[Nikolai Laska]

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[attr=class,lyric1]I can't help it

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It was a pleasant enough day for being outdoors. Nik was still always a little surprised to catch himself thinking things like that; most of his life had been spent preferring the indoors in any weather. But the past few years living by the sea in Veria, living with Orion, had gotten him better adjusted to and more appreciative of the warm sunshine. Back home it was starting to get a bit hot for his taste, this late in spring, but Arciel was cooler, just warm enough to be pleasant without frying him. Nice t-shirt and cargo shorts weather, he'd decided today, but a little warm for a hat, so he'd braided his hair instead.

So far, Arciel in general seemed nice. Plum wasn't the sleekest or cleanest city-- certainly no Faraday-- but it had an energy to it Nik liked so far. He wasn't sure Orion would be as impressed, but Nik liked big cities in general. The sheer number of people made him feel safer. At any rate, they'd only just arrived late night before last, and spent all day yesterday helping Luke get settled in before crashing back at their hotel again. This morning was their first chance to really see the sights, and they'd found a pretty nice cafe for breakfast before heading to the ferry. They'd take it to Bass, where they were meeting up with Jazz, and see some Bass City sights from there with them. He held his husband's hand as they walked, and his Mienshao rode on his back. His Ralts was kept in his Pokeball for now, and the egg he'd brought was carried in his satchel.

The ferry hadn't quite arrived just yet when they got to the dock. "Think we've got time to window shop, or we just wait?" Nik asked Orion, glancing down the street that ran along the docks. There were several stalls and shops with big display windows, and according to the schedule they had a few minutes at least. But he didn't know whether to expect the ferry to run a little early or late compared to what was on paper, so hm.

[attr=class,ooc-notes]

[attr=class,tagline] Orion Alim-Verdi Jazz Johnson

Egg 1/5

[attr=class,punkiangercredit]punki

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[Orion Alim-Verdi]

Orion yawned and rubbed his forehead and then down his face. He wished he could have said that he’d slept last night, but that would be a lie. The medication had worked only half way, leaving him in a drowsy state almost all night but unable to fall asleep entirely. He kind of regretted taking it at all, but whatever. He’d managed to take a shower, stuff himself into a muscle shirt, shorts, and sandals, and be present and alive. That was enough.

Of what he’d seen of it, Plum wasn’t bad, wasn’t great, but wasn’t bad. They didn’t have any standing platforms that stretched out into the ocean from what he’d seen, but it wasn’t bad. Heh, when had he gotten so particular anyways? Orion’s gaze flicked to Nikki and then forward again to the Tynamo zooming up ahead of them. Fishstick was hardly new, and Orion knew to keep a careful eye on him but… still. The Tynamo seemed more in awe and in interest than antagonistic at the moment. He kept zipping one way and then the next looking at the various things and people that they passed. He’d already startled one poor woman, but at least he hadn’t taken anything from her. That was… heh yeah that was fine.

As they got up to the docks, Orion eyeballed Fishstick and warned him not to go too far out on the channel before glancing sideways at Nikki. “Well….” He looked out on the water not entirely sure what the ferry actually looked like but not seeing it anyways. “Wouldn’t hurt to window shop… I’m sure we’d see the ferry dock when it gets in….” It had been so long since he had been on a proper boat, though. It was weird not having direct access to Water Pokemon, heh.

[Jazz Johnson]

Words: 462 | Tag: Nikolai Laska & Orion Alim-Verdi | Notes: ---

As soon as he'd heard that Nik and Orion were in Arciel, he had asked where they were staying and what they were going to do, among other things. Above all, they were very glad that they had decided to come, especially with the Ultra Beast sightings. Last time had been horrible, and waking up with a splitting migraine wasn't exactly one of their favorite moments either... They'd known something was wrong, but couldn't exactly pinpoint what until they'd seen the news. The rangers had been keeping them plenty busy since then, but a lazy day on the ferry seemed like a decent way to spend their time.

Journeying from Bass to Plum was uneventful for the most part, There had been some Mantine riding the waves which was fun to watch, but Jazz had been having a hard enough time keeping their mind off of the Ultra Beasts. Flashbacks of what they'd gone through with Luke kept coming to mind and they weren't exactly in the best of spirits. Even Marshmallow couldn't really help him, the Wigglytuff was trying her darndest but aside from flailing and squeaking more, it was becoming easier to ignore her efforts. Pup was getting annoyed with him, they could tell. The Lucario thought that they should be stronger and while she sympathized some, Jazz sorely missed Kovu. They understood the import restrictions, they really did but... when it was keeping them away from their best friend it just felt...cruel.

