foolishwren | 79. [Video/Action] Backdated to the morning of October 1st!

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79. [Video/Action] Backdated to the morning of October 1st!

_{[So what's the best thing for someone who's been spending their time alternately fretting and pretending not to be fretting over circumstances well beyond their control?]

[A) More fretting
B) Meditation
C) A DISTRACTION]

[If anyone answered anything other than C, they're either very silly, or Cooper.]

[Heather is neither (.... okay, maybe she's the former quite often), so needless to say... when the posters for the Johto-wide fighting tournament going on in Goldenrod City hit the streets, they were the first thing to catch her eye. In fact, anyone spending any amount of time with her in person has probably noticed the way she's been stopping in the middle of whatever she was doing every single time she passes one of the damn things to look at it contemplatively, with a cocked head and a sort of half-wistful, half-devilish look in her eye.]

[As such, nobody whatsoever should be surprised when she pops up on the network on the day of signups ending with one of the flyers in hand. She'd been waffling on account of the fact that her father was sure do disapprove, but... man, she's been spoiling for something like this for months, and she's got... more than a little steam to blow off. Steam that isn't always so easy to blow off in a world where society expects you to resolve all your conflicts by letting animals do your fighting for you.]}

YO Johto, what's the happs?

_{[She grins broadly and then flourishes the poster at the screen.]}

Guys. Guys. Look.

Look at this.

Best thing ever, or BEST thing ever?

Who else's gonna sign up?

I'M gonna. ... Assuming the puppy-eyes work on Dad, I guess. They're a little rusty but I was once the puppy-eyes champion so I should be okay. And for anybody weirded out by the surreal idea of ME doing puppy-eyes, ask yourselves this: how ELSE could I have gotten away with all the crazy crap you totally know I got up to as a kid?

_{[A sly, knowing nod.]}

Yeah, makes more sense now, doesn't it.

ANYWAY.

_{[Another flourish of the poster.]}

So if any of you are planning on being in this thing, gimme a shout! I wanna size up the competition and stuff. ... And also, transportation? I'm in Ecruteak, so... if anyone's in the area, I guess we could carpool, or something? _{[She's not opposed to the idea of leaping on a strange Pidgeot if she HAS TO, buuuuut...]} I mean, the Tournament isn't supposed to LAST too long, so I'm guessin' we'd all only be gone for like... what, a week or two at most? Then I'd be headed back to Ecruteak because seriously, nice place.

Anyway... _{[She trails off, eyes flicking off to the side of the screen.]} I'd better go convince Dad that I won't die if I do this. _{[Eyes back to the screen, she gives a somber, soldier-like nod and salutes solemnly.]} Wish me luck, my people.

_{[BOOP. End feed.]

[TIME TO GO FIND DAD.]}

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No, you'll have to stand.

I guess that's the part that makes it Hell.

That, and all the drinking water is lukewarm and tastes like asparagus.

But asparagus is good for you!

_{[Heather proceeds to make a face and a noise that indicates exactly what she thinks of asparagus.]}

Oh, bleeghhh yourself! Don't you want to grow up to be big and strong like me?

What, grow up into a SKELETON?

Yeah, I definitely wanna do that.

_{[.... uh oh wait a sec she never actually told him she's known who he was, did she...?]}

_{[Jack laughs at that---_]}

_{-- and then stops abruptly.]

[Wait.]

[Had he told her was a skeleton? He's told a few people, but he's been so scatterbrained as of late.]

[Well this is awkward.]}

_{[... Wait, why is he loo-- .... oh.]

[... Fuck.]}

.... Y'know, 'cause you're all.... skeletal!

And stuff.

_{[Whoops. This is not one of her better cover-ups.]}

_{[Jack tilts his head down a little so he can look over his glasses at her. They'd discussed his death before a number of times, but that sounded AWFULLY SPECIFIC THERE, MISS MASON.]}

I suppose the years have been a little rough on me.

_{[DON'T MIND HIM, HEATHER, HE'S JUST GOING TO KEEP STARING AT YOU.]}

_{[oh god Jack don't do the old man stare, c'mon]}

Well, you ARE pretty old.

... What's with the look?

_{[This is Heather playing dumb.]}

_{[HE'S STARIN'. You've gone and made JACK SKELLINGTON curious and there is no hope for you.]}

I'm not looking a look. You're looking a look.

Wh-- no, I'm not!

... Wait, what?

