Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
After the cooking fiasco, Harriet had teleported Gabe home to— Cherry Town rather than Bass City. She was more familiar with that area, and he seemed to need peace and quiet more than the bustle of the city. Sitting him down in a chair, she’d made him some tea and snacks and just… waited.
Gabe, meanwhile, was starting to become numb. Not entirely, but enough. As the tea was handed to him, he took it slowly but did not raise it to his lips. “Of course he’s one of her exes….” he stated aloud. Harriet paused. She could search Gabe’s mind and understand what he was talking about… or she could ask. She chose the latter. He looked sideways at her and frowned. “Koray… is one of Arietta’s exes and….” A choked sob. “Why does everything… everyone….. I know….. have to somehow connect back to her.”
‘Oh…. Gabe…..’ Harriet sighed and slowly sunk down to her knees. Arms reached forward and wrapped sideways around him. Gabe twisted around and rested his face against her shoulder. She pat him gently and hummed quietly. The conversations they had thereafter were only in the mind space. Oddly enough, in all of this, Harriet found Gabe had more conversational control than he had had before. It was… sadly ironic.
Harriet texted Koray. She had never used a phone before but found her way around it easily enough. While she waited for Koray to reply, she went through the rest of it quickly and found Gabe’s photos, various notes, and a number of other things. She even took a selfie…. for later. After everything was settled, she found that Gabe had finished drinking and eating and settled into a weird half-wake half-sleep. Well, that was better than nothing.
The next day there was a fight between Harriet and Gabe which ended with Gabe sitting at the front of the Birch City Gardens with his arms folded around himself and a too-warm jacket wrapped around him. Harriet sat next to him in a sweater and scarf and kept side eyeing him now and again. He huffed and glanced sideways and she sighed again. This is what Koray would walk up on.
It had taken a fair amount of time to get the kitchen cleaned up again. Thankfully nothing had been broken in the chaos which was some small respite. Dad had insisted that Koray take the rest of the day off and had even helped finish the rest of the meal. Rowan still wasn't too happy about this meeting that Koray had insisted he go to. At least Freda would be there this time, and of course Rowan wasn't about to let Koray see that guy again without him. As much as Koray was a little annoyed by the Phantump's worry, he was relieved that he wouldn't be facing Gabe alone again. He didn't exactly know what had set him off but... well, apparently there was more to Gabe than meets the eye. Of course you could say the same about me, too. But that was neither here nor there.
With Rowan's help, Koray managed to pack up a picnic basket with the food inside, silently praying that Elanor and Morwen's presence would be enough to keep it warm until they got to Birch. It made the basket a little heavier certainly, but at least the Litwick and Litten were small enough to fit inside with little problem. Elanor had been another that insisted on coming, just in case. "We're almost there, Freda, the gardens are just up ahead," Koray murmured as they entered Birch City.
After a bit of wandering, Koray did in fact find Gabe and Harriet in front of the gardens. It seemed that not everything was alright but... Koray thought that it was more important to return Gabe' bag right then and there. Taking a breath, he urged Freda onwards. The Absol gave a whining growl but listened while Koray waved to Gabe and Harriet while Rowan hovered nearby, glaring daggers at Gabe. "Hey Gabe," Koray murmured, handing over his bag without prompting. He knew how important a person's pokemon was to them after all. After meeting Rowan, Koray wasn't sure what he'd do without the Phantump.
As soon as Gabe did take the bag, Koray gestured to the picnic basket he'd brought. "I brought the food and apricorns too... did you want to go inside or-...?"
As the sounds of crunching snow underfoot echoed in his ears, Gabe glanced up to find Koray and his Pokemon approaching. He stood, a look of weird agitation on his features, but wouldn’t move immediately. He didn’t seem to notice the Phantump’s reactions at all as his gaze zeroed in on the bag Koray carried.
Harriet sighed and looked from Gabe to Koray. ‘Hello Koray… and friends,’ she greeted in Gabe’s place. Slowly forcing herself to standing, she assessed the other Pokemon that were with him. On a good day, Gabe would have noticed the Litten first and fanned a little bit. Of course, that day was not exactly good for Gabe.
