[Video]

[20faces]

That was a really mean prank...

[The admonishment comes from a very pale boy, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and over his head like a cocoon. He looks sick, and most longer term residents will recognise the cause as the Halloween goodie bag of berries still sitting in his lap.]

What if one of my Pokemon got poisoned? I know playing tricks on people is a tradition at Halloween, but that's just going too far.

[He shivers, drawing the blanket around himself a little tighter.]

I think I even started hallucinating. Everyone suddenly had magical powers...

Comments

[video]

[soggypastry]

You could, but it probably wouldn't work. [sigh.] People have been trying to get back for as long as I can remember. Wishing and hoping doesn't seem to do much good.

[video]

[20faces]

I guess it's true that wishing alone won't achieve anything, but I'm not sure what else I can do. I don't think it's wrong to be hopeful.

Have you been away from home for a long time, miss?

[video]

[soggypastry]

[Living without hope is just a way to die. She still remembers saying that, but after all this time...she sighs a bit.]

Three years. That's how long I've been here without ever leaving. [Minus one week of sleep and then this, but still.] Others have been here longer than that. That's how I know being hopeful about going home doesn't work.

[video]

[20faces]

[She's actually the second person to tell him that they'd stayed for three years. It's an alarming trend.]

I'm sorry. I miss all my friends already, I can't even imagine never seeing them again for three years. It must be really hard.

[Not to twist the knife there or anything.]

[video]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning shakes her head. Must really be hard? That's an understatement if there ever was one.]

Stay here long enough and you get used to it. [A short pause, then:] People come and go from this place. Your friends might show up eventually.

[How long they'll stay...well. She doesn't know that.]

[video]

[20faces]

You know, I think they might even like it here. Utako-san has always wanted a pet.

Your friends might show up, too!

[video]

[soggypastry]

[A shrug. If this kids friends show up, they show up. If not...well. Life goes on. Even if it sucks.]

Maybe. [Maybe they already did. Maybe they already left so many times she can't keep count anymore. There's a lot she's leaving unsaid--it's too personal to say now.] There's not much we can do about it but wait to see who this world brings, if it decides to bring anybody else here.