(ACE) The PALLET Team

When it came to rain, Isolde had mixed feelings on it. It could be awful to fly in thanks to both the wind and the wetness, and back home, she didn't have much to shelter in other than large trees and bushes. On the other hand, though, thanks to it, the plants would grow and there would be easily accessible water for a while. It also vastly reduced the chances of getting attacked; not many beings liked getting pelted by water from the sky, not even the undead.

That didn't stop her from watching the world outside through the curtain. Things had been quiet for most of the day, but after what had happened with the others... she was still wary. Grateful for Akamu's presence, she did make a point to keep listening for him, though.

((I'm going to get to 100 posts here too, dangit. If Akamu responds to her words earlier, Phoe, she will respond, maybe a bit slowly because she kinda spaced out here, but she will.)

”I see...” Oh, welp. He didn't sound like he believed him much. His insides squirmed.

He shouldn't take things so personally though. In fact, he probably wasn't even as skeptical as Oliver thought! Wasn't that how things went? Oh, but did that suggest he seemed so knowledgeable that people should automatically believe him? That felt narrcissistic... ”I was always told all humans are scared of us- ghosts, I mean, and that I shouldn’t go near them. It’s-it’s kinda weird to hear otherwise.”

"O-oh... well..." What was he supposed to say? "There are probably humans scared of ghosts? But there are also humans scared of bugs, too. Or cats. Or dogs. I guess it just- depends on the human? I mean... they're so squishy compared to us; is it any wonder that some of them are scared of people with bigger teeth and claws than them? Or who can go through walls? I mean- I'm-" shoot he didn't want to say scared like a weirdo- "n-nervous around- around people and I can make fire and spit it out my mouth. Humans can't do that..."

"O-oh... well..."

Oh, no. He definitely said something stupid. Phobos wished he could sink back into one of the walls; staying quiet was the only time he was ever useful. Did Oliver think he didn’t believe what either of them had said? It was difficult for him to accept, but he didn’t think of the other two as liars!

"There are probably humans scared of ghosts? But there are also humans scared of bugs, too. Or cats. Or dogs. I guess it just- depends on the human? I mean... they're so squishy compared to us; is it any wonder that some of them are scared of people with bigger teeth and claws than them? Or who can go through walls?”

Going through walls? But...Phobos loved that ability, enjoyed showing it off whenever there was an opportunity. He was proud of it, and it didn’t hurt people! Was doing something like that really so frightening, even more than the curses, or Hypnosis, or... being able to poison people with your own body...

Phobos understood what was so stupid about his question then, why he’d been dumb to expect a simple answer. Maybe it didn’t only depend on the human, like what Oliver said. Maybe it also depended on the ghost, too. Humans probably did love a lot of ghosts, like he’d heard from the other two, but not those like him. Weak, cowardly things who blew away in the wind and could hurt you just by touching you. What kind of human-what kind of Pokemon, too-could love something like that?

Something like him. Something like Deimos, who lived to hurt others, who made Phobos do the same until no one would dare go near him. Something like his parents, who did nothing to stop what was happening even when they knew.

If his family was anything to go by, maybe he really was something to be scared of. And that frightened him more than anything.

”I mean- I'm n-nervous around- around people and I can make fire and spit it out my mouth. Humans can't do that..."

”I think I understand. I can curse people and I’m still scared of everyone.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Phobos never used Curse, ever, why did he have to go and mouth off about his freakish abilities? Cursing was what Dei did. Not him! Not for any reason. He wouldn’t be like his sibling; he would never hurt people the way they did. Phobos wanted everyone to understand that, even if they probably had no idea who Dei even was.

(He really, really hoped they had no idea.)

”I-I’m sorry if I said anything weird. I didn’t mean to.“ He doesn’t want to say too much, but Phobos couldn’t seem to stop himself from talking. ”I think I get it. I mean, even I don’t like half of what I can do...I can see why people are scared of things like curses...”

"It's not a problem, really. You've helped us out, and I appreciate it."

