Who will be there for you?

[yattagarasu]

Who: yattagarasu and OPEN
Where: The fringes of Azalea Town, but not too far out
When: Friday, September 10th, evening-ish (forward-dated because I won't be here tomorrow and I only remembered this date not too long ago!)
Summary: Kay goes to pay respects to the deceased in the only way she can. AS USUAL, action or prose is fine with me, whatever sails your

Comments

[overthedratini]

Johan hadn't thought much of it when Kay said she was going to get more supplies. He'd offered a simple "Don't stay out too long, it looks like it's going to rain." and went back to sitting with Lazuli and watching over the Eevee and sitting with Byrne. It wasn't until a few moments after Kay had left and a few more moments of watching over her Eevee that he'd recalled he himself could probably use some more supplies, and with that in mind, he left Misola with the Murkrow and the two babies and set off - not necessarily after Kay, but moreso after a few things he could use.

He didn't particularly mind the rain himself, though he knew his Pokemon did - it would have been rather welcome if it had been just a little bit cooler. He knew he'd be alone in that, however, so he counted his blessings for the light rain and enjoyed the fact that it meant most of the people of the town were inside. He'd gotten enough looks when he'd returned, strolling alone in the middle of the rain wouldn't help his already odd reputation here any.

As he got closer to the PokeMart, he realized, he could see a familiar figure heading off in the opposite direction. Johan could think of at least half a dozen reasons why she'd be going off alone now, among them being that she'd spotted her kidnapper and had given chase - though the likelihood of it being that, given that she was going at a pace relatively slow enough for him to still see her while he stood there and thought about it, probably meant it wasn't that.

... Still, the feeling of having lost her was fresh in his mind, and Byrne was still back at the inn with Flapper... As long as she didn't see him, he supposed it wouldn't hurt too much to tail her, would it? If it turned out to be nothing, he could just join her, and this would give him some more "thief practice". Settled on this decision, he nodded to himself and dashed after her, moving as silently and swiftly as he could.

What he found when he finally caught up with her wasn't something dangerous, and truthfully, not something Johan could fully not understand - not entirely, at any rate. What he could tell, however, was that Kay was hurting, and not just about what he'd thought she'd been lately. And yet... he wasn't sure whether or not to approach, to offer comfort or to not - partners or no, this was... different, wasn't it?

Eventually, he chose to stand there and watch her from a distance-- He could do that much, and make a move if it looked like one was necessary, right? They were each others' wings, after all. He had to do something.

[yattagarasu]

For her part, Kay didn't budge once she'd finished speaking. There were things she still wanted to say - there would always be things to say, no matter how long she talked - but they weren't things she could actually voice. Not without the risk of losing her composure, and seven-- eight years now had taken the edge off her grief. Did it assuage it completely? No, but she hadn't expected it to. Loss was something that stayed with you, even though you could usually suppress it. Renewed loss was just something a little more recent and painful.

She sighed after a few more minutes and started to turn back to town (the others would notice if she took too long), but then she caught sight of a familiar figure. Considering their last night in Azalea had been a date, that this night was almost exactly the opposite... she didn't miss the irony. Still, Johan was always a welcome sight, and she turned more to face him directly, inviting him over with a crooked smile and a small hand motion.

[overthedratini]

He froze instantly as she turned, his expression mirroring that of a deer caught in headlights. After all, if he had been right that he was intruding, worried or not, he'd be in the wrong, and-- ... He let out a breath after a few moments, realizing Kay was waving him over. At the very least, that meant she wasn't upset with him. Not that she ever really had been before, but...

While he normally might be much better at being able to tell how she would feel and react, he mused as he jogged over, this was... completely new territory for him, so he should be prepared for anything. Though from the looks of things, Kay was still Kay, odd smile aside (though it was still a smile, which meant she was still Kay) so... hopefully there was nothing to worry about after all. As long as Kay could be okay, that was all that mattered to him right now anyway.

"E-Ehe... Hey, Kay," he started as he arrived to stand directly across from her, now fully able to see what she had been speaking to earlier behind her.

[yattagarasu]

The Swiss Rolls and the flowers were definitely in plain view, an offering for a grave that wasn't there, but Kay had done her best with what limited supplies she had. Spirits could probably see and hear you anyway, or so she hoped; surely her father's ghost wouldn't be restricted solely to his own world if his living daughter was no longer in it.

"Hey," she returned the greeting with a brighter smile, giving the flowers a glance before looking back at Johan. She'd thought she'd feel a little more awkward around him after that talk with Kaito, but she'd been able to act the same-- more or less. She certainly didn't seem awkward now. "I wasn't out that long, was I?"

[overthedratini]

"Huh?" Johan held up his hands and shook them a bit, before giving his head a firm shake no. "You reminded me that I wanted to get supplies too, but when I got to the store I saw you, so..."

