serperiority | [S1 Trip and younger Gold, closed to gold

The warm colours of autumnal leaves and the crisp, cool air of the changing season was similar, but not the same as it was in Unova, but even if it was, without him here, it simply wasn’t going be the same. The festival, too, for all the nostalgia it invoked in him, if it wasn’t going to lead him any closer to Alder or defeating him, it wasn’t something he should concern himself with now. He needed to train.
Things like eating sweets or enjoying the sights and sounds of a festival was for children and had no place on an adult’s world, Trip decided, and walked on.

… even with these thoughts, he still paused, briefly, here and there, to take photographs. The beauty of this season was ephemeral and while he no longer had any place here, he couldn’t ignore it or the way it made him feel, even as pursuing his goal overtook anything else…

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

serperiority

"It's not what they're built for, but yeah. They'll help humans too if there are no hospitals close enough... depends on the nurse and how serious the injury is, anyway."

When Gold clung to him, he froze for a second, the touch unexpected, but he understood Gold was just frightened and reached down to take Gold's hand. He tugged him away a bit, so he wasn't uncomfortably close, but kept holding his hand.

"... like I said, nothing to worry about. Pokemon Centers are safe, that's basic."

If Gold's too frightened of this place, then, it looked like Trip had to be the one to ask for a place to stay for his unexpected company. It's easy enough!

From:

gold_drum

Handholding? Holding a hand? Gold's taken aback and just lets Trip take his hand, then stares at it confused. He thinks he's held somebody's hand before, but when was that? ...It's nice though. Gold adjusts the food in his arms so it won't fall, and tightens his hold on Trip's hand, following along.

"...Okay," Gold says, but he's going to have to see it to believe it. He's just going along with whatever Trip's doing. He's decided to place his trust on this older kid whose name he doesn't even know, for now.

From:

serperiority

Hand-holding's nice, isn't it? It's pretty much the only kind of affection Trip liked. too

Fortunately, the Pokemon Center had plenty of free rooms, so Trip took Gold to one. Typical of a Pokemon Center's lodgings, there were bunk beds on either side of room, a vanity desk, and even a window. Maybe just a bit on the simpler side, but more than serviceable and roomy all the same.

"Alright, you can stay here. There are other people here who might help you, okay? Ask around, I think the guy running the cafe attached to the Pokemon Center knows a guy—kind of weird, but he'll give you a place to stay, probably... this place is used to getting outsiders like us, they call us Drifted. As far as I know, there's no way for us to get back home, so... you'd better get used to this place, at least until we figure some way out, or maybe we find ourselves back home as suddenly as we came here," Trip said with a shrug. "The nurse knows you're new here too, so you'll get plenty of help."

Was he really just let go and walk off on Gold like that? Maybe. He felt pretty confident that leaving Gold here with food and a place to stay for a while should do the trick.

Maybe he shouldn't have dropped the bombshell on him like that, but Trip was ~~sometimes~~ a bit too blunt.

From:

gold_drum

Gold looks around the room, kind of in awe, but not sure if he's really allowed to use it. He's not letting go of Trip's hand, or the food Trip gave him either, taking some comfort in both.

He nods at what Trip's saying, trying his best to remember all of it. It's a lot. But something catches his ear, making him do a double take.

"Wait, we can't go back home?" His eyes are wide as he considers this. "I can't, even if I want to? That's... that's awesome." He's not smiling, but his eyes are practically sparkling. The idea of not having to go home had never crossed his mind before. "So... So this is my house now! Until they kick me out! I- I'm..." He stutters a bit, eyes glancing around, thoughts going faster than he can manage to put into words. "I'm gonna have to get a lot of money and buy my own house."

That's the conclusion he comes to. He nods to himself, and finally lets go of Trip's hand. It's time to become independent, so he can't cling to anybody. Time to think of ways to make money. Stealing wallets doesn't make enough, so what can he do? Rob a bank? Seems difficult, but Gold is certain with enough time and planning he can figure something out.

~~Yeah, this seems like a kid you can safely leave alone, Trip~~

From:

serperiority

What kind of hellish home did he have to be so happy to never go back? Even if he had his problems with his family, learning that he’ll never be able to go back home…

Kick him out? Buy his own house?!

Forgive Trip the loud, theatrical sigh and facepalm.