Instead, Gabe silently stepped forward and took the bag, shifting it around, and unzipping a bag pocket to grab several small Pokeballs and return them to his pockets. “Hey…” he muttered much after the fact. His eyes raised and held Koray’s for a moment before dropping to the bag. “Ah… sure. There’s a gazebo in the center area with a fireplace in the middle.” Harriet was actually the one who had pointed this out when she had been looking for neutral areas to go. It would give Gabe the much craved warmth, or so she hoped.
Words: 442 | Tag:Gabe Alim | Notes: **Rowan can be only heard by Koray or arguably Harriet too
Koray noticed how Gabe's eyes zeroed in on the bag hooked around an arm. That would be just how he'd react if his pokemon suddenly disappeared too... At hearing Harriet's voice though, Koray looked over at the Alakazam not at all surprised at hearing another voice in his head. "Ah, the Absol is Freda and I think you met Rowan before... he's my partner and first pokemon. And very protective of me. I'm sorry about what he did earlier, Gabe..." Koray explained, only to wince as Rowan practically yelled in his mind. I am NOT sorry about that! He was attacking you Koray! We shouldn't even be here!** Instead of answering right away, Koray simply pulled the Phantump close and held him. He wasn't going to chance Rowan attacking Gabe again as angry as the Phantump was...
The information that there was a gazebo ahead and Koray nodding, "That sounds like a good idea... maybe we'll be able to warm up there. I hope the food's still warm enough, I got here as soon as I could but..." he shrugged, it was hard to tell in the middle of winter even with two fire pokemon staying in the basket to keep the food warm. At any rate, Freda would move on to the gazebo in question with Koray still on her back. He tried to hide it as much as he could, but it still... really hurt to move. Holding the basket was starting to tire him out as well and the sooner it was off his lap, the better.
It seemed there were some seats in the gazebo which made it easy for Koray to slide the basket off his lap and onto the bench before managing to slide off Freda. The Absol lay down at Koray's feet with a soft hmph, eyeing Harriet and Gabe with the eye of a watchful guard dog. Once the basket was set down, a soft Mreoww escaped Morwen as the Litten opted to come out and curled up on Koray's lap. Elanor too, hopped out of the basket and cooed upon seeing the fireplace, immediately hopping over to it and starting a fire with her own flame, only following it up with Ember when it didn't catch quickly enough. How dare! >C Either way the Litwick would wave cheerfully at Harriet after lighting the fire and hop back over to Koray, making a happy sound when she received pats for being a good helper. After that, Koray set about putting out the food. It was... a place to start at least?
Harriet smiled at both Freda and Rowan. A small nod would be given to each of them. She’d been about to say something back, but Rowan’s words cut her off. Instead, she found herself turning to look at Gabe’s back as the latter stopped walking. There was a rise in his mind, and he was on the cusp of something….. but then it fell again.
“It’s fine,” was the flat answer back. Harriet breathed out a deeper sigh than even she realized she had at the moment. Alright, this was fine— good, even. She followed after them occasionally looking back and smiling. Gabe just walked without saying much. It wasn’t that far at least.
Stepping in first, Gabe walked over to the center and inspected the fire place. There were a few dying embers, but whoever had started the fire had been long gone by then. At least there were some chopped limbs already set aside to start it up again. Fishing one up and dumping it over the fire, he waited to see if it would take—Or the Litwick could just come in and start it up fully with her own flames. Gabe side eyed her before smirking just a little as he remained crouched at the fire’s side. “Aren’t you cute,” he murmured briefly looking back at the fire again. It was warm…. But not nearly warm enough.
