[FIN] Flute Fluke

[Suudonym]

Sorey ducked his head. "Please? The clerk is holding me responsible, and I can't afford to pay the price she's asking and don't have anything to give her for collateral. She only let me leave at all because Rosie," he gestured to the named, "handed over her pokedex as a guarantee that we'd be back."  

[Blood_Goddess]

He didn't say anything at first, frowning at Sorey, then glancing over at Rosie who gave him a calm smile. Jerking his head back down he lowered his hand from his face. "I can't afford it either! you weren't supposed to even be there! I didn't mean for you to be caught for it."  

[Suudonym]

Mikleo said. The suggestion came as a surprise to Sorey.

"You wouldn't-- Did you break it on purpose?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Well yeah!" Joey explained "that stupid thing, my mom's been obsessed with it all week. She wouldn't even buy me a skateboard even though she promised she would becasue she wanted to buy that dumb hunk of glass."  

[Suudonym]

Ah. Well, that was... somewhat disheartening. Sorey drew in a breath and spoke gently, "I see. That must have been frustrating, seeing her prioritize something that wasn't important to you at all. But you know, someone worked really hard to make that flute, hoping that someone would cherish it for a long time. It's a little sad that it broke before anyone could enjoy it." After a brief pause, he moved on, "Still, it has to be paid for - it's not fair to the shop if it's not. How about we go and apologize together? Maybe she'll cut us some slack. I don't have a whole lot of money myself, but I bet we could volunteer to help out around the store or something to make up for the rest of the cost."  

[Blood_Goddess]

It was clear that despite being angry about the whole thing, he did feel bad about what he had done. For a while after Sorey spoke he stood with is head down, arms tight at his side where his Machop stood looking between the humans.
"Why would you apologize with me? I'm the one that did it." He grumbled quietly.  

[Suudonym]

"Well... I kind of caused her some trouble myself," Sorey said, embarrassed. "I made her think I was lying, I got her worried about whether or not she'd be paid, I didn't have anything she could accept as collateral... Oh, and--" He held his arms forward as if cradling some invisible burden, "I can't stop thinking that I could have caught that flute if I'd just put my arms out a little! I saw the shelf leaning and everything - it's been bugging me this whole time!"

what's been bugging you?> Mikleo balked. ...Although, if he thought about it, he really shouldn't have been surprised.

Sorey gave a light shrug and a lighter laugh, "So... yeah. I'd just like to make it up to her."  

[Blood_Goddess]

The boy's eyes widened slightly at the other trainer, glancing from his arms for a moment at his confession before tilting his head. "... You're pretty weird." he pointed out with an arched eyebrow. Before letting out a sigh "Fine, Fine I'll go with you." He conceded though with a tone that stated that he clearly didn't want to.  

[Suudonym]

Mikleo was quick to agree with Joey's evaluation,

Sorey, on the other hand, didn't take the sentiment to heart from either of the two, responding light-heartedly, "Yeah, I actually hear that a fair bit." When Joey at last agreed to return to the store, even if grudgingly so, Sorey's features were illuminated by a bright smile, filled with equal parts relief and cheer. "Really? Thank you!" Still smiling, he turned to Rosie to show her a thumbs up.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie, who had been hanging back with Andy letting Sorey handle the interaction. He was doing great! Rosie was actually really impressed with this young man.
When he turned to her and gave her the thumbs up Rosie beamed, placing her hands together and bringing them up by her lips.

Joey frowned however "Hey! don't act like this is a victory. Weird, You didn't win a battle." He protested, reaching his boot back and kicking Sorey in the shin and frowning before running off several feet from the others and stopping "Hurry up, lets just get this over with so I can get back to battling!"  

[Suudonym]

"Oh, no, I was just-- Ow!" Sorey recoiled from the sudden kick, hopping backwards before steadying himself and leaning down to rub at the sore spot.

Mikleo said, earning a frown in reply.

"In what way?! I was just glad because Rosie will be able to get her pokedex back..."

Well, all that aside, they did have to actually return to the shop before Rosie could properly recover her pokedex, so Sorey shook it off and moved to follow after Joey.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie gasped when Joey kicked Sorey, stepping to the side as the boy brushed past her.
The Flabebe, dislodging herself from Rosie's hair floated around the girl with Northern, looking quickly between the boy and Sorey
"Sorey! Are you okay?" She stepped forward, her hands out a little mostly in surprise by the sudden protest from the boy.

Her question seemed to be answered for her as Sorey was hurrying after Joey without any lingering show of pain. Floribel giggled gleefully at the exchange, twirling and drifting after the boys, Northern too, though still wore a mostly blank wide eyes expression joined them.
Rosie blinked, watching them go before she too hurried after them, "Ah- See you around the center Andy!" She called back with a wave to the young Trainer who just sat there staring after them somewhat dumbfounded.

Eventually Joey slowed down when he started to run out of energy, walking with his arms pressed to his side, looking stiff and nervous the closer to the shop they got. It didn't stop the boy and his Machop from walking right up to the store, strolling in and up to the clerk where he straightened up nervously and announced rather unnecessarily loud "I... I'm the one who knocked over the flute!" thoroughly alarming the clerk.  

[Suudonym]

Sorey kept stride with Joey, close enough to assure the youngster that he wasn't trying to slip away but not so close as to evoke a false sense of familiarity (and risk getting himself kicked again). When the boy approached the clerk and made his confession, Sorey moved to stand at his side, bowing deeply in apology, "...But I'm sorry nonetheless for making a scene in your store. We don't have enough money to pay for the full price of the flute; could we please ask you to give us another way to make it up to you?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

The clerk looked completely taken aback, standing where she was one boy staring at her with a determined red face... and was he tearing up? and the other bowing deeply to her.
The girl behind them with wide eyes as she approached standing up a little straighter when the clerk looked in her direction as if searching for a sign or something.

"I- wh... So it really was you then?" The women asked Joey, who nodded and sniffed back his tear.
"L Look boys, I don't really know what I can tell you, I really need to make up for this loss, I have bills to pay."

"What about payment installations?" Rosie suggested "Joey is a Pokemon trainer, the more battles he wins the more money he can earn, It will mean he has to work harder with his Pokemon, but he could get what he owes if he really wants to."  

[Suudonym]

Worry began to set into Sorey once more. He had been hoping for understanding, but he supposed he had been being too optimistic after all. It was easy to forget since he rarely spent very long in towns, but money was, after all, the foundation of human society.

As he straightened his posture, Rosie made her suggestion, and Sorey turned to her as she spoke. "Oh, yeah! That's a great idea!" he said, then looked to Joey. "What do you think about that? If we both work on it, I bet it'd be paid off in no time - and your Machop would get a stronger at the same time. Two birds with one stone!"

The Vaporeon cleared his throat conspicuously, and once he had attracted Sorey's attention, he gestured his human companion closer with a tilt of his head.

Sorey leaned down curiously, "What's up, Mikleo?"

the pokemon said.

Sorey frowned. "Well, yeah, but--"



"The ruins and museum aren't going anywhere," Sorey reasoned. "So we end up staying in Camphoreon a little while longer than we planned to, that's not such a big deal. Not like we have a schedule to follow or anything. And besides, I thought you liked battling?"

The Vaporeon glowered.

Sorey straightened up, resting his hands on his hips. "Weeell, what better way to get stronger than by battling? Come on, Mikleo - I really want to see this through to the end."

Mikleo sighed in resignation.

Sorey smiled and turned to address both Joey and the clerk, "So there you have it. If it's okay with both of you, Mikleo and I would like to chip in too."