foolishwren | 116. [Video/Action for Lake of Rage]

_{[It's been a few weeks since Heather's terse text post regarding her father-- hardly the longest period of time she's gone in between network posts, but she certainly hasn't been overly talkative.]

[When the video comes on though, it's partially obscured by a fuzzy blue blob-- the 'Gear has been placed on a clothes rack, pointed to view the next aisle over. Specifically, it's showing the back of a shaggy brown head. Henry Townshend, taciturn photography and unsuspecting victim, is slowly picking his way through a rack of swim trunks.]

[Amid the jangling of clothes-hangers, something appears in the corner of the screen.]

[That something is a pair of hands, and between them-- stretched like a rubber band-- is a Speedo.]

[There is a pregnant pause, probably for the sake of letting the network audience take it all in.]

[Then the hands let it fly.]

[Henry lets out a howl and claps a hand to his head as the speedo bounces off of it with a rubbery twang.]}

HEATHER!!

_{[The camera jostles and the feed ends.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Untrue.

Why be looking at that rack when you could be buying-- these?

_{[She holds up a set of swim trucks that she grabbed at random-- they're just as baggy as the ones he's looking at, but these ones are eye-searing aqua with little Staryus all over them.}

_{[Henry squints as the store's lights glint off the horrorterror shorts.]}

No.

_{[He starts poking through the wracks again and finds a pair of dark navy ones with no designs on them at all.]}

I can afford these ones...but I think they're too big.

Then don't buy 'em.

If it falls off the second you jump in the water, what good is it.

_{[Like she's cool with you, Henry. You're her brother. But she would definitely rather not see your pasty semi-nonexistent butt at any point if she can help it.]}

... Ohmygod, look.

_{[She holds up another set of trunks. This one has little gold and silver Eevees on it.]}

EEVEES.

_{[He puts them back only to be interrupted again. He has to admit he likes the eevees better but he's still not really on board with the whole beach thing.]}

What if I get a Hawaiian shirt and just watch you guys from the beach. I can take photos of everyone.

_{[Laying one arm across the top of the rack, Heather rests her chin on it.]}

Well, I won't stop you from dressing in a tacky shirt and taking pictures, that's fine with me.

But you have to swim at least a little.

It's good for you.

And it's summer.

_{[She's not even the biggest fan of water herself. Never really was. But SHE'S gonna do it! >8I]}

_{[Henry siiiighs and reaches into the small forest of shorts. He pulls out an orange pair decorated with what looks like Growlithe stripes across the butt.]}

These look like they'll fit...can I go now? Or do I have to buy a snorkle too?

Good choice.

But no, I haven't found one for ME yet and I refuse to let you abandon me in this beach shack.

If you find a snorkle you like, I'll get it for you. Deal?

_{[He's got no intention of going snorkeling at the beach but if he could get Heather to buy him something that he could later shoot cereal and marshmallows at her with, that was fine by him.]}

Okay.

_{[He excuses himself to the aisle of shitty plastic goggles and such.]}

_{[She leaves him to his own devices for a few minutes. Actually, they stretch on longer than that, because frankly it's literally been years since she bought a swimsuit. Not in her time here, and certainly not since what had happened in Silent Hill.]

[And thinking about being in front of a bunch of people in half the stuff in this place is weirding her out a little even if she'd never say it.]

[But eventually she pops up at Henry's elbow again, with two different hangers in hand-- a fairly modest orange bikini and a set of swim trunks not too different than the ones Henry had settled on. Maybe a bit less baggy. They're blue with a yellow V on the front and red rectangles on the back, a la Totodile.]}

You should get the goggles with the holographic Feraligatr eyes in the lenses and pretend to be a lizard person.

That won't make any sense. If I've got Growlithe shorts I can't have lizard eyes.

_{[He picks out a snorkel fashioned after a Poke'Flute and checks the price. It's not too bad. Then he sees it. A plastic package hanging just above them has a photo stapled to the top of the abomination inside--it is the worst inflatable Lapras to ever be manufactured in the history of pokemon kind. It has giant googly eyes, ears like a Clefable, and the shell is spotted. Clearly an Orange Islands bootleg.]

[He drops the snorkel.]}

We're getting that Lapras.

_{[She rolls her eyes. GET OUT OF HERE WITH YOUR SWIMSUIT LOGIC, HENRY.]}

Fine, then take this Totodile one and I'll take the Growlithe one so you can match. Jeez, you're pi--

_{[And then she saw what he saw.]}

... Yes.

We are.

_{[He tenderly removes it from the display as if he were picking up some priceless idol from the depths of a dusty tomb.]}

I'm buying this. With my own money.

_{[AND THEN HE FAST-WALKS AWAY before anyone else can steal his prize.]}

Hey, slow down! You'll knock something over!

_{[She watches him go-- then rolls her eyes. She'll catch up with him later.]}

116. [Video/Action for Lake of Rage]

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