<sub>[There was a bit of radio silence on Heather's part for awhile there... but here comes a video post! Because... yeah, uh. Probably a good idea to show everybody she's not DEAD.]

[The girl on the screen looks exhausted. The baggy shadows under her eyes never really seem to go away entirely, but they'd at least gone tame for awhile. Now they're back full force. It seems excessive, maybe, getting so broken-up for days over losing one person, even if that person was her best friend. ... But as she'd found out, he hadn't been the only one she'd lost that day. And she's not totally sure how she feels about it. ... About them both. Just that she's tired. BUT AT LEAST SHE'S NOT PUNCHING ANYTHING, RIGHT?]

[She seems to be leaning on (or... INTO. It's very... voluminous) a sort of... soft white MASS of some sort-- whose identity is revealed when a sharp hooked beak (that is... mostly obscured by fluffy white down) descends into the frame and starts to groom Heather's rat's-nest hair with a quiet twitter. Sunny makes the best pillow.]

[Heather doesn't waste any time before cutting right to the chase, speaking with a bored drawl (that's partially to justify how croaky her voice is-- SCREW EVERYTHING she's a bored teenager she doesn't need to sound nice!).]</sub>

Right, so.

Gonna beat Morty soon and then get outta this town. Nothin' left to do here, really.

So, uh.

We can either head over to Cianwood and see about getting Fly. ... Not that I have anything big enough to fly on, but. Y'know. For the heck of it.

OR we could head over to Mahogany. Which is... well, closer I guess.

So... I dunno. Thoughts? Anyone? Bueller?

HEATHER!

HEATHER HEATHER HEATHER! LOOKIT!


<sub>[Heather groaned. It was way too early for this.]

[Anyone actually out and about on the streets of Violet City on this fine, promising-to-be-warm day wouldn't be able to enjoy the peace and quiet for long. Between the rapid clip-clopping trot of the Ponyta hightailing it up and down the street and the childish squeals of the UNHOLY DEMON that was chasing after her gleefully through the morning fog that was rising off all the now-rapidly-melting snow.]

[Clearing her still sleep-gunked throat with one fist to her mouth, Heather called out after the fleeing figures.]</sub>


Don't run into any lamp posts and die or your brother'll glare witheringly at me and say something droll!


<sub>[Whether or not the kid and the pony heard her was unclear. Either way, Beckett Fowl and Carousel the Ponyta were having too much fun to listen to something as boring as orders, pfft. Sighing, Heather rubbed at now significantly-darker rings under her eyes. When he had asked her to watch after his brother until he himself could come collect the kid, Artemis had failed to mention that said kid was the living incarnation of hyperactivity itself. The only reason Heather was even OUT here at ass o'clock in the morning (at least the SUN was up-- barely) instead of curled up in bed was because there was no shutting this thing up.]

[So in the spirit of wanting to get more sleep being a responsible babysitter, she'd dragged herself out of bed to let kid and Pokemon let off their energy in constructive ways like running in repetitive circles rather than making someone from the room below hers come to her door and complain about the fact that it sounded like she was letting an elephant jump up and down in there.]</sub>

Your brother'd better get here soon, y'little cretin....

<sub>[Pausing to sigh and lean on a lamp post, Heather looked around blearily at the sleepy city. There were some good and bad things about it this morning. On the bright side, the warmth meant she'd finally been able to ditch the sleeves AT LAST. ... But on the OTHER hand...]


[FOG.]

[Fuckin' fog.]

[It wasn't even the thick, soupy stuff that had been laying over the city last fall like an obese, hallucinogenic slug, it was floaty, whimsical little wisps that were being painted pale pink by the sunrise-- but even that was enough to bring up the goosebumps on her bare arms. ... Or no, that was just because it was damp. Right? Yeah, that's all.]

[But god, it made her want to just go back inside and wait until it all burned off... Even though she couldn't, thanks to the fact that she had to wait for the child prodigy to come running back in this direction.]</sub>

Ugh. You owe me so hard, Arty.

