The LILYCOVE Team

"Right. You girls go git settled, and we'll come back with more food t' hold us over. All right, Royce, where should we head off to first?"

Royce gave a curt nod to Raven as she left into the house to provide decent companionship to his flirtatious mate, watching her leave before turning his attention to his own partner. Staring at the ground-type a moment, processing that god-awful accent of his, the Arbok eventually managed a poor excuse for a smile.
“The outskirts, I suppose,” He responded, gesturing towards the East of the city which gave way to a path of greenery. That was where he’d found the last couple Rattata and from what he could recollect, he was sure he’d caught sight of some sparse berry bushes. Forked tongue darting from his mouth, the serpent raised his head in a bid to catch any dangerous scents on the air. Fortunately, there were none. Shame. It would be so much easier to simply launch ‘Jack’ at one of the undead and be done with his infuriating presence.

Beginning to slither away, not waiting for any response from the Sandslash, Royce remained civil towards a company he had already chosen to despise.
“So, Jack,” Such a commoner’s name. “You’re from Orre, are you? A common thief, I presume,” He gave an aristocratic chortle, remembering the place overrun with gangs from his past voyages into that wasteland. Oh yes, he could imagine the ground-type’s life now. Smirking to himself, he awaited to see whether his predictions were proven correct.

---

Rose had found the Rattata remains relatively quickly – the huge blood splatter on the wall marking a beacon to where the ‘food’ lay. Nose wrinkling in distaste at the gory remains of the rodent, the Dragonair opted to lightly grasp in the tip of her tail. She stared down at it a moment, wondering what sort of life this piece of meat had before Royce had mercilessly slaughtered it. A light cough was quick to draw her from her sorrowful ponderings.

“So Rose, what's your story? Are you and Royce from around here? And how'd you wind up with Jack?”

The bombardment of questions were a little unexpected to say the least, the soft-spoken dragon left open-mouthed in her initial response. Clueless of where to start, such daunting questions were usually directed towards Royce and so the female was left thinking what he would approve of her revealing. He’d always been a private creature and were he to learn she’d been spilling so-called ‘secrets’ of their lives, he would only get angry. Smiling at the female, she hurriedly regained her composure.
“Yes, well, mainly. I was born in Unova, but I’ve spent most of my life here, in Hoenn. Royce and I shared the same trainer,” Her smile grew at the memory of past years. He’d been such a gentleman then – of course, he still was; at least, when in company. “As for Jack, we met him not five minutes before you… well, fell out of the sky,” Chuckling lightly, she gestured towards the half a Rattata within her tail. “Here,”

Jack was glad to see that things were running a bit smoothly, even if Royce's reply was smeared with disdain. Still, some venom in a voice was better than an outright attack, wasn't it? Optimistic that he and the snake would get along, the latter's question did nothing but catch Jack's attention. "So, Jack," he began, putting a strange emphasis on his name. "You’re from Orre, are you? A common thief, I presume."

A good-natured laugh caught him before he could answer. "Naw, I ain't a thief, though I kin tell you most of Orre is. Shucks, naw, I wassa rancher with m' owner. We handled cattle an' crops an' such, sellin' what extra we made. Had a nice place outside 'f Phenac." He paused, looking still for prey or berries. "Owner died an' then all this mess happened." He gestured to their surroundings with his claws, his tone dropping a little with disappointment. "Can't say I blame the guy. Got sick. Must've seen this comin'." He cleared his throat, not wanting to elaborate more. Walking a bit, he turned back to Royce. "See anything?"

For a simpleton, this Jack fellow sure spoke a lot. Royce listened absently, dismissing his first statement as a lie but quickly finding an obvious truth in a brief recollection of his history. So, the Sandslash had lived on a ranch – wasting his time on the fields when so much more was awaiting discovery. Royce couldn’t stand the idea of being confined to such a barren, deserted place, but those of Jack’s calibre probably weren’t apt to coping with the battling lifestyle the Arbok had happily adopted.

"See anything?"

Royce’s forked tongue flicked from his mouth, hard eyes scanning the immediate environment as his senses remained on full alert. He could neither hear nor see any signs of the undead, soon slithering onwards to join Jack on his quest for food.
“Nothing living, nothing undead,” He muttered coldly in response, moving silently through the blood-splattered grass. A rotting human corpse that had shared the area for weeks was still sprawled in its death bed, the Arbok numb to the sight as he slipped expertly past the body. ”Mind your step. The berry bushes are just up ahead,”

(( Sorry, short. Dx Skipping Rose this round, kinda need Phoe. ))

Jack sighed, not surprised by Royce's answer. Of course he didn't see anything, otherwise, he'd already be going after the food. 'Dumb, Jack. Dumber than a bag of hammers.' As he scolded himself, he followed the purple serpent, making sure he didn't tread on anything particularly unpleasant. They passed a human corpse, long since dead, and he simply went around the body, not wanting to tread on such a thing. "Mind your step," Royce called, "The berry bushes are just ahead."

