Back to School

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Osiris didn't think there was ever a time when the streets of Grassveil weren't busy.

Having been born and raised in Grassveil, he'd spent much of his early childhood slithering all over the place at every given opportunity. The dratini was confident enough to make the claim that he knew his hometown like the back of his tail, and he definitely moved like it. He waded his way through the streets, snaking through the legs of much taller and larger pokemon, dragging behind him an empty leather satchel affixed to his neck by a strap.

"Excuse me—pardon me—comin' through~," he called out absently, his first stop of the day clear in his mind. That stuffy old book store that his mom used to drag him into when he was little.

Usually, he spent his time reading at home or playing with his friends, or occasionally working up the nerve to explore one of the forests surrounding Grassveil. It wasn't so, today; Osiris had an actual, bonafide errand to run. Classes at Peak had just started, and while Osiris had attended his first one already—his instant favorite, Countering—he had preparations to make for the second. School supplies, essentially. His second major was Essential Skills, so he figured it was probably a good idea to show up to class with at least the ability to take notes.

He didn't know what he specifically needed, but as he lived in town, he could afford to just get a few things and pick up others as he needed them. Today's list was simple - some writing utensils, some paper, and whatever else jumped out at him while he was out.

The dratini came to a reluctant stop at his destination, a decrepit, sad little structure with a sign out front reading Grassveil, Used Books and Other Goods. He heaved a long-suffering sigh before steeling himself and slithering through the open door, resigned to his fate.

The song choice didn't faze Osiris. Christmas was fun, warm, and happy. So what if it wasn't the right time of year? Music was music, and you could enjoy it at any time. He certainly did, smiling brightly as Alki started off slowly and with caution before steadily getting into her groove.

"If I had hands, I'd be clapping," he let her know, his smile still present on his face. "Seriously, wow. You're good. You should be more confident," he advised, weighing her almost crippling timid nature against the talent and dedication she just showed off.

He wasn't sure how someone that obviously good at something could turn out so... hesitant all the time. Maybe she was just trying the wrong thing? She talked earlier about how she was getting into fights and stuff, and was going to school on top of everything. Iris wasn't sure how good of a student or fighter she was, but right now he almost wanted to suggets that she simply focus on singing.

Alki blushed as the Dratini chimed in for his thoughts. They were positive. The balloon pokemon was still panting, her body rising and falling with her breaths. Had she really been that impressive? He was probably just saying that. She'd heard herself too, and she'd made a lot of mistakes... The tempo was off, and varied a little, and maybe she'd been a bit too playful with the pitch and the rising and the falling of her voice... She couldn't have been all that good. Still, it's not like she could deny somebody else's praise, and even if she could, she wasn't sure she'd really want to...

"T-Thanks..." She said, her voice rapidly receding back to it's old timid self. She considered his comment at the very end, about her confidence. Darcy had said similar things to her. As had Vesper. And Synd'r. A lot of people had, really, but it wasn't that simple... After all, how could she be confident in herself when she'd never even done anything to deserve any measure of confidence in herself? "...I-It's not... I dunno. I'm just... Even if I am good," She began, her tone of voice indicating that she very much didn't believe it was true.  "E-Even if I am good, it's not like s-singing is very useful... F-For... uh, a guild member... o-or anyone..."

Just like that, right after Alki's performance, she fell right back into her timid nature. It was quite a shame, and he couldn't help but wonder what happened to her that she was like this. Did someone put her singing down before, maybe when she wasn't as good? Or she could have ran into a really mean poemon that poked fun at her for no other reason than they enjoyed to do that kind of thing.

"It doesn't have to be useful, silly. Even though it is," Osiris protested gently, slithering down his bedpost to get a little closer to the jigglypuff. "You could do a lot with your voice. You could sing for a living, for one! Or make your own songs for the heck of it. Even if you don't do anything with it, as long as you enjoy it, that's a use, right?" he asked rhetorically.

