with knowledge comes great responsibility

[anythingforyou]

[What an absolute ordeal all of that was.

Today was certainly one hell of a day, that's for sure; they've managed to take care of another Guardian and gain it's trust (or at the very least, something resembling it), they managed to find Candice and manage to...well, maybe not get her back in a state that's altogether wanted, but ensure they managed to get her at least into a place where she could possibly regain herself. It will likely be a process, as such things are, but they've done their best, and they should have no regrets.

The center is definitely going to be a welcome reprieve for all of their suffering, at the very least. The Kompot is certainly more than enough to likely get everyone warmed back up and in a stable condition, along with the copious amount of blankets the locals have provided. They've got the time to rest and get ready for their next adventure.

Rest well, ye merry band of travelers. You've earned it.]

Comments

[hyruglyphics]

[ She played her part to get Candice to town, to get her situated somewhere that they can possibly hand her off to the locals, to help her be rehabilitated. If she wanted to linger with them she would try to linger closer. That said- As the day concludes, as things settle down for the end after those trials and after the loss of the world has been laid bare, while the group (or at least most of them) are in one place, Zelda clears her throat and well, concretely says, ]

I would like to apologize to you all. … I am sorry. I lost my temper, what I was not helpful to our cause today. It would not be right of me to allow that to linger.

[ It's possible that pressing the point helped but... honestly, it's hard for her to declare that one way or another. It’s said with the same of dignity and poise Zelda does try to present for herself, but it is betrayed somewhat by how dry her mouth and eyes feel. Her eyes are distinctly bloodshot. She’s just… tired. She doesn’t refuse responses directly to that, but she also doesn’t linger for them either.

How she handled things wasn’t becoming of a princess or of a scholar. To have Kayneth praised for rationality while she handled things the worst really cemented that home for her. As such when she finishes the apology, she doesn’t quite distance herself from the group, but she does sort of settle into a position huddled up with Saber a ways off from everything. Miphanus is beeping near them, but she just wants to be with the one of the four who actually has body warmth.

That's her evening. ]

[perfectselfie]

[After a little while, Aya will come on over with a cup of tea for Zelda.]

How are you holding up? I made tea, if you'd like some.

[ventulus]

[ Ventus kind of had a feeling that she might've apologized after all of that, though he's not sure if he thinks she really did too much of a bad thing in the first place. Sure, he knows that there were extenuating circumstances with the Pokemon, but at the same time...there was actually a lot he wasn't okay with either.

He's not sure if he can make anyone feel better after that, but maybe he can try to make it clear they're not alone in this, and that might help. ]

I'm not going to really blame you for any of that...that wouldn't really be fair.

[ ... ]

Do you want to kind of talk about it a little more? Or something else?

[bloodspent]

[He'll come join her later that night, after he's had some time to bleed some things out of his system; his hand's wrapped and he'll further deal with whatever injuries he did to himself in the morning, right now it's just good enough for government work and he'll come sit down near her so he's not just standing over her.]

How're you feeling after all that?

[It's quiet, but it's a question that's being put out there anyway.]

And I'm not asking if you'll manage, or if you're okay, because I'm sure you will and exactly none of that is feelings.

[redbellion]

[ he heard zelda's apology, and honestly, keith doesn't blame her one bit.

when she's off away from everything, keith finds her, holding her book in his hand. ]

Hey, Zelda. Do you...mind if I sit here?

Away from Everything

[takestheblame]

...you didn't have to apologize.

[Hey, Zelda. So you're away from everyone...you may want privacy, he supposes. Kiryu decides to say his part and not force his presence on her further than necessary]

What you said was the truth. Even though it may have been reckless to say it, and Uxie wouldn't like to hear it, truths aren't meant to be softened. It may not end well sometimes, but saying what's right and what isn't is important.

You had the guts to speak your mind. I believe you showed once again why everyone here should have a high opinion of you.

[Congrats, Kiryu approves. Then again, he's the guy who isn't deterred by an opponent's power and goes into situations where anyone else would die, usually involving saying what's what even if it makes someone angry. He's pretty much approving how he'd have behaved too if he had the chance]

[semistableman]

[It takes him a while to approach Zelda, because he knows what she's going through; he'd gone through it just a couple weeks ago, after all. But eventually, once it looks like the sea of people approaching her died down, he approaches her, offering her a glass of kompot.]

