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:

gold_drum

Gold nods seriously. One drink, one meal, one dessert. He thinks he knows what those mean. A drink is easy, a cup of something you can drink. A dessert is a cake, but he doesn't see any at the table. A meal is anything he can eat.

...He has no idea what to pick. He thinks he'll just get a piece of bread and some milk, since that's easy, but... there's so many things he could eat. He should just choose anything. Trip will tell him if he's not allowed to have something, right?

In the end, after a lot of thinking, Gold picks a traditional Johto breakfast set, with miso soup, rice, fish and pickled vegetables, only because it was the only meal that said "meal" in the name. No dessert at all, since he's not sure he can even eat all of what he got.

Edited (forgot something) Date: 2022-11-27 10:45 pm (UTC)

From:

serperiority

Trip raised his brows at the choices.

“… I heard Johto’s old-fashioned and traditional, but… wow, this takes the cake! Speaking of which, I guess you didn’t want any since you picked such a big breakfast…?”

Trip’s choices were buttered bread (from the Kalosian breakfast options), and something round and colourful (probably mochi) he quickly hid when Gold came back.

From:

gold_drum

"There wasn't any cake," Gold says, taking it literally, then frowns at his breakfast. "Is this too big? I've seen people eat this for breakfast..."

And he always wanted to try it too, but if Trip thinks it's weird, maybe it is weird? He stares at his breakfast choice, wondering uncertainly if he should pick something else after all. He cares about what Trip thinks of him, after all.

No, wait, it doesn't matter what Trip thinks, Gold realizes. Trip will hate him anyway, so who cares? No matter how much Gold tries to make people happy with him it always fails in the end, so he'll eat what he wants to eat.

So Gold goes over to a table and sets his food down decisively, no matter what Trip might say, and starts eating with absolutely no table manners or utensils.

From:

serperiority

“Ah… that’s a figure of speech. And it isn’t too big.”

Trip watched Gold sit down, assumed he preferred to eat alone (so did Trip), so he said nothing, until Gold began repulsively wolfing down his food.

“Hey, hey! Easy there. Like I said, the food isn’t going anywhere.”

Trip rushed over to try to stop Gold’s hands.

“You’re eating too fast! You’ve got to have good table manners. It keeps clothes clean and keeps you from grossing people out.”

From:

gold_drum

Gold stops, and stares at Trip, tilting his head slightly. Good table manners? What's that?

But he does remember he decided to try to start pretending to be a good kid yesterday. Not grossing people out sounds like it'd be part of that. So he sets the fish he was eating with his hands down and sits up straighter.

"Okay. How do I eat then?" he asks, food still in his mouth.

From:

serperiority

“First of all, don’t talk with tour mouth full. Swallow first. Speaking can wait. You won’t take so long chewing if you take smaller bites, too.”

Trip looked around, then went back for his tray of food, and set down again across from Gold, at the same table, and began demonstrating with his own fork and knife.

“With a fork and knife, you pin the spine with the fork and cut and pull apart meat with the knife. I’m… not too good with chopsticks, actually, but you can push the skin apart and then cut by pressing the meat with them, right? Fish is easy to cut be because it’s naturally pulls away in pieces. You can cut and eat small pieces.”

From:

gold_drum

Gold listens intently, chewing his food, then swallowing. He doesn't get why that's a rule, but doesn't ask.

"I'm not good with chopsticks either," Gold says. Nobody ever taught him how to use them, so he just gave up on learning. Knife and fork though, he can use, especially with Trip showing how. So, small pieces, so it won't take a long time to chew, and no talking with food in your mouth. He can do that. He's pretty clumsy with the knife and fork, but he does manage. He eats a small piece, then makes sure to chew and swallow it before asking "What about the soup? Can I just drink it?" He's not sure how eating miso soup with a knife and fork would work, and he's pretty sure he's seen people drinking it from the small bowl, but he wants to make sure he's got it right first.

From:

serperiority

Trip felt completely at a loss! Rather than just a travelling companion, it seemed more like he’d become a parent or babysitter and even tutor overnight.

“… I’m Unovan, you know? American. I don’t really know about the traditional way to drink it, but in our region, you’d use a soup spoon for soup and the bowls would be a lot bigger, usually… just a spoon’d be good enough. You’d try not to slurp, because the sound can bother people, but… a good trick to figure out the right thing to do is look around. What do most people do? Or at least, the ones who look respectable and like they know what they’re doing. Don’t stare too long at anyone specifically though, just get a feel for how they eat.”

He figured Gold should learn from the natives. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one having soup, so he should be able to find others to mimic!

From:

gold_drum

"Huh... I didn't know Unova was that different," Gold says. He listens to Trip's advice and then turns to take a look at other people with soup. He's not good with subtlety, though, so he ends up staring blatantly and obviously at people.

Seems like others are drinking the broth and using chopsticks to eat the rest. Gold watches, then turns to his own soup, and looks at his fork.

