♣ ♦ Carry On ♠ ♥ Time doesn't stop; there's no need to give up
Fumbling with the doorknob in the dark, a tall, horned teenager slipped his apartment key into the lock and attempted to open the creaky hinges without too much racket. It wasn't that particularly late, but he had come to find out through observation that a room down the hallway housed the remnants of a broken family that barely got a start. The woman's car was parked in the lot outside, and the room was fairly silent; he didn't want to wake up the needy toddler if the mother had just gotten the child to sleep.
He was careful about closing the door, and as soon as he felt he was in the clear, Connie sighed and flopped himself on the couch that came with the furnished residence. The day hadn't really been too hard on him, but being adaptable still had its limits. The tauros-boy just needed a little bit of rest, and he would be back on his feet no problem. It was almost dinner time as it was, so it was a perfectly acceptable time to take a break and recoup for the evening! Glancing over to the digital clock on the coffee table to his side, he noticed the screen read 3:40 p.m. and grimaced; okay, not quite acceptable yet, but he'd get to that point soon. He'd only recently started living in the city anyway, so he was entitled, wasn't he?
Thinking it over for a brief time, he exhaled once more and pulled out a deck of cards. Shuffling it handily, Connie barely seemed to even be paying attention to the movements his hands executed. Instead, he thought over the past few months of city life as he preoccupied himself with practice. Even if he was tempted to relax for the rest of the evening, he couldn't help but feel badly about wasting so much potential time if he had. Practice practice practice, and maybe he'll feel rested enough to try to earn a little more pay. It would have been a tireless train of thought processing if it weren't for the fact that the teenager was truly fatigued. Running himself to exhaustion almost didn't register in the mind of one so obstinate, as though trying to prove his capabilities to one not paying attention. Or was that someone he himself?
There was a lot of untapped latency, he was sure, but there was a certain lack of confidence required to access it. There used to be nothing Connie was really asked to be able to accomplish outside of... well, maybe not breaking things? But he was hardly the "bull in the china shop" type of pokémon that so many seemed to make of him, so it was an easy enough feat to accomplish. Truly, he didn't even need to think about it to complete the chore.
Not that he was exactly happy with that arrangement. Honestly, he really liked helping out when he could, and the rancher's son that he grew up with appeared to feel grateful when he could aid in the human's chores as well -- even if he wasn't particularly good at it, lacking the thumbs that he did. Or hands of any sort, for that matter, but the kid seemed to get a kick out of it anyway. Maybe Connie had looked amusing trying to carry objects the way the Gaians did with their hands, but teeth rarely worked in the same manner.
Of course, all of that changed when the young tauros stumbled upon a shiny little five-pointed treasure. He had thought it was rather pretty when he found it, but then the thought that even flowers' beauty fades with time never really entered his mind. It had long since snuck off into the night by the time the tauros had reawakened, and stole with it his previous life. Funny how crises seemed to bring out both the best -- and worst -- of people. Why couldn't things have stayed the same? So what if he looked a little different, nothing on the inside had changed!
He snickered at the thought; it was rather childish, the bullheadedness that he had exhibited back then. Connie had tried to prove both that he was the same tauros as before and how human he was. Did he really think such a feat would have worked, would have convinced the humans that everything was the same as it ever had been? Connie knew that it wouldn't be the same; he was the one that he had been trying to convince all along.
However, maybe it was for the better. In a way, out of everything he wanted to do in life, the family was only holding him back from seeing it all. Not that it was a bad thing: having some place to come back to, somewhere welcoming and safe, there was a certain ease, a sentiment. Well... that wasn't really going to happen. Having livestock suddenly exhibiting not only a more human form but a more evidently "human" soul was a bit of a shock to the system. Were all pokémon like that? Then what had they been doing with their lives all this time? It was as though he was the cause of initiating a viral mid-life crisis, no matter the age of the one infected.
Unhappiness was not something he really liked to see, especially when he was the cause of it. Maybe it was humility he was feeling when he left the home and struck out on his own, but he felt it was more out of selfishness. Guilt was probably the true essence of it. He didn't know what exactly would have become of the family after he left, but he felt that there was a possibility things would be better if the tauros-boy were out of the picture for recovery to commence. However, Connie didn't know for certain if it was for the best... what if that only complicated things for them? And whose best intentions did he really have at heart with that move?
"This is why I hate reminiscing..." Connie sniggered to himself with a solemn shake of the head. When one only had unpleasant memories that they were sifting through on their own, such notions tended to get skewed. Leaning back, Connie shuffled the card deck in his hands, "They'll be fine. Things usually work out in the end, especially when you're as stubborn as they were. Turned out fine with me." There was really no need to worry about it anyway, especially considering there was nothing that could be done now.
So he shook it off, like he had done before. The tauros-human had worked from the bottom rung of society to carve himself a little niche in it. Granted... he was still pretty much on the bottom, but at least he was working honestly. Maybe a streetside card dealer wasn't as obvious a choice to make when one wanted to perpetuate such integrity, but it was something he was good at. Not only that, but it was fun, albeit a bit risky when one wanted to have a steady income. The odd jobs were staggered in their availability, and he often had a hard time snatching one without it going to someone more qualified.
The jobs seemed easier to grab once he had grown a bit bigger, but that was only something that had recently happened. His horns were growing in nicely, he was building more physical strength with the chores, and with a thoughtful hand to his jaw he had to admit that he was pretty good at looking more adult now. That was sure to help him out.
Things were starting to look up, he just had to keep working at it. Nothing came easy in life, but as long as there was still room to act like himself, he could deal with the hard work.
[[ Word Count: 1,316 ]]
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:31 pm
♣ ♦ Two Sides to Every Street ♠ ♥ Ways of life are not consistent across the spectrum
Winter had been steadily making its way into the remnants of summer, something that was visibly obvious with the frequency to which the sun's rays had been blocked off by increasingly angry cloud cover. The few trees in the area were enflamed in warm colors, not yet ready to fully dispatch their leaves from limbs, but the cooler weather was tempting them to reconsider. It was the early part of autumn, yes, but the weather had been particularly strange lately so snow was not out of the question. Something about... what was it called, global warming? El Niño? Connie had heard a few options, but all he knew was that it was making it more and more uncomfortable to work outside without needing warmer gear.
Unfortunately, the cooler weather also brought fewer and fewer people to the city streets, making it more difficult to actually gain any customers for the job of his that was... quite honestly, probably more of a hobby. So he had to find work elsewhere, gaining a temporary job at a warehouse; the tauros physique definitely created an ease with the line of work.
There were things to watch out for that Connie hadn't been made aware of right away as well, especially when the warehouse was located in the downtown area. True, the teen had been staying in this section of the city since he had arrived, but that didn't make him an automatic expert on the functionality of the poorer part of town. Even if he identified with the social sect, he was still a child when it came to the knowledge of living there -- a rather naive child. "Now make sure nothing gets in when you're loading up the truck," Connie's supervisor relayed, "You know how people can be when the air starts turning, and I hear we're going to be getting a bit o' wind from the mountains."
Connie blinked, attempting to figure it out on his own before asking for clarification. A moment went by before he shook his head, "No, I... I haven't worked here before. What do you mean?"
"You from out of town, aren't you?" the man asked, though was still caught unaware that the teen hadn't become accustomed to the idea of the homeless and their desperation, "When it starts getting cold, those without a place to stay will try to find a building that they can hide in. Kinda like a stowaway on a ship, if you will. They don't belong in here. This place is hardly safe for 'em to live in anyway. There's a center a few blocks down, but I suppose some of 'em just have that ol' stubborn pride or what-have-you." He shrugged before motioning to the flatbed trolley that Connie already had his hands on, "Anyway, get going and don't let any unauthorized personnel in here. I don't expect 'em this early, but you can never be too careful."
Connie watched the man walk off, unsure if the teen really agreed with his supervisor's sentiment on the matter. It hadn't exactly been all that long ago that the tauros-boy had been under similar circumstances, though they weren't precisely the same. Stubborn pride... that was something he could identify with. It was hard to ask for help when you viewed yourself as being stronger than that. It was almost a sense of failure if one had to request aid.
Shaking his head, he started moving the trolley over to a stash of crates. He wasn't getting paid to be empathic about things out of his control, and if he didn't get this moved, he wasn't getting paid at all. Besides, he was bound to not have any such encounter today anyway.
Maybe.
<<...and then you run around the back...>> Connie paused as the voice reached his ears, <<...stay close, don't fall behind.>> That was... a pokémon, wasn't it? Not exactly the type of homeless individual he had been expecting -- not that he had been expecting any to show up in the first place.
He peered over his shoulder in the general direction the voice originated from, attempting to act inconspicuous despite the halt in his activity. He saw a few silhouettes sneak in through the front, slipping deftly in at the corner and quickly into the shadows. Smirking, Connie turned around to see them duck in behind some currently unmoved crates, "Now now, you don't belong back there." When they refused to budge, he inched closer, motioning for them to do the same, "Come on, come out."
<<Arashi, he knows we're back here...>> one of the pokémon said; from the dialect, it seemed to be a poochyena, <<What should we do?>>
There was a pause, and Connie couldn't hear any verbal answer from whoever this 'Arashi' was. He sighed, really not wanting to have this situation escalate; he only wanted to help, "I can always go back there and get you myself, if you want. I know you can understand me." He may have been more human now, but he knew he could still be understood by other pokémon. How else was he able to say goodbye to his blood relations when he left home?
There came the sudden sound of scampering on the concrete floor, and it didn't seem too happy. Connie braced himself a little, just in case the pokémon was more violent than normal, and... wait, wasn't that the sound of a bare human foot? Preparation from the encounter went out the window at the realization as he took a step back, bewildered. In a flash, the long-eared, fox-tailed child ran into view, skidded to a halt, and whipped a sand attack at the teen before the child even registered what he was up against. It didn't matter anyway, this was self-preservation.
<<Arashi!>> the poochyena coughed behind the makeshift barricade, <<No, you'll alert them to our location!>>
The child pokémon evinced scornful chagrin, pausing a moment to calculate the group's next course of action. There was little time to linger, and they needed to move fast. Calling over his shoulder, the poké-child reserved the energy needed to spin on a heel in favor of using it to sprint forward after barking out commands, "Arceus... move out! We'll take it a few blocks down, we might still be able to outrun-- ack!" Connie had snatched the boy by the collar of the shirt while he was distracted, lifting the child far enough from the ground that he could still fidget to touch the concrete without getting enough traction to run. "Get your balmy mitts off me, creep!" the child hissed. Instead of panicking at the unforeseen turn of events, the kid seemed to be getting more defensive; it was not a common trait for a child thrown onto the streets. How long had he been out here?
Despite the temptation to chuckle at his reaction, Connie could tell it was a bit of a dire situation. This was not the kind of 'homeless individual' that he was being told about; they weren't here for shelter, they were here for a very temporary safe haven. Not only that, but they... weren't exactly the kind of homeless humans he was told of. Loopholes could be a saving grace. Setting the thrashing child down, Connie nudged him back toward the crates without a word and went back to ferrying the cargo.
Arashi stood stunned for a moment, unsure of what he should be doing -- or trusting -- but his time was up. Fur bristling suddenly, he dove back behind the boxes in the hopes he hadn't made as foolish a decision as he felt like he did. If worse came to worst, he could always fight back... but that was the final alternative, and he wanted to prevent it from happening. Tension registered in how tightly he gripped the baguette between his fingers, Trace beside him teetering on his feet in anticipation.
"Sir!" a man called to Connie as he came running down the street. The tauros-teen coughed in response to the residual sand attack before waving at the nearing Gaian. Puffing, the man looked downright irate, "That little thief is in there, isn't he?"
Connie blinked, a bit on the confused side, "What do you mean? What thief?"
"He stole some of my produce! Where is the little brat hiding!?" he raged. When there was little response, the man elaborated, "It's some monster of a child, thinks he's part of the pokémon gangs around here. They're nothing but trouble, so if you're hiding him, it's best to cough him up!"
Connie jabbed a thumb behind himself, causing Arashi and Trace to jolt, "In there? No, there's nobody like that in there. I've been on watch."
"But... you're not just hiding the kid, are you? He needs help," obviously the man did not believe the teen. He obviously had no intention of really 'helping' Arashi or his friend, either.
"Maybe he ran down the street? I was in the back for a bit, so I might have missed it," Connie stated with a shrug. He was attempting to off-put the man from questioning further, but it didn't seem to be working as quickly as he would have liked. Trying to sound a bit exasperated, he gripped the trolley handle and started rolling it back toward the waiting truck, "Now if you don't mind, I've got work to do. You might miss him if he's still running."
The man narrowed his eyes, until he noticed a pile of sand bags in the back of the warehouse, already prepared for the upcoming unfavorable weather. Attributing this to what he perceived as a sand attack, his severe expression turned into alarm and he quickly withdrew down the street.
Arashi and Trace waited for a few more minutes, making sure the man wasn't going to return as soon as the two of them stepped into view. Trace waited for Arashi to make the first move, the eevee-child's ears bristled back as he watched the teen poké-human work. Once Connie neared their hiding spot, the child asked in a low, skeptical tone, "Why did you lie for us?"
"What do you mean?" Connie asked, acting puzzled. Eyebrows knit together before he opted to explain his motives, "I never lied. He asked for some kid that pretended he was a pokémon. You are not the kid he was looking for, since you're clearly a pokémon." He motioned with his hand, knocking a startled torrent of opposing emotion into the eevee.
Was this guy serious? Nobody ever referred to him as a full-fledged pokémon, not even Arashi himself did that anymore! "You touched in the head or something?" he growled defensively, "What makes you call this a pokémon!?" Funny how he pushed something so forcibly away that he had been silently begging to hear for months.
"Ouch," the tauros teasingly grumped, "You're going to hurt my feelings if you keep saying that." Connie didn't really mind it, but the kid was being too hard on himself. Did he even realize how much of an open book he was being at the moment? Maybe it was the lack of food... Speaking of which, "You know, you shouldn't get into the habit of stealing things like that. Try working to earn that meal. The guy you stole it from did, and I'm sure he works hard to feed himself, too."
"He's an a**; always has been. Treats most people like the lesser being, even his own customers. You should hear the things he says once they've left earshot," Arashi sniped. He flicked his tail in irritation before he actually responded to what Connie was referring to, "It's easier said than done. You've got your way of life, and I've got mine. We've grown up in different worlds, even I can see that." The child smirked, crossing his arms, "You had a trainer, didn't you?"
"Yeah... so?" Connie didn't know what he was getting at.
Arashi motioned toward the tauros-teen, "You're conditioned. You grew up with that way of thinking. My only priorities are survival and reputation, for my friends and myself." The eevee snorted, picking up the baguette and apples he lifted from the streetside vendor before strolling toward the entrance, "Now if you'll excuse us, we'll get out of your hair."
The child seemed more than a little miffed, though Connie couldn't pinpoint why. Maybe he was just a naturally ill-tempered kid -- the teen of volatile bloodlines wouldn't throw the idea out. He smiled brightly, "Heh, you make a good point. I'm still not used to contact with others out here, and there's a lot I can still learn, it seems. You're pretty smart for a kid."
"I was an adult before I changed into this," Arashi pointed out, but the venom in his voice was receding.
<<More like a young adult, Arashi. You were still a kid at heart,>> Trace corrected, preferring to think of the eevee this way.
Arashi's head was slightly lowered, his back already to the teenager with the transportation equipment. He wasn't really in the habit of saying this to strangers, but he felt he could make the exception this time. Dark eyes flicking briefly to the duo's benefactor, Arashi supplied a hurried, "Thank you," before taking off from the confines of the warehouse.
Trace lingered behind a moment longer, snickering at the tauros-boy, <<He's really not that bad, he's just learned to focus on priorities.>>
"Don't worry," Connie reassured nonchalantly, "He didn't seem like a bad kid at all. Got a temper, though." Glancing around to make sure they were still alone, the tall teenager offered, "If you guys ever need help like that again, don't hesitate to ask. I live nearby, and tend to work outside anyway."
