Arcana: The Parelle Saga

Chapter 7: Homeless Vagrants

Being woken up in the middle of sleeping is something all twelve Arcana have gotten used to.

Way too used to.

"I was waiting for the other shoe to drop," Gary says, chewing on a snack. He doesn't even seem bothered.

"Who dropped their shoe?" Ash mumbles, still half-asleep.

Gary sighs. "You would have thought he –" Gary jerks his head towards Ash " – would have grown accustomed to our predicament by now."

"Yeah, we're homeless vagrants, I'll admit that," May grouses as she pulls on her boots. "But I don't know, I just feel like we're so pathetic!"

"Glad you realized that," Paul comments dryly. "Because we are."

Cilan has just wrapped up his conversation with Volkner, and he tramps in.

"So? What's the verdict?" Alain asks, looking the most awake. He hasn't slept a wink, expecting something like this to unfold. He hates that he's right most of the time.

"Volkner wants us out. He didn't explain why, but he seemed urgent." Cilan just looks bone-tired. "Pack up, everyone."

"We haven't even had a chance to unpack." Dawn comments. She glances at the sofa where an inebriated Flint has passed out.

"And he's no help at all. Though at least our van is fixed," Dawn tries to say cheerfully. Even she is having some difficulty summoning her usual zeal.

Paul slings his bag over his shoulders. "At this rate, we're never going to Mt. Coronet."

"It's not like you're helping matters. All you do is grumble under your breath." Dawn snaps.

"I'm just saying that haven't you guys realized chaos seems to follow us wherever we go?" Paul adjusts the straps on his bag.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asks slowly.

"Cynthia said we were targeted." Paul reminds them. "Perhaps Volkner thinks we'll destroy his house as well." He shrugs uncaringly.

Dawn blinks, horrified. "You're right! Surprisingly. No, the real surprise is how have we not reduced Volkner's house to ashes yet?"

The others look less convinced by Paul's logic. They think it's likelier he's just messing with Dawn's mind – because let's face it, the bluenette isn't the brightest light in the harbor.

Regardless, eviction is eviction, and their large group swiftly removes themselves from Volkner's house, most of them harboring resentment towards the older guy.

At least their van is in pristine condition, unlike that time where it was hit by a strange beam in their last encounter with the "hand thing". They haven't thought of a new name for it, much to Mairin's chagrin.

Considering that Alain had driven them the last time, Misty thus takes up the mantle and volunteers to drive. She cracks her knuckles, looking fired up.

Ash is nervous at the idea since he knows her bold driving skills firsthand. "Er, Mist, are you sure?"

She has already hopped into the driver's seat, though.

As Gary took shotgun the previous time, he very graciously allows Cilan, arguably the hardest working member of their group, to take the seat this time. No one objects.

"There's a silver lining in all this, though," Cilan tries to raise the group's morale.

"Which is?" Dawn asks curiously.

"We can avoid the morning traffic. The lockdown on Sinnoh will end tomorrow and while only some services and industries will resume activities, the highways are likely to get more congested."