farawayplace | In midst of a Summer Festival, yet again!

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In midst of a Summer Festival, yet again!

In the coastal city of Turnbloom yet again, the sun is bright and warm--but of course it's not the only place. All over Ultern everyone is enjoying the summer weather. Little by little, Ulternians and long-time Drifters alike have started to put out summer decorations throughout the start of August, which replaced the ones from Tanabata (if any had been left out to begin with).

There's a distinct sound of waves, and bustling of people nearby. Followed with the cool gentle breeze that carried the salty scent of the sea. Things seem to be at peace, as usual--or is it?

After all, there were always new Drifters popping in. Maybe today there just might be some new faces wandering through looking confused. Now's the time to step up and lend a helping hand. Icharibachoude, we're all brothers, as they say in Ultern!

Or heck, just feel free to enjoy the fun festivities filled with food and music.

That is, if you can--as behind the walls of houses in Ultern that day the familiar friendly faces all wake up with a surprise no one's expecting.

(🌺Ulsai! Happy anniversary everyone, and thank you so much for a whole year of time in Ultern! Please note NPCs will be popping up here and there! But for some reason they’re all different…? For any comments, concerns and questions head on over to the OOC post! Plot with your fellow players there as well!🌺)

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Red will stop noting Gold looking hesitant, and not entering the place before her. Oh, that's fair she figured he was wary. So, she'll step inside while gesturing for Gold.

"Do you want to sit at a table or up at the counter there? You can see the chef at work up there!" She nodded before she turned and heard Gold's comment on her. There's a smile--clearly not angry by Gold's remark even with that grumpy look he had on his face. "So you think! Anyway, c'mon let's pick a seat! I bet you're starving too!"

Gold will follow Red in, giving every person in the soba shop a distrustful look as he goes. The people are probably looking his way, too. It's not every day you see such an obviously malnourished street kid come in, wearing a big sunhat to boot. Though they all smile kindly and feel bad for Gold, the kid does not trust any of them and sticks close to Red.

At the question, Gold looks at the counter and the table, then huffs.

"The counter's too tall," he says grumpily. He's kind of annoyed at Red just smiling at his comment, and he glares at her. "What do you mean "too"? You're not starving, dumbass. You're just hungry. That's different."

The stares are no doubt doubled by the fact the obviously malnourished child is right next to their Champion but no one was about to blurt that when their concern immediately went to Gold. Red meanwhile will point to a table that's closer to the entrance.

"Then how about that seat?" She questioned. When Gold spoke up (obviously angry) M let's out a surprised chirp before swiftly moving to hide behind Red in an attempt to burrow itself in her hair. She gave a glance to her Victini and then to Gold.

"Sorry Goldy you're right. I'm hungry, and you're starving! So let's sit and order up!" Without waiting she's already making her way to the table ahe gestured to.

A table near the entrance, huh? That's good. Easy to escape from if he needs to. He nods.

"I'm not starving right now," Gold mutters, looking at the seats in the table they're going to sit in. "I ate something today." By which he means he's eaten at least two doughnuts today.

He'll walk around the table Red chose, looking over every chair, then clambers up to sit on the one that seems to have the clearest path to the door.

"Well I'm Great League levels of hungry." She nodded to herself but at least she won't put the blame on an obviously hungry child. Unlike Gold, Red won't think to inspect the table.

She'll just take one of the unoccupied seats while M continued to hide behind her. Red not minding will pull one of the menus out and passes it to Gold.

"Just point out the one you want okay? There should be pictures of the food!"

Gold nods, finding that phrase acceptable. He doesn't know what a Great League is, but it sounds big.

He'll take the menu and open it, poring over it, the sunhat still on his head.

"I can read," he says with annoyance, but there are some words he doesn't recognize on the list. Everything on the list looks good, though, and he ends up just pointing at a random picture, wanting to eat soon.

"I'll take this," he says, pointing at tempura soba.

"Wow took me ages to read any of it myself." Red nodded thinking back to her first days in Ultern about to cry at the lack of recognition of the language but! Pictures! Those were good.

"Okie dokie! Then let's order up! Hey Pops!" She'll turn away waving her hand to the chef. The chef catching sight of Red beams.

"Oh hello there Champion! What can I get ya?"

"One tempura soba large and a large Ultern soba also large!"

"Alright, coming right up!"

The chef will disappear from behind the counter presumably going to make their order. As he's doing so Red will turn back to Gold.

"Say are you thirsty? I was going to get some iced tea. What do you want?"

Gold just scoffs. Sure, there's a lot more words that he doesn't recognize than usual, but he's not going to admit that. (He hasn't figured out it's a different language yet.)

Champion? Gold's ears pick up the familiar word. Champion... like the strongest Pokemon Trainer? He eyes Red, looking at M hiding in her hair, too. So she's actually really strong... She could probably hurt Gold if she wanted to, but she hadn't, even though Gold stole from her. Why? He doesn't understand her.

"I dunno... Water," Gold mutters at the question, shrinking in his seat a little. It's not like he knows what drinks there are. And now that he knows Red's strong, he doesn't want to annoy her by asking too many questions.

"Water? Well, it is pretty hot outside." Red nodded, oblivious to how his reaction would be to her being a "champion". Not that she'd change her attitude all of a sudden even if she did know. M however's making small chirps, nuzzling further into Red's hair as she stands up from her seat. There's a chuckle, as she reached out and gave a reassuring pat to her Pokemon with one hand.

She'll walk over to where there's a water server and a pitcher full of iced tea for guests. She'll fill one cup with water for Gold, and one for herself before walking back to the table.

"Here you go!" She'll set Gold's drink down first, before settling back into her spot. "By the way Goldy, have you ever thought of becoming a trainer when you're older?"

