(ELITE) The PYRITE Team

Since Colm already had his shitty mattress, he and Watson decided to leave the bedrooms to Diantha and Matt. He didn't need much to fall asleep, and now that he didn't have to worry about sleeping on the floor, he was okay. To pass the time, the human and Raichu went to the living room. Might as well see what was there.

The short answer was 'not much.' The long answer was a flipped over loveseat and a broken TV on the floor. There was a small plastic basket full of... something that Colm couldn't discern from this far away. Watson carefully navigated the dirty floor to sniff at it, and he made an ugly face and said, "I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

"Oh, now you have me all curious," Colm teased as he got closer to hold the flashlight beam over it. He nearly dropped the flashlight into the basket, and then he wasn't sure he would have retrieved it. Sure things were dirty, but there was dirty and then there was stuff probably covered in things he didn't want to touch. "Nevermind. I see."

"I warned you," Watson tutted in amusement.

"Yeah, you did," Colm muttered. He quickly focused the flashlight on something that wasn't the basket of magazines. The beam of light landed on the stand that the TV had previously been perched on. Considering how big the TV was and how rickety the stand was, it was no wonder that the two had finally disagreed on how to stay upright and toppled over. There wasn't much of note in the stand, either. With their short investigation finished, they simply waited on the others to return.

The return to the living room was fast. Colm was milling around a little, or at least, it seemed he had been a moment ago.

"We're done here; we found a mattress for ourselves," she said as she pointed to Cosette, the fairy using her psychic abilities to proudly hoist the cumbersome thing over her head with one arm.

"No floor for us tonight! I hope Matt had the sa- oop, looks like he did!" Diantha smiled to see Matt emerge with his own acquisition. Good; then it seemed none of them would be sleeping on the floor this night.

"Then we should return to Wes's apartment. He and Michael may be waiting for us by now."

It wasn't a long walk. Knocking at the door first, Diantha opened it and held it open for everyone else to file in, closing the door behind herself after everyone was inside.

"Well, we all got fairly lucky; how did it go for you two?"

"This is dumb. They were happy just two seconds ago. I don't get humans." Phoenix couldn't help but snort at Asche's astute observation because yes, it really was dumb for them to act like this. "Why are they so weird?" Laying down beside her friend she playfully batted at him with her tails before resting her head on her paws. "Because humans have this annoying problem where they never know what they want, so they flail around trying to figure it out."

Phoenix let out a heavy sigh. "It doesn't help I tried to push them to the right conclusion because it backfired and now they want nothing to do with each other. Dean is a sweet guy usually but the last couple of months have turned him into kind of a bitter queen. I liked it better when I was the only bitch in the room, two just makes problems." Rolling onto her side Phoenix stretched, pushing her legs against Asche as she did with a playful smirk. "There is still time to fix it though, we just need Justy to be the bigger man here. Wanna help me after he gets out of the bathroom?"

---

"We can wait at my place," Wes replied smoothly, already turning to lead the way giving Michael a nice view of his backside in those tight uniform pants. Whether or not the view was intentional was entirely beside the point but Michael couldn't stop himself from occasionally glancing down as they walked.. "No need in trying to ferret everyone else out; it's a simple enough building to navigate. You still haven't eaten, though. Maybe you can get a quick bite before everyone gets back." Oh shit, he noticed that? Well... he might as well be honest about it since they were going to be working together.

"I didn't eat on purpose," he confessed, lingering back a bit to keep Wes in the lead. "I didn't want to take away from anyone else's portion when I have plenty provisions of my own in my pack. Raided the kitchen and every vending machine at the lab while I was living there and took anything that remained when I left it. I'm good, really."

That was probably too much information but he wanted to be sure Wes didn't feel put out by his refusal. Hospitality was something Michael had always been taught to respect but he didn't want to take other people's food when he had his own. It wasn't right. In any other situation he wouldn't have even confessed to having that much food for fear of getting shot for it but Wes was his partner now, they were going to work together and help Lugia which meant there had to be an increment of trust between them. If he couldn't trust Wes not to kill him over an old candy bar then they shouldn't be working together.

"Because humans have this annoying problem where they never know what they want, so they flail around trying to figure it out." Phoe sighed in tandem with Asche. This was a giant jumbled mess and he had no idea how to help, much less even wrap his head around it.

"It doesn't help I tried to push them to the right conclusion because it backfired and now they want nothing to do with each other. Dean is a sweet guy usually but the last couple of months have turned him into kind of a bitter queen. I liked it better when I was the only bitch in the room, two just makes problems." The comment made the Abson chuckle, one that grew when Phoenix stretched against him and he playfully batted at her paws. "There is still time to fix it though, we just need Justy to be the bigger man here. Wanna help me after he gets out of the bathroom?"

