Chapter 28
Rift
The prison was silent. All three of the Poke'mon standing there couldn't bring themselves to say a word.
No, they only stood.
Eyes slowly glancing to one another as the atmosphere became heavy. The silence seemed to just...drag on and on...and on. Only the crackle of torches broke the silence.
Jolvia kept a stoic and strong expression, folding her arms over her chest as nothing was said...but offered no words of her own.
Janus, for her part, leaned on the bars, her brow knitted grimly. Her eyes carried a deep weight in them, her face contemplative now that the secret was out to Avery.
But still nobody said anything. For a long time it was nothing but...silence.
Finally, Janus made the first move.
"This isn't really like you, I.O." Janus muttered, almost sneering at Jolvia. The Nidorina kept her gaze steely. "You're a calculated woman, when did you start trading secrets like teahouse gossip? Is your commander aware of what you're doing?"
"He is. I cleared this with him first." Jolvia replied at once. "I've not divulged willy-nilly before and I don't plan on doing so now."
Janus glanced down at Avery, seeing his miserable expression as he sat on the cold stone. She looked as though she wanted to make a snide remark but kept it to herself.
All the while Avery was silent. He felt Janus's eyes on him, but he didn't look up to face her. He didn't look up to face Jolvia. He just stared down at the floor, ears sunk backwards.
He didn't want to know this. He didn't.
'Why did she say that? Why didn't she just keep her mouth shut? Why wouldn't she just let me pretend like she wasn't biased?
Like she was the only person that wasn't biased?'
Avery's mouth opened and closed a few times, hesitant shaky breaths snaking in and out of him with each inhale. And with each exhale his arms curled around himself, tighter.
He knew he wasn't doing well. He knew he didn't even look close to seeming like he was doing well. But he had to say something, right?
They were... They were both waiting for him.
"...why?" Avery said finally, tearing his eyes away from the ground to look up at Jolvia. He wanted to leave it there. He didn't feel like he had the energy to clarify. But...if he didn't she might answer the wrong question. "...Why...why tell me...?"
Jolvia frowned and her face softened. Janus sniffed, turning away, walking further in her cell as though to respectfully ignore what was about to be said.
"Why...?" Jolvia almost looked...surprised, somewhat. Not that the question was unfounded, she seemed surprised that it'd be his first.
Janus coughed, folded her arms, looking out the barred window.
"There were many reasons. If you wish for the cynical, pragmatic reason: Your nature as a third party, being unaffiliated with any nationality, as well as your strength and strange natural fighting aptitude...it all made you possibly invaluable as someone to work with. You display very little specific loyalty to individuals or groups, opting instead to follow a personal moral code. Then you being in the guild via conduit fast-tracking puts you in the center of one of the most powerful organizations in the country. Thus, it would behoove me and the Santurini guild to divulge, in part, the nature of our goals and work, up to and including what I'm authorized to divulge."
Janus perked up, turning her head slightly. Her stare toward Jolvia looked...cold.
Jolvia huffed, looking down at Avery.
"If you want the personal, more sentimental reason? I couldn't, in good faith, be your friend while also so bold-facedly lying to you." She said at last, clenching her fists. "I keep subjects at an arm's length...but not friends."
All presented so...bluntly. Like bulletpoints on a sheet of paper.
Janus sighed, shaking her head, waiting for the two to finish.
"I-I just...I thought..." Avery looked down, raking a paw through his fur.
'What should I say? What could I say? Janus was right there. And she was going to scoff at me. Call me weak. Hate me, no matter what I said. Because I was guild. Because I wasn't on her side. Because I wasn't...Santurini. Whatever that meant.'
"...I thought you...I thought you got it. I-I thought you...I thought you understood that...that..."
Even the thought in his head, incomplete as it was, felt horrible to think. Avery knew why she told him. He knew that she didn't feel comfortable lying to him. Even if she was being calculated about it, as calculated as she was about everything, Avery knew she thought of him as a friend.
Or...he thought so. At this point he didn't care.
"I figured it out. I figured out...something like this out early on, I just...I didn't want to think about it. I-I didn't want to know, I..."
Worse. Felt worse. This felt so much worse.
"...Now I know. Now I know a hundred percent, and..."
'Ha. I was invaluable to work with. An unaligned third party, close to the conduit. Something for the Santurini Guild to use. That was why her commanding officer approved this, no doubt. Because I was a patsy. I was a tool.
Could Jolvia keep being my friend like this?'
Janus looked back, cocking an eyebrow as she listened. Jolvia pinched between her eyes, her brow knitted in thought.
"I did understand, Avery." Jolvia sighed softly, her voice sympathetic...but firm. "You wanted someone you could just be friends with...someone who had no side, no stake in all of this. This is me coming clean...I can't be that for you. Not to the extent you want."
She shook her head.
"I do still want to be your friend, but you see the conflict of interest here. Being so close to you while you have no idea of my affiliations...it's simply dishonest."
Janus's expression softened as she approached the bars again.
"And it's likely..." Jolvia continued. "...that nobody can really be that for you. The troubles Arcea face aren't a shadow war that only concern a handful of Poke'mon...they're issues that touch upon everyone, from every country, young and old. Everyone is embroiled in this."
Avery felt his breath catch at that, a pang in his heart making his chest ache.
'...Nobody can be that for me. Nobody can be that for me. Nobody. Nobody can. Nobody could. Everyone here was involved. Everyone had roots. Everyone had alliances. Everyone had a side, absolutely everyone I'd ever talk to would have a side, have somewhere to pull me, some agenda to bring me to. Everyone had a home, everyone had a cause to fight for, everyone had a loyalty.
Except for me.'
Avery tugged his ears down so hard it almost felt like he could tear them off. Tears sprung at the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them back. He couldn't cry. He couldn't lose it. Not in the dungeons. Not in front of Janus, not in front of Jolvia.
'And Jolvia got it. She did understand. She knew, and...and she couldn't handle pretending. I can understand that. I don't like it. I don't want it. But I can understand it. But...she has to know what those words mean. What she's saying...she has to know. She has to know what it'd do to me.'
After a pause, Jolvia continued.
"Look...Avery, I'm sorry, I am. This is just how things are." The Nodrina said, the Plusle feeling another stab in his heart. "It's-"
"Hey." Janus's voice cut in before Jolvia could continue, making the Nidorina glance over. The Pikachu took a long, hard look at the both of them, letting her arms drape on the iron cross-beam of the bars.
"Just let the kid rest for a bit, I.O." Janus said, firmly.
"Huh...?"
"Just. Let. Him. Rest." She said, glancing over at Avery with a soft expression. "Nobody can shoulder constant, ceaseless burden, seriously."
"Nobody should, but many still must." Jolvia said firmly with a hum.
"Look, I know many Poke'mon don't get to choose when they do and don't fight. Many are just...thrown into the deep end day in and day out..." Janus sighed. "...like a sweet Mawile girl suddenly made the centerpiece of the latest scandal between NAM and the Illaminian population. She never asked for that, nor deserved it, but here she is now..."
Jolvia was silent, looking at Avery.
"...but...maybe just...give it a rest tonight."
"Janus..." Jolvia muttered, seemingly caught off guard for the second time in a row. She offered little rebuttal.
"We all may have our thoughts on this and that..." Janus spoke softly. "...but I'm not of any mind to pull anyone to this side or that side, or convincing anyone to do this or that or the other...Poke'mon'll always do what they think is the right thing. S'all I did."
Jolvia was quiet. Janus smiled.
...Avery was surprised to hear Janus butt in. Janus, of all Poke'mon. The one who'd been treating him more and more like an enemy each time he'd came back here. The one who was glaring at him, sneering at him no less than thirty seconds ago.
"...But...there is no rest, is there?" Avery's voice wavered like a leaf in a hurricane. "...There's never...never...never ever any rest. Not for me. Not for the Hero of...of fucking Arceus."
He was doing a worse job of holding back the tears now.
"...That's why your commander let you say this to me, isn't it? Because I'm a third party? Because...because they could use me...? It's all just...it's all..."
'I can't rest. I can never rest.'
Jolvia and Janus both frowned, watching the Plusle...fall apart. The Pikachu shook her head, glaring at Jolvia.
"Look what you did now. You and that commander of yours." Janus growled. Jolvia's crimson eyes returned fire at the Pikachu.
The two stared silently at one another for a while, the Pikachu running a hand down her face, deeply sighing.
"So...everything he's been saying is true, then?" Janus asked. "All that stuff about 'not being from here' and 'not knowing anything'? All that wasn't some psyche-out to grill me for info?"
"I can confirm it to be true, and my C.O agrees." Jolvia answered, her folded arms tightening.
"Then why in the world are he and you trying so hard to get Avery's sympathy, Jolvia...?" Janus asked, looking pitifully down at the Plusle as he covered his face with his ears. "Look at him. He doesn't want any part of any of this anymore...why're you trying to embroil him deeper in all of this...?"
"Janus, if that were all I was out to do I'd be going for...Nivanee, say. Kipuuna. Not a rookie of two weeks..." Jolvia retorted, glancing down at Avery. "I feel for him...the deceit isn't fair to him when he's barely even a willing participant..."
"What are you saying?"
Jolvia didn't answer Janus for a while. She only looked down at Avery for a while, sadly crouching down beside him.
"I don't really have much mind for what my C.O wants, Avery..." The Nidorina admitted. "But the way that you've been so thrust into all this...pulled from thin air and made to fight for causes you don't understand, people you barely know and for reasons you're never told...it's disgusting. My C.O may see you as an asset to be won over but I disagree. I could never see you that way. I only see a victim..."
"Jolvia..." Janus sighed, the Nidorina glancing over at her.
"This isn't fair to you, Avery. It isn't fair that this..." Jolvia gestured to herself. "...this is going to just keep happening...and happening. On and on, pulling you in deeper...being in the guild means everyone wants you as their ally...because very few would ever see you as a person before they see you as Arceali Guild..."
Janus...seemed to shrink as she heard that, a sympathetic look in her eye. Jolvia turned her head to face her.
"You'd know what that's like...I'm sure, Janus."
The Pikachu nodded slowly, stepping closer.
"So we're on the same page about this now, Janus...?" Jolvia ask.
"I think so..." Janus sighed, pushing her cheek against the bars. "...I still stand by what I said when we fought, Avery...and hearing all of this really just confirms it..."
They were quiet a moment...Janus nodded to the Nidrorina as though to let her proceed.
"...we don't want you on our side." Jolvia said at last. "We don't want you on the guild's side...or anyone's side...we just want you out of all this. You don't deserve to be caught up in this."
"It's all more...complex than that, isn't it?" Avery said quietly. "...I care about Vizon. And Nivanee. And Lahnae and Loshjno and Kipuuna and Ganisus and Kellixae and Sekura and you two. I can't...I can't just leave. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I was making all those people worry. And if your C.O. thinks I'm a human too, then that means...I guess the rest of the Thieves Guild feels that way. Illaminamo's in drought, and I don't know the first thing about Quayoffi. The only way that I could be out of all this is to run away. And...I can't do that."
'Deep breaths. Deep, shuddering breaths.'
"...It'd be worse than starting over. It'd be worse than when I first got here. Because I'd know exactly what I was leaving behind, and...what I could never come back to. And...and my friends, it'd...it'd break them. Lahnae, Vizon, Nivanee-"
'Nivanee had gone through it once already, and it had...affected her. If I went too...I can't imagine how much worse it would be.
And deeper down...I want to believe that I can still be friends with them. Still...save them maybe. That might be a naive thing to think, but...I care about them too much to let them go. I can't, not right now.'
"No...no, Avery, you really do not understand..." Janus said, her voice understanding...but firm. "It's not just more complicated...none of the guild members have a choice but to be embroiled in this. Not Nivanee...nor Kipuuna...nor I. We've all gone past the point of no return and we don't have a choice."
Jolvia heaved a sigh, covering her mouth and looking away.
"This journey you're so dedicated to isn't one that's going to take you where you want to go. I don't know what you think will happen, but this is more...so much larger than leaving a group of friends or upsetting a few Poke'mon in a friends club."
Janus paused...and heaved a breath. A long, shuddering breath.
"There's only two possibilities at the end of my road." Janus said at last. "Either I fail and hang alone before an Arcean court...or I succeed and I hang with the whole rest of the Arceali Guild before a Quayoffi tribunal."
"Janus..." Jolvia muttered. The Pikachu looked at Avery gravely, seriously.
"Avery..." Janus said, her voice low. "...get out while you still have a choice."
...Something shattered.
Something in the back of Avery's head splintered like a thin sheet of glass meeting a rock head on.
"... No," he whispered. "...No, that's not...That can't be...that can't be all there is... I can't..."
'Vizon. Nivanee. Lahnae. Kipuuna. Everyone...hanging? Executed? That... That can't be what was at stake. I refuse to believe that, I have to defy that-'
Sobs strong enough to cause Avery to nearly convulse wracked his body. His throat was bunched up so hard he couldn't breathe.
'Deep breaths. Shallow breaths. Any breaths.
They can't die. They can't die. They won't die. I won't abandon them. Nobody has to die. Nobody has to die-'
Janus watched Avery for a long time.
Jolvia shift uncomfortably. The both of them seemed...unsure what to say next.
Janus simply...pushed from the bars, stepping deeper into the shadows of her cell. She was silent, her back to Avery and Jolvia...staring out the barred window.
