(ACE) The BURNED Team

"Looks like High-brow Trash took you up on that." Cold Stare's remark made Balthazar realise the irritating bird really was gone-she hadn't even noticed him leaving. And apparently Small Fry had ditched them too...well, at least now there were two less mouths to feed. Their disappearance would be no skin off of her back, hell, she would've thanked them if she could.
"It might be best that we don't start a fight here," the Luxio said, and Balthazar reluctantly nodded, knowing full well that the numbers were against them. Not by much, but still...despite her years of battling, she did not like the idea of having to fight against two Direyenas at once. Aaden would make for good backup, being a Fighting-type, but surely they would have that obvious weakness covered...

"I agree." The soft voice belonged to a Sawsbuck, of all things, who had finally walked into view. They were odd-colored for their species, but then, so was Cold Stare. Balthazar was already becoming used to this sort of thing. "Seems if you look at the walls wrong here, they'd crumble. Let's not fight if only for the sake of not bringing the building down on us." Balthazar couldn't disagree with that, and if it meant there was another one here who had sense and didn't want to fight, good; hopefully the only ones who would potentially make trouble had left, but with the obnoxious Direyena and the "plushie" around that seemed unlikely.

"Hey!" The loudmouth Direyena's approach towards Aaden made Balthazar tense, ready to react if the Direyena tried anything...though if he was that stupid, who knew how they'd survived this long without fucking up. She watched him with narrowed eyes, but nothing happened that could've triggered her aggression. "Whoa, now! Who said anything 'bout a fight? Me and ol' Daryl here just came over to greet y'all lovely folk. It sure been a long time since we met any breathers."

"Breathers?" The hound was just a grand bundle of goddamn strange; at least the one named Daryl seemed actually sincere, because this one's tone made Balthazar's  pelt crawl with both irritation and suspicion. They hadn't given her a reason to become aggressive yet, but just one wrong move, one wrong move and she knew nobody here would tolerate their presence. Or they won't care. Maybe you're just being paranoid. Paranoia was supposedly the key to survival, yet too much of it and nobody would tolerate her presence either.

"Name's Merle. This here's my baby brother, Daryl. We are mighty sorry for spookin' or scarin' y'all; I promise that was never our intention." Wonderful. Brothers. Siblings. Fate sure did love to deliver swift kicks to her nonexistent balls. She caught the Ghost-type's comment-Poochy-but only gave her a reproachful glare in response. Fucking siblings, of all things to run into, that was just her luck.
"Unless we're heading out, the only way to head is down," Aaden said, and Balthazar let him speak; not like there was much to add behind "the entire city is a shithole," which everyone knew already. "And after what I Scizor do before ditching to prance around the town, I don't recommend that." Ah, yes, their good Scizor friend who had so graciously decimated a group of survivors that had been here before them. They'd be doomed if that thing came around, she knew that well enough. Even with a type disadvantage, that thing was definitely not a normal undead and Balthazar wasn't going to find out what it took to kill it. "I did say before I was running a charity, but go where you like, but if you're gonna stick around, we need to build a shelter. This place is nothing but holes and ash, but at least it's standing. There might be something in the lower levels we can use."

"I can check out those floors, see if there's anything there that isn't completely useless." She needed the distraction, and she didn't care how long it would take to find anything of use. It was better than hanging out with a bunch of strangers, anyways, and it was likely Cold Stare would go with her. Balthazar was about to ask him, but then she catches the scent-burning flesh. Oh, goddamn, no. The screams of her dying sister fills her ears, as if that had only happened yesterday. She's not the only one to have noticed it, which meant it wasn't a hallucination, which meant someone was dead. Hopefully it was an undead, but there was always the possibility that it had been the two who vanished.

"Balth, did you see the dragon and bird leave?" Aaden's question was a heavy one; while Balthazar hadn't liked the Tranquil and the kid had meant nothing, this was not something she had wanted to happen...fuck...
"No," she responded, knowing the implications behind the single word. The smell of roasting flesh lingered with her, mocked her, and bile rose in her throat-it was just like with Iris-
"Dammit all," she growled. They'd known the city wasn't safe, and now the rest of them had to deal with it.

[[Skip. I had my reply and then it disappeared. Not in the mood to do another.]]

These pokemon were assholes, there was no way in hell she would last a day with them. One of them would either snap and kill her, or she'd try to kill somebody else. Either way she'd end up dead, just like the newly roasted pieces of meat in this stupid building. "Fuck this shit I'm out." Slipping back into her own shadow realm, The ghost type slinked off past the group and back into the open, deciding to try her luck on the open road.

"Right, fighting would be a dumb as hell idea right now. I guess I lost my head a bit." Daryl nodded silently, his way of accepting the Blaziken's apology. From what he'd seen thus far, the group seemed decent enough, although he reckoned he'd need to keep an eye on the Luxio from his previous remark. And Merle, for that matter; his brother was not one to let an insult or threat go without an issue.

