5th [action and/or video network post]

[angewiesen]

[Jean has been spending most of his time either at Armin's Gym, or the Casa de Voltron, so this situation was entirely unavoidable. The ocean is everywhere, and he's the curious type, especially about Pokemon. It was only a matter of time before he was able to touch one of the swarming Basculegion.]

[His feelings on this situation were mixed.]

[The first person Jean saw was Marco. This alone unnerved him quite a bit. He wasn't sure if he should be elated, or frightened. On one hand, he still missed him terribly, and wanted to see him again. On the other, he was afraid that Marco would... disapprove, of the man he had become. When he was nothing but a memory, at least that was what he would stay. Forever.]

[It didn't help that his image couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to be the young, freckled face he remembered, or the 3/4ths of a corpse he found lying on the streets of Trost.]

[Anyone is welcome to somehow find them speaking with each other again. (I could even contrive a reason for his gear to turn on without him noticing.)]

[If they're not in the neighborhood, however, they might see the post he makes some time later.]

These ghosts. How exactly are you supposed to get them to go away?

[Jean's expression is extremely tight with forced composure, and at this angle, with his back against a wall of some kind, only his own face can be seen.]

I don't want this anymore.

Comments

[brokencode]

[Jean is a familiar enough sight around the gym that, at first, she doesn't think twice about seeing him in passing. What does make her stop is the man he seems to be speaking with. Thankfully, she seems to have come across him in a less corpse-like state, but it doesn't make his presence any less surprising.

The attire he wears, at least, is familiar enough. She'd seen it in passing during her time with Armin, and perhaps even the Jean that had come before this one. However, having not yet dealt with the Basculin of her own accord, she's not sure what to make of his presence beyond the obvious.]

Jean? [She breaks from her current path to stand beside him, hand resting upon his shoulder.] Is this a new arrival?

[angewiesen]

[Normally, Jean was very receptive towards Angel, so she should notice when her touch causes him to stiffen up rather than mellow out. While he turns toward her, he can't quite meet her eyes. He's mostly stuck on Marco, with a strange combination of fear-- both dreading that he might disappear the moment he looks away, or that something terrible might if he let him out of his sights.]

...No. [He answered her after a moment of inner conflict. Jean had already tried to touch Marco, and when his hands phased right through him, he realized that this was some kind of trick. Or maybe hallucination.] He's not... I didn't think other people could see it.

[What was happening seemed to be aimed at him specifically somehow, so it wasn't sure... Meanwhile, Marco's apparition looked perfectly friendly and agreeable, if a little curious about his surroundings. His pleasant demeanor didn't match up with how Jean was acting at all.]

[brokencode]

[From the moment he stiffens up, Angel knows that something is terribly wrong. Her fingers tighten against the back of his shirt, clutching at him as he refuses to meet her eyes. She feels her heart rise up within her chest, panic clawing at her belly. For better or for worse, Jean was typically unflappable. If something was bothering him, then it was something big.]

See it? [She casts a glance toward the young man, noting the expression he wore comparatively. It's hard to fathom someone looking warm and open could be cause for concern but... Clearly something isn't right. And as she isn't familiar with the young man, she'll turn to the person she does know.]

Jean, what's going on?

[angewiesen]

...I don't know. [He could tell that he was frightening her a little, and tried to get a better hold of himself. There really wasn't anything for Angel to be afraid of, and he didn't want her to get needlessly upset.] There were some weird fish Pokemon I've never seen before outside, maybe they have something to do with it.

[He'd explain further, but he didn't want to say that Marco was dead in front of him. That felt like a really bad idea.]

He's not... really there? I can't--

Jean, who's this?

[He jumped in place when Marco spoke, even thought they'd already been talking for a bit. The torn, dissonant look on his face grew more pronounced.]

...This is Angel. She's a friend of mine.

Friends, really? [There was an unspoken feeling of "how did you get to be friends with such a cute girl?" in Marco's reply, but there was absolutely nothing antagonizing about it either. If anything, he seemed very pleasantly surprised.] Hi, Angel. My name's Marco.

[He held out his hand for a shake.]

[brokencode]

[The calm Jean asserts over himself does indeed serve to put Angel's mind at ease. Though she remains partially shielded by his frame, she does lean around to glance at the man, not unlike a scared child cowering behind her mother's legs. The young man... sounds polite enough. And if she knows one thing about Jean, it's that he wouldn't put her at risk.]

Marco. [She thinks the name sounds familiar, from her discussions with the scattered few that had come from Armin and Jean's home. The specifics don't quite come to mind, but she at least that familiarity serves to relax her all the more.]

It's a pleasure to meet you. You... served with Armin too, right? He and I are... very close.

[angewiesen]

Oh! Armin's around here too?

Yeah... [Jean's glance shifted, only able to look Marco in the eye for very short bursts.] He, uh, I think he's out right now. He'll be back later.

I hope I can say hi! [Marco leaned forward a bit, so he could see Angel better, but still stayed out of her personal bubble. Marco was always a gentleman who treated girls right.] Jean, Armin and I were all in the same cadet squad. We only just graduated.

[Which was, for Jean, something that happened years before he was snatched into VR.]

[brokencode]

[Angel shoots Jean a very guilty look. Maybe that wasn't something this boy was supposed to know. Maybe he'd been trying to protect Armin from the same grief he was clearly experiencing. Either way, she presses her lips into a thin line, wary of saying anything more.

For a few seconds, at least. She can't exactly ignore this young man, right?]

Jean has mentioned some of the work you and your fellows have done. You must have all worked incredibly hard to reach that point.

[angewiesen]

[Jean gave a quick shake of his head at Angel-- no harm done. It's not like she knew what was going on when he didn't either. He gladly let her guide the conversation if she wanted.]

Well, we only just finished training... Even though we graduated in the top ten, I feel like the really hard work has yet to begin!

[Marco was being modest. Graduating in the top ten was no easy feat. It was probably harder work than being the Military Police would ever possibly be.]