The sandslash nodded, following diligently as he kept his eyes and ears out for any telltale signs of being followed. While he knew the need for quiet, he couldn't shake the tension from the air. Something was definitely off, but he couldn't tell what... and in the meantime, he just couldn't help his mouth from running. "...So where'rd you and Miss Rose from? How'd a swell couple like yerselves meet?"

((DX Short as well))

“Yes, well, mainly. I was born in Unova, but I’ve spent most of my life here, in Hoenn. Royce and I shared the same trainer. As for Jack, we met him not five minutes before you… well, fell out of the sky.” Well now, it seemed Miss Rose kept up pretty well. Not bad, not bad at all. At the mention of her grand entrance Raven couldn't stop a small blush from rising to her cheeks, still embarrassed about attacking the Braviary mid-air when she knew the only way hack was down. “Here.”

The Persian's eyes lit up when she saw the offering of food and made no effort to disguise her hunger. Like a natural predator she pounced on the Rattatta, despite it only being half of a corpse, and munched on it happily with absolutely no regard to table manners. It had been so long since she had fresh meat. Only when she was finished and licking the blood from her chops did it occur to her that Rose was probably watching the gruesome display. "Uh...sorry Rosie. It's just...well it's been a while. I've been living off of scraps and stale store food, fresh meat is a delicacy. Hope I didn't scare you."

"...So where'rd you and Miss Rose from? How'd a swell couple like yerselves meet?"

Royce’s eyes narrowed at the innocent query, a muted hiss passing through his agape jaws. Nosy bastard! His attention firmly on the route ahead, observant for any signs of danger or blessing, the Arbok was silently seething at the Sandslash’s curiosity.
“What does it matter to you?” He hissed, barely containing his growing anger at the lack of respect for his own private life. Annoyed that Jack thought such information would spill from Royce’s lips like a fountain of knowledge, the serpent was more irritated at now doubt the creature’s intentions. Obviously, he was trying to find a flaw in the relationship, butt in and steal Rose away from under his nose. Ha! Good fucking luck! Tail lashing as he slithered onwards, Royce was thankfully distracting from anything more than verbal snapping as the bushes fell into his line of vision.

Casting a glare at the ground-type, Royce reluctantly gestured to the foliage.
“There,” He snapped, his upper-class drawl marred by his repressed anger. At a closer distance, he could see that scavengers had been at his supplies – leaves torn from the vulnerable plant as several branches were stripped of what little nutrition was left. Nostrils flaring, this miserable turn of events was something Royce hadn’t expected. A few berries were littered on the ground, smeared with mud and blood to leave only more questions in the serpent’s mind. Momentarily forgetting his bitterness towards Jack, the Arbok turned to his companion, alert.

---

A little surprised at the ferocity of her feline companion, Rose recoiled out of fear that the Persian would consume her tail too in her hunger. Although the sight was rather unsettling for the sensitive Dragonair, she focused on the positives. Forcing a smile past the horror of the barbaric consumption of what had once been a living, breathing creature like themselves, Rose was at least pleased Raven was enjoying herself. The thought of her happiness alone gave the shiny reason to withstand the gruesome display.

"Uh...sorry Rosie. It's just...well it's been a while. I've been living off of scraps and stale store food, fresh meat is a delicacy. Hope I didn't scare you."

Rose gave a light, somewhat forced chuckle out of good manners.
“Oh n-no, it’s fine,” She smiled, shaking her slender head lightly as she watched the feline clean herself up. But the rest of Raven’s admittance struck a chord with the pampered dragon. Expression dropping sadly, guilty that she had the audacity to refuse what was considered a feast to Raven; Rose looked ashamedly to the blood-splattered ground. No wonder Royce always got so angry. Shaking the thought away, spritely smile returning to light her pretty features, the Dragonair thought to reassure her. “Royce is an excellent hunter, you know - he’ll find your more meat. A-And with Jack too, they’ll be plenty of food!”

(( Sil, you’re welcome to throw in an undead or something, if you like. :3 ))

It seemed his innocent attempt at trying to get to know the arbok a little better came right back at Jack, like face full of trash blowin in the wind. "What does it matter to you?" the snake hissed, venom not overlooked by the sandslash. Jack paused as Royce continued on, the simple mouse pokemon bewildered by the snake's terrible anger. He couldn't understand just what was lodged in the guy's butt to make him so irritated, but it was starting to rub raw on Jack's good mood. 'Just gotta tiptoe through the doggone tulips with you, don't I?' he asked of the other silently, the words never leaving his mouth.

