[closed] this is stupid

[dontpokethat]

Who: Ginko and Foster
When: After this
Where: Starting at the Cookhouse, and then WHO KNOWS.
What: Time to find a creepy shadow puppet Pokemon!
Warnings: illegal pokemon finding activities

Ginko doesn’t waste any time in making his way to the Cookhouse.The sooner they can find Mimikyu, the better, and the first step to that is finding a way to attract it.

Once he sees Foster, Ginko raises a hand in a small wave, lingering trepidation making his tail swish back and forth. “Hey. Guess we should get to it.”

Comments

[control_freak]

Foster is... almost surprised Ginko showed up; he'd half expected it to be Sans, or maybe Ginko with Sans, and he had actually been spending the past couple of minutes preparing entirely for that possibility, with exactly zero seconds of his time spent preparing for the actual possibility of... Ginko alone.

He's... simultaneously relieved(?) and let down, but he's all barely-contained energy either way, full of agitation and readiness to do something. Which is probably better than the alternative, anyway.

"--you should probably do the talking."

[dontpokethat]

"If talking is necessary at all... this isn't really a busy time of day for the Cookhouse. Might be able to just go in and find what we need." Food theft isn't a huge issue in a place where everyone has easy access to food, all the time - though he supposes that if people keep going in there after booze, that might get to be an issue.

He gestures for Foster to follow him inside, then tucks his hands back into his pockets. "But, if someone does try to stop us, sure."

[control_freak]

Foster is a lot less nervous about stealing ("stealing?" he is not actually sure they AREN'T allowed to just take this food, but he's assumed not; even if it is against the rules, he doesn't feel any guilt) than he is about being expected to talk to anyone while doing it.

Foster may not act like it, but he knows exactly how he is.

So he... appreciates Ginko's willingness to take responsibility for his presence. And doesn't say anything else, at least for now, following Ginko's lead and shadowing him into the kitchen proper.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko doesn't see why they wouldn't be allowed to; the carnival doesn't tend to suffer from food shortages, and it's not like anyone has to know what they're doing with it.

He leads Foster back to the kitchen, hands tucked into his pockets. He doesn't see anything immediately available that would work, but... hmm. He glances back at Foster, mouth twisting thoughtfully. "Yeah, guess we might have to ask around after all."

[control_freak]

"Ha ha." Foster's first response is a low, cynical laugh. After a second, though, he speaks up to add, "In that case, hang on."

Mimikyu has very clear preferences about what's worth its time and attention. By the time they'd left Alola, Foster had determined that most sweets were... well, too sweet. He could relate to that.

But if it wasn't a sweet, Mimikyu didn't seem to care much for it. Which left...

"The... only flavour I know it likes is banana."

[dontpokethat]

"Banana... right." He doesn't waste any time in turning to the closest person who seems to work here. "Hey, do you have anything banana-flavored available?"

[flashover]

Rin happens to be in the cookhouse at the moment, and he blinks at the request. He's been busy making a big pot of something that smells really good for dinner, and hasn't been eavesdropping.

"Uhhhh... banana-flavored?" he asks with a frown. "Like, that fake banana flavor, or like, real bananas? Cause I have those. I also have some pink and green speckley ones that I found in the fae market!"

A pause.

"Not sure what those taste like, though. I got some banana extract-y stuff that we use in baking, too."

[control_freak]

Foster feels a little bit like he's being personally victimised. Fake banana flavour? The real thing? Fae bananas?

....but now that he thinks about it, there has been a difference between the taste of banana 'flavoured' desserts and actual bananas here. Like, a huge difference. Like, to the point that the first time he tried to eat what was claimed to be a banana, he spat it out because something was obviously wrong with it.

He had assumed up until this exact moment that it was just him, that it was all in his head. Literally.

The possibility that the bananas here were just that different, when so much else, foodwise, was the same... after he became unable to eat any kind of meat or meat-derived product, how was he supposed to know the problem was anything but his brain?

He's trying to remember now what the banana tasted like when he put it in his mouth, but all he can remember is that it tasted wrong. The texture, the flavour--it had been so immediately repulsive when he'd expected an actual banana that he honestly only remembers the act of spitting it out into the dirt.

