(ACE) The LAVERRE Team

OoC)) Skip, Shadow is just waiting on what Alirah is deciding.

Alirah gave a genuine, content smile at the Eevee’s antics as he zoomed around the room at supersonic speed on a high from the sugary delights he munched during her conversation with their visitor.

She hopped to her feet and excused herself before bounding after Conan, playfully pouncing at him with every intention of missing so that she could get up and keep chasing him. She laughed as she did so, rolling dramatically across the floor and exclaiming “Darn it! Speed demon!” as her chest heaved. Her small but agile body let her bounce from table to chair and shelf as to make the game more interesting until she inevitably found her legs weak.

She panted hard— physical exertion was something she’d always had issues with, and even more so in the epidemic. Spending so much time safely cooped up in the boutique had decayed whatever stamina she’d built up.

“I’m alright dear, I just need a break,” she assured, despite her shaky legs practically crumpling underneath her.
She looked back to Shadow, a weak but playful smile on her face. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m not so confident in my ability alone to keep this kiddos safe.” Alirah confessed. “I think you might be a blessing in disguise, Shadow.”

She hopped back to her feet and began nuzzling through the spoils. One by one she picked out something reminiscent of a recipe her dear lady used to make— the sweet young trainer lost so long ago. The mere idea of something similar to meals from those days gone was enough to both remind Alirah what crushing grief and pure joy felt like.

Even though Alirah had tried to have fun with him. His hyperness has gotten so much that he just was running all over the place. Conan ran and ran and ran until he runs right into the clothes and not long after that, his hyperness finally clammed. He was tired. Not long after that he fell asleep in the clothes. The eevee found comfort. 


OoC)) Short post and putting Conan on Idle

Plant was completely overwhelmed. Words like good and back did not register to him as he physically felt the word sweet throughout his being. Candy was not for him, at least not now in this state of being. Taking an awkward step back from the bag he placed a trembling hand upon his maw, desperate to hold back the seemingly endless stream of saliva. Feeling utterly cramped with his own skin the child crept out from their shelter for fresh air. A light, tapping breeze brushed him, a normally welcome feeling uncomfortable when realizing he was inside. Turning his head with a disquieting swiftness his ginger eyes locked on the dashing Eeveelutions. Bolting about the room they whipped up the slightly gusts of air to accompany their light laughs and sounds of joy. Something inside him yearned to join, to play chase and run after them, but his quivering body would not move from the spot.

Even if he had wanted to play, he would not get the chance as the game ended all too soon. With stumbling steps Conan made it back to him, but his tired eyes saw nothing as he collapsed into the nest of clothing. Was this the power of candy? The Eevee did not move, sacking out in the same position he had fallen as Plant gingerly stepped around him. He was put to sleep despite the roaring storm? Without Conan there was no one to keep his thoughts away from Shadow, no one to share his plight. Plant considered going back in his shelter, but between the bag of candy that remained there and the perpetual quiet it would not have the same effect. His heart rate increased, faster than it had from the introduction of candy. What was he to do..? Letting his gaze fall upon Alirah he pleaded at her with his eyes for something, anything, but his cries were silent thus basically nonexistent.

Wringing his wrists uncomfortably the Snivy felt a deep longing for his missing companion. The loss was more prevalent than it had been in hours, and quickly threatened to choke him out, but Plant had no tears left to cry. His hands ached, the action having rubbed his scales raw over the course of the day. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his Rubix cube and started to fidget with the toy as he made slow, awkward, heavy steps toward Alirah. It'll be okay, he told himself, you're safe. Spinning the colors all which ways he found the motion calming, and by the time he made it the Umbreon he could speak once again. Yet he struggled to find his voice, and without taking his eyes from the toy only managed to mumble, "I-is it time to cook?"

Certainly the eevee was hyper and this is what Shadow was concerned about. Sugary things like that kind of candy was not good for certain pokemon. “I think you might be a blessing in disguise, Shadow.” Blessing wasn't a word for him. A lot of other pokemon called him a cursed being. A darkness made real all because he sought getting stronger. Yet the humans that took him and his family in not as captured but a part of nature in Agate had seen him as a good Pokemon. Maybe Alirah is right. His train of thought was interrupted by a nervous voice. "I-is it time to cook?" Is Plant still scared of him? The poor kid must not like charizards and guessing that something must of happened for him to not like them. Not that he would pressure him because its not wise to do that but he would like to know and earn Plant's trust.

