forgivetheinsubordination | IC Contact

Yes.

[The last thing, or one of the last things, he wants to do is overwhelm Red, so it's an easy agreement to make. Garrus starts walking toward Charizard, lessening the distance the pokemon has to fly.]

So. How long you and... he? been together?

[ Red keeps level to Garrus this time, thankful for the subject to be dropped. He's not tired, but for them only to gather a small amount of flowers so far, he is worn. It's one emotion after another.

But Charizard. That's an easy topic, and calls for the type of emotions that don't haze his mind. ]

He. [ He confirms. ] We've been together more than a year now. He was my first pokémon. A professor gave him to me so I could help him with his dream -- he made a device that would record the data of any pokémon caught, so he gave one to me and his grandson and asked us to capture each and every known pokémon.

It was an electronic encyclopaedia -- the pokédex. He's never been far from my side since then.

[ Red knows it was more than he was asked, but it all comes together naturally like a jigsaw. The pokédex led to Charizard, and they both worked dutifully to fill it. ]

Capture each and every one?

[There's definite shock in his voice at Red's statement. Someone sent two kids out against all of the different pokemon and expected them to succeed? What sort of jerk would do that? 'Oh, these creatures are terrorizing our land, let's send two kids out against them!' Spirits. Red might almost be safer with the CDC.]

I mean, I'm glad Charizard and you do well together. But that seems a pretty tall order.

Just one of every species. [ In case that wasn't clear. ] But the professor couldn't do it, he was too old. And me and Green, we both wanted to be pokémon trainers so it worked out.

[ -- ah. He catches himself. ] That's-- not the Green you know. It's a different Green.

[Just one of every species. That made it so much better. Garrus is still taken aback by how calm Red is about facing all sorts of fire - breathing or other - breathing animals. And then he gets to be amused at his naming theory for Red and Green's village confirmed.]

There a lot of Greens where you're from? Bunch of Reds, too? Anyone named... I don't know. Magenta?

Um... maybe. I don't know them, but I don't see why not. [ The joke it goes over Red's head until then. ] Our names aren't strange where we're from -- they're our names. Are they funny to you?

[ It's not said defensively - Red's curious. Charizard makes an entrance around then, slowing down before reaching them so he can plop the basket down first before himself. He growls out joyfully, circling around to reach his trainer and to bring their heads together that Red holds together with an arm around him, and it's the first time in a while deserving of a light chuckle. ] Hey, you're okay? Good.

[She nods, mouth closed and a comically earnest look on her face as she tries to figure out if she's going to start sneezing again. Deciding she isn't, she focuses back on Garrus.]

No, not right now. Hopefully... [She reaches over and grabs her mask, spinning it in her hands so that it's ready to just clip on.] If I put this on soon enough, I can head it off.

[But for a moment, before she does, she looks up at Garrus, and there's something of an intensity to it as she takes in his features without the darkening effect of the semi-opaque mask. The scars from something she hasn't even seen him heal from. The markings that are much brighter than she realised. Little details in his plates, skin, eyes she'd never really noticed before. Seeing one of her friends like this is a rarity, a real rarity, and it reminds her of everything she misses day to day.

And then she clicks her mask into place, and there's a twist of regret on her mouth as she does it.]

They're not funny. They're names. I just don't know many places with naming patterns that are, mm. That.

[Sure, you can often tell a krogan name by sound. Vorcha too, and a fair amount of humans. But nobody had a naming plan that was colors, or... Garrus doesn't know. Fruits? Animals? Animals would be even worse, he decides.]

No themes, really.

[And then he's quiet, watching Red reunite with Charizard. It's... adorable. The bond the two have is obvious, and he wonders how it even came to be. There's got to be a story there, and maybe it's a story for another time. After a few moments of letting the two connect, Garrus speaks again.]

Welcome back. See anything we should pick?

[He looks back at Tali as she studies him. They never see each other like this. To see a quarian isn't entirely strange, there's vids where some take off their helmets, he's seen some geth records from before when the quarians left Rannoch, but he's only once before seen Tali.

