foolishwren | 044. [Video/Action for Goldenrod]

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: Goldenrod City

044. [Video/Action for Goldenrod]

_{[Like so many transmissions today, this one opens up with the camera aimed straight up at the velvety-gray sky, with dry little flakes of snow drifting down. It also cuts in about halfway through a sentence--]}

--ime to get some winter gear... Hey, network. Please enjoy five minutes of my dog being a spaz.

_{[It swivels down to focus on the plaza-- looks like Heather's walking back to the hotel from work and is finally getting a chance to enjoy the flurries (though she's c-c-c-cold. The whole sleeveless routine won't work for too much longer...). The flagstones are dusted with snow, and-- ... as promised, Cujo is being a spaz.]}

[The orange-colored pup is lying on his side in the snow and just sort of... wriggling in place, snorfling around in the MAGICAL WHITE STUFF THAT IS FALLING FROM THE SKY. After a few seconds or two he suddenly surges upright, butt in the air and ears standing straight up. He stares, glassy-eyed, at the camera for a few seconds, and then lets out an explosive snort and goes tearing off in a random direction.]

['Zilla the toddler Totodile appears on the screen then, slipping and sliding after him through the snow at a laughably slower pace-- changing direction a few times as Cujo goes rocketing past in the opposite direction. Eventually he gives up and comes waddling back to Heather with a frustrated gargle. She laughs.]

Maybe when you get longer legs, buddy-- hey, let's see how Arty likes the snow. Ya like the snow, Arty?

_{[The camera turns and shows... well, this.]}

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.....

.... I think she likes it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

_{[She hesitates, looking off to the side.]}

... I ... I don't know.

_{[She feels awful for having second thoughts... After all, Otacon and Liquid are pretty much as close to family as she's gotten since... well. Since what happened that horrible summer night a little over a year ago. But...]}

There's... things I need to stay around here for...

_{[aka a totally unnecessary revenge on Dahlia.]}

I... are you sure you can't convince him to stay?

[Flatly] We're talking about someone that tried to start a nuclear war mainly to prove he was better than his brother and their father. I'll try, but there's no way in hell it'll work.

I'm not going to force you to come along, and if you have to stay...then you should.

[A pause.] But...please, Heather. If you can come with us, I-I..

[Damn it, he was stammering. Deep breath.]

I don't want to leave you here. Liquid won't admit it, but he wants you around too. If we split up now, who knows when or even if we'll see each other in person again.

_{[Heather cringes a little-- she believes him just fine. She just... is really hoping he can be convinced to stay.]

[And oh boy, is that stammer making her feel guilty. She swallows and folds her arms, brows peaking upwards.]}

I... I'm sorry, I just... I don't wanna see you guys go, but... I... I have to stay here. There's... people here who need me now, and... if ... _{[Aka feeble excuses. Heather is really fucking bad at this whole family thing, okay. At least she looks like she knows it.]

[She's been with Otacon and Liquid for two whole months now, and she's gotten used to their company... She's used to being a loner but the thought of not having them around anymore stings a little more than she'd thought it would.]}

...okay. I understand.

[Otacon smiled, even though he felt sick. He knew Heather wasn't Emma, and he didn't intend on replacing the stepsister he'd lost, but this felt too familiar. Leaving with almost no warning...it was too much like running away. And if Heather disappeared like people seemed to do now and then...]

[He'd never forgive himself. But this was something he had to do--no matter how much he might've wanted to stand by and let whatever happened just happen. He couldn't stay here knowing someone would get hurt if he did.]

[So he kept smiling even though it killed him inside.]

Don't worry. We'll see each other again...besides, there's always the network.

_{[For once, Heather's doing the exact same thing. She doesn't wanna admit how horrible she feels, because that would be admitting how horrible she's being. And for all her hidden maturity, she was still a kid. She didn't want to admit that she was probably being selfish, even though she knew it.]}

We'd better.

If you die, I'ma come after you and kick your butt in the afterlife.

I wouldn't expect anything else--

[Otacon's voice cracked and he suddenly pulled Heather into a hug; mostly to hide the fact that he couldn't keep up the fake smile any longer.]

...promise you'll call if anything happens. I...if you need me for anything. I don't care what time it is or what's going on, I'll do whatever I can for you.

_{[... She'd been about to do just that, so... he beat her to the punch. She wraps her arms around him in return, her smile turning into a frown now that it's out of his sight.]}

I will... I promise.

T...try to keep yourself out of trouble. Okay?

_{[Very, very weak smile.]}

I'll be good.

I...we'll be back. I promise.

[He wasn't going to run away this time.]

So don't get any warrants out for you until then, deal?

_{[She pulled away enough so that she could look at him properly. Were her eyes a little bit watery?]}

It's a deal.

... And, um...

_{[She paused for a second, pulling out one of her Pokeballs.]}

... Claudy's pretty tough. ... I... I want you guys to take her with you. ... If you ever need to send me a message and the 'Gear doesn't work, she can take it...

...You know you don't have to do that. I've got Hakubi, she's been listening to me a lot more lately. And my Abra can teleport, he could probably carry messages pretty easily too.

I'd feel better if you did...

You don't have to or anything, but... I dunno. ... Just take something?

_{[It felt so weird, saying goodbye completely...]}

...if that's what you want, okay. But I'm already carrying six, I think that's usually the limit--hang on.

[He rummaged around in his coat pockets for a minute before coming up with a Pokeball.]

Here. His name's Cthulhu, he's a Tentacruel--he's really tough, just a little moody.

_{[Heather looks surprised at the 'trade'-- but she takes the Ball.]}

Thanks... I'll take care of him.

... Stay safe, okay?

You don't need to worry. Liquid can be dumb as a brick wall sometimes, but the one thing he won't do is let me get hurt.

... You know I'll worry anyway.

He might run you guys off a cliff or something.

We're going to be fine.

Promise me that.

I promise, Heather. Liquid'll keep me safe and I'll keep him from doing anything stupid.

We'll be back before you know it.

_{[She nods-- ... then pauses. ... When she speaks again, it sounds a little sheepish.]}

... Back before Christmas?

I'll do the best I can. If we're not here by then, I'll buy you lunch for a week when we get back.

_{[She manages a weak smile and a 'heh...' at that.]}

All right...

...

I'm sorry about this. But you know Liquid's...really kind of stupid. He needs somebody to balance him out, and I want to at least try to do that.

I know... I'm not mad, y'know. I understand. ... I just wish there was another way. ... You shouldn't have to be going off in the snow all the way back to ... well, you know.

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