foolishwren | 90. [Video/Action for Olivine Inn] Dated to whenever Team Silent + Crow gets to Olivine.

_{[It's quiet.]

[In more ways than one.]

[Actually, 'quiet' is a pretty good word to describe everything over the past few days, from Heather's perspective.]

[She's been quiet. After making an angry spectacle of herself in front of everyone, she hadn't been in much of a talkative mood. The trip down Route 38 had been spent largely in solemn silence, even after Crow had joined them mid-journey-- something that practically didn't seem possible.]

[The network's been quiet. Relatively, anyway. So many previously-prolific voices had vanished. Those who were left had understandably been left to pick up the pieces of everything that had come undone and, well, it's hard to blame them for being quiet-- those ones who had lost people, anyway. God knows Heather couldn't muster the fire to keep getting angrier as word of new disappearances had continued to flow in. The moment when she had seriously considered destroying a harmless Pokemon egg and its contents had been the moment she'd burnt herself out.]

[And, perhaps the only one that's sort of comforting right now, the city is quiet. The hustle and bustle of summer is both long ago and far in the future and as such, Olivine City in February is a great deal calmer than it had been the last time Heather had been here. That's sort of good, really. They've all needed to do a lot of thinking lately.]

[It's morning-- hardly even dawn yet.]

[At first, the camera isn't even SHOWING Heather. More a very close view of the floor, and the railing at the top of the staircase leading up from the lobby of the Olivine Inn. The cameraman is probably a Pokemon, but who knows which one it is... Godzilla has long since retired from his 'Gear-stealing shenanigans and so has Butch, now that he can WOOOOOO and QUAAAAAAG at his beloved Flapper in person.]

[But whichever one it is, it carries the camera with an air of quiet determination, and once it situates itself within view of its trainer, who seems to be sitting silently by a window in the deserted lobby, it sits itself down with a rustle and zooms in.]}

_{[Eyes shut, she almost looks asleep, except for the fact that she's absent-mindedly stroking something with one finger-- something bristly-looking and pale yellow that seems to be in the process of contentedly nuzzling its way under her chin. ... Something with four bright blue eyes not dissimilar to the odd markings on that little egg she had been threatening to crush last week.]

[The video doesn't last long. It lingers on Heather and the new Pokemon for fifteen or twenty seconds, and then shuts off. Whoever had been filming, it seemed, had no agenda outside of showing the network that, no, Heather had not gone through with her impulsive plan. Fortunately.]

[The whole time, Heather just carries on obliviously.]

[Remembering hurts... but there's nothing anybody can do to change that.]

[Half to herself and half to the creature, who doesn't seem to be aware of how close it had come to maybe NOT EVER GETTING TO HATCH, she mumbles after a few seconds.]}

... Stage five. I think.

That's acceptance, right?

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... Yeah. I'll see ya.

[He nods, giving her a grin before hanging up.]

[And in a couple days or so, in the afternoon she gets a text! Envy and co actually got there in the morning, but took the time to get rooms at the inn and a few hours of rest.]

hey, I'm in olivine now, at the inn. where are you?

_{[The return text arrives almost immediately.]}

where in the inn are you

_{[BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE SHE IS and yes she's fully planning on just SHOWING UP wherever he is in the building.]}

lobby, near the stairs

[And that's where she'll find him, leaning against the wall and looking around for her.]

_{[Aaaand BOOM. Not more than half a minute after he sends the text, Heather's already coming down the rickety stairs, tugging her coat on!]}

[Envy looks up when he hears someone coming down the stairs, and really isn't able to help his face breaking into a grin when he catches sight of Heather. Not only has it been AGES since they last saw each other in person, but it's kind of a ridiculous relief to reassure himself that she's still here, even if they have been talking over the 'Gear.]

[He pushes himself from the wall, moving closer to the stairs.] Heather! Hey!

_{[The smile she gives him is more subdued than her usual, but it's a hell of a lot wider than any expressions she's been making over the network during the past few days.]}

'Bout time you got here.

_{[And-- hey, you know what? Whether Envy wants it or not, once she gets to the bottom of the stairs, she's gonna give him a hug.]

[Because when your priorities get rearranged and concentrated again by a bunch of losses...]}

[When she hugs him, there's definitely a moment of freezing up and startled whoa wait hugging what. He doesn't usually get hugs from anyone but France still. And from Nanao.]

[...but you know, he doesn't really mind it. And after a long second he even loosely returns the hug with one arm. Yeah, those priorities...his friends had definitely jumped a few rungs higher on those.]

Well, with my luck traveling I'm surprised it didn't wind up taking me longer.

_{[That's right, Envy. COME TO THE DARK SIDE. WE HAVE HUGS.]

[She stays firmly in the embrace for a moment before letting him go and stepping back.]}

It's always nice to get to a city after a trip, isn't it?

[HE CAN'T RESIST FOREVER.]

Yeah, what with the real beds and the real food. But I will say that the trip was much easier from the air.

[He pauses.] How are you doing?

_{[She'd rather not stay in the stuffy hotel while they talk-- so she grabs Envy's arm and starts to tug him towards the door. No real destination in mind, just a want for fresh air.]}

I'm doing... better.

I mean... I'm not totally bright and sunshiney. _{[Like that was even a possibility.]} ... But better.

[Envy makes a brief surprised expression when Heather grabs his arm, but he's more than fine with going outside. So he follows after her when she starts tugging him.]

Better's good. [He didn't get hit by nearly as many disappearances as she did, but he's not back to normal either.]

It's much better than worse.

Much better. _{[She agrees.]

[Once they're out, she pulls up the hood of her vest. It's not quite drizzly, but ... early spring, right next to the ocean... it's cloudy, and the air is filled with far-off sea-spray.]}

You hungry?

I could go for some of that famous diner food.

[Envy doesn't have a hood, so he's going to wind up with frizzed hair if they're outside too long.]

[But food sounds fantastic and it's pretty easy to tell by the way he perks up at the mention of it that the answer is yes.]

Sounds good to me. The one that's full of sailors all the time?

[Since the Olivine Cafe is the first thing that comes to mind at 'famous diner'.]

_{[And she is here to make fun of that frizzed hair. Isn't that fortunate?]}

Yeah, that one.

The last time I was there, it was packed so full that the whole place smelled like seawater and wet Pokemon and I had to arm-wrestle a sailor just to get a stool.

_{[He'd let her win because she was angry and soggy and bedraggled from all that trench-digging on the beach and apparently that was totally adorable.]}

So it'll be nice to try the food when we're not packed like sardines in a can.

[So fortunate.]

Really, and you won that contest?

[His teasing is definitely more subdued than it normally would be, but he nudges her lightly with one elbow.]

I've heard the food's good, but I haven't been myself.

_{[It's okay. She's trying to put things behind her a little, so she nudges him back, pointedly doing it a little harder than he did.]}

Sure did! It was hardly even a contest, honestly. More like a massacre.

An arm massacre.

_{[Sure, kiddo. Sure.]}

Anyway, it can be your first time. My treat.

[He nods with obviously fake solemn consideration.]

Well, if I ever need someone to win an arm wrestling contest, now I'll know who to call.

[This is followed by a half-grin, which widens more at her offer. Even though his group aren't a trio of hobos anymore after Tulio's Meowth learned Pay Day, he's still definitely not going to turn her down. He will remember to buy her lunch another time, though.]

If you insist.

Yep. Just gimme a yell, y'know?

_{[The diner comes into view as they round the bend-- Heather picks up her pace a little to get to the door quicker.]}

90. [Video/Action for Olivine Inn] Dated to whenever Team Silent + Crow gets to Olivine.

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