From:

serperiority

“You don’t need to buy a house! And they won’t kick you outside on the street… or dirt path or whatever… don’t think this sleepy town’ll ever have a completely packed Pokemon Center, there’s still couches and stuff you can rest on if there’s no beds,” Trip began explaining, crossing his arms. “Have you ever pitched a tent? Or used one of those fold-out ones? That might be easier for you, they’re what…”

Pokemon trainers use? But can a child that young and scrawny even handle roughing it outside? Trip had to think about it. He’s never had travelling companions before, he liked peace and quiet, and going at his own (very brisk) pace, they’d slow him down… but, here, his own journey might have to be put on a temporary hold, aside from possibly challenging whatever gyms they had for a challenge…

Should he take this kid travelling with him?

From:

gold_drum

Gold snaps out of his thoughts as Trip starts talking.

"They won't kick me out?" Gold asks, raising an eyebrow in doubt. "Really? But they won't want me around." Gold sounds so sure about it he doesn't even see the need to explain why. "If somebody better needs this room they're gonna drive me away, or make me use the couch at least."

"They're what?" Gold repeats after Trip trails off. He's never used a tent before, but he doubts they'd be good enough to live in. They wouldn't even keep the cold out in the winter. But maybe they'd be good enough for temporary shelter. Gold makes a mental note to look into tents.

He's oblivious to Trip's thoughts, but keeps staring up at him, observing quietly. He's pretty Trip's not the kind of person who'd hurt him or steal his food, so he's not worried, but can't help but be a little nervous about what he's thinking of anyway.

From:

serperiority

“… why wouldn’t they? Just don’t cause trouble, by stealing or anything, and they shouldn’t want to kick you out,” Trip said, confused by Gold’s insistence they don’t want him.
He felt a sense of pity again, looking at Gold, and without thinking, stepped closer again, lifting his hamd slowly—not to frighten him—and pat his head.

It seemed to him Gold had as low an opinion of himself as he did and without a point of reference other than Alder, he thought patting his head, ruffling his hair a little, might help him feel a little more wanted.

From:

serperiority

As for what Gold was wondering about…
“It’s nothing. I was just going to say, they’re what Pokemon trainers use. And…”

He sighed, not quite so theatrically drawn out this time, although he did run a hand through his hair and clutch at a few locks, nervous and doubtfuk about this undertaking.

“… do you want to travel together? I’ve always been alone on my journey, so I’m not used to taking care of anyone else, other than my Pokemon anyway, so I might not be any good, but… since we’re both strangers to this place…”

From:

gold_drum

"I'm probably gonna steal, so they'll kick me out," Gold says like it's a foregone conclusion. "And I'm an unlikable, shitty brat, so nobody wants me around."

Trip's movements frighten him anyway, despite the slowness, and he glares on instinct, tensing. But because Trip's so slow and careful with his movements, Gold decides to see what he's up to, and doesn't move out of the way. The headpat is... confusing. He looks up at Trip questioningly, not getting what the point of this is. (Also, his hair is definitely dirty and oily, so it's probably not a pleasant experience for Trip.)

Trip's question has him staring at him blankly, and tilting his head a little.

"Why? You don't like me. You called me a dirty little thief and I called you a prissy boy. You don't want me around either," Gold says, matter-of-factly. "I know you're nice, but you don't gotta do all this. You got me food and shelter, so I'll be fine on my own."

From:

serperiority

It’s fine, since he had to kneel earlier, Trip was going to shower anyway.

Gold’s undeniably filthy, but for what it’s worth, Trip does a good job of masking it!

Trip just sighed, shrugging a bit, not knowing how to deal with such a child.

“… you could try not to? Quit the cursing, get cleaned up—the bathrooms usually have showers and stools—and you can live honestly. I’m sure there are couples who want kids that have none. You’re young, so they’ll find you cute for sure. It’s a farming town, so you can even earn work and earn money if you want… adults will generally give children a place to stay for free, though. It’s kind of your right to be taken care of, you know?”

From:

serperiority

Repeating the insult did earn a twitch of his brow and another unpleasant and crooked smile.

“… you are a dirty little thief, you know, but that’s something you can change. You’ve just got to make an effort, this place is giving you all you need to improve, so just take advantage of a good thing and don’t stab people in the back when they showed you kindness.”

He made a big show of flicking dirt off his hand. “Ugh, this is a waste of time and now, I’ve got your germs all over me, so I’m going to shower first. Lucky there’s more than one bathroom, right? Later, pint-sized pickpocket.”

It was a bit hard to tell if calling him “prissy” or “nice” angered him more, but either way, he laid it on thick again.

From:

gold_drum

Everything Trip says is clearly kind of new to Gold, so he listens intently. This advice is kind of making sense to him, unlike most of what Trip tried to teach him before, which just went over his head, so he nods along, some sort of understanding in his eyes.

