Neither Kaito nor Lin spoke for the duration of the walk back to the house. It wasn't a particularly far distance to go, but Lin appreciated the silence all the same. It gave her a little more time to mull over her performance in the spar, and she was sure that Kaito was likewise lost in thought, although for a different reason.

Part of her thoughts did want to focus upon Mega Evolution and what relevance it might have, but she didn't fully understand the concept, so there was little point in dwelling on those thoughts for long. Kaito probably knew a little more than she did, because wasn't that part of the reason they had come to Ecruteak in the first place? Kaito had recognized the symbol upon the stone they had retrieved from the Ruins, but couldn't recall the significance, and now they actually had something to work off of, so surely the Togetic would be able to narrow down the resources he had to reacquaint himself with.

Lin was momentarily startled from her thoughts when she realized that they had arrived back at the small house, and she followed Kaito inside, remembering to close the door behind her.

Sorin was presently nested upon the small sofa on one side of the room, preening his cloud-like wings, whereas Cecilia was pacing back and forth with obvious restlessness. Upon seeing that her comrades had returned, the Quilava perked up and bounded forward, her flame vents igniting for a split second in her enthusiasm.

"So, how'd it go?" Cecilia asked eagerly, her gaze focused on Lin, but occasionally glancing in Kaito's direction. Her expression faltered slightly when her question was met only with silence. "Um...that badly?" she asked, now looking nervous.

"Lin won," Kaito answered distractedly, but this seemed to only confuse the fire Pokemon further.

"And that's...a bad thing?" she wondered, and Lin realized, a moment too late, that her expression was ill-suited for someone returning victorious from a refreshing spar with a decent opponent.

"Ehh...it was a little intense," Kaito answered, now glancing towards Lin with a wary expression, as if he was afraid that saying too much would annoy the Weavile. Lin responded by rolling her eyes.

"I just have a few things to think about," she stated, internally wincing when she realized how clipped and annoyed her tone sounded. Cecilia blinked, now looking more concerned than ever.

"Is...everything okay?" she wondered, taking a cautious step closer to Lin, much how she often moved closer to Force or Iris whenever they were agitated and needed comfort, but much more cautious. Lin never was the type to appreciate affectionate contact, even among friends, and Cecilia knew that better than anyone.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Cece," Lin answered. "I'll work things out on my own for now." She flicked one end of her scarf, but the fabric fell short of being flipped over her shoulder, on account of the water making it more heavy than usual. Lin frowned to herself, casting a glance down at the water dripping from the blue material.

"Give it here, I'll help dry it," Cecilia offered with alarming enthusiasm. She even went as far as to take several steps closer and extend one of her paws towards the scarf, although Lin noted that Cecilia was wise enough to purposefully fall short by several inches. Even among friends, Lin did not like people grabbing or touching her scarf without consent. To her, it was on the same level of rudeness as grabbing her by the arm.

Lin narrowed her eyes suspiciously, an expression met by Cecilia widening her blue eyes innocently, the Quilava still reaching hopefully for the scarf. Very slowly, the Weavile began to unravel the soaked length of fabric, her eyes never leaving Cecilia's own.

"And you promise this isn't a ploy to insist on me sharing my personal concerns in exchange for my scarf's return?" Lin asked, barely speaking above a whisper.

"The thought did cross my mind," Cecilia admitted with a giggle. Lin paused and regarded the Quilava with a raised eyebrow, prompting Cecilia to hastily add, "But you said you'd work it out on your own, so I won't pressure you."

A peculiar expression crossed Lin's face at these words, for she distinctly remembered saying something very similar to Cecilia earlier that day, when the Quilava was hesitant to go into detail about the things that were troubling her. She had little doubt that Cecilia had phrased her statement specifically to reference the earlier conversation, but that was enough to remove her suspicion.

