Denial [Isolde/Marin]

[Maria Harper]

Maria Harper had gotten back into Lani after a few hours from the Sunrise Caves. Her shoulder and arm were both still bandaged, her backpack was slowly drug along on the ground, and her sleeve remained stained in crimson. Her hood was still down as well, her pink hair looking like a wild mess. Murder walked alongside her like he had since they left the cave. The feeling of lightheadedness had begun to pass after a time. Her steps grew surer. But her legs felt weak now that she'd finally reached downtown Lani again.

She was surprised no one had tried to stop her yet. Not a curious person or a police officer demanding to know what was up with the blood on her sleeve. Perhaps it was the Sneasel at her side that intimidated the former, but still. However, it did certainly draw looks as she passed along. Maria could feel her legs starting to give out though. She noticed a nearby cafe and moved over towards it. She seated herself in a chair on the patio outside. Just long enough to take a break. That was her plan. But as she sat there, she began to feel tired. So very tired. The afternoon sun blazed high in the sky, but her body felt as though it was the dead of the night. Murder sat in a seat beside her after a moment.

The pink haired trainer looked at her loyal Pokemon before her arms found their way to the table. She lowered her head to lay upon them. And she didn't want to move anymore. Everything in her just wanted to stay right there and go to sleep.

[Isolde Spencer]

After a long day, it was certain that downtown Lani would be the perfect spot to relax and Luke the Inkay decided to accompany her along. He was rather chipper today as he was looking at the various stores from a window. Perhaps Luke wanted to try on the various clothing, but not today though. Fate had other plans and the two decided to stop by a nearby cafe, only for Isolde to see a familiar face. The bunny-hooded trainer from before was sleeping or at least Murder was watching after her well-being. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be bandages around the bunny-hooded trainer's arm and shoulder which indicated that there was injuries afoot.

She was worried that Maria's injuries might have been hurting her. "Maria, what happened to you? You're hurt..." She spoke in a worried tone. The Inkay voiced his concern for the other girl's injury. "Inkay! Inkay!" It was clear that Maria would probably need to get her wounds treated, but it was probably nothing major.

[Marin Yoshihara]

» TAGGED, Maria Harper
» WORD COUNT, 583

The city... Boy, did it feel like home. Well, sort of. Downtown Lani was not as big as, say, downtown Castelia or Virbank, but it had the same vibe. Busy, condensed, and with enough vitality to swallow the meeker city slicker up. Marin walked down the sidewalk quietly, but she gave off confidence, almost swagger. She knew how to handle these streets, even as a tourist. Chin up, shoulders square, and a look that could kill; sure, Marin may not be able to act the part as well as she could look it, but the people that shuffled around her did not know that. 

The faint scent of coffee and pastries drew her attention off the crowded sidewalk and towards a cafe. Her eyes caught sight of an outdoor patio area, where its patrons could dine under the sky. Marin appreciated that, but not as much as the sight of the two girls occupying one of the tables. She adjusted her collar and smiled faintly, slouching with interest as she neared the gates to the patio.

"Bunny ears..." she whispered gruffly.

The one with the vibrant pink hair and a face that looked anemic caught Marin's interest first, explicitly because of her fashion sense. The blond that doted on her looked more alarmed than curious. Did she not question why the girl wore a hood with bunny ears? It took Marin a moment to realize what troubled the blond until she stepped up the patio steps, meaning to pass by and get a better look at them. Oh... oh.

"Oh, shit..." she muttered, pointing at the girl with the bunny ears. "She get roughed up by some bikers?" They were always assholes to young girls back in Virbank, hence Marin's lack of fright and alarm. "Take it from me, slash their tires while they're in the bar. That'll give them a conniption."

She took a seat by the blond, her curiosity fueling her actions now. She tilted her head and glared at the wounded girl's face with her red eyes gleaming. She rested her elbows on her knees, letting her chin rest on her folded fingers as she too examined the bandages.

"Hey, bunny girl, don't die," Marin ordered calmly, glancing at the blond. "You know first aid? I can help, maybe." Marin shrugged, leaning back and crossing her arms behind her head. "Or I can rough up the asshole that did this, whatever works..."

