[He's not worried, you're worried. Rin is quite comfortable at home with his pokemon and his brother and living without a care in the world. Why would he be worried? Why would he be calling some little kid? Why is he holding what looks to be a care package without an address? All irrelevant questions. All of them.]
Hey Molly? You okay out there? Hope so. I know it's been pretty cold lately. The road from Cherrygrove to Violet is pretty long.... so. ...You should stay inside until the weather gets better.
You probably already know that... [mumblemumblewhydidiaskthat...]
...Uhm. ...How many pokemon do you have with you? If you need a fire-type, just ask, okay?
[There are loads of other questions to ask, but that would be too much to say in one message, right? Right.]
[Aw, Rin. Molly is pretty excited to hear from someone and calls him back not too long after getting the message, sounding cheerful.]
Hi, Rin! I got your message!
You know, someone sent me his Growlithe so I could borrow him for a while, so he's keeping me warm. I'm not going to go to Violet for a while though. I'm not allowed until they pay me, anyway.
That's good. [He says as looks over to his growlithe, T-Bone, and shakes his head. Not today, buddy! Sorry T-Bone, looks like you're not going to on on that cool mission to protect a tiny princess like Rin said... Still! It was great that she had others who were just as concerned for her well-being. And they acted a lot faster than he did. He smiles a little more as he listens to what she has to say.
Everything sounds good until the "pay" part. Was she even old enough to get a job? ...Was it a huge scam?! She just said she wasn't allowed to leave!!]
What kinda job is it? No matter what they say, they can't keep you there forever, got it?
[This is not his angry face. Or his angry voice. He just happens to look and sound like this when he's peeved off. Or worried. Mostly worried for the other person because he's going to have to choke a --]
I'm in Goldenrod with my brother but if you -- [IS THERE A LESS SAPPY WAY TO SAY THIS. NO? OKAY.] -- if you need someone to come for you then just- just lemme know.
No, it's okay! They're letting me help out at the Center. Not much, but a bit. There's a really nice lady there. But I'm not going to leave until they pay me so I can buy some food for the trip.
[Extremely sensible girl who is smart enough to recognise that edge to his voice as concern. That's not so different from how Matt sometimes gets. So she just quickly tries to assure him it's all good, and she really does sound like it is.]
[She still feels a little ... lonely, sometimes. But all the pokémon are helping, and she really is happy to hear from people who care, so she's happy to talk to Rin for as long as he's willing to stay on the line.]
I'm not in trouble or anything. But I'll let you know if I am, promise.
Is it okay if I call you when I get to Goldenrod? It'll probably take a while, but ... if you're still there when I get there, it'd be fun to meet you.
[...If she sounds okay, then maybe it is okay. After all, there wan't anyone really awful in Johto. He hadn't heard of creepers who mugged little girls or of Pokemon Centers who exploited child labor laws. Who would even do such a thing? He does want to believe her. There wasn't any reason to question her judgement.]
If you say so... Don't forget about your promise, okay? [--That was silly. But it definitely reassured him. Truthfully, he's willing to stay on for as long as she needs him. And if she needed to have him stay in Goldenrod until she arrived, then that's exactly what he'll do. His good humor re-emerged, little by little.]
'Course you can! By then I bet you'll have mastered a few recipes. We can cook together and everything!
[She agrees quickly in part to appease him but in part because there's absolutely no reason for her not to reach out if she ever needs to. She gives him a smile, which he can't see but hopefuly hear.]
That'd be fun! And we could bake, too. We can teach each other!
[He can hear that smile a mile away. This was good. It wasn't good that she was still alone, but it was good that she seemed to be doing okay for the time being.]
I'll let you have free samples of the stuff from the place I work at! Wanna see the menu? We gotta lot of things in stock!
[His boss will never find out~. Or rather, his boss must never find out.]
[Rin will defend her tooth and nail, just like what he'll do for his brother! No matter the cost!]
I work at a place called Honeyed Soul and it mostly sells sweets. I like it there since I get to learn how to improve my baking skills. I still prefer savory stuff, like I told you. It is a cute looking place. You'd like it!
[He really will end up sending he sweets! And what if she ends up like his brother who's feeling self conscious about the weight he's gained? What then?!]
Yup! That's kinda why I'm still over here. It's a small business but still pretty rad. ...I guess so? Yukio and the other taste testers seem to like 'em.
[He wasn't lying!!! His baking skills aren't as good as his cooking skills, in his opinion.]
[EVEN IF SHE WASN'T A LITTLE KID, HE WOULD HAVE PLAYFULLY KNOCKED THE SIDE OF HER HEAD. This is how he shows affection. Somehow it works....??? Either way, he is laughing. He didn't really expect her to act her age. It's absolutely comforting to have this sort of banter.]
