blueser | IC CONTACT

[Arcanine trots over to stick his snoot out the window as Blue takes another moment to breathe, get his bearings, and--]

[Ah. Now that his body isn't distracted with purging, the pain becomes much more apparent. Blue is clenching his teeth, arms wrapped over his head, and falls back into a scrunched-up fetal position with a tiny whimper.]

[He might start crying again. Except that would just make his head hurt more.] Nnnngghh!!

It won't last too long. If you drink water, it'll feel better faster.

[he shifts over, sitting next to blue.]

You can stay here until it wears off.

[This very grouchy and upset child seems like he's ready to have a tantrum again... he makes another whiny, defiant sound in response to Archie, but grabs for the water and at least swishes it around his mouth, spitting back into the bucket. Blegh.]

It didn't even work... [Blue morosely sulks, in a tiny mumble that doesn't vibrate his skull too much.]

[He means the alcohol.]

It never works. Alcohol is a depressant-- it'll only ever make you feel worse.

[he can put it together well enough based on what guzma had told him. sighing, he puts his hand on blue's shoulder lightly.]

You wanna go back to sleep?

[Blue weakly tries to shrug the hand off, and curls himself back up again tightly. Sleep? He sure did. He'd dropped like a rock once Guzma had deposited him in bed. He hadn't had some good, proper sleep in a while now, and he hadn't slept in a bed since.........]

[Well, home.]

[Then again, he was in a strange house, and the hospitality felt foreign, and the more he was thinking about it, the more uncomfortable it was.]

[Maybe just for a little while would be okay....] ...If I can... [He murmurs, head still splitting. His eyes are in a permanent squint.] Just. Just a little.

[when blue tries to shrug his hand off, archie just takes it off. he picks the bucket up as he stands up-- might as well wash it out and bring it back with some more water.]

Okay. You don't have to go anywhere anytime soon. You can stay here. [he nudges arcanine's big doggy shoulder with a hand as he gets up and goes past.] I'll be in the main room. Come get me if you need me, alright? There's some food and drink through there for Pokémon, too, if you want.

[As Archie leaves, Blue doesn't say anything in return to his offer, but his jaw sets, and grinds a little to himself, like he's chewing on it. Staying... with these losers? As if! ...That's what he wants to think, anyway.]

[There wasn't anywhere else to go, but...]

[Arcanine wags as Archie passes by, but all the while he remains steadfastly by Blue's side. He'll leave when Blue does... Someone has to keep an eye on him.]

[Blue spends a few hours in and out of mostly restless napping, between his headache and everything else going on with him, but then again he's exhausted enough that he's able to get a bit of rest. But eventually, he emerges from the room, although he looks awfully hesitant about his place in the house, and doesn't bother wandering or exploring- rather makes a beeline straight for the same couch he perched on the night before, empty glass in his hand.]

[He glances up at Archie, but he doesn't seem to know what to say, waiting for Archie to speak up first instead as he slides the empty glass across the table in a wordless request for water.]

[he doesn't need any prompting. archie takes the glass and deposits it near the sink, opting to get blue a clean one. puts some ice in it... maybe that'll make it refreshing! he doesn't know. he's trying his best. he brings it back through without saying anything.]

Are you hungry? [he tilts his head lightly, not staring at blue but certainly looking him over.] .... Where are you staying at the moment?

[He's starving, but he doesn't say anything to that, instead keeping his sullen and apprehensive face in check. He grabs for the water after it's slid across, and chugs it. Thirsty, too.]

[For a long moment he doesn't say anything.]

Why do you care? [Blue finally bites out, voice hoarse from throwing up, but the bitterness isn't just from that. His brow pinches as he keeps his frown steadily on the floor.]

What's with you guys? ...Aren't you two supposed t'be criminals? What d'you think you're gonna gain helping a League member like me...?

[dutifully, he refills the glass when blue puts it back down. he grabs a basic sandwich out the fridge; nothing special. ham and cheese. he puts it on a plate and brings it over with the water.]

I don't want anything. I never expected anythin', neither. [he scoots back, sitting his butt down opposite blue, shrugging.] All I want is for you to be safe and alright while you're here. We gotta look out for each other. Like it or not.

No one really believes that. [He bites back all too quickly, even though he pulls the water back towards himself and nurses it again. He's frowning, turning this in circles in his head and making himself frustrated.]

[Ugh. His head still hurts too much for this.]

...I don't need anyplace. I've been on the road before.

[That's 'nowhere', to finally answer the question. He looks at the sandwich with longing, and tugs it over, but just picks around it for the moment.]

[he doesn't look at blue as he picks at the sandwich. quite the opposite, actually. he gets up to fiddle with something on a nearby shelf.]

For over a month straight?

[Two or three, really.]

