Oh, The Games We Play

The Small Pond was a typical hot spot for merry-making and casual training. The lush green plain surrounding the pond had not a single withered blade, indicating how well the area was tended to. Which was odd, considering how there was no form of regular maintenance ensured by the town. The best possible guess would be that the water and grass pokemon that often visited and even lived within the perimeters had aided to the growth and prosperity of the plant life. Nevertheless, everything looked trimmed and immaculate. From the old, but strong trees to the colorful, fragrant flowers to the near-crystal clear waters of the pond, it was as plain as day that this place deserved its title as a sort of casual 'haven' for the locals.

However, not everyone seemed keen on being frivolous with the other pokemon. A lone wanderer stood far from the others who were pleasantly biding their time under the light. Of course, she wasn't alone with her decision of separating from the crowd. Many pokemon, whether it be training or simply enjoying their visit, were spread about near the pond, minding their own business instead of taking the time to mingle. With that in mind, it seemed completely normal for said stranger to be dawdling about without any company.

Well, save for the fact she was sort of being hunted. See, this loner wasn't merely one of the townsfolk or the other adventurers who came for relaxation. She was, in fact, a criminal in the town's records. If there had been any sort of official, may it be from the actual police or from the nearby guild, she would have been apprehended and thrown behind bars instantaneously. But for some reason, there didn't seem to be anyone who recognized her. Considering the measures she was taking, it would have been much more surprising if that had happened.

The crafty felon had the blood of two distinct types: Ghost and Dark. Both were notorious for their unusual abilities, some examples being of phasing through walls and shadow manipulation, respectively. Although these were naturally acquired skills granted majorly by genetics, it was still required a handful of training and aptitude in order to fully hone them. Granted, the crook was quite the learner herself. She didn't have as much mastery as those of more experience, of course, but she still had a decent grip on her hereditary gifts.

She casually sat in the shadows of a nearby tree, exploiting her affinity with the darkness to cloak her enough that she remained unnoticed by passers-by. She wasn't exerting a hefty amount of energy or focus in her camouflage, making it highly possible for someone to spot her if they paid enough attention or were far too close to miss the subtle glint of her bejeweled eyes. Fate was in her favor, though, as the current occupants of the area were much too busy with their activities to pay mind to the unusual entity residing in the sidelines.

She hummed to herself, remaining barely audible as she watched the others waste their time splashing in the cool waters. The tree she rested her back on stood high and mighty, made of old oak that guaranteed its long survival. Its canopy of leaves allowed a few rays of light to seep through, reflecting and creating sharp but brief glints against the precious stones engraved on her. She leaned back, her arms acting as cushions for the back of her head as she stretched her legs onto the soft blades of grass. "Yep, this is the life..." She muttered to no one in particular, confident that she would go unheard among the obnoxious giggling of the children. As soothing as it was to simply lie back and nap, a faint twinge of irritation was evident at the back of her mind.

She was getting bored.

(I swear Nick's condition is only to explain his absence.)

Walking along the edge of the woods was a goggle wearing Delibird. The avian was pretty bruised up and had a fair number of cuts. However, he wore bandages, and though not well dated, the injuries weren't among the most fresh either. Whatever happened, chances are he'd recover fine.

As Nicholas wandered, something among the trees caught his eyes. One of the trees bared fruit. It seemed to be apples. One of them looked its ripest, and hung fairly low. With a running start, a good leap, and a little wing action. Nick was able to climb into the tree. He moved around the branches until he was close to the fruit he desired. His wing stretched out, but he was just short. Suddenly, he slipped.

Nick felt gravity start to take affect. The shock of the turn in events, along with what felt like constant collision with the branches, was enough to keep him from proper flight techniques. Just before he hit the ground, he stopped. For a moment, it seemed gravity just decided to stop, but as the ice type glanced up, he learned the truth. Nicholas' tail had snagged on a tree limb. The bird had but a moment to thank his lucky stars, before with a loud *SNAP!*, the bird landed, face down, on the soil.

(I am aware I cannot obtain an apple as an item here. It is simply a plot device.)

