that girl's tough as nails

🎨  smol power giiirls | “ behind every successful woman is herself. “ 

Clementine… That was a nice name. She would fit right in with the rest of them back home, he thought; the people of Alola valued plant-life so much, they went out of their way to name their children after all sorts of flowers and fruits. He followed her lead without any hint of his prior wariness, Null’s nails clicking softly against the icier parts of the sidewalks as they made their way towards their destination.

“It’s kind of complicated,” he said in response to her question. Based on his own observations, there were Pokémon here in the city, but without prior knowledge on where they’d come from, it would be hard to explain that they shared a common ancestor. “Null is a Pokémon. There are some of them living in the wild around here, but there’s only three Type: Null in existence. One of them is my partner here; the other is with someone I trust.” His eyes shifted downwards as he neglected to mention the third. That was a story for another time.

“… So, if you don’t mind me asking,” he continued, “what kind of world do you come from?” Most people around their age weren’t born with such discerning tastes; she must have come from somewhere interesting, where survival was a necessity.

   “Pok.. Pokemon?” 

  It took Clementine a moment of thought, processing his words into something she could understand. It didn’t seem too difficult to comprehend. “I think I get it. So... Pokemon is a species. Null just happens to be one of many.” she concluded with a slight nod. She’s sure he’d correct her if she was wrong. “Like normal animals. Except they don’t have powers. Or crazy colors and looks.” Now that she thought about it, maybe she did see them around the city before. She was just unaware to what they actually were. No wonder that cat didn’t look like a regular ‘ol cat. 

  Her gaze lowered toward the ground at the question, knowing it was something that’d come sooner or later. How would she be able to describe it? What was normal for her doesn’t translate the same as it would for Gladion. “Well it’s.. normal? Nothing special. We’re born, live, go to school and... live out our lives. Everyone has different dreams, I suppose.” Of course, that wasn’t what he meant and she was aware of that.

  “But, all of that changed when walkers started to appear.” she continued, quiet, but enough for him to hear. She gestured for him to follow toward the platform, showing that the train would arrive in merely a minute. “I don’t know how it started, but, people started to turn into weird, undead creatures. Attack anyone who wasn’t one of them for no reason other than.. to kill.”

 So she wasn’t being rude? Well, that was a relief, evidently enough so that it showed on her face as a tiny smile. The smile only grew at the other girl’s joke, though, as she gave a little snort of laughter.

 “Hoo, you’re right ‘bout that! This ol’ thing’s a Naginata… Well, sorta. S’based on one, more like.” She demonstrated by running her finger down the wooden ‘blade’. “Darned thing couldn’t cut hot butter! Y’sorta use it like a Katana, jus’ with a longer handle.” Another demonstration, this time moving both hands right up to the hilt and hiding the rest of the handle to show how similar they were.

 “T’be honest, I’d kinda prefer a bow m’self, but y’know, y’take whatcha can get in an emergency - I’ve been stuck with the thing ever since!”

  Clementine didn’t know what it was, but she couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth shift into a slight smile. The girl’s upbeat attitude was... refreshing, to say the least. It was definitely not something she ran into anymore. Decent people, sure. Happy? Friendly? Not so much.

  She watched her little demonstration of the weapon, interested in the newfound knowledge she was being given. It turns out it truly wasn’t her real weapon. Just like her dinky little bb gun. “I’m not really familiar with any of those kinds of weapons but... I’m guessing they’re kind of like swords, huh? The only thing I’ve probably seen that’s close to that is.. knives or machetes.” Maybe prop swords? Like the ones that you could buy from dollar stores or Halloween stores.

     Chain gave a lighthearted laugh. Honestly, she made it sound like she was some sort of call girl. “It’s not baiting, but I have done it once or twice otherwise. When I was with the Werewolf Bureau, they gave us a bunch of lessons on influencing.” That would be saved for an entirely different day. “You have the right mentality, but you should learn to work as a group, while still holding onto that independance. If things get bad, then you just disappear like you were never there to begin with.” It was simple in Chains mind, but she also knew that it made her very bitter and jaded. Hell, even now she almost winced at how ruthless that sounded. But if you wanted to survive out there, you needed to do what you needed to do. 

     Chain turned her head, and caught her gaze with those big purple eyes she had. “Like if we teamed up. Say I was under pressure by the police and was about to get arrested, but you had a way out, I wouldn’t hold it against you if you left.”

“That’s just how life is. People come, and people go, but in the end you have to go on alone.” You could never rely on someone unless they ran deep in your blood. Anything else left room for error and that could prove fatal.  

  “It’s not that I don’t do well in groups. I used to travel with other people. We watched each others backs.” 

  Clementine liked being with other people for the most part. It was a personal reason why she tried not to tie herself down anymore. With Chain’s words, all she heard was the word abandon. As if she didn’t already experience that enough. It was partly why she didn’t want to stick around others too often.

  Hazel eyes stared back at the woman with purple, understanding the mentality that she held. She had somewhat adopted it... to a degree. Not to that extreme, though. She picked and chose her battles. Most of the time she never ran into anyone to have that particular problem.  “What good is everything we’re gonna be doing if you’re gone? If there was a way, I won’t just flat out leave you.”