Shadow answers Plant. "You're more than welcome to help out if you want. Just listen to what Alirah would need you to do." As he just finished, a loud crash of thunder echoes throughout the sky and shakes the windows in the boutique. First things first though, if Alirah was planning on cooking the noodles she was wanting to cook then they would need water. As much as the use of rain water would work, it might have some dirt in it that might make the food unusable. The Charizard looked out the window again to see a tree branch just break off from the tree and land just a foot away from the tree. Hail was hitting the ground still. "Never seen anything like this in the desert. Though we do get rain every now and then, its nothing like this. Alirah, you really do mean it do you? Thank you." The eevee though, he wondered if the kid's asleep for a nap and if so, he's lucky to not have heard the thunder.

"I-is it time to cook?"

Alirah had dragged a wok into the center of what looked something like a food altar. Her tiny teeth tore through cheap plastic like it was nothing, making totally quick work of emptying noodle packages into her large pan.

"You're more than welcome to help out if you want. Just listen to what Alirah would need you to do." Shadow responded to Plant’s query a moment prior. She made a mental note that Shadow, despite being the mean-scary dragon, actually seemed pretty good with children. Good. The kids were her tippity top priority now, and the more hands to protect them, the better.

She trotted to a pile of cans and picked out a few mixed vegetables. With a quick motion she rolled them Shadow’s direction and smiled. “My lack of hands is quite troublesome! Do you think you could…” She paused. Her smile grew wider, more mischievous. “... lend me a hand?”

She then dragged her wok to the door, where just outside a downpour had kicked up. Alirah cracked the door just enough for herself and the wok to slip out, inviting in the deafening sound of rain louder than ever as the storm raged on.

The wok quickly began collecting rain water as the fox waited anxiously nearby.

Her ears perked in surprise to hear screams in the distance. Her heart began thumping in her chest, and she nearly darted off to be a hero into the storm.

But her paws remained motionless. Feminine. The scream sounded more enraged than in pain. Electricity crackled violently and Alirah had trouble telling if the sound was from the storm or the dispute nearby. She sighed softly and dragged her wok back inside, dismissing the sound as it didn’t concern her or her companions. Being a savior got you killed. And if she was dead, then she couldn’t watch over the kids.

“It sounds like something is going on out there,” Alirah warned. “Distant. Sounds like a fight, lots of electricity.”

She brought the wok to Shadow. “So, let’s toss those vegetables in, and these seasoning packets,” she added aforementioned packets after shredding them open with claws. “Then we’ll use fire to boil it! Yeah?”

The dragon responded with something that was not a straight answer. "You're more than welcome to help out if you want. Just listen to what Alirah would need you to do." He could feel his muscles tightening with indignation. Of course he was going to help, he just wanted to know when. Casting his eyes aside so the umbrage upon his face could not be seen Plant took in a deep breath. He had never learned authority and could not stand being talked down upon, but while he still did not trust the dragon he felt its words were not meant to be unkind. It was an accident, he told himself, and with a tense, awkward nod of acknowledgement he awaited Ali's instructions on how to do this whimsical task (and to confirm that they would start).
And she did just that. Rifling through their collected spoils and sorting out a few different things she rolled a few cans in their direction. With a curious tilt of his head the Snivy wondered what the cylinders were for. He knew them; they were hard and unexpectedly robust. Were they really going to make food out of them? How?? But he dared not ask and risk breaking the magic of the unknown.

He sat quietly until Alirah returned, a big, wide pot of water in tow. She had mentioned something about that before, but it still seemed like such an odd thing to need unless they were washing the cans for some reason. “It sounds like something is going on out there. Distant. Sounds like a fight, lots of electricity.” Unease crept beneath Plant's sweater like stickerweeds. He could not hear the fight she had, but the thought of another vicious Pokemon being somewhat nearby was frightening. Memories of the storm that hit as he left Pewter, and the terrifying Pokemon that attacked with it, sent a shiver throughout his body. That Pokemon wasn't an electric type, but what if it was here as well? What if it came for them? Verglas was no longer here to help him... Tossing his head back to push the thought away Plant was both jealous, grateful, and curious as to how Conan could sleep so easily during the storm that frightened him so. How could he be so.. unburdened?

