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

[foolishwren]

<sub>[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.]</sub>





[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.]

Comments

[foolishwren]

<sub>[WHAT'S THAT? NOT THE TIME?]

[UH-UH, SISTER. WHEN CUJO IS HERE, IT IS ALWAYS DOG TIME.]

[Transforming into one giant wiggle, he shuffles over to her. HI. HI. HI. HI. OH MY GOD. HI. YOU SMELL LIKE DONUTS. HI.]</sub>

Uhh... well, I dunno what's up with YOU, but I'm going to the convenience store to grab some chips for my stupid room mate because he's got a 24-7 case of the munchies.

_{[Heather don't pretend you don't know this poor lady is probably a newcomer to the Pokemon world. Stop being mean.]}

[savethebullshit]

[Anne casts him a suspicious look because no way is that a normal dog, but she holds her hand out to him anyway, almost unconsciously, before her eyes stray back to Heather. She doesn't have the world's best people skills, but animals are not people and therefore she has no beef with them.

And oh geez she's going to grab chips. Something so damn mundane that it almost sounds like Anne's own pathetic divorcee life back home in Maine and not like something that should be going on in this crazy-ass place]

So you're telling me that this is all normal to you?

[she moves her arm to gesture in a way that encompasses the area around them]

Where are we? Is this all some kind of sick joke?

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Cujo is about the furthest thing from normal as possible, but his response to the offered hand is pretty standard. Gleefully, a sloppy pink tongue promptly starts to explore every inch of it.]

[As for Heather, she drops the act and just folds her arms, the cocky grin turning to a more serious expression.]</sub>

For me? Yeah. But I've been here for years.

I'm guessing you haven't.

This is a country called Kanto. And before you ask, no, it's not on Earth.

[savethebullshit]

[Anne watches Kujo licking her hand briefly and then lets her eyes rest again on Heather, letting the dog do what he wants]

No. I just ended up here. Last thing I remember, I was at work.

[Never again will she fall asleep in the guard station, that much is clear now]

We're not on Earth. Great. And I'm guessing no one has any idea how people end up here?

[this just gets better and better]

[foolishwren]

_{[The grin returns.]}

Hey, you catch on quick!

_{[In other words: yep. Nobody knows.]}

[savethebullshit]

[There is something oddly endearing about Heather's grin, and Anne can't really bring herself to stay irritated with her]

So how many people are stuck here with no way home? This kind of shit happens all the time?

[foolishwren]

_{[It's that roguish charm. Works every time.]}

Yep. All the time.

It's hard to keep count, people come and go. But I'd say at least a couple hundred at any given time.

[savethebullshit]

I'd ask if you had any idea when I'd end up getting out of here, but anyone knowing what the hell is going on would be too good to be true.

[a sigh]

So how about you tell me what you know about this place instead?

[foolishwren]

It's a magical world filled with superpowered, technicolor animals which the culture completely revolves around, and the vending machine prices are total bullshit.

_{[She reaches down to pull a can of soda out of her pocket.]}

See this? It was like, 1500P.

That's like...

... Well, actually, I have no idea how much that is in dollars, but it's bullshit is what it is.

B dollars and S cents.

[savethebullshit]

[Okay, wow. Really Heather? Anne just gives her a deadpan look]

Well, now I know about inflation in technicolor animal land. But can you tell me anything that's going to help me figure out what the hell to do?

[Anne likes her messing around in the bedroom, thank you very much. Not from snarky teenagers she meets in strange alternate dimensions]

[foolishwren]

_{[Sorry, Anne. No hard feelings. Heather's just an asshole.]}

Okay, well, that depends.

Did you get one of these?

_{[She gestures to Cujo, who's been snuffling around Anne's feet this whole time.]}

[savethebullshit]

[Anne glances again at Cujo. Somehow his presence makes putting up with this damn kid much easier]

No. I didn't get anything, at least nothing I didn't already have.

Why? Is it normal to get one?

[foolishwren]

... Huh.

Yeah, it is, actually.

You sure?

No little red and white ball in your pockets or anything, anywhere?

[savethebullshit]

((Kit I have no idea if fourth wall participants get Pokemon, so I'll just run on the assumption that if she has one, she hasn't found it yet))

Pretty sure. Unless one of my pockets contains a secret vortex or something like that.

[she doesn't really sound bitchy when she says it, however. She actually sounds like she thinks it might be a valid possibility. And it is, considering where she is]

How normal, exactly? Does everyone get them?

IT'S OKAY IT'S YOUR CHOICE PRETTY MUCH

[foolishwren]

Everyone who shows up here the conventional way, anyway, yeah.

Like a welcome gift.

OH OKAY. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY DERPING

[savethebullshit]

And I'm guessing conventional doesn't entail waking up facedown in the middle of the street?

[foolishwren]

... Yeeeaah, no, not as a general rule.

_{[... This is one of THOSE weekends, isn't it.]}

... Well, crud.

[savethebullshit]

Then what's it mean, exactly? On a scale from one to immediately shooting myself in the face, how fucked am I here?

[foolishwren]

You?

You're fine.

The opposite of fucked, actually.

You probably won't even remember this.

_{[... ME, on the other hand...]}

[savethebullshit]

Won't remember it?

Okay. Now's when you tell me straight exactly what's going on.

[foolishwren]

Okay, I'm gonna give you the Cliffnotes on this place, all right?

This is a different world.

Full of people and animals and cities and shit like any other, but it's NOT Earth.

Anyway. For whatever reason, about two and a half years ago, people from OTHER worlds started popping up in this one for no reason anyone can discern. They all show up in the same place, they get a Pokemon, yadda yadda.

And they just stay here until they poof back home at some point.

And that's how I got here.


... But once or twice a year, this place goes INSANE and all kinds of shit starts showing up everywhere.

But it disappears after a few days.

... So, uh.

Yeah.

Be happy.

You won't be here for long.

[savethebullshit]

[Okay. Wow. That's a lot to take in.]

So basically I just have to survive a few days and then this is going to be over. Okay.

... wait.

Pokemon?

[foolishwren]

Pokemon.

[savethebullshit]

... okay.

...

You're shitting me.

[foolishwren]

No, I'm dead serious.

What the hell did you THINK my freaky tiger-dog was?