Mystery Continent ~ Northern Pines

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut glanced at the tree in question. "That's a waist of my time and my energy. Just because my teammates throw around their blacklight powers like caffeine addicts put away cups of coffee doesn't mean I'm keen on using said energy unless it's absolutely necessary."

 

[Namohysip]

"Absolutely necessary, huh?" Puff asked. "Guess that's why you left the fighting to the others so you can keep them safe. For someone bent on power and destruction, you really do seem to have defense in mind."

 

[Ambyssin]

“Don’t mince words. I’ve seen all my teammates get corrupted with shadows and radiance.” Bahamut smacked the ground with his tail. “Someone has to keep a level head and play the part of the devil.”

 

[Namohysip]

Puff's ear flicked, like he'd heard something odd. "The devil who keeps them grounded?"

 

[Ambyssin]

“That would imply people listen to me. Which they do not.” He was irritated. He’d already said this.

 

[Namohysip]

"Perhaps so," Puff said. "It seems that there is some discourse between Team Spectrum after all."

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut shrugged. “Take it up with the rest of them. I’ve gone along with their goody-two-shoes approach and all it’s gotten me is scorn, ridicule, and Owen.”

 

[Namohysip]

"Owen, hm?" Puff asked. "He does seem to hang around you a lot. Maybe he'll have some insight about the team, too. Though, I'm not so sure that you've gone along with it so much as... Well. I think playing the devil doesn't fit the bill otherwise."

 

[Ambyssin]

“He’ll probably lie and tell you things are better than they really are.” Bahamut looked skyward. “The team’s success has ultimately come down to sheer dumb luck. Things could’ve just as easily gone the other way.”

 

[Namohysip]

"Dumb luck, hm? Seems you don't have much faith in their successes." Puff seemed interested in this, writing it all down. "Do you think that might be discrediting the efforts of the ones who do all the coordination?"

 

[Ambyssin]

“... tch. I am used to battles lasting minutes at most.” Bahamut's tail flicked lazily back and forth. “If there is coordination it is news to me. Again, I am either ignored or scorned.”

 

[Namohysip]

"Some of the battles you've been through are quite grueling, from what I've heard," Puff commented. "I suppose being out at the front to help them escape the Tree made it hard to see, though. But, anyway..." Puff closed out his badge and nodded. "I think that's about everything, Bahamut. Thanks for your time."

 

[Ambyssin]

“Fine.” He paused mid-turn and said, “Oh, and whatever you’re thinking of telling Bean and those Overseers or whatever, forget it. They can’t do a thing. Otherwise they would’ve intervened eons ago. In the end, they are not helpful, just like the majority of Cibus’ gods. Otherwise, they wouldn’t need to summon so much outside help.”

The Necrozma dove into a wormhole before Puff could respond.

 

[Namohysip]

Puff frowned, listening in. "...He's a defeatist one, isn't he?" he commented. "Those Shadows might have a stronger hold on him that he'll admit..." He sighed, shrugging. Nothing he could do about it, he supposed. He started to head back to town.

<><><>​

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Ms. Ninetales Cucumber? I'm afraid she's already been discharged. Against medical advice, but we're used to that from her."

"Yeah. Same here. Thank ye kindly, ma'am. Any idea where she went?"

"Well, not as such, but she only left moments ago. I'm sure if you contacted her on her badge, she wouldn't be far—"

"Much obliged."

Brisa left the infirmary at a lope, nose flaring. Enough of this, already. Please. She picked up Astrid's scent at once, and followed it through town at a careful dash, heading north. The pines, no doubt. She lost the trail amongst the mess of people, but sprinting to the edge of the pines and hunting around again let her find it again quickly enough.

Brisa followed it as best she could until she lost it in the snow, panting, both hot and cold, frustrated, worried, angry. Fuck.

Astrid, where are you?

 

[TheGOAT]

Always, when the glow of the city had long faded behind the thickening veil of green and mist, Astrid would stop running and listen. Destiny Village was loud; battle was loud; the pines were not. Not at first.

She’d never run the same way twice through this expanse, this maze-like terrain—but every now and then, as the weeks had drawn on, she’d come across the remains of an old training site, usually her own. Trees would be bent at stark angles away from an epicenter in the dirt. Snow would have filled what was no doubt a crater. She’d begun to pass them more often recently on her quests to create more… all in the name of time to herself. Alone. All in the name of getting stronger. Alone.

One of these snow-filled craters would be her resting place for the time being. Chills raced across her back from the snow, and some of her aches eased just a bit. If she stretched well enough and took it easy, maybe a light training session soon would do her good…

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The crackling fizz and surging light of Radiance was Brisa's next trail to follow. Flashes like that could only be from a potent user of Radiance, and who would be training alone out here but Astrid? Brisa passed by one wound in the earth and then another, wincing as she imagined the kind of blows that shattered tree trunks instead cracking the ribcage of a breathing 'mon.

At last she came to a clearing in the making, a shining ninetales in the middle of it. Did Astrid come to a stop out here on her own, or did she explode, and then drag her way home to heal? Gods above and below sky, had Brisa's ultimatum only made things worse?

"Astrid," she said, not sure if she could be heard above the whoosh of Radiant strikes and the chill wind. She called louder. "Goddamnit, Astrid!"

 

[TheGOAT]

The first few bursts of Radiance were small, little better than sources of light reflecting against the gentle snowfall. They grew in fervor as she fell into a groove.

—Nngh. It was always a challenge to train so soon after an all-out battle. She just had to make her training harder than the real deal so the real deal would feel easy! That was what Mincinno always said. Astrid was just getting warmed up now, but…

"Goddamnit, Astrid!"

Astrid’s ears flattened guiltily on instinct. I’ve been followed. That’s never…

She half-turned and spoke, voice gruff, eyes not quite meeting her pursuer. “…You’re pretty far out.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"I'm as far out as it takes t'find you," replied Brisa.

She took a steadying breath. She didn't have much idea what was even going through Astrid's mind right now. Not after this long. She didn't know what the ninetales needed. What she wanted. What she herself wanted, for that matter.

"I wanna know why that is," she said, blinking away snow. "Maybe y'can explain t'me why I gotta go this far outta my way to speak t'ya."

Was it the promise Astrid couldn't keep? Brisa's death? What she'd said just before? Her chest tightened.

 

[TheGOAT]

She had created this trap for herself. The open air boxed her in, nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. If she tried she’d only find more craters, and Brisa would notice her injury and make things worse. The pines were vast, but she’d had months to leave her imprint at this point.

“I’ve, I’ve…” Oh, there were a hundred things she wanted to say. Her tongue locked up briefly, but one glance around her was plenty reminder that she’d been caught red-pawed. She cleared her throat and decided to face it as she did most things—head on. “…I’ve been keeping busy. My, um, training happens out here. All of it.” But that was already obvious, huh? “…I guess I think of it as a place to escape and… be alone. Be myself. Think and stuff.”

The ambient buzz from Destiny Village was, for now, nothing but a distant roar. Even as her fur crawled under the pressure of Brisa’s sharp gaze, her body felt at ease under the veil of near-silence.