63rd Transformation [text | action for Shark House]

[exeggutorhead]

When Envy wakes up early Saturday morning, it's to an empty bed.

It isn't an unusual thing; France has work most mornings, or gets up first to cook breakfast. There are plenty of places he could be. Except Envy doesn't remember France getting out of the bed to begin with, which even these days usually wakes him up at least a little. With a barbed feeling of unease tugging at his gut, he decides that it's nothing. He'll just go downstairs and find France and feel stupid for worrying.

France isn't anywhere in the house. Or the yard. Or in sight on the street.

Nobody else is awake yet to ask. It's half an hour of turning the 'Gear over and over in his hands before Envy finally hits Send on the short text that he'd deleted and re-typed five times.

Error: This number is not registered.

Must have dialed wrong.

Error: This number is not registered.

Ha, he can't believe his fingers are so clumsy this morning. He must be really tired. There's a roaring in his ears.

Error: This number is not registered.

---

Envy doesn't entirely remember walking out of the city and onto the route south of Goldenrod, and heading into the woods that run alongside it. He's still holding his 'Gear in one hand, and he must have grabbed his bag on the way out of the house because its weight is digging into his shoulder. Vaguely, he remembers that these were the same woods he'd gone to after Nanao had vanished the first time, years ago. France had come to get him that time. Stopped him from trying to break a tree down with his fists and talked to him and calmed him down. France was always the one to come find him when people vanished.

When was the last time Envy'd said he loved him? He suddenly can't remember, it never was very often. France had said it yesterday.

Something in him finally snaps underneath the numb disbelief, and he swings the bag as hard as he can at the closest tree. It makes a satisfying sound as it slams against the bark and the fabric tears. So he keeps at it until the strap breaks and the bag falls to the ground, spilling cracked-open Potion bottles and bright packages of trail mix all over the dirt. Satisfying, but not nearly enough because the moment he stops everything comes rushing back.

The rest of the house would be awake by now. He could call them, tell them where he is. But as soon as he thinks it, he realizes that he's not going to.

This time, Envy doesn't want to be found.

--

[It's just after dawn on Tuesday morning when Envy finally creeps back to the house. He doesn't want to be alone anymore. He probably would have come back the night before...but he's still self-aware enough to know that he doesn't really want anyone to see him like this. Right now, he looks like HELL. Just about like what you'd expect someone who just spent several days in the woods during a rainstorm, barely sleeping and having violent fits against nature.]

[If nobody catches him on his way in, he's going straight to get cleaned up. He's not okay, not by a long shot, but even in this state he can only stand being covered in mud for so long.]

[Later on in the morning, he sends out a text to the network.]

France is gone, for whoever knew him. If anyone got a Pokemon from him, tell me.

Comments

[Action]

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[Henry swallows and then he nods. He moves out of Envy's way to let him pass. What to do? What was he supposed to DO? He had to stop staring at Envy.]

[Did he faceplant in some moss?]</sub>

I'll make some coffee?

[Action]

[exeggutorhead]

[ACTUALLY...that was a pretty good thing to do. Envy actually perks up slightly at the mention of coffee, even if it's more an automatic reaction after spending three days out in the rain.]

[The staring is still making him feel awkward, but Envy will always prefer an offer of food or a hot drink to more overt gestures of comfort.]

Yeah, okay. Meet you in the kitchen.

[He manages a ghost of one of his smirks and starts scooting past to head upstairs.]

[no_ufo_ending]

<sub>[And so it would come to pass that Envy would find Henry in the kitchen with a couple of cups of coffee. He doesn't know how Envy takes his and honestly the 'building your perfect cup' bit is pretty calming so the mug he holds out for his friend is plain.]

[No murmur, no little side comment. Henry is in clam mode, but the tiny, 'i will listen to literally anything' smile is still in place.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[When Envy comes back into the kitchen, he's looking much better. He's in clean clothes and the mud is gone, as is the scruffy green beard. His hair is still damp, but now it's because it's been washed and not from the rain.]

[The uncharacteristic drained, sad look hasn't gone away, but he doesn't look like such a terrible mess anymore.]

[He takes the mug, grateful, and takes it over to the counter to start fixing it up how he wants it. Which would be lots of creamer and sugar.]

Thanks.

I thought I'd be able to sneak in without anybody noticing. Should've known better in this house, right?

[But he's still glad that Henry's here. He doesn't want to be alone anymore.]

[no_ufo_ending]

_{[Henry makes a weird face at that, his meeting with Scar flashing through his mind. He shakes himself and returns to his default, slightly blank smile.]}

Yeah. We were all pretty worried. I'm glad you're alright.

_{[As alright as he can be.]}

[exeggutorhead]

[That face makes Envy wonder...but he's in no mood to pursue it right now, even if he ordinarily would.]

[He ducks his head, the dull, tired expression becoming an almost embarrassed one.]

Sorry.

Nobody would've wanted to see that anyway.

[With his coffee all doctored up, he takes a sip and then immediately a longer one, his shoulders relaxing...and then hunching again.]

Hell if I know what I'm gonna do now, though.

[no_ufo_ending]

_{[Henry makes a soft, concerned noise. He has no idea what to tell his friend. He's had a few breakups during highschool and college but none of them involved somebody being yanked into another dimension.]}

Did...you talk about it before?

[exeggutorhead]

Not a lot. We...mostly just avoided it and hoped it wouldn't happen.

[He grips his mug tighter, knuckles going white.]

Back in my world, I'd been in the middle of going to another one, the one where he's from. I thought that if I could remember, I'd wait it out until the right year and go find him.

But I can't. I'm not going to live more than a few years, there. Someone from the future told me.

[no_ufo_ending]

Going to another world...?

_{[As close as he's grown to Envy, he's well aware of how little he actually knows about him. But what he says next makes Henry's stomach seize up. No. That couldn't be true.]}

Envy...

[exeggutorhead]

Mhm. There's a place called the Gate, and it leads to another world if you can get through. I did.

It just doesn't matter.

[But then he looks up and notices the look on Henry's face, and winces. He hadn't meant to upset Henry about that; it's easy sometimes to forget just how much he hasn't told his friend. He adds hurriedly:]

I won't here, I'm not sick or anything. And I've been alive a long time.

[no_ufo_ending]

_{[He knows deep down MANY of his friends aren't going back to good places...and how much it hurt to imagine someone going back. And not even having good memories of the Pokemon world to keep them company.]}

I know, just...I'm sorry.