soul_logs | [Closed] "The burgers are really good"

Entry tags:

duo maxwell,
haruka

[Closed] "The burgers are really good"

Characters: Duo and Haruka

Location: Outside Casualty Communal -> an out of the way diner.

Rating: G

Time: 20th of February, middle of the day.

Description: Haruka and Duo meet, chat and eat.

[Haruka sat on a bench outside the Casualty Communal, crutches resting against the side, softly humming a tune while she waited for Duo to arrive. She had so many things she wanted to talk to and ask him about and that combined with the prospect of great food had filled her with a great deal of anticipation. But the weather was great, she thought as she soaked up the sunlight, and made patience come easily. Not only that, it was more than warm enough for her to wear her regular clothes from home - a major plus. She liked the clothes she'd gotten from the arrival basket well enough, but her few possessions grounded her. No matter where she went, if she had something familiar with her, it put her just a little bit more at ease.]

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[Haruka obediently turns, her previous words still ringing in her head.]

...I'm complaining, aren't I? Sorry, I'm just... really not used to living without them yet.

[It's the same for Sapphire, if that conversation was any indication.]

Back home, I was a Pokemon Coordinator. I traveled the lands, competing in Pokemon Contests with my Pokemon. It's my life. [And a better one than she'd ever hoped for, given that her parents had kicked her out when she was ten and still afraid of Pokemon.] We demonstrate the beauty, talent and strength of our Pokemon, unlike Pokemon trainers. They just battle.

It's alright. It's a really big difference, so I'm sure it's hard to get used to..

[ He can't help a little laugh at the whole 'just battle' thing - resisting the urge for a whole half of a second to make a stand for the poor trainers of the world. after all, all he knew how to do was battle, and as far as he saw that included a whole hell of a lot of skill. ]

Y'know, battling isn't all that easy either, so far as I can tell. I've done enough of it and seen enough of it to know it takes some skill to enter a battle and survive.

[She smirks, ever so slightly. You're on, Duo. Haruka will never not be willing to defend her profession as the harder one.]

Yeah, but trainers can fight any way they want to - if a Coordinator wants to win a battle, they've got to do it with original, creative style! They don't even have to think about Appeals! And trainers don't have judges watching and deducting points, either!

[-Wait, record scratch. 'Survive'? Better clear that up.]

The battles in my world don't put anyone in any real danger. I've never seen anyone make their Pokemon fight until they were at risk of dying... Not even the bad guys do that.

So... okay, in a way, you're right. What I do isn't comparable to fights of survival.

Well that's good. It'd be kinda nasty if people were killing their pets just to battle them. [ Even though, well, Duo hadn't really batted at eyelash at it. Maybe he was too used to fighting and blood and everything else, but he just smiles at his little victory, not really in the mood to rub in how right he was for right now, as he points out the burger place.

It looks like it might be a bit of a dive from the outside, and the customers inside may look a little rough, but Duo feels right at home. ]

Yeah, doing pretty things and focusing on technique isn't quite the same. But this is our place, don't be fooled by how it looks on the outside, huh?

[She grimaces at the thought.]

You'd have to be super messed up to do that, ugh.

[She's eaten in rundown places before, it's the appearance of the customers that phases her slightly. But... Duo seems fine with them, and she needs to become braver, and there's good food inside! So she's ready to follow him in.]

Okay, I trust you.

...Coordinators are still cooler than regular trainers, though.

Well that's what I was thinking but, you know.. [ He shrugs, as if saying he wasn't really the one to judge that. He'd thought things were odd at the idea of killing pets, but then again, people had done worse, stranger things to humans and animals.

He opens the door for her, waiting until she's inside to head in himself, tossing a cheery smile and a wave to the man at the counter. ]

D'you think you can get up in to one of the stool seats, or no? I'd rather sit where you can get to, considering you're the injured one..

...Oh. Yeah, I see what you mean. [Like Loki and his bloody stories that weren't bloody to him.] Isn't it weird, how much standards vary from world to world?

[Haruka tilts her head, judging the height of the stools against her ability to get up and down from there.]

It should be okay... [To test, she walks over to an empty one and sets her crutches against the bar, supporting herself by placing her hands on the sides of the stool. Then, she successfully jump-slides herself onto the seat.]

Ta-da~!

Edited 2012-06-01 05:16 (UTC)

Yeah, I'd been thinking about that lately, but... [ He shrugs. ] I've learned that over thinking is just as bad as being that kid in the class that asks way too many questions.

