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Cass had planned to make this whole visit a bit of a stealth mission, or something of the sort. However, that quickly turned out to be impossible. While she avoided bringing her most questionably behaved pokémon, she could barely hold Dermot away from the cake in her hand as she made her way to the Meteor Falls. She did want to bring Peter, at least, and the rest ... she cradles Jon who's holding Dermot with one arm, while balancing the cake on her other hand as far away as possible, essentially T-posing the entire hike towards the area that hopefully would belong to Ettie?

She's a bit unsure if she's at the right place - she's never actually tried to find a place without adress before - until she sees some pokémon that might ...? She isn't sure if they're wild, but it wouldn't hurt to try, right ... "Uhm, hi! Do you know perchance where Ettie is- am I at the right place?" she asks, and doesn't get a reaction at first. However, perseverance paid off, and she eventually found members of Ettie's pack who'd lead her towards the place that the other calls "home".

"Ettie?" she asks as they approach. She gives Dermot a very careful and stern look, which is mirrored by Jon who slowly lets go of him. Reluctantly, the Grafaiai remains patient and still, falling into step with Tin and Yuki who'd been doing a little dance on their way up.

Ettie

It'd be a patrol that Cassandra eventually ran into - one that consisted of a gruff-looking shiny Hisuian Arcanine, a scarred yet calm Houndoom, and a familiar shiny Midnight Lycanroc. While Ebon's presence was enough on its own - the werewolf perking at the sight of Cass... The mention of Ettie would get the other two's attentions as well.

With a gesture from Ebon, the group would begin to move - leading Cassandra and her pokemon through the rocky environment. The den entrance was covered by a heavy fur curtain, and nestled into a cliffside - a natural cave that had been carved larger by the pack's efforts. Just in front of the den entrance was an open space, where a few packmates idled; and above, a ridge where a few Honchkrow and Corviknights roosted.

While the Houndoom and Arcanine moved to return to the patrols - the latter barking for one of the other packmates to follow with - Ebon remained. He lifted the curtain out of the way - not unlike a gentleman holding the door open - and gestured for Cass and her pokemon to enter.

They would enter into the main cavern, where a number of nests - made with feathers, furs, blankets, and the like - were set up, for pack members to cozy up in. From this cavern, a few tunnels split off from it, likely leading to other sections. But it was here that a lot of the pack that wasn't idling outside could be found, mingling with one another, socializing, playing...

... And it was here that Ettie could be found, snuggled up between Anne and a shiny Midday Lycanroc - Maria. Hearing her name, the wildchild lit up - smiling bright at the sight of Cass and co. "Friends!" She chirped, getting up to give Cassandra a big hug! "Hello!"

Cassandra Kubrick

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The patrol is intimidating, but Cass is relieved to actually recognise Ebon again. The other two also seem to recognise Ettie, which confirms that she's at the right place. Steadily, she and her pokémon would follow, while she's balancing the cake in her hands carefully. Martin offers to take it on several occasions, but she had to decline - after all, Dermot's also made himself comfortable on the flower garland, and she didn't want to kick Dermot out of there again. But, with Martin keeping more tabs on Dermot, the cake would at least survive well enough until they've finally arrived.

"Oh, thank you so much!" she smiles as Ebon holds up the curtain for her, and steps through, quickly followed by all of her pokémon. The inside is surprisingly cosy - and the heavy curtain would do its job keeping the outside weather at bay, she assumes. Several pokémon are gathered here, but her attention is focused on Ettie right now. Seeing her safe and comfortable is a huge relief. She quickly places the cake box in Tin's trustworthy hands, before she opens her arms to go in for a hug with a big smile.

"Ettie! And Anne! The whole pack, in fact," she laughs. It hasn't sunk in how afraid she's been until now, how maybe, something has happened after all after they split ... "Finally came to visit you here. It's really cosy- and I brought cake! It's just berry fruit cake, if that's okay? Wasn't sure how long I'd need so I avoided something dairy for now."

Ettie

With Cassandra having been escorted proper, Ebon would reach down to fondly ruffle Ettie's hair, then head back out to rejoin the patrol.

The notion of berries makes Ettie perk. "Berries good!" She chirped, briefly nuzzling Cassandra before she turns to glance over to the cake. It looked good. Smelled good, too. While a lot of the pack may prefer a more meat-leaning diet, Ettie was still looking forward to sharing it with anyone who was interested!

Which, included Anne. Though the Dusk Lycanroc gave the cake box a brief sniff to make sure nothing was amiss with it, it'd pass her inspections - prompting her to settle down and wait with anticipation. Though she did not display it often, the wolf proved to have a bit of a sweet tooth. Ettie giggled knowingly, all the same.

