foolishwren | 77. [Video/Action]

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Location: Ecruteak City

77. [Video/Action]

_{[It always seems like autumn in the woodland town of Ecruteak. But when it's actually autumn, the colors are mind-blowing.]

[Heather might not be one of those 'let's walk quietly in nature and be alone with our thoughts' types, but she can appreciate the beauty of the world when she sees it! Which is why, accompanied by a small chorus of footsteps as she and the rest of the gang tromp into Ecruteak City, she's got the 'Gear out and is pointing it around at the explosion of color decorating the trees.]}

Man, why did we skip this place again? It's friggin' gorgeous. Reminds me of home!

_{[New England autumns were one thing she had sort of missed since coming here. There weren't many of those]

[As the quaint buildings start coming into view, though, the 'Gear spins as she turns to the rest of the group-- her father, Henry, and the terrible trio of Kaito, Crow, and Aoko. ... Along with, of course, the Pokemon ambling alongside them all (or being carried).]}

Hey, I dunno if you guys wanna go on to the inn or whatever, but I'm gonna make a quick stop at the Mart, okay? If you don't wanna come in with me, I can catch up with ya later. _{[Doop doop gotta restock on sun lotion. :I]

[She heads into the store, greeted by the swish of the doorway and a burst of air-conditioning-- summer's still clinging on enough to make the sunny day hot, even in September. A couple of minutes of browsing later (a nice shady inn room and a nap sound awesome right now, so she's not exactly into lingering), she approaches the counter with her purchase (and a little bottle of Aprijuice for Godzilla because he had tugged on her shirt and looked pitiful when they passed the display) and puts them down, digging in her bag and speaking to the cashier a little distractedly.]}

Hey, could you feed the receipt into my 'Gear so I can keep track? Thanks.

_{[She sort of forgot the camera was on, apparently-- but the cashier takes the 'Gear and does so, before pausing and blinking down at the screen.]}

... Oh! Your name's Heather Mason?

_{[... Buh?]}

Uh... yeah. Why?

_{[Is it bad that her first thought is that this guy is like the Jennies from Violet and actually remembers that time a warrant for arrest went out with her name on it? But he doesn't seem accusatory-- instead, he's propping the 'Gear on the counter and bending down to get something from under the register.]}

We received a package with your name on it a little while ago and we've been holding onto it. Here.

_{[He passes over a slender box, with a few stickers and stamps on it-- looks like it's been sent around a few different places before it finally found her. Looking confused, Heather takes it, looking down at it with furrowed brows.]}

... There's no sender name on it?

_{[The cashier shrugs, making a baffled 'iunno' noise.]

[Heather glances downwards at the two Pokemon who had come with her into the shop, who look just as baffled as she does. ... Well, Arty kind of looks... angrily baffled, but there you go. Then, shrugging, she slips the top off the box and pulls out its contents.]}

_{[Two Pokeballs ... and a worn-out old cloth green headband.]

[Heather's heart sinks immediately. She knows exactly who this package is from...]

[A few minutes later, she emerges from the shop, the bandanna carefully folded back into the box and put in her bag for safekeeping, but the Pokeballs are still in her hand. Stopping once she's out in the sunlight, she puts her bag down and looks at the balls contemplatively for a moment or so, before turning her head to look at the autumn foliage again.]}

... I'll take care of 'em, Dave.

_{[... Wow okay, mumbling to thin air like he could hear her. That was dumb. ... But it made her feel a little better, anyway.]

[Rolling her shoulders, she puts a grin on her face and tosses the Pokeballs into the air, releasing their residents in the usual bright flash of light. Even if Snake was gone... it's good to see them again.]

[She raises her arms to meet the joyful trills of the larger of the two, and as she does so, looks over her shoulder and hollers--]}

HEY, DAD! Wanna see what Lisa's gonna look like when she's all grown up?

_{[ooc: Responses will come shortly, gonna go get somethin to eat B). Action for anyone in Ecruteak!]}

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_{[Yeahhhh let's just not hang out with that owl anytime soon. SORRY, SUNNY. Cuddles will not be had for a long, long time.]

[But Coop can grin like the best of them, and a fellow someone showing excitement for omg nature does make his smile grow. It's like he momentarily forgets the bird and everything.]}

Really? I don't think I've ever seen colors like these.

_{[Pennsylvania isn't as epic as Maine, clearly.]}

_{[Poor Sunny. 8c She'll just have to get her cuddles elsewhere.]}

Oh, it's like this every year in New England.

I never got tired of it, y'know?

I can see why. This is amazing.

_{[Subtly stressing that last word. He'll happily focus on this instead of everything that isn't.]}

Yeah.

I guess I'm glad I came to this town NOW instead of back at the beginning of the summer. Otherwise I'da missed it.

Summer was best spent in Ilex.

