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.
Adelaide was glad she was able to be guided to the pokecentre by the kind guy, who thankfully was gone as soon as she was safe, arceus knows her theories of the mans intentions were spinning out of control, like he could have been a criminal mastermind or something! But, he was nice and didn't comment much about her behaviour, and she didn't have to think about him again! Today was a new day, and after having her sister her help make a new appointment Adelaide was ready to try this again. She'd spent far too long in the pokecentre bathrooms in the morning, curling and spraying her hair, applying makeup and putting herself in the cute change of clohtes she'd packed thanks to her sisters constant fussing.
Nothing was going to sour today! She was going to get things done, she was going to get help and be able to face the world! Phone charges, skin taken care of and bag packed, Adelaide had left the pokecentre in a much, much better mood then she had been in the day before. Nymph, her darling Clauncher was released as soon as she had the chance, and the Clauncher was immediatly concerned for her, nipping at the bottom of her dress and crying out every so often just to have Adelaide keep talking so she didn't distract herself on her way.
Thankfully, pokemaps existed. It didn't take her too long to get to the little clinic her sister had referred her to, but... a sense of dread filled her stomach as she approached and she had to fight back the sudden urge to flee- she was fine! This would be fine! Dia didn't hire these people! They were here to help, there were good reviews that possibly could have been faked and- and oh arceus- uh...
She quickly got out her phone and dialled her sister wihtout a second thought, the girl picking up after a few beats with a yawn. What followed was a tired and barely awake Tawny having to calm Adelaide down before she turned tail and fled completely and Adelaide trying to talk herself fruther into a hole- at least until Tawny told her she'd be late and regret it- which apparently was enough to have Adelaide pushing the door open and making her way into the office- okay- okay- cool- she was here- this was fine!
Keeping her head lowered with Clauncher trailing behind her she approached the front desk, trying not to let her gaze linger at the small waiting room just beyond. A name was given amidst stutters and she was quick to find a seat, wringing her hands through one of her curls. At one point, Nymph had climbed into her nap and brought a claw up to her cheek, gently poking her and cooing to assure her this was fine! It was the right choice!
Post by Atticus Evans on Apr 25, 2020 19:40:57 GMT
The secretary would get up for a moment and disappear into the back only to come around again. “Adelaide? Dr. Evans will see you now, first door on the right…” she pointed out. There were only three doors to choose from, each very clearly labeled. Atticus’s nameplate was a black plate with gold lining reading: Atticus T. L. Evans, MD. The door was already partially ajar, however.
Atticus’s office was an office white color with a soft pink accent wall. There was a large window spreading out from the corner of two walls facing out onto the neighboring park. The blinds and curtains had been pulled back to allow as much light as possible n. The large desk that had at one time been faced into the middle of the wall had since been turned around and pushed against a wall. Numerous papers and books were stacked on it. Right next to it, a small bookshelf sat with even more stuff on it. The bulk of the room, however, was occupied by three circular swivel chairs, two of which were large enough to lay down on if one actually wanted to. The smaller of the three was already sat in.
And there was the man that Addy had met the other day, complete with a tiny Kirlia seated on the arm of his seat. He wore different clothes, a slightly different suit, and altogether looked primmer and more professional than he had before. The shades remained over his eyes, however, remained a testament his vision. Across his lap was actually a notebook whose placement there was questionable at best and debatable at worst. “Hello again, Adelaide,” Atticus started with a grin.
As her name was called Adelaide's attention drifted from the blue pokemon on her lap to the secretary- right- right- okay- uh- here she goes, then? It was too late to back out, the lady was staring at her- or- maybe she was? Adelaide's gaze moved to where she'd been directed to, three doors... first door... Doctor Evans... A soft cry left Clauncher and a claw moved to brush some of her hair out of her face, only for it to fall right back in place. It was gonna be okay, Addy! Adelaide had the pokemon held tightly in her arms, despite Clauncher's size she didn't have the heart to put her down right now- had she been standing too long after the lady spoke!? Uh- uhm?!
Adelaide quickly to up and took a breath, here she goes! One step, another, and she came face to face with the door, eyes flicked across the nameplate only for her to pause, breath caught in her throat. Atticus. That was... the name... of the guy from- no. Nope. Nuh-uh, arcues save her- would it actually be him?! She hoped not, surely there were two people with his name who were a psychologist- did he give her his last name?! She'd forgotten- uh- uhm- uh-
Nope. No. No she'd be judged if she didn't go in. The people in the waiting room would recognise her and write about Adelaide, the girl who fled from an appointment meant to help her further providing to the world just how much of a coward she was, and further proving her sister right. Clauncher poked her on the cheek with her large claw and Adelaide sighed... right. Right.This was perfectly fine, totally... fine...
