Destiny Village ~ The Hero

[MadderJacker]

The smile faded as Mergo exhaled through his nostrils. One of these, was it? That took much of the sport out of things. Back to serious it was then.

“I suppose,” he permitted. “Personally though, it would make me terrified knowing that not only is there an outer-dimensional threat that can show up to a world and ravage it without its denizens being able to do anything to scratch it, but that there are multiple of them out there. If there’s two, what’s stopping it from being ten? But maybe that’s just me.”

He hopes their handler could hear that. Maybe it would give him some negativity to feed on.

“I believe I could stay for an appetizer,” Mergo said, as if his previous ramble hadn’t left his mouth. “I mean, this isn’t The Grace, but truth be told I’m used to a lot worse. This will do.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

The fact that his smile faded right as after she spoke didn't go unnoticed. Cynthian already began sweating beads in her mind, wondering if she said something wrong. Perhaps it was rude of her to pry? Oh, he was talking? She snapped out of it just in time to quell the lemon aroma drifting from her petals.


"You're only staying for an appetizer? There's no need for just that. I wasn't planning to bog you down with just questions like a journalist." She raised her shoulders and scratched her cheek with a vine. "This is just an informal getting to know each other hang out."


She paused, a hint of mint mixing in with her flowers. "Anyhow, I'm sure it will be a good time."

 

[MadderJacker]

The smell of mint hit him, and Mergo bristled. He scanned the environment and looked around, searching for something amiss, but there was nothing obvious. Nothing that wasn't obvious, either. Why mint? It wasn't all that potent, but it was still alarming.

"I... I don't know how long I'll stay for. I have a fair bit to do and limited time to do it in," Mergo admitted, sliding back to his usual demeanor. "Not to mention, father might not approve of me going on dates with a stranger, But, I suppose I'll let you lead the way."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Ah, so that's what you meant. I won't take too much of your time," Cynthian said, almost sighing in relief.

"Not to mention, father might not approve of me going on dates with a stranger, But, I suppose I'll let you lead the way."

Cynthian stared at him for a brief moment, but her mind was in complete disarray in those short few seconds. 'How forward of you', that must've been what he meant by that!! A loud and embarrassed internal scream later, she cleared her throat and nodded.

"Well, off we go then?" Cynthian asked, turning around to face the cobblestone road ahead as the breeze carried lingering vanilla essence off her.

 

[MadderJacker]

That did it. The changing smell was a tad confusing, but the undertones beneath the vanilla told him everything he needed. And she was playing it off? Fascinating. He internally debated whether or not he should push that same subject later. Perhaps she already had a partner of her own. Wouldn't that be something?

Nodding his approval, Mergo folded his arms behind his back again to follow after her. For the moment he held his tongue. With all the questions being asked, he could get information of his own.

The Hero struck Mergo almost immediately as 'out of place.' It was rustic, but with everything in this city surrounding the restaurant, it could only be so rustic. The decor called back to an age that people had progressed long past from. Mergo supposed that it hearkened and appealed to people's nostalgia for the eras of the old heroes, but he did not hold that same nostalgia. It was trying too hard.

They probably wouldn't even have real meat, either, like damn-near everywhere else. Was that one hole-in-the-wall place here as well? He'd forgotten the name, but if he could find it later, that would be excellent.

"It looks nice in here," he commended. "I take it you've already been here. What would you recommend?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

'what would you recommend?', he says. Cynthian couldn't help but groan inwardly, as she had been staring at the menu since they sat and almost nothing she saw in it looked familiar. She had only been to the hero once with Mellow and Icetales, but she couldn't quite recall what she'd even ordered herself back then.

A nervous smile remained plastered on her face as she tried to think of what to do. What if she ordered something and Mergo ends up disliking it? Or if she gets something that ends up giving him stomach cramps. Wait, why could she only think of the absolute worst outcomes?

Cynthian couldn't leave him hanging for too long otherwise things will start to get really awkward. She put a lid on the lemony scent drifting from her bouquets and picked a meal at random, landing on something called--

"How about a mint salad? It's simply the best. You're going to love it," she said, barely keeping herself from tripping over her words. Maybe Mergo wouldn't pick up on the fact that she had no idea what a mint salad was or even that mons put it in their salads.

