ordalias | [Action | Video for Goldenrod City]

[ It's the morning and Xion dreams.

It's all vague, really. Images with little discernible familiarity. Doesn't mean that some of them don't. She dreams of a boy with short, red hair; of two short swords of black and white. She dreams of... Lightning-- in armor. She dreams of speaking with someone blonde - Namine? - but the sounds are jumbled, but she can hear clashing of steel and armor grating, and red-

-she dreams of Axel. Chakrams wreathed in flames coming at her. His grin- "Got it memorized?" There's Roxas, and the times they ate ice cream together. The last time they did. "This is why I was created."

Created, and yet she looks like Kairi. Ah, Kairi. She dreams of the time they spoke. Friends disappear. Friends are disappearing. Sora disappears; Sora comes back. That's right, she was created to absorb power-

"You were always a failure to begin with."

She was defeated. She couldn't win. "--sham. Worthless." There's a feeling of hopelessness and despair. It's a different scenario, but the feeling is the same. She can't help her friends-

She lets out a scream, both in her dream of memories and in the real world as she snaps awake, bolting upright in her bed. ]

-ah! [ Realizing what she's doing, Xion clamps a hand over her mouth and hopes no one heard that. She's still in the Breeding Center. She's... safe, yet cold sweat drips down her face. ]

Nngh... [ She holds her head after briefly looking out the window. Still early, but her mind and her... her heart are racing wildly. But her thoughts are interrupted by a snapping sound of an egg cracking open. Beside her, the mystery egg she found over a week ago is hatching, and after a few moments... this rolls out of the remnants of the shell, almost flopping as it blindly moves on the bed.

Forgetting her earlier thoughts, Xion scrambles to get the Gear and pop it open. ]

[ Video ]

"Deino, the Irate Pokemon. They cannot see, so they tackle and bite to learn about their surroundings. Their bodies are covered in wounds."

... huh. I've never head of this one before... --Wait, it's covered in wounds?

[ Forgetting that it just hatched, Xion focuses on that detail a little more than necessary and inches closer to the rolling Deino. It did pause when Xion spoke and is cautiously sniffing the air as Xion holds up a hand closer to it. ]

Is it really hurt?

[ Once her hand is close enough, the Deino sniffs, pauses, and opens its mouth- ]

Ow!

[ Welcome to Xion's life, Deino! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well. Better the pillow than Xion's hand as far as Lightning's concerned.]

It's like training any other pokémon. Reward him when he does something right, and don't when he doesn't.

That's true, but I get the feeling it won't work on him as well as others. [ Just. Look at her. ]

[Oh, she's looking. She's looking and can guess this will be a long battle.]

So you try harder. Giving up without a fight doesn't seem your style.

[ Frowns. ] I'm not giving up. I'm just trying to figure out to do this without anyone else getting hurt.

Doing it in a locked room might work. Would keep almost everyone out. [Until someone breaks down the door to get to her and help, anyway.]

I don't think anyone's heard me...

[ Since the scream wasn't broadcasted, but there is a bit of commotion going on in her room. ]

The gear recorded it biting you. They don't need to hear anything else to figure out something's not working the way it should.

Something not working?

[ Sorry, Lightning. With all this plus her bad dreams, she's sidetracked. Horribly. ]

[Xion, this scatterbrained thing is starting to worry her. Just a little.]

I'm pretty sure you didn't intend to get bitten when you gave him your hand. That's something that didn't work the way it should have.

No, of course not. I just thought I needed to check up on him. And...

[ Trails off. ]

And?

[Iconface. Don't try to hide anything from her, Xion. She's got lectures waiting in the wings.]

I did just woke up. Then he hatched.

That's no excuse to not be careful with something you don't know anything about. Besides, if he just hatched, how was he going to be covered in wounds?

[Logic, Lightning, and Lectures....sorry, Xion. She'll get not everyone thinks on their feet seconds after waking up eventually.]

I was... worried, okay? Maybe somehow he got hurt.

[ Sounds a bit frustrated. Yeah, really. Not many people are in their immediate mindsets after a bad sleep and subsequent hatching of an egg, Lightning. ]

[A pause; she hears that frustration but doesn't quite get the cause. Was it something she said? Maybe...]

How could he have gotten hurt, Xion? What's in your room that's so dangerous?

[Because she's been around quite a few hatchings and eggshells aren't sharp and---soldier logic. Again.]

I don't know.

[ A clipped answer. They both know where and how this conversation will go. Again. "She does care, you know," Fang told her. Xion knows that, but right now, really, she's not in the mood to deal with this again. Yes, yes, another moment of Xion acting like her dumb self that gets hurt a lot, even if she can't control it. Sometimes.

... Honestly, it's starting to remind her a lot of Saix. The thought visibly darkens her expression for just a moment before she sighs, and shakes her head. ]

I'll have him checked soon. See if the staff at the Breeding Center recognizes this Pokemon.

[Yes, they know where it's going. Only...well, Lightning's shut her mouth for the moment, an almost pensive look on her face. Maybe changing tactics would be the best idea in this situation. Stop meeting the brick wall head on and try to go around? It could work...maybe.]

They might not. [Pause.] You're in Goldenrod, right?

Yeah. I'm with a friend named Saber.

[ She'd wonder what made Lightning go like... that, but decides against it. ]

[It's probably for the best that Xion doesn't ask...and that Lightning doesn't start grilling her on who Saber is, so that's a slight nod. Live and let live...for the moment.]

There's a library in Goldenrod. If the people at the Breeding Center don't recognize it and the nurses can't help you, check there. They might have some information.

Okay. Thank you for the tip, Lightning.

[ Doesn't... know what else to say. ]

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