victory_road IC Inbox

[armoredsoul]

"Hi, this is Alphonse! Please leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can!"

Comments

Oct 11 | Video

[a_sin_for_him]

[Lust seems to be in good spirits when she contacts Al. She's restless and cheerful and there's things to do but she's found herself on her own.]

Alphonse, you're in Goldenrod, aren't you?

[armoredsoul]

[Al smiles brightly when he sees her message, and turns on the video.] Yep! Winry, Brother and I got here earlier in the week. Did you want to do something?

25/12, Pidgey Posy

[fortunatetoaster]

[ special delivery! there's a mareep egg with your name on it -- or well, the attached card, anyway.

it's a cute little festive scene of a Pidgey perched on a snowy tree branch, alongside some starkly crimson berries. There's a handwritten message, too; ]

Merry Christmas!

Maybe delivery's a little overkill but I didn't know if everyone was gonna be in Goldenrod or not and I wanted to make sure everyone got their gifts on the day. It's not much, but I wanted to say thanks for the help.

- Labrys

12/26, Pidgey Post!

[in_praetego]

[ He'd totally forgotten Pidgey Post was a thing. And here he was fussing about how to get his presents out.

So have a Pidgey sent right back the day after with a rather nicely bundled package containing the following:

-a book of Kanto folk tales
-a fluffy red scarf (100% flaafy wool)
-and a hastily scribbled note that reads:
I hope this package got to you in time. Thanks for the presents. I really appreciate it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! -Yukio ]

12/27 - Pidgey Post

[pinnedbangs]

[That poor Pidgey had to carry so much... But on the other hand, Rin's ecstatic to have received such a great gift for Christmas! ...Though he has to wonder how Alphonse even found such a cool set of hat and gloves...

His return gift is beautifully wrapped and inside is:

-a palm sized figurine of a mareep
-homemade Christmas Cake
-a jar of fresh MooMoo Milk
-an assortment of homemade pokefood for Al's team

And, of course, a handwritten note that says:

Next year is gonna rock! Maybe we can hang out sometime? Thanks for the gifts. The cookies were good!

Merry Christmas too~

-Rin]

[armoredsoul]

[He searched all over for those, man. Al is equally touched to receive that gift back, and fires off a message to Rin's Pokegear soon after.]

Totally! I'd love to hang out and talk more sometime. Thanks for the treats and cake, we all loved them!

Valentine's Pidgey Post

[awesmazings]

[Al will be receiving a nicely wrapped bag of chocolates today! His are all in the shape of little Cyndaquil. Along with the box there is a note:]

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a super, wonderful, awesmazing day!

~Jimmy

Re: Valentine's Pidgey Post

[armoredsoul]

[OH NO IT'S CUTE!]

[A little later in the day Jimmy will get a small six-piece box in return (his are all Electrike shaped!) and a note attached.]

Thanks so much! I hope your Valentines is just as super awesome as you are!

Febuary 10 | Text

[exeggutorhead]

[Shortly after this thread, Al is going to get a text from one (1) worked up ex-homunculus who is questioning reality.]

okay you need to tell me everything you know about the gate

[GETTING RIGHT TO THE POINT. But Al is the only other person here who'd know anything about how the Gate goes between worlds.]

[armoredsoul]

[...so that was completely out of nowhere...]

Uh, why? I'm pretty sure you know as much if not more about it.

[FEB 20- afternoon][TEXT]

[no_ufo_ending]

_{[Sorry, Al, you seem to be the latest victim of Henry's drunk-as-hell Poke'Gear.]}

im bored wanna eat berries and watch the walls melt

i already started but there is time

[armoredsoul]

[..................................]

Um, are you sure you meant to message me about this?

4/3; text

[awesmazings]

Hiya Al! It's me, Jimmy!

