route_1065 | breakfast at cheria's

Entry tags:

breakfast at cheria's

Who: Harry Truman & Cheria Barnes
Where: Cerulean
When: January 13
Summary: In which Harry meets up with Cheria for breakfast and stuff.
Rating: G
Log:

It's been a rough few days for Harry, but he'll happily take physical strain over emotional strain any day of the week. His legs are stiff from the hike, his face and arms are scratched up from Waldo's intermittent panic attacks, his back is sore from sleeping on the ground — he's got a laundry list of complaints he could air, but doesn't, because this was what he needed to get his mind off of She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and realign his priorities.

Out of one wringer and into another.

He makes a point of arriving in Cerulean much earlier than Cheria would have anticipated so he can squeeze in a shower and get some of his bird-inflicted wounds properly cleaned by Pokémon Center staff, who frown and tell him he really ought to invest in a Soothe Bell. This information is filed under the heading Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner.

When Cheria arrives, she'll find Harry outstretched on one of the couches in the Center, thumbing tiredly through a magazine called Today's Breeder. Clara is out for ice-breaking purposes, and it's more than likely she'll be the one doing the greeting first. As it is right now, she's positioned herself at Harry's feet, and is trying to figure out how to completely conceal herself with his cowboy hat.

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On spying the Cleffa first, Cheria can't help a soft giggle at watching the little Pokemon disappear beneath the hat before she's approaching, a warm smile on her face; the smile turned into a look of concern once she got a better look at Harry, and all those scratches and how outright tired he looks.

"Good morning, Harry! Did you have some trouble in the last bit of traveling?

Harry's not one to be caught off guard, but Cheria's appearance does seem to startle him — but that's what he gets for closing his eyes. He sits up quickly enough, a bright smile on his face, and it's only a matter of seconds before he's up on his feet with his hand outstretched for a Proper Greeting.

Clara hops off of the couch and mirrors Harry's gesture exactly, the hat still concealing most of her little body.

"Cheria, hi. Morning. Things were just fine on the way here; why'd —"

Oh, wait.

He knows why.

"My face, you mean?"

Easily taking that hand and giving it a good shake, Cheria does manage a smile once Harry realizes why she asked. Reaching though after the hand shake, she's lifting that hat enough to crouch and let Clara have a little hand shake as well; proper manners and all to instill in the little ones, yep!

"Yes, though I'm glad to see it's already taken care of and such." Or she'd be sitting him down and fetching a first aid kit, because she's had to deal with too many irresponsible young men not taking care of their injuries. The difference is a good thing.

Harry is nothing if not responsible. He smiles, then scoops Clara up into his arms and retrieves his hat. Cute as it may look on her, it belongs on his head, and that's where it winds up.

"Waldo can't fly, but when he starts panicking, he tries. He makes it about as far as my head."

And he'll leave it at that, because she can probably put two and two together.

"Oh dear."

Biting her lip and giving a concerned smile, Cheria took a step back then and gestured for him to follow; everything is made up in the kitchen in the back, and he looked hungry enough that waiting too much more just didn't make sense.

"Maybe I could have Sue give him a few flight lessons, if only so he can fly up to your shoulder and down."

"That's the last thing I need," Harry mutters, following. "Lord knows where he'd end up if he could actually fly."

Probably in a tree.

You know, hanging out of it by his foot or something.

"One of the nurses suggest I try something called a Soothe Bell. Any idea where I can get one of those?"

"Haha, that's true, you wouldn't want him going so high where you couldn't help him if he got stuck!" The mention of a soothe bell has Cheria brightening easily though, and goes patting around at her pockets. It takes until after they've stepped into the kitchen that she pulls a small silver bell out, and offers it to him.

"Here, you can have this one. I have another one in my bag, but otherwise they can be bought at the department store."

In the kitchen is a bit of a gaggle of Pokemon; a silver Eevee running around with a small Munna, a Pikachu perched in one of the chairs, a Lilligant keeping a watchful eye on a Combee and Ducklett that are more occupied with peering out the window than eating their breakfast. On the table? A nice wide spread of omelets and hash browns, sliced sausage and ham, and plain pancakes.