"So I should disguise myself as a good kid," Gold says, nodding. Sounds smart. Gold assumes Trip was talking from experience, and that he also worked to hide his meanness from adults when he wanted them to look after him. He makes mental notes about what he should do to accomplish that. No swearing, cleaning up more often, not stealing when people can see him...

He also nods to being called a dirty little thief again, he knows it's true. Seeing Trip's nasty smile and attitude makes him more at ease than the awkward headpat before, since it feels so much more genuine.

"Okay. Later, Mister Asshole," Gold says, treating it as a name, since he still doesn't know Trip's name, and goes to find a place in the room to stash his food away in. He's clearly in no hurry to go shower.

From:

serperiority

… pretend?

If that’s what it took, yes, although he had hoped Gold would genuinely turn over a new leaf. It would make it a lot easier for him to find a permanent home that way… but perhaps that was a touch too naive.

Trip felt even more that the boy was a strange sort of mirror. A monster in the shape of a child. The similarity was unsettling, especially given the differences.

Maybe he really couldn’t leave him alone. He didn’t have it in him to be a caretaker, he was too cold and distant, even to his Pokemon who loved him, but… a fellow monster, he could be.

Regardless, it would be a while before he returned to check on what Gold had gotten up to, only half expecting to find him still in the room…

From:

gold_drum

Gold is still in the room when Trip returns. While Trip was out, Gold did not go to wash up, and instead spent his time looking through the room, but surprisingly not making much of a mess. The food Trip gave Gold is hidden away somewhere, possibly in the desk drawers.

Gold, however, is sitting on the floor, looking at the desk, and... talking to himself.

"No, Mister Asshole probably smiles nicer when he's not talking to shitty kids," he says as Trip enters the room, and pauses like he's listening to an answer. "Yeah, I do. Smiling's important, I think."

He then realizes Trip's there and turns to look at him.

"Oh, hey," he says. The edges of his lips turn up, in an expression you can barely recognize as a smile. It probably looks kind of creepy, but he's still practicing.

From:

serperiority

Trip paused in the doorway, but kept his expression neutral and disinterested, pretending to be more interested in a corner of the room.
An... imaginary friend? He'd never had one, but then again, he was always content, playing on his own.

When Gold turned to address him, he looked back at him and felt a genuine revulsion at the face. This, he couldn't quite mask, eyebrows shooting up and lips pressing tightly.

"... maybe just. Think of something that makes you happy and your face will make the right expression, but good job taking it seriously. And it's Trip, by the way. Can I have your name, so I won't just be calling you thief?"

From:

gold_drum

Not an imaginary friend, he's just talking to the desk! ...is what Gold would say. He feels it's completely different from having an imaginary friend.

Gold's smile ends up looking more natural immediately, when he sees the face Trip's making and has to hold back a giggle, and he hides his mouth behind a hand. Despite Trip advising him on how to smile, Gold thinks he'd be mad if he laughed at him.

"...Okay. I'll try," Gold says after managing to get his expression back to neutral, and nods seriously. "Mister Trip. I'm Gold."

From:

serperiority

((He's in the anime only properly appearing in one episode (Evolution by Fire) although he's first introduced in a shadowy flashback early in BW! Tepig's former trainer. My friend plays him past that point, he had his trainer's license temporarily suspended after Professor Juniper learned of his cruelly abandoning his starter Pokemon. He's getting better, but he's still rather caustic, a sore loser, and causes trouble from time time, but he's funny and they do get along, which is why I thought he might with Gold too. :D;; ~~Trip has had to bail him out like twice at least in rp.~~))

That... was a much better expression, surprising Trip and even drawing a more genuine smile from him too. He wasn't offended one bit and honestly, he felt fond and a even bit wistful.

"Good. Keep that up and you'll be very easy to love," Trip said, taking a seat on one of the lower beds with a sigh. "Won't be too hard to find someone to take you in, I don't think. Gold, huh? That's a good name."

He's feeling too fond and too nostalgic, to be honest, to make any wry comments. What an ironic name, a precious stone for such a neglected, seemingly unwanted child. A rather rude and coarse child at that, but... to Trip, it also seemed fitting.

"Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold..."

Closing, quite pretentiously, with a poem, Trip decided to take a rest on the bed, right there, backpack worn the opposite way so he could hug it (... and be perfectly aware if someone were to unzip or steal it from him).

From:

gold_drum

Gold blinks. He keeps staring blankly at Trip as he talks, feeling overwhelmed. Who the hell talks that nicely about Gold? He feels like Trip must've somehow gotten the wrong impression, mistaken Gold for somebody he's not. Somebody loveable. But hasn't Trip already seen how bad Gold can be? Why does he talk like that if he already knows?

