49. Prose (s-sorry guys!) Backdated to Christmas Eve. (action)

[foolishwren]

Christmas Eve.

The night may not have had quite as special a significance in Johto as it did in other worlds, but between the (admittedly somewhat aggravating) mistletoe and the jolly little mobile trees lumbering around in the snow, the festive spirit caught. Even the locals seemed more eager to join in the festivities. It seemed Christmas spirit was just catching like that.

The arrival of the day of Christmas Eve brought activity left and right.

Impromptu snowball fights in the streets, last-minute gift-buying, Snover-chasing...

Goldenrod City was bustling with activity all day long and the previously-stated were just to name a few.

And Heather?

Well, actually, she'd been popping in and out of all of them.

Her friends in Goldenrod might have noticed her occasionally rearing her scruffy head in their general presence every so often throughout the day.

Popping into the Pokemon Center to give Rise an enthusiastic hug, a couple of decorative butterfly ornaments ("I know you like the girly stuff, sooo... they made me think of you!), and a written coupon promising a shopping trip in the department store (during which Heather was not allowed to complain TOO much)....

Knocking on Phoenix and Miles's door far too early in the morning to drag them outside with the intention of showing Miles how to build a snowman (under the assumption that if he didn't know much about building FORTS, he might need an emergency injection of childhood-- and Phoenix obviously did, too)...

Grabbing Snake during a smoking break to give him a heartfelt hug and a couple of really big cardboard boxes she found in the storage basement of the department store while restocking (there were a few sticks of gum thrown in, as well)...

And, naturally, doing everything in her power to start a crazy snowball fight with Kaito and his little band of troublemakers (did she get them matching team sweaters? Yeah, she totally did-- "YOU GUYS CAN BE THE SWEATER BANDITS.")

That was to name a few.

Anyone she knew in Goldenrod was liable to have received a visit from the teen-- and if they were a friend of hers, a gift as well.

But she never hung around for long. Flitting around from place to place, anyone expecting her to remain would have wound up a little bit disappointed. By nightfall, there didn't actually appear to be much of a sign of her at all, which was a little odd, considering that just fifteen minutes before, she'd been at the Snover ceremony, sneakily making off with some of the free apple cider (despite the fact that she hadn't caught a Snover, dohohohoho). But as soon as that had been accomplished, wham bam thank you ma'am, she was gone.

This was because Heather Mason was very good at becoming scarce when she didn't want to be found.


The sounds of crowds and festivities bled away into the night like muted trumpets as a single figure, in a short blue coat and a silly pom-pom hat tromped through the snow away from the center of the city, well-bandaged hands in her pockets. The cold was nipping at her face, but unlike the hasty, not-too-well-thought-out excursion she had taken two weeks before, she was dressed for the night, scarf around her neck and ears firmly covered.

It was surprising how silent the city got on these nippy winter nights, once you left the central streets.

It reminded her of home in that way.

When the brightly-colored lights strung all around the little plaza where the Snover ceremony was taking place faded around a corner, Heather picked up her pace and tossed the now-empty paper cider-cup-- still steaming-- into a nearby wastebin, re-stuffing her hands into her pockets hastily to escape the chill.

There were a few other people making their way down the cobblestone street, but not too many.

Feeling a slight bounce enter her step, Heather puffed out her cheeks as she walked and started to whistle a jaunty, old-timey tune-- which soon turned into a lowly-uttered song that nonetheless sounded loud against the night's quiet-- audible to anyone who might happened to have been near, although its singer was walking too swiftly to be deterred or caught up with.

"The Mason died on Monday...
We bricked him in the wall.
All his children grew and grew,
Theeeey never grew so tall befoooor-ooor-ooore..."

When she reached her destination-- she kicked snow off of her boots and shouldered open the glass door, heading inside and going up the stairwell.

There was nobody in the Department Store tonight except for the janitors cleaning up-- the whole place was empty, closing early. Which was why Heather had chosen to go. Puffing, she climbed the staircases-- all seven of them-- but kept the little tune going, even though she'd gotten a little out of breath.

"They may never grow so tall agaaaaa-aaa-aaaain..."

