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[attr="class","skullbody"]"Hey."[break][break]

The voice that cut through the aimless background chatter of the bargoers wouldn't be unfamiliar to Nomi. In fact, by now, it was a voice that she had heard donning several guises. It was the gravel of a Rocket on a mission, inviting danger for all the wrong (or, perhaps, all the right?) reasons. It was the bravado and bluster of the Blackwing Bazaar's founder, happy as a clam in his natural environment. It was the customer service tones of the Howling's bartender spinning bottles and spinning stories.[break][break]

Today, Nomi would hear get to hear his voice with all that pretense dropped. There was no mission to fulfil. There was no performance to step into the roles of. There were no obligations, no expectations, none of the pressures that have guided them through their lives thus far.[break][break]

In some ways, it was an escape. In other ways, it was more imposing than any mask.[break][break]

Isaac looked to the drink in his hand, then to the drink on the counter. It seemed him and Nomi were in a similar headspace today, be that any deeper symbolism or just an urge to try every establishment's specialties. "Guess I was right about you having good taste, huh?" he teased, before eyeing the conspicuously empty seats on either side of the girl. Isolation, even in a place as crowded and lively as this.[break][break]

"Got room for one more?"

[break][break]

[break]

Nomi looked over, surprised to find someone addressing her directly. She was even more surprised to see that it was Isaac Merlo.[break][break]
Isaac was no stranger to Nomi, but she knew him better as Blackjack, ringleader of the Blackwing Bazaar. Right now, however, he could not look any less like Blackjack...maskless, grin-less, and wearing an eyepatch, she realized. That was new.[break][break]
All the same, Isaac managed to tease her a little, even though he lacked his usual air of mischief. This caused Nomi's chest to ache, her whole being yearning for companionship - someone to joke with, even if she didn't feel like joking. Someone she could vent to, even though she rarely allowed herself to partake in such an indulgence. But, she didn't want to seem desperate, so she tried not to gesture too eagerly at the barstool to her right.[break][break] "Help yourself," Nomi said, trying to keep her tone even.[break][break]
Valerian rubbed his head against Isaac's leg fondly, then looked around curiously, wondering where Watson was. Somehow, the little Totodile had broken through the Sylveon's normally prickly exterior: Val seemed to actually look forward to seeing him.[break][break]
"'Tis the season to be merry, but I'll admit, I don't feel particularly so," Nomi admitted to Isaac, flashing him a small, wry smile. "If you desire more cheerful company, you may want to look elsewhere."

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Nomi didn't seem in much the mood to put the "merry" in "Merry Christmas." For a second, Isaac wondered if he was intruding. Then she gestured to her neighboring seat, a hair too quickly, and Isaac realized it was a commonality of their relationship at work.[break][break]

He was the right guy in the right place at the right time.[break][break]

"Don't mind if I do," he said, slipping into the seat. As soon as he did, her Sylveon rubbed fondly against his leg. He gave the fairy type a scritch behind the ears, only to be met for a quizzical look. "How sad. He only loves me for my crocodile," Isaac deadpanned.[break][break]

Still, Isaac was nothing if not a crowdpleaser. With a fond eyeroll, he tossed out Watson's Pokeball. The little Totodile emerged in a flash of light, a novelty beer helmet atop his head. Two bottles of water stuck out from it, which Watson drank with a merry sip. He was participating, too! Upon seeing Val, the Totodile let out a cheerful rasp, toddling over to his friend.[break][break]

It was the festive sight Nomi had probably been deprived of up until now, sitting here by her lonesome. "Hey, it's cool. They literally pay me to watch people have drinks and get bummed out, remember?" A small, teasing smirk spread across his face. "But for you, I can do that free of charge."[break][break]

After a quick wink, his smirk eased to a sincere smile. " 'Sides. I don't want more cheerful company. I want to spend time with you." Isaac had spent enough holiday seasons alone to know how badly it sucked. He wasn't letting a good friend suffer under that pressure.

