Reluctant Advances~ [MOD]

[Allottee]

I suppose I should get going... With a sigh Marcella stood, adjusting her suit. The park scenery was rather relaxing, and she longed to stay for just a while longer, but if she didn't act now, she never would. "I guess it's now or never," she muttered to herself. Picking her bag off the bench, she slung it over her shoulder. Rest and relaxation was the least of her priorities. She had business to attend to. Today would begin a new journey for her, like nothing she had ever experienced before. Luckily, she had prepared before hand, and had stocked up on the vital necessities she would need during her adventure.

Adventure... what am I, twelve? Marcella simply shook her head and walked on. As childish as the word made her feel, she new that she would come to appreciate it. She would be able to grow as a person, and would be able to provide her brothers with the life they deserved if she accomplished her goal. If not... well, she'd keep trying until she did. Failure was not an option. As a perfectionist, there was no way she would finish with the glass half empty. Marcella would become a skilled Coordinator, and that was it. Second chances wouldn't be needed. She'd get it right on the first time. She was a perfectionist after all.

Casually, Marcella exited the park and headed toward the laboratory. She wasn't nervous in the least. She just need to go in, obtain a Pokemon and leave. It was that simple. Still, she'd do her very best to be as polite to the professor and her assistant as humanely possible, which could be a challenge at times. Marcella needed her help, and the last thing she wanted was to anger her.
The key to her success lied in receiving a Pokemon from her, after all.

Continuing on her way, Marcella reached the path that led to the laboratory. One foot after the other, she approached the building. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door, waiting for a response. She assumed one of the assistants would greet her, rather than the professor herself. She most likely was busy tending to other matters after all. Marcella could relate, especially since she had worked as a business woman for nearly a year. The hours could be ridiculous, and her coworkers often made her want to claw her eyes out. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. She was grateful to be free of that now, however, and as she awaited to be let into the laboratory, she allowed her mind to wander once more.

[♫~Leap~♫]

"Good-bye, and have a nice day!"

The sound of a door slamming bounced off the walls of the large, dull colored room. Trapped oxygen was released in a breathy sigh from a dark haired woman, about medium in height, as she slumped down to the tiled flooring. A green and peach colored creature followed suit before sprawling itself across the cold, stone hard ground. It's occasional huffs of exhaustion were enough to provide enough facts that would lead one to believe it'd been working far to hard for far to long. It's master was in no better shape, as she slunk into the floor in a senseless heap. The woman's lab coat was still slung over her shoulders, though wrinkled and dirtied, as though it had not been taken very well care of in the past week or so. She looked more... dirty, then anything, but after a long days worth of working nonstop, it was almost a given that she would be in the said state.

Professor Pine let out a puff of annoyance and exhaustion, her dark green eyes narrowed at the lights attached to the ceiling of her laboratory. She'd been hard at work all day, trying to tidy up the lab which had been dirtied as soon as it had been cleaned. Papers were still scattered everywhere, and she swore at least three of the Poke Balls in the back room had all but vanished. What would happen if stranger arrive, demanding one of those missing Pokemon? How would she explain to them that they were, in fact, gone? Oh, she was not cut out for this kind of work. Lazy and generally messy, it was a wonder how she even received such a high and esteemed duty in the first place.

"Wake me up when a new trainer comes around, Haru..." she muttered groggily, shoving the grass-type away from where she lay on the floor. With a squeal, if rose from it's own laying down position and glared at the professor, obvious distaste for his cruel rousing shown in his own green colored eyes. "Pan! Pansage!" it hissed, spitting at it's owner. It was just as exhausted as she was - if not more so - and yet she was making him do all of the work... again! But when the female failed to reply, obviously pretending to be fast asleep, he found it futile to argue. After all, she was his master, and, no matter how crazed or rude it was, he was entitled to carry out her every command. But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it. Not on his life. Instead, he lightly kicked her in the side to show his anger at the situation and proceeded to clean the pig sty his master called a laboratory.

