[attr="class","evantalk"]

He gulps.

The fire was left out on purpose, hinted at in his drawings so he knew that's how they got away but he did not want it at the forefront of his mind. The thought of it made him sick. that wretched taste in the air, the smell, the smoke how it seeps into your lungs and makes them heavy with heartache and guilt. Like it's all falling apart around you and he visibly begins to squirm under the wait of his own psyche fraying at the memory.

"Please don't talk about the fire." He looks down so that Lars can't see the gut wrenching reaction to the smell filling his nose again, still a fresh memory through the haze of their nightmare. A smell he registers too strongly. A smell that resonates in a way he doesn't want it to. Something his mind fights to run away from.

Deep breaths are interrupted by the appearance of the two pokemon that had helped him in the end. The ones that may very well be the only reason that he made it as far as he did whatever the reason for that may have been.

He shushes the mimikyu that tries to cease their advance, her shadow growing in the space between and threatening the worst in his defense. Fiercely protective in a manner that terrifies even Evan sometimes. He reaches for her and pulls her against him to keep her from lashing out and she retracts, rag disguise rattling in annoyance though she allows them to close in.

"Shit I'm sorry, it's okay, she gets protective when i'm not okay-" he stops himself short because that's not a phrase he's too willing to admit, something he rarely is willing to say. "I'm sorry." he looks between Lars and his pokemon, moving to hug them against him just as well, the only thank you he can give for their attempts to save him because no words are enough. Not even the slightest.

What a mess.

If only Lars had waited until morning, when he had collected himself. Then this wouldn't feel so bad, he'd be talking about it with a smile on his face instead of feeling like a freaked out mess. It didn't matter that it was normal- it wasn't normal for the Evan fader that owned the stray, the evan fader that took on a mountain side like it was child's play, the evan fader that would stare down a dragon for the fun of it. He just wanted to collect his feelings and put them in the right boxes so he could go back to that again.

Laurence Anderson

[attr="class","evantalk"]

And there it is.

Lingering in the air between them while Evan fails to speak.

Confirmation.

Lars saw it too.

Evan had not realized that while the other talked he had been holding his breath until he had to force himself to breath. It was more than just the nightmare, the mere presence of another was both a much needed comfort and just as terrifying as the nightmare. Most didn't even know he could draw let alone like this- let alone what and when. The disaster around him matched the disaster Lars seemed to be. His eyes didn't leave him, watching him like an animal watches a threat (how unusual, since when did he feel threatened? Something only humans can do. They are the thing he fears most of all.)

Even as he reaches for one of the most far off drawings, motioning for the mimikyu to go to it and hold it up, Evan's eyes don't leave Lars. The part of him that is more human than not, irrational and hungry for a companionship he's never had wants to speak and take solace in this but the better conditioned part is quiet, choosing only to have his pokemon hold up an image of tentacles gripping feet and arms. Another comes after it, bodies being lost and torn apart and a scrawl in the corner in a language the other will not know says something he doesn't really need to be told.

Then they smelled like burning and my lungs felt like they would die.

He takes a deep breath. "I'm drawing it. The whole thing. It makes it easier to remember."

The rational choice was to try and forget but Evan did not believe in that. Though it touched on things that made him unsteady it also gave him a thrill he couldn't give a name to- and above all else it proved that whoever spoke that phrase was right weren't they? Below the heart to make sure your fears made you stronger.

"You.... you didn't make it all the way did you? I didn't see you but I saw-" he can't quite say it, the pokemon that stood by him at the end. All he could do was let them go when the waters rushed over him

Laurence Anderson

[attr="class","evantalk"]

The tables have all been pushed to the walls in a frantic fashion, evident by the unceremonious dissaray of the tables and chairs. They are placed haphazardly like the only thing that mattered was clearing room. Because it was- he can clean the rest of the place back up after breakfast. The night before was quiet anyway, he'd been able to retire early enough to be caught in the nightmare to begin with right?

Images had tumbled around in his mind once he gathered it back together and out of fear that he might lose hold of what happened the man took to the empty floor with paper after paper. Some of it lined, some of it from the printer, others left from his various sketchbooks ripped out so he could use the vacant space.

The first several were all the same thing. A single crude depiction, like the kind you would find etched into the walls of a ruin and it was undeniably recognizable. Darkrai. Other images were clearer, sketching what he saw was how he learned, how he imprinted important things into his mind and he could not deny that there was something important in this dream of his. He could feel it in the back of his mind and the phantom aches of his body. He could feel it in his bones.

