leaveyourstarburning: (Default)
Zulf ([personal profile] leaveyourstarburning) wrote2012-07-30 05:22 pm

004. Text/Action for Goldenrod City

[It's been a month full of crises, it seems; Zulf has been aware of the attacks, of the assaults on civilians and gyms and the Centers, and out of all of that, it's the last one that angers him most. And then there were the mutations, the illnesses, things that couldn't be fought with words or actions, leaving him feeling rather useless, all things considered.

And then had come proof that whomever had said that bad things happened in threes hadn't been wrong; the third crisis was of a far more personal nature. Zulf supposed it was selfish to allow the personal issue to cut him far more deeply than the attacks against Johto as a whole; however, he found that it was something that he couldn't help.

He allowed himself to be useless for a short while afterwards, to give himself time to recover, to not be rash; following that period, he had returned to Goldenrod City and found work immediately, among all the people that were still alive and not burnt to ashes where they stood - how long would it be before Zia could see something like this again? - and the buildings that seemed a bit too tall to be real. It was what he did when he didn't know what else to do - he threw himself into his work, whatever that may happen to be in his current location.

Today, though, he's distanced himself from all that a bit, sitting in one of the open squares near the northern side of town, close to Route 35; the park is small but nice, and he's sitting on one of the benches occupying the edge of it, in rather plain sight. There are several Pokemon playing in the grass; some are his, some aren't, but they all seem to be getting along rather well; he glances up once in a while to see what they're doing, but for the most part he seems rather content with what he's looking at, and he's rather comfortable diverting his attention back to the 'Gear, on which he's been tapping out a message to send to the network. He shifts a bit once in a while, allowing his leg to brush up against the large bag at his feet as though checking to make sure it's still there, but it's not an anxious motion, though the text itself seems to be taking a while to set up.]


For those that knew her, Zia is no longer in Johto. May she feel Mother's love and protection in our home world. She liked creatures of all sorts and enjoyed taking care of them; now that she isn't here anymore, I would like to try to do so in her stead.

My name is Zulf; the Pokemon Centers are still down, but I have good numbers of Revives and Hyper Potions. I was not affected by the mutations, but I do not fear you if you were. Should you want to avoid the public healing center in town for that reason or any other and can't afford your own healing supplies, I can be found in Goldenrod City, near the route leaving town to the north. I'm told that I dress strangely/am hard to miss, and I always have at least a Scolipede out in the area with me (her name is Hanako, she is friendly and will not try to eat you). I'll try to be there in the evenings for as long as I'm needed.


[And with that out of the way, he'll be returning to...whatever he's been doing on that bench; it appears to be playing with a few rather large skeins of string, braiding them together in what appear to be bracelets of some sort while he waits.]
shakespearealien: (bwuh? ;;)

[Action.]

[personal profile] shakespearealien 2012-07-30 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Today, it has occurred to Gorthan that his headaches may improve a little if he spent more time outside. After all, that panic he would feel at the mere sight of a Bug-type Pokémon is mostly gone now, and Poison types no longer see him as a threat to their homes.

And indeed, when Gorthan first catches a glimpse of the Scolipede in the distance, there is no visceral reaction, other than wondering in passing how a species that is so rare in this area could have ended up here.

It's not long until he notices Zulf as well, recognizing him after a minor double-take.]


Oh! Zulf! So we meet in person, at last!

[Not only is he surprised, he seems... very interested in the little craft that Zulf seems to have busied himself with.]
determinator: (♕ Hear the dogs howling out of key)

[ACTION]

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-30 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[Zulf isn't the only one who has experienced some kind of crisis. Admittedly, Archer's isn't quite as big of a deal (he and Kimblee will reconcile, after all), but he does understand the feeling of loss and being alone. It's something that Archer hates and it usually ends with him lashing out. Today is a bit different - but perhaps that's because it's Zulf. Archer isn't sure what it is about Zulf, but he feels the (ridiculously strange) urge to look after him and make sure he's alright. This isn't something that's ever really bothered him before (except for Kimbley, but that's entirely different).]

[Archer doesn't reply to the text; he didn't know Zia very well at all and isn't sure what to say. He does head north immediately though. For once he only has one Pokémon out with him - the Venipede, who doesn't really seem to mind being carried around. Hey, at least he's not being insulted by Archer's horrible friend!]

[Zulf doesn't look much different from when they met in Ilex Forest. In fact, he's still incredibly easy to spot with that ridiculous skirt. Archer stops just short of him, bending to let the Venipede down. The bug skitters off immediately to examine the other Pokémon.]


...I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, Zulf.

[Archer's words are slow and careful, as if he's not quite sure whether it's appropriate. He knows people react differently to things like this - just a few days ago he nearly broke down into shrieking histrionics at Gorthan, and he wasn't even directly discussing Kimblee.]

