worthallthis | Victory Road: IC Contact

It's a long trip from Olivine to Azalea Town - something like a full week of direct flight with minimal stops and proper sleep. At the very least, Entrapta now has all of the warps for every city along the way. And has spent most of the periods of flight climbing over the poor Golurk giving her and Steven a lift in every manner possible; for someone who's still having to readjust to losing her hair's magical powers again, she's still remarkably spry, and unceasingly curious about how a giant ghost robot can fly, what's its source of energy, her Pokedex says that it comes from inside the giant crack across its chest, can she take a look, she's gonna stick her arm in it.

Steven's probably relieved to be rid of her when they finally land at the Azalea Town Pokemon Center in the afternoon, if only because it means she can't bloody well throw herself off of the creature flying at its ridiculous height and speed.

That's not to say she doesn't get one last shot in before they land; as Steven lands the giant Pokemon, Entrapta (and Leslie, in fact) starts waving wildly at her reunited friend. "Winter! Hi! We rode a giant robot Pokemon all the way here!" And she's quick to start scooting out of the Golurk's grip again, so she can jump from her vantage point of more than ten feet up. She'll be fine, she's fallen worse.

It's been twelve days since he's had eyes on the target. The. Traveling companion. Target. Whatever, she's the target of his protective protocols right now. He has experience now in not killing targets, in rescuing their dumb asses, so target works when "friend" is still a kind of scary, unallowed kind of word.

He's spent the long days working, ~~patrolling~~ pacing idle circuits around the town, watching people go about their days, and sitting at the jazz club with two or three pokemon sprawled in various positions on or around him at all times.

On the day when she's supposed to show up, he begs off his tasks at the pokemon center early-- it's a slow day anyway, in such a small town-- and does more ~~patrolling~~ pacing, with Grace and Sara (the Happiny acquired a name, at some point) pacing at his side and Stevie on his shoulders so he can be there immediately when she gets here. She's easy to spot, really, because that is a very, very big pokemon. He actually stares up at its approach on the beach for a long moment with interest before registering the flailing arms from its giant hands, and connects them to the purple pigtails, and the concept in his brain for Entrapta. There she is. Target in sights. Safe and sound, looking happy to see him, yelling his name.

His face does a thing. His mouth is curling up, his eyes crinkling at the corners. It feels... weird, but not bad. Is that smiling? Christ, he thinks it is.

Then she moves, and they're still twelve feet of the ground, and the smile wipes off into a flicker of alarm, and he dives under where she jumps so she can land square in his arms, more on the flesh one than metal one, so she doesn't wind up getting bruised. (Still gives the metal arm a good yank, though, ow.) "Entrapta that is too high to jump from!"

"I don't think she cares, honestly," Entrapta's erstwhile taxi-driver says, as the big robot finally lands himself and he climbs down from its arms. He's in his late thirties, dark, bespectacled and lightly bearded: a big man who holds himself to seem smaller than he actually is.

"Steven Durante," he says by way of introduction, holding out a hand so that Winter can shake it once he has a free hand. "It's been an interesting experience transporting Entrapta. She reminds me a little of my baby sister... just with less restraint."

He's smiling, though, so it looks like the reminder wasn't a bad one.

That was an excellent princess catch, Winter! And he smiled at her, she's positive that's the first time he's made that expression at her because she has been keeping avid track of his facial expressions whenever he looks at her!

"But you caught me, so it's okay!" She loops her arms around his neck and takes her weight off of his metal shoulder, ready to lower herself to the ground. "Hi Grace! Leslie missed you!"

This turns out to be true; the poor Impidimp, having landed on Entrapta's stomach during the catching procedure, is quick to leap monkey-style from his spot clinging to Entrapta's overalls and onto Grace's back, swinging a leg over either side of the Absol's back, and gives a grumbling sigh of relief as he lets his face fall forwards into her mane.

He does set her down the moment he can, because yes, that hurt, and yes, she's far, far too close. It wasn't terrible, though. He helped. She's okay. He's verified quite irrevocably that she's here and whole and not some figment of his very lonely brain. Because he had been lonely. Pokemon are wonderful, and having people as background noise is surprisingly soothing, but none of them are her.

"I. Think I missed you, too," he says with a thoughtful frown. The smile was fleeting, but it might come back later. "I think. I'm not sure what missing feels like, but I think that was it."

Grace croons and twists her head around to nuzzle Leslie. She missed him, too, he's a good friend.

Then, Entrapta settled on her feet and gently detangled from his neck, the Soldier turns to said taxi service. "Thank you. You went really out of your way for this. I am. Grateful. Very. I'm Winter." He hesitates over the hand, then takes it for a very brief, really kind of pathetic shake before stepping back out of reach. Not once does he make eye contact, or even look closely at Steven's face. You wound up with a pair of weirdos here, Steven, sorry.

Steven's own handshake is just the right amount of firm without being crushing.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Winter," he says, pleasantly. "And it's fine, really. Entrapta's been good company. I'm glad I got to be the one to transport her, even if it was a little harrowing keeping her in one piece. You should let me know when you get to Goldenrod eventually--we can all have lunch together."

