ohmyarceus | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER TEST DRIVE MEME

[ immediately, the tray slips out and the dog is on it - and marco, bless his heart - ]

Hey, those aren't yours!

[ but, bertolt takes his attention off the arcanine, and he looks at him. bertolt always looks uncomfortable to a degree but, right now? he's not sure how to categorize how he's look. ]

Hello.

[ he gives a little sheepish laugh, stepping closer to his friend - no hesitation. all trust. he's never been abandoned and left to die by bertolt before. ]

Looks like we're in the same kind of trouble.

_{[Not his? But they hit the ground! Marcel makes another rumbling sound and he takes half a step back from the half-eaten pile in thought, and after some careful consideration of the canine variety, he opens his mouth and unceremoniously lets a few pieces drop to the ground.

And he's just going to sort of... nudge the pieces together to make it look presentable. Did this guy want some too? He can share this!]}

T-Trouble--?

_{[Without thinking, Bertolt takes a step back himself. Maybe it's to keep some sort of distance between himself and Marco, maybe it's to keep Marcel from spitting chewed up bits of pastry onto his shoes. It's a mystery.]}

I-I'm not sure-- What? I'm not--

[ sorry, marcel, marco has let his attention lapse. but the little vulpix pokes her head out, nose twitching. what is that smell it smells good.

bertolt's reaction gets confusion from marco - who reaches out a hand, trying to stop bertolt from backing up. ]

Bertolt? Are you okay?

N-No-- I mean--!

_{[He bites the inside of his cheek, brows furrowed, then shakes his head.]}

I'm fine. I'm... I-I just haven't... The last time I saw you...

_{[Well, he was sort of being cremated. If he doesn't count the whole 'being eaten' thing.]}

The last time you saw me...?

[ his expression falls a little, mixed expressions crossing his face. apprehensiveness, mostly. ]

The last time I saw you was after we got our orders to help the Survey Corps.

The Survey...

_{[It takes a few moments to sink in, and his shoulders slump under an invisible weight being lifted.]}

T-That's all? What about... The last thing you remember before waking up? You woke up in a house with someone named Mom, right?

Someone calling herself my mom, yeah.

[ she is not marco's mother, he knows who that is, thank you! at the question, though, he gives bertolt another odd look. ]

But I was leading a titan away from Jean - that's the last thing I remember.

I... Okay. Y-Yeah, she...

_{[That takes more off of his shoulders than he thought. Bertolt reaches up to rub at his eyes with the back of his wrist, silently praying for his stomach to stop doing that thing and straighten itself out. He doesn't like feeling nauseated, thank you!

To try and take his mind off of it, he glances towards Marcel, then after a minute or two, he looks back up at Marco. Deep breathes, Bertolt. In, hold, and out.]}

She did that to me, too. She does it to everyone. _{[It threw Bertolt for a loop because he lost his mother when he was small, but that's neither here nor there. Not right now.]} I... Jean'll be really happy to see you.

I'll be glad to see him. I wasn't sure if we'd all make it out okay.

[ they'd already lost so many others. and bertolt's reaction makes him think maybe they lose a few more, too.

for her part, the vulpix finally decides to hop down, sniffing at the discarded pastry and then snapping up as many in her mouth as she can, scurrying behind marco to start chowing down. marco turns immediately. ]

Those aren't yours, either, honestly!

I'm sure he'll tell you everything. It's been, uh... About two years since we all showed up here. Jean's been here a couple weeks longer than me.

_{[Marcel takes one look at her and softly lets out a sound that sounds suspiciously like he's saying "Noooooooo". But he doesn't move to stop her, instead picking up what bits and pieces she didn't take and making another "No"-like sound.

Two years and he can still only say 'No', but it doesn't always mean no. Pokemon are weird.]}

But, uh...

_{[Bertolt leans over a little to give that tiny little Vulpix a curious look, but he doesn't seem upset.]</sub.

...It's okay. I dropped them, and they're perfectly safe for Pokemon and people. I can make more.}

[ the vulpix seems to know he's not actually saying no. but at least in an attempt of niceness, she does pick a piece up and toss it back towards him.

marco just sighs, having been distracted by the two pokemon, but he turns back to bertolt with a furrowed brow. ]

I'm sorry, but - did you say two years? I saw you all less than a few hours ago!

_{[Is she trying to trade? Marcel doesn't know, but he drops another piece out of his mouth so he can snatch up the one the Vulpix offered and noses his own offering towards her. Trade! Friends!]}

Marcel, that's gross.

_{[Noooooooooooooooo.]}

Marcel-- Sorry, it's... Yeah, it's been two years. Time acts differently here. It's a little hard to explain. Everything back home sort of... freezes while we're here, but as far as I know there's no way to go back.

