The HQ Team (PLOT)

"No, I'm good.  No nightmares; just really weird dreams that for some reason I don't remember much of anymore, anyway." He felt something inside him loosen with each word. Good. Wally hardly deserved or needed nightmares. For a number of reasons.

"It's a shame because I bet there was some funny stuff in there too, but-" Wally shrugged and smiled, hands moving to the pockets of that blue jacket he always wore. "Oh well.  How're you guys doing this morning?"

"Not particularly hungry, but it's been a good day so far. I met a lot of nice people on the way to the pool to find Wallace, there was more coffee made before we arrived, so it's fresh, and... not much else has happened yet today."

Oh, was 'yet' ever the key word.

"The rest of today will be less pleasant, unfortunately." He took a sip of his coffee, eyes downcast. "I... don't have much faith in this investigation turning around anytime soon."

Wally answered quickly and readily. Almost suspiciously so. Still, Wallace found himself willing to believe Wally if only because he couldn't manage always disbelieving his little cousin. "No, I'm good. No nightmares; just really weird dreams that for some reason I don't remember much of anymore, anyway." Wallace hoped all of that was true. The boy had too many health issues already to worry about bad sleeping habits. "It's a shame because I bet there was some funny stuff in there too, but-" Wally shrugged and smiled, hands moving to the pockets of that blue jacket he always wore. "Oh well. How're you guys doing this morning?"

"Not particularly hungry, but it's been a good day so far. I met a lot of nice people on the way to the pool to find Wallace, there was more coffee made before we arrived, so it's fresh, and... not much else has happened yet today." Wallace gave a small smile of encouragement to his Champion. "The rest of today will be less pleasant, unfortunately." Yeah, Steven certainly wasn't wrong there. "I... don't have much faith in this investigation turning around anytime soon."

"With those drunken harlots at the helm of Security, I doubt it," Wallace mumbled. "But all we can do is hope for the best."

---

"Well, I don't know about you, but I know a few people who can only manage four seconds." Karen looked at Clair as if she'd grown a second head, and that second head was a Sunflora. Oh wait. It was a sex joke. Jesus, she needed coffee. Once her foggy mind caught up, she gave a slight laugh and returned her forehead to the desk. "But in all seriousness, four seconds is plenty of time to teleport in and out to dump a body you had murdered elsewhere. All you'd need to hide is the glow. Don't you think?"

"Motherfucker," Karen nearly shouted into the desk. "I fucking forgot about Teleport! Son of a whore!"

Slick wasn't helping. "How could you forget about Teleport?"

"Bitch, you forgot it too."

"I'm not the trainer, am I?"

"Fuck it. Done." Karen threw up her hands. "If it was Teleport, then that'd be easy enough to track down, right? Everybody's got their pokemon registered and shit. Just bring up all the bitches with Teleport and -I don't know- line em up for a firing squad. Maybe find an oubliette and toss em in there. I don't give a shit. All I know is that I'm done and I'd like to go back to having fun again."

"Motherfucker," There it was. That was the reaction Clair had been waiting for. The blue haired temptress smiled gleefully as Karen began berating herself for not considering it sooner. "I fucking forgot about Teleport! Son of a whore!"

"How could you forget about Teleport?"

"Bitch, you forgot it too."

"I'm not the trainer, am I?"

"Fuck it. Done."

Clair had to fight back the urge to laugh at the incredulous pair before her, the sheer amount of mockery in her head for their stupidity threatening to overwhelm her. Karen was the closest human she would consider a friend so she wasn't willing to sour that relationship just yet. "If it was Teleport, then that'd be easy enough to track down, right? Everybody's got their pokemon registered and shit. Just bring up all the bitches with Teleport and -I don't know- line em up for a firing squad. Maybe find an oubliette and toss em in there. I don't give a shit. All I know is that I'm done and I'd like to go back to having fun again."

"Hear! Hear!" Clair replied enthusiastically. She walked around the desk and gave the over-exerted woman a friendly pat on the shoulder and a smile. "I bet that neurotic cousin of mine has records detailing what people had for breakfast this morning and he's not even here. I'm sure we'll find registered pokemon in the Library." She began tugging at Karen's arm to try and pull her from the chair, teasing her lightly. "Come ooooon, you can sleep when you're dead. You have work to do Missy! And tell you what, since I'm such a generous spirit I'll even come with you to help. Now doesn't that sound fun?"

"Not particularly hungry-" yeah, because that totally wasn't obvious from the way you're picking at that toast, Steven... "-but it's been a good day so far. I met a lot of nice people on the way to the pool to find Wallace, there was more coffee made before we arrived, so it's fresh, and... not much else has happened yet today. The rest of today will be less pleasant, unfortunately."

Damn.  The way he looks into his coffee cup is kind of heartbreaking; he looks pretty low on morale.  "I... don't have much faith in this investigation turning around anytime soon."

"With those drunken harlots at the helm of Security, I doubt it," His cousin could probably cast a thousand years of darkness on people with the amount of shade he's capable of packing into one sentence.  It's so typically Wallace that Wally can't help but grin as he continues to hover near the table, not quite ready to sit yet, and notes with no small amount of pleasure that Wallace got Steven to grin as well.  "But all we can do is hope for the best."

"I mean... even if they suck at their job, the security cameras will've gotten something, right?  Maybe it's not as bad as it looks and you'll be a lot further towards finding this guy by the end of the day than you were yesterday.  I mean, it's only been- it's been less than a day since this all started, right?"  He beams at them, flashing Steven a double thumbs up. "Rome wasn't built in a day and all that jazz.  You'll find him.  And uh- one sec-"

His thumbs up change to holding up his pointer finger as he walks over to the breakfast table-- if he was gonna be stuck here for a little bit, he may as well actually eat something and try to make up for the sort of pathetic sleep he'd gotten.  It doesn't take long to grab breakfast; a bowl of cereal, a muffin, and orange juice.  Good.  He rejoins his guardians and the conversation at their table, biting into a muffin as he listens to them talk.

