Something Lost, Something New (Violet City).

[brokencode]

Who: Angel the Siren

Where: Violet City, plus a few interludes back in Ecruteak and Cherrygrove for private plots

When: Beginning of May, mostly

Summary: Angel explores a new town, and prepares to watch her friends fight a gym. Open and closed prompts under the cut.

Rating: A for a touch of Angst



1. Video/Action for Vault Squad:

[The broadcast opened to a tower looming in the distance, stretching beyond what the camera could show and surrounded by trees. A bridge was also in view, and on that bridge was a gathering of Pokemon likely familiar to several viewers.]

[The sylveon and the Alolan Vulpix in the crowd were first to notice they were being filmed, and quickly bounded over, disappearing off-screen. It was obvious where they ended up, considering the ‘oof’ that followed. Said camera quickly dropped down, showing the creatures pawing at a pair of pale legs.]

Alright, alright! I’ll stop! [A giggle followed, before the camera turned around and showed Angel in her full, grinning glory. She waved at the screen.]

Welcome to Violet city, first stop on our official gym tour of Johto! [Another laugh.] Sorry to be so official, but I couldn’t think of how else to announce myself.

It’s been awhile since the prom. I hope everyone is doing well. Me and my friends -- human and Pokemon --are doing fine, if a little shaken up still.

2. Action -- Violet City, night

[Eight months months ago, Angel would have ducked inside the second the sun even started to go down, for fear of running into any strangers (or worse, someone she knew all too well) in the dark of the night. Though the fear still clung to the very back of her mind, it was nearly forgotten as the siren set out in the dark.]

[She didn’t go far, close enough for someone in the hotel to hear her if she let out a terrified cry. She went only past the first row of trees in the woods, then settled down with her back against the tree. Her eyes slid closed, but she did not sleep. Instead, she listened to the hooting in the trees, the clicking of bugs, and assorted sounds of diurnal Pokemon resting.]

[Anyone venturing by will find the siren either in such a position, perhaps reading a book in the light of her gear, or even settling in for a snack. Maybe she’ll share????]

3. Closed to Athena, backdated to just after Janey’s departure.

[The first day, Angel let Athena be. She told herself it was the fact that, after the past few months, she’d figured the woman out. The gladiator was a solitary woman, and much like a dog who preferred solitude before death, Athena needed to grieve on her own time.]

[The truth was a touch more selfish. Angel could hardly come to grips with the loss herself, let alone manage to be strong enough to help Athena cope.]

[The next day didn’t make her feel any better, of course. But it did bring a wave of guilt, and a whole new layer of grief for the events that had passed. Unable to resist any longer, she made her way to the room that the women once shared, a room she wondered might be more akin to a shrine for a grieving wife, now.]

[After knocking on the door a handful of times, her fingers wrapped around the knob. Rather than opening it immediately, she instead called through rather softly.]

Athena, it’s Angel. I... I really need to talk to you.

[Later, she would feel guilty for playing the charge-in-need card. But if there was one thing that might have pulled the woman from whatever funk she might have been in, surely it would be duty.]

[At least, that was what Angel hoped.]

4. [Closed to Sasha, Cherrygrove City]

[Sometime after the disaster that was prom, Angel had received a message from Armin. After the usual sort of banter and some gossip exchanged on Jean and his balls, the blond had suggested a new friend to the siren. She’d heard about Sasha in passing during the party, and likely had met her in a similar way during the course of prom.]

[Normally, Angel might have been a touch wary at meeting a stranger. But Sasha was not just a passing friend of Jean and Armin’s, but from their world. If anyone would know her best, it was Angel’s dear friends.]

[And there was no question she trusted them implicitly.]

[Through Armin, the two arranged a meeting in Cherrygrove, the furthest town that Sasha had reached. It wasn’t perfect for shopping, a thing that Angel had been told that girls did when hanging out, but it would suffice for the time being. There was also a number of eateries, and if she had picked up anything about her soon-to-be new friend, it was that she enjoyed a good meal.]

[She’d even managed to pick out an ice cream parlor. She’d treated Jean and Armin to something similar, and saw no reason to change up her game.]

[At noon, Angel found herself waiting outside the pokemon center, having used the warp pad in Violet to to get there. Her hands clenched her Pokegear tightly, eyes frequently sweeping over the screen in an effort to keep track of both time and any messages from her friends. Though she tapped her foot against the grass, it was less a matter of impatience and more her brewing excitement.]

