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Frontier Town Traveller's Haus - Lobby

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Wes flicked an ear, remembering Nolan’s words. Insufferable prick.

“Don’t see why it can’t be both,” he said. “Being an offworlder and fighting alongside each other. Isn’t that how teamwork is supposed to work, anyway? Who cares about who came from where?”

He stopped himself and cleared his throat, catching his blunt words a little too late. “What I mean is…it does no good to sell yourself short. I’m no scientist, but from my own experience, battles aren’t some one-sided thing where only the trainer or the Pokémon improve. It’s a mutual thing. They help each other grow stronger, smarter, sharper.” He looked up at Nova. “So yeah, maybe being near humans is giving you some kinda…aura boost, or whatever the hell. But I’d be willing to bet the humans get one from you guys, too.”
 
"Maybe," Nova said. "Or our craziness is rubbing off on you. Astrid, Grace, and I burned down that impidimp and morgrem bandit camp the other day. And I blew up Cipher's shadow machine by putting radiance into a blast seed."
 
Wes blinked slowly as he registered the words. Then he slowly broke into a wide grin.

“Are you telling me…you threw a bomb at the shadow machine?”

Oh, that was too good. Wes’s shoulders shook with the effort to stifle his laughter, but then it came out anyways in a choked guffaw. “Holy. Shit. I thought I was the only one unhinged enough to do something like that. Damn, I wish I could have seen it!”

He shook his head, letting his chuckles subside before continuing. “I dunno, if anything that sounds like all of us are rubbing off on each other. Because that’s exactly what I did to my dear old boss’s snagging tech in my world.” He looked back at Nova with a devious smirk. “Arson’s a hell of a drug, isn’t it?”
 
"It broke open a bunch of glass tubes and spilled shadows everywhere, so it prrrroooooobably wasn't the wisest decision." Nova laughed nervously. He decided not to bring up the fact that he knew Explosion. "The second explosion was just my Bide for some reason. I guess everything's cooler with explosions."

He cracked a grin. "It was a lot funnier with the Fiends, though. Idiots spilled oil all over their camp, so Grace hit the oil with one Ember and..." Nova propped himself up on his hind legs and wiggled his forelegs. "Whole thing was ablaze. Then the little morgrem stormed out from cover and was LARPing as a vampire."
 
Wes cracked up again. He hadn’t had the pleasure—or misfortune, really—to meet the Fiends, but he’d heard enough to get a kick out of that image. “Holy hells,” he choked between laughs, “I can’t believe I missed that, too. Dinner and a show!” Though he had not a damn clue what “LARPing” was; he wasn’t sure he dared to ask.

“Sounds like you’ve kept things lively wherever you’ve gone, lately,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “Can’t say I had you of all people pegged as an explosive risk taker.”
 
"Haven't been in loooong time, yeah," Nova admitted, scratching at a cheek bolt with a hind leg. "Between losing the mask and that spark of radiance, something reminded me of that... phase of my life. Did a lot of crazy things back then."

He shook his head. "I just hope it ends better for Forlas than it did for me back home. Same for you and, uh, your version of Cipher, whoever they are."
 
The glee diminished from Wes’s face at the mention of Cipher. He gave a half-hearted snort. “Don’t remind me,” he muttered. “I’ve got a scorching hot mess to return to after this, from what it sounds like. But if we can tear those bastards down here, I’ll feel better about my chances back in Orre—and maybe you’ll have learned something to take back to your world, too.”

Rising from his cushion and stretching, he gave Nova an appreciative nod. Huh…the guy was way less large and intimidating now that Wes had evolved. Maybe he’d misjudged the guy, initially. “So you used to be something of a firebrand when you were younger, huh? Well, in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with reviving that part of yourself for a good cause.”
 
"Not exactly. I converted to, uh, firebrandy." Nova nodded like that last word was absolutely legit and totally not gibberish. "I was created to keep the peace, but I couldn't reconcile what I was doing... so I rebelled against my creator.

"It's not quite the same, but I imagine you can understand what it's like to be forced into certain situations."
 
Wes raised an eyebrow. Gods, if that sort of backstory didn’t sound familiar. “Yeah, I do. I mean, I wasn’t literally created for a specific purpose like you, but…” he trailed off and raised his eyes to the ceiling, scowling. “I dunno. I might as well have, frankly.”

He shook his head again. “Can’t change what we’ve done already, right? But we can change what we do from now on.”

He paused, remembering a phrase he’d heard from a certain relentlessly optimistic redhead. “Gotta look forward, not back.”
 
Wes chuckled at that. “As good a call as any.” He’d have offered to tag along, but his fatigue was finally starting to catch up to him. Maybe he’d actually stand a chance of getting some decent sleep tonight. Wes turned towards his room and gave Nova one last nod.

“Thanks for this. Really. Maybe you’ll have to show me some of your bomb techniques next time.” Then, chuckling quietly to himself, he and Nova parted ways.

<><><><><>​
 
[Ch06] Isidora and Laura ~ Long Avoided
  • Threadmarks
    • The nights were getting subtly colder with each phase of the moon. For a while after she had arrived here, Isidora had given up any hope that the rumors of frigid desert nights were true. But if the temperatures continued to drop at this rate, then maybe she'd get honor of enjoying one for once, no mystery dungeon necessary.

