Scene #7612: Meeting The Family

Owner	Pose
Guzma	It's always raining in Po Town. Thick fortified walls surround the small town, with damaged streets and houses, a Pokemon Center that doesn't work, a massive mansion with patched over holes in it, and... Well, working lights, thanks for the help of the Concord! Guzma's been preparing to get some new construction done to fully repair the town, now that he has his DORADO BLACK CARD, but needs some time. Guzma's invited Cantio to visit the massive spooky mansion he and Team Skull live in, advising her to bring an umbrella, and telling her that his 'family' found out about what he did to ask her out and now they're demanding to get to meet her. "they're totes cool yo", he texts. Cantio finds Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp, the Team Skull trio, waiting for her outside the manor doors. "Yo yo yo Cantio! I'm glad you and the Boss are together! You'll be so cute together!" Rapp says, clearly not thinking about anyone's anxiety. "Come on in, boss's inside, everyone started a freestyle session." Lo-fi hiphop fills the interior hall, as about a dozen people, plus Guzma and Plumeria, are working on hip-hop. Guzma and Plumeria are controlling tempo, while the goons, all with different heights, builds, and hair-color, start rapping. It's either about stealing Pokemon, the boss, or in one goon's case, chocolate cake, which gets a puzzled look from the others. It's a really good track, though. Cantio's not noticed until she announces herself, except by Guzma, who smiles as he sees her, but isn't interrupting the session just yet. He won't mind if she does, though.
Cantio	What's the usual procedure for meeting someone's family? Are gifts required? At what point does bringing gifts become too tacky? Isn't it called a dowry in some cultures? What if they get the wrong idea? What's the dress code for this sort of thing? For better or for worse, Cantio's actually been rather quiet about this development back home. It'd cause a stir, to be sure, never mind her sister and her friends finding out and asking all sorts of questions she wouldn't be prepared to answer. Still, with so many possibilities and no clear answers, she's just decided to wing it with whatever seems the most appropriate! That's why, instead of arriving in Po Town wearing her usual white and purple getup, she's wearing something a little different. Something considerable looser that would almost look like the Team Skull trio's clothes if not for the obvious fact that she's just wearing a t-shirt from home that's three sizes too big, jeans with an unnecessary number of belts on them, bright green ladder shades, and a sideways cap with a chain looped around it so she doesn't lose it every time it falls off from bumping into a doorway or something. She's also got a more 'standard' briefcase with her. It's already happened about four times before even getting to the manor. "S... Sup!" She greets the trio first in about as stilted a tone imaginable, clearly not used to trying to sound like them. "Y... Yo! You.. uh. You think so? Thanks! I brought... Wait. That's for later, right...." Natural, this is not. Upon actually getting inside, she actually takes a moment to look around the place, take in the sights, and likely realize that it's way bigger on the inside than she had expected. A good thing, to be sure, as she eventually heads further in and freezes up on spotting Guzma and Plumeria on stage. Not one to interrupt, she waves at Guzma without so much as making a sound, looking mildly terrified at the sheer number of people present. Is this the true size of a human's extended family?!
Guzma	"Nice style, Cantio! You pick it yourself?" Tupp says, genuinely. Your style's yours, after all. But as Cantio freezes up inside, the trio clueless, Guzma notices her wave, and then mouths 'I'm sorry'. The current session is done, so he's about to approach her, when... Plumeria is slightly faster. The multi-colored haired girl with a tan and her own sense of unique fashion approaches Cantio, looks her up and down, and then says. "Yo, that top's a bit too big for you...is it true Guzma tried to stab you in the throat with that katana he bought?" A pause. "Did you kick his ass for it?" Guzma's approaching slowly, sighing, but knows he can't butt his head into Plumeria Time. So he just mouths, again, 'I'm sorry' as the rest of the goons begin approaching as they clean up their makeshift stage and chairs. She can hear them chattering in the background. "Yo, it's Cantio!" "Yo!" "She's cuter in person!" "The boss is the coolest! We gotta make a good impression, right?" "Right!" It's only a whipcrack stare from Plumeria, before turning back to Cantio, that stops them from fully approaching and crowding her.
