Obvious exits:
East <E> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Cache Creek.
Southwest <SW> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty. In the forest, fiery red, gold, and orange leaves rustle and blow past you, swirling in the wind. While at the coast, the sea is a warm blue, reflecting the saved warmth from the summer, and the waves are gentle.

Naiad has connected.

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty. In the forest, fiery red, gold, and orange leaves rustle and blow past you, swirling in the wind. While at the coast, the sea is a warm blue, reflecting the saved warmth from the summer, and the waves are gentle.

Hey, how about that. A day free of fog, free of rain, free of snow. These are almost becoming a rarity now, and even though it's a little gusty outside, Peppy the Growlithe seems absolutely determined to take advantage of it. For perhaps the first time since... well, since ever, Peppy is actually not entirely visible from the human's path. The occasional gap in the shrubs and bushes cause a flash of reddish-orange here and there, but for the most part, the pup's actually doing a decent job of staying concealed. Maybe he's actually wising up, hiding from humans and also camoflaging with the environment? ... Eh, nah. Knowing Peppy - which we all do by now - it's purely by accident. Whatever the case, the pup's muzzle is a foot or so off the ground, and he's taking a couple sniffs here and there. Probably another (failing) hunting mission.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty.

Dilemma time. The edges of the roadway are clear, making it easy for traveling. However, the road is also frequently traveled by humans, both on foot and by vehicle. What is a pokemon to do? Naiad seems to be compromising. Whenever possible, she eels her way through the tall, dying grasses and underneath bushes. When it becomes more impassable, however, rather than moving deeper into the thick underbrush, her sleek blue body moves roadward to avoid the obstacle, whatever it may be. Everytime she does so, however, her wing-like white ears flatten against her head and she takes a moment to glare on whatever forces her to possibly be discovered.

Peppy stumbles upon all sorts of things while hunting. Scarred boys with sandwiches, old guys with sandwiches, berries that aren't exactly sandwiches but still taste pretty good, and big firefoxes that don't have sandwiches but do mock him when they find him. But he's only once found a Rattata. This happens to be on the pup's mind as he slinks along, his fuzzy body crouched low, his paws moving surprisingly stealthily. Where are th - bing! Peppy just stops all of a sudden, his tail and ears perking up, his head lifting slightly. He smells something. A something that he's smelled before, a something that isn't a Growlithe or a human or a Ninetales or a Rattata or a sandwich or a Pikachu but still something familiar. Familiar is usually a good thing, however, and without taking a moment to think about the consequences and dangers, he glances into the shrug, hesitates for a moment, barks into the air, <Is somebody here?> Hm. The scent is right at the tip of his tongue... ... well, nose. What could it be?

The scent in question, or rather the pokemon that is the source of the scent, stops at the sudden bark. Naiad's first reaction is to freeze-after all, humans have pokemon, which is the whole reason she tries to hide from them in the first place. After a quick perusal of her surroundings however, it becomes apparent that there is no human, at least not on the road, and in a place where she's having trouble getting through some of the brush, a human isn't likely to have an easy time of it either. Thus the Dragonair relaxes and lifts her head a short distance from the ground, peering this way and that, trying to spot the source of the voice. Her color vision fails her today, however, with all the bright orange, red, and orange-red leaves around, and she finally she gives up and says with a sigh, <Yes. Who's there and where are you? Are you a Growlithe? You sound like one. What are you if you aren't one?>

Peppy actually has to pause for a second as Naiad speaks, his ears drooping down slightly, his face becoming a little confused. He's not actually pondering Naiad's question, but his pause might make the Dragonair think that. What, he doesn't know if he's a Growlithe or not? <I'm a Growlithe!> the dog woofs, finally placing the scent and the sound and coming up with one image: that long snakey thingy with no paws but a big tail. Peppy was never very good on descriptions. <And you're that long thing,> he continues, bit by bit inching in the direction of Naiad's voice, his tail wagging and occasionally whacking the bush to his right. <Nid, right?> ... Hey, at least he remembered something about her name.

Naiad certainly isn't an expert on telling Growlithes or their voices apart, but her drawn-out conversations with this certain pup allow her to place his voice after he speaks a few more sentences. <Oh, is that you, Peppy?> she asks. While her tone certainly hadn't been unfriendly before, it grows decidedly warmer when she figures out who the other pokemon is, even if she still hasn't spotted him among the bright leaves of fall yet. <Yes, it's Naiad,> she continues, not even bothering to care that the puppy completely mangled her name. <Where are you? What are you doing here? Isn't this a little far from you and your mate's den?> she asks, her voice getting a bit sly when she mentions Aurora.

