105. FOURTH WALL POST [Action for Saffron City, anywhere in Saffron City! Video's okay too]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[You know what?]

[Heather's not even sure why she TRIES anymore.]





[So done. So done.]</sub>


Here we go again.


... Yes, Cooj, I still love you.

Just not right now.

Comments

[image_problem]

[XANA's saw some strange sights during his time here but the zombified split headed dog just takes the cake. Too bad he can't get this "Yumy' clone to generate a believable enough reaction to the transformed dog.]

[She's going to stare at Cujo with a blank expression on her face, ok Heather?]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It's okay.]

[To be entirely honest, outside of outright fear, Heather's pretty sure that staring with a blank expression is a fairly appropriate reaction to seeing a double-head.]

[When she eventually does look up and notice the kid standing there and watching, she offers a sour shrug.]</sub>

What can I say. He won't be winning any beauty contests.

[tapestodiane]

<sub>[It's kind of strange how Saffron really did become a home, but it's not at all strange that that's why Cooper inevitably goes there. He's not sure who else might be around but he's keeping an eye out ... and it's just kind of NATURAL in the end that he finds Heather.]

[Because that's how things play out when these unviversal shifts happen. You're found or you find things.]

[He gives himself a moment just to watch her. Then he speaks up in a gentle way that asks for her attention.]</sub>

Hi, Heather.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Ever since she woke up and Cujo was a moldy-looking dog zombie with a cleaved-open skull, Heather had known what kind of weekend it was gonna be.]

[That was why she'd gone out that day with Carousel's Pokeball close at hand, a green sash (that smelled somewhat of old-man cologne), and the leather cuff that Cooper had given her for Christmas clamped around one wrist.]

[Precautions. Preparations. For something that wasn't going to pass BUT SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT~]


[But the day was wearing on, and she'd gone right ahead and sat down.]

[Alone with her thoughts and a big happy slobbering undead canine. HEATHER MASON'S LIFE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.]



[... Needless to say, the quiet voice hailing her from behind isn't really expected. She looks over her shoulder sharply.]</sub>


... Coop?

[show_my_cannons]

[VRRROOOOOOM.]

[Beep beep.]

[Why yes, that sure is a big, black truck parking itself in front of you, kiddo.]

... What is that.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[... If nothing else... that black truck is a sight for sore eyes. Especially now that she can remember it clearly.]

[She smiles as it pulls up. Just a little.]</sub>


That... is Cujo.

Say hi to to Ironhide, Cooj.

_{[The big slobbery zombie dog obliged by throwing his head back and letting out a howl. ... One that sounded distinctly eerier than a Growlithe's howl, but... WELL IT STILL SOUNDED SORT OF DERPY AND CHEERFUL, AT LEAST?]}

video;

[sciencetank]

[Ever seen one of those stereotypical old professors, Heather? The kind with the stuffy, insufferable accent and egos the size of Cleveland?]

[If not, count yourself lucky. Up until now. Because by virtue of the 4th Wall, you've attracted the attention of one such individual. Or, rather, your dog has.]

What on Cybertron is that sad amalgamation of organic scrap parts?

video;

[foolishwren]

<sub>[... WELL. She's met one or two, but not ones quite SO stuffy. Or robotic. Or big as Cleveland.]

[She actually scoots backwards a little bit in alarm, because GIANT ROBOT. And because, of course, Ironhide's warning had never really left her, even if it had been delivered to her in the middle of what had essentially been a dream.]</sub>

... It's my dog.

... Who are you?

[haveanicetragedy]

[Heather probably knows Saffron City pretty well by now, doesn't she? If so, she will probably notice something about the wall of the nearby building is off-- there's something that certainly wasn't there yesterday. Namely, a huge text written in bloody red paint (let's hope it's paint, shall we?) reading as follows:

TWO MILKMEN GO COMEDY!

Suddenly, a projection comes to life beneath it. Where it comes from remains a mystery, but what's on there might be slightly more interesting: a white rabbit, dressed in bright clothes that could as well belong to a Chinese emperor of sorts.

... He's also hopping back and forth rather vigorously, waving his paw.]

Heeeeeeeeey, Header! Wassup? Get over here already!!

[foolishwren]

<sub>[... WELLP.]

[Bloody writing on the walls isn't exactly foreign to Heather, although it's not really something she expects (or wants to see HERE.]

[But it's not until the little white bunny pops up that she REALLY decides that-- yep. HERE WE GO FOR ANOTHER WHAT-THE-FUCK WEEKEND ADVENTURE.]</sub>

... You talkin' to ME?

_{[Because hey, maybe there's some OTHER Heather around here. That could be it, right? HAHAHAHA....]}

[diggingchamp]

[well, that is distinctly a butt that she would prefer not to sniff.]

[the kid doesn't really seem to be acting like the other dog is going to eat her or anything, but that doesn't stop Amaterasu from remaining cautious. so don't mind the peculiar white wolf sitting directly ahead, head tilted quite curiously.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[A wise decision. Anything coming out of THAT butt might well be toxic.]

