Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Course of Everything

Chapter Four: The Path Home

Lyre seemed impatient.

Bayer found this odd: it had been Lyre who didn't want to go in the first place, but now the Jolteon couldn't seem to wait. The two were on a trail, less than an hour away from Wisteria Village, two days after they had agreed to go. Lyre had procrastinated in every way he could manage in the days before. First he had an important job to do, then he had to ask Verity and Claire permission, and then, he had to make sure they really were okay with it. Bayer started to think he would have to drag him by the ears to get there in time.

Now, Lyre trotted ahead of him, his legs too long for Bayer to keep up. Letting out grunts of irritation, he would pull back to walk beside his boyfriend, only to pull forward minutes later. Bayer would have found this endearing if he didn't know the Jolteon had tried to kill someone.

He still found it hard to believe. Lyre had always disliked Harper, and Bayer knew it was justified; she had been a cause of his injuries, and a coward(in Lyre's words). But, as he looked into the glimmering green gaze of the Pokemon beside him, Bayer found it hard to believe he was capable of that kind of violence. Lyre had confessed to it himself though. Bayer forced the chills rising in his fur down.

Harper was a rock type, and the gorge was deadly, and her body had been found. Every sign pointed to her being dead. Bayer had to believe otherwise, for his own sake. If she wasn't dead, that meant his boyfriend wasn't a murderer. Lyre wasn't a murder; Harper wasn't dead.

"This is taking too long," Lyre growled, pulling back once more to match Bayer's speed, "I don't remember the walk being this long."

"It's a pretty route, at least," Bayer said. He gestured to the bright sun overhead, and the flowers that bloomed in the trees and within the cobblestone road. A stream of water trickled nearby, merging with the rustling of leaves in the wind to create a pleasant noise. Lyre didn't seem to notice any of this.

"I just want to get this over with," Lyre said, nose wrinkled and lips curled, "The sooner the better."

"Well, I want to stay a night," Bayer said, "I haven't seen my Mom or Pearlie in months, I want to catch up with them."

Lyre snorted, and said nothing else. Bayer bit back an angry retort. Lyre had never told him much about his family, other than he in fact had one. Once or twice, he'd mentioned a little sibling, but never by name, and he certainly didn't seem concerned with keeping in touch. The only time Bayer had ever seen Lyre write a note home was to inform his mother that he would be there soon, just before the two left. Perhaps, Lyre did want to see his family, and just didn't feel he had an excuse. That had been the case for other occasions: anything that wasn't guild work, Lyre considered a waste of time.

Soon, the familiar sight of thatched roofs came into view. Smoke from reed-burning chimneys faded into a brilliantly blue sky. Bayer sped up, his mood brightening. He could just imagine seeing Pearlie and telling her of his adventures, hugging his Mom and eating her seaweed stew, sparring with his Mama and playing fetch-the-stone as if he was a child again. Lyre matched his pace, and Bayer realized this would be the first time he met his parents, and vice versa.This only made him more excited.

Lyre was the first to notice that something was odd. He slowed, holding out a paw to stop Bayer. He gestured to the town entrance, where a pair of Magnemite officers were conversing with a towns-Pokemon.

"Oh no," Bayer said, "Do you think something bad happened?"

"Dunno," Lyre's eyes stayed on the electric-Pokemon. His foot tapped in the way it always did when he was anxious, and Bayer realized why. Were the Magnemite here for him?