<sub>[Because addressing thin air would really tell him just how sulky you were over this, Heather. That is the right thing to do.]

[Shivering despite the balminess, Heather folded her arms and tried to keep her mind off the odd flashes of memory these foggy streets were bringing back, of that autumn incident that had soured her so hard on this city. RRGGH it was really getting into her HEAD, too, she could almost hear the echoes of a baby cryi-- .... Wait a second.]

[Heather turned her head at the sound. ... No... no, she wasn't imagining that. Something WAS crying. ... Not human-- though it was close enough to give her a start. She could still hear Beckett joyfully whooping off further down the street, so it wasn't him... Swallowing hard, she stepped away from the lamp post and in the direction of the noise, a thin wailing that was drifting from somewhere behind a clump of bushes, almost as lightly as the drifting fog.]</sub>

I-- uh.... helloo--...?

<sub>[And there it was.]




[The little Cubone peered up at her warily through the sockets in its skull helmet, eyes sticky and bloodshot. Its crying had stopped as soon as Heather showed her face-- though probably more out of alarm than anything else]

[Heather just... stared right back until she found her voice.]</sub>


... Whoa, you don't look wild... what're you doin' out here all on your-- ... wait.

_{[... Now she recognized it. Those cries... from a network post months before. An important]}


... You... belong to that girl.

_{[Angela. ... But if she wasn't here, that probably meant...]}





... Damn it...




_{[No screaming wake-up calls from Heather at this hour, thank god-- but anyone who's up might be seeing this message pop up on their screens. Heather looks... grim. ... And a little sad.]}


Is there anyone else here who's talked to somebody named Angela?


.... Recently?




_{[ooc: Beckett used with his mun's permission!]}

<sub>[Heather is sitting in the lobby of the Violet inn. This would not be too remarkable, except for the fact that there's a couple of gift-y looking boxes in front of her. She's staring at them with an expression that's a ... very weird combination of confused and... slightly unsettled.]

[Pretty much only the fact that one of them had Kaito's name on it was stopping her from throwing them away entirely. The one from flaming blanket man was even more baffling. Obviously neither of them were what made this weird in the slightest-- Kaito was one of her best friends for crying out loud, and the Proff' was probably the least threatening person she'd ever MET-- but mystery gifts held some unfortunate associations for Heather. ... But hey, even if they didn't, the boxes' existence left her with a resounding case of ".... HUH?"]

[Why were they here?]

[Was it some kind of silly prank?]

[Did they think it was her birthday?]

[WHAT WAS THIS.]

[She had to know, so ... when in doubt, turn to the network.]</sub>


So, uh....

_{[The camera's not showing the boxes (since she has no idea anyone else got any so she's not sure if she should show them or not.]}

Any of you guys get mail that-- ... uh...

_{[... And then her brows furrow.]}

... Wren-- Wren, cut that out.

<sub>[She gets up abruptly and the network'll get a glimpse of an obscenely fuzzy young Murkrow with an epic case of bed-head plumage sitting on top of one of the boxes and viciously fighting with a bit of ribbon before the feed cuts out.]


[Anyone walking around the inn will find Heather looking at the boxes with a mixture of trepidation and confusion.]</sub>





[TEXT TO KAITO]

Hey Kaito, uh

What's up with the boxes?

<sub>[... What? Heather? In the Pokemon Center? Again? SURELY YOU JEST. She didn't get her ass kicked by a crazy robber again or anything, did she?]

[For anyone around the Goldenrod Pokemon Center, it looks like Heather's waiting around in the lobby, off in one of the pink, cushiony seats in the corner, trying to look as unobtrusive as possible. Her Totodile is wallowing around beside her on another seat, teething on one of those Pokemon fashion magazines they always seem to have in bulk. And by 'teething', I mostly just mean eating.]

