[There it is. There's that look. Fiddleford might not have perfect memory of the last thirty years, but he does remember being looked at like that. He'd seen the same realization, the same shock and disappointment and discomfort, on Minnie's face, a few days before she left.
It sends guilt twisting up inside him. Minnie hadn't expected to see him like this, and clearly, neither had Stanford. At least with Minnie, he hadn't been as lucid as he is now: he hadn't had the option of coming up to her and saying Minnie darlin', I know I've messed up in a real big way, but I want to try to get my mind back, and I think you can help me, if you're willin'. He'd been too far gone for that, then.
Nice going, Fiddleford. You find your best friend after all this time and you lie to him and make him think you're crazy. You really are no good to nobody.
But they're watching him. Team Rocket, government agents, a horror taking up dark space in the burned-out part of his brain that he can't bring himself to look directly at yet -- he can't draw their attention to him. He has to hide, even if it's in plain sight. And that means Fiddleford will do whatever he has to.
He gives his knee, which has started to bounce, a jovial slap into stillness.]
No sir, I've been battling Pokemons for two weeks already! I reckon that makes me practically an expert!
[He points at MIPS and crows:]
Berry, use your DEATH RAY!!
[UGH OLD MAN FOR THE LAST TIME IT'S CALLED PSYBEAM, Berry wants to scream, but it's the first sensible command she's been given, so she lets it slide this time. She fires the weird ray straight at MIPS.]
no subject
It sends guilt twisting up inside him. Minnie hadn't expected to see him like this, and clearly, neither had Stanford. At least with Minnie, he hadn't been as lucid as he is now: he hadn't had the option of coming up to her and saying Minnie darlin', I know I've messed up in a real big way, but I want to try to get my mind back, and I think you can help me, if you're willin'. He'd been too far gone for that, then.
Nice going, Fiddleford. You find your best friend after all this time and you lie to him and make him think you're crazy. You really are no good to nobody.
But they're watching him. Team Rocket, government agents, a horror taking up dark space in the burned-out part of his brain that he can't bring himself to look directly at yet -- he can't draw their attention to him. He has to hide, even if it's in plain sight. And that means Fiddleford will do whatever he has to.
He gives his knee, which has started to bounce, a jovial slap into stillness.]
No sir, I've been battling Pokemons for two weeks already! I reckon that makes me practically an expert!
[He points at MIPS and crows:]
Berry, use your DEATH RAY!!
[UGH OLD MAN FOR THE LAST TIME IT'S CALLED PSYBEAM, Berry wants to scream, but it's the first sensible command she's been given, so she lets it slide this time. She fires the weird ray straight at MIPS.]