MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Mar 9, 2022 14:05:06 GMT

it had taken her roughly a year to heavily invest toward the investigation and tracking down of her lost child. perhaps it was a wasted endeavor - and had she been her mother - she'd have merely feigned his non-existence. yet she considered herself far more kindly in spirit than the bitter matriarch of the previous generation. he belonged within her household - was deserving of his share of the inheritance - and at the bare minimum needed to be made aware that he was a joy.

so no expenses had been spared, the woman having researched the information that had gleaned on her behalf. and what she received had genuinely left her upset. his life following his father's death had been thoroughly unpleasant; and even now he was suffering in squaller. if only she had been informed - she would have claimed him - regardless of the lost of his arm and leg.

"..."

she gritted her teeth, having already filed a complaint to the appropriate government officials about the entire ordeal.

"well?"

a man in casual street clothing peered up at her through a pair of sunglasses - appearing purposefully plain.

"one block down thataway. looks like he's eating lunch. i suggest you get moving before he skedaddles."

the sturdy woman's eyes narrow and an uncomfortable silence fell.

"er - ma'am," he finishes, awkwardly.

she gave a curt nod in response, having dressed simply for this initial encounter. her preferred blouse, pants and loafers combination boasted plain colors in the form of light purples and blues. yet despite the casual exterior, there was signs of wealth that showed in the form of her jewelry and the overall quality of the clothing.

her slowking served as her companion, the pokemon's expression betraying nothing. he follows at her heel as they make their way to where the blonde-haired fellow was last seen.

now where - ah.

despite having been given a decent number of pictures, old memories resurface of his father as her gaze settles upon him. the boy looked like sire in his entirety - from his facial features down to his blonde hair. everything about him reminded her of him. it was little wonder why she hesitated, pausing briefly in her stride before approaching the boy.

'he's quite small,' she noted, slightly amused.

"arashi akiyama," she said, addressing him directly. "you're him. yes?"

there was a brief pause, her expression strange as she continues to take him in.

"you really do look just like your father."

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played by

Ven

duke

he / him / his

twenty

september 10

Enju, Johto

asexual

errand boy

civilian

108 height

what’re you lookin’ at?

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283 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @duke

POSTED ON Mar 10, 2022 2:55:21 GMT

alfons / genderless (he / him) / iron fist / heavy slam, shadow punch, phantom force, earthquake, iron defense, curse

luxu / female / corrosion / toxic, nasty plot, venoshock, flamethrower, fire lash, dragon pulse

alex louis / male / sturdy / sandstorm, stealth rock, gyro ball, rock slide, stone edge, dig

ira / male / strong jaw / rock slide, earthquake, dragon claw, stealth rock, crunch, dragon dance

aced / male / solid rock / rock slide, earthquake, lava plume, amnesia, yawn, earth power

ava / female / infiltrator / tailwind, hurricane, agility, air slash, dragon pulse, absorb

The overcoat draped on an empty chair next to him, he was pretty much enjoying his meal.

Of course he’d made sure to dispose of the evidence and consolidate all the assets into one singular wallet… and then had to set aside some extra for the storage locker he was renting out to keep the toolbox he would need whenever he had to perform repair work.

~~But then again he didn’t have a permanent place to call home, preferring to live out in the wild kind of like how Hideo Kino did.~~

Anywho…

He took another bite out of the burger he was scarfing down on, enjoying the taste of it before grabbing some fries and cramming those in as well.

The peace and quiet continued for a couple more seconds before a shadow—a towering one—caught his attention and he put the burger down.

Holy shit she was huge.

And that was more than enough for his eyebrow to twitch out of annoyance.

“Yeah, what about—?” he began, reaching for another fry before…

What?

Wait, what?

“Huh?” was all he blurted out afterward.

“…what’d you know about my dad?” he continued, looking at the towering woman with suspicion.

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played by

y o y o

she/her

thirty-nine

march thirteenth

ever grande city

heterosexual

nurse

civilian

7 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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19 posts

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TAG WITH @edith

POSTED ON Mar 10, 2022 4:24:33 GMT

"hm."

her hands settled upon her wide hips, the matriarch's disapproval communicated through her rigid gaze. the young man appeared a little underweight as well as poorly-dressed; everything about him alerting her to his current position. it was somewhat sickening that a joy would potentially suffer from poverty; especially when it was her own offspring. she felt like a failure at that moment, but kept a scowl from tugging at the corners of her plump lips.

