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"You've reached Steven Stone. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
( audio ) ( video ) ( text ) ( action )
"You've reached Steven Stone. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
( audio ) ( video ) ( text ) ( action )
[ pretend that i left you a whole bunch of tags in sapphire's inbox
but yes, here is steven, minding his own business on cerealia's streets. it's his second day after revival, but his condition hasn't gotten any better - the side effects of his freezing to death still remain, which means that he's still very, very cold. he's temporarily changed from his suit to something a little more layered to try and stay warm, but it marginally helps.
what's concerning him the most at the moment is sapphire - he's left her numerous messages since his return, all to no response. everyone else he's contacted replied promptly, which leads him to fear for the worst... until she bumps into him. woah. speak of the devil. ]
-Sapphire?
[ what she might notice (besides his change in attire) is that upon her touch, there's little to no body heat coming from him. in fact, he's as cold as a corpse. ]
but yes, here is steven, minding his own business on cerealia's streets. it's his second day after revival, but his condition hasn't gotten any better - the side effects of his freezing to death still remain, which means that he's still very, very cold. he's temporarily changed from his suit to something a little more layered to try and stay warm, but it marginally helps.
what's concerning him the most at the moment is sapphire - he's left her numerous messages since his return, all to no response. everyone else he's contacted replied promptly, which leads him to fear for the worst... until she bumps into him. woah. speak of the devil. ]
-Sapphire?
[ what she might notice (besides his change in attire) is that upon her touch, there's little to no body heat coming from him. in fact, he's as cold as a corpse. ]
[ and with that confirmation, skarmory will fly away to pick up his trainer. considering the speed he can reach in flight, it won't take long - reaching one end of the colony from the other doesn't take more than five minutes for him.
when he can be seen from the air again, a man in a suit can be seen riding on his back. he circles the area once before flying down to descend in front of stahn, hopping off of skarmory's back as it swoops down to the ground to dismount with practiced precision. the steel-type lands beside him as he rises from his crouched landing position, which is when he sees stahn.
his first reaction is one of surprise, because he recognizes this man. he has the same face as the two robots that he had helped another person fend off not long ago, when they were plaguing the colony. that had to mean that this was the original; the person that they modeled themselves after. interesting. ]
...Are you the person that spoke to Skarmory?
when he can be seen from the air again, a man in a suit can be seen riding on his back. he circles the area once before flying down to descend in front of stahn, hopping off of skarmory's back as it swoops down to the ground to dismount with practiced precision. the steel-type lands beside him as he rises from his crouched landing position, which is when he sees stahn.
his first reaction is one of surprise, because he recognizes this man. he has the same face as the two robots that he had helped another person fend off not long ago, when they were plaguing the colony. that had to mean that this was the original; the person that they modeled themselves after. interesting. ]
...Are you the person that spoke to Skarmory?
[It's confusing, but he can't show it. He still knows nothing of this man and in the end that's what the mission failure laid on- the fucking poor thought put behind the assembled team. In extension, the poor thought and action of said team, of the ones who could have done better, of the one who had trained and known and just. Hadn't. But despite appearances. the boy's no senseless masochist.
His eyes drift from Steven's own to quickly read what he can of the man's body language.
None of it told him he was feigning sincerity. It was confusing, and Neji didn't grip the outstretched hand until his own final warning,] You had every right, Mr. Steven.
['Had'. Neji isn't sure he does right by taking the gloved hand and giving a short but firm shake. He does it anyway. Gods, he didn't know a damn thing anymore but that didn't mean he had to broadcast himself as the fool.
Alright. Well. Pax. What followed? He didn't even have the right to ask for the fates of the others and he wouldn't intrude on Steven's.] My apologies can't suffice for the risk I put the team through and so I won't apologize. I could excuse my actions but it would likewise do no good. [To hell with this--] Are you well?
His eyes drift from Steven's own to quickly read what he can of the man's body language.
None of it told him he was feigning sincerity. It was confusing, and Neji didn't grip the outstretched hand until his own final warning,] You had every right, Mr. Steven.
['Had'. Neji isn't sure he does right by taking the gloved hand and giving a short but firm shake. He does it anyway. Gods, he didn't know a damn thing anymore but that didn't mean he had to broadcast himself as the fool.
Alright. Well. Pax. What followed? He didn't even have the right to ask for the fates of the others and he wouldn't intrude on Steven's.] My apologies can't suffice for the risk I put the team through and so I won't apologize. I could excuse my actions but it would likewise do no good. [To hell with this--] Are you well?
