adamant | 8th roar [ video + action for Goldenrod ]

[ The feed clicks on to nothing but Leon's voice, calm and even. If you know him, however, you might realize that he's a touch worried. ]

I heard Lockon was sent home, but has anyone seen Carly? One of her pokemon was transfer---

[ Another voice breaks in, high-pitched and excited and decidedly belonging to a certain ninja. ]

--Leon! Your egg! Gimme that!

[ There's a scuffling noise as Yuffie swipes the gear straight from Leon's hands; no, he gets no say in the matter. She immediately turns on video, and you get a good shot at the inside of Leon's room at the inn. It looks like what you would expect Leon's room to look like: spartan, meticulously kept, nothing of any personal significance on mantelpieces or the wall. Aerith is sitting in a small chair by the bed, Maria on her lap, watching the proceedings with some trepidation. What should attract attention, however, is the pack of dogs crowding the space: Romeo, the big Arcanine, with Mosey the Houndoom sitting sedately beside him. At their feet are Al the Poochyena and the yet-unnamed Riolu. Even Skarmory is there, with Lucky Duck on her back; all six pokemon have their eyes on Leon as he moves towards his backpack, which is now glowing.

Or not quite.

He pulls out the Growlithe egg; it's flickering, which is not something Yuffie's ever seen an egg do, because her voice is a bit cautious when she speaks. ]

Er, Leon? Is it supposed to be doing that?

[ Leon's expression is grim, but he gently sets the egg on the ground and takes a seat. After a few moments, Romeo and Mosey exchange glances, before they move in on the egg. Leon has a moment of apprehension, but neither canine makes an aggressive move. Together, they blow a gust of hot air at the flickering form; that stabilizes it, and its glow becomes more pronounced.

It seems interminable before the egg finally gives a few, meager shakes. The light recedes, leaving nothing but a very, very small Growlithe behind.

A very, very small Growlithe which is very, very immobile.

Yuffie's hand around the pokegear goes shock-still, even as Aerith brings her hands up to her mouth. Skarmory makes a keening noise; the dogs are silent, but their eyes are on the puppy. Leon seems to make a decision, because he surges forward, his voice low and even. ]

Aerith--give me my scarf. Now.

[ Aerith, snapped out of her shock, reaches around for the requested item, wasting no time in throwing it to Leon. He uses it to pick up the tiny thing on the floor, before sitting back down in a single, heavy motion. He settles the small bundle on his knee, bending over it. Then, with the single-minded concentration Leon has been known to give to things that matter, he starts to rub.

He knows, in a corner of his mind, that he should be rushing this small creature to the pokemon center. Isn't that what he told Kairi to do? But he remembers Ari's face when she looked at him, long and measuring. Kisa's gently worried stare, and the promise he made her. If the heat from Romeo and Mosey caused the egg to hatch, then it stands to reason that if he can warm the little one up enough it should wake, right? But he can't make the puppy cross the divide; all he can do is build a bridge and hope she meets him halfway. He can give her a chance.

Isn't that what he'd told Kisa? That they would work together.

Yuffie's hand is shaking a little; anyone's who's been keeping track might be a bit put off. But the camera never leaves Leon's hands, gently but firmly trying to reinvigorate the baby Growlithe. The dogs and Skarmory are all looking at Leon, now--even the distant, quiet Riolu seems worried.

There's no sound other than the soft patter of wind against the windows and collective, tense breathing. Yuffie can distantly be heard whispering, a slow and steady chant of 'come on, come on, come on...'

And then there's a sneeze. The tiniest, dimmest little sneeze you ever heard. Out of the scarf emerges a nose, which Romeo and the others immediately rush to meet.

Relief floods the room. Leon smiles, shy, warm and tired. Aerith laughs, and Yuffie gives a cheerful whoop. ]

She got lucky.

Way to go, Leon! I'm totally showing this to everyone!

[ And with that, Yuffie turns off the feed. ]

[ ooc. gold is Yuffie, pink is Aerith, both used with permission! ]

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[So close, Leon, but you hit and missed. However, she'll just go along with his theory because it was partially true. Shaking her head gently.]

Of course not! I never once thought of you doing such a thing.

[Now wait for it...]

I was actually thinking you would be a good father someday~

Once I return to Goldenrod, Flare could always play with her and keep her distracted. They're siblings, are they not?

...What for?

[ He wrinkles his nose. You only met him a few weeks ago, Quistis. He's pretty sure you don't know his 'type'. Or at least, he doesn't want to think about Quistis comparing him to Squall. ]

...I like animals.

