4.0 Dedicated to its Members and Fans of Pokemon A Pokemon Sandbox RP
Pokémon Dubstep (ft. Lindsey Stirling)
W
elcome Adventurer to EPOCH! A Pokemon Sandbox Rp set in the original region of Nue. Everything you need to know will be in the Guidebook and PokeDex 101!
EPOCH uses the Manga and is built on the Original ideas suggested by our members.
We are more than just a Pokemon RP, we're a friendly community with a goal on being a memorable experience for those that look in.
Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. If you find yourself content with being an asshole EPOCH and its members will not tolerate you.
RULES
Understand We're All Human. Respect the staffers as well as your fellow members and guests. We all have flaws, tempers and quirks. Be patient with one another, but if issues involving other members come up please don’t just grin and bear it. Contact a staff member, informing them of what's going on so they can address and resolve the situation. The staff won't know what's bothering you unless you tell them.
EPOCH is PG-13. Proboards’ Terms of Service:
Sex; When you get under the clothes, fade to black.
Violence; Do not go into extreme nauseating detail.
Cursing; This is so fucking allowed, but don't go overboard.
Suggestive Content; In avatars, signatures and templates can attract the wrong kind of attention. So be careful.
Post by Lucas Courtwater on Nov 14, 2013 15:31:14 GMT -5
Keep Your Secrets
@ ricki
#1182
To her credit, Special Agent Brennan didn't waste time. She didn't ask questions that couldn't - or wouldn't - be answered, and she definitely didn't seem to give a damn about being conventional.
They had attempted the deposition. One final, calm day had passed with Jerry at the hospital before the big shuffle of getting him to an Interpol safe house had commenced. With that came the mixture of humiliation and vague melancholy of shrugging into a suit and having to be wheeled into the room, set before the camera, and slowly, but courteously drilled with questions. Everything about the investigation - timelines, names of businesses, dates pictures were taken . . .
Barely a dent had been made in the material before another wave hit. He could barely remember anything besides buckling forward in probably the most undignified manner possible, forehead slamming against the table before anyone could move to catch him, his senses screaming as his mind blossomed into a haze of explosions. The next thing he knew, he was in the backseat of an SUV hurtling back to the hospital. They'd thought it was a seizure. Beyond convincing SA Brennan that another doctor's visit wouldn't be very productive, he didn't care to correct them.
"Pre-existing condition," he had said at one point. Anything to avoid the real problem. SA Brennan had nodded, not buying it for a second, but apparently understanding, because as soon as possible, she had moved him out to Celadon. The deposition resumed, the distance from Saffron seeming to do him some good. Nowhere near being well again, but at least he was improving - he had hated to admit it, but even with Jerry and his mother around to keep his spirits up, he had been wasting away in that hospital.
Things in Celadon were going well enough. SA Brannan had him holed up in a safe house with three agents who mostly kept to different parts of the house while she painstakingly rung every bit of information from him. Jerry had delivered on getting the files, and SA Brennan wanted every inch of them verified. And when that wasn't going on, she would vanish out the door again, leaving him to do whatever he felt like - which usually wasn't much. Trying to sleep, trying not to sleep. Waiting, for who knew what.
He had thought everything had been going according to plan on her end, at least. And then she had opened his bedroom door at one AM one night, and finding him awake, had simply said, "Pack what you need. We're taking a ride."
And that ride had landed him in Pewter City, sitting in the passenger seat of the car in front of a stately white semi-detached on the west edge of town while SA Brennan went up to one of the front doors, knocked, and waited. A middle-aged woman with her hair up in an extremely complicated looking bun answered, they spoke for no more than thirty seconds, the woman went back into the house, and returned and passed off an envelope to Brennan. Brennan returned to the car. The woman stared at the car as though trying to see him, before shutting the door again.
This was the new plan: he would be living there for an indeterminate amount of time. He would be given a burner phone, but he was not to call anyone. He was not to in anyway contact anyone in any fashion. She would call him if she needed to. And he would stay in the house at all times, stay away from the windows, and draw as little attention to himself as possible. The woman next door - Lucas would never learn her name - would come out onto their shared porch once in the morning and once in the evening, at which time Lucas could pass a note through the mail slot with any groceries or things he might need. If there was an emergency, he could call SA Brennan on the burner phone, but only if it were a real emergency.
So, he had lived that way for a couple of weeks. Much more of the same. Condition improving, getting up and down the stairs and around the house became easy. He watched TV, read, worried about everything. The constant throb of the headache was nearly nonexistent, at that point, and there had been no massive attacks since Celadon.
And then Special Agent Heloise had blown into his life once again.
"Normally, yes, I would suggest a suit. But you can't run very well in a suit, now, can you?"
". . . is there going to be a need to run, today?"
Lucas wandered back out of the bathroom, addressing the phone he had tossed on the bed as he pulled a grey henley on. When she had told him he was in for another interview, he thought it would be like the others. Nice suit, talk to the camera. But it wasn't so, not this time out, and for the last week or so he had pretty adequately expressed his irritation that he was meeting with her superiors. He had agreed to talk to her after all. At no point had he agreed to a bunch of Interpol top brass getting a direct feed on the information, let alone meeting him.
If it got out that heir Lucas Courtwater was involved in any of this, it would crush his family, in every way possible.
But he had been assured that this would stay classified, and he had grown tired of arguing about it. At least he wasn't being arrested yet.
And now, the day of the meet, she had called to check up on him, which apparently included wardrobe consultations. Obediently, he lost the suit and changed into jeans and the light shirt. Heading into a Kanto summer, and it had warmed up accordingly.
"No, I should think not. But don't you think being prepared pays? What if you were ambushed by a swarm of Beedrill? It's not as though I have a full detail headed out to you."
No, that she did not. Instead he was getting one Richelle Jace, an Interpol "consultant," as Brennan had put it - who he could "be assured" was "just as capable" as he was. Strange way to put it, and Lucas wasn't exactly sure what to make of that, except that this Ms. Jace didn't actually work for Interpol, and that Brennan must have had some interesting reasoning for the choice.
"You all ready to go Wonder Boy? She should be there any minute."
He frowned slightly at the nickname, going over to sit by the phone and pull on his shoes. "Ready," he confirmed absently. Though he was in no way ready for any of this. Operating in a state of insanity had just become the standard.
". . . Courtwater. You leave the worrying up to me. It's what I'm paid for."
Maybe so. But what exactly was she worrying about now? And would she tell him about, while he still had time to act?
Her first… Job? She guessed that’s what this was, but this hadn’t really been what she thought would be one of the first things she’d be asked to do. Maybe go and catch something, deliver some boxes, whatever, but escorting someone as the request of a strange Interpol agent? Well, she supposed at this point in her life, nothing should really surprise her anymore. After having nearly gotten in a fight and having Heloise step in just a moment after the quarrel ended, it wasn’t the best way to meet an officer. Granted, many times Ricki ever met an officer of the law it wasn’t under the best circumstances. Typically, she’d tell them off, her own personality clashing with just the simple concept of the other being the authority figure because law stated that so.
When she ran her mouth, and gave off the obvious sense of not wanting to put up with Heloise, she got a reaction she hadn’t anticipated. Rather than the frustration one typically felt when dealing with someone who wouldn’t listen, Heloise was… Amused? Ricki was a bit thrown off by this odd response, but who was she to complain? She didn’t complain and in fact she was going to be getting a handsome paycheck now because of this woman. Whatever Interpol wanted with her, call it done if she was going to get this kind of pay. It’d be just what she needed to swing on down to Sevii for that festival coming up soon enough.
