islandshore | 67

[It's late at night when Riku turns on the feed. Judging by the starlight surrounding him he's outdoors. Lights from the surrounding cityscape shimmer from afar. The camera hovers behind him as he rests along the edge of a roof.

It hovers closer, and he finally turns around, gaze distant despite the camera's close proximity.]

You ever stop to wonder about our place in this world?

[Why, yes, it's one of those messages.]

I mean, think about it. We're dragged from our homes, dropped here and expected to play by their rules. And sure, some of us are successful. We've had businesses sprout up from nothing, helped fight off giant monsters, been invited to proms...

Still, we're outsiders, and sooner or later, we might disappear, and all the work we do here gets left behind.

[He looks up, sighing softly.]

It just got me thinking... What do the locals think about us? Do we count as citizens, even though we aren't part of the world? And how much do they really know about us in the first place?

[Heh.]

But maybe I'm over thinking it. I mean, this is a world that somehow manages to sustain itself even without an obvious education, limited career paths, and a surprising amount of pacifism in the face of crime. Community service as catchall punishment's kinda light, after all...

[Leaning back, Riku shrugs.]

I don't know. What are your guys' thoughts? I've got time to kill.

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Old enough to get tried as one. And buy beer. [That's the measure of adulthood, right?]

Yeah, they just act like we're something funny that blows in and out of town. Like we're entertainment. [With one finger, he lightly scratches the Emolga behind the ear.] You'd think they'd get pissed off when we beat all those other trainers in fights all the time and take their allowance. [His mouth twists wryly. Enough time has passed that he can have a bit of a sense of humor about the crazy shit he tried to pull - at least, when he's talking to somebody he trusts.] Or try to take over the government.

It happens to all of us. You start trying to make sense of this shit, and you go a little nuts. [He perks up a little.] Hey, that's right, you're running the Breeding Center now. You must be up to your ass in monster bunnies.

Which I haven't yet. Just haven't had the urge.

[And at that, he shrugs. Not that he's super against alcohol, but he knows it's not particularly healthy either. And hangovers probably suck.]

I'm surprised they let you take over, honestly. Just goes to show how little they care, I guess. Or maybe it's like you said, and they thought the whole stunt was amusing, like a reality TV show happening before their eyes.

[Heh. He could kind of see it, to be honest, but he was never fully confident in the whole charade.]

And you know, I don't even have any bunnies... maybe I should fix that. Gotta get more of that cute appeal, anyway.

What, you serious? Shit, kid, I gotta take you to a bar. It's a rite of passage.

[Carter Blake: A Good Influence.

He shrugs.] Weird thing, isn't it? They didn't push back at all. Didn't much listen to me, either. Just went on with their lives, getting new hats for their fancy dogs or whatever the hell it is they do.

They must have something figured out. They go around looking happy.

[Blake chuckles.] Up to your ass in dragons, then. It's good to see a kid handling a business.

Should I be afraid?

[Heh. Guess it is technically a rite of passage, and he's been curious about bars. Just not curious enough to really hang in one.]

Heh, guess they just don't see a reason to flip out, but I guess in a world with magic, exploding animals, there's only so much you can take before everything feels mundane.

[Like Blake, he shrugs, then sets his eyes back on the stars.]

And I've got dragons, ghosts, metallic monsters, birds... Just no bunnies. Not many fairies either, come to think of it.

[He grins] Not if you can hold your liquor.

[Blake knows all the great, dank, seedy places.]

Hah, yeah, and then they lose their goddamn minds when somebody makes a new ferret accessory. You know what the weirdest thing is? I'm used to it now, too. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to think an angry frog-thing with a flower on top is weird.

Oh, you gotta get some fairies. Those things are tough bastards.

Pfft. Well, not like I know if I can.

[He's inexperienced, and for all he knows, he's a lightweight. Of course, he'd only know by trying. THat's the tricky part.]

And I got a couple of faeries. Sylveon, Klefki, Carbink... Any faeries you'd recommend? Been thinking of training an Azumarill...

[He nods in agreement] Never know til you try.

[Hey, he may have natural talent! Probably not.]

[Immediately, Blake says,] You gotta get a Snubbull. Those things are tough.

Heh. Wonder what Sora'd think if I did...

[And then a scary thought comes to mind: drunken Sora.

His eyes widen, then his face subsequently scrunches up. That... would be something.

Moving on.]

Heh, it's funny you mention Snubbuls. Sora's actually got a Granbull. Always liked the look of them, but for some reason I never got one myself.

Just don't share with him. Something about that kid makes him seem like he's around twelve and he will be forever.

[He tries to imagine that kid drunk, and his expression echoes Rick's for a second there.]

Oh yeah, the shovel-faced ones. Steve never wanted to turn into one of those, and when a thing that can kick the shit out of dragon monsters tells you what she wants to look like, you listen. Gets the opponent to underestimate her, too.

Which is funny, because he's around nineteen.

[Though Riku can see what he means. Sora's youthful spirit has hardly faded at all. He's still the same goofball he was all those years ago.]

She wasn't big on the underbite, huh? Well, that's fair. Phantom's stayed a Haunter this whole time because he thinks Gengars look like deformed teddy bears. Thing is, he doesn't have dragon immunity.

He's just... obnoxious.

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