Xavian's Private Quarters

[Flyg0n]

Carefully, Spirit moved to examine the painting leaning on the wall, while keeping an ear out for whether anything further was said outside.

The painting itself appeared ordinary enough, just a rather nice rendition of legendaries from different regions... No. Wait. Something wasn't right. Peering closer, there were odd marks on the painting. Slashes, almost, but as if someone had defaced the painting and then painted over it.

And the eyes of every legendary were gouged out.

-----

From outside the voice of Xavian could be heard.

"Orzo, my friend. Do you think you will be able to send trainers home soon? It troubles me to think they're still in such terrible danger from this fiend."

There was a pause, then Orzo replied. "Not sure. Soon I hope. Still so tired..." his voice sounded weary, as if each word took such effort. Even more tired than when he'd first been seen emerging from the portal. Or maybe... Too tired?

"I.. I understand." There was a mix of sadness and sympathy in his tone. "Is there any way at all I can help? You know the trainers here were able to help Clink, perhaps-"

"No, Orzo will be fine soon."

"That's good," Xavian said, relieved.

Hazel wasn’t sure what she’d just felt. She’d been cut off from Spirit, but there was no portal and Xavier was still there looking anyway. She didn’t think he was bad, and probably not so dumb he wouldn’t notice an abduction but she was less sure about that part.

Still, she wanted to check on things. Everyone she didn’t want to see her was gathering in the room near her. She waited for them to arrive and settle down before making a plan to navigate around them towards Spirit’s last known location.

She was pretty sure the wall of her closet backed onto the left hall. Slipping back into Sensu, she went around the wall and into the hallway.

Spirit had been in the other hall, so she had to cross over to the other side. Sneaking through another storage area in the left hall, something caught her eye before she got there.

Hazel tried poking one of her eyes into the little box that had been disturbed by someone who didn’t leave footprints. Another ghost, maybe?

The box itself seemed plain. Medium size, contained a small chair it looked like. Perhaps there was more to the oddity of the box and the dusty room, but if so it could be risky to poke around too much with everyone still in the room...

 

[Dragonfree]

A chill went through Spirit as she examined the painting. It was... frightening, to think of someone who hated the legendary Pokémon that much. Was it Orzo himself? Or some other sinister presence that had snuck in to deface it?

Her ears perked at the sounds from outside. Orzo insisted he was exhausted, and sounded it, yet refused help.

One way or another, they must explore further.

She padded quickly outside, thinking in Hazel's direction. Hazel? I believe we must examine his quarters more closely.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Hazel? I believe we must examine his quarters more closely.

“Okay. I found a box that is full of a chair but I cannot get it out. Very strange. I cannot imagine why someone would be doing that. There is probably a reason but maybe not an important one.”

Hazel took a moment to relay the two’s findings back to Gladion on the floor below before planning her way out.

 

[Flyg0n]

After the room had been discreetly scouted, the two ghost-types slipped out, with the room's inhabitants none the wiser. Spirit and Hazel returned to the relative safety of their trainers and passed on all they had seen.

Now the rest was up to those who had agreed to try and break-in... and on distracting Xavian and his companions for long enough.

<><><>​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

The walk to Xavian's room was short, but to Steven it felt like it stretched on forever.

Aggron gave a worried grumble behind him, and Steven grit his teeth. "I know, I know," he muttered.

He'd come to the lounge to avoid having to take advantage of their host's trust and what did he end up doing? Going to knock on his door and invite him to a dinner with the intent to rifle through his quarters while he was gone.

He ran a hand down his face as they pulled up outside Xavian's door, and Aggron huffed quietly.

"I just don't know what to do when--," Steven waved one hand back toward the lounge, the other still pressed against his face, muffling his voice.

Aggron knew he was talking about Odette and Odile and the tears streaming down both of their faces. He felt a pang, too. Seeing two strong people crumble like that. All the smashing and stomping in the world couldn't fix what was troubling them...

Steven gave a world-weary sigh and dropped his hands to his side, smoothing his suit jacket on the way down.

He raised one knuckle to the door and paused. "Last chance to back out of this," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

Aggron's answering gaze was determined. So Steven turned back around, drew a steadying breath, and knocked on the door.

 

[Flyg0n]

After a few moments, footsteps could be heard from inside approaching the door. It opened, revealing Xavian, Clink by his side and a short distance behind him, still perched on the couch, Orzo. He waved to Steven from his spot, still looking tired.

"Ah, Steven! How are you today?" Xavian asked.