Without further hesitation, Lin finished unraveling the scarf, exposing the collar of red feathers that adorned her neck. For whatever reason, this action caused Cecilia's cheeks to flush slightly, as if she had walked in on the Weavile in some sort of compromising situation, but this reaction was thankfully brief. It wasn't even the first time Cecilia had seen Lin without her scarf, although such instances were incredibly rare. The same probably wasn't true for Kaito, and definitely not for Sorin, because Lin usually washed her scarf as part of her bathing routine, and Kaito was rarely ever traveling or visiting Ruin sites alongside Lin. Cecilia and Force were the more common examples, although Lin had noted that, despite Cecilia and Force having no reservations about bathing around one another (and an inclination to gleefully debates the etiquette of doing so), they seemed to follow an unspoken rule to give Lin's bathing rituals a lot more space than genuinely necessary.

"You're going to make a comment about the males seeing me naked, aren't you?" Lin deadpanned, the instant that Cecilia opened her mouth.

"...maybe?" Cecilia giggled, but she was grinning a little. Kaito stifled a snort of amusement with his paw, whereas Sorin seemed a cross of perplexed and uncomfortable. Lin rolled her eyes in amusement, and passed the scarf over to the Quilava.

"I'm a bit worn out right now, so I'm going to take a brief nap," Lin announced, stepping past Cecilia and heading towards one of the side rooms, which she had discovered previously, sheltered a guest room of some sort, with a relatively clean bed.

"Okay, uh...should I bring this to you when it's done, or wait for you to come get it?" Cecilia wondered, carefully placing the scarf over herself so that it would collect the heat of her flame vents without touching any fire directly.

"Hm...give me about an hour to come get it, otherwise bring it to me," Lin answered after brief consideration. With only a brief nod of acknowledgement to both Kaito and Sorin, Lin made her way out of the main hub room.

The guest room, as Lin personally decided to label it, was a small bedroom. Very little furniture was present here, apart from a small nightstand table on the far side next to a window, but it was bare of any sort of lamp or clock, unlike Kaito's study room. There was also a chest of drawers near the door, but Lin honestly didn't care enough to check whether there was anything in them, because the only article of clothing she cared even the slightest bit about was her personal scarf. The bed was surprisingly well-kept and tidy, leading Lin to muse again that the house probably had a cleaning service of some kind drop in on a routine basis, because there was simply no logical way that it could be left in this condition while it was unoccupied for unknown stretches of time.

Not that this really mattered. Any sort of vaguely soft and comfortable surface would do - Lin was not so pampered that she felt the need to sleep beneath the blankets or anything similar, so for all she cared, it could have been a blank cot and she'd have been satisfied.


Sleep came easier than Lin normally might have expected, with so much weighing on her mind, but perhaps she had not been too far off the mark when she had said she was worn out. Her body had taken a rather severe strain from the intensity of Noblesse's electricity and her own exertions, and taking a short nap was blissful relief.

Unfortunately, it still felt like only a few minutes had passed before she woke up. For a moment, Lin lay still, half hoping that sleep would reclaim her, but the subtle sound of movement nearby seized her focus. She sat up, her red eyes skimming the room before settling on the doorway, where Cecilia was standing, looking for a moment like a Stantler caught in headlights.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Cecilia asked sheepishly. "I was just checking to see if you were up, but you looked like you were still sleeping, so-"

"You're fine, Cece. Has it been an hour already?" Lin wondered, glancing towards the window, but the curtains hanging in front of it blocked any chance of judging the passing of time from the sunlight.

"A little longer than that, actually," Cecilia giggled, and she walked closer and hopped onto the bed beside Lin. With a bright smile, she held out Lin's now-dry scarf, which Lin accepted with a nod of thanks.

Lin was altogether unsurprised to note that the scarf was now pleasantly warm to the touch, but not hot, so Cecilia had clearly gone to great lengths to dry the scarf without applying too much heat to any one area of the material. Although naturally an Ice-type, Lin could not deny that cocooning oneself with warm silks or blankets on a winter evening was a pleasant experience, so draping the warm scarf around her neck again prompted her to emit a soft purr from the back of her throat, like a pampered kitten. Cecilia stifled a small giggle at the sound, but Lin wasn't bothered.

"So, how are you doing?" Cecilia asked, once Lin had finished adjusting her scarf to her satisfaction. The Weavile cast her friend the briefest of glances, a tiny frown creasing her muzzle.

