awesmazings | Voicemail

Can I ... if you're here, can I come over for a while? I don't want to be here.

_{[She asks in an almost apologetic way, but she does ask. There's almost a sense of claustrophobia right then about the prospect of staying in that hotel room when it's too empty. And too full. The pokémon are still keeping quiet, but their eyes are on her, and she doesn't want to look at how many there are.]}

Of course you can. When I'm in town here, I usually stay at the circus tent. We've got a place for performers in the back, and there are some cots back there. It's not quite like a hotel room, but it's got a lot more space and you can stay for as long as you'd like without worrying about paying or anything.

[He brings an arm gently around Molly as he talks, pulling her closer to his side.]

I wanna stay in town for a little while anyway. I missed the gym badge, here. So...you can stay with me while I'm here.

_{[She feels relieved in a way he might very well notice, from how she relaxes before she leans into him, hugs him tightly around his stomach, almost hiding her face in his side.]}

Thanks.

_{[Muted, but grateful.]}

I hope you never disappear.

...I hope I don't too, Molly.

[He hugs her back, resting his cheek against the top of her head.]

I'm gonna try real hard not to.

_{[She hugs him tightly for another few moments before she pulls away and looks around the room. Again, she quickly wipes at her eyes, and tucks her hair back from her face.]}

Can we go now?

I just ... need to recall everyone and pack but it won't take long. Can you stay here until we go?

We can! I won't go anywhere. It's raining right now anyway, so maybe it'll have stopped by the time you're all packed.

Oh.

_{[She looks out the window - hadn't really noticed. Aria chirps next to her and Molly picks her up and gives her a kiss, but afer that, she moves away from the bed to start picking things up.]

[She's quiet, and she keeps glancing at Jimmy to make sure he hasn't vanished, but she makes quick work if it. She picks up Shaun's sketchbook when she finds it and hangs onto that, and a few other of his smaller items, and recalls the pokémon and all. She has a moment where she can't find her maps and is a little stressed about that, but once they're found and tucked securely into her backpack, she pulls on her own jacket and stands in front of Jimmy with an almost nervous expression.]}

Can we go now?

_{[Just asked again. To be sure.]}

[Jimmy nods, looking out the window himself. It's still drizzling, but a few raindrops wouldn't kill them or anything. He gives Leader a quick rub behind the ears before offering Molly his hand as he stands up.]

Sure we can. C'mon, let's go.

_{[She gratefully latches onto his hand and holds it tightly as they go. She let Aria stay out, and she's nestled in close to Molly's cheek, claws gently dug into her jacket.]

[For the most part, again, Molly stays silent. But just keeps hold of Jimmy and her backpack once she's deposited some of the pokémon in the computer and they're out in the rain.]}

[It isn't usual that Jimmy will just walk in silence when he's with someone, but he knows that Molly probably isn't up for much idle chatter at the moment. Not that he minds too much. Right now she needs him, and he's just glad it so happened that he was back home to be there for her.

He doesn't speak up again until they've almost made it back to the tent, in which he looks down at her with a light squeeze of her hand.]

Yaknow, if you want...you can come watch when I challenge Whitney to a battle in a couple days.

_{[It isn't usual for Molly either, and Jimmy likely knows this better than anyone else; she's happy to talk and laugh and tease and is swift to bring up topics and questions to keep the conversation going.]

[But she's upset. She's trying to process the loss, and her fear, and her homesickness and the vulnerability she feels without her ability and without any way of knowing what might happen to the people she cares about.]

[He's right that he needs her, and the company is more important than the words right now, but she still looks up at him in an almost grateful way that he found a way to break the silence. Cause anything she's thinking about at the moment is pretty bad.]}

Okay.

_{[Her eyes are a little shiny, but she still takes on a familiar interest.]}

She's ... the one with the normal types, right?

That's right. She has a Pokemon called Miltank, which is basically a cow...and it's apparently the strongest Pokemon she's got. Miltank is the reason most people have a hard time getting past Whitney. Isn't that funny to think about?

Yeah, a little.

_{[She honestly doesn't see the joke that much, but she still tries, cause Jimmy's trying to cheer her up, and she appreciates that.]}

I think that's pretty cool though. That there are so many pokémon and they're all good at things.

Oh, it really is! There are a lot of Pokemon out there that you wouldn't think would be as strong as others...but they all got their own strengths and weaknesses. No one is better than the other.

Yeah. Cause they all use their powers differently, too.

Exactly! You really get an idea of that when you battle, sure, but I think you don't see it any place better than the circus. Pokemon gotta use their talents in different ways, here.

[He says that as they make it to the tent, stepping to the side to let her go in first. It's just as big as it always was, but thankfully it's not quite so hustling and bustling today. Most of the Pokemon are likely meeting with the Ringleader.]

_{[She steps in and Aria shakes her feathers to get rid of some of the raindrops that hit her. Molly's still pretty wowed at the size of the tent, but she's glad it's not as loud as it was last time she was here.]

[Staying close to Jimmy, she just kind of waits for him to guide her and doesn't pay much attention to the pokémon around them or any other people, not right now.]}

And people, too. Cause you gotta work together. Right?

Mhm, that's right. We've got people from pretty much all sorts of places here.

[Jimmy leads Molly carefully through the ring to the back he had mentioned before, waving at his Goodra and Breloom as they pass them by.]

How many are you, anyway?

_{[She waves at the pokémon when he does, since she recognises them, but she grabs a hold of his hand again and stays close as she follows.]}

Well, there's Joker, Me, Envy, Lust, Ralph, Ilya, Mr. Crocker, Gundam, and Snake! I know there are other people who like to donate and stuff, but those are the people who actually perform.

Oh, my friend Tobias should be a part of the show soon, too! He's been trying to get an act with his bird Pokemon put together.

_{[There's a nod. She recognises a few of those names but she doesn't really think to elaborate on that fact.]}

You should tell me when you have a show next time. So I can watch.

I will! I'm hoping we might have one this month or the next, actually, since we came back home. Joker must want to start getting ready for our next show.

[Jimmy slows once they reach the rooms for performers, making his way over to his designated space.]

Here, I'll pull out another cot for you so you won't have to use a sleeping bag or something.

_{[She lets him go and carefully sets her backpack down on the floor, setting Aria down on top of it.]}

I can help.

_{[She'd like to, really.]}

[Jimmy shrugs his own bag from his shoulders onto his cot, nodding as he points to one of the folded up ones by the wall.]

Help me unfold this then, 'kay? Just grab the other end and pull-

[He grunts as he drags it around, stepping past Leader as he gets a grip on the top edge.]

_{[Coming up to him and grabbing the other edge, she nods at Jimmy when she has a good grip, and then decides they should count it down. So she just does.]}

Okay, one, two, three.

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