Warning - Graphic Descriptions

"Thanks again for helping me out during that mission," Tamin said. She then began taking a gulp from a cup of apple cider.

"It's no problem," Nidorino reassured. He leaned back on his chair and sipped on a coffee cup he was holding. He lowered the drink and began talking again, "It's what we were supposed to do anyways."

"Yeah. You're actually a pretty hard-hitter. I kinda expected you to take a little while to take out enemies since you rely on poisons. But when you need to you can really pack a punch and get something down quick."She leaned forward, putting her chin on her paw. "I could tell that granbull would have hit me pretty hard if you didn't bodyslam him away."

"That's right," he replied. "I try to make sure I have some versatility when I train."

"Yep, makes sense. Was that granbull hard to push for you?"

"It actually wasn't too hard for me."

"That's about what I thought. I didn't actually look too heavy. I bet it weighed about a gram."

"Erm, quite a bit more than that," Nidorino said.

"Yeah, me saying it weighed a gram was a load of bull'," Tamin said, cracking a smile and leaning back as she finished saying that.

Nidorino let out the best chuckle he could at that. He really wasn't a fan of puns, but didn't want to stay quiet after she said that. So he faked the best chuckle he could for her sake.

Tamin leaned back forward, looking to have a twinge of disappointment in her expression for a second.

"Speaking of that mission, I think you should try to get trained up and better yourself. Not trying to be rude- mind you- but I think your performance can be improved a lot."

"Yeah. I know," Tamin said, having her eyes closed as she spoke and letting out a sigh. "It's been on my mind, but it's just not something I've been able to push myself to do yet, I guess. My first mission involved a big fight that didn't go great for me, so I've been trying to take easier ones since then."

"Do keep it in mind. It almost seems like you haven't gotten a whole lot better at fighting since you first joined this guild, if you ask me," Nidorino said. His voice was less intimate than it normally was, it seems more wise, like a mentor giving advice to a pupil. He figured that would get to her better.

"I understand, I'll keep it in mind for later,"Tamin replied without any noticeable change in her tone. "I'll do it when I'm ready for it. I guess I'm just not feeling it right now."

"Mhm."

The pair took another sip out of their respective drinks in tandem, and then turned their heads away. They gazed at the nature around them as they took the time to gather their thoughts and figure out what to say next.

The reasonably sized cafe located itself at the edge of town. Wasn't super massive, but more than enough for them. They sat in an outdoors section of it on tables under umbrellas with a full view of the outdoors.

As it was the hour where most wouldn't drink caffeine anymore, it offered them a time to have the cafe all to themselves. The sun wasn't quite below the horizon yet, so the light being casted down still casted a typical golden yellow glow on the edge of their cups. There was a light cold breeze present, enough to cause the occasional shiver, but that just made their hot beverages even more pleasant.

On the tips of the twigs on almost every tree, they could see small light green sprouts. The trees were still barren, but evidently it wouldn't stay like that for long. Nidorino gazed off at them. While seeing the town like this wasn't new to him, he did know it was to Tamin. As a result, he wanted to make the circumstance special to her.

They lowered the drinks from their lips, but still didn't know what they wanted to say next. They awkwardly looked down at the table, moved their fingers and feet a bit, waiting for some idea on what to say next to come to them.

"...So… am I the first person you've ever dated?" Tamin asked, breaking the painful silence.

"That would be correct," Nidorino answered. "I'm as new to this as you are. Scampi definitely pushed us both into this."

"Ah, I see. And yeah, Scampi can be like that sometimes."

"How long have you been her friend?"

"First day where I was an official member of this guild. Although really she became friends with me at first, not the other way around."

"I can visualize that quite well," Nidorino said, imagining exactly that as he spoke.

"I was just pacing around the guildhouse when she ran towards me and started talking. Talking in that way that's- like- twenty percent faster than how she normally talks day-to-day."

"Yeah, I have noticed that."

"Right? It's like she has a completely different voice when she starts conversations for the day or with someone, and then gradually shifts back into her normal voice."

"Now that you say that, yeah, that's exactly what it is. I could tell something was off but could never quite put it into words. But that's just it," Nidorino said, the realization struck him and pulled him back, he started thinking about every time he'd heard her speak. "Good job on being able to catch that."

