#being a simple man with SIMPLE gestures of his hands making kids laugh delightfully

[ran-orimoto]

What I like from your fics is that i can learn italian stuff everytime you write. I'm happy you are doing this for J.P. Can I give a suggestion? Can you write something about Junpie liking italian cinema because you say he fantasizes about being an actor in his detective tv series. I wanna know if he collects olld italian films and if he has favs he watches with Izumi and the kids, something like that.

Ahhhh so beautiful to hear, Anon💕. I’m glad you like knowing more about my country (maybe you are the one who’s learning italian? Since you all are mostly anons I can’t always recognize you). I will give more Italy in the following chapters ,then, ahahaha.

Your suggestion is brilliant. Indeed, I do headcanon Junpei will eventually become a cinephile someday, especially when it comes to old detective films and italian ones, thanks to Izumi of course ahaha. I can see him as a grown a$$ adult collecting VHS of black and white films…You know a bit of Fellini, Visconti, all those films featuring Mastroianni and Sophia Loren🤣. And I’m not sure Izumi will love this passion of his? What a curse having taught him about italian cinema history will become. I think she’d get pretty bored and annoyed, especially if he will start blabbing about the films as fast as a train, eventually making her snap a “Are you sure you want to watch this film???”. I believe she would be the kind of person loving romantic scenes ,though, iconic ones like the one in the Fontana dei Trevi from “La Dolce Vita”.

As far as concerns a favourite film I think Junpei would love a lot, I can’t help it, I can’t help picking Benigni’s “La Vita è bella” (1997). “Love a lot” is not even a term I should use here, to be honest. I think it’s more correct to say, “he would feel so connected to it / so emotional about it”. “La Vita è bella” is a…Tough film, despite it being a comedy. It is set in Italy during Second World War and it tells the story of a family that gets separated, dilaniated due to the immane horrors of the persecution of the Jews.

You might ask me why I would pick such a film as a favourite for Junpei. Well, this is a forbidden hc that I’ve been holding onto for years, since the first time I watched the library episode from Frontier. The scene featuring Junpei cheering up Tomoki because he is terrorized of what is coming next hit my head like a lightning. Junpei is the character that offers himself to lighten up the darkest hours the kids are living through with his magical tricks. The flowers shower he dedicates to Tomoki to make him laugh were initially dedicated to a little show he wanted to pull up in front of Izumi, so he really cared about brightening her mood as well.

“La vita è bella” ’s father ending up in that disgraceful situation with his kid is just the same. He tries making the kid believe it’s all a game, he comforts him with tricks and all the most disparate stuff when the day seems to never want to come. I could be k1ll3d over this but I can’t see why Junpei being a tenor should make him lose that side of personality of his. First of all, let me say you have got a very narrow perspective of opera singers; secondly, nothing would keep him from mixing his singing, theatrical and magical skills to bring light to unlucky children in hospitals.

This is what I can absolutely see an older Junpei like. Maybe his Light has always resided in his magical tricks.

[pinnithin-writes]

Good Jokes

Chapter 7

Stepping out of the compound and into the brisk desert night felt like drawing breath for the first time. Tommy closed his eyes and inhaled the distant scent of Russian olive and sagebrush, his pulse already beginning to slow. Their journey was far from over, but this infinitesimal moment of comfort was a welcome repose.

The stars overhead were beautiful. The gunfire, not so much.

Tommy hung back while the others dispatched the two soldiers on guard. His eyes were on the guy in the blue uniform, dangling his legs casually over the rail track a few yards away. That was quick. He hadn’t expected Benrey to reappear for several more hours, much less in such a fully-fleshed form. Tommy lifted an eyebrow in question, but the entity only gave him a coyote’s grin in answer.

“Oh, you guys made it out,” he announced in mock cheer. “That’s cool. I don’t know why you didn’t just ask me where the exit was.”

“It’s always good to see a friendly face in these trying times,” Dr. Coomer commented. He sounded tired. Perhaps he was growing weary of Benrey’s reappearing act, as well.

The entity went on, leaning back on the heels of his hands and crossing one leg over the other. “Y’know, it was so quiet before you guys came here.”

Gordon was either used to Benrey resurrecting himself by now or simply sick of his shit, because he hopped the train tracks and got right up in his face without an ounce of hesitation. Dr Coomer hopped up beside him and took a seat while Bubby wandered off to check for resources. Tommy stood on the other side of the rails, watching carefully, daring Benrey to try anything.

“Yeah. Hey,” Gordon snapped. “Mind if I ask you something? Why were you buddy-buddy with those two guys?” He tossed a gesture at the fresh bodies on the desert sand. “They were just staring at you. Can you explain what was going on here - this scene before we walked in?”

