ohmyarceus | January - February Test drive

Oh...

Oh Lorenz. I'm so sorry. That's horrible. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you.

[ He's determined now though... ]

I will gladly look after you here though. There is no war and no fighting here. I think you will find it to be quite relaxing as I have. Please let me know if there is anything at all that I can do to help, or assist you in feeling more at ease.

...Oh. So it happens to everybody.

[The inflection that Gregory's tone takes on when he says that is a bit odd. It's hard to tell if he's relieved, or disappointed.

Regardless, he doesn't dwell on that point long at all and seems eager to move on to something else.]

If the berries are bad, what am I supposed to eat?

[He's used to finding what he can, that's no problem- but if Ochako is offering, maybe she can give him a better idea of where to start to look.]

[Gregory goes quiet, standing still and at attention as Freddy moves to crouch in front of him so they can talk more directly. Freddy has the right of it, even if things feel much more complicated to Gregory. He's spent his life having to figure things out on his own, which isn't something most children are expected to have to do. He's not been afforded a real childhood, not when he's responsible for keeping himself alive much less entertained. Having Freddy to help...is outside of the norm.

His eyes dart across Freddy's now-human face- too human, too soft, too lifelike- before he closes the gap between them to put his arms around Freddy's neck. This time, he doesn't let go.]

You're the only one I do trust, Freddy.

[Yeah...while Freddy is expected to give short responses sometimes, and Gregory expects no different with him being human now, Gregory is also sharp enough to note that he's being uncharacteristically pensive.

It prompts Gregory to lean over just a little, one of his hands resting on Freddy's shoulder to keep his balance while he seeks to look him in the face directly.]

Is something wrong?

That seems to be all any adults know how to do...

[Scaring him, chasing him, trying to get him. What's next?

He huffs, dusting the snow off his clothes as he shoots that Gastly a look for its efforts. Might be kindof a weird reaction, though. It's not like most children immediately distrust strangers to THIS degree, and Gregory's never even really been told not to trust strangers.]

[Maybe she doesn't look it...but the way her tone changes? The way she's speaking, changes?

A brief look of terror flits across the boy's expression for just a fraction of a second as he jerks back away from Chica, his whole body flinching. There's guilt there too, hidden up underneath it all.]

I-...I didn't ask for anybody's help! And...and I only...

I was just trying to defend myself! If you weren't chasing me, I wouldn't...wouldn't have...

[He didn't want Gregory to let go, in fact, he shifted to hold the boy to his torso, so that when he stood back up, he could carry him. It wasn't as effortless to carry the child as it had been as an animatronic, but he was plenty strong enough to carry Gregory for a long while if needed. Right now he stayed where he was though, just holding him close, pressing his cheek into the boy's slightly messy brown hair.]

You are so important to me Gregory, you saved me... I would have stayed there, stayed trapped in myself, without you. I... needed someone to need my help, and want my help, to break free.

Thank you Gregory, my Superstar.

[ He hesitates a moment as he looks at Gregory. He does not want to trouble the boy, especially since leaving the Pizzaplex had been what Gregory was trying to do the whole time they were together. Gregory being here was a good thing. ]

I am all right. This will... just take a lot of getting used to.

_{[The Gastly returns a confused little stare. Wasn't this what he was supposed to do? He looks to Beetlejuice for reassurance but his trainer isn't paying attention. He's tilting his head, curious. Sure he gave the kid a fright but he didn't run away. Interesting!]}

You ever considered scarin' 'em back, kid?

[Ah. She gives a light nod.]

Understandable. And yes, this world is actually rather relaxing on the whole. I've been here almost three months myself, but most of my friends from my home reality have been here for much longer.

[As happy as he was to see Oikawa, a welcomed and familiar face in a sea of strangeness, he wasn't really happy to be away from home. But all things considered, he really was happy to see Oikawa. Even if he was being a brat.

He glanced down at Taiyō, who had stopped beside him.]

A lot bigger than the bugs I used to catch. More fiery too.

[As he'd learned the hard way from the couple singed fingers he now sported, and the little white bandaged that wrapped them.]

[Tooru gave a bright smile, knowing that Iwaizumi's just a bit conflicted about their being there without others from home with them, yet glad they have each other at the same time. He'd be lying if he didn't feel the same, but he's learned to adapt, just like he did back home.

The Luxray leaned over to give the bug a sniff, but kept enough distance from those spines.]

