IC: Route 29 Inbox

[harlequinhater]

ACTION/TEXT/AUDIO/VIDEO

if you're hearing this message, then i'm not here right now!
so leave a message after the beep.

Comments

[Action] Backdated to 3/24

[callbacks]

[Okay. He can't keep dragging his feet down the hall like this. He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Strider is faithful, one hundred percent.

It's time to face the music.

Ugh, he wishes he told Karkat to come with him, but he didn't and he can't go back now. Time to rap his knuckles on John's door and hope fervently that he's out doing whatever Johns do with their cloudbirds on Thursdays and not actually back at the hotel yet.

Knock knock.]

[harlequinhater]

[As it turns out, what John is doing with his cloud bird on Thursday is working on teaching that cloud bird tricks. Said tricks have almost no practical application in battle, but John has seen the calendar, and he knows exactly when Blue's big debut is going to be.

Unfortunately for Dave, John is doing this in his hotel room, so he is definitely around to answer the door. Before he does, some panicked shuffling can be heard, including John's hushed whisper of "under the blanket, quick." But in another moment, he's opening the door just far enough so that he can poke his head out. His face noticeably brightens when he sees who it is, but he doesn't open the door any further.]

Dave! Hey, what's up? Me and Blue were just, uh... training.

[callbacks]

[Uh. What.

Dave blinks behind his shades, because John is being the shiftiest little asshole right now in his friendly John way. After a second, he glances up to see if there's something balanced up on top of the door, even though logically that would make no sense, the door was closed just a second ago, how would he even get a bucket up there in that time.]

Right. I'm gonna do the beneficent friend thing and pretend your "training" isn't even a little bit fishy, bro. Uh, but do you have a minute?

[INSTANT REGRET, he would very much like to abscond now. But nope, it's out there, he's committed.]

There's something I forgot to tell you about the other day.

[harlequinhater]

[Maybe John should be concerned about whatever Dave wants to talk about, but he's much more more concerned with keeping his door mostly closed. He's got secrets to keep.]

Yeah, sure. I can talk. Can we do this in the hallway? Or can we go to your room? Because my room is kind of a mess right now. Not that anything fishy is happening in here but you can't come in.

[callbacks]

[Does it count as rolling your eyes if no one can SEE your eyes? Dave sighs.]

Yeah, fine, my room is fine. Tell Blue you're not abandoning him to fend for himself in the wilds of your fake fishy mess, I'm not doing this in the hall.

[Is his face pink? His face might be a little pink.]

[harlequinhater]

Actually my Pokemon phone told me that Blue was a girl. I didn't even know that there were boy and girl Pokemon! Who knew?

[He vanishes into his room for a moment, and tells Blue to "keep practicing" before he pops back out again, shutting the door behind him. Nothing fishy here, no siree.]

Okay, lead the way!

[callbacks]

[Dave adds, "Sorry, Blue, you're a very pretty girl," over John's shoulder in the scant second he gets between all the popping in and out, then half-shrugs, half-rolls his shoulders to get himself to relax.]

Okay, if you don't know where my room is by now, I really gotta reassess the viability of letting you out of anybody's sight, ever.

[But he does lead the way, just the couple doors down until he gets to the room he's sharing with Karkat, who is for the purposes of this thread totally not there because I say so. Dave lets them both in, then just flops face-down across his bed.]

Mmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnhhhhhhh.

[Could he not. He'd like to not.]

[harlequinhater]

Look, it would be rude if I led the way, because then I'd have to open your door, which is kind of weird if it isn't my room.

[John sits down on the floor, cross-legged, continuing to chatter away, temporarily oblivious to Dave's plight.]

Plus, I don't know if you lock your door or not! It would be really awkward if I started trying to open your locked door, and then the door knob wouldn't budge so I'd have to wait for you to get your key out...

[Okay, now it's processing that Dave is face-down on his bed making a sound like he's dying. That's a bit weird.]

...Hey, are you okay, Dave?

[Action] 5/11

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Thank God all that glitch stuff is over, right?! Ashley's taking the time to enjoy Goldenrod City with some of her Pokémon, particularly a pair of Pikachu and a male Meowstic. Humming idly along with the BGM, she's got time to just wander around and...

Apparently stumble upon the Game Corner. She stands outside it, a little indecisive. Looks like there's slot machines, and of course fabulous prizes, and maybe other kinds of games too...]

Ohhh... This could be a little dangerous.

[harlequinhater]

[The problem with teaching a Pokemon how to pull pranks is that said Pokemon now has all of the requisite skills necessary to prank you right back. John is chasing after his usual partner in crime, his Swablu, who is fluttering above with his Pokegear in her claws. This is the cruelest game of keepaway John has ever been a part of.]

Come on, this isn't fair! I can't fly like I used to- OOF!

[John, focused more on the sky than what's in front of him, goes barreling right into Ashley, toppling both of them over.]

Oh shit, sorry! I didn't see you there. I was kind of distracted. Are you okay?

[He pushes himself up quickly and then offers her a hand up. It's the gentlemanly thing to do - his Dad would have been proud.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[When Hurricane John hits, the Pikachu spark lightly and leap away in surprise and the Meowstic- well, he just takes a big step to the side to avoid getting crushed by falling humans.

Thanks guys, Ashley lets out a yelp as her Pokémon betray her. Okay, she would've let out a yelp anyway, mostly from shock. She rubs her right elbow, which took the brunt of the fall, as she pushes herself to a sitting position.]

Mmnngh... Yeah, I'm fine. Ow. You just mostly surprised me. [No hard feelings... It was an accident. She takes his hand to get up.]