Asche rolled onto his side opposite Phoenix, patting her paws with his own as his lethal tail lazily swept the floor in an arc behind him. "Sure, but I have no idea what to do. To be honest, I don't think Justy does either. He seems as clueless as I am."

---

"I didn't eat on purpose," Mike admitted, surprising Wes as he took the lead back to his apartment. "I didn't want to take away from anyone else's portion when I have plenty provisions of my own in my pack. Raided the kitchen and every vending machine at the lab while I was living there and took anything that remained when I left it. I'm good, really."

His brow quirked and he glanced behind him to grin at Mike, turning back to keep from tripping over anything. "If you have candy or junk food, by chance, I wouldn't exactly broadcast that. Might get a bit of a mob," Wes chuckled as he steeped over some debris. "But I understand. Well, if you run out, you're free to help yourself. We're going to be traveling together, right?"

Wes opened the door to find many had already returned and his grin widened. "Hey, looks like we're the last ones! Sorry if we kept you waiting-- is everyone back? Did y'all find something decent?"

Matt is the last one to get back to the main room, apparently; he's able to catch the last part of what Diane's Gardevoir is saying ("I hope Matt had the sa- oop, looks like he did!"), and is content to assume no one thought anything of the little incident with him nearly splitting his head open. Or maybe nobody overheard. Either way, it's a win-win in his book. They all have mattresses now, no sleeping on the floor required, life is good.

Lingering for long in this place isn't on anyone's mind, though, as far as Matt can tell. There's only so much digging through dead people's trash that a group can handle in a night. Besides that, don't they have other people to meet up with by now? He's not an expert of keeping up with exact amounts of time, but it has been awhile. Wes didn't seem like the kind of guy who worries easy, but the other one-the redhead whose name is stubbornly refusing to come to mind-was kind of nervous.

Then we should return to Wes's apartment. He and Michael may be waiting for us by now."

Yep, he thought so (and Michael, that's the kid's name; now he won't be driven crazy trying to remember). Matt doesn't protest the suggestion, and their little rag-tag team soon goes on its merry way. Wes' place isn't too far away, but him and the others (Pokemon included, of course) end up being the first ones there. He doesn't think much of it, really, sometimes this kind of thing happens. Besides that, Athena looks all too glad to finally have a chance to place the mattress down; Matt knows how much she dislikes using her abilities outside of fighting.

Of course, the remaining two eventually do show up.

"Hey, looks like we're the last ones! Sorry if we kept you waiting-- is everyone back? Did y'all find something decent?"

Matt's not so sure about decent when it comes to the mattresses, but hey, better than nothing, right?

"We've got three brand-new mattresses," Matt answers, taking a little mercy on his own one instead of calling it a piece of shit. He can be nice sometimes. "Well, not brand-new. But way better than the floor."

"We're done here; we found a mattress for ourselves," Diantha said as she approached Colm and Watson. Colm was leaning against the wall while Watson basically sat on his feet.  

"No floor for us tonight! I hope Matt had the sa- oop, looks like he did!" Cosette was almost as enthused as her trainer. The interruption was caused by Matt and Athena showing up with their own mattress.

"Then we should return to Wes's apartment. He and Michael may be waiting for us by now."

”Sounds like a plan.” He followed the others out and back to Wes’ room. Midori was dozing where he had left her, and when the door opened, she perked back up. He held up the mattress he had retrieved, so that she could see before going over to her, placing the mattress down next to the couch, and stroking her head. He could move the mattress to a permanent location later, but he didn’t want to keep lugging it around.  

Not much longer after they showed up, Wes and Michael came back, "Hey, looks like we're the last ones! Sorry if we kept you waiting-- is everyone back? Did y'all find something decent?"

Matt was the first to respond, "We've got three brand-new mattresses. Well, not brand-new. But way better than the floor." Colm couldn’t help but snort a little.

”It’s definitely something,”Colm added.

(I've been working on this since yesterday morning and still nothing, I give up for now; maybe I'll come back and edit this later tonight or something. But for now I skip.)

Phoenix happily joined in on the small batting session as her paws playfully swiped at and dodged Asche's own. "Sure, but I have no idea what to do. To be honest, I don't think Justy does either. He seems as clueless as I am." The yellow fox shrugged and continued playing with their feet. "Yeah, I can see that. But all we have to do is sit down and explain to Justy why Dean got mad at what he said. If we can get him to see how it was misinterpreted maybe he will go and apologize. Dean isn't me, he doesn't hold grudges if someone actually tries to make up for hurting him. Hell the only ones I've ever seen him hold a grudge against is Cipher and that's because they tried to kill him, burned down his ranch, and stole nearly all of his Pokemon. Wouldn't you hate them too?"

