notvaljean | Victory Road Inbox

[Oh Jean, you don't even know how right you are. Not that Armin will tell him. Jean needs to feel the betrayal first hand.

There is an odd moment of nervousness when Jean's number flashes across his screen, but Armin shoves it down and picks up. Jean is his friend. One of his best friends. There is no need to be nervous.

Especially not when Jean immediately launches into talking about the book he sent. It erases every last bit of trepidation Armin had felt. They are-- they must be fine. Whatever is going on with Jean, their friendship must be okay after all.]

You don't really get much of a choice when the king commands you to.

Ah, before I say anything else, how far in are you?

[No accidental spoilers for Jean! He'll go into this ignorant like a sweet summer child.]

Edited 2018-03-12 18:03 (UTC)

Hey, good point. Just figured it'd be best to ask, anyway. Thank you, Jean. If you ever want to talk to her yourself, her name is Newt.

Hey, head's up. I think I'm going to be heading back out on the road in a day or so. Want me to swing by? Bring you anything?

[There are a number of traditions in the normal, non-murderous world that Angel was slowly growing used to. It helped that some were familiar, roses by other, less graphic names, but it wasn't the case for all of them.

White Day was one of those. Under normal circumstances, she might have ignored them entirely. She'd gotten a few gifts from friends, but they'd been reciprocated immediately. It was only when she took the time to be sure she'd sent something to everyone, just in case, that she realized there was a problem.

In truth, she didn't know what to send to Jean. She didn't even know what to say to him. But she'd left so many things, so many people hanging over the past few months. It felt wrong to keep doing that, just because she was too cowardly to respond.

Which was why Bailey would come upon him one morning, a small basket clutched in her talons. Inside were a number of cupcakes, each one decorated like an electrode.

And of course, there was a note.]

Few people in this world have meant so much to me as you have. I can say with utmost confidence that you are one of my best friends. No one could ever replace you, nor make me as happy as you do. You are good enough for me, and you have given me more than I ever needed.

Above all, I would not be happy without you. I have not been happy without you.

I do love you, Jean Kirschtein. But I do not believe that I am in love with you. It would be... inappropriate for me to feel that way, certainly, but it is more than that too. While I cannot fathom a future without you, it is more in the way a sister sees a younger brother. 

There is someone out there who is just like you -- bright, silly and ready explore the world. That person will love you the way you need to be loved, and will give you the world. 

And I am so excited to meet them. 

So do not give up, and while I cannot ask you to not be upset over the contents of this letter, please do not let it hold you back for too long. You have a wonderful future ahead of you, Jean. 

With Love, 
Angel

P.S.: I hope that the closing of this note does not come off as insensitive.

P.P.S.: Happy late Kirschtein's day ;)

that little girl who's been on the network?

we can get her more than a Gastly!
I'll talk to Bertolt, see if he has any Growlithes right now
and maybe a Spheal?

yeah, could you bring me some of my shirts?
the Sevii island ones
let Blue pick out which ones

I got motor oil on the only one I brought with me

The king is a dick.

[Not really; Jean doesn't mind the king, although he has strong reservations about his wife. But he doesn't like the idea of the Starks going south. That seems extremely ill-advised.]

[And yeah, there's a lot going on with him right now, a lot of complicated and stupidly dramatic things, but he doesn't want to talk about any of them. He especially doesn't want to talk about friendship, so he figures talking about books is the safer choice. It also doesn't hurt that this particular book is damn good.]

They just left the North and are on the King's Road south. I don't trust these Lannisters, Armin. I don't trust them at all.

[Jean isn't familiar with White Day either, so the sudden arrival of Bailey catches him by surprise. He takes her basket and gives her a treat right away, letting her rest and recuperate, but he's also a little cowardly, and doesn't actually open the basket or read the note until she's all rested up and flown on her way. He takes the basket to a far corner of the dump, and reads it accompanied only by Blitz and Fat Ice Dog.]

