Thorns and Claws, amongst other things.: Prelude to an Odd Attic.

Disclaimer for Aggressive Swearing + Arguments :]

 

Kal remembered the day when he went up to the counter of some ugly mission centre. Sure, they were all a bit ugly, sporting joyful wallpapers and messages that boiled down to incessant nothingness. It was a gruelling task being dragged into the place, he insisted to never come back after his very first mission. He could remember that day clearly, a surprisingly heated argument with King. He regretted some words he said that day, like the comment about King just being a delusional sea freak that should've crawled back into the sea ages ago. Kal didn't believe that, in all honesty. The comments were his way of lashing out, getting rid of the perturbing feeling bubbling in his gut. Anxiety is what King tended to call it, but Kal couldn't quite pin that label on it. It was a sickness that grew every day at the sight of former peers, seeing people every day. A sense of being known that bothered him so much.

 

Maybe that was just silly, though, the surrounding walls still beckoned to him with false hope messages written across their various posters. He wanted to make a poster saying 'WE'RE FUCKING DOOMED!!' or something along those lines. It would be a nice change of pace. He swung his legs as he waited for the queue to run through. King had gone to use the bathroom, so he was left to his own devices. He decided to grab a book, and read it. 'The Lone Knight' was quite a story, likely one for kids and filled with plot holes. From what he skimmed over, it had to do with making friends instead of falling to isolation. It reminded him of Wayne's much more complex novels covering the same topics. By Arceus, he wished he was reading that instead of this cheesy kid's book.

 

“Number 103? Calling Number 103 to the front.”  The intercom above rang, he sighed as he reached for his small ticket and looked over it. Yeah, that was his. He hopped off his seat, scooting off and making sure to put his book away neatly before he made his way over.

The Pokémon running the desk seemed to be a very cheerful Blissey, which he was less than enthused about seeing his mood at the moment. He placed his paws on his hips, putting on his distinctive smirk to smile through the pain of this conversation. Hopefully, it wasn't going to be so bad. Last time he had to help a kid, which honestly wasn't quite enthusing enough, so he was hoping for some adventure! Beat up some bad guy, become a badass, so he had to stop dealing with all this bullshit.

“Hey, what d'ya got for me?” Kal smiled cheerfully, although his smile was entirely fake. He was really hoping he'd get a good job by playing along with the rules, pushing all the right buttons until he inevitably won.

 

“Oh, hey Kal!!” Blissey happily chimed, leaning over the counter to see the short cat. Kal almost felt insulted when getting looked down on, but he felt more confused on how they remembered his name so well. “You've come just in time, actually, we've got a new job that I think you'll be perfect for!”

Kal could feel his heart skip a beat, a job he could finally feel good about doing! He nodded, eager to see it. He watched as the description was slipped under the glass and eagerly removed it from the desk. Kal got a good grip on it, peering over the words, once again skimming the job description. 

 

HELP, NOISE IN THE ATTIC, CAN'T SLEEP.

 

You have to be fucking kidding me.

 

“… G-GREAT.” He firmly hissed through his teeth. He had to kick around some asshole's attic for a job? Great, that was exactly the opposite of what he was hoping for. “THANK YOU. VERY MUCH.” He ended the conversation promptly, walking away from the desk as he tightly gripped the paper. If there weren't any consequences, he would likely rip it up into little shreds. He glared at the floor for a bit, trying to shake off that worthless feeling bubbling in his stomach. He opened his mouth, took a few deep breaths, before deciding the forcefully joyful atmosphere was far too annoying to stick around in.

 

Kal stepped outside, throwing the door open and looking towards the rest of the city. Why was he always snubbed for the best jobs? Could he not have fun? Sure, it supported someone, but why couldn't the smaller Pokémon just do it instead? He felt the anger bubble in him, but he had to put on a nice face for the people he was going to meet today. He sighed, clawing through the instructions to make sure he read everything over right. 

 

“How's it goin' champ??” King's voice rang out behind him, clearly done in the washroom. “The queue went really fast, eh? Didn't even realize you were out 'ere!” He felt a pat on the back, and his hairs subconsciously began sticking up. King seemed to get the message, backing off for a moment before noting “… Ah, nothing you wanted?”

“I have to deal with someone's shitty attic problems, King, that is the polar opposite of what I was fuckin' hoping for.” Kal hissed, giving King a very aggravated look. King fell silent for a moment, occurrences of frustration and anger were visible on his face for a split second.

 

“Don't take it out on me.” Was what King said, with a disapproving look on his face. Kal began to feel his own heart sink, he didn't mean to vent out his anger on King, although the angry expression could certainly convey that. He raised his paws in surrender, backing off clearly.

“… Sorry. I'm sorry.” Was all he managed to note, awkwardly deciding that now was a good time to head out towards the house. “Let's... get moving.”

 

Kal could feel the energy of the group severely diminish, King trailing behind without a word. He decided now wasn't a good time to comment on it. He occasionally gave other Pokémon a glance or two. Their smiling faces, the joy they felt. It made him crave that same constant joy, that near perfect lifestyle that everyone else seemed to have. They were there to spite him each and every day of his fucking life. Why was he the only one who felt so miserable all the time? Why was he the butt of the joke for the rest of the world?

 

Minutes passed without incident, maybe even an hour. He wasn't sure, all he knew is that King was silent the whole time. He felt a sorry bubbling up in him again, but he felt it wouldn't help at the moment. Kal held onto the papers in front of him, wondering if the job was even worth it. A grumpy King was not a good King to work with, quite frankly. He had only encountered the guy angry once. That was with the big argument. When he called him many names that he was desperate to take back so badly.

 

He could remember it like yesterday, he had forgotten what started the argument between the two, but it was bitter and vile on both ends. Although Kal could admit he was entirely in the wrong himself for the things he said. 

“You won't amount to jack shit King, look at you! You're a fuckin' pathetic runaway! Not some hero, and you know that!!” Kal could remember screaming at King, to which the angry Mareanie furiously screamed back, “And what does that make you?? A fuckin' runt! A failure to your family!! Your bitch ass is lucky you have anyone to fall back on. That being me!!!”

 

It was true, he was extremely lucky to have King. If King was taken away from him, who would he be? A lonely cat on the run from himself again? He wasn't sure, but it likely wouldn't be good. He shook his head, subtly glancing back at King to try to read his facial expressions. It seemed like a mix of something sad, and angry. Maybe frustration towards him? He couldn't blame King, especially after all the build up they've been having. Potentially that would be something they could address after their mission, after all, they were getting close to the house just now. He could see it in the distance.

 

He was just holding out hope he hadn't irreversibly damaged their friendship.