It makes no sense to Gold. He feels like he should clarify things to Trip, to let him know Gold is actually irredeemable and to not expect anything of him, because surely Trip's just making a mistake. Surely he'll figure out one day that Gold is actually the worst, and then... And then what? Gold really doesn't want to know, but the image of Trip acting like Mom appears in his mind uninvited anyway.

It was for the best to stop this before things got to that point. It'll just hurt more if he starts thinking Trip could like him. He should just leave. He turns and walks to the door, but then Trip speaks his poem. Gold doesn't really get it, but something dances across his mind as some kind of glittering emerald-gold hues, and also grass and leaves? He pauses with his hand on the door handle, looking over his shoulder, and realizes he's being silly.

He can't leave, not when his food is still in this room.

That's the excuse for staying he gives himself. It's not that he wants to stay despite all logic, there's clearly a good reason to stay. He can just leave some other time. Trip won't change his mind immediately. Maybe Gold will just... stay a while longer and hear some more nice things about himself first, before things inevitably go to hell.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Gold announces, and waits to see if Trip says anything about that, somewhat anxious.

From:

serperiority

“Alright,” Trip said, casually, at this point more interested in resting, but then he opened an eye and tried to prop himself up. “… actually. Gold, if you need a change of clothes, I have some you can borrow. We can try and buy you stuff that fits better later.”

An oversized hoodie would work as well as pyjamas, right? He also picked underwear and a pair of khaki pants. All chosen to be more on the comfortable side.

“You could probably wash your clothes and hang them to dry, this way, you’ll have at least two outfits for now. If you can’t reach, leave them there, I’ll hang them later.”

Or, if he’s feeling particularly lazy right now… maybe he could send a Pokemon or two to do it. He just wanted to rest.

From:

gold_drum

"You're gonna buy me stuff?" Gold asks, eyes wide. He looks at the clothes Trip picks out, hesitant to actually touch them, glancing at Trip many times before he dares to actually take them. The softness surprises him, and he hugs the clothes, probably getting some dirt on them. He doesn't notice. The kindness Trip's showing him, and the certainty Gold has that Trip is eventually going to hate him and he'll lose all of this, is too much for him to handle.

Gold starts to cry.

Sorry, Trip, no rest for you it seems.

From:

serperiority

He wanted to say "yes," it was a simple answer to what he felt was a simple question, but Gold sounded so amazed, so overwhelmed, and reached for the clothes so carefully, so hesitantly—and then, proceeded to get grime on them, alas. But before he could really answer... the younger boy started to cry.

How does a monster who buries and denies his own feelings acknowledge anyone else's, much less comfort them?

He could only watch in uncomfortable silence, then turn his gaze away. Silence and some privacy is all Trip could give, he didn't know what else to do.

"... they're... just clothes..." he mumbled, rather feebly, at last. "It's no big deal."

From:

gold_drum

Gold sobs and hiccups, tears falling down his face, and he rushes to put the clothes on the bed before he gets snot on them. He tries to talk, to say something like 'it's not just the clothes' but the second his voice comes out it breaks and ends up a keening wail. He shuts his mouth, pressing his hands over it and just... hiccuping quietly for a while, turning away from Trip to try and not be heard. He tries to focus on anything that'd make him less likely to cry, but it feels like everything he can think of at the moment reminds him of Trip.

So he just stands there and cries quietly, facing away from Trip who's facing away from him.

From:

serperiority

That… was such a painful sight. Some part of him almost admired it, the rest was repulsed. Gold was trying so hard to smother his own crying. Did he think he wouldn’t allow it? But, Gold was a child still, in Trip’s eyes.

Just a child, yes…

He drew nearer, reaching for Gold… he couldn’t really embrace him, so he settled for holding his shoulders with a grave expression.

“… you can cry if you want to. You won’t be able to when you’re an adult, so cry as much as you need to now.”

From:

gold_drum

Gold keeps on sniffling quietly, but looks up at Trip when he feels his hands on his shoulders. He nods in response to Trip's words, not daring to try and make any sounds.

Adults can't cry? That sounds awesome to Gold. If only he could grow up into an adult quickly, so he wouldn't cry, wouldn't be weak, and would be able to buy a house and rely only on himself.

The thought comforts him a little. Even if it's difficult now, one day he'll be an adult. Even though he knows everyone will eventually hate him, it's fine because he won't need them anymore when he's an adult. He just needs to survive until that. So even if it's difficult to accept kindness, he'll have to accept it so he can keep living, even if it's from someone who doesn't like him, like Trip.

Gold's tears slowly dry up and stop, and he moves to dry his tears and his snot onto his own shirt, unless Trip stops him.