[center][h2]The Roomies[/h2]
[color=gold]Roxas[/color] & [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]Pit[/color] (with cameo appearances by [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi[/color] and Sandalphon)

[b]Word Count:[/b] 1,492
[b]EXP:[/b] +2
[b]Rapport:[/b] +2[/center]

Roxas was in the middle of trying to wash all the xylem off of his coat when he heard Sandalphon’s announcement. He couldn’t really blame her, though. Between the timefall outside and all the nasty stuff they encountered inside? The Dead Zone was definitely living up to its name. He also placed a gauntleted hand on where his trio of Poke Balls were kept. From the start he was hesitant about bringing his Pokemon here, but at the time decided to do so only on the proviso that he keep them in their Poke Balls unless absolutely needed. Now, though? Now he was questioning even that line of thinking. What if he’d been hit by the timefall outside? Would that have still affected Scamp and the others even within their Poke Balls?

Roxas decided that he didn’t want to risk finding out. He walked over to where Sandalphon and Zenkichi were talking, but politely waited for them to finish their private conversation before he got close enough to speak. [color=gold]”Um… Sandalphon?”[/color] Roxas asked, before he held out the shrunken Poke Balls that contained Scamp, Shocker, and Titan. [color=gold]”Could you… take my Pokemon back with you, too? With how dangerous this zone is, I probably shouldn’t have brought them, and now I guess I’m kinda scared of something happening to them.”[/color]

The archangel glanced briefly at the spheres, then looked up at Roxas. “I understand. I’ll see your companions to safety.” She accepted the storage devices, which she carefully slid into her pockets. After a moment, though, Sandalphon gave their owner an inquisitive look. “If you like, I can let them out while aboard the Avenger, under my supervision of course. I know someone with a pet of her own, and we could all keep them company.”

Zenkichi chuckled, nodding at that. [color=BFBFBF]”Yeah, I asked her to check in on my daughter, Akane, too. She’s got one of those Pals, too. I’m sure she’d be happy to play with ‘em all.”[/color]

Roxas smiled and his worried expression lit up into something mixed with relief and cheerfulness. [color=gold]”Sure! Just keep an eye out if you feed them. Or Scamp’ll make off with your lunch if you’re not careful. Thanks, Sandalphon. I appreciate it.”[/color]

After that he took his leave so the archangel and detective could resume their private moment. It didn’t take long for Roxas to spot his angelic buddy and roommate though. [color=gold]”Hey, Pit!”[/color] Roxas called as he jogged over in his direction. [color=gold]”You holding up fine? Man, this xylem stuff is pretty nasty, huh? I’m gonna need so many baths before I feel clean again.”[/color]

Pit perked up at Roxas' call. Though Primrose and Sandalphon’s healing had patched him up there were still signs of the battles Pit had fought through with everyone. His clothes were torn in some places, and he sported a couple patches of yellowing skin that would probably become bruises overnight if they didn't heal completely. Despite that though the angel did appear to be holding up fine, as he turned to Roxas with a grin while the continued journey up the Qliphoth got underway.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Tell me about it, plus it gets [i]everywhere[/i],"[/color] he said, smile becoming a grimace. Even his singlet was soaked, to say nothing of his scarf and chiffon. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I didn't even know trees had this kind of stuff. Then I was wondering if it's only Underworld trees like this, and [i]now[/i] I'm wondering if it has like a heart inside of it that it's all connected to."[/color]

He paused, a sudden look of scrutiny coming over his face as he glanced around the swampy area. Surely [i]this[/i] wasn't its heart, right...? Since everyone had ended up here then all of the veins led here, but... Nah, couldn't be.