The least she could do was help, right? Marin got involved the moment she had seen the blood on her sleeve. It would be just plain wrong to ignore an injured person, especially when her friend seemed so worried. Marin watched the blond react intently, noticing the emotion in her blue eyes. They were obviously close... Marin almost felt like a sore thumb coming between them, but, hey, she had morals. Again, there was no way she would ignore someone that had been hurt, regardless of the circumstances. She was not some heartless bitch.

The Inkay was annoying her, though. It seemed just as worried as its owner, but its incessant cries only made Marin wrinkle her nose. If there was one thing she could never understand, it was how trainers could let their Pokemon go on and on like that when they had not a clue what they were saying. Still, it was not Marin's place to discipline the thing. Besides, it was kind of cute. 

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Maria Harper]

Maria had begun to drift off into blissful silence as her head lay upon her crossed arms. They didn't make much of a pillow, but they were something. It was a bit of a shame her rest had been interrupted so quickly. Or so it had felt like to her, anyways. The pink haired girl began to slowly raise up her head, her eyes blurry for a moment as sleep primarily dominated her. With the rising of her head, one could see the crimson stain that ran down her sleeve from the blood. The bandage itself was almost as red as her sleeve, having absorbed much of what she had bled out. The pinkette held her head in her left hand, groaning a bit before looking about, her vision clearer.

Voices began to register finally as well. One was familiar, so very familiar. The other sounded undoubtedly like a Pokemon. Looking to her right, she saw someone who was very familiar indeed, the cute blonde she had met in Moana and assisted at the ghostly graveyard. The Pokemon... Inky? Was that what it was saying? Well, it was floating beside Isolde. "Huh...? What...?" She could hear the voices, but it was as if the words weren't properly registering. Maria looked over at Murder, the Sneasel saying something himself, though given she couldn't exactly understand Pokemon, she had no idea that he was explaining what had occurred at the Sunrise Caves to the Inkay.

Then another person appeared, someone she didn't recognize this time. The new arrival poked at her arm and Maria hissed in pain before grabbing at the wound and placing a hand protectively over it. "Ugh... What... What are you talking about?" The injured girl groaned after she spoke, her body protesting even that much movement it seemed.

[Isolde Spencer]

Even though she herself couldn't understand Pokemon, she was unaware that Murder was talking about what happened to Luke who seemed to nod and speak to the Sneasel. She did notice a newcomer who had green hair and she just as concerned as she was, only she was hurting Maria by poking her in the arm. She hadn't seen the other girl before, but this girl was probably new to the Aina region. And the green-haired girl was probably a trainer, but she wouldn't know yet. Either way, she was concerned about Maria's wounds though she could probably get something out of Luke if she could understand the Inkay's Pokemon speak.

She turned to the newcomer and spoke, "I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?" At least, Murder did share her concern for Maria's wounds and the Sneasel was very loyal to his trainer.

[Marin Yoshihara]

» TAGGED,Maria Harper
» WORD COUNT, 540

The bandage had been stained with her blood, and it was fresh. Marin could faintly smell its acrid odor, but she examined its depth studiously. The wound seemed superficial though wide, but the poor care it had been giving failed to clot the gash well enough to stifle the bleeding. It was by no means deadly, it just needed to be treated properly before the girl passed out from the blood loss. She looked like she was already fading out. 

"Your wound," Marin answered her question, though she doubted the girl was aware enough to understand. "Allow me?" Marin gingerly moved her hand off the bloody bandage, cautious of protest from either her or her blond friend. "The bandage you've applied is dirty. It'll do no good to just sop on your shoulder like that."

Marin's eyes narrowed as she reached for her sleeve, dragging her fingers across the stain. It was too bad the bunny hoodie may have seen its last days. Bloodstains were a bitch to get out of white clothing. She rubbed her fingers together, slick with the girl's fresh blood. She worked her bottom lip between her teeth with concentration.

