'til his daddy takes the t-bird away (leo)

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

Laleh PoryCon was a blast so far! There was a vintage Fainting Fury set up with. That, naturally had a line sprawling far out from it with audiences clammering. Maybe it had something to do with whoever was absolutely crushing it with their Mimairol Shiranui plays…?

Laurent drew himself away from the sight. He had places to be, photos to pose for, merch to buy, and overpriced food to eat! Speaking of photos—

“Excuse me? Can I get a photo? I love your Link cosplay! Your lechonk as Navi is too cute!”

“Hyup!” Laurent complied, lifting Chauntea up for a photo before waving the duo of other fans off.

Yes. Conventions were the third best thing in the world. The first two were live action sessions and partying on boats. But, his father was still a little too mad at him about coming back to Shula instead of staying away at school to let him borrow a boat to party and all of his geekier friends were abroad. Hohum.

Putting the normal type back down, the costumed man scanned the various booths and setups. “Alright, Tea, what do you feel up to? We’ve got some time before the new console demo.”

“Could we go back to the cosmetics booth?” the lechonk asked nicely, her little painted-blue tail twirling. “I smelled something lovely here!”

Only understanding about half of what she said, the man nodded. “... I think you said something about the makeup stuff, right?”

Leo Lockward

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 279  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

Laleh PoryCon. Leo had heard bits and pieces about this festival, but had never experienced it for himself. He had to admit it probably wasn't as fun as it could have been were he in a position to be able to walk unaided, but it still seemed like a fun day out. People were dressed in different costumes, games were being played, there was some music. The teen hobbled around the area, cautiously given the lively people all rushing to get to certain places. He wasn't necessarily in a rush but wanted to keep out of peoples way as much as possible. Ember and Freya wandered along with the teen, the equine pokemon on standby to help keep him steady should he need it. He was still trying to get to grips with using crutches after all, it wasn't as easy as it looked! As they continued making their way around they soon approached what appeared to be a make up stall, not something Leo would necessarily go to, however he became distracted by a gasp from Ember. "Look at that!" she cried pointing a paw towards a Lechonk who was dressed up like something out of a video game. Leo chuckled slightly, it was certainly cute! As the teen began to hobble along once more, another patron of the festival came dashing by and knocked one of Leo's crutches out from him, causing the teen to stumble and fall to the ground. "Look where you're going Arceus damn it!" he yelled after the man, who it appeared was totally oblivious to what he had done. "Great, now I've got to try and get up" the teen growled frustratedly.

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

Rule number one of any convention hall was to be safe. Laurent clicked his tongue, glaring after the person who’d made the other visitor stumble.

“Seriously?!” It sucked breaking character that loudly, but some things were more important. Still shaking his head, the costumed man made his way over to Leo. “Are you okay?” He offered his hand, then reconsidered it.

Chauntea, meanwhile, snorted in outrage, her little tail twitching just once. “The nerve! We ought to have that... that menace thrown out!”

Laurent glanced at his pokemon from the side of his eye. He hadn’t made out a word of that. “Uh, she’s worried about you, too.”

Not wrong. He’d been absolutely guessing at what she’d said, but Laurent wasn’t wrong.

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 220  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

The teen struggled for a few moments before luck would have it, the trainer and Lechonk that Leo and Ember were observing moments prior to the accident had appeared to assist, The teen looked up to the stranger and offer him a half-hearted smile. "I'm fine." he spoke, as cheerily as possible whilst hiding the fact that inside he was still royally pissed that he couldn't walk properly. "Although if you wouldn't mind helping me up, that would be greatly appreciated. It's a little tricky when you're down a leg." a slight chuckle would follow. Ember approached the Lechonk cautiously at first, given the pokemon's apparent rage, however it would soon appear that she was simply angry at the events that had just occurred. "Oh please, don't worry, he's always falling over. He doesn't need help in doing that!" the small fox like pokemon spoke to the Lechonk. "I simply LOVE your outfit by the way!" she continued as she slowly circled the pig to inspect the make up of the outfit. "It's so well made!" Leo meanwhile chuckled at the trainer who was guessing what the pokemon was saying. "You guys are really rocking the Cosplay!" he spoke, a slight grin upon his face before he held his hand out towards the man. "I'm Leo, and this is Ember."

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

Alright, good, it wouldn’t be insulting to assist… Some people were shy and the attention drove them mad. He knew plenty of people who pushed their limits for socializing by just being at a convention. But, he wouldn’t be pressing this guy’s maximum by helping! Good, good!

“Not a problem.” Laurent would offer his hand and, if/once Leo grabbed it, put his other under the teen’s elbow. If Leo locked his arm or some such, it’d make supporting him getting back up much easier! The trainer could just let the breeder support most of his weight. “C’mon, up, up!”

