After the two cat Pokémon made it inside Red Academy, Xander began dragging his feet. The joyful conversation had come to an end the second they'd passed through the gate, and Xander worried if he'd completely soiled the mood with his general… Xanderness.

I wonder if Gloria and Remmy are back at the inn by now. I hope that Girafarig is helping them out… I'm sure he's way more useful to them than I could ever be.

Xander glanced up from the ground to watch Dimitri approach the front desk, which was (of course…) currently unstaffed. "Huh, weird." The Sprigatito checked around, even glancing behind the desk as if a Pokémon was hiding from him. "Hellooo? Anybody there?" Dimitri called out, receiving no answer.

"Ha! You're acting like the secretary is playing hide-and-seek with you." Xander snickered while Dimitri gave him a playful look. "Actually, I know where the kitchen is. If you wanted, we could just take the order there directly."

"Hmm, that would be pretty unorthodox. But…" Dimitri shrugged his shoulders. "Fuck it, sure. It's on them for not being ready to receive their delivery."

Xander led the way towards the Dining Hall, one of the few places he could navigate to for certain within the massive castle. As they drew nearer, the Litten's ears perked up at the loud clamor of Pokémon speaking to each other. His pace started to slow, "Oh, duh. It's lunch time. No wonder the front was a ghost town."

"Well, that doesn't mean we should have to wait around for them to finish. Come on, let's crash their party!" Before Xander could object, Dimitri pushed open the large door to the Dining Hall.

There were so many Pokémon at the table Xander didn't recognize, which made the Litten suddenly hesitant to follow Dimitri inside. Most of them turned their heads to look at the Lunch-Time Intruders, and the murmuring of happy chit-chat dulled. The lull was short-lived though, as soon Melrose's voice broke the silence.

"XANDER!"

The jubilant Pikachu practically flew out of her seat, sprinting towards her friend at breakneck speeds and only barely skidding to a halt before potentially crashing into him. "Ohmygosh, Xandy! What are you doing here? Who's this with you? Did you make a new friend? What's with the bags? Are you both carrying treasures for the school? Goodies? Are they presents?" Melrose kept asking similar questions at a pace impossible to answer at. In between her onslaught, Xander very quietly slipped in a "nice to see you too, Melrose" that she likely didn't even hear.

"Oh! You're the delivery boy. Goodness, you got here quick!" Secretary Adeline hopped out of her seat and hurried over to Dimitri. "I'm very sorry I wasn't at the front when you arrived."

"Eh, it's no big deal. Sorry I kinda barged into your school. My new friend here told me he knew where the kitchen was, so we just came to you." Dimitri flashed the Secretary a smile, and she giggled in response.

"Let me go retrieve your payment. Since you're already here, feel free to drop everything off by the kitchen door!" The Clefairy sang as she scampered into the hall.

"Uh… Yes, ma'am!" Dimitri called after Adeline despite the Clefairy already being long gone. The Sprigatito shrugged his shoulders as he turned to Xander. "I'm gonna go set these teas down. You can keep talking to your friend, if you want."

As Dimitri padded off towards the kitchen, the Panpour working inside approached the Sprigatito and met him halfway. Xander didn't realize he was staring at the Grass Type until Melrose started snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Hellooo! Earth to Xander!" Melrose giggled. "What's with you, spacey? You still haven't told me what you're doing here yet."

"Oh, I–" Xander glanced back at Melrose, finally giving the Pikachu his full attention. "I was out buying some tea and coffee when they received the delivery for the school. I thought I might offer a paw and help out, seemed like a good enough reason to pop by and see you."

"Aww!" Melrose held her paws against her own cheeks and giggled as they sparked. "You're so sweet! Once you're done with all that, you should join us for lunch! Classes don't start again for another fifteen minutes, after all!"

"Ah, well, I'd like to. Uhm, but, I mean, is that even–"

Before Xander could continue, a Frilish who was staring daggers at the both of them loudly cleared his throat. "Excuse me. I'm sorry, but who is this exactly?"

"That's Xander." Icarus answered before Melrose could. "He is Melrose's friend from the country."

The Frillish cocked his head upwards. "A Litten from the countryside? How peculiar." A small smirk started to form at the tips of his lips. "Although, last I checked, being peculiar didn't mean you were allowed to eat Academy lunch when you aren't a student."

Melrose's cheeks sparked as she scowled at the ghostly Water Type, but Xander placed a paw on the Pikachu's shoulder. "Eh, he's right, Rosie. I probably shouldn't eat lunch with you."

"But…" Melrose's ears drooped. "You've gotten to eat dinner with us before! What makes this time any different? I'm sure the Headmaster would let you if we asked him…"

Xander glanced back up at all the students who were now staring. All their eyes on him; it was starting to make the Litten feel… sick. He shook his head and started to walk towards the kitchen with his own chunk of the delivery. "It's just a little different now, Rosie. School's started."

The Pikachu stayed quiet, which made Xander' tail droop from guilt. It's not like he didn't want to have lunch with Melrose, but even if an exception was made in his favor– how would that make Dimitri feel?

