SEE HOW THEY RUN , open

[FINNIKIN DARE]

apparently, these islands were dangerous. they were the mysterious haunts of giant jungle pokemon, they were the place most likely to electrocute you to a finely baked crisp, and they were filled with the various dregs of society that lately seemed to pop up everywhere among his home. well, what an uncanny coincidence: finnikin like giant kickass pokemon, finnikin liked electricity, and finnikin liked dregs. after all, he was one - he was not about to bandy words with his subconscious - so what did he have to fear from this place? nothing. just a healthy amount of static in the air which stood his shaggy brown hair on end and made the down on his arms wave about. he was enjoying himself here in the violently thunderous fields. there was no rain, just continual storms splitting the air in half and crashing back together with a horrendous boom. it was just an all-over thrilling place to be. strolling casually - though out of the corner of both eyes he kept an eye out for the telltale signs of those mischievous lightning bolts preparing to strike him and not one of the burnt out, unlucky trees - finnikin kept a steady hand on the hide of his zebstrika, whose skin arced with electricity and was really enjoying himself out here, though his highness the most regal zebra would never admit it. the pair were old friends, having come together when finn was just a boy and sparky was just a blitzle. and now, of course, the striped pokemon was far more grown up and mature than the morally unsound guard, and had a few more living standards, too.

he had been becoming rather restless in finn's cramped quarters in the royal guard's barracks and while finn - in a show of a compassion unbeknownst to even his mother - disliked keeping his pokemon in their capsules, he was forced to by the sheer lack of space. so this was his apology. with a wry grin that flopped lopsidely over his face, he leant against a tree - not the brightest idea in a place so prone to lightning strikes - and hoped that zebstrika's lightningrod ability would keep him safer. "go on, go for a gallop," he said tunefully, shooing the zebra away with his hands. "go on, get." and so he did, leaving finn alone and without any protection, unless he brought out the lard or the chatterbox. he was full of bright ideas today; now if he were attacked by anyone or anything he would have only his bare hands to protect him. and his vast arsenal of things that can kill people, as well, but he was frankly too lazy to fill out the paperwork and the bloodstain might ruin his love for this vast, uncharted wilderness. it had to be his favourite place in the world right now, not even his childhood home or any kind of tavern came close. but he sure as hell wasn't expecting anyone to come here; nobody in their right mind would turn up to a deadly, dangerous place filled with types that frankly, nobody else seemed to love. with a gulp, finnikin realised: he really didn't want to see anyone who would be crazy enough to do that. that would really mess up his plans for a nice day out. he closed his eyes for a moment and leant against the tree, humming, and for all the world looked like he had fallen asleep.

which he had.

[rainy2]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was what she was, that was what Theresa Darcy was. Why the heck did she think that visiting the vast and uncharted wilderness was a spectacular and grandiose idea in the first place? The girl of nineteen couldn't even recall how she arrived at the peculiar destination in the first place. She recalled reading something about the peculiar area in one of her novels while she was supposed to be studying Latin, but ...? Well, in any case, this was certainly one of the most stupid decisions she had ever made in her life and now she was going to die because she didn't have a clue how to return home.

"Now, now, Miss Tessa Darcy, now is no time to panic just because you're lost and ...alone ...in stormy weather in the wicked wilderness ...and ...oh, no," she spoke as if somebody was really listening to her, like somebody was really there, but of course, it was just her and her Ponyta in the bizarre wilderness. "Irene, I seem to have lost my mind and it appears I have started to converse with myself. Do you think Mother would cut my hair again because she doesn't approve?" The fire horse only looked at the girl as if she was completely mad and strode on helplessly. The pokemon briefly wondered what it had done to deserve such a fate. After all, it wasn't the Ponyta's fault that her lady had gotten herself lost. With a soft whinny, the Ponyta headed towards a particular tree to take cover from the barrage of fiery lightning bolts that threatened to strike her and her mistress down from the world.

Ah? What was that? Safely clutching the fire horse's throat, Tessa strained against the flames to spot a young man nearby! Oh, how good it was to see civilization, but aghast! A man! Still ...it didn't seem like the young man was awake. ...She could only pray that he doesn't dead. After all, he was her final hope. Hopping off the pokemon's back, Tessa offered a friendly pat to the fiery mane before returning the pokemon back into her ball: perhaps an unwise decision, but Irene had already done more than enough for her. After all, it was only one sleeping young man! How much harm could he do?

