━━━ the courtyard holds no significance to the structure of the elementary school in terms of a patrol route, so the red pyramid does not typically bother to idle there. that being the case, She does not command him needlessly. the servant obediently follows the Entity’s trail of whispers out towards the courtyard; the drag of the great knife nothing but white noise to him.
heavy, humid pants of breath force steam from the vents of his helm - an unfamiliar, thick scent of the woods permeating the courtyard’s damp soil. a low growl reverberates from the executioner’s chest in wordless warning.
the slow sway of his helmet back & forth as he searches for a trespasser, the gentle patter of rain against the cool metal: the executioner is watching... for someone. watching shifts effortlessly into waiting, as no trial has begun, but something is THERE.
he’s wrapping something around jake’s hand, taking a strange mixture of herbs and putting them together in this weird paste he had concocted. “ okay, there, you should be good now, “ he states, looking behind them just in case. no one’s coming. not yet at least. the cop quickly grabs something out of his pants pocket and puts it in jake’s. “ here, “ leon’s giving the other survivor a flashbang. “ just in case things get rough out there, i don’t want you getting hurt again. at least this’ll give you a way out for a few seconds. “ a way to hide. it’s something and leon’s at least trying. always caring, always looking after everyone else except for himself.
Antonio dislikes big cities, and while that extends to Jubilife City sometimes, he can’t say that he hates his hometown. It can be busy and loud, packed to the brim with people during rush hour that he just wants the ground to swallow him up as a means of escaping. But he also understands that it’s this heavy foot traffic that gives his family business. Without customers, the bakery wouldn’t last as long as it has.
And when the city is not overwhelming his senses and raising his anxiety through the roof, it truly is not a bad place. Jubilife has everything that you can imagine-- from boutiques to cafes, there’s probably a store out there for everyone. Antonio personally likes to check out the local cafes and restaurants. He likes tasting different kinds of cuisine (and especially their desserts) as a means of expanding his palate, which is useful when it comes to developing new recipes for the bakery.
Today is going to be one of his experiment days. There’s a new cafe that opened up recently with mixed reviews. Though, it’s generally agreed on that their pies were to die for. Antonio wants to taste this out for himself. Sweet Dreams Bakery has yet to churn out their own pies, but that’s not to say it won’t happen in the future. When they have more space and workforce, it’s a very real possibility.
Dressed in clothes befitting for the end of Winter, Antonio steps out, Paddy as always walking by his right side. Colder temperatures sometimes makes his eye itch, so he opts for a regular black eye patch to cover it today. He specifically went out at this time cause there’s usually less people, but for some reason, the traffic is similar to that of rush hour.
Antonio swallows upon seeing the bustling crowd, fingers digging into the strap of his messenger bag. He could feel the anxiety slowly seeping in. He doesn’t want to face this many people, but he already put the effort in coming out here, so he might as well see it through. If it gets too much, he has Fiorre and her Aromatherapy to help him out.
Assured by that fact, he fully intends on making it to the cafe--only to almost bump into someone that he failed to notice, despite Paddy’s clicks. Antonio quickly takes several steps back, shame flooding his cheeks.
“I-I’m so sorry!” he squeaks out. It’s not like he actually bumped into the other, but it’s the fact he almost did in his blind spot that feels like a blow to his stomach. “I d-didn’t se-- notice you there...”
"You getting tired back there?” Dawn calls over the lapping waters, her Empoleon furiously propelling their makeshift raft through the waves. He gargles in response, and his trainer returns to her manga, sheltering herself from the sun’s rays by use of parasol. All throughout her initial journey, she’d hear people talk of the curiosities surrounding Iron Island; it’s history, readily available through various resources, is still shrouded in enough mystery to spark an immense interest.
And today’s the day, she’s decided, to see exactly what all the fuss is about!
The sun above, beating furiously upon the duo, finds solace behind several clouds. Dawn wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and squints through the lingering rays: an imposing silhouette now towers above the horizon, growing larger by the minute, while remaining a decent distance away.
The trainer closes her eyes, and leans back. “This was such a good idea,” she hums to herself, enjoying the cloud cover. She drifts in and out of sleep for what feels like hours, but could’ve lasted no longer than twenty minutes, with the cloud cover intensifying, and the sky growing terribly, terribly dark. Only when those clouds open and the downpour begins, does she scramble to her knees.
“What the-” she clasps the parasol tightly, but to no avail, as the wind kicks up and wrestles it from grip. Iron Island looms right before her now, and Empoleon picks up his pace, desperately trying to protect his trainer from any dangers at sea. Unfortunately, the ocean has a mind of its own, and the waves begin rocking at a cataclysmic rate.
“W-We’re almost there!” Her voice drowns out in the deluge, with the combers surrounding them reaching frightening heights. In mere moments, her raft — a project of group effort, constructed just earlier in the day — is lifted into the air. She can only brace herself for whatever’s to come. “Hold tight, Empoleon!”
But the two are unable to get good footing where there isn’t any footing to be had: the wave, gathering all its strength, sends the pair flying through the ocean spray. Dawn subsides her panic in order to yell a quick command. ‘Aqua Jet!’
With a swiftness, Empoleon catapults his trainer through the air, sticking a near-perfect landing on the rocky shore of the island. Dawn, shaken but unharmed, watches as her raft smashes violently into a sea stack, the wreckage swallowed up by the storm almost immediately. Together with her Pokemon, she beelines towards the mouth of the mines, desperately trying to sustain shelter from the howling winds.
“What the hell kinda storm is this,” she gasps for air, lightning now ripping the sky wide open. Empoleon, a stern look across his face, turns towards the mine’s innards, clearly being alerted to a presence that lurks within. It takes a few minutes before Dawn herself also picks up on the fact that the two might not be alone.
what was the distortion world like? do you still think of it? + dare you to pretend you're a bird and eat cereal off the ground (outside) using only your mouth!
