victory_road | Great googly moogly, it's all gone to [extremely loud incorrect buzzer]

Henry has been very good (except for the point where Envy had to cover his mouth for him) watching all this. He's a little puzzled at first, but he's good enough at context clues to guess why Scar was so tense. It even explained the winter coat a little.

He's also only seventy two hours away from having watched an undead serial killer digging around in a ten foot tall corpse's womb in an abandoned hospital full of wheelchairs that chased him down and ran over his fingers so...Scar and Lust's display might not be as awkward and weird to Henry as it might be to others. Also he's a film student.

When Heather eeks out her plan, Henry nods quietly and rises to his feet.

"I'm going to make more Tea," he announces.

Lust bites her tongue to keep from saying 'you didn't need it in the first place'. He's sure to have his own reasons. Ones she can guess at.

Instead she disentangles herself and stands, a bit unsteadily. She tucks back her hair and smooths her clothes, doing all those little things she does to compose herself and buy herself time before she has to speak.

Well. Perhaps everyone will be polite and simply...ignore what they'd just seen. she's certainly not in the mood to answer any questions.

"Thank you, Henry. And it's very nice to see you."

His return was just vastly overshadowed.

"I'm going to get Scar settled, if someone would be so kind as to heat me up some dinner?" She hasn't eaten since lunch, and it's been quite a physically draining night.

She won't say no to any of Henry's tea, either.

When she finally draws back, he's slow to let go, fingers trailing down her arm before returning to his side. From his puddle of coat and sweat, Scar watches in awe as Lust puts on Everyone Else Mode. He's never seen the change so abrupt, because. Well. Collapsing into each other in the middle of the living room is absolutely not ever the plan.

Scar takes one last, unsteady breath, and pushes himself to his feet. He feels like he's just run twenty miles, but he still steps lightly toward the hall. With Lust's calm mask has also returned the sensation that he isn't supposed to be here.

Heather it is LITERALLY TOO LATE TO GO TO THE KITCHEN...

More tea does sound like a fantastic plan, though. Especially for Lust, who unlike Scar would know exactly what it was and would probably appreciate the magic don't-think-about-it properties about now.

He stands after the other two, carefully not giving Lust anything that could be construed as a weird or pointed look.

"Yeah, we'll get you a cup ready too."

After all that, HE wants more tea.

Incredibly (for the Severely Traumatized And Not All Human house), the couch trio all have the emotional intelligence to not ask any questions right now. Heather just nods, picking up one of the boxes on the coffee table. She knows the state of 'hope everyone ignores what they just saw happen' very well.

"Of course. There's plenty of pizza left, if that's okay."

Definitely all cold by now, but pizza reheats well.

Henry walks stiff-legged to the kitchen. Once he's squirreled away in there he starts getting another kettle boiling and cleaning out the teapot they used.

Everything is normal! So normal!

He thinks about it a little.

"Huh," he says as he leans a hip against the counter. "Hmm."

Thankfully getting Scar set for a shower gives Lust the time to properly settle herself. As much as she can, anyway. God knows when her emotions will calm.

"Pizza is fine, thank you," she calls as she leads the way upstairs. Privacy, even briefly, is welcome. This is all A Great Deal. But it doesn't matter. Scar is here. He's right behind her. She glances over her shoulder, as though to reassure herself of this fact.

"You'll feel better after a shower." She grabs a fresh towel from the linen closet and pops into her room. There's some new furniture, and the bedding has changed, but the soft lavender and gray color scheme is much the same. It doesn't take her long to find a pair of Scar's pajamas, neatly folded in a drawer. Then it's down to the upstairs bathroom.

"You can use my shampoo and soap, it's right here..."

Scar offers what passes for his own look of reassurance as they ascend the stairs.

He can't remember the last time he wanted to bathe so terribly. He drags his things up the stairs, rounds the corner to the bedroom door he hadn't dared so much as look at on his way down the stairs.

He takes his coat, and his bag, with him to the bathroom. It doesn't feel quite right, leaving them there. The better part of a decade could mean a great many things. Scar is silent as Lust collects clothes and towels for him, lingering just outside the sphere of her personal space, but still watching. He can take every step to give her room to breathe, but he can't manage not to stare.

And so, the peanut gallery was left on their own.

Envy waits long enough to be absolutely positive that he won't be overheard by the pair of the hour.

"Damn. That was..."

So much.

"I wasn't ever even sure they liked each other before."

"Neither... was I," says Heather, sounding slightly dazed as she shoves a plate with several slices of pepperoni into the microwave. "I guess... I dunno. I guess it was never any of my business."

That's something she figured out a LONG time ago, but y'know. Refreshed reminder and all that.

"I'm just glad that she's happy."

As uncomfortable as ~~being Alphonse about to explode on the floor~~ witnessing intense emotional intimacy from people who NEVER show intense emotional intimacy and being unable to escape had sort of been, it was also the best possible outcome.

So that, if nothing else, is a load off of Heather's shoulders.

"... And that we are no longer responsible for keeping Scar in the building."

SHEPHERDING HIM IS NOW LUST'S DUTY.

Henry drums his fingers on the counter as he stares at the kettle, waiting and willing it to boil.

"I'm about to be in so much trouble, you guys. The Tea was my idea. I killed God and I'm already in trouble again."

