victory_road | Tenth Sacrament: Gift

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Tenth Sacrament: Gift

As the sun is setting, the video opens on Walter in Mt. Mortar. A sketchbook and pencil have been set aside as he sat with Bonfire the Vulpix at his side. They were nearby a cave river, the soft glow of a fire illuminating them and the surrounding area. Assumption set down the camera and walked into frame, standing beside Walter and watching eagerly.

The egg, the focus of the video, was hatching.

A few shakes and a soft cry came from within. Walter leaned forward, hands held together. Finally the shell broke in a flash of light and in the eggs place stood a beautiful Alolan Vulpix, her fur tinged a soft violet and shining in the firelight. Walter looked between Bonfire and the new Pokemon, before reaching forward and gently bringing it into his lap. The newborn blinked up at him, accepting his soft touches. Bonfire climbed into his lap to greet her fellow fox, gently touching her nose to her.

"You're a gift from God. I wonder if you have special powers? But all Pokemon do, don't they." He murmured to it softly. The Alolan Vulpix just listened to him thoughtfully. "You look a little like Dahlia. It would be fitting, to name you for a priestess."

Assumption wagged his tail, picking up the camera and smiling before shutting it off.

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_{[.... HRRK and to think she thought the days when seeing a post from Walter gave her involuntary trauma flashbacks were OVER.]}

--you shouldn't name her that.

_{[NO TIME TO COUCH IT IN SOFT COAXING WORDS SORRY]}

[ Oh hello Heather. ]

...Why not? [ But he's not asking in a challenging or defiant way. More a genuinely curious one. The little white Vulpix peers at heather curiously as her red sister tried to hide behind her. ]

--because Dahlia was evil!

_{[STILL SPEAKING HASTILY AND A LITTLE MORE EMPHATIC THAN SHE USUALLY DOES.]}

[ Walter wasn't great at reading people or understanding them. Being isolated all your life wasn't exactly great for building social skills. But he was observant and took care to remember what he could about the people around him.

Heather spoke and acted fast when she was angry. She was doing that right now. It was the same tone she had used when talking about the Order, before they were...civil with each other. Walter closed his eyes, before looking down at the Vulpix. ]

...She hurt you. Didn't she?

_{[There's a long pause as the words battle it out in her throat. Hearing it laid out like that stings because it's true. Of course it's true. And nothing proves it more than her own hesitation.]}

--she hurt a lot of people.

Everybody she touched.

Just-- Walter, no innocent baby animal deserves a name like that.

[ There's a pause again as he thinks it over. The newborn took this all in quietly, curled up with Bonfire. All people hurt others; it was part of living, to hurt others, even if it wasn't intended. But this was about Heather. Dahlia had been a priestess. And being a priestess didn't mean she would be any better than the priests. ]

Okay.

I want her to have a good name. Something special, and kind. But I don't- I didn't know many people like that. [ He didn't know many good people who weren't saints back home and he had already named a Pokemon Eileen. And it felt like he shouldn't name his Pokemon for people he'd met here. ]

_{[There was a long tense silence from Heather than only broke, in the form of a sigh of relief that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, when he conceded.]

[She'd been half expecting him to stubbornly cling to the name, or even worse, try to argue in the real Dahlia's favor.]}

... You could... always name her Claudia.

Claudia was a priestess too, you know.

_{[And while Claudia had also hurt her... she was special. And kind. And (even though it had taken Heather years to fully accept this) not evil, despite her unforgivable actions.]}

Claudia? [ He repeated it, remembering how she had mentioned the other High Priestess. Yes, she had been good. She had done her best for her flock and truly felt for the people suffering around her. In his lap, the white Vulpix perked up. He gently pet over her head. ]

Claudia. [ The little fox gave a soft call, nodding. He smiled to her and then to Heather. ] Thank you.

...I'm. [ He sounds unsure, because he is. He's never known how to talk about this but in light of their...shared history, he wants to say this. ] I'm sorry. That Dahlia hurt you.

_{[Her shoulders rise and fall in a soft sigh.]}

It's not like there was anything you could have done.

You were just a kid then, too.

_{[Because she can only assume he MUST have been around-- if Dahlia had meddled in his upbringing, it must have been during those dark Alchemilla years. She's not sure how far apart they'd been in age, but there's not much point in wondering about the specifics.]}

I didn't mean sorry like that. But, I remember how it hurt with the priests. I hated them so much and...and I don't like that people here know what that was like.

[ He had felt empathy and sympathy for his fellow orphans. What Heather had gone through wasn't the same, he remembered, but given her reaction it must have been similar. Outside of that, it had been difficult to feel sorry for the students at college, whining about their families or how drunk they had gotten.

And he really did dislike how the people he had grown close to in this world had suffered too, even if it was just part of life. ] Suffering is natural. It's...humans cause suffering, even when they don't mean to. But what the priests and what Dahlia probably did was...unique.

I know.

Suffering is a fact of life.

But that doesn't give anyone the excuse to inflict it on another person for their own gain.

_{[Her voice is hollow as she says it-- she's not berating Walter or speaking accusingly. She just sounds so tired.]}

Dahlia knew exactly what she was doing, and it was for no one's benefit but her own. It wasn't out of faith, misguided, or by accident.

