oubliet | 01. Video | New Bark Town

Entry tags:

01. Video | New Bark Town

[there's a face under the hat-produced shadow and long blond bangs on the screen. the face of a young man, to be precise--about 18 years old, malnourished-looking with eyes like he doesn't know what sleep is. he turns his head a couple of ways like he's trying to find the best angle to listen to the 'Gear from, concentrating.

finally, he shakes his head with a sadly disapproving look and talks to someone offscreen.]

No. I can't hear them the right way like this, either. The way that I think I hear you.

I hear them like people, but it's--like people talking. I see them, too. Does that mean it's working?

[his attention is still offscreen. beat. and then he smiles, a little.]

Thank you. I'm sorry. This is still interesting.

[now he looks at the 'Gear properly, expression cleared and voice somewhat louder and lighter.]

Er--my name is Cole. I don't know if I am supposed to say anything. [glances into a corner.] She--told me that if I used this, then I could hear more than I could without it.

How do you do?

[that's what you say when you're testing the waters, right? he doesn't have the means to do anything much more than that with whatever can hear him back.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A dark-bearded older man appears on the screen. The Gear is propped up on the floor a little ways away, and shows him kneeling down on the floor of a large room, sanding the edges of a broad, three-foot-tall hole in the wall.

The kid's disjointed talk is the first clue, and one glance at his sunken eyes and pale face confirms it. Junkie.]

Yeah, that's usually how a phone works. You hear people.

Who else've you been hearing?

[Blake gives the screen half his attention as he works, trying to catch a glimpse of the guy's arms so he can check for track marks.]

The voices in your head?

[blake won't see much of anything with cole's long sleeves... and the fact that he's changed the angle and brought it in a little closer now that someone's come on, talking to him directly! who's this?

and are these normal, in other places? his mind is wandering, and his answer comes half-attentive, too.]

Uh--no... The people in the village. Talking. Not very much through the walls, mostly when they come outside. Sounds you hear in a village. That's almost all.

Also her. [corner glance again. cole, buddy, "she" isn't on the screen.]

[Damn, no luck there. This kid - right, Cole, that's what he said - looks to have decent teeth, so it's probably not meth. There's so damn many to choose from these days.

He sets down the sandpaper, and a little pink Snubbull comes over onto the screen, awkwardly hauling a piece of drywall.]

"Her"? You better not mean your imaginary friend.

[he's briefly distracted by the Snubbull--another animal not quite like any he's seen anywhere. not in person, not in minds, not in the fade...

but he shakes his head for the question.]

Not imaginary. A friend. I think. Yes, a friend. She was in the ball. Don't you... know what I mean?

[another look off the screen.]

Ah-- she's small. Looks like a white dress and a green hat, with a big red horn. She's real.

[Blake takes the piece of drywall and fits it in the hole.] Gimme those screws, Steve.

[The little Snubbull takes a second to investigate the screen first. Though she knows scents don't travel through the Gear, it's hard to fight the instinct to sniff the young man. He looks lighter colored than humans usually are. She wonders if he's a Shiny one.]

You know what's depressing?

[He checks some measurements.]

I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Blake talks over his shoulder as he starts working in the screws.]

That little thing is your pet. Use it to beat the crap out of anything that gets in your way.

[Cole takes a little of a closer look back at the Snubbull, and now he starts seeing "dog" in there. hello...

the word "depressing" yanks him back in by the ear, though why that would be a bad thing isn't... lining up for him.]

That seems like a strange thing for a pet to do. --A small one, anyway...

[his tone is a little softer because one, what would he know, and two, he's not sure how distracting it is to keep talking to the man who's...]

What's wrong with the wall?

[Blake looks sharply at the screen, taking that as a slight to his little pink dog.] Size doesn't have anything to do with it. Some of the little ones are tough bastards.

[He taps on the drywall, checking that it's fit right.] This? Just a little repair work. I just bought this place. It was the only place around here big enough to do the job as headquarters that didn't cost a damn arm and a leg. I couldn't get a straight answer from the agent, but I have a feeling this here is where somebody's rhino took a shortcut.

[He scowls.] "Good condition" my ass.

[not a good look to get, oops.] I'm sorry...

[the apology is a little distant and experimental-sounding, since he doesn't know for a fact it was something he said.

he doesn't know what a rhino is, either, but he's familiar with the term "headquarters", a'ight.]

Are you in charge of something?

[He is trying--trying--to gauge his limits as he goes. "is it fixed?" came to mind, but that probably would have been just distracting.]

[Steve waves at the young man. Don't feel bad!]

[Blake wipes his dusty hands on his pants and nods to himself. At that question, he squares his shoulders and puffs up.]

I'm in charge of everything. I'm the head honcho around here. You could call me the President.

That means I keep an eye on what goes on here, including new people showing up. [He gives the screen a level look.] What's your story? You got any priors?

[heh, if someone's okay with it, that does make him feel a little more secure about it! and... once again, Cole doesn't really have a way to be sure if that's true or not.]

Oh.