Clink jingled their keys in a friendly greeting. "Hello!" they said cheerfully to Aggron.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch when he spotted Orzo on the couch. It was the first time he'd seen the Hoopa outside of their morning roll calls, and in light of the text that Odette had showed him...

No need to raise any suspicions. He donned a practiced smile and gave a small wave back before addressing Xavian himself.


"Mr. Montorzi, I'm well thank you," he said, finding his smile becoming much more genuine when he saw Clink appear at Xavian's side with a jingle. The little Klefki looked so much better than the last time he saw them. It was such a relief.

"You're looking well yourself," said Steven, turning his attention back to Xavian. "Both of you," he added.


"I'm sorry to show up unannounced, but the others wanted me to deliver an invite to you and your partners. Apparently the chef at Dragons' Maw has agreed to lend out his kitchen for the day, and several trainers thought you might like to join them for a home-cooked meal."


"Normally I wouldn't want to disturb you while you and your partners are resting, but the others on the island insisted. It was the least we could do to repay you for your kindness and generosity in hosting this festival."


"Although it's not gone according to plan, we appreciate the sentiment behind it, and frankly a moment of relaxation might do some good."

He finished with an expectant smile, a little surprised at how well he'd managed the fib. Well, it was only a half-lie, really. Gen was preparing a meal, and after everything that happened on this island, Xavian really did need a break.

Steven waited for Xavian's response with his second silent prayer of the day that their host wouldn't say no.

----

"Oh, hey little guy! You're jingling nice and loud today," said Aggron. "No more tarnish on you at all. That's good."

He was thrilled to see Clink up and at 'em, especially after the state they were in before... It hurt to see another steel type so sick like that.

"How're you feeling? Maybe after your dinner we can go see Shaymin together. I bet she'd be happy to see you, too. She said you guys are good friends. I say you're lucky to have a friend like Shaymin."

 

[Flyg0n]

"Normally I wouldn't want to disturb you while you and your partners are resting, but the others on the island insisted. It was the least we could do to repay you for your kindness and generosity in hosting this festival."

"Although it's not gone according to plan, we appreciate the sentiment behind it, and frankly a moment of relaxation might do some good."

He finished with an expectant smile, a little surprised at how well he'd managed the fib. Well, it was only a half-lie, really. Gen was preparing a meal, and after everything that happened on this island, Xavian really did need a break.

Steven waited for Xavian's response with his second silent prayer of the day that their host wouldn't say no.

Xavian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You wish to... repay me-?" he frowned, as if puzzled by the notion. "But I've-" ruined everything.

Clink bumped his shoulder lightly, looking hopeful. Xavian shared a glance and a meaningful look from Clink of 'you should go'.

He turned back to Steven. "Well, it would be rude of me to refuse such a generous and thoughtful offer," he said, smiling genuinely. "We accept."

"Oh, hey little guy! You're jingling nice and loud today," said Aggron. "No more tarnish on you at all. That's good."

He was thrilled to see Clink up and at 'em, especially after the state they were in before... It hurt to see another steel type so sick like that.

"How're you feeling? Maybe after your dinner we can go see Shaymin together. I bet she'd be happy to see you, too. She said you guys are good friends. I say you're lucky to have a friend like Shaymin."

"I feel a lot better! Xavian told me what you guys did. Thank you so much." They did a little midair twirl. "And it would be nice to see Shaymin again. They're very kind."

On the couch, Orzo's demeanor shifted, almost imperceptibly. Anger? Frustration? Or perhaps disappointment over Shaymin's attitude towards him? It was hard to tell.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Xavian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You wish to... repay me-?" he frowned, as if puzzled by the notion. "But I've-" ruined everything.

Clink bumped his shoulder lightly, looking hopeful. Xavian shared a glance and a meaningful look from Clink of 'you should go'.

He turned back to Steven. "Well, it would be rude of me to refuse such a generous and thoughtful offer," he said, smiling genuinely. "We accept."

When Xavian's brow furrowed and he answered with such hesitation, Steven's heart skipped a beat for two reasons. Firstly, the fear that he'd given away his intentions, and their host knew something suspicious was afoot. Secondly, regardless of what Xavian suspected, if he did refuse, maybe they wouldn't have to go through with this ridiculous plan after all.

But neither of those things came to pass, because Clink gave their trainer a nudge, and Xavian's expression morphed into one of relief, then joy. Steven blinked through his momentary panic and poured on the charm.


"Ah, wonderful! I've been told they've already begun dinner preparations, so you're welcome to head over the Dragons' Maw any time." Steven backed a few steps away from the door, maybe a little too quickly.


