Poppin' Arms ~ Dorms

[Dragonfree]

"I mean, it's not like we did a lot of fucking talking in the first place? Dude disappears for days at a time and avoids people unless he needs something." Dave glanced at Mia. "Well, during the fight against Giovanni Mia got caught in a Pokéball, and he picked it up and released her, and just to be an asshole he tossed it at me to prove he'd deactivated it, then just about fucking shriveled up with embarrassment because apparently in his world the ball shouldn't have worked a second time. That's about all the interaction since then." He smirked remembering it. "Look, if you think I'm participating in some kind of feud here, I'm not, because I'm not fucking twelve. He's the dipshit who thinks I'm rooming with you because I'm a fucking child predator. Take it up with him."

The Shadow winced. "I thought he was the spy because he kept saying I should stay away from Mia, and then isolated me so I couldn't see if she was still there, and I thought he might be kidnapping or doing something to her. I was already scared something'd happen to her after she went off to the mission in the ruins, so I panicked."

"Yeah, congratulations, I worry about my it's-complicated not-daughter who already fucking died once sneaking off on a dangerous mission," Dave snapped at it. "Fucking shoot me. Of course he's not the fucking spy, it was a dumb thought I thought for the space of two goddamn minutes and here you are still constantly rubbing my fucking face in it like it's relevant to anything, I swear to God."

"Why would you think that?" Mia said, frowning. "He just thought you were going to hurt me because he was drunk and thinks science is evil. That already explains the way he acted without him being a spy."

"Yeah, thanks, I know."

 

[Namohysip]

Owen seemed stuck on one detail. "...Rooming with me because he thinks you're a what now?" he scowled. "I could add a zero to your age and I'd still be older!" He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "...It does sound like everyone acted on impulse. Alcohol doesn't really help with that..." He hummed, like he was trying to solve the puzzle, but this was something he didn't think he could tackle. Not easily, at least. "Well... Do you know how he feels about you now?"

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave raised an eyebrow. He knew Owen was older than he seemed, but fucking 400? "Yeah, again, tell him that. That time during the fight he was still going on about how I should stay away from Mia, so I'm assuming he's still on the pedophile conspiracy train."

 

[Namohysip]

"If you want, I can talk to him," Owen offered. "Maybe... I don't know, when I find him. He kind of wanders around a lot, but maybe if he keeps his badge with him, we can talk." The last thing they needed was more infighting.

Owen noticed the look Dave had given him, though. "I, uh, I never mentioned that to you, did I? The age thing."

Over Owen's shoulder, Wishkeeper rolled his eyes.

 

[Dragonfree]

"Yeah, no, you hadn't mentioned that. I mean, I gathered you're not a kid."

Mia looked pretty intrigued. "Is that normal lifespan for a Charmander in your world? In ours you would be dead."

"And, uh, I mean, sure, go ahead and talk to him if you like, it'd be nice to not worry about him spreading this shit to other people, but I'll manage my expectations."

 

[Namohysip]

"N-no, not a normal lifespan at all," Owen said. "Most Pokemon that aren't feral live for around a century or less if, you know, complications don't come up and all that. so I'm definitely not, you know, normal. It's sort of a long story." Owen nodded. "I'll try to talk to Nate about it later. But until then, uh, did you want to talk about anything...? It's fine, I mean, if you don't want to. Just..." He glanced at the Shadow.

 

[Dragonfree]

"I mean, I came here for a fucking nap, and then you insisted on talking. So unless you want to tell me about how on earth you're four hundred fucking years old, I'm good." Dave slumped back down on the bed.

The Shadow looked hopelessly at Owen, ears flat. "...He hates me."

"Congratulations, you got it," Dave said into his pillow. "Does that mean you fuck off now? Do I win?"

 

[Namohysip]

This was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought. Dave didn't even want to acknowledge it--not in action, at least. Dave and this Shadow were the same person, and logically, Dave acknowledged it. But emotionally...

"You can rest," Owen told Dave. "I don't think my story is... that important right now. But, um. How about you?" he asked, scooting to the edge of his bed to get closer to the shadow. "Do you want me to call you anything other than Dave?"

 

[Dragonfree]

The Shadow blinked at him. "...Me?" It looked hesitantly back at Dave, who scowled but didn't otherwise react. "...I guess you can just call me Shadow?"

Well, at least it shouldn't come as a fucking surprise that his Shadow wasn't any better at names than he was.

 

[Namohysip]

"Shadow, huh?" Owen asked, grinning. "You know, that's a cool name. When I was younger, I think I wanted to have a name kinda like that, too, in a way. I imagined that I'd evolve into, like, a Dark Charizard, and I'd be Twilizard Shadow." He leaned back, reminiscing. "Well, I'm glad I can talk to you, Shadow. Are you... doing alright?"

While Owen spoke, Wishkeeper studied Dave from a distance.

 

[Dragonfree]

Shadow laid his ears flat again. "...Not really. I'm afraid we're not going to be able to stop Joule." Dave gave a frustrated sigh. "But I never really feel great."

