89. [Video/Action for travel group]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[A short while after the singing wild Pokemon and egg presents had died down, a rather unfortunate discovery was made upon dialing a number she'd been meaning to dial ever since Claudia Wolf and Kaito Kuroba had disappeared from Johto.]

[Already on the road, the weather's mild enough (even with the wind picking up) that Heather decided that was pretty much a good time to pocket her Valentine's Day present and just head off for a walk. Because lord knows, she needs one.]

[It's not the first time Johto has given everyone the gift of a precious little egg, but it is the first time that Heather's found herself resenting it.]

[The video feed pops on, focused in on a tiny, pale yellow little egg hardly bigger than a chicken's, nestled in the palm of Heather's hand as dry grass goes past underfoot.]</sub>



It would be so easy to just... crush it.

Comments

[video]

[foolishwren]

Yeah, but they can't be indestructible.

<sub>[Unless they COULD...]

[The truth is, Heather knows good and well that hurting a Pokemon egg wouldn't solve a thing. WON'T solve a thing. But... she'd been TRYING to be good about it. She'd been trying to let her feelings out in healthy ways and then she'd lost even more. She just wants to SPITE things now, because it's so damn unfair.]</sub>

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

Yeah, probably not.

[Nothing's really indestructible, after all.]

Are you going to?

[It's an honest question; he's not judging or disapproving. This is a feeling he understands.]

[video]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[There's a long silence on Heather's end.]

[Because... she doesn't know. Not really. She wants to, but at the same time, she knows she doesn't. SHOULDN'T want to.]</sub>


... I don't know.

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

If you're not sure, there are probably better things around to break.

[Pause.]

...did someone else leave? [The last few times he's spoken to her after she's lost someone, he hadn't recently. But even with the Pokemon-induced good mood he'd been in the last few days, now it just almost hurts worse. So there's a sympathy in his voice that wasn't nearly so present before.]

[video]

[foolishwren]

_{[Yeah... somehow, the relative lightheartedness of the past few days had made it worse. Like the pain that comes after medication wears off-- somehow just weathering through it was better sometimes than numbing it for a bit. Especially if you discover a NEW injury as soon as it's gone.]}

I guess my reactions have gotten a bit predictable by this point, haven't they.

_{[Her voice is bitter enough to wilt flowers.]}

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

[He lets out a small huff of a humorless, bitter laugh.]

I think everyone's have by now.

[He seems to consider something for a moment.] You're still on your way to Olivine, aren't you?

[video]

[foolishwren]

Yeah.

Not sure when we'll get there. Our pace is sort of... erratic.

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

[He nods.]

When you do get there...I've been thinking of going up that way myself. I could come see you, it's been a while since we've met up in person.

[Because he can't say outright that he's worried about her, especially after this broadcast, or that he's afraid that if he doesn't go to see his friends now they'd just vanish too. But it's not hidden very well.]

[video]

[foolishwren]

... I'd like that.

_{[It's okay. He doesn't really need to. ... After all... she feels the same way. And given everything that's been happening... she has a feeling there's not many people left who aren't.]}