[ Ruby has come to poke her head around in the communal kitchen one of the nights she's staying over. Girl looks ass-weary, but sometimes you just need a snack. She makes sure she won't be seen by anyone she doesn't know, then enters... Just in time to see Archie in one of the blind spots. Thankfully she knows him, so it's no big deal.
Regardless of if he's seen her or not she's going to give him a wave, because it just seems like a good idea to her half-asleep self. ]
[ She pauses, as if about to ask him how he knows, and then closes her mouth and nods. She's in the kitchen is how he knows. She much preferred her pre-apocalypse sleep schedule, as it didn't turn her into a complete dumbass until around 9PM. ]
I probably shouldn't get tea, caffeine and all, but it's tempting. I feel like I'm going to be coughing up particles of Jeopardy for the next six months.
[mood, ruby, only archie is a dumbass 100% of the time, 25/8, living that himbo life. he shrugs a shoulder and gestures vaguely to one of the cupboards.]
We have herbal tea. Might have stuff that's not caffeinated that could help ya sleep. Is Niko still in his room?
[archie's never managed to get a good read on how well niko manages to sleep, despite all that's been going on recently, so he genuinely has no idea.]
That's a good idea. [ There was then a grim chuckle. ] Bynadril isn't doing much, so every little bit is worth trying. [ It was her luck that something that had finally helped a little would become less effective, so really she didn't have the heart to complain too much. ]
I think so, [ she starts, drifting towards the cupboards ] It's a little hard to tell though with so many ani- pokemon on his bed all at once. I knew they cared for him thanks to having communicated with them in the past, but they really do want to show it.
[ She looks back to him with a wry smile. ] That bad. It'll be fine eventually. I've had times in my life where I was only getting ten minute naps throughout the day over the course of months. I eventually got to around four hours a night by the time I got here, so I can work back to that.
[ She goes back to rummaging in the cupboard. ]
I have. I was able to communicate with them all, too. Shiko really, really cares deeply for him. [ There's a smile on her face and in her voice as she says this. ]
I'm not even a full year out from escaping the cult, so I think having gotten to four hours in less than three months was pretty good. And right now I'm managing nearly two hours at a time, so I'm not going to complain too much.
[ She doesn't interpret any of this as pity, just conversation, which is why her tone is light and conversational as she replies. She pulls out a nice herbal tea and then looks around for an electric kettle, hoping she won't have to use the microwave like a heathen. ]
I don't really know much about the ways that pokemon evolve. Are friendship evolutions hard?
[feels very strange to be talking to someone who's so upfront about what she went through. relatively, at least. not that that makes him think what she went through was any less than the other people he's know from cults, of course.
fortunately, there's a kettle. archie is not a heathen.]
Some of the hardest. It took me a long time to evolve my own Golbat into a Crobat. It's admirable just to have one. Honestly, it reminded me that... even if I don't always understand the bond his Pokémon have formed with him, the fact Shiko exists means it's no less legitimate just because I don't.
[ It turns out that once she got started she couldn't quite stop. Being able to talk about things and have the reaction be 'yeah, that scans' has made it very, very easy for her to just keep mentioning things. Sometimes she wishes she had things to mention aside from cult shit, but her life hasn't really allowed for that up until now.
Ruby takes the kettle and gets to work. ]
How long did it take you? I think that with Niko, his bond is built on change. When I talked to his pokemon... Well. I don't know how to explain it. I get the feeling he used to be a real turd to them in the past. I mean I saw him admit it, but. I communicate with animals, I get a good feeling for what they've been through when they communicate back. I don't know how he's changed, but most of them are pretty pleased with it.
I won't ask if you don't want me to, but if you want to talk about it I'm good with just about anything as long as it's, you know, not Adults Only sorts of talk.
[ She turns to face him while the water heats. ]
I think they'll continue to get happier. Sometimes he's a little weird about things, but I get the feeling that as he learns it's okay, he'll get less strange.
[ She doesn't sound disappointed, simply accepting. ]
Don't worry about that. I'm probably pretty good at positive encouragement. He's really reasonable when you sit down with him and talk logically. Well, on most subjects. I think he's afraid of being seen as too much like a girl or something. But sometimes boys are just like that. So it's no big deal.
I don't really know a whole lot about Rocket. I know it's a criminal organisation, yakuza style and all that. But I don't really know a lot of details. I get the feeling it's a lot different than my father's organization, if for no other reason than my world doesn't have pokemon.
If you know Yakuza, then you basically got 'em down pat. Criminals with Pokémon that use 'em as tools. The way Niko came to view and treat them was quite the anomaly for our society.
[he shrugs a little awkwardly.]
Along with... uh. Everything else. But he's gettin' better, that's what matters.
Yeah, I'm familiar. My dad was in charge of his own criminal organization, too. [ She laughs a little. ] It's one of the weirder things Niko and I have in common.
I'm glad for that. And I'll do what I can to help him continue to do so. He's a good guy, he just doesn't always know what 'good' entails. And I can relate to that, too.
Mmm... the irony. Y'know how I'm his legal guardian right now? [he rubs the back of his head.] That thing I mentioned... I used to have my own criminal organization, too. Not in the same way as Niko's father, it was more... ecoterrorism but...
I'm starting to get the impression that the porter has a thing for former criminals. [ She turned around to tend to the electric kettle, which was starting to whistle. ] The cult I was in, well, it engaged in terrorism, too. Though not ecoterrorism.
