"Salem?" Sam said in confusion, and tilted her head. "Is that a
town around here?" she asked, and got to her paws. She felt odd
being a pokemon, and talking to this Sandshrew.
(thx) Lan frowned. "You don't know what Salem is?" he asked,
"Nobody comes here unless they know about Salem. Unless, well-"
Rick stopped swimming when he heard the conversation, and his head
surfaced near Lan.
Sam looked over to Rick, and stepped back cautiously. "Well...I...I
um I'm not from around here" she said cautiously. "I don't even
know how I got here..." she mumbled lowly, and sat down.
Rick frowned when the litten backed away. What did it think he was
gonna do? Knock it out? Or was it because he looked different than
a normal Buizel. That had happened so many times in his few months
here.
"Yeah- forget it, okay," Lan began talking very fast. "Maybe we
could take you back to Salem with us it could jog your memory, wait
do you have memory loss? It doesn't matter you probably need a
place to stay and it'd be rude to leave you out in the woods,
especially when it looks like its about to rain." Lan took quick
glance at the dark grey sky(is that fine XD). "Yeah."
Maybe I can remember something about who I am, and how I became
a Litten... Sam thought to herself, and glanced at the clouds.
"Uh...yeah I'd like that. I'm Sam by the way" she said kindly, and
went back to the Buizel, and Sandshrew.
"Okay great, I'm Lan," Lan said. Rick jumped out of the water next
to Lan, and shook himself off. Lan sighed, and covered the bell
with his now wet back. Rick smiled, and extended a paw in greeting.
"Im Rick." he said. His fur was now sticking up in spikes, and he
had a big grin on his face. He looked pretty silly, actually.
(when you leave him hanging XD)
"Alright, I think we're ready to head back," Lan said, "Let's go."
Lan starts walking slowly, waiting for the others to follow.
Rick had a brief moment of panic when Sam hadn't returned his
handshake. A single drop of sweat rolls down his forehead, when he
quickly grabbed Sam's paw in a brief handshake, and ran to catch up
with Lan, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
Sam blinked slightly confused. She then ran ahead to catch up with
the others. "Sorry about leaving you hanging" she said in a soft,
and quiet tone. "Today has just been confusing" she continued
hoping Rick heard her. She then trailed behind to follow Lan.
Rick's face was red with embarrassment, and he now seemed VERY
interested in something directly away from his companions'
eyesight. Lan sighed, and kept walking. They should be back in
Salem in about an hour, and he hoped that the awkwardness between
the two will have subsided by then, because he didn't want to deal
with that.
Sam tilted her head "was it something I said..." she said slightly
confused. She shook her head, and sighed. "So uh is Salem a nice
town?" she asked Lan in hopes of starting a conversation.
"Oh- yeah, it's a great town" Lan said. "Most of the population is
from people who wanted to leave where they were before for a better
life, more secluded from the outside world." Lan gesture to Rick,
remembering the "lie but not really a lie" that they had come up
with to explain Rick being here. "Rick is an example right here. He
was sort of 'left out,' because he looks... a little strange
compared to the generic Buizel. He doesn't have fins, or a tube on
his neck. So- he came here."
Sam blinked "Rick looks different from other Buizels?" she said
quietly, back when she was a human she never remembered seeing a
Buizel. "Don't know why they would leave him out of anything. He
seems like a normal, and kind, pokemon to me" she said in an
attempt to break the awkward feeling between her and Rick.
"Well, some pokemon are very... selective with their children. they
want pure, flawless offspring so they can make more flawless
offspring. But, when those pokemon give birth to a 'defect,'
well... they either make their lives terrible, or kill them." Lan
decided to stop there. Rick was now even more awkward, because he
realized that this pokemon might pity him now for something that
hadn't even happened to him. he just hoped she wont bring it up.
"Oh still a little less than an hour," Lan said, "You were petty
deep in the woods actually. Youre lucky we found you, or you
might've not found Salem on your own. Its the only town for miles!"
"Especially when its about to rain, of all the times," Lan said, "I
mean, I don't wanna image what could've happened if some pokemon
decided to attack you." Lan was trying to lighten the mood, but it
clearly wasn't working.
Sam thought for a moment "I'd possibly loose" she said with a sigh.
"Unless I have some decent moves...I'm not sure what my moves are
yet" she mumbled.