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Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Phoenix (

foolishwren )
Where: Goldenrod City
When: forward-dated to a few days from now, around the end of the week
Summary: Two old friends meeting up and hanging out after a very long time.
Rating: SHRUG, pg/pg-13?? there will be swearing from Heather probably??
Log:

One of the benefits of travelling with Lightning, Phoenix had found, was that she was incredibly goal-minded and seemed to want to get to Goldenrod as fast as he did. They had left Namine with her friends back in Cherrygrove and proceeded as normal up the path to Violet, and just now Phoenix had finished directing them through the National Park to approach Goldenrod proper.

Lightning didn't seem interested in sticking around for long. Phoenix made sure the two of them had a hotel room, at least, in case she needed somewhere to stay, but once the two of them had arrived in the city, they had parted ways for now. Phoenix had left the hotel with his two Pokemon, Prin and the still unnamed Shinx, bounding along at his heels, excited to be in such a huge city. And Phoenix...was also excited, in a way, or maybe just nostalgic. He'd spent a long time here during his first stay, with many both good and bad experiences taking place on the city's streets. He's pleased to see that things haven't changed much, save for the train that was now speeding between here and Kanto. It's as he's crossing the tracks that he fishes out his Pokegear from his pocket and dials the number of the friend he'd come here specifically to meet.

Dialing Heather Mason ...

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It's a call she'd be lying if she tried to claim that she wasn't waiting for.

Did she know the EXACT MOMENT that it was gonna come? No... but she's been up and with her thumb on the 'Answer' button for quite some time.

When it goes off, she picks up right away.

"Hello?"

Oh -- that was quicker than he expected. Phoenix takes a moment to respond, distracted by the bustle of people passing by.

"Hey, Heather! It's Phoenix. I, uh -- we just got to Goldenrod a little while ago. I wanted to make sure I had everything settled before I called...are you free anytime soon? It doesn't have to be immediately or anything. Somehow I think I could entertain myself for a little while."

"Dude. Shut up."

No way was she going to let him 'entertain himself' for a little while. Seeing the sights and eating crappy street-snacks WITHOUT her? No. She wants to be there for every second of Phoenix's reintroduction to Goldenrod City. And she's already surging up off the couch and grabbing her coat.

"I'm coming. Where are you? Tell me! I'll meet you!"

Well, geez, he was just being polite!

But that doesn't stop him from cracking an amused smile at Heather's enthusiasm. It meant a lot, honestly, to be able to explore the city with her again.

Phoenix glances around, looks for a landmark. "Oh -- I just passed be train tracks from the north side, so if I'm remembering correctly I should be getting close to the radio tower. Does that work for you?"

"Aaaaaaalready on my way. See ya there!"

When she said she didn't want to waste a single moment of Phoenix's possibly-limited time here, she'd meant it.

She'd already had her clothes picked out.

Hell, she'd already even had her team picked out.

In fact, especially her team.

Because the Pokemon she brought to officially greet Phoenix back into Johto were important.

In any case, about fifteen minutes later, Phoenix would probably have been standing there by himself for a few minutes already. And that's when a familiar-- but QUITE A BIT BIGGER THAN HE PROBABLY REMEMBERS-- shaggy orange-and-cream juggernaut will come galloping around the corner and making a direct beeline for the lawyer.

CUJO THE GROWLITHE REMEMBERS YOU, PHOENIX!

CUJO THE GROWLITHE IS NOW THE SIZE OF A FULLY-GROWN ST. BERNARD.

CUJO THE GROWLITHE IS GOING TO JUMP ALL OVER YOU NOW.

It's true, Phoenix hadn't been waiting all that long. Prin was still on his shoulder, bouncing eagerly, anticipating the meeting of NEW PEOPLE! NEW FRIENDS! WOW! Meanwhile, the Shinx has promptly started to doze off again...

...only to be rudely awoken by the sound of thundering paws and oh my dog that is a huge dog, I'M OUT. He hisses and ducks behind the nearest bench.

Meanwhile, Phoenix notices the Shinx's reaction, looks up from his Pokegear just in time to see the huge mass of orange and tan gallop towards him and knock him to the ground.

"Jesus christ -- Cujo, okay, I'm happy to see you too, but I'm a fragile old man now and you are going to break my hip -- you are so heavy -- not the HAIR..."

Phoenix is now a lawyer who is behind sat on by Growlithe. He is covered in slobber. This is his life now.

Acceptance is peace, Phoenix. Embrace your slobbery fate.

Fortunately for the beleaguered lawyer, salvation is at hand as a shadow falls over them both.

"Yikes. Looks like I'm not the only one who missed ya."

Smirking broadly, Heather leans over, hands on her hips. In person and in broad daylight, the difference are probably even more apparent than on the tiny 'Gear screen. Not much taller, but definitely leaner. Tanner. She's got a well-fitted black leather coat and a green band of cloth tied around the the upper arm of one sleeve. Phoenix might recognize that-- a lot of the people they both knew back then are gone now.

