Story: Meanwhile... Insert Mindy's Long Winded Title

The tension in the cabinet is replaced by a palpable confusion as all eyes move to the Reuniclus. The alchemist himself looks stern and sleep-deprived - no different than usual - and looks expectantly at the ‘mons in the small room, now very crowded with nine ‘mons in it.
: Better late than never, I suppose.
: Bah, why ARE you ssso late? You were sssuposssed to be here nearly half an hour ago!
: I have found, from multiple past experiences, that meetings such as these only produce valuable information after several emotional outbursts - I do hope I’ve arrived late enough to miss those.
: …
: Besides, the insistent child showed an acute interest in everything we passed on the way here - who am I to stifle an inquisitive mind?
: You wouldn’t believe how rare those are, though I imagine that’s in no small part because you lot do not fall into that rare category.
: “Child?” I pray to any gods what would listen that you do mean to say you were unfortunate enough to reproduce.
: Ha, no, the world doesn’t deserve more of me - it doesn’t even deserve my presence.
: No creature alive deserves you.
: Precisely! But, back to the topic at hand - I was further delayed because the young page that was to escort me here had an unfortunate incident. We heard what sounded to be a tremendous roar of rage from some horrible beast, (his eyes linger on Tara for a second) and the poor lad did nothing less than explode from shock and fear! I did you all the favor of sweeping that mess under the rug - you’re welcome.
: Ah… figuratively speaking, I hope you mean?
: I’m sure the young bug is fine, and my companion found the entire thing to be delightful to watch, so all is forgiven.
: What’s more, I saw the king eavesdropping on the conversation - it would have hardly been polite for me to reveal a royal’s spying in their own halls, now would’ve it? I did the respectable thing and allowed the king to announce himself.
: And how wise of me that was - all of your yelling and fighting, ugh. I could have summed up everything you said in a single sentence, I’ll do so now for you: Celebi granted Alaric visions of the future, and then sent him back in time so that he may prevent Ho-Oh from charing Aether.
: Once again: you’re welcome. Now that I’ve taken us past all of the needless fighting and fumbling for answers, shall we get down to it and take a crack at Alaric’s mind?
: You will not be cracking anyone’sss mind!
: Of course not, it’s not my field. No, you’ll find that they will be -
Mindaugas gestures to his left. There’s nothing to see though, and everyone in the room looks at him with confusion. The Reuniclus picks up on their confusion, and, at seeing that the space next to him is vacant, holds up a finger to signal for them to wait. He floats back into the hall for a moment and then returns, carrying something with Telekinesis. He places it onto Gaius’ desk for everyone to see.
:
: An Elgyem! Now I see…
: T’is is your newes’ pr’ject, huh? For now, I’ll forg’t t’ ask how you came ‘bout it, but I ‘pect a full ‘planation lat’r.
: If you hadn’t been gallivanting with the bears again, you would have received my report weeks ago.
: Wasn’t my plan, jus’ happened t’ end up like t’at.
: Regardless of intent, you have yourself to thank for your later return - now you may have the pleasure of learning about them alongside everyone else.
As Mindaugas and Bál had been bantering, Matteo had walked up to the little Elgyem. He waves slowly at the green ‘mon, and the spots on its arms lit up, blinking colors at the Pikachu.
:
: … Glad to see you're doing well, little one.
: It’sss a child? Isss that one of the orphansss? What have you done to the poor thing… and Matteo! You knew about thisss?!
: I do not know about their lineage - they might very well be an orphan, but I hope not.
: Would stealing him from his parents make you feel better?
: By all accounts, yes - because it would mean that there were parents for me to speak to, if nothing else. I’d imagine they’d be much more useful to me, this one has trouble sharing information, but they were all that was available to me, so I am making due.
: You make it sound like you purchased this child!
: I did, though, I wasn’t actually told what I was purchasing at the time - I hardly expected them to be an Elgyem. You’ll find I’ve taken great care of this child ever since they entered my tutelage - they were under the effects of several drugs when they were first delivered to me.
: Drugs that took days to properly remove from their system.
: Everyone, if I may say my piece?
: (nods) Of course.
: Mindaugas contacted me not long after this child came into his care. We’ve actually been trying to return them to their home, but we’re having trouble - much like Alaric, they seem to be struggling with some issues with their mind as well.