During the blizzard, the wind on every rooftop in the city had whistled and whipped, but several days later, the air was still and calm in the wake of the storm. Heather had to plant her back against the rooftop door to shove it open through the snow that had piled up there, but with a few strained noises, she was able to get through. Nudging a crate to prop the door open (last thing she wanted was to wind up locked out up here all night on Christmas Eve...), she crunched through the icy pile-up and towards the edge of the building, breath steaming.



The sight tugged a smile onto her face.

The crowd down in the little Snover ceremony had grown since she'd left it-- and if she listened closely, she could even hear the festive chatter far below.

Bunching her scarf up around her neck, she made her way along the edge of the roof.

"Mason was a mighty ma-an, a mighty man was he-eee,
All he said when I'm dead and go-oone,
Don't you weep for meee-eee-eeee...."



There were a few benches back over by the door. Heather rubbed her arms for warmth and headed back over to one of them, kicking some of the snow off idly with one boot before taking a seat with a sigh.

With the little gathering far below out of sight, her view of the city was dominated by the towering buildings and cloudless night sky.

When she'd been traveling in the wild, the sky had been dazzling. Stars, more than she'd ever been able to see in the city she'd grown up in, had been spread out across the sky like spilled sugar.

Sure wasn't like that here-- the city lights that blazed all through the night just turned the sky inky.

Heather's singing had faded to a hum, and then it trailed off colpletely as she drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly. Pulling her hand out of her pocket briefly, she looked at the shrunken Pokeballs in her palm. Then slipped them back in-- she didn't quite trust Cujo not to be a spaz and run off the roof by accident. And she was probably gonna be here for awhile.

So she reached into her other pocket instead, drawing out a little paper carton.

She hadn't smoked a cigarette in almost two years now, and yet the feel of the box in her hand still felt familiar. How weird was that?

It had been a hard month.

There were all kinds of reasons for that, which wasn't uncommon. But it had reawakened old cravings-- and as much as she felt sort of bad for it, she knew where to get the stuff that would indulge them.

Tugging one of them out of the box, she already had it pinched between her lips when she realized that the closest thing she had to a lighter was... well, Cujo.

"... Heh..." Taking the little paper cylinder out of her mouth and looking down at it, she chuckled slightly. "I guess it's kinda stupid to be smoking one of these given the circumstances, anyway..."

She flicked it to the side-- and then, after a second's thought, shook her head.

"Hell with this..."

Chucking the entire packet off to the side, she kicked some snow over it. It was a couple hundred Poke-money down the drain, but eh. She'd live.

Leaning back, she planted her hands on the plastic bench seat, feeling the snow start to melt into the bandages, but not caring too much.

"So... I guess I don't really know how to do this. I talk to myself a lot, but I never really did it with you..."

She trailed off for a second.

"... Not even when I had the chance."

There was a brief silence, and then she coughed.

"So uh... I'm just gonna do this right now. I know it's too late and stuff, but... well, better late than never, right? Here goes... Hey, Dad... It's been awhile. I could've talked to you sooner, but... 'pparently I'm still a pretty stupid kid, even after everything. Who'da thunk?"

The words flowed with surprising ease.

She'd expected this to be hard-- like trying to swallow a pill dry.

But maybe the cosmos was taking some mercy on her-- it wasn't hard at all.

"I know you were here a little while ago... I wish I'd... you know, gotten to know you. How you were back then. But I was pretty scared, no lie. I know you had a hard time accepting me when-- ... well, you know what I'm talkin' about. I know it changed later. But I guess I was kinda scared you'd feel the same way you did back when you lost me the first time around.
... But it shouldn'tve mattered. If my whole life wasn't proof that you did right by me, I don't even know what is. ... It's still weird, havin' Christmas without you. Even if it usually was just us, that was just the way it was, y'know? ... Last year, I stayed with Douglas on Christmas Eve. I know you never met him, and I'm not sure you even would've liked him much, but... he's a good guy. We drank to you. ... Heh. I guess you might not've liked the idea of that too much, me still bein' seventeen at the time and all...
This year's different. I've actually got friends now, Dad. No, not like the losers I used to run around with. Decent ones. ... A few of 'em would probably annoy the hell out've you, but I think you'd like 'em anyway. They've been keepin' me out of trouble. ... Well, mostly. ... I got gifts for 'em using money that technically wasn't mine. So uh... sorry to say, I haven't changed as much as I probably should've, what with the whole life-changing experience and all. But I guess you'd already be able to see that, given those cigarettes I totally just bought like an idiot.
... But I have been doing better. Trying to, anyway... I... never forgot all the things you taught me, even if I didn't always listen...
I guess... what I wanted to say most was... I miss you, Dad. ... I know you can't hear me, but I do. I'm not sure I deserve for you to be proud of me, but... I kinda hope you are, anyway. There's... no crime in hoping, right?"