Trace grinned, <<You know, you're a pretty okay guy. Arashi would probably be a bit too prideful, and we don't usually take these streets, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks a lot. See you later, and good luck with your 'earning of a living' thing!>>
Watching the last of the group disappear from view, Connie mused about the facets of downtown city life he had apparently been blind to. While the horned teenager had been capable of carving a place in society despite financial and familial setbacks, he had been able to create a living through honest deeds. Was that merely because of the life he grew up in? Could he have just as easily ended up like the eevee had? It was an interesting thought, but he was pretty sure there was more to it...
"Hey, quit your dilly-dallying an' get back to work, kid!" Connie flinched, startled into resuming work with prompt diligence. Of all the timing his supervisor could have had...
[[ Word Count: 2,462 ]]
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Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:13 pm
♣ ♦ Roleplay #1 ♠ ♥
Title: Holiday Bummer (messenger RP) Participants: Lucas & Conrad Stage: Child (Lucas) & Teen (Conrad) Status:Dead
Premise: A swindler? Neither of these pokémon are what they appear on the outside.
- - -
Roleplay: Under spoiler
MoogerMint Maybe it was the fact that Connie was not the best at calling attention to the makeshift stand of his, to convince people to try their hand at a game of cards when their opposition of Bad Luck had the upper hand, or maybe people were just overly cautious. Nevertheless, the teenaged poké-human was not having much luck in scraping together any customers. Well, at least not usually until it got darker, but many of those that came out during the twilight hours were not the most stable of individuals. If he wasn't in absolute dire need for the cash, he was going to pack up before the angry drunks came out on the prowl of the city streets.
It was early afternoon yet, and quite possibly the warmest part of an otherwise frosty day. Maybe it wasn't quite cold enough for it to snow, but it was almost enough to turn a person's breath visible. "And here I forgot my scarf..." Connie mused, flipping a ten of diamonds around on the table to preoccupy himself.
jayoku Lucas was watching the man the strange pokemon man who was similar to him and yet so very different. For one he was..older, second he was a different species of pokemon. Lucas clutched his stuffed piggy to his chest, weighing the situation and wondering if this man would be his next meal ticket. Tilting his head he looked the man over again, at the stand and then tried to plot out his next move.
It only took a couple of minutes but he went to water his eye's giving himself small shocks to cause pain and once the tears where flowing he rubbed one eye and then started to sniffle. Moving slowly he was looking around as if he was lost and accidentally bumped into the others tables, falling over and landing on his bum. The water works really began this time as he began crying in earnest.
MoogerMint While Connie may have seen the child moving out of the corner of his eye, the lack of activity throughout the day on the city streets convinced the tauros to not hold too much hope to anyone approaching his side-street operation. It was probably because it was the holiday season that nobody had the courage to test their luck, saving their hard-earned money for gifts for their family or a fanciful holiday dinner. When sales were going on at every shop, it made it a bit harder for little games like his to pass for consideration. He'd probably have to wait until after the new year for business to pick up, but at least he still had his temporary warehouse job in the meantime or he'd probably not be eating.
The table collision caused Connie to fumble with the card and drop it over the edge of the surface, giving the teen more than one reason to peer over to the other side. "Good grief, kid, you okay? You hurt?" he coughed out on instinct before he even saw the tears pouring down the child's face, or took note that this was no ordinary kid. Quickly, he moved to the other side and crouched down, offering a hand, "That was quite the tumble! What's wrong?" With the amount of moisture under the raichu's eyes, it was apparent he had been crying before he even hit the table.
jayoku Lucas used the back of his hand to wipe his eyes and his runny nose, looking up at the voice on cue mind you, spoke to him out of concern he looked up and at the question he nodded his head and then shook his head and then gave the man a look of confusion.
"I..I'm l..lost.." He managed in his adorable young boy voice. Looking over his limbs there were unfortunately no scratches or better yet blood. But he was still sniffling as if something pained him. "I...I think..I hu...rt my...elbow...i..is there b..blood?" He inquired with large eyes his ears dropped low.
MoogerMint Lost, huh? Well... the teen hadn't really been doing anything productive as it was, so he had plenty of opportunity to help this kid out. "If you're lost, I can help you look for something or someone you recognize. I've been down here long enough to know... at least a few landmarks," he stated warmly, keeping his voice even so as not to scare the poor child any further than he already was.
Retracting the offered hand, Connie thought it better to check the raichu-child's elbow out before risking a pull on it that may harm it further. He winced at the explanation, though; he was certainly no doctor, and knew little in the field of medicine. He could treat scrapes, sure, but not sprains or breaks. Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case when the child showed him the area of injury, but the tauros-teen was careful about examining it nonetheless. "Well, you didn't scrape it up, so luckily there's no blood. Your sleeves probably saved you from that. There's no immediate bruising, so it doesn't seem to be anything major," he made preliminary observation, moving his head around the limb more than he was moving the arm itself, "Where exactly does it hurt? You may have bruised it, but you might not be able to tell until it shows up." He was not going to doubt the child's pain, for there wasn't much of a need or point to.
jayoku Lucas knew this guy had fallen for it, and he was glad he could keep the charade going and keep it up very will fooling the Tauros man. Nodding his head at the explanation he sniffled again before he shifted and showed the man his piggy toy. The eye on the head had popped off you could see it hanging by a thread. "Pigwett is hurt too.." He managed acting perhaps bit too young for his age. But hey there were lots of crybabies around and he figured he could pretend to be one very well. As for finding where he was suppose to go..well he would figure it out soon enough where they were going to go. Somewhere that had food preferably. "Can...you ...fix..it?"
MoogerMint Connie blinked, for the first time noticing the stuffed animal at the child's side. The eye button's string seemed to have been frayed from use, not anything that was caused by the collision. Despite the raichu's comment seeming a bit out of place, there was still no reason to question it. After all, maybe he had even gotten lost simply by looking for a place to mend his inanimate friend's injury; Connie really couldn't say, and it didn't matter regardless. "I can see that, you both seem to have a few war wounds from this little adventure of yours!" he commented with a smile, "I can do the best I can with what I have available, but I am not a nurse nor a tailor. Now, let's get you both up. Who should I be fixing first?"
While Connie had helped the child up by the torso, he was very careful about it should he bump any other sore spots -- sometimes it helped being over six feet tall and literally built like an ox. "Who should I be 'fixing' first?" he asked, pulling himself back behind the counter to locate something that may be of some use. There HAD to be something... To counter any awkward silence as he searched, the teen kept light conversation, "My name's Connie. Do you have a name, kid?"
Premise: There never really is a boring day around here, is there?
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 12:54 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #3 ♠ ♥
Title:Sprigs and Shoots Participants: Brennen & Conrad Stage: Pokémon (Brennen) & Teen (Conrad) Status:Complete!
Premise: Apparently "the middle of nowhere" was the last dropoff point for the day. Who knew?
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 12:56 am
♣ ♦ I`ll Take the High Road ♠ ♥ One must keep looking ahead
There was no way this blanket was going to stay all that comfortable as time wore on. While it wasn't a very small blanket, the air was still chill around them, and Brennen's overall surface area for the cold to hit was sure to grow in that short time he was passed out. Connie attempted to cover the celebi as best he could, bunching the fabric up around the pokémon but attempting to allow for the growth process to complete unhindered.
He had been tempted to stay within the back of the truck, but after a momentary pause, thought better of it. Brennen was completely unused to the city. He would be completely unused to the body that fate had decided to give to him. If Connie opted to hitch a ride in the back of the truck, it would only compound the possible trauma of the entire experience. Gripping tighter at the bundled celebi, the teen hopped out of the back of the stationary vehicle, carefully closing up the back. It would be best to let him wake up to something familiar..., he concluded, giving the truck another once-over to make sure everything was in its rightful place. He had originally been stuck out here to watch over the machine, so might as well accomplish that while he was here, at the very least.
Moving back to the tree trunk he had been resting against when the steering wheel had initially been bumped by the pokémon seeking shelter from the frost, Connie leaned heavily against it, sliding down to seat himself. He didn't know what he was supposed to do... most of what he had said, how he reacted, had all been out of instinct. He didn't like seeing others in turmoil, he liked to help out where he could... but could he handle something like this? What if his choices turned out to be for the worst? He had never taken care of anyone else before, and barely had enough resources to take care of himself. Heck, he was even pretty sure he was doing some things wrong where it came to living on his own as it was! What if this only complicated the little celebi's life? What if this made him all the more miserable? Sure, Brennen had asked to come along, but he had no idea as to what city life entailed, only the vague notions he gathered from what others had told him. Should Connie have emphasized the more negative aspects of it? But then that would have scared the young pokémon, and in a largely unnecessary manner...
"Sorry that took so long," the trucker called over, further down the trail. He was toting a canister of fuel in one hand, and from the dark smears on his palms, had likely needed to switch the weight from one hand to the other a couple of times along the way.
Connie had flinched slightly at the sound, glancing quickly down to the celebi wrapped in his arms. How was he to explain this one? Was it even out of the ordinary? He didn't rise to greet the man, thinking that it may indicate that the teen had to be careful with what it was he was currently holding. The driver of the truck, however, got to work refueling the vehicle as soon as he came within range of the cap. "Pretty uneventful for you, huh?" he asked, attention to his work instead of examining the tauros, which may have indicated otherwise.
"Well, not exactly..." he responded quietly; he didn't want to wake Brennen prematurely, and made sure he was not disturbing the celebi before the transformation completed. With a bit of a cringe, he glanced back up to his co-worker, "I don't think I'll be able to take the ride back. It might be best for me to walk."
"What, did you hurt yourself or something?" the man asked, a touch of concern on his voice before he managed to mask it with a crack at a joke, "Trip over a branch or something while you were waiting?"
Connie shook his head, but the trucker was not facing him enough to see the action. "It's a long story, actually," the teen attempted. How was he supposed to explain this without it sounding as strange as it probably was? Not only that, but he had to refrain from mentioning what Brennen was... there was no telling who would rather turn a legendary pokémon into some sort of profit. He wasn't into the habit of lying, but this seemed like an extenuating circumstance, "I think there's a pokémon center closer in town than it would be traveling back to the city, and I can make the ride easier while walking instead of rolling along a bumpy road." He readjusted his hold again, feeling as though his grip were slipping despite the fact that neither he nor Brennen had moved in the short span of time.
"So... you did get hurt?" the man asked, glancing over for the blanket to finally register, "Ohhh, you found a pokémon! Heh, sorry." The driver didn't really mean to be insensitive -- and as such, his words were not taken in such a way -- but it was apparent he was not a man of tact. "You sure? I could drop you off or something along the way, if it would be easier. It's a long walk!" he prodded, screwing the lid back onto the canister and setting it at the nearest wheel to wipe his hands off on a cloth.
"He was a little nervous when I found him, I think it would be better if I just carried him there," Connie winced, hoping the driver didn't take the opportunity to get a better look. He pulled his legs in closer to himself to indicate that fact, ready to stand up if he felt the need to do so at any given moment.
Seeing this behavior, the man cocked his head curiously to the side, "No, that makes sense. What exactly was it you found?"
"I'm... not the best expert on pokémon types, to be honest," Connie mumbled, fighting to stand while his hands were preoccupied.
The trucker waved it off, "Well if you insist. It's going to get dark before you get back, though, but you're lucky that it's Friday. Need a flashlight or something before I head off?"
"Actually I think I might enjoy walking home in the dark. I should be close enough to the city before it gets that way, so I won't be in total darkness," he assured. It wasn't very often he was out, under the stars like that while not on the job, so he wasn't really lying there!
The driver disappeared behind his truck to drop off the partially-full can of fuel in the back before returning into view. He opened the door, chuckling to himself, "Well don't get lost. I'll see you on Monday, then."
"See you," Connie replied, a light smile out of congeniality. He didn't really understand this man, who seemed to alternate between avoiding the teen and treating him like any other coworker, if a bit carefully. Maybe he thought that, if he didn't, the teen would react in a more hazardous fashion. Maybe he really was glad to have the tauros out of the vehicle... but in all honesty, Connie didn't know for sure. Of course he was going to jump to the most pessimistic of conclusions, but he always hoped it were the more optimistic outcomes. Life was hard enough, but most people didn't seem to realize that there was always someone who had it worse.
Glancing down, Connie realized that the one that had it the hardest at the moment was the little celebi who was currently sound asleep. Slowly he sat back down, waiting for when the pokémon -- the child -- would awaken to his new world.
One day at a time, that was the only sure-fire method of taking an unpredictable life on. It was never easy, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be interesting. The two of them could iron out all these unsure feelings Connie was presently afflicted with on the walk home, through the last of these trees that Brennen was so familiar with.
Premise: There needs to be a long family discussion about what happens next... good thing there's plenty of time?
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:01 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #5 ♠ ♥
Title: If Wishes Were Fishes (messenger RP) Participants: Brennen & Conrad Stage: Child (Brennen) & Teen (Conrad) Status:Complete!
Premise: True gold is all in the interpretation.
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Roleplay: Under spoiler
MoogerMint Despite the random shifting of employee schedules to accomodate the sick days being taken by the others, Connie's day didn't go too badly while at work. The teen had expected some sort of repercussion throughout the week from leaving his post with the truck deliveries earlier that same week, but nothing seemed to have come of it. Maybe the truck driver hadn't ratted him out, or maybe there was no problem considering they had already been done with the deliveries by that point... Regardless, things seemed to have all worked out for the better. Hopefully Brenny didn't mind too terribly with how frequently he was being left to his own devices, either. As Connie opened the door to the small two-room apartment, he peered inside, scanning the front room for any sign of the tiny celebi-boy, "Brenny, I'm home! How about some dinner, eh?"
Thaliawen "Yay!" Brenny exclaimed, hurrying to Connie's side. "Daddy's home!"he had learned the term at the park, and hd decided to use it. The description provided had certainly fit Connie. He enveloped the teenager in a hug. "I missed you, Daddy! Can I help with dinner?"
MoogerMint Relieved to hear Brenny's voice emerge from the quiet apartment, Connie smiled and moved to close the front door. He froze slightly as Brenny proceeded to use his newly-discovered title for the teenaged tauros, causing the hint of perplexity to appear amidst his grin. Swiveling to tousle the child's green curls, he asked, "Daddy? Where'd you hear that?" He... didn't really consider himself as very good 'father' material... It was a bit awkward, but he couldn't help but think it a bit amusing.
Thaliawen "At the park!" Brenny beamed, looking up at Connie. "A girl asked me where my Daddy was, and I said I didn't have one, I had a Connie, and I told her about you, and she said you are my Daddy." He gave the teenager another hug. "So you're Daddy, now. Okay? Let's make dinner!"
MoogerMint Well that was unexpected. Connie wasn't sure what precisely to be more worried about, but he decided to go the more logical route, "You went to the park by yourself?" That could have been dangerous, especially considering how alien the city was to the forest-dwelling celebi! However, that was beside the point, at least right now. Connie shook his head in amusement at Brenny's assertion, but he couldn't very well call false claim to the statement, especially with how happy Brenny seemed to be at having someone to call 'father.' Another thing he'd have to address... Snickering, he moved toward the kitchen area, "Anything in particular you're in the mood for, or should we just wing it?" Creativity could be fun, too!
Thaliawen "I did!" Brenny said, beaming at Cam. "I went to the park, but I wasn't alone. I came back! I was very brave. The park is like the forest! I don't get lost." He flashed another bright smile at the teenager, again wrapping Connie in a hug. He followed the teenager into the kitchen, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "Cake!" he exclaimed. "Let's make cake."
