012 // action - haruka's misfortunes, union edition

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka Tenoh is always learning new things. Today's lesson: don't walk your Rhyhorn when the roads are icy. It will slide out of control, sprain people's ankles, and you'll be responsible for picking up their slack on what would happen to be the busiest day of the year at their workplace.

On a completely unrelated note, this dairy booth in the market district appears to be doing a booming business! It's also completely pink - pink drapes, heart-shaped balloons attached to the poles, Miltank plushies lining the shelves, and a Rhyhorn wearing a pink blanket squatting outside with a basket of chocolate in its mouth. Behind the counter (assisted by a Wooper in a pink bow tie) is the most brilliantly handsome salesman ever to grace the street, advertising in a voice that could rattle a packed theater. (She's also wearing a pink apron and a baker's hat shaped like a Luvdisc. Today has a theme.) Her sales pitch goes something like this: ]

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! What you see here's available for one day only: Luvdisc-shaped chocolate for the health of your romance! Strawberry Miltank milk for the health of your body! And, with a purchase of just twenty-five dollars or more, we'll throw in a special four-piece chocolate sampler as thanks for being our sweetest customers! How about it?!

[ A middle-aged woman walking her Snubbull approaches the vendor. Could she have some Miltank cheese and a Luvdisc chocolate, please? Haruka graces her with her very best Divine Theater smile. ] But of course, Madam. If that's what you desire...

[ The woman looks about ready to faint back onto her Snubbull. Haruka would also dearly love to lose consciousness right now. Why is she so good at this? It's absurd to think she might be naturally gifted at spouting nonsense!

At least she's only served strangers thus far. ]

Comments

[incousinswithyou]

Cor, corsola. [she's not technically here for that, buuuut if any good citizens need her help...!

Carol tries a little flourish of her spines, but it only causes the bags to fall onto the floor.]

Corsola!! [oh no!! There goes her pokepuff! And a carton of strawberries with chocolate stuff on it!!

...hey, she didn't know she was carrying that much food!]

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Wooooooop! [ Uh-oh. No one here has arms! Wooper hops off of the Rhyhorn and begins dancing in a semicircle around Carol and Super Beauty, cordoning off the area so nobody steps on the fallen materials before the Pokémon have a chance to get them picked up. If this alerts their Trainer, so much the better!

Super Beauty, meanwhile, walks up to the food without a second thought. This smells edible.

She opens her mouth and is only stopped by a shadow falling across them: the customer has departed, and the employee is free to manage her domain. ] That's cruel. Stopping by one shop but bringing treats from another....

[ There we go. If the food itself didn't touch the pavement, just its wrappers, it's going back in one of these bags. Anything that did end up on the ground is left there. Haruka chats with Carol while she's at it, jumping freely to conclusions she hopes are true. ] It's brave of you to shop alone.

[incousinswithyou]

[Carol looks up at Haruka, even if she's bravely protecting her pokepuff from getting trampled. And half of the other stuff that are apparently getting left on the floor.]

Cor! ...Corsola? [thanks! But...alone? Carol turns around to look at an amused Michiru, still sitting on the bench outside the store.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Oh no.

Still crouched on the pavement, Haruka slowly turns her head to see what Carol's looking at. At whom Carol's looking. Funny how even when she expects the results, her heart can still end up in her throat and her brain can blank out and her eyebrow and her mouth can twitch in unison.

She stares. Super Beauty, unperturbed, begins eating everything Haruka hasn't picked up yet. You should eat too, Carol. It's food.

Maybe on somebody else at some other time this look on Haruka's face would be a smile, but it's not now and it's not her. ] .....That looks cold.

[incousinswithyou]

Oh? Are you inviting me in?

[from the smile on her face, Michiru is apparently committing this to memory. Especially the Luvdisc hat. And the pink apron.

Carol looks back over at Super Beauty and at the food the humans don't seem to want anymore. That makes a lot of sense! And this strawberry thing is pretty good too! Does Wooper want any?]

[actsmagnificent]

[ She wouldn't refuse you if you came over, no. Haruka stands, wiping her hands on her apron. Super Beauty continues to eat, Wooper hopping down to join her. If the other two are eating it must be okay. ] How long have you been sitting there?

[ How much did you see? Everything? You saw everything, didn't you. ]

[incousinswithyou]

[Michiru sashays on over. Looks like she's wearing her new(ish) boots.]

You were on a roll. I didn't want to interrupt.

[Carol gives a muffled greeting to her Trainer, but she's a bit busy helping the others clean up.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Of course you didn't. Haruka keeps her gaze moving, as if something in the area will bestow her with the ability to not be caught in an extremely un-Haruka-Tenoh situation by her partner. ] There were - circumstances....

[ Rhyhorn. Where is her Rhyhorn? Haruka looks around and finds Super Beauty's tongue has gotten stuck to the pavement: when scooping up a strawberry, she'd licked some ice. But that's okay, Trainer. She pulls, and with a mighty wrench...

...Haruka's Rhyhorn is standing there with a chunk of ice hanging out of her mouth, looking placid. She fixed it. ]

[incousinswithyou]

Corsola! [Carol seems duly alarmed. Is Super Beauty okay?? Does she need water??]

...circumstances. [even Michiru pauses at the sight of your Rhyhorn.]

You two make quite the pair, I'll admit.

[actsmagnificent]

Woop! [ Excuse him! He's here too! And he's seen people get stuck in ice before, from when the Swamp freezes over into a really great stage, but that's unimportant. Can you make warm Water Guns or something like that, Corsola? ] Woop?

