(ACE) The BURNED Team

Unfortunately for Balthazar, one of their "newest additions" began to shoot her mouth off like she owned the damn place. Who did she think she was, starting a fight around their tower, attracting undead, and then speaking like a goddamn know-it-all? The only remotely positive thing that Balthazar could think of was that the Mienshao's information was, surprisingly enough, rather helpful. At least it's a bit better than straight-up shittalking or unnecessary noise. "You've obviously seen the extensive damage around this tower, but what you may not know is I was here when much of it was made. This place...it attracts these beasts that are unlike the other mindless drones we spent the last fifteen minutes splatting. They are aware, intelligent, and damn near indestructible. One of them even followed me from this very tower all the way back to Unova where I met Sil, and she wasn't even the first to come." Well, isn't that lovely, indestructible undead and an all-but-guaranteed death wish. So, basically, they are all going to die no matter how many walls go up. As discouraging as it is, Balthazar never had any faith in this pile of cinders anyways; it wasn't like this city is a safe haven for survivors.

"If you don't fortify this dump, or find somewhere else to go, you are all going to die here." Balthazar all but begins to bristle at the statement. That had been their plan even before Miss Talk-Down-To-You strolled in and stole valuable time from all of them with her temper tantrum, yet she thought it was her place to speak to them like they were brain-dead morons? Oh, no. She's spent enough years of her life having to deal with these kind of Pokemon, and there's not enough warm feather beds in the world to convince her to deal with even more of them. It doesn't matter that Balthazar wouldn't last long in a fight against the Mienshao, she's sticking to her guns whether anyone likes it or not.

"Yeah, that's what we were doing. At least until you started your little fight," Balthazar retorts, well aware that it wasn't merely a fight, but an attempt to kill one of their own. Regardless of any past conflicts or tensions, the Fighting-type should feel lucky that they're even permitting her to stick around. Aaden, however, doesn't seem to feel the same; his response to the Mienshao is not what Balthazar expects. "I've seen them too. The ones that speak, can still think." She perks an ear, curious as to what the Blaziken has experienced, but he doesn't go into any detail, much to her exasperation. They need as much information as possible on these so-called immortal undead, if they wanted to have even a vain hope of defending themselves.

You're right, if we don't do something one way or the other those things are gonna come back and finish the job. Fixing up this dump to be a fortress would be damn near impossible. But if it's not this tower, it's nothing in this city then. Everything else is gone and for some reason this is still standing. There's no other towns for several days travel at best. What are you suggesting we do?" Die, mostly? But Balthazar knows fully well it's not an option for any of them; living creatures were especially stubborn when it came to holding on to their fleeting moments, herself included. Even as a child, Balthazar could not remember a time when she had allowed herself the opportunity to give up, or the time to give in to self-pity. She has to be the strong one; that's her job, her duty, even when the people she'd loved are long dead. "Same for everyone else. I believe we can fortify the tower enough to be usable, but clearly this isn't a one guy operation. What do you all think? Stay and board this place up or take our chances in the woods?"

"From what I'm hearing, we're almost guaranteed to die either way," Balth says, shaking her head slightly. What an utter joke of a situation this is. The choices are: die slow, die fast, and neither of those are to her liking. As pessimistic as it sounds, she's not oblivious to how dire their circumstances are in this moment. "At least in here, we might last a little longer. Out there? No way in hell." The city might as well be ruled out as a dead zone; there's no way they would be able to adequately survive there, let alone handle Pokemon so strong that they were apparently impossible to kill. The tower is the only choice.
With her opinion said, Balthazar hears a sound-a soft sound, like someone is speaking very quietly. She looks over, teeth baring, and sees...a very small dog? A Houndour, maybe? No doubt drawn to the noise...and yet another body to protect. Just their luck.

(Tell me if I need to edit anything, Storm. I assumed Astrid was now in plain sight)

"If only it were such a small problem."

Sil blinked at the casual dismissal of what was actually a very big problem, but she kept her mouth shut to listen to what Kinah had to say. "You've obviously seen the extensive damage around this tower, but what you may not know is I was here when much of it was made. This place...it attracts these beasts that are unlike the other mindless drones we spent the last fifteen minutes splatting. They are aware, intelligent, and damn near indestructible. One of them even followed me from this very tower all the way back to Unova where I met Sil, and she wasn't even the first to come." The Sawsbuck listened patiently, unsure of what to think. The creature that killed Cassius was the one that killed all her friends here... It was like it was haunting her. Sil wasn't jealous of Kinah's plight.

"If you don't fortify this dump, or find somewhere else to go, you are all going to die here." Sil frowned at the way she spoke to the Blaziken, but said nothing. Hell, she was only there maybe an hour before Kinah showed up; she was equally as new to these people as Kinah. She had no place in defending or accusing them.

"Yeah, that's what we were doing. At least until you started your little fight," the Mightyena angrily retorted, but it apparently went unnoticed by the two fighting types.