With a quick, deep breath and the soothing sounds of Ali's voice Plant pushed those sickening feelings aside as best he could. The Umbreon was tearing apart different packaging, releasing odd, foreign scents into the room. “So, let’s toss those vegetables in, and these seasoning packets. Then we’ll use fire to boil it! Yeah?” Fire. Rubbing his wrists the young Pokemon tried not to fret. He knew Ali would not let harm come to them, and this had been explained before. It would be okay; he just had to trust her. Shuffling in place the Snivy did not know what to say to such an idea. Let's do it, how much fire, where? Was this place flammable...? With his pulse quickening Plant could not longer enjoy the prospect of learning to cook. What if this place caught fire, what if the battle made its way here, what if something went wrong?!

He needed something, anything to distract himself from his distress. With several rapid movements of his eyes he sought comfort from any source possible, and landed upon the pile of mushrooms he had collected before. That's right- he gathered them for this. Were they still desirable...? "Did- Did you want to use those?" He mumbled hesitantly, his mouth dry and turmoil growing as he pointed gingerly to the wayward pile of fungi. At this point he was rapidly losing what appetite he had, and even the mushrooms he enjoyed so did not spark any interest.

Shadow had no idea what was being said with cooking but all he knew was that this involved him to use his fire outside of combat. “So, let’s toss those vegetables in, and these seasoning packets. Then we’ll use fire to boil it! Yeah?” Wait, vegetables? The charizard really never liked vegetables at all. However, he did promise to help them with the cooking, so he would do so. Thunder rumbled as they had continued to cook, hoping the storm would pass soon. If only they was lucky for that to happen. Soon enough Shadow heard something cracking outside. It sounded like wood being pushed beyond its limit until he caught the sight of a branch falling down from the wind and it was a descent sized one at that. If it stops raining for a bit, maybe they could bring that branch in and see what they can use for. How they could get it in was a bigger question. Surely that it couldn't be that hard right? The charizard thought of a cactus at first but then is quickly faded away since trees are more solid than cactuses are.

While Shadow as lost in thought, he forgot that Plant was there with them and his voice had snapped him back to reality."Did- Did you want to use those?" This kid really was scared of him. Well maybe he could at least make him feel a bit more comfortable. Its not like he would scare kids like Plant because he wasn't raised that way. Poor kid, he's probably thinking that I'm going to attack him. Guess there is a difference between the desert born and the mountain born. I should probably talk with him and that young eevee when I get the chance. The Charizard really did want to show Plant that he's not going to hurt him or anything. What would he be if he did? It wasn't something good and he couldn't live with himself if he did such a thing.

Shadow took a deep breath though blowing a little smoke out, he just was trying to find the right words to talk to Plant about, but maybe he could tell him that he's afraid of certain things as well. "Plant? I think we can use them. Alirah, how many do you want Plant to put in?" Though he would likely talk after eating, his current thing right now was getting the pan at the right amount of heat. All that was up to Alirah on how long he should use his fire.

The fight outside kept nagging at the back of her skull, clawing its way back into her thoughts like a vengeful ghost. Who was that? Would they be okay? Kaneki and Hide… did they know any electric moves?

"Did- Did you want to use those?"

She looked up to dear Plant, staring wide eyed for a moment as her brain struggled to process what he had just said. Her mind was so mixed up in her thoughts that she had registered voice but nothing else.
“Oh! Uh, yeah!” She gasped as understanding hit her like a train. She bounded to the pile of mushrooms in a swift, cat-like leap and inspected their size compared to the other ingredients.
“Let’s do just one— the key to cooking is balance. You want the mushrooms to compliment the soup, not overpower it,” She explained. “Plant, do you think you could take one and break it off into little pieces into the pot?”

She moved her eyes from the small grass type over to the curled up fuzzball. “Did Conan go to sleep?” She wondered aloud to herself. “Anyways this shouldn’t take long so we’ll be ready to chow down in no time.”

---

((Ooc: I’m going to work on activating Taima this weekend to start plot stuff rolling.))

"Plant? I think we can use them." The heat was returning to his scales. Why was that a question? Why was it so awkward? Ali didn't seem to pay attention even as Shadow directed his questions to her. Was he forgettable, a nuisance, not useful in this foreign process? Yet as his doubts threatened to swallow him once again Alirah's attention snapped back to them. “Oh! Uh, yeah!” Examining his little pile Plant could not tell what the Umbreon was thinking. Were they okay, or not, repulsive, tasty, inappropriate, was he in the way..? “Let’s do just one— the key to cooking is balance. You want the mushrooms to compliment the soup, not overpower it,” Soup. Was that what they were making? The small child did not know the word, and could exclusively eat mushrooms, but validating his suggestion was enough to make his scales tingle with excitement and make him want than to do this right.  

