victory_road | [❀14] [video]

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[❀14] [video]

[Nobody asked for it.

But it's Her again, Botan, ya deathmom.

She's tapping at something off-screen and sort of...perplexed.]

Well, if this calendar is right it's saying I've been in this world for six years now.

I suppose it's time for me to pensively reflect on my time and ask a leading question or whatever to get discussion going.

But honestly I'm amazed, like bloody--[she pauses]--heck, I would have thought I'd be home by now.

[How did that even happen.]

By the by--[she turns the Gear away from herself to point at a shiny Vullaby]--I got this little one after the incident at our latest dance. I'm not sure why, but I felt like I should call her Karin--and she won't stop asking for "the manager" no matter how many times I tell her I'm the manager of this shop.

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Happy anniversary then, Botan. Congratulations.

... Why "Karin"?

Dunno, she just seemed like a Karin.

[That's "kah-reen" not "caaaaare-en"

It's also the word for a quince tree, not that the meaning is very relevant.]

I've never raised a Vullaby either, so she'll be a new experience--besides the insistence on seeing the manager thing, I still don't get that.

Huh. I haven't seen one before, either. So... I'm worried I'm not much help either.

Have you tried... putting on a "manager" nametag? Just for a little while?

Oh don't be silly, Shiro, you're always a big help.

[Waaaaay more than he realizes considering her motivation to talk to a Distressed Child With Depersonalization Issues was thanks to him.]

I could try it, I guess, I don't really...have a nametag, though. Everybody just sort of knows who I am around here.

Pff, good to know.

[Yeah, guess who still feels guilty about uh. Telling Sasha Botan likes ladies. This guy.]

You could make one?

[Well. The outing was really horrifying to her at first, but only because--as she told him--if she were beholden to human laws and was "out" with that sort of thing there would be...consequences.]

Make one...

[To her right, one of her Phantump is already busily scrawling away with crayon. The Pokemon holds up a piece of paper saying "BoTan--MANGER".

She tries to hold a stoic expression, but cracks a smile.]

Tomoe seems to have solved that for me.

[He actually laughs, and flashes the Phantump a thumb's up.]

There you go! Thank, Tomoe.

See if that helps anything? Otherwise I may be out of ideas.

Hey, congrats. I've been here for almost 6 months now. Not as big an achievement, I guess, but a good start. It'll take a while for me to get on your level.

[And honestly... the more Venkman thinks about it, the more ok he is with being here for a while. A long while. The thought of leaving this place has long since lost its charm, even if he does miss home and the people there. Winston in particular.

As for the bird...]

Huh. Whats she want the manager for, anyway?

Oh gosh, I remember, that was winter wasn't it? I always feel bad when someone arrives in winter, but hey, at least you didn't have to wait so long for your friends!

[Example: It's been years since she's seen hers.

Not that it depresses her or anything, definitely NOT.]

She won't tell me, she's just acting like I'm going to be in trouble and she'll be vindicated when she sees...well, me.

Yep- Christmas Eve day. Not that I really celebrate it, but it still feels wrong to have your whole life uprooted and wake up in another dimension on a holiday.

We weren't able to all meet back up again for a couple months, but we're together now. Even if we're still missing a few of our own.

... God, these things are weird sometimes. Why does she even think you're in trouble? What'd you do?

Well, look at it this way! At least you knew they were with you! I haven't seen anybody from my world in...oh, maybe four to five of the years I've spent here?

[A pause.]

Oh, that wasn't intended as a "woe is more" sort of thing, I'm used to them not being around. I like it in some cases, they were rowdy boys.

[Technically she was a "teenager" when she arrived and that is such a weird thought.]

I dunno, I texted my girlfriend instead of paying full attention to her, I guess?

Christ. I'm glad you're ok with that.

[Personally, he'd be going stir crazy without any of his partners.

Speaking of partners, Venkman visibly brightens at the mention of her having a girlfriend.]

Hey, partners're more important than pissed off birds any day. Manager or not, she can chill out.

I just remind myself that they'd hate it here, and also I'd worry about the Pokemon's well being in some cases.

["Rowdy" is a slight understatement about the Gang.]

Well, I mean, it's fine unless she decides to go Hitchcock on me. But perhaps not.

[A Vullaby certainly looks perpetually pissed off enough to do that.]

Fair enough. Most of the people I'm missing back home would be way better with Pokemon than me, honestly.

Ehh. If she did wanna fight you, she'd have to go through your other Pokemon first. Unless they all wanna take you out, too. Then there's a problem.

[It's one he's well acquainted with.]

I don't think so! I know my starter at least craves the energy of my fear and suffering to consume for herself but.

Ghosts are just like that sometimes, they're rude.

[You know just. Just rude.]

... And here I thought I got the short end of the stick with Pokemon that like to attack me.

[Venkman winces, shaking his head.]

I know Egon has some creepy mushroom thing that's tried to "steal my energy" before. It likes to sit on the edge of our beds at night. Like some kinda sleep paralysis demon. I don't think any of our ghosts are quite that bad, though.

[Which, of course, means its high time they got one.]

