[PRP] Catching Up

[Tori Honoo]

Dove smiled, then nodded, encouraging the girl's uplifted mood. This was much, much better than just a few moments ago. "Really? That's wonderful! You battled Rosie, right?" she asked, trying to remember. A lot had happened on that trip that had forced the better memories aside... And while Henrietta seemed ready to move to the next topic--which Dove realized a split second after she had asked her question-- the older girl wondered if Hen had had the chance to talk to anyone about what had happened in the other region. At least what she had specifically brought up was a positive note.

A laugh escaped her when Henrietta decided on her winter project, the sound innocent and true. "Well, you'll definitely have fun in it, at least for a while," she grinned, though she tipped her head, her advice sound. "Just remember you'll have to warm up at some point!" Fireplaces were nice, as were comfy chairs and blankets. She had those in her apartment.

With another bright smile, Dove nodded as the girl agreed, then stepped forward tentatively, wondering if the girl was ready to walk once more. "Sure! Pizza sounds great! Do you want to head uptown, or did you have a pizza place in mind already?" A slight pause, before she turned to Gummy, with the same smile. "What do you think, Gummy?" she giggled, noting the Totodile's apparent disinterest. Lovey stifled a giggle of her own, before following after her trainer.  

[Gwennythe]

"Yeah! Her pokémon are /really/ tough!" Code for 'we lost but that's okay' "It was /awesome/! I really wanna do more competitions!" She admitted, before adding, with a tiny frown back into the mood she'd been in before "Without Rosie's sister or any other dumb Rockets though! It was really good until they did... what they did..." She didn't want to dwell though and put all her frustration into another good kick at the ground.
She'd probably have to think about, and deal with it, again later on, but she'd been pleased to get into a better mood before.

The topic of the snowlax and the fact that she'd have to stay warm was a 'nicer topic' especially as Henrietta still wasn't totally sure just how serious a winter could get in Kodo.
"Man, it's gonna be so great! I'll build it as high as I can and Gummy can help keep it all solid cuz he's a water type and we can put water on it and make ice! We'll make it as big as a house!" Hopefully people wouldn't mind something like that... Especially if she tried building it near where Dove lived...

As Gummy was asked what he thought of going to get pizza, and where, he /actually/ seemed to respond.
His head swiveled, gaze directed at Dove and his jaws snapped open and closed twice.
Maybe he was hungry.

"He says he doesn't mind!" Henrietta 'translated'. She wanted pizza, but she didn't really know any of the food places around the city well... She did remember seeing a cool looking place on her first visit though, and like a kid, the logo was the most memorable and the absolute attraction for her.
"Hey! Where's that place with the Squirtle on the logo? Y'know, the surfing one holding a pizza?!" She giggled "That's an /awesome/ squirtle..."  

[Tori Honoo]

A nod and a still present smile. "Well, she has been training for a while now... I'm sure you'll be just as good, though, if not better with a little more time and experience under your belt, hm?" A pause, as Henrietta kicked the ground, but an understanding look. "I'm sure the next one will be fine, Hen. You'll get another chance."

She laughed aloud as Henrietta went on about how Gummy could create massive works of art, and nodded, still giggling. "I'll bet you two could make some amazing ice sculptures together! Maybe if you're in town, then, my team could help you out a little," she offered, hoping still that the younger girl might take her up on her offer and stay over during the coldest of the season.

Gummy's response surprised both Dove and Lovey, and the older girl turned to Henrietta with a grin as she translated. "Oh! I know which one you're talking about..." She thought. "I think that might be only a few blocks away, actually." A little out of the way from where she lived, but she didn't mind at all. Today was for Henrietta, and if that was the pizza place she wished to have lunch in, so be it. "Is that where you'd like to go?"  

[Gwennythe]

"Yeah!" She nodded firmly; she would get better, as good, and maybe better, than everyone she could, even if it took a long time.
That also meant she had to go to League events, absolutely had to, whether there were threats of Rockets or not.
Henrietta nodded, too, as Dove suggest her team helping out with the sculptures and playing the ice when winter eventually came.
"Uhuh! We all gotta help! So we can make a really really really big Snowlax! A totally awesomely ginormous one! Bigger than a house! And you gotta lotta fire types! So they can totally sculpt, right?!"
Where ever she planned on this ice construction being, it was apparently, in her head, to be a massive project.

As she was asked, the girl nodded her head enthusiastically; the place she remembered had been a rather 'kid-friendly' looking establishment; the surfing Squirtle logo being so whimsical to show as much.
"I dunno what it's called but that Squirtle looked totally awesome! And I saw an arcade inside and stuff! It'll be awesome! Hey! I bet I can beat you at the games!"  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove nodded again, pleased with the girl's returned enthusiasm. "I hope I'm there to see it!"

