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 Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:57 am
The park beside the hotel was... well, it wasn't as extravagant as the gardens Luke was familiar with, but it was nice in its own right, he supposed. There were a few too many noisy children running out, but it was by and large a less-populated area of the city. It was difficult to get used to the sheer number of people milling about, never mind that they had no sense of personal space or volume control.
Speaking of volume control, Luke had half a mind to have a word with those two kids with their ball. Ugh. Couldn't they just pick a different place to play or something, at least? With an irritated grumble, he adjusted the earbuds more snugly and increased the volume on the music player cradled in his hand. So annoying...
As if the kids weren't annoying enough, that stupid teal thing was running about like an idiot too. Luke understood that the Flareon needed fresh air and exercise, but couldn't it do it without looking like a fool, chasing loose leaves and pouncing on flowers? Well, whatever. As long as he wasn't causing trouble, it wasn't Luke's problem.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:24 am
((If my assumption of the childrens' actions are going too far, please let me know. I'd be happy to change it.))
Not five minutes later, a young man in a V-neck shirt and a fur-trimmed hoodie entered the park. He had a quiet conversation with the children playing ball, and within the next 10 seconds, they had run off, eyes wide but mouths closed. This concluded the dismissal of troublesome civilians in the immediate area. The coast was clear, and the target was isolated. A sharp gaze narrowed as it fell upon the bushy, teal-and-white blur.
The man crouched down. "Hello there," he crooned to the Flareon. "My, that's a color I've never seen before. Sure you weren't born into the wrong species?" Reaching out to pet the creature, perhaps to scratch it under its chin, Izaya grinned. "You're so cute, I could puke, you know?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:41 am
"Faa!" The Flareon's reply was excited, and he nudged into the stranger's extended hand. People sure were friendly in this new place-- Or, well, maybe not so much, as the man's words seemed to contradict his pleasant tone and actions. Mieu was used to such verbal abuse from his master, though, and so a quiet "fieuuu" was his only indication of being at all off-put before his fluff of a tail was waving once more.
It wasn't terribly long before Luke realized that the volume of his music was too loud, and he surveyed the park with a mild curiosity. Oh thank Arceus, the kids had taken off. No wonder it was so much quieter. Another sweep of the area brought Mieu back into his radar, along with a darkly-dressed man that seemed to be speaking with the Flareon. Huh, people sure seemed to like the thing. Not like he could blame them; Mieu was a pretty rare coloration. Well, whatever. He'd just keep a silent eye on the pair for now. He was a bit tired of dealing with strangers all the time.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:53 am
"Now, what would a pretty thing like you be doing out here all by your lonesome? The city can be a dangerous place for wild pokemon," he told Mieu, chuckling as it seemed to respond. "How would you like to come home with me, mmm?"
As Luke looked over at his Flareon and the man, Izaya's eyes darted upward to meet his. "Ah, I didn't see you there," he addressed the man, withdrawing his hand from the pokemon to stand. "Is this little rascal yours? It didn't seem to belong to anyone." He put his hands in his hoodie pockets and walked over. "Are you a trainer?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 12:11 pm
"Faa fieu!" The Flareon's objection was firm, complete with a shake of his head, and he moved to return to Luke as the man began to address him. Even if his master called him mean names sometimes and didn't always care about what he wanted or needed, he was still his master!
"Yeah, that's mine," Luke responded, sparing a glance in Mieu's direction as the fire type cooed in greeting. He reached to pull one of the earbuds away. Man, he was really looking forward to having a quiet day to himself, too... "Depends what you mean by 'trainer.' I've got a pokemon, yeah, but I'm not interested in gyms or battles." He nudged the Flareon away with his foot as the thing rubbed against him in an effort to garner more attention.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 12:56 pm
"Ah, so that's how it is," Izaya commented, touching his chin thoughtfully. "What would someone uninterested in gyms or battles own a pokemon like this? Contests, perhaps?" He noted the guy's response to his Flareon's show of affection. "Heh." The creature clearly adored him, but he seemed to care little for it. Izaya wouldn't even have been surprised if the fire-type had decided on its master rather than the other way around.
"Tell you what," he began, reaching for his back pocket. "I'll make you an offer. How much for that Flareon?" Retrieving his wallet, he unfolded it, apparently ready to pay what the man asked. It appeared to be quite thick. "You don't look like the type of person who keeps things around they they don't need. Sell it to me. I'll take much better care of it," he assured Luke.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:15 pm
"It was a gift," he said with a shrug. "From my parents, when I was a kid." For companionship or something, he was told. The details were fuzzy. All he knew for sure was that the Flareon was really attached to him for some reason, and he clearly had to have had some sort of attachment to it to instinctively bring it along with him when he got on that ferry...
He raised an eyebrow at reveal of the wallet and the accompanying offer, raising a hand to indicate his refusal. "Sorry, not interested. Mieu's a pain the a**, but he's all I've got here. I mean, don't get the wrong idea or anything. It would just kind of suck to be stranded without anyone familiar around." Backpedal, backpedal. Damn it, now this guy was going to think he was one of those weirdos who ran around with nothing but pokemon for friends. Well, whatever. It wasn't likely they'd meet again anyway.
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:52 pm
"Sentimental value! I understand," the dark-haired man responded. "Mieu, huh...?" He raised a brow at the discolored pokemon. "Adorable name. Especially for a male! I like it." He snickered and bowed.