Akamu offered Isolde a polite smile at the praise and nodded. "Don't mention it," he offered, stretching his shoulders by pushing out his forelimbs before settling back down. It was nothing major anyway, them offering a helping hand. Kaleo had really been the driving force behind it given how quickly he took a shine to Oliver. Things like that didn't happen very often with the big guy and it made Akamu happy to see Kaleo starting to open up to someone. Now if only they could find Jamie...

Things fell naturally silent between the pair which the small Rockruff was grateful for. He'd never been good at small talk and right now, with so much on his mind, he was sure he wouldn't be good company anyway. Isolde watched the storm through the window while he himself let the noise fade into the background while his mind wandered. What would they do next? Without a trail they would have to backtrack until he could pick something up again. That meant heading back out of town but- They had spent so much time getting here that leaving again seemed almost counterproductive. There had to be some other options.

After a while and his brain starting to hurt from the stress of planning Akamu gave up trying to think himself in circles and let out a loud yawn. Isolde hadn't moved from her spot in a while and he felt a bit bad for her. "Hey...want me to take watch for a bit? I gathered when we first met your little group has had a rough time of it. You could use the rest. What do you say?"

---

Kaleo had watched the interactions between Oliver and Phobos with great interest. He didn't dare interrupt as Oliver slowly grew more confident in the conversation for fear of making him retreat back into a quiet huddle but keeping quiet also helped him learn a great deal about the ghost pokemon as well. Phobos had been so quiet this entire time that Kaleo had hardly learned anything beyond his name but now he learned more in a few minutes of conversation than he had all day. All it took was everyone else in the room being just as scared as the others.

"I mean- I'm-...n-nervous around- around people and I can make fire and spit it out my mouth. Humans can't do that..."

”I think I understand. I can curse people and I’m still scared of everyone.”

Kaleo smiled softly to himself at the confessions but as his mind processed how exactly to include himself to not look like some kind of creep lurking in the conversation he must have waited too long because Phobos began to fluster. ”I-I’m sorry if I said anything weird. I didn’t mean to.“ Weird? Why would it be weird? ”I think I get it. I mean, even I don’t like half of what I can do...I can see why people are scared of things like curses...”

"Everyone is scared of something," Kaleo finally added. "That's...that's what Jamie always said whenever I got nervous. Everyone always says someone my size or strength shouldn't be scared of anything but...I am. It's only when Jamie or Akamu or around I can feel safe. But...just because someone is scared, or you are scared, doesn't mean everyone is. You just have to find the ones who make you feel safe and stick with them. Those are the ones who matter."

"Don't mention it," Akamu said in response to Isolde's earlier comment. Afterwards, the sound of the pattering rain and rumbling thunder turned into a near calming background noise between them. The quiet stretched on, and Isolde found that it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it was enjoyable to simply enjoy the moment instead of something constantly needing to do things. She had thoroughly spaced out that when he spoke up again, it took a few seconds for her get her thoughts back together. "Hey...want me to take watch for a bit? I gathered when we first met your little group has had a rough time of it. You could use the rest. What do you say?"

She was a little suprised that the pup offered to handle watching, and she turned her head to better look at him. On one hand, she felt responsible for this small group's safety, but he was right that she couldn't do all the watching on her own. It wasn't like he was someone who would shirk the job, and he was probably the main one behind his and Kaleo's survival. "If you don't mind, that would be great. If you need me to open a different set of curtains, just ask," she said after a moment of thought. She fluttered away from the window so that he could take up his position wherever he pleased.

”I think I understand. I can curse people and I’m still scared of everyone.”

Curse. He repressed a shudder, but couldn't help the wince. At least nobody could see him.

It had to have been years since that was last used on him-- at least two or three...? He didn't remember how long the apocalypse had gone on for now, but he'd definitely been through at least two winters.

Even so, he doubted he'd ever forget what that felt like. The sensation of a red-hot nail being driven into the skull.

Maybe don't think about that.

”I-I’m sorry if I said anything weird," Phobos apologized immediately, and Oliver felt his heart sink. "I didn’t mean to. I think I get it. I mean, even I don’t like half of what I can do...I can see why people are scared of things like curses...”

"Everyone is scared of something," Kaleo soothed. "That's... that's what Jamie always said whenever I got nervous. Everyone always says someone my size or strength shouldn't be scared of anything but... I am. It's only when Jamie or Akamu or around I can feel safe. But... just because someone is scared, or you are scared, doesn't mean everyone is. You just have to find the ones who make you feel safe and stick with them. Those are the ones who matter."

