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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"Skiploom, yeah, that was it," Gold nods. He gives a small wave at the Hoppip in return for the greeting.

"Ah, yeah... I get it." Gold looks down, a wistful expression on his face. "I've been here a year, today. And it's got me thinking... What am I gonna do if I'm still here ten years from now? I don't wanna. I wanna go home, and see my dad. But I don't wanna say goodbye to everybody here either..."

"A whole year...yeah ya mentioned that earlier didn't ya?" Beni nodded, while the Hoppip has moved over to help itself to the food that's been set out. At the mention of "Dad" had Beni lower his gaze, going quiet for a moment.

"I hope we do get to say goodbye, before ya do get to go home. I think...more than anything, I'd want that. It's hard when ya don't even get the chance to say bye."

Gold's Pokemon are eating with the others, and Gold looks at them with a mild smile before turning back to look at Beni.

"Yeah... A friend of mine disappeared one day, and it was pretty hard... but he showed up later for one day on Tanabata. So I got to say bye after all." A lonely smile appears on Gold's face after saying that.

"I'm glad ya got to see 'em, at least to say goodbye." Beni grinned but he returned his attention out to the Pokemon who were now eating. "I know nothing lasts forever, and the time we spend together are important."

His smile however crumbled but he's looking away, trying his best to hide it from Gold.

"Hey Gold, can I ask...have ya...heard anything about my parents?"

"...Yeah. Yeah, I guess I know that now." Gold looks wistful. He wishes he'd spent more time at his dad's house when he was back in his own world, instead of continuing his Pokemon journey so soon after meeting him. He'd thought he could just go back whenever...

Beni's question has Gold freezing slightly, but he keeps a neutral expression up. He wants to put up a smile, but since he knows the wild Pokemon around them are afraid of fake smiles, he doesn't. Beni's question feels... loaded.

"Nope, I haven't," Gold says, and he's not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, so he keeps his eyes on Beni.

"It's always good to be aware of that. I mean, I guess a lot of us here are..." Beni trailed. Beni remained silent even after Gold replied until a sigh escaped him.

"Sorry, Gold. I didn't mean no trouble." Shaking his head, Beni's bring his hand up to his face. No doubt to rub at his own eyes. "I know it's a smart idea not to pry about the future and all but I just hoped, that maybe..."

"Chico?" Chikorita's wandering over to them. He'll lightly bump his head up against Beni as if trying to cheer him up.

"It's no trouble, really," Gold says. It sounds to him like no news is bad news, so he decides it's better to ask than walk around the subject on eggshells. "So, um... Are your parents, like... missing?"

Oh, Chikorita's here to help. Banyan's Chikorita really reminds him of his own Meganium, who's always just as ready to cheer him up. Gold himself can't really help here, not when he doesn't know the situation or what would be okay to say.

"Well..." he supposed if Gold lived with his older self, he wouldn't want to spring it up on someone. But, he had and there was no turning back now. "...yeah they disappeared. They were leaving for an errand that day and then, poof. Just gone."

Beni's reaching over to gently pet Chikorita who's eagerly bumping his head up against the palm of Beni's hand.

"Oh, wow. That sucks." It's an understatement, but it's all Gold's got. His first thought is that it sounds like drifters returning home, but wouldn't Beni's parents be from Ultern? ...Or maybe they aren't. That'd be really sad though. Showing up in Ultern, getting married, having kids, and then getting sent back 'home' like they hadn't made Ultern their home already? ...Gold really hopes that isn't what happened.

"So are you living alone now? Or like, with your brother. Is it just you two?" he asks instead.

"Yeah..." That's all Beni's got as well, in response to Gold. At his question he's quiet, before nodded.

"It's just Chide and me. I guess also Staryu, but he mostly stays outdoors." Staryu seemed to enjoy being out in the sandy beach anyway. Beni wasn't about to drag him inside if Staryu didn't want it.

"Huh. So... How are you doing with cooking and laundry and all that stuff? Do you have enough food and money?" Gold asks. Yes, that's his first priority. As someone who's also spent a lot of time living alone, he's had to learn practical things like those.

"I can do chores fine, it ain't no trouble with that! I used to baby sit Chide all the time when..." he trailed off with his expression dimming. Beni shook his head. "Money though...I just need to do what I can to make sure Chide's okay. If I can't even do that..."

