rosetotheoccasion | First Petal [Video/action for New Bark Town]

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First Petal [Video/action for New Bark Town]

[There's a bit of a clatter when the video turns on, and the view is a bit skewed; a sideways shot of the very same house all non-Rockets wake up in. A pair of black and red boots can be seen pacing back and forth, their owner reaching down and grabbing a few other things that had spilled from their bag, along with the 'gear.]

Miss, I don't-- [The owner of the fear - a young girl it seems - halts as "Mom" continues to drone on with her usual spiel, a slight whine in her voice as she impatiently bounces on the balls of her feet.]

Miss, I really don't think you-- I mean, I really appreciate this, I guess!! But you're not really... [Sigh. She's not really listening is she? Guess she has no choice...]

I'msorryIreallyamthankfulbutIgottagobye!

[The words rush out all in one breath, and with a flurry of footsteps, the girl is gone.

... Without her Pokegear.

Luckily, a moment later a Houndour appears, grabbing the device in its mouth and running off. The camera jostles around a bit but stops soon enough, with the girl - dressed all in red and black, wrapped in a hooded red cape, and black hair cut short - finally in full view.]

What- yikes!

[She jumps back, shock on her face and a small bit of fear in her eyes. After a moment, though, she leans a little closer.]

You... you're not a Grimm, are you?

[A muffled bark comes from the Houndour holding the gear, and it's only then that the girl notices the device and quickly grabs it. After giving it a quick once-over to determine what exactly it is, she turns it in what she hopes is the right direction...!]

Uh... mayday, mayday! SOS! Some other distress call! .... Help? Geez, I don't know what I should be saying here...

[FOCUS. Okay. Breathe in, breathe out.]

T-This is Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, and I have no idea where I am! This, uh... this isn't Vale, is it?

[As her adrenaline starts to fade, Ruby's shoulders slump.]

I... I gotta get back. Like, right now! There are a whole lot of people that need help...

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[Unfortunately, since this device is fairly new to Ruby, she isn't really noticing any sort of ID or names or anything, so she hasn't got a clue as to whose gear this is...

She's still a little weirded out because... geez, what is that thing? Some kinda fairy?]

Uh... hi?

Fee!

[Fairy-TYPE, thank you. It gives a tiny wave at the camera, because at least orignal-Ruby sounds less panicked now?]

Edited 2016-02-08 01:04 (UTC)

[And said moment of calm lasts approximately half a second before the Gear is turned into a blur of motion and startled Floette cry, preceeded briefly by the sound of hurried footsteps.]

RUBY!

[When the dizzying motion stops with a bounce, the screen is now occupied by one redheaded girl grinning ear to ear, just a little too close to the camera. The Floette is clinging desperately to the side of her head, making continued chirps of distress and confusion.]

Are you okay? I've missed you so much!

[And that's when Ruby's world came to a screeching halt. Again.

For a moment, it's like she's frozen solid - she's still, almost too still - the color draining out of her face and her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Tears quickly fill those eyes, and it takes a full minute before she can actually wheeze out just a single word.]

... Penny?

[Never before had Ruby's voice - especially as Penny knows it - sounded so small, so scared...]

[And the smile drops almost instantly. Friend is hurt, MAKE IT BETTER GO GO NOW-]

Oh no, are you hurt?! Did something happen? Um- I know arriving here can be strange, but it's fine, really! It's very nice here once you get used to it! And that lady can be upsetting, but she's fine, she's just really confused I guess!

[Sorry, Penny. Ruby at the very least acknowledges that you're talking, but she can't focus on the words. Her ears are ringing, the tears in her eyes are blurring her vision, and her brain just keeps flashing back to what seemed like a lifetime ago, despite it only being a few minutes--

Penny broken and still on the floor of the arena, arms and legs torn away and mechanical insides sparking, her face completely void of any kind of smile and those eyes so wide and empty...

How cold Penny's sword - an extension of herself, Ruby always said - felt in her hand, the way the parts of her friend had just scattered when the Nevermore landed..