"...I dunno if it's bad manners to use a fork," Gold says. He figures Trip doesn't know either, but he gives him a questioning look, wanting his input anyway. He's the master of manners after all.

Still, Gold knows the proper way to eat part of the miso soup, so he takes the bowl in his hands and takes a sip. The warm and smooth feel and taste of the broth surprises him. There's something comforting about it, but Gold doesn't know why. It feels like waking up and knowing he's safe, and it feels like having warm and soft clothes to wear, and it feels like having somebody teach you things. It'd feel like home, if that was Gold's concept of home.

"This is good," Gold says, wanting to tell Trip how he's feeling, but being unable to express it in words.

From:

serperiority

Trip opted not to tell Gold (yet) not to stare for so long, that could wait. Picking battles.

“It’s probably not, it just makes you look foreign… which we are,” Trip said simply, finishing his own meal. “We’re Drifted, so it’s fine, people here are used to outsiders.”

Trip watched Gold enjoy the soup and felt something like a sense of nostalgia at that too. A bit of pride, too.

“… yeah.”

He wasn’t the chattiest either, but he could tell Gold enjoyed it and could see it help him be at ease.

“… it’s warm.”

Even if this was harder and more complicated than Trip expected, it was rewarding too. Still, maybe he should learn more about the culture in Ultern to help Gold fit in better…

He was going to let Gold finish up before they head out.

Edited Date: 2022-11-30 04:28 am (UTC)

From:

gold_drum

"Huh... Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Gold says. The fact that he's in a foreign region hasn't quite entirely embedded itself in his mind, so he has to keep remembering that. He wonders if he looks like an Unovan to others, hanging out with Trip and eating his Johtoan meal with a fork. It's kind of a fun thought. He smiles without realizing it, and continues eating.

Gold eats all of his food with no complaints, staying mostly quiet throughout the meal. It's a very filling meal for Gold, after eating very little for a long time, and by the time he's done eating he's glad he didn't pick out any dessert. He kind of wants to lie down and rest, but he follows after Trip wherever he leads him afterwards, trying not to nod off.

From:

serperiority

Trip was used to walking on long trips and hardly stopping until the sun began to set, so he didn’t consider that Gold might need to rest… at least, not yet.

“If we head to the city early, we should be able to make our way back before the sun sets. If there’s any delays, we might have to spend the night there.”

He wasn’t as keen on camping mid-route, but it was manageable too.

“You should take some of that food for the trip. I can carry it in my bag, since you don’t have one yet.”

From:

gold_drum

Gold's barely listening, but snaps to attention when he comprehends what Trip's saying.

"We're going somewhere far away?" he asks. He's hardly ever left New Bark Town before, so travelling is new to him. "Um... Yeah, I'm gonna get the food!"

He goes to grab the food stash from the desk, trying to hide where he actually hid the food from Trip despite there being no real reason to hide it anymore, and brings it over for Trip to put in the bag.

He's awake for now, but there's a pretty good chance Trip's going to have to carry him at least part of the way, especially since he didn't sleep much last night. Not that Gold realizes that; he's certain he can walk as much as Trip can.

From:

serperiority

Trip’s a bit wary of closeness, so he might not be able to carry him! Or maybe he’ll be fine, or maybe Conkelderr could if he couldn’t, at least until they’d have to set up camp. They’ll have to find out, won’t they?

Gold’s food was packed away, along with Trip replenishing his own supply of food and water. Trip made a mental note to get Gold his own bag there too.

Trip’s pace was steady, but he made sure to glance back to see if Gold could keep up, as they set off to leave town.

From:

gold_drum

Gold is keeping up! He keeps glancing around as he walks, watching out for wild Pokemon, but keeps close to Trip and doesn't try to approach any that he sees.

"Are we going into the cave?" he asks when Turnterrace Tunnel comes into view. It's kind of scary-looking, and Gold's walking slows down unconsciously, even though he thinks he'll be fine if he's with Trip.

From:

serperiority

Trip nodded.
“It’s the quickest path,” he replied. “Just stay close, stat on the main path, and don’t wander into any of the caves.”

Leaving the farms and wind turbines behind… the tunnel wasn’t quite so inviting.

“Lampent can help light the way, if it’s too dark in there…”

Edited Date: 2022-12-01 04:31 pm (UTC)

From:

gold_drum

Gold nods with a serious face, then peers into the cave.

"It looks like there's light in there..." So there's no need for Lampent. Good.

Gold heads into the cave, after Trip, of course. It's pretty cold inside, but he won't complain. He doesn't want to give Trip any reason to leave him behind.

From:

serperiority

Trip nodded, but said nothing, focused on reaching the end and for any potential threats from wild Pokemon they might disturb.

He would only check behind him from time to time.

From:

gold_drum

A good amount of walking later, Gold's feet start dragging, and his footsteps slowing down. He fights to keep his eyes open, but he's just too drowsy. Maybe if he just closes his eyes for a little bit while still walking...

