route_1065 | i'm on my way

Entry tags:

i'm on my way

Who: Harry Truman, Carmen Sandiego, Dale Cooper, and Albert Rosenfield
Where: Cherrygrove, en route to and eventually in Saffron
When: The morning of December 5 and the afternoon of December 8
Summary: Carmen picks up Harry for a Great Reunion back at the Justice Farm.
Rating: PG
Log:

The estimate had been three days, and that was almost exactly how long it took Harry and Waldo—and later, Henry—to reach Cherrygrove. It was nice enough, as far as hikes go; the weather was accommodating, if not almost nice, and his first wild Pokémon encounter wasn't a complete disaster thanks to the fact that he parked under a tree not long after leaving New Bark Town and read his Handbook cover to cover. Even Waldo handled it well. In the end, when the little Sentret fainted, Harry felt something almost resembling pride.

...except that feeling immediately churned over to guilt, so out came a PokéBall, and that's how Harry met Henry.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all fun and adventure. Exciting as the journey was—and wow, did Harry take some notes—the whole scene was tainted by a shade of worry that made the sunlight a little less bright, the sky a duller shade of blue. Something was wrong with Cooper, that much was clear, and the fact that it was coming from three different sides made it all the more concerning. Harry would have been worried enough, just going on Albert's little hints that something was up, but no—Harry had to get confirmation from Coop himself, only to have it further, if subtly, confirmed by Carmen shortly after. Carmen, Coop's girlfriend.

The thought was enough to make Harry stop in his tracks a few times and run a hand over his face. Sure, it was easy to get lost in all the newness around him, forget about all the weird time differences, the things he'd missed—but then he'd remember just as suddenly and would wonder, with a small itch of anxiety, whether or not he was ready for all that seemed to be hovering just over his head. Hovering and waiting to fall, just as soon as Harry found his way to the others.

But then he'd spotted Cherrygrove in the not-too-far distance and realized his time for worrying was up.

*

It's morning when Harry leaves the PokéCenter, all clean and fed and dressed in his dapper new clothes. On his way out, he asked the nurse why in the heck he had a suit in his bag in the first place, but she'd just blushed and giggled and looked away.

He feels a little nervous, truth be told. It's one thing to meet Carmen. It's another to meet Carmen so he can fly to God knows where on the back of a thing (and yeah, he still hasn't been able to picture that one in his mind at all). But to meet Carmen so he can fly to God knows where on the back of a thing so he can meet up with Cooper and Albert with all this mystery surrounding everything? That's a little too much, even for him. Even coming from Twin Peaks, that's a bit much.

It has to happen eventually, though, and he'd rather have it happen sooner than later. He doesn't want to be here on his own for long.

And, judging by the time displayed on his watch, he won't be.

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[There's always something soothing about flying, really.

There are several reasons Carmen likes to be up in the air, actually; the fact that it's soothing is just one of them. There's also the benefit of the vantage point it gives her, able to see more and appreciate the geography of her surroundings better than when her feet are on the ground. It opens up a third dimension of movement, which contributes a great deal to the feelings of freedom and independence she relishes. It gives her altitude that she can turn into speed if she wishes, satisfying another frequent craving — this time, the urge to go, to move, to engage in something and indulge in the adrenaline that so often accompanies it. And yet paradoxically it's also meditative and quiet, peaceful and rhythmic, listening to the sound of wingbeats and charting out her course toward the next unknown.

And then, of course, there's the very practical reason that air travel is so much faster and more efficient than any of the other alternatives she's found yet in Johto, and while there's something to be said for a slower pace and more tedious circumstances, she hasn't forgotten the frustration of waking up in New Bark and being left to walk everywhere she wanted to go. She has her wings now, and if she has her way she'll never go back.

So it's the least she can do, she thinks, to put them to good use every once in a while. And offering Sheriff Harry Truman of Twin Peaks a ride, well. If that's not a good use, she doesn't know what is.