It's Naiad's succession of questions that allows Peppy to find her with relative ease, and, plunking his way through a bush and stumbling out the other side, the pup plants his four paws into the ground before he looks at her. Long and taily - just like he remembers her. <It's me,> the pup agrees softly, still eyeing the Dragonair from top to bottom. One can't help but wonder if he's simply curious or if he's wondering if Growlithes can eat Dragonairs. Not that Peppy would - he's just like that. Now, realizing that he's got three big questions to answer and the mental capacity to handle only two, the pup woofs gently, <I'm out hunting Rattatas, because Aurora's really hungry and she likes Rattatas a lot. I like them too.> He droops his head down a little bit, and, glancing up at the dragon's eyes with his own looking so innocent, he barks a soft, <... Did that answer any of your questions?>

Naiad considers this question for a moment. <You know...it actually did,> she says, sounding a bit surprised. Peppy may be cute and cuddly, but he isn't known for answering the Dragonair's floods of questions very well usually. <Isn't this farther from your den than you usually go, though? I've not seen you out here before. Are Rattatas those purple things? I thought you didn't like to eat things that talked? Did Aurora teach you how to hunt better?> While Peppy managed to answer most of her previous questions either through words or actions, the likelihood is that anyone would have trouble with the cascade of whats and whys pouring from the dragon pokemon's slender snout.

From Naiad the machine gun's questions, Peppy picks up about two things: Why is he away from the den, and Rattatas are "purple", whatever in the world that means. Seeing as how color has virtually no effect on the colorblind pup, he wisely decides to ignore it. "Grrowl!" the canine pokemon woofs cheerfully, his bushy tail swaying back and forth in rhythm. Scooting up his back paws, Peppy rests down on his haunches. He would probably want to lie on his tummy, but that would probably make it hard for him to talk to the other pokemon. <We're leaving!> he woofs proudly, puffing his chest out slightly like this is just such a wonderful thing. <We're going to go to that farm place because there will be more food and it will be warm and there won't be humans.> Knowing Peppy and his mind, it was probably mostly Aurora's idea.

Naiad works to make herself a bit more comfortable and perhaps a bit less visible. Bit by bit, her long tail coils up like a rope until it is in a nice pile which she then sets her head on top of to rest. The posture would likely be enough to make a certain Pikachu scream for her life as it is uncannily like that a snake would be likely to take. <What farm place? What's a farm? Where is it? How much warmer? Will it be warm in winter? Does it have lots of water? Where does the food come from?> Naiad shoots off in rapid succession. She's a female, after all, she wants details!

Okay, that's just way too much for Peppy. Way too much. His brain processes a sentence that goes something like: "Farm a where farm how much warm in winter water food?" Figures he'd pick up the word food. Needless to say, the pup sort of slinks lower to the ground, almost as if he's ashamed that he didn't understand -anything- the Dragonair just said. His voice comes out almost like a whimper, almost as if he's afraid to speak. <It... um... we don't know where it is, but we've both been there, so we hope we can find it.> And he squeezes his eyes shut, clenches his teeth, and tenses his fluffy body. Oh please, he thinks to himself. Please let that have answered at least one of her questions.

Peppy's getting lucky with his guesses today! His stuttered sentence seems to have provided at least some of the information Naiad was asking for, because she doesn't ask the same questions. Of course, unless Peppy understands these ones, he's not likely to realize that. <You've been there before but you don't know where it is? How are you going to get there again? Are you just headed in a general direction and hoping you get there? Is this a big place? Is there lots of water?> she asks again. Either it's never really sunk into her head that the fire pokemon isn't a big appreciater of water or she's just so interested that she has to ask anyway.

