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

[audio]

[foolishwren]

Yeah.

Yeah, that's it.

That's friggin' it.

... I've been here practically two years. I learned my lesson about ... about taking stuff for granted.

But there's not-- it doesn't-- it never gets better.

_{[She's happy that they're-- that most of them are still alive, wherever they are. She's happy for them. But ... as she'd said to Minnie, there's supposed to be bodies. Or graves. Or a new address. Or a simple fading out. Not this.]}

... I was never able to tell them how much-- ... how much they meant to me. Not really.

[audio]

[adamant]

You know...this might be selfish, but--

[He cuts himself off, almost afraid to say it. It had been so easy, right to Lightning's face in the heat of the moment, but now, just between him and Heather, it seems so daunting.]

I'd almost prefer knowing they were gone to this.

[There. He said it. And, as if to temper that, he needs to remind her--or maybe himself?--that he's still somewhat responsible, here.]

Living with that regret, all the unsaid words...it's hard, but it can be done.

[He did it, still does it, and as much as he'd love to swagger around pretending otherwise, 'tough as nails' Leon is not.]

[audio]

[foolishwren]

_{[There's a long pause on her end, but after a moment or so she makes a quiet, reluctant sound of agreement. There's no way she'd ever wish death on her friends... but there was at least some closure to be found. It was a hideous thing to admit but in a certain small way (not ALL ways. Just some), she can think of deaths that affected her more easily than... these.]}

... I know.

I know. That's what I've been doing.

... I'm just so sick of it, s'all. I thought it'd get easier with time.

_{[But now, it's starting to seem like the only way to make it get easier is to STOP CARING. And she can't do that... even if she wants to. Even if that was kind of her GOAL with the egg. To see if she could.]}