"I did say before I was running a charity, but go where you like, but if you're gonna stick around, we need to build a shelter, the Blaziken went on. Daryl sat and watched him speak in silence. By the way he was acting, he appeared to be the one in charge. Merle would surely latch onto that fact as well. A quick glance at his brother caught him stalking in the young Mightyena's direction, but at least he was 'behaving' himself for now. "This place is nothing but holes and ash, but at least it's standing. There might be something in the lower levels we can use."

"I can check out those floors, see if there's anything there that isn't completely useless," said the Mightyena, apparently oblivious to Merle's crimson gaze watching her from the shadows. Not even Daryl could peg down exactly what was going on in his brother's head; it could've been a wide number of things. Instinctively he moved to Merle's side, standing between him and the younger hound.

"She a pretty lil thing, ain't she Daryl?" he hissed in his ear. Daryl chose to ignore him.

"Balth, did you see the dragon and bird leave?"
"No. Dammit all."
Both brothers perked up their ears, interested in the conversation. It seemed as though there had been more of them before they had arrived. By pure instinct, Daryl lowered his head and sniffed at the ground. Aside from the stench of blood and rotting wood, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

But their absence seemed to unsettle the group, and it appeared as though they'd disappeared rather suddenly. Daryl was back on high alert, and he approached the Blaziken once more with his ears up, tail raised high. If there was a walker around here somewhere that was somehow smart enough to ambush, he wanted to find it.

"Merle and I can go look for 'em, if ya want," he offered, giving the Fire-type a genuine look straight in the eye.
Ol' Daryl here is an excellent tracker," Merle offered, slithering up to his brother's side and sliding a tongue over his top lip. "We'll be bringin' back your buddies in no time."

"No,"

And there is was. Despite already knowing the answer, hearing it aloud still causes the fire-type to swallow thickly. "Dammit all." So they weren't alone even now...and by the burning stench wafting its way to them, it liked to burn things. Aaden's eyes remained on the small, distant rising of smoke, barely noticing as the ghost type they've barely met flickers back into the shadows and away. However, as Daryl actually approaches him, the bird's eyes catch on the moving, dark pelt.

Blue eyes slowly slither down from their current fixation to meet the reg gaze of the canine. "Merle and I can go look for 'em, if ya want," The blaziken notes mentally the raised ears, posed tail--confident. Alert. Returning the gaze, he can't help feel some sincerity. Maybe even trust, as much as can be given to any stranger given the circumstances, that is. "Ol' Daryl here is an excellent tracker," The other dark-type continues, strolling up until he is at his sibling's side. "We'll be bringin' back your buddies in no time."

"There probably won't be any need for that." Aaden's tone remains even as he raises one clawed hand to gesture towards the still smoking pile. Glancing to his other side at Balth once again, he nods to an earlier statement that had been cut off and forgotten. "Check out the lower floor and don't go alone. We can meet you down there after...confirming." Without waiting for much in the way of a response, the bird starts towards the smoldering pile, shaking his head slowly as he does. "There has to be something in this shithole we can still use to keep those things at bay." The words come out muttered more to himself than anyone in particular. This shit just kept happening...the sawsbuck, espeon, and now this.


((ooc: Feel free to follow either 'mon and check out the lower floors or discover the body.))

Sil had kept her mouth shut after revealing herself to the others, more inclined to listen to the forum of opinions rather than contribute just yet. She didn't even know their names, besides the few already mentioned, and it felt wrong to try and shoe-horn her own thoughts in. It didn't seem that others shared her predicament, but that didn't matter. There were enough voices being used without hers. Instead she watched the others carefully, favoring the canid brothers more often than not; it might have been because Merle was the loudest or that they were simply the closest to her, but her focus was them.

The conversation quickly veered to two apparently missing party members, which made Sil more nervous. Pokemon didn't simply disappear, at least not often and not for pleasant reasons. She glanced around herself to try and see a trace, but of course, she was no true tracker. Any skill she'd had, she'd left at her farmhouse in Unova. The only reason she'd been able to sniff her way around there was because she knew the land and the house already.

"Merle and I can go look for 'em, if ya want," the softer-spoken of the brothers offered, his body language demonstrating at least some confidence in the statement. "Ol' Daryl here is an excellent tracker," Merle added, strolling up by his brother with the slimy grin still plastered on his face. "We'll be bringin' back your buddies in no time."

"There probably won't be any need for that." Sil blinked, her face falling only a fraction. The blaziken wasn't too confident in their survival, then? This was just a search for bodies. What kind of teammate regarded sudden disappearance with such a cool head if they thought there was no rush? "Check out the lower floor and don't go alone. We can meet you down there after...confirming." Yeah. He thought they were dead. And frankly, Sil saw little reason to object. "There has to be something in this shithole we can still use to keep those things at bay."

Looking to the brothers, she gave a small nod; she hadn't been sure of their intentions earlier, but they seemed genuine enough to want to help. At least Daryl did. And Merle didn't seem as much of a slinking predator like Hannibal was as she'd first thought. More like a... salesman. One of those always grinning people that had stopped by the farm, always trying to gouge money from her owners. Yeah. That's more like it. "I'll go with you, then," she commented, turning to face them more fully. "Though I don't think anyone's expecting to find anything but a couple of corpses..."