MoogerMint "Well you just be careful when you're out there, some people are more dangerous than they appear," Connie tried to warn, though he was worried about frightening Brenny about it. Contemplating, he added, "Most are pretty harmless, though. Hrm, maybe you should have someone accompany you next time, though. Best to travel with someone, after all." Though this was considering Brenny would refrain from being TOO brave and shrug off his warning. And that smile was contagious, so Connie couldn't sound overly serious if he tried. The teen picked Brenny up by the waist and slung him under an arm as he walked toward the refrigerator, careful of the child's fae wings. "Brenny... cake is dessert food, not meal food," Connie snickered, "Maybe cake later. How about something we actually have?"
Thaliawen "Okay, I'll be careful," Brenny said, blinking. Had his sister been right about people being frightening? "I've met only nice people so far," he said, with a smile. "That girl, and that nice lady with the pencils, and you! You're the nicest person I've met, though, Daddy. I'll go exploring with you! I can get a pet maybe, and they'll go with me." He paused, frowning slightly as he was picked up. "Cake's good food," he said. "But salad first?"
MoogerMint "Well I've found that most people around here won't bother you, but you can never be too careful. It's the same with other pokemon, too, not just the humans!" he insisted quickly. There were always bad people, but the right wasn't reserved solely for the Gaians, either. Most of Connie's own blood relatives weren't that great to be around, for instance... "You probably won't run into the bad people, but we don't want anything to happen to you, even if it's a very slim chance. Then again, I doubt anyone would have the guts to harm you at all," he laughed; Brenny was too friendly for someone to willingly hurt! "We'll see about a pet, I suppose, and I'm always willing to go exploring with you, if that's what you want to do! As long as it's not during work," he agreed with a nod of his head, opening the front of the fridge and glancing inside. Brenny seemed to really like the idea of cake... he made a mental note of that for later as he shifted items around and pulled out the vegetable drawer, "I think that's a great idea! Want to grab the things you want on your salad first?"
Thaliawen "You pick first," Brenny said, shifting to look into the vegetable drawer. "You pick," he insisted. "Then I'll pick! I like berries best though. Remember? So don't take my berries!" He was glad Connie had decided he would be safe around most people; he liked being able to wander around and meet other people. And he'd said we'll see, not no, about the pet! "Maybe a fish?" he asked hopefully. "A small one?"
MoogerMint Connie laughed at Brenny's statement, setting the celebi down and shuffled things to the sides of the drawer, "Going to take all the berries, then? Can you share a few of them?" He grabbed a variety of vegetables, snatching up some berries for Brenny as well, and set them on the countertop to keep his hands from getting too full. As he grabbed some carrots, the teen mulled over the idea of a small fish as a pet, slowly nodding, "I think that idea is pretty feasible. We have room for a fish in here, I think. Would you be keeping it in your room, then?" Of course, Connie was thinking Brenny's idea of 'small' was a goldfish or betta... "Anything else we should grab out of here for salads?" he asked, tilting the drawer.
Thaliawen "I'll share them, I'll share them!" Brenny demonstrated this by holding up a berry and pressing it to Connie's mouth. "See?" he said, "I'm sharing! Yay! You can have five, and I can have ten!" he beamed. Clearly that was a fair amount, wasn't it? He paused, before beaming. Daddy had agreed to a pet fish! "Maybe! Or the bath tub!" Would a magikarp fit in the bath tub? "Don't forget the forks, Daddy."
MoogerMint Connie flinched when Brenny shoved a berry in his mouth, a trait he figured he needed to grow more accustomed to. He snickered, "Thank you! Well that ratio seems good enough for me, I'll just replace more berries with something else to go along with them." Connie liked the variety, and it seemed pretty fair, considering the berries were some of Brenny's favorites! "Bath tub?" Connie asked, "I don't think a fish would like a bath tub very well. What about a fish bowl?" Clearly, Connie wasn't putting two-and-two together here. "Oh! Yes, forks!" he exclaimed, grabbing them out of the designated utensil drawer, "Anything else you want on these? Maybe some almonds or something?"
Thaliawen "But this fish won't fit in a bowl," Brenny explained with a shake of his head. "I saw them in the lake near by. They're called magikarp! Someone said they're magical. But all they do is splash. Sometimes they can flail, though. I want a magikarp! They're small!" Relatively, anyway. They were smaller than he was now, but they had been bigger than he was, before he'd changed. "Can we get a bowl big enough for one?" he asked. "I think it'd like the bath tub!"
MoogerMint Connie blinked, assessing quickly what the word 'magikarp' entailed. "Aren't those kind of... large for a fish in general?" he asked, cringing slightly. How would one of those fit in a dinky little apartment? "Wait, you saw them at the lake?" he perked; maybe that could work after all. Snickering as he rinsed off the lettuce for the salad, he saw Brenny get considerably more animated, "Thinking about making a wish, are you?" He didn't like shaking his head, but the idea wouldn't work without tweaking a few things, "We need the bath tub for things other than holding a fish, unfortunately. If you adopted one of the magikarp, it will likely have to stay at the lake... I suppose it would be kind of like having an outdoor dog?"
Thaliawen "I make wishes on stars," Brenny protested, sticking out his tongue. "Every night and it's always the same one. But I don't think it'll come true, no matter how many times I wish it." He moved to lean against Connie. "Do you think magikarp grant wishes better than stars do?" he asked. He paused, frowning slightly. "It'd have to stay at the lake?" he complained. "But it'll be our family. We'd have to visit every day!"
MoogerMint Connie laughed at that, "Well stars certainly seem to be a lot more reliable to that extent. Just give it time, the stars are a long way away. It probably takes a while for them to hear your wish and grant it from so far away. You just gotta keep trying." Seemed logical, at least, even if people usually made their own luck that way. He thought about which would be a better proxy for a wish, but the teen really couldn't say, "Hm... maybe it depends on the type of wish, and how much you wish for it? I really don't know, to tell you the truth! Maybe we'll have to test that and see. But sure thing, if we adopt a magikarp, we will definitely visit every day. That's the least family could do, right?" He snickered, patting Brenny between the antennae as he walked back with a bowl housing the rinsed lettuce, "Now what size bowl do you want for your salad?"
Thaliawen "Medium sized!" Brenny exclaimed, going to the cupboard with the bowls in it. He pulled two bowls out and offered one to Connie. "Here," he said. "You get the big bowl, because you're bigger!" He wasn't sure he understood the difference between wishing on one thing or wishing on another, but he'd nodded in feigned understanding. Maybe he would ask Mei more about this later. "Daddy, let's go fishing after our salad," he said. "Please?"
MoogerMint Connie snickered at Brenny's enthusiasm, watching the child flutter over to the cupboards and making sure he didn't hurt himself. Maybe it was just because Brenny was so new to living in an apartment, or so Connie assumed, or maybe it was just because Brenny was so young that the teen felt he had to keep a cautious eye on him. "That was very generous of you, thank you, Brenny!" he accepted the bowl cheerfully, offering the salad tongs to the celebi-child so that he could go first. Brenny's excitement seemed to be getting the better of the boy, Connie noted, but he had to shake his head, "Its a little late to go fishing, most of them might already be sleeping by now. I've got work in the morning, too... How about this weekend? Then we can go early, and stay there all day!"
Thaliawen "Late to go fishing?" Brenny whined, but took his salad with the tongs carefully. "Aww, Daddy..." he would have pouted, if Connie hadn't continued speaking. "Oooh, this weekend!" he agreed immediately, beaming at the teenager. "We can take a picnic and go fishing! Maybe we'll catch lots of them!"
MoogerMint "Yeah, see, it's dinner time for the fish, too!" Connie attempted to explain, "Some of them go to bed early, too. Up with the sun, to bed with the moon." He could tell that Brenny was disappointed to hear a negative to his request, but hopefully the compromise was better than the initial request, as it seemed to be. Connie jabbed a finger in enthusiasm as well, "Ooh, picnic! That's a great idea! We should be sure to pack something for the magikarps, too!" That seemed like it would be a great day to spend the weekend, and it was suppose to be a nice day then as well. "Okay, that sounds like a plan. Let's do that!" he agreed, busying himself by slicing up some carrots and mushrooms.
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:03 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #6 ♠ ♥
Title: Mei Meets Connie (messenger RP) Participants: Mei-Ling, Brennen, & Conrad Stage: Pokémon (Mei-Ling), Child (Brennen), & Teen (Conrad) Status:Dead
Premise: A pet or a sister? The situation is a bit hazy.
- - -
Roleplay: Under spoiler
Lirilei Mei walked along behind Brenny, looking around and every so often asking him a question. Though, as they drew closer, it was a soft, uncertain "You sure it's okay I'm coming with you?" she didn't want Brenny to possibly get into trouble, or to be a nuisance in the end.
Thaliawen "I'm sure," Brenny said, grinning at Mei. "Daddy will be happy I made a new friend, and you're so small you can live in my room without any trouble." He beamed at her. "Come on, Mei. He'll be happy. Plus I couldn't leave you all alone." He was sure Connie wouldn't mind!
MoogerMint Connie had come home earlier in the evening than he did most of the time. Work was considerably more lax this week compared to more recent preceding ones, and he chalked it up to the fact that the bug that had been going around seemed to have backed off. Employees were back at work, so there was less tension in the schedule, giving Connie the opportunity to head home early. But now that he was home... what was he suppose to be doing? It looked like Brenny was still out playing, and it was too early to start fixing dinner.
Lirilei "Well okay Brenny if you're sure then." the Mienfoo relaxed a little at how sure Brenny seemed about the acceptance of her presence and all. "Buildings here are so tall....the tallest thing where I'm from was the trees." it was boggling to her mind. "Where do you live Brenny?" she was looking around all the buildings with wide eyes trying to make sense of the jumble. "How can you tell which is yours? They all look alike..." there was a low sigh from her. The city would take some getting used to.
Thaliawen "In an apartment," Brenny said, pointing towards the building. "I can tell it apart from the number on it. Don't worry! I won't get us lost. He scooped the mienfoo up, in case she would feel safer in his arms. "Look, there's daddy!" he pointed, beaming. "Daddy's home early! Daddy, daddy look! I found a pet for us!"
MoogerMint It was strange how Connie had never really felt the sense of boredom much in his past, but he was quickly finding that, while his patience was fully intact, waiting on anything was not the most fun way to pass the time. He almost forgot his deck of cards for a moment in the wait, more concerned over whether Brenny was alright or not. He might not have outright said so, but he knew that there were some concerning individuals that lived in the city. They were rare around here, but they existed, and it made him uneasy. So he was quick to his feet when he heard Brenny come calling, but the puzzled look on his face at the words were unmistakeable, especially once his eyes rested on the mienfoo in the boy's arms, "...Eh? Pet?"
Lirilei Mei could hear the confusion in the voice she could hear, but didn't yet see the person it belonged to. There was some shifting about in Brenny's arms, and she was finally facing Connie, a sort of sheepish smile given, perhaps a lightly embarrassed one at that. "I'm Mei-Ling, or Mei if you prefer. It's an honor to meet you." she bowed her head politely, the best she could manage given her current location in the boys arms. "Brenny...found me in the...what was that place called? ...Oh the park." it had taken a second to remember the name.
Thaliawen "Yeah, Mei's our new pet!" Brenny exclaimed, beaming at Connie. "I found her all alone in the park, and she was going to get cold and hungry, and Daddy, she's all alone!" the celebi seemed rather displeased by the lack of smiling face he'd anticipated from his father upon Mei's arrival. "She needs a Daddy," he informed Connie, with a slight frown. "And a place to stay. Please, Daddy, please let her stay? She won't make any messes. I'll take really good care of her."
MoogerMint Connie perked when the mienfoo was the first to pipe up, unsure of what to expect... but it most likely was not what had happened. Very rarely did he come across anyone so chivalrous on a first encounter while he was in the city, so Mei's prompt politeness shattered any reservations he may have had at the setup. Blinking, he crouched down to be more at eye-level, considering his towering height may be more intimidating than he intended. He offered a gentle smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mei-Ling." There was a slight pause as he considered how everything was going to work out, but he knew that having nowhere to turn in a bustling place like this, unless it was what she wanted, was not acceptable, "Well... I suppose there's enough room. It's a two-bedroom apartment, but you're both pretty small..."
Lirilei Mei seemed more than a little amused at Brenny's insistence on calling her a pet, and there was a gentle smile on her lips, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes even as Connie knelt down to level with her and she gave a warm smile to him. "Not to come across as rude or anything but...is there something other than daddy I can call you?" she wasn't going into her age at this point, but it had to be somewhat obvious to the teen she certainly wasn't a child like Brenny.
"I'll do my best to help out around here and not to cause any sort of problems. Thank you for allowing me to stay. Brenny's right, I've been traveling for some time now. My master passed away a short time ago of old age. I'd planned on living at the park, but Brenny informed me where I was going to live, wasn't a house." and here, she looked embarrassed but truly she hadn't known.
Thaliawen "See, she'll be good!" Brenny exclaimed, tightening his hold on Mei. "You'll let her stay, Daddy, won't you? She'll be good. She's very nice and I love her, Daddy. She'll be a good pet!" He gave Connie a hopeful expression. "She'll be the best pet ever."
MoogerMint Connie's grin became more sheepish with Mei-Ling's request as he held out his hand to her small paw, "Oh, I'm sorry! My name's Conrad, but I prefer the name Connie. Sorry about that, I guess I was just a bit confused for a moment there!" He would much prefer her call him Connie anyway, as the new term of 'Daddy' that Brenny had been using recently still sounded a bit strange to the teen; he was slowly getting used to it. Glancing around the small front room of the apartment, he tried to locate something the mienfoo could help with, considering her small stature and short reach, "Well, you could always help with some tasks with food preparation, maybe a little cleaning... but honestly, you don't have to worry about it. Any friend of Brenny's is a friend of mine, and any friend in need is welcome to stay." He almost felt bad about asking for any sort of help!
And with that, he nodded an affirmative to Brenny's question on the matter, "Yes, she can stay. I believe you, and I believe her. Sounds like Mei has had it rough... Well, hopefully we can change that now that you're here. Welcome to the family, Mei-Ling." 'Pet' still seemed like a strange title to give the pokemon, though, and offered her an apologetic smile as soon as the words left Brenny's mouth. Hopefully she was not taking offense!
Lirilei The tightened hold from Brenny made Mei squeak just a little, but she didn't fight the hold, understanding he was just a little excitable at the moment.
"Pleasure to meet you Connie." she gave him a warm smile. "I'll do my best to help with those things then." The apologetic smile on the teen's face made her smile reassuringly at him. She was fine with the 'pet' term at this point. It seemed Mei was extremely patient in the end really.
Thaliawen "So we can keep her?" Brenny beamed. "Come on Mei, I'll show you where you can sleep! And I can buy you a bed, and I can help Daddy make you food--and we're vegetarian! Are you vegetarian too? But the berries are mostly mine. I'll share them with you!" The celebi boy glanced at Connie for permission. "Daddy, come on! Let's show her our home! She'll like it, and she'll be good, I promise!"
MoogerMint He winced slightly, sympathetic to Mei-Ling's current predicament within the arms of an overly-happy child. Placing a hand on Brenny's shoulder to slow him down, he offered a suggestion, "Maybe you should set her down, so she can look around the place at her own eye level. Sound like a plan?" Incognito hug escape, but at least there was some logic to it; Brenny could always hug her after he'd settled down some. Though as the excited celebi continued on, Connie wasn't sure if he should be concerned over such quick assumptions. Money was difficult to come across; Connie barely made enough to scrape by, and he was currently holding two jobs.
"It's not much of a home, but I think it should still work," Connie began as way of introduction, following Brenny's instruction, "It's just a two-room apartment. Brenny's got the bedroom, and I've got the couch. I suppose... Mei, you can sleep wherever you feel most comfortable for now. I'm flexible with the arrangement, so if you want the couch, or to share the room with Brenny, it's all good with me." He figured he'd just follow Brenny's lead and explain wherever they happened to wander to next.
