victory_road | Too busy earnin'/You can't get enough [Sinnoh Catch-All]

[Each log goes up on a relatively regular basis. They're pre-recorded, but posted for anyone to respond to. It almost seems like home videos, designed to capture the memory and show off later. Maybe for someone who isn't here anymore?]

[The video opens with a few photos displayed one after another. There's a vaguely terrified looking Angel posing next to the window beside their departing gate, and few more shots of an equally terrified looking Angel settled in on the plane. Those shots slowly give way to bewilderment as Angel looks out of the window.

It ends with a picture of Angel asleep on Armin's shoulder, giving way to a video taken somewhere in Eterna city.]

We made it! I didn't think the flight would ever end. My head hurt quite a bit on the way down, and my stomach is still a little upset, but we're here!

[The video pans around, before coming back to her.] I think we're staying in the Hostel tonight, but I might try and spend a few nights at one of the hotels. We should treat ourselves, right?

[She turns around, camera facing toward the distant mountain.]

I'm already planning on going for a hike. There's a brief moment with the camera focuses on a lucario, before it quickly ducks out of the way.] Just think of the Pokemon we'll see. And it'll be a great test of my stamina.

[It comes back to Angel now.]

I wish you were here. But I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you get to experience it too, even if it's only in video form.

[The video ends there.]

[Steven doesn't leave a comment because he's respecting his promise not to contact Angel, but privately he thinks the picture of her sleeping on Armin's shoulder is cute as fuck.]

[True to her word, Angel is up and eager to get on the road. She'd done a little bit of shopping before leaving, and now has her own pair of cute pink hiking boots to show for it. She's dressed in shorts, a tank top, and long socks. She also a nice smattering of sun screen on her face.

Whether she has company or not, she sets out onto the trail with determination. That... probably gets her about an hour of the way into her trip, honestly. It's a little further away than expected.

By mid-morning she's found a nice little clearing to sit in, and she's started her own picnic. She... really hasn't made it all that far, but she still looks pleased with her efforts nonetheless.]

[You bet your happy butt Angel is going to the flower town. The more peaceful, cutesy atmosphere is much more her pace, and she can certainly appreciate the quiet that comes from this particular journey.

She starts her morning off at the flower shop, picking up a few various Pokemon supplies, but mostly focusing on all of the starter kits. She's been thinking about picking up a hobby, preferring to remain stationary for the time being in case Krieg happened to return. Planting berries seemed as good of an idea as any!

She comes away with a huge starter kit, as well as a few local flower starters too. She leaves it with the shopkeep to return for later.

After picking up a lunch, she and her team make their way into the meadow. She finds a nice little clearing to settle into, cozying up with a meal for both herself and her Pokemon. She tucks flowers behind ears and into fur, more than happy to just enjoy the scenery with her team.

After breathing slows here, taking the time to savor each scent she can draw of the flowers. She may even fall asleep for a short while.

A sound might draw her attention after awhile. It doesn't scare her, particularly. She fishes out a berry she'd grabbed to eat and simply puts it at the very edge of the space she's found for herself. She's happy to share!]

[Osomatsu's never been one for a cutesy hobby like gardening - that's far more Kara's thing. he's the guy who would write emotional poetry about roses and...stuff. But that doesn't mean he can't look around, and he's heard Pokemon like berries, so hey. Maybe it might be worth a try.

There's a girl inside the store too, and she looks pretty happy. That's nice. Maybe he can make a friend. He ends up being near her, looking at the starter kits.]

I dunno whether to get one of these or not. Seems interesting, but I dunno how to garden at all.

[She starts just a little when the man beside her starts speaking. Nearby, a Lucario snaps to attention, but she eases up just as Angel does. Whoever this is, he's hardly the picture of intimidation.

As the Pokemon settles back down, the girl flashes a sheepish smile.]

I can tell you a secret, if you would like? [She leans over, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial level.] I don't know how to garden either.

[Oh. Jeez. He feels bad for startling the poor girl. Still, he gives her a small smile in return.]

Sure. [He pauses, listens, then laughs lightly.] We're both kinda the same off, then. [He scratches under his nose.] I dunno how far I'll get with guessing on this stuff, but I guess it's a good idea to pick up some kinda hobby here, right?

Or two or three, even!