"I've seen them too. The ones that speak, can still think." Sil pricked an ear to him, as this was new information. You're right, if we don't do something one way or the other those things are gonna come back and finish the job. Fixing up this dump to be a fortress would be damn near impossible. But if it's not this tower, it's nothing in this city then. Everything else is gone and for some reason this is still standing. There's no other towns for several days travel at best. What are you suggesting we do?"

He turned to the rest of them, fishing for opinions from the others. "Same for everyone else. I believe we can fortify the tower enough to be usable, but clearly this isn't a one guy operation. What do you all think? Stay and board this place up or take our chances in the woods?"

"From what I'm hearing, we're almost guaranteed to die either way," the Mightyena snapped, her optimism just seeping from her pores. "At least in here, we might last a little longer. Out there? No way in hell."

Sil considered that any opinion she offered would just be rebutted by Kinah, since apparently her own answer for this sort of situation was just to run. Still, the tower offered options they hadn't had in the forest. "Maybe we could use the tower's unsteadiness to our advantage? Collapse it on top of it?" She stepped forward and looked to the ailing rafters above them. "There's no way we would be able to reinforce this building to withstand even one of our own attacks. But if we used it as a weapon, maybe, we could impale or even just trap it in here."

Hannibal had no real ideas to offer, but instead turned when he heard a tiny voice whimper out nearby. "H-hello..." The Mightyena turned and snarled and snapped, but the ferocious display did nothing to frightened the experienced Houndoom. Instead, he stood and looked to find a pair of mismatched eyes staring back at him. A child? He strode forward, eyes locked on the form. It looked like one of his own evolutionary cousins, but... different. Weaker, somehow. He loomed over the child, lanky form shadowing the stranger. "Hello," he greeted softly. "Are you lost...?"

"I've seen them too. The ones that speak, can still think."

Kinah could have whooped for joy at the first reasonable sentence she had heard since she left Unova to hunt Sil. If he had seen them, known their power, then maybe he would be willing to do what needed to be done to keep everyone alive this time. She hadn't warned the Unovan group about the horrors she had witnessed here, and because of that they were unprepared when the Weavile showed. Blaming Sil had been easy, at the time, but the fighter was starting to see that several factors contributed to the death of their comrades. Sil fucking off was only part of it.

You're right, if we don't do something one way or the other those things are gonna come back and finish the job. Fixing up this dump to be a fortress would be damn near impossible. But if it's not this tower, it's nothing in this city then. Everything else is gone and for some reason this is still standing. There's no other towns for several days travel at best. What are you suggesting we do?" She had a few thoughts on the matter, actually, but from the aggravated tone of the Mightyena they probably wouldn't be well received. She needed some kind of deflection or else it would look like she was muscling in on their supposed territory. "My entire plan revolved around killing Sil and then offing myself, so with that option tossed I need to consider actually surviving this nightmare. Give me a minute."

"Same for everyone else. I believe we can fortify the tower enough to be usable, but clearly this isn't a one guy operation. What do you all think? Stay and board this place up or take our chances in the woods?" The snarling she-beast once again stated her opinion, none of it very optimistic, but Kinah decided to ignore the venom dripping from her words. They didn't have to like her, she wasn't here for them. Not really. However, she didn't want to leave an entire group to die like a certain doe had so she needed to at least pretend to care about the Mightyena's opinion. Just not right now.

"Maybe we could use the tower's unsteadiness to our advantage? Collapse it on top of it?" Sil's voice was light, but it carried over the slowly mounting tension. "There's no way we would be able to reinforce this building to withstand even one of our own attacks. But if we used it as a weapon, maybe, we could impale or even just trap it in here." Kinah shook her head as it brought to mind a similar event Sil had tried. "Last time we did that you nearly took out Cash's eye. A tower this size, whoever was collapsing it would die in here with the monsters. Useful, but only in a suicidal, last-ditch effort kind of way."

"H-hello..."

The Mienshao froze, her heart seizing with cold at the timid voice calling out from behind the gathering. It was young, too young, and even though she knew the answer as she turned she prayed to whatever deity would listen that it wouldn't be true. But it was. A child, curled and afraid of the large group was mere feet behind Hannibal and looking up at them with trepidation. Even though she couldn't place the pup's species a suddenly mental overlay warped him into a familiar looking Larvitar making Kinah choke out a sob.

This group, this place, all of it was far too familiar and it was beginning to warp her sense of reality, sending her emotions into a spiral. She had been responsible for the kid back then, tried taking him under her wing, but after Paladin and Pure...she had run. She left him with those that probably killed him or left him for dead once she was gone and now, here to remind her of that failure, was another child. What was she going to do? "Pup..."

