MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Feb 26, 2019 0:50:47 GMT

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Rejection Hurts with Thomas Benoit

Ever since Leonardo set foot in Rustboro a couple hours earlier, he's been feeling something odd. When he crosses a certain street or passes by a certain establishment, he has a distinct feeling he can't quite pinpoint. At first he thought it was déjà vu; after all, having grown up in Rustboro and lived in the city until recently, familiar streets and faces are bound to bring old memories back.

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What he feels isn't just that though. He feels as if... as if he's being followed.

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Who could possibly want something with him, he doesn't know. Why is an even harder question to answer. Whatever the reasons though, he's starting to get really annoyed.

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The young man had been meaning to return to the hotel he'd booked with his girlfriend just after his meeting finished, over twenty minutes ago. However, knowing he was being followed, he couldn't simply lead a potential threat to where she stayed. He couldn't tell her he was being followed, either, lest she do something reckless.

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So he does what any other man being followed would do: tries to shake the unwanted presence off by taking them through a wild goose chase.

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His trip takes him to the city's downtown area, where bars and discos abound. It is near one such place that Leo, in his distraction, collides against someone else.

"Sorry,"

he offers, extending a hand to help the other figure steady themselves.

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Tagger

Arbok Nine

he/him/his

October 31

Shalour City, Kalos

Heterosexual

Ranch Owner

Ex-Elite 4

6'04" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Feb 27, 2019 23:59:23 GMT

Thomas didn't know what possessed him to visit the disco tonight. Perhaps in his grieving, his drunken state brought him there, or perhaps just any sort of distraction. Before he knew it, people watching turned into participation, and he found himself having a better time than he expected. Maybe he had one too many drinks for his own good at that point.

But whatever the case, not too long after stumbling his way out of the disco, he would bump into someone. Normally, the larger man would've had no problems maintaining his balance. But in the tipsy state he was in, he felt himself lose his balance, until the man in front of him extended a hand to him. Thankfully for the man, Thomas was a happy drunk, rather than an angry drunk.

"Nah, I'm the one who should be sorry, man!", Thomas told the stranger. "You-you don't look like you're here to party. So what brings you to this part of town?", Thomas would ask the stranger.

tags: @leonardo
notes: Greetings!

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POSTED ON Feb 28, 2019 13:44:15 GMT

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Rejection Hurts with Thomas Benoit

Leonardo expected many things. No words and an annoyed stare would have been his first choice. An angry string of curses would likely take second place. A simple sorry back. A sneer. In most of those scenarios, he could walk away quickly and quietly, which fit his needs perfectly. The cheer with which the man greeted him was not among them.

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Faces turn, their interest piqued for a fleeting moment before they return to their own business.

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At first he considers leaving the drunk man right there. Come morning, the man would probably not even remember him or their encounter. However, the fact they've already attracted a bit of attention gives him a new idea.

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Whoever was tailing him, Leonardo reasons that they were much less likely to keep following if he wasn't alone.

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"Ah, you caught me."

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Leonardo smiles and raises his arms dramatically, in a way rather unlike himself, if only to seem friendlier.

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"I was actually looking for a place to crash for the night. Seems I lost my way, eh? Should have let my travel agent book a place for me. You don't happen to know somewhere less lively to stay, do you?"

[break][break]

Though he thinks his cover is good, Leonardo wonders if he shouldn't tell the man what really was going on. Maybe he'd get to do that if they got the chance to talk somewhere less public. For now, he'd have to live with the lie.

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine

he/him/his

October 31

Shalour City, Kalos

Heterosexual

Ranch Owner

Ex-Elite 4

6'04" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @thomasbenoit

POSTED ON Mar 1, 2019 1:20:48 GMT

Thomas studied the man as he explained his situation to him. Even in his buzzed state, Thomas could tell that there was something off about the situation. But for the time being, he'd have to play along. After all, in the event that the man were there to cause trouble, Thomas could most likely handle himself, as long as he kept his eye on him. Thomas knew he was playing with fire by going along with this, but tonight, he was feeling dangerous.

"I don't know about quiet, 'specially 'round this time a'year, but the hotel districts 're quite a bit a ways away. Which one ya lookin' for, high end or low end?", Thomas would ask the man.