[Having recently lost a friend, it's become a little too easy for Angel to be distracted by menial tasks. At least plants can't be arbitrarily selected to return to their rightful place in the universe. All they need to be is in the loamy soil they're provided.]

I can make some suggestions, if you'd like?

Two or three...just don't overwhelm yourself. If you try to do everything at once, you'll end up doing nothing. Or at least that's how it is for me.

[Yeouch. That hasn't happened to him here, but he knows the feeling of losing people and fearing losing any more all too well. This is Mr. Co-Dependency Issues himself.]

Sure, I'm always open to suggestions.

Maybe you're right.

[The doubt is written pretty clearly on her face, though. Or perhaps not doubt so much as... an utter lack of comprehension entirely. What is failure? Is it anything like absolute exhaustion from running yourself ragged?

No? Just her?]

Well. There are sometimes contests here, right? I'm sure you have seen the most recent one! It can never hurt to start practicing and thinking of ideas. Coordinating Pokemon moves, outfit combinations, it's all very time-consuming.

[Not that Angel has ever successfully participated. She's thought about it, though!]

[After the shopping and all, it's nice to settle down for some rest and a picnic. Floaroma is a very nice town, but personally, Armin will always prefer the splendour of nature.

After helping Angel lay out a picnic cloth and some of the lunch they've bought for them and their pokemon, Armin has settled down with a book and a notebook. It's a guide on local flowers and plants he picked up in the library. He's been trying to find new species, ones they don't have back home (home being the islands, Kanto and Johto; no longer the world he came from), and whenever he does manage to spot one, he adds it to his notebook; a leaf here, petals, an entire flower -- all ready to be pressed and collected much like he had done since he was a young boy.

He occasionally glances over to Angel, though he often ends up having to drop his gaze again just so he won't end up staring. It's just... it's so nice like this. Relaxing like this.]

[Armin isn't the only one staring. She tells herself that it is simply curiosity. Habitual, even, a pastime picked up from her time as a pseudo-A.I. back on Pandora. She might not have been able to partake in her own hobbies (or even consider what those hobbies could even be), but she could always watch others. There was a small joy to be found in the wonderment of a person doing what they loved most.

And Armin was nothing short of passionate. It was one of the things she loved most about him.

Of course, that thought made her feel a little strange. She can't say she's sure why that is. She knows she loves Armin, he's one of her closest friends outside of Maya. Out of everyone else here, he's the one that's known her the longest. There's no reason to start feeling awkward over a natural emotion.

Right?

She realizes, though, that she's doing no favors for herself by being so caught up in her head. She finishes up her current flower project -- a crown for Adorababy, and looks down at her last remaining flower stem. She picks it up, glances over toward Armin once more, and then flashes a gentle smile as she inches closer to him.]

Don't move. [Her touch is careful as she brushes some of the hair away from his ear and... tucks the flower right there.]

Angel, wh--

[Armin freezes instinctively, going so still it is like he is expecting danger. There is no danger though. Instead, there is just the very soft brush of Angel's fingers through his hair, just along the rim of his ear, before she tucks a flower there.

Which actually. Might be worst than physical danger. At least in the way, it kicks up his heartbeat until he's certain Angel must see it thumping in his throat, his stomach fluttering and flopping as if he's performing mid-air spins. Is he flushing? He might be flushing.

It's all Jean's fault, really. Completely. If it wasn't for him, Armin would still be blissfully unaware of his feelings and he might be able to act a bit more smoothly around Angel. Not so much now.

In fact, he is somewhat desperately groping around (metaphorically. Very much metaphorically) for any subject to talk about so he doesn't just stand there and stare at Angel's face.]

Did you know Buttercups are poisonous to horses?

[Oh yeah. Smooth. Oh god, brain, why was that the first thing to come to mind.]

Sorry, that was weird. I've just been reading about flowers.

[The way Armin stiffens up -- Angel can't help but worry that she's crossed a line. She wants to be kind, to share a moment, not upset Armin in some way. But even she knows that despite the time as he's put between himself and the horrors of his own world, the ghosts of bad experiences are not so easily put to rest.

That's the only reason she can think he'd look so upset. And while it doesn't explain the color on his cheeks, it'd surely explain everything else.