Benrey shrugged. “Yeah, they had their passport. What was I supposed to do?”

Gordon let out a frustrated huff. “They are trying to kill us. You included. I don’t know why they w-”

“Looks like you tried to kill them and it worked,” Benrey interrupted him.

“I - we’re -” Gordon gave the entity a dismissive wave. Tommy could see the tension knotting up in his neck from where he stood. “I’m gonna consult the group. You stay right there. Coomer-”

“I think you’re the bad guy,” The entity went on, flashing a smile full of needles. “I think you’re mean.”

Gordon was fed up. He shot Benrey point-blank.

“Shut the fuck up.”

The entity’s eyes shone dangerously, unaffected by the gaping hole in his cheek. He stuck his tongue out and began babbling at Gordon mockingly while blood oozed from the wound. Tommy sighed and stepped away. Absolutely juvenile.

It took a few minutes to corral the team into a criss-crossed huddle beneath an overhang. Benrey decided to play along and keep his distance, which initially surprised Tommy until he learned it was so that he could lob scavenged eggs into their midst like he was shooting free throws. Tommy rested his chin in his palm and sighed as he was spattered with yolk. They were already caked in sweat, grime, and alien gore - what was one more substance to add to the cocktail?

Gordon addressed the group earnestly. “There’s something incredibly suspicious about Benrey just hanging out with some soldiers. Is this - do you agree? Do you get the same vibe that I do?

Dr. Coomer only had enough energy to offer a short, “Hello, Gordon,” from where he sat. He had his head tipped back, surveying the stars.

Bubby was more direct. “No.”

Gordon blinked, taken aback. “Why not? Who-”

“I agree,” Tommy threw in sarcastically. “Benrey is a valuable employee here at Black Mesa.”

Gordon, fully aware of Tommy’s opinion, gave him a you’re-not-helping look. He turned back to Bubby. “I think he’s an issue that needs to be dealt with,” he explained. “Like, how do you guys not get this? He’s sitting in front of the soldiers, that we’ve killed - that have tried to kill us at least ten times now. Just hanging out. Did he strike a deal with them?”

Bubby’s expression was carefully neutral. “But Gordon, he’s a security guard,” he responded.

Tommy slanted Bubby a narrowed look. Surely he was too smart to assume Benrey was merely a security guard by now.

“They’ve been killing them, too!” Gordon argued. “I’ve seen a soldier shoot one of the security guards.”

Bubby wasn’t buying it. “What?”

“Yes, we’ve seen that a hundred times!”

“Well, they can’t do that,” Dr. Coomer remarked. “Killing people is illegal.”

“Ye-” Gordon’s brow furrowed. “Legality is no longer a concern.”

He went on at length about the moral dilemmas they were facing while Tommy did his best to redirect the eggs being thrown at them. He was currently handling the deaths he had witnessed as he did most things - by ignoring them. His chest was a sleek leather suitcase stuffed with emotion he was too afraid to unpack. Was it the best way to deal with it? Probably not. Would he have a nervous breakdown about it later? Well.

“I have no guilt weighing on my conscience, Gordon,” Coomer answered him. “Can you say the same?”

“No,” Gordon sighed. He had a faraway look on his face. “I can’t.”

Maybe they’d both have a nervous breakdown about it later.

The conversation shifted as they sat, exhausted, in a circle. It was quiet out here. Finally. Finally. The needle on Tommy’s mental speedometer could pull back a tick. He wanted to lay out flat on his back and watch the stars wheel overhead like he used to as a kid. He probably would have, if he wasn’t getting pelted by eggs.

“What are your guys’ greatest dreams?” Gordon asked them at length. “If today didn’t happen. And you got to go home, and you got to keep on living your life, what - what is your life’s goal?”

What a question. Tommy studied Gordon pensively, wondering what brought this on. The man was tired, his expression heavy, stress pulling at the corners of his mouth. The moon reflected prettily off the lenses of his glasses, but the eyes behind them were brimming with a deep ache. He wanted out of this nightmare - they all did - but this was Tommy’s first hint that Gordon didn’t fully believe they’d actually make it.

Tommy hugged his knees to his chest, listening to Bubby relaying his dream of going to space and Coomer waxing poetic about boxing. Gordon nodded along, intent and encouraging. The sincerity in his voice as he affirmed their deepest wants wrapped like a thick blanket around them. Tommy felt a newfound affection for Gordon quietly unfurling as he hung onto his words. The man was brave, which was hard enough in itself, but he was also kind, which was much, much harder.

Not for the first time, Tommy had the impulse to reach out and grasp his hand, offering some shred of comfort in a compound that wanted him dead. We’re gonna be okay, he wanted to say. We’re gonna make it out of here.

