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

_{[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]

_{[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...?]}

[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]

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[He doesn't respond, having nothing to add to the topic. As much as he wants Kaito to come back -- even if it's a little selfish -- there's no use dwelling on that now. Instead, Crows goes back to staring down at his cup.

A few minutes pass before he finally speaks up again:]

I hate this place.

[... harsh words, and ones he may actually regret later on, but at this moment? Crow doesn't give a single fuck. If he can't be mad at any specific person, he's gonna be pissed off at the entire Johto.]

_{[Heather pauses, considering.]

[There's times when she doesn't know where she stands on it.]

[It's given her so much... her father, a second chance... a LIFE so much greater than the one she was living back home. Friends. A family.]

[... But it's also taken so much away. Frequently in the most painful way possible.]}

... Me too.

[That's the way Johto is: giving you everything, family, friends... an illusion that all is well, only to take it away when you least expect it.

Like now, for example.

Crow wants to say something to that, but finds himself at loss of words. That doesn't happen very often to him, but... what... is there to be said? He's tired; his head is pounding from all the crying and despite his pretty good alcohol tolerance, wine won't be exactly of any help here, but... damn, he just doesn't want to think anymore.]

To hell with this.

[And that marks another glass down.]

Hear, hear.

_{[Bottoms up.]

[She's already starting to feel a little fuzzy. She's not looking forward to the headaches in the morning (she's nursing one of her own right now, too), but whatever. She just needs a distraction.]}

... You gonna be able to sleep tonight?

Nah.

[As exhausted as he is, he can't really force himself to lie down peacefully. He doubts he'd be able to calm his mind enough to fall asleep anyway...]

You?

If I'm lucky, maybe.

_{[... All she wants to do is sleep. To be able to just forget about this for a few hours. But whether or not she'll be able to is another story.]}

... Prob'ly just gonna lie down with Cooj and Arty and watch stupid TV until my eyes won't stay open.

[He knows himself and his reactions to losing friends (both to Johto's questionable sense of humor and worse) well enough to figure he'll probably spend the rest of the night crying into the pillow some more and punching the poor walls and hopefully not getting kicked out of the inn for disrupting the still of the night. Lamenting on the roof is also and option, but it's freaking cold outside and even Crow is reasonable enough not to do really stupid things despite the overwhelming pain and the feelings of "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ANYMORE".]

Sounds like a plan.

[Better than driving yourself miserable by moping and getting drunk-- too late.]

_{[Well, to be fair... Heather doesn't handle things much more gracefully.]

[It's just that this time she had the foresight to get all her punching out earlier in the day... to tire herself out. At this point, exhaustion is the closest thing she can have to peace.]}

What about you?

[He's not getting his hopes up about being able to fall asleep in the room he shared with Kaito for the next few nights...]

I dunno.

[Sounds better than "I don't care".]

_{[... ;-; Crow oh no. If she knew, she'd invite you to come stay in their room instead...]

[Unfortunately, though, she just trails off into silence, instead.]

[What a sorry pair...]}

[Even if she did, he'd probably turn down the offer anyway. Under normal circumstances, every time he lost someone, he was on his own and it was up to him to deal with it... never mind he never fully did, in either case. But in Johto, it was different. Kaito was always there to help him get over things, stand up and collect himself. But now...

Crow doesn't say anything, either, too busy with his thoughts -- memories -- that seemed so distant right now.

... He kind of hates the way he is right now. After all the talk about how he would never give into despair and always have hope for the future...

And right now, he just can bring himself to give a damn.]

_{[... There's really no replacing Kaito, either.]

[Although she hadn't been ... UNAWARE of it before, not at all... it's suddenly hitting her that he was always the one who was there when she'd lost people before. Or was even just slightly down. He'd always be there with his flowers and reassuring smiles.]

[But not any more.]

[After a moment or so, she reaches over to put a hand on Crow's shoulder.]

[There's not much else to say.]}

[Yeah. No replacing, and no compensating either. Let's face it: no amount of tears, wine, bag-or-wall punching or bad TV could help them feel better, at least not long-term.

There really isn't. He places his hand on top of hers and gives it a light squeeze, not bothering to stop it from shaking.]

_{[Wordlessly, she turns her hand over under his so that she can clasp it.]

[It's probably going to be a long night.]}

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