Women's Intuition [Starter - Complete]

[Nephele Valora]

She had to time it, to make sure that the most people had gone before she entered, allowing her the maximum advantage to speak with the Ambassador. There had to be a gap in between the waves of people. ... Maybe she had spent too long a time away, too long studying how other's moved, the difference of gait between and a woman and a man's pace and placement of feet, or maybe she had been alone too long, without anyone with which to practice talking. Practice? Ah! There! Nephele moved from the fountain outside the emissary, her steps pacing toward the ivory stump of a tower--somehow smaller that she had imagined. Indeed, it was a bit of a skill, the event of chatting, though she resigned herself to keeping quiet, responding only when spoken too. Keeping quiet? She giggled aloud as she walked into the building, the door sliding neatly across the floor. I think I can manage.

Before she walked up to the counter clerk, Nephele had to take in the room, but needed only to pan a glance. Her mind dissected the images. She wasn't getting the whole picture, she knew, but from the smooth exterior of the outer building to the much more rigid interior, just in terms of the lines used for organization, she assumed, the persona of the Ambassador might have been revealed to her, at least some small part. Beyond that, the clerk's desk lay open now, her prey--she sighed at her musings--her target... as she had intended. Inhale, exhale. Cold and sterile. The air had much less to it than the outside warmth, and the portal energy that gave off that incandescent light... She visibly frowned at it, but drew a hand over it quickly, wiping it off as she pretended to brush off an itch on her chin. Her leather boots sounding so official as she sauntered against whatever hard material she walked on--marble perhaps, the clerk looked up as Nephele approach the counter. "Can I help you?" Asked the man, clean haircut, slightly dirtied suit, well-meaning--You've got to calm down, Neph."Yes," Her words lingered in the air a bit, this coy smile about her dark lips, "I have an appointment with Mrs. Nguyen. I am Nephele Valora. I believe I'm early." The Clerk meanwhile had begun to type upon the computer to verify the name and appointment, nodding shortly after. "Yes. Mrs. Nguyen is in with someone--oh," The Clerk smiled, a message appearing on the Desk's X-Gear reading 'send the next one if, if they're there' "She's free now, ma'am. On your left and up the stairs."

"Thank you." Nephele bowed her head before walking a few steps back then turning completely to go as directed. Her eyes meticulously studied the craftsmanship and rigidity of this new world around her. It pushed awkwardly at the air the space, as the portal energy fueling various lights and machinery, but it all played in the mind of Nephele, this juxtaposition--an inviting outside and perhaps claustrophobic to others. She stopped and pulled her body toward the edge of the doorway, casting her eyes down and away from the one who walked down the stairs--another habit; Staring was a challenge to some... mostly pokemon. She laughed under her breath, a few airy chuckles and the person passed ahead of her then ... Nephele looked up; Licensing. Oh. More lines. She passed up the stairs quickly, taking two steps at a time until she noticed the glass, and paced evenly, smooth, careful. Was this whole floor dedicated to Mrs. Nguyen? That's a bit excessive....

She wasted no time, her grace of step allowing her to flow to the door, and her hand sliding a knock thrice upon the wooden, but... Mrs. Nguyen had probably already seen her through the glass of the door. Nephele waited for a cue, but would knock to gain said entrance, if necessary. Her nerves buzzed, aware and almost feline, a soft half-smile curling upon her face. Now or Never.

[Blue]

"Come in, child." The Ambassador called from the other side of the door, quirking a brow. Most of her appointments merely barged in, so the rare knock was a unexpected but welcomed thing. Upon entering, Nephele would find herself in a large room as organized and pristine as the rest of the building. In the middle of the room at a large desk, the surface covered in straightened piles of paperwork and files. Anita Nguyen sat behind the desk, a pair of navy blue spectacles resting on her nose. "Do excuse the clutter, I've had a busy afternoon." She explained, taking a moment to remove the glasses and gesturing for the trainer to come sit down.

"Nephele Valora, I presume. You're a little ahead of schedule, but I can see you've been working yourself into a fluster all day, so it can be excused. I am Nguyen Anita, Ambassador of the colonies." She introduced with a curt nod, extending a hand across the desk to shake. Once introductions were done, she paused to open the large dark box that sat on her desk, retrieving a set of five Pokeballs. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" She spoke as, in one quick movement, she pressed each button, a flash of white filling the room as the five Pokemon were released.