(Permission from Steven to let Wally note that he grinned at Wallace being Wallace.)

"With those drunken harlots at the helm of Security, I doubt it," Wallace grumbled. Wally's face lit up into a smile, and it was not hard to smile along with him. Oh, Wallace. Please, never change. "But all we can do is hope for the best."

"I mean... even if they suck at their job," Wally added, "the security cameras will've gotten something, right?"

That was completely true, he mused as he set his coffee mug down, brow furrowing in thought. If the people weren't vigilant (and they definitely had not been) well, as long as they weren't broken, the cameras should be; it's not as if machines become distracted by... other things. And according to Cynthia, Aaron was surprisingly good with computers. There was no doubt they were working properly.

"Maybe it's not as bad as it looks and you'll be a lot further towards finding this guy by the end of the day than you were yesterday.  I mean, it's only been- it's been less than a day since this all started, right?" Yes. He had a point. He returned Wally's big, beaming grin and thumbs up with a small, cautiously optimistic smile of his own. "Rome wasn't built in a day and all that jazz.  You'll find him.  And uh- one sec-"

He held up a finger as he walked away towards the breakfast table. Steven nibbled a little at his toast again. At least cold toast wasn't disgusting, even if it was generally more unpleasant than hot toast.

He should have eaten it while it was still hot.

"He's right," the Champion murmured between nibbles. "The cameras should have something. Although... we should probably do something about Karen and Sidney." He sighed and rubbed a temple.  "Assuming this goes as well as Wally thinks it will, and I'm willing to be optimistic about that... it still doesn't change the fact that if they'd been paying attention, we would probably have our murderer yesterday at the time in which it happened instead of having to identify them and track them down today." He fiddled a little with the coffee mug. "We may not need to suggest it at all, but when Lance returns, we... should probably advise him that either Karen or Sidney need to be moved and replaced. Possibly both."

Best case scenario saw Lance spreading his blame equally among them and doing something about Karen and Sidney without anything needing to be suggested. But for all his strength and courage, the man could be strange. Who knew exactly what would get into his head when he learned about this, and how he would act on it?

His boys seemed to enjoy his sassy comment, but it didn't make it any less true. Wallace was absolutely convinced the two Dark Masters were completely and utterly useless. "I mean... even if they suck at their job," Wally added, "the security cameras will've gotten something, right?" While true, it also meant that they'd have to sit and diligently watch hours and hours of footage, something Wallace sincerely doubted either had the capacity of doing. "Maybe it's not as bad as it looks and you'll be a lot further towards finding this guy by the end of the day than you were yesterday. I mean, it's only been- it's been less than a day since this all started, right?"

But the first day or so was crucial in getting clues, Wallace sadly argued in his mind. Trails went cold quick, especially if the murderer knew what they were doing. Still, Wallace couldn't bring himself to voice his doubts, as Wally's optimism had he and Steven both in upward spirits. There was no way he could burst those bubbles, especially since there was no reason to other than to prove them wrong. "Rome wasn't built in a day and all that jazz. You'll find him. And uh- one sec-"

Wally held up a finger and silently excused himself from the table to go and fetch his own breakfast. Wallace deeply approved; the boy needed more food. "He's right," Steven mumbled as he continued to nibble on his toast. "The cameras should have something. Although... we should probably do something about Karen and Sidney."

"You're damn straight we should."

Steven sighed and absently rubbed a temple as he continued. "Assuming this goes as well as Wally thinks it will, and I'm willing to be optimistic about that... it still doesn't change the fact that if they'd been paying attention, we would probably have our murderer yesterday at the time in which it happened instead of having to identify them and track them down today." Wallace nodded; there was no way he was defending either of them, even if Sidney was one of his own Hoenn Elite. "We may not need to suggest it at all, but when Lance returns, we... should probably advise him that either Karen or Sidney need to be moved and replaced. Possibly both."

"Ugh." Lance. "Well, I'm sure that when he gets back and finds out what happened, he'll have both their heads on pikes without us saying anything. Or he might try and find a way to blame you for everything, because that's what he does now." Wallace took an angry bite of his own food. "You can take care of Sidney on your own, can't you? He's your Elite. You shouldn't have to wait for Lance to say anything."

---

"Hear! Hear!" Clair called out triumphantly, earning another groan from Karen. Jesus, why was she so upbeat today? Karen didn't shy away from Clair's hand on her shoulder, merely looking at its owner with exhausted eyes as the latter spoke to her. "I bet that neurotic cousin of mine has records detailing what people had for breakfast this morning and he's not even here. I'm sure we'll find registered pokemon in the Library." Ugh, that made sense. She didn't want it to make sense, but it did. Lance was so fucking uptight, of course he'd have that information. Goddammit, she still had a way to do her goddamn job. And that meant no rest.

Karen groaned again as Clair playfully tugged at her arm, her voice a teasing jibe. "Come ooooon, you can sleep when you're dead. You have work to do Missy! And tell you what, since I'm such a generous spirit I'll even come with you to help. Now doesn't that sound fun?"

"Ugh, fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine," Karen griped back. "Only because you're helping me. If I had to do this alone, I'd commit arson and be done with it." She shoved her tired ass out of the chair with great effort, then turned to Clair. "Have I mentioned you're way too fucking peppy this morning? Because you're way too fucking peppy this morning."

"Ugh, fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine." Clair grinned devilishly at Karen's response. Oh how she loved the sound of victory. "Only because you're helping me. If I had to do this alone, I'd commit arson and be done with it." She gave Karen a playful shove and kept the sing-song tone in her voice as she continued to tease the hungover woman. "Naturally. I am pretty amazing so it stands to reason you'd rather spend your time with me."