Chauntea’s rage would simmer down to little huffs. She shouldn’t direct her aggression on this poor vulpix. She was a victim in all of this, too! Her poor trainer, subject to a pedestrian on pedestrian hit and run…! “You cope with it so well,” she sniffed, nodding along with Ember’s words with very much the assumption that she didn’t mean them… Well, the first part. At the later bit, she perked up, ears and tail raised high as she posed a bit. One forehoof was held up!

“Oh, thank you! Laurent had it shipped in for me!”

Ah, was that his name…? Jeez, he hadn’t spoken with his lechonk about con’persona and real life, had he? Crap.

Still, with Leo (hopefully) up, before he released the other man’s hand and arm, Laurent would wink. “I’m Link and this is Navi. Thanks! We have a lot of fun with it.”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 231  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

Leo smiled softly as he took hold of the stranger's and accepted the assistance back to his feet. Swaying slightly to begin with, the teen regained his composure and took a moment to brush himself off and straightening his hair. Now he couldn't have his hair looking out of place, not when his leg was such a mess too! Ember observed as the Lechonk slowly began to simmer down, before letting loose a chuckle in response to the Lechonk's comments. "Well, I have to cope with it - he'd be a danger to himself if I didn't" she rolled her eyes looking towards her trainer for a moment before back to the pokemon before her. Clearly the compliment was taken very well, as the pokemon began to stand proudly. "Laurent. I assume that is your trainer there?" the fox type pokemon queried. With Leo feeling a bit more steady on his feet following the tumble, he smiled back to the stranger who offered him a wink in return before announcing himself as "Link" and his partner "Navi". Leo chuckled slightly looking at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Link." he chirped before looking down to the Lechonk stood with his partner. "And you too Navi!" The teen observed the area for a bit longer before turning back to his new acquaintance. "So, I'm not really a frequent flyer here. Any recommendations?"

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

With Leo back on his feet, Laurent reached down to offer the crutches back. Without those, the other guy wasn’t going to get very far, was he? After offering the aid items, he’d consider the venue.

“Well, it depends on what you’re here for,” Laurent admitted. “There’s a panel coming up soon for the newest installment of the Super Morelull Brothers. But, my goal?” He grinned slyly. “I’m headed to the artist alley before all the good stuff sells out. So… It depends on what you’re here for. Official panels? Game demos? Or, maybe you’re here to take pics with cosplayers?”

With a hand under his chin, Laurent felt more than a little smug. “I’m pretty close with a lot of ‘em featured here if you need a li’l help meeting anyone… Everyone’s first con should be a blast!”

“Yes, that’s him. And, I believe I overheard that your name was Ember? How charming!” Chauntea clearly hadn’t picked up on Laurent’s wishes. Oh well. The normal type lifted a hoof, as if gesturing while she spoke. “If you’ve got a preference, you ought to say something to your trainer now. I can hear them planning.”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 286  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

Leo smiled weakly and nodded as "Link" handed the teen his crutches back. "Thanks - I certainly wouldn't be going anywhere without these. Damn leg is taking far too long to heal up." the teen grumbled before shaking his head. "I'll be totally honest, I was just here to check it out. When I say not a frequent flyer, I've never been to a convention before, it seemed interesting!" Leo let loose a nervous chuckle before scratching the back of his head. He knew some people were, shall we say, obsessed, with these events and would be mortified that he didn't have a plan in mind. This one didn't seem so bad though. There seemed to be so much to do, he hadn't even taken the time to consider that he should have made a plan of action before going.  "Well - you appear to be the expert! If you don't mind a tagalong, I will follow you! Besides..." the teen stopped for a moment before shifting his gaze to Ember and Chauntea. "Those two seem to be buddying up already!" he finished before letting loose another laugh. Ember meanwhile offered a slight nod to the Lechonk who had overheard her name. "Oh of course - yes my name's Ember. It's a pleasure to meet you....." the fox pokemon paused for a moment, not knowing her acquaintances name. "I can call you Navi... although something tells me that isn't your actual name?" Ember continued before letting loose a nervous chuckle. Turinng to the two trainers at the normal types gesture, Ember could only shrug. "I'll do what he wants. He's had a rough time recently. Broken leg, Broken heart.... thankfully not a completely broken mind!" the fire type chuckled.

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

Never been to one before?! Laurent’s eyebrows shot up, disappearing a bit behind his blonde wig’s carefully glued into place bangs. People could get into this stuff at any age, he supposed. Maybe he’d been around too many hardcore fans. There were casuals, he reminded himself.