"Thank you," Tamin replied. "I'm pretty perceptive, if I do say so myself."

"Any other interesting things you've noticed, then?" Nidorino asked.

"I'd love to say, but not here," Tamin said, taking another look around. There was still no one around, but the minccino didn't want to take any chances.

"Understandable… actually I do want to ask, when would a good time to talk about it be then?" Nidorino said. "Erm, I'm not wanting to prod for secrets, I'm just curious," he corrected himself, realizing the suspicious or insensitive interpretations his question could have.

"Not sure at this exact moment, but not here. Way too public," she answered.

Tamin lifted her cup up and her head back again, letting the apple cider cascade down into her mouth. The liquid flowed steady for a second, and then streamed thinned out. After another second, only individual drops were still coming out. She patted the side of the cup in a vain attempt to get just a little bit more of it out, then set it down.

"That's that, then," Tamin commented. Nidorino was pretty sure she spoke to herself more than him, but he heard it either way.

"Want to stay here, or would you like to check out somewhere else in town?"

"Sure, let's keep moving. You can lead the way," Tamin said with a smile on her face.

"Know any shops around town that we could browse?"

"Not at the top of my head, so let's take a gander around," Tamin replied.

Nidorino took the last few sips of his coffee, they both tossed their cups into the trash, and they took to the roads.

The sidewalks were clear that time of year, neither snow nor dead leaves were scattered upon them. It was just brick and concrete below their feet. Nidorino guided her to the shopping district. He watched Tamin along the way, and saw that she constantly looked around them. Her head swiveled left and right in an endless search. There wasn't a point in the trip where she stopped and relaxed.

They stopped by a few different shops together, from the antique shop Tamin had been to before, to some accessory shops, and some food markets. It went about as one could expect; Nidorino wasn't particularly shop-savvy, and he'd come to learn that Tamin wasn't either. They were more there to listen to each other's comments on the items there. It was a good way to get a sense of each other's tastes, and to hear how they could articulate them. Despite it having been Nidorino who brought them to the storefronts, Tamin was the one who was making most of the quick comments on small details she noticed. She spotted small cracks or things that were discolored, or things that were just slightly misshapen. Tamin could say how things made her feel, what a piece of artwork might be symbolizing, or what kinds of concepts things are associated with.

At just about every stop, Tamin was the one talking more, and Nidorino encouraged her to say all of her thoughts. He could tell that she had trained herself to stay quiet for most of her life, so he wanted to encourage her to open up more. He thought of it as being like therapy, in a way.

Their last stop was at a food store; not a bustling grocery store, something closer to a humble farmer's market. The food wasn't exactly fresh; they weren't deep enough into spring for more produce to finish growing and be harvested. They were mostly the hardy plants that don't rot easily, like beets, celery, cabbage, potatoes and garlic. Raw ingredients all around, not unlike what they ate at guild meals.

He looked back to see what Tamin's reaction was. Her face looked more confused than anything else, but she still came alone. He followed where her eyes stared, and saw she focused on a string of garlic more than any other food there.

"Ever done any cooking?" Nidorino asked, inspecting the foodstuff more closely.

"Not really," she admitted. "Not something I was really allowed to do."

"Well the kitchen shouldn't be used more at this hour, so want me to show you some recipes?"

"You know cooking?" Tamin asked, turning away from the garlic.

"I've been practicing a bit for about a half a year now," he replied.

"Well then, I'll be happy to see it then," she blinked and smiled.

"Great, I'll get some ingredients then."

"Yeah. And if we're going to do this together, let me get a few things as well…" Tamin began looking into the market's spice racks and the smaller ingredients, the things to enhance flavor.

The two shopped for a few minutes, and filled some bags. With that, their excursion out into the town was finished, and they began returning back to the guildhouse.

"Definitely looking forward to trying this out. I think anything will be better than the meals we have at the guild," Tamin spoke as they walked back.

"Well if that's the bar you're setting, I can assure that you'll be satisfied. Just maybe don't set your expectations too much higher," Nidorino warned with a hint of sarcasm.

"To be honest, the food has got to be the one thing that was better at my parents' house than at the guild," Tamin admitted. "I do miss some of the things I used to eat there. But that really was the only thing I miss."

"I see. So is that why you bought some ingredients yourself?"