Back to focusing on her job, though, Ricki could almost swear it was some sort of mini-punishment that Heloise insisted she arrive early. The young woman wasn’t sure what it was, but going to bed at a decent hour was just a laughable idea. Especially on the night before she was required to get up early to get to work. She managed to get up, obviously, but it had been a fight to actually stay up. Coffee seemed to do the trick for a short while, but she was still seemingly out of it as she wandered along the street. To spare herself from any sort of dropping or giving into her temptation to take a nap, her Lucario was following closely behind the green-haired trainer.
“You think she’d would've been all for the ‘in the dead of the night’ bit, huh…?” she mumbled prior to letting out a yawn into her hand. Rep merely snorted at the words and shook his head at his trainer’s sleepy state. Her hair was still a bit fluffed up from a rather poorly done brushing after waking up, and it was clear from a glance she looked ready to go back to sleep. Still, she walked and walked, eyeing the various houses of the neighborhood she’d wandered into. In her hands were a set of notes giving her directions from the hotel and to this guy’s hideaway from the world. As she walked, she rattled her mind for the description she’d been given of the young man she was expected to escort today…
“Ms. Jace, there’s one thing I haven’t told you yet, and I think it’s only fair that I give you this warning before you accept the job. The man you’re escorting has very distinct ties to one of the most notorious street gangs in Saffron City. Unfortunately, I can’t give you the specifics of his involvement, but it’s a matter of public record that he has been connected to a number of violent assaults, and was a person of interest in an arson investigation.
Now, not that I expect him to give you any trouble, as he has been entirely cooperative with our investigation, but I think it’s only right that you’re aware that his position within the gang was no mistake. He is a highly capable individual.”
The speech had painted a good picture in her head of just what to expect. Probably some guy with tattoos, scars, and a lot of stories to tell, he’d be muscular and pretty smart. Ricki almost wondered just why she had to keep an eye on him if he was so capable, but the pay check she was promised was enough to keep her smart mouth shut. So, there she was, coming to a stop in front of the temporary home of Lucas Courtwater. Her eyes lingered on the address she had written down, before double checking with the numbers displayed on the home.
Shooting a glance to Rep, Ricki gave a nod to assure him this was the place. With the confirmation, Ricki took a moment to rub her eyes in one final attempt to wake herself up. Heading towards the door, she didn’t bother with knocking or uttering a word and just set a thumb over the doorbell. Whether it was her being so tired, she forgot her thumb was there, or simply just Ricki not wanting to bother with it, her thumb lingered on the bell for a few more seconds than necessary before she let it be. With any shout, she’d simply mumble an inaudible response. The moment the door was opened, Ricki’s mouth decided to open wide with a yawn.
Setting a hand over her mouth, her eyes forced shut, Ricki began to speak through her yawn. “Good morning, I’m Richelle Jace, or Ricki. I’m here to…” she trailed off as her yawn began to fade away. Rubbing her eyes, she went on “… pick up Lucas Courtwater? I’m sorry, I’m not used to waking up at this hour.” While Ricki was typically not the one for manners, she knew that there was always a time and place to try and be decent. Work was one of those times and places, in fact.
NOTE:
Sleepy Ricki hasn't seen Lucas, yet. This shall be fun mwahahaha Also, new template, woo
Post by Lucas Courtwater on Nov 17, 2013 13:17:53 GMT -5
Keep Your Secrets
@ ricki
#535
He was still up in his room and when the doorbell sounded, a long leveled tone that cut through the silence of the house. Lucas, who, in an attempt to ward off a possible dizzy spell, had been half-lying on the bed, feet still on the floor, pushed himself up on one elbow and listened until the sound ended. SA Brennan, still on speaker, made a little sound of amusement.
"That'll be her. Go to the window and snap me a picture though, just to be sure."
". . . Alright."She's definitely taking the security part of this seriously.
He snatched the phone up again and moved over to the front window, standing to the side of it and pushing the curtain back slightly. Sure enough, there was a green head of hair down there, now leaning back from the doorbell. A few paces behind her stood a Lucario. Lucas checked to make sure the flash wasn't on before snapping a picture and sending it to Brennan.