The nymph yawned, feeling the ever-so-hypnotic sound of slumber begin to play in her head. It did not mean she was in the state to fall asleep, though. Like the insistent clanging of cymbals, the instinctual clock imbued inside her very being was on high alert. She opened her claws slowly, closing them with the same speed and repeating. This odd stretching of sorts was one of the signs. When the need to commit activities of great distraction rose, she could feel an irritating, prickly feeling shoot through her hands, as though urging her to grab some unlucky fool and proceed with her usual game of shenanigans. Most of the time, especially at these points of the day where it was required for her to replenish her energy, she would simply make do with just fiddling with whatever junk she found - twigs, rocks, and so on. Luckily, it seemed some unknown deity from above had come to answer her prayers.

Her ear twitched, hearing the faint sound of footprints. It was one of the perks of having such large ears; her tendency to detect incoming targets was almost unmatched. It had proven to be vital in her many escapes from the crime scenes of her antics, as well as helped her survive in the wild. She turned her head, spotting a spectacle of interest not too far from where she sat.

A bird pokemon of some sort - like the ones that were notorious for those cliche, laughable family-oriented gatherings that involved winter and meaningless gifts. The aesthetic of the avian was almost laughable to the imp. From the irrationally thick coat of whites and saturated reds to the comically designed tail made to store bounties of items, it looked little to nothing in terms of being physically formidable. It also seemed to be wearing a pair of goggles, but none of the aforementioned characteristics stood out in comparison to the layers upon layers of bandages that covered its body. The purple devil grinned, an idea forming in her head. She lazily stood up from the shade, taking a step back and phasing into the tree she had been leaning against.

Using her quick reflexes, she maneuvered through the shadows of the trees towards the apple tree. Her steps were soundless, made such by her experience. After all, how was one supposed to pilfer without having to conceal presence? Of course, it wasn't exactly thievery what she was about to do. In fact, she was just looking for some entertainment to calm her nerves and let her nap in peace. Whether this would prove harmless was debatable.

She stopped under the shade of the tree, watching as the fowl attempted to scale its bark. She looked to find the fruit the other so craved, finding herself forming the faintest of grins. She had to admit, that apple did look pretty tasty. She chuckled quietly upon seeing the other attempt to reach. And then the foolish bird slipped. She took this opportunity, disappearing once more into the darkness that was cast by the tree. Reappearing, her form was concealed by the leaves as she stood on the branch of the fruit. Just as she took a step, the avian fell to the ground. Unable to resist, she allowed herself to cackle at the sight. Once had enough of her laughter, she nonchalantly made her way towards the delectable apple, making use of the claws on her feet to keep a firm grip on the branch and avoid falling. She picked it off with ease.

As quick as she had climbed, the Sableye left the height of the tree and stood in front of the fallen avian. She leaned down, shiny eyes focused on the bird. Her arms were folded cleanly behind her back and her legs were straight, putting her in a position that both acknowledged and somewhat mocked the one on the ground. "Heeey," She chimed, her voice as high-pitched and playful as a child's. "Were you trying to get this?" She asked, using one of her claws to point to the top of her head. Perched neatly on her purple noggin was the ripe apple, not even so much as teetering to her movements.

The bird groaned as he started picking himself up. Yeah, he definitely didn't enjoy that. He felt worse, but that could have been better too. As Nick's face left the ground, he noticed something in front of him. It was... purple. His face shot upward and he recognized the face of a Sableye. Nick's seen this species before, but this one looked different. He wasn't oriented enough to figure how, but it didn't look the same. He also got an uneasy feeling from her. He didn't feel threated, just unwelcome, some how.

Despite his gut feeling, and her taunting, she seemed well natured enough. Nick managed to get on his feet. He spoke in a meek tone. "Um, yeah... Can I have it... please?"

[Late, sorry about that!]
The sableye had to suppress her hysterical cackling. This bird was just too precious. Innocent, oblivious, and utterly vulnerable in the hands of outsiders - all plain on his face for the world to see. Even with the battle scars and crooked feathers and wavering stance that indicated experiences not usually found in non-violent folk, there was still an aura of child-like naivety surrounding the avian like some sort of pesky insect. She'd witnessed many with this sort of ignorance and they had never ceased to amuse her. The ridiculous appearance of the specimen only added to her growing desire to meddle.

