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

Why was Gold… apologizing?

He knew what he did was wrong.

His voice took on an edge, for a moment, as he felt some anger seep back in.

“… you shouldn’t have spoken to Vanillite that way. It’s only a child.”

A pause, then, Trip added more gently:
“… I know I don’t really have the right to lecture you, since I shouldn’t have treated you like that. I guess I wasn’t really cut out for this, like I thought I was…”

From:

gold_drum

Trip tripped, huh. It's a shame the moment was like this, or Gold might find that funny.

Gold ducks his head, chastised, and wrings the bottom of his hoodie in his hands.

"...I know. I shouldn't have yelled. But it's bad for kids to cry loudly like that. Only bad kids do that," he says hollowly, repeating what he's internalized over the years. He knows it's not a good excuse, he just wants to explain why he did what he did. A part of him really thought screaming like that would help Vanillite, because it helped himself stop.

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Gold insists, looking up. "You're great! You're a really nice person! It's not your fault I'm so bad at being..." Gold makes a frustrated noise, trying to think of words to communicate what he wants to say. "I'm bad at being taught! I don't ever learn what you're trying to teach me, but I... I want to try harder! I want to learn to be like you, so... So please don't feel bad!"

Gold breathes hard after that outburst, still feeling like he couldn't really communicate everything right. It's like there's a storm inside him and Gold can only grab onto the leaves flying in the storm and offer them to Trip.

From:

serperiority

He listened and it began to make sense. What
harsh reasoning. Is that how he was treated? He wasn't too surprised, parents can be harsh about crying.

"... they'll cry because they need to. They're just kids. They'll grow up eventually. Just leave them alone if you can't handle it—"

From:

serperiority

A really nice person, who?! Trip?!

Trip blinked, looking incredulous, then even laughing a bit, although he felt terribly guilty.

He wasn't. He knew he wasn't.

"... your standards are unbelievably low, it's kind of impressive. I'm not nice, you just haven't seen enough decent people. You'll change your mind eventually. It's good enough that you're trying your best, you'll learn... you'll be able to get along with good people."

From:

gold_drum

"Is it okay to leave it alone?" Gold asks, wringing his hoodie. "Um, I mean... if somebody's being a bad kid, you have to tell them to stop... right? So... so it's not okay to let it continue... Or, um... Is it?" There's something he's trying to say, but can't quite manage. Is it actually okay to cry loudly? Or is it only allowed for Vanillite and not Gold? Or was it actually wrong for Gold's mother to yell at him to shut up all this time? Gold doesn't know, and he's scared to know. A part of him is really envious of Vanillite, and he doesn't want to let it show, since Trip loves Vanillite so much. He doesn't want to know if Vanillite has special privileges Gold doesn't get, just because Vanillite is Trip's favorite.

Gold frowns when Trip laughs. He doesn't think he said anything worth laughing at.

"You are nice, though," Gold says, very certain of that. "You're nice to me, even though I'm a bad kid. And you... you get it. Good people are... they're different." Gold frowns, trying to haltingly explain. "Good people think there's only good people and bad people, and they hate bad people. So I can't get along with them. They hate me. And you're not like that! You're nice! I won't change my mind on that."

It's like something's opened, and Gold feels like he's managing to talk about things he's never really been able to say before, to anyone but himself. Of course, they might be things that only make sense to himself.

From:

serperiority

... he can't really give him up, can he?

He felt it would be better for Gold, but, he still saw them as alike... Trip still thought he might not be fit to care for him, like he might be a threat or a danger to him, but for now, they just had to get him what he needed, right?

"I think... you're definitely closer to good than I am, even if neither of us fit that kind of black and white, good and evil, kind of simplified world of ideals. There's a lot of shades of grey in between."

He thought more about what Gold said, while pulling on his bag, getting ready to go out, before answering.

"Because it isn't doing anything wrong. Crying doesn't make you a 'bad kid,' your mother's just a—

He had to stop himself from saying anything too awful about Gold's mother. He didn't even really know her all that well, but from the little he's heard about her from Gold and seen in Gold's behaviour... he had nothing good to say about her.