“Nah, the more the merrier. Besides, it’d be downright cruel to split those two up.” As Laurent considered the schedule of the day as well as Leo’s level of familiarity with all of this, he put a hand to his hip and swiveled his head around to think.

With the pokemon’s conversation, lechonk giggled. “No. It’s Chauntea. I’m trying to figure out a way to shorten it, since it feels a little long, but none of my teammates have any good ideas.” She wrinkled her snout in distaste. “One suggested Awn. Hardly dignified.”

The mention of a broken heart got a distraught little snort from normal type. “Oh, the poor dear. One moment, I remember dear Laurent mentioning something that just might suit this.” She waddled over to her trainer before rearing back to place her forehooves on his leg. She squealed up. “Laurent! Laurent, darling! Listen to me! I know what we ought to do!”

“Navi,” Laurent quickly said between his teeth, scooping the lechonk up. “I told you what we’re going by when we’re here.”

“Hm? Oh, nevermind that. That was that, the ah… The nostalgic thing. The remake that’s coming out soon. They’re having a panel on it? It was very silly and light hearted. About the people that turned into pokemon due to a curse.”

The man frowned before realization struck him. He looked over to Leo. “Oh! Yeah, are you into anime any? There’s a little exhibition on Ranma ½ starting soon.”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 408  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

Leo could feel his face begin to flush a light pink as Lauren was clearly taken aback by the fact he hadn't been to a convention before. Shifting his eyes slightly, the teen began to scratch the back of his head, as he so often did when things began to feel slightly awkward for him. His attention was quickly drawn back however as his new acquaintance pointed out how cruel it would be to split their respective partners up. With that Leo chuckled slightly and nodded. "You're right. I'm not sure about Navi, but Ember loves meeting new people!" he explained before turning his sights to the two pokemon who were still conversing with each other. Turning to the pokemon, Ember let out a soft sigh of wonder as the Lechonk announced her real name. "Wowwww, that's so pretty!" the fox spoke softly before pausing to ponder what a good nickname for Chauntea could be. "What about keeping it simple and going with Tea. Or Chauny" the fire type paused again before sighing. "I mean, I can hardly speak. I'm a fire type and he called me Ember so if I'm anything like him, I probably suck at this!" she finished before letting loose a hearty laugh. Ember was a little taken aback at the snort that came from Chauntea as she spoke of Leo's current woes. Before long however the normal type had trotted over to her trainer and was trying to speak with him before being picked up. Walking back over to Leo, Ember shifted her gaze between her trainer and the two new friends they were making "Well they certainly are an interesting pair!" the fox would mutter just loud enough for Leo to hear who responded with a hum just as soft. "I like them though!" A short while later, and after the two cosplayers had finished their discussion, it appeared Laurent had suddenly been hit with an idea. An exhibition on an anime show? Seemed like a fun idea to Leo. "I do like Anime. Although I don't know that I've heard of this one! Sounds like fun!" He responded to Laurent, a smile upon his face, although there was something I nthe back of his mind hoping that he wasn't ruining his day. After all, he was clearly an avid fan, whereas Leo was a newbie to the convention scene and to top it off, he couldn't walk! Talk about an annoyance!

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

Tea! The lechonk tapped her little hooves against Laurent’s arms as he held her, making a very muted clapping noise against his costume armor. “Tea! How lovely! Oh, is it okay if I return the favor? Emmie would be just adorable, I think!”

Whatever the two were talking about was clearly pleasant, so Ren couldn’t help but grin. They’d definitely made a new set of friends.

“Alright, c’mon. And, I’ll stick by your side.” He set down Chauntea. “Don’t want any repeats of what just happened. Don’t worry, it’s not too far of a walk.”

Convention fatigue was real. The huge hall to navigate, all of the people to hear and see, and not to mention how tiring being dressed up could be…! Well, Leo didn’t have to worry about the last one, but Ren was the veteran of nerdy hang outs between the two of them, so it was his duty to make sure the teen didn’t run himself ragged.

“It’s a classic,” he promised. “Lots of people’s introductory show back in the day. Kinda like Jirachi Talisman Z.”