Another soft laugh as Henrietta continued her plans for the winter. "Of course! I'm sure they'd love to help out."

She continued walking, turning up to a street to lead the girl to the desired restaurant, her smile still bright. "That sounds like fun!" The challenge, however, brought a more playful gleam to her grin, and she offer the younger girl a teasingly raised brow. "Oh, really? I guess we'll just have to see about that!" Of course, Henrietta probably would beat her... When it came to video games, Dove was an absolute train wreck.  

[Gwennythe]

"You gotta promise to be! I wanna be able to show everyone I know that I can totally do it and get super super awesome! So you gotta be there to see it!" Henrietta insisted, sounding about as serious as the slightly hyperactive girl could in the enthusiastic mood anyway. "And you gotta help build the snowlax too! Not just with your fire types, cuz it's more fun if /everyone/ gets to play and build! I totally built an awesome sandcastle with my friend and it was much better cuz we both made it! The Snowlax has to be super huge and so we all gotta pitch in a build it! It'll be so awesome!"

Henrietta seemed like she barely took a breath as she moved onto the subject of the restaurant that they were now approaching.
She seemed pleased with Dove's response and clenched her fists, looking like she might bounce or vibrate away with excitement as she contemplated the treat of an arcade and pizza in the same place.
The sight of the sign, a Squirtle, eating pizza, on a surfboard, above the name 'The Chel Out' in neon blue, only encouraged her.
"Awesome! You're on! Man! I hope they have car racing games! I'll totally beat you at those! I like cars; they're so awesome!" There was little to stop the girl now as the subject tumbled from her mouth.
"I totally got to sit behind the wheel of a car! This guy and Bro (who is so totally cool!), parked it outside the city and I got in and I pretended to drive! It was awesome and I didn't even get in trouble for it! And I got to ride in it too after we battled! That was so awesome! Do you like cars? And racing games?! That's totally what we should do first!" Of course, once she was in there, or remind about pizza, she'd probably want to do that first... Or maybe both. Henrietta found just about every potential thing about where they were going exciting.  

[Tori Honoo]

"I wouldn't miss it, Hen," she smiled brilliantly, a bubble of hope in her own chest rising, as the girl seemed to have finally come full circle. "It'll be history, really, and there's no way I'm missing it if a friend is the one making it. And yeah, of course! Lovey loves the snow, at least for a while." Her smile turned more gentle as the girl continued, and she nodded. Teamwork... yes. "It's going to be awesome."

The look on the girl's face as they approached The Chel Out made her laugh outright, unable to help it, and glad for the girl's presence. The day was certainly an uplifting one, and she couldn't even imagine not choosing to spend time with the younger trainer. The challenge, again, was met with a playful grin, and she held back another laugh as the girl offered yet another instance of interaction with someone else. The name 'Bro', however, caught her attention, but she quickly waved it off, not knowing who--or what-- this bro was. She only hoped it wasn't the one she had encountered, but from the way Henrietta spoke, she was sure it couldn't have been, as it sounded like a fun experience all around.

"Hey, soon enough you'll be able to drive a car yourself, right? It can't be that far off," she grinned, then added, "I used to drive a lot, but riding a pokemon is much more fun. And faster, sometimes." And the company was nice... She nodded at the question of racing games, then tilted her head, looking at Lovey who seemed absolutely perplexed at the younger girl's overflow of excitement. "Maybe we should eat first... Got to get our strength up, right?"  

[Gwennythe]

Thoughts of future battles and creations in snow had left Henrietta feeling rather light and happy regarding the future, for the time being, at least.

At Dove's inquiry that she'd be able to drive soon, Henrietta's eyes widened further, as though she'd never realised it might actually be 'soon'.
"Ooh! I dunno! I think cars are prob'ly real expensive and stuff and I don't have anyone to teach me or anything; my mom and dad never drive anywhere! They go on the magnet rail and stuff to get places otherwise they just walk to work!" She considered riding a pokémon. "I don't think Gummy would be very good at being ridden... He's totally awesome! But he's not really very big or anything... I could totally fly on Winglet when she evolves, I think! That would be totally awesome! Cars are really cool though! I do totally wanna drive some!"
She nodded, suddenly, as Dove reminded her of food. "We oughta get pizza and soda and fries and ice cream and then totally play with racing games too!"
She might actually have meant all at the same time...  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove shrugged a bit, then nodded after a few moments of contemplation. "That's true... Riding pokemon is better and probably safer," she added to what she had said previously. It was probably better all around for someone like Henrietta, anyway. "Oh yeah! Winglet would be amazing to ride! I've always wondered what it would be like to fly on a pokemon."

