victory_road | ⊕ 001 & action option

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⊕ 001 & action option

[ he's not into showing his face off. once he verifies there's a public network and an audio option, he begins to opt for that. but then he looks at all the videos of people and their pokemon, and decides o a different option.

the video opens on the sandy beaches of cherrygrove. his rockruff, bandit, is in the surf, chasing what looks like a stick. he brings it back to jack, who pets his head and then throws it again. his location will also ping as cherrygrove. ]

The name's Jack.

[ his voice is distinctly older, and very rough. it sounds like he may have damaged his throat at some point in his life. his hand, when he throws the stick or pets bandit, is gloved. ]

I've been looking around this place and it looks like the consensus is that people can't go home on their own. I'm not here to ask how to get home, since it seems like that's been covered pretty well.

I wanna talk to those of you that have gone home, or know people that did. And... for those that don't, how you're dealing with not being able to.

[ he ends the video on that note, throwing the stick again for bandit. ]

( cherrygrove )

[ for those actually in his vicinity, they can likely hear jack make the post. other than that, he's spending some time on the beach, playing with bandit and getting his energy out. he's just as open to a battle if you two have similarly leveled pokemon.

or maybe bandit, with all his energy, comes running up to your pokemon and headbutts them. at which point jack follows. ]

Bandit. Come back here.

[ the wagging of his tail doesn't amuse jack. ]

Sorry about him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The view isn't strictly of a person, but rather of a coffee shop bar. Jean set his communicator down on the counter as he opens FCAB, so Jack should be able to watch his hands at work, and the occasional flash of his face.]

My home world is shit.

[Said very matter-of-factly.]

I'd rather be here.

[ well, at least he's not the only one not looking into a camera. bandit loses interest in the hands rather quickly, so jack throws a stick for him, to chase into the surf.

well, the kid's straight to the point at least. ]

Fair enough. You're not the first person to say that.

[ he's silent a moment. ]

Do you mind if I ask why? I ain't planning to convince you that it's not.

[Oh, where to begin? After a moment's pause, Jean just lists the things he knows people from other worlds tend to find the shittiest.]

Man-eating giants, constant food shortages, and a military that conscripts people at twelve years old.

[See? Shit!]

As for going back... I have some friends who went home and then came back here. They said it was like no time passed at all when they were here, and that everything was just like how they remembered it at home.

Those giants wouldn't happen to be called Titans, would they?

[ he doesn't want to ASSUME everyone from man-eating giant worlds are the same, but he's beginning to see the theme here.

also, yes. everything about that is shit, he doesn't blame the kid one bit. ]

That seems to be common. Almost like they don't want those of us who do want to head home to worry about things changing while we're gone. Convenient.

[ safer subject now pls. ]

You work at a coffee shop?

Yeah, that's them. You probably talked to Armin, right?

[That seems the most likely. Bertolt, Sasha, Marco, or Annie wouldn't lead with titans.]

Yeah! It's called Fiddleford's Coffees and Banjos, or FCAB for short. We're in Blackthorn right now, but the next time we're in your area, you should come get a cup.

Yeah, he spoke to me first. I've talked to a couple other kids, too.

[ he absorbs the name as he watches the kid. ]

Well, I'm in Cherrygrove. I hear that's a pretty easy town for someone just starting out. Only have Bandit for now, but one of the guys responding to me offered to send me a... Growlithe egg?

Oh, did you talk to Bertolt?

[Please note the instant warmth in Jean's voice, the way you can practically hear him light up.]

He breeds Growlithes. You'll get a really good puppy from one of his eggs.

I have spoken to him, but he wasn't the one who offered.

[ oh, jack notes instantly. like recognizes like, after all. ]

A guy named Hank did, actually. But I'll definitely keep Bertolt in mind, especially if they're as fuzzy and loyal as people are telling me.

I got an egg from Hank too. Not a Growlithe, though. He seems like a good guy.

[Not as good as Bertolt, obviously, but good enough.]

Growlithes are great! When you evolve it, though, make sure you're outside, and that it's not sitting on you. They get really big, really fast.

He definitely strikes me as one of the good ones.

[ maybe you have a bit of a bias there, jean. ]

Yeah, he showed me video of his. Looks like they get pretty damn big - almost big enough to ride on.

[100% boyfriend bias, don't judge!]

They do! Bertolt rides on his all the time.

You need a special harness, though. They're fast, a lot faster than horses, and if you don't strap yourself in, you can fall off.

[ can jack truly judge? it is nice to see the Young Gays or Bi's having their time. ]

Worried about me breaking a hip on a dog?

[ jack turns the camera away from bandit and towards himself. jean gets a good view of someone who is in their sixties - two scars crossing his face, the white (and receding) hair on his head, the wrinkles and the teasing smile on his face. ]

Kidding. I'll make sure to find one before I try riding around on them.