Lirilei Mei looked around the room even as Brenny still held onto her and looked up to Connie with a smile. "Thank you. I appreciate being able to stay. Brenny mentioned you work quite a bit. Maybe I'll be able to help at least keep him entertained, and company and such." well perhaps not such a bad idea really. Still looking around she felt...well slightly guilty perhaps at being allowed to stay. It was a small place and she was now worrying if having an extra mouth to feed would cause a big strain. She didn't want to be a burden after all and promised herself then if it seemed to be the case, she'd leave. It'd be better for them if that was the case.
"I can sleep in a corner somewhere I don't mind so much. It will still be more comfortable than the ground which is were I slept as I traveled." maybe not much more comfortable, but it would be regardless.
Thaliawen Brenny wasn't sure he liked Connie's idea, but he put Mei down reluctantly. He gave Connie a 'look'. Mei was his pet now, didn't that mean he could cuddle her all he liked? "It's the best home!" he corrected his father, frowning slightly. "It is, Daddy. It's best home, because we share it!" And they had fun there. It may not have seemed very big to Connie--who happened to be very big himself, but to a celebi who had once lived in the hollow of a tree, the two room appartment was huge! "You can sleep with me, Mei!" he informed the mienfoo with a beam. "No sleeping on the floor, silly. That's too hard. You'll sleep with me. I'll keep you safe and warm."
MoogerMint Connie have a mildly worried look, wondering how much Brenny had already conveyed to the mienfoo. He didn't want people to worry about him, honestly, he had things under control. At least, he was fairly certain he did; he was kind of playing by ear, but it worked out so far. "I do, but I like helping, so jobs... well they kind of work for me that way. Must be because I was raised on a farm, so I'm used to working all the time," he attempted to make an excuse, hoping it would shake any worry off, "Besides, I'm hoping to land a better job. I keep looking, but when I do, it should help out better. Entertainment, now there's an idea! That's sure to help a great deal!" And heck, Brenny loved her already, so that would probably be a full-time job for Mei anyway.
The teenager snickered at Brenny's insistence of the apartment being the best. He couldn't really argue with the logic being used in this respect, "Well... home is where the heart is. I suppose I can agree with that, seeing as I wouldn't really prefer it anywhere else." Connie gave a sharp nod at Brenny's next suggestion to Mei, "Yeah, I'm not going to allow anyone to sleep on the floor unless that's honestly what they prefer. Brenny's bed should actually be big enough, he's not that big himself!" And Connie used to use it, so there should have been plenty of space, in case Mei felt awkward about it, "Come on, why not look at it before making a decision?"
Lirilei Mei saw the 'look' Brenny had given to Connie and patted his hand as she walked around looking as she was shown, a smile given to both of them. "Well alright if you're sure, then I'll sleep on the bed. You're right I'm not very big." she gave a soft laugh then and when Brenny wasn't paying attention lightly patted Connie on the arm in a 'I understand, it'll be okay' sort of fashion.
"I don't mind helping keep him entertained. I'm sure the two of us can think of plenty to do to keep busy." she nodded her head. "If it's no real trouble, then I'll stay. Thank you again very much." and here the little Mienfoo bowed again respectfully to Connie, appreciative of his, and Brenny's kindness.
Thaliawen "You're no trouble, Mei," Brenny assured her with a smile. "Promise! Listen, I'm gonna have a lemonade stand soon, and we're gonna make a lot of money. I'm going to buy Daddy a present! You can help me make lemonade!" The celebi boy beamed. "You'll be good at that, and if we have really good sales and everyone comes, we can keep having our lemonade stand! Then we'll make enough money to buy Daddy a bigger place with another room so he doesn't have to sleep on the couch. Okay? That'll be a big help!"
MoogerMint Connie snickered, noting that the both of them were actually quite small. In all honesty, it was much easier caring for a pixie of a child and a diminutive pokémon who was still capable with helping out with various chores... in fact, he probably had things really good, all things considered. When Mei showed silent understanding to the predicament Connie was trying so hard to hide, he offered a defeated smile, though he was a bit relieved over it. Mei was certainly a very bright pokémon, capable of reading between the lines... he idly wondered how old she actually was. There was a very good possibility she was actually older than Connie was, come to think of it.
Before he let the thoughts linger too long, he was quick to add to the conversation, "Well, if there's anything that you need me to pick up, be sure to let me know before I head to work in the morning. I like to try to check back in the afternoons on break, so I can drop anything off you think you might need. I've got access to plenty of cardboard boxes, for instance." There was a LOT one could do with cardboard and imagination! Or even the lemonade stand that Brenny was mentioning... might need to pick up more lemons and sugar, in that case; he made a mental note of that. "It's no trouble, you don't have to be so formal. We're family now, after all!" he chuckled. He gave Brenny a quizzical look as the boy admitted his ultimate plan for the proceeds of the lemonade, "Oh is that was you're trying to save up for?" It... actually wasn't too bad of an idea. Might help with a down payment once Connie was capable of landing a better job.
Lirilei The defeated smile was met with another light arm pat, trying to comfort Connie as it were and trying to ease any discomfort he might feel over the whole situation. It seemed he was doing his best, and that was all that mattered in the end. She was sure things would turn around before long.
"I don't need anything really...and yes Brenny I am a vegetarian too. My master didn't like eating meat, so we never did." that had to help, no different dietary desires as far as she was concerned. A sheepish smile was given to Connie. "I'll remember things aren't as formal here as they were in my last home." where she really wasn't much more than a pet after all. "A lemonade stand, that sounds like a good idea Brenny." she smiled at the celebi boy brightly.
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:05 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #7 ♠ ♥
Title: A Karp By Any Other Name (messenger RP) Participants: Eliot, Brennen, & Conrad Stage: Pokémon (Eliot), Child (Brennen), & Teen (Conrad) Status:Complete!
Premise: This goldfish is not going to fit in a plastic bag...
- - -
Roleplay: Under spoiler
MoogerMint The weather report hadn't lied about the moderately warm temperature they were scheduled to receive this weekend, a welcome advent of a day that was sure to be an adventure. Connie led he and the eager celebi-boy Brenny toward the water's edge carrying a large lunchbox of assorted food items and a rolled up blanket. Within the folds of the blanket held the fishing rods they were to use to attempt to catch Brenny a pet of a magikarp. The lunchbox carried an array of items Connie wasn't sure they'd even use half of, including sandwiches, grapes, juice boxes, an orange, berries, nuts... and some partially-stale bread that he wanted to try using to catch a magikarp before resorting to the actual rods. There was a lot of space they could use to set up, so the teen offered to let the celebi pick the perfect spot, "Where should we set up camp?"
Thaliawen "There!" Brenny pointed towards the edge of the lake. "We're sure to catch one there!" He ran over to the edge and sat, pulling his shoes and socks off. "Look Daddy, I know we'll catch one! Come on!" He beamed, hurrying back to Connie's side. He took the blanket and picnic basket from him and started spreading things out on the water's edge. "It'll be fun!"
MoogerMint Connie almost tsked at Brenny for his quick removal of his shoes and socks once they arrived, but was too entertained by it to do so properly, "You probably should have waited until the blanket was... ah nevermind." Snickering, he shook his head in amusement before following suit. "Careful with those!" he called as Brenny took the picnic sets and began laying it all out himself. The teen paused to admire the child's handiwork and whistled, "I'm impressed; good job! Well now that that's out of the way, we can carry on getting that magikarp sooner than later!" If Brenny was so sure that they would catch one, Connie wasn't going to doubt it. After all, he always believed one made their own luck, and with how much attention Brenny was pouring over the day, he wasn't about to doubt it, "Where to start, then? Want to try to see if the bread works?"
Thaliawen "Let's see if the bread works, let's see if the bread works!" Brenny agreed, pulling out a piece of semi stale bread from the sack. "But if it doesn't work, daddy, don't worry. I brought cookies too! And maybe fish like cookies!" He hoped they did. He had a cookie in his pocket so he could be prepared, if a fish came up and refused the bread. "Are you ready, Daddy?" he asked. He broke the bread in several pieces before tossing his piece into the water. He watched hopefully. Maybe one would come up!
MoogerMint Connie wasn't so sure cookies would be very helpful, considering all the sugar content tended to be kind of bad for any living creature, but again he found that there was no use in ruling it out unless proven. He was fairly certain koi liked bread crumbs, and he knew that the ducks that visited the lake did as well, but magikarp? He hoped they were so predictable, because he didn't want to have to use a living worm to do the job... maybe they liked sandwiches? "We'll find out what they like to eat eventually, I'm sure of it," he laughed, "I'm ready whenever you are!" He walked slowly over to where Brenny was standing, trying to be careful not to scare any fish away with his larger bulk, watching eagerly. He'd never done this before, and it was actually quite exciting, he had to admit!
Thaliawen Brenny sat again, sticking his legs in the water. He watched the bread crumbs intently, but nothing happened. For a long while, he sat there--and replaced the breadcrumbs whenever he felt they got too soggy. "Daddy, they're not coming," he complained, after a half an hour had passed. "And I'm hungry. Do you want to have our lunch now?"
MoogerMint All the waiting had certainly cramped up the teen's muscles, attempting to stand stationary for so long. When Brenny's voice broke the silence with his dismay, Connie took the opportunity to stand upright once more and stretch out the muscles in his shoulders. Well that was kind of a let-down... "Yeah, maybe the bread was a little too stale... or maybe they don't actually like it after all," he huffed slightly. "We can eat, but not too much of it. This has to last all day, so that we can stay out here for as long as possible!" the tauros interjected with a nod, "And who knows? Maybe magikarp like something else we brought, too."
Thaliawen Brenny took out a sandwich and began to eat it. "Here, Daddy," he said, offering the teen the basket. "You get your lunch out now. But don't eat too much. I think we packed enough for all day, though!" He was sure of it. He pulled out the cookie from his pocket and set it on his lap. He would use that in attempt to catch a magikarp next, after he finished his sandwich.
MoogerMint Connie chuckled at Brenny's behavior with the food, as though he were acting more adult than his little body truly was. "Alright, I will try. You might have to keep an eye on me and make sure I behave myself, though," he teased, gripping onto the offered basket. Digging through the stuffed contents, he pulled out the orange and held it up for Brenny to see, "You let me know when you want to eat this, if you do. We can split it in half." He then placed the spherical produce back and snatched up a sandwich of his own, intent on only eating half of it. "So what's the next idea?" he asked before taking a bite, setting himself down on the blanket across from the boy.
Thaliawen "I brought a cookie," Brenny held it up for Connie to see. "Maybe magikarp don't like bread, but maybe they like cookies! We can try that after lunch." He paused and looked over to the orange. "I packed two," he said, pointing to the basket. "So we can split that one, and then we have another to split later! So we both get one whole orange!" he beamed. "But not now, Daddy. That's for dessert."
MoogerMint He was glad to note that it was not a chocolate chip cookie that Brenny was planning on using, for he wasn't sure if chocolate was dangerous to a fish... but almost anything was worth trying once. "It's possible," he mused, wondering if this would cause Brenny to catch a kid of a magikarp himself -- the younger ones were the ones that tended to go crazy over the sweets, at least in the human's world! Connie peered into the basket and spotted the second orange, realizing he wasn't just seeing things, considering he had only planned to pack the one large one; he wasn't sure Brenny could eat an entire one on his own! But it was true, better to be safe than sorry in the end. "That's a good idea. I don't think either one of us should eat a whole orange at once, but splitting two of them twice solves that problem!" he nodded sagely in agreement. However, he was still eager, and his expression showed it, "Almost done with your sandwich?"
Thaliawen Brenny finished his sandwich and scooted closer to Connie. "It's nice out," he said, going silent only for a moment as he broke the cookie into two pieces. He kept one half on his lap and held out the other half over the water. He paused for a moment, before looking to Connie. "Daddy, you try to catch one too!" he said. He only turned back to the water when there was a splash! And a sudden weight in his lap. A magikarp had come for the cookie--only, the wrong half. Brenny dropped the half that had been in his hand, and wrapped both arms around the magikarp. "Daddy, look!" he cried. "I caught one!"
MoogerMint "It is, I'm glad it's not too exceptionally warm out, too!" Connie agreed. Neither one of them were likely to get sunburned if they were out in this weather all day, as long as they were a bit mindful of it. Perking at the thought of trying to coax a magikarp out with something else, Connie reached his hands back into the picnic basket to search for anything else that may be of some use. As his hand snagged one of the bags, he jolted at the sound of a trademark magikarp move, wrenching his head to see past a stuck shoulder, only to be met with perhaps the most bizarre scene he had ever been witness to. Wide-eyed and speechless, it took the teen a moment to locate his voice, with which be promptly began laughing with, "Are you kidding me? That actually worked!" Taking back his hands from the basket, the tauros scooted closer, "What's its name?" He was asking the magikarp in a roundabout way, but figured Brenny should be the one to say it.
Thaliawen "Karpi!" Brenny decided, beaming, he was oblivious to the magikarp chanting "Eliot! Eliot!" He beamed at Connie. "See, I told you cookies would work!" he said. "You try, Daddy! There are more cookies in the basket. I made sure we had enough to bring some for as many magikarp as we could catch!"
MoogerMint Connie snickered at Brenny's quick response, seeing that the celebi was already intent on the nickname. He caught both that were voiced, however, so was not oblivious to the magikarp's true name. He waved his fingers at the aquatic pokemon in Brenny's arms in greeting, "Hi, I'm Conrad, but I tend to prefer Connie. It seems Brenny likes to call you Karpi; I hope that's alright with you, Eliot?" He liked the nickname, but he didn't want to use it if Eliot did not appreciate it -- he was a sentient being, after all. "Sorry for the intrusion, but... ah," well... now that they caught themselves a magikarp, Connie was finding it difficult to explain their motives to the fish, and glanced to Brenny for some help before even attempting to net himself any further of Eliot's brethren.
Thaliawen "Hi Connie, I'm Eliot!" was the eager response. The magikarp paused, seemingly thinking. "I don't mind," he said. "Do you have any more of those things? I want more!" Brenny gave a giggle, looking to Connie for help. With both hands wrapped around his newest friend, he was unable to get another cookie from the picnic basket. "We have more," he promised. "You're going to be our baby!" he said. "So you're part of our family now."
MoogerMint The tauros was relieved to find the magikarp taking everything so well, and he flashed a grin in response to the feeling. He knew that some pokemon would not much appreciate being taken from their home like this, out of the blue, and given a new one... but more domestic pokemon may have an easier time of adjusting. It seemed Eliot... or Karpi, was very adaptive, in this respect. Stroke of luck, especially as far as Brenny was concerned! "Sure thing, I'll go get you another. Brenny, don't squeeze too tightly!" Connie offered with a snicker, sliding the picnic basket over and retrieving another cookie from its maw, tucking it near Karpi's nose so he could easily snatch it up, "It's good to meet you!"
Thaliawen Karpi took the cookie in his mouth and seemed to swallow it whole. Brenny giggled at the sight. "Daddy, Karpi likes us!" he exclaimed, loosening his hold on Eliot. "Karpi, we're going to take you to our home, and Daddy's going to try and catch one of your friends, okay? So you won't be lonely. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you!"
MoogerMint Connie tried to hold back a snicker at the sight as well, forgetting that magikarp probably didn't have any teeth to chew a cookie with. The least he could have done was break it up for the poor guy a little! But he seemed eager enough to devour the sweet not to seem to care if he had to swallow it in one big gulp. He glanced at Brenny and snickered, "We can't bring him home, remember? There's nowhere to put him! Brenny, we're going to have to leave him here... but we're going to visit every day, right? Because that's what friends -- or family... that's the least we could do." He didn't like saying that, but... Connie really didn't have anywhere to put Karpi that would be feasible for someone that had to subsist on a constant source of water. As an added thought, he winked, "And bring a cookie a day?"