[Heather is watching Ammy rather warily, herself-- is that a Pokemon? Normally she wouldn't assume so on a weekend like this, but on the other hand, she looks rather Pokemon-like, with those markings and the swirly fur.]

[Cujo, on the other hand, is quite happy to see another dog, and surges onto his decomposing legs to happily totter in her direction. HELLO FRIEND!!!!!]</sub>

[sufferharvest]

[Did someone order more horrible mascot characters?

There's now a cut alien cat thing sitting on the other side of Heather. It's looking up at her expectantly, with a cute little smile on its face. It doesn't blink, nor does it open its mouth when it speaks. It's as if its voice is coming in from Heather's mind.]

Hello, Heather.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[HEATHER SURE DIDN'T but man, she wouldn't put it past some people to prank her by getting a bunch of horrible mascot deliveries to her doorstep. >8( It was probably Vincent.]

[She blinks down at the little white bundle of awful in disguise.]</sub>


.... Uh.


Hi?

<sub>[Is it a Pokemon? It looks like a Pokemon... and she's heard Psychic types can learn to talk more easily than others...]

[Meanwhile, the zombified Cujo lifts his head, crappy broken tail wagging. NEW FRIEND?]</sub>

[fuckinstoplights]

[Man, there's just no end to this parade of robots coming to see you, Heather. This one saw the dog and... well. He just couldn't keep away. He likes dogs. Of course this one looked different from a distance.]

[Once he gets a good look at it, he's... not... sure he wants to get any closer.]

[But it's probably not hard to miss the giant pterodactyl-bird-robot in that tree across from you, Heather.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[YEAH SHE KIND OF NOTICES.]

[But hey. Bird robots are better than... some of the other things she's expecting to show up.]</sub>

... Th'heck are YOU lookin' at?

_{[Obviously that means that they're okay to SASS.]}

[monster_rancher]

[Scraaape. Scraaaaaape. Scraaaaaaaaape.]

[What could that terrible noise be? Whatever it is, it's getting closer.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[You know the awful thing? Heather's never even met Pyramid Head.]

[So while the nasty metallic scraping sounds are something NO ONE who's lived through Silent Hill associates with good things, she doesn't recognize the source.]

[She does stand up, though. And squints in the direction the awful noise is coming from.]</sub>

.... the hell?

[hasavision]

[One minute he's with Jozo the dragon back in Johto, the next he's... well, still in Johto, but not with Jozo. It must be one of those times.

But hey, that looks like a familiar face and a-- whoa what the heck is that]

Uh... H-Heather? Is that...

[...s...afe...?]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Safe? ... Yeah. THANKFULLY, only Cujo's appearance seems to have changed. His personality and non-homicidal tendencies seem to still be intact.]

[Heather looks up at the sound of her name, though.]

[... WELL now. There's a face she hasn't seen in... QUITE awhile.]</sub>

.... Hey, kiddo. Came back for a visit?

_{[If there's one thing these weekends are good for...]}

[quickattackjack]

<sub>[What better day for a walk? He's actually venturing out of doors for this one and enjoying the world as it presents itself.]

[It isn't long before he notices a familiar poof of hair and a...not so familiar dog.]</sub>

Evening, Miss Maison! Is that a new dog?

[foolishwren]

_{[... WELL HEY THERE, JACK. She's... actually pretty sure this is the first time she's seen him as a skeleton in person. It's a little weird when she's gotten so used to him being a flesh-covered old man...]}

.... Hey, Jack.

No... I'm afraid it's the same one.

He just got the world's worst makeover.

[usedsuitup]

[Despite everything that's happened to him in the time he's been away from Johto, which is years now, you'd think he'd have learned a bit more tact.]

Is that really Cujo? What happened to him?

[Apparently not.]

[foolishwren]

He got a makeover.

<sub>[... The worst makeover ever.]

[But her expression shifts when she looks up to see Barney.]</sub>

... Hey.

It's... been awhile.

[my_own_trope]

Agh. Why is this grass so long? I thought humans were supposed to trim the stuff!

[Bitched Complained the enormous robot as he waded towards the sidewalk through the admittedly really long grass.

What? There are some seriously tall pokemon that hide in there sometimes. It's totally legit.
20 feet of bushy green legitimacy right here.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Well, it goes without saying that Heather is used to seeing some seriously weird shit go down on these strange weekends. The Koolaid Man showed up once, for crying out loud.]

[But in her experience, giant crashing footsteps either mean giants, or robots.]

[And usually, for whatever reason, WITH HER IT'S ROBOTS.]

[Needless to say, she stands up with a frown and the intention to investigate...]









[and then she sees a giant red-eyed robot in high-heels fuss his way out of the tall grass.]

[WELLP.]</sub>


.... Aw, crud.

_{[WHY IS HE EVEN BIGGER THAN SHE REMEMBERS?!]}

[brokenmemories]

ヘザーさん？[Heather-san?]

