foolishwren | 96. [Accidental Video/Action for Ecruteak] BACKDATED TO THE 22ND

Current Mood: enraged
Current Location: Ecruteak City

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96. [Accidental Video/Action for Ecruteak] BACKDATED TO THE 22ND

_{[Chaotic and occasionally-accidental videos have become a relatively frequent occurrence during the outbreak, and this video is really no different in that aspect.]

[The feed comes to life in a chaotic jumble that makes it clear that the 'Gear was bumped or jostled into turning on-- no amateur-but-deliberate filming of Pokemon attacking action figures this time around. It does, however, come to a brief halt as the carrier pauses.]}

_{[Sunny the Togekiss peers sorrowfully down from the outdoor-rafters she's perched on, apparently refusing to come down.]}

-ny!

SUNNY!

Get the HELL down-- oh my god, you know what?

Forget it.

FORGET IT.

Forget it.

Fucking BIRD.

_{[The screen whirls and and all image coherency disappears in a swirl of bouncing sky and trees. The WHACK WHACK WHACK of the mic hitting the other contents of Heather's bag as it swings at her side destroy most of the audibility too, but snippets of voices come through-- Heather's and someone else's. People who are familiar with her and the people she travels with will recognize it as her father Harry Mason.]}

Heath--r please be reason-- just stop for a moment and think ab-- you don't need to d-- let it g--

No. NO. She--

I don't CARE if she's not g-- to-- I'm going--- do what I should have done in t-- --ace!

--L MASON--

_{[The thumping stops as Heather apparently stops and spins on her heel. As she does so, the camera's view once again settles, offering an off-kilter perspective view of her from roughly waist-level. She's been staying away from the network as much as possible as the effects of the strange outbreak started to hit her hard, and now it's fairly evident why: dark, scorched-looking splotches have spread across every inch of skin like burns-- and where they crack, bright, veinlike lines like something molten spread. Her hair is smoky and black.]}

I am NOT losing you again, Dad!

_{[And then, after that raspy, croaky scream, she whirls again and keeps going. The feed times out at some point, after a lot of jumbled sounds as other voices join the apparent debate.]}

[OOC: Cooooonteeeeeext. Replies over the 'Gear will likely be ICly delayed and/or limited.]

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You think I'm just gonna stand here and do nothing?

[He knew exactly that being alone was the last thing she needed right now, especially after an argument like that... and especially with her anger being so obvious through the gear. He couldn't blame her-- he'd be just as angry as she was... but he didn't want his friend to wind up doing something she would regret]

Heather... I know.

_{[She'd had to remove one hand from whatever bird she managed to get hold of-- the one holding the 'Gear, to press it tightly to the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezed shut for a moment or two.]}

--You don't-- you don't understand.

This isn't... it's not just about Dad, it's not just about her killing him...

It's not about what happens after...

It's already fucking happened.

This... it goes back so much further.

I'm already...

_{[And then she trails off for a moment.]}

Backup is exactly what I don't and can't have right now.

This is about me and her.

Me and her only.

_{[She has to bite her tongue not to snap.]}

Crow, I appreciate you being there for me when I was really hurtin'.

But this isn't the same.

It's between me and her.

And I don't want anyone else around to gawk at my business while I take care of it.

Already?

Kid, if you are trying to say that I am incapable of understanding someone killing someone important to you, then you do not know me as well as you think.

If you think I do not understand the concept of something personal...

[He doesn't raise his voice. But there's a lot of heat in the words, regardless.]

You know nothing of me, or of what I have spent the last million years fighting against.

[This is starting to remind him of one of the times when Yuusei would try to go off alone, justifying it with vague "it's my fight" and "I don't want to get you involved". When will his friends finally come to terms with the fact Crow isn't that easy to leave behind?]

What kinda lame friend would I be if I left you on your own now?

Yes. It is.

And I will.

...take care of yourself, okay?

_{[Her reply is instantaneous, and harsh.]}

No, Kaito. You don't.

There's more to it than Dad. _{[... A lot more... that she'd only told one or two people about. Ever. One of them being her father himself.]}

If you really care?

You'll stay out of this.

Fine, maybe I don't!

