CHAPTER 3T: Steps

There was a joy to be found in the artful pursuits. The ability to create something of your own, the ability to use your imagination and inspiration towards something. Travis had gotten into art at a young age, and his parents supported his endeavors, buying him his first sketchbook. It was then that he spent quite a number of his free days doodling whatever silly thing he could think of.

Quality was of no matter, all that mattered was that he put his visions to paper and enjoyed himself. It was a relaxing hobby for him, with no real goal or pursuit, he just loved doodling whatever he might enjoy.

"Whatcha drawing?" Gladys grinned, sitting at her brother's side and taking a peak. She was, perhaps, Travis' biggest fan when it came to his sketches, always getting a kick out of them even if she wasn't much of an artist herself.

Upon the sketchbook was a drawing of two Espurrs. No doubt where he got his current inspiration from, at least. She grinned, "Ooooh, that looks really good!" She spoke her approval quickly, as Travis rose his head and gave a laugh.

"You think so? It's a bit messy. Drawing outside feels kinda... different, you know?" He questioned, before looking back at the sketch. Two Espurrs sat next to each other, with smiles on their faces and the typical wide open eyes of their species as they pecked away at a bowl of food.

He gave a look upwards. Of course, he had been basing it on the real image of the two Espurrs eating, the group taking a break for lunch at a grassy path. The two Pokemon had quickly left their positions after they had their fill, however, with Ella now sitting on the side of Travis opposite Gladys and 'Jam', as his sister had chosen to name him, taking a perch atop the girl's head.

"We haven't even been out a day and you already miss your desk~?" Gladys teased. Travis gave a mock glare before she laughed. "But seriously, it looks cool!" She grinned, before staring at the page. She put on a look of contemplation before smirking proudly and pointing to an Espurr. The one on the right. "That one's Jam!"

Travis gave a blink as he looked towards the sketch. "Wow, you're right! I didn't even finish drawing the two. How could you tell?"

"Hmph~" her hands went to her hips as she sat up straight. "Of course, an experienced trainer can easily recognize their own Pokemon" she gave an exaggerated laugh, before lifting the Espurr off her head and moving him to her lap, sitting him down. "Besides, Jam has bigger eyes, and he's a bit fluffier." She nodded knowingly, before pointing to the other Espurr. "You can tell that one is Ella, because she's a little taller and her ears are rounder!"

Sometimes, Travis had to admit, the attention to detail his sister had was scary. Then again, he did draw it that way, although he was merely attempting to be as accurate as he could. He hadn't even noticed the subtle differences between the two psychic-types while drawing them!

He shook his head and closed the sketchbook, storing it in his bag along with everything else. After one more check he gave himself a nod in satisfaction before standing up. "It's about time we go, since everyone finished eating."

"Hey, I was waiting on you this whole time, champ." Gladys giggled, before stretching her arms. Indeed, she had already packed everything up. "Oh, get this! Some of my pals and followers gave us some 'good lucks' for the road." she commented as she arose from her seat, scooping up her Espurr in her arms.

"Eheh, that's nice..." the boy gave a shrug, as he lifted his own little feline friend up and stood. "Did you check your map?"

"Yup. We still got a lot to go, but if we keep going and don't stop for anything we'd probably make it by tomorrow night."

"Well... probably no point in rushing that much. We SHOULD at least take some time to work on the pokedex and train..."

The two began walking, the dirt path peaceful, surrounded by calm wilderness. Not enough trees to be a noticeably dense forest, but just enough to provide something to look at.

"Yeah. I gotcha." Gladys agreed. "First gym battle. As awesome as Jam is, wanna at least get some bulking up in before we charge headfirst, huh?~"

Travis gave a nod, before looking around. Admittedly, not many Pokemon were about today, it seemed. He had seen the occasional Seedots and even a Burmy up on a tree, but they quickly hid from the two trainers before he could even react to them.

Regardless, he did add the two entries to the Pokedex. Images of the Pokemon appeared in their respective entries but not much else, most likely for him to add.

Route 1, a trail that led between Pemolo Town and Ricota City, the location of their first gym challenge. Aside from a few small ponds, there were very little in regards to interesting landmarks along the route itself.

Because of its natural environment it was the perfect den for grass types of all kinds. At the very least, that is what Travis assumed. Certainly, many trainers who had stopped at the inn back home said so.

