smash_logs | I Don't Have a Title for This: The Log

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I Don't Have a Title for This: The Log

Who: Smash's Empath (Voile), and People
What: A catch-all of catching things.
When: Jan. 26 ~ Feb. 09
Where: Beneath the cut will tell you all.
Warnings: ~~If you're the unlucky victim, you may have to dodge things that are thrown.~~ Uhm. Probably not? Will update as necessary.

From an outside standpoint, Voile had a thought to commend herself. It took dedication to keep away from the other eyes of the academy and the town. It took some form of commitment to willingly hole one's self up in a room. But she wasn't about to sing of it with pride for there was never any good reason to deliberately decline from speaking to others. It was less that she had wanted to worry them and more that she believed if she began to speak - truly - that she'd lose the composition she was so accustomed to portraying and conveying.

She had lost it once already, with Marie during the power outage. She would not do so again.

Cammy, the ever thoughtful, had been Voile's one consistent companion. While the gardevoir hadn't said much, she hadn't wanted to worry the pretty blonde either and by the extent Voile went to 'protect' herself, she was pretty sure that wasn't happening. But she still carried on conversation - when she carried on conversation. And most of Voile's time during the day was spent reading, writing, polishing the charms on her ribbons, and sketching out designs for what would soon be either a costume for one of Seth's host club gatherings, or the soon-to-come contest hall.

At night, she crept out of the shared dormitory, visited the showers and the student kitchen, and occasionally seemed pleased enough to sit in the rec room and enjoy some peace and quiet without the concern of having to avoid unwanted faces in the halls or the classrooms, or anywhere else she might have ventured off to. So in a way, Voile had easily become more a creature of the night.

[Famous OoC Notes.
♦ Know those office logs we sometimes have? This works like that. Pick a time, pick a day, pick a location. I will work with it!
♦ Action or prose, your choice!
♦ This log may contain soy beans, various forms of toast, a flock of dove birds, bottles of pinot noir, elf ears that are not attached to elves, wildflowers, and overly curious crustaceans. This log has been manufactured in a plant that processes peanuts and may contain oil or other allergens.

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Well, Phoenix felt a little better at least when Voile explained that a Pokeball didn't necessarily equal suffering. But still, how many Pokemon were crammed into those things each day? He didn't want to think about it. And how many Pokemon were afraid of dark?

Nonetheless, he gave a slightly relieved exhale when Voile put her arm around his. It still felt a little strange; it wasn't quite skin that he felt on his sleeve, but something different. Not quite human. Most of the Pokemon he encountered were in their humanoid forms, so he wondered if he was going to have to spend extended time with Voile in her "true" form. He didn't mind it exactly, he just had to get used to it.

"I hope I can continue to make you happy then." He looked at her and smiled, patting her hand with his own. "And you already make me happy."

Sensing his... not quite discomfort, but something like it, Voile took a moment to look up at him. If she smiled so much, she was sure her face would get stuck in just such an expression. Except he couldn't see it the way he could have with her human features. In a way, it made it easier to be a gardevoir because she was so much more difficult for him to read. Her traits didn't make her quite such an open book and it was a good way to defend herself.

Except with Phoenix in her life, she imagined that pathways would lead her to trust him. And that he would defend her. She wouldn't have to do everything alone any longer and she had him that she could accompany. The very concept tickled her pink.

You are going to make me blush, was how she began. No connotation other than a genuine sincerity of being flattered. Then she lifted her right hand, in hopes of covering his eyes. Provided he trusted her enough. Do... you mind? As if she had meant to change clothes in front of him. Voile's modesty seemed boundless.

It was difficult for Phoenix to read Voile's expression in her gardevoir form, but he could still detect a warm happiness from her. And in turn, he felt a warmth spread throughout him as well. Maybe he didn't know exactly what this trainerhood entailed, but clearly such a thing was good. Voile was clearly happy, so his initial mission in visiting her had been accomplished.

When the hand covered his eyes, it took him a moment to realize what Voile was doing. Oh, right. Transforming.

