Poppin' Arms ~ Dorm Lounge
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Virgil134
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"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that."
Cabot sat down as he gave Shield a look of sympathy. He supposed it made sense. Back home captured pirates weren't exactly treated very kindly by most Pokémon they interacted with, and Shield was technically considered an outlaw by the guild.
"I guess it must be hard for you being here... A world that's similar to yours, except it didn't get destroyed by Dark Matter. One where you're treated as a bad guy for doing what you thought was the right thing, and where your best and only remaining friend is in danger."
Cabot sat down as he gave Shield a look of sympathy. He supposed it made sense. Back home captured pirates weren't exactly treated very kindly by most Pokémon they interacted with, and Shield was technically considered an outlaw by the guild.
"I guess it must be hard for you being here... A world that's similar to yours, except it didn't get destroyed by Dark Matter. One where you're treated as a bad guy for doing what you thought was the right thing, and where your best and only remaining friend is in danger."
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Shield's paws squeezed around his own arms, the claws digging into his fur. "Pointing it out doesn't really help." He looked down. "I hate this place. It's a reminder of everything I failed to save. So many similar Pokemon just out and about, happy and celebrating the world that other Lucario saved. The Lucario I couldn't be..."
Virgil134
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"Yeah, that must be pretty awful I imagine..." Cabot murmured. He looked down and fidgeted with his claws a moment, before looking back at Shield. "But, things don't have to stay that way for you. Maybe you can't change anything about what happened to your world, but you can still help save this one. I know you don't have a lot of freedom right now and that most 'mons treat you with suspicion, but you'd be surprised how soon that can change if you show that you regret what you've done and that you're willing to help out our team."
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Shield looked at Cabot with complete befuddlement. "How soon something can change if I show what I regret? I've been showing my regrets all day! All week! And yet the only ones to really bother approaching me are you, that Charmeleon oddball, and a few others. Blade can hardly look at me, probably because I'm just a reminder of her own failures--I can hardly look at her, too, for failing her, and... when I tried to help, I was only pushed aside or... outright attacked by you all."
Virgil134
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"I mean, you gotta give it more time than that," Cabot sighed. "I know that this isn't easy, but a week really isn't that much time. Remember that you did try to kill us, Shield."
"Look at it this way," he began, "what if we had tried to kill Sword because we thought she was evil? And that the only reason she was still alive was because you and her fought us off? Even though the whole situation could have easily been prevented if we had just taken a moment to talk to her. Would you fully trust us after only a week just because we said we were sorry and meant well? Or would you need more time than that? Since while I'm ready to forgive you, most 'mons do need more than a week."
"Look at it this way," he began, "what if we had tried to kill Sword because we thought she was evil? And that the only reason she was still alive was because you and her fought us off? Even though the whole situation could have easily been prevented if we had just taken a moment to talk to her. Would you fully trust us after only a week just because we said we were sorry and meant well? Or would you need more time than that? Since while I'm ready to forgive you, most 'mons do need more than a week."
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"Didn't you just tell me a second go that maybe if I apologized and showed my regrets, it'd be enough? Now you're saying I need to do it more." He snorted. "Sounds more like time is all I need. These platitudes, I'm not as sure..." He looked off. "What I really need is a way to rescue Sword..." Cabot may say that one would be 'surprised' at how quickly people could forgive him, but so far, he was having no surprises at the way the team was treating him.
None of this was adding up.
"...Your patron, Dark Matter. Did he ever tell you anything about the Tree of Life?"
None of this was adding up.
"...Your patron, Dark Matter. Did he ever tell you anything about the Tree of Life?"
Virgil134
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"I did say that, but you also have to be reasonable about it," Cabot remarked. "Remember that the guild considers you a captured outlaw. I don't know how things worked in your world, but in mine these sorts of things usually take months, if not longer. And that's for 'mons who did things like petty theft or arson, not attempted murder. I really do think that things can go faster for you since these aren't normal circumstances, but it all depends on how you act towards others, even if they're not nice towards you. What you're doing right now... isn't helping."
"No, Diyem never mentioned it, but Maple did a while back. Apparently it's some place Dark Matter tried to take hold off and it's supposed to be guarded by this Legendary called 'Xerneas'."
"No, Diyem never mentioned it, but Maple did a while back. Apparently it's some place Dark Matter tried to take hold off and it's supposed to be guarded by this Legendary called 'Xerneas'."
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Shield looked skeptical again. This kid was some wide-eyed idealist for sure. How old was he, twelve? These useless platitudes weren't really doing much for him. There was nothing he could do. He was being forced to stay here under supervision, even if he was happy to help if he could, but they only pushed him away. Because he was too weak. Which made sense. He'd failed to save the world. Obviously that meant weakness.
...That was an odd wave of bitterness.
Shield sighed, catching himself. This Cranidos was too simple. He'd placate him. "It's not that easy or straightforward. It isn't just me here, or my circumstances right now. It's... everything. Don't go blaming this all on me." He sat up. "If you continue to only be nice toward people that are nothing but cruel to you, they will not get better. They will only continue to be cruel. This isn't like that." Shield curled his legs until his knees touched his chest, looking pensive. "This is us not knowing who to be cruel toward. Who deserves our ire. We'd been pitted against each other from the start. This was all orchestrated by someone else. From the very beginning."