The ones who matter. Who make everything feel safe.

Anne. Pain swelled in his heart like a gunshot, feelings flooding his chest.

"... I miss home," he whispered, eyes stinging as he fought to speak around the lump in his throat. He probably shouldn't be whining but the world was feeling a little further and some tiny part of him really didn't care what they thought of him right now. "I want to go home."

”Everyone is scared of something." Phobos listened intently as Kaleo spoke. He hated that he’d gone and said too much; it only felt right to hear everyone else speak too. ”That's...that's what Jamie always said whenever I got nervous. Everyone always says someone my size or strength shouldn't be scared of anything but...I am. It's only when Jamie or Akamu or around I can feel safe. But...just because someone is scared, or you are scared, doesn't mean everyone is. You just have to find the ones who make you feel safe and stick with them. Those are the ones who matter."

Phobos kept quiet. The ones who make you feel safe-who was that, for him? Definitely not Dei. Not even his parents, not really. Maybe they hadn’t hurt him as much as his sibling, but it wasn’t as though they ever helped him. Who did that leave? Phobos had no idea. He wanted to say: all of you make me feel safe, I don’t feel scared when I’m here. That would be the nice thing to say, but... he didn’t know if it was true, not yet. That was the burden Deimos left on him. He felt as though he would never know what ‘safety’ really was.

Phobos was so distracted by his thoughts that while he heard Oliver, the words simply didn’t register. Which was embarrassing, because what kind of ghost can’t hear things? He wanted to ask him to repeat himself, but-but that seemed so rude! Would it be rude?

At least he heard the final part. "I want to go home."

Oh. Home. It sounded nice. It wasn’t something he had, but... Phobos wished he did. He wished Oliver could go there, too, wherever it was. Wherever was safe for him. Kaleo, too, and his brother, and Isolde, and Shadowmere wherever she ended up. He really shouldn’t think about her, but still.

”I hope one day you can go home, Oliver,” Phobos said, ”I dunno how, but, I’ll help you if I can...”

"If you don't mind, that would be great. If you need me to open a different set of curtains, just ask," Offering Isolde a small smile Akamu stretched and stood back up, walking over to her and using a nearby chair to hop onto a table so he could see out of the window. "You rest, I got this," he offered with another smile. "Tomorrow we'll help you transplant the little berry bush and I'll give you a couple of tips to help it keep growing. For now you get some sleep and I'll keep an ear out for the others."

---

"... I miss home," Oliver's small whine broke Kaleo's heart as he wished the little Chimchar wasn't stuck under the bed alone. "I want to go home." Kaleo let out a soft bray of his own echoing Oliver's sentiment. He and Akamu had been searching for Jamie this whole time so they could go home too, but it was a whole ocean away even if they did find their trainer. He didn't even know how far Oliver's home was, the poor thing.

”I hope one day you can go home, Oliver,” Phobos replied which Kaleo was grateful for. He didn't know what to say himself. ”I dunno how, but, I’ll help you if I can...” Oh how he wanted to say the same but truthfully he didn't know how long they would be here. Akamu was the one he was following so he would have to take his lead from his brother before promising anything, but he would do whatever he could do to help while they were here.

"I know it's probably hard but it might help if you tell us about home? Maybe we could help somehow? Only...only if you want to, that is..."

After stretching out, he hopped onto the chair to get a better view of the storm raging outside. "You rest, I got this," Akamu offered with a smile. "Tomorrow we'll help you transplant the little berry bush and I'll give you a couple of tips to help it keep growing. For now you get some sleep and I'll keep an ear out for the others."

She fluttered over towards the couch she had slept on the night prior, and while she would have felt bad for leaving a kid to watch for the night, the sight of a place to rest reminded her just how eventful the day had been. With the rain, it was less likely that anything living or undead would be wandering around to stumble upon them, and she had to trust that Akamu and Kaleo had been able to stay alive on their own for a good reason. It also helped that she could be a fairly light sleeper. After some maneuvering, she was able lay down with her wings standing up, ready to flap if she needed to get up quickly. "If there's anything you need for me to do, don't worry about waking me up."