---

That amazing smile turned back at him caused Michael to stumble a bit as he navigated the trashed hallway back to Wes's apartment. Had they come this way originally? How on earth did he make it the first time without falling on his face? "If you have candy or junk food, by chance, I wouldn't exactly broadcast that. Might get a bit of a mob." Wes going over a rather large pile of crap was the only reason Michael didn't walk right into it. Especially since he was still staring where he shouldn't be and not even trying to watch where he was going. "But I understand. Well, if you run out, you're free to help yourself. We're going to be traveling together, right?"

"Right. Though I don't mind sharing some of it since, like you said, we will be traveling together. If you want, that is." Fuck his face shouldn't be this hot from just asking if someone wanted food. This was ridiculous! Yes Wes was attractive and yes, maybe he did grow up having a crush on the blonde from television, but seriously. It was food. Get the fuck over yourself Rhodes!

"Hey, looks like we're the last ones! Sorry if we kept you waiting-- is everyone back? Did y'all find something decent?" Oh shit. In scolding himself he hadn't even noticed that Wes opened the door and the others were already back. What were they going to think about them coming back last, with nothing, and Michael's face as red as his hair? Oh none of this was a good situation at all. Nope.

"We've got three brand-new mattresses. Well, not brand-new. But way better than the floor."

”It’s definitely something,”

Michael, not known for being subtle at all, did his best to slip in behind Wes unnoticed while the others declared their finds. Perhaps if he wasn't noticed before he controlled the blush in his cheeks no one would ask why they came back empty-handed. Explaining the entire thing was a ruse so the two men could talk privately did not instill confidence nor did it sound believable. And what if they still needed their help to get to where they were going? Couldn't just alienate people like that.

Luckily Michael's answer came in the form of his Espeon who had been conveniently forgotten this entire time and had remained in the apartment relatively unnoticed until their return. "Michael, please get something to drink. You are still suffering from the heat and so help me if you pass out on me again-" Thank you Lucky you beautiful, brilliant feline you. Lucky smiled at his trainer's inner thoughts and brushed up against his leg as Michael began digging around in his bag for his canteen. It was a very loose explanation for the crimson across Michael's cheeks but both a curse and a benefit of being a ginger in the desert was his skin was always trying to become red in one form or another so it made the fib more believable than anything Michael would have come up with alone. Hopefully no one tried to call him on it.

Asche giggled as they played with each other's paws. It had been too long of a time since he'd been able to just... relax like this. Have a friend nearby and be in a safe-ish place. "Yeah, I can see that. But all we have to do is sit down and explain to Justy why Dean got mad at what he said. If we can get him to see how it was misinterpreted maybe he will go and apologize. Dean isn't me, he doesn't hold grudges if someone actually tries to make up for hurting him. Hell the only ones I've ever seen him hold a grudge against is Cipher and that's because they tried to kill him, burned down his ranch, and stole nearly all of his Pokemon. Wouldn't you hate them too?"

"...That's awful," Asche frowned as he continued to focus on Phoe's dainty yellow paws. "I can't think of anyone that could forgive something like that. But... I'm glad that there's still a chance for them to be friends, Dean and Justy. Justy's weird, but I think I like him. He's already way better than most of the other trainers I've had but... that's not exactly a high bar to begin with."

---

Matt, the young guy with the Gardevoir, spoke first. "We've got three brand-new mattresses. Well, not brand-new. But way better than the floor."

”It’s definitely something,” Detective Collagen added, earning a small laugh from Wes.

"Oh honey, I assure you they weren't even new when they got here. But I agree-- you really shouldn't sleep on this floor. Even without the apocalypse and all that."

Wes hadn't noticed that Mike had slinked out from behind him, sporting a face that matched his hair. "Michael, please get something to drink. You are still suffering from the heat and so help me if you pass out on me again-" the ginger's espeon scolded, earning a bit of a confused glance from Wes. When had he gotten...? Huh. Odd. Maybe he was enjoying the view? With a shrug to himself, Wes made his way to a little closet by the kitchen and withdrew some blankets.

"These are pretty dusty, but from the looks of them, they're still pretty clean, as for as 'clean' goes around here. Only a few are actually fitted, but whatever. Any kind of barrier between you and the mattress is good, right?" He began handing them out to whoever wanted them. "All right, so it's pretty late. Do we want to set up a watch rotation? Anyone have a ghost or two that wouldn't mind watching out?"

