dominic was not used to cheering and applause and while it lasted, it wasn't unpleasant.

by all accounts, he divided his time equally prior to the collapse: drinking freely, recoiling from physical contact, borderline roughly grasping burke by the scruff of his shirt to not lose him in the crowd, and apparently singing into the shitty, cheap karaoke machine.

he was still gripping the cordless microphone tightly as he came to his senses, and although his face tingled with the tell-tale sign of alcohol ingestion his thoughts were characterised by a marked clarity. displaced lights cast broken shadows along the walls, and he concentrated on them until he felt his vision steady enough for him to pull himself upright.

"don't use my fucking name," he snapped into the approximate direction of burke.

dominic staggered forward like a shambling corpse, still holding the microphone in one hand. he became aware of its weight slowly, and allowed his grip to loosen until it dropped to the floor and sent distorted feedback ringing through the speakers set up somewhere in the cavern's depths.

he took a long moment to eye zacharias before speaking.

"i am leaving," dominic stated matter-of-factly as if it really were that simple. he side-stepped zacharias and walked ahead with a confidence that he had no right having.

@zacharias

the jab staggers him, as if burke had just physically struck out at him. dominic makes an annoyed sound in the back of his throat - half snarl, half growl - but is too stubborn to halt his advance until he is centimeters from the expanse of rubble.

he blinks slowly at the rock as if expecting to find a sign pointing to the exit in the cracks, and listens to zacharias's spluttering coughs in a satisfied silence.

"zach?" dominic ventures after some seconds that feel more like minutes. he rubs his nose with the back of his hand and swings around to look at him with a vacant stare.

"did you bring either pokemon or shovels?"

dominic? he brought neither.

@zacharias

dominic stared at the magby and blinked twice rapidly. he strained every single available brain cell trying to construct an escape plan where a magby is useful and came out wanting.

could its head be like a battering ram or something? probably not, the pokemon suffered enough and he's been doubting the structural integrity of its cranium for a while now.

dominic's frustration manifested in a desire to pummel the pokemon with his fists (because the alternative was pummeling zacharias), and dominic had to make a conscious effort to still himself.

"why," dominic said, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "do you have that one with you?"

@zacharias

dominic glowered first at zacharias and then the magby for good measure. if he had to guess, dominic would say zacharias brought it along because he thought it'd be popular with the girls, which almost sort of made sense.

dominic approached the duo, freezing in his steps at what he could only assume was meant to be some kind of taunt. he mulled over zacharias's words for a second, then closed the distance between them in a bid to wrest the bottle from his hands. if he couldn't get a good enough grip, then fine, he'd ensure it smashes instead.

"that's enough from you," dominic growled, as he roughly shoved zacharias toward the dark expanse.

"move. and get that thing to lead the way."

@zacharias

dominic’s glad he’s walking behind zacharias in the tunnels because it means he gets to protect his ego for a little while longer - his steps are unsteady and shambling, he careens side to side like a wingull tossed around by a gale.

"shut up," dominic snarls half-heartedly, unable to come up with a more acerbic retort.

where he could see light cracking through the rockface - like veins in the stone - dominic came to a halt. he briefly considers joining the magby in its endeavour to dig through the debris, if only because it would cut down the amount of time he would have to stay trapped with zacharias.

he manages to dislodge one rock - a pebble, really - and then sinks down to the ground. dominic folds his legs underneath him, and sits cross-legged with his back against the wall. he slips in and out of consciousness to the sound of the magby painstakingly moving stones one by one.

@zacharias