Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Shaking. Arietta was shaking. She'd been out and about for ten minutes now, and had found herself by the bar. She was confused, she was tired, and she just, for a brief moment, wanted to feel completely okay. A sip of some strange blue concoction from a bartender, a passing flirt with a beefy stranger dressed as a bidoof, this was okay- she just- breathe. Now that she was away from everything, it was pushed in her face the idea of needing to think, think- she couldn't escape her past, and it... it was weird, how easily the past can just... click right into place, how easily ghosts can intermingle with you and sudden they're no longer unfamiliar.
The strange drink she had tingled as she forced it down, she just wanted to drink enough to feel like, to feel airy, so she could spin herself into a stupor and forget about every problem that every existed to her. She could hold hands and laugh with strangers, be held in their arms, giggle and laugh at jokes as she impressed them with her dancing-
But it wouldn't be fun. It couldn't be as fun as what had just happened, before- no. Enough, Arietta. Another drink down, as the girl, donning her Gardevoir pantsuit that could easily be mistaken for a dress and her green hair, could feel a strange emotion bubbling in the pit of her belly- she was light- she was probably tipsy, knowing her. This was fine, this was great. Smoothing down her hair, her pants, her bow, she moved towards the dancefloor, having to bypass a familiar girl who stared at her with shiny eyes-
She'd half-forgotten she'd told a handful of girls her identity and promised them concert tickets- anonymity didn't exist, she was sure. Locking hands with strangers, getting carried into wisps of dances with people who's cologne smelt too strong, who's perfume messed with her senses, who stepped on her toes and apologized profusely- like the graceful dancer she was, she took it all in her stride, moving, going person to person, never lingering long.
A brief dance, a forgetful dance, one where pleasantries weren't exchanged and she could just switch, and move as she pleased, with barely an afterthought- with all the focus being on how she felt in the moment. It wasn't right, but she was too focused on forgetting her life to care.
So far, it had been a fun night and Koray was having the time of his life getting to dance with other people. Some of his partners weren't always the best, but at the same time there was still a good time to be had. He had danced with several people already and opted to get a drink to rehydrate himself before going back onto the floor. A couple glasses of punch later and he was feeling much better now.
That's when he saw the Gardevoir on the floor get a number of fairly poor partners in a row. Ouch... He'd had a few of those partners already and knew that they weren't the best to be had. Maybe he should rescue her from the string of bad luck she'd had so far. It just so happened that she had been spun out too quickly and Koray was quick to catch her, pulling her back into a step with ease. "You're quite light on your feet, Gardevoir~," Koray mused smiling warmly, "Are you quite alright?" That could have been much worse.
Another spin, another swirl from a stranger, she could feel her mind frayed, why did this random think that all dancing was was spinning her around, and around, and arou- she could feel her twirling body be pushed outwards much too fast by the stranger, as if he was trying to show off and felt lightheaded, her footing was all messed up, and if she wasn't careful she was going to-
Oh, oh she was falling, great, good job Arietta, good on yo- a hand managed to pull her away from the stranger and stop her from falling all in one swoop, and the girl, who'd been squeezing her eyes shut blinked warily, staring up at them through her mask- she couldn't tell what they were, and only managed to tipsily slur out, "Oh, my sweet saviour..."
It took her a few moments to attempt to pull herself together, feet slowly picking up the strangers pace, a lightness to her steps that wouldn't have been there if not for her slightly intoxicated state. "I-I guess you could say I- uh- fell right for you, right?" Oh, her game was off, but she shook her head, "...I'll be fine, I take it you're a decent dancer?"
Koray couldn't help but chuckle at the first comment from the Gardevoir's lips. Mmm, it seemed that she was a little drunk, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing if she still enjoyed dancing. Besides, her coordination seemed to be just fine and she was pretty light on her feet. "Mmm~? Then I guess I caught an angel, my dear Gardevoir~," Koray mused, laughing softly before giving her a twirl, pulling her back in thereafter and starting a quick step.
"I've been dancing since I was young. It's one of my favorite things to do~," Koray mused, dipping the Gardevoir briefly before moving back into a more complicated step.
An angel? Oh please, Arietta was faaar from one, but still the compliment alone, and maybe the alcohol, had made her fairly giddy. "An angel?" A soft laugh left her lips as she was lead into a twirl, quickly righting herself before moving to take the lead, a cheeky glint in her eyes, "Please, i'm suuper far from one, but I adore the attempt, pretty stranger."