"Hmmm..." Humming thoughtfully, Ettie would glance to the cake, then towards one of the tunnels leading deeper into the dens, and then to Maria. "Mama, ask Cassie, Aurien, Penny, Pago, if want cake?" She'd ask - to which, the Midday Lycanroc nodded, and got up to head down the aforementioned tunnel.

A few other packmates already present in the chamber would already be approaching, meanwhile. Yip would, well, yip happily as she bounded on over to the group - and close behind were two Yamper pups, Aludra and Sirius, who were eager to greet the newcomers even if they weren't here for cake. As quiet as a ghost, a Marshadow would appear as well - Delle, settling in next to Ettie as she gazed to the cake.

And strangely enough, was also a pair of Dubwool, heralded by the click of their hooves against the stony ground of the den as they pranced on over!

Ettie giggled at this, smiling bright to Cass. "Cass and Cass-pack welcome, long as like!" However long they wanted to stay, Cassandra and her pokemon were welcome guests.

Cassandra Kubrick

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"Oh!" Cass laughs surprised and quietly as Ettie briefly nuzzles her, but also does an awkward nuzzle back. She smiles at the gesture, however, as unused to it as she might be - it's nice. And it's also a relief that the not quite fancy, but rather large cake's well received. She's had it made on request, since the normal sizes all kinda felt a bit too small ... which probably is because it's been a fancy bakery. (She should've gone to a normal place, but she barely know that.)

Cass carefully places the cake onto the ground with the lack of a table, and then promptly grabs her Grafaiai, placing it firmly in her lap with Jon balancing on one of her legs because Dermot's taking all of her attention now. "I'm glad you think so! It's got a mix of berries, so hopefully something for everyone."

She chuckles as Ettie calls even more pokémon, one of them sharing their name with Cass, too. "You have a Cassie in your team? It's one of my nicknames, actually - but I prefer Cass, it's shorter." (Imagine having to write out names several times within hundred words ... an author would definitely not fall back to the shortest form at all.)

With the exception of Dermot, who's been grounded in Cass' lap, her other pokémon are free to interact with the other pokémon. Jon has slid from her leg and made a few steps, before finding himself next to the Marshadow Delle. Martin's floating around, greeting the pokémon with a friendly coo - but not entirely sure who to interact with. Peter has positioned herself next to the cake and taken a rest, which meant that she's returning to her definitely-not-an-apple form, almost enticing someone to try and take a bite. Yuki's greeting and being greeted by the Yamper duo, raising a fin in greeting before starting to sway rhythmically to music only he could hear. Cass' Pikachu Tin seems excited about all the pokémon gathered here, but unsure where to even start - and then quickly has to jump out of the way or the arriving Dubwool!

Cass smiles contently and relieved as she looks around, feeling at home surrounded by so many pokémon. "Thank you, Ettie! Feel free to take some cake as you like, I'll let you guys have some first. Dermot here is a bit of too greedy when it comes to food," she laughs softly, patting the monkey's head who has not stopped looking at the cake since it's gotten unboxed. "It's not that bad, actually, but ... yeah. I'm not sure he's blinked for a minute."

Ettie

Ettie giggled, as Cass pointed out the similarity in names. "Mhmm! Cassie sweet! Heals!" She chirped happily; before adding "And Pago and Penny... Same as friend!" She'd gesture to Yuki - it sounded as though Ettie had a couple of Dewgong!

And indeed, a pair of Dewgong and a pair of Primarina both would come up from a tunnel, eager to join the gathering. The water dripping off of them told of a body of water that must've been deeper within the caverns.

Though one would think of wolves and canines when one spoke of a pack... It seemed that Ettie's little oddball pack was more than just that! Granted, as far as she understood, Dewgong and Primarina were just water dogs - the term 'pinniped' didn't mean much to her.

But, as her pack gathered around, Ettie hummed happily - gesturing Delle over as she opened the box. "Help share?" To which, the Marshadow nodded, coming over to help Ettie distribute the cake between everyone - including Cass' own pokemon.

Fairness was important, here - in Ettie's mind, since Cass and her pokemon provided the food, she had to make extra sure that they had their fair share too!

Though, Ettie did end up distracted partway in. Because at the mention of Dermot and his unblinking stare... The child would be struck with an impulsive thought, and would proceed to stare right back at Dermot! This was not a staring contest, though - she just wanted to see if the little Grafaiai's gaze was indeed unblinking!

Anne, noticing this, sighs with a fond exasperation, and would nudge for Yip to join in helping distribute the cake.

Cassandra Kubrick

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"Oh?" Cass grins, wondering what kind of pokémon Cassie could be - and she wouldn't have to wait long. A pair of Dewgong and Primarina would soon enter the cave, still dripping slightly with water which ... "You have a lake here, too?" Cass asks, slightly baffled. It seems like Ettie really had made a home for herself here. For a moment, she's slightly jealous - but she would never want to miss the comforts of her own home either.