[but he is inclined to believe. what he can learn is what he can learn, in his position. that would explain why the man was the first to respond... he may as well cooperate, and be "helpful", but first, he lets his head fall to the side.]

Um, prior-- what?

[Blake speaks slowly and clearly. The kid doesn't look like he's playing dumb: just high out of his mind.]

Prior con-vic-tions.

[He gets the feeling that's not going to help much, so he clarifies.]

I mean, have you ever been arrested?

[Elsa can't say she fully understands what this boy is rambling about, but rambling like that is usually a sign of distress, and she can definitely understand how that feels....]

Are you all right?

[although he can't hear her thoughts, sympathy for a stranger isn't a hard feeling to recognize. it's... very "person"-like, and makes him feel that much calmer, if embarrassed.]

Yes. [he nods.] Probably. Not badly... Thank you.

[he's answered her question, buuut... there was a reason she asked that, wasn't there? so he hasn't answered her "fully" yet.]

--I was worried, but now, I think it's... only "different". Not "wrong". So not "bad".

[not wrong with him, anyway... maybe it's because the veil is thicker here, or the fade is more faraway?]

[... Hmm.]

You lost something when you arrived here, didn't you? Something that was a part of you?

[Because that sounds a lot like how she felt when she realized she didn't have her magic anymore.]

[he doesn't read into what that implies right away.]

I thought so. [another nod. ...ish.] But--it still works with her.

[there's that corner glance again.

eyes back up. he blinks and lets his head rest slightly tilted.]

Different.

"Her"?

[he nods again.]

She was in the room, in the ball... Er-- wait...

[now he lets the 'Gear... sloppily fall aside, and gets on the ground. he isn't covering the screen or anything, so some of what he's doing can probably be seen before he's done, but when he is, he straightens ("straightens") the 'Gear back out in front of him with one hand. There's a Ralts draped over the opposite arm, leaning in.]

This is her. ...She sounds like a girl.

It works with people, too, usually. But it's just been her.

[with another glance down at "her".]

Oh!

[A smile crosses her face when she sees the Ralts.]

That's something specific to that species. Ralts... they're psychics. Or "psychic-types" as the people here call it. They're also very empathic, so if you can feel things with her, it's likely because she's sharing her emotions with you.

[... That would sound like utter nonsense, if she heard that when she first arrived. But after raising the very same kind of Pokemon... she's gotten used to it.]

[to get it down:] Ralts.

I feel her.

[he likes that smile. smiles are good. and he talks with whispery wonder.]

So it's backwards... I understand. I can't hear her, but she's good at making herself heard--so you've felt them, too?

I have, yes. One of my closest companions is a Ralts. Or... was, rather.

[She turns away from the camera, calling out to someone named "Frigga". A moment later, a Gardevoir appears on screen, looking rather curious.]

She's all grown up, though.

[Cole looks curious, too! he sees where the Gardevoir looks like Ralts, and yet how different she is. the Ralts is a little more excited and happy than curious,leaning forward with her mouth open like she's silently saying "hi".]

She's pretty.

But--she's a grown Ralts, but not a "Ralts" anymore.

[like a caterpillar stops being "caterpillar" when it grows up. like a kitten stops being "kitten", even. he thinks he's getting it.]

Can you still do that together? The sharing thoughts, the hearing feelings...

Yes, you're right. Her species is called "Gardevoir". But she's still the same Frigga I first met out in the forest.

[In the face of Cole's curiosity and his companion's excitement, Frigga looks a bit shy, but even so, she smiles and waves.]

I don't hear her thoughts as much as I did when she was younger, no. But I can still... feel things, whenever she's close by. I feel much calmer.

[Perhaps that's why she hasn't had an anxiety spell outside of her first day in Johto...]

[the Ralts waves too, like a schoolgirl spotting someone from the top of a slide. also, another smile--also good!]

She makes you feel "better".

["backwards" but just as good. the wonder is back, burying a strain of something weirder that's... probably envy.]

That's wonderful...

It is, isn't it?

All the pokemon here, psychic or not... they care a lot about their trainers. You'll see when you find more friends of your own.

I would like to. [he nods.] I'll try... to be a good friend to them, too.

[more new friends. he has been taken quickly and unexpectedly from the most friends he's ever had... but there must be good to be had here, too.

and along with it, he'll learn to be a "person" even faster, whether he wanted it now and like this or not.]

Thank you for talking to me--this is different, but... I know more now. More than I did, and it's-- still strange, but not bad. If I don't go home soon, I can still stay here and learn.

[a tongue-tied way of saying it, but what she's told him and shown him gives him things to admire and look forward to. he's not out of questions, but he's still happy for this conversation.]

Something tells me you'll be a very good friend.

[Ralts are supposed to be good at reading humans. If this boy's Ralts is attached to him like that already, then there's nothing to worry about.]

And you're quite welcome! I was in your shoes once, lost and confused after just waking up in this land. Now that I know more about the world and pokemon, it's only fair that I help those who are new here.

