[attr="class","rosepost"]Because she was kind?[break][break]

She'd been out for blood for a minute. She'd spent too much time on the island being angry. It was exhausting, but what was the alternative when her trust was betrayed? Sorrow? It was an emotion of inaction, and she didn't do inaction. She thought Rex could be naive, but he also saw things she didn't, and maybe he was right about this one. [break][break]

But if she was kind, she needed to be forgiving. Foreheads touching, she considered his promise. What did she want to know? A minute ago, she'd have asked if he would choose her over the Gogoat, but now she needed to practice forgiveness. Kindness. [break][break]

She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled. "I know what I need to know about you," she finally said. "I'm sorry." Exhale. [break][break]

Their survival was a more pressing matter than feelings. "Let's wash the grime off quickly so we can give your cuts time to heal. The water will keep them soft, open." She had no treatment plan for infections with their limited supply.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Doing the same thing and expecting a different result was insanity. Was it worth taking him at his word again? [break][break]

She let the silence stretch until he offered a real solution. Real being a relative term, given how wingull-brained the idea was. "Rex." She lifted her hands from the water to grip his face and bring him close, the saltwater undoubtedly stinging, but she needed him to listen. [break][break]

"How does hurting you help me?" She gave him a moment to process the question. Atonement was misplaced. His intentions weren't, but his actions were foolish. Wanting her to have some levity on the damned island at the cost of communicating his injuries came from a good place, but it was foolish. That was the underlying pattern, she realized as she held him. Stupid, but heart of gold.[break][break]

Unfortunately, good intentions would not get them out there alive. "You have to listen to me, and you have to talk to me. When you do things your way without consulting me, it just hurts." She hated to feel like she was scolding him, like he was some little kid under her purview instead of her partner working towards the same goal. "Can you do that?" She bit her tongue for a moment, hesitant to draw the line in the sand, but then: "If not, we need to split the island and stay on our own side. I can't keep wondering if I can trust you."

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Her face fell. She pulled the shirt over his head to see what he'd been talking about, his chest littered with small cuts. There were plenty of scars of varying ages and causes. Something heavy sat at the base of her throat. A sense of betrayal, again, and something angrier, faced with the reality that he had been through plenty despite his light-hearted exterior. [break][break]

She took a moment to collect herself, so her voice would be even despite the ruin she felt. "This is the second time," she whispered. Choosing not to wake her despite her instructing him to do so, and now he had hidden wounds from her despite her asking of them. Despite her trying to take care of him. [break][break]

It was stupid to take it so personally, but it felt worse the second time. He squeezed her hand. She pulled it from him, letting his removed shirt float in the waves around them. Like Gallade's blade, her tone was sharp. Accusing. "Where's that trust you were telling me about?"

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]He was much more agreeable after a kiss, she observed. "I'm an adult," she echoed as she helped him to his feet and towards the sea, "I can handle a little mess." [break][break]

Her footfalls felt light as she tugged him to the lapping waves, unburdened by the added weight of his reliance on her to move efficiently. "You're not hurt elsewhere, are you?" He'd hit the tree pretty hard. If he was hiding other cuts, she was going to actually strangle him on the shore. She imagined his back would hurt, if not now then tonight, from the impact against the tree. [break][break]

She stopped as they reached the waves. She worked her hands at the base of his shirt. "Here, I can help." She wouldn't force him to undress himself while battered, especially since it wouldn't look remotely dignified. Not that that seemed to be a priority of his, but still. It'd be easier if he got into the water first, though she wasn't going to let him have all the fun. Not when the waters were warm from the sunlight.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Keiko flushed at her partner's scrutiny. Then, she followed the dignified reaction with a squawk as Yvaine pulled her out of sight. [break][break]

The dreepy babies had been distress calling their mama. Oh, they were in trouble. The Dragapult's comparison to legendary pokemon was earned. They were fierce, and fast, and - using their children like missiles?[break][break]

"Syl, sand attack!" The Sylveon jumped from Keiko's side and landed harshly, kicking up a blast of sand at the Drakloak's. He then hopped and skipped around to avoid mama Dragapult's ammunition. "Can't outrun these guys, so I guess we're fighting." She was used to high pressure situations, but she usually wasn't the cause of the problem itself. Her ears were burning up as she tried to think of a cohesive approach.

