Happy birthday, Mayday 🎉

[ateamrocket]

[I. Pippi post #1 (August 14th)]
MAYDAY (UN: proper-rocket) posted:
I think I’ve heard people who leave here and come back say it’s like no time passed at all back home.

So is there any point to tracking time here?
Does it matter?

Sorry for the lowkey existential crisis.
Just got a lot on my mind.

[II. Turnbloom City]
[August 14th. So it’s come again. Mayday sits outside in Turnbloom City, staring at the sky. She kind of already regrets posting that message but oh well. She’s not doing anything in particular, just loitering in her Rocket uniform as per usual. I figured I’d include this in case you wanted to accost her in person, lol.]

[III. Pippi post #2 (Later in the month)]
MAYDAY (UN: proper-rocket) posted:
Come by Grand Theater Hall in one hour if you want to watch an ass kicking

[There's a selfie attached, a young woman in a casual, punk-ish outfit with pinkish red hair sticking out her tongue and posing with an altogether unfamiliar looking Pokémon in front of Grand Theater Hall in Turnbloom. She’s holding up an entry slip for a Normal Rank contest.]

[IV. Wildcard]
[Want to do something else? Hit me up. I'm open for whatever and happy to brainstorm if you want to hit me up via PM or on plurk carrieface! Feel free to use prose instead of brackets - I’ll match you!]

Comments

It’s great never be sorry

[ateamrocket]

[Mayday reflexively looks down from the sky in the direction of the whistle, just in time to see the unfortunately anticlimactic flight. She stares at the hat on the ground for a moment, then snorts a laugh.]

What was that?

[I'm glad!!]

[buson]

What's it look like, Mayday? I was tryin' t'surprise ya!

[Buson snapped, before grinning again, picking up his hat and dusting it off.]

You were all spaced-out, I just wanted to keep you on your toes! What's eatin' you?

❤️

[ateamrocket]

Oh is that what that was? Well, it was definitely a surprisingly bad throw.

[Mayday smirks, stretching her arms back behind her head. She seems to ruminate on his question for a bit before replying.]

… Just been thinkin’ about a lot of stuff, I guess.

♡

[buson]

Shut up, Mayday. [No bite to it! He takes a seat besides her.]

Like what...? I got time.

[He seemed curious and eager enough to listen!]

.. but if you don't wanna say, it's cool. No pressure.

[There's tons of stuff to talk about!]

[ateamrocket]

Oh yeah? Heh. That’s good, cause time’s probably the biggest thing in my mind.

[She lowers her arms, stares out into the distance.]

It’s my birthday today.

1/2

[buson]

Oh, right?!

[He must've forgotten, but he'd always be happy to give her a gift...]

You wanna celebrate? I love parties! I know some fun places with good eats... or do you like to keep your parties small? You like cake any?

I can bake! I mostly cook, not really a baker... so nothin' fancy, but, y'know, I can make a box cake an' decorate it... or, hey!

[He's just had like a thousand ideas at once, so maybe he should give her room to answer?! He will pipe down (with great effort) to listen, before he goes on with more ideas.]

[buson]

[Mayday's more subdued tone and the "time" question seem to have finally sunk in for Buson and brought him back down to reality.]

... do you... uh, not like parties?

Or is it 'cause so much time is passin' here? You miss home?

[Stupid! Maybe it isn't that you forgot, but that she didn't bring it up for a reason! Maybe she doesn't like celebrating far from home and family... Buson's mentally kicking himself.]

[ateamrocket]

[Mayday chuckles, appreciative of his well-intentioned enthusiasm and the quick way he tried to backpedal.]

Don’t worry. I don’t have anything against parties. Honestly, I haven’t really ever had that many to have an opinion. My birthday was usually just me an’ mum.

[She never had anyone else to really throw her one.]

…I don’t know if I miss home, exactly. There are definitely things I miss. Definitely some I don’t. It’s just… weird to think about, you know?

[buson]

Really? Sounds nice an' simple.

[Buson didn't tease or mock, he just looked oddly fond and wistful.

He no longer had any negative opinion of Mayday's mother—she was just doing her best, given circumstances—despite his own stances about raising kids as a Team Rocket member... besides, it's far better than abandoning her!

He missed having a family outside of Team Rocket still...]

Yeah. I get it. I don't miss... the way it is, living back home, or what I had to do, but... Johto's beautiful. I still think it is.

Even if the people are kinder an' warmer here an' even if places by the sea're similar, the nature's totally different, s'more like the tropics here.

I miss the scenery... it's a lot greener, but also, more muted? Easy on the eyes. I miss the lakes, shrines, towers... I miss the dialect... I miss the sight'a kimono and the sound'a geta sandals... I miss the geisha too...

The first half year without Bashou was unbearable. I don't think I'd'a liked Ultern much if I was still missin' him all the time.

... it's stuff like that... little familiar sights an' sounds, aside from—of course—important people that you'd miss the most, right?

[He'll pay attention to what she missed the most, maybe ask what her parties with her mom (mum!) were like, and figure out how best to cheer her up!]

[ateamrocket]

…Don’t have many important people back home. [She looks down at her hands folded in her lap, almost embarrassed to admit it.] Aside from mum, it’s mostly just acquaintances and coworkers I like more than others. I do miss them, though.

……Hell, it’s stupid but I even miss the annoying ones sometimes.

[You probably couldn’t get her to confess that fact to anyone else without torture, and even then, it wouldn’t come easy. She’d rather eat glass than give James or Fred an inch, because lord knows they’d take a mile. ]

The weather here is way different than Topaz. I don’t mind all the sun but I do miss the cooler temperatures sometimes, with those cloudy grey skies and the near constant drizzle.

And I miss flying. And driving! God I miss driving. Cruising down the motorway with the windows down and the music blasting! Weenis loved that too.

[Speaking of…]

I miss seeing all the familiar pokemon. Familiar to me, anyway. I’m sure you all wouldn’t recognize a single one. …Heh. I’m the odd one out around here in a lot of ways.

[It was isolating, being the only one from a land no one had heard of. It was difficult, being a criminal in a place where everyone was treated kindly. It was strange, suddenly having nothing but free time when your whole life had been about doing work.]

… I miss being a part of something.

[buson]

I get it... you look at things differently once you lose 'em...

[It's not forever. She'll be back home someday, most likely... but it's the uncertainty of when that makes it so difficult.

That's fair, monsoon season is still really abrupt and dramatic, not like a drizzling day at all. You don't go out and about in that kind of rain.

He frowned, relating more to that last confession than he'd like to admit. He hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder to briefly pat it... he can't exactly hug a female friend to comfort her, even if it might be more acceptable where Mayday's from, so, this was as far as he'd go!]

I get it... working on the ship's given me some'a that, we all gotta work together to get things done, all in unison, like one body... maybe somethin' like that'll help fill up the gap for you too?

You know, I used to fly too! Me an' my partner did... even though you can't go too far, you can still fly in Ultern! It's just different 'cause they're all seaplanes... no runways here. And y'can drive! Maybe you could take up classes, just so you could ride somethin' without havin' to own it...?

[Buson is not suggesting grand theft auto.]