"Take off your jacket, then," Marin coaxed her studiously; asking strangers to strip required her expert poker face. Hopefully the girl wore something beneath her jacket. Her eyes were pensive as she continued to stare at the blood on her fingers. "I'll help your friend here patch you up, good as new... If you'd let me."

Having been her sickly mother's nurse for years, Marin knew a thing or two about first aid, and she was used to the sight of blood. Still, it was strange seeing it again. Her heart tugged a little, not for the injured girl, but for her mother back home. Marin wondered who took care of her now... If she was even alive to be taken care of. She blinked slowly, her troubled thoughts fleeing as the blond asked her a question.

"Well... It's a big region. I'm sure I'm not the only one you haven't seen." Marin smiled wryly, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "New? Yeah, sure. I came here on a wing and a prayer. You could say my 'wanderlust' is incurable," she replied dryly, letting a chuckle slip out.

She watched the blond carefully, wondering why she chose now, of all times, to ask her that. Her friend was hurt, but she was curious about Marin. It was somewhat flattering to be the topic of interest when there was a bloody girl sitting right beside them. Still, Marin welcomed the girl's curiosity with a crooked grin.

"Call me Marin. But we'll talk more later, maybe." She nodded to the pink-haired girl. "Right now, I think your friend needs our help." 

Marin heard the rumbles coming from the Sneasel and narrowed her eyes. Perhaps the Pokemon knew what the hell happened to its trainer. Again, Marin had not the slightest idea how to interpret the creature's language. Prompting answers from the Pokemon quickly became a moot point for Marin. It was best just to try and replace the girl's bandages for now and ignore the exchange between their Pokemon.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Maria Harper]

Maria looked over at the new person, groaning again before actually giving the green haired girl an answer. "Ugh, fine..." Her own eyes drifted toward the bandage and it certainly didn't look any kind of good. The crimson sleeve didn't exactly help matters. She sighed before untying the bandage and unwrapping it before letting it fall to the ground. Maria then unzipped her hoodie and slipped out of it. Underneath she was quite obviously clothed, wearing a black shirt along with a skirt. And to her two onlookers, they could see how the hoodie had hidden her real figure and endowments. But what was perhaps more important was another bandage around her left shoulder, though that one was far better taken care of than the one that had been on her right arm.

"I've got... I've got a kit in my backpack." Her voice sounded quite weary and the pink haired girl began to rest her head in the palm of a hand that was propped up by the table. Her backpack was quite promptly placed on the table as well by her Sneasel before he began to root through for what his Trainer had used earlier. Eventually he drew forth the kit, placing it on the table over near Maria and Marin. "Ugh... Arceus damn all Zubats..." She muttered under her breath.

[Isolde Spencer]

The green-haired girl introduced herself as Marin, but they would have to talk later. Maria was in pain and it was concerning for the wounds to bleed. Murder the Sneasel knew what happened, but she couldn't understand what he was saying in that regard. Luke recounted what happened to Maria, but the Pokemon speak was making it hard to understand what was really going on until he made gestures akin to a Zubat, flailing his tentacles about as if to emulate a Zubat flying in the air and attacking a person. It was probable that Maria had been attacked by a Zubat and that her wounds were a result of the attack.

Perhaps it would be better to address the wound first as it was the most concerning before they could move on to other matters. Zubat was a very dangerous Pokemon indeed, having the ability to make a person suffer from its poisonous attacks.

[Marin Yoshihara]

» TAGGED,Maria Harper
» WORD COUNT, 600

Nodding her approval when the injured girl cooperated, Marin scooted back on her chair, giving her the space she may need to get herself ready for first-aid. She watched the soaked bandage slap onto the ground, frowning with concern. Too much blood… Marin glanced at her with concern, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to map out how this would go down. First, the wound would need to be cleaned---


Marin’s mind went blank when the girl tiredly removed her bloodied hoodie. As it rolled off the girl’s shoulders, Marin got a much better look at her body (one she was not entirely prepared for). She noticed her curves, which had been hidden under the loose-fitting jacket before. And her chest… Great, Arceus, Marin tried not to stare. She could feel her neck get hot, and she adjusted her collar, trying to shake her new prick of interest.