“Plant, do you think you could take one and break it off into little pieces into the pot?” "Oh- Alright," he breathed expectedly, the chance to help a welcome one. Making his own way to the pile he thumbed through it for the best looking morel. A couple had gotten bruised but the best one was easy to spot and take in hand. With a single pirouette the Snivy minimized the amount of leaves that showered down around him. The shimmering purple Magical Leaves had nowhere to go, and fell to the ground in little zigzag waves. They lost their hue, but as Plant took one in his free hand he knew it had not lost its edge.

Making his way back to the wok he tried to focus solely on his given task. He usually ate his mushrooms as is, but he wasn't going to question the Umbreon's methods. While he could have broken the morel apart with his fingers the sharp edge of the leaf made for less bruising, and as each piece plopped into the water he wondered why they needed so much liquid. “Did Conan go to sleep?” Ali spoke, her voice neither worried or angry as she resumed what she was doing. "He sorta just collapsed." He tried to explain, the entire scene being strange to him despite having witnessed it. He had been running around like a crazy person, so it kinda made sense he was tired? Sleep as harmless, so the child tried not to worry about it.

With the last of the mushroom chunked up Plant took one last look at the liquid before backing away from the wok. “Anyways this shouldn’t take long so we’ll be ready to chow down in no time.” Her enthusiasm was infectious, but the child could not get over his harbored doubts. Lots of water, fire, food from cans and smells he had never experienced before? It all felt like some game he used to play in the woods back home, like when he would make stuff from leaves, stones, and mud. "This will be edible? Do we need to dry it at all?" He asked, the point of the water still unclear to him. A scents in the room were enough to make his nose twitch, and his own hunger was starting to get the better of him despite not quite understanding this whole process. He trusted Ali no matter what, but if the candy was anything to go off of this would be overwhelming for him.

The Charizard could see that Plant was explaining to Alirah of the Eevee's position. Though he could say that he did warn him but then again children will be children. It warmed his heart to know that the young still have quite the fantasy still. The world could use some despite this unpleasant world that they all be dragged into. Death, destruction, the living turning on each other and undead wanting to kill at any given chance. No child should ever have to grow in this nightmarish world. “Anyways this shouldn’t take long so we’ll be ready to chow down in no time.” Shadow had to agree. With his flames and Alirah's skills, it would be done in no time at all. All the things was coming together and then Plant asked a question that would be pretty understandable since it is part of cooking and Alirah would know. "This will be edible? Do we need to dry it at all?" Looking at it for a bit, Shadow wondered the same question that Plant asked. He wasn't used to human food.

Shadow then increased the flame on his tail a bit to heat it up a bit more in the room as he was ready to get a stream of flames to go a much hotter temperature. "Since I only experienced candy but not actual human food, I'm very curious on how it will taste." Now this got him wanting to try it as his stomach was beginning to make sounds to say feed me.

Alirah purred comfortably, the once chilly Boutique now taking on a much more cozy, warm temperature thanks to Shadow. She peered into the pan and watched the tiny bubbles begin to rapidly raise to the surface and pop. ”A watched pot never boils,” was only ever said by people not using a Charizard as a heat source apparently!

"This will be edible? Do we need to dry it at all?" Plant asked.

She shook her head ‘no,’ and gestured to the soupy broth with her clawed toe. “Nope. You’re supposed to drink the broth while you eat it— you know how drinking cool water makes you feel refreshed on a hot day? This does kinda the opposite. The warm soup makes you feel warm and cozy on a chilly day.” She explained. “But not everyone likes soup, so some people will just choose to eat the veggies and noodles instead.

"Since I only experienced candy but not actual human food, I'm very curious on how it will taste." Shadow stated.
Alirah turned her head slightly in wonder, imagining for a moment what it would be like to sustain yourself off anything except human-fed meals. Such a foreign concept to the cotton candy Umbreon.
“Say, Shadow. Did you notice anything weird when you got here?” She inquired. She couldn’t tell if the sound she heard was the howling wind or something more sinister. “Any other survivors wandering around maybe?”