"Have I mentioned you're way too fucking peppy this morning? Because you're way too fucking peppy this morning."

"Huh, I hadn't noticed. Must be something in the air." She grinned again. "Now come on. The sooner we take care of this the sooner everyone shuts up and goes back to normal and I can stop dealing with it. We can stop dealing with it. Doesn't that sound nice?" Looping her arm into Karen's she all but dragged the other woman out of her office and back into the hall pausing only to make sure she locked it behind her. Wouldn't do to have any gutter whelps thinking they could break into her office looking for a toy she already threw out.

The library wasn't exactly close to her office but at least she didn't spot that snot nosed little shit around as they walked. Or his peacock of a cousin. God wouldn't that man just ruin her mood if he showed up now? Riling up his little pet had been fun this morning but if he narced on her then she would have to deal with the butt hurt fairy and his boy toy Steven. Of course Steven was easy to shut down if she just reminded him of the other night, then she could watch all that bark turn into a tiny whimper as he backed off. Priceless.

"Oh look, we're here. Well Mrs. Security Chief, guess it is time for you to exercise your authority. Sick 'em."

"Is there something on your mind?" Fiona said, cutting across Elm's soft, still-stuttering voice as he read aloud from the book he had chosen. The professor paused, turning wide, owlish eyes on his companion as she twisted her neck to look up at him.

"Wh- what do you mean?" He hadn't spaced out and accidentally read the wrong line, had he? "I feel f- fine?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You said that like a question."

Ah blast, no. Not this again. "It... was an unfortunate i- inflection mistake."

"Emmy," she pressed, her voice dipping into the warm, soft tones that heralded Elm's immediate defeat. He could never resist that voice; to try was to feel guilty for keeping the truth from someone who had always had only his best interests at heart.

"I- it... just... reminded me of... the children." He fiddled with the corner of a page, stomach clenching ever so slightly. "Remember? I u- used to read this to them." Most of them had long outgrown being read to but...

It still called to mind those rainy afternoons when his daughter, his young assistant, and the two neighborhood kids would sit around him while he read.

"They're fine. They were all so strong. I'm sure they found their way here. We can make that our next stop here today, in fact."

"B- but we already asked them about the others," Elm reminded her, shoulders drooping. "Th- they said they w- weren't h- here."

"We can always check again.  And we can also ask for their descriptions this time instead of just a name; maybe they entered under an alias, or never registered because they left soon after they got here."

"It's... s- something, I suppose." For once an offered solution by Fiona doesn't sound very plausible, but she was trying. He had to be grateful for that.

"The cameras should have something. Although... we should probably do something about Karen and Sidney."

"You're damn straight we should."

Steven heaves a sigh and rubs at a temple, Wally feeling that sentiment deep in his soul because fuck this nonsense. "Assuming this goes as well as Wally thinks it will, and I'm willing to be optimistic about that... it still doesn't change the fact that if they'd been paying attention, we would probably have our murderer yesterday at the time in which it happened instead of having to identify them and track them down today."  Wally nods along with Wallace.  They fucked up big time and worse could have happened.  "We may not need to suggest it at all, but when Lance returns, we... should probably advise him that either Karen or Sidney need to be moved and replaced. Possibly both."

"Ugh. Well, I'm sure that when he gets back and finds out what happened, he'll have both their heads on pikes without us saying anything."  Judging from the look on Wallace's face, he'd like to have Lance's head on a pike.  The boy bites into his muffin again, looking back and forth between his guardians' faces.  "Or he might try and find a way to blame you for everything, because that's what he does now."

Yeah, that angry chewing definitely lends credence to Wallace wanting Lance's head on a pike.  It's not very conductive to a peaceful solution, but Lance is kind of a dick.  Especially to Steven.

"You can take care of Sidney on your own, can't you? He's your Elite. You shouldn't have to wait for Lance to say anything."

"Do you think Lance'll bite your head off or...?"  He frowns, looking up at Steven in confusion. "I mean, I doubt he'll be bothered by you kicking out an Elite from a job when he wasn't doing his job and he's your Elite, like Wal said?"

"Ugh. Well, I'm sure that when he gets back and finds out what happened, he'll have both their heads on pikes without us saying anything. Or he might try and find a way to blame you for everything, because that's what he does now." Steven couldn't help but wince a bit. Yes... please Wallace, there was no need to remind him of that.

"You can take care of Sidney on your own, can't you? He's your Elite. You shouldn't have to wait for Lance to say anything." Steven blinked, surprised by his own oversight.

"Do you think Lance'll bite your head off or...?"  His pupil speaking up made him look over at him, wincing again, this time thankfully internally, at the sight of those worried doe eyes staring at him. Goodness that was unsettling. "I mean, I doubt he'll be bothered by you kicking out an Elite from a job when he wasn't doing his job and he's your Elite, like Wal said?"

"Y-yes you... you are both right, of course." It looks as if the rest of that toast won't be finished after all. At least there were only a few bites left. That was better than normal. "I suppose I just... automatically considered it would be best until Lance returned and we discussed the situation together, since it is my Elite paired with one of his."

Making a decision that would affect one of his own Elites might upset or anger the other Champion. He definitely did not want to make it seem as if he was undermining his power. That would only sour their relationship further.

"Although I suppose he can't be too angry if I replace Sidney; that wouldn't be leaving Karen to have to work alone..." For all he knew Karen would bitch that the replacement Steven chose wasn't good enough and Lance would end up irritated anyway.

"Do you think Lance'll bite your head off or...?" Wallace turned to his younger cousin, worried that he was getting involved in the higher politics of the Plateau. It was inevitable, of course, because of who he was affiliated with, but... Legends help him if that crazed bastard ever lay a hand on his cousin. "I mean, I doubt he'll be bothered by you kicking out an Elite from a job when he wasn't doing his job and he's your Elite, like Wal said?"