Johan held out his hands to his wides, laughing meekly, finding himself almost unable to meet her eyes - though for the moment, he was doing rather amiably - though a sneaking thought came sneaking into his mind as he forced another chuckle out. This was something she would have kept to herself, had he not found her, wasn't it?

Not that it was his business, not in any way at all, so...

"So here we are," he said finally, motioning to the ground as if that would give some greater explanation than he could.

[yattagarasu]

Kay's answering smile was a rueful one. He'd found her out yet again, and though she hadn't taken as many steps in order not to rouse suspicion or concern, she should have known that Johan would have found out, whether he'd been intending to or not. She'd only stayed silent not to worry her friends, but he was here already, and Kay didn't feel like fumbling for excuses. This was perfectly normal, and she'd been doing it faithfully for seven years, so saw no reason to be ashamed of it now.

But she'd probably been silent for longer than was comfortable, so she shifted slightly and imitated Johan's early motion. "I always visit his grave on the day he died," she said by way of explanation. "But I had to improvise this year, and I'd just attract attention if I did it in town." She didn't mind attracting attention, but there were times when she preferred not to.

[overthedratini]

"... I see." Immediately, after hearing it out of her mouth, Johan felt even more guilty for spying on her. Not that he'd meant to spy on her, but he'd still done it all the same, regardless of his initial (and, in his mind, now irrelevant intentions) and what kind of partner would he be to not feel even a little wrong doing that?

Still, that didn't matter right now, what matter was Kay, and he realized now that he'd been being to quiet now.

"I guess that makes sense," he said quietly after a few more moments' pause, glancing back to what Kay had left behind for him. "I bet he appreciates that a lot, even if you couldn't get there."

[yattagarasu]

"I hope so!" Kay's smile was back to its usual brightness levels, though it took her a minute to call it forth. "I think the Swiss Roll might get a little wet, but that was our tradition... I'm just lucky they sell stuff like that here."

She gave the offerings another glance then, spontaneously, she once again spoke-- but not to Johan this time. "Dad, this is Johan... you know, the one I've told you about? He's been helping me out, so you don't have to worry about what you left behind anymore."

[overthedratini]

Johan just nodded quietly, inwardly glad that she was brightening up again, but then, for a completely different reason than before, he once more took on the look of a deer caught in headlights as Kay began introducing him. He quickly raised an arm out towards the offerings, a few more shaky laughs escaping him.

"It's nice to meet you, sir! I've heard a lot about you...!" he started, a bit like a fish out of water for a moment - he was used to being able to see the spirits he was talking to, but after a moment he adjusted to the idea of it and continued with his greeting. Coughing, and shooting Kay a quick glance, he figured 'Why not?' and went for it. "I guess I should thank you first, for having such a great daughter-- I don't know where I'd be without her, ehehe. Probably back in Olivine somewhere."

He paused, collecting his thoughts. Truthfully, like many of the people Kay had told him of, he really had thought about what he might say if he could meet the man he'd heard about, on multiple occasions no less, but suddenly he was finding himself unable to reach out for any of those topics. So instead, he went for his heart for guidance.

"... Really, thank you for Kay. I know it's a strange thing to say, coming from a person you've never met, but... I really can't thank you, or her, enough," Johan shook his head. He could only wonder what Kay herself thought of what he was saying, but should her father be visiting her, as he very likely was, he didn't want to miss his chance to express this. Speaking of Kay, though... "And she's right, you don't have to worry... I promise you that I'll keep her as safe as I would myself, even safer, in fact! Because we're partners. And I'm here for her no matter what, so you don't--" When he said that, he nodded to the offering, or to be more precise, the space above it, and turned back to Kay. "No matter what."

[yattagarasu]

Truthfully, Kay hadn't been expecting Johan to do any of... what he'd just done, since not too many people would go along with a girl talking to thin air. But then, she supposed he'd done that with his spirits for who knew how long, so maybe she should have expected it from him.

She kept an eye on him as he spoke, her gaze occasionally transferring from him to the offerings, and for a moment, it felt as though Byrne Faraday was actually there, listening to Johan just as intently as she was. The thought was enough to make her smile, softer than it had ever been on the anniversary of her father's death. But she'd never had company before, and not anyone else who spoke to her father.

And she'd never heard anyone thank someone for her. Without even thinking, she reached for Johan's hand, unable to muster a joking comment after a remark like that. She could tell he was being absolutely sincere.

"Thank you," she said at last, meaning it for more than just one thing, but not sure how to clarify that. For being there, for saying things like that, for being her partner... so much more than that, but she just squeezed his hand a little.

[overthedratini]

Johan was a bit taken aback by his hand suddenly being taken by Kay's, but he didn't mind - it helped, if anything, and he returned her squeeze and offered a comforting smile at her. He was slighly taken aback at her thanking him, but despite the sudden urge to question it or crack something, instead he only nodded and moved a bit closer. Just a bit closer, but it was more than enough at that moment.

He got the message.