With that in mind, Travis decided that he would catch a few of those grass types before the day was done. Surely the Professor would be impressed if he managed to catch a few on the first day, and he believed he knew what to do if all his studies held true...

"Alright, just be very quiet..." he instructed, although it was perhaps more for himself than for Gladys, who followed behind with her arms crossed.

"I didn't say anything..." she whispered behind him, smirking. He always did read a little too much on catching pokemon. Not that he would admit that.

After making a quick shushing motion, the young lad approached his prey. He repeated the steps in his mind. Step 1, get close.

"Ella, go!" he commanded. The Espurr gave a small noise before hopping down onto the grass. The rival pokemon, a small green plant, shorter than even the foot tall feline, jumped in surprise as it turned towards the attacker. "Use scratch!"

"Purr!" Ella didn't hesitate. Doing so would just give the Pokemon the chance to escape. She ran forward and rose a paw, short but decidedly sharp claws extending before she brought it down on the opposing Pokemon. Her attack struck true, the little pokemon having little time to react and dodge.

The pokemon gave a noise. It wobbled back on stubby legs before giving an angry look with its small eyes. It wasn't down for the count yet. It began to glow a light green color before the top of its head seemed to open, green lights shooting out towards the Espurr. Despite her attempt to evade, the Espurr let out a gasp, shivering. Her body flashed before the green light seemed to go back towards the other Pokemon, going into its body with an odd shimmer.

She wobbled in place but regained her balance soon enough. She could tell that something had happened immediately, legs feeling weaker, a tad sluggish. No physical wounds, but she didn't want to get hit by that light again.

Travis could feel a bit of a rush. He had his pokedex out, scanning the attacking grass type. It showed that the Pokemon used a move called 'Absorb'. The name gave a pretty clear indication of what it did, especially as the wounds on the Pokemon seemed slightly better as it sprang up. "Looks like it can heal itself... amazing!"

"Get a grip, bro, you're still fighting!"

"E-erh, right!" Travis shook his head, a faint tint to his cheeks before he looked towards his Espurr. "Go for Covet!"

"Es," Ella brushed her ear a bit before straightening up, approaching the pokemon. But instead of attacking, it simply walked calmly, even giving a friendly wave.

To say the other pokemon was confused by the situation was an understatement, not really sure what to make of it as the Espurr soon came close. She gave a cutesy giggle and engaged in conversation with it, which definitely contradicted her behavior from before!

"Purr~" Ella commented, cute little hearts forming over her head. She smiled as the Pokemon seemed to lower its guard.

And that was the opportunity she wanted. Those hearts vanished as she charged the small Pokemon, tackling it quickly before it even knew what was happening.

The Pokemon gave a cry as it was sent reeling, landing on its back with a light thump. It huffed and struggled to get back up.

And now it was Travis' turn! He pressed the button on the empty Pokeball, causing the object to pop into its full size in his hand. He gripped it tightly, before tossing it to the downed Pokemon, not giving it the chance to recover. It was a hit, the capture device opening up as a red light surrounded the confused grass type, its form disappearing into the light which quickly retreated back into the Pokeball.

With that the ball fell to the ground with a thud. It began to shake, all eyes watching it eagerly. The ball shook once. It shook again. One more time.

...

Ding!

Travis stared at the Pokeball for a few seconds, before grinning and raising an arm in victory. "I did it! My first catch!" he smiled as he ran to the Pokeball. Ella had gone over to inspect the catch, so in one movement he scooped up his Espurr and grabbed the Pokeball. "You did it! Good job, Ella!"

"Purr," the Espurr rose its head in pride. Was there ever any doubt?

Travis laughed as Gladys wandered over, Ella taking a spot on his shoulder. "Good job bro, you had that one in the bag! How's it feel, eh? Being an 'official' trainer?~" she teased.

"Hehehe... that really got me going. It's pretty amazing when you do it for real instead of just listening and studying..."

"I bet." Gladys laughed. "So, what'd ya get?"

Travis blinked. "Ah!" he pulled his pokedex out again. In the excitement, he had forgotten to add the Pokemon.

He held the device to the pokeball and let it run the scan.

Budew, the Bud Pokemon. This specific one was a Male. After he marked it as 'caught', similarly to when he checked the Espurr category several other bits of information regarding physiology and 'stats' appeared. Grass and Poison type, although luckily for him it didn't know any Poison-type moves. That would certainly have caused some trouble.

"So this is Budew..." he held the Pokeball up, before smiling. "Welcome to the team."

