It took them long enough to get here...

[envy_the_sinners]

Who: Scar, Raikov, Lust, Greed
Where: Outside Saffron
When: Around Sept 16, may contain subthreads on different dates.
Summary: Meeting up! ...Semi-reluctantly. But totally not.
Rating: Starting PG to be safe?
Log:

Why had they crossed two entire regions, again? Right, because Lust wanted to "see Scar" about something, and he had had nothing better to do.

Raikov had, for some reason, stuck by him throughout the month he had spent traveling.

They were approaching Saffron City when they finally caught up with Lust and Greed, though Scar was beginning to show reluctance as they approached the campsite. This whole thing was stupid, not to mention pointless. What was he even doing here?

Comments

[majorcrotchgrab]

Raikov looked up at Scar and raised an eyebrow, noticing the man's uneasiness. "Getting cold feet? That'd be a waste, considering how far we've traveled..."

[ossifragant]

It's fairly unfortunate that there happened to be a swarm going on today, because Greed was actually extremely distracted. He had his arms around a Spritzee, coddling the bird-looking thing and generally babying it, which the animal clearly didn't like because it started to struggle away from him rather quickly, much to Greed's disappointment.

"You said he's coming today, right?" he asked Lust, still trying his best to calm the pink bird.

[a_sin_for_him]

"He should be."

Lust makes soothing noises at the bird Greed's taken a liking to, she always feels badly for the disoriented swarm Pokemon. Her Furfrou has his head in her lap and she's idly stroking his head. She's trying not to be nervous - what does she have to be nervous about? - but she still worries over Scar's automatic reactions to Greed.

Well, he'll see for himself he has nothing to be so hostile about.

[envy_the_sinners]

"There is nothing to have cold feet about," Scar growls as he notices the two homunculi up ahead, who seem to be dealing with the swarm Pokémon. Miriam dashes ahead of the party, as usual, to greet them. The only noticeable addition to Scar's team is a baby Eevee, only a week or so old.

Obviously, he's still going for the 'intimidation' look.

He doesn't make any effort at a greeting, even as they draw near, but that's just something he never does.

[majorcrotchgrab]

As soon as Raikov saw just who it was that they were meeting, he stopped in his tracks. After a moment or two, he grabbed Scar by the arm and tugged him off to the side, hoping the Homunculi didn't see them.

"You didn't tell me your friend was with Greed...!"

[ossifragant]

Greed hadn't noticed anything awry yet, instead focusing on Miriam, who he greets with a happy coo, letting the pink bird fly off a little ways above him so he could offer the Skitty a PokePuff. "Hey there," he says cheerfully.

Cats are a weakness. It's perfectly acceptable homunculi behavior.

[a_sin_for_him]

Lust recognized the Skitty, smiling in spite of her nerves.

"That's one of Scar's pokemon. They must be getting close." She already knew that Miriam had a habit of going off ahead of her trainer. She was grateful for the warning, standing up and smoothing her skirt out of newly-acquired habit.

[envy_the_sinners]

"The hell-" Scar yanks his arm away from Raikov as soon as he's pulled aside. He makes no effort to hide himself from Lust and Greed.

"And that matters?" Sure, Greed is an idiot, but he hardly thinks his mere presence is anything to jump into the bushes about.

[majorcrotchgrab]

Raikov puffed out his cheeks. "It matters to me! He's the one I told you about that was also in Kanto. Our relationship is... odd."

Friends with benefits...? It was hard to say. They were in far less contact than Raikov would have liked to be.

"And he never told me he was traveling with anyone..."

The Russian wondered if Greed had even bothered to mention him to Scar's female friend. He felt a sting of jealous at the prospect.

[ossifragant]

Greed may have offhandedly mentioned he was seeing someone here once or twice, but unfortunately most of the conversations he and Lust have had on the subject have been about other people.

"She's a sweetheart," Greed comments about the Pokemon before he stands back up, recalling the pink bird into its Pokeball. "With any luck," he continues, "This will go smoothly." He hopes so at any rate. He's not exactly keen on having Scar travel all the way to Kanto and having him put his foot in his mouth around Lust.

[a_sin_for_him]

"She really is, her name is Miriam. What, no flower today?" Her tone is teasing as she reaches out to stroke the Skitty. Guttle rolls over, excited that his friend has joined them.

"Hopefully. Are they coming or not?" Lust peers up the road, frowning thoughtfully.

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar ignores Raikov's further protests and continues down the road, now well within the sights of Lust and Greed. He isn't going to stand there and listen to the other man complain about something so trivial.

"Then hide in the trees." He's only half joking. If you can even call anything Scar says a joke.

Miriam, meanwhile, looks as if she's committed some horrible failure by not bringing Lust and Guttle a flower. She's torn between soaking up the attention and dashing off to find one.

[majorcrotchgrab]

Raikov really can't tell and assumes Scar's being serious. But he declines the offer and follows after him, making sure to straighten up his hair and clothes a bit. He wants to present himself in a positive light for both Greed and the mysterious woman.

And as soon as Katya sees who they're meeting, she rolls her tiny eyes.

Here we go again...

[majorcrotchgrab]

"We will," Raikov replied and started dragging Greed off in the opposite direction of the other two. "So, what shall we do? Want to go out to lunch? My treat."

[ossifragant]

It's clear that Greed has gone from mildly uncomfortable to unhappy. He lets himself be dragged away, but the displeasure on his face is obvious. "I think we should talk first," he said, his tone delicate. "Let go of me."