It seemed, though, that they had arrived at wherever Royce was taking them. Thank Legends. With another subject to deter from the current one on topic, Jack was happy for the distraction. However, when he saw Royce's face and spotted the scattered stash, he was speechless. Well, something sure had gotten to it before they did. Blood and mud accompanied the spilt berry juice, not giving the sandslash much reassurrance as to just what got to the berries. He shared a quick glance with Royce before he sniffed the ruined hideaway.

"...Well... whatever it was, it couldn't have gotten far," he mumbled, glancing around for a moment before pausing. There was a scent in there that he knew too well, one that had been so familiar back home. One he nearly overlooked, but couldn't place for the life of him. Frowning, he lightly scratched the spikes adorning the back of his head when a snort and heavy footfalls sounded nearby. His eyes widened and his head shot in the direction of the sound, instantly remembering what it was that had eluded him.

"Tauros!"

Raven couldn't help but chuckle a little at Rose's discomfort, not really to make fun of her but because she was just so cute when she looked all uncomfortable. “Royce is an excellent hunter, you know - he’ll find your more meat. A-And with Jack too, they’ll be plenty of food!” The Persian grinned like a madman and held up a paw, flexing her claws in and out as she gave the shiny a wink. "I'm not so bad myself, ya know, but thanks for the offer." Raven used to be a great hunter back in Pyrite, birds especially since they were pretty much the only thing that kept coming back to the junkyard of a place. But she still knew her way around a hunt.

Padding around the house she couldn't help but feel a little awkward, not really sure if they were just crashing there or if the pair actually lived there. She had never seen a house like this before, all the ones in Pyrite made of scrap and mud, with self-built furniture and out of date electronics. Compared to that this dinky house was the equivalent of Dio's place. Or even the swanky TV station. She came across a small plush toy tucked into a bookshelf and carefully pulled it to the floor where she could get a look at it. It was a Skarmory... Placing her paws to brace the plush she curled up around it and eyed Rose. "How'd you guys find this place anyway?"

"...Well... whatever it was, it couldn't have gotten far,"

“No shit,” Royce muttered bitterly in response, unaware he was speaking aloud. Scanning the area through narrowed eyes, tongue flicking sharply from his mouth in a bid to catch the scent of the lurking threat, the Arbok was motionless. All too suddenly, there was movement. Jack shouted the species name just as the offending beast stampeded out of the foliage. Reacting quickly, the serpent slipped out of the way, hissing furiously as his hood flared in an act of intimidation. The hoofed creature looked powerful, its body muscular past the gore and blood that distorted its being. But of course, it was nothing Royce couldn’t handle. Preparing a Dragon Tail, the Arbok hadn’t expected another three to come charging out of the brush.

Knocked to the side as the remainder of the depleted herd appeared, the snake gave an infuriated hiss as his tail was trampled by an offending undead. Wasting no time in reprimanding the imbecilic beast responsible, Royce struck the creature with a surprisingly ferocity. Powerful body coiling around the thrashing bull, the Abrok’s glare was savage enough to alert the beats it wasn’t in a good place. As the coils tightened, his captive struggling for air, the serpent relished in the snapping of bones, its pained cry no doubt attracting its kin as he slung it away, body broken and contorted as it clung stubbornly to life. It was too easy to just kill it.

---

“I'm not so bad myself, ya know, but thanks for the offer."

Rose smiled at the response, knowing that away from her world, women were as equally fearsome as males. Although she longed to possess such independence and self-control, the Dragonair knew it was nothing but a silly dream. She’d been cared for all her life, pampered to an extent despite her skill in battle. She was by no means helpless, but facing the world along truly terrified her. When her trainer had failed as her rock, Royce had taken up that position to prove a dependable, if a little volatile companion through the worst in life. They argued like any couple, but deep down, she knew he cared.

Following Raven as she nosily padded through the house, Rose hesitated a moment. Royce had told her to keep to the larger room, the kitchen, lounge and hallway specifically – the bedrooms were for his use only. The Arbok always insisted privacy and following one of their rows, he thought it calming to retreat to a place free of the Dragonair’s presence. But without him around a rare streak of rebellion flourished within the dragon’s mind. She couldn’t let Raven think her pathetic, after all! Holding her head high, she smiled as she slithered after the Persian.

"How'd you guys find this place anyway?"

A moment’s hesitation then Rose spoke.
“Well… We’ve sorta skipped between houses in the area. I mean, no one’s here anymore, it’s not bad, r-right?” Undeniably ashamed at the seemingly illicit lifestyle she and her mate had now adopted, the shiny looked down shyly at the admittance. “I-I don’t like it, but what else can we do?”