So, you remember that Bulbasaur egg you gave me? He's been hatched for a while and he's real sweet. He gets along with all of my other Pokemon without a problem. ...but I actually haven't been able to think of a name for him yet? And it's gettin' kinda weird, just callin' him Bulbasaur all the time. I don't think he minds it, really, but I think he deserves a nickname like everyone else. I just can't think of one for some reason...

You got any ideas?

[armoredsoul]

Hey, Jimmy!

Oh, I've had that problem tons of times! I always wanna give them a good name, but it can be really hard to figure one out sometimes.

I guess you could name him after a tree or plant...what's his personality like?

[voice | May 20th]

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy had done okay during the circus weekend. He'd managed to wear himself out enough during the shows to be able to just collapse in bed at the end of the day and fall asleep without thinking or dreaming.]

[But now the circus is over. The night is too quiet, and his room especially feels like both the emptiest place in the world and so full of the ghosts of memories that Envy can't stand it. He'd waved off the offers to keep him company, sure he wouldn't need it since he'd been fine over the weekend, but...]

[Well, he was wrong. And now he hasn't slept since Sunday night, because he was too stubborn to ask. So he dials what he's pretty sure is Lust's number, but he's not exactly paying attention.]

Lust, I still can't sleep, I--

[It's safe to say that Al has never heard Envy sound like this. He's not actually crying, but his voice sounds choked enough that he's clearly halfway there. He sounds frustrated with himself and completely exhausted, and then his voice goes very small and bitter.]

I never even deserved him in the first place.

[armoredsoul]

[Al was up late as well, though for much less emotional reasons, curled up with Eddie and a good book he just couldn't put down. He's surprised when the Gear rings (no one ever calls him this late), and even more surprised to see who it is.]

[His voice is so different, Al almost wonders for a moment if someone stole Envy's Gear. He listens to the message in silence, confused before he scrolls back through the network's history and--]

[...oh.]

[Al had never known quite what to feel about Envy and France, even after he got used to the surreal idea of a country being embodied in a human like that. He'd always been watching for something more sinister at play, some hidden taint that maybe the others had missed, but aside from the fact that one of them was Envy they'd been a perfectly normal and loving couple. Disconcerting to say the least, but a small part of him had...been glad, that Envy could find something like that. That there was still a shred of a decent person that could still love in a healthy and unbroken way in him.]

[And now he's lost that, and even Edward would be able to see the hurt and pain in those few words choked out to a close friend. There was no true 'first reaction' for Al; the petty feeling of vindication and reveling in twisted karma was muddled and twisted up in a sympathetic worry and urge to comfort, say something to put balm on the wound. It made Al's stomach twist up uncomfortably, made him wish he hadn't listened to the message, made him wish he'd noticed sooner.]

[It's a few minutes later that Al sends a text back. It's easier to stay civil with that barrier in place.]

I'll send her your way.

...I'm sorry.

text; 5/29

[in_praetego]

[ And this text comes in sometime in the afternoon. ]

Sorry for holding us back. I'm awake now.

[armoredsoul]

Good morning! Don't worry about it, it's not like you meant to fall asleep on us. How are you feeling?

[TEXT SENT AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT]

[pinnedbangs]

[EMERGENCY EMERGENCY]

YUKIO IS AWAKE
REPEAT
YUKIO IS AWAKE

[armoredsoul]

I saw, I got his text! I'm coming back as soon as I can! Are you guys still in Olivine right now?

[A valid question, given that the spatial/temporal shenanigans have started back up again.]

action ; 9/1

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy is upstairs when he sees this post go up on the network.]

[Did he know that the resident circus strongman gave a single solitary damn about Wrath? NO. HE DID NOT.]

[...there's only one person in the house who might be enough of a goody-two-shoes to blow their cover. Envy leaps out of the bed and takes the stairs down three at a time. THERE MIGHT NOT BE MUCH TIME. He sees Al on the couch and SLAMS his hands down on the back of it right behind him, hissing out in case he's on the line with someone.]

Don't tell them anything!