The depiction continued as he sketched the many scenes he saw over the course of the nightmare, sat in the corner to remind him. Furious and imperfect, sketches meant to simple transfer it from mind to paper, to be certain he could not forget whatever this was meant to be. Witness? A test? Guidance? Isn't that why Darkrai sat bellow his heart, at the bottom of his ribs? That phrase rolled over in his head and he left it across the many drawings. darkrai was the bringer of nightmares, nightmares were meant to incite fear. He rolled the faint sentiment over and over in his head. You place Darkrai bellow the heart so that your fear makes you stronger.

He refused to think it was nothing at all because there were too many others showing themselves, there was no way this wasn't by design. There was not way this wasn't real in some way. The bringer of nightmares had done something tonight.

Pencil is on paper when the door swings open, he rarely locks it because he does not fear disturbance. His mimikyu puts herself between Evan and the intruder in an instant, more startled by it being a face she recognizes than not. She jumps and scurries to his side, disturbing more of his sketches as she moves and the change from a focused frown to one of alarm is uncharacteristic of Evan but it is not because Lars startles him.

It is because Evan is becoming unraveled and there should be no witnesses.

Laurence Anderson
>>As a note evan's a pretty good artist because he draws a lot when he wants to remember something really well.

[attr="class","evantalk"]

[attr="class","evantalk"]

He didn't really believe the news until this exact moment. The pokemon wandered in front of him as if it weren't out of place, an oddity that did not belong here but had recently been released into the region like it did.

Evan had not smiled much this entire walk, too consumed with his own thoughts for that. This distraction caused something unexpected, glee in it's purest form.

Evan smiled like a child in their favorite candy store.

"Holy shit they actually dropped it." the pokemon turned at the sound of his voice and neighed and Evan had to try as hard as possible not to make a sudden move and potentially started it. Galar was a hard place to do anything with, he'd been to it in the past but only barely because of his reputation and largely because he knew how to get in without being seen- but getting a pokemon out was something he'd never been able to do.

He cursed himself for not having any treats and instead approached the pokemon slowly, his own watching as if they were unsure how to take his response. Rarely did evan have such a response but this was a pokemon that was like magic to see and much to his delight she allowed him to pet her.

He couldn't have been happier when she followed him home, and rarely has he ever been so excited to use a pokeball.

>>HE'S SO HAPPY

[attr="class","evantalk"]

The energy ball misses it's mark when the other pokemon uses detect and the whimsicott tilts it's head in mild interest before waiting for the other pokemon to make a move. The creature tries to close the gap and his cotton spores fill the space between them, preventing it from coming in as fast as it wants.

Th pokemon drifts back as it hops, letting the wind lift it's body a little more as it's fairy wind starts to fill the pat. The pokemon braces against the sparkling energy that stings it's skin with every second, baring down on it with a harsher and harsher blow as they go and before long it fails to do much more than flee for cover.

They pass by with little else to say about the matter. The pokemon was interesting but Evan is already finding that his home is ready to burst with pokemon. He can only take so many back with him.

>>passing nw spawn

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Evan will be purchasing:
Evo type 1 (100 > 50)
Houndour > Houndoom
Deino
Evo type 2 & 3 (50 + 50 = 100 > 50)
Deino >Zweilous > HYdreigon

Dark type discount makes this cost 100 total!

Evan will also be redeeming his type 1 evolution for:
Eevee > Sylveon

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Evan got the call asking him to make good on his associations with the league by actually doing something as a representative of the league and probably gave the poor thing an aneurysm trying to explain it to him because he had completely forgotten he might get asked to actually do things.

Thank the fucking heavens he was not being sent alone.

Especially since the Deino scurrying around his feet was not one he was very familiar with training. Despite his knowledge of dragons he's never really been much for owning them.

"Do you think they'll actually attack or these guys are just being paranoid?" he asked of the other league representative with him, partly to give them something to do while they wait, pokemon out and guarding the entrance for the armored trucks as the bank felt it was the most likely to be attacked. "Something about this just seems weird."

Neither he nor his Deino seem terribly concerned about the situation, milling about nonchalantly.

