smash_logs | Don’t worry about the future.

Entry tags:

Don’t worry about the future.

Who: EV ERY ONE
What: Graduation. Prom.
When: The evening of May 31st.
Where: The Stadium.
Warnings: WHO KNOWS

It's a beautiful spring evening at Smash Academy, the barest hints of summer just beginning to touch the stadium floor, which had been rearranged into a platform overlooking neat rows of chairs meant to seat the gathered crowd of faculty and students. Towards the other end of the complex was the arrangement for the prom that was to follow. Food and drink, chairs and tables, each with a floral centerpiece, and, of course, a dance floor.

title or description

Before everyone could get their party on, however, there was the main event of the evening. From his place at the podium, Master Hand watched students and staff alike find their way into the stadium. With the recent shadow bug invasion, there seemed to be tensions in need of dispelling. If the Headmaster knew one thing, however, it was that some silly antics were not going to ruin this esteemed event. Not tonight. Not if he could help it.

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HEY DUDES! Here's how stuff is going to work. We kick off the log with GRADUATION. This part of the log will be divided into separate threads. I'll post them all at once, so feel free to hop around, mingle, post whenever, wherever.

HOWEVER, once the PROM starts, it will be up to you guys to post your own threads. Please check out last year's log if you'd like an idea of how this works. Everything after the thread titled "DISMISSAL" (I will post that in a bit, so don't post prom threads until I have that up!) will be considered prom, though don't let that stop you from continuing to post in the graduation section.

Please label all your threads appropriately! (Examples: "SHENANIGANS AT THE FOOD TABLE", "DANCE-OFF", "THE PUNCH IS SPIKED", "BOTHER X" In general, a location + what is going on in the thread is the way to go. Obviously, more than one thread can take place at the same location.   Linking back and forth when and if you thread hop is very much appreciated. If things start to look a bit laggy, we'll bump to the next page. Most importantly, TAG YOUR DUDES, HAVE FUN, and let a mod know about any problems or concerns you might have!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I think maybe he already knows? I don't think it's ever been a secret?"

Well. Except when he wasn't supposed to talk about it with Marie. But that was one very specific person for one very specific reason.

"And I wouldn't say we're on good terms. I'm just a student, the same as anyone else in his class? He doesn't give me As or anything. We have pretty different ideas about what is ethical. But he's never been mean to me either." A shrug. "I'll be careful, though, if you think I should?"

"I don't think he knows the extent."

And that was important. She knew that Cyrus valued her. And not necessarily her as a person, but rather what she could do and how that could benefit him. And the thought of him using Sonny against her was not only possible, but well within grasp.

"...He... Ah. He wanted to experiment on me. Said he had an implement for amplifying my abilities and he thought he could use them to such an extent that he could almost replicate abilities that easily compared to time and space." She shook her head. "I declined and Phoenix was there to protect me. But that man is no good, Sonny. That's why I want you to be careful."

"Experiment on you?"

Sonny's brows furrowed deeply. No, he didn't much like that idea at all. That sounded decidedly bad.

"I'll be careful. And I know your Trainer isn't here right now so if he tries anything, just tell me! I don't care if he gives me bad grades, I'll protect you from him anyway."

Red had found notes about Team Rocket experimenting on Pokémon. He knew the kinds of cruelty some people could inflict on Pokémon. Even without Red and his Team here, he'd continue their work and stand against that kind of evil.

She shook her head, "He won't do anything to me. I don't think, anyway. I haven't given him a reason to be alone with me. I wouldn't. I don't trust him. Not after the things he's done."

The academy could have forgotten what he did when he tried to form that Red Chain, or whatever it could have been. Cyrus wanted to be a god and had tried to be one, to recreate the world in his image. His dislike for emotional sentiment was so much more than words. In Voile's eyes, he was as much a threat as Eggman. He simply didn't display it so openly.

"But if something happens, I'll tell you. I promise."

"If he asks to be alone with you, tell him no. If he really needs to talk to you, I can come along. Or if I'm not there, maybe Max could do it? I don't think he'd try anything with Max there."

He'd have suggested Red or Vinnie, but neither of them were here. After his team, Max seemed like the logical place to go.

"Team Rocket used to do... experiments on Pokémon. I fought them with my team to stop that stuff. I won't let anyone start messing around with that stuff here. Especially not with you."

