(Untitled)

[eflamberge]

[The flamboyant, blue-haired Count is standing somewhere smack in the middle of Azimuth Plain. He seems to have no Pokémon out whatsover, not even Fang, his trusty Zangoose, or Raymond, the newborn Zangoose-morphing baby that he's been parading around the Island. He is, however, carrying five Poké Balls, as opposed to the usual six, and his sword.

Comments

[oceansbane]

[You won't be waiting for too long, Edmond; slack as he might be in some regards, Maxie has never been the sort to believe in being late. The world doesn't wait for one person, after all; he's arrogant, but not arrogant enough to expect it to wait for him. Not at this point, anyway.

He's early. And you're early. Convenient.

He'll be noting the change in weapon, though he won't comment on it; he's aware of the tension. He'll actually be approaching you in a manner that you can see, then, and ensuring that he's both visible and audible.]

...I see you've decided to grace me with your presence. Good.

[He pauses. Breathes. His gaze is wary.]

I appreciate you doing that on such short notice.

[eflamberge]

[He starts taking deep, slow breaths when he sees Maxie approach. Look at him. He looks just like the Maxie that Edmond feels so deeply for, and yet... he's someone altogether different. It took Edmond the longest while to figure that out, and he's made up his mind. The clincher was when this... Maxie-like creature hurt Maxie a while ago. That cannot be forgiven.]

Now, don't you flatter yourself. I don't answer to you. Not anymore.

[Normally, he'd be flailing his hands a little to stress the concepts. Instead, he simply crosses his arms, his eyes never leaving Maxie for a moment.]

[oceansbane]

[This one's doing vaguely better than he was on the appearance front. Still definitely not eating enough. But at least the scratches across his forehead have healed over; the left side of the jacket is still torn off at the arm, though he's been picking at the frayed edges so it's not quite as obvious, and he's wearing something black and long-sleeved underneath it.

He stops a reasonable distance from Edmond, not keeping too much space between them but not encroaching on anyone's personal radius, either.]

You say that. And yet here you are.

[He shifts a bit as he retains eye contact, keeping most of his weight to one side, hand resting on his hip. His gaze remains alert and...strangely anxious; it's been a bit of an off day.]

Either way, I don't expect you to answer to me. But we're going to talk.

[eflamberge]

[When Maxie shifts, Edmond furrows his brow, because... that stance, it's one of those things that makes this Maxie... Maxie, after all. One of those things that Edmond would like to see as little as possible right now.]

Yes, we are. And I fully expect you to begin.

[ghosberlass]

[Its doubtful Plassica is the person he's looking for, but her Charmander looks in his general direction which catches her attention. As she turns around, you can see she's holding her gohei.]

Good morning, sir.

[eflamberge]

[Ah, well, that will certainly relieve Edmond of some of that tension... Is that a traditional Japanese tool? ... all traditional things are awesome in Edmond's book. And that Charmander? Edmond's wife has a Charmander, just like that one... It makes Edmond smile. He puts a hand over his chest.]

Good morning. How may I help you?

[ghosberlass]

Ah, I'm just reading through a few notes. I just started using this gohei before I ended up on this island. Are you waiting for someone?

[She has a small notepad with instructions on it in her other hand, which she's trying to study from.]

[eflamberge]

I am, in fact.

[And just to be safe, he looks around again. But he quickly refocuses - he's meeting someone new! ... And to think of it, this is someone that the dangerous person Edmond is waiting for could potentially want to hurt. Edmond has to stay close to her.]

Allow me to introduce myself - I am Count Edmond Valerius Flamberge, from Lavaridge Town. And you are... ?

[aquaboss]

[There's no reason to think that Edmond is waiting for Archie to show up; but here he is. Actually, he's been looking for Water-Type Pokemon and... somehow wandered over here. Those strange new Pokemon have been captivating his interest of late, so he's been looking around for those too.]