Peppy pretty much redefines the term "dumb luck", doesn't he? Because he's very determined to answer the Dragonair properly this time, Peppy's pea-sized mind actually does process the first two sentences. Anything after that goes in one ear and out the other, but hey - 2 out of 5 ain't bad. <Well,> the pup woofs, his spirit picking up very slightly, his body lifting up from his depressed and droopy state as he realizes that yes, he has something to reply to the Dragonair with. <We... kind of know where it is. A little bit. It was snowing really, really, really hard when we went there - I mean, when she went there and when I went there, because we didn't go together, but now we -are- going to together, because that's where we want to spend our winter and we want to go before it starts snowing.> Peppy stops here to inhale and recharge after all that - that was quite a speech he did on one breath. Now, if only it made sense. Naiad doesn't make much sense to Peppy, maybe it's time for the pup to return the favor.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

Peppy has never made a lot of sense, at least not since the Dragonair met him. The whole idea of a magical, mystical 'Burger Tree' somewhere only solidified that in her mind. <I see,> she says, taking the first half of his babble and managing to pick some information out of it. <I guess that makes sense, since that's sort of what I'm doing too. Though I suspect we're not going to the same place at all,> she adds with a mischievous smile. <So you're still mates? How long do Growlithes stay mates for? A long time? A short time? Do you even know?> she adds quickly, remembering the thousands of puppies this strange fire-dog thinks he's going to have in his four hundred years of life.

What Peppy woofs next is considerably cute. He's not just saying this because it's what mates are supposed to say, he's not saying it because he thinks it's what Naiad wants to hear, he's saying it because it's what he truly and wholeheartedly believes. With a little tailswish, Naiad's other comments forgotten, Peppy's fluffy and fuzzy face hardens a little, and he starts to appear more serious - not that Peppy does a very good job of acting even remotely less than silly when he's not around Aurora. <I don't know how long most Growlithes stay mates...> He starts out quiet, but slowly crescendos as he continues speaking. <But I'm going to stay with Aurora forever and ever no matter what happens.> With a little nod and a look up at Naiad's eyes, Peppy grins very, very slightly. Aww.

Naiad may be of an entirely different species than Peppy and her world might be entirely different from his, but she's adolescent and she's a girl. At the puppy's declaration of his eternal love for Aurora, she beams at him, obviously quite pleased with that answer. <That's so cute! Dratinis stay together. At least, all the ones in my colony did once they paired off. My parents seemed to like it,> she says a bit wistfully before returning to her favorite occupation-asking questions. <Why don't you know how long Growlithes stay mates? Does Aurora want to stay with you forever and ever? What if she dies? What if you die? Will you get another mate?> she asks, completely oblivious to the fact that her queries are more than a little insensitive, even in a theoretical context.

After radiating cuteness for those few moments, Peppy slinks back into his IQ-of-a-rusty-nail self, though he's at least actively began adjusting to the Four Million Questions Of Naiad. Or Nimard, whatever he thinks the Dragonair is called today. The pup nods enthusiastically in reply to the female pokemon's questions about colonies, but he gives no audible response. And then she asks a question that actually drags the cheerful look on Peppy's face down to a curious and confused one. <I don't... know,> the pup admits, as if him not knowing something is a new thing. <The only mates I've ever met besides me and Aurora were mom and dad and they stayed together until I left even though they were mad but I don't know how old they were, but they were older than me so I guess a long time.> He's a genius! Hand this dog the Medal of Brilliant Deductions! <But...> The pup, now appearing a little uncomfortable in his eyes and stature, glances uneasily to the side, and, after a few moments of silence, replies, <But I don't like to think about Aurora dying, because...> He trails off into nothingness, still peering at a rock as though it holds something of remote interest.

Fortunately for the pup's emotional well-being, the subject shifts from Aurora, though in comparison to anything else, it'd probably still be considered bad. <Your parents were mad? About what? My parents used to be mad a lot, but it was at me, not at each other. They used to sigh and exchange this /look/ whenever I did anything they didn't like,> she announces. <But anyway, what made your parents mad? Did you do it? Were you not a good Growlithe pup like I wasn't a good Dratini baby?>

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty.

Peppy actually audibly gives a sigh while Naiad speaks, though it would be difficult to place even if the other pokemon knew all there was to know about Growlithes. Is it a relieved sigh because he's no longer talking about Aurora dying, or is it a more depressed sigh? <Oh...> Peppy growls gently after Naiad's done, not seeming to be very interested in this conversation, either. <They just... got mad because...> There's a definite pause here, and Peppy takes in a somewhat deep breath. Peppy's head shifts - looking at the ground, Peppy goes from looking at a rock on his *left* to peering at a rock on his *right*. His tail is not alive. <Because something happened, and I hated what happened and I hated them fighting so I left. Maybe they're still together, I don't know.> Though the pup doesn't tack on an "<And I don't care>", it's almost inferrable that that's what he's thinking. The wind unsettles his fur, which blows frantically and provides a sparkling contrast from the somber mood of the dog himself.

