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[Boone shows up to the pokemon center wearing his usual outfit, with Pointy by his side. He'd wondered if he should wear something different, but wasn't sure what to pick out. Rather than show up looking dumb, he just went with what he knew.

Not that he's sure why looking dumb would have mattered.

He gives Lust and Guttle a wave as he approaches, and Pointy roars at them in greeting.]

Hey. You look nice.

[She looks beautiful, actually.]

Thank you.

[Lust greets him with a smile when he approaches, and Guttle rolls forward eagerly.]

I've picked a film, I think it will appeal.

[Boone struck her as a man who's entertainment interests were those traditionally held as 'masculine'. Explosions and action and mismatched, wise cracking law enforcement pairs.]

It's about a Bonsly who's actually a secret agent but doesn't realize it, and the Trainer he ends up needing to protect for...some important reason, I don't know, we'll find out in the film.

[But there looks to be plenty of action and intrigue, and Lust always enjoys things about characters who've lost their memories or identity.]

Huh. Sounds interesting.

[It should be a nice time. He sees no reason why it shouldn't be, at least. And he's kind of excited to see his first movie.]

Let's get going, then. We having popcorn, too?

[Another food he's never tried, and it seems like it's essential.]

Of course we are, it's traditional. I like to put chocolate candies in mine.

[Also conveniently sold at the concession stand. Really, it was amazing the assortment of boxed candy and treats that were available.]

...And extra butter sauce. It's terribly unhealthy, but for a once in a while indulgence...

[Lust shrugs. It isn't as though she eats like that all of the time.]

Pretty sure I've eaten unhealthier food than butter sauce. Like... radscorpion casserole. Tastes great, but it's made with radscorpion venom. Can't imagine 200 year old pork n beans is all that healthy, either.

[So really, he doesn't care about being unhealthy.]

Good god, that sounds terrible. I hope you've been exploring the options this world offers - there's quite the gourmet community. Have you had dinner? We could get dinner after the film. Dinner that's entirely free from venom and was made fresh when you ordered it.

[The more Lust hear's about this world Boone's come from, the worse her opinion becomes. It sounds like some sort of hell.]

And then we can feel less guilty about eating terrible but delicious movie theater food.

Dinner sounds good. The food is pretty good here.

[He seems to perk up more at the idea, honestly.]

We can get some poffins for Pointy too, right? He hasn't eaten yet either.

It really is. I didn't care about food as much, before. Oh, I liked it fine and I even ate simply for pleasure sometimes, but now... It's one of those simple human pleasures, good food.

[Lust begins heading toward the theater, still chatting amiably. This world does offer so many small pleasures, ones she'd never considered when she was a homunculus.]

Oh, of course. Guttle always wants to eat, he gets forlorn if it's been more than two hours or so.

Yeah, I'm still getting used to it. The good food. Kinda makes me wonder how I dealt with what I was eating before.

[As they reach the theatre Pointy stops to look curiously at the posters advertising movies, apparently interested in the pokemon on them. Boone pats Pointy on the head, but looks at the posters too.]

Huh. "Tactical Espeonage Action". About an Espeon spy. Maybe we can watch that another time, buddy.

I suppose the system can adjust to all manner of things, if it has to.

[Humans were adaptable like that. And he'd been born into that world, it was all he'd known.]

There's usually all different movies playing at the same time. All sorts, they're just like books. Mysteries, adventures, space stories, comedies, dramas...

And of course all of them heavily feature Pokemon.

[Boone lets Lust go ahead of him as they enter the theatre, and follows her inside. He seems impressed with the building, and so does Pointy.]

Lot of people in here.

[A lot of pokemon too, the nearest being a Ninetales who Pointy immediately starts trying to nudge to play with. Boone has to pull him back, apologising to the owner.]

So how do we, uh... get to the movie?

It's a very popular outing, going to the movies. For everyone. Families, couples, groups of friends, solitary people with no other plans... especially in summer because it's cool inside theaters. And it's inexpensive and hardly takes a great deal of effort, but it's enjoyable and different than watching movies on the television.

[Not that Boone has any comparison, she realizes. But he will. And really, without even the introduction to commercial televisions, the theater had to be that much more impressive.]

Oh, right here. We purchase the tickets, then go to the concessions stand, then the theater room on our tickets. I'll get this one.

Oh, thanks.

[Boone follows Lust to where they buy the tickets, then to the snacks. He buys some poffins for Pointy first, then of course he buys them both popcorn. He should get the popcorn at least, since Lust got the tickets. He carries it to the theatre room and lets Lust pick the seats, and sits down beside her. There are accommodations made for larger pokemon thankfully, so Pointy can sit beside Boone.

And once they're sitting, he immediately goes for the popcorn. He's curious.]

...Pretty good. You were right about this stuff.

I told you. Before I came to this world...simple physical human pleasures were...muted? In a way? I didn't taste things fully, I didn't experience things fully. So I indulge often and now I consider myself something of an expert in them.

[Especially food. There's something about the taste of foods, it's difficult for her to put into words.]