Unfortunately, the ongoing effect of all these revelations is that Foster has been standing silently behind Ginko for about a minute now, looking deeply troubled about bananas.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko's first impulse is to look to Foster and see what he thinks, but... hm. He's mostly just looking kind of distressed. Did he get thrown off by having to make an unexpected decision?

He eventually addresses him. "...It should probably be... real bananas, right? Was that what you wanted?"

Help him out here, dude.

[flashover]

Ah. Well. Foster certainly has a look, doesn't he. That's a bit concerning. Rin decides to make himself scarce for a moment.

"I'll, uh... I'll go get a little of everything, and then you can decide, alright?"

With that, he disappears into the actual food prep area.

[criticallyfucked]

"I..." Foster replies with a sound that's ostensibly a word, but is clearly no more purposeful than--well, than a lot of things he does. He isn't even looking at Ginko any more--he's staring wild-eyed at the floor,, his clawtips running along his temples repeatedly, tangling in his hair along the sides.

It's a new thing for him: he can't bury them in his hair the way he used to any more--Taako's been pulling it up with a pale green butterfly clip brought back from Portland, which means that every time he tries, his claws hit the plastic and he has to start again, only to get more and more frustrated and lost.

Which is about how he sounds now.

"... what is a real banana?"

[dontpokethat]

...Um.

Ginko knows better than to ask if Foster is okay, and even if this weren't Foster, the answer is kind of obvious in this instance, anyway. A better question might be why he isn't okay, and why the topic of bananas apparently made him not okay.

Rin stepping away is actually kind of a relief, and Ginko turns to Foster, frowning. "What do you mean? They're... bananas."

A pause. "...Were bananas... not a real fruit where you're from...?"

His tone isn't at all judgmental, because, in fairness, he'd never heard of bananas before coming here anyway.

[criticallyfucked]

"Nnnghhh...!" It's not even a word--he's pressing the heels of his paws against his brow, claws in his hair. Their sharp points are just touching the plastic of his hair clip.

"I don't... I don't know. I don't know!" Frustration, turmoil, he pulls his claws away from his skull with visible effort, but there's nowhere for him to go--

He hates it. He hates that suddenly nothing makes sense. He knows that this isn't right. Everything is scrambled, disorganised, distorted, disordered. Ginko is confused; it's pissing him off.

"I can't... I don't, I mean... it's not--give me--I need to see one!" he finishes with sudden vehemence, pathetic in desperation.

FOR FOSTER AND SANS

[dontpokethat]

So searching for this thing is... not going great. Which is to say, wandering around the carnival with a banana cream pie and trying to call out to the Pokemon - which is made a little awkward by the fact that it apparently doesn't have a name - has yet to yield any results.

Ginko glances doubtfully over at Foster, his ears flipping back. "Maybe we should double back? We might've missed it somewhere."

[criticallyfucked]

Ginko's the only one finding Mimikyu's lack of name awkward. Then again, Ginko has some semblance of self awareness, and Foster's interest in appearances has been declining for at least half a decade.

He's still making Ginko carry the pie, though. Or rather, Ginko ended up with the pie, and Foster hasn't offered to take it, which is basically the same thing. It does free him to investigate shadows more actively, imagined movements and dark corners of the type that Mimikyu prefers. He glances back at Ginko, picking at his ear ruminatively.

"...if we missed it, it's because it didn't want to be found."

[osteothropy]

Sans does this thing where he just appears out of nowhere. You're probably familiar with it at this point - especially Ginko. So, maybe it's not as surprising as it could be when the faint glow of light joins them in the shadows, as does a familiar voice.

"Whatcha doin?" the Warden asks, his bones just slightly glowing in the lighting, from where you can see them past his hoodie.

Aka: SURPRISE ASSHOLES.

[dontpokethat]

Well shit.

As accustomed as he had gotten to this before, it's been... a while. You know, about since the last time they talked and Ginko hung up on him.

Ginko flinches, ears flicking back. "--Uh. H-hey, Sans."

This is... not good.

[criticallyfucked]

Foster doesn't even look surprised--although that has more to do with a failed link between his brain and the rest of him than it does how startling Sans' appearance is.