: I imagine drugging and kidnapping played a role in that.
: Your imagination is not what you should base your thoughts on. We have found signs of pre-existing damage to their head and they show signs of, at the very least, partial amnesia. They also has trouble communicating as you or I do, perhaps from an injury or perhaps from trauma - they were taken from a warzone, so either option is viable. Thus far, they have only attempted to communicate with others with the lights produced on their arms - it took a little while to decipher, but it was a trivial task for one such as myself.
: How very generous of you to “rescue” this child by buying them. What is your explanation for the drugs that were used on them?
: I have none, it wasn’t I who chose to drug the child. If I can satisfy you by giving you someone to blame - that is what nobles always seek, yes? - then I’ll say that the idiots who acquired them did what they thought was best - and hardly any of them have anything close to half of a brain.
: This doesn’t change that you are avoiding the issue at hand, the very issue you summoned me for, I’ll point out. My companion here, despite their injuries, is an Elgyem and possesses all of the abilities of one: they can provide you with a solution to your plight.
: And when did you discover their capabilities? If they are as injured as you claim, or their mind as muddled with drugs, when did you have the time?
: Yesterday, actually. I was very pleased to finally have made progress with the child - a grand day.
: “Grand” save for the murder of a child in the Outskirts.
: Fortunately for you, said murdered child was not this one.
: You- how can you be ssso flippant? A child wasss murdered!
: Yes, how tragic. Would you like to hear something more tragic, your highness? Such occurrences are daily happenings in the Outskirts - if you wish to dance around with morals, I shall join in: what is truly tragic if that your lot sit up in ivory towers, enjoy the splendor of life, and only bother to look at the world around you when it conveniences you.
: That child’s murder could have easily been avoided if you royals cared enough to see what happened with your people - or even took the time to oversee your own guards.
: Honestly, there are exactly two surprising things about yesterday’s murder: the first is that a Dark type was the murderer - those lot face so many biases that you’d think they’d want to hide away forever. The second…
: The second is that you have the gall, or idiocy, to pretend to care. There are two good options in life: fix problems or don’t let them reach you, anything else is a waste of time. You either should have been on top of the trouble, or continued to let others handle it.
: Wh- what is all this? I wasn’t told…
: Calm your forked-tongue, blob, you’re rattling the king…
: Though, I cannot argue that you make a few good points…
: Of course I do, I actually possess a working mind. But, let’s get back on the topic: of course, I’ll offer you my services with assisting the king in return for funding and ‘monpower for an expedition.
: And where do you want to go?
: I simply wish to see my young friend returned to their home.
: Why would that require a crown-funded and supplied expedition?
: Were you not listening to Matteo earlier? They're from a warzone - an unspecified location in a warzone - so I feel as though the crown should be able to provide us with safe and funded transportation back home in exchange for the fate and future of Aether’s king and all of Avalon.
: Why, I might even say that you wouldn’t be giving me enough in return for my services.
: Why would you, of all people, be interested in returning this child home? You purchased them, for Celebi’s sake, and want to make use of their abilities.
: Alas, I have always been generous - the weight of my golden heart tips the scales in favor of a good deed over further scientific exploration.
: Absolute bloody back-slang, the likes of which I’ve never heard before now.
: We cannot possssibly sssay yesss to thisss without knowing more.
: I don’t see why not.
: We do: first and foremost, we must consider the safety of those we would send with you.
: I assure you, the reward outweighs any price or risks - and they’ll, I want to make this inescapably clear, they would be going in before me - not with - to secure the area. I’m not as easily as replaced as the common guard, I think you’ll find.
: I see your hand now: you came to exhort the queen’s grief over her husband to further your own plans!
: Such accusations! Are not knights meant to be ‘mons of honor?!
: I’m the one lacking honor here?
: Indeed! You accuse me of selfishness - truly, though, I am efficient. I am solving both your problem as well as mine own. You lot are desperate to save our world, as I am. We may have different paths to get there, but ultimately our goals are the same. I can heal the king and more.
: T’ough no ‘mon in t’eir righ’ mind should belie’e that Mindaugas t’inks ‘bout anyone ot’er t’an himself, I will agree wit’ him: t’is is th’ best - an’ only - chance you have at Alaric’s mind bein’ restored if you don’t want t’ wait for my contact.