"OK. You are good to go, then. I'll be calling one of you for a status update, so behave." And with that, she hung up, leaving Lucas alone again to his thoughts and the prospects of a travel companion.
He pocketed the phone and made his way downstairs, going over what he still needed to pick up before they left. Keys, maybe she'd like some coffee, a dose of painkillers would probably be a good idea, and Soph- No, he had to keep reminding himself. Sophie was still back in Saffron. No one had thought to bring her to him before he left. He came to a stop in front of the door and sighed, running a hand through his hair before quickly trying to fix it, patting it down a bit before giving up altogether and opening the door.
Just in time to catch Ms. Richelle Jace yawning, which brought a little smile to his face as he decided that, yes, he would get some coffee for them before they left. He was about to speak, to greet her, but she beat him to it.
“Good morning, I’m Richelle Jace, or Ricki. I’m here to…” The yawn tapered off. She was . . . she really was kind of short, wasn't she? He knew he was tall of course, but he had to look all the way down to see her face. But if Brennan had hired her, she must have really packed a punch. “… pick up Lucas Courtwater? I’m sorry, I’m not used to waking up at this hour.”
Well, it was barely even seven yet, and she must have had a ways to come to get here. She seemed nice, anyway, not distant like he had gotten used to from the Interpol agents, and he stepped aside to invite her in.
"Don't worry about it - it is pretty early. And, uh, good morning! Thanks for coming. I'm Lucas . . . and, uh, sorry I'm not quite ready to leave yet. You can come in and have some coffee? I won't be long."
He looked over her to send a smile and a nod the Lucario's way.
NOTES
Yus new template is win. *code fangirls* And thus Adorkable Lucas is deployed!
Post by Ricki Jace on Nov 17, 2013 15:14:13 GMT -5
I HAVE 637 WORDS FOR LUCAS COURTWATER
Slowly bringing her head up to look at Lucas, Ricki’s eyes gradually pulled open. As he began to speak, Ricki barely paid him any attention as she simply stared directly ahead of herself to find she was staring at some guy’s chest. Arceus damn it, was she really that short? Scratching the back of her head, Ricki began to tilt her head back to try and look up and spot the face of the man who had come to the door. His voice was refined, a tone that was very kind and well mannered, so maybe this was just the guy who was keeping an eye on Lucas Courtwater?
“I’m Lucas…”
Nope. Ricki froze at the words and her head slowly craned to the side, obviously baffled for a moment. This guy? This handsome nice guy was the highly capable gangster Heloise had been talking about? Ricki opened her mouth to say something, but snapped her mouth shut as the other went on to apologize and actually invite her inside for coffee. Pursing her lips together, she slowly looked back at her Lucario, who seemed to be having an easier time just accepting this fact than his trainer. He was already moving onto the porch to follow her inside, only stopping when Ricki looked at him. Ricki glanced, almost sheepishly, back up at Lucas, and quickly mumbled “Uh… Hold on.”
Stepping back a few paces, she pulled back out the little black book of information and stared hard at the address on the page. Almost as if her life depended on this, she memorized the address and looked back up at the number on the house, then gazed back down at the sign on the street. Looking back up at Lucas, probably staring at her as if she were a freak, at the door way, Ricki could only stare for a moment. No, she’d spent most of her teenager years running around with gangsters. They wore baggy clothing, were tough as nails and certainly weren’t this… Pretty? She almost felt bad for wanting to describe a guy like that, but dear lord, he must take better care of his appearance than her.