Thaliawen Brenny's lip quavered. "No, Daddy," he said, shaking his head. "We can't leave him! He'll be lonely, or sad, or hungry, and he'll be alone!" He tightened his hold on Karpi. "I love him, Daddy," he continued to protest. "Can't we take him home? He needs us..." The magikarp pressed his fin to Brenny's hand. "I'll be alright," he assured him. "You can come visit me. Everyday."
MoogerMint As much as he wanted to say otherwise, Connie just could not see any way what Brenny was asking for could work, not with the current living arrangements. "Brenny, we've already been through this..." he sighed; he hated to see the celebi upset, but there was nothing he could do to change it, "There's nowhere he could stay in that dinky apartment. There's not a fishbowl big enough that we could get our hands on, and we can't use the bath tub." Honestly, he had no idea how the people who smuggled crocodiles illegally into their own homes could deal with it... they must have reeked with their inability to shower! "Karpi's lived here his whole life, he knows how to handle himself," he stated with a small smile, relieved when the magikarp helped to ease the boy's sadness, "Yes, every day, that's a promise."
MoogerMint Crew
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MoogerMint Crew
Sparkly Pants
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:07 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #8 ♠ ♥
Link:Ice cold Lemonade! Participants: Open Roleplay Stage: Teen (Conrad) Status:Dead
Premise: Who knew a lemonade stand could be so successful? It's beginning to look more like a lawn party out here!
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:12 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #9 ♠ ♥
Title: Under the Stars (messenger RP) Participants: Brennen & Conrad Stage: Child (Brennen) & Teen (Conrad) Status:Complete!
Premise: A camping trip through a land of déja vu.
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Roleplay: Under spoiler
MoogerMint How long ago had this camping trip been decided? It could have very well only been earlier that same week, but with the amount that Connie had had to deal with at work, the energy needed for both home and on the job, it made it difficult to differentiate the amount of time. Maybe if he had written it down on a calendar... but it would have been meaningless to do so, really. Considering the trip was scheduled for the start of the weekend, the tauros-teen had plenty of energy to spare for the remainder of the trip. Resituating the gear on his back, he turned to survey the area before his eyes landed back to Brenny, "You think this is a good place to set up camp, or should we look for somewhere better?" It was a smallish clearing, but then again, Brenny knew this place best. Perhaps he had somewhere else in mind?
Thaliawen "This is good," Brenny said with a bright smile. "Daddy, this is close to where you found me!" The celebi set his backpack down. "Do you want help, Daddy?" He asked. He knew Connie had to be exhausted. He'd seen him come home each day, looking more tired than the last. He hoped this trip would give Connie the rest he deserved! "I'll help set up the tent," he decided. "Then we can have s'mores!"
MoogerMint Upon closer inspection, Connie realized that it was actually pretty near the trail that was taken when the two of them had first met, making the unprecedented stop with the delivery truck. It seemed like so long ago, Connie hadn't even noticed the similarity. Or maybe that was just because all he saw were a bunch of trees... it wasn't often the teen found himself in the forest, after all! Regardless, he decided to roll with it, "Oh, you're right! Well then this is perfect." Blinking once he was asked if he needed help, he thought a moment, then shook his head, "You know, I was thinking... did you really want to set up a tent? I mean, it's supposed to be a really nice night. Would you rather just set up the sleeping bags under the stars instead?"
Thaliawen Brenny thought a moment, before flashing the tauros teen a bright smile. "Oooh," he said, "And we can tell stories under the stars! But not scary stories. How many stars do you think are in the sky, Daddy? I think there's a millionbillionzillion!" He paused, looking up at the sky. "I don't think we'll ever count them all," he said. "But we can see if there's a shooting star and make a wish!"
MoogerMint "That sounds like a fun night to me!" Connie responded happily. With a snicker, he admitted, "And it's a good thing you like that idea because I, ah... sort of forgot to pack the tent." Bah, who packed a tent on a camping trip anyway? It was unintentional... whoops. Setting his pack down, he took a moment to glance skyward, despite the fact that it wasn't dark out yet, "I'm not sure... I like your guess, though! Especially considering I can't think of a number higher." A bit difficult to count higher than an imaginary number, that was for certain. Pulling out his rolled up sleeping bag, he moved closer to Brenny to help unroll the celebi's before tackling his own, "Do you have a wish you'd want to make on a shooting star, Brenny?"
Thaliawen Connie had forgotten the tent? Brenny found this fact amusing. "Don't worry, Daddy! Its going to be nice out. No storms!" The celebi boy had carefully watched the weather report to make sure. Thunder storms frightened him. "I do, Daddy! If I tell it to you, will it still come true? Do you have a wish? Maybe they'll both come true!"
MoogerMint Connie nodded his head; at least he had also remembered to check the weather report before leaving on the trip! "It's been pretty nice out for a while, so I'm glad we could get out here before it changed. It shouldn't even be too hot out during the days, so the nights should be pleasant, temperature-wise," he explained, though he had a feeling Brenny probably already knew all this. The celebi enjoyed his television, after all! Thinking about making a wish on a star, his expression turned into a frown in concentration, "I don't think it matters if you tell someone... I think that was just holding your breath in a tunnel... but I'm not a hundred percent certain of that. To be on the safe side, you probably shouldn't tell me, then." He nodded, as if agreeing with the statement before unwrapping the bindings on Brenny's sleeping bag and letting it roll out, "I'm perfectly happy with where I am in life. I suppose I could wish for something like... keeping things this good, everyone staying healthy, something like that."
Thaliawen Brenny wasn't sure Connie was being entirely truthful. They lived in a small apartment that was quickly becoming crowded. And Connie always worked so hard, without complaining. "My wish is for you to always be happy, Daddy," he said. Weeks before, his wish would have been for his sister to come live with him; but by this time, the celebi boy felt he had something much more important to wish for. He wanted to ensure his Daddy was happy.
MoogerMint Connie turned to Brenny, a bit taken aback by his wish. The expression didn't last long, however, and he turned more matter-of-fact on the conversation instead, "Well that'd be easy to do. All you have to do is make sure you stay happy. Happiness can be contagious, you know." Truth be told, this more simplistic life suited him just fine. He honestly wasn't happy unless he thought he was making a difference somehow, even if that was merely by working -- someone would surely get some benefit out of it! It was better now, however, since he could identify those he was affecting, and he felt everyone that was staying in their cramped apartment deserved such happiness. "So maybe I should wish the same, that everyone can be happy, huh?" he retorted with a smirk, flattening out Brenny's sleeping bag, "There we go. Did we pack the flint in your stuff, or was it in mine? Might want to get prepared for the campfire before we actually need it."
Thaliawen That's all he had to do? Be happy? Brenny seem ed doubtful for a long moment, then wrapped his arms around Connie. "I'm always happy when I'm with you,, daddy!" He said, beaming. Maybe they didn't need shooting stars to grant wishes! If he always seemed happy, then Connie would be happy. "Sometimes I wish that," he said, "but some people are happier being unhappy. They like it." He couldn't imagine that. He'd had his share of unhappy times, and he certainly couldn't see dwelling on it. "Its in your stuff, Daddy." Brenny seemed to lose some of his enthusiasm at the mention of a campfire. He tightened his hold, just slightly, on Connie.
MoogerMint "Well then this camping trip is sure to go well, wouldn't you say?" Connie snickered at Brenny, noting that that would mean that they would both be able to stay happy the entire time if they stuck together. Quite literally, it seemed, as the celebi latched onto the tauros. Nodding at Brenny's remark, he sighed, "That's true, there are some people like that. They all have different reasons for thinking the way they do. The question is whether it truly makes them happy like that, or if they're just afraid to let go of what they've always known. Sometimes it can be a bit of both." He hadn't experienced preference to misery himself, but in the city, it seemed to be all around. Feeling Brenny's nervousness, Connie carefully grabbed a hold of the child and hoisted him up to carry as he made his way over to his gear, rustling around for the flint. He had an idea as to what was going on, but wasn't entirely sure... "You having fun so far?" Maybe he could jostle the uneasiness out, and fix it before it got any worse.
Thaliawen "You won't let the fire spread and burn my forest, will you?" Brenny asked, studying the tauros with a small from. That wasn't his only worry. He was a plant type! What if the fire got too close? "But fires aren't always bad," he said, as if to reassure himself. "They're nice and warm and s'mores!" He was sure, then, that Connie was responsible enough to make fires listen to him. "I'm happy we came, Daddy. We're having fun!"
MoogerMint Hmm, was that was Brenny was afraid of? Silently he wondered what Brenny's past exposure to fire had been, or if it had been just something he witnessed on the television, but that was beside the point. "Of course, nothing bad will happen to the forest. If you know what you're doing and keep an eye on the fire, it won't get out of control. That's also what the campfires are for; if you set it up right, it can be really hard to burn anything but the fire pit! We're going to build it right!" Connie stated firmly, fishing the flint from a side pocket of the large backpack and handing it to Brenny to hold, "That's right, can't make s'mores without a proper fire, though I'm sure we won't need the warmth this time. Ready to gather some firewood with me?"
Thaliawen Brenny was reassured by Connie's words. Nothing bad would happen! Not with his Daddy around! "Good. Daddy knows what he's doing!" He took the flint and studied it. "And we like s'mores!" Well, he had never had one--but he was sure he would. "Ready!"
MoogerMint Well he sure hoped he knew what he was doing... but then, Connie made sure to learn about the things that he figured were important for camping. He was stubborn enough, he could make things work out! "That's right!" he reassured, carrying Brenny further into the woods to look for firewood despite... not really knowing where a good place to look for the pieces would be. He was sure Brenny wouldn't really approve of breaking small branches off, and there was something about getting the pieces dry. "We'll have as many s'mores as you want, I think we brought plenty of material!" the teen noted, pausing a moment, "Know where we could head off to for good firewood?" Okay, he may have been stubborn but he wasn't above admitting that he didn't know where to go.
Thaliawen "I know where lots of firewood is!" Was Brenny's immediate response. He beamed and pointed forward. "There's a clearing there, where the trees are older and drop a lot of their branches. He rubbed his head at the memory: he'd been the target of one of those branches. "See! Oak trees."
MoogerMint Connie immediately headed in the indicated direction, intent on entering the directed clearing before he got distracted by anything else. "That sounds like just what we need. Going to help me gather as many branches as you can carry?" he asked, setting the fae-child down once they reached the outskirts of the area. There definitely were a lot of branches that littered the ground! "How many you think you can carry?" he pried, as though tempting to make it a competition.
Thaliawen "Yup! I'm gonna help!" Brenny was pleased to find he had remembered where the old oak trees were. He beamed at Connie. "Daddy, we should come more often. I can show you lots in the forest! I can teach you!" He paused, and then grinned up at his father. "More than you!" He declared, before taking off and collecting an armful of wood.
MoogerMint Connie smiled at the offered educational lessons to the workings of the forest, glad that Brenny was already so happy, even though the trip had barely begun. Truthfully, the teen had been worried it might bring up memories the child may have wanted to keep buried, but that didn't seem to be the case -- he was at home here! "Sure, Brenny, we can visit more often! I'd like to know more about the forest; I haven't taken more than a couple of trips through them, and I don't think I've ever been able to stop and appreciate them. Well, exxcept for the day I ran into you," he snickered, for that wasn't his choice but it worked for the better in the end! Watching the celebi flitter off to gather more branches than Connie, the tauros took the opportunity to do the same in light-hearted competition, "Oh I'd like to see you try!"
Thaliawen Brenny was thrilled that Connie wanted to learn more about the forest. He could teach his Daddy about what berries were safe to eat and which tree had bark to cure headaches. He could show him how to find his way through the forest without getting lost. He could show him his favorite places and spots to play! "Don't get lost, Daddy," he called to Connie. "It gets dark faster in the deepest parts of the woods." And earlier. He scooped up several branches, beaming. He didn't expect to win, really. Daddy was much stronger than he was. "I got five!" He announced. His arms were beginning to feel heavy.
MoogerMint Connie peered around the area to make doubly-sure where the boundaries lie once Brenny directed for him not to get lost. "I'll stay in the clearing, don't worry," he responded, picking up another handful of twigs to be used for firewood, "Don't you go exploring on your own, either!" It was more of a playful jab than anything. Meeting back up with Brenny after gathering the branches, he looked down into his own armful... and then decided to forgo the counting. "Eh, close enough. Let's just call it a tie," he shrugged with a smile, "Ready to head back?"
Thaliawen Brenny beamed as Connie met up with him. He stooped down to gather a few more branches. "Do you think we have enough?" He asked. "We can make our fire and it'll listen to you, right, Daddy? You know what you're doing?" He paused, and studying Connie's armful, he knew his father had won the contest. He beamed. "A tie?" He echoed, "Yay! We tied!"
MoogerMint Carefully looking over the handfuls of firewood the two of them had managed to gather, Connie gave a slow nod, "I think it should be enough, yes. If it's not, we can get more later; I brought a flashlight, so we won't get lost if we stick together, should we need to do that." He readjusted his handhold on the stack, ears flicking to Brenny's questions, "I think it should. If it doesn't, then we'll need to discipline it, won't we? But it shouldn't hurt anything, so don't worry about that." He knew... enough of what he was doing, enough not to make a total mess of the trip. With a sharp nod, he confirmed, "Yep, a tie! We both got as much firewood as we could carry, and so we should set up the fire and get all warm. You wanted to toast marshmallows, didn't you?" He grinned, turning back towards their campsite, "Off we go!"
Thaliawen "Yay, a flash light! So it won't be all dark and scary!" Brenny knew that he would probably move his sleeping bag closer to Connie's by the end of the night. He didn't like the dark, nor the sensation of being alone. "No getting lost, Daddy. If you get lost, I'll cry." And if he cried, everyone would know it. The celebi boy was just as good at sharing misery as he was joy. "You don't discipline," he mused. "I know! I'll discipline it and you convince it to listen! That will work, huh Daddy?" He beamed at Connie's reasoning about the contest and followed him closely. "Yay marshmallows!"
MoogerMint Brenny's exuberance was somewhat of a flashlight on its own, it seemed, considering how bright and cheerful the celebi was! "I promise I won't get lost. It's kind of hard to get lost when you're right with someone who knows the forest like the back of their hand, though!" he chuckled, "So I just won't leave your side. Deal?" He certainly didn't want to see him sad! With the way Brenny directed Connie what to do at times, it wasn't difficult to imagine the celebi disciplining the fire in the same manner, but the image in the teen's head was an amusing one! "I think that's a good plan. Tag team effort!" he cheered, "There shouldn't be any problems with us both on the case!" As they reached the campsite, Connie was quick to set his load down into a pile near the site it was to be burned. "How long until you think it will get dark?" he asked; he wasn't entirely sure just how quickly it turned dark out here!
Thaliawen Brenny beamed. "Its grown a little since I lived here," he mused. He had been, after all, only a few months old when Connie had found him. "But what if I get lost?" He wondered aloud, wrinkling his nose at the thought. "Then we would both be lost! But at least, I would be with you, and you'd be with me. So we'll be happy, even if we do get lost!" He set his branches down on top of Connie's. "Yeah! We'll work together to make the fire listen!" He paused and looked up at the sky. "An hour, maybe less."
MoogerMint "It's nice to see it getting bigger and stronger with time, isn't it?" Connie grinned, patting one of the nearest trees' trunk thoughtfully. Many of the trees seemed to stretch on forever upward, but it shed new light to note that Brenny could see the difference, even in a few months' time away from the confines of the trees. "If you get lost, I'll come searching for you. And then we'll make it a game of finding the campsite again!" he stated with a smile, tossing a twig up and catching it, "You know the surrounding area for right here, so once we hit some familiarity, we can get back. We'd be just fine, and you're right, it would still be fun!" Daunting, yes, but fun in the adventurous sense! Grabbing a lighter from his bag, Connie grabbed a handful of branches and set them in the fire pit, "You ready to give it a good lecture if the fire wants to misbehave?" His smile lent itself to the fact that there wouldn't be anything to worry about with the both of them keeping an eye on it as it got going.
