mall rats gym rats (closed)

[sunspotted]

Who: Marco, Jean & Armin/Marco & Annie

Where: Goldenrod Mall

When: 12/13 and 12/21/18

Summary: Christmas shopping, post-Gym talking, trekking and more!

Rating: PG?

Log:


Gym Rats, 12/13

Just outside Violet City, there's the familiar sounds of battle on one of the routes. There's the very excited sounds of a Meowth working her way through some Pidgey's, and the sound of Marco congratulating her when she defeats them.

He scratches behind her ears, getting a little purr. Sushi is still touch and go some days, but today is a good day. Viola is tucked into his backpack, paws on his shoulder, and she gives a bark as she sees someone.

Marco looks up, and immediately smiles, because he recognizes them. "Annie!"

Mall Rats, 12/21/18

After picking up their eggs from Connor and Hank, the three have ended up in the Goldenrod mall. Marco is trailed by Viola, who has her tail up high and proud from her recent Gym victory, and his new Pikipek, who has taken an interest in Armin's hair and keeps poking at it.

Marco keeps shooing Niles away and giving Armin and Jean odd looks. It might be because he has an idea he wants to float with the both of them, but he's not bringing it up yet. For now, they're stopped in front of a fashion store, mostly by virtue of Viola, but Marco points at one of the travel jackets.

"You think that would work for when it gets colder?"

Comments

[notvaljean]

"Burritos!"

Jean has returned, and sets the tray down with a flourish; he came back with three burritos, three orders of fries, and three sodas. "They're all the same right now, so grab whichever one you want. Nile, I believe you have something for Marco?"

Agreeably, Nile hops off Jean's head onto the table, and parades over to Marco to drop a hot sauce packet in his lap.

"Good boy!"

Nile, whenever he's out of the ball: finds a sauce packet, drops it in people's laps

[sunspotted]

"Yes -"

But before Marco can let Armin know who it is and sabotage himself Jean arrives with the burritos. He sits up a little straighter, not quite managing 'casual' before he relaxes after a second, laughing as Nile hops over and drops a hot sauce packet on Viola.

Marco picks it up and rubs the bird's head. "Thanks, buddy." He'll feed him a bit of his fries as thanks, watching him chomp them down with his beak.

"Already teaching him tricks without me?"

Slowly Marco's bag just fills with stolen sauce packets

[schachmeister]

Armin takes his own share of the food, making himself comfortable. His voice is only very slightly forced as he launches into the phrase he has been preparing in his mind, quickly losing that edge when he settles into the lie. "I was just telling Marco about the first time we had these. We all got so sick."

There are probably some bushes along that route that still haven't recovered. Turns out combining some underfed kids with a huge, fatty meal of meat and beans does tend to lead to some intestinal distress.

that'll make him popular on the traveling circuit!

[notvaljean]

"He wanted to help, so I gave him a packet to carry."

And asked Gulliver to coach him a little, which helped. Gulliver is very, very persuasive with his jingling.

Armin knows Jean well, maybe too well; the moment he brings up them getting sick while traveling, Jean bursts out laughing. "Oh my gods! We traveled about a mile that day! It was horrible! One person would stop shitting and then five minutes later, another one would start!"

Ha ha, poop jokes. What a prince.

hello, i am the man with the Hot Sauce

[sunspotted]

"Thank you, Niles." The bird squawks, hobbling over to sit on Marco's shoulder and nip at his ear until he feeds him burrito.

Also, of course. Poop jokes are the best for dumb teenage boys. Marco has to cover a grin.

"Was it like when everyone found grapes out in the wild?"

[schachmeister]

Oh god, maybe Armin should've been more exact in picking old travel memories to bring up, because boy, it looks like this conversation is heading for the shitter real fast.

He scrunches up his face a bit, eyeing his burrito. "Maybe this isn't the best subject while having food..."

AKA, grow some manners, you fucking heathens. No poop talk at the table.

[notvaljean]

Armin can't say he's surprised that this is the direction the conversation turned, or that Jean ignores his plea for politeness entirely to answer Marco.

"It was worse, if you can imagine. Fewer of us getting sick, but we were really sick. I think at one point it was coming out both ends."

As described cheerfully as he starts shoving burrito into his mouth. No shame, this one.

[sunspotted]

Marco giggles a little behind his hand, but when he spots Armin's look, he clears his throat.

"Well, as memorable as that accident must have been, the trip was even better, right?"

Look, he's trying to help.

[schachmeister]

"I think you'd call that haunting, not memorable."

But yes, Armin is grateful for the jumping off point Marco provides, hoping that he can push the subject towards that both to help Marco on his quest of convincing Jean that it is all right for him to go travelling on his own, and to get away from this shitty topic.

"It was. We saw a lot of great things, didn't we? We got to see vulcanos and everything."

[notvaljean]

"Don't be a poop, Armin. It was a bonding experience." Said with good humor and no real rancor, and Jean is fully aware of the irony of his word choice.

He's happy to talk about the less shitty parts of their trip, though. "Be honest, Armin: the whole trip was mostly to get you to the ocean. But yeah, we saw great stuff! We found your pissy little two-headed Pokemon near the volcano."

[sunspotted]

"Two headed Pokemon and volcanoes? That sounds pretty cool."

Marco leans forward a little bit, an excited expression on his face. Viola gives a small bark - volcanoes don't sound any fun!

[schachmeister]

"You just don't like them because he got your sock wet."

Armin'll have you know that Perses and Pallas are absolutely delightful.

