Destiny Village ~ Sundae Park

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa loped along her usual parkside route at a brisker pace than normal. Normal training no longer did enough to burn off her energy. Hell, even Colosseum matches weren't pushing her hard enough. She kept going, living more in her head than in her surroundings.

"And who's fault is that? Hm? We wouldn't be doing this if you had trusted us too! Maybe he'd still be here instead of on the moon, because Maple wouldn't have lost it!"

She knew how to carry out a fucking investigation. How to minimise the risk of information leakage. The danger of a corrupted Maple freaking out on the team when they didn't have a better plan for containing her. But sure, everything would be fine if she'd spilled every goddamn secret to every goddamn child on Team Spectrum when their leader had been wallowing in corrupted bliss in Xerneas' coils. Fucking sure it would have worked out just fucking fine.

She huffed, and picked up the pace even further to an outright run, and kept it up until her lungs and limbs and ligaments all burned. When she came to a stop, she could barely think from the exertion. She just panted in the shade of a tree, her brain simmering.

The anger remained.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Hey," Cynthian greeted with a canned drink in hand, which she held out towards Brisa. "Saw you running along earlier. Thought you could use some refreshments."

In truth, she'd followed Brisa after spotting her before she went to the park. A nervous edge accompanied Cynthian's movements though, now that she stood before her. Would Brisa even want the drink? For all she knew Oran Pop juice might not be her thing.

Cynthian took a deep breath and tried to smile, but her lips only twitched slightly before she gave up. She shifted her flowers awkwardly and waited for Brisa to speak.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa nodded vigorously, took the can with some care, and downed it in a continuous draught.

"Thanks," she said, gasping. "Needed that."

She caught her breath again, then tilted her head at Cynthian. "Were you, ah, lookin' fer me, partner?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"I think so. Maybe." Cynthian felt like she needed to talk to Brisa, but at the same time she was afraid of doing so.

"I wanted to hear from you, but why..." She wanted to know why they kept the whole thing with Soda a secret when before that they were all working together to find all the spies, but...

What right did I have to know in the first place?

"Actually, never mind. It wasn't anything important." She lacked the courage to confront Brisa about it after all.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa shook her head.

"It mattered enough t'ya t'come find me. So it matters. Spit it out, gal."

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian took a deep breath and sighed. She pursed her lips and looked at Brisa directly, a mix of hurt and anger showing in her crimson eyes.

"You're right. I won't even beat around the bush with this one," she began, waving her bouquet disdainfully as the breeze carried off her peppermint scent. "Why didn't you guys say anything when you found out? We were all working on this all together as a team. I even played my part and helped whatever way I could."

"It's just you can explain your reasons, and I know you probably had a good reason. I hope at least. But... We've only come this far because we let each other know what's going on so we can all move at the same pace. What made that time any different?"

But there was more to it, at least when it came to how Cynthian herself felt.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Ain't even the first time secrecy and need-to-know has mattered," muttered Brisa. She sighed. Okay, why not let Cynthian hear her out?

Brisa looked Cynthian in the eye. "It's like this," she said. "We were in a position where Soda was assurin' us that Maple was corrupted due t'go berserk if'n she caught sight of Eien, an' Maple'd already refused entreaties by the rest of the team to stay behind in case that were true. He was offerin' us a means of dealin' with that eventuality. If he was lyin' or wrong, we needn't have used it . . . but he was right. And it could only have worked if Maple didn't know about it."

She took a steadying breath. "Every person told, was another chance fer someone to disagree with the plan an' confront Maple, or fer the tellin' t'get overheard, or fer somethin' else t'go wrong. I guarantee that if Maple heard allegations of Soda bein' a traitor, she'd have trusted him over us. If she'd caught wind of any of this... Well. Fer somethin' this important, that weren't an acceptable risk."

Brisa lowered her head, maintaining her gaze. Did Cynthian get any of this? Did she understand what it was to keep a plan safe?

"Diyem made the same call when not tellin' the posse who he really was, and again when we kept truths from Maple before. Some of the team have made similar choices, not to tell folks stuff that won't help 'em and might risk somethin' goin' wrong. Can you honestly tell me there's nothin' you've ever hid from folks? Nothin' you've needed t'keep close t'the chest 'til y'were trusted enough that it were safe?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"That's not the same thing!" Cynthian understood somewhere in her mind that Brisa was probably right, but she still resented it nonetheless.

'You don't have to worry about this', 'leave this to the pros, kid', 'stay out of this one', 'find somewhere to hide and don't do anything'

"And besides no matter what you say, it's not going to make it hurt any less."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa blew a sharp breath out of her nose. Sky and stars. Fine.

"If nothin' I can say will make a difference, why even try?"

She tilted her head and got to her feet. Everything still ached.

"Maybe y'can say somethin' that makes a difference t'me, then. If I'd have spilled that information to the whole team, or even just you, how d'you think that woulda helped matters? Y'got an actual belief that the team would've been better off? Or is it just yer pride hurtin' 'cause y'weren't in the loop yerself? 'Cause Cynthian, I promise ya, it weren't any fuckin' fun fer me to have to bear that shit damn-near alone."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"How do you know it wouldn't have made a difference? I get not wanting to tell everyone at once, but maybe you could've shared it little by little." Cynthian huffed and her vines constricted.

