(ELITE) The PYRITE Team

Dean muttered to himself as he continued to clean up Phoenix's mess, the fox still hiding off in another room to eat away from the tension. As he essentially had a one sided argument with himself about Justy's behavior he heard a loud clatter come from the living room followed by the voice of the current reason for his ire. "O-Oh, oh no, I... I'm so sorry!"

What did he do now? The blonde sighed heavily and stood up to go check on what exactly Justy was sorry about and found a rather pitiful sight that smoothed out some of Dean's anger. The purple haired man was on the floor, trying to clean up the mess he made from apparently falling, and was near to tears. "I-I just... I thought... I just wanted to help, and... I didn't know--" Sighing again Dean knelt down in front of him and began helping to wipe up the mess with the cloth he had been using for Phoenix's spill.

"You're just hopeless, aren't you?" Dean finally said after a moment, no malice in his voice but more of a matter-of-fact tone almost bordering on pity. "Don't cry, okay? I don't handle other people crying well. I'm sorry I got upset but you were being very rude and I just...It's been a really long day. I didn't mean to snap at you like that, I could have handled it better. I'm sorry."

Phoenix peered her head around the corner, curious about the softer tone her trainer had taken, and noticed the two humans both on the floor. She nodded her head towards Asche and tried to call him over to her so that the two could have some space to talk it out without awkward onlookers. And so Asche could eat since he probably still hadn't.

"Yeah, I know him," Michael could not believe his good fortune at hearing those words and the grin that spread across his face was bright enough to light up his entire face. "Seriously? That's great!" Though his smile started to falter a bit when the stranger asked a couple of strange follow up questions. "Why you trying to find him or his place? What, he owe you money? Steal something?"

"Owe me- What? No no, nothing like that. What an odd question. Hmm, how to explain it." Michael paused a moment and tucked his fist under his chin, resting on it as his other arm braced his elbow to form a pedestal. Someone who didn't directly deal with Shadows and Cipher wouldn't necessarily even understand what he was about to say and he was never very good at explaining in layman terms. "Remember that Shadow Pokemon bit I mentioned? If you even know what they are, well, that's why. I have to know how he purified them when he first took on Cipher because my way....my way isn't possible any more. If I can't find out how he did it something really bad is going to happen to a pokemon I care about. Please, if you do know him, could you take me to where he lived so I can check it out?"

"Owe me- What? No no, nothing like that. What an odd question. Hmm, how to explain it." Well, that was reassuring, at least. Though, Wes couldn't see how it was "an odd question". Then again, maybe this kid wasn't used to hunting down reprobates? That was likely, given how this kid conducted himself. But still. Wes hadn't made a big effort on keeping his shenanigans out of the public eye. Who the hell was this kid to know him, but not... you know, him?

"Remember that Shadow Pokemon bit I mentioned? If you even know what they are, well, that's why. I have to know how he purified them when he first took on Cipher because my way....my way isn't possible any more. If I can't find out how he did it something really bad is going to happen to a pokemon I care about. Please, if you do know him, could you take me to where he lived so I can check it out?"

The long-winded explanation took Wes by surprise. Shadow pokemon? He shared a look with Whiskey, who seemed to be just as shocked as his trainer. Were they back? No, they... they couldn't be. That was completely impossible. ~How would Cipher even be operating?~ Whiskey reasoned in Wes' mind. He couldn't reply without tipping the others off that they were communicating, so Wes simply let Whiskey talk in his head. ~Why would they even bother with Shadows if they were behind the plague? That's why they kept you chained in Indigo Plateau, right? Because Cipher had something to do with the epidemic? If not, this has to be a trap. No, I don't know what the trap would be for, but it has to be a trap. That's the only explanation I have.~

Wes mulled on Whiskey's paranoia a moment, tilting his head to the side as he considered the stranger's words. "A pokemon he cared about"... The kid seemed genuine, however, and Wes couldn't shake that. Maybe the kid was wrong and it was just a slow infection? Maybe he'd seen the Shadow stuff on the news as a kid and put it together that the Infection looked a lot like the aggression Shadow pokemon displayed? Who knew. All that mattered was that Wes' Gut told him to trust the weirdo and Wes' Gut was usually right.

His contemplative frown was quickly erased by a broad, welcoming grin. Wes strode forward, slinging the gun to his back and held out a hand for the ginger to shake once he got close enough to the other man. Whiskey flinched and said a few choice words in Wes' head, but the latter made no move to reply. "Oh. Well in that case, hi, I'm Wes."

The kid nearly lost his mind. "Y-You're really him? Holy cow how did I not see that!? I've seen you so many times on tv I can't believe I didn't- Yes." Wes' own grin grew, happy to finally reveal himself. Not like that, pervert. At least not yet. Plus, you know, the endearing adoration was certainly a plus.

"To be fair, I'm not wearing anything remotely close to what I used to. Anyway, sorry for all the caution. Can't be too careful, you know. But if you wanna talk shop, I suggest we get out of the street. Come on, let's head up to my place and we can talk there; I have some food and water and I gotta say I'm pretty fucking starved."

~I tell you that something doesn't sound right and is probably a trap and you waltz right in? Ass. Good to know my council means something to you.~

Ignoring the ire of his Espeon, Wes continued to fill the stranger in as they ascended. "There's some company up there too, if you don't mind. Somehow all of us just decided to come to Pyrite today, for whatever reason. Weird, right?" God, he was starving. He just wanted that terrible food. His stomach certainly agreed, its angry rumble loud enough for Phenac to hear.

"I guess it's okay? Haven't been around many people lately." Wes chuckled at the reply, occassionally glancing back at the ginger to make sure the labyrinth of debris hadn't deterred him. And you know, those legs were nice to look at, too.

"Not for much longer, I assure you." They were soon down in his hallway, where his bike blocked the majority of the space. "We're here, though mind the bike? She's survived this long; I'd hate for her to go down to clumsiness."

"Is that a CR500?" Genuinely surprised, Wes turned to stare at the guy a moment. What, was this kid a gearhead too? "I've always wanted to ride one but never got the chance. When I was younger all I had was my scooter and that thing was a menace."