All the bugs here are bigger, a lot bigger, than the ones back home. Also, guess what? Dunno if you've seen any pics but Taiyō will become even bigger. She'll be like Mothra!

[Tooru grabs out the pokegear and does a quick search and pulls up a pic of a huge moth.]

See, Mothra!

[The blankest of blank stares. She even glanced back at the Bisharp, watching it hiss and shrug. Nope, he's just getting the double stare again.]

A...Robot? [She mumbled for a moment, sounding it out. Hm.]

...They rob people?

Sounds good! My treat. I've earned plenty of money here in this world, while you've only got limited funds right now, so no arguing. [In fact, Claude cuts off the call to prevent any arguments even being made.

It doesn't take him long to tell the rest of their group where he's going and why - a couple of them have talked to Lorenz already - and then he's off to catch a train with his team. It's a rather boring six hours...or it would be, if he didn't spend it amusing himself by texting Lorenz random wild facts about this world in order to enjoy his absolutely incredulous reactions.

He's missed a lot of things about Lorenz - not just over the past year, but even before that, when they'd lost contact - but teasing him is very high on the list. It's just natural that a guy as laid-back as Claude wouldn't be able to help gently needling a guy wound as tight as Lorenz is - partly just for the amusement factor, but also partly to encourage the guy to loosen up himself. Claude doesn't feel like Lorenz's virtues would lose anything if he eased up a little.

There's admittedly a secondary purpose to the teasing, though. The playful back-and-forth isn't just for Claude's benefit, and it's not without purpose - the things Claude does rarely are. It's settling them back into their old dynamic, a familiar routine that might help Lorenz feel more at ease and more at home. And if nothing else, it's a lighthearted distraction to keep Lorenz from brooding over...quite a lot of heavy, dark thoughts he's clearly weighed down with. Claude hates to think of the guy spending six hours in his own head, working himself up or tearing himself down or, possibly, both. He hates the thought of one of his Deer suffering and miserable while he's not there to do something about it.

So for now, he'll keep Lorenz in the now. It can't last forever - some things can't be avoided, only deferred - but whenever the full weight comes crashing down on Lorenz, Claude wants him to be among friends. Even just one friend might be enough.

And so it is that some six hours and change later, Claude is leaning on the desk of the pokécenter, fighting down the nausea of...going through the warps a little too fast. It's hard not to rush the end of the journey, though, when he knew it was only a matter of minutes between himself and Cherrygrove. While he breathes slowly, letting his stomach settle, he wonders absently if Lorenz is already waiting outside, or if he should give him a call to let him know he's arrived. In the end, he opts for the latter, opening up another video call.]

Hey, Lorenz! Your transportation has arrived! [He's starting to feel a little better, and he's usually good at only letting people see what he wants them to see, so hopefully Lorenz won't notice his passing nausea.]

[He's not great with the whole texting thing, Claude's chaos is actually the first of it he's done. Even short responses take an inordinate amount of time and he complains at least twice about why in heavens someone decided to arrange the letter this way.

What the hells is a qwerty? Is that a pokémon???

For all his complaints, though, Claude's plans work beautifully. Both in keeping Lorenz anchored in the present and also settling them back into familiar banter (something that is likely going to become a ceaseless ongoing texting habit). No, the flaw in Claude's plan is thinking for even a moment that Lorenz doesn't start pacing just far enough from the pokécenter's glass doors to not trigger the sensor...a good fifteen minutes before the six hour mark.

For all his attempts to be smooth and hide the nausea that comes with the quick succession warping Lorenz is marching into the building the same moment he's trying to set up the call, completely ignoring the chime, intent on the man himself. Surely the sound immediately behind him will have Claude redirecting his attention from the phone to Lorenz who, for all the determination in his stride, wavers at the last moment. He draws up short, smile wobbling just a little. The relief of actually seeing Claude nearly destroying all the work the other man's put into keeping him from brooding.

Ah but he seems unwell and Lorenz... should keep his hands to himself but some part of him can't resist a light touch to Claude's arm, delicate almost... as though he might crumble away with too much pressure.]

Are you... alright?

It was my own fault... trying to get Ferdinand to-

[He shakes his head a little, dismissive of his own stubborn foolishness.]

No war... that is a relief but... it certainly seems that a lot of people are quite eager to fight. It is a bit disconcerting.

[He's not so sure about this pokémon battle thing.]

Yeah, everyone gets taken here for whatever reason, and no one knows why or how... You just kind of have to deal with it until you get sent back. Worst part is, anyone with a qui--...erm, a special power they have from their world, or any traits that aren't inherently human, have them all taken away. It's really...mmh. I don't like it.

