Perception

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The chateau had been a chore thus far, but Krikka knew from past experience that it was only going to get much worse. There she stood in front of the Ruined Passage, a specific section of the nonsensical building that was known for making even the rest of its structure look sane in comparison. It seemed to feel like being a normal hall on this day, but she wondered how long that would last. She knew not how the house worked, but she knew enough to recognize the infamous passage when she saw it even if it looked nothing like how it did in her first encounter with it. The truly was not looking forward to this part of the trip, especially since she didn't have any unwitting powerhouses to guide her this time around. It seemed she was the powerhouse now, at least compared to the individuals with her. It was supposed to be her job to do the protecting, which wasn't something she was happy about; and worse, she had gone and made things worse for herself by injuring both of them, one of which to the point of having to be carried.

She knew Goro no longer trusted her if he ever did in the first place, and Solus was unconscious. Odds were she would be getting no help if she got herself into any trouble; she couldn't recall the details, but she had dug herself into a hole and would have to work her way out of it. She would have considered turning back if not for her knowledge that "back" wasn't exactly a thing that existed in this place; unfortunately, her only option was forward. "Keep your guard up. This place is stupid," she spoke bitterly, quick and to the point without even making eye contact with the croagunk. Then without a moment's wait she started off down the hall, expecting Goro to follow her. He didn't have much of a choice at the moment, given his choices were to stick with the one capable of properly fending off all the ghosts and the apparent occasional psychic... or going off on his own and taking his chances. He was a brute, but Krikka doubted he was actually stupid enough to throw away all sense of self-preservation.

Solus was showing signs of life in the form of subtle movements and occasional noises, which had to be a good sign. Probably. The umbreon could only assume he wouldn't be happy about his condition when he finally woke up, but he'd just have to deal with it. At the moment, there were far more important things to worry about than the feelings of her allies... or herself, for that matter. She focused solely on the hall and tried to ignore the still-looming confusion regarding her own actions; she couldn't see any end to the path despite the light of candles running along the walls. There were no doors in sight either, leaving an empty hallway of indiscernible length to traverse. She knew that could change at any moment, but it was still a bit disheartening to see. She doubted moving forward at a faster pace would actually help to speed things along, so she kept her stride relatively low so as not to waste any energy. She had a lot of dead weight to carry anyway, which would have made running considerably more tasking than normal. She knew the big heap of buizel was burdening her by her own doing, but that wouldn't stop her from blaming him for it.

She wondered if Solus would stay with her after this... or Goro... or if they would both leave. Maybe she could regain their favor if she stayed true to her word and did what she had come here to do. Or maybe they'd leave, in which case why did she even care? It wasn't like she needed anyone else to help her; sure, the assistance was nice, but it was far from a requirement. She had managed just fine on her own before meeting either of them, and at least one of them wasn't useful for much more than entertainment. The more she thought about it, the more she decided her guilt and concern were misplaced, and the more those feelings faded away. If her two allies left her, it didn't matter; if they died, it didn't matter; if they decided to stay with her, good for them, but it still didn't matter. All she needed was herself, and all she needed to look out for was herself.

Solus' apparent repulsion was... odd, to say the least. He didn't seem to remember how he'd been hurt, and yet he was still acting as if he was mad about it. Maybe he was just grumpy due to waking up confused and hurt, with a headache and no one giving him any answers. That seemed most likely, but alas, Krikka could not remedy any of that with the current position she was in. She wouldn't really have wanted to regardless, but it was convenient to have an excuse. Besides, the buizel's attitude was actually working in her favor, making it so she didn't have to make the claim that he was fine to keep going with no evidence. The froslass couldn't say much in protest if "Taric" himself insisted on continuing onward. At that, his insistence on moving forward made it easier to explain why they were here and not leaving. Whether he meant to or not, he was surprisingly helping a great deal... even if some of his sass was a bit annoying.

"Guess we're not gonna be leaving," she responded before following after the buizel. She wasn't too big a fan of him leading the way, but she didn't want to tell him to get in line when she was trying to look good in front of her new guide/slave. Besides, it wasn't like it was hurting anything, save for Solus if they encountered a foe from the front, in which case he'd probably be the first one attacked. The thought of it was a bit concerning, but not enough to make Krikka want to get into an argument with him about it when he had probably realized he could get away with it at the moment. That was one thing she hadn't quite considered that, in hindsight, could become an inconvenience; her subordinates could talk back to her if they wanted, and she couldn't do too much to stop them in the moment. She could only hope they would know better... at least, if they were even still in servitude to her. That part still wasn't clear.

But that was in the future, and for now, Krikka knew she needed to focus on the present. "We're explorers, so that's what we're doing: exploring. But, heh, as embarrassing as it is to admit, this place has really given us some trouble so far," she spoke with modesty that betrayed everything she stood for. It was disgusting and nigh-intolerable behavior for her, but this guise seemed best in her eyes for manipulating the froslass. Her goal was to bait the ghost into offering to help them; to make it think the whole thing was its idea rather than hers. She didn't have much doubt that this plan would work, what with it being her plan, and sure enough, she was right.

Nevi followed along, clearly interested in continuing the conversation, upon hearing of the group's apparent trouble traversing the Chateau, immediately spoke up. "Oh, I could help! I mean, if you want. I do live here, so I know my way around pretty well," it offered, clearly bound by its own generosity. Perfect.

Krikka stopped and gave a show of faked hesitation before responding, "Oh, we couldn't possibly ask that of you..." She wanted to make sure to look genuine, and she was pretty sure the froslass wasn't just going to decide to back out after this slight bit of resistance.

Again, she was correct. "It's no trouble at all! I wasn't really doing anything anyway, and I like hanging out with explorers!" So. Loud. The froslass acted like a child, practically shouting everything in borderline-mania. Still, having a guide was worth this drawback... but just barely. Krikka couldn't help but wonder if she could kindly ask it to quiet the fuck down without damaging their new... relationship, but she didn't want to push her luck.

"Well, if you insist..." she spoke with a nod, finally "conceding" to Nevi's offer before continuing onward after Solus. She admittedly enjoyed playing and manipulating others, but when she had to use such a friendly persona, it admittedly annoyed her a bit. Then again, most things annoyed her; at least in this case, she was doing something she enjoyed whilst being annoyed. It was more fun than being around someone annoying and not getting to exploit them. Still, though, she wished she could have found a more... tolerable target.

