Destiny Village ~ Central Crossroads

[Namohysip]

"Just wanted to see how you were doing!" Cal replied, slithering under the chessboard again before frowning at the pieces going away. What, was he afraid that he'd be beaten by the undefeated chess player, Cal? "That was really cool of you, you know. Finding a way to reach out to the Blacklight and stuff. I think you really had an effect on it... more than anyone else could have."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Ironic, is it not?" Bahamut set the bag of pieces on top of the board. "Built from someone who seeks the death of Eternatus... and instead I think I saved two of them."

"It's a bit of an apples and oranges comparison, though," Nero said, shrugging. "From what I've heard of Etherium's version, anyway."

"Perhaps." Bahamut hummed in thought. "Still, the others are more popular with the Cibus folk. I'd rather them get the credit, since..." His voice trailed off. What was this sensation that made his light do a bad kind of tingling?

 

[Namohysip]

"How come?" Cal asked, shaking her head. "You know, I think it's great that you're getting some of the credit for once. Almost a whole year of not being recognized, and now you finally get some acknowledgement! Not to mention, I heard there are a lot of kids already trying out that light sword thing you did. Making Leaf Blades and then covering it with glowing mushrooms, that sort of thing." She giggled. "And besides, unlike everyone else, you aren't leaving. Maybe you can help out with Telum, or find a place to rest here while you adjust, y'know? Or even help out in that Veritas place Diyem manages. You have, like, two or three places to go soon."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Well, if Diyem can remove whatever spiritual tether is in place, I don't see why I can't 'commute' as I'm needed." Bahamut waved an upper wing, conjuring a small wormhole. "Unimpeded, I believe my wormhole powers can surpass Maple's, Joule's, and the like."

He sighed. "But I don't know. It's hard to want to take credit when I didn't even lay a wing on the thing until the very end."

"... or you're depressed."

Bahamut glared at Nero. Did the mutt lack basic tact?

"When someone feels the need to put themselves down in the face of a compliment, it's usually a sign they're aching." Nero tilted his head.

"I'm not," Bahamut insisted. "Like she said, I have nothing to be upset about. I don't have to go away or forget any of this."

"... it could be guilt."

Bahamut flinched. His eyes flickered like dimming lightbulbs.

So, that was what this was.

 

[Namohysip]

"Guilt?" Cal asked, frowning. "Hmm... Well, I'm not as good at this as Dad is, you know, reading people... and Dad said you intentionally try to hide those things from him, too. I guess an alien expert would be better at this." She nodded at Nero. "...Being able to surpass Joule and Maple's warping? That'd be something. Might need to train up to what you 'remember,' though." She grinned, though the flickering ember was a little more subdued this time.

"...What're you guilty about, though?" Cal asked. "Like, is this a survivor's guilt sort of thing?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut sat in silence for a few moments.

"I... suppose it is."

 

[Namohysip]

Cal wasn't expecting to be right. "Oh."

She filled the silence with more silence. Her ectoplasm jiggled--an indicator that she was about to say something--but then stopped a few times. Finally, "I mean, it's not your fault or anything. Dad's happy for you, too. I dunno if it's right to be mad at someone being lucky if it doesn't hurt them or whatever."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Happiness is... something I only know of through second-hand memories of a very distant past," Bahamut mused. He wasn't even going to broach the subject of which dad Cal could be referring to, though it was probably Owen. At least Owen and the mutt went together in a sickening optimism way.

"And it's sold as an idea like ekans oil in Etherium and Eternatus."

 

[Namohysip]

"I guess so..." Cal hummed. "Maybe you're like Diyem, when he used to be, you know, the ultimate edgelord. I bet he already has ideas on how to help you out, maybe similar to what the Overseers did with him? ...Probably less painful since I don't think joy hurts you. Right?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"It doesn't physically hurt." Bahamut glanced skyward, silent. He sensed Nero moving, then raised his tail.

"There was something. A principle I taught." His head tendrils rippled. "The will of causality. The idea that everything happens for a reason. That you shouldn't belittle the things that have shaped you into who you are."

He frowned. "I think at some point that idea faded into the distant parts of my mind."