[Heather doesn't look too interested in keeping him out of trouble, though.]

[This would probably have to do with the fact that both of her hands are heavily bandaged and laid in her lap with painstaking gingerness. She's had much worse, but... still hurt. And she was tired. And despite all outward appearances, the knowledge she'd gained on Sunday night wasn't hurting her any less.]

[But yes... ever the mother hen, Phoenix finally bullied her into going in to get those pulverized hands looked at. Not like she wasn't gonna anyway, but... well. She couldn't exactly go back to work without getting them checked out, could she? So she's waiting on an opening-- the Center's pretty busy what with the stocking of emergency snowstorm supplies and all-- not to mention countless natives rushing to get checkups for their Pokemon before the weather turned wicked.]</sub>



[Video]

<sub>[What do you do when you've been sort of scarce for the past few days, and you're stuck with nothing to do? ... GO ON THE NETWORK, of course!]

[The feed fizzles on, showing off a tired, tiiiired Heather. Her eyes look even puffier than normal-- they're red-rimmed. Almost looks like she's been crying, but THAT'S JUST SILLY. She's obviously just really, really tired, am I right, folks?]

[Still, she offers her usual crooked grin to the camera, and it looks no less genuine than normal.]</sub>

'Sup, Johto.

So uh... considering I work in the department store here, I've pretty much got access to all kinds of stuff that isn't sold much in other stores. So, in the spirit of the season... what do you guys want for Christmas? _{[She's addressing her friends, of course-- anyone else who tries to get anything out of her might well succeed... though it might not be what they want.]} No guarantees or anything, but I oughta get my shopping out of the way before the place fills up with crazy shoppers and blows sky-high.

Also, uh... weather's lookin' pretty bad, so... all you dudes who were planning on traveling, either hurry up or stay put.

I'm pretty sure none of us want this to wind up being Flood 2: The Freezing or some crap.

So none of you go and get dumb ideas about getting lost in the wilderness in this, okay? _{[SHE'S LOOKIN' AT YOU, TRAVELING PARTIES. Literally-- she lifts a bandaged hand and does that 'I see what you did there' motion, pointing to her eyes and then to the camera-- ... and then she remembers that whoops, her hands are bandaged like a wolverine attacked them and maybe it's not the best idea to flash them in front of the screen in front of a bunch of people who she just KNOWS will freak-- o-okay she'll just put it back down and carry on like there's nothing out of the ordinary. SO SHE DOES.]}

Also, anyone with Totodiles out there, I need tips.

'Zilla's started gnawing the bedstand in my room and I need him to stop-- but I don't think using a spraybottle on him is gonna work, 'cause... yeeeeaaah.

Advice?

<sub>[Guess who suddenly has a LOT more free time after being forcibly given less hours at the department store? Turns out lying about your age to get a full-time job is only funny as long as you're getting away with it. She's not complaining too much, though. Now that the initial post-poverty 'Oh my god I have to get money immediately so that I am not depending on others to feed me I MUST RECLAIM MY INDEPENDENCE' panic has passed, she's actually remembered why she always hated working long shifts anyway. This meant less time spend in the company of the Psycho Bitchmonster of Despair.]

[The video pops on with her in her room, viciously re-ruffling her hair with one hand to return it to its usual flyaway state after it'd been trapped under that stupid clerk hat all day.]</sub>

'Sup, Johto.

So uh, I had a question, actually.

You know those blue crocodiles? Um-- Totodile, I guess they're called?

What... exactly are they supposed to eat after they've hatched? I mean, I sort of assumed that 'meat' would be on the menu, but 'Zilla here's kind of been eating... well. Everything.

_{[Turning the camera away from her face, she pointed it over to the window where, in a patch of sunlight, a happily-snoozing baby Totodile was curled among the remains of something that had once been one of Heather's boots. A short distance away, the other boot lay carelessly discarded with a large chomp taken out of the heel.]}

Is.... is this normal?

