2024-01-04: A Hungry Boy
- Log: 2024-01-04 A Hungry Boy
- Cast: Dias Flac, Chase
- Where: Pallet Town
- Date: January 04, 2024
- Summary: Dias is preparing lunch, and it attracts the attention of Chase and his Pikachu--who also REALLY just wants to have a sword. Is that so wrong?
<Pose Tracker> Dias Flac has posed.
Having just joined the world of Pokemon training, Rena and Claude have had plenty of reason to stay around Prof. Oak's lab. Consequently, so has Dias. It hasn't been bad, even if he doesn't have an interest in training himself; just knowing about Pokemon is useful, especially if Dias ends up battling one directly again in the future.
Which he inevitably will. Because he's not going to get a Pokemon himself, and he's not going to run away from a fight just because his opponent uses Pokemon in their stead.
But that's besides the point right now. It's approaching lunchtime, and it's Dias's turn to cook. He doesn't mind this; he enjoys food, it being one of the few simple pleasures in his life, and he's good at making it. He's thus borrowed Prof. Oak's kitchen.
Today's lunch will be egg sandwiches with a side green salad. It's not a fancy recipe, but that's how Dias prefers his meals. The eggs are boiled, shocked with ice water, peeled, and finally mashed with salt, pepper, minced pickles, herbs, and mayo (the mayo bottle had a picture of a baby on it, for some reason); the bread is toasted with butter on a skillet; the salad is an assortment of spring greens with tomatoes and sliced carrots for color and texture, dressed with olive oil, more salt and pepper, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice with a dash of balsamic vinegar. It doesn't take long to prepare--part of the point, since no doubt others will need to use the kitchen to prepare their own lunches--but the toasted bread has sent a delicious smell wafting through and out the kitchen.
The table's already set; three plates are already set with the sandwiches. It's just a matter of finishing up the salad, which he's in the middle of tossing with a pair of forks and an expression as serious as it ever is, and then it'll be time to call his companions to lunch.
It may be worthwhile to note that while Dias has removed his cloak and gloves and draped them over a nearby chair for this exercise, his sword still hangs at his left hip.
<Pose Tracker> Chase has posed.
The door to the lab opens, immediately filling the air with a chant of "Piii Pikachu pi Chachu~" as Chase's Pikachu gleefully follows him into the lab. He carries a parcel, and finding a note left behind instead of someone to hand it off to, sets it down as he's instructed and collects a few berries that have been left for him.
He pauses. These are Pokemon berries. For Pokemon. For catching Pokemon, specifically. Chase glances to the side as if making sure no one is watching and opens his mouth --
"Pika!"
He jumps, his Pikachu's ears twitching and nose wriggling. Chase sniffs, too, and, oh... There is something more appetizing than berries in the air. The two glance at one another, then venture into the kitchen, Chase's head popping in first, and then Pikachu's above his from atop his shoulder.
"Piiika? Pika!"
Where Chase winces, Pikachu's eyes fill with delight. She greets Dias with a vigorous wave of her paw. But then a bolt of brilliance jolts through Pikachu's mind. She leaps down and scrampers up to Dias, standing on her tip toes and reaching her paws up...
...for his sword.
Which she is thankfully far too small to reach herself.
"Pika pi?" she asks, eyes big and round and smile innocent in every possible way.
<Pose Tracker> Dias Flac has posed.
Innocent in every possible way--but innocence can be dangerous. Dias knows that well.
He doesn't look up from his task at first, though he hears the lab door opening and the approach of footsteps and the chatter of Pikachu. That's someone else taking care of their own business; just because Dias is aware of it doesn't mean he has to pay it any mind. When the two of them actually pop their heads in, though, and Pikachu's voice rises in the cadence of a greeting, Dias looks over his shoulder at the two, long blue hair flowing to one side with his movement.
His handsome features are maybe ruined by that stony stare. Pikachu might wave, but he does no such thing in return, nor does he offer a greeting to the two. His red eyes do flicker with recognition at the sight of Chase--and his wince.
Dias doesn't have the luxury of turnings back around and seemingly ignoring them, though. While Chase might still be cautious of this grown man with a real-ass sword, his partner clearly has no similar reservations. She jumps down, runs right up to him, and streeeetches up on her tippie-toes to try to to grab at the end of his sheath. It is quite long, but thankfully not long enough for her to reach.
Dias's brows furrow as his frown deepens. Pikachu is objectively adorable, but: "That's not a toy," he states. "Hands off."
Or paws off, one supposes.
Unfortunately, part of Dias's regular look includes some *highly* climbable slacks.
<Pose Tracker> Chase has posed.
What could possibly go wrong if we let Pikachu have a sword. Zacian gets a sword! This is unfair! (Pikachu has never met a Zacian in her life.)
