Sand under my feet [open]

[AKARI MINAMOTO]

Ships approaching could be seen from the horizon of the sea beyond Olivine City. From the far distance, they were just dots, but slowly, their majestic forms could be made out as they moved closer to the port, bearing passengers and cargo. It's a good thing that tourists were still coming to the region despite the trouble lately, but the cargo... Those were mostly construction materials for the rebuilding of the damaged cities in Johto.

Luckily, it seems that things have quieted down as of the late after the earthquakes so the reconstruction efforts had gone smoothly. But instinct and experience told Akari that things weren't over. In fact, this lull in time could most likely be the calm before the storm... And that was a scary thing. A disaster would endanger so many people, and destroy property that would take months to rebuild, like now. As Head Ranger, she couldn't let that happen. But for now, all she could do was help organize the construction efforts. Without coordination, they would get nowhere, and it was part of her job to be the authority for that.

This afternoon though, was one of the times where she wasn't scheduled for a meeting or called to go somewhere. Immersed in thoughts, her feet led her to the wide Olivine beach. She chose to go to a more secluded area, beyond some rocks, and let her Pidgeot and Skarmory dance through the sky... without her.

Even though she still couldn't bring herself to ride them, keeping them confined in their Pokeballs or in the PC dampened their moods. And really, keeping a bird's wings clipped was wrong. Idly, she watched them swoop through the skies, unmindful of the seawater rushing to her bare feet on the sand. Her shoes were tucked away in a nearby rock.

[Deleted]

The wings of the Tropius flapped slowly -- they were powerful, capable of lifting the monstrous beast and sending him soaring through the air. The Ranger felt weightless, felt free, felt such a great feeling of ecstasy that he never wanted to come down from the high that was flying. He knew why people loved it so much, as it also gave a feeling of liberation, among the others. As if all problems ceased to exist, ceased to matter. But, like all highs, he had to come down eventually.

A silly grin spread across his face as he spotted a few Pokemon ahead. "Go ahead, my man!" he told his Tropius, who was more than happy to oblige. They were a Pidgeot and Skarmory. Neo had a thing for Skarmories. As they inched forward at great speed, the Tropius slowed itself down, tilting back and building some lift below its leafy wings, inadvertently causing him to rise. With this Neo went, gripping the Pokemon's neck as he checked out the other Pokemon. Tropius greeted them with a coo of his own, intermingling with the two of them -- like Neo, he, too, was friendly. The Ranger gave his own hello with a wave and a chuckle before telling his Tropius to land on the beach.

The duo made their descent onto Olivine City, taking in the wreckage. The earthquake orchestrated by the Knights was more damaging than he'd thought, at a first glance. Most of the city was in ruins, but here and there stood buildings. Was this where the Ranger Head of Johto operated?

"Thanks for the lift, Tropius."

WORDS 270 IDEC COME @ ME
TAGS AKARI MINAMOTO
NOTES Neo's base is being renovated, so he's decided to check out Johto while the construction is going on. He hasn't met Akari yet.

LAIKA OF GS!

[AKARI MINAMOTO]

Akari was staring at the waves, entranced and hypnotized by the push and pull of the water on the shore, when her ears picked up a distinctive (at least, to her and her expertise in Flying Pokemon) flapping of wings. It wasn't her Pidgeot's or her Skarmory's, and it wasn't of the local bird Pokemon that often flew around Olivine City and its airspace.

She looked up, a hand over her eyes to shield from the sun. The Ranger spotted the flying dinosaur approaching from the horizon. Though it took her some squinting to see, she eventually spotted the Tropius' rider. From far away she couldn't tell if the newcomer was hostile or not, and she pondered on what to command her Pokemon to do, but it looks like the question was settled without her having to do anything. The Tropius approached the two birds, and did a friendly greeting. Her two Pokemon were wary at first but cried out their friendly greetings and circled around the new Pokemon for a bit, riding the winds freely. Even Tropius' rider waved and greeted her Pokemon, surprisingly. Who could it be?

