LAST TIME...on SPACE CASE!

this doesn't feel right anymore

EPISODE 20: Mt. Moon Caverns (Pt 3)

---

By the time you've gotten your composure even relatively together, your claws and teeth have shrunk- not entirely, but enough to not feel like ever-present reminders that you maimed someone






for the first time since






You shake it off.

Save it for later.




Rappel and Minerva have cleaned everybody off, Frond and Filigree propped up inside the alcove.


....out cold, both of them.


A cursory exam of Frond, the best you could do in this lighting, did not look good. He wasn't in lethal danger, but the bruising was...




familiar


Severe.




Had to have been vice grip.

That kind of force doesn't get slapped with a lower power move registration, if he was even licensed to use it in the first place.



You have to pull back from touching him, adjusting his petals and posture a constant and incomprehensible compulsion.


You don't know what to make of it, your instinct to never touch anyone ever ever ever ever because you are dangerous overridden with the terror that maybe he would do better positioned differently, or maybe he's uncomfortable, or-





You catch Rappel's stare from outside, flinching at the omastar's indiscernible expression.


Her cheery demeanor is gone now.




And yet she still sees you.



.....




You remember the needle, and how quickly and brutally she had dispatched the kangaskhan.


You wonder


how similar your expressions were.



During and after.




And whether your own faces reflect each others' now.










Packing up was thankfully easier than you expected, most of your supplies having already been stored before what little rest you managed to get, with Frond and Minnie having scrambled the rest together in case you needed to escape.

You and Rappel secure Minnie, Filigree-




-and now Frond, the sled getting rather crowded between that and your packs.

You must look like shit, Minerva giving you an exhausted, yet still ever-warm, smile.

She gives both of the mons a pat- Filigree strapped against her chest again, Frond equally nestled up and tied down in her lap.

The golbat gives you a determined nod.

The omastar is squinting at her map, mumbling to herself.

You hesitate before gathering your courage, hovering over with arms folded over yourself and a guilty posture.

Rappel glances over her shoulder for a moment, and then back to her map.



Shit. shit shit you probably freaked her out or pissed her off or-

You wince.

You swallow.
Now isn't the time to balk.

The slightest bit of enthusiasm sneaks back in, but not enough to warrant an exclamation.


Then, she points to a particularly



uh

treacherously labeled



part of her map.

She rolls up the map, sighing for a solid second.

Her voice falls flat.

The words "casualties" and "body trail" sink in.





You gag.

Rappel doesn't flinch, patting you on the back as you lose the contents of your stomach.

You wipe your lip.

You watch as Rappel walks over to Sweetpea, leaning against the cave wall closest to xem.

Xey're still staring at the marowak, sniffling occasionally.

Sweetpea opens and closes her mouth, only to nod.

When xey do speak, xey do so after sliding down the wall, leaning over to say something so quietly to Rappel you can't make it out.

The omastar nods, wiping away more budding tears on xer face.

Xey take a moment to think it over, tipping xer head back against the cave wall.

Rappel nods.

The hour drags on.





You can feel Eerie's stare against your back, making you clutch your elbows tighter in an instinctive, protective stance.

You flinch, hunching over as you float along.

She trails off, unsure how to word it it.

Silence.

You finally dare to look over.




Her face is haunted- but determined.

You give her a dead stare.

She gestures to your claw-tipped fingers digging into your hoodie.

It's
oddly resonant, coming from her.


It'd been such a short time, and yet her, everyone, they're all-



you had been isolated for so long




alone in your cell




and the equally, overwhelming, profound realization of your own hits you in that moment-

You're both startled out of your thoughts.

It's all you can muster, trying to clear your troubled mind as you set Minerva down carefully.
She had been quiet, not intruding on your conversation with Eerie- or piping up for any reason, really.



Every time you had looked over, she was


doing the motions you had started and pulled back from following through on with Frond


to comfort him.





Your lip twitches.





....



Up until Rappel lights a flare, dropping it down the hole in front of you.




You watch as it sinks down





further






further








and further











until you can finally see the bottom.

Rappel says nothing.




.....

Minerva looks up at you, her own eyes full of worry as she clutches your unconscious party members close.

You meet stares with Eerie.

You swallow.






Time to make good on that.












You know there's very little risk to yourself

height


wise.




You've taken off your pack, as well as your sweater, shirt, pants, uh-


Basically just in your underwear now.




Normally you'd consider this a shameful display, but now that you're actually at the edge of a cliff, you don't feel too keen on killing yourself over it.




This is the best way to guarantee the bounce wouldn't make contact with the ground.
You'll plunge, badly, but with effectively no added weight, you'd survive with minimal to no issue.





....




As long as you didn't touch the walls.





It's a big enough hole that Sweetpea could comfortably go down with some help- well, "comfortably", so as long as you go STRAIGHT DOWN AND DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BOUNCE AGAINST A WALL, this will work.





It has to work.







Ohhhh this sucks.

You shake your head violently.

You nod just as hard.

A thumbs up, your claws digging into your palms enough to draw pinpricks of blood.

Breathe in.






Breathe out.




Launching yourself sideways was your usual way of "jumping", and that wasn't going to work here.
Actual vertical push was pretty hard unless something pushed you down like a spring, and that, also, was a terrible idea.



Which is how you end up clinging onto Sweetpea's massive tree tail, trying not to hyperventilate as you're suspended over the pit.






Straight drop.
Just a straight drop down.







You sit on the edge of it.




Just like tree climbing as a kid.


Just.
Slide off of the tree



straight


down.

You slide off





and plunge.




















You don't know how deep you get before you start screaming.




Feral panic, having to grip your own sides to resist the urge to scrabble against any rock you'd even remotely get purchase on.



You thought, maybe, the glow off of your body would help you feel better!

It'd be less dark!





But no, oh no, seeing the rock rush by is so so SO SO SO MUCH WORSE AND YOU CAN'T BRING YOURSELF TO CLOSE YOUR EYES AND HOLY GOD THIS IS











You hit the bottom, letting out a proper yowl as you bounce a dozen feet into the air-




and then back down

and up a few feet again




and back down

and up





and thank fuck you're finally on the ground, collapsing to your hovering knees.



You do not have anything more in your stomach to empty out, hyperventilating-




but thankfully unharmed.

You look back up at the faint light at the top of the cliff, wiping bile and snot off of your face.

A series of climbing ropes get tossed down, as well as a far more slowly lowered flashlight.