 

[Namohysip]

"The will of causality..." Cal frowned, tilting her head. "That reminds me of something Dad once heard. That sometimes, things that happen are due to the will of greater powers, like Legends or gods. This 'causality' thing sounds like a force like a god." She leaned back ."Dad didn't like it. He said it shifted responsibility away from yourself."

 

[Ambyssin]

"It's the opposite, actually," Bahamut retorted. "Nothing is purposeless. Even if you don't understand why something's happened to you or why you're doing something... eventually you will find a reason. Be it a small thread or a massive ball of yarn."

His expression sharpened. "Gods do not exist. Nature shaped the universe, then left us to our own devices."

 

[Namohysip]

Cal's embers flickered a little, looking at Bahamut. Then, to Destiny Tower, and then back at Bahamut. "...Well, anyway," she said, "I guess if you put it that way, it makes some sense... But people usually use it to say that, it wasn't their fault, something else made something happen, y'know? It was irresponsible. People make it like they can't change their situations themselves. Maybe Owen's just been around the wrong people who follow that kind of philosophy."

 

[Ambyssin]

"I'm not so sure your 'dad' has had much of a choice surrounding what company he gets to keep, considering many of his memories were apparently tampered with." Bahamut coiled around Cal, with Nero sliding across the ground to steer out of his way. "Come to think of it, all of you familiars are built in the images of other people. Drawn from our psyches." He tapped his forehead with an upper wing. "And yet... I don't think I've ever heard Owen mention what part of his life you're from."

Nero opened his beak to say something, but Bahamut flicked said beak with his tail. "Hush, you. I'm not looking to cause any trouble. I'm pretty sure she's worked through her side of Owen having to depart." The necrozma frowned. "I just can't help but wonder if, perhaps, you spawned from some of the memories that were tampered with. That while you may have the closure you want, Owen's missing something."

"Our version of Owen made a Cal and never got hung up on anything," Nero volunteered.

Bahamut shrugged. "He also seems more naïve than the Owen I know. And both of them spend too much time worrying about other people... perhaps as a distraction from thinking about themselves."

 

[Namohysip]

"You can talk to him yourself if you like," Cal said. "The one you know is a few months older than the one Nero knows, actually. Before... something happened to him in his world. But, you know, I've talked to other-him, younger-him. He's about the same, deep down. His Cal was... more an aspect of him than a reflection of someone else, but it was still there. A little bit. They had talks and it was easier because he was more, you know, open.

"I think the big difference... Early on, ours had all of his memories--all of them--flood back all at once, the second he saw himself as a Grass Pokemon. Apparently he screamed for, like, a few minutes straight. Kinda crazy to think about. And with it came... memories about me." Cal brought her hands to her chest. "I'm... mostly based on someone really important to Dad that he forgot. To the point where..." She trailed off, then laughed. "I'm not even the right species."

She briefly changed her arm to demonstrate, before turning it back. In the end, she was more comfortable as Charizard.

"Don't get me wrong, though. Dad has his closure with me. With 'Cal.' We've worked things out. Right now, he's going around talking to as many people as he can to make sure they can leave without regrets, too. He's just that kind of person..." She smiled fondly, leaning against Bahamut's tail. "I hope the person I'm based on is someone Dad won't need to have regrets about one day."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut smirked. "Fortunately for you, hope's a big thing here."

 

[Namohysip]

To this, Cal smirked back. "Then I hope I get to find out if the same is true where Dad's from. He has a lot of optimism, but... well, it's not like that's answered the same way like it is here." She sighed.

 

[Ambyssin]

"I think your dad might have to be the force that drives that kind of change." Bahamut rubbed the back of his head. "At least he's stubborn."

It took one to know one, after all.

 

[Namohysip]

"Maybe." Cal scratched her cheek. "What're you gonna do once they go, anyway? Diyem's still talking with the Overseers, or something. Figure I'm gonna be hanging around Cibus for a while, maybe. Help out with reconstruction. Maybe some forestry at the Tree of Life, get that back to good order?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut tilted his head. "You really think you can handle gardening? The amount of sitting around and waiting that it entails? I hear you pick fights with bar patrons."