(please skip me this round)

"Oh honey, I assure you they weren't even new when they got here. But I agree-- you really shouldn't sleep on this floor. Even without the apocalypse and all that," Wes quipped.

Michael slipped out from behind Wes, and the redhead's face looked like it was competing with his hair for being the reddest thing in the room. That... was concerning. Then again, considering the company that Michael had been with, it was also possible that Wes had simply said things that would embarrass him. Michael's Espeon popped up to say, "Michael, please get something to drink. You are still suffering from the heat and so help me if you pass out on me again-" He wasn't sure if that was a cover up, or if it was real. Either way, he wasn't going to pry.

Wes had gone to a closet to pull out some sheets and blankets for them, and he started handing them out. "These are pretty dusty, but from the looks of them, they're still pretty clean, as for as 'clean' goes around here. Only a few are actually fitted, but whatever. Any kind of barrier between you and the mattress is good, right?" When Wes came near him, Colm accepted one of the offered items. He had a great point, and there really was no telling what could have been on these mattresses. "All right, so it's pretty late. Do we want to set up a watch rotation? Anyone have a ghost or two that wouldn't mind watching out?"

Colm shook his head sadly before saying, "No ghosts here, sadly. Though a watch rotation sounds like a good idea." Wiggins had the best night vision out of his team, and he could bring the cat out to help him watch.

"Oh honey, I assure you they weren't even new when they got here." Diantha allowed herself a private moment of 'ew.' The way Wes said that didn't inspire good feelings. "But I agree-- you really shouldn't sleep on this floor. Even without the apocalypse and all that."

Well, she had absolutely slept on worse things the past few years. This would be a welcome break.

Michael came out from behind Wes, the young man's face about as red as his hair and maybe getting redder. She raised an eyebrow, glancing to her fairy to find that Cosette had a hand over her mouth and was... trying not to laugh.

Oh. That promised to be interesting later, when she could ask

"Michael, please get something to drink. You are still suffering from the heat and so help me if you pass out on me again-" Oh honey. Diantha struggled to hide a smile. Whatever the reason for his red face, it had nothing to do with heatsickness. Given the smiling Gardevoir at her side, she had an idea of what it might be.

If she was right, no wonder Cosette was trying to keep herself composed. How adorable! The world could always use more love in it. Maybe this little crush would actually go somewhere. You never know.

Now hopefully Cosette wouldn't embarrass the poor dear. She had enough tact not to do it in front of anyone, Diantha knew, but she wouldn't put it past her best friend to take the boy aside at some point and try to suggest he do something about his crush.

God damn it, Cosette. Humans do not work like Pokemon. Humans have courtship rules. Very strange courtship rules.

... Although to be fair, Pokemon did too, varying by region, species, and what humans they might or might not be around. She supposed Cosette must just be from somewhere where they were very up-front about it. Ugh, all those times she embarrassed her in front of Lysandre...

Yeah, she would need to keep an eye on the fairy.

Wes began to hand out sheets and blankets Diantha accepting hers with a smile and a word of thanks. "These are pretty dusty, but from the looks of them, they're still pretty clean, as for as 'clean' goes around here. Only a few are actually fitted, but whatever. Any kind of barrier between you and the mattress is good, right?" Yes, absolutely. "All right, so it's pretty late. Do we want to set up a watch rotation? Anyone have a ghost or two that wouldn't mind watching out?"

Colm shook his head. "No ghosts here, sadly. Though a watch rotation sounds like a good idea."

"I have a ghost." She reached into her bag and pulled out Maria's pokeball. "She's a Gourgeist. Will that do?"

"...That's awful," Phoenix nodded and lazily bat at Asche's paws, a heavy sigh pushing out her chest. "I can't think of anyone that could forgive something like that. But... I'm glad that there's still a chance for them to be friends, Dean and Justy. Justy's weird, but I think I like him. He's already way better than most of the other trainers I've had but... that's not exactly a high bar to begin with."

"No kidding. In general I think humans suck but Dean's always been good to me. But I do think they could be a lot closer if both of them got their heads out of the sand, we just need one of them to make the first move. I've tried twice with Dean so now it is Justy's turn to be the bigger man. We just have to make sure he doesn't stick his foot in his mouth again once we get it out."