He doesn't notice the distance growing between him and Trip.

From:

serperiority

Trip, initially, failed to notice. He had very keen eyes, but he kept them focused on the path ahead and scanned the sides. While he hated loud voices, his hearing wasn’t quite so sharp as his gaze, and he easily missed the slowing, fading footsteps (they weren’t quite so high on his priority list… he was taking more care to notice possible threats in the form of wild Pokemon!).

Maybe Gold was simply slowing down? But, it was so gradual, Trip hardly noticed when the fading footsteps ceased to be audible.

He stopped then and felt a cold panic settle in as he turned back. Was Gold still there, pausing to rest, maybe? Or had he really lost the younger boy further back along the path?

From:

gold_drum

On the verge of falling asleep and still stumbling along, Gold's foot catches onto something in the uneven floor and he stumbles, falling, only catching himself on his hands on instinct. The slam of pain on his palms wakes him up, and he blinks at the floor, uncomprehending. Then he remembers, and looks up to find Trip, but... he's gone. There's nobody around.

Oh. Right.

Gold knew Trip was going to abandon him, so he's not surprised. He blinks rapidly, stopping himself from tearing up, because he's not sad! What's the point of being sad about things that were always going to happen! He's just mad that he left his food in Trip's backbag, like an idiot. And he's mad that his hands are hurting. That's all. Gold wipes his eyes, trying to dry the tears of anger that just won't stop. This isn't the time to sit around and cry, he needs to figure out where to get food and shelter!

He hears a scratching sound and turns, heart pounding in his throat. Not a wild Pokemon!

But what he sees is just a small creature, its upper body sticking out from a mushroom. The Paraspor drags itself a little closer with its claws, mushroom coming with it, and looks curiously at Gold, chittering.

Gold stares at it. Huh. Well. That's a potential source of food.

From:

serperiority

He lost Gold! He lost the boy that was relying on him, he left him alone, without any food… what a failure of a caretaker he turned out to be!

He should never have taken him in, maybe Gold would be better off stealing, back at the festival, where he found him… what was he thinking?! If it were so easy to help people, more people would do it…

What was he even thinking?

He was too selfish to notice. He’s too self-absorbed, he never should have been trusted with anyone else.

Gold could be hurt. He could have fallen and gotten hurt, he could’ve been caught by something too quickly to make a sound.

Did he have any right to go look for him now? … yes, maybe he could still save him or at least let him know he hadn’t intentionally abandoned him? There, see? Selfish to the end…

“… Gold! Gold! Where are you?!”

From:

gold_drum

Gold sits on the ground, not making any sudden sounds, and holds out his palms towards the Paraspor to try and coax it closer. He'll be able to cook it on one of the torches in the cave. Hopefully it isn't poisonous...

But then Trip's distant shout echoes in the cave, and Gold snaps out of his survival mode. Was that his name?

Oh. Trip was looking for him? He didn't lose Gold on purpose?

Gold scrambles up, ignoring the sting of pain in his hands, ignoring how he startles the Pokemon, too relieved and desperate.

"I'm here!!" he calls out, as loud as he can, until he has to take a breath to refill his lungs, and then he shouts again. "I'm here!! Come find me!"

He's not crying. He's absolutely not crying. (He's crying.)

From:

serperiority

His voice! Gold was alive!

“Stay where you are! I’m coming!”

Trip hurried back to find him, following his voice, wondering if Gold was injured (he sounded like he might cry…), but equally happy and relieved that he was, indeed, alive.

He tried hard to bury his feelings as deep as he could and they were much harder for him to reach, so the stoicism came almost (still not entirely, despite his best efforts) naturally to him, but something that could shake him up this much… absolutely affected him to the point his own voice shook and tears stung at his eyes, even if he refused to cry.

He felt that as soon as he made sure Gold wasn’t injured, he wouldn’t let go of him until they were absolutely safe.

(If the wild Pokemon seemed any threat, he just might threaten Serperior with it too!)

Edited Date: 2022-12-03 04:25 am (UTC)

From:

gold_drum

"Okay!" Gold shouts back with a tear-cracked voice, then just stands there, sniffling, overwhelmed by relief. He's wiping his tears and snot on his sleeves, not caring, for the moment, that the hoodie is borrowed from Trip. Because Trip didn't abandon him! Despite everything, Trip's coming back for him!

The friendly Paraspor is conflicted between trying to comfort the crying human, or running to hide from all the noise. It ends up poking at Gold's leg, then skittering to hide behind a small rock nearby. Gold looks at it, confused, distracted from his crying for a moment. Then he shrugs, and turns to look in the direction Trip's voice was coming from.

The moment he sees Trip, his face explodes into a smile, a tearful yet genuine smile that Trip hasn't seen on Gold before now, and he reaches out towards Trip on instinct.