”I hope one day you can go home, Oliver,” Phobos said, and Oliver let out a tiny sound that could have been something of a sob or a laugh. It was a sweet sentiment but it was never going to happen. ”I dunno how, but, I’ll help you if I can...”

"You're nice; thank y-you," he choked.

"I know it's probably hard but it might help if you tell us about home? Maybe we could help somehow? Only... only if you want to, that is..." Kaleo offered, hesitant. The thought made his chest constrict, but...

"U-um... It-" Location. They'd mentioned locations before start there. "I come from Sinnoh. Jubilife, like I s-said earlier. It's a big, big c-city. Anne and her dad lived in the suburbs- uh- a city is a huge place where humans live- th-think- think this town, with all the houses, but much, much bigger, with some buildings being really tall and rectangle and made of glass. And the suburbs are- looks more like this place, with houses and yards, but unlike this town where there's dirt roads, there's streets and sidewalks- you might've s-seen those, Phobos, maybe?" He was babbling now, unable to stop. "Th-there was a big lilac tree in our backyard. Big clusters of purple flowers every spring; I... didn't get to see it bloom nearly enough times. And Anne, my human, she liked to play in the backyard and really loved the lilac tree. Said her mama planted it. Her mama was dead by the time we met and she took me in, but she always sounded really nice. Anne talked about her a lot. Anne talked about a lot of things a lot, really. She loved teaching me things, even if I couldn't speak back to her in a way she understood. H-her- her room looked... a lot... a lot like this. W-with the bed, and the toys-"

His throat was closing up a little.

"I keep coming back to this room. There was a little girl who lived her once. Just like Annie lived in hers. I think this girl was a little younger because Anne wasn't playing tea parties anymore- that's uh- that's the little arrangement you saw me messing with earlier, Phobos. I w-wanted- the reason I wanted to take all those soft little things outside and beat the dust out of them is- is 'cause toys are really important to human kids and... and Anne was always really careful with hers, kept them clean, and seeing this girl's stuffed animals all dusty and sitting like she left them just- felt I should... do someth- oh shoot, I left those in the kitchen after we got the dust off them, didn't I."

Better than outside, though. He hiccuped.

"I miss Anne and I miss her daddy and I miss sleeping in Anne's bed and watching her play and read and watch TV with me and I don't have anything left of her to remember her by except the scarf she gave me and I know it's dumb but taking care of this room that belonged to another little girl like her might be the closest I'll ever get to spending time with her again because she never came back and I had to run and it's been four years and I don't have- any hope of tracking her or guessing where she might be or anything. Wandering around is only getting me almost-killed all the time. At this point, for now, all I can do is stay put and hope Arceus brings her to me a-and the worst part is, even if he does... we're not going home. Nobody is. The dead took the house and probably the whole city and the society humans built is gone and her daddy's d-dead-!"

He fell into tears, broken when another thunderclap sent him jumping, a choked little "ow!" of pain slipping out.

(I’m really sorry but please skip me. Phobos is worried that what he said made Oliver upset so he doesn’t know what to say here, and stays silent.)

"If there's anything you need for me to do, don't worry about waking me up."

Akamu smiled and nodded but made no further conversation, instead returning his focus to the rain and to his thoughts of their trainer while Isolde went to bed. How many times had he watched he rain from the windows of the farmhouse just like this? Granted there were less boards in the way and there was usually a fire or the smell of home cooking warming the house but that didn't change the nostalgic feeling. He missed Jamie. Missed him so much it hurt.

The rain washing away the faint scent trail they had been following was almost visible to the Rockruff. Each tiny river of water rolling down the window reflect the tears he wished he could shed for the loss. Yet he could not cry, not outwardly at least. Kaleo needed him to be strong or else they would both be broken down messes sobbing over the loss of their home and families until the dead came to claim them. No. He could mourn, but he couldn't cry anymore.

---

Listening to Oliver's tale warmed Kaleo's heart. Hearing his dedication and love for his trainer reflected very much how he felt about Jamie, and how much he wanted to see him. It hurt how much he could relate to the feelings of loss and grief as Oliver recounted all the things lost since the undead began coming for all of them. But as Oliver rambled his voice became more and more choked and his words more frantic. Suddenly his story became an outpour of emotion and there was nothing to stop it.