[She needed a new friend -- especially a girl close to, if not her age, her maturity level.]

5. Wildcard!

Want to thread but having a hard time picking from the above prompts! Send me a message or throw something down. I can work with whatever!

Comments

Video;

[schachmeister]

I see you all made it back safely.

[They are still on the ferry to Vermillion city. Not that Armin minds. He's come to like boats. And it gives him a last chance to have Amber swim along the boat and chat with her before he'll have to store her in the computer for the time being.]

Are you going to be taking on the gyms as well, or is it just Krieg and miss Athena?

[brokencode]

We did! [Armin's voice made both of the Pokemon at Angel's feet perk up, and both let out chirps and trills of their own in greeting.] And it seems we won't be letting what happened hold us back.

[The siren was quick to shake her head. Much as some of her Pokemon might have liked to take on the challenge, the siren was still incredibly ambivalent.]

I don't plan on it, no. I am just here to watch, eat new food and cheer on my companions!

[schachmeister]

That does seem more your style.

[Not that Angel couldn't battle her pokemon. They both managed to make it through the whole prom kerfuffle. Still, the Angel Armin has come to know doesn't really seem to care much about competitive things. Or at least, that is the impression she has given him.]

And if you ever change your mind, there is no reason you couldn't travel back and take them on later.

[brokencode]

Doesn't it?

[And Armin made a valid point -- if she really wanted to, she could come back and try by herself. She doubted it would happen, but it wasn't as if this would be her one and only chance to do it.]

[And she didn't plan to leave any time soon, either.]

Exactly! [She paused.] How is your adventure going?

[schachmeister]

We've only been on the ferry so far, but the view is spectacular. You really should make this trip some time too.

... though it doesn't seem to agree very much with Bertolt.

[Alas, poor seasick friend.]

It's a little strange. Back home, he's one of the best of our training group. And while he might not be as flashy as Jean with his gear, he was really capable with it, especially considering his height. But it seems this boat will be his undoing.

[brokencode]

One day, we can take the trip together. Although...

[She had a fair bit of sympathy for the man. Her trip to the Sevii Islands had been a rough one. But then, that had been her first time on a boat, hadn't it? Traveling to the mansion for prom hadn't been nearly as bad, after all.]

I understand where he is coming from. Of course, it probably isn't odd for me to feel woozy, at least not compared to a strong soldier such as him.

We all have our weaknesses, though. Like Jean and girls, and you with whales.

[Video]

[rosehecate]

[Ah...it's Angel, she's alright, she's doing well...Anthy's quick to respond, having settled into a small, quiet cafe in Goldenrod today. She hasn't been around Rocket HQ much for...certain insubordinate reasons. Angel can make out the top of a Pokemon Egg on her friend's lap.]

Hello, Angel. I am doing just fine. Are you going to be challenging the gyms? If you are, I wish you luck.

[brokencode]

[Though her spirits had already been relatively high, Anthy's appearance on her device was quick to bring an even wider smile to her lips. She offered a waggle of her fingers in greeting, before shaking her head.]

No, I don't plan on it. It seems like a lot of stress, and I wouldn't want my Pokemon to feel bad about failing me!

[Pausing for a moment, she took the time to observe her dear friend's surroundings. It was good to see her out and about, and -- oh! It seems that Anthy has a new friend, not unlike the one tucked carefully into Angel's own backpack!]

You got an egg too? Do you know what it might be?

[rosehecate]

I see. I don't plan on trying it either. But...for different reasons.

[She's so tired of competitions. Duels. Tournaments, clashes of blades and wills...]

No, I don't know, but it's cool to the touch, so I've been trying to keep it warm.

[brokencode]

It's not exactly a comfortable idea, is it?

[She didn't begrudge her friends for competing. Pokemon like Xiphos and Murder Chicken were born for the gym challenge. Or perhaps they just took after their equally as competitive trainers.]

That's a good idea. I've been keeping mine in my backpack -- safe from the elements and close enough to my skin. Unless I'm home, that is. I've... [Her expression shifted, becoming a touch sheepish.] actually been sleeping with it.

[rosehecate]

No. I've caused a lot of fighting in my life. If I can help it, I don't want to cause any more.