It's late morning when she gets in to Cherrygrove, and the weather is chilly but the sun is high and rising in the sky as she and the Baron — her Dragonite — come swooping in from over the water to the west of the city. She has the advantage here in that she knows who she's looking for; thus far, Cooper's sheriff has only heard the sound of her voice. Old habits die hard, and some never do at all. So she'll have to be the one who finds him, and not the other way around.

In the end, it takes two passes over the city. The first proves unsuccessful; the second, taken at a lower altitude, yields results in the form of one very dapper gentleman in — is that a suit?

Well. He certainly cleans up well, doesn't he.

Skimming low to get his attention, she waves from her perch on the Baron's back, then loops back up in the air to burn off some excess speed before making her second approach — one that ends in her casually dismounting mid-swoop and gracefully leaping the last few feet to the ground while the dragon heads skyward again.]

Hello, Sheriff. Nice to see you.

[And how's that for a first impression.]

[In his short time here, Harry's seen a few flying Pokémon. Birds, mostly, or so he tells himself. The truth is, some of the silhouettes he'd spotted overhead just didn't match anything in his knowledge base, and looked—for lack of a less whimsical word—mythical. Too big to be any bird he's ever seen before (and he's seen lots, okay), wings not nearly feathery enough. Or feathery at all.

And yet, the word dragon never once crossed his mind. So when the sound of not-so-distant wingbeats flutters in on the breeze and he looks west, he's hardly expecting to see a dragon.

But no.

That's a dragon, all right. His childhood was filled with enough of that stuff for him to know a dragon when he sees one. And that sure as hell is a woman on its back. A woman. Riding a dragon.

Harry doesn't even have to wonder whether or not that's Carmen. He just knows. Like part of him expected it, almost. Leave it to Cooper.

This entire situation flips from frightening to hilarious in a matter of seconds due to its sheer absurdity, and Carmen might catch a glimpse of Harry cracking up as she swings back around to try the landing again. By the time her feet hit the ground, the giggles have mostly made their way out of his system.

Mostly.

He doesn't look shocked or scared or even all that bowled over, but he does look happy.]

You must be Carmen.

[Already long since familiar with his trainer's unique dismounting tendencies, the dragon carries on by himself, taking his time and leisurely enjoying a few minutes of stretching his wings, unburdened by a rider, before circling back and coming in for a landing of his own. He's a good, faithful boy who likes to fly and doesn't mind the long-distance marathons that his trainer tends to ask of him every so often, but it's nice to have a few spare minutes to stretch and idle before reporting back for duty once more, and she never begrudges him that.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Carmen spends roughly half a second making sure that whatever's prompting Harry's laughter, it's not that he's laughing at her (something she doubts from the get-go, but such are the demands of her ego), before letting the good humor infect her as well. He's just that sort of person, she comes to realize after a moment — the sort who, when happy, has a knack for making everyone around him happy, too.

No wonder her detective is so fond of him. And so much the better, because a lifted mood is precisely what he needs right now — and precisely why she's here.]

What gave it away?

[She touches her fingers to the brim of her hat, tipping them good-naturedly as she offers a smile in return.]

Call it a policeman's hunch.

[And here we have Harry, reaching up to tip his own hat in return.

You know, the one he's not wearing.

What he winds up doing instead, to try to not-so-stealthily cover the fact that yes, he really almost did just do that, is run his hand through his hair and offer Carmen a wry grin.

Whoops.]

So. A dragon, huh? Were you fresh out of winged horses?

I didn't come expecting to slay the Chimera. Just to retrieve a friend for a friend.

[And her word choice there is deliberately ambiguous; it goes without saying that he's connected to Cooper — but there's also the implicit offer to forge one with her, too. It's certainly not difficult to like him, and his actions have done nothing but reinforce that since the first time they spoke. And besides, after the fiasco with Albert, it's only prudent to try to make sure things stay on good terms from the get-go, nowadays.

