Finding New Muse [Lab]

[Gardeon]

Oakley

Oakley shook the new trainers hand as gently as he could with the excitement bubbling through his arms before the gesture came and he chuckled, "Feel free, my mama's number and uncles are in your device automatically because ya know, head of the rangers and police, as well as a number for the lab in case you ever want to call here with questions or for a visit" he answered, pausing a moment later. Well, the concept still stood, even without the speaking part. As the other trainer moved back towards the lab, Oakley paused for a moment and turned to the pens, looking over them for a few seconds before he noted the gesture before. Well normally this was were people sped off, excited to get to a pokemon center or explore the world, and he started to look for a new pokemon to fill the slot in his options as well as care for the others. But, this time, it could wait. Turning and moving after the other trainer as he part signed, Oakley did his best to watch and try to work out the question offered to him. "My mother is the head of the rangers now, she came in as a ranger as a child and between her own nature and the nature here, there was a good mix and she rose through the ranks swiftly. My father works with her daily at their job, sort of like the police but for pokemon. The way he always explains it is if someone was to try to hit or kidnap a person, the Police handle it but if its a pokemon, thats the Rangers job" the boy explained, hoping he had the right jist of what the other trainer was curious about. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox

[Moon Min-Jun]

All I think about
Is how no one
In this room wants to know me

There was a brief pause, then Moon managed a thumbs up as Oakley gave the go ahead - and explained that the number of his mom and uncle were already there. Uncle? That was new. It seemed like he had quite the big and important family, two adoptive mothers, one who was the professor, a mom who was head of the rangers, and an uncle who ran the police force. A bit intimidating really but they seemed a pretty happy kid at least. Blinking in surprise, they nodded in response. They felt a little like they should - it would be a bit awkward otherwise to just take in a Pokémon like Ainka and never show up again.

At least in their shoes Moon would be worried sick if she was being taken care of or doing good, job or not.

Moon paused a moment too. It seemed the boy hadn't intended to return to the inside yet, and for a second they felt bad again about bothering him. They didn't actually know if the boy had other duties to get to, and were just going off the tone of him being excited to talk about himself - and proud of it. But he seemed to follow when he noticed the gesture.

Fumbling a bit with the door, Moon listened as he tugged a moment; realizing suddenly why Oakley had struggled with it, though it likely wasn't helped that the older person was not all that strong themselves either, digging their heal in until a slight 'pop' had it sliding open the rest of the way a lot easier. Returning the favor, they held it to offer the boy first, though they couldn't help seeming just a little bit relieved and letting out a soft sigh when their eyes were able to adjust to the indoor lighting again instead of feeling almost constantly half-closed against the bright sunlight.

As a child? It was probably an exaggeration, but Moon nodded, seeing how it could definitely happen if someone was just a natural fit for something and passionate about it; and she'd probably been at it for a long time if Oakley was any judge of time passing.

Crossing to edge back into the chair Moon had been in before, they crossed one leg to let the blue Pokémon rest on their leg and free their arm a bit; though their pale eyes drifted down to try to study Ainka a bit more and try to discern more of her features for a moment before looking back.

Pokémon police

Signing the response back - parroting the boy, Moon dipped their head, showing it made sense to them. They thought about how to finish that thought and add their feelings on the matter, but after struggling for a long minute finally just decided to amend one word of description, making a gesture similar to the thanks from earlier, meeting their other hand instead of pointing towards Oakley.

Good

Backtracking, they decided to focus for a second on the one new piece of information they had been given, and posed another question with a gesture followed by the question mark sign again, and a slight tilt of their head.

Uncle?