Well, her mother always did tell her that men had sharp, pointy teeth with the most terrible of diseases. Swallowing hard, she took a cautious step forward and then, another step, but the closer she came, the more she could see just how beautiful the young man happened to be. What the? Surely, a creature this beautiful didn't have terrible diseases and awful teeth? About to create one final step to close the distance, her foot had unfortunately caught on her floor-length dress and she toppled on top of him.

Flushing fervently, she removed herself from the awkward position immediately. "A-Ah, I-I'm so sorry! P-Pardon me! I-It was an accident, I swear on my life, I would never do such a thing! I-I ..." Oh, God, she was going to go to Hell now for her sins. She had fallen on top of a man and they weren't even married! She'd have to spend the rest of her life atoning for her sins, surely.

"I just wanted ...to go ...home!"

[FINNIKIN DARE]

finnikin dare had been having the most wonderful dream. he was captaining an airship - a nice shiny new one, with a cool name that he could not quite remember at this moment - and everyone respected him with fear and awe, and he had lots and lots of money. and girls. and everything was wonderful. then suddenly the dream twisted and a giant screeching pelipper ran into him and knocked him flat on his back, landing on him and making the most horrendous noises. with a flapping movement of his arms to shoo the giant bird away, finn grumpily awoke and, almost as a reflex, fixed his hair. satisfied it was back to its usual soft, carefully coiffed birds' nest, he now took the time to look at his assailant. it wasn't hard, seeing as she was lying on top of him. with a smile, he noted her blush and had to fight terrifically hard to keep from laughing quietly at her unfortunate position. well, unfortunate was in the eye of the beholder; many girls had been perfectly satisfied whilst in her current position, albeit with far less fabric. but that was beside the point. it was with a heavy heart that he realised she was getting off him, and he let it be known with a playful pout. "hold up there," he said, careless like usual and with no seriousness behind his words. he almost never put thought into anything, his calm, soothing voice almost irritating in the way it had no emotion.

"what's the hurry? why the rush? we were just starting to get to know each other." he smirked, cocking his head to the side as he examined her, as one might a shank of meat in a butcher's. she was pretty, he would give her that, but so childish as to seem too young for even his dubious moral standards. she certainly looked rich enough for his tastes, and she wouldn't be the first aristocrat's daughter he had flirted with just to guilt her into buying him trinkets and gifts. finnikin had no shame in taking what was historically the woman's role in relationships: he might have been feminine in that respect, but he was rich and he was hot and he had a girl, so whoever sought to insult him could take that and shove it up their butt. "where's home? perhaps you might need an escort back there," he said, standing and taking her hand with a dashing gesture, kissing it, every inch the gentleman. this could end up well for him, he surmised. he had even completely forgiven her for ruining his holiday off. his zebstrika, it seemed, had not. with a snort, the large pokemon appeared, bristling lightning and glaring down the smaller fire horse. finnikin attempted to calm his companion down by laying a hand on his neck, smiling with a look that apologised for the bad manners of his zebra. "finnikin dare, eternally at your service, my lady," he murmured, talking against her skin. he flourished a bow, and awaited her reply. going on prior experience, she would blush, mutter something about him being so dashingly handsome, and swoon into his arms. well. that was how he saw this going, anyway.

[rainy2]

When Tessa found herself instantly drawn to the young man's gaze, she couldn't help but find herself admiring that twinkle in his mischievous stare. It was the kind of gaze she imagined handsome storybook highwaymen to have, but surely, this man wasn't a criminal? He wore the most curious expression and she had never seen the playful expression before. Hm, maybe she'd try the pout on her mother next time and see how it went, but that would be a next time for the young man had commanded her to halt and she couldn't help but stop dead in her uneasy fear.

What did he want with her? Was he furious with the disturbance of his rest and was he going to eat her now with his secret fangs? Still, there was something in his voice that did not convince her of her ghastly predictions. The way the young man studied her was certainly unsettling though and, almost instinctively, she pulled her shawl more tightly around her lithe frame as if to shield her from the man's prying eyes. Purposely, she avoided the man's gaze and managed to utter a soft reply, "I-I ...fear my family is looking for me ...sir." Hm, was she supposed to curtsy? How did social manners work in the uncultured wilderness again? Oh, she wish she paid more attention to her studies! "N-No harm intended, sir, but I'm not all quite certain if I ...want to get to know you at all. I-I mean, i-isn't that too bold or ...oh, I don't know!"

