« ∫ Zipporah is still very concerned about how many people there are and how little trees there are. It isn’t good, it isn’t fair, but her new trainer fed her too well for her to complain. She watches, sitting on the bench beside him as he fed some other birds and Pokémon, and cocks her head as she sees him get up and call to a very tall man in dark clothes with dark hair.
He’s tall. Trees are tall. He’ll work.
She flutters over and lands on this new man’s head, hooting at him.
« ∫ “Happy Hanukkah!” He’s been a little too busy with Zipporah to celebrate with others, but he’s dutifully said the prayers and lit the candles on the menorah in his window.
WHAT A PAINFULLY AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL. Wrinkled and wasting, he ought to turn soon. While she could care less for the objective of this experiment, she had gathered the assumption that any chosen participants were proficient in their own rights. Rare was the blatantly ordinary person; from monsters to superhuman mortals, characters of these calibers inhabited most residences. All he owns is his sharp gaze. “Do I fascinate you? Or is human observation merely a hobby of yours?”
« ∫ The city never ceases to amaze him, Gideon muses. The train ride to District Mu is nearly supernaturally short, or at least it feels that way as he watches the world fly by from the train’s window, slowly turning greener and lusher as time went on until it was nearly completely grasslands and forests. He steps off the train carefully, glad that he’d worn clothes he didn’t much care about as his feet almost immediately sink into soft earth. He holds a small red and white ball in his hand, glances at it with lingering bemusement, and then steels himself.
This is it. He’s getting a Pokemon. He’s getting one today, and it’s going to be a bird of some kind––and he’s going to do it even if it kills him. Death isn’t permanent here, a flippant part of him muses as he treks forward into the grass and towards the forest. Trauma is something he’s dealt with in spades, and he reasons he can deal with a little more if things go south. He’s fine. He’ll make it.
Immediately, he spies the strange creatures interacting with each other, some running and chasing each other in a sort of game, some looking for food, and others still curled up in the sunny spots dappled across the ground through the gaps in the leaves of the trees. Gideon watches them silently, a half-smile on his face as he cautiously walks around them. They’re very cute, cooing and tweeting and chattering away amongst themselves. A few of them notice him, regarding him with curiosity as he meets their eye. He does not move one way or another, simply smiling kindly and keeping his distance. Wild Pokemon are still wild animals of some kind.
A couple of bug-like Pokemon approach him slowly, trying to determine if he has food. Gideon has come prepared, and he sits down at the base of a tree and pulls out a small bag of trail mix. He grabs a small handful and lets them take a bit and eat. More Pokemon come towards him and he gives them food with a smile, enjoying their presence. Eventually, he sets the bag out and opens it wide so they can just take for themselves. They rejoice and begin to feast.
A blur of tawny and white feathers zooms by him, and it’s followed by a small thud as a bird-like Pokemon falls flat on her face with a very unhappy screech. Seems like she hadn’t realized the ground was just that close in her pursuit of the trail mix. Gideon startles for a moment, standing up and walking towards her, concern in his eyes. “Hey, I’ve got you,” he says, kneeling down to pick her up and brush her off, but she screeches defensively, feathers puffed up. She looks more ball than bird at this point, and she was pretty round already.
Gideon steps back a bit, hands raised in surrender. “Alright, alright. You’re fine on your own,” he murmurs, watching the little Pokemon sit up again and preen herself. She has a few bits of grass and smudges of dirt on the top of her head where she can’t reach, and she fluffs up again in annoyance as she can feel the dirt but cannot get it all off. Gideon moves to help her again, and is rewarded with another shriek. This time, he recoils with an eye roll and watches her fruitlessly try to clean herself.
“Are you done? Are we finished here?” he asks quietly.
She screeches again.
“Listen, I’m not going to stop you from trying. But you’re not that flexible.”
She is, too, she seems to say as she clacks her beak and flaps her wings. Gideon huffs and gets the last of the dirt and branches off before she can move to screech or retaliate. She squawks and flaps into his lap to peck at his nasty hands for daring to touch her!
“Shit!” Gideon grabs her and firmly places her a couple of feet away from him. “Don’t do that!” Take a wild guess at what she does in response.
Gideon is tempted to screech back at her, but he simply sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Listen, I don’t want to argue. I just want to help,” he mutters. He goes back to the other Pokemon and the trail mix. Before he can, the little bird trots in front of him with another screech, glaring up at him. She will not be ignored!
“What?” Gideon asks, hands on his hips. “What is it now?”
She hoots, flapping her wings twice. She will not be ignored.
Gideon sighs again. “Do you want some food?”
She nods, embarrassed and a little guilty.
He takes another handful of trail mix, moving it towards her. She eats with reluctance at first, leaning forward so she can stay away from him as best she can, and then eats with fervor as time goes on, moving closer as she grows more comfortable. He gets another handful and takes the bag back, the trail mix almost gone. She hops closer to him, now sitting in his lap benevolently. He shakes his head with a small smile, gently petting her back. Instead of screeching, she chirps.
HOME DISTRICT: Delta, though I’m hoping to transfer to an apartment soon. You will be notified should I get a new place to live.
WHY YOU FEEL YOU WOULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR MY BLADES: I may not have any supernatural powers, but I am a renowned criminal profiler in my world and I’ll work to predict the movements of known criminals and solve cases for unknown ones. I am proficient with a SIG SAUER P226 and P228 pistol, though I am most known for being able to talk down killers.
“A criminal profiler, you say... I haven’t had many people with law enforcement experience offer to join. We’d be glad to have you. Diplomacy is just as valuable as combat skill, but all the better if you have both. I will provide you a list of your fellow Blades, so that you may meet with them and find out who best compliments your skillset.”
