Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 11, 2020 1:17:57 GMT
Bag returned, Arris pulled a slice out of it before sealing and putting the bag away entirely for the moment. He'd be happy to share more after they ate - but maybe not spoil the sweetness with their usual fare... He held the slice out to Belle - waiting for her to leave the cocoon of his sleeping bag to give it over entirely, before scooping her up into his lap as she nibbled on it happily.
He then accepted the plate and utensils with a grateful nod and a quiet, "Thank you, we appreciate it." He swirled some of it up to feed to Belle first - he knew Belle didn't need much, with photosynthesis, but it wouldn't hurt for those extra little nutrients since she was still a growing little pokemon. She didn't seem too bothered by it - maybe it was because she was a grass type? With every bit he gave Belle, he had a bite too. "Yeah! I hope that public gardens become a thing - I worry that companies will try to take advantage, but... doesn't hurt to have hope. Especially in more rural places, too. I'd die for new bakeries and small businesses opening up."
Pausing to chew, and letting Belle make herself comfy on his legs, Arris nodded. After he swallowed, he grinned. "Yeah - way back when, she was a trainer herself! As old as she is, I'm sure there's a lot she's forgotten, or things she just hadn't ever shared... but hearing stories right from the source of someone who knew em and loved em as much as we do? It's just... wow. I never learned who her pokemon were specifically, but she had a lot of smaller stories, or anecdotes... or little things that'd spark her memory on something - like the bakeries. Those were always the best ones, and the most unexpected."
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 11, 2020 15:24:33 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me Mya hummed as she listened, eating whatever Eon had left on the plate, which was quite a bit. Almost perfectly equal. The bagon seemed happy with his portion. He wasn't too big yet anyway, although he had grown a considerable bit since they started travelling together. She wondered how big he was going to grow...
"That's pretty cool," Mya said after a while. "So, like, what did trainers even do? Did they just wander around fighting their pokemon?" It seemed like a fun thing to do, although rather useless in Mya's opinion. What was the goal? Why waste all that time and energy? Was it like a sport? She played soccer and football, baseball sometimes, too. But pokemon were something entirely different. They were neat critters so there had to be some reason people went all out for the little guys.
"I mean... pokemon seem to like picking fights from what I've seen. They just run up to you and attack you out of no where for just existing." She shrugged. "Guess the little guys like to fight it out sometimes. But how do you even make a living battling pokemon? I always figured they would be used on farms and stuff like that, given their skills." She couldn't image a skill set for Eon. He was good at charging into things head first without getting hurt. So that was pretty cool? What had the professor said? Bagon are rather rare? Mya would assume that would mean most bagons were wild, as well as whatever evolution line they had. Did people even utilize them for anything?
The whole thing was a confusing mess. Mya was overjoyed pokemon were back in the world, but she sometimes couldn't help but feel things were simpler in life when they were gone. Not that she would trade Eon for anything in the world, but still... part of her longed for the old days. And not being harassed by local wildlife.
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 11, 2020 18:25:57 GMT
Arris hummed in thought as he pet the little plant pokemon in his lap. He wasn't sure how the average normal pokemon trainer made their money, his grandmother never went into that... but what he did remember, "Well... I'm sure that some pokemon were used for farms, or for work or other things... Like water types, ground types, and grass types like Belle would have been really beneficial in gardening or farming work." He gently wiggled Belle's leaves in Mya's direction before resuming pets. "I've heard some pokemon could also be milked and that their milk was very nutritious?? Or that they grow berries that were safely edible and removable - maybe we'd see those in those bakeries."
He looked down at Belle. Was she going to become the type of pokemon who grew the type of berries people used to eat? Was she used on farms, or in people's gardens? It really made him wonder. Mya had asked a brilliant question - he only wished he knew more. Maybe he'd ask the professor over the phone... she'd know, right? "Yeah, I guess that fighting spirit is where pokemon trainers originally came from - I dunno if it's just that they're naturally aggressive, or if to them it means something different... but trainers - they worked with pokemon as a team, battling it out, sure. But they had the Pokemon League."