Again, Goro found himself grudgingly impressed with Solus' fortitude. The Buizel wrested himself up from the ground and away from Krikka's oh-so-comforting paw on the shoulder, growling a terse comment and striding down the hallway. Goro couldn't pin a time on how long the weasel had been out cold after such a beating, but it couldn't have been more than half an hour - even fifteen minutes was pushing it. Were Krikka's strikes simply not as painful as they looked? When the Umbreon had started working Solus over, he remembered feeling a sense of resigned dread. Of course she'd be a physical powerhouse in addition to all of her other strengths, he remembered thinking. But if Solus was awake from his little nap so quickly, then perhaps he held the edge over her in that regard like he thought. Goro certainly hoped so - if Krikka was as strong as he was in close quarters, then there wasn't much of a use for him in this little team. Aside from being a meatshield, that is, but Goro liked to think that he performed the best overall during the quick skirmishes they'd had so far in the Chateau.

Either way, Solus had the right of it. After Krikka and this Nevi started trailing after the sea weasel, Goro allowed himself to follow, trailing along behind them all. Half of it was because he really didn't want to be in close proximity to any of them at the moment - Solus tended to be annoying, Krikka was dangerous and was prone to snapping, and the ghost lady seemed unsufferably chipper. The other half of it, though, was that he really didn't like her, and didn't trust the ghost. It wasn't anything so much against her species or typing - the ghosts he'd met today were the only ones he'd ever met, he was pretty sure, but it was more about where she fucking lived. What kind of sane person decided to stay in a haunted death-trap like this? This was his first night in the Mystery Dungeon, and already he wanted nothing more than to get out as soon as he could.

The ghosts had been weird to fight against, and there had been a damn psychic waiting for them afterward. And that was to say nothing of the strange ever-changing layout of the rooms and weird shit like this impossibly long hallway they were currently strolling down. Couple those with the strange, haunted atmosphere of it all, and Goro felt uncharacteristically threatened and vulnerable. As Krikka conversed with the Froslass floating beside her, he stayed silent, watching her work the poor soul's generosity to her own ends. As he suspected, the Umbreon wanted something from the girl, and within moments of making her acquaintance, she'd made a guide out of her. Even if the means with which she'd done so left him scrunching his nose up in distaste - why not just ask? - he couldn't say it wasn't a weight off their shoulders. Having someone who knew how to navigate the Chateau through experience was a great boon, and would go a ways toward preventing stupid accidents like the ones they'd ran into immediately after showing up.

Still, however useful the ghost would prove herself to be, Goro didn't like the look of her. Unjustified it may be, he found himself distrusting the creature and resolved to keep an eye on her, since the others didn't want to see the danger she presented. She was helpful and chipper and trustworthy now, yes, but there was nothing saying she had to stay that way. Krikka was three for three in getting jumped by the residents in the Chateau, so far, and he needed her alive and well if he meant to get out alive. Stoutly, the Croagunk placed his hands on his hips as he trailed behind the group, making no effort to disguise the stink-eye he was aiming at the Froslass floating alongside Krikka.

Solus practically trudged down the hall. His own attitude didn’t quite make sense to him. If he had to pin it down to one word, the best he could come up with was “irritated.” If he had another word to add it would be “very.” The fact that he was struggling to narrow down exactly why he was so upset only helped to perpetuate the foul mood. The hyperactive ghost Nevi was definitely one source; one that was getting worse as time went on. She was unreasonably happy while everyone around her was miserable, which was annoying enough, but stacking on the fact that she was so loud made her exponentially intolerable.

Then there was Krikka. She hadn’t actually done anything—at least directly—that Solus would normally find irritating. But, for some reason, the facade she was using and how she was using it bothered him nonetheless. She made him seem pathetic. Given his current state, she wasn’t wrong, but he still didn’t like it. Since Solus had woken up in the hall Goro hadn’t actually done anything that Solus actually found irritating. Despite this, he simply found himself drawing thing from farther back to justify his otherwise senseless anger toward the croagunk. Goro’s performance of Earthquake during the fight against the psychic came to mind.

It wasn’t until he drew a few more past events to the front of his mind that Solus realised he was fanning the flames of his own anger. In that moment of realisation his anger was washed away and replaced with a sense of confusion and introspection. He had to ask himself what exactly he was doing and found that he didn’t quite have an answer for himself. Was he trying to make himself angrier? Why? What purpose would that serve? Why was he upset in the first place? His first thought was that perhaps there was no true source for this emotion and that somehow his head injury was causing it. He wasn’t sure what the symptoms of such an injury were, but he thought it would make sense. However, soon after formulating this theory a memory returned suddenly. Or perhaps it wasn’t that suddenly; his thoughts felt almost sporadic in the rate at which he drew them.

He was recalling his dream from before he had woken. Which he realised wasn’t really a dream at all. It was more or less a memory relieved in his dreams. Anger surged forth in him again, now with a new target. Unfortunately, that new target wasn’t anywhere near him. He couldn’t take out his anger on the source even if he were strong enough and in perfect condition. This left him with no outlet for his anger. No safe outlet, at least. Attacking Goro, Krikka, or Nevi definitely wouldn’t lead to anything good and attacking the room would certainly just result in hurting himself. Thus he was left with unsatisfactory brooding and contemplation. That is, until he was interrupted by something gripping him by the foot, causing him to trip.

He managed to catch himself before falling completely flat, but his exhausted body failed to keep him off the ground for very long. His arms gave out and he slipped to a lying position on the ground. He moved his feet around, searching for the object that caused him to trip but finding nothing. He wasn’t sure if he had simply stumbled or if he had been the victim of a meddling Ghost-type and, frankly, he didn’t care. He found himself growing quickly overwhelmed with a mixture of anger and defeat. He made no further effort to lift himself back up. He exhaled a shaky breath. He stared down the seemingly endless hallway. He lay there, completely still, with the exception of subtle movement from his breathing.