Kaleo's own anxiety began to ramp up in the frantic need to help but being unable to conceive of how. He hated when others cried because then he would start to cry and then...then... Well that did it. Tears already rolling Kaleo's large head settled on the floor, his nose tucked under the bed towards where he thought Oliver was and letting out soft, warm puffs of air as he began to cry right along with the little fire type. "I'm sorry," he whined quietly, heart breaking with guilt and fear at being useless to help someone yet again. "I can't make the pain go away... I'm sorry..."

((As much as I don't want to, please skip me for this round. Unless something makes enough noise to make her check, she's on the way to passing out.))

Kaleo's big, soft, horse nose appeared under the bed, the little donkey emitting little sobs. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I can't make the pain go away... I'm sorry..."

Oliver didn't think this time. He reached over and patted the nose with little trembling fingers. "N-not your f-fault," he said, trying and failing miserably to gain any sort of control over his shaking voice. "Nobody- nobody c-could. Y-you're nice but you can't fix the world and that's n-not- not your fault."

He tried to at least steady his hand. It worked, a little. "Y-you're g-good. That's- that's important. Th-there should be more p-people like you an' Phobos."

As Oliver begins to talk, Phobos finds it difficult to keep up with all the unfamiliar words and the concepts he doesn’t understand. Even when his name is mentioned a few times, he can’t put together the right words. Phobos hates that he doesn’t know what to say; it feels wrong to keep silent when Oliver is opening up to them, like he’s ignoring everything his friend is saying. He’s listening, he really is, but every reassurance he thinks of feels hollow, maybe even insulting. Phobos has never had a human friend. He’s never lived among them and lost the sort of life his friend has described. All he ever knew was his own family, and his feelings towards them are... complicated. Is it best to keep quiet? Would Oliver hate him if he tried to console him, knowing he could never really understand? ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I wish I could help you’ both feel inadequate. He tried both of those already and it just made things worse.

Unlike him, Kaleo doesn’t keep quiet. If anything, he’s just as upset as Oliver is. "I'm sorry. I can't make the pain go away... I'm sorry..."

Phobos hadn’t wanted to say those words himself, but from Kaleo they sound genuine, as though Oliver’s pain is his own. He remembers the brothers talking about the friend they were searching for. Both of them have lost someone special, and right then, Phobos wishes more than ever that he knew what to do to comfort others, that he could understood the depths of their feelings. His own emotions towards loss are too tangled up and confusing. He can’t help them the way he wants to and admitting that, even if it’s only in his own mind, hurts.

"N-not your f-fault," Oliver says to Kaleo, "Nobody- nobody c-could. Y-you're nice but you can't fix the world and that's n-not- not your fault. Y-you're g-good. That's- that's important. Th-there should be more p-people like you an' Phobos."

”Like me...?” he says without thinking. He hadn’t expected Oliver to mention him in that way, especially when he’s been so incapable of helping. Phobos doesn’t know if a word like ‘good’ can apply to him when he’s messed up so much and hurt people. He really doesn’t know what to think of himself as. Poison, maybe. Or frightened. But good was something else entirely. ”I don’t know what to say...”


(>< I’m sorry this post isn’t great. writing to catch up is hard for me)

Kaleo welcomed Oliver's small hand on his muzzle and nosed it a little further under the bed as best he could as small sobs shuddered through his rib cage. He hated being so useless...  "N-not your f-fault," Oliver called out in a tiny voice. "Nobody- nobody c-could. Y-you're nice but you can't fix the world and that's n-not- not your fault. Y-you're g-good. That's- that's important. Th-there should be more p-people like you an' Phobos."

”Like me...? I don’t know what to say...”

It was such a sweet, innocent statement and response that Kaleo wasn't sure how else to answer beyond a simply "Thank you." Even Phobos seemed dumbfounded and his reply was kinder still. Everyone here was so kind and patient, unlike anyone else he and Akamu had met in their travels thus far. He liked it here... If they weren't so desperate to find Jamie he would want to stay and help these kind Pokemon but for now he would have to settle for trying to comfort Oliver. And Phobos too possibly if his sullen expression was anything to go by.