Harriet, meanwhile, had already sat down across from Koray and stretched slowly. She watched Gabe by the fire for a moment before speaking. ‘Gabe, come sit down,’ was the call. Gabe glanced back again and …. had a particular look on his features for a brief moment that made her wish she’d said nothing. Lord Arceus, why did he have to have such somber expressions as that. Still, it was gone in a moment as Gabe forced himself to stand again and walked over to drop himself into a seat next to her. Harriet reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment before perking up again. 'This is what you both made the other day… it smells delicious!' Gabe shrugged his shoulders a little in response.
It wasn't fine. That much Koray knew but...he would accept it. What choice did he have? Rowan wasn't happy with him, he could feel it... the anger radiating from the Phantump was enough to make Koray tremble, but he tried to push such thoughts away at least for right then. At least Freda was calm, that was something to hold onto right then. She didn't know what had happened at the restaurant or else there might have been a different outcome. For now, he would be fine with this shaky peace.
Elanor's act was adorable and the Litwick cooed at being noticed, bouncing up and down and eventually moving towards Gabe. Rowan didn't particularly care for that, but the Litwick was a sweet creature and preferred to be away from the grumpy Phantump. "That's Elanor the Fair. Yes, that's her full name, she's a sweetheart if a bit mischievous at times. This Litten's Morwen, but I think we interrupted her naptime," Koray mused, stroking the sleeping Litten after he'd put the food out.
Hearing the compliment, Koray smiled a little more and would have gone into detail had he not noticed Gabe's admittedly lackluster reaction. "Ah, yeah, thanks. It's just some salad, pasta with berry compote, salmon with berry glaze and a desert I made with what was leftover," Koray mumbled a little half-heartedly. It was... hard to be upbeat given the oppressive atmosphere. Rowan was still glaring daggers at Gabe and...
Alright, knock it off, Rowan. Or did you forget that I can feel your negative energy from a mile away? I'm FINE, nothing's going to happen. That's what you think. I'm not going to let him touch you again Koray! I trust him not to. So I repeat, knock it off. Don't make me put you back in your pokeball, Rowan. You know I will. That at least made the Phantump pause long enough to take a deep breath, letting his anger simmer down before moping in a corner of the gazebo. Koray was able to take a deep breath and relax, back pressed against the gazebo wall as his eyes closed. Good, now he could actually breathe again. Thank you. Try to enjoy yourself, Rowan, please? I don't like fighting... you know that... Only because it's you... I know buddy... I know... It's not right though! Ara's torturing you all the time when you meet her! And now this!!?? KORAY PLEASE! Rowan's whine that broke the silence had Koray smiling almost bitterly before glancing back to Gabe and opting to distract himself with dishing up some plates. He wasn't going to reply to that right then or anytime soon.
"I made some fresh pokemon food too in case you wanted to let anyone else out. Otherwise there's enough for us and then some... I'm not... terribly hungry," Koray explained, earning another concerned whine from Rowan in his mind. I'm fine... That's a lie! You're not eating again ;3; Rowan, please, not now. The Phantump wasn't going to give up so easily and ended up moving to rest on Koray's shoulder. At least Rowan had stopped glaring daggers at Gabe though, heh...
Elanor— A far more elegant name than his own Litwick, Candle, but Gabe only had so much inspiration for names. Lizbeth was still his favorite, after all. Gabe watched her flame for a moment longer before glancing back to the other named Pokemon. And a Litten. Just how many Pokemon of the same species did they share? Gabe didn’t…. want to think about it. Instead, he’d rose to standing and moved to sit down next to Harriet again.
“….”
“….”
Gabe looked at Harriet. Harriet looked at Gabe. ‘You can hear it….’
‘Yeah….’ Gabe set his elbow on the arm of the chair and looked out along the garden way instead. Harriet bit her lower lip. So Gabe had been right…. That was… unfortunate. Harriet felt herself glance down for a moment. Of all the ways to awaken that power, mental distress had to be the worst.
Gabe just listened. He listened to the buzz of thoughts that echoed in his head now: those bouncing between Koray and Rowan, those reverberating off Harriet, even those that were bleeding out from Koray’s other Pokemon. They were loud… booming…. Exhausting. His head had hurt all night, and it was hurting even more right then. If he hadn’t been so concerned about Lizbeth, there was no way he’d be there.