Jolvia watched her, equally silent, as Avery took labored breaths. The Pikachu only...stood...stood in deep thought...
...a deep thought she'd no doubt been in for seven long years.
Until she finally looked back.
"There's no saving us, Avery. I'm sorry...but thanks for caring." She said, a small...sad smile on her face. "I suggest you get in with another crowd...but you know me...I won't tell you your business. I can only suggest."
She stepped in further on, the torchlight no longer reaching her as she seemed to bleed into the shadow.
"Do what you gotta do..."
Avery could utter no reply, his breath caught in his throat.
'It can't be true. It can't be true. It can't be true.'
Avery bit his arm to keep his anguished moans from reaching into the rest of the dungeon. He bit hard. He bit hard.
Moments passed. The pain faded in his arm. He couldn't tell if he was breathing anymore. His eyes were squinted shut, though he didn't feel that either.
He was just...in an inky black void of despair. It choked at him, starting its assault by crushing his ribcage and crawling up his throat to suffocate him. And for a moment that was all there was. Void and despair.
But...for a fleeting moment Avery felt something else.
Something glimmering there in the sludgy slurry of anguish. For a fleeting moment Avery felt something swimming through it.
Something red hot. Something angry.
Avery tried to grab a hold of it - feeling anger was better than this...but it faded from his grasp. It was still there. He could feel it. But...he didn't know what it was yet.
Even so...
'No.
No.
Even if it was only in my mind...that word felt right to say.
It can't be true.
...
Deep breaths. In... Out. In...and out.'
And he was back. Trembling, shivering, with a soaked face and an arm crying out in protest. A heavy heart and a clenched throat.
...But there was something else there now. And even if he didn't know exactly what it was...it was there. And he would need it.
"Avery..." Jolvia whispered, kneeling down by him, concerned. She didn't touch the Plusle, only crouching there, her crimson eyes occasionally flicking towards the cell.
Janus was silent. Couldn't even be seen anymore.
The Nidorina sighed, wiping down her face...but said nothing yet. She only let Avery cry, let him...feel what he needed. She looked lost...as though she had lost track of his feelings.
No more wise, knowing words.
She was just...another one.
'...She thinks they're all going to die too, doesn't she? Jolvia thinks that everyone is going to hang one way or the other.
...'
Shakily, Avery braced himself against the dungeon wall. His body was still refusing to entirely cooperate with him. He still jolted every so often from hitched breaths. He still sniffled, having to wipe at him eyes with his bitten arm. He still stood on legs that didn't fully support him.
Avery looked up at Jolvia. He looked at her expression.
She didn't know anymore. She'd been ripped from her high horse, crashing down to the level of everyone else. Lost in the mire and the muck. Just like him.
...But that...wasn't where it was going to end. That wasn't where he was going to let it end.
Everyone thought he was special. Everyone wanted him on their side because he was a inexplicably strong. Because he was a third party. Because he was a human. Because he was in the guild. Because he had close ties to Olistia. Because he wasn't from this place...
Because, somehow, someway...he was special. Because he was the 'Hero of Arceus'.
And he never had a choice in any of this. From the moment Avery woke up in that void, he had no choice.
But if they decided he'd make a good Hero of Arceus...
"...Is there anything else you want to say to Janus, Jolvia?"
Then he'd be the best goddamn Hero of Arceus the world had ever seen.
"Avery...?"
Jolvia's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the Plusle curiously. His tone had changed, like everything had...switched. Slowly, she shook her head, standing up.
"I'm sorry things ended up this way, Avery." She said, folding her arms. "Worlds unjust and unfair don't deserve the sweet and the kindly..."
She sighed, glancing at the dark cell.
"So...what will you do now?" She asked, genuinely asked. Jolvia's voice carried a promise...a promise to help if he decided he'd had enough and wanted to run.
"...I...I'm..."
'Deep...deep breaths.'
He needed to calm down. He needed to get himself back under control.
His fists clenched.
"...I was invited to a bar."
Jolvia seemed to...jolt, hearing that. She frowned deeply, her crimson eyes taking a concerned glint to them.
She knew what he meant.
"Alright..." She said, backing off to let Avery stand. There was a sigh in her voice, a deeply...sad one. She cast a final glance to Janus's cell.
"But...if you need any help...you know where to find us."
Avery wiped at his eyes one more time.
'Deep breath.'
And he turned to look up at Jolvia...and smiled. It was a small one. But it was there.
"...We'll be fine, Jolvia. I promise."
'Nobody was going to hang. Nobody.'
Jolvia stared at him a while. Her eyes were sad, listening to him, a glint in her eyes as though her heart was breaking with every word.
She didn't look convinced.
All the same, she only said two words.
"...very well."
And nothing more. She only stepped forward, past Avery, back toward the entrance of the dungeon...back outside of the dark and miserable dungeon.
Avery's smile...faltered at that. He'd...hoped that would comfort her. But she didn't believe him, it was clear. She thought he was naive. Same with Janus. Same with everyone.
And for a moment, his faith was shaken. For a moment, that vision of the gallows filled his head.
...But he couldn't accept that. He wouldn't. If they wanted him to be a revolutionary hero...
...
He had to do this.
"...Everything will be okay. Everything...is going to be okay."
Avery was trying to convince Janus as much as he was trying to convince himself.
...And with that...he exited the dungeon. Back out into the golden world of Arceliaze.
No rest. Never rest.
It didn't take long. Before Avery even knew it, the dungeon was at his back, going under the portcullis and onto the streets.
It was raining. Rivulets of rainwater flowed down stone gutters, trickled from rooftops, pooled in the street. The canal rushed with raised water. The sky rumbled ominously, and the world was so...dark and cold around him.
Jolvia was already gone. Disappeared to wherever it was she had meant to go, leaving Avery to the bar.
...A little voice in the back of his head asked him if he'd just lost Jolvia as a friend. But...he couldn't believe that either. He was going to save Jolvia.
He was going to save everyone.
That's what he was supposed to do, right? No rest. Never rest. Never ever rest. If he couldn't have friends...then he'd have to make them. He'd have to make a world where he could have them.
Or something. What was I even saying? This was all grandiose gibberish. Stop thinking so much. Go to the bar. Figure out what to do.
Everything would be okay.
Avery just kept focused on that, the bar. Came away from that dark place, left it behind.
This city was surely unhealthy.
Avery's paws splashed in puddles and waded through flowing water as he made his way across the district, toward the bar he had been told to meet the others at.
Would they still be there...? Would it be empty?
Would they just be
gone?
Gone.
Gone.
A peel of lightning streaked across the sky, the world flashing bright for a moment, the rain like a haze.
Avery's pace picked up. His pulse increased. A spike of fear settled in his throat, one that had no reason to be there. But he pushed it down. It'd be fine. It'd all be fine. He'd go to this bar, and...and...
He was soaked.
Water was splashing up from the deepening puddles, water trickling down his fur, choking, spluttering, drowning through a dizzying, dark, suffocating city. A maze of buildings stretching on and on and on and on and on
a FLASH of lightning. The ground SHOOK with thunder. Old buildings creaked. The world blurry behind Avery's soaked eyes.
And there, ahead...light...light...
On a hill, on a steep incline. The gutters on either side ROARED with gushing water that flowed into thundering canals.
Light up on the hill. The bar.
But would they be gone. Vanished. Never seen again. No chance to say goodnight. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.
He trudged and struggled up the hill, panting, panicking silently as the world screamed in his ears until he saw...
A bar. In heavy rain, a bar. The puddles were nonexistent here, all the water diverted down the hill. The tables rattled in the wind, flags and curtains flapping.
The friendly colors and golden trimmings seemed washed out in the hazy lantern light.
Nobody was outside...
But...
There were voices. Inside the bar, through the arch and past the pillar Avery heard...
...laughter.
There was still time...still some precious time.
Avery skidded to a stop in front of the bar, catching his breath as he ground to a halt. He was soaked, and...a mess. He tried to keep himself calm, tried to keep his fears down. But-
Everyone would be there, right? Everyone would...they wouldn't be gone.
They wouldn't be...there's no way they'd...
The warmth spilled out onto Avery, the rush of air chilling his wet fur, dripping upon the tile as he walked inside.
Everything was so blurry...it was so hard to see. Even after wiping his eyes it was hard to see but...he couldn't see them. He couldn't hear them, they were gone they weren't here they all left they-
"Avery...!"
A voice cut through the rain as the Plusle stood in the bar. He wiped his eyes one last time...to his left...that's where it came from.
And there...stood Vizon, holding a wood cup.
Behind him...Lahnae...Ganisus...Loshjno...Kipuuna...all around a bunch of tables brought together, each of them glancing at the entrance towards Avery...
And Vizon...
...looked worried. Ears folded back. He set his cup down on a nearby booth, look at Avery with a soft expression.
Avery caught his breath...and fell backwards to a sit from his legs drained of adrenaline all at once.
They were here. They were here, he was...they were fine. Everyone was fine. He could still save them.
...
'Save them from what? They're socializing at a bar,' said Avery's voice of reason.
He sucked in a breath.
'...Shit. I'm...going to have to socialize. While I'm like...this...'
Vizon approached cautiously, coming up closer to Avery and kneeling to come to eye level. He lifted a hand, brushing the Plusle's shoulders, Lahnae and Kipuuna hopping from their seats to approach as well.
"Avery...?" Vizon sighed with a soft frown, wiping rainwater from Avery's fur. "You look..."
"Vizon..." Kipuuna piped up, in a reminding tone. The Riolu glanced back...and nodded with a huff.
"I was worried I wouldn't see you here, Avery..." Vizon muttered.
"..." Avery looked up at him, trepidation laced in his heart as he took the Riolu's hand as he offered it.
'Is this a test? Is he...no. No, he's just concerned.'
"...You aren't mad at me?" Avery mumbled to Vizon...before realizing what he said. "I...no, no I wanted...I wanted to come. I-I'm sorry I'm late."
"I..." Vizon began, stopping short. He heaved another sigh, furrowing his brow...and leaned forward to wrap his arms around Avery's tiny body, hugging him close and tight, cradling the back of his head.
"...I missed you..." He muttered, nuzzling into Avery's cheek. "I lost my temper and I hate that I did..."
He squeezed tighter, warmer.
"...I love you, Avery..."
Avery could feel a bump, Lahnae nudging Vizon with a talon, a frown on her beak.
"...and...I'm sorry..."
"...I'm sorry too, Viz," Avery said quietly. "...I've...I've just had a lot on my mind, and...I shouldn't be bringing you down with me. I...I wasn't being fair."
The Plusle hugged back, around Vizon's waist.
"But...but everything will be okay. I...I'll make sure of it. I'll...I'll do everything I can to make sure that nobody ha-"
'Eight silhouettes. Guild Arceliaze. Hung by the neck.'
"...Nobody has to get hurt anymore."
Vizon sighed again, Lahnae and Kipuuna looking at Avery with concern. The Torchic cocked her head to the side.
"Uhhhh...you okay? Whattya mean 'nobody has to get hurt anymore'?" She asked. Kipuuna put his flippers on his hips.
"What kind of fight did you two even have?" Kipuuna asked as Vizon pulled away, the Riolu rubbing the back of his neck.
"I don't know he..." Vizon muttered. "...gets weird ideas sometimes..."
Being back among the guild...it was like stepping into a different world. Like Avery had crossed some...veil between the real world of doom and horror into some alternate reality that only the guild knew...and that they lived within exclusively.
The atmosphere was...jokey...almost jovial, despite the feelings plaguing his heart.
Again...that dissonance...that whiplash...it was hard not to notice.
...Avery...felt out of place.
He wasn't sure if he'd be able to just goof off with everyone, not after that talk he had with Janus and Jolvia. They didn't know what was at stake. They didn't even know what would have happened with Nivanee if she hadn't made it back from the Lightning Wastes. What Team Spade and he and Vizon would have had to-
A lump formed in Avery's throat. Even now. Even here, he was plagued with those thoughts.
But...he would make sure that nothing like that would ever happen again. To them, or those that come after. He was...he was going to change the world.
He had to.
Even so. How was he going to do that on a night out with his friends? That wasn't realistic, right? Avery couldn't be changing the world with every single action he took. So...
'...what do I do instead?'
Everyone was looking at Avery...
...staring.
Vizon stepped back, a worried look on his face. Lahnae frowned, her brow furrowed.
At last, it was Kipuuna who spoke.
"...Avery...?" His voice was careful.
Another hush fell over the group. Now Loshjno and Ganisus approached from the table, Lahnae giving a quiet huff.
"Dude, you're kinda freaking me out..." She said, stepping forward, past Vizon who only stood by. "What's wrong, man? Talk to me."
"I think he's just-"
"Something's wrong, Vizon." Lahnae interrupted. "Man, aren't you supposed to be his boyfriend? You've known him longer than any of us, right?"
"Yeah, so-"
"So you'd be able to tell if something's wrong. Use your...aura thing!"
"I am! And...what I can tell..." Vizon said at last, stepping towards Avery, as though to keep the Plusle from Lahnae. "Is that he needs some time with family to clear his head. Ain't that right, buddy? Ready to have some fun?"
Nivanee really did rub off on him.
Lahnae, for her part, looked unconvinced, almost annoyed, but looked to Avery for his reply.