Mia cocked her head. "What does that mean?"

"Wants you to throw him a fucking pity party, I guess," Dave grumbled. "Is there a point to this?"

 

[Namohysip]

"How come you don't feel great?" Owen asked, nodding to Dave as if to answer his question. "Is it... because you're a Shadow, or do you want something specific? What do you want?" If Dave didn't want to work with Shadow, then maybe he could try to nudge things in the right direction.

 

[Dragonfree]

Shadow hesitated. "I don't think I want anything," he said, slowly. "It's always been like this, for a really long time."

Mia narrowed her eyes at him. "Is this because the other me died?"

"Longer than that."

Dave's eyes snapped open. "Jesus, you people. Can I have my nap or are you all just going to keep yapping on?"

 

[Namohysip]

This wasn't really going anywhere with Dave around and not being receptive toward it, but he was hoping he could at least try to set an example here. "You can try to rest, Dave," he said, "but hearing out Shadow might help later. I don't think I know you as well as you do." Unless Dave was sabotaging himself. "Shadow... how come? What's been this way for a long time? So you, uh, know why, or what you mean?"

 

[Dragonfree]

Shadow glanced at Dave again. "Everything just feels... bad. Sometimes less. Sometimes more."

Dave rolled his eyes. "That's real specific."

"Sometimes I don't really want to get out of bed in the morning. I do it anyway because the kids need me but it's a struggle."

"I mean, who ever does want to get out of bed in the fucking morning."

"Sometimes I fantasize about dying."

An icy flash of nausea gripped Dave, and he rose up abruptly. "Just where the fuck are you going with this?" he growled through clenched teeth. Shadow shrank under his gaze, shaking his head.

Mia was frowning intensely. "None of that makes any sense. Is there something wrong with your brain? Did you get brain damage?"

Dave exhaled through his nose. "No, Mia, I don't have fucking brain damage."

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, Dave..." Owen got up from his chair and, despite what Dave may try to object to, he stepped to Shadow and sat down next to him. Owen didn't speak to Dave directly, but he did speak to Shadow. "It's... I think I know what you're talking about. It's not brain damage... but it's something that can make it feel that way at its worst." Tentatively, he placed a hand on Shadow's paw. "But it's okay. You're still here, right?"

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave glared at Owen, hating the hokey childish way he was talking around it, wanting to challenge him on it, but the Charmeleon wasn't looking at him, or talking to him. His heart pounded in his chest, stomach still roiling.

Shadow closed his eyes at the touch, shuddering. "...Yeah." Hesitantly, he inched closer to Owen.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen could feel Dave's glare, mostly form his Perceive, and Wishkeeper glancing his way. He didn't really know why precisely, but he had his guesses. Talking so simply about a problem like this could be insulting to someone like Dave... but Shadow was a part of Dave that seemed to think more straightforwardly. Openly. Perhaps sincere, but simple language was better for Shadow--at least, that was Owen's guess. It was funny, really--Wishkeeper was the exact opposite.

"You're right. You still have something and someone to fight for. That's... what pushes me forward, too. I think about the people I know now, and the people I'd lost, and I wonder what they'd think if, you know, I just... gave up. If I just stopped." He let Shadow come closer, then slowly, deliberately, moved his hand onto his back. "I think about how much I fight for them, and how much they'd fight for me, or how grateful they'd be, or... All of that. And all the dumb little things that life has day by day, y'know? And... you're still young, y'know? Uh--by my standards. There's still so much to see..."

And then, even as he pulled Shadow closer, Owen finally looked directly to Dave. "But you probably heard that a lot. I probably look like an idiot for being another one to day it, but... who knows. It's not like I know your life... and I didn't really talk about mine all that much, either." He sighed. "...Still strangers, in a way. I didn't even let you know I was ancient. Sorry about that, by the way."

 

[Dragonfree]

As Owen pulled Shadow into a hug, Shadow returned it, clutching him tightly in his paws. And Dave... felt it, a strange indirect sensation of a warm, weighty squeeze that pulled at something in his chest. The fuck? He blinked, looking away. The tightness in his chest didn't fade.

He looked back as Owen started apologizing; he shook his head in agitation. "Owen, look, I never asked your age, I'm not mad you didn't spill your entire life history to me the moment you agreed to be roommates. I'm a fan of privacy, if you couldn't tell." He shot a glance at Shadow, but for once the other Poochyena wasn't looking at him at all, eyes closed, pressed against the Charmeleon's chest. Jesus.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen returned the hug completely, and let Shadow stay for as long as he liked. Owen's body was warm like a soft, scaly, heated blanket. "Right, that's true. My kind are kind of easy to read, so I guess I'm more used to being open. I'm kinda jealous of how some people can hide their feelings from others so easily."

He rubbed the back of Shadow's head. "But I think it's okay to open up, sometimes. Maybe that's what Shadow is trying to tell you."