Xander unclipped the delivery bag from his person without assistance this time and set it down on the floor– next to where Dimitri put his. The Sprigatito and Panpour were already removing the small boxes and taking them into some sort of pantry. Now with Xander's help, the three of them got the job done in no time flat.

Mint reached into one of the bags and pulled out a peculiar blue sphere. Dimitri visually panicked, snatching the orb quickly out of the monkey Pokémon's hand. "Ah– That's mine!" The Sprigatito shoved it hastily back into his bag. If Sprigatito could sweat, Dimitri would've been dripping with perspiration. "D-don't know how that got in there… hahaha!"

Xander titled his head at him curiously, but the exchange reminded him of his own personal purchase inside one of the bags. Xander pointed a paw at the delivery satchel he brought in. "The paper sacks in this one are also personal stuff. Sorry about that."

"Hey, it's chill." Mint gave the both of them a soft smile. "Thanks for making the delivery. We were already running pretty low…" The Panpour sighed. "I really appreciate it."

"Eh, it's my job." Dimitri gave a nervous smile as he picked the bags back up. This time, he strapped both of them loosely to himself.

"Why were you carrying your own stuff in that delivery bag?" Melrose's voice startled Xander, and the cat Pokémon made a quick turn to face her.

"Oh, uh… I lost the satchel Gloria lended to me." Xander's ears flattened against his head. "It's no big deal, I'll just carry the paper sacks in my mouth again on the way home."

"You're really good at losing things, huh?" Melrose teased with a smile, but Xander failed in pretending to be humored by her. The Pikachu frowned as she started to take her own satchel off from around her shoulder. "Here, borrow my Treasure Bag. After last time, I don't want you bagless ever again."

"Wh-what? No, Melrose, I couldn't do that–"

"Take it." Melrose insisted with a stern expression. "I shouldn't need it for a while, anyways."

The Pikachu shoved the Treasure Bag closer to Xander, who pushed it away with a paw. This back and forth occurred for… a while, before Icarus had enough and roared at the both of them. The sudden loud sound startled Xander into yowling, which in turn caused Melrose to accidentally discharge enough electricity to zap Xander's whole body. A great deal of the other students started to laugh.

"F-f-fine I'll t-take it…" Xander huffed as he swung the Treasure Bag over his shoulder, still jittering from the shock. "B-but I'm returning it tomorrow, no exceptions–"

"Here I am!" Adeline cooed as she returned to the Dining Hall. The Clefairy handed a large satchel of coins to Dimitri, who slipped the money into one of the delivery bag pockets. "That should cover everything and then some, a little tip for you and Xander." Adeline smiled. "two-hundred and fifty Pokécoins for each of you. I hope that's enough to brighten your days?"

Dimitri smiled with shining eyes. "Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Well, that should be all. Have a good rest of your–"

"Uh actually…" Dimitri fidgeted. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh! Teehee! There's a bathroom down the hall and to the right. If you can't find it, there's another closer to the entrance hall!"

"Thank you." Dimitri started to walk that way, and Xander started to follow– before stopping and looking back at Melrose. "Sorry I can't eat lunch with you. But…" He smiled faintly. "I really needed to see your face today. You have no idea."

That seemed to perk Melrose back up, and the Pikachu suddenly hugged her friend tight. Xander squeaked quietly– not sure if he liked the sudden embrace, but still he let Melrose continue until she eventually pulled away. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yep, tomorrow. I'll have your bag in just the condition you lent it to me in."

Melrose giggled sweetly, "Promise?"

Xander's blood ran cold. The drawn out lack of response made Melrose frown.

"X-Xander?–"

"Y-yep! Promise! See you tomorrow!" The words fell from Xander's mouth as the Litten turned quickly towards the door and rushed out. His heart was pounding in his chest as he hurried to the bathroom nearby, expecting to find Dimitri there.

The school's bathroom was unfortunately lacking in the Sprigatito department, but it did have a plethora of different sized and structured toilets– along with dividers and sinks. Each stall had a nice door to keep other Pokémon out, and the porcelain sinks were all lined up on the opposing wall. As Xander trotted into the bathroom to subtly check the stalls, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirrors above the sinks.

Locking gazes with himself reminded Xander of his perplexing predicament. The Litten that looked back at him with those piercing yellow eyes was indeed him, even if it didn't feel right. Xander drew closer to himself, voice barely above a whisper. "What even are you? If you're a human, you're a pretty lousy one."

The Litten traced a paw along his necklace while watching himself in the mirror. No one around him knew how hard it was to have such little sense of self. Working at the Drowsy Munna was all Xander had in the realm of living a normal life, and it suddenly hit him that he was abusing the couple's generosity and repurposing it as a superficial distraction from his own lack of purpose. He tore his eyes away from the reflection and down at his paws, lifting his right paw and unsheathing his claws… dried blood.

"Xander…?"

Melrose's voice froze Xander in place.

