talk of the town (leo)

[Lucas Night]

What a pity. He’d gone a while since he’d had a cigarette. But, he was having a craving, and this was a lighter choice than other options.

Quagmire Town wasn’t good for much save a retreat. It was quiet, secluded, and just perfect for staying out of sight. Lucas had come here seeking someone else, but he spotted a subject of less pressing importance but interesting gossip all the same. He exhaled smoke as the memory came back to him. Relationship drama involving players as big as the chief of police didn’t stay quiet for long. It was a non-issue; things like this didn’t help himself or Team Rocket.

But, Lucas thought himself a man of high society and that came with a certain level of petty nosiness. As such, spotting the youth who fit the description of the fabled homewrecker led to him lifting a hand in greeting. The blonde was leaning on the shabby porch of a condemned building. At his foot sat his charmander, occupying herself with a lost toy scrounged from the rotting home.

“You look out of place here,” he called out. “People from Quagmire look more worn out than you. Visiting, too, I take it?” He was using that voice he’d taken on for his Tom persona: light, jovial.

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 293  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Leo wandered along a swampy path which opened out into a dreary looking town full of old, worn buildings. Ember, the teen's young Vulpix was perched on his shoulder, refusing to walk on the sludgy ground herself. Each step made the young male cringe as he felt the ground squelching under his feet. "I don't see why I should be having to suffer this alone Ember!" Leo would come to groan as he turned his head slightly to give the small fox a side eyed look of disapproval. <There is NO way I am setting foot on that stuff. Give me some solid grounding and I'll get down> the Vulpix retorted back before letting loose a slight huff. Scanning the surroundings Leo couldn't help but feel uneasy. Almost as if something bad were waiting around the corner. Perhaps it was his self paranoia following that fateful encounter at the zoo. Something was bound to creep up on him at some point, and it would certainly be well deserved. As he stopped momentarily, lost in thought, he was brought back to reality by a voice calling out to him. The teen turned his head sharply, feeling slightly startled before his blue eyes fell upon a blonde man, standing in a porch way of a building that looked far from safe, accompanied by a small Charmander. "I guess visiting would be a word you could use!" the teen called back to the blonde man before him. "If the people look half as bad as the town itself does then that must really suck..." he continued, taking another glance at their surroundings. "You on the other hand look much more out of place than I do!" he spoke once more as his blue eyes scanned the man over once more.

[Lucas Night]

He laughed, smoke curling past his lips as he did so. The man shifted his weight, both elbows on the somehow still stable railing of the porch. “I’d hope so,” he called back. “I’ve still got a few years of good living left in me!”

The charmander perked up upon noticing the vulpix. When was the last time she’d made a friend? Lucas seemed in a chatty mood.

Truly in sync with his starter, the blonde gestured to the porch. “It won’t cave in just yet. And, it’s more solid than the muck.”

The polite air was all because Lucas wanted very badly to gossip with the source of the latest drama itself. He half thought about offering a cigarette but, one, haha, no, he wasn’t going to just give one of those to someone he didn’t even care about, and two, this kid looked… barely out of high school. While he knew plenty who were already years into vices like his own at that age, nothing of what he’d heard about the teen swayed Lucas to think he’d appreciate the offer.

None of that inclined Lucas to snuff out something he was only half done with.

“Hiii!” Ember added, waving at the vulpix with her free hand. “The toys in this place are super gross, but it’s warm here!” With the possibility of company drawing near, she chunked the half-rotted plushie away. She didn’t need that nasty thing for entertainment now.