Wes snorted at the image of the lanky ginger on a tiny scooter. "I'm sorry," he chuckled, making his way past the bike and into his loft again. He turned as he entered, a bright grin plastered on his tanned face. "Hey, sorry about taking so long-- all's well! Guy was looking for me, strangely enough." He stepped aside and gestured to the ginger before turning and going back to his seat and his neglected dinner. Man, he was hungry for some salty cardboard. "Anyway this is... uh..." He tilted his head as he tried to dig up a name from their conversation and... came up empty. "Holy shit, I didn't get your name. Super rude, I'm sorry."

---

"You're just hopeless, aren't you?" Justy looked to the other man, still in a bout of anxiety, but the softer tones in the other man's voice lent some stability to his frayed mind. "Don't cry, okay? I don't handle other people crying well. I'm sorry I got upset but you were being very rude and I just...It's been a really long day. I didn't mean to snap at you like that, I could have handled it better. I'm sorry."

"I didn't... I didn't mean to be rude, I...." He stared at his hands a moment, the tears occasionally falling on them as he contemplated the memories that bubbled up. "I just wanted to help... I've always just wanted to help. But... I never..." When had any of his endeavors lately been fruitful? Oh sure, he could help out individual people in the beginning. But when it came down to the wire, when it really mattered, he could do nothing. Phenac fell three times under his watch... Three. Twice to the same people, even!

How could he have possibly thought he could do something right?

Another small sob struck him and his hands trembled under the weight of the rolling emotional tide. "S-Sorry. I should just... shut up. I'll stop. Sorry." He hung his head, unwilling and unable to make eye contact with Dean. The man had been willing and gracious enough to share his roof and food and all Justy did was fuck it all up.

In the meantime, Asche noticed Phoe's silent gestures and quietly made his way past and away from the men to her, eager to be hidden away from the strange drama. "Are they gonna be ok?" he whispered in a low voice, his body curling in like a cat's to reduce the space his otherwise large body used.

[[Permission given to manipulate Mike]]

When the pair began to shake hands and walk towards their building, Colm began to relax. He kept an eye on them as much as he could, but eventually, they exited his field of vision. The detective decided to take that as his cue to get comfortable, so he left his post to go back to his chair. His Pokemon had already finished what they were eating, so he grabbed all of their trash to put away... somewhere. For the moment, he simply shoved it into his empty coat pocket until he found out where was acceptable to toss it. Even if the whole building was trashed, at least this room belonged to someone who might not appreciate litter being left around.  Soon, they could hear Wes and the stranger's voice in the hallway, and then Wes opened the door. He had a bright grin as he explained, "Hey, sorry about taking so long-- all's well! Guy was looking for me, strangely enough." Wes waved the ginger in and took his own seat, "Anyway this is... uh... Holy shit, I didn't get your name. Super rude, I'm sorry." It wasn't until the newcomer came into the room properly that Colm was able to get a good look at their face.

It was a testament to Colm's acting ability that he was able to remain straight-faced when he saw the young man standing in the doorway. While he hadn't been close to the other ginger, it wasn't hard to hear about him and his accomplisments. If he remembered correctly, he had also been good friends with Eldes... Regardless, it had been years since he had seen or heard of the young man, so it was incredibly surprising to see him. At least he looked like the Epidemic hadn't ruined him. Though right now, Colm really hoped Michael didn't recognize him. Michael worked in a very different fashion from him, and that difference had the potential to be fatal. While the people here had been nice, he still didn't trust them enough with his real name or profession, and Michael could accidentally reveal him. Despite all of the internal noise, he managed a bright smile at Wes' blunder and the newcomer. Any of his emotions that would betray him were stifled as quickly as possible, and he already had a few ideas of how to get out of any questions later if either of the Gardevoir quizzed him. He teased, "Smooth move, Wes." In a show of general manners, he did at least stand up to greet Michael, but he waited on giving his "name" until Michael spoke.

The talk went pleasantly; no one on either side yelled or even displayed aggressive body language, and Diantha knew if things started to grow heated, her Gardevoir would be among the first to know, even before things boiled over to talk or action.  At the hand shake she relaxes, allowing a smile.  It's not incredibly rare for meetings among strangers to end badly--just look at their own little ragtag group for proof--but in this new world, the chance of a meeting going awry was always higher than anyone was comfortable with.  Besides the simple fact that there were bandits murderers, and arguably worse out there, such desperate times had persuaded even the best people to be paranoid, suspicious, capable of violence at even a hint of bad intentions on the other end.  

But thankfully, this meeting has ended peacefully.  Even happily, considering that Wes brings the young man inside to meet them.  "Hey, sorry about taking so long-- all's well! Guy was looking for me, strangely enough."  As Wes plops down into his seat, a look of realization passes across his face.  "Anyway this is... uh... Holy shit, I didn't get your name. Super rude, I'm sorry."

"Smooth move, Wes," Bishop teases as he stands.  Diantha smiles at the newcomer, noting out of the corner of her eye that Cosette is staring at her.  Catching her eye, she watches the fairy's eyes move towards Bishop and then back to meet her human's gaze.

... Well.  It appears something is off about one of their new friends...

Now hopefully there's a reasonable explanation for it.

"I didn't... I didn't mean to be rude, I...." Dean felt a stab of guilt hit him like a sharp knife in his gut at the look on Justy’s face. He couldn’t even look up at him, he just stared at his hands and cried. "I just wanted to help... I've always just wanted to help. But... I never..." His mind seemed to wander away as he spoke and Justy became an empty, broken shell right in front of the blonde. How could he have been so cruel?

Justy was an idiot, sure, but he wasn’t intentionally malicious. Sure he was a dick to Wes for simply being from Pyrite but that was just part of him being dumb. Justy was raised to think that way about people who were considered ‘lesser’ it wasn’t his fault, not really. As the other man began to shake Dean couldn’t help but reach out for him and place one hand over the trembling one in front of him.

"S-Sorry. I should just... shut up. I'll stop. Sorry." Dean shook his head, though little good it did since Justy still wouldn’t look at him. “No, don’t apologize. I should be the one doing that. I shouldn’t have yelled at you I’m sorry, I’m just…frustrated. This has been a really long and weird day for me and things are just… I’m sorry.” He gave the hand he held a gentle squeeze, gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb, and tucked his head down to try and find Justy’s face. “Forgive me?”