The one bull had suddenly turned into four, and Jack was soon tossed to the side. Springing quickly onto his taloned limbs, he only just managed to curl into a Defense Curl before a hoof slammed down onto him, earning a grunt of pain from the spiked mouse. Emerging quickly, catching the leg of the bull with a Crush Claw, he slashed out the Achilles' tendon, causing the creature to fall down to the ground, lame. Another Crush Claw to the head assured that it wouldn't be rising again.

However, as he caught his breath atop the felled beast, another caught him in his blind spot, goring the sandslash and tossing him up into the air like a doll. A pained cry managed to slip his lips, but upon his descent back to the ground, he regained himself, smirking. How many times had he wrangled these beasts? Landing firmly on the bull's back, its ugly, clouded, crimson eyes glaring back at him, Jack merely chuckled, digging his claws in. "Ya wanna dance, perty face?"

It was on. The bull bucked and reared, trying its best to dislodge Jack from his back. Unfortunately for it, the sandslash was dug in like a tick, slowly moving his way up to the back of the neck. In the arc of a kick, he extended his claws, smashing them into the spine in a brutal, critical hit of a Crush Claw. The tauros went down, crumpling with complete bodily paralysis. Panting, Jack turned back to spot Royce taking care of his own bull. He jaunted back, eyes on the lookout for the last undead. "Yer perty good fer city folk," Jack admitted with a bright grin, wanting the battle to continue just a bit longer.

“Well… We’ve sorta skipped between houses in the area. I mean, no one’s here anymore, it’s not bad, r-right?” Raven couldn't help but notice the way Rose looked ashamed of the admission, and the Persian raised her head off of the Skarmory plush to address the other female. “I-I don’t like it, but what else can we do?” Shaking her head Raven stood up and padded over to Rose, sitting down beside her to offer some sort of comfort. "It's not bad, I promise. I've done way worse and that was when the world wasn't going bat shit crazy. Can't tell you how many humans have chased me out of their house for taking things." She nudged the other female gently in an effort to get her to cheer up, smiling widely. "And the rule back home is, finders keepers. They left it here so it is up for grabs, right?"

Looking around once more Raven made sure to grab the small plush in her mouth once more and trot off with it. She liked it, and taking her own advice that made the little toy hers now. But waiting around here for the boys was getting really boring... "Hey Rosie, what say we go find those two? It's no fun being made to wait."

((OOC: Sorry for the short post, it is hard to think of anything to do right now, lol.))

"Ya wanna dance, perty face?"

Although Royce couldn’t deny he was impressed with the Sandslash’s battling ability, he loathed that damned accent. Couldn’t he just gut the bulls in silence? Hissing, the battle was quenched almost as soon as it’d started. The majority of the undead swiftly dealt with by the small ground-type; the Arbok looked back to his own kill – the crumpled beast still braying in helpless agony. It’d have been nice to kill a few more of the blighters and obliterate Jack’s little acknowledgement. For city folk?! Frowning, annoyed that this country-lad had the audacity to underestimate his abilities in battle, Royce’s tail lashed annoyed behind him.
“I fought for a living,” He snapped, correcting the Sandslash with no intention of shielding him from his natural malice.

In fact, Royce was itching to knock the thief down a peg or two. Temper flaring in unison with his intimidating hood, the Arbok’s mind was invaded by images of battle. This big shot thought he was so great, the master of battle – let him prove it!
“Come on, then!” He announced finally, powerful body coiling in preparation to strike. A dangerous smile played on his sharp features as the serpent stared down at the Sandslash like scum. “How about a friendly tussle, hm?” More of a demand, Royce didn’t await a response as his tail, glowing purple with Dragon Tail, targeted the small ground-type.

---

"It's not bad, I promise. I've done way worse and that was when the world wasn't going bat shit crazy. Can't tell you how many humans have chased me out of their house for taking things. And the rule back home is, finders keepers. They left it here so it is up for grabs, right?"

Rose was a little set at ease by Raven’s response, reassuring her that given the circumstances, her actions were completely justified. Smiling, free of the guilt weighing atop her delicate frame, the Dragonair gave a slight chuckle at the feline’s motto.
“Finders keepers,” She mused quietly, her eyes wandering the room in a bid to seek out something she might have the permission to claim as her own. Raven had the little plush bird, surely she deserved a memento from the building too. Before she could select anything in particular, her nature caught up with her. Rose, you are NOT a thief! She reminded herself, almost horrified at being swayed by the Persian’s words. She was a refined creature of class. She knew what was right and wrong, and whilst finders keepers was all good enough, she needn’t take what wasn’t necessary.