Here. You look like you could do with a drink.

ways off

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[Sena's been woozy-headed all evening, but Zelda's apology is something that cuts through that haze. The circumstances around that are crystal clear, and while he wasn't able to voice much at the time, he wants to at least get his words out to her.

So, well, he's pretty much indisposed on the bench and isn't up for moving much, but Monta sure is being restless and irritable, and he needs to do something lest he get into trouble again. And, well, maybe he's not supposed to be doing something that requires mental focus like this, but he writes off a quick note on a napkin anyway and has Monta take it to her.

It reads as follows:]

i know me saying this is not gonna stop you from feeling bad or anything but i think it was really brave of you to stand up to uxie like that. like i don't think either of you were wrong or anything but what we all saw uxie do was really terrible so i don't think it's wrong to react like that to it? and i get that uxie did what it did because it panicked and made a mistake and it felt bad too but it was also kind of insensitive about it kinda the same way michael was which i guess makes sense since he's a demon or something and this uxie is a deity? so they're the same type of being so they think similar i guess and i guess that's why he and uxie kept making fun of me but that's not the point i was trying to make. i forgot. anyways i think that it's okay to feel upset about this but i don't think you should let it hold you back too much either like we all have to get up and keep moving after this right? and its gonna be hard but i think you can do it even if i don't understand it much and maybe i'm being too forward saying this because this kind of thing went over my head and im sorry if this offends you but i dont think it will because youre really nice but im sor

[he ran out of space on the napkin.]

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael will come and settle down by Zelda. He's aware that he said some things in there that were maybe not the most sensitive? And also he made friends with Uxie, who she doesn't like. But that's fine! Right?]

I don't even think what you said was that bad. I mean, tactically, sure, but I've been told that people don't like when you view conversations as things to win.

[anythingforyou]

[...Camilla really didn't respond to the apology at first, honestly. She's...been a little hazy headed ever since this day really got going and she's wanted to keep some form of distance from a lot of things. She was a little angry at Zelda for getting so cross, yes, but even Camilla could admit that she wasn't necessarily wrong.

She knows she should talk to the girl eventually. And...well, considering that Camilla kind of comes up a bit later on, she can at least finally manage that much.]

Zelda...?

[She just tries to get her attention, first.]

[radiantflame]

[It's later in the evening when Morag approaches, carrying the violet and gold tome that belongs to her friend.]

...Zelda? A word, if you will.

[fatalstrikes]

[Yuri was around to hear Zelda's apology, but he left the Pokémon Center shortly afterwards and doesn't return for a long time. When he does finally enter again he hesitates before approaching Zelda. He's moving a bit slower and more cautiously than he normally does, but other than that he seems... "fine" might be overstating it, but he doesn't look much worse off than usual.]

...Hey. Can I sit with you?

[It's sort of an awkward question, primarily because he just sort of joins people whenever he wants without asking, but he's... trying...]

[enjoymyatelier]

[hmmmm. Well... you know. He’s not the best at comforting people, and he’d technically sympathized with both Zelda and Uxie... well. After things quiet down, he heads over to talk.]

I presume you’d like to take your mind off things? It was a long day.

[anythingforyou]

[...Yeah, Camilla's not really going to be on anything tonight--even after talking with Uxie and getting things...well, not necessarily fixed as much as sorted, it leaves her with a lot to ruminate on. And she's...honestly, still very visibly wound up from seeing all of those bodies encased in ice. She's not unused to death, really, but something about seeing all of those expressions and just how much of a horrid method such a thing was...

It doesn't sit well with Camilla. She's likely going to be quite quiet while sitting on the floor; Arion's with her, ever dutiful on her lap as she runs her fingers through his fur and tries to decompress. She's rather quiet, honestly, though her partner gives some concerned noises before being lightly shushed by Camilla.

She's...a little out of it, between being sick and everything happening so much, but she's here if needed.]

[perfectselfie]

[As promised, Aya made tea. She'll bring a cup over.]

I promised I'd make tea. How are you feeling?

[omissions]

[On the one hand, thank goodness that the situation was sorted out. On the other... gosh that sure was a whole lot of nope in the thoughts and feelings department today.

As a result, Ari seems to spend a lot of time staring at his food or at a random spot on the wall off in the corner where he's sitting. His Glaceon is using a very light Icy Wind to entertain (or attempt to, anyway) the baby Espurr with some snowflakes, while Klink and Gastly just hover around.]