She casts a glance over her shoulder in the direction of her dragon, then looks back and surveys the undeniably dapper man in front of him.]

I'll introduce you once he comes back down. Where's Waldo?

[That's curious wording, he thinks. For a friend. But he's in no place to poke his nose where it doesn't belong, instincts be damned.

He follows Carmen's gaze and gives a low whistle. Between her and the dragon... man oh man. Friend or otherwise, Coop's a lucky guy, and Carmen's well-timed shift of attention very nearly catches Harry taking in his friend's good fortune.]

Waldo decided he wanted to raise hell inside, so I put him back in his Ball. I'm tellin' you, Carmen, he's a pint-sized terror. One second he's fine, the next...

[Insert vague, holy fuckballs my bird is insane gestures here.]

Nearly took a chunk out of my finger last night. You're welcome to meet him if you want, but cave avem.

[It's hard not to laugh at the apparent distress with which Harry is describing his bird troubles — hard enough that, while she manages to keep it to something more akin to a giggle, she can't suppress it completely. There's just something downright refreshing about this new variation on the theme she's long since grown accustomed to, seeing frustration instead of terror and exasperation instead of despair.

And then, out of nowhere, there's that spontaneous Latin and oh yes, she and this sheriff are going to get along just fine.]

I have a stag beetle with what sounds like a similar temperament. She's mean-spirited and vicious — and at five feet tall, that can make for an unpleasant combination.

[She pauses, silently debating, remembering the last time they spoke.]

One way or another, someone's going to have to get him under control before we get back.

[Surely he knows about Coop's fear. Surely she doesn't even have to say it.]

You have—

[A five foot tall stag beetle, yep. That's definitely what he just heard. Before Carmen can finish the question for him and answer it, he waves his hands as if to say nope, never mind, let's drop that subject because NO.

One thing at a time. Today, that thing is dragons.]

The thing is, he seems to be okay most of the time. I haven't figured out what sets him off, but—yeah. Yeah, I know.

[He knows.

But he doesn't know how bad it is now.]

[Oh, Harry. He'll have to get used to the sights and sounds of Johto soon enough. Still, she remembers her own early days, and how hard it was at first to embrace the things that everyone else was taking for granted. One step at a time, she thinks.

That's how the journey of a thousand miles starts, doesn't it, detective?

She pulls out her Gear and flips it open, momentarily checking it as behind her, the Baron finally lands and begins making his way over to them, pleased and friendly despite his relative tiredness.]

We've got a little time to spare before we should start thinking about heading out; I'll need to stop at the Pokemon Center to let the Baron rest up and make some adjustments to our travel arrangements. You might as well let him out — he'll have to get used to people sooner or later, and better here than once we arrive.

[She pauses, glances down at her Gear again, and this time grins to herself before closing it and pocketing it again.]

[The dragon lands, and Harry takes a few reflexive steps back. It was cool when it was in the air. Now? He's getting a good look at just how big it is, and things that look like they could easily bite his entire skull off are not exactly cool in his book.

...but it's still kind of cool.

After a moment of bug-eyed staring and a few desperate attempts to swallow the lump forming in his throat, he turns his attention back to Carmen and nods. She's got a point—better to do it now than later. It's not like he can let Waldo out while they're in the air, anyway.

He's busy fetching Waldo's PokéBall when Carmen grins. A few seconds later, the Starly is out in all his poofy glory, blinking against the sunlight and—

And letting out an unholy, terrified squawk. Look who suddenly wants to be best friends with Harry the human shield!]

Uh, Carmen? I think your Baron is scaring Waldo.

[Carmen, being long since used to the Baron's size, doesn't even flinch as he comes lumbering up, and even absently reaches out to give him a fond pat as he does. He may be a massive dragon that could easily bite someone's entire skull off, but he's her massive dragon that could easily bite someone's entire skull off, and a big sweet doof of one at that.

Still, to say she's not expecting Waldo's abrupt terror is an understatement, and she instinctively brings one arm up like a shield as the little bird begins to flip the fuck out.]

