Mystery Continent ~ Southern Beach

[Namohysip]

Owen adjusted himself until he was sitting with crossed legs, curling his tail forward like a campfire between the three of them.

"Shadows don't normally stay emerged like this for as long as you have. Not for all of us, at least. Do you mean that Nate has always felt this way, inside?" He tapped a claw to his chin. "Is there a way that might help you feel better? What is it you want?" Owen asked, with an emphasis on that last word, prodding at what desires the little shade may have, something that would satiate it. Usually, it was acknowledgement, but Owen wasn't so sure...

 

[Negrek]

Owen looked like he was settling in, but there was no way Nate was going to put up with this shit much longer. He got back to his feet, dumping his latest handful of sand, and brushed his hands together to clean them off.

"What do I want?" the shadow asked. "What I want is... for everything to stop happening. For everyone to leave me alone. I don't want to be here anymore."

Nate snorted. "Well, that makes two of us." He was perfectly prepared to punt the thing into the ocean if this kept up much longer.

 

[Namohysip]

Out of Nate's view, Owen had made a few motions with his hand as he conjured Protects in case Nate tried that very thing; it would be trivial to put a barrier to halt him.

"Well, you won't have to worry about being here for much longer," Owen said. "But is what you're saying... also applying to how things are back at the world you came from?" Owen made sure not to say 'home,' because form what he'd gathered, it wasn't much of a home to him, either.

 

[Negrek]

"I... I don't know," the mudkip said, clutching miserably at the gritty sand under him. 'I've only ever been here."

 

[Namohysip]

"You don't have any memories of the world before Cibus at all?" Owen asked. Now this was curious. So this Shadow was all of the fears Nate had about this world, channeled into a single, quivering ball of oil, while Nate himself had the external persona of someone hardened and dismissive. It wasn't quite the same as Dave, but...

 

[Negrek]

"I don't think so. I don't really know what happens when I'm not... here."

 

[Namohysip]

"I see..." Very different from Dave's. "...If you don't want to be here... Does that mean you want to rest? What can we do to help you rest?" In the end, if both Nate and his shadow wanted the shadow to leave, then there had to be a way to help that. They just had to work together!

 

[Negrek]

The shadow mudkip pressed himself down even further into the sand, until it looked as though he was melting into it. He shivered violently, as though even considering the question was painful. "I think... I think the only way is for me to, to, to go back to being... part of Nate."

"Not happening," Nate said flatly.

 

[Namohysip]

"How come?" Owen asked, but this time the question was toward Nate. "There's only going to be turmoil until you acknowledge and accept this side of you, you know. Otherwise it'll just join with you as you go back, and... who knows what'll happen then."

 

[Negrek]

"Really?" Nate spread his hands, taking in the shadow mudkip, which had turned away from him, already knowing what was coming. "I don't want that thing, like dripping on my soul or whatever the fuck. It's disgusting. I am absolutely not touching that, much less merging with it or whatever the fuck you want. The way I see it, there are two possibilities here. One, it's some piece of me that I don't even know fucking exists, because clearly I'm not a whiny little pissant who wants to drown in my own tears all day or whatever the fuck. Seems pretty goddamn unlikely, but okay, in that case it'll either get stuck back in there on its own, or it won't get sent back with the rest of me, which would be a huge win. Or two, it's some kind of Blacklight parasite thing that's stuck onto me, which is the obvious more likely answer because it only ever fucking showed up when we were fighting some kind of evil Blacklight thing that fucked with my energy or whatever the fuck. In that case I definitely don't want it anywhere near me, and when I leave, it evaporates and everybody's happy, or it's stuck here without me, in which case I guess Diyem can squish it if he wants, I don't give a fuck. So."

Nate crossed his arms over his chest and stared Owen down. "Not. Happening. Like I said, all this shit has just been a waste of time."

