justanexpression | Video 6: Show Me the Way to Go Home (Action for Azalea)

[Jack turns the feed on but doesn’t say anything right away, preoccupied with settling the pokemon he’s surrounded by this time. A Togepi sits in his lap, with a Meowth curled into a ball against his leg on one side, and a Buneary and Smeargle snuggled together on the other. All four of them look positively depressed and Jack, for once, doesn’t seem much better.

Spot the Swablu is on Jack’s shoulder as usual, doing her best to groom him all better and looking somewhat distressed herself that it’s not working.]

So... these guys showed up yesterday. I never actually got to meet them in person before, but the names are all right, and they seem to recognize me...

[The Meowth glances up when he pets her head but then returns to her ball.]

I guess this means they’re both really gone, now? That’s usually what it means when your friends’ pokemon suddenly show up in your computer, right?

[He runs a hand through his hair, accidentally undoing Spot’s work and making her whistle in frustration before pecking his fingers out of the way to start over. It gets him to smile, at least.]

Have you ever been surprised that you ended up missing someone you never thought you would?

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I...haven't been here long enough for that.

[ And the people she's missed otherwise, she always knew she'd miss, if they left. Or died. ]

But I'm sorry about your friends.

[Oh, hey, a new person. He makes a visible effort to cheer up, in that case.]

One of them left a while ago, and Bunny... He was probably getting bored not having Easter to plan around here, anyway.

I'm Jack. Welcome... I guess?

A Buneary...!

[ Wait that's not the main point here, uh. SORRY FOR HIS SUDDEN ENTHUSIASM, he looks contrite immediately after. ]

That is, I mean...I'm sorry about your friends, ne!

Easter? [ Immediate interest. She heard about this, but the other person didn't really know what it was... ] I mean, I've heard that it's a holiday, but I don't know much about it otherwise...

Oh! Rin Nohara. And thanks!

[ She doesn't mind being here. ]

[It's okay, Honey. Somebody's gotta be cheerful. Usually it's Jack.

He nudged the Buneary a bit until he shifts enough to pay attention to the camera. He's got an admirer, so he might as well take advantage of it.]

His name's... [He feels a little guilty that he actually has to stop and think about that.] Br'er. Like the story, I think. He was Bunny's.

And thanks.

Br'er...I think I remember that story! He was a bit of a trickster, wasn't he? It was an American series, if I remember right...

[ No one should be shocked that he's read up on bunny-related literature.

Also, that name actually rings a bell. ]

Bunny...? The man who showed up with Miss Tooth, a while ago?

Ne, where are you right now?

Easter is Bunny's holiday. It's a pretty big deal for him. He'd have been the best person to ask about it, but it's usually early enough in the spring that I can be there for it, too, so I know most of it.

[Some people mind, some people don't, and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference right away. Always better safe than sorry.]

[Br'er studies the screen almost curiously, aware he's being talked about.]

You met Tooth? Yeah, Bunny was the one with her. The guy with the big tattoos.

Around the corner from the Center. I just picked these guys up.

If you're willing to talk about it, I wouldn't mind hearing about it.

I talked to them when they arrived! I never met them in person, though.

[If this is trying to get his mind off things... it's working, and he appreciates it.

Even the various pokemon seem to perk up a bit at the promise of storytime.]

Yeah, I don't mind. Not sure where to start, though. It's one of the major mythic holidays where I'm from.

...Actually, it's a good thing Bunny's not here to hear me say that. I'd never live it down.

Oh. Yeah, I guess they sort of... [He makes a vague little gesture.] I don't think they had as easy a time here as some people.

[Like him.]

Tooth went home a while ago, but I just talked to Bunny the other day.

"Mythic holidays"?

I'm not sure why you wouldn't live saying that down, but...

Stay there, then!

[ will go to see Jack in person since, hey, they will be traveling together anyways ]

Because of the being-human part?

I see...I hadn't realized. I'm sorry to hear that, though. They were nice!

...Right. Still hard to remember not everyplace has those. Where I'm from, there's myths. Like me, and Bunny, and Tooth. And sometimes myths are in charge of holidays, like Bunny with Easter and North, that's Santa Claus, with Christmas.

[Or the Groundhog, but... well, who could mention him with a straight face?]

And it's because there's this big feud between Christmas and Easter, right? About which one is more important? Even calling Easter a major holiday would make Bunny think he won.

Among other stuff, yeah, but that was the big one.

They had plenty to do back home, anyway, so it's probably for the best.

[So he'll... stay here. And do his best to get a better reaction out of the new members of his team than he had been already.

Spot is the first to see Akito, and she trills happily, almost gratefully. He has hands, after all. He can fix this.]

[ have a NINJA HUG FROM NOWHERE that probably isn't quite so ninja, since he has an Eevee, Furret, Dewott, Gible, Riolu, Sneasel, Jolteon, and Togetic trailing after him at various speeds. ]

Cheer up!

I never thought I'd miss my pain in the ass vice-captain, but whaddaya know, now I'm wishing he'd show up with the rest of my teammates even if it meant he'd be on my case again.

[His friend in continuing lack of dignity seems down, so Niou doesn't mind offering a little bit more of honesty than he normally would. Especially when the Swablu really is continuing the lack of dignity thing. He grins at Jack in the feed and gives him a wave, and if the grin is a little more slanted toward ruefulness than it might otherwise be, well, it's not like it'll be that big a hit to Niou's reputation as being generally up to no good.]

Looks like you got the hat off, at least.

...Yeah, that's usually what it means.

Sorry about your friends, kid.

[He knows that feel, bro.]

[It may not have been a surprise, exactly, but the hug itself is still surprising. Akito will have to forgive him not returning it at first. It does make him chuckle, though.]

Cheer up, huh?

It's weird, cause it's not like I don't have new friends here, right?

[But they were people he knew from home, and now... that's gone.]

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Video 6: Show Me the Way to Go Home (Action for Azalea)

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