Arris' whole countenance lightened as he mentioned the League. He sat up a bit straighter, eyes a bit brighter. His voice also picked up, as if it was something he was rather excited to think about. "My gramma wasn't much a league battler, but she said her friends were. It was this whole thing setup back in the day - like a tournament, I think? You went to these places, called gyms, in different towns, and you battled their top pokemon trainer to get a... badge, I think? I've never seen one. But if you had enough badges you could fight the ultimate trainers in the whole region. It was an entire culture. But, y'know... I've never seen a gym, either. Do you think the buildings are still there? Or if they got torn down, or repurposed..."
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 12, 2020 16:41:43 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me Belle would be useful when it came to plants, that was for sure. It made Mya wonder what Eon would have been used for. Probably nothing, he didn't really seem to have much talent, and he wasn't very quick with his stubby little legs and short little arms. He had a nasty bite though. And his head was harder than rock, so maybe he could have headbutted trees to get apples down? Who knew?
Her interest piqued at the mention of a league. A league for pokemon? Like a competition? Now that was interesting. So it WAS like a sport event. Mya looked back down at Eon, the bagon having crawled into her lap to sit happily. He was letting out some sort of gurgling purr she had gotten used to as a sign of happiness and content. "I've never seen one... I bet they were amazing though," she said. "Gyms... I guess now that pokemon are back, people are going to need to set them up to kick start this tournament, right?" She hummed. "Maybe the gyms got turned into new buildings? There's this really big big building where I'm from that got turned into a..... factory." She wasn't going to say sweat shop, even though that's what it was. She had been in it a few times when her family was really scrapped for money. Running a caravan was profitable back in Famine, but if orders stopped coming in and there was no where to deliver to, then you had to do other things. Mya made a lot of electronics for rich folks. She still hated to think about it. Her fingers would hurt at the end of every day there and she would just hope they got orders in so she could never go back.
"I wonder if pokemon just like to fight to prove they are strong... and pokemon with trainers try to use teamwork to get stronger? What if it's some sort of potential test?" she asked, taking Eon's arms and moving them up and down to a beat. The bagon didn't seem to mind. "Like..... an interview?" She hummed to herself. "Are you interviewing me, Eon?" She asked. Eon looked up at her and gave a goofy smile. She smiled back. Maybe she already passed her interview with him.
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 12, 2020 19:42:09 GMT
Arris got a great amusement out of hearing Eon's little happy noise. He hadn't ever heard anything like it before - and lord knew that he'd never heard Belle make a noise like that, and probably never would. How adorable... He smiled down at Belle, who was half asleep again at this point. She was such a sweet little thing. He was so glad he'd chosen her - he couldn't imagine being this relaxed with a Fennekin.
"Yeah... I bet they were. You make an excellent point though. It's very possible that they got repurposed." He quirked his eyebrow slightly in the hesitation to say factory. That was... odd. Maybe it was nothing, but it was still strange nonetheless. Was it abnormal for buildings to be turned into factories for further innovation? Maybe warehouses more in the case of Port Belleview but.... huh. "Do you think that the factories'll be shut down to let the building be what it originally was again I wonder?"
He looked between Belle and Eon curiously with Mya's next statement. He hadn't battled any Pokemon yet, so he didn't know from first-hand experience, but that would certainly be a fascinating thought. He grinned at the interaction between Mya and her pokemon. Now that right there was a bond. He recognized the same affection already budding in himself and Belle. Man. They were really trainers. Crazy. "I'd ask Belle, but I think her favored rival right now is the big monster called Sleep," he laughed. "But man, that would be so cool. And it would make sense, right? For these wild creatures to willingly be with us - and when we train we're stronger. Under guidance one gets stronger than they would alone. That's... really badass, actually. I wonder if in that regard Pokemon are self-domesticated." If some could even be called domesticated anyway, but that was aside from the point.
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 12, 2020 23:14:56 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me Mya hummed in thought. Shutting down a sweatshop? That would be tough. Yeah, the worked sucked and the people that ran them sucked, but they employed a good number of people. Trying to convince the workers to give up their livelihood for a gym may not go over too well. After a moment, Mya shrugged. "Depends, I guess. Maybe it'd be better to build totally new ones? Unless someone could somehow convince a factory to shut down. Cause if you shut them down, they'll just need a new place for the factory." It was a rough situation. But not one she wanted to contemplate on for too long.
"You might be onto something there," Mya said after a few moments. "Maybe wild pokemon want to see how strong they are, and if they let us capture them, then we pass some sort of.... interview or test. So, I guess if you manage to catch a pokemon, then that means that pokemon wanted to travel with you. Or some part of it did." Otherwise, the pokemon would just keep busting out of the pokeballs, right? "I think, when I head to the swamp, I'm going to try and capture some pokemon, see who wants to join me and Eon."
