#cosmikpower

The small town of Novac was friendly enough, he was able to stop for about a night and no one gave him so much as a passing glance. In the morning he bought some rounds for his hunting rifle and a couple cans of food and just like that he was off. With a chuckle he waved to the Dinky the Dinosaur statue, there was always a sniper up there to keep the townsfolk from trouble. After one last mental checklist Green began the trek to El Dorado Gas and Service.

He took a swig of water from his lucky canteen as he scanned the landscape, there wasn’t much to watch out for; just a handful of mutated Ratatas and some Radscorps wondered around. They wouldn’t give too much trouble, after all they only bothered you if you bothered them and as far as Green was concerned he had no business with disturbing the peace. However, he heard many tales of raiders and thieves using the El Dorado Gas and Service station as a place to ambush travelers and traders. As much as he wanted to avoid killing, he was sure that tonight would end with someone’s blood on his hands.

A girl was on her knees and her hands were above her head, she was a pretty treasure surrounded by some ugly ass Raiders and boy, did she look pissed. One of the raiders had a mean look on his face, and Green was sure that he saw him lick his chops. It wasn’t in his job description but Green’d be damned if he didn’t do something to help the poor girl out, besides, killing raiders was just civic duty! With the experience that only the wasteland could give you, Green carefully hid behind a rock and pulled up his rifle. With careful precision he squinted and with the squeeze of a trigger the man’s head was replaced by a fine spray of red mist. The remaining two raiders quickly ducked their heads and looked in Green’s direction, he gave them a friendly wave and the cheekiest smile he could muster.

 Angry and drugged up, one of them raised their rifle but the captured girl was quick to act, she pulled out a machete and gave one of them a new breathing hole before grabbing his gun and ending the life of the rifleman. Once they were dispatched Green sauntered over to the girl, she seemed to be annoyed by his presence but he wasn’t fazed. You don’t get that far being scared by people in the wasteland. He shot her a coy smile and offered her some friendly words.

“Well… aren’t you an atomic bomb baby? Lucky I came around when I did otherwise you’d be another statistic!” He wiped his hand against his shirt and stuck it towards the girl. “Your savior’s name is Green, what’s your name little missy?”

It was just past noon, and Black was scrambling to get in a few battles before his match with Clemont. Really, he could have gone for any opponent, no matter how strong. 

He sat on one of the benches by the fountain, watching people as they past. Surely someone here would be able to give him a challenge.

Preschooler? No. Bug Maniac? Nada.

Black noticed a girl across the fountain, sitting on a bench with what appeared to be a pink Pokemon of some sort. His view of her was obscured by the water, but he could make out the beautiful features of her face.

Black immediately ran around the fountain to greet her.

Lumiose City was absolutely massive by any standards, but Ren, who had grown up in a tiny town where you were on a first-name basis with every neighbor, had been overwhelmed. He’d been living in the city for a month now, and he didn’t feel any closer to learning his way around. He still got lost on the way back to his apartment more times than he’d like to admit. Ren had tried to take a taxi back once, but he wasn’t about to make that mistake again. When the driver had told him the price, he’d been so flabbergasted that the driver had actually laughed. The memory alone was enough to bring with it a swell of embarrassment, though he’d tried to laugh along at the time, of course.

But then...the city was beautiful, especially at night, with all those lights. That much Ren could admit, even when he was hopelessly lost.

When Ren went back into the dining room to collect the next set of plates for the washing machine, he was relieved to see that they were the last. The couple that had been sitting there, chatting happily and holding hands over their dessert, was now hovering by the door, saying their last goodbyes to the maître d’. By the time he wiped down the table and carried the plates back into the kitchen, the last customers were gone and the owner was turning off the ambient music and getting out his keys.

Once Ren had finished the last of his work, he said his goodbyes to the kitchen staff and grabbed his things from the back room. He pulled out the map that he had bought this morning and stopped to examine it by the back door. Absently, he undid the bowtie and the top few buttons on his uniform as he read.

Ren had bought the map from one of the hundreds of stands catering to tourists that morning, determined not to risk getting lost any longer. The city’s wheel-spoke streets and criss-crossing alleyways made a little more sense when seen from above, but not much. The restaurant, famous as it was, was marked plainly on the map. The neighborhood where Ren lived, undesirable and uninteresting as it was, was decidedly not. Ren frowned down at the map, scanning for a familiar street name and willing himself not to get frustrated too easily.

Movement at the edge of Ren’s vision drew his attention upward. He glanced up, and saw a girl walking by...one of the waitresses, he thought. He’d seen her working around here nearly every night. Her name is...Lucille? They hadn’t talked much. 

Ren gave her a small wave. “Good night,” he said.

He really, really wants to believe it. And in his best moments, he probably does, though he’d be too embarrassed to articulate it even to himself. But when he’s feeling bad, and afraid, and hating himself, it becomes harder and harder to convince himself.

☆ : Would they ever wish upon a falling star? If so, what would they wish?

Probably not seriously. He’s a little too much of a stick in the mud to do that. He might think something in passing if he ever saw one, like “I hope everything goes well.”

☁ : Describe how they would spend a stormy, overcast/rainy day.