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

[makeitquick]

[ Melaka isn't even going to respond to that vocally. Just give her a look.

Oh man. Oh man though that's a cool performance. Let's see it ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Oh boy, performance time. Here goes Wooper! Singing and dancing on the bench. ] Woop woooop woopwoop woop woooooop...

[ Haruka gives Melaka a sidelong grin back like this is a staring contest, but the longer the silence goes on the more she realizes she's being ridiculous. ] I'm filling in. There was an accident.

[ Super Beauty sneezes. She hears that word a lot. Maybe someday she will learn what it means. ]

[makeitquick]

You make mistakes?

[ ...

It's an honest question ]

[actsmagnificent]

....What d'you think I am?

[ So's that. She seems amused, though. ]

[makeitquick]

Some kinda Super Sparkles. Fairy queen.

[ Is that a joke.

Is it serious? she was serious before, but now, her cheeks a little tinged to have Haruka react like that, she's just deadpan ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ ....Haruka really doesn't look her typing, does she. Well, she's still not sure she gets this, but it's a compliment so she'll take it like one.

She laughs, and decides to answer the question about making mistakes now that her curiosity's assuaged. ] Everybody's judgment is off sometimes. What happens afterwards is what matters.

[ The pink is settling to the bottom of her milk, so she swirls the little jug to get it mixed again. ] That's all.

[makeitquick]

[ Maybe it's a perception thing - in Melaka's mind, she's never been anyone except for a fighting type. But Haruka...? she shines, she's got to be a fairy. That's just the logic. and she keeps to it while sipping down a long chug of the milk, mostly to make it so she doesn't need to talk as she shrugs.

But when she finishes, a little bit hesitantly, she comments, ] Yeah? Is that saying you're a surprise for people?

[actsmagnificent]

And that I mess up. [ Wooper, from the back, recognizes those words. They usually get said whenever he, or other Pokémon, are around. ] Woop woop!

[ ...That didn't really need a fanfare, Wooper. ]

[makeitquick]

[ ... Okay that was a little bit suspect. Melaka notices it, her Delibird? He does not, because he was just busy hanging out and looking around back here. Mel, though, she was like Oh... ]

Trying to convince me?

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka drinks her milk. How does she look this cool even drinking milk. ] What you believe is up to you.

[ Super Beauty the Rhyhorn is getting tired of standing here. She lumbers over to Trainer and makes rumbling noises. They started today by running. Why is there no more running? ]

[makeitquick]

Well yeah, but y'could still get my believing. Could get me all sparkling it.

[ ... Or you know, dazzle. Not sure that never does that - okay she always does that. Still, let's look at the Rhyhorn. Sup guy ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka looks down at Super Beauty, who sits and wiggles her back legs - then notices someone else is over here too. So she gets up and butts against Melaka, lightly, with her horn. Hello. Are you the reason there is no running?

Draining her milk, Haruka keeps grinning, and addresses the Rhyhorn. She reserves quite a different smile, almost a paternal one, for the small walking rock. ] Easy.

[ And Super Beauty lets up further. Hello. Hello. ]

[makeitquick]

[ Oh.

Wow. Friendly. You know in fact she's going to observe, ] Friendly, aintit?

[ But just to be sure, she reaches a hand down, to tap the Rhyhorn lightly on it's head, to show that shei s, indeed, acknowledging that Super Beauty is there. Hey there ]

[actsmagnificent]

She's hoping I'll let her race you. [ Well, that and she's generally curious. But everything that moves is something that can be raced in Super Beauty Land.

The tap pleases Super Beauty, who does look expectantly over at Haruka. She found someone nice! What is this person doing here? Why is everyone just standing? ]

[makeitquick]

She fast?

[ Melaka - was was proved both in the dreamspace and in that last big racing circuit people were running - is no pokémon racer. She doesn't have the talent for it, not really, because se's far more used to just using her own body and trusting everyone else to do the same. Working close like that doesn't work as well. It's something she might try to overcome, but...

She's intrigued all the same. ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Apparently this Rhyhorn knows that word: Super Beauty stomps her feet in place when she hears the word "fast" and lowers her head as if preparing to charge. Haruka shrugs. ] As you see.

[ To Super Beauty: ] Don't get carried away....

[ Super Beauty looks over at the humans again. Are they not running, then? She is so confused. New human, should she run??? ]

[makeitquick]

Yeah? You confident in her, Sparkles? [ With her milk done, she looks down at it before she waves out the hand which had the glass in it. It's healed by now, but it's still stinging a little bit. Not bad though, either way, it makes her want to move. ]

Willing to give me that chocolate there if I beat her?

[actsmagnificent]

[ "Beat". Super Beauty knows "beat", too. Though she doesn't know why humans make so many different sounds to mean that happy feeling from running faster than other people - they also use "win" for that.

She tosses her head and looks around for the racetrack. Haruka glances about, too - she'll never admit it, but she's here because Super Beauty has a bit of a thing for running. There seems to be a lull in foot traffic right now, though, so they should be fine. Hopefully.

Wooper stands up on his bench to see what's going on as Haruka rummages in a pocket. She comes up with enough change to pay for the indicated chocolate, then flips it in the air. ] Well, I'll cover for you.

Name your track.

[makeitquick]

[ Score. Melaka takes this moment to look around here - well they are in a stopping district, and this place loops, right? She nods to herself, looking not only at the street but up at the roofs around here and the overhangs. That's where she excels, and so finally - ]

This road loops around as long as you turn up thataways. How about around it all?

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka nods. ] You lose if you hit someone.

[ From the way she flicks her eyes to her Rhyhorn, this rule was for Super Beauty's benefit, not Melaka's. She follows it up with a mental reminder to DODGE, which makes Super Beauty lower her head. She only DODGEs when she's running. This does mean she gets to run!

Haruka peers down the street. ] Sound fair?

[makeitquick]

More than. [ That's Melaka's reply, stretching herself a little bit as she gets her muscles primed to use more efficiently. Gong zero to racing (or well, more usually, combat) isn't always easy, but with a smirk over at Super Beauty, she's showing that this'll be a fun sport, right?

They could do this.

On your mark, Haruka ]

[actsmagnificent]

Then... [ Super Beauty doesn't prime herself so much as wiggle, head lowered almost to the ground. Run. She gets to run. Just as soon as Trainer says, she gets to run, she gets to -

Trainer snaps her fingers. And Super Beauty shoots off full steam from the get-go, a small but barreling rock with no regard for the few icy patches on the ground.

It's quite likely Haruka will be reminding her about dodging more than once. ]

[makeitquick]

[ And we're off! As things start, Melaka starts on foot, with wide strides which are more leaps than they are steps. She's got a plan here, but she starts off " fair," trying to avoid the icy patches. She doesn't manage to keep pace with Super Beauty then (because how could she?) but when they get to the first turn, she knows-

She can start to leap up the side of the building on various stop and windowsills and whatever. Once he can do that, he gets up to the roofs so he can cut her distance with Parkour shit ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Melaka's acrobatics are, alas, lost on Super Beauty. Her world has narrowed to the road in front of her, and while she does have this weird funny sense that she's going to be outpaced, causing her to try to move her stubby legs even faster, she doesn't get where it's coming from.

Haruka's eyebrows, however, go up (from what little she can see back at the booth). So that's what had Melaka so confident. She hadn't seen that coming.

She grins. Well played. ]

[makeitquick]

[ Damned right it is! Don't worry, she's got this! Melaka is all but laughing as to leaps from this roof to the next, and essentially cuts her turns in half here. She could loop around directly, but she won't backtrack, she's just...

Going a bit of a shorter route.

Yeah! ]