The bagon let out a loud yawn and curled up in Mya's lap, deciding to follow Belle's lead and take his own nap. Mya gently petted Eon's head. "Let me ask you something, and you don't have to answer but, why did you get a pokemon? I mean, I know everyone wants one and stuff, but.... why? Any plans or...?" It was a strange question, yes. Mya just found herself in the care of one and Eon had chosen to be with her, not the other way around. Mya wondered if it was different for other people.
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 13, 2020 17:26:09 GMT
"Oh that's... a good point." It hadn't even occurred to Arris that shutting down a factory might cause more problems because of displacement. With the different warehouses for fishing and storage on the port where he worked, it hadn't even occurred to him that of course not all places were like that.
He grinned and nodded in response to Mya's theory of wild pokemon. That sounded as if it made a ton of sense! "Right! They wouldn't stay if they didn't want to, right? They're definitely stronger than us, it's not like we could force em to." And besides - the idea of someone purposefully misusing pokemon? Who would do that? "I bet you'll find some fantastic partner pokemon out there."
At Mya's next question though, Arris paused. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but it wasn't something he'd actually openly told people either... especially since, well. A childhood dream about something that didn't exist generally brought a lot of poked fun and open emotional wounds. But this was different now, right? It wasn't impossible anymore. Arris' gaze was a bit far away as he stared at the fire. When he finally spoke, it was punctuated by a small chuckle. "Well - Hickory Town - that's where I'm from - was once known as like... the birthplace of champions. All the greatest trainers were from there, supposedly. Nobody really remembers that now, and most of the people in town are either too old to remember, or too young to really understand. Even gramma's not all there, sometimes. But I always wanted to put that little town back on the map. Tell the whole region 'remember us? We've still got fire.' But I mean, y'know," he vaguely gestured to Belle and Eon, "They didn't exist, so... but now they do." He shifted to rub the palm of his garishly green trainer glove with the thumb of his opposite hand. "And now that dream isn't so far away anymore."
He shook himself and settled back into an easy smile. "Next thing I knew, Professor Yew had me in front of a choice of pokemon, and Belle just found her way right into my heart immediately! I still want to be a badass trainer, but now I think, Belle and I should get to know each other, and actually meet the world, before we plant our permanent mark on it!" He tilted his head curiously. "How about you? Fair's fair, you don't have to answer either - but what brought you to be a trainer?"
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 13, 2020 19:03:53 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me She listened. But not in the way other people may do so. Mya never nodded or hummed that she was listening, but she was. She was silent while Arris spoke, taking in what he was saying and trying to commit it to memory. The thing was, Famine was a rough place but it had important lessons to teach. One of those lessons was the ability to listen. If you listened, you could learn important things. You could learn tells if someone was lying and you could gain potentially important information. Perhaps, out here, that skill wasn't quite needed. Arris didn't seem to be a threat, after all. But the skill was still there.
After a few moments when Arris asked his question, Mya was quiet, staring into the fire while leaning back on one hand, her other still idly scratching Eon's head. "Hm," she said after a while. "I never really chose to. Eon picked it out for me." She took in a breath and closed her eyes, before looking up at the sky. The sun was really setting now, some of the early stars coming out.
"I was walking around a few years ago, in my town, and there was this asshole holding a pokeball, saying how he could open it and kill the pokemon inside by doing so. He thought he was so tough." Her nose crinkled into a disgusted face. "He was threatening an innocent life to look cool and strong. So, I told him to shut his mouth and leave the pokeball alone--empty or not. Long story short, I got my hands on that pokeball and kept it safe ever since. When I went to the lab, I asked the professor to help me see what was in it, to make sure it was safe to let the pokemon out."
She looked back down to Eon. He was fast asleep now. "I let Eon out of his pokeball and I let him know his choices. He could stay at the lab and be gifted to some kid that would love to have him, or he could stick with me, although I couldn't offer him much. He made his choice and here we are. Guess I'm a trainer now because he wanted me to be one." She was happy with Eon's choice. Being a trainer was a lot nicer than what she did with her family. Of course, she loved her family, but this was far more fun. Travelling, having a friend by her side at all times. It was worth it, she thought, to leave home. Maybe she could go back one day, make something out of that town. But for now? She was happy. She smiled down at Eon, although it was a little sad. "I just hope he doesn't regret his choice."