Welp, so much for trying to not look glum challenge as Beni's mind is on his younger brother.

"...nankurunai, yasa." He mutters to himself. "At least it ain't all bad. Uh, Cor and Cally come and visit! And there's Pokemon around..."

Oof, that looks like some issues Gold doesn't want to poke at. He'll just focus on what he can do.

"Hey, you know, I used to be alone at home a lot too, and I had to figure out how to survive all by myself. So I totally get it! You gotta do what you can! Especially if you've got your brother to take care of," Gold says with an understanding smile. From the way Beni danced around the subject of money, Gold assumes he steals and doesn't want to reveal it, so he just wants him to know he won't judge.

"And also, I know the spots around the city where you can get free food or lower prices easily! But I guess if you're from the past, some of them are probably different... Maybe you know all that better than me. Still, I wanna help, so if there's anything you need tips about, ask me!"

Gold is kind of excited to meet someone who he can relate to in this way. He had no idea him and Professor Banyan had this much in common!

"It ain't easy for ya either, huh? Having to be home by yerself..."

Beni spoke softly. He then moved his attention back to the Pokemon who were still enjoying their meals. He couldn't help but feel a little content in seeing that. Slowly Beni turned to face Gold again, offering a small smile as a gesture to reassure the other.

"I guess things would be all different now than what I remember. Can ya tell me, what all you like about being here? ...I only really asked the Pokemon who drifted here that. I haven't made any friends who aren't from Ultern."

"Eh, I get by," Gold shrugs. "And I haven't been alone, really, not since I moved in with the big you."

He watches the Pokemon eat in silence too. Gold doesn't know when, but he's started to appreciate being able to share food with others.

"What do I like?" Gold looks up at the sky as he thinks. "Well... the people are nice. It's really easy to get free snacks if I just ask nicely. And there's... a lot of opportunities I didn't have at home. I can do stuff like go to a library and borrow some books and movies, or work part-time... And since I don't have to do all the homework and try to find food myself, I have the free time to get hobbies too. I started learning how to do kendama tricks, and... I made jam for the first time the other day, and I kinda wanna make some more!"

Maybe all that says more about Gold's life at home than it says about Ultern...

"That's good ya got someone looking at for ya." Beni smiling still. Even if it was his older self, anyway. He'll listen as Gold explained the things he was able to do in Ultern.

It didn't say a thing about his life back home, but at the same time it had, but Beni found himself thinking how he shouldn't point that out to Gold. It might upset him, and he didn't want to do that to him.

"Sounds like you've been having a good time here in Ultern." He laughed. "I'm glad. I don't think I could handle hearing ya having a hard time living here. Things ain't so bad in Ultern, I don't think. There's plenty of sea, and all sorta nature here. It's real nice--even at night."

He'll look back to the Pokemon again in thought.

"Speaking of jams, what kind did ya make? I bet it was tasty if yer wanting to make more."

"...You know, you grow up to be a really good person," Gold says genuinely, with a soft smile. "Just thought I'd say that! I mean, you're a good person now too. Probably. I don't really know you well but you seem chill." Maybe he said too much, time to stop talking because it's getting embarrassing.

"Yeah, it's a good place. If I was stuck in a bad place with no way home, that'd suck, so it's good it's Ultern."

"I mixed up a bunch of berries I picked myself! It actually became kind of a weird bitter-spicy flavor, but it was so much easier to make than I thought! So I wanna try again and make a tastier jam next time," Gold says with a grin. He's still eating the weird-tasting jam whenever he can, of course.

"Oh..." Beni too looked a little embarrassed not expecting the compliment (even if it was about his future(???) self). There's a sheepish smile on his face as he scratched his cheek. "Thanks, I mean...I'm glad that ya get along with me! I doubt I'd have the heart ta ever kick anyone out anyway."

Even if it meant more mouths to feed. Seems even now he was feeding anyone that came by. He'll chuckle, mostly to himself.

"Glad ta hear that. Ultern ain't such a bad place to live--not that I've lived anywhere else. It's just all my friends are here..."

Wherever they were now, he had no idea however. At least there were Pokemon friends around.

"Huh, a weird bitter-spicy flavor? I'm guessing ya might've mixed up some yago berries? Those are real common around here but not everyone likes eating 'em." He chuckled. "Even Chide don't really like 'em, but he'll still eat it."