Pocketing the black book, she made her way back up to him, slightly flustered by her reaction. “Thanks” she merely muttered as she shuffled inside. The Lucario would simply shake his head at his trainer’s antics and follow her inside. The place was nice, not really a classy mansion, but it was definitely a much higher class setting than Ricki was used to. Looking around the interior, she inwardly cursed at Heloise for the trick that’d been played. Really pretty, rich nice guy was more accurate, how in the world was she supposed to believe this person was some sort of gangster? Ricki rubbed the back of her neck as she scanned the place, before her eyes turned to Lucas. This was a new situation for her, being invited into some wealthy person’s place. Gazing up at him, she nearly forgot his offer for coffee and simply stood in place, unsure of where to go, or if she was allowed to actually go anywhere now that she thought about it. Was it rude to simply walk into a person’s house and just walk wherever she wanted?
Rep merely quirked a brow at his trainer’s awkwardness and looked up at Lucas with an almost apologetic look. Even if Lucas knew Ricki, this kind of behavior may have even been surprising to him. Her usual ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude vanished behind a tired and seemingly timid side. She didn’t get like that often, but it was just how she got around nicer people. She was quiet for a moment, before speaking up “So, uh… How long do you think you’ll need to finish getting ready?”
Post by Lucas Courtwater on Nov 17, 2013 18:57:53 GMT -5
Keep Your Secrets
@ Ricki
#438
“Uh… Hold on.”
Lucas could only blink a couple of times, his head tipping to the side much as hers had as she suddenly left the doorstep and appeared to . . . begin rechecking the address. Why would she need to do that? He had said who he was and everything. Was there something wrong? Maybe she had been to this place before, and she only just recognized it? That was possible - a quick look around had revealed that it was stocked like an Interpol safe house. She could be a regular consultant, or something.
Still, he cast a self-conscious glance down at himself, wondering if something was off or he looked weird and she thought he was the wrong person, or something, but everything seemed normal.
Finally she seemed satisfied, or at least maybe resigned, to the address being correct, and he just smiled sheepishly and nodded at her muttered, "Thanks," as she shuffled through the doorway, the Lucario following and seeming much more comfortable than his trainer. As she stepped further in the foyer and stopped, Lucas glanced outside at the street once before closing and locking the door.
He turned back to her, feeling all the more awkward because that was how she seemed to be. The Lucario even gave him a look that seemed sorry, and that just caused his shoulders to slump slightly. Was there something wrong he was missing? Sure, it had been a few weeks since he'd had anything vaguely resembling normal social interaction, but surely he hadn't messed up that bad already?
“So, uh… How long do you think you’ll need to finish getting ready?”
Oh, that's right!
"Sorry," he said again, with a slight shake of head starting down the hall toward the kitchen. He stopped almost immediately, turning back to her. "Not long. Um. The kitchen's this way. You can sit down . . . How's that coffee sound? It's already set up - I've just gotta start it and then I can put it in a travel mug to-go." There was literally enough of those heavy-duty mugs to service two dozen Interpol agents. He had found a whole package of them in the pantry.
OK, what did he need to get again? He really didn't want to keep her waiting, now. Keys, get the coffee ready, painkillers . . . watch. He wasn't wearing his watch yet. Where did he leave it?
He wavered there in the hall, waiting for a yay or nay on the coffee and trying to track when he had taken his watch off the night before.
It appears nerves were contagious as Ricki observed the blond go from a confident prince-like figure, to nearly stumbling over his own nerves and words. Following her question for him getting ready, the young man would suddenly seem to snap back to his senses and quickly shoot out an apology. Taking off without another word, Ricki just quietly shuffled to the side to try and keep the guy in her sights. Slowly her head once more would tilt to the side as she watched the young man shuffle away. Kitchen was that way, she had skipped breakfast… She could probably grab a box of donuts on the go.
Coffee. Ricki gave a nod and answered “Coffee sounds good. Uh… You got sugar, cream, or some sweeteners? I can add that so just uh… Tell me when it’s done?” Despite the fact Ricki was notorious amongst some of her friends for her taste for spicy things; she couldn’t deny her sweet tooth. Rep merely glanced at his trainer, before he’d start down the hall after the young man. Ricki studied the two for a moment, before she would look around and spot a sitting area at the front. Glancing back over her shoulder in the direction Rep and Lucas had gone, Ricki merely vanished into the sitting area for a moment out of curiosity. Her gaze drifted to what was supposedly a bunch of windows that were to let light enter the room, but for obvious reasons, the curtains were drawn shut. This poor guy probably hadn’t even seen real proper sunlight for a while. A shut in, she would say, but not by choice. Glancing back at the hall, Ricki looked back at the windows and sighed. Despite the perfect lighting, she had to stay up just a bit longer.