[Oh look, it's Edmond. Edmond with a sword. Edmond without the baby Zangoose. Come to think of it, he looks tense - maybe even scared.]

Hey, Count. What are you doin' out here with that? [A nod at the sword. Archie has Gyarados out with him today and the large Pokemon seems pretty content with watching the surrounding area with bemusement.]

[eflamberge]

[Seeing Archie approaching, Edmond relaxes. An Archie's presence could definitely be helpful right now. He's going to try to keep Archie by his side while simultaneously trying to have him believe that nothing especially important is going on, i.e. that he isn't waiting for a murderous madman. He smiles, though it's a little strained.]

Ah, I'm just... out here. [He gestures vaguely to their surroundings.] 'Catching some rays', as it were. Beautiful day, isn't it? And I assume that by 'that', you mean my rapier. But your question doesn't quite stand - you've become acquainted with the island's dangers, haven't you? You can't blame me for taking more precautions than absolutely necessary.

[aquaboss]

[Oh Edmond, if you had any idea how this Archie and that Maxie got along instead of hating one another's guts... You'd want him out of here.]

[Archie lifts an eyebrow at the expression. That doesn't seem normal. Or maybe what he saw the other day wasn't normal. Either way, it's a dramatic twist from the other day.]

Yeah, I know 'bout the island's dangers. [Though he's thinking Silent Hills-dangers - a sword sure would have been helpful against those things.] Still, a sword seems a bit outdated. An' that answer of yours leaves me wonderin' if that's all there is to it. [He folds his arms, waiting for Edmond to spill the truth. And he's not going to take no for an answer, buddy.]

[eflamberge]

[Edmond raises a finger in total "I'm going to teach you something!" style.]

Of course that is not all there is to it! I have plenty more swords at my house here, and even more at the Flamberge mansion back in my world. I collect them. You should come see them sometime, they're a breathtaking sight, if I do say so myself.

[Tra la la, were you trying to get him to spill something? Because he's totally pretending you wanted to go in a different direction entirely and switching the topic.]

[must_do_well]

[[Heyyyy, it's the guy with the Zangoose who gave him food! We like this guy! This guy is awesome!

Mitch will just be approaching you now, Edmond, hand raised in a friendly wave.]]

Hey there!

[eflamberge]

[As soon as he spots a spot of black and red in the distance, Edmond's whole body tenses suddenly--

Ah, it's just Mitch!~ Come to think of it, there's something Edmond needs to ask him, but, ah, that can wait a little, right? Let's greet him properly first. And maybe try to look less panicked.]

Top of the morning to you, Mitch. How are you on this fine day?

[must_do_well]

I'm good! It's always nice being out in the sun!

[[Mitch is in a very good mood today! You, however, look a little stressed there, dude.]]

You okay? You look a bit tense.

[eflamberge]

Isn't it? [Edmond's smile widens.] There is nothing I love more than this kind of weather...

I was just... thinking about you, actually.

[He tilts his head to one side a little as he grins.]

[eroeoscuro]

[Silver doesn't actually recognize you as that lady he met once before. But he "just happened" to be exploring Azimuth Plain with Skarmory today, and someone with a sword is kind of hard to miss.]

...Hi? [What are you even doing, seriously. He can't help but be kind of curious.]

[eflamberge]

Good day, Silver. We meet again. How have you been?

[He's so agitated, he forgets that the first time he had met Silver as 'Edna', and not as his real self.]

[eroeoscuro]

...?

[Give the boy a moment. It takes him some time to recognize the red eyes and blue hair without the frills and "I-have-a-cold" voice to frame them.]

...ah! [RIGHT you're that Edna person well this is kind of awkward.] Um. I mean. Hi. I've been okay.

[eflamberge]

[Now he remembers. He blushes instantly, averting his eyes.]

Ah... I'm terribly sorry. I had no intention to deceive you... It's just... ah, I feel much more confident when I'm... like you saw me.