she’d be picking it up later for sure. she let it pass, if only because he was drunk and delta was asleep.

his touch on her arm made her flinch just barely.

she couldn’t think of anything to say, so after a moment, she just said, ”yeah.”

MATIAS SILPH

in that particular moment, she felt that she could offer him no mercy. ”then you were a coward.” and he had that to make amends for as well.

the grating sound of sucking on a near-empty juice box caused her to pause, and then shake her head, for not only was it obnoxious, but it was also loud in the otherwise permeating quiet of their small cabin.

his joke didn’t land well with her. there was no lightening the mood.

”apparently not that loud if he’s been hiding out in hoenn and no one knew about it.”

MATIAS SILPH

”you said he was violent… an extremist…”

her gaze tore away from the lines that she could see of his face.

”so what i don’t understand is, why push it? why allow others around you, people you don’t want to get hurt, to just… poke the ursaring?”

and he’d been the one with the truth.

sorry simply wasn’t good enough.

she shook her head, her voice growing steely again as it had been in the doorway.

”you need to find him.” matias was one of the strongest trainers in hoenn, now, supposedly. he was capable. plus, he had connections.

she would do her part from the outside, she’d decided.

”find him and bring him to justice. that is the only way you can make amends.”

MATIAS SILPH

”you’re not selfish.” not to sage, at least. if she’d ever said it, she hadn’t meant it. he was a soldier. however, he had turned his back on his friend; something which had, from the horse’s mouth, had something to do with the fateful outcome of things.

”i’m not mad about that anymore, matias. my knowing or not could never have given me the power to change what had already happened.”

her gaze settled somewhere in the shadows tiredly. after a long moment, her resolve hissed out of her throat in a strained sigh. 

”your self-righteousness gets ahead of you, you know. your decision not to reach out was to protect me. at least there were good intentions.” she leaned over her knees, lacing fingers. ”you also made the decision to allow him to be ostracized, for a lie. one you helped construct, even.”

she looked up over her curled shoulder at him through the dark. ”how was that anything but cruel?”

MATIAS SILPH

her hand lowered from her face at the sound of the fridge opening. really?

and soon, he’d sat down beside her. her sigh was placating. she wanted him out, she told herself.

’i miss you.’

pushing the juice box away, she shook her head. ”i miss you too—but what you did is unforgivable.”

MATIAS SILPH

she swatted at him, ”stop it.”

as he disappeared around the corner, her hands went to tug at the cloth now bunched up around her neck uncomfortably.

not yet bothering to turn on the light, she went to sit back on the couch. her leafeon jumped up into her lap, and she pinched the bridge of her nose, still waking up. still annoyed.

”yes?”

MATIAS SILPH

she stared, canary pale eyes like needles through the plastic and into his. ”seriously? you're in the middle of the fucking woods.”

but, she eventually made way for him to stagger in.

”straight down and on the left.” past the main room, with the couch that looked to be where sage slept, and then delta’s bedroom.

she added sternly, arms crossed, ”be quiet.”

what was he doing here?

MATIAS SILPH

”hm?”

knocks roused her from sleep, and her heart skipped, before the familar matty caused her to sigh with deep frustration.

she pulled herself out of bed, shrugging on a hoodie before going to the door. when she opened it, her stare was cold.

”matias, what are you doing?”

a leafeon wound around her ankle, looking silently up at him.

MATIAS SILPH