Mystery Continent ~ Southern Beach

[Negrek]

"Oh, Chip already aimed it at the moon. It made the legends really mad. So we couldn't do that again. Or maybe we could threaten to do it again? Hold the moon hostage?"

Were they still talking about things they were going to lie about having done, or things they actually wanted to do?

"You have good ideas, though," Rocky said cheerfully. "I could use somebody with a zappy eye thing. Do you want to be my sidekick?"

What the fuck had happened to this conversation?

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"I can try," Seyka said lightly, "But it's not a good look when your sidekick has killed more than you have. It might undermine pokemon's confidence in your ability to be evil."

"Albeit- I'm not going to be around here for that much longer, so you might have to ask someone else. I don't know anyone who would want to be evil. My familiar or whatever kind of keeps to himself and doesn't say much, even to me."

 

[Negrek]

Nate winced, and Rocky's ears drooped a bit. "Oh," he said. "You're right. That probably wouldn't be a good idea. Who is your familiar, though? I don't think I've ever met them."

That was true. Keeping to himself... Well, that at least sounded like it was easier to handle than a lot of the ones Team Spectrum had ended up with. Present company included.

 

[RJR Basimilus]

Seyka nodded. "He's Inno, an Archeops. He's like my brother, but... but kind of different I guess. He doesn't yell as much."

"You could probably convince him to hang out with you though. I don't think he does anything else around here."

 

[Negrek]

Good Christ. More and more alarming. Nate rubbed at his gills. Jesus. What the fuck did you even say?

Rocky didn't have a problem with that. "Oh, that would be cool! I'd love to meet him," the infernape chirped. "Well, as long as he is a bit different. Your brother sounds... not very nice."

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"That's just how he is sometimes," Seyka replied. "When he's nice, I love him, and when he's mean, I hate him. Sometimes I've imagined killing him, but other times I don't, so it balances itself out."

"As for the other Inno." The Skarmory looked thoughtful. "I think he's kind of what I wish my brother would be like. Without the parts where he hits me and whatever. But that's just a guess. Maybe he looks like Inno, but he's based on..." Seyka stopped. "-someone random. Yeah. Just some random assortment of things I thought of."

 

[Negrek]

"Well, it sounds like if you killed him, you probably wouldn't have to kill other people, so that'd be a plus," Nate said darkly.

Rocky gave Nate an alarmed look. "W-well that's nice," he said. "If he's somebody you wish your brother could be! What kind of random things did you put in him?"

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"Mmm, I wonder," Seyka murmured quietly, "If I killed Inno, then I think I would just keep going. Otherwise, what else would I do?" Seyka laughed. "I guess that's another reason not to kill him, my life would be the same either way!"

Seyka made a face. "As for Inno- the other Inno, I guess it's hardly random things. I was just thinking, you know? There's not much use in pretending when we're going to forget this ever happened in the first place, so maybe I can afford to be a little more honest. Uh, with myself."


"I guess Inno is Inno, but he's kind of got parts of my other brother too," Seyka said. "At least, what I think he'd be like."

 

[Negrek]

"Well, I mean... What did you do before this whole thing with the cult?" Nate asked. He had a feeling something big had changed, and that was why Seyka had ended up wherever exactly he was. Probably there was some reason he couldn't go back. But still.

"Ooh, you have another brother?" Rocky's eyes glowed brighter. "Is he a bird, too? Birds are cool."

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"Before that?" Seyka frowned. "Before then..."

"Ahahah, I don't remember," Seyka said, shrugging, "My father died when I was young. After that? I just don't know! I guess it wasn't important."

"As for my other brother- he was a, err, well, not a bird. I don't know the name of his species." Seyka looked at the sky. "I haven't seen him in over half a millennia, so maybe he's changed a bit."

 

[Negrek]

Changed into a skeleton, maybe. Well, Seyka seemed to be some kind of immortal (hell of a lot of those Diyem had managed to scrape up, somehow), so presumably any relative of his would still be kicking around.

