[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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While wrapped up his on thoughts he didn’t pay much attention to where he was going only wondering aimlessly. Eventually without him being aware of if he would’ve made it back to the gates that let into Fortree and it would only be after his thoughts had been interrupted that he would realize it.
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A voice. A very familiar one pulled him out of his thoughts. Running into Josh was unexpected.
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“That’s what I should be saying, I live around here,” he said making a vague gesture behind him before continuing. “Anyway I’ve been well enough.”
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Not a straight answer. The kind of answer he gave could mean anything. He had never been the best at talking about his feelings.
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Upon closer inspection Josh might notice the bandage wrapped around his forearm. Something that wouldn’t have been there the last time him and Josh had interacted.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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Kyle?
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Oh right, that had talked about someone named Kyle on the news, hadn’t they? He honestly hadn’t been paying that much attention. He only watched the news for the weather. Though he hadn’t actually paid much attention to that lately either.
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His mind has been preoccupied with other stuff lately.
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Still, he had the news pulled up on his laptop to get the general gist of what was going on. Well, at least enough to know he had died anyway. But the how and the where were as much a mystery as who Kyle was.
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"Yes, I heard. I'm sorry that you had to lose a friend. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to meet him myself, but I’m sure he was a nice person.”
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He really didn’t know what to say to the older male on the subject of his friend's death. He had never really been the comforting sort. It was kind of hard to live the kind of life he had. In fact, usually any attempt at comforting comes off as awkward for both parties.
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Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, the topic was redirected to Ever’s well-being.
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Oh, right, his arm.
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“Cooking accident, guess that’ll teach me to let my mind wander while I’m cooking,” he said, trying for a joke that fell flat.
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Considering how vigilant he usually was, often to the point of almost coming off as paranoid, it was surprising to anyone that he would slip up due to inattention.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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A hero, huh?
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To be honest, he didn’t really believe in heroes. A true samaritan, sure. But a true hero, no. Heroes just didn’t exist for people like Ever, people who hadn’t been dealt the best cards in life. However, that didn’t mean he would rain on someone else’s parade, so he simply nodded.
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“Seems like quite the role model,” he simply said, as close as calling someone a hero he would get.
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“I guess you could say I =do a good bit of cooking. I live on my own after all, and it’s quite unhealthy to eat out all the time, not unless I choose to order a salad for every meal or something like that,” he pointed out.
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Though Ever didn’t seem the type, he was actually fairly health-conscious. Well, to some extent. He probably didn’t eat as much as he should, but he didn’t really have the best appetite either.
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That aside, he cooked enough that he should know better to let his mind wander. It was actually a wonder it wasn’t worse. He could have set his place on fire instead by not paying attention. Instead, he had managed to only get away with a fairly bad burn. Speaking of…
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"Actually, it’s bad enough that it’s been requested that I take a few days off from my ranger duties. They don’t want to risk slowing the healing progress. I’ll still be doing photography, though; I don’t see how doing that would slow the healing progress,” he explained to the older male.
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Seriously, he really would rather not take time off. “I suppose I can’t just come in anyway? I would rather not have the free time to think.”[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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“Cooking is like anything else; it takes practice to get better,” he pointed out. Of course, he wasn’t skilled enough to ever be a chef at a restaurant, but the few times he had cooked for his grandparents, they seemed to enjoy his cooking. That probably meant he was a good cook. He just wasn’t a great one.
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At the mention of having to come out, he thought he would rather be prepared for something like that. Probably. He was actually the type of person to over-prepare for something. But he did worry a bit about food if that were to happen; he didn’t know much about cooking over a fire.
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He wondered if Josh did. “I’ve never done anything like that. Camping was big in Galar for people taking the gym challenge. My father was against me leaving home, though, so I never took part in the gym challenge in my home region,” he admitted blankly.
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He was trying to distract himself, so he changed the subject. Though considering the others reactions, he wondered if that was the best idea. Then again, Josh had been the one to inquire about his injured arm.
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“This is nothing; I nearly died a few years ago,” he muttered under his breath. He honestly didn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal out of a burn. It wasn’t like he was close to dying after all.
