brokencode: (Happy poke)
ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* Angel ([personal profile] brokencode) wrote in [community profile] victory_road2018-08-13 01:11 am

Where Angels Tread Once More (001)

01- Action

[The more things change, the more they stay the same. Angel wakes, knowing that it's been ages since her last arrival. She can tell by the way the sun shines through the trees outside of a window that isn't her own. It's summer, if she had to guess -- the last she'd seen, it'd been spring.


She smiles politely and nods along with "Mom's" antics. She shoulders the bag, maintains her composure for the length of time it takes to make it to a distant treeline, and then quickly tears through it until she finds the small sphere she's looking for.

Mari bursts forth in a ray of red light. She looks around, clearly confused at the change of scenery. It takes her a good second or so to turn around and notice Angel. Her pleased bleat chimes out perfectly in sync with Angel's own delighted yelp. The young woman gathers the pokemon in her arms, burying her face in the soft wool and hoping that the addition of a few tears won't end up shocking them both.

It takes a good few minutes, but eventually she's back on her feet. She approaches the start of the trail, sucking in a deep breath. She'd almost forgotten how it tasted.]


Well, Mari? [She glances down at the pokemon, then off into the woods.] Here we go again.

02- Video -- closed to fuelthefire

[She doesn't make it far into the woods, though. Once she's far enough out of the earshot of both the town and other travelers, Angel pulls out her PokeGear and settles down once more. There are a number of people Angel needs to reach out to, but no one ranks higher than her best friend. She holds her breath as she thumbs through the network, searching and searching until --

Until she finds Krieg. It took long enough to make her worry, make her heart ache all the more for the psycho she'd left behind. She felt bad enough, disappearing on him, and while she'd managed to earn a chance to say goodbye, she would have much rather stayed with him.

It worries her, the time she'd spent away. Krieg had progressed in leaps and bounds over the course of the year and a half they'd spent together. She would have liked to have hoped he'd kept progressing, that he'd stuck with the friends they'd made together and that he'd stayed strong without her.

But as she pulls up his contact information and begins a call, she can't help but worry what might wait on the other line. She does her best to put on a brave face, but her smile wobbles and her brows are tightly knit together. Off-screen, her fingers toy with her dress, at least until Mari notices and nudges them with a gentle bleat.

If nothing else, it reminds her that she can stroke the mareep's head while she waits. At least she isn't facing this alone.]


03 - Video

[When the call to Krieg has gone out, and after Angel has finally managed to dry her eyes, she turns the camera on herself once more. This time, her smile is a little stronger -- she knows Krieg is okay, and it'll only be a matter of time until they're reunited.

Still, it's hard to shake the nervousness. She worries about who she'll see, certainly, but it's who she won't see that troubles her more. Were Jean and Armin still travelling the pokemon world? Was Cissnei still off exploring the islands? Her stomach twists nervously at the very thought of any of them being gone.

And then there was the one person she hoped was gone. Handsome Jack, her father, the man who'd tried so desperately to endear himself to her over the course of her last visit.

She shakes her head and focuses her attention on the pokegear. Her forces her smile to stretch just a little wider, trying to ignore the sick, twisting feeling in her stomach that Jack always seemed to elicit.]


Good morning, everyone. I suppose the fact that you are seeing this video in your feeds says everything that I am planning to but... I can't help it.

It's... been quite awhile. Four months, if I remember my dates correctly. But it would seem that I'm back and that there are no shenanigans beyond that which brings us here occurring. It... seems safe to say that I am here to stay, at least for the time being.

I... hope everyone has been well. And I look forward to hearing from all of you -- not just those I knew before. It is... nice to be somewhere I belong again.

[She trails off, content to leave it at that. Realization hits her only seconds later, however, and she quickly finds herself stammering out one last sentiment.]

Oh, and -- ah. It's Angel. For those that might have, ah, forgotten. Or. That never had the chance to meet me in the first place.
fuelthefire: (IT'S TIME TO BLEED)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-14 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
[He's not sure how to interpret the combination of her tears and her smile. He thinks she's happy. She sounds happy, he's pretty sure. She's probably just...Overcome.]

Okay.

[...And she's not the only one. His voice cracks again, and he coughs to clear his throat, and repeats himself.]

Okay.

Are you okay? You're not hurt? You're safe?

