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Mewtwo's Lair

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Grace straightened her stance a little as a bright grin crossed her expression. She squealed lightly and clapped her paws together. "I'd love to come back and play more! Maybe I can bring a better deck of cards, or--"

She paused for a moment, and the togetic's grin settled into a soft smile. "Do you... have any requests? Maybe I can work with Giovanni and Red and we can bring some things you might want?"
 
Owen hesitated. He was tempted by that, yet some part of him was held back, too. He held the can with the message on it a little tighter. Then, he eased up.

"...Just... tell Mhynt I'm sorry," he said.
 
She nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. I think... she'll be really happy to hear from you," Grace replied. "I'll come as often as I can, Owen. Don't give up, alright?"

Without waiting for an answer, her wings carried her to the exit where she nodded at Red. "I hope you and Giovanni don't mind getting extra visitors," she said with a small giggle, and then she left.
 
Red flew after Grace to help her out of the lab through their usual venues. With a final glance behind to see how Owen was, Red followed her out.

Owen stared at the can for a few more seconds. Then, at his tail, focusing on it. The embers crackled from black to flecks of orange, but ultimately settled into black again. He heaved a weak sigh, dark mist filling the room before dissipating into nothing.

He said not a word. Yet, from then on, Owen gave Red no trouble in the lab...

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[Ch07] ~ Chasing Shadows (Grace and Owen) New
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    • She was familiar enough with Giovanni's lair at this point. Togetic Grace was a frequent visitor to the lab, always offering to help out with something in return for allowing her to drop by whenever she was able.

    The reason for her frequent visits was simple: she was keeping her self-imposed promise to Owen.

    Since they'd captured and rescued him from Alexander's clutches, Grace had been determined to pull him from the shadows he'd been cast into, to give him the freedom everyone deserved. While it was uncertain that Owen could properly be purified, she was going at least try and coax the real Owen past the corruption so that his time on Forlas wasn't just a time of suffering. According to Mhynt, they'd both been through plenty already.

    During one of her visits, she'd gifted Owen a proper deck of cards so that they could play other games when she was around, and if Owen had asked for any books, she'd come by with those as well.

    At some point, the nightmares had lessened, and so did her fear of the monstrous side of Owen. While she was still a little cautious, Grace was at least confident that Owen wouldn't try to kill her anymore. And if it did happen... hopefully Red or Giovanni could step in. She at least felt that she was in good hands.

    This time, though, she was a little nervous. Mhynt had tasked her with trying to get some information about Alexander, and she didn't want to force Owen to talk about anything... but information was crucial. They needed everything they could get to even try and get the upper hand against Alexander. If they left him to do his own thing for too long...

    No, Grace was sure they'd stop him.

    "Heey, Owen!" Grace knocked on his door with her usual cheery pep. "How's it going?"
     
  • New
  • Threadmarks
    • A gust of wind helped open the door. Owen had been using his control of air, naturally as a Charizard, more often lately. The tinge of corruption was a lot weaker, even if the flame on his tail had a core of darkness.

    "...Nothing new..."

    Owen was focused on a comic book, which he kept in good shape. He was very protective of his things; Shadows made him impulsive, and Grace knew already not to touch any of it unless he allowed it first.

    "Red took me out today for a walk. It was warm."

    But not a fly. Not yet. Perhaps nobody trusted him enough to go for one.

    "Your body's different today. Did someone die?"
     
    Grace blinked. "Huh? Die?" she parroted, sounding confused as she flew inside the room. "I'd hope my body would be a lot more different to you if someone had died!"

    She slowly landed on the floor, choosing to approach Owen the rest of the way with slow and deliberate steps. Grace was still wary about getting too close, but she also wanted to see what the Charizard's limits were today. She wanted to respect his personal space after all!

    "No... nobody died. Yet." she said, finally answering him properly. "We did get some frightening news, though. Um... about Alexander."

    There was no hiding things from Owen. He'd just know if she was hiding something from him through whatever nervous habit she had. Grace hadn't quite found out that being on her feet and tapping one on the floor-- as she was now-- was a certain sign that something was bothering her.
     
    Owen was also easy to read. Shadows made concealing emotions difficult; sometimes, it even exaggerated his mannerisms, like now, as he cowered back and his flame shrank.

    "What do you mean?" he asked. "I... I don't want to see him. He still has a hold of me. I..."
     
    Her wings fluttered in alarm and her tapping foot made her wobble off balance for a moment. "Oh, goodness gosh, no!" she cried quickly, the nerves clear in her voice as she righted herself. "I'm not letting him see you-- ever! I--"

    Grace caught herself and she cleared her throat. "No, Owen. I promise you're safe, but... Alexander is getting stronger here-- too strong, and we need to figure out how to stop him. Once and for all."
     
