Night had fallen as Chloe laid curled up within her room. After hearing Rowan's story and seeing it play out through his own eyes, she could scarcely believe he had stayed sane. Looking back, the week he spent cooped up in here, barely speaking to anyone was much more understandable. Even Fergus had nothing to say.
"Hey, you alright?" a familiar voice asked.
"Yeah, just a bit… shaken." Chloe replied as she sat up and turned to his direction. Felix stood at the hollow's entrance.
"You and Fergus look like you found out the world's ending. What's going on?" Felix asked as he entered and leaned against the tree wall.
"It's a long story." Chloe sighed.
"It's a long night." Felix replied. Chloe chuckled a bit as she watched her friend hide a shiver.
"You know that Never-Melt-Ice is still ice right?" Chloe smirked. "Aren't you off for winter anyway?"
"Well yeah, But I'm here as a friend. How I spend my time off is my business," Felix replied with a laugh. "Now spill it, what could possibly have happened to shut even Fergus's mouth?"
Chloe mulled it over for a minute. Felix deserved to know, he was the part of the team after all.
"Rowan told us everything today. It…. was darker than any of us was prepared for." Chloe confessed. Felix quickly became concerned.
"He killed that human didn't he?" Felix asked, his leaves stiffening. "He didn't threaten you did he?"
"No! No no!" Chloe hurriedly shouted. "He… Felix you're not going to believe me, but you have to know, he let Vrid show us his memories."
"And?"
"Rowan… used to be human." Chloe said. "More specifically, he was that human. The corpse we found."
Felix stared at her unblinking. Chloe sat in wait for him to respond in some way. The silence in the air was deafening as she waited on baited breath.
"Where is he now?" Felix asked, seemingly unperturbed. Chloe was almost disappointed with his lackluster reaction. She expected him to call her a liar, ask for proof, or something.
"He insisted I take my room back," Chloe answered. "He's staying in...I'm sorry, why aren't you more freaked out about this?"
"This whole thing has been crazy from the get go, Chloe. A freak wildfire in the middle of winter? A dead human? A Glaceon unconscious in a blizzard? And it turns out he was the human somehow?" Felix replied, shaking his head. "This crazy train doesn't seem to be breaking any time soon. Besides, you wouldn't lie about something like this."
"Thanks Felix…" Chloe beamed. "I guess I'm a bit jealous of how you're handling it though."
"Anyway, where did you say he was now?" he asked again.
"Honestly, I don't know. I couldn't bring myself to stop him when he left. He said he wanted to be alone." Chloe replied sadly.
She regretted not stepping up to comfort him. Reliving those memories had to have been agonizing for him. No matter who or what you are or were, no one deserves to be alone in such a state.
"Wait, so let me get this straight. You let a human in a Glaceons body just wander off?" Felix angrily asked. His tail tapping on the ice flooring beneath them. "Do you atleast know what direction he went?"
Chloe hesitated, confused at his reaction. Why was he mad all of a sudden? He didn't bat an eye to Rowan's background, what did she do wrong?
"What has your vines in knots?" Chloe asked, slightly alarmed.
"Think Chloe! If what you've said is true, then that explains why he couldn't walk right at first!" Felix reminded her. "Do you think he knows how to be a Glaceon? Can he defend himself?"
"I…" Chloe started. Seeing how Rowan already had knowledge of pokemon already, she had assumed that he, by default, already knew how to fight. The thought hadn't crossed her mind that he might be defenseless.
"Goddamn it. We need to find him!" Felix barked and took off as fast as his body would allow. Chloe leapt out of the hollow, sprinting past him in her desperation to find Rowan. Felix split off from her to check the outside, yelling for her to check inside.
Her mind was a mess. For whatever reason, her desire to protect Rowan was surfacing unbidden again. She always strived to protect her teammates and any other pokemon they rescued, but something felt different when it came to Rowan. Once again she buried these feelings, instead focusing on the task at hand. Regardless of how she felt, the right thing to do was to find Rowan anyway and to ensure his safety.
Becoming a Glaceon had its benefits. The snow was satisfying to walk through, his new fox-like body darted through the snow with ease. The air, what was once brutally frigid, was now comfortable to walk around in. The more he exposed himself to the winter weather, the more charged he felt.
