digitalorunknown: (doof - bip)
DORUmon ([personal profile] digitalorunknown) wrote in [community profile] route_10652013-07-07 05:47 pm

(no subject)

Who: Kiyotaka Ishimaru ([personal profile] ardent) and DORUmon ([personal profile] digitalorunknown)
Where: Violet City
When: Sunday, July 7
Summary:
A first face-to-face meeting.
Rating:
...PG default?

Log:

[Dorumon may not be fond of cities, but they have one undeniable good point, and that is the variety, quality, and availability of food. Food is good. But acquiring food is a process that requires something called money, and money is obtained through a number of fairly tedious methods called jobs. So he had learned in his first days in Johto.

The major problem with jobs, where he's concerned, is the same problem that plagues cities in general, and that problem is the number and density of people that performing one brings you into contact with. It had been alarming at first, then worrying, then for a long time just a minor inconvenience that came along with the otherwise secure feeling of being well-fed and well-housed. Lately it's been worrying again, Johto's general air of safety soured for Dorumon, and the throngs of human passersby made into suspicious figures again by his wary tendencies.

When he arrives in Violet City a little before noon, he goes to the Pokemart - then stops, and stares up at it, and moves to a nearby bench to watch people walking in and out the door. He liked the security of the familiar, but the familiar was starting to wear on him a little.

So he goes to the Pokemon Center. He'd heard it mentioned as another option, and Dorumon's general opinion of Centers was fairly high (whose wasn't?) - the nurses and Chansey were comforting presences from across the counter, and he doubted anything they requested of him could be too bad. He asks if there's work available, and especially if there's any that's away from all the people in the lobby. They seem to catch on.

Most of the process flies over Dorumon's head, except when he's given what he thinks, in retrospect, was an impromptu test of his reading skills - the nurse seems pleased enough to give him the usual contract, then show him down a hallway to a room of racks and shelves and cabinets piled with paper in all sizes, forms, and colors. She mentions, on the way, that there's one person already working in the file room, someone older and who's been doing an outstanding job so far, who Dorumon can direct any questions to if he has trouble.]
ardent: (Another clever word)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-07 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, if there's any concern about the number of people in Violet City, there really isn't any need for that to extend here; Ishimaru usually doesn't work back here, not if there are other options - he's been told that he needs to improve his social skills if he wants to get, well, anywhere, and working in the back of the Center with only a large amount of information to file away really isn't going to accomplish that. However, the last few days have left him overstimulated and quite frankly not very sociable; overwhelming him with more interaction is just going to send the entire socialization attempt right into the ground.

Besides, now that there are more of his classmates here, surely there's less of a chance he'll run into them if he's back here - he takes no shame in working for his keep, but he also isn't exactly thrilled about having them walk in and potentially distract him.

He's mildly irritated, then, when someone else is shown into the back; his expression is severe, as it almost always is, but at the very least there's no apparent anger to it. He's already busy, cataloging quantities of god-only-knows-what (it's something of a mechanical process, tedious but simple, and he's really just sorting everything by rote without putting much thought to it) but he stands up anyway through courtesy; his demeanor shifts decidedly once he realizes exactly whom he's looking at, however - his memory for people tends to be decent, but this particular kid is unique-looking to the point that he would have difficulty mistaking him for someone else.]


Ah - how unexpected to see you here!

[He nods a bit, more to himself than anything, grinning as he does so.]

Dorumon-kun, wasn't it? A pleasure to get to meet you in person at last!
ardent: (You're getting better all the time)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-11 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, he's not quite used to this level of...strangeness in terms of physical posturing, but it's not something he's completely unacquainted with, either; he's never exactly been a normal person himself when it comes to interacting with others - something he's been made increasingly aware of since his arrival here. So really, even if he were inclined to say something about it - and thankfully, he isn't - he wouldn't simply because he doesn't really have the right; glass houses and all.

However, his smile is genuine when he's joined at the table; while he would have been fine on his own, company from someone he actually knows he's okay with is more than welcome.]