Gardeon

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[Gardeon]

Oakley

Oakley watched as the new trainer struggled with the door, one of these days they really should get it seen to and have something that fit better and worked easier put there, but Oakley also didnt suspect Kari ever would now. Even as his guest held it open for him and oakley passed by it, moving back inside to sit down in his mothers chair, he noticed the licked burn marks along its sided and edges. Better to keep a reminder here. Shaking his head as he came to focus on the other trainer again, he settled himself in his work chair and looked over to the male as he, well, sort of spoke. "Oh right, my mama had my sisters when she was very young and needed help, she came here to Kari...Sorry, Professor Maple and she knew a lot about those sorts of things so helped her out" the boy explained, waving a hand around himself at the lab itself. "Its why shes my mother, she helped raise all 3 of us, but equally, she put mama in touch with Jeanie...Sorry, again, Ms Kaitos. Shes like mama, got a lot of kiddos in the same situation, so they met and became real close. Considering how old the girls were, and then me later, her kids sort of took us in as their own and now we are sort of considered one big family" the boy went on, leaning back in the chair as he explained the entire story. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox

[Moon Min-Jun]

They just want me
for the things I give
Cause that's who I am
I'm a giver for the lonely

It was a bit hard following along - Oakley was trying to correct himself to use names so it actually made sense which 'mama' he was referring to at any point in time, but it still sounded like he had quite the family tree to go through. It was a bit hard visualizing it really, and after failing to follow for a second, Moon finally decided to make it easier for themselves as they shifted to look through their bag for a moment, carefully moving around the new equipment to pull out a sketchbook.

Their old one hadn't been finished yet, but their sister had still recommended they get a clean new one so they could really feel like they were starting fresh.

It almost felt sacrilegious somehow, in that moment of flipping over the first page and clicking a mechanical pencil only to realize this was the very beginning of their sketchbook. Like it should be something more important, more... beautiful then what they were going to do. Like if they were going to stain the pure emptiness of the book it should be with something special.

It was a childish feeling they had every time though, and Moon had learned to ignore it. The first page was no different then any other.

Setting the pencil down, the older person sketched out the boy's explanation. In the center top, the Mrs. Night, head of the rangers, and Oakley's father. Then Oakley and his sisters, drawn as quick rough little sketches of an acorn, a leaf, and a twig. To one side he noted the line between Mrs. Night and the Professor Maple, since it seemed she was an adoptive mother of some kind to Oakley, if not also an adoptive sister to his mother. On the other side, his second adoptive mother, Mrs. Kaitos, in much the same fashion as the Professor, only with a note of at least one of her own children, labelled for now just "Chief of Police Kaitos."

Then, a rough line between Chief Kaitos and the acorn, in a downward slant of showing some kind of elderly position for the Kaitos. It seemed... a bit weird looking at it, and Moon paused for a moment to furrow their brows together. Wouldn't they technically be more similar to adoptive siblings? Though they supposed they could understand why Uncle would be easier if there was a large age gap, especially if everyone was adoptive that likely meant Mrs. Kaitos and her family were overall much older then Mrs. Night and her children.

Making a small note, and then flipping it over both to show the note and check their work as it were, Moon watched for a second to note the boy's response.

(Graphic slightly inaccurate, it's just for the idea)

I'm happy they found each other.

Seeming to drift off in thought for a moment as their gaze stopped focusing, Moon looked down to Ainka. She was still quiet, just seemingly watching Oakley, and occasionally looking to them with wet eyes. She looked... so tired. It was hard to tell if Moon was just anthropomorphizing her or if there was actually something to that. Thinking deeply, they finally signed something, gesturing to her, then moving to hold the sketchbook with their arms, pinched their finger and thumb together on both hands and put them together before circling their hands to make their pinkies meet instead. And a question mark, so make sure it was clear there was some kind of inquiry there. If she had any... it would be nice to know.

Family?