Garrus' mandibles flicker once the mask is on, a little amusement, a little sadness. If she'd been from around his time, would she have had geth programming in her suit already, rebuilding her immune system? Would this have just been one in a series of times when he'd actually get to see one of his dearest friends? He doesn't know.]

So. Scars just as horrific in regular lighting as purple lighting? Or are they worse? I'd lean toward the latter. You have no idea how many krogan women I had to fend off last time we went to Tuchanka. That tends to say something.

[His voice is light. His subharmonics are a different story, a little lower, a little sad. The suits protect the quarians, but they also limit and restrict. Maybe they'll both live to see the day when her people get a little more free.]

[ There's a moment longer given to each other before they break away, and Charizard answers Garrus with a low bark-ish sound before retracing some steps back to face himself towards the basket. What's first to be noticed before the pokémon does anything is the mess of shrubbery and twigs, all that comes more clear when a clawed hand reaches in and pulls a bundle out. Huskberries, and a gnela balancing amongst their tangles that drops back in and knocks the inner side of the basket when he reaches in again, pulling out a bigger selection of the tree fruit when he lifts up a whole branch.

He then shoves it back in, not too much care given, and then searches around for more. But his arms are short and leaning in over the edge doesn't help him grab what he's looking for. Red tries to spot whatever else it is, but can't see through the collection of everything else inside.

Charizard gives up, and goes for the more easier option of holding out his claws for them to see the oil-y substance on them. Ah. Dyum. ]

It looks like he found most of what we showed him. [ Red looks over to Garrus, though sparing a glance to the contents of the basket. ] He was probably rushing when he grabbed all this...

[ He grabs at the huskberry plant, pulling at it. ] Maybe this one still has the roots on it.

[The decontamination sequence burns a little as it passes over her face, and she blinks hard against it. It's over within seconds, and she opens her eyes to find the world back to normal. Not glaringly bright. Slight tinge of purple.

And Garrus, looking... well, normal, insofar as Tali sees normal.]

Oh, I get what they see in you. [She sounds so guileless Garrus has to be able to see what's coming.] Scars, thick head, shoots first and asks questions later... You should definitely think about it. It'd be perfect.

[She's doing her vocal version of a poker face right now, but there's a sag to her shoulders and the slightest list to her frame - she and Garrus might communicate in different ways, but they're saying much the same things right now.

One day. She doesn't know when it'll be, not yet - but one day that purple light won't be normal anymore. And they'll be saying the same things in the same ways.]

[Garrus has to chuckle in surprise.]

Didn't expect you to do all the work, you know. Just find it and tell us. But thanks. You just made our job a lot easier.

[Much easier, even.]

With what we've got already and what he's grabbed, we could probably head back. We could even give planting the thing in camp a shot, too. Make a convenient source of berries if it lives and they grow fast enough.

[There's probably a lot that could be said right now, sympathy, encouragement, but this isn't the time or the company for that. What's kept them so far is joking around, ignoring the heavy things that they can't change and moving on with what they can. They've already sidetracked into melancholy here for both of them - him with his relationship failure, and her with her father. She's got the heavier of the burdens.]

I might have to.

[And hey. Krogan aren't heavy on love as a culture. There are exceptions, but he wouldn't have to worry about heartbreak again.]

And if that doesn't pan out, I'll sell my services as a makeshift repairer of quarian suits. How's it looking?

[Because that's what had brought him here, after all.]

Are you sure? [ Red rummages a hand through the collection, then slips it back out. ] I guess. Charizard will know where to take us if we want some more.

[ The pokémon nods his head with a noisy huff at that, and Red strokes him on the side of his arm. ]

We'll have to work on you not bringing the whole plant with you next time.

We've got a good amount, yeah.

[He starts heading back, giving the boy and his dragon an amused glance over his shoulder. They're young. They might be in for a difficult time here. But Garrus will do what he can to help.]

[ Then with Garrus on the move, Red gets Charizard to take the basket back into his arms and for them both to follow after him. They walk level to him once more, Charizard taking to Red's side as has become usual. ]

By the way, our names do have meaning. Mine and Green's. [ Because he would've commented on it earlier, if not for Charizard's arrival. ] They're colours for us too, but there's more to them than that. There's a lot colours symbolise where we come from.