_{[NOW THIS IS GETTING CONFUSING.]}

_{[Jack makes another face, then seems satisfied with her cluelessness. He starts to move the 'gear aside, as if getting ready to shut it off BUT THEN HOLY FUCK DEAD GUY EYES. HE'S LOOKING INTO YOUR SOUL, HEATHER. OR TRYING. REALLY HARD.]}

Who told you I was a skeleton? Was it Phoenix?

_{[He doesn't sound angry--worried maybe. If she knew that then-- what if she knew about-- ~HIS CRIME~]}

_{[Okay, he seemed convinced. Whew, that had been a close onOH HOLY FUCK.]

[Heather actually recoils a little bit, because even if they're not empty sockets... It's still Jack Skellington, and that guy can have a pretty intense stare, even if it's not an angry one.]}

GAH!

No!

It's just-- no! Phoenix didn't say anything.

_{[she just knows because every goth girl within five miles of a Hot Topic in her world has you on their underpants, Jack. You're welcome.]}

_{[Jack quirks a brow but doesn't break his stare. Hmm. If Phoenix didn't tell her...did they have that...play thing where she was from too? Wait, no, not a play. That movie. He'd seen his first movie (with sound and everything!) upon arriving in Goldenrod.]

[He doesn't say ANYTHING. He's going to see how Heather explains herself.]}

_{[She heaves a sigh. The jig is up.]}

People know about you and Halloween Town and stuff in my world, that's all!

_{[Jack looks satisfied. He even gives a little 'humpf'. YOU CAN'T PULL ONE OVER ON THE PUMPKIN KING. MOST OF THE TIME.]}

Really? Are they scared?

_{[Will you crush Jack's spirit, Heather, Y/N?]

[And then a more solemn fact dawns on him. Heather DOES know about his crimes then. How he almost ruined Christmas for all the children ever. If Sandyclaws had died...NO. Not thinking about it.]}

_{[... Okay. Heather can be a really mean person sometimes.]

[Even a lot of the time.]

[But she's... not actually sure she's mean enough to tell an old man that he has become the mascot of social reject high-schoolers with too much eyeliner everywhere.]}

... Ye-eeeees....

_{[Aw, Heather, you are a kind god.]

[The old man's face lights up at this news, if only for a moment. HE STILL HAD IT. He glances away though.]}

I suppose you know about...you know. Sandyclaws then. I don't know what all that pl-- movie said...I know how things can get blown out of proportion in the media. But he's most certainly still alive--far as I know.

_{[If this display of mercy contributes to the Bad Ending potential like her little stunt in the confessional booth had, Jack, she swears to god...]}

Wh-- ... dude, it's--

We know.

It's okay, man.

Moral lesson and all that.

... For the record, I totally used to listen to you sing every Halloween when I was little.

_{[He opens his mouth to comment that he's glad at least it seemed to be something of a useful fable--]

[SINGING?]

[The poor old skeleton's face goes through a rollercoaster of expressions. He's kind of dealing with the fact that people in another world not only know of his holiday crimes but that...they seemed to have a spooky, intimate knowlage of what went on in that strange little world where it was normal for people to burst into song. And for the first time in a long while, he actually has the facial muscles to MAKE those expressions.]

[He starts to pace, doing a poor job of keeping the camera on him. He wasn't bothered by the time skew-- it was only three years ago for him. That idea wasn't nearly as hard to swallow. It was humbling to think that even though he'd been around for...as long as Halloween, probably, he was still getting floored by new things. There were still new things.]

[A hairline crack snakes its way down the center of Jack Skellington's psyche.]}

Well, golly.

_{[And after all that--she still seemed fond of him. The skeleton manages a wobbly smile.]}

Well I-- I always have enjoyed theatrics. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

_{[Poor guy. She hadn't intended on fourth-walling him, honest! She even looks a little apologetic.]}

Well, who wouldn't? It's a classic.

_{[OF COURSE SHE'S STILL FOND OF YOU JACK WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY]}

_{[8'I so his...world crime was a classic. AHAHAHAh ha. Oh, well, fancy that.]}

I don't know...perhaps the people in Christmas town. they'r the ones with the songs. Not us. Though we...decided to get to know one another better--all us Holidays. And everyone always gave me...you know. That look.

_{[Jack's shoulders sag a bit. It was not uncommon for Jack to siiiink down in his chair and try his best not to be seen at such a gathering. Luckily only the heads of holidays went so there was nobody from home to see that.]}

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