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Sojaveña Wilds Silver Riverside

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Seth chuckled darkly to himself at Wes' confidence. Could Wes beat him in a fight? All on his own? Maybe, maybe not.

"You don't say? Safe, cosy, more or less to myself, and free food. Sounds like an absolute steal. So what's the catch? Is this some kinda handout? 'Cause it's not like I can't get by just fine on my own, and this way I don't gotta depend on anyone else. Nor watch some other bastard's back... Don't tell me I'll have you and your little gang of idiots as roommates?"

Stubborn and proud was about right, yeah. All the same, Seth's expression wasn't hostile or offended as it'd been when Wes had goaded him before. That last jab sounded like banter. The rest... Cynical but receptive, perhaps? 'What's the catch?' sounded like a genuine question...
 
Wes snorted in amusement at Seth’s jab. “No, fortunately for you, you won’t have to deal with us.”

He paused, then wondered to himself: what was the catch? Other than the possibility Seth would see it as a handout, it really did seem too good to be true. Not that Wes knew much about the Sanctum other than what Lucien had described. Was it run by a bunch of nutjobs or something? Was that the catch? He had no idea.

“Well, it’s in a place in town called the Sanctum of Wishes. It’s like…some kinda temple or something, I dunno. There might be a few other people staying there, but from what I gather, you’d be able to keep to yourself just fine if there are. So…yeah, maybe it’s a handout, but it’s a damn good one.”
 
"A temple...?"

Seth's lip drew back as if he'd smelled something foul.

"...I dunno. They make you say your prayers before you get your free supper? Gotta be a good boy and sweep the floors and not say any naughty words while you're in a holy place?"

He put a paw to the side of his face and dragged it down, groaning theatrically.

"Whatever. I can check it out, I guess. Can always change my mind, or just take their free shit until they get sick of me and kick me out."
 
Was now a bad time for Wes to say he’d never actually been in the Sanctum? It seemed like a bad time.

He mentally kicked himself for not at least checking out the place before coming here—not that he didn’t trust Lucien’s word that it was a reliable and safe spot, but it would likely have helped if Wes had an idea of what exactly Seth was signing up for.

So he simply shrugged. “Can’t beat free room and board, right? Dunno if they’ll expect you to do any of those things to earn your keep, but it’s a small price to pay if they do.” He then jerked his head in the direction he’d come from. “Come on, then, I’ll take you there.”
 
Seth's muzzle contorted for a minute, and then he held up a paw.

"...Fuck it, I'll at least take a damn look. But hang on. Gotta get my stuff first."

He didn't invite Wes with him, but neither did he tell him to stay behind.
 
‘Stuff?’ He had stuff? Wes paused, unsure if he should follow or stay out. Curiosity quickly won out, and he followed after Seth at a respectable distance. “Didn’t take you for someone who carries much around.”

Well. Other than the dead bodies of his enemies. Probably best not to mention that, though.
 
"I don't," replied Seth, gruffly. "But I'm not leaving my tent behind if there's a chance I'm going right back to camping out, plus I've got some dungeon gear stashed away, and that shit ain't cheap."

It wasn't a long walk to Seth's camp, and he didn't take long to pack it, despite refusing to let Wes touch any of it to help out. Even so, it was enough trouble to go to that he was, at least, seriously considering the Sanctum.

"They got showers at this 'sanctuary'?" Seth mumbled, with an edge to his voice. He'd probably been washing himself in the river. Not exactly glamorous for someone used to post-industrial amenities, even ones as garbage as you got in Orre. "Any privacy?"
 
“I’d be surprised if they don’t,” Wes said as casually as possible. Gods, he hoped now for his own sake that they did have proper showers. Seth would never let him hear the end of it if Wes accidentally led him astray.

He glanced at Seth’s belongings—his tent and his other gear. “Where’d you get all of that, anyway?”
 
The wolf froze for a moment, hackles pricking, then he shrugged and kept packing.

