lieutenantantichrist | [25] [Video/Action for Goldenrod] - "You Leave Philly and Bad Shit Happens"

[VIDEO]

[The flag behind Blake is scorched and askew from where one of his firehorses brushed too close to it. His eyes are dark-rimmed, and have a hint of a wild sheen. No fancy-ass combed hair this time. His beard is dark and thick.]

I tried playing nice.

[There's a bat-like squeak from somewhere offscreen. Yusuke's going away present. He doesn't seem to hear it.]

More people are vanishing off the face of the earth. The wolfkid disappeared the old-fashioned way. No trace of any of them.

[Suddenly, he slams his fist on his desk.]

That's enough!

[He jabs his finger at the screen.]

As of now, I am declaring martial law. You hear me?! Nobody leaves without my permission!

[A violent gesture knocks over a glass in front of him.]

We're on lockdown!

[The video cuts out.]

[ACTION]

[Blake is in his headquarters, prowling back and forth. He can't seem to stay still, and his Pokemon have caught his restlessness. His arcanine is sniffing the air, Steve is pacing and standing on her toes to peer out the windows, his Kingler is scuttling around the old bowling lanes with its legs clack-clacking on the wood floor. There a squeaking and rustle of wings every once in a while as the last damn Zubat out of reach flaps over to a new corner. The only one that seems at rest is a Beautifly perched on top of a bank of lockers.

Blake's tread is hard and heavy. Every once in a while he hisses under his breath,] Bastards.

[[OOC: THE TIME IS NOW. If anybody's looking to ~~have fun punching an idiot in the head~~ make history by overthrowing Blake's ~~delusion~~ government, now's the opportunity.]]

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[She can't help but flinch at that. She takes a deep breath before trying a more serious approach.]

But this world tears us away from our own. Why can't it go the other way? I know it's not nice! I know Crocker never wanted to go back home! He told me so himself! And the world threw him away anyways. If people wanted to leave willingly, and they knew how, why aren't they telling the rest of us?

Edited 2015-09-23 01:31 (UTC)

[Blake shoves away the little vestigial part of him that's guilty at scaring a girl.]

That's exactly what I wanna know. Something's going on here, and I'm going to get answers. [He's talking faster than he's thinking.] For all we know, everybody wanted to leave home in the first place.

[Now that really upsets her.]

I didn't want to leave home! I wanted to stay there! I was back to being an idol, my Senpai was coming home, and I had all my friends with me... I never asked to come here... I was happy back home...

[He's caught a lead. He leans in toward the screen and presses her.]

Everything was perfect? There wasn't anything you wanted to get away from, or anything you didn't want to have to deal with?

To me it was perfect... I didn't want to run away from who I was anymore. I have real friends, a home to go back to when I needed a break from work, my fans... Why would I want to leave all that? I miss everyone from home...

Work? Fans? [It may not be important, it may have nothing to do with anything, but it's something for the restless jaws in his head to bite down on.] You're talking like you're some kind of celebrity.

I am back where I'm from. I'm a idol. Or a pop star to Americans. Though I don't just sing and dance. I act, too. [Among other things.]

Right, so you're Miley Cyrus.

That kind of job is a lot for a teenage girl to deal with.

Who's Miley Cyrus?

It is? But I love being an idol! I've got security whenever I go anywhere, except home of course because of my friend's uncle being a cop.

[He gestures impatiently.] Some pop star. Her dad was a country singer and now she's all screwed up like child stars always get.

So you're always surrounded by guards. That's a hell of a way to grow up.

I bet you had some times you wanted to sneak out. Be on your own for a while.

Sounds like something from America.

[She laughs a little nervously at that.] As long as I'm disguise, it's not that hard to slip out? I don't really worry about that when I'm around my friends in the town I was in.

Yeah. Do any other places even have country singers? [Getting off track here.

That hint brings his focus back in spades.] So when you wanted to, you could get out of town. Hell, you got right off the planet.

What if you wanted to get back?

I don't think so...

[She huffs.]

Of course I still want to go home, but even if I found a way, I'd want to make sure everything's settled here! I won't just leave without saying goodbye to everyone if I knew I was leaving.

[Blake mulls that over.] That's not how it happens. Nobody ever says goodbye-

[He cuts off and his eyebrows jump.] Except- shit, once. I got a letter.

[It's risky to talk about. It's connected with a lot of complicated things that are deeply secret, even now that they're so long ago it doesn't quite feel real. But it fell out of his mouth, and hell, it's a teenage girl. She can't be that dangerous.]

A letter? They must have written hat ahead of time... That sounds like a good idea, actually. Writing a letter to each of my friends...

[Except what would she put in those letters.] Was it someone important to you that wrote it?

[His eyes sharpen.] Hey. I said no vanishing.

[Might as well say it. The way he falls silent is as good as a yes, anyway. It's not something he really talks about, for a lot of reasons, including the main one that a grown man isn't supposed to have something as weak and childish as feelings.

What's safer than a teenage girl? It's not like she'll care.]

Yeah. A good friend.

[He takes in a long, deep breath, and exhales. He's in a bad enough state to pour his heart out in a nearly unforgivable display of emotion:]

I miss him.

[This can be taken one of two ways. Rise is just going to assume the latter, which is just strictly friends. Just close friends.]

I miss my friends, too. It's okay to miss someone.

[Of course. What else could it be? Gotta be friends.]

Sure it is, if you're a teenage girl.

[That comes out more assholish than he means it to. After a second, he amends,]

What I mean is, I should be used to it.

[She can't get mad at that. Old men opening up about things is a good thing in movies, so it's a good thing here.]

I keep asking people about that, but no one can gets used to something like that.

[Just don't give him a sappy soundtrack.]

It happens in the real world too. People move, or get transferred, or drop dead from heart attacks.

You just usually know where they've gone. And you know why.

That's true... but you still wonder why. Why a heart attack, why move.

[She lets out a frustrated sigh.]

All this deep thinking is giving me a headache.

[25] [Video/Action for Goldenrod] - "You Leave Philly and Bad Shit Happens"

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