 

[MadderJacker]

She was overthinking it. Cynthian didn't do this sort of thing often, did she? He had to wonder why she suggested it in the first place. If this was a ruse, it was amateurish at best, but why else would she grab a stranger and ask them for a bite to eat? For the same reason he agreed?

"Then I'll try some," Mergo permitted. A mint salad didn't sound particularly good. Unless the mint leaves were sparsely mixed amidst spinach or lettuce, the flavor sounded overpowering. And that was putting aside that the taste of mint made Mergo uncomfortable. "At the very least, this place does very well with its produce, so it should be fresh."

An invisible force pushed his unopened menu to the side of the table, and Mergo looked around for a staffmember to flag down. They were occupied at the moment, but perhaps soon one would be there. They probably supposed that guests wouldn't have their orders settled after a mere thirty seconds.

"So then." Mergo looked down to the complimentary glass of water and watched as it started to whirl in lazy circles on its own. The ice clinked and clattered and rolled over. "Might I ask why you were afraid of me?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"It's… not because of you per se…" Cynthian paused, not having really

expected him to cut to the chase like that. Well her floral scents would've given it away sooner or later even if she tried to keep them under control.

"I won't bog you down with my life story, but I don't have many friends where I'm from or talk to a lot of mon." Next to none actually. "And because of that, I don't really know what to do when I'm around folks like you who…" she waved her flowers around over her head slightly, "have this air of seriousness around them, if that makes sense."

Not to mention the fact that she'd unintentionally asked him out on a date somehow. That did wonders for her nerves, that's for sure.

 

[MadderJacker]

"And your time here hasn't done anything to acclimate you to this sort of thing? Surely, I'm not the only serious one you've come across," he mused, although he did have the advantage of not being named after food. That might have helped. Perhaps he had to do something about that.

Mergo cast another glance over his shoulder at the other patrons. Mid-day. Not as busy as it could have been, but they definitely weren't alone in the restaurant. That would do nicely.

"'A serious air,'" he echoed, and his tone took on a theatrical air of pompousness. His finger traced in lazy circles above the glass of water, and it slowly started to rise and shift like a summoned spirit. It floated into the air only to be joined by the water from a vase of flowers, and with the flick of Mergo's little finger, it stretched into a curved sheet just in front of his face and distorting the light like an improvised lens. "I'll keep my life story out of this as well," Mergo said, and with each word his voice got a tiny bit higher and shriller. It was like he was taking slow breaths of helium. The curve on the water grew more pronounced, and looking through it, Mergo's head shrunk like in a funhouse mirror. "But my line of work does not often get breaks, Cynthian, so I can find it difficult to relax or cut loose. My own compatriots-- the Miracle Matters, as you know them-- often got on my case about... well, a number of things relating to me being serious." The air around him was getting thinner and more difficult to breathe, let alone maintain, but he only needed a bit more.

Mergo cleared his throat, and it sounded almost like squeaks. "ᴵᵗ'ˢ ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗˡʸ ʳᵉᵃˢᵒⁿᵃᵇˡᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗᵒ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ᶦⁿᵗᶦᵐᶦᵈᵃᵗᵉᵈ."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian watched the display and couldn't stop laughing for a while. "Okay, I did not see that coming."

 

[MadderJacker]

He shut his eyes and hid his heavy intakes of air as his concentration ebbed. The water hurriedly slipped back into the glass, causing it to spin and teeter and almost fall towards the edge, yet just before that he snagged it in one elegant motion and took a long sip. It had warmed up a tad from the increased surface area.

The laughter had been exactly what he was hoping for, and Mergo set the glass down and offered the beginnings of a friendly smile. For as stern as he'd looked before, there was an icy charm to him when he cared to soften up. He didn't want her to be afraid. Not yet.

"Yes, well, I've been told that people don't know quite what to think of me, so I wasn't surprised," Mergo answered. "I've learned to keep a few silly tricks up my sleeve on the rare occasions that I remove the stick from my ass. This was a new one, but, I'm glad you seem to like it."