_{And should I be pumping his stomach?}





Text to Liquid

hey Liquid I gotta ask you something

Are you in your room?

regardless I am going to come and knock obnoxiously on the door in maybe ten minutes so BE PREPARED

<sub>[Heather's not quite to Goldenrod yet, but she and Kaito have been making fast progress. One thing she wnated to do before she got there, though, was talk to the person who was apparently the subject of all that commotion...]

[The transmission remains unlocked, solely because she'd been informed that his 'Gear was busted and she wants to make sure he-- or at least someone he's with, gets the message in the first place.]</sub>

Sora?

You don't have to answer this or anything, but I just thought I'd ... call.


... You okay?

_{[Backdated to earlier on Friday morning, close to noon.]}



[Text to Otacon and Liquid.]

I'm running ahead a bit

Gotta meet somebody.

I don't think there's far left to go though so if I don't see you before we get there I'll catch up with you in the city ok?

peace out



[Text to Kaito]
Hey, how far've you gotten??

I can see POLLUTION over the treetops which means I've gotta be getting close-- hope I didn't pass you yet.




_{[That overcast gray sky overhead is somehow oppressive, even on the video feed. Yet, Heather looks cheerful. Maybe she doesn't notice it-- it IS rather... tame on the surface in comparison to the ghastly fog that had come rolling in on silent feet before the hallucinations had set in about a month ago... Not to mention this weird overcast state is more or less the norm a lot of the time where Heather comes from. Or maybe it's just that she's happy to be on the road again-- it's the first time she's made a transmission of her own since leaving Azalea. Not to mention now that Minnie's safe, the trip has a bit less urgency to it.]}

Man, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm sure glad that frosty air is gone...


Anyway, uh-- guys, I had a question.

What kinds of Pokemon are around here? Hal caught one of those... teleporting bald fox things, but I haven't seen much of anything else. _{Except for the bugs in my sleeping bag at night... [THANKS SNAKE YOU REALLY HELPED HER SLEEP SOUNDLY.]}


It's kinda been awhile since I've caught anything, and while I am gonna be getting the rest of my guys back soon, Cooj is getting uh... sorta tired.

_{[... Not that it, you know, showed. He was still romping merrily in and out of the frame as Heather walked. But it was true enough, now that she was going ahead by herself and the Growlithe had to do all the battling on his own, the traveling without aid of Pokemon Center was making him a little less enthusiastic about chasing things off.]}

I don't even think I have any Pokeballs, but ... any recommendations?

I'm open to anything.





.... Except those things.

_{[The turns the camera around to point at a small gaggle of mostly-concealed Jigglypuff in the grass that have seemingly been following her.]}

There is a reason I have not tried to catch you, Weird Round Pink Things.


Go away.


_{[End feed.]}










[Text to Minnie-- PRIVATE.]
Hey Minnie

How you doing?

Are you somewhere safe now?

<sub>[It's a little before sun-up-- that weird hour of the morning where the sky is still dark but just starting to brighten in a thin, pale line at the horizon. Of course, where Heather was, that horizon was hidden by the trees, so it's... still mostly dark.]

[She's sitting up in her sleeping bag with a couple of blankets around her shoulders, next to the camp's fire, which had mostly burnt down to ash speckled with a few tiny, stubborn embers. They stood out against the general grayness of the clearing 'Camp Otacon' resided in. Said grayness was only emphasized by the layers of frost coating the earth and grass. It was well into October now, so... unsurprisingly, the weather had been getting colder.]

[Heather was not sure she liked this, though thankfully she's in possession of a living heater in the form of a now-distinctly-potbellied dog (Camp Otacon had been treating him well. Especially because though she'd never admit to being such a softie, she'd been giving him more treats than normal out of pure guilt over the whole 'I thought you were a double-head and also I was kind of a jerk to you in general anyway' thing), who was curled behind her and serving as a backrest.]</sub>

So hey, guys. I have a question.