It doesn't matter, anyway.

It's over. Not just their chance of finding Mimikyu before the skeleton, but their chance of getting Mimikyu back at all. Foster knows this implicitly, and so doesn't bother to greet Sans, or speak to him, or otherwise appease him.

The Ring Master might have been persuaded.

But Sans?

Sans is... the only person in the Carnival Foster would submit to, absolutely and without question. Factually speaking, he knows that absolutely everyone in the Carnival is his better simply by virtue of being an actual person, a human being or Gem or monster with an actual life both behind and ahead of them, no matter what they say or do, or how stupid they are. But Sans is the only one whose superiority Foster has seen with his own eyes, the only one whose superiority is truly convincing--the only person to demonstrate both the motive and the means to prove it.

So when Sans appears, he makes eye contact... then just gives up.

[osteothropy]

He was kind of expecting some sass or aggression from Foster, but the lack of it doesn't send him for too much of a loop. He just carries on, his tone level but his presence no less daunting - not least because his motives aren't quite clear.

"Really, Ginko?" he says, any anger he's feeling free from his tone. At most, he sounds like he could be questioning Ginko's choice in shirt. "I didn't think you'd have it in you to go right under my nose like this. Shows what I know, huh?"

He glances over to Foster, now.

"You're never gunna get your allowance back by trying to steal it from mom's purse. You had to know this wasn't gunna go like you wanted..."

[dontpokethat]

Ginko stays silent as Sans speaks, staring down at the pie in his hands like he's contemplating its impact on his entire existence.

However, it's not an instant after Sans finishes addressing Foster that he speaks up, looking at Sans for just a moment before looking down again. "It would be for the best if he had it back."

Shhhh it's a phone tag

[criticallyfucked]

Foster doesn't say anything. He doesn't break eye contact, but there's no antipathy in it, no cunning smile, no partially-lidded stare.

It pulls him down into a nauseous sensation--not disappointment, which has been a constant feature of his every day life--but something unpleasantly trenchant, something deeper, more sinking.

Ginko has enough time to stare into his pie while Foster takes Sans' taunt into full account. And his lips part, maybe he's even about to speak--

But he doesn't.

Ginko does.

Foster looks at him, the space between his brows creased with disbelief. The look is somewhere up there with 'he opened his mouth and a long party horn noise came out' for utter incomprehension.

THANK GOD

[osteothropy]

Sans's eyes flash, an edge of anger there only for those that can actually read his face. Ginko's retort catches him off guard - not the words so much as the fact that he'd have to gall to make an argument in the first place. After this... After actively working against him.

"You think so, huh?" The anger still doesn't appear in his voice, but the detached nature of it is probably more telling than outright fury. "You sure about that? If you're the expert, why didn't you talk to Ringmaster about it? Or even me, if you thought you could stomach it."

Sans hadn't even thought he was mad either - not till they ended up here. Not till he saw this.

"Pretty brave of you to stand up for a guy who'd kill children just to make a point. What noble charge are you gunna pick next?"

[dontpokethat]

That detachment is... definitely making him nervous. His voice stays steady, but his discomfort is probably just as obvious as Sans' anger all the same. "I... I didn't think I could," he admits. "But... if he had Mimikyu for a while, I'm sure he could prove that he can handle it."

...Either that's about the mushi thing or there's something else that he hasn't heard about. He glances questioningly at Foster. "Is... there something I should know about?"

Caps aren't how you shhhh!

[criticallyfucked]

The 'good' news is it only takes a couple of seconds for that feeling to dissipate, leaving him intensely aware of his hopelessness in this situation, but nothing more. The bad... well, 'bad'... is that Ginko has apparently lost his entire mind, which isn't necessarily something Ginko can afford to lose to begin with.

"....drop it." It's a little sharp, mostly out of bitterness.

[osteothropy]

Did Ginko just... not understand what he said...? For a long few moments, Sans is at a loss. His eyes widen slightly, caught by surprise yet again. He's so stunned, that what he says next is only half present, the lights gone from his eyes:

"Ask me about the Pokemon one more time and I'm recommending a formal punishment for the both of you."

He's staring at Ginko as he speaks.