preybeforemeals | 002. [Video/Action for Goldenrod City]

002. [Video/Action for Goldenrod City]

[Well, it seems that Tsukiyama has finally left whatever hellhole he's buried himself in for the last couple of weeks; he hasn't been out nearly as much as he'd normally like – really, he hasn't been out at all unless it's been absolutely necessary – but it seems that today he's decided that if he's going to bury himself in several layers of escapist fantasy, he might as well do it outside rather than behind the locked doors of a hotel room.

...That, and he's run out of reading material.

The feed from Tsukiyama's device today opens with a slow pan over some of what he's managed to find in his attempt to stave off boredom; after a moment, his voice can be heard over the video.]

I'm finding myself a bit at a loss, really – if nothing else, I'm unsure whether I should be impressed or offended.

[To his credit, he sounds more amused than anything; after a moment he turns the camera around to actually get him in the shot. He seems well enough, if a bit exasperated.]

They seem to have things such as The Metamorphosis and Battle Royale as well, things that don't seem to have changed much just judging by the title, but I'm sure there's some sort of completely hideous difference in there that will make itself known eventually. For now I think I'm just grateful that I haven't found anything like The Black Gogoat's Egg...I'm sure it would be by someone like Takatsuki Sentret, while we're at it.

[Because this place is a travesty like that.]

From what I've seen, the film selection isn't much better... Tell me if you've found anything particularly interesting during your time here, will you? I don't particularly mind if it's a pun-entrenched mess; if anything, I'm a little curious about how badly they've managed to butcher things.

[Granted, he's not entirely sure how this is going to go, given that there's apparently a market for things like Sharpedonado around here and as such he is effectively asking for recommendations from people who find things like that to be high art, but you know what, live a little.]

[ACTION]

[It's a little overcast today but it's not too cold, and as such he can be found sitting in one of the squares near the department store; there's a café nearby that he's come to like, even if it's not Anteiku (because nothing is quite like Anteiku, even if he'd never really frequented the place as much as some it had its charms, he can't deny that), and he's claimed one of the outdoor tables with a book laid nearby and a cup of something that steams in front of him. As usual, he's a little hard to miss – which is really just a polite way of saying that he's still something of an eyesore, but at least it looks like there was an attempt today and the entire ensemble is blessedly argyle-free.

He's not reading the book he's got laid out, though once in a while he looks at it in a way that implies he's tempted to at least see how much of a shitshow it's surely going to be; for now, his time seems to be given to actually taking the time to savor the joy that is pumpkin-spice everything while it lasts (as long as we all take the word "joy" to mean "experience that involves drinking that coffee once in a while like he's not sure if it's poison, only to set it down and look at it funny and be clearly unsure in its general direction...but for some reason he can't stop drinking it once in a while anyway") and...once in a while swatting away a really persistent Klefki that is hovering near his head.

She doesn't seem to mind the swatting; if anything, she's seeming to find it to be a game of some sort, and she keeps coming back and...unlatching, for lack of a better word, for the sake of waving one of the keys she's found in his general direction with the happiest damn noise because NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

SHE FOUND A PRETTY ONE AREN'T YOU PROUD OF HER.

...After a while the implications of that will sink in, however, and...]

...Mirabella...

[Surely she hasn't.]

Mirabella, amore – exactly where have you been getting those...?

[If he has gotten some sort of kleptomaniac keyring he swears to god - ]

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[Banjou reading abilities are pretty limited. Sometimes he was fairly interested in what Kaneki was reading, but it became frustrating fairly quickly when he didn't recognize most of the words on any given page.

He didn't exactly have time to look for an audio book version of Takatsuki Sen's work given how quickly things started happening.]

I'm sure he would.

The entertainment this place has is more parody than anything else, it's weird, isn't it?

...That's an interesting way of putting it, but it really is, isn't it? I haven't experienced much of it outside of what I've been reading, but...that is odd.

[And here's the point at which it seems to hit him that this is actually quite awkward; small talk with Banjou tends to be, just because it's not something they're really in the practice of doing, but...]

Did you need something from me, Banjou-san?

[It's surprisingly less dismissive than it could have been; more of an actual inquiry than anything.]

[...what was the point of talking to Tsukiyama anyway? He'd been thinking it might lead to something, but not far enough ahead.]

No reason in particular.

[Maybe he'll think of something that isn't painfully awkward.]

I was thinking that we haven't spoken much since October.

Edited 2014-11-24 08:56 (UTC)

[...HOW IN GOD'S NAME IS THAT NOT AWKWARD]

So you've missed me - I'm flattered.

[IT'S REALLY NOT.

He's spends a moment looking confused, like Banjou was entirely uncertain about how this was about to go before deciding that no, smalltalk with Tsukiyama is a terrible idea.

Why isn't Kaneki here.]

I was thinking you could tell me about battling. I'm terrible at it.

[You deserved that after the Marla comment.

That said, though, the question does seem to interest him, and he tips his head a little while it registers; he hadn't exactly expected that.]

Well, from what I've seen I'm not too surprised to hear that - what is it that you want to know, amore?

[The honest answer is "everything," but he doesn't want to admit that exactly, and not publicly anyway.]

I need a better team before I can start battling, but anything you've learned would help.

[It's a bit too close to "I am completely lost" for his comfort, but he doesn't know how to put it. It would be easier if Kaneki had been the first of them to arrive.]

[He's tempted to continue asking questions, and knowing him they'll get increasingly more pointed as they go, but he manages to stop himself before he does. Don't pick a fight; Kaneki wouldn't tolerate the inevitable fallout if you do.]

Perhaps you could meet me somewhere. It's easier to demonstrate.