[ honestly? yes. back home, the elite four were basically his babysitters, going out to fetch him after he wandered away from the league for whatever arbitrary reason. he needs a cerealia-sitter.
his sigh is an acknowledgement of her words. he's still concerned. ]
I know you said you were fine, but try to take it easy for the next while.
[ he doesn't want her burning out after all of this... hopefully she doesn't have any shifts at stupid o'clock. ]
his sigh is an acknowledgement of her words. he's still concerned. ]
I know you said you were fine, but try to take it easy for the next while.
[ he doesn't want her burning out after all of this... hopefully she doesn't have any shifts at stupid o'clock. ]
Just Steven, please.
[ when it comes to names, steven has never been one for formalities in regards to himself. especially now that they have the event of their deaths hanging over them, keeping that sort of distance would only be facilitating further isolation and bad blood.
he feels guilty for not being able to do more and for making hasty decisions. the least he can do at this point is be somewhat amicable. ]
Don't shoulder all of the responsibility yourself. We all had a hand in what transpired. [ at least let him take on some of that burden. ] Relatively speaking, I'm fine. And yourself?
[ when it comes to names, steven has never been one for formalities in regards to himself. especially now that they have the event of their deaths hanging over them, keeping that sort of distance would only be facilitating further isolation and bad blood.
he feels guilty for not being able to do more and for making hasty decisions. the least he can do at this point is be somewhat amicable. ]
Don't shoulder all of the responsibility yourself. We all had a hand in what transpired. [ at least let him take on some of that burden. ] Relatively speaking, I'm fine. And yourself?
Edited 2016-06-07 19:02 (UTC)
[well, that sure is a bit of a strange initial reaction, he thinks. but stahn will be stahn, so he's not going to question it too much—he doesn't quite realize this is someone who has met with his bots, and it doesn't quite occur to him that it's something that may have happened.]
Oh, you must be his owner! [he'll just assume that's the bird's name. how do pokemon work? he just doesn't knoq.] I was pretty surprised to see such a big bird out here like this, that's all. I've only been here for a couple of minutes.
Oh, you must be his owner! [he'll just assume that's the bird's name. how do pokemon work? he just doesn't knoq.] I was pretty surprised to see such a big bird out here like this, that's all. I've only been here for a couple of minutes.
[ thankfully, steven has enough tact to not say "i helped to pin your doppelgangers down while your friend killed them dead" right off the bat. he'll lead up to that later - for now, he'll play along with whatever this is. ]
I am. [ no one knows how pokemon work... it's like naming a dog "dog". but his reaction does get a small smile out of steven. ] I see. I do hope that he didn't disturb you, then - Skarmory has quite an eye for interesting people. You must have something unique about you.
I am. [ no one knows how pokemon work... it's like naming a dog "dog". but his reaction does get a small smile out of steven. ] I see. I do hope that he didn't disturb you, then - Skarmory has quite an eye for interesting people. You must have something unique about you.
[ he's silent when it comes to adrien's question, which is an answer in itself - he doesn't agree, because there is at least a fraction of blame to be placed on him. but while the guilt is there, he refuses to have it eat at him.
at least, he's trying not to let it. ]
It's natural to have regrets about past decisions; the uncertainty in the outcomes of our actions is a part of what makes us human. The important thing is that we try our best to learn from them, and make amends to those that we may have hurt along the way.
[ it's something that he's offered to his fellow perished groupmates, of course. but that's not everyone that he has to address. ]
And on that note, you have my sincerest apologies for making you worry again.
at least, he's trying not to let it. ]
It's natural to have regrets about past decisions; the uncertainty in the outcomes of our actions is a part of what makes us human. The important thing is that we try our best to learn from them, and make amends to those that we may have hurt along the way.
[ it's something that he's offered to his fellow perished groupmates, of course. but that's not everyone that he has to address. ]
And on that note, you have my sincerest apologies for making you worry again.
[ Sorry she's so bad with technology, Steven. She'll see the messages eventually. Someday.
But upon bumping into him, she quickly turns around to apologize — ] Sorry, sorry! I wasn't lookin' where I was — Steven?
[ Huh. She hasn't seen him in a few days. And now he's got new attire, she guesses. Cold attire? He was colder than any normal person should be. ]
Where've ya been? Did ya just get back from a blizzard or somethin'?
