foolishwren | 89. [Video/Action for travel group]

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89. [Video/Action for travel group]

_{[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.]}

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

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[He doesn't answer for a while, clearly taking his time to think this over. The last thing he wants to do right now is say the wrong thing, and send all this progress sliding backward.]

[Which... Ironhide sort of believes he's capable of doing.]

[And, once again, he opts to be honest with her. He doesn't have the answers she's looking for. Maybe he never will. Maybe no one will.]

When I figure that out... I will let you know.

[It's a simple statement, but the weight of the words, the heaviness in his voice, makes them almost sound like a promise.]

Have a habit of being difficult to get rid of. I ever tell you that?

[I'll be here, kid.]

[It's unsaid. But he doesn't believe it needs to be spoken aloud. Some things don't.]

_{[Sometimes it seems so easy to undo all the good that's been done and send things backsliding, doesn't it?]

[But in this case, he doesn't.]

[He's definitely stopped her from smashing that egg open (would she have done it at all...?), and although the camera doesn't really pick it up, her eyes start filling with tears again at the words.]

[She's already told people making the same promise, with all their hearts, that that was just the RUB. They can't guarantee it here. SHE can't guarantee it here. She can tell someone all she wants that she'll always be there for them, and yet the next day she might be gone, for no apparent rhyme or reason. As much as the real world is LIKE that sometimes, there's usually some sort of guarantee that if you take care of yourself and stay safe, you'll live to see your friends another day. Here? No.]

[But she can't keep arguing that... it won't get anybody anywhere except down at the bottom of a pit of despair.]

[It's a second or two before she can reply.]}

... Guess that's something we have in common, huh?

[He doesn't speak, either. It's her turn. Her chance. He won't speak up until she's ready. Or until he needs to.]

[Ironhide's pretty good at this "keeping quiet" thing.]

[When she does speak, he nods. Good. At least she's not shouting. That's a good sign, right?]

Yeah. Looks that way, kid.

_{[She nods.]

[It might be a simple statement, not really a promise or anything similar, but... it helps.]

[So she sort of just... lets out a breath and nods. Because saying anything else almost feels unnecessary.]}

_{[... And then there's a long pause.]

[Because ... now that she's not drowning in her sea of self-centered angst, there's something that's been niggling at her throughout the whole conversation.]}

... Hey... Ironhide?

[In the pause, he took a moment to flop down on the nearest convenient chair. Crisis averted. Nothing's in danger of getting smashed, or turning to the proverbial Dark Side.]

[He scrubs a hand over his face, and raises an eyebrow at the 'gear.]

Yeah? What is it?

Earlier you said... you wanted your life back.

_{[Normally she'd just... assume that he meant in the sense of wanting to go back to his own world. Being angry about being ripped from his life and duty. But... well, with the morbid mood she's been in lately... she's been thinking about things like this.]}

What did you mean...?

[Ironhide... goes very still. The sort of stillness a human being shouldn't be capable of. He slowly lowers the hand from his face, staring at the 'gear.]

[He couldn't have.]

[He hadn't... told anyone. Not a single person. Even Cliffjumper had guessed on his own.]

[The stretch of silence is far more telling than any words he could possibly have said. He turns his head away, setting his jaw.]

[No. This isn't about that. This isn't about him.]

[He'll soldier on. Keep on going. Just as always. It isn't important.]

... Nothing, kid.

Just... want to go home. See the others. My team... my partner... again.

[And not one word of that was a lie.]

Edited 2012-02-28 07:37 (UTC)

_{[... no. ... No, no, no, Ironhide, she doesn't believe you.]

[A lie by omission is still a lie. She'd know. She does it all the time.]

[She doesn't accuse him. But he can probably hear the quaver in her voice.]}

... Ironhide...?

[He stays silent, looking well away from the 'gear. And from her.]

[But it doesn't help. The voice is far worse than anything he could have seen.]

... Kid.

Leave it alone. Please.

[There's a strange, choked sound to his words. He's struggling.]

_{[She hasn't known Ironhide as long as she has many of her friends. Not even a full year, really. But literally from moment one, he's been true to his name. Solid. Sure. Steadfast. Even when emotional-- and she's seen him when he's touched.]

[He has never sounded like this.]

[Not once.]

[Not even for a second.]

[Somehow, listening to this is terrifying.]

[She falls silent, half in respect to his request and half because the realization is too strong to speak through.]

[After a long silence, she can't stand it anymore. Her voice is hushed.]}

I'm sorry.... I'm sorry...

[And not once since his transformation to human has he ever been close to tears. It's a foreign concept -- crying. Even if this is more or less just getting choked up.]

[He sets his jaw, his gaze fixed on some distant point, far beyond the 'gear. And then swallows, heavily. If things had happened differently... if he'd fallen as a soldier should have...]

[It's not something he ever wanted to face with her. His voice stays muted, almost strangled by the emotions he's choking down.]

Stop.

'Sorry'... it changes nothing.

[He pauses.]

Just... Just need to keep on going. Like always.

_{[What do you say?]

[What do you say to something like this?]

[Even on the best of days, Heather's never been too great at giving comfort, if there's even any comfort to be GIVEN here, which she strongly suspects there isn't. And he just got done pulling her up out of a pit and there she went, putting him into one. Unwittingly.]}

... Ironhide, I...

_{[What? She's not even sure where she's going with that. It felt wrong to stay silent, though.]}

[He's not even sure he could accept comfort, if it were offered. Ultimately, it doesn't change anything -- it doesn't stop Sentinel. Doesn't let him go home to the others.]

[To his friends. His leader.]

[When he looks back to the 'gear, he's pulled himself into some semblance of composure. He'd be a hypocrite if he didn't try, at least.]

Forget it.

[Please.]

Just... think of what I said.

_{[She knows better than to keep pushing the subject, although there's still a sort of LOST note in her voice. The irony of telling her always to have allies and that he'll be there and then turning out to be DEAD probably doesn't even need to be mentioned. So she's not going to. She wouldn't want to even if it was a GOOD idea.]}

... I... I will, but...

[It really doesn't. He doesn't want to think on it any more than she does. What happened to him shouldn't invalidate what he told her. He doesn't think so, anyway.]

But ...?

... Nothing.

I...

... It's nothing.

Hmn.

[He falls silent for a while.]

... Going to be all right?

... I always am.

Eventually.

_{[Then it's her turn to pause.]}

... Are you?

Good.

[He actually has to think that one over. He's known for months know. He's continued on, regardless.]

Yeah. Be just fine.

[In a year or so.]

... Okay...

_{[She's not going to argue with him on that. If he says he's fine...]}

... Ironhide, you're a really good friend. I don't know if I've ever actually just literally said that before. But you are.

[He blinks at her. That's not something he's expecting to hear. Not from her.]

Uh.

All right. [AWKWARDLY:] You... not a bad kid. Either.

_{[It's not something she'd normally SAY, either.]

[But her friends are all leaving and you just revealed that you're DEAD s-so just let her have her sappy moment okay?]}

I mean it.

Just-- ... in case, okay?

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show_my_cannons - 2012-03-02 05:47 (UTC) - Expand

[Video] GNGHlkjglg I think that's a wrap but-- THIS THREAD. ;-; Why can't I hold all these feelings

foolishwren - 2012-03-03 08:51 (UTC) - Expand

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89. [Video/Action for travel group]

[Video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rz5KZWNFR0 /puts this here

[Video] that song oh my god ;-;

[Video] I THOUGHT IT FIT ;;

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[Video] /sob done

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[Video] GNGHlkjglg I think that's a wrap but-- THIS THREAD. ;-; Why can't I hold all these feelings