[Archer's mutation was very mild and has completely disappeared by now. The only side effect seems to be frequent headaches, but that's something he can deal with. What he's not aware of is the fact that he's still constantly projecting emotions. It's not as obvious over the 'Gear of course, but in person it's surprisingly strong. His expression is carefully controlled into something that might be sympathy if you squint and tilt your head enough, but the emotion is very obviously relief. He's not relieved Zia is gone and he's certainly not glad to see Zulf upset; he's just very glad that Zulf is here and he finally has someone to talk to.]
determinator: (♕ Trials by fire; setting fires)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-30 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[Said babybug is perfectly content to make all the friends! Archer is confident that Kann can take care of himself. ...Well, okay, he'll come skittering back to Archer and start wailing if he gets beat up on, but no big deal.]

[Archer still isn't sure what to do with that bowing. Is that someone everyone from Zulf's word does? Is it rude not to return it? He finally settles for folding his hands behind his back and nodding slightly.]


As well as one can be in times like this.

[It's a lie and he knows it, but launching into a discussion of his Kimblee right now seems horribly awkward. The relief hasn't faded in the slightest, however. Sorry Zulf.]
determinator: (♕ I beg to dream and differ)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-30 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, of course I meant the attacks.

[Dammit, Zulf, why are you so good at reading people?]
determinator: (Default)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-30 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[Still a Chinchou? Well, Archer does understand the desire to keep a Pokémon small and cute forever...]

No, I wasn't. I apologize for that; I was one of the many struck by that illness and didn't have much of an opportunity to post to the network.

[He's a bit surprised by that though, and the feeling alters slightly to reflect that. He's not used to having someone actively worry about him.]

I appreciate your concern. I apologize for making you worry.
determinator: (♔ And we've already seen)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
[...yes it... really is...]

[Archer's emotions go from rather calm to an unholy combination of fury, frustration, and pain before suddenly going flat. His expression twitches a bit as well, but Archer is quick to control that too. He's fine. Everything is fucking dandy.]


He's fine, yes. I suppose you could say we're separating for a bit; he has other interests to attend to.
determinator: (♕ I beg to dream and differ)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Archer isn't sure what that was either; his face must have done something horribly terrifying to get Zulf to flinch quite like that. Archer isn't quite sure what to do about it other than ignore it. That seems like the best option.]

Yes.

[...awkward...]
determinator: (♕ Another protester has crossed the line)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
No, we aren't. As I said, he had some things to attend to.

[Again there's a flash of irritation - not at Zulf, of course - but Archer crushes that as easily as he did the first time. He's perfectly fine without Kimblee. Perfectly. Fucking. Fine.]
determinator: (♕ The ones who died without a name)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
I'm perfectly fine, Zulf.

[There's a bit of an edge to Archer's tone there and he looks less than pleased, but the emotional dissonance is still there. He's gotten rather good at crushing his feelings, after all!]

I appreciate your concern, but I'm not upset. It was a mutual agreement and it's not as though I've lost him for good.

[..........................hopefully.]
determinator: (♕ To a hymn called "Faith and Misery")

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Archer relaxes a bit, though the lack of emotion is still quite present.]

It's alright. I suppose I've been a bit tense without him here, that's all.
determinator: (♕ I beg to dream and differ)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
He needed some time to work on something. Alone. That's all.

[It's a lie, a ridiculously obvious one at that. He could have come up with something better, so why didn't he? He doesn't want to discuss it. At all. But it's... it's easier to deal with things like this after he's talked about them, right? That's why Kimblee constantly pushes-- pushed him. Archer doesn't continue though; he's really not sure he wants to.]
determinator: (♔ And we've already seen)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
...I know.

[The confusion is obvious; he's not used to this. Kimblee always pressures him into talking. It's weird not being forced into dealing with it. He could very easily leave it be and try to change the subject to something else. This is easy; why the hell is he having such a hard time doing it?]

...We fought. He left afterwards.

[Archer turns his attention toward the bugs rather than Zulf. He has no issues lying and isn't embarrassed by that, but he just can't make eye contact with him for some reason. The feeling of relief is strong again - it legitimately feels good to admit that for some reason.]
determinator: (♛ It's about who you know)

[personal profile] determinator 2012-07-31 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Archer doesn't speak for a long moment. There's really no way to explain what they fought about without going into detail. The relief is replaced with mild confusion, but Archer finally does speak.]

...We argued about the way I handled the attack on Goldenrod. I tried to keep him locked up - something I know he has an issue with - for his own safety. He obviously didn't approve of that.

[There's no way to properly explain it without making it sound like it's entirely his fault, but Archer still doesn't believe it is. Yes, what he did was terrible, but it was to keep Kimblee from getting killed or captured. It was for his own safety.]

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