Thaliawen "Celebi only live in florishing forests, but it grows fine without me," Brenny mused, blinking up at the trees. "Do you think they grow only when I'm visiting?" He asked. Maybe they liked showing their new growth off to the guardian of the forest, he wasn't sure. "You'll come find me? Good! I'm glad. But we can have lots more fun by not getting lost, Daddy! Are you going to tell stories? I'll tell you a story. He paused, mentally preparing himself for a good long lecture if needed. "Yup! Ready!"
MoogerMint "Only? Don't some celebi also live in the city?" Connie teased before actually responding to the proposed question, "I'm not sure. It's possible! Maybe you can find a way to ask them sometime, or do a little spy work on them and try to find out when they're not looking!" Not that trees really... LOOKED anywhere, but that was beside the point. "Of course I'll come find you; I'm not leaving the forest without you, silly!" he assured, "I can try telling a story... we'll see. First things first." Kneeling down, closer to the unceremoniously tossed branches, Connie flicked the lighter near the center, attempting an angle that wouldn't end up burning himself in the process. He probably should have practiced that first... but being careful about it seemed to pay off as the flame jumped over to the branch the teen was trying to ignite.
Thaliawen "Well, no... only those lucky enough to find great daddies like me!" Brenny declared. "Not all of them are so lucky. I think I'm the only one. I got the best daddy in all the world! You're my favorite part of the city, Daddy." The city was so lively and had so many people to meet! The celebi boy loved it. "Oooh! I know! I'll hide in my sleeping bag! They won't be able to see me! You can tell me if they do anything exciting, okay Daddy?" He paused, studying Connie for a long moment. "Are you happy being my daddy, Daddy?" He asked, when Connie was busy attempting to light the fire. "Really happy?"
MoogerMint Connie was amused at that statement, to say the least -- amused and flattered! "But Brenny, there are so few celebis out there, just the single 'you' make up a large percentage of that population!" the tauros pointed out, "But you're right, that does also mean that you're lucky for being the one it happened to." Hey, he could play around with modesty, too! Chuckling as he watched Brenny dive for his sleeping bag, he tilted his head to face the boy, "Hey, you're suppose to help me with the campfire first! Then you can test out that theory!" Blowing lightly on the flame to help it grow, he turned back to Brenny once again when he was asked, confusion plainly evident, "What makes you ask that?" Connie didn't think he really did anything that would make Brenny feel like he wasn't happy...
Thaliawen "That means you're lucky too, Daddy. There are a lot of tauros out there, I could have met any one of them! But you're special." Not only because Connie had been the one he had met. He was sure Connie had been special before he had met him. Brenny sat up in his sleeping bag, gazing at the fire. "You better listen to Daddy," he told it, "he might get stern at you if you don't." Not that he had ever seen Connie stern. He had never heard his father raise his voice, even! "Well. Sometimes I make Mei and Eliot sad. And Mei got mad at me. I wanna make sure I always make you happy, though!"
( Continued in next post )
MoogerMint Crew
Sparkly Pants
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MoogerMint Crew
Sparkly Pants
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:14 am
Under the Stars part 2
MoogerMint Of course, Connie opted to stick with confirming that he was the lucky one to be 'stuck' with Brenny because of who the celebi was, as an individual, "You're right, I'm very lucky as well! Maybe the jirachi's stars are also good at giving luck..." It was just a random thought, but he thought it might be an interesting view on the matter. He watched the fire a bit longer as it grew in size, then tapered off to maintain its height, "Hmm, I think it decided it would rather listen to you than get scolded. Good job!" Moving to put the lighter away, Connie sighed at Brenny's explanation as to why he thought to ask if the teen was happy. "I suppose it's always inevitable something like that would happen. Sometimes, just being around someone for long periods of time can make them show more of their anger or sadness, but that only means that they are comfortable showing that side to you. But no, Brenny, you never make me sad. I'm having a lot of fun, so there's no room for anything else but happiness! What about you?" he returned the query as he pulled the marshmallows out of the bag.
Thaliawen "Maybe they are!" Brenny agreed. "Because I was lucky to find you, and you were lucky to find me! And we've been lucky ever since, Daddy. We have Mei, and Eliot and Muffin. And we have each other!" The celebi boy beamed at the fire. It had obeyed after all! "Good," he said. "I'm good at being bossy, I can boss the fire and it will listen!" Brenny paused at Connie's question, and for a moment, was silent in thought. Then he flashed a bright smile at him. "I'm always happy when I'm with you, Daddy. You fill up my whole heart, so when you're around nothing makes me sad! I think, Daddy, if I really did come from the future, I was meant to find you and make you happy."
MoogerMint Connie nodded in agreement with Brenny's sentiment, "It does seem that the stars have continued on their 'lucky spree' in that way, doesn't it? Maybe you're right! Though it's also possible that we've just managed to create our own happiness. Wouldn't it be nice if it was our own fault we were happy?" There was a light laugh at that, but it was true: hard work had a way of paying off in similar respect, at least in the long run, even if it meant having to be bossy every once in a while to get it to work! "That was a really sweet thing to say, Brenny. I think that would be incredible if it were true as well," he snickered, giving the celebi a hug before holding up the marshmallow bag, "Now then, you ready to try to make some s'mores?" He'd never actually done it before, but it seemed relatively simple enough.
Thaliawen Brenny hesitated at Connie's suggestion. "Hm... I suppose. I made my happiness by finding you and climbing into your truck!" He beamed. "And you made your happiness by deciding to bring me to your home!" The celebi boy paused, frowning slightly up at his father. He wrapped his arms around him. "It must be true, Daddy!" He insisted. "Everything that happened to me before ensured I would meet you!" He beamed. "So we could both be happy!" His grip on Connie tightened. "Yeah, s'mores!"
MoogerMint Connie gave a stern nod in agreement at that, "I think you're right. The star didn't make you do that, though it was there to help, in a way. Bringing you home was a collective decision, and I think it worked out for the best, don't you?" The teen poked the celebi-boy in the ribs by way of tickle, thinking the conversation had gotten a little too serious -- they were having fun, and they would continue to have fun! He tousled the child's grassy curls at the returned hug and assurance of a fated meeting, "It's very possible that's what happened! And if that's the case, I'd say it worked." With a snicker, he attempted to urge Brenny out from his hiding place and closer to the fire, goading with the bag of marshmallows he had in hand, "I think we can use some of the twigs we gathered for firewood to cook the marshmallows on. And don't worry, the fire looks like it wants to play nice, so it shouldn't do anything unexpected. Even if it does, I'm here, so it's okay!" The celebi's aversion to fire was obvious, but that didn't mean it had to keep them from enjoying the evening.
Thaliawen "It did! Because I have you!" Brenny beamed. The star had certainly been on his side, when he found it. He giggled at the poke in the ribs. He pulled off the sleeping bag and scooted closer to Connie. He studied the fire carefully. He wasn't sure he trusted it. He had seen fire jump before: but that had been a much larger fire. "I'll pick out the sticks!" He announced, moving to fetch two long sticks. "See, we put marshmallows on these!"
MoogerMint "Not only that, but now I've got you," Connie retorted with a snicker, releasing hold of his pestering of the child. The teen was certainly happy to note the upbeat tempo of Brenny's current disposition, a perceived change from the one he was using moments before. All he had to do now was make sure the campfire stayed under strict supervision, so Brenny didn't have any sort of relapse of whatever had scared him about it before. It was a fear that came from experience, it seemed... but there was no reason to have to relive that sort of trauma, as long as the tauros stayed on his toes. Taking one of the offered twigs, Connie swung it lightly, "Good choice, I think these should work perfectly! Now I think we should try starting with just one marshmallow each. I'm not sure if cooking two at a time would work all that well yet..." He set the bag next to and slightly behind himself, patting the ground immediately to his right from where he was seated, "If you sit here, I don't think the fire would be able to get anywhere near you, even if it did act up."
Thaliawen Brenny took the indicated spot, watching the fire warily. "Daddy, after marshmallows will you tell me a story?" He asked, taking the bag and opening it. He stuck one onto the end of his stick, and one into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, giggling. "Let's save some for Muffin when we get home," he said. He had recently found that their pet fluff would do just about anything to get a marshmallow. Even dance! He held out a marshmallow to Connie, scooting closer to his father as he watched the fire. "I don't think it'll get us here either," he decided at last, smiling. "We're safe!"
MoogerMint Connie was never one to be very good at storytelling, this much was obvious even to him. However, despite that fact, he was never above giving something another try in the hopes he would improve over time, and this instance was no different. "I can give it a shot. What sort of story were you wanting to hear?" he responded, snatching the offered marshmallow up and wedging it onto the stick, fairly certain it wouldn't be a scary story being requested. Which was good, he was probably even worse at that sort of story anyway! Smiling at the boy who seemed to be having more fun now, he shrugged in reply to the suggestion of saving some marshmallows, "Well, we can do that, but if we end up eating them all... how about we pick some more up at the store before we get back home?" Luckily, marshmallows weren't the most expensive of food items out there. "If it tries any funny business, we'll just have to teach it what good manners are all about," Connie agreed, keeping an eye on the bouncing of the flames as he hovered the skewered marshmallow over the pit.
Thaliawen Brenny found scary stories to be scary, and was sure any of the ones Connie came up with would be great! But too scary for him. "A true story!" He decided. "About you and me. I'll tell you a story about us too! They're the best stories because we're the most exciting characters!" He beamed, leaning his head against Connie as he hovered his marshmallow over the fire. "Look Daddy, its listening to you! It must be a polite fire!"
MoogerMint The simplicity of the requested story caught Connie momentarily off-guard. He usually didn't associate storytelling with telling someone something that happened less than a year ago... to the very same person that was there! "You're so silly," he snickered, but nodded nonetheless, "All right, I can do that. How many marshmallows do you think you'll be able to eat before then, huh?" He peered into the bag, but couldn't guess the current count -- there would likely be no way the two of them could finish off the bag and still feel all right afterwards. Turning attention back to the fire pit, he was happy to note that the marshmallow had not caught on fire while he was distracted, "Well good! Don't hover it close enough to catch the twig on fire. I don't actually know... if... Are marshmallows flammable?" He gave a quizzical look, then dunked the end into the fire to see if it would catch. "Woah!" he exclaimed, pulling it closer to himself so he could blow the fire from the top of the marshmallow. Connie laughed, "It's completely burned on one side! ...Hey Brenny, dare me to eat this?"
Thaliawen Brenny beamed. In his opinion, his meeting Connie was the best story of all. It was so special to him, that memory. He had finally found a place he belonged with a person who loved him! "Hm. Not too many!" He decided, studying the marshmallow on his makeshift poker. They had sugar in them, he was sure of it. And too much sugar would keep him up late! "Four?" He guessed. His eyes widened when he spotted Connie's marshmallow on fire. "They are!" He announced. "Oooh. I bet its all gooey inside! Yeah! Eat it!"
MoogerMint Even though a rather narrow selection of stories had been verified, Connie was still having a bit of difficulty in deciding what story he should decide on. In the short time together, they had already been through an awful lot! But then... Brenny's favorite had been when they had first met, wasn't it? The strangest part about it was that it felt like it hadn't been more than a few months since then, but he found it difficult to locate a positive memory before then that had been half as exciting. "Probably for the best. Don't want to be getting sick, eating so much sugar!" he agreed, poking at the half-burned marshmallow on the end of his stick, making sure it wouldn't scald his fingers. It seemed it had burned so quickly that it wasn't actually too exceedingly hot on the outside! Taking Brenny up on his dare, he offered a big grin, "Alright, well we'll see how it is!" Popping it in his mouth, he cringed slightly, but didn't speak until he had swallowed it, "Yeugh, it tasted burnt on the outside, too! But you're right, it was pretty gooey on the inside, and that part was good! How's yours coming along?"
Thaliawen Brenny studied Connie's expression before giggling. "The burnt part didn't taste good?" He asked, teasing. He glanced at his own marshmallow. It was a dark brown on one side, but no where near the black Connie's had been! "I'll try it," he said, plucking the marshmallow off the stick with his hand. This seemed to be a mistake: the marshmallow was so well done that it squished in his hand. "Ew, sticky," he complained, with a giggle. He started to lick at the marshmallow. He beamed. "This one is better than yours, Daddy. But I don't think we're very good at cooking them."
MoogerMint Connie coughed briefly, covering his mouth with a forearm and shaking his head in response. If there was one flavor Connie hated more than anything, it was the taste of charcoal... but at least the flavor didn't overpower the entire marshmallow! He was able to get his bearings before Brenny had finished poking at the marshmallow that didn't seem to want to let the celebi go. The teen moved around to see the marshmallow from other angles before he voiced his observations, "Definitely better done than mine was, that's for sure." He snickered at the child's reaction to the stickiness, "They're supposed to do that when they heat up! Kind of like glue... Luckily, it doesn't taste like glue! But don't worry. With a little practice, I'm sure one of these marshmallows will turn out perfect! Go ahead and eat that one, and we'll give it another shot." His instruction came as he reached into the plastic bag, retrieving another pair. He tossed one to Brenny to catch, if nothing else than in his lap, and tried to wedge the other onto the end of his own branch.
Thaliawen Brenny continued attacking the marshmallow attached to his hand with vigor, until the majority of it had been eaten. He beamed, mouth covered in sticky white goodness. "It really is like glue!" He agreed, showing his father his hand. "I can't get all of it off!" But that was alright! He could use this for a story about Edward Stickyhands! At least, thats what the celebi had thought the show was about, until Eliot had turned it off! "Oooh. Yeah! You can try again!" He beamed. He was sure Connie would do better this time! He caught the marshmallow in his lap, carefully sticking it onto the end of his branch. "This fire isn't scary at all!"
MoogerMint Watching Brenny play with his food, a thought occurred to him, "You know... I probably should have brought something to wash our hands with." He blinked, then cringed slightly, "Any idea if there's a river or something nearby, so that we might be able to get this marshmallow glue off, by any chance?" The stickiness of the marshmallow before it was making it more difficult to skewer the second marshmallow, but it only took a little more effort. "We'll both try again, and we'll both get better at making these things tasty!" he assured as he finished fastening the treat to the end of the stick, carefully hovering it over the fire once more, "And this time, I'll actually pay attention..." Watching marshmallows slowly cook wasn't the most exciting of things, but the time taken was still enjoyed, "You just need to know how to speak its language, the fire. I guess it responds to its environment the most, and sometimes it just gets too excited and grabby." He nudged one of the stones that lined the pit, "Fire doesn't burn stone, so these keep it in place, as long as it doesn't flare. The wind isn't blowing, though, so I think it should keep behaving until it dies out on us."
Thaliawen "There's a stream nearby," Brenny assured Connie with a smile. "I'll show you where after we're done!" If he didn't fall asleep first. The fire was having a surprising affect on Brenny. It was warm and cozy! And it made him feel that way inside too, despite the stickiness that was undoubtedly in his belly. He leaned against Connie as he watched his marshmallow and let his branch droop. "You speak its language, Daddy," he observed. "Good job! Now you know three languages! Pokemon, english and fire!" He positioned himself so he was more comfortably against Connie and yawned, moving his branch so he could safely pluck the marshmallow and pop it into his mouth.
MoogerMint Once he was told that there was water nearby to wash the marshmallow remnants off with, Connie lowered his hand, no longer concerned about getting anything else on it. After all, if anything else stuck, he'd just be able to wash that off at the same time! His attention turned back to the boy once Brenny's weight was felt against Connie's side. Ohh, he thought he recognized that reaction... Sitting cross-legged, he attempted to help keep Brenny's skewer aloft by propping it with a knee as the child leaned over groggily. He grinned at Brenny's language observation, "I suppose you're right! Never thought I could say that I was tri-lingual..." With a snicker, he followed the celebi's example and tested out the temperature on his own marshmallow. As he tasted it, he made a thoughtful face before swallowing, "Well it was perfect on one side... the other could have used a little longer, though. How was yours?" Spotting the yawn, he considered aloud, "One more before we go wash up?"
