[FIN] Some Girl

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Just down the street. Convenience store," he told the guy, "Sorry, what was your name? Didn't catch it."

Observing closely as he became more awake, Akira recognized the growing signs of suppressed anger. He also noticed when the other man spoke politely to the waitress, smiling and thanking her.

"You're - you," he began, pointing a finger with a look of concentration. "...You remind me of someone. Who was it... Ah! Rokujou," he confirmed, hitting the bottom of his fist against the palm of his other hand.

"Chikage Rokujou-san. He's always flirting with girls and making sure they're treated well." Akira laughed. "Admirable fellow. Though I suppose not everyone would say that about a leader of a motorcycle gang."  

[Tori Honoo]

"I see. Pokemart? And the name's Zane. Yours?" he asked, grateful that the conversation had taken a turn for a short moment. When it took a 180 back to the topic of woment, however, he sighed.

"I don't flirt, but I do think all women should be treated respectfully. Doesn't sound like your friend is such a bad guy...." he mused, mind straying back to his past life. "I've definitely had my fair share of encounters with good for nothing pigs with no sense of respect. Really, it's the least I can do to at least try to...instill them with some idea of how to treat a woman right."

He stopped himself, then, not wanting to further the discussion into his past. Crossing his arms on the table, he turned his face back to the young man. "So where are you from? 'round here?"  

[Akira Midoriyama]

The brunet shrugged. "Something like that. I'm Akira," he answered. "Nice to meet you, Zane."

He nodded slowly as Zane spoke, stirring his coffee with his straw. He stared at the table as he thought of his sisters, wondering vaguely if he had been too over-protective of them.

When he looked up again, he smiled. "Yes, I agree. Though I fear that unlike you and Chikage-san, I'm not sure women should get a certain preference simply because of their gender. That's a sort of sexism in a way, if you think about it, much like chivalry."

As many girls who thought it sweet seemed to detest the notion. Akira had long ago given up trying to figure out which was the majority. It had usually just gotten him into trouble with girls, particularly since he seemed to have a knack for guessing wrong.

"Hmm?" Surprised at the change in topic, he chuckled. "You don't really care about that sort of thing, do you?" he asked musingly. "In any case, I'm from Sinnoh. Moved here about a month or two ago, now. You?"  

[Tori Honoo]

"I wouldn't call it so much 'sexism' as I would a polite gesture," the man sighed, reaching back to rub at the side of his neck. "You can't really knock chivalry, but if they don't like what you do, you stop. It's really not hard to figure out. I'm all for equality. I've met a lot of women a lot better off than me, both emotionally and socially. More about respect, really."

At the younger man's surprise, Zane actually cracked a grin. "Just curious. Funny, though, you're the second person from there I've met. As for me, I just kind of wander. I was born in Unova, though. Grew up there for the most part as a kid," he told him, though in his head he figured the time he had spent in his childhood home had had little to do with his 'growing up.' He had learned a hell of a lot more through traveling alone than he had back in comfort and luxury.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"I know you wouldn't," Akira agreed delicately, "but you haven't had people opening doors for you at every opportunity as if you were some sort of invalid. It doesn't matter what you think or what your intentions are. To some girls - especially the stronger-minded ones - it's almost demeaning, as if you're suggesting they can't do it themselves." His thoughts flew at once to Sera, but he reeled the back quickly as Zane continued to speak.

"Well...some women believe it defeats the whole purpose if they have to tell you they don't like something, so how are you to know if you should stop?" It was a genuine question to which Akira had no answer. He was not female, after all. "That's why I just try to avoid doing anything to bother them altogether." Unfortunately, that usually meant avoiding any sort of confrontation whatsoever. It wasn't much of a wonder that he hadn't been a favorite of the ladies in high school.

He sipped some more. "Sinnoh's a big region. Probably lots of people from there." Akira nodded slowly at the mention of Unova. "I see. And how do you like it here in Kodo?"  

[Tori Honoo]

Again, Zane felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, the boy's unwillingness to understand his viewpoint making his temper flare. In his head, however, he reasoned with himself, forcing the irritation down; it wouldn't do any good, he thought, if he just sent the younger man away. As long as he wasn't directly harming a woman, Zane himself had nothing to do with the situation and wouldn't involve himself.

Ignoring the entire topic, he instead focused on their talk of location. "It's not bad. Not much happening here, really, but I guess that's not such a terrible thing."

It certainly wasn't a terrible thing, though the man was finding himself bored with his surroundings as of late. At least meeting people wasn't as terrible as he had feared; a few of the ones he had met had been at least somewhat interesting. As for action, Zane had almost seen enough of it to last a lifetime.

Almost.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

Although he maintained outward composure, Akira was starting to tire of this random young man's seeming inability to comprehend his perspective - or, rather, the perspective he was speaking of. Namely, that of females'.

While it was still early and the caffeine was coursing through his bloodstream, however, he doubted either of them would be able to reason too soundly with each other. Best to leave things as they were while their relationship with one another was still civil. The last thing he needed was to start making fresh, new enemies in this place.

"Mm...you don't think so?" he asked Zane, his gaze drifting to the window. "I hate to seem perpetually opposed to your opinion, but it seems to me that there's a lot more going on than meets the eye." He shrugged. "Perhaps it's just the feeling that cities give me, with skylines and societies layered like a tiered wedding cake."

Getting up, he took another deep drink of his coffee and grabbed a napkin to go. While Zane may have grown born with his surroundings, Akira was just beginning to taste his new freedom in this fantastically new environment. Nothing about it was mundane or ordinary to him.

"I better get going," he said. "And that girl of yours is probably waiting for you. I wouldn't want to keep you from her." He winked and headed toward the door, replacing his scarf around his neck as he shifted his coffee cup to the other hand. "See you around, Zane."  

[Tori Honoo]

Zane understood the young mans perspective, though to what extent he agreed--or disagreed- with it, even he couldn't know this early in the morning. All of his ideas on the subject were biased anyway, and with firm reason. This new acquaintance didn't need to know everything though.

Watching as the younger man rose, he drew out his phone, brows furrowing as it began to buzz. "There's always more than meets the eye, kid, in everyone and everything you come across," he told him seriously, brows still furrowed at the screen as Akira dismissed himself. "Later, man," he nodded, fighting the temptation to correct him; she wasn't his girl, and likely never would be. He wasn't exactly in the market at the moment.

As Akira began to step away from the table, the older trainer answered his phone. "Hey, Dove. You're up a little early, aren't you? I thought were meeting at-- .........-- Is everything okay...?"

He glanced toward the kitchen, brows still furrowed lightly in concern; the girl's voice was blank, almost edgy, a definite change from how they had spoken the day before. Sighing away from the phone, he offered a simple, 'just making sure. I'll be there in a bit' to whatever it had been she had said, hanging up just after and smiling to the waitress as she reappeared.

Yeah. There was definitely more going on than met the eye.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"I'm sure you're right," he answered, wondering, then, with a somewhat confused smile why Zane had said he believed there was 'not much happening here'. If there was more than met the eye and he felt the same way, then why had he said such a thing...? Perhaps he simply wasn't interested in any of it; even what remained concealed by the city.

The 'kid' term was somewhat demeaning, but Akira let it slide. He'd been called worse things before and, as a commoner, he really had no right to complain. Just as he was headed out the door, he caught the first few words of the other guy's conversation and frowned.

That name - no, it was probably just a pet name commonly used from boyfriend to girlfriend. It meant nothing. He left.