spit your venom [c;red]

[LEAF]

No matter how many times Leaf did them, public demonstrations were always a thrill. Nothing could rival the way her blood rushed in front of a crowd, screaming out her stories and her struggles. No battle, no friendship, no other event. The feelings of both validation and power made her feel almost euphoric. It was for that reason that she always hated getting off the podium. That her speeches were always a bit longer than they were meant to, and why her staff was always tapping watches and urging her down by the end. This was true nowhere more than Cerulean. The beautiful city was so strongly Boure that it seemed all of her words got an enthusiastic cheer. That day she had given the story of her struggles in Saffron. The way the grunts in the streets targeted the weak, and the way that the city's police more or less ran from the threat of them. The way she, just a child, had to do the job of both government and league while Sabrina sat shut away in her gym. Of the times she'd lost pokemon, of the way that she'd had to fight for her life on occasion. And most importantly, the way the league ignored the danger she'd faced daily. "The league is not only too scared to face the threats staring it in the face, but they constantly take part in massive cover up operations once someone else fixes their problems! They put more energy into hiding their mistakes than fixing their problems, and it shows everywhere! If you need more proof than what I've given you simply look at Kalos when the war started, remember how little we heard!" As always Leaf's voice was fiery and passionate. Her whole body seemed to move with her words, her face tightening into expressions of rage and frustration. It was about now that she caught sight of one of her staff enthusiastically gesturing to her to get down. They'd run over again. "I leave you with this. You are a proud city with strong ideals. A powerful sense of right and wrong that has lead you to help in the fight against the corrupt power that is our "league". Remember this when people accuse us of being warmongering rebels, and especially when people try to convince us we are more harmful than the beast we face. Remember the children who fought and the good people that have died cleaning up the league's messes, and stay strong!" With that she left her stand, to the oh-so-loved sound of cheers at her back. She'd done well. It made her heart soar the way the people responded to her. She'd just come so far. But, now the speech was done and there were other matters than needed to be attended. Most notably the hunger that had been building throughout the day and now grumbled unhappily within Leaf's stomach. "I'm going to the cafe, I'll meet you guys after lunch. Good job today!" She praised the staff that had tended to her that day. A mix of security and time management, neither of which Leaf felt she needed too much help in, but this was war. Things could happen out of nowhere, and she was happy to have them at hand. Still, she'd rather have a solitary lunch, and despite a bit of reluctance they let her start walking towards the cafe on her own. RED

LAIKA OF GAGNAM STYLE

[RED]

NOTES
omg, sorry for taking a week. things got busy ;-;

There is a churning in his gut, the sort that makes itself known no matter how much you try to avoid it. It starts out small, like a tinkling in his stomach, as if trying to tell him that something is truly wrong. But he ignores it, favoring this chance to be one to listen to what she has to say. There is a guilty part of him, upon seeing Leaf again after such a long time, that chides him for not trying hard enough. To suddenly fall out of contact with one of his oldest friends, a crime he committed ignorantly, felt like a nagging thought in his mind. He tries, and fails, to remember what it was that he and Leaf had a conversation about, but nothing came to mind, not since they'd rushed out of Pallet. Even back then, it was mostly him and Blue that communicated regularly, and it was with some shame that he remembered that he never looked back to see what Leaf progress was like, far too tunneled into his own version of the world to care what had become of the people he had left behind. 

But there is also an ache in his chest, as he listens to her words. They are strong. Much stronger that he would have thought she was capable of, filled with such passion and energy that it was easy to why the crowd was so enraptured by her presence. He realizes that this wasn't the girl he knew, and he wonders what had happened to change her so. He knows she means to move them to action, some would no doubt cheer her on as she finished but there is an undertone there somewhere, a bitterness only detectable by a certain palette. And while Red was never good at voicing his opinion, he was well versed in listening. Now more than ever, there were things he needed to hear, having been ignorant for far too long. 

So he follows her. 

He keeps his distance for a while, until he notices that she had swooped into a cafe. He attempts to follow, but is taken aback as her fans shoves past him, no doubt wanting to ruin what privacy she was trying to hold. He sighs and enters the cafe himself, careful not to make his presence too known, but he has a feeling that she would notice regardless. But for now, he settles himself a good three tables away, covered by her swarming followers.

[LEAF]

Cerulean was such a beautiful city. This was a fact that seemed to stretch to every aspect of it. The buildings were constructed in a way that gave off elegance. The water shimmered in a way so vivid it always seemed to Leaf that each individual drop had caught a bit of sunlight. This beauty was one of the few things that could rob her of her attentiveness, and it's for this reason that she didn't even notice the boy following her on the way to the cafe. In every town there was one or two places Leaf enjoyed frequenting. Cafe, restaurant, hotel, gym, park, whatever had caught her eye on the first trip she'd made there. It was her way of taking a bit of a feeling of "home" with her wherever she went. The way she managed it there was always a place that knew her by name, and knew what she liked to do by heart. When she walked into the cafe she was instantly greeted by a happy woman set up behind the counter, and several waiters and waitresses offered her a happy wave. And while she knew that this feeling of comfort and welcome was probably more out of the ache of their pockets rather than any connection to her, she soaked it in all the same. The weight of the day and the stress of trumpeting her ideals to more or less a group of strangers rolled off of Leaf's back as she found a chair and let the smells of the place fill her nose. Food, and candles, and the subtle smell of people all mingled in varied doses. And, like the people, it was familiar. And, like the people, it made her feel at home. She felt comfortable enough here to accept the few fans that had stumbled in and sign their posters, their books, their bags. But something nags at her. A feeling of uneasiness, like being watched. No, stared at. As the fans start to clear she takes a look around. It's hard to suppress the urge to sneer. His face would have been hard to miss or mistake. It was all over posters, it was shown on TV multiple times before he vanished, and of course she'd always have the image of him on Indigo Plateau forever engraved in her memory. Red. Childhood companion and the person Leaf both hated and -- while she wouldn't admit it -- envied above all else. And while she would have loved to unload with an expression and a few words, Leaf found her spine missing as per usual. So she smiled. She even waved. It made her want to gag. RED

LAIKA OF GAGNAM STYLE