"Y-yes you... you are both right, of course." Sympathy bounded from Wallace as Steven stared forlornly down at his toast; all the talk of Steven's fellow Champion must have dashed his already scarce appetite. "I suppose I just... automatically considered it would be best until Lance returned and we discussed the situation together, since it is my Elite paired with one of his." Despite his admittedly sound reasoning, Steven continued. "Although I suppose he can't be too angry if I replace Sidney; that wouldn't be leaving Karen to have to work alone..."

"Well, I don't think he'd have a reason to get onto you for replacing your own Elite. Especially since he's terrible at his job. If Karen bitches about not being able to drink and fuck on her work time, then that's Lance's problem. Not yours. And if he does, then I'll have a word with him myself." Wallace took a final angry bite of his breakfast. Asshole didn't scare him.

---

"Huh, I hadn't noticed. Must be something in the air." Ugh. Karen would punch her if she had the strength. "Now come on. The sooner we take care of this the sooner everyone shuts up and goes back to normal and I can stop dealing with it. We can stop dealing with it. Doesn't that sound nice?" That was definitely, definitely appealing. Without another word, Clair took Karen's arm hostage and all but dragged her out of the office.

Unfortunately, the library wasn't terribly close. Karen groaned a little as she traveled with her bushy-tailed companion, unused to such... energy. Man, something had her in a good mood, though maybe it was similar to her reason yesterday. Maybe she'd banged some other sorry sap. "Oh look, we're here. Well Mrs. Security Chief, guess it is time for you to exercise your authority. Sick 'em."

Ugh. Why did she have to do her job on no sleep and a hangover?

Finally able to retrieve her arm from Clair, Karen tromped forward toward the librarians. "Mkay. I need a list of every person here with a pokemon that knows Teleport or could learn Teleport. As quickly as possible." She made a face as she looked back to Clair, then put her attentions once again on the librarians. "Please."

The waves of 'don't want' rolled off of Karen like tsunamis but Clair just stood there smiling and waited for the woman to make her claims known. "Mkay. I need a list of every person here with a pokemon that knows Teleport or could learn Teleport. As quickly as possible." The glance back only showed the dragon tamer offering a little finger wave, not coming to the hungover security officer's rescue. "Please."

The clerk nodded and slipped into the back office while Clair sauntered up to her friend and clapped her on the back. "There now, that wasn't so bad was it? I think the hardest part will just be reading through all that nonsense. But you have me here to help you for that part." Eventually the young woman came back with a printed list and several boxes of files. "What the hell- You're shitting me?!" The young lady looked a little startled at the sudden drop in tone and level glare from Lance's cousin and shrunk back a bit shaking her head. "This is...this is a mountain of files. How many idiots live here anyway? Ugh. Fine. Come on Karen might as well find a corner where we won't be bothered and get this over with."

Grabbing one of the boxes she made her way over to a table where it looked like no one was around and dropped it down, expecting Karen to follow. The library clerk helped bring over the others but was quick to make herself scarce after Clair stared at her again. "We should probably start with that nerd from last night. He was the prime suspect right? Might as well see what they say about him." She looked over the list for a minute but eventually gave up and sighed when she remembered she didn't care enough to even recall the man's last initial. "What the hell was his name again?"

It sounds like someone's doing research...  Right? That sound had been a stack of paper, right?

... Yes, it had been. There was no mistaking the sound of feet. That's right, he remembered suddenly. There was a much larger study area not far away.

Looked as if this was... not the best place for him to hide and read for awhile, after all.

Then again, perhaps not?

They might not know I'm here; there's shelves between us. If we talk quietly, they might not bother us.

"We should probably start with that nerd from last night. He was the prime suspect right? Might as well see what they say about him." Prime suspect? So was she an investigator? Well she didn't sound very friendly but... maybe she was just frustrated... wait, he recalled that voice. That voice was familiar. "What the hell was his name again?"

What was her name, again? He recognized that voice and if he had an image of her he'd remember the name, he was sure, but what face matched that voice?

"... That's Clair," Fiona mumbled, fur bristling and back arching. It had the unfortunate effect of obscuring his view with fur. "She sounds exasperated."

"M- maybe we should try to help? I have a researcher's eye; I c- could help her find what she's looking for? If nothing e- else be another pair of eyes?" Clair didn't sound like she'd changed much since he'd last seen her. But! That was good? It meant she wasn't broken by everything or.... even angrier at the world, right? "I h- haven't seen her in forever; the least I could do would- be to s- say hello?"

Fiona's face crinkled.

"L- let's at least see what she w- wants?" They were all HQ leaders; maybe not on all the same footing or branches of governing, but they all helped the facility work in some manner or another (or, at least, he would be doing that as soon as the labs were clear to enter) and it was good for them to help each other.

"... All right. Let's go see."

With a nervous little smile, he stood and returned the book to its shelf before stepping out from behind it to wave awkwardly. "H- hello! Professor Elm, here; it's g- good to see you, Clair. A- and Karen, too!" Oh boy, two people he'd known, however vaguely, before the plague! "I overh- heard your problem and I thought maybe I could help?"

"Y-yes you... you are both right, of course."  Oh, he just... set his toast down.  Wally tries not to wince.  And it looked like he'd finish a full meal for once, too!  "I suppose I just... automatically considered it would be best until Lance returned and we discussed the situation together, since it is my Elite paired with one of his."

Well, okay, that's not the worst reasoning.  Still, god knows when Lance will be back.

"Although I suppose he can't be too angry if I replace Sidney; that wouldn't be leaving Karen to have to work alone..."

"Well, I don't think he'd have a reason to get onto you for replacing your own Elite,"  Wallace snaps.  And he's kind of right.  Sidney is under Steven's supervision.  Not Lance's.  "Especially since he's terrible at his job. If Karen bitches about not being able to drink and fuck on her work time, then that's Lance's problem. Not yours."  Also true.  "And if he does, then I'll have a word with him myself."