[But she can't tell other people or Pokemon not to battle - not even her own, who often come unbidden from their Pokeballs when a trainer across the street catches sight of her, making a beeline to fight. It's not something she likes to seek out.]

Oh, that's smart. [Anthy smiles.] It's alright. I sleep with mine, too - my Pokemon all like to try and fit on the bed with me anyway, and none of them are too large.

[There is literally nothing to be embarrassed about here]

[brokencode]

You too, then?

[It was almost unsettling, how much they had in common. Entire cities had been laid low because of her, and her machinations had pitted forces against nearly unbeatable foes.]

[No, the last thing she wanted to do was to order more of her companions into daunting fights.]

[Once Anthy started speaking again, though, the siren's thoughts flitted away from her past. At least, even if they had negative things in common, they had just as many positive ones. This was simply one of many.]

[Why she even thought her reveal was embarrassing, she couldn't remember. Clearly it wasn't, if Anthy did it too.]

It's a sad day if I don't have at least three of my companions curled up with me. And I used to have some of Krieg's, too. [She rather missed her morning snuggles with Mudpony, now that she thought about it.]

[action]

[kissmyaspis]

[It would be... not quite right to call what Athena's doing grieving. She (more or less) knows how this planet works, so she knows what happened; no Janey, the stuff she picked up during her stay here still scattered around the room, and a notice saying that Zoomy had been deposited in one of her PC boxes. SHe knew from others talking that this mean that Janey was sent back to Pandora.

It... was a complicated thing. She knew Janey could take care of herself, having been on her own on Elpis for a pretty long time, and she'd held her own well against Deadlift's gang and the kraggons roaming around Serenity's Waste, so the psychos roaming around Hollow Point shouldn't be a problem. This wasn't even the same as when Athena had first arrived here alone. Then she'd been more concerned that Janey wouldn't know where she was, that Janey would be thinking that she broke her promise again. It was totally different, and yet...

She was getting used to it. Being with Janey every day, in a life of (relative) calm and peace she'd never been able to achieve before. It was good, not waking up screaming and thrashing from the nightmares that plagued her every night, because there was that warm and calming presence by her side. It was... nice, just going by their day to day schedules the way they were. But without all of that now, without that stabilizing factor, Athena stumbled, and when Athena stumbles... bad things tend to happen.

Case in point: when the door opens and Angel gets a good look at Athena, she'll immediately notice that her sorta-mom is beat to shit. There's a dark bruise blooming around one eye and a split in the corner of her lower lip that's scabbed over immediately noticeable, and her knuckles - only one hand visible, as she's busy unwrapping the other - look pretty worn too, bruises forming there as well even with the protection. There are a few more scattered injuries, probably even more unseen under her clothes, so all in all, she's kind of a mess. It's strange, since her pokemon never hurt her like this during their sparring sessions...]

What is it?

[Her voice is... pretty even, not giving a single hint as to how she's really feeling away.]

[brokencode]

[It was hard to decide on what to look at first -- Athena's eyes, her hands, or her lips. She felt her hackles unconsciously raising, even felt a seed of fear in her stomach. Someone had clearly laid waste to Athena, and she was terrified that perhaps that particular someone was sent by her father. It might have fit the narrative -- if Jack knew Janey was gone. Of Angel's new family, she was the only one that Jack really seemed to respect, albeit begrudgingly.]

[But then, if that was the case, she doubted the Gladiator would be so idly unwrapping her hands, or would have greeted her in such a calm manner. Even bloody and beaten, Angel had no doubt in her mind that Athena would have put Angel first.]

[It didn't exactly put the girl fully at ease, but at least she could relax slightly. Something had hurt Athena, and that certainly wasn't good. But at least, whatever had happened wouldn't carry over back to the hotel. Angel wasn't at risk, standing here in the room.]

[Hell, Athena hardly looked bothered. On its own, that would have been troubling enough. But seeing as how her wife had just up and disappeared. None of what she was seeing was spelling out any particularly positive messages.]

You're... hurting. [Emotionally and physically, it seemed.] I wanted to be here for you. I... I miss her too.

[kissmyaspis]

[Oh, it would be completely different if Jack or one of his people had stopped by. There would be a lot more blood for one, and Athena would be busting down the doors of everyone in their little crew and generally acting like a kraggon ready to spew fire. So... yeah. They're still safe.