"Yeah. I don't remember everything about them, but I still remember how they tasted. So I'm going to be trying to create it again."

"Then I'll do my best to help you out with that."

"Thank you. My thoughts exactly."

They spent a few hours in the kitchen together, trying their hand at making various culinary creations. Nidorino made some recipes himself, but most of his focus was on watching what Tamin did and giving a helping hand where he could. What he could actually do was limited as he didn't know the exact recipes Tamin was attempting, but he tried his best.

Eventually, they had gotten full enough from eating that it was rendered pointless to continue, as they couldn't actually eat what they made. So they wrapped up and laid back, satisfied with what they had accomplished.

"Thanks for that, Nido. Really nice," Tamin said.

"Glad to hear."

"Not… quite how I remembered it or quite as tasty, but it definitely still was good."

"Were your parents good cooks?"

"Heck no, I never saw them cooking. They always hired a maid to do it for everyone."

"A maid? Was your family wealthy?" Nidorino asked. From the short descriptions she gave, he visualized her family being too poor for any luxury and living in some backwater town or out in the country. This description came out of the blue for him.

"Kinda, I guess," Tamin said with a shoulder shrug.

Nidorino couldn't read her. He didn't know if she genuinely didn't think they were very wealthy, if she hadn't really thought about it, or if she was deliberately downplaying.

"Do you have anything planned for tonight?" Nidorino said, trying to jump to another subject. "Aside from sleeping, of course."

"No, I was just going to head back to my own room. Did you have something else in mind?"

"Since it's the first day that's actually pretty warm, I was thinking we could go out camping together for the night," Nidorino said. "The woods near the guild are a pretty good spot for it, and it's actually pretty nice out there."

"So we'll be totally alone together out there?" Tamin asked.

"Yeah, I thought that would be nice."

"Sounds great then! I'll be happy to do that."

"Oh, great. I'll start getting the tent and supplies then," Nidorino said, relieved as he wasn't quite sure how she'd respond.

"You get on that, I'll get this kitchen cleaned up," Tamin said. There was a slight twitch in her tail, like it was instinctively readying itself, separate from Tamin consciously moving it.

"Thanks for covering that," Nidorino said, giving a reassuring gesture as he positioned himself to leave.

"Oh don't worry, it's not a problem for me," Tamin said, making movements with both of her upper paws, like she was patting the air with downward motions without moving her arms.

And so, they split up to do those actions, but while temporarily separated physically, Tamin remained in Nidorino's mind, and he imagined he stayed in her mind as well.

The sun began to set. Not quite dipping below the horizon, but beginning to shift in hue to red. All the sunlight came from the side now, and someone in a trench or beside a hill would be cast in shadow.

They followed a trail in the woods, seeing more of the branches that were only days away from sprouting leaves. They stopped at a small clearing, an almost perfect circle with trees all around them. It was large enough for all the stuff they'd want: a tent pitched up, a controlled campfire, skewers set up, and still having enough leg room to stretch out.

Nidorino did the lion's share of the work to set things up, but he was fine with that. He was larger, stronger, and it was his idea to begin with. He was just thankful Tamin appeared to be happy with it and was willing to lend some help. However, what he did find off was where Tamin's focus seemed to be. Her eyes were always looking away from the campsite and into the woods surrounding them. She'd scan over the area, focus in one direction for half a minute, whip her head around to quickly check the opposite way, and kept doing this. Nidorino found himself having to talk to Tamin when her eyes were pointed his way, just her ear was. She'd respond to questions no problem and continue conversations, yet her gaze fluttered all over the place. Even with the times where she would look at him or what they were interacting with, they wouldn't last long, as a minute later her head would turn back to their surroundings.

At first he chalked it up to her seeing something that he could not- or perhaps she was hearing distant noises and trying to spot their source. It wasn't a stretch to believe that the minccino had better eyesight than him- so in lieu of seeing anything himself- that was his theory. But as time went on, he realized that didn't quite add up either with how strange her behavior was.

It took another few short minutes before he could figure out it was. She was constantly checking to ensure they actually were alone. She looked in places where pokemon could potentially hide, she checked to make sure they weren't being followed, and she never once let her guard down. Tamin was constantly vigilant, always searching like at any moment someone or something could pounce at them; or someone was eavesdropping on them. He didn't ask her about it, but after having that idea, he realized that there was no other possibility for what she could've been doing.

