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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 23:50:39 GMT -5
The 'eons took off in their respective directions. With a much more confident stride, Chance bounded into the master bathroom, snatched up a clean towel, and started back to the barn.
Austin was slower to enter the house. It was a more difficult concept for him; he didn't exactly like being in closed quarters, especially the human's quarters. But he trotted inside and found Note. He'd retreated to the family room, keeping the girls at bay while he relayed all he knew to Dr. Pretz. The last thing he wanted was them bursting in on Ellie, getting an eyeful of something they didn't want to see, and getting in the way.
Chelle was fueling a steady protest, absolutely indignant in being left out of the loop. She was on the verge of a tantrum when Chance walked in. He completely stole her attention. "Puppy," she cried, flinging herself at him. "You tell me what happened, okay?"
The Umbreon startled, but slowly, his body relaxed and he wagged his tail. He was still unused to the youngest Surge-Curtis, who was a little more willing to throw herself onto anything with fur than her siblings. Knowing full well that she would try to follow Chance if not distracted, he crouched, scooped her onto his back, and trotted around the room, giving her a bouncy ride. At first she seemed dissatisfied, but she was soon smiling, and her tantrum was long behind her. With the little one satisfied, he approached Eliza and put his head in her lap. He didn't get a lot of chances to play with the children unless they were on the ranch, but he found them absolutely delightful; a little too fragile to play with properly, so he had to find substitutes. In the house they had to be gentle. It helped to remind him to meter his strength. Kids didn't bite or attack. They just ran around, screamed, and petted.
Chance returned promptly with a towel that was only adorned with a few grass stains. He dropped it beside Ellie and then backed up, conscious to stay out of her way.
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 0:06:32 GMT -5
"Thank you, Chance." Eleanor lowered herself onto her knees, gently laying the Umbreon onto his side with his injured leg facing the ceiling. She couldn't tell exactly what was going on beneath the matted fur and blood, but that's what Dr. Pretz was for. She could only hope that she would be there soon.
With a sigh, Ellie lifted a hand and rubbed the top of the Espeon's head before it flopped lazily onto her lap. Though concerned for the maimed Pokémon, she couldn't help but crack an incredulous chuckle at the idea of possible circumstances surrounding this. Ever since Ellie and Note had grown up and started their family, they didn't have time to be the Pokémon trainers they had been when they were young - not with their old teams, anyway. Her beloved childhood Pokémon were left to busy themselves on her family's picket fenced acres, having adventures and romances, and starting families of their own. She couldn't help but wonder about all the going ons that weren't brought to their attention.
"Arceus," she sighed, glancing between the Espeon and Sylveon, "what do you guys do?"
***
"Hey, bubby!" Eliza squealed when Austin laid his head on her lap. The little girl had been reading her book, but not really. Her mind was swamped with concoctions of what her mother could possibly be doing right now. If Mom had felt the need to usher her and Chelle back inside, it meant that whatever Chance had to show her was not for her eyes. That only made her want to see it even more.
She rubbed Austin's cheeks and side-eyed her father. Did he know? Grown ups always seemed to communicate telepathically, or something.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 0:28:47 GMT -5
Chance couldn't suppress an amused huff. It was nice to know that little scandals like these weren't only troublesome to Winter's big brothers. His work was done for now, but he wasn't about to leave Winter alone; surely someone with a critical gaze was nearby, and he didn't want to leave her to their tongue lashings on her own. He kneaded himself a place on a low stack of hay bales nearby, where he could watch his sister, Ellie, and the stranger. All they had to do now as hurry up and wait.
* * *
Dr. Pretz arrived in about half an hour. She landed at the back door within the ranch; years of working with the Surge-Curtis family led her to know that it was a better starting point than the front door. Note answered before she knocked, and Austin reluctantly slipped away from the kids to lead her off. Before Chelle could slip through the door between his feet- a feat she was very good at -he caught her by the shirt and closed it. Their curiosity would have to hold out a little longer.
The vet walked into the barn with a suitcase, ready to work. "Hello, Eleanor," she greeted, her tone a little more friendly than was formal. Her eyes fell upon the strange Umbreon, and despite herself, she let out an intrigued "Oh" as she settled before him. "What a pretty 'eon. It's not one of yours?" She was already pulling out antiseptic and preparing her tools, even as she appreciate the creature's beauty.