[harlequinhater]

[Once he's sure that Ashley isn't seriously injured, John casts his gaze back up to the sky, looking for Blue... but yeah, she's gone. It looks like she's won the prankster's gambit on that exchange.]

Ugh, sorry again. My Pokemon decided it would be funny to fly off with my Pokegear, so I was chasing her... Never teach a Pokemon to prank! It will only bite you in the ass.

[Speaking of which, his is kind of sore from that fall. He reaches a hand back to rub it, wincing a little.]

Kind of literally, hehe.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Oh no, he's funny... Ashley can't help but chuckle, while taking inventory of her own Pokémon. The Pikachu awkwardly shuffle back, the Meowstic- well, he is Eliot and he has no shame whatsoever and just gives her a look like alright now it's time for lunch right?

What a bad cat.]

A pranking Pokémon? Oh that's got to be a mistake, people are bad enough with them!

[Is she joking? ...Maybe?]

It's fine, though. Don't worry about it.

[harlequinhater]

It was a mistake to teach her the fine art of pranking. Now the student has surpassed the master...

[John lets out a heavy, over-dramatic sigh. But okay, he's got to admit that he's kind of proud.]

Anyways, my name is John. It is nice to meet you, even if I accidentally knocked you over and stuff.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Another little chuckle, but-

John. Buck-teeth. Glasses... She can't help but put a few puzzle pieces together, nor can she fight her questioning nature.]

John? As in... [Shakes her head; it's a popular name, after all. She just sticks out her hand for a handshake.] Never mind. Uh, I'm Ashley, it's nice to meet you too.

[harlequinhater]

[Ashley... Ashley... It sounds kind of familiar, but John just shrugs it off. There are a lot of girls named Ashley in the world; of course it sounds familiar!]

Hi, Ashley! I don't guess that you have any flying Pokemon on you, do you? Because I could use some help catching Blue. If not, I guess I can climb a building and hope that I can catch her when she passes by, but that could take a while. Not being able to fly is so inconvenient.

[Text] 9/18, Morning

[cyan_maid]

Good morning John!
I hope you are doing well today. What have you been up to lately?
Also, did you happen to get an egg after that...mess in Ecruteak City?
I did, and it hatched a couple of weeks ago, and now look!

[Attached is a short video of a very happy Braixen.]

He evolved!
I hope this doesn't come off as too strange of me to do, but I guess I just feel like showing him off. :B

[harlequinhater]

hi jane!
i have been doing well. in fact, i just got my first gym badge! little foot stomped on all of falkner's bird types.
figuratively, i mean. mostly he just used ice beam.

and i got a weird egg too! though it did not hatch into a gray fox-looking thing.
though your gray fox is awesome.
it looks like a cotton candy sheep instead.
his name is poe.

[To demonstrate, John sends his own short video. Adorable.]

[cyan_maid]

Wow, congratulations!
So what sort of cool things can you do now that you have this badge?

Hoo hoo, Poe is a cutie!
And thank you very much! I'm quite proud of August. He is a very well-behaved Pokemon.
Unlike a different recent addition, but I digress.
Poe looks incredibly cuddly! Have you tried giving him a hug yet?

[harlequinhater]

i am SUPPOSED to be able to fly with it.
but as it turns out you need a fancy thing called an HM to teach a pokemon to fly.
it doesn't make much sense to me if i am being honest.
blue is clearly able to fly. she does it all the time! why does she need a badge and a fancy move to be able to fly while i am sitting on her back?
anyways i guess i will have to go to cianwood soon to try and sort this out.

and no i have not tried to give poe a hug yet on account that he is an electric type and would probably shock me.
he does look super cuddly but don't be fooled, jane! that is all just a front for the deadly taser inside.

[cyan_maid]

It sounds like the silliness that won't let me hold onto Marnie when she's in the water, because apparently that's technically Surfing.
I'm assuming you get this fancy flying device in Cianwood?

How do you know for sure he'd shock you? Maybe he'd give off a little static, but shouldn't it be safe?
If I am wrong then you are free to place blame on me for any injury you may sustain.

[harlequinhater]

yeah, apparently i have to beat the gym there too in order to get the flying device.
you know, breeders don't have to put up with this! they can fly without the gym badges.
it is so unfair!

and i guess i could try hugging him, but even getting a little bit shocked isn't really something i want to do.
getting a static shock seems like it would completely negate the benefits of touching something soft.

[cyan_maid]

Well, that's all well and good for them, but I suppose hoofing it for a bit and earning these things fills the time.
Breeders probably have other things they need to do, like...breed?
How does that even work anyway?

Maybe if you two ease into getting to know each other, he won't spark you?
It might be a trust thing.
And, if he gets stronger, he could control it better if it's involuntary.

[harlequinhater]

i have no idea and i am not sure i want to know.
you could ask karkat or jade maybe? i know they are supposed to be breeders.
oh! and penny breeds things too. she is where i got snik from.

and this is probably true.
he is still kind of a baby though so i will wait until i know he is better at controlling his electricity before i try to hug him.

12/25/16, morning, action

[cyan_maid]

[Under the tree, tied with a blue bow, is a present for John in the morning with two things: cookies with a bit of a bite and surprise, and a special pen with a UV penlight on one end - it doesn't seem like it works when you use it, but when you shine the light on what you wrote, there's your secret message! There's also a couple refills included in the pack. The tag reads:

Merry Christmas John!
I saw this and immediately thought you would be able to put it to wonderful use! Have fun!

- Jane]