Starting Again

[anima]

Mage was quite used to the all too common stares and fear that seemed to be the default reaction she unintentionally inspired. It could have been the blank eyes that looked dead in their sockets, the thick horns protruding through her lengthy blood red hair, or the long, spear tipped tail that trailed in her wake, or it could have been all of them combined. They made her terrifying, like a monster.

It was an aspect of her torture that didn't stop when she was freed from the lab where scientists turned her into this, but she coped with it, learned not care. So, while her boat ride here was a long stint of mostly going about her business and keeping out of people's way, she didn't mind. The boat would dock in Aryll, and she'd make her leave, without giving a second thought to the silently had relief going through a number of it's passengers.

This was more or less a fresh start for Mage. This wasn't her first beginning inactuallity, she had initially begun her journey in Nirven Town, but then there was an emergency back at her mother's lab, so she was forced to return home for a time. Having set out again, she had decided to take on the Aryll region instead, and so here she was.

Mage headed straight for the entrance to the lab, and knocked. The door swung open in response, unlocked and not quite shut. "Hello?" Mage called into the lab as she stepped past the threshold. The place very much looked like a lab. Walls lined with bookshelves full of books and papers and things, plus a few decorative pieces.

A clipboard on the table near the center of the room caught Mage's eye, and she flipped through it. It appeared to be a list of available pokemon. A lot were only available on certain days, and those that weren't appeared to all be baby stage pokemon, which she didn't consider ideal in the early stages of her journey.

Looking toward the limited starters, it seemed the traditional starters of the Kalos region were up. Chespin, Fenniken and Froakie. Her clawed fingers drifted between the fire and water type. Both were favorable and would grow to be quite powerful. Her finger slid closer to the Fenniken though, and she figured that the fox might be it.

She looked up again, wondering where the professor of this lab or her aides might have been. "Hello?" She called out again.

[Ash]

"Ouch, take it easy hun," a male voice filled with laughter rang out from another room. "I think that's good," the voice said, this time closer to where Mage stood waiting. It was only a moment before a doorknob turned to the left at the back of the lab, and a man emerged with nearly every visible part of his body covered in bandages. Nevertheless, he wore a grin that nearly took to his ears as he proceeded over to the visitor.

"Hello, sorry about that, can I...." his voice trailed off for a moment as he noticed the girl's eyes. He opened his mouth again, about to ask if she was blind and offer a braille list, but he closed it and shook his head as he realized that she had already been looking at the list. "Sorry," he laughed, "Thought you might be blind, but that's obviously not the case. Your eyes are kinda creepy, it's pretty cool looking." While Daniel meant no offense, he was also oblivious to the notion that he might be being a tad rude. He was still grinning from ear to ear with the kind of joy that could easily be catchy.

As he was speaking a woman wearing a long trench coat emerged from the same room in the back. Her face was flushed and she held a fairly obvious look of shame and guilt. She froze for a moment when she saw the girl. This could have easily been seen as fear due to the girl's appearance, but really she was just nervous that an actual person was there. Sure, she had heard the call as well and knew they had a visitor, but her heart still picked up when directly faced with a stranger. "Hello, I'm Cynder and this buffoon is my husband, Daniel. Can we help you?" she asked as soon as she regained her composure. She moved a little closer but still hung back as if trying to melt into the background.

[anima]

Mage's ears twitched as the sounds of chatter and footsteps through a nearby door reached them. Said door soon swung open, and a man stepped out greeting her, before trailing off. Her gaze shifted upward to the man, though given her eyes, it was only her eyebrows shifting upward that gave it away while her nose remained pointed at the clipboard she was looking at.

It wouldn't be the first time she'd been mistaken for blind. It was a step above having them senselessly fear her, but inwardly Mage thought this man's filter could use a tune up. The woman that followed seemed more clearly intimidated. "Al...right. You must not see too many Vydras I guess." Mage shrugged at the man before getting down to business. "I'm looking to pick up a starter pokemon? I'd like to see some of the Fenniken you have."

[Ash]

The man laughed. "Actually, I've never even heard of a Vydra. We're kinda new to Aryll," he stated jovially. "I'm really interested in these new Pokemon though."

The woman smiled and shook her head. "I'll go and grab some for you...? Be just a moment." She bowed her head awkwardly and left, still looking quite guilty about something or other. The man watched her leave the room with obvious affection before turning his attention back to the girl.