"your father and i fancied each other for a period of time," she informed.

edith allowed herself a smug little smile.

"long enough to create you, at least."

she appeared mildly curious following her admittance of a well-hidden truth. ultimately, edith felt confident that the boy was completely unaware of his true origins. but it didn't hurt to receive a form of verbal confirmation of that fact.

"you were just born when he took you away from me. barely a few minutes old, to be exact," she began, her tone utterly neutral. "before he passed - did he tell you anything? anything at all?"

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played by

Ven

duke

he / him / his

twenty

september 10

Enju, Johto

asexual

errand boy

civilian

108 height

what’re you lookin’ at?

awards

283 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @duke

POSTED ON Mar 11, 2022 22:24:49 GMT

He continued consuming his meal in silence, waiting for her to finish speaking.

Of course, he wasn’t expecting the…

“Wh—excuse me, what?” he said, midway through another bite. The burger was forgotten, for the moment at least.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold up, lady, what’cha sayin’? My dad’s married my mom all’a way back in Enju, and she’s from Galar… how sure are ya ‘bout what you’re claimin’?” he countered.

That was as much as he knew.

And the way that smug little smirk on the woman’s features—he didn’t realize it yet, but the way it sat with him—it was definitely sending up all sorts of alarm bells at that very moment.

Right now his food was abandoned.

Was she some kind of—wait, she didn’t look the part of a crazy, the way she was dressed…

“Don’t tell me you’re one of them, those guys? Y’know…” he dropped off, looking around before hissing the last part.

“You’re part’a Rocket?”

There was no way in hell he was going back. They’d have to drag him back kicking, screaming if he had to go out with a fight. Because—

Hell.

Naw!

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played by

y o y o

she/her

thirty-nine

march thirteenth

ever grande city

heterosexual

nurse

civilian

7 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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19 posts

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TAG WITH @edith

POSTED ON Mar 12, 2022 10:06:35 GMT

she winced at his manner of speaking, his pronunciation jumbled together in a metaphorical heap as he addressed her.

"i am a joy," she stated, clearly and concisely. "not a rocket. i'm no modern day recalcitrant, boy."

the woman stifled a weary sigh, reminding herself that the child was merely ignorant. his father had promised silence - and he had kept that promise even after his passing.

'a good man. a pity he's lost to us now. he'd have made for an excellent husband if my mother had been more open-minded.'

"let me show you something."

she reached into her large purse, a small album stored within. from that album she pulled out a few old pictures, offering them to the youth for further examination.

"this is your father and i in our early twenties."

each image depicted a younger version of the pair in various poses before the camera - enjoying a dinner or smushing their faces together in a ridiculous and overly affectionate pose - or interlocked in an embrace as they grinned. even in the images she appeared to dwarf the man by a solid foot, the tall woman even lifting him off his feet in one picture.

"we knew each other for three years before - "

she gestured toward her son.

" - you came into the picture."

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played by

Ven

duke

he / him / his

twenty

september 10

Enju, Johto

asexual

errand boy

civilian

108 height

what’re you lookin’ at?

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283 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @duke

POSTED ON Apr 5, 2022 14:10:44 GMT

Unfortunately, there were pictures that supported the claim—

Holy fucking shit, that really was him.

His ol’ man. The oyaji, in the flesh, but… not with the person he knew was his mother!

“Holy fucking shit,” were the next words that escaped him. Because those were the words that fit the entire… premise of what he was seeing. Damn, what the fresh hell?

Unfortunately, the thing is, his entire family was dead so he would never be able to get the other side of the story now. There was something that bothered him, though.

“Why’d he leave you, then?”

There was no way he was going to be able to ask the ol’ man now, so might as well go for the second-closest source of information, right? That was how things usually went, right?

Unless he was wrong…

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played by

y o y o

she/her

thirty-nine

march thirteenth

ever grande city

heterosexual

nurse

civilian

7 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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19 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @edith

POSTED ON May 12, 2022 7:00:20 GMT

she scoffed, the woman peering down her nose at her scrawny and straw-haired progeny.

"i was the one who made the decision to part ways with both you and your father. i had... responsibilities that i needed to attend to."

she gave a small and almost careless shrug, faded memories flashing within the confines of her skull. the decisions she had made in her youth had long-lasting consequences; and arashi just happened to be one of them.