"If you're ready to go now..." he said, gesturing down the hallway toward the lounge. For a brief moment he caught movement over Xavian's shoulder, where Orzo had shifted on the couch.


"Or, uh, if you need a moment, there's no rush," he hastily added.

Behind him, Aggron also shuffled clear of the door. He stopped with his flank pressing up against Steven's side and gave a low rumble that his trainer could feel, rather than hear. An observation. A warning. You talk too much when you're nervous.

Steven hoped Xavian couldn't see the way his smile became just slightly strained.

-------

"I feel a lot better! Xavian told me what you guys did. Thank you so much." They did a little midair twirl. "And it would be nice to see Shaymin again. They're very kind."

"You're welcome, little guy!" Aggron gave a toothy grin at Clink's antics. They were so delicate for a steel type.

Aggron was used to most steel types he met being big and bulky and solid. Clink wasn't any of those, but they were a steel type just the same. Briefly the image flickered through his mind of Metagross or Skarmory doing such a dainty little twirl, and he chuckled to himself. "I bet you'd get along real well with my trainer's Carbink," he said. "They like to twirl, too."

"Yeah, Shaymin's great. Let's go after your meal then! I want to see how much the forest has grown back in since--"

Aggron stopped, suddenly aware of what he was saying. "Wait, the poison... And you were poisoned... ...Maybe going back there isn't a good idea..."

He gave Clink an apologetic look and noticed that Steven had begun to move back from the door. "Sorry," he said, stepping back to join his trainer. "Maybe we visit Shaymin somewhere other than there, yeah?"

 

[Flyg0n]

Ah, wonderful! I've been told they've already begun dinner preparations, so you're welcome to head over the Dragons' Maw any time." Steven backed a few steps away from the door, maybe a little too quickly.

"If you're ready to go now..." he said, gesturing down the hallway toward the lounge. For a brief moment he caught movement over Xavian's shoulder, where Orzo had shifted on the couch.

"That sounds lovely! If they're ready, then I don't see why don't we head there now." He glanced over his shoulder. "Do you feel up to coming, Orzo?"

After a moment, Orzo nodded. "Orzo will come, for a bit."

"Wonderful!" Xavian declared. "We'll come with you right away then."

Yeah, Shaymin's great. Let's go after your meal then! I want to see how much the forest has grown back in since--"

Aggron stopped, suddenly aware of what he was saying. "Wait, the poison... And you were poisoned... ...Maybe going back there isn't a good idea..."

He gave Clink an apologetic look and noticed that Steven had begun to move back from the door. "Sorry," he said, stepping back to join his trainer. "Maybe we visit Shaymin somewhere other than there, yeah?"

"...yes I would like that." Clink said. For a moment they seemed briefly uneasy by the reminder, but shook it off just as quickly. "Maybe the beach would be nice. Will you and your trainer be coming to dinner as well? If you're not busy."

It might be nice to trade stories with Steven and Aggron.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Wonderful!" Xavian declared. "We'll come with you right away then."

"Excellent, then we'll head..."


"there..."

Wait. Did Xavian say 'come with you'? As in, he was going to the dinner with Xavian? Was this... Was this part of the plan? Was he supposed to go, too? Odette didn't say anything about that.

Steven could feel the cracks forming in his chipper facade as he scrambled to come up with an excuse for why he couldn't go... And came up empty.


"... together!" he said, recovering and hoping it didn't sound as strained to Xavian as it did to him. "Yes. You see, I've been hoping to try some of Gen's cooking ever since he told me he was a chef."

That part was the truth, but gods, could he really keep this up for the entire meal? At this rate, with no way out, he was going to have to...

------

"...yes I would like that." Clink said. For a moment they seemed briefly uneasy by the reminder, but shook it off just as quickly. "Maybe the beach would be nice. Will you and your trainer be coming to dinner as well? If you're not busy."

"Yeah, I like the beach. Warm sand. Nice sunsets. Not a lot of plants though, not sure if that's a deal breaker for Shaymin."

Aggron paused. Wait, were he and Steven going to the dinner? He gave a nervous look over at his trainer. What was the plan, again? Did Odette even tell Steven the rest of the plan?

"Uhh, I don't think we're busy," said Aggron, fumbling for words. "And I do like food..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Steven in a similar state of panic, though still carefully concealed (at least to someone who didn't know him well.)

Was there something he could do to help out his trainer? Smash through a wall? Roar and scare Xavian off? None of those sounded good, but he was running out of ideas.