"...Stole most of it. Heh."

Seth chuckled, and gave Wes a peculiar glance, looking like he was still halfway in fight-or-flight, or as if he was daring the other Lycanroc to raise an objection.

"Don't tell me you weren't expecting that? Guy like you, with your history. Our history."

The subtext wasn't subtle. They'd both been Snaggers. Seth was still a thief when needs must, if not professionally. Surely another Lycas would get that, would have done the same. So, was Seth's mirror-self a fucking narc, or was he gonna be cool?
 
Wes grinned. It was exactly the answer he’d expected. “I’d be surprised if you hadn’t stolen them, to be honest. Gotta admit though, it’s impressive you managed to make off with an entire tent.” It wasn’t easy to maintain stealth when thieving larger items.

He glanced away once Seth hinted at their shared history. “Yeah, well. Wish I could say stealing tents and random gear was all we both ever did. But there’s no repairing anything we’ve done, is there?”
 
Seth's hackles flattened at the praise, even if he snorted and blew off the compliment with a roll of his eyes. Maybe he just got lucky, had a good distraction at the time, or it was more of a mugging than a stealthy theft.

The wolf had rolled up the tent and fixed it to a backpack, which he'd stuffed with paper-wrapped food, dungeon items, and some items he'd used too much sleight-of-paw for Wes to get a close look at, and so were almost certainly weapons. The guy was definitely another Lycas... His last item was his own longcoat, amateurly tailored to fit his Lycanroc's build. If he'd been a Rockruff at first, he couldn't have worn it before, and more recently he'd had to worry about Fein impersonating him. Now, though...?

"No," he said, after a lengthy pause. He threw the coat on – leaving it unfastened – hefted his pack on his back, and cracked his neck. "I'm sure you got a decent rap sheet of your own, knockoff – I've got that and then some."

Seth's crimson eyes met Wes' own, and the cocky smile faltered, something in him wrestling with darker feelings. Talking about anything close to the bone risked spiking Seth's Shadow, after all, and he didn't seem the type to love opening up about anything much to begin with. But if you were gonna admit anything out loud to anyone, your alternate self had to rate higher than most as a confidante... right?

"I don't regret much," he growled. "Not even the killing. Not after the shit I've seen – Cipher's bosses don't deserve to see another sunrise. But the shit I've done that was a mistake... I didn't even know I was fucking up until after it was too late to fix it."
 
Wes nodded quietly for a moment. A few unpleasant memories threatened to swirl to the surface at Seth’s mention of killing, but he managed to keep them at bay. Wes hadn’t killed anyone…but he knew by now he wasn’t above it. Least of all if the target was someone as despicable as a Cipher agent. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more: the idea of killing itself, or the absolute certainty that he was capable of it.

He wasn’t sure if he dared to pry, but the terrified, morbid curiosity within him demanded to know. Maybe, just maybe, he could learn from Seth’s mistakes. Subconsciously remember them and avoid repeating them when he went back. “What kind of mistakes were those?” he asked softly.
 
Seth's muzzle scrunched up again, and he let out a rattling growl. "I don't talk about that shit," he muttered. Then, sighing, "but fuck, man. You're me, ain'tcha? Just a little divergent, and a bit behind... Am I really such a prick that I'll withhold advice to myself? Damn..."

He shook his head, and started walking. Maybe it'd help him keep his cool.

"For one, get a fucking move on," he snapped. "I didn't take Cipher seriously. Fucked around training until I could thrash anyone in a fight, but by the time I got in deep, they'd got that much stronger as well. It was too late for me to ever really interfere with their plans. That's why I'm here. Last chance to put enough spanners in the works to slow 'em down."

That didn't sound like the meat of it. Too shallow, too broad. Was Seth really so upset about 'do it faster'...? Surely not.
 