"Some people just aren't fit to be parents. Kids cry. It's a fact of life. It's not exactly bad behaviour you have to stop or correct or anything, even if some people act like it is."

He held out his hand again, ready to go, and waiting for Gold to hold it, so they won't be separated.

From:

gold_drum

"Nuh-uh, I think you're closer to good than me," Gold says. "But we're both in the shades of grey." He nods, thinking that's kind of a cool phrase.

Gold follows after Trip, picking up Mycen along the way.

"A bitsh?" Gold eagerly fills the sentence Trip leaves unfinished, practically sparkling. A part of him has been longing to say bad things about his mother, but has been too afraid to.

Still, it's a surprise and a relief to hear Trip say it's fine for kids to cry, and that Gold's mother isn't fit to be a parent. It fills Gold with warm feeling, but also some regret. And because of that, when Trip holds out his hand, he hesitates for a moment. He feels like he doesn't deserve it yet.

"Um, I won't yell at your Pokemon anymore. I'm sorry," he says, genuinely regretful. And only after that, he reaches out to hold Trip's hand.

From:

serperiority

A small, rueful smile, but no protest from Trip. He wasn’t going to argue against Gold’s assessment of him, even if he felt it too generous.

Oh, geez.
Trip blinked at Gold filling in the blank, then smiled a bit uneasily.

It’s not like he could deny that, even if he hated hearing such rude language. He would have to let this one slide, then.

“… apology accepted,” Trip said, holding Gold’s hand.

At the door, Serperior waited, peering in when Trip approached the door. It seems he had been waiting for Trip to deal with things on his own in there, perhaps on orders.

There you go, Gold, the only one of Trip’s Pokemon you found cool-looking is here! He has a piercing gaze and doesn’t look very friendly, rather haughty and cold instead, although its gaze lingered on the joined hands.

Trip kept his other hand in his pocket and crumpled the note he wrote up further, thinking he ought to destroy it soon.

From:

gold_drum

Yay for getting away with swearing! Yay for having his apology accepted! And yay for handholding!

After that awful start, today is turning out way better than expected for Gold. And there's Serperior too! Gold's got his hands full, carrying Mycen and holding hands with Trip, but he smiles at Serperior. Not only is Serperior cool-looking, but Gold thinks he's the most Trip-like of all of Trip's Pokemon he's seen, the cold and haughty gaze included. It's comforting.

It's the first time in a while Gold's really felt like smiling, and when he realizes that his smile slowly falls. It feels like if he starts smiling, if he starts taking his happiness in stride, he'll just lose it. So he walks with Trip, doesn't look at Serperior, and doesn't smile.

"Where are we going?" Gold asks.

From:

serperiority

Serperior looked mildly surprised at the smile, but didn’t respond. He deemed it an odd reaction.

He did, however, notice Gold’s smile fade and wondered if it was because he hadn’t smiled back. He glanced at Trip, Trip looked a bit wary and wondered if Gold could somehow tell he had intended to give him up today… no, there’s no way he could have! It wasn’t logical.

“… unless you’re still hungry, to the market to buy you clothes of your own and a bag. What we intended to do yesterday, remember?”

Should he ask if something’s bothering him…?

“Are you alright?”

From:

gold_drum

"Oh, right." Gold nods. He remembers now. They couldn't go to all the shops Trip wanted to go to because Gold had slowed them down. Today, he's going to go all out. "I'm not hungry. We can go right away."

Gold's a bit surprised at the question, and the strange looks.

"I'm fine. Why?" Everything is normal. Not smiling is normal, right? But he tries faking a smile anyway, if not smiling is the issue. It doesn't look much better than the last time he tried.

From:

serperiority

"Great. Although... come to think of it, I haven't had breakfast yet, since I'd usually have it after training."

He was up pretty early and worrying about Vanillite had him stop training rather abruptly. "Maybe I should take something to eat on the way, then..."