No kiddin', right? Yeah, I'll go for some. [he tilts his head.] Reckon that's all cults are good for, hurtin' people. S'all I did, anyway. Convinced myself I was doin' the right thing. Ugh. What a mess.
[ She doesn't show her surprise that he was a cult leader specifically, but she decides to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. She moves to grab two mugs and then steeps the tea. ]
Mind if I ask what all you did? It sounds like you know better now that everything's further away.
Really, it seems like it's always the job of kids to step up and pull things off where the adults fuck up. [ She comes over with the tea soon after. ] Well, I guess maybe I'm a little jaded there, with everything going on in my world.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
>Action
Regardless of if he's seen her or not she's going to give him a wave, because it just seems like a good idea to her half-asleep self. ]
no subject
Yo, Ruby. You want some food?
[she's... in the kitchen, after all.]
no subject
I probably shouldn't get tea, caffeine and all, but it's tempting. I feel like I'm going to be coughing up particles of Jeopardy for the next six months.
no subject
We have herbal tea. Might have stuff that's not caffeinated that could help ya sleep. Is Niko still in his room?
[archie's never managed to get a good read on how well niko manages to sleep, despite all that's been going on recently, so he genuinely has no idea.]
You an' me both.
no subject
That's a good idea. [ There was then a grim chuckle. ] Bynadril isn't doing much, so every little bit is worth trying. [ It was her luck that something that had finally helped a little would become less effective, so really she didn't have the heart to complain too much. ]
I think so, [ she starts, drifting towards the cupboards ] It's a little hard to tell though with so many ani- pokemon on his bed all at once. I knew they cared for him thanks to having communicated with them in the past, but they really do want to show it.
no subject
[he hums, plating up whatever it was he was heating up for himself.]
He's come a long way with them. Have you met them all?
no subject
[ She goes back to rummaging in the cupboard. ]
I have. I was able to communicate with them all, too. Shiko really, really cares deeply for him. [ There's a smile on her face and in her voice as she says this. ]
no subject
[...sort of. his heart hurts for her, but he doesn't mention it-- doesn't want to seem like he's pitying her. he knows better than to do that.]
Friendship evolutions are like that. I was worried he might never evolve his Golbat, but... well, he did. That's the important thing.
no subject
[ She doesn't interpret any of this as pity, just conversation, which is why her tone is light and conversational as she replies. She pulls out a nice herbal tea and then looks around for an electric kettle, hoping she won't have to use the microwave like a heathen. ]
I don't really know much about the ways that pokemon evolve. Are friendship evolutions hard?
no subject
fortunately, there's a kettle. archie is not a heathen.]
Some of the hardest. It took me a long time to evolve my own Golbat into a Crobat. It's admirable just to have one. Honestly, it reminded me that... even if I don't always understand the bond his Pokémon have formed with him, the fact Shiko exists means it's no less legitimate just because I don't.
no subject
Ruby takes the kettle and gets to work. ]
How long did it take you? I think that with Niko, his bond is built on change. When I talked to his pokemon... Well. I don't know how to explain it. I get the feeling he used to be a real turd to them in the past. I mean I saw him admit it, but. I communicate with animals, I get a good feeling for what they've been through when they communicate back. I don't know how he's changed, but most of them are pretty pleased with it.
no subject
[maybe he should tell her about that, eventually. she should know if she's associating with a former cult leader.]
He was bad-- not my place to tell ya if he ain't, though. Bad enough that I stole 'em once. I'm glad they're happy, too.
no subject
[ She turns to face him while the water heats. ]
I think they'll continue to get happier. Sometimes he's a little weird about things, but I get the feeling that as he learns it's okay, he'll get less strange.
no subject
[she's been forthcoming with him, after all.]
...Yeah. As long has he has positive encouragement, for once. I don't think he's really had that.
no subject
[ She doesn't sound disappointed, simply accepting. ]
Don't worry about that. I'm probably pretty good at positive encouragement. He's really reasonable when you sit down with him and talk logically. Well, on most subjects. I think he's afraid of being seen as too much like a girl or something. But sometimes boys are just like that. So it's no big deal.
no subject
[he leans back lightly, grunting.]
Not surprised.
no subject
I don't really know a whole lot about Rocket. I know it's a criminal organisation, yakuza style and all that. But I don't really know a lot of details. I get the feeling it's a lot different than my father's organization, if for no other reason than my world doesn't have pokemon.
no subject
[he shrugs a little awkwardly.]
Along with... uh. Everything else. But he's gettin' better, that's what matters.
no subject
I'm glad for that. And I'll do what I can to help him continue to do so. He's a good guy, he just doesn't always know what 'good' entails. And I can relate to that, too.
no subject
[he makes a face.]
Such a... coincidental thread.
no subject
I'm starting to get the impression that the porter has a thing for former criminals. [ She turned around to tend to the electric kettle, which was starting to whistle. ] The cult I was in, well, it engaged in terrorism, too. Though not ecoterrorism.
Want some tea? There's enough water for two.
no subject
No kiddin', right? Yeah, I'll go for some. [he tilts his head.] Reckon that's all cults are good for, hurtin' people. S'all I did, anyway. Convinced myself I was doin' the right thing. Ugh. What a mess.
no subject
Mind if I ask what all you did? It sounds like you know better now that everything's further away.
no subject
[he shrugs.]
Someone younger than you stopped me.
no subject
Now that sounds like something out of my world.
Really, it seems like it's always the job of kids to step up and pull things off where the adults fuck up. [ She comes over with the tea soon after. ] Well, I guess maybe I'm a little jaded there, with everything going on in my world.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)