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 0:39:03 GMT -5
"Dr. Pretz," Eleanor greeted, relief heavy in her tone as she got to her feet and dusted off her knees, taking the doctor's hand politely. She cast a look at the strange creature on the towel, following the doctor's gaze. She crouched beside the woman and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Seems to be a friend of my Eevees, though. Chance, Winter and Austin brought him to me," she informed her. "I can only imagine where they found an Umbreon like this. I've never seen anything like it before."
Winter's icy eyes flickered between the two women as she sat patiently on the other side of Ryu, her tail flicking irritably behind her. She knew that her friend would be okay now with the Pokémon doctor here, but she was still inherently worried for his wellbeing. She knew, despite what the Umbreon would willingly express, how depressed he would be with even a temporary limp. Ryu thought he was so stoic and sneaky, but Win had a Sylveon's intuition, and the nosiness of a thousand sleuths.
She was not unaware of Chance's lingering presence either.
"I probably owe you some kind of explanation, huh?" she sighed.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 10:52:42 GMT -5
"I was going to say that he'd go right along with your odd little brood," Pretz said, injecting an anesthetic, "but he's definitely a different breed." There was no way to align this lean little Umbreon with the big, broad 'eons running around the ranch. No, he was certainly of different blood. "The anesthetic will keep him drowsy, but I'd like you to hold his head." Trusting Ellie to keep a hold on him, she cleaned and dressed the wound. It was not of the caliber of some of the other wounds she had been called to treat over the years, but without care it would certainly be troublesome. With the way this guy was built, she could tell that a bad leg would cramp his style.
Chance's eyes followed the doctor's hands. His tail ticked softly, synced unknowingly with Winter. Medical procedures had always fascinated him, when they were done on quiet Pokémon. And Winter's unease was extremely potent. He couldn't have ignored either if he wanted to. "Yeah. I think you do."
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 11:42:07 GMT -5
Eleanor giggled lightly, staring at the features of the Umbreon with delicate wonder. Was he some sort of special shiny Pokémon? His purple rings were definitely closer in colour to a shiny Umbreon's blue than their natural yellow rings.
As per the doctor's request, the blonde took his head, petting his brow softly as she secured his place. As her hand passed over his fringe, moving it off of his eye, Ellie noticed something.
"Huh?" she muttered, cocking her head to the side to get a better view. On the Umbreon's right eye was a dark grey marking in a very peculiar shape. She felt like she had seen it before, somewhere... but where?
Winter shuffled her paws. "He just... had nowhere to go." She wondered how much information she could disclose to satiate her brother, without giving away Ryu's identity. Not that it would mean anything to Chance, she figured, but Ryu's whole thing was about being unknown... not that it much mattered anymore, laying at the heart of her very gossipy family's home.
"Ryu ran a lot of... errands for his family," she murmured, recalling the stories that Ryu had once told her in confidence. "And... when he came home from one, one day, he found was... gone. So he... sort of just found himself in our woods."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 11:53:46 GMT -5
Pretz's gaze shifted to the source of Eleanor's intrigue. Her eyes narrowed thoufhtfully; that certainly wasn't a normal scar. "What is that?" She asked, returning to her work on the leg.
"Was his family nearby?" Chance inquired, kneading the hay. He didn't like how cagey Winter was being about this guy. He didn't get the impression that she was hiding something dangerous, but the fact that she wasn't forthcoming didn't make him anymore comfortable with this guy.
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 12:38:44 GMT -5
"I... I'm not sure," Ellie mused aloud, gingerly lifting the Umbreon's head to more clearly inspect it. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere, though... like in a book, or something. A long time ago." Perhaps she would borrow Eliza's schoolbooks later. Hopefully it was nothing dangerous.
"Mahogany Town, he said." She flattened her ears marginally, watching Chance's claws work on the hay beneath their feet. She needed to get better at not-telling-whole-truths.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 13:33:16 GMT -5
When the leg was treated, Pretz pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the mark. "It does seem familiar."
Chance cocked his head to the side. He didn't know enough about Mahanoy Town to know exactly what that implied. He turned his attention to the humans, hoping that they might be more informative.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 13:56:31 GMT -5
When the leg was treated, Pretz pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the mark. "It does seem familiar."
Chance cocked his head to the side. He didn't know enough about Mahanoy Town to know exactly what that implied. He turned his attention to the humans, hoping that they might be more informative.
