Just got to chase the pain away

[superordinary]

Who: Makoto Naegi (superordinary) and Kiyotaka Ishimaru (ardent)
Where: Ice Path (and Blackthorn later)
When: February 13th and onward
Summary: Two dangans and a bloober versus a cave full of ice. This will end in idiocy.
Rating: PG at the most. Also, spoilers for DR may come up.
Log:


[ When Mondo left Johto, Ishimaru couldn't stay there in the Dangan house anymore. He had to leave. So Naegi decided to go with him — letting him wander off on his own would be one hell of a bad idea and Naegi was quick to suggest that the two of them should go to Blackthorn City. He's heard many great things about the city's famed hot springs and getting the chance to soak and relax in the water would do them both good, he thinks. They've definitely earned it.

Now, what stands between them and their destination is the Ice Path and as the name implies, it's full of ice and snow. The inside of the cave is practically one giant thick sleet of ice with frosted stones on the ground and icicles adorning the ceiling, sparkling in the sunlight coming in from outside. It's actually rather beautiful, if you don't mind the perpetual chill.

The slimy little bloober that's been in their company for a total of thirty minutes seems to mind, however. The poor thing's freezing but for some bizarre reason it seems insistent on braving the cold instead of turning back. ]

...Hey, uh. That thing is still...following us, Ishimaru-kun.

Comments

[ardent]

Never better!

[His coordination is really, really bad, okay.]

And you don't have anything to apologize for - just try to keep it in mind from now on!

[wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee oh god that's a wall hang on um

...he's doing pretty well at the "catch yourself with your hands and not your face" portion of this, at least.]

[superordinary]

[ wow, um. ]

...Do you need help or something?

[ardent]

I'm fine!

[...either fine or really stubborn, um.]

[superordinary]

Are you sure?

[ardent]

Yes...!

[Just. Give him a moment. He will...get over there eventually.

...and kind of flop down into the snow once he's there, Naegi-kun, hope you don't mind.]

...That is really not fair. Nothing about that is fair.

[superordinary]

...I never want to do that again. Why is that ice even allowed to exist?

[ardent]

Good question...

[Ugh.]

We are going to be using Fly to get back from Blackthorn.

[superordinary]

...Yeah. I'm never coming here ever again.

[ ICE PATH MORE LIKE MISERY PATH. ]

Um, is...now a good time to talk about that...? You know, the thing you wanted to discuss while we're traveling.

[ardent]

[Normally, he would say that they should keep pushing onward; that they can talk while they move and all that. However, now...well.

Behind them, there is ice.

When he tries to get some idea of the path ahead...oh holy hell is that more ice - ]

...It seems like as good a time as any, yes.

[superordinary]

...Okay. So what did you want to talk about?

[ Don't mind him, he's going to rewrap the Bloober burrito here and good lord this towel is covered with slime and goo. ]

[ardent]

[Ishimaru takes a moment to resettle himself, eventually leaning up against the wall of the cave and drawing his knees up to his chest, linking his fingers loosely in front of them; he's still highly underdressed for the cold in here but he doesn't seem to be minding that for now, even if he's kind of shivering a little.]

Do you remember what my brother and I told you about, when we first arrived here? Regarding the situation we were put into upon arrival, I mean.

[superordinary]

Team Rocket, right?

[ ...Why is he already getting the feeling he's not going to like this. ]

[ardent]

Yes, exactly.

[...Naegi is probably not going to like this.]

I think that something needs to be done about them. This recent attack against Olivine City has only confirmed that line of thinking.

[superordinary]

...What exactly needs to be done, Ishimaru-kun?

[ardent]

...I don't know yet - I don't have any sort of plan. But I think...in order to form a plan, I should probably work on getting into a position where I can get the information I need. They allow higher-ranking members of the organization special privileges, and they allow them access to things that we can't get at without climbing the ladder ourselves.

[superordinary]

How are you going to climb the ladder...? I hope it doesn't mean getting involved and helping them with their criminal activities.

[ardent]

[ahahaha about that]

...I'm going to minimize the amount of actual criminal activity involved as much as I can.

[superordinary]

"As much as you can" doesn't mean there will be no criminal activity involved, you know. What if you get hurt?

[ardent]

...I know. But I'm not going to get hurt, Naegi-kun; I can take care of myself.

[superordinary]

What if somebody else gets hurt?

[ardent]

I'm not going to hurt people, if that's your concern.

[superordinary]

I know that, but you'd be helping people who aren't afraid to hurt others.

[ardent]

Which is why it's best that this sort of thing is done by people who don't want others to get hurt - would you prefer that I take a mission, or the person who bombed Olivine?

[superordinary]

You, of course. But...is this the right thing to do?

[ardent]

[Ishimaru actually falls quiet for a moment at that, though again, he still seems to be focused on the discussion as opposed to retreating back into his head.]

Naegi-kun, I...

[He hesitates; shakes his head a bit.]

I'm not abandoning my sense of morals, and I still think that if there's a lawful way for this to be done, it should be done that way.

But things...aren't that simple.

[It strikes him as wrong as soon as he's said it, though he's not going to try to amend it, either; he doesn't like this - he doesn't like having to justify some sort of moral departure like that, regardless of whether he admits it is or not, and the fact that he can justify it in any way isn't sitting well with him.]

I'm going to find a way to stop them; it's not really helping them if it's what brings them down in the end, and I'll make amends as soon as I've worked everything out. You know I will.