victory_road | (no subject)

Entry tags:

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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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Do you have a crowbar?

[Riz is not opposed to trying a crowbar! Though in his mind, that is no more dangerous than a knife. These guys simply don't understand how dexterous he is when it comes to these things.]

Why would we have a crowbar?

[His irritation has switched over to Ryan now, mouth twisted into a frown at the ridiculousness of his suggestion. He knows he's trying to help, but it feels pointless and it's easier to lash out than come up with even more failed ideas.]

We've tried everything, Ryan. Unless you want to take a trip to the hardware store for something that's not even going to work, just drop it. Okay?

[It's been a long day and Ryan can't help snapping back a little.]

At least I'm trying to think of stuff! We don't know how long this is even going to last! What if you guys are stuck together forever? Then you'll be like "man I really wish I tried that crowbar thing like Ryan said."

[Which is a long way to say that no, he's not dropping it. No way. Not until he's actually tried things.

A new thought strikes him and he gasps and blurts it out.]

--Dude. Min. What if I'm the crowbar?

[...Oh, did you think this second part was going to be an explanation of what that means?

Because all they get is Ryan just looking at the two of them hopefully, exactly like this, fully expecting them to follow this thought with him.]

[Riz stares. Stares some more. And when finally it seems like no further explanation is forth-coming, he turns his head to stare up at Min, his expression begging for explanation, cause listen buddy, this is your friend, you figure this one out.]

[Luckily for Riz, Min thinks he knows where Ryan is going with this. He does not approve, as Riz might be able to guess from his expression once he finally stops waiting for Ryan to elaborate.]

You are not being the crowbar. Actually, you should avoid anything that means touching Riz at all. What happens if you get stuck too?

[It's possible Ryan did already in the chaos of Min's return to the room, but he's not sure and he doesn't want to take anymore chances. This is bad enough.]

Ooooor what if I can't touch him either and it forces you two apart? It could totally work!

[Or all three of them could wind up stuck together, stuck in a horrible infinitely spinning circle, probably set to geddan.]

I mean, we knocked each other back so hard this morning that it literally broke our tent! If anything's going to yank you two apart it's the dumb force that's keeping us from touching each other.

[It could work, true, but it also couldn't, in which case--]

Woah, I don't want to end up stuck to both of you! This [Here Riz raises his and Min's share arm, giving it a shake and very nearly swatting Min in the face on accident.] is super annoying, but at least I still have one arm to do things with. We should exhaust all our options first before we try something so risky.

[Excuse you, Riz. Min does not appreciate this use of his arm and yanks it back down again, tensing it so Riz hopefully can't keep doing that.]

Didn't we already exhaust most of our options? It's not like we haven't been trying. Besides, I really don't want to break anything else.

[The tent is going to be expensive enough...]

[Ugh, outvoted. Ryan pouts, but...eh. They probably have a point.]

Fine. Whatever.

[He doesn't have anymore ideas though, and Min doesn't seem like he wants to try anything else. Riz might still be up for it, but what can they do that won't involve touching each other in some way?]

So...what now? Are you seriously just going to sit around and hope you unstick eventually?

Usually this sort of stuff doesn't last long. Even those weird weekends don't last longer than, well, a weekend. I'm gonna research the network and try and find out if anyone else has found a way to get unstuck, but I figure we shouldn't do anything super drastic until at least three days?

[After that though, Riz is getting that knife.]

Three days?

[Okay, now that sounds like too long to wait. He gives Ryan a panicked look, not sure how he could cope with three days of being latched onto someone as headache inducing as Riz. Especially if he's physically unable to touch Ryan that entire time. One or the other would be bad enough.]

Checking the network's not a bad idea. Do you think this could've happened before?

[He's been told those kinds of weeekends happen regularly. Maybe this does too?]

[When Min looks to Ryan he'll see that Ryan started to reach out, as if he was going to move closer and put a hand on Min's shoulder. He realizes a second after though, and pulls back.

He...can't touch Min to reassure him. So he just awkwardly rubs at his wrist, because it's not like he can do anything else.]

Three days is way too long. But, uh. Yeah, maybe someone knows something? There's a ton of people who've been here for like, ever, right? Maybe there's some bizarre pokémon solution or-- or something.

I'm not saying its for sure three days. It can't be one of those weekends cause it is way too early and I still look like, you know, this. Just that that is the longest these weird ambient magical effects ever seem to last, so we should probably table any talk of chopping off our arms until then.

[Riz looks up at Min, earnest and serious.]

But, you know, after that? That's definitely a possibility.

[Oh. God. He's kidding, right? He's not sold knowing what he knows about Riz, but that is definitely how he is choosing to interpret this regardless of his expression.]