Chase sighs as Pikachu makes her bid for holding real-ass weaponry. He steps into the room proper, and is about to maybe do something about this when Pikachu makes some important arboreal calculations and then immediately acts on those results by scaling right up Dias.
One would think she might stop at his hip for the sword she so desperately covets. Momentum takes over. She makes to climb all the way up him for the kitchen counter.
Where she picks up A KNIFE.
"Chaaaa!" she sings happily, wielding it with experimental swings of her stubby arms in a way that is... a disturbingly impressive attempt to copy Dias' Gale Thrust technique, given her bodytype is completely ill suited to the task.
Chase gives a sharp whistle of alarm and Pikachu freezes middash, knife and all, and caught balanced on one leg. "Piiika?" Chase very, veeery carefully steps over, passing Dias with unease as he slowly plucks the blade from blade from Pikachu's paws. Yet it's Dias he's keeping his eye on.
<Pose Tracker> Dias Flac has posed.
What would Pikachu even do with a sword?
The answer to *that* is swiftly answered when she scampers up Dias's pant leg. This is something Dias hadn't anticipated, and he utters a sharp, "Hey!!" as he half-turns swiftly, stoic expression turning alarmed. He doesn't grab Pikachu, though; his hands are still occupied with salad-making, and between that and Pikachu's natural speed, she makes it all the way up to the counter and grabs the knife he'd used earlier for chopping the eggs.
When she starts using it to mimic his Gale Thrust, a maneuver that, as the name implies, involves a very fast and aggressive thrust, Dias moves himself entirely to one side, now scowling. He sets down the salad bowl and forks--
But then Chase whistles and Pikachu freezes, and Dias no longer has to do anything. He turns his frown to Chase, watching him watch him as he scoots over and un-knifes Pikachu.
"..." Slowly, his stance settles. He of course sees the way Chase looks at him, and in Dias's opinion, that's a good thing. He's a stranger with a sword. It's only wise to be wary of someone like him--especially with how impressionable Pikachu apparently is.
"That's dangerous," he states. "Don't play with sharp objects."
The delivery is as stony as ever, but the concern is unmistakable, even as he eases back, giving Chase plenty of maneuvering room, to return to his salad-making.
But with caution. Dias's impression is that Pikachu is well-trained, but also mischievous. If she went for a blade once, she's likely to do it again.
<Pose Tracker> Chase has posed.
Pikachu accepts Chase removing the knife from her grip without protest, and once she is disarmed, she gives a cheerful, "Pika!" at him, as if she has done a good job at something. Nearly giving two people a heart attack, potentially. Dias scolds her and she looks back at him unflinchingly with sparking cheeks and her usual curly smile, as if to say, I possess the capacity to unleash storms upon all who would oppose me, and yet it is a knife which inspires fear in the hearts of men. My claim to this power is is as unnecessary as it is inevitable.
... Hypothetically. But probably not. Does that look like a head with any thoughts in it?
"Pipikachu~."
Of course not.
Chase sets the knife aside and rests a hand on Pikachu's head, which she eagerly nuzzles into without any more sparking, and then jumps up onto his shoulder...
... Only to jump right onto the table. Nimble and well balanced, she expertly weaves around the table settings without a single disturbance so she can watch Dias make a salad before reaching for a plate to hand to Chase.
"Chachu!"
Chase slowly pushes the plate back down where it was. He also eyes Dias' delicious looking salad for a few moments too long. "Chachuuuuu..." Oh, great, now it sounds like the Pikachu is scolding Chase, and he has the good sense to look affronted as she hands him a different plate, as if that were the problem.
Her concern might be understandable. Chase looks like someone who regularly skips meals at an age when he should be doing a lot of growing. But that's hardly Dias' problem, Pikachu!
<Pose Tracker> Dias Flac has posed.
The difference is that lightning is intrinsic to Pikachu's nature, and therefore she's perfectly capable of controlling it so that the only danger comes to anyone who might do her or her trainer harm, as opposed to the knife, where anything could happen.
...but Dias only sighs, because whether Pikachu could express such a complicated sentiment or not, it's clear nothing he just said got through to her. It might be expecting too much to think an animal could understand complex human speech, anyway.
Neither of them respond, though, so Dias has no choice to leave it at that. He's certainly not going to get into an argument with a child and a lightning mouse. He finishes up his task, keeping the both of them in the corner of his eye, which means he turns to see the matter with the plates, and Chase eyeballing the food.
"......"
It's not Dias's problem. In fact, he really needs to be calling Rena and Claude over so they can have their meal. They're sure to be hungry, too. What's more, Chase clearly doesn't trust him, and trying to be overly friendly isn't going to change that.