Needless to say, it takes a minute to gather herself up again to choke out a response, and even then, it's still haltingly short.]

You... it's really you...?

[She should have just stayed in New Bark Town and lived as a PokéHobo, that's the obvious solution here. Then she could actually BE there for Ruby, not stuck on the other side of the Pokégear screen.]

It's me! ...Is there a reason it shouldn't be?

[Arrival is jarring, but she didn't think it would be THIS bad. Unless...]

Oh no, how long has it been since we talked?! I've been here months, but they all said time wouldn't move back home-!

Months? No, it was just... days...

[She knew the time between when she saw Penny on the ground and when she snapped out of her grief seemed as long - if not longer - than that, but there was no way...]

You're not... [She still can't even think about using the D word.] You're really okay?

[Sorry she's being so confusing here, Penny. She was so young when she lost Summer, so she's not really used to going through the motions of the grief process, especially when it's only been a few minutes...]

Of course I'm okay! What about you?!

[She's just- so confused. She wants to make whatever Ruby's problem is better, but she can't even figure out what it IS.]

[There's a pause, and she takes a deep breath, holds it, then shakily lets it out.]

If you're okay... I. Yeah. I am.

[It's not true, because there's still so much going on back home for her to worry about, but she doesn't want to worry Penny even more than she already has with her freakout.]

But um... what was the last thing you remember?

[She said that she's been here for months, so there's no way she could know what happened during the tournament. But if what that guy earlier said is true, and time is all weird...then could that mean...?]

[HUGE sigh of relief. She says she's okay, so obviously problem solved, right?]

Before I woke up in New Bark Town? Talking to you, after we met outside the CCT. After I told you about- um. My father.

[Technically one of several things that were discussed.]

How long has it been for you?

So that... was a while ago... for me, too.

[That could mean a lot of things. Maybe something was wrong with her, and not Penny? Or maybe when Penny was rebuilt, her memories couldn't all be saved?

... Would it make Ruby a bad friend if she thought that... maybe that was a good thing?]

But I saw you after that. Um... [Again with the fidgeting. Penny may not be a master at human mannerisms, but it's obvious that she's trying to hide something.] You... really don't remember anything about the festival? Or the tournament?

[Her voice hitches, ever so slightly, at that final word...]

You did? People here have said that people can show up from the same place, but different times. That must be what happened here, I guess?

[Time shenanigans aren't really her forte.]

Wait, the Vytal Festival Tournament?

[Suddenly excited again, almost like she was when she first answered.]

Oh! Did you get to see any of my matches?! How did I do?! How did your team rank? We didn't have to fight each other, did we?

[... Do you know how hard it is for Ruby to not cry right now? Pretty darn hard. Because seeing Penny so excited just makes her think about their encounter after Penny's doubles match, about how Penny told her she wanted to start attending Beacon, about.. about...

... But can she really tell Penny that she died? Could that change it at all? or would it just make things worse?

Maybe... maybe they can at least have that talk after they meet up in person. Because Ruby will hike all night if she has to to reach where Penny is.]

We, uh... we never fought each other, no. We got all the way to the singles round, but that was Yang, not me. Your team did, too. And you got to fight for your team there.

[... She can't even smile when talking about the singles match. That's another red sign.]

Oh, sen-SATIONAL!

[Sorry Ruby, she's just... way too excited that she did well enough to make it to the singles matches.]

Did you get to see the match? No, wait. I'm sorry, I'm being selfish. You must have so many questions! We can talk about the tournament once you get to Violet City!

[As soon as this conversation ends she is running to pester Dave about teleport hax.]

Oh! What kind of Pokémon did you get?

[Again, Ruby feels guilty that she's glad over Penny avoiding the subject. She knows she can't ignore it forever, especially with how much it's been eating at her, but... maybe this bit of extra time will give her a chance to process what happened, at least.]

Pokemon? Is that what they're called?