[And then something occurs to him. It might seem a little crazy, that Mari would be whisked away just like that, but it's also a little crazy that it's possible to store living, breathing creatures in a computer, so. Of the two, the Suddenly Whisked Away scenario seems slightly less insane.]

Did you find your sheep?
fuelthefire: (SHUT-SHUT-SHUT-SHUT UP!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-14 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
[He shakes his head at her apology. It's not her fault. She'd never leave on purpose. But addressing that seems unimportant in the face of the much bigger, more pressing matter of rushing as fast as he can go to her side.]

Yes! I'm coming!

[It's a tremendous relief to see Mari's little face peek in at the edge of the screen and to hear her soft little bleat. That feeling on top of the swiftly rising joy as the simple reality of talking to Angel really hits home is straight up euphoric, and he grins widely under his mask.]

Keep her safe, Sheep-face! I'm gonna come get you both!
fuelthefire: (I'M HERE TO SHANK AND SMILE)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-14 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
Mnnn...

[He squints thoughtfully at her for a moment before looking up and away in the direction of One Island, already planning the shortest possible route in his head which will also not totally wreck Torch Dragon. The Charizard is strong and fast, but there's no way around how much ground (and sky) they have to cover to get to where Angel is. He can fly TD to the ferry, take the ferry to Olivine, slam through two Fast Travels to get to Violet, maybe slam a third depending on how much the first two make him want to vomit, and then Fly the rest of the way...]

...It's gonna be hours.

[He stops squinting into the distance to look back at her.]

Gotta take the ferry first, but it'll go faster after that. We can meet in the middle!
fuelthefire: (I TOLD YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-15 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Very safe. I won't even set myself on fire a little!

[He is absolutely, 100% teasing her, a deliberate callback to the first time he dropped everything to run and find her. It feels strange to remember something so clearly, and even stranger to relish the memory. He was elated at her presence then, and he's beyond elated now. He keeps a tight hold on his 'Gear with one hand, and begins to use the other to reach for essential travel items and pokeballs. TD is already in his ball, which makes that easy. When his hand brushes over 'Dora's ball, he pauses, struck with a thought, and turns back to look at the 'Gear again.]

I'll put your ribbon cat and your spike dog in the PC so you can take them out while you wait!

[There's a PC she can use in New Bark, right? He spent like, ten minutes there, once, and doesn't remember. It seems like there should be. Hopefully there is.]
fuelthefire: (HURT ME MORE!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-15 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
Pfff! No trouble at all!

[He grins a hidden grin at her again, but his smile fades into a more serious expression as he pauses just to look at her, and to take in the reality of her once again. No, Adorababy, Skagbait, and Mari had not only been zero trouble, the trio had been much-needed comfort. The constant presence of three intelligent creatures that Angel had not only loved, but who had also loved her in return, had been a greater boon than he could ever have imagined.

When he speaks again, his voice is quieter, with even more gravel than usual, as he admits something to her that he hadn't even properly realized until just this moment:]


They kept me sane.
fuelthefire: (I TOLD YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-15 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
Me, too.

[It was more than just her Pokemon - he's somehow made several very good, very staunch human friends in this place, and their presence and their support was just as important - but in the first few days, focusing on the two - then three - creatures he had inherited from her had been all he could do. If he only knew the turmoil his words had caused in her, he would do his very best to explain, to alleviate her worry, but, he doesn't, so...

Anyway, that's all in the past, and they are in the present, where he much prefers to exist. He drops his dark mood with the ease of a man who's had plenty of practice forgetting unpleasant things, and also with the ease of someone who is only a few long hours away from reuniting with his best friend.]


But they suit you better!

[And it's back to gathering Pokemon! He's sitting here wasting perfectly good time that could be used to running to meet Angel.]
fuelthefire: (I'M HERE TO SHANK AND SMILE)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-16 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
[For a brief moment, he feels a pang of alarm - she looks like she wants to cry. Did he say something to upset her?

No. She feels guilty for leaving them behind.

And for leaving us, too, probably.


The voice in his head is hardly ever a welcome interruption, but this is one of those rare times he's glad it's broken the habitual reticence it's developed since he got here and spoken up.]


Yeah! I'm taking them to the monster hospital now.