Thaliawen Brenny nodded, yawning again. "One more," he agreed. He rubbed a fist against his right eye, and then his left. He took his marshmallow and popped it into his mouth. "Daddy, I think that's my last one," he admitted. The warmth was nice and cozy! He wasn't sure how long he could stay up. Hopefully he could still stay up long enough to hear Connie's story! He wrapped his free arm around his father and snuggled him. "I like being here with you Daddy."
MoogerMint The speed at which Brenny had finished his last marshmallow for the evening merely pointed further to the boy's sleepiness, even before he had confirmed it. Connie hadn't even finished placing his third on the end of the branch before Brenny had finished, so the tauros merely popped it, uncooked, into his mouth. "Alright, then we should wash up. We don't want to leave the marshmallow goo on!" he stated with a nod, nudging the celebi playfully in a partial attempt to keep him awake a little longer, "I like it here, too. It's fun when you've got friends to spend the time with, isn't it?" He flashed a grin before standing, careful not to knock the sleepy child over, "Okay, where's the stream? We'll make it a fast trip."
Thaliawen Brenny stood, taking Connie's least sticky hand and smiled up at him. "Let's go wash off," he agreed. The movement seemed to help him wake up. Maybe sitting in front of the fire had been the cause of his sleepiness. Maybe he would be able to stay up to count all the stars after all! "I'm glad, Daddy," he said, "its much prettier this time of year than it was when you found me. Everything's bright and green and beautiful. I think the trees are happy we're visiting!" He led Connie towards the stream. He bent and tested it with a finger before quickly standing. "Its cold!"
MoogerMint If it wasn't for the fact that both of their hands were not in the cleanest of shape, Connie may have hesitated on grabbing hold of Brenny's outstretched hand. He was quick on the uptake, though, and happy to note that it was not too far of a detour to the stream at all -- he could find this pretty easily from the campsite, if he needed! "So close, and I didn't even hear it!" he marveled, attributing the lack of observation to the soft sound it made and the denseness of the trees in the surrounding area. Following the boy's lead, Connie neared the water and sat himself down on his knees, "You're right, it's a much better time of the year than when we first met. It's still the warmer part of the year, so neither one of us are freezing!" Not the best part of the memory, not by a long shot, but it was still an important tidbit. He flinched once he stuck his hands in, offering the water the slightest of scrutinizing looks, "Though the water would like to say otherwise, wouldn't it? Good thing there's a fire back at camp!" The teen made quick work of scrubbing, so as not to keep his hands in such a cold environment longer than they needed to be, and rubbed them together to generate friction-induced warmth, "So, you ready to head back?"
Thaliawen Brenny scrubbed at his hands, pulling a face at the chill the water caused. "It must still be cold from all the ice from last year. It melts and goes into the stream and lake so they get really cold." He paused and stuck his tongue out at Connie, flicking a bit of water at him playfully. "You didn't hear it because you didn't know it was here," he teased. "The trees are trying to make things quiet for us so we can sleep, I think. It wants to hear your story too, maybe! Maybe it knows its the best story ever. It has a really happy--Daddy, our story hasn't ended yet! Is it a happy middle, then?" He wiped his hands on his shirt to dry them off and took Connie's hand. "Let's go! You can tell me the story when we get there!"
MoogerMint Connie nodded at the explanation, unsure as to why it was that the water was like that... just that water in the wild always seemed to be on the cold side. There was a moment where he was trying to think of any other alternatives, so the splash of water was met with surprise -- surprise of which quickly got him laughing, even when trying to futilely defend himself against it with arms that were raised a little too late. "Ack! Cold, cold!" he laughed, poking at Brenny's ribs in retaliation once the water assault had subsided. "That could be it, but it's so quiet out here that I thought I might still be able to hear it. Maybe the fire talks too loudly," he suggested offhandedly. Shaking his hands free of most of the moisture, he thought about how to answer the posed question as he took hold of Brenny's hand and headed back to camp, "Well, I don't know... What do you think? Are you happy?" He was just teasing though, and his grin conveyed that notion, "I don't even think it's a middle yet, but so far, I don't think there's really any bad parts at all in our story!"
Thaliawen "Maybe that's it," Brenny agreed with a giggle. "The stream talks quietly, and the fire likes you to hear it! It goes poppopcrackle! Streams are quieter. Maybe it wanted to surprise you." He paused at Connie's question, seeming to take it seriously. His grip on the teenager's hand tightened. "I'm always happy with you Daddy," he said, hesitating. "You won't leave me here, will you?" Maybe it was the dark, maybe it was the fact that the celebi boy was half asleep, but he was reminded of the night he had been unable to find Cecily. It had been much colder. And Brenny knew--he was more attached to the teenager he had declared his father than to anyone else. "That would be a bad plot twist."
MoogerMint "Pretty big opposition. It makes sense, though; in nature, fire and water aren't the best of friends!" Connie noted with a nod after a bit of thought, thinking it would be amusing if the water really had wanted to play a joke on them by hiding! He gave Brenny a quizzical look, "Hmm, are you sure you don't speak fire? I think that was a pretty good impression!" He took a glance around briefly at the celebi-boy's question, "Why would I leave you here? It's going to be getting cold again! Besides, we both need to take that unfinished bag of marshmallows back home so Muffin can eat them, right?" He figured, if nothing else, justification in such a manner would help make it clear that it would be impossible to leave the child on his own out here, considering he didn't seem to believe that Connie was truly happy while he was around. Then again, with how sleepy the kid appeared, it could have easily been due to such rooted fears coming closer to the surface. "It would be a horrible plot twist," Connie agreed, "I don't see that happening in the future. However, since I'm only half the writer to this story, I'm going to have to confer with the other writer about it." He tugged on Brenny's hand then, kneeling down and looking him square in the eye, trying to look very serious, "I got word that some of the readers don't want Brenny to be abandoned in the forest, and I kind of agree with them. What do you think, co-writer?" He couldn't help the bright grin after that -- it was difficult to stay serious when Brenny looked so gloomy; he should be smiling, too!
Thaliawen Brenny blinked. He supposed he was needed, to take marshmallows home for Muffin. Still, his grip on Connie tightened. "She left me here," he muttered, "And it was cold. When I saw her again, she didn't know who I was. I don't want you to leave, and have you forget me too!" He couldn't imagine it. It was too horrible. He couldn't picture meeting Connie on the beach, and having the teenager frightened of him. He wrapped his arms around Connie's neck when the teen knelt and nodded. "I think the readers would like if we always stayed together!" He decreed. "Then our book will sell millions of copies. Its the best story ever, Daddy."
MoogerMint Ahh, so that was it. Connie supposed it was about this time of year that Brenny had initially been separated from his sister. "She probably didn't know that this sort of thing could happen to pokémon when she saw you. I know, when I was still fully pokémon, I didn't know it could happen. I'd never heard of such a thing!" he attempted, though he was sure the explanation would only manage to fall short. Brenny didn't want his sister to see him as anything less than her brother, and the reaction had been hard on him. Words would only go so far. "I couldn't forget you, silly. I probably wouldn't forget you, even if I forgot everything else. Besides, if I did, you'd help me remember, wouldn't you?" he stated, offering a cheerful smile. The teen was quick on the uptake, returning the hug, "I don't have anywhere else to go, either, so we're in this together. I think you and everyone else would agree that that would be the best for the story." With a snicker, he picked the child up and, letting him hold on with that hug, carried them the rest of the way back to the campsite, where the warmth of the fire would cut through the chill of the river water.
Thaliawen "But you said I'm still a Pokemon. Just different looking. And I told her. I told her! And I said she could live with us! But she didn't answer, Daddy. She didn't. I wanted her to. I looked for her, and looked and looked. And she didn't." Brenny wasn't sure how to express the hurt that had caused him. Was it selfish, to want his family with him? He wondered. But was she his family? She had been at one point, but he couldn't decide if she was now. "Really?" He asked, smiling. That meant a lot to him, the knowledge that he couldn't be forgotten. "I couldn't ever forget you either, Daddy! You're my most important memory!" He paused, nodding rapidly. "Of course I would! I won't let you forget me for long! I'll tell you how much I love you and you'll remember!" He nestled his head against Connie's shoulder. "I'm glad you won't leave me, Daddy."
MoogerMint "You are still a pokémon," he confirmed, "But people have been used to us looking more like we did before we found the stars that it's difficult to accept it like nothing's wrong. Pokémon didn't use to change the way we did, that's only something that started happening more recently. That's why some humans and some pokémon don't think we're actually pokémon. They think we look more human than pokémon now, but you and I know better, don't we?" Connie could tell the distraught lens Brenny was looking through would likely only let him hear part of that, but it was likely Brenny's sister fell into the category of not recognizing him, at least right away. "And some pokémon really don't like living with a bunch of humans, they'd prefer to be on their own. Humans can be intimidating to a lot of those that have lived out in the wild their whole life. Hmm... maybe you should talk to some of them, sometime, and get their view on the matter, hn? I bet they could enlighten you a lot better than I could, since I've been with humans my whole life," the tauros suggested with a mild laugh. He gave Brenny a pat on the back, careful of the transparent wings, "I'm sure that would jog anyone's memory of you! Haha, I'd feel so stupid about forgetting you after that, I'm sure! I don't think things would ever come to that, though. You don't have to worry about me ever leaving you. You'll never be alone, not so long as I can help it."
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:17 am
♣ ♦ Roleplay #10 ♠ ♥
Title: Heart To Heart (messenger RP) Participants: Mei-Ling & Conrad Stage: Child (Mei-Ling) & Teen (Conrad) Status:Complete!
Premise: There's a difference between feeling needed and feeling wanted.
- - -
Roleplay: Under spoiler
Lirilei Things had been tense for her lately...with Cam not remembering her, the job she'd had was no more. She'd been searching for a new one, anxious to bring money in to help out so Connie didn't have so much to do on his own.. The boys had gone off somewhere....she wasn't sure where they'd gone. Of course they'd asked but she'd declined.
Instead she stayed behind, and saw to cleaning the apartment. Windows were washed, the bed changed, all that sort of thing. It wasn't money...but it did make Connie's life easier, which is what she was after.
MoogerMint With the seasonal holidays forthcoming on the calendar, work around the city seemed to have picked up to what felt like an unprecedented degree -- at least, compared to the months prior. Everyone seemed to have picked up the slack in a stressful attempt to leave on time... so when work fell back to normal volumes, it was a surprising turn of events to realize when there was no more work stockpiled to be done that evening, with the speedy movements in the forefront of everyone's mind.
So Connie was allowed to head home early. Normally he would have insisted sticking around, but when not having merely himself to care for any longer, the extra time was accepted with some relief.
As practiced, Connie was careful about opening the door should anyone be immediately behind it. Peering inside, he noted that it seemed pretty empty... except for the smell of cleaner. Setting his lunchbox on the counter, he called out so as not to startle, "I'm home! Where is everyone?" Everything looked so spruced up, it was not what he had expected coming home to at all! Spotting Mei, he was quick to give a grateful smile, "It looks like you've been busy today! Mei, you didn't have to do all that..." But it was obvious that it was immensely appreciated!
Lirilei She'd just finished folding the clean bed sheets up and putting them back in where they were kept when she heard the door open and she braced herself, expecting a barrage of boys. Instead...well she relaxed realizing it was Connie. This was a nice surprise!
The apartment was a sparkling testament to the hard work she'd done, having even managed to finally get a stubborn spot off the couch that Connie slept on, after someone had spilled grape juice on it. Now he had a clean couch, complete with a clean blanket for himself.
Swiping her arm over her forehead as she came out there was a smile given to the Tauros, a slender shoulder lifting in a half shrug. "I don't mind Connie. It's not like I have anything else to fill my time with, and I know we all appreciate having a clean apartment."
He was so hard working, and it made her smile a little knowing he worked so hard to provide for them all. "Laundry is washed, you have clean clothes if you want to change while I make you a snack." she reached up and adjusted the bandana she'd tied into her hair, tucking a few strands under it before she washed her hands up.
"You're home early today, this is a nice surprise! The boys went...somewhere. I'm not sure honestly. I stayed behind to do this." he hand waved around the apartment as she rummaged in the fridge. "Hmm..." she sounded thoughtful...but not in a good way.
MoogerMint While he wasn't able to see all of the work that Mei had managed to accomplish throughout the day in his short scanning of the room, it was obvious that it was a lot of work. It was even difficult to pinpoint where some cleaning had occurred, but there was an overall sense that it just looked and felt better. Maybe Connie had just been living too long with things the way they had been. The teen whistled and shook his head in amazed disbelief, "The place looks incredible... I didn't even know it could look so good!"
As Mei emerged from the other room, his smile was still plainly visible, but there were other factors that quickly came into play, and they registered to him with haste, "You did this all by yourself?" Flinching, he got to work pulling his boots off in the off-chance he were to track anything inside from the soles and setting them next to the door.
Changing into some clean clothes did sound nice... but he wasn't sure if he was going to have to retrieve Brenny from wherever he disappeared off to, should the little guy lose track of the time. In fact, it was still fairly early, and Connie would have been tempted to change into pajamas... "Naw, I'm good for now. Let me help!" he piped up. It seemed like she had done just as much work today as he had, so there was no sense in letting one relax while the other one carried on working!
Instead of heading into the other room, the tauros moved to the sink to wash his hands. He caught the mienfoo's distracted humming, and while he didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so, he just wanted to make sure... "Is everything alright?" There had been a number of arguments that Connie had not been present for, and he just wanted to make sure this wasn't one of those. Was everything alright? It just seemed unusual, especially for Mei to be home by herself.
Lirilei "Hm? Oh..." she pulled some things out of the fridge then and set them on the counter going about making a slight snack for the both of them. With care she washed a couple of apples and set them on the small cutting block, a knife pulled out and laid there then looked up at him.
"Would you cut these please Connie?" it seemed safer for him to handle the knife given the slippery, rolling nature of apples in the end. Two cups were gotten and she filled both with water before leaning against a counter and taking a sip.
"I did, and its okay. I wanted to honestly. I've had a lot on my mind to think about. You know I was going to Cameron's to rake the leaves and help out, and he paid me but also let me join in his classes...well...ever since he's come home...no classes...no work...he doesn't even remember me."
The cup was rolled between her fingers pensively, staring down at it. "I've tried looking for something new, but no one wants to hire a kid...but I don't like not helping out here. You do so much...and you know from the start I've tried to help..." her glass was set down and she excused herself a moment only to return quickly and she held out an envelope.
"I want you to have this Connie. I kept a little out for me...so...well so I can get myself food...I'll find somewhere to stay, I always did. This will help you three out till I can find somewhere to work and send you more money. I guess part of me wanted you to have a clean apartment so you had one less thing to worry before I left."
At least she'd waited till he was done with the knife to drop her little bomb on him. She of course, wasn't thinking through the problems of what looked like a ten or eleven year old girl on her own, amongst other things. She just knew, she wanted to make his life easier.
MoogerMint Connie watched Mei's actions as she pulled the material out of the refrigerator and drawers for the little snack. He was quick on the uptake when she requested his assistance, eagerly picking up the knife and sliding the occupied cutting board to himself across the counter, "Sure thing!" Despite the unknown variables that hung in the air, it felt fairly relaxing to be making a snack like this. Mellow, and much less physically-intensive than what either of them had been working on throughout the day.
Setting the knife down, Connie grabbed a small bowl to set the apple slices in, keeping his hands busy while he waited for the answer. The longer it took, the more it made him nervous... She was waiting until he was done, but did that mean that this conversations was going to be headed toward something he should be sitting down for?