A soft sigh parted her lips. Wait? Did the young man just say he'd escort her? Well ...maybe it was unfair to be so cold to her potential rescuer, right? "An escort?? Oh, you'd do that for me? I don't want to be of any hindrance to you, but I would be eternally--" Her gratitude was promptly cut off by the sudden kiss of her hand and the mere action summoned all the blood to rush to her pale cheeks. Irene, the fire horse, was less than impressed by her obvious innocence and she only returned the favor by increasing the size of the flames that burned in her hot mane. Tessa shot an accusatory look towards the pokemon and she smiled an apologetic smile, but the expression faded when she could feel those warm lips murmur against her soft skin. "Ah, um ..." Good Lord, she was forgetting her lines already. How did the ballads work again? Er, Tessa gave an awkward one-handed curtsy and nearly tripped on her skirts again. "Tessa-- I mean, Theresa Darcy. I-I don't require anything eternal most certainly, but ...just a little bit of assistance would be thoroughly appreciated." She was smiling meekly and the rose flush in her face was, by now, a full tomato red, but she certainly had no plans of swooning in some man's arms any time soon.

Or at least she hoped.

[FINNIKIN DARE]

she was shy and coy and cute and everything a lady should be, but somehow despite that, he got the overwhelming sense that she would really get on someone's nerves. who was that innocent, come on, really? had she been locked in a cupboard for fourteen years and only allowed out for dress fittings and tea parties? honestly, this was a dangerous world and to be wandering about in it with absolutely zero knowledge of anything that could be even remotely helpful was like asking to be found face-down in a sewer. he got a kind of easy pleasure that he couldn't quite name from the way she cringed under his scrutiny; he loved to be the one in charge, the one in control. he only shrugged minutely as she stuttered her way through a half dozen sentences, smiling at the tacked-on 'sir' but disregarding the content of the rest. the poor girl was delusional, probably had heatstroke or got hit by a falling tree. who wouldn't want to get to know him? "as you will," he murmured through a tiny grin that tugged at the sides of his lips, amused beyond words. he was starting to gather a picture of her in his head. attractive - in a stunning, porcelain, don't want to break it kind of way - while not flaunting it, completely ignorant and still living with her parents. yeesh. still, he liked the picture he had and did want to keep it in there for future reference, so it caused him a little due concern when she reacted so strongly to his simple gesture. 

he had forgotten that she was not like the older aristocrat ladies, whose loveless unions caused them to swoon at the merest sign of affection from a young man. if he had any hope at this, he was going to have to actually court her. did he doubt himself? hardly, but it was going to be a struggle. "well, tessa-i-mean-theresa-darcy, it is certainly my pleasure," he said, with a definite amount of joy in his voice at her awkward stuttering tone. if that was no compliment to his smoldering good looks then what was? "assistance will be rendered upon you the moment you desire," he said, waving an arm lazily, "but what brings such a beautiful lady to such wilderness anyway?" at least if she forced him to take her home without a moment's thought and refused any more on the subject, he had her name and would have her address, and he would be able to swing her eventually. he wondered if this tessa had ever even encountered a man before, whether she knew what her role was supposed to be. she was playing the damsel in distress well, but somehow he got the feeling this was no act with her. he would need time, more time to figure her out. and he was more than happy to do so; it wasn't like he had anything more important to do with his life.

[rainy2]

What was this young man thinking? If only, Tessa could read minds! Her only reply was a small smile: slight and uneasy, but otherwise, shy. Well, if this Finnikin Dare was kind enough to escort her home, then surely, he must have been a good man, right? ...It seemed to sound logical in her mind at least and she could only hope that her frayed judgment was correct. Surely, he wasn't one of those men who'd sell her as a slave or something dreaded to foreign lands? No way! He was far too pretty for that! Pretty people did not engage in poor behaviors ...right?

"Oh no! The pleasure's all mine, Mr. Dare." She offered a more polite smile; how rude must she have been to her savior!? But what if this man wasn't a good man? Oh, great. Now Tessa was bi-polar. "It's not everyday that I get to meet a beautiful man such as your--" She hurriedly cut off her sentence before she could spill any more ...awkward information. A pretty boy like him surely did not need to be told how beautiful he really was!

And finally, she was asked as to why on Earth a lady such as herself would dare visit such a barren land. It was the one question that made her feel completely foolish for it reminded her of her thoughtless decision to come here in the first place. Her cheeks flamed with humility this time around and she brought her voice to a hushed whisper as if there was somebody who could eavesdrop on their lone conversation. Wide-eyed and urgent, she figured she owed the young man known as Finnikin Dare at least this much.

"A-Am I allowed to bestow upon you a very foolish secret?"

