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farawayplace2023-05-14 03:44 am
starinheaven) wrote in farawayplace2023-05-14 03:44 am
Entry tags:
In the turning, flowing wind, I sing alone
There’s a little girl, dressed in a light, summery dress, with matching white sandals, arriving on Stardust Beach, blinking at the sunlight and feeling the coastal wind on her face and tasting the salty sea-scent of the air.
For a time, she’s absolutely stunned, daring not to move (has her imagination ever been this strong?!), then, without really meaning to, she’s forced to take a few steps (the wind is so strong!), that she steps into wet sand and realizes she couldn’t just be imagining this. It’s a little too soggy and gross. She decides, then, maybe it was the last few years that were a very bad, very long, and very strange dream (although she liked the Pokemon…), and this was reality! She giggles and takes off her sandals, putting them higher up on dry sand (hot, hot!), before rushing back to the wet sand to play.
She twirls and spins and laughs, but when she turns back around, searching the beach, she cannot find her mama or her papa.
“… didn’t we go together? We’re at the beach now…”
Wasn’t the car crash and everything else a dream? She couldn’t have gotten here on her own! It’s true it’s not the same beach she knew and even the people looked a bit different, but maybe they just went on a very, very long trip!
Question 1: Vacation?
Ai decided to ask around on the beach, gently tapping shoulders and tugging on sleeves.
“Excuse me, have you seen my papa or my mama? Um, papa’s hair is much more wavy than mine, but grey, and he has a nose this long…”
Question 2: Heaven?
She had to find her parents! They had to be here, right? Because if they weren’t… then the car crash and these past years weren’t all a dream… then, maybe she’s just gone on ahead to Heaven? So she decided, in between asking about her parents, she’ll also ask some people if this place were Heaven!
“Excuse me, is this Heaven?”
Ai thought this was a very clever way to find out more quickly, than if she had only asked everyone one question, then started all over with the next one. She should find her answer quicker this way!
Sand
Ai had never seen sand that looked like this before! It was so pretty and mysterious. Almost like konpeito! But she knew better than to try and taste it… although she really did feel tempted to. It looked so pretty… she sat down and held grains up to the sunlight and wondered if the stars fell down and turned to sand or if the entire island was one very big star broken up into many little stars… oh, but it wasn’t hot or shining, like the sun, were they stars that went out, like switched-off lights or snuffed-out candles? Ai kept wondering, while rolling the little grain between her fingertips.
Whatever they were, they were pretty, so Ai wanted to collect some sand, along with seashells and bits of seaweed and anything else.
For a time, she’s absolutely stunned, daring not to move (has her imagination ever been this strong?!), then, without really meaning to, she’s forced to take a few steps (the wind is so strong!), that she steps into wet sand and realizes she couldn’t just be imagining this. It’s a little too soggy and gross. She decides, then, maybe it was the last few years that were a very bad, very long, and very strange dream (although she liked the Pokemon…), and this was reality! She giggles and takes off her sandals, putting them higher up on dry sand (hot, hot!), before rushing back to the wet sand to play.
She twirls and spins and laughs, but when she turns back around, searching the beach, she cannot find her mama or her papa.
“… didn’t we go together? We’re at the beach now…”
Wasn’t the car crash and everything else a dream? She couldn’t have gotten here on her own! It’s true it’s not the same beach she knew and even the people looked a bit different, but maybe they just went on a very, very long trip!
Question 1: Vacation?
Ai decided to ask around on the beach, gently tapping shoulders and tugging on sleeves.
“Excuse me, have you seen my papa or my mama? Um, papa’s hair is much more wavy than mine, but grey, and he has a nose this long…”
Question 2: Heaven?
She had to find her parents! They had to be here, right? Because if they weren’t… then the car crash and these past years weren’t all a dream… then, maybe she’s just gone on ahead to Heaven? So she decided, in between asking about her parents, she’ll also ask some people if this place were Heaven!
“Excuse me, is this Heaven?”
Ai thought this was a very clever way to find out more quickly, than if she had only asked everyone one question, then started all over with the next one. She should find her answer quicker this way!
Sand
Ai had never seen sand that looked like this before! It was so pretty and mysterious. Almost like konpeito! But she knew better than to try and taste it… although she really did feel tempted to. It looked so pretty… she sat down and held grains up to the sunlight and wondered if the stars fell down and turned to sand or if the entire island was one very big star broken up into many little stars… oh, but it wasn’t hot or shining, like the sun, were they stars that went out, like switched-off lights or snuffed-out candles? Ai kept wondering, while rolling the little grain between her fingertips.
