route_1065 | Lover to Lover

Entry tags:

Lover to Lover

Who: Mom Lalonde, Valeria, Bro Strider
Where: Cerulean City (I believe)
When: April 11th or whatever
Summary: Mom's pretty concerned about these two, so she's doing the comfort rounds.
Rating: idk, G? PG? M for Strider?
Log:

Bro

[Mom's suspicions that something's wrong in paradise started when Val texted her while drunk. After that, she's been keeping an eye on Val, and only grows more worried. And there's definitely something wrong. She's constantly inebriated, yes, but that makes her neither blind nor stupid.

She's patient, though. As patient as she is with a skittish kitten. If there's one thing she's learned, it's that people tend to talk only when they're ready to face it themselves.

However, after a while, she sees that it mostly has to do with a certain Strider. Curiouser and curiouser. Mom keeps something of an eye on Bro, too, to be cautious. She loves her friends dearly and she wants to help them put things right. The snag is that she has no idea what's even going on with those two, and as such she can't help them.

Mom sighs, a little frustrated. The knowledge of her death and Val's ignorance of it is also weighing heavily in her mind, but it's as if the Pokemon version of Fate keeps preventing her from actually sitting down to talk to the woman about it! There's no way she can bring it up now, not with this emotional tension.

Still. There's one person she can go to for advice on the subject, and she's going to find him right now, two bottles of good beer in hand.]

Valeria

[After her conversation with Bro, Mom is out on the hunt for Val. She'll find her no matter how long it takes.]

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[Bro's been pretty tight lipped ever since his... Argument? He isn't even sure if you could really call it an argument in the end. But either way, he's been tight lipped ever since the thing with Val. He's tried being optimistic, even if the two of them haven't really spoken since then. She needs time, he knows that much. So he's just... had no choice but to give it to her.

So instead of dwelling on it, he's just thrown himself into work and training. Probably a lot harder than normal. He's working the maximum amount of hours a week the Pokemon center in Cerulean allows him, and training the rest of the hours away. He gets the bare amount of sleep required for his body not to shut down on him. It's easier this way. Easier than thinking about feelings and shit.

He's been so caught up in it that he's pretty much neglected Mom. Then again... There's a reason for that, too, he supposes. The fact that this whole situation has made it even more apparent that he really does like her. Which just makes the thing with Valeria that much harder, because... He can't deny that there's something there for Valeria, too. Sleeping with her was supposed to be meaningless, but it... Ended up being far more than that.

So it's easier to just fucking not deal with people at all. Especially here, when he can literally keep himself busy all day by training and working.

As luck would have it though, Mom can find him in his room, taking a short break before he decides to head back out for more training. It's mostly just a quick meal of a sandwich and some soda. He isn't expecting any visitors, so when he hears the knock on the door, he's a little surprised. Breathing a small sigh, he heads over to the door and opens it--]

Lalonde? What're you doing here?

[Mom holds up one of the beers, a wry smile on her face.]

I've been in Cerulean for a while, you know. In all seriousness, I came to spend some time with my favorite adult Strider. That is, if I'm not interrupting anything?

[He's so used to seeing the woman with a drink in her hand that he hardly even noticed she had two of them. A look of slight amusement crosses his face. A drink would be pretty damn good right now, admittedly. He steps aside so that she can come in if she wants to. Regardless of the fact he has a lot on his mind, he's not going to deny her company.]

I have too. And you're not really interrupting anything. I was just eating before heading back out to train. [He nods towards his half eaten sandwich.]

[She enters the room, gives him his drink, and then sits down on his bed while opening hers up and taking a swig.]

You've been training a lot lately. I just don't see you very often now. [Mom sounds very much like she's missing his company when she says that. Truth be told, she's definitely missing him. It's like having your best friend suddenly not talk to you anymore for reasons that might be perfectly understandable.]

[He takes it, though he doesn't open it right away, nor does he follow her. He just makes his way back over to his little table and sits in the chair he'd been sitting at. Sitting next to her might be a little... awkward right now.

And when she speaks, he can't help but feel at least a little guilty. It's been for the best though. Or at least... that's what he's trying to convince himself of, at any rate.]

Yeah, well... Gotta make sure my 'mons are as strong as can be, right?

I still miss talking to you.

[Mom pauses for a moment, tracing her finger along the rim of her beer bottle.]

I need some advice, too, and you're the only one I think can give me solid advice.