She pushed the door all the way open and then gently closed it behind her, and immediatly her gaze fell on the man of the hour. Atticus. Atticus from last night who helped her to the pokecentre and found her in the forest- who her sister had contacted- so... so obviously he wasn't a spy but... dread filled her stomach. What did she do, did she sit somewhere? Could she still like... escape?? No, no her sister paid for this that... right...
As his voice rang out Adelaide's gaze snapped over to where he sat. It was better light then yesterday night so she could see him clearly, he didn't... look like somebody Dia would send against her, anyway... and he was grinning at her... Clauncher wriggled in her grasp and Adelaide moved to let the blue pokemon down, who immediatly began playing one more with the hem of Adelaide's skirt, her little feet clicking across the floor with every movement.
She had to speak, yeah- yehah- uhm.... "....H.Hi..." It came out more confused then intended. Would it be best to pretend last night hadn't happened!? That she hadn't spilled her guts and been caught at probably the worst moment known to man-
Why didn't he disclose he was her therapist? He obviously knew it was her, he'd have her records and her appointmnet for yesterday and yet he had said nothing even when she panicked over upsetting whoevere her therapist was, who was obviously him. She played with the zipper on her coat, staring at the man. "...uhm..." don't freak out, don't freak out. He probably had a logical reason for it, but now she was in an awkward situation and even if he seemed chill the feeling in her stomach only got worse... "Why?"
It was such a childish question, but she didn't dare say more.
A soft trill escaped from Pirouette as she greeted the Clauncher and the human with her. She could already sense the tension and stress in the air, and she sat a little straighter with her hands pressed into her lap. Her gaze clicked back to Atticus again. The latter eased a little more into his chair as he listened to the subtle clicks of the clearly inhuman creature in the room.
Adelaide’s tone of voice was enough to assure Atticus of several things all at once, and his lips eased into a softer smile. “…The short end of it was that it seemed like you’d been through enough at the time already,” he started answering back. “I didn’t want to make you feel as though you had a responsibility to me.” A pause. “Your sister called my office yesterday and asked me to look for you, and it wasn’t out of my way. I’d planned to take a walk anyways.”
His features became a little more apologetic after that. “But judging from… the state I had found you in, I didn’t want things to be worse for you.” Another pause. “Sorry for the lie.” Of omission, but still.
Adelaides fingers traced the hemline of her skirt, index finger going over the slight indents in the fabric as she tried her very best to keep her breathing even. His explanation had her fidgiting more. It seemed like she'd been through enough?! Did it? She means... uh... yeah... maybe if you heard somebody balling their eyes out it'd totally seem that way, that... that was valid. And... and of course Tawny had called up. There was a soft intake of breath, followed by an even quiet, "...I...I s-see..."
Not a spy. Not hiding anything. Just thought it was be best not to overload her. That made sense, right!? Or... or was it some kind of excuse?! That couldn't go out of the equation. But... but he sounded legit... was Adelaide a terrible person for doubitng him!? She was an awful person, this guy literally helped her get to Ash last night and yet here she was, struggling to get her life together and doubitng his intentions, he was going to hate her- he already hated her.
She managed to make her way over to where Clauncher was settled, a coo leaving the water types lips as Adelaide found herself sitting down and folding her legs inwards towards herself. Control your breathing, Adelaide! "....thats... t-that's alright..."
Silence. For a few seconds, Adelaide sat in silence. She didn't know what she was doing. Her gaze surveyed the room, her breathing soft. Her hands shook in her lap, terrified. She didn't know anything. "I-I'm...glad...Tawny c-called..." Stuttered out, her words sounded unsure. "...s-she knows me r-r-really well...I talk to her all the t-time so... I w-wouldn't expect anything less..." another pause,a dn then. "...I...d-don't mean to... to b-be suspicious... uhm... sorry..."
Post by Atticus Evans on May 12, 2020 22:49:40 GMT
A soft cry escaped from Pirouette. She could sense the girl’s distress, and she wished nothing more than to comfort somehow. Hopefully Atty could. As Adelaide sat down across from him, Atty was aware of the familiar crunch of fabric related to the chair. It was subtle, something perhaps only he would notice, but a telltale sign that she had approached and sat down at least.
As silence filled the space, Atticus waited patiently. Pushing a patient to speak would only push them away. Starting off with idle chitchat often made others uncomfortable. So he’d wait until Adelaide herself was a little more comfortable before getting into it. Luckily for Atticus, he didn’t have to wait long. She and her sister were close; well that was a good start at least.
The apology, however, had a softer smile coming to his features. “I know it’s a lot to take in,” he answered. “You sound a little nervous… that’s normal, especially for a first time patient…. There are some breathing exercises that may help you calm down if you’d like to learn them?”
Her thumb moved to getnly brush over her knuckles on her other hand as her hands remained clasped in her lap, breath hitching every so often as her thoughts would switch to something drastic before she forced herself to calm down. Clauncher attempted to gently nip the fabric of her dress, her own way of comforting the girl, and a fairly forced smile was sent to the blue pokemon. Adelaide... had never felt so completly out of place, especially right now.
Atticus' words had her peeking up to glance at him for a moment, lips pressing together. Adelaide was more than nervous, of course she'd never admit it. She was terrified. But saying you're scared would get you judged- judged and thrown out to the media and called weak and pathetic and a coward, and the next thing she'd know there'd be banners in contest crowds with insults and booing and Dia would show up in all her glory with a smirk and a laugh and wipe the stage clean of all traces of Adela-
Adelaide squeezed her hands together tighter, wincing at the tiny sparkl of pain that travelled up her arms. It was enough to cause her to snap out of her thoughts, however, and her breath shuttered. It took her a moment to actually comprehend what Atticus had said, words bubbling around in her head... oh... breathing... breathing exercises... "...B-Better... than... in 5, out 7?" A pause, followed by, "...T-Tawny said t-they helped her before battles- b-b-breathing techniques- s-sat me down in my room- and j-just said hold f-for five, and- a-and release for s-seven..."
Post by Atticus Evans on May 15, 2020 22:57:15 GMT
Ah, it was good to hear she had some experience with those. “That’s one of them,” Atticus answered. “You can also focus on expanding your diapragm as far as you can when you breath in. Stretching the muscles there actually relieves a bit of the strain. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.”
Atticus paused to give Adelaide some time to process that before going on. “There is also a technique where you close your eyes and craft an image in your mind… whatever is calming to you. Some might suggest the beach or other nature spot… My favorite is actually a library in Unova that had one of every kind of old book imaginable. If you don’t have one of those… making one up is fine too…” There were so many little things that could be done, but he’d be careful about overwhelming her again.
Adelaide was very tempted to draw her knees up to her chest to provide her further comfort in the chair she was in, but she fought against it and instead continued to let her thumb graze against the side of her hand in her lap. Nymph kept careful eyes on her at all time, she wasn't too certain on what exactly was going on... but she was here! As Atticus began explaining a few other breathing techniques Adelaide's eyes widened slightly- uhm- uh??? How was she going to remember this??
The Diaphram was the breathing... thing right? But... but if it expanded too much, wouldn't it pop?! Like a balloon?? Internal bleeding wasn't a joke! She knew it could kill quickly and Adelaide wasn't ready to die! Especially not by breathing in too much! What if she just cycled air through the nose and mouth?! Her hands clutched even tighter than before, and a very soft, "...I-It... won't... pop... r-r-right?" Left her, almost uncertain. She was supposed to voice things here, she was sure of it.
After a beat or two and Atticus going over his next lot Adelaide was fidgiting more, image crafting? A calming spot?! "...I... I w-wouldn't know what to think of..." Was her gut answer, hands moving to unclasp as she ignored the slight burning from them being clasped too tightly, instead she moved to play with the fabric of her skirt. "The... the b-beach gives the idea... o-of drowning, or- or of h-home- t-the docks- t-the sailors- w-watching from a w-window and being unable to do a-anything- l-libraries....t-they... i'm n-not the best at reading a-and they sound d-dustry, a-and a-anybody could be w-watching, and j-judging- and- and if I m-make one noise i-i'd probably get super y-yelled at..."
Post by Atticus Evans on May 16, 2020 22:28:16 GMT
It won’t pop, right? Atticus blinked slowly. Did Adelaide think— Why did she think it would— Lung collapse is technically possible, but it’s incredibly rare. Yeah, no, like he’d want to say that out loud and send her into a panic. “It won’t,” Atticus answered. “It should actually make you feel a little better.”
As Adelaide admitted she wouldn’t know what to think of, Atticus’s brows pressed together some. Pir gave a small uncertain trill in response. The beach gave her fear of drowning… and even a passive library gave her reason to be on guard. Atticus slowly tilted his head to one side. “Is there any place you feel safe?” he tried rephrasing instead. If her adrenaline was going like this all the time, she wasn’t… wasn’t ok. She wasn’t probably eating or sleeping or anything well. But he’d keep these thoughts to himself for now and wait on a definitive answer first.
A breath Adelaide was unaware she was holding escaped, and the girl bowed her head. Phew. Okay. She wouldn't die then, from her lungs- or even the diaphram popping! That was a relief, right? Unless... unless he was lying. But it was his whole job not to lie to her, or... at least... she assumed as much. So she'd be fine. Her hands moved to let go off her skirt, instead clasping tightly in her lap. Her gaze bean to wonder the walls, the area around her...
His question had her pausing, however. Is there any place she feels safe? Adelaide brought her lips together. "...U-U-Uhm..." There... was? Wasn't there? No specifically places, but, more-so when with specific people. Places she could breathe? "...Not... completely safe... b-b-but... the... the break room at the c-c-cafe chain I work at is a-always nice- and- and... I g-guess... it's not really a place, but when I was with T-Tawny..." Her shoulders relaxed slightly, though the girl was still on edge. "A-And... my bedroom at h-h-home, I think, w-was the one place I was okay in- b-because there was thick curtains a-and it s-smelt of C-Chesto Berries...."
Atticus listened and waited as Adelaide spoke making sure she had finished her thoughts before actually answering them. It was best to give patients as much time as they needed, really. He noted she relaxed a little when talking about her sister as well as back home wherever home was for her, exactly. Thick curtains and Chesto Berries. The description was hardly one he found especially empowering, but that was fine. This wasn’t about him, after all.
“Try closing your eyes and imagining your room, the way the drapes were and the smell…. Take slow breaths and just think about it quietly to yourself for a moment….” Atticus instructed back slowly. Pirouette closed her own eyes and sensed the room carefully trying to pick up on any shift in emotion so she could let Atticus know discretely. They weren’t looking for a whole change of heart… but even a small amount of calming effect would be good to see.
Closing her eyes and... and imagining? That... uhm. The girl fidgited once more, wasn't that a little awkward? She'd come here to get help, not... not for silence... but, she guessed Atticus was aware of what'd really help and stuff and that he wasn't trying to run her savings dry, at least, she hoped so? What... what if this was all a ploy? What if her sisters research had led to the wrong conclusion- what if?
Clauncher's soft claw clicks seemed to get her feeling a little less on edge, the girl crossing one leg over another tightly. "U-Uhm... okay..." Was mumbled out. Eyes... closed... nobody would sneak attack her, right? Guards were always down with eyes closed, for all she knew something abd could happen...
But yet, Adelaide found her eyes closing, hands tightly clasping infront of her. Her old room. Imagine her old room. Plain, simple, twin sized mattress. Soft blue sheets dotted in shells, a fluffy carpet that tickled her feet. The ocean breeze and a dead plant by her draws- bare walls, family pictures hidden away in her top draw- the light scent of chesto lingering- the thin curtains...
It wasn't what a teenager girls bedroom should look like. That's what Dia had once told her. But she would spend hours just... curled up on her bed. Staring down on a sheet of math her mother had written up in an attempt to homeschool her. It was simple. It wasn't much to worry about. It was home.
She sniffled.... Adelaide missed home. She missed her sister. But! But she came here... she came her for better. For a new chance without Dia there. She cleared her throat, not daring to open her eyes, perhaps she was less tense?
Post by Atticus Evans on Jun 13, 2020 19:34:48 GMT
Pirouette touched Atty’s arm gently. She was aware of some subtle shift in emotion just now. Atty shifted his hand and took hers briefly before dropping it again. “Sounds like …. You’re a little calmer…. How do you feel?” he smiled a bit softly. It certainly wasn’t the scene that many of his patients used, but it was sufficient. That was all that mattered.
There was a pause as Atty waited for the response. If mostly positive, he’d follow up with a simple statement back. “If you focus on that scene in moments of tension, it can help you calm down.” Not entirely, of course, but a tool kit was better than nothing.
As Atticus’ voice interrupted her thoughts Adelaide forced herself to open her eyes, a shallow breath leaving her. How… did she feel? Lips pressed together as the girl fidgeted, one food twisted over another, her head tilted this way and that and her gaze didn’t seem too focused on anything. “U-Uhm…” How… how did she feel? Uhm? Evaluate yourself, Adelaide! Are you happy? Sad… what was she? She felt oddly reminiscent, looking back, and- hshe couldn’t stop seeing her sister. Her sister coming in to check on her, to hug her, to talk her through things… Tawny.
“…I…I m-miss home… and… a-and my sister…s…sisters. s-so- so- homesick?” That, obviously wasn’t what was being asked. She let out a clipped breath and her gaze flicked over to Clauncher, who’d make herself super comfortable on the couch. Clauncher clipped at her with her nippers, and Adelaide’s gut untightened slightly.
“…But… y-yeah.. uhm… uh… i… I s-see…I... mean.. i'm calmer... r-right? I'm calm?? Am... Am I calm?”