---

Michael did not like the look he was getting from the Gardevoir, that smile made him even more self conscious about his blush which in turn only darkened it further. Lucky rolled his eyes at his trainer's embarrassment and instead pulled out Michael's canteen to continue the ruse, and quite honestly to keep him from talking. Michael always made things worse when he tried to make up excuses, he was a terrible liar. Babbling when telling the truth was nothing compared to the tales he would weave trying to concoct a lie.

The pair watched Wes as he moved about the apartment with ease and pulled a few selections from a closet, passing them off to the others with simple explanation. "These are pretty dusty, but from the looks of them, they're still pretty clean, as for as 'clean' goes around here. Only a few are actually fitted, but whatever. Any kind of barrier between you and the mattress is good, right?" Michael realized as they were talking his normal sleeping accommodations, namely an overly large bear, were not going to work in this small apartment. They were on a higher floor and there were multiple people, an Ursaring was simply not going to fit. He had spent his time with Wes discussing Lugia rather than figuring out sleeping arrangements so now he was stuck. Shit.

"All right, so it's pretty late. Do we want to set up a watch rotation? Anyone have a ghost or two that wouldn't mind watching out?"

"No ghosts here, sadly. Though a watch rotation sounds like a good idea."

"I have a ghost. She's a Gourgeist. Will that do?"

Michael heard his chance to avoid the awkward question of where he would sleep and sheepishly chimed in, "I don't mind taking a watch myself. I don't sleep much anyway." Stop trying to explain shit doofus! They don't need the extra info!

"No kidding. In general I think humans suck but Dean's always been good to me. But I do think they could be a lot closer if both of them got their heads out of the sand, we just need one of them to make the first move. I've tried twice with Dean so now it is Justy's turn to be the bigger man. We just have to make sure he doesn't stick his foot in his mouth again once we get it out."

Asche giggled at the visualization and continued to play with Phoe's feet with his own. "Maybe he likes the taste?" he asked through his laughs, his long tail flopping happily to and fro. "But honestly, we might have more success? He sucks at talking, though. We might need to make him like... those big cards with stuff written on them for him to read. I could probably do a better job at talking than he does. And I suck."

---

Detective Cold Witch Tits was the first to speak, and Wes was a little surprised to hear his answer. "No ghosts here, sadly. Though a watch rotation sounds like a good idea." No ghosts? Really? He quirked a brow at the man; wasn't a ghost like... the ultimate partner for spying and sleuthing and... being a detective? How good at his job was this dude? He'd need to log that info away. At least if Wes needed to hide from this guy, he'd be able to much easier than anticipated.

"I have a ghost. She's a Gourgeist. Will that do?" Wes turned to Diane and couldn't help the smile. Well, at least they were covered. He was beginning to worry.

"I don't mind taking a watch myself. I don't sleep much anyway." Turning from Diane back to Mike, Wes cocked his head a little.

"Well... the point of a ghost watching over us is so that we won't have to do it ourselves. They're the watch. They don't need to sleep and can phase through walls and all that?" He gave Mike a teasing wink. "So we should be good. Yeah, Diane, a Gourgeist sounds perfect." Turning back to Mike, he gestured to the couch. "So there's the couch one of us can use or the bed in my room. We're about the same height, so I can comfortably assure you that your feet won't hang off if you pick the couch. Either way, I'm dragging the mattress in here if you want to help."

It really is a shame he doesn't have a Ghost-type with him. Beyond the fact ghosts are pretty cool, they really are capable of a lot of helpful things. Like not being limited by sleep, for one. Matt used to love sleep back when the world was actually not completely shitty, but nowadays, it's not even remotely enjoyable, especially not when a healthy dose of wariness makes you wake up constantly. He would love to be able to just stay up for however long he wanted, especially if it meant avoiding the "brand new" mattress. Maybe Athena would want it instead? After all, she did hate being kept too long in a Pokeball. But then, he was told not to trust the floor...

Oh well, the shitty mattress and ill-fitting sheets will work. At least Diane has a ghost to keep an eye out for any unwanted guests.

"I don't mind taking a watch myself. I don't sleep much anyway."

Matt finds himself looking at the newest kid when he says that. Talk about unnecessary information...but he supposes he can't blame the guy. Sometimes, people just say shit without even thinking about it. Matt's own brother did the same thing, and both him and the redhead are pretty twitchy. With this in mind, he simply shrugs and looks away.

"Well... the point of a ghost watching over us is so that we won't have to do it ourselves. They're the watch. They don't need to sleep and can phase through walls and all that? So we should be good. Yeah, Diane, a Gourgeist sounds perfect." Matt has to admit, not having to use his own Pokemon (or himself) for the watch is a welcome idea. At this point, though, he's not sure what to add to this conversation. Probably better to just not say anything and stick to his own business. "So there's the couch one of us can use or the bed in my room. We're about the same height, so I can comfortably assure you that your feet won't hang off if you pick the couch. Either way, I'm dragging the mattress in here if you want to help."

