Idiots Afoot

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His head was high, his eyes were closed, and each step was taken in sheer confidence. The grass around him reached higher than he stood, but the path he followed made sure he had an easy walk. His loud mouth could be heard for practical miles with how little he cared about being silent, "I promise you Em, you're gonna LOVE it here! It's WAAAAAY better than the library. It wasn't even that hard to get to."

The zorua opened his eyes to the world ahead of him, a few rolling hills in the distance caught his eye. A single tree stood upon it, but it looked as if the plant fell long ago. It was such a simple piece of nature, but the prospect of investigating it excited him. With an excited wiggle of his body, he leapt forward and dash towards it. The wind in his fur felt absolutely amazing; This was so much different from boring ol' Grassveil and Shadowhue!

He slowed briefly before he jumped up on top of the log of the elderly fallen tree. He looked on at the expansive flat lands before him as energy that rivaled the static charge that floated in the air around him coursed through his veins. Was this what his father felt like when he went into dungeons? Probably not considering he looked like an alcoholic deadbeat last time Chance saw him, but there had to be a reason why the glaceon became an explorer in the first place right?

"Wooooow, Em come look at this!" he encouraged his sister. He waited to hear the sound of her paws scratching against the bark to hop up alongside him, but he heard nothing. "Em?" His stupidly wide grin faded into curiosity as he turned around to look at his sister for the first time in literal hours. There was no sister in sight. A concerned shout escaped his mouth briefly before he started to look around more fervently, "Em? Emmelyn? Emmy?" he called out for his sister in vain as he turned in circles. He half expected her to simply materialize behind him and ask him to stop shouting, but nothing came.

"C'mon Em this isn't funny!" he shouted, his tone slightly offended that she dared to hide from him. He sprang towards one end of the log and peered into the inside of the hollow innards, effectively looking inside completely upside down. "Em?" She wasn't there. His heart sank. He lifted his head back up while his hind-legs failed to support him. He sat upon the log with lowered ears. "Where did you go?" he asked in a much quieter tone. Did...did she stay back at Grassveil?


Lost, hungry, and most of all desperate. He decided that it would have been fun to visit the one place that seemed friendly to electric types such as himself, but instead he simply became lost for days. The jolteon struggled to hunt in these parts, unable to familiarize himself with the prey and enact proper strategies on top of being unable to find any edible items to fill his stomach.

Fortunately, however, he was given a stroke of luck. As he trudged miserably through the tall grass of the electric field, the shrill sound of someone yelling caught his attention. His bitten ear twitched before his head swiveled in the direction of the source. Yes...it was definitely somebody. Somebody small from the sounds of it. His stomach growled. It was time for the circle of life to continue its cycle.

The electric type lowered his body to the ground and quickly-yet quietly skulked forwards. His yellow color blended in with the golden grass that rose out of the ground higher than he stood. He headed towards the sound of the voice, up a hill and closer until he came across a small clearing at the top of the hill that held the log and stump of a fallen tree. He could see the form of a small zorua at the top of the log who looked a little depressed about something.

Erebus smirked, food. Easy food. Finally, he could get his stomach to leave him alone. He took a step forward, however, hesitated. He could run forth and pounce on the fox the old fashion way...or he could use his new abilities as a Jolteon to his advantage. He had not tried hunting with his powers, but it could not have possibly been any different from average combat. With how weak the zorua looked, he could not imagine it would take more than a single Thunder to deal with it.

The Jolteon's body began to crackle with electricity as he steadily stepped out from the grass, his eyes focused on the dark type. He was behind the zorua, so it did not yet see him. There was no way it could smell him from there either. His plan was simple: get as close as he can to the Zorua. If the prey showed any sign of noticing him, then he could unleash the charge onto them and claim his dinner...

Darcy nodded, surprised at such a short and curt response. Of course, it wasn't entirely unexpected. She couldn't see any possible way someone like Sova couldn't hate someone like Senya. He was violent, and sadistic, and from everything Darcy had seen and heard about Sova, he was nothing like that. He was kind, and... well, not perfect, by any means, but she could tell he was usually trying to be a good person! At least, she liked to imagine that he was. The thought comforted her.

The Skitty gave another small nod as not-Sova decided to expand on his point. So... He used to hate him. But now they were better? Or at least, they didn't seem to hate each other as bad anymore. That was good. Maybe. This was all... very confusing, to say the least. She had no idea what to think about any of this. Was it good that they didn't hate each other, or was it bad that Sova didn't hate Senya anymore. And besides, this was Senya talking... she'd have to wait until Sova was back to ask him his side of the story.

Darcy laughed softly. She took a few steps back from the pool of blood before lying down, quietly thinking. How weirdly normal this whole conversation was... Especially after what had happened before. She'd been cut open, and then the wound had been frozen shut. Out of some demented sense of fairness, Senya had done the same to himself. Then he'd burned it shut. And now... they were just talking. Like normal. As if they were acquaintances that had run into each other in the market, or something like that... It was unsettling just how normal it all was, especially after what had happened before.

The sickness and disgust that had been plaguing her before were gone. For the most part, anyways. The smell still troubled her deeply, and the silence that fell over the clearing when either of the two weren't talking was eerie as well. Like now...

"...I see..." Darcy finally said, unsure of what else to say. What he said make sense. She supposed if she had an inner demon, the demon would also know her life better than anyone... Beyond that, however, she had no idea as to what to say. She didn't want to say anything more... Not to him. She wanted to talk to Sova. She'd talked to Senya enough, and she wanted to stop before he had some other, crazy idea, or decided to use someone else's body for a demonstration instead of his own.


She'd talked with him a while. She felt she understood him. A bit. Not really... The way he thought about things was sickening to her. He didn't seem interested in changing himself, when that was what everyone ought to be trying to do... Changing themselves, improving themselves, becoming better... If all he saw himself as was a weapon, and that's what he insisted other people view him as... Then who was she to not oblige him? Especially after everything he'd put Darcy, Chance, and Alki through...

Not to mention his 'Eye for an eye' thing... She'd always grown up hearing about it, and it was plain common-sense... An eye for an eye and the world goes blind... Hadn't he ever heard that? Darcy closed her eyes and sighed, before rubbing at them with her clean paw. She didn't want to get blood on her face... Although for all she knew, there might be some there already...

"...W-When's S-Sova coming back...?" She asked quietly, unsure of what else to say. She wanted this to end. This strange, eerie conversation, her time in this prairie... She just wanted to go home... Actually, to a hospital... And then just sleep. Sleep a lot... "...And for the record..." She began, without really making any conscious decision to say anything more: "Y-You mentioned an eye for an eye earlier... I-Is that how y-you see the world...? C-Cause... Y-Y'know how that little phrase ends, right? An eye for an eye makes the world go blind... Just food for thought, y'know..." Darcy mentioned quietly, resting her head once again. She hoped Sova would come back soon. That'd be nice. That'd be really nice... Darcy closed her eyes and sighed, wondering just how longer she'd have to suffer through this discussion with such a cynical person...

Senya narrowed his eyes at the skitty as she questioned when Sova would be coming back. In truth, he didn't know either and was wondering the same thing, but it was a bit rude for her to just ask like that. Not that he minded much in reality, even though it was a bit offensive not to receive any common courtesy even after all he had done to try to be more accommodating than usual for this... unusual circumstance. He chose not to respond on principle, at least for now, but he felt like his face said enough. Besides, it seemed like Darcy still had more she wanted to say despite acting so eager to get rid of him.

And she still wanted to argue... Of course all she wanted to do was try to prove everything he said wrong, because he was "bad." Well, he was fine with the idea of entertaining a conversation, but he doubted he would give her any response she wanted to hear. "Really? And you aren't a guild member, tasked with punishing and arresting people for perceived crimes? Someone does something you believe they shouldn't, so you do something back to them to punish them," he responded, a slight smirk creeping onto his face with his eyes still narrowed.

He wasn't done there, because he felt like he knew exactly where someone like Darcy would try to go next to defend herself. "And of course you'll say it's "not the same," and to an extent you're right. But, the truth is, everyone believes in taking eyes," he ended his little rant with a dismissive chuckle.

Then the glaceon stood and looked back to the other two. Darcy clearly wanted to leave and the others didn't seem much different... and in truth, Senya was also ready to go. If Sova wasn't going to take him away, then it seemed the next best thing would be to enact the plan the group had been discussing before his intervention. "I don't know when Sova's coming back, by the way. If you want out of here, we may as well get going," he gave an offer of sorts, finally acknowledging the skitty's prior question.

If she wanted to leave, she would have to either put up with him instead of Sova or just travel on her own. Either way, he wasn't interested in trying to forcibly prolong this interaction when he had clearly overstayed his welcome long past the point where he was necessary. Ideally he would have liked for Sova to come back so he didn't have to worry about a small pink thing dying on his watch, but he wasn't going to beg her to come with him just because he was currently the one in charge. If she wanted to come and be safe, then she would put up with him and come. If not, she could go take a hike with her friend. He would probably still have to take "his" kid regardless, but he was fine with that one since the child was proving to be relatively quiet and not very annoying even when he decided to speak.

Darcy bit her lip and shrunk back as the Glaceon narrowed his eyes at her. Honestly, as far as she could remember, that was the first time she had ever, intentionally, been rude to someone. And truthfully... She didn't really enjoy it. Not at all... She frowned softly at herself as she reflected on this development. He'd definitely done a lot of bad things, things... that she didn't really find excusable at all. Even so... All her life, she'd done her best to be kind and polite to others, despite any wrong-doings they might have committed... Sure, she wasn't perfect. Sometimes, some sarcastic remark escaped and she said something she'd regret to her siblings, or maybe she got frustrated with her parents and some rude complaint borne of frustration slipped out, but... She tried. She tried really hard to be nice to everyone... And even when it came to someone like Senya, failing that... She felt guilty.

She mumbled a quiet apology as she met his gaze. No need to make a big deal out of it... They could just move on. Right? Thankfully, the Glaceon seemed to think so. He began to address her remark, by... criticizing the guild?

...What was wrong with the guild? Everyone liked the guild! They were the good guys! Like... The second police of Grassveil. Or something. She knew they were powerful, and she knew that they took on outlaws from time to time, but... Darcy didn't concern herself with those details. The guild's relationships to the police and to the town... That was politics, wasn't it? Or something like that? ...Who cared? Darcy did her best at the guild. She always tried to be the best guild member she could be. Maybe not the strongest, but... she tried to be good. What more was there for her to do?

Darcy sat back down, her ears twitching as her troubled frown deepened and deepened. She hated his logic. She hated how cynical he was... And she hated that he didn't even make a bad point. Of course, he was completely different from her! But with how he phrased it... (And how he addressed that claim directly,) it was hard to argue...

She paused, thinking hard about what to say. But it was difficult to prove anything... Especially seeing as she wasn't exactly a veteran... Sure, she had some experience. A bit. But as far as she could remember, she'd never really gone after a true outlaw... She heard him mention that he didn't know when Sova would come out. That was unfortunate. But not her chief concern anymore... She'd address that later.

"...W-Well... It's..." Different? He'd addressed that already...

...But it was the truth.

"Different. It's different. It's completely different, actually." Her voice gained some confidence as she began to organize her thoughts better. "T-Take this whole situation, for instance. You found a criminal. You stopped him. Yay! ...For most people, that'd be the end of it. Knock him out, tie him up or... or incapacitate him, somehow, and... haul him off to jail. A-And then..." Darcy paused, hesitating. This kind of stuff was hard to talk about, seeing as she didn't even really think about it much... Why concern herself with laws she knew none of her friends would ever break? None of her family was ever going to do something like that, anyways. All of them were so... mild-mannered...

"T-Then there's laws. Judges, a-and... Lawyers, or s-something... And they determine culpability. And punishment. T-There's... There's an order to things. And there's... stuff like j-justice to determine that the world isn't determined by an eye for an eye. It's not vengeance if there's an order to things... It's not an eye for an eye. It's justice, because there's rules a-and... things like the police, and the guild, w-who play a role... but not the only role. They don't determine guilt, just... ensure people's safety. There's other people who... who do that. Determine guilt, I mean... Who make sure the laws are just for everyone..."

She paused, mulling over her own thoughts. She'd never really thought much about laws, or justice. She was usually... quite carefree. And that kind of thing was very heavy to think about... She didn't like thinking about it, but it was comforting to know that there were people who were willing to think about stuff like that, for the sake of everyone...

"...We should get going though. I think I'll need a hospital... I doubt the ice will keep my blood in forever... Ha-ha..." Her laugh was fake as she managed to look down. She could see red beneath the frost... And on her fur... And on her paw... Would he need to freeze it over again before they got home...? She hoped not... It hurt...

And of course, despite Senya having already covered "it's different," that was still Darcy's go-to argument. How predictable. He understood though; it was her only viable response, so of course she would use it even if doing so made her look like an idiot. Plus, it was fairly easy to tear apart, so if she really wanted to go this route... he was more than happy to provide proof that she was wrong. He happened to be sharing a body with one of the most experienced guild members in Grassveil, thus he effectively had his own personal experience to go off of... and much more than the skitty. He wanted to rid her of this naive and dangerous mindset, an action which he considered to be a kindness of sorts, and he intended to do just that.

But... he also wanted to reassure her that she wasn't going to bleed to death. Wait, why did he even care about that? Whatever. "I didn't completely freeze it, I made it colder to help the blood clot. It shouldn't start bleeding again as long as you don't move much, which means you might want to let me carry you, but that's up to you," he assured, wanting to dismiss this concern as quickly as possible so he could get back to this thrilling little debate and continue trying to shatter her worldview.

There were plenty of things he could say to hurt Darcy's argument, he felt, but there was one in particular that seemed impossible to argue with. He leaned down with his shoulder out toward her to offer for her to climb onto his back since he was pretty sure that's what Sova normally did, but he somehow doubted she would actually let him help. Still, he figured he would get spited even more by Sova if he didn't at least offer. "...And on the way back, I'll tell you a story. Just because you like the law more doesn't mean it's right... and I can prove it's not," he spoke ominously, choosing not to start explaining just yet since he figured it might make her less cooperative.

It was easy to pick a story to tell that would impact someone so sensitive. Senya was bad at socializing, but good at inflicting pain, including the emotional variety. He was just playing to his strengths here in formatting his argument to be emotionally convincing to someone who operated on emotional and moral values. Sova had once gone after an outlaw, a sneasel, when he was younger and more insistent on following the law Darcy praised so much. The sneasel had tried to flee, but not fight; he was scared because he wasn't really much of an "outlaw." He had stolen something to pay back a loanshark, again out of fear, and Sova had arrested him for it.

...And of course, this story didn't have a happy ending like the skitty would want. The "hardened criminal" died in jail, presumably due to having been captured and held in one place for the loan shark to find. Then some friend of the sneasel later attacked Sova and attempted to kill his friends out of spite, refusing to stop no matter how hard Sova tried to solve it without violence. In the end, the assailant died as well, accepting no other outcome and pushing Sova to his limit. There was no justice here, and all Sova had done was follow the law. How would Darcy respond to such a story? Senya got the feeling she had no idea what the world was really like, and she probably really believed in her little civilization...

Denial, probably. She would deny it by any means necessary. She would say it was a rare case of a nearly flawless system not working as intended, and that would be her justification for continuing to say she was right and he was wrong. But, the truth was none of that would have happened if Sova had just done what he wanted instead of following the law. At that, Senya's actions had never once caused such an entirely unwarranted death, because he didn't ask a system choose who to punish and how.

Darcy shied away as the Glaceon leaned down, offering to carry her. That was... Well, it wasn't embarrassing. She offered the same thing to Alki when she'd been smaller and more... manageable to carry. It's not like she was extremely heavy now, but she was almost the same size as Darcy... And even on the rare occassion she did offer, Alki typically turned her down. Darcy stumbled off to the side, putting a few centimetres of space between herself and the Glaceon. "...No..." She paused, hesitating, remember her earlier offensiveness, and the guilt that came with it. "No, t-thank you... I-I'll b-be fine, and worst comes t-to worst, Alki can help me..."

She fell silent, wondering how the Glaceon would respond to her argument. Personally, she thought it was quite convincing. After all, it was the truth! How could he argue against the plain, stark truth? She waited patiently as he began to speak, but instead of arguing against it with any sort of logic or evidence, he instead offered to... tell a story? Without really thinking, Darcy nodded. "...Go for it. I'll listen." She certainly was willing to listen, but she doubted it'd change anything. Laws were followed because they were worth following; they were the backbone of society! Disobeying them wasn't right... It just bred anarchy. Pokemon who thought they knew better, who thought they could decide what was right and what was wrong better than a court of law... That was wrong. No one was above the law, and nobody was smarter than it either... If you disobeyed the law, you deserved to get locked up...

Of course, within reason. The sentence should fit the crime... And it shouldn't serve as punishment. Jail was meant to separate the guilty from the innocent, but the guilty shouldn't be doomed to a life of crime... It should serve as a place for rehabilitation... If someone was a criminal, then something was wrong. In their head, or in their hearts... And there should be therapists and doctors and... Things like that.

Of course, she'd wait to mention all this until after Senya was done with whatever story he wanted to tell. It'd be meaningless, probably, and change nothing. She wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but if he wanted to tell it, then he could feel free. "...Whenever you want... I'm listening." She said to the Glaceon, before turning to her sister. She seemed... quite troubled. Darcy stole a glance at the blood on the ground, and felt the strange, sticky liquid that had poured down her chest. It didn't take a detective to figure out why... "A-Alki, it's time to go... O-Ok?"

~

Alki felt like living, breathing garbage. What had been going through her mind...? She stared at the blood on the ground. It had come from both Darcy and Sova. She felt sick. It smelled horrible, and it looked so... fresh. Like a discolored puddle, left over from a rainfall. As if someone had messed up, and colored water red instead of blue... It was a big puddle. The kind you had fun jumping in and splashing about, except... It wasn't... It wasn't fun to think about at all.

And for a time, she'd been happy to watch it fall... That was the worst part... She'd been savoring the blood-fall as Sova cut himself. She'd wanted more blood, when there was already so much... Alki's eyes widened at the thought, before she closed them tightly, suddenly, inhaling and exhaling, shaking, shaking... Was something wrong with her...? Darcy wouldn't have wanted her to think that, to want that... Yet she had. She wanted revenge. A small part of her still wanted that...

A-Alki, it's time to go... O-Ok? Alki jumped as she heard her name. Darcy was calling. They were... leaving? Finally... Alki felt sick... She hobbled off towards her sister, looking quite pale as she nodded, wordlessly obeying. However, her gaze became attracted to the Zorua some distance away. He was just... there. She'd almost forgotten Chance existed. Alki still felt partially upset at him (Although not nearly as much, or as violently, as she did towards Sova...), but she didn't exactly want to ditch him either...

Alki walked towards the Zorua now, trying her best to seem as nonthreatening as possible, given her earlier actions. She'd never gotten to apologize... Although honestly, she wasn't sure if it even mattered... He seemed so distant. Did he even see her? Alki hesitated, before softly nudging his shoulder. "C-Chance, it's t-time t-t-to g-go..." She managed to stammer out, afraid for how he might react towards her for earlier, and just... afraid. The threat had passed, her sister was alive, but her heart was still beating, and as much as she tried to ignore it... She was terrified. Her chest was still open, it seemed, held together by cold and frost... "P-Please come, w-won't you...? A-A-And... A-And I-I'm s-sorry for e-earlier..." Her eyes lowered as she waited for an apology that probably wouldn't come, but it was the least she could offer... It was the only thing she could offer...

There were voices all around him, yet it was difficult to discern what they said. They might as well have been miles away. His gaze was fixed in one spot, but it didn't at all feel like he saw anything. If it was a moment before, he would have backed away from the jigglypuff. Instead he did not even notice her approach.

A soft touch pushed against his shoulder, but it took a moment for his attention to snap away from the abyss. He stared at and the pink pokemon that attempted to attack him a few seconds ago. The zorua struggled to make sense of what the fairy type said. The only response he gave to the jigglypuff was a simple stare with a dazed and confused expression followed by a question, "...What?"

No... thank you? Senya blinked at this response, having expected the first part, but not for it to be followed by such politeness. Was being so fluffy just second nature to this skitty? It was hard to imagine how she could be so bold and defiant while also being so... this. How could someone possibly act like such a wuss but not be one? Well... she was a bit of a wuss in some ways, but certainly not every way. Regardless, she had declined his offer to be carried, and he wasn't the type to insist on being helpful. If she wanted to be so independent and not accept his help, then he wouldn't insist or fight her on it.

It wasn't a surprise that she didn't want help from the monster she seemed to hate so much. Her loss. Senya shrugged and started walking without checking to make sure anyone was following him, assuming Darcy was smart enough to do so on her own and noticing that the other two were busy talking or something. "One day some time ago, Sova was on a mission. He was looking for an outlaw, as he'd done plenty of times before, with the intent of arresting them and bringing them in for your precious "law" to handle..." he paused to consider how to proceed with this story. Fortunately, it was very straightforward and he didn't need to think too hard about how to word it.

"Turns out that outlaw was actually just some harmless sneasel who'd borrowed money from the wrong 'mon and stole something to pay it back out of desperation. Not the type of guy I'd maim, personally, but Sova still decided to arrest him because it wasn't his place to decide who was guilty. Know where that got the poor sneasel?" he continued, wasting no breath on prose as he didn't want to drag his story out and didn't care how well he told it.

And, of course, his question was rhetorical, evidenced by his decision to answer it himself without waiting for Darcy to guess. "He died. In jail." Nope, no desire whatsoever to draw this story out; no interest in suspense, just a burning desire to prove a point. "And it gets better! Someone who knew the guy blamed Sova and tried to kill a bunch of his friends. Sova tried to convince them to stop with words, but they refused and he wasn't able to stop them without killing them," he added on with a chuckle, showing how he felt about this event. To him, it was ironic that Sova's desire to follow the law had resulted in two individuals dying when they didn't have to.

"All he had to do was just use his own judgment instead of relying on the law, and nobody would have died. Isn't that funny? I've never spilled any innocent blood like that, I can assure you," a slight smirk crossed his face as he spoke, but not for long. Part of him thought the topic was hilarious, but another part of him knew it bothered Sova very much... and he was a bit annoyed by this mindset that the law was always right. He was especially annoyed because, on the other side of this coin, he always seemed to be wrong.

But most of all, he... didn't want to feel Darcy's judgment again. He was getting sick of it. So, he decided to stop smiling and laughing about things he already knew were going to bother her.

Darcy bit her lip as she readied herself for the story to come. It started benignly enough, and the way he started it only contributed to her unease. One day, some time ago, Sova was on a mission It sounded like the start of a fairy tale, or a kid's story... But she knew that it wouldn't be. Not with someone like Senya telling it. Not with someone like Sova as the protagonist... She felt as if he were attacking her. The law wasn't just precious to her... and he didn't have to mock her...

As he paused, Darcy's eyes traveled down to her chest once more. It looked ugly. She hoped it'd heal alright.. And it also made her hope that Senya's point of view wasn't a common one. He was cynical and jaded to an unreasonable degree... What other kind of person would be willing to do something like this at the drop of a hat...? She'd been called naive before... And truthfully, she didn't entirely mind. It was better to have faith in something, even if not well placed one-hundred percent of the time, instead of having faith in nothing but your own strength...

Darcy tuned back in as Senya resumed his story once more. He seemed... eager. To get to the point. Or perhaps a punchline? He seemed almost amused, as he chuckled in the middle of his story... And a horrible story it was... Someone died in jail...? She couldn't imagine it. And it felt so... so possible. For it to happen to anyone. Borrow money from the wrong person... One of Darcy's siblings had floated just such an idea, before she'd come to the guild, shortly after her mum had injured herself. Darcy had been the one to shoot it down, and as such offered to help out via the guild... But if her parents had decided to borrow money...? And had borrowed from the same person...?

She shivered, and tore her mind away from such thoughts. As horrible as it was... It was an exception. An exception, and not a rule... Darcy was visibly shaken by the story, her eyes blinking back a few tears. She hated to think about tragedies like that... But now Senya seemed insistent on thrusting them into her face...

"W-Well..." Darcy stammered out, unsure of how to address the story in question. It was horrid. She felt... She didn't know what she felt like. Disappointed, perhaps. Disappointed that this was the conclusion that Senya seemed so willing to jump to. Part of her wondered if he wasn't just justifying his own actions in retrospect...

"...I never said the law was perfect... A-And society isn't... Nothing's perfect... But..." She hesitated, thinking on how to best phrase the point she was trying to make. She wanted to get it right. She didn't want there to be any doubt whatsoever as to where she stood on this issue. So she began: "Laws, a-and society, and the courts and judges and all of that, it's... it's like a work in progress. Constantly worked on and... ironed out. Polished, I guess. Sculpted. And it's through trials, a-and... and errors. You can't improve a system without watching it fail first... But if the system fails, it doesn't mean it's worth discarding. It doesn't mean it's useless. It's our job, as... as citizens, to improve it. Our duty, I guess..." Darcy trailed off as she ended her little speech. That made her own position clear, and now... now the details of the story. The horrible, horrible story...

"T-That first part, w-with... with the Sneasel dying in jail, that's... that's an error. I'll admit that. The law's not perfect... And that's a mistake that I sincerely hope won't happen again. But for that second part..." She hesitated. She turned back to her sister, watching her with the Zorua some distance behind her. She slowed down, waiting for her to catch up. Then she turned back to Senya. "...But that second part... With his friend. He wanted to kill Sova's friends out of... what? Anger? Frustration? ...Revenge?" A small smirk appeared on Darcy's face. If he wanted to make fun of her, and mock her by laughing in the middle of a story like that, then Darcy wasn't going to just take that...

"And how might you define revenge, Senya? ...An eye for an eye? The Sneasel's friend didn't... didn't have to die. But it wasn't Sova's fault. It was the friend's... Because he had your mentality. And that's why I wouldn't trust anyone's judgement calls. Not Sova's, not yours... not mine. The law's above that. It analyzes the facts, and it pursues the truth. A judgement call is emotional... And it can be wrong. You can have the wrong person. Criminals can frame the innocent, and maybe, just maybe, you might get a bit carried away..." She touched her own cut for emphasis, an action which she soon regret. That hurt... She winced at her own touch, before lowering her paw down softly, gently.

"You proved that the system can fail... But an eye for an eye isn't any better... It's a lot worse. Maybe you haven't spilled any innocent blood. I can't possibly know that. But with a mentality like yours, it's only a matter of time... No one is smart, or clever, or... perfect enough to make judgement calls like that and always be right... And if you think you are, that's the kind of hubris that's only going to blow up in your face. Just give it time... Sova made the right call. He wasn't where the system went wrong, the people who should've guaranteed the Sneasel's safety until trial made the mistake..." She made her point without much emotion itself. Sure, she'd felt quite sorrowful at first, but... She felt confident in the point she was making. She was sure of herself, and she was sure she was right... What else did she need? She just had to make her point...

~

Alki blinked as the Zorua responded with a flat What to her. Had... he not heard her? She'd been stammering a lot, but she didn't think she was that unintelligble... "W-We're... l-leaving... g-g-going home..." She said, her voice slightly quieter as her self-esteem deteriorated further. He seemed confused... "A-A-And I-I s-said I'm... I-I'm sorry..." She said once again. She didn't have much more to say...

She lowered her hand to the Zorua's leg, before tugging a bit more sharply, not hard enough for it to be construed as any violent action, but... hopefully it conveyed some urgency. Both their guardians were leaving, and... after what had happened to Chance before, she wasn't sure that he'd be exactly overjoyed at the sight... And she couldn't imagine it'd been easy for Chance to see his father cut himself like that...

Now she felt even worse for thinking the thoughts that had gone through her head... She tugged once more on the Zorua, less so for his sake and more for her own. She wanted to forget what she'd been thinking... She wanted to forget all of this. She wished she could... "P-Please, Chance, I-I'm..." She hesitated, before looking over at Darcy. They were still walking... "...T-The jolteon could wake up... O-Or maybe a friend of his could come..." Of course, the Jolteon posed little threat, and he seemed like... a very lonely type. But if it prompted him to action... Well, it would just be a little white lie then...

Still, having said that, Alki had little intention of leaving the Zorua alone. After everything she'd screwed up that day, it was the least she could do... She didn't want to ditch him. Even after everything she'd screwed up earlier... Especially after everything she'd screwed up. And seeing as the glaceon didn't even seem interested in his own child... Darcy turned back to look at her, and Alki managed a small smile. She didn't feel like smiling. She just wanted to leave the blood behind... Darcy sent a small smile back her way, before turning back. She just wanted to go be with Darcy, but she didn't want to leave Chance alone either... He probably felt horrible after watching his dad do that...

Darcy's response was... mostly expected, with the only surprise being how unantagonistic it was. There were a few parts Senya felt he could poke some holes in, like the claim that the law analyzed facts, as if an individual couldn't do that too. Why should someone put faith in a concept like that when it had such a real chance of failing them? It seemed silly to him, and he actually felt a bit bad for the skitty, seeing her as a slave to her own perspective. Alas, the thing he was trying to prove here was not that the law was terrible... Especially as he listened to the skitty talk, he began to feel more of a desire to prove something else. Sure, she could think the law was perfect for all she cared... but that still didn't mean she was right for thinking everyone should always follow it.

"Just give it time," she said, claiming that his way of thinking would backfire on him and he would eventually do something that... what? He would regret? Well, he didn't doubt that, but was he really so unique in this way? He doubted it. "...I didn't say the law was never right. My point is that the world's more complicated than you seem to think," he responded, though his tone was more... solemn. An unusual calm came over him as another idea crept into his mind to prove his point. This next story, he wasn't so sure about telling... but he had never been one to deny his impulses before.

"But, since you're so oblivious, I'll give you a better example..." he began, the dullness in his eyes returning... but this time it was distinctly more... disappointed. Even he had things he didn't like thinking about. "Backtrack a bit, way before the sneasel... Sova had no friends, no family, no one to lean on... and a hopeless, useless feeling inside. So he decided to climb Mt. Frostmeer, mostly to prove to himself that he could. There he met a zorua, and they climbed the mountain together. Over the course of this little adventure, he grew suspicious that she might be deceiving him... and spoiler alert: she was. Turns out she was a wanted criminal who'd been planning to rob him; Mirage, maybe you've heard of her," he started up with his next story, though he distinctly lacked the emotive attitude he'd held with the previous one.

Was he going to regret telling her this? Maybe. He didn't really care. "But then a bigger fish came. They sought shelter in a cave and encountered a froslass, one who wanted nothing but to kill them. Just because. It was stronger than them, and they ended up having to work together just to survive... Then it started singing a lullaby, but not just any lullaby... It was a demented rewrite of something his mother used to sing to him. They were forced into the back of the cave, where they found both his parents... dead... encased in ice," he trailed off and fell silent for a moment, staring down at the ground. He needed to stop to collect his thoughts... yes, his thoughts.

"Sova evolved in that cave, and he fought with a fire in his heart that he'd never felt before... because it wasn't him. He won, with a bit of help from his new friend, and then he killed the froslass. Didn't have to... but he did. I've tried and tried to help him remember, but he never can, not the fight..." he paused and glanced at the skitty, "Because that was me. My first memory... my birth." He slowed to a stop and stared at his bloody paw, growing increasingly doubtful about continuing this story.

Unfortunately, he had never been too keen on making smart decisions or keeping his mouth shut. "Then he and the zorua worked together to get out. They were both exhausted, so they had to, but they chose to be friends after that. Neither of them had anyone else... and for a while, Sova was willing to put up with some very naughty things from her. But eventually, things changed, he convinced her to behave, and..." he trailed off once more, this time intentionally, as he slowly turned back to look at Chance. He gave Darcy another, more curious look, then back to the zorua... He wasn't being subtle.

Assuming he didn't need to explain what he was implying here, his attention fell back on the skitty with a bit more emotion in his eyes; annoyance. "You think your life will never get complicated? Think everything's so black and white? "Oh, the law is the answer to everything, the law will save me." Tch... You give it time."

But really, he wasn't going to wait for time to do something to her. He had already told her Sova was dating and had kids with an infamous outlaw. Now he wanted to see her put faith in her "law" and turn them in. He wanted to see her turn in her idol, and a mother, and leave two children without parents, all because they had done things wrong in the past.

Not that anyone would believe her, but he was interested in seeing her response.

The jigglypuff looked scared or nervous at the least. He couldn't for the life of him understand why. He couldn't remember much of what occurred and just thinking seemed like a feat his brain struggled to accomplish...at least more so than usual. Despite that, he allowed himself to be dragged along without a fight, mostly because he didn't have much capacity to fight in the first place. Going home seemed like a good idea at least, but he didn't remember where they even were in the first place.

The jolteon? His eyes trailed back to the yellow monster that tried to eat him just moments before. Its paw was bent in a very wrong direction with blood around its maw. The electric type looked...more than pathetic sitting where he was. Bruises battered the eeveelution's body that was certain to leave him feeling it in the morning. "Just going to leave him...?" His quiet voice mumbled in confusion, "Won't he die?" He didn't remember much of the jolteon's attack, just that it did something bad...did it really warrant being left alone and injured in the middle of a dungeon to die though?

His attention was quickly turned away as he realized that he could hear his father's voice telling a story that was...familiar? All dazed concerns about his assailant vanished as he met Senva's gaze with a look of total confusion. Wasn't that something they were supposed to keep quiet about? Like-could potentially ruin everyone's lives quiet? A sinking feeling developed in his gut as the confusion was replaced with horror. Why was he doing that? Was he feeling as weird as he was? Did he not realize it?

"Sh-Shut up!" he managed to speak up, though the look on his face was far from defiance. If anything he was terrified that Senva would react badly to this, but he felt it was important to get the urgency of how wrong what he was doing was. Although...it was a little too late. Only after he spoke up did he realize it. His thoughts went from slow and spacey to a race that couldn't keep on one track. His dad was going to be mad at him. His mom was going to be mad at dad and him. His mom was going to get taken away. His dad was going to lose his job. He was going to have to live on the streets...a--and what about Emmelyn?? She'd be torn apart by all of this!

He needed to think of some recovery plan, but he couldn't keep his head together long enough to formulate a consistent plan. There were only two options he could think of...Call his father a liar or hope the lawful citizens didn't turn his parents in. Calling his father a liar seemed like the best option. It would make them doubt him, right? Think he's lying just to prove a point? Then his dad wouldn't be happy though...he definitely wouldn't be happy. Not only that, but it would have felt so so wrong. He might have been a mischievous little shit, but lying wasn't exactly something he did often if at all.

"S-Stop-" he started up with a quiver in his voice. The immediate slam of guilt and shame silenced him. He was already going to be in trouble for telling Dad to shut up, this would dig his grave. His gaze fell away and stared at the ground. He couldn't do it. His entire family's lives were about to be ruined all because he couldn't bring himself to accuse his dad of lying. All the little holes in his plan such as Darcy and Alki investigating his family themselves failed to come to mind. All he could think of now was how this was officially the worst day he had ever experienced in his life. "Just...stop," he mumbled.

Darcy didn't want any more stories. She didn't want Senya to be out anymore, even more so than before... She felt so desperate for him to shut up... For him to just stop talking, and leave her alone with her thoughts and opinions and... everything intact. She didn't want to be thinking about these stories the whole way home... She looked back at the children behind her, hoping they were doing something that might allow her to reasonably interrupt Senya. But they weren't... They were following her, seemingly in a rush... Which was to be expected. Darcy blinked, nodding as if in acceptance of her current situation. There was very little she could do but listen now...

The Skitty pawed uncomfortably at the ground, then at her ear, as if something were itching it. She wished he'd shut up about Sova. Considering the point that Senya was trying to make, Darcy had a pretty good idea of where this story was going to end up going, and she didn't like it one bit... She wished he'd stop using other people's suffering to prove a point. She couldn't imagine finding one's parents alone, dead for who knew how long, in the back of a cave... It was sickening. It was demented, and the fact that he was using it as ammunition to win an argument over her...

Darcy wasn't particularly surprised at the Glaceon's implication that Chance was the product of this Mirage character and Sova... He was a Zorua too. Truthfully, the thought had crossed her mind, and having it confirmed wasn't too surprising. He was their child... And he was innocent. No matter what crimes his mother had committed and what errors Sova might have made, Chance was a factor now... A part of the equation that no one could remove.

And if Sova had convinced her to behave...? The whole legal process, in her mind, was meant to serve as a chance at rehabilitation... Going to jail a criminal, and coming out a functioning citizen... And if Sova had accomplished that on his own? A proper rehabilitation... That defeated the point of jail, didn't it? ...Of course, it wasn't just to the victims of her crimes, but if both Mirage and Sova had a child to take care of...

She didn't want to attack any of his points. Mostly because she didn't have the heart to. She didn't want to address the story with Sova and his parents, she didn't want any more details there, and if she asked him about Mirage's crimes, she felt as if she'd have a harder time justifying her decision to turn a blind eye to this revelation...

Just how naughty was naughty...?

"...Alright. Sova made a judgement call, and it turned out fine. Is that how everyone should act...? Just... making their own calls, without any regard for what's legal and what's not...? Should I ignore the law like that if I think I'm right? Should Chance? Should Alki? ...Maybe Sova got lucky. Once. Maybe the world is more complicated than I think. But... I know you're wrong. You're so cynical about the law, about society... The law has saved people. I'm sure of it. The law will continue to work, whether you like it or not, a-and..."

"S-Stop..."

Darcy blinked, turning back to the Zorua, her train of thought grinding to a stop. He must've heard them mention his mother. He seemed frightened. His voice was quivering, as though it'd break at any point... That was the only word he said for a while, until he repeated himself once more. Just... stop,

Darcy turned to look at Senya, blinking in confusion as to how to handle this situation. She hated the Glaceon even more for forcing her into a position like this. It hurt. She believed in the law, truthfully, she did... But she was put in a position where she couldn't really use it. Not without seriously harming a child, perhaps more than one child, taking away both his parents... She scowled, but nodded, accepting her choice. She supposed she was complicit with whatever crimes Mirage might have committed now.

"...I won't turn her in. I won't. If only for Chance's sake... But she should turn herself in. She should face the punishment for whatever crimes she might have committed, and let the law decide... If she's truly grown past it, she should face the punishment and truly put it behind her..." She turned to look back at Chance and Alki. Her sister seemed to be trying to get Chance's attention. Hopefully to comfort him... Darcy sighed. This result hurt her... Not as much as the cutting, but it stung...

"But I'm a small player in a big play... I won't turn her in. It's not my place." Darcy finished with a heavy sigh. She didn't want anything more to do with this conversation...

~

Alki blinked as the Zorua brought up the Jolteon. Was Chance worried about him...? Alki couldn't imagine why, but as the memory of her own words which had kicked off so much suffering came back to her, she couldn't help but feel a bit... actually, a lot, guilty. She'd caused it all because she'd told this guy to go off himself... Well, here was her chance to put her money where her mouth was.

Chance was right. If they left him there, he could die. He probably would die... But Alki didn't want that. She didn't want anyone to die. Maybe it was because he'd already suffered so much...? His paw was messed up, and he was bloodied in so many places... Alki stole a look at the puddle of water by his paw, the icicle now completely melted. A few centimeters to the side, and that puddle wouldn't have been water...

"Yeah..." She said quietly, thinking. She didn't want to drag him all the way back home. That'd be dangerous and scary, especially seeing as she would've had to handle it with how far Darcy and Sova had already walked. He was probably much heavier than her too...

Alki teleported to the Jolteon's side. She smelled blood, and electricity, and it was sickening. She opened her bag up, quickly rifling through it, before she found a small pouch filled with assorted berries. Opening it up, the jigglypuff extracted a bright blue Oran berry. She'd been saving it for herself, but she wasn't in any danger of dying...

And after what she'd said, and how much suffering she'd caused, she wasn't keen on just allowing someone to die. Even if they were evil... Alki placed two Oran berries by the Jolteon's paw, such that when he came to, he might easily be able to see them, and use them. They were supposed to heal, right? Maybe enough for him to get to Grima, or to Rainfront, or... whatever town was closest. At the very least, just to get to safety...

Alki looked upon her own handiwork one more time, before blinking back tears that she hadn't even realized were forming. Stuff like this always happened... She wished she could trade spots with the Jolteon. Without the Oran berries...

The jigglypuff teleported back to the Zorua abruptly, feeling sick from the smell and the sight, but also from her own thoughts. She said nothing, simply walking back towards the duo of older pokemon with Chance's company. The two were talking about something that seemed quite wordy, and Alki couldn't help but eavesdrop. She had nothing to contribute of course, but it was interesting to know that Sova had gotten with an outlaw, and judging by the way Sova seemed to look back at Chance, and then at Darcy, repeatedly, over and over... They'd had a kid...?

Come to think of it, how did that happen anyways...? Curiousity began to seep into her mind, but before she could dwell on it much at all, the Zorua spoke up.

"Sh-Shut up!" Alki jumped back in surprise, frightened from the sudden outburst. She blinked as she registered just how afraid he was as well. She supposed it made sense... To be afraid about his mother's secret being found out. Who knew what kind of crimes his mom committed, but from the way Sova said it, it could've been serious.

"S-Stop-" Chance spoke up again, his voice shaking not unlike her own did on occasion. "Just... stop," He was quiet... Very quiet. Alki paused for a moment, thinking. She didn't want him to be afraid. She didn't want him to suffer... Not really. Her sister was safe, and as much as she hated Sova for what he'd done, and what he'd made her watch... Chance wasn't really to blame...

At least, she didn't blame him enough to want to see him suffer like this... And the fact that his mom was an outlaw... Well, for all she knew, that could be her one day... What goes around comes around, right? Alki tugged on Chance's fur again, softly, as she smiled at him. Hopefully it was reassuring. She was still quite frightened after everything that had happened... But this was a chance to at least partially make up for previous mistakes...

"H-Hey, Chance, I-I w-won't... I w-won't tell on your mum, o-ok...?" She said, nodding resolutely. "I-It's... It wouldn't be fair to either of ya..." She paused, hesitating. This was probably a mistake as well, but both Darcy and Sova were far enough ahead that they probably wouldn't hear, seeing as they were still occupied with each other, and Sova didn't seem interested at all in the younger members of the group. "O-Once we get h-home, I-I can tell ya a s-secret! A-And... maybe it'll make ya feel better... O-Or at l-least prove that I really w-won't tell... D-D-Does that sound ok...?"

The skitty's first word brought the smile back to Senya's face. Immediatley, he knew he had won; after all her talk about how the law was absolute and should always be followed, she wasn't going to abide by it. She was too nice to turn in a reformed criminal who was now a mother... and someone she seemed to think was a good person. She actively acknowledged that they were both lawbreakers, but she wasn't going to do what the law said she was supposed to do and turn them in, all because she didn't want to. She didn't personally think that was the correct thing to do, or at least, it wasn't what she wanted to happen... so she wasn't going to do it. Senya had been fairly confident she would cave here, but he wasn't too worried about the risk of being wrong since he didn't see much she could do even if she decided to take action. Nobody would believe some random low-rank guild member's claims without evidence, and she had no evidence.

Senya didn't care what anyone thought of him, including "his" child, but he wasn't stupid. He tended to stray away from decisions that would seriously risk Sova or himself in any way. His main purpose was that of a protector, after all, and he took that job fairly seriously. Plus, he admittedly enjoyed the perks of not being a wanted criminal. He wasn't going to compromise this just to prove a point to someone he had only just met. "Hear that?" he called back to the zorua with a reemergence of his cocky demeanor, "She's too nice to tell on us." He chuckled lightly at his own words and continued walking, shaking his head dismissively.

He still didn't like the story he'd just told, but now he was past it and could focus on the effects of it. Darcy was still trying to pretend the law was everything, but talk was cheap and she clearly wasn't willing to back hers up. As far as Senya was concerned, he had already won this argument, and he was satisfied with what he had done. He admittedly felt a bit bad about panicking Chance since the kid seemed okay enough and was technically sort of his, but he knew there was no real danger here. The brief joy over his perceived victory faded as he looked back to the skitty again, wondering what to say now that he had won. He didn't necessarily care how hard she tried to stick to her original claims since her actions were proving she didn't necessarily belief herself... but for some reason, he wanted to continue.

"Your actions betray your words. You're doing the same thing he did... the same thing I do... You're choosing not to follow the law, because you want to. Your reasons, your morality... all of that may be different because you're a different person, but in the end you're guilty all the same. That's all I wanted to prove... The law is a suggestion; it's not always right, and nobody follows it when they really don't want to. Justify it however you like," he spoke calmly, perhaps more calmly than before. He felt like a weight had been lifted with him at least somewhat proving a point he genuinely cared about.

It was unusual for Senya to care so much about a topic of conversation. It was unusual for him to care about much of anything, but to be fair, he was rarely allowed to do much more than fight... and rarely had any desire to. He wasn't sure why he cared to participate in this particular conversation, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with it being a rare opportunity he had to actually interact with someone outside of violent means. It was fascinating.

Darcy won't turn his mom in...but his mom should turn herself in? That defeated the whole point of keeping others from turning her in! He remained quiet, though, as his father's mocking call sounded the clearest to him above all. She was too nice to tell on them. Immediate confusion was the only way to describe him at that moment. This whole day was confusing. He really wanted to go home.

All previous care for the jolteon was seemingly abandoned, though it was more accurate to say it completely slipped from his mind. He was honestly surprised that his dad didn't say anything about the audacity he had to yell at him to shut up. Part of him wondered if he just didn't want to make a scene in front of these two. Was the lecture still to come or was he off the hook?

The jigglypuff spoke at his side with the promises of a secret...blackmail material? If it weren't for how terrible this day was, he would have been thrilled at the prospect. Right now, all it did was relieve him of his stress ever so slightly. Yeah, if the jigglypuff had a secret...then he could hold it against them if they decided to change their mind. Both her and Darcy, right? Suddenly this secret seemed like the most important material he could ever get his claws on, one that he'd hang onto and never let go.

"O-Okay...Th-that...yeah..." He nodded, though it definitely wasn't a very comforted looking one combined with his tone. His thoughts still raced from topic to topic. It felt out of his control. His eyes flicked from the jigglypuff to the skitty before they landed on Senva. If they were leaving this dungeon, he didn't want to be left behind. He was quick to suddenly pick up the pace to get closer to the duo ahead of them. He didn't particularly think about the idea of leaving the Jigglypuff behind, far too concerned with the sudden feeling of being out in the open.

He was quick to catch up to the glaceon despite a stumble here and there from either tripping over his own paws or his legs simply lacking the strength for sudden movement now that the adrenaline was steadily running low. He nosed his way under the glaceon's cloak again, at least as much as he could manage on the move. He probably looked a bit ridiculous, but he felt safer here.

Darcy grit her teeth as the Glaceon just had to rub it in. Point taken... Sure, she could admit that he had a pretty decent point... And her own actions only served as evidence towards it. Of course, she didn't really agree with him either, even now. The law was perfect... More perfect than she was, clearly. It was... a disappointing development, to be sure. Darcy blinked as the Glaceon pressed the attack even more. Darcy let out a low growl of frustration as he continued to talk and talk...

And finally, he stopped. She was tired of him and his cocky demeanor and belittling attitude and... everything about him was tiresome, honestly. Darcy shook her head, meeting his gaze. The frown was still ever-present on her face, as it most likely often would be when she interacted with this big, stupid, meanie.

"L-Look, you can think of me what you like..." She began, before looking back at Chance. "If she's truly turned over a new leaf, then there's no point to me turning her in... But if I find her, and she's not as innocent as you claim, or if she relapses somehow... If either of you do anything wrong, you'll regret having told me about her... I'll find evidence. I'll be sure to... And regardless of the children, I'll turn her in. I hope you told the truth..." Darcy claimed. Her threat was perhaps more a paper tiger than anything, but she didn't want to let him get away thinking she was completely spineless...

Truthfully, she wanted to believe him. But she also didn't want to just take his word for it... She'd have to look into this Mirage-person some more... And find out what it was, exactly she'd done, and... what she was like now. Maybe talk to her... Darcy sighed. This was all so much to take in, and as much as she would've loved to claim the moral high ground... It really was complicated. This whole day had been so difficult and painful and complicated that Darcy wasn't entirely sure where she stood anymore.

She'd never thought she could be wrong about something this important... She couldn't even imagine entertaining the possibility! Of course, that was different now... So, so, different...

"How long's the walk home, do you figure?" She asked quietly, trying to shift the topic away from such complicated and weary social discussion...

~~

A small smile appeared on Alki's face as she took in the Zorua's nervous, frightened agreement. Sure, he was scared after what the Glaceon had just revealed, but... If she could make it better? Even a bit? She'd take it... After all, she'd caused all the suffering that day... And she hadn't even been able to stand by her own words in the end. She'd been nothing but a waste of space, that whole day. But if she could do something... anything, to make it better? For either Darcy or Chance... Then she'd be happy to do so.

If she could redeem herself somehow, at least a bit... Perhaps then, it'd justify her choice to not just teleport away, deeper into the prairie, until someone worse than the Jolteon found her... Truthfully, she really didn't want to do that... She wanted to make up for her mistakes. For so, so many of her mistakes... She could manage that, right? At least a bit?

Alki nodded, rubbing at her eyes, despite the lack of tears. She wished she could be useful... Chance was young, so he got a pass. He'd grow into some strength, but her...? She was so much stupider than all her friends, not to mention a much bigger coward, and as much as she despised Sova now, at the very least, she could recognize that he was stronger than she could ever dream to be. She'd probably never find anything she was good at...

She watched as the Zorua picked up his pace, but she remained relatively leisurely. There was no need for her to run herself.

"N-No P-Problem, C-Chance..." She said quietly, with no hint of sarcasm in her voice. She was just happy to help him somehow...

Come to think of it, she should probably go help her sister as well. Alki walked forward herself now, speeding up, until she came to Darcy's side. She looked up at the Skitty, who seemed to be in a rare, sour mood. Alki frowned herself now.

"H-Hey, Darcy..." She asked in the same quiet voice, nudging the larger Pokemon softly. She smiled wider now, even though it felt out of place, and almost painful. "Y-You're a-alright, r-right...?" Her voice rose in volume, trying it's best to be as normal as possible, and failing miserably. She found for something else to say to continue her faux small talk, but truthfully, that was all she wanted to ask, and all she wanted to confirm...

"...Yeah. Yeah, I am Alki." She said, her frown shrinking as her ears perked up. She seemed happier, just because she was there... That sort of reaction always confused Alki. When she saw herself in the mirror, she just felt disappointment. She never understood why Darcy always had such a different reaction. "Thanks for asking. Say, can I lean on you for a bit, sis?" She asked, her smile growing a bit as Darcy looked down at the balloon.

A chance to be useful...? Alki's smile shrunk, but seemed now much, much more natural. She nodded as she collectd her shadow, and put it up on her side, as a sort of... wall for the Skitty to lean on as she walked. She was much too small to help Darcy without the move... Alki matched Darcy's pace as they walked forward, trying her best to forget everything that had happened in the clearing. She wanted to pretend Sova wasn't there. Even forget Chance, for a bit... She just wanted it to be her and Darcy.

"T-Thanks, Sis..." She said softly, earning a small, befused smile from the Skitty.

"...You're welcome, Alki."

Senya couldn't help but chuckle at the skitty's response, her adorable little threats. He wasn't afraid of her in the slightest, partly because he doubted she would actually do anything if push came to shove. More importantly, he didn't see how she could do much even if she tried, so the threats only came off as endearing. He considered making it very clear to her that he was not going to stop doing "wrong," just to watch her struggle even more to patch the growing holes in her argument, but... he decided not to. He had already clearly won and, surprisingly, didn't feel like making Darcy feel worse just for the sake of it. He had no crowd to entertain, just a couple of children, and he felt he had sufficiently proven his point to the skitty already.

Besides, he didn't quite want to crush her spirit, just toy with it a bit. He liked the fight in this one and only wanted to provoke her just enough to encourage that trait... Too much and he could snuff it out. She was already starting to be more submissive and pathetic, and that was the sign that the entertainment had gone on long enough. She clearly wanted to change the topic anyway, and even more clearly wanted to go home. "I have no idea," he shrugged, though it wasn't that he didn't know so much as he didn't care. He was in no rush to get "home" since it wasn't his home; he had no home and didn't care much where he was.

But also he really didn't know how long it would be, since Sova was generally the one who kept track of things like that and Sova wasn't here. Not that he had much problem with any of that since it meant he got to interact with this riveting skitty longer... and...

...The other ones. He was reminded they were also a factor when the zorua ran over to him and crawled under his - or rather, Sova's - cloak. He decided not to question this development or throw the child, and instead simply allowed it to happen. He supposed he understood that Chance felt safer hiding himself from view and huddled up next to "dad," even if it was very awkward and a bit uncomfortable. Senya decided he would tolerate this if only because the child was technically sort of his own, and he was admittedly not the most lame kid in the world. "...Okay then," he muttered, mostly to himself, and continued walking.

Between this, and the two pink things bonding and being all nice and supportive to each other... Senya was beginning to feel out of place. The fun was ending and now he was starting to want to go away, but Sova still wasn't coming back. He probably wouldn't for a while... which meant Senya would now have to tolerate the sickening innocence in the air. Oh well.