"Oh! Sure, sorry." Phoenix shuffled his legs and spun his body around so he faced the wall away from her.

Thank you.

It was the last uttered thought she gave to him, with no effort to hide the appreciation she seemed to leak. Phoenix always had been kind to her. Sweet, endearing, bashful, and supportive. Strong in his own way. Strong in his conviction, she thought. Always doing what he thought was right or what he thought needed to be done. Perhaps naive in some ways, but she was, too.

They could help one another. It was a fleeting thought of hers, one that she filed away for later, and after she changed back into what she felt he'd find more comfortable, her hands lowered and she dusted herself off. It was, perhaps, the first time she realised how much heavier she felt as a human. That long hair. That body. There was a lot more to her in spite of how twig-like she was.

"Ta-da," she said just loud enough for him to hear.

When Voile finally spoke, Phoenix took that as a cue for him to turn around. It was a relief to hear actual speech instead of that strange telepathic communication. He felt a little less... vulnerable that way. So when he turned, he saw the Voile that he was more familiar with, the pretty humanoid girl he had initially visited this afternoon.

So he gave a soft smile in response. "So, I take it you're feeling better now?" At least he hoped she was, since that was the purpose of his visit.

And in some ways he felt better too. Satisfied that he wasn't the cause of Voile's anguish, and in fact was now the cause of her feeling better... While he may not have known much about training Pokemon, he still felt a sense of warmth that he now had a family to care for. Sure, he had his parents whom he communicated with now and then, but that was different. He didn't take care of them. But it wouldn't be like caring for a daughter... It was a whole different category, and the thought of pursuing it made him both nervous and excited.

Slipping her hands behind her back, she blushed a bit bashfully when he looked her over. She always had felt considerably younger than him and she imagined that in truth, she was. Perhaps. It was hard to say because she'd never asked him how old he was, and she could only guess as to her age. It was easier to go by the age that she was given by the hands, after all.

"I feel..." She began with some thought. Lifting her right hand, she slipped it over her heart, as if trying to give it great thought. There were so many people at the academy that it was almost always very difficult to determine where her feelings were. Silence reigned for a few moments longer as she tried to compose herself, to proverbially categorise the sensations she experienced between hers and others. "I feel as if my shoulders are not so heavy. I feel as if I am not so... cold. And yet I'm uncertain and nervous. With a trainer comes both great joy and also the insecurity that I will not be able to bring you pride."

Voile nodded slowly, as if she continued to put her words together in her mind. She was replaying everything she said just to ensure that it made sense. It seemed to be all right, though.

Well, he hoped that he made her feel better. Truthfully he was uncertain and nervous too since he barely knew what being a trainer entailed and had never visited any of the Pokemon regions. He was a total foreigner and he felt like he wasn't worthy of being a "trainer."

So maybe it was a slight relief to hear that Voile was nervous about a similar thing, that she wouldn't be worthy of him. Not a relief in the sense that he wanted her to be afraid - he wanted to ease her worry and not contribute to it, after all - but relief in the sense that they had an awkward camaraderie in that each was afraid of disappointing the other.

"You already bring me pride as a student... and a friend." He smiled warmly as he looked at her. It was a cheesy thing to say, probably, but he wanted to assure her of such.

"That is because I am a studious pupil," she blatantly replied with a knowing smile, "and an empathic being. I should hope at the very least that I'm a good friend and a good student."

She was partially teasing. Partially. A little. There was likely more truth to it than she wanted to admit. But instead of confessing to it, she laced her hands together and looked a little more pleased with herself. Or with him. Or with them as a pair. What a trainer and pokemon set they'd be. Both a little insecure, and both relying on the other for the strength when needed.

Voile thought that was perfect.

"From here, Phoenix, we should work together. I'll try to fill in where you feel that you're lacking and I trust you to do the same." Then she turned a little pink. A pleasant sort of blush. "So let's just do our very best."

He couldn't help but give a small laugh at her initial comment. "You are, but you need to come to class for that!" Well, that was his initial purpose of this visit, after all. But it was light teasing.

