• Welcome to The Cave of Dragonflies forums, where the smallest bugs live alongside the strongest dragons.

    Guests are not able to post messages or even read certain areas of the forums. Now, that's boring, don't you think? Registration, on the other hand, is simple, completely free of charge, and does not require you to give out any personal information at all. As soon as you register, you can take part in some of the happy fun things at the forums such as posting messages, voting in polls, sending private messages to people and being told that this is where we drink tea and eat cod.

    Of course I'm not forcing you to do anything if you don't want to, but seriously, what have you got to lose? Five seconds of your life?

Mewtwo's Lair

Reader mode
While Giovanni's expression was still stuck in its usual smile, there was a glimmer of confusion in his eyes. "And how exactly do you plan to accomplish... becoming pals in this way?" he asked. "Would we be offering some kind of favor to one another? Because that is already what the bulletin board accomplishes, even if a few key missions have yet to be solved..."
 
“I mean, trading intel and stuff is already part of our current partnership, isn’t it? That should be a given already,” remarked Silver, before slipping his paw out of Giovanni’s grasp. He tapped his claws on his chin, recalling the methods of those Johtonian kids.

“To become pals, huh… How about we start simple? Y’know, getting to know each other and stuff.” He shrugged. “We might know something about each other through our mutual counterparts, but do we actually know each other for real? How we really are?”

Because I don’t know you yet, and I wanna know. No… I need to know!
 
"Hmm... A study of one another," Giovanni said. "That would be quite... interesting to see, with the circumstances between us. Yes, very interesting..."

He studied Silver for a few seconds, then nodded and broke the silence, "I am very busy for the time being. But perhaps, between the scheduled events and other tasks, I will have time..."
 
As Giovanni stared at him with those same analytical eyes, Silver felt an uncomfortable sensation tingling in his chest, which he masked by staring back at the Mewtwo with a willpower-held neutral expression. Thank goodness that Sneasel were extremely good at glaring and scowling with their sharp eyes.

…This proposal is gonna bite my arse really hard in the future, isn’t it?

“I’m sure we can arrange something with our mutual free time. It’s not like I cut fur and hair 24/7,” said Silver, waving his paw dismissively. “Anyway, huh, yeah. Good to hear that you agree with this idea. I’m sure there’s potential for some… fruitful discoveries.”

A soft sigh slipped through his lips, his muscles becoming fatigued again. “But I’d say it’s time for me to go to sleep and for you to finish… whatever you were doing earlier.” He turned to walk away, but not before shooting a sideways glance. “Oh. Before I forget… um, thank you. For, y’know, making sure that Alexander guy didn’t turn us into dragon chew.”
 
"It's not a problem," Giovanni said with his usual smile. "After all... as friends, such gestures are for... a mutual benefit. Is that correct?"

He drifted behind his desk again and picked up his notes. It seemed the question was rhetorical, and the conversation was over... with Silver still in one piece.
 
Silver grinned at that. “Heh! You’ve got it right, old man!” Then he waved his paw and began walking away. “Well, then! See ya in the morning!”

In the hallway, the now-Sneasel exhaled a deep breath, letting go of the remnant tension. While he didn’t know what to think or believe of that entire situation yet, at least the conversation didn’t go horribly.

“Friends, huh…” he muttered to himself, partially amused as he found the notion of him and an alien Giovanni an incredibly bizarre concept. But well, who knew what destiny had in store in for them?

For the time being, he decided to focus on one vital, mind-cleansing task — getting some darned sleep!

<><><>​
 
[Ch06] ~ Burdens (Grace and Owen)
  • Threadmarks
    • Grace couldn't remember if she'd ever really slept underground.

    Unless she counted that one time she and her friends were captured and locked up until Ben had the strength to teleport and free them. Except now, this was willing, and Grace was only mildly uncomfortable.

    And she was okay with that. She knew why she was here, and even if Giovanni had said it might be impossible, she still had to try.

    They had Owen. Finally they rescued him, but why did it feel like they'd lost? Despite her relief, she couldn't help but feel that if they couldn’t cure Owen of the Shadows that blighted him, then was it worth capturing him instead of just sending him home...?

    Grace wished she was an expert with Shadows and Radiance.

    She fluttered down the halls, looking for the room that Giovanni kept Owen in. While she didn't exactly agree with the Mewtwo's methods, she was grateful for Owen being less... feral while Giovanni had command over him. It helped her to remain calm as she planned to see him personally. Hopefully this time it didn’t end with her being mauled.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • It seemed that Red was keeping an eye on Owen for the time being. When Grace arrived in the room--just another featureless, concrete alcove in the underground bunker--Red was trying to play with Owen.

    The Shadow Charizard--much smaller, but still darkened and covered in a tar-like substance instead of scales--only glared at Red. Behaving based on Giovanni's orders, but not reciprocating at all.
     