Yuki greeted the other two Dewgongs with a little sway to the left, a little sway to the right, before making some greeting noises. He also sways in greeting when looking over at the Primarinas, who for him also are at least of similiar kind. He'd also ask where they're coming from, slightly glimpsing behind them into the cavern.

The cake is distributed then also with the help of Ettie and a creature that Cass hasn't seen before in-person yet ... but she's read about it in books related to ... maybe she'd have to ask Ettie about that later. "Tin, can you come help, too? And Martin, dear." Both pokémon would nod, with Tin coming over to help cut the cake while Martin helps distributing it among the present pokémon. "But you really have a lot of pokémon - like, I bet you still got more, right?"

Cass frowns a bit slightly as she looks at Ettie again, wondering why Ettie suddenly- oh. She looks dumbfounded at first, before laughing, endeared, but also ... "Is this a staring contest? I'm afraid he's not actually in it, or well. His opponent is the cake-" Which wouldn't blink. And indeed, somehow, Dermot has not blinked the entire time, his gaze focused up on the cake as it grows smaller and smaller and ... Cass nudges him slightly, finally waking him from the trance. "Buddy, you got cake right in front of you now."

Ettie

At the question of a lake, Ettie nodded. "Mhmm! Not big. But enough!" She responded. It was plenty to give the four a comfortable space to rest and swim around in; but if they wanted to swim somewhere more open, there were options not far from here (at least going off the child's idea of 'not far', which may be very different from Cass'.)

Cassie would be happy to tell Yuki as much, though - of the waterpool that was deeper in the caverns, that they usually rested in when they weren't out and about.

The question of pokemon would be met with another nod and a giggle from Ettie. "Mhmm! In other den-parts, or outside. Is big pack; Ettie loves pack." She spoke, visibly proud of her 'kin'. There were definitely other pokemon in the area too, besides the ones directly interacting; idling about, watching these newcomers, and the like.

But it was those such as Yip, or Meri, or the pinniped four, who were actually 1. home, and 2. interested in the cake or mingling with Cass and co.

But that being said, Ettie would smile to Cass, offering "Can stay night, meet more pack? Will share food, will keep safe!" It'd give those who were out hunting or patrolling a chance to come home and see Cass, for sure. But, Ettie would understand if she wasn't interested; this was likely a very different place, from what the other trainer was used to sleeping in.

Ettie blinks and giggles though, as Cass has to nudge Dermot. "Here!" She chirps warmly, nudging his share of the cake closer to him. "Eat, friend!"

Cassandra Kubrick

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Cass looks impressed that there's an actual lake somewhere around here. "Did you make that lake yourself? Actually-" she starts, stops. Unsure whom to tell anything about Azelf, or maybe just keep it all to herself ... "I'd love to see it, and I think Yuki, too," she changes the sentence, laughing as she glances over at Yuki who seems really intrigued by Cassie's explanation of the lake. Cass herself hasn't managed to even get a pond situation going ... and no question that it would be overgrown soon if she had to take care of it.

Cass grins and nods at Ettie's words, "That's really so cool to see." And also, prompts another question. "How ... long have you been living here?" Cass asks her, mostly out of curiosity - it's been quite clear that Ettie's not the usual child, growing up in a village and going to school and all ... "Have you ever been to a school?" To her, not going to school seems unimaginable.

And it's not a bad kind of unimaginable, especially living out here in the wild surrounded by so many pokémon - even if she couldn't hold onto that lifestyle for too long, it's ... "I'd love to, but not today ... my mom will probably want me home before it's dark, you know, since ... the prison." Why does prison sound less bad than kidnapping to her right now? "Maybe we can see another time, when my mom's not that much of a helicopter?"

Finally then, as all cake's distributed and it's Dermot's turn, the Grafaiai seems to be unbelieving. Only as Ettie also nudges his share closer to him does he leap forward, and unceremoniously dig his face into the cake. "Der- anyway," Cass sighs and shakes her head with a fond smile, before unpacking some more of the cutlery that she's packed. "Do you want a fork, too?"

Ettie

Letting Cass tour more of the den would definitely be fun, and Ettie would nod in response; but it'd have to wait until after cake, for sure. Cake was important! Cause it was food! And yummy! She wanted to make sure that everyone would have a chance to

As the conversation shifted though, Ettie thought over Cass's questions. "Pack find den... When winter start!" She chirped, taking a second to think back to when they had settled in here. It had been before the first snows, if she recalled correctly - but it had still been pretty cold...

... Though, as far as school went... "Ettie see schools... But not try." She confessed. "Ettie likes moving. Schools... Not lots-move. Read-write also hurt head..." She was too much of a free spirit to wanna sit down for as long as school seemed to last. And trying to learn more reading and writing was often the furthest thing from her mind, when there were other things she found more important to attend to.

