foolishwren | 106. [IMAGE: MISSING.POKE] (backdated to around the 5th)

[Blake's voice sounds unusually tight and worried.]

I'll keep an eye out for him.

You seen a little girl? About ten, brown hair down to her chin, usually dresses fancy?

A little girl?

... No, I haven't.

Why, did you lose one?

_{[... And then there's a pause.]}

... Hey... is everything okay?

_{[It's not like him to sound that way.]}

[Blake didn't know he was holding out any hope until she said it. There's a pause and a hiss between his teeth.] God damn it.

[There's a sound of footsteps, a momentary pause, then footsteps again as he paces the length of the apartment.]

It's Emily, this girl I've been keeping an eye on. She was scared and on her own and she'd been kidnapped back in her own world, I couldn't just leave her alone. Shit, those guys she was talking about- they couldn't've gotten her from right under my nose. Her little knight-thing was always with her and it's still here.

[He tries to keep from losing it. In his experience, little kids disappearing is a very fucking bad thing.]

[half to himself] There aren't any serial killers here. There can't be.

[He pulls himself together.] It must have been around the time your guy there disappeared too. These past few days...I can't remember real clear.

[The sound of footsteps stops.]

I know what you're thinking and I wasn't drinking, damn it.

Edited 2013-06-10 13:26 (UTC)

_{[... Well look at that. You DO have a heart, Blake.]

[All the same, Heather listens in silence, her own sinking a little bit. Because... yeah. She knows what probably happened.]}

That's not what I was thinking.

_{[She's seen enough of these weekends to know what they're like... but she can tell him about them and their regularity later.]}

Have you tried calling her 'Gear yet?

_{[He probably HAS, but she just wants to make sure before she goes jumping to conclusions...]}

[This little dried-up rattly thing? He's been wondering what that was.]

Of course I have. It doesn't work, but they've all been on the fritz lately. Piece of shit. What if she's been trying to call for help?

[In the background there's a "Snubbull. Snub." Blake's voice gets a little distant when he turns from the phone.] Then look more, dammit!

...

... Look... I hate to be the one to say this...

But... have you thought that she might have ... you know. Gone home?

_{[She says it slowly, and as kindly as she can. Because she's been in his position more times than she can even count and she knows how it is. Intimately.]

[And she also knows what it's like to not be able to handle it well or gracefully, because she absolutely can't.]}

[snaps back] She can't be gone. She was fucking kidnapped, the only place she has to go back to is--

She can't be gone.

[Blake remembers the picture she showed him of two men in black looming over her.]

[There's a crashing sound like things being knocked off a shelf]

I was looking out for her, goddammit!

_{[She heaves a slight sigh. Wonders for a moment if he can see the irony in all this, after he'd gotten on HER case for having a hard time when a friend disappeared-- but she doubts it.]

[This is one subject she's not willing to go into 'I told you so' mode over, though.]}

... I'll keep an eye out for her.

I hope she's not gone.

_{[But the way she says it makes it clear that hoping is different from expecting.]}

[He can feel it creeping up on him, and that just makes it worse. At the same time, maybe that's what made him pick up the phone, knowing she might understand.]

[Something goes "Gallade." Blake's voice gets a little distance as his head moves from the phone, but it is more than loud enough to hear.]

And what the hell are you doing here? You should be with her! You're fucking useless!

Fuck! Fuck!

[There's a thump and a crash as he kicks a chair into the wall.]

[For a time, there's silence except for his breathing.]

[There's a rasping sound as his hand rubs over his face.]

[His voice is low and rough as the hard, ugly truth hammers home.]

If she was still here, he'd be with her.

_{[In truth... Heather and Blake aren't all that different when it comes to how they handle loss.]

[There's a silence on the other end, because of course, she doesn't even need to say anything more for him to arrive at the realization in his own time.]

[But when she does speak, it's genuine. She's not consoling him as a courtesy or even really trying to console him at all, because she knows you can't really BE consoled over things like this.]}

I'm sorry.

[Blake lets out a long, long breath.]

[Sorry won't bring Emily back, but neither will yelling at Heather.]

I told her she was safe.

A kid should have something they can rely on.

... That probably made a difference.

Kids are smarter than you think, you know.

If she went back... if she remembers this place at all, who knows. Just knowing someone gave a shit about her might help.

_{[It had for Heather. It's one of the only reasons she's even alive, regardless of the crushing realization that there's virtually no such thing as a person you can rely on forever.]}

[He's quiet for a minute, and sounds a little different when he responds.]

You think so?

She's a smart kid. Real smart.

Think she'll even remember?

Dunno.

I've never gone home from this place, and everyone I know who's come BACK says something different about whether or not the memories stick with you.

... But if she's smart... _{[She wishes she could say 'She'll be fine', but she knows that's not true. Because she thinks SHE was always a pretty smart kid and look how she wound up.]} ... She'll know you did what you could and that it's up to her now.

Then there's a chance she'll remember.

[For once, Blake is low enough to look on the bright side.]

She said before there's a guy, the one this thing's named after. [A "Gallade?"] Yeah, you. She said he was looking out for her.

[The sound of knuckles cracking.]

He'd fucking better be.

If he doesn't, maybe HE'LL show up here someday and you can kick his ass.

Like a consolation prize. [Fuck, he wants to take this out on somebody, but Heather's a lousy target.]

[Blake mutters at the ground.] Fuck.

[there's the sounds of a footstep and glass crunching, and a recriminating "Snubbull."]