She steps away, one part sheepish and two parts guilty. She scratches the back of her neck as she looks to the ground. Her mouth opens to apologize but --]

I was under the impression they were poisonous to most things. [She glances back up to him, smile returning, if a little awkwardly.] It was hard to believe Pandora did not have more of them, actually.

I wouldn't be surprised if they are. Them being poisonous to horses is what we got drilled on back in our world though.

[To the Survey Corps, horses were incredibly valuable, after all. Nobody wanted to lose a horse because some dumb wet-behind-the-ears trainee had fed them the wrong food.]

I'm a little surprised there are any flowers on Pandora.

[From talking to his Pandoran friends, Armin has come to have a bit of a mental image of the planet, though it is not a very welcoming one. Things like flowers and soft grasses weren't really something he pictured as being present on Pandora. Of course, thinking about it, flowers are so ever-present, that even a place like Pandora has them. They'd just probably be... Gigantic. And poisonous. And would eat smaller wildlife.]

Edited 2020-08-24 03:13 (UTC)

That seems... Unfortunate.

[She can only imagine a hungry recruit grabbing at whatever they can to fill themselves, up, only to be met with the gruesome end that seemed to accompany buttercups. At least, she can imagine it's a gruesome end. She'd read about death and decided to avoid the rest of it.]

We actually had quite a few species of flora. Some even grew beneath the mountain where I -- [She motions vaguely. Armin knows the story well enough by now.] Of course... Not all of them were necessarily... well. Safe.

It's not like here but... You don't need me to tell you that. [She settles back down and studies Armin's face. She's still smiling, even if her cheeks are still flushed.]

[He does know the story well enough, and it is not something he cares to delve into again. If Angel wanted to talk about it, sure, but if she doesn't, there are far better subjects to talk about.

He just nods.]

We had plenty of flowers where I came from, but there wasn't the kind of range you have here. It makes sense. We only had the land between the walls. There is only so much different kinds of terrain you can fit in there.

When I dreamt of going beyond the walls, I always hoped I'd be able to find new flowers and plants. The kind no one had ever seen. [Even if there was no strategic importance to them, just the act of discovery was exciting.] I guess in a way I got that wish even if it wasn't in the way I was expecting.

[He is beyond the walls now, even if it is in a way that he would never have been able to conceptualise when he was young.]

There are so many diverse environments here, aren't there? [She hums thoughtfully. She'd seen (and felt) snow for the first time not long after arriving her first time. She'd learned what rain felt like, and how the ocean air smelled. The different swaths of land that she'd loved simply for existing were home to even more incredibly wonders.

Every day, it felt like she fell more in love with it.]

Life has a way of working itself out. [It was the sort of like she deserved, and she'd always treasured it as such.]

I've thought about bringing a book with me wherever I go. Pressing the flowers into it. Keeping a collection. There are so many places that I've fallen in love with, but I can't be everywhere at once. I'd like something to remember it by.

"That's what I do." He takes a moment to show her a few of the pages of his notebook and the various leaves and petals carefully put between. "My grandpa taught me how to when I was a young. I always liked bringing home flowers or leaves so he could tell me which plants they were, but I never liked watching them wilt. So he taught me how to press and preserve them."

"Actually," his tone drops, a little embarrassed but not too much. Turns out that when he's not thinking straight thoughts about Angel, it's simple to fall back into the easy way they talk, both bolstered by each other's enthusiasm. "I still have the shells I picked up the first time me and Eren saw the ocean here. I like keeping little keepsakes like that."

He's not a very material person. Money and wealth don't particularly appeal to him. But little physical reminders of the beautiful things he's seen and experienced? Those he will treasure.

He glances down on his notes. "Sometimes I wish I could also add little sketches of the things I've seen, but unfortunately, I don't really have an artistic bone in my body."

"I would keep them too, in your shoes." There are little things she'd collected from here and there to preserve her memory. But with all her traveling, it had been hard to keep hold of too many things. She has what's important -- a sweater that's at least 4 sizes too big, and somewhere she's certain that she has scarf tucked away that reminds her of Athena.

Now that she's thinking about it, some of her most valuable possessions were those related to the friends she held dear.

"When you get tired of that flower -- " She points to the one behind his ear. "Will you press it too? I'd like to remember this."