That fake smile is still so creepy.

"Um. Yeah, don't... force it."

It really isn't convincing and it puts off both trainer and Pokemon, although Trip appreciated the effort.

"Serperior was just wondering if you were alright, that's all."

From:

gold_drum

"Oh, we can go eat if you're hungry," Gold says, like he's the parent here. He wouldn't mind having a little bit more to eat, too.

Seeing the reactions to his fake smile has him dropping it quickly, with a bit of a pout. One day, he'll figure out how to do a nice smile.

"Huh, really?" Gold looks at Serperior, touched. "Thanks, Serperior. I'm okay though."

He might not know how long it'll last, but he's fine right now. He's got shelter, warmth, food, a place to sleep, clothes, and somebody looking after him. What else would he need?

From:

serperiority

Serperior seemed satisfied with that answer, but it was a bit hard to tell, with its rather inexpressive face. It looked calm, at any rate.

"Great, we'll have breakfast..."

Before they head outside for the market, it's down to the hotel's restaurant, which is more of an open buffet. Lots of food all around, as well dishes, bowls, and glasses to use.

It might be a little overwhelming with so many options (warm meals, fresh fruit, juices, fresh bread, different kinds of cakes, and even a griddle where omelettes and pancakes are prepared to order!), but it seemed that everyone collected food onto their plates and took it to their tables to eat.

Some tables seemed to be reserved, others weren't. Pretty folded napkins, a showy ice sculpture of a Swanna (despite them not being native to the region, it seemed enough passed through to be known), along with the usual Ho-Oh and Shi-Sah sculptures. There's another decorative sculpture, rather unfamiliar to non-Ulternians, of an aquatic-looking Pokemon, similar to Lapras or even Lugia...

From:

gold_drum

Gold stands and stares in awe in front of the breakfast buffet. Because he mostly ate fish and rice yesterday, he's craving vitamins, so those fruits and juices look mouthwateringly good right now. But he doesn't dare take anything until Trip does, and he watches closely to make sure he knows what's okay to do.

He ends up gathering a breakfast of bacon, fruit, a piece of cake, and a glass of juice, then trailing behind Trip. This whole place is so fancy it's making him a bit anxious to look at anything, and because his usual behavior in a place this crowded would be to try and steal something, he feels tense, like he'll be caught despite not even stealing anything today. So he just follows Trip quietly and sets down his food at whatever table Trip chooses. Once he's sat down and eating, he dares to take a few glances at the sculptures around the room. He might not know what any of those Pokemon are, but they sure look fascinating.

(By the way, at some point while Gold was grabbing food, it seems Mycen, having already eaten breakfast, crawled into the hood of his hoodie and started napping there. Gold makes sure all of his movements are slow enough to not disturb him.)

From:

serperiority

Trip opted for a croissant, various kinds of cheese, provencal roasted potatoes, fruits, and a vegetable omelette on the side. Tea for a drink.

Serperior enjoyed a bowl of sliced, fresh fruit and nibbled at the herbal roasted potatoes Trip passed him.

Trip seemed to eye Gold's slice of cake and, eventually, left the table, his own food unfinished... to get a slice too.

Edited Date: 2022-12-19 12:58 pm (UTC)

From:

gold_drum

Gold keeps stealing glances at Serperior as he eats. Shoud he be feeding Mycen something good like that too? Maybe he could snatch something for later... (Though Trip bought some Poke Puffs for Mycen yesterday, Gold never found out they're supposed to be for Mycen.)

Gold's usual worry about being abandoned doesn't flare up this time when Trip leaves the table, since he left his food and Serperior. So he barely even notices, and keeps eating bacon, totally focused on how good it is. So crunchy! He thinks he's never had bacon this good. And when the bacon feels too salty, he can drink fruit juice to wash it away.

And then Trip returns with a piece of cake, and Gold's overjoyed at matching Trip! He smiles, before taking a piece of his cake, and practically melts at how soft and sweet it is, kicking his legs under the table. Wow, how has he never noticed how fun eating can be before?

