it was as if two little '!!' showed up over her head. excitement flared and she bounced, nearly vibrated, with her fists clenched shut and her eyes wide.

"i brought my camping gear too! y'know, as like a just in case!"

excitement seemed to rub off on her boys, who whined and wagged their tails. lyonel ended up plopping over and creating snow angels because he was otherwise bored.

"plus, i've got a coalossal with me just in case we need to make a fire or some food!" she stopped herself before making a face. "i ... want to clarify that he likes being used as a grill."

@mattis

"i know it is, and this is what i'm choosing to do with it."

stubborn? absolutely. unmoving like a mountain, remember? she allows the intimacy, appreciates it. they're not arguing, they're talking. showing their sides of the conversation slowly. unfolding layers and years worth of emotion and strife.

"i have spent all this time away trying to will myself not to love you, and i'm tired of it. whether you love me or not doesn't matter. i know nothing will come from it more than your attention when i'm necessary for your job's progression."

she is not naive. she isn't even nervous. not crying, not emotional. this is her resolve, and she's presenting it to him with confidence.

"i'm not asking for your hand in marriage, fernando. i'm just letting you know that from this point forward, my loyalties lie with you. not with the league, not with rocket; just, you."

and not even an, 'if you'll have me' was given.

"so buckle up fernando, cause i'm stickin' around this time."

FERNANDO SILPH

anybody who knew francie knew well enough that she was the sort to take a load of matters into her own hands. including randomly helping some delibirds! the poor dears, they were stubborn for the sake of getting the job done! she could respect that.

enough to sign up in her own free time to help the little birds along! not to mention, it sort of felt like her duty as a ranger to help the poor birdies!

"there we go!" she finished harnessing her three lycanrocs up to what was literally a sled. the cold weather brought with it more snow than what they were used to. so they had to deliver parcels from littleroot's lab off to the nearest pokémart! and her lycanrocs could trudge through the snow and ice absolutely no problem.

"y'know, you guys look real good in a few harnesses."

her midnight, lyonel, yawned in complaint. louie, her dusk, looked rather dignified at the front. while lincoln, the midday form in front, pulled up his nose from the snow and snorted the snow out of his nose with a sneeze.

which caused francie to laugh as she waited for her company to arrive.

delibird delivery ww mission
Megan Whitmore

taking with...

Megan Whitmore

the way that gardevoir handled herself was mythical all in itself. francie wasn't sure she could ever be so graceful. even as graceful as the man she was doing this particular job with. after all, he was ... well he looked like one of those 'king' paintings she'd seen while over in kalos.

pale but not sickly, pretty while stille handsome, flawless and well kept-- the gardevoir as well.

she sort of felt dirty being near him, given she always had some sort of dirt on her from messing with her lycanrocs. it was not unlike francie to wipe sweat from her forehead with a dirty hand and end up with smudge marks. which she now wondered if she had on her forehead.... but she couldn't just check, he'd see her!

she resigned herself to paranoia and distracted herself from it with his question.

"oh, y'know, maybe. i haven't heard of it in any cosmetics or anything but, um, i mean... if it's made by pokémon for pokémon then i'm sure there are people out there smart enough to make it suitable for human use. just think! changing your hair at the shake of some dust!"

the thought made her laugh, her smile as bright as the starlight.

Athanasios Valentine

"oh! yeah, totally."

francie gave a small whistle with her tongue which caught all of their attention. even lincoln, who had been preoccupied with arkose, gave arkose a lick as if to say 'see you in a minute bud' and pranced over to francie with excited tail wagging. he made a friend! and the friend wasn't nearly as annoying as his brothers!

"alright, so. let's see. we're focusing on helping the migrating pokémon make their way to warmer climates, like mt. chimney, correct?"

best to have their information straight before they jumped head first into danger.

@mattis

francie had bitten her lip at the sight of arkose seeming not to notice that his trainer existed because she'd given him food. her eyebrows arched up and she crossed her arms, looking a bit like a crossed mother.

"now now arkose," her tone wasn't scolding, but more playful. "you can't be the beta of your pack with that attitude, now, can you? you've gotta respect the alpha, hm?"

maybe her words were falling on deaf doggie ears but, it was fun to talk to the nonetheless. they could be so expressive!!

she did, however, uncross her arms and pulled her lycanroc capsules from her bag. she brought them to her lips and gave them a kiss at the same time.

"you boys behave or no cuddles for a week."

with that, she held her hands out and pressed the center buttons, releasing each. the dusk form, louie, released sitting perched like he was royalty at francie's side. lincoln, the midday, sniffed at francie's hands and then toward the fellow midday lycanroc before whining, because he'd gotten treats! and lyonel? he was already trying to create mischief, even if it looked like he was just sniffing the air around louie, who was eyeing him suspiciously.

"louie, lincoln, and lyonel!" she pointed to each and beamed at mattis. "they're quite the handful but super worth the trouble."

@mattis

francie had beside her lyonel, her midnight lycanroc. the canine bit at his fur and stretched his jawn in a yawn, a light whine leaving his gullet as he did so. he liked to watch the birds... maybe catch the birds?

oh, but there went tilly, francie's aerodactyl. she flew overhead and snapped her jaws at anything that came close to the bugs which francie had told her needed guarding. it seemed like lyonel wouldn't be having much fun... but he kept his eyes peeled either way.

"hm?" francie's small squeak was an acknowledgement that she'd been spoken too and heard him but needed time to think of her answer. "oh, um, mostly the sparkling dust. it's a pretty rare commodity these days. they say if you gather enough, you can change your pokémon's coat with it... supposed. like turn a lycanroc blue."

which would be absolutely hilarious, but she wouldn't hate the idea either. louie would, her dusk lycanroc, but perhaps lincoln her midday would be up for it...

Athanasios Valentine

"oh good!" pulling them from her bag, she put a few of them back and held out two for arkose to chow down on, sure to watch her fingers and carefully place the berries so she didn't get eaten as well.

"i know what you mean. i have one of each form. my midday's the one that usually gets drug into the shenanigans that my midnight gets him into. and my dusk just watches it all happen while barking at them to stop."

she laughed at the idea of louie, lincoln, and lyonel, and then gave mattis a soft smile as she stood up from feeding arkose.

"i've got them with me, if you want to do a meet and greet before we head out officially."

@mattis

"it's a pleasure to meet you mattis."

when the lycanroc was introduced, francie felt herself smiling brightly. even more brightly than when she met the man she'd be doing the mission with. why?

because she had three lycanroc of her own, one of each type, and she absolutely adored the species as a whole. midnight form was her favorite but typically he was such a troublemaker she always had her dusk out.

not today, too cold. and she assumed ice type pokémon would be affoot, so she'd brought an arsonal with her to help try and combat that.

"hello there arkose. if your trainer doesn't mind, i think i have yache berry in here someplace." known to weaken the effects of ice and snow.

@mattis

main party

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secondary party

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inventory

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mega / z-move / sygna

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pokeballs

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evo items

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tm/tr items

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misc. items

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berry storage

"that's me!! francie myrtle, pleased to mee-- oh geez!!"

tumble, fumble, plop. face first into the snow.

"pleh!" she spit the snow from her mouth and shook her face. then, she was up in a flash and brushing off her clothes, fixing her beanie back onto her head to keep her ears warm. "i'm fine! yes, i'm okay! a lil bit embarrassed but y'know, what's life without warm cheeks?"

with a sigh, like she was breathing out her embarrassment, she held out her hand with a bright smile and determination to the man who was nine inches taller than her.

"pleased to meet you!!"

@mattis