[FINNIKIN DARE]

he scoffed as she called him mister dare; it was a term he very rarely heard. with a slight wave of his hands, vaguely muffling the space, he said with an easy tone, "please, just call me finnikin. or finn, if you dare," he said, mischief playing on the side of his voice, a spark in his eye that suggested something dangerous. a plan had just come to mind; well, not so much surfaced entirely but rather been clarified from the muddy mess of plans which floated about inside his head. he was going to put effort into this, because it had been so long since he had taken up a challenge. beer wenches and barflies were all well and good but none of them posed any kind of trouble for a man of his stature, status and general sexiness. or so he told himself, and was often told. it really did no good deed for his already inflated ego. her smile was cute, even more genuine than before, at least from what he could tell. he made a living from reading faces, from knowing when he was being played, when he was spinning a bulletproof truth, and when he had to lie for his life. but her sudden outburst caught him off-guard, and he let out a tiny bit of a laugh before he bit his tongue rather fiercely, the laugh quickly throttled behind his teeth. he raised an eyebrow, letting his mirth show grandly on a broad grin. "beautiful? that's a new one," he said jokingly, the choked laugh not giving up and coming back in little ragged giggles every second syllable.

beautiful was not an entirely manly word. handsome, sure. he could deal with gorgeous, sure. and all those meaningless ones - hot, sexy, whatever, the ones that were suicide if you threw them at a girl you actually cared about - but beautiful was definitely not something he had heard in reference to himself. not to get him wrong, he was flattered almost to the point of taking a bow in front of his apparently adoring crowd of one, but he was just a little taken aback. "every other day must be filled with boredom if not with those such as myself," he said, tilting his head back and shaking his hair so it fell more comfortably. it still wasn't quite right since she had ploughed into him, but he could deal with that. but then suddenly, other than a straight answer as he had been expecting, he was intrigued by the mention of a secret. finnikin loved secrets, and more so he loved exploiting and manipulating those who told them to him. she really was clueless, he surmised; she had to be one of the two people remaining on these islands who were daft enough to trust him with a secret, the other being his mother. and he had even sold her out before. putting on a straight face to hide the glee that was bouncing inside his skull, he placed a hand over his lying, cheating heart and swore, "by my life, i will take it to the grave." what a pile of shit.

[rainy2]

As the book smart girl she was, Tessa did have to appreciate the wordplay on the young man's name. She graced this Finnikin Dare with a light laugh and there was a matching twinkle in her eye: a twinkle she seemed to think was the same as the one that gleamed in the other's. "Then will you call me Tessa? To be frank, I detest Theresa. It's very ...drab," she remarked with a slight pout of her lips: a childish expression, but the expression quickly faded into a ghost of a smile. "It's so very good to meet you, Finn."

She was, however, startled by the sudden burst of laughter that was quickly stifled. Was it something she said? "Ah! I-I'm sorry! I just ...don't ...get out very often," she looked away in her humility with flushed cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, but everything she said was true and earnest. It was good to meet him, it was true that he was charming and attractive and ...oh, dear. "Oh, um! It's perfectly alright! I have many books to read filled with dashing heroes, such as yourself," she looked up to meet his eyes with curiosity before losing herself completely in her conversation, "And that's actually how I got here, y'see, because I was going to find the lost prince who fell into the fairy woods and ..." It was about then she realized what sort of nonsense she was spouting and she hurriedly apologized. "...I'm not mad, I swear. I'm just very ..." What was the word she was looking for? "...frustrated with ...life, yes. That's ...accurate, I think," she finished lamely.

Oh, he'd keep her secret to the grave!? How noble! How wonderful! How dashing! "I lied to my mother and visited Thundra Hill," she squeezed her eyes shut out of guilt as she told this. "Well ...I pretty much already told you the rest ...and I didn't find a magical prince at all, but I found ..." What exactly did she find? Well, she found a handsome Finnikin Dare with his trusty Zebstrika. "I found a strange yet charming ...young man in the barren wilderness ..."

"I had no idea it would be this ...lonely."

