foolishwren | 118. [Video/Action for Shark House, a few hours after the quake]

[VIDEO]

_{[The screen is fuzzy at first. It's a little hard to tell just what it IS, but- oh it's the floor. The camera's lying on its side. A chair is on its side, too, along with some other scattered objects. A broken plate is one of them. It's hard to tell how much damage was done, but everything looks pretty shaken up after that big quake.]}

Gilly? GIIIILLYYYYYY!

_{[Heather's somewhat-distorted voice comes from offscreen, and then a pair of sideways boots appears.]}

SCARLET?

_{[They turn towards the camera-- and then approach. Heather bends down and picks the 'Gear up, dusting it off as the view arrives shakily on her face.]}

Oh hey-- I was wondering where this went.

That was-- holy shit, that was intense.

Everybody okay out there?

_{[She moves as she talks, gesturing over her shoulder at the room-- for the past few weeks, she's been in Goldenrod, staying Envy, Greed and Lust in their house along with Henry. It's the first time she's BEEN in a house in.... a really long time, actually.]

[It's pretty nice.]

[But what isn't nice is...]}

I'm looking for-- like, all my Pokemon are present and accounted for except for three and they're the new babies. The swarm ones who showed up last month. I've been lookin' everywhere for them and-- what?

_{[She looks over her shoulder in response to a muffled shout from somewhere else in the house.]}

Really?

I'll-- hang on, I'll be right there.

_{[She shuts the 'Gear and the feed ends.]}

[ACTION, ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LATER]

_{[There's tons of swarm Pokemon migrating to WHERE?!]

[After finding twin sets of pawprints outside along the earth that WASN'T jittered around too badly by the earthquake, it's fairly obvious where her missing Pokemon went.]

[Among the general chaos that is the inside of Shark House, Heather can be found hurriedly packing her bag, stuffing clothes and food into it.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Envy spent most of the time since the quake with France and making sure that nothing important had fallen or broken...then going around to check on his own loose Pokemon and the other people in the house. It's while he's doing that that he comes across Heather's hurried packing.]

Are you going somewhere?

[The house is in good condition, Greed is fairly sure. Nothing's broken, and no one is injured, so that takes care of two of the most important things as far as he's concerned.

He's pretty shaken up, and it doesn't improve when he catches sight of Envy and Heather, and of Heather packing her bag.]

Is something wrong?

[It's not like he minds his guests coming and going, because he doesn't, but this seems a little... different.]

Three of my Pokemon are missing.

The new ones I caught before getting here.

_{[They're probably fairly familiar with them already, considering Heather was so shameless about showing them off.]

[She stuffs a pair of pants into the duffel and then zips it up, not caring that one of the legs is still trailing out. She's worried. The new Pokemon had barely spent enough time with her to be closely bonded or anything, but the thought of them roaming alone through all these violent tremors...]}

The news is talkin' about those swarms reappearing and all moving west. I think that might be where they're going. They must have left before the quake.

[Oh.]

[Yeah, Envy knows the ones she's talking about. And even though he's already found his own newer ones a few minutes ago, he almost wants to go check again. It makes sense for Heather to want to pack and go find them right away, because he'd do the same, but...]

You're going by yourself?

[He's not sure what to say, what he can say.]

You'll find them. I know you will.

[But he's also not certain he wants her to go alone. Greed doesn't even know if his have run off, and if they have he needs to go after them, too, but first thing's first.]

Yeah, I guess. I don't wanna drag Henry with me on a wild goose chase.

_{[He's already been a major sport about tagging along on all her random ventures, especially after Harry left-- she doesn't like the thought of leaving her adopted brother alone. That hasn't changed, but at least now that they're staying HERE he's got people around to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't just spend entire days in that sleeping bag only coming out to eat or something.]}

Sorry to be running off in such a hurry. I just-- I don't want them to have gotten too far, y'know?

They've already got a head start.

[Envy nods, looking almost distracted. But it doesn't take him long to decide what he wants to do. He doesn't want Heather to go by herself, not with the earthquakes getting so much worse. He doesn't want to leave France here either...but the house should be an okay place to be. And how far could three tiny Pokemon have gotten?]

I'll come with you, it'd be easier looking with more than one person.

[He says this with a half-glance at Greed. He doesn't know if the other homunculus would want to come too. He wouldn't mind if Greed did, certainly not, but he's not at the point where he's going to assume. Or directly invite.]

[It takes Greed perhaps twenty seconds to reach s decision: the earthquakes are getting worse, so that can't be a good sign at all. Heather might get hurt, and that's not something he's going to let happen. There are still a few people in the house to take care of things if anything else happens.]

I'm coming, too.

With three of us we shouldn't have any problem locating your missing Pokemon.

_{[Heather doesn't quite look shocked, or even surprised. They're her pals. And Envy's already stuck his neck out for her on more than one occasion. Greed probably would have too, if he'd been here longer.]}

... Guys, you know you don't... have to, right?

I mean, I definitely won't mind the company.

But don't feel obligated.

[Envy waves that off.]

If I was only doing it because I felt obligated, I'd be complaining.

Got an extra minute for us to grab our bags?

[He's already starting to head back up to his and France's room to grab his (and look for France to say where he's going), even as he says it. No time for lingering around.]

[He shakes his head quickly, agreeing with Envy.]

If something's spooked your Pokemon, we'd better go get them quickly before something happens.

[He pauses for just a moment longer, straightening out his jacket nervously.]

I'll go grab my bag.

_{[... You guys. ;-;]

[A crooked smile tugs up one corner of her mouth as she sets her bag back down.]}

I guess I don't have any choice but to wait, huh?

_{[Envy's already going, so she makes a "shoo" motion at Greed, smirking slightly.]}

G'on, time's a-wastin'.

118. [Video/Action for Shark House, a few hours after the quake]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]