Rep was a bit more proactive as he’d walk with Lucas to the kitchen, a curious Lucario he was. Something about Mr. Courtwater’s aura was off, but not in a way that made the young man a threat. No, this was more so something that concerned the Lucario as he walked with him. Rep was just merely taking up the job as a guard dog already as that was what he and his trainer would be getting dots for. When entering the kitchen, he’d let out a curious noise, as if asking if Lucas needed help with anything. Back down the hall, Ricki was turning on her heel. She would jog briefly, before moving to a casual stride to make her way into the kitchen after the Lucario and Lucas.
She was keeping her arms close to her side, clearly showing no desire to touch anything as she moved to take a seat in one of the chairs set in the kitchen. Immediately, she’d bring her feet from the floor and sit Indian-style in the seat, hands set on her legs like she was about to go through sort of intense meditating. But alas, she just simply slumped back in the seat and eyed the others through half-hooded eyes. She was considering just falling asleep as Lucas would finish up, but part of her warned her that was probably a bad idea. Now was probably a good time to make conversation, but Ricki just merely settled back to watch.
NOTE:
Pfffft, yay for contagious nervousness. And goes to show, Rep the Lucario is the responsible one.
Post by Lucas Courtwater on Nov 18, 2013 13:13:17 GMT -5
Keep Your Secrets
@ ricki
#662
Lucas listened and nodded at Ricki's response, actually feeling a bit relieved to be talking to someone about something normal like coffee. Which was really, really pathetic, but he'd take what he could get. And as awkward a start as that was, at least she was friendly. "Sure," he told her, waiting just a moment before turning to continue back to the joint kitchen and dining room that stretched the length of the townhouse.
Had the place been up for sale, this area would definitely have been the the focal point for the real estate agent. It pulled out all the stops: stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, tons of cabinets, a gas range and a long kitchen island furnished with plush bar stools. Usually, floor-to-ceiling windows on the dining room side of the area would let in a lot of natural light and reveal a view of the small but well-landscaped backyard, but as with the rest of the windows in the house, they sported pulled curtains. Lucas had actually ended up spending most of his time in there, if only because the temperature always seemed to be just right, and at the back of the house he could get away with walking around with all the lights on in the middle of the night.
He went straight over to the coffee maker and thumbed the on button, then turned back, ready to attempt some kind of further conversation with Ricki only to discover that only her Lucario had followed. The Pokemon made a questioning sort of sound that Lucas could only guess at the meaning to - it sounded polite, whatever it was, so he just settled on saying, "I won't take long. I've just got a few things to get together."
He glanced briefly around, going over his mental list again before going over to where the phone sat and reaching into the caddy of notepads and pens beside it. He withdrew the housekey from the bottom of the box, taking his wallet from his back pocket and slipping it into one of the card slots before repocketing the wallet and heading to a cabinet in the corner.
A sudden and irrational flare of embarrassment traveled through him as he realized he would have rathered she not see him popping a bunch of pill right off the bat, and he kept his back turned to the room as he pulled the pill bottle out. The rattle of the capsules as they fell down the length of the bottle was a dead giveaway though, and he suppressed a sigh, swallowing a couple of them dry as he heard her settling into one of the chairs at that exact moment.
Lucas replaced the bottle and turned back to face her. She seemed to simply be watching, eyes scrolling lazily from her Lucario to him, and he found himself glancing around once again. Moving along. Watch. Where did he put his watch?
