Video

[neededlassie]

[It's raining. It's raining pretty hard, actually, and the boy huddled in front of the camera looks about soaked through to the bone, and positively miserable. At least he seems to have found a safe place to sit, his Watchhog huddled up under one arm and his Musharna sprawled across his lap asleep.

But that doesn't help the sleepless circles under his eyes or the limp, wet hair sticking to his forehead almost down into his eyes.]

Who do you miss most? From back home. Or what, I guess, if you miss something more than somebody.

[He sniffles miserably and swipes the sleeve of his jacket (now too short for his arms, leaving about three inches of wrist visible at the end of each sleeve) across his nose, his other hand running along the smooth fur of the Musharna in his lap.]

...I miss my mom and dad...

Comments

[Video]

[codeforhope]

[Oh my gosh you poor thing. Chihiro's got an expression of excessive pity going on here with the saddest eyes imaginable. His first thought is to ask Shaun if he's okay, but that would be dumb because he is definitely not okay. Suddenly Chihiro feels bad that he's got a nice, dry house to stay in while it pours outside and poor Shaun is stuck in the rain. It doesn't seem fair, since he hasn't been here as long...

Looking just as concerned is the Leavanny sitting next to Chihiro on his bed, carefully pulling strands of silk between her leaf-bladed arms. Remember that little Sewaddle you rescued at prom, Shaun? She remembers, and now her mom-dar is going haywire.]

I...I miss my father too.

[neededlassie]

[He kind of did this to himself, but he got so wrapped up in how much he needed to get out of the city, to finish his pokemon adventure, that he forgot to...check the weather.

And he'd been doing so good, not panicking in the rain or anything!

Shaun wipes his wet hair off his forehead and bites his lip, hesitating before he asks:]

What's your dad like?

[locked]

[soundmind]

[It took her a while of staring at the broadcast, watching the boy's expression and considering what he says, before she decides to answer.

Yet, Maka is still embarrassed by the idea of saying this out in the open, where anybody can see it. So she places it under a filter first just to be safe and forces a smile of reassurance.]

I...miss my mom and dad, too. But my mom has been gone for a long time, so I'm used to that. [She's not used to her father not being around to be loud and embarrassing, but she doesn't actually know this boy's situation and she'd like to hope that she's a little more sensitive to that than before.]

[neededlassie]

[Well considering he's about the opposite as far as parents go, he's got a little ways to go before he's entirely tactful, either.]

Oh. I'm sorry... [He at least knows what "gone" tends to mean, when someone's been "gone" for a long time. His voice hitches a little.] My dad's gone too.

Video;

[tentacletrainer]

[Shaun, sweetie, you look like a drowned Rattata...]

You should really find a better place to stay while it's raining, dear...are you close to any Pokemon Centers? But to answer your question, I miss my mother most.

[neededlassie]

[He feels like a drowned Rattata...]

Nuh-uh. I'm kinda on Route 39...

[If there was an "inside" nearby he would be there.]

...What's your mom like? If you wanna talk about her.

[video]

[paladinlost]

...I miss quite a few people, but I wish to see my wife and son the most.

[Missing family members is going to be a pattern, it looks like.]

How long has it been since you last saw your parents? I'm sure they'd worry, if they saw so drenched on a rainy day.

[neededlassie]

You have a wife and son?

[Oh no, a dad...]

How old is he?

[He shies away from the question a little.]

They would...

[video]

[rarestcandy]

[It feels a little inappropriate, to be looking as unaffected as she is, but Vanellope was never that great at dealing with feelings. So hello, fellow kid! Maybe she can be a bit of a distraction.]

I don't really have anyone to miss, back in my [not game, she reminds herself] world. What I wouldn't give to see my kart again, though. What a beaut!

[neededlassie]

[...Oh, someone closer to his own age! (Maybe even littler? A lot of the kids he meets here are girls littler than he is.)]

Your "kart"? Like a go-kart? Do you race them?

video;

[angerpoints]

[Yusuke hasn't been particularly interested in talking to or seeing anybody he knows since he woke up from his coma yesterday, but that doesn't stop him from immediately becoming concerned and turning the video on his 'Gear on to check on Shaun when he sees the state the kid's in. He's pretty tired-looking himself today - a bit bruised in the face, too, thanks to the fight(s) he got himself in yesterday. But the expression on his face is gentle, and so is his voice when he speaks, though, of course, his choice of words is still as blunt as ever.]

Hey, Shaun. What the hell're you doin' out in the rain, man? You're gonna catch the flu or somethin' if you don't get yourself to someplace dry.

[He doesn't bother answering Shaun's question. Right now, he's more interested in seeing to it that Shaun isn't stuck out in this crappy weather, and that he's going to be okay.]

[neededlassie]

[Big bro Yusuke!! Shaun sniffles and wipes at his nose again, smearing his wet hair off his forehead, and manages a feeble smile for his friend. Small voice, small expression, small baby bro, thank.]