The Plusle shifted a little in his place.
It was...tough. What was he supposed to do? Just... Relax? Have some fun? With...family? These weren't his family. These were his friends. They were close to his family. But all the same he felt the need to be doing...something to help them save them...
But he couldn't do that right now. He couldn't shove action and purpose into every part of his life. That...wouldn't work.
But they were worried. Of course they were worried. Avery knew he probably looked a mess. He didn't want them fighting in the meantime. They didn't need to get involved in this. Not yet.
"...R...Right. I do need to relax," Avery relented. "I've been really high strung recently. There's been a lot on my mind, and I just..."
Everyone was so worried.
I was so worried.
"...I think I'm starting to burn out."
"Oh..." Lahnae sighed. It was hard to tell if she was convinced but she nodded all the same, stepping forward. But Vizon stepped around, a friendly smile on his face as he practically body-blocked the Torchic and led Avery along to the tables at the back of the bar.
"Ex-actly! C'mon, buddy!" He said happily, Lahnae and Kipuuna watching as he nearly dragged you over. "Ganisus and Lahnae and Kipuuna were playing war over here and I've been getting all into it!"
For his part, Vizon seemed to at least try and patch things up with his boyfriend...in his own sort of way.
Kipuuna murmured but relented as well, following after Vizon, along with Ganisus and Loshjno. Lahnae was last to follow, eying Avery the whole time.
"After all the hard times and battles won, we deserve to relax, right guys?" Vizon asked aloud, lifting his head to the others.
"Yeah, we do deserve to relax..." Lahnae said, her voice holding...something else. Kipuuna, for his part, tried to banish the negative atmosphere.
"Right right, where were we?"
"Garlic bread round 3's on Ganisus." Loshjno said, pulling his chair back up by the table, the boy bouncing off of Kipuuna's attempt to regain the jovial atmosphere.
"What...? I just ordered..." Ganisus muttered.
"That...that was an hour ago." Kipuuna corrected. The Shinx turned his head, looking blankly at the Piplup for a while.
"...oh."
"Dang, an hour?" Avery scratched the back of his head guiltily, trying to ride off the atmosphere that Kipuuna and Loshjno were setting. "I must have been making you guys wait a while, sorry...! But garlic bread does sound good..."
The Plusle sat down at the table with the rest of them, trying to figure out exactly what they were doing whilst they waited.
"...What's war?" He asked.
"It's just kind of a large-scale make-believe game. They have whole tournaments for this in Quayoff." Kipuuna said, stepping over to show Avery the table. Ganisus, meanwhile, hopped down from his seat to place an order at the counter.
Vizon pulled a chair from another table for Avery, then hopped back up on his own chair, taking his drink from the table.
Here, Avery could see the guildmates had moved about four tables together, end-to-end in a line. There was a whole mess of little wood figures, cards with bizarre patterns and symbols and chunks of square wood blocks in different shapes...like dice.
"I was actually just finishing up my turn, then it goes to Lahnae." Kipuuna said, grabbing a napkin to wipe his flippers before he touched any of the pieces. He glanced over behind Avery. "Lahnae...you coming?"
"Huh?" Lahnae said, broken from her thoughts. Behind Avery, she had just been awkwardly standing, absentmindedly. Now it was her turn to act different, but she tried to recover. "Uhhh, yeah! Totally...!"
She stepped forward, hopping back up onto her chair while Vizon scooted in closer to watch Kipuuna. The Piplup sniffed, taking a measuring rod and placing it between two sets of wood figures, drawing a card from one of several decks, counting the number of dice to roll, then writing down on a notepad before doing the same to another group.
Ganisus didn't seem to pay attention, his gaze wandering around the bar while Lahnae just tapped her wings on the edge of the table, kicking her legs...she seemed a little more impatient. Or maybe it was something else.
Avery...was trying to distract himself. From war. With war.
'Ha.'
"...This looks really complex," Avery mumbled, eyes flitting from the pieces to the dice to the cards. "I don't even know where to look. Who's winning...? The person with the most pieces?"
...Part of him was wondering if there was some inherent problem in this too. Was there systematic-
'No. no no stop stop this is a nice night out with friends. You have to relax, Avery. You have to take deep breaths, and relax.
Deep...breaths. They aren't hanging tonight.'
Avery flinched again from the thought.
'Damn it, I can't help it- Distract yourself distract yourself...'
"Everything okay, Lahnae?"
'That's it. Help someone else. That way you can take your mind off your own problems.'
"Huh?"
Lahnae perked up, looking back at Avery.
"Yeah...I'm fine...what's with the heavy breathing, though? Did you run all the way here?" She asked, her voice still worried.
'Maybe too deep of breaths.'
Vizon leaned over, swirling his drink to answer Avery's question.
"I dunno who's winning either." Vizon snickered, sipping his...
...totter juice. Was he tipsy? Lahnae glanced at him with a furrowed brow as her check-in was barreled over but she otherwise kept quiet and returned her focus to the board. Avery had noticed the topic change...but there was nothing he could do now. For now, he only tried to figure out how this game worked.
'It couldn't be that complicated.'
"I currently have advantage." Kipuuna said, scribbling down more numbers on his notepad. "More supply chains, more available buffs..."
He leaned over, looking at some face-down cards the others weren't allowed to see. Lahnae turned from Vizon, looking at her own hand.
'It...couldn't be that complicated.'
"Yeah, don't bet on it!" Lahnae retorted as Kipuuna slid her the notepad. "Because you might be playing that STUPID long-con but, oh gee, I don't think it'll matter if-!"
Loshjno coughed, softly shaking his head.
"WELL MAYBE I'LL-"
Loshjno shook his head again. Lahnae stopped, subtly moving her hand over to another piece. Another headshake. She reached over to another piece of hers. He subtly nodded.
"I thought we agreed Loshjno doesn't get to backseat anyone." Ganisus huffed, staring at the ceiling.
"I can't help it." Loshjno said, backing off with a chuckle.
'...
Oh god it was complicated.'
He shot Loshjno a helpless look. The Plusle was as lost as Vizon, and he was already one sheet to the wind.
Avery couldn't blame him for having Totter juice...they'd had a rough day. Avery was sure that having some himself could take the edge off...but that wasn't healthy, right? That wasn't something a hero would do, right? Drink away his problems?
'...not that Vizon is doing that. Shoot. I'm doing it again.'
"Oi oi, Harus! Mind pouring me another? And one for Avery!" Vizon called to the barkeeper, a Pidgeot, while Ganisus put in the order for garlic bread. Avery also heard the Shinx add in an order for cheese fried mushrooms.
The Plusle shook his head, trying to refocus. Just...focus on the game.
"Supply chains? Available buffs...?" Avery mumbled, raking a paw through his hair. "So...they aren't buffs you have on right now, just...ones you could have?"
"That's right, Avery." Kipuuna replied, taking a sip of his drink. "It's all about planning around probability. I know what I might get and I need to increase my odds of getting it."
"Oooooor!" Lahnae said, tapping the measuring stick to the table, and measuring the distance between one group of her wood figures and what looked like the carved facsimile of a building. "You TOTALLY OVERRUN THEM with A MILLION DUDES."
"Seriously? The trebuchets are going to knock them over like Rockle pins." Kipuuna huffed.
"Uh YEAH, I guess they would...UNLESS."
Lahnae flipped a card on her end with a weird symbol on it.
"PITCHEW! IRON BALLISTA and I SNUCK IT IN."
"Oh what..." Kipuuna leaned in, squinting in aggravation. Lahnae snickered, grabbing two of her soldier pieces.
"Ohh yo, Empress Lahnae, that was such a wicked strategy, the Red Army is unstoppable~!" She said, making tiny voices for the soldiers like they were talking. "Oh please, any other god-empress-almighty would've done the same thing! HEHEHEHEHEH."
Kipuuna furrowed his brow, staring at the Ballista piece, one flipper over his beak, the other nearly tearing out his head fluff, his mind going a million miles a second as Lahnae proceeded with her rolls. Ganisus returned, a plate of steaming garlic bread and cheesy mushrooms on his head. The food smelled delicious, tantalizing. Avery could practically dig in as soon as the Shinx set it down.
"Whatever." Ganisus shrugged, still looking at the ceiling. "I'm staying out of it. If either of you wanna barter, let me know."
"Arceus did you sell her that?!" Kipuuna blustered.
"Uh...yeah?"
"Why?"
"Uh...cuz I'm an oligarch, not an autocrat. Duh." Ganisus sniffed. "Mercantile Yellow Army forever."
Vizon snickered again as the drinks were brought for him and Avery both. Even if it was late...this was, perhaps...at least somewhat nice.
Somewhat distracting.
"...So...Iron ballista iiiiiiis gooooood?" Avery drawled, squinting between the three of them. It was mostly a joke - he was pretty sure from both Lahnae's and Kipuuna's reactions that she'd just gotten a leg up on him.
Avery took a little sip of his drink. It was nice.
"I mean, when someone's doing trading stuff, you always have to be careful," Avery said, leaning back in the chair. "Nobody makes a deal in games like these unless they think it benefits them. You have to think about what they're getting out of it, y'know? Merchants can be dangerous if they're left unchecked!"
Avery took another sip...and paused.
"...Wait Ganisus are you playing or is it just Kip and Lahnae...?"
"Yeah I'm playing." Ganisus said, taking a slice of garlic bread from the plate. "And I currently have the most money so I can draw the most out of anyone on a given turn."
"Won't matter if I surround you!"
"With...a bunch of soldiers wielding sticks and rocks?"
"Sticks and rocks work just fine if the army using 'em is BIG and ANGRY enough!"
"Uh-huh..."
Lahnae stuck her tongue out at Ganisus, going back to her calculations. She rolled some dice, making notes.
Kipuuna, meanwhile, shook his head, taking a skewer and helping himself to some cheese fried mushrooms.
"I mean, you could play, too, Avery. But you'd need a set of dice, figures, the cards to start a deck. I could help you build your own army but it takes a lot of time and, more importantly, money." Kipuuna huffed, biting into the mushroom. "It took the three of us at least a year and a half of saving to get enough pieces to qualify for a 'large scale battle' instead of just a quick skirmish."
"It's half the reason I'm BROKE!" Lahnae snickered at her joke, leaning way into the table to do some more measurements.
Avery laughed quietly, though Kipuuna couldn't help but tsk. For a moment, Vizon and Avery simply sat together and watched, sipping their totter juice and occasionally taking some Garlic bread.
"What're you making that face for?" Kipuuna asked Lahnae, the Torchic looking like she was in deep concentration.
"Hey Avery?" Lahnae called, looking over her shoulder. "What's...37 times 3?"
"Uhh... Ninety plus twenty one. A hundred and eleven," Avery called after a few seconds. "...Yeah, all the figures look handmade...do you make them yourselves? The cards, too? And the dice?"
He leaned forward, studying the pieces in curiosity.
"I guess it'd make sense if they're expensive... You'd have to get the raw materials and then carve them out... Though if you could make your own cards I guess there's nothing stopping you from making an 'I win' card other than that being lame."
"Stuff like this flies over my head." Vizon snickered, taking another long sip of his Totter juice. The Riolu...seemed a lot calmer. More comfortable now, even as he sat extra close to Avery, an arm around the Plusle's shoulder. "But it's a blast to watch. I used to go to this one place where some of the poke'mon would have, like...sixteen tables set up and I'd just watch 'em after work, mesmerized!"
Avery...instinctively squirmed.
Vizon's touch... It felt weird tonight. It didn't...comfort Avery like normal.
He knew he needed to get over that fight. Vizon did, after all...
Avery took another drink, letting Kipuuna continue his explaination.
"Nah, see, there's three places in Arceliaze you can buy tournament-regulation pieces. Aaand...about four places where you can get cheaper, casual stuff that you couldn't bring to a Tournament." Kipuuna explained, watching as Lahnae finished her calculations, thanks to Avery's help. "Me? I get tournament-regulation stuff because I wanna try playing this for real sometime. Couple of years ago I used to go to local Lower-Market District tournaments. I even got runner-up once."
"And then you slept through the gong." Ganisus noted.
"Well...War Tournaments can go on for almost a whole day, dawn to midnight, if the brackets are big enough."
"Carry the...ok!" Lahnae said with a laugh, sliding the notepad over to Ganisus who brought his gaze down from the ceiling, clicking his tongue while Lahnae continued to talk. "Yeah, not me. I just get cheap figures from a Quayoffi imports store in the X-Eye District."
Indeed, looking closely, Avery could see that Kipuuna's pieces were very professionally carved with finely sanded-down edges and detailed paintwork festooning his otherwise blue-colored pieces. Lahnae's on the other had, were sawed from raw wood with rough and harsh edges and looked as though they'd just been dipped in Red paint. Every other detail on her pieces looked hand-painted...by her.
"Yo, Aves, you want some of this garlic bread?" Lahnae said, lifting the plate towards the Plusle.
"Oh, sure, I'd love some if that's-" Avery stopped for a moment as Vizon reached out to grab one first with a laugh. A little squeak escpaed Avery's lips as he was squeezed against the Riolu's side in a stronger hug.
It...
...was almost a little...
...possessive.
A little more awkwardly, the Plusle reached out and got his own piece, just listening to the others talk.