[armoredsoul]

[Al had seen that post go up as well, and even had it open on the Gear. He does, however, has the goddamn sense of mind to not blurt about a crime in progress on the network just because someone asked about it, and so is just watching the replies start to roll in with a worried expression.]

[At least until Envy descends on the couch like some freakish monster and HISSES RIGHT IN HIS EAR WHAT THE FUCK. Al shrieks and the Gear goes flying across the room as he leaps up and swats at Envy blindly.} What the hell?!

Sept 10

[ifwishesweremustangs]

[There's a call, but it ends almost as soon as it starts]

voice

[ifwishesweremustangs]

[Then about thirty seconds later Roy tries again and gets it right but he's still looking at the thing claiming it's making a call skeptically and with a little annoyance.]

Video

[a_sin_for_him]

Good afternoon, I have the script for the first half of your radio drama. We have so many people, I'm doing two separate stories. I've attached the first script as a text file, your casting is listed at the top.

I hope it's not too frightening for children.

Script text file.

Don't worry, you have a larger role in the second half.

[video]

[envy_the_sinners]

[ Heeeyy, it's this mulleted asshole, checking in on how things are going... ]

Alphonse, how has Wrath progressed?

[video]

[armoredsoul]

He's doing a lot better. He's actually warming back up to us, I think we're really getting though to him.

[Not that Alphonse doesn't still look a little guilty that it came to all this in the first place...he sighs a bit, then frowns as he notices something.]

Um...when did you cut your hair last?

[Audio] backdated to sometime before the event, early October

[awesmazings]

Hey, Al! Call me back when you get this!

[That's it, that's all he gets. But Jimmy sounds excited, whatever it is.]

[armoredsoul]

[Thankfully, Jimmy doesn't have to wait too long before Al calls him back, looking very amused.]

Hey, Jimmy! What's up?

[text | 12/4]

[exeggutorhead]

[Okay it's been long enough since Al went and dropped off the face of the earth that Envy is starting to get suspicious about vanishings.]

[HOPEFUL. HE MEANS HOPEFUL ABOUT VANISHINGS. IT'D BE GREAT IF AL WERE GONE.]




[YEAH.]


so did you actually disappear or did you just drop your gear into the wilderness lake you got teleported into the middle of

[Because on the chance that this doesn't just get an error back, he has to make sure it doesn't come off like he might be WORRIED AT ALL. He's not.]

12/03, audio

[foolishwren]

Heeeeey, Al.

So, I know I've been a little disconnected lately, but I, uh.

Heard you hadn't checked in with anybody in the house for awhile.

Gimme a call if you get this message, yeah?

TWO DAYS LATER...........................

[armoredsoul]

Um. Hi. I'm back now.

[Is he in trouble.]

action | Super Late Aromatherapy Day

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy has actually managed to not run into anyone this morning. So far, anyway; that kind of luck couldn't last forever, and of course it's got to end in the worst way possible.]

[He's got Juliet following at his ankles this morning, as prim as ever and he suspects looking to get escorted to the park so she can take a swim in the fountain...at least until she's distracted by a certain dinosaur friend.]

[When she sees Trisha, she goes right on over to her instead, making a noise of greeting and sitting down with her tail curled around her feet. Is it time to exchange gossip? Of course it is. It always is.]

[Envy's noticed that his Vaporeon hangs around with Alphonse's Aurorus a whole lot, and the irony of their names isn't lost on him at all. But today their Pokemon's friendship must be annoying him than usual, because he actually says something out loud without really meaning to.]

Oh, come on, Juliet, did you want to go to the park or not?

[Text] July 29

[foolishwren]

AL HEY CALL ME

[foolishwren]

AL



AL



AL




















AL







HEY LOOK ENVY LOST HIS MEMORY OR SOMETHING, I THINK HE HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM AND HE'S ON THE LOOSE



CALL ME

Oct. 1st

[a_sin_for_him]

Here's the first bit of our new radio drama! Casting is listed at top, we'll record through the week. It's called The Black Cofagrigus of Death, and it's appropriately spooky.