The sun had begun to set soon after. The view on the hill was caked in the orange light. Sunsets were perhaps nothing too special, but there was something, Travis figured, about seeing one with no signs of civilization in sight, the flowers and grass flowing gently in the wind.

They'd have to set up camp soon. As exciting the prospect of getting to their first gym battle was, it was important to get lots of rest as a trainer. No point getting sick or developing unhealthy habits. The first day of their journey was drawing to a close, it seemed. A little too quickly, too, although that perhaps was helped by them leaving in the afternoon.

"We should start getting things set up." Travis decided, eliciting a groan from his sister. "Don't give me that! It's better we get ready before it gets too dark!" He crossed his arms sagely.

"No waaay." She complained. "I want to keep moving! It feels like we barely made any progress at all!" The girl puffed up her cheeks and frowned. Travis could only sigh. "Especially since you spent, like, 10 hours hunting down more Pokemon!"

"You didn't complain before!" Travis spoke in his defense. "And you could have joined in," he accused the girl. She, admittedly, did do quite a bit of fighting on her own, but as for catching? She hadn't used a single ball. Saving them for a possible catch she'd REALLY want, she said.

Meanwhile, Travis was already out. Perhaps he did get a bit overzealous; if he were to stumble across a new Pokemon now, there'd be nothing he could do. Regardless, he had to settle the more current issue.

"We made plenty of progress, Gladys. If we really wanted to, we could reach Ricota tomorrow." He sympathized. "Especially if we wake up early."

"Uuugh. I hate mornings." Gladys groaned.

Travis ignored that complaint, "And didn't YOU agree that we should take some time training instead of rushing to the gym? It's not going to move while we're out here."

While Gladys muttered and continued pouting with a confused Jam on her shoulder, Travis for his part looked at his surroundings. Plenty of trees and natural fields of flowers around. Perfect place to set up camp, in his opinion. He took a few steps toward the side of the path before something caught his eye.

Movement, on the path that lay in front of them. A better look indicated two shapes, and further examination indicated that said shapes were human. "Hey, Gladys, look, there's someone over there!"

Gladys arose her head in confusion before looking. "Oh, hey! Think they're trainers?" Her mood took a sharp 180. Trainers meeting each other, for the most part, could mean only a few things.

"Well, if they're out here in the middle of the evening..." He shook his head.

The two walked onwards towards the other group. Upon closer examination it appeared to be two girls, one seemed to be about the twin's age, maybe older, while the other was unquestionably a younger girl, most likely a student at one of the schools over in the city.

Another unquestionable fact about the two was that, of the two, it seemed one was significantly more eager to have the other around. Specifically, the smaller, brown-haired girl seemed to be pestering her senior, floating around her as the older girl did her best to continue walking despite the hovering presence.

Her gait, however, stopped when she saw the twins. She blinked once before approaching. The smaller girl, for her part, quickly noticed that something was wrong before she looked towards Travis and then ran after her older friend.

"Well now, I wasn't expecting to see more people out here at this hour." The older girl chuckled. Her voice had a slight accent to it. One that Travis couldn't really recognize. "Trainers, I assume?" she said, paying close attention to Travis' bag for some reason.

He looked down to see Ella sitting on top of his messenger bag. Of course, that would certainly make his status as a trainer obvious. When he looked up he saw the girl's attention had gone to his sister. Gladys had begun speaking without him noticing. "-we just started, hehe! How about you?"

"Of course." The trainer smiled proudly, brushing her green locks of hair back. "I could tell you two were new."

"Eeh? How so?" Gladys seemed semi-curious, crossing her arms. Jam looked down at her and then quickly copied the movement, paws crossing over his fluffy chest.

"You tend to pick up on how strong others are once you've been in the game for a while." She giggled. "Victoria, the little one here is Lily."

"I'm not little!" The lass huffed. Hard to say such a thing when you're the shortest person in the group.

"Gladys! And the stick in the mud here is my bro Travis~" She snickered, shaking hands with Victoria while Travis gave a grunt of his own.

"So are you two heading to Pemolo?" Travis asked. The older trainer paused, putting a hand to her chin. He could immediately tell that she wasn't native.

"Ah! Is that the name of the town this route is connected to? I suppose I am heading there. As for her..." Victoria glanced down at Lily, whose eyes quickly moved from her to Travis.