Alki sat down on the ground as the Dratini approached her. She was feeling quite overwhelmed... She'd sang a lot, and she was in a bit of disbelief at just how much the Dratini had liked it. Her singing had always been a target of abuse when she was younger... Among other things, of course. She'd never quite fit in with the other kids at the pond... And her parents never approved of anything she did, singing included. She'd mostly just sung to herself, then. Everyone thought she was crazy. Maybe she was. The jigglypuff wilted a bit as she remembered those early childhood memories that she often did her best to forget.

"I-I mean, s-sure, but... i-it's not... w-who'd want t-to pay to hear me, o-or... I-I'm not... v-very good with writing, a-and I made a lot of mistakes too! D-didn't... didn't you notice?" She began to ramble, stressing herself out more and more with each word. That couldn't be true. If it was... Then she would've been wrong this whole time! About what she should be doing. With Darcy, and with Synd'r, and if she was wrong about that... "A-And... W-Well, I-I want to help out my s-sister... a-and my friends, a-and... w-what good is something like singing to a guildsmon?" She asked rhetorically, choosing instead to ignore his last point. It wasn't a bad one, for someone normal, but for her... she didn't deserve that satisfaction. She lived to help the people who deserved it. Synd'r... Darcy... She was of no relevance to anyone. So long as she could help out...

"I dunno about you, but if I was a guild member and I just had a long, hard mission of exploring and rescuing, I'd probably really like to be able to listen to a heartfelt song at the end of the day." Osiris ventured. He knew plenty of pokemon with less use that operated around town, and the idea of raising morale for Grassveil's exhausted guild members seemed to him at the very least to be thoughtful, kind, and probably really unique.

"Supper's ready, you two!" a maternal voice sounded through the doorway. That would be Osiris' mom, likely after setting the table.

He, for one, was pretty dang hungry. The poffins earlier seemed to only bolster his appetite, as strange as it seemed. Maybe he just wanted to taste good home-cooked food more than he did fill his belly, but suddenly Alki's internal struggle was far from the first thing on his mind. "Somethin' to think about I guess," he said, slithering past her. "Let's go."

In the main room, Osiris' mom had already set out two separate but similar pair of bowls of steaming-hot food. If one were to look in them, they'd see a selection of cooked vegetables, potatoes, and in the smaller bowl next to them, they'd see a rich-looking soup.

"I'll leave you two to whatever mischief you plan on getting up to," Iris' mother said as he slithered into the room, wrapping her long tail around her portions and floating off toward her room. "Don't stay up too late, now."

"M'kay, mum," Osiris replied automatically, not even looking at the dragonair. He merely slithered up into a chair and surveyed the meal in front of him, his face falling only slightly. It wasn't something sweet or fruity, but it probably still tasted real good. "Where do ya wanna eat at?" he asked, turning his head around to speak in the jigglypuff's general direction.

Alki nodded, feeling as though there was no way her mind was budging on this question. If all she was good for was singing, then that was just another way of saying she was good for nothing at all! It's not like anybody cared if she was good at it. Maybe she was... but until she could say that she was truly good at something else, that she could say had contributed... something, to helping someone, in some fashion... until she could at least say that, then she wouldn't give herself the satisfaction of acknowledging any sort of talent in something as irrelevant as singing. It was that simple.

"Maybe." That was all the jigglypuff could bring herself to say. It was non-commital. And it wasn't rude. It was vague enough that it seemed as though she was acknowledging him, but she didn't feel guilty saying it. She didn't feel like she was lying. Given more time to think and reflect, she might have said more on the subject, but a foreign voice from outside the room beckoned the two of them. Food was ready, then? She was kinda hungry... She placed her hands in front of her, nodding even though the voice had no way of seeing her.

"Y-Yeah, t-thanks..." She said. It was something curious to think about. Maybe once she was more satisfied with herself... Once she'd convinced herself that she mattered, maybe she'd think about it some more. But until that day, singing would be far from her mind as far as career choice went. If that day ever came.