Oh!

[Well, now Jean is slightly embarrassed. He ducks down to look at the camera, and once he sees Jack's face, he has the good grace to flush a little with embarrassment.]

Sorry, I didn't mean to... well, yeah.

[You old, Jack.]

If you want, Bertolt and I can help you make one, when it's time. They're actually the military harnesses from our world, repurposed.

I'm teasing, kid.

[ hey, he can't say he didn't think the same of older people when he was younger. but now, being in his sixties, he enjoys the chance to tease back.

also, yeah, he old. how many sixty year olds do you know, jean? ford doesn't count. ]

I'd be happy for the help when it's time. Right now, it's just an egg, and I have a feeling it'll be a bit until I get a Fire stone.

[Only Ford, although Shiro acts like he's sixty years old sometimes. The idea of reaching that age is pretty unfounded in Jean's world.]

Sounds good. Just let one of us know when it's time.

[Never mind that, as far as Jean knows, Jack hasn't met Bertolt yet.]

Do you need some coffee or supplies or anything? I know it's kind of tough when you're just starting out.

[ he's old and gay; it's practically a miracle. ]

I will. I've got your contact info now, after all.

[ jack is talking to him as they speak. he thinks they're a cute pair. ]

I would literally be in your debt if you sent me any kind of coffee. Pretty sure the pokemon centers stock the cheapest thing they can afford - not that I blame them.

Oh yeah, the Pokemon center stuff is crap, don't drink that. And don't go to Starmiebucks; they're also shit.

[A 100% Unbiased Opinion, by Jean Kirschtein.]

How do you like yours? I've got lighter blends, but you kind of strike me as the type of guy who likes his coffee black.

Oh, are they?

[ this sounds like a Story, jack is willing to query about it.

he laughs at jean's description. ]

I do like dark roasts, you've got me there. I'm actually a cream and sugar guy, but I'll drink it however it's given. I was in the military; you don't complain about what you're eating when it might be your last meal.

Total shit!

[You want a story, Jean will give you a story!]

I used to work for them, and then something happened to me that's fairly common in this world and totally not my fault, and then they fired me! For no reason!

[Or actually because he missed a month of work due to being in a coma, but that feels very ungenerous, if you ask Jean.]

So I started my own coffee shop and now we're in direct competition.

[Rant over.]

Okay, if you like cream and sugar, I'll spare you the Darkest Heart of Space blend. There's no amount of cream or sugar that can lighten up that bad boy.

You're a soldier too?

What happened that they fired you for?

[ that's the part that wasn't explained at all, it's worth noting. he gives a little laugh. ]

Well, I might come by and try a cup of it at some point, just to see how dark it is.

[ if nothing else, he's a sucker for trying things like that. it's a good thing jean has explained the conscription, else that bit about being one 'too' would concern him more. ]

I used to be one. I retired a few years back, but I served for over thirty years.

I fell asleep for a month.

Which is a thing that happens here! To lots of people! It wasn't just me being lazy!

[Sure, it sounds bad, but it legitimately wasn't Jean's fault!]

It's pretty dark. And... thick. But yeah, if you swing by, I'll brew a pot just for you.

[Jean whistles, long and low, at Jack's service record.]

Thirty years? That's a long, long time to be in service. You must be a survivor.

It's been mentioned it does. And, yeah, if you fell into a coma for a month, you'd think they'd have a little more sympathy about it.

[ jack just shakes his head. dark and thick is like the standard of military coffee - the other being burnt and weak. you never know what you're going to get until you figure out who makes it the way you like.

the low whistle though. ]

Survived a global war and the media frenzy so yeah, I guess I'm a survivor. [ he gestures to his face. ] Got into enough scrapes, after all.

You'd think. But they didn't.

[A sudden switch to bright and cheerful tone.]

Which is why I'm going to run them out of business.

[Now that Jack has drawn attention to his scars, Jean goes quiet for a moment and examines them. He assumes if the man pointed them out, he shouldn't feel bad about checking them out.]

Do you mind if I ask how you got those?

Well, you've got my business.

[ honestly jack doesn't give two shits where he gets his coffee from, but he can make an effort to avoid starmiebucks.

he doesn't mind jean looking or asking, since he pointed it out. ]

Sure. When I was in the military, I was clearing a building when someone blew it up while I was inside.. I got trapped under the rubble for a bit, and I ended up with these after I healed. Pretty lucky the rescue team found me.

[ in truth, none of it happened like that. the building he was in was the international base he headed, and it shouldn't have blown up. and he dragged himself out of the rubble, alone, and pretended he had died in there. but that's information that he's keeping to himself. ]

Edited (ended ended) 2019-02-22 00:31 (UTC)

Whoah...

[Jean is appropriately awed.]

That's badass.

[Consider yourself to have gained a fan, Jack.]

⊕ 001 & action option

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