foolishwren | 119. [FOURTH WALL! ACTION FOR ERRYBODY]

_{[It's begun.]

[THAT TIME OF YEAR.]

[No, not the time of year when the Christmas decorations start going up in stores-- let's be real, guys, that happened like two months ago.]

[No.]

[It's that time of year when the boundaries between worlds grow thin and all kinds of wild and wonderful things come pouring out of thin air onto the streets for all to watch and enjoy.]

[... And then on the other end of the spectrum, there's...]}

WHOA! HEY, EVERYBODY, LOOK! MORE NEW POKEMON!!!

_{[The shout of an excited Ace Trainer dudebro who never quite got off the September Swarm hype train rings out over the chaos as a small army of... uh... things come bumbling down the sidewalk, ineffectively squawking and bumping into peoples' legs.]}

OH! Oh, they're ADORABLE! LOOK! I'm keeping one RIGHT NOW!

_{[A Poke-Fan sweeps one off of its tiny nub feet and cradles it like an infant while it flops and kicks.]

[A crowd soon forms.]

[No one pays any attention to the trainer hopping up and down at the edge, waving her arms.]}

Guys-- GUYS!! STOP!

THOSE AREN'T-- THOSE AREN'T POKEMON, YOU GUYS.

DON'T TRY TO CA-- unbelievable.

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_{[At that, she laughs-- she can't help it.]}

Oh, MAN, we got you good with that!

We got you so good.

_{[... That's not exactly how it went down, Heather.]}

... You did not. I returned the favor.

[STILL SO GRUMPY ABOUT THAT. CAN YOU TELL.]

No. Nope. We totally got you.

It was great.

_{[YOU MIGHT POSSIBLY HAVE BELIEVED THEM FOR LIKE, A SECOND. It counts.]}

You did not.

[Don't mind him if he swings her off his shoulders to... hold her upside-down.]

_{[--OOF, okay, it's been awhile since she's done this. Mostly because none of her remaining friends would dare. Nobody is as big as Ironhide.]

[But she misses a LOT of things, and wrestling with her angry robot not-exactly-dad is one of them.]

[Getting dangled upside-down and all.]

[So she lets out a bark of a laugh and tries to double over so she can hang onto the hands on her ankles. JUST LIKE OLD TIMES.]}

Man, all this time and you haven't even learned any new tricks? I guess what they say about old dogs is true!

Do not make me shake you, kid. Because I can.

[As he keeps dangling her. His grip shifts, so that he can hold onto her with one hand. While the other pokes at her ribs.]

[Hey, if she wants new tricks, he'll show her one.]

[How do you like upside-down tickles, Heather?]

_{[Wh-- oh come on!]

[Choking back a bubble of laughter, Heather clamps her arms tightly to her sides-- a harder feat upside-down than it would be right-side-up.]

[NOPE. He's not gonna win this!]}

Don't you dare! Don't you dare, Ironhide!

Oh. I think I dare.

[Because he's going to poke at her side. Trying to work his finger under and around her arm.]

[It's... good. To see her so happy. To see her laughing. It's a nice change of pace from so many of their conversations -- not that he'd have traded them for anything.]

[It's just nice to see the girl happy.]

_{[Not that she'd admit it out loud, but... it's nice to be happy.]

[It's hardly been the worst year she's had in Johto, but it has been hard. She's done a lot of growing up, and not the fun kind.]

[It's good to see her friend again. It's good to laugh.]}

N-nnnooo, ohmygod, cut it ouhahaha!

_{[She can't hang onto his hands AND guard her sides at the same time, so she just tries to grab the one he's poking her with.]}

How is that for a new trick, hmn?

[He keeps jabbing at her. Poking and wriggling his fingers around. Trying to keep her laughing for as long as possible before he relents.]

[She catches his free hand, and he makes an effort to set her back upright on his shoulders again.]

_{[You win this one, Ironhide. Apparently they CAN learn new tricks.]

[There's not a whole lot even Heather can do about being swung upside-down and tickled, so it's at his mercy that she's finally swung back onto his shoulders. Rubbing her side with one hand, she wipes her eyes gingerly with the other and lets out a last, spluttery laugh.]}

You fight dirty, y'know that? You're lucky I like you, r'else that wouldn't fly.

Oh? And what is it you would have done, hm?

[He gives her a little bounce on his shoulders. Her weight doesn't bother him. She's still more or less a skinny teenager, after all.]

[And...]

[The happier she is, the better this. A vacation, of sorts, for her.]

That's my secret.

_{[PROBABLY BITTEN, ACTUALLY, if he was actually someone she didn't like... but he is, so it doesn't matter. And she missed him enough that putting up with a little embarrassment doesn't seem like too heavy a price to pay to see him again.]}

So, you wanna hear about all the crazy shit you've missed? It's been a wild ride, lemme tell ya.

I could pry it out of you if I tried.

[NOT THAT HE WILL. But hey, he has to say it, anyway.]

[He grunts, and starts walking, still carrying her around on his shoulders like she's a kid about ten years younger than she actually is.]

I do not know. Do I wish to hear of it?

My lips are sealed, old man.

_{[She makes a zipping-shut motion over her mouth.]}

... Anyway. World almost ended. Again.

Helped save it, though.

Good.

[He glances up at her, skeptically, while making his way toward a convenient bench.]

Again? What did you do? Blow something up?

Not exactly.

But I did punch a lot of dudes.

_{[Which she demonstrates, very lightly, on the side of Ironhide's head.]}

Learned from the best.

Heh. Did you hit their faces? Or did you aim for even more vulnerable points?

[Look how goddamn proud he is right now. He's actually smiling a little.]

I was an equal-opportunity hitter. If I could reach it, I hit it.

Good.

I would expect nothing less from you.

119. [FOURTH WALL! ACTION FOR ERRYBODY]

the best part is that Henry is in Ryslig and IS A TREE PERSON AND HIS HAIR CHANGES COLOR NOW

oh my gOD sjkdfhsdjk;

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