[And so he is. It takes him hardly any time at all to pack up in any situation. He never has more possessions than can fit in the backpack "Mom" gave him what seems like a lifetime ago. He doesn't know if he'll be coming back to the island right away once he's met up with Angel, or if they'll strike out on a different path, so it just makes sense to take his few belongings with him.

...As well as all of the usual suspects.]


I'll tell you as soon as I get there!

[Mostly because he's not going to be cutting the connection between their 'Gears....as long as she's on the line, he'll be on, too.]
fuelthefire: (HURT ME MORE!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-17 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Her silence doesn't bother him as he travels. The two of them have spent so many, many hours in each other's company in companionable silence that the familiarity is comforting...even if it is a little weird to be sharing it over their communication devices rather than in person. It's only a few hours, though, even though they feel like the longest few hours of his life. He watches her reunion with Adorababy and Skagbait with a strange mixture of joy and envy. He's so happy to see the two - the three, including Mari - finally, finally happy again, really happy, and at the same time jealous that he has to wait for hours yet before he can experience that reunion, as well.

The ferry ride is the worst part, because he can't move under his own power, or at the very least, under one of his 'Mons'. Even though Skully has inexplicably been able to learn the move Surf, she's not exactly a fast swimmer. Which makes sense, considering she's almost a half ton of steel and rock. The ferry is undoubtedly faster than the surfing Aggron, even though it feels slow as mud.

The Fast Travels are also frustrating, because he knows how much better they could be, and they just aren't. He could hop Fast Travels all over Pandora without courting severe nausea after just the second one, and he didn't have to take them in any certain order to cross the continent. He could just go to the one he needed.

It's hours since she first contacted him, and he's finally stepping out of the Violet Pokemon Center and into the streets in preparation for letting Torch Dragon out and finally hurrying things along. He's fighting the dizzy, nauseous sensation that's a result of taking two Fast Travels in a row without a break when she speaks again, and her distracting remark couldn't have been timed better.]


...I just wanted them to be happy.

[He did his best, Angel.]
fuelthefire: (SHUT-SHUT-SHUT-SHUT UP!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-19 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
[It is an absolute relief to hear her say that. He was always fairly sure he'd done at least an okay job keeping them happy. It was sometimes difficult to be sure, because they were all missing her so terribly that happiness was not easy to come by, but...well...he'd done his best. And now Angel is here to assure him that his best was more than sufficient, and obviously they're all happy now, returned to her side where they belong. And soon he'll be at her side again as well, right where he belongs.]

Not long now!

[As he says that, he lets Torch Dragon out of his ball. The black Charizard snorts enthusiastically as he emerges and immediately crouches down next to his trainer. Someone else is just as excited to see Angel as Krieg is. Swallowing down the lingering nausea of the Fast Travel, Krieg swings a leg over TD's back, and has barely straddled him properly before they're airborne. Then Krieg is laughing as the wind rushes by and TD's strong wings stroke up and down to gain altitude. It takes a minute or two of noisy ascent before they level out and Krieg can talk and be heard again. He looks back to the 'Gear still clutched in his hand, a wide grin hidden beneath his mask. Torch Dragon is a champion flier, and now that they're in the air they're finally going fast enough to satisfy Krieg's sense of urgency.]

How far did you get?
fuelthefire: (HURT ME MORE!)

i won't tell anyone if you don't >> Also i'm just gonna fudge the meetup location

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-25 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[Torch Dragon rumbles when he hears Angel say his name and her apologies. This is the kind of thing he loves! He would go as fast as he could for as long as he could anyway, just to see how he did. Knowing Angel is at the end of the journey just motivates him even more!]

I remember.

[It's been a slow process for Krieg, getting used to having memories he doesn't want to forget. He still has trouble holding on to them sometimes, even in this warm and gentle world where he wants to remember. Whatever part of his broken brain is in charge of remembering things is likely damaged, just like the rest of him, but somehow, when it comes to Angel, he seems to have no trouble at all.

He remembers the curious thrill of happiness upon hearing her voice and seeing her face on the network for the first time after arriving. The fierce joy he'd felt when she called him friend. The urgency to reach her side before Jack could find her and harm her some more, and the dumbstruck disbelief when she had thrown her arms around him upon their very first meeting and thanked him for helping her. For killing her. For freeing her.]


Let's have a lot more nights like that!