[Man... What is it with these women and being nice to him? Liking him? Missing him? He doesn't fucking understand it. More than ever, he's just not feeling so good about himself after the conversation with Valeria. All it's done is really solidify how little self worth he actually as in himself. He just breathes a sigh and opens his beer, taking an long chug and deciding not to comment on her first statement. It's the second statement that has him responding, though.]

Oh yeah, what's that? You need to learn how to sew? How about the best position for smuppet intercourse? That kinda shit's all I'm really good for, anyway.

[She can't help giving a soft laugh at that.]

No, but I'm certainly going to keep in mind those questions for later.

[Is she serious? Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know.]

I've been thinking about how everyone's aware of my death, but Val and Reno are...not. It doesn't seem fair, in a way. [Mom doesn't look at Bro. She doesn't like talking about this topic, but it's an inevitable discussion sometimes.] Should I tell them? Or...maybe how is a better question.

...Oh.

[Well this certainly is ironic as fuck, considering the fact that here recently he's put the pieces together enough to know that he himself dies, too. He wasn't really expecting this to come up so soon after it, even if... He himself has been having the same thoughts, mainly that he needs to tell certain people. Roxanne was one of them, admittedly.]

I'm not so sure I'm the best guy to talk to, considering I'm in the same boat.

[Mom shakes her head.]

No, you are. You're the only one I told. Rose...saw, even if she hasn't outrightly told me.

[There may be a small, self-deprecating smile on her face.]

I'm sure, though, that you would've put up more of a fight than I had.

I apparently didn't put up enough of a fight.

[He shakes his head, taking another swig of beer. Honestly, he's really not that bothered by it. He knew it was a possibility, but it still... Sort of stings, to be honest. It shows that he isn't infallible. That he died regardless of his skill. So while he's not letting it get to him that much, it's still bothering him at least a little, on some level.]

They're not exactly subtle, are they? I mean, they try to be. They try and hide it for our sakes, but when you really get right fucking down to it... It's really obvious that we all just fucking kick the bucket. Dave doesn't know I know.

[He shrugs.]

Doesn't really surprise me, I guess. I'm pretty sure we all went into it knowing the chances of making it out were fucking slim.

[Mom takes a couple of sips before replying.]

No, but I think they'll speak up when they're ready to talk about it. They don't seem to want to rock the boat, and I can't say that I blame them.

[She sighs.]

I suppose I'm just miffed that I didn't go down fighting. Instead, I got taken by complete surprise and couldn't put up any sort of resistance.

[He can understand that. Both of those things. If he had gone down by surprise, he wouldn't be happy either. Hell, he'd be pretty fucking pissed. So at least he can say he died fighting. But still... He doesn't really think she should worry too much about it.]

You're here now. Alive. That's all that matters. You shouldn't let it bother you too much, honestly.

[Another swig. He's forgotten his sandwich, appetite thoroughly lost.]

I'm not sure how you're supposed to tell Val. I'm not sure how I'm going to tell her either.

I know that in my head, but I think my heart's going to need some convincing.

[And now she's going to lie down on the bed because she can.]

Still. It feels like every time I pluck up the courage to tell her, it's either the wrong time to do so or it'd just make things worse for her emotional state. I'm starting to think that perhaps I should just keep it to myself.

[Even if it makes her feel guilty and makes her conscience writhe in unpleasant ways.]

[Bro's quiet for a long moment after Roxanne speaks. He... isn't sure how much he should tell her about what happened. Hell, the thought of telling her anything about he and Val sleeping together is just kind of terrifying. He doesn't want her to get the wrong idea- if there's even a right idea to get from that. There really... isn't, admittedly, but goddamn he just doesn't know how to even begin to tell her.

Trying to choose his words carefully, he finally speaks.]

Now... might now be the best, if you're keeping her emotional state in consideration.

That much I can tell.

[She sighs a little.]

You're not in a good place, either, Bro. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but...I'm concerned about the both of you.

[He tenses up a little. How the fuck- He thought he was doing well enough keeping the fact he's not doing so good a secret. Or maybe she's just too fucking perceptive for her own good.]

What makes you think I'm in a bad place?

[Mom's pretty good at being more perceptive than she should be. Rose isn't the only one who picked up a bit of psychology.]

Your habits lately have been avoidant, more so when Val's in close proximity. So is she near you, frankly, and this has been going on for a while. You both have good poker faces, but your body language and habits are what really give you away.