    What was more strange was that Grace felt almost at ease when she was around Red, and that made her alert because she didn't know him very well. She didn't want to relax too much anyways, just in case trouble happened.

    "Uh, hey," Grace said, unsure if she was greeting Owen or Red. "Owen...?"

    What Red's presence couldn’t fix was the anxiety she felt staring at Owen. All that corruption was horrifying, and she had no idea how much of himself was left.

    ...Yeah. That's why she was nervous.
     
    Owen stared at Grace. This time, he had pupils, albeit faintly. Dark things that floated in the middle of bright white irises.

    "...I remember you," he said, and Red was startled. Owen hadn't spoken before. Owen smiled a little wider. "I almost killed you..."
     
    Grace was startled too. A chill ran down her spine, and it made her involuntarily shudder.

    Maybe she imagined Owen talking?

    Red's reaction said otherwise.

    "You... remember?" she asked, her voice as small as her body.
     
    "Yes..." Owen's voice came out like a low hiss, steam from a broken pipe. He set something in his hand down and brought a claw forward, reaching toward Grace's cheek...

    Red tensed, looking ready to act if something went wrong.
     
    Grace tensed as well. She had to remind herself that Owen was subdued. He was tame. Calm. As much as it was disconcerting to tell herself that, it was all she could do to stop herself from having a worse reaction to his approach.

    He wasn't going to hurt her. Owen wasn't showing any signs of hostility. She was going to stay there and tell herself she wasn't afraid.

    The little togetic swallowed. "What are you...?" she tried to ask, but her voice failed her before she could finish.

    She hadn't moved as Owen reached forward, but she was definitely more tense.
     
    The claw touched her cheek and ran over her feathers, careful and deliberate. Slowly, he trailed to her throat, poking it every so slightly. "This," he said. "This is what I'd pull out first. No... I'd push in. The bones will snap, but you won't know what to do."

    He brought his claw to her wing next. "And these. If you bend them... harder, like this"--He gently pushed them a few inches back, like a direction of demonstration, before letting to--"You won't fly. You don't move your wings... but you need them to channel the air. You'd have to walk... and you aren't very good at that."

    Red gave Owen an admonishing look, but Owen seemed to avoid the Mew's gaze.

    "The body is so beautiful," he said. "I can sense... every single way it goes wrong. I can feel how nervous you are. I really... just want to fight. I want to see your body break. Again, and again... Can you break mine, too?"
     
    He just had to look once.

    Owen just had to look at her once and he had already plotted out how to kill her. How to cripple her to stop her from fleeing, and Grace had a feeling that he... could. If given the chance or the command, she knew he would do it in a blink.

    Her feathers ruffled, and her body scooched backwards– just out of Owen's reach now. One part of her wanted to flee. Why should she stay around someone that had almost killed her before, and could just as easily fix that here and now?

    The claws. The snarls. Her body bleeding out and abandoned on the ground. Pain. Fear.

    She didn’t want to die.

    "I... I don't fight too much," Grace croaked. She could feel her voice trembling, and she spared a single glance towards Red. Was she safe? "I only help people... And— And I want to help you."
     
    "Help me?" Owen said, his great smile wavering slightly. The first sign of weakness. He was still tamed; they were all words, even if he was free to express himself with them. "And why... if you're so afraid? What am I to you?"
     
    "What are you to me...?"

    It was a good question. She didn't know him. She barely knew Mhynt. She didn't owe either of them anything, so why...?

    "Because... I can feel that pull," she said slowly, eyes trailing his form. "You're one of us, and... that must mean you didn't want to be like this. With Alexander. All... Shadowy."

    She was afraid, wasn’t she? Thinking about her near death, the way she she felt like wanting to run, the anxiety.

    "I want to help... because that's what I do. I don't want to falter just because of how I feel..."
     
    "So you ignore even your basic instincts... even if it means I might kill you?" Owen said, half a taunt, half curiosity now. It was clear he was studying every reaction Grace would have. He didn't even need eyes for it.

    Owen finally let up, picking up the thing he'd set down before.
     
    Grace had barely paid attention to whatever he'd put down before. She'd been too focused on the claw that touched her, and wondering if he really was capable of just crushing her in his hand. What had he put down?

    "I want to try," she said, with the same determination as before. Though, this time her voice quivered with uncertainty. "It might kill me, but you shouldn't be made to suffer anymore. I can't ignore that."
     
    "Suffer," Owen repeated with an entertained smile. "Do I look like I'm suffering? After finally being able to let loose... stop caring about being nice?"

    The object... it seemed to be a can of soup with a message scrawled on it. Owen held it with odd carefulness compared to everything else about him.
     
    Reader mode
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top Bottom