"Yep! I'm going there too!" She blurted out quickly. Travis could hear Victoria sigh.

"So why are you two travelling together?" Gladys grinned for some reason lost to Travis.

"Victoria's my teacher! She's gonna show me how to be an epic battler like she is! And then I'm gonna fight her!" Lily blurted again in excitement.

Victoria held back a grunt, a hand absentmindedly batting a lock of her long hair around. "I'm touring the region, myself. As trainers do. I was exploring this route for a while, quite a pretty walk." She laughed a bit, "This girl clinged to me back there, and I have yet to shake her, sadly."

"That's mean..." Lily huffed, pouting. Her expression quickly shifted as she went straight back to hopping. "So! So so so! What are you two up to, huh?"

"We're heading to Ricota for a gym battle." Travis began.

"Ah, the gym there, right." Victoria nodded, before chuckling. "The leader was quite the character. I wonder if all the gym leaders in this region are as quirky."

Travis rose an eyebrow, looking over to Gladys. She shrugged in response. They didn't really do much research on the Ricota Gym aside from the fact that it was centered on fighting types.

"Victoriaaa! I know what you're doing!" Lily's voice shattered Travis' train of thought as all eyes turned to the young lass. "You totally just talked to these guys so you wouldn't have to answer me!"

As Victoria gave a defeated sigh, Travis blinked in confusion. "What's going on?"

"She's very much dedicated to battling me." Victoria shrugged, before staring at the twins. Slowly, a grin filled her face. "Alright, then." She turned to Lily. "Very well, you want to battle, then let us do so!"

Lily's eyes filled with stars. "BUT!" And those stars quickly fell. "Only if you can defeat these two!"

That certainly got Travis' attention. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, excuse him!?" Lily pouted. "Why do I have to do that!?"

"These two look more on your level, so it'll be good practice before facing me." Victoria chuckled smugly. "Those are my terms, no changing it."

"Hey now..." Travis began. Lily gave a groan in frustration and turned to face the boy, pointing an accusing finger up at him.

"Fine! I'll fight you first!" Lily exclaimed, a hand already on her Pokeball. "1 on 1, let's go!"

"Er-"

"Just hurry it up, Travis." Gladys pointed out, seeming more than a little amused. "How can you say no to your first trainer battle? Besides, if you lose, then I get to go~"

"Your vote of confidence is appreciated..." muttered the boy as he trudged into the grass, turning around and facing his opponent. She seemed to be eager to start, unlike him, although that was probably just so she could get this over with.

He shook his head. "Alright, Ella, you got this." He smiled down at the psychic feline. She looked up at him, eyes making contact for a few seconds before she nodded and hopped out of the bag, standing in front of him and facing the other human with confidence.

"What a cute Pokemon!" Lily giggled, "Too bad I'm gonna kick its butt! Go, Starly!" She threw her Pokeball, the device exploding in a cascade of red light that bunched together and solidified into a single form, a small bird-like Pokemon covered in gray-brown feathers appearing before Ella.

'Flying-type... a basic matchup, I think...' Travis wracked his brain for info on this Pokemon. As far as he knew it didn't have any sort of advantage over a psychic type like Espurr, but it was the same way the other way around. He just had to pick his moves correctly, then.

"Quick Attack, Starly!" the girl exclaimed, snapping Travis out of his thoughts. The boy stammered as the flying type lunged towards Ella. He commanded the Espurr to dodge, but the attack lived up to its name of being 'quick' and Ella barely had any reaction time before Starly reached her.

The strike connected, sending the Espurr reeling back as the flying type was in the air. "Ella! Get up!" he commanded. She gave a frustrated mewl before doing so, facing the Starly once again. 'Don't get too distracted...' he chastised himself before pointing to the Starly. "Scratch!"

"Dodge it and tackle!" Lily commanded. Ella had bared her claws and leaped up at the flying-type, before the Starly simply flew above her. She had barely any time to react before it swooped down and collided with her, sending her sprawling to the ground once more.

"Nngh!" Travis grimaced. He's making mistakes, too many. His eyes darted to the side where Gladys and that other trainer were watching, cheering him on. He blinked his eyes and quickly refocused on the task at hand. No more fooling around. "Stand your ground, Ella!"

"Who even names their Pokemon something like that?" Lily giggled, before pointing at the Espurr slowly getting up. "Wing attack and finish them off, Starly!"