_{[Her words were accompanied by puffs of steam from her breath. It's c-c-cold this morning without the sunlight.]}

What happens when our warrants expire?

_{[A couple of people had asked her this before, but she'd never had too specific an answer to give them.]}

I heard we're like... basically off with a smack on the wrist and not much else, but... _{[She pauses, sucking her lips inward a little and fiddling with that stubborn eye-bandage. She's gotta be able to get rid of that thing soon, right?]} ... That seems pretty lenient for a bunch of "dangerous fugitives". _{[She's quoting Officer Jenny directly from that announcement, and there's suspicion in her tone. SCREW THE COPS, THEY'RE NEVER HONEST, RIGHT? THIS HAS TO BE A TRICK.]}

<sub>[Heather's been scarce. There are a few reasons for this. One, she's sort of embarrassed about having her butt totally kicked by Falkner, and two... she's also kind of totally broke, and doesn't dare try to stay in the Pokemon Center now that she can't afford the hotel. So it's camping ahoy on the outskirts of Violet for her! Needless to say, she's been a bit broody.]

[When the camera comes on, it's dark and she's got a fire going, the flickering shadows lending the solemn look on her face a little gravitas. She notices this right off the bat and wrinkles her nose to dispel the whole 'there is obviously something wrong and I have been sitting here being angsty and weird for a week' look.]</sub>

Sup, guys.

It's all muggy out here and I don't feel like sleeping. I can't be the only one, so...

_{[She doesn't feel like rambling this time. There's too much on her mind. So she just cuts to the chase.]}

What was everybody doing right before they wound up here in this friggin' place?

_{[She somewhat conspicuously doesn't offer up her own answer, but adds, with a grin that's not too genuine but looks like it is (which is what counts, after all)--]}

Bonus points if it was something super embarrassing like being in the shower or something.

[ooc: Slightly backdated, it's shortly after Heather finished her emotional rollercoaster convo civilized discussion with Liquid.]



_{[Feed cuts in on Heather's face, with the city streets in the background bobbing up and down as she walked. She looks... still exhausted, but better than before! That doom and gloom has sort of lifted.]}

Okay. So. Forgot to say anything about this, but-- back in town. Was gone for awhile and stuff. I miss anything? You guys didn't have too much fun without me, did you?

_{[There's a metallic swish as the door to the Pokemon Center slides open and she steps inside, despite her... professed antagonistic relationship with the resident nurses.]}

Anyway, on a more serious note, bunch of you've beaten that Gym guy lately...

... Anyone got tips?

... Otacon, I'm lookin' at you.

_{[Oh yeah, she saw that video post, even if she'd been a little too preoccupied to comment on it.]}

_{[It's brief. Heather turns the camera on directed at her face-- she's holding up her broken-ass umbrella to shield herself from the drizzle. James and Harry cannot be seen, but their voices are in the background.]}

Finally got back.

As usual, the heat breaks as soon as we get somewhere with air conditioning... and it starts to rain as soon as I walk into Violet. S'deja vu all over again.

We'd better not get another flood.

Anyway, m'back. Sorry for taking forever. _{[If she wasn't so tired and miserable, she'd have made some kind of quip about James being the one to slow them all down, but she doesn't have the oomph.]}

Gonna crash in the inn, I think.

Be nice to see y'all again.

_{[There's more than a few people she meant to address specifically, but upon thinking it over, she decides napping is a better choice for the moment. So the camera flicks off.]}


Private Text to Otacon:

I'm back. Does Liquid know Snake is here yet? Is everyone okay?




_{[ooc: Just figured I'd get one last post in before I left. See you guys, I'll be in contact!]}

_{[When the camera comes on, Heather is looking half-asleep, and very confused. It's daybreak and the sky is still pale overhead.]}

Uh.... Hey, Rise? If you get this, I got a question for ya...