You make quick work of the ropes, muttering Rappel's instructions on loop as you secure them tight.






....this looks like a much simpler setup than you'd like.




Surely there- has to be more gear than some tied ropes- securely tied, yes, but, Rappel is- a professional-

There's silence from up above-


or, rather, far too high for you to hear-


before what you can only assume is Sweetpea's head looming over the edge.

You back the fuck up as Sweetpea slides into the hole, deliberately hugging one of the cave walls by the look of it-



-Rappel's shade creating spiral steps,


one at a time,


around the tube-like pit.






This is not fast.




The lower Sweetpea gets, the more Rappel's shade struggles, growing smaller, thinner-

The venusaur hesitates- but she's close enough you can see her features, twelve feet up at best.

She leaps-







-landing with a proper thud as she manages to get to the bottom, falling rolling onto her side with a pained croak.





You rush over, only for her to nod and give an affirmative, terrified smile.

You take a horribly deep breath, trying not to think about that awful prickly feeling back in your fingers and gums.

Your heart rate spikes.


Jumping was terrifying, but proper execution had meant a guaranteed victory.
This was not that.
All three of them could die, and easily.




Rappel had already told you the plan.

You hate this plan.
You hate it a LOT.


The sled was going to be secured on as tightly as possible, and slowly fed down.

Sweetpea would be positioned to catch them, with your job being a far more stupid, reckless-

They're lowered down.




It's far slower than Sweetpea, but at least they aren't stepping down.




Still, every second is-

They go a bit too fast, nearly dropping


before you send a quick pulse through the rope.



They're jostled, but don't fall further.


The sight of them jiggling is enough to make you want to pass out.

It takes three more pulses before you can make out faces, and another two before Sweetpea cradles the sled, hyperventilating just as much at this point.

Minerva tries a brave smile






before breaking into tears, only quelled when the venusaur sets the sled down and lets you rush in for a hug.

She wraps you in a death grip, squeezing you enough to make the pulse hurt her wings-


-only to gesture to the still resting mons in her lap.

You nod, realizing you started crying all over again.


It doesn't take long, however, for the next interruption.

There's silence again, the two clearly deliberating.

Minerva is unstrapped from the sled, helping get Frond and Fili safely out of the landing zone.

The remaining packs are slid down, having to resume your post as team bouncer (haha.)

Small potatoes compared to what was yet to come, Rappel gripping Eerie from behind and extending her wings.





You and Sweetpea have the same worry, no words needed.



Rappel had been overextending, hard.




You have to imagine that this kind of power usage wasn't typical for her.




It didn't seem innate and passive like your pulse, at least not gauging by the fact that she needs to summon it.




This would be far beyond regulation usage.



Any slip-up-




The silhouette above you wobbles, your eyes widening.

You pull back-


using a stalagmite as a springboard-


-wall bouncing yourself up the tube


a last resort option that none of you were hoping to need.



They had gotten more than halfway down- a distance way less likely to injure you if you ended up ping ponging around for a bit.


Rappel wobbles again, your breath catching as she slams against one side,
Eerie's crest hitting against the wall hard.

You reach them in time to tackle Rappel, Eerie's eyes widening-





-as you spike her down into Sweetpea's arms, the venusaur gripping her tight as xey collapse on impact.




It takes you some severely risky downward bounces to close the distance, tucking and rolling into a ball once you hit the ground.


You're panting, Rappel peeling herself off of you as she tumbles to the side.

Sweetpea has to take a moment to collect xemself, pulling into a sitting position.


Xer eyes are wide, tears welling up again.




Eerie stirs, one side of her crest badly chipped-






-but alive.

She tries to sit up, only to fall back down into the venusaur's arms.


Minerva slowly treads over, her breath catching.

She manages a weak smile, clearly disoriented- concussed, likely.




Shit.

She looks directly at you, her eyes exhausted and energy fading fast.

Your head is pounding.



The revving is back.





It's hard to breathe.







Your mouth is TOO SMALL

Eerie doesn't break eye contact.




She watches as your claws extend, arcs even more prominent as they come off of your bare skin.

You nod, Sweetpea having to hold back a wet croak as Eerie curls up in xer arms.

The omanyte's up on her feet, enough to brace herself against the wall.

Your eyes bore into hers, returned in kind.



Nonjudgmental.



You understand each other- this much.

You nod again.

 

what's every lie you've ever told?

LAST TIME...on SPACE CASE!

.........
...........................

EPISODE 20: Mt. Moon Caverns (Pt 2)

---

The room is so cold.



You keep telling them to turn the lights off.

They insist that being in the dark would be worse for you right now.




Something about your psyche.
It's always your psyche.



You try to tell them that the light is so much worse than the dark, the buzz of the fluorescent bulbs a reminder of where you are, and that you aren't allowed to leave.

You accidentally kicked your blanket off during a nightmare, and the restraint around your left wrist hurts from the attempt to reach it.
They didn't want you yanking out the IV again.



Pretty sure that's just doctor code for "stop trying to leave the building."


In your defense, you only started actual escape attempts after they refused to listen to your first complaints.



Then you started throwing things.



And started biting people.



They really didn't like the biting thing. 



Your new body is very good at making the doctors nauseous, and you had even knocked someone out once when you refused to break your grip.





Earning new words for your chart every day.

Violent.
Hostile.
Maladjusted.





The doctor comes in again, getting out his kit of syringes.


Blood draw day. They say it's one of the best ways to study what's wrong with you.




Psychotic.
Animalistic.




You've seen so many new and exciting ways to describe a hospital patient.




Regressed.
Traumatized.
Schizophrenic.

Brain damaged.
Unfit for society.




You lunge for the doctor as soon as he gets close, only for him to psychically force you back down into a vulnerable state.

He gets the needle in, holding you with maximum strength to keep you from writhing.

Tears roll down your cheeks, sobbing as can barely choke the words out.



He stares at you, no love to it.



At first, he may have cared about helping you.
It's been two months now and you're pretty sure he'd celebrate if you died.

His eyes are just as cold as the room you've come to know as your cell.

You don't




remember




what you said.

You launch yourself up, only to land on all fours with your teeth bared-



animalistic violent volatile



-Minerva clutching Filigree to her chest as Frond and Eerie scramble to gather up medical supplies.

You are now Rappel.

Your shoulder sure does hurt like a mother, but you do NOT have time for that!
Even closing your eyes for an hour between watch duty shifts has you up and at 'em.