Slithering after Raven, growing used to trailing the feline as she wandered about the quiet building, she soon brought up the topic of the boys. Liking the new nickname she’d been bestowed with, Rose’s face lit up into a brilliant smile, until Royce’s words rang clear in her memory. He hated her wandering off. Hesitating, a frown creasing her dainty features, Rose weighed out the consequences. Royce would be angry, but surely he wouldn’t snap in front of company. Raven would think her weak, pathetic, if she refused to go and she couldn’t endanger a blossoming friendship. And besides, the boys had been taking awhile. Lips curling as she contemplated a response, she eventually nodded her head in defeat.
“Yeah, let’s,” She smiled, the grin marked with a certain unease this time. “They’ll be on the outskirts,” Gesturing to the exit, Rose was half-eager, half-reluctant to follow the street-wise Persian.

(( Royce is such an arse, lol. ))

“How about a friendly tussle, hm?”

The little "request" came suddenly, and before Jack knew it, a purple, glowing tail was coming straight for him. With only enough time to exclaim in surprise and curl into a spiny ball, Jack was hit like a sports ball, flung some distance away to crash into a tree. He grunted with pain, falling to the ground immediately afterward. A weak groan escaped the sandslash; 'That fella sure wasn't kiddin' wen he said he fought fer a livin', Jack grumbled to himself as he picked himself up. His ribs and back protested, making him wince as he finally righted himself on his own two feet. There was no way he'd win a battle like that.

He gave a good-hearted chuckle nonetheless, waving his claws from over the brush. "Ye made yer point there, Royce," he conceded as he came back with a limp. "I give, I give. Didn't know such pow'rful types like yerself were hangin' 'round." He gave a bright smile to the arbok, despite his pride and body throbbing with pain. "Guess I deserved it." He looked around once more, to the smashed, ruined stash. "We shud find more, tho, b'fer headin' back."

“They’ll be on the outskirts,”

Well hot damn, now they were talking! Raven perked up instantly and jumped up to start heading out the door when a flash of grey caught her attention. Frowning, Raven looked down to the plush toy swinging in her jaws by its foot. She couldn't take that out with her into the city, she might loose it in a tussle with some of the beasties. Sighing she padded over to the couch and rested it in the crook of where the arm met the backrest, nudging it gently to make sure it stayed upright. Looking back to Rose she gave a small smile and ran over towards the door.

"Let's get a-moving and find those men, shall we?"

((OOC:Sorry Snitch, going through a bit of a block atm. Just say whatever you want to get us back together with the others and I'll go with it! <3))

The smug grin that spread across Royce’s face was snide, almost cruel in its manifestation. The sight of Jack flung away, the yelp of surprise – the snake could create a sport out of the concept, so enamoured with the abuse of the pitiful battler. Snorting, Royce slowly slithered forward after deciding that having another pop at the Sandslash seemed too good an opportunity to pass up – but he was halted at the familiar call of his mate.
“Royce?” Turning his head, hood lowering as his gaze fell across the approaching Dragonair and Persian, the serpent managed a weak, half-hearted smile.
“You were meant to stay at the house,” The bluntness of his tone was alleviated by an injection of good humour only for the sake of his partner’s company. Rose understood well enough though. She looked away, ashamed and muttered a silent apology, insisting they wanted to help hunt.

"Ye made yer point there, Royce. I give, I give. Didn't know such pow'rful types like yerself were hangin' 'round.Guess I deserved it. We shud find more, tho, b'fer headin' back."

Rose’s perfect features formed a sharp frown as Jack emerged, limping, from the brush. She noticed the corpses littering the area, her mate having been caught in a hostile stance when she’d spotted him, but what the Sandslash said alarmed her. She turned to the Arbok, head tilted slightly. Opening her mouth in search of an explanation, a glare and hiss from the male soon persuaded her otherwise. She didn’t’ need to know.
“They’re already here,” Royce replied to Jack coolly, eventually tearing his attention from the shiny and back to the wounded ground-type. Eyes honing in on the limp, a small grin tugged at the serpent’s lips as he gave a quick nod of his head. ”Least you know your place now. Country folk are too primitive to understand real power,” He snorted, snooty, as he slithered on ahead. “Now everyone’s here though, we might as well hunt together. I can’t see the girls being much use, but keep your eye out for berries,”

Rose, effectively silenced by a glare and disapproving scowl from her mate, loyally followed. Eyes wandering the ground, the female only looked up as she passed Jack, saddened that he’d been injured by her mate only minutes after their first meeting. Her expression apologetic, the Dragonair remained silent in fear of further evoking her partner’s famous temper. Obviously, Jack knew of that aggression now too.

"They’re already here."