_{[Wistful. Those trees.]}

Edited 2011-09-11 20:09 (UTC)

Ilex?

Man, maybe it's just because I was there during the fall, but... creepy place.

Creepy?

_{[What. What.]}

That's not a word I'd use. Especially not in summer - there's so much life, so much air ... It's incredible.

_{[SUIT YOURSELF, COOP.]}

It was dark.

_{[DALE COOPER, tree lover since 1954.]

[..he'd probably say something about how dark doesn't have to be creepy, but on second thought? It actually is, most of the time. Another glance at Sunny once that crosses his mind, a pause ... then he throws a much smaller smile Heather's way.]}

I know how dark it gets. I was there this winter.

_{[Yeah... all things considered, Heather is not a fan of the dark. The dark holds too many things she knows now to be afraid of.]

[Not to mention, there were the bad memories...]

[Alessa's life had been spent mostly in darkness.]

[... But she's not gonna talk about that.]

[Instead, she edges over to Sunny to run a hand over her downy plumage.]}

D'you like forests or something?

_{[While Cooper doesn't necessarily find the dark creepy in itself, there's no denying how many cases and stakeouts he's had to work in the dark, how many people were killed in the dark, and all the dreams he'd have at night.]

[... dreams and visions.]

[When Heather moves closer to the bird he falters slightly in his speech as he can't help keeping his eyes on the pokémon for another good moment, but he's mostly okay at this point.]}

Doesn't everyone?

_{[There were more than one kind of darkness, at least as far as Heather was concerned. But being alone in a thick forest like Ilex at night was definitely one of the sorts of dark that spooked her.]}

Well, I like 'em during the daytime...

_{[She had enjoyed exploring them whenever she could as a kid, although opportunities for that were limited in the city... and in the end, they did sort of give her the heebie-jeebies, because of her roots in that town...]

[The forests of Silent Hill were old and deep, and hid just as many dark secrets as the streets did.]}

Better than not at all.

_{[The way he says it sounds almost like a shrug - like that's good enough for him, and he'll settle with that answer. Cooper never had any real ties to forests himself, having grown up largely without them, which is in part responsible for his excitement regarding them.]

[But fast-forward just a few days in his own timeline, and he's going to have a completely different opinion ... Ghostwood forest, indeed.]}

There were a lot of woods in my hometown... I was a little scared of 'em. I guess that never totally went away.

_{[She'd grown so numb to a lot of scary things, but she has to admit that the forest sounds in the middle of the night still got to her sometimes.]}

We all have something like that.

_{[His own 'something' was probably made clear the moment he approached, but. Yeah. Let's not linger on that any more than necessary, which brings us to ...]}

How are you doing?

_{[..a sort of stock question that actually holds a little more, mostly along the lines of recent events - is that Vincent guy still trouble, for instance. After all, this here is a type A good guy, and he's keeping tabs on people.]}

_{[Yeah, and Heather has LOTS of things like that... thanks, traumatic childhood.]

[The bird thing wasn't totally lost on her, although she doesn't GET it yet...]}

Me?

I'm--

... I'm doing okay.

_{[... are you really? He's going to take a moment to really look, searching gaze and all.]}

Okay.

_{[... Ow, jeez with the piercing gaze, Cooper... Heather forgot how much worse that thing was in person, considering she mainly spoke with him over the 'Gear.]}

... Seriously.

_{[It just means he cares, really. But he also knows when to back off, and does so with a small nod.]}

I'll take your word for it.

_{[Yeah, she's... still not ready to address the Claudia issue. She's sort of been ignoring it, actually... but it'll come up. Oh yes. It'll come up.]

[There's a visible sort of relaxation in her posture as he backs off, though. She loosens up.]}

Yeah-- seriously, we just walked into town.

Dad and the others're getting our rooms at the inn squared away.

I know. You just told me.

_{[Amusedly raised eyebrow.]}

_{[You know what happens when Silent Hill characters get flustered? They repeat themselves.]

[Heather shuts her mouth and just sort of linefaces at him for a minute.]}

.... I should catch up with them.

Good idea.

_{[He's just. Gonna keep looking like that's a little funny (cause it is), but sort of kindly so? Also he honestly wouldn't mind if she ran off now. Assuming she'd take the bird with her.]}

_{[It's okay, Coop is allowed to be forever amused at awkward teen conversational flubs. Even if Heather is kind of embarrassed (and trying to hide it as she returns the reclining Torkoal to its Pokeball).]}

RIGHT. Uh... wellp. See ya!

_{[NO COOP SHE'S GONNA LEAVE YOU WITH THE OWL.]

[J/k, don't worry-- as she turns to head off, the Togekiss spreads her downy wings and takes off after her with a slight breeze from her impressive wingspan.]}

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tapestodiane - 2011-09-14 18:17 (UTC) - Expand

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