_{[Not that Bertolt wants to go back, but still.]}

[ trade! friends! the vulpix sniffs warily at the saliva covered piece of pastry, but she does add it to the pile she's chowing down on behind marco's leg.

marco looks down at them and gives a little noise, but he's not really seeing them. it's because he's absorbing that. two years. two years here, and marco hadn't been here. wouldn't have been able to notice, and there's no way back.

bertolt might be able to see marco's shoulder's tense, a sure sign he's upset. ]

But - are you sure? That everyone back home is okay?

I'm positive.

_{[His expression softens and he picks at some of Marcel's fur sticking to his sleeve. This... wasn't easy, but he can't exactly keep quiet about it, can he? It'd only be a matter of time before that secret came out.

Not yet, though. Not here.]}

I saw them with my own eyes. They were fine, I promise.

Okay... good. That's good.

[ marco definitely relaxes a little bit at that, but he takes a look at bertolt - still so nervous, not quite looking at him and he speaks up again. ]

And you? Are you okay?

Here? I'm okay. I'm... okay. I'm okay.

_{[Back "home" is a different story.]}

Jean's going to be really glad to have you here. _{[He knows he already said that, but the thought nags at the back of his mind - he wasn't Marco. He could never be Marco, and that was the one person he knows Jean wanted to be here.

Hell, Marco deserves to be here. It's peaceful, and he can have a good, normal life.

Bertolt takes a deep breath and forces a watery smile.]}

Sorry-- I'm just... It's good to see you again.

[ the unsettled nature of bertolt's reaction is something that has marco concerned. but he mentions jean, which gets marco perking up a little bit. ]

Jean's here as well?

[ but he smiles when bertolt says it's good to see him again. ]

It's good to see you too. And to know you both made it out of Trost all right.

Trost was... Difficult, honestly.

_{[But shifting things towards Jean sounds like a much better idea than dwelling on Trost and what did or did not happen there. Bertolt is much more at ease talking about Jean for a number of reasons, but shhhh.]}

But, I... We've been living together off and on since we got here. I went off on my own for awhile, but I ended up being sent back where we all came from and then brought back a few months ago. I've been living with him in his train car since then helping him with his business. Jean's, I mean.

[ trost definitely sounds difficult. marco will pry into someone about that later - for now, jean is an easier subject.

don't mind marco throwing a bit of shade though, bert. ]

Jean owns a business? Does it have to do with the pastries?

[ a look down at their erstwhile pokemon. ]

I'm glad you've stuck together, though. Even in a place like this, there's strength in numbers.

Yeah. It, uh... It's a coffee shop. He makes coffee, and I make stuff like that.

_{[Bertolt glances down to the pile that's still being nibbled on, one hand going up to rub the back of his neck.]}

I, uh... I was going to scope out some potential customers while he took care of some stuff in the shop. _{[Then he saw Marco, and he knows what happened there.]} I guess we forgot how small this town actually was compared to the others. A-And, uh... I'm glad he's kept me around. I've been pretty happy there.

Oh, that sounds nice.

[ marco does sound delighted by that. it's somehow... nice. something he could see jean and bertolt doing. while they're good at combat, it doesn't seem like their hearts have ever been entirely in it.

marco smiles. ]

Jean is a lot kinder than he likes people to know... as I'm sure you've seen, if it's been two years.

But - let me help you clean this up?

N-No, uh... I know, he's...

_{[Bertolt worries at his lip as he chooses his next words carefully, his brows furrowing in thought as he keep his attention down at the pile.]}

He's been really great. Like... Gods, I don't know how to say it without sounding weird, but he's encouraged me to do things that I actually want to do. I probably wouldn't be baking or cooking if it wasn't for him pushing me along.

_{[Among other things, but still. Jean can be a damn good motivator and Bertolt is incredibly thankful for it.]}

I-It's fine, too. They're safe for both of them.

What's weird about it?

[ marco is just tilting his head at bertolt, giving him a little smile. ]

I'm glad he's been able to help you. There wasn't much of a chance to cook back home, I know, so I'm glad to know you've been doing that here. I bet you're pretty good at it.

[ viola looks up and barks a little. heck yes he is, these are great. ]

People have been teasing me when I've talked about him lately.

_{[Something something feelings, something something emotions are Stupid and he would very much like to eat those emotions and feelings.]}

He says I am, at least. A-And people keep coming back to the shop and stuff so we've got to be doing something right, especially since we're competing with Starmiebucks. _{[Well, competing is a strong word for it. They've been stealing their business left and right.]}

He-- She? I'm not sure, uh... They seem to like them too.

Well, those people are jerks, Bertolt.

[ look it doesn't even cross his mind that there's a romantic implication. admittedly, he's still in the mindset that that's a bad thing to consider - conceal, don't feel. if there's something bertolt and marco unintentionally have in common, it's that.

marco looks down at the pokemon and then back to bertolt with a smile. ]

She, I think. Her name's Viola. Do you have any more samples? I'd love to try one.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER TEST DRIVE MEME

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sorry i was identifying spiders

orly

we have garden orb weavers

aww ye nice little yard friends

as long as not on my face

YEAH.... this is always true

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