At the mention of hurting though, Athena tenses, silent for another moment before she shakes her head.]

I'm fine. [A lie, but... she doesn't want Angel to worry when she's already working through this in her own way. But she can't just ignore this either, with Angel voicing her own feelings, but she doesn't know how to do this comfort thing...] I've heard that people come back, sometimes. That could be the case with Janey, in the future.

[brokencode]

[Perhaps it was wrong of her to assume anything about Athena and her emotional state. Even if it was, though, Angel didn't much care. She knew that if it had been Krieg or Anders who had disappeared, she would have been devastated. And at the end of the day, she had exchanged no vows with those men.]

[To lose someone like Janey was to Athena... She couldn't even comprehend it.]

You don't have to be strong, you know? Not right now, at least. I won't... begrudge you. I'm hurt too, and she...

[No, she wouldn't try to downplay her own relationship with Janey. There was no denying the way she thought about the woman, about both women. She'd never thought of it before, kicked herself for not considering it.]

[But it made sense, in the end. She'd felt this pain once before, after all.]

I just... don't want you to be alone right now, okay?

[kissmyaspis]

[After another pause, slightly longer this time, Athena lets out a hard breath through her nose, and crumples the now-unwrapped bandages before tossing them on the table next to the bed.]

I've been away from Janey before. Jobs, bounties, helping to find the key to tracking down the Vault of the Traveler... getting dragged back to Sanctuary. [Literally. Don't think she didn't notice that, guys.] This... it's not any different than those times.

[She hesitates another moment, hands clenching and unclenching. It's hard, talking like this, but it's something she'd promised to work on after the Crimson Raiders incident... and she can't just stop now that Janey's not here.]

It shouldn't be. But it does feel different. And I don't know why.

[brokencode]

Jobs end, bounties are turned in. [All of those were minimal obstacles, ones that could be seen to completion or disregarded completely, if it came down to it. Nothing so permanent, so life-changing as to keep them apart for too long.]

[At worst, Janey was only ever a shuttle ride or a fast-travel warp away. Angel doubted Athena had ever dealt with being stuck in a seemingly impermeable dimension.]

You can't just... go home whenever you want, now. You can't tell yourself that you'll see her when the mission ends, because this isn't a mission. You don't... know how long you'll be here for.

[She had previously thought of this place as a blessing. Maybe it still was, for her. But she could imagine how it might seem the opposite when your loved ones were far away.]

I'm sorry, Athena.

[lordofthefries]

[If Sasha knew the concept of a playdate existed, this would probably fall underneath that heading somewhere. You know, the mom (Armin) sets up a nice day of their kid (Sasha) with another kid (Angel) for them to socialize and get to know each other. Except Sasha would argue that she is certainly not a kid at the tender age of fifteen--geez, she's even almost sixteen! Old enough to practically get married back at home!

But this isn't home and so Sasha will accept the invite to go shopping with someone named Angel. Sasha didn't really pay much attention to names and faces at the prom, being far more interested in that never ending buffet thing. Then with the Rocket mess afterwards, there wasn't much time to meet and greet with anyone, so if she met Angel, Sasha's forgotten her. Nothing against Angel, though. Armin and Jean both say she's really nice and it'll be good for Sasha to have some girl friends of her own, especially with Mikasa having left before Sasha even got here.

She has no clue what they're supposed to do today. Sasha isn't familiar with the whole "hanging out with the girls" thing when hanging out with the girls at home pretty much meant braiding each other's hair before bed and chatting in between chores and training, so she's a little nervous. A lot nervous. So much nervous that she breaks into a run as soon as she arrives at Cherrygrove, needing to burn off all the excess energy.

Once she reaching the Pokemon Center, it's then that Sasha realizes a young girl is standing there, looking rather expectant. It takes her a moment to catch her breath and it's by sheer miracle she's not a sweaty mess.]

Um... Good afternoon. Are you Angel?

[brokencode]

[If Angel were anymore socially aware, she might have been a little embarrassed about how this whole thing came together. Certainly, the boys meant well enough, and it wasn't like the siren actually needed help making friends. She'd gathered up the boys easily enough.]

[Thankfully, this wasn't upsetting to the girl. In fact, she was excited by the concept of meeting someone new.]

[Even without her introduction, Sasha was easy enough to pick up on. The way her gaze swept over the surrounding area, as if searching for a person, was enough to convince Angel that she was the girl in question.]