He had planned to go all out with the camping: making s'mores, boiling tea at the campfire, and stargazing, but as the sun had fully set and night took over, he realized it was getting too late for that. He had to admit that they were both getting tired, so they called it there. They both entered the tent and got into their sleeping bags, locking their bodies in place within the cloth, comfortable and warm enough to make it so they didn't want to leave once they got in.

In that tent, it was all but pitch black. The only light left was the moonlight, which was further dimmed by the tent cloth. With sounds, it was similar, as not much noise at all arose from the woods around them. It wasn't like there were small crickets in the pokemon, the woods were utterly vacant. At that time, the only things they had was each other, cut off from the entire rest of the world in their white bubble of cloth. No one else they could hear, no one else that could hear them. No one at all they could see, no one at all that could see them.

"...Thanks a lot for this," Tamin finally spoke, the first thing in minutes to break the silence. She was quiet enough that if Nidorino was sleeping, she wouldn't wake him up.

Nidorino was still awake, so he heard and responded.

"It was no problem," he responded, speaking at the same volume.

"I think this is the first time in a while I've only been with one other person before," Tamin said. Her tone was different from what Nidorino usually heard. It was more philosophical and distant, one could tell she was self-reflecting as she spoke when they heard her. There wasn't any voice modulation to make it different and more respectable-sounding. This was the first time Nidorino had heard her sound like that.

"I see. I'm glad I could give this to you then," he replied. He didn't have much to add on himself, but was curious to see where Tamin was going.

"I think the last time was when I was talking with Locke in my room before the snow came. That didn't go well," Tamin said, her tone was still the same. Mentally she was somewhere else, mentally she was not in the same place Nidorino was.

"I know, I've heard about that story. Yuki was eavesdropping on you from the room above," he said.

"Mhm…" she solemnly replied. "Really glad I don't need to keep my past a secret anymore. Or risk getting dragged back there."

"I'm really sorry about everything your parents did to you, and I do want to help you move on," Nidorino reassured.

"Thank you for that, it means a lot to me," she replied. "...I also didn't have any chance to speak my mind to another person when I was with my parents," Tamin said, seemingly snapping back to a previous subject.

"You're free to talk about anything with me. I don't let any secrets out."

"I know," she said. "To be honest, I still think about my parents a lot. I still think of different things I could have said in arguments even though I knew they would still ignore me anyways. I think of what they did to me, and… yeah."

"I can understand why you would. But I'm sure you can move on," Nidorino said.

"Yeah, I'm sure I can. But I still think of them from time to time," Tamin clarified. "To be honest, I used to have some fantasies about beating them back. When they were shouting at me and hurting me, in my head I would imagine taking them out to the woods, chaining them up to a tree, making sure they can't move, getting something heavy and just… beating the crap out of them when they couldn't fight back," Tamin continued saying, her tone remaining soft and unchanging. "I can just imagine them screaming, asking me to stop even though they never stopped when I asked them to, their eyes getting black, their teeth flying out, blood coming out even though I'm not cutting them… and I just keep swinging."

Nidorino wasn't able to respond immediately. His mind began with trying to visualize what she was describing, but a little bit in it abruptly stopped attempting to visualize it, as if some mental safeguard activated. "That's… certainly not ideal," he said, too nervous to speak out more.

"I know, I know, and I don't have those dreams anymore," she said.

"That's good."

"Yeah… I realized it wouldn't work out because they'd just get knocked unconscious or die early on, and I wouldn't be able to get the pain to linger for very long at all."

Nidorino's head shifted in surprise and his eyes widened; even though there was nothing to see. "I'm sorry, what was that?" he said. "Surely I just heard something wrong, right?" he thought to himself.

"It would just be over for them way too quickly. Sure I could swing at an unconscious body, but if they don't feel pain from it, there's no point. I might as well just swing at a dummy at that point, I want them to feel pain like they deserve," Tamin rubbed her paws together, feeling the area with the severed webbings. "I can imagine something more intricate now… Both my dad and my mom, strapped down onto chairs facing each other. I could zip tie their arms and legs to the chair; put a belt around their waists as well just to be safe.