“Right… The, uh, the kit, yeah.” Marin pried her eyes away from the girl, her face warming with a faint blush. She cleared her throat and leaned from her chair to take the first-aid kit her Sneasel had placed on the table. “Thanks, bud,” she muttered to him, her tongue feeling dry.


Marin popped the kit open with her thumb, staring intently at the kit’s contents. Trying to stare at anything but Maria. Dammit, Marin, focus. It’s not like you haven’t seen a pair of tits before… She bit her lip, sneaking one more glance, before she slipped on the latex gloves that rested in the box.


“Zubat did this?” she echoed in surprise. “Damn, never knew those things had it in them.” Marin assumed it must have been a horde, how else could she get in this shape? This girl had not one, but two wounds from the Pokemon; luckily, the other was clean and well-dressed. “I would have caught one of them, they can evolve into real monsters later on…”


Marin talked as she drew out the antiseptic wipe from its packet. Now that the skin wound was freed from its binds, she got a better look at it. Zubat were poisonous, and their fangs can carry more bacteria than one would imagine. Standing up, she moved behind her, breath catching as she got an even better look at the girl from a different angle. Holy shit, Marin, get a hold of yourself.


“This’ll sting,” she muttered, her tongue still feeling dry. She gingerly swiped the wipe across her wound, cleaning it carefully. As she slowly got into the role of a caretaker again, she cleaned the wound with more precision, albeit somewhat firm. She tried not to think about the tiny shred of fabric separating her from the girl’s pale skin. “It’ll prevent a nasty infection… hopefully.”


Marin glanced away from her shoulder, to her friend. She nodded towards the kit. “Do you… uh… know a thing or two about wrapping?” Marin asked, suddenly conscious of their relationship. Great Arceus, Marin, what if they are… a thing? She hoped the girl missed the way she had been staring at her injured friend. Talk about awkward. “I’ve cleaned the wound, so you can patch her up, if you know how it’s done.”


Marin knew how to bind skin wounds well, but the intimacy of rolling the gauze around her arm would make that faint blush of hers suddenly become way more noticeable. She could manage, but not without her obvious attraction becoming painfully more obvious… Still, the idea of polishing up this girl’s wound was a pretty one. It’d give her a damn good excuse to stare at her some more.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Isolde Spencer]

"Well, I'll see what I can do, Marin. I believe I know how to wrap some bandages." She responded as she picked up gauze to use for the bandages. She carefully wrapped the gauze around Maria's arm where it should hopefully stop the bleeding. Luke the Inkay seemed to be watching carefully from a distance, just a bit curious about how his trainer had a bit of knowledge about first aid. She also wrapped some of the gauze around Maria's shoulder and that was it, the wounds were patched up. "I think that should wrap up everything. You should be just fine now, Maria." Her friend's wounds were becoming a bit better with the new gauze wrapped around where it should be able to stop bleeding after a while.

She was particularly worried that Maria might hurt herself again if the pink-haired girl was indeed looking for a specific Pokemon, but to no avail. Perhaps Maria might need some time to heal her wounds before setting off again, after all it was dangerous to go inside a cave full of Zubats which had poison.

[Maria Harper]

"Yeah, Zubat." Maria grimaced at the memory. "One surprised me from the ceiling of a cave and bit me yesterday." She sighed. "And just my luck, another hit me with some kind of attack today at the same time it tried to hit Murder." She briefly lifted her head from the palm of her hand and thumbed over to her Sneasel before placing her head solidly on her palm once more. The pink haired trainer hissed again at the sting of the alcoholic wipe, biting down slightly on her bottom lip. In a crazy sort of sense it also felt like a solid rock among the lightheadedness she was feeling right now. It was something that kept her grounded in reality and not wanting to fly off back to dreamland.

