Obvious exits:
Northeast <NE> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.
Southwest <SW> leads to Celadon City: Eastern Entrance.

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind. In the forest, gusts of wind tear through the tree limbs and howl around rocks. While at the coast, the grey ocean lashes at the coast angrily as the summer storm pelts the waves.

Aurora has connected.

There are three types of days. There are good days, there are bad days, and there are really bad days. But this is something new: today is a really, *really* bad day. The weather contributes to most of the day's title of really, *really* bad day - the sky is gloomy and almost as dark as night, and the water is coming down so hard it's a wonder the island isn't a giant swimming pool. The rain isn't everything that makes this a really, *really* bad day however - to one certain Growlithe, lying there in his mate's den and just sort of peering at the weather outside with his chin on his paws, there's something more to it. There's something on his mind. Is he hungry? That's unlikely. Is he sleepy? No, he's been sleeping more and more regularly these past few days. Is he lonely? That's just downright impossible. No, there's something to it today - but he's not spoken a word about it.

Peppy's not the only one having a bad day - granted, it's horrendous weather for almost all pokemon, especially fire-types, but like her mate, Aurora seems to have other reasons for it. Tugging two strips of beef jerky from under a pile of slightly damp leaves, she drops one roughly in front of her, then leans over to deposit the second a short distance from Peppy's head. <There you go,> she says softly, and then bends down to start on her own food.

Peppy's first reaction... doesn't occur for a whole ten seconds. Whoa, stop right there. This is Peppy. There is *food* right there in front of him - and he doesn't automatically snatch it right up and gobble it down. He just sort of stares ahead a little more... until he finally blinks, glances down at the jerky, and gives a quick tail wag. <Oh. Thanks!> the pup woofs, lifting his head off of his paws, which clumsily clutch the slab of meat and hold it in place as he starts to chew away. Every two gnaws or so, however, he gives Aurora a quick little glance. She might notice, she might not. Hm.

Her jaws full of jerky, Aurora can't actually say anything in reply, but she does give a little nod and grin as Peppy starts to eat. At his first glance over, she blushes slightly and looks down, her tail drooping a bit, and her chewing becoming a little slower as she keeps her attention on the ground.

Torrential rains fall at mid-day, driven by raging winds.

Offhandedly, the pup notices that this beef jerky is almost very, very slightly like a burger, except it's a lot harder to chew. Chew, chew, glance, chew, chew, glance. The thought that he might be making Aurora uncomfortable doesn't really manifest in Peppy's mind, but given Peppy, this shouldn't really come as a surprise. Chew, chew, glance, chew, chew, swallow... glance. <Aurora?> the pup woofs very, very softly - almost inaudibly so. Half of him suddenly wishes he hadn't. Flinching slightly, the pup turns his direction down to the jerky as he waits for a reply, wondering how in the world he is going to phrase this.

Aurora chews her jerky for a while, then with a precise bite snaps it in two, and places the uneaten half back on the ground in front of her, and turns her head slowly to glance at Peppy. She gives a little sigh, almost inaudible, and replies, <Peppy... what is it?> though the tone of her voice seems to suggest that she already has some idea what he's going to ask.

Peppy opens his mouth to speak... then closes it. It takes him a second to build up courage, but he opens it once again. ... Only to close it once more. He's practically scared to ask. The pup rolls the beef jerky around with his paws anxiously, prodding it, rubbing it, basically just quietly playing with it. He's obviously very nervous. Turning his attention down to the jerky, the pup woofs another very quiet, <You... Is... something wrong? You're... is everything okay?> Maybe she's just sick, he thinks to himself. Maybe she's tired. Or stressed. Or confused. Still, there's that little nagging doubt in the back of Peppy's mind that's thoroughly convinced it's something a lot more than that...

<I'm, um... I'm okay. It's just that...> Aurora sighs and glances down at her paws, then looks over at Peppy. <...I met someone some time ago, and she said some things. And I was really confused about them, but I didn't want you to be worried or anything, and now I've been thinking about them all week and I'm /really/ confused...> She pauses for breath, and gives a little lopsided grin in Peppy's direction before she finally adds, <So that's what's wrong.>

Peppy can't tell whether to be extremely relieved or extremely worried. What he does notice is that Aurora apparently doesn't hate Peppy's guts - that's good - and she's not sick and about to die - that's also good. Taking just a moment or two to take in a nice long breath, the canine nods softly to the female, inclining his head just a tad. <Are you...> And with this innocent, naive little smile, the pup shifts his position to move ever-so-slightly over to Aurora. <Maybe it's not that confusing,> he suggests. <Maybe if you tell me, we'll both be able to figure it out.> He supposes it's probably just some perplexing question. Aurora's so much smarter than Peppy - if she can't figure it out, he definitely can't, but hey, it can't hurt to offer, right?

A Retwa flares its wings and protects the database. (Saving)

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind.

Aurora nods and gives Peppy another grateful smile. <Well, um, I met a Ninetales on the road outside, and I said that I was looking for food, and she sort of guessed from what I said that I had a mate. So, um...> Aurora's cheeks flush slightly, and she glances down again, before looking back at Peppy. <So she said... uh... she said some things. About why... about why two pokemon become mates. And how, if you do, then you're not going to be free anymore, because you have to stay with someone, and care for young, and you're not really wild anymore...> Her words start off slow and hesitant, but by the end they're coming out in a rush, though not quite fast enough to be unintelligible. And again, she pauses for breath, and her last, quiet words are, <So. Um. I don't know what to do.>

Peppy also blushes very slightly when Aurora does, though his not as intense as it would have been a week ago - day by day, he's been getting used to the entire idea. Nodding softly (and quietly assuming he was fast asleep or out hunting or something) and not quite sure yet why his mate is confused, Peppy continues listening.