  After all, they were a team in some aspect. 

     ţhere is always a limit to what Samuel Hayden is capable of handling. Had anyone else said such a thing to him, his mood would have soured far past it’s usual point, and aggression would have taken shape in either emotional or physical wounds. The fact she seemed so… Young… The fact his first thought was not how much energy he could expend just to throw her across the street–but wondering where her parents were and why she seemed so hardened stopped him from resorting to anything even remotely violent.

      She was a child, but something about her face screamed everything but a child. Someone forced to grow up all to quickly… He could relate.

“ Contrary to what you may believe, I prefer the term automaton better, and unfortunately, between the both of us, I’m not working with the so-called scientists who have brought us here. Even if I had been offered, I would not associate or even waste my breath working with such a mediocre crew… Samuel Hayden. ”

      Slowly, he kneels–or attempts to–just to save them both the trouble of harming their necks trying to meet one another’s gaze… A hand offered out for the first time since he’d gotten here, just for her to shake.

“ I’ve never been much of a fan for small talk, but… You seem awfully young to be wandering alone in this city. Though I have reason to believe you’d tell me otherwise, wouldn’t you. ”

 Taking a quick step back at the sound of his voice, she continued to regard him with caution, despite the lack of hostility. Sure, Clementine was the one who had initiated the conversation in the first place, but that didn’t get rid of the fact she still had to be careful around him. He was a robot for crying out loud.

 Oh. Automaton. Okay, so, robot was a no-go.

 “... I’m Clementine.”

 Tentatively, her hand reached out to meet his in a handshake.. It was a strange feeling, but she gently attempted the shake- signaling that she saw him in good faith.

  “You and me both.” Her lips curled into a faint smile, amused, as he seemed to already pass that annoying point of discussing her age. He wasn’t wrong, but it was just a little surprising. Was she that easy to read? Regardless, she felt inclined to confirm his assumption.

 “You’re right. I would.” She crossed her arms over her chest, followed by a nonchalant shrug. “I’m just glad I don’t have to explain myself. It gets a little old after awhile. Although.. I’m not stupid enough to just think I can take on anyone I meet. It’s different, especially here.” A subtle way of admitting that she’s only human against the clear majority of others present in the city.

Null rumbled in greeting, the sound echoing through its metallic helmet. Normally it would offer a gesture of peace to show it meant no harm – offering its head to be patted, perhaps, or a playful nudge – but it could tell that this girl didn’t quite trust either of them, not completely, so it decided to stand as still as possible. Sudden movements could spook even the bravest of individuals, especially if they were coming from a six-foot-tall chimera.

“Dangerous plants,” Gladion echoed, more out of curiosity than disbelief. “What kind of ‘experiment’ are these people trying to run? Sounds more like free entertainment than a science project.” Still, the idea of a stroll through the park did sound nice, and he could see Null glancing at him in affirmation from the corner of his eyes. 

“… Alright,” he conceded, offering a short nod. “I’d like to spend as little time here as possible.” Normally he wasn’t the first to introduce himself in these situations, but his gut instinct was telling him that he could stand to make a valuable ally with this venture. “My name is Gladion, if you were wondering,” he stated, averting his eyes in the process in a gesture that seemed almost shy. “You don’t have to tell me your name, if you don’t want to. You seem like you have a good sense of self-preservation.”

  “Beats me. I wish I knew the answer to that question.” The man-eating plants stayed far away from her home. That’s all that mattered.

  Taking a few steps forward, she waited, making sure they would follow before continuing to lead the way to the station. Eyes peered over at the blond, her expression a little more relaxed as he introduced himself. On any other day, she would disregard formalities if she could help it, yet, her overall opinion of him wasn’t a negative one. It should be fine.

  “Clementine.” A pause. “Good to put a name to the face, Gladion.” 

  He was perceptive, just like her. She appreciated that.

  She took the time to watch him interact with his partner, noticing that they had some sort of mutual understanding. It was interesting to have some sort of creature as a friend. She’s had pets before but their relationship seemed different.

     Chain gave a wry shrug. Perhaps she wasn’t old enough, or perhaps she didn’t see the benefit, or even get the feeling. Maybe some advice was in order. “Not like that, here’s what I mean. Sometimes you see women around flaunting their charms at men to try and get them to do their bidding, and others.” She let a smile come to her face and gave a deep throaty laugh. “Well, let’s just say some drag their bate across a pond for every fish to see, when others can just make a man come to them by the crook of a finger.” Her lips spread a touch more into a smirk. There really was something so invigorating about it. Hell, it was almost like being thrusted out to the front of the pack to become the leader. “You’ll understand. Sooner or later.”

“Is that true? This city has such an intriguing mentality.” Holidays did not affect the seven days a week schedule of those below the waves; and therefore caused far less of a buzz among the employees. “And what about you, little one? I suppose you’re excited for all that candy to go on offer.”

“Sure, but most people tend to spend it with their significant other. You telling me a smoking pistol like you doesn’t have a boy dogging your heels?”