This world just has so much to offer.

Must've been something when you first came here, huh? Experiencing things for the first time.

[He feeds Pointy a poffin, but he's looking over at Lust.]

Guess that's kinda what I'm doing, too. My senses were never dulled like yours, but the terrible food we had probably makes up for that, huh.

To be honest...I hated it at first. I felt clumsy and weak and wrong. It took a great deal of time to adjust. And even then there were some things that worried me for so long...

[Like the ocean, or large fires, or human intimacy.]

It's what many of us do. There are so many of us from worlds worse than this, from lives that were...lacking.

It was once proposed to me that we're here because of that. To be given the lives we were denied in our own worlds, to have those things that were taken from us. Or...as close as can be offered, anyway.

[Boone thinks on that for a moment, frowning slightly.]

Still waiting for something to go wrong, myself. I don't deserve a second chance like this.

[His gaze drops to the popcorn, but he doesn't take any. It's just something to look at dully.]

...Sorry. That's not what we're here for, right?

[The words echo in Lust's mind. "I don't deserve this, my sins are too great.", "But why ME, I don't deserve anything else...."]

[She knows this sentiment. She's been down this road before, and is almost amazed how often she finds herself here.]

I don't think it's up to us to decide what we deserve and what we don't.

[It's said very matter of factly, the simple statement of truth. It's not up to them, ruminating and wondering over it does no good, just be happy for the chance and enjoy what this world has to offer.]

Someone's already decided for you. Now eat your popcorn and enjoy the movie previews.

Edited 2018-09-03 14:53 (UTC)

[Boone thinks it's already been decided that he doesn't deserve nice things, but he just nods and tries to brighten up for Lust's sake.]

Yeah, okay.

[He reaches over for the popcorn, watching the previews for the different movies and not really looking where his hand is going.]

[Lust's glad he's quick to drop it.]

[She shouldn't be surprised. What is it about her, that these sort of men just find their way into her life? There must be something. Or someone must have made a decision, on some level beyond human comprehension.]

[And yet again, there'd been no intentions beyond friendship. There still isn't, no intentions. But Lust isn't an idiot, or lacking experience in these things any longer.]

[Not paying much attention to the previews, simply staring at them to stare at something, she mindlessly reaches for the popcorn herself.]

[He freezes when their hands touch, his fingers brushing hers before he pulls away awkwardly.]

Ah. Sorry.

[He glances at her as if gauging her reaction before taking a poffin and distracting himself by feeding it to Pointy.

He realises something then. When they'd touched hands, he'd felt a little spark of something there. It's been so long since that happened, but it's unmistakable. He's... actually attracted to her, isn't he? She's beautiful yes, but that hadn't been the deciding factor. He just really likes spending time with her. Talking to her. Travelling with her.

Goddammit. He hates this. Not just because he doesn't deserve someone like Lust, but because she's so obviously out of his league anyway. She's beautiful and intelligent, and he's... well, the opposite.]

It's fine.

[Lust's tone is dismissive. She doesn't quite look away from the screen, but her eyes flick just for a moment in Boone's direction.]

[Hmmm. This is all very...cinematic, for lack of a better comparison. She supposes she should be used to it by now - isn't this always the way? Some cliche moment, some oft-seen scenario that she simply stumbles her way into.]

[It isn't as though she hasn't noticed that Boone's a handsome, well built man. She's seen him at the beach, after all. But he's a widower, and has as many walls as Scar had. He's a damaged man, deeply so. From a violent, terrible place. And she has no history with him, no existing connection to build upon. She's not about to make a fool of herself.]

[So she simply forces her attention on the film. And doesn't carelessly reach for the popcorn any longer.]

[Perhaps the movie won't be terribly long...]

[He takes the tone to mean she thought nothing of it, and is mostly relieved. Good, they can just watch the film and hopefully it won't have to be as awkward as he thinks it might be. And then he can leave and go get terribly drunk somewhere and wish he wasn't such an idiot. That seems like a good plan.

Pointy purrs comfortingly and leans his head on Boone's shoulder, which helps. He doesn't look at Lust anymore for a while, instead feeding Pointy poffins periodically and only going for the popcorn when he's sure Lust won't. The movie is a good distraction. It's over soon enough though, and then he has to face Lust again.

Maybe he's making too much of a big deal out of it. It's probably all in his head. Lust probably doesn't even know anything is wrong. So he pats Pointy for making him feel better, and looks over at her.]

That was pretty good.

It was.

[A rather standard action movie, a bit difficult to follow in places, but overall perfectly enjoyable. And the sort of film one should see in a theater.]

[And there hadn't been another potentially awkward moment since the one. Those things happen, it was easy enough to forget about.]

Dinner? There's a nice diner with a good variety of foods, they're bound to have things you haven't tried yet.

Sure.

[The whiskey blackout will have to wait, apparently. He gets out of his seat and waits for Lust, before walking beside her to the diner. At least he doesn't feel as mortified now as he did when he first touched her hand, but there's still something heavy in the pit of his stomach.]

What are some of your favourite things that you've tried here?

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