BATTLE LEGEND™ Blue wants to battle! (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
halloflamer) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tabularasa_rp2020-12-05 03:23 pm
halloflamer) wrote in tabularasa_rp2020-12-05 03:23 pm
OPEN - am I blue? you'd be too
Who: Blue Oak and yoooou
Where: Mt. Silver's peak, Heavenly Blanc, and Mortis Lake (maybe Merlaut Apartments later)
When: throughout voidcember!
What: Between Red and Lance vanishing, Ren and Akechi seemingly vanishing, and Mementos, Blue has been having a real Bad Time.
Content Warnings: alcohol abuse, depression
A. Mortis Lake Forest
[When Blue is stressed out, he has a few ways of dealing with it. The healthiest one, thankfully, comes first.]
[Although they may not having all their usual abilities, having his full team of Pokémon back meant that Blue could get back into the swing of a training routine, and that was at least the first step in keeping his mind straight. Mortis Lake was a great place for this- Gyarados chills in the lake waters for a happy soak while Exeggutor sits amongst the other trees next to a meditating Alakazam, watching as Blue directs Arcanine and Pidgeot in Agility training. Eevee is trying to follow along, although even quick as he is, he can't make such powerful single bounds and dashes as the powerful 'windy' Pokémon can.]
Come on, Arcanine! A little quicker! This time, try to make it to that notched tree over there and back before Pidgeot makes it to that treetop and back! [Blue calls, absorbed in his training. He looks... exhausted, almost like he himself has been pushing at this for hours without a break. You'll have to forgive him and his Pokémon if they don't see you directly in the path of their makeshift training arena.]
B. Heavenly Blanc
[Whether it's before the disappearance of his coworker or after, patrons of Heavenly Blanc might find the bar.... less regularly manned than it usually is. At first, maybe one could chalk it up to the strange sleep cycles everyone has found themselves beholden to, but those that catch the bar's usual tender might realize that's not the only reason.]
[Those that knew him well probably knew Blue was a fan of the bottle to begin with, but the way he's slumped over the bar, or in of the booths, or laying spread eagle on the floor probably makes it obvious this isn't just his usual casual, raucous overdrinking. If a patron enters while he's miserably laying about, he'll blink up slowly, squint, and try to roll himself up. Gotta... get back to work...]
Ah, customer... jus' gimme a second...
C. Mt. Silver's Peak
[And when he just can't bring himself to face the outside world anymore, he goes to where's most familiar to him.]
[...It's sort of laughable that it's this place. It hurts, more than it helps; huddled up on the cavern at the peak, Blue looks out over the world of the void that he can see in glimpses between the veils of snow that fall, below the misty cloudcover that swirls this high up. He wonders if Red always looked down over Kanto like this, wanting to return, but unable to bear it. That was probably how it felt, right? ...Who can know what that guy was ever feeling, or thinking...]
[Blue tucks his face into his knees and sniffles, hard and gross, shivering against the warmth of his Arcanine, who whines and nuzzles against him. That idiot.... there was no way of knowing what had happened to him- if he had slipped and fallen down the mountain, if he'd gotten eaten in those terrible corridors full of monsters and mouths- or if he'd simply ...gotten tired of people again, and vanished somewhere. Gotten tired of him again.]
[Well, in the end, as Blue had always supposed back then- he wouldn't blame him.]
Where: Mt. Silver's peak, Heavenly Blanc, and Mortis Lake (maybe Merlaut Apartments later)
When: throughout voidcember!
What: Between Red and Lance vanishing, Ren and Akechi seemingly vanishing, and Mementos, Blue has been having a real Bad Time.
Content Warnings: alcohol abuse, depression
A. Mortis Lake Forest
[When Blue is stressed out, he has a few ways of dealing with it. The healthiest one, thankfully, comes first.]
[Although they may not having all their usual abilities, having his full team of Pokémon back meant that Blue could get back into the swing of a training routine, and that was at least the first step in keeping his mind straight. Mortis Lake was a great place for this- Gyarados chills in the lake waters for a happy soak while Exeggutor sits amongst the other trees next to a meditating Alakazam, watching as Blue directs Arcanine and Pidgeot in Agility training. Eevee is trying to follow along, although even quick as he is, he can't make such powerful single bounds and dashes as the powerful 'windy' Pokémon can.]
Come on, Arcanine! A little quicker! This time, try to make it to that notched tree over there and back before Pidgeot makes it to that treetop and back! [Blue calls, absorbed in his training. He looks... exhausted, almost like he himself has been pushing at this for hours without a break. You'll have to forgive him and his Pokémon if they don't see you directly in the path of their makeshift training arena.]
B. Heavenly Blanc
[Whether it's before the disappearance of his coworker or after, patrons of Heavenly Blanc might find the bar.... less regularly manned than it usually is. At first, maybe one could chalk it up to the strange sleep cycles everyone has found themselves beholden to, but those that catch the bar's usual tender might realize that's not the only reason.]