...well, that sure was easy. Harry takes it, examines it, gives it a little jingle. A pensive hum emerges from his throat, but then he smiles. "Thanks. You might've just saved me from future facial scarring."

He twists around to place it in his bag just in time to notice the look on Clara's face as she takes in the scene. The little Cleffa beams and makes a beeline for the other Pokémon, because friends.

Harry, meanwhile, is going to stare at the food once the bell is securely stashed away.

"Wow."

The other Pokemon easily welcome the little Cleffa in, Lilligent taking it upon herself to keep an eye on Clara and get her a snack. Cheria does have to let out a small giggle at that single Wow, before moving to get her apron on and pull out a seat.

"Eat up, everything is ready! Do you want some juice or milk, or would coffee be better this early?"

"Coffee, please."

If he responds quickly enough for Cheria to suspect he may have a caffeine problem, well, she'd be exactly right. He glances over to Clara and, once he's sure she's making friends and not singing or calling anyone a butt or anything menace-like, he takes a seat at the table and all but dives into the pancakes.

He hasn't had a decent meal in days, and caffeine is a luxury he ran out of back on Route 5.

"Cream or sugar?"

If she learns about that, he'll be getting plenty of coffee beans on a regular occasion. For now, Cheria just works on filling up this big mug and bringing it over, before going to pour herself some and fish in the fridge for the creamer.

What that house needs isn't more coffee.

...and yet that's exactly what it needs, because such a thing as "too much coffee" doesn't exist.

Harry considers his options for a moment, then settles on an answer Cooper would like: "Neither, actually. Thanks. How've you been, Cheria?"

Coffee and three homecooked meals a day, that's just what that house needs. Nodding and pouring the creamer only in her cup, she's moving to have a seat herself. She already ate, but there's no sense in just leaving him alone with all that food, so Cheria might be taking a few pieces of bacon to munch on while they talk.

"Overall, I've been pretty good. Just living day to day, you know?"

"I do know."

That's been Harry's life since December.

He digs in as soon as he sees she's eating as well, and there the conversation rests for a few minutes while he stuffs his face. Then: "I want to thank you again for giving me Clara. She's a gem."

Upon hearing her name, Clara perks up from her group of new friends. "Butts?"

Harry promptly blushes. "Uh. She's learning to talk. Apparently."

"Hee, Cleffa really are the sweetest Pokemon I've come across so far. I'm glad she's been so well behaved for you!"

Though that "question" of butts has Cheria covering her mouth, hiding a giggle. It's less out of awkward and more like.. more like when a child starts talking, and they say something just to make noise, and then something like that comes out.

"Hahaha! That's really great though, I haven't heard of many Pokemon learning how to speak the way humans do before!"

"I don't know if she actually can talk, or if she's just mimicking sounds. I guess we'll find out eventually."

(You know, after she starts cursing at Albert.)

A few more bites of pancake later, Harry leans back in his seat to catch his breath and take a momentary break from stuffing his face. "Man. I haven't had a breakfast spread this good since I was home."

And he means home home.

"Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Cheria? All this generosity, and all I really know about you is that you're a breeder. And one hell of a cook."

"Only time will tell! It's a really unique trait though, so you'll have to keep a good eye on her so no Team Rocket member gets the idea to swipe. It's rare, even here, for Pokemon to decide on learning to speak that way; locals always say so when a trainer comes in trying to do that."

While they munched away, Cheria had to let out a soft laugh that he hadn't eaten so well in a fair time and shakes her head, despite smiling brighter.

"Well, cooking is one of my passions, so I'm glad I can feed someone so well!" The questions prompt her to quirk her head, but then she's sitting back and folding her hands on the napkin in her lap and thinking.