Cantio	"Y.. Yeah! It was... I thought it'd be a good idea to get something similar, but still have a bit of my own style, but then..." Tupp gets treated to the whole rambling explanation that only makes sense about a third of the time, but it does eventually connect together. Plumeria and everyone else, though, gets the bewildered Cantio experience instead. "It is? I thought that was the... The katana thing? He.. I mean, it wasn't really a stabbing, just a... Practice match? So there wasn't any kind of... Um..." Despite her anxious reaction initially, though, she still manages to sneak in 'it's okay!' gestures at Guzma in-between trying to answer everyone at once. Sensing that stare and likely getting the completely wrong idea from it, however, has Cantio standing straight up rigidly for a moment. She backs up a step, bows at a nearly ninety degree angle at the waist, then sets the briefcase down in front of her. "Please don't worry, everyone. I'll take good care of Guzma." The briefcase opens, and out comes a swarm/about ten freaky-faced box drones that quickly expand to their roughly human-head size. They start floating this way and that, looking for clear spaces to deposit similarly expanding tables. Another drone, meanwhile, starts depositing relatively fancy/standard catering food on those tables: Sandwiches, weird cheeses, breadsticks, and assorted vegetables drowning in melted cheese. The problem: She forgot to set some up to actually distribute plates.
Guzma	Plumeria considers Cantio's words with a placid face. And then, as Cantio bows and says her words, depositing food, her first reaction is... "Skepp! Get some plates!" Another goon runs off to grab the Nice Plates, as Plumeria just, kinda awkwardly rubs the back of her head. "Hey, yo, you don't need to bow. That's way too formal, knucklehead. But I appreciate the sentiment. And the breadsticks." She grabs one and takes a bite. "Don't let him convince you otherwise, but he's real happy you accepted. I kept it from the others, but I could hear him practicing how he'd confess for hours and hours. He really likes you, okay? So don't break his heart...but don't let him break yours, either." Guzma finally approaches, sighing, and gestures to Plumeria. "Plume, mind helping them figure out the melted cheese so it doesn't make a big mess?" "Sure thing, boss." And then, a pause from Guzma. "Hey, uh. Sorry about her. She means well. I swear."
Cantio	Once Plumeria gives her the go ahead to get back up, Cantio straightens right back up along with pushing those ladder shades back onto her face (they're not expensive, but they're made with the nice plastic). "Oh! Sorry, it's just... I wasn't sure what to expect coming here, either." She even manages to chuckle at that, althoughg there's still some of that lingering anxiety. "I figured there'd be a good number of people, but it's still kind of overwhelming to see even when it's not like the crowds back home. This is... Different." Cantio takes a deep breath, even calming down finally after a few more moments. "It's a good different, though. And... Y-yeah, don't worry. I'm hoping I can grow that much someday myself." When Guzma draws close, Cantio straightens up again. "H-hi! Ah, there's nothing to apologize for. I can see why everyone listens to her." She outright giggles at that, then glances around at the Skull crew again before finally facing Guzma again. "Were you waiting long? I hope I didn't make an ass of myself with.. Er. All of this." She flaps her oversized sleeves for emphasis. Even for a short-sleeved shirt, they're up to her elbows. With some work, she could probably even fit entirely through one of the sleeves. "... Does it look stupid?"
Guzma	Plumeria nods as she walks away, and when Cantio straightens up to Guzma and shares her feelings on Plumeria, he smiles again, pearly whites glinting. "No, not at all. You're fine, you're fine! Look at them." Indeed, even the trio has headed over to the tables, where everyone is trying cheeses and bread. One goon says, "Wow, this is better than string cheese!" "They're enjoying themselves, Cantio. They were really excited to meet you." And then, she asks about her clothes. He looks at the outfit, laughs a little, and shakes his head. "It's very you to try and do that. So I like it. But, you could have come in your regular clothes, you know? They'd like you just as much. They don't expect you to be a heavy gangster like us. They just...want you to be close to the family, now that we're trying out being together. They're my pride, after all."
