027 [Video]

[soggypastry]

[Hi, Johto. Hope you don't mind whatever you're doing around noon getting interuppted, because it's going to, by a woman with pink hair. Some of you may recognize her and the boy writing on paper behind her, others may not. It doesn't matter, either way. You'll know them soon enough; some of you better than others. It's hard to make out what Ven's writing, but the papers beside him are covered in Lightning's handwriting. What can be seen of them seems to be some kind of list, though it doesn't say for what it's meant for. No, that would be too easy. Especially since she's going to explain.]

We've got enough to start with. Anyone who's doing something about Team Rocket, get to Goldenrod by next Saturday.

[Or perhaps not explain. Because with that said, she moves to end the feed before something Ven is writing gets her attention and she frowns a bit deeper than normal.]
That's just asking for trouble, Ven.

[He glances up at her when she says that, but she cuts the feed before anything can be said. Sorry, people. No secrets for you guys yet.]

[ooc: for those of you involved in the Anti-Team Rocket Squads, consider this the start of things. :3 For those of you who need CR, feel free to comment and consider yourselves ICly included. Also, Ven may be tagging into threads. Mingle at your discretion~]

Comments

[Video]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning doesn't answer right away; who'd she lose? Who hasn't she lost yet? Family's all but gone and they haven't come back, but...]

Rise. She was...really important to me.

[Everyone lost someone. They both know that. And yet...it still hurts worse than Lightning expected it to.]

[Video]

[foolishwren]

_{[Heather's expression probably says it all. It's not that the answer of 'Rise' is surprising. After all, Rise probably knew more people in Johto than everybody else combined. But it's still a bit of a pang in the chest to hear the name.]}

... I think she was important to a lot of us.

_{[Her voice is quiet, and contains a mostly-suppressed but still audible quiver.]}

[Video]

[soggypastry]

[Heather's expression says nearly everything, including things Lightning has been unwilling to say because she thinks if she doesn't, Rise will come back. It's hard, not to cling to those tiny little hopes.]

I think she was important to almost everyone here. I don't know anyone who didn't at least recognize her name.

[Well, other than the new arrivals, anyway.]

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Yeah.

... She was one of the first friends I made here. If not the first...

[Video]

[soggypastry]

[A nod from Lightning. Rise was the same to her, only she became Lightning's sister after a time and now...now it's really just her.]

It was hard, not to be drawn to her as a friend. She was just...

[Amazing? Friendly? Kind? Sweet? All of the above, and too many things for Lightning to name.]

[Video]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Yes, all that indeed.]

[Heather had considered her a sister, too.]

[... But she'd never really admitted it. Not to the full extent. She'd been a little too worried about coming off as creepy, and not to mention a little too hung up on the last person she had once considered a sister... so the one time it had even come up, she'd floundered even as Rise said it was okay.]

[You bet she regrets floundering now.]</sub>

... probably one of the best people I've ever known.

And a hell of a lot more mature than I ever was at her age. ... Or am now, come to think of it.