[majorcrotchgrab]

The Russian stopped, taken aback by Greed's words but did what the man wanted, letting go of his arm. He knew he wasn't all that fond of physical contact outside of more 'intimate' acts but this was unusual, even for him.

"Talk?" He frowned. "About what? Did I do something wrong?"

He had thought he made a good first impression with Lust. Finding out that she was a homunculus like Greed made him interested in getting to know her. And despite her namesake, she seemed like quite the classy woman. Was it because he was with Scar...? Raikov shook his head slightly, then looked at Greed he awaited his answer.

[ossifragant]

"You humiliated me," he said, tone severe. "You can't act that embarrassing and expect nothing to happen. I've told you before I don't like people touching me, and on top of that you try to invite yourself in on something Lust is doing." He dismissed it with a wave of his hand, taking a step back.

"I don't find dragging me off like a teenager endearing."

[majorcrotchgrab]

His heart sank. So it was even worse than he thought. He swallowed and looked at the ground. "I... I'm sorry, Greed. Scar didn't tell me anything about this trek other than him and Lust meeting up so I wasn't sure what was going to go on today... I didn't even know you were traveling with anyone or that you'd be here. ... And I didn't realize she was addressing only Scar about the food."

Raikov paused as he tried to sort his thoughts. Looking back on his behavior, it had been down-right awkward and he felt like an idiot for even bothering to tag along. Katya chuffed quietly at Greed and nuzzled herself against her trainer's cheek in hopes of making him feel a bit better.

"I know you've told me numerous times. I just... I'm sorry I got clingy." He didn't want to admit it but he was very desperate for attention. No one took him seriously or was interested aside from Greed.

[ossifragant]

"Did you really think I've been traveling alone since July?" he asks, sounding confused more than anything. He'd thought that Raikov knew him better than that. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I suppose I never did say anything directly." He shrugged. Greed didn't like being alone. It was the antithesis of who he was as a person.

"Listen," he said carefully. "I'm Greed. I'm greedy. That's what I am, that's not going to change. You don't need to be possessive of me. I'd come back to you the same as I'd come back to anyone else." He sighed.

"But you can't go around making me feel like a possession. You don't want me to start thinking things like that about you. I don't want to start thinking you feel that way. In the end, it'll lead to bitter feelings I don't care to feel again."

[majorcrotchgrab]

"Yeah, I did. I should have figured though."

Greed's explanation made sense, hitting Raikov hard. He stood there silent for a moment or two, the relization sinking in after all these years. In almost all of his relationships he was always a possession, which in turn made him possessive over his lovers. It was all he knew how to be. He thought that was how relationships always were.

The Russian ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh. "I wouldn't have minded if you were greedy with me..."

But Greed didn't want that.

"... The last thing I want to do is ruin our... relationship though. I'll try to ease up, if that will make things a bit better."

[ossifragant]

It's one of those realizations of just how little he's shared about himself. He doesn't discuss these things with anyone, save for Envy and Lust who understand. Even the two of them don't understand, aren't capable of understanding just how deep it goes. Envy was in deep with him but Greed had been the one forced to be on the outside for so long that it was maddening.

He had never been capable of returning such deep attachments, not normally. Those who had earned it were a select few, and one of them had been the one to betray him. He'll probably never entirely recover from it.

"I can't be," he said finally. "Not in the way you mean, I don't think. I already am in the way I see things. People I 'have' and people I 'don't have.'"

He's possessive, certainly, but it's not in the same way entirely, he doesn't think. He won't ever think of another person as a thing, not when he had spent nearly all of his life being treated as a thing, making him question whether or not he was a person at all.

[majorcrotchgrab]

He wished Greed would share more things with him but he understood him being reluctant. Some people were just like that. It took Volgin quite a long time before he started talking about his past to the younger Russian and even then, he didn't know everything but far more than any other living person in his world did now. Maybe... Maybe someday the Homunculus would open up to him too.

Raikov raised an eyebrow though, confused by Greed's wording. "People you 'have?' What do you mean...?"

[ossifragant]

He gestured smoothly with one hand. "Friends. Companions, even distant ones. That's what I mean," he'd had this sort of conversation before. Perhaps it was a mistake not to differentiate, but he didn't see the point. It was a needless distinction when he would come to their aid no matter how close they were.

[majorcrotchgrab]

"Oh!" He smiled a little. "I suppose your phrasing is fitting for your nature..."

At least things seemed like they were starting to get better. Raikov stepped a little closer to Greed but not to the point of where it'd make him uncomfortable. "... Can we start over then? Take things slow. I'll keep in mind what you said and... try not to get too grabby."

Although that would be hard because Greed was fine as hell and it had been too long since he last had sex.

"I'll apologize to Lust when she returns too." That was the least he could do after how unintentionally awkward he had made things earlier.

[ossifragant]

"I would appreciate that," Greed said finally. "You don't need to be possessive. You already have me." He could only hope that monogamy wasn't a requirement. It wasn't like he was seeking people out-- he hadn't ever sought out people before, either, but it was complicated. Get into the right situation and he wasn't about to turn down an offer. There was also the matter of what if one of those people he desperately cared for found their way here.

But there was an underlying implication there: getting too possessive, acting jealous, would mean that the relationship was not going to end well. Greed wasn't the sort of person to come to a conclusion too soon, so he was content to let it drop. Stop being so possessive and they'd be fine. Anyone who tried the same thing would get the same speech.

Ultimately, Greed was at odds with himself; struggling to balance his own needs with the needs of others. "I'm sure she would appreciate it, but I'm not certain it's necessary." But he smiled just the same, the severeness gone from his face.