Another maneuver for his arsenal. Beneath his smile, Mergo tucked that away, knowing it would only matter for the next few days. His time was limited, but the fight was already on.

"You had said you were curious about my compatriots and our journey," he cycled, taking his napkin and starting to fold it into his lap. "I could tell you, but things seem... different here. I would need an explanation here and there so I know just how things align, if that's alright. Where would you like to begin?"

<><><>

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa wasn't usually one to fuss much over her appearance. Years of not giving a shit roughing it out in the dust and sheer townie-directed spite were a stubborn stain on any vanity she might have had. But one of them – her, Astrid, she somehow wasn't sure – had suggested dinner at The Hero, and she had enough sense to know that you dressed up a little for that. Luz had helped her pick out something that worked for her: a silk wild rag with a subtle fractal pattern. Smart, while still being 'her darned self', as Luz put it.

She fidgeted with her tail in the foyer as they waited to be seated, reminding herself that Cibus' easygoing culture held true even in an uptown venue, and that Astrid of all 'mon wouldn't think less of her for not knowing what to order or whatever faux pas she might make. She'd be fine.

She hoped she'd have an opportunity to order a drink as soon as they were seated. Something red and strong. Brisa looked over at Astrid and smiled despite herself.

"You're lookin' splendid as ever, partner," she offered, truthfully. "Reckon there's been a certain shine in yer pelt since you mastered yer form change technique."

 

[TheGOAT]

“Mmmoh, thanks!” Astrid said. Glancing down at her Unleashed form. “I think I mostly got darker, but I see what’cha mean.”

With each dying streak of light on her body, another was born, somewhere, and sometimes, a few would build up near her head or her tails and cast light across even a bright room. She couldn’t control it very well.

A tail snuck under the table and ran its fluff across Brisa’s front leg. “But I guess it’d be an understatement to say the same, you meanie. You dared to leave me alone in the four-legged club, didn’t you.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa laughed, happy and comfortable with the ninetales' teasing, and her company.

"Hey, now! I only bring that out fer battles!" she protested in mock-offence. "Although I'd bring it on request fer you, Astrid."

She admired her friend's Blacklight-empowered body, wondering if much could be gleaned from the appearance. The dark sheen reminded her of the night sky, and the very subtle amorphousness of a Void Eterna, but the colours... Why, they instantly put her in mind of herself, Astrid, and Starr all fighting together in the Colosseum against Lugia. Had that inspired something in Astrid? Her power, when transformed, was to catalyse a reaction of energy that empowered all three of them. Fuck, if that wasn't something special.

She grinned. "Pardon me, partner. Lost in my own head fer a second there. Just thinkin' 'bout how glad I am things worked out the way they have so far."

A waitstaff 'mon arrived to seat them.

"Shall we?"

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid took a moment to observe. Really observe. Brisa did seem happy, didn’t she? She didn’t have to admit it out loud. It was hard not to be—they’d won, they were alive! And… they were here together, splurging. Celebrating each other. She so badly wanted to get used to this.

“Let’s!” she said, sliding in and adjusting her sapphire bracelet. “Ohh, hey, hey, wanna get drunk? You haven’t seen me when I’m drunk~”

Astrid declined to mention that this was because she simply didn’t get drunk too often, and hadn’t bothered to ever since that time with Curio. It was one of those things that only crossed her mind when she was in a lively place like this, with other patrons performing their own inebriated antics in the background. This was The Hero—there were standards, without a doubt—but fuck that, this was Team Spectrum, and the sheer amount of free stuff she’d received in the last few months, and the security of having her friend with her, had overwhelmingly convinced Astrid it would be alright. The look on her face didn’t hide her anticipation.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa grinned without restraint. She still wasn't quite used to smiling so wide, and boy, did Astrid make her smile. The path to openly expressing joy had been long, but, her aching cheeks aside, it was more than worth it.

"Sounds mighty fine t'me," she drawled. "Normally I'd declare that I'd keep a clear head, but I feel like joinin' ya. I'll shoot someone responsible a message if we need rescuin' from ourselves."

