foolishwren | 52. Video and Private Message

_{[The feed opens out on the expansive city skyline, though the slight reflection of the PokeGear shows that, thankfully, there's a panel of glass in between it and the unholy winter storm raging outside. It's nothing compared to that blizzard from last month in terms of whiteout-- the buildings outside, lit up brightly as usual, are still perfectly visible, but the low, gutteral moaning of the wind and the occasional pulsing flash far off in the roiling skies-- tumbling with clouds of that weird velvety orange-gray color only seen in the thickest of snowstorms-- indicate that it is not a pleasant night to be outside.]}

Screw my shift, man. I'm not goin' in tonight.

The ol' bat can kiss my ass.

_{[There's a low rumble of thunder and a clump of buildings off on far side of the city go dark.]}

Ugh. See?

Screw that. I'm staying in my room.

_{[... Well, she might go and bother what few of her friends remained in the hotel. ... Though it was a dwindling number, lately. It made the enormous city seem surprisingly lonely. She'd gotten used to having most of her buddies within walking distance and it was funny how quickly it had seemed normal. Ah, well. She'd already known she took things for granted... at least they were still in Johto.]}

[Though it did make her wonder if she really wanted to stay in the city much longer. ... The old wander gene was kicking in, and then there was the arrival of a certain prominent figure (although they'd never formally met...) from Heather's past...]

[The feed lingers on the window for a moment or two before the camera-holder seems to snap out of her thoughtfulness and turns away, transforming the scene into a brief, ugly blur of floral hotel wallpaper.]

Anyway. Anyone else in the hotel hungry? Maybe we can pool a little money and order some epic room service, because like hell am I gonna try and go out to eat tonight.

.... Oh yeah, and-- heh.

_{[The camera turns once more from where Heather's flopped down on the bed and shows.... this.]}

... I think being cooped up indoors makes them restless.

~*~

[PRIVATE Voice Message to Cybil Bennett]

Hey!

It's, uh-- ... it's Cheryl.

I hope you got somewhere sheltered because this storm's a real doozy. Have you made it to Cherrygrove yet?

Anyway, uh...

... Listen. I'm probably gonna be heading out of town soon and backtracking to Violet City. Which is... probably on your destination list if you're goin' the usual way.

_{[There's a brief pause. Heather sounds almost humorously sheepish and unsure. To anyone already familiar with her usual cocky way of talking, it'd probably almost sound adorable how uncertain she was. But really could you blame her after what had happened when the last person she knew from back home showed up? This was a big deal and she didn't wanna fuck it all up.]}

Do you... I dunno, wanna meet up for coffee or something while I'm there?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A nod.] That is a long time, huh... [...he sort of envied her. It was better than what HE'D been running around doing during October slash November...] Where are you going to go? Ecruteak? _{...I still need to get my badge in Azalea, for that matter...}

[He rolls his eyes.] Trust me, I'm not here because I want to be. _Mostly. [He glances sideways worridly, presumably at where the unconcious Professor will be sleeping.]

_{[She shakes her head.]} Nuh uh... well, not at first, anyway. _{[She'd go there eventually. She owed Kaito some monk-tower infiltrating adventures, after all.]} I'm actually heading back to Violet.

_{[Any other time, she'd have grimaced at the mention of that city. All her experiences there had soured her on it-- and Phoenix knows that better than anybody. But... weirdly, she looks... kind of hopeful.]

[Or... well, till he looks off to the side like that, anyway.]}

Right... how's the ol' Proff doing?

Violet? [His eyebrows furrow at the name -- no, he still doesn't like that place too much, even if he HAD had to backtrack there to pick up Luke and co.

...after a few seconds of thinking, he asks, a bit tentaitvely;] Are you...going to meet with that police officer who showed up? The one who knew about Silent Hill? [Ever since he'd started talking to her, he's been meaning to ask Heather if the officer was one of those crazy cultists she was telling him aobut. Cybil seemed alright, buuuut...you neeever know.]

Oh, um... [Another sigh.] He's still alive, if that's what you mean. He hasn't changed since I first saw him in Violet. _{I'm just glad we got him to shelter in time...}

_{[Her brows go up when he brings Cybil up-- he already knew!? But wouldn't you know it, he's right on the money.]} How'd you...? Uh-- ... yeah, actually. _{[A tentative smile tugs the corners of her mouth up-- she looks sheepish, but not unhappy.]} I never told you about her, did I? _{[She was a different case than the other people from Silent Hill who had shown up in Johto thus far-- James, Mary, Angela... all of those people were connected to Heather through the town itself, but she'd never met them before. They had not been tangled in the web of her past.]