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 14:31:18 GMT -5
Ellie pressed her thumb against her lips, trying to recall just where she might know that symbol from. Unfortunately, she was drawing blanks. Shaking her head, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. What's important was that the Umbreon was on the road to recovery now, thanks to the reliable Dr. Pretz.
"Thank you, Doctor," Eleanor smiled, getting to her feet. "Do you want to stay for tea or coffee for a little bit, before you go?"
Winter glanced at Chance from her peripheral vision, and felt a weight roll off her shoulders. Perhaps he was satisfied, for now. Exhaling, she looked down at Ryu, whose breathing seemed more natural than before. I'm glad.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 14:45:13 GMT -5
She smiled. "I would love to. I'd like to check in on him once he's more alert anyway." She dusted her off and got to her feet. Looking between the two visible eons she added, "It looks like we can trust his company to clue us in about that."
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 15:02:57 GMT -5
Eleanor walked towards the exit of the barn, throwing an appreciative smile over her shoulder. "Yes, I believe you're right." The Sylveon who caught her gaze lowered herself onto her belly in response, tucking her forepaws against her chest. Ellie had only just met the Umbreon, but it seemed like he and Angelo's daughter had some kind of history. It was baffling how much went on without her knowing. She almost felt guilty.
Stepping out into the sunlight, the blonde covered her eyes as they adjusted. Squinting, she could see the burgundy rooftops and water tower of Mahogany Town just on the horizon. It was not that far off from the ranch, situated beside the Lake of Rage.
Then, something clicked. Ellie turned to Dr. Pretz, blue eyes rounded. "It was Mahogany Town!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist down unto her open palm. "There's this little old woman who owns the grocery there, where I shop. Whenever I'm at the check out, she always goes on about the culture and history of Mahogany Town. Her store has old paintings on the wall - one in particular has a symbol like this. I wonder if he's her Pokémon?"
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 23, 2017 15:58:52 GMT -5
The doctor'd eyes shined. "You're right! If he's not her, then maybe she can help us figure out whose he is." She flexed her wrists in an attempt to meter her excitement. It felt extremely unprofessional to sho such enthusiasm, but she had trouble hiding that she was a naturally excitable person. "Do you have a way to contact her?"
Once the humans left, Chance shifted and looked around. He couldn't see in the barn, but of course, they weren't alone. Austin had disappeared some where inside, and he could onot guess that Vivian and Angel weren't far off. He leapt from his perch and padded along the aisle, searching for their familiar energy. To no one's surprise, Vivian had Austin cornered.
The mutant's interrogation was leading her nowhere, to her growing frustration. The fact of the matter was she had no idea what he might have to tell her; only that he had sometging to hide. Austin, for his part, was silent, ears down and with a doe-eyed loOK on his face. With Vivian's patience dwindling, Chance interjected. "If you want to learn anything, you'll have to talk to Winter."
Her dimly glowing eyes locked on him through the darkness, and narrowed to dangerous slits. Years ago, the look would have made him squirm with indistinct fear. Now, However, he could tell the differece between anger directed at him, and simple irritation. He stepped out of her way as she trotted after her daughter.
She should have known that Winter was the cause of Austin's stuttering. Whenever he did something bad of his own accord, he couldn't wait to tell her. It was only when his little sister was involved that he got cagey. And Winter was much more ready to test her patience than Chance or Austin were. She wasn't as young as she used to be; Win couldn't get away with a lot that her brothers couldn't, just because Viv couldn't catcheck her like she could them. But that didn't stop her from from trying to keep her straight. Arceus forbid she do something stupid that scarred up her precious, innocent face. Viv would not have that. She was too perfect to end up ugly.
"Win," she growled, coming up behind her. "What's going on?" Her gaze shifted to the Umbreon lying in the hay. She needed to know nothing more than he was pretty and unfamiliar to be on the defensive. "Who is that?"
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Post by Atticus on May 23, 2017 16:17:34 GMT -5
Ellie considered this. "I don't know if the grocery has a working telephone, or if she knows how to use one. Mahogany Town still isn't the most modern city in Johto, anyway. We could swing by after some coffee?" the woman offered, endeared by the older lady's enthusiasm as she lead them inside.
Winter could hear Vivian's claws grazing the barn floor with each step, but against all instinct, she stayed put. "His name is Ryu," she started, trying to keep her voice steady. "He's an Umbreon that was attacked in his den this morning and just needed some help from the human doctor. He's not dangerous. Not to us."
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