turn out the lights; wake up in your dreams

//backdated to 10.07.2011
occurs after this post

[when the video feed flickers on, it appears to be rocking.

there’s a chuckle, here. and without the rocking, one can hear the subtle sounds of running water in the background. slowly, the video feed turns from an invigorating view of the drywall down towards the floor.

spread along the hallway are seventy-six cacti in all of their prickly glory, ribbons connecting them in a distinct pattern. when you connect the pots, they spell thus:

happy birthday

… of course he wouldn’t be conventional about it. there’s another lull as the operator allows for the viewer to enjoy (dubiously) his art, before the video feed turns to his smiling face. Fuji looks amiable. he is wearing a party hat. he puts his finger to his lips conspiratorially. a single word, hush--]

Listen.

[the video feed then turns dubiously to what appears to be the door to the washroom. the gentle sounds of running water intensifies, a mild murmur. however, if you take the time to quiet yourselves down and listen closely, there seems to be a hum intermixed with the sound of running water. melodic and shy, it sounds almost as if…

someone’s singing in the shower?

( can you imagine Fuji’s amused grin ) there’s a few moments of this, before both water and music stop in one fell swoop. the operator then takes the time to point the camera’s angle upwards, towards the upper-half of the door. a few brief moments of shuffling—Fuji’s quiet voice brimming with amusement.]

Ah, any moment now. It's time for the show. Are we all ready?

[with that rhetorical question, the door to the bathroom suddenly swings open.

>> first comes the steam from the shower.

>> next comes Tezuka Kunimitsu, his glasses fogged and misty.

the moment the older boy turns his general field of vision down towards the camera, there’s a loud pop, followed by a shower of streamers. his eyebrow shoots up above the hairline, just as the last bits of confetti settle in his wet hair.

Fuji’s grin is palpable, even behind the screen.]

Happy Birthday, Tezuka.

[and before Tezuka's reaction is properly recorded, the feed ends-- just like that]

[He's sitting at the counter, chin propped and smiling lightly in a way that implies he's bored out of his skull. Of course, the fact that he's broadcasting at all sort of hints at his boredom -- he only ever turns to the pokegear when he's feeling blasé.]

So, Johtotites. [A pause.] Or is it more of a 'Johtoians'? 'Johtoeses'? It's too bad that 'Johto' doesn't translate well into some sort of a national calling. 'Denizens of Johto' is a little too wordy, though. If anyone has a better suggestion, I wouldn't mind hearing it.

[A chuckle.] But anyway. Some of us have been here for a while now -- so I think it's safe to say that a lot of us have seen many different kinds of pokémon. So just a quick survey -- what pokémon that you've met so far would you, in your opinion, consider to be the strongest? Cutest? Or maybe even the rarest, the fastest, the smallest, the largest -- that sort of thing. [He hums, thoughtful.] I'm sure all of you can think up some nice examples for each category. Now, it's just a matter of sharing it.

[A glint in his eyes, and he leans into the screen, conspiratorial--] I'd like to share the one that I consider to be the 'most elusive'. I know, it's not exactly an -est word, but I think it fits in the spirit of things.

Some of you would agree, actually -- 'Kanra', not exactly a pokémon, but he or she is one of the more intangible things in Johto. I wonder if they're the sort of thing that would come if I call out their name to the wind -- but that's too much of an impossibility, isn't it?

[Rue.] Too bad. I think I have something for them.

At any rate, I'd like to hear some of your opinions. Wouldn't it be interesting, to see if we could reach some sort of consensus?

[A chuckle.] Something like that, at any rate.

[He smiles, delighted, and the feed ends.]

[action.]

[He's now standing by the entrance to the Goldenrod Radio Tower, handing out pamphlets with a cheerful smile. Bug him y/n/dango?]

[When the video flickers on, we have here an expression of utmost innocence -- the sort that you find on experienced salesmen and newborn baby birds. There's a metaphorical 'I'm hungry, feed me!' glint in his eyes, though for anyone who knows Fuji well enough, it's more of a 'I'm bored, entertain me!' than anything else.

The backdrop is of a plainly decorated room with a rather comfortable bed , occupied by a curl of a flaming porcupine. A misdreavus drifts lazily across the screen and settles herself in his hair. He smiles, all teeth.]

Everyone comes from different worlds, don't they? [Pause. He clarifies--] That being a generic 'everyone', of course, and a very broad and open-minded definition of 'different'. Still, though, we're not really here about semantics.

[He hums, idly, and the misdreavus yawns, before taking a few locks of his brown hair into her mouth, making mimicries of a chewing motion.] The point being, with each world comes a whole new set of possibilities. And on a snowy day where going outside generally means freezing something off in the process, possibilities are fun.

How many of us here have had special abilities back in our home world? Things like flight, telekinesis, powers of prediction, but maybe even things like extra appendages that didn't get carried over between world transfers. [He smiles, wryly.] And even if that's not the case, if you have any interesting stories about your home worlds that you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd like to hear them.

[He puts a finger to his lips, playfully.] If nothing else, it's a good way to pass the time.