bravenewworld | 004 // Video + Action

Yo.

[ Here's Haruka Tenoh's face on your Warp Band. Don't worry - she'll pause and grin long enough for the imaginary theme music to subside. ]

Gaming news today. The Rhyhorn arena's hosting a big Pokémon race. If it runs, and you can fit on it, you're welcome to participate, though there'll be other races for the smaller ones too.

We'll be putting up flyers with the details. [ It's hard to read the flyer that's being waved about onscreen, however. Probably because the Pokémon doing the waving isn't much bigger than the flyer itself. ] Sewa!

[ ...Yes, you're a big help. Haruka slowly pushes Sewaddle out of the frame. ] I'll be seeing you all in the wind this time, kittens.

[ A wink, and she's gone. Why is it always her. Why is she always the one doing advertisements? Could it be she's a naturally gifted salesman? Is this her true calling?

She doesn't want that... ]

[ action ]

[ As promised, Haruka and her Sewaddle are plastering the town with flyers - or, well, Sewaddle is putting them up at bug-level with silk while Haruka wanders around with another pile tucked under her arm. Every now and then she hands one out.

You could also encounter one of the following pairs of Pokémon helping to advertise elsewhere:

-- A Murkrow slapping people in the forehead with flyers to get their attention while a Cubchoo tugs on others' shirt hems and bashfully offers a flyer with a quivering "Cub?".

-- A Pidgeotto dropping flyers much more gently than Murkrow while a Rotom looks on in amazed admiration. Mother is so clever.

Or, if you're a Divine Theater member, you can meet Haruka collapsed in a mess hall chair after the fact! Sewaddle is fanning her with a folded-up flyer. He is innovative. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[her chair scrapes across the floor as Michiru unceremoniously scrambles backwards. And she stands up, trying. Trying...what is she trying to do? Find an excuse? Run away? Pretend nothing is wrong?

Savior, when had she last been this embarrassed? She manages to look anywhere but Hotaru’s general direction, and at least her arms are folded across her torso, in lieu of hiding her face. Haruka can take care of this, right?]

[ Unlike Michiru, Haruka's response isn't to spring away so much as to just freeze in place, lips still parted even as her partner's face retreats. Belatedly, she looks at the hand that up till just a moment ago had been running through Michiru's hair -

And curls it into a fist, then coughs into it. ] Y-you're early for dinner.

[ This smile totally isn't carefree, isn't it. She was really hoping it would be.

Drat. ]

[ Hotaru can feel the awkward radiating from the other two. Honestly, she didn't expect this big of a reaction. It made her feel more awkward now.

Maybe she should have been thankful they didn't notice her originally. Walked away. Pretended she never saw anything.

Too late for that now. ]

I, um... I just wanted a... drink.

[ And, then, everything else comes out in a rush- ]

I'm sorry! I didn't mean to walk in on you two!

That's - [quietly taking a deep breath, and then Hotaru gets a composed smile. She's going to pretend this never happened in three, two, - ] that's alright.

You said you wanted a drink? [she is not above using this chance to escape to the kitchens.]

Get a snack, too. [ You escape, Michiru. One of them should fly while they can.

Haruka will...keep the kid here for you in the meantime. She already has a drink, so clearly she needs some cookies or something to go with it. Besides, kids like cookies. Yes.

She's working up to being able to look Hotaru in the eye. ]

[ Hotaru, meanwhile, is going to pointedly not look them in the eyes.

Taking a seat. Yes. Too late to retreat. ]

[oh Haruka. You're going to spoil her.

She'll take a few moments for herself, but it's not like she'll abandon them or anything. Grabbing the pitcher of lemonade and that box of assorted cakes (apologies to whoever used to own those), she'll sneak a peek at them before heading back.

And she'll be sporting the slightest upward quirk of her lips because yeah, that could've been a lot worse, actually. At least it isn't quite as false as the smile she previously had on.]

[ This isn't an awkward silence. It is weighty. With responsibility. Their destiny is heavy. That is what is happening here, yes.

So cake is a welcome intrusion. Haruka rises to accept the box, placing it between them on the center of the table. ] Thanks.

[ She'll help herself, then sit back down, legs crossed. Just a normal gathering of allies, that's all. ]

[ Hotaru takes one of the cakes, giving a nod of thanks to Michiru as she does. She seemed to mull things over as she munched on it. What she had walked in on......

She blushed hard, sinking back into her chair. Maybe she could learn Minimize if she tried hard enough.

She hasn't mastered "Don't think about it don't mention it" yet. ]

[she sits down, perfectly content to ignore that blushing, and takes a moment to sip at her own glass.

Wow, Hotaru. You are red.] Are you alright?

[no she's scarred, Michiru. Leave her be.]

Nothing cake can't fix, I'm sure.

[ Cake and time. Haruka gives Michiru a look out of the corner of her eye. Letting people have their space is an important part of parenthood, too. And Hotaru's the shy type. It'll be okay. ]

[ Hotaru picked at her cake for a moment before speaking. ]

That was... more intense than the plays.

[ Good comment, Hotaru. Good observation. ]

[eye..brow raise. So you did want to talk about it.]

Plays are hardly real, are they? [and there's the matter of having an audience...]

....Does it bother you?

[ Haruka's looking at the cake, too, deep in thought. What is this? She's uncomfortable having this conversation with the kid? Child or not, Hotaru's a prisoner. What she thinks and knows about should mean nothing.

So why does Haruka want this hashed out? Because Hotaru wants to? That's almost like...

Absurd. She's not like that. Michiru is the parental one. And yet, nobody informed Haruka's mouth of this fact. ]

If that's how you feel, it's better just to say it.

Mmm. [ That's a negative "mmm," as shown by Hotaru shaking her head. ] I've just... never seen it like that.

[ ........She sinks further back in her chair. Has she mastered Minimize yet? ]

[...she can tell where this is going. Oh....wonderful.]

And has anybody spoken of it before?

[where's Setsuna when you need her?]

Hey!

[ That's a hushed whisper to Michiru. It's one thing to make sure that they're all on the same page re: her and Michiru's relationship. It's another to have this talk. Er. Capital-T Talk. With Hotaru. In a room anyone can walk into at any time.

Not being parents sure does come with a lot of responsibilities. ]

004 // Video + Action

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