[ventulus]

[ Yeah, that was really all a lot of... nope indeed.

Ventus comes along with his own food, and looks over at the small show for a bit before turning his attention over to Ari. ]

Can I join you?

[discutio]

[Ignis went to find a kitchen again as usual--he seemed distracted now more than ever, going through the motions on habit in silence.]

[Once that was done and a warmly comforting stew was set out, Ignis sat off to the side with his four Pokemon, quietly pensive.]

[niceoppai]

...you okay, Ignis? It was another rough one back there.

[heritrix]

[Other than to have one cup of kompot, Rin won't be around. Once they've found someone to rehabilitate Candice (her family, perhaps, if they live in this town?), whether they stay in the Center or leave for a residence, Rin chooses to spends time with them and the former gym leader wherever they go. Both to explain what happened, and to answer questions and offer as much advice as she can on how to care for Candice's needs.

Way up in the boonies like this, there has to be a doctor or something too, but Rin is still strangely insistent on helping with this.

Because of that, other than to seek out Zelda at some point and properly thank Bosphoramus for his help in the cave, Rin is only available to chat as they first arrive at the center, when she accepts a cup of kompot that's been offered to them. After she's finished speaking with Candice and her caretakers, she seems to slip off unannounced.

...if for some reason you venture outside the Pokemon Center later in the day, though, you might hear a strange sound. It's faint and hard to hear, but the wind helps carry it. It sounds like it's coming from behind the building.]

Outside the Center

[anythingforyou]

[Camilla's general foggy mind results in her wandering outside eventually. It's likely a bad idea, in her condition; she should be resting, and she doesn't have any of her Pokemon with her, but she's never been good at sitting still.

...What is that sound, though? Camilla registers it after a moment or so, and starts to walk toward the back of the building; is it a little bit clearer, the closer she gets to it...?]

[enjoymyatelier]

[Well, that was a mess, but it turned out better than he thought it would, given all the corpses and whatnot. And anyway... after everything that happened, especially earlier with Candice's two Pokemon, he's going to treat Velasquez to literally anything he wants.

...

This results in him standing outside the Pokemon Center bundled up and holding some kompot to try and stay warm as he watches his Pokemon make yet another snow sculpture in the area outside the Pokemon Center, with Velasquez helming the project. It's an attempt at an Abomasnow, which is... nice, but god damn, it's cold. He's so glad they're leaving basically tomorrow. He's so done with snow. Whenever Velasquez finally finishes up and is sufficiently praised, he goes back inside the Pokemon Center to get his sleeping bag ready, and when he's settled, he begins writing notes rather than actually sleeping, since he's still a bit wired on some level.]

inside

[niceoppai]

Hey, still working? Is that some kind of project?

[bloodspent]

[God.

So all of that has left Jake entirely too keyed-up for him to know what to do with it, he's frustrated and generally just...kind of upset, and as such he won't be seen for long inside the Center - he'll stay just long enough to warm up again (and Zelda apologizes while he's in there, which is just managing to piss him off more) before he's gone back outside into the cold.

He'll eventually stop at the docks and shipyard just outside of town, to the south; it's dark here, and it's quiet at night, and he can just...well, for now he's punching the shit out of the side of one of those large shipping containers, just to feel the sting in his knuckles and maybe bleed some of the frustration out if he manages to break skin. (His skin breaks so much more easily here, it's not something he'd noticed but he has to wonder- ...no, no, he's not going to think about that.)

The sound is hollow and heavy and empty, and it hurts but he doesn't care, and when he's done taking his feelings out on something that won't care if he hits it he'll come back inside the Center.

He doesn't comment on anything anyone's doing, he just goes to the counter and asks for some damn medical supplies and he'll wrap his damn hand until it's no longer a fucking biohazard, and then he'll just...settle somewhere. He'll let his sea slug out of the ball for a little while, and she rewards him by not oozing on his clothes while she sits patiently in his lap and just stares at him like a fucking weirdo; he'll...well, she likes weird blue kompot, so he'll get her some weird blue kompot eventually so she can put it in her face, that sounds like a plan.]

centre

[niceoppai]

Hey, you okay? I mean, I guess no one is after that.

