PokèDruids [PkmnWattys2016]

Do You Even Care What the Title Is?

Well, I'm starting to rot from the inside writing this redundant crap, but I still need to sum it up. Eros was going to get ye ole books that Cerci taught him with (nostalgia!), although he didn't exactly remember where he placed them. That didn't stop him from searching the fort top to bottom, eventually resulting in the encounter of the pair of books. Oddly enough, he was almost certain he discarded them... None the less, till overmorrow was he practicing the languages and learning to speak, Eros at his side the whole time.

While Eros was constantly concerned about Xerxes for the following days, having only caught glimpses of her and Sicily, he still took the time to finish off the week by training with Manus and watching him perfect his swordplay. Of course, saying that Eros was helping didn't exactly convey the exact nature of it, since Manus seemed to use his sword-limbs better than his own legs, even finding ways to make use of the tiny little wings on his back.

Given the ample free time Eros had, Sicily and Xerxes didn't mind bothering him as he watched and encouraged Manus, a prompt that was assuredly to be unpleasant. Xerxes started, displaying a subtle frown as she spoke. "So, uh, I saw Sicily..."

Eros, still a Cleffa and perched up on a table (somehow), turned to her and, with a concerned countenance, asked, "How did it go?"

"You see... Uh..."

Sicily, who lost all of the smiles and joy she had accumulated over the past months they spent together, stated, "I can't."

Eros inquired, "What do you mean, you can't?"

"I just can't wrap my head around poison." Oh Arceus, she was rilling herself up again... "I mean, what the heck IS poison, anyways? Is it in her blood? I don't know! Is it in her bones? I also don't know! What the hell did she even do?! And to top it off, why is her arm practically dead!? Did you even see it?!" Eros turned his gaze to Xerxes' arm, which was slightly scabbed over, but was more importantly indented in a few locations with growths of yellow-black flesh that appeared hard and calloused. It smelled bad, too, if you wanted to know. "How the heck does an arm rot in a week!?"

"Sicily, calm down. It's alright. Have you tried-"

"I've tried Pecha, Guavo, sprays- heck, I even saw the vet! She can't be cured, Eros! She can't!" Sicily was shouting with such a volume as to almost deafen the others about her. She, upon noticing this, recollected herself and resumed in a much more quiet voice, "I'm sorry. It's just... Seeing Feraligatr die..."

"It's alright." Eros reached out to her, but she simply turned away.

"I... I can't help her. I'm sorry." She left without another word, obviously broken on the inside. What Eros happened to notice was that, possibly as a good omen, Sicily's tail had healed and didn't show any signs of recent bite marks. Then again...

Xerxes stated, "Well, at least she tried. I'll be alright, though. Don't worry about it. I'll probably just get rid of it or something and be fine in a week or so. I'm fine."

Eros didn't know whether or not to believe her, but whether or not he did, he just smiled and said, "Okay. I trust you."

"Thanks." Xerxes gave a sheepish grin before running after Sicily, although with some rather unnatural and overly active motion in her left, damaged arm. Well, if she says she's getting better... Eros wasn't sure whether or not to believe what she said. He was just so worried, especially after seeing Feraligatr die... That, and seeing Alice leave. He didn't know what got into her, nor why she would fathom to blame Feraligatr's death on him. Was it really his fault?

None the less, Manus was trained and, in the next week, should he be lucky, he would acquire the ability to transform on his own accord. Directing Manus to one of the trainers for the next week or so, despite his reluctance, accompanied by some sedimental and complete refusal to learn any sort of magic. Likewise, Sicily, Xerxes and Dusk had been spending time practicing their skills, too, whether alone or on each other, alongside some playful mingling, as well. Eros, assuming that the next objective wasn't going to pop up out of some NPC's asshole (like in some other fanfics- ugh), decided to go about the central Morono area and gather whatever intelligence he could find. He certainly told his Pokemon companions about this but, surprisingly, none of them felt it necessary to come with him. Even Sicily seemed a bit "off" and uninterested when he asked, simply stating that he was more than capable of handling himself.