"C'mon, Cooj, give 'em some breathing room."

She shoves the Growlithe bodily off and extends a hand to help him up.

"Honestly? He'd find any excuse to jump all over someone. Wouldn't you, Cujo?" Phoenix rolls his eyes, pushes hopelessly at the Growlithe's fur. He's able to sit up a little once Heather removes her ill-behaved animal, accepts the offered hand and gets to his feet.

Seeing Heather in person again is an entirely different experience. Phoenix doesn't mean to stare, but it's more like he's cataloging all the changes, recognizing the familiarities -- he's still far taller than her, and broader, that's for sure. Heather looks...older, that's for sure, but no more worse for wear than he'd expect. Four years, she'd said? Four years since he'd seen her.

...while that isn't the biggest gap he's ever had inbetween seeing people he considers best friends, it's nothing to shake a stick at. There's a smile growing on his face, withdrawing his hand from Heather's own just enough so that it isn't awkward anymore, but is reluctant to move much further away.

"Ok, Heather, this is it -- am I just as handsome as you remember? I like to think I've aged pretty well." Aged like a fine wine...or fine lawyer, as it were. But despite his joking grin, Phoenix has, in fact, aged up a little; some more wrinkles, some more confidence, some worry-worn stray hairs. It's been practically a decade on his end, after all.

He can stare all he wants-- it's not like she isn't doing the same thing. She even takes a step back, laughing slightly and spreading her arms a little, while Cujo runs excited circles round them, barking his head off.

"Are you kiddin' me? I'm amazed you're a single dad, you should be beatin' the ladies off with sticks and double-lockin' your doors at night!"

The gray hairs and wrinkles aren't really a detractor-- hell. They remind her of her father, who despite his claims otherwise, had remained singularly handsome even well into his forties, at least in the eyes of his daughter.

Which is an observation that actually makes something in her chest tighten sadly and painfully, but there's no room for unhappy thoughts at this reunion. No room at all. So she grins fiercely.

"Still a huge nerd, though, I bet! C'mere!"

With that, she throws her arms around him in a tight hug.

Phoenix snorts with laughter at that, shakes his head. "Who says I don't? We have a bat at home just for that. Trucy doesn't approve, though. She thinks I'm going to die alone." If he had a dollar for every time Trucy had tried setting him up with a client or any other random stranger passing by, he wouldn't have to worry about rent for quite some time.

He feels almost proud, thohgh, that Heather seems to approve of the guy he's become all these years. Not that she knows everything he's done, and some of it isn't so decent, really...but Phoenix isn't worried. This is Heather, still the Heather he remembers. They'll be fine.

Besides, hugs are much more important right now, anyway. Phoenix is more than happy to scoop her up, give Heather a big, tight hug. "You don't look so bad yourself, Heather."

Simba the Shinx, meanwhile, is still cowering under the bench. Prin doesn't seem to mind Cujo at all, bounds along after him, chirping with glee.

Well, they can be in the same boat there.

Heather's done plenty of things in the years between that she isn't proud of. That she doesn't particularly want Phoenix to know about.

But he doesn't need to.

She laughs as he returns the hard squeeze, letting her feet briefly leave the ground.

"Well, what can I say, I've been workin' out. You should see my rad six-pack."

That's a lie. She doesn't have a six-pack.

Phoenix takes a step back, but keeps his hands on Heather's shoulders, beaming delightedly down at her, albeit with one eyebrow raised. "Really? Is that what you've been up to? Tell me, how many people had to be beat up to result in that six pack?"

So many lives lost. Tragic.

She lifts a smarmy brow at him, smirking.

"Is this an official questioning? Is 'no comment' a valid answer?"

"Are you pleading the fifth with me, Heather Mason?" teases Phoenix, hands back on his hips now, leaning forward just slightly. "You know, silence isn't always golden. If I'm going to be your lawyer, you're going to have to be honest with me. I need a body count."

"What! I don't even know what I'm charged with! That's a breach of lawyerly ethics, isn't it? Or something?"

Of course, she's unable to keep up the mock-indignant tone for long, so putting her own hands akimbo, she throws her head back and just laughs, not caring if the volume disturbs anybody nearby. It's not every day you get to reunite with a departed friend. People can deal with it!

"Oh, man! It's good to have you back. It's so good."

Finally bored with running around, Cujo flops down to sit by Phoenix, panting heavily and leaning on him with his tongue lolling out.

Memory jogged at the sight of her starter, Heather snaps her fingers and starts to dig in her pocket.

"Oh yeah--!"

"If you ask a prosecutor? Definitely not."

Phoenix...just laughs, and watches her laugh as well, and basks in this moment, just seeing Heather carefree and enjoying herself in a way that Phoenix wholeheartedly appreciates, having memories of some less-than-happy moments between the two of them the last time he was here. One hand descends down to pet absently at Cujo's fluffy, amiable head.

-- but her sudden exclamation startles Phoenix out of his moment, and he takes a step forward, tilting his head curiously. "Wha...?"

