hashtagafreakingghost | First 👻 Story [Video/Action for New Bark]

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First 👻 Story [Video/Action for New Bark]

[VIDEO]

--on't want to, oh my--

[Hello, there, world! You know how a camera looks when two people are fighting over it? ...Or, well, one person and one blob-like candle-thing, in this case. Point is, you do now; the lens is covered in little waxy marks, leaving the girl it's now focused on- the girl who keeps trying to snatch it back from the surprisingly nimble candle- in a light haze. Through the viewpoint, at least, emotionally she appears rather annoyed and frustrated.

Probably because of that Litwick urging her to do an impromptu vlog, huh.

Ashley's kneeling on the ground, her backpack open on her lap and her Trainer's Handbook gripped firmly - open, looks about halfway done - in on hand, as the other keeps swiping at the camera.]

Please give that back to me, you little-- [The angle evens out and Ashley's eyes go wide. Deer, headlights, hello.] It's on. Isn't it? [Bobbing, up and down.] Oh.

[Well. Let's just- ...keep staring straight ahead, okay, good job. A+ kid, gold star. Stage fright?]

I, um. Uh... Is...it broadcasting...? [Dumb question. ] Okay. I...uh- I'm not- ...this isn't anywhere near Canada, is it? Because. I read the- this. [She holds up the manual, a little dismally. Her tone of voice is frazzled, a little weak and helpless.] I know, it said um...New Bark Town, Johto? B- but...I'm just trying to figure out how I...got here. B-because no one's really...been forthcoming about that.

[Maybe she should broach this question carefully-]

And I really really would like to be sure if I'm going crazy or not, because there's a- a candle filming me, and I do not have blood on me and that is not at all what I remember, and I should get back t-to the ranger station because they might still need to- ask me questions- about...

[OH OKAY WOW NEVER MIND THEN

Ashley trails off as it seems her brain catches up with her mouth and oh boy that sure is something to say uh. She pales considerably.]

I- swear that's not what it- I- haven't um- killed...anyone...or...

[Either Litwick is going in for a dramatic close-up or actually wants to see if she's alright (jury's out on which one frankly) because the view of Ashley gets ever-so-slightly bigger- and when it's close enough she reaches out in one fluid motion and snaps it up with one more quick, muttered whimper:]

Sorry, bye.

[So. That's that, then.]

[ACTION FOR NEW BARK]

[If you happen to be around New Bark, you might find Ashley just kind of kneeling on the ground, around the houses, with her Litwick bouncing impatiently next to her. It doesn't look like she's in the mood to leave, not just yet, or. Even stand, really, she hasn't had a great time, lately.

...Though at some point she has decided to get herself up off the ground, because she's really had it with being all crouched in the snow and it KEEPS HAPPENING. Really she's so exhausted after the last...what, twelve hours? Thirteen? She'd kind of lost track, with all the bustling, questioning, waiting. Last she remembers, had...she finally fallen asleep? Waiting for the others to be done, the rhythmic ceiling fan, the distant sounds of the others being interviewed, the dim awareness of Emily glaring daggers at her every few minutes, the feeling of her cheek against Chris' shoulder...

She has to walk. To do something. Litwick trails along with her, pointing toward the trail, but Ashley ignores her insistent taps and pokes. She leaves a trail of footprints, occasionally rubbing her eyes with one hand, looking...rather exhausted, honestly.

There's nothing to do but read the handbook, so she finds a little bench and opens it and browses...and the PokéGear, at some point, she just kind of. Ran from that. Not her finest hour.]

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[Well.

Well then.]

...No, I don't think this place's anywhere near Canada. You all right, kid?

[You thought it would be Dave, but it was I, Agent York!!]

Salutations, miss! I don't know where Canada is, but I'm pretty sure Johto isn't anywhere near there. No one knows how we got here or how to get back!

[Penny, please don't sound so cheerful about that.]

You're not going crazy, though! This place is just very strange. It's also VERY nice though, once you get used to it!