...would have been nice to get more than four hours of rest total before this marowak showed up, but hey.



Survivors can't be choosers, and you're really good at refusing to die.


Sweetpea's body blocking the alcove, keeping the marowak from coming inside as you take a fighting stance.
Shoving them away from the entrance had taken a single brief blast of shade, but nothing that'd actually do any damage-


no, you're going to have to get up close and personal for that.



You hit the ground running, going for a shade-encased leg sweep


 



only for the marowak to dodge, getting a bone staff smashed against the back of your shell.



Unpleasant!



They'd forgone the standard Kantonian club for something more inspired by their Alolan kin, tipped with a smaller skull encasing a will o'wisp on the end.

Nasty business-



 




-especially when it's pressed against your good shoulder, clamping down and burning straight through your jacket and onto your skin like a branding iron.



You clamp your beak shut, fully aware that screaming would freak out the rest of the party.


You have to set an example here-

panic can come later-!



The wings come out with more difficulty than you'd like, fizzling at the edges and not nearly as large as yesterday.

You've used too much shade, and the kanga siphoning off life force yesterday was a damning slip-up without exposure to moonlight.



The marowak is unphased, making a disgusted noise as they speak in a layered, distorted voice.

The staff clamps down harder, really getting at your exposed skin now.

Your eyes narrow.



A nerve hit.

Your wings spread.

They flap hard, shifting into clawed hands to throw the marowak off of you.

Their staff's teeth dig into your skin as they're wrenched away, Sweetpea making a concerned croak as you stagger.


It hurts, hurts bad.


You only have a split second to gauge this.

This



is not ideal!



And you cannot die here.

You are now Sweetpea.


You don't think you could describe what happens as a "decision."


No, it was more like pure instinct as you rush forward, teeth gritted as you made full body contact with the marowak.



You can see their furious eyes.



oh



god.

You just have to remember what Ursa taught you.


Your power isn't-



xey should be locked up xey're a disgrace to this academy



-BAD, it isn't BAD, it is STRENGTH-






You've hesitated too long.

The marowak gets a solid swing in, aiming for a much harder, clamping bite- not that it does much of anything.
Even without proper flame-proof clothing, your skin tanks the staff's bite without even getting pierced.

In the moment you watch your capelet's fabric get scorched, you catch a glimpse of Rappel, her shade wings surrounding her like a desperate shock blanket.

Her usually-confident face is terrified.



You see red.


Bullies.



You hate bullies.


People who pick on the weak.



No-

People who subjugate others, who make them FEEL weak.



Ursa had always said it was one of your strongest traits.


 



You swing your leg, bringing your massive tree-tail around to give yourself full momentum as you send them flying with a sickening crunch.


You could have stopped there.

But you don't.



As soon as they hit the wall, you're on them, one more stomp for good measure as they desperately try one more futile bite.


You don't even feel it, their staff clattering to the side



as their hand



goes limp.




Things come back into view.


 




The marowak's skull is cracked and even shattered in places, exposing raw, bloody flesh where its fusion to the skin wasn't enough.




Tears start running down your cheeks, the shock sinking in all at once in a single, nauseating tidal wave.





You flinch as Rappel touches your shoulder, curling inward as you collapse to your knees.

You turn, eyes wide and shell-shocked.




A poliwrath is coming your way.



And he looks mad.





You can't move.





You can barely think.




You just hear the crunch.




Over, and over, that horrible bone crunch echoing through the cave tunnel.

He's so small.




Everyone is, to you.



But in this moment, watching the gloom rush in, firing off a swift star


only to get



full body gripped




 




between the poliwrath's hands



you are acutely reminded of how terrifyingly, terrifyingly small the world is around you.







People are screaming.

You probably are too, begging for the poliwrath to stop.



Frond says something


indistinguishable


 





before a streak of pink and blue blasts out of the alcove.





























You are now Stretch and you are going to kill this motherfucker you are going to KILL HIM PUT FROND THE FUCK DOWN RIGHT NOW












You can see every frame of motion, your eyes feeling sunken into their sockets as they refuse to blink.


There's a whirring in the back of your skull, revving up and overtaking the voices behind you with every ragged breath.


Pricks of blood form on your lip where your newly-grown teeth cut in.


The tunnel's lit in blue, arcs of energy richocheting off of the walls and ceiling.


Your pupils dilate as the rot spores hit you full force, in range to inhale them in deep.


The energy spikes pierce out of your palms, the poliwrath's eyes widening as you pull one back




and drive it directly into his head.


The pulse is enough to ripple underneath his skin, Frond immediately dropped to the ground.



It's not enough.



You bring your other hand back.


 




It will never be enough



It sinks in even deeper, your entire body on top of his in a feral pounce.



For what he did to Frond


 


Your claws dig in, forcing the spikes to remain in his body, pulse wracking through it in waves.




 








 



 



 






 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 





 


 


 







 

LAST TIME...on SPACE CASE!
The whole mountain is under lockdown...with our heroes trapped inside! It'd be one thing if they were stuck inside the Lunar Institute itself, but they get to go cave diving instead....how bad could it go?

Find out now- on SPACE CASE!
EPISODE 19: Mt. Moon Caverns (Pt 1)

---

Everything slows down.




You're locked into a desperate hug with Minerva, as clamped onto each other as you can with her strapped in.

Frond is clinging onto your back- you're pretty sure he's struggling not to vomit, likely unhelped by your tail wrapped around him and keeping him in place.



You aren't sure how that happened.




Doesn't matter.






Focus.



Eerie looks shellshocked.


It makes sense.




This whole affair'd taken less than three weeks and her entire perception over the gang she associated with has been shattered.



This is far beyond what she- or anyone here, by the look on peoples' faces- could have expected.





A whole takeover.




Your stomach churns as you think about all of the people on the upper campus.




Workers, tourists, merchants, researchers-

How many Osteo members were here?


How many laying in wait among the smiling faces?




The rhyhorn is struggling to breathe, panic attack welling up in slow motion.




....how many of them had recognized Eerie?



FOCUS.




Filigree is.


Fuck's sake.
They look terrible.


As much as you want to get to Cerulean, the argument the two of you had gotten into before leaving had zero resolution. Everyone was too wrapped up in their own various prep to pick up on the bellsprout's sluggish movements and strained posture, and Fili had outright refused to wait another day or seek further diagnosis at the center.