"There probably won't be any need for that," the Blaziken said, raising a long finger and pointing it at something outside. Daryl frowned, not sure what he was referring to. He raised his snout and sniffed the air again, and as the breeze shifted directions he caught the scent of what could only be burned flesh. The Fire-type's nonchalance to the whole situation puzzled him; one of his allies was dead and he'd barely given it a second thought, now wandering off and muttering to himself.

But still, they had two Pokemon to look for, and one of them could still be alive. "Let's go check it out," he said to Merle, turning and trotting out through a hole in the wall with his brother following close behind.

"I'll go with you, then." A glance behind his shoulder confirmed that the Sawsbuck was following them, which Daryl thought a little odd considering Merle's earlier attempt at a 'friendly' introduction. "Though I don't think anyone's expecting to find anything but a couple of corpses..."

"Remember that we're lookin' for two of 'em," Daryl said as they rounded a corner towards the rear of the tower. "Keep your eyes peeled; one of 'em could still be around."

The wind picked up again, blowing the scent of charred flesh into Daryl's face. By this point it was so strong that it brought tears to his eyes. The body was surely nearby; the hound lowered his nose to the grass below and began to sniff.

"Phoo-ee! Who had a barbecue?" Merle hollered, clearly having far too much fun. Daryl ignored him, the scent taking him to a patch of burnt earth nearby. Lying in the centre of it among the smoldering stones and smoking remains of weeds was the body of an Axew, barely recognisable under the oozing blisters that covered it.

"Looks like we found the dragon," Daryl murmured, bending to examine the body. Unease immediately gripped him; this Axew had no other wounds, no broken bones, no torn flesh ... whatever had killed him had no intentions of eating him. "This is weird..."
"What is?"
"If a walker did this, it wouldn't have just left the body here. This guy ain't been eaten at all." He raised his horned head high, scanning their surroundings.

"Maybe it wasn't a walker then," Merle said, confirming Daryl's fears. The undead weren't the only things to worry about; the living could be just as dangerous. "Those things ain't ever not hungry."

"We should tell Aaden. If there's somethin' round here that's killin' for pleasure..." Every single trace of movement from the trees around them put Daryl's nerves on edge. If they were indeed on the alert for a living Pokemon, that was definitely something new, not to mention dangerous; at least the walkers were predictable to an extent, but there was no telling what a Pokemon with a beating heart could do; for all they knew, they were standing right in the middle of a trap.

Observing the horned mightyena evos and sawsbuck heading towards the previously mentioned smoldering pile, Aaden continues at a slower pace. The blaziken's eyes scanning the floor for discernible clues to the whereables of the other...if the pile was indeed not both of them. "Phoo-ee! Who had a barbecue?" One of the canine's hollered from up ahead at the source of the smoke. How long had he known the bird and dragon? Hell, he'd only had a chance to walk down the hallway with them before...whatever caused this. Even without standing over the body, the stench was horrific.

He could hear the others muttering among themselves, but only fragments of their words reached him. Hm? Pausing his search, Aaden carefully kneels down while doing his best not to accidentally blow away caught feather. Using two talons, he grips the shalf of the small feather. Much too smaller to be one of his own...not to mention it only had a speck of red on it. Ever so carefully, the fire-type twists the item around in-hand. Grey-ish brown. It could be one of the tranquil's or just about any other bird's. There was some blood...but hadn't the bird been plucking his feathers earlier?

Keeping a grip on it, the blaziken pulls h8ijmself back to his feet to ruffle the ground with them. One more similar feather and nothing else. A murder scene would be overflowing with the stuff if the annoying flying-type had died here. Giving up for the moment, Aaden closes the distance between himself and the trio around the corpse. They seemed more tense than before...

"Poor kid, barely got a chance to tell me his name." He remarks, his eyes drifting down to the gory scene. It sent chills up his spine that expanded and seemed to numb his limbs more and more the longer he stared."What even would have done this..."

As the others went off to find the missing-and most likely, dead-Pokemon, Balthazar turned to face Cold Stare. The smell of roasted flesh was beginning to make her stomach turn; she could feel the fur on her back and neck beginning to rise, but ignored it. Balthazar knew if she put her mind to the task she'd taken, she could forget everything else, and forgetting was key. She could not feel sick, or angry, or anything at all, not here. Biting down on her lip, Balthazar finally spoke, addressing the black Luxio, who was the only one left with her. There had to be something useful even in this place, though what two Pokemon without hands would be able to carry was another matter entirely. Having Aaden around would have made this job a lot easier, but she wasn't going to just start complaining about it.

