“...I wanna battle someone.” Oh? How surprisingly unlike him. If nobody was around to hear that, maybe he'll ask around, or sub in at the gym this week...

“O- oh, shoot, I'm sorry if that was a surprise, I didn't exactly... expect it either, heheh.” His hand had, however unconsciously drifted to grab Lu's hand again. It was definitely thanks to Lu he wasn't so shaky right now. “...y'know, I always dreamed of havin' friends all over the world.” 》

jamcat Jammy missed some words. Like, the crook of her neck. It's still shoulder region. Boy has respect, I have brain fog. 🙏

He would raise a finger in protest, but opt against saying anything again. Seems as though this was the norm, now. He'd best get used to it... At the very least, he knows how to be quiet. And his body felt lighter. So, slipping up behind someone shouldn't be too hard. “Okay. Okay, I'll try...” 》

“...uh-” He stammers a moment, face heating up at the mere suggestion. “I- I mean, I can. I know I can. It's just a matter of whether or not I'm gonna be able to uh... to bring myself to.” Tugging at his collar once again, he would gulp, before looking at Lillium. “You sure this is... okay?”

He would gulp, tugging at his shirt collar. Would that have been him if he hadn't gotten curious? ...now that he thinks about it, it doesn't sound that bad. “I mean, that ain't all that surprisin'. It is gonna take some gettin' used to, though, not bein' human anymore...”

“I resent that as a Gym Leader, sir. I'll be facin' you once my team's in tip-top condition. And me. I also gotta be in tip-top shape...”

“When it doesn't hurt to look outside, absolutely..!”

“Uh... no. Not really. But I prefer knowin' how to fend for myself. Mean, fishin's easy. Can't be much different, right?” Oh, sweet summer child...

He would squint, looking up slowly before taking the glasses, with a muffled ‘thank you.’ After slipping them on, and blinking a few times, the world was back to tolerable levels of crystal-clear. Thank goodness... “Thank ya, darlin'...”

He squeezes his eyes shut, covering his face with a sleeve. “...that offer for huntin' lessons still on the table..?” Muffled, but loud enough to hear beneath his little cocoon.

jamcat That feel when Jasper used to wear contacts. He doesn't need them anymore.

“I can see very, very far...” Disoriented by his keen senses.

“Naw, naw. It's annoyin', sorta? But it's more like... an allergy. I don't got that. It's actually not that much different. Just feels like my senses were open, or never really workin' at full steam.”

“...head hurts.” Jasper doesn't drink...

jamcat Ohhhh? That would help him immensely, I think. He is a soft boy. The thought of drinking from people even if they're willing is an iffy prospect for him. ;v;

Twitch. “Ehh... well, I'm not an obligate blood feeder. But I'd be lyin' if it ain't a tantalizin' thought.”

jamcat Ogey. Pretty boy is a vampire now. Tada!

It takes all of a second, leaving the two feeling lighter than air as the cab hangs suspended by... well, nothing, for a brief moment. But as soon as it was let go, allowing the pair to see the Corviknight and its pilot fly off back to Galar, it became apparent what their original pilot meant. 》

“Bingo.” Not much else to say on the matter. But he's still not saying it outright, at least until he has those urges more under control. “I like it. The taste of iron stuck with me, I guess.”

“...hey, didn't the pilot say somethin' about a layover?” It was a genuine question. He hadn't exactly been able to hear from the pilot, given the fact they were in the air... one small issue about flying shuttles. Though, as Jasper turns his head back, what looks to be an Aerodactyl appears on 》

“Y-yeah. Recently, I got a taste of somethin' real bloody. At a restaurant.” Tacked that last part on there, just in case... “Don't get me wrong, it tasted great! But... now I can't think about anything else.”

“Well, uh... it's red meat. Guess I could phrase it like that.” Not like that would be shameful to admit. That's probably the best way he could phrase it without being obvious. “Always like my meat on the rare side, but it's been gettin' so raw, might as well be huntin' it myself.”

I mean, if I remember art class right, Blue is a cool COLOR... Soooo...

“Well, if you ask me..? You grew into a pretty fine person. But that's just my opinion.” Jasper smiled, leaning his head on the window before looking back. “I can always appreciate someone who's genuine. Themselves.”

“Guess you could say that..?” It was a little hard to explain, without possibly freaking her out. Then again, given her current state, who's to say she would freak out? “No, no! Not starvin'. Just been dealin' with some bad cravin's recently, honest...”

jamcat Naptime... 💤

“Not really. Not that that's really the issue, anyway, but I don't eat everythin' I catch regardless. More of a mind-clearin' activity than anythin'.” Smiling. Though, it did seem a little forced... unlike him. “I just have these cravings recently. Like, real recently...”

jamcat Just as a little aside, I have a private server that has a channel specifically for keeping up with threads I haven't responded to yet. I also still have an unfortunate toothache, so I'm still a little distracted by the discomfort. Oomfs, ships and storylines are getting priority. ;;

“Oh! Hey, Natsuki...” He was still the same old Jasper. He really did seem a bit under the weather, though. “Oh, I'm just, uh... hungry. Real hungry...”

jamcat No way everybody is actually giving poor Ingo the most concerning ways to handle this. 😆😭

“The move Amnesia.”

He couldn't help but snicker at that, growing into full on laughter. He wasn't exactly one for profanity, unless he was comfortable with the person. But he knew exactly how that felt. “I feel that way about myself, too, actually. I grew how I wanted, and experienced what I wanted.” 》

“I mean... makes sense, given the career she wants to get into.”

“Really? She wants to be Professor Oak's assistant?” A moment of thought. “Probably a better choice than Elm. He's nice, but gosh, he gets distracted easy...”

“Well... I wasn't exactly the most outspoken guy. I know my voice still don't carry far, but it was really bad back then.” He started twirling some loose locks of his hair around an index finger. “People didn't know I wasn't all-in for battles like everyone else. At least, not like they were.” 》

jamcat You know, thinking on it, considering how he acts outside of the Gym most of the time, I think Jasper would actually classify as a Pokémon Watcher, like Tracey. He not only likes raising them, but also likes seeing how they act candidly both in the wild and with their trainers.

He's out fishing, but... he's grinding his teeth. Not-so-subtle stress tell.

“Oh, her? Nah. She's fixin' to be a Professor, ain't she? Somethin' tells me she'll be just fine.” Big old dopey smile.

“See, I... I think that's admirable. I like trainers like that. At the end of the day, I think we're all cut from the same cloth when it comes to raisin' Pokémon. Be it for battle, or just as family.” He would smile, looking over to Lu. “Wish I had someone like you during my journey.”

“...call it a hunch, but, maybe somethin' akin to self-searchin'.”

“Hey, there ain't nothin' wrong with that. The growth spurts I went through made my life hell for awhile...” So it was definitely height, not so much just his buddy evolving. “Aw, look at you! Bun's so small compared to now... that what they look like when they're startin' out?” 》

jamcat Ah, rivals to lovers. (One of) My beloved(s).

It's difficult to hear Jasper's thoughts often times. Mainly due to the lack of them.

jamcat Blue🤝Solid Snake Has no idea what's real anymore.

Oblivious. “Pretty sure it's so.”

“Well I ain't quite a vampire, how's I supposed to know?” What did he mean by that.

“Nothin'. Just uh... yeah, it's nothin'. Just been thinkin' too much recently, I think.”