...were you hurt, before you arrived? Are you okay?

[PENNY THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH-]

This is not Canada! Or America!

[From what she's talking about, this girl had been in trouble? Try and stay positive, calm, and ignore the whole blood thing for now.]

It's not bad here! Nothing or no one wants to hurt you here, and that little candle is your friend. It's a Litwick, a ghost-fire type!

[...This is the second person that's caught Tsukiyama's attention like this, for this particular reason - showing up talking about being covered in blood, asking about a location and trying to make sure that everything is in some way, shape or form in coherent order; the first person is someone he hasn't thought about in a long time but his memory stands in vivid contrast to this person, that first one had reveled in it but this second one seems terrified, and...

Well. It's the sort of thing that leads to a private feed and a reasonably calm demeanor over the device, at least, while he tries to work out exactly what's going on.]

Ah...unfortunately, mademoiselle, Canada is a long ways off - but first things first, shall we? I've locked down the conversation for now, and I understand if you don't want to say anything in particular about your situation, but no one is going to hear it but me if you do - are you all right?

Nah, you're fine.

[This from some dude in a Hawaiian shirt. But he shrugged, not commenting on anything to do with her covered in blood. That was pretty normal as far as he was concerned.]

Place is enough to make anyone think they've lost it, but that's just kinda how it goes.

[Well, well. That's one utterly terrified-looking girl, isn't it. And honestly, Carmen's never been a huge fan of activating her own video function except in the most extenuating of circumstances, but the truth is, things don't get much more extenuating than something like this. So.

She gets to a quiet, secluded place and makes sure there's nothing identifying in her background — old habits die hard — and when she's ready she has her Porygon2 activate her video function, setting it to a private and encrypted channel. And thus she appears, red in her lipstick, coat, and hat with the brim pulled down over one eye, leaning a little intently toward the camera in a posture that affects calm, unruffled concern.]

I'm going to start by letting you know that this is a private channel. No one else on the network can eavesdrop in on this; for the time being, anything you say will stay between you, myself, and anyone within earshot on your end. You can use that knowledge as you see fit; it's only fair that you be aware of it.

You're about to get a lot of people turning up on this Gear to try to offer you help. Many of them you won't recognize; some of them you might. You're also almost certainly about to get a lot of very disjointed information all in a rush, which isn't exactly conducive to helping you make sense of what's just happened.

My name is Carmen Sandiego. I can see that this is both disorienting and alarming for you. So feel free to ask me whatever questions you like, here on this channel where it's just the two of us, and I'll do my best to answer them for you.

[Sorry in advance York.

When Ashley answers, she's sitting on a bench and actually holding her PokéGear instead of serving as the subject of a little candle's first film. Looks like her chin's resting on her knees, and it's a bit easier to see that she's been...well, crying, up close.]

N-no. I mean- that's a pretty broad question.

[GASP, A DIFFERENT BLONDE]

[PLEASE DON'T SOUND SO CHEERFUL ABOUT THAT D:

At her current bench-perch, Ashley just stares in sad shock.]

N- ...yes, I was, b-but it wasn't- all that bad. What do you mean, we can't get back?

Yeah, I can see that now. Whatever was happening, you're at least safe where you are now, all right? You've got a chance to collect yourself and breathe, and your little candle friend's there to take care of you. Okay?

[Direct her attention to a third party so she doesn't keep freaking out about whatever she just came from. What is with this place and traumatized teenagers?]

What's your name? You can call me York.

[The person answering her now is a kid. Oh... Maybe she should be a little more calm? ...Or at least try to? She sniffles. And can't help but ask a question, either way.]

H-how do you know...that's her name? ...It's all she keeps saying. [An affirmative from the candle.]

[Right, right, not everyone's instantly enamored of this place.]

Oh, sorry. People just sort of show up here, like you just did. No one really knows how, they just wake up in that house with that poor lady who says she's your mother.

[Who is, frankly, ridiculously nice and well-prepared for as confused as she seems to be.]

