the rock

Roark here! Oreburgh Gym Leader, fossil enthusiast, resident tough guy. Show me your potential, Trainer!

[flowerbearingpichu]

Lost in Who Knows Where || Riley & Roark

[flowerbearingpichu]

"Terrible." Riley stated rather bluntly, before adding on. "Or just.. the way it’s always looked I suppose."

Shrugging slightly, he wasn’t able to put words to how he thought Roark looked. Riley had a large vocabulary, but most of his words were for completely different purposes, not for social gathering. Riley didn’t take much care for his appearance, especially while he was on Iron Island. Sure, he did the usual things for hygiene but he didn’t care much for anything else like his hair, as of such it grew out rather messy.

"Yes.. those are caves.. They have walls, and you can map them out in your mind. This is a forest.. There is gross bugs and so many trees and you can never really map it out because there’s always an area someone doesn’t know about or someone can get lost because it always looks the exact same." He groaned, before following Roark along slowly, calculating the probability that the older male would get them lost. Looking around, Riley could’ve sworn they’d been here before. "Hey.. Roark.. does this place look the same to you..? It’s possible that I had walked this way before but I’m not sure.."

[genbugan]

"At least in a forest you have landmarks. That tree--" (pointing to a gnarled and twisted oak) "--is different to that one--" (gesturing to the thin white trunk of a birch, further off in the distance) "--and in caves all you get is just rocks. Well, I mean, there's no such thing as just rocks," he corrected himself hastily, more for the sake of his own rock fanaticism than any chance of somehow offending Riley. Now that the other man mentioned it, though... It really was all starting to look the same.

Roark slowed to a stop, looking about them with brows furrowed. "No, I'm pretty sure this is... different... um." Nope. Nope, it was exactly the same place they'd just walked through. He could even see the clear trail of prints where they'd flattened the grass underfoot. Okay, maybe him taking the lead was a mistake. Caves might be mazelike, and he might be an expert at those, but at least caves had a definite beginning and end instead of just... trees.

He really could not wait to get back to Oreburgh.

Seeming troubled, Roark took a step back, indicating for Riley to take the lead. "Okay, I've had a turn, you try now," he declared, electing to forget that Riley was the one who had got himself lost in the first place. Surely he couldn't do any worse than they had so far.

[genbugan]

Rocky Waters || { Roark + Steven }

[daigokun-deactivated20141117]

Steven laughed, “Would you like me to share some with you?” Then answered his question. “Oh! I guess it’s far from home, but I’ve been farther,” he let out a small laugh. “This isn’t the first time I’ve come to Sinnoh. Today, I decided to give the excellent Explorer Kit a try.” He was practically glowing now. Remembering how much fun digging was. Oh, boy. If it wasn’t for work back in Hoenn, he wouldn’t mind staying another day or two.

He looked over at Roark who was now looking troubled once again. W-wha… Was it something he said? Roark was looking a lot better before he mentioned Byron. That was when he heard his reply. Oh, his father. Nice. Nice going, Steven. Way to ruin the mood. “Your father, huh?” Guilty, Steven felt guilty. He should have been paying more attention to the conversation between Byron and himself. “No, he only mentioned you a few times. I was only wondering since you looked like the description he gave me.” 

Right when everything was goes well, he just had to be the party pooper. Knowing that Byron and Roark were related made Steven feel a bit better. That didn’t last long since it made the young man sitting next to him feel bad. That’s when he thought of something. “You know… your father and yourself remind me of my father and myself,” Sighing, he continued. “We… never really connected. Of course, it has gotten better but, I’m sure you too well truly feel like family.”

[genbugan]

"The Explorer Kit?" Roark brightened up in an instant, twisting in his seat to look at Steven properly. "My grandpa made that! Did you enjoy it? Did you pick up anything cool?" He knew he was being kind of... embarrassing about this, but honestly he was just excited to find someone outside of Oreburgh with any interest in digging. Especially digging on Sinnoh soil. Not to brag, but the Sinnoh Underground was pretty cool as far as rocks went.

Sighing, Roark settled back in his seat, running a hand through his hair as he listened to Steven talk. It didn't exactly help, what the other man was telling him, but it was kind of comforting to know that he wasn't alone in mediocre-at-best father-son relationships. The young man shrugged. "It's... not really a big deal. Time heals all wounds, right? I'm just giving it time." Years and years, apparently. 'Giving it time' was a convenient excuse that meant he didn't have to explain that he was doing his best to avoid his father at every turn (not that there ever were many). Admittedly, being in the same League hadn't really helped with that, but Roark could be crafty when it came to holding pointless grudges.

The miner climbed to his feet, squinting past the ferry at the gentle roll of the waves. "Enough about that, though! Don't we have a ferry to catch?" The thought of getting on that boat still made him feel sick but he felt like not being alone would definitely help. Somehow.

[flowerbearingpichu]

Lost in Who Knows Where || Riley & Roark

[flowerbearingpichu]

Riley forced himself not to swear in surprise at seeing someone, a good friend- until Roark’s father decided to create the whole Gym leader problem,  however a rather genuine smile formed on his face after watching Roark nearly poke his eye out.

