[attr="class","spiral"]The thing about memories, especially the bad ones, is they're sort of like a finger trap. Once you're stuck in one, the more you fight the harder it is to get out. The more you think about how much you don't want to think about that memory the more it dominates your thoughts.

Plank can't help but fall into this trap no matter how much she recognizes the pattern.

The ache in her legs, the smell of salt, the anxiety at every creak and groan from the boat. The soreness in her neck from craning it to look to shore every thirty seconds. It starts coming back in pieces, and then waves, and the more she tries to move on from it and just stare at the stars the more insistent it gets until she's curled up on her side holding that egg a little too tight.

It's hard to breath with the egg pressed to her chest and her heart hammering so hard against her ribs. Hard to see through the mist forming over her eyes. Hard to feel through the chill claiming her fingers and her toes and her gut.

And then a rough voice cuts through it all, closer than she expected it.

"I loved her very dearly, so truly and sincerely," Jack croons softly, barely on key but pretty despite it, "There was no one in this wide world I loved better than she."

Her own reply bubbles up between a couple hiccups.

"Ev. . . Every bush 'n' every bower, every w-wild Galar flower," Plank blinks hard to clear her eyes, tries to relax her shoulders -- the tension is choking her voice so much she's nearly as bad as Jack, "Reminds me of my Allie, on the Banks of Hulb'ry."

They go on like this for a while. Plank until her voice chokes up, Jack until she's better. They're nearing the end of the song, singing together, when something interrupts the song.

"There was no on in this wide world I loved better tha--" Plank's now much clearer voice (in no small thanks to her move from the boat's floor to a sitting position against its side) is interrupted by a croak. And then a hiss from Jack. Looking in the direction of the disturbance reveals a Palpitoad. When and how it had boarded the Vagabond, Plank can't say.

"Enjoyin' the show?" she croaks, wiping at her cheeks. The Palpitoad just stares back. Croaks again. Croaks a few times. Waddles a little closer.

"What? Not enough t' be a bother now you've gotta be in my space too?" Plank continues, a notable note of irritation slipping into her voice. Jack seems to pick up on this and hops between the approaching Palpitoad and Plank. CHATTERS angrily to get it to take a hop back. Unable to move forward, but seemingly unwilling to leave, it plops down onto the Vagabond's floor. Croaks again.

"Whatever," she mumbles, "Where were we Jack
. . ? Oh yeah."

"There was no one in this wide world I loved better than she," Plank picks up in a little, lilting voice, "Every bush and every bower, every wild Galar flower . . ."

They sing to the end of the song, and the whole time the Palpitoad watches. This time silently. Patiently. Somehow it manages to creep up closer and closer, though. By the end it's leaned right up against Plank's side.

Quietly, when the song is over, she fishes out a pokeball and goes to tap it against the wild pokemon. It doesn't so much as twitch.