[ti]spawn[/ti]SURGE STEPPES SPAWN: TAYLOR

Relaxing inside the mouth of a cave with a small campfire roaring for warmth was a much more comfortable way of weathering a Surge Steppes storm than any others she’d tried so far. “This is the way to do it, isn’t it?” She grinned, speaking to the pokemon gathered around her. She received a few hums of acknowledgement, but most of the little group were snoozing in the warmth or too content to answer. It certainly beat getting her umbrella blown inside-out by the wind!

She was so distracted by memories that she didn’t notice Mumble’s approach until he was clambering into her lap. At first, the touch made her flinch, but it only took a moment to realise that it was just the little Piplup, not anything harmful. She smiled a little shakily, helping to haul him into her lap and dropping a kiss atop his head.

“One of these days, you’re gonna be too big for this, little love,” she teased, wrapping her arms around the little penguin in a cuddle.

Taylor’s grin stretched even wider. “Yeah!” She confirmed, nodding. “Haven’t you ever seen what you’ll evolve into?” A slightly awed shake of the head was all the answer she got in reply.

“Well first you’ll evolve into a Prinplup - you’ll be a bit bigger, but not too much. About yay high.” She used a flattened hand to estimate about twice the height at which Mumble currently stood. “Then one day, you’ll evolve into an Empoleon.” This last was said with the dramatic emphasis one might ordinarily use when speaking to a child.

Taylor laughed. Gently removing the little penguin from her lap and placing him on the ground, she stood up. As she did so, Mumble eyes grew wider. She had to stand up to show him! He squirmed in anticipation.

Holding out a hand, she hovered it around shoulder height and grinned at Mumble with laughter dancing in her eyes. “When you’re an Empleon, you’ll be around this tall,” she explained. “And you won’t just be a water-type anymore - The edges of your flippers will harden and become sharp, like swords!”

Shaking off the misplaced melancholy, she waited until he was about to zoom back her once more before snatching the Piplup up and gently depositing him back in her lap. “BUT FOR NOW,” she mock-growled, gnashing her teeth and pretending to chomp on his head. “You’re still little and have to tolerate cuddles!”

Mumble had dissolved into giggles at this, and seemed much less like he was tolerating the treatment than enjoying it!

Vixey heated the metal, while Dinah formed it into a rough approximation of the correct shape. As the piece moved into a vaguely breastplate formation, Taylor suddenly found that a hammer appeared on the ground before her knees. “Oh,” she blurted unintelligently. “Well, that makes it clear, I guess!”

It was quite evidently a blacksmith’s hammer, and when she picked it up and weighed it in her hand, a shrinking ring appeared, overlaid atop the metal. “Oh!” She gasped, quickly connecting the dots and making to hit the centre of the ring as the circle shrank.

It took some time, and several hits, but finally, it was finished. “Okay, you can drop it,” the woman called to Dinah, urging her to release the newly forged object.

“Thanks, baby,” the aspiring armorer intoned drily. Naturally, the sarcasm went straight over the Piplup’s head, and he puffed his chest out proudly. Very much an I’m helping! pose, if ever she’d seen one!

Hefting the breastplate off the ground, Taylor examined it. It was far from perfect; there were odd dents and flaws in the structure of the piece, but it was identifiable as armour. That was a good sign, right. She glanced thoughtfully around at her pokemon, head tilting to the side consideringly as she mentally considered their sizes and shapes. Who would it best fit?