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 261  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Leo couldn't help but let loose a slight chuckle as at the man's comment. He observed as the man shuffled slightly on the porch, smoke from his cigarette flowing over the man's lips. Now that would be some way to relieve the stress the teen was currently feeling, were he a smoker of course. Ember cocked her head slightly as the Charmander stood on the porch seemed to perk up slightly at the sight of her. Perhaps they were on the same page. A new playmate? The thought alone would bring a smile to the small fox pokemon. The trainer soon after motioned for the pair to make their way over. The teen cast his blue eyes over the structure for a moment before chuckling slightly at the man's comment and heading over to join them. "I mean you may be right there. Although just barely by the looks of this place!" Leo spoke as he reached the bottom step of the porch. "I'm Leo." the teen introduced himself before looking down to his partner. "And this here is Ember" he followed up, a warm smile stretching his lips. The Charmander by this stage had began speaking with Ember who continued to smile excitedly at the thought of a new friend. "Hiiii!" she would come to respond before looking at the gruesome looking plushy the Charmander threw to one side. "They certainly don't look very appealing!" she would come to agree. "So what brings someone of your calibur to a place like this?" Leo asked the man, his blue eyes scanning the building and the surrounding area.

[Lucas Night]

The laugh was more of a bark. “Ember? You don’t say.” He shook his head. “Nice to meet you, Leo, Ember. I’m Tom and this is also Ember.”

Well, wasn’t that convenient? It’d be good if more trainers kept naming their fire types Ember. For Lucas’s sake, anyway.

He rested his forearms on the railing, letting the ash fall in the overgrown weeds lining the porch. None of this would light. It was all too damp. Some of it was too alive. The whole place was eaten up with mold on the inside. Green wood didn’t burn and moist spores wouldn’t roast well. Besides, even if it caught on fire, what did he care? The owners might thank him. Easier to claim insurance on a destroyed dump than fix it up.

“I’m looking for a girl, actually,” he explained, not entirely lying. Though he could call Astra and arrange for a meeting, he didn’t want to make her think he was purposefully seeking her out just yet. But, that was work! And, a bit of pleasure. Shula’s current most hot topic was exclusively a fun subject for Lucas so he would be focusing on that right now, thank you. “What about you? Chasing love or looking for the ideal moping spot? This town isn’t good of much except the miserable air about it.”

The charmander giggled at the vulpix’s delightful energy. What a cute greeting! Maybe she should start talking like that? “Wanna play together instead?”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 346  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Leo paused for a moment as the blonde haired man began to laugh, or at least something resembling a laugh. The teen cocked his head slightly before his eyes lit up at the introduction. "Well, isn't that a coinkydink! I guess great minds think alike!" Brushing a strand of hair away from his blue eyes, the young male offered a feint smile. "Pleasure to meet you Tom. And you too Ember!" he finished, turning his gaze and smile to the Charmander. Leo observed for a moment as the blonde man continued to lean against the railing, allowing the ash from his cigarette to fall to the ground below. "I'd say that's bad for you, but I can hardly judge anyone right now!" the teen mumbled, averting his gaze slightly as he finished his sentence. It was true, after what had recently unfolded he had no right to judge anybody. As a soft sigh escaped Leo, his gaze returned at the sound of Tom speaking. He explained that he was looking for a girl, strange given the area they were in, if it were a case of following a crush then this would indeed be the last place Leo would have thought to look. He was however caught off guard at the next question. He pondered for a moment. Was this yet another person in the string of people that knew what had happened between him and Akira? He fixed his eyes upon the man before scratching the back of his head. "You are pretty good at reading people. Moping would probably be more of an accurate description." he mumbled. "What about you? This girl, business or pleasure? Doesn't seem like the place to be chasing a love" a quizzical look decorating the teen's face. The Vulpix couldn't help but offer the Chsrmander a continued smile as she began to speak once more. Asking if they should play together. The small fox nodded "As long as we avoid the icky stuff on the floor out there then I'm game!" she responded cheerily before scanning the room once more. "So. You're Ember. I'm Ember. Twinsies!"

[Lucas Night]

Lucas declined to explain that the cigarette was a de-escalation of a worse habit. The muttering did confirm his suspicions that Leo wouldn’t have appreciated a cigarette. Good. The man didn’t want to share anyways.

“You let yours get away?” he asked, voice all soft with feigned sympathy.

