35th feather [voice/action]
[voice; backdated to Sunday morning]
[Surprise, surprise! It's plain and simple voice post from Crow today. But it... doesn't really sound very Crow-like. No enthusiasm, no energy, just a short, very matter-of-fact statement.]
... Last Monday was exactly a year since I had come here.
[narrative]
He switches off the 'Gear and shoves it into his pocket with his free hand, the other being occupied with a bouquet made of white lilies he's bought earlier. Although the cliff he's standing atop of isn't that far from the docks -- and even closer to the lighthouse -- the cheerful buzz and laughter doesn't reach this place. There's only fresh breeze, the soft rustle of the leaves in the summer wind and the crash of waves as they reach the rocks beneath at full speed, sending thousands of water drops in the air.
"Sorry I missed your anniversary, Pearson," he begins somewhat wryly, throwing the bouquet into the ocean at the same time. "Things have kinda gotten out of hand last week."
He makes a pause and sits down on the ground, his stare fixed at the horizon. "Four years already? Hard to believe it's been that long... And a year since that," the duelist stops in mid-sentence, pulling out his Blackfeather Dragon card from his deck holder, "and, well, me coming here. That sure wasn't what I'd imagined the year after getting this to be."
He smiles to himself, remembering waking up in a bed -- room -- house he'd never seen before and walking down the staircase only to be greeted by 'mom' -- one that he knew he couldn't have -- and being more or less kicked out of the house to go on the adventure of his life. He also remembers his first conversations on the network, ones that were later to become something more than simply passing acquaintances. Those twelve long moths weren't just for him -- those were hardships, fun times, tears, pain, laughter and happiness shared with many others who, just like him, had been thorn away from their daily lives to be sent on the quest of becoming Pokemon Masters.
"Y'know, I didn't even like it here in the beginning. You've gotta go everywhere on foot, they've got no D-Wheels or even Duel Monsters. But what else was I supposed to do? I went along with it, hoping I'd be back home in no time. But the longer I'm here, the better it feels. The people I've met -- Kay, Johan, Kaito, everyone -- we've been through a lot together and I can't even begin to imagine how it would have been if I hadn't met them. Even if they're not here anymore... I don't regret it."
He falls silent for a moment, looking down at the mention of his friends disappearing. Saying good-bye to someone close is always hard, but in Johto, not even such luxury is given. They just vanish into thin air without as much as a warning. And even the knowledge they're going home isn't much of a comfort...
"Now that I think about it, I was the first to come here... from our time, that is. Yuusei, Jack, Aki, Rua... They come and go, but I've been stuck here all this time. Except for that coma-thing, but I'm not sure I'm up for trying to figure out how that works."
Shaking his head with a smile, Crow silently wonders what his teammates are up to now. He left them in a really crucial moment, and honestly? There hasn't been a day when he didn't think about Neo Domino and the threat that rose above it (quite literally).
"... It's probably kinda selfish of me, sitting here and doing nothing while they're risking their lives in the Ark Cradle," he continues slowly, glancing at his Signer Dragon in his hand, "but I haven't forgotten my promise. Even if I can't fight together with them right now... The bonds of Team 5D's, those kids' future, the City, Yuusei... I believe in them."
He stands up, stretching and taking a deep breath as he does, and grins.
"I dunno if I'll still be here tomorrow. Heck, I might be gone by the end of the day! But... I wanna stay here for now. This whole world, people here, my Pokemon, everything--"
Turning around, Crow beams at the city in the distance.
"It feels like home."
[action for Olivine inn; Sunday evening]
[Up until now, Crow's been nowhere to be found today -- not on the route training, not in the docks -- completely AWOL the whole day. But now, he's sitting in one of the lobby's armchairs with not one, but two Murkrow settled comfortably on the armrests. Meanwhile, Crow is staring somewhat absentmindedly at the cup ramen in his hand, murmuring something to himself:]
A year already, huh...
[Surprise, surprise! It's plain and simple voice post from Crow today. But it... doesn't really sound very Crow-like. No enthusiasm, no energy, just a short, very matter-of-fact statement.]
... Last Monday was exactly a year since I had come here.
[narrative]
He switches off the 'Gear and shoves it into his pocket with his free hand, the other being occupied with a bouquet made of white lilies he's bought earlier. Although the cliff he's standing atop of isn't that far from the docks -- and even closer to the lighthouse -- the cheerful buzz and laughter doesn't reach this place. There's only fresh breeze, the soft rustle of the leaves in the summer wind and the crash of waves as they reach the rocks beneath at full speed, sending thousands of water drops in the air.
"Sorry I missed your anniversary, Pearson," he begins somewhat wryly, throwing the bouquet into the ocean at the same time. "Things have kinda gotten out of hand last week."
He makes a pause and sits down on the ground, his stare fixed at the horizon. "Four years already? Hard to believe it's been that long... And a year since that," the duelist stops in mid-sentence, pulling out his Blackfeather Dragon card from his deck holder, "and, well, me coming here. That sure wasn't what I'd imagined the year after getting this to be."
He smiles to himself, remembering waking up in a bed -- room -- house he'd never seen before and walking down the staircase only to be greeted by 'mom' -- one that he knew he couldn't have -- and being more or less kicked out of the house to go on the adventure of his life. He also remembers his first conversations on the network, ones that were later to become something more than simply passing acquaintances. Those twelve long moths weren't just for him -- those were hardships, fun times, tears, pain, laughter and happiness shared with many others who, just like him, had been thorn away from their daily lives to be sent on the quest of becoming Pokemon Masters.
"Y'know, I didn't even like it here in the beginning. You've gotta go everywhere on foot, they've got no D-Wheels or even Duel Monsters. But what else was I supposed to do? I went along with it, hoping I'd be back home in no time. But the longer I'm here, the better it feels. The people I've met -- Kay, Johan, Kaito, everyone -- we've been through a lot together and I can't even begin to imagine how it would have been if I hadn't met them. Even if they're not here anymore... I don't regret it."
He falls silent for a moment, looking down at the mention of his friends disappearing. Saying good-bye to someone close is always hard, but in Johto, not even such luxury is given. They just vanish into thin air without as much as a warning. And even the knowledge they're going home isn't much of a comfort...
"Now that I think about it, I was the first to come here... from our time, that is. Yuusei, Jack, Aki, Rua... They come and go, but I've been stuck here all this time. Except for that coma-thing, but I'm not sure I'm up for trying to figure out how that works."
Shaking his head with a smile, Crow silently wonders what his teammates are up to now. He left them in a really crucial moment, and honestly? There hasn't been a day when he didn't think about Neo Domino and the threat that rose above it (quite literally).
"... It's probably kinda selfish of me, sitting here and doing nothing while they're risking their lives in the Ark Cradle," he continues slowly, glancing at his Signer Dragon in his hand, "but I haven't forgotten my promise. Even if I can't fight together with them right now... The bonds of Team 5D's, those kids' future, the City, Yuusei... I believe in them."
He stands up, stretching and taking a deep breath as he does, and grins.
"I dunno if I'll still be here tomorrow. Heck, I might be gone by the end of the day! But... I wanna stay here for now. This whole world, people here, my Pokemon, everything--"
Turning around, Crow beams at the city in the distance.
"It feels like home."
[action for Olivine inn; Sunday evening]
[Up until now, Crow's been nowhere to be found today -- not on the route training, not in the docks -- completely AWOL the whole day. But now, he's sitting in one of the lobby's armchairs with not one, but two Murkrow settled comfortably on the armrests. Meanwhile, Crow is staring somewhat absentmindedly at the cup ramen in his hand, murmuring something to himself:]
A year already, huh...