[FINNIKIN DARE]

at last! he had succeeded in making her laugh. and what a pretty laugh it was, very tinkly and cute. it seemed almost like she had practiced it for many hours, making sure it wasn't one of those laughs that people were ashamed of - goose honking, guffawing, snorting or overly giggly - or that she had tuned herself to a windchime. "tessa sounds wonderful," he said, much preferring it also to the stuffy and regal-sounding theresa. reminded him too much of a saint, and finnikin avoided saints like the plague. they made him feel bad about himself. but this tessa girl definitely didn't do that; in fact, her adorable little faux pas and her stuttering and her carefree attitude really likened her to him. he was growing rather fond of her in a protective kind of way; he had no doubt that were he to see her in the street in a week or so on the arm of some other man, he would grow very jealous. but that was not much of a compliment to her; finnikin always wanted what he didn't have and was not satisfied with what he did. he would only find her truly attractive - beyond a simple prettiness at first encounter - if she were taken and therefore off-limits to him.

he grinned at her, shaking his head in disbelief. he really had to hang out with her more, she reaffirmed his faith in humanity. hanging around with too many worldly, gnarly vagabonds and dirty street girls was getting to him, he needed someone to lighten everything up and remind him that his home was not populated by just muck on the street but beautiful, rich people as well. "maybe you should go out more often, then" he said, tilting his head to the side as if posing a question to her with deep brown eyes. as she called him a hero, he had to physically stop himself from puffing out his chest and grinning like a madman, such was his love of being described as such. he was a hero, really, he helped every side in this war. nobody would get hurt directly because of him - except civilians, but they didn't count - and he couldn't be blamed for any event that happened because chances were, he would have tried to stop it somehow, whether it was a rebellion by the pirates or a massacre by the dictator. "books just don't cut it, you know. heroes in your books aren't going to leap from the pages and sweep you off your feet, like us real, dashing heroes are." he winked at her, his disdain clear though in his voice. finnikin had never read a book in his life that didn't contain pictures.

he only listened to her with what could only be described as an expression of pity on his face. she really had been hit in the head by a falling tree on her way out here, it was the only explanation. zebstrika tossed his striped head and sparking mane and gave a despairing, "kaaa," and a look to finnikin that said run away, run away and never return. but finn had never been one to give up on a challenge and hey, dating a crazy chick could make for one hell of a story to tell at the pub later this week. "frustrated with life? seems like you need a holiday or something, honey," he said, with a grin. but at the mention of princes - and moreover, at the insinuation that he was one - finn did puff up his chest and assume a more regal pose. he even ignored the use of 'strange', which on any other occasion he would have become most offended by. "tessa, my lady, it's only lonely if you make it so. you're not going to find many magical princes in alvarez, so you'll have to take what you've got, i think. how did you get here? my airship's landed somewhere over there," he pointed vaguely in a direction that was not accurate but a long, circular walk to get there could do wonders for him.

[rainy2]

What!? He thought Tessa sounded ...wonderful!? Nobody had ever approved of the nickname Tessa had chosen for herself before except for a few secret friendships she had made along the years. Oh, she was so fortunate to meet somebody as wonderful as this man that helped her so graciously! "Thank you, Mr. Finni-- I mean, Finn," she bit the bottom of her lip, stopping herself mid-sentence before she smiled rather shyly.

...Why had Tessa never thought of the idea before? Wouldn't it be simple to just go out for, at least, a simple stroll or perhaps a trip to the local flower shop? Thoughts of her raving mother did haunt her memory and her sisters had never approved of Tessa's welcome mingling with the riffraff and her hopeful expression disappeared. "My family ...is very strict about letting me part from the house for bouts of time ..." Oh, she couldn't bear to have her mother cut her lovely hair again for her disobedience! Most of all, she dreaded the piercing slap that would redden her pale face for days and the awful humility she would have to suffer for her supposed crimes. "In fact," she added thoughtfully, "Mother told me that men have fangs for teeth, but that's not true because you have very lovely teeth if I'm allowed to be so bold ..." Well, Tessa personally thought Finnikin had lovely everything, but she certainly was not about to tell him that.

Pulled out of her brief reverie by the mention of 'books', the young lady lightened up immediately, disregarding the clear disdain in the young man's voice. "Oh, I know they must be terribly boring to a dashing man of adventure like you, but ...I think -- ...what?" It had only just occurred to her that Finnikin might have possibly have been trying to charm her and the thought of that only made her flush again. "A-Are you suggesting the possibility of sweeping me off my feet?" She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions! Oh, now that would be embarrassing. Her voice likened to a timid whisper, "I-I don't think I'm personally quite ladylike enough to deserve such charm ..."

But what a funny expression he wore! Why did he look so sorry? In fact, Tessa was the one who pitied him! First, he had to have his rest disturbed by a silly girl and now, he wasn't fond of books! What a sad, little man! "A holiday?" She disregarded the 'honey' comment altogether for the thought alone made her feel completely indecent. Ten years in the church for sure. "...What ...do you do on your holidays, Finnikin? Aside from rescuing very silly ladies?" Tessa couldn't help but laugh. Oh, he was positively lovely, wasn't he? What a remarkable man! If only one of her suitors had about half as much charm as he did! "Oh, it's quite alright. I could have asked for nobody better to rescue me! You have been so good to me. Sincerely, I give you my eternal gratitude!"

As to how Tessa had arrived in the nightmarish land of terrible beasts and loneliness ...well. ...It had been a funny, sorry sight. "I ...might have or might have not forced my Swablu to fly me ...over," admitted the young lady with some embarrassment. It wasn't very fair to the poor pokemon who was about as tall as her knee, but the flying type had served its purpose. She was ecstatic at the idea of an airship though. "I've never been on an airship before ...how far is your vehicle?"

"Shall we begin our adventure?"

[FINNIKIN DARE]

he couldn't help but be interested in why this girl was so cutely naive. the world was not such a dangerous place that she couldn't have gone out into it at least once or twice. if she needed, he'd provide some kind of armed resistance against whatever it was she was scared of once she set foot out of doors. really, once you got used to it, the grimy, crime-filled streets became like a second home. you could slip into them as easily as a jacket and become someone entirely new. or even multiple new someones, if you so wished. he just put a cocky hand to his cap in a very stylised salute, grinning and shaking his head once to the side, a half-laugh playing across his lips. instead, he shushed her with a movement, brushing away her shyness as if he could just sweep it underneath the hall runner. "you can't let your family run your life. sooner or later, you're going to grow up, and you can't be an easily-controlled little porcelain doll all your life. didn't you ever get a sense of adventure? just go outside and live a little? jump onto an airship, visit distant lands, battle cutthroat pirates, be swept off your feet by some dashing lad? who, by the way, will not have anything close to fangs. we're just ordinary guys," he said, flashing her a grin and saying, "shee?" through his teeth, pointing. he gave her a knowing look, twisting his mouth slightly to the side. he knew he was probably going to offend this aristocrat with his tone, but inconvenient truths impolitely imparted were his kind of thing. besides, he didn't know or care how to say this any softer. "you can't do all of that lying on a settee wishing your life away."

his 'lovely' teeth aside, finn got the idea that were this girl any bolder than she was, he would have this in the bag. but unfortunately, treading carefully was not his forte and - well, one knows what they say about kids in glass houses. and unfortunately, finnikin was uncannily handy with a slingshot. he was tempted to ask her that if all men had fangs for teeth, then how did she suppose she came to be born, but he surmised that might have shattered her fragile existence entirely. "if there is that kind of possibility, i can't say i'm not partial to a bit of sweeping here and there," he said, offhand, adding alongside it, "and if my opinion counts for much, my dear tessa, i think you're plenty ladylike enough for the likes of myself." he wasn't going to paint himself up to be some gentlemanly aristocrat, because he certainly was nothing like that. he could be dirty and cheap-minded with the rest of them, and he just barely fit in with the rich families he was forced to socialise with. his accent just slipped so familiarly into street lingo and it was so difficult to drag it back up the tiers again. like right now, it was almost impossible for him to get the intensity up to speak like he had when he first met her. it was just such an effort. "on my holidays? you know, the usual. deep-sea diving, dragon fighting, hang-gliding, bar hopping. yeah, just the usual." pretty much every day that he wasn't rostered onto a guard duty was a holiday for finn, and he did whatever he felt like doing on the morning he woke up. unless, of course, he was having a bad hair day - in which case, he would have a holiday in his bed and sleep the day away. but her eternal gratitude could come in handy one day.

if he ever fell from grace - and pray to arceus he never did - he could use friends in high places to keep him in his accustomed high-flying lifestyle. but there were plenty of better people who could have rescued her: plenty worse, that was a given, but he was no angel, by anybody's standards. rubbing the back of his neck, unused to such praise - he was much more accustomed to being kicked, distrusted and turned out into the rain - he just mumbled something, not nearly as eloquent as he could have been. "'sall part of the service, my lady," he said, under his breath, not meeting her eyes. now he felt kind of horrible for scheming and plotting on how he might use her. doing such a thing to such a gem seemed somehow ... dirty. even dirtier than his usual self, a fact unusual to the point of extremity. but despite that morbid thought he couldn't help himself but laugh. "that must have been a pretty sight!" he said, laughing merrily along. he couldn't imagine flying about hanging onto his pidgeotto's legs, and his bird pokemon would be almost twice as tall as a swablu. the poor thing must be exhausted. he had a great love for flying types, and the fluffy cloud pokemon was no exception; he'd offer it a bite to eat or two once they got back to his store onboard. she'd never been on an airship? so she'd never left the island - except by bird power, clearly - and he couldn't imagine how, the place was swarming with them. a new crew docked every day of the week. "it's a good walk, but i'm sure sparky here wouldn't mind giving you a lift. mind the spikes, they're kind of electrified." his zebstrika, with a glare that spelled pure murder in finnikin's direction, offered his large, expansive back to the damsel in distress, and finn offered a hand to help her up into what he presumed would be a most ladylike sidesaddle.