"Hey Loshjno, you keeping track in case we gotta pack this up soon?" Kipuuna asked, taking another mushroom. "I can't believe this one is going to go on to a part 4."
"Yeah, Part 4: Empress Lahnae SMOKES the Blue Republic!"
Kipuuna smiled wryly.
"Ohhh I'm sure..." He said, confidently, making Lahnae squint.
Any other night would have had Avery flustered and blushing from all of Vizon's squeezing hugs. Any other night would have made Avery putty in his paws.
...But it felt weird tonight.
Still. It was good seeing Kipuuna and Lahnae getting along, especially given their relationship for years prior. It can't have been easy going that long as they had, but...things were looking up for them! Things were looking up for the guild! Everyone was becoming friends again!
'Just in time for Janus to see them from the gallows-'
Avery took a longer drink. Two gulps. Drink's empty. Head hurts a bit.
Something felt weird tonight. But it was good they were getting along, Kipuuna and Lahnae. Everyone was becoming friends again! Things were looking up.
'...Drink's empty.'
"Aw, buddy, out of juice?" Vizon slurred, leaning on Avery a bit, his own glass empty. "Need another? Actually, does anyone need another?"
"Mm, no more for me." Kipuuna said, finishing his drink. "I've had plenty. I only want enough to relax but not to impair my ability to think."
"Half a glass." Loshjno said, setting his cup down and biting into a piece of garlic bread. Lahnae kicked her feet up on the table, lazily chugging her totter while Ganisus only drew a few cards.
"'Kay, Warlords." Ganisus began, setting some cards on the table. "Got a armored carriage, some spears and...catapults for sale."
"Armored carriage." Kipuuna said at once, putting out three cards. "You want gold cards?"
"Nah, swords."
"Mmmhh..." Kipuuna bit his flipper in thought. Meanwhile, Ganisus looked at Lahnae.
"You?" The Shinx said, eying her. "Also, can you, like...not?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Lahnae said, getting her feet off the table at once and leaning in to look at Ganisus's cards. "Uhhhh...! CATAPULTS."
"Kay. Pay in gold cards."
"Wha-?! Hang on, why am I paying in swords for an armored carriage and she's paying gold for a catapult?!" Kipuuna asked. Ganisus shrugged, biting into his garlic bread.
"Market value." Ganisus replied. "...or something."
The waiter came by with more totter juice, pouring Avery, Vizon and Loshjno more at once, without even waiting for Avery's input.
Avery was still trying to follow the game. Gold cards. Did that mean...The cards were gold? Or the cards were gold... Err...the cards represented gold? Catapults, carriages, trebuchets...it was all blending together. Avery took another sip- Drink's empty.
'Wait, no it's not. There's more now. That's good. Right, that's right, Vizon had mentioned I was out of juice and got me more. That was nice of him.
I think.'
Vizon was...
...really taking charge tonight. He put a hand on top of Avery's head, ruffling the Plusle's head fluff.
"Love yoooouuuu, Averyyy~" He cooed, clearly upgrading from tipsy and getting closer to...drunk. "Betcha feelin' better already, huh? Told you time with family would fix it, didn't I...? Toooold yooouuu. Score one for Vizooon, he's right agaaaaiiiin, hehehheh..."
He wobbled, taking a sip of his drink, squeezing Avery tighter...not letting him go anywhere else but by his side.
Avery squirmed a bit in his grip - his hand was kind of getting tight. It stung at the Plusle's side.
But Avery felt better. But this was weird.
So Vizon was right, but weird about it. That sounded correct to Avery.
'...Maybe I'm being weird too.'
Avery carefully put his drink down - he was wobbling a little. Probably from how tight Vizon was holding him. Avery didn't want to spill on the game after all...!
'...This is a fun night. This is supposed to...This is going to be a fun night.'
Vizon's strength control seemed to wane with every sip of totter juice he took. Kipuuna and Lahnae exchanged their cards with Ganisus who gave them cards in return, finishing off his turn with a few scratches to his notepad and passing it back to Kipuuna.
"Shame the 'United Cities of Fluffy Friends' had to abstain from the battle, huh?" Lahnae sighed, flopping her head on the table. "Maaan...I miss Nivanee already..."
"She shouldn't be gone for more than a few days." Kipuuna said, sitting up to begin moving his pieces and drawing his cards. "Sounds like things got really bad over at Lightning Wastes..."
"Yeah...it's like that for all our missions it feels like." Lahnae huffed. "Sucks we still lost the pearl even after everything."
Kipuuna paused, silent for a moment before he leaned forward to continue taking measurements.
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Lahnae." Kipuuna chuckled, shaking his head. "Were it the guild had just a few more Lahnaes and Loshjnos it'd be a different organization."
"Louder, too..." Ganisus muttered. Everyone giggled, except Ganisus of course, who only continued his staring contest with the ceiling.
Kipuuna looked over at Avery and Vizon.
"We visited her a while ago but I think you two were the last in to see her." He said, picking up his dice. "She doing ok? She tends to say what we want to hear at times like this so I just want to be sure she's ok. At least get a second opinion from you."
Avery opened his mouth to speak as Kipuuna turned to him. To both he and Vizon.
'Did you know she got really really badly hurt? Did you know she was sent back because she could barely walk?
Hey Kipuuna did you know that if she died I would be brainwashed into not being able to tell you?'
A flash of fear in Avery's eyes.
Hesitation. Anxiety.
The Plusle shrunk back into his chair - backwards momentum jolted sideways as Vizon squeezed him. The Plusle let out a little gasp of pain as he pressed against Avery's still-somewhat-tender ribs.
Vizon shrugged, holding onto Avery tighter. Tighter.
"She seemed fine. Perky as ever." The Riolu replied first, taking control of the conversation. Making sure he was first.
Question answered.
Avery deflated. All that steam whistling through the pipes without a spigot. All that pressure without a release.
'It's fine. This is a fun night with friends. This is a nice night.'
Avery's hand clumsily wandered for the drink- he stopped himself. He knew he was getting fuzzy. He wasn't supposed to do that.
"Perky as ever," Avery echoed quietly, a full four seconds after Vizon's answer. Too long for a genuine response. Too long for even a sarcastic restatement.
It was just weird.
'Or maybe that's just me.'
"Huh...good." Kipuuna said, returning to his calculations. Lahnae sighed in relief.
"I'm glad to hear...when Loshjno and I went up there they didn't even let us in...!"
"They didn't?" Kipuuna perked up in confusion. Vizon took a deep breath, swaying a little. Squeezing Avery tighter. "Why not? They let Ganisus and I in no problem."
"I dunno. Something about 'discretionary permissions', yadda yadda, stupid stuff..." Lahnae muttered. "I just wanted to see my friend again..."
"Huh...I mean, maybe she was asleep?" Kipuuna offered. "They kept her behind a curtain when we visited so we didn't see how she was. It's why I needed to ask, Avery. You've been doing missions with her for a bit, I was hoping you'd pick up if anything was wrong-"
"There wasn't, thankfully." Vizon said, a little too quickly. He turned his head to Lahnae. "But, hey! They're running a tight ship to make sure our friend is okay! If they think it's best then that's that! It's all part of the job."
Lahnae blew a raspberry, dissatisfied but offering no reply.
Vizon...seemed to be acting strange. Surely...he knew what was going on. He stared it in the face with Avery when discussing Team Infinity.
...why, then...?
"V...Vizon...my chest... Still kind of hurts-" Avery wheezed out. "...She's pretty injured. Worse than me. Still happy."
'Why was Vizon not saying the important part?'
"...I don't think she'll be going on the next mission." Avery said, voice weakening in Vizon's grip. "So she can recover."
Another pause. The Plusle stared down at the pieces on the table.
"...Did...Lahnae tell you two the story...?" Avery asked. "It's a pretty good story. Scary when it was happening. But a good story."
Vizon only laughed, seemingly only half cognizant of what Avery was saying...and squeezed again.
"I mean, I sort of gathered bits and pieces from Nivanee and what Sarfallinus was saying. A big thunder god and a hard battle only for some Thieve's Guild goons to swoop in and steal the victory." Kipuuna said, shaking his head. "Frankly, I'm shocked only Nivanee, of all Poke'mon, got a trip to the infirmary with a battle like that."
"Yeah...battle..." Lahnae clicked her tongue. "No, see, what actually happened-"
"Lahnae."
Vizon's voice cut in.
The Torchic perked up, looking up at his bright face.
"You really sure you want to do that?"
"Huh...?"
"The game. You sure you want to attack Kipuuna's trebuchets now?"
The Riolu pointed to the table, just as Kipuuna set down iron carriages and knocked over several...several little red pieces over.
Dead.
"Aww man! You killed 'em all!" Lahnae pouted. Vizon sat back, taking a sip of his drink.
[CW START]
And squeezed Avery. Hard.
"O-ow!" Avery jolted away, trying to pull himself from Vizon's grip. "My rib, V-Viz, it's still broken I think-! Careful!"
The sudden shock of pain had sobered the Plusle up. Something was weird.
Something was wrong.
'Why was I surprised? Something was always wrong. Something would always be wrong.
We worked so hard to help the guild. Aquashock. Spade. Both teams had a rift that were mended when we worked together.
But that wasn't good enough. Because now we have one. And I'm not sure we have the luxury of waiting a decade to fix it before we all hanged-'
"... It's still broken..." Avery whimpered, holding his side.
"Woah, woah, broken?" Kipuuna said, pushing from the table. "Avery are you okay?"
Loshjno and Ganisus perked up. Lahnae turned, seeing Vizon practically squeezing the Plusle in a drunken vice grip.
"Hey, Viz, ease up will you?" Lahnae said, her face worried. "You look like you're about to snap Avery in half...!"
"You can't hold someone like that when their ribs are broken."
Avery could see Vizon's face fall, the Riolu drunkenly swaying. He didn't let go, only taking another sip of his totter juice. The atmosphere was slowly darkening.
His grip loosened...but he didn't want to let Avery go.
"Viz? Dude are you hearing me?"
"Yeah I heard you."
"Why're you latched on to Avery so tight?"
"We..." Vizon slurred, swaying. He squeezed his glass harder. "We're just bonding. We needed some bonding time after all the fights we been having."
"Vizon, Avery looks kind of uncomfortable...!"
Vizon's eyes flared. Avery squirmed.
"What would YOU know about Avery, Huh?! He's MY buddy, you BACK OFF!" Vizon shouted, haphazardly throwing his cup at Lahnae, the girl shouting, along with Kipuuna. The cup tumbled, knocking over wood game pieces.
"Woah, woah woah!" Kipuuna said.
"Kay...too much totter." Ganisus huffed. Vizon's eyes seemed to flare.
"What's gotten into you, spaz?" Lahnae spat. Vizon only replied by gripping Avery HARDER. "STOP THAT."
"V-Viz, please, at least loosen-agh-" Avery crumpled in the sudden crush like origami beneath a steel-toed boot. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes that he had to blink away.
He didn't try to speak. Avery's eyes were squeezed shut. His mouth was screwed up in an expression of pain. His rib felt like it was on fire.
That was weird. This was weird.
Everyone was together again...! But something was weird, Vizon was weird, Vizon was drunk, Vizon was hurting him and everyone could see it-
Everyone could see Vizon hurting him. Why was Vizon hurting him? Was it from the fight? Unless...
This wasn't Vizon. Yeah, that had to be it...! Vizon was... Vizon would never do any of this stuff, right? Avery knew Vizon, top to bottom! He... Maybe Vizon got replaced! Maybe he got replaced in Dove Fo Uddjo with some evil...
Who would do that? Xonitas? The Dean? No, they were done screwing with them. But...
'Then what happened to my Vizon?'
The Plusle was kicking at his seat now, trying to squirm away. Avery's movements were weak - the pain from his chest and the fact that this was his boyfriend was making it hard to put his strength into it.
Vizon only held tighter at Avery's struggles. Like a python, slowly crushing him. The more the Plusle struggled the more Vizon's powerful arm constricted possessively.
"VIZON, STOP."
Lahnae's voice punched a hole through the atmosphere of the bar, patrons and workers alike lifting their heads to stare.
"NOTHING IS WRONG!" Vizon slurred, swaying, the grip loosening only briefly. "This is what a team is! We're close! We're close! We've ALWAYS been close!"
Lahnae pounced! She lunged forward and SHOVED Vizon. The Riolu yelped! TUMBLED out of his seat and SLAMMED into the tile floor, his arm FLINGING Avery away as Kipuuna tried to help the Plusle. Lahnae THREW Vizon's chair aside, rushing to the fallen Riolu, Loshjno jumping to help, followed by Ganisus.
"What's WRONG with you, huh?" Lahnae shouted.
"Avery, are you okay?" Kipuuna said to the Plusle.
Avery was trembling as Kipuuna helped him up. The Plusle put his weight on Kipuuna, though his eyes stayed very trained downwards. Avery's mouth opened to speak, but words past vowel sounds wouldn't come.
Avery didn't know what was weird but something was weird, everything was weird.
"It...still hurts..." Avery mumbled after a few seconds, lifting his head to look up at Vizon. "...I'm sorry. This...this wasn't...this was supposed to be a good night-"
'I made it about myself again. Why am I being so selfish? Everyone was being so nice before I got here. Everyone was having fun before I got here.
I just...ruined it. I ruined war, I ruined their night out. I shouldn't have even come.'