We only just arrived in town recently - I'm travelling with my brother and a few of our classmates, actually! We've been busy, but we wanted to take some time here; I prefer to seek out work as soon as possible!

[...right, right, inquire about the other person now - ]

Have you been here long yourself?
ardent: (Is an art that's hard to teach)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-11 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Ah - did you really not know about things like that?

[Honestly, he can't even remember having to learn something like that. Clothes protect you from things, if you are not comfortable you add clothes. ...or remove clothes, as the case may be. Clothes are good unless you really want to know if you can trust people, at which point seeing them naked is totally the way to go.

Simple things.]
ardent: (And no one even knew)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-11 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Well, yes, but I should hope you haven't been running around without them during your time here - that isn't proper conduct at all!

[...we aren't on the same wavelength, are we.]

But...but anyway! What's it like, then, where you're from?
ardent: (Is an art that's hard to teach)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-11 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Urd"...?

[Huh.

He breaks eye contact then, as much as he would have liked to keep it, in favor of returning to his own work, falling back into the familiar rhythm of sorting and shifting and generally setting everything exactly where it should be in order for him to find it later; his hands are quick, and he doesn't seem to mind how tedious the work actually is.]


That sounds familiar to me, you know - Urd is one of the Norns, from Norse mythology.

[His hands don't slip as he speaks; his expression is intense, but no more severe than it usually is.]

Norns are women who rule over the fates of god and men alike, according to the legends; they measure everyone's destiny and decide what their life will hold. Urd was one of three; she represents the past, I think.

[He pauses for a moment, then nods to himself.]

...the past, yes. And Skuld represents the future, Verdandi the present.

[...]

I study quite a bit.
ardent: (Slowly out of line)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-11 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
[...okay, it's taking literally all his willpower to not abandon his task entirely in favor of serious nerdery, but he has more discipline than that; he's definitely glancing over at that sudden exclamatory noise, however, and he takes a break from his multitasking long enough to...well, tilt his head a bit at that because whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that.]

"Terminals"...? What are these terminals used for?
ardent: (Is an art that's hard to teach)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-13 11:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Ishimaru nods a bit at that, mulling it over while he returns most of his attention to his task; he's quiet for long enough that it's a bit difficult to tell whether he's going to say anything, but - ]

And you said there aren't many people around - I'm guessing you've never spoken to any, before coming here?
ardent: (And as you step back into line)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-13 12:45 pm (UTC)(link)
...but you're so young, by human standards! Or at least, that's what this place has chosen to do with your appearance - ah, but I imagine it would be easier to fend for yourself as you were before, wouldn't it?

[Because really, man, you're like ten.]

I didn't live on my own back home, myself, but I was often alone - it's strange to have so many to talk to here, but it's nice in some ways, I think. Just tiring; that's why I'm working back here for the time being.
ardent: (Another clever word)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-13 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
It is and it isn't! It's similar in that it's full of humans with no particular powers, but that's because we don't have any, they weren't taken away; we don't have Pokemon, though - that's just a video game, where we came from.

Because of that, the culture is completely different; I didn't spend nearly this much time travelling around and seeing different cities - I had school to focus on instead.
ardent: (Is an art that's hard to teach)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-14 11:32 pm (UTC)(link)
It's very important, as it's where we learn about the world! We attend classes with groups of our peers, and we're taught skills that we'll need in life - some of those skills are very basic, such as writing composition and arithmatic and the like; others are more specifically suited for whatever career we want to pursue.

We attend for several hours a day, six days a week - only half a day on Saturdays, but we're still expected to attend - and we can select a club or organization to join that meets after school, for extracurricular activities.

A good education is necessary to proceed in the world; the absence of any sort of proper school here troubles me greatly, honestly, and I intend to sort out what to do about it someday!
ardent: (You're getting better all the time)

[personal profile] ardent 2013-07-15 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
[...did you just

you actually think that

you

.........................

he's adopting you]


It's a lot of work, but I find it to be very fulfilling, yes! Most where I'm from don't appreciate it nearly enough; it's good to see that you can understand the merit in it!