1st Reaction | Action;

[improvings]

A - [12:37PM]

[Laurent is holed up in the archives today, as usual, looking through old books in the University library and going through them page by page. He's a real egghead, so he actually enjoys doing this, believe it or not. What he doesn't like so much is the dust, which is making him sneeze more often than usual. So he's taken his findings (about six large texts) out to a quiet park near the University and sat down at one of the tables usually used for chess. Instead, he has the books strewn around, and he's writing in a blank page journal that seems to be mostly filled already with a fountain pen. His Solosis is bouncing around nearby and generally being more interesting than Laurent himself, getting grass stuck to himself every time the gelatinous ball rolls on the ground.]

B - [5:26PM]

[After school, Laurent can usually be found in the Business or Residential Areas either heading home or simply people and Pokemon watching as he shops. His mother gives him a small monthly allowance so he's decided to stop by Pokeco to see if he should get anything for his Pokemon friend. He's tried his hardest, but Solosis has gotten a bit spoiled... The young man is looking around the different products with his bag still full of books to continue reading at home and his Solosis on his shoulder wobbling excitedly.]

Comments

[tinytactician]

[Awwww, but he's a cute! Armin will pat him very very gently, sending a welcoming little empathetic wave towards him.] Hello, Flux.

[Rude. It's a full minute before he looks up and adds:] I'm Armin and this is Meredith.

[improvings]

[It's all right, Armin. Laurent's nearly as bad at social interaction. In that whole minute he's gone back to turning pages in a book.]

Mm? Nice to meet you. Your Ralts looks very healthy, you take good care of her.

[tinytactician]

[Meredith makes a happy sound, climbing up onto Armin's shoulder.]

Thank you. Meredith takes good care of me too.

[improvings]

I suppose that is the common bond a Pokemon shares with a human. Flux keeps me focusing on my studies... and reminds me to take breaks often.

[He adjusts his glasses like a true megane.]

Do you have any other Pokemon bonds?

[tinytactician]

We've been friends since I was little. [...er. Littler.] Ohhhh, that's important. You can get horrible headaches if you focus on anything for too long.

Just Gertrude, my Steelix friend. I only met her recently, though. It was just Meredith and I for a long long time. What about you?

[improvings]

Only Flux, at the moment. I've been focusing on my studies, not going out to meet Pokemon.

Is it quite difficult? A Steelix is massive in comparison...

[tinytactician]

Oh, yes, of course. I suppose that makes all the difference, doesn't it?

[That gets a very serious-faced ponder.] It's...new. Not difficult, per se, as Gertrude is lovely and amiable, but it's an adjustment.

[improvings]

I think a Pokemon of that size would get a bit unwieldy... Mother certainly wouldn't allow me to keep one in the backyard. Is she living in the Habitat? I would like to study her.

[tinytactician]

Oh, yes, she is. She doesn't really fit in the house. [Armin pauses, considering.] I'll ask her, but that should be fine.

[improvings]

I've never met any Steel types before.

[A pause.]

I... haven't met many types of Pokemon before, if I'm honest.

[tinytactician]

[Armin frowns a little.] How come?

[improvings]

[Laurent looks a bit embarrassed then.]

I've never left the city much at all.

[tinytactician]

Oh! Me neither. [Have an understanding nod -- congrats, he now believe's you have overprotective parents too, oops.]

[improvings]

[It's actually the opposite.]

Really? Perhaps we should go somewhere together then...

[Er... if that isn't weird. Laurent looks sort of embarrassed as he turns his eyes back to his papers, flipping through them idly.]

[tinytactician]

That'd be wonderful.

[lol if it wasn't weird before, Armin and his shoujo eyes just made it weird.]

[improvings]

[.... Laurent fidgets a little bit.]

Where would we go, do you think...?

[tinytactician]

[Uh-oh, now you've got him and his sparkly shoujo eyes of ADVENTURE going.]

Anywhere! There's so many places I haven't seen yet! We could go to the mountains or the canyon or the forest or the lake or the ocean!

[improvings]

The ocean...? That's quite far away, isn't it? And unexplored, even by Ranger standards.....

[tinytactician]

[Did he fcking stutter.]

Well...I guess it is, but...

[improvings]

[Don't... look so sad...]

I was only saying. [Sniffs.] It would be a sight to see in real life, for sure...

[tinytactician]

[Sad shota mode engaged, there is no escape.]

It would, wouldn't it? My parents went there once. [PULLING THE DEAD PARENTS CARD, OOPS.]

[improvings]

Were they...? I don't think mother's ever left the Union...