“Nope. You’re supposed to drink the broth while you eat it— you know how drinking cool water makes you feel refreshed on a hot day? This does kinda the opposite. The warm soup makes you feel warm and cozy on a chilly day.” Broth, was that the liquid? He had felt so cold for days; between the fog, the swamp, and the lack of good sunlight the small serpent could not get his blood warm or energy up. Would this soup be able to aid him? Plant stayed a safe distance from the flames and heat, but with a stretch of his neck he managed to see the liquid inside. Instead of the seeing clear water or dark metal the liquid had changed hue and opacity, kinda like stirring up mud in a puddle. His head tilted, positive they had not put mud in this mixture yet something had changed it.

“But not everyone likes soup, so some people will just choose to eat the veggies and noodles instead. Settling back on his feet the child trusted Ali's judgement that this was a tasty concoction. As unsure as he was he was willing to try it, and his curiosity would not let him do otherwise. Much like the piece of candy he had before he had no idea what he was in for, and he wouldn't force himself to continue if it didn't agree with him. Smells were wafting out of the wok and filling the room, smells he had never known before. Was it done yet, would it be soon, what were they waiting for? The room flashed brightly as flames spurred up from beneath the pot, panicking the child as he scurried back toward the fort. Why would he do that?! With his heart racing once more Plant needed a distraction, and turned to Conan's motionless lump. "Conan?" He squeaked, hoping to wake the Eevee, or at least get some kind of responce. Nothing else came to mind. What could he say? "Are you awake?"

With things coming along nicely, soup was almost ready to eat. Soon Alirah asked him something that did sound like a curiosity. “Say, Shadow. Did you notice anything weird when you got here?” Anything weird? Only thing that was weird that he seen so far is that there are still no humans around as well as the lack of undead. “Any other survivors wandering around maybe?” Shadow wished he seen other survivors but so far he hasn't seen any. The Charizard shook his head no. There was no such luck on his end since the other living kind of judge him as an undead or a freak. In some sense, those who did treat him lowly are probably undead by now. In a way, Shadow thought they was jumping the gun but even then undeath is something that would make even the most battle hardened pokemon feel uneasy. Mostly because they can just bite another pokemon and then it spreads like a wildfire without anyone to stop it.

With a sigh, Shadow looked out the window again watching the rain continuing to fall as lightning flashes intensely still. "I didn't have such luck finding any survivors. The last survivors I seen was in Orre in a place the humans called the Under. Other than that, I've not seen any since then. Sorry if it doesn't help much. If there is any though, they're likely hiding from the undead." That was all Shadow could really say though. His voice was pretty much truthful on that. Even then, there has been survivors who had hid from him as well because of his appearance. Which in truth did make him feel a bit more feared. "If there are any though and they do come here in a peaceful way, then we would be more prepared in case we run into a hoard of undead."

Alirah trotted off to the further reaches of the Boutique, various clinks and clanks accompanying her. She returned moments later with a set of four bowls— chipped, mismatched, and by no means fancy. But it was all they had, and she slid them across the floor with her nose with care.

She kept her eyes on Shadow, acknowledging his conversation respectfully even as she completed her task. "I didn't have such luck finding any survivors. The last survivors I seen was in Orre in a place the humans called the Under. Other than that, I've not seen any since then. Sorry if it doesn't help much. If there is any though, they're likely hiding from the undead."

Yeah… wasn’t everyone? She liked to imagine there were places even the infection couldn’t inflict it’s evil on. Maybe somewhere everyone could still be happy, where kids could be kids. She moved her gaze to the children for just a moment, quietly wishing maybe someday she could take them to such a place.

"If there are any though and they do come here in a peaceful way, then we would be more prepared in case we run into a hoard of undead." Shadow added.

She nodded her head in agreement. “Yes… The more of us there are, the safer we’ll be. Maybe we could fortify this place some day and never have to worry again.” She laughed softly to herself. A quiet, sad sound. “Can’t hurt to dream.”

Alirah returned once more to the corner where the bowls were stored, grabbing a ladle and awkwardly holding it in her teeth. Her tiny body positioned in a slightly couched way over the pot, her head sideways, she tried ladling the soup into the bowls but quickly conceded defeat. “Shadow? Could you help, pretty please?”

Conan finally stirs after sleeping off the hyperness. He woke to Plant calling to him. "Conan?” The Eevee’s ears perked up at Plant’s voice but he could still hear the thunder as well. "Are you awake?” A yawn comes from Conan as he finally stretches from his nap. The clothes was comfortable but now its time for him to wake up and eat something that both Shadow and Alirah cooked up. He turns and sees Plant looking like he still kind of not trusted Shadow. The Eevee couldn’t blame him. Shadow looked kind of scary and his eyes made him look a bit more like those monsters outside that hurt the other pokemon. Stepping out of the clothes and onto the wooden floor. His tummy started the grumble. Conan sniffed the air and something smelled good.