The black haired woman, however, remained on the cold and hard floor. She shifted on occasion, attempting to curl up in a more comfortable position, only to find the tiling digging into a new spot on her body. 'Arg...' she moaned in silence, her thoughts focused on the pain the uncomfortable floor was causing her. 'We need to install carpet... Then I could sleep on the floor in peace...' However painful sleeping on the hard flooring was, it appeared that she, in no way, planned to rise and find a better place to sleep. She was stubborn, in this way - whining about something, but refusing to do anything else. Haru let out a sigh, as he saw how visibly uncomfortable his master was, but how she refused to raise.

"Pansage..." he muttered to himself.

The green Pokemon was hard at work, lifting numerous stacks of paper off the ground and lifting them up onto the nearby desk. Of course, this wasn't the best idea, as the black painted wood was not visible under a sea of crumbled and scattered sheets of off white pages. About half of them made sense, as the others were stained by spilled beverages or torn and crumpled beyond repair. With an exaggerated sigh. he began to gather the illegible pages and tossed the, carefully into the nearby garbage. There. That was making a bit of progress. By the time he was done with the place(that is, if his master stayed idle on the floor), the desk would be carefully organized and as good as new. However, things didn't appear that they would go his way that fine evening.

A knock at the door was what interrupted the Pokemon's work.

"Now what?" Pine muttered bitterly, lifting herself slowly of the ground and slowly trudging over towards the door she had slammed only minutes before. "Another unhappy person shooting me death threats? This'll be the third of the day..." Haru stared uncertainly at his owner, worried how she would treat their new guest. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that she was ticked off at the moment, and that she would probably take out her irritation on the newcomer.

"Pan... Pansage..."

As the black haired professor struggled to open the door, oblivious to the fact it was most certainly locked, her partner and self proclaimed assistant approached with the key and carefully unlocked it. However, at that very moment, his master thrust open the door, making it collide into the Pokemon's duel-colored face. Wordlessly and furiously, Haru turned and escaped into the back, his small hands balling into a fist. It was apparent to his oblivious owner that he was holding back his anger - big time. "Don't blame me!" she called to him as he disappeared into the other room. "You shouldn't have been in the way in the first place!"

Turning back towards the newcomer, she scanned the other female over. By looks of it, she could have been anywhere in her late teens, early twenties. Eighteen? Nineteen? Twenty, even? She never was to good with matching ages to faces, so she'd never be absolutely certain until the other came out and said how old she was. But what were the chances of that happening? Dressed in what appeared to be a suit, the professor found it hard to swallow that this other woman could possibly have been there for a starter Pokemon. So what in the name of Arceus was she here for...? "Can I help you?" she asked, almost a little to bitterly.

WORDS;; 1047 words.
NOTES;; Just barely over 1000... Poo...
TAGGED;; Allo~!
MUSE;; Eh...

[Allottee]

This is taking forever Marcella thought to herself. With a balled fist, she raise her hand, preparing to knock on the lab door once more. She paused, however, once she heard a strange noise on the other side, as if someone were attempting to open the door but were unable to do so. A moment later, the door swung open and an odd green and tan Pokemon could be seen for just an instant, for the door collided with the only thing that had been in it's way; the Pokemon's face. What in the world... Marcella stood motionless, a dumbfound expression clearly on her face. She certainly hadn't expected anything like what she was viewing now.

She simply watched as the strange creature turned and stormed off into the back of the laboratory, clearly angry. "Don't blame me!" The professor called back to the Pokemon. "You shouldn't have been in the way in the first place!" Marcella averted her attention to Professor Pine, studying her for a moment. She was of average height, similar to her own, and had black hair as well. Pushing up her glasses, Marcella opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Professor as she turned back towards her.

"Can I help you?" She asked, bitterness present in her voice. Marcella began to speak once again, but froze, holding back a comment which most certainly would not have helped the situation. "I'm here for a Pokemon." She stated simply, attempting to ignore the Professor's attitude. She's probably just having a bad day, Marcella thought to herself. The job of being a professor had to be extremely stressful, with new trainers constantly coming in and out. The young woman knew she'd most likely be irritated as well. Still, Professor Pine was much different from what she had initially thought. She wasn't as... professional it seemed.

Marcella had expected a kind, happy go lucky, elderly woman, yet here Professor Pine was. She was younger than the young woman had imagined, and her personality was a polar opposite. Irritated, harsh, and sleep deprived, Marcella knew it would be best not to say anything that would anger her further. She doubted the professor had a vendetta against someone she just met, but she didn't want to cause some sort of conflict with her. After seeing her assistant taking a door to the face, Marcella wasn't going to take any chances.