Cabot's explanation made sense; of course Dark Matter would explain the basics of the history. Still... "And you're saying that your Dark Matter has no interest in the Tree now?"
...That was an odd wave of bitterness.
Shield sighed, catching himself. This Cranidos was too simple. He'd placate him. "It's not that easy or straightforward. It isn't just me here, or my circumstances right now. It's... everything. Don't go blaming this all on me." He sat up. "If you continue to only be nice toward people that are nothing but cruel to you, they will not get better. They will only continue to be cruel. This isn't like that." Shield curled his legs until his knees touched his chest, looking pensive. "This is us not knowing who to be cruel toward. Who deserves our ire. We'd been pitted against each other from the start. This was all orchestrated by someone else. From the very beginning."
Cabot's explanation made sense; of course Dark Matter would explain the basics of the history. Still... "And you're saying that your Dark Matter has no interest in the Tree now?"
Virgil134
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"Eh..."
Cabot blinked and stared at Shield blankly for a moment. Was he even still talking about how the rest of the guild treated him? While it was true that they had been pitted against each other (or at least, in a certain way), it didn't change Shield's current situation, how others here perceived him, or what could be done about it. Nor did it change that the whole situation could have been prevented if Shield hadn't jumped to conclusions and just talked things through with them. Not to mention that other 'mons not being nice to him for what he did was hardly the same as being 'cruel'.
"... I think you're mixing up quite a few things there," the Cranidos sighed as he shook his head. "Though you never did answer my question whether you would've fully trusted us after a week if the roles were reversed."
"Yeah? Why would he be interested?" Cabot asked. "I don't know what's so special about this tree, but every Dark Matter just used it as a way to destroy the world, right? Diyem sent us here to save Cibus, so of course he's not gonna go after it."
Cabot blinked and stared at Shield blankly for a moment. Was he even still talking about how the rest of the guild treated him? While it was true that they had been pitted against each other (or at least, in a certain way), it didn't change Shield's current situation, how others here perceived him, or what could be done about it. Nor did it change that the whole situation could have been prevented if Shield hadn't jumped to conclusions and just talked things through with them. Not to mention that other 'mons not being nice to him for what he did was hardly the same as being 'cruel'.
"... I think you're mixing up quite a few things there," the Cranidos sighed as he shook his head. "Though you never did answer my question whether you would've fully trusted us after a week if the roles were reversed."
"Yeah? Why would he be interested?" Cabot asked. "I don't know what's so special about this tree, but every Dark Matter just used it as a way to destroy the world, right? Diyem sent us here to save Cibus, so of course he's not gonna go after it."
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"Considering that I was once seeing your activities as something to destroy the world again, and I am still cooperating with you now, I think that speaks volumes," Shield said. Gods, this Cranidos was annoyingly persistent in points he had no place to peel away.
"So you think that your Dark Matter has no interest in the Tree." Shield nodded. "...All right. I guess that settles it. Perhaps he has changed after all... somehow. But something still doesn't settle right with me..." He shook his head. "I'll wait and see, if you ever find him again."
"So you think that your Dark Matter has no interest in the Tree." Shield nodded. "...All right. I guess that settles it. Perhaps he has changed after all... somehow. But something still doesn't settle right with me..." He shook his head. "I'll wait and see, if you ever find him again."
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"Why is your patron so insistent on saving a world he has no part of?" Shield asked simply. "Dark Matter is not someone who acts out of the goodness of his heart, and I do not buy the explanation that he is doing it to repent. There is more that he is not telling you."
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"You pick interesting friends," Shield said with a frown. "I'd be careful about being so ready to follow authority just because of their position. If Dark Matter ever does or says something suspicious... Be careful. Don't forget what he did to a world."
Virgil134
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"I'll keep that in mind, but I'm sure I'll be fine," Cabot replied as he frowned back. "I know what Diyem tried to do in the past, and the first thing I asked when he told me that he was Dark Matter was why he did it and how he could possibly have thought that was a good thing to do. He explained how he wasn't able to think rationally back then, how he couldn't feel any happiness and how the constant flow of negativity was driving him insane, with, in his mind, the only way to stop it being to end all life. Of course it doesn't change how awful it was, but I don't hold it against him either. It's almost similar to what we've seen Pokémon go through here when they were corrupted, just a lot more extreme and on a much bigger scale."
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Shield listened, though by the time Cabot was done, he wondered something...
"Fine. I'll keep it in mind, too, if you keep what I say in mind. I just have... one last question for you." Finally, Shield got to his feet, looking like he was going to try to speak with those cleaning up his room again. Perhaps to ask if he could help again. "How would you feel about Diyem... if he had actually succeeded in destroying his world?"
"Fine. I'll keep it in mind, too, if you keep what I say in mind. I just have... one last question for you." Finally, Shield got to his feet, looking like he was going to try to speak with those cleaning up his room again. Perhaps to ask if he could help again. "How would you feel about Diyem... if he had actually succeeded in destroying his world?"
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