Not much to say for this. It's an abrupt ending, I know, I couldn't find a way to cut the end clean. Please forgive that!
"What about the situation sticks with you?" Dr. Miranda speaks in an even tone.
She has been Layla's therapist since she's moved to Celadon. A middle aged woman with dark hair, dark skin and stunning green eyes. In all of their sessions, Layla always appreciates Miranda's ability to pick everything apart without making her feel dumb.
Layla sits back in her chair, exhaling deeply. "Seeing the fear on Camden's face. Like he knew he wasn't going to come out unscathed. And I left him there."
"So you feel like you should have saved him?"
"Yeah. Of course."
"Why do you say 'of course'?"
"Because I had the chance to," she replies. "I have the powers that could have kept him alive. And I didn't. I ran away."
"What about you having powers makes you think you're responsible for every life?" She poses with a tilt of her head.
"It's because I can make illusions I am."
Layla watches her therapist dig out a piece of paper to slide on the coffee table between them. She picks it up to look at it, a diagram of emergency instructions from an airplane manual.
"What?" She raises a brow.
Dr. Miranda adjusts in the chair with a smile. "When we started these sessions you said you wanted facts as a way to navigate your emotions. I'm showing you that because it says to put your own oxygen mask on before saving another individual. As you know, adrenaline in any untrained person causes us to toss logic out the window.
"You're blaming yourself for saving yourself. The way I see it, you were putting your own oxygen mask on before getting his on."
Layla shakes her head. "I ran away."
"To call the police," she continues. "Do you think that the gunman wouldn't have just started randomly shooting to get what he wanted? Are you equipped to handle a gun? To disarm someone?" Layla shakes her head. "No, but you had your phone and you did the next best thing. In the minutes between you getting to the closet and Camden getting shot, who knows how differently it could have played out. Most situations like that do not end in death."
"But-"
Dr. Miranda shakes her head, her eyes glancing at the clock, before sighing. "We can play this game all day, but time is running short. Layla," she leans forward, her hands clasped before her with her elbows resting on her knees. "I think you have a big heart. You want to do what's right by others at the cost of your own conscience. You gave Camden his moment to get away, everything else was out of your hands. You can't control other people."
Layla struggles with her words, her hands wringing out in his lap as she absorbs them. "I... I guess you're right."
"I understand you're going to the daycare to meet with the owner and then Camden's parents," Miranda offers a gentle smile. "Don't be tempted to go out of your way to make them happy. Keep yourself happy first. See you next week?"
"Yes," Layla breathes in deeply. "Thank you for today."
"Of course."
Layla leaves the session feeling a bit lighter than when she walked in, a side effect she didn't expect when she started going to therapy. It at least matches the day outside, sunny, but not overly so. A calm day to come down from the emotional high of her time with Dr. Miranda.
The crime scene got processed last week and then cleaned a couple days afterwards. The owners kept the place shut until their plane arrived earlier in the week. They've since requested a meeting with Layla to discuss options along with Camden's parents to hand over his stuff. His funeral is this upcoming weekend and Layla's unsure about going. The rest of the staff will be attending, despite issues at work they're taking his death just as hard.
Keep yourself happy first.
The words become her mantra as she exits the elevator, keeping careful to not look at the out of order one Houndoom dented. It's not her first time back but it still gives her the creeps even in broad daylight.
There are no police officers now that the crime scene has been scrubbed. The front door still has tape on it, in an 'x' where the glass had been before Houndoom destroyed it. It feels so much different with no pokemon there, no staff and with some parts missing due to damage. A gaping hole where she once bonded with her team, it makes her heart ache for simpler times.
"Hello?" she calls out.
"Oh!" an older woman gasps, coming out of the office. "You must be Layla, right?"
"Yes ma'am," she smiles, accepting her hand to shake. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Call me Lex," she responds. "Not at all. Come."
Layla obliges, following her to the office, though at a slower pace. Her heart pounding in her chest as she rounds the corner, expecting Archer to be waiting inside, and bracing herself. Instead, she is relieved to see Lex's husband at the desk, a kind looking older man with graying hair and calm gray eyes. Her breathing comes out ragged thinking about what happened there but she forces herself to keep present.
"So, we understand this is not the ideal place to meet," Lex notices her discomfort and pats Layla's hands. "We'll make it quick. Camden's parents will be here this afternoon to take his belongings. My husband, Mark, and I will be attending the funeral this weekend. As for the daycare, we were thinking of tearing it down and remodeling it."