[not just because her quirk is gone, and she misses having it all the time, but because it just seems so hurtful to make people become something they're not. To alter them to 'fit the norm' as it were. That's always rubbed Ochako the wrong way when she learned about it.]

A-As for food...you should have a few days' worth of rations in your backpack, too, and some of the local currency. At the very least, Mom didn't throw us all to the wolves, ne? Besides that, a lot of the facilities offer discounted or free services to people registered as Trainers or Breeders. And you can make money by having your partner fight others peoples', too. They give you money if you win.

Oh!! And some Rockmen [Wrong franchise...] can find items in the wild, too One of mine does actually, and if you sell those items, you can sometimes get a lot of money.

But if you really need some food, I can deliver a bento to you.

T... thank you.

[ he's both embarrassed by having collapsed and grateful for the acceptance. but also... ]

Did... did you name all of your companions after people you know?

[ he can't help but smile just a bit. ]

My little friend here is Million. It... simply seemed to fit.

Let us proceed, then. My little friend here, I've named Million. She seems unusually timid so far, but protective at the same time. Not unlike a sighthound, so I wonder if perhaps her breed is this world's equivalent...

Wait, really? This thing? I gotta fiddle with this thing more.

[ he glances at his litwick. ] But at least I know its name. I started calling it Candelaria so I didn't call it lil' gal too much...

I'm pretty sure if we look into the handbook, it'd be able to tell us some things.

[ but after he says that, he crouches down and smiles at the absol. ] Nice to meet you, Million.

[ while down, he picks up the litwick and brings it up to view. ] I don't know the name of this little guy, but I think I'm gonna call it Candelaria.

[ that unintentional reminder that naoto was alone sent a sharp pain through him, only shown through a twitch of his lips. right... ]

Lucky! They must've been a lifesaver when it comes to adjusting! But judging by how many responses I got, it must mean people in general are really helpful here regardless. That's relieving.

[ he lets the staraptor out, and once he does, another comes sprawling out. this time, it was milcery, who eagerly took her spot atop sandalphon's head. ]

I did, but not for the reasons you think. Azazel, carry the stranger on your back until we get back to Violet. [ he knows what he said. the staraptor starts to object, until he wavers under the angel's sharp gaze. as staraptor does what he's told, the angel turns to the milcery atop his head. ] And Gabriel, get off my head.

[ a defiant coo. ]

Gabriel.

[ another defiant coo. sandalphon sighs and turns back to lucilius. ] You can call your Pokémon anything. No one's going to bat an eye.

[Claude straightens up as soon as he hears the door open, and it's just as well he's putting on appearances immediately because it does turn out to be Lorenz. In his own way, Claude considers his outward presentation just as much as Lorenz - they just have different priorities.

He offers the other man his most charming smile, and if he's a little pale still, it genuinely is fading.] I'm fine! It's just - you know that Warp spell Lysithea has? This place has contraptions that do more or less the same thing that let you move from town to town quickly. I mean, you can only use them if you've traveled to the town normally at least once, that's why I can't take you back as quickly as I got here, but...well, anyway, if you use those machines to jump from town to town too fast, it can make you feel a little sick to your stomach, that's all. It'll fade on its own.

[Claude could lie about this, but he doesn't think Lorenz would buy it now that he can see Claude in person. Besides, he's been lying a lot less over the past year, and telling the truth really isn't that big of a deal here. Not really worth the effort of pretending.

In the meantime he leans forward, peering up at Lorenz.] What about you? You're the one I'm more worried about.

[His most charming smile is... rather disarming, honestly. Goddess he's missed seeing the mischievous little monster and his stupidly handsome face.

Lorenz returns the smile as best he can, trying his hardest not to get too choked up just being in the presence of one of the few people he genuinely considered a friend after being isolated for so long. He's honestly hardly paying attention to explanation. Right, warping. Some of the deeper more.... unpleasant places in Fódlan have similar contraptions, though they utilize the same strange dark magics that the Agarthans use.

Just think of them has his already fragile smile wavering for a moment, the fingers touching Claude's sleeve so lightly curling just a little, like he might just cling to him but he doesn't allow himself to do it. If he lets himself do any of a number of things that might make him feel better he's afraid what little self control he has will crumble.]

Fine... I- I'll be fine.

January - February Test drive

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still glad I added a dedicated snack emote

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