The X-Eye Cauldron was loud and boisterous today--plenty of Destiny Village had turned out to celebrate their world not getting plunged into eternal misery, and many of its residents had even participated in the final battle, in small ways or large. Drinks were discounted, and the air was filled with the buzz of people discussing the fight and bursts of spontaneous song.
Nate sat in a booth with Rocky, a plate of nachos, mostly untouched, between them. Nate's drink, on the other hand, had very much been touched.
"Come on, why so glum?" Nate asked. "You'd think we didn't just save the entire fucking world for good this time or something."
Rocky had his ears pinned back, and only glanced across at his host. The bag by his side stirred fitfully. "Can we go home? I don't want to celebrate."
"What, really? You'd rather hang out with the grumpy cats and their six crazy kids than your old friend Nate?"
"I would if you're going to be all weird about things," Rocky muttered.
The bag shifted again, flopping over sideways. Yellow eyes glowed briefly from beneath its flap, and then a small, half-formed arm shoved out into the air.
"Weird? Dunno what you're talking about. Everybody's happy, right? Happy times."
A small, dusky mudkip struggled free of the bag and tumbled to the seat of the booth with a faint squelch, then dropped to the floor under the table. He huddled there a moment, pressed up against the wall, but no one seemed to have noticed. Overhead, Nate said, "So, decided what your first adventure's gonna be once you finally get rid of all us Team Spectrum types?"
The shadow mudkip shuddered, then set off again, squeezing under Nate's seat and starting to cross beneath the neighboring table, leaving a trail of tiny, gooey footprints behind. He stopped abruptly, though, before ducking under the third table. Across the aisle Dave was sitting with his own shadow, having a drink. "Celebrating." The shadow mudkip scooted deeper into the darkness beneath the table. Almost no one in the bar would be able to see him, but those two would.
Continue forward and risk Dave noticing, or go back past Nate again? The shadow mudkip wavered a second, tears gathering at the corners of his yellow eyes. He backed up slowly until he hit the wall. Back or forward? They were both scary. Maybe he should just stay here and hope nobody noticed. He tucked himself as far under the booth's seat as he could, sniffling, only his yellow eyes showing in the dark.
