ღ 4 | Will the rain ever stop? [Video for all / Action for Goldenrod]

[usedwrench]

[Winry is not her usual cheerful self today on this video, in fact she’s far from it and looks like she’s about to cry... Well, she’s not going to cry, no worries. It’s still her saddest face, just without crying her eyes out. She’s not paying attention to the screen today. She just … can’t. So instead she’s writing stuff into a notebook somewhere in Goldenrod, while Audino and Altaria look sad and worried near her.]

You’d think that they would stay in a world, where no one even knows how to get out... [Sigh.] But I guess keeping them in one place is impossible. Geez, I should be used to this, right? [Wait, let her think what to say here.] ...Well, at least they both went home, that’s how it should be.

[And it was always kind of weird to see just one of them around even at their current situation at home.]

So if anyone’s curious about Edward Elric’s or Alphonse Elric’s whereabouts, you won’t find them here. Ed and Al went home.

[...That … Was almost too difficult to say, it’s even more difficult to let the thought sink in.]

I’m sure they’ll come back here sooner or later... They always do that -- [even at home, she might add.]

Maybe I’ll get the HM for FLY before they appear here again. I know breeders could just borrow them from everyone else, but I guess I want to be independent by gett--

[...Hello, everyone. Say hi to Winry’s new Pokémon, Zorua, who jumps onto her lap, looking as mischievous as ever. Huff. Who gave the fox permission to cut the girl's words by surprising her like that?]

Oh yeah, Envy? [Winry points at the Zorua.] It hatched. It’s been -- [...UMMMMMMMM...] playful.

[Zorua laughs like a good little devil that it is and Winry ends the video there.]

[And if you are in Goldenrod, you’ll find her walking around the city, trying to think of at least something to do to keep her busy. The video missed Emolga, who is happily just flying in the air. Zorua looks playful too... Not ones for sad mood, huh? Well, that’s okay too, but the girl here looks like she could really use some cheering up - or at least, some company.]

Comments

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

[Instead of replying with the video, Shiraishi thought it would be better to meet Winry in person. He did know where she was staying, even if he wasn't there right now.

He didn't expect to run into her before reaching the inn, but this worked as well.]

Winry-san...

action;

[usedwrench]

[...Please don't tell her that you didn't see the post, because repeating it wouldn't be fun at all.]

Something between ten and fifteen, I think.

[That first word doesn't really make much sense to you in this situation, does it?]

...I guess I really should lose count of how many familiar people or looking-forward-to-talk-with-this-person-again have left since I got here.

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

I think it's around the same for me. [Even if he doesn't know any of them all too well and none have been from his world. Well, one was, but he never talked to them.] I guess it would be easier if we just stopped counting and focused on who are still here... but it's not that easy.

[Not easy at all.

He should probably think of something comforting to say, but no words really come to his mind. Instead, he'll offer her a chance for a hug.]

action;

[usedwrench]

I guess it's some changing season here, and not just with this weather and winter coming and everything else. [Shouldn't call it season when it's been going on for months...] ...Well, it's not like we have a choice, and I honestly stopped counting right after those two. I can't exactly drown myself into work to get my thoughts somewhere else either. I guess that's what I'd do at home, besides housework.

[Sorry, Shira, try harder with that hug.]

Or we could always just stay in our inn rooms and pretend that there's nothing to do here.

[...No way she could ever do that. She's too social.]

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

You could always try training. It's an easy way to block thoughts out. [Tennis and Pokémon. Both of them helped him quite a lot.

The thought of Winry actually locking herself into her room is really something Shiraishi can't imagine, but it still makes him uncomfortable. She shouldn't even have to consider it.

So he'll somehow hug her, ready to go away anytime if she doesn't want him there.] You can get through this.

action; 1/? - will be short, I guess?

[usedwrench]

Well, there's that but [a long pause, right here, and she's looking a bit uncomfortable and nervous] What if I get too into it and try to make them work beyond their limits?

[A sharp "Di!" from her Audino and it comes to hug her legs as well as it can hug her legs anyway. GIVE HER POINTS FOR TRYING, OKAY?! Winry glances down and tries to think why it does that... Oh right, Audino the hearing Pokémon.] I guess I don't have to worry about that when she's with m--

[...]

action; 2/?

[usedwrench]

[...did he just hug her? ........ is he still doing the same...?]

action; 3/5?