[But Blue doesn't correct him.]

I spent a whole year on the road, what's the big deal?

Back home, where feelin' bad don't make a perpetual rainstorm follow you.

[it's not said accusatorily. there's no pity in his tone either; it's stated as a simple fact.]

You should at least have a base to go back to. Even if it's the crummiest apartment ever on the edge of town.

[Blue's jaw sets. Even in Viridian, he had a small apartment just to crash at when Gym days went long or he didn't feel like going home to Pallet for whatever reason.... But there, he had a job. He had income. He had skills.]

[Here.... He had nothing. He was a 14 year old, still practically a child, with no marketable skills. When the only thing you knew how to do, the only thing you're good at becomes irrelevant, what then? Rely on the pity of others.]

[And that, he's been much too proud for.]

I don't need to waste my time with that. [He grumbles, but even he knows...]

To get a place to stay? It doesn't have to be with any of us. I know you're more than capable of looking after yourself.

[he sniffs.]

Do it for your Pokémon, if you won't do it for yourself.

My Pokémon are too big for the crappy little houses they have here.

[Blue huffs. That was a big part of the reason he hadn't even considered it outright. His poor Pokémon.... Eevee would be fine of course, maybe even Arcanine, if he could get out for walks and runs- but the rest of them needed much more space than Verens could afford them on an easily accessible basis.]

Just cuz you two losers have this big cabin to freeload in cuz that Jill lady pities you or whatever... Your Pokémon aren't even as big as mine. [Or as tough. Or cool. That's implicit.]

Then shack up at the berry farm. In the farmhouse. Or ask Anabel how she deals with her big ones. She has the Johto beasts, I think she'd have good advice.

[he leans over, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch.]

This ain't about us. Don't deflect, y'hear? You gotta stay somewhere an' be safe.

Edited 2019-05-24 23:17 (UTC)

[....Anabel.... That's right, the police chief... Blue has been thinking about where he'll go from here. It's too uncomfortable, in this cabin with these adults that talk like they understand, who try to push and nag him to do this or that when they aren't even responsible people themselves.... They were criminals, for Arceus' sake!]

[Blue's teeth grind, and he jumps up with a stumble, not quite in any condition to be on his own yet but feeling the creep of fear in him that had him primed to flee.]

I don't gotta take this from a crazy like you! [He hisses, because his head hurts too much to shout.] Don't start thinkin' you can tell me what to do!

[he gets up and walks back to the kitchen, opting not to press. it's easy enough to grab some stuff out the fridge to reheat-- a far better meal than the sandwich he'd offered before.]

I'm going to make you something that should help with the headache. After that you can do what you want.

[Archie's casual, presumptuous announcement only angers him more, but--]

[He's so hungry.]

[Blue glances down at the half of a sandwich still left, stomach rumbling, and frowns angrily. Archie is gone now, so... He could just take the rest, and flee...]

[Or he could wait to get more food....]

[He's mad that he feels he's being coerced into staying, and his pride nearly won't allow him to save face and stay, but he feels so weak.....]

[He marches into the kitchen instead, turning his nose up at Archie again.] You think you're so clever, huh? Fine. Hurry up and cook, I'll take it with me.

Hmmm, [he says, pulling out a little wooden lunchbox to start packing it. press some rice from earlier down in the bottom, chop up veggies... it's a healthy lunch for sure. he even cuts the little sausages in a special way! mostly because he's pretty sure that makes them cook faster, but still...]

I can't make the fire hotter, unless you wanna eat some cremated garbage.

[Blue's brow furrows as Archie works, and what becomes clear to be a bento forms, and he petulantly turns his back and marches out of the room again.]

[This stupid old pirate wannabe.... Acting like his mom or something. Like he really cared. Like he wasn't just doing it because it's what adults are supposed to do. Pretend to care about kids.]

[He paces in the front room, working himself up a tiny fury, by the time Archie finishes.]

[archie can tell something's off with blue, though being unable to read minds-- he can't tell exactly what. other than he's the cause of it, apparently.]

Here. [he says, holding it out. he didn't go too wild with it; it's very simple but nutritious. the sort of lunch he would've packed for himself on the job, when there wasn't time or space for fancy shit.] Do you need anything for your Pokémon?

...No. They're okay. [He hopes. He's been so worried for them, but they usually just hunt in the woods on their own anyway, or else he's been pilfering plenty of berries that Exeggutor can grow here and there.]

[Blue shuffles back towards the door, opening it- a light rain has already started up overhead of the cabin since he woke up, but it's a sign of what's to come. He hasn't really solved anything by coming here....]

[And now he doesn't know where else to go.]

[He thinks about giving his thanks, but he decides he has nothing to thank for, and instead just slips out the door and starts bustling away from the cabin.]

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