"Each of these Pokemon have been carefully selected for its potential to aid you, based on your files. As a Survivor, you may pick only one. Choose wisely." Nguyen spoke, with the hint of a smile. Spread about the room were five Pokemon, most of which had already to explore or interact with each other. Standing from her desk, The Ambassador stepped over to a Pokemon that stood far larger than the rest. It also seemed to be the only one not interesting in socializing. "This handsome Pokemon is a Zangoose. A fierce Pokemon with sharp claws and relentless determination... An ideal Pokemon to have with you out in the wilderness. Just be warned, Zangoose cannot control themselves around Seviper and will go into battle. They are immune to the poison, but it can be a troublesome thing." Anita explained. At just the word 'Seviper' the fur of the Zangoose bristled.

Examining the Zangoose for a moment, then shaking her head some, The Ambassador moved on. Nearby, A Pancham seemed to be playing playing with a Munchlax. Either that, or the Munchlax was desperately trying to steal the Pancham's leaf to eat. The Pancham was making a game of it, either way. "These two are Pancham and Munchlax." She started, gesturing to both. "Pancham is a very playful Pokemon with adventure in its blood. They are very loyal to their trainers, as well as very protective. If it were to evolve into a Pangoro, you would have quite the powerful bodyguard." She finished. Apparently having overheard this comment, the Pancham turned towards them, giving a prideful pose.

"The Munchlax on the other hand... Munchlax are natural scavengers. As such, they always seem to know exactly where to go to find something good. More times than not, that may mean a garbage can, but... That aside, as a Survivor, you may worry about having to feed a Pokemon with such a large appetite. Fortunately, Munchlax can eat just about anything and be satisfied and healthy. It may not seem like it at first glance, but they can make quite useful companions." Nguyen assured. The Munchlax seemed oblivious to this comment, as the Pancham had already resumed the game of keep-away.

"Last are Meowth and Riolu." She continued, gesturing to another pair of Pokemon that almost seemed to be holding a conversation. Or trying, at least. "Both are great explorers, scavengers, and companions. A Meowth can practically sense treasure and worth, leading to right to the good stuff. It may be a bit of a challenge getting it to share its finds, but all the same. A Riolu is a very protective and loyal companion by nature, and will be willing to fight off any threat to your safety. Once they evolve, their worth in this aspects will only grow."

Seeming finished with her explanation, Nguyen turned back to Nephele. "The choice is yours."

[Nephele Valora]

Child. The word fled through the glass as she walked in, the room about her, more... enveloping than Nephele had though capable, especially considering the class. Maybe it was the windows, maybe it was the excess space. Maybe it was that she saw Mrs. Nguyen as an authority figurehead, of course, but more motherly, especially with the word child. That's probably it, thought she, all in the time it took her to cross to the mid-floor, though her mind made no further observations, now fully occupied in formalities. Nephele however shook her head at the mention of clutter.No not at all! she wanted to say, it's homey, unlike so much of this building. She then sat, as directed.

The black box was intriguing, how it could so easily hold pokemon inside those... machines. It was unsettling, but awe-inspiring, just like portal energy. The smile hardly helped, but Nephele nodded, her nervous grin plain to the world.

Her eyes instinctively shut her yes against the light, but pried them open in time to see balls of energy form back into pokemon. Magic, her smile whispered. Mrs. Nguyen wasted no time in explaining, noting key features, watching how they played, how they interacted, and while she nodded and smiled politely, her eyes held conversations with the "monsters" before her, the "beasts" so human, and yet not quite so. Own them? No. The process felt wrong. But then again... they had been 'trained' wrong. --Her eyes met the Zangoose's, those powerful eyes, a weight not even the floor could swallowed, sheer visible strength no single pokemon here yet possessed. The Zangoose and she then exchanged looks, their eyes meeting and somehow nether daring to look away. A Challenge. She closed her eyes then, smiling, recognizing it. Beautiful. She could use that. Oh but the two--The Pancham and Munchlax. She had heard of the latter's evolve form. Adventure. Yes, good, but loyalty? She didn't need blind loyalty, she needed someone who would question her, not a child raised by her. Though... they might not have been children, these two. She winked at them for sport. The ability to scavenge would help, and she briefly thought to take the Meowth, but stinginess. She looked at Nguyen as she said this, to avoid frowning at the Meowth, reducing her expression to a simple and firm nod. It pained her some that she had already ruled one out. ...Someone will have greater need of you than I.

The Riolu was last, and though it's qualities were altogether plain, not a bodyguard, not a scavenger, it had a steadiness to it. Maybe it was that it stood slightly taller than the others that she thought of it as less than a child. Her eyes lingered over this one, this calmer one. Was it discipline or simply its disposition?