She cut herself off with a dry chuckle, shaking her head.


"Man, you'd think I'd have my shit sorted out by now, what with technically being a world savior and all. You never hear about heroes in movies pulling dumb crap like I do. ... But yeah. Guess it's just something I should work on. ... It's different in this place. I think-- I think if you came here at the age I knew you, you'd like it, at least a little. I thought I'D hate it, but... it's growing on me like a damn weed. The people, too. ... I mentioned I had friends. Well, they're awesome, Dad. Would you believe I even knew how to find real friends again? I didn't know terrible taste was something you grew out of, but I guess I did. It's a start, right?
I mean... heh. Y'know, first thing that happened when I got to this crazy place..."


What little hesitance was there to begin with dissipated like steam right around that point.

Later on, Heather wouldn't be sure just how long she was up there, talking at length about ... everything.

The people, the Pokemon, the mishaps, the mirth.

From the friends she'd made to the fights she'd been in, Heather just talked until her throat kinda hurt and the lights down in that plaza below had been turned off, the people standing underneath them having long since gone home.

Heather trailed off, watching the steam from the tail-end of the last anecdote float off and dissolve.


"... Aheh... I guess I'd... tell you more, but... it's pretty cold up here, and I know I'm not actually talking to anybody, so..."


She stood up from the bench, reaching into her coat briefly to tug the pearly, gold-patterned locket around her neck, thumbing the little latch open with her thumb. The inside was empty-- it had been empty ever since that night in Silent Hill. It seemed wrong to refill it with something Harry had not given to her himself.

She stood silently, staring into the polished, empty hollow within for a second, before snapping it shut and slipping it back into her collar.


"I love you, Dad. Merry Christmas."


After taking one last look at it, Heather turned her back on the city skyline and edged back in through the door, kicking the crate out behind her on her way in. As she started the long descent back down to the first floor, the echoing clomps of her boots on the stairs got a beat in her step once more. She hummed a few notes-- then raised her voice again as she went.

"Take me to the reaper ma-aan,
To give back what was oweeeed--

If he's in some other land,
Write it off as stooo-oooo-oooole...!"






<sub>[ooc: MERRY CHRISTMAS, ROUTE. I love you guys so much. I'm going to be posting a list of everything that Heather got her friends for Christmas shortly-- once I'm done writing this post. I just wanted to get it put up before Christmas Day was over! Sorry for the tl;dr!

FEEL FREE to action or video-tag here if you wanted your character to run into or talk to Heather on Christmas Eve Day! As usual, reading the redonk long prose is NOT NECESSARY. XD]</sub>

Comments

OOC

[shellderkillder.livejournal.com]

((D-Don't mind me, I'll just sit here wishing I could hug her.))

OOC

[foolishwren]

[Ffff it's okay you can send her imaginary hugs. <3]

[because Phoenix must always action always]

[cheapblusuits.livejournal.com]

_{[ooc; B-BBAW HEATHER. ;___; /pets. You did good, kid. You did good.]}

[...Phoenix found that he was spending far more time outside while in Johto than he ever did back at home. In his entire LIFE. And weirdly enough, it wasn't out of that much necessity. Mostly.

He hated the cold, but he was slowly finding that he couldn't keep himself out of it. Call it cabin fever, or maybe it was the fact that Christmas last year had been spent frantically running around a large town trying to save his childhood-friend-turned-rival from being convicted of murder.

Should he mention that said childhood-friend-turned-rival was whom he was currently staying with?

He couldn't run away on Christmas, but Phoenix thought he was at least entitled to a little excursion the night before. There was a lot to think about these next few days, after all.