He takes an angry bite of his food to finish it off.  Yeah, Wallace.  You chew angrily.  Show Lance what's for.

... Okay though, real talk; what would happen if Wallace did that?  Shit- bad things.  He scrambles to speak up.  "Uh- that might not be the best idea."

Both sets of eyes are now on him.  Oh jeez it feels weird to butt in to what's technically official business like this.  "C'mon Wallace; we both know you.  You having 'a word' with anyone when your tone of voice is like that kinda amounts to the verbal equivalent of evisceration."  Shoulders hunched into a sheepish shrug with a smile to match, he continues.  "And that's not gonna go over well long term.  I mean, you're not the one who'll be dealing with him after your word brawl."  His hand forms a fist to stick a thumb over at Steven.  "That'll be him."

"Well, I don't think he'd have a reason to get onto you for replacing your own Elite,"  

Yes, Wallace; Logically you would be right. But Lance did not always operate on logic. Most of the time, yes, but not when he was very angry, and he would not be anything else returning to find out a high profile murder took place in his city. "Especially since he's terrible at his job. If Karen bitches about not being able to drink and fuck on her work time, then that's Lance's problem. Not yours."  

Well... when he put it like that... it doesn't sould like he will need to worry too much about Karen complaining, maybe. Maybe. If he committed to the thought that Lance would get pissed off if she complained, life would only manage to find a way to surprise him. Again.

"And if he does, then I'll have a word with him myself."

His head snapped back, staring numbly as Wallace finished off his breakfast.

"Uh- that might not be the best idea."

His gaze moved to stare at the boy who blurted out a thought he definitely didn't seem prepared to articulate into words, judging by the look on his face, but he forged ahead anyway. "C'mon Wallace; we both know you. You having 'a word' with anyone when your tone of voice is like that kinda amounts to the verbal equivalent of evisceration And that's not gonna go over well long term.  I mean, you're not the one who'll be dealing with him after your word brawl."  

He jerked a thumb at Steven. "That'll be him."

"Wally has a point." His words poured out far too quickly. "The sentiment is much appreciated, Wallace, but it would be better if I handled him myself. Two angry people rarely get anywhere; at least one of us has to stay calm." He watched as Wally stared into his food. "Don't look so glum," he soothed. "It'll be settled. Lance is a good man at heart. It will be fine."

That might. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Uh- that might not be the best idea."

Both Wallace and Steven turned to look at Wally, who seemed to instantly regret his statement. "C'mon Wallace; we both know you. You having 'a word' with anyone when your tone of voice is like that kinda amounts to the verbal equivalent of evisceration And that's not gonna go over well long term. I mean, you're not the one who'll be dealing with him after your word brawl." Wallace couldn't deny the logic, especially since Wally jerked his thumb to Steven. "That'll be him."

"Wally has a point." Wallace turned an eye back to one of his oldest friends, the fact that he was little more than a whipped ghost of his former self pressing on Wallace. He should do something. Say something. He'd wanted to go off on that self-righteous bastard for years now, but... "The sentiment is much appreciated, Wallace, but it would be better if I handled him myself. Two angry people rarely get anywhere; at least one of us has to stay calm." Wallace's lips pursed together, his anger boiling not too quietly beneath the surface. You mean it's just better if you don't fight back because the argument's over faster. "Don't look so glum," he soothed, though it did little to quench the flames in Wallace's soul. "It'll be settled. Lance is a good man at heart. It will be fine."

He couldn't stop the sarcastic scoff that came out, but he wasn't terribly apologetic for it either. "We've already gone over this, Steven. He might have been at one point, but now he's little more than a bully. I just..." He flexed his hands. He didn't want to hurt Steven, and outright bashing Lance in a long tirade was probably not the best way to go about it. Especially since most of his complaints were things that Steven probably wouldn't want shouted all over the cafeteria in front of his subordinates and peers. He kept his voice low and controlled, but the anger was evident.

"I'm so... tired... of... of him ruling like he's the only one capable of leading. I hate how he treats you. And it's just.. frustrating... to see this happening and being completely powerless to stop it." He let out the rest of his breath and looked back up to Steven, reaching out for his friend's hand. "I won't do anything to put you in a place where Lance has more reason to attack you. I just want to punch him in his stupid chin is all." He gave Steven a small smile, trying to be as supportive as he could while quashing his rage.

---

"There now, that wasn't so bad was it? I think the hardest part will just be reading through all that nonsense. But you have me here to help you for that part." Karen scoffed. Little did Clair know it was taking all she had just to stand there leaning on the goddamn counter.

Eventually, the clerks came back with boxes -fucking boxes- of information. Oh sweet Christ above, she was going to die today. This was how it ended. "What the hell- You're shitting me?!" As the poor librarian shrunk back at Clair's anger, Karen let out a long, painful groan as she stared at the boxes. Yeah. She was going to puke on them and then die. Clair managed to somehow divert her ire enough to still somehow be civil. "This is...this is a mountain of files. How many idiots live here anyway? Ugh. Fine. Come on Karen might as well find a corner where we won't be bothered and get this over with."

Karen glowered at the boxes again, then deigned herself unfit to carry her own body weight much less one of those godforsaken things. Thankfully, the librarian was more than willing to aid Clair in carrying them. They took a table, where Karen immediately laid her head down against it, and Clair began. At least she was actually helping. "We should probably start with that nerd from last night. He was the prime suspect right? Might as well see what they say about him." Oh yeah. That guy. Karen wasn't entirely sure whether or not the guy was actually capable of something like murder... after all, the video of him finding that body was pretty hilarious in how he freaked out. "What the hell was his name again?"

"Ffffff....." sputtered Karen. She didn't move her head from the table as she answered. "Uh... Cold... Cu... Colbits? Fuck, I don't know. I think it started with a K or C or something."