But he was. But he was and he was unfortunately listening— to everything the Phantump had to say and every response back from Koray. There was no reason for Rowan to lie— not when he believed he was talking solely to Koray. This wasn’t an act. This wasn’t a farce. Yellow eyes closed, and Gabe listened. His chest hurt. The offer to let his other Pokemon out had him glancing sideways at Harriet. The latter wasn’t sure who he had on hand and was not about to suggest anything. Gabe took a fork and stabbed some of the fish on his plate and ate.
“Why are you still in contact with Arietta?” he asked point blank. Harriet slapped a hand over her face and took in a slow breath. C’mon Gabe, where was your charm from but a day ago? Did you have to go for the thro- .... were you now reenacting Lizbeth???
Trying to satisfy Rowan's incessant whining, Koray at least dished himself up some salad and started to pick at it. It was pretty good, especially with the berry vinaigrette he'd made to dress it with. At least that seemed to soothe the Phantump who'd stopped pressing against him as much. What he hadn't expected was the question that came from Gabe after Koray had just managed to quiet Rowan down. What did he know? How did he know? That... wasn't something he'd exactly verbalized to well, anyone that he could recall. Except... hadn't he told Gabe something like that earlier? Maybe he doesn't remember. That was fair, given how much that amount of telekinesis had to drain him.
A derisive smile came and went from Koray's features as he took in this new information, "So, you know telepathy too?" he mused, glancing at Rowan who was glaring daggers at Gabe again. An arm would draw the Phantump closer to him which would have Rowan calming but only because he knew Koray needed him right then, "I have spirit sensing... it's... more of a curse aside for several reasons... but that doesn't answer your question." Rowan whined again at Koray's words, trying to make sure that his trainer was ok before anything else.
"And I... sort of already answered it, back at the restaurant. But you don't remember a lot of that, I guess. I... don't know why I got hysterical, but I wasn't laughing at you for starters, more like at how much of a joke I am. I feel the same way you do... I'm the joke that thought I would be fine with just... being her friend, I'm too weak to just... just leave. I'm the one that tried to convince myself that it would be ok if I just stayed by her side, that I owed her for something," Koray began, pushing the salad away after that. It was starting to taste like sandpaper in his mouth anyway. "Why am I still in contact with Arietta? Because I owe her my life... Because I'm weak and no matter how much it hurts to know that she chose being an idol over me, and continues to choose it, I can't walk away. I tell myself that it's fine, because at least I can be there for her, at least I can still talk to her this way... because at least this way I know... I know someone besides my dad cares if I just... don't wake up one day."
KORAY!! ;3; Both Elanor and Rowan looked pointedly at their trainer after that, even Freda looked up to stare at him. Ahahaha... yeah... there were... others that cared too. But Koray couldn't look at anyone else right then. It was all he could do to curl up with Rowan and stare at the ground. There just wasn't much else to say, and now he had both a migraine and nausea. Great.
A particularly drained look held on Gabe’s features as Koray spoke. “Probably,” was the estranged answer to the (debatably) rhetorical question. He didn’t seem to notice or care that he was being glared at. Harriet shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat for him, though.
As Koray spoke, Gabe’s brows furrowed. “It doesn’t,” he confirmed. He could care less what Koray’s powers or lack thereof were, right then. It was too much information (and so many thoughts were already too much information….)
“Gabe…” Harriet had started but then fell silent again. She understood he was looking for something now, but he didn’t need to be so forceful.
Gabe said nothing further as Koray spoke, just ate without word, gold eyes held forward on Koray. Koray was as tragic as he was pathetic. Had he not the capacity to read minds right then (and be subjugated to it via its very existence), Gabe would have been more skeptical regarding it. No, he accepted that response in one form or another. But that lead to a second question. “….Did you know I was around? Did she tell you any of—“ Breath in, breath out. “What happened between us?”