But no one knows how to get home, either. Apparently sometimes people just vanish, but sometimes they'll also reappear later with new memories from home? It's very strange, but not dangerous.

[Nowi responds with a video and as soon as it clicks on she's grinning. She's sitting on a bed in a room somewhere, wearing a pink tank top and bright purple shorts, so at least it's not the disaster outfit in her icons.]

Hiya! Okay, first of all, this is Johto and as of right now, no one knows how to get home. Sometimes people go home on their own, and sometimes they come back! Buuut for right now you're gonna be stuck here for awhile.

Second! You don't have to be afraid! Johto's a really nice place and I'm sure your candle is just as adorable as my Mana!

[The blue lump beside her raises its head, revealing a sleepy Dratini. Nowi pats Mana on the head.]

I showed up here awhile ago and it was kinda bad, but I'm sure you'll be okay! You've gotta walk a bit to get to the next town though, sooooo that's something you should look out for!

Because that's the Pokémon she is! You can name her anything you want, but she'll only ever say her species name. Not all of them do, and some of them say it in a really creepy way...

[Example will be given if asked for.]

[It's a...French-speaking polite-looking man. With...a private channel. At least everyone seems to be very friendly here...]

I...hadn't even considered that- the others aren't private. Oh, uh... [She sniffs, wiping at her cheek. ...Sometimes you need to have a good cry, even when you think you're all cried out from Everything.] No? I-I mean, I...guess- others have asked if I'm hurt and I... I suppose...not.

...Who are you? [Stranger danger, after all.]

[Shoutout to the dude just rolling with this.]

This is normal for everyone here, people just...showing up and...candles. ["Litwick."] - Yes, yes, I know you are.

[Well, that's. Probably a concern? He thinks it's probably a concern, but it takes him a moment of running it through the "would Kaneki-kun find this really really sad if he heard this girl talking like this" filter to work it out - normally, his urge is to consider it more or less all right as long as no one is, you know, actually bleeding or has an arm off or something but right, right, psychological trauma is a thing.

...This man is a social worker. Who let him be a social worker.]

My name is Tsukiyama Shuu - just 'Tsukiyama' is fine. I'm one who was brought here, much like yourself, though I've been here for quite some time.

And yourself...?

[On her end, Ashley's still at the bench she's taken up residency on, chin-on-knees. ...It is rather cold here, but that's kind of par for the course for her.]

You're the second person who's opened a...private channel. I... ...You all seem so used to this.

[There's an implicit question in that- has everyone been here for so long. Does this happen often. Why.]

Just about, yeah. This is pretty 'normal' by this world's standards.

[He has seen some shit after a few years here, Ashley.]

Cute Litwick, though.

Some of us have been here long enough to recognize newcomers when we see them. Though I'll admit most don't turn up quite so distraught as you seem to be.

You mentioned a ranger station. You've been in the Canadian woods?

[Getting covered in blood?]

Have they been helping you?

[She's slowly covering the "and no one knows how to leave" thing with other people and the more she thinks about it, the more it upsets her, so Ashley just going to not right now.

She sulks on a bench, looking at her Litwick and then back at Nowi.]

Walk how far? I'd really- not want to...get caught in all this snow. [And she bites her lip.] Or...be here at all...

My...friends... [The little misdirect does work, though. She glances at Litwick, who pats her with- ...hands? Those are supposedly hands.]

Um. Ashley. I'm Ashley.

They vanish, but come back? But...

[All of this sounds very... It takes her a moment to find a response.]

But I want to go home.

[...said response comes out a lot more small and childish than she'd intended, honestly, but it's been that sort of day.]

Ashley. That's a nice name. So you live in Canada?

...Right. I...I remember something like that, uh... [Wait for it.] Pikachu, something. I don't know, I never played much.

- Wait, so- this is really Pokémon. Oh God, are- am I really not crazy?

Ashley. Ashley, um, Williams.

[Since he gave his full name. And that's just enough to distract her from All the Everything because-] Could...you say that again? I, uh...can't really. Pronounce that well.

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