She moved the steps almost fluently, ignoring her slip-ups every so often when her mind blurred together and sent her thoughts tangling. She just wanted to dance, to forget things, focus- focus- step, two three- turn, two three... "Oooooh- That explains why you move so fluently! Wellll, i've been dancing since I was young too- or well, I did sports before dance but it's basically like a second heart to me~ it's what keeps me alive, can I assume it's the same too, for you I mean!" Her head tilted as she moved to lead the stranger into their own spin, an eyebrow raised.
Koray just grinned when Gardevoir laughed at his comment. He was about to move into a dip but then she took the lead instead. That... was admittedly surprising, but he corrected swiftly enough. "My, my~, I haven't met anyone who could do both lead and follow so well~," he mused, smiling more as he continued to follow.
It didn't take long for Koray to fall back into step, picking up when his partner slipped up. He could smell the alcohol on her after all. Her reply to his comment had Koray chuckling all over again. Though... her story did sound a little familiar. Who else did he know that took up dance after sports? Stop thinking about it... this is supposed to be fun. Just, fun. Besides, it was unlike Ara to get so tipsy while dancing. Wasn't it?
"Indeed~. I love dancing. To me, it almost feels like I'm flying~," Koray explained, smiling more as she explained that it's what keeps her alive, "I know that feeling all too well~."
Oh Arietta lived for the surprise, for the drama. The momentarily shock of her dance partner caused her smile to hitch up ever more than it had already- good. She felt much more comfortable with the lead, it felt natural, and she felt floaty. "Never?" her words rolled off her tongue cooly as she focused on her steps, "I guess my years of practice were soo worth it then~ other people have to get in on the leading and... followin' life." another laugh.
It was at this point reality seemed to slip in, her steps, though fluid were messy- she just hoped the momentary combination of the alcohol and dancing decently would keep her mind from before, from everything that just occurred, from the dance floor kiss, the confession, the confusion- fuck. Arietta's movements increased in difficulty, the only way she knew how to distract herself was through furthering the complexity of what she was doing, lead into a dip, keep them moving- quick on your feet, quick on your toes.
At the strangers comment about flying she nodded once more, dancing made a person feel weightless, "...It almost makes all the problems of reality float away, y'know?" Another laugh, "A foxtrot, a waltz and then suddenly you're not feeling so sad- you're like... weightless and stuff- lemme guess, you're a local?"
He could very well tell that miss Gardevoir enjoyed seeing the surprise, however brief it was, when she took the lead. Koray was still faltering ever so slightly at remembering the steps in the follow position. Clearly he wasn't as accustomed to it as Gardevoir and he was feeling a little outmatched at dance. It was... a strange feeling to say the least, but it just challenged him to be better. "I'll have to practice more to be as light footed as you next time then~," Koray mused, feeling a little more confident with the role now. Well, at least until the steps got more complicated, the movements coming quicker now. He was having a hard time keeping up, but wasn't about to admit it.
A sudden dip had him able to breathe for a moment, though it was still a little hard to read Gardevoir's movements. Maybe it was the drink. Stop thinking. He was overthinking again. Deep breaths, just listen to the music, just act, it was about having fun after all. Gardevoir's comment about floating away earned a soft smile from him. It seemed she understood, how dance could be therapeutic even. Of course the follow up question had him nodding, "Yes, I live in Pine. I wasn't going to miss this event for anything though," Koray explained, feeling a little more at ease now that he wasn't overthinking it near as much. His movements weren't as clumsy or forced, but far more fluid than before.
Ooooh, they are local! And they live in pine? Is there even any dance studios in pine? The girl paused for a second, moving to swing her partner around momentarily as her mind racked over the connections she did have- maybe one family owned one and one studio, but definitely not like all the places set up in the city of music, Bass. "A dancer in pine? How intriguing." Came her words, soft yet curious.
She could feel the beat changing, and watched for a brief moment as a slight tinge of panic seemed to flicker across her partners eyes, having years of know-how. Without so much as another word she moved to gently adjust her position, pressing closer to the stranger while arching her back, giving up the lead. "Well i'm from Bass, really pretty city- muuch like you- your eyes are pretty-pretty, yknow?"
Koray grinned as Gardevoir commented on his location and how well he seemed to dance even though he was from Pine. A brief shrug would be given as he continued to dance, trying not to make anymore mistakes in the unfamiliar position. "I'm not certain what you mean by 'intriguing', Miss Gardevoir," he mused, slowing and nearly tripping over his feet again when the beat changed. A sharp intake of breath and he was able to right himself before causing too much damage but Koray was well aware he was out of his element.
