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…

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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.

From:

serperiority

Gross!

He quickly offered Gold a tissue.

“Clothes make the man, so you’ve got to take care of them and try to keep them clean… when you can.”

From:

gold_drum

Gold takes the tissue and nods. He's never seen the point of keeping his clothes clean, but he does understand taking care of them, since he does only have the one outfit. For now.

Gold cleans his face and blows his nose. His face still has a sort of gross, stuffy feeling, but... He feels a bit better. He looks up at Trip, a bit shy.

"Umm, when you buy me new clothes... Can they be good ones?" Gold asks, hesitant, unable to really explain what he means by that. There's good clothes out there, he knows, clothes that are too expensive for anybody to waste them on Gold. But maybe Trip would do that anyway? Gold figures he'll at least try. If he's going to accept kindness, he might as well see how much he's allowed to have.

And maybe if he moves on like that crying spell never happened, Trip will forget about it and they'll never have to talk about it again.

From:

serperiority

“Sure. Wouldn’t want to but something tacky or cheap enough to fall apart after you wear it once or twice, anyway.”

That’s better! Clothes, Trip can handle.

“We’ll go tomorrow, okay? We’ll probably have to head for Turnbloom City, there’s a market there… get some rest, okay?”

He really wanted to sleep, is what he meant.

“… if you need something, ask Nurse Joy or…”

He selected a pokeball, as he reclined, and lazily tossed it.

“Serperior.”

And settled back to bed. Sorry, not a night Rowlet.

Serperior blinked and looked to his trainer, awaiting orders.
“… right, you work better in daylight too. Okay, maybe Lampent.”

Serperior was returned and the more nocturnal Lamepnt was sent out. It’s a bit eerie, ghostly blue-purple flames flickering at its core and staring yellow eyes behind its glass-like body-face, but it only floated there and didn’t advance.

From:

gold_drum

Good clothes! Gold doesn't smile outwardly, but he feels amazed that that worked. He wonders what else he could ask from Trip before he gets fed up with him.

Gold steps back when Trip brings out the Serperior, not having expected such a big Pokemon. But it's so cool! Gold wonders if he'd be allowed to touch it, before Trip recalls it and brings out Lampent instead. Gold's slightly disappointed, but tries not to show it. Lampent... Gold doesn't know what to think of it. The blue-purple flames were pretty, but the strange lamp-like shape and the glassy face made it unnerving.

Gold just stands there and watches Lampent from a distance, not daring to approach. He wonders how he's supposed to ask for anything from a Pokemon, but he doesn't want to disappoint Trip. He doesn't need help anyway, he's been fine on his own up until now, but if Trip's giving him help he should just accept.

"Um... Can Lampent show me where the bathroom is?" Gold asks Trip hesitantly. He doesn't want to bother Trip too much since he's noticed Trip wants to get some sleep, but he doesn't know how to talk to Lampent.

From:

serperiority

“It’s been here before, so, yes.”

Responded without turning back to look at them.
Lampent began floating of. Not very talkative, but at least it was leading the way!

Maybe Trip could let him meet Serperior properly another time.

From:

gold_drum

Well that's convenient. Gold nods, grabs the clothes Trip picked out for him and turns to follow Lampent.

It's a good thing Lampent was there, because Gold absolutely would've gotten lost along the way without it. Though, when Gold returns to the room like an hour later, wearing his newly borrowed clean clothes and looking more presentable, he hasn't spoken a word to Lampent the entire time. He keeps marvelling at how soft his clothes are on the way back.

He opens the door to the room carefully, peeking in to see if Trip's asleep yet.

From:

serperiority

Lampent didn’t mind Gold’s lack of conversation, as it was a rather reticent and apathetic Pokemon…

Trip was, indeed, asleep and Lampent drew very near when Gold peeked inside.

Certain Gold’s no threat, it gave Gold a gentle nudge. Go on, it’s Gold’s room too. Lampent was only warm and cozy to the touch, but not hot or unbearable.

Edited (Important addition! o/ Gold can safely touch Lampent.) Date: 2022-11-26 02:06 pm (UTC)

From:

gold_drum

Lampent might've been warm to the touch, but it's body was also hard and metal-like, so the sudden nudge scared Gold. And when Gold gets scared, he gets defensive.

"Hey! Quit that!" he hisses quietly, so as to not wake Trip, as he glares at Lampent. He then marches inside (also quietly). He throws his dirty clothes somewhere out of the way, and checks the place where he hid his food. Satisfied that it's still there, he heads to bed. Since Trip seems to have taken the lower bunk, Gold climbs up to the top bunk with some trouble, and then just sits down in the corner of bed. He stares at Lampent, not comfortable enough with the Pokemon to be able to sleep when it's in the room, so he just stays awake for a while, thinking about everything that happened that day.

The gentle, purple glow of Lampent, shifting and weaving, keeps almost lulling him to sleep, but he startles awake every time, scared that he'll wake up to find himself back home, in his own bed. Everything today has been so unreal, so nice that it feels too good to be true. He listens quietly to try and hear Trip's breathing, to reassure himself he's not alone, and this is really happening.

Eventually, he really does fall asleep, unable to stay awake any longer.