He heaves another sigh. Then he sets the salad bowl on the table near Chase and Pikachu, turns around to the plated egg sandwiches, and busies himself with plating the leftover sliced tomatoes and carrots with them. For someone who was clearly being fast and efficient earlier, he sure takes his time with it.
Plenty of time for a couple of hungry someones to sneak some salad if they were so inclined. Which is the point.
<Pose Tracker> Chase has posed.
All Pikachu understands is that she wants a sword!
And, right now, for Chase to eat something that isn't a Razz Berry or a Poffin. Once again Chase gently sets the plate down. He scans the table. Three plates, sandwiched, and a bowl of that infuriatingly delicious looking salad. This is what Chase gets for not eating and then having to experience the presence of food.
Dias turns around. Chase eyes this suspiciously, but Pikachu eyes Chase with a sudden lowering of her brows: the look of mischief. With incredible silence, she is at the salad bowl with a fork, waving it at Chase.
Chase watches Dias a moment more, then relents to his Pikachu's demands to steal a taste from it. Maybe he'll learn something, like how to put together ingredients fit for humans that he can actually --
With a sudden coughing fit, Chase fails his stealth mission. Pikachu straightens in alarm, rushing to his side to paw at him in concern. "Chachu...?"
...And that's what Chase gets for eating too fast, hand on his throat and guilt in his eyes. Which is not nearly as embarrassing as the tears from watering with the intensity of his reaction.
<Pose Tracker> Dias Flac has posed.
Dias gives it a few minutes: first for the two of them to get the idea, then to make their move, and finally to make off with the salad. Points one and two go off smoothly enough, but Chase opts to eat the salad right there rather than grab the bowl and run for it, and consequently Operation: Delicious Salad comes to a screeching--or rather, coughing--halt.
Dias shuts his eyes for a moment; then he half-turns, eyeing Chase, Pikachu, and the forkful of salad in his hand. "If you're going to steal someone else's food, you're better off running off with it *before* you eat. Not that you should be stealing at all," he comments. He eyes the bowl. "And not that you didn't stake your claim by coughing all over it."
He gives the boy an assessing look. The tears are clearly due to his coughing fit, but he does seem like he feels bad about the attempt. "...Tell you what. Fetch my companions for me, and you can have the salad," he decides. This is a better lesson to be teaching an impressionable boy, anyway. "One of them's a woman with blue hair and a crescent moon hair pin, and the other's a man with blond hair and a red headband."
He glances over to the stove, where the skillet he'd used to toast the bread is cooling. There's still a couple of eggs left from the carton, and there's about two slices' worth of bread left of the loaf. Once Chase and Pikachu have gone, he turns the heat back on. By the time they return, there will also be a couple of fried eggs on toast waiting for them with the salad, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
"Needed to use them up anyway," is all he'll say when pressed.
<Pose Tracker> Chase has posed.
Chase at least has his mouth covered. He may be a wild child, but he was still raised well. Well, not raised well enough not to steal food. But maybe that's the whole problem: stealing a whole bowl felt like too much, even to Chase. Just a bite would have been fine!
If he didn't go nearly choking on it.
Getting scolded is more annoying when you deserve it, and Chase, regrettibly, deserves it, even with the accusations going a little further than his intentions. Too late now. He's a salad thief and an errand boy. Yeah, all right. He rubs at his throat, one eye closed in a wince as he weathers this punishment.
Resigned, he nods, then gives a short whistle. Pikachu hops right up onto his shoulder, still patting at his head in concern, as if this might soothe him. "Chachu?" He gives her a pat, and she settles only a little.
Despite feeling ill suited to even this simple task, Chase does leave to attempt it. Find people, wave them down, point at the lab, then come back and...
Eggs. Chase stares. Pikachu is delighted. Chase looks to Dias, then bows his head in some half apology or thank you before Pikachu holds the whole plate over her head as offering to her trainer, as if she had prepared them herself. "Pika!"
Pikachu, you didn't do any work at all...!!
<Pose Tracker> Dias Flac has posed.
And yet, acting as though the salad has been coughed all over does make it easier to give the whole thing away, doesn't it? Sending Chase on an errand just makes it a little more honest for both of them.
Dias sets the plated sandwiches on the table as Chase stares at the 'tip'; he doesn't outwardly acknowledge the bow of apology and/or thanks, opting only to take his seat while Pikachu lifts up the plate and take a bite of his sandwich. Chew, chew, chew... swallow.
He eyeballs Chase and Pikachu. "Well? What're you two sticking around here for?"
In other words, they don't have to keep unwanted company to enjoy the lunch they've earned. And once they've left to find a spot to eat at, eggs on toast and fresh salad await!