Looking at Plant, Conan then gave his cheerful smile and also in curiosity of how long he was asleep. ”How long was I sleeping? Is it time to eat our food?” He then stretched his hind legs before coming along with Plant to eat lunch. Another loud crash of thunder sounded off and made him jump a bit. ”That was really loud. Do you think its almost over?” Conan asked Plant. The smell was getting more tempting though as he wanted to see what Alirah and Shadow had made. After they eat though, its back to the pillow fort. They gotta have some more fun in there as it would make more things to do than sit around and do nothing. ”Wanna play in the pillow fort some more after eating? Ooo, we can play I spy.” That was always a fun rainy day thing in a pillow fort.

There were several uncomfortable seconds before the Eevee started to stir. Plant managed to breath a sigh of relief, grateful that he would not be forced walk back over to the flames so quickly or alone when he did. Conan's bleary eyes blinked, looking hazy but not quite tired as he mumbled, ”How long was I sleeping? Is it time to eat our food?” Though he seemed a bit disorientated the Eevee did not appear to be groggy, and as he stood and stretch Plant mumbled, [olor=#2fc014]"Not that long."[/color] Truthfully, the time felt excruciating without his newfound support, but it couldn't have been that long.

For the other question, Plant was unsure how to answer. The mystical scents filling the room, along with a pleasant warmth from the controlled flames gave him a sense of progress. The cooking was coming along, and Ali had mentioned it would soon be ready. "Maybe?" He said as more of a question than a response. "Ali said soon a bit a go, so it might be done." He had no real way of knowing without asking, but before he could even consider that idea another boom of roared roared outside. Plant gave no response, being far past used to the sound, but Conan jumped, his claws skittering on the floor as he gasped, ”That was really loud. Do you think its almost over?”

Shaking his head no the child answered. "Probably not. Its getting louder, so its getting closer. Its still gotta get worse before it gets better." He didn't mean to frighten the other child, and felt a little bad about it, but he wasn't about to lie. Gazing longing at the boiling wok Plant wondered if this food stuff would really be soothing and comforting like Ali said. Conan could use it sure, but a pick-me-up was something he desperately needed. ”Wanna play in the pillow fort some more after eating? Ooo, we can play I spy.” The Eevee's invitations to play and boundless energy were some things he longed to have back. How long had it been since he felt that lively and well? The warmth in the room was helping, but this gloomy town was no place for a plant. "What's eye spy?" He asked, unfamiliar with the name. Verglas had taught him many things, but games were not one of them, much to his dismay.

The storm was still slowly pressing through and the wind wasn't as strong as it was but the rain was still falling at a heavy rate. Shadow then turned his attention to Alirah who felt sad after he answered her question. Fortifying this place though? It would be hard to do that with the lack of human hands since it was them who made these buildings. Humans, Shadow thought about the old people that may not had a chance to escape from Agate. Though he was a wild pokemon, those old humans had at least a sensible mind to retire from pokemon battling at their age. Though he did admit that the old humans did have this uncanny thing for sweets. Never again will he want another piece of sweet candy in his maw again unless he was tricked. It was unlikely but one could never know unless either of the kids do it. “Shadow? Could you help, pretty please?” Looking at Alirah trying to use that unusual thing the humans use to scoop soup, this drew a small smile and a little bit of a giggle from Shadow. Maybe this will be a better day despite it storming. Shadow then grabs the utensil but all he did was look at it trying to figure out how to use it.

This was very perplexing to the charizard on how to use it. Taking it, he tried to do it but what he didn't see is that he had it upside down. "I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough or fast enough to get it to...." The Charizard finally realized that he had it upside down. Humans are such unusual creatures to him. How do they do this stuff day after day? Something he would never know. "So that's how they do it? I guess I should watch the old humans more when this is all over." After that he had to get the soup into the bowls so he started putting some in the first one. It had the ingredients they put into the soup including the mushroom that Plant helped put in. Each scoop was filled with different ingredients and its content was finely blending in to what humans call perfection. Maybe he should try this.

It took all she had not to snicker at the Charizard’s attempts. He held the ladle in his hand and for his attempts she was grateful, but she never imagined the dragon would hold the utensil upside down and try to pour the soup that way.