"It has been a while, hasn’t it, Roark," Riley said with his usual tone, although he wanted to sound happier to see the old friend. "You certainly look different. What are you missing.. Perhaps you got a new haircut?" While his voice was completely void of a joking tone, it was easy to tell he was joking. Looking around himself, he sighed as Roark’s voice trailed off, giving off warning signs in Riley’s head that they were both equally lost. "Yes.. ‘You’ll figure it out’, alright, supervisor, lead the way..” He waved his hands in a sign to begin moving.

[genbugan]

He couldn't suppress a bit of a huff at the lack of excitement or really any positive emotion in Riley's tone, though in a way that was good--it meant that he hadn't changed much from the Riley he knew as a boy. His memory of all the time they'd spent together still held up well enough for Roark to read the other's 'true emotions', so to speak, or at least the ones he was unable to express particularly well.

The Gym Leader laughed, tossing his head dramatically so the little ponytail bounced. "You think? I've actually been growing it out, how's it look?" As it happened, he actually had, though not intentionally; any appointments he booked with the hairdresser were mysteriously canceled or he simply forgot and worked through the allotted time (nobody could ever cut it how he liked it, anyway).

Roark's grin didn't falter at Riley's evident lack of faith in his navigation. "Come on, how hard can it be? I've found my way out of caves worse than this." Not that the two were anything alike. Or that the miner ever set foot in a forest. Nah, they'd be fine. If need be he'd just send his Archeops out to help navigate. "This way--!" And he set off in the direction he was pretty sure he'd come from, glancing back every couple of steps to make sure Riley was following.

[genbugan]

Rocky Waters || { Roark + Steven }

[daigokun-deactivated20141117]

Waiting for a reply, Steven saw that the young man was a little startled by his question. He observed his actions and tilted his head, waiting for response. Taking a closer look at the young man, he looked… a little familiar. A while ago, he talked to Byron, the gym leader in this city. He said he had a son that looked sort of like the young man in front of him. Red hair, glasses… hmm… Of course that could be anyone…

                     » “Just seasick.” «

Oh! So that’s why he looked all tense. He tried to say something about but all he could manage was an “Oh?” That was probably stupid. He should have said something else. When the young man introduced himself, he knew that name. “Hello, Roark,” Steven was excited, he always liked meeting new people. “My name is Steven. I’m not from around here. I’m from your neighboring region, Hoenn,” He pointed at the ferry, “I’m supposed to take the ferry back home as well. It’s a shame that you don’t riding them. It’s sort of fun!”

This was his chance to ask him if he knew Byron, just to make sure. “If you don’t mind me asking you this, do you know who Byron is? You look sort of familiar.” Then he added, “N-not that I’ve seen you before. Byron gave me a description of someone that looks kind of like you!” 

[genbugan]

Steven from Hoenn, huh? The name did ring a bell, and not for the first time Roark wished he paid more attention to what happened in the other regions. Not that he ever knew much about the goings-on in Sinnoh, either; mostly he just kept up with the comings and goings of people in the League and if anything else was important enough, well, someone would probably tell him.

"Fun? Jeez, wanna share some of that optimism with me?" Roark laughed, tipping his head to one side curiously after a moment. "It's kind of a long way to come, right? What brought you over?" Not that he expected there to be a reason; after all, he was the guy who could barely explain how he'd ended up on the path to another region.

And then there was that name. His smile became a little strained at the mention of his father, shifting his gaze to one side. "Uh, yeah. Yep, I know him, he's my dad. Why, has he been telling stories about me?" This with another laugh, trying to keep up the appearance that yep, he was fine. Keep it cool, Roark. No use getting all weird about dad of the year in front of someone you've just met.

[flowerbearingpichu]

Lost in Who Knows Where || OPEN

Riley had been practically forced outside that cave on his favourite place on the planet by his favourite person on the planet, his father. Always insisting that he should go explore different places and different regions, always pushy, but loving. Sighing, he leaned against a tree in Arceus knows where. He didn’t bring a bag along, thinking he’d only be out for a short trip, but ended up being attacked by a lot of Pokémon. A lot. He hadn’t even brought healing items along! He glanced at his Lucario, who’d seemed to have not taken much damage and let out another sigh. Riley pushed himself off the tree after contemplating to himself, and began to walk ahead, hoping to get out of this awful maze of a forest. Brushing against someones shoulder, activated his habit of apologising for just about everything, and he turned toward the person he ‘bumped’ into.

"Sorry about that.." Riley always had a whispery tone to his voice, so he wasn’t sure whether he said that loud enough. Did he? "Um.. I’m Riley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.. I’m sorta.. lost." Admitting it in his thoughts was hard enough, saying it out loud to a stranger was on a completely different scale in Riley’s books.

[genbugan]

It would be just Roark's luck that the one time he took his glasses off to clean them while walking he collided with someone else. Really, he should have sat down somewhere to do it, or at least not taken the risk of moving while his range of vision was limited to about three inches in front of him, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. At least it wasn't an angry pokemon. You couldn't really apologise to a charging Tauros.