Vizon crawled away, letting out whining moans, disoriented from all the totter. Lahnae stood over, leaning over to grab his arm.
"Get up, Arceus! All that totter went to your HEAD, man!" Lahnae spat, trying to lift him up. With a grunt he shoved Lahnae away. "Will you stop? Augh!"
"Lahnae, that's not how you talk to a drunk-" Loshjno soothed. Avery could barely hear Vizon sobbing...before he threw up onto the floor.
"Ugh!" Lahnae jumped back, furious.
Kipuuna grunted, trying to prop Avery up, holding him softly, Ganisus sauntering up behind them both.
"Do you need any numbing medicine?" Kipuuna said quietly, Ganisus helping to prop the Plusel up.
Loshjno came over, trying to gently help Vizon while Lahnae stood by, talking quietly to Vizon while the Riolu sobbed incoherently. Avery could see Lahnae shake her head at the display, her brow furrowed.
How lucky it was none of them were wearing their badges...
Avery cringed from the sounds around him. Lahnae yelling, Vizon...throwing up on the floor. Avery didn't feel good.
"...I just...I...I must have done something wrong." Avery stammered. "I-I must have done something wrong. I...I made him sad, I...I had to have, right?"
Avery tried to stand up straighter, but...his chest didn't like that.
'How am I going to fix this...? How could I even try to make things better?'
Lahnae perked up, looking back at Avery as Loshjno tried leading Vizon off, the Riolu still crying.
"Awful friend. I'm a..." Vizon coughed, Loshjno sighing as he grabbed a rain coat for them both. Vizon's voice trailed off, the deeply uncomfortable atmosphere cutting through the group like a knife.
"Why do you think you did something wrong, Avery...?" Kipuuna asked, tilting his head. "Vizon only told us you two got in another fight...we tried to get him to apologize but..."
"Psshh, what's his deal...?" Lahnae scoffed, shooting a glare at the Riolu. "You didn't do ANYTHING wrong. He just had a bunch of totter then got CLINGY and WEIRD. How's that your fault?"
Kipuuna grunted with a sigh, Ganisus barely paying attention.
"I'M SORRY!" Avery could hear Vizon shout drunkenly from the other end of the bar as Loshjno slowly led him out. "I'M SO SORRYYYY! I CAN DO BETTERRRR!"
"SHUT UP!" Lahnae shot back. Kipuuna roughly bat her on the wing with a glare, Lahnae returning the look. "What? Look I'm STEAMED, okay?"
"He's still your guildmates-"
"Yeah, and I'm MAD at him, so what?" Lahnae huffed, looking back towards the exit as Vizon and Loshjno disappeared.
It was true.
Something was still broken. All of the guild was fixed...except Avery's own team. Something was still so deeply, deeply wrong.
Lahnae grunted, stepping by Avery and Kipuuna, looking at the Plusle worriedly.
"Does it hurt, Avery? You okay?"
"...It..." Avery looked down, the tears welling at the corners of his eyes getting...just a bit bigger. "It hurts. It all...it all hurts...I don't know what's happening. I-I don't...I'm trying...I-I'm trying not to overwhelm him, I-I'm trying to be good, I-I am. I am-! There's a lot going on and I don't want to leave him behind but I don't want to confuse him and I don't...I-I don't...he and Nivanee are..."
Avery's trembling got worse. His eyes stung.
[CW END]
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong." Avery's voice was crushed, high-pitched, forced through an incredibly tight throat. It hurt to speak.
Something pushed into him. Something warm and soft, holding him fast and secure.
"You. Are doing. Fine."
Lahnae's voice was firm but caring as her wings wrapped around Avery, hugging him cautiously to not hurt him further. Kipuuna eased off, letting her hold Avery, him and Ganisus looking to one another as Vizon and Loshjno finally disappeared outside.
"None of this was your fault, dude." Lahnae continued, not a drop of hesitation in her voice while Aquashock watched, worried. "None of it, okay? I just...! I don't know what's going on between you two but...but I don't want you BEATING YOURSELF UP for TRYING YOUR BEST! You..."
There was something in her voice, unshaken determination. The voice of someone fresh from rock bottom herself.
"...you're doing just fine, Avery. I promise. I know it. I know you."
"Lahnae..." Kipuuna said softly, tilting his head.
Avery shook his head, leaning into her hug.
"...It's not good enough. I...I-I'm not doing good enough, if I was doing good enough this wouldn't be happening-" Avery wiped at his eyes. "If I was doing good enough then we'd all be friends and Vizon and I would like each other and I wouldn't be torn in four different directions every time I have a conversation with anyone-"
Avery hiccupped. He was saying too much. But he couldn't stop.
"There's...there's things that I can't say but if I was doing my best and everything was perfect I could say them and everyone would be okay- But they wouldn't be. They won't be. N-nobody is, we're all...we're all going to-"
'We're all going to hang. We're all going to hang. We're all going to hang unless I can do something about it.'
"NO!"
Lahnae didn't give up, didn't collapse at Avery's parry. She only shook her head against his shoulder.
"No! No! No!" She said again. "It's not just you! It's not all on you! I'm tired of all these years of none of us doing anything to help all this BROKEN STUFF! Having to wait for someone like you to bail us all out...!"
She pressed her cheek into Avery's. Her grip was firm, unwavering. Determined and unflinching.
"If we're a family we should ACT like it...and do it TOGETHER!" Her voice was forceful. "You...! You've done enough! You've done so much for everyone! You've done ENOUGH!"
She didn't even seem to be thinking. Just...
...rambling. Letting her heart spill out, unfiltered. Kipuuna tapped his flippers together, whispering something to Ganisus, the two moving back over to the tables, leaving the two alone.
Avery's eyes flitted to Kipuuna and Ganisus for a moment. Had he done something wrong? Was he putting them off? Did he do it again? Oh god what was he-
Back to Lahnae. She was...making it kind of hard to even pay attention to anything else. Maybe that was the point. They were still in public...
"...I...I can't say everything. There's...there's secrets, I...I want to say them but I can't and I-I hate it. It's...it's driving Vizon and I apart. The...these secrets and these views and these...e-everything..." Avery sniffed again, holding his side. "It's tearing us apart."
Lahnae brought the Plusle back to just them two, nowhere else. She cradled Avery's head, doing everything she could to be there.
"I'll help. I'll do anything I can to help, I promise. I was strong with you before I'll DO IT AGAIN."
She pressed Avery lightly into herself, her voice never wavering.
"Whatever...these stupid 'secrets' are..." Lahnae paused a moment, pulling back just a bit, looking serious. "What's the worst that could happen if you said? Compared to losing Vizon?"
There was a look in her eye.
How...? Did she...suspect the answer already?
Perhaps she was dense...but...three years at the guild still no doubt must have let her catch on to some things...
"I just...I...I don't know what to do anymore. Everything I do makes things worse, for...for everyone." Avery sagged in her wings, resting his head on her body. "I don't know what to do anymore."
Avery's heart felt heavy as he said the words, admitting them out loud. He knew them for a while. But saying them to another person...hearing the desperation in Vizon's voice.
...They were drifting apart. Avery didn't want them to. But they were. And he hated it.
"I'm supposed to be a hero. But I'm just...I'm just hurting him."
"What's being a hero got to do with whether Vizon acts like a jerk to you or not?"
"Lahnae-!" Kipuuna cut in from across the room as he and Ganisus packed up the game. "He's still guild, isn't he?"
"Well YEAH...but...!" Lahnae lifted Avery as he sagged in her grasp. "Family can be jerks, too..."
Kipuuna sighed, rubbing his forehead with his flipper...but nodded quietly. Ganisus sighed, finishing up with bagging the pieces and the leftover food.
"...Nivanee needs to get out of that hospital already." The Shinx muttered, Kipuuna cringing when he heard it...even if he knew it was true. Lahnae grunted.
"Sorry..." She muttered. "I'm not that great with words. Uhm...I didn't mean to insult Vizon, I know he's a good guy, just-"
"C'mon..." Kipuuna said, hoisting a leather satchel over his shoulder, clinking with wood pieces inside. "Let's go home...it's late enough, yeah?"
"Yeah..."
"And not a word to the guildmaster, alright?" Kipuuna said, leaning in. Lahnae perked up, furrowing her brow. "...alright? Please?"
Lahnae was silent a moment, glancing down at Avery...then back to Kipuuna.
"Alright, fine. I'm no snitch." Lahnae said, Kipuuna nodding.
"This is just something we need to take care of ourselves. And I know we can...!" Kipuuna offered warmly, stepping up beside them both, Ganisus following behind. "If we can work through years worth of baggage...surely we can take care of this, too? I know that's what Nivanee would say."
"Is it?" Ganisus asked, his eyes wandering up to the ceiling. Kipuuna...only shrugged with a sheepish smile.
"I sounds like the kind of thing she would tell us. To not lose hope, to always stick together..."
"Yeah...!" Lahnae said, squeezing Avery. "...together!"
Ganisus sniffed but said no more. With a nod, Kipuuna walked forward to lead the group back to the guild. The rain had slowly begun to die off, now little more than a mist and sprinkle, an electrifying scent in the air.
"...I'm sorry, guys." Avery's tone was glum. He hadn't done much to help them in the slightest, and now their evening was just...awkward and bad.
Though the Plusle cast his eyes up, looking for the glow of Sanshiyad. The magenta glow of the night...maybe it'd calm him. Maybe it'd help him feel better, maybe it'd make him find the words to say. Or the words to not.
Up in the sky...through thin rain clouds he could only see a faint magenta glow...but it was there. In small breaks in the cloud line Avery caught glimpses of the magnificent planet.
As his friends led him along, it almost felt like not all was lost.
The streets were emptying out. Even guards were more scarce at this time of night. The city was quiet. No NAM recruitment...no shouting...just a peaceful city, Avery's friends at his side.
"Hey Avery, we should totally get together again some night!" Lahnae said, not even acknowledging the Plusle's apology. She was trying to lighten the mood, clear the air, focus on the good. "Like, maybe the Raffle House!"
"Nuh-uh, no, you definitely should not be gambling your already meager funds."
"Aw C'MON, KIP, I thought you were COOL NOW."
"Not irresponsible! Sheesh!"
"I hit JACKPOT last time so maybe it was totally responsible, so there!" Lahnae stuck her tongue out.
"Y-yeah..." Avery said, wiping at his face as he let out a little laugh. "The last time we went there we won...basically most of the funds I've been using for the past few days. We got lucky...! You just gotta use a budget, you know? Don't go past it...!"
It was so much more...
Playful now.
Everything was safer with...
...family.
In short time, through the cold and damp air, they all arrived at the darkened guild hall across from the massive castle.
"Gah, is it past curfew?" Kipuuna hissed. "I can't be slipping like this-"
Lahnae and Ganisus snickered.
Avery took a deep breath of the petrichor as the rain clouds receded, and let it out. It was fine. They were fine. It would be fine.
"I-I mean to be honest I'm not sure how much more energy I have for the rest of the evening. If we do anything else it'll...probably have to be pretty low key." Avery suggested.
"Nope nope nope, vetoing that right now." Kipuuna said.
"Awwww!"
"It's waaaay past our bedtime! Think of what Nivanee would say if she saw her guild so rambunctious and out of control that they couldn't even get a good night's sleep!"
"Maybe 'oh wooow'!" Lahnae faked a Nivanee voice. "'The guild is so cooool and rebellious nooow'!"
"She does not sound like that!" Kipuuna huffed.
"...no duh." Ganisus said. "Her voice is, like...sing songy...'Like thiiiiis~ '..."
Lahnae snorted, almost falling apart at the Shinx's impression. Avery let out a quick guffaw, not expecting that from Ganisus at all.
"I...I have no idea how you're good at that but congratulations-!" the Plusle laughed with Lahnae, the both of them nudging each other.
Kipuuna huffed, pushing at Lahnae and Ganisus's backs.
"In! Iiiin! Go to bed, you!" He said, Lahnae shoving at him but ultimately conceding and returning. Opening the door, she beckoned Avery inside.
The Plusle put his hands up.
"Alright, hah...I'll..."
Avery's smile faded.
"Go to bed."
'Right. I'd have...to probably go with Vizon.'
Kipuuna perked up at the change in tone of Avery's voice, looking over at the Plusel, staring at his fallen smile. Obliviously, Lahnae and Ganisus walked ahead down the hall.
"Say, everyone..." Kipuuna called out, making Lahnae pause. Ganisus paused half a second later.
"What's up?"
"Here's an idea. Poor Vizon might need some recovery time tonight. The guy really partied today, I'm hoping he's not feeling sick tomorrow...!" Kipuuna said, glancing over at the Plusle. "Avery, why don't you sleep with one of us tonight? Maybe-"
"YO? SUPER BEST RIVAL SLEEP OVER?" Lahnae shouted, with Kipuuna wincing.
"Well, that settles who with." He laughed. Ganisus just looked behind on the conversation, already tuned out.
Visibly, Avery relaxed at that.
"You don't think Loshjno will mind?" He asked, looking towards Lahnae. He had to stifle a yawn as he said it, but he did end up rubbing at his eyes a little bit. "I don't want to put him out...is there room?"
"There's ALWAYS room for my Rival, dude!" Lahnae cheered. Kipuuna let out a silent sigh of relief, seeing Avery relax as the Torchic bounced excitedly. "WE'RE TOTALLY GUNNA STAY UP ALL NIGHT AND EAT SNACKS AND-!"