"Remodeling?" Layla raises a brow.
"Yes, we think a change would help us move on from this tragedy," Lex beams back. "We've taken a hit on clients, however, so it may be hard work to gain them back. We were wondering if you wanted to take over as manager?"
"It's not a decision we want you to make right now," Mark stands up from the desk, eyeing his wife warily. "A lot has happened and we know you're having a tough time about it. Anyone in your place would."
"You want me to manage a new daycare?" Layla clarifies.
She knew this was coming, but it's so strange for it to actually happen. For a second, she imagines herself settling down in Celadon as the manager of a daycare. Not tending to injured pokemon, but the complete opposite. Pokemon so well taken care of they're just here for supervision while their owners spend thousands on who knows what.
The pay could be negotiated and she could volunteer at the pokemon center on the other side of the city. Would that be enough?
Keep yourself happy.
"Anyways," Mark interrupts her thoughts, his smile is genuine and kind. "I won't force you to answer. My wife and I will be here for a while yet ironing out the details on the remodel. So, here," he turns around to the desk to take an envelope off for her. "It has our numbers in it and compensation for the next few weeks off. Not a bribe."
"Hmm," Layla eyes the two of them.
"It's really not," Lex steps in. "We've given everyone compensation as we figure things out. Take your time, no pressure."
"Well, um, thank you," she accepts the envelope carefully, as though it will start on fire. "I will call you when I have an idea of what to do."
"Good, good!" Lex clasps her hands.
Layla takes her leave then, ducking out before she can panic more in the room. Her brain starts to numb up on the elevator ride down, so much so she nearly misses her chance to get off at the first floor. She stumbles out into Celadon City with shaky hands and troubled breathing.
"The renovation is a good idea," she mutters to herself. "If I decide to stay, I can't panic for each shift."
Eusine would be pissed if she decided to stay, but it's a secure job and pay!
She grumbles to herself, trying to find arguments that would work as she heads to her apartment. Even her mother has joined Eusine's side, saying she should leave Celadon, but to head out of the region completely? The thought is terrifying to Layla, Jasmine is her only friend in Johto and she's a gym leader...
Layla frowns even harder as she digs her keys out to her room, so focused on her thoughts she nearly bumps into Morty outside of Eusine's apartment. "Oh my gosh, sorry!"
"It's okay," he chuckles. "I'm too quiet sometimes."
She finds herself smiling too and glances at Eusine's place. "Locked?"
"Well, he was supposed to be here by now," he scoffs. "Do you have a key?"
"No, he's too paranoid about that," she snorts, gesturing to her apartment. "You're welcome to chill at my place until he comes back."
"Oh, uh are you sure?" he tugs on his scarf. "You look troubled, I don't want to be a burden or anything."
She shakes her head. "Don't worry about me, I wouldn't offer if I wasn't sincere."
"Well," he ponders a little longer. "I won't say no."
"Good." Layla unlocks her door and kicks her shoes off, tossing her envelope onto the kitchen counter. "So, hungry?"
"Do you always feed people when they come over?" He raises a brow, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glancing around her kitchen. "Do you take orders?"
She snickers. "On days like this, I cook to cope. Does this look like a restaurant? I asked if you were hungry, not what you wanted."
He laughs, an easy carefree sound that makes Layla's heart jump. "You're right. I'll take what I can get."
"You learn fast, then," she smiles, gesturing for him to take a seat. "Want something to drink?"
He does as told. "Do you have tea?"
She grimaces. "I know next to nothing of tea. I have some stuff Eusine gave me, I'm assuming from you?"
"I knew he couldn't have drank it all that fast," Morty muses. "May I?"
"Sure," she gestures to the cupboard the boxes are and gets out her kettle, a squirtle themed kettle from her father. She gets out a mug and Morty takes out two. She raises a brow at him. "Assuming I like tea?"
"Assuming it will help to talk about it if you're drinking something warm... and delicious," he replies with a knowing smile. "I know about the daycare. What I don't know is how it affected you."
She watches him put the kettle on and take a seat opposite her at the island, her hands holding her cookbook. "Morty, you don't even know me. This isn't like table conversation, this is baggage."
"Well, you can either talk about that or not," he shrugs. "And, how else are we going to gang up on Eusine if we're not caught hanging out without him?"
A smile comes to her face at that. "So you only care to make Eusine angry?"