A nod would be the only answer given as Gabe answered Koray's first question. He wasn't even surprised, not given the display back at the restaurant. But as he explained more, about what he'd tried to say at the restaurant about him and Ara... Koray wished he could just disappear. It hurt to hold Rowan this tightly, something he was acutely aware of but right then, it was something else to focus on. Something to distract him from the pain in his chest. This time, it was Koray's energy that turned negative, spiraling as it always did when forced to reflect on the choices he'd made with Ara. Like it or not, Ara wanted him... but only if he stayed invisible and fit into a role set aside just for him. Koray felt like he was begging for scraps half the time and well... it was something, wasn't it? Shouldn't he be happy about that? Wasn't being in Ara's life again enough?
These thoughts were spiraling in Koray's mind before Gabe's follow-up question broke through his thoughts. Did I know about Gabe?"Past or present?" Koray asked, his voice little more than a murmur, "I knew about a Gabe but... never made the connection until the other day," he murmured softly, taking a shaky breath to try and calm down. It was getting hard to breathe... "I never asked... Ara likes to rant, a lot. But then, you know that already. I never wanted to hear about the... others before me. I wanted to move past that, but, she didn't... or couldn't... I don't know which. I rarely pushed to find out unless she was obviously upset. Most of the time she'd just, tell me without having to ask." He still hated it. Hated knowing that he was being compared with someone, hated knowing that no matter what he did, no matter how good of a friend he was, it never really mattered.
I can't breathe. It felt like he was suffocating. Only after Koray started to wheeze did Rowan attempt to squirm out of his grasp. That was enough to help Koray refocus and look down at the Phantump, letting him and folding his legs to his chest instead, wrapping his arms around them. That didn't help the breathing much, but what did that matter. "I'm sorry..." For what exactly, even he couldn't pinpoint. It just... felt like it needed to be said.
Koray’s thoughts were so loud and sad that Gabe was borderline irritated by them. If this is what Hatenna had to deal with all the time, he understood their murderous rage. Harriet was aware of them too but had long since come to understand that human surface thoughts came and went like that. She knew what to filter and what not to.
“Recent past to present,” Gabe answered promptly. Resting his elbow on the table and his cheek in one hand, he listened silently. Ara liked to rant a lot. That was an understatement. So, she told him…. How much didn’t matter. She told him. “Ah.” Gabe’s eyes averted finally, and he stared out at the expansive garden again. Freshly manicured nails dug into his palm.
That was, at least, until Koray’s thought hit them both loudly. ‘You can’t breathe??’ Harriet asked taking it literally. Did he need a doctor? Could she teleport him somewhere? What needed to get do— ‘Gabe???’ She looked sideways to find he was standing gold eyes alight with a power not entirely in his control.
Psychic energy spilled out of Gabe like a cup all too overfilled. “Calm down.” Psychic suggestion should have been a power Gabe could control. He should have been able to focus it solely on Koray. But even he felt the blow back from his own words all of a sudden. The aggressive undercurrent was frozen for a second even from his own power, and an unexpected clarity hit him in turn. He blinked surprised.
Harriet froze. An unnatural serenity hit her, and if she hadn’t been a powerful fully evolved Psychic Pokemon, she might have immediately fallen prey to it. Instead, she blinked a couple of moments and managed to let it dissipate on its own. He’s gotten stronger there too…. she realized to herself. That was unfortunate. This was so unfortunate. A hand reached up to cover her mouth.
Following his explanation, Koray was having trouble focusing, much less breathing. He could hear Harriet's voice in his mind but at that point it felt like an echo. The almost too familiar darkness was creeping on the edge of his vision. At least until he heard Gabe's voice. Calm down. After that, it was like a wave washed over Koray, drowning out the pain and the anxiety that had creeped up on him. For a few moments he just stared down at the ground, wondering what had happened. That... wasn't normal?