[ Hi there, fellow blond. Naminé nods once from where she's sitting, hands folded comfortably in her lap. ]

You can talk to everyone this way. It's very convenient.

[the look on Cole's face says "hello, new person," and his tone isn't presuming anything, but he goes right with the flow asking this next question.]

Who is... "everyone"?

Everyone who was brought here. To Johto.

[ She's still fuzzy on the way things work and the finer details of this place, but she's getting there. ]

[that is convenient.]

Then you're from somewhere else, too. And so were the man, and the lady. Everyone "here" is.

[kind of sort of points to his 'Gear. gathering up the inferences here.

then he seems to relax a little. into talking to another nice person.]

This is new... But it does seem like it can be very helpful.

Yes... a place much different from this one.

[ She nods once, and there's gratitude in her expression. ]

Plenty of people helped me when I was new. I can do my best to help you. I'm Naminé.

[heh, he is the one here who could more obviously do with some help, isn't he? and it'd be bad of him to turn down the offer. she's paying help forward--he'll do that, too, when he can. and he does appreciate it. and sometimes letting people try to help, helps them...

rueful smile.]

Thank you.

I'm Cole... [he completely forgets that he said that to start with.] Are you human, Naminé?

[ Thanking her. It's still somewhat new to her--Sora thanked her, just a short while ago, and she's still replaying that moment in her head--so there's a little flush on her cheeks. ]

You're welcome. It's nice to meet you, Cole. [ It's an unconventional meeting, sure, one she'd never thought possible until this place. His question, though, makes her frown, ever so slightly. Human. Yes, she's human here, she knows it and she felt it the moment she came here. So she goes with the easiest answer, the one that would avoid the most questions. ] Well... yes.

[is the blush a good thing?

...oops, a frown. was that because of something he said?]

It's nice to meet you, too...

[he hurries to explain himself, in case there was something wrong with the question:] I-- I asked because a lady asked if I lost something. Something that should be part of me. I-- didn't know if it's normal, here, to be changed. I am sorry if it was bad to ask.

[come to think of it, it really might not have been the right question, anyway.]

But maybe the same thing happens to mages...

Oh-- no, it's okay. I'm sorry. It's just... [ Just what? She's not sure. Any words she tries to piece together sound awkward. Still, she shakes her head. ] It's just... trying to get used to, um... changes.

[ That seems safe to say. Naminé takes a deep breath. Let's try this small talk thing again. ]

You're a mage?

[first he's sorry for making her feel awkward, if he's done that, but freshly-perked curiosity wrt the question he just assumed was answered supersedes it.

at least the question he needs to answer first isn't a hard one!]

--No. ["he" was, but Cole catches himself before he says that.] ...I used to be a spirit, then my friends taught me how to change--but not all the way. I could feel what people felt, think their thoughts. But I can't now. Only with her. Ralts. And I thought that maybe it could be because I'm far from home.

Then... you have had changes?

[ It seems that it's not just her--or other Nobodies--who have found themselves changed. Having a heart... it's different. Not a bad type of different, but it's still strange to feel something in her once-empty chest. ]

It... it might be. Um.. though Ralts is a Psychic type-- [ She'd checked, shortly after she'd gotten her own. ] --so that might be why?

[ There's a pause, and she shifts slightly. As she settles down, there's a little Minccino making her way into Naminé's lap. ]

Changes? I... I have. Just one, really.

[he nods in concord.] One of the others said that, too. That that might be why.

[and his eyes fall to the tiny animal moving onto her lap. he is no less listening to Namine as she speaks, and he lifts them again when she finishes that statement.

the other lady knowing something about it, her, and him... even if it's not "normal", he can guess now that it isn't totally uncommon, and that chances to figure out why it's this way might be out there. meanwhile, she said she's trying to get used to it, whatever "it" is, for her.]

Does it bother you much?

[ It takes her a moment to reply, and she's glad she has something to do with her hands--petting Mini, she's found, is relaxing. ]

No... it doesn't. What about you?

Who are you talking to?

[Lightning does look a bit concerned.]

Her. [he points down off the screen, at "her".

that's just the problem, though. she's off the screen.]

I'm sorry... A Ralts. That's what the woman with the pale hair said that she is.

[nothing to be concerned over after all! is it?]

Ah. A psychic type. I have one of those, but it's not a Ralts. They can talk to you with their powers, which can be very convenient. And annoying.

[No concern since it's now established what it is. Her Meowstic gets chatty too sometimes.]

What kinds... are there, besides Raltses?

[nope, he hasn't heard that said in plural yet.]

[She moves momentarily and picks up a blue and white cat creature. He doesn't look too impressed.]

This is my Meowstic, Hope. He's a psychic type.

Like a cat.

["Ralts". "Gardevoir". "Meowstic".

it also seems more appropriate to read Pokemon's expressions like people's expressions than regular animals.]

Does he not... want me looking?

[She sighs and scratches Hope under the chin. Have a contented kitty now.]

He doesn't like anyone but me, Kairi, and Naminé. He doesn't seem too fond of men.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

01. Video | New Bark Town

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

video

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]