"I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough or fast enough to get it to...." As she parted her lips and took in a breath to speak, Shadow beat her to the draw and flipped it right-side-up. There was a moment of silence, Alirah’s bottom lip quivering in denial of the laughter she so badly wanted to let out. "So that's how they do it? I guess I should watch the old humans more when this is all over."

”Oh gosh,” she exclaimed as she placed two bowls down for the kids, “you are so entertaining Shadow!”

She paused her giggling only briefly, raising an ear curiously. The wind howled, but underneath the sound was another noise— she was sure this time. Someone was screaming out there.
Alirah quickly perked back up as to not alert anyone to her concerns. She would discuss it with Shadow later, for now her mind was reeling with hows and whys for the sudden appearance of newcomers when Shadow hadn’t noticed them upon arrival.

They’re hiding in the town…

With the food placed neatly into their bowls, Ali arranged them in a wide circle, making sure to leave enough distance in case the kids were still wary of their new friend. “Food is ready!”


((So I’m reworking Laz’s entire history and it’s about halfway done. I’ll still need to write Artemis’ and make art for them both so I’m just going to go ahead and kick off the plot I mentioned on Discord and Laz/Arte will just join later aksjsh. Also we’ve been writing this whole food idea since like 2016. I am mindBLOWN. So if everyone is down, let’s timeskip maybe in a few rounds and start a new day?))

Conan nearly giggled when Plant said something that almost every child should know by now. "What's eye spy?" Well, guess its time to teach him what I spy is but before he could say something, Alirah calls for them. “Food is ready!” Yay, food time and he was hungry. Well maybe he can explain it to Plant while they go to get their food. He sniffed the air and it smelled so good. It was like a heavenly aroma of food that smelled like the stuff back home. Now what will he come to see? It smells like soup but what kind? Its not macaroni and cheese but it still was a good smell. Then he remembered he was supposed to tell Plant what I Spy is. "I Spy is basically a game where we find something and try not to say it but we are to say what color or shape it is. It'll be fun." The Eevee says as he happily trots alongside Plant.

Once they got to where Shadow and Alirah was, he seen what it was. It was homemade soup. It was always a good soup to have. "Soup! It smells so yummy. What's all in it?" Conan asked.

“Food is ready!”

Alirah's bright voice was enough to draw both children's attention. As if under a spell they both started to walk forward without protest, the prospect of food too alluring to resist. What made it ready, how did she know, why did it smell so.. appealing? "I-Spy is basically a game where we find something and try not to say it but we have to say what color or shape it is. It'll be fun." A guessing game? It sounded fun enough but the child's focus had already shifted back toward their coming meal.

Small bowls had been filled from the larger one and arranged neatly for a shared meal. Picking the bowl closest to the Eevee the child settled down in front of it. Warm steam wafted up from the dish and felt nice against his sore hands as he stared intensely into the bowl. The contents were finally low enough to the ground that Plant could see them all clearly, and what a bizarre look it was. Though some of the food items looked familiar, others were utterly foreign to him and hardly resembled food at all. The once clear rainwater had taken on a deeper hue, kinda like stirring up mud in a pond, and Plant wondered if they were about to eat said muck.

"Soup! It smells so yummy. What's all in it?" Conan asked cheerily, his thoughts on the meal being completely different than the grass types. Turning his head sideways Plant reached down to grab one of the wormy looking noodles from the dish. "Are these worms-" he starts to ask, but the moment his small fingers breach the hot broth he pulls them back with a sharp yelp of pain. "It hurt me!" He gasps shrilly, his hurt hand cradled within the other.

OoC)) Skip, will edit this after getting off work.

The boutique was warm.

From the heat of flames, but also for the present moment, the ambiance felt safe. Homey. Like a family dinner at the holidays, despite some of them only knowing each other for a day or so.

Alirah’s heart panged at the absence of their missing friends, how she longed for Kaneki and Hide to burst in alongside the other lost companions, shouting ‘we found them’ like the happy, storybook ending Alirah had come to realize never quite made it to reality.

"Soup! It smells so yummy. What's all in it?" Conan asked.
“Well, there’s the mushrooms Plant found for us, noodles, vegetables— they’re mixed, probably staples like peas and carrots. Maybe even potatoes if we’re lucky!”

"Are these worms-" Plant began, reaching for the broth. Before Alirah could stop him, the poor dear plunged his tiny hands into the still-steaming bowl of liquid. "It hurt me!"

