Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 115 - Espionage and Deception

"Hello? Yes... yes, this is Milotic... Yes, Milotic Zena. I'm going to come in late for work, I'm sorry."

Owen, puzzled, rolled so he could get a look at what Zena was doing. Enet was sprawled out and rolling on her bed, snorting and sneezing and subbing her head against the bed. Zena was coiled in the corner with what looked like another strange device in her ribbons, much like the one Marshadow had shared with him before. Was she speaking to it? Was that badge her employer?

No, wait. This was... technology, something he'd only expect from the human world. Or Nevren's communicator. But Zena had one?

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It was a personal matter. ...I... Am I supposed to say? Y-yes, yes, it's—it was for someone close to me, an important meeting, I had to guard him. N-no, it isn't like that, I—"

Owen's claws dug into the bed. The leaf on his tail glowed softly.

"Yes. Yes, it won't happen again. I understand. Yes, I'll take a late shift. Thank you." She tapped something on the badge with her other ribbon, but Owen saw that she was trembling.

"Zena?"

"Oh! Right. You're here." Zena cleared her throat. "That was my boss. He, er. Well, I did throw this on him short-notice..."

"Was he yelling at you?" Owen asked.

"Like I said, it was short-notice, so..."

Owen hummed a little loudly, disapproving of something. He wasn't sure what. "Something about this doesn't sit right."

"That's just how bosses usually are, Owen," Zena said. "I can't find anything better. And I don't really have the time, either. Sometimes, I have to clean up after work, and by the time I get home, well, I'm quite tired. I was lucky enough to get this day off, though I don't have any pay for it. I don't have that same power as a Guardian. I need to work to sustain things until this Dark Matter business is taken care of. Being hungry isn't very fun, you know. And decent food here is expensive..."

This sounded like Zena was in a bind not over physical power but social power. Would Zena enjoy if someone else was there to make it more bearable? Even worse, Owen wasn't sure if the work environment was healthy for her mental health—or if something else was going on that Zena didn't have the clout to go against.

He didn't want to impose anything on her, let alone embarrass her, but... Maybe he could get something out of this that was productive, too. Anything to stop stewing in his own thoughts. "I'm fine with working there, you know, until I find another job," Owen offered. "It'll help make things easier here, right?"

There was a hopeful look in Zena's eyes, but it seemed her pride kept her from accepting outright. "Oh, well," she said, "I wouldn't want to burden you with that."

"No, I think I'd want that," Owen said. "Anything to stop thinking about all this. Maybe a basic job is what I need."

Again, she hesitated, but it didn't seem like it was because she didn't want him there. "It's a little odd," she admitted. "You don't usually... well, perhaps if you're looking for work, yes. That could be it..." Zena nodded. "Right. Right... But first, let's relax. After what just happened with Dark Matter, I think I need it..."

"Yeah." They definitely needed it. Zena didn't look like she wanted to talk about work in any sort of depth, so he didn't press it. "When is Nevren going to talk with us again?"

"He said fifteen days at the latest, when we'd seen him before," Zena said. "Assuming time moves the same here—and we don't really know for sure—that's tomorrow our time."

"How long was I..."

Zena smiled sadly, coiling around the bed so she didn't take up Owen's space, though he would have preferred it. "And how are you feeling, Owen? After..."