[I have to hold back cringing at PJ calling Bella his lady-friend.]
"PJ...kid, I'm fine." [I try and think of something else to talk about.]
"...kid, have you ever thought about what it would be like to lose?" [Just get the conversation back to casual fight-talk, just hope he doesn't bring up those questions from earlier.]
*Part of me feels satisfied that the conversation's shifted away from the topic of Bella's hometown, but I still can't shake this feeling about Rossetti... Her name kinda sounds like a guy's name, actually.*
PJ: "To lose? I mean, I've never lost in recent memory, actually... Know what? Like I said, I wouldn't mind in this instance. Like, what are the odds of me winning the tournament anyway? I know I'll probably lose, but if I lose against an opponent that puts up a good fight and we both pull out all the stops, I'm perfectly okay with taking the loss."
Are you ready? Go live!"...that's..." [I don't get it. He's been...surprisingly chipper and non-confrontational this whole time, only really getting on edge when I tried to veer too close to Bella's personal details (which I kinda knew about already, but still). I mean, I'd expect him to be chipper, he's been like that since day 1, the yin to my yang in that regard, but...shit, maybe this was my own damn fault. I was expecting some twisted version of him, but now it seems...perhaps a little too pristine.]
"...t-to be honest, I'm a little disappointed, but maybe what I said before was completely right, you being into the fighting more than the fight. I—fuck—Whenever I fight, I fight to win, the rush for me ain't from the fight itself. You're getting bruised and battered and broken along the way, but in the end, the...sweet, sweet taste of victory makes it all worth it..."
[What if I actually riled him up? Shit, would that even be a good idea, his VA notwithstanding? I want to be able to get something out of this, try to get to the meat of this...but I also wanted to find him.]
"...hey, kid, why don't you walk with me for a bit? Or fly, I guess?" [I face towards the inn, waiting for him to respond.]
PJ: "Sure, I'll bite. Though I gotta rendezvous with that friend of mine later, if you don't mind."
*I flutter alongside her, keeping a watchful eye as we go along.*
PJ: "Something tells me you didn't quite understand what I meant, though. I mean, it's not that I don't care about winning, it's that I'm content with the thought that I might lose. It's a feeling that can't easily be replicated, seeing your opponent brought to their knees, struggling to take the tiniest action against you, knowing that you're the one who drove them to such a pitiful state... At the same time though, that feeling would be nothing without everything else building up to it, the bruises and the cuts and the adrenaline... Especially the adrenaline, my god does it feel great. Get what I'm saying? Oh, and hey, you got any place in particular you wanna head to, or are we just walking?"
*After my little aimless rant about the joys of fighting that didn't seem to have any ulterior point, I look a bit skeptically at Rossetti. Something's amiss here, but I'm just not sure what...*
edited 13th Aug '17 11:20:42 PM by CaliburnAbsoluteEX
Are you ready? Go live![As much as I try to ignore it, I'm all but transfixed by PJ's speech on the joys of...sadomasochism, and that fear from before returns. As we continue to walk, I move ever so slightly behind PJ.]
"I...heard there was an inn up...ahead..." [To my right, I once again find that amazing red shaw thing. I stop by the shop and stare at it for a bit, admiring the craftsmanship of it, then glance over at PJ.]
[...I have an awful idea. I pick the shaw up from off its display and hold it in front of me, pretending to ignore PJ...]
edited 13th Aug '17 11:37:04 PM by BlackMageAnolis
PJ: "Oh, so there is? Wonder if it's the one I'm staying at with my friends? Oh, I forgot to mention I was here with a few others, didn't I? I'm actually with a party of a few others, but they seem a little distrusting of the girl I have eyes for some dumb reasoning. Something about this lunatic we know bearing a weird grudge on her, not sure why people even believe her in the first place. The crazy one, I mean, not the one I'm into. But yeah, I dunno if I'll even be sleeping there since everyone's on-edge, but me and her have nowhere else to go and we're paying for the room anyway, so maybe we'll return there tonight. Sorry, are you getting tired of me constantly going off on tangents like this? I don't usually do this, maybe I'm nervous because of that romantic business?"
Are you ready? Go live!PJ: Looks okay, I suppose. You know, I have a Smeargle friend who might like that. Wonder how he's doing right now, he went to run an errand a while ago and I haven't seen him since..."
*Actually, Rossetti does share a few mannerisms with Eliot... And she does seem oddly perturbed by what I'm talking about in a way that one of my friends would likely be... And she has strikingly similar eyes to him... But that doesn't make any sense. I'm not talking to Eliot, I'm talking to this random Salazzle lady. What's the deal here?*
PJ: "...You wouldn't happen to know him, would you? His name's Eliot, he's a pretty nice guy, you seem like you'd get along well with him."
Are you ready? Go live!
Purrloin Jani by shrubBird
Kind of "insert into parts I missed" remarks below.
Think nothing of it. *Jani remarks to Finley, re: the "third wheel" bit* I did just pop in at a weird time and all. *Jani tilts her plate once more, realizing she'd already finished her food...hungrier than she thought, it seems, as she reacts to the "worst day" comment, she can only say* You're telling me...
*thinking toward what to do next, Jani can only say* I imagine I'm a bit out of the loop on a lot of things...maybe we can talk about it when we head out?
Current WHABP alts: Jani (Sarah) the Purrloin, Hudson the Togetic. Tilly/Lilly (Digletts) are being Put on a Bus.*I'm caught by surprise as Rossetti drapes the shaw over me and traps me in it. Seems my suspicions are confirmed in some degree now...*
PJ: "Hey, HEY! What the fuck, what are you doing? Lemme go! This is illegal, probably! Where are you taking me, lady?"
*In my sudden confusion, I at least have enough common sense to start building up energy for a Dazzling Gleam. I'm not certain if those can puncture things very well, but now's as good a time as ever to find out.*
Are you ready? Go live!PJ: "Hey! Can you goddamn answer me? Where the hell are you taking me? What's the deal? You're gonna bend my wings like this, asswipe!"
*That's it, I've had enough. I point my hand toward the bag's cloth and unleash the Gleam, hoping that it'll tear a hole big enough for me to escape.*
Are you ready? Go live!Cyk is writing a letter to Goobert, in her room.
I just won my first tournament battle against a Sableye, and most of my friends have too. I'm a bit worried about you, but I hope you're doing well. Just say hi to Marsha and Delilah from me. Also, I wonder if you've met anyone interesting in Silversand?
Please come to Hoard one day. It's a great city.
Sincerely, Cyk.
*I hear another voice out there. Sounds familiar... maybe someone who can help?*
PJ: "Marlon? Marlon, help me! I'm being abducted!"
Are you ready? Go live!

PJ: "PJ! But my uh... lady-friend calls me Paddy. Not that you'd be allowed to call me that anyways. Pleasure meeting you, Miss Rossetti. Now then... Are you sure you're okay? You look a little fidgety."
Are you ready? Go live!