bravenewworld | 1st Shot

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--Yeah, yeah. I know that already.

[It would seem that Union was being treated to a fragmented conversation that the feed had suddenly started right in the middle of. No faces could be seen on screen yet, save for a gloved hand and the hemline of a white jacket. Off screen, a stern, feminine voice could be heard delivering a severe reminder about all of the paperwork that should have been done weeks ago, and how it was irresponsible of him to not have introduced himself to the rest of the community yet.

The owner of the gloved hand could be heard chuckling.]

And my family'd be ashamed of me too, right? [Then, the feed started to move as he continued in a more brisk tone.] Don't worry 'bout it, okay? I'm working on it right now. C'mon, J.

[But what about the--

The voice was promptly cut off by the sound of a door clicking shut, followed by a sigh. Then, the face of a young man with brilliant green eyes came fully into view on the feed. He offered an apologetic smile for the audience.]

Sorry about that. Some girls can really be demanding.

[There was a subtle rumble that was suddenly audible on the feed-- those who understood Pokespeak would recognize it as a quiet reminder from someone off screen. 'Daisuke. You're stalling.']

What? J, not you too!

[The blond at least had the foresight now to share the screen with his pokemon-- an inscrutable looking Beldum who was strangely clad in a brimmed hat and scarf. The humming continued. 'A man shouldn't try the patience of his coworkers or his audience.'

Daisuke sighed-- and actively closed out the feed.]

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[Later, people wandering through the downtown might find a slender blond man in a crisp white jacket hanging around the streetside food stands near the theater, nonchalantly scarfing down a bowl of noodles as if he had all the time in the world. But, don't let the ease of his manner fool you-- he's definitely paying attention to what's happening around him.

As for the rather fashionable Beldum? He's hanging around...somewhere. Daisuke isn't sure, but he suspects that the Beldum has taken to visiting the theater for reasons that only he would know.]

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[He takes all that in.]

So, they're out of Gigas' custody entirely? Is the city of Union really going to let them live their lives in peace?

As far as I know. I've been busy with making sure things run smoothly, but word from the top is to not interfere unless someone intentionally gives us some big trouble.

[He nods.]

That'll be good, then. No one deserves to be treated like a weapon.

[...

Daisuke hadn't stated that the people who escaped were actively involved in the mess that overtook the entire region. Unless Hayato had picked it up from discussons on the streets, which made the truth no secret, then there was no way that he could have known that much. Unless...

No. He wasn't going to make any assumptions.]

No, they don't. [He replied, digging into his noodles once again.] People deserve to be treated like people. It's basic rights.

[Mmm noodles.]

[Hayato didn't even realize he may have given himself away. He had heard the chatter on the streets so he'd assumed people had known. That'll probably come back to bite him later. For now he blinks as Goro pokes at him.]

Eh?

[Goro shoves his bowl at him. He's still hungry!! Sigh, child you will eat him out of house and home.]

Here, you can have the rest of mine.

[People did know-- but Daisuke didn't know this man well enough yet to guess at how good he was at picking rumors up from the streets. He liked to trust people, but he didn't like to make assumptions either.

...The little pokemon was an excellent distraction.]

Looks like you've got your hands full with that little one. Did you two meet recently?

Yep.

[Remarkably well, but this is an instance of Hayato misjudging how much he knew and how much he should. Either way, this should play out interestingly.]

He's a scrappy little squirt for sure. I caught him trying to protect another pokemon from something much bigger than him. I never fancied myself a trainer but I guess there's a first time for everything.

[He chuckled.] Hah. You too? I found myself with a partner too, just recently. He's wandering around the theater right now, probably. Hard to say with him sometimes.

A Pokemon that likes theater?

[That sure was a curious thing.]

Yeah. How did he describe it? [He scratched his cheek idly-- then dropped his his pitch down quite a bit and adopted a rather grave tone:]

"A man can learn lot about the world from the heartfelt performance of another."

[He blinks and then starts to laugh.]

Is that a dramatic reenactment or can you actually understand him?

A little of column A and a little of column B.

[He chuckled.]

J doesn't always have a lot to say, but man does he get serious when he does say something.

That's pretty funny.

[He looks over at Goro.]

Well. Goro's finished off my lunch. I'm ready to check this place out when you are.

Hah-- sure.

[He set his bowl aside and stood, casting his gaze around once again for any sign of his errant Beldum. So far, nothing; he must have been quite preoccupied with whatever it was that he was doing.

No matter. J had a way of finding him when they were out around town.]

C'mon. It's not too far outside of town.

[He smiled and waved for the duo to follow-- and anyone watching would notice the shop keep sigh and jot a note for his own records that he would, some day down the line, collect on.

Today was not that day.]

[Goro takes his place on Hayato's shoulder and Hayato leaves behind the money he found to pay for the meal.]

That's good. So is it outside the walls?

Not that far.

[Dai winked, as if he were making a joke.]

We're not that dumb-- it's just far enough outside of the main center to not be a bother to anyone who wants to live there. Some of the people we ran into are...sensitive.

[That, really, was the only way he knew how to describe it.]

Sensitive?

[Ah, right.]

Guess you can't really blame them.

No, not really. It's not their fault.

[He idly scratched his head. This was...getting rather heavy.]

This is just a little precaution, that's all. City life's not exactly for everyone.

[He nods. Hayato tries pretty hard to come off impassive about the whole thing, but it's not like Daisuke didn't catch his comment earlier.]

Point.

[Dai did catch the comment-- but, everything is so easy to write off as reactions to the circumstances as a whole.]

...Hey, it's okay if you're bothered by all this, [he said after a moment, glancing over at his companion.] If you're not even a little burned by all this, you're not human.

[Interesting word choice but Hayato can't help the strange look that crosses his face when he says it like that. Haha. HAHA. How little he knew.]

I'm bothered, but I'm not bothered in the way most people probably are.

[He looks off to the side.]

What Gigas did to those people was a vast injustice. I'm actually really ... [You're getting too personal Hayato. He pauses and tries again.]

What Union is doing here, is a good thing. I'm happy to help with this facility.

[...Good responce. Dai cracks a small smile, satisfied with that answer.]

That's good, [he replied, facing ahead once more as they continued along their path,] I'm glad a traveller like you agrees. Means we really are doing something right out there.

You'll need to talk to the people in charge of the project, but i'm sure they'll take any hands they can get to help speed up the process. There's no need to leave people hanging any longer than necessary.

[He smiles, once Daisuke turns around. It's a wan, lopsided kind of thing. He drops it when Dai talks about the project again.]

Sounds like a plan. I appreciate all your help.

[...Clearly, there was something about the project that bothered this man. It was worth noting for later, but Dai didn't want to have his doubts. The man's smile was too genuine.]

Feel free to ask for anything at any time. Helping others is what I do around here, you know.

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