[tiredly, heart not in it] Quit bitching, I'll clean it up.

[His voice gets clearer as he speaks directly into the phone again.] Hope you find this Henry guy. I'll keep an eye out.

_{[She wouldn't let herself be a target, either-- she calls people out on that shit. ... And admittedly is bad about venting her spleen at people who don't deserve it herself, but there you go.]}

... Yeah. I'm sure we will.

_{[She knows he's not gone gone... she just doesn't know where he IS with all the glitching going on. ... If he were TRULY gone... well. She wouldn't be drawing stupid missing posters, that's for sure.]}

Thanks.

... Good luck.

[He's quiet for a while.]

Yeah. Thanks.

If you see Emily, let me know.

[He hangs up.]

We're still alive out here.

[Envy's feed is crackling with static, but it's audible. He's just glad he doesn't have to communicate with pictures anymore. His voice sounds tired; there hasn't been much sleeping out here in the woods.]

Figured I'd give you an update.

All right, I just wanted to... y'know, make sure.

_{[She's pretty sure they're not in danger or anything, but... yeah. They've been gone for a worrying amount of time.]}

Glad to hear.

One of us'll let you know when we find the way out of these stupid woods.

There's been a lot of those things like there were on that first Halloween, the blocky ones. They keep chasing us around and making it harder to figure out where we are or if we've been going in circles.

[He sighs, clearly frustrated.]

It's a pain. But nothing deadly.

Yeah, I've seen those around. I don't like it at all.

But at least our Pokemon haven't been turned all... pixely.

_{[It's the only way she can think of to describe how everyone's beloved companions had been replaced with flat, static images. Out of everything, that had honestly been the most disturbing part of it all.]}

[She can't see it, but he makes a face. He remembers how disturbing that was too, and he hadn't even liked his Pokemon yet when that had happened.]

They'd better not. I could do without ever seeing that happen again.

It's not happening with the natives this time, is it?

Nope. Everyone seems... normal.

_{[Well... MOSTLY normal... there was that... creepy news broadcast...]}

... As normal as anyone gets around here.

Most natives are staying inside.

I don't really blame 'em.

[Envy would be perfectly happy to forget that creepy news broadcast. Hypnos are the last thing he wants to worry about when there are already flying dinosaur skeletons and killer glitch Bidoofs out here.]

This time doesn't seem as bad as the last one...not that it's much better, but still.

[There's a pause as he takes a moment to put a hand to his face. And then he lets out a brief, quiet laugh. It's not a humored noise, and it's tinged with exhaustion.]

I've gotta wonder if this kind of thing happened in this world before we all showed up.

Yeah, no. It's not as bad. But I still don't like it.

_{[At that she trails off, though. With a sigh.]}

... Yeah. It does make you wonder, huh.

Us foreigners, always breaking everything, huh?

[He pauses, and then just sighs. Man, he's too tired and too sick of being lost to be funny. Then he mutters more quietly:]

I'll look out for Henry.

[He's not the best person to be looking out for anyone when he can barely look out for himself out here, but he'll do whatever he can. Henry and Heather are his friends, after all, some of his last remaining.]

Thanks.

I-- ... dad AND I will really appreciate it.

... Henry's like a brother at this point, y'know?

Figured as much.

We'll be out of here before you know it.

[At least, he really hopes so. He sounds confident as anything, but in reality not so much.]

Just watch out for skeletons in the meantime.

Heh. I'll try.

You too, okay?

Ha, you don't have to tell me twice.

I'll see you around.

[He puts down the phone. BACK TO SURVIVING.]

[Leaning over.]

Has anyone replied yet?

[Why do his kids always go missing?]

_{[She leans back a little bit, draping an arm over the headboard of the bed.]}

Yeah, Envy says they're doing fine.

They still have no idea where they are, though.

Well at least that's something.

What sort of place are they stuck at?

Somewhere in the middle of the woods.

Which narrows it down to several thousand square miles of total wilderness across an entire continent.

[He sighs and rubs his head.]

Of course it does.

Envy's a good guy and he's been here almost as long as I have, he'll take care of Henry.

_{[... She doesn't know, of course, that Envy has a secret career of violent crime, but IT'S TRUE THAT HE'LL TAKE CARE OF HENRY SO DOES THAT EVEN MATTER]}

That's good.

[It's a good think Harry doesn't know about it at least. Like he needs to worry more.]

Hopefully Henry doesn't start panicking.

[He's survived ghosts he should be able to survive this right?]

I'm sure he did, but hopefully he's gotten it out of his system.

_{[He was able to survive Silent Hill and he managed for several months on his own IN THE WOODS before he met the Masons, so Heather knows he can fend for himself. Even if she's still worried. :c]}

[Just leave that to Harry, he's got more practise after all. He just nods.]

Does he have his pokemon with him?

As far as I know, yeah.

Hopefully that'll be enough.

_{[Of course, that kind of depends on WHICH ONES HE HAS.... Marlboro would be able to protect him, but she's reeeaaaally not sure about Clam. Or Burger. Or Cheerios.]}

We'll just have to cross our fingers until we hear back from them.

Yeah.

Fingers crossed...

We should buy him some of that cereal he likes for when he gets back.

Yeah. ... I'm sure they'll have it in Mahogany.

106. [IMAGE: MISSING.POKE] (backdated to around the 5th)

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[audio] I'm still gonna comment to y'all's post, I just wanted to wait till I had my tablet!

[audio] okay, awesome~

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