He also turns to Marco. "They are not really a two-headed pokemon. Those exist, of course, but Binacle are actually made up of two individual pokemon who always live in a pair and share a rock. The only time you'll see a Binacle on its own is if they have fought badly with their other half and separated. They can't really survive that, though, so if they separate, they hurry to find a new rock and partner." Lesson over. "And Jean doesn't like mine because one of them drenched his sock when Jean was picking a fight with the other one."

[notvaljean]

"Because they were taking ten years to pick a new rock!"

Okay, more like an hour, but that's still a long time to wait while two Pokemon bicker with each other over a rock.

"The volcano was pretty neat, though." He reaches across the table to pet Viola. "Even if ice type Pokemon had to stay in their balls while we were there."

[sunspotted]

Viola trills happily to the attention, licking at Jean's fingers. Or maybe she just wants his fingers clean of burrito detritus before he touches her 'do.

Marco blinks a little at the description of the pokemon, but absorbs it and makes a mental note to look it up later. Of course, when sock-wetting is mentioned, Marco snickers.

"At least it was just water." And not horse pee or something like that.

"That sounds like it would have been a lot of fun to see for the first time."

[schachmeister]

Armin bites his lip on responding to Jean about how that rock was going to be their home and they were completely within their rights to be picky about it, and it is not like they were bothering Jean with their search. Mainly because he doesn't want to get drawn into that discussion, not when they came here for something more important. They have to make Jean see sense and make it so he lets Marco out from underneath his overprotective wing. That is what should have their focus right now.

"It was. In fact, I think everybody should get to see things like that at least once in their life. And travelling around helps you develop a better sense of yourself and what you want to do. Don't you agree, Jean?"

[notvaljean]

That is probably a wise decision on Armin's part, as Jean would absolutely debate the fact that they were bothering him, by keeping him on a cold, lonely beach as they bickered over rocks.

"It was cold water."

But then Armin asks his opinion, and Jean goes quiet for a moment. For the first time, he senses that something is amiss, that there is A Plot of some kind going on around him, and his shoulders tense up a little.

To his credit, though, he answers honestly. "Yes. Traveling is great. That's why FCAB moves around and goes to different parts of the world all the time."

[sunspotted]

Oh, there is definitely A Plot going on around Jean. Marco wants to be subtle with this, but he and Armin are only teenagers - plus, Marco is inclined to be gently blunt a lot of the time.

He just also has a hard time saying no.

"FCAB does move around and travel a lot. But you enjoyed travelling before you were able to use FCAB, right?"

[schachmeister]

It is too late. The trap is set and is slowly closing around Jean. No getting away now, except by chewing off his own leg.

Please don't chew off your own leg, it'd be messy and they'd never be allowed back in this place.

"Well, I'm not sure if travelling with FCAB is exactly the same. It goes a lot quicker, and you are inside, so you miss out on a lot of the views. Plus, you don't run into any wild pokemon." Armin smiles a bit. It's the kind of smile you smile at a horse that is looking a little antsy and ready to bolt. "Well, not that we ever had much trouble with wild pokemon. Not with Blitz around. But you know what I mean."

[notvaljean]

It's the smile from Armin that does it. Jean knows that smile. That's the I'm Up To Shit smile, and he sets his burrito down and takes a deep breath.

"Okay, spill it. What're you two getting at?"

He knows Armin isn't just going to start praising Blitz out of nowhere.

[sunspotted]

"We're just talking about how much fun it is to travel."

Marco is attempting an innocent look. Marco is failing. Especially when Viola chatters and lifts up her paws to bat at his face. Why do you look like that, trainer?

[schachmeister]

Marco's innocent look wouldn't convince a blind man. He's actually less believable than Armin right now, which is saying something.

Armin glances at Marco, then glances at Jean, and all right. The jig, as they say, is up. Jean has always been one for blunt and honest truths, right? Perhaps he'll respond best to that then. Not that they have been lying to him up until now. Just... trying more subtly.

"Marco wants to go travelling. The old-fashioned way." You know, on foot and not in a walking coffee shop. "And I think he should."

[notvaljean]

You're so full of shit, Marco; Jean can recognize when you're lying from a mile away. Mostly because you don't practice and are terrible at it.

Armin, at least, is telling the truth, and it hits Jean like a gut punch. He actually feels like he can't breathe for a moment, and when he does, he sucks in a great gasp of air. It's enough to concern Gulliver, who pops out of his pocket and starts jingling at his shoulder.

"But... but you just got here." And I waited so long for you...

[sunspotted]

No one ever said Marco was a good liar! Least of all Marco himself.

Viola gives a concerned chatter at Jean's reaction, worried about him. Marco puts a hand on her back, trying to soothe her.

"I know," he says softly. He knows that Jean is worried about him and has every right to be. "I realize you have concerns and I am not trying to dismiss them... but I'd like to explore this place, on my own."

It is not that he doesn't appreciate Jean's help. God knows that he does. There are just some things one needs to do themselves.

[notvaljean]

Gulliver has A Concern! He is jingling up a storm, clearly very distraught at this turn of events, and Jean reaches up to put a hand over him, guiding the Pokemon underneath his chin. Jean doesn't have Fiddleford's luxurious beard (yet), but the position soothes Gulliver, and he settles into the occasional concerned jingle.

"But..." Jean shoots a terrified glance at Armin, even though he knows Armin won't be much, if any, help in this situation. "What if something happens? What if another legendary shows up and starts causing problems?"

[sunspotted]

Marco doesn't know what Legendary is, though it sounds pretty intimidating.

"I have a lot of Pokemon to protect me," Marco points out gently. "If I am really in trouble, I can head back to the nearest town and meet up with you guys."

He reaches down to pet Viola's head, scrubbing her hair softly.

"And, I don't plan on travelling alone. Someone's offered to accompany me."