HE WAS GONNA TELL ON THEM!

"It's not like we didn't all drink the tea. And he wasn't supposed to just. Down it like that, anyway."

It'll be okay Henry, they'll all get in trouble for the Tea.

"Besides, Lust will want some too when she gets back in here. She appreciates it."

GOD. Rueful cringe 2, the sequel.

"Ugh... I feel so bad about it, though. I... did apologize to him. So maybe he uh. Won't? Tell on us?"

No Heather he is definitely going to tell on you.

"I have never seen anybody drink tea like that before in my life."

"Me neither..." Henry turns back around to face them, the circles under his eyes more evident than ever. "I didn't even think to say anything, it was just like--like I'd never left."

He shakes his head.

"Anyway."

Envy decides to keep to himself that he doesn't feel bad at all.

"Anyway."

The preoccupying weight of things like "corral Scar" and "call Lust to tell her about Scar" and "stand witness to That" is starting to recede. Had the reunion been awkward? Yes. But now it was done and they didn't have to wonder about what the hell was going to happen. A grin starts to form on his face.

"It's good to have you back."

ANYWAY!!!

Leaning back against the counter with a thoughtful huff herself, Heather turns away from the rotating pepperonis and back to her prodigal brother, finally smiling again.

"I'll say. C'mere, I want another hug."

If he's not fast enough she's gonna get'em.

Henry's arms stick out to the sides and he sets his feet apart on the tile to form a STANCE. He lets her get 'em. He puts his arms around her and butts his forehead against hers.

"Guess what...I'm addicted to cigarettes again. So that's gonna be fun. I want a Koffing so bad."

He shoots Envy a pitiful look since he's the one that can see his face.

"The last thing I remember...was the Elite Four. How's that going?"

Envy shuffles over to stand Near the hug that's happening. Hug adjacent.

He honestly doesn't know enough about cigarette addiction to comment much more on that than pulling a face, if only because he sort of remembers when Henry had quit the last time. It hadn't seemed pleasant.

"Well, we've been working on a gym out near Ecruteak, times of year when the weather's good enough. I don't think it'll be too much longer before it's ready."

STANCE ASSUMED, HUG INCOMING!

With a little less force than she might normally do it with, because... well, you know. Broken wrist, fresh out of the Otherworld... also, she's tired. But she still squeezes him with gusto, giving a little RRRRRRRGH growl for emphasis.

"Congratulations on killing God. Now you get to be in the cool club with me and Dad. Who's proud of you too, by the way."

She remembers having that talk with her father, after the first time Henry disappeared. How there was no doubt in their minds that he'd succeed.

"And we'll help with the cigarette thing."

The gym HAs been looking more and more complete-- although she has a feeling she won't really believe it's done until they open it for real and she sees it full of trainers (as full as it will get in the weird no-man's-land between Ecruteak and Mahogany, anyway-- but that's why they chose it).

"Maybe we can take you out there tomorrow and give you a little tour."

"I would like that..." Wow, his friends were Gym Leaders. It was amazing to think. How far they had come. How people like them were making a place for themselves in this strange, wonderful world of Pokemon.

At the mention of Harry, he takes it to mean that he wasn't around. He feels a little somber about that, but he understands. It happens. And he'd been a good man. Without Heather and his help, he never would have left the woods. Hell, he might be a cryptid to this very day! Just him, a loin cloth, and that twisted deep fryer basket he used to brain Hoot Hoots with when they dove him in the dead of night.

"There's so much of this world I haven't seen. I need to see all of it."

"Maybe once it's not so hot out, we could go out traveling."

He's not big on sweating. ~~Could NEVER be Scar and his August coat~~. But he also doesn't want to see Henry go off on his own immediately after getting him back.

"Or...you do need to go pick your Pokemon up, don't you? Heather, where was that place? The ranch? That's traveling."

"Yeah, the uh... Together Forever Ranch or something. It's near Lavender Town, over in Kanto."

They could PROBABLY even find a way to do it that wouldn't involve ANY camping! 8')

"But before any of that, once you've settled back in, I'm gonna make you pick out a ritzy restaurant and then I'm taking you there. As a God-Killing Graduation present."

Because she can afford it now. B)

And Envy can come too, she guesses. Even if he hasn't killed God.

"I miss them so much...I haven't seen them in years and also in minutes. It's so weird."

A fancy restaurant outing and a quest to reclaim his Pokemon. It sounded like a plan!

"I've never been to Kanto--or. Maybe I have." He shakes his head. "I haven't been there though. I remember reading that the town used to be haunted. Do you think it still is? I'm...kind of tired of ghosts."

He'll happily come to the killed God party even though he doesn't quite have the credentials. It's less of a party with just two people, anyway.

"I think there's ghost Pokemon around, but I know there's a lot of fashion that comes from there."

He would know about that aspect. Especially since there's a fair amount of goth designers ...although maybe that's because of it being haunted. Hm.

"And there's a radio tower. So it can't be too haunted."

"Well, we can always bring our Dark-types. God knows Envy's got plenty of those."

She does too, but. It's kind of Envy's whole thing.

"I wouldn't be too worried. And if it sucks, well... you already know about the warp pads."

They can HIT DA BRICKS.

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