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It was a little surprising when Calla opted to stay behind. Not that he was actively trying to run away from his sister (not all the time, at least), she just had a very protective nature. She was the mothering type, a bit overbearing but she meant well. He knew she did, it was just difficult until these instances when nothing productive came from holding back. Bad things happened, especially to him, but he knew he needed to be patient with her too. They both lost a lot.
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"Yup, looks that way." For her, he tried at least not careening down the cliff. He even checked to make sure his shoes were double-tied.
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His eyes widened, "Oh wow, good thinking." He'd never been particularly smart and had been hoping someone else would figure out the riddle cause he sure as heck wasn't.

[attr="class","bottom"]calla roth Izumi Yamamura URIAH BLACK [break]

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Kieran knew Calla better than anyone and he also knew he was about to get sidelined for his "own good". Maybe it was plausible, considering he was walking-talking bad luck. He was still under the full assumption that everything that had happened up to that point was his fault, and more so the fault of his issues with luck and circumstance. Bad things happened around him, simple as that.
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"No way, I'm going down, whose coming with?" Did he really have to ask though?
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Already he'd scoot back from the edge, following his Tyrantrum down the curtained side path leading down into the crater.

[attr="class","bottom"]calla roth Izumi Yamamura URIAH BLACK [break]

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"Yeah." Just very sweaty and tired.
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All he could do right then was longingly wish for his bed, imagining the soft pillows and smooth blanket. He got cranky when he was tired, but he was supposed to be the positive one. He always was, even if this time it had gotten away from him. His irritation for his sister's overprotectiveness had cost him the only good thing about him that he could think about. Leaving him sour and tired and completely unenthralled by the wilderness, which wasn't at all like him.
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Still he forced himself to relax, to take in the breath of fresh air having managed to get away from another danger. This wasn't how he'd envisioned the day going, but he was stuck with it. No use in trying to fight against it anymore. Without a word, he slipped off of the his Tyrantrum and moved to the edge of— "Oh... a crater. Wow, that's cool!" Heights was not one of his fears so he had no problem staring down into the icecream scoop taken out of the earth.

[attr="class","bottom"]calla roth Izumi Yamamura URIAH BLACK [break]

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Maybe it was the fact that Emerson was tiny, but Kier couldn't help but think of the other as breakable. And maybe not so much in the literal sense, but he still seemed sensitive and small. It was like approaching a feral puppy and hoping it didn't run away. The approach mattered and so too did the handling. He wanted to be careful with him, but not make him feel awkward for it. It was difficult task, far more than he initially realized. Kieran was caring, but he wasn't careful. Most of the bad things that happened in his life were due to his own bumbling clumsiness and he was afraid that this would go the same exact way.
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Even then, he couldn't quite help himself. He just had to go and tease him because yeah, it was pretty. He was pretty. Had the other been a little less terrified of everything, Kieran might have been a bit more obvious with his flirting. He'd never restrained himself on that before, but he also really wanted to be Em's friend. It had occurred to him recently that despite all his attempts at bleeding kindness, he didn't actually have that many friends.
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The poor guy's face matched the scarlet tone of his hair and Kier almost felt a little bad after provoking it.
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"Awesome!" He beamed, deciding that he was done lighting the poor guy on fire, even if it was admittedly cute. Though the resistance was difficult and likely futile, he would respect the other's boundaries. To give him some space, he quickly went to ordering a box of kabobs knowing that the pair of them could likely put them away. Mostly meat and veggies, but he ordered an additional pair of cake kabobs as well. Thanking the merchant, he returned to Em. "There's a place away from the crowd over here." He let his free hand dangle, entertaining the thought of grabbing the other's hand before shoving it away. Let's not scare the puppy.

[attr="class","bottom"]emerson whitlock [break]

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This was exhausting.
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Were they ever going to get a break? Kieran was all for adventure, but the day had started rough and it didn't seem to be calming down. He didn't think that he would actually grow to regret coming out on this trip, but he did. Things were already strained with Calla. He'd already made the worst first impression with her... boyfriend??? He didn't know, Calla didn't exactly ever explain it to him.
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In truth he was just wanting to retreat back home and go to sleep in the mountain of pillows and blankets that made up his bed. Instead, Grunt the Tyrantrum continued to plow onward behind them, frantically trying to outpace the angry durant.

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"Oops! Sorry for startling you." Em was a lot like his pokemon, mouse-like. He was easily startled and even more so overwhelmed. Kieran realized that the crowds here were probably a bit overwhelming, huh? Hopefully this wasn't too much for him. Granted, he was still surprised when the offer was presented. Things were often easier in theory than in person.
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"You are pretty small, but you have pretty hair, hard to ignore that." It took a lot not to touch said hair, tease the other a little bit. Maybe not give the other a heart attack over idle contact, yeah? Part of him wanted to encourage the other, give him a boost of confidence like he did when he talked in tech. There were moments where he forgot he was speaking to Emerson, and sometimes through text when... well he wondered where this was leading.
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Not that he was about to insinuate that there was more there than a friendship. Em was a little difficult to read in that regard.
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"So we're here, I've found you, what do you wanna do?" He grinned at that, before fishing a response he knew the other would like. "They have the most amazing kabobs here. You interested?" Food seemed to be a point of commonality for them.

[attr="class","bottom"]emerson whitlock [break]

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Disappointment and disapproval welled up in him, but there was no turning Grunt around as he plowed through the rest of the jungle. They emerged on the other side, careening out and into a clearing that seemed free of danger. How could he possibly tell though? He felt like he couldn't quite trust himself after leaving everyone behind. Sure, it had been Grunt's decision to run but it wasn't like he'd done anything while he was there. He felt like a failure to the slateport rangers. A coward.
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There fear mounted almost immediately after. Once his heart had settled for a split second and his mind emerged from the fog of inactivity. "Calla..." He gasped. He'd left Calla. What the hell? What had he been thinking? He spun around, seated on the back of his Tyrantrum as he peered into the gaping hole left in Grunt's wake. Finally, he spotted them, running towards him. His exhale felt momentary, definitely undeserved. What an idiot.
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For once, he didn't say anything as they pushed out into the opening alongside him. He didn't even know if anything was still chasing them.

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NOTES.
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j6lUm9_z

[attr="class","bottom"]URIAH BLACK calla roth Greyson Connors [break]

Kier felt a little guilty at that, like maybe he was talking too much about his problems. Maybe his energy was too sour for a first encounter. He actually really liked Wren, their energies mixed really well and they seemed to be very much alike. Even if the other was simply being kind for his benefit, it was still the thought that counted.
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The last thing he wanted to do was scare the other ranger off because he had some mixed feelings about his life as of lately. Things would clear up eventually, they always did. He loved his sister, even if she had a knack for interfering in his life where he didn't want her. She just cared about him. They were all they had, in the end.
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"Yeah it was... well it's in the past, everything is better now though!" Maybe his positivity was somewhat fake in some regards, but it felt like a necessary thing. He hated the very idea of being seen as a negative person.
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"Hear that, Siv? Keep and eye out." The lengthy snake angled up above the water, scanning it with the flick of her tongue. So far, so good.
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+ wren rourke | m: corsola conservation

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