With Solus apparently leading the way, the group was off down the infinite hall.  Krikka would have preferred to have been the one up front, or to at least have the guide leading and doing its job, but she figured it didn't matter much as long as they stuck together.  It wasn't as if she lacked the pettiness to take such a little thing from the buizel, but she didn't want to paint herself in a bad light in front of the froslass, so for now, she decided to allow it.  She followed somewhat close behind her buizel, mostly to make sure she was there if anything happened to attack him.  She didn't want him getting beat on when he was already pretty much broken; he was her property, after all, and she doubted she would be reimbursed for her troubles if he happened to perish.  She also wanted to be at least near the front if only to feel like she was still the one in charge... and perhaps to watch Solus for any signs of serious injury that she would need to know about.

It didn't take Nevi long at all to get bored in the wave of silence, and like the glorified child it seemed to be, it began spinning slowly as it moved through the air, as if to entertain itself.  However, upon glancing back to see the croagunk for whatever reason, it lifted its body and flipped backward before floating over to his vicinity, still twirling like an idiot.  Krikka's attention was allowed to flutter back to the two for only a moment out of curiosity, and any questions she may have had were answered by Goro: he didn't like the froslass, and it was probably planning on trying to change that.  She sighed under her breath and directed her focus back to the weasel in front of her, choosing to ignore the other two if it was an option; Goro was on his own with that one.  "I'm sorry I called you purple...  I'm sure you're very nice!" she could hear its nauseatingly genuine and kind voice speak, and the sheer repulsion to it almost made her shudder.  She hated this creature more and more by the moment, but until something changed, it was useful to her.

Had the umbreon not been looking in front of her, she would have followed in Solus' footsteps and tripped right over him after his sudden fall.  She was a bit closer to him than she had realized, mostly because due to a desire to put as much distance between the froslass and herself as she could.  She looked down at the buizel on the floor in front of her, sheer unamusement in her eyes; there was no need to hide how she felt since the stupid ghost couldn't see her face at the moment.  Another sigh escaped her as she stepped to the right of the pathetic waste of fur and started up past him.  "Come on, we need to keep moving," she spoke in a calm and sensitive tone, making it sound more like a motivational comment than a demand.  It was the latter, of course, but the froslass didn't need to know that, as long as Solus did.  She continued walking without waiting for him to get up, figuring she could just say she was scouting ahead if someone decided to question why she wasn't waiting for "Taric" to get up.

After seizing the opportunity to take back the lead that rightfully belonged to her, Krikka took a look down the hall.  It still seemed never-ending, lit by an infinite string of candles along the walls and lacking any other noteworthy features.  There were no doors nor even the slightest hint of any change in the environment, and it was beginning to annoy her.  She quickly lost sight of any point to rush onward and decided instead to stop and take a break until Solus could collect himself.  She sat down and turned around to look at him, forcing the dull boredom out of her eyes and replacing it with something a bit more... compassionate?  Maybe just neutral?  She wasn't showing much on her face, but that meant she wasn't showing anything negative.  However, this quickly changed as she noticed the floor around the buizel seemingly shifting in the dark.  She narrowed her eyes into a squint in an attempt to get a better look at the phenomenon, and they promptly widened when she saw what it was.

Long, hair-like tendrils were coming out of the ground on either side of the buizel; they bore a peach color, and while there were but two of them, they seemed more than threatening enough with their target laying around, waiting to be grabbed.  "S-" Krikka stopped herself from shouting his name, but in the moment of rising panic, she couldn't find whatever fake name she had given him.  Instead of wasting time trying to figure it out, she rushed toward him, throwing herself into the tentacles as they curled around their prey.  She bit onto the orange fur of the buizel as she passed by, then yanked him out of reach of the immediate danger.  Her movements were so sudden and unscripted that she managed to stumble to the ground, dropping Solus in the process.  She rolled onto her belly and lifted her head toward the strange objects just in time to see them retreat back under the floor.  Her heart was racing, but she was otherwise fine, and her buizel was fine too... or at least, about as fine as before.  It didn't seem like the mystery assailant had gotten a chance to do much beyond tripping him, which meant there hopefully weren't any injuries to add to the list.

"Are you okay!?" she could hear the piercing voice of the froslass question, fear and worry painfully obvious in its tone.  She wasn't interested in talking to it at the moment, and she was pretty sure she could spin that as simple "shock" if she needed to.  Yes, she was just a bit shaken up and couldn't be brought to words at the moment.  Besides, she was pretty sure it was talking mostly to Solus, anyway.

With Solus marching imperiously in front of the group and Krikka and her new guide trailing behind, that left Goro at the rear, trudging along sourly. He made no effort to disguise the stink-eye he had directed at the froslass traveling with them, holding his hands on his hips sternly as he stared at her floating figure. The little spinning twirls she did were convincingly innocent, of course, but how was it that he was the only one here who saw them for what they were meant to be? That is, convincing. He had no doubt that the ethereal ghost would turn its coat sooner rather than later, and all of this was just an act to convince the greatest threat in the area - that is, Krikka - that it was just a childish and harmless little ghost girl. Not at all a diabolical specter of evil just waiting for an opportunity to stab them all in their collective backs and twist the blade just for the fun of it, no, not at all. As the Croagunk stomped along behind them, he felt his eyes narrow further in paranoid suspicion and his nose scrunch up in disgust. Between Krikka's false identities and this creature testing his patience, there was too much dishonesty in the air for his tastes. Why not just ask the ghost for help? And why wouldn't she just attack and get it over with?

Of course, like the competent, malicious fiend it was, the froslass immediately picked up on the only Pokémon in the group that wasn't buying its silly little act. He watched in distaste as the ice-type caught a glimpse of him while staring around in childish innocence, and of course she had to do something about that. Goro's shoulders rose up in tension as the ghost flipped backwards into the air, suddenly floating over him. The ease with which she moved through the air honestly unnerved him - it was like second nature to her, and it only spoke to the ease with which she could probably evade him if it came down to it. The only ghost that he'd tangled with so far was the gas cloud that had gotten the jump on Krikka before, as she had dealt with the others in the chamber room with the psychic in it. And facing this creature as his second wasn't exactly appealing - it moved with a grace and expertise that he knew he'd have trouble against. There was a reason that fighters didn't like squaring up against birds - they fucking flew. And it's a little hard to punch what's out of your reach. To make matters worse, even if Goro managed to reach this freaky ghost, then there was no guarantee he'd actually connect. Dimly, he remembered how it felt to strike the toxic ghost cloud from before, and the impact between his fist and something that wasn't... entirely solid. It had rubbed him wrong when it happened, and just thinking about it now gave him the creeps.