[break][break]

[break]

The sight of Watson waddling over to Val and offering the Sylveon a sip from his ridiculous "beer" helmet was enough to make Nomi giggle a little. Val didn't know quite what to make of such a thing, but he bit down onto one of the offered straws and seemed genuinely delighted when water streamed through. Watson's antics never failed to amuse.[break][break]
Nomi turned to Isaac, mirth melting back into a smile twinged with the sadness she'd been feeling prior to his arrival. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted. "I've been a bit...lonely." It was difficult to say the word out loud. It wasn't a word she was especially comfortable with. She had no living family (that she knew of), but she'd always managed to get by just fine. She'd made friends in school, hadn't she? And through her brewery? And because of Rocket, too...[break][break]
But she hadn't exactly worked hard lately, to cultivate those friendships. Guilt welled in the pit of her stomach at the realization. But how could she justify prioritizing her own emotional stability - selfishly - when the world had nearly ended? When she'd been one of the only people to see firsthand how it had been saved, and how it might still be in danger?[break][break]
She sipped her drink, expression strained and sorrowful. When she looked at Isaac, she noticed that he seemed more tired than usual, more bone-weary. Was his go-to humor masking grief? She wondered how many times that had been the case throughout the course of their friendship, and she had never actually noticed.[break][break]
She reached out a hand and gently touched his arm. "Are you doing okay?" She asked softly. She knew the answer would be more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no", but that wasn't the point. The point was to ask. And then to listen.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Lonely.[break][break]

It was such a strange concept for Isaac to hear. When he met her, she carried herself with the air of a Mauville Hills socialite. She ran a proper microbrewery whose goods Isaac saw at every stop of the bar crawl. In Rocket, her inputs and suggestions were immediately noticed and loved. When they spoke, they slipped onto such a natural, comfortable banner. Her charm was, frankly, undeniable.[break][break]

And yet, she was lonely.[break][break]

Far more than any of his own worries could cause, the thought left Isaac's brow knit with concern. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere for a nice, long while," he assured her, a smile underlined with worry settling onto his face. Frankly, he'd stay at this stop for a long as it took for Nomi to work through her worries. It wasn't like he was in a rush.[break][break]

Then she asked if Isaac was okay, and his smile weakened a hair. Arceus, how did he even begin to answer that? In some ways, 2022 was the best year of his life. In other ways, it was a horrorshow. If he hadn't already come to terms with his losses atop Mt. Pyre, he wasn't sure that he'd even be able to go on. Even now, when the pain hit, it hit hard.[break][break]

"I don't even know where to begin with this year," he admitted, shaking his head a little. "Feels like everything's been happening at once. Sometimes for the better, sometimes . . . well, y'know." The answer was carved onto his face.[break][break]

"C'mon, you've always got your shit together way better than I do. How about you tell me what's got you feeling lonely, first?"

[break][break]

[break]

Nomi narrowed her crimson eyes slightly at Isaac's deflection, but his tone of voice was filled with a sincere concern for her wellbeing, and in the end, that won her over. He's a good man, she thought: a sentiment she had teased him about in the past, when she'd first met him as Blackjack, a "tougher" persona that did not, in her opinion, adequately mask the heart beneath the humor.[break][break]
"I did a lot this year, Isaac," she started, finding that she, too, did not really know where to begin. She stared ahead, vaguely watching the bartender serve a group of women from the mirror on the wall behind the rows of liquor bottles. "I started my final thesis for school. I sold more beer than ever. I met so many new people, networked with powerful allies...conducted some pretty pivotal research. I even traveled to space." She sipped her drink in thoughtful reverie. "But for some reason, I feel like I've neglected something far more important than any of that."[break][break]
Nomi felt suddenly awkward, unaccustomed to discussing her feelings, even with someone she did consider a friend. She turned her gaze on Isaac, forcing herself to look into his only exposed eye. "I feel like I've...failed at all the things a normal person my age should be doing. Socializing, dating, spending time with people...these days, it feels like all I do is work. I just get so...wrapped up in what I'm doing, what I want to accomplish."[break][break]
She and Ceri Glynn had worked on the Tera Orbs together, but when was the last time they'd met up outside the labs - laughed together, played games together? Ceri was busy too. ambrose orion as well, he had his studies. And it wasn't like she'd seen Isaac himself much these past few months - only a handful of times. Shouldn't she have checked up on him right after Mt. Pyre? She had known that he had volunteered for that operation. Instead she had immediately poured herself into her Tera Crystal research. And now here he was, missing an eye and worn down by whatever hardships he'd been experiencing. Guilt burned in her belly.[break][break]
"I think I'm...kind of a bad friend," she concluded, face flushing from both the alcohol and the shame of her admission.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Nomi's words sent Isaac flashing back.[break][break]

