Burn my Red

...Uh...hi...!

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

There was nothing Dawn could say or even do. It was as if his words slapped the words out of her. All she could do is wait for him to explain himself. If he could even do that, the guy was taking his sweet time and it was so agonizing.

As he continued to talk, Dawn tried to put it together. This was getting nowhere and it was starting to give her a headache. Red kept talking about eyes, which was starting to get rather creepy. She didn’t think the way she looked at others was any different? What could her eyes possibly reveal about her? 

Either this guy was going a little crazy or he really hated her eyes. They weren’t anything alike, so all of this didn’t interest her at all. There was a chance they may have had similar experiences, but the results were completely different. The two were just far too different, Dawn was no stuttering wimp and didn’t like the idea of relating to one. 

Red’s question made her flinch back, freeing her of the paralysis. Was he trying to insult her or was he curious? Whatever, there was no harm in telling him, but the way he phrased it… “Yeah, I am. If you were looking for the Champion of this region, you’re looking at her. What’s it to ya, anyway?” Dawn wasn’t trying to be intimidating this time, just plain curious. 

[cardinalcase]

And there it was. Smacked in the face with the faintest possibility as a reality. Dawn was the Champion of this region. Red didn't actually think his rhetorical question would get a straight answer, much less not one of that caliber. It was his turn to be somewhat gripped by shock now.

"Ah d-d-dwh-w-what?!"

The syllables of sputtering nonsense came out faster than he could comprehend it. "Y-You...You're a-actually the Regional Champion?" Red's stuttering got worse in his shock, so he started to lower his voice a bit. A self defense mechanism, if you will. "I didn't...I just...I was...I..um...oh wow uhm..."

Red was really quite speechless. He supposed he should just come right out with it now. Because, this was in fact, exactly what the two had in common. Both of them were champions, reduced to gambling to avoid it all. 

"Well...I'm a...You see...I guess I could say...I was a Champion too. O-Of...In..In Kanto..." Damn his speech impediment. It made him sound so weak and pathetic. He hated it. Red pulled the brim of his cap over his face in an attempt to hide the humiliation his own talking gave him.

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

"Ah… well." Dawn stopped her sentence there for she really had nothing to say. It was true that it could they would just end up going back to the way they were before. That wasn’t exactly what she had planned to do nor wanted to do because that was unnecessary. Ugh, she didn’t know what to do.

Oh yeah, he was here before she arrived and who knows how long he had been playing. This was such a difficult thing to think about and a nap sounded good about now. Ah, whatever, it was better than doing Champion stuff that she constantly ran away from.

"Huh?" She gave him a confused look as he talked about what had happened so far. OK, where was this guy even going with this? If he wanted to fight, there was a lot of things she could talk about! Just that stutter of his made her want to knock his teeth out… Only that would add to the whole thing that he was getting at. This whole thing wouldn’t have even happened if she just used her fist instead of her mouth!

Wait. 

The last thing he said just made her lose all her words and then forgot about everything. What sort of nonsense was Red spouting now? He saw himself in her eyes…? That was just idiotic, he knew nothing about her and they were no way alike! A part of her wanted to tell him off, but this was one of the few times where she just couldn’t do anything.

Opening her mouth to speak, only a weak sound escaped. 

[cardinalcase]

'Crap...'

Red hecked up now, no going back. He just ran his mouth off. If he felt comfortable with speaking his mind more he'd be a lot more chatty, but this may have been too far. The teen tried to gauge her emotion, but he couldn't quite figure it out. That cute little excuse of a verbal expression didn't help either.

"I mean...um...well...." Outside of battle, Red must have sounded like he was all bark and no bite, but believe me, it's in there. Somewhere, maybe. He searched for his words. He had to make this concise, and make sure it contained as little belittling of either party possible.