She stopped herself, looking over at Ganisus who was already going down the stairs. Kipuuna walked ahead, patting Avery on the shoulder with a warm smile, leading everyone down to follow him.
"No, but, yeah! OH MY GOSH, AVERY, LET'S TELL SCARY STORIES OR SOMETHING!" She pressed into the Plusle, eyes lighting up in pure excitement.
"...I do have a few," Avery said with a little laugh, leaning a little closer to her. "But I don't want to keep Loshjno up if he wants to sleep."
He paused. Maybe...they could go into one of the spares? No, no, that'd be weird. Those were unoccupied for a reason, he was sure. It'd be weird to sleep in the bedrooms of ex-teams.
"Mannn...I GUESS."
Lahnae blew a raspberry as they all descended the stairs, entering the silent guild hall. Of course, even if there was only dim candlelight and no sounds, the presence of the four made it so much less lonely.
Ahead, Avery could see Team Spade's door slightly ajar. Lahnae bounded towards it, flinging it open as Kipuuna and Ganisus went to their own rooms.
"HEY LOSHJNO, WE-..." Lahnae stopped, peering inside. "Uhh...Loshjno? Where are you?"
She stepped inside, Kipuuna stopping short of entering his room and leaning over to look.
As Avery approached the door he looked in and saw Lahnae standing at the side of her bed, holding a piece of paper in hand. She squinted at it, reading close, walking back over to Avery, allowing him to see it as well:
Lahnae,
Staying with Vizon in his room tonight to make sure he recovers by tomorrow. He's going to need it.
Have fun!
Loshjno
'Have fun!'
That son of a gun. He knew. Loshjno saw this rooming situation coming the whole time. He hadn't even known that Avery wouldn't be staying with Vizon, let alone that Avery would be with Lahnae.
Or...maybe he did. That's just Loshjno, Avery supposed with a bemused sigh.
"Guess we can tell those scary stories after all, huh?" Avery said with a little laugh as he walked into the room after Lahnae. "As long as we don't keep our neighbours up."
"Uhhh...!"
Lahnae leaned over, poking her head out the door.
"SORRY IF I SCREAM, NEIGHBOR!" She shouted to Kipuuna as he walked into his bedroom.
"Auughh! Goodnight, Lahnae!" He shouted back, closing the door at once. Lahnae winced with a snicker, stepping back to close the door behind Avery.
"AAAALRIGHT!" She cheered, doing a little spin from the door. "Super best rivals operation sleepover is GO!"
She slung her satchel over towards the nightstand, the brand new bag tumbling with a few orbs and seeds and coins spilling out onto a little piece of blue cloth precisely laid out on the floor to catch every item. The Torchic ran to the bed, covered in red sheet and blue pillows, flopping onto it and bouncing.
The whole room had that look to it. Red candles...blue painted desk, red chair, blue and red rug. Lahnae and Loshjno really went in to their team's aesthetic. The room had a honey scent, the candles were clearly specially scented.
"Maan, this is gunna be so much fun!" She cheered, wiggling excitedly. "Okay, okay, I'm way too jazzed to go to bed. What should we do first?"
"It's a really nice room," Avery said, looking around with an obviously impressed expression on his face. "Smells nice too."
"Yeah! The candles were Loshjno's idea! He really likes the honey scent but I'm WAY more into, like...CINNAMON SPICE, so I'mma get THOSE next time! Which, funnily enough, are blue colored candles!"
With a good bit more decorum than Lahnae had shown, the Plusle put his bag down on the floor beside the door, and hopped up onto the bed beside her.
"We could do the scary stories, unless you have another idea? I think...just being distracted would be good right now."
She snickered, sitting up and scooting closer to Avery.
"Yeah! We can do scary stories...and card games...can't really spar in our room since we'd PROBABLY WRECK THE PLACE, HEHEHHE."
She tapped a wing to her chin, thinking hard on what to do.
"I got some dumb game ideas nobody else ever wants to try with me. Like hot mouth, where we eat a blast seed and TRY TO HOLD IT AS LONG AS WE CAN-!" Lahnae stopped herself. "Oh, wait...that might be too loud since it'd basically explode in our mouth. Uhhghhhh, okay, yes, QUIET STUFF. You got any ideas? YOU PICK."
"...Hmm..." Avery looked up. "...Well...they don't have to be scary, but...maybe we could tell stories? You could talk about some of your favourite missions, maybe...and I could talk about..."
Avery stopped, frowning a bit.
"...Maybe I could try and remember bits of my old life. Or I could fill in some gaps from missions you weren't there for." He shrugged. "Or I could make something up. I feel like I'd be good at that, heh."
Making up a story, curled up on a bed next to Lahnae. He could...probably do that.
"I could even go first, if you need time to think about something to talk about? I just want to hear...everything about you, hah."
"OOOOO I can do BOTH, how about?" Lahnae said, snatching one of the scented candles from the wall, holding it under her chin. "My favorite mission...AND a scary story in one spooktacular tale of Team Spade!"
She let out a fake-evil guffaw before smiling again.
"And, hey, I'd totes love to hear about your old life! Anything you can remember anyway! It must be wicked being a human, huh?" She asked, bouncing. "Maybe that can be kinda like a scary story! Stories about spoooooky monsters who aren't actually all that scaaaaryyyyy!"
Avery laughed a bit, leaning back against the bed. It was pretty plush...And he gestured for her to go on.
"A spooktacular, huh? If I don't hear your best Loshjno impression during this that's going to deduct points, y'know."
There was a little twinkle in Avery's eye as he said that. The introduction of points, of competition...even if it was meaningless since the only judges were also competitors...he thought Lahnae would like that.
"Manage to scare me and you get twenty bonus points though~!" Avery said with a nod.
Lahnae's eyes lit up the moment he said that word. Points.
"Alright, you GOT it!" Lahnae promised, pulling at the blanket she sat on to cover her beak mysteriously. "This is the story...of the spooky manor of Beachside Cliff...!"
A peal of thunder sounded outside. Lahnae jumped at how well timed it was, but smiled wider, her mood set.
"This story takes place a long, long time ago...last year. Some base or encampment or something way up north off the coast of Mist Island had put in a request months and months prior to the elites that the soldiers were refusing to patrol the full area during the waning hours of sunlight due to some rumors going around and the army captain was getting mad. Of course the elites blow it off 'cuz it sounds like a stupid mission."
Lahnae's eyebrows raised.
"But then...Olistia herself comes into the guild, asking for a follow-up on the Beachside Cliff mission. Sarfallinus is confused at first but then sees the months old request. He's already got Nivanee and Aquashock doing super important stuff...okay, well, Aquashock was just doing more Warehouse work as usual but...!"
She recovered from her tangent, covering her face more.
"ANYWAY, Loshjno and I were the only team available, but since it sounded like a stupid time-waster I guess that's why he didn't even hesitate to put us on it."
She rolled her eyes indignantly. She couldn't help but inject her own commentary.
"ANYWAY ANYWAY...Loshjno and I make a long trek up north to the Arcean coast. And man it is COLD up there. I think it was, like...mid-fall by this point and it gets FROSTY up there REALLY FAST. The grass was all short and covered in a layer of frost that twinkled even in the afternoon when we finally got up there. Like, Loshjno was bundled up, there were only a few clouds in the sky, sun bright as could be and it was STILL chilly, like-"
Lahnae paused. Another tangent. She chuckled, continuing again.
"ANYWAY ANYWAY ANYWAY, so we find the naval base on the coast across from Mist Island where a bunch of army Poke'mon have been set up for years. We start asking questions to the officer in charge...and guess what he says...?"
Even if it was a scary story, Avery had a smile on his face that grew each time Lahnae got off topic.
'Can't even stay focused to tell a story, huh, Lahnae~?' He thought to himself.
Avery still found himself hanging on her words. It was new information after all - the northern coast of Arcea was a place he'd never been to before. He remembered way back in the ruins, Loshjno was somewhere cold when he found him...maybe they'd gone through a portal to the Arcean Coast up north...?
Great, now he went on a tangent!
Instead of answering directly, Avery just gave Lahnae a little shrug, and gestured for her to go on. He leaned forwards on the bed, anticipating her continuation of the story.
"He says..."
Lahnae puffed out her chest, doing a deeper voice, as though impersonating an army official, an exaggerated bluster to her voice now.
"Hrymphfbbb! The silly sods have gone and convinced themselves that this old shack up the cliff is haunted! It was some old estate or another that's not been touched in years but someone's mentioned it as a 'murder house' and now it's all anyone here talks of! Rubbish! Humbug! Grandiose!"
That impression got another laugh out of me.
"Okay, it's not a Loshjno impression like I said but five points for the general impression, that's good-" Avery said through little bouts of laughter. He let her keep going though. Even if it wasn't that scary, the Plusle was still getting invested in the story. Even with her tangents and distractions, there was something...enrapturing about the way she told the tale.
Lahnae snickered to herself. It seemed as though she was having more fun just telling the story than trying to make it actually scary. But, she shook her head, refocusing.
"Right, but! Okay, so, Loshjno and I take the job. One of the soldiers agrees to take us up there but he's shaking the entire time. We walk up the really remote dirt road where some village used to be. Like, you could see old wood posts and some abandoned buildings way out in the tall grass. You have to go this long way around because the cliff is so sheer by the water that you have to back out into the hills south of the beach to circle back up to the top of the cliff. Like the cliff is massive, seriously, I got to take you some time because it's really pretty. Just like huge wall of rock towering hundreds and hundreds of feet overhead..."
Lahnae shook her head again, focusing. Focusing.
"So we pass all these old houses and eventually come up to the top of the cliff. There's, like, old benches up here. It's already kind of spooky because...you just imagine Poke'mon living here a long time ago and all this stuff is just left behind. I think the village was abandoned in late 5th Turn or something." She shook her head. "Anyway, as usual Loshjno isn't worried at all. He's still doing that thing of not really taking missions seriously, and he's already predicting the house isn't actually haunted at all and it's just a bunch of superstition. The army guy points at another path leading down the cliff face and into what he said was an inset in the cliff face where the house stood."
Lahnae smirked, holding the candle closer to her chin, the flickering and wavering lights making spooky shadows bounce around her face.
"...and he refuses to go any further, oooOOooOO~!" She giggled. "Says 'the ghosts will get him'. The soldiers say they see lights flickering...hear screaming...even once someone saw a tall shadowy figure with glowing eyes standing in front of the house, like it was staring down at the camp and there was such an evil aura coming from it~!"
Lahnae lowered the candle again.
"So we go down the path...it's all rocky, the stone is cold, the air is salty and chilled...and we find that house isn't a house. It's a manor built against the cliffside, right in front of a sheer drop down hundreds of feet to the ocean below. Kind of a weird place for an estate but hey, I dunno, maybe they lived more DANGEROUSLY back in the old days!"
"Maybe they were really into diving," Avery said with a half-hearted shrug. "What a soldier, though, huh? Shows how tough Team Spade is in comparison! You guys aren't afraid of no ghosts. Or...superstition, according to Loshjno, heh."
"YEAH! That's why HIM AND I are guild members! And YOU TOO!" Lahnae said with a bounce. She coughed, immediately recovering from her outburst, trying to bring back the spooky atmosphere. "But as for the diving thing, I'd hope they're a water type because man it was a sharp drop, Avery! Seriously, just wait until you see the Beachside cliff! It actually blots out the sun when you're down by the beach-!"
She stopped herself again.
"Okay, ANYWAY, the manor. So it was a pretty big place. Three stories, back of it was right up against the rock wall. There was no grass here, just some dirt and gravel laid down. There wasn't even really any fence or anything, I guess whoever built it didn't wanna crack the rock to put down posts. But man it was quiet up there. Like, besides the slight ocean breeze there's not a sound there. You can barely even hear the ocean since the waves are so far down below from where we were."
Lahnae lifted a wing from behind the blanket, gesturing as she told her tale.
"Ok, so, as we walk up, Loshjno is telling me about different ghost folklore, like Echoes that copy your voice to lure others and shorgaths, which are like clay monsters that prowl open fields by day and freeze by night...and the soldiers probably thought they had a screecher living in the house, which he told me was like an angry spirit of a Poke'mon killed in cold blood. You know, even though there was no murders at this place, it was just financially unviable to keep maintained so the owner left it to rot."
She shook her head.
"Yeah, I wasn't scared, either! Ghosts are STUPID. Well, ok, I did get a bad vibe from the place but c'mon, I'd been beaten up, shocked, slammed, knocked out, punched, stabbed and thrown like a ragdoll in just that month. What was a stupid lil wispy cloud of dead Poke'mon gunna do?"
She snickered, leaning in, her face getting serious.
"But then...we entered the place."
A peal of lightening crackled outside the window. Lahnae smiled wide.
"Loshjno goes in first. Door creaks and everything. First thing we notice is how dark it is, so he strikes a blast seed as a light. Next thing we notice is that it's actually kind warm inside the mansion. Which is, like, weird, because it's practically frigid outside. So who's making warmth inside the manor?"
She tilted her head, her eyes wandering up toward the ceiling. Avery could hear the rain picking up again, pitter-pattering on the window, the scent of honey strong.