Maria's head briefly raised up once more as Marin said that she was finished cleaning the wound. It seemed that Isolde would be taking over for Marin. And somehow, that seemed... nice. Better, even. But she couldn't say why. As Isolde began to wrap the new bandage, Maria placed her head in her palm again, her long pink hair parting about either side of her head and hiding her face. But beneath it, she could feel her cheeks start to burn. An odd feeling welling up in the pit of her stomach. Maria didn't know what to make of it and in the end, she simply chose to stay silent.

"Yeah... Thanks."

Maria's voice came out somewhat weak, but perhaps that was no surprise given her injuries. It certainly wasn't due to that odd feeling that messed with her head. Definitely not.

[Isolde Spencer]

At least, Maria was going to feel better soon when the wounds were fully healed, but Maria was feeling exhausted from the blood loss and the trek back into town. One could wonder if Maria was acting strange around her somehow and she didn't know it yet. Perhaps, the pink-haired girl might've felt infatuation towards her...possibly. "Zubats, huh. I heard they're quite dangerous if you provoke them. But for someone to encounter them two times in a row, it's simply infuriating." She responded calmly. She hadn't had the best of luck when it came to finding something she liked, but she hoped that Maria's encounter with a Zubat would probably help her to recover from the trauma. After all, nobody likes an angry Zubat as much as the next person, but it was still a rather frightening encounter.

[Marin Yoshihara]

» TAGGED,Maria Harper
» WORD COUNT, 383

"No lie? Zubat can be skittish little demons." Marin shook her head, easily imagining a flock of them swarming. It happened in Virbank's sewers regularly; Marin had her fair share of encounters when she and her friends would play manhunt below the city. "I've never heard of them being as aggressive as this though..." Marin stared at the girl's wound, perplexed. "Maybe it was defending the colony's young."

Zubat were pests, sure, but Marin would not have passed up the chance to catch one had it been her in the cave. They were docile and easy to train; for some kids younger than her, they were usually one of the earlier-caught Pokemon. Marin would feel much safer with a Pokemon like Zubat (with its keen echolocation and sensitivity) by her side during her nighttime travels. She wanted one even more now, seeing how a wild one nearly trumped an ice-type Pokemon like Sneasel.

Taking a step back and letting the blond take the floor, Marin slipped off her gloves as her role as caretaker melted away. Bandaging was a tedious process, but she usually had the patience for it. It just so happened that this time it involved a pretty girl, so she decided to wash her hands of any invasive maneuvers that might make the situation more awkward than it needed to be. She resided to organizing the girl's first-aid kit for her as she got wrapped up by her friend. 

But as Marin stole glances at their exchange, she began to wonder if "friend" may not be the correct word for their relationship. Her watchful eye could not miss the faint blush on the pink-haired girl's cheeks; to have color flush her face when she's already losing blood.... this girl's heart had to have been pounding. And she did not blame her for it in the slightest. Her blond "friend" was attractive, to say the least. 

Marin tucked her chin in in collar, trying to hide her wry smirk. "Ever heard of the 'Florence Nightingale Effect,' ladies?" she asked slyly, her curiosity piqued. "I think I'm witnessing it first-hand right now, honestly." It was only light teasing, and Marin glanced between the two keenly, her interest urging her to pry. "

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Maria Harper]

Flora whosa what now? The name didn't ring any bells for Maria. The pinkette raised her head slightly, the faint blush having faded away once more. She looked over at Marin, the tired expression she once held replaced by a look of curiosity. "I don't think I've ever heard of it before. What do you mean?" She tilted her head slightly, the pink locks spilling to the side. She raised a hand to swipe away the strands that got in her face, brushing them over a shoulder. At least this change in conversation was helping her to focus on something other than that feeling bugging her.

[Isolde Spencer]

Sooner or later, Marin began talking about the Florence Nightingale effect and while she didn't know that it in general, Maria was quite confused about what the other girl was talking about. Luke was occupied with something to play with as he really didn't care about what they were talking about. "I don't think I ever experienced it firsthand. It's something that I never heard of before..." Many other terms were a bit new to her, but Marin was probably talking nonsense. After all, it was probably just speculation that this effect was influencing their minds somehow. Actually come to think of it, some people did experienced that feeling before, so perhaps it was just a little true.