There are no vitals in the legs, so I can be free to mutilate those as much as I want. Well, aside from blood loss... I could get a knife, a surgeon's scalpel would be efficient but some cruder would be better. Those would be so much more painful... a little bit of rust would be great as wells.

I cut each of their toes off one by one, and then cut into the rest of the foot. I'd need to get the nerves exposed so I can stimulate those as much as possible... I could do this to one of them while the other watches the whole time, unable to do anything and knowing their next.

After the legs, I could move onto the arms and do the same thing. Those are more sensitive to touch, so even better. I could cut the fingers off one joint at a time, just leave them to fall onto the ground. Then I could go for the mouth next, plucking each of their teeth out one-by-one.

Then their eyes… there are a lot of things I could do to their eyes."

"Okay, j-just wait a second. I get that they were abusive and horrible, but you're wanting to torture them?" Nidorino said, his voice was getting distressed.

"Yeah?" Tamin replied, her voice having that exact uptick in tone to indicate confusion. "It's what they deserve. They spent years hurting and abusing me, so they should feel pain for it. This is just."

Nidorino was silent. He was too shocked to be able to say anything, he could only pull his sleeping bag over himself further.

Tamin didn't say anything more unprompted, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes. But that lack of reaction just made Nidorino more unnerved. There was no more talking that night, but things didn't go back to the same. He didn't feel like he was alone together with Tamin anymore, he didn't feel he was alone at all in those woods.

Tamin was able to get to sleep, but Nidorino could not. His muscles were tense and his eyes were open much of the time. In those silent woods, there were even moments he could hear his own heart beat.

The sun had risen high into the sky, bathing the land in a light so encroaching it even got into the woods. Tamin crawled out of her sleeping bag and stretched her arms out high and wide. Rarely did she get an opportunity to sleep in, but with no one knocking on a door, she finally got the chance to do that. It was absolutely amazing for her, like a dip in the fountain of youth. She didn't have breakfast at the guild, but that was knew that just meant she could have more of Nidorino's cooking instead.

Nidorino was not nearly as well off. He got out of bed groggily with crusty eyes, barely getting any sleep before sunrise came. Tamin approached him, and was able to tell he wasn't as well off immediately.

The first time they made eye contact that day, Nidorino had a slight twitch. It wasn't very much, but Tamin was able to notice it.

"Are you alright?" Tamin asked him.

"Mmmm… yeah, just didn't get much sleep," he groggily explained.

"Alright then. Hey, I'll try to get breakfast for us then (I can just bake some apples)," Tamin said empathetically.

She did just as she said she would, leaving the tent and getting a campfire made. It took some time, but she got things going.

Tamin saw Nidorino emerge from the tent a bit later, but she never doubted him and thought he'd fallen back asleep. Though when he came out, she saw he was different. His face was no longer as cheery, not the same he'd been the day before. Tamin could tell something was wrong with him, but couldn't tell precisely what it was with just a glance.

"Morning there! I'm still working on breakfast. You can take a seat," Tamin said, she decided it would just be better to pretend she didn't notice anything was off.

"Thanks," Nidorino responded. No longer groggy, but certainly more remorseful than what he sounded like the day before.

Tamin made the rest of their breakfast. It was exceedingly basic eggs and warmed biscuits, but at least it was well made for what it was. "Thank you for showing me how to cook yesterday, I really appreciate it," Tamin told him- showing a smile- as she divided the food out between them. She gave the meal into two portions of about sixty-percent and forty-percent, since she knew Nidorino was larger and would need more calories.

He accepted his share, and even took it with a short smile. The smile didn't last long though, and certainly didn't stretch wide either. He ate his food quietly, as did Tamin.

They didn't speak at all while eating. While that is to be expected to some extent, it just felt off, a step more awkward than usual. Tamin kept watching Nidorino, not having the eyes of a lover anymore, but trying to discern what was off. "Man, he's way more quiet than he usually is. He is barely talking with me at all, just doing nothing unless talked to first… wait, is this how I look to everyone else?" the minccino thought to herself.

They finished their food. Tamin wondered if they were going to do anymore camping stuff while the site was still established, but as Nidorino started dismantling the tent right afterwards, she had her question answered with action.

