[FIN] So Many Question Marks

[TawnyAngel]

Oh no. Taavi nodded miserably to the stranger's question, a cold yawning feeling twisting in his stomach. Why had he had to do that? He guessed there was no way for him to have known but he still felt awful. "I'm really sorry, I thought... well you know I thought it was you. But yeah, well, he looked exactly like that- like you. I... guess I should explain a bit more? Uh. Well he came in and sat down, and I was serving him and he asked me a whole bunch of questions about the menu, and then he tripped me up with his Vulpix - only I didn't know it was him at first - and then he complained that his drink was all wrong, and his food was all wrong, and he had his Vulpix trip me again, and then he complained to my manager and-" Taavi waved a hand at the world in general. "And yeah. I'm sorry I shouted at you. Uh. And yeah I'm sure. And I already said that. Sorry.... So... you... live with your brothers?" Maybe this guy would tell that guy not to be such an a*****e in future? Unless he now thought that he - Taavi - had deserve what he got.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"No it's okay," Ion assured him with an apologetic smile. "We look so much alike even our parents mix us up sometimes. But it sounds like he gave you a lot of trouble... You're sure it was him?" He asked once more, pointing again to the particular brother that looked so like himself. There was no way it could be him though, right? He wasn't even in Kodo. Their parents would've told him, right? "I live here by myself. All my brothers are back in Grande Ile," he explained, though he couldn't help the traces of doubt that slipped into his voice. They all were in Grande Ile, weren't they?  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ugh, but, I really am sorry," Taavi insisted, starting to fiddle anxiously with a braid of hair. Idiot. Maybe he should offer to buy the guy a coffee or something to apologise? Right now the price of a coffee was something that he couldn't afford, yes, but it had reached the point where it kind of didn't matter so he guessed he could. Maybe.

"I'm really sure though, yeah," Taavi nodded and indicated the picture. "Your other brothers look a lot alike but it was... well it was him or you and as it obviously wasn't you then... Yeah, I guess he's not on Grande Ile anymore... or he wasn't a couple of months ago anyway; I, uh, 'met' him back in the autumn." And this guy - he should really ask his name - didn't know that his brother had come to Kodo? Not a close family? Maybe it was hard to be if there were so many of you.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Ion shook his head again. "No, I should apologize. I'm sorry my brother gave you so much trouble," he offered, feeling awful. He'd really gotten him fired? He wouldn't do that on purpose though, maybe it was an accident. "Is there anything I can do to make up for what he did?"

He paused a moment to look at the picture he held for a bit longer before putting it away with a puzzled frown. "Autumn... Do you remember when in autumn? It wasn't October, was it?"  

[TawnyAngel]

No, no there wasn't anything he could do. It was nice of him to want to but there was nothing; he was going to get kicked out of his shitty apartment and he didn't have anywhere to go, and he was scared that he might not be able to get another job because he hadn't got a recommendation from the last one and-

"Um, no," Taavi smiled awkwardly and shook his head. "Thank you but it's not your fault and, well, what's done is done right? It'll be alright." Somehow. He didn't want to think about it right now, better to think about the question he'd been asked. "October?" Taavi echoed scratching his jaw as he thought. After a few moments he nodded; "Yeah, it was the beginning of October. Oh, uh, sorry I'm Taavi by the way; it's nice to meet all of you," he included the group of pokemon in his apologetic smile, "and I'm sorry again for, you know, being a jerk."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah," he replied with a slightly crestfallen expression, "alright." He still felt responsible for what had happened, even if he hadn't been the one to do it. So they had met in October; the thought troubled him and his confused frown deepened. Why? Why had he been in Kodo? And what was more, why hadn't his parents told him? Why hadn't his brother told him? No, his brother wouldn't, that was just how he was. But his parents... They would have told him, wouldn't they...? Obviously not. He hadn't been at the house when Ion had called on his birthday, he'd been 'out.' Had he been out in Kodo? Why wouldn't his parents tell him? Why lie about it?

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ion, and my brother you met is Nicolae," Ion offered apologetically, trying to push the troubling thoughts from his mind, though he didn't really succeed. "Again, I'm sorry for his behavior."

Jozette huffed and crossed her arms over her chest but ceased her growling. Yulia stepped forward and offered a brief, friendly wave, though Albiore stayed safely on the lamp post, though he did watch the humans with growing interest.  

[TawnyAngel]

The stranger - Ion - looked kind of upset to hear that, suddenly aware that he was out of the loop? "Ion," Taavi nodded; he glanced curiously at the trio of pokemon but didn't actually go so far as to ask their names - at least not yet. "Um, maybe he's still in Kodo and you could look him up?" Taavi suggested hesitantly; he wanted to be encouraging but he didn't want to butt into somebody else's family business, he knew how complicated it could be and who wanted a stranger - who'd just snapped at you - sticking their nose into that? "I'm afraid I can't tell you any more that I already have though. Uh. But I could let you know if I ever see him again? If you want, I don't want to butt in or anything... Err... do you have a pokegear?" And next time he saw one of the two - if there was a next time - he'd be really sure he found out which one it was before he started talking too much!  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ye-es," he replied slowly, uncertainly, then frowned thoughtfully down at Jozette, who merely returned his silent query with a shrug. "Ah," he said after another moment, then turned to regard Taavi again, "I'm sorry. This is Jozette, Yulia, and Albiore," he gestured to each in turn, though the last took a moment for him to locate. "It's nice to meet you Taavi," he said earnestly, then produced a phone from his pocket. "I don't have a pokegear, but I do have a phone. Is that okay?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Hi there," Taavi said in reply to the new introductions, giving a smile and little wave to the pokemon along with it. "And yeah that's good!" Taavi nodded and dug his pokegear out of his pocket. "If you give me your number I can give you the contact for mine too." Maybe if he saw that b*****d 'Nicolae' he could put his much nicer brother Ion onto him and Nicolae would get the talking to he deserved, Ion didn't seem like the type to yell but maybe he did a good line in very disappointed? Though would Nicolae even care?... Oh well that wasn't the point, much though he'd like the guy to get consequences the point was for Ion to track down his brother.