At Henrietta's reaction to her suggestion, she shook her head fondly, laughing still, and led the girl to the counter. "Well, come on then! You pick the pizza. My treat, remember? Then we'll go race!"

Lovey wove between her trainer's legs, on alert but clearly comfortable with the small crowd around them and just as amused at the younger trainer's antics as the girl seemed to be.  

[Gwennythe]

"Hm." Henrietta didn't sound like she really minded if riding pokémon was safer or not; those were 'parent concerns' and she just liked doing whatever was most fun. Flying on Winglet definitely did seem like it would be fun.
"Well I'm sure she'd totally let you have a ride too if you wanted to!"

As they approached the counter, Henrietta nodded, eyes lighting up as she was told to pick the pizza.
"Oh! Um! I wanna have pineapple and tomato and peppers and barbecue sauce!"  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove offered a more calm smile, and shook her head. "That's okay! I have Thierry to ride, remember?" Flying had always intrigued her, but she had never been too open in admitting it to anyone, and now just didn't seem to be the time to go into her past.

At Henrietta's request, the teen behind the counter--likely just working for the summer-- seemed absolutely perplexed, and looked to Dove for a confirmation. With a laugh, she nodded, then added a salad for herself, two sodas and tickets for desserts when they were to finish their meal before paying for their order. That done, and the cups handed over to them, she smiled over her shoulder at the younger girl, and stepped away to let the next small group order before handing her the cup and her ticket. "Where do you want to sit?" she asked, nearly tripping over Lovey as the eevee followed along.  

[Gwennythe]

"Yeah! But if you ever really wanna, you're totally allowed; I know Winglet wouldn't mind!" Henrietta insisted, with a grin, that only grew bigger as the teen started working on the pizza, and she caught sight of dessert tickets.

Gummy waddled along, sticking somewhat close to Lovey, perhaps out of familiarity, though careful not to be tripped over either. Or, as careful as he could be anyway; it might have been unlikely that his efforts were deliberate.

"Um! I wanna be able to watch the games and then be able to go an play on them!" She pointed at a table that fit her request.  

[Tori Honoo]

"I'll keep that in mind, then!" Though, with luck, one day she would have her own pokemon on which to fly. Maybe she should go out again with the intent to add to her team...

Lovey barked happily at Gummy, guiding him through the running children and frazzled adults in the arcade-restaurant, amused still, if a bit out of place, in the atmosphere.

With Henrietta's destination quite literally pointed out, Dove nodded and first went to fill her drink cup, before making her way over to it. "Take your time, I'll save us a seat!"  

[Gwennythe]

The girl nodded enthusiastically, then bent down to talk to Gummy for a moment, smiling as she heard Lovey bark to him.

"You go to the table with Lovey and Dove, 'kay? I'll be right there!"
She then followed in Dove's lead of filling her drink, though was rather less efficient about it, and with the concentration and greed of any child.
Her tongue poked out of one corner of her mouth as she narrowed her eyes, making sure she filled her cup right to the topmost level she could without immediately spilling it.
Of course, this meant that she had to put the cup immediately to her lips and sip the top of her drink away right as she tried to, finally, come across to the table after the others.

Gummy, tail waggling without enthusiasm or true excitement, kept a good pace, despite waddling, after Lovey, reaching a chair that, perhaps, he assumed would be Hen's, and immediately sat next to one of its legs.  

[Tori Honoo]

Once at their table, the older girl took her seat and sipped at the drink in front of her, looking around at the games surrounding them. A small smile came to her face as she realized this was the first she had ever been in an establishment such as this. Her parents had always kept her away, and birthday parties in her society, even for those under the age of 12, were always more 'sophisticated'... something she hadn't known to let bother her. She still wasn't sure it did.

When Gummy took a seat below the table, she smiled, and tipped her head, wiggling her fingers at him to see if she could get a reaction from the green totodile at all. He was so odd... but for some reason, seemed to make a fantastic partner for Henrietta, and all of the sudden, Dove found herself wondering if the girl's team had expanded, a curiosity that she decided to act on once the girl was at the table with them. "How is your team doing? Still just you, Gummy, and Winglet?" she asked with a smile.

Lovey made herself comfortable across the top of Dove's foot below the table, unwilling to part from her girl, but also not so impolite to leave Gummy alone on the floor with no company.