The Pokemon gave a cry, wings flapping energetically before it swooped down. Travis watched, tense as it approached his Pokemon. "Confusion!"

Ella didn't waste anytime, her eyes drowning in a blue-white glow. A glow that transferred to the Starly. The flying-type gave a shocked cry before it felt an invisible force of some kind. It hurt, and it was enough to send its flight to a halt, its swoop wobbling and veering to the side before it crashed into the mildly soft grass below.

"Wh-hey! Starly, don't give up after just that! Come on!" The other trainer protested. With a bit more encouragement the pokemon stood, flapping its wings.

And then its eyes met round, purple dots. The Pokemon stumbled back on its feet, wings outstretched as the gaze seemed to go through it.

"Scratch!" Travis commanded. Ella broke her Leer and lunged into the Starly with her claws. Having left itself wide open, the flying type gave a squawk before being rended by the angry feline.

"Starly!" Lily cried once the Pokemon dropped to the floor. Despite attempts to lift itself, it was clear to those present that Starly was finished.

Travis gave a big sigh, releasing a breath he had been holding, a hand going to his chest as he relaxed his posture. "The win goes to Travis!" He heard someone say, turning his head to see Victoria stepping between the two. She looked to Lily, who had quickly run over to Starly's side. "Better luck next time." She chuckled.

"Geez, Travis!" Gladys snickered. "I know I said you should lose so I could get a turn, but did you have to make it so close?"

"E-eheh... well, we won anyway..." Travis walked towards Ella, kneeling by the Espurr. The Pokemon looked tired and more than a little ruffled up. "Good job, Ella, you did amazing."

The feline rose her head and appraised her trainer, before feeling his hand on her head, lightly petting her. It was no secret that she enjoyed the feeling, especially after such an ordeal. Travis' arms wrapped around the psychic-type and lifted her off the grass, hugging her to his chest as he stood back up.

"Good work you two. Not a bad job from both sides." Victoria smiled, before laughing. "How about we all take a break, then?"

"Ugh, I wanted to keep going, but if this is how it is..." Gladys rolled her shoulders.

"Hehe..." Travis spared a nervous laugh before brushing Ella's head. "You can rest for now, Ella. Let's call it a day." The Espurr need not be told twice, taking this as a cue to get comfy in her trainer's arms. Lily only glared at the boy in that huffy way of a child who didn't get what they wanted from the store, although Travis could only smile in nervous pride before turning away.

...

Travis' sketchbook was open for the second time that day, his mind filled with thoughts of feathers, beaks, and wings. Drawing purely by memory was challenging, and he had no doubt he was getting some of the details wrong. That was fine, however. It was okay to him so long as he kept drawing.

The doodle of a Starly with its wings proudly stretched outward, flying overhead filled the single page. He had also scribbled a few other Pokemon below it. Nothing too detailed, but it was fine the same. These were more scribbles than actual art pieces, anyway. Something to keep the creative parts of his mind flowing and his hands sharp. That and it just felt good to not be too serious about things once in awhile.

The group had set up camp there. At the very least, Travis and Gladys did; the other two had stayed for a while to eat and chat before going off on their own. The boy looked down at his Pokemon, the Espurr napping at his side, looking no worse for wear but clearly still tired out from all the work done that day.

Travis sighed, putting his pencil atop the sketchbook and petting the Espurr with a free hand. Gladys was most likely in her own tent now. He had some quiet to reflect on the day.

Six. He had caught six Pokemon that day. Six new entries in his Pokedex in need of filling. If only Gladys helped, considering it was also her job to be filling the Pokedex too. He imagined she wouldn't really put her heart into it, though, which meant it was up to him.

Maybe he should have asked Victoria or Lily to spare some extra Pokeballs. He rubbed his head, before his fingers wrapped around his glasses and took them off, setting them inside their protective case.

No point in dwelling on things now. This was just the first day of his adventure, and there was no telling where the next would take him. Hopefully, though, it would take him to Ricota City.

But that was for the future. In the present, the day was over.

Travis- Current Party

Ella, Espurr (F), level 10

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-End of Chapter 3(Side T)-

Side: Pa-2

At another time and place...

Payton sat atop the bed, one of those hard not-really beds that were usually set up in doctor's offices and hospitals. Payton didn't really know if they were called anything else, but there were more important things occupying the teen's mind at the moment.

