Ghosty Games(Private)

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[break]Riley must have missed the memo somewhere mentioning that Nou Rega’s traditions include attempting to scare ghosts to death. It was already getting to be an eventful enough week as it was, and frustratingly enough, it felt like despite it all he was no closer to figuring out his role than he was back in the Winter. Now he was just trying to take Celes’s advice and just relax. It was barely possible enough as it was without being jumpscared by a guildmate, so the moment Kaida delivered an outburst that could rival that of an airhorn, Riley stumbled away and fearfully shielded himself from the perceived danger with a strangled cry.[break][break]

”Not the face!” he yelped, as if the request were rehearsed. Yeah, two years of dealing with a high school bully would do that to you. He blinked, though one wouldn’t be able to tell behind his diamonds unless they’ve personally parlayed with a Sableye before, as he finally registered the presence before him as a friendly, familiar one. “K-Kaida! Why?”[break][break]

He bit his lip and scrambled to get back to his feet. ”I w-was just talking to Humboldt. He told me t-to relax and keep an eye on things.”

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[break]"It's okay," Riley said, though he sounded somewhat defensive. Whether or not he had one, it felt like his heart was racing. "I'm just antsy. I'm not used to big crowds like these." He was half-lying. These crowds were nothing compared to period-changing hallways in high school. The difference is, he was already on edge here and he was surrounded by strangers mostly. At school most of the strangers are around your age. Here...there were adults, monsters in armor, monsters with flames dancing off their body or the power of telekinesis. So basically this was an actual danger zone.[break][break]

Despite Kaida having been introduced to the guild members before, Riley knew next to nothing about her. She was something called a Dreepy, apparently a 'ghost-type' like himself too. Based on her behavior she was either a very good actress or not one of the other humans that came down with him. He scratched his arm deftly and regained his composure fully by now. Fortunately, he wasn't annoyed; he could tell that Kaida meant well and that he was being unnecessarily jumpy.[break][break]

"I had a pastry earlier," he explained, pointing to the buffet nearby. "And um...I don't really know how to dance, um...I have a condition, yeah." He wanted, no, NEEDED to lie his way out of this. He had this terrible feeling if he didn't make something up she would drag him out to the floor. "Bad knees. If I dance they might give, y'know?"

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[break]The play on words was appreciated, circumstances withstanding, but Riley nearly quaked with anxiety at the thought of being coaxed into a dance. He didn't know any of these people, not really. And even if they all were just made up of code and data, it all felt so real. He had a sour feeling in the pit of his gut that he was about to lose this battle. Kaida was just too sincere and that glint in her eye just about gave her position away.[break][break]

"Look, I appreciate the offer, really I do, but I have to keep an eyieyiah--!" He was snatched by the claw before he could finish his excuse, dragged through the air like a plastic bag by the overly enthusiastic dragon. When did he get so light? He was drifting fully off the ground! That was NOT what he was expecting when it came to getting swept off his feet![break][break]

"K-Kaida I'm not touching the ground!" he squeaked fearfully. It looked like he was along for the ride whether he liked it or not. Riley tried to keep himself from hollering as they passed between other Pokemon, Kaida graceful enough not to bump herself or him into anybody along the way. He wasn't struggling to get out of her grasp, the lump in his throat now having fully traveled through his system. This was his life now. This was it. At least it looked like they were making a beeline for the buffet first. The real challenge would be trying to keep any of the food down.

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[break]Riley calmed down no sooner than it took to touch ground with his toes. He never experienced anything quite like that, and it was extremely unsettling how little control he had over himself and where he was going. He wasn't able to make a conscious choice whether or not to trust Kaida, only to brace himself for the ride.[break][break]

The sheer amount of food at the buffet, even though it was all displayed on a table for multiple guests, intimidated him. Even back at home he had to be reminded to eat. The pastry he had earlier went a very long way, and considering his nerves, the fact that it didn't come back up again was a good thing. Kaida was dead-set on getting together a plate of food for him, so despite his half-hearted protests she had already whipped up a whopping 3 full plates of various snacks that he couldn't identify to save his life.[break][break]

Riley let out a small nervous laugh, then put a hand to his hip and thought that now would maybe be a good time to make light of things--because there was no way in this world or the next that he would be able to take down even one of those plates on his own. "Oh wow, that's a lot. So who are we eating with?" He glanced over to some of the tables on the sidelines, hoping his joke was not just a joke after all. "It looks good, really it does. That's ah...a full on feast."

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[break]You and me? So maybe Kaida was the big eater? Riley gave a most uneasy smirk, hoping that he was right about that, because seriously even after a full day of eating nothing one plate alone would be enough for his tiny belly. Especially now, considering he was about a sixth of his actual height. "I'll...I'll do that," he responded with a great deal of hesitation. He would at least try a bit of everything as to not be rude. Or would that be even more rude, taking a bite out of everything? That sounds marginally worse.[break][break]

The comment about needing a full stomach to dance did make him chuckle a bit. "That's actually not, well, dancing is...you probably shouldn't be completely full if you're going to move around so much." Correction, HE shouldn't be too full if he was about to thrust himself in the public eye. The thought made him even more anxious and even more reluctant to partake of the bounty. Kaida might have been listening, or maybe she was far too engrossed with seeking out a spot for their feast. She exclaimed when she found a suitable location and began floating towards it. She was quite fast for someone carrying a heavy and hardly stable load. Riley was still having trouble catching up. He wasn't fast but it was kind of embarrassing just how clumsy he was.[break][break]

It was a nice, secluded table, away from the focal point of the gala. Riley scrambled into a seat as Kaida set everything down and just stared at the assortment apprehensively. "Thank you, Kaida," he finally said. "I'm not sure where to start." He reached out, but wasn't drawn to a particular item. The Magikarp skewer looked like fish and he felt kind of weird about eating other monsters right now. He gingerly picked up a crispy Kelpsy Berry and brought it to his nose, giving it a tiny sniff. It smelled a bit salty? He took a bite and was overwhelmed by a dry, yet bitter flavor. Since he typically enjoyed bitter foods, it was right around his alley. "Hm! This is pretty good," he mumbled, trying not to talk with his mouth full.