He wondered if Akamu would let them stay a while...

"Like me...?" Phobos's little voice was pitched with confusion. And something else Oliver couldn't finger. "I don’t know what to say..."

"Thank you," added Kaleo. The sincerity in his tone made Oliver exhale a week, shuddery chuckle.

"W-well- no need to thank m-me, really. You were the ones who were nice." He scrubbed at his eyes. Another boom went off and he jumped slightly, yelping as the sore spot on his head slammed into the underside of the bed again.

He should really crawl out from under here, but the shelter over his head felt safer than out there...

Wait a minute.

"U-um- Kaleo? I-is there a c-closet in her room, by any chance...?"

(There is in fact a closet in her room; Oliver and I just assume Phobos won't know what that is, hence why he didn't ask Phobos. But he'll be happy to answer if he asks what it is.)

"W-well- no need to thank m-me, really. You were the ones who were nice."

If Phobos felt even more conflicted hearing that, it was interrupted by yet another loud noise from outside-and a clear shout from Oliver, still hiding. Phobos wondered if he should ask if he was alright (stupid question), or maybe suggest coming back out, but... if Oliver wanted to, he probably would have done so already. Besides, Phobos understood what it was like to want to hide and never be seen; that was all he'd been doing for a very long time. He didn't want to pressure his friend into doing something uncomfortable.

"U-um- Kaleo? I-is there a c-closet in her room, by any chance...?"

Phobos was beginning to feel used to the unfamiliarity of all these new words; it was a good thing Kaleo was asked instead of him, because he had no idea what Oliver was talking about. Was it something important? It might be good to find out, in case they needed another 'closet' later... and okay, maybe Phobos wanted this bit of his curiosity answered. After feeling so many awful emotions, a tiny return to normalcy sounded nice. Learning usually cheered him back up. Usually. He would rather push those feelings aside instead of letting it lead somewhere even worse, like what had happened the last time he voiced his curious nature.

"What's a closet?" he asked as politely as possible, just in case anyone was tired of answering his many questions.

"W-well- no need to thank m-me, really. You were the ones who were nice." Kaleo smiled at Oliver's humble sob, quickly followed by another yelp as thunder crashed overhead. Kaleo wished he could cover the area with mud to reassure Oliver that the noise and electricity couldn't hurt him, and to wrap him like a blanket as the donkey often did for himself, but being a fire type Oliver probably wouldn't like that very much. All he could do was scoot his bulk closer to the bed and let out a loud exhale, barricading one side of the bed with his large body so the small Chimchar could keep his secluded space if he needed it.

"U-um- Kaleo? I-is there a c-closet in her room, by any chance...?" Closet? Did he need a door too? A way to completely isolate himself? Looking around Kaleo noticed a small door in the corner by the door they had come through and assumed that would most likely be the closet since he didn't see any of those big chests humans liked to keep clothes in. "I think so. I don't have the hands to open it to check though, unless I break the door down."

"What's a closet?" Phobos questioned aloud, causing Kaleo's attention to shift to him. "Uhm..." How did one explain a closet without a bunch of other human terms? "It's like...a much tinier version of this room that stores the clothes and things humans wear, and sometimes things they want to hide from sight." Was that good enough? Maybe Oliver would be able to help translate.

"I think so. I don't have the hands to open it to check though, unless I break the door down." Oliver winced. Nope, let's not beak the house please.

"What's a closet?" came the soft question from Phobos that Oliver had figured would come.

"Uhm..." Should he say something or...? "It's like...a much tinier version of this room that stores the clothes and things humans wear, and sometimes things they want to hide from sight." Okay no, Kaleo had it. Good.

"Mmhm. Th-thanks. Gonna- gonna go sit in it and leave the d-door open? So I can actually s-see you? And you won't have to talk to a bed?" He stuck his head out from under the bed and glanced around the room, bolting for the closet door and jumping up to grab te handle. With a twist, the door clicked open and he let himself drop.