Astrid just stood there where he could be easily seen if anyone turned his way, but it didn't seem like his subtle voice had carried to anyone's ears as he hadn't really gotten a response right away. When he opened his mouth to speak again, it instantly closed and his head and tail lowered to the ground when he heard a growl aimed at his direction. His wide gaze shifting to the mightyena. Seemed he hadn't gone unnoticed, but this wasn't the response he had been hoping for. Now what did he say? He made himself known but he hadn't thought farther than that. Didn't seem right just outright asking if he could join their group, but, maybe that would be how he should ask, straight to the point. But now he was just afraid of rejection.

"Hello," An unknown voice said to him and he flinched, turning his head and looking up into the eyes of one of his own. In truth he'd never actually seen a houndoom up close, but he was sure this wasn't supposed to be how they looked... this one didn't look all that well. Lanky, sickly, but still seemed like he could be rather strong. He looked at the muzzle on the houndooms face, wondering what it was and why he was wearing it, but all his thoughts were cut short by the others voice. "Are you lost...?" The houndoom asked him, the soft voice not matching the exterior, but he knew looks could be deceiving, and maybe the hound was nicer then he looked. Before he could answer he heard another voice ask the same question, turning to see it came from the Jolteon this time.
Trying to find the words, he soon spoke, still in a low tone, but tried to make it louder so it was more audible. "N-not really... though... maybe...?" He wasn't actually sure if he was lost or not. Is wondering around without a destination considered being lost? "I've just been, wondering... I don't really know where to go..." He added, hoping that made sense and he wasn't sounding like an idiot in front of these strangers. First impressions were always important, least that's what his mother told him.

He let his eyes once again shift to everyone in the room, most of whom now had eyes on him. He felt, so much smaller suddenly, but tried not to look any more scared than he already was. Taking a deep breath he tried to remain calm as he was the center of attention at the moment, though the feeling of all these eyes on him just made him want to slink back into his hiding place, but he managed to keep himself from doing so. "I-I'm, Astrid..." He stuttered, figuring he should introduce himself so they don't end up calling him something ridiculous.

"Yeah, that's what we were doing. At least until you started your little fight." Aaden hears Balth snarl beside him, however, he kept quiet. "At least in here, we might last a little longer. Out there? No way in hell." He nods in grim agreement, his chest momentarily tightening at the thought of being trapped--damned if they stayed, and damned if they left. "There's no way we would be able to reinforce this building to withstand even one of our own attacks. But if we used it as a weapon, maybe, we could impale or even just trap it in here."

The room seemed to stall, everyone considering, trying to decide if it would work, if they had a better plan, maybe thinking about what would happen after they inevitably die. "Considering that what the sawsbuck said, I think if we do take her approach if what you and the Mienshao said comes, we'd have a chance to take it out. ...What about having someone keep watch every hour and taking turns?" Maybe... "It would be beyond risky to pull off, but taking turns sounds like a great idea. We can't afford to take more chances than we need to." Kinah speaks up again, echoing a very similar concern, "Last time we did that you nearly took out Cash's eye. A tower this size, whoever was collapsing it would die in here with the monsters. Useful, but only in a suicidal, last-ditch effort kind of way."

"Looks like it's settled then, we'll do the best we can here, and have a good escape plan handy if...no, when it comes to that. It's the best we can do." Aaden confirms, sharing the group's fears, but after swallowing hard he continues. "So we continue what we were doing, gathering everything we can find to fortify what we can. We will come up with a rotation for watches during the night and try to stick to at least pairs--" He cuts off, his eyes having scanned the group only to find their eyes all staring at something beyond their loose circle.

"I've just been, wondering... I don't really know where to go..." Had he really been that lost in his own thoughts? He hadn't even heard the pup approach much least the first words he spoke. Clearly though, about everyone else had. Several of the canines were already approaching the odd-looking youngster. Weren't houndours suppose to have larger skulls on their heads...? Aaden didn't think to long on it. The pup was visibly shaken, wilting under the gaze of the group of adults. Slowly, so not to startle him further, Aaden takes a couple steps forward, lowering himself carefully to the other's height best he could. "I-I'm, Astrid..."

"Not knowing what you're looking for is the same as being lost." The fire-type sniffs. "If you were looking for other survivors, well then you found them. Only ones in the city likely." He adds as softly as the scarred blaziken can muster. How had Astrid survived this long alone? He couldn't have... "Are you alone? You can tell us, we aren't going to hurt you kid." How terrible to have to grow up like this...had this kid ever have a normal life?

There was a grim silence as the room considered Sil's suggestion; it was a hard decision to turn their only shelter into a weapon that may or may not even work. But really, what other choice did they have? "Considering that what the sawsbuck said, I think if we do take her approach if what you and the Mienshao said comes, we'd have a chance to take it out. ...What about having someone keep watch every hour and taking turns?" Sil frowned as she had a small amount of trouble following the Jolteon's train of thought, his words a bit of a jumbled mess. She was concentrating so hard on trying to understand what had been said that she started a little when the Blaziken voiced his own opinion.