No duh, they would be! But think of the stuff that can't go in boxes, like meat!
It can go in a box! You just get a box and put it in!
[SURPRISE, RIN: she is in fact too mature and serious for her age but she's still very much an eleven year old, and when he laughs she only makes sure to tease him further.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[Audio - 1/10]
Hey Molly? You okay out there? Hope so. I know it's been pretty cold lately. The road from Cherrygrove to Violet is pretty long.... so. ...You should stay inside until the weather gets better.
You probably already know that... [mumblemumblewhydidiaskthat...]
...Uhm. ...How many pokemon do you have with you? If you need a fire-type, just ask, okay?
[There are loads of other questions to ask, but that would be too much to say in one message, right? Right.]
Later.
[Audio - 1/10]
Hi, Rin! I got your message!
You know, someone sent me his Growlithe so I could borrow him for a while, so he's keeping me warm. I'm not going to go to Violet for a while though. I'm not allowed until they pay me, anyway.
What about you?
[Audio - 1/10]
Everything sounds good until the "pay" part. Was she even old enough to get a job? ...Was it a huge scam?! She just said she wasn't allowed to leave!!]
What kinda job is it? No matter what they say, they can't keep you there forever, got it?
[This is not his angry face. Or his angry voice. He just happens to look and sound like this when he's peeved off. Or worried. Mostly worried for the other person because he's going to have to choke a --]
I'm in Goldenrod with my brother but if you -- [IS THERE A LESS SAPPY WAY TO SAY THIS. NO? OKAY.] -- if you need someone to come for you then just- just lemme know.
[Audio - 1/10]
[Extremely sensible girl who is smart enough to recognise that edge to his voice as concern. That's not so different from how Matt sometimes gets. So she just quickly tries to assure him it's all good, and she really does sound like it is.]
[She still feels a little ... lonely, sometimes. But all the pokémon are helping, and she really is happy to hear from people who care, so she's happy to talk to Rin for as long as he's willing to stay on the line.]
I'm not in trouble or anything. But I'll let you know if I am, promise.
Is it okay if I call you when I get to Goldenrod? It'll probably take a while, but ... if you're still there when I get there, it'd be fun to meet you.
[Audio - 1/10]
If you say so... Don't forget about your promise, okay? [--That was silly. But it definitely reassured him. Truthfully, he's willing to stay on for as long as she needs him. And if she needed to have him stay in Goldenrod until she arrived, then that's exactly what he'll do. His good humor re-emerged, little by little.]
'Course you can! By then I bet you'll have mastered a few recipes. We can cook together and everything!
[Audio - 1/10]
[She agrees quickly in part to appease him but in part because there's absolutely no reason for her not to reach out if she ever needs to. She gives him a smile, which he can't see but hopefuly hear.]
That'd be fun! And we could bake, too. We can teach each other!
[Audio - 1/10]
I'll let you have free samples of the stuff from the place I work at! Wanna see the menu? We gotta lot of things in stock!
[His boss will never find out~. Or rather, his boss must never find out.]
[Audio - 1/10]
Really? Yeah!
What kind of place do you work at?
[Audio - 1/10]
I work at a place called Honeyed Soul and it mostly sells sweets. I like it there since I get to learn how to improve my baking skills. I still prefer savory stuff, like I told you. It is a cute looking place. You'd like it!
[Audio - 1/10]
Is that in Goldenrod, too? If you're working at a bakery I bet you're really good.
[And you tried to make it sound like you had no idea how to bake??]
[Audio - 1/10]
Yup! That's kinda why I'm still over here. It's a small business but still pretty rad. ...I guess so? Yukio and the other taste testers seem to like 'em.
[He wasn't lying!!! His baking skills aren't as good as his cooking skills, in his opinion.]
[Audio - 1/10]
My mom says home made is always better than when factories make them, anyway.
[Audio - 1/10]
[HOLD UP!!! . . . MOLLY. If she could see the look on his face...]
What have you been eating?
[Audio - 1/10]
[... but she's gonna take the opportunity to be cheeky, anyway.]
You know, food!
[Audio - 1/10]
Uh-huh. [HE IS SO GIVING HER THAT OLDER SIBLING LOOK THAT'S RESERVED FOR ANSWERS LIKE THAT.]
From a box?
[Audio - 1/10]
Almost all food comes in boxes, you know. Or the stores would be all messy.
[Audio - 1/10]
No duh, they would be! But think of the stuff that can't go in boxes, like meat!
[Audio - 1/10]
[SURPRISE, RIN: she is in fact too mature and serious for her age but she's still very much an eleven year old, and when he laughs she only makes sure to tease him further.]