Whatever he told the buzzed Kalosian, Thomas would prompt him towards the appropriate direction. The path he would take would be a quiet one, where less people would be in the area, but where cameras were still posted, so that if the man caused trouble, and managed to get him, that at least the city cameras would catch the act. In any case, the man would notice that despite his buzzed state, Thomas' movements were surprisingly careful, as if he was expecting some sort of trouble, whether it would be from him, or from someone else.

tags: @leonardo
notes: Movin' out!

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POSTED ON Mar 1, 2019 1:55:56 GMT

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Rejection Hurts with Thomas Benoit

A trick question. Whether the man means it or not, he puts Leonardo in a concerning position. To opt for a more expensive lodging and risk giving whoever was following a hint that he was rich or to end up in a possibly more dangerous area... He makes his mind.

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"How about one in the middle? My boss may have sent me here on his behalf, but I'm far from loaded and I doubt Accounting will pass a high-end hotel as travel allowances,"

he answers with a nervous laugh that hides both his lie and the whole stalker situation.

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They begin their walk, and Leonardo is surprised by how well the man manages to stay on foot despite the heavy smell of alcohol wafting in the air. Regardless, he stays attentive. Every few minutes he looks around, acting like he's taking in the sight when in reality he's trying to see the shadow following them.

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He can't see them, but the feeling of being followed remains.

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"Thanks man, you really saved me back there."

He smiles and despite the reason being a façade, he means it. Perhaps to distract him or to distract the stalker, he continues with the small talk.

"You been long in Hoenn by the way? You've a bit of an accent."

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It's not too noticeable, perhaps only slipping because of the booze, but as someone who's lived in Hoenn virtually all his life Leonardo can tell the man's not from around the city.

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine

he/him/his

October 31

Shalour City, Kalos

Heterosexual

Ranch Owner

Ex-Elite 4

6'04" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @thomasbenoit

POSTED ON Mar 9, 2019 16:24:37 GMT

As he asked about a hotel in the middle of the two he mentioned, Thomas frowned a bit. "I can take you to the area such places are situated in, but I can't promise a vacancy. 'Round this time a'year, people 're floodin' into such places, 'specially the hotels that are in the middle ground.", Thomas would warn the dark-haired man.

As the two were walking, Thomas would take notice to how the man seemed to be watching his back as well. Though it looked like he was taking in the sights, something seemed off about it. Perhaps it was Thomas' own paranoia talking, but he had to question the man's motives in all this. "Just doin' my job, you could say.", he'd tell the man. "Yeah, I'm from Kalos, actually. Transferred here a few months ago.", Thomas would tell the man. "I take it you're a native Hoennian, then?", Thomas would inquire.

It was then that Thomas heard a thud behind them. The Kalosian turned to see someone trying to pick themselves up off the ground hurriedly. Thomas would then quickly produce a small flashlight from his jacket, turning it on and shining the light on this person. Instinctively, they would shield their face from the beam of light. The person in question was a female, petite and on the short side. "Friend of yours?", he'd ask the dark-haired man.

tags: @leonardo
notes: Hello there!

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POSTED ON Mar 10, 2019 15:54:59 GMT

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Rejection Hurts with Thomas Benoit

Doing his job? Transferred? It seems Leonardo somehow dragged a local authority into his problem. He wonders if lying to him counts as a crime, even though it was all for self-defense. He just hopes he won't hold it against him when he finally gets to reveal the secret.

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"Born in Kanto, actually, but I've been living in Hoenn virtually all my life. Moved when I was literally a baby, so I guess we could almost say I'm a native."

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Perhaps lured in by her target revealing a bit of information about himself, the shadow that had been following him all this time reveals herself.

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Leonardo turns just as the flashlight sheds its light on the girl's covered face. Hard to say he can recognize her like this, but the clumsy reveal added up to her seemingly inoffensive looks makes him sigh. Maybe in relief, maybe in disappointment. How anticlimactic.

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"Don't think..."

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He's cut off before he can finish his sentence. "Leo! It's you, isn't it?"

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Well, she knows his name, all right.

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"Oh, I knew it! I knew you'd return. We've been waiting for this moment for years!"

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Okay, what? Who is this we? And why have they been waiting for years?

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As if summoned by his thoughts, a granbull materializes from the shadows behind her. She moves her hands away from the light, uncovering the face of Penny... something. A girl he definitely knew from high school, even if her full name eluded him.