"The choice is yours."

The Zangoose. The Munchlax. The Riolu. Nephele wanted the three, but with limited resources, there was no room for selfish greed. In truth, she had never even seen a Riolu or Zangoose about the world, and only imagined with what rarity one would find them here on Mi'aro. Would they be stronger? Would they be cleverer? She considered a moment. Either of these two pokemon as ferals would put up a great deal of a fight if found in some equivalent of a feral. Her eyes moved between these two. Who would she stand a chance against? ... Her usual smile curled upon her face. The Zangoose could possibly grow stronger, but it had an evident self-confidence. The Riolu however had a presence, more than a sense of self, maybe self-confidence, but ... presence. Never underestimate an opponent. This was the one she could not read then. This was it.

Nephele stretched out an open palm to the pokemon, eyes ever curious, almost asking for the pokemon to place its paw onto her hand. "You?" She wanted to ask, to know, to talk to it. You're not mine. I don't want you to be. I want you to choose me. Ah... but they were trained just the opposite. They wanted to be wanted, to function as a group just like everyone else. "Riolu." She looked to Nguyen then for approval. She quickly looked to the others with a pained smile. Don't feel unwanted. You are, but not by me. ...Society had become so sensitive.

What next? Nephele resituated herself to once again, pointing her body toward the Ambassador.

[Blue]

"A fine choice." Nguyen replied, giving a nod. She could tell that the trainer had put a lot of thought into it. Not sparing a moment, the room was once again bathed in light as she recalled the unchosen four into their Pokeballs. Then handing Nephele the last Pokeball for the Riolu, she moved on to the next phase. "Alright, next you will be able to pick out your items." She spoke, gesturing to the shelves behind her, full of various things. Trainer items, survival items, tools, weapons, even trophies. "In your case, you will be able to choose seven Survival Items for under 35₪, as well as a Melee Weapon. This may help with the process." She explained, retrieving a small booklet from her case and sliding it across the desk. "This contains a list of the items and short explanations. It is important that you put enough thought into each choice, but I don't believe you'll have any issue with that." She added, giving a smile.

As Nephele went over her choices, Anita put the other four Pokeballs back to the case and pulled out a few more items, spreading them across the desk for the trainer. Included in these items were three Pokeballs, a tool bag, and an X-gear with a Holo Chip. "Here are your other items. My number is already installed into the X-gear if you ever need to contact me. Do not be afraid to ask for assistance." She explained, straightening out the pile a bit. "After you're done here, I suggest getting ready to make your way towards New Pallet. There's a bit of a situation stirring and it would make the perfect chance for you to branch out into the world. Any questions?"

---

You may choose Riolu's Name, Ability, and Gender
Here is a link to the list of items and their prices
Be sure to look under 'Survival Supplies'

[Nephele Valora]

Tools? Really? Her face brightened at the thought, her tentative palm rising to hold the pokeball, the warmth of a being it held inside. You won't be inside there long, little one... little Perseus. Yes. Perseus. Nephele glanced then to the items upon the shelves, the tools, something she had not spotted when she had entered, so occupied was she with simply appearing formal. Her eyes ran over them, searching for objects of value--something easier done with inanimate things, part of her mind still lingering on her choices between the lives offered to her. She already had a few items picked out--Fishing pole, Compass, Tent--when the ambassador slid a booklet her way. The lady's voice was near-coy, the smile in the air before it was on her lips, those last few notes infectious, mirroring on Nephele's countenance.

Nephele glanced over the booklet quickly, leafing through the pages looking at the most expensive survival items, narrowing them down to necessities, her mind a meticulous automaton organizing and categorizing. She felt the need to work fast, the need to finish before The Ambassador put things away and finished sitting things before her. Taking into account her current funds, the advantage of a pokemon, and all other limitations, she went over her choices... once, twice. ...I-I think-. The Ambassador spoke then again, explaining the items ahead of Nephele, her mind jarring, momentarily disoriented at the transition, but catching on. Indeed, this was the office of a business woman. She looked to this this lady's face, her obvious age at the ends of her eyes, on the purpose with which she spoke. Pragmatic. Streamlined. But not unfriendly; on the contrary, it was more motherly than she had expected.

