Desert Refuge

Independent Pokémon RP blog, not connected to any particular game. OCs and crossovers welcome! Please read the rules before interacting. Icons are made by guiltfreeicons, nationalicondex, or by me. Sideblog to syllusion.

[sanctufairy]

//hey there! I hope you're doing well! Would you like to roleplay sometime?//

// Hello! Sure thing! Feel free to message me on here or Discord for plotting. //

[redemptioninchaos]

"...Oh...okay. Well, are there any, you know...non-Pokemon animals used for food? I mean, you're a fox. Foxes are predators, right? And so are sea otters."

[sanctufairy]

Mikhail chuckled. "Yes and no. Some of us do hunt, even on other Pokémon, but we can subsist on a vegetarian diet too. Eggs are always popular. And then there are things like Slowpoke tails, which are somewhere in between."

That got him thinking, and he hummed to himself. "I can see why it might be hard to understand if you didn't grow up in this world."

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

"Aether has a few quiet spots. We can go there, maybe watch the moon rise, or sun, I lost track of time bothering my Chosen and the bird." She looked at the flowers and held them close again, gripping them with her claw now.

"We should tell Gladion."

[sanctufairy]

"Sure, that works too." Mikhail had thought they'd need to go far, but if Lunala knew some nice enough spots right here in the compound, all the better. And so he gave a nod.

"Oh, if he and you had plans, we can put this off until later," he added. "The sun won't go down for a few hours yet."

[redemptioninchaos]

Colette smiled at the quadruped, patting him on the head right below the barbed sword-like horn. "Don't worry, Lex. We'll understand each other in time. Though I will say, Mik, Mama's gonna need a lot more than berries. I need me..." She blinked. "Uh, there aren't any chicken Pokemon, are there?"

[sanctufairy]

While Lex accepted the affectionate touch for now, he did back away a bit afterwards as if to signal that was enough. He gave a chuff of agreement, clearly having no problem understanding her.

"There are. Cassie should count, but... you aren't thinking what I think you are, are you?" Mikhail's expression hinted at more than just worry.

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

She held the flowers close, examining them closely. So you wish to...go on a date? I have never been on a date and can not take on a human form like the Sinnoh Trio, so I do not know how that could work.

The Moone Pokemon rubbed her claws together as the flowers now floated beside her.

[sanctufairy]

"I believe that's what people call it nowadays, yes." Mikhail nodded. "As for you not being able to take on a human form... that makes no difference to me. I like you the way you are.

"If it's reactions from others that you're worried about, we can always go somewhere quiet or remote where no humans will see us."

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

Lunala stares at the flowers. Gladion never did this, no matter how much she tried to make him happy. You only met me once...twice? I lost track. A legendary like me loses track of time so quickly; I am not Dialga; after all

She soon dropped from her perch and landed, well floated a few feet away from the bashful Phox. She held out a wing, a 'claw' at the end.

[sanctufairy]

Mikhail backed away, not out of fear but just to give her some room to move. Going from a perch on the ceiling to upright on the floor couldn't be easy.

"You're right, Lady Lunala." He nodded. "That's why I don't want to be too hasty or presumptuous."

Then, he eyed the claw being held out to him, unsure what to do at first before giving the flowers to her. "So... what do you say?"

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

Lunala raised a brow at the mention of the sword. A pokemon, carrying a weapon? That is new to me. I am sure you heard of my Brother's Chosen. He carries a blade himself. Have you battled him?

She stretched her wings and wrapped them back up. What brings you to see little ol' me? She said with a hint of playfulness.

[sanctufairy]

"It's not too unusual for a Delphox to carry a wand, is it? Mine just happens to double as a blade." Mikhail then shook his head. "I don't think I've had the honor yet, but I would be open to a sparring match."

He tried not to stare at her wings, no matter how beautiful they might be even upside down.

"Well, I'll be honest with you. Ever since we first met each other, I have been struck by your beautiful presence. And now that I've built up a stable life, I would like to get to know you better." He held up the flowers he'd brought, offering them for her to take or simply look at. "Would you be willing to spend some time together?"

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

Gladion looked at him and blinked a few times. "You're joking..." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Your funeral, ok?" He said it jokingly and left the two of them when he was asked to leave.

Now it was just the two of them. Lunala soon stretched her wings and yawned loudly. She glanced down at the Phox, looking him over with her cosmic eyes.

Well, what do we have here...ohh yes, I remember you. You and your friends saved Gladion a couple of years ago. I heard you...changed.

[sanctufairy]

"I'm sure it can't end that badly," the Delphox replied with a chuckle, giving Gladion a small wave on his way out before returning his full attention to Lunala.

"Changed?" Mikhail tilted his head, looking back up at her without a hint of fear in his maroon eyes. "Well, I did get a new sword, and went back to using my old name, but that's about everything." He stood up straight again. "How have you been in the meantime, Lady Lunala?"

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

Gladion raises a brow but shrugs. "Yea, she's hanging near my office. Come on in." He gestured for the Phox to follow him. "Can I ask why you want to see Lunala?"

Leaking Mikhail down the hall, a few workers gave small waves, and Lillie rushed by with a stack of papers, stopping and waving at him. Gladion led him to his office; scanning his hand, the door opened, and sure enough, Lunala was literally hanging by a perch, wrapped tightly in her wings.

[sanctufairy]

"It may seem odd to you, but..." He gestures first at his bowtie, then at the flowers in his hand. "What do you think?" If those don't hint at his intentions strongly enough, maybe his neatly brushed fur and the bashful smile on his face do.