"Uh, do you think your family knows he's here?" Taavi asked, but after a moment he winced slightly at himself and added; "Sorry, that's kind of personal I just ah... yeah, ignore me, I am just opening my mouth without thinking a lot today."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Jozette huffed a bit, but Yulia offered Taavi a wave of her own in response, a warm little smile visible on her small face. When the stranger seemed more friendly and amiable instead of scary, Albiore swooped away from the safety of the lamp post and landed gently on Ion's shoulder. He received a brief scratch on his chest before Ion offered his phone to Taavi with an "okay" and accepted the pokegear in return to exchange information.

While tapping away at the unfamiliar device, Ion offered the piece of technology an apologetic smile. "That's okay. Unfortunately that's not a question I have an answer for," he said as he offered the pokegear back in exchange for his phone. "I'll have to ask them and see. They might know, but they might not."  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi took the phone with a smile and murmured; "Thanks," before navigating to the right place to put in his details and then tapping them in. "Thanks," he repeated in more normal tones once he was done, ready to pass the phone back and accept his 'gear in return once Ion was too. "I hope you're able to find him," he added after a moment, family was family even if family was an a*****e right? Ion probably loved hos brother even if they weren't always on good terms, though maybe they were? Maybe Nicolae was nice to his family... though from his expression in that photo maybe not. He bet it was 'not', he couldn't picture somebody who got people fired for fun being kind and considerate to anyone.

"Um...." He felt like he should say something else, maybe just to cement himself in Ion's head as something other than a horrible person.... Well Ion really didn't seem to mind how he'd acted but he minded! "So, do you like Kodo? I've only been here a few months myself... wow, I guess like half a year or something now actually? It's a pretty cool place right?" He still went down to the docks when he could to look up at the Tower. It hadn't happened yet but he probably just needed more time, a lot of people who'd always lived here hadn't even been granted the gift yet. He just needed to be patient.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Pokegear and phone swapped back to their rightful owners, Ion put his back into his pocket with a warm smile and a nod. "Yes, me too," then hesitated a moment or two before he added, "I'm really not sure why he's here in Kodo, or why he had a Vulpix with him. He's never had any interest in pokemon before. Thank you for telling me about him, though, I really appreciate it." Even if he didn't understand what was going on, even if he didn't like the implications, he still appreciated the new bit of knowledge.

Ion welcomed the topic change with another warm smile and he nodded in response. "I do like it, yes. I've been here..." He trailed off to think about it for a moment before continuing, "Over a year and a half now, I think. A lot longer than I expected to be here. May I ask if you came here because of work?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah... I don't think he and the Vulpix were good friends," Taavi said, putting it as delicately as he could given that Ion was the a*****e's brother.

"But, no, not for work!" Taavi grinned then, his awkward anxiousness falling away as he shrugged and gave a wry grin. "Actually I left my dream job to come here to no job at all! I came because of The Egg of Arceus. I guess a lot of people think it's dumb but, well, it's important to me so here I am! I've not received the gift of communicating with pokemon yet but I'm still hopeful and... well it's just good to be here you know?" It was. He was scared, frustrated, kind of angry about his situation - ******** you Nicolae - but he still felt like he'd made the right choice. The right path was never easy right? This was where he, and anyone who really believed belonged.

"What about you?" Taavi added curiously. "Do you have a communication type? It's just- it's the most amazing thing ever don't you think?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah," Ion replied with a thoughtful frown. "I wouldn't think so... I wonder why he had it..?" Curiouser and curiouser.

Tactfully leaving the previous topic where it was, he instead fully grasped onto the new topic. "Oh? I heard about that when it happened, though I wasn't near enough to see anything," Ion said, shifting his staff in his grip idly. Albiore fluttered up from his trainer's shoulder to the tips of his staff instead, peering curiously down at Taavi from his new perch. "If it's important to you, then that's what matters most. Ah, me? No, I don't," he admitted with another apologetic smile, as if stating as much would disappoint his company. "It does seem like a wonderful thing. I'd love to be able to understand my pokemon."

Jozette gave a resounding "bwurr!" in agreement, puffing her fur up to look more important; clearly he should be able to understand her in particular.  

[TawnyAngel]

Taavi smiled back at Ion's apologetic smile and shook his head. "Well nobody know how or why it happens, I suppose it can just take some time for some people?" He gave a little grin and a wave up to Albiore on his new perch, diverting the line of conversation to ask in amiable tones; "Good weather up there? And how's the view?" Taavi then turned to nod to Jozette. "Maybe Ion will get fire or psychic type! That would be pretty cool right? It's just a shame we humans can only understand one type, I'd love to be able to talk to all pokemon but - heh - I'm just greedy like that." Taavi let out a contented little sigh, happy thoughts of the gift that might come bubbling away in his mind and at least for now overriding his current weighty anxieties.

"So, um, can I ask what brought you to Kodo?" Taavi added after a moment, it was only polite to ask people about themselves when you'd talked about yourself! Anyway Ion seemed actually really nice so he was genuinely interested.