"H- hello! Professor Elm, here; it's g- good to see you, Clair. A- and Karen, too!" Jesus, what was happening? Karen shifted her head a little to peer at the man, unsure whether she was feeling gratitude or anger. Anger, probably. "I overh- heard your problem and I thought maybe I could help?" Really? Karen pushed herself up and looked at the mousey man a little more directly. Maybe she could push off this load on him. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts and hangover, she forgot to voice her question.

"Ffffff....."

"Wow," Clair replied with a roll of her eyes. "Super helpful. Thanks." Karen's hangover was really her own fault and it was only because she liked the surly woman that she was even helping. She could just leave Karin to this alone. "Uh... Cold... Cu... Colbits? Fuck, I don't know. I think it started with a K or C or something." Clair shrugged. "Better than nothing. I guess we'll start with the C's then."

As she started to pull the box toward herself to divvy up half to herself and half to Karin a small voice from the side made her go tense and fight the urge not to curse the idiot out for sneaking up on them. Karen would just bitch about the headache anyway. "H- hello! Professor Elm, here; it's g- good to see you, Clair. A- and Karen, too!" Clair's eyes rolled towards the mousy professor and she sighed heavily. Great, another nerd. How many of them were there in this place? "I overh- heard your problem and I thought maybe I could help?"

"Help huh?" Oh sweetie you just signed your life away. She switched gears almost instantly and put on her best playful smile, leaning against the table as her finger trailed over the box in front of her. "Well I'm sure a Professor could be a great help, don't you think Karen? You would know what Pokemon could know Teleport right? I'll bet you know all there is to know about Pokemon."

"Help huh?" Elm beamed at her smile. Finally, something he could do for someone! "Well I'm sure a Professor could be a great help, don't you think Karen? You would know what Pokemon could know Teleport right? I'll bet you know all there is to know about Pokemon."

Oh, he was blushing. The heat in his face was unmistakable. Giving the woman a shy little smile, he tucked his hands into his lab coat pocket to pull out his old memo notepad for his fingers to fiddle with. It had been so long since he'd needed to rattle off anything pertaining to his choice of study. At least four years. Fiddling with something would hopefully keep his brain moving and cut down on stumbling blocks between his mind and his mouth as he tried to recall his studies. "Wh- why thank you, Clair, but I don't know e- everything. I do know a l- lot about movepools, though!" Being the professor specifying in pokemon breeding sure did require a lot of memorization. And teleport was a move he had often been asked about in the past due to its usefulness as a travelling tool.

"You still remember them all?" He smiled down at his Furret, a light shining in his eyes as the list began flooding back.

"I s- sure do! Now let's s- see... listing o- only f- final evolutions, t- there's: Alakazam, Xatu, Gardevoir, Gallade, and Claydol that learn it by t- training. A- and as for b- breeding, there's only o- one that can inherent the move; Elgyem, the evolution of w- which is Beheeyem."

"Wally has a point."   Oh thank god; Stevena agrees.  Not like he wouldn't, but hearing it still soothes the part in Wally's brain shrieking that Wallace was not going to like hearing that.

Not that Wallace would yell at him for disagreeing (hey, Lance, maybe learn a thing or two, huh?) but he's much more likely to take the advice if two people are like 'hey, that's a terrible idea.'  

"The sentiment is much appreciated, Wallace, but it would be better if I handled him myself. Two angry people rarely get anywhere; at least one of us has to stay calm."  Oop.  Wallace's lips are pursing.  But he's quiet, at least, if unhappy.  Wally wishes he was sitting next to his cousin to lean into him a little.  "Don't look so glum. It'll be settled. Lance is a good man at heart. It will be fine."

Wallace scoffs. "We've already gone over this, Steven. He might have been at one point, but now he's little more than a bully. I just..."  Wally's eyes widen a little in panic as Wallace's hands flex, but the gym leader is quick to maintain calm.  "I'm so... tired... of... of him ruling like he's the only one capable of leading. I hate how he treats you. And it's just.. frustrating... to see this happening and being completely powerless to stop it."  He nods along in agreement as Steven accepts the hand Wallace offers him.  Not like anything Wallace said there was wrong.  "I won't do anything to put you in a place where Lance has more reason to attack you. I just want to punch him in his stupid chin is all."

"I support punching bullies in the chin."  

[Steven said I was allowed to include that he took Wallace's hand.]

Wallace scoffed, undertones of frustration and disgust apparent and making Steven's stomach churn slightly. "We've already gone over this, Steven. He might have been at one point, but now he's little more than a bully. I just..." Steven saw Wally's eyes widen out of the corner of his eyes as Wallace's hands flexed, a spear of panic lancing through him. Wallace was angry; something that should come as a surprise to no one, especially not him, but was still starting to see manifest in the form of the desire for physical violence. Wallace was typically so sweet that, all these years later, there were still times he would forget how sharp the man could be. "I'm so... tired... of... of him ruling like he's the only one capable of leading. I hate how he treats you. And it's just.. frustrating... to see this happening and being completely powerless to stop it." Oh... Wallace...

He took the hand with no hesitation, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I won't do anything to put you in a place where Lance has more reason to attack you. I just want to punch him in his stupid chin is all."

"I support punching bullies in the chin."  

"Unfortunately, punching people, even bullies who might deserve it, rarely leads to an ultimate solution. Especially when they do have actual power." Unlike playground bullies, whose power could just as easily be smoke and mirrors if the authority figures would not stand for their cruelty, Lance was an authority figure. "But I'm... very grateful, Wallace and Wally. It's comforting to hear that not everyone thinks I'm completely screwing this up." He needed to stop hiding. Paperwork wasn't the only job to be done around here. He conducted a few classes, but there's much more public work that needs attention, and he couldn't keep... failing. Lance was angry for a reason. Even if he wass taking it far too personally and far too... far. "I know your feelings, Wallace. And I respect them. But I still consider him my friend, and I haven't been of much help to him lately. I still want to repair our friendship. Don't you remember all the good times we had together? Us, and Lance, and Diantha and Cynthia?"