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 14, 2020 7:50:51 GMT
Arris' relaxed disposition didn't last long into Mya's story. While at first he seemed calm and at ease, he turned his body language to attention as she started, eyebrows quirked at the mention that Mya didn't have a choice in the matter. She seemed happy at least - or well, that cared for Eon, anyway. Maybe sometimes the whims of fate weren't bad ones?
His expression shifted as Mya brought up the person who threatened to kill the pokemon. He couldn't imagine how many pokemon had died that way as is - but to purposefully threaten to do it? Pretending to play lesser god, put themself in a power position over something innately helpless to stroke their own inflated ego? Scum. Reprehensible scum. Arris' ungloved hand curled into a fist in his pants, the knuckles turning white with the force of it. His other hand paused in petting Belle, simply remaining placid upon her head, unmoving. His eyes, on the other hand, narrowed into something dark and thunderous. What the hell kind of person threatened to murder a helpless creature to get their rocks off?
"Good." Arris' voice was quiet. "You're a respectable trainer. You obviously take good care of Eon. If anyone was meant to have that pokeball, it's good it was you. Someone as low as that has no business near any living creature." Arceus help them if they have a pokemon now, he thought. But then, Mya would likely take care of that before he ever did. His fist tightened further for a moment, before forcibly relaxing. He took a long quiet breath as he looked down to his own partner pokemon, fingers resuming their feather-light strokes across her leaves. His expression slackened into something more gentle, as he watched the little Bounsweet. There was no point in being furious over something in the past. The pokemon were safe, they were fine. "I don't think he'll regret the choice. Look how content he is - an unhappy creature wouldn't stay, for one - much less be so comfortable as to fall asleep completely unguarded. And you know... I think that's the best thing about pokemon." He gazed back up at Mya. "They don't see finance, or opportunity, or... status, like humans do. They just don't care, I don't think. They see something they like, and that's that."
His mouth relaxed into something of a quirked smile. "I really respect that, actually."
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 14, 2020 19:53:02 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me It was nice to see someone as upset about the past as she was, or at least, someone that didn't just tell Mya that she had overreacted. She knew the sort of people that lived in her town and most of them were good folks. Some of them, though, some of them were actual scum. But there were bad people everywhere. Not everyone in Famine was horrible, most were just tired and exhausted. But that one jerk? Mya ensured he would never forget the lesson she taught him. And if she ever saw him again, she'd let Eon do as he pleased, even if it meant setting the person alight with a well-placed ember.
"Tell me about it," she chuckled. "But thanks, it means a lot to hear that. I just want to do right by this little guy, that's all." She listened to Arris talk after that. He was right, of course. Eon didn't seem to care that Mya was poor and didn't have the finest things in life. Hell, she couldn't even really offer them much in the way of food but she did her best. He seemed to just be happy to be with her. It was nice.
"You're right, it is pretty admirable. It's nice to know that they don't judge us as harshly as people do." People could be horrendous and judgmental little shits, from Mya's experience. A person could hear where someone is from and suddenly that location said the worth of the person. Not who they were or what they believed in. But just the town itself. Or someone would hear someone else didn't have a lot of money and suddenly they must be lazy and awful and talentless. Not many people realized circumstances of birth and how society was step up caused a lot of problems. It was horrible how people were told to fight each other instead of help.
Pokemon weren't like that, or not many of them at least. They saw the person for who they were. If anything, a pokemon was probably a great judge of character. She shook herself out of her thoughts and took off her jacket before folding it up and setting Eon on it. "Want to help me set up the tents?" She asked, standing up and popping her back.
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 14, 2020 22:32:37 GMT
Arris nodded in agreement to Mya - it was nice, not being judged. And from their own conversation, hell, they weren't judging one another either. That would be really neat, if Pokemon brought that to the table. A change in culture where people from different walks of life walked side by side. "Hm? Oh yeah, of course!" He nodded to Mya's request.
