foolishwren | 038. Text/Action (forward-dated and/or back-dated (lol what is timelines) to arrival in Goldenrod.

_{[CIVILIZATION. PAVEMENT. RUNNING WATER THAT IS NOT FROM A RIVER. BEDS WITH SHEETS.]

[After finally reaching the edge of the city with Kaito, one way or another, Heather's obtained one of those much-sought-after hotel rooms after a long day of worn-out job-hunting, which she apparently set off to do the moment she got into town. You can't say she's not dedicated. It took awhile to find a place that would be impressed enough with a bedraggled ex-fugitive traveler (even though she HAD grabbed a quick shower in the Pokemon Center to make herself a little more presentable), but she'd finally found one in the form of a cashier in the department store.]

[Work started sharp the next day, which meant that here and now-- after a good month of roughing it in the wilderness and little to no normal creature comforts, Heather was finally able to wobble into a room that she didn't have to sneak into. You know how good that feels?]

[Answer: REALLY FRIGGING GOOD.]

[Backpack? Tossed on the floor. Vest? Chucked over in the little chair by the window. HEATHER? Flopped onto the bed, just long enough to rattle off a text message containing the words she's been waiting to type for WEEKS.]}

MADE IT TO GOLDENROD, BITCHES

AW YEAH



now I am going to take the longest shower in the history of mankind

and NO ONE CAN STOP ME

are you a bad enough dude to stop me? No. Nobody is. Sorry, it's just the truth.



Be back later

If you wanna contact me and I don't answer, don't panic. It'll be ok

As I said, I am taking the longest shower in the history of ever and I'm not coming out until my fingers are so pruney they look like scary old grandma hands.


OKAY ANYWAY BYE

HOT WATER IS CALLING AND ONLY I CAN ANSWER IT.

_{[Five minutes later]}

Oh my god you guys, this place is so fancy, it has LOOFAHS

this is so hardcore

brb scraping off the dirt from my skin with the body of a dead sea creature impaled on a stick, LIKE A MAN

_{[... Looks like someone's excited about being back in business for real.]}

_{[ooc: Action for those in Goldenrod regardless of timeframe-- they can encounter her when she enters the city, while she was waiting around in the Goldenrod Department Store trying to pick up a job, when she staggered into the lobby of the hotel towards the end of the day, OR later that night once she's finished with the SHOWER TO END ALL SHOWERS. She'll be around.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I just came down to see how you're doing.

[smirk] You look well, especially now that you've drained half of the city's water supply.

_{[HEE. She grins widely and makes a brushing-off gesture.]}

If they want water, they can just DEAL WITH IT.

_{[She backed away from the door, letting him into the room if he wanted. Her Pokemon-- the full team at last, are sprawled around the room in various states of sleepiness-- all except for Claudy, who's perched at the foot of the bed majestically, alert.]}

[Liquid walked in, then stopped short at seeing the massive owl-thing on her bedpost.]

...When did you get that?

_{[Claudy turned her head to face the pale-haired man, redgold eyes gleaming.]}

What? She doesn't look at all familiar to you?

[Liquid had never encountered the owlbag before, which was probably just as well, since if he had, Heather wouldn't have had an owlbag for very long.]

...no?

_{[Ah well. At least now he's meeting her when she's too big to fit into the bag anymore.]}

She was my Hoothoot. She evolved.

Pretty boss, huh?

Not bad. At least she doesn't try to maim you like Hal's bird does.

[He examined the Pokemon curiously.]

_{[Claudy regarded him solemnly. She'd lost a lot of that O___Oness that she'd had when she was a Hoothoot.]}

Nah, she's chill.

Good. Hal's bloody snake attacks me enough as it is.

[Damn thing.]

[Oh, right, Hal. The whole reason he'd come down here to talk to Heather in the first place.

...Yeah, he'll just wait to breach that awkward subject.]

_{[Heather was apparently the go-to person for couples therapy-- which was actually pretty ironic, considering she's never been in a serious romantic relationship.]

[Unaware of Liquid's unstated concerns, she flopped backwards on the side of the bed, arms spread out on either side of her.]}

Yeah, only Arty randomly attacks people.

These rooms are NICE, aren't they?

[Liquid wasn't exactly a relationship guru himself, and Heather was really the only person he could think of to possibly talk to. Who else would he call? His brother? The only other person he could think of to ask was involved in the situation itself.]

Quite frankly, Heather, after how we've been living for the past month, a shack with a straw mat on the floor would be nice in comparison.

[Real hot, running water had been glorious. What Liquid didn't tell her was that he took a ridiculously long shower himself. No more cold baths in a river for him.]

I know, but-- ... still! NICE! Did you see those loofahs? SERIOUSLY.

Yes, I saw the loofahs.

[And they were very nice loofahs, but loofahs weren't high on Liquid's list of concerns at the moment.]

...

_{[... Yeah okay something was up.]}

What's wrong?

_{[First Otacon, now Liquid...]}

It's... about Hal.

[sigh]

I think he's going to do something very stupid.

_{[Oh boy.]}

Uh huh?

He's been getting too fond of me.

[Which was, of course, a problem, because Liquid wasn't someone to be fond of.]

_{[Yeeeep.]

[Heather sighed under her breath and folded her arms behind her head so she could stare at the ceiling. Here we go again-- except this time, it was with someone who wasn't as easy to bully into not arguing as Otacon was.]}

What's wrong with that?

Plenty of things. One of them being that he's going to get hurt if he does.

_{[Her voice is heavy with meaning when she replies to that.]}

Are you planning on him getting hurt?

I don't want him to be hurt, Heather. I'm not going to try to hurt him. But if he falls for me, he'll be hurt regardless.

_{[Heather lifted her hands and rubbed them into her eyes, groaning.]}

Nnkay... so... what am I supposed to do?

Dissuade him. He listens to you.

Considering I just convinced him he didn't have something deeply wrong with him for liking you?

Bit too late for that.

_{[UH OH. YOU'VE GOT A DOUBLE AGENT ON YOUR HANDS, LIQUID.]}

There isn't anything wrong with him.

[It was Liquid who wasn't suitable for ~~wasn't worthy~~ being Hal's lover. Hal deserved someone who could love him back; Liquid didn't think that he'd be able to do that.]