“Oh dear,” Alirah exclaimed, moving swiftly to grab an extra bowl and rush outside to fill it with rain water. The top of her head was soaked in her haste but it mattered not to the Umbreon as she hustled back to the child with only about half of the water she’d collected— the other half trailed along the floor behind her due to her clumsy, hurried steps.
“Here! Put your hand in the cool water, it’ll burn less!” Alirah offered sympathetically. “I’m sorry— I shouldn’t have let that happen!”

Conan watched what Plant did and his first instinct was to say stop Plant from hurting himself on the hot soup but he was a bit to late to stop Plant from doing that. "It hurt me!" Oh no, he got hurt and it made him not want to eat just yet. It must be to hot to lick it and certainly to hot to touch. This then got him to thinking, would Shadow be burnt by it or would he not mind it? It was a question that would surely come to mind afterwards. For now he would have to see how Plant is feeling afterwards. The noodles looked like little strings that mvoe when they are in a windy area. Yet they was under the broth so it made it hard to not notice it. They kind of do look like worms though.

Conan looked at Plant who was hurt. He felt sad that it had to happen to him. The eevee walked over to him and sat next to him with an intent to stay by Plant as much as he could. "You wanna know something Plant? I burnt myself on a hot bowl before and it hurt for a while. I learned if you let the soup cool down enough, it will be safe to lick or touch." Conan hoped Plant would recover soon. Burns aways make things harder and it always hurts when your trying to have fun. If anything, if there is a burn heal, it would help out greatly or even a rawst berry. Wait, maybe they do have a rawst berry here at least he hoped so since Hide and Kaneki did bring some back with them.

“Oh dear,” Alirah's voice sounded over his own yip, hurried steps clacking on the floor as she rushed off. Instinctively Plant tossed his burning fingers into his maw, the touch sensation almost worse than what comfort his saliva had to offer. His mind was reeling, everything else lost beneath the emotional swell. Every scale along his flank prickled with the searing memory of his last burn, of how unbearably painful it was and how long it has taken to heal. Even now brown scales were still flaking off, and his small fingers screamed with an eerily familiar pain, but it was his heart that ached most of all. At that time, when he was his most vulnerable, it was Verglas that had taken care of him. He had saved him from that agony and nursed him back to health.. and now he was gone.

In the instant his fingers touched the soup his eyes began to water, and though he started to snivel from his memories Plant dared to be brave and hold back the tears. “Here! Put your hand in the cool water, it’ll burn less!” The Umbreon's voice breached his mental barrier as she pushed another bowl toward him. Plant easily recognized plain water within, and having faith in the pink Pokémon, plunged his fingers into it without hesitation. The relief was immediate, the soothing touch of cold water almost painfully good as he let the aches soothe away. “I’m sorry— I shouldn’t have let that happen!” Alirah soothed, her voice genuine. Plant sniffs, fighting his damnedest against the tears. It had hurt but it had been more of a shock than anything, and he could see his scales were all intact and the pain was already starting to fade.

"It's okay." He simpers, pulling his fingers out to give them a tender lick. It was an accident, a surprise, and not something be blamed on the Umbreon. He looked down at the bowl and saw the thin trails of steam coming off of it and the heat that went along with it. It happened because it was something he didn't know, something he should have realized, rather than something he should have been warned about. He was but the fool and deserved to be labeled as such. "You wanna know something Plant? I burnt myself on a hot bowl before and it hurt for a while. I learned if you let the soup cool down enough, it will be safe to lick or touch." Conan's words were light, a clear effort to cheer him up or perhaps teach him what he had learned. Oh how their experiences differed, he thought, and continued to look down at the bowl after giving the Eevee a small glance.

We heated it up to let it cool down? What a strange idea. The entire process of cooking had been one left turn after another, but until Plant actually got to try the fruits of their labor he wasn't going to cast it aside completely. "'Blow on it?" He repeated after the Eevee. Not daring to touch the bowl of the liquid again so soon he considered pouring his second bowl of water into the first. However, he thought otherwise encase the soup bit him again. Leaning forward and wincing at the touch of the steam against his snout, the child blew lightly on the liquid. It rippled, not enough to spill but enough to disrupt his reflection within it as he tried to cool it down. Would this really work, was it doing anything at all? Plant felt silly, and were it not Conan that told him to do so he may have quit out of embarrassment, but curiosity and hunger won one as he continued to cool the food to a reasonable temperature.