It was a relief when Gardevoir changed positions and let him take the lead again. Once more, Koray relaxed and was able to fluidly move into a ballroom dance that would allow them both to gain some momentum due to the fluidity and gracefulness of the movements. There was very little thinking he needed to do to lead this dance. The tidbit about being from dance had him nodding once more, made sense that she might look down on someone from Pine in that regard. Her dance moves were so graceful... like a professionals almost.
The compliment about his eyes had him smiling more, albeit a little sheepishly. "You flatter me, miss Gardevoir. I am simply lost in your embrace, you leave me weak in the knees. Perhaps that was why I was so clumsy earlier... I simply couldn't keep up with your beauty~," Koray returned, spinning the Gardevoir thereafter. There was a little bit of an allusion to Gardevoirs being the embrace pokemon. Hopefully she would catch it but if not, it was still true regardless.
Not certain what she meant by intriguing? A laugh left her lips, "Oh? Well i'm sorta in the dance business- don't ask it's complicated- and from my knowledge there's just not that many studio's in Pine? There's Anne's... and another i'm unfamiliar with, so either you're self taught or..." Her words trailed off, drunken rambling was there to spite her, and she was a little distracted by how the stranger was struggling with following- it was one of the easiest things to do in dance? At least, in her experience.
She melted into the following roll easily enough, letting herself go. A step, a sweep, a follow-through, graceful, and careful- she adored dance. And she wasn't getting yanked around like a rag doll either which was a welcome change.
As his comment however, she should have been feeling floaty and happy but suddenly she was brought back to what Gabe said and stumbled, eyes going wide momentarily- shit-fuck. At least he didn't say some stupid shit like falling in love on the dancefloor, what kind of idiot- yeah, this idiot. "My beauty? A-Ah Dusknoir,how your words enchant me. If you needed me to slow down, all you had to do was ask."
The explanation that followed made sense. She knew a lot more about Pine than he realized. Really, he hadn't attended many dance studios aside from a few with Ara.... No, this isn't the time to think about her. It was supposed to be a fun night, a night without drama, without thinking about the turmoil of emotions she brought up. "I see~, well that explains how you're so far ahead of me when it comes to dance," Koray mused, feeling a little guilty admitting just how much he'd been stumbling. But he truly wasn't accustomed to switching between following and leading so easily. Maybe it had been hard because of the complicated steps she'd been using. Whatever the case, leading was far easier for him.
Stepping into an easy ballroom dance, he allowed himself to let go and use this as an opportunity to build momentum. He spun Gardevoir, only to bring her back in when he saw, and felt, her stumble. Maybe he was going too fast? Or maybe the compliment hadn't been welcome after all... He had just opened his mouth to apologize when she called him out on his misstep earlier. Ahahaha... right. "Forgive me, Gardevoir. I was just unaccustomed to the complicated steps you were leading me into. I'm essentially self taught, you see. What formal lessons I took were only because they were offered at the school I attended," Koray explained, giving Gardevoir another twirl before leading her into a waltz as the music changed.
It explains how she's so far ahead? Arietta felt her head involuntarily tilt, "Well you're fairly decent, at least you're not stepping all over my feet and swinging me like a ragdoll- that wouldn't be very befitting of a ball, would it? You have skills, dear Dusknoir." she found a giggle escaping her, Arceus, she loved dancing, and she loved dancers- if that wasn't evident enough by the two she'd dated.
At him mentioning the complicated steps an eyebrow shot up, they were... complicated? Oh! She'd barely noticed! Another laugh left her, excited, as she was quickly led into a waltz, her hands adjusting to hold onto him tighter, she was fluid, and graceful, and right now she only wished she was wearing a dress to further fall into the following role. "Offered at the school you attended?" She mused, her eyes closing for a moment, "How cute, i' not familiar with many schools like that... but im truly glad you can dance- the only person who could dance sorta like you was... somebody...from..." Her eyes blinked open and she shook her head a few more times, stumbling and clinging on to the stranger.
Koray chuckled a little when the Gardevoir explained how well he was doing comparatively. Mostly by what he wasn't doing but well, it was still encouraging nevertheless. "Thanks, how kind of you to say~," Koray mused, laughing along with her. It seemed that she hadn't noticed the complicated step she'd tried to lead him into. Maybe that was part of her being a little drunk still. At the same time, he hoped that she would go a little easier on him next time.
As his statement about being taught a little in school was repeated, Koray raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Yes?" he laughed, "Isn't that what I just said?" Of course then she had moved on and said something about the schools, about how she was glad he could dance... and then something else?
"Woah, hey... careful there~,"Koray said, catching her and leading her into a dip. It was as if she had never stumbled in the first place. Helping her upright again, the music had changed and he adjusted by leading her into a more comfortable ballroom dance again, just to gain some momentum. "Are you quite alright, Miss Gardevoir?"
