Princess and the Pauper [closed]

[findingmylegs]

Characters: Simon H. and Katie
Date/Time: July 15
Location: Viridian Festival
Warnings: None atm.
Summary/Notes: Paragraph style backlog.

Comments

[lovesmythology]

"Oh!" Caught up with just looking for a seat, Katie hadn't even noticed the crutch. It took her a bit by surprise, and admittedly made her a bit curiously. But the smile remained on her face as Simon moved the cane. After a moment, she took a seat, leaving a deal of space between the two of them. "Thanks. It's really crowded here this year!"

"Vay!" Hahani chirped as he took a seat next to Katie's feet. Katie couldn't help but let out a little laugh; it was obvious Haha was enjoying himself just as much as his trainer was. She took a piece of chicken off the skewer, offering it to the Pokemon, who happily accepted.

As she did so, she looked over at Simon. She noticed the pattern of his breathing and the way his leg was outstretched, causing a little bit of concern to come over her. She couldn't help it; whenever she saw anyone who looked hurt or upset, she always had an urge to help.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, y'know, being a total stranger and all, but are you okay?" She let out a slightly awkward chuckle and hoped she didn't sound too intrusive. Or crazy.

[findingmylegs]

"I've never been to a place with so many people besides, er. Saffron, was it? But that was just passing by. It's interesting to watch everyone mill around."

He took in the sights again as he talked, breathing evening out a bit more as he willed it to. When she asked him the question, he glanced up at her, then back down and up again, giving a sheepish smile.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just had to walk a ways, since everything seemed to be taken up with people going to the festival. It wasn't so bad, though. I got to see a lot of sights on my way. Did you come from a ways away, too?"

[lovesmythology]

"Really?" Katie sounded a little surprised, but she laughed a little. "Well, you're definitely in the right place! Viridian's really a great city, especially during this time of year. Coming during the festival really shows off how great things are!"

It was true. There was a time when Viridian wasn't this way; Katie had memories of Rocket grunts strewn throughout the city, people fearing that something would happen. Viridian was a small city in comparison to others in Kanto, but it had grown to be a more sleepy, friendly city once Green renovated the Gym and Team Rocket was no more. But everything came together during the festival. Everything was lively and busy and there was always something to do.

Katie took a bite of chicken, listening to Simon. She breathed out a small sigh once she'd swallowed the bite of food, grin returning to her face. "Oh, that's good!" She noted to herself that his leg obviously was a factor. She didn't know if was just an injury or something else, but she wasn't going to pry; after all, she didn't even know his way. "Sometimes, walking is the best way to see things though. It's easier to immerse yourself in it!"

She let out another laugh before continuing. "Um, sort of. I actually live on the other side of town, but I've been traveling in Sinnoh to try and get all of their League's badges! I just got back into town late last night."

[findingmylegs]

He nodded in agreement; walking was definitely better in some aspects than taking a train or blimp. There was so much more to experience. Ships, though, he usually preferred over trying to ride a pokémon. It was much less awkward.

"Wow, you went all the way to Sinnoh? That sounds really neat! I thought going from Hoenn to Kanto was hard enough, but I've heard Sinnoh is even farther. That's really impressive. I bet you have a lot of badges. You look like you're a good trainer."

[lovesmythology]

"You're from Hoenn? That's great! I was there a little over a year ago!" She grinned, but at Simon's last face, her cheeks flushed and she let out a sheepish laugh. She really hadn't expected that; she wasn't used to anyone telling her she was a good trainer - even though he was just a shallow compliment, seeing as he'd never seen her in battle. "O-oh, thank you...! Um, yeah, I do have a bunch of badges. I guess they kind of build up after a few years."

Haha nudged at Katie's leg, and she leaned down to give him another small piece of chicken like the spoiled little prince he was. "Omigod, I'm so rude! We're sitting here chatting and I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Katie!"

[findingmylegs]

He'd gotten so used to her already, and her manner was so laid back, that Simon couldn't help but simply chat. He laughed, slapping his good knee. "That may help, yes."

Then, he realized he recognized the name. "Oh! You're Katie! You talked to me over the PNG and told me about the festival. I'm Simon. It's nice to meet you face-to-face!"

[lovesmythology]

"Oh! Omigod. OMIGOD!" Katie really hadn't expected the stranger she sat next to to actually be the person she'd offered to show around if she came. It was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one and it read on her face. "Now that's a freaky coincidence, huh? Yeah, it's really nice to get to meet you in person too!"

Before she could continue, Haha moved, jumping up with his front paws in Katie's lap. "Vay. Vaporeon!"

The Pokemon's tone was assertive, and Katie leaned forward to nuzzle his face a bit. She let out a laugh before turning her attention back to Simon. "And this here is Hahani. And as you can see, he doesn't like being left out!"