Gordon turned those dark eyes on Tommy. It was his turn. “Tommy, you wanna-” He faltered distractedly, gaze skipping all over his face, his neck, his coat. “You - maybe should...”

“Yeah?” Tommy asked, expectant.

“We need to get you a shower,” Gordon said finally. “You are covered in that shit.”

Tommy smirked. Speak for yourself, Sewage Boy. His smile froze when Gordon reached for him, presumably to wipe some of “that shit” off of his face, but before he could touch him, something small and painful came sailing in their direction. It bounced off Gordon’s skull and clattered to the ground, followed by several others.

“Ow, fuck,” Gordon grimaced, rubbing his head. “These are rocks ,” he remarked, glancing around for the source. “Yeah, these aren’t eggs. What the fuck?”

Tommy sighed heavily, knowing Benrey was somewhere nearby, watching. Would it kill him to not be the center of attention for five minutes? Bubby and Coomer, not too keen on taking projectiles to the face, excused themselves from the conversation. Distantly, Tommy could hear them kicking around a ball, and was too tired to wonder where they had found it.

“Tommy, what are your dreams?” Gordon asked once the hail of rocks let up. “You have a lot to aspire to. What do you want to do - your - with your life?”

Tommy honestly hoped Gordon would have forgotten to ask. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable answering the question, it was just that he wasn’t sure he had an answer to the question. He had the universe at his fingertips, unparalleled power allowing him to go anywhere, to be anything.

Over time, however, he’d learned that the most fulfilling things to him were simple, humble joys. Sleeping in late on a Sunday morning. A cold popsicle on a hot day. Jokes that made him laugh so hard he cried. What he wanted to do with his life had been chewed smaller and smaller, even, in these past two days. Now he just dreamed of a good nap. A hot meal. A long shower. A clean set of sheets.

Gordon was still watching him, patiently giving him the time he needed to answer, and Tommy felt that affection behind his ribs blooming stronger.

“Um, if this... wouldn’t have happened…” He wanted to be sincere, to show a true part of himself, carefully, to Gordon. “I would have gone home, and I would’ve eaten dinner, and then I would've given my dog Sunkist a walk.”

Gordon blinked those delightfully long eyelashes of his. “I - that - I mean like, I already asked what you want to do when you go home. That’s nice, though.” His voice was soft and genuine, and he meant every word he said. “Um, but yeah, no, I mean like your dream for your life. Like, tonight you would eat dinner and feed Sunkist. But what about like, ten years from now? What do you want to do with your life?”

Tommy’s gaze lingered on Gordon for a very long time. He decided to deflect one truth with a different truth.

“Um, I’d still be taking care of Sunkist, because he’s immortal,” he allowed.

Gordon’s mouth parted in surprise. “Did your mom - you don’t have a mom. Who told you your dog’s immortal?”

“It’s a - uh-” How would Tommy explain the concept of Sunkist, that perfect, loyal, canid star? God, he missed him so much. “I made the dog,” he decided. “I made an immortal dog.”

A shocked laugh bubbled up from Gordon’s chest. Tommy couldn't help smiling in return. It was certainly a wild notion, spoken aloud, but a true one nonetheless. He was glad he got to share it with the man sitting across from him.

“I will - it will live long-” He stopped, caught his words, and tried again. “Sunkist will live longer than me.”

Gordon blew out an impressed breath, nodding. “I believe that. I mean,” he caught Tommy’s gaze, raising his brows in a significant look. “You’re a pretty talented man.”

Tommy blushed delicately at that. Flatterer, he wanted to say. Sweet talker. He wished he could say anything, even thank you, because that’s a thing that people say when they’re complimented. But he could only stare back mutely, cheeks glowing with gentle warmth.

“Um, yeah,” Gordon said. “Okay.” He heaved himself to his feet. Looked away. Scratched the back of his neck. “My dream?” He went on. “I don't know if you guys even care…”

Dr. Coomer had lost interest in the soccer game and wandered back over to the two of them. “I’d love to hear it, Gordon,” he piped up, tilting his head to the side with genuine curiosity.

Tommy nodded in agreement.

Gordon brightened. “My dream? You heard of the - there’s this new thing, Justin.tv? A website, have you been to Justin.tv? I wanna be a Justin.tv streamer.”

Dr. Coomer and Tommy looked at each other for clarification, but they were both equally lost. “What do they stream?” Coomer asked politely.

Gordon shrugged. “I mean usually, like, video games? Y’know like, the hottest new releases, like, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.”

“That sounds pretty lame, Gordon,” Bubby commented, drawing up beside Coomer.

“I’ve never been big on video games.” The old boxer added.

“I mean, yeah, it’s - maybe it’s immature,” Gordon granted, “but I love it. And I mean, like, if I could do that with my money? And my time? That’d be incredible.”