Colm had noticed the twitch of Wes' eyebrow at the mention of no ghosts, but he wasn't going to comment on it. He had never bonded with a ghost enough to bring one on the missions he went on, and he wasn't going to force one to come with him. Diantha offered one of her own Pokemon to watch over them for the night. "I have a ghost. She's a Gourgeist. Will that do?"

Michael then chimed in. "I don't mind taking a watch myself. I don't sleep much anyway." That drew his attention away from Wes as he carefully eyed the younger man. Why was he so insistent on being awake when an easy opportunity to rest presented itself? The more he looked, the more he got the impression the redhead was probably just really nervous and not thinking things through as he said them. He was really relieved that Miechael hadn't recognized him.

Wes took it upon himself to explain, "Well... the point of a ghost watching over us is so that we won't have to do it ourselves. They're the watch. They don't need to sleep and can phase through walls and all that? So we should be good. Yeah, Diane, a Gourgeist sounds perfect." Colm nearly rolled his eyes at the wink Wes gave Michael. He really never stops, does he? "So there's the couch one of us can use or the bed in my room. We're about the same height, so I can comfortably assure you that your feet won't hang off if you pick the couch. Either way, I'm dragging the mattress in here if you want to help."

"I don't mind taking a watch myself. I don't sleep much anyway," Michael said. Cosette tilted her head again as Diantha let out a little hum of thought. Boy, this newcomer was full of stuff that was earning her fairy's interest. But once again, it seemed as if there were nothing dangerous there. Cosette didn't so much as glance at her human.

"Well... the point of a ghost watching over us is so that we won't have to do it ourselves. They're the watch. They don't need to sleep and can phase through walls and all that?" Wes pointed out.

I don't think he wants to stay awake because he missed the point of having a ghost on watch. She also wasn't so sure Wes was right about his assumption, not with over seven hundred species of pokemon in existence. But to be fair, most ghost species probably didn't need sleep. She knew for a fact Maria did not, though she did need food. Whatever core existed, whatever exactly it was, still needed some form of sustenence. I bet Augustine would know more about what ghost species need what...

"So we should be good. Yeah, Diane, a Gourgeist sounds perfect." She blinked, the world coming back into focus just in time to see him give Michael a wink. "So there's the couch one of us can use or the bed in my room. We're about the same height, so I can comfortably assure you that your feet won't hang off if you pick the couch. Either way, I'm dragging the mattress in here if you want to help."

"Let's get Maria out, if we're going to be going to bed soon," Cosette suggested. Agreeing with that assessment, Diantha reached into her bag and pulled out Maria's pokeball. With a little smile, glad to be seeing her ghost pumpkin again, she gave the ball a toss.

"Good evening, Maria," the Champion greeted her as the grass-type yawned and stretched. Maria glanced first at her human and her teammate, and then around the room, reflecting Diantha's smile. Cosette, meanwhile, hoisted the mattress with her psychic powers and moved it to a more out-of-the-way area.

"Oh, hi everyone!"

"We need you to keep watch tonight, if you can?"

"Yeah, sure. I feel pretty great." She gave them a thumbs up. Diantha patted what might be considered her shoulder, maybe. Gourgeist anatomy was weird.

"Thank you, dear; we appreciate it."

"No problem." She paused and then looked around, unsure of what the situation was exactly and hoping they were crashing in someone's territory rather than just some random place. "If any of you have been staying here awhile, can you tell me if there's anything in particular I should keep a listen out for? Like, any sounds in particular?"

Phoenix couldn't help but snort at Asche's lazy joke and was still chuckling even as their feet continued their battle. "But honestly, we might have more success? He sucks at talking, though. We might need to make him like... those big cards with stuff written on them for him to read. I could probably do a better job at talking than he does. And I suck." The Ninetales pictured those silly programs Dean used to like to watch and imagined Justy in a flamboyant game show host costume, complete with glitter, and let out a loud bark of a laugh. "If either of us knew how to read or write that would be a great idea, Blue. But I don't think you have that kind weird hidden talent."

---

"Well... the point of a ghost watching over us is so that we won't have to do it ourselves. They're the watch. They don't need to sleep and can phase through walls and all that?" Michael frowned at the light ribbing and turned away from Wes's wink. He hated when people acted like he couldn't understand the obvious. And that wasn't the point of his suggestion, it was just the implication. "So we should be good. Yeah, Diane, a Gourgeist sounds perfect."