[For his part, Banjou looks displeased for only a moment, like he wants to argue, but he decides against it at the last moment.]

Do you have a place in mind?

The route just outside the city, on the northern side, tends to be unoccupied. Join me there?

[...this is going to be embarrassing, but agreeing to this is the least he can do.]

Okay.

[...Banjou, please tell him that you will be prompt and you have done something with the beaver

...and that you don't...only...have the beaver...]

[He's pretty punctual when he needs to be. He won't keep Tsukiyama waiting long.

...he's done something with the beaver, shockingly. And that something involves it looking even more like a beaver than it did before.

It also may have a friend. Just the one, but he tried.]

Tsukiyama-san.

[He looks fairly serious when he finally catches sight of the other man, but the greeting isn't rude.]

[...he has lost more pokémon to this nuzlocke than you have actually managed to capture and train are you serious -

In contrast to all the seriousness Banjou is throwing around, however, Tsukiyama seems rather relaxed; the smile he offers is casual, and his words are about as light as usual when he speaks.]

Banjou-san. Good of you to join me.

Why don't we start with verifying what's been giving you difficulty, hm? The source of the issue, if you don't mind.

[Tsukiyama treating this the same way he treats everything else is almost a relief more than anything. Their relationship is strained and awkward, but at least it's constant.]

I'm not meant for this competition crap.

[He's getting better at coming out and saying things face to face at the very least.]

I assume you're pretty good at it. Show me how you do it.

[It's a one-time offer to kick his ass because Banjou knows both of his are woefully underleveled.]

[Something in that strikes him a little strangely, because this isn't the first time he's done something like this for the sake of teaching someone how to do something -

"I can't promise I'll be gentle, you know."
"If you aren't fighting at your full strength, there's no point."

- and it takes him a second to shake it off.]

What levels are the Pokémon I'm going to be battling against? Assuming you want me to fight yours.

Twenty-six and twenty.

[If he'd been trying harder, maybe something like this could have been avoided, but Banjou has always been too much of a pacifist for his own good.]

There's no other way for me to learn this. It's not like losing is going to actually hurt them.

[He's learned that much at least.]

[Ohhhh no you don't.]

Is that your plan? You show up and I defeat you easily while you...what? Watch me do it?

[He finds one of those Pokéballs and throws it out there; the result is a vaguely annoyed-looking squid appearing in the subsequent burst of light, but at least he seems to get the hint that oh, there's someone else over there, presumably there's a battle going on.

...Tsukiyama is just going to pray that his Inkay will not be a little shit to him today.]

Reflect, Renaud.

[He looks at Banjou afterwards, while Renaud goes about making himself harder to do physical damage on, like an asshole.]

You're not going to learn anything without the experience, Banjoi-kun. He's level 20; show me what you've been doing.

Not entirely.

[But he should have realized it would come across that way.

Banjou does smile, though, despite the defeatist attitude.

He lets Kamu out of his Pokeball, and that is certainly a much larger beaver than the last time Tsukiyama would have seen him.]

Kamu, use Rollout.

[Kamu is quick to please, immediately charging at Renaud, with all of his strength.]

Edited 2014-11-24 11:50 (UTC)

[And this would be why he used Reflect right off, good god, to lessen the damage from shit like that. Bibarels are a fucking menace.]

Shake it off. You're fine.

[The Inkay would clearly like to beg to differ with that assessment because fucking ow, but it's not like Tsukiyama particularly wants to hear it right now.]

Swagger, Renaud.

[...Well. You'll be horribly confused if that connects and he's clearly trying to put a stop to Rollout before it gets completely unholy, but he's boosting your attack stat so at least there's that?]

[Oh, the attack connects alright.

To his credit, Banjou looks fairly calm about this. Confusion isn't good but maybe he'll get lucky.]

Defense Curl, Kamu. Shake it off.

[Which would be all well and good if the poor confused beaver didn't somehow injure itself in the process.

...Oh well, maybe next time?]

[Tsukiyama just smiles at that, settling one hand on his hip before gesturing vaguely with the other.]

Swagger. Again.

[...Which...seems a bit pointless because Kamu is already damn confused, so really he's just ramping up your attack stat again, but. Still.]

[...that's a little much, isn't it?

The poor dumb animal is already confused. That being said, this will either go well, or Kamu will hurt himself again. So much for trying to spend a turn making sure the Bibarel didn't hurt itself.]

Come on, Kamu. Snap out of it. Water gun.

[That beaver tries so hard. There's a delay before it responds, but it doesn't hurt itself this time, attacking Renaud with all its might.]

[...okay so you are currently up four stages in attack

he knows you are because he bolstered it himself

and so naturally you...

...you...

...you hit him with a special attack that has like 40 power behind it apparently FUCKING REALLY, BANJOU]

...I really do hope you have more of a plan than that.

[I mean his Inkay isn't happy because no seriously he is not here for getting wailed on by a beaver today and he is seriously getting wailed on, but you know what - ]

Foul Play.

[...And that would be why he spent time ramping your attack stat up, Banjou; it takes your stat modifiers into account, not his. So that's a four-stage stat boost with 95 base power as it is.

Because Inkays are fucking assholes.]

[He has to stop himself from laughing because he'd really been expecting that attack to fail because of the confusion.

No, now Banjou is going to go back to taking this seriously, assuming it doesn't immediately knock out Kamu because really--

--and that's a bad hit.

Kamu is still up, but the poor guy isn't going to stand another hit.

He may as well let Kamu go out doing something impressive, since he's going to be knocked out the next attack.]

Hyper Fang.

[And by some miracle the Bibarel avoids injuring himself into unconsciousness.]

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