"Looks like it's just us, then." The Mightyena looked over at the lower part of the staircase, and wondered whether it would collapse when they stepped on it. Like the Sawsbuck had said, this tower was liable to fall apart at any second, and Balthazar had no desire to test what exactly would bring it down. "We might as well start searching...doubt we'll find a thing, though." Balthazar forced herself to walk towards the steps, even though each unsteady step made the sickening sensation in her stomach worse. Ignore the feeling, forget Iris...the stairs creaked as she put the weight of her paws on them, but at least nothing broke. They would need to make sure nothing lingered downstairs; Balthazar continued down the staircase, slightly annoyed that they hadn't thought to split the group in half. That would have made far more sense, but it was too late now.
"Gotta be something here that isn't burned or rotten," she muttered to herself. The undead would not stay away forever, and that made this job a priority. She could not fail, or only finish halfway, that would not be good enough. Aaden, Cold Stare, even the Sawsbuck were depending on this, on her.

His joke was apparently not in the best taste, the Blaziken turning to address the Mightyena afterwards. "Did you see the dragon and bird leave?"
Cold Stare had not, surely no one else had either then? Was it really a big deal? "No." Balthazar's near snarl of a frustrated response surprised the cat, his bright eyes widening as they snapped to the female. "Dammit all," she snapped, clearly distressed. She had not cared for them when they were here, why was she so disgusted now?
Cold Stare should of been used to feeling like an outcast by then, but having his own views confirmed as the wrong one was only another jab at his pride. Why do I even ever think at all?! he viciously assaulted himself mentally.

Firmly silencing himself, lest he fuck up and make his new allies hate him like every single other one, the Luxio was degraded to glaring at the pair of Direyena as they introduced themselves as Merle and Daryl. He attempted to ignore them, opting to stand behind the Blaziken and Mightyena instead. His eyes were sharp, an aggressive glare, but pointed straight at the floor even as his ears flattened against his skull. Just shut up, shut the fuck up. His tail lashed, but he remained half distracted even as the fire starter split the group up.

Cold Stare's eyes flickered up then, losing their hostility as it dropped for half confusion when everyone suddenly left him alone with Balthazar. Suddenly uncertain, he bit his tongue sharply, causing the metallic taste of blood to silence anything he would say. Surely he was going to just word his thoughts and get kicked the fuck out again, right? That was what made Broken Wings hate him after all. "Looks like it's just us, then."
He stifled a sigh, ears flicking back as he obediently followed. "Looks like it," he muttered, agreeing.

They were approaching the stairs that led downwards to a lower level, his fur spiking at the darkness. He would blend in, at least. In fact, Balthazar would too. Least being a dark type and of the Luxray line would leave them both with at least decent vision."We might as well start searching...doubt we'll find a thing, though."
She was right. Probably. But still the self inflicted cap on his speech remained, and he merely nodded in agreement. Their paws caused the old, rickety stairs to creak in ugly ways, but they held steady despite the two 'mon's combined weight. Cold Stare could not help the sigh of relief that escaped him when they both hit the bottom without issue, taking the time to shake his fur out. As if that would also shed his stress, too."Gotta be something here that isn't burned or rotten," his companion muttered and the cat himself glanced around.

Keeping his ears perked, alert for any dangers, things at least sounded quiet. "Would--" Without warning a screech from behind the cat made his tail shoot up, but it was too late of a warning to avoid the attack. A Rattata, body falling apart and eyes half gouged, dug its claws into the Luxio's back as he gave a catlike scream in his own shock. Before the thing could dig it's teeth into his black fur, Cold Stare threw his body on the ground, dislodging it and immediately pouncing on the stunned monster. His mouth already lit up with flames, his fire fang digging into the thing's neck, rapidly decapitating it without any issue. With a sigh, suddenly his skin burned underneath his fur. "My bad," he muttered, ashamed, to his companion. He should have heard it coming. Stupid.

"Remember that we're lookin' for two of 'em," Daryl commented as they picked up speed rounding a corner to the other side of the building. "Keep your eyes peeled; one of 'em could still be around."

Sil nodded and glanced uneasily at the remnants of the town around them, unsure about being in such a vulnerable position. But Daryl's presence soothed her anxiety even if just by a fraction; his calmness was almost infectious. But as the wind rose, the stink of charred flesh slapped her in the face, her hackles rising out of instinct. She coughed slightly, keeping it internalized as her lungs struggled with the rank air. "Phoo-ee! Who had a barbecue?" Merle cried in delight, in which his brother didn't seem to share. Instead Daryl approached a blackened smudge on the ground, which upon closer inspection was actually a body. Sil peered over the boys, her face slightly contorting with disgust and surprise.

"Looks like we found the dragon," Daryl muttered as he investigated closer. Sil's eyes narrowed as he did; aside from being completely charred to a crisp, it didn't look like there had been anything else wrong. Everything was fire damage.

"This is weird..." Sil glanced to the hound, wondering if he'd found what she had.
"What is?"
"If a walker did this, it wouldn't have just left the body here. This guy ain't been eaten at all." He raised his horned head high, scanning their surroundings.

"Maybe it wasn't a walker then," Merle replied casually; yet his easy words sent a shiver down the doe's spine. She wasn't too ecstatic about the idea of having another mutinous member among her companions. "Those things ain't ever not hungry."

"We should tell Aaden. If there's somethin' round here that's killin' for pleasure..."

