Marowak Dojo ~ Living Quarters

[Namohysip]

Owen's flame crackled a little, and he smiled nervously as he stood up as well. "H-hey, c'mon. Just because I act youthful doesn't mean you get to call me a kid," he said. Then, with a joking laugh, he added, "You can probably add a zero to your age and I'd still be older!"

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Okay then, old man.” Curio patted his head.

 

[Namohysip]

She found something worse. "Okay, m-maybe kid is fine," Owen said, looking down. "I don't want to come off like I'm ready to dry up in a coffin or something..."

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Don’t worry, you won’t. Not yet.” Wow, Owen’s head was warm — he was like a walking hot water bottle. “I’ll probably be in a coffin before you anyway.”

 

[Namohysip]

He didn't like thinking about that, either. Owen perked up anyway, giving an enthusiastic nod to Curio. "Everyone has their problems, but I think with everyone here, we can keep going forward anyway, right? If you ever feel like your, um, Shadows are too much, I'll be here, too. The same way you were there for me."

 

[NebulaDreams]

“Aw, thanks, ki— no, Owen. Just Owen.” She leaned in for a quick hug before she left.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen watched her go, a distant smile on his face, and he thought back to the fight. The smile turned to a pensive frown.

"...I wasn't even much of a threat during all that," he mumbled to himself, pacing. "Cabot was set up right away... I guess Nate used a bunch of Blast Seeds, but maybe we could've set something up... And Brisa, well..." He sighed. "...That does it." Slapping his hands together, he nodded to himself and vowed, "I'm going to train... once I get my stuff into Destiny Village."

And so, picking up his belongings, he got to work.

<><><>​

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa stood in the middle of the living quarters staring around herself at the place that most of the team had sheltered each night for nearly a month. She already had her possessions gathered—they were few in number, and she needed only a small saddlebag to carry what wouldn't fit in her satchel—and in theory, she was ready to go. But she wasn't ready to go.

This wasn't where she'd slept. She'd taken a bed in the hidden quarters, and then spent half her nights on the dojo roof beneath the stars anyway, because a handful of roommates was still so many more than she was used to. For a month, she'd felt pressed-in, surrounded. Now, after her time in that cave and knowing she had to leave, she didn't want to leave. She wished... that she'd been a different person this entire month. Someone who could have comfortably made her bed surrounded by the rest of the posse, been an easy friend to them.

Violent animal or not, she hadn't reached out the way she ought to. Maybe she'd do better in Destiny Village. She hoped so.

 

[Namohysip]

" . . . only time I forgot something. Like, you totally forgot stuff before, so don't think this is a me thing! ...Oh, sure, because that's what the difference is."

Someone was talking to... apparently someone too quiet to hear down the hall. The voice was getting louder and the voice was easily recognizable, but even someone who wasn't sure would catch the orange flow of an incoming flame. Considering their team, that didn't narrow things down as much as one would have hoped.

Rounding the corner was Owen, who seemed to be looking around for something. "Oh--Brisa!" Owen called. "Hi, um... you didn't happen to come across my Tamato bowl, did you? I think I left it here, it's the bowl that smells spicy because of all the, well, you know."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

So, the charmander talked to himself. She hadn't known that about him. That was something else they had in common then, or at least, she'd done that back home. Not so much lately.

"Hey, Owen. Gimme a moment."

Brisa put her nose to work finding Owen's curry bowl. With how often he used it and how much seasoning he used, it wasn't a difficult search. She found it in a pile of unsorted kitchenware.

"Here y'are, partner. Guess you must be nearly moved out, then?"

She bit the inside of her cheek a little. How did you break a conversation about what happened without making the other person uncomfortable?

 

[Namohysip]

"Ah! Thank you." Owen sighed, taking the bowl and pulling his backpack over to the front of his chest to slip the bowl in. "I really need to try using my other senses more. I get kind of self-conscious of it in public now and then because, you know, coming off as feral and all that..." He rolled his eyes dismissively. "Did you get all your stuff gathered?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Feral.

"Uh, yeah. Don't have much."

Feral.

"Say, Owen."

Feral.

"I, ah. Didn't realise... that you've had trouble with folks callin' ya 'feral' too."

How had this not come up already? ...well, probably because nobody had pre-existing knowledge and prejudices against the rest of the posse. Because she tended to just hit the dojo with Owen instead of burden him with heavy stuff. Because her benchmark for 'feral' was unlike his.

Now was... probably a good time to bring it up. New starts, and all that.

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, yeah, a little," Owen said with a nervous chuckle. Seeing that he had everything taken care of, he sat down against the wall and curled his tail in front of him. "I guess I should explain the difference since everyone's world seems to be a little different. Where I'm from, there are two kinds of Pokemon, wild ones and civilized ones. It's not something that you're raised to be, it's just how you're born. It isn't like a lifestyle change, like with Cabot's world, or Nip's.