[redbellion]

[ that was just. a lot. from getting across the river to arguing with uxie, keith is tired. he wonders if everyone's time with the first legendary was this difficult. it doesn't help that there were corpses involved somehow, but he can deal with that. just like he always has.

keith is inside of the pokemon center with red and blue both in his lap. he's giving them both pets, and blue is snoozing away while red curls up against the shinx for warmth. he just seems...tired. ]

[nightcure]

[ He... he feels that, Keith. Noctis goes on over to him, a bowl of stew in hand for him. ]

Have you eaten yet?

[eudaimonikos]

[That whole encounter started off on a real sour note for Michael, but he's okay by the end of it. He likes Uxie; they had a good talk. While it's a shame about Candice, they're doing the best they can, and that's really all you can do.

The human popsicles in there didn't bother him at all. But it obviously bothered the humans, so he'll take a bit of initiative in making sure everyone gets some kompot and a blanket.]

Drink up. And pray none of us actually got frostbite. I don't think there's much we could do about it at this point.

[Before long, though, he seems to just be dozing off on the couch next to Cat Janet. For all that he is...everything he tends to be...on some physical level Michael is still an old man who almost got flash-frozen today. He's not really out yet, though, so he can certainly be interrupted. Probably he should be; this won't be the most comfortable place to sleep long-term.]

Kompot

[takestheblame]

Really? Human bodies are more durable than that, you know.

[Kiryu says, as if Michael didn't spend a few days moaning and cursing his squishy human body.

He said that on purpose, yep]

[semistableman]

[As far as Bucky's concerned, it was a damned miracle nothing went horribly wrong for them, given the numerous dead bodies right inside the cavern. Equally shocking is how he wasn't the one who lost it so badly today. He knows he'll have to make it a priority to talk to Zelda, but he'll let that be for the moment, because knowing his own experience with situations, Zelda is going to need space for a while.

Because he really doesn't want to be outside in the damn snow, he can be found in the center the entire night. Earlier in the evening, he can be found lounging with his Pokemon, drinking kompot, with a bowl of his stew in his lap, and his Pokemon sitting near him. All-in-all, they look like they're doing alright. Flora in particular looks very proud of herself.

Bucky, meanwhile, looks like he's going to be spending the rest of the day massively keyed up.

It's only late at night that he actually looks more relaxed, though he's still clearly wound up. He's wrapped in blankets, still sitting up, but surprisingly, he actually looks more relaxed than wound up and paranoid. Maybe it's because Flora and Henrietta are both sleeping on him. Henrietta on his head, and Flora in his lap.

It's likely going to be a long, long night.]

early

[niceoppai]

What a day... Are you, uh, doing alright? I know it was kind of a lot.

[takestheblame]

[What happened today was a major adventure, and Kiryu isn't sure how to feel about it. He's just glad it's over.

The consequences are notorious, though. Candice lost her memories, and is going to need quite some time to recover. Even then she may not be the same person she was before.

Feeling bad for her, he decides to do one last thing for her, seeing how they'd leave in matter of days.

He goes through the Pokemon Gym, once again braving the icy building to look for objects and items that could help her. Afterwards, he wanders the streets of Snowpoint, carrying blankets, a small collection of books and pamphlets, and a box of other assorted items. If he encounters someone, he asks:]

Do you know where Candice is staying?

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[Sure was one hell of a day indeed. The rest is welcome, especially for Sena. Now that the whole thing is over and done with, the adrenaline coursing through his body is completely gone, leaving him dizzy and nursing a small headache.

Yep, Sena sure is concussed. Thanks, Monta.

The nurses at the Pokemon Center are trained to heal Pokemon, not humans, but Sena's symptoms are mild enough that he can get off with some acetaminophen and a warning to actually rest. So Sena's tucked himself in a corner of one of the benches, wrapped in a blanket and nursing a cup of kompot.

His bench is next to one of the windows, and resting his head against the cool glass actually helps his headache more than the medicine...or at least, that's what it feels like. But leaning against the glass, watching the snow fall...he can't help but think about everything that happened in that cave. In a sense, the concussion actually helps: the dull pain in his head causes the otherwise horrifying memories to play back almost...distantly. Like a fuzzy photograph, or something in the far distance.

His Pokemon are actually surprisingly subdued for once - Monta's still a little irate about being called a dumb-dumb, but Vee doesn't waste time pointing out that he's kind of the reason that their trainer is so out of it. So they're both sulking at the foot of his bench, while Nin continues to not give a fuck about many things and sits on Sena's head.

She's helping.]

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael's just gonna slowwwwwwly lean into view here.]

Are you still concussed?