28th Recipe [Video. just outside Rock Tunnel]

[cyan_maid]

[When everything went weird, Jane had lost track of Alex, and she's been silent on the network while trying to track the other girl down. It's very possible, after all, that she got sent someplace quite far from Rock Tunnel and hadn't been deposited back. It's possible the tunnel has crap reception.

But when Jane finally emerges with the last member of her Bunnyquest list in hand (who is, by the way, the most ill-tempered Whismur that ever did exist), when she tries one more time to call Alex and the 'gear number isn't connected to anyone anymore...well, she has to accept the inevitable.]

Alex has gone home.

[Back to that - that island, and the ghosts, and the time loops...Jane lets out a defeated sigh, slumping against the outside rocks, her brow furrowed.]

...It's when these things happen that I think...why do I still keep the house around? Why don't I just shove off and travel, if there's no one to come home to? I guess...[She shakes her head.] I don't know. Maybe I keep it in case people return? In case they need a home when they get here, and not adventure all the time?

[Jane is quiet after that, looking out into the middle distance. It's warm out, cloudy but not overly so. There's a nice breeze that ruffles Jane's hair and makes the trees across the water rustle.]

Either way...I, uh, I'll show you all my new rabbity friends once I get back to Goldenrod. It might take me some time to get back there, I...I'd like to rest.

[Before she shuts the feed, Jane mutters to herself,] God dammit, I fucking hate Rock Tunnel...

Comments

[cyan_maid]

Oh no, that's completely valid.

[Sometimes a little pettiness is okay.]

If I wasn't much of a creature of habit, I might do the same.

[islandshore]

Heh, that's fair. I think for a lot of people, it's just easier to make Goldenrod a hub because it's not too far from New Bark, and it's right next to the train station.

[All things considered, it's the logical place to be for those who prefer a more stable lifestyle. The wandering lifestyle's just not for everyone. He understands, but...

Man. His teenage bitterness was something else.]

I just think it's a shame that so many people miss out on Kanto. Maybe it's just me being a thrill seeker, but water parks and movie studios are nothing to sneeze at.

[cyan_maid]

They really aren't! Though I can't say I've been making sightseeing rounds while I've been here...but it's not like I won't eventually return, if I'm still around.

[islandshore]

Honestly, I just travel to keep myself from going nuts. Though, uh... might've been spending a bit too much time around Victory Road and Mt. Silver lately.

[Waterfall showers are okay and all, but they're not exactly the most comfortable setup. And even then, he probably still smells like... rocks. Lots of rocks.]

Kinda envy everyone who knows how to just... unwind.

[cyan_maid]

Is that so...? How is it up that way, if I might ask?

[A shower is still a shower, it's fine.]

[islandshore]

Rocky.

[He laughs, rubbing his neck.]

It's a lot of rocks, waterfalls, boulders... Standard mountain fare, but with Pokemon way bigger and more territorial than any of the other caves.

[cyan_maid]

Well that makes sense! They only opened up the way for folks like us fairly recently, right? And who knows how common it is for natives to take the trip? The Pokemon aren't used to humans, so they react when we're in their homes.

[islandshore]

It's been a few years, but by the time they did open up Kanto, it'd already been... geez. At least two years for most of us?

[He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. Ugh, are the years seriously blurring for him?]

It's... pretty wild. When I started off, there were no warp pads. No ferry. You'd spend months hoofing it just to reach Goldenrod City.

[cyan_maid]

Oh, eugh, that's inconvenient and unfair. It's not like everyone's got the ability to Surf or Fly right out of the gate!

[islandshore]

Yep. And with all the newbies popping up, people would make it to Violet, only to have to backtrack all the way back to New Bark just to meet their friends.

[His expression sours further at that memory.]

It's how I got stuck in Violet for months. Just a constant back and forth with no escape.

[cyan_maid]

Ah...I can see why that would get annoying very quickly, even if it was to join up with friends.

[islandshore]

Yeah. Gave me this huge aversion to places like Violet for the longest time. I just couldn't help but think of the place as a black hole.

[He shakes his head, slumping slightly.]

I'm over it now, but back then I was just... impatient, I guess. There was this huge, new world to explore, and I kept feeling like I was on a leash.

[cyan_maid]

No, I think I understand. At least a little bit - while the Medium was fairly large, after five months I was absolutely stir-crazy there. The lack of anyone but three other people to talk to probably contributed to that.