[Hello Heather, have a familiar chick in a Luigi outfit trying to speak with him rather awkwardly. She's just...blatantly staring at your dog, not really sure how to react.]

ヘザーさん...それは一体何でしょうか？[Heather-san....what the hell is that?]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[.... WAIT WAT.]

[Only the fact that Heather too is from a Japanese horror game that breaks the fourth wall allows her to understand even the slightest bit of what Misaki is saying!]</sub>

... Uh.

That's... that's my dog.










... why the hell are you dressed as Luigi?

[probullet]

[Among all the chaos, there's another guest approaching -- his presence shouldn't be a surprise, of course, seeing as he's been in this city for months, but... if one looks closely, they may notice some things are different about him today. Maybe it's a change in wardrobe, jewelry, maybe he appears a bit taller all of sudden-- okay, that last one's a lie. One thing for sure, though -- the atmosphere surrounding Crow has changed noticeably, and for once in his life he doesn't have an aura of trouble around him.]

Now that's a face I haven't seen in a while.

[... He's probably not talking about Cujo, though.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[She looks up at the familiar voice.]

[... And at first she's not totally sure what she's seeing. Because it doesn't really add up with what he just said. What does he mean, in awhile? SHE JUST SAW HIM A FEW HOURS AGO.]

[.. Or... wait.]</sub>

... Crow?

[iorhael]

[Have one hobbit, who looks a little more rested and with more sunlight than the last time they saw each other. Frodo does, however, look at first startled to see her again, and then eyes that ugly creature next to her. It's enough to put off a decent hello]

Should you sit so close to that thing? It looks rather...hungry. Doubly so, at this rate.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Likewise, Heather looks different, as well-- VERY different, in fact.]

[Older. Not by much-- just a couple years. But still older. Tanner, too-- far more freckles. Hiking through the wilderness on a semi-daily basis does a lot more for the complexion (at least in the sense of 'not having skin that looks like a pale mushroom growing underneath a discarded trash can lid) than scurrying around in an eternally-dark city.]

[She looks up at the sound of his voice... and grins broadly. WELL I'LL BE.]

[Of all the faces, his is one of the last ones she expected to show up in this place.]</sub>

Don't worry.

He won't hurt me.

... And probably not anyone else, either. <sub>[Even if by some unlucky chance he HAD inherited his lookalike's bloodthirsty tendencies, Cujo is... dumb as a sack of bricks. ... To put it kindly.]

[In any case, Heather stands up, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat.]</sub>

Been awhile, Sasquatch.

[nowherefast]

_{[And here's another familiar face - or rather, a familiar presence at first, because Laura just kind of appears. She's not troubled by the dog but takes one good look at her friend and then rather simply reaches a hand out to her to gently touch her cheek in a way that would have been startling but somehow probably isn't.]}

Hey, Maine.

[foolishwren]

_{[Any startlement Heather feels is purely out of surprise-- she looks up and when she sees who it is, her mouth tugs into a smile.]}

.... Hey, Washington.

Came to visit me in Pokemon-Land, huh?

[tu_cute]

That ith the ugliest dog I ever saw. [Thank you small lisping green-haired child for your input.]

sfdgh sorry for the late reply, I spent most of yesterday either passed out or on a plane

[foolishwren]

_{[She looks up. Huh. Never seen THAT kid before. But she offers up a casual shrug.]}

Sure is.

Think if I entered him in a dog show I'd get the opposite of a blue ribbon?

_{[What's on the other side of blue in a color wheel...? Red or something? ... Yellow?]}

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy remembers the creepy rabbit thing from November.]

[This is a bit of a step up in weird. Just a bit.]

[Envy's currently stuck in his original form, which is a foot or so taller, broader shouldered, and square-jawed. He's also got chin-length gold-colored hair, with eyes to match. Basically, he looks nothing like Envy at all. He's also self-conscious as hell about showing this form to anyone, but he can't not comment on that dog monster. Because, in the words of Henry, what the hell?]

You get the weirdest tagalongs on these weekends.

[Not even his voice is the same.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[At least the rabbit could have just been someone in a really gross, filthy costume.]

[The dog with the fatal headwound is a little harder to explain.]


[Heather looks up at the voice and stiffens slightly, eyes narrowing.]</sub>



... Do I know you?


_{[THAT'S NOT HER TREEHEAD. THAT DOESN'T EVEN SOUND LIKE HER TREEHEAD.]}

[notrobotjesus]

[ heather mason, this is the voice of god ]

[ no not really, just a concerned new arrival ]

... Are you in distress?

[ because well ]

[ that is a terrifying-looking creature and while the girl doesn't look all that upset, it can't hurt to ask while he's trying to determine where he is ]

[ right? ]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[She looks over her shoulder at the unfamiliar voice. Oh hey. It's a dude.]

[She thinks on his question for a moment or so.]</sub>

... Not really.

_{[Is being sort of depressed the same thing as being distressed? Probably not. Anyway, what a weird question.]}

Do you ask everybody that?