In her current attire, Marcella realized that she didn't look like the typical newbie trainer. Rather, she looked as though she had finished her shift at some high-class corporation. I hope she doesn't think i'm some kind of criminal... With a small sigh, she patiently waited. She wasn't going to enter the laboratory until Professor Pine invited her in, as that seemed to be the safest option at the moment.

[Inari]

Professor Pine raised an eyebrow at this newcomer. She wanted a pokemon? Whatever for? If she was a new trainer, she obviously didn't look the part. Then again, there had been quite a few lately who not only looked but were indeed older than the originaly starting age. What could cause them to get so late in the game? Pfft, she didn't care. At least not now. No she was more intrested in why this lady wanted her pokemon. Another newbie. She muttered under her breath; deciding to believe that one. If that wasn't the case, well... she had plenty of help getting a stolen pokemon back. Plenty. With that she motioned the girl to follow her inside with a wave of her hand; taking her toward the back of the room directly as long as this newcomer didn't decide to go stand and stare.

Somehow she could already see the lady's eyes just wondering around her lab. Every single person who entered did so... It was almost expected now. She had seen so many just stare at the lab for who knows how long. It to be plainly blunt, it irritated to no end. They were meant to get their first pokemon not comment on her lifestyle. She didn't turn to see if the person was doing the same thing so many had done before but ratehr just kept her pace until she reached the back of the lab. Lining the back were shelves of poke`balls; each one containing the little creatures that would soon leave the lab on their first journey.

Professor Pine made her way toward the shelves, then leaning on the smooth metal that made them. Alright, go ahead and pick your pokemon. She said no more then that. Like all the other times she would wait, impatient as it may be; she would wait. She didn't even look at the girl as she waited but rather she stared at the ceiling. Well at least she could get some rest... or maybe not. The thought sounded nice but sleeping while she stood up just not only sounded rediculous but something that she would definitely regret doing later. Well if she couldn't sleep while standing she could at least rest her head against the cold, smooth metal. She was suprised at how nice the coolness felt against her cheek.

On the other hand, Haru who was still doing his job had kept a solid eye on the newcomer. Just like Professor Pine, he had seen many who didn't look like new trainers. Though a few had been alot more knowledgable than your normal beginner so somehow it didn't suprise when more and more seemed to be coming to the lab these days. But even with that in his brain, not once did his eye leave her.

[Allottee]

With a raised eyebrow, the Professor motioned for Marcella to follow inter her lab. The young woman didn't catch the muttered words, and followed Professor Pine as she had instructed. Cautiously she entered the laboratory, minding her manners as she did so, an act which was quite difficult for her at times. In the presence of someone else, especially someone of lower authority, Marcella most likely would have already made some sort of rude comment toward them. It was a subconscious habit of hers, as she often didn't realize her own words until they had already escaped her lips. This caused her to place herself in difficult situations occasionally, and she was well aware that this was something that she needed to work on.

Keeping her distance from the professor, Marcella was lead to the back of the room. Her eyes averted themselves around the laboratory, pausing once she spotted the heap of papers scattered about. She's obviously not very organized... Come to think of it, as she allowed her eyes to wander once more, she realized just how filthy the laboratory was. The young woman's eye twitched at the sight. She was a massive neat freak, and organization was an absolute must for her. Seeing the Professors lab in such a state was beginning to drive her mad, and she knew she should leave as quickly as possible. Clenching her fists, Marcella took a deep breath, doing everything in her power to prevent herself from running over to the mess like a raging lunatic. She wanted to clean the laboratory so badly, it was frustrating.

Marcella averted her eyes once more, not daring to glance over at the scattered papers. Instead, she watched as Professor Pine walked toward the shelves and leaned on them. "Alright, go ahead and pick your pokemon." Marcella stood for a moment, clearing her head. She had already decided which Pokemon she would choose beforehand, but she wanted to be absolutely sure about her choice. There would be no second chances. The partner she chose now would be with her for years to come, and she didn't dare take the decision lightly. She pondered for a while, but came to a decision. "I would like a Snivy please. Gender doesn't matter." She spoke in a polite tone, something she rarely did, except for formal occasions.