"That's still good, though," Rocky said, nodding sagely. "You have a forgotten past... A mysterious family member who left long ago... Maybe he'll show up one day to rescue you!"

Oh, dear God. Why did Rocky have to treat everything like it was some kind of shitty movie? "Rocky," Nate said, and didn't even know how to go on from there.

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"Oh he's not that mysterious," Seyka said happily, "He abandoned me and Inno after our father died. So much for a reliable older brother huh?"

Seyka's expression darkened for a second before he turned away for a moment. Looking back at the two, his face was blank. "If anything, I hate him more than I hate Inno. But it's hard to be too bitter about someone you haven't seen for a few hundred years, so I like him- today. Maybe I'll hate him again tomorrow."

"And I don't think there's much to say about what I've forgotten either. I could probably remove four hundred years or so of my life and nothing significant would change. Eat, sleep, kill, repeat, nothing more than that. I didn't know I had to be rescued from anything. If you wanted to save me, then find a way to bring my dad back or something. Honestly, the thought is more than enough."

Seyka grinned. "I bet you have a lot more happening back where you come from than me."

 

[Negrek]

"Oh, so that kind of brother?" Nate said with an unpleasant smirk. "Yeah, I know that kinda deal. But..." He rubbed at his chin, considering. "Ain't nothing we can do about reviving your dad, like definitely not from here. But if it would do you any good to talk to him, we could try that Spirit's Edge place. His soul's supposedly still gotta be out there somewhere."

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"His soul?" Seyka was quiet. "It's- well... I guess I know where it is. But talking to it probably wouldn't work."

The Skarmory seemed to be in thought. "Well, maybe. But it's only one part of it."

"And it's not like I have anything I can say to him," Seyka added, "We couldn't stick together, like he told us to before we- before he died."

 

[Negrek]

Nate shrugged. "Fine if you don't want to. It's just an option and all." He gave the skarmory an appraising look. It was too late--much too late to deal with any of this shit. There were clearly, like, layers. Some Nate already knew he didn't want to think about too hard. He sighed and swung his arms gently, taking a look out over the ocean. "Well. Sounds like there ain't much to be done. Best try to enjoy what time we got left here, huh? Away from your brother and all that shit."

"Yeah!" Rocky's dim flames blazed up again. "Let's do something fun!"

 

[RJR Basimilus]

"That's a great idea!" Seyka smiled brightly. "Although, I suppose it should be your call. If I decided how I wanted to have fun now, I'd probably do something silly since I wouldn't remember and would never face consequences for it."

He turned to Nate. "I would say I've done nothing but enjoy my time here, even if that definition of enjoy is not one I agree with." The Skarmory flashed his wings in the sun. "Conversely, I don't think I got the kind of experience out of it like the others. Ha! Oh well, they can make up for it where I did nothing. I'll just work harder next time!"

 

[Negrek]

"Okay!" Rocky said. "What to do, what to do..." He hopped in a little circle while he thought.

"Yeah?" Nate said when Seyka said he thought he hadn't got as much out of Cibus as some people had. It was fair enough, he guessed. Felt like practically everybody on the team had had some kind of huge revelation or life-changing relationship or whatever the fuck, and here the two of them were, stuck in the same old shit. Going nowhere. What had even been the point of coming here at all?

He mustered up a smile for Seyka, though. "Well, I dunno. I'm glad you hung around, even if you weren't doing the same kinda thing as everybody else. Good luck, you know? Whether it's next time, or back at home for you... Hope things get better. You're an alright guy."

"Race!" Rocky announced. "Let's race! I bet I'm faster than youuuuu! Come on, come on!" He leapt and cavorted around Seyka a moment, taunting and jeering him to keep up. Then he sped off with a whoop, not waiting to see if Seyka was actually coming.

Nate watched Rocky go wearily. He had about two seconds before he needed to start running, too.

God, he needed a drink. Next time... next time. It didn't even bear thinking about. With a sigh, he started into a jog. No point in worrying. All could do now, all he could hope to ever do, was keep up.

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