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[4play]

Okay. So. [Reaching down, IV lifts a curious-looking Meowth kitten up into the sight of the camera.] This is Not my Cat.

He’s literally not my cat, but he thinks he is, or whatever else cat logic that equals making himself at home in my traveling bag means that I also ought to feed and entertain him now.

Recently not my cat has started to pelt me with small change -- is that f- I mean, is that normal? It looks like it's grabbing that amulet or whatever it has first and then poing! Always straight in my face!


[He gives Not His Cat an accusatory stare that gets met with the feline version of a :3 face. Can you blame such a cute face? It's definitely planning another coin attack and when to best spring it on its human.

Sighing, IV sets the kitten down.]


I'm also looking for anybody who'd be interested in hunting for pokemon together. It's recently ...been brought to my notice that only having one that's truly capable of fighting might not be a good thing, so any help or advice on how to build a good team would be worth gold.

Comments

[4play]

[IV groans and gives him a half-hearted glare in response to being so obviously laughed at.

Before long his expression slips into a smile, tho.]

He's a persistent little critter, I'll give him that. Pretty darn fearless, too. Although I can't vouch for his taste in trainers.

[He gives Mando a curious look.]

Have you had something like that happen to you before?

[singlespacedad]

It happened to me with a Wimpod. It hatched behind the couch, then crawled up my leg.

[Was it Mando's finest, most masculine and stoic hour? No, no it was not.]

It's fine. When Bug evolves, she'll be a beast.

[4play]

A Wimpod? What's that? [Mando's treated to the view of IV looking it up on his pokedex just to flinch back in primal disgust.]

Fuck! I'd call the exterminator and burn the house down if that happened to me! [He stares at the kitten that just climbed the table.] I guess I got lucky with you after all.

Do you like bugs?

[singlespacedad]

[Mando waits while IV looks up Wimpods, then sighs and shakes his head at the kid's reaction.]

Feeling her crawl up my leg wasn't a great experience.

No. One of my k--roommates does, and his Pokemon had eggs. One of them rolled behind the couch, and I was the closest person when she hatched. She got scared and chose me to be her trainer.

[Sigh.]

She has a sweet personality. Gets along really well with all the other Pokemon.

[4play]

I bet! [He shudders visibly, before he shakes his head. IV even manages a convincing smile.]

Sorry. I've lived in some old buildings since my father vanished, so I got a bit of a kneejerk reaction to certain kinds of bugs. I'm sure yours is a sweet monster.

[singlespacedad]

[Wait what HOLD THE PHONE what was that he said?]

What happened to your dad?

[4play]

He vanished. The whole expedition he was part of did, except for one sole survivor.

[IV shrugs his shoulders. Back then, he'd still been a little kid and it had shattered his world. But that's all in the past now.]

[singlespacedad]

I'm sorry.

[And he is, truly.]

Did you have anyone else to take care of you?

[He's guessing not, based on that comment about bugs.]

[4play]

No. My mother died years ago. There was no other family. The lone survivor of that expedition took in my big brother, but there was no use for me or our younger one.

[His expression turns into a bitter smirk for a moment.]

Too young, I guess. ...so we were tossed into an Institution. It took a while to crawl our way back out from there, but we did make it in the end.

[singlespacedad]

And the survivor didn't find anyone else for you, besides an institution?

[Mando is doing his best to keep his voice level, but a certain coldness has crept in. It's pretty clear what he thinks of whoever it was that separated the kids and ditched the two youngest ones.]

You and your brother deserved better.

[4play]

I don't think he really cared.

[He manages to sound unaffected, but there's an angry spark in his eyes that IV can't hide. He blamed that man for tearing what was left of their family apart before, and that was before he learned what really happened to the other men on that expedition.]

Thank you. We did. [There's neither shame nor pride in him saying that.] I'm doing my best giving my little brother what he had to miss. Once I'm officially legal, it'll be easier.

[IF they manage to grow that old, that is. But IV refuses to give up until everything's irrevocably over. Even if that means that he needs to ask an enemy for help.]

[singlespacedad]

Is your brother here, in this world?

[A very important question!]

[4play]

No.

[after a pause]

Neither of them is. I'm- It's just me this time. [calling himself 'all on my own' would've sounded too pathetic]

[singlespacedad]

[Mando doesn't answer for a moment.]

I'm told that time doesn't pass in your home world while you're here. So you haven't abandoned your brother by being taken to this place.

[Probably a cold comfort, though.]

Are you traveling or staying with anyone? It's no good to be completely on your own.

[4play]

[For a moment IV's hopeful.

Then he hates himself for still feeling that way.]

You're assuming I'd care about something like that. ...... III knows I'd never abandon him. [As for the others. IV has sworn to himself that he won't cry after them anymore. It still hurts, but he's trying, dammit!]

I already told you that I'm currently on my own. It's no big deal, I've been travelling solo before.

[But he'd known when he'd be reunited with his family. His little brother is the only person IV can really trust and talk to, so with that gone there's no way he wouldn't feel the isolation hard. But he can take it. It's not like there's much of a choice.]

[singlespacedad]

He might know it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt all the same.

[Nice try at being a tough guy, but Mando sees right through it. He didn't abandon Grogu, and the little guy is being well cared for (and if he's not, Mando will have Words(tm) with a certain Jedi), but it still hurts.]

Well, if you get tired of traveling alone, let me know. Kids shouldn't have to do everything on their own.

[4play]

...True.

[His expression falls for a moment as IV thinks about the other reason why he hasn't been too worried about his little brother missing him right now. Because he's already -But no, there's no use thinking about that now. IV has done what he could, now it's no longer in his hands if he and the rest of his family will survive the coming days back home or not.

He knows it's impossible, but for a moment the damn Crest that's branded into the back of his right hand hurts.]

Eh? But I'm no- I'm already 17, and will be legal soon!

[Does he look like a kid to this guy?!]

[singlespacedad]

And?

[Look, when you're nebulously late-thirties-early-forties, everyone under twenty-five is a kid. Don't take it personally, IV; it's meant in a concerned, affectionate way.]