#he slooooowly draws Sting

[theparadoxmachine]

On the one hand I feel like movie Bilbo (as in younger Bilbo in the Hobbit) doesn't get nearly enough physical affection, especially in comparison to the other hobbits in LOTR. On the other hand I kind of feel like if Boromir had called Bilbo "little one" and ruffled his hair like he does to Frodo, Bilbo might have decided to punch him in the dick

[storylocke]

Connections 6

[As late as it was getting, and still no word after meandering around town for well over an hour, Devin finally flew up to Mt. Hokulani again to see if perhaps Hau had decided to stay the night. It was certainly getting late enough to wonder, and while he wasn’t actually tired, he didn’t feel like spending the night in the garden. No surprise when he got there, he found his friend at the cafe in the Pokemon Center settling down for a break.]

Hau:

[Looks up from his cocoa as he had only just sat down. Waves him over.] Hey, D76! What are you doing here? [Rather than getting up to greet him, he sinks down in his seat a moment to use his foot to push out the chair across from him for Devin to sit down.]

Devin:

Just killing time, I guess. It’s too late to try to reach the next town on my own, since Lillie found herself a new girlfriend, and Kukui said he’s heading up Mt. Lanakila. I wasn’t sure if you’d heard, so I thought I’d let you know we’re not in Malie City anymore.

Hau:

[Sheepishly grins] I hope you’re not waiting on me then. I still haven’t gotten passed Molayne.

Devin:

[Rather defensively.] Hey, he’s actually hard though! It took me forever to get in! [Simmers down slightly as he’s started to draw attention from onlookers in the lobby. Right. Quiet hours.] But, um, don’t worry. Even with my big type disadvantage, Sophocles and the Totem Pokemon weren’t bad at all. I’m sure you’ll get through tomorrow just fine.

Hau:

I sure hope so. I don’t mind losing when it’s just for fun, but this is starting to get frustrating. [sips cocoa] We already got word from Kukui that I should head on to Tapu Village from here, but I overheard that you and the professor got in a fight with some Team Skull punks.

Devin:

… You did? [Well that was unexpected. Really, he hoped that Hau would have stayed none the wiser as then he wouldn’t have to lie to him, just not tell him.]

Hau:

[Just grins as he can see his friend is trying to not brag about it.] Ah, it’s okay. I just wish you didn’t get to have all the fun.

Devin:

Fun? No, no, not fun at all. Once the big bad bug boss showed up, he was downright mean. And, like, half your team is weak to Bug, right? Probably wouldn’t have ended well if you tried to take him on. I just got lucky.

Hau:

[eyes him with suspicion as he’s wondering if Devin is just saying that to make him feel better about not being there, but the concern seems genuine. Waves it off.] Fine, fine, I’ll stay out of his way. The grunts are still up for fighting though, right? [Devin seems to brighten and gives him a nod] Great! You want some Tapu Cocoa? They say it’ll help you sleep better.  

Devin:

[Watches him get up, and is honestly surprised how quickly Hau dropped the subject. Perhaps it was Kukui’s words still in his mind, but he watched his friend with curiosity and concern to how casual he was about this.] Thanks, buddy. So what time do you want to go to Tapu Village tomorrow?

Hau:

[Pauses with the cocoa in hand and slowly turns around so not to spill it] Tomorrow? I think I’ll just meet you down there. Like I said, it could be a while, and I bet you’ve caught everything out here already. [sets the cup down in front of Devin, although it’s hard to say if it’s disappointment or tiredness that brings out the weary tone.] Besides, you already sent Team Skull running for the hills, right? I’m sure I’ll be fine.

Devin:

[Seeing the look on his friend’s face almost makes him feel bad. Much as Devin gave him a hard time about being slow, it seemed he’d started to take it to heart. Hau did have a point though that with Team Skull out of the way, where was the harm? Brightens up] Alrighty then~! Next time we meet, I’m challenging you to a Pokemon Battle. We’ll be at the same point in our Island Challenge, so if you can beat me, I’m sure you could take on anyone~!

Hau:

Really? [A soft smile at the vote of confidence as he holds his own cup in both hands to soak in the warmth.] I’ll hold you to that.

=+=

[Devin was in high spirits as he casually strolled along the sunlit mountainside with his new pony. Borrowed pony, anyway, but Hapu had made it clear she meant to give him the ride pager sooner than she had, and the area made for a good practice space as he slooooowly clopped along the rocky terrain. Today was going to be a good day, he told himself. After the day before, it just had to be…]

Hau:

[Calling from somewhere behind him] Heeeey, D76~! Wait up!

Devin:

[Hops down from the Mudsdale, a bright smile as he watches his friend run up. He knew Hau would breeze through that Trial in no time!] Alola, Hau~! You make it through your trial already?

Hau:

Yup! I heard the news from Sophocles you helped him with da kine, yeah? That Totem calling machine or whatever? It works great now, after I got to be test subject number two! After our talk last night, I made a few team adjustments for dealing with bugs in the future. But… Why didn’t you tell me the Electric Totem was a giant bug-type?

Devin:

Because… that would be cheating? [Honestly, it hadn’t even crossed his mind to tell him] No blackouts though, right?