Gardeon

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[Gardeon]

Oakley

Oakley waited as the trainer began to seemingly draw something, he assumed this was a fall back for communication from time to time if the other male seemed to have a notepad right there but the boy waited, curious to see what came next and a little shocked as he noted the family tree drawn out when it was shown to him. He leaned over, tapping beside his own side of the tree and smiled weakly, "Its very complicated, but theres another one over here" he said in a small voice with a little gulp before leaning over to the other side. Tapping against his uncle, his smile widened. "And theres a bunch over here too, all sorts of jobs and lives" he said in a cheerier voice before leaning back, "But yea, geneal jist is right. I guess i do refer to mama and Kari as my mothers, Jeanie is just sort of....Jeanie. Id say grandma but i think id get told off, but shes a chunk older than mama or kari so maybe that it..." the boy thought out loud before he noticed the male moving on, eyes snapping back to focus. "Oh, hers? She didnt have much of one, she arrived here with some of the earliest of her kin when they first arrived and never quite got herself settled with anyone. Theres at least one water type out there who she was close to, but i think they have a trainer and have gotten a bit older now. She had a mate for a while, or girlfreind i should say but she evolved and opted to head back to their home region to help with a few things after Ainka changing so much so...." the boy mused as he tried to cover as much of the girls story as he could, face growing a little upset as he looked at her. "No, not really, she doesnt have anyone here" he finished, giving a small sad frown. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox

[Moon Min-Jun]

Giver for the lonely
Giver for the lonely
I'm giving to the lonely

Noting where Oakley tapped, Moon shifted and sketched a vague circle connected with the other three to Mrs. Night, though he didn't fill it in with anything, instead letting himself look mildly confused and concerned as his brows knitted together at the tone and seeming hesitation the boy had about it. Complicated... well they weren't going to pry, but it certainly sounded like whatever the complication was, there was some amount of painful memories to go with it.

On the other side Moon noted some vague lines and circles to indicate there was more there, but none that had been introduced by name or given any sort of position. Just the idea it was a bigger extended family. Leaving it along at that, he patiently listened and offered a nod of understanding as Oakley explained that much like the older person might have guessed, "Jeanie" or Mrs. Kaitos as they had written it, was an older figure to them rather then a mother one. Which explained him referring to one of her children as an uncle...

There was a slight silent chuckle at the comments about getting told off even still though, shoulders shaking slightly as Moon shook their head in a gentle amused manner.

Their expression turned more somber though as Oakley spoke on Ainka. It was only out of the corner of their eye - having looked back to the water-type - that Moon caught the frown on Oakely's own face, but it didn't take much to imagine why. Not when they felt somewhat the same, albeit more as an outsider then personal experience.

No one.

That was....

So lonely.

Moon's shoulders slumped as they looked down for a long moment at Ainka. Then after a long moment of seemingly thinking, they sketched a new smaller try in the corner of the page. Just a little drawing of a crescent moon, an arch to show a sibling as they wrote in their sister. And then an arch the other way, and Ainka's own name there, underlined softly. It didn't really have much weight or meaning behind it yet, but it felt worth at least saying, and maybe with time it could be proven.

There was a long moment of thinking. They had... gone this far and hadn't left yet. They honestly hadn't planned to stay longer then they needed to, but that was anxiety talking more then an actual schedule or need of any kind. Hesitantly, they looked down at Ainka again for a long moment, though more lost in their own head then anything else until she shifted uncomfortably under the stare and they quickly looked away.

This felt... difficult to put into what few signs they knew. Their stubbornness to learn was starting to hurt, but...

At the time they hadn't seen how it was any different then talking, and refused anything that hadn't been absolutely necessary to get by.

In some ways, the feeling hadn't changed. Part of them didn't want to talk, but it made it hard to communicate the information they wanted to know. It's not like the boy could simply read their mind and know what they wanted just because they looked at him a certain way. And Oakley was perhaps going to be one of the nicer and more helpful people they could hope to meet. Taking a breath, they settled for awkwardly trying to piecemeal their thought together and translate it to signs as best as they could.

Lost. Where? With...

Moon gestured to Ainka to indicate she was the conclusion of that part before continuing.

Help?

There was a bit of a pained expression, before Moon hunched their shoulders and looked somewhat defeated. They weren't sure where to go next or what to do now that they were here - it wasn't technically something Oakley at all owed them any sort of answers for, but maybe they could be hopeful for an idea of where to start, but they weren't even sure if all of that made sense. They were probably better of just... figuring things out, but asking this far in seemed far less harmful then it had been when they first walked in.