Phoenix watched from the safety of the hallway, around the corner from the emotional rollercoaster taking place in the other room, and nodded to acknowledge Asche as he found his way to her side. "Are they gonna be ok?" he whispered, as timid and anxious as a stressed out feline. “Dunno,” she replied honestly. “They’re kind of both crazy just in different ways. Dean seems to be getting over it though. He’ll still be on a hair trigger for a while yet though so hopefully nothing else sets him off tonight.”

"Oh. Well in that case, hi, I'm Wes."

Michael was stunned for a moment as those words sunk in, then his eyes slowly started to widen as a mixture of disbelief and joy danced across his face. "Y-You're really him? Holy cow how did I not see that!? I've seen you so many times on tv I can't believe I didn't- Yes." His face split into a wide grin and he began tracing over the familiar face in his mind and matching it up to the younger face he had seen across every television in Orre when he was in high school. It was a perfect match.

"To be fair, I'm not wearing anything remotely close to what I used to. Anyway, sorry for all the caution. Can't be too careful, you know. But if you wanna talk shop, I suggest we get out of the street. Come on, let's head up to my place and we can talk there; I have some food and water and I gotta say I'm pretty fucking starved."

“Absolutely! Lead the way!” Oh my god! He was actually not only meeting Wes, the Wes, but he was inviting him up to his apartment to eat. Even before the world ended Michael would have told anyone that kind of fantasy was impossible but now, even when the whole world had gone to hell in a hand basket around them, his childhood hero was not only still alive but was treating him like they were old pals. This was single handedly one of the best days of his life. Top three at least.

As the made their way inside Wes continued to talk to him and Michael hung on every word, smiling the entire time until he got to one particular part. "There's some company up there too, if you don't mind. Somehow all of us just decided to come to Pyrite today, for whatever reason. Weird, right?" At the mention of other people Michael’s face fell into one of distant anxiety. He’d never been very good with people, even before the world ended, and the idea of facing a room full of strangers sounding daunting. One of the perks of being socially awkward his entire life and only being able to make friends with reformed criminals it seemed.

"I guess it's okay? Haven't been around many people lately." Wes chuckled so Michael assumed he hadn’t said anything bad, and deciding to push his anxiety aside just enough to try and continue enjoying the company of his childhood hero.

"Not for much longer, I assure you." Michael swallowed hard and masked his nervousness with another patented smile. It was easy to fool people with his charisma even when inside he was screaming, it was a talent he had learned to master back in HQ Labs when he had to live through their experiments. "We're here, though mind the bike? She's survived this long; I'd hate for her to go down to clumsiness."

At the mention of a bike Michael’s eyes lit up once again, but when she came into view the redhead went positively giddy. He paused at the gorgeous bike and circled her a bit to admire her, Wes pulling ahead without realizing he had stopped until he spoke. "Is that a CR500?" He didn’t see the look on Wes’s face when he turned around merely spotting the tanned blonde’s movement as he spun out of the corner of his eye. He hoped that it wasn't angry because he really liked looking at this gorgeous bike. "I've always wanted to ride one but never got the chance. When I was younger all I had was my scooter and that thing was a menace."

Wes snorted and for a moment Michael thought he may have overstepped some boundary but it seemed that he was more amused than annoyed. Was it something he said? "I'm sorry," he chuckled, moving past Michael once more and into one of the apartments. Michael looked to Lucky, the Espeon still dutifully at his feet, and shrugged. What was he sorry for? This was all too strange for Michael to understand. Why were social cues such a difficult thing to grasp?

"Hey, sorry about taking so long-- all's well! Guy was looking for me, strangely enough." Michael slowly followed Wes in as the older male addressed his company and began to take them all in. One of them in particular, the man by the window in the trenchcoat, seemed really familiar but Michael just couldn’t put his finger on it. Even though it was going to bug the hell out of him until he figured it out there was no way of remembering without some sort of clue so he was forced to let it go. For now.

"Anyway this is... uh..." His pause had Michael nervous once again and he tried to hide it behind a smile, one hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "Holy shit, I didn't get your name. Super rude, I'm sorry." Oh. OH! Had really not said his name in all of that babbling from before? He looked down to Lucky, the Espeon firmly planted between his knees, who simply nodded in reply to the silent question. Michael blushed heavily and chuckled to himself in embarrassment. “Oops. Kind of dropped the ball on that one didn’t I? The name’s Michael. Michael Rhodes. Pleased to meet you…all.”

"Smooth move, Wes," Detective Cloister commented with a chuckle, earning one of his own. Yeah, he'd fucked that up a little, but it didn't matter. Wes gave an easy shrug as he popped some of the stale edible trash in his mouth, glancing over the ginger before him with a little more care. The poor kid looked pretty nervous; probably some sort of social thing. If he'd been with only his pokemon all this time, as was likely, the guy might have lost any kind of social instincts before the world's explosive diarrhea drowned everyone.

Wes did have some sympathy; he'd unwittingly tossed the guy into a situation for which he wasn't completely prepared. A little guilt weighed on him as he watched the other man. The guy managed to collect himself a little before introducing himself to a bevy of strangers. “Oops. Kind of dropped the ball on that one didn’t I? The name’s Michael. Michael Rhodes. Pleased to meet you…all.”

Michael, huh? Decent name. The least Wes could do was help alleviate the attention on the poor guy. "Good to meet you properly, Michael. Mike. Can I call you Mike?" He offered a hand for the other to shake before popping more food into his mouth. "Help yourself to the food and water over there, grab a seat. It's been a long day for everyone. We're in a safe spot in good ol' Pyrite; time to relax."

"I'm surprised you haven't broken out the booze," Whiskey muttered, his tail lazily swinging from side to side as he nestled into his spot on the couch.

Wes gave a warm, good-natured chuckle. "You know, I am too. When I'm done eating, I'll see if Dean and his team left anything here." He popped another bit of food in his mouth and gave a relaxed sigh. It was nice to be home with company and not having to deal with shit-eating zombies or shit-eating neighbors.

---

Justy continued to sob and hiccup as Dean leaned down and attempted to comfort him. “No, don’t apologize. I should be the one doing that. I shouldn’t have yelled at you I’m sorry, I’m just…frustrated. This has been a really long and weird day for me and things are just… I’m sorry.” Justy felt his hand squeezed and looked up to Dean's searching face. “Forgive me?”

