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([Narration of sorts])
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[The video feed clicks on, and oh hey it's the student kitchens in the background. There's two big pots on the stove and a really big rice cooker over there on the counter and oh hello there's a Bulba in the feed now. He's given up on the effort of trying not to seem really tired, and he seems pretty distracted on top of that.]

In case you were wondering um... Kirby had to go back to Dreamland for a while. Something came up...

[He frowns, looking like he really doesn't want to talk about it and makes a motion towards the stove with his head to switch the subject.]

Oh, uh, if anyone's hungry or whatever, I made some curry and... kind of made too much out of habit... There's both spicy and mild so. People are welcome to it so it doesn't go to waste. It's down here in the student kitchens.

Uh... that's it. Thanks.

[And then the feed cuts off.]

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Listen I ain't known about this for long, but it slipped outta Vinnie a few days back and I've been thinkin' about how I was gonna try and talk about it with you but I couldn't come up with a good way to do it.

::Deep breath.::

That week Vinnie was an ivysaur, and he ruined a bunch of people's cars and stuff. He was livin' in the forest all wild. I ended up catchin' him tryin' to ruin my tank. I beat him up some. Alright, I beat him up a lot.

::Deeper breath::

So, when Vinnie let it slip that he died durin' crazy week I thought maybe I'd killed him by beatin' him up too much. I sorta went crazy; I tried to take him to a pokecenter but he just bit me and shot me fulla some sorta powder that made me vomit all over the place so I left him in the forest without gettin' healed. But he told me it wasn't me that did it.

::And here is the most serious looking face you have probably ever seen on Max::

Said it was you that killed him.

[Bulba was listening very carefully, though there were multiple points where he wanted to interrupt.

He certainly explained the hows and whys of Vinnie joining Orange Star because he wrecked Max's tank but... He had been an Ivysaur? Bulba had gotten caught up on that detail as Max spoke. Something about that seemed very crucial for some reason and...

...And he had died. What. Bulba only vaguely heard the rest of what Max was saying. The more he said the paler he got. No, it hadn't been from punches gone crazy. It had been--

He met Max's very serious face with wide eyes, looking completely dumbfounded and kind of like he was going to be sick. This wasn't a joke. Max wasn't about to start joking about this kind of thing. Not when he looked like that.

When he finally found his voice it came out very small.]

...What?

Listen, it ain't easy to say this. But Vinnie said that when everybody was actin' crazy, he said that you... turned into someone else. Someone like you but who ain't you.

He said the guy you were pulled his petals off and then left him in the forest to die. And he died a few hours later.

But Bulba I want you to know that ain't you. Not the you who you are. Alright? You care too much to be that guy. Jake and Rachel? Jake and Rachel turned evil that week, too. Knuckles turned into a giant, evil douchebag. People turned into guys who they ain't.

And I know I promised Vinnie I wasn't gonna say nothin' but you've been. . . like this for weeks now.

::This next big comes out a little sheepishly::

You... uh... you want a hug?

[He pulled his petals off and left them scattered on the ground and...nnnnghiufdghf.

Bulba covered his mouth with one hand and slowly shook his head no.]

Edited 2011-04-10 05:57 (UTC)

Bulba, you gotta understand that I'm tellin' you this 'cause I think you need to know. You can't deal with a problem unless you know what the problem is. And keepin' you in the dark just. . . it ain't right.

Vinnie and Green'll probably have my hide for tellin' you but I just had to tell you.

[So Green probably knew too. Of course he did.

He nodded, and once he was sure that he wasn't going add to the sick piles the school had been accumulating he shakily lowered his hand.]

... Thank you for telling me.

You're stronger than this, alright? You can get over it. And now that you know, you can deal with it, instead of bein' in the dark and not knowin'.

I believe in you, Bulba.

::Is Max. Is Max moving in for a hug even though you said you didn't want one? Is Max doing this?::

::Yeah. He is.::

[But Bulba is moving back and holding his hands up in protest. No he cannot handle hugs right now.]

... Was he the only one?

::Max is chastened. He looks sadder.::

I didn't hear about anybody else dyin' or nothin' other than Vinnie. If anybody else died that week, I don't know about it.

[It is a chain reaction of sad. Bulba slowly puts his arms back down, nodding his head. It's not really comforting. Just because Max didn't know about it doesn't mean it couldn't have happened, and he still had no idea why or what else he had been doing or anything. He briefly wondered if Uxie's offer was still available.

He hung his head and bit his lip.]

... Okay.

Listen, Bulba, maybe you should talk with Knuckles about this. I don't know everything that he did, but whatever he did he felt he needed time by himself to figure it out. He left school for awhile but, you know how time works funny here, he said he was gone for a year but he was only gone for a week. He might be able to help you out in ways that other guys can't.

All I can tell you, Bulba, is whoever that guy was, he ain't who you are now. Alright? He ain't who you are.

[He had very little intentions of actually talking to Knuckles about it, but he nodded his head anyway just to show he was listening.]

... Yeah.

::Max sighs again::

Bulba, half of me says that you probably wanna be left alone to think about this and the other half of me doesn't wanna leave you alone right now. So I don't really know what you want me to do. If you want me to just, I dunno, sit down with you and we not talk or nothin' I'll do that for you.

::For Max this is the equivalent of 'I will climb the highest mountain for you.'::

I just. I wanna help you deal with this but I don't know how.

It's okay. I just need to think about it.

[He took a step away before, but now he's taking a step forward. There is now a little forehead resting on one of your many muscles. Whichever one he actually reaches at this point.]

... Thank you.

::It's probably his chest. His head is resting on Max's manly bosom.::

Yeah, well, what was I supposed to do. Watch you have problems and not at least tell you why you were havin' them? That ain't in me.

::There is a hand on your shoulder. It isn't a hug. It's just a hand. But he's not planning on taking it away anytime soon.::

... Mmm.

[There is a small shrug. He does not protest the presence of Max's hand and just stands there as he lets it soak in. It seems like he's going to be standing there for quite a while.]

... How long have you known?

Longer than I should've known without sayin' somethin'. Vinnie let it slip around the time he first started workin' for me.

I guess I just didn't know how to start up that conversation, really. Sorta a hard thing.

[A nod.]

Just a little.

You'll be alright, kid. I believe in you.

[There is another nod, and probably another "thank you" but it is very quiet. That is also about all he has else to say, so it is just a lot of quiet and awkward standing around from there on out.]

::Max is just going to stand here with your head on his chest and his hand on your shoulder. Forevers.::

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VINNIE SUCKS, GET OVER IT, BULBA

DAMN

DAMN. SHIT.

SHIT. NOW WE'RE GETTING GRTTY.

GRITTY HAS AN "I" IN IT, DEAR.

... BALLS. AND SHIT. AND DAMN.

Re: ... BALLS. AND SHIT. AND DAMN.

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WHY WON'T YOU LET ME LOVE YOU

I'M SORRY

Re: I'M SORRY

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