Her eyes followed the descent of the new Pokemon on the scene, and watched it land on the beach not far from where she was. Akari couldn't make out the person's features from far away, but she could discern that it was a man, at least. He looked around his surroundings for a bit while Tropius took the opportunity to rest its massive leaf wings. She still couldn't be sure of his identity, of whether he was a friend, an enemy or an ordinary civilian. Better safe than sorry, right?

"Teo! Kay!" She called for her Pokemon up in the sky. The two approached her, and she gave them both an affectionate pat. Teo the Pidgeot took off again but otherwise stayed near above Akari, unlike earlier where he spread his wings freely high up in the very open air. However, Kay the Skarmory decided to roost and tucked her sharp steel wings in, nudging at Akari's hand. The Ranger indulged the Pokemon, rubbing affectionately at the cold, smooth surface of the metallic bird's face.

If the other had been watching or had his attention turned by her call, he would now see where she was, and figure out that she was very likely the trainer of the two bird Pokemon he'd been mingling with earlier. Akari, however, didn't go for the hostile approach (and she never did), and she instead waited for what he would do, and base her next course of action on that.

[ooc: Oh, okay. I guess they wouldn't recognize each other at first...?]

[Deleted]

Without wasting another moment, the Ranger released his Delcatty to the scene. Glancing around, almost confused, she purred affectionately, nuzzling against her Ranger before harassing the Tropius. As the two gave each other company as the played in the sand, Neo's eyes wandered the shore for any owner to the two bird Pokemon -- a wild Pidgeot and a Skarmory? Not a likely combination. He found the two birds with ease, both already docked on the beach with their owner, who, apparently, was curious to see who he was as well. Too far away to make eye contact but close enough to know they were looking at each other, Neo raised his arm as a wave before jogging over to the girl. Delcatty and Tropius followed suit, the larger Pokemon thudding along as the smaller caught up with her Ranger.

"Howdy!" Neo mused, grinning widely and slowing down to a halt in front of the girl. "Name's Neo Von Dallmer, and, might I say, you have two very beautiful Pokemon right there!" For a brief moment his eyes shifted to the Pidgeot and Skarmory, still smiling. "I hope you don't mind, Tropius wanted to give them a little greeting." The thudding of his big footsteps ended as Tropius came to a stop behind the Ranger. Turning, Neo rubbed his neck, still praising him for the flight to Johto. It had been long and strenuous, but his fantastic Pokemon was capable of just about anything. "So nice to meet you, miss." his smooth, soft voice came again as he removed his hand from the Pokemon's neck and offering the other for a hand shake.

WORDS IDEC COME @ ME
TAGS AKARI MINAMOTO
NOTES He knows of her, but they haven't met in person yet? If you disagree and think they should know each other, I can gladly change this up. /neo's hyper

LAIKA OF GS!

[AKARI MINAMOTO]

Akari was taken aback a bit by the man's openness and cheerful disposition. That wasn't what she was expecting, but that's not to say it was a bad thing. If any, the friendliness made her relax a bit into a smile. "Thank you." She patted her Skarmory. "It's no problem at all, and they returned your friendly gesture anyway." She accepted the handshake. "I'm Akari Minamoto. It's nice to meet you too."

The man's Tropius then slid his long neck forward to Akari, and on instinct, she patted the flying Pokemon's head, on the part that he really liked, and the Pokemon gave a cry of joy. She smiled. "It looks like you yourself have very nice Pokemon, too."

Once Tropius was satisfied and moved his head back, Akari's curious brown eyes moved back to his trainer. With a small slightly embarrassed smile, she said, "Pardon me for being so bold, but... Have we met before? Your name rings some bells in my mind. I feel like I've heard of it or read it somewhere before..."


[ooc: Meh, it's okay. And he's cute LOL]