Grieving
Ever since Team Calliope disappeared, I've gone back to bedding down right here in my shop. I figure Bidoof's already having a hard enough time going to sleep. Yes, I noticed, I didn't read that diary of his or anything. It's not that hard to miss how he would spend more and more time wandering the Guild at night whenever I tried to join him and Corphish and Loudred for the night. I just wanted some company, that's all. I never really understood why he was so uncomfortable around me, but then again, I get the feeling there are a lot of people that feel that way. Maybe it's my appearance, my laugh, or the fact that I'm a poison-type. I don't really get it, but that's life. Team Calliope had a bit of that problem too, but at least Chlora only seemed a little disconcerted at times, while Miranda just didn't seem to mind.
Still, it's a lot more lonely, out here in my shop. Not to mention it has the side effect of not being able to separate the work day from sleeping time at night.
And I tend to hear things more. Like when Chatot tried to talk to the Guildmaster about Team Calliope. I could only wonder what their conversation was about, but judging by the fact that it's been a month since Miranda and Chlora disappeared, and the Guildmaster's reaction, I'm guessing it had something to do with them not coming back.
Chatot immediately afterwards called the Guild out of their rooms, and that night, we all ended up sleeping in the meeting room, in order to comfort the Guildmaster, according to Chatot. I slept among the rest of the Guildmembers for the first time that night without feeling like I was making anybody uncomfortable or something. But at the same time, I kinda wish we hadn't. Seeing everyone there, so sad, huddled together in little groups, that was when it struck me.
We had given up hope. We were grieving.
Chapters 7, 8, and 9 were a sort of triad, each one leading into the other... This is probably the saddest of the three, but I think it has the strongest ending of the whole fic.