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"Hey, Penny. Long time no see--Officer, this is Penny. We went to high school together--Listen, Penny, the officer and I were just looking for a place for me to stay the night-"

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She cuts in again. "Sure, you can stay at mine."

[break][break]

"That'd be troublesome. My girlfriend wouldn't like it."

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She doesn't look too pleased with his answer.

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Her pokémon doesn't initially look all that menacing, but it does stare intently at them in a rather creepy way.

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Leonardo turns to the man, unwittingly involved in a big hot mess of teenage hormones with maybe a sprinkle of psychopathic tendencies.

"Any ideas, officer?"

No normal person would be following their school crush around in the dead of night.

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine

he/him/his

October 31

Shalour City, Kalos

Heterosexual

Ranch Owner

Ex-Elite 4

6'04" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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2,794 posts

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TAG WITH @thomasbenoit

POSTED ON Mar 21, 2019 20:26:26 GMT

"I see. Sucks about Kanto.", Thomas would remark to the man upon hearing his background. Before he could continue the conversation with the man, the woman would alert their attention with her clumsiness.

As Thomas watched the situation play out, he managed to get a picture of what was going on. It seemed that the girl was tailing an old crush of hers. Creepy in of itself, especially when she rushes to offer him a place to stay. Her face when he reveals that he was taken put the Agent on alert. The Granbull's face would also serve to put Thomas on edge, causing him to subtly reach for a Pokeball on his belt. Despite his inebriated state, the trainer's movement is trained and careful.

"Listen, Penny, you said it'd been years since you two last saw one another, right?", Thomas would try to ask Penny.

"... If I can't have you, nobody can!", the woman called out coldly. The Granbull would charge towards Leo, intent on taking the man out. Thomas would quickly spring into action, sending out his Scizor to intervene. The large metallic bug would take the Crunch intended for the dark-haired man, grunting in pain, before swinging at the bipedal canine with a brutal Bullet Punch to the head.

Thomas would then take out a Pokeball containing Voltanis the Vikavolt. "String Shot!", Thomas quickly called out, pointing to the Granbull. The flying beetle would immediately fire off a thick strand of silk at the Granbull, intent on webbing it up before it could potentially do more harm.

tags: @leonardo
notes: Well, that escalated quickly.

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POSTED ON Mar 22, 2019 0:35:28 GMT

Rhian McArthur likes this

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Rejection Hurts with Thomas Benoit

He's actually taken aback by the girl's outburst. Leonardo doesn't remember Penny being so aggressive back in their school years. Then again, he doesn't remember much about her to begin with. Not even her last name.

[break][break]

The granbull's attack is even more of a surprise.

[break][break]

The officer acts first. His scizor takes the attack aimed at Leonardo before striking back, and thankfully a String Shot from the vikavolt is enough to keep the granbull in place. Leonardo's hand is on his belt, ready to take one of his own pokémon out, but decides the officer's team got the aggressive pokémon under control for now.

[break][break]

It was his turn to do something about Penny.

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Leonardo's voice is stern when he speaks up. He looks at her with distaste, eyes cold and harsh like a blade.

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"Penny. You've caused us, not only me but most importantly the officer, a lot of trouble already. Why don't you go home?"

[break][break]

He's not sure which part is what does it. The coldness in his voice, the mismatch between her fantasies and what he was offering her, the realization that her crush would only see her as a lunatic from now on?

[break][break]

Leonardo could say he was curious, but that would be a lie. She'd tried to harm them, and that in itself is unacceptable behavior. Didn't even need to count everything else she'd done.

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A loud sob rings in the distance as she recalls her granbull and runs away. Leonardo immediately turns to the scizor, and then to its trainer.

[break][break]

"So sorry about that, I really didn't think she'd be following us after the bar."

Leonardo finally admits.

"To think she even attacked us..."

[break][break]

He frowns at the bite mark on the scizor.

[break][break]

"Look, this is gonna be complicated to explain. The place I'm actually staying at is only a couple blocks away. Why don't we go ask my girlfriend to treat that wound? Way closer than the nearest Pokécenter."

[break][break]

Leonardo thinks about introducing the man to Rhian McArthur and realizes he doesn't even know the name of the person who saved him just now.

[break][break]

"Name's Leonardo, by the way."

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played by

Tagger

Arbok Nine

he/him/his

October 31

Shalour City, Kalos

Heterosexual

Ranch Owner

Ex-Elite 4

6'04" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

2,794 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @thomasbenoit