explosivecombat | 004. [Text/Action for Goldenrod City]

004. [Text/Action for Goldenrod City]

[ACTION]

[Three days gone, with no explanation.

Kimblee had awakened strangely on Tuesday, feeling as though he hadn't slept much at all, and throughout the day he'd been unable to shake it - it's the same sort of feeling he gets when when he's been overstimulated, maybe, or spent time on a particularly difficult assignment. He would have chalked that up to a simple failure at restful sleep - he's not immune, and it happens - but then he'd checked the Gear for the time and date.

Three days gone. No memories from those three days whatsoever.

That. Doesn't. Happen.

He'd spent most of the day more wary than usual; he doesn't like this any, nor does he like the fact that there's nothing he can do about it. Even the normal solace he finds in sound isn't coming to him; he usually finds the music in Johto to be a nice constant, but now it's just grating on him - hell, he can't even be sure that anyone else is hearing it at all, and that's no use to him whatsoever.

Bluntly put, he's been feeling disoriented, Johto makes next to no damn sense as it is, and this entire thing is leaving him just a bit irritable and not wanting to stay in one place for very long. So! Today he's out wandering around Goldenrod; he doesn't seem too terribly bothered by the snow, though the heavy coat he has on over his suit and the long, pale scarf he has wrapped around his neck and shoved into his collar is definitely helping, as are the gloves he usually wears. He's determined to find something to clear his head; after a while, he finds himself in front of a building that's both stupidly loud and gaudily done-up. He kind of tilts his head at it for a moment; the place is pretty much an exercise in sensory overstimulation, isn't it.

It's perfect.

He pauses for a moment before entering; the music playing softly through the streets is the same as it always was. He doesn't want to ask if anyone else is hearing it; that's just asking for trouble. However, there are ways to get some sort of response without asking directly. He pulls out his Gear briefly, sending out a quick message via Text before entering that...casino. Game Corner. Thing.]

[TEXT]

Has anyone been able to locate the source of the incessant stream of music, or is that another of those mysteries that we're encouraged to not think too much about?

[OOC: Action-wise, you're more than welcome to catch him outside the building itself...otherwise, he fully intends to spend the next good while wanting to kill a slot machine in the face, so he won't exactly be hard to meet up with if he's seen.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Yes well. Well. Shut up.]

[...And there goes the bat. Okay, that's going to take several days of pampering to fix. Ugh. Stupid happiness evolutions...]

Well, congratulations are in order, I suppose.

[...]

What the fuck is that thing?

[Nope, he's not getting over this any time soon.]

You're asking me as though I have any idea?

[Despite his words, however, he is clearly still the smuggest thing, and he'll just be making his way through the snow to go get a better look at it. My god, Carlisle, you are massive.]

It's yours, you ought to have some sort of idea.

[It's eight feet of mammoth, of course it's massive! That thing will destroy nations, Kimblee. Nations!]

[...But can we use this to our advantage though...?]

Well, I suppose it will come in handy against the Gym Leaders.

I'd imagine he will; as I've said, he gained a rather impressive increase in stats before, I'll be surprised if he didn't do so a second time.

[Checking his 'dex like the thundering dork he is, don't mind him - so excited, so excited - ]

Excellent.

[Clearly, he got that stat increase he wanted.]

[Kimblee. You're talking to Archer. In comparison, you will never be a thundering dork. Just so you know.]

I take it he's improved, then?

[...Well, Kimblee certainly looks pleased, at least.]

Oh, quite a bit.

[Although while we're asking questions...]

When did you manage to get an evolution out of that bird, by the way?

Ah, Lucena? She evolved not long after we arrived in Goldenrod.

[That's... true, but there's no need to mention that she evolved due to a stone now is there? The longer Kimblee doesn't know about the Fire Stone and that fail Vulpix, the more hilarious it will be when he finds out!]

[...you're an asshole, Archer.]

Ah, really? She has quite the interesting second form, you know.

[And if you can't see where this is going, you're blind.]

In fact, I hadn't seen anything like it before today. Might I ask why you seem to think I had?

From what I've read, it seems this is her final evolution.

[...He might need glasses, then.]

Ah, my mistake. I just...

[A pause.]

Well, I thought I remembered discussing her with you. I suppose that was part of the dream.

[Nope, we're not going to bring up that it was the other version of you, why do you ask?]

[Don't worry, he'll go there for you.]

Oh...? I don't recall you saying that I was in any of these dreams of yours.

[...Dammit.]

Perhaps it was the other version of you, then. I don't remember.

I should think you wouldn't find us that interchangeable.

[...that's one of those things that he likely shouldn't have said, isn't it]

...

[...Yep. That was one of those things you should have kept to yourself, Kimblee.]

[RELEASE THE KRAKEN!]

I do not find you interchangeable! You two may have your similarities, but that's it! I would never replace him with anyone! Why the fuck would you ever imply something like that!? You don't mean half as much to me as he does!

[...Shrieking histrionics are always fun, aren't they? And yes, he can manage to screech all this in one breath. He's amazing like that, okay.]

Don't you fucking dare accuse me of that sort of shit!

[And for a good, long moment there's silence; the sudden outburst has clearly startled him, but that isn't the entire reason for the pause. There's a lot to take in there, buried under what Archer just said - implications, mostly, but the conclusion seems obvious.]