"your father convinced me to have you. and i did. but after fulfilling that responsibility i granted him full custody. you were never meant to know i existed. but your sire failed to ensure you were taken care of post-mortem. and as a result of his carelessness, it is my duty as your mother to see that you are taken care of."

the woman extended the offer with a steady tone, no amount of affection for her son reflected within her gaze.

"money in the form of a monthly allowance. a fully-furnished apartment. i'll even cover your tuition, if you want to continue with your schooling."

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played by

Ven

duke

he / him / his

twenty

september 10

Enju, Johto

asexual

errand boy

civilian

108 height

what’re you lookin’ at?

awards

283 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @duke

POSTED ON Jun 8, 2022 20:21:19 GMT

The only thing he could do at this point was—stare.

And blink.

Thankfully he hadn’t taken a bite of the burger that he still held, and made sure to put it down, otherwise he’d have literally dropped it to the ground (and lost his last meal for a while).

And then, several things suddenly started happening all at once.

“Wait, wait, hold up a second—you’re—what?” he blinked, unable to believe what he’d heard.

This—this was a lot of information to take in, all too quickly.

“I—have you seen—” he continued to stammer, before pulling off the glove on his right hand and realizing that the entire thing wasn’t going to be seen so he shrugged off the overcoat just so she could see just how much of a wreck he’d become.

“I’m pretty sure you missed this,” he added quietly, revealing the entire length of his right arm to be a full prosthetic. “And that’s not all.”

He then raised part of his jeans, showing that at least the bottom half of his left leg was also a prosthetic—and it wasn’t the kind that was easily removable.

“I don’t know if you have the full details, but the ol’ man died in a fire back home in Enju—I couldn’t do a thing to save ‘im.”

And that still bothers me up to this day, he added to himself in the back of his mind.

“And… do you know how much… trouble I’ve gotten myself into? After that?”

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played by

y o y o

she/her

thirty-nine

march thirteenth

ever grande city

heterosexual

nurse

civilian

7 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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19 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @edith

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2022 8:04:40 GMT

Johanna Joy likes this

she was silent for a moment, peering down at the child she had decided not to keep. while she had been told of his extensive injuries, the woman couldn't help but gaze upon the ruined flesh that had been replaced by shining metal. edith didn't shy away from it - having seen comparatively worse - her position remaining steadfast.

'you were entirely whole when i had you.'

vague memories of a healthy baby boy whom boasted straw-colored hair came to mind. and now -

"i'm aware of your proclivities, child."

a small smile tugged at the corners of her painted lips as Johanna Joy comes to mind.

"it seems my offspring are fond of getting themselves into trouble. you remind me of my daughter - of your sister."

the grin vanishes, replaced with an outwardly neutral look as she speaks.

"your injuries nor your behavior changes the fact that you belong to me. your father is dead; but i am not. if you were a child - you'd have little choice in this matter. but you're a man now and you've every right to reject my offer."

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played by

Ven

duke

he / him / his

twenty

september 10

Enju, Johto

asexual

errand boy

civilian

108 height

what’re you lookin’ at?

awards

283 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @duke

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2022 14:12:29 GMT

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait a second, hold the hell up—

“Sister? What do you mean—I have… more siblings?!”

He gaped at the proclamation, his jaw silently falling open in shock and surprise. He blinked for a few more moments at the new information. Boy, this was going to take some time to digest properly.

(Little did he know that he would be meeting Johanna Joy in the future himself.)

“Before… before I get ahead of myself,” he remarked with a hint of hesitance in his tone, “…just how many more siblings do I have, and… and am I the youngest? The oldest? The middle child?”

His mind was literally going a thousand miles an hour, because not only was the promise of security right there, the fact that he had an actual blood family…

Well, damn.

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played by

y o y o

she/her

thirty-nine

march thirteenth

ever grande city

heterosexual

nurse

civilian

7 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

19 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @edith

POSTED ON Aug 24, 2022 21:42:17 GMT

"you were my second," she answered, simply.

the youth appeared to be at a lost; confronted by a family he didn't know existed. she sympathized with his plight, ultimately aware that she was partially at fault for his unfortunate upbringing.

'he wears his hair just like his eldest sibling,' she thought, fondly.

"you don't have to answer now, boy. there's no time limit. all i ask is that you come to me when you're ready to join us. i have a lovely estate. and i have a room and gifts prepared just for you. the door will always remain open."

she blinked and suddenly saw the child's father. he was such a handsome man - and gone far too soon.