Gavin is not a people person.

People don't make him nervous, but neither does he intrinsically understand them as some could brag. Priam, right now, was confusing the hell out of him.

"Wh — Priam, are you jealous, or something?"

He blinks at him, baffled.

"You do," Gavin agrees. His lips purse as if withholding laughter. "You can."

It's not Priam he finds funny, but the situation. How had they wound up like this? At the very least, it helps to ease the pressure in his chest.

"So you're not jealous," he allows. "What are you, then?"

Priam's backpedalling hard, and Gavin's amusement fades back to concern.

"You're not hiding it well, whatever it is."

Which meant, he supposed, that Priam was covering the whatever well enough. Gavin still has no idea whether he'd latched onto something with jealousy or if the flush to his cheeks had been a product of the alcohol. Arceus, people were difficult.

He pinches the bridge of his nose at the dropped glass.

"Are you sure everything's OK? Is this about the excursion?"

Thanks to Lugia, Gavin had learned its name.

He'd done surface-level research on the legend, since; enough to understand its supposed connection to Xerneas and thus a potential motivation for interfering with the tree.

"Its name is Yveltal. It's said to be an aspect of destruction, or death, where Xerneas represents life. They're counterparts, apparently. I don't know much more than that."

He finishes his drink, flags for another, and sips it.

"Well, there is someone you could ask. Adrian Malcolm may know. He was there."

He leaves out the part about Adrian being Yveltal's avatar, just in case.

"Do you think I mishandled the situation?" He cants his head. "Be honest."

Gavin chuckles.

"I'll point him out to you, some time. One of our new grunts."

Priam's quick and insistent protest is flattering, perhaps a little bit amusing. His stoic expression cracks under a laugh at Priam's question.

"I'll always second-guess the handling of a rough mission, especially one that results in one of our own getting injured. But I appreciate the vote of confidence." There's a brief flash of teeth in his smile. "You did great with the tree, by the way. We wouldn't have gotten it out of there without you and your Venusaur."

They'd intended to have more time and less interference, but Yveltal had been one hell of a rogue factor.

A little positive attitude seems to bolster him out of the so-called sad boy days; he nods as if to confirm something to himself before Priam's chuckle draws him out of his thoughts.

"I guess it did."

It's more than that, but how could one vocalize the many different pressures felt from all sides?

"You're right, though; we got the job done. That's what matters, in the end."

To Rocket, at least.

"Nice segue," Gavin smirks.

With Maeda and Sinclair back in Kanto, the care of the iron plate they'd recovered has fallen to Gavin. He's guarded it jealously from all others, but Priam is a notable exception. They'd made a deal.

"Long as you promise to be careful with it, and not give it to anyone else under any circumstances." He knew there was interest in the plates from others, even their own Katherine. With no idea what power it held or what it could do in the hands of another... "What do you need it for?"