A game. For real, this time, hopefully.

[stfuscarab]

No way.

Seriously. No, even if I wouldn't have the scarab yelling at me anymore, [BLESS.] getting me a Pokewhatsit that acts just like it isn't any better. It could walk around and do what it wants! How is that a good idea?

[You can train it. And keep it in the ball. And--]

Doesn't matter! It's still a bad idea.

Comments

[sweettalker]

Not to be rude, but if your mun is serious about sending you I don't think you'll have many other options.

[stfuscarab]

[SIGH. SO HELPFUL, PIPER.]

Doesn't mean I still can't tell her how stupid this is, but we were already down this road. If I'm lucky, she'll forget about it a week later.

[HAHA NO SHE WON'T.]

[sweettalker]

[ALWAYS.]

Let me know how that works out for you. [Small smile.]

Even with charm speak I haven't been able to convince my mun not to put me in "fun" situations.

So, you're a super hero, right?

[stfuscarab]

[Is this the sort of helpfulness he's going to have to look forward to, Piper? Is it?]

Sure. I'll even write it down as a reminder. [Okay, okay, sass aside.] Yeah, you could say that. So..."charm speak"?

[sweettalker]

[It'll be like having a female, non-homicidal version of the Scarab to give you equally helpful and unsolicited advice!

So in other words it'll be like having an older sister. You wanted one of those, right, Jaime?]

Seriously, though, if it makes you feel better then it still counts for something. I'm actually behind you on the whole "they should listen to us once in a while" part.

[... Shouldn't have said anything, SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID ANYTHING.]

It's-- [Sighs, running a hand in her hair self consciously.] --a "special talent" I get from my mom's side of the family. Basically I can convince people to do what I say, sometimes whether I like it or not... [I mean what.] It's very not crash.

[GUESS WHO IS LIVING WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THAT SLANG, Jaime?]

[stfuscarab]

[That's definitely better! She can be his surrogate Babs and/or Karen or something. Also, he's smiling a little.]

Good. If anyone actually was for letting the muns do what they want, then they need their heads examined.

[Deets. You should have known you were gonna have to provide them, Piper. YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.]

Are you kidding? That's kind of cool. [A beat.] Depending on what you ask, anywa--

[Pause. Did she just say--]

Crash? You wouldn't happen to know Impulse, would you?

[sweettalker]

[Yes, and they can swap stories about their hellish adventures fighting ancient deities and sociopath aliens and it will be magical. MAGICAL.]

It's useful some of the time, but it also gets me in a lot of trouble. [Like taking BMW's off the car lot when you're not even old enough to have a driver's license.

She grins, shaking her head.]

Not exactly? I do know some of your mutual friends, I guess. Wonder Girl is up here with me, so are M'gann, Rocket, Tye, Batgirl, and Zatanna. It's kind of crowded actually.

[hasnomentor]

Come on hermano. At least give it a chance?

[stfuscarab]

Oh, come on! You don't see how stupid this is?

[Nothing says terrible idea like a hostile Heracross walking around and learning something like Close Combat.]

[hasnomentor]

Sure, it could be a stupid idea but then again maybe it'll all work out? I mean no Scarab means no fear of going on-mode, right?

[stfuscarab]

Yeah, that's definitely a plus. And even if the Pokemon's hostile, at least I'll be able to actually train it.

[That's the only thing he's really dreading now.]

[hasnomentor]

See? Bright side. You can even name the Pokemon.

[stfuscarab]

I guess. Mun already thinks I should go with 'Paco'.

[See what I did there...]

[foreveraclone]

I don't know what's better having that or a monkey for a pokémon.

[stfuscarab]

I think the monkey wins. [Assuming it isn't hostile or anything.] What's your beef with them, anyway?

[foreveraclone]

This one ruined my second favorite pair of boots when I was there last. They're annoying. And my first encounter wasn't exactly.... memorable either.

[stfuscarab]

[Snerk.]

...okay, I can see why you'd hold a grudge. Did you ever get along with it even though it ruined your boots?

[foreveraclone]

[noooo, don't laugh at his pain.]

Enough for it to evolve once. After that I put it in a box in the center. I took him out every now and then, just to train him.

[stfuscarab]

[But it's funny, Superbro.]

Wait, you can keep them in boxes?

[Like actual boxes? because he doesn't see how that'd work out.]

/slowly collects all the threads with you

[socrash]

But you get to keep it and name it and play with it and challenge other people to fights with it! [Someone just got a crash course in Pokemon 101.] What's not to like?

Yes, good.

[stfuscarab]

The part where it might act like the scarab, ese.

[socrash]

Ohh, right.

[That...might not be such a good thing.]

But at least it won't be stuck to your back, right? That's gotta count for something.

[stfuscarab]

Okay, yeah. I won't have to worry about the whole Reach Apocalypse thing as long as I'm there. Wrapping my head around training a Pokemon like that is still pretty weird, though.

[socrash]

Just think of it like training a pet or something. Give it lots of treats and it'll do whatever you want it to.

[No, actually, that's called 'spoiling'.]

[stfuscarab]

You think Chicken Whizzies count as a treat?

[Not that he'd have any when he got there.]