Gardeon

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[Gardeon]

Oakley

For a moment, oakley caught himself thinking. For a trainer who would not, or could not speak, he felt like he had gotten to know this new person better than most anyone else who had been through the lab as of late and it was an odd thought. A second later he caught himself, trying to force himself to focus on the present, and not the thoughts now boucning around his mind. He tilted his head at the question, green and red hair moving to one side before the boy caught himself and then smiled again. "Well it depends. If it was me, and even more with her, i would head out to the dojo as quickly as you can and try to get in some training with her out in hindors town. You two can get to know each other, see your styles, and work out how you want to work together. After that, mossrock city has some great games each week to get your footing with the region and meet some people as well as i think theres something being planned out on Faraday island. After that, well its down to you. If you want to add more pokemon to your team, try a few wild areas. Just training? We have some kids here who like that, or see if you can find some trainers willing to help" the boy thought out loud, trying to cover every topic he could think of as they came to his mind. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox

[Moon Min-Jun]

I been breaking my bones
Just to satisfy an image
That another person wants from me

There was a tilt of Oakley's head for a moment, and Moon held their breath the briefest of space. They knew trying to condense the question down to just the barest few words likely made it hard to understand exactly what it was the older person was asking, and none of this was something the boy even had to know - it was hardly Oakley's job to figure out what people did with their Pokémon and give them directions.

But as always, he seemed so quick to be accommodating anyways, seeming to pick up the thread and acknowledge the question, and especially the stipulation of with this being regarding Ainka just as much as Moon themselves.

At first they were just listening intently, but it quickly occurred to them that just to be safe, it'd be better to write it down just in case. The risk of forgetting might not have been very high in their mind, but better not to risk it at all and make a list for themselves so they could make sure they went through everything Oakley recommended and organized their path.

Dojo - Hindors (Training, bonding, styles, understanding)
Mossrock City - Games (Meet people)
Faraday Island - Event (Look into nature)

New Pokémon - Wild Areas

There was a brief pause, eyes squinting slightly as Moon's brows furrowed. Here? Was Oakley just referring to knowing some locals that were looking at becoming trainers when they came of age who already had Pokémon? Storing the thought to ask after the note was made, the pencil continued it's writing.

Training - Kids Here (Seabreeze) - Seek out trainers

Letting the book and pencil rest, and nodding to show they had listened and noted it down, they considered over the other details. The dojo seemed fairly well explained, and with such strong recommendation, high on Moon's priorities it seemed. "Games" had seemed a vague term, but given the context, seemed like it would likely be somewhat self-explanatory when Moon got there... they'd just have to check a map to remember where Mossrock and Hindors were for both of those.

If Oakley knew more of what was being planned on Faraday, he likely would have been more specific, so it would be pointless to pester him for details when it seemed it was only something he'd heard a rumor of as it was.

So focusing on the last few statements, fingers drumming for a moment on the page before making a few notes. A question mark in parenthesis next to "wild areas" and then one at the "kids here" part - both underlined now to make it clear - before shifting the notes around so Oakley could see - and trying to direct his attention to it with a slight gesture since the page he'd begun since entering the laboratory already had the family tree notes so he wanted to make it obvious where he'd written it down, his expression much more calm and confident then a moment before but still questioning and curious.

Gardeon

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[Gardeon]

Oakley

They were beginning to get in to a pattern now, so much so that oakley noticed himself watching the other trainer write and only had the sense to realize he had noticed and begin to look away as the trainer turned the pad to him, the boy already glancing back at the movement. "Oh theres trainers all over who would love to battle and train, wild pokemon too, but theres a series of orphans were at the lab too. They've had issues with DC, all in their own way, and since Kari took in me and my sisters and we grew up so fast, shes taken in some more gijinka again" the boy said, breezing right past about 15 huge topics in one sentence as he moved on to the next question, totally missing what he'd done. "Wild areas about honestly just about anywhere thats not in a town or city, even then sometimes you can find pokemon around and about but its just not worth the risk. Buildings getting busted up, people getting caught in the cross fire, issues with pokemon. Nah, just save all the trainers stuff, meeting pokemon, battling them, helping them or getting to know them for the places outside where people live and work" the boy answered to the second point, not really sure how to narrow his answer down more than that, and finally beginning to hear his own words from before and begin to look a little sheepish. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox

[Moon Min-Jun]

Picking up on the phone
When in context they would
Let it ring and leave me
In the cold to freeze

Oakley had seemed to glance away, thinking or distract by something, or simply biding his time while Moon made their notes. But when the book was flipped over again those crimson eyes returning, seeming to read over the particular parts that had been underlined before immediately going to answer again. There being a lot of eager trainers didn't come as much of a surprise - even in their previous life Moon had seen their fair share of people who either pursued it as an idealistic career or a hobby and pastime.

The surprising part was the next bit that was said.

And how quickly it was all said.

Pausing entirely, Moon found themselves still save for a blink as Oakley explained the kids were orphans here at the lab, before listing off a name of... some person or corporation or something. And another term that went over their head but seemed somehow significant as some kind of descriptor here to provide context. Was... children being orphaned common here? Was there some kind of cultural war going on? What could possibly justify such a thing?

It felt like a flashbang had gone off, at least mentally speaking.

Especially when it was followed up almost immediately after by such a casual commentary about what qualified as a wild area - which was a bit simpler then it had sounded at first. Moon had some vague thoughts about the way the boy said it making it seem like there was specific catching areas or mandated reservations. No... he just meant anywhere that wasn't a civilian zone or within city districts. The issues he brought up all made sense, there was a reason the arenas for trainers had to be so large and engineered with safety precautions, battles in the streets were dangerous and destructive, but...

Well even as Moon instinctively moved to write down the clarifying notes they paused before they could touch the paper. They stared blankly a moment at their notes, then back to Oakley, who seemed to have suddenly started to look sheepish as though he had realized perhaps he had lost Moon somewhere along this. Still, he hesitantly signed something, looking vaguely cautious - he wasn't sure if some of this was supposed to be secret somehow if the kids were still in danger - but mostly just puzzled.

I don't understand.

If there wasn't an answer immediately, they'd hesitantly add, hand spelling out.

D-C?

... they weren't sure they had the slightest idea how to spell the other word. Thinking for a moment longer, they pondered if it would be redundant to ask - Kari had already taken them in from whatever had been going on, and they obviously had been through something quite traumatic if they were without their parents now, but it felt - dumbly - like the first thing to come to mind in all of this.

Are children okay?

Ghh... it sounded off saying it that way, but while the grammar was wrong, at least it communicated the point.

Gardeon

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[Gardeon]

Oakley

Yea, he had caught that. Oakley had hoped that the other trainer might breeze past his words too, not shocked that he didnt of course but when he asked the question, oakley went a little quiet. He took in a small breath, looking down over the desk in front of himself and was quiet for a few moments, seemingly thinking to himself before slowly raising his head. "You aren't native to the shula region, are you?" he asked at first, fully knowing the answer what with the file he had gotten before. "People often joke every new region explored or learned about had something new to it, of course it was more that people began to all research in to topics are the same time advertising was pushed to get people to visit new regions but the point still stands" the boy started, not wanting to avoid the topic at hand, but finding he just did naturally. Forcing himself to focus, he closed his eyes, then took in a sharp breath. "Well, here in shula, the long and the short of it is that Gijinka do not have to hide what they are, who their parents are and while there is support for them, there's a lot of hate too. People fear the unknown, the different, those stronger or more powerful than them or even those who just they see as having something in common with pokemon" the boy went on, his eyes opening to reveal a soft green glow as he held out a hand, the draw on the desk beside him also wrapping itself in the same green light as a pokeball lifted itself from the draw and as Oakley winced, faltered in the air a little but he seemed to scrunch up his eyes in focus and it picked itself up before it could hit the desk, floating a little higher. "Well, other regions had breeding, mega evolution and so forth, and teams who were not exactly happy about whatever. Turns out, we did too, only ours had been hiding for so long and in the shadows to a point all stories and known truth about gijinka, and the people hunting them, became just myths. They go by Diamond Crystal, and they hunt down my kind and seem intend on ending them, those who create them, and anyone who sympathises with them as well as anyone getting in their way" the boy went on, his focus dropping as he kept speaking and his eyes dropping to the desk again, though one hand snaked out and reached for the pokeball which did the same as his mind wandered. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox

[Moon Min-Jun]

I just look for the good in the bad
It's a bad, bad habit
It'll knock me out the cycle when I

There was a pause that stretched on a bit longer then the previous ones had, Oakley clearly hesitating for more then just needing a moment to think. There was a breath there, Moon watching perhaps a bit too intently with the prickling on their skin, unsure if the information was too sensitive or not, but feeling uneasy about what little context Oakley had already given and the implications involved with that. They let their hands drop to gently rest on Ainka, holding the blue Pokémon quietly.

She seemed to reach out slightly, although she was too far away to reach Oakley, more just reaching out, her expression weary and sad, like she understood already what this would be about, with a almost inaudible whine.

At the question, Moon shook their head. They knew Oakley had already mentioned knowing they weren't earlier - so they assumed he had either read in the documentation that they were from Hoenn or understood they'd just arrived. Perhaps asking the question anyways was a way for the boy to ground himself and focus on the answer and how to go about this though, so they made sure to answer anyways.

Listening, Oakley seemed to start with a pre-amble of some kind, context it seemed to the story here, and Moon inclined their head along to show they were paying attention. It wasn't a strange idea, each region had some sort of flagship "novelty" when it came to Pokémon, and even though more then one region often shared this quality or feature, it was generally still the pride of a nation to be the one to first uncover it.

Gijinka. That word again.

Moon blinked, but was still otherwise as they watched Oakley speak. There was a pained look, buried in the older person's gaze, as the boy talked in a manner of something that had personally affected him it seemed quite a bit. The sort of bitterness of understanding why and how people did things even while knowing it was unfair. It wasn't explicitly stated but... they had a feeling they understood enough at least to see where and how this came about. People with something in common with Pokémon...

A pale red gaze flicked from Oakley's eyes, glimmering with a faint green light, to the object that had started to move, following where the boy was looking as a Pokeball began to lift, swathed in the same color and clearly the target of the younger male's focus. It seemed to take a great deal of concentration and work to manage the stunt, for a second it almost fell, but it continued to lift as Oakley seemed to redouble his efforts.

Having made his demonstration it seemed, Oakley let the ball fall, and caught it as his gaze dropped and he spoke about Diamond Crystal and their relationship with Gijinka. DC Moon could guess - that would be the obvious shorthand in context. So that would mean...

"a series of orphans were at the lab too. They've had issues with DC, all in their own way"

One could guess some of them were only orphans because of those issues. And those that weren't it seemed were in danger of being hunted down even as children just because of what they were. It made Moon scowl, their expression turning for a moment dark and stormy. Briefly they wondered about the fire that had been mentioned before as well, the one that had hurt Ainka. It was an assumption though, and not one that felt all that appropriate to ask about. This topic seemed difficult enough already to say what Oakley had.

Glancing at Ainka for a moment, Moon made sure to tap her slightly, to show they were about to move so it didn't startle her. Shifting to hold her, the older person stood carefully, and moved a bit closer, setting their book upon the edge of the desk carefully and gingerly letting Ainka down next to it. She seemed to scooch closer to Oakley to rest her pads on his arm gingerly, and thinking, Moon picked over their words as they moved their hands.

I'm sorry.

They glanced down slightly, then back at Oakley. A breath, and in an almost practiced manner, they managed a smile and a slight tilt to one side of their head, though only the crinkle of their eyes betrayed the former under their mask. At least fingerless gloves - much to part of the reason they enjoyed them so much - made their gestures easy to see and obvious.