No, better to play it cool and see if Steven could salvage this...

------

"Yes, well, let's get going," said Steven, perhaps with a little too much cheer. "I don't know how many courses they have planned for tonight but if it's anything like the dinners my father would take me to, it's more than four."

He turned and headed down the hallway toward the lounge, but stopped after a few paces to wait for Xavian and his pokemon to join him. As eager as he was to get this part over with, he couldn't just leave their host in the dust.

Manners were still manners, even when you were caught in the middle of your own ruse.

------

Aggron nodded to himself as Steven pulled it together, and started off down the hallway back toward the lounge.

"Heh, I told you we weren't busy. Dinner will be fun. Then we can find Shaymin and go to the beach."

Aggron waited in the hallway with Clink and Orzo as Xavian closed up their room behind them (with Clink providing the key to lock the door.)

Then, the four of them caught up with Steven. Aggron grinned to himself. See, they managed this thing just fine. Everyone was out of the room, and he even ended up with a nice meal to look forward to. This plan was great. He should try to participate in more plans that involved food and friends.

<><><><><><>​

 

[Negrek]

Nate's heart about jumped out of his chest when Steven showed up... leading exactly the last group of people he wanted to see. What the fuck was he doing?

Getting in over his head, apparently, if the desperation in his voice was anything to go by. The girl with the espeon stepped in to intercept him, and Nate could only hope she'd salvage the situation. It was quick thinking, anyway.

It also didn't erase that the rich guy had definitely just seen all of them lurking around, and when he inevitably figured he'd been set up it was going to be pretty damn easy for him to figure out who was involved. Which on the one hand, if the rich guy thought he wanted to make something of it, Nate would be more than happy to take him on. On the other, if Orzo was the kidnapping bastard behind all this, Nate would prefer that he not have any clue who might've been rooting around, looking for dirt on him.

Too fucking late to worry about that now. Odette said, "Let's move," and he was more than happy to comply. More waiting would only mean more anxiety. They needed to do what they'd come here to do already. Mightyena stayed up ahead of him, alternately sticking by Odette and Odile and circling around to converse with Wes' eeveelutions.

It turned out the rich guy's place wasn't far away. Very nondescript. Suspicious, almost. Since when did somebody like that decide to hang out around the plebes instead of off in their own rich-guy world?

Didn't matter right now. For now, they had a job to do. And the first obstacle in front of them--the door. "Well, here we are," Nate said. "I ain't the best with locks. One of you want to take a shot at this one?" he asked, with a questioning look at Wes.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Wes hadn’t ever been much for conversation even on a good day, and now that his stomach felt like it was tying itself into knots from anxiety, he was even less keen to chit chat. He sat in terse silence while Odette and Mitch ironed out the final details and managed only a slight nod at Steven and Xavian when they passed by. He felt a shiver of icy apprehension at the sight of Orzo, but he managed to keep a neutral expression despite his racing heart.

When Odette stood and motioned for them to follow, it suddenly felt like his feet had been turned to lead. With a deep breath, he pushed himself up and out of his seat and followed.

Both Neo and Novo kept close, brushing against his legs with each step he took. Wes took solace in their presence.

It’ll be fine. We’ll be in and out, just like that. Nothing to worry about.

"Well, here we are," Nate said. "I ain't the best with locks. One of you want to take a shot at this one?" he asked, with a questioning look at Wes.

Wes was so preoccupied with his thoughts, it took him a moment to realize Mitch was looking at him expectantly. “Uh, right. Guess that’s my cue then.” He grinned, though it felt painfully forced. He crouched in front of the lock and slipped the tool from his coat and, just a moment later, it unlatched with a soft click.

He stood, heart in his throat, and glanced at Odette and Mitch. “Ready?” Gods, he hoped his voice sounded steadier than he felt.

They both nodded. With a deep breath, Wes turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

 

[Sinderella]

Didn't matter right now. For now, they had a job to do. And the first obstacle in front of them--the door. "Well, here we are," Nate said. "I ain't the best with locks. One of you want to take a shot at this one?" he asked, with a questioning look at Wes.

They both nodded. With a deep breath, Wes turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Odette was about to comment that Odile could possibly finesse the lock, but Wes was on it. The way Nate sent that look to Wes wasn't lost on her. And the two of them were pretty buddy-buddy it seemed.

"Huh. I take it this isn't the first time you've done this during your stay," she said jokingly. She did find it somewhat funny, but she also hoped that the attempt at lighthearted conversation would help further indicate that she was fine enough to get this done.