Whatever they were, they were pretty, so Ai wanted to collect some sand, along with seashells and bits of seaweed and anything else.
[he's a sweetheart ;_;]
That's a no, Gold.
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But Gold himself, as a ten-year-old, is apparently fully qualified to do all of that..."So you should just sit and wait! But I guess that's boring. You can watch TV if you wanna, or there's pens and papers in the drawer by the TV if you wanna draw... Anyway, just leave the cooking to me!" Gold grins, then starts taking out all the ingredients and tools he needs.
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TV or drawing... it might be fun to try drawing again after a long absence! She smiled at that idea and went off to draw! Besides, she also had something important she wanted to draw...
"Thank you, big brother Gold!"
She could make a little poster of what her parents looked like, so she could ask about them! She went straight to work, drawing her family.
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He muses on it as he starts chopping vegetables, trying to analyze what he's feeling. Big brother Gold... It's a common enough term for kids to call older boys, back in Johto. It shouldn't bother him... But it does.
Was it the family thing? The same thing that bothered Gold about Banyan calling him family? That had to be it. Gold already has a sister, and a dad, and he doesn't need any more of those. But Ai probably didn't even mean it in the family sense... Should he tell her not to call him that or not? It's not like she's done anything wrong...
While thinking about all that, he cooks Yago Chanpuru, just like Professor Banyan taught him to. Enough for three people, in case the Professor comes back soon. Soon, the scent of fried vegetables and meat wafts through the house.
"It's finished!" he calls out to Ai. "Let's set the table!"
[sorry for the delay o/]
Ai was very carefully drawing her family portrait, sticking her tongue out in concentration, when she smelled the delicious scent wafting in! She quickly put down the colours and, when Gold called, she eagerly hurried over.
"It smells great!!" she cried in excitement, then looked curious. "Oh, where do I find the dishes and things...?"
She'd gladly help, but she needed to know where things were, first!
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"The plates are... Actually, I'll get them, they're kinda high up." Not that Gold's much taller than Ai, he still has to grab a chair to get the plates and cups. "The utensils are in that drawer! Can you use chopsticks? I'm still learning." He directs Ai to get the napkins, too.
"What do you wanna drink? Milk, juice, water?" Gold asks while plating the food. He splits the food onto three plates, and sets the third one aside, covered up so it'll stay warm for whenever Professor Banyan returns.
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She was still not over how clean and clear the water is, besides, she’ll taste the food better this way!
“Umm… I used to use the, um, colourful plastic chopsticks, the shorter ones…”
Adult-sized ones are likely too tall for her to control very well with her small hands!
“So, I guess… I’ll go with a spoon and fork!”
no subject
"I think the professor's got some of those small ones, actually," Gold says. Banyan gets kids as guests sometimes, like his relatives' children. "So you can use those or a fork and spoon if you wanna. I'll use regular chopsticks."
While Ai's getting the utensils, Gold brings the food and the drinks to the table. He wants to start eating right away, but he feels like he should show a good example to the kid, so he first asks "You remember what to say before eating?"
[awww, Gold…]
“Itadakimaaasu!” she said cheerfully, at Gold’s prompting. “We have to be thankful for the food and where it comes from and everyone who helped in growing, preparing, and bringing it to us, right?”
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And then he awkwardly sets his fingers in the proper pose to hold chopsticks and starts eating. Hopefully the Yago berries in the food aren't too bitter for Ai!
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Ai had no trouble with them! It was a little strange to her tastebuds, sure, but the novelty of eating food again won out over any nervousness about trying new food.
“I never ate something like this before!”
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Gold eats slowly, with food occasionally dropping from his chopsticks, but he patiently picks it up again every time. It was frustrating the first few times he started learning how to use them, but he's been getting better every time.
He glances at the clock every once in a while, wondering if Professor Banyan will show up soon.
[sloooowly coming back to Ai tags, hi, hello]
Ai tilted her head a bit, while watching Gold.
"... do you usually use this kind? You can use this kind if it's easier... I won't laugh, I promise!"
She'll do her best not to, anyway!
(... maybe suggesting the training kind for babies with the loop would be too much?)