Sonny had no idea that Cyrus had tried and almost succeeded in ending the world once. He'd probably be more worried if he did.

"I understand."

He wasn't good at hiding the concern in his voice and she wasn't going to chide him about it. He had every right to worry. Once, Voile had considered Cyrus close and had done all she could to help him. There were plenty of things she knew about him, things he had said and done, that could have incriminated him. And in one way or another, she was still protecting him.

She wished she knew why.

Lifting her free hand into her hair, she mussed it about a bit. "Really. Nothing to worry about. I wanted you to be careful, after all."

"I'll be more careful around him. You know. Vigilant."

Voile was gentle, not a battler. And nor should she have to be if that didn't suit her. He just didn't want that to be an invitation for creepy experiments. Hopefully it would never come up again.

"Anyway! Hey, let's maybe talk about nicer things? Did you have plans for the summer?"

His hand sought whichever of hers was free. He'd left the plate on the table behind them. He'd come back to it later.

"Summer?"

She'd almost forgotten it was upon them. After a moment's consideration, she laced her fingers between his, like she had somehow lost touch with the sensation. Foreign as it pretended to be, it invoked a shudder up along her spine of the pleasant sort.

"I want to have a contest sometime during, I think. And a host club event when classes begin again for autumn, but that's sometime off. Normally people go on vacation during the summer, but since I was gone for a while already, I'll be staying around." She lifted her eyebrows at him. "What about you?"

"Oh! A contest would be really neat!" Sonny replied. "I bet people would enjoy that for the summer!"

Did he even had plans? He'd asked her without even thinking whether he had anything planned!

"No plans for me. I might try and get time off work to go to Pallet and see Red's family and the Pokémon at his house. And Professor Oak! I always like seeing all the new little Starters!"

Baby Bulbasaurs, Charmanders and Squirtles!

"But mostly I'm going to be here. I was thinking, we could do something together if you would like?"

The top set of ear-like spikes perked up when she heard him and she found herself sidling a little bit closer, as if she had a need to be subtle and inconspicuous. (Naturally this kind of behaviour was easily overlooked by Sonny. Observant, he wasn't. Not usually from Voile's own, anyway.) "You were going to see baby ones?"

Because something about that suddenly sounded really appealing. As did visiting daycare centres. Or maybe seeing baby Raltses.

"Maybe! If there's some there!" Sonny replied, his cheeks a pleased shade of pink. "It's always really nice when he's getting ready to give a bunch of new trainers their licenses! The little ones are really cute!"

All little and level five and stuff. Awww. Level five! He barely remembered being level five.

"Do you like little ones?" he asked, wondering. It wasn't anything they had ever really chatted about, after all. Well, except when Max had drunkenly assessed that their children would be beautiful. Like. Two years ago or so.

They sounded cute. Voile remembered her childhood and remembered mostly her siblings being older than her. And her parents. She remembered them just barely, too. She was pretty sure Alcin was older than her, or maybe they were the same age. The number had never really mattered much. There was a difference between 'baby' and 'adult' and that seemed to be the clear cut of it.

"I..." His question caught her so off guard that she at once reddened. Not that she shouldn't have seen it coming, because she should have. "Well... Yes. I mean, of course I do. I-I mean, not that it should be obvious. I... ah... I mean, they're very cute and I think about that sometimes."

She paused, "Th-that they're cute! Not about little ones!" And she paused again, "I mean I do think about little ones... from... time to time..."

He giggled. He couldn't help it. She was so adorably flustered! He gently squeezed her hand and smiled.

"I like kids. Human kids, Pokémon kids. All kids are nice. Seeing all the little starters is really fun, because you know they have a great life ahead of them and they are going to go on a huge adventure soon. You feel excited for them!"

In some ways, he envied them. Red's Pokémon adventure wasn't over by any means. He was sure, one day, the red hatted Trainer might want to take on other regions and other Gyms and other Leagues. Whether Sonny would be with him was another story.

"I've thought about little ones before. I think I'd like them. I mean, some day!" he rushed to clarify. "Some day! Not necessarily any time soon! But eventually."

He really was just as endearing when he was trying to make himself clear. As she eyed him for a good period of time, she took what he had to say seriously. And she agreed for the most part. If a trainer was a good person, the pokemon could turn out to be a really great pokemon. Of course there would be some not-so-good, too, but that was just the way things sometimes went.

