companions {{mod

[Kitty]

The day had dawned bright and clear, promising to be a good old Caligo summer morning. As expected the temperatures continued to rise steadily throughout the morning, until, around lunchtime, the young woman walking the streets was beginning to feel as if she were baking in the heat. Many of the residents of Lacewing Town seemed to have found it wiser to stick to the indoors, staying home or locked in their work buildings. Few people were on the streets. Peyton Caldwell was one of those people, and she was beginning to wish she weren't.

Peyton was a young lady who was used to physical activity; she used to go jogging a every morning before she left home. But that was just it--she went jogging in the morning, when temperatures were still cool and she wasn't miserable. In all honesty, however, she would almost certainly be less miserable if she had someone to talk to. Since she'd left home Peyton had only had brief conversations with store keepers and a few acquaintances; she wasn't used to being surrounded by so many people and having no one there to talk to. Usually she had, at least, her younger sister to keep her company.

Her loneliness had brought about her next decision; never had Peyton been one for Pokémon, but having a companion during her search would be nice. And she'd heard Pokémon made excellent companions. For this cause she was bound for Professor Laurel's laboratory, a modern-looking building in the center of Lacewing Town that Peyton had seen many a time but never actually entered. Soon enough the building was in her sights and she was approaching the front door.

Peyton felt a bit ridiculous as she climbed the steps; most people who received Pokémon were young, often in their early teens. To have a twenty-three year old walk up to get her first Pokémon was the slightest bit humiliating. This is the only time you'll have to do this,

[/color] she reassured herself. Then you can be on your merry way with your very own Pokémon.[/color]

With that, she raised her fist and knocked on the door.[/blockquote]

[Cai]

A knock resounded, and Professor Laurel looked up in bemusement. When would people realise that his door was always open in the day? He shook his head good naturedly and walked over, opening the door for whoever it was seeking entry. "It's not locked, child-" he stopped when he realised the person standing in his doorway was not a small child as he'd been anticipating, but actually a woman, perhaps in her early twenties. "Oh, pardon me," he corrected jovially, "Do come in. How may I help you, Miss..?" he waved her in cheerfully and considered her over his shoulder. She was tall, dark-haired, with a tattoo visible on her arm. Presumably very beautiful: not the typical type of person who came in through Laurel's doorway, but still, who was he to judge?

They passed through into the aerated, cool lab and the Professor wandered over to the small handheld device he was tinkering with, pulling gingerly at the exposed wires. He waited patiently for the girl to explain her presence - perhaps she wanted advice over some Pokémon matter, or knew of someone who wanted a starter. A young sibling, perhaps, too shy to come and inquire themselves. He glanced up from the electronic device, about to suggest something along those lines, until a thought occurred and he realised.

He smiled slightly, chastising himself for not realising earlier. She had the posture of someone about to ask for her own starter, not for someone else. He wasn't used to seeing it on adults, but it was there. That slight air of uncertainty, maybe even bashfulness at having to confess that they wanted one. "Hmm. I believe I know what you're seeking, after all," he commented. "You wish to start a Pokémon journey?" Many years of doing the same job proffered some level of expertise, and Professor Laurel happened to be an excellent judge of young trainers. He had a definite knack for it.

[Kitty]

Finally the door swung open; the seconds seemed to stretch into hours standing on the welcome mat. Peyton nodded gratefully at the man who could only be Professor Laurel. Obviously he had expected someone much younger than the woman to be standing at his front door, confirming Peyton's notion that she was perhaps a bit too old for getting a starter Pokémon. The man corrected his mistake quickly and cheerfully; she could already tell that Professor Laurel was a good-natured, cheery man.

Inside the air was much cooler and more pleasant. The professor made quick business of returning to whatever contraption he'd been working on prior to her entrance, no doubt waiting on Peyton's explanation for being here. Surely he'd never had someone her age come in and ask for a Pokémon. Thankfully she was saved the embarrassment of asking because Professor Laurel, intelligent man he was, figured it out himself.

"Well, sort of," Peyton said, relieved. "I'm definitely here for a Pokémon and a journey, but not really...a Pokémon journey." What if he refused to give her a Pokémon knowing that she wasn't going to start an actual Pokémon journey? Surely this kind man wouldn't do that, right? "Mostly I'd like a...companion, you know?"

Suddenly a realization dawned on Peyton. Perhaps Vivian left...and came here! She would want company, and Vivian would want something to do, as well. Starting a Pokémon journey would be the perfect solution! Peyton would have to ask Professor Laurel before she left.

[Cai]

[[xD;;;]]

Laurel smiled kindly at the young woman, who seemed a little anxious about her visit to his lab. It was more difficult to come to him, he supposed, the older you were. As a child you could be carried to his lab on a wave of excitement, eager to get a Pokémon and not saddled by fears about the future and a sense of what if things go wrong? Yet it was not entirely uncommon for adults to visit him in search of a companion - true, it did not happen regularly, and the majority of people who came were aged ten to eighteen, but adult novice trainers showed up now and then.

"Yes, yes, I completely understand..." he nodded sagely. "I have helped many like you over the years, I assure you. It is not always eager ten year olds who feel it is time to begin their time with Pokémon at their side," he smiled, already reaching for the door handle of his store cupboard. "What did you say your name was, Miss?" he called, crouching down to examine a tin of labelled Pokéballs before he tutted, rearranged the contents and put it back again.

A few more moments passed as he skimmed the next row of Pokéballs, selecting a couple from a small, velvety box. He held one up to the light, smiled, and pocketed it, then moved on. The process continued before he at last had three, and he placed all his storage boxes back on the shelves as he reemerged from the storeroom. He picked up a leathery bag as he wandered back across to the girl, rubbing his cheek as he contemplated her.

"Well. Since companionship is your wish, and not simply strength and battle-readiness, I have here three Pokémon whose characters are much more suited to a mature trainer. This is a Blitzle, a Panpour and a Stantler," Laurel explained, offering the three Pokéballs. "Choose one, and they shall serve you well wherever you should find yourself".

PEYTON IS OFFERED ONE OF:
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