He loses his smile and gets flustered. "N-no, wait-"
"I'm kidding," she laughs. "Okay. But, to be fair, I had therapy today. So I'd prefer to talk about something else."
"Fair enough," he relaxes. "What would you be comfortable talking about?"
"Well, I want to know how you became friends with Eusine. I remember how you met, but you're pretty chill from what I've seen," she starts, flipping open to a page with stir fry. "Pause, I know it's late, but you're not vegetarian are you?"
"Nope," he shakes his head. "I'm assuming you're not chill?"
"How do you think Eusine got caught in that betting ring in Vermillion?" She raises a brow.
Morty's face falters and he looks to the ceiling with a heavy sigh. "You know I paid for his bail. You owe me half of it."
"Oooh, let's just skip over that," she grunts, tying her apron on. "Anyways, continue."
"We'll talk about that later," he narrows his eyes before clearing his throat. "Well, we were both pretty young and, surprise surprise, I wasn't a fan of him..."
Morty dives into the story, pausing only to pour the tea for them both and offer help to Layla cooking. She refuses and hurries him back to his seat to hear more. It's cute to know Morty was the introvert adopted by Eusine, the epitome of extroversion nearly. Poor thing got roped into so much trouble within a day of meeting Eusine. Layla is shocked they're still alive.
"You're not much of a tea drinker are you?" Morty eyes her avoiding her mug. "You can tell me, I won't cry."
"It's not that," she laughs, tossing the rice in with the veggies and meat. "... Okay, maybe it is that."
"I make good tea," he snickers.
"You let the leaves steep, how is that 'good tea'?" She raises a brow.
He makes a face as if she wounded him. "It's more than just 'letting leaves steep'. Please, Layla, drink it."
She purses her lips and sets the finished stir fry aside to do as he says. She picks up her Vulpix mug and blows on the steamy drink. Morty watches her take the first sip, smiling as she goes for a second after a little hum of appreciation. The fruity flavors burst in her mouth following a wave of warmth from the liquid.
She tries not to smile, and rolls her eyes at Morty. "Yeah. Okay. This is delicious."
"The trick is how hot the water is and how long you let it steep," he grins, taking his own sip.
"Well, if I'm going to keep cooking for you, I guess you'll have to keep making tea for me," she challenges with a grin.
Am I flirting with him? She finds herself questioning as she gets three bowls out of the cupboard. Oh, no. Am I?
The thought flees when Eusine bursts into the apartment, right on time, looking haggard and excited. He stops to take off his shoes and stares at the two of them, Morty putting his mug in the sink and Layla getting bowls for the food. His eyes narrow and he crosses his arms.
"So, you two are now hanging out without me?" He demands.
"Um, no," Layla smirks. "You left poor Morty hanging and I invited him in from outside."
"He's not a stray Eevee, Layla," Eusine snickers. "Besides, I'm only an hour and a half late."
"He was just supposed to stand outside your door then?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Eusine," she rolls her eyes. "You and Morty are bros. That's not how you treat your bro."
"Layla, our bromance isn't up for critique," he returns the gesture. "But thank you for taking him in and feeding us."
"Still not an Eevee," Morty mutters, accepting the bowl from Layla with a muttered thanks. "What made you so late?"
"I think I have a lead on the Beast Trio!" He gasps, standing in line after Morty. "I was at the library in Goldenrod. There was a book that talked about them hiding away for many years somewhere in Johto where 'the ruins lie, open to the sky'."
"Oh, so the Ruins of Alph?" Layla questions.
"That's what I'm thinking," he points the fork in her direction. "Suicune has always had a strange relationship with the Unown, it would make sense if they were hiding out there."
"Not all the floors are available for exploration though," Morty interjects.
"No, I'll have to sign up for a tour to understand the history and go from there," Eusine shrugs. "Those are just details, Morty."
"Okay, first," Layla stops the convo with a stern look at Eusine. "I'm hurt you wouldn't just ask me to give you a tour. Second, are you suggesting trespassing?"
"Okay, first," Eusine mimics her in a shrill tone. "I wasn't sure what you were doing with your time and second, don't ask if you don't want to be an accomplice.
"You're the worst," she grumbles. "I don't have a job for the next couple of weeks and I just got compensated very well. So."
"Did they offer you the place?" Eusine questions.
She glances away, picking at her food. "I'm not discussing it with you now."