"It would be beyond risky to pull off, but taking turns sounds like a great idea. We can't afford to take more chances than we need to." Sil nodded, aware of how risky the play was. But then again, they'd have to think outside of the box to beat this thing. "Last time we did that you nearly took out Cash's eye. A tower this size, whoever was collapsing it would die in here with the monsters. Useful, but only in a suicidal, last-ditch effort kind of way."

Sil gave Kinah an angry glower. "I didn't destroy the house to get the Weavile, Kinah," she growled, shifting her weight between her legs. "That was completely different."

"Looks like it's settled then, we'll do the best we can here, and have a good escape plan handy if...no, when it comes to that. It's the best we can do." The Sawsbuck gave a little huff of indignation as Aeden just moved the conversation along. Was that it? Just... "do your best, hope you don't die"? Surely an unstoppable killer demon weasel was worth a little more time and effort. She shot a worried, uncertain glance to Kinah, knowing that fortifying an already dilapidated tower was a useless endeavor. Surely the fighter had the same inclination. They needed a plan. A real plan. "So we continue what we were doing, gathering everything we can find to fortify what we can. We will come up with a rotation for watches during the night and try to stick to at least pairs--" Sil flicked an ear and turned to Aedan when he cut himself off. She spotted his surprise and followed his line of sight to see a small little pup stammering in Hannibal's shadow.

Hannibal, in the meantime, had completely ignored the others' conversation, as he'd been much more interested in the shivering youth before him. "N-not really... though... maybe...?" The poor pup was just barely capable of making a sentence. His face remained unchanging, his eyes bearing a calmness and the shadow of the grin lurking beneath his muzzle. "I've just been, wondering... I don't really know where to go..." Hannibal certainly understood the feeling; many survivors, if not all, were simply slaves to Fate's whims and fancies. All of them simply on a breeze, they were now nothing but nomads without a tribe. Still, whimsical pondering aside, Hannibal was far more interested in the fact that such a young child was capable of living in a world such as theirs. "I-I'm, Astrid..."

He bowed his head to him, bringing up his bad leg off the ground in a small gesture before looking back down at the pup. "Hello, Astrid," he purred, taking in the child's strange appearance. This wasn't a Houndour, but he was still an evolutionary kin. "I'm Hannibal."

"Not knowing what you're looking for is the same as being lost." Hannibal's eyes shot to the Blaziken who had so rudely interjected himself into their conversation, his head still directed at the pup. He said nothing, however, and watched the fire bird as he spoke. "If you were looking for other survivors, well then you found them. Only ones in the city likely." As the Houndoom watched his fearless leader speak to the pup, his eyes caught the shimmering Sawsbuck and the scarred Meinshao just beyond the fiery plumage. His smile widened at the sight of the two females; it was just so wonderful to have them back at his side. He had always been a sucker for nostalgia. "Are you alone? You can tell us, we aren't going to hurt you kid."

"I didn't destroy the house to get the Weavile, Kinah. That was completely different." Kinah's attention broken away from the pup for a moment as she frowned at Sil's defensive reaction, not sure what the doe thought she was trying to prove by combating her statement. "I never said it was for the Weavile, just that it was another of your brilliant plans that ended badly for someone other than yourself."

"Looks like it's settled then, we'll do the best we can here, and have a good escape plan handy if...no, when it comes to that. It's the best we can do." She sighed at the obvious tone of 'you two are done' as Aaden continued the conversation. "So we continue what we were doing, gathering everything we can find to fortify what we can. We will come up with a rotation for watches during the night and try to stick to at least pairs--" Pairs? Given the way she introduced herself she likely wouldn't be first pick on anyone's list, especially the angry hound or Sil. But she'd happily take Hannibal or the pup, if only to stop someone from stupidly releasing the devil dog of his constraints.

"I've just been, wondering... I don't really know where to go..." The pup was skittish, more than intimidated by the creatures around him, and Kinah couldn't blame him. She had never seen his kind before but knew that it had to be in some way related to Hannibal's line. Those bony protrusions were just too indicative of Houndour and Houndoom. "I-I'm, Astrid..." Hannibal's reaction to the pup put Kinah on edge, his pleasant demeanor making her more than a little wary of his motives towards the child. "Hello, Astrid, I'm Hannibal."

"Not knowing what you're looking for is the same as being lost."

Well that tone wasn't going to be very helpful in gaining the kid's confidence or trust. "Ease off a bit, yeah?" she scolded lightly, crossing her arms. "He's just a pup." She wasn't sure if he heard her or not, but he continued on addressing Astrid as though he hadn't. "If you were looking for other survivors, well then you found them. Only ones in the city likely. Are you alone? You can tell us, we aren't going to hurt you kid." Her gaze met Hannibal's as he looked past Aaden to Sil and herself, his smile sending a shiver down her spine to the tip of her tail. She shot a nervous glance to the doe at her side and reminded herself that out of the group only Sil understood as well as she that Hannibal was more dangerous than he appeared. She needed Sil's help.