"I see Loshjno freeze. Let me tell you, Avery, I think you can guess: When Loshjno is legitimately caught off guard you have a problem." Lahnae's eyes looked back down at Avery. "He's immediately in investigation mode...which usually means I follow him while he goes in his mind palace or whatever and totally shuts me out while I wait to punch something."
She snickered again.
"Anyway, yeah, it's dark...it's dusty. There's still some furniture in here but what immediately unnerves me is that, like...you can tell the dust is uneven in a lot of areas. You know, like it's clear the dust has been disturbed in very...very subtle ways."
She leaned back.
"Loshjno's immediately like 'Oh-kay, I deduce this must be ghost poke'mon'. Probably not in those words, but that's his immediate guess..."
She paused a moment, looking dead at Avery.
"Then...it happened..."
Avery was hooked. No quips this time. He was lying on his stomach now, head propped up by his hands.
Lahnae was silent...dead silent, staring at Avery. Slowly, one of her wings raised...and she ominously whispered.
"...a moan."
She moaned, simulating the sound. Like a mournful, half-screaming moan of pain and anger.
"...muffled. Distant. Like it was coming from upstairs. I saw Loshjno freeze. Heck, I froze. Something scraped on the floor upstairs. Like a chair or bed. Loshjno tells me to head back out and cover the windows and prop open the doors. I grab one of the chairs and throw it against the doors, swinging them open and holding them. And you could feel them trying to close, some invisible force pulling on them that I thankfully overpowered."
She stared up at the ceiling, the candle flickering on her face.
"I stand outside, standing at the ready. I really don't wanna use my fire on a rickety old wood house while Loshjno is still inside so if anything comes out the windows I plan on kicking it. But man...that moan chilled me. It still chills me thinking about it now..."
She shuddered.
"So from outside I watch through the open door as Loshjno moves to the east side of the house, I guess trying to find the stairs. I could see his the light shining through the dirty windows of the manor so I could at least tell what room he was in. But I don't see anything else for a while...nor hear anything."
She clicked her tongue, quiet for a while to emphasize the wait.
"Soon, I hear Loshjno call for me, saying 'Lahnae it's all clear, come back in'. So I rush back in, trying to listen for any more shuffling. I look over to the west side, into another room, and Loshjno is standing there, kind of intensely looking at something. So I walk over to him and notice he doesn't have his blast seed, he tells me 'something blew it out, there's definitely something here'. I ask him if it's a ghost and...he only shrugs, looking back towards another room. You can see the ground floor makes, like...a loop, right? So this room goes into the kitchen at the back of the manor and it's SUPER dark because there's, like...zero windows."
She paused again, thinking hard.
"So he asks me to go in the kitchen with a small fire stream to light the place. I'm like, 'okay, cool' and go in. The place is nasty. There's black sludge and goop coming out of the cabinets, dust everywhere, decades of neglect and rot I could practically gag. Not to mention, those bad vibes? They're tenfold in here, probably because it's pitch black..."
Lahnae's voice stopped...the candle went out, plunging them both in darkness. A roll of thunder sounded outside. She continued, and Avery could only make out the vague outline of her shape.
"...Loshjno's not behind me anymore. He didn't come in the kitchen with me."
She's silent. She was going unnervingly slow.
"...I'm alone in there. Scared. I just stand there, confused for a long time...then jump...I hear another shuffle upstairs. A scrape. A creak...I want to run but...which way? It felt like something was coming for me..."
She was so still in the dark.
"I could feel it standing behind me. I couldn't see it. I just knew it was standing behind me. Staring. Tall, eyes wide. I couldn't see one bit of it in the dark, but I knew it was there. It was staring at me. Just standing. Watching."
She was silent.
"The shuffling stopped. The manor was silent. It just...stood. I didn't want to make a sound. Make a move. It had come for me."
Avery didn't move a muscle.
His fists gripped the sheets of the bed.
...Well...that...and his eyes, wide as dinnerplates.
Lahnae...Avery could see her cock her head to the side in the dark.
A moan. A mournful, pained, angry moan. Shuddering. Terrifying.
"Right.
Next.
To.
Me."
She cocked her head to the other side...the other. Twitching in the silent dark. Avery couldn't see her face.
She was...
just silent
silently twitching unnaturally. Avery was scared she would scream or jump at him.
But she didn't.
Was...was it even Lahnae? What was happening to her?
She stopped...her twitching ceased...she was frozen...unnaturally frozen.
And she puffed an ember, the candle re-lighting.
As soon as the light came on, Avery saw her head cocked to the side, tongue rolled out and a goofy ghoul expression on her face, one that immediately broke with a cracked grin the moment she saw Avery's terrified expression.
"Gotcha~"
For a few seconds Avery stared in an almost paralyzed horror after Lahnae's story- even after she turned the light back on-
And then he buried his face into the sheets with his own groan.
"Ghhhhh dang it you totally did-" Avery conceded.
He mockingly pounded the sheets.
"But!" Avery sat up, lifting his chin. "You didn't do a full-on Loshjno impression. So...that's...only twenty five bonus points. Five for the general, twenty for..."
He puffed, crossing his arms.
"...for scaaaaaring meeee..." He laughed.
"Whaaat, what about the whole 'I deduce it's a ghost' bit! I toootally did Loshjno!" Lahnae snickered, not really minding one way or the other.
"But seriously how much of that was true? How did it end?" Avery demanded, leaning forward again. "You can't leave me on the hook like that, scare or no scare!"
Lahnae leaned back, eyes rolling up to the ceiling.
"Okay, well, the ending kind of ruins the whole thing but if you gotta know, that's the moment Loshjno found me. With lit blast seed still in hand. He told me he had been upstairs when, apparently, I approached him while he was in the bedroom telling him that I saw something up on the third floor, but I didn't come with him when he went up...and he apparently got terrified by the exact same thing I did. He just went in the dark storage room up there and was paralyzed by some vague perception of some entity until the feeling vanished."
Lahnae smirked.
"So...what's up with that, huh? Both he and I were talked to by some weird fake version of each other...well, wouldn't you know it? We immediately decide to ditch the house and run out the manor and find out something very interesting! A group consisting of a Krookodile, a Mandibuzz and...drumroll, please...a Zoroark ran south away from the Beachside cliff, according to one of the scared guardsmen that refused to lift a finger. He was convinced they were some wayward spirits...Loshjno, humiliated, said...ahem..."
Lahnae cleared her throat and deepened her voice for a Loshjno impression again.
"'That was not ghost, my good man, it was our culprits, possibly spies, and I'm sorry to say that you just let them stroll by'. But, MYSTERY SOLVED. It wasn't a ghost, it was a Zoroark illusion making the house go all weird...as well as a Zoroark impersonating Loshjno and I."
She blew a raspberry, shaking her head.
"Maaan, it's so lame remember it. Some dumb outlaw pretending to be Loshjno and I DIDN'T EVEN CATCH IT. UGH. Stupid!" Lahnae shook her head with a huff.
"Aww, that's cool though!" Avery said with a little laugh. "Plus, since you did a little longer one, I'll give you the ten extra points."
He gave her a wink.
"That's one of the things that...I honestly do want to do more." Avery said. "It's probably my favourite part of being part of the guild - seeing weird things, going weird places, seeing the world. It's like..."
The Plusle sighed, flopping back on the bed.
"...I dunno. I don't remember a lot at all about who I was before all this. But...I'm pretty sure I never went anywhere. I think that was normal. As far as I can figure, me and my friends just...stayed in and around the same town. Maybe went camping every so often, but that was only ever a couple of hours out at the most. So...going to Windscorch, Qeasé, Dove Fo Uddjo, the Delta...I really feel like I'm seeing the world. And it's a new one. It's scary sometimes, sure...scary a lot of the time, actually. But it's still really cool when I think about it like that. I'd just..."
It was a strange feeling, how the vague feelings of memories could be recalled, like whatever was locking his memories waxed and waned.
Trailing off for a moment, Avery looked out the window, towards the canal.
"...Today, after my fight with Vizon, I just...walked. Just...I was feeling all empty and upset with myself and the city and everything so I just...I wanted to get away. So I just...picked a direction and walked." He gave Lahnae a glance. "Did you know there's like...other villages up near Windscorch? And you can see the entirety of Arceliaze up there. Part of Breezy Plain too. Never knew how big the plains were until I was up there. I think...I just like the idea of being able to explore. Find new things. You know?"
Lahnae listned, flopping back on the bed with him, staring up at the ceiling.
"Aw, dude..." she sighed when he mentioned how empty he felt. She looked thoughtful for a moment, wings behind her head.
Then, she turned her head to look at Avery.
"Yeah...you know I kinda do know." She said. "I mean, I got into the guild to help people, save others, be a hero and all that STUFF but...man, seeing all the different places in Arcea is so cool! The high mountains, the vast plains, I'd never have seen any of this stuff if I went into bakery like my Mom wanted me to."
She sighed, staring back up at the ceiling.
"Though I admit...sometimes it sucks only seeing these places on missions. Off-duty I'm basically just rooted here in Arceliaze. All the small villages, the little vista, all of 'em are RUSHING BY as Loshjno and me go to our next mission AND LIKE...I'm not SHRIKING WORK. People NEED US and I won't REST until they're safe, but..."
She groaned, folding her wings over her chest.
"It'd be nice just stopping somewhere and being somewhere different." She said, frowning. "I'm getting sick of Arceliaze. Wish I could take missions while staying in another town or village or something, just for a change, Mannnn..."
Avery stared up at the ceiling, listening to her.
Lahnae? A baker? He couldn't imagine it. Even if she got to work with someone like Banitus...well.
"That reminds me, next time I go out with Kellixae...you should come. There's a place over in that district I think you'd really like."
Lahnae perked up, looking back at you with an excited look.
"A place? Over in the Illaminian District? YOOO That sounds sick!" She said, brightening up. "I'd love to come with you, dude!"
The both of them laughed with a nod, the promise made.
Avery nestled on the soft bed, on his back, still staring at the ceiling.
"But I get what you mean about going places. Qeasé, Windscorch Mountain, all of them feel so...transient, you know? Like...we're there to do a thing and then when we're done we're done. The only place that didn't feel that way was Dove Fo Uddjo, and that's because we had to stay overnight. And..." Avery blew air through his lips. "That was its own very necessary disaster."
Lahnae huffed at that.
"'Transient'? What the heck does that word mean...?" The Torchic shook her head, sitting up with Avery. "Maybe sometime you and I should like...go somewhere. Like, screw it, LET'S JUST GET ON A CARRIAGE TO SOULJRAAN ONE OF THESE NIGHTS. Go eat there or something instead of Arceliaze. Just for the fun of it...! I mean, if you don't mind getting home kind of super late..."
Avery's ears perked up. The idea awoke a feeling in his heart, an old passion being rekindled. It sounded like something he'd have loved as a human...because it made him so happy right that moment.
"Yeah...yeah, that sounds like fun!" Avery said merrily, making Lahnae brighten up even more in return. "Next time we've got a night free...!"
"YEAH! YEAH YEAH YEAH!" Lahnae cheered loudly, flapping her wings merrily. She shut her mouth quickly, however, when a loud knocking came from the wall facing Kipuuna's room. "...oops..."
Avery snickered and scooted closer.
"...But...! You told your story...I've gotta have an opportunity to make up for some points, right?...If you want, anyway...!"
Lahnae smiled excited.
"Yo, YES. I am SO DOWN FOR STORY TIME." She said, quieter this time, flopping on her chest and crossing her ankles, looking up at Avery. "Hit me with your BEST SHOT, AVERY."
"Okay, okay!" Avery said, hyping himself up. "So..."
He took a breath and began to tell the story to his enraptured audience. He was going to need to improv this story, going off what little he knew of his human life, filling in the blanks where he could.
"This is something I haven't really told a lot of other people. For...a good few reasons. I think it'd worry Vizon if he knew. But if we're going for scary stories, it's what I've got."
Pause for effect.
"I don't remember a lot from my old life. I had a couple of friends, and a Vulpix named Ember. She's the only one I can really remember anything about. My two friends? Their faces are completely blank. I only remember their names because Dean Malzena told me. Luke and Addison. And like I said, I feel like we used to go camping a lot."
Lahnae nodded.
"But this is one of the only things I really remember. And...it's kind of funny. It..."
Avery paused a moment, and got up off the bed. It felt easier to talk if he paced. Lahnae popped up as he jumped off the bed, the Torchic leeeaaning over to look at the Plusle intently while grabbing the blankets. While before she used it to spookily hide her face now she held it bunched up under her chin like she was bracing herself.
Avery looked out the window - lightning flashed, illuminating the front of his face to Lahnae for a few moments.
"...Humans haven't been here for eons, Lahnae. But from what I've heard...and what I know...it makes me wonder how much you guys do know about us. All because of the one camping trip that I can't forget."
"Yeah...? How much we know about you?" Lahnae asked. "I don't go camping much unless it's for guild stuff...you and your friends...Luke and Addison? You guys did it for fun? Cool..."
She sounded genuinely awed to be hearing about humans.
Avery smiled a little at that...but continued his story.
