Leaderboard

Quinn was happy to hear that Billy tacitly approved of his Pokémon-raising habits, almost as much as thon was Billy did not even blink at the startling revelation that his hostel was now, technically, haunted. From the mention of Ghost-type Pokémon, though, perhaps that was because it already was. Quinn wondered how a Haunter or a Spiritomb could even wear a collar, but the thought was as ephemeral as the Pokémon themselves, and there was still business to attend to that evening. Another visit to a Pokémon Center was required, and speaking of care, Quinn needed to figure out how Normandie would prefer to be treated. Fae had known and been tethered to Cassiopeia for over a year now. The Drifloon’s habits and eccentricities were well-trod territory, and Quinn had become used to them and incorporated them into itself. Normandie, meanwhile, was unfamiliar territory. Their relationship was much more transactional. Who knew what would happen should the berries run out? There had to be other ways to dote on Normandie besides just feeding her, Quinn thought. Would a bath work? Quinn had read somewhere that rats were actually one of the cleaner animals in the wild with how often they groomed themselves. Would a bath even be necessary? Cassiopeia did not take baths, but she did enjoy being in a bathroom’s steamy atmosphere when the water was nice and hot. She would also enjoy a good polish when Quinn felt she was deserving of a reward. Their first day of adventure and their first new Pokémon companion probably qualified. Quinn took their two Pokéballs back from the center and examined them both. “Tomorrow we shall figure this all out,” xe said to zirself. “Perhaps Bobby will be in a more sociable mood at breakfast time and we can present him with our questions. Either that or rely on our own intuition. Surely someone with experiences such as ours, who has faced such trials, can manage the responsibility foisted upon them here.” They ended up in room L, which seemed auspicious even if Quinn had no understanding of why. The room was relatively spartan, with a bunk bed (Quinn took the top bunk) and a desk with a hard chair accompanying it. There was not an attached bathroom; they would have to share the unisex one (it was Billy and Bobby’s house, after all) just across the hall. Quinn did try to call first dibs on that. Cassiopeia was not the only ghost who enjoyed hot water. It soothed the soul just as much as the form that their material essence had taken. After that and a few other standard nighttime rituals (Quinn had never been the most devoted tooth-brusher even when alive, but he had promised its mother to try their best), Quinn was ready to enter that meditative trance that enabled fae to explore a dreamscape at eir leisure. The only thing left to do was wish the others the same luck. “Good night,” Quinn said as they knocked on each of zir friends’ doors. “Let us try to find each other in the Astral Plane, hm?”