Cantio	"You're right... They do seem to be liking the stuff. I wasn't sure how fancy would be too fancy, so I just went with the safe option from one of the local places back home." Breathing another sigh of relief, Cantio turns from the Team Skull members to Guzma and finally props those shades up on her forehead. "I think... Yeah, I'll come in my regular clothes next time. This was an interesting experiment, though. I actually had to run in and out of the changing rooms about four times to find something big enough that wouldn't just slip off if I took a step." She laughs again, then closes her eyes in thought after a few moments. "I think... I'd like to bring you to my family sometime, soon. It'd have to be a little more... Quiet than what's happening here, but I think they'd like you, too." She reopens her eyes, reaching over to Guzma momentarily to feel where his jacket's collar ends, then trying to mimic the same angle with her t-shirt. It's not working quite so well what with it being the wrong size and all. "Still... It's kind of nerve-wracking, isn't it? Just thinking about how many people might be questions about everything? And then if they don't ask them, but you have a really good answer in your head, but you never get to use it the whole time and it's just stuck in there?"
Guzma	"I have no idea what you just said but it sounds really cute." Guzma lets her check his jacket, as he replies to her nerve-wracking thing, which frankly, he didn't understand. "Relax! Just tell me how you want to dress when I meet your family. I can come like this, or I can get all formal in a suit and tie and have Golisopod be my butler." He's sorta joking. He'd do it if asked, but he'd do it. "But, yeah. I'd like that. As long as there's steak. I need a good steak." He's definitely joking, now, but he DOES like steak.
Cantio	Cantio's cheeks turn a visibly brighter shade of pink at that, and she gives Guzma a playful tap on the forehead at that. She probably has to reach a bit for that, but still. "However you want to dress is fine, even like this. Although something to blend in a bit better might raise fewer questions.. Or more?" She actually sounds confused on that part. "I mean, any paparazzi outside would latch onto just about anything, but I don't think my sister would mind so much. She'd just ask you about.. Erm. Everything." She giggles again at that. "Only to be nosey, though. Although having Golisopod as your butler might help deflect some of those questions, too..." Quite a bit to think about, it seems. "And you won't have to worry about food. I'll make sure we have the good stuff ready when you come!" That, at least, has Cantio sounding more confident than she has this entire time. "And the Team, too, if they ever want to do collaborations. Although it might take a bit more work convincing Charta to let them do anything like that..."
Guzma	Guzma laughs as he gets the tap on the forehead, his cheeks turning brighter slightly as well. "Paparazzi, bah! Let them think whatever they want. Also, if Golisopod's the butler, he gets to eat, too. That's the rules." He's Adamant on this. He loves that bug. As Cantio mentions the collaborations, Guzma moves over to where they were mixing, and pops out the tape. "Here. Let her hear this sometime. I've got a track on there." He lists the time for it, so she can just skip everyone else's tracks if she wants. "Bring it back, though, alright? We gotta get more copies before I can give you one to keep." Guzma then moves over to the food table. "So, what the heck are all these cheeses?"
Cantio	"It's not about what they think. If it was that easy, I'd just have them arrested for blocking traffic." Cantio laughs, pauses, and then pulls one of her idling drones over to repeat what she just said to it. "For later... Ah, and of course Golisopod'll get plenty to eat. Um. What does he eat, anyway?" Clearly, Cantio's never been a bug girl. "The sound should be a nice change of pace from what we usually play at home, for sure. I'm just worried that this might be too much of a shock for all the politicians since most of them are probably older than most of your friends combined." Another laugh, and then she pockets the tape carefully before following Guzma over to the food. "These are the things that always come with the catering packs. I don't know if anyone that eats these actually likes most of them, but they look nice on a table." Alas, this appears to be something she's not so well-versed in, either, as she just picks up a toothpick-impaled cube and nibbles on a corner. "And it looks fancy when eat it like this, see?" There's the slightest of grimaces once she actually tastes what she's eaten. It seems she's not a fan of wasabi-infused cheese, but Cantio's doing a solid job of not letting it show too much at a glance. "W... Why don't you try a piece, too? Maybe you'll find one that's good."