"Well enough, I suppose," Lin answered, unable to fully hide the stiffness from her words. The nap had been a blessing for her physical well-being, but now that she was alert and conscious once more, her thoughts were quick to return to the events of the spar against Noblesse. It had been a thrilling battle, that much there was no use in denying. It was the type of battle that would have left her shaking with excitement, had it not been for the alarming mindset that had taken hold of her near the end of it.

"Okay, so um...I know I said I wouldn't pressure you..." Cecilia paused, watching the Weavile's reaction closely. Lin had no doubt that if she in any way indicated hostility towards the topic, the Quilava would immediately back off, but in truth, she didn't feel that strongly about Cecilia broaching the subject. Seeing that Lin's expression remained neutral, Cecilia continued, speaking with a little more confidence. "Is anything bothering you? I mean, even if you can work it out on your own, I...just want to let you know I'm willing to listen. You know, if you need me to."

"That's kind of you, Cece," Lin replied, examining the claws of her left paw idly, before allowing her gaze to meet Cecilia's eyes. "I naturally would have preferred to mull things over on my own, but it has occurred to me that it might be beneficial to take an opportunity to vent and share concerns."

"Should I be worried?" Cecilia wondered.

Lin smiled a little at that. "Hardly. If the matter was that dire, then I would not hesitate to bring it up, nor would I restrict my concerns to you alone. That said, I'd still rather limit the extent that others are privy to my personal concerns. Even so, that is not a necessity, merely a preference."

"Oh? Because I was just about to say, we can totally close the door if you want more privacy," Cecilia giggled, nodding her head towards the open door.

"Mm...I doubt that'll be necessary," Lin mused, regarding the Quilava with mild interest. "Has anything happened since I dozed off?"

"Not really. Sorin and Kaito talked quietly for a couple minutes, and then Sorin left to go check on Celes, but there was probably something else, too. Then Kaito went into his study room. Last I checked, he was rummaging through the books, but no clue what he's looking for."

"Hm...probably something about Mega Evolution, if I had to guess," Lin murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Cecilia gave her a bewildered look, the question in itself blatant just by her facial expression. "Oh, right. You recall the stone we retrieved from the Solaceon Ruins? The one we thought might have been a clue about Diablos, but no one seemed to know what it was?"

"Yeah...isn't that like...half the reason Kaito wanted to come here? To check for something about that?" Cecilia wondered. She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Dunno why he didn't like...bring it with him, though."

"I believe that it was to allow Diablos himself a chance to inspect the stone, but that's not important right now," Lin said, waving her paw impatiently. "During my spar with Noblesse, he achieved some sort of transformation state that he called 'Mega Evolution" or something like that, and it involved a gem-like stone with the same sigil as the one from the Ruins. Kaito and I both noticed, so I'm sure he's got a better idea of what resource he's looking for."

"Ooh! Now I kind of wish I had been there to see it, that sounds cool," Cecilia complained, but confusion flickered across her eyes a moment later. "I have never heard of that before, though."

"Likewise, but I suspect that Kaito has, because he's the only one of us that thought the sigil on the stone from the Ruins looked familiar. But as you can imagine, being familiar with dozens of different runic symbols leaves some holes. That's not really the main point here, though."

"Oh, right," Cecilia said, smiling sheepishly. "Um, but other than that, nothing's happened. Been quiet here. Been waiting for Sorin to get back, you to wake up, or Kaito to find something. So what's up?"

Lin was silent for a few moments, mulling over the best way to phrase her present thoughts and concerns. There was no easy way to go about this, either, because she wasn't entirely sure exactly WHAT was troubling her...or rather, WHY it bothered her so much. On the surface, the problem was simple - she had taken an unusual amount of pleasure from the battle against Noblesse, so much that it was close to being defined as a primal high. However, while she disliked this mindset on principle, it was something she already knew was perfectly normal for her species, and even Cecilia didn't know the details of Lin's background.

"Do you ever have times, Cece, when you've felt like you've been regressing?" Lin asked finally, again examining her claws, but focusing on her right paw this time. She was even consciously aware of the fact she was deliberately avoiding Cecilia's eyes when asking this question, but looking at Cecilia would just prompt her to subconsciously analyze how the Quilava was responding, and she didn't want to be distracted from her present thoughts and feelings.

"I...what?" Cecilia asked, her tone bewildered, and her blue eyes widening in confusion.