Coming into the room, the first thing the girl noticed was the smell. It was so good! A savoury-smelling blend of spices and vegetables and berries greeted her, and she found herself closing her eyes again and smiling. Was she... Was she really going to get some of this food? "H-How... How kind of you!" She said in shock, not quite catching the rest of the Dragonair's words. Or any of it, really. Such an outburst was unlike her, but... well, it merited it! She was giving her so much... "T-Thank you..." She said, much more subdued this time, before she turned  her attention back towards her friend.

"T-This is a lot... T-Thanks..." She said, holding her portions in her hands. It was warm... There was a lot of it, and she had to be extra careful not to spill any of the soup. She looked up at him and smiled. "W-Well, i-it's your house... W-We co uld go back to your r-room, if you wanna, o-or... I dunno if there's anywhere else..." She said again, intentionally remaining a bit vague. In truth, she really didn't care, but that didn't seem like the right answer here... She just didn't want to be wrong.

"Well, we were gonna do some play-fighting, weren't we? How 'bout we head around back, that way we can jump right into it once we feel like it?" Osiris asked.

He very, very carefully gathered both of his bowls, biting onto the edge of one and wrapping his tail around another. The dratini didn't have nearly as much bodily length as his dragonair mother, and thus had difficulty with even mundane things like picking up and carrying things... but Osiris managed. He started a slow, precarious slither toward the third and previously unopened doorway.

Opening that, also, was a challenge. It required him to set down both of his portions, reach up and twist the knob, pull tightly against the door itself with all of his body weight, and drop down. Then he gathered all of his things again, looking up at the jigglypuff with a bowl in his mouth and his tail curled around another.

"Let'th go," he mumbled, voice muffled.

"O-Oh. Right." Alki said, quite embarrassed to have forgotten. They'd been talking about it a while ago, hadn't they? And now it was finally going to happen. In lieu of her impromptu demonstration, and their conversation, she'd all but forgotten this suggestion. But now it was here... She watched as the Dratini got to work opening the door in front of them, the door that presumably led outside...

"A-Alright..." She said, nodding at the Dratini. He looked kinda funny, the way he was carrying both his bowls at once. It was endearing. She absently wondered what it'd be like to be a snake. Or... Well, a Dragon-Snake, she supposed. She followed the Dratini outside, into what appeared to be his yard. It seemed nice... Nothing too crazy, and it was... well, it was about what she'd expected. It was starting to get a bit chillier out, now, and somewhat dark. But it's nto like she could complain! She had free, warm food... The jigglypuff took a big sip out of her bowl of soup, enjoying the rich balance of flavors as she sat down on the grass.

"I-I guess w-we can do it whenever y-you want... I-If you wanna eat before or a-after... i-it's all the same to me..." She said, taking a bite out of the vegetables, and enjoying it's equally-delicious flavors.

"Aft'rs pr'bably's g'd," Osiris attempted to speak through the bowl in his mouth, following Alki through his backdoor and into the backyard of the home.

They stood on a modest but sizable enough back porch styled from cobble overlooking what looked to be an enormous backyard. In reality, it was just the grassy plains of outer-Grassveil, as Osiris and his mother lived on the very outskirts of the settlement, away from the noise and hustle-and-bustle of the town. It was a bit of a walk to get to the city every day, sure, but they had plenty of room and privacy to themselves as compensation.

"So you never thought about singing for like, money or whatever? There's probly restaurants and bars and stuff that would take you on," Osiris continued after setting down his portions and getting settled. The dratini dove in nosefirst into the larger of his two bowls after speaking, only peeking up every few seconds to listen to Alki.

Alki nodded as the Dratini confirmed his preference for after they finished eating. It made sense, the food getting cold would be a big shame, and... well, she couldn't imagine that Osiris was much less hungry than she was. So they'd eat then, and then after... Alki would probably get her butt kicked, but honestly, she wasn't too worried. It probably wouldn't hurt too bad, considering she doubted he'd go all out against her... She certainly wasn't going to!