"Aaden, now that we have someone young here. Think we might need to concentrate on protecting Astrid as well?" The jumpy Jolteon's voice brought her back and Kinah mentally kicked herself for getting once again lost in her own mind. Of course they needed to protect the pup, but how many of them realized he would need protection from within the group, as well as out? The bright yellow fox looked back at her, and Sil, and she frowned at him. She didn't need his judgement right now, she had enough bullshit to deal with, and despite her mixed feelings for the Sawsbuck she knew what was important. The sparkler could keep his opinion to himself.

"So Astrid, where did you come from?" Kinah shook her head. "I'm more interested in how he got here. If someone of his strength and size made it to this tower unharmed then maybe there is a semi-clear path away from this death-trap. I seriously doubt he was hiding upstairs when the last group I was here with trashed the place."

"Hello, Astrid, I'm Hannibal." The Houndoom said, introducing himself. The kindness this hound was showing was making him feel a little more, comfortable, despite his exterior. His mother always told him never to judge someone by their outer appearance. It could also be because he was one of his own kind, but he'd never actually grown up around other Houndooms or Houndours so he wouldn't really know. He somehow managed a small smile, but it didn't last very long, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared as everyone else seemed to start to gather around and ask all kinds of questions, which was starting to make him feel even more uneasy than he already had been.

"Not knowing what you're looking for is the same as being lost." The voice of the fire fighting made Astrid turn his head to face the taller fire type. Frowning even more, and now feeling kind of dumb at not knowing if he knew he was lost or not.
"I . . . guess so . . ." He said, ears and tail lowered as he shifting his gaze to the ground.
"If you were looking for other survivors, well then you found them. Only ones in the city likely. Are you alone? You can tell us, we aren't going to hurt you kid." The Blazikin added, making Astrid look up once again. He was very unsure if he should tell them that he was indeed alone, that he'd managed to somehow survive in this hell without anyones help. But even though the Blazikin said they weren't going to hurt him, Astrid was still very much tense and on guard, trying to find the right words to say at this point since it could either grant him safety or death.

Before he had the chance to answer, mouth opening to speak the Jolteon bounced into the conversation. "I'm Sparkster, nice to meet you Astrid." He said. Astrid was unsure of what to say so he just nodded. "Aaden, now that we have someone young here. Think we might need to concentrate on protecting Astrid as well?" The Jolteon, Sparkster, asked, his gaze on the Blazikin, who he now knew was named Aaden. He hoped he could remember all these names, it would be rather embarrassing if he had to ask them what they were again later on. His ears lowered at the notion of needing protection though, now really feeling like he'd be nothing but a burden to this group.
"So Astrid, where did you come from?" Sparkster asked him, snapping the Houndrunt out of his thoughts and back to reality, turning his head to face the yellow pokemon.
"I'm more interested in how he got here. If someone of his strength and size made it to this tower unharmed then maybe there is a semi-clear path away from this death-trap. I seriously doubt he was hiding upstairs when the last group I was here with trashed the place." Once again interrupted before he had the chance to reply, this time by one of the groups females, the pink one. He didn't know what pokemon she was, having never seen the likes of her before.

Astrid decided to wait a little bit to see if there would be any more questions before finally answering. "Well . . . yes . . . I'm alone . . ." He said first, believing he could trust them enough with this bit of information and not regret it later. "As to where I'm from . . . I came from the base of the tall mountain . . ." His voice was still low, and filled with uneasiness at being asked so much so soon after appearing. He was a little hesitant on the last part, but answered soon enough. "I, um . . . well . . . the path I took . . . I'm not sure . . ." He ended up looking at all of them, one at a time, cutting himself off before continuing. "That you'd all fit . . ." He'd gotten into the city and moved around pretty well thanks to his small size and finding small areas to hide in, but with them . . . they were all a little too big to fit into most of those places, so he wasn't sure if they'd be able to take the same route he did to get here.

"Ease off a bit, yeah?" Aaden hears the fighter beside him say, scolding him. "He's just a pup." Shutting his beak, he instead takes the chance to observe the child. By now, everyone else has noticed Astrid as well, crowding around the young pokemon boundlessly curious. Where had he come from? Why was he here? How did he get here? How was he alive? Each question seeming to make them shrink down further and further.

"Aaden, now that we have someone young here. Think we might need to concentrate on protecting Astrid as well?" He looks back to Sparkster, the sincerity in his voice. "If they join us. The group protects one another. At least, that's the idea. Given that he's made it this far on his own. I wouldn't be surprised if he can hold his own." The blaziken comments to the electric hound beside him before turning to listen in to the rest of the conversation. By the time everyone else has had a chance to say what was on their minds, Aaden is unsure whether the child will have it in him to speak at all to the group of shady strangers.