Still, he felt somewhat pleased with the outcome of this event. He came in to find out what was wrong with Voile and now he was coming out with... a Pokemon to train. A new adventure to fill some sort of void in his life, or so he hoped. He smiled as she blushed then. "Yeah. I'm... not good at this trainer business, so I'll appreciate the help."

"Well, your pokenav-" she paused and motioned to him. "What I got you for Christmas. If you point that to a pokemon, it'll give you information on them. I think it should work on humanised pokemon, too. I knew you were curious about them... us, so I wanted to give you something I thought you could get a lot of use out of."

As she fidgeted, which seemed to be a bit of a childlike way of expressing herself, she tried to think of what else would help him. "I'll try to answer any questions you have, too. And... I can translate for you- with other pokemon, anyway. At least if I can understand them." Because it wasn't exactly cut and dry. "I imagine it may seem overwhelming, or will for a while."

His face lit up a bit at the mention of the pokenavigator. "Oh! Yes, I love that device! I've used it a few times and it's very informative." He actually reached into his pocket and pulled it out, remembering he had it on him, along with a few other things he kept with him at all times. Though sometimes he forgot about it since he wasn't a Pokemon expert.

When he pulled it out, he held it up in front of Voile and watched the device scan her.

Gardevoir: It apparently does not feel the pull of gravity because it supports itself with psychic power. It will give its life to protect its Trainer.

It will give its life to protect its trainer... And that was Phoenix. It was a nice sentiment, one that he supposed he shared, since Voile was family now. And he had an obligation to protect her.

"I'm very happy it's been of some use to you."

She didn't even need to say the words for the way her expression brightened when he spoke of his Christmas gift said it all for her. That was another pro to being fond of the humanised form. It made her sometimes much easier to read and that was good when she was trying to be optimistic for other people.

As he scanned her, she was unsure if it would pick up her human form, and even as it did, she looked pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know it could do that."

Tapping at her chin, Voile kept a warm smile, "So you can theoretically scan every pokemon in your class. Or the academy in its entirety. I'm sure you'd learn a lot. Even better, once you input that data into your navigation, it'll keep it, so you can go back and reference it later. Not sure if it'll work in the other regions, but it'd be worth a try if you ever get curious for new worlds."

The device could definitely be useful. Phoenix didn't use it as much as he should have ~~due to plot device reasons like not wanting to find out that Warren is really a Persian~~. And part of him might have felt it to be a bit invasive, especially since it gave away information about Voile so easily, like about her giving her life for her trainer. (Though, that wasn't too personal, was it?)

"I wonder if it works on humans?" he asked aloud. He held out the device to her, then, letting her take it. His implied question was simple enough - he wanted to be scanned and see if the thing would say something ridiculous. Maybe it could scan beyond Pokemon... Maybe Phoenix could use it to find out crucial information.

She didn't mind being so open with Phoenix. There was little point in trying to hide anything, after all. Especially when he could just use his Pokénav to figure it all out. Besides, what did she really need to keep from him? He seemed to know well enough all that was going on with her.

"I'm uncertain. It does appear to work on me as I'm humanised. It's possible. With the right criteria in the Pokédex. Your navigation system is set up to observe and record the various Pokémon up through the Sinnoh region." She figured he wouldn't understand that, though. "Find someone to put in information about people and I'm sure it'll be able to record your observations of them as well."

"Okay," He agreed, taking back the device. He wasn't a science-y person, so he wasn't exactly sure how this device worked, but obviously it had the genetic code for each Pokemon stored in its memory. Probably not for humans, then... Phoenix couldn't really picture how this would work back at home since there were no Pokemon, but it would be useful here.

"Well... Maybe I should stick to Pokemon." He almost felt it was intrusive to use it already in some degrees, but the information given was pretty vague, at least. Then again, the information it gave about Voile only gave a brief descriptor of her physiology, a move set, and said that she would give her life for her trainer. Slightly invasive... But was that just general to all Gardevoirs?