That's me. [Angel approached her slowly, just in case Sasha was anything like she had been after arriving. Thankfully, that fear of people hadn't lasted.] I am guessing you're Sasha? It's wonderful to meet you, finally. Armin told me much about you!

[lordofthefries]

[Angel might not need help making friends, but Sasha does. This is honestly the first time she'll be meeting anybody outside of military functions and those friendships she made there were just the result of a shared experience. Sasha doesn't really know how to people in any other situations, especially people she hasn't met on the network first, and it shows in how she's hesitating on whether or not she should put her hand out for a shake.]

Yes, I am!

[Her hand curls into a fist, then unclenches, and then swings forward only to swing back. One doesn't shake their friends' hands, do they? Sasha defaults back to the act she knows the best and that's the overly polite one so a handshake it is.]

It's a pleasure to meet you! [Wait, Armin said things about her? Oh no, did he tell Angel about her tendency to fart?] He did? What did he say?

[brokencode]

[The handshake was accepted without any fuss. If Angel hadn't been wary of Sasha's own comfort levels, she might have been the one to initiate it. Manners had always been something of a strong point for Angel -- her father had at least that much into her. And while she hadn't really had the opportunity to meet people before arriving in the Pokemon world, she at least knew what to do in theory.]

[The rest had filled itself in over the course of her 8 months.]

Nothing awful, I assure you. [It had only been the basest of information, certainly nothing Sasha needed to worry about outright.] He said you two served together back home?

[Angel hadn't dug too far into their collective pasts, having only gleaned enough to know that she and Armin's friends both knew what it was like to deal with cruel vicious worlds.]

He also said you liked food. I was thinking we could get lunch, first?

[lordofthefries]

[Manners are somewhat a weird thing for Sasha. She knows her pleases and thanks yous and excuse mes and when to use Sir or Ma'am, but behind all that, manners are a big part of her act. The show she puts on so she doesn't sound like country girl she is with the almost unintelligible to city people accent. The more polite she acts, the less likely people are to think she's some hick from deep in the mountains, which to be honest, she is, but Sasha knows from experience people aren't too fond of her kind.

But Angel doesn't know any of that and certainly Armin isn't the type to tell Angel Sasha's secrets if he even knew them to begin with so she doesn't have much to worry about now, at least.]

Yes, I'd like to have lunch! [She has money now and can buy whatever she dreams of eating. Well, almost whatever. The really nice pieces of meat is still a little out of her budget.] Is there anywhere here we can eat?

[Last time she was in Cherrygrove, she didn't spend too much time looking around, so the town is pretty much still brand spanking new to Sasha.]

[brokencode]

[A finger was placed against her chin, while her lips smoothed into a thin line. She'd only been in Cherrygrove proper a short while, after which she, Athena and the rest of their group hurried off in the direction of Ecruteak. They'd stocked up on supplies and went on their way. Even when Angel returned, she stuck to the woods and Pokemon center, more focused on training than town exploration.

Still, despite being a relatively small town, it was bound to have something worth eating.]

There is likely a diner somewhere nearby. That should give you a substantial selection to choose from, and once we're there, we can sit down and talk some. Does that sound fair?

2!

[fuelthefire]

[He's on his way back into town from spending the day out in the surrounding woods, exploring and training. Even though the amenities in Violet are a lot more modern than those in Ecruteak - the hotel they're staying at here isn't quite as claustrophobic as the Inn, for example - he still gets restless if he's indoors for too long.

He notes the light of a stray Guide as he goes, and nearly passes it and its owner by entirely until he spots the shadows of some very familiar tattoos. Chances are high that she's already heard his approach, since there has never been anything subtle about his footsteps. He detours off his course slightly to join her, smiling under his mask in anticipation.]

Look!

["Hellos" are for losers and squares - the egg he'd received at the end of April has finally hatched, and the resulting round, adorable creature is just the sort of "cute" Angel is sure to appreciate. The sooner he can show it to her the happier he'll be. He sits next to her, crossing his legs underneath him, and holds it out to her, carefully, in both overlarge hands.]

The egg hatched!

[The little pink Pokémon in his hands looks up at her curiously for mere moments before wagging its stumpy little arms and feet in a friendly manner, and follows up Krieg's declaration with a soft cry of, "Whismur!"]