"What makes you think it's not him?" she replied quietly, still eying the charred corpse. "We all just got here; we have no idea when this was done or whether or not he's been separated from the rest of the group." She strode to be opposite from the brothers, eyes still on the corpse, then flickering to the area around them. She kept her voice low as she spoke, knowing the brothers' ears would easily pick up her voice. "No signs of struggle. Fire is isolated to this spot. This was planned and carefully executed; as far as we know right now, he's capable of doing this and we shouldn't go out on a limb to blindly trust the guy."

"What makes you think it's not him?" Sil whispered, her head dipped low as she examined the body. Daryl twitched an ear in her direction, but kept his eyes firmly on their surroundings. "We all just got here; we have no idea when this was done or whether or not he's been separated from the rest of the group." Daryl frowned towards the trees; what she said had logic, but why would Aaden kill one of his group, leave the body lying around for any walker to find, and then send other out to go and look for it? It didn't make much sense. "No signs of struggle. Fire is isolated to this spot. This was planned and carefully executed; as far as we know right now, he's capable of doing this and we shouldn't go out on a limb to blindly trust the guy."

"We're not the type to just trust anyone we come across," Daryl muttered, sniffing at the air. The stench of the body masked out any that might have been there. The Direyena flicked his tail as he stalked away from it, trying to catch a different breath of wind. "But don't think Aaden--"

"Poor kid, barely got a chance to tell me his name." A voice that he certainly didn't expect sounded from behind, and Daryl turned to find that Aaden had followed them. "What even would have done this..." Had he been following them the whole time? Had he heard what Sil had said about him? Regardless, Daryl knew what he had to do. He was a tracker, a trained hunter; he wasn't about to let a psychopath wander around, putting not only the group's lives at risk, but his and Merle's as well.

"I don' really care for playin' detective," he muttered, shooting a glare at Merle who was sniffing at the corpse with a hungry look in his eyes. "I just wanna find whatever did this, and put 'em down before they can do it again."

Thud-thud.

Merle was up on his feet and dashing back into the building before Daryl had even registered the noise. Shit. Without hesitation, he followed his brother through a nearby hole in the wall, stalking up to his side with his eyes narrowed at the shadows around them.

"Someone playin' games, Daryl," Merle said in that calm, collective voice that could only mean that hell was about to break loose. "Someone thinks he can screw with us."

"Could be a walker," Daryl murmured, flexing his claws and looking round. "Just be careful."

"I don' mind a game of Hide and Seek," Merle went on as though Daryl had never spoken, "but he'd better hope I'm not the first to find him or else he gonna lose an eyeball or two."

Daryl sucked in a deep breath, hoping he wasn't coming off as anxious as he felt. What if this was the dragon's murderer? A surprise attack could come from any direction. For all he knew, there could be several of them; a rival group. The Direyena flattened himself to the floor and growled, his tail flicking from side to side. Whatever was out there, he was ready for it.

As his presence is made known, the blaziken can't help but notice a split second of, well something he can't place a talon on. Surprise? Whatever the trio had been muttering amongst themselves before he spoke went unheard. "I don' really care for playin' detective," The one brother mutters as his other continues to sniff at the singed corpse. Aaden didn't miss a glimpse of the hungry look in the one dark-type's eyes. Regardless, he doesn't comment on it, but does watch with distaste.

"I just wanna find whatever did this, and put 'em down before they can do it again." How separate the sentiment was from playing detective, he couldn't tell, but the fire-type nodded his agreement regardless. "Agreed." Then, before anymore words can be exchanged, the pair is hightailing it back into the tower--slipping seamlessly into a vulnerability in the wall.

Aaden hesitates. Having not heard the sharp thuds coming from within the tower walls. He casts a glance at the deer pokemon before taking off after the brothers. Sticking around wouldn't help the dragon none and clearly, the canines were onto some scent. Strong legs made the run back toward the easy--but his vertical stance does not. After ducking down, Aaden is able to push himself through the same opening they used. Thankfully, from there he's able to follow more swiftly. A slide here and there around loose, slanted beams or boards.

Until they reach the area Balth and Cold Stare would have gone to investigate. "I don' mind a game of Hide and Seek," One of the direyenas say. In the shadows now surrounding them, he finds it harder to tell them apart. For the moment, the bird resigns himself to watching and listening. Sharp eyes flickering about the interior for movement while he steps as carefully as possible to dampen the sound of his talons against the charred, hard floor.

Balthazar's eyes swept across the area, but there was really nothing much here that could be of any use. Of all the towers in the world, they ended up in the one that was beyond repair...how fitting. She was tempted to ask Cold Stare if he has seen anything, but since he hasn't spoken up yet, she could only assume he hadn't. Her ears twitched ever so slightly, trying to discern the different, faint sounds in the tower. The creaking of whatever support it still had was obvious, but there was something else she couldn't quite make out. Strange. They were going to have to be very careful down here, if whatever was around was so good at hiding itself.
"Would-" Balthazar turns to acknowledge Cold Stare, but that was when the screech pierced the air, right behind the Luxio. Balthazar could not react fast enough to keep the undead-a Rattata-from leaping onto Cold Stare's back, only able to give a short bark of both anger and surprise. How had they not been able to know a Rattata was around?

