victory_road | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Min-Gi Park [

outofsynth], Riz Gukgak [

nightyorb] & Ryan Akagi [

chickenchoicejudy]
Where: Saffron City
When: 3rd February
Summary: Min gets stuck with a feral possum for the day. Riz and Ryan finally meet. It's all way too stressful.
Rating: Idk, PG-13 probably
Log:

[Today has not been a good day. From the moment he'd woken up to being forcibly repelled away from his tentmate it had been obvious it wasn't going to be. Sorting that mess out in the still too-cold weather had not been fun, and neither had travelling the remaining distance to Saffron without any of their usual closeness. By the time they reach the city Min-Gi honestly just wants to be away from Ryan completely. Contact comes so easily to them. It's not as though he's unaware of how physical they are, but he doesn't normally have any reason to think too hard about it. Having it taken away just feels cruel. It doesn't help that Ryan keeps trying to test the boundaries of it. Sometimes it almost seems like he's having fun with it, something Min decidedly isn't.

He waits until they've sorted a room, but once things are squared away and their belongings are safely stowed in the room he doesn't waste much time hanging about. He makes some excuse about how he "feels like a walk", something that likely Ryan does not buy given how bitter the weather still is even in Saffron and the fact they've already spent most of the last two days on foot.

Even so, it feels better than sitting around in a room with Ryan pretending he isn't bothered. At least until Riz brushes past and he finds himself dealing with the exact opposite problem. Nothing they do seems to be able to separate them, and given it's a city... it doesn't take long before the pair of them start drawing eyes. Suddenly being back in the room doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

Having Riz in tow makes fishing the keycard out of his wallet a little trickier than it would be normally once they do get back, but he manages without too much difficulty and unlocks the door. He only opens it partway to start, wanting to give Ryan a heads up they have a guest before just barging in.]

Ryan? Are you still here?

[He turns to glance at Riz with a frown, dropping his voice.]

Don't be weird, okay?

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[Min probably weighs about twice as much as Riz weighs, so when he goes down, Riz goes tumbling down with him. And unfortunately, unlike Min, he's only got his off hand to catch him with, so please forgive him for a moment, as he sits there, rubbing his chin where it bonked into the floor.

He doesn't tune back into the conversation until he hears Ryan say something that seems more or less directed at him (or at least, at him and Min both) and he scowls when reminded of their predicament.]

Yes.

[Up goes his right arm to show how Min's comes along with it.]

We've been trying to get unstuck for, like, an hour [Maybe more like 30 minutes, but it feels longer.] and it won't budge.

[Min-Gi might just be pedantic enough to correct him under other circumstances, but for now it's the last of his concerns. It really does feel like longer than it's actually been.]

I didn't know you were going to jump out at us like that! I wanted to explain what was happening face to face.

[He still could have warned him he wasn't alone. Maybe. He's reluctant to acknowledge that out loud though.]

This is Riz. I thought bringing him back here until we figured out what's going on might be the best option.

[Luckily for Min's dignity, Ryan is pretty sure he has a point. Unfortunately.]

Fair enough, I guess...

[He bounces back pretty quick from that though, and raises a hand in greeting to Riz.]

Hey. I'm Ryan. And...you probably figured out me and Min-Gi are having the opposite problem.

[As if he has to demonstrate again, Ryan sticks out one foot and attempts to nudge Min with it. The force isn't nearly as much, so the resistance is a lot less violent, but it's there. He can't get closer than 1ft to Min-Gi, and when he tries it just pushes against both of them.]

[Ryan... Ryan...

The name itches in his brain as something familiar, something he should be able to remember, something- OH!

Riz points (with his right hand, thus jerking Min's arm along with it) at Ryan, the satisfied expression of someone who has put something together on his face.]

You're the sunglasses guy!

[The demonstration doesn't exactly impress Min even if there's nowhere enough force to really knock him back this time. The push is reminder enough, and that's the reason he'd wanted to be alone in the first place. He gives Ryan an annoyed look, but there's no verbal admonishment.

What does get a reaction is having his arm jerked around yet again by Riz pointing. His shoulder his going to be so sore by the time this is finally over.]

Hey! Can't you point with your other hand?

[It takes Ryan a beat to realize what Riz is talking about. Sunglasses guy? What?

Then it clicks and he gasps, pointing right back.]

Oh! From Christmas! That was you?! I use those all the time! I think I even packed some with us, hang on--

[He pushes himself up to his feet and dashes off before anyone can really stop him. When he comes back (after bumping into the doorframe on his way), he's holding his real glasses and wearing red sparkly sunglasses. He does a cool little poses and gives a thumbs up!]

See? They're gnarly, man! Thanks!

Looking' good.

[Does he-- yes, he absolutely shoots some finger guns at Ryan. Though he at least remembers to only use his left hand.]

You didn't leave any other clues, so I wasn't sure what else to get you.

[Min takes the opportunity to stand himself, hoping Riz'll get up at the same time otherwise the height difference will make that awkward. He rolls his eyes as Ryan bumps the frame, but the pose still manages to get a little laugh out of him.]