[ Walter lowered his eyes, looking at the Vulpix. Claudia. He spoke softly. ]

My suffering was...necessary. I had to suffer, so God could feel it. And, when it was enough, Valtiel told me it was time for the ritual. I was still angry, when they hurt me. But there was a reason why.

_{[At that, Heather just... grimaces. Full on slow flinch, face screwed up.]

[There had been a time-- admittedly not a particularly long one, because Alessa hadn't had a particularly long life... when she'd thought the same way.]

[But that had all gone out the window when she realized the truth.]}

Walter, it doesn't matter how many times you say it.

I will never accept it.

I will never agree with it.

And it will never be true.

Me, you, any other kid they ever hurt... it doesn't matter. It was not necessary, and their reasons were bullshit.

So just... save your breath.

_{[There are not enough words in the English language to emphasize how absolutely she will not budge on the matter.]}

[ Unluckily for Walter, he had eighteen years to learn the Order's teachings. It was hard, to throw away what had been true and set in stone for all your life; especially when that would lead to the knowledge that his suffering wasn't for the greater good. He focused on Claudia. Her words didn't sink in this time. ]

[ He spoke quietly, mostly to Claudia rather than Heather. ] ...This place is good. You will have to fight, and be strong. But...there's medicine. After the fights, you'll be healed.

[ Walter trained his Pokemon. They did get hurt in battle, but he didn't leave them with extremely low health or status effects. Claudia gently rest her head in his palm, relaxing. ]

_{[Well, she supposes being straight-up ignored is better than being argued with.]

[Claudia would have argued. Desperately.]

[She never knew when to quit.]

[Heather sighs.]}

... Thanks for taking suggestions. About the name, I mean.

[ Walter lifted his eyes and nodded. Well...Walter's loyalty and relationship with the Order was complicated. Which is why he was able to make any headway in Johto, stunted and slow as it was. ]

...be careful. They are here. Not, Dahlia, or the priests I knew. I think. But, the Order is here.

_{[... Heather's eyes narrow.]

[Not at Walter, or his warning, just... the entire prospect.]}

... I haven't seen anything to suggest that any of them besides you are around.

What makes you think they're here?

[ He pulled his bag into view, opening it and reaching inside. Retrieving the Seal of Metaton, he looked at it, before very calmly showing it to her. ]

I retrieved this in a package. It came with...some other things. Sweets. [ That was still very weird. He frowned, looking at the seal. In his lap, Claudia sniffed at it but then turned her focus to Bonfire. Useless trinket. ]

They know I'm here. They haven't done anything else, but they know I'm here. It's not...their way...but there's no other way for this to be here.

_{[... Okay, so like... whatever she was expecting him to show her. It wasn't that.]

[She looks gobsmacked. But not quite for the reason Walter might think.]}

--I... how did YOU get that?

I had the Seal of Metatron!

I told you, I recieved it in a package. That was in December. [ Walter frowned, clearly confused. There was only one Seal. As he looked over it however, he couldn't hide how his expression cooled. The hate that shimmered in his bones was heating up when he had to hold it and think about it's implications. ]

You had it before...they already warned you that they were watching? But- they haven't done anything? And Valtiel hasn't appeared yet; it's never taken him this long to find me again...

No, no, no.

_{[She shakes her head.]}

Like... awhile back, there was another member of the Order here.

Vincent.

You might have heard of him, or... maybe not. I don't know when he took power.

But he had it, and when he disappeared, he left the Seal to me. As... a gesture. It wasn't to warn me or... tell me he was watching, or anything. We had an agreement.

But... there's only one, right?

There is only one. [ He doubted it was a solid agreement, or that Vincent didn't have ulterior motives. From his dreams, he has seen Claudia...and he had glimpsed Vincent. Vincent had a sly demeanour and hadn't acted out of goodwill as Claudia had. But he hadn't hurt others. Not the way the other priests had. So Walter had never made a move against him. ]

That it's come to me is a Sign.

_{[Well, no shit, sherlock. Even after their truce, Heather trusted Vincent about as far as she could throw him. But... his anger had been genuine. And so had hers. They might have hated each other... but they hated Dahlia more.]

[That's something she'd rather not get into with Walter, though. At least not right now.]}

No, if it's come to you, that means there's either another that we didn't know about, or... somehow it left my possession.

You said it came to you in a box, right?

What else was in the box?

Sweets. [ He'd already said this twice but...well, this place seemed to affect people's abilities to absorb information. ] Poffins. Cookies. There wasn't a name attached. The Order would've...it would have been an organ. A heart. Not...not nice things.

[ He's so confused. But under the confusion is that gnawing sense of despair and hate. They were always watching. ]

_{[Look, she has some pretty upsetting memories hooked to that thing-- seeing him pull it out at all had made her brain short-circuit for a minute. Surely Walter can understand.]

[When he describes the other contents in greater detail, her face grows blank. ... Then she groans, dragging a hand down her face.]}

Ugh.

Walter, that box was from me.

I sent you an anonymous box with some cookies and shit in it. For Christmas.

But I did not put the Seal in there.

Tenth Sacrament: Gift

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