<sub>[Because Rise is her buddy and she's the first person Heather remembers actually hatching something.]

[The camera turns to show a very strange object sitting at the foot of Heather's sleeping bag:]</sub>


This was... totally just... there when I woke up this morning. It definitely wasn't there last night. I haven't seen one like it before, either... I thought maybe Claudy laid it or something, but it's like... bigger than she is.

_{[Heather isn't the only one confused by the egg's presence, either-- the infamous Hoothoot, not hiding in Heather's pack like normal at the moment, is curiously investigating the egg and doing what appears to be a mildly-alarmed dance involving a lot of head-bobbing and moving from foot to foot (but minus the shitty music). The egg is, indeed, bigger than she is.]}

Any clue what it is?

... Or how it got here?

Hey guys. I am trapped, running a mild fever, and am in need of some form of escape from reality. Since there's apparently no such thing as video games here and my head hurts too much to try and read, you guys are my source of relief. Hi.

Ever since a certain.... um... bathing incident, I'm not allowed to let several of my Pokemon out of their Balls-- .... _{heh. 'Balls'.}-- ... yeah. So I don't even have them for company. ... Except for--
That. And it won't stop staring at me.


That is so not a Dratini, Kairi. I am disappoint.

... On the other hand!_{[She puts the 'Gear down on her lap so that everyone has a very nice close-up view of the pink, lint-covered surface of the blanket, and proceeds to rummage in what was presumably her bag, sitting on the seat next to her. There's rustling noises, a slightly indignant squawk, and a mumble of 'Sorry, Claudy...' from Heather, before she picks up the camera again and holds an Egg in front of it.]}


I found this, too. Anyone know what the hell it is? I'd rather avoid any surprises this time.


.... Oh. And uh... one last thing.

Given... the flooding, and the fact that a bunch of people were... warped or something to ... various places, I kinda wanna ask... uh.

Well. Not that I'm a big organizer or anything, but...


Even if it's just a little text message with the location, I don't really care. I'm just curious. _{[... And a little worried. As she's said to many, she really doesn't want to hear about a body-count once the flooding subsides...]}

.... I hope everybody's safe.






_{[ooc: Feel free to action if you're in the Violet Pokemon Center and your char wants to find Heather's cramped little corner!]}

[Cujo the Growlithe and Arty the Sentret are both out of their Pokeballs, for once-- both are curled in a furry heap somewhere just barely in-view of the camera. Both are asleep .... unlike whatever owned the big red glowing eyes that were glimmering faintly in the dark somewhere behind Heather's back. She doesn't seem too concerned, though, as she's not paying much attention to them, for... for some reason. ... You'd think she'd be concerned.]
Yo.

Sorry to disappoint and all, but unfortunately, my little science experiment did not result in my death, so here I am to annoy you all a little more. Merry Christmas.

I'd also like to extend my thanks to Zack for helping me out with it. He fought valiantly in the great bee battle._{[She flips the horns at the camera and gives a serious nod.]}
You rule, bro.

Anyway. Was hopin' to catch one of those things, but by the time I got back to the scene of the crime-- _{[Why yes, the 'great bee battle' HAD mainly consisted of them running like sissies back to Cherrygrove. Is anyone surprised by this?]} -- they'd all decided they had somewhere better to be. Figures. Ignorance always flees in the wake of science, am I right?

Anyway..._{[The customary pause in which she remembers what she'd originally decided to annoy people via pointless video transmissions for anyway. ... After a moment or so, she snaps her fingers before tugging her knees to her chest and propping her chin on them. Now she remembers. Camping in the woods at night was something she'd never done as a kid (she and her father hadn't really been the country type), but every kid knows there's a few traditional activities one must take part in. She doesn't have anything to make s'mores with, so that left...]}
Oh yeah. So. Nighttime on the way to Violet City. Did I mention before that these woods are creepy as hell at night? Camping sucks. But... I'm bored, and even though I'm prooobably gonna regret this...