tabularasa_rp | open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

[ Raihan hasn't done much exploring out in the world since the memory exchange - he'd managed to check out the underground mall... school... thing... but most of his time had been spent in Hammerlocke's ruins, looking for clues about why everyone might have had that strange vision. he hasn't found anything yet, but after what feels like days of searching, it's about time for a change in scenery.

Raihan and Duraludon have been here for a little while, investigating the station briefly before checking out the interior of the train. the sound of someone's voice catches both of their attentions, both of them peeking out of an open set of doors to see Damien poking around in front of them. ]

This place is yours, then? [ "yours" meaning "from your world", of course, but that probably goes without saying. ] It's pretty mundane... but I guess that's a good thing, with the way this place can muck things up.

[Damien glances over, frowning as he tries to place Raihan (he's seen him around, but he's not sure they've actually spoken before now), and then nods]

It is. [a beat] And as far as I can tell, it hasn't been bastardized by something else. It's just Husker Station, just the L. [the Red Line is missing, as far as he can tell, but -- still. it's still the L as he remembers it] I keep expecting to be able to see May Stadium beyond the trees.

[he glances away, that said, as if he's checking to make sure it hasn't just appeared in the last however long. alas, it hasn't. ah, well]

[ similarly, Raihan has at least gotten glances of Damien but hasn't yet taken any opportunity to introduce himself. he's gotten used to people coming to him first - if his height didn't catch people's eyes immediately, Duraludon certainly did. but seeing as everyone here is in the same boat, what harm is there trying to get to know everyone? ]

Let's hope it stays that way! It'd be nice to have a train line to get around... not that these cars look like they're going anywhere. Talk about a tease.

[ there hasn't been any sign of things budging since Raihan got here, and without any signs of technology working the way it should, he's not expecting it to anytime soon. but saying all of that feels needlessly pessimistic, so he keeps it to himself as he hops out off the train with his hands stuffed casually in his pockets. Duraludon follows, carefully hopping onto the platform. ]

What kind of stadium was it? [ he's vaguely curious; surely it wasn't one for Pokémon battles like Hammerlocke Stadium was. from the sporty-looking uniform number emblazoned on his uniform shorts, Damien might be able to parse why he's interested. ]

Edited 2020-10-09 05:00 (UTC)

[Damien hasn't been actively avoiding him or anything, the opportunity to approach him just hasn't really come up until, well, now. no time like the present, though!]

Believe me, I know. [he'd love it more than anything if the train would actually run. it'd make getting around easier for him especially, when he's the reason Kaiba's building the ramps in Mount Silver in the first place. it's hard out here for a disabled man]

But it was a baseball stadium. [he pauses, looking Raihan over] Do they have baseball, where you're from? [he figures the uniform is for whatever Pokemon fighting sport thing goes on in his world, but it occurs to him he has no concept of what other sports they might have -- or what Pokemon training and battling really entails, actually]

Edited (html fail. sorry.) 2020-10-09 22:08 (UTC)

[ he's noticed Damien's leg brace by now, and it makes him wish that he could call on Flygon more than ever. having a flying Pokémon would give him so much more freedom... he's starting to realize that he'd taken it for granted before this.

he smiles a little wider, mostly because while it sounds a little silly at first, it's not a bad question to ask. competitive Pokémon battling is definitely the most popular sport around by virtue of its unbeatable hype, but it's not like it was the only option for sporting entertainment. ]

Yeah, we have baseball. It's not really my region's thing, though - football is where it's at, as far as human sports go.

[ from his accent - which Damien will understand as unmistakably English - that actually might make sense. baseball was definitely more of a Unovan pastime, and Raihan finds it ridiculously dull. ] My stadium's not exactly in the best state for anything right now, but I reckon we could fit a diamond in there eventually.

[ he's speaking, of course, of Hammerlocke Stadium and its ruins. he'd already gone into talks with Tifa and Cloud about making it a multi-purpose space, so why not fit another sport into it? ]

Ugh, football.