Surely Akira hadn’t gone crawling back to that mutt after all this. A perfectly acceptable-looking human had shown more than just interest in the man and now Leo was… moping? Surely this kid hadn’t lost out. Yes, neither situation was something he would want, but Lucas felt that Leo would be a vast improvement. What an utter lack of taste…

“That sucks, man.” ‘Tom’ stood straighter, sighing. “Well, it’s a little of column A, a little of column B.”

That was the truth. Though he’d been tasked to find Astra, he had every intention of bringing her back willingly. She fascinated him. If she needed allies, all the better that he and his team assist her. And, even better than that if she would tell them what she knew. He could forgive her odd habits. Good company would improve her few flaws, he thought; she could become more discerning.

But, this wasn’t about his lead. Time to get back on track for his gossip.

“It’ll help with a thing at work if I meet with this girl, but I didn’t have to be the one to do it.” He grinned. “Sometimes, you’ve got to put yourself out there if the opportunity strikes. Sorry it didn’t work out for you.” A head tilt, faux curiosity playing on the blonde’s face. “... You’re not giving up, are ya?”

“Twinsies!” the charmander repeated. She clapped her hands together. Though, this brought up a new problem: what could they play? She walked into the slightly open door, looking over things. There were a lot of gross things in there. And, beyond this porch, there were other gross things.

Oh! The trellis on the side! The ground was dry enough. Maybe upstairs would be better? Houses usually had bedrooms on the second floor, if there was a second floor. There could be games and toys!

So, the charmander pointed at what she’d remembered seeing. “Can you climb any? I’ve seen four legged pokemon do it! It’s a little hard, but I could climb after you to be safe!”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 340  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Leo sighed softly as Tom asked that question. Was he the one that got away? The teen paused briefly, losing himself in thought. This was all so silly, it's not like it was some long term romance that had come to an end. It was a day trip to the zoo that got way out of hand. "I guess he was never really mine to begin with..." he mumbled before shrugging in an attempt to dismiss the conversation. The blonde man began his explanations to which Leo made efforts to listen in attempt to take his mind off of recent events. "Well then, she must be something important to you, if you chose to come here when you didn't have to!" the teen chuckled before smirking slightly at the man. Now when the man would come to state that it was better to out yourself out there when opportunity would strike before quizzing him as to whether he was going to give up or not. The teen let loose another sigh. "I don't have much of a choice really. Not like we were.... a thing." he mumbled, eyes shifting away slightly. "He was never mine to begin with." he finished, shrugging once more before turning to the pokemon who were happily conversing with each other. The Vulpix grinned as her new acquaintance repeated the new word, whilst she observed the Charmander scanning the area for something that they could do before setting her sights on the nearby trellis. The Vulpix looked to where the Charmander was pointing, sizing up the task before her. "I'm sure I can do it! I like a challenge!" the fox chirped excitedly before trotting over to the area. She looked the trellis up and down for a moment as if calculating in her head how she was going to scale the wall, before gradually raising on to her hind legs and pulling herself up on the the trellis using her front paws. "This isn't so bad... Right?" she called back to the Charmander whilst continuing her efforts to climb the wall.

[Lucas Night]

Lucas chuckled. “She’s special. Plus, I think we could help each other professionally.” He used his dying cigarette as an extension of his hand, pointing it toward the teen. “That’s where the real magic is, being able to make each other better.”

Oh, barf. This was all so boring. Well, not really, but… It was way too restraining to have to keep talking as Tom! Lucas truly did believe that a couple who made each other stronger was a better fit, sure, but that wasn’t… this was all too fake even for him! Furthermore, this kid’s wimpy, apologetic approach was irritating!

Unable to help himself anymore, Lucas rolled his eyes. “If you were worried about taking away who I think you might have—” A dismissive wave, a muttering of gossip spreading. “—you shouldn’t feel guilty. His ‘partner’ wasn’t even a real person.”