Everything was put back into bags, and they began their trek to the guildhouse. Tamin tried asking questions to him, the typical "how are you feeling?" and "could we do this again sometime?" but he gave very neutral and short responses, not the kind that would spark a longer conversation. Tamin wasn't too proddy, she essentially gave up after a few tries instead of continuously asking questions until she heard what she wanted.

Down and down on the forest trail they went, closer and closer to the guildhouse they got. The forest became less dense, and they could tell they were running out of time. Once they left the woods, it would no longer be private, as then they were exposed to potential eavesdroppers. Nidorino seemed to realize this, as he slowed his pace down and started thinking more seriously.

Tamin stopped in place and turned to look at the poison type, he had the unequivocal 'cat got your tongue' expression. There was something he wanted to say, but he just didn't know the exact words to use or had the courage to say it. Tamin could identify that expression quite well, she knew all sorts of facial expressions and their subtle traits as she'd have to know them to replicate them herself when she's being deceitful.

"What's going on with you?" Tamin asked.

"It's, umm…" Nidorino explained. It wasn't like he was caught in headlights, the pause in his voice was genuine as he didn't know how to continue.

"Take your time to think, I'll be sure to listen," Tamin said. "I'll try my best to help you out."

Tamin knew he got him metaphorically cornered with that. They were stopped in place, and after saying that, it would be incredibly awkward to just keep going without explaining everything.

"I… I think I- I think we need to just… stop this," Nidorino said, not finding himself able to bite the bullet.

"What?" Tamin asked.

"I… don't think I want to be dating anymore, I- I'm sorry, but I think I'm just going to have to break up with you," he managed to finally say.

"Wha- but we haven't been together for very long at all!" Tamin said.

"I understand that, and that's why I think it's best if we call it off now. If this goes on for longer, then it will just hurt more when it does end," Nidorino said, getting a little bit more remorseful with every word.

"Where is this all coming from?" Tamin asked, sounding more remorseful as well, but on the inside she felt more angry then sad.

"I… just don't feel you're the right person for me, anymore," he expressed. "Now I don't mean I dislike you, please understand that. I'm willing to still be friends. Just when it comes to a love relationship, I don't think we're right for each other anymore. I think… I think we might be too similar, you know? I- I don't believe that makes for a great relationship."

Tamin could tell that was a lie. The way it came out of his mouth was completely unnatural. He stuttered as he said it, clearly evidence that he was making up what to say as he spoke.

Tamin was able to tell what the real reason behind this was. Yesterday, he loved her, yesterday he was the one to lead them into camping and did so with a smile. But after she admitted some of her secret desires the night before, he had suddenly changed his mood and didn't want to be with her anymore. He didn't say that, of course, but Tamin could tell that was his actual reasoning.

She didn't immediately respond, her head just fell down and looked towards the ground.

"Are you okay?" Nidorino asked.

"...Yeah, I'm alright. I just need some time," Tamin replied, she didn't lift her head to face him.

"If I ever change my mind, I'll let you know. But I don't want you to feel down," Nidorino said, reaching out to her.

"It's okay," Tamin said, taking a step back to avoid getting touched. "Let's… just get back to the guildhouse. I'd like some time to be alone."

Tamin turned and began walking down the path again, and Nidorino started walking as well. She didn't look back at him, and they stopped talking entirely. One foot in front of the other, she focused on just walking, it distracted her from Nidorino and her own emotions.

The path back suddenly felt so much longer. She no longer saw those sprouting green leaves, the bright lime green. She only saw gray, like the whole world got dulled.

Eventually, they did manage to leave the forest path and got back to town. They entered the guildhouse, and Tamin began walking back to her own room. She didn't check to see if Nidorino was following her or not, but did raise her paw up in a 'stop' gesture in his direction just to be safe.

Tamin got to her room, stepped inside, closed it behind her, then fell down onto her butt against the door.

"I waited this long to say what I felt, I waited this long to open up. And this is what I get for it," Tamin thought to herself. "This is what I get for deciding to be honest for a change."

The hard wood door was comforting. It ensured she was alone in the room; a completely opaque barrier that kept anyone from seeing her. Not a soul could see her face, not a soul could see how she felt. There was no one to be disappointed or disgusted at her for how she was, Tamin was safe in her loneliness. Walled off from others, she was free from consequence in her solitude.