Tommy didn’t know what half of the words Gordon had said meant, but he enjoyed seeing the way the guy’s face lit up in excitement when he talked about it. What a wonderful smile. What a lovely, desperate hope.

Dr. Coomer was still pondering. “My ex wife loved Kane & Lynch,” he recalled.

“It’s a great game,” Gordon said. “You should - I know you don’t like video games, but you should try it. It might turn you on the - on the medium.”

Coomer placed a delicate hand over his own chest, reeling back against Bubby in pretend shock. “It could turn me?”

Tommy put his head in his hands, shaking with laughter.

Chapter 6 <-----> Chapter 8

[feathers-and-fisticuffs]

Listen To The Distant Thunder...

[Chapter list HERE]

Kabu strummed his guitar quietly as he watched the clouds gathering on the dark horizon, leaning back against the tree behind him.  Nanu sat with his head resting on Kabu’s shoulder, his eyes closed, just taking in the sound, heart aching.

“And if the music stops There's only the sound of the rain All the hope and glory All the sacrifice in vain,”

The first drops of rain began to fall, the two young men mostly staying dry under the leaves of the tree, the deep rumbling of thunder like a drumroll in the distance.

“And if love remains Though everything is lost We will pay the price But we will not count the cost...”

Nanu’s last night in Hoenn before going on to Alola for his new job, and it was starting to rain.  He wanted to believe, something, somewhere, had a cruel sense of irony, as drops plinked down onto the polished wood, tears that fell just like the rain.  They listened to the distant thunder as the strumming of the guitar fell away to silence.

Word had started to spread across Galar of the two young children who Rose left behind, and although Bede was used to being in the spotlight and handling paparazzi and questions and fans and chaos, Kabu was doing everything he could to keep it all away from Basil.  The damn leeches were everywhere, it was almost impossible to avoid them, and once they realized he was also housing Cyrus, a known criminal... It was only going to get worse as time went on.

Cyrus didn’t seem as bothered by them, and had scared most of them with his delightfully dark and deadpan humor that they mostly stayed away if he was out and about.  His two “friends”, as he called them, started coming around more and more as Cyrus started to heal, and once he was able to move around mostly out of his wheelchair, they began to join Basil with his lessons.

They started with simple things, basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and Cyrus couldn’t help but be impressed with how smart the kid was.

“Rose made me attend lessons.”  Was his defense, though he sounded less than thrilled by that fact.  He wasn’t thrilled with having class now, either.

Having Lincoln around helped, especially as they taught him sign language, and the more Basil absorbed, the more fun he had with it, as Lincoln was quite talkative when he wanted to be and Basil was thrilled to have someone other than Cyrus and Kabu to talk to.

Cyan mostly sat quietly in the corner, sketchbook in his lap, doodling idly and looking uncomfortable around everyone.  Basil had taken a dislike to Cyan but an interest in his sketchbook, so he’d sit as far away as he could while still being able to watch him draw, squinting nosily until Cyan would gesture for him to come over and get a better look.  Sometimes, if he was in a good mood, he’d show Basil how he drew something, or explain a little about his art, but normally he was quiet, closed off, just wanting to have alone time with Lincoln and Cyrus.

Basil, however, wanted to be anywhere but in a lesson.  He would much rather be running around, training his Pokemon and exploring, and Cyrus knew this.  He did what he could to make the lessons interesting, but he could only do so much.

“How come you don’t have any Pokemon?”

Cyrus had been ignoring the hand in the air for five minutes now, he could tell that Basil’s question did not pertain to the lesson.

“That is irrelevant.”

“Do you have pokemon? Do they not like you?  How come you never have them out?  Do your friends have Pokemon?  Can I see them?”

Cyrus groaned.  “Focus on your lesson, please.  Pokemon have nothing to do with your homework.”

Basil crossed his arms. “I can’t focus anyway so you might as well just answer the questions.”  He smarted off with a smirk.

“No, I don’t have any Pokemon.  You don’t get to keep your Pokemon after you get arrested for trying to bring an end to the world as we know it.  I don’t know if they liked me or not, that is their business and it doesn’t matter anymore anyway.  Lincoln does have Pokemon, I don’t know if he’ll let you see them that will be up to him.” He snapped bitterly.  “Can we continue with the lesson now?”

Basil frowned at that, and let Whisper out of his ball, cuddling the Meowth close.  He couldn’t imagine being separated from his pokemon.

“I’m sorry Mr. Cyrus… do you want to hold Whisper for a while?”

“No I do not want to hold Whisper for a while.  I want you to finish this equation.”

Basil dropped the cat pokemon in Cyrus’s lap anyway, before leaning over and getting back to work.