Left to waddle after both men as Laurent set off, Chauntea looked to Ember. “Do you watch with your trainer any? I’ve got to admit, I don’t pay it much mind.”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 282  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

The small fox pokemon cocked her head slightly for a moment as the Lechonk seemed to firstly enjoy her new nickname and offer one of her own in return. "Emmie..... It's adorable!" the fire type chirped, a wide smile stretching across her face. Turning back to the humans Leo observed as "Link" set down his partner and announce that he was assist the teen in walking to their next destination. Smiling faintly, the teen nodded. "Thanks - yeah falling down is getting a little tedious shall we say!" he finished with a slight chuckle, after all, if you can't laugh at yourself what can you laugh at? As the two began to set off towards the next exhibition, the new lad began to speak more of the show he had previously mentioned. Leo let loose a nervous laugh as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, something he had a habit of doing when he felt a little unsure on what to do or say. "Sounds interesting! Perhaps you can show me some time!" he chuckled, before returning to focus on the intermittent hops he had to carry out to get to where they were heading. Trotting alongside her new friend, Ember turned her head slightly as Chauntea began to speak once more. She had to admit, there was very rarely any time that they watched TV together. The fox shook her head softly, "Not really at all! Leo is a musician so it's more music based things in our home than tv!" she explained before letting loose a soft chuckle. "If you're lucky, he may end up humming something whilst we are walking. He likes to do that!"

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

This guy hadn’t seen Jirachi Talisman Z?! He’d missed out on the incredible scene where Son Blaziken became the legendary warrior Mega Blaziken?! Or, the Shadow Mewtwo’s secret destruction of Planet Fighting Type?!

“Absolutely, you'll have to come over some time,” Laurent offered without thinking about it. Then, he muttered: “... I wonder if we could borrow the theater room for it. Dad kinda hates when I play loud anime in there, though…”

They had reached the first dedication, though. It was the screening! Laurent flashed his badge to the staff before looking at Leo… Only to realize he hadn’t asked the newbie what kind of pass he had!! Most of the day passes included access to panels, yes, but Laurent always sprang for the more expensive passes that got him closer to the action and a premium place in line to speak with guest stars and the like.

“He’s a musician?! How wonderful! Ugh, Laurent doesn’t create a single thing… I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s a very good student. But, in his free time, all he does is game or whatever. He’s even watching or reading on the treadmill! It’s a bit ridiculous!” She shook her head. “Does he play any instruments? … Do you play any instruments, Emmie?”

[Leo Lockward]

LEO XANDER LOCKWARD

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WORDS: 310  ||  TAG: Laurent Vanderbilt

Leo chuckled at the strangers instant invitation to go over some time, although he couldn't quite catch the mumbling that followed. "I mean sure, if you don't mind being seen with a hop-a-long." the teen laughed before raising a hand to scratch the back of his head. This guy seemed genuinely nice, which was a breath of fresh air given everything else that had been going on recently. As the pair approached their destination, he noticed Ren flashing his badge to gain access. It looked similar to the one the teen held himself which was a relief. "Well. I didn't know what type of pass I'd need but I figured the more expensive the better, right?" he chuckled before holding up the pass to show Ren. Hopefully this was at least something that wouldn't make him out to be a complete newbie - even if he was! Ember paused for a moment as Tea began to reel off her words before letting loose a slight chuckle herself. "Oh yes, he's been a musician for as long as I've been out of my egg. Probably longer really. Gaming on the other hand, he does tend to play games when we're not out on the road or playing music!" she chuckled slightly before the Lechonk continued to speak. Instruments? Ember? The fire type burst into a fit of laughter at the words. "Oh Arceus no, could you imagine me trying to play an instrument, it would be a nightmare!" she continued to sputter through her laughter. "Leo does though. He has a guitar and an electronic piano type thing at home. What was it called...? K-Key.... KEYBOARD!" the fox cheering as she managed to get the words right. Looking up to the two trainers for a moment, Ember looked back to Tea. "So what about you, Tea? What do you like to do?"

[Laurent Vanderbilt]

“Usually!” Ren agreed, glad as he and Leo were let into the panel. He sighed as he walked along, making sure to move slowly enough for Leo to keep up. “Darn… If you weren’t still recovering, I’d ask if you’d wanna party after. If you got a good pass, I’m sure you have access to the late-night panels, too. And, people always suggest fun places to hang out at after…”

Truly this was the worst thing that could happen to a person… In Laurent’s mind, at least. To be injured and to have to skip out on partying!! It brought to mind the rare occasion where he’d broken something or caught a cold and had to sit out on his regular festivities. His heart ached for his new friend.

“That’s so fantastic,” Chauntea insisted. “Perhaps we ought not let Laurent know that Leo games. Then, they can enjoy something of substance like music if we should meet again!”

Yeah. Because the Link and Navi cosplays didn’t give that way to anyone who knew anything. Totally. A reasonable request given that they were chatting about shared nerdy hobbies. Uh-huh.

As for her own hobbies…! Chauntea tilted her head. “Well, I’m very fond of perfumes and the like. I enjoy going shopping with Laurent, so sniffling the samples led to that realization.” She grinned. “I’ve thought about getting into battling a bit, if only to see how different Sweet Scents smell! It’s a bit boorish, otherwise…”