To his surprise, he does. The voice is soft, he has to tilt his head several times to get the best angle to hear, but the voice is unmistakably the young fire-type's voice. Alone, lost, and from somewhere likely far away. Poor kid looked even more sheepish than before if that was possible. Now what? Dealing with kids have never been his strong suit...he didn't want to scare the kid, but couldn't think of any way to sugarcoat any of this. Aaden glances to the others, looking to see if any of them were planning to speak up. "It's alright, take it easy kid..." He says, hoping it sounded comforting, his talons rubbing against one another as he fought to find more words to say. "I'm Aaden. Sorry for turning this into an interrogation...but we don't see many like yourself here."

By now, pretty much everyone is crowded around the kid, asking questions and making their comments. Balthazar says nothing. The child...Astrid...what is it like for him to grow up in a world so morbid, so horrible, as theirs? Her mind can barely recall how Iris' children, her own nieces and nephews, had reacted to the world they'd known for only a short time collapsing around them. No matter how much she struggles, the memories of her loved ones keep slipping away, and Astrid is yet another painful reminder of that.

"So Astrid, where did you come from?"
"I'm more interested in how he got here. If someone of his strength and size made it to this tower unharmed then maybe there is a semi-clear path away from this death-trap. I seriously doubt he was hiding upstairs when the last group I was here with trashed the place."

As much as Balth hates to admit it, considering how much it feels like the woman is attempting to take a more authoritative role over the rest of them, the Mienshao has a very good point. There's no way such a small child as the Houndour could have gotten through the undead of the city or its surrounding areas without being unseen. Again, she doesn't speak, instead waiting for the kid to answer of his own accord. She'd probably end up scaring him, especially considering her less-than-stellar track record with other newcomers to their group. Balthazar doesn't want a repeat of last time; the thought of this kid ending up as a charred corpse...she couldn't handle that.

Astrid has already began to speak, redirecting her attention, and the child seems quite shy. His initial attempt to reach out to them hasn't exactly been confident, but it's entirely possible that the semi-interrogation from the other Pokemon has made it harder for him to answer. It's a good thing she'd elected to stay quiet, then, and that her hostile demeanor is now relaxed. "As to where I'm from . . . I came from the base of the tall mountain . . ." A tall mountain? Mount Mortar, maybe? Balthazar is not well-versed enough in geography to even begin to guess which mountain Astrid is referring to, especially with such scant details. "I, um . . . well . . . the path I took . . . I'm not sure . . .That you'd all fit . . ."

Balthazar discreetly looks over at the other Pokemon, searching for reactions. It only made sense that size would be an issue-they are talking to a child, after all-but having yet another possibility scratched off the list wasn't a good thing. There is only so much they can do while stuck in this sorry excuse of a tower, and having to take care of someone young and unlikely to be able to defend themselves is only going to make the problem worse. Even Aaden doesn't look like he knows exactly what to do in this situation. "I'm Aaden. Sorry for turning this into an interrogation...but we don't see many like yourself here."

{OoC: catch-up posts suuuuuuuck}

[[skip please]]

OoC)) Skip, I might come back to edit this before tonight when its cooler. My room is a furnace with the weather being hot.

((I am so sorry, there isn't much to work with at the moment since Kinah is just watching the interaction between Astrid and Aaden. Skip for this round please.))

"It's alright, take it easy kid... I'm Aaden. Sorry for turning this into an interrogation... but we don't see many like yourself here." Aaden had said, and though Astrid was still pretty shaken, he tried to calm himself a little, letting out a shaky sigh. These pokemon didn't seem like they were going to hurt him, so there was no reason for him to be so shaken and scared, but he still was, regardless of how much he was trying not to be, it was still very obvious, but he tried not to think about it.
Astrid knew that there wasn't many like himself, he'd never seen many others of his kind, none in fact, unless they were dours or dooms, but he didn't look like that. He knew he was in the same family, but he didn't know where he stood with them. He wasn't actually sure if that's what Aaden meant though, if he was talking about what he was or the fact he was still a child, either way, it was still the same. Probably not many kids left in the world, unless they have someone to help or protect them. He must be one of the lucky ones, making it so far on his own.

"I... I haven't seen... another... live pokemon in a long time..." Astrid's voice was still pretty shaky, but he needed to ask them, ask if he could stay with them. He had been alone for so long he needed the company. Any longer without anyone else and he might start losing his mind. "Can I... can I stay...?" He asked as he looked up at the Blazikin, then to the Houndoom and everyone else in the room. "Please? I... I promise I won't be a burden..." He added, hoping he could keep what he said and not be a burden they had to carry through this, maybe contribute to help in some way. He just wanted to stay and be around other pokemon again. He didn't want to be alone anymore.

(( Sorry this is late, hadn't noticed it was my turn, and sorry it's a little short as well, wasn't sure what else to have him say or do. ))

Aaden waits patiently as Astrid musters up the confidence to address the group of adults crowding around him. Even as the kid attempts to cover up how unsettled he is by them, it reads clear as day in Astrid's body language. "I... I haven't seen... another... live pokemon in a long time..." The canine's voice shakes as he speaks, requiring Aaden to lean in closer to hear properly. "Can I... can I stay...?" Astrid stammers out, his eyes raising to meet with the fighting-type's directly. Quickly, his gaze shifts to the rest of the group, with the blaziken's own gaze following soon after.