“No way you’re getting me in that cage!” Dawn folds her arms, defiant as hell, looking at the gilded stage prop with disgust. Her ‘Twinleaf princess’ persona is showing in full force, especially after being subjugated to shampooing her head. That was certainly enough embarrassment for the day!
Still, the alternative? To revisit the horrors and oddities of the Distortion World. Something that, over time, has caused her less distress. Still, what a tale.
“Well,” she brings an inquisitive hand to her cheek, eyes wandering off into space. It’s been so long, you’d expect for her to have only a hazy recollection of the kind of place the Distortion World is. Yet, she remembers it as if it were yesterday, as if no time had passed whatsoever.
“Not sure if you’re the roller-coaster type, but literally, the entire time it feels like your stomach is sitting at the top of your throat. The air— or, whatever it is, I’m not even sure it is air— is so hard to breathe, it feels like your lungs are being crushed. I felt really lightheaded. Colors warp and light bends and the creatures...” she has to relieve a huge sigh, still not having a grasp on exactly what kinds of beings inhabit that space. “They’re like a collage of all the nightmares you can imagine. I can still see them, sometimes, in my sleep...
I wouldn’t go back for anything. And I hope I never have to.”
🌱 - Plant seedlings with my muse 🤛🏼 - Show my muse how to throw a proper punch both for toni w/ gen! :)
🌱 - Plant seedlings with my muse
It had been a suggestion by his Mama. Since they had plans on introducing some more savory breads, they would need some herbs and spices to experiment with. While they can just buy it at the grocery store, she believes that being fully involved in the process, which included growing the ingredients itself, would make them more appreciative.
Antonio is all for it, which is why she handed the task of planting the seedlings in a little section of the yard that his Mama set aside for this project. Since Gen had conveniently been in the city, he asked if they’d like to help him out. Which is how Antonio had the aura guardian and Shion in his backyard, knelt on the ground with the equipment needed to plant these seedlings.
“U-Um, I think Mama wanted it to be in a r-row…” Antonio turned his attention to his friend, who had discarded their nice jacket as to avoid getting it dirtied. Shion meanwhile is gingerly holding onto a trowel with his paws, giving it a little sniff.
“Alright. So…” Gen held up one of the packet of seeds. “Maybe we can plant the seedlings in one row, and the seeds in the other?”
Antonio nods, smiling. He swipes back his bangs, then puts on the gloves. “A-Alright, let’s get to work.”
It’s not how he expected to spend a Saturday evening, but the sense of accomplishment from doing a good job, as well as the pleasant company of a friend makes it more than worth it.
Getting treated with a cold drink and some of Mama’s sandwiches afterwards is merely the icing on the cake.
🤛🏼 - Show my muse how to throw a proper punch
It had merely been out of curiosity. Antonio had lived in Jubilife for most of his life, rarely venturing far from the city. He was never an outdoors-y kind of guy, nor the type that participated in any physical activity. He didn’t have much by way of stamina or strength, but he had decent speed and arm strength from his years spent in the kitchen. Whisking, kneading, rolling – they really test you.
So hearing of Gen’s tales and learning more on what he’s capable of doing with aura, he wonders how capable he is in a fight. Like, sure he has aura to help him, but without it, he must still be pretty strong, yeah?
An innocent question on his physical strength led to a conversation of hand to hand combat, which then ended in a demonstration. Antonio watched intently as Gen took a stance, looking relaxed until he suddenly threw what looked to be a mean straight punch to an invisible opponent.
“W-Wow!” He claps in amazement. “That’s really good!”
Gen looks mildly sheepish. “Really? I like to believe that it’s just a regular punch.”
“I m-mean…” Antonio laughs an awkward little laugh. “I don’t know h-how to punch properly, so it looked really good to me…”
“Ah, I see.” A moment’s pause, before Gen looks at him thoughtfully. “Would you like to learn, then?”
Thus, that’s how he finds himself on his feet, trying to hold the form that Gen showed him. It feels awkward to him, not used at all in keeping his limbs close like this out of a conscious decision. Still, he tries his best, rearing his left hand back before he throws a punch that tips him slightly forward.
“That’s good! Not bad for a first time!” Gen compliments with a smile. “You just need to spread your legs a little more to have a more stable stance. Would you like to give it another try?”
Well, since he’d been given pointers, Antonio does so. The punch this time still feels awkward, but he doesn’t pitch forward from the momentum anymore. He has a tiny smile, which widened even further at Gen’s approving nod.
Now, he wants to avoid having to punch people in his lifetime, but if there’s ever a need to, at least he can take comfort in the fact that he has the know how, thanks to his friend.
━━━ the intrusion of a flimsy flower stem poking inside a vent on the plane of his helmet, instantly curling with heat damage once the red pyramid breathes out a small cloud of steam. it doesn’t push it out, rather allows it to firmly stay put. the gesture itself seems almost childish, reminds him of the smaller & gentler hands of alessa. his true creator, taken from him. hidden or stolen - the thought tears a reverberating groan from the depths of his core ( there is no aggression in the noise, simply despair. ) slowly, the red pyramid casts the human a look, the desperate longing within it invisible to the human eye.
Stands on his toes to give David a peck on the cheek!
@irxnwill | david king
IT’S GOING TO take his brain a minute or two to process that. His heart skips a damn beat - of course. There’s a moment he stands there stunned, blinking for a minute, before the big dopey grin takes over his face.
David’s quick to lean down and return the kiss to the cheek, giving a soft chuckle as he does so. No words he can come up with fit; so instead he just smiles. Like an idiot.
