The Shield of Galar

Coping

I am going to note now, that this chapter may be a little darker than the previous ones.  Though the struggle I try to show in this chapter is not one I have ever personally gone through, I do hope I at least do it some justice.

Marnie waves goodbye to Bea and Gloria as they get off in Stow-on-Side with the plan to all meet back up in Hammerlocke before days end.  Now, with the taxi all to herself, she instinctively reaches down to grab a cigarette  only to remember her pack's unfortunate fate from the night before. 

She thinks about just replacing them in Spikemuth, but Gloria will know.  Ever since finding out, Gloria somehow always knows.  There was even a circumstance when she was mostly clean, she had bought a pack to have.  A point to herself that she was strong enough to resist the urge.  Without having smoked a single one, the minute she walked through the door to Gloria's house, the girl's hand was outstretched with knowing eyes.

Unable to resist their might, she handed the pack over in disbelief and went to go pout on the couch like a petulant child. It brings a smile to her face to have that memory come to mind.  It was one she often didn't think about, though it was a good time in her life.  A completely different person from the one who Gloria had offered her hand to on the street curb in Spikemuth.

In that moment she had just lost her brother, and due to being high as a kite during the tournament, lost her spot as a Major League Gym Leader.  Like everybody else in her family had, she turned to anything she could get her hands on to remove the pain.  Her performance in the tournament had left her Scrafty and Toxcroak in really bad shape, but that didn't matter at the time.  The only thing that mattered, was remaining as constantly high as possible.

This led to her losing her house, and leaving her homeless on the streets of the city that she had once been basically in charge of.  Spending the last of her money on a taxi ride to Gloria's house, and some of her coping medicine for the road, she took what little she had left and headed there. 

Coming down off some uppers, her legs felt like lead as she walked from the drop off point to the door.  That night, when she fell asleep in Gloria's lap crying, was the first time since Piers' death that she hadn't needed assistance falling asleep.  According to Gloria as well, she had slept for a near ten hours, effectively trapping poor Gloria up against the wall for that time. 

The next day Gloria went to Motostoke to do some furniture shopping.  Marnie, having had spilled about her homeless state the night before, was told she could stay as long as she wanted.  The only condition was that she keep her smoking to the front yard if she was really going to do it. 

Gloria came back with a long receipt, and a worn out look. 

"They'll be stopping by tomorrow to get all the stuff in here.  And...there is a lot," she chuckled, her beaming face almost pulling Marnie from the stupor she had put herself in while Gloria was out. 

Marnie had been there almost a month, sleeping on the sofa bed that Gloria had purchased, when the truth came spilling out.  Every night Marnie would wait till she was certain Gloria was asleep, and would start making use of her off market pain relievers.  Up until that night, she had gotten away with it, but one of Gloria's Pokémon had rolled over in its sleep and rocked the house a bit.  

Startled and worried, Gloria bolted down the stairs and past Marnie at first, not even noticing.  She ran outside only to realize nothing was wrong.

Meanwhile Marnie was frozen in place, her mind not functional enough in its current state to process what was really going on.  Until she heard.

"Phew, that was scary huh?" Gloria chuckled and looked over Marnie, her eyes eventually settling on the very thing Marnie hoped she wouldn't see.  "MARNIE!" Gloria yelled, startling Marnie.  "What are you doing?"