[color=gold]”Yeah, and what’s up with all the cards that always show up after a fight?”[/color] Roxas wondered, [color=gold]”After my second one, the card started… talking to me. I saw a guy I’ve never seen before with bright armor and a bow. He said something about lighting my way and then he was gone. Weird…”[/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Huh, when I saw someone they didn't say anything to me. But Captain Falcon said someone talked to him too,"[/color] Pit replied, easily turning his thoughts back to the conversation. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I'm pretty sure those cards are gods pitching in to help us. I asked Lady Palutena about them and she said the same thing."[/color]

Apparently he'd reached out to his own goddess at some point while waiting for the full group to reconvene. Pit crossed his arms in front of his chest plate as he continued. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I've met a ton of gods and they love poking their nose into stuff like this. They're probably betting with each other on who does the best or what side is gonna win!"[/color]

[color=gold]”Really? That sounds… kinda horrible.”[/color] Roxas said, although he was willing to admit that maybe he was misreading the idea. [color=gold]”I wonder what kind of god was talking to me?”[/color] He mused. [color=gold]”He had, like, bright gold armor and a red cape, and bright hair. Although maybe that doesn’t narrow it down much… The first card I picked only talked to me, saying something about unequal talent. It was the second card where I actually saw him and he talked about ‘lighting my way’, whatever that means.”[/color]

[color=gold]”Now that I think about it, with how this world works… I guess there’s probably a lot of gods from different worlds that could be around and watching. And how much stronger do you think Galeem is if even gods are controlled by its influence?”[/color] It wasn’t the most pleasant thought to think about. But it was also undeniable. [color=gold]”No one ever said this was going to be easy, did they?”[/color]


While Roxas was describing the god that spoke to him in more depth, Pit tried to picture what they looked like and if they seemed familiar. Unfortunately nothing came to mind, so at the very least the angel had never met them personally. Of course something he [i]had[/i] seen firsthand was how often deities happened to fall for each other's tricks, control, corruptions, and more. Pit would have felt embarrassed on their collective behalf if he was the type to, but he wasn't. At least with that experience he could put a more optimistic spin on Roxas' outlook.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Plus if it was easy then there wouldn't be a need for heroes like us, right?"[/color] he said with a shrug and a smile. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I wouldn't worry about how strong Galeem is - it just got the jump on everyone. Even gods can get surprised! And mind control powers like that are OP anyway."[/color]

Pit nodded sagaciously at his own words. That kind of ability was really hard to counter. Then again the amount of times his goddess alone had been trapped, hypnotized, or body snatched made it seem to him that Galeem's Influence wasn't as big a deal so long as there was someone around to eventually put a stop to it. Which there was, in the form of the Seekers and Lost Numbers.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Hey, if you're really curious about the god that talked to you I could always ask Lady Palutena. I'm sure she'd know about him,"[/color] he offered, steering the conversation slightly away from their still distant goal.

[color=gold]”You think so?”[/color] Roxas asked, [color=gold]”You sure we won’t be bothering her?””[/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"No way! Back home we'd chat it up on missions all the time, way less important stuff too."[/color] The angel seemed quite confident that asking Palutena wouldn't be a big deal. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Here, hold on. Did you catch all of that, Lady Palutena?"[/color]

Naturally Roxas did not hear a response. Pit was quiet for a few seconds, then let out a drawn out [i]hmmmm[/i] as he listened.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"She said after checking Divinipedia, that god is probably Apollo,"[/color] he finally said, turning his attention back to Roxas. As he delivered Palutena's message, his own curiosity sparked in his eyes. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"He's a god of light from some place called Olympus."[/color]

[color=gold]”Apollo, huh?”[/color] Roxas echoed. [color=gold]”Well, he didn’t seem like a particularly bad guy.”[/color] He said with a small shrug. [color=gold]”And I’d rather him be a god of light than a god of darkness, so… that’s a plus I guess.”[/color] He sighed as he looked up at the climb they were going to have to get started on. [color=gold]”Guess we better start heading up if we don’t wanna fall behind.”[/color] The Nobody suggested, which was kinda ironic since he and Pit were two of the Seekers who would have the easiest time making a vertical climb due to wings and flow motion respectively. And so catching up would be a relatively quick and easy task for them despite how their conversation had slowed them down. With a chirp of agreement from Pit the two boys sped up into a short lived race to the front of the pack, weaving through, around, or over their allies as they went.