Well I mean, don't strain or get yourself hurt.. [ Duo lingers near by just to make sure that she gets up there alright, smiling softly as she makes the jump. ]

Good job! [ He slides on to one himself, grinning at the rather gruff looking cook before introducing her as someone new to the place. The menu hangs on a sign above them, and though Duo knows what he wants he decides to wait until after she's figured it out. ]

[Haruka smiles politely and nods at the cook. Manners went well almost everywhere, right? Then she's directing her attention at the sign above them, comparing the options in one part of her mind while continuing the conversation with another.]

Mm, they do say, 'everything in moderation'... I really like it, though. [She'd never had reason to apply her thought in such unusual directions, and the girl found that she enjoyed the mental stretch.] There are so many possibilities I can see that I've never seen before, it's hard not to get a little carried away.

But I promise not to drift too far. It's not what I'm here for.

[Decision made, she turns her head back to him.]

I think I'll have the quadruple-death burger and an extra large pepsitilence. You?

Understandable. Maybe it's just where I'm from that you just go on and don't ask questions.. [ He smile as if he's said nothing out of the ordinary, really, turning back to the sign. Her choice actually sounds really good, and it doesn't take long for the other teen to make a 'might as well' sort of motion. ]

I think I'll have the same. It sounds really delicious! [ A laugh. ] But then again I've always been a sucker for burgers, so I'm an easy customer.

[Another smile and nod, this time at Duo.]

I love trying new food, but burgers will always be the number two food of my heart! The number one is ramen.

[Haruka shyly raises her hand to signal the cook over, before giving him their orders. Once he leaves to prepare the food, she turns back to Duo with a dimming smile.]

Why is that? ...The not asking questions thing, I mean.

Burgers have always been my go to. Cheap and fast, you know? If you're in a pinch they're always available.

[ He gives a little laugh, then, nervous, as she asks him why he prefers not to ask questions, but rather find answers. It's an odd thing, really, and he wonders if she'll view him differently once he tells her things. But then, yet again, he doesn't lie, so he can't exactly make something up and shrug it off, either. So he decides to give an answer that's short and sweet, but not too detailed.

Truthful enough without telling too much. ]

Most times you really don't want to do the answer, in a place where all you really know is war and people fighting it. So you keep your head down and mind your own business until you have a reason to make yourself known. [ A shrug. ]

That's just how it is, really.

[She wasn't sure what to say to that. Maybe it wasn't the best time, but she needed to put together and think about what she knew about Duo - the last thing she wanted was to say something she should have avoided saying.

He had told her he came from a place where war had recently ended, but had clearly been on for most of his life. From the way he talked, he had definitely been involved in some way, although she didn't want to make guesses as to how deeply. All that really mattered was that he had been affected. And now plunged straight into the middle of another war.

But what could she really say to that? She knew only peace. Did she have anything worth saying?

Aware that she had been quiet for too long, Haruka bursts out frustratedly:]

I'm sorry! I don't mean that in pity, I mean... I don't know what I mean. But I really don't like the dark parts of your home, and I like even less that you had to live through them. I know that the world isn't fair, but... it's unfair that you're here now that your war’s over and I hate it. And I hate that I don't know what to say to you about it!

[ He doesn't seem to mind her silence, smiling kindly as she tries to explain herself. It's hard for a lot of people to understand, when he says things like that, and he's come to understand that it's not a slight to either of them that they know about certain things in the world that the other doesn't and vice-versa. ]

Don't worry yourself so much about it.. [ He reaches out to pat her on the shoulder, still smiling in that classic, crooked Duo way. ] I'm used to it, so I'm not really all that worried or anything. Maybe I'm just meant to be here long enough to show people how to fight and then I'll go home.

You never know, right?

[The reasoning and physical contact combined successfully calm Haruka down again. She hadn't considered that possibility, and it wasn't a bad one. Things could turn out okay.]

...Yeah. Things could work out like that, couldn't they?

[The thought left her feeling a little better, at least.]

I know you said you're used to it, but it's still kind of amazing how... okay with things you are.

[She thought she'd gotten good at smothering any personal unhappiness, but clearly, she had several more levels of chill to shoot for.]

I learned a long time ago that losing your mind over something, over thinking, all of that, was pretty self-defeating. If you want to actually get something done you kind of have to... accept it to a point, and then get yourself moving, you know? Fear or anger aren't really conducive to making good decisions or ones that would be, you know... even good in the short run.

[ That and well, when you always made your own decisions... But telling her about the orphanage and whatever else might not ever happen, if he had anything to do with it. Not everyone needed to know these little stories.

Thankfully the distraction of their meal arrives a short time later, and Duo smiles as he thanks their waiter. ]

Oh, great! I was starving!

[There's another pause, a short one this time, as Haruka takes his words in. Then, she nods in agreement.]

Mm. Crying just burdens others. No thoughtful person would let others see their tears.