As the door opened, she was the first one to dip in, with Odile and Enora at her heels.

Once inside, she took a cursory glance around, trying to get a feel for the immediate layout. Living room. Plainly decorated, nothing really standing out. A hallway to the left, and a hallway to the right. She then eyed the corners of the walls, looking for anything that might resemble a camera. She wasn't sure why Xavian would have any in his own living room like that, but she'd met some crazy ass fucking rich people in her life. It wasn't too far off to assume.

"Okay," she said quietly. "The text I got specifically mentioned Orzo's room and the storage room. Orzo's room has a creepy painting in it, and there's a box in the storage room with a chair locked inside?"

As she said that last part, she gestured to Nate. "Might be something to try your teeny key on."

She did want to see that creepy painting for herself, but they were practically walking through a gold mine of evidence. She'd need to move slowly, quietly, and with purpose, so they'd be able to comb through everything as quickly as possible.

"It's no mansion, which makes me think we could be safe to split up. Then again, small places can also be deceptively dangerous, especially knowing we're dealing with some fucker who dimension hops," she said. "But we have to be quick, so that might be our best bet."

She scratched her cheek as she thought. "What say we divvy up parts of the quarters for looking. Give a 'psssssst' if you find something weird, scream if you get caught in a wild Beartic trap."

 

[Negrek]

Nate smirked in response to Odette's question. "Maybe once or twice," he said. Wes didn't respond, though. Honestly, he wasn't looking too good just in general. Nerves? Nate had kind of assumed he did this sort of thing all the time. Well, maybe this was an unusual case, seeing as it maybe meant getting snacked on by a legend if you fucked up. Maybe Nate was actually the weird one for not being real fucking weirded out by this. He'd probably gotten way too used to this shit.

"Nice and easy, right?" he said to Wes. "We'll be out of here again before we know it."

And inside it was... surprisingly normal? Almost kind of boring. Definitely didn't read like the home base of some dude with enough cash to buy a fucking island and at least two fuckoff-huge boats. Like, where even was all the gold shit? Art fuckery and all that kind of shit?

There was something up here. Assuming the rich guy and his legend friend did actually live here, the goods had to be something else. Maybe they kept all their gilded shit in the hoopa's pocket dimension. Who the fuck knew.

Mightyena was already sniffing around, focused on the job. So far as Nate could see, there didn't seem to be much here. "Storage room, huh?" he said to Odette. Multiple hallways, multiple doors. "I'll keep an eye out for that, sure." He couldn't entirely suppress a smile at the beartic trap comment. It was kind of a lame joke, maybe, but at least Odette seemed like she was feeling better. He took another look at the options and picked a direction more or less at random. "Guess I'll head... this way."

The right-hand hallway had several doors leading off. Nate gently nudged the first one open and was at first disappointed to find nothing but a sparsely-furnished office. But wait. The rich guy had a computer. Maybe there'd be some clue there to what the hell had been going on around here, or where all the good shit was hidden. Nate poked around the desk, looking for any papers that might be interesting, jabbed at the keyboard to see if he could bring anything up onscreen. Mightyena prowled the perimeter of the room, checking for anything less office-y that might be of interest. Maybe they'd get lucky and there'd be that "prison bottle" thing hidden under some paperwork or some shit.

[[ Foresight @Flyg0n ]]

 

[HelloYellow17]

Give a 'psssssst' if you find something weird, scream if you get caught in a wild Beartic trap."

The hell is a Beartic.

Whatever, Wes had bigger things to worry about at the moment. He managed to crack a tiny smile at her weak attempt at humor.

"Guess I'll head... this way."

Wes nodded to Mitch before turning back to Odette. “I guess we should go check out this creepy painting, huh?” He scanned the area, making note of the various doors. “I’ll let you lead the way, if you know where it is.”

He glanced at Neo and Novo. “You guys can check out other areas if you want, but stay together, got it?” They both nodded, solemn and resolute.

Novo shyly approached Enora with a flick of his ears. “We are going to sniff around this room. Would you like to join us?”

Neo had already set to work, his nose to the carpet and his forehead jewel gleaming as he psychically scanned the area at the same time.

Neo used Foresight! @Flyg0n

 

[Flyg0n]

The right-hand hallway had several doors leading off. Nate gently nudged the first one open and was at first disappointed to find nothing but a sparsely-furnished office. But wait. The rich guy had a computer. Maybe there'd be some clue there to what the hell had been going on around here, or where all the good shit was hidden. Nate poked around the desk, looking for any papers that might be interesting, jabbed at the keyboard to see if he could bring anything up onscreen. Mightyena prowled the perimeter of the room, checking for anything less office-y that might be of interest. Maybe they'd get lucky and there'd be that "prison bottle" thing hidden under some paperwork or some shit.