"Say, Voile..." Phoenix asked, hand to his chin in thought, "Have you ever known any other Gardevoirs?"

When he inquired, she found herself pausing. That was getting into territory that she just wasn't accustomed to. No one had really asked before and it wasn't anything she ever brought up frequently. In fact, she tried to remember if she'd talked about it with anyone since she arrived in the academy. She didn't think so.

"Well, I... suppose my parents," she began with some thought. "And some of my siblings. I came from a fairly large family."

Tapping at her chin, Voile was quiet a few moments longer before she spoke up. "I was still a Ralts when I was caught, but as far as I know the entire evolution line has the same psychic and empathic background. The ability just gets stronger as I evolve. Well, did. As far as I know, I don't have an additional evolution."

Phoenix nodded as Voile explained about her family. Right, Gardevoir was third in an evolution line as far as he knew. It was strange to think of Voile as anything other than a Gardevoir (or, well, anything other than the humanoid girl that sat before him), but everyone was a child at one point in their lives.

"Hm... Okay... I was just wondering if... Well, what the thing this Pokemon Navigator said was true to all Gardevoirs."

It was a difficult question. Mostly because Voile had never known another one with a trainer. Without the trainer as it was, they were already something... akin to dedicated and loyal. At least, if her family was any indication. It was part of why it had been so difficult to leave them.

No one ever really expected to be picked up and carried away without actually ever being to give a farewell.

Her head tipped from side to side and she gave an idle shrug, "If the Pokénav picked it off of me, it's probably an inherent trait that all Gardevoir have when they form their bond with the trainer. I know they're protective over family, and very nurturing to all other Pokémon, too. Definitely maternal. I think it's in our natural instinct to take care of others. Likely the empathy."

He nodded. Okay, it wasn't quite so much a personal information thing then. It was just something true of her species. Or her race... or... whatever Pokemon were classified as. Part of him felt very fortunate that the Pokemon he was... adopting... was someone who was indeed so loyal and protecting, an inherently kind person who would seemingly do anything for him. Not that Phoenix wanted her to do "anything" but...

"Well, I think it's a good trait to have then. I'm glad that you get to be my first Pokemon." He smiled at her then, giving a gentle pat on her shoulder.

The look she gave him was of utter pride. As if she simply couldn't be any happier. Because there was a type of glee she got out of hearing something that might have been trivial. Perhaps it was because she was his Pokémon. His first one, at that.

"You can always rely on me," she reassured him happily.

And I can always rely on you. Which warmed her heart.

It was a precious moment that they shared, it seemed. Well, a precious afternoon. Phoenix came in worried that he had crushed Voile's heart by rejecting her advances, but was coming out full of pride that he gained a family member.

"I'm glad." He smiled warmly then, before he stood up from the bed.

"Well, I should probably get going. I guess... as your trainer, my first order is for you to start coming back to class!" He winked at her.

She blinked when she heard him. And then she found that she couldn't resist laughing.

"Oh, is that right?" The very concept was amusing. His first order for her. First command. As her trainer. As her trainer. She was absolutely tickled pink.

"Very well. I'll be sure to return to class and catch up on my homework. Sorry to make you worry." But she looked so soft that she knew very well he worried of his own accord.

He found himself laughing along with her. It was strange to give orders, and it wasn't something he really wanted to do often as a trainer. As a teacher, sure, he'd give assignments, but that was a different kind of thing.

"It's okay. I'm just glad that you seem better."

He headed toward the door, opening it up. As his hand rested on the handle, he turned back toward Voile. "I'll see you in class then!"

And she was better. There was no denying that. And she didn't feel she needed to say it again either. He didn't need to reassure her.

Her hand lifted as she watched him begin to leave and even when he turned to look back at her once more, she wiggled her fingers with a small smile. "Yes, Sir. I'll see you in class."

Thank you, once more. It remained unsaid and she was careful not to insert it into his thoughts either, but she was pretty sure it was remotely noticeable on the features of her face.

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I Don't Have a Title for This: The Log

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