They had insisted the nurses gave them a clean bill of health.



You are pretty sure they're full of shit.





Not a good time.
Not a good time for this at all.



Okay.

Okay, Rappel next.



....



The fact that your ever-courageous guide has a look of sheer panic on her face does not fill you with confidence.


You don't think they teach this scenario in caving school.

The very idea of an entire mountain having a security lockdown is fucking insane.

Even with most major peaks having some degree of society living within them, this is at minimum the most developed mountain community in Kanto.



She's been trained for crevices, stalactites, and earthquakes like earlier.

Whatever had happened with that dome of hers...that was her specialty.
She had said everything was going to be okay then.



Not now.
Not anymore.



Sweetpea is scrambling for xer nav.


Who the hell did xey think would come and get xem?
The signal had to be terrible down here, let alone any quality issues with the nav itself-





Time resumes.

Xer nav rings,
once,
twice,
thrice-





And connects.

Even from your distance, you can make out the sound of crashing.

Tears roll down the venusaur's cheeks, worsening as xey flinch at another loud noise.

The mon on the other end's voice is shaking, choking up with tears of his own.

There's a pause, the call empty outside of the sounds of scientists scrambling, boxes crashing.

A particularly loud slam, Sweetpea starting to hyperventilate.

The call cuts off.



Xey frantically slam the call button, only to get a "no signal" tone, over and over.






Eerie's expression looks hollow.

Filigree shakes their head, seemingly having just as much trouble with their own nav.

The rhyhorn pants, breathing hard through her nose and mouth.

The omastar doesn't even have her nav out, staring at the tunnel ceiling.

The venusaur's face is covered in tears and snot, attempting and failing to wipe it off on xer capelet.

Her eyes narrow.

She punches the cave wall, only to wince.

She catches herself mid snap, face full of guilt.

Minerva's expression carries no offense, just...



Something you can't read.



Pained, in some way.

It's enough to break the rhyhorn, Eerie sliding against the wall and pulling her knees to her chest.

Eerie looks up over her legs.

Frond slowly pulls away from you, taking a brief moment to hack up the sap built up from the physical contact before gathering himself.

Sweetpea pales, Fili's eyes widening.

Xey shake xer head frantically, looking like xey're going to be sick.

She wipes her own eyes, using the tunnel wall to help right herself.

Sweetpea's eyes widen, backing away as Eerie fumbles for her bag, pulling out her club.

Xey swallow.

The omastar is already looking over her map, brow furrowed enough for her shell to cover the top of her eyes.

Minerva looks over at you, hanging onto your words.

She has to take a moment.

A nervous laugh, the golbat having held back her own panic once the sirens had stopped.

She whacks her club against her hand.

Frond's been quiet for a while now, on and off biting his lip.

He jumps a little, not expecting your attention.

A soft noise escapes you, Frond not acknowledging it.

Everyone's attention turns to the bellsprout in the room.



They look.



Wilted.

And barely conscious.

Eerie picks up the plant before they can protest, dunking them into her lap.

She immediately starts examining them, surprising you- Rappel really had taught her techniques, clearly knowing where to check first.

Fili winces as she even gently pokes their neck thorns, the golbat's frown worsening.

Your tone is blunt.

You grimace, remembering your argument earlier that day.






....and how they had argued you were doing just as badly




and that by your logic




neither of you should go at all.

You and Eerie both flinch.

Sweetpea ambles over, kneeling and looming above the sled.

Xey nod.

The omastar closes her map, tapping her tentacle hand against her hip.

They nod, only half there.

It takes some doing, but the bellsprout gets securely nestle in against Minerva's stomach, their eyes closing as the warmth of her body eases them into unconsciousness.

Frond has to steady his breathing, giving the plant a gentle pat.

Before had been nerve-wracking, but this is something else.

While some of the lanterns lighting the path were still going, the quake had dislodged and even shattered others, leaving swathes of the trek in darkness- up until a flashlight hits.

Rappel, thankfully, brought spares- strong one too.
Frond is passed a spare light early on, as is Eerie.
You and Sweetpea are on Minerva support duty, Minnie herself already tending to the two lights now strapped onto the sled.

Her directions are interrupted by a loud thud, Frond nearly jumping out of his skin.

She shakes her head, eyes widening as she raises a tentacle to her beak.



Another thud.



Where is it coming from, what direc-



Another.
Louder.

Something breaks through the rock in front of you, debris flying straight at your party.


You move quickly, pushing Minerva back as Sweetpea body blocks any incoming shrapnel.

On a look over, barely lit by Eerie's dropped flashlight, she'd done the same for Frond





and looks fucking pissed about it.

You are now Eerie.








A snorlax has just shattered a cave wall and is barreling towards you and your friends.



You know this one.
Used to pick on you in training.



Was this smart?
Nah.
But you're hyped up, and not in a good way.



You're seeing red.

Your head still sting from the debris you blocked- you'd taken a real beating, honestly, but it's better than Frond being dead.

And right now, you're pretty sure you can tank this guy.

The snorlax is caught off guard at your sudden rush-


you're not even sure if he registers it's you-


it's not like the lighting's all that good here, and you were one of many teens he bullied.



Even still, his paws light up, flame crackling between the claws.


You know what's coming.


Motherfucker and his burning punches.




You manage to hit a boulder at just the right angle-


-as you jump off of it and club him in the side of the head.





He snarls, lunging for you and barely managing to scrape your armored shell.





Hah.

He hated you for this- your typing putting him at a disadvantage.

Bigger, stronger, yeah-



But he could only chip at you.

And you're a lot bigger now.




You clash again, getting him in the hip joint.
No point in going for the belly- Remember what Stretch told you about weak spots.


Where else, where else-


He grazes your crest, the heat actually starting to get to you a bit-



Shit, it's probably making the whole passage nasty.
You're gonna have to wrap this up fast.




Another leg shot.
He manages to claw at your neck as he goes down on one knee, ferocity in his face-



His paws ignite, burning harder than before.

You jump back, the omastar tanking the incoming flaming swipe without even flinching.


The passage is still so dimly lit, only discernible at all from the scattered flashlights and the snorlax's glow



only to be swallowed by the dark, the same shadowy substance from earlier erupting from her back.


Before, you thought it was amorphous, tentacles at best.


No.





The mass unfurls into wings, bat-like and constantly in motion.


The snorlax doesn't have time to react.