"Xander, I know we haven't been pals for very long– but I can tell when a Pokémon isn't feeling like themselves. What's wrong?…"

A small croak escaped the Litten's throat as he tried to talk, but just couldn't. Confiding in Melrose would just make her needlessly worry, and she had enough on her plate as an academy student.

"Before you ran off… it was like you had seen a ghost! Did I say something troubling?"

Xander finally looked up at his friend, stomach churning at the sight of her concerned expression. Still, something overcame him, and a weak smile dressed Xander's face. "I'm okay, Rosie. You really don't need to worry so much about me… I'm supposed to be the one watching your back!"

At first, Melrose continued to look unsure– but with Xander holding the smile, she eventually eased up. "Okay, if you say so. Just… you can tell me if something is wrong."

Xander nodded his head softly.

Can I really, though?

"Class is about to start, so I better get going if you're really okay." Melrose hugged Xander again, but this time it was much softer. Xander's throat tightened as he held back an emotional reaction to an embrace like this, one that he actually found pleasant…

When Melrose pulled away, Xander reset his pathetic smile. The Pikachu smiled back at him, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Melrose hurried out after that, leaving Xander alone once again in the bathroom. The Litten's ears fell as his head drooped downwards. Is it really that obvious that I'm troubled…? Maybe I'm making it obvious without realizing. Xander forced a bigger smile onto his face. I refuse to trouble anyone else with this. I better go find Dimitri.

Xander padded his way out of the restroom, sniffing the air quietly to figure out where his new friend had snuck off to. Without much to go off of, Xander wandered back towards the front to see if Dimitri used the bathroom near the front lobby. As he walked, the Litten's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps behind him.

"H-hey! Sorry, I got a little lost." Dimitri called from across the hall. The Sprigatito hurried his way over to Xander, panting slightly after his impromptu sprint. "I know this place is a castle, but maybe I'm ill equipped to navigate such a huge building." Dimitri said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head with a paw. "So, Xander-mander, what's the plan?"

Xander tilted his head with a slight laugh. "Xander-mander?"

Dimitri blushed as he turned away. "Y-you know… like… Charmander? Ah-hah…" The Sprigatito mumbled to himself. "Sorry, that's stupid."

"Heh, I mean, stupid doesn't always mean bad. But, I'm clearly not a Charmander." Xander chuckled. "Do all Fire Type Pokémon look the same to you?"

"Wh-what? No! Of course not– It just rhymed–" As Dimitri started his frantic explanation, he finally looked back at Xander's sly smile. "Oh… You're fucking with me."

"Yes! Of course I'm fucking with you!" Xander laughed, and he laughed pretty hard. Perhaps laughter really was the best medicine, because Xander was feeling much better than he was a few minutes ago.

Dimitri sighed, but a smile was working its way back to his face. "Anyways, I have to get back to work. Mr. Bao Zhong will throw a fit if I'm not back soon. But, uh…" The Sprigatito took a deep breath to compose himself before giving Xander an uncertain glance. "Would you… maybe be interested in hanging out later? Like, once I'm off work?"

It was Xander's turn to blush, and the Litten had no idea what to say. Was– was this guy asking him on a date? Xander stood in place silently long enough for Dimitri to get fidgety.

"Ah– Not– Not today." Xander finally spit out so that maybe the Sprigatito would stop looking so panicked. "I'm sorry… I want to! I really do– But…" Xander took a deep breath of his own. "I really need to get back to something I've been avoiding all day. I don't want my prior obligation to think I'm…" Xander's ears flattened involuntarily. "Avoiding them…"

"Oh…" Dimitri looked down at the ground for a moment, then back up at Xander with a smile. "That's okay. How about we make plans for tomorrow? Or later, that's fine with me too."

Xander thought about this before smiling back, "Yeah, I think that would be alright."

"Great!–" Dimitri lit up, but then coughed into his paw. "I mean, cool. There's a really nice and quiet café I like to go to from time to time aside from making deliveries there. It's called the Autumn Leaf." Dimitri purred as he described it, which gave Xander a good feeling about it being a nice place. "Not a lot of Pokémon go there, but I actually know the owner. So, if we wanted the whole place to ourselves, we could totally hang out there around sunset. Up to you! Sorry if this comes off as rude, but you seem like the kind of Pokémon who'd rather not be surrounded by others. That's just the vibe I get."

"That sounds really nice, actually." Xander's tail swished in the air happily. Date or no date, this at least seemed like a good time.

Dimitri's tail matched Xander's. "I get off work around sunfall! If you meet me at the stand, we can walk there together."

Xander nodded his head. "Sounds like a plan!"

The two cat Pokémon purred for a good while before finally making their way to the front of the school. Xander felt a little light on his feet, but couldn't fight away the anxiety that came with making plans like this. He also knew this feeling wouldn't last much longer; he needed to go check on Gloria and Remmy, and that had a whole slew of emotions tied to it that Xander had to face whether he was ready or not.

For now, Xander could let himself live in this moment a little longer— Dimitri's purrs were contagious.