Was she alright? No. Not at all, but nothing a little alcohol and dance can't fix. A sigh left her lips as she attempted to get back into the dance, a step, a follow-through, "Truthfully, Dusknoir... i'm a little bit out of it, a little... distracted, if you will." She attempted a smile, but she was holding on to the stranger tighter, just trying to get back into the rhythm? Could she trust a stranger with everything going on?
"I ran into an ex on the dance floor just before, and...i'm just attempting to distract myself, i'd rather not thing about it right now~" Another, albeit forced laugh left her lips as she continued moving, her steps however got more complex again, though she hadn't realized.
At Gardevoir's admission, Koray chewed his lip a little. He didn't exactly know what to do, but at the same time... well, it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Even if it meant nothing... Slowing to a stop, Koray spun her one last time before she tried to get into more of a complicated step... again, he put a hand on her cheek. Just don't think. "Then don't think, dear Gardevoir." Just like he wasn't going to think, just like he was leaning forward to kiss her.
If it was unwelcome, he'd pull away in an instant and spin back onto the dance floor. If Gardevoir accepted it however, he'd lean in a little more, still keeping it shallow. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before he spun them both back onto the dance floor. This time, the beat was quicker, and he wasn't going to allow himself to think about what had just happened. A simple kiss that didn't mean anything. "Is this distraction enough, dear Gardevoir?"
Just... don't think? Yeah, better said than done! She was going to bite out another response, probably about how she was trying until the person started leaning closer, her head was spinning and she barely understood what was going on, she could barely register what was happening until lips met hers, a feeling familiar, her mind confused, everything was fuzzy, her head hurt- she didn't kiss back, but she didn't pull away, she only stared blankly, and all she could think was-
How not even an hour ago she was in this same situation, dancing, she was kissed, she said she fell in love on the dancefloor and it turned out being her ex in disguise, it turned out being a mistake that she'd end up crying over tonight, and she didn't know if she could handle through the spiral again- she just need confirmation.
"I...You're... you're... not an ex, right? I- one just- before- and I don't know if..." instead of responding, she stared up at him, eyes wide and voice pleading. To most, it would have sounded strange, unusual, she could blame it on her drunkness for blurting it out, but she didn't know what else to say.
Gardevoir didn't pull away, that much Koray could tell, but she didn't kiss back either. He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing at this point. Regardless, he spun them back into dancing, back into fun, back where they could fly and forget their worries. Forget the doubts that were now trying to press down on him. That was when she started to speak again, stuttering something about being an ex. About how she had met one before and it was apparently something fairly traumatic.
Koray remained silent for a good few moments, pulling her into an easy swing dancing step where he could spin her and do more complicated steps. That's what she seemed prone to want to do at any rate. "My dear Gardevoir~, I don't even know your name," Koray replied softly, dipping her briefly before pulling her into a sweetheart hold for a step or two. "That's the beauty of tonight~. The magic and mystery of the masquerade. I'm simply a Dusknoir, and you're simply a Gardevoir. Don't think my dear, just dance~," with that, he spun her again, picking up the pace. Another swing, another dip, faster and faster before pulling her back into the sweetheart hold.
Arietta stayed silent for a few moments, not saying anything, just... dancing and thinking, thinking when she shouldn't be thinking. The Dusknoir didn't know her name, right- they didn't know her. It was okay. It would be- right. Okay. She... she wasn't Arietta, right now, okay. She was... just Gardevoir, and attempting to dance with a Dusknoir. How ironic they both were-
No. Arietta, for fucks sakes. Breathe- breathe and... and get lost in this stupid music, in whatever the aura of this place was- focus on how you're moving, on elongating your limbs, being graceful, moving... she very, very slowly found the music again, stopped stumbling, amidst a soft, "...Okay..." that was muttered out and her movements, she was getting back into it, and if he could feel her heartbeat she was beginning to calm down.
He kept dancing, kept moving, kept adding increasingly difficult steps. Every movement with the Gardevoir was one moment closer to flying, to forgetting every worry and doubt that crossed his mind. It was easy to do, to forget, to get lost in the movement and not worry about whatever might have happened earlier. A few steps in and he was stepping more quickly, switching from a swing dance to a tango as the song changed. "Now's your turn to lead, Gardevoir," Koray murmured, spinning her one more time before resetting himself into the following position, "Don't think, just dance."
Koray didn't know exactly what he was signing up for, but if it would help her to forget what had happened and dance, he'd follow as best he could. "Show me how to fly, Gardevoir."
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