This kid, sure, he was probably resourceful, strong for his age to make it this far. He was still just a kid though. One more for the group to protect and worry about. "Please? I... I promise I won't be a burden..." Astrid adds, bringing the bird's gaze back to him. "Sure thing kid." He never had to heart to turn a kid like this away anyway. Who could while looking the pup in his big, mismatched eyes? "You can stay with us as long as you like. This city ain't one for anybody to be running around by themselves.

Poor kid still looks like a frightened rabbit, and with good reason. Balthazar can't shake the feeling of how much the little one reminds her of her own family, gone now, but somehow alive in the scared words of this new child. The smell of burning flesh drifts by, mocking her, but the Mightyena is somehow aware that the smell is completely in her head. Somehow, that only makes the stench more difficult to bear, and yet it fails to leave her be. She shuts her eyes, but the only thing Balthazar sees in the darkness of her vision is her family, dying before her, unable to be saved as they perish in the flames. If she'd just been a little faster, if she'd been there, then maybe...maybe...

"I... I haven't seen... another... live pokemon in a long time..." The child's voice snaps her back to the present, and she refocuses, taking the moment of weakness and pushing it back into the pit where it belongs. It is moments such as those that allow her to let down her guard, and cause her downfall. Yes, Balthazar knows better than to let the enemy see her lacking vigilance for even a second; they can be anywhere, waiting to strike and take everything away. She will not bear the burden of another lost life upon her shoulders, not when so many are already gone, including one she thought might have one day become a friend. "Can I... can I stay...? Please? I... I promise I won't be a burden..." The child looks at all of them, Balthazar included, and it is as if their timid gaze is actually accusatory. Impossible-this kid knows nothing of her. There's simply no plausible explanation for such a young Pokemon to deem her guilty, and the thought is one that claws at Balthazar's nerves. I am beginning to see things that aren't there.

"Sure thing kid." Aaden's response is expected, yet Balthazar still feels relief that he has not decided to simply turn the kid away...as if she would allow such a thing. Then again, it's not like she has shown a friendly side, for good reason. This child is simply an anomaly, reminding her so strongly of her family that Balthazar cannot bring herself to even entertain the thought of refusing them shelter. It would be like watching her nieces and nephews die all over again. "You can stay with us as long as you like. This city ain't one for anybody to be running around by themselves.”
”Don't worry, I wouldn't have let him throw you out anyways,” Balthazar adds, her tone almost teasing despite the unpleasant memories that have refused to leave her conscience.

[[So I just lost this post. Sil and Hannibal are watching the exchange, not objecting to the inclusion of the pup, but not exactly thrilled about it either.]]

The child's answers to her questions left Kinah disappointed, but not surprised. It made perfect sense that he had gotten this far by using his size to his advantage, and not many of them could follow suit in such an endeavor. Which meant they were back to square one, how to fortify this beacon for evil.

Aaden seemed to have collected himself as he and the kid struck up a conversation and Kinah took the opportunity to bow out and scout the floor. Much of it was exactly as she remembered, though some of the blood stains were fresher than she recalled. All in all the place was still a wreck, but it held potential. Mostly as an obstacle course, but still it was something.

"You can stay with us as long as you like. This city ain't one for anybody to be running around by themselves.”
”Don't worry, I wouldn't have let him throw you out anyways,”

Kinah felt a small smile tug at her lips at the soft side the gruff hyena had exposed, but it fell when another afterimage of the plucky Larvitar flashed across her mind. Kids...kids needed to be protected. And she had already proven she was a failure as a guardian. Now it turned out she wasn't much of an avenger either, seeing as how she not only couldn't take Sil out after hunting her for months but now was teaming up with her again.

What the hell was she doing with her life?

"Sure thing kid. You can stay with us as long as you like. This city ain't one for anybody to be running around by themselves."

Astrid couldn't help but smile when the Blasiken said he could stay, his tail, which had been tucked between his legs unmoving for the last little while, had slowly started to straighten out a bit and begin to move back and forth in a wagging motion. He wasn't going to be alone anymore, the fact that he was finally going to be around other pokemon again, instead of on his own like he had been for months, made him feel happy, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. "Thank you." He said, managing to say it without the stutter this time. Of course it would be awhile before he had completely warmed up to the group, and then warming up to him, he was just glad he wouldn't be on his own anymore.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have let him throw you out anyways." The Mightyena had added, the Houndrunts eyes shifting over to her, stilling smiling. Though it didn't really last long as he looked at the dark canines face, reminding him of his mother's and causing him to start feeling very, sad, finding his thoughts traveling back to when the outbreak started, and the look on her face when she screamed at him to run. His ears lowering as he remembered her scream... He tried to hold back his tears as he finally looked away from the Mightyena. This wasn't his mother, no, but she shared her breed, and that was enough to bring back the heartache of losing her. He hoped this wouldn't last. He'd hate to feel this sorrow every time he looked at her face...