In an effort to make themselves feel better, they'd opted to wear an outfit that made them look cute and decidedly more feminine. Wearing a new tye dyeblouse under a sheer white lacy cardigan. A pair of teal skirt pants (that they'd managed to find with pockets) combined with a pair of really cute boots completed the ensemble. Jazz had even opted to wear some light makeup for the day and had even spent extra time to braid their hair. Sure, it might come as a shock to Orion and Nik that they'd been experimenting again, but they felt great and that was all that mattered.

It seemed to take forever for the ferry to dock, even longer for Orion and Nik to set foot on the boat. Jazz waited just the same, eyes scanning for any sign of them. As soon as they did catch sight of them, they waved them over, both happy and relieved to finally see the again. "Orion! Nik! Over here!" Jazz called out, laughing as Marshmallow started jumping up and down. Yes, a huge Wigglytuff should be able to stand out in the crowd if nothing else.

Lvl20

Lvl20

Lvl20

Treecko 5/5

Cramorant 1/3

Castform 1/15

aeron at thq

[Nikolai Laska]

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[attr=class,lyric1]I can't help it

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Nik nodded at Orion's answer. "We just won't go too far then," he decided. That way it wouldn't take too long to get to the ferry when it came in, and they wouldn't wear poor Orion out. Not that he wasn't used to going without sleep, but Nik still always felt bad for him on nights he didn't get any. He wished he could give him some of his energy, even if he didn't really have a lot himself. But ah well.

A few minutes were spent browsing idly at nothing in particular before they noticed the ferry on the horizon. "Oh look. Guess we should head that way, hm?"

Once the ferry docked and the crowd coming off the boat thinned, Orion and Nik headed up, only to hear their names called faintly from somewhere nearby. Hm? Nik looked around, and eventually spotted the top of a familiar pink head and long attached rabbit ears bouncing up behind a small group of folks. As that group moved on, Jazz and Marshmallow became clearly visible, and Nik's brows rose first at seeing Jazz here at all, then a little higher at taking in what Jazz was wearing. Not that Nik of all people was going to judge-- he wore some light makeup today himself, just a little eyeliner and faint lip gloss but still something-- but given Jazz had struggled so much with his(?) identity in the past and even undergone surgery to become more masculine, this was certainly a surprise.

"Hey!" he called out as the distance between them closed. He'd let Orion and Jazz greet each other before asking about Jazz's wardrobe, though. The cousins hadn't seen each other in person since Jazz moved out here last year, after all, and before that Jazz had been away for school with only a few visits here and there, so it only seemed polite to wait, heh.

[attr=class,ooc-notes]

[attr=class,tagline] Orion Alim-Verdi Jazz Johnson

Egg 2/5

[attr=class,punkiangercredit]punki

[Orion Alim-Verdi]

Orion browsed the shops a bit idly till Nik noticed the ferry. Turning to look towards it, Orion squinted. “Yeah,” he answered walking that way. The first few off the boat were clearly itching to head on, but Orion still gave them a passing glance before looking forward again. He outright missed Jazz on his first sweeping look— mostly because he hadn’t been looking for him at all let alone in the clothing he’d chosen to wear. However, as a voice hit his ears and his eyes centered forward, Orion sure as hell saw Jazz. Oh, huh.

Uh, huh. Orion smiled, raised a hand, and waved back. Walking a little faster, he stepped up onto the boat and waved passed a few people still exiting before coming to a stop in front of Jazz. “Yo, thought you said we’d meet in—“ The fuck was it called again? How did he just forget that??? “B— Backstreet’s back whatever…” Orion snorted at himself before throwing both arms up and hugging Jazz tightly for a second before easing back. “Almost missed you standing there,” he decided on with a small smile. “Looks like you’ve been doin alright though.”

[Jazz Johnson]

Words: 359 | Tag: Nikolai Laska & Orion Alim-Verdi | Notes: ---

Arceus, Jazz hadn't realized just how much they'd missed seeing Nik and Orion until they saw them again. Grinning as they closed the distance, the fact that their outfit might give them pause didn't cross Jazz's mind. Well, at least at first. Nik was the first to spot them (or a very excited Marshmallow) and made their way over. Orion didn't seem like he recognized them right away but the explanation given made it worth it. Laughing at Orion's words, Jazz shook their head, "It's Bass, you dork," they teased, smirking some, "and I didn't want to wait." It'd been a rough enough time with the ultra beasts resurfacing again... Marshmallow wouldn't leave their side for a second. They supposed it was a good thing, but Jazz hated being forced to wait to transfer Kovu. They missed him terribly.

The hug would be reciprocated, squeezing back as tight as they could. Hhh, bear hugs were always nice, they'd missed this. Hearing Orion's next words, Jazz smirked and shook their head, "Don't think Marsh here would've let that happen," they joked, smiling a bit more, "Yeah, I guess, just, wanted to look cute today," they continued, "A friend helped me pick out something similar. Guess I'm... sorta, genderfluid?? I guess??," They were failing spectacularly at explaining this but well, it was still something they were trying to figure out too.