That all was how she justified herself there, how she managed to make that be considered comfortable by her own standards. She wanted to tell herself "never again", but knew that wasn't practically possible. She was free to vent her feelings out there, and did just as much. Not by shedding a tear, but by curling her paw into a fist and slamming it against the floor.

She waited in her room for a while longer, longer than she could keep track of, repeating the same things in her head to remind herself. Her thought process was eventually broken when she heard a repetitive sound right behind her, the sound of knocking.

Tamin let out a sigh, "who is it?"

"It's Locke," she heard his voice respond. "I'd like to talk to you, I noticed you're not doing too well."

Tamin silently mulled over what to say next for a few seconds. On one hand she wanted to stay alone forever, on another hand she knew that Locke didn't have any bad intent towards her. She made her decision soon enough, though.

Tamin sat up, turned around, and opened the door. On the other side she saw Locke, with a face of genuine concern displayed on his face.

"Are you okay?" he said.

"Really not the best right now," Tamin admitted, exhaustion present in her tone.

"Want to talk about it? I think I can help," he replied.

"...Sure."

Tamin stepped aside to let him walk in, and closed the door once he was inside.

"What happened? I noticed you were looking really down when you walked in," he asked.

"You know how I was dating Nidorino?" Tamin asked.

"Yeah?"

"He… just broke up with me," she explained, head pointing towards the ground again. "Quite abruptly, I want to add."

"Oh… dang, I'm really sorry to hear that," he responded. "Do you have any idea what caused that? Is he just being a massive jerk or-...?"

"I'd rather not go into all the details," Tamin said, not wanting to repeat what had happened with Locke. "Let's just say I opened up about how I felt about my parents, and he didn't like me for that."

"Oh… I'm really, really sorry about that," he said. "Sounds like a really bad way for things to go."

"It is, but I can move on… Arceus knows I've gone through worse," Tamin said.

"That's the way to see things. You can always move on," he did his best to reassure. "I'll admit that I probably haven't gone through anything as bad as you have, but I'm still sure you can move on still."

"Thanks Locke." Tamin walked over to her hammock to lay down on it. "I'm still just going through the motions right now. Might be for a little while, honestly."

"Mhm. Know it's okay for you to be feeling the things you are. It's totally justified and I'd probably be feeling the same if I were in your position. Go through it at your own pace."

"...Thanks a lot, I-I actually really needed to hear that," she said, giving a small smile. That feeling of validation went a long way for her.

"Right. I don't know the full story here, but I really think I get the gist of it," he said, smiling as well, but his was more nervous. Tamin didn't quite notice it as she was looking away at that time. "Also know you're not in any hurry to find love, any pokemon can take it longer. Lots can even find happiness without it."

"You're right," Tamin replied with a small smile peeking through once again. "Hey, I would like to spend some more time alone right now, but do you want to hang out again sometime? Just like talking about the stuff we like, I don't want to do anything big again. Well, in the near future."

"Sounds good to me, I'll leave you be," he said, turning back to the door.

"Yeah, thanks a whole lot for this. I really appreciate this."

He gave one nod back before he shut the room door, closing Tamin inside.

With that done, he began walking through the guildhouse, avoiding eye contact with other pokemon along the way and trying to be quiet. He went up to the second floor, took a walk down the hall, and to the personal chambers up there. He turned to one of the doors, and entered the room.

Like what Tamin had done not long before, he shut the door and leaned against it. He dropped a heavy sigh, trying to cool his nerves from what he had just done. With the door blocking him from anyone else in the guild, he no longer needed to hide anything.

Hunter dropped his illusion, dropping his facade of a shinx in a harness to return to his true appearance of a zorua again. Hunter inhaled, only to allow himself to let out another deep exhale. He was out of the situation, but his actions were still burdening him.

He sat back up and walked over to his bed, but it was like a walk of shame with no one to see. His black tail was as low as anatomically possible.

Hunter laid down on his bed, and rested his head on the side of it, staring towards the ground. "I made Tamin feel better, I did," Hunter thought to himself. "But was it really worth having to be so deceptive with her when she was at such a low emotional state? What I did was right...right?

I just… wish I didn't have to disguise myself to say that. I wish I could be honest."

End of chapter 29.