It doesn't take a detective to see that.

[Luckily, it's easily settled, and she calmly retrieves a Pokeball of her own from her belt to put the dragon away. He's tired, anyway, and has earned a well-deserved rest and rejuvenation from the Pokemon center.

Which just leaves Waldo, and once the dragon is securely away, she turns her sights to the distressed bird, holding her ground with a mildly exasperated look on her face — not for Harry's benefit, but for the bird's.]

Calm down, Waldo. He wouldn't have hurt you even if he were still out.

[As soon as the Baron's gone, Waldo calms down. His feathers are still ruffled as anything and he's still wearing a wide-eyed look of terror, but he's not trying to stuff himself in Harry's pant leg anymore, and that's something.

He seems to relax further when Carmen speaks. Harry, in turn, offers her an impressed look—he'd tried the I Am Talking Sternly Now And You Will Listen To Me approach, too, but it hadn't really worked outside of battle. (And then, of course, he wonders if it works on Cooper and figures yeah, probably.)

Just when Harry's starting to feel a little more optimistic, Waldo puffs his chest out, waddle-marches over to Carmen, and lets out a very angry, indignant trill.

...Harry probably shouldn't be laughing, should he?]

Uh-oh.

[Admittedly, this is one of the first times she's ever received sass from a bird, though it's certainly not the first time she's encountered one with attitude. Given the way he was just flipping out, she's not particularly inclined to hunker down and address the little guy on a more personal level — which would put her face at greater risk, among other things — but there's still something undeniably ridiculous about towering over a tiny indignant starling with a puffed-out chest, holding her ground with approximately the same amount of attitude herself.

Yes, she's having a standoff with a bird. This is what passes for normal in her life these days. But her eyebrows go up at the posturing, and she ends up looking more amused than anything.]

Oh, far be it from me to suggest you couldn't have held your own against him. I just meant it's not in his nature to fight.

[And there's enough deadpan lingering in those remarks to assuage any fears that she might be legitimately holding a conversation with a bird. After all, she has a tinybird of her own for that.]

Let's hope it's in yours to behave.

[In response, Waldo chirps, tweets, and rants his little head off for a solid minute after Carmen's finished speaking. Harry finds himself wishing he spoke bird, or Pokémon, or whatever—maybe he should call that kid?—but then Waldo finishes with a huff, turns on his twiggy little legs, and makes his way back to Harry's side.

Harry, who is still chuckling. He manages a straight face, eventually, at which point he tosses Carmen an apologetic look.]

I've been told it gets easier. At least Henry seems less...

[Searching for a word that won't insult Waldo further...]

...you know. [A pause, then, followed by a realization:] Oh! That's right—I didn't mention Henry, did I? I caught a Sentret the other night.

[AND LOOK AT HOW PROUD HE IS.]

[She just kind of watches the little bird for a minute, and then deadpans outright: ]

Maybe you should've called him Albert, instead of Waldo.

[BECAUSE WOW, WAS THAT FAMILIAR OR WHAT.]

And congratulations. Your first catch is usually a memorable one — and having encountered a few Sentrets before now, I suspect you'll find him a valuable asset to your team.

[Largely because she's seen at least one that CAN SPIT FIRE, okay.]

[He isn't going to respond to that; his smirk says it all.]

I hope you're right.

So. What's the plan?

[Carmen can do whatever she needs to, and Harry will be happy to accompany her, but part of him is seriously itching to get going. The sooner the better.]

[She takes a minute, rolling her shoulders to get a touch of stiffness out of them, and then absently runs her fingers along the line of six Pokeballs on her belt as she muses.]

We're going to try to make at least six hours of flying today. Seven would be better, if you can stand it. Either way, we should be in Goldenrod by late Friday or Saturday morning, and from there we'll take the train in to Kanto. The house is in the same city as the train station, so from there it's a matter of minutes, not hours.