[What a funny name... oh! But right. She shouldn't avoid that question, too. So the camera shakes as Ruby turns her gear around, giving Penny a view of the Houndour sitting obediently at her feet. The poor thing looks really worried, with how its mistress looked so upset, but seeing her smile and the smiling girl on the gear, he instantly begins panting and wagging his tail.]

This little guy followed me out. I guess he's the one I got?

[Honestly, even after she knows the truth she's gonna be kind of disappointed Ruby can't tell her about the match up to that point.]

...Oh, that's like the cutest Grimm ever. I mean- they're not actually like Grimm much at all, aside from being monsters! I've never seen one that had the bone-patterning like that.

[Recovering a bit, and finally retrieving her Floette from its spot clinging indignantly to her neck.]

But yes, they're called Pokemon! They're everywhere here and everyone that arrives like we did gets one as a partner, but you can catch more with those little balls that are in the bag you were given! Some of the wild ones will attack, but even then they're not NEARLY as vicious as Grimm. At all.

The one you were given can fight to protect you against the wild ones, and get stronger that way! Um, there's no actual weapons here. Sorry.

No weap... oh no!!

[Ruby nearly drops her gear as she spins around, reaching behind her and looking more than a bit startled when she grabs only air. She turns around again, spinning every which way, looking just a little panicked when she finishes.]

Crescent Rose!! Someone took it!

[And Penny's sword too...! Even with Penny alive and okay, the idea of losing a piece of her... that hurts almost as much as losing Crescent Rose.]

[Well that actually went worse than expected.]

Ruby! It's okay, I promise!

[She had been told that she'd taken her own arrival astonishingly well, and she's starting to see what that meant.]

It's okay. Crescent Rose will be right where you left it when you get back! It's just- this place really doesn't like weapons, for some reason. No one has any, just the Pokémon. They're all anyone has to fight with.

[She brightens up for just a second, remembering something important that had been lost in everything else.]

Um, you won't be able to use your Semblance, either. Whatever brings people here takes away any special powers until you leave.

[She sounds WAY TOO cheerful for that-]

And it turns everyone into a human when they arrive. I mean, if there were anyone that. You know. Wasn't, before.

[A pause. Deep breath. Okay... okay. If Penny says it's all okay, then Ruby will believe her, even if the idea of losing her Semblance as well is actually kind of terrifying.

... But wait what?!]

It can... turn everyone human?

[Another pause as Ruby tries to figure out how to proceed with this. She isn't very subtle - the total opposite, really - but she takes promises to friends very seriously. Even after... what happened in the arena... Ruby's not just going to casually mention Penny's secret without her permission!]

Is that... a good thing?

[Maybe not the best way to do it, but she tried! And she really hopes Penny will pick up on it...]

It's a really good thing! Sensational!

[They are the MOST subtle, what are you talking about.]

...To most people, anyway. Some people aren't that happy with it. I think it's to make sure people rely on the Pokémon more?

That's great! I bet there are all sorts of new experiences to take advantage of, if someone changed like that... I can't even imagine what it must feel like.

[It's about as subtle as these two can get, so that's gotta count for something!]

Makes sense, I guess... it's still a little weird, but it's not bad weird. [A pause, then a huff.] It's gunna be weird getting used to not moving so fast.

It's a big adjustment, but everything feels so much more real! ...I mean, I have to imagine.

[And a hiccup. NOBODY SUSPECTS A THING.]

~~[Did you know foods have a flavor, Ruby.]~~

Well. I bet the friends of those people would just love to help them see and feel and taste how everything is so different!

They probably just need to ask.

[Just wait till you try chocolate chip cookies, Penny...!]

I bet they're looking forward to that!

[Please get her to eat some real food, Ruby. She's not actually living entirely off junk food, but some days it's a close thing. Fresh cookies would be a step up.]

And I bet those people would love showing their friends places like Sprout Tower and the Ruins of Alph.

[And she manages to catch herself before getting too deep into these hypothetical phrasings.]

Oh, and I can show you the Violet Gym! Has anyone explained the gyms and badges yet?

First Petal [Video/action for New Bark Town]

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