"Any time. And I do mean any time, day or night, rain or shine, so..." Johan paused, shooting a glance back to the offerings, then turning back to Kay, that sneaking thought he'd had earlier coming back to mind. He gave her hand a squeeze again and then, after looking over at where Byrne, the first Byrne, was presumably watching from, one more time, he looked back to Kay. "If your father here doesn't mind, I'd like you to promise both of us something."

[yattagarasu]

"Me?" The remark caught Kay off-guard, and she glanced at him. Confusion warred with curiosity, as well as a vague look of reminiscence. Any promises made between her and her father had been in that notebook she'd kept as a little girl, but one between her, her father, and Johan? That wasn't something she'd ever considered, for obvious reasons.

Curiosity won the fight, earning Johan an inquisitive smile after a moment. "I can't exactly promise you anything if you don't tell me what it is first." Part of her admitted to feeling some sense of strangeness over having a conversation while her father presumably watched over them, but she'd felt his presence before when she knew she was following the same path he was. She was positive that Byrne would have been present if he could have, whether he was actually there or not. As his daughter, she chose to believe that he was.

[overthedratini]

"Hmm... Well, make that two promises, actually," Johan corrected himself after a moment's thought, giving Kay a quick grin as she smiled at him. She'd looked a little out of it for a moment, and now that she was "here"... He nodded to himself, deciding that, if there was any way to really at least get the subject out there, this would be one of the better ways to go about it. That in mind, he turned back to Kay and held up a single finger.

"Here's the first promise: 'I promise not to keep things from my partner or friends, for better or worse, just because I'm afraid I might worry them'," he stopped there, not quite to let her respond yet, but to take a breath. There was one last thing he had to say in regards to that promise. "... I know you're more used to being alone, and I know you're just looking out for us, that's how you are, but-- You aren't alone, Kay. And we're all here for you. Even if something ever happened, and we all got separated, I'd still be there for you even then," He paused, then turned his head slightly - as if he was addressing both Kay and her father. "You can trust that I'll be there. We all will."

[yattagarasu]

"Two--" Kay began, but quieted a few seconds later to hear Johan out. He wasn't being too direly serious if he was grinning, something that served to relax her and dispel any suspicious thoughts she might have been gathering.

... Which she wasn't. This was Johan, after all, who couldn't have lied his way out of a paper bag (a saying she'd heard before but hadn't quite ever understood). Even the first promise he proposed failed to surprise her, especially after the talk they'd had. But it was true, wasn't it? As much as she hated to admit it, she had almost given up, and had to renew her determination through... a hallucination, but her first coherent realization after that and a giant bat freeing her was Johan diving for her. And her first thought had been a very simple I'm glad I held on, even more so when she realized that she had an entire rescue party.

"I know," she reminded him now. "You were there... the entire time, you've been there, so I'm not about to start doubting that now. So..." She paused to remember the words, then added, "I promise not to keep things from my partner or friends." A pause. "... For better or worse." And another, quieter. "... Just because I'm afraid I might worry them." It was fair enough. She hated wearing false smiles and cheer as it was, especially around people she knew cared for her.

[overthedratini]

With each addition Kay spoke of Johan's promise, his eyes grew that much brighter and his smile that much warmer. He couldn't help it, not with everything that had happened that had finally led up this this point. The fact that she'd gone along with it helped, but he didn't doubt she was going to not go along with it in the first place; still, hearing it out of her mouth made him brighten up all the same.

"Now it's my turn-- And no, this isn't your second promise," Johan gave Kay a flash of a grin, before turning to where Byrne was standing - or floating, maybe, he supposed with this kind of spirit it could go either way - to... well, he couldn't look him in the eye, sadly, but he did something of an attempt to towards the air before turning back to Kay.

"I promise to always be there for you," Johan's grin becoming mischievous, he added: "Even if you don't want me there. I promise to be there and not doubt you for a second, even if everyone else in the world does... which they won't, because you've got some great friends who feel exactly the same way that I do." His grin going back to the smile he'd had a few moments before, he moved just a bit closer and finish. "I promise to be the best partner I can be."

[yattagarasu]

Had Kay been any more aware of things beyond her father's death anniversary and her present company, she might have thought that Johan having a "turn" made this feel more like the exchanging of vows then a promise made. But sadly, she didn't even consider this, watching her friend with attentive green eyes and a solemn expression-- made difficult with all of the grinning he was doing, but somehow she managed.

The weight of what he was promising hadn't eluded her. What he was promising... was what the original Yatagarasu had needed in order to keep from collapsing. Complete and utter support. Unwavering trust. What made partners different from friends was that, with friends, there weren't too many opportunities where you had to trust them with everything. There wasn't much working together-- not in that sense, anyway. But with what Johan was saying, he'd already been there. He'd never doubted her, even when she had doubted herself. And as far as she was concerned...

It was Kay's turn to smile warmly, even as she ducked her head in an uncharacteristically sheepish gesture. I'm in good hands, Dad.

"You're keeping good on it already," she assured him.