She laughed. It felt mischievous to leave responsibility to someone else, let alone an undetermined someone not even present.

Brisa took her seat with only a little nervousness. The Hero might be a fancy venue, but Team Spectrum were treated more or less the same anywhere. With a mix of admiration, curiosity, and perplexity, for the most part. A well-groomed mienshao waited at the tableside to serve them, with obvious anticipation. Brisa glanced at the wine menu. Then she remembered she didn't know anything about wine. She glanced at Astrid. Astrid didn't know anything about wine either. Ah.

Fuck it. She was here to enjoy herself.

"I'll have a brandy Old Fashioned, please. Cheri garnish, if that's alright. What d'you folks call that – a 'Storm Throw', right?"

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had her favourite cocktail. Probably in the revelry the night following their Lugia match. Astrid hadn't had anything back then, had she? Brisa didn't want to let her companion flounder, but she didn't want to patronise her either.

"Say, Astrid," she ventured, with a skewed grin. "If'n yer serious 'bout gettin' soused... May I treat you to a 'Subzero Slammer'?"

 

[TheGOAT]

Fancy titles, meaningless names. Astrid supposed alcohol was just alcohol—it always tasted something awful and gave her the gigglies and usually made for a good time, depending on her company. And she was in very good company.

“Hell yeah,” Astrid drawled back, feeling drunk already. “Let’s kick back and let loose a little!”

Their waiter was staring, as were others nearby. Hm. Probably not the best thing to say aloud given her ‘volatile’ reputation. Aria and Mergo’s reactions to that were still fresh in her mind.

“Err, I mean, I’ll have that and a side of sweet potatoes. With, mmm—” she fumbled with her menu, “—oh, hey. Destiny salad with ground up Wonder Gummis and ground up Petaya dust. Never heard of that word before! I’ll take it!”

Brisa hadn’t ordered food yet. “Hungry? Heh, I’d offer to share my dish if money was a factor, but I take it we can order whatever we want.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"You bet."

Brisa looked up at the waiter and ordered her Cibus namesake. She was too hungry to be embarrassed, not that anyone would understand why. Roast brisket steak, with all the trimmings.

Brisa rested her chin on her paws and grinned. "I know everyone's pecha-keen t'get t'know those Miracle folks, so I'm glad I could steal ya away fer an evenin'. I've met a couple so far, an' they were wildly different experiences, I gotta say, but it just made me wanna spend more time with my favourite strikers." She laughed, ears flushing a touch. "Speakin' of, I hope you'll do me the honour of a good duel one of these days. Feels like it's been a while."

'A while'. They both knew that they, and the team at large, were healing more slowly than normal.

The waiter brought them their cocktails, including Astrid's 'Subzero Slammer': a white mojito crowned with steaming liquid nitrogen.

 

[TheGOAT]

Bottoms up, and up, and swiftly down. Not a moment to breathe and it was all gone. Brisa would soon find out how far she could go.

With a lick of the lips and a poorly-concealed burp—“Oop, s’cuse me,”—Astrid nodded and laughed with her. A friendly duel with no stakes when they were healthy sounded good. “It has been a while. Heh… I wonder. Would we keep strengthening each other as we battle, even if it’s against one another?” She had a weird feeling that’s exactly what would happen, but she couldn’t be sure yet.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa chuckled. "Probably. I had a friendly duel recently with that Miracle gal, Aria. Y'know, the lucario? I was still warmin' up, when I felt like usin' Paragon, an' I ended up empowerin' her as well as myself. It jus' felt right. Can't see how I wouldn't end up doin' th'same with you, partner."

Brisa grinned, and thought of how Astrid and Starr had exchanged resonant strikes in the closing moments of the fight in Maple's void. If there was a connection even then, then surely there'd be one in a friendly sparring match. Blacklight energy sure was a hell of a thing. The connection she felt to her best friends in the team seemed like something that ought never to fade, not when those bonds had been made across universes already.

"Say, Astrid," she said, after taking a sip of her drink, "don't y'reckon, seein' as them Miracle folks have all reunited t'spar with us, that maybe there ain't so scarce a chance of us seein' each other again after all...? Once this is all 'over'."