Still in an emotional upheaval, Justy nodded slowly and tried to collect himself by wiping tears with his sleeves and wiping his face off on the collar of his shirt. Oh, he was a mess. Everything was a mess. It was difficult getting his breathing back to normal, but at least it was something on which his frayed mind could focus. "Maybe... Maybe we'd do better with some rest? It's-It's been a long day..."

“Dunno,” Asche blinked and looked between the two weird men before turning back to Phoenix. “They’re kind of both crazy just in different ways. Dean seems to be getting over it though. He’ll still be on a hair trigger for a while yet though so hopefully nothing else sets him off tonight.”

"I hope not," Asche quietly agreed. "Dean's scary when he's mad. I don't like it."

Matt has kicked back and relaxed on his somewhat-comfy chair by the time Wes shows back up again, with another person in tow...some skinny redhead guy who looked even less threatening than his own brother. That's honestly a shock. From the neutral expression on Athena's face, he can take one of two guesses: this guy's just as harmless as he looks, or she's trying not to immediately give away his super-secret stabby intentions. Either way, it's getting a little too crowded around here for Matt's comfort. Yeah, it's only one more person, but add that to the potential of this sect reconciling with the others who he'd run into today...no thanks.

"Hey, sorry about taking so long-- all's well! Guy was looking for me, strangely enough." Well, that's definitely not suspicious or anything, though Matt knows better than to ask why. They must have some sort of history. That, or Wes is-was-famous in this region. You never know, though he had his doubts. Matt never really bothered to learn much about Orre, truthfully, which in hindsight was a terrible idea; if only he was still in Hoenn. His homesickness for the tropics only increased the more he stayed in this desert, nevermind the fact he was born in Unova.

"Anyway this is... uh...holy shit, I didn't get your name. Super rude, I'm sorry."
"Smooth move, Wes."

At Bishop's comment, Matt sees a subtle change in Athena's expression; she's looking at him, though not moving enough to draw attention to herself. Probably. Anyone here could be unusually, annoyingly perceptive, but Matt gets the gist. There's something weird about New-ish Guy then, huh? They could hope it's benign, but Matt's definitely not letting his guard down. Thank Arceus he's got Athena here too; they wouldn't need to stay for much longer, but having someone to watch his back is always nice, and the Gardevoir has never not been reliable.

The actual new guy is the next to speak, looking really out-of-place, which makes sense. He's only just got here. “Oops. Kind of dropped the ball on that one didn’t I? The name’s Michael. Michael Rhodes. Pleased to meet you…all.” Wow. This kid sounds almost exactly like Chris does; it's almost uncanny. Michael Rhodes doesn't ring any bells, so either it's his own ignorance or this guy is a total nobody. Personally, Matt would place bets on the latter. Really, you can't expect to run into famous people everywhere you go, even if you are from a place like Nimbasa City.

"Hey. Name's Matt," he says from his spot, figuring it'd be easier to get the social stuff out of the way. Fortunately for him, Wes takes over talking to New Kid, leaving Matt to enjoy the relaxation and share some food with Athena. They seem to be just fine without him, which is fantastic in Matt's book. If things go well, he'll be gone by tomorrow...though it is a shame that he might not ever get a chance to relax like this again. For this short time, it is rather nice. But Matt can't stay laidback and safe forever with his siblings and Pokemon still out there amidst Arceus-knows-what danger.

The redhead seemed to get incredibly nervous around all of the new people, and Colm honestly started feeling bad for the guy. Michael's face turned red from embarrassment as he looked down at his Espeon and realized that he had forgotten to introduce himself to Wes.  Nervously, he introduced himself, “Oops. Kind of dropped the ball on that one didn’t I? The name’s Michael. Michael Rhodes. Pleased to meet you…all.”

Colm nodded in greeting and tried to send Michael a reassuring smile. Even if he was worried that his cover could get blown, he didn't want to be a jackass. He assured him, "No worries." Since he was already standing, he decided to go the whole way with his introduction; if Michael recognized him, realizing that Colm was't using his actual name should give him a clue to keep his identity quiet. He hoped at least. If not... Well, he didn't have any bad blood with Michael or Wes. He took a few steps forward and offered his hand for a handshake, "I'm Bishop. Good to meet you, Michael."

Matt chose to remain sitting as he introduced himself, "Hey. Name's Matt."

Wes had settled himself down, but he offered Michael his hand for a handshake as well. "Good to meet you properly, Michael. Mike. Can I call you Mike?" He then offered, "Help yourself to the food and water over there, grab a seat. It's been a long day for everyone. We're in a safe spot in good ol' Pyrite; time to relax."

Whiskey commented, "I'm surprised you haven't broken out the booze,"

Wes' response was to laugh and say, "You know, I am too. When I'm done eating, I'll see if Dean and his team left anything here." Oh gods, of course he would start looking for the alcohol. Colm shook his head goodnaturedly before turning his attention back to his Pokemon. It was starting to get a bit crowded, and his Pokemon could use a rest. Wiggins was already asleep on Midori's back, and Hudson was starting to nod off next to Watson. He recalled the two smaller Pokemon before trying to decide which of his Pokemon he should leave out. Midori looked so happy that he didn't want to force her into her Pokeball right now, but he would feel safer if he had Watson with him. He decided to leave them both out for the moment, but he waved for Midori to give up her spot on the couch. When he sat down, the fluffy dragon decided to hop into his lap, and despite her bulk, he couldn't say no to that face. She wasn't that big anyway.

“Oops. Kind of dropped the ball on that one didn’t I?"  Oh, bless his soul.  The awkwardness from this one is so palpable that Diantha doesn't need to be a Gardevoir to feel it.  "The name’s Michael. Michael Rhodes. Pleased to meet you…all.”

"No worries," Colm assures, stepping forward to shake the young man's hand.  "I'm Bishop. Good to meet you, Michael."

Matt stays where he was, shooting Michael a greeting from his seat.  "Hey. Name's Matt."

"I'm Diane," she says with a little wave and a smile.  Cosette gives him a little bow.

"And I'm Cosette."  She straightens and offers him a smile as well.  She must really be aware of how nervous Michael was; Diantha wouldn't be surprised if she set about trying to make him feel as welcome as possible.

"Good to meet you properly, Michael. Mike. Can I call you Mike?"  Wes gives Michael a handshake and pops some food into his mouth.  "Help yourself to the food and water over there, grab a seat. It's been a long day for everyone. We're in a safe spot in good ol' Pyrite; time to relax."

"I'm surprised you haven't broken out the booze,"

His companion laughs.  "You know, I am too. When I'm done eating, I'll see if Dean and his team left anything here."

Tempting, but she won't be joining him on that if they find anything.  Staying completely sober sounds best in times like these.

Dean kept feeling worse the more he saw how distraught Justy was. The other man pulled his hand free and began wiping his eyes with his sleeves, which were already short on him from Dean's shirt not fitting correctly, and it was making him look more and more innocent and Dean more like a monster. "Maybe... Maybe we'd do better with some rest? It's-It's been a long day..." Dean nodded slowly and started to stand up, getting an idea when he saw the state of Justy's clothes. He held out a hand to Justy with an apologetic smile

"Tell you what, I'll heat some water and we'll make you a nice hot bath. I'll get your clothes clean tonight and that way they will be ready for you in the morning. Sound good?" He was terrible with apologies and this was all he could think of to make up for treating him so harshly. "Cleaning up could help you feel better."

Phoenix watched the exchange with a strange look, confused by Dean's rapid mood changes. "I hope not, Dean's scary when he's mad. I don't like it." She gave Asche a nudge as Dean moved to lead Justy back to the bedrooms and scooted them both out of the way. "Asche...I don't have any idea what is going on but I don't think I want to miss it. Come on, we're going snooping."

She head down the hallway to duck into Dean's room and started digging through his closet. If he was looking to let Justy borrow something again she was only going to leave him a few options. While he was distracted she started hiding his less flattering clothes in various places all the while shooting Asche little smirks. "Hehe...Time to play a little game."

Not wasting any time she moved on to the guest room and began going through Justy's things. If there was going to be any chance of Dean winning the purple haired boy over he was going to need an edge. "Don't just stand there Blue! Help me find something on your new boy that might help these two idiots like each other. Something they can bond over."

"I'm Bishop. Good to meet you, Michael." As the familiar man introduced himself something pecked at Michael’s mind that the name didn’t fit the face but he was damned if he could figure out who this guy actually was. He accepted the hand shake warmly but the entire time the man was close to him Michael kept trying to piece together just where he knew this stranger from.

Others began introducing themselves quickly and Michael began to feel a bit overwhelmed. He’d never been good with other people and now there were several of them in a single room with him after years of being alone. It was an incredibly strange feeling. "Hey. Name's Matt."

"I'm Diane."

"And I'm Cosette." Michael’s nerd brain turned on instantly at the name and he found himself smiling a bit more genuinely and less nervously. “Like…the musical? Les Mis?” It was one of his favorites after all so he knew remembering this one’s name would be a snap. Thank god for word association because otherwise Michael would never remember anyone’s name at all.

"Good to meet you properly, Michael. Mike. Can I call you Mike?" Michael flushed slightly and gripped Wes’s hand tightly as the other presented it, nodding along to the question. No one had ever given him a nickname before, though granted yes this was just a shortening of his name it still counted, and he was elated. His whole life had always been titles and proper names so someone being friendly enough to call him something warmer, more affectionate, it was thrilling. "Help yourself to the food and water over there, grab a seat. It's been a long day for everyone. We're in a safe spot in good ol' Pyrite; time to relax."

“Uh, sure! Thanks…” Michael nervously skirted around the few occupants who had introduced themselves and grabbed a bottle of water. He looked at the meager supplies and felt bad for taking any knowing that if this was all they had then they needed it more than he. Besides he had some supplies still left in his duffel that he could last on if needed. "I'm surprised you haven't broken out the booze," came a voice he hadn’t head yet. "You know, I am too. When I'm done eating, I'll see if Dean and his team left anything here."


Oh! Wes’s Espeon! That’s who he was talking to. Wait…that reminded him where the heck was his own Espeon anyway? Almost on cue Lucky sauntered up behind his trainer and gave him a delicate thwack with his tail to alert the ginger of his presence. Michael looked down at the lavender cat and gave him an affectionate scratch on the head. Michael looked over to Wes who was still happily eating and swallowed nervously. When was he supposed to bring up the reason he had come again? He wasn’t sure if he should given the present company might not know about it or might be somehow involved. Ack why were social cues so hard to figure out?

Stressed and confused Michael downed the bottle of water quickly and began fiddling with the empty bottle, the crackling plastic rather soothing compared to his sizzling nerves. Sitting down he pulled out a small pocket knife and began to carve small designs into it. It wasn’t terribly difficult with how pliable the material was but it did leave little room for error if he wanted it to look decent. At least it kept him from saying anything stupid and not knowing what to do with his hands. He’d wait for Wes to be done with his other guests before bothering him about Shadows again.

The new guy, Mike, slammed through his food and drink rather quickly. Wes watched as he defaulted to fucking around with the leftover plastic bottle, carving weird little designs into the plastic. It looked kinda neat, really, like some sort of cheap art project. If he was honest with himself, he was surprised he hadn't seen more of it around Pyrite. Cheap pretty decorations were a luxury.

Still, the nervousness rolled off the ginger in waves and Wes felt compelled to soothe it somehow, if only due to his normal social role. Once everyone was done, he stood and stretched. "Okay, so... let's split up in pairs around the building and start looking for mattresses and stuff. Things y'all can sleep on. Mike, you wanna come with me so we can talk shop?" He nodded toward the door and led the way out, patting the man on the shoulder as he walked by. "Whiskey, hold the fort."

"Mmm hmm," was Whiskey's disinterested reply, his tail lazily swishing back and forth as he curled tighter into his spot on the couch. "Fort held."

---

"Tell you what, I'll heat some water and we'll make you a nice hot bath. I'll get your clothes clean tonight and that way they will be ready for you in the morning. Sound good?" Justy's eyes brightened at the mere thought of a proper bath. Oh, that would be just divine. "Cleaning up could help you feel better."

"That... that sounds amazing, Dean. Thank you. Do you really have enough spare for a bath? I-I don't mean to offend you by questioning your offer, I just... Oh... Shut up, Justy. Yes. Yes, I'd love a bath." He gave a short, nervous laugh and took Dean's offered hand. "Thank you."