It wasn’t like Lucas liked Akira particularly, but, again, he had to imagine Leo would be an improvement over a gijinka. At least this teen was human.

“Actually, someone who’d stay with that over a real person…” Yet another wave, as if the topic were done. Lucas didn’t feel like he was going to get anymore scandal out. “You aren’t missing out.”

The charmander followed, giving her new friend enough space to get started climbing before following herself. “You’ve got it! Just look up, okay? At your feet! I don’t want you slipping!”

Oh, what wonderful toys would they find on the second floor? Maybe there would be cute accessories left behind! Actually, what were Ember the vulpix’s tastes like…? It’d be a shame if she already fought with her new friend about a pretty ribbon or something up there.

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 223  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Leo listened as Tom explained more about the girl he was searching for and how she was not only special, but able to help him out professionally. Leo nodded softly acknowledging what he was saying. "Two birds with one stone right?" he chuckled. It wasn't long however before the blonde haired man's demeanour shifted and the comments began, taking Leo by surprise. "Wait... How...." the teen began to stumble over his own words for a moment before shaking his head. "How could you possibly know who I'm talking about?". Suspicions we're rising in the teen as his gaze fixed on the man for a moment. As the man continued to speak he began to feel slightly irritable. "Who are you to decide who a 'real' person is?" the teen quizzed as he began to step closer. "Who are you anyway? How do you know who I am?!" the tone in his voice beginning to lace with frustration. Ember smiled widely as the Charmander encouraged her up to the second floor. "I got this!" she chirped as she pulled herself up to even ground. Looking around the fox scanned for something that the pair could play with before her eyes fell upon what appeared to be a ball. Her eyes lit up for a moment as she dashed over and gently batted the ball towards the Charmander with her tails. "Catch!"

[Lucas Night]

“Well, you’re the one who confirmed the who,” Lucas breezily replied. Snuffing out the mostly used up cigarette and leaving it on the railing, the blonde leaned against the wall. “You let me fish for answers.”

Tom hadn’t been sure that it was Leo who was involved in the situation at first. All the false office worker had to go off of was rumors and gossip. Yet, that contained a little information about how the third member to this little entanglement looked and Leo more or less gave Tom the info he needed to figure out the rest.

Wholly indifferent to Leo’s brewing frustrations, the man rolled his eyes. “First, a little advice: learn to lie about your involvement in things if you don’t want to deal with them. And, as for who’s real… Are you serious?”

An eyebrow raised and his head tilted. A patronizing air practically radiated from the man. What a ridiculous question! It wasn’t that Lucas decided. It was a matter of fact. Humans were persons; maybe a business, too, if you wanted to go to court. But, a gijinka?

“Haven’t you seen them? They’re novel, sure. Some of them are even good for companionship or assistance, but a person? Don’t let your sympathies inhibit your good sense.”

Meanwhile, on the second floor, the charmander also reached the second floor. She cleared the makeshift ladder and caught the ball with ease. Her teal eyes glistened with glee at the vulpix’s find.

“Whoa! We could play wall ball! Or, just catch!” She frowned. “Shoulda asked for a third… We could have played mankey in the middle.” A beat. “I’d get someone else to be the mankey. We could have thrown it.”

Oh well. She let go of the idea, rolling the ball back to the other fire type.

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 240  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Arceus this guy was smug. Leo leered at the man as he spoke of how it was Leo himself that had confirmed the rumours. "Why are you fishing for answers anyway?" he quipped back keeping his blue eyes fixed upon the man. More nonsense came spewing from the blonde. Who said anything about not dealing with things? Leo was more than willing to accept whatever consequences were due his way following that encounter. "Why should I lie? What happened, happened. Yes it sucks. But it is what it is!" the teen stated bluntly. Novel? Leo clenched his fists slightly before laughing. "What a pity. It's a shame your type are still in existence really. Can't see past your own warped views." the teen sighed before shaking his head. "So tell me... What should good sense look like?" As tensions grew between the two humans, the two fire types up on the second floor seemed to be getting on a treat. The charmander seemed overly excited about the ball that had been discovered. The numerous suggestions flowed from the Charmander and Vulpix tilted her head curiously. "Mankey in the middle sounds like it could have been fun..." the small fox began to muse before shaking her head. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ball rolling back to her. A smirk placed itself upon her face. "Catch!" Tails flicked the ball into the air gently towards the charmander, a smile replacing the smirk that was once in place.