"My wife's a little too hot to handle sometimes," he joked with a wink as if Mage was in on the joke. The man was perhaps a little too oblivious and cheerful for his own good. Some of his bandages had shifted while they were talking, so if Mage looked closely she would be able to see that they had been covering up several burns. Danny winced and adjusted one as the air stung his exposed wound, but the cheery grin never left his face.

                 
Female - Friendly, Neat    |    Shiny Female - Joyful, Wild    |    Male - Loyal, Brave

Cynder returned quickly, carrying three pokeballs. She gave Mage a nervous smile and released the three Fennekin. The first was a friendly female who, after shaking her muscles loose, gave Mage a smile and wagged her tail. <Hello! Nice to meet you,> she said, before frowning at her paws and tail. <Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess.> She gave Mage an apologetic look before starting to groom her fur.

The second Fennekin was a shiny female. This Pokemon was no sooner out of her pokeball than she started jumping around with a joyful boundless amount of energy. She could have been seen as an analogy to the man who had first greeted Mage. She only spared as much time as it took to expend her pent up energy before running over to Mage and sitting in front of the pokemorph's feet. <Hi! Wow, you're really tall, you know that?> the Pokemon stated, though she likely would have made the same comment about any humanoid, considering that Mage was not exactly the tallest person in the room.

The third Fennekin was a male. He blinked a few times after being released, giving mage a soft smile. He bowed his head in her direction respectfully. <Hello miss, pleasure to meet you.> he said simply. He waited with a patient smile for the new trainer to make her choice, not dong anything to set himself apart, just respecting whatever she chose.

Cynder glanced at Mage before averting her eyes again. "I can fetch some more if you want," she said. Danny put an arm around her and her face essentially glowed crimson. She glanced at him, noticed the shifted bandages, and the shame returned tenfold bringing a tear to her eye. Danny's smile shifted for the first time and he quickly pulled back his arm as flames erupted around Cynder's neck.

"Hun, it's okay, calm down," Daniel said in a softer voice than he had yet used in front of Mage. He placed his hands on her arms, below her shoulders and the flames, rubbing gently up and down until the fire died down. "Like I said, too hot to handle," he added, his smile returning. Cynder shook her head and fought back the tears. She looked like she wanted to get away and hide, but she forced herself to stay until their work was done. She could cry later, away from witnesses.

[anima]

Mage had noticed Danny's bandages, but didn't at first think that it had been anything recent enough to be concerned about. As they shifted and revealed severely burnt skin, her ears twitched, a small nigh unnoticeable motion that was what passed for alarm or any form of disturbance for the Vydra morph, yet the man seemed completely nonchalant about it.

Before Mage could say anything however, Cynder returned with a few Fenniken. Mage observed the trio, a well mannered, but vain female, an energetic female and another polite one, though the last one was male. When Cynder mentioned she could bring more, Mage shook her head. "No, that's alright." Her voice remained as monotonous as usual, though she couldn't focus on the Fenniken.

Danny had suffered some nasty burns, and Cynder was clearly distressed by that. Following Danny placing an arm over her shoulders however, her shoulders burst into flame and Mage didn't really need an explanation. "This is... a bad time." Mage apologized, unsure if she should just make her pick and get out, or just leave outright and come back later.

Sympathy, wasn't really Mage's strong point, but she did pity the morph for what had to have been a complete accident. Her feelings for this Danny however, were not quite as favorable. "Forgive my bluntness, but you really should be resting with burns like that. What are you thinking?" Mage knew it'd probably be a bit of a blow to Cynder, but at the same time, she couldn't imagine this "I'm fine" act was doing any better for her.

[Ash]

Cynder glanced at Mage again when the girl apologized, a slight smile managing to break through her distress. However this was replaced by blank shock that transitioned into a glare when Mage addressed Daniel. The woman was about to have an angry reply, when she realized that her angered was completely misplaced. She should be angry with her husband, because Mage was right- he should not have been working in his condition. She had not even considered getting angry with him because she was so focused on the fact that his injuries were her fault.

Cynder's expression turned apologetic before resuming the guilt. Daniel had not said anything for a moment and the woman did not realize that he had been watching her. He nodded to Mage. He was used to ignoring the pain, and thankfully he did have a fairly high tolerance to it, but he should not have been exerting himself. His temperature was high and he was aware of how dangerous burns could be. "Nothing to forgive, you're absolutely right," he said, serious for the first time in their conversation.

He could have made so many excuses, and if they would have helped to ease his wife's pain he would have. But, he could see how much this hurt her, and if he let his condition get worse by being stupid her guilt would be nigh impossible to dissuade. He hesitated, because he knew how much his wife disliked being around people. "Hun, you got this?"