"Vicarious enthusiasm," she observed with a small smile. "I think little ones would be a fine idea." There was a slow nod, followed by a quicker one. As if she had to confirm it with herself first. "Someday, indeed. When I start thinking like that, it makes me remember how long you and I have known each other, and how long I have been at this academy. It has been a very... long time. Sometimes it feels like an infinite amount of time."

Sonny, of course, thought ALL trainers were good people unless they proved otherwise. It didn't occur to him that all these new starters, filled with joy and endless potential, might be going to poor candidate choices.

"We really have known each other a long time." he replied with a nod and a grin. It had been a year longer for her, but who was counting? "You've been at the school longer than I have. But in some ways, it feels like... I don't know. Like since coming here, so much has changed I barely even recognize who I was before starting school. Being able to become a Human and doing Human things. I guess it's a little different for you? Gardevoir are a little more Human-ly than Snorlaxes."

What with their width and height fitting through normal doors and their hands not being tipped with huge claws and not needing to eat 900lbs of food to feel full.

When he said it like that, it made her wonder how well she'd taken the change. She still took to Gardevoir form when she was often alone, when she had no need for writing or reading or speaking. And sometimes those moments were the best moments, but with humanisation came a kind of closeness and sensation she couldn't have gotten otherwise.

Holding hands, touching another person's face, kissing, all of those things were special. She wanted to say she felt them more because in a realistic world, she couldn't indulge in something like that much, if at all.

"There are some differences," she began as she looked at her hands with a great deal of thought. "Some, but not a lot. You're probably right, though. The change for me was not as drastic."

Sonny just smiled, looking down at their hands, still entwined. He couldn't help thinking how different their hands looked. Her hands were so dainty and elegant looking compared to his big, sausage fingers and blue dusting of hair.

"Definitely, my life changed a lot when I met you."

If she wondered whether he meant for better or for worse, his smile might have given her a clue.

She followed his gaze and in her opinion, it wasn't difficult to see what he was looking at. And it was even less difficult to begin comparing them herself. She was more than a little dainty beside him. Always had been. Sometimes dangerously thin. Almost always undeniably fragile and easily broken. It wasn't going to take much force to likely shatter her insides. And that was meant physically. She never advertised it, but the lack of physical strength and defence resulted in empathic powers beyond the ability of most.

She still had never met anyone who could compare. Next to Sonny, he was strong and secure. Confident most of the time. Ambitious. In some ways similar, but physically he was the sun and she was the moon.

"You think so? I think your life would have been much the same. Think of it like a concert. You're the main attraction, right? I'm more like the cameo appearance. And sometimes we have duets. I don't think it's such a huge deal."

"Nuh-uh!"

Said with a degree of surprise and an earnestness that almost surprised him. It was an instinctive reaction, nearly. Did she really think in those terms?

"You're not just a cameo! At least, I don't feel that way! Since you've been on the stage with me, all I want to sing is duets. Songs written for two, you know? If anything, I'd be happy to be a cameo in your concert. Playing backup. You're... you know. Special. Wonderful. It's... I just think you're really great."

It was rare for him to speak metaphorically or with any degree of symbolism. And whenever he did draw an analogy, it was generally food based. ('It's like you're the pepperoni and I'm the cheese and you need both to make a really good pizza!') Maybe his recent exposure to the playing of an instrument really HAD broadened his horizons a little? He couldn't say. He just picked up her metaphor and ran with it. A little clumsily, but that wasn't so strange for him. Most things he did had a degree of clumsiness to them.

The speed at which he disagreed surprised her. And it didn't stop there either. What he said held more weight than she really knew what to do with. How long had he thought of her in such a way? When he spoke like that, it always struck her heart because she never just experienced her own feelings. She experienced his, too. Romantic inclination had a way of paving the road for some rather... blatant sentiments.

"I would never want anyone to be backup to me," Voile admitted.

Mostly because she didn't like being the centre of attention. Especially not when many other people were involved. The contests in Lilycove were sometimes overwhelming. The contest she had in FDC were equally so. Host club events were, as well. Voile was practically made for the stage and she knew that. She had stage presence and she was aware she possessed an odd kind of charm that drew even the most sulkiest of people to her.

"I'm not sure what to say," she continued a little shyly. "When you talk like that, it isn't as if you just 'love' me. Makes it sound like you've fallen in love with me." Because yes, there was a distinct difference and no one probably understood that more than the local empath.