The black Luxio was more than capable of defending himself, and had the hideous, rotting creature thrown off and killed before she could do a thing. Balthazar bared her teeth in disgust at the corpse before turning to Cold Stare; it was unlikely his wounds were infected, but they would still have to see to them soon. This tower was not a place for open wounds. "You alright?" Why did he look so ashamed? Neither of them had known about the thing; that was carelessness, and wouldn't happen again. That Rattata hadn't been much of a threat, but they couldn't afford to let their guard down if something worse was lurking. Balthazar silently curses at herself for letting this happen; why was she always so oblivious? "My bad," Cold Stare mutters. Balthazar considers the situation for a moment; while he had, of course, been taken by surprise, he'd also proven himself to be quick-thinking and ready to defend himself. ...Berating him simply wasn't worth it. If Cold Stare screws up again, sure, but she doubts it would happen for a second time. It better not happen a second time. Their luck could not hold out forever.

"Hopefully that's the worst of the undead here," Balthazar says, knowing that was in no way possible.  "Let's just get back to our search." ...Wait. There was another sound, this one louder, like something was hitting a wall. She looks behind them; whatever it was, it was coming from the staircase they had descended, and she was taking no chances betting on whether it was friendly or not. Balthazar gives a look to Cold Stare, knowing he has to have heard it too-she had to go find the source of the sounds. Letting something potentially dangerous so unchecked was a bad idea.

The dusty old room was eerily quiet for a good few seconds. Merle slapped his tongue over his lips, grinning from ear to ear. If this bastard wanted a fight, he'd get exactly that and then some. "I ain't gonna wait all day, buddy. Come on out an' say hello. Or do I have to come an' find ya?"

Daryl stood at Merle's side, silent as ever but mirroring his brother's defensive stance. Sudden noises followed by the disappearance of who made it was very suspicious; it had 'ambush' written all over it. "Be alert," he muttered into Merle's ear. "I got a bad feelin'."

"Heh! They wanna pick a fight with us, let 'em!" The older Direyena tossed his head smugly. "They ain't met ol' Merle."

"Hello, are you a friendly demon?"

"Demon!" Merle yelled, throwing back his head and cackling loudly. "Demon! Y'hear that, Daryl? This kid thinks he can be smart with us."

While Merle was clearly having far too much fun out of this whole situation, Daryl began to wonder. He couldn't see the intruder yet, but he sounded quite young, and as strange as his question was his tone had possessed an air of innocence to it. The Direyena inclined his head, frowning slightly as Merle continued to laugh.

"I didn't mean to startle you both I thought this place had undead in it," said the voice again. "If your not undead then I'll come out and talk with you on why I'm here."

"Tha's a good idea, son!" Merle hollered, now pacing around the perimeter of the room. "Because if ya don't, big bad Merle will come an' drag you out by your ears."

"Shut up, Merle," muttered Daryl. He looked up and noticed the Mightyena and Luxio from before approaching down a set of stairs. Great - more people around were only more likely to get Merle more riled up. Whoever this was, they needed to get him out in the open.

"Best come on out, kid," he said sternly, turning his gaze to where he thought he heard the voice. "An' be quick about it."

It had gone quiet. Eerily so, as if whatever had made the initial bang was now sulking in the shadows all around them, waiting. The prinkling feeling of being watched from someone unseen causes Aaden's feathers to flatten against him in unease. Mercifully though, the silence doesn't last too long. "I ain't gonna wait all day, buddy. Come on out an' say hello. Or do I have to come an' find ya?" Nothing, but it didn't stop the canine from cooing several more falsely enticing lines. Truly, he was finding too much pleasure in this "game."


"Hello, are you a friendly demon?" Aaden's eyes snap towards the location of the foreign voice. Nothing but shadows... "I didn't mean to startle you both I thought this place had undead in it," said the voice again. "If your not undead then I'll come out and talk with you on why I'm here." Before, when they had meet their newcomers he had been on edge, expecting a fight. But this time, the stranger just sounds...nervous? Carefully, the blaziken ignites one fist. Ignoring the stinging the action causes on his wound underneath his makeshift bandage, he controls his fire punch and holds it up as a torch.

In the increased light, he is able to make out the shapes of Balth and Cold Stare making their own way down the stairs towards them, obviously drawn by the noise. "Best come on out, kid," Aaden nods. "You're surrounded kid. Don't try anything funny. Come out peacefully and we won't hurt you." He adds, looking towards where he believes the stranger is in the darkness as he speaks and hoping the excitable hound would not make him a liar.