Rappel moves so quickly that all he can do is watch in terror, his futile effort at clawing at the omastar met with her sending him flying back through the hole he himself made



screaming



that gets fainter


the sign of someone falling off an edge.

 

She turns, her wings dissipating as she stretches.

Even in the dim lighting, you can see her determined expression.

The party can only nod, stunned.

You glance out of the hole as you pass by, grimacing as you have your fears confirmed.



Rappel absolutely launched that fucker off a cliff.

Like.


He definitely deserved it.



But


uh


Wow.
Okay.



Yep.




He's dead.



You swallow, only to jump a foot when you turn around and see Rappel looking at you.

You hesitate, and then nod.

You shake your head.

She gets back to moving, getting ahead of the pack.



You fall in line, Frond shooting you an equally worried look.



Neither of you say anything.


In fact, no one does.




All you can do is hope this is over soon.














And then the whispering starts.



Rappel and Sweetpea sense it first, stopping dead in their tracks.

And then it hits her,
and Stretch and Frond-


and then you.





The sound of someone breathing unintelligible words, its position unidentifiable.




Someone.

NOT something.



Frond pulls on your leg, breathing hard.

Something drips onto your head.




Your breath stops.






It's right above you.

You are now Rappel.



Y'know, you've had a lot of cave runs where you've had to do some battling.

Sometimes somebody gets a bit testy.

Run-ins with petty thieves?
Yeah, you've handled those.

It's an unpleasant part of the job.



...This is new!
And not in a way you like!




As you shine your light up and see the gaping maw of something completely alien to you



the fear of the unknown hits you like a freight train.




You have been doing this for decades and you do not know what the fuck that is.




You manage to push Eerie aside right as it drops, the rhyhorn rolling down the path and getting stopped by Sweetpea's leg.





It rises to its feet, slowly.




Frond helps give you some light, as does Minerva- helpful comrades, can't beat them.



A better look eases some tension, only to replace it with another.






Kangaskhan.

You've seen this variant before.
At least, sort of.



Clefairy lineage kangas looked like ethereal, motherly fairies- pastel colors and capable of storing cosmic energy in their translucent stomachs.
Extremely rare, and considered highly valuable in your field of studies.

You're familiar.




But in the split second that you observe it, you see tubes connected to its stomach, pulsating liquid traveling from there into its neck.



THEY DO NOT USUALLY HAVE THOSE.


You get into fighting stance as wet, dripping tendrils shoot out of its back ridges, tipped with needles that glisten in the flashlight.

Your eyes widen.






THEY REALLY DO NOT USUALLY HAVE THOSE.

You tense your muscles as the tubes pulse, some kind of steam emerging from its nostrils.

You're not wrong.



As you dart forward, you let the shadowy mass push you off the ground, forming a massive spike around one of your legs.
A hit from one of these bad boys is more than enough to-



You make contact, piercing into the kangaskhan's neck.


While you didn't usually like to go for such brutal shots, you are not going to risk this party getting killed-







Blood sprays out of the wound, splattering against your face







only for the tubes on its body to pulsate, the pokemon beginning to laugh.

The blood begins to solidify






trapping your leg inside.

It laughs harder, pivoting its whole body in a spin that makes the world violently whirl around you-




-slamming you against the cave wall in a nasty splat.

You don't get the chance to try and wriggle free, the pokemon slamming your shell hard against the rock face.

Pinned.

You can barely even look behind you, two inches away from eating dirt off the wall.

The needle enters your view, your eyes widening as it grazes your cheek.

Her voice sounds so scared.




....




You get it.




You're at the mercy of some kind of alien-looking thing in a dark cave tunnel.



You can feel your eyes well up with tears against your will, the feeling of being used as some kind of fuel.



You don't know what this mon is, or what it's doing to you, not specifics-



But you're good at figuring out how things work on the fly.



And this isn't your first rodeo.

Your other leg pulls forward, forming a shadow spike as it slams back into the kangaskhan,





rupturing one of its neck tubes.

It splutters, more fizzing steam bursting out of the severed flesh.


Yes. Okay. Good! Progress!




...but the other tube is still live.





It inhales hard, raw fluid traveling up from its stomach to patch the wound, driving the needle deeper into your flesh.



It's definitely

taking something.



You're not feeling hurt so much as weak- life force, maybe?
Shit, that's not good.
Your body may be intact, but-


The wound hurts.



You have to desperately shove down the urge to writhe and scream, remembering your other leg is still free.
You had gone clean through the tube, way more narrow than a kangaskhan's neck.



Going for weakpoints is the way out.



You manage to flail enough to swing forward, your backswing enough


to go right


for



the eye.






Even through the shade, you can feel it pierce.

eugh.



It staggers, your head finally released. You fall forward, still tethered to the kangaskhan by the needle as it STAYS INSIDE YOUR BODY-




ooooh fuck that HURTS wow that's worse than an IV by a mile



It starts to suck energy out of you again, likely trying to repair itself-



Not this time.


It's a gambit, but-

You summon another shadow mass

this time


inside yourself.


Where the needle draws.




Your skin bloats for a moment, sending horrible agony shooting through- well, everywhere- before being rapidly siphoned into the kangaskhan's body.


It tries to get words out, only to cough, splutter


and vomit the shade back up, purging all of its restorative acid in the process.

It collapses





and stay down.




The needle releases enough for you to pull it out, the skin feeling horrifically inflamed and aching.



Your face is stained with tears.



You didn't take that much damage.

But you feel hollow, as if the Osteo member had taken far more than just your life force.



....



You wipe your eyes, getting a grip.



You have to get up.


You have to-



A blue glow approaches, Frond helping pull you to your feet as Stretch looks on with a genuinely fearful expression.

The electabuzz huffs, the current arcing over its skin flaring up bad.
Shit.
Not good.
At this rate-

You blink.

His face contorts into an expression just barely readable in the flashlight.



He's tearing up too.



Ah.

You understand now, seeing him try not to cry.

His breath hitching.

He recognizes things he doesn't even realize, things you never like finding camaraderie in.
...him and Stretch both.


You pat him gently on the head, managing a weak smile.

Your voice comes out more strained than you'd like, dropping your volume just for the two of them.

Frond sniffles, nodding.

You give him one more pat before you start guiding the party again.









It's a longer trek than you'd like before you find an abandoned alcove, not wanting to risk camping in the open.