[She pauses, rather deliberately and obviously looking him up and down, and then smiles.]

But I have a feeling you won't want to fly in that suit, and yet it'd be a shame to see it go to waste. How about lunch? That'll give the Center time to refresh my team, and me a chance to do something other than navigating for a little while.

[Harry's stomach does a little flip at her mention of time. Six, maybe seven hours? The longest flight he's ever been on was only five, and that was inside of a safe aircraft.

Six, maybe seven hours. And he sure as hell didn't see any sort of saddle on that thing.

He manages to keep a neutral expression in spite of his reborn anxiety and nods.]

Sounds like a plan.

[As he bends to retrieve his pack and shoot Waldo a stern you better behave look, he's smacked with something like déjà vu. Our sheriff can count on one hand the number of times in recent memory he so easily surrendered the wheel to someone else: when Coop rolled into Twin Peaks, and now.

And he's sure that's probably no coincidence.]

[To say that Carmen has a slightly skewed perspective of what constitutes a "normal" or "sensible" period of travel would be nothing short of a grievous understatement; she's more than used to the thought of spending time in the air, and there have been some days in Johto where she literally spent more time off the ground than she did with her feet on it. And her last bout of travel had been with Hiccup, who loves flying like he was born to do it, and so that tends to bias the perspective a little bit, too.

But something catches her at that point. Maybe it's being on the move again after she'd thought she was finally back and ready for a stay; maybe it's that Harry's infectious smile reminds her of another she's wishing to see again. Maybe it's being back in Cherrygrove, where in some ways this whole thing started.

She turns to look westward again, her smile fading into something quieter as words come back to her — and miles to go before I sleep.

No. None of that.]

There's a longer way around — an easier, slower flight. But I think we're both in a hurry to get back, aren't we.

[Not just to a place, but to a person.]

[Harry doesn't think he has to answer that one, either, but he finds the words coming anyway.]

I don't know how much he told you about what went on back home, but Coop showed up in Twin Peaks about a month ago—that's February, 1989—to help figure out who killed Laura Palmer. In the process, he uncovered just about every skeleton in every closet in town, and after three days of hiking and thinking, I've come to the conclusion that he made a real mess of things.

So when I sit back now and think about what I just left behind—

[He presses his lips together, unsure of where this is headed. Only one way to find out.]

I'm no expert on Dale Cooper—hell, I doubt anyone is—but I've seen his quirks, taken part in his little experiments, watched him do his thing. And more than I'm worried about what's going to happen in Twin Peaks with me gone, I'm worried about what's been happening to him here. Between you, Albert, and Coop, I know something's up. It doesn't take a detective to see that.

So yeah, I'm in a hurry.

[She glances back in surprise when he starts to — well, not rant, precisely, not the way that Albert does, but at least to monologue, because this is fairly new information to her, not that it's surprising in the least. In a way, it's almost gratifying to know that he sees through everyone else the way he's got a knack for seeing through her.

(Almost, because there's a touch of jealousy to it, too.)

A hint of a frown pulls at the corners of her lips, too, and when he finishes, she lets a moment of silence pass between them so that the emphasis of the statements have a chance to properly sink in before she tries to answer.]

More likely than not, no one's told you because it's not something we wanted to broadcast over the Gear network. At least, that's why I didn't; there are ways of making it more secure, but the only way of being certain is not to say anything in the first place. Albert...he would've been protecting Cooper. And Cooper...he would've hid it, because that's what he does.

[She says it calmly, with the authority of someone who knows, but there's no superiority in it. Just a twinge of something rather akin to melancholy.]

Something happened, about a week before you arrived. Don't ask me to try to explain it right now; it's too long of a story to get involved in when we've still got things to do today. But something... [She pauses, lips tightening.] Something wanted to make him suffer. And it succeeded.

[Gradually, that tightness turns to a wry smile.]