From:

serperiority

The truth was, this entire situation was unusual for Trip.

He did not, in fact, normally eat with Serperior. He typically ate alone and gave Serperior similar food, but separately.

He did not normally sit with other people to eat, either, not since heading out on his journey...

Gold's joy at them both eating the same thing, at first, embarrasses Trip because he's embarrassed of eating sweets (it runs contrary to silly notions in his mind of what it means to be An Adult), then... just seeing how happy he is and realizing he helped bring him here made him smile.

From:

gold_drum

With no context to Trip's life, Gold just thinks everything he does is normal and usual for him. He's barely ever eaten together with other people either, and he's definitely never eaten together with Pokemon before. But Trip is his current role model, so he wants to do things just like him. And seeing Trip also doing something like him, even if it's just eating the same cake he saw Gold eating, has him basically star-struck.

He wants to feed his Pokemon just like Trip does, but the Paraspor is still asleep, so Gold, after finishing his cake, goes and grabs a tangerine, stashing it in his pocket.

It still sits there as Gold and Trip head to the Market together after breakfast. On the way there, Gold keeps getting distracted by the colorful windwheels all around town, but manages to stay close to Trip and not get lost.

From:

serperiority

Trip likely noticed Gold noticed him staring at them, since he's noticed Gold still hesitates to voice his wants sometimes, and may have slowed down a few times to take pictures so Gold could watch them a little longer...

"Do you have any favourite colours, Gold?"

That would be a good place to start, Trip could figure out which hues work best for Gold, too, but he can wear as bright as he likes at this age!

From:

gold_drum

"Huh? Um, I dunno," Gold says, surprised by the question. He has a thoughtful expression as he looks around. "I like green... and red, and yellow, and blue..." Not coincidentally, those are the colors of the windwheels he's looking at as he speaks. He glances at Trip. "And orange..." He looks at a pink windwheel, and frowns. "I don't like pink though." He doesn't seem to want to say any more about that.

From:

serperiority

Oh, is that why he was so taken by them? Or did he realize he liked those colours from watching them? Either way, those are easy colours to find clothes for small children in!

“Red, yellow, and orange all suit you. The warmer colours go nicely together. A colour like blue or green might work better as an accent or with other colours… white could be a good base.”

It’d also look more like a pinwheel. He briefly wondered if they’d find a cap or even a beach ball around with those same patterns…

They should probably pick heavier clothes as it’s getting cold, isn’t it?

Underwear and socks are a given, of course, but don’t have much in the way of variety, unless Gold wants any with interesting designs, of which, there are a few!

Next were the sweaters and jackets, as well as hats and scarves! There’s lots of different textures and patterns they’re woven in.

From:

gold_drum

Gold nods with a kind of blank expression. He doesn't get it at all, so he lets Trip pick out whatever, while he himself just goes goes around touching different clothes. He doesn't actually seem to have any specific tastes for how the clothes look, as the clothes he lingers near are all soft materials. And at one point, he brings an especially soft brown Sentret hoodie (with ears on the hood!) to Trip.

"Can I have this one?" he asks, a bit shy.

And when it's time to look for jackets, he heads straight for the first orange jacket he finds. It may actually be an awful-looking one, but he wants to dress like Trip!

From:

serperiority

"Sure."

The Sentret hoodie's adorable and he can easily get away with cute clothes while he's little. Live it up, Gold!

So, all they know for sure is Gold likes soft clothes, primary and (mostly) warm colours, and pinwheels.

Aaaaand that jacket. Is certainly an eyesore.

Trip's in mute shock at the sight of it for a few seconds, while Serperior turned away to hide his face, and it's a good moment before Trip speaks up.

From:

serperiority

"That's... great, you'll be easy to see in the dark! It'll make crossing the road safer, too."

Because they just might mistake you for a red light.

Trip was doing his absolute best to be supportive! He really was touched Gold wanted to mimic him, but God, what a garish, eye-searing jacket.