Cyrus growled, annoyed that he wasn’t being listened to, however the Meowth was very warm and very sweet, and he couldn’t help reaching over to give it a pat every so often.

If only for Basil’s sake.  He wasn’t doing it for himself, of course.

************

“You should bring an umbrella with you, there’s rain coming…”  Kabu followed Cyrus to the door.

“It’ll be fine, a little rain never hurt anyone.”  He assured the older man, leaning on his cane as he rushed off to take a walk with Cyan and Lincoln.

“Bye Kabu see you later!” Basil rushed past, almost making it by before Kabu wrapped him in a hug and pulled him back inside.  

“Now where do you think you’re going?”  He teased.

Basil squeaked and giggled. “Hop and I are going to Circhester to have a snowball fight!  Let goooo!”

He let Basil go, smirking. “Alright, just be safe.  It’s supposed to storm and I want you home before that happens!”  He called after him.  

“Okaaaaaaaaay bye!”

Basil stopped to say hello to Cyan and Lincoln before disappearing down the road.

Kabu watched them and smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, taking in the scent of rain yet to come.  He was so proud of how far the two of them had come, Cyrus could move around pretty freely with the help of a mobility aid, and Basil only needed his cane on bad days.  The doctors told him they expected him to make a full recovery, though it was close, any more injuries and things could have been much worse.

He felt… at peace.  He couldn’t remember the last time things felt so right.  For once, everything was going his way.  He was happy.

“Lincoln, wait up!  I’m old, I can’t run that fast!”  Cyrus called, smiling.  Lincoln was running back and forth through the trees, chasing his Spinarak and giggling.

“He hasn’t looked this happy in months…”  Cyan mused. “You haven’t looked this happy in… well ever.”  He had his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder, an old habit, to keep him steady.

“I haven’t felt this happy in well ever.”  He responded, sounding almost surprised.  “I don’t know how to describe it.  I feel… good.”

“You look good.”  Cyan pecked his cheek.  “I’m so proud of you.”

“Bean!  Get down from there!”  Lincoln was hanging upside down from the branches of a tree, spinarak dangling beside him.  “You’re going to fall and bust your noggin!”

Cyan laughed.  “This is as good a spot to set up camp as any, hm? Are you sure you want to have our picnic out here?  We can go somewhere where you don’t have to sit on the ground…”

Cyrus waved the thought away.  “No, no, I want this.  I want to be out here with you.  And this will make Lincoln happy too.”  He groaned and tried to sit down, letting Cyan guide him down the rest of the way with a grunt.  “There. See?  I’m fine.”

Lincoln plopped down from the tree and sat beside him happily.  “Are you going to catch any Pokemon today?”  He signed excitedly.  “It’d be good for you to have a companion!”

“I don’t know, Bean… I don’t deserve a pokemon after what I did.  And besides, the old man would just take it away from me if he found it.  He doesn’t trust me further than he can throw me, and I’m pretty sure he’d throw out his back just trying to lift me.”  He smirked, and Lincoln snickered behind his hands.

“You keep saying that but that isn’t true you know.”  Cyan noted. “Like it or not he does trust you. He wouldn’t let you teach his son if he didn’t trust you, you’ve seen how protective he gets.  And he’s done wonders for your back, too.”

Cyrus couldn’t deny that.

The three of them ate in silence, just enjoying nature and happy with the company.  It was nice to have time together, just the three of them, and they didn’t want to waste the time with idle chit-chat.  Eventually, Cyrus made them pack it up.

“The wind’s getting strong, we better get back before we get blown away.”

They made quick work of packing their meal and helped Cyrus to his feet, staying much closer to him on the way back, noting how much slower he was moving.

Cyan kicked himself for not thinking to bring the wheelchair with them.

On the way back, Lincoln stopped suddenly, grabbing Cyrus’s sleeve and tugging urgently, pointing to a patch of tall grass.

“What?  What is it, Bean?”

The three of them paused then, watching as the grass quivered, something zigzagging through it haphazardly.  Finally, the mysterious creature emerged.

“Oh, Arceus…”

Standing before them, looking dizzy and confused, was the cutest, fluffiest Eevee that any of them had ever seen. It’s fur covered it’s eyes, and it shook it’s head trying to clear them, before catching sight of it’s tail and chasing it a few more round, plopping over on it’s face when it got too dizzy.

“That’s the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen in my life…”  Cyan covered his cheeks with his hands.

Cyrus groaned and crouched down to get a better look.  “Come here cute thing…”  It started to wobble it’s way over to him.

More rustling was heard, and suddenly a second Eevee flew past the first like a zubat out of hell, knocking it over before latching onto Cyan’s boot, gnawing and growling.