"It's... just an actual, observable difference, you know? For the most part, civilized Pokemon behave pretty similarly. We have a few quirks and instincts but it's pretty much the same, kinda like here in Cibus. Wild Pokemon, or ferals, are more diverse, and more instinct-driven, and they aren't as intelligent, either. And, er..." Owen ran a hand along his muzzle, looking thoughtful. "I, um. Well. It's kind of embarrassing, but, you know all those chirps, and growls, and stuff? I'm... I'm not, I mean, well... Oh, how do I phrase it..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa sat and listened attentively with her tail curled around her forepaws.

"You're talkin' like you're born-civilised. So... Guessin' you grew up away from folks, or somethin'?"

The poor fella looked kinda forlorn... Brisa considered offering a hug, but thought better. She didn't know how it would be received.

 

[Namohysip]

"Well..." Owen scratched the back of his head, thoughtful. The conflicting expression seemed to be more one of trying to phrase himself, rather than anything that troubled him of his past. "Hmm... I guess I did. My adopted mother is a Gardevoir, for one, but..." Owen laughed a little. "Well, I also have some feral habits because of some other things. Nature and nurture and all that. So, I guess in some ways, they're right when they say I'm acting like a feral... But I can't help it, y'know? If I get stressed, I kinda fall back on those instincts, which is good for survival, right? I mean, I could go without the hissing and chirping, but..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa shrugged. "Don't mind it. Figured there was a good reason."

Owen gave her a pause to reply, and so she tried to, a little self-consciously.

"Where I come from, we got wild pokémon, who ain't people; civilised folks, who're like everyone here on Cibus; and roughlanders, like my Ma. Roughlanders don't live in permanent dwellings, or wear too many clothes, or own land, or anythin' like that. But they're still thinkin' folks like you'n me. Civilised pokémon tend to think they're dangerous, violent, not worth the same mercies they afford each other. Even 'honourable' townies would seriously consider shootin' a feral in the back."

She allowed herself a smile as dry as dust.

"I get called 'feral' a lot. Or 'half-feral'. My Pa was human, like Starr 'n' Dave 'n' all, which I guess means I count as civilised to some, but not to everyone. It.. it can get tough. I'll admit it. It's tough."

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh..." That was very different from how Owen had been treated. Sure, he looked a little odd, and behaved a little oddly, but he still made it into one of the best career paths in all of his world. He had a team, and a family that supported him, and sure, maybe he was in danger of dying now and then, but that wasn't really related to the feral business.

"Sorry, I didn't have it nearly that bad," he admitted. "Just a few remarks now and then. I mean, it's kind of rough that people get nervous when I'm in a library, or by the cold aisles at the store, but--I mean, that's kinda reasonable, I guess, right? And I was able to prove myself, mostly." More nervous fidgeting. "As far as I can tell, though, you seem like you're way under control. Way more than I used to, back home."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Under control.

"It seems that way, huh?"

She'd yet to see Owen savage anybody in a fight. Even when he'd been hit by that machine, he'd kept it more or less together. Who was he kidding?

"Well, I don't know about that. You seem plenty fine to me, partner. I don't look at you and see anythin' other than a decent fella I'd be... I'd be pleased to call 'friend.' You ain't done what I've done since gettin' here, far's I know. Even if you discount what happened at Shaymin Village... guessin' you don't know about the hurt I put on Curio and Starr not so long ago."

May as well be out with it.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen smiled a little at Brisa's commend on friends, though the way he smiled suggested he was treated it as a given rather than a revelation. Unsurprised. Though, as Brisa continued, the smile became something of a pensive frown, and he finally asked, "What do you mean? Curio, Starr... I don't know much about their fighting styles when sparring, but..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Oh, good. Her 'friend' comment got a smile. That was a win.

"Oh, Curio likes to have fun on the field. Wild punches, lil' dances. It's cute. As for Starr..."

Starr's fighting style, huh? ...would it be wrong to say it was the most downright fantastic thing Brisa had ever seen? It was a fucking tragedy she'd only duelled Starr once, and so badly at that. If she could, she'd fight Starr every goddamn day...

"She's professional about fightin'. Smart, controlled, bold... She can push me to my limits like nobody else in the posse... 'cept maybe you on one of your fiercer days, pal. And she ain't even a born pokémon. It's a sight to see, I tell ya."

She shook her head. This wasn't the point.

"I messed up with them. I went so hard against Curio I tore the covers off some painful memories of hers. And with Starr... I was just mad at her, and she was mad at me, and I used a bunch of illegal holds just to tear into her harder. I ran outta steam before I could do any worse, but... it was pretty bad, Owen."

She pre-empted any incoming comfort (which she did not deserve) with a huff. "The bad blood's over, I think. But I'm sore worried about whether I can keep control of myself as well as you think I can."