Carefully, he disengaged Belle from his lap and set her on his mussed up sleeping bag. "Gonna have to shake that out now, you lil' stinker," he said fondly. He stood up as well, rolling his shoulders. He then pulled the rolled-up fabric that was his tent off his bag and set it aside so it'd be ready. He'd help Mya out with hers, first. For a couple moments, he walked around and cleared a bit of debris from the surrounding area around their cookfire. It helped wake his legs up, too - he refused to admit that he'd been keeping his lap still enough for Belle that one of his legs had fallen asleep. He dusted his hands off and nodded to Mya. "Alright! Let's get started!"
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 16, 2020 1:07:39 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me Mya nodded and got started on her tent. It was a simple set up. In fact, it wasn't really a tent as much as it was a cover she could throw over some rods she kept in her bag. She planted the rods in the ground, elongated their expandable sides, and tossed over the tarp. She nodded. Perfect.
"Done." She said after batting some dirt off of her hands. Tents were rather expensive, so she used what she could. Rain tarps were easy to find and they offered plenty of shade and protection against the elements. If she got cold, she could start another fire or pull the tarp over some extra sticks she could find to keep the fire under the tarp itself. Had to work with what you had.
She turned to Arris. "You need help with yours?" She figured someone that could afford pecha berry slices probably had an actual tent. That was fine. Arris was a gentlemen from what Mya could tell. He got a good pass.
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 18, 2020 21:44:30 GMT
Arris raised his eyebrows as he watched Mya stick her tent together. Huh. That was... extremely resourceful, actually. Probably a hell of a lot easier to carry too, not even considering the lighter weight... "Well," he said with a laugh, bemused at himself. "Shoot, I don't think I was of much help to you at all there, was I? I'm sorry."
He did in fact, have an actual tent - it was old, definitely had sewn on patches and repairs, and was probably more patchwork than one single actual cohesive entity at this point - but it functioned, which was what mattered. Arris wasn't even actually sure how old it was - older than him, he knew, but it was probably his... parents'. He started rolling out the canvas to get things started, organizing a bit. "I sure would appreciate the help though, sure - sometimes gettin' the poles through can get a little... unruly, as it were. Thank you!"
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Post by Mya "Rainbow" Saller on Jun 21, 2020 17:39:24 GMT
The World Tried to Burn All the Mercy out of Me "Ah, don't worry about it, I appreciated the offer." It helped to have less things to carry but that were also helpful. It was horrible having just a tarp when it got really cold, but it was what it was. She made do. Besides, if it got super cold then she would just stay in towns and at the pokemon centers for warmth.
Mya nodded through and started to get to work helping Arris with his tent. She was focusing on those pesky rods. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she studied the tent itself before getting an inkling on how it worked. As long as it stayed up, that was the important thing.
"Have you ever camped before?" Mya asked. Not in a condescending way, but just as a curious question. Without pokemon to help nature thrive, there was no real reason to go camping for the most part. Mya did if only to try and escape how Famine was or to get away from her parents on long trips across the region, but other than that she didn't have too much experience.
But You Know I Wouldn't Let It
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 22, 2020 3:42:27 GMT
Arris got the canvas set out and flattened properly, and looped the stakes through their positions to be driven in when the tent was standing, while Mya got the poles put together. He felt empathy for the lowkey struggle with them - even on a good day, those things could be a right and utter pain. Sometimes they didn't want to snap or connect, without a little rough-housing. It could be irritating. "Oh, yeah," he nodded.
He thought about when he'd been camping as he straightened the rod-sleeves out, pulling an edge up so Mya could thread it through when she had it together. "My grandpa, when he was still around, used to take me sometimes, out in Broadmarsh. When you live in a town of old retirees and curmudgeons, it's... nice to actually be a kid, and not another symbolically old person. I think that's why he took me - so I could just be my age, for a while. It ended up a pretty useful skill, since when I left home for the first time, I sort of just..." he gestured with his free hand aimlessly. "I had a lot of grandiose and unrealistic dreams. So I wandered around a lot. While it was... feasible, anyway. I stopped traveling when I finally found a place that was hard honest work and kept my daydreams grounded to reality. But roughing it was always fun. I'm really glad I get to do it again, actually."
The more he thought about it, the more it really did seem like camping had been an escape for him. As an able-bodied person he had so many responsibilities - and old people didn't... often have the memory to correctly remember a young man figuring out his identity. His brows lowered in somberness for a moment. Yeah... he really was thankful to Pops for understanding. He should visit him, sometime. Shaking it off, Arris tilted his head. "How about you?"
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