adamant | 19th roar [ video + action for Olivine ]

Entry tags:

+location: olivine city

19th roar [ video + action for Olivine ]

[ The feed opens on Olivine beach. Judging from the bobbing, it's being held by a pokémon, one that doesn't have arms to stabilize it. A metal grating sound—Skarmory, then.

The camera flicks up suddenly, sliding across a long stretch of sand to...Leon. Leon surrounded on all sides by his team. Lucky behind him, her head in his back. Strike and Scizor in front, pulling him by the arms. In the water, Flood waits, making soft mournful noises, tentacles reaching for his trainer. Leon, for his part, has both feet planted firmly in the sand and is not moving.

Not.

Moving.

An inch.

They push, they pull, he doesn't budge. His expression is one of rock-solid concentration. He tries to shake them off, but they're stronger than he is, and he goes back to putting his energy into doing his statue imitation.

It looks for all the world like they're trying to feed him to his own Tentacruel.

Skarmory chirrs in amusement, then quickly drops the 'gear to go join the fun. ]

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But Leooooon...

[don't make her say lee-lee.

oh god WHAT IS THIS THREAD.]

[Well, he can't exactly forcibly drag the whole group off, but he has his ways of helping.]

Leviathan Harvey, stop this this instant. I suggest the rest of you do the same.

[He's using the Kingly Voice. Can they resist the Kingly Voice? Because Leviathan certainly can't, and she quickly returns to her trainer's side.]

[ THE MAGIC OF DISNEY ]

No!

... Fine...

[a defeated sigh, some wibbling...]

... Let's go buy you a swimsuit!

Because I wanted to...to keep you as a friend. Not a teacher.

[ Note the use of the past tense. ]

[ ..............................................................

Actually that should be okay! Right? ]

...all right?

Goodie! We'll get you something really nice!

[she then addresses his Pokemon.]

I promise, once we get the right swimsuit, we'll start swimming lessons. Soon he'll be a natural, and play with you every day!

[ very slooooowly tilting her head. Don't worry, Leon, Rise doesn't beat around the bush. ]

You can't swim?

[Alexander is just laughing at him. You bet your bum Hope is laughing inside too.]

It's just training.

[She does hear that use of past tense, and it drives a spike of hurt into that knotted ball in her stomach that she thought she'd shoved so far down it would never bother her again, but there it is and all she can do is sigh. So much for things being semi-normal again.]

No one says friends can't be teachers, Leon. We've all learned from our friends even before we came here.

I know that! [ His tone is a bit snappish, as if he's upset with himself. Or her. ] I know. I just didn't want you to...to see me. Like that.

Like what? Weak? Needing someone to help you?

[Leons tone might be snappish or upset, but Lightnings is cold and not leaving any room for doubt as to what's on her face. She's not pitying him or anything of the sort; she's just angry that he'd think she would think any less of him for this.]

You think I'd want to see you drown instead? What happens if no one can get you out of the water in time? All it takes is one chance, one mistake, and it's over. Is your pride worth your life? Is me, or anyone else, not seeing you like that really worth that cost?

[To her, even with all the pride she herself has, the answer is obvious. To him? She can't really say for sure at this moment in time.]

I wouldn't--have some faith. I wasn't born yesterday, despite what you seem to think. I don't put myself at stupid risk.

[ She might not think she'd think less of him, but he's convinced she already does. He breathes in, and his face goes blank in that way he's so adept at. ]

Ven volunteered. So it isn't that.

Really? Then what do you call that? [She lets loose one arm back towards the marks in the sand that show just how far he actually did get pushed, to the sand that's pushed up around his feet and getting dragged into the water by the surf.]

I can understand you not telling one of us. But not letting your own team know before they tried this? Was a stupid risk.

[As for who's going to be helping him...]

Ven has a broken arm and won't be able to help for at least another few weeks. So if that's not it, you'd better damn well tell me what it is right now.

[With those last two words, Lightning has stepped closer, eyes narrowed and cold as she gets right in face, close enough that one step forward from either of them will send the other tumbling back.]