She didn't consider herself as someone who constantly thirst for knowledge. She didn't have an overwhelming need to tinker, test, and take part in everything foreign that crossed her path. However, if there was one thing she could agree to, it was that she was a troublemaker. A persistent one, at that. If she found a new toy, the lengths she'd go in order to push it to its limits would border outrageous and unnecessary for most commoners. It didn't matter how badly others were affected in her mischief, so long as she found joy in her little 'experiments'. This was no different. She wanted to play, and she wouldn't be leaving until she got the entertainment she so craved.

She watched as he stood to his feet, having to crane her neck upwards in order to look at him in the eyes. For a split second, she flashed a frown of annoyance. Height differences had always been more of a nuisance to her; a brief blow to her ego whenever she attempted to confront others. As quickly as it appeared, the expression of mild discontent was replaced. Her mouth formed a polite smile, concealing her sharp fangs. "Heehee, you should be more careful next time!" She said, raising a claw and wiggling it as though she was scolding some sort of toddler. "You could get hurt! Or..." She smirked, briefly examining the bird's bandaged form. "More hurt."

Due to her earlier movement of looking up, the apple had fallen from her head onto her hand. Holding the ripe apple, she began to inspect it. "I gotta say, you've got one heck of an eye! This would definitely be worth falling off a tree for..." She said, almost hungrily so. Truth be told, she didn't have any hunger at the moment. While apples were a delectable snack at times, her preference always stood by the usual sableye diet consisting of stones and precious gems. She hummed, throwing the fruit slightly and immediately catching it, not unlike how one would play with a ball. "But seeing as I was able to pick it off, doesn't that mean I deserve it, though?"

She tapped her cheek with a claw, head tilting slightly to the side as though she was in deep thought. "It's still sorta not fair. You saw it first, but I was the one who got it... Oh, what to do..." She sighed, staring at the apple in her other hand. She gasped in realization, raising the claw she had been using to tap her cheek. "IDEA! How about we play a really quick game to settle it?" She exclaimed as a grin appeared on her face.

"Really simple! I'm just gonna throw this apple waaaay up in the air! First 'mon to catch it, keeps it!" She explained, waving the apple in her grasp. "I've got a pretty good arm though, so you better watch out! No backsies, okay?" She spoke so quick that her words were just barely comprehensible.
 
She didn't wait for any response. "READY, SET, GO!" Pulling her arm back, she threw the fruit high into the sky. It flew directly above her and the avian, rising with surprising speed. It halted for a fraction of a second in the air, before suddenly plummeting back down to the two pokemon.

(Brain farts are happening.)

As Nicholas rose to his feet, he noticed the Sableye was shorter than him. Though it wasn't the first time, it's kind of rare for Nick to be the taller of two Pokemon. As the ghost scolded Nick, he couldn't help but feel this wasn't exactly meant as advice. Still, he listened to her words none the less. One statement got him to respond however. "Oh, you mean the scars? " He gave his body a once over. "I-i'll be fine... They just need time to heal is all." He gave a smile to ensure the dark type that there was no problem here.

The topic of the was brought up again soon enough. Nyx started to rationalize that she deserved the apple as she was the one who managed to pick it. There really wasn't much arguing with that. "Well, if you really want-" Then, Nick was interrupted. This time she stated that Nick was the one who found the fruit, which was again true. "Well, I guess we-" And this girl just refuses to let Nicholas speak. She came up with a game idea. She throws the apple up. First to grab it wins. Still, Nick felt he found another solution. "But I can-" "READY, SET, GO!"

Before Nick got in another word, the fruit was soaring in the air. The avian seemed confused for a moment, but he soon managed to take action. Nick jumped into the air and threw his wing up, but he didn't catch the falling apple. Instead, the apple was split in two. Nick landed on the ground, holding a piece of ice in which the shape slightly resembled a knife's blade. He caught one apple half in his wing as it fell. "There, now we each get some." He smiled, believing he had just solved the problem at hand.