001. Video/Action for Route 29

[fatalissimo]

[Well, Nonon has been here for a few days and in that time, she has observed the following:

1. The rest of her Elite Four do not appear to have come here with her.
2. She does not appear to be dreaming or hallucinating this place.
3. It certainly is a longass walk to Cherrygrove City.

Of course, during the course of working out 2 and 3, number 4 also made itself pretty clear – that being that there are a lot of weird as hell people around and no one really seems to know why. In Nonon's experience, strange unexplained freak-of-nature occurrences usually have something more behind them, and that "something more" is almost never "something good"; she's not sure how familiar her surroundings will be to others and she doesn't really want to risk anything being recognized if they're really distinctive (who knows, maybe Route 29 is noted for some particularly bizarre flower or something that'll be right behind her during the broadcast), so after a moment of pacing around while taking a break from wandering through yet more Absolutely Nothing, she seems to have found a filming spot that's to her liking.

By which we mean "she's found a tree with low enough branches for her to climb easily." It's more or less perfect – she likes being up high, all trees look more or less the same where she came from and Johto isn't much different, and…well, it prevents her travelling companion from just visibly walking into the shot, in case that comes back to bite either of them later.

So! Today there is a very tiny drum major on a very large branch, reclining like being up high ain't even a thing, and she's sucking on a lolly of some sort. Cherry, if the color when she slides it out of her mouth is any indication.]

A crime wave already? Either I've been brought somewhere horrid, or one of the newcomers might be bad luck. I hope it's not the former, this place seemed so nice, too...

[She trails off a little, as though thinking; it doesn't take very long for her to perk up again immediately, though.]

Ah, but that's okay, I guess – though it's making me wonder if there's somewhere good to shop that isn't that department store that's just been robbed? I'm looking for a particular textile brand; if anyone knows of a place I can buy clothing issued by Revocs, that'd be great!

[Ha. Haha. Haha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

No but really though, she hadn't seen anything familiar in that one shop in New Bark; either something here is really wrong, or something is really right, and she can't be sure which it is.]

I'd prefer to avoid the recent criminal activity, though, if it can be helped; I don't think it's really any place for someone like me. Does that sort of thing happen a lot here...?

[...Might as well try to get some idea of the climate of the place, while she's at it.

She cuts the feed off after that and jumps down from the tree with no hesitation whatsoever; she can be found on the route for the remainder of the day, because it's like she found out earlier – it's a longass walk to Cherrygrove.]

Comments

[aufsassig]

[...Is that a tiny pink-haired girl with a cutesy tone and sugary-sweet demeanor?

WELP, THIS ONE'S PROBABLY AN ASSASSIN okay, then, let's just see what's what here.]

That's a pretty specific brand request. Are they your sponsor or something?

[fatalissimo]

[WELL ACTUALLY no not quite but]

Why? A girl can't have preferences?

[She doesn't sound too bothered, though; clearly teasing, if those light notes in her voice are anything to judge by.]

They're they top clothing and textile corporation in the world, that's all. There's nothing wrong with wanting a reminder of the place, and you never know, they might have something like it here.

[aufsassig]

[Traditionally speaking, the cutesy types go one of two ways: either they're heinous monsters in disguise, or they think they're heinous monsters right up until they start playing in the big leagues and get a knife through their back.

And then your telekinetic has a hysterical breakdown, destroys a mansion, raises them from the dead against all universal laws of being, and you know what, then it's a party. But anyway.]

You're sitting in a tree and worrying about fashion. Don't try to tell me that's not curious.

So what're you in the market for? A pretty dress and some hair ribbons?

[fatalissimo]

[Or they just legitimately like being cute. Good lord, what hellhole did you wander in from?

...That said, she may or may not have just shredded a nudist colony, so there's that.]

What, are those supposed to be mutually exclusive? Stereotyping's going to come back to bite you one day if you keep that up.

If you know where I can get some hats that don't look like they crawled out of a truck stop, that'd be nice, though.

[aufsassig]

[...Fun fact: Japan is apparently the ancient-of-days destined place for resurrecting Eldritch Cthulhu Hitler, so...yeah, there you go. ANYWAY.]

You're pretty rude for a girl asking for favors. Does acting like that usually get you what you want?

[fatalissimo]

[...no lies detected, actually...]

That depends on who I'm talking to.

[aufsassig]

Right now you're talking to a guy who might know where to find a decent hat. So you tell me.

[fatalissimo]

Well, it's not like what I said wasn't true.

[aufsassig]

No point in sugarcoating things, huh? Unless it's one of those candies of yours.

[fatalissimo]

I wasn't going to say it, but precisely. If people are going to be offended by the truth, then that's more their problem than mine.

[aufsassig]

Celadon City. That's the big fashion center in the regions.

Try making a friend there.

[fatalissimo]

[Oho.]

Much obliged!

Been here a while, then?

[aufsassig]

I meant make a friend who isn't me.

[fatalissimo]

Oh, believe me, I'm not planning on it being you. Just wondering where you got that information from, given that we all apparently start out in the sticks.

[aufsassig]

And since the old bag who greets you isn't exactly helpful.

[He assumes, from what he's gathered of other people's experiences.]

Try asking the pink-haired nurses. They're pretty chatty.

[fatalissimo]

I'll try that, then, assuming we find a town before we keel over.

[THIS LACK OF TRANSPORTATION, THOUGH.]

[aufsassig]

And even if you don't make it, at least you won't have died wearing a trucker cap. So there are still worse things.

[fatalissimo]

[...oh. Oh, how dare you make her laugh with something that fucking stupid - ]

See, there you go! You're not so bad; maybe next time I'll even say 'please' when I'm asking you for something.

[aufsassig]

You think saying please is going to make you any more likely to get it when you do?

[fatalissimo]

Not really, but that's not saying much - I got what I wanted this time without it, didn't I?

[aufsassig]

Unless I'm lying.

[fatalissimo]

You could be! But it's pretty stupid to lie about something that's easily verified like that.

[aufsassig]

And if you had a way to verify it already, you wouldn't have needed to ask in the first place.

But lucky for you, I'm telling the truth. I don't lie to cute girls.

[fatalissimo]

[Damn right.]

And does the honesty have a name to go with it?

[aufsassig]

Probably. Does the cute girl?

[fatalissimo]

She does.

[aufsassig]

Good. I'm glad we've got that settled.