"Have you ever felt that you've overcome an obstacle in your life, only to find yourself being drawn back into the same pattern of thinking or behavior that you cast aside?"

Lin looked up at the Quilava, her expression stony. It wasn't that Cecilia's answer to this question was important, but rather she needed to communicate to her friend that the subject was to be taken completely seriously.

"Uh..." Cecilia's eyes darted about the room, as if some object nearby would provide her with the answer, but after several seconds, she just shook her head. "I don't think so," she admitted finally.

"That's fine. You do recall the day that Force and I came to fetch you, when we were en route to the Solaceon Ruins? On the way, I spoke to Force a bit about the thoughts and feelings that were haunting him at the time, and I let him inquire a bit about me."

Cecilia nodded slowly, but didn't say anything. Lin hid a smile. Cecilia was a surprisingly good listener when she needed to be. Although normally almost inappropriately cheerful and quick to rebound from foul moods, she still had a knack for knowing when her input was not necessary without risking the topic going off on a tangent.

Lin considered for a moment before continuing, "Force touched upon a subject I've never really touched upon with the rest of you. He noted that he's never seen me in battle. Have you ever wondered about that, Cece?"

"What, why we've never seen you battling?" Cecilia giggled. "Not really. I mean, you usually avoid picking fights, and usually break up hostilities before they get to that point, so I just always kind of figured you held battling to a higher standard. Like...you don't fight to solve petty quarrels, you know?"

"That's...definitely on-point," Lin agreed, a little taken aback by how accurate the statement was. "I do still train regularly, and spar semi-frequently, with restlessness being an unfortunate withdrawal symptom. But you've never wondered why you've never been given the opportunity to observe, nor why I do not accept sparring requests from any of you?"

"Oh. Well, I mean, maybe a little bit. I've sometimes wondered why you never offered to practice with me, at the very least," Cecilia admitted, although Lin detected a hint of hurt in the Quilava's voice. "I guess I've just been under the impression you're way stronger than the rest of us. I even thought it was weird that when you were restless today, you just asked me to help find an opponent, instead of asking me to spar with you."

"Hm, a reasonable assumption," Lin admitted. "As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I was raised up in the mountain peaks, and my pack was mercilessly competitive. As a result of this upbringing, I am much stronger than many would be prepared for, and my evolution remains proof of that."

"So, um...what does any of this have to do with your earlier spar?" Cecilia asked, frowning. "I'm sorry, I'm just...not getting your point yet."

"I'm rarely truly challenged by my opponents, Cece," Lin explained solemnly. There was no boasting in her voice, only the simple stating of a fact. "Sneasel thrive on competition to continue driving them to grow stronger. I'm no different in that regard. When faced with a challenging opponent, I can't help but get excited. My heart racing in my chest, blood pounding in my ears, the hundreds of mental calculations buzzing in my brain as I plot out the best strategy to outmaneuver my opponent...it's the best, Cece. The ultimate pleasure experience for me."

"So...is it that you don't spar with us because you get way too into it, and you're so strong that it's dangerous to fight with you?" Cecilia wondered, her eyes lighting up in understanding.

"Yes. It's unfortunately unavoidable, to be honest. If you're not on my level, then I'm holding back and not improving at all. If you rival me, I get over-enthusiastic. Sparring with other opponents allows me to more naturally feel out their skill level and adjust my strategies accordingly, because I don't already have a grasp of their level."

"Ooh...that make sense. So um...how did Noblesse fare?" Cecilia wondered.

Lin winced a little, but took a breath, gathering her resolve to explain the situation, "It was raining during our spar, and this provided me with a significant disadvantage. My senses were dampened, and Noblesse's electricity boosted in strength and accuracy. He was stronger than I anticipated, and the weather cemented the matter. Before long, I felt like I was being pushed into a corner...do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

"Uh...I'm guessing super-excited?" Cecilia answered.

"More excited than I've been in ages," Lin confirmed with a tiny smirk, basking in what residual emotion remained from the memory of the spar, and the moment when she realized that Noblesse was going to be a genuine challenge for her. "He was the first opponent since I evolved that I felt I might actually lose to. This has only happened once before...but ultimately, that's where the problem lies."

