The second floor hallway was ill-suited for any real conversation, so the group made their way back to the first floor, opting to settle down in the drawing room. A tattered sofa and a number of cushioned chairs decorated the large room, and a table sat in the center. White linen covered each of the pieces of furniture, although time had yellowed them to an almost nauseating hue.
Kaito refused to touch the furniture at all, so that left Lin, Force, and Iris to throw off the tattered cloths, unveiling the dark blue upholstery. Kaito examined the cushions skeptically, but eventually allowed himself to be seated upon one of the chairs, but the expression of discomfort never left his face.
Lin chose the opposite armchair, if only because Iris and Force were more than happy to share a section of the couch, the Kirlia going as far as to sit in the Riolu's lap. Cecilia, however, showed no real desire to get comfortable. She had calmed down significantly since they had left the attic, but her eyes were devoid of the bubbly joy she usually showed.
Lin's sharp gaze observed the Quilava carefully. Of the group, none were closer to Cecilia than her, and likewise none of them could read people as well as she could. It was an acquired skill, honed through constant practice and a necessary skill to have within Sneasel packs. If one could not judge the intentions of their kin, or of rival packs, then they were potentially vulnerable to ambush or deception, and the penalties for such mistakes could range from humiliation to death, depending on the intentions of the triumphing party.
Cecilia's talent was always information gathering. She was remarkably gifted at talking to strangers and coaxing bits of information from people. Much of what she gathered tended to be random trivia, but her genuinely bubbly nature and friendliness gave her an advantage compared to researching parties like Lin or Kaito, whose more serious demeanor tended to be met with skepticism, suspicion, or indifference. Although labeled as a notorious flirt and a playful prankster to a fault, Cecilia was extremely emotional at times, especially compared to Lin and Kaito.
Really, the ways Cecilia contrasted from Lin or Kaito could probably fill several books. While Iris and Force were unquestionably romantically attached, and Cecilia liked to flirt and tease, neither Kaito nor Lin shared such interests. Kaito was less opposed than Lin herself was, but his condition made him unwilling to get too attached to specific people, at least not in an affectionate or intimate manner.
The scarfed Weavile understood romance well enough. She had a firm grasp of the notion of true love, romantic endeavors, and purely physical relationships. None of these offered her anything she required. She was perfectly accepting of this aspect of herself, but very few people seemed to understand her point of view if she tried to explain it. Regardless, she was fully aware that Cecilia craved companionship in all levels of commitment much more than she herself did.
"Are you feeling all right, Cece?" Lin asked softly, breaking the silence.
"No! I don't feel okay!" Cecilia answered, already becoming agitated again. Her flames flared up briefly before simmering down again, and she shifted her weight, as if embarrassed by the display.
"Easy..." Lin said, raising a paw and adopting a soothing tone. "I won't pretend to understand everything you're feeling right now. I assume you don't want to illuminate us at this time?"
"No."
"If it's any consolation, Cecilia, this development is not sitting well with us, either," Kaito said seriously, drawing a brief glance from the Quilava.
"I'm kind of pissed about how I can apparently be possessed and used as a puppet," Force grumbled. "How many times has he done that shit?"
"Force!" Iris chided, but when the Riolu gave her a weird look, she blushed. "No, no...you can be mad, I just...language..."
"That is a real problem," Kaito agreed, his wings fluttering briefly. "I should have mentioned that possibility..."
All eyes turned to the Togetic, and none of their gazes looked amused. The fairy Pokemon fidgeted uncomfortably beneath the stares.
"Ah...see, there was a...section of one of the stories that mentioned that...Diablos has the ability to place one of his souls inside people and become one with them. It was...very irregularly translated."
"How did you interpret that other than spiritual possession?" Lin asked, frowning.
"I didn't exactly have the clearest information to work with," Kaito admitted. "I do know his original purpose was to absorb and contain the darkness of a person's heart. In doing so, they become one with him. You can see how the translation issue comes into play here..."
The other Pokemon stared at him incredulously.
"Do you even know what we're getting ourselves into here?" Force asked, scowling. "Look, I know we agreed at the beginning that we were willing to put our own lives on the line for the greater good, but do you think maybe this is a step backwards?"
"No," Kaito said firmly. "We live in a world where the desperate struggle through any means to overcome the obstacles. We made a misstep here, and that's what caused this issue. It doesn't mean our goals or methods are wrong."
"He killed Pokemon who had done nothing wrong!" Cecilia growled. "And sentenced their kits to lonely, fear-filled lives without parents to protect and watch over them! How is that okay?!"
"I didn't say it was okay, I..." Kaito began, but Lin raised a paw, cutting him off, her gaze upon Cecilia.
"We really shouldn't argue amongst ourselves," she said quietly. "I think it's possible we rushed into this plan without considering the impact it could have on all of us. We need to better prepare ourselves for what cooperating with this Spiritomb will entail, and find out more about his capabilities, and how they can benefit us. Otherwise, we could very well end up over our head again."
"Do we actually have a lead on how to proceed, anyways?" Iris wondered.
"Right, I had spoken to Sorin a few days ago," Kaito said absently.
"Is he coming to Sinnoh?" Force asked.
There was a long awkward pause, as if everyone expected someone else to answer the question. Eventually, everyone's attention focused on Cecilia, who took an extra few seconds to notice them.
"What?"
"I dunno, it seemed like you're the one who'd usually answer that question..." Kaito said.
"Sorin doesn't even like me," Cecilia argued bitterly. "He's got that weird thing about Fire-Types getting in his personal space. Shame, because he's super-soft. His wings are like sleeping in clouds..."