Sorry. [ This is pathetic. This is so pathetic. Super Beauty sticks her tongue out a bit more. Something feels funny. ]

[incousinswithyou]

[uhhhhh. Carol looks a bit sheepish.] Corsola... [she doesn't know Water Gun, but she knows Bubble Beam! Will that help?

Meanwhile, Michiru leans in for a hug, wrapping her arms around your torso and, coincidentally or not, hides her smile against your shoulder.]

For what?

[she probably shouldn't tell you how adorable she finds you right now]

[actsmagnificent]

Woop. [ Hmm. He knows Water Gun, if it comes to that, but he's also not very strong so he's not sure he can produce enough water. What if they both tried at the same time? ] Woop woop!

[ Super Beauty is crosseyed, trying to get a look at that pink thing attached to the ice hanging out of her mouth. What is it?

Haruka likes this hug, but her eyes are still averted and her cheeks are now the same shade as her hat. ] This isn't like me.

[ Both the hat and the self-consciousness. ]

[incousinswithyou]

Cor. [well, what could possibly go wrong? Okay, Wooper! One, two...]

Then what are you like? [amusement is creeping back into her voice, even as she's pulling back a little. All the better to see that flush.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka pauses, gathering breath and thought. She's saved from having to answer that question (or, more likely, from having to request they change the subject) by Super Beauty's spluttering and rearing, coming down with an ice-cracking thud, and shaking her head. Water! Water water water! Water all over her face!

Haruka begins extracting herself from that hug. ] ....Excuse me.

[ There, there, Super Beauty. She'll get you dried off. And look! The ice did fall off. Everything's okay, beautiful. Everything's okay. ]

[incousinswithyou]

[whoa! Carol scrambles out of the way, slipping a little on the ice. That...was a bad idea, huh?] Cor...

[Michiru doesn't reply. Just raising a hand up to hide her smile.]

[actsmagnificent]

Wooooop. [ Wooper droops, joining Carol. He's too abashed to apologize to her for said bad idea, but...this one's on him and he knows it, even if he's not quite sure what went wrong. (They did get the ice off.)

Haruka preoccupies herself with calming Super Beauty, getting her still and happy. She pats the Pokémon's ridges and scrubs Super Beauty's face with a handkerchief. ] There's a brave girl. We have to get you more used to water, huh?

[ Super Beauty snorts. Haruka smiles up at Michiru from where she's crouched, patting her beautiful, precious moving pile of rocks. ] Guess you're stuck with us.

[incousinswithyou]

[Carol tries to puzzle it out, but being both a Rock and Water type isn't helping her make that leap of logic.]

Then I'll count myself lucky.

[maybe you really do need an oil painting of Rhyhorn.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ She'd quip but love it. Super Beauty is all toweled off. Satisfied, she goes to join her friends. That was scary, but it's over now. She's not even sure where the water came from...

Haruka watches Super Beauty for one last fond moment, then rises. No point in holding onto her dignity any more, huh. Not after that. It was probably futile anyway. ] You have lousy taste.

[ Sure, most of the time she's not bad, but today she's in a Luvdisc hat. And she's good at hawking wares to passersby. These are new pieces of herself Haruka had never intended to discover. ]

[incousinswithyou]

Corsola?[Carol leans in for a hug of sorts. She's sorry! She's not sure what happened, but she'll ask somebody later. Also she's sorry if her spines poked Super Beauty.

Michiru's eyes flick up to the hat for a moment, and she has to giggle.]

It's cute. [please. Her palate is impeccable.]

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Woop. [ Wooper has nothing that could remotely be considered arms, so he just watches the hug. Super Beauty doesn't seem to mind any spines. Just being with Carol is nice.

Haruka blinks and colors a little, looking away, but she's smiling now. ] ....Did you want to come inside?

[ She wouldn't - couldn't - ask Michiru to put on a hat and do this with her, but there's room in the back of the booth for her to sit and, ah. Watch the proceedings. ]

[incousinswithyou]

[menial labor isn't exactly her style anyway, even if they'd be a matched set.]

I wouldn't say no.

[sorry, but you count as entertainment]

[actsmagnificent]

[ She's gotten that impression, yeah. Haruka steps aside so Michiru can enter the booth too - there's a stool in the back that should give her a nice view of uranus the hardworking employees. ] Sorry it's cram---ah, I'll be right with you, madam! Wouldn't keep a lady waiting.

[ A little old woman has approached the booth, carrying a Petilil bundled up against the cold. Haruka flashes them her very best customer service grin and then remembers Michiru is standing right there.

This is going to be quite the afternoon. ]

[incousinswithyou]

[the air of amusement coming from behind you could only get stronger. She will, at least, keep her comments to herself.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ The apocalypse has nothing on the sense of doom hanging over Haruka's head right now. Thank you for this new experience.

She soldiers on, though, with a smile, leaning over to peer at the Petilil. ] Aren't you brave, blossoming in the cold. What can I get you?

[ This prompts a lecture from the lady, sensing an Interested Party, on the care and keeping of Grass-types in the winter months. Petilil makes soft mewing sounds every now and then for emphasis. Haruka nods along, unable to work the conversation back to shopping.

By the time the woman leaves, happily carrying a basket of cheese and a bottle of strawberry Miltank milk while Petilil carefully sips from a little cup of water, Haruka could plant a garden if she were so inclined. She sighs. Poor lady must be lonely...and yet. Her timing. ] Don't say it.

[ Whatever Michiru was going to say. Don't. ]

[incousinswithyou]

Why would I say anything about your ability to sweet talk older women? [and younger women. And women in general.

Though she can't say anything about the Petilil. Heck, she wouldn't be surprised to come home and find Lulu sporting rosebud cozies.]