But this is different.

This is... I don't know ANYONE who would understand.

It's more than personal.

It's more than Dad.

It's... look, I don't wanna talk about it!

Left me on my o-- Crow, this isn't like when Kaito disappeared.

This isn't like those other times when I needed somebody.

This is my business and I don't want anyone gawking at my life like it's a fucking spectacle.

If you're a real friend, you'll help me get where I need to go and then stay away.

I am trying to understand!

...

... I always do.

Well you wouldn't, so stop it!

_{[Far from being an angry roar like his, her own voice simply went shrilly and then nearly disappeared on the last word. She's never been this upset while talking to him... and she already knows she's gonna owe him one hell of an apology later. Later, when she's actually in a state of mind to think about her words. Because she's sure not thinking about them right now.]}

It won't-

[It takes him a moment because it's not like he's oblivious to just HOW much this woman has done to hurt them. He sighs.]

Cheryl. Maybe it won't make it worse....but it won't make it better either. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Wha-- Heather, I'm not making a spectacle of anything!

[Honestly, hearing that she even thinks he could hurts a bit, as does the implication that he's not a real friend for wanting to be by her side.]

Look, you sure sound like it's some big deal, so as your friend, I want to-- I will have your back!

[He pauses again, but his expression remains determined, and he's moving again before she can say anything else]

That's not how this works.

You... do not know that.

[But you know what? He... is abruptly aware of his waning hold on his temper. Why does this feel like it's hitting so close to a nerve? It shouldn't. He has no parents. Only Prime. And Optimus--]

[Oh. Right. There it is.]

[The feed disconnects.]

Dad, nothing will make it right. Nothing will EVER make it right. You know why? Because everything Silent Hill touches is RUINED.

Back home, you are GONE.

EVERYONE is GONE!

I don't care about right or wrong anymore! Not when it comes to this!

I'm going.

And you're not coming.

_{[She wouldn't lose him again. Not like this.]

[And she didn't want him to be there watching when she did what she was planning.]}

Don't do this Cheryl.

[But it's becoming more and more clear that he can't stop her.]

_{[Sorry Crow, she's... she's gonna hurt a lot of people before this is over.]}

YES, it's a BIG DEAL and it's also private.

You don't follow me into the bathroom to hold my hand while I shower, so I'm gonna assume that friends where you come from know how to respect privacy!

Well I'm stuck over here in Kanto, there's nothing I could do.

[Not in time, anyway, from the sound of things. He wouldn't stop her even if he was in the area, not if he knew what she was doing; revenge is far from something he disapproves of. But still. He's her friend and he doesn't want her to get hurt, he might have followed. ...he's not actually as reasonable as he can act.]

Just tell me.

It's how this works.

My life isn't some spectacle for everybody to gawk at. This is something that should have been fuckin' buried long before I ever came here and I don't want anyone but ME to be there when it's finished.

If you care, you'll stay out.

_{[He's heard Heather angry more than a few times before. But there's something very, very different about it this time, the intense and urgent tone of it that is easy to read as something being very, very wrong somehow.]

[Naturally, he worries.]

[She's rash. And while he doesn't know the context here, he knows enough about her to know that someone should probably step in, even if just to talk her down. (It's interesting to think about, the way he's apparently one of those people now.)]}

Heather? Heather, what's going on?

--You know that's not what I'm talking about!

[Crow sounds irritated, yes, because this sort of conversation shouldn't even be taking place, but it's for the same reason that he also looks... slightly baffled and confused. All of this came out of nowhere (from his point of view, at least) and he has honestly no idea what to think about it.]

It's one thing to have personal stuff, but you can't just turn your back and leave without even saying anything and expect us to be okay with it!

_{[At that, she does pause at last, looking over her shoulder at him with a look of regret. But it wasn't a look of submission.]}

... I'm sorry, Dad.

But I have to.

_{[And then she was off again.]}

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96. [Accidental Video/Action for Ecruteak] BACKDATED TO THE 22ND

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[video] I LOVE YOUR WORDVOMIT

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[video] OKAY ;;

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[video] She's gonna need to apologize to him after this.

[video] heatherrrrr ;^;

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[video] <333

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Action

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