Was felt the restless anxiety rise in his chest again. “I mean, it’s not for lack of trying. We’re barely figuring out who these people are and where they are. Unless you know some tricks on fighting back? Or something?” He scowled down at his paws as he walked, trying to remember what Seth had said the night of the fight. A chill ran down his spine as a specific detail returned to him. He looked up and met his counterpart’s eyes.

“Seth. Why did Cipher target Agate?” he asked slowly.
 
Seth snorted bitterly, and swallowed with what looked like difficulty. Something had dried out his mouth.

"Cipher's big trump card is their Shadow pokémon. Obviously they'd want to get rid of anything or anyone that could mess with their Shadow plans. For instance, a Celebi relic said to grant lost memories of happier times. That's the sort of thing that could turn a Shadow back to normal. So of course, they rocked up at Agate and destroyed the fucking thing."

Seth's eyes narrowed.

"There was one other reason, though. That girl... There was a girl in Agate who could see Shadow auras, tell the corrupted 'mon apart from the rest. Cipher didn't want anyone like that complicated things. But they didn't know who the girl was, because the peons who knew her by her face... I'd already got rid of them."

The Lycanroc's jaw tightened. The strain of not Shadowing was gonna make his teeth crack at this rate.

"They escalated how much violence they were willing to use, since I hadn't held back. And they wanted to be sure they'd got rid of the right target. It's not like they gave a shit about collateral damage."

Seth sucked air through his teeth with a hiss, and scraped his claws across his face. It looked like it hurt.
 
Now Wes’s mouth was dry, too. Fein wasn’t the first person Seth had killed. And Seth was likely the reason Cipher targeted the entirety of Agate Village.

Rui’s village.

He stiffened at the distorted sounds of Shadow creeping into Seth’s voice. This was a risky topic, with him being so unstable. Maybe it was best to drop it. Talk about something else. Make sure the journey back to Frontier Town went as smoothly as possible. But—

I have to know.

“What happened with her?” he breathed. “Specifically. Between you and her. All of it. I need to know, Seth. Please.”
 
"All of it?" asked Seth, half-laughing, like it was an absurd request. "How about you settle for twenty percent?"

He kicked a stray stone, hard, and sent it skipping across the dirt path. Then another. Like he was just some... teenage boy, and not a thief, a killer, and a fugitive.

"I don't know what you have goin' on with that girl in your life. I guess it's gone differently." Seth jabbed Wes lightly in the flank, more like an older brother being annoying than anything else. "You obviously give a big fat fuck about her, though, don'tcha?"

He didn't wait for Wes to react to the ribbing.

"We didn't spend much time together, is the thing. Hardly knew her at all. I, uh... passed by a couple Cipher thugs halfway through a kidnapping job, and they took issue with my face or something. I guess I happened to rescue her? Don't think she shoulda given me any credit for it, really. The goons picked the fight. Whatever."

Seth smacked his lips, and let his tongue loll out of his mouth for a moment, letting it cool him off from the day's heat.

"Whatever. The point is, she decided I was all that. I could help her investigate shit, thrash Cipher peons, rescue Shadows, and stuff. Some kinda hero worship thing for a hot minute. Only, hardly a day or two into that arrangement – which I never fucking agreed to anyway, mind you – some Snaggers rock up and try and do me in for being a traitor to the gang. Which, fair play, I was. Blew the shit outta the gang's base with explosives. Don't know if anyone got hurt, don't really give a shit. They're all scumbags anyway."

A ragged breath, another round of jamming his paw into his face.

"God. Fuck. Anyway, they try and take me out. And of course I curbstomped the stupid fuckers, I'm the best fuckin' trainer in Orre, what did they fucking expect. But Rui. She goes, hey, what do they mean you're one of them? And I say yeah. I am a pokémon thief. I am a traitor. You think I'm a goddamn hero? No. No, I'm no fucking hero. I'm just some asshole, okay? I win battles 'cause I'm the strongest trainer around, I travel everywhere 'cause I don't belong anywhere, and if I help take out Cipher it's because they're the most rotten, evil bastards I can find and they have it fucking coming. I'm no hero."