Haha pouted a little, but Katie gave him another nuzzle, a reassuring way of letting him know that he wasn't forgotten just because she'd made a new friend. "He can be a bit protective sometimes... I've been around him my entire life, so he likes to be included when I meet new people!"

[findingmylegs]

Now of the mind that Hahani wasn't going to bite his hand off, he smiled down at the pokémon. "Hello, too. Wow. This is kind of surprising. I didn't really expect it at all!"

His smile turned into a grin. "I thought I'd have to ping you again, but I didn't want to bother you if you were busy or traveling." A pause. "Did... you still want to walk around? If not, that's fine. You're probably tired from your trip."

[lovesmythology]

"Vay, vay!" Hahani gave his reply to Simon before promptly requesting the last piece of chicken on one of the skewers. She still had a couple left, but that was enough for Haha. Now satisfied, he got back down, curling up around her feet for the time being.

"No, not at all! I... I wasn't sure if you actually came, or I would have made more solid plans! Things were kind of rough, but Dad insisted I come back," She paused, letting out an embarrassed laugh. "And paid for the trip too. But we got in last night. I don't mind showing you around, if you don't mind waiting until these are all gone! I wouldn't want to try and eat these walking in that crowd."

She let out another laugh, and she blushed again, realizing once more that she'd left her manners behind somewhere throughout the day. "Do you want one?" She held out one of the yakitori skewers. "I usually get a couple extra for Haha, but it looks like he's yakitori'd out!"

[findingmylegs]

Simon was about to reply that he wouldn't mind waiting, more so because he was just a little achey still and the extra rest would be welcome, but her offer stopped him, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "O-oh. Um, sure! Thank you!"

He took it and slipped the first hunk of chicken off, unused to the skewer-type food, and munched on it thoughtfully. He smiled around the chicken, covering his mouth with a hand. "It's really good," came a mumble around the mouthful. Swallowing, he considered. "What should we see first? I'll just follow, if you want to lead, since I'm kinda... bad with directions." Another hunk of chicken disappeared from the skewer.

[lovesmythology]

"It's not a problem! I wouldn't want it to go to waste. It'd totally be like a crime to waste such good food!"

Katie smiled, falling silent for a moment as she finished off the last of her skewer. She twirled the empty stick between her fingers idly as she listened to what Simon was saying. After a moment of silence, she responded. "Well, it depends on what you want to do! There's games and stuff, carnival rides... I even think Green's got the Gym open if you wanted to check that out. There's all kinds of stuff!"

[findingmylegs]

Simon considered throughout the next bite of his chicken, licking his fingers where he'd had to pull the next piece off the stick. "Well," he mused, "I'm... not really that great at games, and I don't know if I can go on the rides. But the gym sounds like it would be interesting, especially since we're so close to the League, at least from what I understand. Or... we could just walk around. I wouldn't mind that, either."

[lovesmythology]

"Ah..." She considered it for a moment and smiled. "Well, there's no better way to really see the city than to walk around, right? Then you can see everything. And who knows? Maybe we'll come across something along the way that'll strike your interest!"

Katie continued to twirl the stick between her fingers, then her face lit up. "Hey! Maybe we can check out the ferris wheel. Then you can technically go on a ride and see a chunk of the city! It always looks pretty cool from that perspective too."

[findingmylegs]

"And we could see everything there is to do, and pick from there!" A bright smile crossed his face, and his energy suddenly bounced back into play. He shuffled his way up, shifting most of his weight to his good leg, and taking crutch in hand, though he could limp along decently without it over short distances.

He broke it down twice, slinging the smaller pieces up under his satchel's flap and buckling it, then stood with hands on hips, waiting patiently, a glimmer of excitement shining in his eyes.

[lovesmythology]

"Definitely! Spontaneity is the spice of life, right?" Katie had already been plenty excited as it was; for the first time in a while, things had been going pretty well and this night was clearly no exception. On top of that, Simon's excitement was nothing short of contagious.

She stood from the bench with Hahani immediately following. Katie's smile softened a bit as she watched Simon prepare; she was curious, that couldn't be denied. It was that morbid curiosity that made her wonder why he needed the crutch at all -- but it didn't really deter her any. She could only imagine how difficult it was to be in that position, so whether it was temporary or something more permanent, it was always good to have a friendly face who wasn't bothered by it, right? She didn't really know if people acted any differently around him, but she imagined some people may have.

But her smile widened; it didn't really matter. Simon was vibrant and excited, and that was inspiring all on its own.

"Are you ready?" Katie offered the question with a wide smile. "It's a bit of a walk, but we can stop anytime you need to, okay?"

[findingmylegs]

Simon probably would have ignored any look he'd gotten anyway; he'd grown up doing that, and wasn't about to change habit now. So he just grinned, stretching his arms out to either side and then letting them drop.

"I'll be alright. 'Slow and steady,' after all," he said, starting after her. He swung his bad leg out to start, gait lopsided but seeming functional at least, and caught up in the span of a few steps, glancing down at Hahani as he drew even.