"I admit I might not have known what to do either, but someone else might have. I just don't think that it was a burden only you guys had to bear."

That last part angered Cynthian especially. She gritted her teeth and said. "It's not about me being left out or any pride whatever you think. I've been used to that all my life already."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa gawked. "How in the blazes d'you think I coulda told the team about lure or about Soda bein' the Haze little by little with scarcely a day t'go before the mission?"

Well, this wasn't working out. Naive optimism coming up against pragmatism was usually an unpleasant mix. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. May as well have it all out.

"Look. The team already knew about the risk of lettin' Maple in the Tree, and nobody got anywhere with that. How would tellin' folks about the lure have made a better outcome possible? The lure worked, and every person told about it was another risk Maple would find out. As fer Soda bein' the Haze – I already explained why I kept a wrap on that one, and frankly, considerin' some folks wouldn't even believe it after the fact, I reckon I was right t'think that they wouldn't've bought it before. Whether you agree with me or not, the whole team knowin' woulda risked compromisin' the fuckin' plan and lettin' Maple rip us to fuckin' shreds. I don't want that shit on my conscience. I'd rather y'all hated me than y'were fuckin' dead."

Brisa looked away, panting with exasperation.

 

[Adamhuarts]

For a long bitter silence, Cynthian didn't know what to say after hearing Brisa out. Her breath hitched and she unfurled her vines and lowered her eyes. Her rising anger had all but been replaced with shame.

"I just... This is stupid. Coming at you like was really stupid of me... Sorry," Cynthian said, taking a step back. Her mind felt like a smoky cloud had engulfed it.

What did she know about what Brisa had to deal with? What did she even know about Brisa at all, and what her life was like? For the first time ever, Cynthian realized how little she actually knew or understood about her 'first friend.'

"Darn. I really shouldn't have said any of that," she muttered under her breath. She glanced at Brisa, stomach twisting into knots. "I wasn't going to hate you. I just wanted to understand... and well now I do. I'll just..."

She felt small, and miserable at herself.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa closed her eyes and sighed. What had she expected, really?

"Cynthian, y'can think what y'like of my decision. And Koa's, and Dave's. Just... Remember I had the best interests of the team in mind. Whatever it is that's been eatin' ya... Is it that old tangle about pullin' yer weight in the team? 'Bout not feelin' respected? 'Cause we can clear that right up. You're an asset to the team, Cynthian, and you're my goddamn friend whether we see eye to eye on this or not."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Thanks. Sorry for doubting you." Cynthian held her elbow and looked away. "I let my fears get the better of me... again."

Cynthian stood there, at a complete loss for what to do next. She only felt more awkward and embarrassed the longer she stayed quiet.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Oh, goodness. Cynthian really was the most melancholy gal. How to resolve this? Brisa looked off into the distance at the rest of the city. She'd gotten used to some of its peculiarities. Sometimes it seemed like you could find a solution to anything if you looked round enough corners.

"Cynthian, if y'want some kinda confidence-inducin' kick in the rear, I got somethin' in mind. Yer heroes are yer world's analogues to Balm an' Cepa, right? Let's go battle 'em at the Colosseum. Hold yer own 'gainst 'em with me and another friend beside ya. Could be it helps ya realise how far you've come and how much y'have to offer. What d'ya say?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Balm and Cepa? Yes please!" Cynthian said, with a lot more vigor than she intended. She caught herself and cleared her throat while her cheeks cheeks grew rosy.

"I mean, yeah the colosseum battles are exciting and you look like you have a lot of fun in them. I'd love to fight beside you if you'll have me," Cynthian said, smiling.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Well, that worked like fucking magic, didn't it? Brisa grinned, the tension flooding out of her like lightning meeting ground.

"You got it, partner. Let's dust 'em!"

<><><><><>​

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian's heart fluttered in her chest, with the matter of the occasion being ever present on her mind. She held the interview invitation letter in a pair of vines, reading it over and over as she walked along cobblestone path of the park.

Try as she might, she couldn't help but be nervous about it all. Cynthian had no experience with interviews before. What if she said something dumb? Or fumbled over her words? She shook her head and took a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves a little.

Cynthian found Pansit on a bench and called her attention with a wave. She jogged the rest of the way to the flygon and smiled.

"Hello, Pansit, right? I'm here for the interview," Cynthian said with a nervous chuckle.

 

[Namohysip]

The Flygon had a bag of paper under her as always, and then spun and waved at the Roserade. "Great to see you!" she said. "Glad you could make it, Cynthian! I've heard all about your efforts with Team Spectrum the past few months." She hopped, her wings beating a few times until she landed at a closer distance. "Would you like to sit down and start it now?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"By all means, let's get started!" Cynthian said with a small laugh. Pansit had a nice and approachable demeanor at first glance, which calmed Cynthian's nerves a bit.

She gave off a rosy scent as she sat, saying, "Thank you for inviting me. I'll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability."