[PRP] Unfair

[Tori Honoo]

Jace continued to stay silent, shivering as he loosened his hold on Chester. The charmander, though subtly, leaned back a little to take in a deep gulp of air, then moved to huddle close to his human again, only after checking to make sure he was still in one piece. Still crying weakly, his breaths shaky, he finally looked over to Flynn, his expression literally that of a pitiful child, begging for answers, and now, perhaps, an explanation.

Dawn tilted herself to look at her human, and began to hum softly, not to put him or his friend to sleep, but simply to soothe what little she could.

Dove swallowed hard, now unable to think of anything to say at all. Instead she stayed quiet, looking up only as her phone buzzed across the room. Rising slowly, if shakily, to her feet, she moved across to calm the vibrating device, a hand moving to cover her mouth and her eyes falling shut as she read the ID across the screen. With a shake of her head, she stepped out toward the door, offering a quick, "One moment..." over her shoulder to the two in the room. She would stay close by, just outside the door, doing her best to stay calm as she spoke to the worried voices on the other end of the line.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Oh..." Yuri said quietly at Henrietta's explanation. Well that definitely made some sense if this guy was some strong Pokemon trainer from Jace's hometown. A hometown hero and a celebrity... So this guy must have been pretty important.

His brow then furrowed slightly as he thought about it. If this guy was so strong then how did they kill him? His thoughts halted though when Dove suddenly walked out to talk on the phone.

When Jace looked at him with those imploring tearful eyes, Flynn smiled solemnly. "I was about your age when my father was killed," he explained.  

[Gwennythe]

Henrietta's phone buzzed again, but still she didn't move to see what it was yet.
"My mom's gonna want me to go home." The girl offered, though no one had asked for an explanation.

Bistra, as Dawn began to hum, joined in; unlike before, when she'd used Sing, this wasn't an attack to make anyone sleep either- she simply tried to hum in harmony with Dawn.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove, in the hallway, slowly sank down into a chair, slowly curling in on herself. The conversation on the phone wasn't at all pleasant, and while she understood it and accepted it as it was, she couldn't help but take on a full weight of guilt. Jace's parents on the other line, though they assured her she couldn't have had any control over any of this, would be there shortly to see to him themselves.

When Flynn offered his smile and explanation, Jace stayed quiet, his eyes widening a fraction. Still blurry with tears, he looked at the blonde, a sudden respect and understanding holding him together for now.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"If that's what we need to do," Yuri replied to Henrietta. He wasn't sure he got why she would need to but there was apparently a lot of things he didn't understand.

Now with Jace's undivided attention, Flynn continued. "The best thing you can do is remember how he inspired you. To go on with everything you've learned and doing your best. That way his legacy can continue."  

[Gwennythe]

"I don't wanna." Henrietta explained further, before finally getting out her phone and appearing to check the texts.  

[Tori Honoo]

Jace sniffled, but clung to every one of Flynn's words as though they were a lifeline. Lance had been the greatest dragon trainer to ever exist... He was a champion, who cared about his pokemon and all the others out there. People loved him, and he was nice to everyone he met...

Long ago, as an even younger boy, Jace had decided he would be just like the dragon master. It would be the greatest honor in the world to continue the Dragon Champion's legacy, and as the boy turned to look at the little Charmander in his arms, he knew he had no choice but to do just that. Lance had been young once... He could do the same, and maybe, just maybe, walk in his footsteps and bring down Team Rocket once and for all.

The swablu's humming was definitely having an effect on the boy, for over time, the sniffles and sobs decreased in to an almost eerie quiet, only the sound of his shaky breaths to betray him.

Chester would eventually take a step back, looking over his friend with a concerned expression, unwilling to part with him and determined to do anything he could to relieve him of whatever was bothering him.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Then don't," Yuri said plainly. "It's your decision right?"

His gaze then turned to the door as Dove had yet to return.


Flynn went quiet after that, letting the boy think on what he said. Eventually though he broke the silence again.

"We can stay out here as long as you want but they're going to worry."  

[Gwennythe]

Henrietta paused and drew her knees up while she still sat on the floor.
"They'll worry." Plus, she thought Jace's parents might make him go home, and that wasn't very fair.
However...
"Do you think they'd let me stay if I showed them..?" She didn't really expect Yuri to know- he'd never met her family- but with Dove and Jace out of the room, and none of the pokémon capable of a vocal response, it seemed she was seeking out a human opinion.  

[Tori Honoo]

Jace stayed still a pace longer, then nodded slowly. He didn't want any of them to worry about him anymore...

Wiping his face on his sleeves, the boy then pushed himself up from the ground, his entire body trembling from both exhaustion and sitting in the cold. Snowflakes gathered in his hair, most melting on impact. Without a word, he reached down to pick the charmander up, a gesture which the small lizard would typically quietly disapprove of, though this time he made no motion to stop it and instead sat his head on the boy's shoulder as he was carried.

Dawn eventually softened her song, looking to her 'sister'. This was still so sad and odd...  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Wouldn't hurt to try," Yuri told her. He could see that the girl was conflicted but he really wasn't the best one to ask about family matters considering he'd never had one.


When Jace got up, Flynn did as well. The man giving a comforting pat of his hand to the boy's shoulder. It was tough, dealing with the feelings he knew Jace was experiencing. He knew that all too well.

He then walked with the boy back to where they'd left the others so they would know things were okay.  

[Gwennythe]

Bistra hummed a few comforting notes at the other Swablu then gestured with her wing that the humans were going back in, before setting off after them.

Henrietta sighed a little.
It was basically the answer that she'd come up with herself anyway; it was just a rather unwelcome thing to have to do.
But, she supposed, it was better done as soon as possible.
"... 'm gonna make a call." She let Yuri know, before making toward the door, herself.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dawn followed quietly, careful to stay close to her tiny human.

Jace allowed Flynn to guide him back inside to the others, his head down and his cheek pressed against Chester's head as they made their way back to where Dove would be sitting in her chair outside Yuri's room. When they approached, she looked up, her phone still pressed to her ear. "Yes ma'am... he's right here if you'd like to speak with him.......of course."

That said, the woman offered her phone to the little boy. Jace, gave her a shy and teary look, then sat down on the chair next to her, letting Chester free to sit on his opposite side as he accepted the phone. After giving his weak greeting, and hearing his mother's voice on the other end of the line, he, again, began to cry, successfully breaking Dove's heart as she listened to him talk with his parents, their voices just barely audible in the nearly empty hallway. Putting her arm around him, her maternal instinct too demanding for her to just ignore the boy's distress, she looked to Flynn, an almost desperate plea in her expression, wondering what had happened, and if Flynn himself was alright.

When Henrietta joined them in the hall, she directed her attention to the girl, unsure if she was expected to speak or should at all.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Flynn just looked back at Dove with a forced smile. There was little either of them could do at this point. So he just stood there in silence as the boy cried to his mother on the phone.

Then as Henrietta emerged he looked over to her but still said nothing.

Yuri just laid in bed, quietly listening to what was going on outside his door.

But eventually Flynn did speak. "It's been a long night. I think it's time for us to get back to the hotel."  

[Gwennythe]

Henrietta looked, first, to Jace, as she emerged, but said nothing, offering just a sad smile as she saw he was on the phone to his mother.
Without saying much, as though afraid to interrupt the phonecall, she just nodded to Flynn's suggestion, and mumbled assent, before holding up her 'gear to Dove, and Flynn, as Bistra landed back upon her head; a silent way of telling them she was going to make a call too, before walking a little away down the corridor.