“Hey!  Get offa me you little ankle biter!”  He tried to nudge it away but it was determined to make an example of the shoe, however its tiny teeth weren’t doing much of anything.

“Catch it catch it!” Lincoln signed excitedly.

“What?  No way, it’s vicious!”

Cyrus reached out to brush the fur from the fluffy Eevee’s eyes, but was met with a fingerfull of needle like teeth.  “Ow!”  He didn’t pull away, watching as it tried to suck and chew at it gently.  “Cyan, they’re just babies!  They don’t know any better they’re just hungry!”  He pulled his finger away finally, watching as the Eevee stood on it’s hind legs and spun around before losing its balance and collapsing.  “Well aren’t you a pretty little dancer!”  He cooed.  He couldn’t figure out why, but he had a sudden need, an urge to catch it.

“Come on, I’m sure they’ll leave us alone, we need to get back before the rain hits.”  Cyan huffed and started trying to walk, but the Eevee kept getting underfoot.  “Hey! I said beat it!”

Lincoln giggled.  “They like you!”  He looked to Cyrus, who was watching them with a small smile, and handed him a pokeball, pressing it into his palm.  “Go on… it’s okay.”  Lincoln smiled and squeezed his hand before stepping aside to let him work.

Cyrus whistled.  “C’mere, little dancer…”  The Eevee perked right up at that and scrambled back over.  “You want to come with me?”  It hopped back up and spun around again, making happy noises. Cyrus smiled and tossed the ball towards it.  “Alright, if you insist…”

He watched the ball shake, once, twice, three times, then the satisfying click of a pokemon well caught.

“Cyan you can’t leave his friend here.”  He scolded.

“I’m not taking it!  It’s mean!”

Cyrus and Lincoln both gave him the look.  He caught the Eevee.

They made it halfway back before the thunder started to break apart the sky and the rain started to pour, taking refuge under a bridge to wait it out with their new little friends.

************

Hop, Basil, Marnie, Milo’s brother, and the new champion all met in Circhester for the most epic snowball fight of epic snowball fights.  They had invited Bede to join as well, but he hadn’t gotten back to them. Basil promised them he’d come around to their games eventually, after all they always had fun playing when they were little, he just needed a little more time to adjust.

Bede had also told him he was going to see Rose, and Basil could only imagine what that had done to him.

He pushed the thought out of his mind while they played and laughed, he hadn’t had this much fun in a long time and he was going to enjoy every second of it.  He rolled his eyes when Hop tried and failed desperately to flirt with the Champion, and rolled them doubly when the Champion gave his attempts in return to an oblivious Hop.  It was like watching Nanu and Kabu try to dance around their relationship and it was painful to watch.

The all eventually got tired out and stopped for lunch, piling into the cozy little restaurant and chatting happily.  Basil was thrilled that they had all accepted him in as a friend, and he quickly lost track of time as they drank cocoa and gossiped about their siblings.

The snow outside was starting to pile up.  The Flying Taxi’s stopped flying over Circhester.

************

“He should be home by now…” Kabu was trying not to let himself relax too much, but Nanu’s arms were so inviting.  “Something’s not right, I told him to be home before it got bad out…”

Nanu pulled him close again, kissing his neck.  “He’s fine, Kabu.  He’s just doing what we did when we were his age.  He probably lost track of time, he’s out with friends.  They’ll keep each other safe.”

They were snuggled together on the couch, watching the rain come down through the window as the lighting blinded them yet again.

“I don’t like him being out in this weather.  The rain is one thing but Circhester?  The snow gets so bad you can’t see your hands in front of your face what if he gets lost?”

“He’s with friends! He won’t get lost.”  He turned Kabu’s eyes away from the window and towards his own.  “You’ve gotta let the kid have a little breathing room, babe.  He’ll be okay.”  He planted a kiss on Kabu’s lips, smiling at the small moan of frustration it brought and Kabu pulled him even closer.

Both of their phones started going off, startling them out of their kiss.

“What in Arceus name..?”

Kabu grabbed his first, scrambling to his feet.  “No more flying taxis.  I’m going to go get him it’s getting too dangerous out there—”  As he spoke, a crash of lightning shattered the earth and the wind tossed a large branch against the window.

Nanu pushed him back down onto the couch.  “Stay here, I’ll go look for him.  He’ll feel safer with you here if he does happen to show up.”  He tossed on his jacket.  “But he’s fine!  He’ll be fine!  Keep your phone on you!”

Kabu didn’t want to stay.  He didn’t want to sit and feel helpless, but he knew Nanu was right.  He was okay, he was with friends.  They’d keep each other safe…

************

The three strongest trainers in Galar gathered in a huddle in the lobby of the Battle Tower (Aside from the new champion, of course, but behind closed doors Leon swears his win was a stroke of luck and not a feat of skill).  Piers, Leon, and Raihan spoke in hushed whispers, just loud enough to be heard over the raging storm outside.

