Team Snagem HQ (Mt. Silver)

[Dumb Furret]

"Freth doesn't strike me as someone who wouldn't enjoy beating someone up," Jude mused. "For that matter let's hope she doesn't strike me at all, nei? I bet that would hurt coming from an Articuno."

"Most things hurt coming from an Articuno," Tails said and nodded with a sagely, firsthand knowing. "You only ask for a spar with Blizz or Freth once."

Jude's tail twitched, and his nose with it. "Yeek. I'll believe it."  

[Dumb Furret]

"Ah," said Jude and he covered his face with both hands. "Just what am I trying to get myself into?"

"If it helps," Tails said, and took over the scratching of one of Jonsi's ears. "People here will wanna protect your Pikachu."

"Chaaaa~"

Jude shook his head, patted Tails' head and sighed. "That's very reassuring, Tails-boy."

Tails flared the temperature of his hair just enough that Jude drew his hand back right quick. "I can hear sarcasm, yanno."

Cradling his tender pads against his chest, Jude backed away."Oww, don't do thaaaaat."

Through all this, Jonsi pretended at blissful unawareness. It wasn't often he could get two strangers to provide attention -plus- entertainment. Jude had been through worse, and by the Pikachu's own cheeks.  

[Dumb Furret]

"I could," said Tails, but quickly he shook his head. "It probably wouldn't like me too much. I hear Pikachu -like- being clean."

"They do," Jude confirmed. "Their fur's fine and traps dirt and makes them really itchy." He lifted his sweater and tugged at the shaggy fur on his side. "Not like mine. Or either of yours, I think."  

[Dumb Furret]

Both of Jonsi's ears perked, and his spine stiffened. "Piiii...?"

"Ick," said Jude. "Pork, rat, chicken, beef. I don't like any of it."

This earned him a hard, disbelieving stare from Tails. The boy knew for a fact that Furret had fangs and were not above killing Rattata for sport. "You..."

Jude giggled because he couldn't have expected that this factoid would have gotten the boy's hackles up. "I know that look," he said, as cheerily as if meeting with an old friend.  

[Dumb Furret]

"I like fruits and veggies and and tarts and I don't really like chocolate all that much," Jude elaborated.

This did not help his case at all because Tails stood on all fours, leaning close enough that Jude might have been able to count the furrows in his brow. "You..."

"You know if you keep doing that, your face will get stuck."

This did nothing to deter Tails from his attempt to stare down a living thing that did not consider chocolate the solid nectar of the gods.  

[Dumb Furret]

Jonsi wriggled a little, but only to better settle like this. Then, he nodded. "Piiiika. Pika pikaaa." He wouldn't even make Jonsi eat Pokechow, opting instead for berries, celery and tomato puree. Jude's background as a gemologist had its perks, and it was very easy to undercut established jewelers.  

[Dumb Furret]

All of Tails' disbelief fell into a flat "What."

Jude scooted away from Tails, then stood up. Tall. He was safer up here, so he hoped. "I'm...mostly vegan," he said. "If I told you the exception, ol' Blizzard might just kill me after all."  

[Dumb Furret]

"Yes. Some vegan guys have an exception," Jude explained. "Just go and tell Blizzard that I won't tell you what it is and he'll be glad I didn't tell you."

Tails' stare finally lifted from Jude, then fell on Tristen. "Do I go or do you want to?"

Even Jonsi struggled to hold back a fit of pika-laughter. Kids were -hilarious-.