I-I didn't check the weather 'fore I left. And then when I stopped to let Giant have a rest, it started r-raining way too hard to take off again...

[He doesn't seem to be stammering because of the cold, at least. Ah, the trouble of having a ground-type as your favorite flier.]

[justkeptswimming]

I miss...my best friend.

[C-C-combo breaker. Also oh god, child, where are you even?]

Shaun! You shouldn't be out in the rain.

[neededlassie]

...Really? Have you not seen her for a while?

[SORRY it occurs to him to be sensitive about potentially dead parents, not potentially dead best friends.

...It also doesn't occur to him that a girl can call a boy her best friend.]

I-I...I...

video;

[voidedrogue]

... You should prob get out of the rain, kid. You'll catch a cold.

[ This is literally the saddest video she's ever seen wow. She just wants to wrap this kid in a blanket and force-fed him cookies and hot cocoa. ]

I guess I could say I miss my mom, though I never met her... and a version of her is here, so. But it's kind of different. [ pause ] I miss some of my friends that aren't here, a lot. Has it been a long time since you saw your mom and dad?

[neededlassie]

I had pneumonia before...

[Maybe it's one of those sicknesses that once you've got it once it doesn't come back?]

...A version of her? What's that mean?

It's been about a year and a half since I saw my mom, and I haven't seen my dad since a few months before that.

video;

[majorcrotchgrab]

[Normally he wouldn't comment but... this kid looks pretty bummed out.]

I miss... Hn.

[Raikov stops himself before he finishes that thought.]

At least when you return to them, it'll be like you never left?

[neededlassie]

[...Well okay, grandpa, you miss somebody.]

Yeah, I guess. But I'm older now than I was when I left. I don't wanna have to go back to being 11 when I go home.

[pianosongs]

Your parents... My condolences. [Especially for a child so young. It's kind of heartbreaking.] Have you been here a long while?

[neededlassie]

Thanks.

[It's the automatic response that comes from responding to "I'm sorry" after "I'm so sorry for your loss".]

It's been over a year. I got here last January, 'cause it was right around my birthday.

[heartdive]

Honestly? I think I miss everyone. Haven't seen my parents in a long time now, yeah... But I haven't been able to see a lot of my good friends either. They're just as much family as my folks are to me now.

[neededlassie]

That must be nice having lots of friends back home. [Guess who's kind of the outcast at school.] I'm sorry that it's been a long time since you got to see them, though. Maybe they'll all come here someday.

[ audio ]

[imthe_shit]

There's not much to miss where I'm from... A world constantly in a state of war. Not really something to long for.

But I guess there are some people I miss. A kid who can't cook eggs to save her life, an old friend too stubborn to talk to his daughter... A man so chewed up and spat out by war that he's too blind to see he's not alone...

Hell, even in a home as shitty as mine, there are people I miss.

[neededlassie]

[...Congratulations, gramps, your home sounds even more awful than what Shaun has to go home to.]

...You don't have to miss the place to miss the people.

[He doesn't want to leave here, to go back to dealing with the parade of therapists and counselors and concerned teachers, parents, kids... He feels bad about it, but he doesn't even miss his mom as he left her.

He wants back the mom who seems like she's capable of smiling.]

Are you a soldier?

[vidoe]

[ajustcaws]

Aw, man, Shaun, this is a terrible time to be missing someone! Or... be caught out in the rain, since one just makes the other worse.

...and I'm going to have to say that I miss my mom and dad, too! And my friends back home, obviously. But hey, I'm going to see them again someday, right?

[...well, kind of, in the case of her mom and dad...]

[neededlassie]

Yeah, it does...

[For more reasons than you might think.]

You'll see them someday! And maybe they'll come here, too, and they can meet your new friends here too.

[video]

[fatalissimo]

[It takes Nonon a while to respond to this, just because she doesn't know what to say; she knows she wants to, because even if she doesn't know the kid that's just fucking depressing and she just wants him to stop being so sad all over the network.]

Hey, kid. Is talking about this really going to help you? Because we probably shouldn't talk about this sort of thing if it's going to get you down.

[...]

It's okay if you miss your parents, though. What're they like?

[neededlassie]

Maybe? I dunno...I kinda just wanted to hear about other people's family and friends and stuff.

[So he doesn't feel so alone for missing his own right now.]

My dad was an architect. He built the house I grew up in, and he got all kinds of awards for his designs and stuff too. He worked at home a lot, and Mom stayed home when I was little to take care of me and my brother.

[Audio]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Ever since her father's death back home, Father's Day has always had a bittersweet pang to it-- even while Harry had been here.]

[Of course, fresh after his recent disappearance... it's practically like he's died all over again, and today feels almost unbearable.]