[Those that knew him well probably knew Blue was a fan of the bottle to begin with, but the way he's slumped over the bar, or in of the booths, or laying spread eagle on the floor probably makes it obvious this isn't just his usual casual, raucous overdrinking. If a patron enters while he's miserably laying about, he'll blink up slowly, squint, and try to roll himself up. Gotta... get back to work...]
Ah, customer... jus' gimme a second...
C. Mt. Silver's Peak
[And when he just can't bring himself to face the outside world anymore, he goes to where's most familiar to him.]
[...It's sort of laughable that it's this place. It hurts, more than it helps; huddled up on the cavern at the peak, Blue looks out over the world of the void that he can see in glimpses between the veils of snow that fall, below the misty cloudcover that swirls this high up. He wonders if Red always looked down over Kanto like this, wanting to return, but unable to bear it. That was probably how it felt, right? ...Who can know what that guy was ever feeling, or thinking...]
[Blue tucks his face into his knees and sniffles, hard and gross, shivering against the warmth of his Arcanine, who whines and nuzzles against him. That idiot.... there was no way of knowing what had happened to him- if he had slipped and fallen down the mountain, if he'd gotten eaten in those terrible corridors full of monsters and mouths- or if he'd simply ...gotten tired of people again, and vanished somewhere. Gotten tired of him again.]
[Well, in the end, as Blue had always supposed back then- he wouldn't blame him.]
b
Good to see you again! And much better, since we're out of those caves. [ That...hadn't been a great experience for her. ] Is Arcanine back there with you? I think he'd make a very charming business partner!
[ Not "mascot" - somehow she feels like that could be offensive.
...It's closer to now that she takes real stock of Blue's state, and her smile fades slightly. ]
...I don't really need anything from back there, but...would you mind if I sat with you for a while? I think I need a little company.
no subject
[He frowns, and glances to his half-empty glass, and tries to lift his heavy head up so that at least he isn't in such a sorry state when he's got a guest.]
...Yeah, I guess if you want to. [So inviting- he mentally chides himself, and pats the barstool next to him, instead leaning on the counter with his folded arms.] It's a slow day...
no subject
[ No judgment here, Blue. Aerith is a helper! She tilts her head curiously at him as he lifts his head, smiling patiently. ]
Thanks! Appreciate it. [ And she'll sit down without further ado, spinning around on the stool to face the counter. ]
It isn't usually so quiet, is it? I wonder where everyone is today...
no subject
[Just why did Aerith want to hang out with a sad drunk? Well, Blue won't judge, but then again, he supposes Zack had said he was right, when he supposed Aerith was the type to be able to bounce back from things easily. Apparently, that also extended to... other people.]
[Blue lets out a breath like a soft laugh, and shrugs his shoulders.] Maybe they can see the big ol' stormcloud over the bar that I'm brewing up, feeling sorry for myself.
no subject
[ There certainly isn't anything like Pokémon, anyway. This isn't the first time she's been a little envious of all the trainers! ]
Maybe! Or, maybe there's just something else going on in another part of town that neither of us know about. [ Aerith shrugs, leaning on her elbows. ] Either way, I'm here to stay, so no use worrying about where anyone else may be. [ There's a pause, and she looks behind Blue to the bar, and then briefly around the entire place. ]
You probably already know this, but this place is from where I come from...at least, in part. It's weird seeing it here, with these little differences. [ After another lapse, she cracks a smile and shrugs. ] Not bad, though! Sometimes it's nice to get a bit of a change...
no subject
--Oh, but that's right... You're pals with Aerith and blondie, right? [Blue glances around the interior. Ren has given him sort of a breakdown of which parts were 'his', and which were Tifa's, so to speak- so he's got sort of an idea. A café in Ren's world and a bar in theirs, huh?]
[He thinks of the way he felt when he started to see Mt. Silver suddenly so strangely populated- not that he'd ever been as precious about the mountain as Red had, but... nature should stay nature, he thought.]
Can't see you as much of a barfly- oh, are you the bouncer? [He jokes, pushing around at his glass idly.] Now that, I can see...
no subject
[ The question earns a quirk of her brow, and she nods. ] Cloud and Tifa are from Midgar, too. We all got here at the same time. Pretty funny how timing works here, isn't it? Well...when there is time, anyway...
[ His remark about her acting as a bouncer earns a laugh, and then she adopts her most intimidating face, punching one fist into the other palm in a theatrically menacing gesture. ]
Yup, that's me! I'm security, and nobody's getting past me! [ She won't demonstrate beyond that, but she does make a "I'm watching you" gesture at an imaginary figure by the doorway. ] Ya got that?
no subject
[Blue blinks in wide surprise, then tilts his head back to resting his chin over crossed arms.] Pokémon are definitely smarter than a lot of people around here seem to expect, if that's whatcha mean. To me, it's really weird that monsters wouldn't be as smart as people. I mean, how else would the natural world keep order?
