justanexpression | Video 4: Did he sign up for this camping trip? [Backdated to May 1]

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Video 4: Did he sign up for this camping trip? [Backdated to May 1]

[video meant for Shaun... but let's face it, Jack's hardly a tech wiz, anyone could see it]

[It's late, and Jack knows it, but he'd made a promise, and he was going to keep it. At least, as well as he could without letting Sho wander out of sight, anyway. He's just hoping Shaun is still awake to pick up.]

Hey, Shaun? I said I'd tell you before I left town, right? I'm kinda cutting it close, so I hope you get this soon.

[open video]

So... hey. Uh, yeah, so Bunny? Tooth? Or anyone who might be wondering. Hypothetically, right? Might be gone for a while.

Anyone know if there are maps for places off the Routes?

((OOC: follows the events of Sho's Fire Dance))

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[Shaun was getting a little sleepy, but when he saw the ID on the 'gear he perked up and picked it up.]

Hi, Jack!

[And then his face falls a little at the message]

Oh...does that mean that I won't get to see you for real before you go?

Are you all right?

By 'places off the routes', do you mean the caves and forests?

What kind of places are we talking about? Like, secret tourist traps and stuff?

[Oh good. He doesn't like being made a liar, so when Shaun picks up, Jack's smile is pretty bright even if he does keep watching where he's walking instead of the screen.]

Yeah, looks like it. You saw the big bonfire outside, right?

[He looks more amused than worried, but he's got Patch out of her ball and already on his shoulder, just in case.]

So far. The guy I'm with just has an interesting idea of following someone.

[The reply doesn't come immediately, but when it does, the feed clicks on to a large forest as background.]

Forests, yeah.

[His voice drops to a whisper.]

I'm pretty sure he doesn't know where he's going.

[Congratulations, Jack has been completely derailed from his original question.]

They have those here?

...

[Shaun's face turns away from the camera and he looks out the window.]

Noooo... Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?

[His voice wavers. Jack doesn't look or sound like he's hurt, but what if he's just hiding it?

What if he's going away more permanently than just leaving town? The smile isn't that reassuring, because Shaun can tell it's relieved, too.]

I've never seen maps of Ilex or Viridian Forest in any store, but after all this time it's quite possible that someone drew their own. Perhaps they'll be kind enough to share.

Here's hoping.

This is so much easier when you can fly. Why do trees have to have so many roots?

[He's just whining. It's just quiet enough not to reach Sho up ahead, but it might not stay that way for long.]

What?

[He's startled enough by the question to look down at the screen instead of where he's going and immediately almost trip. A glance up at Sho says he's not having much better luck, so Jack slows down to pay attention to the screen and the person on it.]

No, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?

[Shaun hesitates before answering, squinting, scrutinizing Jack's features. Not for things like honesty or falsehood, but for pallor, and pain, and blood. His heart is pounding in his chest as he looks, leaning in close to the screen, praying that he's wrong.

The relief on his face as he settles back is as obvious as if it was written in sharpie across his forehead.]

I-I was just worried... You said you would be gone for a while... And you were running out of time.

[That does sound pretty bad, putting it that way, huh? Well, now Jack just plain feels bad. He rests his walking stick in the crook of his arm to ruffle his hair.]

...Sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like that. Just... Well, here.

[He flips the screen around to show off Sho's back.]

He kind of upset his... best friend, I guess. So she stormed off and he stormed off, but he's not really all there, I think, if you know what I mean, so I couldn't just let him go off on his own, you know?

[The screen comes back to a very sheepish Jack.]

But I told you I'd say goodbye before I left, and I can't really do that if I'm already halfway to I don't know where, right?

Flight will be within your reach after a single badge, a particular HM and a decent Flying-type, if it makes you feel better.

[Not that any of those things can be earned in the middle of a forest.]

Oh, you bet. World's largest Spinarak string ball, world's biggest collection of Farfetch'd leeks...there's a lot of 'em around.

[He leans in close to the 'Gear like he's telling some sort of secret.]

I even heard there's a town somewhere dedicated to Wobbuffet, but I haven't found it yet. It sounds so cool!

[Shaun considers the information for a moment. He's still not smiling, but at least he's not on the verge of tears anymore. When the camera goes back to Jack, he leans in and asks a very serious question in a low tone.]

Did they get a divorce?

[...He'll apologize later, maybe, but right now, that question catches him so off guard that all he can do is stare and blink. A lot. Possibly even all the staring and blinking.]

Did they what?"

[No, they really can't, and he is so painfully aware of that right now.]

Really? I mean, I've heard about it, but I didn't really pay that much attention.

[Or read any of the information on it. Jack's... not really into reading. At all.]

[Somehow, he doubts they'll run into any of those things, and now he's strangely a little disappointed.]

...How big a ball could that really even be?

Anyway, how do you know all of those? Did you go looking?

When two people who cared about each other decide that they don't anymore. You know, a divorce.

[It's a word he learned from his classmates, not his parents, but his unintentionally cruel peers had whispered it behind his back like a swear word, on their way to the bus as Shaun stood inside the school, staring out at the rain and waiting for his dad's beat up brown car, or when the principal escorted him to his classroom when he arrived fifteen, twenty, half an hour late. I heard his parents are getting divorced.

When he asked his mom what that meant, she told him that it was when two people who love each other can't live together anymore. She said that she and his dad weren't getting divorced yet, but that they might have to. Later that night, he heard her yelling at his dad on the phone, and he had to put his pillow over his head and cling to his teddy bear until he could finally drown out the sound enough to go back to sleep.]

[Sure, Jack's heard the word, and he's seen kids whose parents got divorced before, but it's not really a concept he's ever thought much about. Why would he? It's not even remotely fun.

But this is Shaun, so Jack has to at least make an attempt to pretend he knows what it's like.]

I don't know if they were that close. [Although Sho DID seem pretty upset.] But no, the bonfire. Sho was burning Bell's clothes. If I was Bell, I'd be pretty upset, too.

I'm sure it'll be fine once we catch up to her.

[And that's something that Shaun has a hard time processing.]

Why was he burning her clothes? She needs those.

...Grownups are weird.

Really. I can save you days or weeks of travel, depending on the distance you wish to cross.

[Grownups are SERIOUSLY weird. Jack could not agree more. Well, okay, so maybe Sho and Bell aren't very grown up, but they're obviously more grown up than Jack and Shaun or they'd know better than to get into this sort of problem.]

He said he bought her better ones? Your guess is probably as good as mine. [He drops his voice.] Can't blame her, though, huh?

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Video 4: Did he sign up for this camping trip? [Backdated to May 1]

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