Gold keeps his eyes on Red as she goes to get their drinks. A part of him reminds him this would be a good opportunity to run away if he needed to, but the promise of food keeps him here. There's no use in escaping right now. Only after eating. Well... She also promised to pay for games, so maybe he'll stay a little longer after eating, too...

At the question, Gold just stares at his glass of water, before shrugging.

"I dunno," he mumbles quietly. "Not really."

"For real?" She's reaching for her cup of tea before taking a sip. She'll look thoughtful. "I didn't think about being one either but my best friend kept going on and on about Pokemon but I guess it's hard not to when they're everywhere."

She chuckled to herself.

"Anyway, do you have any friends like that?" She was absolutely being nosy but if Gold didn't want to answer she wasn't going to keep prying.

When Red takes a sip of her tea, Gold follows along and takes a sip from his glass of water, with a bit more difficulty. He's got tiny hands!

A flat "No." is all Gold replies to the question. He has no friends, let alone friends like that. It's not like he needs them.

"Aw, for real?" That got a small frown to form but it doesn't last as she picked up her glass. "Then you wanna be friends with, M and me?"

She'll point at herself, and M having heard its name will shyly peek out from within Red's now messy hair.

"Not really," Gold says flatly. He doesn't like the way she's always smiling, and he doesn't like how that Pokemon keeps hiding even though it's probably super strong. It feels like they're hiding something. He can't trust people like that. (Which isn't saying much, since he doesn't trust people in general.)

"Aw, well that's too bad but I guess we all can't be friends, but we can always just be acquaintances!" If anything, Red was never undeterred. She will at least she'll let that conversation drop while turning to M, and holding out some of her tea to it. While she's doing so, one of the waiters is coming up to their table with a tray of soba in hand.

"Here's your orders, Champion! Now which one has the tempura soba?"

"He does, right over here." Red gestured to gold. "And I've got the Ultern soba!"

The waiter nodded while placing one big bowl of the tempura soba in front of Gold, and the big bowl of Ultern soba right in front of Red. Her expression will light up while taking one of the disposable chopsticks with her eyes lighting up.

"This looks great! Let's dig in!"

"Ah-kvain-tanses?" Gold repeats the unfamiliar word out loud, frowning.

But the soba arriving has all his attention, and his mouth waters at the scent of it. He swallows, and grabs the bowl as soon as the waiter lets go of it. Not bothering with utensils, waiting or any kind of table manners, he pulls the bowl closer, grabs a piece of tempura with his teeth straight out of the bowl and starts eating it.

"Yep! It means someone you recognize but you're not really buddies. Someone you just know." Red nodded at her explanation.

Before Red even started on her bowl of soba she stared at Gold. All the while she'll reach over to the napkin holder on their table while sliding them to Gold's side.

"Slow down Goldy. You don't wanna burn yourself on the soup!"

"...Okay," Gold says. New word learned. He supposes it fits his and Red's relationship, or lack of a relationship, so he'll accept it.

...The tempura is pretty hot, actually. Gold does that thing you do when you put food that's too hot in your mouth and goes "huff, huff" to try and cool it down in his mouth, eyes watering a little. He doesn't touch or even look at the offered napkins.

"Oh, dear." Red might be frowning a little but her mind still thinks back to herself around his age. No doubt he's both stubborn and strong willed. He'd have to be, wouldn't he? "Goldy, you don't have to eat that fast. It's not like we're in a hurry right now."

She will then gesture to his glass of water.

"Your water'll help cool it down."

Gold grabs his glass of water instantly and sips some of it around the tempura, which does cool it down. Phew, crisis averted. Gold sets the water down and bites off part of the tempura, letting the rest of it fall back to his soba bowl.

He doesn't thank Red or even look at her to acknowledge she helped him. He's a little embarrassed, so he just chews his food angrily.

Red thankfully doesn't seem to mind as she's finally diving into her own soba. She will however blow on her food before loudly slurping her noodles. No one seemed to mind one bit about that.

"Mmm! This is the stuff!" She beamed. "I feel like it's been years since I ate this. How do you like yours, Goldy?"

Gold glances at Red blowing on her noodles, and does the same. He'll puff on his food for longer than Red does, and when he does eat, he takes the bowl, slurps the broth from it, and manages to grab some noodles into his mouth, slurping them up loudly. This boy does not know how to use chopsticks, and will not even try.

In response to the question, Gold just makes a "Mm" sound and keeps eating ravenously and messily.

(He's still wearing the hat. Its rim might've taken a small dip into the soba broth at some point.)

Red will stop noticing Gold hasn't even touched the chopsticks. Then again a lot of young kids weren't good with them. Setting her bowl down she'll notice the hat also getting in the way.

"Hey, Goldy do ya want a fork?" She smiled. "It'll make eating your noodles easier! You don't have to use a chopstick you know."

Gold pauses in eating and looks at Red, mouth full of soba. He looks at his bowl consideringly, then nods, and continues chewing. It didn't occur to him to ask for a fork, since everyone around them is using chopsticks, but he'll take them if they've got them.

Why is Red being so nice to him, anyway? Gold really can't understand it. She just keeps on smiling and being understanding and buying him things. She has to be lulling him into a false sense of security to kidnap him or something. Nobody would be this nice to him otherwise.

"Okay, lemme go get you a fork." It's been decided, Red thought as she got up from her seat. She'll walk over to the counter to ask for a fork--and will soon return with one. She'll then place the fork down to Gold's side of the table.

"They always carry a fork here since not everyone's used to using chopsticks on things!" She explained before taking a seat. "It takes me back, since I used to be really bad with chopsticks too."

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