When Jack had emerged from the brush, he hadn't dared to expect Miss Rose and Miss Raven to be standing there, an embarrassed blush quickly rising on his pale cream cheeks. How much of the battle had they seen? He gave them an awkward smile, falling a little when he spotted Miss Rose's frown. Wanting to dispel any sort of suspicion of foul play, he waved his claws a little, chuckling lightly. "Don'tchoo worry 'bout me, Miss Ma'am's, I'm all right. We was just havin' some friendly comp'tition an' I thought m'self too big fer m' britches. I'll be fine." His smile was bright, even if it was marred by the light bruising beginning to form.

"Least you know your place now. Country folk are too primitive to understand real power," Royce snorted, quite satisfied with how the battle had turned out. Jack's nearly impervious good mood took another blow as he eyed the back of the snake's hood. There were as many sore winners as there were sore losers. While he held no grudge against Royce for winning, it sure seemed that the snake was a little too proud of himself for doing so. "Now everyone’s here though, we might as well hunt together. I can’t see the girls being much use, but keep your eye out for berries,” he called, and it seemed they were off.

Jack limped, following even with his bad leg. He'd had to deal with it many times before, the hardy sandslash used to getting flung and gored and all sorts of things that went with being a ranch hand. Still, whenever he'd gotten his face planted in Tauros dung, laughing it off generally helped, especially when everyone else around him did it as well. It was when other people kept flinging it at him that it began to get raw. Now, now, Jack, yer gettin' prideful. Maybe he'll calm down after a while-- there's no need t' get everythin' bundled in a twist just yet, he admonished himself, bedding his anger once more. Besides, the more important thing for this journey was food, not settling a score. He looked around, keeping his eyes open for berries.

She had been a little alarmed to see what looked like Royce and Jack fighting, but at his assurance that it had been nothing Raven let it slide. But the way the Arbok seemingly scolded Rose for coming out to find them, that seemed a little harsh. "If you boys didn't take so long we wouldn't have to come rescue you, now would we?" Raven laughed as she trotted up to sit beside Jack, nudging the ground type as he blushed. "Like someone from Orre doesn't know how to kiss dirt!" To anyone not from the region the joke wouldn't have been as funny, but since they both hailed from the land of endless sand it was just part of everyday life. And at least it amused her.

“Now everyone’s here though, we might as well hunt together. I can’t see the girls being much use, but keep your eye out for berries,” Raven was a little insulted by the implication that she would be useless on a hunt. Not only was she a freaking cat she lived her whole life hunting and scrounging for food. "Not much use huh?" she said playfully, leaping in front of Royce and lowering herself into a pouncing stance. "We'll see how much use I am when I bring home more than you do!" She offered the Arbok a wink before bounding up happily, turning to face the same direction the serpent was heading.

"You comin' or what?"

"If you boys didn't take so long we wouldn't have to come rescue you, now would we?”

Royce snorted at the feline’s response, her discreet defence of Rose’s disobience to evoke another quieted hiss from the serpent. Not only was his beloved mate enamoured with some thievish Sandslash but the mouthy feline seemed intent on corrupting the shiny’s precious, innocent mind too. Women had a place and it was certainly not in a heroic light, instead they should be found loyally in the shadow of their man. Rose, although showing glimmers of rebellion, was essentially a good example. The Dragonair slithered silently aside him, falling back a little as her eyes remained on the ground. Good girl.

"Not much use huh? We'll see how much use I am when I bring home more than you do!"

Rose was both surprised and quietly impressed at Raven’s movements, taking up position at head of the group with a friendly challenge. The Dragonair felt as if she should warn the feisty female of her mate’s competitive and hostile nature, but Royce was smiling, that smug grin the definition of his confidence.
“Don’t delude yourself,” He snorted, pompous, slithering around the feline blocking his path. “But if you insist, I’ll go easy on you,” Rose looked back to check on the limping Sandslash, content in that the Arbok was distracted by Raven enough to allow herself a moment to apologize to the wounded male. Falling back, she smiled weakly at Jack.
“I’m sorry… about him,” She whispered, attention volleying between her mate and the Sandslash, almost fearing discovery. No doubt Royce would condemn her of some foul play were he to notice. Thankfully, he seemed too engrossed in the proposition Raven had set forth. “I hope you’re okay,”

Raven happily ignored Royce's quip about her deluding herself, confident that she would be able to prove herself to the rough skinned male. He was just like any other big shot back home, certain that he was superior simply because he existed, but the Persian had many skills of her own that would definitely impress. But she let the snake slither ahead of her anyway, smiling as he mentioned going easy on her. "You can try Roy!" she called after him, bounding after the slithering form as she eagerly joined the hunt.