Thankfully, he spotted it next the stove - spaghetti last night, he'd taken it off while mixing the sauce - and he busied himself with crossing the kitchen and putting it on, turning back toward her again and leaning against the counter. He now stood directly opposite her.
". . . Would you like something to eat?"
He was trying to think of things to talk about, but he wasn't sure what was appropriate to ask at this point. How much did she know about the situation? Was it even alright to ask anything about her? She had been nice, but that could have just been common courtesy, and there was always a chance that she didn't really want to have much to do with him. Especially if she had any inkling of who he was and why he was there.
"There's . . . donuts, or I could heat up a breakfast wrap for you?"
NOTES
I swear I was going to have him offer donuts before I even read your post.
Without the civilian truly understanding the noise the Lucario had made, Rep simply decided to leave it be. At least Lucas had assured him it wouldn’t take much longer. So, he gave a nod at the response and began to move to the side, so to remain out of the way. He didn’t really relax, though as he knew this was a security job and once more the young man’s aura just seemed off. The aura felt strange, like something had interrupted the flow of Lucas’s being but… Rep eyed him briefly, about to try once more to speak to the young man with another curious noise. Although, the moment he would just begin to open his maw, his trainer would finally enter the scene. He turned what could be considered a dead pan to her as the tired woman would just shuffle her way over to a chair to wait. If he let his concerns be shown with her in the room, he was sure he’d strike her curiosity and it could go downhill fast if this Lucas had some sort of temper. Plus there was the fact a paranoid Ricki was an edgy Ricki, and he wasn’t really fond of the idea of her losing her own temper.
So, the Lucario would leave it be for now, and Ricki would be left safely in her little ignorant bubble. She was free to simply sit there and watch the other go about gathering his things before they left. In her tired state, part of her mind would drift to her ex-husband and his morning routine. Given the fact Ricki had never learned how to cook, he always woke up before her and would get breakfast started before waking her up. She’d get dressed and stumble her way to the dining room, before just dropping down in a chair, putting her head on the table, and going back to sleep. Sleeping right until breakfast was done and it was time to eat, the memory of those funny mornings brought a brief frown to her face. She couldn’t lie about the fact she kind of missed that. Waking up to someone else there…
The sound of a bottle of pills rattled her a bit more awake and Ricki’s focus shot back to the present. Her tired golden eyes drifting to Lucas just as he’d go about taking his medication dry. Head ever so slowly craning to the side, her curiosity was sparked, but talking kind of required effort. Effort she was just not up for dealing with quite yet. In fact, she was starting to give into the temptation of just falling asleep, her head slowly moving to fall forward, inching closer and closer to the cool counter top in front of her.
“Would you like something to eat?”
Ricki’s head snapped up right. Part of her almost declared ‘I’m awake’ but she managed to keep her trap shut. Her cheeks got slightly flustered by potentially being caught trying to sleep ‘on the job’ but he didn’t seem to notice, or care. Relaxing slightly at that, Ricki sat up a bit more. She opened her mouth, before shutting it. What did he ha—
“There’s… donuts, or I could heat up a breakfast wrap for you?”
Ricki paused, just staring at the other for a moment. Arceus, this guy was really nice. Kind of said something that the offerings of food made Ricki assume such a thought, but that was beside the current point. Now she was starting to get really baffled about Heloise’s description of this young man. Her confusion led to more curiosity, and it was just a bit much to try and think about at this hour, really. Simply reaching up to scratch her head, Ricki recalled briefly the suggestions and she gave a small smile to the other. “Donuts will do just fine” she answered with a slight chuckle. There was a pause, before she cleared her throat and tacked on “Sorry for being kind of… Out of it. I’m not really a morning person so…” She trailed off and gave a small shrug as if that explained everything. Her gaze turned to Rep, who just shook his head at her, but made no other acknowledgment of her blunder. “Early hour’s kind of throwin’ me off cause, well… Hard to get to sleep, impossible to wake up” she tacked on as a joke, before looking up at Lucas once more.