"I guess, I think, like, I don't know! Like when you stared at me and I looked into your eyes it felt like I w-was looking into a mirror or something. Like, I-I've seen that kind of stuff in my own eyes!!" He gestured crudely to his eyes with two fingers, and the back to hers. "It was weird and it f-freaked me out. I don't even know why I'd feel or think that."

He lowered his head a little. "It's not like you're some kind of C-Champion anyway, right?" He really didn't know what it was about her gaze that reminded him so much of himself. He definitely didn't have extreme mood swings, though. And now he's completely paralyzed her with his dumb panicking. Maybe he should just leave while he still can...

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

"Red…" Dawn repeated his name just to be sure. That sort of name was rather uncommon, but who was she to judge? Seriously, her mother named her Dawn of all names. Sometimes she wished that her name was tougher, intimidating and cool. Like blue eyes white dragon.

Tilting her head, she waited for him to finished the sentence he started. Before, the two were just taunting each other…? If he wanted to talk smack, then he can go ahead. Who was she to stop him? She’d talk smack right back at him. Just in case, Dawn thought of some insults to be ready for this maybe smack talk showdown. 

"Huh?" Shocked, she just blankly stared at Red. Did he really think that the bet meant that much to her? Boy, did he have to learn. The whole glaring thing was somewhat understandable, but she didn’t think she was that scary. “Well, alright. If it makes you feel better, I’ll follow your wishes.” Shrugging it off, Dawn tried not to smirk. Was it working? Who knows.

"Shall we go another round?"

[cardinalcase]

Red tilted his head. He was pretty sure this girl was either nuts or had the worst mood swings this side of Kanto. "Again?... We both know w-what's gonna happen." He said. The guy was 99.9% sure that he'd lose and she'd click three 7s by some stroke of miracle luck. Arceus forbid that he even get a matching pair of symbols.

"I'm...almost out of coins anyway." He didn't feel like buying more either. At least not in his current mood. He finally felt like his butt was getting out of the quicksand that was the stool. It probably had a scented imprint of both his cheeks by now. 

Red decided he wasn't really in the mood to deal with the constant changes in behavior from Dawn. "O-Ok, What's even u-up with you??" he asked rather bluntly. "I-I mean like... not trying to be rude but...first you like wanna beat me at slots, then my loss makes you angry, then you give me this s-soul piercing glare and I see m-myself in your eyes and..."

He'd gone off quite enough, he realized. He slapped his mouth with his palm, covering it adequately and muffling his trailing, loud mouthed thoughts. Red was half concerned he made her angry again but honestly she was so confusing he didn't give a shit. Maybe he could talk her into being casual again so he could escape, if necessary.

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

Finally, she got a better look at him and it was really something else. Someone dressed in such a way… You’d think they’d be a little different, but Dawn already knew that she shouldn’t be one to judge people. Still, she just felt so pissed off that it was so unbearable. Something had to be done to fix this urge. 

This was not her first encounter with this sort of thing, but it was different this time around. Unable to understand why it was different, it only made her look even more angry. There was just something that struck her as odd but Arceus knows what it was. Might as well stop this since the poor guy was about to poop himself.

Deeply sighing, the girl relaxed her face. “That’s it, I give up.” With sluggish movements, Dawn set her coins aside and looked at the scared boy. “You make me wanna punch a thousand bricks nonstop, y’know? Well, a lot of people make me feel that way, but people like you make me wanna do it right away.” The trainer stopped talking to think about what she should say to be more friendly.

"The name’s Dawn. You?"

[cardinalcase]

Okay, this girl was making 180s everywhere. Red swore he felt his head start to spin  when she suddenly decided to turn friendly after telling him that he made her want to punch a brick. What the hell did she mean by that? It wasn't a very nice thing to say because of the implications, but whatever.

