(REMAKE IS UP!) Restitution (CLOSED)

Chapter 35: A Strand of Hope

I was walking through the hallway, completely clothed, and with a much wider understanding that... despite how it creeped me out... that I was being watched. I had to find Helen before we could go. I needed to tell her about the plan. I could only really hope that Grace found some sort of disguise. What happened... yesterday... today... I don't know. Whatever the case, I don't think I'm gonna just pop into an Eevee just by thinking about it. When I got out of the hallway and looked into the living room, and consequentially, the kitchen, I saw Helen and Max. Max was on the couch while Helen was... I feel like she's been mentioned in the kitchen a bit much now. Her ears twitched, then Helen turned her head to me.

"Cassius, I finished up the brews. They're sitting there on the table whenever you're leaving." I looked over, seeing three cups on the table. A bit less than what I would want, but I would have to deal with it.

"Thank you." I said. "Once Fang gets Eric out here, we're leaving immediately." Helen looked at me a bit surprised.

"What about Veronica?!" Max muted the show he was watching, then turned his head towards me, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"You're not going to abandon her, are you?" I looked at Max, feeling a chill go down my spine as I waved my hands frantically.

"No no! I've got a reason for leaving without her." I explained.

"Then let's hear it." Helen said. Now feeling the both of them staring down at me, I tried my best to regain my normal composure, shuddering a little bit before shakily giving my answer.

"After what happened back when Neptune saw me, the multiple times that she's helped me and helped me back onto my feet, if she gets caught with me, it could do her more harm than if she went by herself." I said. "I don't want her to end up... I can't stand to think what could happen." Helen and Max just seemed to stare at me for a few seconds before they both sighed.

"Stay right here." Helen said. "I need to get something for you." I felt a little weird when Helen went by me, but it only got weirder when I realized it was just Max and I. I turned my eyes on him, and he was still staring at me.

"I may not have done a lot with you Cassius, but I do want you to know something." He turned himself around some more, putting his arms on the top of the couch. "If Laurine ever touched Veronica or any of my children, I'd burn her until she became charcoal." I was a little taken aback from what Max said, but then Max calmed himself down.

"Veronica is like a rose bush. She's beautiful, but she has a lot she can work on." I looked at Max confused.

"Don't you mean just a rose?" Max huffed a little bit, smirking at me.

"If she was just a rose, I wouldn't get pricked so many times trying to deal with her." Helen came back, holding something in her hands.

"You just say that because she hits you when you try to talk her out of being angry." Max sighs, lowering his head onto his arms.

"Yeah, she gets that from you." Helen smirked as she stopped beside me, looking at Max.

"And you should know how well that goes when you try to talk me out of it." Helen looked over at me, then held out something to me. "Veronica wanted to give this to you herself, but since you're going... you might as well take it now." I looked at it for a second before my eye caught something. Helen was holding out a bracer, and from the looks of it, it looked like it was made out of leather. But what caught my eye was the pink crystal in the middle of it!

"A Z-Crystal?!" Helen looked at me surprised.

"You know what this is? Guess that saves a lot of time." Before I could ask how or why, Helen grabbed my arm with one hand while she slipped it on. I was in shock for a second, but then looked at Helen.