He smiles and waves at whoever does the same to him first, pausing to watch Lillie rush by before catching up with Gladion again. He's briefly frozen once Lunala enters his field of view, but quickly pulls himself together and steps closer before clearing his throat. A glance is cast over his shoulder at Gladion. "Would it be rude of me to ask you to leave the room? I'd like to talk to her one-on-one."

Then, he turns back towards the giant bat and cranes his neck to look up at her. "Excuse me... Lady Lunala?"

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

"Huh. Not the strangest thing I'd heard of this week. It's like the berries from Wakanda. Anyway, if I can't understand him, is there a way I can learn Pokemon-ese? May as well if I can't find a way back home."

sanctufairy:

Unfortunately -- or maybe not -- Mikhail might eventually walk away from this conversation thinking Wakanda was a real place.

"Yes and no. It's not a language in the sense you may be used to. There's no dictionary or anything, but..." Mikhail pauses, "Most humans I've met have learned to understand very well through practice alone. And besides, a lot of our communication is nonverbal."

Lex inclined his head, looking back and forth between them in an inquisitive manner. "S'mu?" he huffed.

[night-gladion-and-their-ghosts]

He wasn't wrong. A camera zoomed in on him. Soon a voice came through a speaker near the keypad. "Ashburn...no...Wait." Another voice could be heard behind the first. "Mikhail?" A new voice said.

The doors of the grand Aether Foundation opened up for the Delphox, and soon, Gladion appeared behind another door in the hall. "What are you doing here?" Gladion walked out to greet the Delphox, Silvally following behind.

[sanctufairy]

While not a complete surprise, the voice still caught Mikhail off guard enough to make his ears twitch. He located the source instantly, turning to face the speaker and presumably the camera as well.

"Yes, it's me." He simply nodded.

The doors opening made him take a step back before clearing his throat. "Good afternoon, Gladion. I'm looking for Lunala; is she here?"

[sanctufairy]

@night-gladion-and-their-ghosts

A certain Delphox stands outside the doors to the Aether Foundation, one hand holding a bouquet of flowers and the other adjusting a tasteful black bowtie around his neck. From what he's heard, someone should already be watching and listening to his every move even out here.

"Ahem. Excuse me? I'm looking for the Aether Foundation. Have I come to the right place?"

[sanctufairy]

@multivergentrp | Inbox Starter

In the air, a strange glow consisting of lightning like crackles, glowing red, green and blue, starts to slowly spark up and grow, as a whirlwind gathers. A fogbank starts to condense, as if from nowhere, in the surrounding area as the lightning builds up more and more and swirls around the epicenter of the disturbance, the air seeming to almost pixelate as something happens, some stranger coming through.

Startled, a strange being, resembling a white-furred bipedal cat with big ears and a long tail, hides behind some rocks, observing the stranger from safety, studying him or her-it looked like a her-and mulling things over.

"Excuse me, but did you just come in from... the Analog-World?" The cat-like person asks, slowly approaching the stranger with cautious steps. This person strangely almost looked like a Digimon, but being from the other side, that casted some doubts on that assumption...

sanctufairy:

One moment, Mikhail was getting ready for a day of keeping watch and other duties at the Bastion... and the next, he's enveloped by some kind of blinding light that seems to overwhelm all his other senses - even his sense of time. To say he's disoriented when he comes to is an understatement, and it's a miracle he merely stumbles before regaining his balance.

"Ugh... my head..."

Thankfully, the pounding pain that has his ears ringing vanishes almost as quickly as it started. He blinks, straightens himself, and begins to look around. It doesn't take him long to notice the stranger, ears perking up at the sound of their voice. They're no species of Pokémon he recognizes, but that wouldn't be the first time, and they seem friendly enough.

"Excuse me? I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about." From what he can surmise, he's in another world, and that notion annoys him more than anything. If he had a nickel for every time...

[sanctufairy]

Hey Mikhail.

Do you have a boyfriend?

"I have a few friends who are boys, if that's what you're referring to."

[butt-berry]

Resting with Delphox 🦊

[sanctufairy]

regina-roleplays-hub​:

Josie visibly relaxes at the comfort, shoulders returning to a relaxed posture and hands ceasing their anxious fidgeting to instead rest at her sides. At Mikhail’s question, though, Josie grins.

“Yeah! Was for like three years,” then her smile fades to a regular smile, “truth be told, I didn’t care for it much. I mean, I was fucking proud to be able to boast about my skill. But the fame that comes with it makes it impossible to do anything without the media wanting their say.”

sanctufairy:

The Delphox gives a thoughtful nod. “Fame isn’t everything it’s chalked up to be. My par-- trainer and I,” he quickly corrects himself, “had quite the reputation back in the day, too. People had impossibly high expectations.”

A sigh. “I know someone has to hold that honor, but I can’t imagine anyone doing so for more than a few years.”

Just then, the Gardevoir atop the ‘stage’ begins to speak... well, sort of. Her mouth doesn’t move, but a soft, feminine voice resonates through the mind of everyone present.

“Good morning, everyone. I hope you all slept well.”

She doesn’t get much of a response beyond some Pokémon muttering to themselves, but she doesn’t need to.

[sanctufairy]

redemptioninchaos:

When the second Pokémon appeared, Colette smiled and bowed slightly at him. "Hello, friendo. I take it you know Mik here?" She then turned to Mikhail. "You're telling me a guy gets that big from just eating berries?"

sanctufairy:

The Samurott returned the gesture, betraying a certain bodily stiffness in the process, before letting out another chuff and nodding to answer Colette's question.

"Lex here is one of my fellow guards. He can't speak like you or I can," Mikhail took the liberty to explain. "I understand him just fine, and he understands you, but most of us have trouble pronouncing words. And I don't know what his diet has been like, but... in theory, yes," he added with a look of amusement.