[ They would've stopped eventually, he knows. He's never in any danger where his team is concerned. But he knows that's going to fall on deaf ears, so he says nothing. Instead, he just pinches the bridge of his nose--only to be startled back when she rushes into his personal space.

He immediately moves away, bare feet leaving hesitant impressions in the sand. ]

Just...forget it.

[Etro help her, she was about to slap him or scream his head off. Probably both if he kept doing this. Because for every two steps he takes back, she's taking one forward in an effort to both get him away from the water and to not let him get away without an actual answer.]

Spit it out, Leon. Now.

[Her tone is razor sharp, and it's probably obvious to him that this time, she's not going to forget it and let him walk away.]

Figure it out, Lightning! It's the same problem as last time, and the time before, and every other time--take a guess.

[ He's rounding on her, aggressive too, now, the way's he's been with her all the times they've talked these past few weeks. Both of them in a constant state of high tension. ]

[There's enough tension in both of them that Lightning is jumpy, fists clenched at her sides for a bare moment before she lashes out, punching him again. This time it's a lot lighter than that time just weeks ago, but it's still going to leave one hell of a bruise right beneath his eye.

But even with that, the tension hasn't eased and she's finally shouting, standing rigid and full of barely contained anger and hurt. Because, no matter how hard she's tried, she just hasn't been able to put all that behind her.]

That's no reason for you to not come to me for help, dammit! Whatever this is, we're still friends and we both agreed that's how it was going to be!

[ Another explosion of white-hot pain. He hisses, almost tempted to raise a hand to her--and quells the impulse, appalled that he'd ever had it in the first place. Still, he snarls at her. His pokemon, standing away from the feud, seem stricken, unsure what to do. Most of them have seen Leon and Light fight, but never like this. ]

So, is that how it's going to be? Every time I piss you off, I get a black eye? [ It's not like him to be crass, but there's an aggressive curl to his lip right then. ]

Some friendship. [ His head drops a bit, accompanied by a sag of his shoulders. ] We're not friends, Light. Don't be deluded.

[ LOUD COLLECTIVE CHEERING!!!! Eyeroll from Leon. ]

We'll see about that.

[After getting hit like that, Lightning would expect anyone to be crass and aggressive. She still is and she's the one who dealt the blow.]

No, just every time you act like an idiot! And be glad it's just your face, because I know plenty of other places--[Whatever else she was going to say gets swallowed up as he says they aren't friends. Lightning goes quiet, stiff as a wooden board while her hands clench at her sides and her eyes burn. The ball of hurt and anger and nerves is only getting bigger and bigger inside her, big enough to make her stomach flip and it's all she can do to keep her breath from catching in her throat.

But in the silence, Sen whines and looks between Light and Leon like a scared child looking between his fighting parents. It's enough to get Lightning to unclench her fists, swallow hard, and let a mask of apathy spread over her face.]

If we weren't friends, you wouldn't be calling me Light right now.

[ A simple shake of his head. Nope! ]

Wasn't much water back on Radiant Garden--not enough to swim in, at least.

[ They're so used to listening to Leon's Boss Voice that Cecil's Kingly Voice has the same effect! INSTANT OBEDIENCE. The result is that Leon immediately drops onto his butt in the sand, a bit confused.

A pause, then: ]

...thanks, Cecil.

Fine, Lightning.

[ How a single word can brim with so much hurt is mind-boggling. ]

I just--I'm sorry. I regret that you ever...found out. That I ever let it get that obvious. Maybe if I'd kept my emotions in check better, we wouldn't be here. But there's no going back, now.

[ It's all a rush, and possibly more feelings he's vocalized in a while. ] I never wanted to lose you. I never wanted it to be--like this!

[ And yet, as far as he's converned, 'like this' is the only way it can ever be. ]

Edited 2011-08-10 15:27 (UTC)

You're welcome. What exactly were they trying to do?

[This sure doesn't sound like someone whose voice was screaming 'obey or die' five seconds ago. Yet Leviathan is doing her very best to look innocent and well-behaved, staying by his side even as he walks towards Leon.]

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19th roar [ video + action for Olivine ]

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