[ Or is he practicing ice-type attacks on himself?? Actually she has no idea where there'd be a blizzard around here. And it's been pretty warm out. ... So, what. ]
But upon bumping into him, she quickly turns around to apologize — ] Sorry, sorry! I wasn't lookin' where I was — Steven?
[ Huh. She hasn't seen him in a few days. And now he's got new attire, she guesses. Cold attire? He was colder than any normal person should be. ]
Where've ya been? Did ya just get back from a blizzard or somethin'?
[ Or is he practicing ice-type attacks on himself?? Actually she has no idea where there'd be a blizzard around here. And it's been pretty warm out. ... So, what. ]
[Telling them not to worry is fine and all, but it doesn't do much to actually alleviate their concerns. Not really. If anything, it makes them worry even more. If something small and insignificant had happened, then it wouldn't have been brushed off like this. People don't really tend to reassure them point-blank unless something awful went down. That's their experience.]
What happened?
[Their tone is a little more firm here. They don't want to be reassured. They want to know if he's really okay.]
What happened?
[Their tone is a little more firm here. They don't want to be reassured. They want to know if he's really okay.]
[ you're a smart cookie, frisk. steven knows that as well, but he wants to avoid talking to them about what happened, if only for the reason that they shouldn't have to deal with it. he had made mistakes and perished as a result; the suffering that stemmed from that didn't have to be passed on to the people he held concern for. ]
Several of us were sent away from the colony for a while. We were only just recently brought back.
[ it's not a lie, but a half-truth. hopefully he won't have to go into the details of the rest of it. ]
Several of us were sent away from the colony for a while. We were only just recently brought back.
[ it's not a lie, but a half-truth. hopefully he won't have to go into the details of the rest of it. ]
Edited 2016-06-09 15:29 (UTC)
Mm, heard about that. Saw people talking about it on the network, and... Sans and Undyne and Viridi were gone for a while, too. Dunno if it was because of the same stuff, but...
[Undyne probably gave them a very shounen retelling of what happened. It all sounded very epic and amazing (and most likely embellished), but she was only gone for a couple of hours. Which brings them to—]
... You were gone for days, though. Something different happened.
[A pause.]
S'okay if you don't wanna talk about it — I don't mind. Just... don't want you to act like everything's okay when you're not feeling okay? We're friends.
[Undyne probably gave them a very shounen retelling of what happened. It all sounded very epic and amazing (and most likely embellished), but she was only gone for a couple of hours. Which brings them to—]
... You were gone for days, though. Something different happened.
[A pause.]
S'okay if you don't wanna talk about it — I don't mind. Just... don't want you to act like everything's okay when you're not feeling okay? We're friends.
[ yeah... steven's recollection of events wasn't as nearly as epic and amazing. it was far more dangerous, cold, and miserable. ]
You're right about that. But while I wouldn't say I am at my best, I really am fine.
[ the cold is uncomfortable and a little difficult to deal with, but it's not the worst thing that could have happened. he can handle it on his own. ]
You're right about that. But while I wouldn't say I am at my best, I really am fine.
[ the cold is uncomfortable and a little difficult to deal with, but it's not the worst thing that could have happened. he can handle it on his own. ]
I know it well - It's something that I take care to practice as well.
[ at least, most of the time. depending on the context, it can be easy for him to get carried away... but at least he can talk the talk. ]
You seem quite calm for someone who's asked for a tea to relax nerves.
[ at least, most of the time. depending on the context, it can be easy for him to get carried away... but at least he can talk the talk. ]
You seem quite calm for someone who's asked for a tea to relax nerves.
[Sans leans back in his chair and raises a brow.]
[It isn't even a saracstic kind of 'Oh wow look at Mr. Hotshot here'. He's legitmately impressed.]
So what's your primary occupation, then?
[It isn't even a saracstic kind of 'Oh wow look at Mr. Hotshot here'. He's legitmately impressed.]
So what's your primary occupation, then?
[ why must you test him in this way, child.......
but yes, hello, it is him, the temporary human popsicle. he's a little conflicted about seeing her - it's good to know that she's safe, but with the state he's in right now... he might have some explaining to do.
she's new to the colony. while it wouldn't do well to shield her from its dangers, saying outright that he had died might be throwing too much on her at once. there has to be a certain tact to situations like this. ]
No... I'm just feeling a bit under the weather. I should be fine in a few days.