Still pouting to himself Michael didn't catch Wes looking at him until the blonde started to speak and it took a few moments for him to process what was being said. "So there's the couch one of us can use or the bed in my room. We're about the same height, so I can comfortably assure you that your feet won't hang off if you pick the couch. Either way, I'm dragging the mattress in here if you want to help." Bed... in his room? Couch? What the hell was he- Oooooooh. He meant for Michael to take the couch to sleep. Ok. That...that made way more sense than whatever track his brain was trying to go down. See Rhodes, this is why you pay attention.

"Yeah, that's fine," Michael finally replied after a moment once his brain fully processed everything. "I don't really sleep but it will at least be a place to lay down. Thank you." That had been his entire point for suggesting he take a watch himself to give the Pokemon a break. How many of them were exhausted from the trip across the desert? Likely all of them if they weren't native. But it didn't matter, Wes was doing the best he could to accommodate everyone so that had to count for something. He could just as easily throw everyone out and make them fend for themselves but he was adhering to the old standard of safety in numbers. It was a lovely mark to his character. "Let me know if you need any help though."

"If any of you have been staying here awhile, can you tell me if there's anything in particular I should keep a listen out for? Like, any sounds in particular?"

"Anything walking around downstairs or outside," Wes offered the ghost with a smile. "There shouldn't be anyone but us in the building, and just Dean and Justin and their pokemon for the rest of the town. And you know, gunfire. But that should be it."

Wes turned as Mike finally came back to reality; he'd kind of... phased out there a moment. "Yeah, that's fine. I don't really sleep but it will at least be a place to lay down. Thank you." Whiskey and Wes exchanged a look. "Don't really sleep" wasn't much of an excuse for the Espeon. Sleep was vitally important to function and if ignored, would devastate any and everyone. "Let me know if you need any help though."

"All right. Goodnight, guys. Sleep tight."

---

Justy sighed as he stood out of the bath and quickly dried himself off. It had been ages since he'd been able to get a proper bath, and even after what felt like an eternity of scrubbing, there was still sand... everywhere. Just everywhere. Eugh. He would stay longer, but the water was chilling and he was beginning to... prune.

Once out, he wrapped himself with a long towel and pulled the offered t-shirt over his head and frowned at the tight fit. Oh dear. Pulling his pants to his nose, he found that they were much to stinky to put back on and found himself in quite the predicament. Small shirt, dirty pants.. oh dear. Maybe he'd forgotten about a change of clothes in his bag? Hopefully?

Poking his head out of the bathroom once he made sure the water was draining, he looked around to try and make his way to his bag stealthily, the towel still tied around his waist.

(Skip me this round.)

As Michael, Wes, and Maria discussed the finer points of night watch, Colm focused on his two Pokemon and their own arrangments. He kept an ear out in case he was suddenly dragged back into the conversation, however. With the mention of the couch being used as a potential place for Michael to sleep, he went over to Midori and gently shook her. "Okay, sleeping beauty, you need to move."

She made a sound not unlike a petulant whine and buried her head deeper into her cottony wings. Watson had a faint smile of amusement. "Don't worry, you can go back to sleep in a minute."

Colm put his arms around her and gently tried to pull her forward off the couch. "Come on..." Unfortunately, the big dragon was a little... much for just a human to move if she didn't want to.

After a short impasse, she lazily lifted up her head and nuzzled Colm's head with a sleepy hum before she started moving on her own. She hopped to the floor, carefully trying to keep her feathers off the ground. He rubbed her head affectionately before picking up his own mattress and sheets and started to find a place to put it that was hopefully out of the way, and wouldn't leave him too exposed.

"Anything walking around downstairs or outside," Wes offered the ghost with a smile. "There shouldn't be anyone but us in the building, and just Dean and Justin and their pokemon for the rest of the town. And you know, gunfire. But that should be it."

Maria nodded, settling herself by the windows to stare out of them. Diantha, sure that they would be fine with her ghost looking after them, moved to where Cosette had set their mattress down, watching in amusement as Colm lost a fight with Midori until the sleepy cloud dragon gave up and moved.

"My god, they're precious," Maria cooed. Diantha nodded with a soft giggle, looking to Cosette.

She was busy looking at Wes and Michael.

"Something wrong?" Diantha whispered. Cosette worried her lip.

"Michael said he doesn't sleep," she muttered.

"... Maria, would you...?" The pumpkin nodded. With a weary, grateful smile, Diantha patted her again. "Thank you."