"How was the trip? If you need anything, just ask. I know most of Arciel pretty well." Maybe if they kept talking it wouldn't be as obvious how hard they were trying to be happy for their sake. And they were happy to see Nik and Orion again, that much was true but... the ultra beasts had been hard enough to deal with the first time... And it was the reason they'd come to Arciel. Nevermind that waking up with the mother of all migraines that day had already put them on edge. It was hard to keep the anxiety and other thoughts at bay in the face of everything.

Pup	Marshmallow	Verde	Lesley	Cramorant	Castform
Lvl20	Lvl20	Lv20	Lvl1
5/5	5/5	5/5	5/5	2/3	2/15

aeron at thq

[Nikolai Laska]

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[attr=class,lyric1]I can't help it

[attr=class,lyric2]I'm a babbling idiot

[attr=class,bulk]
B--backstreet's back. All right. Nik snorted. Arceus, he loved this idiot so much.

After Orion pulled back from hugging Jazz, Nik held up a hand, not for a handshake exactly but for Jazz to take so they could pull each other in and bump shoulders, a little more casual and personal than the formal shake but not so intimate as a hug.

Jazz mentioned h-- er, they? were identifying as genderfluid now kind of off-hand, and Nik idly replied, "Ah, explains the outfit. Neat~" He wouldn't dwell on it or drag it out, though he supposed he ought to at least as one question. Jazz beat him to speaking, offering to show them around, and he nodded. "I'm sure we'll end up taking you up on that, though for now just finding the best place on the ferry to relax sounds good, heh." Somewhere warm but cozy and not too crowded would be good. Nik felt like his egg might hatch soon, and judging from the bulging of Jazz's bag, he might be carrying an egg or two as well.

"So hey. You still using he pronouns or is it they or she now, sometimes or always? Or do you really care one way or another? Not a big deal whatever way, of course, just wanna make sure we've got it right."

[attr=class,ooc-notes]

[attr=class,tagline] Orion Alim-Verdi Jazz Johnson

Egg 3/5

[attr=class,punkiangercredit]punki

[/quote]

[Orion Alim-Verdi]

Bass, Bass. Yeah, Orion was sure he totally knew that. He would try to commit it to memory again though just because. As Jazz went on, though, Orion blinked. Ah, huh. “Cool,” he answered. It probably should have affected him more than that, but ehhh it just kinda didn’t.

Jazz’s question right after earned a hum from Orion. “It wasn’t really that eventful,” the latter started before he was reminded again that they probably did need to get on the boat. There were already people passing them up now to get on, and if they waited too long, there might not be actual physical seats left.

And uh… what was Fishstick doing over there, whoops. That was a tacklebox or a bait box wasn’t it. “It looked like there were chairs along the stern end there?” Orion ask-stated already starting onboard a little further and leading down it, not at all discreetly towards the Tynamo. “Hey don’t eat that,” Orion swatted the fish that unsuccessfully trying to open a bait box with his tiny mouth. The eel looked back up at him incredulously.

[Jazz Johnson]

Words: 278 | Tag: Nikolai Laska & Orion Alim-Verdi | Notes: ---

Jazz didn't hesitate in taking Nik's hand, appreciating the shoulder bump and smiling more as both seemed to just, accept their identity. Letting out a breath they didn't realize they were holding, Jazz grinned and nodded as Nik accepted the offer and suggested they get seats on the ferry. Right, that was a thing. Catching up could wait for a little longer. Orion had a good suggestion about going to the stern end of the ferry. It would be nice to stay outside where they could watch the water as well.

It would be Nik's question about pronouns that had Jazz shrugging their shoulders. They'd never really thought about it before, not really. Most people had been respectful but it just never had been that big of a deal to them. Well, that wasn't true. They could remember how adamant they'd been about masculine pronouns back home... "Ah, it's not a big deal. They is a safe bet if you're not sure... haven't had many people call me 'she' or 'her,' though. Whatever's easier I guess. Though it might be nice to be called feminine pronouns sometimes," Jazz explained, rubbing the back of their neck sheepishly, shrugging a little.

Oh, it looked like Orion had a Tynamo with him, figures. "Cute Tynamo, related to Mr. Fish by chance?" Jazz laughed, "How's Kovu been?" just the thought of the Luxray they'd left behind ached. They missed him terribly and tried not to show it. This was about catching up, not about them. Marshmallow meanwhile was moving ahead and cheerfully waved to the trio, indicating that she'd found some free seats.

Pup	Marshmallow	Verde	Lesley	Cramorant	Castform
Lvl20	Lvl20	Lv20	Lvl1
5/5	5/5	5/5	5/5	3/3	3/15

aeron at thq