ardent | 005. [Video, and one other thing]

[VIDEO]

[Well! From the sound of the BGM, Ishimaru is currently back in Violet, though he's apparently holed up in Nondescript Hotel Room #356; he seems to have set the device on the table in front of him, and one of his Pokémon is actually out with him today - admittedly, it's a small pink tapir with flowers on it, and while it's definitely levitating itself it's tethered itself to his hair in a way that makes it look more than a little like some sort of really fabulous Combine headcrab. At least, he doesn't seem to mind - if anything, he seems a bit...lost in thought today. Not distracted, per se, just really contemplative.

And maybe a little peeved. Though that might be just his normal expression, it’s sorta hard to tell sometimes.]

So I've been told that I should probably start dressing like a "normal person."

[...okay, yeahno, he’s definitely a little agitated, though it's definitely more frustration than anger; he seems to realize then that his Munna is back and...well, doing the hair-thing again, and he takes a moment to retrieve her, holding her awkwardly in folded arms.]

While I find the way I dress to be completely appropriate and necessary, apparently that isn’t considered to be the case here! I don't see why - I'm a student, and therefore my clothing should reflect that! It's my profession for the time being, and as such the uniform of my profession is something that I should wear with pride!! It isn't proper conduct to do otherwise!

How...ever...

[Whatever he was going to say after that, he falters quite a bit; just...let him get his defensiveness levels down a little bit.]

...As fashion is something I've never really had a grasp on, I would...like to hear about what constitutes "normal" and how it can be achieved, as one's presentation goes!

Thank you for your time, and even if you don't reply, I want you to keep your head up and your eyes trained forward! Today is going to be a good day, I can tell!

[...yeah he kind of doesn't do "normal" well, um.]

[VIDEO - PRIVATE TO DANGANS, ALSO DORUMON]

[A second video will hit shortly after the first, now that he's finished discussing his hideous social failure; still in the Painfully Generic Hotel Room, still with the same setup going on, but at least he seems in somewhat higher spirits this time around, though he's still holding the Munna and seems determined to keep doing so until he's done filming.]

We've made it back to town as of yesterday - safe and doing well, as far as I know! It will be good to see you all again; hopefully you've all been well and keeping yourselves in line during my absence!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He grins into the camera, then gets up, and the camera does that incoherent waving around thing that it does when someone is walking with the Gear in their hand.

It evens out after a moment; Dorumon has it held out in front of him, and he's slowly approaching what looks like every piece of bedding from his inn room piled up in the corner in a huge lumpy wad. He stops a few feet away.]

Urd? [He sounds excited. The pile wriggles, and shifts, and one of the pillows moves, and...

...that's an Aerodactyl eye peeking out. A big, feral, icy Aerodactyl eye, belonging to a larger-than-average Aerodactyl with larger-than-average teeth.]

Ah...! That's!

[WHAT THE GENTLY CARESS, DORUMON.]

...what do you even have under there?!

Is Chrome going to say hi, too?

[The Eye blinks slowly at him....then vanishes beneath the covers again.

More wriggling. Dorumon tilts the 'Gear back a little to talk into it.]

It's the ancient Pokemon. [They're not rocks anymore!!

There's a (horrifying) Aerodactyl croak, and the 'Gear gets turned back towards the dino nest. The thing's shifted some of the sheets away to reveal the cavernous space formed inside by the curl of its body - and it is exactly as big and craggy and terrifying as it appeared to be the first time. It stares at the camera with an unreadable expression, serrated teeth curling over its scaly lips.

A tiny, pudgy Shieldon is nestled in the Aerodactyl's coiled tail. It looks up towards the Pokegear with huge eyes, shivering a little and looking like it just wants them to put the covers back already before it starts crying.]

When Chrome is feeling better, I want you to meet them. [friends friends (terrifying dinosaur) friends he sounds as enthusiastic about this as you can get while still ending the sentence with a period]

...So those are what you captured during the swarms, then?

[...okay look that one thing is terrifyingly huge but Ishimaru really, really can't complain about dinosaurs because in some ways he is an actual five-year-old who also took the time to obtain a couple because, hey, dinosaurs.

Not like the first one he got is really going well, but...details.]

I'd like that! Although...what happened to Chrome?

Umm...I think she's scared.

[And as if on cue, the tiny creature bursts into loud, shrieking tears. Urd frowns intensely at everything and shuffles the covers back over them both, starting up on a muffled crooning noise that sounds comforting except for the part where you can practically hear all the teeth in it.

Dorumon backs up quickly, flipping the Gear back around. Yeesh.]

...They get along, though. [um

(the dinosaur noises continue offscreen)

anyways] I don't know anything about clothes, but there was someone talking about them a while ago...I think she knows a lot. [He might be able to look back and find her 'Gear ID.]

[...Right. Let's just. Clothes. Focus on the. Clothes.]

Maybe I'll have to speak to her sometime, then! It's not something I really think about often; the uniform has always been more than good enough for me, so I'm not entirely sure where I should start - but I'm sure a solution will present itself eventually!

[The reply doesn't come for a minute or so. When it does, it contains a 'Gear ID.]

Are you thinking of changing it? [He sounds and looks genuine with the question, and even a little quizzical, as he tilts his head slightly. Ishimaru clearly isn't the only one who finds the idea strange, though Dorumon's reasons for that are wildly different and definitely shouldn't be taken as encouragement.]

Not...really. Maybe. Sometimes.

[Awk...ward...]

If you did, I don't know if I'd recognize you. [There will be no monopolies on awkward today. Dorumon does have the grace to look genuinely worried over this, though.

...Is it grace if it's honest, or just kind of sad...?]

Do all students dress like that? [There's a very slight verbal fumble over the word "students".]

...Some of them wear a variation on this sort of uniform; the ones at my old school did. But not all of them, no!

[...the amount of "oh honey no" tho...]

What do you mean, though, that you don't know if you'd recognize me?

[The more you know.]

Well...that might be too much. [There's still the voice and the eyebrows to go on, not to mention the mannerisms.] But you'd look really different. It'd be hard to find you.

[Oh, god, Dorumon, not you too with the eyebrows.]

Ah...maybe! As I said, I can't imagine doing it all the time anyway...

[...even if he's...technically no longer a student oh god he's turning 20 this month what do]

[but the eyebrows. (oldy mcoldface.)]

I think I'd be able to tell your voice no matter what, though. [anyways] Why would you want to dress like other people?

[Just from the look of it, they are the sort of eyebrows that have been passed down the Ishimaru family line FOR GENERATIONS or something.]

Because apparently doing otherwise is strange - which isn't anything I care about, particularly, but it's...

[...]

It's difficult to explain! But humans value normalcy, I think.

005. [Video, and one other thing]

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