Guzma	"A lot of things! Pokemon aren't as picky as animals. They'll even eat curry, I hear." Guzma scratches his chin, as they move over to the table. He grins at her grimace to the wasabi-cheese, and then toothpicks something of his own. "Was that...pickled? Is that pickled cheese? Why does it taste like pickles!?" But, despite that, he grabs a sandwich. "Thanks, for all of this. We don't get nice things like this that often. The Dorado Black Card's gonna change our lives, but for a while, we were slumming it."
Cantio	"That's good, then. I'll still make sure to have a nice spread, so we'll all have plenty of stuff to try. Maybe not so much.. Uh. Pickled cheese, though." Cantio bites back a snicker as Guzma gets a miss on his pick, slipping her piece into a tissue before snatching up a sliced up sandwich segment for herself. Turkey, ham, and cheese! "The card's really great, yeah. It's actually got a bigger balance than my personal salary from home, so I can actually afford to spend more of that on my projects. Even the drones I let out were made with that money." She lets out a relaxed sigh, munches on the sandwich, then looks back at Guzma. "Speaking of... What do you have planned next?"
Guzma	"Well, I want to renovate Po Town. Make it bigger, better, a real mecca for 'outcasts'. And then, I want to help you any way possible, of course. Punch that Lilian Rook in the face. Uh..." Guzma shrugs. "Go with the flow? Maybe a big bus roadtrip. Something fun. We can take the Concord and go adventuring. I don't know. But the sky's limitless."
Cantio	"It should be easier to improve things now with the increased funding, and I'll always be around if you need an extra hand with that. I could even pitch it as a Multiverse outreach sort of thing, and if that works... I might even be able to get some official funding from home." "Going after Lilian, though..." That has Cantio shifting a little bit uncomfortably. "... Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, she's... She's still dangerous. And it sounds like she's made some more powerful allies, too, so they might be... Just getting to her could be an ordeal at this rate." The discomfort is palpable, but Cantio powers through it by clapping her hands together. "A-anyway! A roadtrip would be nice. You, me, a couple of others, just seeing the sights and eating whatever weird truckstop food we find... We'll probably need a medical expert or two on hand, just in case."
Guzma	"...she hurt you." Is all Guzzma replies before noticing the discomfort, and changing topics. "Weird truckstop food is the best! I'll start the plans, then. Let's eat these sandwiches, hang out a bit, and stuff!" Guzma's excited. "Also, I think they like the cheese." He gestures to the tables. Most of it is already gone. These young people can EAT. "Thanks for coming, Cantio. I know this was a big thing to ask...but I'm glad we're here together."
Cantio	Although Cantio doesn't pursue the Lilian topic further, she does look grateful when Guzma also doesn't push it further. From the looks of things, though, it's probably a topic to come back to another day. "That sounds great! I'm surprised they were able to polish off all that cheese, though. There were so many weird ones..." Cantio observes with a quiet snicker, absentmindedly biting into that wasabi cheese from earlier and grimacing again. Once she recovers, she turns back to Guzma with a bright smile and nod. "Thanks for inviting me here. It's a first for me, but there's nobody else that I'd... Uh. I mean..." She fumbles her words a couple of times, but eventually just reaches for the front of Guzma's jacket. With the power of short anime-girl strength, she tugs him down briefly for a peck on the cheek, then goes right back to being awkward as hell while stuffing her face.