He didn't have long to ponder on that, tensing slightly when he realized who Mei was referencing. "Cam... Wait, he was at the lemonade stand you two were running, wasn't he?" the teen recalled. Yes, he knew that Mei had been working at getting a little extra income, but it was only now that he realized that he could put a face to the employer. Due to that, it made him all the more concerned, "...What happened?" Should he even be asking that?
The tone that Mei was taking was causing Connie to freeze up a bit. Words weren't coming as smoothly as they should have been, and he could feel it in the air -- this conversation wasn't headed down a good path. Out of reaction, he took the envelope that was offered, but couldn't do much more with it than that. "I... Mei, I can't..." he tried, sighing and setting the envelope onto the counter. It felt as though everything in his body were tightening up. It had gotten to the point where she wanted to leave? Was this the option she really wanted?
Kneeling down, Connie placed a hand on the mienfoo's shoulder. It was another reaction, considering he felt that she was the more adult, the more responsible, one. "Nothing you do is unhelpful. Every little bit counts. While having a paycheck, well... it does help out with some things, it doesn't solve other problems," the teen attempted. It was a pale notion of what he really wanted to say, but it was all that he could verbally put forth that wouldn't have been garbled by the panic that was threatening to claw through.
But... this wasn't about the rest of them. He didn't want to make her stay, but was this really what Mei wanted? It looked like it was difficult for her to speak this way, but he didn't know if it was just her fear of upsetting him, or if it was because she thought it was the best for everyone else. Frowning, he shook his head, "Never mind what I want, what Brenny wants, all of that... Mei, is this really what YOU want? You are not a burden. You are appreciated. I just want you to know that--" He shook his head again with a sigh, "No. I'm sorry, you should make this sort of decision without influence from me, but Mei..." He couldn't let himself say any more than that. Instead, he went about it the other way, "What made you think it would be easier if you left?" Was that... too strong?
Lirilei "Yeah he was. He was the zebstrika there...the purpley guy who was there with the big aggron." her glass was set down on the counter then as she talked. "Urban didn't go into details, but there was a fight between him and his fiance...and Cam went to the beach to surf...and he was found on the sand bleeding from his head, and half drowned. He was in a coma for awhile...and now...well he doesn't remember a lot. Me included. So I got told to go away." another slight shrug given. It was out of her hands this issue.
Mei saw Connie freeze and she couldn't help but feel bad dropping this bomb on him. "You can Connie, and should. Will help out with things here. Food, and what not." she let the envelope stay there for the moment. It wasn't going anywhere.
The hand on her shoulder was met with hers resting atop his own, and squeezing lightly. "Breathe, Connie." she could see the look in his eyes, the look he was trying to keep from his face, the hint of it in his voice. He was panicking, and that was bad.
"No...not really. This is my home now. I've lost one home to death...my only other option...well he doesn't remember me. So I'd have no where to go, but like I said, I found places before. The city is sure to be full of places I can stay. Even if I have to spend a little time on the streets." She was of course unaware of how mean the city streets could get at night. Especially for someone like her.
His question though it did surprise her. "Well...you'd have one less person to feed all the time. One less person using things up around here...and there'd be two incomes coming in since I'd only keep a little and send you the rest so I was still helping." of course...that left the fact Brenny liked to invite random strangers in for food and movies, and that blew through food....
And she wouldn't be there to make sure they weren't an undesirable sort, like that Mawile had been. Or someone worse who could possibly hurt Brenny or Eliot! There was a sigh from her then. "...those two would get into a lot of trouble without me though...wouldn't they?" her words were soft as the realization dawned on her.
MoogerMint Connie nodded as he remembered what Cam had looked like in the single instance the tauros had met him. He had seemed so insistent on helping out if it were needed, very friendly, as was his friend Urban. It was difficult to try to figure out how one was suppose to react to news like that -- it was certainly very unexpected! Then again, the way it would impact Cam's inner circle of friends and family after such a harsh situation. "At least it sounds like he's getting better, but still... wow," he sighed. The teen kind of wanted to try to help out with that situation, return the sentiment from before, but he didn't know how that could be accomplished! "Maybe in time, but injuries that severe take time," he concluded, partly out of heresay -- he never actually knew anyone, secondhand or otherwise, that had anything remotely similar happen!
He didn't like accepting money when he felt he had done nothing to earn it. Mei had earned it, she should be able to use it! It was obvious that this was what she wanted to use the money for, however, but Connie's stubborn mindset still insisted on attempting to forgo the help. No matter how desperately it may be needed... especially if Mei really did end up leaving. Did she realize the implications of that, with the appearance of a child that she had?
Despite the fear that was creeping up, Connie couldn't help but smile a little at Mei's perceptive nature. As hard as he was trying to hide it, the mienfoo seemed to be able to pick up on emotion imbalances quite easily. This wasn't the first time! It dissipated quickly once his words focused on the gravity of the situation once more. Despite what he said to not worry others... there were a lot of dangerous people out in the city, that would take advantage of another more impoverished and hopeful. "It's a lot more dangerous out there than people might otherwise like to say..." Connie tried to convince. He was out there as a child as well, and nobody wanted to hire some kid... something about child labor laws, even if one was emancipated. It was hard enough as a teenager, but a child? Scare tactics weren't his thing, though, so he was hoping he didn't have to resort to using them. Downtown wasn't the nicest of areas...
Connie was shaking his head, as though denying that her reasoning was a viable option. He knew that might make some things easier, in all honesty, but the ethical points and those that revolved around what might happen when Connie wasn't there... It seemed he hadn't needed to try to explain the garbled objections in his own mind, though, for she was able to put the two points together. The teen froze again at that, blinked... and then snickered. Well that was one way of putting it! "They might at that..." he agreed, "But I wanted to stress that I will only agree to this if that is what you really want to do. You're doing your part for everyone's well-being and for your own, so you're no burden. If you're doing this because you think it will make things easier for everyone, then you can forget it. I won't allow that kind of thinking in this house, young lady." Sure he was tasing a bit, playing at the 'father-figure' role he was thrust into, but he meant it.
Lirilei “Yeah…it’s bad. Urban took out everything that would remind him of his fiancé and daughter….I guess they broke up, and now Cam doesn’t remember them either and…it’s really sad honestly. They were so happy and planning their wedding.” She gave a sad smile remembering watching Urban carrying out everything with the intentions to store it till some time in Cam’s future when he was ready for everything again. “I hope he gets better again. It’s sort of scary thinking you can forget about everyone you care about just like that.” She snapped her fingers to illustrate the quickness of the happening.
His reluctance to take the money was obvious to her and she gave a smile. “ You and I both know Brenny will ask for presents…so you can use the money for that for him and Eliot.” She was perfectly fine with not having anything bought for her and she wanted to make that known without sounding too mean about it. So by saying use it for them, she hoped Connie would understand. It was just her way of helping after all.
“I was thinking of going downtown tomorrow and see if I could find something. If I don’t look I won’t know for sure, right?” this was true! “Maybe I’ll get lucky and find someone who wants me to rake their leaves too or something.” So much more she could do, but she knew that adults were wary about that sort of thing. ‘Girls shouldn’t work so hard’ was something she’d heard once or twice at Cam’s when people came to drop off their kids. She merely smiled and carried on.
It was that suddenly paternal tone that surprised her the most and she looked up and studied him closely for a moment, and gave a firm nod of her head, suddenly looking happier. “Okay then Connie, I’ll stay.” And she of all things shifted and wrapped her arms around Connie’s neck since he was still on her level and gave him a tight hug just sort of pressing her face to his shoulder for a moment. She realized it was her first time hugging the Tauros! Brenny was usually glued to him making it impossible for anyone else. Hugging him she could feel the muscles in his shoulders and arms and she had a new appreciation for all the hard work he did for them. “You can still use the money to buy them presents from the both of us, okay? I have everything I need right here under this roof. I have people who care about me, and that I care about, and some of the best friends I could ever ask for. Including you.” And there, of all things was a light, friendly peck to the tip of his nose before she pulled away and looked him in the eyes. “You know it’s not said to you nearly often enough but I want to thank you for all the hard work you do both around here and at work. You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders that most people our age don’t. You’re doing such a good job Connie.”
MoogerMint He hesitated to say that they should give Cam a visit at some point and see if they couldn't help out in some way. It didn't seem the most opportune moment to assume that Mei was going to stay at all, at this point in time. Life didn't seem to be simple, no matter where one looked or how hard one wanted to believe otherwise. "The body might be able to withstand a lot thrown at it, but there are certain limitations... and they happen so fast," Connie winced. It was most harsh when things were going so well up until the more hurtful events transpired.
He sighed, absently rubbing the back of his neck at the thought of the approach of Christmas, such a confusing and problematic holiday. He still didn't understand the point, outside of a business' perspective perhaps. Of course, Connie would still rather opt not to use Mei's funds... "I don't know how they became so materialistic..." he admitted, "Maybe we could do something else. Go visit someplace as a gift or something. There's plenty of places we could go on foot!" He was trying, really, but even he knew that it would be difficult to find time off during the holiday seasons save for getting fired...
At Mei's deliberation of going downtown later to try to find work, Connie felt an immediate hopefulness that that meant that she was going to stay, at least a little longer -- until she got a foothold. Maybe it would give her time to reconsider. Then the guilt set in; wasn't this what selfishness was, that he was feeling? However, he couldn't deny the logic behind it, "That's true... and it would be a good place to start looking." Wait, what was he saying? It was dangerous down there! "Er, at least let me go with you," he quickly added, "It's not always that safe to head down there by yourself."
Connie had grinned to let Mei know that he wasn't really trying to order her around with his request, but he honestly felt that way. Mei was a friend, a part of this makeshift family, and she shouldn't have to feel the need to leave in order for it to function properly. Of course, when she ultimately decided to stay, Connie momentarily caught himself from hugging her... until she decided to do that very same thing! He was quick to return the embrace, and after a moment, chuckled, "I think Brenny is rubbing off on us." He wasn't sure if either one of them would have jumped at the opportunity like this had the little celebi not done the same unquestioningly time and again for reassurance. "That means more than you think," Connie commented, snickering at the amicable kiss that followed, "Don't underestimate your own skills, either. You're indispensable -- as family and a best friend both!" Amusing as it was, Connie felt neither one of them could take praise unless they offered the same back. It was a good thing that it was also just as obvious how sincere one another was being about it!
Lirilei His wince did worry her, but when he didn’t elaborate, she didn’t push it either. Merely hugged him a little tighter to offer comfort and affection and understanding. “I like the idea of visiting somewhere. There are people out there who aren’t as lucky as we are. We have a home, and most of all one another.” And here she brightened. “Maybe…we can take the money to one of the places that helps those who have no where to go. Then we’ll be giving a whole lot of people help and a gift….and I’m sure Brenny will like helping a lot of people to make sure they’re fed and all.”
She gave him a nod of understanding and smiled. “Alright Connie, one time when you have the time we can go down there so you don’t worry about me, and see what I can find….but I’ll stay. I’ll continue to work hard around the apartment so it’s clean and cheery all the time.” It was the least she could do. “Brenny ‘s penchant for hugging rubbing off on us isn’t such a bad thing I don’t think.” She reached for the apples then and held one out to him. “Before these get all icky we should have our snack hm? And don’t worry about me going anywhere. I’ll stay for a good long time still Connie. What would you three do without me anyhow?” she grinned and reached for a slice of her own and popped it into her mouth. This was her home, and where she belonged and nothing was going to change that fact!
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:28 am
♣ ♦ Reflections in Foggy Glass ♠ ♥ Someone shot the brakes on life?
There were very few days that led to the early release from work, especially in the bustling city when one worked within the wholesale warehouse labor force. There were always shipments coming in, heading out, shifting, moving, needing accounting for... and any extra time management would allow Conrad to put into the job, under such low pay, were eagerly taken. It was never out of being a workaholic, but rather out of a need.
The tauros knew that, although the others that had come to live in this small apartment might like to see him around more often, there was just no sidestepping the fact that money was tight. Connie could live decently enough when he had been here by himself, running through less of the utilities when all he really used the cozy place for was safety when asleep, and food storage. He ran a bit of water, used a little electricity and heat, but only for a partial fraction of the day. True, he had a bit left over after every paycheck, but he didn't really use it for much save for the few ventures in trying to secure a more appealing job -- or at least take a shot at turning a hobby into one. There were very few things he was truly good at, after all.
That wasn't to say that he wasn't grateful for those that had come into his life since then. When toiling monotonously week in and week out, thrust into a society that one was only barely grasping, an individual oftentimes left himself run on autopilot. It was easier to deal with the stress that way, but it was no way to enjoy life. Emotions were still very evident, but submerging himself into a whole new world without proper direction, without proper instruction or someone to ask help from, everything was overly exhausting. A cheerful and amiable demeanor only went so far when the others disregarded the teen, avoided and discriminated. It came with the territory when not two years before had Connie been taken as but a beast...
Truth be told, when yet another swerve in his life had occurred quite suddenly at the hands of a small, pixie-like pokémon, it was as though he were reliving that first year as a human all over again. Something was different this time, though: he wasn't alone. He was put into an unfamiliar position and had to make things up as he went, sure, but there was someone there that actually cared what happened. For the first time in a long while, he could actually try to have fun and not just feign the effects.
However, life couldn't just turn into 'all fun and games,' as much as it would have been a breath of fresh air. Connie still had responsibilities and, although it hadn't hit him at the time he first met Brennen, they only multiplied when the teenager opted to help the newly-grown child-celebi in a way that he never had. He did not regret the decision, for he could not just ignore helping someone in ways they may or may not fully comprehend if they needed it, but there were aspects of the decision that left lasting impacts, both for better and for worse.
In some ways, Connie was allowed more freedom to act the way he truly craved. Sure, being called 'daddy' all the time still hadn't caught on to the teen, and it still felt strange... but he was able to act more his age, to play around for once with someone with more of an imagination than all the adults he was surrounded by during working hours. He could, at the very least, be sure he was making some sort of positive impact on at least one person's life. When Eliot and Mei-Ling came into the picture, that ability tentatively stretched to three, though to less of a degree. Eliot was more of a loner, and needed less supervision than his 'brother.' Mei-Ling, on the other hand... Connie saw as more of an older sister, even to the tauros himself, despite the child's body she was currently stuck with.
With the expanding family unit, it left little choice but for Connie to have to seek more work. He had had extra when he lived by himself, and just about enough when it was just him and Brenny. Connie liked helping, sure, but there were always limitations... limitations that he didn't want to admit to. While he may be the first to deny being anything akin to Superman, having to say that he couldn't do something went against his 'try anything' mindset. He was stubborn, this was not something Connie would ever deny, and that was also part of the problem. It was easy to tip past the exhaustion point -- far past -- and lately it had become more and more frequent an occurrence.
Thinking back a few weeks, Connie recalled the conversation he had had with Mei. She had almost decided to leave, and it was only at that point that the pokéteen realize how much he depended on her presence. Due to work and the tight monetary issues, Connie wasn't around as much as he used to be. That left Brenny unsupervised, and with how active the little celebi's curiosity and energy levels tended to be on any given day, it was problematic to leave him on his own, separation anxiety aside. Brenny didn't know the world out there, not from a realistic standpoint... any number of bad things could happen!
With a sigh, Connie leaned back against the couch, head resting over the top as he slumped and slid down a few inches. What made him think he could handle all this? It was only a matter of time before the stress got to him, he knew, but he would try his hardest to stave it off as long as possible. He was only a kid himself, though. Tall for his age, of course, but his mentality was only mature because of necessity. There was no time to recover between... well, anything, really. It was just one thing after the other... how had he even made it this far? How much further could he go before he had a mental breakdown? It was apparent that the depression had already hit, as much as he willed it away...
He put his hands flat against closed eyelids, leaving them there as though he could temporarily block out the world. The way things were currently, it was all so fragile. It could be destroyed in an instant, and Connie wouldn't have any idea how to react to it if it did. No, when it did: nothing lasted forever. How long could this charade go on?