    "Stronger?" Owen repeated again, cowering. "Even... stronger?"

    His breaths were shallower. Black miasma radiated from his nostrils. The very thought of Alexander had him like a cornered animal now. Gone were the days when Owen boasted about killing--now, he was just afraid. The Shadows had changed from making him a tormentor into someone to be tormented.

    "Why are you telling me this?"
     
    Grace tried moving one step closer to him. She sucked in a calming breath during her careful approach. It was like trying to interact with a feral, sometimes, and she didn't want to make Owen feel cornered or threatened by someone as small as her.

    "Because... I know you like to think and plan things... and I know this isn't pleasant, but... unfortunately you and Mhynt are the ones that know him the best. We need to figure out how to beat him before he gains more power, and if we can beat him, then you'll at least be free while you're here on Forlas."

    She paused for a moment, then smiled at him. "I understand if you don't want to think about him. Sorry. I guess... we were just hoping to pick your brain a little."
     
    Something about what Grace said--about telling him that he'd be free--seemed to resonate with him, but not in a way she may have expected. Rather than a glimmer of hope, or some kind of defiance or doubt, it seemed like Owen believed her, to some extent. Yet... there was a dark look in his eyes. He knew something, but didn't say it.

    "...I... what do you need? ...I don't know any more... He's just... the same."
     
    "Just whatever you're willing to share about him," Grace told him gently. "I don't know many details, but I believe Mhynt when she says he's a very awful person back in your world. We might not be able to stop him there, but here... we can at least try and keep this world safe from him. It'll be helpful if he's the same, because maybe a similar plan to fight him will work...?"

    She had to tread carefully. That look in his eyes made her nervous-- what if she shouldn't hear what information Owen had? Just how far did Alexander's list of bad things?
     
    Owen turned his head away. "...He likes... control. And to get control, he gets power. But once things go wrong... he'll claw it back. Nothing will stop him. He'll focus people down and try to make them your enemies. And... he also doesn't stay down. So it's pointless. Any damage you do, he... heals it all back instantly. He's invincible..."

    It all seemed truthful, though veiled in pessimism, of course. Yet there was still a nagging sense that Owen was holding something back.
     
    With a hum and a thoughtful tap of her chin, Grace eyed Owen's comics. "Hmm... but surely nobody can be fully invincible, right? Has there ever been a villain that claimed he was in any of those comics? There's always a weakness! Isn't that, like, a rule or something?"
     
    Owen grunted at that and turned away. He seemed convinced on a logical level, but emotionally he must have still viewed Alexander as insurmountable.

    "...I guess. But... that's all I know about him," he lied.
     
    Now did she press, or back off?

    Grace didn't really enjoy hurting people, but... Forlas was in danger.

    "Are you sure?" she asked, her wings twitching a little. "Mhynt thought you might be able to help, and we're really desperate to stop Alexander. Even if all you know is why he likes soup or something... any weakness or information might help."
     
    Owen replied with something between a grimace and a snarl. He didn't strike or lash out, though he didn't like being pressed. He also knew he couldn't hide anything like this.

    "...He doesn't... lie often," Owen said. "That's what makes his words... so strong. Because... if he says something to stop you... it's usually true. And I know what he'll say. It'll stop Mhynt... I know it will."

    Owen looked down. He didn't want to say it, but Grace had asked.

    "I'm already dead. The reason I can't be purified... is because I'm already of Shadows, tied to him. I'm closer to him than any of his other henchmen. So when he dies... I die.

    "There's no way around it. And when he tells that to Mhynt... it will stop her."
     
    Oh.

    Owen saw the Togetic freeze in place as her mind processed that information she'd been so desperate to recieve. Her experience with stopping bad guys and villains was... admittedly limited, and her opinions were skewed. To her, she wasn't all that willing to trust the word of known villains and evil people. They were bound to say things they knew would give them the upper hand.

    But... Owen knew Alexander.

    And so did Mhynt.

    Could she take Owen's words to heart? Was this something Owen was convinced this was true because of Alexander's hold on him, or... was this actually true?

    Before, Mhynt had been willing to kill Owen to keep him safe. Would she hesitate to stop Alexander if it came to it? Even if this was a temporary body for them all, Grace knew the thought was still horrible to consider. If stopping Alexander meant getting rid of Owen...

    She had to fact check this.

    "When you say 'tied to him,'" Grace said slowly. "What do you mean? Did he... make you, or something?"
     
    Owen looked at his hands, then back at Grace. "...This body... is not my first. Alexander killed me, and then claimed what remained, and... made this instead."

    He sighed, forming a plume of dark smoke that dissipated.

    "And I doubt I can be tied to anyone else the same way. So... once he dies... that tether goes away."
     
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