"So we had everything ready. A spot picked out. Cliffside forest, an hour out of town. The road rides by the cliff for a good twenty minutes, you get an entire view of the valley we lived in when you looked. There were beasties in the forest if you weren't careful but this wasn't our first rodeo, we knew the ropes by now. We had Ember to keep us safe if it came down to it, and if all else fails we could find a big stick to whack something over the head with," Avery said, swinging his arms down for effect. "...Humans didn't have electric powers or anything. No psychic, no fiery fists, no nothing. We just kind of operated off of tools and stuff we made. It's...kind of funny how defenseless we are when you think about it."
Lahnae didn't crack wise at that. She only nodded in understanding, soaking in every word. It was hardly surprising, considering she was listening to what was essentially a mythical beast talk about his mythical beast culture.
"But we had everything packed. Tent, sleeping bags, food for the journey there and back, campfire starters, and a hatchet, for getting wood and kindling. As we were going up there, though, Addy notices that there's like...this other trail, that branches off to the left, into the forest. We've been up and down the road a few times, and this thing hasn't been there before. But hey, maybe the park rangers made a new hiking path or something. It looks worn, but Luke and I had already passed it by so Addison just kind of dropped it and we kept going. We get to the spot, set up camp...the view's gorgeous. There's even a creek nearby. Some...I guess Bibarel had made a dam upstream, so it was shallower than normal, but god that water sparkled in the sunset. It looked like it was on fire."
"Wow...so, wait...you still have Poke'mon where you come from?" Lahnae asked. Avery blinked at that question, trying to wrack his brain.
"I mean...I guess there was." He said, scratching his chin. "...I remember Ember and she was a Vulpix I'm pretty sure. So that probably means there were others, too. But they aren't...sapient?"
Lahnae mouthed the word 'sapient' to herself, clearly not understanding.
"...that means the Poke'mon didn't talk. At least...they never talked to humans."
"You remember all that?"
Avery was silent. No, he didn't remember that. It was all just...an assumption. But what else would be there besides Poke'mon? Whenever he tried to picture the scene he only ever saw Poke'mon. A vulpix, Bibarel, Swellows in the trees...that's just what made sense, right?
He shook the thought from his head.
"Hey, I haven't even gotten into the story yet!" Avery said with a sly smirk.
Lahnae nodded, hunkering back down to get cozy with her blankets. With his audience's attention returned, the Plusle continued his tale. Avery had moved to the window now, looking out at the rain.
"So...Ember and I went looking for twigs and leaves for making the kindling for the fire while Luke and Addy set up the tent and stuff. Addy and I were going to sleep under the stars, but Luke's kind of fussy about bugs crawling over him while he sleeps so he went for the tent. And Ember and I could hear 'em as they were talking and stuff...tents were really hard to set up, after all. But Ember and I, we were finding these sticks all over the place. Real easy like. 'I'm a natural at this,' I say to myself, looking at Ember with her bundle of them in her own mouth, but she just...kind of growls a bit. Like I said, back then I couldn't understand her, not like I can you. So I just thought she didn't like the busywork and began to head back."
Lahnae nodded again, having fully accepted the idea of Poke'mon that just growled and barked.
"And then I noticed something about the sticks we'd gotten."
Avery turned back to face Lahnae.
"It wasn't all of them. But a good third of them were stripped clean of bark. Smooth as anything."
"What the heck, random sticks in the forest had their bark stripped? That sounds kinda weird..."
"Well, sure, it seems that way. But I thought 'well, that makes sense. There's a Bibarel dam upstream. They chew on sticks all the time to bend them into the right shape. I think nothing of it and start to bring them back, picking up a few more along the way. But Ember's still bothered. She's not saying anything anymore, but I can tell she's stressed. Fur's standing on end, ears pricked backwards to listen behind us. That sort of thing.
"And then she just, drops them. Click-clack-clatter, she drops the sticks, whirls around and just starts BARKING behind us at the top of her lungs. I have to drop mine and comfort her, kneeling down to pick her up and pet her the way she likes. She's freaked out. And that's...that's where I started to get a little weirded, Ember's not like that. She's prissy, sure, but I've never seen her like that before. It felt angry, but... There was something below it. I picked up my sticks and headed back to camp, figuring I'd retrace my steps and get Ember's later on my own. Didn't want to bring her back there with her all frazzled.
"Luke's got the tent set up, I tell them about the dam, and ask if they can watch Ember for a sec while I get the rest of the sticks. 'She can help with the fire!' Addy says, I agree, and I go back for the other set.
"I get back there."
Avery leaned forward.
"Every single stick is stripped clean. Like meat off a bone."
Lahnae's brow furrowed, a little shudder running over her body.
"Wait, it went from some...to all...?" She asked, squinting, pulling the blanket up tighter under her chin and around her body. "In the short time you went up to carry Ember to camp and came back?"
She paused a moment.
"Man...Avery carrying a Vulpix. It's hard enough imagining that. Humans must be a lot taller than Plusles, huh...?"
She clammed up, trying to not let her meandering tangents interrupt.
"Oh, yeah," Avery said with a chuckle. "I was taller than Olistia, if you can believe that. Taller than Sarfallinus. Taller than Team Spade and Team Aquashock if y'all stood on each other's shoulders!"
The Plusle coughed. He was getting distracted, too.
"But they were clean. I was gone for maybe four minutes, tops. And more than that, as I started to pick them up again, they were wet, too. Not like creek wet. Sticky. Frothy. Dribbly. I didn't think too much of it though. I couldn't afford to. Because if I thought about it, I'd get myself freaked out. The more I thought about it, the more I'd descend down a spiral and psyche myself out, I told myself, so I just wouldn't think about it. Don't think about how you can feel the bubbles popping against your arm. How you can feel the stuff dripping through your fingers. Thick. Like syrup."
His voice lowered in volume, forcing Lahnae to lean closer to listen.
"Don't think about the noises you hear. Crrk. Crrk. Like wood being broken. Like bark being stripped. Away from the creek. Just don't think about it...and it won't bother you. Right?"
"Uhhhhh..."
Lahnae, for once...was nearly speechless. She wrapped the blankets around herself tighter, a frown on her face, brow furrowed, feathers bristled, eyes wide, looking as though she were about to spring into a fight for her life any second now.
"...right. I guess."
She shuddered. He had her.
"...So I get back to camp. Use a towel to dry the stuff off. Weird creek water, right? You know how scummy stagnant water can get! Grossss, pond scum on my shirt, haha..."
Avery laughed it off. As if they were there. As if he was trying not to think about it. Pond scum doesn't form in a creek. She knew it. He knew it.
"We make a fire. We have dinner. And you know what? I forget about it. I forget about the noises. The bark."
Crack. The lightning flared.
"But Ember doesn't. Addy's asleep, curled up in her bag by the twinkling remnants of our campfire. I already feel the sleep starting to pull my eyes shut. But Ember's sat on my chest. Staring into the forest. And she just...starts a growl. A low one. Puffs out some fire out of her nose, tails flaring up in front of my face. I have to move my neck so I can see where she's looking, telling her to quiet down...
"It's like she's blocking my view. But I hear it. Crrk. Crrk. Bark, stripped off of wood. But there's another sound with it. A wet sound. Swallowing. Long, strained, painful swallowing. Over and over. Crrk. Glp. Crrk. Glrk.
"...This is the last thing I remember. My last night I remember in the world of humans, the last sight I saw...was clothed in shadow. Ember's flame flickered across it, dancing over long, spindly limbs that bent at awkward angles like the sticks we'd been collecting. A tall, skinny thing that seemed contorted, somewhere between a crawl and a stoop. But the light never hit it directly. It was always obscured. Except for one place."
Unnaturally, Avery's mouth began to spread to a smile. A grin. A grimace that seemed to split his head sideways.
"I could see two rows of thirty square teeth shimmering in the firelight."
"NOOOO!"
Lahnae slammed her head down into the bed, pulling the blankets over her body, all at once turning into a quaking lump of terrified bedsheets.
She sure didn't seem like a girl that just yesterday defeated an ancient god. Not at this moment.
Slowly, her beak gently poked out of the sheets. Avery couldn't see her eyes at all.
"Is...is that true? Is that seriously...the last thing you remember? Oh Arceus is this some kind of messed up REINCARNATION thing?" She squealed, vanishing under the covers again, her voice muffled under the thick sheets. "That's MESSED UP, YO!"
Avery laughed a bit, the chilling grin turning into a more genuine smile to diffuse the tension as he flopped back onto the bed.
"Shhhh shh shh-" Avery hushed while stifling his own giggles, sidling up next to her. "I might've made up a lot of the...finer points. But if it means anything, I don't think I died that night. There's other bits and pieces of us together that come to me occasionally, and...I'm at least pretty sure some of those happened after that. But we didn't go camping up there again."
Avery folded his hands behind his head. He didn't both to say most of it was made up. He rather enjoyed being able to make up stories like this, especially for entertainment.
It wasn't like he was going back any time soon.
"...Just makes me wonder, heh. Apparently, you ask an Arcean what a human is, they say they're some warmongering creatures, horrible beasts capable of ripping apart cities. But you ask an Illaminian...And they'll speak of...what was it she said..." Avery squinted his eyes shut. "...A writhing amalgamation of flesh and interweaving limbs...mouths, inside and outside...sounds a lot like what I saw that night."
He flashed another cheeky grin to the frightened Torchic.
"Makes me wonder if humans like Luke and Addy and I were the only kinds of 'humans' out there."
Lahnae poked her head out of the mound of blankets, pressing up against Avery at once.
"Man that's freaky! Here I thought 'oh cool I have a human friend and he's NOT a monster' but uh oh! Now those monsters do exist and they're monsters to the monsters!"
She smiled, sitting up and punching Avery's arm softly with her wing and laughing.
"But MAN you tell a great story...! Can't believe that's real...Arceus I hope EMBER is okay, like, geez..."
She shook her head, huffing out a deep sigh. Lahnae turned her head to look at Avery, another smile...a warmer look crossing her face.
"Today's been pretty great...well, obviously mostly just tonight, am I right? Aha, but! Point is I really liked going on that mission with you." Lahnae said, beaming. "And I really dug getting to hang out with you again, Rival."
She paused a moment, staring at Avery for a while.
"Honestly? Kinda really wanna hang out with you more...you know? This is fun!"
Avery looked back at her.
'Deep breath...let it out.'
"...It was pretty fun," Avery said, settling further into the bed. "The tail end of it. I got to hear some of your stories, you got to hear one of mine...it's a little funny. Telling you that just now kind of...made the memory clearer. Like, even if I made a bunch of it up...it's as if I can imagine it more clearly. Not like a distinct sequence of events, more like...a vivid image. Maybe I'll be able to remember some more things...if you keep wanting to hear about them. Hopefully they won't always be as scary as that, though...!"
Further into the down of the bed he sank, leaning up against it. It was warm. Really pleasantly warm. Avery's eyes were closed...but he felt comfortable.
"...You know what would be good...?" He said, a bit of a sleepy drawl in his voice. "...If we just...did it. That carriage thing. Went off to another city for a night. Just because."
Lahnae's eyes sparkled, a wide smile across her beak.
"Yeah...yeah yeah yeah! We can totally just...take off one night and...I dunno, go camping or something out in Rocky Hills and tell more stories about humans and missions and..."
Lahnae huffed, her smile widening.
"Screw it, we can be late for rollcall. It's not like my rank can go any lower! Hehe!" Lahnae's cocky, mischievous smile radiated a fun energy. "Hanging out with you is way more important!"
She paused a second, looking at him with a smile. She lifted her wings, slowly, almost exploratorily...feeling Avery lean against her...she brushed her wings over his body...and softly hugged him.
The hug was firm. It felt...different from her other hugs. It wasn't for a friend. Or a rival or a confidant. There was something...else in that warm, meaningful hug as she gently tucked Avery under her chin.
And she said...nothing. She was just quiet as she hugged him.
Avery was already half asleep. He could feel it coming. He nestled into the bed a little further, burying his face halfway into her warm downy chestfluff.
"...Nnighht, L'hnae..." He mumbled sleepily.
She was quiet. Avery could hear her...chuckle, lying down with him in her arms. She was unyielding in her grasp, like nothing could ever take him from that hug as he buried in her warm feathers, listening to her heartbeat. It was beating at a quickened pace. Her wing stroked down his head.
She was quiet...almost as though contemplating if she actually could...or should say the words.
But just like that first night with her, when he took a leap of faith with her at the raffle house...she took one for him right back.
"I love you...Avery."
Lahnae buried her beak into Avery's headfluff, snuggling him securely on the bed.
Avery hugged her closer to him, just as she was hugging him closer to her. She was so warm.
"...Love you too..." he softly whispered.
Even as he felt sleep take him...Avery felt warm. So warm...wrapped in her wings...it was easy to let the world slip away. The darkness clouded his mind again, unconsciousness taking over again.
Darker...darker...
Avery knew what was coming. As his mind returned from its hazy state into its half-awake state...he knew what he was being faced with.
But...
...something felt different.
...he still felt warm.
[[ RETREIVAL FAILURE]]
Even as the darkness overtook him, Avery still felt cozy and warm.
...It was nice. It was nice to just...sleep. He barely heard the voice. He barely heard the command, the...whatever that was.
It was nice.
And he had...a nice night's sleep.
Chapter 28
Rift
[CW SUMMARY] - Vizon, under the influence, hurts Avery by hugging too hard and shows an ugly, possessive side while Avery becomes more scared that he and Vizon are drifting. The other guild members come to Avery's defense.