    For now though, the sneasel just sat on the Traveller's Haus veranda, against the wall away from the railing, as she tended to after long days. She'd been feeling tired more often lately, likely because of the ranger work she'd been making an effort to familiarize herself with. She wondered briefly if she were pushing herself too hard, then shrugged to herself. I'll figure it out.

    Maybe she'd start venturing out to Novelux like most of the others, though the idea brought with it a twinge of dread. Everything she knew about it made it sound like the kind of place she had become thankful to escape from. But I'm gonna have to get over myself eventually. She scratched slightly at the floorboards. Same could be said for a lot of things...
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Even with the temperatures falling, Laura still liked to get out for a walk during the twilight hours, or even at night if the moon was bright enough. It was bright enough now – and the cold just made her think of home. The Circhester chill. Besides, a surprising number of venues ran a night shift. Perhaps that should be un-surprising, given how many 'mon were nocturnal...

    Sometimes on these outings she would pass a Wayfarer or two on her way in or out of the Haus. Which tracked, of course. Sometimes she'd say hi (to Koa, or Dave, for instance) and sometimes she'd stoically blank 'em (in the case of Bellatrix). But Isidora, though. About her, she was... torn. She'd resolved to break the ice and get past that cold shoulder, hadn't she? Ha. Not that it'd be up to her whether Isidora actually reciprocated anything she tried...

    Glancing at the moon, Laura fidgeted with her black-silk stealth scarf. She could keep hiding. Or she could force things into the light. She snapped her digits, sparking her aura just a little...

    Fuck it. Do it, already. Where's that howling conviction you care so much about? You're scared? Then do it scared, bitch!

    Laura's whiskers quivered in a hint of a smirk at her own Radiant thoughts. Then she crossed over to the veranda, and tipped her chin in greeting.

    "Hey, Isidora. Having a nice night?"

    What the fuck was that.

    She winced.

    C'mon. Try harder than that.

    "If you're not doing anything, I was hoping we could Talk."

    And there it was.

    Hey, the worst she can do is say 'no'!
     
    Isidora looked back at her both bewildered and slightly concerned. What the fuck was that? Is she okay?

    How was it that Laura always managed to find some way to make things awkward? One'd think that their first and last real conversation would've scared her away for good, yet somehow there was still something going on between them. Her presence alone was enough to make Isidora's claws curl out defensively, and she hated that. She had nothing to be afraid of! And she was not going to let Laura get away with the most socially awkward introduction ever made.

    Isidora rested a paw on her knee and tilted her head with an unamused, judgmental stare. "You wanna talk?" she repeated back. "About what? Did you lose a bet or somethin'?"
     
    There it was. The disdain, contempt, whatever it was. It could be fear, underneath the acid-tongued jokes. You've been there.

    Laura sighed, already fighting down the urge to storm off or challenge Isidora to a battle. A battle could do you good! Help you understand each other. You'd lose, of course, but it'd be worth it.

    "No," she said, then smiled thinly. "Well, not yet."

    She was gambling with herself by trying this, wasn't she?

    "I wanna talk about this," she said, gesturing to the physical space between them. She leaned against the railing so that they were facing each other, sidelong. "I think we have to, if we're gonna be on the same team for a while yet. Clear the air."

    Clear the air, she said, as if there was a bilateral conflict. Isidora was the one who had a problem with her.

    Oh yeah, say that bit. Sabotage this whole thing by taking offense. Super suave.

    Bullshitting won't fucking help, either! The truth is that it does hurt. Can't exactly hide that.

    "I'd like to at least try," she added. "So whatever you've got against me... I wanna hear you out."

    And she would try. She wouldn't be the one to walk out on this.
     
    Isidora assessed her intentions. She seems genuine. And she was probably right. As easy as it would've been to keep avoiding it, thinking practically, this conversation was going to have to happen eventually. Still, hadn't she already made her stance clear? What else was there to talk about?

    "...You were there at the castle that time, weren't you?" she began calmly, pushing herself up to sit straight. "Maybe in your world it's normal for pokémon and humans to get along, but that just isn't how it works in mine. I don't have any reason to trust humans." So far, all her words sounded as plausible as they did in her head. "And I don't-"

    She stopped. 'And I don't have any reason to trust you' were the next words. Except their plausibility came into question the moment she tried to assert it. As much as they felt true, they didn't sound true.

    Isidora's mind latched onto the next closest gripe, and she held out an upturned paw. "And maybe I just find it annoying how you keep trying to tell me what to do in the middle of battles. I get trying to remain coordinated, but Betel already handles most of that." Her eyes began to drift away from Laura's, and she scowled at the ground to make up for it. "The way you try to command me, it's almost like you don't trust me to handle things on my own. Like you're a trainer."
     
    Laura hesitated, a dozen different responses springing to mind. That it wasn't like that, that her partners set their expectations for her more than the other way round, that it was trust rather than a lack of trust? That she only ever wanted to help? That Isidora could've said something sooner or done whatever the hell she wanted or just grown the fuck up and taken the assist? She discarded the ones where she just explained herself, or questioned Isidora's feelings – she needed something better than that. And to not argue, probably...