She closed her eyes for a moment, waiting the professors response. She wasn't sure whether or not she had ever rejected anyone's request before, but she wasn't taking any chances. She most certainly didn't want to be the first.

[Inari]

Pine couldn't tell if she had actually dozed off while waiting. When the woman had spoke, Professor Pine practically jumped, shaking the metal ever so slightly. Quickly she stabalized it before any harm could be done; it was so quick and un-destructive that even Haru almost gaped at his partner. Usually when she did such things, it would only get worse but not this time it seemed. As the whole stabalized, Professor Pine crossed her arms acting like nothing happened. Snivy it shall be then. She was glad the woman didn't care for gender, it got troublesome when people wanted a specific gender. At times it even got annoying when she couldn't find the right one.

With a bit of effort, the professor walked next to the rows until she found a little tag beneath a ball with Snivy written on it. Like very other time, she grabbed the ball and summoned the creature out. Oh how she prayed it was the creature the woman wanted. It would be a pain to have to go search through every poke`ball... again. As the light poured from the ball, a green creature stood where it the light had touched. It had a bored look on its face as it stared at the professor. She felt like hugging herself for such an accomplishment. Not really, actually, she rather felt a relief of not having to go poke` hunting. Almost immediatly she literally shoved the ball into the woman's hands while she ran off to find the starter pack. Oh how she just wanted this to be over so she could take a nap.

She ignored anything the girl might've said or reacted with and instead had all her attention on the second desk. The thing was actually clean for once. The metal could shine through, and any papers on it were neatly stacked. It had 'Haru' written all over it. She could only stare at sparkles that seem to radiate from the spotless desk. It had been so long since it was clean it look almost abnormal to the professor's eyes.

But there was no time to ponder on how abnormally clean it was. She reached forward and grabbed a small blue bag that would hold all of the newcomer's starting items. Her hand froze before she could grab one of the nearby bags. Now her eyes were directly on the girl, You are a trainer right? She couldn't be certain since not only trainers but coordiantors and connoiseurs also started with only one pokemon. She just wanted to make sure, after all it would be very unprofessional to give a beginner the wrong things to start with. It was like giving a meat-lover tofu. As she waited, Professor Pine's hand kept a steady hover just far enough away from the neat pile of bags to look like it could go anywhere.

[Allottee]

As the jolt from the professor subsided, she crossed her arms. "Snivy it shall be then." Marcella let out a quiet sigh of relief after hearing the words she had been so anxious to hear. It appeared as though professor Pine was going to provide her with the Pokemon she desired, without any conflict. Finally... she thought to herself. Her lips formed into a small smile, and she adjusted her glasses once more. It wouldn't be much longer until she would be able to leave the laboratory in search of some peace and quiet. She obviously wasn't much of a people person, despite knowing how to handle them. At least she hadn't had to deal with any of the professors assistants... She did, however, hope that the monkey-like pokemon she had seen earlier wasn't injured.

The professor walked next to the rows, retrieving a pokeball from them. A moment later, a flash of light emerged from the object, summoning a small green snake-like pokemon. Marcella observed that it had a noticeably bored look on it's face, which made her smile widen slightly. She had a feeling that she would like this creature quite well. Without a moments notice, professor Pine shoved the pokeball into Marcella's hand, having withdrawn the Snivy. The young woman was a bit startled by her actions, and just stared at the shiny red and white ball for a moment. The professor had already rushed off, searching through one of the desks. Marcella shoved the pokeball into her pocket, slightly annoyed by Professor Pine's actions. "She's not very professional", she muttered to herself.

"You are a trainer right?" At the sound of the voice, Marcella lifted her head to meet the professors eyes. "I'm a coordinator actually," she spoke, hiding the annoyance in her voice. She had considered doubling up and becoming both a coordinator and trainer, but for now, she decided she should just focus on one goal. After she had become more accustomed with raising pokemon and what not, she would consider the idea once more. Until then, she would just try to experience things first hand. There was no sense in making her journey more difficult than need be, after all. Besides, the last thing she needed was added stress. She already had enough things to deal with as is.