At the froslass' words, Goro drew back, visibly affronted. Did this thing have no concept of personal space or inside voices? And the cheery tone with which it apologized to him - he was more shocked at the declaration rather than anything else. For a moment or so, he remained dumbfounded, but like always his suspicion and sullen nature returned to him. Leaning forward in a confrontational manner, the Croagunk made a show of sneering at the ghost in front of him before retorting right back. "I'm sure you're very nice, too." His tone was all laden suspicion and undercut hostility; he didn't trust the ghost or its innocent little act, and he made it as clear as he possibly could with how he spoke. Unfortunately, Goro wasn't able to properly appreciate the froslass' reaction to his barb, as up ahead it seemed something had happened. There was a brief flash of motion, and immediately Goro was tracking it, only to find that Solus had... slipped and fell. He felt a rush of impatience at the sight. Truly, it wasn't Solus' fault that Krikka had snapped on him and reduced him to a bloody mess, but all the same, he wished that they could just get through the rest of the dungeon without any more of that. Even if he felt bad for the Buziel at the same time. He'd had his fill of the Chateau.

He side-eyed the ghost beside him for a moment before watching Krikka take the lead again, peering down the hallway for anything sinister. In all likelihood, Solus had probably just missed a step, given the state he was in, but there was no helping paranoia, he supposed. He couldn't resist stealing a glance at the ghost beside him, absently wondering if she had something to do with it, but she didn't seem to relish in Solus' mundane little fall. It was only after that did he register a dull flash of something peach-colored vanishing into the floor beneath the Buizel's feet, a phenomenon that did not bode well for their immediate well-being. Every time that something stupid had happened while the group was just traversing through the manse's hallways, it had ended up with the residents of the haunted mansion behind it. He didn't get a good enough look at whatever it was he saw, but it was most like another ghost. As the froslass next to him chirped a frantic question, clearly worried and distressed over what just happened, Goro focused instead on the hallway's floor. It seemed to be a tactic that the ghosts here favored - if they tried it on him, next, then he'd be ready.

Krikka was completely correct in her statement. They all needed to keep moving forward to get to wherever it was Krikka wanted them to go to do whatever it was she wanted them to do so that the deed could be done so that they may finally leave the terrible Chateau. And after escaping the Chateau they could get as far away from the area surrounding the place as possible. There was an added benefit to completing the mission as well in the form of getting away from the dreadfully irritating ghost Krikka has requested tag along with them.

If that wasn't already an overwhelming amount of motivation, then what happened next should have certainly tipped the scale. He must have been in danger because Krikka was once again dragging him away from something. Even still, not even this very clear indicator of danger didn’t do much in the way of motivating Solus to move much. He sat up from his prone position. The hall was seemingly identical at any given point throughout it that one could really only tell they’ve moved at all is through the sensation of movement itself. When Nevi approached and asked—all too loudly—if he was okay, Solus answered in a quiet, almost emotionless tone which stood in stark contrast to the Ghost-type’s own voice. “Something tripped me.”

"Something tripped me," the buizel said, stating the obvious.  It didn't exactly answer the question, but the fact that he was responding and not even bothering to say if he was alright was indication enough that he was doing fine.  He seemed... unamused, perhaps due to a mix of being tripped and having to hear the annoying banshee; he had expressed ample discomfort from his injuries too, which probably wasn't helping.  Regardless, the unseen assailant hadn't hurt him, and that was all that mattered to Krikka.  She didn't care much for how he felt as long as he wasn't dying, and they had more important things to worry about than his feelings.  "You don't say," she responded, surveying the area in wait for the presumed ghost to show itself and attack again.  Surely, it didn't plan to stop at just one attempt; it would be the first in this house to give up so easily, and she wasn't interested in assuming her luck would suddenly turn so good.

Her doubt was proven well-founded when a humming sound started up, reverberating from... everywhere, seemingly.  It was hard to pinpoint a source, which left her swiveling her head around, expecting it to jump out of a wall at any second.  "Oh, cool, because you're not already creepy enough," she remarked sarcastically at the tune being hummed.  The voice behind this wonderful contribution to the oh-so-pleasant atmosphere sounded feminine, which certainly didn't help make the sounds any less eerie.  A really manly voice humming like that probably would have been funny if anything; just imagining some manly man trying really hard to be spooky like that was almost enough to make the umbreon laugh; rather, it would have been if not for the tense situation.  She expected her mocking to provoke the mystery creature into revealing itself, though she still tried to keep it tame to avoid raising suspicion with the froslass.  She was supposed to seem nice, and going out of her way to insult and antagonize something probably wouldn't have fit that image.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, she didn't have to worry about getting the thing to expose itself.  Seemingly out of thin air appeared a large, gourd-like figure with long, peach arms spread out to its sides- no wait, what the fuck; it was hair.  The thing through its hair-tentacle-arm-things around the umbreon in an attempt to ensnare her, but she reacted quickly, ducking down and jumping back, staying low and passing right under the appendages.  This creepy motherfuck was still humming like some psychotic serial killer, which it PROBABLY WAS, considering it was in the chateau.  A soulless smile adorned its face, further adding to the impression that it had something seriously wrong with it on a fundamental level.  Even Krikka didn't act so disturbing, even when she actively tried to; or at least, she certainly didn't think so.  It was almost admirable, and at the same time, incredibly annoying.  In the end, annoying won out and the vixen found herself wanting to beat this thing to death, which she figured she would be able to get away with since it had attacked first.

The gourgeist took a few steps back, putting space between itself and the group it was attacking, presumably to give itself time to react to any attacks.  It seemed slow, probably due to how big it was, having a solid few feet on Krikka; it made sense that it wouldn't want to rely on its reflexes.  It pulled its arms or hair or whatever back, pointed leaves creeping out of them around the hand areas as it prepared to attack.  Oh, so it could just grow razor leaves in its hair.  Wonderful.  The candlelit shadows around the black fox seemed to spread over her figure, darkening her appearance and creating a black aura around her.  She stepped closer to Solus under the assumption that his injuries would make it difficult for him to properly defend himself.  The ghostly jack-o-whatthefuck stared at her with its unchanging smile, apparently having fixated itself on her, probably as a result of her mockery of it.  She responded by lowering herself toward the ground in a combat stance, glaring back at the creature and staring right into its emotionless eyes.  She had the advantage, and she had backup; there was no reason to concerned.

