[Battler wasn't exactly fond of rainy afternoons, and with good reason. But for now, he didn't seem to mind at all. He had left Maria and her new pokémon friends in their dry and warm room and told her he needed something and would be back later.
Which wasn't a lie at all. He needed time.
This board was becoming a monster. Pieces and moves and purposes and roles. They didn't make sense anymore. And then, it appeared: the room, the nippers, the sound of laughter from the outside, the chain (that stupid chain!), the warmth from the corridor-- but as soon as he opened his eyes again, he was still in Johto, a place with a Beatrice from a past game, an Ange from the Fourth game... his family and friends. A place where a smile could be an easy thing.
It wasn't. Smiling and joking was difficult when your mind was always around the same topic. The act he decided to put on while he solved this place was harder and harder to keep. And the latest mistake came back to haunt him as he remembered his last conversation with Kaito.
Why did he do that? It was a stupid move, no matter how he looked at it... at least, it was a stupid move if he were playing alone against the world. He did consider Kaito as a possible ally Piece, as he did with Maria. Lion was also a Piece he could think of as being on his side of the board. Even the Stakes, that he was so reluctant to speak with, were now labeled as "witch side" in his mind.
Agh... there he was again, thinking too much. At least the cold water (and the occasional Surskit) helped distract him a little as he walked outside the inn.]
what is this tl;dr
Which wasn't a lie at all. He needed time.
This board was becoming a monster. Pieces and moves and purposes and roles. They didn't make sense anymore. And then, it appeared: the room, the nippers, the sound of laughter from the outside, the chain (that stupid chain!), the warmth from the corridor-- but as soon as he opened his eyes again, he was still in Johto, a place with a Beatrice from a past game, an Ange from the Fourth game... his family and friends. A place where a smile could be an easy thing.
It wasn't. Smiling and joking was difficult when your mind was always around the same topic. The act he decided to put on while he solved this place was harder and harder to keep. And the latest mistake came back to haunt him as he remembered his last conversation with Kaito.
Why did he do that? It was a stupid move, no matter how he looked at it... at least, it was a stupid move if he were playing alone against the world. He did consider Kaito as a possible ally Piece, as he did with Maria. Lion was also a Piece he could think of as being on his side of the board. Even the Stakes, that he was so reluctant to speak with, were now labeled as "witch side" in his mind.
Agh... there he was again, thinking too much. At least the cold water (and the occasional Surskit) helped distract him a little as he walked outside the inn.]