Track 05: Small Town

[princeofjunes]

ACTION: EVERYWHERE - ALL DAY - EVERYONE

[As Yosuke's settled himself into Mayfield, he finds one question gnawing at the back of his head.

Is this place really that bad?

Sure, there's the dronings and the weird things that happen, but day to day everybody's able to go about their lives - maybe even find things to do that make them happy. They bring bits and pieces from home and make connections with other people. They can even meet people they never would have at home. Does the good the people make in this town outweigh the bad the town tries to bring them down with?

He's curious. Also, it's a great excuse to take a day off and wander around the town, so that's exactly what he does - he sets out and walks, with no destination in mind]

(( OOC NOTE: He's literally just walking around town today, meeting people, talking to people, whatever. In your reply just note where they're meeting; the park, a store, outside someone's house. It doesn't matter where, just give me a heads up. Thanks! <3 ))

Comments

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

[Bisharp's eyes grimly follow Yosuke wherever he goes; Grimsley will set aside his dignity for the moment, set his bottle of wine on the grass, and bend over. This was slightly degrading.]

It belongs to the species, Bisharp. Nicknames are popular among the younger trainers now, but the fashions were different in my time.

You, of course, understand none of that. How droll it was to discover that my occupation was considered a joke in most worlds...

[princeofjunes]

Well, I understood the part where he's not a dog?
[Well, this got awkward fast, but at least he's gathered up the groceries!]

So what do you do anyway?

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

You have the privilege of speaking to a member of the Elite Four, the greatest Pokemon trainers of the land.

[He will straighten out for the express purpose of giving a mock bow before stooping down again. His words themselves carry a sardonic, half-teasing tone.]

I am Grimsley. Master of the Dark-type.

[princeofjunes]

[Pokemon trainer? The hell? He takes a minute to think it over - so that Bisharp of his is a Pokemon thing. Okay. And apparently training them is a big deal and he's an even bigger deal?

... well he doesn't really seem that impressive, but Yosuke doesn't feel like being a jerk]

So you're a pretty big deal back home?

Then we're definitely from different places, since I've never heard of you or Pokemon.

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

My name crops up from time to time. Few have ever met me.

[Grimsley finishes with the last of the groceries and tries to look as dignified as he can manage with his arms full of eggs and cheese. It doesn't work very well.]

Shall we say... you play the game with a different set of rules? The two is a trump in my hand, but the most inconsequential in yours. So it is that I am relegated to the man who plays children's games in other worlds.

[princeofjunes]

[... yeah he can't comprehend a word of that. Sorry Grimsley]

... right. Does everyone where you're from talk like that?

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

.....

[The man rolls his eyes a little and his tone abruptly shifts.]

Man, oh, man... Let's make this easier, shall we? Scrap what I said before. My name is Grimsley. Card sharp, gambler, and sometime drunkard, but hey, who isn't? You want to play some poker, I'm your man.

Yeah, I throw these monsters at each other in pitfights, but let's pretend that's my side job. Don't worry too much about it -- Unless you care to place a wager on a battle sometime.

[princeofjunes]

[And now that he's using words Yosuke understands, things are less awkward! Yay!]

Oh, so you're a gambler? That's pretty cool - I didn't think this would be a big gambling town.

But man, making monsters fight each other? That almost sounds like something out of a video game.

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

Sure.

So could everyone else here. Superheroes, little demon crow girls, psychic aliens. Battling monsters is tame in comparison to walking Death, I think.

I'm willing to bet you've got some tricks up your sleeve of your own. Haven't lost this one yet.

[princeofjunes]

You... have a good point. [A scarily good point when he thinks about it. Hell, his own life could be a video game]

Well, I had a few tricks back home. My friends are getting theirs back, but mine are still missing.

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

Wait another regain or two. You may wade through some junk first before you start seeing the important things.

That wasn't the case for me, luckily.

[princeofjunes]

So, you got your buddy back off the bat? [He gestures over to the not-dog as best he can with his arms full of stuff]

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

My first 'event'. With any luck, the others will follow soon after.

[Bisharp looks slightly mollified at being called Grimsley's 'buddy' rather than 'dog'. It relaxes slightly, although it continues staring at Yosuke.]

[princeofjunes]

[It's still weird being stared at like that. wtf thing]

So every time the town goes nuts and makes us suffer, we get stuff back?

... still seems like a bad trade.

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

We shouldn't even have to be making trades for what's ours in the first place.

[Grimsley shrugs slightly.]

But if those are the rules of the game... so be it. The nice thing about rules, naturally, is that you always find loopholes in the end.

[princeofjunes]

Yeah? You found any way around the system yet?

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

Not yet, I'm afraid. The house still hasn't shown its full hand...

[princeofjunes]

Yeah, no surprise there.

Good luck trying to figure it out.

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

Hey. It's a little hard figuring anything out when you're being distracted by mass murder.

[princeofjunes]

... you mean when everyone started killing each other?

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately so.

[Grimsley refrains from mentioning how close he had come to doing the same.]

The more we're distracted, the harder it will be to find answers.

(frozen)

[princeofjunes]

So... any idea how you'll find the answer? Where to start looking?

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

Ah. That is... My idea is to lie low, listen, and learn. ...When you're kept in the dark, you're best off working in the shadows.

[princeofjunes]

[Sounds like he doesn't have much of a plan at all, but he won't call him out on it]

I hope it works out, man. We can use all the advantages we can get.

[tenebrousking.livejournal.com]

[Grimsley has no plan at all outside from trying to sound impressive.]

Naturally.

Ah, but I don't believe I've caught your name yet.