[[ Foresight @Flyg0n ]]

The office room was surprisingly bare at first glance. A few papers on the desk, the computer, and the bookshelf. The papers laying around on the desk seemed to be related to plans for the festival. Schedules, menus, and hastily scrawled ideas. A mention of both a tournament and a contest that he'd hoped to hold. And idea for a scavenger hunt. A list of meals at the cafe. Normal things.

The computer screen flashed on at the press of a button, but only to ask for a password, unfortunately. Fortunately, Xavian was apparently the sort of person to leave a sticky note with his password on it tucked halfway under the keyboard.

Once it was unlocked, it booted up, showing a mind-numbing mess of tabs and windows. Organized chaos. A lot to go through in one sitting though. A good skim revealed that it seemed to be more in-depth plans for the festival. Schedules, recipes, building notes, pictures and such. A list of mythical Pokémon Klefki had invited. A list of mythical pokemon, probably the ones Klefki invited, except one name had been crossed out; Darkrai. Pictures of the two boats, notes on the invitations sent out. A list of trainers who'd accepted.

In the top drawer of the desk was a journal, more than halfway filled in. Important, maybe? A lot of rambling on how much he loved his pokemon, some notes on worlds they'd seen, and some doodles that were less than accurate but clearly done with great love. A lot of mentions of Clink. Nothing that seemed relevant to the issues at hand. A part near the last of the written-in pages had a drawing of the island and a little scribble of Hoopa in the corner, with one of his rings. The entry read:

I told Clink and Orzo about my dream of people and pokemon from all over celebrating their friendships. Then Orzo told me something amazing! He said it would be possible to invite trainers from many worlds, if he used his rings. My dream could become true, even better than I hoped! I spent many days searching for the perfect spot to hold the festival. And of course, deciding what region to hold it in. Orzo suggested the wonderful idea that I could make it on an island, so all could feel welcome.

I am so grateful to have such amazing companions who would help me so much. I hope everyone can have a chance to celebrate which their own partners. I am looking forward to this so much. Now I can begin preparations in earnest.

On the page next to it was a large sketch of Clink, and a (very) rough map of the island along with notes of habitats that mythical pokemon would like.

-

Around the room, there didn't seem to be much to see. An empty Oran Berry Ramune bottle, and a bookshelf lined with books on mythical pokemon, history, and various seemingly random objects. Rocks, jars of sand, pottery, and knickknacks. Each had a label of some kind. Maybe keepsakes from different regions, souvenirs.

Unfortunately, nothing in the room stood out as being relevant, however.

 

[Negrek]

There didn't seem to be a whole lot of interest on the desk. Nate paged carefully through the rich guy's papers, trying to get at least a sense of what they were. Mostly lists, names, purchase orders, that sort of thing. Figuring out if there were any clues here would take some real sit-down-and-stare-at-it work. For now Nate simply took pictures of them all using the funky phone that had gotten him into this whole fucking mess in the first place; it had a way better camera than his 'nav.

For the most part the computer seemed like more of the same. Nate dutifully took pictures of everything he pulled up, but the only thing that really gave him pause was the list of legendaries that he assumed were the ones brought onto the island. One of them was crossed out. Dark something? Nate didn't know that one. No idea if it had any relation to hoopa. He'd have to come back to that later.

His stomach lurched when he caught sight of his own fucking name in one of the spreadsheets. How the fuck--? Nobody was supposed to know that!

At a panicked skim, it looked like the rest of the entries were names, too. The other guests? All of them? Nate had no idea. He did not like his name being in here, and he liked it even less if it was on some special list, like maybe of people who needed extra watching. or ones who were brought here for some reason other than fucking friendship.

Nate had to actually take his fingers off the keys for a moment and curl them into a fist to stop himself from deleting his name entirely, and then he had to struggle a few seconds more with whether or not to get a picture of this, too. In the end he did, if only so he could try to puzzle out what it meant later. He could always just not share that one, if he was going to show the others what he'd found.

The notebook in the desk drawer seemed like it might be interesting. As Nate paged through it, it seemed like there was plenty about Clink in particular, plenty of fucking uses of the word "friendship." Some shitty drawings. Maybe there'd be something in there, though, a mention of something weird about the island, or Orzo acting strange. More sit-down-and-study it material. Nate squinted at the last page and suffered through a few sentences. I... told... Clink and... Orrrr? Orzo? Still a weird fucking name. And of course, what did you fucking know, the sentence ended on friendship.