This is still risky, but at least the place still had enough covering to pass as empty from the outside, worn-down, sturdy fabric over the doorway and window openings to keep the dust out.

You check your nav as soon as you sit down- an hour since your last look.





...




The wound on your neck pulses.




It aches.



You resist touching it, having spent the past hour trying to avoid thinking about it at all.


Stretch lets Minerva out of her sled, the bat handing Filigree off to Frond for a checkup before approaching you.

Part of you hesitates.


She's a stranger- a nice stranger, but still someone you've been friends with for the past few days.

People would argue that's far too short a time to kill someone for-
maybe two people, depending on the kangaskhan's wounds-
but you've done worse.




....




You nod, taking your jacket off.



Your upper torso is scarred, twenty years of combat and caving damage, "wear and tear" as you used to joke about with Plunge.

She always fusses at you over it, saying that you should be more careful.
Stop using such high risk moves that take time to charge, or have high failure rates-



But it's what you have.



For all of your care in charting cave routes, in learning about an area before taking people down....the moves you've been able to develop and register can be unpredictable, dangerous.


She always looks so tired, scared for you.
Prep time can only do so much, she says.

That maybe you'll save lives in the process, but one of these days you're going to get yourself killed.

She pauses.

She smiles, albeit somewhat forced.



As she carefully examines the wound, you turn your focus to the rest of the party, checking in with each other and making some sort of sleeping arrangement.


Eerie is still rattled from earlier, and you aren't surprised.
If she's ex-Osteo from years ago-


Forget the gang having a violence spike, you just eviscerated two people she might have known.
At least one of them!



Guilt fills your chest.
Still, you did save her life.
You hope that softens the blow.

Xer voice is quiet, the venusaur curled up in the corner as best as xey could.

His voice cracks.

You nod, half-interrupted by Minerva poking you again.

You manage to grit your beak as the remaining shade is removed from your body, drained like a cyst.

Minnie had been deeply grossed out by this part of your training- a necessary skill when it came to severe elemental wounds- but she doesn't flinch now.






Frond returns after a few moments, wincing more at the fluid coming out of you than your impromptu doctor.

Another squeeze, Frond closing his eyes for a moment.

You catch Stretch staring at you from the other side of the room.

You're good at reading expressions.
Not this one.





Stretch and Minnie form a protective wrap around Filigree- the two clearly comfortable around each other, enough to shield the bellsprout together with their own bodies.
Frond stays close by, whispering something to the electabuzz, getting a nod, and laying next to its back.

You, Eerie, and Sweetpea remain awake, watching the outside.
You hadn't been able to do much about the healing, not nearly as much as you'd like.

....but it'd have to be something.





Please



let your efforts be something.
 

---

Well, that's.
That sure is something, isn't it?
Surely the Stars' journey can improve from here!

No suggestions for the next stretch of episodes- this is a MULTI-PART HELL EXPERIENCE! 

....and it does not look good.

See more next time...on SPACE CASE!

LAST TIME...on SPACE CASE!
Out of the Institute, and into the depths...with all kinds of strange feelings on peoples' minds, something just doesn't feel right...

What could go wrong in a mountain's cave system?
Find out now- on SPACE CASE!
EPISODE 18: Down We Go

---

The Institute had been a massive campus, bustling with people and things to do. It had been overwhelming in many senses, and that combined with the exterior of it all gave a strong impression of how vast Mt. Moon is.




And yet, staring down at the actual interior of the mountain, and not just the heavily developed entry point-

You are shocked into silence once again.



The Institute had built itself around that singular crater, punched through by a meteorite and leading to that striking spiral structure.



This is not that.



There are tiers, yes, and paths, but the campus you just left behind had some degree of order to it.

They had to design it around some kind of purpose and central fixture. Things were well marked with signage, and some areas even had markings on the tunnel walls, floors, ceilings.


Comparatively, this is a maze, and you can tell by the look on your party's faces that the same realization hit at once.


Having Rappel had once seemed like a necessary annoyance.
But now, as the omastar begins to select the first couple of paths, taking you through a left,

then a right,

then an incline down to the right

and then left left left,

all to get to a more residential-looking route-



You think you understand how people die here without a guide.

She gestures to a pair of grooves in the floor, a semblance of road dividers.

"Sidewalks" lined the tunnel, local mons darting in and out of their residences.

Even her enthusiasm is turned down to a manageable level, clearly not wanting to disturb anyone.

You're surprised she even has that kind of volume control after how excitable she'd been at the campus, but...

The gloom is grinning wide, taking in all of the homes.

Similar to the travel tunnel entrances, doorways lined the sides of your current paths... but these have levels of personalization.

Carvings, engravings, subtractive sculpting into the rock- wall sconces, tapestries and murals helping to define the individual exteriors. 

Glancing inside uncovered windows and entrances as you pass reveals similarly styled interiors, furniture largely made from the structure of the cave itself.

Any hard edges softened by mats, quilts, blankets, padding-

She takes a deep, pleased breath.

Even with these being tunnels, Filigree is right- the space was incredibly open, more akin to a city street with tiered, multi-floored buildings than a mineshaft.

Even Sweetpea seems comfortable walking, xer own smile creeping in as the party passes by an onix without issue.

She pauses.

Minnie looks up from her sled, seemingly content to be dragged behind you thus far.

Xey let out an irritated croak.

....latte duty?



Minerva nods solemnly, already in solidarity with her new venusaur friend despite your suspicions she has no idea what xey're talking about.



She's doing better today, at least.



Lucid, back to her polite and caring self....cuddly as well, which is not something you want to focus on right now.

It'd be some time before you could get alone time, and you don't expect Rappel to grant that out of nowhere.



....though with the way she and the omastar share conspiratorial giggles, you can't help but feel a sense of dread.



The last thing you need right now is scheming.






Especially not of that nature-



....



After all




You need to lock in.




Focus.



Everyone but you had taken extremely hard hits during Route 3.


Minerva was still out for the count battle-wise, and while you had two new heavy hitters-




at least you FUCKING HOPE SWEETPEA WOULD IF IT CAME DOWN TO IT



-on your travel squad, the idea of your team getting hurt like that again makes your skin crackle unpleasantly.



Which is fine.


It's fine.



It's just stress.




your teeth itch



And you are going to manage it.



The residential neighborhood dwindles, leading to more non-housing intersections.

There's more gaps between peoples' booths and alcoves, some walls decorated and some left bare.

