Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation

Chapter 139 - Gone, and Remembered

"I have no reason to tell you," Qitlan said icily, fingers turning to doorknob.

"Someone you loved?" Owen asked. He felt another little twitch, the fingers barely flexing as the knob turned. "Someone who Voided?" The fingers relaxed, a smirk twitching on Qitlan's face by a millimeter. No, he was getting colder. "Or someone not here at all... that you haven't seen?"

The smirk was there, but it wavered, and that may as well have been a cry that he was right.

"Don't... don't you think they'd be upset at how you are now?" Owen asked.

He fired another jet of water, and Owen was tempted to block it with a Protect, but knew not to. That wouldn't be good right now. Instead, his arm twitched, but he feigned it to be a failure to react, and the jet hit him in the shoulder, leaving another clean hole into the wall.

"I've had enough of this." And, hastily, Qitlan left, fleeing from his Perceive.

The door shut. Owen Perceived Qitlan rushing down the hall at a brisk pace, his emotions a little more visible. Pain and shame, maybe. Denial, trying to forget. Regret? Was that regret? Owen didn't know Qitlan well enough to place those body movements to any particular emotion yet. Maybe he was just projecting, assuming Qitlan would have reacted the same way he would have. The same way Wishkeeper must feel about all that happened.

At least, that was Owen's hope.

"Guess he has a heart after all," Owen said to himself, laughing a little. It's really too bad... he doesn't want it to beat...

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Without a rift in the sky to reveal the sun, the time for rest came whenever their bodies called for it. Team Alloy and their partners were all given a large, spare room in an area that felt similar to the quarantine rooms when checking for Void Shadow doppelgangers. Thankfully, they were touched up to be homier, even if it was temporary housing.

Still, could they not have at least given them a few extra rooms besides just the one? Zena couldn't help but think it a few times, but she also knew it was on short notice. That they got shelter at all was a kindness in a world like this.

"Well, I think that's everything we have at our disposal," Zena reported, her ribbons placing a pile of blankets forward. "All one size. Smaller Pokémon can share. Larger Pokémon can double up."

"So in other words, you 'n Owen," Gahi said with a skeptical stare.

"W-well, I wouldn't demand it..."

Mispy rolled her eyes and pulled Demitri and two blankets closer, nibbling his shoulder.

Gahi crossed his arms, glancing at Jerry.

"Nope," Jerry replied.

"Feh... Whatever."

Zena tilted her head. Didn't Gahi always enjoy resting alone? Or... After glancing at Owen, she saw that he seemed concerned, too. Something was bothering Gahi again.

"...Oh." Of course. She hadn't realized it. During their rests between flying, they'd always slept as a large group while taking watch over the rest so they weren't ambushed. Back at Null Village, Gahi had been spending his nights with Team Alloy or...

"What?" Gahi growled. "Look, I, eh... I dunno. Place is cold, 'n stuff. Blankets ain't gonna do it all."

"It's too bad Trina didn't come with us, but she's still weak," Zena said, nodding. "You two have really taken a shine to each other, haven't you?"

"A shine?" Gahi asked. "Well, sure. Y'know, she's a lot nicer when that whole Bug control thing ain't front 'n center. Well, nah. Figure she's always been that way..."