"Mmhmm." Cosette patted her too before laying down, Diantha digging through her belongings to find a blanket. The sleeping bag would be useless in this situation, with them having a mattress, but the blanket was another story.

Laying down, Cosette snuggled beside her. The two were soon asleep.

Phoenix continued to play with Asche’s feet until laziness overtook her and she flopped the rest of the way onto the floor staring out into the hall waiting for any sign of life. One of those idiots had to come out of their room sooner or later and when one did she was going to corner them and get some damn answers. No more of this misunderstanding nonsense.

As luck would have it not long after she made her decision the quiet spring of a door handle turning and the soft sound of door hinges groaning as they moved caught her attention and a smirk pulled up her muzzle. Shifting to her stomach she got into a position she could rise more quickly from and waited as the soft shuffle of feet grew steadily closer, her tails beginning to swish as they neared her position.

But what she hadn’t noticed was there were two sets until a loud gasp of surprise preceded the halt of at least one set.

“J-Justy-?! I’m sorry I thought you were- I mean- I was just-“ The flush on Dean’s face was incredibly apparent as he took in a still drippingly damp Justy with the shirt he had lent him straining against the larger torso, sticking in places where the water soaked in. “I assumed you were still in the bathroom. I was just going to grab a drink. I’ll… Let me get out of your way! Sorry!” The blonde had completely forgotten being mad at the idiot as he briskly brushed passed towards the kitchen once more and leaving a snickering Ninetales he didn’t even notice behind.

“And here I thought this was going to be difficult.”

---

"All right. Goodnight, guys. Sleep tight."

Michael didn’t miss that look between Wes and his Espeon but he did his best to pretend it didn’t bother him. For years now he slept maybe a few hours a night, if that, and often went at least two days with nothing at all. It tired him sometimes but it was better than the nightmares that came every time he closed his eyes. He could still see little Pluplu and Mimi ripping pieces out of his mother and that empty, hollow look in her eyes…

Shaking his head violently to try and banish the dark images the ginger youth instead focused on running calculations in his head to try and piece together what few, yet vital, bits of information he had. Without the tempo of the Purification Chambers there had to be a way to mimic the effectiveness using Celebi instead to fight back the Shadowfication of Lugia without outright killing the large dragon. Lugia was his friend and he hated seeing the majestic beast held captive by anyone but especially held captive against his own heart.

The trick of distracting himself worked as the painful images always lingering on the fringes of his mind once again receded into their dark corners and Michael made his way over to the newly freed couch, sitting down with a quiet thunk while the rest of the group shuffled around to find their sleeping arrangements. Lucky hopped up onto the other side of the couch with him and proceeded to cuddle against Michael’s ribcage in an attempt to comfort his trainer. The affection was greeted warmly and he stroked the feline gently despite the fact his soft smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Michael had become quite adept at hiding his true feelings against Eldes and the others back at the IPD he worked out of but never from Lucky. The Espeon had known him since Michael was a small boy no taller than his father’s knee, they were practically brothers. Not for the first time that night Michael inwardly wished for Teddy, the soft, honey scented fur that seemed to remain from the bear’s earlier evolution and his protective embrace was always the best way to help chase the bad thoughts away. But in this tiny apartment there was no way they would fit. So, like he predicted, Michael did very little in the way of sleeping that night.

((If anyone has more they want to do this round go ahead but I am gonna be doing a time skip next round to shift us to morning so we can get the group back together. Otherwise skips are perfectly allowed for anyone who wants to hurry this along lol))

((Except Sil. You are not allowed to skip Justy because fuck you I need a response XD))

[[skipping Wes]]

Oh, he didn't think there was going to run into Dean. Why was his luck so bad?! “J-Justy-?! I’m sorry I thought you were- I mean- I was just-“ Their faces matched in blushes, though the intensity was more apparent on Dean's creamy skin. Oh. Oh that was an inappropriate adjective. “I assumed you were still in the bathroom. I was just going to grab a drink. I’ll… Let me get out of your way! Sorry!” Justy reached out to try and stop Dean from skittering-- he still had to apologize...

“And here I thought this was going to be difficult.”

"Dean--!" Sure, he was still in just a towel, but he couldn't just... let this weirdness between them fester. He began to trot after Dean and, of course, immediately slipped on the floor, smashed his head into the wall, and promptly fell.

"Oh..." he moaned, one hand going to his affronted head while the other clung to his towel. At least it didn't come apart. "I just-- I'm- I'm sorry..."

(It kills me to do this on what would otherwise be a badge post but anfksjfka skip please. I had them fall asleep last round because I ran out of stuff for them to do and also they're tired af.)