it. It's just a bonus that it also puts food on the table."

She blushes deeply at this.

cait alfric ren-faire mission

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jul 19, 2019 0:56:36 GMT

"young pokemon," she parroted.

she brightened up at the mere mention of overseeing the care of children. it had been one of the careers she considered prior to her enlistment. because she had always personally fancied young ones and had even taken on work as a babysitter back in fortree.

"it's a very respectable profession."

cait's face split into a broad grin, her eyes reflecting her delight as she spoke.

"there's plenty of young pokemon running amok in my gym," she said. "they're so cute after they hatch - but gods are they troublesome."

her gardevoir scooped up the ruined ice cream and promptly deposited it into the nearest trash bin, reliant upon his psychic abilities to do so.

"you're not busy are you?"

cait leaned in a little as she met avery's gaze, the scent of citrus wafting from her freckled skin.

"i wouldn't mind some friendly company. it's a bit dull playing games and partaking in the food served here without anyone to enjoy it with. i have gardevoir but he can be a bit stiff at times."

the psychic merely tilted his head in reaction, his eyes becoming partly lidded as a hint of a smirk tugged at one corner of his lips.

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POSTED ON Jul 19, 2019 1:52:01 GMT

Is it possible for her to get any more embarrassed or bashful?

Avery visibly wilts with embarrassment at the wide grin she receives. She had never been met with such praise and attention in regards to her occupation. She just did her thing, she didn't really think that anyone might find her that interesting or respectable.

"Y-yes.. I suppose it is. Thank you, ma'am."

Riolu watches with intensity as the Gardevoir scoops up the fallen ice cream with ease. It doesn't even touch the substance, which astonishes the young pup, and his ears perk in confusion.

Avery nods politely to Cait as she mentions her own batch of little rugrats, barely containing her excitement on the matter, but quickly notices her own Pokemon's distress and comes to the rescue.

"Gardevoir is a psychic Pokemon, Riolu. That means they're very powerful and mysterious and they often use their especially unique and powerful mental powers to lift things. It's like having an invisible hand, but you use your brain to do it. Cool, huh?"

She smiles softly at the curious Pokemon, who has since resorted to grabbing onto her leg.

At the mention of being busy, Avery widens her eyes. Her cheeks flush again, but this time with panic of some flavor. Her ice cream has begun to melt into her hand, and she reaches for a napkin, laughing nervously.

"Uh, no, not really. We just arrived and hadn't had a chance to explore the fairgrounds yet."

The lovely smell of citrus invades her senses and Avery smiles again, embarrassed and overwhelmed by the attention she's receiving.

She glances at the ground, heart pounding a little faster at the prospect of hanging out as friends with the renowned gym leader.

"A-are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother you or anything. These two can get a little rowdy, I don't want to embarrass you in any way."

She's exasperated but flattered, just unable to express herself properly.

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jul 19, 2019 2:24:08 GMT

"you can just call me cait. 'ma'am' just makes me sound so old and crusty."

the girl's hesitance is unsurprising, her mannerisms thus far betraying how timid she was. but from the avatar's perspective she found these particular traits to be appealingly genuine in numerous ways.

"i don't mind," she assured. "i love kids. even when they come in pokemon form."

cait's gaze slid toward her gardevoir, curious as to if he was at all opposed to extra company. the psychic didn't appear to mind - at least not outwardly. the smile he wore was polite, though his focus would shift more so onto the riolu.

"we'll be a pair for today," she said.

she offered her hand, her nails expertly painted a shade of green which matched her curly mane.

"what do you say?"

avery jones

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POSTED ON Jul 19, 2019 14:30:31 GMT

"O-oh, okay. My apologies ma-, Cait."

She dips her head and blushes, but the smile that stretches across her bashful features widens and seems to paint her in a soft glow.

Avery is genuinely pleased to hear that her new friend loves kids as well. She detects no lie behind the green-haired woman's words, and it causes a warm feeling to build in the pink-haired woman's heart.

"That's a relief. These guys are my whole world."

Her gaze follows Cait's to the Gardevoir, a note of concern in her eyes given the fact she hadn't at all thought about the feelings of the psychic-type.

Riolu would grow uncomfortable but clumsy under the attention of the psychic-type, and he would continue to avert his eyes and focus on his cone, tongue roughly pulling across the cold surface.

Avery chuckles at the awkwardness her Pokemon is expressing, and she ruffles him behind the ears affectionately.

When she looks up, Cait's hand is extended toward her, and she curiously looks between her slender fingers to the woman's face.

"I'd love to, Cait!"

She willingly slips her hand into the gym leaders, comforted by how warm and soft her hands were.

cait alfric ren-faire mission

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Jul 19, 2019 19:56:04 GMT

avery's hand was just as warm and soft - and so delicate. her dainty fingers had wrapped around her own and it caused a fluttering sensation to originate from the depths of cait's chest.

'i've got to get this girl's number.'

she had a mission now - one that she had every intention of seeing through.

"then let's get started," she chimed, her smile dazzling. "there's a lot here to do."

cait gently tugged the woman with hair the color of cotton candy pink into the crowd as the kids and gardevoir trailed closely behind them.