It wasn't long into traveling that Raven's keen nose picked up something and she paused mid stride to try and sniff it out. Her nose to the air the feline closed her eyes and took in the scent, smiling as she caught something definitely alive. Opening her eyes she gave Royce a wink before leaping over his head and into a tree where suddenly there was a loud squawk and a burst of electricity. A decently sized Staravia fell paralyzed out of the tree, landing with a thud before Raven pounced. She reached down with her jaws and snapped the birds neck quickly, not wanting to bleed it dry and loose all of the moisture and flavor. She picked up her prize happily in her mouth and trotted over to Royce to show off her new 'friend'.

"You can try Roy!"

The Arbok just huffed, hood quivering slightly though a small smirk played on his features. Whilst sassy girls were good for a laugh, such blind confidence would eventually drive him crazy. Hoping Rose wouldn’t pick up any bad habits from Raven’s company, Royce glanced to his mate, the female smiling along absently as she watched the feline dart away. When she spotted him watching her, she looked down, smile feebler. He shook his head lightly, smiling rather than irritated.
“You’re meant to be supporting me!” He chuckled, tone tinged with a baritone laugh to disguise the darker undertones. Although unidentifiable to most, Rose knew exactly what he meant. She managed a weak smile in response, nodding her slender head in understanding. Royce was always her first loyalty.

Royce, slithering on through the undergrowth, was struggling to pick up any living scents. Rattata were fairly common in these parts, but the air was mainly tainted with decay to mask the aroma he desired. Tongue regularly flicking from his mouth, the serpent moved close to the ground, eyes wide and alert for movement until the feline bounded into view. A dead bird hung from her jaws, clearly proud of her achievement. Royce gave an almost sarcastic smirk, giving a curt nod of his head in acknowledgement.
“Let’s see you keep it up,” He challenged, gesturing to Rose who lingered a short distance away. “Leave what you find with Rose. Most finds in the five minutes wins,” With a quick wink, he shot off in the undergrowth, determined to succeed in this little bet.

(( We can flash forward to after the five minutes if need be. :3 ))

"Like someone from Orre doesn't know how to kiss dirt!"

Though Jack's spirits had hurt a little from the fight and Royce's insults, Miss Raven's remark boosted them right back up. The sandslash gave a hearty, good-natured laugh, the fact that it was mostly at his own expense rolling right off of his spiny back. It was good to get a good jibe in there, and he was more thankful to Miss Raven for it than she would likely know. "Ye'sher right, Miss Raven!" he replied between his chuckles. Smile once again plastered on his bruised, handsome face, he trekked forward, eyes bright with unending optimism. When Miss Rose slithered by however, he was caught by surprise.

“I hope you’re okay,” she murmured, her voice like a bed of flowers swaying gently in the wind. Her concern flattered him -not that he'd openly admit it- but he waved it away with a casual flick of a claw.

"Don'choo worry yer perty little head 'bout me, Miss Ma'am. I don bin kicked 'round by mor'then yer beau." His smile brightened, and he gave her a confident nod. "Takes more then that t' get this guy down." His smile never wavered even as she returned to Royce's side, her elegant form nearly gliding over the terrain. Royce was sure lucky to land a dame like Miss Rose... Happy for the couple, he busied himself with digging up roots and plucking berries as they trudged along, chuckling at Miss Raven's antics. Now there was an Orre woman.

Happy with Royce's challenge Raven had dropped her kill and took off into the brush, working it carefully to make sure she brought back good, large pieces of meat rather than a bunch of Rattata. While she did wind up with a couple of them, two to be exact, she had managed to bring down 3 Starly and a good sized Patrat. But that was about all there was out here in the form of living beings. It seemed her sparks of electricity drove off anything else that might have been in the area so she settled with scavenging berry bushes. She was on her way back when something shiny caught her attention and the feline couldn't resist...

After five minutes Raven finally appeared, but she didn't have just her kill with her. They were piled in a satchel she had found, covered in fake gemstones that sparkled in the light. Many of the little dazzlers had fallen off but inside the bag was her real prize, potions. She had not only found food she had found medicine too. Dropping her bag to the ground she let its contents spill out onto the ground, all her kills bloodless like the Staravia, and grinned. "Beat that Roy!" This was just too much fun.

((She has about five Potions and several berries that she gathered along with the Pokemon kills I mentioned. XD))

Rose stayed patiently alongside Jack throughout the duration of Royce and Raven’s wager, catching glimpse of the opponents through the foliage every now and then as she awaited their return. Although she was glad to hear of the Sandslash’s good health, pleased her volatile mate hadn’t drastically harmed him in her absence, the Dragonair continued to worry. No doubt Royce would find another excuse to harm him, if not Raven in the duration of their company. Deeming it safer for everyone to remain silent, Rose was relieved when the feline returned, Royce a few moments later.