[ it isn't exactly a lie, and it's good enough for now. ]
But what about you? I've been trying to contact you for some time now.
but yes, hello, it is him, the temporary human popsicle. he's a little conflicted about seeing her - it's good to know that she's safe, but with the state he's in right now... he might have some explaining to do.
she's new to the colony. while it wouldn't do well to shield her from its dangers, saying outright that he had died might be throwing too much on her at once. there has to be a certain tact to situations like this. ]
No... I'm just feeling a bit under the weather. I should be fine in a few days.
[ it isn't exactly a lie, and it's good enough for now. ]
But what about you? I've been trying to contact you for some time now.
Huh. That's a weird sorta under-the-weather ya got there, then! [ She's never met someone who's so cold when they're sick. But she ... won't question it? He said he'll be fine in a few days, so it's not really much of an issue then. And she's sure he can take care of himself.
Except, oops, she had no idea he was trying to contact her. (She'd hear beeps sometimes but she's not going to attribute that to her CereVice receiving messages yet ...) ]
I'm feelin' fine! But ... ya have? I haven't seen ya around or anythin'. How were ya doin' that? [ What does he mean he's been trying to contact her if she hasn't seen him at the Gardens looking for her? ]
Except, oops, she had no idea he was trying to contact her. (She'd hear beeps sometimes but she's not going to attribute that to her CereVice receiving messages yet ...) ]
I'm feelin' fine! But ... ya have? I haven't seen ya around or anythin'. How were ya doin' that? [ What does he mean he's been trying to contact her if she hasn't seen him at the Gardens looking for her? ]
[ there's a pensive pause as he takes in steven's words. he always listens attentively, of course, but this time it seems like he's letting the words especially sink in. it's an important topic, not only because steven's offering him advice... but because it also provides him insight into how steven might be handling it.
at the second part, however, there's a shift. and: ]
—You don't need to say sorry for that. It's not like you mean to make me worry or anything... like I said, that you're okay's the most important part.
[ ... ]
... And besides, I know you're strong enough to handle this stuff.
[ mentally. physically, counting all his pokémon. it's his own form of encouragement, more tame than his usual shonen words but still entirely genuine. ]
at the second part, however, there's a shift. and: ]
—You don't need to say sorry for that. It's not like you mean to make me worry or anything... like I said, that you're okay's the most important part.
[ ... ]
... And besides, I know you're strong enough to handle this stuff.
[ mentally. physically, counting all his pokémon. it's his own form of encouragement, more tame than his usual shonen words but still entirely genuine. ]
In my world, humans and creatures known as Pokémon live together as companions and partners. People known as Pokémon Trainers catch, raise, and train them to compete in contests of skill and strategy called "battles". That's what I do.
[ there's no mention of him being champion or anything like that. he's proud of his accomplishments, but he doesn't brag. ]
[ there's no mention of him being champion or anything like that. he's proud of his accomplishments, but he doesn't brag. ]
Still, I feel as though it should be said.
[ there's a pause after he hears adrien's next words, though. it's flattering to hear something like that said about him, but above that... it's heartwarming. he'd like to think that he's strong and reliable, and the fact that adrien sees him as such leads him to believe that he's doing something right. ]
Thank you, Adrien. I'll do everything in my power to continuously meet those expectations.
[ there's a pause after he hears adrien's next words, though. it's flattering to hear something like that said about him, but above that... it's heartwarming. he'd like to think that he's strong and reliable, and the fact that adrien sees him as such leads him to believe that he's doing something right. ]
Thank you, Adrien. I'll do everything in my power to continuously meet those expectations.
If you're sure...
[They're not going to push. If Steven doesn't want to go into detail, then he doesn't want to go into detail. Having him admit he's "not at his best" is close enough, anyway. It puts them a little at ease.]
But... lemme know if you need anything, okay? I'll help.
[They're not going to push. If Steven doesn't want to go into detail, then he doesn't want to go into detail. Having him admit he's "not at his best" is close enough, anyway. It puts them a little at ease.]
But... lemme know if you need anything, okay? I'll help.
[ Well, he's right about that. Everything she's experienced here so far has been weird, after all. ]
My what? [ That should be proof enough that she hasn't been checking it. ] Wait, are ya talkin' about the thing that beeps sometimes?
[ ... Yes, that. His messages have certainly been coming through, but she hasn't been actively checking any of them. Sorry. ]
My what? [ That should be proof enough that she hasn't been checking it. ] Wait, are ya talkin' about the thing that beeps sometimes?
[ ... Yes, that. His messages have certainly been coming through, but she hasn't been actively checking any of them. Sorry. ]
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