"Asche...I don't have any idea what is going on but I don't think I want to miss it. Come on, we're going snooping."

"I like snooping," was the Absin's happy reply as he followed Phoe as stealthily as he could, his tail occasionally nicking a corner or piece of furniture as he skulked after her. "What are we snooping?"

They ended their little sneaky line in a new bedroom, where Phoe began to... hide people clothes? Why was she doing that? "Hehe...Time to play a little game."

Suddenly, she was done and moved on to the next room, which housed Justy's things and belongings. Why was she rummaging through that stuff? Asche sat on his haunches and watched her in confusion when she turned to him. "Don't just stand there Blue! Help me find something on your new boy that might help these two idiots like each other. Something they can bond over."

"...Like glue?" he asked innocently.

The food was cardboard and the water warm, but Matt still went through it like a starving wolf chomping on deer babies. He didn't care about the quality; being able to eat and drink in a relaxed setting with no fear of ravenous zombies was pretty damn close to heaven. In fact, it was making him kind of sleepy. All they need is the sound of ocean waves, and he'd be asleep faster than you could say "there's no fucking ocean in the Orre region." Damn, I miss Hoenn, Matt thinks to himself (and not Athena, though she probably knew what was on his mind anyways).

Unfortunately for Matt, his only choice right now would be to sleep on the nice, cold, hard ground...but hey, at least Wes remembers that they need to look for mattresses, because he sure as hell didn't. Athena can't find out, though; there would be no end to the judging looks.

"Okay, so... let's split up in pairs around the building and start looking for mattresses and stuff. Things y'all can sleep on. Mike, you wanna come with me so we can talk shop?" Well, at least the plan is simple enough. Wes leads the redheaded guy away, and Matt finally finds the inner strength to, well, stand up. As much as he enjoys lounging around and doing nothing, it felt good to be actively moving again.

"Alright, Athena, it's our time to shine," Matt says, stretching his arms. His leg had gone numb while sitting down, but he tries not to be too obvious about it. Athena crosses her arms, giving him one of her signature 'about to roast your ass with a Moonblast' looks. That means only bad things, like making him sleep on the floor, or worse, making him write lines on why Hoenn is the 'worst region'. The horror.

"You mean it's time for me to do all the work for you, is that it?"

"No," Matt responds unconvincingly, though he is not willing to ever admit defeat. He looks away dramatically, pretending to be deeply offended by the Gardevoir's suggestion that he would dare cut corners. Some of his hair falls in front of his face, but taking the time to brush it aside would be like handing victory to Athena on a silver platter. Don't let her win, Matt, she'll be smug about it for the next five years or so. "Don't be ridiculous. I always work so hard."

"Uh huh. Sure."

Michael quickly downed the food, and the poor guy's nervousness became clear when the introductions finished. The red head went to a corner and started fiddling with the now empty bottle instead of trying to talk to any of the others. Colm wanted to say something else to help ease the other's nervousness; maybe something about Les Miserables since the other had recognized the source of Cosette's name. However, Wes then announced, "Okay, so... let's split up in pairs around the building and start looking for mattresses and stuff. Things y'all can sleep on. Mike, you wanna come with me so we can talk shop?" Wes stood up and started to head out. Hopefully Wes could help ease Michael's anxiety. To the Espeon curled up on the couch, Wes added, "Whiskey, hold the fort."

Whiskey lazily answered, "Mmm hmm, Fort held."

Matt and his Gardevoir bantered with each other, but Colm didn't listen in as he had to deal with his own problem. A very fluffy dragon problem. Midori hadn't moved despite the order, and Colm knew that trying to make the Altaria move would be fruitless. He teased the comfortable dragon, "You heard him Midori. I need to get up."

She countered with a tired hum and said, "Not really. This is just fine."

He insisted, "For you. If I sleep like this, I'm going to be sore in the morning." The Altaria's sad whine only made him feel a little bad, but she reluctantly hopped out of his lap. He offered, "You can stay here with Whiskey, if you want." Since she had been a little tired, he thought that maybe she would want to spend some time with her former teammate. He would have Watson with him for protection.

Midori, however, had to stop and think a moment. A small bit of fear wormed its way into her chest as she noticed that he would have all of his original Pokemon with him. Would he simply leave her with Wes? Something about that didn't sit right with her, but the idea wouldn't go away. While she adored Wes, the thought of Colm... Bishop leaving, was more difficult than she thought.

Sensing the concern, Colm petted her and assured her, "Don't worry, we'll be right back." As he stood up properly, she took her space back on the couch near Whiskey. He added, "We aren't leaving the building any time soon."

“Like…the musical? Les Mis?”  Diantha could feel Cosette's face light up before she could see it.  

"Yes!"

The introductions are light and friendly and the conversation follows in kind.  It's a pleasant few minutes, but there's business to be done, as Wes reminds them when he stands up.

"Okay, so... let's split up in pairs around the building and start looking for mattresses and stuff. Things y'all can sleep on. Mike, you wanna come with me so we can talk shop?" He led Mike out, Diantha standing and stretching, turning to look at the cat as Wes addresses him.  "Whiskey, hold the fort."

"Mmm hmm,"  He looks wholly uninterested in holding the fort.  "Fort held."

As Matt and his Gardevoir immediately started to bicker, so did Bishop and his Altaria. Keeping an eye on both little fights was a bit difficult, but it wasn't hard to tell when Bishop's had ended-- his dragon let him stand.

"Don't worry, we'll be right back., he assured her as she took the place where he'd been sitting beside Whiskey.  "We aren't leaving the building any time soon."

At about that time she catches the tail end of... Matt testifying that he always works hard and his Gardevoir's less than enthusiastic agreement.

"Uh huh. Sure."  Her own Gardevoir giggles.  Diantha can't help but grin.

"Well!"  She claps her hands together once to draw attention back to the topic at hand.  "Wes mentioned pairs but there's only three humans, so unless he meant for us to pair off with our pokemon, and he didn't because he asked for Michael's help, I suppose that means the three of us are a team!  I-"

-am not an official leader in this situation and can't make a decision for them; be more diplomatic-

"-vote we venture upstairs and see what we find up there," she finishes without missing a beat.