"Yeah, you wouldn't! I was worried you'd kick me out for like, the first few months I lived here, but that's because of me, not you," Gold says cheerfully.

"I dunno, I bet there's people who live in Ultern who have a bad time living here too," Gold says with a shrug. "It's the same for every place, I think. Even the really nice places." He seems like he might say more, but then just closes his mouth.

"Nah, I knew to avoid yago berries since I use those for cooking! I set those aside for yago champuru. But I put in a lot of different berries I didn't really know, so it just kinda ended up like that. Wanna try it? It tastes really weird!" Gold says with an excited grin.

"Yeah, well it's hard trying ta get outta yer own head." Beni will leave it at that. He doubted Gold needed to hear that it's hard trying to parse what another person is thinking, anyway.

"That may be true," Beni closed his eyes while feeling the wind run through his hair. "But sometimes, ya just have to reach out to have someone help. I think that's why Cor and Cally...ah, never mind. Just thinking about my friends."

He opened his eyes, while turning to look at Gold with a smile.

"And...it ain't all that bad for me. As long as Chide's okay, I'll be okay."

That and if they made it to adulthood, surely something was going right for them, maybe? He knew Gold wasn't the person to ask. If only he knew where his own friends were, then maybe but that was something to think about for later.

"Ahahaha! Even my lil' bro can't stand yago berries. They're way to bitter--but they're easier to eat when ya mix it with other stuff. I'll show ya next time!"

Gold just nods. It's true, he already knows that.

His eyes widen a little at the comment about Chide, because... he feels like he can understand that, now. He's a brother too. And then there's Ai, who feels like a little sister to him by now, too. If it was just the two of them and he had to protect her... He understands. He completely understands.

"Yeah... I get it," is all he manages to say in response to that.

"Huh, really? Your brother's weak, then. Even Ai - the little girl who lives here too - can eat yago berries no problem. In champuru at least!" Gold says proudly. Okay, so maybe he's bragging about his not-little-sister. "So you don't dare to eat the weird jam I made then? Hmm, your loss..."

Beni's glad that Gold could relate. There's a smile at that--and a chuckle to follow about Gold's comment on Chide.

"I wouldn't say that--I mean he can be, but he's stronger than I am." Will he elaborate? No, because it doesn't occur to Beni to do so. "But that's great ya can eat yago berries fine! A lotta kids ain't fond of 'em but it's good and healthy for ya."

At the comment about the weird jam, Beni gave a sheepish look while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, I wasn't turning down yer offer--I just...still have a lot going on in my head. Thinking about Chide makes it a lil' better. ...but if yer still offering I wouldn't mind trying some, no matter how weird ya say it tastes."

"Weak sense of taste," Gold says with a playful shrug. He'll just assume Chide can lift a car or something, since Beni didn't elaborate.

"I'll eat anything," Gold says proudly. "I don't wanna waste food. But wow, for a kid my age you sure talk like an old man." It's not a bad thing, just an observation.

"Alright, come on!" Gold gets up, having been sitting on the ground for a while now, and heads to the door with a grin on his face. "This jam's gonna rock your socks off!"

He can tell Beni's got a lot on his mind, with how he keeps looking distracted. Gold hopes he can get Beni's mind off of his worries. Professor Banyan helps Gold feel better often, after all. Gold's probably not as good at it as him yet, but he'll try.

"Ahaha!" Gold's comment managed to get a laugh out of Beni. "I guess I just picked a lot up from what Mom and Pops would say. That's all! ...but I get not wanting to waste food. Every lil' bit we gotta give thanks for--or, at least it's what I've been told."

Seeing Gold stand, Beni made a move to follow. He wasn't sure what he'll think of the jam but it was worth giving it a try. Plus, it seemed to Beni, that Gold was trying to help keep his mind at ease. It's small but he smiled. Maybe things will turn out to be okay he thinks as he followed Gold into the house.

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In midst of a Summer Festival, yet again!

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year 10 of Ultern Beni be like Welp we sure haven't aged have we Gold? Bwahaha!

ten years of being ten, it's like being a Pokemon protagonist or something

hmmm (stares at Ash) nah that can't be-

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hover text for the Ulternian

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sorry! I'm about to bombard you with so many tags (DLC distracted me)

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[getting to a good spot to end the thread soon?]

I think so yes!