Oh, not at all, some Pokemon can be awful and absolutely scary. --Gosh, do be careful if you ever run into something called a "Shedinja" those can actively steal your soul.

[The Mismagius, aforementioned starter, peeks up over the frame at the mention of souls.]

None for you, Sumire, you're a terrible little gremlin.

[Visibly disappointed, the Mismagius floats back out of sight.]

The ones that aren't ghosts are less like little creatures to me and more like the concept of "demons" back in my world, if I'm honest. They can be mundane objects that have personalities rather like ghost possession, but they're something much more than that.

--You know there's one that specifically likes going after people in the night just so it can drop its pants and moon them? And there's an eyeball in its...y'know. Demons are weird. I'm glad there's not a Pokemon like that. [The "yet" isn't said aloud but is implied.]

Never seen one of those, but I think Ray's told me about that guy before. It's a yokai, right?

We don't see a lotta spirits from Japan in New York, but it happens sometimes. The Russian side of Ray's family wound up accidentally bringing Domoviye with 'em when they moved to the states, and they lived in his aunt's house until some jackass fake spiritualist stirred them all up.

Still, most've the Ghost Pokemon we've picked up so far aren't anywhere near as dangerous as our standard spirits back home. I mean, none of 'em are trying to take over a city. Or the world.

...Why's she need a manager, though?

[This is not something Thida could fathom a Pokemon would want!]

I don't know, sweetie, it might be some backwards way of getting my attention. People usually want to see a manager in a store if they want to lodge a complaint, so I don't know where she got it from. Maybe TV.

[Damn TV, rotting the brains of kids so early.]

If she's going to keep it up, though, I don't think I can ever take her shopping. Imagine what a nightmare it'd be if she started demanding the manager there.

Complaint...?

[What could there be to complain about though? Botan is nice.]

...Kinda mean-soundin'.

Aw, don't worry about it, I don't think she knows any better! She's still brand new as far as critters go.

[Botan might be too nice and just covering up for the fact that her baby Pokemon is a little shit.]

Although I hope nobody else decides to pick up this insistence on seeing a manager, harassing people at work is not a good habit to get into.

No...not nice t'be all, manageeeeeer!

[Her voice doesn't get louder, it's just a mimicry of how people might yell for a manager.]

Nobody likes that.

Six years?

[The people who have been here for years will never stop making Newt surprised. Mostly because she's eight and six years sounds like forever.]

Are you mad you're not back home yet?

[Six years is a really long time, especially when you're not effectively immortal anymore and centuries no longer go by in a second.]

Not at all, I'm fine where I am now, and I know they're not missing me back at home.

[...Does that sound too dismissive? It might, so--]

I mean that my friends certainly haven't even realized I'm gone, not that they wouldn't miss me if I did just up and vanish.

Yeah.

I'm glad that's true. I'd be really upset if we just vanished from our worlds.

...Do you want to go home?

[A sincere question from a sincere boy. It's not something he thinks about except when other people bring it up, and then he's instantly curious.]

[It's a good question, something she does occasionally wrestle with. There's no real need for her to be at home, things are sorted, no one's missing her. It's not like things were dire back at home so Botan wouldn't want to go back home to her friends, it's just...the fact that she has real humanity in this world, can be something besides "the reaper." That's nice.]

No, not really. I've got...quite a lot of good things here. Not that I had bad things at home, but I wouldn't be able to have the things I had here if I were to go home, do you know what I mean?

[Botan, what?

He lets her somewhat cryptic words bang around in his head for a little longer than usual as he turns them over and tries to work out what she means. It takes a bit of processing, but eventually he comes back with,]

...What, like your bakery and your ghosts?

Right, and my friends, my girlfriend, and just...being around? I can't do that where I'm from. It's not like there's anything dire about the world I come from, my whole nature is just...less than human?

[Of all people, Krieg probably wouldn't judge, but how the hell had this not come up in conversation already??]

[Of all people, Krieg definitely won't judge.

Though he's still having a hard time figuring out what exactly she's saying.]

What's less than human?

[You know what, when in doubt, just ask.]

Uhhhh...

All right, I'll just say it--you ever heard of "the Grim Reaper"? Or even "death" manifested as a person?

That's me. Sort of. I'm more of a glorified office worker for the afterlife.

Pffff! I was the Grim Reaper on Pandora!

[Is that the sort of thing you casually admit to one of your sweetest friends? Well, it's not like he's ever tried to hide the fact that he's a mass-murdering psychopath, although he hasn't had any opportunity at all to do a single murder since he got here. And there's really only one murder he would like to do here, so the "mass murdering" part of this parenthetical title can basically be struck out.]

But I never had any paperwork, just an axe. Did you have a scythe?

[Krieg, what did she just tell you about being an office worker?]

No dear, no scythe--a metal bat for one instance, but I never killed anyone personally, that's not how it works on my end.

[She hung out with criminals who murdered quite a lot in her own world, it's unsurprising that Krieg would have ever done something like that, not that frightening either like--she's over that.]

It's like office work, I served a boss in the afterlife, I had coworkers, just the same as humans just...on a spiritual level. And a "no fraternizing with humans" rule.

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[❀14] [video]

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