[he's not a fan. though ... ] Though are we talking football where you touch the ball, or football where you use your feet? [because yes, he does sound British to him, so he's imagining soccer, as opposed to American football, now, and that's -- slightly better]

[ the other man's disgust gets a chuckle out of him. with how popular Pokemon battling is and his own position in its professional scene, it almost feels strange to talk about a different sport. ]

The one with your feet, obviously! You wouldn't catch me dead paying any attention to Unovan football. [ he's not as outwardly opposed to it, but brute force isn't fun to watch. ] I don't even think we have our own teams for it... guess it didn't really catch on.

[ the audience for human sports, as large as it is, dwarves the attention that professional Pokémon battling gets when League season rolls around. they have the rest of the year to garner their audiences, but when it's time for Trainers to take on the yearly League Challenge, it's all anyone can talk about. ]

American. [a beat] It's American football, where I'm from. [and another] The one with your hands. The one with your feet is European football.

The former's more common, where I'm from. [probably because he's American, from Chicago] I think there are soccer teams, for the Olympics, but ... [but he shrugs, rather than finish that statement, and offers Raihan a wry smile. why are they even having this conversation? never mind the fact that he sort of started it]

Huh... [ a beat of his own. ] No kidding.

[ that's... really interesting, actually. he wants to ask a little more, but it feels like a lot to get into for a conversation between people who don't know each other's names yet. which means, of course, that Raihan will have to rectify that! with an interested smirk, he crosses his arms in interest. ]

I don't think I caught your name, by the way!

No kidding.

[he can read that interest on Raihan's face, and while again, talking about sports really isn't his thing, he does love hearing himself talk -- and exchanging information, and he's sure he'll have questions for him, too, as they go. he's about to call him out on that, then, so they can get to the good stuff, and then Raihan mentions the whole name thing]

[he barks out a laugh at that. how long did he and Seto go before they actually got around to exchanging names? how many conversations did they have?]

Damien Brenks. [a beat] And you are?

[ hey, that's definitely something they have in common! human sports are totally lame, but he'd gladly chat about competitive Pokémon battling if Damien is interested - either that, or their mutual disdain for American-Unovan football. either way, he's definitely filing that away in the "weird crossovers between worlds" folder of his brain. he's hearing of more and more of them lately... ]

Raihan! And my partner, Duraludon. [ he points a thumb over to the steel creature, who simply stares at Damien. life is hard when you don't have cheeks to smile with... he's trying to be friendly, honest! ] Nice to meet you.

[ he's maybe a little younger than Kabu, from the looks of it... he may not be as outwardly feisty as his Fire-type specialist colleague, but he's clearly opinionated! that could be the makings of a fun guy. ]

Have you met any of us Pokémon Trainers yet? [ if he hasn't, allow him to be a stellar first impression. ] Most people I introduce myself to around here just end up staring Duraludon up and down.

[Damien, surprisingly, has not been staring at Duraludon. if he hadn't met Toshi, Izuku Midoriya's gryphon-manticore-thing, while they were both still here, he might be, but he's learning to take things in stride. that in mind, he nods to Duraludon in greeting -- that seemed to work with Toshi. hello there, dragon thing]

Not personally. I've seen you two around, though -- and that blonde boy. [he's talking about Blue, and while he probably knows him by name, if again not personally, he has a habit of referring to people by what they look like for other people's benefit. never mind the fact that Raihan probably knows Blue by name]

[ that's a surprise, and one that Raihan respects! not that he would blame him for looking Duraludon over, but it means that they can speak on the same level of chill. that said, even he had been bright-eyed at meeting Toshi... but that might just be his zest for all things new and Pokémon-like.

though Duraludon can't nod in acknowledgement due to the lack of a neck, he does part his mouth slightly. that works, right? right. ]

You mean Blue? Yeah... he's hard to miss. [ he smirks; if there was anyone around here that Raihan was subtly competing against for attention, it was probably him. ] Well, you know us now! And I think I want to pick your brain on some stuff, so this won't be the last you see of me.

[that sure is -- some kind of reaction, even if he's not sure what to make of it. he's just going to pretend it's a good thing, if only because Duraludon hasn't made a move for him]

Him, yeah. [a beat] But you're welcome, anytime. [and another] Though, I should probably warn you I'm not exactly an expert in sports. [beyond just football]

open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

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