victory_road | ⊕ 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

[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.]

[ jack chuckles a little bit. he always feels kind of bad when people look awed - he feels like he didn't earn it. but he knows better than to try to dissuade it. ]

Well, it didn't feel bad ass at the time. But you know what they say - guys dig scars.

[ that's normally chicks dig scars but they are both men-liking, here. ]

So I guess it evened out.

I think girls like them too.

[Jean assumes, at least. But now he's wondering if Bertolt digs his maneuver gear scars, which have started to get dark again, now that he's practicing regularly.]

Did it work? Do they actually dig them?

[He's asking for science.]

Well... honestly, depends on the guy. I had a boyfriend who didn't like them, because he didn't like the thought of me getting hurt. On the other side, I had people I worked with who definitely flirted with me because of them.

[ not that he took those guys (or the girls) up on it, seeing as he'd been with vincent and then, well, busy. ]

So it depends on the person. Makes sense.

[A moment of thought.]

I don't think Bertolt would like it if I had more scars. It would make him worry about me.

Yeah. If you get them, they're a sign you've survived something. They can also be a symbol you've been pretty hurt. In my experience, people that care about you don't want to see those kind of marks on you.

⊕ 001 & action option

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