Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Hopefully her rambling had gotten the point across, maybe. She'd covered all areas, so it was a safe explanation, it was a good explanation- and then a soft breath that could almost pass for a laugh left his leps, causing her to narrow her eyes slightly- had she misworded? Oh- no she was just being confusing. A cough left her lips and she averted her gaze once more, great. "Uh...sorry." and he was laughing again, Ari didn't know how to word things- this wasn't a pre-scripted interview, this wasn't something she could think through beforehand!
Her fingers drummed against the wall, how did she clarify herself- should she even bother? Would there be any point, in making something confusing even-more so? She was about to open her mouth to try again, though, despite his soft laughter which should have made everything feel more natural, she just... didn't know what she was doing- until he spoke again.
Would she... even want him to come back? "...It's weird." She said softly, bringing her eyes back to where Gabe was. "I should want that, shouldn't I? For you to just walk out my life and fuck right off? But I really dunno- like- isn't there always some part of everybody that wants things that they lost to come back, or am I just going insane?"
Weird? Gabe’s lips pressed together hard. That wants things they lost to come back? Gabe’s eyes pulled away, and a slow sigh escaped from him. “Well yeah,” he answered simply. “Why…. Do you think I was asking like that….” He felt his chest tighten up and relax all over again. “Why do you think I…. told you some part of me still loves you.”A lot. “Why do you think I—“Just asked if you wanted to be with me… Gabe fell silent realizing that throwing all these accusing questions at Ara was only going to upset her again. As if they weren’t just prone to being upset in general at this point. “I just get it…. Is what I meant…” he clarified right after.
Oh- oh yeah. A soft noise left her throat, which she promptly cleared as she moved to tighten her arms around herself- yeah- right- okay. "Yeah- sorry." She said again, quietly, her gaze turning to meet her own in the mirror, analyzing herself- if she didn't look like worn out confused mess, she didn't know who did- and she didn't know what to say. "I dunno what kind of answers you want from me, because realistically- like- i'm just gonna keep saying I don't know, or that i'm confused, and then it's going to make things even more weird and stuff and... yeah." She unleaned herself from the wall and rubbed her arm.
Was that saying too much again? She... really didn't know. Her mind trailed off for a minute as her gaze flicked back to his leg, topic change- subject change please! "If it's... still really bad, I can send you money to pay for pokecentre or hospital costs, since technically it was... like.. my fault..." She trailed off for a moment, blinking a few times- "Oh wait- shit- to do that I need a phone- yeah nevermind." a headshake, then her gaze moved to the door, what the hell was wrong with her?! Why...
"Sorry." She said again, rewinding herself, realizing it probably... wasn't the best to dodge what he'd asked before. "I don't know why you said those things- because you asked why do I think stuff. I don't know why you told me that you... or like, asked me those questions, and I don't think there's an answer I can give that like, would make proper sense, you feel me?"
Gabe chewed his lower lip. It felt like they were just spinning wheels at that point, and he was realizing he really needed to get off the rollercoaster. As Ara changed the conversation, though, Gabe looked down at his leg. It was ugly as hell to look at now, but with fabric over it, he doubted anyone would readily notice. At the mention of Ara’s phone, though, Gabe physically jolted. “I have that money—“ he started quickly all of a sudden reaching for Gum’s ball. He could pay her back for that at least—
Sorry— Gabe stopped moving again. His gaze flicked up to Ara again. His hand dropped from the space where Gum’s ball was. “I….” Yellow eyes flicked sideways. “The answer’s simple…” he replied. “For me, anyways…. I just miss… us….” He half smiled but wouldn’t look even in her direction at that point. “And…. I’m… not going to get that back…” came as a breathed whisper.
A sigh left her lips, and she closed her eyes for a moment. He missed- right. "Everything was fun back then- wasn't it? Being kids, doing whatever to just have a fun time, shit didn't matter when it was just us against the world, right?" Her fingers moved to rake through her hair, thinking, thinking... "And yeah, you can't... get that back, but it's not wrong to miss it..." She was attempting to reason with herself, rather than Gabe. She pressed her lips together for a moment.
There had to be a way to leave her not feeling like shit, a way to sort things out- her gut felt heavy, for one reason or another she had caused Gabe to feel like this, there had to be some sort of solution- it's not liek a distraction can ever truly make him forget some stupid fact, as wishful thinking as that was. "Do you still visit Bass?" Her eyes flicked back up now, moving to meet Gabes own.
Us against the world… Those words tightened up in Gabe’s chest, but he nodded anyways. Can’t get that back… Yeah. Gabe sighed resting his head back against the wall behind him. He was suddenly feeling super heavy, and the prospects of just sitting there were a little more pleasing by the moment. The question, however, had one eye flicking open. “Still technically live there,” he answered. A pause. “Why?” His stomach flipped over a couple of times, but he was too burnt out to hope anymore. It had finally settled down into a dull throb in time with his leg. This was fine, maybe.
Oh- thank Arceus- okay she could work with this. There was a pause as she attempted to think over words to say. "...uh..." A shrug to her shoulders, how did she word this without sounding insane? There could be a way that, maybe, would work for both of them, maybe make things a little bit more okay, work a little bit better than they had been before, and at least stop all this depressing shit that made her head ache like more tommorow- maybe.