"I...can't particularly blame him for that issue," Kaito mused. Judging by the blank looks from Force and Iris, neither of them knew any more details than Lin herself did. That is to say, next to none. Lin had never met the Altaria personally, but the others supposedly had. However, Sorin was evidently loathe to travel to Sinnoh, so it could be a long time before the two of them would ever cross paths.
"I'm plenty likable!" Cecilia snapped abruptly.
"That's not what I was implying..."
"You know what? I can't handle this right now. I need to go," Cecilia muttered, her flames crackling irritably. Without saying anything further, she turned and briskly walked out of the room. Seconds later, they heard the front door open and close again with a sharp slamming sound. Kaito groaned and buried his face in his paws.
"That could have gone better," he muttered.
"Understatement of the year," Iris agreed, shaking her head. Lin continued to gaze after the departing Quilava thoughtfully. She would need to track Cecilia down later and confirm that she was all right. Until them, letting her be alone and giving her time to cool down was probably for the best.
The Spiritomb reformed before them minutes later, the yellow eyes acknowledging them each in turn with a glance, but made no comment about Cecilia's absence from the group. They had finally returned to the attic space, after Kaito had given them a quick summary of his information before bringing it up to the Spiritomb. They were quite keen to avoid further miscommunication and confusion among themselves.
"Well, if there is no further cause for delay, what do you have in mind?" Diablos inquired, his gaze resting on Kaito in particular. The Togetic shivered, glancing over at Lin briefly, but then refocused on the Spiritomb.
"I spoke with a friend of ours in Johto during the break," Kaito said slowly. "And he mentioned that as of late, there have reports of odd activity within the ancient ruins located in that region."
Lin raised an eyebrow slightly. Leave it to Kaito to have done research regarding other ruins outside of Sinnoh. She really had to marvel at his fascination with ancient history and lore, but surely Sinnoh had more than enough examples of fallen civilizations and tributes to the deities of legend to satisfy his interests.
"I don't follow," Diablos said blankly.
"I didn't see any connection at first, but Sorin mentioned some dates, and that's when I realized that the recent activity started mid-December. The 17th, or the 18th, it was a bit vague as to whether that's when it started or when it was first reported."
Diablos still looked nonplussed, while Force and Iris simply shrugged. Lin remained silent, mulling over the information. Kaito seemed vaguely amused, as if he was holding onto the answer to the world's toughest riddle, and was just bursting to see whether anyone could solve it before time ran out.
"The day we broke the seal," Lin stated finally.
"Oh?" the Spiritomb's eyes gleamed with interest. "So something elsewhere in the world happened at the same time as I was unsealed. Interesting..."
"Admittedly, we don't have many specific details to go on, but based on the fact your Keystone pieces resonated with each other..." Kaito didn't need to elaborate further; the message was clear.
"Perhaps the ruins have a hint or even a key to unlock my seal further. Perhaps enable me to regain my mobility...or restore some of my memory. With the passings of time, it seems I cannot recall much before I was sealed. It is endlessly frustrating and leaves me without much direction as to how I was sealed and how to undo them, to say nothing of why so many seals were placed upon me."
"There is more," Kaito said. "The Ruins of Alph are in Johto, but there is a Sinnoh equivalent. If your Keystone pieces were in Sinnoh, then maybe the Solaceon Ruins have a similar link. Or possibly even odd activity reported there that we didn't hear about because of the winter weather."
"Possibly, but I wouldn't know for sure," Diablos lamented. "So what are you intending to do?"
Kaito pursed his mouth briefly. "I'm thinking we could investigate both sites, see if we can uncover anything. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"
The Spiritomb seemed slightly surprised by the request for its input. "That seems...very efficient. If nothing else, you may uncover something that will point you in the right direction, assuming the ruins themselves do not have something of note. I approve your approach. Advise me on what you discover."
"Will do," the Togetic stated formally. Diablos smirked and glanced at the other Pokemon.
"Anything else I can do for you? It always seems so odd that you gather four or more Pokemon here, but only one of them really ever speaks to me. Makes the others seem oddly superfluous. Force, you've been glaring at me from the corner of your eye for the past few minutes, go ahead and speak your mind."
"I want you to take your soul thingie out of me," Force said promptly. Diablos chuckled softly.
"Unfortunately, I'm going to decline on that for now. Actually, it's kind of an embarrassing detail...I can't extract it unless you and Shadow are in the same place. Part of the fragment I gave you is improperly bonded to him, and you two are too far away from each other. On the bright side, I cannot actually possess you for the same reason."
"What?" Force growled, clenching his fists.
"I said it before. I tried to transfer the fragment to Shadow. The only reason I gave you one was to ensure I wouldn't be abandoned helplessly here, and so I could pursue the lead I was given in the event you decided not to return. Due to unfortunate circumstances, this plan backfired. Part of my soul fragment is within my intended target, the rest remained with you. So long as the fragments are too distant, I cannot remove it, nor can I use it to its full effect. But not to worry, it still is amplifying your abilities properly. A fragment of a fragment is still considerably powerful."
"What the hell are you?" Force muttered under his breath.
"I could give you another one, which would enable me to remove both by merging your portion with the addition," Diablos suggested with a smirk. "But adding so much power and then removing it without letting you adjust to it would be extremely dangerous for your health, and I rather not risk it. On that note, try not to die, either. My fragments are irreplaceable."
"Is that all?" Force retorted snidely. "Got any good health advice?" Lin winced at his tone, but Diablos seemed unbothered.
"Hmm...eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and make love to your mate. Although if following this advice does kill you somehow, I'm certain one of my souls used to be a lawyer, so don't bother suing."
If there ever was an achievement for making Lin almost crack a rib trying not to laugh, the eerie Spiritomb had just won it.