Nate leaned against the desk, scowling. So was this just this guy's life, huh? Spending all his time doodling and babbling on about friendship and, and how much he loved his fucking pokémon? And then buying another fucking boat for good measure. Imagine that. Imagine living like that. Nate glared at the drawing of Clink and seethed for a few seconds. But no, he really had to be moving on. Get his pictures. Going through all this later was bound to make a great drinking game, which was convenient, because he couldn't imagine attempting that job sober.

Mightyena padded up to him as he was wrapping up the photos and leaned heavily against his legs. Nate replaced the journal as carefully as he could and reached down to ruffle her ears. "Nothing, huh?" He took another look around the room himself. There really wasn't much in here, was there? Still fucking weird.

Nate took a moment to try all the desk's various drawers and cabinets, making sure none of them were locked. It was a good thing the rich guy didn't seem like the type to go for secret compartments like you saw with some nutjobs with too much cash. If all the wide-eyed innocence and friendship obsession were just a front the guy had managed to keep up this whole fucking time, Nate supposed he'd have to give it to they guy, that would be fucking impressive.

He turned towards the only other interesting thing in the room. Books, books, yeah, whatever. Nate was more focused on the random souvenirs standing among them. If the rich guy did have one of those prison bottle things, it would be pretty weird for it to be on some random shelf and not done up with a big display, but who knew, maybe the guy didn't realize what he had. Nate looked for any items that seemed like they might relate to hoopa somehow--same colors, ring motif, hoopa shape, whatever. He also looked for anything that might be locked, like a jewelry box or similar.

[[ Foresight @Flyg0n ]]

 

[Sinderella]

"Guess I'll head... this way."

"Be careful, then."

Novo shyly approached Enora with a flick of his ears. “We are going to sniff around this room. Would you like to join us?”

Enora's ears perked at the sound of Novo padding up to her. His shy demeanor was quite sweet, though she was admittedly quite mentally occupied at the moment.

"That's quite sweet of you, but I think it would be best if I stuck close to my partners for a--"


Ahem.


Enora shot the two a puzzled look. "What was that about?"


"I'm perfectly fine," Odette insisted. "I definitely think you'll uncover more with your fellow Eons."


"̵I̴'̶m̴ ̵a̷l̶s̴o̸,̸ ̶l̸i̸k̴e̵.̶.̴.̸d̵u̵o̵t̵r̷i̶g̵i̵n̴t̸i̵l̵l̶i̴o̸n̷ ̸y̸e̴a̴r̸s̶ ̷o̵l̴d̶ ̴s̴o̴ ̸I̸ ̴d̴o̶n̶'̸t̷ ̶t̵h̶i̸n̶k̸ ̸I̵ ̸n̵e̵e̴d̶ ̶y̵o̶u̵ ̷b̷a̵b̴y̶i̵n̵g̵ ̶m̶e̸.̷"̵


"Right..."

She wasn't sure what the insistence was for, but she supposed she had no time to argue.

"Fine. Yes, Novo, I will join you."

“I guess we should go check out this creepy painting, huh?” He scanned the area, making note of the various doors. “I’ll let you lead the way, if you know where it is.”

Odette figured it wouldn't be all too bad to have Wes accompany her to Orzo's room. "I'm going in blind here, but I'm sure Odile--"


"̷N̶a̵u̸r̸.̴ ̵I̵'̵m̴ ̸g̵o̴n̶n̷a̵ ̷g̴o̶ ̶l̷o̶o̶k̸ ̷i̶n̸ ̸t̷h̵a̶t̶ ̶s̴t̸o̸r̶a̵g̷e̶ ̶r̶o̴o̵m̸.̷"̶


Odette quirked a brow. "Oh? Alright, I guess. More ground co--naur?"


"̴Y̷e̴a̷h̷.̵ ̷N̷a̷u̶r̴.̶ ̷L̸i̶k̷e̴ ̴t̵h̴e̴ ̸s̷p̵i̶c̵y̵ ̸G̸a̶l̴a̸r̷i̵a̶n̸s̷ ̸s̴a̸y̸.̵"̸


Well. At least it mostly sounded like Odile was feeling a little bit better. She decided not to argue. "Sure. Do your thing, angry weed."

As she briefly watched Odile walk off, she turned back toward Wes and nodded toward the hallway of bedrooms. "This way then."