"I... volunteer choreographing for the kiddos at the old studio- y'know Poliwhirl's Spinners? I also attend the senior lessons and freestyle classes every thursday and sunday..." there was a tilt to her head, a passing thought as she quickly went to defend the point she was getting at- he was going to think she was nuts, like, totally insane! "We don't have to go on like- pretending each other dont totally exist, maybe in person but- if... if you want to still dance, the studios always open- and look- maybe it won't be the same but.. i can never be upset or mad when dancing- it doesn't even have to be with me, I know there's a bunch of decent dancers there, yeah? Yeah."
There was a hitch to her voice and she bit down on her lip for a moment, averting her gaze, "I miss dancing with you, at the very least."
Gabe’s lips parted some and closed again. He nodded once at her question. He knew where Poliwhirl’s Spinners was, but where was Ara going… with this. Don’t assume. Don’t assume. Don’t even guess. He blinked a few times as she mentioned dancing, just dancing. It sounded so nice. Slowly his gaze flicked back up to her. She missed that too at least. Yellow eyes closed. “…See you…in a few weeks then, maybe… on a Sunday, perhaps….” his breath was shaking a little, but he wasn’t going to pause now. “It sounds nice to just be able to….dance…” Right, right, right.
A pause, and a thought came back to Gabe. He shifted, pulled Gum’s ball, murmured something to it, made a hand gesture, returned it briefly, and released it again. It came back out with a wallet this time, and he fished it open to reveal… a considerable amount of bills, far more than what he carried on his person otherwise. He didn’t count it out, just slowly shoved himself to standing again. “I…. I can pay for that phone…” he mumbled. “By the way…”
A solid perhaps, at least it sounded solid to her- alright. Alright! She could trust the studio- if Gabe did show up they wouldn't say anything, they wouldn't even question it. She spent so much time there anyways- especially in their little private rooms just... practicing. It was an offer, an offer that was on the table. She shouldn't expect anything, if he didn't show up that was fine, it was good- it was graaand, totally okay. "And Poli has the best studios- so if you were going to dance it is highly rated... but like, don't... don't force yourself to come, keep that solid maybe- and i'll ... maybe see you there!" A nod. Nailed it.
As he shifted to grab something, she moved a little closer, curious and slightly more at ease than before. She was almost startled at what was shown- there was a fair amount of cash in there- maybe from his mum or something? insurance money? Arciel did have a few odd jobs around, so like.. maybe from those too? She attempted a smile, shrugging her shoulders back, "I... don't really need the branded ones, but the one broken was about 600? I mean- you don't have to give me that much, even like three hundred could get me a decent new one- if you need to keep the money for your mum and... stuff then i'm not really going to push for- like- too much- I guess."
See you there… “Sounds nice…” Gabe answered softly. His attention, though, had refocused on the money and his wallet. He swayed a little as he stood just sort of holding the wad of cash forward and trying to meet and discern Ara’s eyes.
As Ara spoke, Gabe’s lips fell together, parted, and then fell together again. He was not about to tell her exactly how he’d gotten the money, but now he was mulling over what he actually wanted to say then. Well…. “I’ve got about six hundred here… give or take. It’s… fine,” he answered briefly before pausing to think again. “Expenses aren’t… aren’t a problem. My…mom’s side of the family has been covering most of her medical things. I’m sure Dad’s been … doing so too I just don’t….” he trailed off. “It’s not taking money away from them.” he reemphasized again.
Arietta glanced from the wad of wash then back to Gabe, there was about 600 there? She swallowed down the little afterthought that the money still could be useful for any emergencies that might happen, realizing that she'd gone far too long without speaking to a variation of idol managers, she still had to get in touch with a reporter out in Plum and her twitter feed and blog, she was sure, were probably going off- it was necessary she got this phone- and he was offered- and his family had his mums expenses covered. "...Well, okay- if there's any leftover cash i'll... give it back, if I see you again. Thanks, Gabe."
She moved to pocket the money, flicking through her purse before pushing it in there, nodding once more. "Is that... everything- or did you wanna rest more? I can probably try to find another icepack, or, something if you need- or I can convince the staff to lock the room off for the night... maybe..." She couldn't find more conversation for the life of her- or couldn't will herself to find more. Sure, there was... so much that could be said, but there was so much that could go wrong, and so many questions that could end in disaster. Tonight was for fun- tonight was for dancing- and forgetting- she needed to... stop dwelling on things. For one- if Gabe was going to see her again at dance, then, he wouldn't... be leaving, right?
Gabe smiled a little and handed over the money. There was a strange tightness in his chest, but he couldn’t pinpoint why, so he ignored it for now. At the mention of it resting more, he swayed from one leg to the other testing the weight and balance that he had on both. “I think I’m fine,” he answered. Gum was pretty good at acting like a solidifying brace, so he wasn’t too worried about it if he was being entirely honest.