Before this crazy year, before Rocket, before even running away from home, Fayne Abernathy had been the first and only person he could call friend. It's not like they were childhood best pals or anything like that. But they became very close, very fast, in a sense he'd only come to know with a precious few. For a good bit, they were inseparable.[break][break]

Then it came time for an internship from afar, and the change was as slow as it was inevitable. Long, deep conversations became brief calls, then clipped, functional texts. Days between chats turned to weeks, then to months. By now, she was basically a stranger to Isaac, albeit one who he still found himself thinking fondly of every now and again.[break][break]

He couldn't blame her. She had the opportunity of a lifetime in front of her. He'd be more angry if she gave it up just so they could waste their lives together. But it was hard not to mourn the fact that he had lost his best, and oldest, friend. Now Nomi faced the same dilemma, and as she forced herself to admit her insecurities familiarity stabbed him in the heart.[break][break]

"I don't think you're a bad friend."[break][break]

He had to say it, for both the one he lost and the one who sat before him. "Like, c'mon. You said it yourself. You've been doing some incredible things. Some real once in a lifetime stuff. And it's not like you've had a hand in it all, either." As much as Rocket may seem like freedom to the uninitiated, in some regards its chains pulled harder than the League's ever could. If you were an average grunt, you could usually get on by pretty easily. But Nomi wasn't an average grunt. She was a rising superstar[break][break]

She made the mistake of becoming a person of interest.[break][break]

"It's been a crazy year. And believe me, you're not the only one feeling the burn." On his face. In his heart. In the deepest recesses of his mind. For all the highs 2022 put him through, the lows had dragged him through the wringer and left countless marks behind. "The fact you even care enough to ask despite being so worn down speaks volumes in my books."[break][break]

Besides. Not even a year had passed and she was already feeling the burn. "Trust me. It's never too late to turn things around," he admitted, the smile on his face starting to ebb down. One of his darkest, most shameful secrets bubbled at the tip of his tongue. Normally he wouldn't say it, but if it would stop Nomi from sharing in his mistakes . . .[break][break]

"You don't wanna know how long I spent hiding away from everyone."

[break][break]

[break]

Issac's words were a balm for a broken heart, and slowly but surely, with every new sentiment, the ache in Nomi's chest began to ease. There was something about the raw sincerity in his tone - the undercurrent of grief and understanding - that convinced her that what he was saying had to be true. After all, her scientific mind couldn't help but latch onto the logic of his assessment: someone who truly did not care about others would not feel bad about letting her relationships flounder in the wake of her research. The fact that she was upset with herself was a testament to how much she actually wanted to mend broken connections, maintain her friendships, and learn how to process the loneliness she'd carried with her since her parents had disappeared.[break][break]
Then Isaac said something that genuinely surprised Nomi, and she eyed him incredulously. "What? You? Hiding away? I can't picture it." A wry smile, the crinkling of crimson eyes. But her hand was still on his arm and she didn't intend to remove it. In fact, she squeezed it in encouragement, as if to say: vent if you need to. I'm listening.[break][break]
She could start now. She could do better.[break][break]
Her drink was empty so she ordered another.[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Frankly, Isaac couldn't picture it either. Last New Year, the only ball he saw drop was the movement of the moon across the stars. The only friends he had been surrounded by were the small handful of Pokemon he'd accrued. There was nothing protecting him from the chill of the nighttime air but the promise that, the next day, he'd beat feet to the next step of his journey. The pathetic, burned-out wanderer he once called status quo was now something unrecognizable to him.[break][break]