Man, if he didn't need his regular glasses he'd probably always be wearing them. You have no idea how many doors he's walked into since Christmas.

[Ryan is delighted by the finger guns (or at least he's pretty sure that's what that was? It's a little blurry) and pew-pews his own finger guns right back.]

It hasn't been that many doors!

[Says the guy who literally just knocked into a doorframe and can't see two feet in front of him. Unfortunately, he does sort of need to see, so he pushes the sunglasses up on his head and puts his real prescription glasses over his eyes. It's kind of a look.

As for clues, Ryan shrugs.]

Honestly, it wasn't even a clue? It didn't come with instructions and I didn't know what to do with the blank space so I drew a little guy. But hey, you still knocked it out of the park!

[Riz rises along with Min, and when Ryan compliments his gift, he just looks very pleased with himself.]

Cool. I'm usually very bad at gifts. Well, I don't think so, but that's what other people say.

They shouldn't tell you that!

[Is this an insult? It's hard to say when Min sounds simultaneously like he fully believes what Riz is saying and like he's offended on his behalf.]

Yeah, that's kinda rude of them?

[He's with Min on that one, but it isn't much of a surprise. They've shared looks in silence over Kez's rude "friends" before, and have similar opinions on that sort of thing.]

Seriously though, they're all amazing. Even our pokémon like them. --well, some of them. The ones that can wear sunglasses get a kick out of them.

Let me be clear that of all the stuff people have said to me, that's like... so low on the importance scale. I got dunked into a trash can on the first day of high school. [He shrugs] Telling me the gifts I give are weird is nothing.

[Riz isn't exactly excusing the bullying. But also, after getting shoved into several lockers in middle school and getting hate crimed here and there, this is also so very unimportant.]

You got what?!

[Min looks furious, like he'd march right into the principal's office if they weren't prevented by the fact they're in two totally separate worlds.]

Dude, what?!

[It overlaps with Min-Gi's exclaimation, so that what is completely in sync with his. He's just as horrified to hear this.]

Did anyone like, do something about it? Why would someone slam dunk you in the garbage?!

Ragh was dealing with a lot of stuff back then, and I'm a goblin so I made for an easy target. It's fine now. Ragh is my friend now. He's really sorry about the whole bully phase.

[As for anyone doing anything about it -- well, their vice-principal turned out to be a crazy dragon bent on world domination and their principal, at the time, was being poisoned into losing his mind. So. You know. Just school stuff.]

Who cares? That's not an excuse.

[But even if he's not convinced Riz is the best judge of character, it's not like he has any say in who he's friends with. He sighs, rubbing his brow with his free hand.]

It's good if he's sorry, but it's still really messed up. Someone should've done something about it.

[Ryan is a little more sympathetic to that particular argument. He gets wanting things to be fine on a personal level, and though he does cast a look Min's way that says he doesn't entirely buy everything is okay here, he smothers the righteous anger just a little bit. Besides, he literally just met Riz, so...what does he know?]

Someone definitely should've. But...I guess as long as he's not still throwing you in the garbage...?

[Please. Please tell them this guy doesn't still chuck you in the garbage. Please, Riz.]

No, like I said, he's my friend now. He's practically a Bad Kid himself.

[The way Riz says Bad Kid, it comes with capitals and A Meaning. It's clear he is referring to something, even if it might not be something Min or Ryan are familiar with.]

[Oh. Hm. Min might not know what the Bad Kids are exactly, but he does know some of the things Riz has done in school (like murder.....) so he's not sure that's a positive thing.]

Did he... break any laws?

[Yep, that is a very natural question with even more natural delivery. He'll be taking no notes.]

[Ryan is a lot more easily impressed by this than Min is. He has no idea what would have gotten Riz that title - and he can only guess his friend got it from dunking people in trash cans - but being a bad boy is fun.]

Gnarly.

No, of course not!

[The answer is immediately, always quick to defend a friend. Though, huh. Had they broken any laws? Riz doesn't think so. His mind doesn't even go to the people they've killed (not that there are laws against killing demons, and frankly, those pirates had deserved it!) but rather to some other activities.]

I mean, unless you count drinking and doing a little bit of drugs on Leviathan. But it's not like there were laws there. So it's okay.

That's not okay. Just because something isn't illegal that doesn't mean it isn't bad.

[This is a man who grew up before the golden age of anti-drug PSAs.]

[Okay, Ryan can't help laughing a little bit at that. Min-Gi, come on.]

We're not his parents, man. He can do all the lawless drugs he wants!

Ragh's mom sounds rad. She probably wouldn't mind him drinking and doing a little bit of drugs.

[Riz has never met Lydia Barkrock, but any person who is willing to take a crazy, demon-infested gem into her own body just so nobody else will be in danger has got to be cool.]

My mom though...

[Sklonda is absolutely going to kill him. She'll hug him tight, give him one of those customary head kisses, and then absolutely murder him unless Riz somehow manages to keep her from finding out about his tattoos forever.]