(no subject)

[rivalkidneypunch]

[FUN COOL VIDEO TIMES:

If you're like Char, you've probably noticed some flyers around school advertising the upcoming poolparty. If you're like Char, you're probably super allergic to water and apparently not afraid to get grumpy about that. Odds are, you're not like Char. Here he is, thoroughly deadpan:]

So. Pool party this weekend, apparently. Can't fuckin' wait.

Seems like an awful lot of the shindigs around here involve water, huh? Ain't as bad as a school trip to a hot spring, but I'm still lookin' forward to the day we take a field trip to an active volcano or two.

---

[LATER, FUN COOL ACTION TIMES:

So Char's visiting the RA dorms today. He's here hoping to find Green and maybe ask him a thing or two, but if he runs into another RA while he's there (hi Bulba hi), then he's certainly not gonna complain.]

---

[EVEN LATER, FUN COOL TEXTING JOLT TIMES:]

you up to anything right now?

Comments

[action]

[rivalkidneypunch]

[Someone is leaning over the back of the couch, trying to get a peek at the papers. Maybe they will be something cool and interesting instead of whatever paperwork RAs do. Maybe it will be government secrets.]

Hey, kid. Seen Green around?

[rivalsolarbeam]

[The papers were a hodge podge of schedules (for Green), RA stuff (for both of them), green house inventories (for himself), and some miscelanneous fodder (probably also for Green). Also government secrets. For now, though, it was the green house papers on top of the pile, with more of those poorly drawn tree things in the margin that had been littering a lot of Bulba's not-so-important papers for a while.

Bulba leaned his head back to glance at Char.]

Hey! He went out for a bit, but he should be back at some point. Anything up?

[rivalkidneypunch]

Nah, nothin' big. I'm thinkin' of doin' something with this--

[He kinda nodded down at his shoulder vaguely.]

--and I figured I oughta sort it out with the boss first. I can wait around until he gets back.

[And he resumed gawking at the papers, even if they were really super boring, because there sure is a lot of that weird squiggly thing that Bulba's been doodling everywhere. What... even...]

[rivalsolarbeam]

[He tilt his head slightly, eyes flicking over to his shoulder at the indication.]

Like... what?

[Cause he wasn't sure burning it off or anything like that was a feasible option.]

... Like a touch up or something?

[rivalkidneypunch]

[He looked away from the weird squiggly... sticks? Neurons? Forks? ...He looked away from the squiggly things to raise his eyebrows at Bulba.]

The hell would I wanna touch it up for? So I can make sure Max's brand ain't gonna fade none? Nah, I'm thinkin' I'm gonna get it covered.

[rivalsolarbeam]

[Sticks were close. Keep going with sticks. Bulba stared for a moment and then it was like he had an epiphany.]

Yes. Cover up. For some reason I wanted to say mark up but that wasn't right either... Didn't really think you'd want to... yeah.

[rivalkidneypunch]

[Raised eyebrows continue.]

You got something else on your mind, kid? Seemin' pretty distracted to me.

[Distracted... by forks I mean neurons I mean sticks??]

[rivalsolarbeam]

[Those are going to float off of your head.]

Ha, kind of...

[He looked down at his pile of squiggles and then back up at Char's ever raising eyebrows.]

Would... you mind if I tagged along, maybe?

[rivalkidneypunch]

[It's cool, he can just borrow some of Ishimaru's]

Y'wanna come with? How come? It ain't gonna be that excitin' to just sit around watchin'.

[rivalsolarbeam]

[Good plan, then he won't be so angry looking while he glares at him 24/7.]

I was thinking a little less watching, a little more participatory, actually.

[rivalkidneypunch]

[There they go the eyebrows are flying away Ishimaru we need you now]

I think you gotta have some kinda trainin' before they let you tattoo anyone, Bulba.

[Yes Char that is definitely what he meant. A++ good job you cracked the case.]

NO I NEED TO MAKE A NEW ONE TO MATCH

[rivalsolarbeam]

[Pffgh.]

Not that kind of participation, Char. The kind where I walk out with ink too, get it?

WHOOPS

[rivalkidneypunch]

Wait, you want a tattoo?

[This is clearly surprising news despite, you know, the gigantic backpiece all over Bulba's skin already.]

Since when? What are you gettin'?