Orion Lykos AYAME FUJIWARA priam conrad

[attr="class","evantalk"]

looks like we're going big or going home
evan fader Orion Lykos vs AYAME FUJIWARA and priam conrad

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Evan is on the usual kind of hunt, seeking out an old native in the local area he's spoken with in the past and that he'd like to check up on. How long had it been since he'd made his way to this part of hoenn? Too long, being tied down to Rustboro was hindering his usual habits too much for his liking but he couldn't simply leave the obligation there behind.

He really shouldn't be getting distracted, he only had so much time to spare for these kinds of visits now compared to how he used to. If it took him 10 days to find the person in the past that wasn't a problem. Now it had to happen in or two or else things at the Stray would get too far behind without his presence.

His sigh is long, drawn out, and laced with exasperation because he just can't help himself when he sees someone young with a backpack that looks almost too full. He deviates from the path he's been to step out onto the path beside her. "Good afternoon." he chirps, surprisingly cheery for a man in an ill-fitting tank top and baggy jeans befitting the heat of the area.

Annie Mei

[attr="class","evantalk"]

Annie Mei about to jump in your open thread but I wanted to throw this out there for you because I feel that she and Evan could be a very fitting duo to throw around.

Evan is the owner and barkeep of a very old Tavern in Rustboro and it's name literally comes from it's history of taking in or being the home base for Strays and wanderers in the days of old before chain hotels became a thing you could find on any corner. While her age would prevent her from being allowed to interact with the bar or otherwise be present working while the bar is open she can help with cleaning, busing tables during the lunch and dinner hours or even doing errands and helping clean up the place in exchange for room and board as a general setting for them to know each other. She could have easily heard about the Stray while in Rustboro as it's very popular amongst the locals (especially the older crowd) or even come across it and upon seeing an "open vacancy" sign in the window decided to come in and ask about it and found out that the place does indeed have rooms.

With that as a basis for interaction I could see Evan hitting a lot of notes on your plots for her, Previously to owning the bar he was a wandering vagrant himself and he's roughed it since the age of 10 to such a degree he gets legit anxiety from being in the city too long. He could totally end up teaching her a thing or two about survival out in the wild and while he's not a famous trainer he's dabbbled in the brackets in the past while traveling and is better at it than he seems like he would be.

On the flip side, he's been in his own rough patches and might recognize the behaviors of thievery and may be able to be a bit of a positive influence on her in that regard. He's insanely understanding of how sometimes it's really just what a person has to do when they don't see any other potential options for themselves and they have to do something. He wouldn't condone it but he'd be understanding and simply try to steer her away from it by encouraging her to take advantage of the Stray always being there to have a place to go to instead.

Evan's also a mother hen and she's a kid and he dotes on the cute and excitable ones and is probably way better with kids than anyone expects lol.

[attr="class","evantalk"]

[attr="class","evantalk"]

He seems almost upset by his denial to sell things. Some of it surely, but when you have a place with the kind of history that the Stray did that wasn't as straight forward a thing. For all he knew these where made by someone famous in their early years that stayed at the stray when they were young. The Barkeep at the time may have bought them off of the individual to help them out. It could be a part of the Stray's history being sold off at a garage sale like they were nothing and without further investigation he wasn't going to make such hasty decisions.

"Thank you for your concern Lars, but I'm not worried about having enough money for the place." his smile is sweet because the sentiment is. He knows most people worry greatly about money but his own life style prevented that from being a major issue. Not to mention his own savings were far greater than most people thought. Not to mention other things he did to trim the costs of the place.

With the Extra help moving the boxes around and gaining access to the items in the storage Evan begins to go down a different route. Clearing off a dusty old table with the sleeve of his shirt Evan begins going through a couple of the boxes, sorting the items by whether or not they could be useful, where items of interest/worth investigating more or junk items that he pay try to pawn off and get a little something extra for the place. Evan was big on reusing things though so even the clothes might never leave the building and could possibly end up in a box of extra's in the event someone came by needing it. Or donated rather than pawned.

"A lot. The place is considered to be as old as Rustboro itself is and the only reason most people don't know it is because there' not much use for a tavern in the modern world is there?" he grins, though there something sad in the smile as if he finds it tragic that something like this is being lost in a world that should still see the magic in it somewhere. "The old man was the last in a long line of people that took over this place." he's quiet for a moment, going through the items in the boxes and setting the boxes he was working on in a way that would allow him to repack them in an organized manner.

"Do you know the story of The Stray?"

Laurence Anderson