[rainy2]

Already, Tessa could feel the pull of the young man's charm, forcing her to draw nearer to him and causing her to let her guard down. Surely, she was tougher than that! A little smile and pretty compliments weren't going to win her over so easily, but ...who knew such wonderful young men really existed? It really was something like a fairy tale, but she was most certainly not going to voice her opinion at all. After all, she was pretty sure Finnikin probably already thought she was a lunatic. Still, she was charmed by the cocky salute and she could feel herself growing more comfortable in his presence at a nearly alarming rate. Was that even allowed? Hm, Tessa couldn't even remember how long she'd have to spend time in the church, praying for her repentance. Was that five years or seven?

Distracted from her little reverie, she parted her lips to speak, but with a motion of the other's hand, she was quickly hushed in mild surprise. ...The life of adventure. Of course it was something she had always craved! It was her most secret, most passionate inner desire, but it was also the secret that convinced most people that she was simply a childish, hopeless girl. Or so her family had consistently told her. If everyone said so, then surely it must have been truth? Her smiling expression was gone and it was replaced with something wistful as if she was faraway, lost somewhere in a dream. "Of ...course I do. I think there's a longing for excitement in everyone, young or old, but ..." What was she to say? That she had already beheld her future without even a crystal ball? How she was one day going to be married to a nameless man with lots of money and produce some lovely children, she supposed, and eat bon-bons for the rest of her life? Was that her destined future? There was a slightly bitter chuckle that parted her lips as she shook her head, the wisps of dark hair that escaped from her plait tickled her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you with some crazy rich lady issues. That's the least of my desires!" She wore a sheepish smile, but the expression cracked into a matching grin when Finnikin displayed his lovely teeth for her. "You have beautiful teeth!" She really was amazed. Did she have nice teeth? Admittedly, she didn't pay much attention to something as trivial as teeth before. With a dash of curiosity, her finger lightly brushed against a canine tooth that belonged to the young man in awe as if she'd never even seen the sun before. Wait until her mother learned the truth about the teeth of men! How funny her expression would be!-- ah? She was briefly startled, but there was a shy, warm smile that lit her countenance with her voice just barely above a whisper.

"Thank you, Finn ..."

The rose flush still warmed her face from her cheek to the tips of her ears and the color in her flesh only deepened at the compliment. If only she had some sort of impressive witty reply! "I'm sure you've met much more ...c-charming women than me, but ...I think you're the most extraordinary gentleman I have met so far," she beamed. "...Even if I haven't met many gentlemen to begin with," quickly added Tessa, "I-It's still a compliment though so please do not be offended!" Oh, God. Why did she talk again? Yes, she would be silent. Silence would do her good-- what? Deep-sea diving!? "Really!? What's it like in the ocean? Have you ever ran into a Sharpedo? Have you ever found any treasure--" ...And at that moment, Tessa finally realized that Finnikin was only joking and she couldn't help but send him a 'look', but she was thoroughly amused. Coyly, she asked the young man out of curiously, "Do tell me, Mr. Dashing Hero, what's fighting a dragon like?"

Under the other's breath, she noticed a small mumble for a reply, which she thought was completely odd for the assumed personality Finn had made himself up to be. Did she say something to offend him? Oh, she only wanted Finnikin to have the highest opinion of her! "...It was not a pretty sight! It was a nightmare!" Despite her outburst, she was still laughing along, now kindly reminded of her death-defying flight by bird power to the strange wilderness. God bless her Swablu's heart. What would she ever have done without Luce? The fluffy cloud pokemon was an excellent pillow after all. "I don't think my Swablu will ever forgive me, but I think the trip was worth all the while now that I give it some thought ..."