Still sunk in his seat, he meekly replied. "Red...I-I'm Red..." He tried to relax because it seems like she might be trying to be friendly, but he was finding it difficult. God dammit Red stop being such a wimp! You've met trainers scarier looking than her! (And sounding too, for that matter)

"Just...." He really didn't know if he should finish that question. So he just sort of went through his mind to try and make up some other poor excuse of a communication attempt instead. For a boy that beat "the most powerful trainer in the world," he sure was pathetic.

"Just...don't glare a-at me like that again. You won your bet, okay?"

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

Dawn was feeling pretty great right now, for showing people up was one of her favorite things to do. That was probably really terrible of her, but she felt like she deserved to feel good about herself. A little confidence never killed nobody. Well maybe if you got so confident that you did something stupid. 

The girl began to put away a few coins and didn’t even glance at him. He asked how, but she wasn’t even sure if there was an answer to that. Each time she gambled, Dawn got serious and just focused on the game. Practice helped a lot, but that wasn’t a good answer, was it? 

All her amusement faded as soon as the guy got a little… down? As much as she liked crushing people, it was pretty sad to see people get frustrated with themselves. It made her angry. Dawn stopped picking the coins to glare at him. This was not about to happen today, not if she was able to stop. 

If she could extract some confidence from herself and slap it onto this guy, she’d do it in a heartbeat. 

[cardinalcase]

Red looked up just a moment and he was met with her glare. A glare. What the heck was she glaring at him for? For cussing in a public place? For being a whining brat about a casino game? Whatever it was it was really unnerving him suddenly. That social anxiety kicked in. Yeah, the kind where you just regret ever making verbal contact with the person.

"W-What're you staring at?!"

The guy was irritated and not in the mood for nonsense. The black eyes that pierced his soul. Something about the way they looked seemed kinda familiar though. Like he was looking into a mirror or something. What gave him that feel? Creepy and intimidating. Not a good combo. He sort of sank into his stool, contemplating making a run for it.

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

"I’ll do just that!" Dawn said back to him. There were few things that she was good at and that was battling, hiding and gambling. When she was on her journey, the trainer spent a lot of time in the Game Corner. Those hours of hardcore training weren’t for nothing. 

Click. Dawn prepared herself for the next one. For whatever reason, she wanted to show up this guy. Focusing on the machine, another click was heard. Two so far, and the next one could mess her up. Honestly, the girl felt relieved when the guy next to her missed. If she lost, it wasn’t like he had much room to speak. 

"You might as well start giving me your lunch money." Was she joking? Oh well, that didn’t matter right now. Her hands felt sweaty as she concentrated on the game. Ready… click!

 ”Aw yes! Suck on that, punk!” Dawn rejoiced as the coins began to pour into her lap. Oh man, she was sure lucky that the symbols matched up. Now that was real luck. 

[cardinalcase]

Red could feel his heart drop when he heard that triumphant dinging and saw that waterfall of gold drizzling upon her legs. His eyes must have been as wide as dinner plates. Nobody is really sure why the Champion-of-Kanto-in-hiding is so easily impressed by this girl's ability to manipulate the slots, but color him green with envy.

"H..H-how did you do that?!" Once again, his stuttering put in emotions that weren't really there. The brunette looked over in defeat at his own mismatched reels. None of the symbols even lined up. It was as if he ran out of his luck all those years ago. 

"I can't even work this things back home... I-it pisses me off! They're rigged, I tell you!" Just about the only time Red loses his cool and expresses a negative feeling other than lonliness or anxiety is when he's angry at the slots. Those damned machines that wont give him his money. At least that;s how he views it. He really needs to find a different game to play at casinos.

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

Hearing the other attempt to be tough made her laugh. If he was going to come at her, he better try harder than that. Dawn sloppily removed the coins on her lap and placed them elsewhere. This wasn’t the time to be bothered to put them away properly. 

"You have a good point." She began. "It could have been sweet luck," the girl giggled, "but let me tell you that that was skills, kid.” Then she pulled the lever and got serious all over again. Dawn didn’t really care who this guy was, she was determined to beat this guy. 