And it seemed that there were similar important things that kept Cass from sticking around, too. The mention of the prison makes Ettie's expression flicker some negative emotion - but it's quick to disappear as she pushes those churning feelings back down. She didn't need to think of the bad memories.

Instead, she focused more on the second half of Cass' words. Which, Ettie didn't understand what Cass meant by a helicopter, but she still nodded sympathetically, musing "Safe with home pack, at least."

Dermot's enthusiasm was met with a gentle laugh from Ettie - who accepts the fork. She kinda knows how to use them! Even if that amounted to her practically stabbing her own share of the cake with it, with the gusto she puts into using the fork. See, this was much more enjoyable than worrying about the things that happened before!

She just needed to not think about it... It was over now, anyways, right? It wouldn't happen again...

Cassandra Kubrick

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Cass seems slightly shocked at Ettie's words, but nods then. "That's really good, that you found the den before winter ... hopefully." She looks at the structure around her, now all cosy and made. A home. "Are the winters okay now? Not sure how the insulation is ... but it's really nice here. Really nice." Her mind drifts a bit, to simpler ideas when she's ran around the Petalburg Woods, thinking about just living there. Now, the comfort of a house are definitely nothing she'd wanna miss for too long.

The topic of school also actually triggers another thought - does Ettie have ... parents ... alive? She knows that her mom would never let her miss school unless she had good reasons to (like ... being kidnapped and recovering from physical and mental trauma), but ... Ettie ... "Honestly, I can understand that," Cass laughs instead of thinking longer on that - it doesn't seem like Ettie has a problem with it, so it's all right - probably? "My friend Knight, he was also ... there, he is very similiar ... and I mean, what does school really teach us, hm?" she adds in a wave of boldness - but she knows she'll find herself back in that seat again soon enough.

Prison is a sore topic, but gladly, home smooths things over ... mostly. It does seem like Ettie's still lingering with that thought, which makes Cass feel bad about bringing it up. But, unlike the wildchild, it's looming in her mind, a presence that just refuses to get smaller ... ... but she should let it go, even if just for now. She laughs as Ettie stabs her cake with gusto, grinning, "Careful, you're gonna get cake anywhere before you get it to your mouth!" Similiar to Dermot, maybe, but Dermot at least doesn't care if the cake's been on the ground.

Ettie

Ettie takes a second to think. "Winters cold. Colder than before." She speaks. Between things like Kyurem and the Tera Crystals, it seemed like each winter was becoming colder than the last. It made her wonder, how the next winter would go. Though, that was a ways away, and Ettie had time to prepare.

So instead of worry, Ettie simply smiles and nods, adding "Den good. Is warm, when cold." It helped to have fire-types to help provide warmth for the pack.

The talk of school was met with a cock of Ettie's head, though, a bit quizzical. School was meant to teach, right? Did Cass' words mean that it didn't actually teach as well as it was meant to?

Nonetheless, as Cassandra playfully chides Ettie for how enthusiastically she was stabbing the cake, the wildchild giggles back and nods understandingly. She uses the fork to shove a bit of cake into her mouth - and the next time she brings the fork down, it's a bit more gently. But, as she swallows down her first mouthful, she grins brightly. "Is tasty!" She chirps!

Sounds of agreement rise from the surrounding packmates who are partaking in the cake; one couldn't go wrong with fresh berries, after all.

Cassandra Kubrick

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Cass hums in agreement about the winters seemingly becoming colder ... well, truly no surprise. "Makes me wonder if the summer's also gonna be hotter with ... everything ..." The weather might get more extreme in general, but which scale might win is the other question ... However, that's perhaps a concern for later. Whenever this mysterious later might be - just definitely not now.

"The den's really, really cosy," Cass sighs almost dreamily as she looks around. She wouldn't wanna miss her room at home, but this? This is also quite nice. "I wanna stop by more often if you'll have me - and well, school allows." For a moment, it seems like a storm's brewing as she thinks on getting back to school ... the first month's already been unusually rough on her.

Life, generally, seems to have gotten really hard within a fraction of her lifetime.

However, seeing Ettie laugh and then treat the cake more gently brings a smile on her face as well, as she starts eating - even sitting on the ground, her posture and mannerisms remain proper (but also a tad bit casual). "I'm very happy you like it - I was also thinking chocolate might be good, but berries are just ... like, who doesn't like at least one, right?" She definitely looks quite happy about having made the right choice as the pokémon also agree with Ettie's words.

Carefully, she balances the plate with her cake in her hands, while also letting herself slowly fall backwards. Dermot, having finished his cake, immediately sees an opportunity and, cautiously, questioningly, positions himself between her arms and in front of the cake. She doesn't move to stop him, which he takes as a sign to dig in. Cass in the meanwhile looks at the roof, before wiggling a bit into position to look at the wildchild.

"I'm glad we met, Ettie."

Ettie