 

[Namohysip]

Owen thought about that, sighing. "Well... If you want a better understanding of which of those two things it is, we can always ask Diyem directly. He'd know for sure. He's kind of an expert on inner darkness. Ever ask him?"

 

[Negrek]

A troubled frown briefly passed across Nate's face. "I haven't," he said. He looked over at the shadow mudkip, who had closed his eyes, maybe trying to pretend he wasn't there now that no one was talking to him. "It's kind of seriously fucking embarrassing, you know?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Sure," Owen said, "but Diyem knows tons of dark secrets. I don't think this would be remarkable to him, y'know? Just... think about it, okay? Even if it's for only a few days, it'd still be a few days of closure. After all you did to help him, he owes it to help you anyway, right?"

 

[Negrek]

"Ain't a dark secret so much as a stupid one," Nate said. "Diyem gets enough shit as it is. And he don't owe me jack. But sure. I'll think about it."

Rocky edged a little closer to the shadow mudkip, who hadn't moved besides the tears that continued to well from beneath his eyelids. "Do you want to go back in the bag?" he asked.

The shadow's eyes popped open at that, and he shot a terrified look at Nate. "Yes," he said, and allowed Rocky to pick him up, watching Nate all the while like he expected the Marshtomp to intervene. Nate continued to act like the shadow wasn't there.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen nodded, sighing. "Well, if that's the case... you take care of him. He's still you, after all, one way or the other." When the shadow was put back in the bag, Wishkeeper withdrew and became nothing but a dissipating haze. "It's not easy, confronting your shadow. So... I get some of that. Some of the things Wishkeeper thinks are things that I don't like to dwell on."

 

[Negrek]

"Oh, yeah?" Nate asked. "I always thought you two were pretty tight."

Rocky tucked the shadow mudkip back into his bag and closed the flap over it. The sides of the bag moved fitfully for a couple seconds while the shadow settled down inside, then stilled. Rocky stood there awkwardly, unsure of where he fit into the conversation, flames drifting gently with the ocean breeze.

 

[Namohysip]

"We are," Owen said, "but... it wasn't always like that. When we came to an understanding of each other, I think that's when we had our... turning point. I think we both became better through that. Maybe I was projecting a little." He glanced at the bag, but then noticed Rocky standing awkwardly. He smiled. "Hey, Rocky? Hope you and Cal can hang out more once we're gone, too."

 

[Negrek]

Rocky brightened for a moment, the end of his tail flicking. "Me, too! Cal's really nice. I'm glad I'll get to know all my siblings better."

"Well, that's good," Nate said. He studied Owen for a moment, head tipped to one side. "What about you, then? Ready to go? Feeling good about it?"

 

[Namohysip]

Owen brightened. "I'm ready," he said. "As ready as I'll ever be. Cal's going to be okay. She's worried about all her siblings, just like I'm going around making sure my friends are fine. Guess she took after me after all, huh?"

 

[Negrek]

"Yeah?" Nate said. He wasn't entirely sure he bought that--well, maybe the "as I'll ever be" part; knowing what Owen was going back to, and the way he sometimes clung to cheer. But who knew? Nate doubted he'd get a straight answer if there was something more going on. "That's good, then. Hope things get better for you back home."

"Cal is like you!" Rocky said, his eyes brightening. "I'll keep an eye on her for you when you're gone."

Nate snorted. "More like she'll keep an eye on you."

"Only if she can catch me first," Rocky said, then took off running in a fit of giggles, spraying sand everywhere. "Byyyyye, Owennnnn!" he yelled back, bounding off in the direction of Destiny Village.

"Yeah. Take care, Owen," Nate said. "I guess, thanks for--hrk." Something tugged sharply at his chest. Fuck, Rocky was taking that bag out range again, wasn't he? "Good talk, thanks, bye," he grunted, then took off after his familiar, yelling and cursing after him, while the infernape laughed and sprinted on ahead, Nate's shadow cowering silently at the bottom of his bag.

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