[rivalsolarbeam]

[He chuckled a little bit.]

I've been thinking on it off and on for a while now. I figured now that I'm a Venusaur, I should maybe actually do it since its as far as I can go, you know? But, um, it's uh...

[This is the part where he had to look away a bit sheepishly, because explaining ideas.]

I was trying to figure some trees out.

[rivalkidneypunch]

[BLINDING MOMENT OF EPIPHANY.]

Oh, they're trees!

...Uh... the stuff you been drawin' everywhere. I mean, 'course they're trees, but that's what they're for? Where's it goin'?

[rivalsolarbeam]

[Bulba looked back down at some of his papers.]

Ah... They're that bad, aren't they? Haha... ha... ha. Yeah, uh, yeah. I'm going to ask someone more qualified to figure it out though.

[He grinned at Char, only a little flustered over his low art skill points. Then he looked back down and tapped his fingers against the inside of his left forearm.]

It'll go over here.

[rivalkidneypunch]

I dunno, I kinda like your version as-is.

[He grinned, forever the teasing broter. Still, there was maybe a of wiggle in his tailtip that wasn't just smartassery.]

Shit, if I'd known, I'dve said something sooner. I can get behind goin' together. It'll make the hours go by a little quicker if we got some company, hey?

[rivalsolarbeam]

[It was the older broter's right. Bulba just rolled his eyes and snorted.]

Yeah... ! I'd like that a lot, really. What were you thinking of getting done...?

[rivalkidneypunch]

I still want Green to use me in battles if we ever go back to Kanto, so I figure it oughta be something that won't look too outta place on a Charizard.

[His smile gets a bit shy, caught between being embarrassed about how completely nerdish it is to be this into Pokemon history and how proud he is of his species.]

A way longass time ago before Charizards were domesticated, our hides used to have stripes. I figured I could get somethin' like that. It'd be dark enough to cover this friggin' thing up, but it wouldn't look too unnatural on a dragon, y'know?

[rivalsolarbeam]

[No need to be embarrassed around the most openly nerdy member of the team, bro. Besides, look how super fascinated he looks! (The answer was pretty fascinated.)]

Oohhh... That's really cool. It's a good idea... I bet you'll wear it really well.

[Pause.]

... Are they like Zebstrika stripes...??

[rivalkidneypunch]

[Don't enable him, Bulba, he'll only nerd out even harder.]

Sorta...? They're thicker and the edges ain't as smooth, and we didn't have quite as many. I could cover the whole star with just one, but I'm thinkin' I'll get a few of 'em just so it don't stick out too much.

[rivalsolarbeam]

[Do it.]

Okay... Yeah, I think I got it. I like it! It must have been really neat to get to meet them.

[rivalkidneypunch]

I ain't gonna lie, it is nice knowin' your roots. The books the Pokeprofs over the years have put out ain't got everything exactly right, but I've read up some on how things were once humans started comin' into the picture.

[He looks down at those elegantly-crafted tree doodles again, maybe smiling juuust a little.]

S'kinda funny, actually. We weren't tryin' to or nothing, but me and the boss ended up bondin' the way people and Charizards did it before Pokeballs ever came into the picture.

[rivalsolarbeam]

[The whispers of jealousy were almost hard to ignore. Almost. Feeling envious that Char had been able to go back and really get a grip on what it meant to him be a Charizard wasn't a big deal. He shrugged that off easily, feeling comfortable enough with where he was right then.

Watching him, though, and that little smile... That little, very real smile... That kind of hurt, in a funny sort of way, as if Bulba had been privy to something he wasn't supposed to know had happened. Of course, even if it had never been implicitly said, he'd already known the bond they had was something special, hadn't he? It was just... right there now. Right super there.

All Bulba could do was cheerfully smile with him. It wasn't hard at all, since honestly-]

I'm glad you were able to find each other then.

[rivalkidneypunch]

You and me both, kid. This mighta been the only team in the world that could handle all of me.

[It didn't take long for that smile to turn back into the usual sharp grin -- those kind of smiles only show up briefly, saved strictly for special occasions like mingling tails or surprise taxi rides.]

Anyway, y'get why it's important Green likes it before I go gettin' it tattooed on me. Coverin' a problem up ain't exactly the most noble thing I've ever done, but y'get kinda sick of someone else's mark of ownership, y'know?