Some mons call out to passersby, trying to hawk wares and travel advice.

Her eyes narrow, disgust ripe in her voice.

....




It's the first time you've heard her actually...negative, about anything.



And something you agree with, at that.


The kind of greed on display sickens you, always has.



The profiteering off of the vulnerable, the sick, and even-

He nods, his face a little nervous.

Now it's the rest of your party's turn to look pale.

She smiles, a bit lost in her monologue.

Your eyes trail to the stalls on the sides of the path.

You didn't notice at first, but the people running the stands glare at Rappel as she passes, lips curling into sneers.

She grins, a bitterness to it.

Sweetpea's quiet, occasionally nodding in response to something. You watch xem out of the corner of your vision, a new focus to keep an eye on.



You still don't trust xem.


Xey helped you out of a bad situation, sure, but-

You whip around, perhaps too suddenly- as if you pushed too hard on a gas pedal, swerving too hard.

Your antennae crackle as you try to ignore Filigree's suspicious stare, locking in on whatever the hell Rappel is pointing out.

She's gesturing excitedly to an informative sign, pointing out specific symbols.

....you don't think that's what Frond was asking for.




But the information is helpful.

You didn't even know half of these.


Minerva looks outright nauseous, tugging on your tail gently to get your attention.

She frantically gestures towards the sign.

You exhale slowly, considering your words carefully.

Her ears flop, looking even more ashamed and worried.



Shit.



Your smooth moves strike again.

Nooo no no no you made her sad not again agggghHHH

You're too distracted to hear the rest, kneeling by Minerva's side as best as you can with your hover.

Your hand is trembling as you reach over to pat between her ears, current arcing the closer you get to her fur.



Something feels


off


or maybe more correct than you'd like to think about


as you make contact with her head.


Her skin is warm.

You can feel slight twitches in the muscles, largely from her ears and facial expressions.


Your fingers itch.

You snap out of it.

Your breathing had gotten heavy without you noticing.

You pull your hand away, taking some degree of relief in the slight, grateful blush on her cheeks.

She hesitates, but smiles.

Both of your attention's drawn back over to the rest of your party, Rappel starting to get moving again.

You enter a proper path now, no more businesses and homes to speak of.



Just you and the cave.





....and small talk.

She gestures to the cheery, ghostly looking omastar.

She keeps her eyes ahead, able to speak confidently without breaking focus on the environment around her.

Sweetpea finally speaks up.

Rappel straightens her posture, the venusaur panicking immediately.

Now your attention is piqued.

Xey have to take a deep breath.

Xer voice is so, so tired.

Your eyes widen.



You'd heard of this.


Not...extensively, but.

She conspiratorially raises a tentacle to the side of her mouth, not even pretending to whisper.

Sharing her story...



...it's a miracle she hasn't gotten sued.

Minerva makes a worried noise.

Rappel's eyes soften.

There's a fork in the road, Rappel pausing to check her map.

She points to the other side, making sure that the party notes the wave sign above the tunnel.

There's a downward slope now, Minerva looking worriedly up at you as soon as the elevation starts to decline.



Uh



Hm



There is an issue here.




You do not have any purchase on the ground beneath you.



Hovering is useful for avoiding the rough ground, yes, but- you haven't actually dealt with this sort of thing in years.

Even stairs posed very little issue to you now, one of the few rare perks of turning into whatever this is.



Ideal for someone floating along by themself.



Not ideal for floating with someone still on the ground, affected far more by gravity than you.




You immediately back up to where the ground's more level, Sweetpea noticing before either you or Minnie can pipe up.

You give xem a blank look.

Xey lean over to look at your feet, embarrassment and shame sneaking onto your face.



Stop



looking at those.




It's weird.




Your feet are weird and so is looking at them.

Xey don't seem to recognize how awkward this is as xey straighten back up, hands on xer hips.

One thing is clear from the Route 3 disaster- you are not going to be able to care for her without the help of others.

Sweetpea is the most physically capable out of anyone here- at least, in raw strength and bulk.

Xey don't know you, or your capabilities yet. You hadn't even gotten the chance to battle in front of xem.

To xem, you're



effectively just



another research subject.



Something to study and adjust procedure accordingly.



A science project.





.....





Minnie's eyes are full of gratitude.




You will have to tolerate this.
For now.



Sweetpea's able to cradle the sled between her arms, struggling only with xer own lack of dexterity, and not the golbat's weight.


Minerva seems unsteady at first, but settles in, giving the venusaur a huge smile.

Sweetpea looks embarrassed more than anything, clearly trying to play off xer nerves.




....xey better not drop her.

You're going to stay close-

You whip around again, smacking Frond in the face with your tail on accident.

....



The gloom isn't upset at all after he regains his balance, his stunned expression replaced with one

inscrutable to you.




Your chest clenches.


Breath hitching.



You swear you heard him make a sound that was



just



Inscrutable.

You look up at Sweetpea and Minerva, who give you nods of varying degrees of confidence.

Sweetpea's a little nervous, maybe?

Minerva's much more at ease.

Frond sticks by your side now, all of the awkwardness from a few days ago seemingly resolved.

On.


His end.


It's fine.


Keep it cool.



Maybe Eerie's right.


She has been hanging out with him a lot.

.....



maybe you could really try to bond-

He had done this.
SO MUCH.

After you told the clefairy story when you were kids.

And it drove you fucking crazy. He had to ask this about EVERYTHING.

Is this aliens?
Is that aliens?

Of course it isn't aliens it's never fucking aliens people are soooo bad at always assuming it's aliens and it dilutes the actual discussion of aliens and

She strikes a pose, managing to step around a large rock without looking.

Frond pumps his fist.

Xey grimace.

You cross your arms, floating along with your tail lashing.

It sounds way bitchier than you intend, but the omastar appears completely unbothered.

Ohhh. Okay.

She's


a Lunatic.




...just like you.

She lights up.

Your face heats up, Rappel bounding over with her face lit up.

You shake your head rapidly, the omastar immediately drawing back.

She doesn't turn her gaze away, staring into your equally unblinking eyes.

A slight smile sneaks onto her beak.


The feeling you had when you first hired her is back.



Recognition.

She returns to the front of the pack, one hand in her pocket as she checks her map.

The earth shakes.



Shaking isn't a strong enough word, actually.



It feels like the cave is being thrown around, the earthquake so much more dramatic than those you've felt on the surface.