[She wasn't really planning on interacting with anyone on the subject of the holiday, but... well, christ. She can't ignore Shaun's post.]</sub>

... Hey. You wanna talk about it?

[neededlassie]

[Shaun remembers telling Harry pretty much everything about his dad last Father's Day, and he'd actually tried to call because it was raining and he needed to talk to somebody, only to get...

We are sorry, the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected.

So at Heather's question he hesitates for a moment, before he answers.]

...Do you?

Voice

[zero_charisma]

...you should get outta the rain. You'll get sick.

[Not going to talk about his parents, nope.]

[neededlassie]

...Nah, I'm okay.

[Pneumonia's totally like chickenpox, right? Only get it once and all that.]

video;

[ghostytrainer]

[Ah yes...Father's Day...doubly bittersweet for John these days since his dad's dead and the Other Father's been gone for like two years now.]

Shaun, kiddo, do you not have a tent?

[If not, he's totally sending you one along with the sleeping bag Rose is sending.]

It probably goes without saying but...I miss my dad more than anybody.

[neededlassie]

[ ;n; big bro John knows his feels]

...I thought you weren't suspposed to set up a tent in the rain in case of lightning.

[...that and that would involve leaving the safety of his current position under a tree.]

Yeah... [He and John have talked about their dads before.] ...Today stinks.

video;

[shest]

There's someone I looked up to back home. I haven't been here long, but maybe I do miss him.

[But Ocelot really hates talking about himself.]

You should get out of the rain. Is there shelter nearby?

[neededlassie]

Do you sometimes wonder what he would do if he was here?

[Shaun shakes his head, and then brushes his hair off his forehead. It's getting too long for this.]

I'm out on one of the routes...

video; h a i'm so late

[solas_ion]

Ah, that's a tough one... Everyone, I guess. My family, friends, even the kinda annoying kids I used to associate with.

Hey, kid--are you okay out there?

h a h no I am the latest

[neededlassie]

...Yeah I know what you mean, I even kinda miss my classmates.

I'll be okay.

[anon text]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[It's by sheer damn reflex that Blake is grabbing for the phone. He's about to hit the video button to know what the hell the kid is doing out alone in the goddamn rain, when little claws prickle his wrist.

Steve has her big eyes fixed on him.

Blake knows what she means. Christ, he can practically hear Jayden's voice. Go ahead, Carter, yell at the kid. Terrify him while he's miserable and alone, that'll help a lot. You're the last person he wants to see right now, and you know it. Are you gonna be the kind of big man who makes a little kid cry? Or are you gonna stop and think for once in your goddamn life?

Carter takes a deep breath, though he's never goddamn understood why people act like that helps.

"Okay," he mutters to Steve. "I'm gonna play nice. All right?"

Steve must believe him, because she pulls back her claws. Her eyes stay on him, though, and her paw keeps resting on his arm as he lifts the phone up and switches it to text.

Easy. Take it slow.

Fuck, Blake hates taking it slow.]

She drove me nuts a lot, but when it comes down to it, I miss my ma.

[text right back atcha]

[neededlassie]

[Shaun is blissfully unaware of the dilemma going on on the other side of the screen. And one of the downfalls of text is that stranger danger is a lot easier to ignore.]

I miss my mom too. She's kinda all I have back home.

I'm glad that time doesn't really pass back home because I've been missing over a year now and if she knew that she'd probably think I was dead.

[VIDEO]

[diamondo]

You okay, kid?

[Mondo doesn't even bother replying to the question Shaun posed; he sees no need to get into his own issues when it's obvious that the poor kid is suffering.]

...Well, I guess that's kind of a stupid question, huh? It must really suck missing your family like that. Is there anything I can do to help?

[neededlassie]

[SOB another familiar face ;n; Big Bro Mondo...]

I dunno. ...Can you talk with me for a while? I really need something to get my mind off the rain.

[Rain sucks. It hella sucks.]

Video

[red_roses]

I miss my mom and dad too....

But when I was here last time, they didn't even know I was gone, like when I was in the painting world....

[neededlassie]

Yeah, I heard that's how it works... It's like you never left at all.

...Painting world? What's that?

[...it sounds like something out of a video game.]

[loveisanopendoor]

[SHAUN NO DON'T YOU POOR BABY, ANNA JUST WANTS TO SCOOP YOU UP INTO HER ARMS AND HUG YOU SO TIGHT]

I miss my sister...I miss her very much, actually. It's funny, I should be more used to not seeing her, considering the way we grew up together, but...

I wish I was closer to you. The rain there looks really awful. I'm sorry you got stuck in it...is there anything I can do?

[neededlassie]

[;A; Annaaaaaaa Anna help it's wet and gross and rainy out]

Sometimes I miss my brother, too, and I haven't- ...haven't seen him in about four years.

...Can you just talk to me for a while. It helps if I've got something else to think about other than the rain.