I can tell you if you wanted. I actually asked about mine when I was younger. [ And there's some fondness in his voice as he shares: ] It was my father who wanted me to have the name.

Yeah?

[He's pretty curious. It had just been a little amusing, before, but if there's tradition or meaning behind them... And now he feels a little stupid, too. Of course there's a reason behind it. Who would name their kid Red or Green or something like that without meaning?]

I'd like to know. Especially since it sounds like you've got a pretty strong connection to your father there.

[Garrus hasn't ever had a strong bond with his, though it's better than it once was.]

Tell me about it.

[ He smiles, looking Garrus's way. ]

Okay, but you have to tell me what Garrus means - if you know it. [ Possibly a deal? ]

Sure, but you first.

[The story is far more important than what his own name means, really. Especially when he wants to get to know Red more. Garrus' name won't really do that for either of them.]

Alright. [ A nod -- a deal it is! He waits a beat, then continues with his gaze going forward. ]

Where I'm from, red symbolises fire. It's the colour of passion, and warmth and strength. There's a lot more it can stand for, but these are what my father had in mind for me, the kind of man he wanted me to become once I was older.

[ There's pride in his voice, where just just explaining it leaves him with a bout of energy in him that had been dampened for a while. He would never not be fond of his name, no matter how simple it was. ]

When I decided I was going to be a pokémon trainer, I knew that I had to have a fire pokémon. [ and gestures to Charizard with a tip of his head, looking back at Garrus ] And as it turned out, one of the professor's last pokémon was a fire pokémon.

[It's not the first time he's come into contact with colors having direct emotional meanings, though that red is passion and warmth and strength is a very human thing. For turians, blue is what does that, as well as symbolizes danger and warnings. But it makes sense. It's about blood, life.]

So you took the meaning from it, applied it, and found more connection thanks to it.

[And Red sounds very enthused about talking about his name, too. Turians don't really... have something like that. Sure, their names have general meanings, but they don't build from it. He keeps walking, and after a few moments Garrus shrugs.]

Mine means 'valiant one,' more or less. Don't think it really changed much for me. A lot of turian names go along those lines.

Is that the species you're called? [ He pauses. ] Uh, if that word is alright. I don't know if there's a better word for describing people from another... planet.

[ ??? what is this situation ]

[Garrus' mandibles flare out as he looks down at the boy.]

Actually, it's exactly right. My species is turian. And yours is human. And Charizard would be pokemon, I'd guess? Or are there divisions within that?

[Because Charizard looks rather unlike Arcanine.]

[ !! He caught the mandibles flaring!! Red's amaze and awe could not be hidden at the sight of that. ]

Right. All pokémon are pokémon, but they're all different. [ And to bring up Green, with gestures that finally get Red to stop staring at Garrus's face like it's amazing- ] Like Charizard is a charizard, and Arcanine is an arcanine. Pokémon is just a catch all for anything that isn't a human.

[ He hums a small happy sound. ]

But you know, your name... it's nice, to me. I don't always think about my name, but the way I do, it makes me picture my father and my mother, and the hopes they had for me.

[ Which- may be sappy, and even Red looks slightly bashful this time, tipping his head slightly away, but he looks back up to Garrus with the smile still on his face. ]

Even if people have a name like yours, it's still the one they picked for you.

[It's one of the better reactions to his mandibles flaring, really. Garrus would pass on staring, but at least it's clearly positive fascination instead of repulsion. Or grabbing. Garrus does not appreciate grabbing.

The fact that Charizard doesn't get his own name is a little sad, especially considering the amount of work he and Arcanine put in, but apparently it doesn't matter to the pokemon. Garrus will focus more on Red.]

They had a lot of hopes for you, clearly. And you're determined to live up to them. That's good.

[His father had hopes for him. They involved crushing Garrus' dreams. They're on better terms, now, but it had taken a great deal of time and work for that.]

And they did pick it. Liked the sound of it, the history of it. We'll see if I live up to mine in the end.

[There's a massive task ahead of him, and it's daunting sometimes. He doesn't know if he'll succeed or fail, but there's only one direction to move - forward.]

All we can do is try.

IC Contact - Consignment

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i hate you

i'm da best

maybe

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