"They did," he groans. "Don't take it."
"Eusine!"
"Do you know a lot about the ruins?" Morty interrupts with a cough.
Layla narrows her eyes at Eusine before turning to Morty with a smile. "Yes. My mother is a descendant of the people that used to live side by side with the Unown before they separated from this world."
His eyes widen. "Whoa, that's amazing. They say the descendants have remnants of powers evolved to live with them."
"More or less," she grins. "We're at least more susceptible to getting psychic abilities."
"Aht, aht!" Eusine interjects. "No bonding."
"It's too late," Layla grins at him. "You've put Morty through so much. I think you owe him therapy."
"Do you get a discount for referrals?" He retorts. She smacks him. "Ouch! That's not the behavior I want in Johto with me."
"I'm going anyway," she shrugs. "I'm sure Jasmine will be happy to have a girls weekend with me."
Morty perks up at that, his eyes sliding to Eusine's face. "Oh? Why do you say Jasmine in particular?"
"Stop it."
"Don't you know?"
"No, he doesn't. There's nothing to know."
"Go on," Morty urges Layla, a smile growing on his face.
"He has a crush on her."
Eusine smacks the table. "No, I don't."
"Right, so you wouldn't visit me if I decided to stay in Olivine with her?" She giggles, finishing up her rice.
"Well, I wouldn't say that," he mutters, chomping on a spoonful.
Morty's eyes light up at that. "Well, it's settled then."
"Stop it," Eusine glowers at him. "Why do you have to come along?"
"I don't want you to get ganged up on by the girls," he shrugs.
"Ah, you want to join them."
"Well, when you put it that way..."
The rest of dinner dissolves into fits of laughter at Eusine's expense. Despite just meeting him, Layla finds herself trusting Morty faster than expected. It could be their shared relationship with Eusine helping her, or the way his smile lights up his face, or his wit when it comes to picking on their friend. Either way, he gives off good energy and she'd be lying if she wasn't interested in hanging around him more.
Morty volunteers to do dishes, a little guilty to take up Layla's time and create more work for her in the process. Though, spending the afternoon with her was nice and relaxing. She has a lot of energy, much like Eusine, but has moments of stillness he enjoys as a change of pace. He honestly debated just heading back to Johto for the night, but she seemed so troubled he couldn't leave her alone. He doesn't regret the decision to stay, though.
"We're going when things calm down for you," Eusine declares, accepting a to-go container of leftovers from Layla.
"Why not this weekend?" Layla frowns.
His gaze softens looking at her. "You have a funeral this weekend to attend. And I have some other leads I want to exhaust before committing to this one."
She visibly saddens before them, retreating into herself by hugging wrapping her arms around her midsection. "Right... I guess I got so excited, I forgot."
"It's okay," Eusine gives her a hug, resting his cheek on top of her head. "I'll probably do a preliminary sweep to- Ow!"
"I knew you couldn't wait that long!" She cries, smacking his arm. "Ugh, get out."
"It's out of love," he laughs, ruffling her curls. "Come on, Mort. The night is still young."
"Don't get arrested tonight," she walks them to the door. "And Morty, thanks for hanging out earlier."
He flushes at her words, seeing the gentle smile on her face. "No problem. Anytime really considering Eusine is terrible with time."
"Hey!" Eusine grumbles, shoving his key into his door and swinging it open. "You two are ungrateful to the friendship I offer."
"Incorrect," Layla laughs.
"I'll bring more tea next time," he steps away, a smile on his face.
Layla flushes at that look, his smile so pure and happy, he looks so handsome with that smile. Her heart thumps in her chest watching him walk away to Eusine's after a final wave. The door shuts and she jolts back to the present, biting her lip to quell the giddy smile growing on her face.
It's not a crush, at all. She reasons with herself, closing her own door and getting ready to head to bed. Pocha watches her with a knowing look as she tries to seal in her flurry of emotions, thinking back to her afternoon with Morty. Every glance at purple eyes, every time he ran a hand through his golden locks or adjusted the scarf around his neck has Layla red in the face.
Nope, definitely not a crush. Just recognition of his attractiveness, she assures herself, before glancing at her pokemon. His look makes her pick up a pillow and squeal like a teenager into it.
"Stop looking at me!"
The Prinplup laughs, ruffling his feathers to hop on the bed and settle in at the end of it. Layla flips off the light, ignoring her pokemon and forcing herself to settle in and sleep.