87. [Text/Action for Ecruteak in the evening]

[foolishwren]

_{[The following is sent out network-wide.]}

[Text]

gonna be gone today

won't be back till late

if it's important leave a message and I'll get it later


[Note left on the bedside table in hotel room, for Harry Mason and Henry Townshend]

Gotta take care of something

Won't be at work.

See you guys later in time for dinner probably

-Heather


[ACTION]

<sub>[There's a little rec center towards the south end of Ecruteak City. Given that the town's full of old people, it doesn't see a whole lot of activity.]

[But today, someone passing by might notice a small group of Pokemon hanging out JUST inside the door-- normally Pokemon waiting for their trainer would be playing or gamboling outside in the snow, but they look unusually subdued. Butch the Quagsire and Alessa the Absol, probably recognizable to anyone who's spent a significant amount of time around Heather, are sitting in the chairs by the entrance, although they're accompanied by two new faces...]

[A babbling Wooper is cuddled up to Butch's side, and a small, purple ball of fur is nestled deep into the Absol's bristly mane, not moving aside from the occasional little shiver or reflexive squirm as Alessa lifts her head to give it a gentle nudge every so often.]

[They're Heather's Pokemon, all right-- plus two of Kaito Kuroba's, Flapper the Wooper and Biz the Aipom, and they're clearly hunkered down morosely in the front lobby of the rec center, probably waiting for Heather.]

[But... where WAS Heather?]


[Smiling.]

[At the end of the letter, he'd told her to keep smiling.]

[Well, she couldn't do that. Maybe later. Maybe in a few hours, or tomorrow. But not today. Sorry, buddy...]

[If anyone actually went into the recreation center's lobby to see why the hell Heather's Pokemon were just sitting there, waiting around, they would likely hear it-- the repeated thwak THWAK THUD of someone viciously venting their spleen on a punching bag.]

[Which is exactly what she was doing, and HAD been doing for the past god knows how many hours. She hadn't even looked outside since she'd gotten there in the morning-- for all she knew it was past dark. She didn't know and she didn't really care, either-- which actually surprised her. She'd left that note for her father and Henry specifically with the intention of guilting herself into returning when she'd told them, because hey. They'd worry.]

[That wasn't good, she knew. Getting so sucked into hitting something that she didn't even care about getting 'home' on time. That sure was a throwback to the old high school years, wasn't it.]

[But hey... she wasn't punching a wall or a tree this time.]

[That was an improvement, right...?]</sub>




[OOC: PokeGear responses will be replied to around 10:00 at night, when Heather returns home from beating the shit out of gym equipment. 8I]

Comments

[miniworth]

[Every time he sees Heather upset, he just thinks about that December. He doesn't know what has gone down yet, but he's going to text Heather with concern...]

Heather. What happened?

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It's... a pretty valid comparison, really.]

[Sure, the dynamics are different... everyone knew she was friends with Kaito, as opposed to the whole ridiculous waiting game that she'd been playing when her father had disappeared. She has shoulders to turn to. No more wall-punching, and no showing up at Phoenix's doorstep with mangled hands.]

[But it still hurts.]

[Her reply contains a few more misspellings than normal, and it arrives late in the night.]</sub>

kaito went home


were takin it pretty hard over here

but it'll be okya.

[miniworth]

[Late in the night and misspellings aren't big problems. Miles doesn't sleep at age-appropriate times, after all. He's surprised and a little bit sad to hear Kaito is gone -- they haven't spoken in months, but they'd shared important conversations in the past -- and relieved to see the "we" in Heather's reply: Good. She isn't alone.

Of course he still worries. People react badly to close friends disappearing (he supposes he and Phoenix weren't super close, but he doesn't particularly want to think about Ken or Clover disappearing) and Heather doesn't exactly rule herself with her head. Emotional. Rash. Quick to act.

Not that telling her that is going to make much difference. He can already picture her taking out her anger on some poor inanimate object that he hopes won't damage her in return. But Miles is not good at comforting. 8C]

... You shouldn't go off on your own like that.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Yeeeeaaaaaaaaaah...]

[Fortunately, she had her head screwed on a little more tightly this time around... her father is here, and for his sake, she can't go and be reckless.]

[She also doesn't feel anywhere near as GUILTY. Which... well, that was a big component the other time.]</sub>

dont worry

i just went to a gym to blow off some steam


i wasnt out wandering the snowy wildrness angrily with my pants on my head or anythrign

_{[... In other words, no more busted-hand incidents... although her fingers are a little swollen after going to town on that punching bag for so long. But that was better than the alternative, which likely would have been blowing up at Henry or something.]}

[miniworth]

Do you have someone to talk about it with?

[A lot of the people from Miles' world are gone. By the time Franziska went home, there really weren't that many people... of course, there was Ken. Ken was always there, but Ken didn't really know a lot of the people from Miles' world.