It wasn't particularly difficult to figure out which room was Orzo's. One was oddly reminiscent of Clovis's tastes, one looked lived in by an absolute bookwurmple, and the last one was completely empty save for, of course, a lone cot and a painting. Naturally the barest, weirdest looking room would belong to their suspect.

She cautiously stepped into the room, her head on a swivel as she took tiptoed steps over to the painting. There really wasn't much in here, was there? What the fuck did Orzo even do in here with nothing to occupy himself? Whisk poor unsuspecting trainers off to a pocket dimension?

As she neared the painting, she kneeled down to the floor to get a solid view of it. From a first glance, it looked rather abstract. But the longer she stared, the more she could make out the obvious shapes of the mysticals, and their obviously scratched out eyes.

An involuntary shiver shook her shoulders. "Creepy," she said in a huff.

She shrugged her bag off her shoulder, and kneeled down to the floor to rustle through it. Now that she was thinking about it, gloves would have been smart. Not that Xavian or Clink or even Orzo would (hopefully) think somebody had broken in while they were gone, but it was best to not give them anything to sniff out.

After some digging, she gasped in glee when her fingers grasped a rag. The same rag she used to clean her motorcycle seat whenever it rained. She thought she'd cleaned this bag out and repacked it for this trip, but she apparently wasn't thorough enough. She'd take that as a win for now.

Draping the cloth over her fingers, she stood and used her newly covered hand to turn the painting around so she could take a look at the back of it.


At the opposite end of the quarters, Odile had no issue finding the storage room. It was the room that absolutely reeked of dead human skin cells and mites. Delicious.

As she approached the room, it became increasingly clear why it was best she investigated this place herself. This room had clearly not been accessed for a long time, save for that one blatantly disturbed corner toward the back. Maybe where that box was, like the text said.

"̶H̶m̴.̴ ̶O̵f̷f̷ ̴w̷e̸ ̴g̵o̷.̴"̷


With a twirl, she morphed forms and took off for the back off the space, minding her flapping as to not accidentally send up dust every which way. She soon landed in the dust-free square, right next to the box that had been moved. She took a quick look around, before using her wing to try to open the box.

Odile used Foresight! @Flyg0n

 

[Flyg0n]

He glanced at Neo and Novo. “You guys can check out other areas if you want, but stay together, got it?” They both nodded, solemn and resolute.

Novo shyly approached Enora with a flick of his ears. “We are going to sniff around this room. Would you like to join us?”

Neo had already set to work, his nose to the carpet and his forehead jewel gleaming as he psychically scanned the area at the same time.

Neo used Foresight! @Flyg0n

In the whole room, only one thing stood out. A smudge of gray on the corner of a table, a very tiny smudge. As if someone had brushed against it and not realized.

He turned towards the only other interesting thing in the room. Books, books, yeah, whatever. Nate was more focused on the random souvenirs standing among them. If the rich guy did have one of those prison bottle things, it would be pretty weird for it to be on some random shelf and not done up with a big display, but who knew, maybe the guy didn't realize what he had. Nate looked for any items that seemed like they might relate to hoopa somehow--same colors, ring motif, hoopa shape, whatever. He also looked for anything that might be locked, like a jewelry box or similar.

[[ Foresight @Flyg0n ]]

Unfortunately, of all the many oddities and souvenirs on the shelves, none of them seemed to resemble anything like a prison bottle, or even a box. If there was such a thing, it was hidden elsewhere...

With a twirl, she morphed forms and took off for the back off the space, minding her flapping as to not accidentally send up dust every which way. She soon landed in the dust-free square, right next to the box that had been moved. She took a quick look around, before using her wing to try to open the box.

Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be inside the box, just a chair. However... Perhaps the box could be moved? Shoving it to the side revealed....

Just the floor. Or-? Very faint, a thin line forming a square. A trap door of sorts? Something was hidden underneath. There didn't seem to be an obvious latch or method of opening however. But surely there was a way, somehow.... If this truly was related to a Hoopa, perhaps with psychic power?

After some digging, she gasped in glee when her fingers grasped a rag. The same rag she used to clean her motorcycle seat whenever it rained. She thought she'd cleaned this bag out and repacked it for this trip, but she apparently wasn't thorough enough. She'd take that as a win for now.

Draping the cloth over her fingers, she stood and used her newly covered hand to turn the painting around so she could take a look at the back of it.

Meanwhile, on Odette's end, there didn't seem to be anything off about the rear of the painting. It was undoubtedly disturbing, but the back appeared otherwise plain.