[usedwrench]

[She's not used to this! ...Granted, she gives impulse hugs sometimes, but ... Still not used to these! And he's a boy.

This is just flailing on the inside, btw, she's staying still on the outside, looking as surprised and confused as ever.]

4/5 action;

[usedwrench]

[...okay, reaction skills, self? zero points at the moment.]

action;

[usedwrench]

[It's a hug, and hugs are nice. So what if she doesn't get hugs often? She'd gladly take them more often.

...Not... Going anywhere from it, instead she'll hug him too! Doesn't really help with the no crying thing, but she's not going to cry anyway!]

Of course I can. There's no other options, right? Worse things happen, people get through them. They'll come back sooner or later anyway.

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

[So he wasn't doing anything bad? Good. He's not one to hug other people a lot either, but sometimes there are situations when you need to do that, right?

Though it's a bit awkward, since the only girls he's hugged are his relatives, but... he'd manage.]

Yeah. This is just one more hardship you need to overcome. Fortunately, you'll have me, your other friends and you Pokémon to help.

action;

[usedwrench]

[Yes, sometimes there are situations when you need to hug someone. She appreciates it, really, and it's not a bad thing at all. The only people she could normally hug are the not so hug-able Ed and the .... giant armor Al, but that doesn't really work outside of this world at the moment. Oh, and Elysia, but hugs to Elysia do not count because she's a girl and a child and it's just obvious that they always happen.

Hey, no awkward here! She's fast at adapting to new situations, so this should be all good!]

Yeah - I guess it shouldn't be too hard. [Because overcoming Ed & Al leaving is ... definitely something that they do very often. They wouldn't even be home right now, she just got some extra time with them, and yes, she's happy about that extra time.] True, and everyone who leave, give us even more reason to be much more social and get new friends too. Thanks.

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

[... but you're dealing with a fourteen-year-old guy. Of course he'd be awkward if he was hugging a girl.]

Mmhmm. You're not alone. That's important to remember. [Even if sometimes he feels a bit lonely, but he knows he can contact his friends, so it wasn't so bad.] And you'll make new friends easily, since you're so social.

action;

[usedwrench]

[...but the age doesn't matter when someone's not used to it?]

I will remember that. Having something like a network and ability to travel from city to city easily is not something I'm used to... [Network helps with talking to anyone at any time. That's new to her, or was new to her when she first arrived here. And distances in Amestris are kind of huge compared to this world. Though it does get a bit lonely at times if she thinks back in time too much. Shiraishi gets a smile.] And yep, that's definitely easy here. What about you?

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

[... w-well yeah.]

Having a network like this is new to me too. We have cellphones back home, but they're not useful for videos or anything. [Well, there are some social network communications, but Shiraishi didn't really use them too much.] I think I make friends semi-easily.

action;

[usedwrench]

Cell phones? [1915's kid right here!] Why just semi-easily? Well, semi-easily is great too. [Sigh.] I should almost say the same about myself after learning a good lesson about trust back home, but... [Shrug. What can an extremely social girl do about her social butterfly personality?]

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

Ah, they're devices that let you call and text others - only one person at the same time, though. You can carry them around like the gears we have here. Some phones have cameras and radios too. [Really, the only thing they might lack is the Pokédex.]

I guess I said that because while I'm social, I'm not as social as some people I know. Sometimes it takes time for me to approach others.

What happened?

action;

[usedwrench]

[...She'd almost feel bad for Roy if Hughes had one of those...]

They sound interesting. We only have very old phones and very old cameras and very old radios, all huge in size and never to be combined either... Well, phone and radio, sure but ... [Shrug.]

[Hmmm.] Well, semi-social is great too. It might be even better than my way of being supersocial.

[Should she tell? Maybe. No harm done with it, right? Not going to give him all the details, but a summary is ... a good thing, since she brought it up herself.]

Ummm. Situations where I thought that someone is a really nice man, because he was nice to me. Turned out he wasn't... And situation where relationships are used against the good people, and situation where I had to trust someone, who isn't the most trustworthy person ever, to get out of a dangerous situation. Our whole relationship is weird, because ...

[... ... uh huh. This is a (long) pause ... ummmm, weird day.]

action;

[kyoukashotennis]

I think I remember my grandparents saying how things were like that when they were young. [He's also pretty sure one of them said 'the good old times'.

He listens to the story and blinks at the long silence.]

Because...?