Balthazar listens carefully for whatever could be up there, trying to lure them. She can easily make out the voices of the two Direyenas; obviously they, too, were already alerted to this potential problem. More backup was always useful, despite the fact she didn't trust them as far as her human could have carried them. At least one of them isn't that suspicious. If they were going to have trouble on their hands, Balthazar preferred not to have to take on both of them-she'd never been the better fighter, and the thought isn't a pleasant one. In a fight to the death, the odds were against both her and Cold Stare, though if she was able to use Toxic...
"What the hell are those? They look like demons." This voice is a new one, and definitely did not belong to some fresh undead still clinging to the last of its draining intelligence. Hell, the thing sounded like they were barely older than a teenager. Yet another survivor, then...and demons, that was what he called them? Balthazar hasn't heard anyone use that term in years, and it was one that made her grit her teeth. Either this guy has just settled on a word he found fitting, or they have a religious type now, one who could very well be a complete nut. Paranoid old fuck. What does it matter? It wasn't her call to make on what to do with...whoever this was, if they did turn out to be a jabbering lunatic. Goddamn, how has she fallen so low as to freak out over someone saying demon? She was losing her damn mind. "Hello, are you a friendly demon?" That was definitely nothing more than a kid speaking there; despite the fact that there is unlikely any danger coming from the newcomer, Balthazar cannot bring her muscles to relax.

"Demon!" The crowing of the obnoxious Direyena grates on Balthazar's ears, unsurprisingly. Quiet wasn't a part of his limited vocabulary; no doubt every undead in the city, and their mothers too, had heard his yowling. "Demon! Y'hear that, Daryl? This kid thinks he can be smart with us." Ah, yes, surely this was the best welcome party to hold if they were intending to drive off any and all newcomers...not that Balthazar would have minded that. They were already crowded enough as it was, and this burnt, hollow tower was not going to be a suistanable shelter. "I didn't mean to startle you both I thought this place had undead in it." Balthazar scoffs-of course there was undead here. There was undead everywhere. It was also strange that he has switched from "demon" to "undead"-why was that? "If your not undead then I'll come out and talk with you on why I'm here."
Merle was all too eager to respond in that sleazy, unbearable voice of his, but sudden sparks and the flicker of flames alerts Balthazar to the fact Aaden is now a part of this one-sided showdown. "You're surrounded kid. Don't try anything funny. Come out peacefully and we won't hurt you." Balthazar waits to see what will happen, and whether it would be necessary for her to intervene. Doubtful, but better than being completely unprepared. The stranger was hiding in the shadows, but she was certain Cold Stare would be able to see where he was. No real point in this kid hiding.

After his beautiful fuck up, all the Mightyena had to comment was, "Hopefully that's the worst of the undead here." Which was complete bull shit, but the lion cub's ears were flat against his head. He wouldn't contradict her. "Let's just get back to our search." Giving a silent nod, Cold Stare just continued to sniff around, his naturally powerful sight showing him nothing but burned wood and dust. The sudden knocking made him freeze; when the black Luxio glances up, he catches Balthazar's sharp eye before she slowly approaches the stairs. Cold Stare himself was close behind, easily able to keep silent due to naturally padded paws.

The loud howling of the one Direyena was loud enough to make his fur spike up, icy eyes narrowing into the sharp glare he was named for. "What the hell are those? They look like demons." Seems like the one who had unfortunately stumbled upon the group was speaking, too, though 'demons' was a new one. Walkers, he had heard. Monsters, undead, zombies, even geeks. But demons was a new one. "Hello, are you a friendly demon?" He could not help the snicker he stifled, lips pulling back into a smirk as the cat took up standing at the Mightyena's heels in case of needed backup. However, it seemed they were not in danger of ambush-- the voice was that of some naive kid, seemed like.

Cold Stare himself was young but far more jaded. "If you're not undead then I'll come out and talk with you on why I'm here." Straight forward much? The Luxio's mood was picking back up with the new excitement going on. He wouldn't be the fuck up anymore with this new character coming in. "You're surrounded kid. Don't try anything funny. Come out peacefully and we won't hurt you." The Blaziken was even getting involved, but Cold Stare cautiously stepped forward on the stairs. By shifting his weight, the cat was able to keep from making the wood creek, and due to this climbed halfway up silently. It was only then that he was able to make out the perch of the newcomer. Thanks to the x-ray vision that naturally came to his evolutionary line, the shadows did nothing in hiding the yellow form from his sharp gaze. "A Jolteon," he muttered softly before adding louder, "You've got eyes on you, broski. Come out slow, I'll see if you make any move." Thank Arceus for his species special snowflake eyes.

Sil followed the brothers when they caught the scent, somewhat uncomfortable with the fact that the fire bird had already caught up with them and interrupted them. But Daryl had made a good point... Maybe it wasn't him. Still, it was healthier to suspect her newfound companions rather than just completely trust them off the bat. She'd learned that in Lostlorn.

Her mind wandered back to her home forest and farm as she followed the others at a comfortable pace, her eyes scanning her surroundings for any sort of movement. Thoughts of Kinah, of Hannibal, of... Cass... filled her mind for a brief moment before she dismissed them, just as her mind began to replay the events of that terrible morning in the farm fields. She only knew Hannibal had been still alive, but Kinah she had no idea. Maybe. Probably not, though.