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At the mention of an arcade, he frowned. “There’s an arcade in Mauville? I’m only ever in Mauville on business,” he admitted. "Anyway, I’ve never been to an arcade before. People always seemed so happy at them...” he trailed off.
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Even after the few years he had been away from his father, he did find it hard to be happy. life filled with as much trauma as his had been. Well, one didn’t simply get over something like that.
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At the mention of Josh talking to his captain, he seemed relieved. “Would you? I don’t understand why such a big deal is being made. Compared to past injuries I’ve sustained, this is nothing.”
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Seriously, people were worrying about nothing. He hadn’t taken a break when his father saw fit to beat him until he could barely move, so he didn’t see what the big deal was.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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People worrying about him was still a new experience for him. Josh proved over and over again that he cared about his well-being. If it wasn’t his reaction to getting injured while cooking, it was his reaction to his near-death experience. He hadn’t said anything, but it had been obvious in the way he spoke.
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Josh was just another person who cared about him.
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But Why? Why did he care whether or not he was hurt or completely unharmed? His grandparents, whom he could understand because they were family, but Josh. Josh didn’t owe him anything.
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Not that he was saying his grandparents owed him anything. His grandparents were just his family, and as such, it was their duty to care about him. Then again, that had been his father's duty as well, but he could care less about him.
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If there was anything he had learned from his father, it was that people couldn’t be trusted. And yet Josh had trusted him, hadn’t he?
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The gym leader had told him about his past with Team Rocket. What they had tried to do with his family. Basically giving his reason as to why he didn’t like Team Rocket.
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The older male hadn’t had to do that. It wasn’t like Josh’s past had been any of his business. And yet Josh had still trusted him with such personal information.
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Why though?
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He highly doubted the gym leader and just went around telling anyone that information. It was like he trusted him for some weird reason. He saw some value in letting him know even a bit about his past.
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What value was there in a person like him?
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Josh’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, making him realize he was staring at the older male like he was some kind of puzzle he couldn’t figure out. He immediately looked away, instead choosing to stare off into the distance. “That would be nice; you’ll just show me the ropes. I never really got to be a kid, so it would be nice to experience that, even just for a bit.”
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“You don’t mind that, do you? Showing me the ropes?”
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Though he was aware of the Espeon, his nerves were already so frayed from not sleeping well, mixed with his grandparents smothering him, that he found it hard to let any comfort through. In fact, it was kind of surprising that he was actually able to hold himself together and not have some kind of huge meltdown. Though however long that would last was the question.
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Speaking of his grandparents,.
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"Anyway, I would rather schedule the arcade time without my grandparents finding out. They already think I don’t rest enough,” he said, unable to quite hide the irritation in his tone.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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The urge to snap that not everyone had a good childhood was strong. Biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from snapping at his friend. He must really be suffering from the lack of sleep to be so tired. Usually he was able to wave us most stuff that would be annoying. It was taking everything in him not to come off like he was overreacting to a simple comment.
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He had to keep reminding himself that most people felt that way. That not everyone had a messed up childhood or knew he had one. Of course he knew that was his fault for not talking about it. Trust just didn’t come easily to him.
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And yet…
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Josh had given him every reason to trust him. His grandparents words rung in his head, and he had to resist the urge to sigh.
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Damn it, he hated when they were right.
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Glaring off into the distance, he finally spoke. “This war is actually a step up from my childhood, as sad as that is. My father wasn’t a nice man and always resented me for surviving when my mother didn’t and took it out on me. Our last mission brought up some painful memories about what it was like living with him. That’s what had me so distracted when I was cooking,” he admitted.
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His grandparents had said this would make him feel better, but he wasn’t sure if that was the case. It probably took more than that.
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As the subject moved on, he relaxed a bit. “Sounds good to me. Hmmm, I’m not terrible busy on most days. I’m pretty flexible with hours for my other job. I don’t think I have anything on my schedule for my other job, but I can look,” he said as he took out his phone to look over his schedule. "Nope, nothing planned, so whatever day works best for you works for me.”[break] Josh Devlin

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