[Not that any of that matters at the moment because food. Haruka's eyes take on a gleam and after a rushed "Thanks for the food!", she digs in with fervor.]

[ it was strange how she somehow reminded him of Hilde, attacking her burger like that, and with the way she acted. It was almost homely, and he just shakes his head. ]

Nah, crying isn't a weakness. No human emotion is really a weakness, when push comes to shove, just some people are better at controlling it. [ Or at least, he saw no weaknesses in tears. In fact, sometimes he found that people who were comfortable enough to cry in front of others were the strongest, if they were so convinced of what they believed in so as to cry over it.

Even so he digs right in with her, taking the silence as both a moment to stuff his face and gather his thoughts. ]

[It's only after she's halfway through her burger and drink that Haruka stops, wipes her mouth with a paper napkin, and continues with her previous train of thought.]

I don't know... Crying shows that something's wrong. Flawed. When everybody needs you to be happy, that's the last thing they want to see.

[Her part said, she goes straight back to digging in.]

Honestly... who the hell cares what everyone else needs or wants from you?

[ The takes a bite, chews and swallows before continuing. ] You'll drive yourself up a wall trying to please everybody. So do what you want and be happy in doing what it is you want to do.

[Her mouth becomes dry, making her current mouthful of burger impossible to swallow comfortably. A sip from her drink solves that. Haruka puts the cup down and places her elbows on the table, resting her chin on the back of her hands. She stares at the bar, her gaze vacant and her mind a million miles away.]

...I can't do anything that will damage the reputation of my family. I owe them for raising me.

[She ~~stalls~~ takes another long sip of her drink, then continues.]

It must sound silly, since I'm so far away from home. But... I'm here to help win a war. I might not like this place, but I still don't want to bring everyone else down.

Besides, [Her smiles returns at this.] I've managed for this long. I can keep on managing for quite a bit longer, I think. And isn't it important that more people than just myself are happy?

[ In a way, he could understand. He as a child would have never done anything that might have permanently damaged the reputation of the Maxwell Church and Sister Helen, if he actually thought about the repercussions before hand. But on the other - he was all about self determination, and the understanding that while others may not be at their happiest while a singular person is, individual happiness is just as important as the whole, so long as the individual's happiness doesn't negatively affect every one else's. ]

Maybe it's just because I never really had a family, but - [ He waves his hand, making it clear (as far as he's concerned) that the no family thing wasn't a big deal. ] - Who cares? If you're happy, and that isn't negatively affecting everyone else in the family, I say go for it.

They can deal with it, if it chafes their ordeals a little, and eventually they'll get used to it. But individual happiness is really, really, important..

Wha...

[Duo, why is your luck so bad? Haruka frowns unhappily but otherwise refrains from expressing her dismay.]

Maybe...

[A point of view so vastly different to anything she's ever heard is hard to take in. A noncommittal response is the best she can give right now.]

I want... to make them proud, though. And I don't think that... I can truly be happy if my family and the people around me aren't happy. It would hurt.

[...She felt trapped and sick and increasingly like there was something wrong with her. She needed to set the conversation back on a better path. Haruka shakes her head, straightens up and starts to smile again before she says brightly:]

Well... well I think there's a happy medium! When I get home, if I just win the Johto Grand Festival, then everybody can be happy! I love what I do, and my parents... if I win, there's no way they can't be proud of me for that! It's a prestigious festival, and it's only my third and I'm still a young adult and I'll be a Top Coordinator and, and... i-it's truly an accomplishment worthy of a Gym Leader's daughter! Th-they might even say I can finally live at home again! I... I...

...I'm a mess, aren't I?

[ He just lets her spill and talk her way through things, patiently nibbling on fries while she gets it all out, so to speak. Things like this sort of made him glad that while he did have a family they were so accepting and understanding of him. All the families he'd run in to.. well.. hadn't exactly worked out all that well when they were all together. But then again, that might not be a very fair assumption to place on every one.

Still, he has to give a little honest smile after that, shrugging lightly. ]

... Yeah, just a little. But that's alright, we all have our moments. [ He gives a little smile, though, shrugging for a moment. ]

But it seems like you want to be happy, even though doing what makes them happy doesn't really... fit you the best.

...I want to be happy, yeah. But...

[She felt so guilty.]

I'm sorry. I've never really told anyone any of this before, and I'm sorry for dumping it all on you. You shouldn't be any different, it isn't fair.

[Something in Haruka shifts. Her face takes on a determined look and she pumps her fist once for emphasis.]

I'll make it up to you! And don't say anything like I don't need to, because I want to! So, Duo Maxwell - what is it you want to do more than anything else in Death City?

[...Dramatic, yes. But that was how Haruka rolled.]

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