“What about Marnie? He’s had his eyes on Spikemuth for as long as I can remember, I won’t let him hurt Marn, I’ll kill him before he gets the chance…”

“I don’t think he wants to hurt anyone.”  Leon soothed. “I don’t think he’s going to come after anyone.  But we have to be there for Bede and Basil, because he’ll try to get in contact with them and if he does, it’ll be bad news if no one’s there to intervene if his intentions aren’t good.”

“And the Champion?”

“Your brother’s gonna be alright, Rai.  Don’t worry about it.  We just have to keep our wits about us, and—”

They looked up as the bell on the door rang, announcing the stranger’s presence.

“Excuse me sir, the battle tower is closed…”

The stranger was wrapped in a large, ill fitting coat, with a hood that covered his eyes, and a scarf that covered the rest of his face.  He unwrapped slowly, ignoring the warning.

“The battle tower is closed, you need to leave.”  Leon warned again, hand twitching near his pokeballs.

The hood came down, and the scarf came off, and the stranger had revealed himself, though he didn’t look much like himself anymore, a shadow of his former grandeur.

“Please… I need your help.”

[afraschatz]

The Children of Atreus

Let's talk a bit about the coolest of the mythological Greeks, the children of Atreus - Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Anaxabia. And let me just name three things about them that are guaranteed to make you fall in love with them.

Before that, here is a quick summary of the things that everyone already knows anyway: Menelaus is the famous king of Sparta whose wife Helen’s disappearance sparked the Trojan War. The Greeks’ troops are led by his brother, Agamemnon, king of mighty Mycenae (who, when returning from the war, gets murdered by his wife Clytemnestra). Anaxabia is their sister, and she is married to Strophius, king of Phocis.

Secondly, here are three of the (many) reasons why they are The Best:

 1 - They are the best of siblings.

Obviously, they are called the Atrides (or Atreides) after their father, Atreus, who is the son of Pelops and grandson of Tantalus. That makes them part of the forever cursed family of the Tantalides. That curse manifests itself in their father’s relationship with his brother, Thyest. Atreus and Thyest come to Mycenae after they get thrown out of Elis, the territory around Olympia, for murdering their half-brother. They then quickly gain power and influence in Mycenae and use the majority of it to stab each other in the back - repeatedly and quite literally, as they both end up dead.

With role models such as these (plus the curse that Tantalus brought on his family for murdering and cooking his own son just to prove a point), it is absolutely amazing and quite heart-warming how close the Atrides are. Despite their family history of betrayal and murder, they always, ALWAYS stand by one another and support each other.

I mean, Agamemnon starts a war to end all wars to get justice for his brother, for fuck’s sake (yeah, yeah, there’s that bit about the oath of Helen; I’ll get to that later), and for that ten-year-long war they are practically joined at the hip.

And it’s not just a matter of obvious power-politics either: Agamemnon sends his son Orestes to his sister and brother-in-law in Phocis when he has to leave for war. To entrust his only male heir to them is massive proof of his trust in them, in her. Anaxabia and Strophius continue to raise Orestes as their own, and Orestes becomes best friends (and quite definitely lovers, according to my man Euripides) with their son, Pylades who supports him through thick and thin.

Pylades ends up marrying Electra, Agamemnon’s daughter, while Orestes gets wed to Hermione, Menelaus’s kid with Helen. While for today’s standards this might be a bit too incestuous for comfort, it is further proof how tightly knit that family now (in contrast to previous generations and their fondness for throwing people down wells / dismemberment) is because of the bond of the three siblings.

 2 - They are strategic and diplomatic masterminds.

Agamemnon and Menelaus are often reduced to being one entitled and power-hungry dick and his arrogant but ultimately impotent little brother. While that makes them the perfect cardboard-cut-villain for everyone in need of one (such as grieving Achilles, for one) and while I enjoy Brian Cox and Brendan Gleeson as “Troy”’s villains as well as Sophocles's characterization of them in "Aias" as much as the next guy, it really doesn’t do them justice.

First of all, as for the notion that they are entitled and/or feeble: Both of them are self-made men. Not only are they (as well as Anaxabia) kids of a refugee / man living in exile, after their uncle Thyest overthrows their father and has him murdered, they have to flee from Mycenae and seek refuge in Sparta, with king Tyndareos, their future father-in-law, (step) father of Clytemnestra and Helen. From there, they not only manage to mobilize enough man power to overthrow Thyest and conquer Mycenae. They also turn Mycenae into the most influential and mightiest of all the Greeks’ kingdoms. And by proving himself over and over again, Menelaus inherits the right to the throne of Sparta from his father-in-law, while Anaxabia marries the king of Phocis, a kingdom North of the gulf of Corinth with influential Delphi right in the center.