The massive gourd threw its arms in front of it to fire the leaves out... or tried, only to be interrupted by the froslass suddenly darting between it and its targets.  The froslass put a hand out in front of it as if to say "stop," and the gourgeist froze mid-attack, ceasing its humming.  It released the leaves from within its tendrils, allowing them to drift harmlessly to the ground at its sides.  Its smile melted into a scowl as it slowly lifted its gaze to lock eyes with the interference blocking its path.  Nevi had a determined look, similar to a glare but without any ill intent.  Seeing that the opposition had ceased its attack however, the froslass' demeanor quickly shifted back to disgustingly cheery. "They're with me, okay?" came the phantom's voice, warm and inviting despite being directed at a sociopath vegetable.  Or was it a fruit?  Either way, it actually seemed to be listening to the smaller ghost, though it was still very clearly upset by this development.

After a moment's hesitance, the fat angry thing took a few more steps away, the tendrils falling limp at its sides.  It turned to the right and started up toward the wall, shooting an angry look at the froslass out of the corner of its eye.  "Bitch," it spat before phasing into the wall.  The froslass didn't seem at all bothered, giving a wave goodbye in response.

Krikka's mouth gaped open and her eyes widened; the shadows around her vanished as she stared in bewilderment at what she'd just witnessed.  She was speechless... and a bit disappointed.  Apparently, this guide was more useful than she had initially thought, able to just... tell the ghosts to go away.  It made sense, in hindsight, that Nevi would know some of the other inhabitants and probably be able to convince them out of a fight, but still...  It was surprising, to say the least.

(1 energy from new page ayy lemme use it as soon as I get it)

Goro had expected the ghost to rise up out of the floor again, like every other feral in the Chateau had done. The gas creature had done it against him, the balloon ones had done it against Krikka, and there was nothing that said this new one wouldn't try the same tactic. So, when instead an ethereal and feminine voice began humming an innocent little tune, the source of which seemed to be everywhere, Goro got a little bit unnerved. He huddled in on himself, his shoulders rising and his arms tensing up in anticipation. The only opponent in this mystery dungeon that had offered any sort of intelligent resistance had been the psychic, and he figured it was just a symptom of his typing - psychics were smart, so they fought smart. He did not, in turn, expect this mystery ghost to switch up its tactics so quickly. Absently he registered Krikka sniping airily at it, the Umbreon, as always, eternally composed (except when she wasn't), trying to turn the situation in her favor. On the other hand, it was all he could do to nervously shift his gaze around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of their assailant.

Perhaps if he were more bright, the Croagunk would have suspected this ghost to be working in tandem with the one that had already been in their presence, but with the prospect of a fight on the horizon he was predictably distracted - and thus, in no state to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Fortunately, it seemed that the second ghost had no such ally in their guide, as it unceremoniously materialized in front of the group. It was only briefly that his view was obstructed by his leader, as Krikka was quick to leap back from the ghost's attempt to seize her. The Pokémon was certainly creepy if it wasn't visually imposing or threatening. Adorning its head were two hair-like tendrils which it apparently used to grab people, and underneath that was presumably its face, one eye obscured by a curl of hair. It had a long neck and a fat, spherical body with a carved face on it, it's inside glowing a fierce orange. It quickly waddled backward on its stubby legs, betraying a speed that wasn't exactly... impressive.

If nothing else, it was creative and passably intelligent, resorting to such tactics and being smart enough to back up when they fell through. Nevertheless, it seemed very fixated on the Umbreon at the front, and it quickly raised its arms up and prepared what he figured was some kind of razor leaf attack - but before it could go through with the technique, Goro felt a sudden chill breeze past him, and just like that Nevi was in between the group and the new arrival. She had only to raise a hand forward for the other ghost to drop its leaves anticlimactically and scowl at the interruption. Interestingly enough, it only took a few words from the froslass for the creature to think twice about this course of action. The hair-like feelers drooped down to its sides, and with its first and last words being a parting jab toward Krikka, it phased into the hallway's wall as quickly as it came, leaving only a sudden and awkward silence behind it. Goro found himself shocked still, dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. He'd expected to have another fight on his hands, but apparently, this Nevi had the ability to just... ward off attackers with a few words. Did she know the ghost from living in the Chateau, or did it just simply think twice about tangling with a froslass in addition to the party of three? Given the suddenness of it all, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"Is she, uh... " His voice cut through the silence with all the subtlety of a hammer. With the threat gone, he felt the tension seeping out from him quickly, and he was ever thankful for it. Quietly meandering forward, Goro made his way past Solus to stand off to the side of Krikka, behind the froslass who was currently waving goodbye to the other ghost. He was as big of a fan of fighting as anyone, but there was something about ghosts that he couldn't quite place... he only knew that he was afraid of them as much as he disliked them - and that was, to say, quite a bit. The only reason he wanted to know more about that particular Pokémon was that he wanted answers - did Nevi know her? And why did she back off so quickly? "She one of those mean and purple persons you was talkin' about?"

the sunset hero carried out 1 launched of one Ruined Passageway :

There was little thought in his answer—it didn’t even occur to Solus that his answer wasn’t quite sufficient to answer the question. He was more focused on other matters. Or perhaps, more accurately, unfocused on other issues. There were a small number of things he found himself trying to think on—not one of which was relevant to the potential danger that he or those around him may or may not be in at that very moment. Still, despite these few subjects of thought, he found himself in a state in which he couldn’t quite give any single thought any sustained concentration.

So he sat, with little action, observing the events around him. Krikka was observing the surrounds, presumably seeking to locate whatever it was that was supposedly threatening them. Goro was doing the same. A noise broke what was otherwise silence following a comment Krikka made that he didn’t actually pay any attention to. He couldn’t figure out what the sound was or where it was coming from. The fact that it was humming or that a Pokemon was making it did not register. At least, not until the source jumped out and attacked Krikka. She reacted well, evading the attack. Solus didn’t react much at all. It might have been due in part to the fact that he was pretty confident that the combined efforts of Krikka, Goro, and their new friend Nevi would be more than enough to subdue the attacker. Another part may have been a simple lull in processing just what was happening.

It was beginning to appear as though an actual battle was about to begin, with Krikka taking a defensive stance and the attacking Pokemon—whatever it was—readying to attack once again. Solus didn’t begin to move until he realised Krikka had moved as if to protect him. It was at this point that he realised it would probably be best if he was on his feet instead of sitting in the event that he may actually be attacked. He stood up. It wasn’t very long before the situation shifted, with Nevi intervening the ensuing combat and somehow defusing the situation through dialogue.

“Huh. guess talking does work,” Solus commented quietly to absolutely no one in particular.

Krikka was just speechless at how a fight with an aggressor had been completely avoided. It was mostly the fact that the thing had clearly come around specifically to do them harm, and yet a few words from this... Nevi were enough to drive it away. The froslass hadn't even done any threatening, though that was probably for the best; a threat coming from someone like that probably wouldn't have done much. The umbreon let out a sigh of relief at the entire situation suddenly being resolved without her having to further wear herself out. She wanted to conserve her energy after having been reminded of how brutal and punishing this place was, especially since she had the evil god summoning or something to worry about. She also felt a bit revitalized by having someone insult this froslass, despite it having been a foe; she was living vicariously through someone who had intended to do her harm, but it was worth it. All things considered, this had gone quite well, and certainly better than she would have expected it it to; part of her was still waiting for the fat hair-tentacle gourd thing to decide to come back and continue starting shit.

Her two followers seemed surprised as well, having little to say about what had just happened. Solus made a remark that she couldn't help but feel was directed at her for her aggressive behavior, and if it was, then she'd probably smack him for it. Later. Goro suddenly seemed more interested in talking to the froslass, perhaps looking to understand why it apparently had the ability to just shoo the horrors of the chateau away. Krikka couldn't say she didn't want to know as well, so she made no attempt to interrupt what she suspected would start up a conversation and result in her having to hear more of that annoyingly warm voice.

And she was right. Nevi turned to the croagunk and responded without hesitation: "Well, she's not really purple... But yeah, Tiff's kind of a grouch. She's okay if you get to know her, though!" The froslass was apparently trying to defend the living assault charge who'd just attacked them for absolutely no reason. "...I mean... sometimes... when she's not trying to do uh... that." The ghost seemed to be struggling to defend its... friend? Acquaintance? It was hard to believe they may have been on good terms after the gourgeist calling the froslass a bitch.

"You mean trying to kill travelers?" Krikka spoke up, figuring it would be in line enough with her persona for her to get away with it. She was no stranger to the concept of being a heartless monster, and she couldn't judge others for it, but that didn't mean she agreed with someone defending the stance. If you're gonna be bad, own it, she thought to herself in bitter disagreement with the froslass trying to defend the bad guy. There was a momentary silence, and she looked to the froslass to see a look of shame on its face; it actually looked like it regretted what it had just said, but despite this, it continued.

"I... yes... b-but..." the ghost tried to find some way to rationalize the behavior, clearly drawing a blank. It hanged its head and fidgeted with its hands as it stumbled over its own words in an attempt to find something to say, probably just hoping to calm the rising tension now. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." It seemed genuinely upset after Krikka's remarks.

The umbreon took pride in upsetting her annoying guide and getting away with it looking like the good guy, and yet she still felt a bit unfulfilled. Perhaps it was because she hadn't gotten to personally beat the vegetable's face in... or... faces? Or maybe it was due to the lingering concern toward her lack of recollection of what she had done to her buizel, or... In truth, she had been bothered for a while by some recent issues. She wasn't stupid; she knew they had started after her trip to the Snowcloak Ruins, so it wasn't too hard to conclude that she had actually been cursed. She was confident there was some explanation other than a legitimate "curse," but regardless, there had been clear effects on her. What was really starting to bother her, though... was the sheer level of instability she was experiencing. She was beginning to realize that she was losing her self-restraint, and it was getting worse at a steady pace. She had attacked and killed out of spite, was starting fights with reckless abandon, and now, apparently, she was blacking out. Maybe it was an isolated incident, or maybe it was due to something one of the previous foes had done to her, but some of the other possibilities actually scared her.

"How are you doing?" she questioned Solus for the sake of keeping up her guise, making a point of turning away from the froslass to show she was done with it and wasn't interested in acknowledging the poorly crafted apology. Nevi frowned, but made no effort to persist in explaining or apologizing, going silent.

As uncharacteristic as it was, Goro was pretty okay about Nevi being able to shoo off their ghastly assaulter. There was something about them that he couldn't quite place that just made them unfun to fight against; maybe it was the way they just defied every normal expectation he had for battles or the intangible nature that they possessed that made hitting them unsatisfying. There were a lot of things it could be, but as he pictured the strange Pokémon that the froslass had warded off with just a word in his mind's eye, he couldn't imagine having a good time fighting it. Krikka and Nevi herself probably would have made quick work of it, but those strange tendrils it had used to trip up Solus left him feeling queasy. Still, it was suspicious how easily Nevi was able to get it to leave. With just a few words it had made a parting shot and phased through a wall, leaving just as soon appeared. He made an inquiry to the ghost in question about it, fishing for an answer as to what the hell just happened and why it had been so easy for her.

True to her nature, Nevi turned right to him with an immediate answer. Apparently, the other ghost's name was Tiff. He hoped it was short for something. Still, it was a bit concerning how she jumped to Tiff's defense - you'd think trying to kill people like that would be a bit of a deal-breaker. Then again, maybe it was just a ghost type thing. By and large, they seemed unbound to most moral codes, mischevious by nature and pretty malicious. At least, every one he'd met except for Nevi had, and the jury was still out on her. Personally, Goro was still rather suspicious of the icy ghost, as there had to be something wrong with her if she chose to live in this haunted mansion of all places.

Krikka seemed to have come to a similar conclusion, making a jab at her defense of the ghost under the pretense of her disguise. He was sure that she had no personal qualms with Tiff being evil or anything, but was just simply out to fluster Nevi in any way that she could. It wasn't but a few moments ago, after all, that she'd kidnapped the umbreon and twirled them about in the sky. It was embarrassing, and she didn't tend to forget about things like that. Goro wondered how long it would be before the dark type enacted a more serious, personal revenge upon Nevi. Probably as soon as she no longer served any purpose to them, he reckoned. He didn't much mind. Though, the way the froslass got all flustered and guilty after Krikka's retort did pull at his heartstrings a little. For an annoying ghost in the Chateau, she was actually kinda cute. Still shifty as all hell, of course, but cute at the same time.

At that point, the umbreon turned to Solus and questioned his health - another thing that she was probably doing to keep the pretenses of their "disguises" - while Nevi sulked in the background. Goro figured that the buizel was probably fine - if he could take beatings from Krikka like he did earlier and wake up jittery, then falling on his face wouldn't do much to him. No, he was more curious about the froslass currently in the party. For all that she'd spilled the beans on Tiff, she hadn't offered much up about herself. Understandable, since he'd asked specifically about the other ghost, but he still wanted to know more. So, as Krikka turned to Solus, Goro made his way to stand beside the icy ghost rather than behind her awkwardly, taking a position between her and the rest of the group. "So... ya live here.

"Howssat work? Other ghosts leave you alone or do ya gotta fight fer status?" Or... territory, or whatever. When he'd lived in Cattail Marsh, he went out of his way to establish a little stretch that belonged to him. Wild Pokémon didn't much like it, but eventually, they learned to gravitate away from his little area 'less they fancy going up to bat against him. Which was pretty often, actually. He supposed they were wild for a reason, considering it took a lot for them to catch a hint. But the ghosts here seemed to be pretty keen on things - all of the ones they'd fought so far displayed a certain amount of cunning. And Tiff had talked. "I used to live in a dungeon, too. S'not quite the same, but..."

Caught completely off guard by Krikka’s question, Solus hesitated to respond. Not knowing how exactly to answer the question didn’t make recovering from that hesitation any easier. He had been paying attention to the exchange between Krikka and Nevi—or rather, had been listening to it in a manner similar to how one listens to ambient music or the rustling of leaves on a windy day. That is to say, he was hearing the conversation but not actually taking in any information. He was paying just enough attention to realise that Krikka was addressing him instead of Nevi, based on the change of direction and tone.

”How are you doing?” How did he answer that question? Physically, he was doing rather poorly. Bloody and bruised, and cut. And probably cracked or fractured somewhere. He was pretty sure he had more than a couple tiny splinters from the busted up wooden floor in the chandelier room, which was far from crippling but definitely not pleasant when a given movement provoked one. Then there was the arm that Krikka had bitten—and every other place she’d grabbed him at—those were far less severe. And, of course, there was his head, which not only hurt at the slightest touch but also brought with it a pulsating headache and a plethora of other ailments.

And mentally? The fact was he wasn’t doing so great in that department even before he’d met Krikka. Much better than now, but still not quite in a state that might be called healthy. He’d been avoiding thinking about it. Then he ran into Krikka, and when they were in Venen Gulch she started to mess with his head and he found he couldn’t avoid thinking about it anymore. it being himself; who he was, what he really wanted, his motivations, his ambitions. If that wasn’t already complex, Krikka had to make everything worse. When he first encountered her in Pecha Forest it was hate at first sight. But then she saved and protected him in Venen, and simply put it completely confused him. The fact that Krikka was at least partially responsible for putting him in danger didn’t anything. Now he didn’t know how to describe his opinion of the umbreon—it was equal parts hatred and something else.

Stack on top of that emotional confuses his introspective uncertainty, recently unsuppressed anger at his father and the trauma Venen and the Chateau thus far has inflicted on him and he was a total wreck inside and out. He didn’t know how to answer the umbreon’s question properly, so he responded with his own question. “Physically or mentally?” After a short pause, he murmured “Or are you just asking to keep up the ruse?

Initially, the question was met with an answer of uncertainty, which wasn't anything out of the ordinary nor particularly concerning.  It made sense that Solus was confused, considering that there was plenty of reason to be worried about his physical health as well as mental.  Of course, Krikka was already aware that he was mentally unstable; it was one of his best qualities in her eyes.  He was insecure and feeble as well, which were... less appealing, but they made it all the more fun to toy with him.  This wasn't news, and it certainly wasn't something she was worried about, let alone enough to care to ask him if he was alright.  His physical state, however, was growing worse and worse with every second in this Hellhole, with him receiving one injury after another.  He'd been hurt at every turn, and while Krikka didn't care much if he was in pain, she actually did care to make sure he was at least able keep moving, and if he wasn't, she needed to know.  In fact, she needed to know as much about his physical state as she could, or else she wouldn't be able to adjust any future plans or actions to accommodate him.

However, in truth, she was mostly asking him because it seemed like what her bubbly persona would do.  She knew the buizel was smart despite his incompetence, so his next words weren't a surprise; he was smart enough not to announce it for the world to hear, but he apparently wanted to make it clear that he knew she was just acting nice to keep the froslass on their side.  It wasn't as if she was trying to hide this fact from him, nor from Goro, so she understood that he was probably bringing it up out of spite.  He was feisty today, but alas, she couldn't discipline him anymore at the moment, mostly because of the present witness who really didn't need to see that.  Plus, there was the issue of how badly he'd already been beat on; while Krikka was absolutely fine with bringing him to his knees and putting him through agony, she still didn't want to kill him.  Still, she felt the need to give him some sign that she had both heard and acknowledged his words, and that she wasn't happy about them.  She figured he wasn't aiming not to be heard by her, or if he was, then he was pretty stupid for thinking she wouldn't be able to hear him with the ears she had.

The umbreon stepped in front of her rebellious little plaything and lowered her neck to level her eyes with him.  "Yeah," she spoke with a warm smile, "You're fine."  The first part of her declaration was actually meant to inform Solus that yes, in fact, she was asking if he was alright specifically for appearances.  The rest was both because she wanted to get moving and because she wanted to give him some kind of punishment.  Without waiting for a response, and to show her pet didn't have a say in the matter, he stepped around behind him and bit onto his scruff to lift him and push him forward.  "Come on, we need to keep moving," she continued, still acting under her caring guise and speaking in a tone that suggested it was a suggestion more than an order.  It was an order; she figured he wouldn't like walking with the condition he was in, but he was clearly capable of it, and so it made the perfect punishment.