“Are you feeling alright, by the way?” she questioned, figuring since she finally got her mouth to cooperate, she’d settle a little of her curiosity. “It’s not really a good idea to be up and walking around if you’re sick and… Shtuff” she mumbled.
NOTE:
And now she finally begins to stir. My apologies for the wait, I'll try to be much faster from this point on.
Post by Lucas Courtwater on Nov 27, 2013 17:49:31 GMT -5
Keep Your Secrets
@ ricki
#762
The corner of Lucas' mouth turned up slightly in a half-smile as Ricki snapped to attention at his offer of food. Really not a morning person, it seemed, so he appreciated her being up and over here on time. For no good reason he thought, with a fair amount of tired exasperation. But he really needed to let that part go - she was already here, things were in motion, and it was best to just carry on and get it all over with. Besides, even though he perhaps wasn't consciously thinking of the resemblance, the similarities to mornings with Jerry were definitely there. The redhead would only come hobbling from his room at the smell of food, and even then seemed to be sleepwalking, setting himself half-conscious at the table with a cup of coffee and not reaching full presence in the waking world until motor skills were required to work his fork. Without Lucas knowing it, Ricki's struggle to stay awake was lending a kind of "rightness" to the situation that was helping to quickly put him at ease.
"Donuts will do just fine," she told him, and he nodded, returning her smile and heading over to the pantry.
The woman next door with the elaborate hair bun had brought the dozen over the afternoon before, without prompting. He had asked her why, and she said nothing at all, simply looking down (or rather, up) her nose at him before fixing him with an expression he knew all too well to mean You're too skinny.
"Sorry for being kind of . . . out of it. I'm really not a morning person so . . ." Lucas grabbed the donut box and a couple of the travel mugs and shouldered the pantry door shut, watching her as she shrugged. "Early hour's kind of throwin' me off cause, well . . . Hard to get to sleep, impossible to wake up."
He looked at her briefly, before smiling slightly and looking down at the donut box as he placed it on the counter next to her. "I know how that feels," he said lightly, turning back to rinse the mugs out in the sink. He had been the exact opposite of that before the riot. Now he was lucky if he was asleep by three in the morning. "You really don't have to worry about it. It's still early. And besides, I'm the one who's running late." He dried her travel mug out and placed it by the donuts.
"Are you feeling alright, by the way?" He stopped from going to grab the sugar and creamer and looked back at her. She continued, tentatively. "It's not really a good idea to be up and walking around if you're sick and . . . shtuff."
Oh. So Agent Brennan had said something about that. Which would have been the responsible thing, he guessed, since it wasn't very long ago that managing the stairs was a whole ordeal. She had a right to know if he was going to go and pass out on her or something. But how much of the story had been shared was still unknown.
He stepped closer to the counter, trying a smile he hoped was reassuring. "I'll be fine. Probably shouldn't run any marathons, but a day out of the house will probably be good for me." He was looking forward to the walking. Not so much to the destination, but at least it was something.
He turned back and grabbed the sugar from next to the coffee maker, and a spoon from the drawer, placing them next to the donuts and mug and then walking around her to get the creamer from the fridge. The coffee would be done in another couple of minutes.
"I'm just curious," he began, looking between the regular creamer and the mocha flavored one, "but . . . well, what do you know about me, exactly? I guess I don't want to say something I shouldn't and get you in trouble. Do you work for Interpol often?" He buckled and pulled both out, closing the fridge and placing them next to the rest of the collection on the counter. Behind him, the coffee maker was at the height of its work. "I imagine this situation's kind of on the weird side."
Among other irregularities, Lucas was pretty sure this wasn't an official Interpol safe house, but rather one that Agent Brennan had set up on her own. The location, style of the house, the lady next door . . . it all seemed like something out of a spy novel.
To her credit, Special Agent Brennan didn't waste time. She didn't ask questions that couldn't - or wouldn't - be answered, and she definitely didn't seem to give a damn about being conventional. 
