First Injection. [audio/video/action for new bark town.]

[bluedespitebeing]

[For a few seconds, the audio feed only gives off static. Crackles of life soon follow, as well as cuts and bits of a woman's voice.]

--ou broke i-- --y? I told y-- --ot-- --row it.

[Yep, barely out of the box and it seems that this newcomer has already trashed her gear pretty well. There's a static-filled sigh, though she doesn't seem particularly upset with whoever she's speaking to.]

Wonder if it st-- --ks. --at's-- --light? Hello? If anyo-- --ear m--

--isa. Lisa G-- --nd. Where a-- --le-- --Hill?

[The woman falls silent for a few moments. Apparently, she had been figuring out the buttons, as the audio feed switches to a weak video. It shows a wide-eyed blonde. Maybe it's the flickering screen or the slightly-distorted picture, but it almost looks like there's...blood on her clothes--a nurse uniform.]

Is-- --van? I tho-- --s dead...

[And the feed ends there. Sorry, but any replies from Lisa will be pretty choppy for a while, it seems!]

[ooc: Getting this in before tomorrow's teeth-pulling. Tags might be slow over the weekend, but I will do my best!]

Comments

All right! c: I'll private-plurk ya sometime soon.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Hooboy. That's the question of the hour, isn't it.]

[For the first time in this frazzled exchange, Heather actually smiles. It's a little sheepish, but it's a smile nonetheless, and that's an expression that Lisa probably never saw on Alessa's face. Hell, Alessa's face probably hadn't been capable of making expressions after what had happened to her.]

[It's a pity... because the girl's face is clearly one of those ones built to smile.]</sub>

That's... a really long story.

o7

[bluedespitebeing]

[...Huh. This girl really is less scary when she smiles.]

I... I see.

[Not really, but hey. She wasn't going to pry, after the other blonde allowed her the same courtesy, even if she was desperate for answers. There is one thing, though, that she will ask.]

Are we both dead? Is-- --eavan?

[foolishwren]

_{[Unless she's doing one of her big toothy I'MA BITECHA ones Seeeee? She's not so bad!]}

I'll-- I'll tell you the whole thing, I promise. It just... might be better to do it once you get a new--.... thingie.

<sub>['Gear. Whatever.]

[The questions make her bite her lip, though. Death is a sensitive topic.]</sub>

... Some people who come here are dead. And... some people think it's Heaven. It's not, but... it is nice.

_{[... When it isn't taking people away, anyway...]}

[bluedespitebeing]

[The nurse nods again, this time even more minutely. She decides to remain quiet as she listens, shoulders slackening a bit. Today has been a long day.]

Okay.

[Lisa inhales slowly, leveling her gaze on the younger once more.]

I'm s-- --eep asking you ques-- --ns, but... Where can-- --new one? Do you know?

[foolishwren]

<sub>[... Poor thing. :(]

[The teen lets out a whoof of breath, biting her lip as she thinks.]</sub>

Um...

Well, I know you can get one in the next town over. But that's a bit of a walk, especially in the cold. ... Well. More than a bit. You'll be needing to camp out, essentially.

When I got here, it was summertime so it wasn't so bad, but... winter's rough.

Um... if you see that professor guy tottering around, you could ... ask him to try and fix it for you, I guess? I don't know if he'll do it, though...

[bluedespitebeing]

[Camping out in the cold... That sounded just perfect, especially to someone who had never gone camping in her life, let alone in proper weather. Her uniform wasn't made for traveling in the winter, with its short skirt and plunging neckline. And she was wearing heels. Lisa was fairly certain that those would not be helpful on the walk over to the next town.

At the reminder of the professor, Lisa looks up from where she's settled on the floor in an attempt to spot him.]

--eems busy... Ema-- --one named Aurea.

[The nurse sighs soft before leaning against the wall again.]

I'll j-- --t tomorrow. Try to spen-- --ight here...

[foolishwren]

_{[Yeeeaaah. Heather does not envy Lisa right now. ... Maybe if Professor Elm is feeling generous, he'll give her a decent coat or something...]}

Good idea.

At least you'll be able to ... y'know. Stay warm there.

.... I uh...

_{[She rubs the back of her neck a little awkwardly.]}


... It's good to see you.

[bluedespitebeing]

[...So those were not words that Lisa was expecting to hear. Maybe if this had not been Alessa, it would seem more normal, but it was, as far as she was aware. As this was the case, the woman was left staring silently at the younger blonde, lips flattened by uncertainty.

She was, of course, grateful for Alessa/Heather's presence. She was the only familiar thing she'd come across, and the girl had certainly been helpful. But Lisa's own feelings about the patient that had barely been alive, burned practically beyond recognition...

How could they have been happy to see each other?]

I... Yeah. It's good-- --oo, Alessa.

[The smile is strained, certainly, and her voice does have the slightest quiver to it, but saying it somehow made it feel more true.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Thaaaat's sort of where the disconnect lies.]

[See, as much as those seven years were the worst thing that Alessa-- and Heather-- had ever experienced? ... Lisa was the best thing about them. The only thing that had even made them remotely bearable, although they had not actually been bearable at all.]

[But one look at Heather's face (at the returned sentiment, shaky though it was, her unsure expression had bloomed into a bright grin) should tell Lisa that she means it in complete earnestness which is probably super awkward but there you go.]</sub>

If there's anything I can do to help you out, just gimme the wo-- OH! Oh, hey, I know!

I'll-- I'll send you some supplies or something. To help you get to the next town. I'll tell Dad you're here, and-- oh. Oh, man! Dad'll be so glad to see you!

_{[Harry had named his starter Pokemon after her, after all... although the sight of a weathered, middle-aged Harry will probably be a bit of a shock to the poor nurse's system.]}

[bluedespitebeing]

[...Yep, definitely awkward for this here Lisa. Also awkward is the eager offer for help. She's been doing it a lot in this conversation alone, and even more in the day in general, but she's staring again.

Because seriously, w h a t, she has to be dreaming, right?

And then Lisa snaps out of it a little and frowns.]

...'Dad'?

[As far as she knew, Alessa had only been raised by Dahlia.]

[foolishwren]

_{[Welcome to MINDFUCK LAND Johto, Lisa.]}

Da-- oh.

Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know, huh.

Harry. Harry Mason.

He, uh-- ... He adopted me.

_{[That's a lot simpler than explaining that he had adopted the missing chunk of her soul, and THEN later adopted the rest of her. ... In a new body. ... After handing it to him herself and then presumably dying horribly at the same time as she escaped with him.]}

[bluedespitebeing]

[IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.]

Harry?

[Lisa perks up a little at that, because yayyyy, friend is here. The nurse tilts her head a little, voice inquisitive.]

Did-- --ind his d-- --r Cheryl?

[foolishwren]

_{[... O-oh. Awkward...]}

He-- ... yeah. Yeah, he found her.

<sub>[It's not a lie... not even a little. She IS Cheryl... she has the memories. The experiences. And yet... Cheryl as Harry had known her was gone. To forge that little piece of soul back into the whole, that individual piece had been lost.]

[Even he had admitted that naming the baby Cheryl as if she was the same person, shrunk back down, was a mistake.]</sub>

He found her okay.

[bluedespitebeing]

[Luckily, Lisa doesn't press for more information. Instead, a tiny smile twitches into place and she seems fairly content.]

...Good. I-- --lad, then.

[foolishwren]

... Yeah. Me too.