Unfortunately, Krikka was getting a punishment of her own in the form of having picked the worst.  Guide.  Ever.  This froslass, "Nevi," wouldn't shut the FUCK UP FOR FIVE SECONDS; it didn't help that Goro was humoring her, but still.  Her voice was miserably sweet and she had the distinct attitude of a marshmallow laced with pecha berries... which actually didn't sound bad, at least, in food form.  BUT IN PERSONALITY FORM, IT WAS TERRIBLE.  "Oh, well, no, I don't really do much fighting.  We get along with each other, mostly," the annoying voice responded to the frog's inquiry.  The only bright side was that the froslass was now focused on him, which meant he alone had to deal with entertaining it.  He had no one to blame but himself, considering the fact that he had gone out of his way to start up a conversation with the ghost despite having already seen that it was annoyingly talkative.  It was also apparently not the type to dwell on things; it had already bounced back from the guilt previously shown after Krikka's aggressive comment.

While this short exchange of words was already enough to make the umbreon wish she could just dispose of the guide and get it over with, the thing apparently wasn't done talking yet.
 "It's just, most of the others don't like visitors.  But I've lived here my whole life, so I don't have to worry."  It was distinctly less perky than it had been prior, but still friendly and inviting in its behavior, and still eager to talk.  Now that Goro was actively talking to the froslass, Krikka just assumed she would have to get used to hearing its voice.  She continued walking while mostly ignoring the conversation going on behind her, expecting everyone to just follow; they could walk and talk, after all.  Some distance away, there seemed to be a change in the endless pattern of the wall to the left, but it was hard to tell, and everyone just seemed so lovely to talk to that she decided to say nothing.

Fortunately, it appeared that Krikka's subtle dig at the froslass guiding them didn't have her too under the weather. Goro was a little bit worried that after that cutting remark she'd be a little less eager to play along, but true enough to her character so far, Nevi bounced right back better than ever. Dimly, he realized that Solus and Krikka were off to the side speaking in hushed tones (or, at least, quiet compared to Nevi). If they weren't plotting the doom of their shared friend or conversing simply just to keep their little act up, then she probably really was trying to get a handle on how the Buizel was faring. The umbreon had done quite a number on him in the room before this passageway, and after that little fall, Goro was starting to wonder how he was doing himself. Not really enough to ask, mind you, but enough to wonder if he was going to turn into dead weight. The croagunk still wasn't quite sure what to feel about Solus. On one hand, he was passive aggressive and spiteful, spitting barbs and hiding behind Krikka like some kind of woman, but on the other, he had shown himself to be occasionally pretty resourceful and had given Goro the trinket from the psychic he wanted.

His attention was guided away from such thoughts whenever Nevi chirped up, however. Apparently, the ghost girl didn't do much in the way of fighting, and life in the Chateau was relatively peaceful. Or at least the other residents didn't start shit with the local froslass. He wondered if it was because she was a ghost or because she was a native; apparently, she'd been a resident of the haunted mansion her whole life. Why was she not wild? Is that how wild Pokémon were even born, or how they worked? He had no fucking clue, now that he thought about it for a moment. Despite his almost constant contact with ferals during his time in his old dungeon, he never really studied or researched any of their habits or patterns, aside from those relating to fighting. It probably was not healthy to live your entire life in a mystery dungeon surrounded by malicious ghosts, though. Goro subtly side-eyed the froslass floating next to him, wondering if she was less sane than she appeared. Was he right to be so suspicious of her?

"You reckon ya like it much? Compared to the outside, I mean. I dunno if I could live here, myself." To be true, it was all Goro wanted to do was get the fuck out of this place. The fights so far had been terrifying and unfun, as tangling with ghosts was so much different from regular fights - to say nothing of the goddamn psychic they ran into. His companions (allies? coworker and boss?) weren't exactly faring well, either. Krikka had been ambushed several times already, and Solus himself was broken and bleeding courtesy of their dear leader - on more than one occasion, to boot. He wondered idly what the history between them must be like for her to treat him such a way. Aside from time she'd lashed out at him during her creepy little tantrum, she'd been decent to him so far. Certainly not beating the shit out of him at every other opportunity, at any rate. "Even without the ghosts, I think. Place looks real fancy but it must get confusin' after a while, what with the rooms movin' around and all."

Absently, he noticed Krikka and Solus moving from out the corner of his eye. It seemed Krikka had enough of standing around and chatting, as she circled her pet once more and got him by the scruff of his neck, pulling him up and pushing him forward like a mother vixen with her kit. It'd be a bit endearing if she weren't doing it to a grown-ass buizel that was injured because of her. He cursed himself silently for not trying to listen in on their conversation, even if he had his own going on. What the fuck were their code names, again? He'd forgotten his already. Grom? Graham? Brawn? Somethin' cool, at any rate.

A sudden, light panic took hold of Solus as Krikka leaned form to answer him. He didn't know why, but it was as if his body found the simple act of a smiling Krikka being so close was a legitimate threat. Thinking on it further, he thought that instinct wasn't too far off when considering what he had witnessed the umbreon do. Despite this, he chose to ignore the warning. The subconscious alert only grew stronger as the vixen circled round behind him. He continued to ignore it, continuing to look forward down the unchanging, seemingly unending hall.

Once again he felt the umbreon's teeth making contact with his fur. He briefly entertained the idea that his subconscious feeling of being truly in danger was completely legitimate. It was possible, at least by some percentage, that Krikka was going to legitimately harm him at that very moment. He didn't expect her to—for numerous reasons—but at the same time it wouldn't be very surprising. But she wasn't hurting him. She was simply encouraging him to keep moving by lifting and pushing him forward. While he'd like to say it wasn't necessary, it was very likely that had he been alone in the hall and in the condition he was in he probably would have stayed lying on the ground when he was tripped and simply given up.

“Yeah,” Solus repeated as he moved forward beside Krikka. “I'm fine.” it was an extremely obvious lie that anyone who could see him could disprove with little effort, but it seemed necessary to say aloud. Without looking at her, Solus some in a hushed tones to the umbreon beside him. “When we leave here—assuming I'm not dead—you’re going to have to explain some things.”

(Posted from my phone so if there's any weirdness that's why.)