A breath would be taken before Koray sat up, able to uncurl from the fetal position he'd shrunk into before. He wanted to ask what that was, but... he was calm now. There was a clarity that he hadn't felt for... a while. Staring at Gabe, Koray wasn't exactly sure what to say. Was there anything else to say? "Umm, thanks," Koray murmured, looking over to find that even Rowan was calm now. The Phantump didn't feel near as upset as he had before. All of his pokemon save for Freda were quite relaxed. Of course the Absol was resistant to such powers, but she was calm enough, if studying Gabe with more intensity.
Right, the food was still out. Maybe... maybe he could try to enjoy it now. "Is the salmon to your liking?" It was something else to talk about. Koray was even to eat more of the salad he'd dished up. At least it didn't taste like sandpaper now. He was able to taste the berries and the freshness. It was nice to be able to enjoy food again.
The rush of calm that had hit Gabe was like nothing he had felt in a long while. All his muscles finally seemed to relax, and slowly, he sat down again. ‘Are you alright?’ Harriet’s voice was in his head, concerned. Gabe glanced sideways at her but didn’t really know what to say. He’d…. never experienced his own power before, not like that. It was… it was weird.
Gabe looked forward again as Koray spoke seemingly coming out of his self-imposed shell. At the question, he glanced down at the fish on the plate and nodded for a moment more to himself than to Koray. “Yeah,” was the answer as he picked up the fork again and took a slow bite. His head felt weird. His body felt weird. Everything was suddenly crystal clear and clouded at the same time. “….. It tastes alright for day old salmon.” Harriet snorted softly, weakly. Humans were… were so strange sometimes. She was.... she was thankful for a moment of calm, though.
At the comment about salmon, Koray huffed, "You would dare insult me?" he teased, smirking a little now, "I made the salmon right before I came. You have Morwen and Elanor to think for keeping it warm." he grinned after that, eating a few more mouthfuls of salad, "I also made a berry sauce to go with the salmon and a berry vinaigrette for the salad that brings out freshness perfectly. You should try some of that too, oh, and don't forget the pasta you helped make."
Rowan seemed to be calmer too which was good, the Phantump even tried some of the noodles and offered some to Harriet. He remembered her from when he'd met her briefly earlier and wanted to say thank you. It was nice to see Koray back to his old self too so...maybe Gabe wasn't that bad.
“Pffff…” Gabe rolled his eyes a little at Koray’s words but said nothing back immediately. He still felt very… calm and vaguely comfortable but was more than aware of his own psychic influence then. It …. Probably wouldn’t last. Probably. Gabe’s gaze dropped some, and he ate again without much word.
Harriet, meanwhile, accepted Rowan’s noodles and continued on. ‘Hmmmm, do I detect hint of Cheri berry? Or is that just the way the mixture came together?’ she assessed thoughtfully. ‘Very nice.’ A slow breath escaped from Gabe, and Harriet glanced sideways at him again for a moment before looking forward again. ‘Though I may not be a Gothitelle, I can see that you have a bright future as a chef before you.’ If nothing else.
Gabe side-eyed Harriet briefly again. He wanted to add in or a dancer, apparently but found himself suppressing the notion now.
Koray grinned at Gabe's response before Harriet spoke up. The delight was evident in his eyes as the Alakazam was able to pick up on some of the more subtle flavors in the pasta. He was further flustered at the comment about having a bright future as a chef. A soft blush bloomed on his features before he gave a slow nod in response. "You have an impressive pallet. Yes, there is a hint of Cheri berry in the dough. Though I believe that might have been because we were working in close vicinity to the berries. A happy accident," Koray explained, smiling a bit more before running a hand through his hair. A self-conscious force of habit.
"I do want to open my own restaurant someday. Gabe mentioned a battle cafe last time and I like the idea. I just... don't know if, or when, it will happen," Koray explained, shrugging his shoulders thereafter. It was beginning to feel more like a pipe dream lately. Working in his father's restaurant was fun and all but... there was so much more he wanted to do. But I don't deserve that. He still... had a lot to learn before he was ready to step out on his own.
Harriet smiled a little at Koray’s words and glanced sideways at Gabe right after. She was thankful Gabe’s thoughts didn’t come spilling from his lips. No need for extra bitterness in this food. Gabe rested his cheek on his closed fist and ate quietly.
