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"Oh, sure. Altruism evolved because it's advantageous for our genes, too. But we don't care, because it just made us care about other people, and we don't give a fuck that from the gene's hypothetical point of view the point of all that was ultimately to propagate itself. We just do that stuff...

Dave raised his eyebrows. What did Brisa know? She had heard about genetics, he remembered, and read a bunch of science from when humans were a thing in Cowboy World, right? "Well, the coolest thing about life is when you get right down to it it's all just a bunch of molecules. No magic, no...

Dave grinned at her quip, finishing the last of the coffee before setting the cup back down on the table. "I could get behind that. Talk her ear off about genetics until she physically shuts me up."

He raised an eyebrow, sipping a bit more coffee. "Yeah, still not a big fan of the whole fighting for sport thing. Beats sitting and talking about feelings, though."

"The thing where it echoes some shit you said? Yeah." Dave picked at a notch in the cup. "You know, that's a thought. Just get to the fight part straight away and skip the awkward small talk."

"Uh, she asked a bunch of random questions, and then she started grilling me about drinking, and Shadow, and busted out the sword out of nowhere, and we had a battle." More coffee. "I'm guessing that's how it usually goes."

"I mean, paying a different therapist for Fugu's help would rather defeat the point, wouldn't it." He looked at Brisa, picking up his coffee again. "Yeah, the others seem like nutjobs. Fugu's kind of a nut but in mostly just a normal Cibus kind of way. What's the big urgency here? I don't know...

"No. I'm scared and pathetic and talk too much." Shadow looked down, at the spreading shadow puddle around the Mudkip. "But he likes me better if he... just pretends I'm somebody else." He hesitated, looking back up at Nate's Shadow for a lingering moment. "I don't think you're what's bad about...

"I mean, I had the one session." Dave put the coffee cup down. "Plus the time she swung down during the fight and gave me her sword. Maybe I'll pay for a second appointment just to make it even." Or rather, make the God Squad pay. Where the fuck did they get all this goddamn money.

Dave glanced at her over his mug. "I mean, it's a movie. At minimum it'll be an amusing waste of time with overpriced popcorn. Cast of Pokémon's going to be a novelty either way. Beats the waiting game." He took a sip as she watched him, still with that concerned look on her face. "Look, I'm...

"No. There's nothing like that. Just people." Shadow paused, looking away. "I don't know what will happen when they leave. Maybe we'll just disappear. But they'll have to go on anyway, with the same lives that they had, and the same problems, and the same people will still be dead." He glanced...

Brisa would like romances, wouldn't she. Not dragging him to one, though, thank God. "Let's just see what they've got on. Can probably ask for recs at the theater." Happy endings, huh. "When I'm done with my coffee, anyway."

Dave raised his eyebrows. Of course. Brisa from fucking Cowboy World didn't even have movies back home. God. "Yeah, sure. Sounds like a plan. What kind of movies are you into?" He sipped his coffee again. For a moment he imagined Brisa watching a fucking Western, whether it'd remind her of home...

Dave clambered upright to give her space, then blinked at her suggestions. "Thanks. Uh, I mean, sure?" Something to do? Brisa never wanted to hit the bar anymore, and the last thing he wanted to do was fight another fucking Colosseum match. He took a sip of his coffee. "You want to... see a...

Shadow shivered, ears flattening against his head. "The real Mia is dead," he muttered. "It's not really her but... I don't want to lose her again." His gaze followed the Mudkip's to the table. "She seems happier in Cibus than the real one ever was back home, though. I hope she does stick with...

Shadow blinked. ”That’s… that’s okay.” The Shadow Mudkip looked so small and scared, and it was weird. Shadow winced, looking away. ”I’m… sorry, too. I hurt you, a lot. And I was mean back. I mean, he was, but it’s the same thing.” But being sorry didn’t fix anything, did it? Here was Nate’s...

"...Why are you sorry?" Shadow glanced back at Nate's table. The Mudkip's demeanor was strikingly unlike his original, tiny and frantic and panicked. "Is he mad at you?"

"They're good. Soda's a ghost soulbound to Maple now but he insists he's happy about it, and the alternative is being fucking dead." Of course Mia liked Brisa for fighting her. Maybe he should just go ahead and try to kick the shit out of her sometime. Wasn't like she wasn't practically fucking...

"Not much. Checked on Soda and Flesh. Mia's off training as usual." He raised up his head to look at her. Was she making him coffee again? He hadn't asked, but whatever, wouldn't say no.

Dave raised a paw to her. "Hey. Had fun with your thing?"