Treasure Town ~ Marketplace

[Tanuki]

“Real screwed up shit, eh?” Zane propped his head up on his fist, claw tapping his chin. Then, as smooth as silk, he knelt next to her barstool with one outstretched claw and a pleasant smile. “May I take you to the bathroom, m’lady?”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“May I take you to the bathroom, m’lady?”

Curio stuck her tongue out in mock disgust. "You're gonna make me barf, jeez. And who says 'm'lady' anymore? Is this your way of picking up chicks?"

 

[Tanuki]

Curio was going to kill him. “Oh no, not at all.” Zane shook his hands and head, but stayed kneeling. “I’m incredible at picking up chicks. Just watch me.” He stood, wrapping one arm around her along the way and then holding her over his head.

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Ah no no no no no no!" She immediately pushed him away. "Find a Torchic or something if you wanna get the chance! I'm sure Lauchs would love you to pick him up!"

 

[Tanuki]

Zane decided it would be best to let her down easy. He raised his arms in surrender (and preemptive self-defense). “All right, all right, sorry.” He calmly returned to his seat, reclining on air. “I got so excited that you liked me, I forgot my moves only work on chicks.” His smile waited for her fist.

 

[NebulaDreams]

“I got so excited that you liked me, I forgot my moves only work on chicks.”

"Zane, Zane, Zane." Curio sounded like one of her teachers back in GeL. "I've heard that one millions of times before. People are such dumbasses when it comes to gendering Lucario. I'm used to it. So--" she smacked her fist against her palm--"you're mighty lucky that I'm not breaking my arm ramming it down your stupid throat."

 

[Tanuki]

"you're mighty lucky that I'm not breaking my arm ramming it down your stupid throat."

Zane raised one eyebrow. “Kinky.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Now I dunno whether I should do it, or not so I don't give you the satisfaction," she said with a smirk. Was he always this funny?

 

[Tanuki]

“Do it? Satisfaction?” His expression twisted into mock revulsion. “Now now, little miss riolu, I’m flattered, but sorry. I might need to buy a house within a mile radius of a school someday.” He inspected his claws, pretending he had any idea how to clean them. Did zangoose sharpen their claws? What did they use? “Maybe when you reach the stage of consent, I’ll consider dinner and a movie.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Do it? Satisfaction?” His expression twisted into mock revulsion. “Now now, little miss riolu, I’m flattered, but sorry. I might need to buy a house within a mile radius of a school someday.” He inspected his claws, pretending he had any idea how to clean them. Did zangoose sharpen their claws? What did they use? “Maybe when you reach the stage of consent, I’ll consider dinner and a movie.”

Wow. Just wow. "Never change, Zane. Never change. Unless your schmoozing lands you a restraining order someday."

 

[Tanuki]

Zane frowned and picked up his empty poképouch. “No change for me,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, though,” he winked at her with a smirk. “No restraining order’s ever stopped me.” He stuffed the empty pouch back in his bag, but kept his eyes on her. He closed his bag and pointed his thumb into his chest. “I’m picking the movie, though. I can stand to miss a meal,” he went to grab his paunch, forgetting he didn’t have much to grab, “but I don’t know if I can trust your taste in flicks.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

“No restraining order’s ever stopped me.”

Forget a restraining order. Zane needed Arceus.

“I’m picking the movie, though. I can stand to miss a meal,” he went to grab his paunch, forgetting he didn’t have much to grab, “but I don’t know if I can trust your taste in flicks.”

"Are you kiddin' me?" she said, pointing to herself. "I'm the biggest movie nerd you'll ever meet! From stop-motion films to weird, pretentious postmodern shit, I know 'em all!"

 

[Tanuki]

Zane wrinkled his nose. “That’s even worse. You’ll either pick a Phantasm or Rockwell’s Empir—“ he lost his train of thought. “What are... I’ve never seen a—“ he jumped up in excitement. “I’ve never seen a movie! I remember them! I remember movies!”

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Feh, that just means you're a pleb. But yeah, you remember movies, woo hoo," she said flatly.

 

[Tanuki]

Then came self-awareness, Zane’s most foreign awareness. He immediately sat down and had nothing to pretend to not have anything to not really be doing dammit. “Amnesia. Don’t remember much about when I was human,” he mumbled.

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Oh." She wasn't expecting that. "That sounds like a pain in the ass."

 

[Tanuki]

Zane shrugged. “Not so bad.” God, he needed a drink—right! The flask. He fished a flask out of his bag, “In loving memory of Jefferson,” inscribed on the side and took a swig. “Nothing to remember. Nothing to miss.”

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Well, at least you remember somethin'. And you must miss the movies. I couldn't imagine my life without 'em."

 

[Tanuki]

That gave Zane a hint of a smile. “Yeah. At least I remember something.” He nodded and stood, resolute. “It’s settled, then. You’ll pick the movie, and I’ll pick the food. Steel is immune to poison, right? Your ‘food’ might kill me.”

He adjusted his bag and turned to offer his hand for a shake. “Deal?” Some nerves he didn’t fully understand shook around the back of his mind, but luckily they only made his hand tremble a little bit. They certainly did a number on his smile, though. It stretched just barely too far, and his eyes had a cloud of desperation behind them.

 

[NebulaDreams]

"Yeah, whatever, deal." Curio shook his paw and smiled back. Zane was definitely in over his head -- definitely someone who can't take the hint to save their life. But at least she didn't hate him right now.