Hau:

Only twice.  I managed to get through pretty easily thanks to Raichu. [Mischievous grin] I’d like to think we’ve gotten pretty strong.

Devin:

[Oh yeah? Well he did promise him a battle when he finally caught up.] You plan to show me right here, right now? Let’s do thi-!

Gladion:

[Standing on the porch of the nearby inn, it seems quite possible he only just woke up as he glares down at them] You two really only have one volume, don’t you? Haven’t you ever heard the expression that Silence is Golden?

Hau:

[Somewhat taken aback by the sudden appearance] Gah! It’s him!

Devin:

[Pulls up both hands as if to defend himself as Gladion marches down the steps.] Edgelord! What are you doing out here?

Hau:

Well, if we know Team Skull is around-

Gladion:

Would you both shut up?! I’m not here on a play date. Listen, Team Skull is looking for a Pokemon named Cosmog. Do you two know anything about it?

Hau:

[Clenches his fists as he copies Devin’s ready-to-fight stance] Not that we’d tell you!

Gladion:

[Hmph, somehow he knew he could count on Hau to be the one to slip up. Almost amused] So you both know something at least.

Devin:

[glares him down] So what if we do? You wanna scrap with me, think you’re gonna learn anything by-?

Gladion:

Can it, D76o6yttr! [As his frustration is obviously growing, his arm starts twitching slightly before he closes his eyes and grit his teeth as he holds himself back. There’s a bit of a growl to his voice as he tries to continue more calmly.] Look, Cosmog isn’t even that strong a Pokemon. But it has the potential to summon Pokemon so terrifyingly strong that you don’t even know. If something like that happened, it would be a disaster for Alola….

Devin:

[Still tense, but not so much on the defensive. His voice grows soft as his mind races to think what Kukui had told him about the Voices only showing up when there’s trouble. For all the fun They’d be having, he’s almost in disbelief.] A… disaster?

Hau:

Like... a real disaster? Then what’re we supposed to do about it?

Gladion:

Protect it! If you do find out where Cosmog is, or if you find anything out just… Just keep it safe!

Both:

…. [Share a glance with each other as neither is really sure what to say to that. Was this a trick?]

Gladion:

[He knows what you’re thinking, and finally just heaves a sigh] I know I might be working for Team Skull right now, so you may not trust me, or care but… I’m only going to tell you once. PROTECT. COSMOG. You have to protect it… no matter what!

Hau:

What do you mean “no matter what”?! You have people coming after us, or something?! Don’t leave us hanging!

Devin:

[As Gladion starts to march off, still holding his arm like he’s injured, he starts to go after him] Gladion, wait! If you don’t like what Team Skull’s doing, you could come with us! We… [glances back at Hau and motions for him to come over to help plead] ...don’t know anything about this whole Cosmog thing, but if you do, we could really use your help!

Gladion:

Tch, I’m just the hired hand, remember? I still don’t understand how Team Skull found out about Cosmog in the first place…

Devin:

Can we at least get you to the Pokemon Center?

Gladion:

You’re only making it worse! I just… I have to go alone. [Before Devin can say anything else, the guy shrugs him off and starts to hurry awkwardly down the mountain trail.]

Hau:

[He and his friend both watch the strange older boy take off, as neither one was sure what to say. After a moment, his voice comes oddly soft for him and filled with concern.] Devin…

Devin:

[Looks back at him in surprise as that’s the first time he’s called him by name since they’d met.]

Hau:

If they’re really looking for Nebby, then… Is Lillie going to be okay? I don’t really get what’s going on, but we’ve just got to keep both of them safe, right?

Devin:

[nods] I promised Kukui I’d keep us all safe. So long as we work together, we can do this!

Hau:

[Good, that’s good to know. Boy, the professor sure picked a time to leave though, huh? Tries to get himself pumped up.] Then if we’re on guard duty, I know what I’ve got to do. I’m heading for the next trial, so I can get stronger! I’ll finish my Island Challenge and get Tapu Koko to recognize my strength, and then I’m going to be the next Kahuna, and-

Devin:

[While this wasn’t unusual for Hau, Devin awkwardly glances away as there’s a subtle sting in remembering what Kukui told him. Tapu Koko had already accepted Hau, but he knew now why it meant so much to the kid. Has to cut him off before he says something.] Where is the next trial anyway?

Hau:

[That certainly seemed to bring him back to reality.] Uh… I don’t know. [Turns to look down the road they were following to begin with.] Sophocles said we should be able to find the next captain at the Aether House.

Devin:

[Quite uneasy to hear that as he’d had a growing suspicion to where Team Skull was getting their information from.] Aether… House?

Hau:

Yup! Come on~ It should be somewhere right on the other side of Tapu Village! We need to find the captain so we can let them know what’s happened!

Devin:

… Aether House. [He mutters to himself as he realizes he heard that right. While he’s in no hurry to meet with anyone associated with the Aether Foundation just yet, perhaps Hau had a point. As he watched the boy hurry on ahead, he rather reluctantly began to follow.]

~~~~~~~~

It was kind of funny re-watching the vids because apparently we blacked out and got warped up to the Observatory again and got stuck there a bit before flying back down. Also, after several attempts to make it through Route 12, it went from night to day by the time we got to the trailer park. Seemed like a nice place for these two to catch up. 

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5