It takes a special something to take the wind out of Naiad's sails or to even make her uncomfortable about the personal stuff she tends to ask, but this Peppy's managed to do it. She blushes dark blue with shame at her snooping and prying and she very carefully looks anywhere but the fire dog. Finally, she manages to squeak out, <I'm sorry,> in apology, but her questions and random comments seem to have subsided-at least for now. Like Peppy, she finds a rock to stare at, her beady black eyes focusing on that and only that.

Maybe it's because he pities her, maybe it's because he likes her, or maybe it's just because Peppy doesn't like to stay sad, but whatever the reason, the pup, after only a few more seconds of silence, woofs his reply. <It's okay.> Looking up at the Dragonair, who is in the same position as he was - gosh, does he really look that pitiful? - he continues, <I hated what happened, but I don't hate lots of things, so if you want to talk about something else, I probably don't hate it so we can talk.> Logic is in the eye of the logician. Peppy's words have a certain truth to them. Unfortunately, as "logical" as Peppy may be, that sure doesn't help him get any smarter, and so he simply peers at the other pokemon, waiting for her to initiate a topic of discussion instead of venturing upon one himself.

Oh. Wow. She's just managed to embarrass herself horribly, and now the dog wants to keep talking to her /and/ wants her to come up with the next topic. Fun. Naiad continues to stare at her rock for a few moments more, her skin gradually fading back to its normal blue color as her blush fades. Finally, she bursts out with the first thing she can think of. <Do you and Aurora have a hard time finding each other now? With all the leaves changed color and everything, you know?> she asks. <I know I couldn't see you at first because you kind of blended in,> she adds in explanation, trying to make her questions seem a bit less random than they actually are.

Now, Naiad's question would be better asked to Aurora. Not only does the female pup have, you know, a brain, but she's also probably not entirely colorblind. Peppy is. Needless to say, leaves don't really hold much of an impact on Peppy, and he sort of peers at Naiad for a second, his head cocking to the side slightly. Why would it be any harder for him to distinguish Aurora from leaves than Aurora from trees, or grass, or bushes, or her den? <Um,> the pup woofs uneasily, shifting his front paws so that they're closer to his body. <I don't, really, but sometimes I have a hard time finding her because I get lost.> Well, there's one reply.

Naiad hasn't a clue that Peppy is colorblind. Likely, she doesn't know that such a condition exists. Her brow furrows slightly as she's peered at and as she finally gets a less-than-helpful answer. <Oh. Well, maybe it's easier if you grow up with this sort of thing,> she muses. <Things never changed color when it got colder underwater. I just know I had a hard time seeing you because a lot of your fur blended in with the leaves and the rest of it blended in with a lot of the twigs and branches and stuff,> she adds again, trying to get her point across. <Anyway...you never said whether or not the place you're going has a lot of water or not. Does it? Maybe it's better than the place I was planning on going...,> she trails off, waiting for Peppy's answer.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

*Peppy* hasn't a clue that he's colorblind, since he doesn't know what color is and thusly can't compare. Interesting. <You lived underwater?> is Peppy initial response as his tail gives a little swish, before pausing for a moment. <Maybe you said that.> Another hesitation. The pup's long pink tongue lolls out, and the pup's fuzzy visage crumpled up into a look of disgust. <I don't like water except very little, I don't know how you can -live- in it.> Even while he speaks, the pup is looking at his fur, looking at the bush, looking at the grass, looking at Naiad, and only sees small shades of difference. Dismissing the Dragonair as speaking nonsense, the pup ignores the dragon's point, and goes on to bark, <Maybe there was. There was a lot of snow, so if there was water, it was under the snow.>

Naiad nods. <Yeah, I don't know if I told you before, but I lived most of my life underwater. Except for the last year or so, since I've been traveling. I like the water,> she states matter-of-factly. As Peppy continues his spiel about water, she wrinkles up her nose a bit in digust. <Ugh, it was under the snow? Then no way is the place you're going better. I guess I'll just have to stay where I stayed last time it was cold,> she says with a sigh. She sounds partly disappointed, partly excited.