[break][break]Yvaine Varron [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Cruelty was a badge of honor after all he'd put her through. Still, he was remarkably stoic during the process of working with his cut, and she found his concern endearing. Endearing enough that, hand holding his chin, she angled his head upwards so she could lean in and claim his mouth. Pinap tasted better on him, but she wasn't going to say as much. She savored the moment now that she had the upper hand.[break][break]

It was only fair after he had surprised her the first time, after all. [break][break]

She pulled away, amused. "Well, we wouldn't want that." Her voice coy and curling like smoke as she pulled away. "We can take a dip in the ocean if you're worried about it," her mouth curled down with concern, "but it's going to hurt your cut if you get saltwater in it." [break][break]

She did want to swim, especially since she didn't make time for it before. The sun wasn't at its highest point anymore, giving them a better chance of avoiding a sunburn if they were mindful of time.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Her eye twitched. The Gogoat was not a battle, but a war. He could win this battle, taking it back to camp, but she would win the war and get the last laugh against the traitorous island dweller. [break][break]

As it was, there were more pressing matters. "I gotcha, big guy." It helped that they were the same height. She hoisted his arm over her shoulders and walked him to a grassy spot. Sand would only get in the way, otherwise. She sat him on a boulder so he was at a better height for her inspection. She put her hands on his face and tilted his head this way and that to examine the wound. "Mostly superficial," she observed. "Should heal pretty quickly, actually. We just wanna make sure its clean."[break][break]

Since the whole area was surrounded with Pinap trees, she was fortunate enough to grab one from the ground that had split upon falling. "Ground Pinap," she explained, "is exactly what you deserve for running off and picking a fight." She held one half of it and pulled a chunk from it, waiting for Rex to open his mouth to disagree so she could stuff his face with it. "Let the doctor work, yeah?"[break][break]

She pulled another piece. They were sweet and sticky, but it was the best she could do without purified water. "Might sting," she warned before squeezing a chunk of it above his cheek, letting the acidic fluid wash down the cut. Instead of wasting it, she put the squeezed piece of fruit in her mouth and used her newly free hand to wipe at the bottom half of his face, cleaning up a streak of blood.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Quantity over quality was something she could do. [break][break]

"That's really interesting," she quietly replied. "Dragapult are such powerful pokemon that they get compared to legendary ones. I didn't realize their young could be so... prey-like." She wasn't sure how else to put it. The piling behavior was one she hadn't seen outside of bugs, so she readied the camera for a shot. [break][break]

... and the flash went off. [break][break]

This thing had a flash? Her head perked up from the camera, holding her breath. But the pile was moving more erratically and all the dreepy started mewling loud. "Um. I think we've been made."

[break][break]Yvaine Varron [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]Keiko flushed bright red at the admonishment. She was used to being praised for her work and the criticism was a stark change. She froze up, feeling guilty and blinking owlishly until the angry older sister type demanded her name. "Keiko Mori..." [break][break]

Despite the conflict, she sort of wanted the little bomb as a keepsake. She was a little sentimental, okay, and it would make a really interesting souvenir. But she was also a realist, so she knew the bomb was to stay put until the proper authorities could get to it. [break][break]

She rubbed at her arm sheepishly. "We did our part for the recovery effort, so all's well that ends well?" She hated when people were mad at her. "And if you're like, not super mad, I'd like to thank you for your help. Um, in the form of a diner visit?" Could she bribe her partner into forgiveness?

[break][break]june sleigh [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]She tucked her tongue between her teeth to keep from answering a resounding yes when he asked if he looked like a dog. He certainly was stubborn like one. "A match so easy you're all battered?" Her voice was softer but still unapproving. They had none of the resources for medical problems right now. [break][break]

She wasn't sure what to make of his request. Really? Had she earned that privilege? "Gotta make it off the island before you make it to Ever Grande," she deflected, knocking a hand against his shoulder. "Don't touch your scratch, you don't want to put bacteria in there." She needed to take a closer look at him, but her triage skills would succumb to a lack of supplies any day of the week. She couldn't afford a sick partner on the island. [break][break]

She looked up at the top of the tree he was against and recognized the Pinap berries above. "Pinap juice will sting, but its acidity might help..." If nothing else, they held water and could be used to rehydrate. It hadn't worked so far, but she chose to be stern. "Forget about the battle and let me take a look at you away from the fuss." Who knew what other wounds he had.

[break][break]Althus Rex [break]

[attr="class","rosepost"]She was an officer, not a Ranger, but after ollie morales had mentioned shadowing as something to consider, she had been volunteering free time to various efforts. [break][break]

As war loomed, pokemon were behaving more and more erratically. Many behavior analysts had been studying different groupings of pokemon and even swarms themselves to see how pokemon were channeling the distress. The information was helpful for civilians who needed to know what routes to avoid if they weren't carrying pokemon to defend themselves. [break][break]

For Keiko, it was an opportunity to brush up on her photography skills while learning about Hoenn's wildlife, which was decidedly different from Sinnoh's. She turned to her partner in crime for this assignment. "What kind of photos do you think will be helpful?" A small gathering of dreepy laid ahead of them, curling over each other restlessly.

[break][break]Yvaine Varron [break](don't mind me snapping photos of petalburg before it gets irreparably destroyed)