[But Cybil, on the other hand...]}

I hope he's all right.

If he's just sleeping like all those other people, he'll have to wake up at some point, right?

[ONE OF HIS MANY LAWYER PERKS: he tends to pay attention to things like that. Especially if they involved a friend, and ESPECIALLY if they involved a friend who had told him that her hometown was filled with monsters. HE'S JUST A LITTLE CAUTIOUS.]

No, you didn't. I take it she's not, er...she's not bad news or anything, then? [CAN YOU SEE THE RELIEF ON HIS FACE.]

Well, yes, that's what we're hoping. But... [Another glance sideways.] ...it has been a while. Miles passed out after him, but even he woke up in a week or so...and Luke is dead-set on finding some woman in Olivine. Apparently, he heard that she's good with medicine, so...

_{[Aww. She'd be touched if she'd known he was looking out for her! As it is, though, she grins crookedly and shakes her head.]}

Nuh uh.

Cybil Bennett is... probably the only person I ever heard my father refer to as 'friend'.

I... never met her, not... formally, but back when he was in Silent Hill all those years ago, she helped him. _{[... And possibly died doing so, but Heather doesn't know that.]}

And I'm sure he'll be fine.

As long as... you guys don't have him still tied to a bear, do you?

[He raises an eyebrow at this.] A friend of your father's? [That's a new development.] So, she...knows about what your father did, then?

[If she wasn't a threat, then...he wonders if this would be a good development for Heather. Maybe it would help her, considering that her father disappeared and all. He can't up but grin a bit at the thought.

...and then he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.] Well, er...

...maybe?

I-- ... I'm not sure, actually. She might not. She said... he was still looking for me, so... she must be from right when all that shit was going down for the first time. _{[She vaguely remembers running through that town, trying to stop what was coming, as both Cheryl AND Alessa, but everything was so fuzzy.]

[She's... looking hopeful, herself. It's not that she thinks it'll wind up like some big happy fuzzy family thing, but... maybe it was another chance. A third one. All she knew was that she had to take it.]

[However, the wistful look on her face fades fast.]}

... You guys.

When he wakes up TIED TO A BEAR and absolutely freaks the hell out, it's on YOU.

I see... [Kiiind of. Since he's still pretty sketchy about the details.] Well, either way...it must be nice to have someone else from there that, er...knows what's going on, at least.

[aaand embarrassed chuckling is GO.] W-Well, er...it'd be pretty hard to keep tying and un-tying him all the time, really...s-so...

[EXCUSES.]

_{[Heather has BEEN sketchy about the details... to be fair, it was almost so convoluted that not even she could make heads or tails of it. ... It was made just slightly worse by the fact that she had two mostly-unique sets of memories from the exact same event...]}

Yeah... Well, I mean... I haven't told her much yet. Y'know, apart from who I am...

_{[... STARE.]}

... Phoenix. Go untie him from the bear.

...you're not sure how much you should tell her, then? [A tilt of the head. That was sort of understandable, at least...

HERP DERP. He continues to make his sheepish face.] A-Alright, alright...I'll go talk to Luke and Flora. And Ms. Folly...

Well... it's... it's touchy, you know? As... wrong as I was to NOT do it, there... were reasons that I didn't tell Dad who I was...

And yes. Go do that. NOW.

Yeah, er...it's not like your situation is simple. _{At all.}

[AND THAT'S JUST WHAT HE KNOWS...

and now he's making a face.] FINE, fine. _{What are you, my mom?}

[/BRB DISCONNECTING]

_{[... Heather's immediate reaction is to blanch at the very concept of being a mother. It doesn't even have anything to do with Dahlia Gillespie-- no, Heather's revulsion at the thought of being a mother herself is far more personal than her own family experiences.]

[But then a thought occurs to her.]}

... Ew. I'm not anybody's mom.

... I'm the dad.

_{[... Yes. If Heather was gonna be ANY parent, mock or no, damn right she was gonna be the daddy. >8I]}

52. Video and Private Message

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