"In that case, do as you please. I've got a Spiritomb to trade if you ever feel like it, though, so please don't hesitate if you change your mind. It shouldn't take you long to get used to this place. By the way, I'm Izaya Orihara."
Righting himself once more, he scratched his head with a finger before studying his nails casually. "You said not to get the wrong idea - what do you mean by that? Not the kind so emotionally attached, you mean?" Izaya laughed. "Not to worry, not to worry! I didn't take you for that sort at all. In fact, I agree. Pokemon are not people; it would be anthroporphic to suggest otherwise."
His slanted eyes darted back down to Mieu, regarding the Flareon almost greedily. There was a glint in those malicious red orbs that was visible only for a fraction of a second before it was gone. "And as I'm sure we both know, anthropomorphism is only for small children and sappy, sentimental weaklings."
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:14 pm
"It's a stupid name," he countered. "But like I said, I was a kid. I tried changing his name, but he won't respond to anything else." Stubborn thing that it was. He supposed he could understand the Flareon's feelings, though. He certainly wouldn't accept it if someone tried to change his own name.
Luke could only assume the guy was a collector or something, to offer money and his own pokemon in exchange for Mieu, but he wasn't about to give no matter what the offer was. "Luke fon Fabre," he replied, his pride in his name showing itself in his tone and posture. He somehow doubted he would be able to get used to the city as quickly as this Izaya seemed to think - it was astonishing how different it was from just about everything he had ever known - but he could at least accept the sentiment.
"Yeah, that's about right," he said, frowning at the mere thought that he could ever be so attached to a pokemon. "People dote on the things like they're children. At the end the day, they're just stupid animals."
There was a sigh of a "faa" in objection from beside the bench, Mieu staring up disappointedly at his master. It wasn't infrequently that he spoke that way, but surely it was impossible that he believed any of it...
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:35 pm
"Luke! A pleasure," Izaya answered cheerily, taking note of the way the young man held himself. "You must have changed a lot since childhood if your feelings are so different now, Luke. Where did you say you grew up, again?" Closing the distance between them, he seated himself alongside Luke on the bench, not bothering to ask for permission.
"They are indeed. It's humans that are the real wonders of the world. Humans are the intelligent creatures. After all, if your Mieu had any real sense of understanding, it might have realized your singular need for it instead of trying so hard to establish some sort of affectionate bond." He snickered at the Flareon. "Got to admire its persistence, though. You've had it for what - some years, now?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:58 pm
"Well, I guess so..." A lot had certainly happened between then and now, and Izaya wasn't the first to notice a difference between his current and childhood self. He was who he was, though, and he didn't need to be anyone else.
He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Yet again, his name went completely unnoticed. Not only that, but the stranger didn't even associate the name with its country. Well, whatever; it couldn't be helped. "Grande Ile," he answered, "overseas." Perhaps if Luke were more aware of the nation's obscurity, he would have been less expectant of Izaya's recognition.
"Hmph, if he had any sense, he'd shape up and quit being so obnoxious." It was essentially a rougher rephrasing of his company's own words, but it better portrayed Luke's wishes on the matter. "Yeah, at least seven years. Don't know how many exactly, but enough that you'd think he'd have gotten over this clinginess by now..."
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 3:16 pm
"Ahhh, overseas. I'm afraid I'm a little ignorant when it comes to places beyond this tiny island," he apologized, seemingly oblivious to Luke's disappointment. "You seem an important man, though. I'd keep that quiet if I were you, Mr. Fon Fabre."
Leaning back, he observed Luke's pokemon as he criticized it. "More than that, I'm surprised you haven't grown weary of its behavior yet." Turning his head to face the flame-haired man, he cast him an inquisitive look.
"So, Luke...anything particular you're hoping to do around here? I'd be happy to give you a tour of the place if you like. It all depends on the nature of your stay here in the Kodo reigon."
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Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:08 pm
Luke hummed thoughtfully at the response. Oh well, not as though he could expect everyone to be familiar with every country. "Ah-- Yeah, I guess I probably should..." He raised a good point. Freely giving out his full name as well as the name of his homeland probably wasn't such a good idea for a boy who'd run away from home.
Luke also looked to the Flareon, the fire-type giving a short chirrup to show that he was in fact still there. "Yeah... I think I'm just used to having him around now. It'd be weird not having to put up with him anymore." Sort of like how it was weird waking up in a bed that wasn't his own. 'Startling' was an understatement.
"I got a tour yesterday - well, of this area, anyway." Meaning the park, the hotel, and the surrounding eateries. "More than that, I guess I'd like to know what all else there is in Kodo. I don't mind this city, but I don't plan to stay here forever. As for the nature of my stay," a sigh, "a vacation, I guess. A long one."
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:30 pm
Izaya chuckled. He'd guessed at Luke's family wealth, but the young man's naivety was broadcast through the pride with which he'd said his name. Rich, ignorant, and alone. A perfect victim.
"Mmmm, maybe you're more attached to it than you'd like to admit," jeered the informant. "But feelings and attachment to things and creatures are a part of being human."
He raised his head to look up at the hotel as Luke spoke. "I know what you mean. Especially if you're on the run, or something similar. Not good to stay in one place for too long." He winked. "So if you don't plan to stay here on your 'vacation', do you have somewhere else in mind?"
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