"Beat that Roy!"

Royce, emerging from the foliage, a decently size scratch across his face, carried an unfortunate Skitty from bloodied jaws. A pair of dead Zubat was draped precariously over his back. Whilst he’d been content with his three kills, deeming the discoveries relatively impressive, one look of Raven’s stash evoked a bitter hiss from him in response. Pride damaged at the riff-raff feline’s ability to out-hunt him, Royce forced himself to swallow his disgust and laugh it off. He let her win, after all.

Dropping the Skitty before Rose, a brutal gash to the throat seeing an unending stream of blood pool around the broken form, Royce shook the bats from his back to join the banquet he and Raven had prepared.
“Touché,“ He muttered, a smirk on his face as he gave a stiff nod of his head to the Persian. Yeah, he definitely let her win – that, and sheer dumb luck. The potions were enough to confirm that her success had been purely a fluke. Still, Royce wasn’t bitter. “Congratulations are in order, Miss,”

Rose, disgusted at the gory collection of food dumped in front of her, instinctively flinched away. Whilst Raven’s kills were clean, essentially bloodless to leave the victims with the appearance of sleeping, Royce was another matter. That Skitty… Another look at its wide, pleading eyes would destroy her. Subtly slithering away from the mass, not wanting to admit her growing distress, the shiny forced a weak smile.
“Y-Yes… Well done,” She choked out from a distance, pleased that at least the potions hadn’t involved a direct loss of life. “So… Now what?”

It was interesting enough to see Raven pop out of the brush, some kills, berries and even potions at her feet. Jack chuckled, Raven's Orre roots definitely showing through. "Well slap sum orn'ments on m' back 'n' call me a Christmas tree! Ye'sher found a good diggin' hole, huh, Miss Raven?" Jack laughed, tottering forward a little. His own pile was bursting with berries, vegetables and roots, but Raven's finds put everyone to shame. Even Royce admitted defeat, his own bloodied kills few in number compared to the cat.

“Y-Yes... Well done,” Miss Rose commented, congratulating them with her beautiful, angelic voice. It was like the heaven themselves opening up every time she spoke. "So… Now what?”

"I s'pose we go 'n' put these back 'n that house 'f yers, Miss Rose," Jack replied, scratching the back of his head with his large claws. "We shuldn't eat all this here big feast in one take. This here banquet shuld last us some days, even. Let's git it back t' that house, eh, Royce? How 'bout it?" He turned to the bloodied arbok, noticing the slashes on his face. "It'd give ye a chance t' heal that perty face 'f yers." The comment was said with nothing but a genuine smile and some concern, his head tilting to the side a little. He didn't want to know what that little kitty had done to get that slash on the snake's face.

"I s'pose we go 'n' put these back 'n that house 'f yers, Miss Rose. We shuldn't eat all this here big feast in one take. This here banquet shuld last us some days, even. Let's git it back t' that house, eh, Royce?”

The sand-rat was stating the obvious, insisting they don’t’ adhere to the attitude of gluttonous pigs and consume their finds in one sitting to leave Royce bristling. He’d admitted defeat in an essentially civil manner, he didn’t need his thievish company telling him how to live his life as well. Admittedly, his own mate had been too dim to decide on a course of action, but it had never been her place to choose in the first place. The idea of a female leader was laughable.
“Sounds good,” Rose chimed timidly, her voice laced with a certain hesitation as she caught the Arbok’s glower, his frustration practically radiating from his tensed body. He gave a huff of approval, busying himself in slinging the dead pokémon over his back in preparation for travel.
“I take it you two will be staying then,” The serpent grumbled sarcastically, Rose laughing off the tension as she offered a warm smile to the Sandslash and Persian duo. A look of apology flashed within her wide eyes.

"It'd give ye a chance t' heal that perty face 'f yers."

Royce chose to ignore Jack’s following comment, his forked tongue merely flicking rapidly from his mouth as he raised his head, above their kind. His face stung a little, of course, but it was just a scratch. He’d made the stubborn feline pay for its spirit, that alone enough to numb the sharp pain and heady scent of blood. Still, Rose seemed to have overlooked the injury.
“You’re hurt?” She slithered over to him, stature one of natural submission as she concernedly looked over the gash on her partner’s face. Royce looked away, mumbling that it was nothing. He was a powerful creature used to violence, to pain; there was no point in worrying himself over another future battle scar.
“C’mon. Hold these for your guests,” He grumbled, slinging the remaining foods atop the female’s own back, watching her wince at the realization one of them had once possessed a heartbeat. Still, she remained silent, clearly uncomfortable. Turning away from the scene, Royce began a slow return to their ‘home’.