foolishwren | 98. [Action for Saffron City, backdated to Friday]

_{[It's funny, because these sorts of weekends have come to be ones that Heather dreads, clear memories or no. She doesn't remember much of them when they roll around, but she remembers enough, and usually what she remembers is bad.]

[So yeah, she's sort of been walking on eggshells, waiting for this to happen.]

[BUT... between all the craziness going down throughout November... bundling over to Kanto with the rest of her family to cheer Crow on during the Tournament, spending Thanksgiving in the packed-to-bursting household of a grumpy FBI agent and the enormously large family unit he seems to have somehow gathered (despite... being himself) ...]

[It drives weird dreamy weekends filled with amnesia and horror and the Koolaid Man bursting through the wall out of the mind, a little!]

[.... Which is why, yeah, uh, she's out taking Cooj for a nighttime walk on Friday night, and doesn't quite notice anything's up yet.]

[Or the pink bunny following her around.]}

[OOC: Tags may be horrendously slow due to NaNo, but I had to hiatus-break at least a LITTLE for 4th Wall! Robbie the Rabbit will be lingering in the background of any given thread, but feel free to throw anything at Heather and not bother with the spooky pink bunny chillin over there.]

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[Douglas isn't really sure how he ended up back in Johto, or why. It was confusing the first time, and it's confusing now. One minute he was falling asleep under a load of paperwork in his living room chair, and the next he was here. He's been wandering the streets trying to figure out where he is, because it's certainly not a familiar area. All of that, somehow, takes a backseat when he sees a familiar face, and he can't help but smile.

There's a sense of warm nostalgia about seeing her, and he crosses the street and sidles up beside her without saying a word briefly, just happy to see her again]

Hey, kiddo. Long time no see.

_{[If nothing else, the sight of that stupid dog should at least tell him what world he's in, even if the city is unfamiliar.]

[Needless to say, out of all the voices she's expecting to hear, his is not one of them.]

[She starts in surprise, head whipping around-- but instead of shock, a huge smile is blooming onto her face.]}

Douglas!

_{[Did you want a hug, Douglas? BECAUSE YOU'RE GETTING ONE.]}

[Douglas is glad to see that big smile, that big familiar smile and see those somehow kiddish freckles and she's just here and that makes him happy. There's a soft oof as she hugs him, and he brings his arms around her and gives her the mother of all bear hugs]

Heather. I've missed ya.

[it's a simple statement, but it's all he needs to say right now, because for the moment just being around his young friend again is enough. He ruffles her hair for old time's sake, in that awkward grandfatherly way of his]

It's real good to see ya.

_{[Man, and she doesn't even care that her hair's getting ruffled. Not that she ever really minded that much anyway. But she doesn't even bother with the fake disgruntled groans or pulling away.]}

You disappeared without a WORD, you big jerk.

I didn't even get to say goodbye!

_{[She finally pulls out of the hug JUST enough to look up at him-- she doesn't look angry, though. She's just happy to see him.]}

Did you just show up here in this town?

[Douglas frowns a little, moving in to give her the biggest squeeze imaginable]

I left ya a goodbye note, at the inn I was stayin' at. I guess I didn't think about havin' it actually delivered to ya. Sorry about that, guess I coulda planned it better.

[He really does feel bad, Heather. If the sad old bear look he's giving her is any indication]

Yeah, just a little while ago. Guess it's lucky I ended up close to where you were, huh? I've missed you, kiddo.

_{[It's okay, she's not really that mad... these things happen, and she knows nobody has any control over them.]

[So she gives him an extra squeeze, just to let him know there's no had feelings]}

I've missed you too... I... it's been a pretty rough year.

So you're... you're a big sight for sore eyes.

[Douglas' expression softens at that, and he looks less like a bear and more like a concerned grandfather]

Yeah?

[he reaches out and rubs a smudge of dirt from her cheek, and then gives her another squeeze]

What happened? You wanna talk about it, or would ya rather we just tried to take your mind off it? Your call, kiddo.

_{[There's a pause... but then she shakes her head. Douglas doesn't need to know that she almost destroyed some friendships by going power-crazy and trying to fry Claudia to a crisp.]}

Let's go do something.

Catch a movie or... or grab something to eat.

I dunno how long you'll be here and I don't wanna fill that time with whiny bullshit.

[Douglas nods, because it's a sad reality that he might not be here forever, just like last time, when he'd ended up back in his old life just when he was starting to get used to things here]

Okay, sounds good. You know this place better than me, how about you pick. But if you ever wanna talk...

[his voice takes on a tone that sounds more gentle than usual, and there's a brief squeeze of his hand on her shoulder, a small, unspoken promise of "I'm here"]

I barely know it at all, actually... we've only been in this city for a little while... _{[But it's better than NOTHING. She takes his arm and starts tromping down the street in a random direction. Any decent-looking cafe or restaurant will do, honest.]}

Well, it's better than a couple of minutes, right? That's about how much experience I've got.

[a small, soft chuckle as she takes his arm, and he just beams down at her as they walk, happy to see her again]

98. [Action for Saffron City, backdated to Friday]

and then tears were had

SCREAMING EVEN -MORE-

;w: <3 <3 I have missed these two

;-; ME TOO BRO

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