[ He says it extremely quietly, as if she hadn't already figured it out. There's also a 'SO SUE ME' implied pretty strongly in there. ]

Flare is from Ari, too?

[ A pause. ] For the advice.

[ What he means to say is 'for being a constant, warm presence for Aerith and myself', but like hell that's ever going to pass his lips. ]

[ He looks up at her, startled.

His mouth opens.

His mouth closes.

Excuse him, his brain may have ran away from him. ]

I--you--what? Aerith!

[ Embarrassing? About a twenty out of ten. ]

[ That stops her dead for a second, but she only laughs a little, quietly, and mostly at herself for her utter shock. ]

How unexpected. But I suppose I should have sorted that out by now, shouldn't I?

He was one of her first eggs, back in October. They still hug when they manage to meet.

You're welcome. Hopefully chewtoys will be enough to make her happy. [Taking that at face value, apparently. Then again, his smile does soften...] ...Have you decided upon a name?

[Sorry, Leon. She just....HAD to say it because his reaction was priceless. She covered her lips hoping to calm the roar of laughter that was dying to come out. So much laughing out of his reaction.]

Hn.

[ His eyes are on her, his stare hard. It's saying: if you breathe a word of this to anyone, heads--your head--is going to roll. He trusts that Quistis can figure it out. ]

There aren't many of them back home.

[ There aren't even puppies, anymore. And even though Leon can appreciate the fact that they've gone back home, he still...well. Misses them is perhaps strong, but he does occasionally think of them. Radiant Garden barely has birds now, and that's mostly a recent development. ]

[When she finally calms down from laughing, she'll look at him with a smile appearing on her lips.]

Don't worry, I was only kidding. [Looking striaght at him this time the smile still in place.] You really need to learn how to lighten up a bit, Leon. We aren't in Radiant Gardens now, so you should learn how to relax and lighten up while you still have the chance to.

[Only Aerith can turn joking time to lecturing time in only mere seconds.]

[ Quistis is a pretty smart cookie. ]

No... ? [ It's an invitation for him to go on, but judging by his expression, she's not sure he'll take it. ]

I was thinking of Leona.

[ STRAIGHT FACE. ]

[ Icon face. Forever, possibly. ]

What.

Not many, no.

[ Hopefully she wasn't hoping he'd elaborate, because fffff. There's only one person that he's met in Johto that he's talked to fairly extensively about Radiant Garden, and that's Lightning. And even she doesn't know the half of it. He marks a pause. ]

What's your world like, Quistis?

[ Because, by extension, it's Squall's world, and there's a part of him that wants to know, even if there's a large part of him that honestly could care less. ]

Ari does seem like a good mother. [ And a very protective one. But Leon's learning that. ]

I have. 'Lucky'--she seems to like it.

[ She recognizes the subject change and accepts it readily. She doesn't mind talking about her world. ]

The monsters far outnumber the animals, for starters. There are animals in and around the towns — mostly pets, dogs and cats, because wild animals don't fare so well out there.

[ After a beat: ] It wasn't always overrun with monsters, but no one remembers a time when it wasn't. That was a long, long time ago, before the planet was civilized. The Lunar Cry began then.

She's extremely affectionate. I pity any trainer who would try to harm one of her babies.

Quite the fitting name. You might want to bring with you if you decide to visit the Game Corner, just in case.

[as heartwarming and as dopily Sora's smiling as he watches the feed, there is still one very pressing question...]

[Leon. that smile. were there teeth?]

Congrats, Leon.

[ fhjdkshf SO MUCH GLARING ]

That isn't funny, Aerith.

[ He's not rolling his eyes at her, but the expression on his face is close. ]

You say that like there's a time limit on fun.

[ Leon'll totally have fun. After Radiant Garden is rebuilt. And the Heartless eradicated. And the worlds restored to order--he'll never have fun ever. ]

Monsters? What kind of monsters?

[ This is totally relevant to Leon's interests. Also: ]

And what's a 'Lunar Cry'?

[ Thheeeerrrrrrre

might

have been. ]

Thanks, Sora.

[ He's lifting the puppy closer to the screen for Sora's inspection. ~~The Circle of Life is playing in the background~~. ]

Her name's Lucky.

[ Blink. ]

Visit the what?

[ This is why Mickey thinks you're hopeless, Leon. ]

The Game Corner. It's an establishment in Goldenrod where you can play games of chance that are terribly unfair for the customer. Perhaps young Lucky could help you win a prize or two?

A... [ what's the word? ] ...casino, then.

[ He looks down at Lucky, who has finished eating and is collapsed in a sleepy pile of fluff. ]

Don't think it's my kind of place.

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