"That... that sounds amazing, Dean. Thank you. Do you really have enough spare for a bath? I-I don't mean to offend you by questioning your offer, I just... Oh... Shut up, Justy. Yes. Yes, I'd love a bath." As Justy's hand slipped into his Dean smiled and gave him a firm arm to pull him back to his feet. "Thank you." The blonde laughed and waved off his gratitude politely, letting his hand drop from Justy's.

"Don't worry about it. I've been collecting the well water for a while and there is a lot of jugs in the basement we came through I can use. It might take me a little bit to fill up the tub but Phoenix's flame will heat it nicely." He started to head back towards the basement door but paused about halfway. "You can hang out either in here or in the guest room if you want, unless you want to help me get the water."

Phoenix heard small bits of the conversation and was hoping that Justy didn't want to wait in his room because she was still currently rifling through his shit. "...Like glue?" Came Blue's puzzled innocence and Phoenix had to stop from laughing. "No big guy, more like...buddies. Really good buddies. We want them to get closer without fighting. So come on help me find something that looks like Justy likes it a lot or treasures it. Something that shows his interests. Anything at this point."

Michael wasn't sure how long had passed as he continued to fiddle with his water bottle, swirls and floral shapes starting to become noticeable. It wasn't until Wes's voice began to carry that he even realized everyone had finished eating. "Okay, so... let's split up in pairs around the building and start looking for mattresses and stuff. Things y'all can sleep on. Mike, you wanna come with me so we can talk shop?"

"Oh now? Um, okay. Sure." Now? But...wasn't it rude to leave people? He didn't want to ask about purification in front of them that was true but Wes's guests probably wouldn't be to pleased with him dragging out the new guy. Weren't any of these people his friends? And why did they need mattresses? Was everyone going to sleep in one room? There was a whole building with plenty of rooms. Everything about this was confusing. "Whiskey, hold the fort."

Michael's gaze turned to the lazy Espeon lounging on the sofa and smiled at the similarity between Whiskey and his own Lucky. "Mmm hmm," he replied with a bored hum.  "Fort held." But Wes seemed okay with the response and continued to lead the way out of the apartment. Should he leave his own Espeon here too? Michael always got off topic in conversations with other humans or he froze up and said something incredibly stupid. Lucky was usually his out for those kinds of situations. What should he do?

"Your answers are getting away Michael," Lucky warned, hopping up onto the couch to Wes's vacated spot. "I'd go after them if you are still interested in hearing them." Man Lucky could be mean sometimes. Pouting the redhead followed after Wes and hoped that he did okay without Lucky's support since the cat all but abandoned him to this task. This was so not how he saw this quest turning out. "So um, what are we looking for again? I don't think I'll be much help if I don't know. Or was I just supposed to talk while you looked?"


((Just as a side note I wanted to mention Mike didn't actually take any food, sorry if that wasn't clear. He felt guilty so he only took the water so everyone else could eat enough.))

It took a moment for Mike to catch up, but Wes turned to the other man as he was addressed. "So um, what are we looking for again? I don't think I'll be much help if I don't know. Or was I just supposed to talk while you looked?"

Wes gave a small chuckle. "I have a bed, so it wasn't really for me," he began, leading the way down the hall and back toward the flight of stairs. Well... that was assuming his bed hadn't been destroyed somehow. But judging by the rest of the apartment, it should still be there. Should. Oh shit, didn't he used to have a waterbed? Oops. No, wait, I destroyed that. That's right. Knives and waterbeds are bad mixes. So yeah, he was fine.

"Really, though, the suggestion was for everyone to disperse and give us an out while we talked. I'm not sure how I'd feel with strangers listening to the Shadow stuff, much less you. You seem like a private enough guy, right?" His grin grew a little as his head tilted to the side and he leaned onto the wall behind him. It seemed like a good enough place to chat. He took a glance around them to make sure the others were out of earshot and returned his gaze back to Mike. "So. Shadow stuff. You mentioned something happening to a pokemon you care about? ...Is it with you?" He eyed Mike's waist a moment, looking for poke balls, then went back up to the ginger's rather stunningly blue eyes. "Not much I can really say apart from taking it to the Relic Stone and making sure it's... actually Shadow."

---

Asche stayed still as Justy agreed to aid Dean with fetching water, then perked when Phoenix began to speak again. "No big guy, more like...buddies. Really good buddies. We want them to get closer without fighting. So come on help me find something that looks like Justy likes it a lot or treasures it. Something that shows his interests. Anything at this point."

"Well..." Asche looked around. "I've known the guy for the afternoon..." How would he be able to tell? He delicately pawed through his new trainer's bag and found a white coat that looked... pretty fancy? He gently tugged it out with his mouth and dragged it to show Phoe. "Uhm, what about this?"

Well!"

Matt drops his dramatic act and looks back to Diane. She has a similar look to Athena whenever the Gardevoir thinks of a plan, one usually far superior to Matt's own. He tries not to be offended by the fact he can identify that so readily. The two of them are equals, damn it, and everyone knows it.

"Wes mentioned pairs but there's only three humans, so unless he meant for us to pair off with our pokemon, and he didn't because he asked for Michael's help, I suppose that means the three of us are a team!"

Aren't pairs, you know, usually only two? If Wes and that Michael kid weren't bringing their Pokemon along, at least not out of their Pokeballs, then it made sense for them to head out together, and for the rest of them to pair up with a 'mon. Matt looks over to Athena, and she simply shrugs. Well, it's not like it's a bad idea. Hypothetically speaking, if someone here does have less-pleasant motives, it'd be better to keep them close. But hopefully, everything would stay sunshine and rainbows and puppy dogs.

"I vote we venture upstairs and see what we find up there."

The suggestion was kind of out of nowhere, but hey, Matt can see it beats the extra time spent scrounging through these shitty apartments alone...well, that isn't exactly true, he had Athena. Still. Two Gardevoir working together sounds like way less work. Work smart, not hard, right? Man, he's such a genius. Sure, it contradicted his earlier statement about being a supreme worker, but that was all in good fun.

"Sounds good to me. What about you, Athena?"

"Thank Arceus I won't be the only one keeping you in line," she says, though that look on her face betrays her attempt at mischief. Ha, that's a point for him. Matt waves away her statement-or at least, acts like he's doing so-in favor of being the actual diplomat and addressing their agreement.

