Chapter Three: Civilization! Finally!

[xxninja]

ooc// Erg, finally scraped up the muse to start my thread...

ic//

It was cold, there was no doubt about that. When she was asleep last night, it seemed Jack Frost payed a visit, bringing with him a blanket of snow that bathed everything in white crystals. Thankfully, Lee Ann could still see the road - she did not wanna get lost again, so she watched carefully where she was going to make sure she stayed on track. Izara, in his warm Growlithe fur, padded behind her in the footprints her fluffy winter boots made, pawing playfully at her colorful scarf that drifted behind her. She pretended to be annoyed, but the daemon knew it didn't bother her; he stopped anyway. Their relationship was much like that, with Lee trying to hide her feelings from her daemon and him acting as if he couldn't hear her every thought to please her.

"Look, I think the trees are thinning!" Iza spoke up suddenly, pelting ahead of his human. She yelped as snow was sent flying at her, pattering against her long water-proof coat. With a grimace, she brushed it off and charged after him, excitement tickling her insides. Were they finally there? Sure enough, when she caught up to the puppy, the forest opened up considerably and she could see the buildings of what must be Saliv Town. A goofy grin spread across her face, exchanging glances with Iza. "I'll beat you there!"

[/color] she cried, hurtling down the icy path as fast as her clunky snow boots would allow. Now it was Iza's turn to shake flurries from his fur, growling playfully. He didn't, however, continue right after her; he knew he would be able to outrun her in this weather, so he gave her a head start.

By the time they made it to the main street, Lee was gasping for air through uncontrollable giggles, Iza affectionately nipping at her legs and jumping up at her playfully. She realized they might be drawing a crowd, but she didn't pay any mind; was it really that unusual for a child and daemon to be laughing together? After catching her breath, she decided to take a look around and find out where any important buildings were. She would need to visit a Pokemon Center to heal up and re-assemble her team, maybe a Mart to stock up on important items and find some cool TMs and stuff, and she would definitely have to locate the local Gym. Her partners were far from ready to face the leader - Elika, was her name? - so she would have to train up her forces before the big battle. She smiled to herself, daydreaming the moment where she would win her very first badge.[/size][/blockquote]

[Birdybot]

There were many of the options for Lee available to her right now. To her left was the Pokémon Centre, where she could give her Pokémon a well-deserved rest and heal them up full, and use a PC if she had to. Opposite this was the PokéMart, where she could stop up on the basics. Even the gym wasn't far off, but it might not be a good idea to go there yet. This was because Elika's Pokémon were on levels 12 and 14, and Lee's weren't quite there yet. A visit to the well known Training Centre might even things out, of course.

[xxninja]

"Hey, look up there." Iza sprang powerfully into the air, morphing into his Wingull form. Stretching his wings, he circled above his human once before settling on her shoulder, preening the soft, bleach white feathers on his chest before pointing into the distance with his beak. The girl followed his gaze, cupping a hand over her eyes. In the sky she could see a red roof and recognized it instantly as a Pokemon Center. "Well, why don't we start there,"

[/color] she declared, starting off toward the large building. "Then maybe we can find a battle, or go check out that training place I've heard about. We need to do some serious work before we even think of facing the Gym leader."[/color]

After a minute or two, the pair found themselves inside the center. Instantly, warmth wrapped around Lee like a blanket, welcoming her out of the frosty world outside. She gave a contented sigh, stripping off her bulky coat and carrying it behind her as she approached the front desk. Surely Nurse Joy would be there - Nurse Joy was always there. It was then that the girl realized she'd never used a PokeCenter before; she'd been inside one with her father, but never really paid attention as to what goes on in the healing process. Absently fingering the capsules belted at her waist, she waited awkwardly for the woman to appear.[/size][/blockquote]

[Birdybot]

There was a quwe in front of Lee, composed of about three people. At least that meant she'd get the chance to see what would happen on her turn. It seemed that Nurse Joy would go along with that traditional speech and a slightly creepy smile, answering any questions the customers had. The person at the front made their visit a quick one, their four Pokéballs healed quickly before they moved off. Then it was the second person's turn.

Joy launched into her speech again, amazingly using exactly the same words as last time. She didn't seem to be tired of saying it, either. What a strange person. It was almost as if she were robotic. She could have been but for the Chansey daemon beside her, who made polite conversation with the customers ever now and then. Finally, the third person, the last person in line before Lee, moved off. Nurse Joy smiled her slightly creepy smile at Lee. "Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Centre. We can heal your Pokémon to full health. Would you like us to heal your Pokémon?"

[xxninja]

Lee had a decent sense of patience, so she didn't mind when she had to wait in line. There were only three people in front of her, so it wouldn't take too horribly long; plus she could learn from example what they did so she wouldn't be completely lost when it was her turn. It seemed Nurse Joy would ask if you wanted your Pokemon healed to jull health, then the trainer would hand her their Pokeballs. She would then pop them in a little machine, which would play a jingle to signify their strength was restored. "How incredible!" the girl whispered to her daemon. It really was amazing how an entire team could be restored to perfect health in a matter of seconds.

Iza, however, wasn't paying any mind to the machine; he couldn't get over how... unusual this Nurse Joy was. He'd watched her as three times now she recited the same little speech, smiling in a pleasant, yet somehow inhuman manner. "Lee.... this woman creeps me out." he hissed to her uneasily, heart beginning to pump as the person before them turned to leave. She simply shook her head at him. "Oh, stop being so paranoid. This is the only place we can heal our friends, anyway. Now hush, its our turn!"

[/color] The Wingull spirit gulped as his human stepped boldly to the front, returning Joy's smile with a grin. Once again she relayed the welcome message, charm pouring off her body in waves to create a calming atmosphere. Lee couldn't see anything wrong with this lady; Iza was just being as untrusting as always.

"Hi! My name's Lee Ann. I just started my Pokemon journey, and I made a whole bunch of friends in Routes One and Two. We're getting ready for some serious training before we face Elika and win our very first gym badge!"[/color] She could have rambled on and on about each of her individual partners, but her daemon nudged her gently, reminding her of their purpose here. He wanted to get out just as soon as they possibly could. "Oh! Thats right, could you heal my team for me?"[/color] She unhooked her Pokeballs and placed them on the counter.[/size][/blockquote]

[Birdybot]

Nurse Joy seemed to notice what Lee said, and strayed a little from her usual speech. You couldn't blame her; it must get very tiring repeating the same thing over and over. Still, she liked this job because of helping the Pokémon, so she remained working here. "Serious training? A lot of trainers do that before their gym battle. It's a very good idea, since Elika's tougher than most think, but be sure not to overdo it and strain your Pokémon!" she advised the girl, taking the Pokéballs and slotting them into the machine.

While the machine bleeped, flashed and healed the Pokémon, Nurse Joy's Chansey daemon talked to Lee. ~Sorry if Joy's a little creepy. It takes a little getting used to. That's how she is at work, but when she's not behind the counter or a special case comes in, she changes a lot in personality. Right now, she's just trying to please people. Anyway...~ he trailed off as the woman returned, placing the Pokéballs back in front of Lee. "Your Pokémon have been returned to full health. Thank you!" she said, before turning to the next person. There was a PC near Lee, if she wanted to switch around her party.