[It is both the sweetest and most devastating thing he's ever read, and while Jean will never admit it, he allows himself the luxury of a few tears and some fierce hugging to his Pokemon. She doesn't say anything he didn't already suspect, but having it actually laid out and the illusion destroyed is eviscerating, and he's glad he's in the dump and not on Sevii. On Sevii he'd have to answer questions; in the dump, no one cares.]

[Jean doesn't notice when McGucket feeds him extra beans that night and is extra patient when Jean keeps screwing up his ukulele chords.]

[It's another few days before Jean writes Angel back; the news needs time to simmer, to tamp down, to stop being so vicious and biting. It's only after it's faded to a dull ache that Jean manages to write anything back.]

[On the seventeenth, Angel will get a small package delivered by a delivery Pidgey. In the package there's a small metal rose, soldered together with various metal scraps Jean found around the dump. There's also a note.]

You're not telling me anything I didn't already know. I guess I thought that if I believed it hard enough, it would come true. But real life doesn't work that way, does it? I can't change the way you feel, and I'd be a pretty shitty person if I tried.

I love you too, Angel. You've been an amazing friend to me, and I'm really glad I got to meet you. My life is less beautiful and vibrant without you in it, and I want things to go back to the way they were before. Before I screwed it up and made everything weird. Can we do that? Can we go back to being best friends who love each other again?

Love, but only in a best friend kind of way,
Jean

P.S. It's not insensitive.
P.P.S. That sounds like a bullshit holiday you just made up! ;)))

[Being a teenager is tough and hellish and emotional. Why can't they just skip this whole stage?

Armin makes a soft, agreeing sound.]

I understand what you mean. [He's keeping his voice neutral, trying not to let what he knows of the rest of the book colour his words. He really wants Jean to see it all for himself.] I don't trust them much either. Except for Tyrion. He seems pretty unlike the rest of his family.

Yeah, that's her. I think she might have a Growlithe already. She had some kind of dog. Who doesn't like Spheals?

Sure thing. I think he found some new ones to throw at you. He's missed you.

did he?
what a good Pokemon

I've missed him too

only crazy people, that's who
you should DEFINITELY get her a Spheal

[It would be easier if they could just go into a cocoon and emerge on the other side fully formed men.]

Yeah, Tyrion is okay. But that's because his dad treats him like shit.

[Because he's shiny? It's unclear if Tyrion is shiny or just oddly colored. Either way, his dad treats him like shit.]

I don't like Catelyn Stark either.

He did. After he was un-grounded. We'll be sure to swing by.

Well. I guess that's two things to work on. Gastly and a Spheal.

I think she is interesting. The things she does... they aren't always the right things, but I can understand her reasoning.

She's making decisions that are alienating potential allies for her pride. She shouldn't be so bitchy to Jon Snow or Theon Greyjoy. They're not Starks, but that doesn't mean they won't fight FOR the Starks in the future.

do I even want to know what he did to get grounded?

do you think she'd want a pink Spheal?
I have a shiny one now, but he's a boy so he can't breed with Fat Ice Dog
but maybe we could see if Europa likes him and get a shiny one?

Like I said, I don't think she is doing the right thing exactly, but I understand why she made those decisions. It's not Jon's fault, but having to raise your husband's bastard son cannot be easy. He'd be a constant reminder that her husband was unfait--

[Armin's words cut off with a sudden yelp, and there is an odd noise as if something is impacting the gear. And also yowling. Very affronted yowling.]

Ah, hey, Sly. Don't--

Let the Arons into my room so he could film the disaster.

No clue. I just know she asked if we could hatch the eggs before giving them to her -- not sure why but. Not a big deal. ... You might have to convince Kerberos to leave her alone. I think he's getting cozy with her.

That's kind of you, to consider moving your entire Voltorb sanctuary even temporarily on my account. I wish I could have done more work toward rehabilitating the one you gave to me, but in retrospect this does explain why we never hit it off.

Though from what I hear he's enjoying his new home immensely. The Biker I traded him to gives me updates occasionally.

they learned that from Kuro, you know
they saw him doing it and wanted to imitate the big one

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