"Of course," she replied. She sounded more confident than she really was, but she was getting more comfortable around the girl. She would still be relieved when she went on her way, though. Daniel smiled and walked away, making sure to hide the look of relief from his wife. Mage might have caught a glimpse, but he disappeared into another room, closing the door softly behind him.

Cynder's eyes dropped back to the floor. "It's my fault... I don't know how to tell him to rest when... When I..." she took a deep breath. "Thanks."

The Fennekin, in the meantime, had been quiet and merely observing everything. The first female was still grooming herself, but she was distracted and just cleaning the same bit of fur repeatedly. The shiny was oddly quiet, but she was fidgeting and wagging her tail with pent up energy. The male held a somber expression and merely sat silent.

[anima]

Mage was an overwhelmingly logical thinker. She was conscious that the emotional weight of the situation could have made things go one way or the other, but it was difficult for her to think any differently, and given what was going on, she couldn't just keep her mouth shut about it. She simply nodded to Danny, showing a bit of awkwardness but in the end she held her ground.

Danny was soon away, and Mage was left alone with Cynder, who went into a ramble of apologies and thanks. "It's alright." Mage muttered, before falling silent, though her attention still was not on the Fenniken. A sigh escaped her lips before she finally worked up what she had to say. "When... when this first happened to me, I had a hard time controlling myself, my strength. The... people who did this to me, well, I won't say I'm sorry about breaking a few dozen of their bones. But I was terrified of going home like I was. Terrified that I'd hurt my family like that."

"What I mean to say is, I understand a bit I guess." Mage frowned, cringing a bit as she wondered if any of it even meant anything to the timid woman. "I've got it under control with practice and everything, but my Mom would have loved me and cared for me no matter what though. Your husband obviously cares a lot about you too, and you'll get better and controlling your power." Mage scratched her head, at bit embarrassed, and hoping that at least was as encouraging as she wanted it to be.

Turning back to the Fenniken, she supposed she might as well make her choice. After some careful consideration, she stood over the regular female one that had spent a great deal of time grooming herself. "I think this one will do." Mage said, smiling slighty as she scooped the Fenniken up in one arm and ran a hand over her fur, smoothing out a few messy tufts as she did.

[Ash]

Cynder met Mage's eyes as the girl spoke to her, mostly out of politeness because she was really more comfortable looking at the ground. Her emotions were so conflicted that she did not really know what she felt. She had a similar backstory, though of course she had no way of knowing just how bad things had been for the girl who was now standing in front of her. She did not wish such pain and suffering on anyone, well, except perhaps the people who caused it. She did not often let herself think like that, though when Mage mentioned it she smiled sadly in agreement.

Oddly enough, a part of the woman wanted to go over and hug the girl. Crazy, considering she was especially careful to avoid physical contact. Not that her sister or husband allowed her to do so, despite the danger to themselves. "Did you ever... go home and see your family?" Cynder asked, biting her lip, afraid that she may have stepped out of line. This girl was obviously stronger than her, which the woman admired. Mage scooped up the first Fennekin and Cynder nodded, then realized she had almost forgotten something very important. "Oh, I need to get your pack!"

She hurried over to the desk, which was probably the closest she had gotten to Mage the entire time. She was trying to be careful, but her awkwardness this time was less anti-social and more simply aware of how dangerous she could be from the back. Her shirt was singed slightly, though both it and her trench coat had been tailored with lower cuts at the back of the neck. "I... I never had to worry about hurting my family before. I should have tried to control it, back then, but... I had no reason to. Now, well, I do and I just..." Cynder sighed and pulled a bundle out of the largest desk drawer.

The woman was smiling now as she handed Mage the pokeball and pack. "I'm lucky to have him in my life. My sister too. Being... well, like us... It's hard for people to look past. Even here, where pokemorphs are more common. And of course, we can't just behave like normal humans. Maybe the lucky ones, but..." she bit her lip again, worried once more that she might say something wrong. Pokemorph or no, Mage was a person, and Cynder had spent so long avoiding people that she hardly knew how to speak to them. Daniel certainly was not the best teacher in that regard, though he made up for it with his almost childish charm that made a lot of people feel more at ease.

"Oh, and if you need a bag, we have those too. Some trainers like to use their own, but we provide one for free if you need it," she added a tad awkwardly, pointing to some backpacks leaning against the nearby wall. "Thanks you two, sorry to keep you pent up so long. Ashley will be back soon and everyone will get to go out then," Cynder said, turning to the two other Fennekin.

<Awwww, but I wanna play now!> the hyper girl giggled. She brushed against Mage's legs. <Oh well, buh bye! Remember to have fun~> she added with a farewell wag of her tail. She turned back Cynder and decided to give that tail a few extra wags as the red light engulfed her.

The male shook his head in mild amusement. <Goodbye! Be safe out there, though you seem pretty capable,> he said to Mage with a warm smile and nod. <You know Cynder, Fennekin store heat in our ear fur. Perhaps you could try storing or burning off excess heat? There are plenty of Fire-types here who might be able to help... though most of us are fairly young.>

Cynder blinked for a moment, slightly stunned. She had not even considered that prospect. She was still new to Aryll and working at the Lab, and her interaction with the Pokemon had mainly involved supervising them while they played. Actually, Mage was the first trainer she had actually met and helped. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, her voice sounding dry with surprise. The Fennekin bowed his head to the light as the woman recalled him to the pokeball.

The woman blushed a moment later, shifting her weight awkwardly in her embarrassment. "I nearly forgot, there's a test for new trainers here, apparently it's because the region is so dangerous. Normally one of Ashley's Pokemon supervise the test, but she had to go shopping for something that only Starside City carries. With how things have been..." Cynder seemed worried and left her statement hanging with a shake of her head. "Danny and I were never really trainers, so I'll have to supervise... if that's alright?"

nickname -- ( NONE ) species -- ( FENNEKIN ♀ ) friendship -- ( 50/100 ) personality ¬ Friendly, Neat This Pokemon is quite friendly, kind to everyone and not all that shy around strangers. That is, unless she is dirty or messy, in which case she prefers to be out of sight so she can clean herself. She likes to keep herself groomed and maintained, though she tries her best not to let doing so get in the way of her friends. Sometimes she just can't resist and may have to groom herself at inopportune moments. Obtained ¬ Received in Nirven Lab at level 5

type -- ( FIRE ) level -- ( FIVE ) experience -- ( 0/10 ) item -- ( NONE ) ability -- ( MAGICIAN ) The Pokemon seizes the item of an opponent it hits with a move. Fails if this Pokemon is already holding an item. move 1 -- ( SCRATCH ) move 2 -- ( TAIL WHIP ) move 3 -- ( EMBER ) move 4 -- ( NONE ) move 5 -- ( NONE ) move 6 -- ( NONE ) health -- ( 20/20 )

Items [div align=center][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;margin-bottom: 5px;width:487px;"][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 18px; color: #555555;][div align="center"][b]INVENTORY[/b][/div][/div][/div][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width:487px;"][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][div align="center"][b]MONEY[/b][/div][/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][div align="center"]$1000[/div][/div][/div][table][tr][td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width: 145px;"][div align="center" style="width: 140px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][b]BASIC ITEMS[/b][/div][div style="width: 140px;height: 150px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;overflow: auto;"]None [/div][/div][/td] [td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width: 145px;"][div align="center" style="width: 140px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][b]MEDICINE[/b][/div][div style="width: 140px;height: 150px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;overflow: auto;"][img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/health-items/potion.png[/img] Potion x5 [/div][/div][/td] [td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width: 145px;"][div align="center" style="width: 140px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][b]POKÉ BALLS[/b][/div][div style="width: 140px;height: 150px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;overflow: auto;"][img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/balls/poke-ball.png[/img] Poké Ball x5 [/div][/div][/td][/tr] [tr][td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width: 145px;"][div align="center" style="width: 140px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][b]BERRIES[/b][/div][div style="width: 140px;height: 150px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;overflow: auto;"][img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/berries/pecha-berry.png[/img] Pecha Berry x2 [img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/berries/cheri-berry.png[/img] Cheri Berry x2 [img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/berries/chesto-berry.png[/img] Chesto Berry x2 [/div][/div][/td] [td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width: 145px;"][div align="center" style="width: 140px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][b]TMs & HMs[/b][/div][div style="width: 140px;height: 150px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;overflow: auto;"] None [/div][/div][/td] [td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width: 145px;"][div align="center" style="width: 140px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 14px; color: #888888;][b]KEY ITEMS[/b][/div][div style="width: 140px;height: 150px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;overflow: auto;"][img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/key-items/pokedex.png[/img] Pokédex [img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/key-items/town-map.png[/img] Town Map [img]http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt194/Laokia/Items/key-items/rsitem213.png[/img] Cellphone [/div][/div][/td][/tr] [/table][/div]

Pokemon Stats [div align=center][table][tr][td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width:170px;"][div style="background-color: #ffffff;height: 96px; margin-bottom: 10px;"][div align="center"][img]i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b429/laokiav3/normal/fennekin.png[/img][/div][/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]nickname --[/color] ( NONE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]species --[/color] ( FENNEKIN ♀ )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]friendship --[/color] ( 50/100 )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]personality ¬[/color][/div][div style="height: 70px;background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555; overflow: auto;"][b]Friendly, Neat[/b] This Pokemon is quite friendly, kind to everyone and not all that shy around strangers. That is, unless she is dirty or messy, in which case she prefers to be out of sight so she can clean herself. She likes to keep herself groomed and maintained, though she tries her best not to let doing so get in the way of her friends. Sometimes she just can't resist and may have to groom herself at inopportune moments.[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]Obtained ¬[/color][/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;"][div align="center"]Received in Nirven Lab at level 5[/div][/div][/div][/td][td][div style="background-color: #DDDDDD;padding: 10px;width:170px;"][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]type --[/color] ( FIRE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]level --[/color] ( FIVE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]experience --[/color] ( 0/10 )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]item --[/color] ( NONE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]ability --[/color] ( MAGICIAN )[/div][div style="height: 53px; background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][i]The Pokemon seizes the item of an opponent it hits with a move. Fails if this Pokemon is already holding an item.[/i][/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]move 1 --[/color] ( SCRATCH )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]move 2 --[/color] ( TAIL WHIP )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]move 3 --[/color] ( EMBER )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]move 4 --[/color] ( NONE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]move 5 --[/color] ( NONE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]move 6 --[/color] ( NONE )[/div][div style="background-color: #ffffff; padding: 2px; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #555555;][color=#888888]health --[/color] ( 20/20 )[/div][/div][/td][/tr][/table][/div]

[anima]

"Yes, my Mother is a professor running her own lab. I helped her out for a while, but insisted I should go on this journey." Mage shrugged, skipping the fact that her father died in the raid that she was kidnapped in, and that her mother had been paralyzed in the same incident. Mage wasn't exactly comfortable talking too much about it, though it seemed Cynder at least seemed a bit better for it.

Mage was spared having to go into any further detail as Cynder suddenly remembered she was supposed to get a pack. Mage couldn't have imagined not getting a hold on her own power, but she supposed sprouting flames from the back of your neck was different. The deadliest part of her was her tail, but that was never in danger of going into anybody unless she managed to get really clumsy with it.

Mage shifted her chosen Fenniken down to her lower arm as she accepted the pack and poke ball, before returning the fox to it for the time being. "Thanks, but I'll use my own bag." Mage said when Cynder mentioned the lab offering free ones. Mage did bring along her own shoulder bag. She immediately attached the Fennekin's ball to one of the clips on the strap, then sorted the rest of the items into various pockets.

"I'll...try." Mage said, smiling slightly at the shiny Fennkin as she curled around her legs as Cynder prepared to return them. She then nodded at the male's words as well, and glanced curiously at Cynder to see what she thought of his advice. "Alright then..." Mage trailed off as her gaze fell upon the the clipboard that she had yet to set down.

Before she could question the note about some sort of test they were to undertake jotted down under the list of starters, Cinder already began explaining. "That's alright. What do we have to do?" She responded before finally setting down the clipboard. Mage wasn't at all worried about how dangerous Aryll was -- she had survived dangerous conditions in the past, and she was prepared for whatever the region decided to throw at her.

[Ash]

Cynder nodded but did not pry for any more information on the subject of Mage's family. She knew all too well how painful memories could be and her question was not meant to bring up anything uncomfortable. Cynder smiled and nodded, happy that Mage did get to see her family again.

Cynder nodded again, glancing nervously at the door her husband had previously exited through. She took a moment to breathe and steel her nerves. She had never actually given this test before, or even seen it done. Mage was the first visitor to the lab since she and Danny had found, or rather, been found by her sister and moved here. "Yes, the test, please follow me... I'll explain more outside."

Cynder nodded to Mage and walked to a door further back toward the rear of the lab. She opened it and moved a stopper to hold it in place. Of course she had the keys as well, but she wanted to make sure if Daniel did get up he knew where she was. Plus, it was a fairly nice day and the Lab could use some air. Not the least because of the slightly acrid burnt smell that Cynder only noticed when the fresh air wafted in from outside. Her embarrassment and shame returned, but she still managed to smile as she gestured Mage on ahead.

Mage may proceed to the Professor's Field.