Purple, gold, and vermillion clouds grace the western sky as the sun descends toward the west.

Ah ha! Peppy's entire self - his body, his head, his ears, his eyes, his tail - all of them perk up when the Dragonair mentions traveling. <I knew that!> the canine pokemon woofs excitedly, his tail bursting into excited wags of joy as he realizes that he does, indeed, recall something about Naiad's past! <I knew you were traveling, because you told me!> The Growlithe's mood does (thankfully) chill off a little as Naiad continues talking, and, sitting back down on his rump, Peppy barks a small, <Where is this place? Aurora used to live across a lot of water, and one day we're going to visit it so we can see her mom and dad again.> He gives a curt nod, as though he's so sure this is going to happen.

Naiad looks a bit taken-aback by the Growlithe's rather enthusiastic reaction to her offhand comment about traveling. It takes her a moment to get her bearings again, but when she does, she nods. <Yes, I'm sure I did tell you that. It's a place to the south. I don't think you'd like it though. It's mostly lots of salty water and it's nice and warm. I thought you didn't like water? How are you and Aurora going to get to the place across the water if you don't like it? Does she like water and it's just something that you don't like, but you'll stand to be with her?> she asks curiously.

After Naiad finishes speaking, Peppy gives a little snort of humor - it's not exactly natural for a Growlithe to laugh - a doggy smile growing onto his face. After a couple seconds of exhaling that might be interpretted as snickering, the pup woofs, <Aurora? Like water?> His tail continuing its wagging, Peppy barks, <She hates water even more than I do. And I don't know how we're going to get over the water, but we'll do it somehow, because Aurora got here and she definitely go into the water, right? But it can't be where you are, because even though I think where Aurora lived was nice and warm there wasn't a lot of water. But she doesn't really talk about it much.> He pauses for a second, looking almost thoughtful, before wondering aloud, <I wonder if she even liked it there.>

<I really don't know,> Naiad admits. Amazing! The know-it-all Dragonair admits to not knowing something, even if it is something as obscure as how Aurora the water-hating Growlithe got across a bit body of water. <Why does she hate water so much? Water is really nice. The place I stayed last year was by a warm, dry place with a big mountain, but I don't know anything about if that's where Aurroa is from,> she says, admiting to not knowing another thing. <But, like I said, it's nice and warm and there's lots of yummy fish to eat, and, best of all, there's none of that icky snow!>

Peppy quirks up an eyebrow here, not because Naiad's confusing him, but because something she said catches the pup's interest. <I'm really not super sure,> the dog woofs anxiously, his nose twitching softly and his green eyes glaring up at his forehead as he tries to think. <But maybe it has to do with the fact that I can breathe fire.> Well, that's bound to be new news to Naiad. <I really don't like to do it too much, because one time I set a bush on fire, but then it started raining and it stopped! So fire doesn't like water, and I don't like water because I breathe fire!> This has been the product of about a year and a half of abstract thought, so before boggling over Peppy actually showing a shred of mental competence, keep that in mind.

The orange-red sun sinks below the western horizon, leaving a darkening tapestry of purple and red-gold clouds behind it.

Sure enough, this gets Naiad's attention. <You...breathe fire?> she asks, her brows furrowing a bit. <How do you breath fire? I mean...doesn't that hurt? Don't you burn yourself?> Either she's been completely oblivious to the fact that fire pokemon exist before this, or she has been saving up these burning questions to find out how it's all done. <And why would you be scared of water? All you have to do is not breathe fire when there's water around? Right? Wouldn't that work?> she asks curiously.

Peppy sort of peers at Naiad for a second, his jaw slightly slack, his green eyes considerably vapid. <I...> the pup woofs softly, blinking twice and still staring straight at the snakey dragon. <... don't... know.> Come to think of it, when other pokemon use fire attacks on him, it *does* hurt a little. <I just sort of open my jaws and then I spit out fire but if I close my mouth it doesn't feel very good.> Wonderful deduction. <And I still don't know!> The pup's tail falls into rhythm once again. <I need a little bit of water sometimes, but not very much, because I really don't like drinking water. I don't see how you can like it.>

<Well, I don't see how you can /not/ like it,> Naiad replies rather cheerfully. <Water is wonderful. More than wonderful, it's...it's...wonderful,> she finishes rather lamely, unable to come up with a better word at the moment. <I don't think I could stand living out of it if the land wasn't so interesting,> she admits. <But it is, so I can. Hmm...maybe you can spit fire like I can spit lightning and now water?> she suggests. <Though I didn't used to be able to spit water...just lightning. I can do both now,> she says, obviously rather proud of herself.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

The fair weather clouds in the west turn orange, gold, carmine, and purple as the sun sets. A chill wind blows from the west.