"Seriously though, I vote for Diane's idea. Or rather, we do." Whoops. Sorry, Athena.

After Wes and Michael made their exits, Diantha clapped her hands together to catch everyone's attention, "Well! Wes mentioned pairs but there's only three humans, so unless he meant for us to pair off with our pokemon, and he didn't because he asked for Michael's help, I suppose that means the three of us are a team!  I vote we venture upstairs and see what we find up there." During her speech, Colm's hand continued to rub against Midori's head, and it wasn't until she finished that he finally moved away. The group was pretty much splitting up into two, three, and six. Six people and Pokemon might be a bit crowded... Then again, Watson wasn't as big, and if they went to a different floor, they could just stay within talking distance.

Matt agreed, "Sounds good to me. What about you, Athena?"

"Thank Arceus I won't be the only one keeping you in line," his Gardevoir continued their banter. Both Colm and Watson tried to hide their smiles at the joke.

"Seriously though, I vote for Diane's idea. Or rather, we do."

He was a little concerned that now he was left alone with both Gardevoir and their trainers; he hoped that they wouldn't try to poke him about any inconsistent emotions he may have had throughout the day. Especially any regarding Michael. While he was fairly sure he had easy excuses ready, he would prefer to lie as little as possible when one of the interrogators would be Diantha. This thought passed through quickly, and he had to shove it aside. It would seem too suspicious if he voted against travelling together right now. "Yeah, I do too," he answered. "What say you, Watson?" he asked the Raichu standing next to his feet.

Watson didn't have to worry about the same thoughts Colm did; he simply waited until his trainer gave an answer. He shrugged, "Should be fine. All we have to worry about are weak floorboards and dust, right?"

"Hopefully." With that settled, the pair started heading towards the door.

"Sounds good to me. What about you, Athena?"

"Thank Arceus I won't be the only one keeping you in line," Costte flashes Diantha a grin.  It wouldn't be entirely correct to say she ignores it; Cosette's grin widens as a smile twitches at the corners of Diantha's mouth.

"Seriously though, I vote for Diane's idea. Or rather, we do."

Her eyes moved to settle on Bishop's face, the prickle of nervousness in his soul tickling at her insides.  Diantha glances at her as the man speaks, watching the Gardevoir watch Bishop for a moment before she too, looks him in the eyes. "Yeah, I do too. What say you, Watson?"

"Should be fine. All we have to worry about are weak floorboards and dust, right?"

"Hopefully."

"Fingers crossed," Costte murmurs as they file out the door.

"Mmm.  At least, with three humans and all our Pokemon, we should hopefully avoid too much trouble."  Although fighting in close quarters would prove disastrous.  She really hopes it won't come to that.

Trooping upstairs, Diantha pauses to observe the hallways before grabbing the handle of the nearest door.  "I suppose now is when we choose an apartment and pick it apart. Makes sense to go for the first one, right?"

It's not locked and the lock doesn't look broken.  Somone left in a hurry.  It's an easy push to open the door, which squeaks hideously, but it's not like better could be expected.

"I guess now is when we split off into human-pokemon groups?  My condolences," she adds with a snicker to Athena.

(I assume everyone would agree but if you have any objections, let me know and I can edit)

Dean smiled as Justy came back downstairs with him and held the door for the other so he could better see the stairs on the way down. Dean knew this basement and would have an easier time making his way down with only half light. Once at the bottom he grabbed a few of the five gallon water jugs and dragged them towards the stairwell. "They're a bit heavy so let me know if you need help okay?"

Giving Justy another smile he hoisted one of the jugs over his shoulder and started making his way upstairs, his already high riding shirt raising up even more from the position. His skin prickled from the cool air of the basement but it was a welcome refreshment from the hot day. After getting the first one to the top of the stairway Dean made his way back downstairs to grab the next one and to check on Justy's progress.

---

"Well...I've known the guy for the afternoon..." Phoenix shrugged. "I dunno you seem like you are better with people than me. Anything will do." After a few minutes of the dup scrounging around the Ninetales heard a muffled voice behind her and upon turning around a playfully conniving grin stretched across her muzzle. "Uhm, what about this?"

"Hehe. Perfect. Let me get a better look at that." Padding over to Asche she sniffed at the garment carefully, it positively reeked of the purple hair's froofy scent which was all Phoenix needed to know that it was at least more than a tossed in piece of clothing he found. "I have an idea. Let's put this on you, and paired with those goggles you can look like that weird doctor in one of Dean's favorite movies. He'll die laughing and stop being so pissy. What do you say?"

"I have a bed, so it wasn't really for me," Michael shifted nervously under the stressed syllable, not sure if there was supposed to be some kind of joke or double meaning to Wes's words. Was it actually a bad idea to be alone with him right now? "Really, though, the suggestion was for everyone to disperse and give us an out while we talked. I'm not sure how I'd feel with strangers listening to the Shadow stuff, much less you. You seem like a private enough guy, right?"

A small sigh of relief escaped him and he returned Wes's smile with a full grin of his own. "Yeah. Thanks. It's not exactly a pleasant topic for most, especially those who don't understand it." Wes relaxed against the wall and double checked for any prying ears before coming back to the issue at hand, Michael following his example and leaning against the other wall. How did Wes make leaning look cool? Crossing his arms made Michael feel closed off but with his hands at his sides he felt too rigid. He tried just letting them rest against the wall but that felt too open. Why the hell was leaning so complicated? Was there a science to this he wasn't getting?

"So. Shadow stuff. You mentioned something happening to a pokemon you care about? ...Is it with you?" Oops. Right Michael. Focus. "Um, no actually. I mean, I know where he is but he's not in my..." man those gorgeous, golden eyes were trailing across his body pretty obviously. "...party." Michael shifted nervously as a blush began creeping across his cheeks and up his neck. Maybe crossing his arms wasn't such a bad idea after all.... "Not much I can really say apart from taking it to the Relic Stone and making sure it's... actually Shadow."

"Oh he is, no mistake about that. I don't even need the aura scanner to tell when he's turned," Michael replied tapping the strange device hanging out of one of his oversized pockets. "He's the only one with a special kind of Shadow formula that turned him completely purple when he was under its influence. They called it XD-001. Normally he's pure white but not when this stuff has him. And...wait. Relic Stone? The heck is that? What does a rock have to do with purification?"