[Torch Dragon has taken them very high into the air - another challenge he enjoys - and they can both see for miles. One slender young woman, traveling alone and on foot, might be difficult to spot from this height, but one Enchanted (?) Moving Coffee Shop is much, much easier to spy. It still takes about an hour - the towns are very spread out, even for a very fast Charizard, but eventually it comes into sight. Torch Dragon sees it first, and Krieg spots it a moment later, and then they're diving out of the sky toward it with all the speed of a Charizard carrying a nearly 300lb man on his back.

Said man bursts into laughter on the way down, as he always does, because for him, the descent is the most thrilling part.]


Muohhoho! AhahahahAHAHAHA!
fuelthefire: (I SAW THE LIGHT!!!)

\o/

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-08-26 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[When they descend on the beach, Krieg will usually wait for Torch Dragon to pull up just prior to landing and then dive off the Charizard's back into a combat roll through the sand. But this isn't the beach and there is no soft sand in sight, and Angel is right there - he's a lot more conscious of her safety than he is of his own, so when TD pulls up to land, he neglects to attempt his usual rolling dismount, and only moves once TD's feet are firmly on the ground. When Angel throws her arms around him, TD gives a happy cry and hugs her back with his stubby little dragon arms.

Krieg is all but vibrating with impatience for his turn to hug her, but the brief pause before he's able to does give him a chance to carefully set Zen Doll on the ground (the little Darumaka is, as always, right where the Psycho is), and to shut off his 'Gear and tuck it away.

Even with those small tasks to attend to, it still seems like an eternity before Angel finally turns to him, but when she does, he reaches up to yank off his mask. His eyes are visibly red and the entire left side of his face is one giant (but healing!) bruise. He drops his mask to the ground at his feet and finally - finally - pulls her into his arms. He lifts her right off her feet, pressing his unbruised cheek to the side of her head and just...holds her. He's trembling with the sheer force of his joy, so much so that Angel will likely feel it even through the strength of his embrace.]
fuelthefire: (NOBODY KILLS ME BUT ME!!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-09-01 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
[The solidity, and warmth, and life of her skinny frame in his arms seems to break something inside of him. The sharp, cutting grief that had nearly consumed him in April is still raw and painful, not yet old enough to have lost any of its edge. It crashes violently against the feeling of absolute joy of holding her again, and he is utterly and completely overwhelmed. Her soft, quiet whisper, her arms around his neck, and the gentle, comforting touch of her hand on his back are all exactly what he needs. That might not be readily apparent to her, however, as he only begins to tremble harder and seems unable, for the moment, to form any words. The only vocalization he can manage is involuntary, and starts off as a shaky sigh that evolves into a long, quiet, keening whine. It's the sound of a man who typically expresses strong emotions with wordless screaming and shouting but does not wish, currently, to scream or shout. He'd rather not be making any noise at all - he doesn't want to upset her, he doesn't want to make her sad or unhappy - but he can't seem to stop it.

He nods his head briefly to acknowledge her words, a few short, small jerking motions while he squeezes his eyes shut tightly. When he finally draws in a shuddering breath, he holds it briefly to stop any more wordless noises. Then he lets it out in a rush, and it's just a loud but voiceless exhalation. He repeats this three or four times, focusing on the act of breathing to try to rein himself in. When he finally manages to speak using actual words, his voice is low and rough, and cracks at the end.]


I thought you were gone forever.
fuelthefire: (I SAW THE LIGHT!!!)

[personal profile] fuelthefire 2018-09-21 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Her apology and her promise are a comfort, even though one is unnecessary and the other impossible. He knows she would never leave him - truly leave him - on purpose. The thing that happened last winter was entirely his fault, and they'd talked about it, and they'd understood one another, and they know what they'll do the next time...because if they've learned anything about this world where they have found themselves, it's that there will definitely be a next time. That was how he'd been able to say a proper goodbye, to get some kind of closure, after she'd abruptly left in April. But it's not one of Those Weekends right now, so if she's here, then it must be for longer than just two days.

He can only hope.]


I know.

[It might be a while before his voice returns to normal, as overwhelmed as he still is. It'll definitely be a while before he makes any motion to return her to her feet. But, given how tightly she's hanging on to him, it's probably safe to assume that she's totally okay with that.]