The moon hovered over him as he explored the area around the base. He had heard that there was a whole village of pokemon not far from them, but he had no frame of reference to know how "not far" it truly was. His new nose fed him a plethora of information. The multitudes of smells that lingered in the air pulled his attention in every direction. A branch broke from behind him and Rowan whirled around, ready to run. Fergus came waddling from behind a bush, carrying a jar half his size.
"Hey there lad, nice night innit?" The Buizel greeted.
"What are you doing out here?" Rowan asked. He knew he wasn't in danger, but given his history, Rowan expected another rant from the angry pokemon.
"Lookin fer you!" Fergus said as he shook the jar. "Fancy a drink with me?"
"Kinda wanted to be alone right now," Rowan replied cautiously. He was suspicious of his intentions. "Why me anyway?"
"I know we got off on the wrong foot today. I made a right bellend of meself," Fergus admitted as he sat down in the snow. "I just wanted a chance to explain meself and say...I'm sorry."
Rowan sighed as he trotted over to the otter and sat in front of the otter while keeping a short distance between them. Fergus reached beneath his yellow bubble and produced what he immediately recognized as a shot glass as well as a small bowl.
"I get the shot glass, but what's with the bowl?" Rowan asked, confused. Fergus let out a hearty laugh.
"Well you ain't got thumbs do ya?" Fergus replied. "It's what the bowl is fer."
"Oh yeah," Rowan mumbled as he looked at his paws. "Right."
"Don't worry lad, I got yer back," Fergus said with a smile.
Popping off the top of the jar, a pungent scent wafted through the area. The smell burnt his nose each time he inhaled. This liquor was either extremely potent or his new sense of smell made it seem so.
Pouring some of its contents into the bowl and into his own cup, Fergus wore a smile that Rowan recognized. As a man who once loved his alcohol, he too shared that same gaze with every drink he poured when he was human. This unexpected turn of events was much preferable to the ones he had as of late.
"Alright then lad, open the hatch. I'll pour it for ya," Fergus said as he set the jar down and gingerly picked up the bowl.
While he was disappointed in having to drink it this way, Rowan was just glad to have one of his old world vices to help him relax. Opening wide and lowering himself, he let Fergus pour the liquor into his throat.
The familiar burning sensation rolled across his tongue, permeating his throat and body. The taste was something similar to cinnamon fire whiskey, but held a much sweeter aftertaste. Licking his cheeks, he watched Fergus down his share like it was about to go missing. After some time talking about the alcohol itself, Rowan could start to feel its effects.
"Lad...I want to say that I am really, truly sorry," Fergus sighed after wiping his maw. "I know that might not mean much coming from an old fart like me, but it's all I got."
Rowan swayed in place as he listened to him. His body was radiating warmth. For the first time since he woke up in this world, he felt completely relaxed.
"Fergus, I forgive you," Rowan said. "I'm just glad the truth is out there. I hate lying, never was any good at it."
"Yer right bout that, I seen it a mile away." Fergus snickered as he poked him in the ribs.
"I'll bet," laughed Rowan. The two fell silent for a minute until Rowan turned to Fergus.
"Fergus, why are you doing this?" Rowan asked quietly. He had taken Fergus for a crude, rude, hardass and this seemed strange given how he had been acting up until now.
"I already said laddie, I wanted to say I was sorry," Fergus said as he poured another drink for Rowan and himself.
After the two had their next rounds, Rowan coughed and reworded his question.
"I mean why are you doing this? You could have apologised and I would have forgiven you. Why go the extra mile? Why drink and goof off with me?" Rowan asked. "I didn't take you as the type to do this sort of thing."
Fergus sighed as he shook the jar. Between the two of them, it had emptied far faster than he had hoped. Tossing the empty jar behind him, Fergus left it where it landed.
"Well Rowan, that's because…" Fergus started, leaning and falling onto his back. "I know what it's like to be alone."
The mood shifted quickly after that. Rowan scooted closer and laid on his back, staring into the sky above alongside his drinking buddy.
"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.
"I mean...This is our home. Team Union is the most important thing in the world to me," Fergus said, keeping his eyes glued to the stars above. "I spent the better part of me years bouncin' from team to team. Noone could put up with me, at least not until Chloe found me."
Rowan nodded, understanding what he was getting at. A total stranger claiming amnesia was suspicious enough, but finding a corpse nearby? From the outside it would be an absurd situation no matter how anyone would look at it, and that wasn't taking into account his confession. Rowan couldn't blame him for reacting the way he did. .