A situation? Her head tilted to the side, slanted just so. Another Feral Swarm, perhaps? Her gaze did not move from Mrs. Nguyen, but she no longer looked at her, but through her, memories of her time at New Pallet. What's changed in six years? ... Branching out? Nephele simply nodded. Of course, the Ambassador couldn't know everything--that Nephele had already been there, lived there as a 'vagabond' some called it for five years of her life, but perhaps the Ambassador had meant it another way--to have yet another reason to go there instead of just the wilds and routes surrounding Port City. She nodded again, more sincerely this time, flipping the booklet around so the ambassador could see it. "Only of the following items I would like; I'd like the Steel Shied for my choice of Melee, and then for items.--The Fishing pole, Woodcutting Axe, Pickaxe, Compass, Water Filter, Tent, and Trail Rations, if they're available?" She pointed to the items in the booklet, looking at Mrs. Nguyen for a reaction. Undoubtedly, The had purposefully picked some of the more "expensive" essentials (items as high as ₪20! How scandalous), and an odd assortment considering even this. There was a purpose in Nephele's schemes, always the schemes. I have a plan, no need to worry about me, only show me way.

((OOC: I asked JFox, and I think I'm allowed Survival Items and Tools? *shrug* Do tell me if I need to edit her choices accordingly))

[Blue]

Anita waited patiently as the trainer went over her choices. She seemed to be putting just as much thought into it as she had put into choosing her Pokemon. This was a good thing, of course. It was a sign of a true Survivor to really think about what you might need in the long run, and what you could make the most use of. As Nephele finally made her choices and listed them out, The ambassador nodded along, collecting each item from the shelves and setting them on the desk. "All fine choices. I think you'll do just fine." She complimented.

"And with that, you're ready. I suggest packing up and getting ready for your trip as soon as you can. We don't know of full scale of what's going on in the woods of New Pallet, but it would be best for you to make haste. That said, there's absolutely no reason for you to go alone. There will be other trainers getting ready to leave, today... Another person to watch your back could be more important than any supplies."

---

At this point, you're free to either reply once more or request that the thread be closed in Mod Requests. c:

[Nephele Valora]

Throwing her toolbag around her waist, she moved some of the pouches on her belt to her other side as to clear space. She doubted a moment that a steel shield would fit in this toolbag at all, but she had at least seen her mother use one; she had to put a finger across the line of her lip to keep herself from giggling, the memory of how nearly half her lab supplies fitted within the confines of the circular bag. Oh, mother was furious--lab results contaminated, a months work of preparation gone! It was then Nephele and her mother had the conversation about ... oh, what was it about? It was important. She shrugged, moving the items into her pouch, but keeping her Riolu's... Perseus's pokeball out. The compliment eased her some, and she felt soon would be time to exit, her observation mind once again coming to the forefront.

All items in her bag, she considered the ambassador's urgency. If it were another swarm, then the town must have expanded some, perhaps too quickly? Mercenaries were suppose to clear a path and to make inhabitance at least safe. What error had occured, or was this simply a whimsy of their situation? A companion would be necessary. A friend? That would be beneficial, but she wondered who exactly called her a friend? Not even Perseus was an ally yet, merely an accomplice. She nodded, eyes averted. First, if it were a hive, she needed a better team. Perhaps... a pokemon from the surrounding area? She did have pokeballs... but she wondered how much she could spare. "Agreed. Thank you very much for your time, Ambassador.--Thank you for everything."

With that and a slight bow, she turned and began out of the office, going through just what she needed to do. She needed another another on her team, perhaps; she needed travelling buddies?--Maybe not. She had fared fine on her own. Ah, but a swarm is not like your trips outward. An Attack is a matter of personal survival, one we must perpetuate, no? Down the stairs, to the right, and out the door and went back to the fountain, through the crowd she had timed to avoid. Seated once more under a sky without the restriction of man-made walls, she breathed a little easier, away from the hum of portal energy and the like. Thank Arceus. She then took the Riolu's pokeball in her hand, releasing him from the confines of the orb.

It looked about then, surveying its surroundings before laying eyes directly on Nephele. "Hello, Riolu." It only seemed to understand its pokemon name, and cocked it's head to the side, obviously curious. "Well," She stood then, beginning to walk back own the road toward Port City, before glancing back to the Riolu, who stared at her from afar, unsure. Nephele turned to face him offering her palm to it. Even at a distance, it seemed to understand; crossing its arms, the Riolu slowly edged toward her--not fearful, but uncertain. When they were together on the road, Nephele turned once more beginning, with her little one toward Pallet Town. "Perseus." The Riolu looked at her. "I think that name fits you. Do you?--Perseus." the hint of a smile curled unto his canine maw, a chipper almost-bark escaping Perseus.

--exit Nephele--

[Blue]

Thread closed!