It had been the same when Ken's friends went home. Miles knew a few, but not always. And neither of them knew Clover's brother.

But Miles knew Kaito. A lot of people knew Kaito. He's sure Heather has at least someone who knew him if she needed to talk, but...]

[foolishwren]

yeah

<sub>[She does... that's the biggest thing that makes it different from last December.]

[She doesn't have to hide anything, and she's got shoulders to lean on. ... It doesn't make it FEEL much better, but...]</sub>

just got back from making sure one of his other friends w as okay actually

_{[... And getting more than a little buzzed.]}

[miniworth]

Heather. You're typing like you're half asleep, or really, really drunk.

[Which he figures is the last one. He's aware of Johto's drinking age, as well as how old Heather is. But he hopes she didn't drink too much.]

[foolishwren]

_{[.... perceptive.]}




wellp


little of both actually


actually a little of the first and lots of the secnd

_{[If he called it...]}

[miniworth]

I hope you're watching how much alcohol you're consuming.

[He will nag you forever, Heather. He figures that's what he should do -- because hey, this is Heather. Heather never tells her younger-than-twelve friends much about what goes on inside that head of hers. It's not like he knows much about her, really, when it comes to what she's been through and where she came from.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It's what friends do-- especially when the other party is one messed-up pup, trust-wise... as most have probably noticed. Confiding in people-- really confiding, not the basic 'Yep I'm not okay, but I will be' that she so often falls back on when talking to her friends-- is something that all too frequently hurts. All too frequently makes people aware of things about her they didn't even know they had to worry about... Especially when the pain is recent. Recent and personal and exhausting and embarrassing.]

[But all the same, Miles's disapproving chide makes a corner of her mouth quirk up. Some things never change.]</sub>

dont worry we stopped as soon as putting lamp shaes on our heads seemed like a good idea

gave the rest to henry because nobody needs to see that


_{[There's a pause between replies, but after a couple moments have passed, another one from her pops up.]}

hey miles


thanks

you know, for being concerned

[miniworth]

[Trust is a hard concept for a lot of the children (and teenagers, and adults) in this world. Things that aren't usually common in their respect worlds are suddenly things that a lot of people have in common, upon meeting each other in Johto -- death, betrayal, disillusionment, mistrust. Miles won't push Heather to confess her feelings to him when he rarely does so himself, anymore.]

You should remind your father to give you some coffee in the morning. Apparently, that helps.

[He pauses, for a moment, when he sees her next reply. He does his best to return sincere words, but it still comes out distantly uncomfortable, like words always do for him.]

I didn't do anything to warrant a thanks. I'm just a friend. But you're welcome. Get some sleep before you do something stupid.

[foolishwren]

_{[Very much so... and as much as Johto is a good place for second chances, its tragedies can crash through progress like a kind of ironic wrecking ball.]}

it helps sometimes...

_{[Although truth be told she's sort of planning on just sleeping until noon. Maybe if he gives her some coffee around lunchtime instead...]}

anyway no but honestly i think friends should ought to hear 'thanks' more often

lots of people dont seem to say it enough so i just figured i would

<sub>[... With Kaito it had been largely unspoken, and that had always been okay. But like so many shoulda coulda wouldas, it's bothering her a little big now.]

[Aka just ignore her she's being sappy.]</sub>

but yeah. stupid activities done for tonight.

just going to watch tv and use cujo as a pillow

because he's big and doesn't stop me

[miniworth]

[Miles has no doubt that Heather would wake up with a headache regardless of the time. He's a little linefaised.]

What do they even broadcast on these televisions, anyway?

Just don't stay up too late.

[foolishwren]

_{[She's had plenty of hangovers before. They're not fun, but eh. What're you gonna do.]}

mostly pokemon battles

there's some news

cartoons

a lot of what you'd see on regular tv except since everybody's obsessed with pokemon here it all has to do with pokemon one way or another

_{[She's not going to address the second bit because she doesn't even take advice about bedtime from her father, much less a middle-schooler. She intends to stay up until she falls asleep. Though she won't be making any real attempt to fight the sleep off, that's for sure.]}

[miniworth]

Well, considering that the school here only teaches about Pokémon...

I hope you feel better soon, Heather. Kaito Kuroba would congratulate you for smiling despite hardships, but he wouldn't want you to fake it for so long.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Yeeeeaah. Johto society seems... a little single-minded. But hey, whatever works for them...?]

[It's awhile before Heather replies. That's because she's leaning on the wall behind her head, hand over her eyes and fighting the burning sting that's searing her eyes and sinuses.]</sub>

I know

hope I feel better soon too



i'll try not to fake it too much.

[miniworth]

Good. For others' if not for your own sake.

You have people to fall back on.

[foolishwren]

I do.

[miniworth]

Then they, especially your father, would want to catch you.

Just take care.