Poppin' Arms ~ Large Dorms

[Dragonfree]

Mia was unfazed. “That just means you’re like a baby that grew up very fast. The other me was a bit like that.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I don’t feel grown up... I don’t really feel like a baby, either, though... I... No matter what, I still only have a few days of life experience... I don’t remember what I was before the stone, that wasn’t really me. I’ve spend my few days staying in this room as much as possible. I’ve got an idea of the world outside from being linked to him, and... The world is huge. It’s too big. It terrifies me.”

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave smirked. "Well, yeah, it's big. Fun fact, it's probably a whole lot bigger than you think."

"How did you learn to speak, if you only have a few days of memories?" Mia was asking, at the same time.

"Look, if you really want to keep pretending you can't talk, be my guest, but I'm not going to go out and tell Celeste you're not conscious. If you're there watching him when he thinks he's having a private moment, that's pretty fucking creepy. If I were you I'd just get it over with and talk to him."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I’ll have to, I guess...” This didn’t change the fact that Soul really, really didn’t want to.

“Though really, he has two other roommates here, He doesn’t really come here for private moments.”

 

[Dragonfree]

"Huh. Who else is staying here?"

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Nip and Cabot. Cabot just got sent here because he didn’t really pick a room on time. Celeste has really mixed feelings about him. He likes Nip, though. They chose to room together. He worries about Nip a lot, though. He wants to give Nip a hug and to tell Nip that everything will be okay, but he doesn’t think Nip will take it well.”

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave raised an eyebrow. "Right." They really were psychic, huh. Wait, was Mia psychic now? He... was going to have to talk to her about that later.

"He shouldn't give hugs," said Mia. "He's quadrupedal and also has very big claws. He'd fall over or hurt them. Or both."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“He’s hugged people before and I think they’re all fine. He normally just hugs people with his head and one foreleg.”

 

[Dragonfree]

Mia considered that for a moment but then shrugged, apparently satisfied. They hadn't really had to tell her she should absolutely not try to hug anyone; it had been abundantly clear she saw no point in that sort of thing long before her scythes started to grow in. He'd mentioned it once, when she'd asked him to explain why people kept doing that (it was surprisingly easy to get her to accept common human behaviour if it could be explained in terms of hormones), and she'd looked at him like he was mad, already way ahead of him.

...The real Mia, that is.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste reentered the room. “Chip says to bring it with-”

Wait, was it- Were they talking?

“What did you do? What was I doing wrong that you fixed in a few minutes?”

Soul slunk away, ashamed.

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave looked between Celeste and the shade. "Yeah, uh, she's been able to talk the whole time, apparently. Just hoping you didn't find out. So much for that, I guess."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Celeste looked at Soul, a harrowed expression on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Soul slunk further away, but remained silent.

“Stop... Don’t keep doing this to me. Say something!”

“S-Sorry.”

“Why? Were you mad because I didn’t treat your rock like the others did? Scared because of Aegis Cave?”

“I... I thought... You didn’t want me... So I tried to be nothing.”

That physically staggered Celeste. “I d- Well... I want you now, okay? We’re going to find a way to make you feel better.”

Soul wiggled up to Celeste’s leg and pressed themself against it. “Th-Thank you.”

“Listen, the party’s still going on, do you want to join in?”

Soul slunk back again.

 

[Dragonfree]

Well, that worked out. Apparently. "Yeah, think we might head back either way." He was about to turn around and just take Mia back, his job done, but hesitated, looking back at the quivering Soul. He sighed. "Look, the world's pretty big and all, sure, but it's just a party. There's some people and a bunch of other shades and some food and booze and that's about it. It's not going to kill you."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“But... What about me being... this? I don’t want to be... an embarrassment.”

Celeste sighed. “You won’t be. Just give it a shot, okay?”

 

[Dragonfree]

"Trust me, there's no way you can be a bigger embarrassment than that fucking Zangoose. Come on."

And if Soul still didn't want to go, well, on her own head be it. Dave led the way out, Mia following on his heels.

<><><><><>

 

[IFBench]

Saltriv stood alone in the room, near the window. Their leaf was standing straight up, directly in the path of the sunlight coming in through the window.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut had been prowling the halls.

... strange that that particular word felt like a more appropriate vocabularly choice. Must've been the body or something.

He was going to slink back to his room, but sensed an aura close by. The necrozma glanced into a doorway. "You're back from the Colosseum awfully fast. Didn't want to bask in the celebratory fanfares?"

Was this even the right room for the little one? They didn't seem like they needed the larger accommodations.

 

[Navar]

Shiron walked around the hall, yawning, when he noticed Saltriv's room. The Marshtomp got close enough to the door.

"Hi, Saltriv! How are you doing?!" He asked.

 

[Fusion]

Absently floating through the halls like a wayward spirit felt fitting, for some reason. Vix noticed Shiron and Bahamut enter a room, and figured she might as well pop in and see what they were doing.

"Howdy, guys. What're you up to?" Vix asked, then noticing Saltriv. "Oh the new member's here too? Saltriv, right?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut's expression darkened. More early Colosseum abandoners? "I was under the impression you all were so eager to take part in that battle. Didn't you want to stay and, I don't know, sign autographs or shake hands or whatever it is famous people are supposed to do in this place?"