Seth looked sidelong at Wes, his eyes Shadow-red, lids twitching as if he was one choking confession from tears.

"And neither are you."
 
Wes bristled as Shadow distorted Seth’s voice. He was sure he’d see it rippling through his aura if he had Rui’s abilities, distorting and corrupting him further with each syllable. Shit. It had been a mistake to come here alone. Without backup.

Seth’s words still struck true, though, Shadow or not. If Wes had the ability, he’d have raised his hands in a placating gesture. But since he only had scorching paws to work with, he settled for stepping away and ducking his head.

“I know,” he said wearily. “I know that. I’ve never tried to pretend otherwise.”

Koa’s words returned to him again. You deserve to hate yourself. It was now painfully obvious that, like Wes, Seth had been telling himself the same thing for quite some time.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the rest. It was pretty damn clear by now how the rest of that conversation had gone. Wes remembered seeing Wakin in Phenac, remembered barely avoiding him by dragging Rui along with him. If things had gone differently, if Wakin had cornered him in front of Rui…would his story match Seth’s? Surely it would. There was no way it wouldn’t. No way she wouldn’t have left him in fear and disgust just like Seth’s Rui had.

Everyone is destined to leave you, that sneering voice whispered.

Wes closed his eyes. Steven, Odette, and Archie’s faces flickered in his mind. Bellatrix, with her calm understanding, and Mhynt, who he’d found solidarity with.


No, he said back. Not everyone.

Maybe some would leave him. Maybe Rui ultimately would, eventually, once she found out the truth. But if everyone was destined to leave him, they would have done so by now. And if that applied to him, then it applied to Seth, too, dammit.

He opened his eyes and looked at Seth again. “We’re both idiots. Both selfish and capable of doing horrible things—both have done horrible things. But I’m not your enemy, Seth. Remember that. Rui didn’t stick around, but she’s not here, either. I am. And we still have a bunch of those rotten, evil bastards to take down. Right?”

He held is breath and hoped it would be enough for Seth to regain his sense of self.
 
Seth nodded, slowly. His mouth was quivering as if moments from breaking into a snarl, or a sob, but he held it together. At least for the moment.

"Looks like you're a more well-adjusted sonofabitch than me," he growled, with the timbre of a bad joke. "And yeah. I'll be there when your big team-up of morons goes to take on Cipher. So long as nobody gets in my fucking way."

The Midnight Lycanroc's eye twitched again, and he swore under his breath like it was a compulsive tic, or as if he was responding to some hidden pain. Some memory or line of thinking too painful to tolerate. Whatever it was, he didn't volunteer it to Wes, and the moment went unexplained...

"Anyway, relax. I'm not gonna fuckin' up and assault you, knockoff," he growled. "Just another afternoon in the mental case misery pit for me." He tapped his head, the sound of claw on skull thunk-ing unpleasantly. "Got more demons in here than you, little Lycas. More mistakes, more shit I've seen, and without anyone else around softening me up. Maybe if you ever come clean to that lady friend of yours, you can do it without being a shit-eating prick the whole fucking time, and you won't be awake every night cringeing at yourself for being a goddamn heel. Just a bit of advice. But what do I know? I'm just you."
 
Wes inwardly squirmed. “Yeah, well. I think it might be a little late for me to come clean.” And even if it wasn’t…no. It was better to just keep his mouth shut, anyway. He offered a joking smirk to Seth. “Bet I’d do a better job than you, though. At least I can manage to not be a prick some of the time.”

He then adopted a small scowl. “More importantly, you need to stop calling me ‘little Lycas.’ Unless you want me to figure out a cutesy nickname to call you in return.”

He turned back to the path and kept walking for a moment, allowing himself to relax now that Seth appeared to at least be in control. “So…you mentioned something about Celebi in Agate. Was it real, then? Celebi was actually…there? Do you think you could find one here, too, in this world?”
 
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