[hi! Ai might've struck a nerve there]
"Nah, this is fine," Gold says. "I learned how to use those, and now I gotta learn how to use these." He gestures with his chopsticks to emphasize the sentence. "Then I can use them when I'm eating out in restaurants and stuff!"
"...And why would you laugh anyway?" he asks more quietly, smile faltering. That promise kind of bothers him, now that he thinks about it. He tilts his head with a confused expression. "You're using those chopsticks too, and I don't think there's anything funny about that. Why would it be funny if I used them?"
[oof, I'm sorry, it's a canon trait... she giggles at a female scientist for liking sweets/cake...]
Someone older uses it.
He looked hurt! She must have said something very wrong. She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry..."
[gold meanwhile is like *doesn't judge anyone, unless he dislikes their vibes*]
Gold pauses, wondering if what he wants to say would be too mean... But maybe it'd be best to say it anyway.
"When you were so amazed by everything you saw on the way here, like the flowers, and all... Somebody might think that's funny and laugh at you for it, because they see the flowers every day, you know? They wouldn't know why you'd act like that... I don't know either, but I never even thought about laughing at you. Because I know it hurts when somebody laughs at me for things like... having dirty clothes, or, not knowing about TV shows..."
Gold grimaces a little as he trails off, his eyes drifting away from eye contact as he talks. It's hard to look at anyone when talking about his past.
[awww, poor Gold... he's handling this so maturely, too ;_;]
She looked so sorry for hurting him, she set down her chopsticks, left her seat, and went to give Gold a hug.
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He's surprised at the hug, but he does hug her back, kind of awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine," he says with a smile, patting her back.
She didn't actually hurt his feelings, since she didn't laugh! Gold just wanted to make sure she wouldn't hurt anybody else's feelings in the future either. Ai's a kind child, after all. He's sure she'd be sad if she hurt somebody.
[thank you, Gold, you now receive one chunk of Ai's bizarre backstory]
She smiled gratefully up at him, then returned to her seat, to eat again. "This really is tasty..."
"You know... there's a lot that I don't know how to do either. Because, up until I came here... I wasn't really living. Not out in the world, anyway. I was kind of, um... in a tank. In a lab. That's why the world outside was so amazing to see again! I couldn't even really eat in there, it was like being a baby waiting to be born. For years and years!"
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"Huh, sounds like that sucked," Gold says. He can emphatize with the feeling of your life being stuck in place, since that's kind of what being in Ultern feels like sometimes. He can't imagine why anybody would stick a kid in a tank, but at least she's out of there. Unless she goes back when she leaves Ultern...? No, better not think about that.
"I bet when you were in that tank you were thinking about all the stuff you wanted to do when you got out. I mean, I would've if it was me. So now that you're out, you've got all the time in the world to do all that!" He grins encouragingly.
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""Yup!" Ai said happily. "I used to make-believe I was in my old neighborhood and home... imagine the moon, sun, and stars..."
She happily put her hands together. "What are the the most fun places in Ultern? Tell me what you liked best. I want to make a list of things I'd like to try here! Going swimming again is a must... I just need to get a swimsuit."
She's already got one item down!
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"The moon and the stars... Uhh, I think you'd have to stay up pretty late to see them this time of year. But hey, more sun!" He won't touch the comment about her home, since that seems pretty impossible.
"Hmm... The most fun places, huh?" Gold gets thoughtful as he eats, staying quiet for a moment. "I guess this house is one of the most fun places to me, and the cafe at the Pokemon Center in Turnbloom City... Oh, but there's a bunch of fun places in Turnbloom City, like the marketplace, and the amusement park... Gilterrace Town has the Miltank farm, and a flower shop... And speaking of flowers, there's a big flower field on Route 4! And a Berry farm on Route 2, and the Doduo farm on Route 3..." He pauses. "I guess we should just visit everywhere, huh?"
[new friend acquired!]
Oh, he said "we"... then, they'll go together?
"Let's!" she said happily, and finished her meal.
"We'll take our time exploring! We'll have so many adventures..."
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Or maybe Gold just gets lost more than the average person."A whole lot of adventures," Gold nods, and starts clearing the table now that they're both finished eating. "I can deal with this, you go back to drawing."
Gold's already got his mind on when he could set aside time to visit the amusement park with Ai. He hasn't been there in a while himself, and now that he's reminded of it, he kind of misses the place. The sights, the sounds, the popcorn... And with Ai, maybe he could score some extra free popcorn.