[Welp.

There's really no way he can lie or brush it off when she puts it like that, is there? She's not stupid. Denying it would just be insulting her intelligence, and if there's one thing he isn't going to do, it's insult her intelligence. Drunk or not, the woman is a fucking genius. An amazing, wonderful genius and he can't lie to her, in the end. Even if he's afraid of how she might react.]

I... guess things kind of got complicated between us.

[She's really grateful that Bro respects her that much, honestly. Mom very much likes that about him, how he doesn't brush her off.]

It certainly sounds like it. [Mom pauses for a moment.] I won't force you to tell me what happened between you two. However, I'm here for you both, if you let me in.

[Bro lets out a sigh when she speaks, and just reaches up to run a hand through his hair, knocking his hat off in the process. He doesn't know how to even begin to explain things to her, but he knows he needs to at this point. But how do you even do that?]

We...

[He swallows, heart beating a little harder. After a moment, he just forces himself to finally get it out.]

We slept together. And now it's gotten complicated.

[At first, she literally has no idea what to say to that. Why shouldn't they sleep together? But then he says "complicated."]

Complicated. How so, if you don't mind my asking?

[He... doesn't even know how to answer that without making it sound like more than it is. Bro doesn't want to imply that there's more between them than there actually is, but at the same time, there... Almost is? He doesn't fucking know, which is exactly why it IS complicated. So after a few moments of deliberating, he finally speaks.]

Turns out there's more to it than just sex, I guess... [He doesn't want to say 'on her part' because that would be somewhat of a lie and he doesn't want to be dishonest, he just doesn't know to what extent any of it goes.] She likes me. [And he doesn't know how he feels about her.]

[She nods, not exactly surprised by that. Mom's not blind, and she's had her suspicions for a while by now.]

And how do you feel about her?

[ It probably won't take that long to find her given that Valeria isn't trying to hide. Were she trying, it would be another story entirely, but she isn't. Even if she'd thought to, she just doesn't have it in her to put the effort in and they haven't been in Cerulean long enough for her to find and get comfortable enough with and in a new private place. It's that coupled with the fact that her room was right there after she left Bro's that she's curled up in bed with her covers drawn over her head and a certain dark orange smuppet hugged tightly to her chest, trying her utmost to keep the waterworks turned off because she's tired. No, she's exhausted, if not close, and still thinking, still feeling. She can't sleep for it and the throbbing in her head despite Guy the Riolu's attempts to comfort her.

Guy, who perks when he hears familiar footsteps outside the door. Valeria scarcely notices, gloved fingertips gently massaging her temples in an attempt to alleviate the pressure there. She just wants to sleep the rest of this day away. Maybe the month. Sleeping the rest of the month away is beginning to sound really good right about now... ]

[Mom knocks on the door firmly.]

Val? It's Roxanne. Are you in there?

[ Valeria freezes from her place beneath the sheets. She knows who it is. Really, she'd recognize Roxanne's voice anywhere by now. She would also recognize a bit of a shift from the norm in the woman's tone, but she's not entirely up to snuff at the moment. What she is is torn, torn between answering and curling further into her sheets, her grip on the smuppet tightening. She doesn't want her friend to see her like this. Gods, she doesn't want anyone to see her like this, but Roxy...

Roxy isn't just anyone. ]

I'm here.

[ And her voice is entirely too hoarse. She sounds awful and there's not much she can do to curb it. Crying does that. Crying when you haven't cried in more than a year does that. ]

Guy's getting the door. [ And it clicks a moment later. Somehow, that little Riolu unlocked it. The opening part is up to Mom, though. ]

Edited 2013-04-22 02:08 (UTC)

[Mom opens the door and closes it gently behind her. She takes in the sight of Val looking like a puddle of depression and immediately softens. She strides over to her, sits next to Val, and just. Hugs her.

She doesn't say anything. She just hugs the poor woman.]

[ If there's anything Valeria will come out from under those sheets for, it's a hug and she does, did exactly that. Maybe she should say something, maybe she should try to explain, but she just doesn't have it in her right then. No, she'll be wrapping her arms around Roxanne and just... hugging her back tight. ]

[She has no problem waiting for Val to talk when she's good and ready. For now, Mom falls back into her habit when she comforted a younger Rose. She hums a song, whichever one comes to mind. At the moment, it's This Is To Mother You.]

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