Aaden spares a glance at his other party members as he finishes speaking. Similar expressions seemed to flicker across everyone's features. The similar visions of wanting to help this child, but feeling, ultimately, like it was the beginning of another vicious cycle. So many deaths...how long could they really protect the child? They had a hard enough time protecting the adult members of their group, and what if he turned--No. The blaziken gives his feathers a quick shake to dispel the negative thoughts. "Don't worry, I wouldn't have let him throw you out anyways." Balth said with confidence. Their support fueling his own confidence.

That's right, we can't let the child go off alone because we might fail. We have to try, it's the right thing to do. It's what she would have wanted. "I wouldn't expect any less from you Balth." He adds with a grin in his eyes. Thankfully, the pup appeared to be responding to this, looking slightly more comfortable with the group of strangers and even beginning to wag his tail a bit. Any following looks of doubt or misgivings being missed as he turns his head toward the sound of his name. "Aaden? When you guys was talking about the ones that are more viscous. Do you think they'll show up?" Looking for something?

"When I got here, I heard you guys below me and it sounded like you all was searching for something. What was it Aaden?" Aaden had to think back, scratching his mind to remember exactly when they had met Sparkster...the basement? Yes! He had been thumping to get their attention. "Same thing we're about to do now Sparkster." He answers, raising his voice to address the rest of the group. "There isn't going to be much daylight today yet. We have to fortify this wreck as much as we can so there's no unpleasant surprises tonight. It's the best we got until we can think of a better way out of this mess of a place completely."

He pauses to take a glance around at their current surroundings. "What we are looking for is anything we can use to help patch hole. We don't have to hit all of them, but if we could section off a part of the building, it would be better than nothing. We'll need large pieces of scrap and to set up a rotation for guard once the sun goes down. I volunteer for the first shift, but we can get that worked out once it gets closer."


((ooc: My plan is to have another 1-2 rounds to wrap up then time skip to night and the harb attack we discussed in the rp discussion thread. Let me know if there are any objections or suggestions.))

"I wouldn't expect any less from you Balth." Balthazar allows herself to show the tiniest of smiles in response, but it's quickly lost as she catches sight of the kid looking away from her. Had she mistakenly used an aggressive tone, or was there some other reason...? It doesn't matter. She really should have expected as much; when was the last time her happiness had lasted for more than a few fleeting moments? They'd only just met, anyways, and it would be foolish to expect the already-timid pup to already be comfortable amongst a group of strangers. Forcing this thought to the forefront of her mind, Balthazar pours her attention into the conversation at hand.
"When I got here, I heard you guys below me and it sounded like you all was searching for something. What was it Aaden?" Was he talking about the basement? Balthazar grits her teeth, thinking of how that'd been one of the last moments where she'd seen Cold Stare. The kid is long gone now, no matter where he went. But she can't think of that right now-they'd been looking for materials, that's right, materials to fortify with. She can't recall finding anything of worth down there, at least not before the Jolteon had torn her attention away from the search. As Balthazar has noted numerous times before, this tower is not in a pristine state; one board out of place and the whole thing is liable to come falling down. She'd have to be careful, especially considering that she lacks the dexterity of more humanoid Pokemon. It is a shame that the last time Balthazar pointed that out, it was quickly overshadowed by the fight between the doe and the Mienshao.

"There isn't going to be much daylight today yet. We have to fortify this wreck as much as we can so there's no unpleasant surprises tonight. It's the best we got until we can think of a better way out of this mess of a place completely." It's difficult to imagine that the reality of their situation hasn't hit everyone in the group yet. Stuck in a ruined tower in the middle of an undead-filled city, with only hours left of light remaining...it's the farthest thing from ideal. Balthazar isn't liking their odds, but she certainly hasn't come this far just to fall into the dirt and call it quits. Their chances could be absolutely zilch, and she would still resist the tide of fate that has swept down upon them. "What we are looking for is anything we can use to help patch holes. We don't have to hit all of them, but if we could section off a part of the building, it would be better than nothing. We'll need large pieces of scrap and to set up a rotation for guard once the sun goes down. I volunteer for the first shift, but we can get that worked out once it gets closer." Balthazar nods in agreement; it is a good plan, she can't deny that. However, thinking back to the basement, there is a thought nagging her. There'd been an undead Rattata there, the Mightyena can recall clearly; had the thing been part of the other group of its kind? She doesn't know, nor does she particularly care. Balthazar only cares about making sure there are no more like it remaining.

"I don't think I got a chance to tell you, Aaden, but when I was searching the basement, there was an undead there. Only a Rattata, but I was not able to make sure there weren't more like it." Balthazar does not mention that it'd been Cold Stare with her; better to forget the Luxio had ever even been here. "I could do that now. I don't like the thought of there already being something in this place before we get it fixed up."