Five young people, ready to take on the world. Goodness, how he wishes for those days back. And they'll never return, he knew, but... they could get close. Cynthia will return. This storm with Lance will subside. Diantha may give them strength from the afterlife. They're fewer and more damaged now, but they have to keep hoping and trying.

"That's not going to ever be the same, but maybe if I stop... hiding so much, he'll calm, and then I can approach him. We've..." Oh, this was hard. Wally shouldn't see him choke up like this. Wallace shouldn't have to, but especially not the boy. He blinked hard to fight back the sudden tears that welled. "We've lost so much, Wallace. Why lose more when it's not ripped away from us? This time I have a choice. I'm not losing anyone else. Not again, not in any way."

"I support punching bullies in the chin."

Wally's simple statement was something Wallace could very much appreciate, but of course, logic had to ruin the fun. Still, he gave Wally a genuine smile, even if it was short-lived. "Unfortunately, punching people, even bullies who might deserve it, rarely leads to an ultimate solution. Especially when they do have actual power." Of course. Wallace couldn't argue with the reasoning behind that; any actual strike out against Lance probably would be disastrous. "But I'm... very grateful, Wallace and Wally. It's comforting to hear that not everyone thinks I'm completely screwing this up. I know your feelings, Wallace. And I respect them. But I still consider him my friend, and I haven't been of much help to him lately. I still want to repair our friendship. Don't you remember all the good times we had together? Us, and Lance, and Diantha and Cynthia?"

The pleading tone in Steven's voice nearly shattered Wallace then and there. Of course he remembered. Lance had been a decent enough person back then, and watching Steven fumble around awkwardly with Cynthia and Diantha was always precious. But... That could never happen again. Things were too different now. They were all too different now...

"That's not going to ever be the same, but maybe if I stop... hiding so much, he'll calm, and then I can approach him. We've..." Oh, Steven... "We've lost so much, Wallace. Why lose more when it's not ripped away from us? This time I have a choice. I'm not losing anyone else. Not again, not in any way."

How could he fight that? How could Wallace stomp on that earnest hope when Steven had been bereft of conviction for so long? Wallace had absolutely no optimism that Lance would ever be a decent person again, and that his and Steven's relationship was nothing less than abusive.

Summoning all of the strength he had, he squeezed Steven's hands again. "Ok. You're my best friend, Steven, so... I'll support you with whatever you decide. I sincerely hope you're right about him."

---

"Help huh?" Karen rolled her eyes as Clair's sickeningly sweet charm started oozing out of her like puss. Oh, man, she must have despised the guy or something. "Well I'm sure a Professor could be a great help, don't you think Karen? You would know what Pokemon could know Teleport right? I'll bet you know all there is to know about Pokemon."

Jesus, he was playing right into her hands like some sort of charmed, stupid bastard. It was almost painful to watch, but Karen really didn't want to work, so she simply nodded with Clair's seduction. "Wh- why thank you, Clair, but I don't know e- everything. I do know a l- lot about movepools, though!" Wait, he was a stutterer? Sure he'd stuttered some a moment ago, but she hadn't paid too much attention. Shit, they'd be here all fucking day.

"You still remember them all?" a little Furret questioned, to which he nodded excitedly.

"I s- sure do! Now let's s- see... listing o- only f- final evolutions, t- there's: Alakazam, Xatu, Gardevoir, Gallade, and Claydol that learn it by t- training. A- and as for b- breeding, there's only o- one that can inherent the move; Elgyem, the evolution of w- which is Beheeyem."

Karen frowned as a few very popular families of pokemon were named, but then... "Wait, you said 'Beheeyem'?" She turned to Clair, not waiting for the Professor to answer. "Didn't that Cold Fucker guy we interrogated yesterday have a Beheeyem?" She slammed her hand on the table, venting her pained frustration. "I swear to God, if it's actually him...!" With a small glance to the Professor, she leaned in close to Clair and whispered, "Is he even still here? If I had a Teleporting pokemon and were about to get shut in the fucking slammer, I'd get the fuck out of here."

"Wh- why thank you, Clair, but I don't know e- everything. I do know a l- lot about movepools, though!" Oh you precious sap.

She smiled graciously at the Professor as he began to open up and essentially do half of their work for them despite that annoying stammer every second word. Though in her head she was waiting for him to shut the hell up outwardly was nothing but cheer and smiles. "I s- sure do! Now let's s- see... listing o- only f- final evolutions, t- there's: Alakazam, Xatu, Gardevoir, Gallade, and Claydol that learn it by t- training. A- and as for b- breeding, there's only o- one that can inherent the move; Elgyem, the evolution of w- which is Beheeyem."


Aha! That even caught Karen's attention as that weird little robot's name was mentioned. "Wait, you said 'Beheeyem'?" Clair turned around to meet Karen's questioning gaze and nodded. "Didn't that Cold Fucker guy we interrogated yesterday have a Beheeyem?" Clair smiled devilishly. "He sure does darling."


As Karen's hand met the table Clair felt herself jolt though it was more out of excitement than fear. Karen was getting pissed and she was always more fun when angry. "I swear to God, if it's actually him...!" As her voice trailed off Karen leaned in to whisper making Clair's skin get goose-pimples in her excitement, "Is he even still here? If I had a Teleporting pokemon and were about to get shut in the fucking slammer, I'd get the fuck out of here."

"Probably, as far as he knows we won't find anything. If it weren't for a few seconds of blip on the security tape no one would even have a clue where to start. I doubt he'd think we found out in one day." Clair stood back up and turned to Elm with another smile. "Thank you so much precious you have been an amazing help. You just cut out half of the files we need to read through. We really appreciate it, don't we Karen?" She didn't even bother to turn to the other woman because she was sure the expression was either sour or bored.