"What do you mean?" Cecilia asked blankly.

"Fighting against Noblesse reminded me of him," Lin murmured absently, and her eyes flicked up to meet Cecilia's perplexed gaze. "I speak of my pack often, but I've never told you why I left, correct?"

"Nope," Cecilia confirmed, after the briefest of pauses. Lin straightened up and adjusted her scarf, more as something to do than out of necessity. Her eyes were thoughtful and unfocused, but Cecilia waited patiently, making no attempt to prompt Lin into explaining herself.

"Battle was everything in my pack. It was the means to solve all conflicts, and enabled the acquiring of all basic needs. Disputes over food, shelter, and even mates could be settled through battle, and the best selection of our resources belonged to the ones with the skill and dedication to overcome all other competition. With such a competitive lifestyle, it was necessary for every Sneasel to constantly hone and test their skills, or risk being left at the bottom of the social chain," Lin said quietly. "It was a system of fairness. Contrary to stereotypes, pack members did not ever claim their defeated opponents as unwilling mates, although battling against a desired partner was still a means to impress them or secure some leverage in beginning a courtship. You know my stance on such things, so I initially trained primarily so that I'd never lose to any male, and therefore I alone would have the right to select my mate options."

"Right...but, um...you're asexual," Cecilia pointed out with a hint of embarrassment, her eyes darting towards the doorway as if afraid that she'd find a number of Pokemon eavesdropping just out of her line of sight. Lin rolled her eyes. This wasn't even technically a secret, as the Weavile tended to be very upfront about her disinterest in relationships. If anything, it'd be more accurate to say that she was both asexual and aromantic, but Lin sometimes felt that using both terms in conjunction didn't roll off the tongue as well as just using the one term to imply both sides of the coin.

"I didn't know that at the time; I thought I just had very high standards," Lin countered in a deadpan. "It wasn't until after my evolution that I started to recognize and solidify my viewpoint towards mates."

"Wait, did you evolve before or after leaving the pack?" Cecilia wondered, her eyes widening with interest.

"It's all kind of related," Lin said blandly.

"Will it help me understand why you're bothered about your spar with Noblesse?" Cecilia asked. "I mean, if you enjoy a challenging battle, and he was giving you one, and you actually won, I don't see what the problem is."

Lin heaved a small sigh. "He had earlier flirted with me and often used endearments when speaking to me. My mindset in battle is not as logical as when I am calm, least of all when I'm in such a primal state of excitement and battle lust. I know he was teasing me, but to act that way in battle, when I am blatantly uninterested in reciprocating, is patronizing and insulting. So when I got the upper hand, and my victory all but assured, I was compelled to keep attacking until my claws left a mark upon him. His skin resisted damage, and he was almost unable to retaliate, yet I didn't stop. I couldn't stop, because I was failing to leave a mark and would not be satisfied until I had. Kaito had to call me off."

Cecilia blinked, her mouth hanging open slightly, and Lin almost cringed upon seeing the expression. It brought back the feelings of guilt and disappointment in herself. It reminded her too much of her history with the Sneasel pack, and why she felt she had needed to leave entirely.

"It's all part of why I feel like I'm regressing a little. I thought I overcame this mindset when I left my pack," Lin stated morosely. "At the Ruins, when I battled Frost, I stopped myself from giving in to the mentality of disrespecting my opponents for my personal thrills. Perhaps I thought too highly of myself. I'm a Weavile, and one cannot escape their natural instincts so easily."

"You left your pack to get away from your species' mindset and instincts?" Cecilia asked, her forehead furrowed in confusion, although it was clear that the Quilava was doing her best to understand what Lin was saying.

"...in a sense, yes. The competitive nature of the pack and the constant battle to one-up each other, while fantastic for personal growth, lends itself to some uncomfortably predatory mindsets. I suppose I can give you the full explanation, if you want," Lin said.

"Sure, if you're okay with going into detail," Cecilia said, but it was clear from her face that she definitely was eager to hear more.

"It is a bit of a long story," Lin confessed, but Cecilia simply giggled and moved into a more comfortable position on the bed. "But I suppose there's nothing better to do at the moment," Lin conceded. "Very well, then. This was a bit over a year ago, before I met any of you..."