#askarocketgardevoir

It’s okay Heinrich, don’t worry about him.  I don’t want you getting into any trouble by trying something because of what he said.  You still have to lay low, right?

Once you’re more free to be moving around, though, you can definitely come and visit again (you made a great impression at New Year’s)

The only two things in the inbox, and they happen to be these.

HMMMMM...

(also Heinrich if you see this don't you ever do that to me again I was worried to death you jerk)

He had assumed it had just been missions or whatever it was that the Team Rocket 'mon had to do for his job.  He'd just assumed that had been the reason he hadn't seen Heinrich for so long.  But when he had logged on this morning, Brace noticed a small video file on Heinrich's blog.  For a brief and shining moment, any worry Brace had felt about the dangerous qualities of Heinrich's job had vanished, he was okay and nothing had gone wrong and he wasn't lying somewhere injured to hell and back like that one time with the Pawniards!  And then Brace had watched the video.  And that brief shining moment vanished and was replaced by a deep and horrible pit in his stomach.

He'd stood from the desk so fast that he'd knocked the chair over and very nearly the computer and desk as well.  The few other household members that were there had been startled into looking up, but he didn't care.  With an almost violent twirl of his skirt, Brace had turned and all but marched out of the room and out of the house as a whole.

Brace was almost all the way to Ecruteak City before Raze caught up with him.

"What are you doing?!" Raze yelled, running as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.  Brace didn't stop, his face set in a determined grimace.

"I'm going to see if I can help Heinrich."  It was a simple plan.  Simple and concise.  And all that was going on in Brace's mind at the moment.

"Are you insane?!" Raze yelled again, puffing a bit from keeping up with a Pokemon more than 5 times his height.  Finally he caught a hold onto a section of Brace's skirt and scurried up to his friend's shoulder with practiced ease.

"I said.  Are.  You.  INSANE?!" the little Grass-type repeated angrily.  "What exactly is your plan here?  Beyond 'save Heinrich'?"  Brace hesitated in his march, a half-missed step that did not go un-noticed by Raze.

"What do you care?" Brace retorted, a slight growl to his voice.  "You've never liked Heinrich.  You'll probably be glad to be rid of him."  Raze rolled his eyes and huffed out a small frustrated sigh.

"Of course I don't like him!" Raze replied.  "Because we've been friends for so long that when he came along it felt like he was an intruder on all that, and one from Team Rocket of all things!  You're my best friend.  But he...I dunno...makes you happy, so I stood by and let you two be more or less.  Me hating...it's everything to do with trying to make sure you're safe, you're not hurt, by him or anyone or anything else."  By now Brace's borderline frantic march had slowed and slowed and slowed until he was just standing still, almost frozen in the middle of the road into Ecruteak City.

"But here is where I draw the line, Brace," Raze continued.  "You have no plan.  You don't know where you're going, you don't know what's waiting for you there.  Heck, it's a Team Rocket base on full lockdown!  They probably have guards and security systems and all sorts of things designed just to keep them in and us out."  Brace had started shivering a little.

"I know..." the Shiny Gardevoir mumbled under his breath, clenching his fists.  "But being stuck out here...I feel helpless.  It's...it's really frustrating."  A few angry tears trailed their way down his cheek.

"Come on, Brace," Raze said quietly, brushing the tears off with one rose.  "We can go back to the house and actually plan something out.  If we really have to go save the guy, we can do it as a group.  Together.  Like always."  Brace nodded.

The walk back to the house was heavy and quiet.  When they arrived again, Raze jumped to the ground from Brace's shoulder and began doling out orders to the others: find some traveling packs; make a list of all the supplies they could likely need; find what they already have and go immediately out to Goldenrod to buy what they didn't have; etc.; etc.

Brace moved haltingly through the sudden bustle of the household and sat silently at the desk once more, staring at the screen of the computer where the words were still prominently displayed amongst static: -Transmission Lost-

Okay, so I...don't hang around the community as much as I used to so I have little idea who is still there and who is interacting with who and what's all going on.  So I'm going to sort of cop out on this one.

((Aaaaaaah!  Okay, okay.

So Katsucon is this weekend.

So I won't be here for 3 days (I may pop in occasionally to answer questions with text, but likely no pictures).

And I also have a sudden load of schoolwork to do before I head out to Katsucon tomorrow, so there goes all of my free time that I was going to spend drawing an answer to the Valentine's thing me and askarocketgardevoir are doing.

No, I haven't forgotten, I'm just really busy!  I'm sorry!

Aaaaaaaah!

Uh...

Heinrich?  You got a spare uniform or something I can try on?

Sheesh, you two.  I'm beginning to think that the two of you are the ones with crushes on each other...