[001] Video / Action in New Bark

[oldestfriend]

[Some might recognize this woman, now looking a lot less pale, from the strange fever dream of an experience that was Moon Prom. Still that weird sense of familiarity hanging around her. She seems pretty relaxed, all things considered, and is grinning into the camera.]

Looks like I'll be staying around in Johto for a little while longer, everyone. Things sure have changed in Johto, huh? I'm Dee, if you don't know me.

[She says it almost like it's a joke.]

Anyway, I'm back in New Bark, buuuut there's a problem. [There's the sound of earth being upturned, and Dee wobbles a bit.] First of all, there's that! There's a.... adorable but also really upset elephant around here tearing things up, and I can't get too close to get outta here. My Pokemon aren't exactly fit for battling here!

Oh yeah, and there's a bunch of trees and bushes that have fallen or overtaken the route itself, so I need help there too! Help, help, I'm a damsel in distress!

Alternatively... Keep me occupied while I wait thing out? It'll be nice to talk to people again! I mean, how about that food at the party, huh? I always forget how fun frosting tastes on your tongue.

Comments

[Video]

[callbacks]

Okay, but where else would you be tasting frosting? On your face? Between your toes? Inquiring minds, et cetera.

[Video]

[oldestfriend]

Oh yeah, absolutely. But my sister could tell you more on all of that than I could.

[Video]

[callbacks]

Like as a synesthesia thing or something more literal, because I'm pretty experienced with one of those things but morbidly curious about the other.

[Video]

[oldestfriend]

A little of column A, a little of column B... It's complicated.

[Video]

[callbacks]

Fair. I hear that.

[He spares a moment to give her an almost curious look. She seems familiar in a way he can't put his finger on, and that's ridiculous, because he can count the people he knew before coming to Johto without running out of fingers, and she's clearly not one of them.]

You said your name was...Dee, right? Nice. I'm Dave.

[Video]

[oldestfriend]

Yeah, I know, Dave.

[There's a flicker of a knowing grin before Dee leans back.]

So, been around here long? I dropped by Johto ages ago, but it looks like a lot has changed!

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

[The memories may be hazy, but Envy does remember seeing Dee up on the moon.]

[What he wasn't expecting was to see her here, after the weekend was over. It's been such a long time.]

[The grin on his face is huge, because even if he's been flung across the map, this is still something to be happy over.]

We've got some unhappy elephants over here too, so that seems to be a Thing.

Interesting start to a vacation, right?

[video]

[oldestfriend]

Better interesting than boring, right?

[If there's anyone who knows what a boring decade is like, it's Envy]

So where are you with your elephant problem, huh?

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

You've got that right.

And...hm. Well.

[He'll just turn the camera around away from him. It looks like he was taking shelter in a little cluster of trees on the mountain path, while Zubats stream out of a cave and darken the sky. If she listens closely enough, she might hear some distressed baby elephant trumpeting.]

They're not happy with all those bats, that's what. But they're the small ones, at least.

[He turns the camera back to himself. And in spite of waking up halfway into the wilderness and being surrounded by the bat swarm to end them all, he looks happy.]

Never boring around here.

...good to see you back.

[video]

[oldestfriend]

Oh boy. Zubat problems. That's always fun.

[She's almost positive she had to deal with that the last time she was around. Oh well. These things will sort themselves out eventually- sooner more than later, too, she knows how people are around here.]

[Taking a seat on a nearby fallen tree, she hums.]

Good to see you too. Lookin' pretty snazzy, I have to say. Although, there's one thing I feel like I should ask....

Did we get more Pokemon around here?

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

Why, thank you. Not looking too bad yourself.

[He does one of his ridiculous gestures with his free hand, but it's a bit less so than usual. Don't want to risk attracting bat attention, after all. Her question gets a snort out of him.]

Oh, did we. Probably a couple hundred more...I don't remember, were you still here when the first new kinds started showing up? It was that first Christmas.

[video]

[oldestfriend]

Think I might have juuust missed out on that one, but oh boy. A couple hundred, huh?

[She can't wait to get acquainted with them all.]

[video]

[armoredsoul]

An elephant...? [Al can't quite remember what Pokemon that's likely to be, but given that it's tearing up the ground it's likely to be a ground type...shit.] I'm on my way! How far down the route are you?

[video]

[oldestfriend]

I'm close to the start, one of the first ledges you run into. I'd say "no rush", but I think this is a "rush" kind of situation.

[video -> action]

[armoredsoul]

No kidding--hang tight, I should be there soon!

[And indeed he is, showing up not too long after with a Luxray bounding along beside him. And--oh man, yeah, that's a Donphan tearing up the area, alright...]

Oh jeez, it's really upset, isn't it?

[oldestfriend]

[Dee waves him over when he shows up, raising her eyebrows at the observation.]

Boy, are they. I'd help out, but all I know is that they don't want to be here. [A grimace as something heavy falls over.] And all I have with me are a Krabby and a Magikarp.

[armoredsoul]

And me with just my Luxray, here...

[Al heaves a heavy sigh, and the Luxray grumbles before shaking his mane out. Come on, trainer, we've got this!]

Well, Krabby is at least effective against ground types... Do you think if we keep it distracted that you could whittle it down with--ah, what does it start with, Bubble...?

[Video]

[charcoalfeather]

.... Uh, what's an elephant?

[Judging from her tone, Rakka is asking in complete honesty.]

[Video]

[oldestfriend]

[She could try to explain, but it's easier to turn the camera to the very upset Donphan rampaging some distance away.]

It looks sort of like that! But bigger and usually with less natural armor. Like, nine times out of ten, no armor.

[Video]

[charcoalfeather]

[It would almost be worth the attempt to explain it, but this works just as well.

Her eyes widen at the very obvious rampaging.]

O-oh... [gulp Is that true? Because it sounds kind of scary.

[Not that the Donphan flipping out is any better??]

[Video]

[oldestfriend]

You don't have to worry. [Dee turns the camera back to her relaxed face.] Elephants are usually pretty peaceful.... And so are a lot of Pokemon too, from what I remember.

I think something just happened that's got her upset. Maybe it's because the road has gotten blocked off, and there's nothing but ledges.

[Video]

[charcoalfeather]

[At least one of them is relaxed, but surely it should be the person miles away from a rampaging "elephant" and not.... well, the person right there.]

O-oh, right. That's been happening all over the region, I think! No one can get anywhere now! It's a really big mess over here.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Whoa. Whoa. Wait...]

[For a good second or two, Heather is just... kind of squinting.]

[That lady looks... incredibly familiar, but... from where?]

[Surely they must have met here in Johto, a long time ago, but... she almost looks familiar from somewhere else, too...]

[And then it starts to sink back in. She does recognize this person!]</sub>

... Wait a minute... Dee??

[Video]

[oldestfriend]

Heather!

[One of her favorite traumatized teenagers from a small nightmare town built on the dreams of a weird cult! Death laughs and gives a little jazz hands of greeting.]

I knew you had to still be kicking around here. How long has it been? I know time is weiiiird here.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

_{[Once her weird hunch is confirmed legit, she lets herself grin back, a huge crooked beam.]}

Dee, holy shit!

It's been-- fuck-- at least five years! Going on six! Wow, I can't remember the last time somebody who'd been gone so long came back!

How are you?!

_{[She hadn't even known Dee as closely as she had most of her other friends here. But Death, oh, Death she knows so intimately that it doesn't even matter that there aren't too many actual memories to back up the familiarity with. It's impossible for Heather not to feel like Dee is, in fact, an old friend.]}