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

Current Mood: crushed
Current Location: Ecruteak City

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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_{[Would you look at that... the one thing these two can wholeheartedly agree upon.]

[Likewise, Alessa is standing stiffly at Heather's side, although her scarlet eyes do flick towards Valtiel on occasion, along with her ears. Paying as much attention to HIS assessment of his trainer's behavior as she is to her own.]

[Heather lets the silence simmer for a moment or so, staring straight ahead.]

[And then she lets out a deep breath, squaring her shoulders before turning to look at the priest at last.]}

If she ever comes here... if she ever shows her face here in Johto.

I'm gonna go find her.

... You gonna come with me?

_{[Although she's not snarling or cursing like she so often does when she's angry... there is nothing but hatred in her voice, and it's perfectly calm.]

[She figures if anyone has the right to bring her to justice for her crimes-- the ones committed before and after her death... it's her. Alessa. ... But Vincent has a bone to pick with her too, doesn't he? They all do. Every child who she hurt.]}

[Vincent's voice is similar, but it's rare that it isn't calm.

There is only one real answer to that question.

He scoffs.]

Legwork isn't quite my thing... [And then silence. He's thinking on it.] But Dahlia's an exception.

[And the smirk makes its return.

She never did so much to him, and anything she did try to tell him, he knew better than to listen to. Just because he was taken in by the church, it didn't mean he had to listen to it. But Dahlia hurt the one person he may have actually classed as a 'friend', once upon a time. Not any more.

Valtiel's wondering if this means they're friends. He figures it doesn't, because Cleo and him occasionally agree on things, but he still hates her.]

_{[Yeah, that was sort of what Heather had meant... after all, if Dahlia had targeted him... well, let's just say that he'd had to have been a much more resilient person than Heather gives him credit for. Kids can't fight that kind of abuse... not by a long shot.]

[But she had hurt Claudia. Their friend-- or someone who had once been a friend to them both, many years ago. And he must still care, a little. If Heather can't bring herself not to care...]}

If you get too hot and sweaty in the process, my Croconaw's Water Gun attack is a pretty quick solution.

_{[Because telling your bipedal crocodile to attack someone you don't particularly like is so much more satisfying than just telling them to go jump in a lake.]}

[He hadn't been a target. And as much as he doesn't remember the details from the earlier years, he learnt that what Dahlia had been doing wasn't good as he grew up.

In some ways, Claudia is the real link between them, instead of their time in Silent Hill 'recently'. The three childhood friends, split apart by a deadly madwoman.]

I'll pass... but please, don't let me stop you from cooling yourself down.

_{[The reality of those kinds of things only ever seem to hit to their full extent in hindsight... But it's the truth.]

[And it's fitting, perhaps... that Claudia is the thing that unites them. Both AGAINST her plans and FOR her sake. Both at once.]

[Despite the dismal circumstances, Heather actually smirks, straightening up with her hands on her hips. Because shut up Vincent, you're just hoping to see her all wet.]}

I don't think I'll need it. See, I never had any problem with getting dirty on the job.

[It's curious what she might think about that fact.

Vincent's brow shoots up, almost looking offended.]

Well... Perhaps you should take better care of yourself?

[Yes Heather, he is calling you un-classy.]

_{[If Claudia were here, she'd be facepalming so hard.]

[And-- pffft, VINCENT? Calling someone ELSE un-classy? PSHAW. ... Although to be fair, Heather is hardly classy, so...]

[She just continues to smirk. She's not happy... no. Not at all. But well, hey. If they're going to work together in any capacity, even theoretically? It's good to get the snarky banter boundary definitions out of the way.]

[And besides... it DOES feel better to focus on this prospect, no matter how violent it may be, than on the heartache of the moment.]}

Not my fault I'm a hands-on kinda person.

But don't expect to not have to pull your weight.

If we're gonna take on that bitch, you'd better do your share.

[Hey hey! He's lacking a lot of stubble now, and his clothes are far more clean. Vincent can be classy when not in a hell-hole.

Vincent knows some of his boundaries with Heather... doesn't stop him from overstepping them though.

It seems with this subject, they can both agree on some things.]

Oh really?

[He scoffs] I can pull my weight without pulling my weight, you know?

[Cleo looks to Valtiel with an expression of disgust. They both know that they'll be pulling the weight; Valtiel just knows that it's their job and will keep telling the Meowth so.]

_{[Sorry Vincent, but you'll always be a smelly, snaggle-toothed creeper to Heather. <3]}

Yeah, sure.

We both know you're perfectly happy to just lie there and let everybody else do the work for you.

_{[Alessa, meanwhile, is just sort of standing there and looking completely unsure what the hell happened to this conversation. She can tell her trainer's not HAPPY, but she IS joking around, so.... da fuq.]}

[Hey hey hey! He is not smelly, okay? Snaggle-toothed maybe, and a creeper for sure...]

And what's so wrong with that? I point them in the right direction, don't I?

[He does. Sometime's it's their possible death, but hey, it was the only way she was going to get that seal.

Valtiel's shaking his head at Alessa, unsure of what's going on himself. Cleo's too busy grooming herself now.]

Yeah, a direction nobody ever wants to go down again afterwards.

_{[Because C'MON, Vincent. A swamp monster? REALLY? She still totally doesn't buy that you didn't know about it (even though you probably didn't).]

[At last, Alessa just sits down at Heather's feet, stumped. Because while there's certainly not much friendliness, Heather is at least more relaxed than she usually is during conversations with this particular man.]}

I wasn't to know.

[He's sticking by that.]

[Valtiel's still standing up. He will always be alert and ready if needed. Cleo on the other hand, gave up really caring before they got here.]

Yeah, right.

_{[Water under the bridge. ... Okay, no, not really, but...]

[She holds out a hand abruptly, expression turning a little more serious.]}

It's a deal, then. If she shows up, we'll take her out together.

Shake on it?

[He nods and takes her hand, deadly serious.]

A deal.

[They'll take down Dahlia for all that she's done.]

_{[In what may be the first ever event on which they're on the exact same page and in total agreement, she grips his hand firmly and gives it a single, decisive shake.]

[A deal.]}

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

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