: Regrettably, I am inclined to agree.
: As am I.
: Your majesties, I would not have insisted that Mindaugas come if I didn’t believe this could work - I certainly wouldn’t have invited him for his personality. What he lacks in tact, he makes up with experience and savoir-faire.
: But does the Elgyem know what it’s doing?
: Ah, forgive me, it slipped my mind until now - we’ve been referring to them as “Ene” for the time being.
: Right, Ene then - you said he only showed you this… ability yesterday- (he looks to Bál) you made it very clear that you didn’t want to risk losing any of the visions, but can we trust this child in Alaric’s mind?
: We’re not at risk of losing any of the visions, of that I can assure you. Put simply so even a bobolyne could understand, Ene can sort through the memories in Alaric’s mind: rather than all of the memories being brought to the front of his mind at once, jumbled, distorted, and generally unhelpful to us, Ene can pick through them one at time.
: But a Elgyem could just transport us inside of his mind, yes?
: I won’t have all of your hidden agendasss messssing with Alaric’sss mind!
: Excuse me?
: They cannot, or rather, I would not let them risk that. As said before, they only just displayed their ability yesterday. One mind at a time, and only a little a time, is about all they can handle, isn’t that correct, Ene?
:
: Ssso he won’t even fix everything that’sss wrong with Alaric?
: I don’t believe they ssshould try to. Attempting to do so would put too much strain on the both of them.
: Then no, thisss all sssoundsss too dangerousss.
: I’d like t’ hear w’at Alaric t’inks of t’is plan. He’s been here for all of its ‘xplanation, aft’r all.
: What?
: I nearly thought you all forgot I was here.
: In truth, I did. You’ve been very quiet… and Mindaugas has been very loud.
: … do you think this could work?
: Alaric, no!
: Of course I do! I’m no sharlatan, I offer my services only because I know they will be successful.
: Then I wish to try.
: M-my lord, are you certain of this?
: I’ve… not been very certain of many things lately, but of this? I am.
: Alaric, we don’t have to do thisss, we can wait for Bal’sss-
: My associate would use a me’hod ‘xactly like’ t’is one, t’ough done by a professional rat’er t’an a child.
: But-
: Tara, stop.
: So, we have an accord?
: We do.
: No…
: Sire, are you fully aware of what you’re agreeing to? The expedition-
: I find that trusting young Ene to root around in my mind is far harder than agreeing to some expedition - would you not agree?
: See, my presence here is already aiding the king: his logic has improved thricefold!
: ‘xplain how t’is is gunna work - an’ be reasonable ‘bout it.
: Very well. If the king would please lay himself on the couch in preparation for the procedure - we want to crack open his mind, not his skull, after all, so space will be necessary.
Bál huffs and grabs a chair, dragging it away from the couch. Osmund does the same on the other side of the room, and Caldene simply floats away from his position above the couch to wait by Nimue. The queen watches the other ‘mons make arrangements to the room through narrowed eyes before she huffs and slithers off of the couch, leaving it free. In turn, Alaric crawls himself up onto it, getting as much of his body onto it as he can and wrapping the rest of it around the armrests.
: Ene is going to be standing by your head with their arms on either side of it. They will then transfer a part of their consciousness into your mind-
: It’ll be much like sleeping. Your mind will wander and you will dream, but Ene will be there to help you view and understand the memories and visions. You should be aware of what you see, as if you were watching a play, but, at the same time, you will be the main actor.
: Well put into layman terms. Now, lower your mental barriers - if you have any - and prepare for a headache. The process isn’t painless, I can say that from experience.
: So, are you ready to begin?
: As ready as I can be, but, wait, pai-
: Excellent, let’s begin. Go ahead, Ene.
At the Reuniclus’ instructions, the Elgyem hops off of Gaius’ desk and waddles over to Alaric’s head. They place their arms on either side of the snake’s head and the lights on its hands begin to glow and blink colors. Alaric doesn’t have the time to finish his inquiry before flashing lights filled his vision… and then everything went dark.
 Meanwhile... Peeling Back the Time Onion
Category:Meanwhiles
Category:Arc 2
Category:Aether