It seems like every time he's at his worst, one of you comes along to help lift him up again. The distance doesn't matter to me because I would've flown three times as far to get you, if bringing you back would mean it would do him even a tiny bit of good. I'm as worried as you are, Sheriff. I just hope that with all of us working together, we'll be able to do something about it.

[And none of that surprises Harry. Worries him, yes, but there's always been something about Coop that seemed like it didn't quite fall in line with everything else. Something that used to lurk at the edges and make its way in once in a while, not that Harry had ever caught more than a fleeting glimpse of whatever it was.

He doesn't want to try to speak with authority about someone he's only known for a month, but for all the things Dale Cooper tries to keep hidden, he sure shows an awful lot. Whether or not that's intentional, Harry can't say.

Something about the prospect of working as a team to pull Cooper from whatever mess he's found himself in this time makes Harry feel considerably better. It's obvious Carmen cares for him, and Albert—well. Harry could never quite gauge Albert and Coop's relationship the way he would have liked, but hearing it from Carmen... yeah, he can see that. And it explains a thing or two.]

We will.

[And that's not a maybe, not a we'll try. Harry says it with absolute confidence. They will.]

[So, let's review.

A dragon(ite). A giant owl. Lots of flying on said creatures' backs. Some vague, harmless flirting here and there, a decent amount of talking and worrying about Cooper, a pile of questions not addressed by Harry's manuals.

Waldo seems calmer, though not by much. Henry, at one point, almost wandered off. Harry is exhausted. Goldenrod is huge.

Though trains can't possibly hold a candle to flying at this point, Harry's happy to be on the move in a comfortable seat with his hands to himself for the first time since they set off on this little journey. ~~Not that Carmen wasn't an excellent anchor.~~

Ten minutes into the ride and Harry already appears to be melting into his seat, head lolled to one side so he can watch the scenery pass by without making an effort to actually turn and look. Restless as he may feel on the inside, he plans on doing as little actual moving as possible for the next six hours.]

[If Harry is exhausted, then Carmen is doubly so, having not just experienced the draining transit of the flight but having been the one charged with actively navigating it as well. To be sure, the Baron and Holmes had done their share of helping to guide them safely back to Goldenrod, but it's still not nearly so easy as simply letting them fly without supervision, and that's the sort of exertion that sneaks up on you, born of prolonged concentration and maintained by subtle stress.

Flying doesn't bother her, but she's not about to deny that it's nice to just sit and close her eyes, soaking in the warmth of the heated car and relishing the feeling of being out of the wind and chill at last. And it had been tempting, too, the thought of trading out some of her roster and pulling out Navi just for the sake of having something soft and warm near her for the ride, but in the end the idea seemed to be more trouble than it'd be worth, and so it's Zack in her lap instead, snuggled in and contently beeping and booping to himself every so often.

Six hours of someone else doing the driving, she muses tiredly, pulling her collar higher on her neck and closing her coat a little more securely. Once, she'd never have stood for it. But right now, that sounds just fine to her.]

We're in the home stretch.

[As if in agreement, Zack boops amenably.]

[The stress for Harry hadn't been so subtle, even if he did eventually grow accustomed to flying on the back of a giant thing. If that had been his only concern, he probably wouldn't feel so drained, but it wasn't just that. It was that, the nagging worry about Coop, and the disorienting, unrelenting newness of everything.

Animals with strange abilities. Animals that don't quite look like animals, like Zack. Harry stares at the little Polygon—or was it Porygon?—for a moment, sleepily thinking that he sounds like a fax machine. A duck-shaped fax machine.

Then his gaze drifts to Carmen, worn-out Carmen, and a little pang of guilt gets him right between the ribs. She didn't have to come all this way just for him. He could have managed the trip on his own, somehow—he would have made it entirely on foot, if he had to.

But he didn't, because Cooper found himself someone who cares for him enough to do what Carmen did.]

Listen, Carmen, I really owe you one for this. Thank you for coming to get me.

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i'm on my way

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GOLDENROD → SAFFRON

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