"I reacted the way I did with ya because I was worried for Chloe," Fergus admitted. "Ever since you've come into the picture, I've noticed a lot of changes in her behavior. She's overprotective of ya. Frankly, it worried me. When ya told us you lied, I just got angrier."
"I understand," Rowan slurred, the alcohol buzzing through his head now. "Hell, I can barely believe it's true and I'm the one it happened to."
"Well I'm sure Felix gave ya one hell of a scare eh?" Fergus laughed heartily as he smacked Rowan's side. He flinched at the impact but nonetheless cracked a smile. Having a drinking buddy might be just the ticket he needed to relax.
"You have noooooo idea, '' Rowan slurred again.. "But you know this might not be so bad."
"Right, ya just became a pokemon through an act of Arceus and want to live happily ever after," Fergus said jokingly before asking. "Don't you want to become a human again?"
"No." Rowan replied curtly. Surprised, the otter looked over at Rowan. Through the low light provided by the stars above, Fergus could see a pained look on his face. Having seen his memories of the crash first hand, Fergus instantly regretted asking his question.
"Lad, I di-" Fergus tried to apologise but was cut off.
"Being human where I came from was...difficult," Rowan started. "I had few friends, My own parents sucked, I hated my job. The only real reason I kept going was to support my hobbies."
Rowan could feel the booze coursing through his veins. His skin felt hot despite the chilly winter air. The sensation of his fur shifting in the breeze was oddly comforting. He knew the alcohol was to blame, but he was finally comfortable enough to share his full story.
"I mean, the pokemon world I knew was a fantasy. Where I came from, your world was a figment of our collective imagination," Rowan continued. "To me, it was a place where I could imagine amazing adventures and let the 'real world'...fade away, even if for only a moment. The shitty world I was a part of was just so painful to me."
Fergus laid in silence as Rowan let down his walls to him, baring himself to him. The way he had figured it, Chloe would've been the one he finally broke to, but he welcomed the chance to help Rowan out. From the corner of his eye, Fergus noticed Chloe sitting at the nearest tree, ears perked in their direction as she listened intently. A soft sigh of relief came unbidden from him, at least he wouldn't have to repeat everything himself to her. Slinking away quietly into the treeline, Chloe gave him a quick nod as she vanished into the treeline.
"Do you know what that's like Fergus?" Rowan asked. "Living a life that brings nothing but pain? Just to get teased with a glimpse of happiness just for it to be ripped away in a freak accident? Sure, I survived it, but ended up dying anyway!"
Fergus thought back to what Vrid had revealed to him and Chloe. In the back of his mind, Fergus could still vividly feel the onslaught of raw emotion Rowan had felt as if they were his own. He had little doubt that Rowan was thinking back on the same thing he was as he continued.
"Then boom! I'm here, bound and gagged by what I thought at first to be a monster. Imagine my surprise that it was an honest to god Servine! That goes double when I realized I was a Glaceon!" Rowan laughed.
"Ya at least pleased with your new body?" Fergus asked.
"Damn straight!" Rowan almost yelled. "I love Eevee and all their evolutions, Glaceon being my personal favorite. Sure it's gonna take some getting used to, but I see this as a blessing. It's almost worth going through hell to get here."
Rowan paused as he rolled over onto his belly. His attempts to stand drew chuckles from the both of them. The drinks they had proved to be his undoing as he lost his balance and fell onto his side more than once before finally getting to his feet. Both him and Fergus shared a laugh.
"Well, glad yer all sunshine and rainbows about it. Fuckin' Arceus knows I wouldn't be," Fergus said loudly as he hopped up onto his feet, giving Rowan a smirk. "For what it's worth, I'm glad I was wrong about ya."
The drunken Glaceon swayed in place as he gave him an awkward hug.
"Haha! Well I'm glad you've got a good head on your shoulders. Chloe should be glad to have someone like you at her side." Rowan replied.
"Alright, alright," Fergus chuckled. "It's gettin' late, Chloe's probably worried sick and pokin around for us. Want to head back?"
Finding the idea agreeable to him, Rowan swayed with each step as he walked alongside his new friend. He originally came outside to decide whether or not to leave and live his life on his own, but thanks to Fergus, he understood that maybe he could stay a while. The otter had gone out of his way to make him feel welcome in his own way despite their history so far.
"Lad, I heard from Felix ya went off on him" Fergus chuckled before asking. "What's a Christmas Tree ornament?"