foolishwren | 100. [Video/Action for Saffron City]

_{[Wow.]

[That Vulpix on the screen sure looks pissed.]

[The ironic presence of the happy leftover Christmas lights behind it doesn't help.]

[A heavy sigh sounds from off-camera.]}

Man.

Leave it to her to get one last dig in just when I thought it was over.

_{[But Heather apparently isn't gonna elaborate on who 'her' is... though anyone who witnessed Heather's fiery freakout over the summer and knew what it was about might have a decent guess.]

[The camera just shifts as she gets up-- it lingers briefly on what looks like a box filled with crumpled wrapping paper-- in the middle of it sit two large eggs.]}

Hopefully the other living presents we got this year'll be friendlier.

_{[She turns the camera around at last and sort of regards it for a moment, chewing absent-mindedly on her lip. She's got a big wooly winter hat on, so either she just got in or she's about to go out. Probably the latter.]}

... Screw this year, man. Bring on the new one.

_{[HAPPY NEW YEAR ERRYBODY.]}

[ooc: ANYONE IN SAFFRON CITY IS FREE TO RUN INTO HEATHER, or assume she randomly stopped by wherever they are.]

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_{[She pauses by the door, one hand on the knob.]}

You sure?

S'pretty cold out there.

I think I'll manage.

[He has a coat Heather, he's not totally an old man yet. :|]

Don't forget to wear your mittens though.

_{[Of course he's not.]

[She shoots him a smile before heading back over to the bed to retrieve her mittens and slip them on, waggling her hands in the air to show him.]}

There. Happy?

Quite.

[Smiles and opens the door for her.]

_{[She heads out. A silky white shape slips out after her-- Alessa the Absol is determined to come with them, apparently.]}

[Alessa gets a pat from Harry as they go out. He's always been fond of the Absol.]

_{[The quiet canine Pokemon pauses to give his hand a lick on her way past. She may be paranoid, but her trainer's unwavering trust in Harry sort of rubbed off on her.]

[Then she trots after Heather.]}

[And off they go.]

[Harry will walk quietly along with Heather and Alessa.]

_{[Out of all the cities in Kanto, Saffron is probably the one most like Goldenrod-- a busy, yellow-hued metropolis. So walking through it is both a comfortingly familiar and sadly foreign, at least for Heather, who lived in Goldenrod for the better part of her time in Johto.]}

... So...

[Harry meanwhile is still wondering what made the people who live here decide to colour code all their cities. He glances over as she starts to say something.]

Yes?

_{[Maybe it's just easier that way. Or maybe the natives of this world are just really weird. Heather would go for the latter.]}

So this is the first like... full year from January to December that you've been here.

... What do you think?

[Probably the latter one. Harry thinks that over for a moment.]

It's an interesting place. I can't say I really understand it yet, but ....it's nice.

And I think this place is good for you.

[Because you smile and have friends that aren't horrible.]

_{[It's true.]

[She smiles (hey, speak of the devil), nodding a little bit as they walk.]}

... Yeah...

See, there's a smile there.

[Fatherly affection and teasing go.]

But most of all, I'm grateful for the place because I got to see you again. I know I say it a lot but I'm so proud of you.

_{[And the smile grows, naturally, although she looks away because it's always a little embarrassing to prove your parent right.]

... Every time you say that, all I can think about is how I thought I'd never get to hear it again.}

It is strange. But it's nice to have one seemingly impossible thing work in our favour for once.

... Yeah.

That'd pretty much be the first time that's happened, huh?

I don't know, I think a few have before.

Your mother and I did find a baby on the side of the road once.

_{[As true as it is, she looks down with a quiet, wry laugh.]}

Yeah... and look how that turned out...

[Aw Heather... You just get a soft smile in return.]

Pretty well, all things considered.

_{[She looks back up with a bittersweet smile.]}

... I guess if you think so, I can't really argue, huh?

_{[Considering he's the one who didn't survive...]}

There you go.

[Even beyond dying, he's had years to wonder what would have happened if they hadn't found the baby. What his life would have been like if he didn't spend years in hiding from a cult, etc... and in the end he always comes to the same conclusion. They would have picked her up anyway.]

100. [Video/Action for Saffron City]

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