Smuggling Waits for No One

Keito stood around quietly, just waiting in an alley as the day drew closer to an end, signified by the approaching sunset. He sighed. "Looks like no deal today. Fine." He walked out of the alleyway calmly, shuffling straight to the nearest sidewalk bench he could find and sat down, letting out a slight sigh of relaxation as soon as he went down. Standing for almost 5 hours straight was a quite annoying thing, especially for the back. Leaning against the wooden fixture, he laid a hand on his Pokeballs. "Still there. Like they would be gone by now or something. I'm too paranoid." Kei shut both eyes and breathed silently for a few minutes.

Nearby, Amber wandered with her pack throughout the bustling and noisy city, with its strong scents of food and its abundance of crowds eager for the fair. In one arm Amber carried the fluffy heap of fur that was Azure, who kept squirming at any scent of smoking meat. Ash was walking a little ahead of his fellow packmates, looking curiously at all of the people passing them by. Amethyst was uneasy, remembering these alleyways of that of her youth.

It was only a simple visit, and Amber was only passing through, she didn't want to run into any familiar faces. Because of this, she avoided the fair crowd and stuck to the back alleyways. It was through one that she noticed a man leaning against something with his eyes closed. It didn't look like he was sleeping. "What a weirdo," Amber laughed quietly to Azure, "meditating in an alleyway. Maybe he's a bum like us."

"With the curtains ready to drop, one must ask themselves why. Why must such a splendid day reach the finale without a climax in the story we portray. How are we supposed to find excitement when we crash from the high with no where to land? But fret not for I am hear.", a male spoke to Amber. He was tall, with something akin to the hat of a witch on his head. He bore no shirt, simply a jacket. His skin-tight black pants ran into his boots and he extended a hand to Amber.

"My my, aren't you a sight to behold. A true beauty who endures the harsh conditions and travels with her Pokemon. Such a lovely thing is what companionship is of course. A tale full of passion, sorrow, and friendship.", he said to the girl as he stood up straight, took a stance and held his hat down slightly to put shadow on his face. "But you are not the only interesting one here. I see another and could it be..?", he said as he entered the alley.

"It has been some time since I've seen you, yes? How have you been. You know they have all worried about you, yes? That I have worried? But no matter, you are safe and clearly capable, but what are you doing now my darling little brother Keito?", Leighton said as he walked closer to Keito and leaned against a wall. "It's not everyday someone your age waits in an alley after all.", he spoke, turning it into a glare.

"And I almost thought I'd be able to take a nap on a bench, by myself, and calmly wait for someone to come and kill me." He mumbled quietly, opening his eyes. "Hello brother Leighton. What're you doing here, molesting kittens?" Keito rubbed his eyelids with a yawn, standing up and stretching his back.

He also looked back at the female who had apparently been around as well, but shrugged her off. "Well, if you absolutely must know, you've caught me, I'm soliciting dead Pokemon parts to an odd necrophilliac man. What he'll do with them, I don't know, and I don't want to. Now can you leave me be, since you know what I'm doing here and how I'm doing it?" Keito put his arms behind his back and stretched his spine once again. He really needed to lay down some time soon.

Amber couldn't muster what to say as first she was barraged with the words of a tall, scantily clad man who seemed to be attempting to charm her. Then, to top it off, she happened to wander into some sort of murder guru who was brothers with the guy. Biting her lip in order to hold in a biting remark, she took the man's hand gently and shook it once before jerking hers back in a sign that it will be the only touching he will get from her.

Turning toward the other one, Keito, as the womanizer had called him, she couldn't help but let out some remark to him since he seemed as irritated as she. "I heard innards are well off in the market," she said, "they have to feed the Vullaby one way or another."

"If my little brother isn't just as cute as ever. His tongue remained sharp and he's as serious too. But you know you shouldn't lie to family, not ever. Nor should you insult them. I've been worried about you, and such is the greeting I recieved from you.", he said, shaking his head in disappointment. "I doubt that you would stop to such a level like those rumors, you know better than that.", he spoke as he turned his gaze to the girl.

"You know not what you speak of. This boy, my brother. I do doubt that he would hurt a Pokemon. I have faith in him like the rest of our family.", he spoke to her. "But I did not lie to you, as you are an interesting person. I like interesting people and its a habit that doesn't leave me often.", he added.

Amber glanced down at the mention of family, and only for a second, sadness showed across her face. She sighed, straightened out, and looked back up toward the tall one. "You seem interesting yourself," she shrugged, "but I'm far from it. Best described, I'm a wandering hobo with no where to to, not the best company to keep," a sly smile crossed her face. "It's just me and my pack."

At the mention of the pack, all of her canine Pokemon glanced up. Azure, still within Amber's arms, was curiously framing his neck and sniffing toward Keito, trying to find a scen of the meat he had mentioned. Ash was growling slightly toward Leighton, baring his teeth but not approaching. Amethyst, meanwhile, was shyly hiding behind Amber's legs, peering cautiously at the brothers.

"Excuse me, but if he's going to take me with him like I expect him to, he's going to bring you too. Y'see, Leighton here has what one would call a one-track mind. At least, until you shove an unsuspecting female in his path, in which case he goes all googly-eyed. I don't see him doing odd things to you just yet, but I'd advise staying at least 3 feet away from him at all times. Just sayin'." Keito looked at Amethyst, and took interest.

"Excuse me, but what breed of Pokemon would that happen to be? I am aware of the one you're holding right now, I have a Pokemon similar to it, but I've never seen one such as that." For now, his sarcasm seemed to be replaced with general interest at this breed of Pokemon which he had yet to witness, in all of his time working with Pokemon.

"Not to worry," Amber said, glancing toward Leighton, "My Pokemons' teeth are as sharp as your tongue, and Ash here isn't fond of strangers," she gestured toward her Poochyena, who's coarse fur stood on end and his teeth bared, glistening with a slight reflection of the taller man. Amber felt interest raise from Keito, and she glanced down toward her shy companion.

"This is Amethyst," Amber responded evenly, "and from my research, her species is called Tenebris. They wander a lot, and aren't too common any more. They're too prone to wandering. And you're familiar with Azure, here?" She lifted her Buzoke in her arms, and his tongue lolled out, enjoying the sudden movement, "I'm surprised, they aren't too common either. Loyal little Pokemon, though, it's why I love canines. Though, I've more than answered your question," she was overcome by a sudden shyness upon the thought that this was more than she'd talked to another person in a long while. "Erm, is that all?" She mustered the question, but regret hit her as it slipped out. Now she came off as rude. Ah, well. This was exciting, but I had other things to do anyway. There goes this conversation.