The ceiling begins to crack, Rappel cussing as



something bursts out of her back




dragging everyone into a dark, tight space.







It's still going.


At first, you can't see-



Only to register the glow of your body, lighting up the faces of your entire party and scaring you out of your skin.



Rappel's looking strained as you realize that you haven't been dragged anywhere, no-



You're being shielded, some kind of dark barrier surrounding the team like a dome.

Something hits the top of the barrier, the omastar wincing.

You hear Minnie whimpering.



Sweetpea's no better, letting out miserable croaks.



Filigree is pressed against Eerie, using the much larger rhyhorn as some kind of additional shielding.



Eerie herself flattens against Sweetpea's leg, likely trying to do the same thing as Fili.




You hear Frond counting.



Shit.



Your own heart is pounding as you pull him in closer, yanking him in by his backpack strap.

He doesn't hesitate to latch back onto you, his counting getting less shaky now.




Ten years.



Ten years of waiting for you-




The shaking stops


only to be replaced with an overwhelming klaxon,


claws digging into Frond's skin






when did you get cl




Rappel dispels the shadowy shield, panting for breath.


The cave tunnel is full of rubble, but it held.


Your own heart is pounding.


You have to get it together.


You have to-

You pull your hand away from Frond,

clawless

fingers stained with his sap-like blood.




You feel sick.



Frond looks it even moreso than you, but



he nods.



He understands.



You struggle to get over to Sweetpea, bracing your antennae flush against your head as you gesture for her to fork over the sled.



Xey immediately oblige, covering up xer own ears as soon as you've wrapped your arms around Minerva, counting to ten over and over as you hear her shriek and cry, the sound too much for her delicate senses.


....



And then it's over, replaced with a booming voice somehow heard even this deep into the mountain.

A horrible,

gurgling sound,

someone choking on something wet.


Your eyes widen.


No one moves.

A new voice takes...what you assume to be the microphone, followed by a shuffling of papers.

Eerie's voice sounds hollow, unable to form words.

A lockdown has begun! Osteo getting ahold of the Lunar Institute can't mean anything good...

...especially after that announcement...

No suggestions for the next stretch of episodes- this is a MULTI-PART HELL EXPERIENCE! But how bad can it get?

Find out next time...on SPACE CASE!

LAST TIME...on SPACE CASE!
Today's the day the party leaves for the Mt. Moon travel routes...with Rappel as their guide, surely they'll have an easy trek!

...but where's that strange feeling in the air coming from...?

Find out now- on SPACE CASE!
EPISODE 17: Intern on Duty

---

You are now Sweetpea.



And boy.

Have you been busy.

...and it's not even the good kind, either!

Nooo, you get back from all of that stupid checkpoint work and what do they have you do?

MORE errands!


Ohhh get me this, get me that, the extraterrestrial department wants to see the readings you got from your last trip out- newsflash, no aliens today!

EVERYONE knows the peak season for signals doesn't even start for a MONTH!

Even though you're an intern, it feels like you're the only one doing your damn job around here.
None of the others do their work, and you're good at what you do, so all it goes right to you to make sure everyone on a higher rung can get their work done.

And guess what- there's a LOT of higher rungs!

You're going to pop a vein at this point.

Absolutely ridiculous.

You signed up for evolutionary stone studies, not this!



YOU ARE NOT HERE TO CARRY FILE FOLDERS ABOUT TIDAL CYCLES!


YOU DID NOT VOLUNTEER FOR TAKING PHONE CALLS!!


YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO CARRY COFFEE!!!


RIDICULOUS.



And that one-
that one, one jerk Rachel-
she asked you to do the checkpoints in the first place, only to tell you that YOU fumbled a reading!

Wow, Rachel, thanks a bunch-
maybe you should have asked someone with longer fingers to manipulate delicate equipment!

Noo,
no,
instead of working on safety measures,
let's just send the Big Girl out to handle it!

Ideal punching bag!
Takes a reeeal good hit!
And who cares about evolutionary stones anyway!
Not like it's one of the most important, practical fields in this entire campus!







You should poison her latte.
No, no, that'd be evil.
No latte poisoning.




....



You should sprinkle cheri flakes into her latte.
Like, three of them. 
That'd show her.



...as much as you complain, you did commit the biggest hubris of all yesterday.

You took a day off.


Orion was always going on about how you need to take more time for yourself, and while it sounds great on paper, you can't stand it.


Not only does it take time away from stone work-

and god, you were on such a roll before you had to come up here-

but these people start rubbing their hands together as soon as they see you rumbling around.


Ooooh, Sweetpea's in town and my interns are whining about pushing carts-

let's get that venusaur up and at 'em!


Even with a nice dip in the springs, any relief it may have brought you was immediately counteracted with your work email lighting up with what felt like five MILLION requests.


....



Your chest hurts.



You've been away from the Asterisms and your work together for TOO LONG-



And you cannot stand it anymore.


Screw the rest of the unread emails.
You can have Ursa write some kind of bullshit excuse.

She hates it just as much when you're pulled away this long- your biggest vindication coming in the form of her ranting about the lack of respect involved.




Your biggest allies in the world.



You cannot WAIT to get back.



Or, at least, you'd say as much if

the


damn

TRAM

WASN'T OUT

The butterfree at the tram station shrugs, leaning onto the counter.

He shrugs again, giving you a tired stare.

You stomp over to the side, the sulking setting in immediately.




Of all the times-



Why couldn't this have happened while you were on the other side?!




You could have been stuck over there without ANYONE able to tell you to come to Pewter!




.....




You make a soft, dejected croak as you pull out your phone.




It takes the usual amount of rings for your nav to get through, each subsequent beep making you more and more antsy.

Your boss pops onto the video feed- or, at least, one of them.

The magmar there beams, his glasses smudged all over- you TOLD him to wipe them more, he's going to fall down the stairs or something-

Another voice comes through, offscreen.

Dr. Orion Asterism rubs the back of his head, fiddling with the smoke wisps there.

God, he always does this.

You take an exaggerated inhale, making eye contact with the magmar onscreen.

You can practically hear his wife eye roll.

You nod furiously.

You look around and shuffle to a quieter part of the landing, whispering into the nav.

You hesitate, and nod.

You shake your head.

He sighs, leaning back in his chair.

He thinks, moving one hand to fiddle with a pen instead.

The clicks from it are audible- too familiar to bother you.

You harumph.

He smiles again, wide and warm.