Peppy twitches a lot while Naiad speaks. He twitches when she calls water wonderful, he twitches when it's more than wonderful, he twitches when it's... it's... wonderful, and he twitches when she just can't live without it. They're not great big twitches, just gentle little motions of Peppy's cheek or nose. The thought of water must go so far as to disgust him. <You can spit lightning and water?> Suddenly, the pup is -very- insecure. Nervously getting up to all four paws, keeping his head submissive, low, and generally non-threatening - he must be a little scared, if Naiad can read the Growlithe's emotion - he asks quietly, <Are you the one that makes it rain, then?>

Naiad knows almost nothing about Growlithe body language, other than Peppy's tail wags when he's happy, but even she can recognize the submissiveness of the puppy's cowarding. <The...one who makes it rain?> she asks rather blankly. <I didn't even know that there was someone who made it rain. If I ever find whoever it is, though, I'll give them a good piece of my mind. I was eating mud half the summer thanks to all of it, and it /wasn't/ fun. I like being wet, but I do /not/ like mud,> she states decisively.

Peppy parts his jaws to reply, still keeping in his submissive stance. A couple memories of mud - both of which involve close contact with Aurora before they became mates - causes his mouth to close, and, a dreamy, vacant look filtering into his eyes, Peppy starts to smile softly for a couple seconds. The day he crashed into her was the day... ... ... Oh, right. Dragonair. "Growl," the pup woofs softly as he finds himself back in reality. Having forgotten everything Naiad said, the canine pokemon blinks, grins up at the Dragonair, and simply barks <Yes!>, hoping that's a sufficient reply. With a peer up at the sky, Peppy follows up his well thought out affirmative statement with a topic change. <It's... getting late. I really should go back to where Aurora is.> In the back of Peppy's mind, he realizes that he's going back to her Rattata-less - but hey, to his credit, not too many Rattatas lurk around this area.

The Growlithe's behaviour obviously startles Naiad. First he drifts off into some kind of stupor, then just as suddenly, he's talking about leaving. The Dragonair blinks several times, then nods dumbly. <Well, alright then. I wouldn't want to keep you out too late from her, I guess,> she says, though she doesn't sound too sure of it. The pup may be dumb, but he is kind of interesting to talk to. <I hope you can find the place with the food that you're trying to find,> she adds.

Brindled clouds conceal a few patches of starlit sky.

Peppy notes that the Dragonair doesn't seem to want to leave just quite yet, and, as if he has to prove himself to her, he lifts up his head and woofs, <I really don't want her to be alone when it's dark, so I want to go back when the sun sets.> He doesn't mention the fact that he himself is too scared to be alone when it's dark in this new place so far from the den. Maybe he's trying to prove that he really can be a tough mate! Or maybe he just doesn't want Naiad to laugh at him. <And I hope you can find the place with a lot of...> Cringe. <Water!> He gives the Dragonair one last final weird look, before his tail gives a little jump and the pup begins to march off towards the bushes, looking back at the dragon a couple of times as he does so. <Oh!> He comes to a stop, rearing his head around. <What's your name again? It's Niniwad, right?>

When Peppy turns to leave, Naiad begins to busy herself with uncoiling her long, sinuous body and tail so that she can leave the area as well. When the pup speaks again, however, she jumps slightly and stops in the middle of her movements to peer at him through the darkness. <Huh? Niniwad? No, I'm Naiad,> she says, restraining herself from sighing at the canine and his total and complete lack of memory.

The Growlithe glances up at his forehead for a second, as though he's processing it and storing it eternally in his memory. <Got it!> Peppy barks, before giving the Dragonair a friendly grin. <If your watery place is near a farm called Assasi, stop by! Maybe Aurora will have had the puppies!> And with a new little bounce in his step, Peppy trots off to where he came from, in the general direction of where his mate is currently resting - but not before howling a quick, <Bye, Narniand!> That Peppy. He just never has a clue.