That's what he said to you, wasn't it.

[It isn't exactly a question, Archer.]

In this dream of yours...he said you were replacing him with someone else. Is that it?

[The silence doesn't do anything to calm him down, but Archer doesn't continue shrieking either. He normally has better control over himself, or he can at least act like he does. He can't stop the tightening of his fists or the tremors. If he was closer, he'd haul off and hit Kimblee. This isn't the one he's used to, and hitting this one just seems like a terrible idea. Still, he'd do it anyway. He needs to take his frustration out on something or someone after all.]

[Finally Kimblee speaks and Archer's fists tighten. Whatever eye contact there might have been before is broken, and Archer's glaring off somewhere to the left, mouth set in a tight frown. There isn't any verbal answer, but the fact that he's still shaking and looking pissed as hell ought to serve as enough of an answer for Kimblee.]

[It's not a direct answer, no, but it did tell Kimblee exactly what he'd wanted to know, and he's satisfied with it; Carlisle is decidedly less so, shifting his weight a bit and making a bit of an agitated noise. Kimblee can't say that he doesn't understand why - you could cut the tension in the air with a knife, and that tension is a large part of the reason why he isn't recalling Carlisle in the first place. He reaches out to place a hand against the creature's side, a clear indication that he should settle a bit, but otherwise?

Let's just say that hitting Kimblee is a very bad idea indeed, Archer.]

Didn't I tell you that there would be another outburst?

[His tone isn't mocking or cruel, even though it's clear that the question is a rhetorical one; however, it isn't gentle, either. Just very calm.]

I do believe you, you know. When you say you aren't replacing him.

[Archer doesn't respond to the first statement. Yes, of course Kimblee was right. That's only because he was provoked though...! No, okay, Archer does actually agree with Kimblee here; there's no way to pin the blameon anyone else here, unfortunately. That said, he's not going to acknowledge it. Kimblee knows he's always right anyway.]

[It's the second statement that puts Archer at ease though, and he folds his arms slowly.]

Of course you should. I would never replace him.

[There's something in his tone there that makes it sound a hell of a lot more intimate than it should have been, and Archer quickly continues.]

Don't accuse me of anything like that again.

I didn't accuse you of anything in the first place. What I meant was that I would think you would remember which of us you were speaking to; you seem to have come up with the actual accusation on your own.

[Kimblee's own voice is still incredibly blank, tone-wise; there's none of the usual levity behind it, but at the same time, he's refraining from any sort of sharpness or pointed cruelty. Just statements.]

Tell me about this discussion you had with him. I think it would be good for me to know exactly what I should avoid from now on, don't you?

[And once again, Kimblee's right.]

You could have found a different way to phrase it, then.

[But he won't dwell on that. Archer's not entirely sure what to think about that curiously blank tone, but the fact that Kimblee isn't openly mocking him is certainly appreciated.]

...I suppose so. I'd rather not discuss it out here.

[Because it's cold. Maybe there will be some sort of distraction and he won't have to discuss it if they take their time returning to Kimblee's room...? Probably not, but he can hope, right?]

Don't blame me for your lack of self-control.

[And that's where the evenness cracks a bit, a distinct coldness lacing through his words; though he's remaining calm, he isn't pleased.

Either way, however, he recalls Carlisle; he smiles a bit at Archer once he's done so, though the expression stops short of being sincere.]

Shall we, then?

[Come on, then. He's not negotiating.]

[Damn. There's no getting out of this. Archer follows Kimblee anyway; there's no sense in trying to ditch him. Kimblee's persistent, he'll get this out of Archer eventually.]

[He doesn't say anything when they return to Kimblee's room though, instead playing with the sleeves of his jacket absently. Clearly they're the most fascinating things in the world right now.]

[Kimblee ensures the door is closed firmly behind them; again, he remains standing near the door as opposed to sitting down, his back against the wall, his positioning casual.]

So, this dream of yours...?

I believe I've mentioned before that we were... close back home.

[Maybe he does want to talk about it on some level. The words come easily, anyway.]

The majority of the dream reflected that. It certainly felt very real. Toward the end though... He... said something that... Well, it bothered me.

[A pause; Archer knows he's not getting away with stopping there, and he will continue after a moment.]

He blamed me for what happened in Liore.

[Kimblee allows Archer to speak without interruptions, though he tilts his head at that last part, cocking it slightly to the side before he seems to realize what he's doing and correcting the behavior. Archer's never verified exactly what it is that he's talking about now; surely he realizes that.

However, the longer Kimblee thinks about it, the more he realizes that Archer doesn't have to. "Replacing" someone as a friend is one thing, but Kimblee has made it plain that he and Archer aren't friends - that's part of the reason why that outburst was so startling. Kimblee has never claimed to mean more to Archer than anyone else, and he hadn't been sure why it would even be an issue.

But say something had happened in Liore. Perhaps not to Archer, but to his friend - something drastic enough to remove said friend from Archer's life. That wouldn't make the accusation one of emotional replacement, but one of...literal replacement, wouldn't it?

Archer isn't reacting with anger toward his friend, either, so it surely wasn't a fight between them - say, one bad enough to make them cut ties with each other. No, Kimblee is suspecting that the removal was something decidedly more...permanent.

Oh.]

...go on.

004. [Text/Action for Goldenrod City]

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