Aurora sighs as she finishes speaking, and settles down on her paws. <I don't know what to think about it, and I thought you might know, but I didn't know how to ask you...> She turns her attention to the remaining jerky, and chews away at it as she awaits Peppy's words of wisdom.

Peppy squeezes his eyes shut for just a second or two, trying to keep his breath as controlled as possible. Don't look at her when you speak, he tells himself, don't look at her. <Aurora,> the pup woofs quietly, keeping his attention completely focused straight ahead. <I... I like you.> He pauses for a second. <I, um, love you... every bit as much as I do when I first said I did.> God, this is hard. If dogs could sweat, Peppy would be more wet than the ground outside. <But I... if you... If you really...> Don't look at her. Don't look at her. <... More than anything, I want you to be happy.> Don't look, don't look, do... And Peppy looks right at Aurora. His teeth clench shut, his tail twitches nervously, and he has trouble just barely managing a little, <And if you... don't... want...> He can't get any further. The chant in his mind turns from 'Don't look at Aurora' to 'Don't cry'. Peppy knows that's the -last- thing he can let himself do.

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind. In the forest, gusts of wind tear through the tree limbs and howl around rocks. While at the coast, the grey ocean lashes at the coast angrily as the summer storm pelts the waves.

Aurora blushes as Peppy speaks. She's looking over at him as he starts, but as he continues she looks down at her paws, her tail drooping until it's almost between her legs. She waits until he's finished before starting to speak, her voice quiet and ashamed. <I... that hurt you, didn't it? I'm really, really sorry. I don't want to do anything to hurt you. I just... I never thought how being someone's mate changes your life.>

Peppy is silent for a few moments, fighting a battle inside himself. Don't cry, he tells himself once more. You can get angry, you can get depressed, you can get worried, but you can't get sad to the point of tears. Swallowing hard, summoning up every tiny little bit of courage the pup can possibly muster, Peppy nods very slowly, looking out of the den and up at the rain. <I know... that it's really... different,> he woofs, his chest expanding and deflating in a very controlled manner. <But that doesn't... it doesn't mean it's bad, or that you're not free...> Peppy's attention slowly turns to Aurora as he speaks, and he gives her a nod when he's looking straight at her. She'll understand this. <That's only when you're a trained pokemon. Patch... I liked Patch, but... that - that was very different. I wasn't...> He pauses for a moment. <Free then. You're different than Patch...> And with a tiny (if not nervous) smile and a light shake of the tail, the pup glances back at Aurora, and concludes, <... So I must be free now.> Unspoken goes, '<And so you must be, too.>' Interesting logic there.

<I suppose...> Aurora pauses to think for a few moments, then a little grin starts to spread across her face. <When I was with Karen, I wasn't free, and so now I'm free too...> She gives a nod, as if to show that the point's final, then her grin changes, becoming more of a shy smile. <So if... if we're free, then we could be... free together?> She shifts her body slightly closer to Peppy's, and continues, hesitantly, <I needed to, um... to think about what the Ninetales said, and, um...> Her paw closest to Peppy reaches over to his nearest paw, as she says, <And I think I've, er, thought it through now.>

A Retwa flares its wings and protects the database. (Saving)

Peppy turns his head down at his own paw, then at Aurora's. He quite automatically clenches his teeth together nervously, hoping - just hoping his all his heart - that she's going to say what he thinks she's going to say. <I think we can,> Peppy growls through his teeth, barely managing this little half smile that shows part of the teeth. For a moment, Peppy swears that his chest is just sort of going to tumble out of his mouth. Still, the simple fact that Aurora's paw is touching his own seems to give him a little more strength, and the pup gives the other a small nod, managing a nervous little, <... What did you decide?>

<I think...> Aurora's mouth is rather dry, and she swallows once or twice before continuing. <It doesn't matter if I can't travel around and eat and sleep in any place at all. I like this place, and...> Another swallow, this one audible, before continuing. <And I like you. And I think that whatever happens, we can find out some way to deal with it. We...> Her mouth shifts into another shy grin. <We make a good team.>

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind.

Peppy stares into Aurora's eyes all as she's speaking, partially because he's listening so intently and partially because his pessimistic side is certain this is going to be the last time he's ever going to see her again. Aurora, however, proves Peppy's quickly diminishing pessimistic side wrong (again), and he lets out a small sigh. Peppy now looks at Aurora in a much less worried fashion. <We do make a good team,> the pup growls softly under his breath, grinning this soft, cute little grin. Shifting his entire body over a few inches, Peppy leans his head over to give Aurora a gentle little nuzzle. He can't help this - one small, almost unnoticable little tear peeps its way out of Peppy's right eye, trickling down the side of his muzzle and splashing into the the ground. Aurora might notice, or she might not. Whatever the case, supposing Aurora hasn't moved, Peppy will continue his nuzzle, which will get slightly more intense as the seconds pass. Touching.

<Fade to Black. Minutes after this, the breeding application was filled out and sent.>