Yeah... even now, years later, Phoenix has seen some of Heather's darkest moments in this place. Not that she hasn't had others, in the time that passed... but she'll never forget that cold winter night when she got those scars on her knuckles.

He'd been there for her.

"Aha!"

Finally pulling out what she'd been looking for, she straightens up with an enormous grin, and releases the button on the Pokeball in her hand.

"QUAAAAAAAGH!"

The flash of white light hasn't even faded before Butch the Quagsire is wrapping his cold, amphibious flippers around Phoenix's legs.

She sure is taking her time with looking. Phoenix is patient, is about to inquire further, ensure that whatever Heather was going to pull out of her bag wasn't going to result in physical harm --

-- when oh my god that is a large amphibian monster attacking his legs and he recognizes this large amphibian monster.

"Wha...Butch?" Phoenix can hardly believe his eyes. "I didn't -- I had no idea where any of them went when I vanished, I didn't know you had -- " He throws his head back and laughs, kneels down to wrap his arms around the slimy, dopey Pokemon, hugs him tight despite getting his clothes soaked in the process. "You took care of him all this time, Heather?"

"Of course I did, you knucklehead! What, you thought I'd let him just wander around in the woods for four years?"

Smiling so hard it makes her cheeks hurt, she just stands back for a moment to watch the happy reunion.

There's been times, over the years, that getting hand-me-down Pokemon from departed loved ones has started to feel more like a kick in the gut than a comforting consolation prize.

But this moment, right here, right now, is singlehandedly making every one of those moments worth it.

And it's perhaps the first time she's ever truly lived up to her 'no regrets' resolution.

Because she doesn't regret a single thing about it.

Butch is currently seated heartily on top of his old trainer, wriggling about and making happy, crooning noises. His tail slaps heavily against Phoenix's thigh, but Phoenix is still too busy hugging his old starter and petting his slimy head to notice much about it.

"I had no idea what would happen to them after I disappeared. I knew we would get some Pokemon when, you know...people would leave, but we never DID really figure out how it works. They could have vanished, for all we know."

And they still could have. He has no idea what happened to the rest of his team.

Thinking about them just makes him cling onto the squishy amphibian even more.

"Yeah, I... I didn't get all of 'em. Sadly. But... I got Butch, and I figured you'd be glad to see him again."

Grinning, she crouches down to deliver a pat to the Quagsire's head as well.

"He's been a handful, lemme tell ya. A couple years ago he shoved me under the mistletoe at Christmas with like... multiple people."

"Do you know if anyone else...?" Phoenix ventures, not sure if he wants to know that answer or not. Because if his friends DID get some of his Pokemon after his departure...well, a lot of them weren't around, either. He'd hate to imagine how his Pokemon must have felt, having to go through this foster trainer cycle.

At that, though, Phoenix snorts, gives the Quagsire an approving squeeze. "That sounds like Butch, alright. And how did that work out? Don't tell me I have to give you the talk, Heather." A teasing grin.

Her smile fades a little at that, and she shakes her head apologetically.

"Most of the people who were here back then are gone now... if anyone else got some, I don't know what happened after that..."

That's a sad direction for the conversation to move in, though, so she elbows him playfully, trying to steer them back onto a happier track.

"I'm delighted to report that not even a slimy blue amphibian could make my spotty mug any more appealing to the bachelors of the Pokemon world. Still single as hell, so no talks necessary!"

"I see." Phoenix sighs heavily, but tries not to dwell on it too much. Johto is fickle, that's for sure -- tossing people in and out for no conceivable reason -- but it's also given Phoenix a wonderful second chance, here, so it can't be ALL bad...right?

That last comment certainly earns a laugh out of Phoenix, still petting Butch absently with one hand. "Well, thank god for that. It's bad enough knowing I'm going to have to give it to Trucy one day...I'd like to continue putting it off as long as possible, thanks."

She laughs right back.

"I don't foresee you having to give it to yours truly for quite some time, don't worry. Heather Mason ain't exactly hot on the market right now. But hey, you eaten yet? Let's grab some lunch, my treat!"

"Oh, but why not? You're a charming, enthusiastic young lady." Phoenix snickers a little, with a teasing grin. "We should be batting of suitors together, at this rate."

Butch agrees with the lunch idea! Waving his arms and blowing bubbles. Phoenix's other Pokemon also turn their attention to Heather at the mention of food. "That'd be great, Heather. I appreciate it." Phoenix knows not to turn down free food, especially not when it's a gift from a friend.

"Beats me. I think I scare them off with my bold, aggressive personality."

The other Pokemons' enthusiasm is infectious, and Cujo springs to his feet again, tail wagging and tongue lolling out happily. His vocabulary may be limited, but he definitely knows the word 'lunch'.

"Anyway, c'mon, there's a great burger joint downtown. They have what may be the best onion rings known to man."

She starts to walk, with the enormous Growlithe trotting cheerfully after her, craning his hea over his shoulder to make sure their old big friend plus the two small new ones are following.

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