Both listened as Koray began to describe what he wanted. ‘If or when?’ Harriet repeated. The thought that came right after had her lips pressing together some.
Gabe’s fingers twitched a little. He’d heard it too, whether he wanted to or not. He didn’t deal in what was deserved or not deserved, though. That mentality had been abandoned a long long time ago. “Have you looked into the logistics of it?” he asked instead. Harriet glanced sideways at him. “The down payment for a location, the immediate bills, what staff you would need, etc?” he asked.There was a strangely practical nature to his tone, and in that moment Harriet understood why.
Koray hesitated when Harriet repeated the phrasing he'd used. He... didn't know if it would actually happen. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like an impossible dream. Something he could only watch from afar but never touch. Nevermind that someone like him... surely he would never be able to be successful. Cooking was fun, it was calming, in more ways than one. There was always a reason for an ingredient, for every step in the process. It was something he could control. But this? There was no way to perceive what might happen.
As Gabe started to ask more practical questions, Koray was admittedly stunned for a moment. He'd never once asked himself those things. But then, he'd also never really believed his dreams could actually become reality. A softer smile came and went from Koray's features, a shrug following. "I haven't," he didn't want to get into why right then. It was all too easy to forget that Gabe was privy to his thoughts right then and there.
An impossible dream…. Both Harriet and Gabe heard it out and clear. It radiated off of Koray like waves. Harriet frowned softly. She had been around humans for a long time. She had seen their dreams come and go, their desires rise and fall, their everything come together and come apart. She could sympathize.
Gabe, however, could not. He had never dreamed per say, but when he had made a decision to do something, he’d followed through with it. Right or wrong. Good or bad. He’d set out and seized it with his own hands. He didn’t live in dreams. He fought reality. “Then you don’t really want it,” he answered stabbing the last of his fish and then biting it.
Harriet fidgeted. She wanted to correct Gabe. They both were aware of Koray’s thoughts— couldn’t he understand? But that was exactly what made her hesitate. He knew and still decided to respond that way. Harriet frowned in silence.
Gabe's words might as well have been a bucket of ice water or a knife that plunged into their chest. It hurt, for someone who didn't really know him to say that. Koray had frozen, stopped breathing as the fork he'd had clattered onto the dish. Rage boiled within him, drawing both Rowan's and Eleanor's attention to him. He could hear their worried voices touch his mind but blocked it out. You don't know me. That was the thought that screamed through Koray's mind. How DARE he.
Dark eyes looked at Gabe, hands curled into fists, cutting into his palms. Not even the warmth of his own blood stopped the action, and all at once, Rowan was on edge. There were... very few times he'd seen Koray like this. Both the Phantump's and Litwick's eyes focused on Koray, feeling his rage as much as their own. It would be Rowan that would go to Koray first, trying to get Koray to focus on him, He doesn't know. Koray. Stop, please? there was an urgency to the Phantump's voice, surely there was a way for him to reach Koray. Please?
Koray however wouldn't acknowledge the Phantump beyond more than a passing glance. "Tell me, what makes you say that," he hissed, body trembling, "Tell me why I wouldn't want the one thing I have a passion for. Tell me why I suffered through so much, endured so much, just to see every fucking dream slip through my fingers." A deep breath would be taken as Koray stared daggers at Gabe. "TELL ME why I should bother trying to fucking hope again. Why should I try when the world knocks me on my ass every damn time I take one step closer. You know NOTHING about me. Go fuck yourself."
Images flashed through Koray's mind with every word, the accident, how he'd been passed from family to family. Labeled as a problem child. The torture his so called 'gift' had made him endure. How much more did he have to endure? Arceus, but it was hard to breathe again. Koray was crying, but he didn't even realize it. There was too much pain that he'd had to endure for anyone to have the right to tell him what he did and didn't want. Dammit, if he could walk without it hurting so badly, maybe he would just up and leave.
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