Honestly, he's not bothered by their weirdness at all. It's a familiar kind of weirdness. A homey kind of weirdness.

"Oh, you should show him the souvenir we got him, Entrapta," Steven adds after a moment. "We stopped at Moomoo Farms for the night one of the nights," he explains.

Edited 2020-07-14 07:24 (UTC)

Entrapta's a little distracted by taking Stevie's face in her hands and smooshing the baby while the two men shake hands, but when Steven speaks directly to her she looks up and beams.

"Of course! We got you a present!" She's reaching into her overall pockets as she chatters, pulling out a wound-down Pokeball and toying with it in her hands as she talks. "With the way we're travelling, we really ought to take into account the amount we'll be able to proceed with handling over long distances if more than one set of Pokemon decides to breed at once, and if we're both carrying at our limit with our own supplies, then we'll need something to carry the eggs, or vice versa." Then she enlarges it and passes it to him. "Plus, it ought to help with your electricity dilemma!"

Stevie is confused by the squishing, but keeps trying to nuzzle her hands, so it's not in a bad way. When she lets him go, he toddles over to Grace and Leslie, stretching up on legs that grew an inch or two during their separation (the rest of him did not; he is now a very leggy little Absol) to paw at his little hands for attention, instead.

The Soldier also looks kind of confused by the babble. Did she spend her money on a new pokemon? That would be fine, he has plenty now, and has something of a skill he's worked out how to make money with in any city they stop at. When she offers it to him he looks between it and her and frowns. (Entrapta doesn't quite get eye contact, but she does get eyes on her face. Clearly because she is trusted.) He does accept it after a moment, very slowly and gingerly, holding it in the flesh hand with the metal one covering the top of it, like maybe it's precious. "Did. You get this for me, Entrapta?"

Yes, Winter, that's what a present means. He's just never gotten one before that he can remember.

"She did," Steven says, gently, watching him with a thoughtful expression. "I came into a bit of money right before I left, so when we stopped at the farms overnight I offered to buy her something to bring back to you, if there was something she thought you might want—in return for her helping me with some equipment trouble at my workplace, which we did when we stopped in Goldenrod."

He smiles fondly at Entrapta, before looking back to Winter. "I think you'll like them—and they will get bigger eventually."

Leslie doesn't lift his face from Grace's mane just yet, but he does reach out when he feels Stevie pawing at his hand, leaning down as far as he can while still remaining both seated and with his face buried and reaching blindly until he feels the second Absol and starts patting him. Friends pet friends.

"I haven't taken her out of her ball since we got her, so you can name her yourself, if you want!" Entrapta says gleefully. Then she quietens down a bit, almost abruptly, and lifts a hand to toy with the edge of her mask, like she might pull it down. "I'm... not good at apologising, so I like to do things for people. This is my way of saying sorry for making you worry."

Yes good. "Absol," Stevie says happily, nuzzling long imp fingers. Grace makes a very good impression of a chuckle, and Sara reaches up to put her special stone in Leslie's other hand. Clearly he needs it more than she does right now.

Not paying a whit of attention to the pokemon (well, okay, a little tiny whit, but they're fine, Grace is looking after everyone), the Soldier. Winter. He shifts his weight a little from foot to foot, weirdly wanting to touch but afraid to touch, like always. The pokeball gets tucked close in to his chest. "Entrapta, no. That wasn't your fault. I was never unhappy with you. You don't need to apologize for that. This is very. Kind. And thoughtful. Thank you. But there's nothing you did wrong that you need to make up for, to me."

Okay, maybe tearing apart the warp pad was a little wrong, but he knows it's just her. Like worrying is apparently just him. He would have paid her fine and helped with her service to make up for it, no questions even asked.

(Steven has not been forgotten. But Entrapta takes precedence.)

It's okay. This is their moment. It makes sense they'd be most concerned about each other.

"Sometimes we need to apologize for our own sakes," Steven observes in a quiet voice, the kind that catches the attention better than shouting. "Even if the person we're apologizing to doesn't need that apology."

The nudge of a rock against Leslie's other hand is enough to make him lift his face out of Grace's mane to stare at it in confusion. He corrects his pose, and stops patting Stevie so he can hand Sara back the stone with a warm "Imp imp." as he gives her a pat too.

Entrapta feels that the warp pads were a perfectly neutral object of morality in regards to her deconstruction thereon, but that's a topic for another day. Instead she just beams at Winter again, and nods at Steven's words. "That's correct. But if it makes you feel better, I did also get her for the purposes I already listed. She's a ground type, so if Nancy gets out of control then you can hang onto her and she can't be electrocuted!"

That's an interesting concept, apologizing to make one's self feel better. If that's the case... he nods once, a little hesitantly, then says, "Just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was mad at you. I'm just glad you're back."

And not only is it a probably expensive gift, and kind of Entrapta, it's even more thoughtful because that's amazing. The idea that something could protect him from electricity? Jesus. He looks between the two of them again, looking vaguely stunned, and finally pops the pokeball open. The Mudbray hops into existence with a honking... well, bray. And it promptly looks around, and then headbutts the Soldier's stomach.