Alki considered his question, nodding softly for a bit before answering. "Nobody would want me... I mean, even if they thought I was good... there has to be better out there, y'know?" She said, before taking a big sip out of her bowl of soup. It was really good...

"There might be, there might not be," Osiris said. "But if it's something you wanna do, you got nothin' to lose. And if there is better out there, you can just get better than them!" he went on, chewing absently on a mouthful of food while he spoke. It was bad manners, sure, but no one was around to chastise him for it.

The dratini was speaking mostly rhetorically at this point; whether or not Alki truly wanted to chase a gig singing someplace was her business. Singing for rescue team members was unironically not a bad idea, he figured, but anything else purely hypothetical.

"Hm." Alki said, non-commitally. She busied herself eating quite a few mouthfuls of her food, doing her best to be as quiet as possible whilst she did so. Being loud was rude. She'd learned that much as a child, so she'd do her best to avoid it. She simply enjoyed her meal, a smile of contentment on her face as she chewed.

Once some time had passed, she cleared her throat, considering whether to strike up conversation as well. It didn't take long for her to decide: Osiris hadn't proven to be anything like what she feared from most people, so it'd be ok to chat a bit more. Just sitting there in silence was so normal to her anyways...

"H-How about you? Y-You seem to know a lot about dragons, m-maybe you could tutor s-some people about that? Don't some schools do stuff like that? Y-Y'know, like... tutoring?"
She asked genuinely. To her, having so many books about one such subject was even more impressive than anything she'd ever done...

Osiris weighed the suggestion in his mind for a few seconds before scrunching up his snout and shaking his head to himself. "Nah," he easily dismissed. "That's more of a niche thing, you know? Everyone likes music, but it's kinda weird to like dragons and wanna know more about 'em. Unless you're, like, a fairy or ice-type trying to learn how to beat 'em up." he went on. "I don't know if I'm the kinda guy to tutor anybody in anything. Compare notes and study together, maybe, but I'm kinda new at all this stuff."

In record time, the dratini had polished off his solids and dove right into his soup, lowering his head to drink greedily. It was warm, savory, and rich; a perfect contract to the somewhat chilly atmosphere outside at late night. He felt energized as he ate, jittery and ready to do something. The dratini hoped Alki wasn't too strong - he wanted to be able to do some stuff, and not get beat up right away.

Alki turned over the Dratini's words in her mind, thinking it over. She supposed it was a bit more niche, but... well, why shouldn't people want to learn about stuff like Dragons? It was interesting, at the very least, and as far as Pokemon types went, they were pretty cool... They were so large and powerful... Honestly, she was jealous of them at times, although if she could choose, she'd rather be a fire type...
The jigglypuff shook her head, her ears twitching as she cleared her mind. That wasn't really relevant... Her food was almost gone... That was a shame. It was really good... maybe after she was done getting beat up, she could ask for more?

Alki set aside her now empty plate and bowl, and stood up. That food was really good... she wanted to ask for the recipe, but... well, she wouldn't really be able to use it... Maybe she could ask Darcy? Or her adopted parents...

"W-Well! A-Anyways... T-Thank you for the food, t-thanks a lot... That was really good..." She picked them up and set them by the door, where they'd hopefully be safe... "A-Are you done? I can take the dishes back in for ya, if you are..."

"Aaaah," he sighed satisfactorily, picking his head up out of his empty bowl. "Yeah, that's it for me, thanks. I'm gonna head on down and get ready for this, okay?" he said, acquiescing to the jigglypuff's offer.

While Alki presumably took the dishes inside, he went ahead and slithered off the cobblestone porch and went a small distance out into the grass. The dratini didn't know what kind of pokemon Alki was, honestly. Normal-type was his guess, and she seemed relatively experienced at all this fighting business - her sister was even a guild member, which meant she probably got tips! He didn't expect to win, or even do all that well... but practice was practice. He stretched himself out, getting nice, loose, and limber in preparation for their little exercise.