That certainly is the one advantage of having settled down. Whether it was at Shiro's beach house before or now on his boat, there is always room to keep a few collectables. Nothing to big, but then, he'll have even more room once he opens his gym. Enough room to keep everything nostaligic, and things for Angel besides. If she'd want that.

"I will." And it doesn't matter if he's already pressed tons of Buttercups. This one will be special simply because Angel is the one who had tucked it behind his ear. Because it is a buttercup they had been able to experience together in a completely new region. Because after a somewhat rude awakening by Jean, Armin is now very sure that his feelings for Angel are more than just friendly.

"A-angel, I--"

And who knows what he was about to say, utterly caught up in this moment, because suddenly there is a rustling at the edge of the clearing where they are. Loud enough to catch Armin's attention, at the very least.

"Did you hear that?"

She leans forward almost expectantly, eager to hear whatever Armin has to say. There's an open enthusiasm in her expression, a desire to cling to whatever words he has to offer.

Maybe she should consider that desire a little more. Maybe it should concern her. But before she can even consider that, or even begin to doubt Armin's intentions, the sound distracts them both.

She rests a hand on his shoulder, shrinking backward for a moment. When nothing large or dangerous emerges, she straightens up a little.

"Perhaps we settled too close to a nest?"

Armin's arm has instinctively come up, held in front of Angel as if to shield her from...

The very small black nose poking out just from between the blades of grass, sniffing the air curiously. Whatever that little nose is attached to though doesn't immediately show itself, instead electing to stay mostly hidden behind the cover of plants.

Armin drops his arm, a little embarrassed. This does not look like a danger anyone needs protecting from.

"Maybe. Or maybe it smelled the picnic you brought." His voice has dropped a little, trying not to startle their little guest.

Angel watches for a moment, more than happy to stay back as Armin prepares to step in front of her. She doesn't quite relax when she spots the nose prodding out -- it's cute enough, but that doesn't absolve it from being dangerous.

It's only after it doesn't immediately charge them (coupled with Armin's own defenses lowering) that her own guard lowers. At the mention of her picnic, Angel shifts forward. While she keeps a hand on Armin's wrist (just in case), she kneels down to pick up a piece of her lunch. It's a rice ball, perhaps outside of most Pokemon diets, but it's offered up all the same.

"Are you hungry?" She allows the ball to roll off of her hand, directing it more toward their new guest. She watches it roll a few inches from its nose, then retracts her hand.

The little nose twitches and busily sniffs the air when Angel rolls the rice ball towards it. It is true that onigiri isn't exactly a standard part of this (or any) pokemon's diet, but hunger makes everything taste sweet.

After a few more moments of busy twitching, slowly the nose starts coming forward. And as the leaves of grass part, the pokemon is finally revealed. It looks like a little hedgehog; if a hedgehog was actually made of hedge that is. Scurrying towards the rice ball, it starts to nibble, flowers blooming on its grassy back.

Angel wouldn't ever dream of claiming to have an encyclopedic knowledge on Pokemon, especially not after being away so long. Even still, a Pokemon this close to her aesthetic niche probably would have stood out to her previously. That's why she's a little surprised at its appearance, almost questioning her own vision.

She doesn't dare move, neither closer to the creature, nor back to Armin's side. Either way is certain to spook the poor thing. The only thing she does deign acceptable is to tilt her head in Armin's direction.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?"

"Just... just in books."

Armin has been watching the appearance of the little creature with an open expression of amazement. He recognises it, but he feels like he shouldn't; that he should be mistaken somehow. Because if that pokemon is what he thinks it is, they've just run into an actual legendary pokemon in the middle of a flower meadow. And given it a rice ball.

"Angel." His voice has dropped to a whisper, but an urgent one, half stunned, half excited. "I think... I think that's a legendary pokemon."

Angel has to stare at Armin for a long moment. She's not certain she'd heard him right. There's no way she had heard him right. They'd seen glimpses of legendary creatures here and there, and she'd heard stories of the fight that Armin and the rest of her friends had taken part in. But those were times of great distress.

This is innocuous. They've hardly done anything to merit a visit from a legendary creature.

"Are you sure?" She looks back to the Pokemon, then to the food that she'd dragged with her. If Armin is right, surely she brought something more befitting of a Pokemon of his rank.