The smile inches onto his face again as he scratches between the long ears. That is fucking adorable. "Thank you. Very much."

Steven ends up smiling too—a real one, not just one of his pleasantries. They're sweet together. "Even small like that they'll be about to carry an awful lot," he says. "Once they evolve, they'll be pretty much the strongest Pokemon you'll find. And they look amazing as Mudsdales—like a real warhorse. They're definitely my riding Pokemon of choice.

"We got one with some egg moves already too," he adds. "Entrapta was already asking questions about them and I figured why not? And Roar is as useful as hell when you're traveling and you don't need to get dragged into a whole impromptu battle with a wild Pokemon."

The Mudbray, small as it is, still comes up to Entrapta's waist as she darts forward to take its face gently in both hands and pat it with a wide grin. "I have so many extra notes to share with you about breeding standards from the Moomoo Farms!" she says brightly, beaming up at Winter again.

"I'll look forward to you sharing them with me," he says, sounding warmer than usual. The Mudbray flicks his little tail and snorts in Entrapta's face, but kindly doesn't stamp on her toes.

He glances over at Steven again. "This is very kind of you, as well." That couldn't have been cheap. Egg moves. Jesus. This Mudbray is probably the most valuable pokemon in either of their groups, now. "Do you. Want to stay for lunch? You've been flying a long time." And that can't be comfortable. Hungry work, sitting in the cold air as the wind buffets you around. He's kind of amazed Entrapta's hair isn't in giant snarls.

"I would, thank you," Steven says, sounding relieved. "I can just warp home, of course, when it's time, so I don't see why I can't see a little more of Azalea while I'm here. The last time I came I was mostly preoccupied with work."

Not that Winter would know it, but largely the lack of tangles is thanks to Leslie at this point. Now that he's stopped patting the babies, he pushes himself into standing on Grace's back for a moment, and makes the easy leap from there onto Entrapta's arm and climbs onto her shoulder so he can get piggybacked again.

"Does that mean you've found any restaurants here that serve tiny food?" she asks Winter, sincerely and eagerly.

Sara waves her rock at Leslie in farewell, then makes motions like she'd like up on Grace's back, too. Grace pretends not to notice them, instead nosing Stevie back to the Soldier. (Winter. Come on, man.)

Luckily, knowing her weird penchant for small food, he's been looking. "The jazz club serves these things called 'orderves'--" He means hors d'oeuvre, clearly, but he's never seen it written and though he could translate the French to know what it actually means, it hasn't occurred to him that he needs to. "--which are pretty small. They might be small enough for you. Also, the music is great." Which shouldn't surprise her at all. He listens to the jazz stations on the radio whenever he gets the chance.

Steven smiles. "I heard there's going to be a tiny food pop-up restaurant later this year in Goldenrod," he comments. "But not the exact dates or anything. I could let you know when it happens, though. But yes, hors d'oeuvres are pretty small in and of themselves. So you like jazz, Winter?"

Entrapta has nothing else to say for the moment; she's listening, but she's also letting the two men talk amongst themselves, as she instead bends down to pick up Sara and carry the Happiny in her arms to rescue her from Grace's snubs, and starts happily playing with her nubby hands.

Sara seems quite content to be picked up and snuggled. "Happinyyyyy."

"That's Sara," the Soldier puts in for her. "I'm not sure where I got her anymore. But she's very kind. Maybe a little bossy."

Back to Steven, starting to lead the way slowly in the direction of the jazz club. It takes obvious effort to say, "Yes. I. Do." He's not supposed to like things, it's not allowed, but it was a direct question and he doesn't like to lie. And no one has punished him in weeks, so maybe it's a little okay to break the rules. "Listen to it on the devices. All the time."

Steven nods. "There's a station out from Goldenrod that plays it," he says. "I work in the Radio Tower," he adds. "In the newsroom, right now, but eventually I'd like to be an announcer. Do you two have a phonograph or any sort of portable music players? Because there's a used and new record shop by the Tower and you could probably get some albums there. And I assume you'll be heading there eventually."

"No! Largely we've been using Winter's gear to play local radio channels," Entrapta notes brightly. "With the occasional clutches of eggs our Pokemon produce, it's inconvenient to carry any particularly large leisure items as of yet. They take up so much space!"

That word is very familiar. Records. Phonographs. "Just the radio," the Soldier says, but sounding distracted, a little vague, as they walk towards the club. He's frowning slightly, now, one hand on the Mudbray as it clops along beside him, Grace training behind with Stevie bounding at her heels.

He says a step or two later, "I. Think I used to have one, though." How could that be possible? HYDRA wouldn't let the Asset have a record player, Christ. During that time when the Stupid Target said they were supposedly friends, that he doesn't remember?

Steven nods. "I suppose a walkman would be the easiest thing to transport," he muses out loud, "but you'd still have to carry your tape or CD collection. Vinyl's got better sound quality," he adds. "Jack swears by it. But, uh, definitely the hardest to bring around with you. I think they used to have little phonograph suitcases, though. My dad said he had one when he was younger. But by the time I really started to care about music, everyone was listening to cassette tapes."

Victory Road: IC Contact

July 10, Azalea Town

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