So, Heather, in your little walk around town, you might run into your favorite lawyer pseudo-moping on one of the benches. Bundled up with an insane amount of layers, as usual, and looking rather pensive as he tries not to freeze.]

[aaaalwaaays]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather wasn't going to be doing much wandering around tonight. On another night, maybe--- but it was Christmas Eve and she sort of wanted to get to bed at a normal hour, just for nostalgia's sake. She had a pocketful of friends who needed some attention and to be honest, the thought of being able to go to sleep tonight with a bunch of snuggly Pokemon curled up next to her was a little more heartwarming than she'd admit.]

[So, she was on her way back to the hotel when the sight of a mysterious Overdressed Bundle Man caught her eye. Normally she'd have passed right by (seeing hobos sitting out at home wasn't unusual), but... on Christmas Eve? C'mon. Besides, that spiky hair was kind of familiar.]

[She drew up behind the bench.]</sub>

... What're you doin' out here all alone?

[cheapblusuits.livejournal.com]

[Asdfgh--he flinches, not expecting anybody to be nearby, and especially not someone he recognized!]

Wh--Heather?

[He turns around so he can face her, blinking with surprise.]

...what are you doing out here?

[foolishwren]

Had some unfinished business to take care of... m'heading back to the hotel now.

_{[She tilted her head to the side curiously. Kind of wondered if he was out here for a similar reason.]}

... You doing okay?

[cheapblusuits.livejournal.com]

Oh, uh-- [He sits up, stretching a bit.] I'll walk you back. _{It's dangeorus to be out alone at this time of night.}

[Not that he has little faith in Heather's abilities of self-defense, but it wouldn't sit right with his conscience either way. Besides, he DID need to head back sooner or later.

At her question, he just...smiles.] Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking, is all.

[He DOES look...well, not cheerful, but not sad, either. Melancholy would be the best word, really.]

[foolishwren]

_{[At that, Heather SNORTED and shook her head, an amused expression creeping onto her face. Of all the people to be giving that advice to, Phoenix...]}

I should be saying that to you.

<sub>[But she'd humor him. Even if she was pretty sure, inwardly, that SHE was the one walking HIM back.]

[She starts down the sidewalk, hands still in pockets.]</sub>

Given that it's Christmas Eve and you're off by yourself in some deserted part of town, I'm gonna guess you're not thinking about something nice, huh.

[action] FINALLY SHE CAN BE A PROPER MOTHER FIGURE 8|

[forhishappiness.livejournal.com]

[She was a bit tired after all these days of not sleeping to shorten distances and arrive to a city near her friends soon. Kisa was safe with her cousin, so there was no need for her to be in the middle of that family, especially in this holiday.

When she reached Goldenrod, all she could think was in walking around to deliver the presents for those around there and quickly move to the next city. She was wearing her normal clothes, that in another situation would make anyone have a cold, as if it were pretty calm for her.

Of course, she searched for Heather. Expecially when she thinks she saw her on the rooftop. So feel free to meet her in your way back.]

[action] WOOHOO, UR, TAKE A STAND

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather wasn't expecting to really run into anybody this late at night. It wasn't that she thought everyone would be asleep or something-- this was the city. It never slept.]

[But it WAS cold out, and given the occasion, it didn't seem like anyone would be out walkin'. Needless to say, though, on her way back to the hotel, she found herself walking towards Ur (though she didn't recognize her right away, distracted as she was) from the opposite direction, hands in pockets.]</sub>

[action] IT TOOK A WHILE, BUT...!

[forhishappiness.livejournal.com]

[Oh, that's the face she was looking for. She notices that Heather didn't see her, that's why she's going to call out for her.]

Hey.

[action] BETTER LATE THAN NEVER~

[foolishwren]

_{[Heather looks up at the greeting, frowning briefly before recognition lit up her face.]}

Oh-- ... uh, hey.

Ur, right?

[action] OF COURSE.

[forhishappiness.livejournal.com]

Right.

... Wanna go and eat something? My treat.

[action]

[foolishwren]

_{[She pauses, giving Ur a somewhat wary look. Then she seems to realize what she's doing and just shakes her head, looking ahead down the street-- she didn't know this lady too well, but she'd always been friendly enough.]}

Eh... I'm, uh... not really too hungry. I was heading back to the hotel.