    You deliberately didn't give 'orders,' but looks like you still 'commanded' her, huh. There's no point, then, is there.

    "Then I'll stop," she said, simply. She blinked, shocking herself a little. Was she really going with that?

    Press on. Trust your gut.

    "It's the only part of battle I'm good at," she continued, "and I have to trust whoever I'm coaching, and I don't think we'll fight as well if forgo that kind of teamwork. But none of that shit matters if it's not welcome. So... I won't coordinate you again. And I apologise."

    A pang of hopeless fuck you resentment in her chest. A pang of genuine remorse. A pang of frustration, of wasted potential, of what if this could have gone differently?

    She sighed. Isidora's problem with her wasn't because she'd called her or Coached her anyway, the Sneasel had exploded at Laura just for turning out to be human. She hadn't done anything. It wouldn't be like this if she were a pokémon trying to show some leadership...

    ...Which meant there was more to this. Obviously. That 'I don't' trail-off sentence fragment, from before...

    "So. What are humans like in your world, Isidora?" she asked, looking away. Meeting the Sneasel's eye felt like touching a hot stove. Better to stare at the wooden wall, get a goddamn grip, and figure this shit out. It wasn't personal.
     
    When Laura blinked, Isidora blinked her own surprise back. She hadn't expected her to back down so easily. Beneath her words, there was definitely still an underlying sense of reluctance -- it didn't sound as if Laura understood where she was coming from (why couldn't Isidora just admit how she felt?). But if she had the grace to ignore that for the sake of unity, then there was nothing more to argue about. "Glad we could come to an agreement then."

    What came next also caught her off guard, if only because it wasn't the kind of question she ever felt prepared to answer. She vaguely remembered being asked this once before, though this time there was a clear difference. Laura wasn't curious, she wanted an explanation. So an explanation she'd get.

    "They're arrogant," the sneasel began with special emphasis. "They think that just because they're on top, they have the right to do whatever they want, no matter what it costs for the rest of us. Pokémon have been suffering their abuse for as far back as their civilization goes. And when they aren't enslaving us, they're screwin' with nature and making the world harder for us to live in." She etched two lines into the floor. "Our planet still bears scars for what they've done to it. Some pokémon don't even exist outside of Liber anymore."

    Saying that last bit, her reasons never felt more valid. No one would argue with that.
     
    Laura suppressed a quip or two about oh, sounds like you're describing the ruling class, and listened. No matter how provocative any of it was, she had to keep hearing Isidora out. After all, it wasn't like there was any counter-argument to be made here, nothing to say that would help matters. So she'd just... keep the Sneasel talking, until that changed.

    "Some humans like that do exist in my world, too," she admitted, with a sigh. "Or have existed – the worst environmental issues were all from before I was even born."

    She thought of radiation infographics, maps depicting hazard zones, and news tickers scrolling through urgent, all-caps warnings. She winced.

    "Mostly," she corrected. "When you said 'arrogant', this... this guy, this fucking businessman, popped right into my head. Endangered the whole country with a stupid energy generation scheme. He's in prison, now. I think the trials are still ongoing."

    She wanted to pivot into rewilding programs, lapras conservation efforts, the CFC ban to save the ozone layer. She shook her head clear. She was already rambling.

    "Point is, I get it. Or like, I don't get it, I'm not gonna pretend like I know what it's like, but I understand how if that's what things are like in your world, and that's what you've experienced of humans, then it, y'know. Makes sense. That you'd feel that way."

    I'm sorry, she thought, and stifled it. Stupid thing to say, didn't everyone hate being apologised to for huge, systemic issues? Howls...

    "I guess I'd probably feel that way too," she sighed. "If I'd only ever known complete bastards, I mean. I guess... all the humans you've ever met have been like that?"
     
    So Laura did get it. It's nice to know we can agree on something, at least. Isidora always had a feeling that she might have the potential to understand, especially after her conversation with Gladion. And of course human-made crises would affect humans too. That was just obvious, looking back. It wasn't like Laura had the luxury of living removed from most of it...

    And then...

    "I guess... all the humans you've ever met have been like that?"
    Click to expand...
    Isidora's eyes widened. Wait, does... Does she think...?

    "Uh, well..." She broke eye contact and her legs shifted a little closer to her chest, self-conscious anxiety rippling through her fur. "Never actually met a human before all this..."

    Did Laura think I had firsthand experience with humans? When Isidora told that story at the castle, how recently did she think all that happened? Was that why she seemed so sympathetic at the time? I guess there's a ton I never specified about Liber's whole deal...

    Did admitting that she'd never been abused by humans make her look unreasonable? Well, no! I know I have good reasons to feel this way! This is just a misunderstanding...

    In an effort to save face, Isidora took on a nonchalant and explanatory tone. "I never could've gotten the chance because humans aren't allowed in Liber to begin with. Outside a couple exceptions." She tried to shrug it off. "But I know enough about it all. The records of what they've done are written as plain as day in our history." That's reasonable, right?
     
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