A weirdly soft smile pulled at the corners of Gabe’s mouth thereafter. “I would… like one slow dance with you, though,” he said before making a head gesture out of the bathroom back to the rest of the world that was waiting.
The girl watched almost anxiously as Gabe checked out his leg, as if there was some way he wouldn't be able to walk on it despite seeing him demonstrate time and time again his ability to be able to do so. At his confirmation, she let out a soft sigh, her hand fiddling with her hair for a few more moments before resting by her side, it was fine. She was just picking at things to worry about idly... she didn't exactly know why.
Were they leaving now, is this where things ended? a nervous expression crossed her face and she'd moved to take a step, however his voice rung out and she turned around once more- a slow dance? Her eyes widened, almost in surprise. After all that he... "Now?" She blinked, as if slightly confused. "I mean- uhm- if your leg is able to handle it then..." She shrugged, moved to cross her arms over her chest, "I'm not against a slow dance, uh... lead the way?"
The way Ara turned around and looked at him had Gabe’s breath hitching some. “Yeah?” he ask-stated back at her. As she went on, though, his breath returned. A smile returned. “It should be fine,” he assured. He could handle this just fine. Very briefly, he turned to check his appearance in the mirror again and made a few minor adjustments— returning his mask to the proper place and making sure the hat set right.
Stepping forward after, though, Gabe clasped Ara’s hand gently, very briefly thumbing over her knuckles before tugging a little. It felt like they had been in the bathroom for eons, but everyone outside of that was still there laughing and enjoying themselves well enough. Time had gone on just fine. Gabe was thankful for it. The music wasn’t really great for a slow dance, but it was changing soon enough to something with a lower rolling tempo that one could easily go fast with but could also …. Go slow with. Turning around to face Ara again, Gabe clasped both hands now.
It was going to be fine. It... was fine. A soft breath and she moved to re-pin her mask, ensuring the ends stuck out properly and didn't get tangled amidst her hair, right she'd almost forgotten about that, if she'd left it off... people would have properly recognized her and she really, really wouldn't be able to deal with that. Fidgeting where she stood, she turned questioningly to Gabe, only to find him reaching out and taking her hand to guide her back out into the real world, out of the stupid bathroom.
She couldn't help the involuntarily release of air as his finger grazed her knuckles before the masquerade surrounded them and the distinct sound of the bathroom closing rung out behind her. For a few moments she was completely and utterly on edge, were any of the girls around that she'd revealed herself to? Did anybody see the mess Gum had made of the punch bowl?
Arietta, for fucks sake. Breathe- relax, breathe. Focus on whats going on, focus- dance. You need to dance. Moving through the crowd took a few moments before a spot was settled on, her ears absently taking in the beat, listening at the count to try identify where to start- could they really... slow dance to this? Though... the beat was slowing a few paces, and her eyes finally moved to find Gabe's again, her expression tense, almost uncertain, both hands were offered and then-
The music changed almost perfectly as she more than easily fell into time, slow dances were familiar, they were graceful, they were gentle. She had to let herself let go, to lose her head to the music and just... not dwell on anything. "She was going to mention him letting her knew if he needed to stop to let her know immediately, but the words died before even leaving her lips as her hands maneuvered to find an easier way to hold him, especially to fit in better with a slow dance.
Gabe’s hands fit back into Ara’s, and they were moving. This was a much easier beat to follow, and each step felt a little lighter than the last. As Ara shifted to hold him, Gabe moved in turn clasping back drawing them in closer. One step, two steps, three steps more. He just needed to focus on the music and the time and where they were going exactly— physically speaking. He still wasn’t sure where they were going socially speaking.
With each passing second, thoughts seemed to pull away from Gabe entirely. He could do this. He could just fall in time with the music and the steps and everything else. His gaze had relaxed a little, not focusing so hard on Ara specifically. It helped. It helped. He swore it did. It also helped that there was no talking between them right then.
With no speaking Arietta more than easily melded into the dance, it was just her, the steps, and a stranger. Soft movements and years of practice meant little to no thought was required, she could just breathe, she could just breathe, and move. It hadn't seemed like long before she registered the beat changing, picking up- and it took everything to not change the step, to not attempt to change the styles, instead she forced herself to take a step beak, breaking it after a few moments. "Uh...There..." She said softly, gulping down whatever feeling had begun to fog her mind. "A... slow dance."
As the strangers around her began moving quickly, throwing hands and intermingling she moved to grab the edges of her puffy pants, mimicking a curtsy. The corner of her lip twitched up slightly as she stared up at Gabe, an unknown emotion gleaming in her eyes. "Is... that all, Mismagius?"
The song changed, and a soft sigh escaped from Gabe. That was indeed one slow dance. Looking down at Ara, Gabe was aware some part of him wanted more. But for now, for now it was going to have to be fine. Picking up the ends of his dress, he bowed back. “I’ll…. See you around, lovely Gardevoir…” he replied back softly before righting himself again. He stared at her for a moment longer and then moved. If he hesitated anymore, they’d both be stuck there in the moment again. This was fine, though. This had to be fine, though. Slowly stepping back, he smiled behind that mask of his, and disappeared off into the crowd right after. There were… always plenty of other people to dance with, after all.
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