Thanks, though...

[action]

[bakaitoukid]

[one thing was for certain: Heather wouldn't run into Kaito Kuroba that evening.

... of course, this was a technicality, as Kaito Kuroba still existed. He had just assumed the identity of someone else for the night as he wandered around the streets of Goldenrod dressed in red pants, a red coat, a Santa hat and... his Kaitou Kid monocle. He had a green sack slung over his shoulder filled with candy and gifts, and he was having the time of his life delivering both his presents to the detectives and candy goodies to the excited children who were still awake at this hour. This was, of course, all done under Kid's persona. And considering his warrant had expired ages ago, he certainly had fun winking and tipping his hat at the Officer Jennies who passed by and couldn't do a thing to arrest him.

Heather was one of the few who knew about Kid, so when he saw her strolling across the Goldenrod department store roof, he didn't waste any time dropping down next to her and approaching]

What's a lovely young woman such as yourself doing up here alone on Christmas Eve? [his voice was smooth and playful and completely unrecognizable as Kaito. Although Heather had heard him talk like this before, so it most likely wouldn't take her long to figure out the man behind the mask]

[action]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[If there was one thing she hadn't expected, it was for anybody else to be up there above the city on the rooftops. The voice beside her made her stiffen and turn-- but she relaxed when she saw who it was.]

[Oh yeah, she remembered who that voice belonged to.]</sub>

Watching for Santa.

_{[Crossing her arms, she quirked a brow at the costume, an amused smirk tugging her mouth upwards.]}

Speaking of which... isn't it a bit early for Kris Kringle to be making the rounds...?

[action]

[bakaitoukid]

[Kid gave his friend a wink as he lifted a gloved finger up to his lips]

It's never too early to celebrate Christmas. See? [dropping his bag onto the snow-covered ground next to him, he opened it to show Heather that it was already half-empty]

The children are more than eager to receive gifts from a jolly old man in red.

[action]

[foolishwren]

_{[She leaned to the side a little bit to see the contents of the sack.]}

... I see.

So you've been being a Christmas Robin Hood, huh?

_{[The smirk turned to a genuine smile as she straightened up again.]}

[action]

[bakaitoukid]

[he lets out a light chuckle] Believe me, Miss. I'm no Robin Hood. [aka he bought everything he gave away hur hur]

[action]

[foolishwren]

Good.

'Cause if you were, I think as a good, law-abiding citizen and a loyal employee of the department store, I'd have to take a stand against your villainy.

_{[Looking back down at the lights below, she laughs a bit and lifts a hand.]}

Merry Christmas.

[action- earlier in de day]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

[ okay, Rise didn't expect Heather to suddenly barge in - and might have almost fallen off her chair in surprise - but she's happily returning that hug. ]

-- Wait, hold on, I've got something for you--

[action- earlier in de day]

[foolishwren]

_{[Apparently, Heather was taking a leaf out of the Kool-Aid man's book. Thankfully, she wasn't busting through any walls.]}

Whaaat? Wait, c'mon, open yours first!

_{[Still giving the hug with one arm, she waves a messily-wrapped box in front of Rise's nose with the other.]}

[action]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

Okay, okay-- don't hit me with it!

[ it's a playful scold, though, and Rise leans back just enough to accept the box-- also with one hand. ]

[action]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather beams and moves to the side slightly, arm still around Rise's shoulders, to give the idol a little more room to open the gift, although it's a fairly small box.]

[Inside, there's a couple of stylized tropical Butterfree hair ornaments-- along with a couple of hand-written coupons. One promises a shopping spree at the Goldenrod Department Store during which Heather is allowed only minimal complaining-- the other promises that 'Girls' Night' with ice cream that she'd brought up earlier.]</sub>

[action]

[restardom.livejournal.com]

[ Rise stares down at the presents for a moment, eyes wide. Truthfully, Japan has never been as intense about gift-giving as America has, so presents were usually from significant others and family, with the idol agency having more flashy Christmas events. This is the first year she decided to do something for all of her friends, and all of this from Heather has her seriously touched.

She slides the ornaments into her hair without any prompting, shooting Heather a bright smile. Oh, she'll be collecting on both of these coupons VERY SOON. ] How do they look?