[Lucas Night]

“That’s all? It is what it is? You’ve got no further intentions…? You’ll just… No, of course you would.”

To think the chat had started with such potential. Unlike Leo, Lucas felt no need to fully explain himself. Why had he been fishing for answers? Because he wanted them, plain and simple. He wanted the answers for the same reason a dame wanted jewelry or a child longed for a bike. Certainly, there could be practical uses… But, the things were fun to have in their own rights. Not all gossip needed to be intel. Sometimes it was simply fun to chew over the latest drama.

Unthreatened by Leo’s clenched fists and perhaps even testing to see if the teen could be provoked, Tom walked past the dark-haired youth, headed for the steps of the condemned building.

“Good sense is for those interested in more than just accepting things as they are, so I doubt you’d understand it even if I explained.”

Hm. This was going to be difficult to walk back now that he’d given out his Tom persona to the kid. Oh well. It wasn’t as if Leo had a good reputation among some of Shula. Perhaps Lucas could just lie if ever confronted anywhere else about this conversation? Then again, it wasn’t as if gijinka were exceptionally popular either. There were plenty of angles to consider.

Ember the charmander caught the ball just as the chatter below was starting to filter up. Nearly as nosy as her trainer, the salamander-like pokemon disregarded the ball. “Oh, they’re getting loud… Wonder what for.”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

APP || PC || PLOTTER

WORDS: 251  ||  TAG: Lucas Night

Leo rolled his eyes as the stranger began to prod further at the issue. "It's not like this is a situation that's been going on for years, nor was anything planned things happened. Things should NOT have happened. The end" Tom was clearly getting his kicks out of the situation. What was really grinding Leo in that moment was why. What benefit could come of knowing about a silly little fling? Sighing slightly the teen attempted to shake off the frustration. "Don't let him bait you" Leo's eyes followed the blonde as he brazenly walked past him, narrowing as he spoke once more. "Well at least we agree on that. But you're a fool if you think you can change everything. I've got the good sense to know what is worth fighting for." Leo knew it in his heart, that what he was saying was true. Sure the outcome of his recent encounter had gone less than favourably. Yes, if things had turned out differently then maybe he wouldn't be in this slump, but was it really worth continuing the fight for someone who in reality he had only just met? Meanwhile, the Embers game seemed to come to an end as quick as it had started with the escalating words of their respective trainers. The small Vulpix trotted over to the Charmander in an attempt to get a view as to what was happening. "Beats me..." a quick response back to the Charmander before sighing slightly and sitting down. "So shall we carry on playing?"

[Lucas Night]

What a fascinating vision of morality Leo had! It suited someone of his stature, in a way. Be decent, his words seemed to imply; don’t take things that aren’t yours (affection, lovers). No, someone like this was probably not fit for ambitions and views like Lucas’s. Determining the shape of society was a duty, a burden, a privilege reserved for the uppercrust.

“Well, it hardly seems like you fight for anything.” The words were all taunting.

But, what would Leo actually do in the face of Lucas’s cruel words? Would the teen act? Or, would this continue to be all air and idea? This had been a good thing to be nosy about, Lucas decided. This whole chat was so very entertaining.

How he loved people and all of their little dramas. The common masses were such a good source to get his conversational kicks. The shame, the urge to justify themselves…! Fascinating!

It didn’t sound like Lucas was yelling or even speaking in anger, so Ember the charmander figured it was nothing of importance. She shrugged. “Yeah, sorry. Okay, where were we…? I think you had the ball?”