The closet wasn't very large, but it was big enough and there was a blanket already on the floor. With a little noise of relief, he picked it up and buried himself in it just as the next clap of thunder boomed above them. Oliver jumped and scooted back as his instincts screamed at him to get away from the sound, but the three walls around him and the smallness of the space gave him the same sheltered feeling he felt from being under the bed. At least that prediction was correct.

”Uhm...It's like...a much tinier version of this room that stores the clothes and things humans wear, and sometimes things they want to hide from sight."

Oh! Hide from sight-that’s something Phobos definitely understands. And if it’s just a small version of this room, he can picture what it looks like. What in the world would a human want to hide so badly, though? Did they use closets so others couldn’t see them? Kaleo said they hid ‘things’ and not themselves, but... he had no idea what said things could be. Phobos had never concealed anything but himself. He’d have to add that question to his steadily growing collection.

”Thanks, Kaleo,” Phobos says, smiling now. No matter how many times it happened, having his questions answered felt nice.

"Mmhm. Th-thanks. Gonna- gonna go sit in it and leave the d-door open? So I can actually s-see you? And you won't have to talk to a bed?"

After saying that, Oliver darts from his old place to the new, opening the door as more loud sounds come from outside. At least he’s not hitting anything on accident where he is. Now that he can see inside, Phobos looks over the ‘closet’, but it’s really not that impressive; to him, it seems very... confined. He wouldn’t want to go in there himself, that’s for sure, especially if he was like the others and couldn’t slip through the walls. Is this what corporeal Pokemon like? It’s not really his type of hiding spot, but if Oliver finds it safer to be there...

”Is it okay in there?” If Oliver wanted him to, Phobos could always try and find him a different spot.

"Mmhm. Th-thanks. Gonna- gonna go sit in it and leave the d-door open? So I can actually s-see you? And you won't have to talk to a bed?" Kaleo looked confused at Oliver's question, though it was really more like he was thinking out loud than actually asking. His confusion only doubled when the small Chimchar darted out from the bed like he was part Electrike and launched himself at the door, reaching and opening the knob in near one fluid motion before landing and throwing himself inside the darkened space he revealed. It all happened so quickly it took Kaleo's brain a moment to even process everything.

”Is it okay in there?” he heard Phobos call out, seeing the spirit floating near the doorway of the closet. The thunder continued to rumble overhead, the storm likely right over them now since the sound was much closer than before, and it caused poor Oliver to nest himself into something he found within his new sanctuary. Grunting Kaleo stood back up and clopped his way towards the duo so he could actually see Oliver while in that tiny space. Not that there was much to see with him burrowed under something in the dark. "You don't have to be out here if you liked the bed better," Kaleo added to Phobos's query. If Oliver was this scared he just wanted the little one to feel safe, not exposed.

”Is it okay in there?” Phobos called. Oliver blinked in surprise, smiling a little at the warm flutter in his chest. Arceus, Phobos was just so nice.

"Oh- yeah, I'm f-fine," he assured. Okay, well, maybe not quite fine, but good enough.

"You don't have to be out here if you liked the bed better," Kaleo cautioned. The flutter grew.

"No, it's fine- this is- Anne used to sit with me in here. After I got brave enough to stop hiding under the bed?" He let out a soft little laugh that came out sadder than he wished it had. "It's still a shelter. A-and I get to actually look at you guys instead of making you talk to a bed s-so- that's good, right?"

Anne had once praised him when he led her to the closet when the thunder started booming. She told him he was brave. He never felt brave- well... Ever. But... it would be nice to try making some of those strides back, maybe...?

Especially when Phobos and Kaleo were being so nice and patient with him. He really was lucky, to have stumbled into them out of all the strangers he could've met here.

(I’m really sorry but please skip me this round)

Kaleo smiled at Oliver to try and reassure him that it was indeed okay for him to prefer his new hiding spot. Whatever made him most comfortable. Alamo frequently had to deal with Kaleo's issues when he needed to hide, which usually involved trying to tuck himself into spaces far too small for him so he completely understood. "I am happy to see you, yes," he replied with a smile, his muzzle making the action probably look goofy from Oliver's angle. "And the storm should even out soon into just simple rain. Once the big noise is gone will you feel better? I would hate for you to be up all night..."