The closest thing Armin can compare it to is the first time he has seen Suicune, back when the beasts had been running wild. But even then, with Suicune getting ready to steal his kettle, there still had been a sense of power, something thrumming in the air. There is no thrum here. The moment is casual, as if this pokemon is nothing more than a common Rattata scrounging up a bit to eat.

But perhaps that was a cover? Armin knows that appearances don't always properly convey a person's (or creature, in this case) power, and perhaps this was how this god liked to approach mortals?

"I wish I could check my book, but I am pretty positive." He shakes his head for a moment, still disbelieving. "I can't think of any other pokemon it could be. Unless it is one of those new kinds of pokemon, but it really looks similar to the one I saw in my book."

Armin's confirmation does one thing for Angel -- convinces her to stay put. She doesn't assume to be privileged enough to reach out. If this is a god, or whatever passed as such in this world, she certainly wouldn't be so presumptuous as to make physical contact.

"What else does your book say?"

She settles back, knees tucking close to her chest as she studies the creature. She does spare a few glances toward Armin, trying to get a read for his own enthusiasm. It feels... only fitting for her to share this moment with him.

Armin really wishes he had that book with him right now. Or that he had paid more attention to the small blurb on this pokemon over the much more in-depth information on pokemon like Ho-oh and Lugia. But then, the Legendary birds and beasts were local to the region. It only stood to reason that there would be much more information, stories and myths out there about them.

"Well, I can't remember all of it. But I think it had the power to make all sorts of nature and flowers bloom. No matter if it was withered and death." His brows draw together for a moment, as he thinks back, trying to recall all that he can. "Its name was Shaymin."

Angel glances toward Armin, brow raised for just a moment. She waits for his answer, only to quickly glance back toward the Pokemon when she gets it. If Armin was right, and she's never been short of faith when it comes to him, then the environment was certainly right for such a Pokemon.

But also --

"That sounds like my type of Pokemon." Bringing vibrancy and life even in the face of death itself was her niche. "Is that you then, friend? Shaymin?"

It does sound like Angel's sort of pokemon, if only for the fact that it is cute and tiny like her. Armin won't say that though. He knows better. But the thought is there!

At the sound of Angel's voice, Shaymin pauses its busy nibbling to look up at her, its nose doing the same curious twitching from before. Its round little ears perk a little at the sound of its name, though it doesn't come closer just yet. But then. It doesn't run either.

Angel is enough of a pseudo-pokemon whisperer to be able to read that little ear twitch. She looks to Armin once more, fighting to keep her exhilaration subdued. No, she's never been much of a legend chaser, but... There's something absolutely being face to face with a creature like this that's breathtaking.

"I think you were right, Armin."

Feeling just a hint courageous, she reaches her hand out, palm up. She's still a substantial distance away, but she still doesn't even dare to reach out more than half of her arm span.

"You don't have to say hello if you don't want to. Please don't feel pressured."

The pokemon is highly adorable. And Armin has enough general curiosity about Legendary Pokemon (even though his heart will forever go to Suicune) that really, he shouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from Shaymin. And yet he finds himself staring at Angel more than the little hedgehog. The way she's smiling, the excitement building in her expression as she extends a hand towards Shaymin -- it makes Armin's stomach flutter and his smile turn just a bit doopey.

Shaymin, meanwhile, peers from one human to the next. Still with neither of them making any quick moves or being overly loud, even this shy little pokemon sees no reason to run. In fact, when Angel holds out her hand, it slowly takes a few more steps forward, stepping into view completely, its head cocked at a curious if slightly cautious angle.

"See, it's alright." She keeps her voice low, but her tone is bright. Though she thinks to perhaps move her fingers to motion the creature closer, she stills her hand and keeps her palm open.

Though she remains still, Angel's eyes flick over to Armin's. There's -- something about his expression that makes her pulse pick up, but it's not an unpleasant feeling. She has to take a moment to find her words, to remember why she needed his attention in the first place.

"Do you have any berries? If not, there should be some in my bag, if you can get to it."

It's probably better than a rice ball, right?

Too busy earnin'/You can't get enough [Sinnoh Catch-All]

[Video Logs]

Day 1

(not here)

"Hiking"

Floaroma Field Trip

Flower Shop

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Meadow

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I accidentally prosed at you. please switch back to brackets at your leisure.

but what if i didn't >:c

then we go full on prose, I guess

anarchy! wait wrong character

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