"D... don't you know?" He asked quietly. "Of course I have."

He'd fallen in love with her a long time ago. He knew things had changed between them, but at least one thing hadn't. He loved her just as much now as he ever had, and the manner in which he loved her hadn't changed at all. He didn't love her like a sister. Nor did he love her, precisely, as a very dear friend. He loved her in that way too, and if it were to be destined so, he could be happy with just that. But there was something more to the way he felt about her and it just.... hadn't gone anywhere and he didn't see it disappearing any time soon.

But maybe he shouldn't have admitted that aloud. Maybe he should have left it unsaid and just carried on with their evening and allowed things to remain as they had been. Close and comfortable and fun and without expectation. He'd told Kiyotaka that he'd be more direct about things but there was always that nagging voice in the back of his head telling him to tread carefully and think ahead and be mindful of other's feelings before his own.

Of course he had. He made it sound like it was obvious. She probably should have known it personally. And to a degree, something inside of her had. It made her reassess her own feelings, of course. She was, ever consistently thinking about how she felt regarding other people. Her own relation to them, what she wanted of them, and what they ultimately wanted of her.

Sonny was kind and generous, and was certainly something of a 'first love,' if one didn't count how badly Voile had wanted (and tried) to save Cyrus. That was certainly a frantic love of some kind and she couldn't find it in herself to deny it. She wanted to rescue him. And she was almost willing to sacrifice herself to do so, and at one point in time, she had no issues with laying her life down before him. And that was just what he wanted.

Sonny, on the other hand, had never really asked her for anything in return. Didn't even ask her to love him. It would have been odd to have someone make that sort of request, however, and she knew it. Loving Sonny had come naturally and while she'd had an inkling of it before, significantly it displayed itself once he had left. That saying of people never really knowing what they had until they'd lost it was an apparent one.

"I'm not... sure I knew," Voile stumbled along mostly stupidly. "Maybe a part of me did. I'm not sure I really ever allowed myself to think too much of it. Maybe because I didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable position to say something you might not have been ready to say. Sounds like I don't really know you at all, though."

"I've always been ready to say it." Sonny clarified, squeezing her hand again. "But I wasn't always sure you were ready to hear it. So, I keep it to myself mostly and I just figured, probably a day might come where I could be more direct about things."

He shrugged. Between disappearing for a year, and then stuff with Marie... well. He'd done a pretty good job of putting his thoughts and feelings on the back burner in favor of being there for his Brother and the girl he loved - the girl THEY loved. Having a job and learning an instrument and concentrating on classes and lifting and learning how to cook and keeping out of situations where he allowed himself to think about it too much helped.

Maybe he didn't have to be that way any more. What had Kiyotaka said? 'Let there be no confusion!'

"I love you just the same as I have since... well. Years ago. And if you didn't know that, it's my fault. I'm not really direct about it. I worry about things and I second guess stuff and I probably think too hard and talk myself out of speaking more openly? But there it is. That's the truth. I am very much in love with you and it hasn't changed."

She could understand what he meant. He didn't even have to say it, because she was thinking of Marie, too. Before Sonny had left, Voile had just come to terms with how serious her feelings were for him. It was part of the reason she had been so affected by his departure. That, and the idea that she hadn't uttered a word to him about sentiments.

He'd come back and suddenly there was someone in his place, and Voile had vowed not to have a repeat. So when she had grown to love Marie, she made sure the Wartortle knew it. And sure enough, not too long after that, Marie had left too, but at least he left knowing Voile loved him, despite his treatment of her. And she still loved him in that moment where she was standing with Sonny. Not in the way she loved the Snorlax, but it was a definite affection that she couldn't deny.

And for once, she was glad he wasn't there. Yet in another, she had to admit that she wanted to see him again.

Voile shook her head. "You never have to say anything you aren't certain about and I'll never want to put you in a position to do that. I assume that before this moment, you didn't speak up for your own reasons and that's fine. There's nothing wrong with thinking about how you feel or how to have a conversation involving something in-depth and somewhat complicated. I imagine I second-guess myself all the time."

"It's funny, though. Isn't it?" he asked, smile becoming a little sheepish. "I sometimes wonder how much time I waste, worrying about whether I should say things. I mean, really, because I have to eat and sleep so much just to be healthy? I have less time than most people. Probably, I should be wiser about how I spend it."

Don’t worry about the future.

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