The Atrides’s influence is not just gained by clever marriage and perseverance, however. Sure, the famous oath of Helen (in which all the kings that asked for Helen’s hand in marriage swore to protect her and her husband-to-be) is thought up by wily Odysseus. But who makes sure (for all those years before Paris) that it would be upheld? It’s not like alliances between Greek kingdoms are all that stable. And yet, the council of kings - including extremely strong-willed characters such as Achilles, Aias, and Odysseus - WORKS and works well for ten years, even under the pressure of a prolonged war. Why? It’s because Agamemnon knows how to choose advisers (such as wise Nestor), knows how to utilize the human equivalent of an eel (I am looking at you, Odysseus) etc. He is a fucking brilliant politician. (And it was his RIGHT (AND a necessity) to demand Briseis from Achilles, however much the Myrmidon may moan about it; but more about that later).

Simple proof in numbers: Three exiled kids with NOTHING; fast-forward a decade or two and you have this: Agamemnon commands the largest of the Greek fleets (100 ships). If you add to those the number of Spartan (60) and Phocian (40) ships as well, that’s a whooping 200, even if you disregard for instance the huge Cretan fleet (80) which is led by their uncle, Idomeneus. Brilliant strategists and politicians.

 3 - They are so highkey EXTRA when it comes to the love department. (Well, the brothers are. Anaxabia rolls her eyes at them.)

Before I talk about the brothers and their highkey Extra relationships to their wives, let me just again go back to Anaxabia. Her marriage to Strophius is delightfully stable and uneventful and no one ends up dead (which is quite rare in Greek mythology, really). It produces delightfully stable and unproblematic children, such as the original bestest of mates, Pylades. Just think of Anaxabia and her husband just looking at each other silently at a family dinner,when her dramatic brothers and their dramatic wives start throwing food (and possibly knives) across the table. Next year, we’re doing a couple’s retreat in Delphi, my dear. I love her.

But the brothers’ marriages are equally fascinating.

Paris kidnaps Helen while Menelaus is attending his grandfather Catreus’s funeral btw - dick move, prince of Troy -, and for some reason THEIR relationship is the stuff of legends? Well, fuck that. While I have all the love in the world for one (1) flamboyant and canonically cowardly favourite of Aphrodite, let’s not forget how superglue-strong Menelaus’s bond with Helen is.

First of all, out of all the suitors for her hand in marriage, she chooses HIM without hesitation - after they must’ve known each other for years, btw considering Menelaus’s time in exile in Sparta.

And when she is suddenly gone, he mobilizes literally every available man in Greece to get her back.

That’s a matter of pride, you say? That’s because - much like Agamemnon when he demands Achilles’s prize of war, Briseis, because he had to give his own, Chryseis, back to appease Apollo - he would lose face and power (and thus massively endangering the stability of his reign and consequently the safety of his country, btw)? Sure, it’s that as well.

But.

It’s not like other kings haven’t “misplaced” a wife before. It’s not like he couldn’t simply have claimed she died. He could have. And you know what? It would have saved him from being both the laughing stock of all of Greece (“Here comes Menelaus who couldn’t hold on to his wife”) and also everyone’s favourite villain for having to go to war for him.

And later, what does he do when he finds her again - either in the ruins of Troy or in far away Egypt? Does he kill her? Does he demand a divorce?

No. They sail back to Sparta together and - and this is the kicker - rule together for many years, quite happily reunited.

He fucking loves her, and she loves him. (Okay, she might ALSO love Paris and that whole war could’ve been avoided if they just got into a poly relationship. I wouldn’t have been opposed to that either.)

The same goes for Agamemnon and his family.

Iphigenia, you yell at me in outrage? Well, the unquestioned villain in THAT story is so clearly vengeful Artemis for demanding her life in the first place. And yes, you may fight me on this.

And okay, I am having a slightly harder time explaining away Agamemnon murdering Clytemnestra’s first husband as a romantic gesture, fine. But my point is, Agamemnon’s and Clytemnestra’s relationship status throughout is clearly “it’s complicated”, it’s ENDLESSLY fascinating. Plus, Clytemnestra is such a fierce and badass (Spartan) woman who without problem competently takes care of Mycenae during the war. They are SO well suited for one another, and their relationship is brilliant, from a storytelling point of view.

 So, in conclusion: Give me Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon, Dominic West as Menelaus, and Oona Chaplin as Anaxabia, and I’d watch the hell out of twenty plus seasons about the Atrides and how they feel rightfully superior to all those other Peloponnesian peasants .

The Atrides are the best. It’s just a fact.