"'Demon'!" Merle's unabashed bark snapped Sil from her own reverie, her hooves trotting lightly to approach the crowd that had gathered. "'Demon'! Y'hear that, Daryl? This kid thinks he can be smart with us." Sil craned her neck over the others to get a good look, but saw almost nothing. Damn.

"I didn't mean to startle you both I thought this place had undead in it." She heard the mightyena nearby scoff at the statement and Sil couldn't help but agree. What luxury had this kid been afforded to think there weren't Undead everywhere? "If you're not undead then I'll come out and talk with you on why I'm here."

"You're surrounded kid. Don't try anything funny. Come out peacefully and we won't hurt you," the blaziken warned, soon joined by the dark lion that Sil hadn't been aware had gone anywhere. "You've got eyes on you, broski. Come out slow, I'll see if you make any move." She frowned; whatever was going to happen here was obviously covered. She turned away and went down the path she'd taken just moments earlier to keep an eye out for walkers, since everyone else was occupied with the thing cooped up in a corner.

She stood at the edge of the building, using its bulk as shoddy cover. However, it was at her spot that the remnants of one of the missing pokemon sat, its melted, charred horror staring up, agape at her. She gave a small shudder and lightly kicked it away from her, the sound a soft clack gently sounding from the almost hollow corpse. Turning her attention back to her surroundings, she watched and listened carefully. Here's to hoping this turns out better than Unova.

The area was peaceful and quiet, not but the soft rustle of the tree over her head broke the silence as it playfully danced in the wind. Beneath the sheltered shade sat a single Mienshao, eyes closed and perfectly still. To the average passerby the female would appear deceased, the shallow rise and fall of her chest minutely visible from any distance other than right before her. All around was splayed the remains of several undead insects, their blood painting the ground and the fighter's form red. The scent of their tainted carcasses tricked the passing birds into thinking the female was one of them, ignoring the scent of living blood that pumped within her veins. She was a sight to behold, for sure, and with the calm expression on her face one would not suspect the anger that lay just beneath, waiting for the next moment to unleash itself.

But it had once, and it would again once she found her target.

Across regions she had tracked and hunted the elusive quarry, always just missing her chance to strike. But this time, oh this time, she was ready. She had been watching for days now, waiting for the traitor to slip up, to show some sign of lowering her guard. The Mienshao thought of just how good it would feel to finally wipe the floor with the one who had left her and her friends to die and the rush of emotion began to break her meditation. Sunlight filtering through the trees began playing across her face and the ermine's eyes began to twitch. Slowly the un-scarred lid moved, and revealed the only eye the martial artist had left. She blinked rapidly against he assaulting light before raising one paw to block its piercing rays.

Sighing heavily Kinah lurched her body forward and rose to her feet, stretching the stiff muscles that began to protest from being moved after so many hours in one position. She looked around and shrugged before moving on, moving swiftly through the winding streets of the city. It was almost too much that Sil had chosen here of all places. The very location Kinah had awoken when this hell on earth had begun. A small part of her wished to see Paladin again but the chances that he was alive... He had been so badly injured last she saw him. She felt her heart twinge at the thought of having lost another friend but she pushed the hurt aside. She was so close.

It was then that her eye caught sight of the Sawsbuck and Kinah darted behind a crumbled wall to avoid detection. She was there. And she was alone. Kinah could almost feel the rush of excitement at finally being able to confront the wretched woman who had sentenced both her and Cassius to their fates. Soon, soon she would understand exactly what she had left them to when she decided her own life was worth more than those who had fought to protect her. As she slowly crept in the shadows to get closer to Sil she wondered what exactly would be her reaction to seeing Kinah again? Grinning menacingly, the scars running down her face stretching with the effort, she stepped up behind the doe and crossed her arms. She was more than ready to find out.

"Long time no see, Silverish."

((Skip please. I hate to do it but I really don't feel up for posting today. I'll either come back and edit this into a post later or just catch up next round.))

"Okay, I'm coming out. I wasn't intending to get you all to come. I thought there was undead in here."

Aaden's eyes squint in the darkness, trying to make out the owner to the newest voice. "Oh they might still come." He notes grimly, watching carefully as the electric-type steps out from his hiding place and into the limited light. Although he hadn't known what to expect, this certainly wasn't it.

A jolteon, here? "Sorry if I alerted you all, I was searching for a place to stay and I had no idea you all was hiding out in here." The blaziken continues to examine the newcomer wordlessly. Clear eyes and not a scratch on him....it was more than he could say about himself...

Aaden clears his throat and pushes back the growing sour taste in his mouth from his thoughts. "My name is Sparkster." Hoping to appear less threatening, the fire bird lowers himself slowly onto one knee. One arm draping over the appendage while his other remained outstretched with fire in hand.

"Aaden." He replies simply, returning his eyes to Sparkster's own, having completed his look over of the stranger. "Some free advice, it's better not to draw the undead to you. And if you feel the burning need to, do it away from our tower." The blaziken warns, finding it difficult to properly get infuriated with the canine who was clearly scared and very out-numbered. "Is there anyone else who came in with you? Anything else you wanna tell us now before we finish looking around and find out anyway?"