Dawn did have a tendency to pick fights with strangers, but it was the first time it happened over a silly game. It didn’t matter, she was great at this game and she was about to crush this guy and then glue him back together just to crush him again.

[cardinalcase]

Something about this girl's arrogance really rubbed Red the wrong way. He had no idea who she was, but as far as he was concerned, she had no right to be trash talking up and down the street that way. Admittedly though, he was the one who provoked it. "Tch! Win again, and then maybe we'll c-call it skill."

Still, he had a reason to be a bit... hostile towards a certain level of cockiness. Click, Click, miss again! "Nnnrggh!!" He'd really had it with these machines. Still, Red's gambling addiction had him pumping more coins in and getting none out. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears when those reels locked in place.

He looked over at the girl again. For her attitude, she really didn't look the part. His anger toward the machines quickly turned into an embarrassed pout as he watched her playing her machine. 'What if she does win again...' he thought.

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

[lightprotector]

It had probably been over half a year since Dawn had last been in the Game Corner. She had other stuff to do, like being a Champion and avoiding being a Champion. Seriously, it was a lot of work!

Dawn knew she wouldn’t win right away, but there was that good feeling in her that she could do anything. One click, the girl was sure to be careful about her next movement. Click, the two symbols lined up. Right when she was about to make her last move, the person next to her complained. 

Somehow, that just built up her confidence. No one wins that easily dude, Dawn thought to herself. Only if you’re me, than winning is easy. Click, three symbols lined up. Each one was the same. 

"Yay!" She let out a cheerful cry. Glancing at the person next to her, the Champion smirked. 

[cardinalcase]

Red couldn't believe his luck today. He'd probably been sitting here for at least an hour, he'd wager, if not more. And at various different slot machines in the room too. But mostly the same results. His coin case was diminishing rapidly, but he wanted to play more, and win more. Was that so much to ask?

Before he could go on a mental Shakespearean tirade though, he heard the slot machine next to himself ding three times. "Huh?" He took a peek over and saw that the reels on her machine had clicked into perfect alignment. Cold, hard coinage poured into her lap, and he noticed her smirk.

"S-So you think you're good at it because you won once?" It was hard trying to sound even remotely smug when you stuttered almost everything you say. He pulled the lever on his machine again for another go.

[cardinalcase]

((Aah! Sorry peeps I got a little carried away with a personal weekend project, but now I'm here and I'll get to following some of y'all back and starting threads here soon this week!))

[lightprotector]

7 7 7

Dawn rarely visited Veilstone City and when she did, there was only one reason as to why she did. Veilstone City was rather chilly and though she liked the cold, it was a boring city. Hopefully Maylene would never find out about what Dawn thought of Veilstone. Getting beat up by a Gym Leader wasn’t on her bucket list. 

The trainer strutted through Veilstone until she found herself at her destination. The game corner. Loudly opening the door, she made the most serious face she could make.

Immediately, she went straight to sitting next to some interesting looking guy. She didn’t get a good look at them, since at the moment she didn’t care. Getting all set up, Dawn began to play away and showed off her skills. 

[cardinalcase]

It was a new region. New places to explore, new Pokémon to see, new people to meet. But here he was, at the slot machines in the Game Corner. A rather old and familiar experience to him. The brunette ex-champion told himself he'd play "just one game", but we all know that's not how it works.

Red lost track of the time. He didn't really notice someone sitting next to him, or any thing around him. His eyes were glued to the reels with an intense concentration. One symbol lined up...Two...

"Ggh! C-Cheating piece of crap!" His usually rather soft voice echoed loudly. Between the tone of his voice and his poor choice of words, he must have sounded like a child having a tantrum... which is just about what this amounts to, but don't tell anyone that.

[cardinalcase]

[New Gameverse!Red indie RP blog on the block!]

((Looking for other gameverse characters to play with! Give me a message or like/reblog and we'll see if we can get something going maybe! ★))