Wow, Riz. That's so funny.

[And he is definitely not subtly trying to yank his arm free again. Ryan, help...]

[Oh, now you want his help? Ryan raises an eyebrow and lets Min sweat for a beat or two before he chimes in.]

No, no arm chopping and no knives. Nothing that might actually hurt anyone.

[He tilts his head a little at Riz though.]

What do you mean too early? And...still look like what?

[He just met you, dude - he has no bar to measure against.]

[He's distracted from telling Min that he is absolutely not joking and arm chopping is very much still a possibility by Ryan's question. Perhaps for the best.]

I've looked into those weekends. There's a pattern to when they happen. It's not exact -- there's a little margin of error though it usually seems to happen towards the end of a month -- but broadly speaking they happen once every half a year. My guess is that whatever magic is keeping us here and takes our powers needs to be recast ever so often. The last time that happened was two months ago, so it's still months until it's due to happen again.

And I'm not human. [Riz gestures down his front (with his left hand, thankfully)] This is not what I'm supposed to look like. I'm a Goblin. Those weekends are the only times I get to be normal.

[Absolutely for the best. That's a concern that's going to be weighing on him even without any kind of correction.

At least the new information helps distract him from it for the moment. He's already seen Riz's true form and it's not as though the train didn't help him adjust to the concept of non-humans even before that.

Knowing when to prepare himself for another weekend of glitching all over the Pokémon world is something that easily captures his interest though.]

So the next time will be around the end of May?

[Ryan has no idea what to make of that. Goblins aren't real where he and Min are from, but that's probably rude to just blurt out. Still, Ryan looks like he's trying to imagine what Riz being a goblin would look like, trying to see him how he's supposed to be seen.]

Oh. I...had no idea this place was doing stuff like that? Sorry, man.

[There's a lot wrapped up in Ryan's identity, from his ethnicity to just how he presents as a person, and he knows he'd be so frustrated if he couldn't look like something he recognizes as himself.]

--Wait, that's what was going on when I got here?! Some kind of...what, magic glitch?

[Honestly, he didn't put too much thought into it once it became apparent they weren't actually back on the train anymore, and since then he's been a little distracted by adjusting to Pokémon life anyway.]

[Riz sees that look and on a successful insight roll--]

I'm normally about this big, [He gestures about half a foot lower than the top of his head.] green skin, big ears, tail. You can ask him, he saw me before.

[Here he nods at Min. Tell him, man.]

[Min nods his agreement, but doesn't particularly want to elaborate more than Riz has. He's already told him that goblins face discrimination, and the last thing he wants is to offend him. At least about something like that. His smile is nervous as he repeats back Riz's words exactly, as though that might still be the wrong thing to say.]

Green skin, big ears, tail... [He shrugs, giving Ryan a look to try and discourage further questions.] You'll probably get to see what he looks like for real the next time one of those weekends happens.

[Sometimes, Ryan has an ounce of tact. Just an ounce, but enough. He gives Riz an enthusiastic thumbs up.]

Cool. Can't wait to see the real you, dude.

[Later he will lie awake wondering what it's like to only physically be yourself twice a year and imagining how much that would suck if he were in Riz' shoes, but for now he'll leave well enough alone.]

[It sucks. It sucks pretty majorly. Fortunately, Riz's dislike of mirrors means he doesn't have to face it too often, but sometimes he still catches sight of his reflection from the corner of his eye, in the window of some shop, and he always, still, thinks it must belong to someone else, that Riz must have been made invisible and if he'll just turn around he'll see the person that reflection truly belongs to.

But that is not really a feeling he feels interested in discussing with two guys who won't know what it is like that all. From what Riz knows, they have always been human, in this world and in their own, and he just doesn't think they'd get it.]

So.

[Because now that they have sorted what they can do about their problem (not much, just wait, and research), Riz is realising they (well, he) has run out of things to say. And he is so bad at small talk.]

What are you guys doing in town?

[He's not wrong, in fairness. Min can try to picture what it's like to be stuck in a body that isn't his own all he wants (and he doesn't want to), but he still wouldn't get it. He has no desire to pry too deeply into that subject, especially with someone who already confuses him as much as Riz does.

He's glad to take the change in subject, even if their answer is boring.]

Just visiting. Ryan hasn't had chance to see much since he got here. The weather still sucks, but it's not like we could stay in one place forever.

[Ryan is generally pretty good at small talk, because he tends to just let things flow naturally - unless he's trying to ham it up, but then it works for different reasons.]

Yeah! I need to get those warp things so we can zip around to different places, especially since Min-Gi's already got a bunch.

[The obvious implication being that they usually travel together, and that they would like to still be able to do that without camping so much.]

It'll make doing shows way easier too.

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