But he existed. It would be folly to pretend he didn't.[break][break]

"Believe it or not? It took me 'til April to find myself. This April." He let the words hang in the silence, giving them the gravity that they deserved. "I'd say I grew up the silver medal of a two-kid household. Apathetic mother. Little brother whose shadow I lived in. And a man I refuse to call father; believe me, feeling's mutual there. But with how unwanted I was, I didn't even rank bronze. The more I tried to assert myself, the worse it got. You wouldn't believe how easy it becomes to give up in the face of all that."[break][break]

"So the second I was 18, I was out of there. No plan. No backup. No ideas. No resources. No support. All I knew was I couldn't keep living like this and I was too old to be dragged back into that mess. I figured, hey. It won't be so bad. I'll figure something out on the fly. The open road's better than the hand I've been dealt."[break][break]

"Don't get me wrong. I did. But I could never get past treading water." The thriving of the past six months, warts and all, stood out like a sore thumb compared to bare minimum survival. "I just dragged my ass from town to town, living off campsites and doing odd jobs to get by. Each year, I hoped I'd find my big break to turn things around. Each year, I just ended up disappointing."[break][break]

"I just . . . didn't see the point in any of it, y'know? I couldn't move forward when I could barely find my footing. Company was fleeting at best, never more significant than a rare "hey, it's that guy." Nicest part was sleeping under the stars, and trust me. That's way more fun when you're doing it by choice."[break][break]

All it took was a single seed to be planted. All it took was a single person seeing his potential, even if it was to induct him into a criminal organization whose true magnitude eluded him. In a way, it infuriated him. How much of his life had he been robbed of before he even had the chance to explore it?[break][break]

"The fact that I turned so much around is a miracle. But, c'mon. If someone like me can pull that off, you'll have this all figured out in a heartbeat."

[break][break]

[break]

Each year, I just ended up disappointing.[break][break]
Nomi couldn't imagine a less disappointing person than Isaac Merlo. Every time they'd run into one another, exciting things seemed to happen. His Blackwing Bazaar was a crossroads of possibility, a place where anything could happen - designed that way on purpose, a haven for anarchy. He had a clever mind (for not being particularly scientific), a quick wit, and a soft heart. It was the later that she worried about - not because it was a bad thing, but because it was a good thing, and an organization like Rocket was exactly the sort of place that might harden it.[break][break]
Her own heart was already an agate, rock-solid, polished. Maybe it needed a little weathering.[break][break]
"Funny you should mention growing up without parents," she murmured, sympathetic. It was clear from Isaac's tone that even though his parents were alive in the past - likely still alive now - they had not been there for him, not the way parents should be. She could relate to the undercurrent of lonely emptiness that pervaded his story about his life.[break][break]
"I lost my parents when I was a toddler. They disappeared while working on a secret project in Kanto," She emphasized that last word, so that Isaac would understand the Rocket connection. Few people knew her story - let alone all the Rocket details - because she often didn't see the point in bringing it up: most of the time, telling a person she'd lost her parents as a kid just caused people to feel bad for her, in a way that made her skin crawl. But sometimes, it mattered. Like when she'd told Ceri Glynn, who had immediately provided Nomi with the opportunity to join Rocket herself so she could try and find out what really happened to them. Now, it mattered not because Isaac was a likely Rocket candidate to reveal any new information about the incident, as she had hoped to discover by working with Raphael Pryde, but because she...well, she wanted him to know.[break][break]
In the end, it was that simple.[break][break]
"I have been trying to find out what happened to them, Isaac," she explained, trying to sound more determined than sorrowful. "It's why I joined...our organization. In the first place. I need to know what they were working on. I need to know if it was truly an accident...or if they were murdered."[break][break]
Beneath her feet, Val stirred, as if sensing her internal conflict. She didn't want to show Isaac any weakness, but she also wanted to show him a human side of the scientist that worked long days and longer nights in the lab. She had resolved to become a better friend, and friends were honest with one another.[break][break]
He deserved to know.[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Nomi tried to keep her head held high and her tone strong, even through the pain. It wasn't that hard to see through, but he elected to keep his mouth shut out of respect to her. He'd call it out if the damn broke and she needed help holding the floodgates shut. But everyone was entitled to a leak now and then.[break][break]

Instead, he lsitened to her tale. He listened to how her parents' disappearance had already sealed her fate, leading her to Rocket just to find out where they went. He listened to how, from such a young age, she was left with nobody. He listened to the secrets held in Kanto, a land that increasingly seemed like the center of everything.[break][break]

He listened, the magnitude of the trust that she'd placed on him like gravity upon his shoulders. When she was done, he paused, letting a smile spread across his face. It was soft and gentle, but backed by an unshakeable determination. Nomi needed understanding. She needed trust. She needed support, not as someone in need of saving but as the head of this investigation. Within seconds, he found but one sentence escape him.

"Alright. So where do we start digging?"[break][break]

He'd only known Nomi's painful truth for five seconds, and yet he'd already volunteered himself to help.

[break][break]

[break]

Nomi blinked large crimson eyes at Isaac, taken aback by the intensity of his willingness to help her. Perhaps a different sort of person would pity her, or offer her some kind of regretful condolences; still, another might fall into an awkward silence, not knowing what to say. But Isaac was neither the pitying type nor the silent type. What she realized, in that moment, was that he was the best type.[break][break]
A strange feeling surged through her as she drank in his eager camaraderie. It made her want to keep him close. By her side. Which seemed to be what he wanted, too: loyalty, friendship. The kind that mattered. The kind that lasted.[break][break]
She smiled at him. "I've already begun digging, silly. It's been a while since I joined Rocket." How time flied! "I learned from Raphael Pryde that they had disappointed the wrong people...failed in some way. Besides that...well, I've been able to find some of their research. Published works, I mean. I know that I ought to speak with Cillian Quinn about this but -- " She paused. She wasn't entirely sure why she seemed to be avoiding asking him. "He's been quite busy. We all have. The almost-apocalypse was sort of a big deal."[break][break]
She had a sense of humor too. It just needed a little poking and prodding to come out of its shell. Which Isaac was good at, it seemed.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Isaac's smile faltered a little at the mention of the fate of the Satos.[break][break]

Right. He wasn't just helping a friend investigate the mystery behind her disappeared parents. He was helping a brilliant mind wedge herself deeper into a brilliant, yet terrifying, criminal organization. The fact that her parents disappointed the wrong people enough to vanish . . .[break][break]

Maybe one of these days, Isaac could get Nomi away from here. But if he couldn't, he'd just have to make sure she wouldn't disappoint.[break][break]

The mention of Cillian Quinn got Isaac perking up some. He knew and trusted the underboss, perhaps more than he should. "Maybe I can put in a good word for you," Isaac said. "Gavin and I have worked with each other a lot. And if there's anything he knows I can be trusted on, it's people."[break][break]

"Though, uh. Not like you'd need the nod. Arceus knows you've been impressing out there."[break][break]

Still, Nomi was right. There was a lot going on in their lives. "Gonna have to be more specific, Nomes," he said, that teasing grin back on his face. "You mean the meteor we just survived? The Ultra Beast invasion before that? The aliens? The other dimension? We've gone through so many notpocalypses, I'm starting to lose count."[break][break]

Was it a bad sign that he could joke about all this so easily? Maybe. But at least in doing so, he was far from alone. And at least he could make sure that Nomi wouldn't be either.

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