[Important questions, weren't they? Well, Blue had accepted that nothing much in this world made sense to him, including, even, some of the people around him.]
[But some folks made more sense than others. That was for sure.]
[He chuckles and lifts his head as Aerith makes her most menacing bodyguard face, raising his hands defensively.] Yikes, alright, you've got the job! ...'sides, I've seen the whacking you can do with that staff, so I never had any doubts.
You know, that might be a good idea. You've seen how rowdy some of the folks around here can get, huh...? Although, I don't think I've met anyone that really has any crappy intentions. That much, I'm glad of. For sure.
no subject
[ At least, none that she's encountered! And she's seen her fair share, moving between Sectors on her own. ]
Crappy intentions, huh...? [ She hesitates, eyeing Blue, and then decides against warning him about the only real threat she's aware of in this place: Sephiroth. Aerith feels like she knows the ex-SOLDIER fairly well, and his ill-intent is currently focused solely on those from Midgar. If he ever gets his hands on real power here, though... Well. She could cross that bridge when they came to it. ]
Happy to help! You just let me know who I should keep an eye out for, and I'll get that rowdiness under control. [ Aerith offers him a thumbs-up in a gesture of confidence. ] Sounds like fun to me!
no subject
[He frowns to himself before he sighs and brushes it off, instead smiling at Aerith's offer. He was grateful to have things to think about other than the self-misery that'd had him sitting alone in the bar and drinking himself stupid.]
...Say, have you ever heard of people vanishing from this place? [He asks slowly, turning his glass in his hands.] You know a lot of people here from back home, but... As far as you can tell, they're all still here, right?
no subject
[ thanks, SHINRA ]
Vanishing? [ Her smile fades a little, replaced with a quizzical look. ] Not that I know of... [ The implications are potentially troubling, though. Or...potentially encouraging? ] But, if you know that's happened, then...that could really mean a lot in figuring out what this place is like. How it ferries people between this world and...others.
no subject
[But.... corrupted? He definitely didn't like the sound of that at all. Corrupted by what? Does he want to know? Somehow he thinks he doesn't, but he'd also like to understand better why people around here treated the monsters so warily.]
...My friends, they disappeared one after the other recently. It's not like them to just get hurt somewhere, and even if Red wandered off, this place isn't that big. [Blue hands shift from his glass to run through his hair, skimming through the spikes and clenching stressfully.] But it was like they vanished without a trace. I just wanna think that maybe they found a way to get home, but what if they-- what if something happened? Like in that underground place....
[When he had met Aerith down there, things had been... tense enough. And searching for them in the midst of it...] I don't know what to do, now. Without them here, I don't....
no subject
[ Not that she gets the sense that any of the Trainers she's met don't appreciate their partners. Lance, Blue, and Raihan all showed great love and care for the Pokémon they worked with. She has no doubt that part of the reason they're so good at what they do (based on what they've said, anyway) is because of how they think of, and treat, their Pokémon. ]
Red...I remember you were looking for him. [ The smile fades. She hasn't at all forgotten the tunnels, or the experiences they offered. ] But...I want to tell you something, okay? I don't think anything happened to them in the tunnels that took them away. I saw a lot of bad stuff down there, but...your friends are all right. [ The smile returns again, expression one of a soft, encouraging hopefulness as she peers across the bar at him. ] They might not be here right now, but I think that just means they're back at home, safe and sound. And...until they come here again, or you go there with them, you're not alone in this place. Even if those two were the only ones here you considered friends, I know there are people you've met that care about you just because you work in this bar and see people all the time! We're...our own big, weird family, here. Not just in Heavenly Blanc, but out there, too. [ She gestures vaguely to the door, eyes a bit brighter as she goes. ] That's why everything's mixed up with a little bit of everyone's memories all jumbled together. It's a message that we're stuck with each other while we're here, so...you can feel free to lean on us while you're not with Red, until you can see them again. Will you do that?
no subject
I could show you the ropes... You know, just lemme know.
[That's the last push of positivity that he can muster before the Real Feels™ ensue. Shoulders hanging, he lets out a deep sigh.]
[He knows that it's no good to just dwell over what's lost. But he had always been sort of bad at not being stuck in the past.] I know what you mean, [He grumbles,] I mean, while we're all here, we might as well help each other out, right?
....But there's some things that I don't think people out here'll ever get, [He glances up towards the rafters, squinting.] You know, me and Red... We've been friends since we were toddlers. No real replacing something like that, so it's not like I expect it, but...
I don't know. It's not like I don't appreciate all of you guys, though. [He tries to give her one more grin, weak as it is.] Maybe I don't think all of you deserve having to deal with me.