Oh? Finnikin was offering to take her on his Zebstrika's back? He truly was an angel, wasn't he? Startled, she waved her hands in soft protest, "Oh, I have my own manners of transportation, but ..." Biting the bottom of her lip, she turned her attention to the young man's pokemon and returned her gaze shyly to Finnikin's. "If your equally dashing Sparky doesn't mind too horribly ..." After all, the electric pokemon looked certainly less than thrilled at the mer thought, but since he had already so kindly offered his hand ... She reached carefully for his hand with a gloved one of her own and hopped as elegantly as she could onto the sidesaddle to the best of her ability while avoiding the spikes as the young man had warned.

"...Thank you, Mr. Sparky," she laughed.

[FINNIKIN DARE]

finnikin could only hazard a guess at what the girl was thinking. she had that look he saw in girls as they gazed in shop windows or watched airships fly away from the port. he decided he needed to snap some sense into her, get that aristocrat nature out of her and cram some real adventure-lust in there instead. "no buts!" he said, loudly, pointing at her chest roughly. this information had to get in there and he didn't need it to be floral and apologetic, she needed to know this. he ignored the bitter laugh that escaped her pretty lips, wondering what might have caused that, but ploughing on unabashed. "don't listen to what anyone says. you want an adventure, you get out there and have one!" he threw his eyes up to the sky and put his hands out, making a melodramatic sigh, feeling bad for making her think she was being crazy. she was, but she didn't need to know that. "they're not crazy rich lady issues. i deal with enough crazy rich ladies, and believe me, you're not one of them." he was tempted to ask her whether he could help with the most of her desires - because surely a dashing, handsome, hero guard was surely high up on the list of things a young, virginal, aristocrat daughter wanted - but seeing as the conversation had become so serious, the part of finnikin which valued social convention and the way people viewed him kept him from getting too fun for the time being. he was too shocked to think about what his teeth might look like. why in the name of all things good and right would she do that, why? what did teeth have to do with anything?

she seemed actually interested too, like she genuinely cared if he had fangs or not. of course he had no fangs, what was he, a pokemon? she was just so clueless, she had no idea. it as endearing, but by goodness it could likely get very annoying very quickly. she needed ... a life tutor, or something. he'd be glad to volunteer. any payment could be made, money, favour... or a kiss. he didn't mind one bit. "not a worry, milady," he replied, with another sweeping bow. if he was the most extraordinary gentleman she had met before, then either he was doing far better than usual or he was the first gentleman she had met so far. it was not something he was very used to. and then she qualified his fears, which he only attended with a wry grin to hide his offended, kicked-puppy look and a shrug. "the ocean? it's, uh, wet. and deep. and very, very big." he thought for a second, pretending to remember what his deep-sea diving adventure had been like, oh so very long ago. "sharpedo are no big deal. just a punch on the nose and they swim away like cowards." he totally missed the look she gave him, and just presumed she had cut off her sentence in order to talk about the more important and dashing matter at hand: dragon fighting. "well, you've got to avoid their fire breath, and the claws are monstrous!" he made a movement with his hands, showing just how big the claws could get. "but once you chat to them, let them see you're their equal and such, they make rather good buddies. ever flown on the back of a dragonite?" he said nonchalantly, buffing a set of fingernails on his jacket and looking over them expectantly, waiting on her response. ah, he had her, hook, line and sinker. well done, finn, well done.

he laughed a little at her outburst, nodding slightly as he agreed with her. that poor swablu. tessa was by no means a large girl - in fact, she was practically a perfect shape, very attractive indeed, the kind of girl finn surrounded himself with whenever possible - but ... just, that poor swablu. "i'm very glad the trip was worth it. you always need to get out and see the world every now and then, even at the expense of the dignity of one of your friends." waving his hands to wave away her protest, the two of them probably creating a small gale with all the flappy arm movements, he would hear not a word more of her protestations about having her own transport. what kind of a knight in shining armour was he if he couldn't provide a ride on his noble steed? thinking about it for a second, he seriously began to envy his zebstrika a little, but shook his head slightly to clear the thought. he'd get his chance. she'd swoon into his arms at the helm of his airship and everything would go according to plan, he would just have to wait and see. "he doesn't mind. does he?" sparky, with a grumble, aimed a kick at finnikin, who danced merrily out of the way with a cheerful whistle, egging the zebra on as he started walking. the electric type trotted demurely by his side, sending little sizzling sparks his way every now and then, which landed in his hair and onto his jacket. "striiika," he muttered, feeling so put upon by his trainer like he wouldn't believe. but the pokemon - unlike his trainer - believed the protection of the aristocracy was his main concern, and so he allowed this depravation of his rights. he was starting to like tessa, anyway.