I don't understand.

Eyes flickered, trying to think through how to spell it out before settling on something else.

I'm not you.

Technically they used the words 'I no you' but hopefully, childlike though their grammar was, the point could at least be felt. Waving a finger in half a circle before flicking their wrist, as though making a point of 'one' and trying to indicate something to be followed, they tried to piecemeal together the rest of the thought together.

I understand emotion. 'Wrong.'

Making air quotes as they signed wrong, there was perhaps an overexaggerated sense of sarcasm or bite of some kind in their posture, and the way their eyes rolled ever so slightly at the word, even signed. Then, carefully, they moved to try to take Oakley's hand in theirs, cupping it with their own on either side. Softly they squeezed. They weren't really... certain about all the specifics of this. The details were clearly missing, and it was likely a lot more complicated, but they understood Oakley was friendly and helpful to a stranger, even if it was just a job. He loved his family, and happily went on about his mother teaching him ways to make sure he could always talk to people, and bringing up adoptive family like they were flesh and blood. And he was empathetic to the Pokémon he worked with, so desperate and eager to give Ainka someone who maybe could understand her pain because he knew she was lonely and struggling.

Moon couldn't believe this boy deserved to be hated, much less hunted down and killed.

Letting their hands slip away from Oakley's own, they shook their head and signed again, with a gentle but somewhat determined look.

You care. Good enough for me.

Well... technically Moon didn't sign "for" but... Talking felt so hard sometimes, even if they never opened their mouth. It was tiring, and they didn't really think they were doing a good job of it, but they wanted to express that much anyways. Sighing, they tried to offer a reassuring look, though... well, this was still coming from a relative stranger at the end of the day. It didn't mean much in the grander scheme. Ainka seemed to care to some extent about Oakley though, and he had cared for her through a difficult time, so it's not as though it would never matter either.

Gardeon

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[Gardeon]

Oakley

For the longest time after speaking, Oakley was quiet. He let the trainer drink in his words and kept his head down, moving his thumb over blaze's pokeball in his hand for a while before he felt a soft touch on his arm, glancing up to look to the water type and give a small smile, only to notice the other trainer had moved a little closer. He blinked a few times, seemingly forcing thoughts or memories away before focusing on the males words. He held his hands up, the pokeball rolling down his wrist and settling beside his elbow as he reached for the other trainers hands, almost sternly this time. "No. Dont. I hate that" he grunted out, holding the other trainers fingers still for a moment, shaking his head before he seemed to catch himself and lean back. "Im sorry, its just..." he apolgised, turning to reach for his fire type and stroking the male softly. "I have a loving mother, i have someone whos like a mother and a spare one too. My father is alive, he's ok and safe and he keeps my mother the same. My sisters were able to grow up how they wanted, even i could and sure they got to my brother, but by some mircale he's mostly ok too. I have a family, we are all alright and we can all be together. So many others like me cant, or dont get that. Dont be sorry for what they did, they do, its not on you" the male went on, his fingers moving over the cyndaquil as he spoke, seemingly trying to keep his focus there. It was only when his other hand was taken by the other male that he paused, looking to the other trainer with a shocked expression for a good few moments. He could see what was being said, his mind was taking it in but his face was blank, processing, just waiting. Then suddenly his eyes were a new form of red, and he pulled his hand from his partner to rub at them. "Please dont, i dont count. I have my mama, papa is ok and so are leaf and twig. We can see Linden when the nice bat lets us, it's alright for us. Most people dont even know what we are unless we chose to show them, we hardly count for gijinka, or whats happened to them" he sniffled through his shoulders beginning to shake, Blaze turning to glare to the other trainer before the look quickly failed, revealing a thankful nod before the pokemon turned to his trainer and jumped down in to his lap to nuzzle at him. It was time like this the pokemon was reminded that Oakley was a child, he could play the part of a lab worker, he could handle a lot, but he still was just a child. Here to help! - Moon Min-Jun

jellyfish princess @ adox