"Oh! Well.. hm, where to start. Really, housework and cooking were things I picked up from my grandfather, since he worked for the lord of the town I was born and raised in. I'm going on nineteen years of age, and my main career is working as a relief worker in war zones. I'd rather there was no war and that I could work in a hospital, but going where I'm needed is necessary."

"They'd be in for an earful if they decided to take her," Harry mumbles, casting a wary glance toward his little pink alien.

As Cheria speaks, he nods, listening with a little smile. Nineteen, wow — why can't the nineteen year olds of Twin Peaks be so...

...so nothing like what they are?

"That's impressive, Cheria. You've got medical training? What kind?"

"It's.. well it's a little strange to explain, especially since I can't demonstrate it here? But on top of regular medical training, I can heal people with a light." Sheepishly smiling, she winds up looking down at her hands.

"Myself and my friends Asbel and Hubert, we all have this strange gift of a light that works with what we do best. Theirs is to fight, and it sort of protects them, where mine lets me heal at a touch."

Harry has a knack for looking surprised with food in his mouth.

Luckily, there is no food in his mouth right now.

"You have..." He stammers a little, blinks. "Healing powers? Magical healing powers?"

He's heard of it with pokémon; hell, he's even seen it, but pokémon are not humans. He tries to tell himself, Harry, no, don't be so shocked, you know this place is weird—but this is the first he's hearing about healing powers.

That look just makes her giggle a little; way to look downright silly for that enormously surprised look, Harry.

"Yes, magic healing powers. It's why I grew really fond of Audino, they have a move called heal pulse, and it looks a lot like what I could do back in my world."

"How?"

He knows that's a ridiculous question, and he also knows that even if she managed to explain it, he probably wouldn't understand. It's instinct that has him asking, and curiosity that keeps him from retracting it.

"I sometimes wish I knew. It wasn't something I could do until after.. a childhood incident, but myself and my friends were mostly fine. I had an illness I was born with, and it disappeared after as the powers appeared."

Really, it's not a fond memory to speak of, even if Sophie is alive and well and -- Fodra. Sometimes her thoughts go back to her friends, and it shows that now is one of those times, from the quiet worry settling on her face. Sophie wasn't well right now, no. She was going blind and her condition was getting worse... but time was standing still in her world due to her being here. That's what she had heard, but it... doesn't ease her concern. Not right now.

Harry picks up on her discomfort and frowns sympathetically in response. She's so young, he thinks — she shouldn't have to deal with something like that. And the ability to heal... that has to be a huge responsibility.

"Do you ever use it, here?"

"I wish I could. For some reason, it doesn't work here? People have said that special powers of all sorts just don't work here, along with some people having been originally animals of some kind."

Folding her hands together in her lap and quietly squeezing them together, lacing her fingers to hide just how much it worries her that she can't heal anymore; what if it stays that way even when she returns home?

"I heard about the animal thing," he mumbles, thinking back to what Coop told him about the not-ponies. "But the powers... that's news to me."

Really, he should have connected the dots, but didn't.

He picks up on how uneasy she suddenly is, and frowns.

"Would be nice if it still worked, huh?"

Cheria smiles, if only a little.

"Yes, it would be really.. really nice. I could at least be of help in more than giving instructions and doing basic first aid." Sighing gently, she unclasps her hands and moves to pick up some grapes from the bowl in the middle of the table, munching on them to distract her thoughts.

Harry follows her lead, turning his own attention back to his plate. But Harry is Harry, so he can't just leave it at that.

He looks up at her again, smiling warmly.

"I'm sure what you can do as you are right now is more than enough."

Pausing with a grape midway into her mouth, Cheria ends up smiling around the little fruit. Popping it in and munching, she waits until she's done chewing before speaking.

"Thank you. I will keep doing my best and keep hoping it's enough, but that really is.. it's nice to hear."

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breakfast at cheria's

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sorry for the slow weh

there's no time like slowtime~

the slowest of the slows 8(

pshaw.

wehhhhh XD at least i have internet now..

that's a definite plus! thank you for sticking with this. c:

heee i'm glad you stuck with it too! <3

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