Attached file of script.

Morning of Feb 1st

[exeggutorhead]

[It hasn't even been a full day.]

[Not even a full day since Heather had found Henry lying in the park, beaten all to hell.]

[It wasn't Walter who'd done it, and Henry had actually attacked the guy first, but Envy's blood is still boiling even thinking about the way his best friend looks right now, how bady he'd been hurt. He feels like he needs to do SOMETHING, but he has no idea what.]

[Which means it's time for him to be pacing outside, hands jammed into his pockets and muttering angrily.]

[armoredsoul]

[Alphonse has complicated feelings about the whole incident, to be honest. While he understands fully that Walter has done pretty horrible things to Henry back home, and would probably continue to do those things if given a chance, the sheer force of anger and violence out of the usually quiet man is intimidating and, to be perfectly frank, terrifying. And it's not like the poor Pokemon could be expected to understand anything other than that it's trainer was being attacked out of nowhere and needed defending. He has sympathy for Henry's pain here, but really? He dun fucked up.]

[Al was headed to the kitchen to get a mug of hot cocoa when he passes by the back door and happens to spot Envy out in the cold. The expression on his half-brother's face makes him pause, before Al sighs and goes to grab a coat and boots. His feet crunch in the snow as he steps outside, hands in his pockets and hat pulled down snugly over his ears.]

Exactly how much in bail are you planning to cost us right now?

[Action] Feb 7th Violet City

[rocketralph]

<sub>[It's another quiet evening in Violet and Ralph is hanging around the back of the Poke'Mart watching the trucks unload and the restockers start their business. He's gotten quite used to leaning against the wall with his arms folded but folded just so that anyone passing could see his security badge.]

[It's super important ok.]

[Carter sits by his heels, vigilant as ever watching the men unload the trucks. His collar has a little plastic police badge that Ralph got out of a vending machine pinned to it.]</sub>

[armoredsoul]

[Cecil doesn't often wander too far away from his trainer, but Alphonse was busy trying to work with one of the younger Pokemon and he was bored. And it's hardly like a Pokemon of his level could get into any trouble he couldn't find a way out of.]

[He's very good at that, you know.]

[When Cecil spots the workers unloading crate after crate of Pokeballs and Potions, the temptation is just too good to resist. He sneaks up close, darting from cover to cover, until he's just close enough--]

"Hey!"

[Cecil bounds away from the truck with a Max Potion clamped firmly in his jaws. He lands delicately just in front of Ralph and pauses for a moment, looking at guard and Growlithe alike with an amused twitch of his tail before taking off down the street.]

[text | sometime during fourth wall]

[exeggutorhead]

so uh where are you

because i've got sloth here and i'm going to need to not find you

[armoredsoul]

[ssssssssssshit]

Uh. I'm over on Route 29 near Cherrygrove.

Also Brother is here so can you REALLY not find us?

NIGHTMARE

[exeggutorhead]

[The dream opens with blood.]

[It's all around, covering everything, warm and sticky and slick. There's weight all around too, the feeling of being buried underneath some kind of heavy, suffocating pile...and soon enough, as the dreamer moves to try and claw up and outwards, it becomes clear just what the pile is. It's hideously soft, slippery human organs of all kinds, weighty and suffocating and impossible to get enough of a grip on to truly climb out from under.]

[Al's limbs will feel weighted down, clumsy, barely able to climb regardless, and it's impossible not to feel desperate, frantic, only wanting help out. There are people's voices, footsteps beyond the pile, surely...]

Eaugh! What is that thing!

That isn't him! That's not my son, what is it?!

Monster!

This isn't what I wanted!

[No, there's no help coming. And even as Al struggles to climb out, sharp currents of electric blue energy lance through the pile and across reaching arms.]

[There's no way out, no help coming, until the dream fades.]