"Riley, huh? Sorry, I'm... Wait, Riley?" The young man almost poked his eye out with one of the arms in his rush to put his glasses back in, eager to get a proper look at the man he hadn't seen in--oh, forever. (Probably for a good reason, considering the whole Gym Leader debacle back in the day, but that was behind them and really he only blamed Byron for that.)

In any case, it was no wonder Riley hadn't recognised Roark. The miner had forgone his usual work gear in favour of something more practical for trekking through a forest. He wasn't even wearing his hardhat for once, and considering he sometimes slept cuddled up with it, that was saying something. Add to that his hair pulled up in a ponytail and the surprising lack of decorating his features and he was practically a whole new man.

"If you're lost you could just tag along with me," he suggested. "I was gonna head further in but I don't mind escorting you... out..." His voice trailed off as he looked around, trying to take stock of their surroundings. The trees didn't look as familiar as he'd hoped, but... A grin spread across his face despite himself as he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "No problem! I'll figure it out, I'm sure!"

[genbugan]

kanoaura replied to your post:what are your ships?

i heard haganeshipping *wiggles eyebrows*

[ (MUFFLED YELLING) ]

[genbugan]

what are your ships?

[ honestly? anything. anything! 0: i love all ships equally. all of them. but some more equally than others. haganeshipping ]

[genbugan]

{ Roark + Steven }

[daigokun-deactivated20141117]

After a small visit in Sinnoh, Steven decided it was time to head off. Usually, he’d have Skarmory give him a ride but since it’s flying across Sinnoh to Hoenn, it would probably make Skarmory and himself tired. He rather just ride the ferry back home. Surprisingly, Steven enjoyed riding in ferries. He’s quite scared of the water but at same time he loved it. Especially back in Hoenn where the ocean was a beautiful shade of blue. 

Oh, you’re probably wondering why Steven even decided to go to Sinnoh in the first place. His friend told him that they have great areas to dig for minerals. Everyone who knew Steven knows that he wouldn’t say no when the topic shifts to rocks. Steven had great enthusiasm when came down to geology. Although, he had high hopes to meet someone with the same kind of passion didn’t happen. He did enjoy using the explorer kit, though.

So here he was, sitting on a bench for two in Canalave City. Ready to leave Sinnoh and return back to home. He still had time before the ferry left and was deciding whether or not to head into the library or wait outside. Sigh. No idea. Suddenly, he noticed that someone sat down next to him. He has never seen this young man before. Could he be heading into town soon? Maybe he may be boarding the ferry? He looked a little worried.

Steven heard him mumbling something. Curious, he started to say something to young man. “Hey! What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”  

[genbugan]

Roark's mumbled mantra of "I'm not going no way absolutely not", rinse and repeat, was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. Oh, right. He'd just unceremoniously thrown himself down next to someone. He was pretty sure that was rude. Next time he'd remember to ask if it was okay to sit there for sure. (At least this time he could blame it on extenuating circumstances, like being a scared baby.)

The young man straightened up slowly, taking a couple of deep breaths before he trusted himself to speak without his voice cracking. "Just seasick," he replied with an apologetic smile. Pausing again before he introduced himself, he took a moment to look the other over, taking in his unfamiliar experience. He didn't look like a Sinnoh native. Maybe he was from Kalos or something? The--was that a cravat?--was certainly fancy enough for a place like that.

"Um--I'm Roark," he continued after a moment, deciding to forgo the handshake this time around, seeing as they were sitting side by side and it wasn't really practical. "I'm just over from Oreburgh. I was supposed to be heading off somewhere on that thing--" (this with a gesture to the offending ferry) "--but boats and I don't really get along." A sheepish grin crossed his face. Yeah, understatement of the century.

[genbugan]

Roark wasn't the kind of guy to take holidays. He enjoyed spending his time working in the mine, or battling in the Gym whenever a challenger came by; he loved his hometown and never felt any particular drive to leave; even if he did, he knew he'd fret far too much about the state of things at home to ever have a really good time away.

This time, however, everyone had insisted. They'd pooled their funds to get him away on a proper holiday. Roark had been pretty sure that that was a thing that only happened on TV, but here he was, standing in Canalave, in front of the ferry that was set to carry him off to some region or other. He wasn't really sure which one. He'd been too focused on the ferry part, and the fact that he got horribly seasick, and really he just hated boats in general, and also the water, and he couldn't swim and what if the ferry sank--

No, nope, not a chance. He wasn't going. There was no way he was getting on that boat. He was going to go back to Oreburgh, and make up some excuse for why he couldn't go, and find a way to refund the ticket so it would be like his friends had never wasted their money on this stupid holiday.

Roark sat heavily down on a bench next to someone he barely noticed, too focused on the way his head had started spinning from just watching the waves. He'd just take a moment or two to feel better, and then he'd set off when he didn't feel like he was about to pass out.

[genbugan]

okay maybe not. BUT ANYWAY it's great to be here and i'm really excited to rp with you all?!?! YEAH!! so just let me know if you want to plot or you want me to write a starter or something! ; v; ]

[autocaptionedroark]