usedlaserbeam | 017 | Goldenrod City

[It may seem like an odd endeavor, wandering the snowy streets of Goldenrod in such relatively unpleasant weather, but sure enough, that's precisely what Yagyuu's doing today. It's not the first time he's gone over these streets and it almost certainly won't be the last; he's not so much exploring today as he is just walking the familiar byways, his breath making translucent clouds in the chilly air.

There's a Vulpix riding along with him, curled around his shoulders and supported atop his backpack, nuzzled in close to his neck like an oversize, furry, Fire-type scarf. If the weight or the awkwardness of ferrying her in that way bothers him, he certainly doesn't show it; his own scarf is draped light but snug from his neck to his chin, and the collar of his heavy winter coat is turned up as added protection against the cold.

He's carrying a few bags with him, of varying sizes, all unmistakably from the Goldenrod Department Store—evidently, he's been out shopping. And perhaps he still is, because at the moment he's stopped in front of the frosted glass window of a jewelry store, peering in at the display and watching the light catch the facets of the gemstones as they glitter against their black velvet backings.]

Another four days and you'll be six months old, Masako. It is strange how time flies, isn't it?

[He's speaking quietly, more to himself than the little fox on his shoulders.]

And strange, too, how much can change in seven months.

[And he seems to dwell on that, lost in thought, as the jewels gleam bright in the window and the fine mist of his condensing breath drifts and disperses in the cold afternoon air.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Such attention to semantics.

[They're alike, the two of them, and just as even Yagyuu isn't always safe from falling victim to one of Niou's tricks, so too can Niou occasionally fall prey to one of Yagyuu's more unpleasant moods. He's been catching himself feeling oddly irritable all day, at strange times and for inexplicable reasons, and sometimes it simply manifests in the brief, sudden urge to take the nasty option in a given scenario, even when he knows it's unfair or unwise.

And so again, he backs off, receding back behind the calm confidence of his gentleman's persona, and once again leaves it alone. It's not fair, he knows. Some things aren't. It's fine. It's how it is.

Instead, he reaches for one of the as-yet-unopened bags and offers it to Niou, letting it dangle temptingly from his fingers by the handles.]

Here, this is for you.

[It's almost a shame he isn't the type to be apologetic, because that action probably needed something like that to go with it. Dancing around the issue was only straining it more, particularly since he knows when Yagyuu's mood takes a turn for the worse.

Even if there's a flash of relief for a moment that it was dropped again.

Instead of dwelling on that issue, he reaches out for the bag, taking the risk to reach out for the handle as well. In a way, that's enough of an apology.]

What d'you get?

Telling you outright would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?

[It's a smaller bag, about the right size for a gift, and inside there is a box containing what a casual observer might assume was an average CD or disk—save for the fact that it's quite notably from the Goldenrod Department Store, quite blatantly packaged for trainers, and quite clearly labeled with its contents: "TM53 - Energy Ball".]

[Touché. He put his coffee aside before actually taking the bag properly, so he can open it much more easily. He doesn't know what to expect when he opens it either, so when he finds a disk, it takes a moment of reading the label for it to sink in what it is. It's not like they really see them in the game, just read the labels.

At least Energy Ball sounds kind of cool.]

Aww, you shouldn't have.

[That's probably not going to hide the fact that the TM there wasn't in the original games and he doesn't really know what it does yet though.]

017 | Goldenrod City | Video / Action;

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