Like their family. Were they okay? The troubled teen imagined they were in similar situations, stuck in an intimidating room while a doctor looked them over. At the very least Payton's apparent caretaker seemed rather understanding and delicate. Payton was just happy to be able to move again after all that extensive examinations.

But now Payton couldn't hold it in anymore. The youth had to ask. Absolutely had to. "So, doc..." they moved a hand gingerly to their throat, clearing it a little. Fond or used to the noise coming out, Payton was not. "Am... am I okay?"

The doctor, a man with a bit of age to him, one that Payton could only imagine had heard that question many times, and most definitely there were few times when he didn't have a good answer, adjusted his glasses. "There are no abnormalities in your body. None medical, I should say." He answered.

"And... other kinds of abnormalities?" Payton couldn't help but bite their lip. Eyes glanced towards the door, but quickly focused on the old white-coated man.

"...Well, as I am sure you are aware, your body has been... drastically altered." The man chose his words carefully, sympathetically. "I assure you that there are experts looking at your condition as we speak, you and the rest of your family."

Family. Payton couldn't help it as their emotions came flooding- the panic of all that had happened to the young adult, the anxiety of what WILL happen, the anguish over having gotten their family involved. "I... r-right, that's good to hear." Payton's voice, so unnatural and different, sounded so soft then, trying to regain composure. "Will I... am I still...?"

The words were caught in Payton's throat but the doctor seemed to know what was being asked regardless. "No, we've seen no more signs of it being 'contagious'." The man chanced a smile when Payton slumped in visible relief, before continuing. "Have you heard of Pokerus, by any chance? It's a very rare virus that infects some Pokemon and spreads to those nearby, but it's always temporary and disappears on its own after a while. It seems a bit like that. A contagion was detected on some of your other family members- the ones who had obtained it most recently, but it's gone now."

"So we're all safe? We can go home?"

"I am afraid that is not a question I can answer." The doctor admitted, peering over his glasses. "We have never seen anything like this before, and while it seems quarantine is unnecessary for all of you, there are other concerns... as I am sure you understand."

Payton went silent, before nodding. "Is there anything else?"

The man cleared his throat, turning towards his desk and looking through some papers. "Well... Mister Parr, that depends on you, doesn't it?"

Payton noticed his pause, but didn't bring attention to it. The teen didn't need reminders of the current situation, especially not when they could look down or feel the hair on their shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"You've gone through a very dramatic change. How do you feel? How is your mood? Does anything feel off or wrong? Are you hiding any stress?"

Payton thought about it. How DID the 17-year old feel? Tired, conflicted, not really in control of their emotions, a little hungry...

Payton glanced downwards, examining their hands. Small and purple, delicate with five digits, human yet not quite and definitely not the hands the part-timer at a construction site recognized. "I don't know. I guess I just feel weird." Payton shrugged.

"Hmm. Yes, well, while we didn't detect anything physically 'wrong' with you, there is a multitude of psychological things that aren't so obvious." The Doctor said, before leaning forward, bringing Payton's attention to him. "I'd like to recommend a few therapists just in case, for you and your family. I have some cards..."

Payton nodded, although the youth's eyes were occupied, staring downwards at their body. It was as if it was the first time that Payton had ever seen it... although the number was probably pretty low anyway. Those small, soft arms arose from a lap covered in red fabric and wrapped around a small torso as yellow locks hung from the corner of Payton's eyes.

It all felt so wrong, but at the same time Payton felt like they weren't freaking out as much as they could, or should. Maybe it was because Payton had already grown used to it? Or maybe it was because of the change too.

It felt natural, but it felt unnatural that it felt natural. It was a paradox that only served to confuse the teen more. Payton was more of a heavy lifter than a heavy thinker honestly.

"Alright... thanks, Doc." Payton nodded. For a moment the youth moved to extend a hand, but after looking down at it decided not to.

The escort waiting out the door adjusted his hat once Payton stepped out of the office. "Come on." He said bluntly.

Payton couldn't help but frown a little. Really, so much moving back and forth the last few days. "Where are we going now?"

"Orders came in. We're taking you all home." The officer answered as the two moved down the hall.

"...Wait, home?" Payton momentarily stopped walking, but quickly clicked behind the large man to catch up when he didn't slow down. Honestly, if anything, some top secret lab or government building was expected, certainly not back home.

"Yes. Further explanations and instructions will come once you are all together. Now if you'd please, miss."

Payton didn't say anything in response, although she doubted there was anything to really say anyway.

-End of Side Story-