"Of course we do. But we do have work to finish that I'm afraid must be kept to regional officials so if you don't mind giving us a little privacy? I'm sure I can find some way to thank you for all your help later." She gave him a little finger wave as she all but dismissed him. "See you around precious."

"Wait, you said 'Beheeyem'?" Didn't that Cold Fucker guy we interrogated yesterday have a Beheeyem?"

'Cold Fucker?' What? Elm blinked as Fiona settled at his feet.

"He sure does darling."

The woman slammed a hand into the table, Elm jumping a bit at the loud bang. Fiona's fur fluffed out, though she said nothing. "I swear to God, if it's actually him...!" Karen leaned in to whisper, Elm's ears only just barely picking up her words. "Is he even still here? If I had a Teleporting pokemon and were about to get shut in the fucking slammer, I'd get the fuck out of here."

"Probably, as far as he knows we won't find anything. If it weren't for a few seconds of blip on the security tape no one would even have a clue where to start. I doubt he'd think we found out in one day." The dragon leader looked back over to Elm, smiling warmly at him. He could only manage a half-hearted smile in return, unease brewing in the pit of his stomach. "Thank you so much precious you have been an amazing help. You just cut out half of the files we need to read through. We really appreciate it, don't we Karen?"

Karen didn't look very appreciative but she'd apparently had a bad day.

"Of course we do. But we do have work to finish that I'm afraid must be kept to regional officials so if you don't mind giving us a little privacy? I'm sure I can find some way to thank you for all your help later." She waved her fingers at him, as if shooing him off. Fiona made a little noise and Elm stared as he struggled to comprehend the quick turn of events. "See you around precious."

"O- oh- okay- yes, of course. I'll see you later, Clair and Karen." Heeding Fiona's insistant tugs, he walked away from the pair, finding himself quickly outside of the library.

"... Well that wasn't fun."

He wrung his hands. "'Cold Fucker' sounds... a lot like 'Colress,' doesn't it...?"

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Gently pulling him aside so they wouldn't block the door, she settled at his feet again, curling around them. "... Maybe that's just paranoia."

"'Wh- what would we even we even do if it was?"

"Touche. But since neither of us feel all that great about this and we have nothing else to do, you want to just... wander around and see if we can bump into him?"

"'Y- yes. Thank you." He stroked the length of her body as she unwound from his legs, following after her.

It got Wallace to smile, at least, but the smile doesn't last very long.  Reality can't let the amusement last.  "Unfortunately, punching people, even bullies who might deserve it, rarely leads to an ultimate solution. Especially when they do have actual power."

Yeah... that's what Wally said a few minutes ago, himself.  He sort of has to acknowledge it, here.

"But I'm... very grateful, Wallace and Wally. It's comforting to hear that not everyone thinks I'm completely screwing this up. I know your feelings, Wallace. And I respect them. But I still consider him my friend, and I haven't been of much help to him lately."  His heart twists as Steven struggles to speak around the pain choking his voice.  "I still want to repair our friendship. Don't you remember all the good times we had together? Us, and Lance, and Diantha and Cynthia?"

His eyes flick over to Wallace.  God.  Steven sounds so desperate.

"That's not going to ever be the same, but maybe if I stop... hiding so much, he'll calm, and then I can approach him. We've... we've lost so much, Wallace. Why lose more when it's not ripped away from us?" The words are like a suckerpunch, leaving Wally silent, stunned, and his eyes feeling entirely too hot and wet.  He blinks rapidly, forcing them to return to normal.  "This time I have a choice. I'm not losing anyone else. Not again, not in any way."

Why lose more.  Yeah.  Can't argue with that, especially not with the image of his dead family still seared into his memory.

Wallace squeezes Steven's hand. "Ok. You're my best friend, Steven, so... I'll support you with whatever you decide. I sincerely hope you're right about him."

"I do too," he managed in a voice lower than he'd like, but at least steady.

Wallace's gentle, dainty hand gave his own a squeeze, and Steven returned the careful gesture of solidarity. "Ok. You're my best friend, Steven, so... I'll support you with whatever you decide. I sincerely hope you're right about him."

You're my best friend, Steven.
You're my best friend, Steven.
You're my best friend, Steven.

The words echoed in his head, something mocking him; perhaps fate or perhaps the part of his mind that delighted in making him loathe himself. Maybe both. It didn't particularly matter which.

You're mine too, Wallace. I'm so sorry for the mistake I made. I hope you can forgive me for it. I'll do anything if you can forgive me for it.

"I do too," Wally said, plucking his mind from its thoughts. At least he'd managed to keep some sort of smile on his face while lost in that momentary spiral of despair. Despite how terrible he could be at concealing his state of mind, occasionally, he seriously surprised himself.

"Time will tell. For now, we have empty breakfast plates and full work plates, I'm afraid." More like overflowing. So much to do...

All the more reason to get a start on it.

"We should return to our investigation. Wally, I apologize, but we may not be able to meet later today. I hope you'll forgive me?" The boy nodded. He didn't look disappointed, which was both a relief and a source of concern.

He could tackle that topic later. There was already too many sources to be concerned about; the river was going to overflow at this rate. It probably already was. And he'd better get working at those problems before they drowned him.

Wallace appreciates honesty. He's going to be so upset when he hears what I did, but he'll be far more likely to forgive me if... I'm the one who tells him. He can't find out from Clair. It will hurt at least a little less if he heard it from Steven himself. The possible expression on Walllace's face- the thought made him sick. But...

I said I had to start trying harder to be better. Wallace deserves that effort, too.

(Given permission about Wally nodding so that we can move the story along to the next scene without needing to wait for Wally's reaction.)