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(Thanks, I'm going to need it. ^^ <3 )

Alphonse' voice rang out and echoed in Photinus' ears. His words after the initial shout were so quiet by comparison that he could hardly make sense of them. All he saw was an agitated individual muttering to himself and gesturing - well he wasn't exactly sure if the twitching antennae and fluttering wings would be considered a gesture or not, but they seemed quite frantic and did nothing but fragment Photinus' efforts to keep calm. Come to think of it, Alphonse could have continued in the loud voice and the firefly would not have known. A child's ears tend to seal shut when a parent's verbal abuse continues for too long. And so it was with Photinus now.

While the volbeat distracted himself with the manual, which had no images or diagrams to speak of, Photinus took the opportunity to sneak away. He knew exactly where the door was and was quite capable of quickly reaching it backwards, unless anyone should stand in his way of course. At the edge of the courtyard he called out, "Well... it is obvious that being in your presence is only upsetting you, so I will extract myself from it right now..." He reached behind for the door and flung it wide, and all but flung himself through it. An instant later he peeked back out. "Oh... please return that to the library, or the nearest staff member. I'm sure they're missing it. Good-by now."

The outward levity he had projected, partly through nervousness and partly as a shield, was gone the instant the door slammed shut. When weighing his own livelihood against the livelihood of a book, well, Photinus was only just heavier. A book was more important than most things in his life, including himself. The weight that he now felt was, by his estimation, due to the fact that he had probably lost the closest to a kindred soul in this entire place. He just couldn't do it. Maybe their similarities were only superficial, but he felt so very heavy.

(Yes, Photinus really is that fragile. 8D; <3 And don't feel bad. He needs unending torment, for this is Hel-- hrm. Wait. No... *ponder* But still torment him! )

Soon after Alphonse made it inside the building, Photinus disappeared down a random dark hallway. In a place like this, it was not as if Photinus could hide like a normal patient. Everywhere he went the fireflies liked to follow and if he was too fast, despite their lagging eventually found their way to him. It was a perfect trail, and at the end of the little glowing dots one could trace a line to that big star at the end. Connect the dots... I should not have made fingerless gloves, he thought ruefully, but knew he needed something to grab objects with; he sighed, but regular gloves are just too cumbersome!

So why did he not stop when he heard the door and Alphonse's voice calling out a moment later? Well, he couldn't quite hear what he had said. Whatever it was, it was probably angry and supposing all kinds of things that Photinus only vaguely understood. He quite frankly did not wish to speak with someone who projects their anger upon others. They had the doctors for that. Alphonse may have made several relevant points, but right now he could hardly recall them.

What he wanted to do was curl up in his little cave of a room and feel sorry for himself. That was always best done alone anyway. No one likes to hear of another's woes. Unless over drinks. At that time you don't really hear them anyway because your mouth's too busy doing other things. Not that he knew firsthand, for he could not actually recall ever drinking anything alcoholic. All that aside, he couldn't really go home could he? If Alphonse chose to follow him, he'd know where Photinus lived. Then he could poke even more acidic holes in his armor.

So... where...? Ah. Photinus' glow disappeared down another corner, but this time he had a destination in mind. Even if he wasn't followed, he wouldn't mind staying in the library for a while. And if he was... maybe Alphonse would be distracted by all those moldy, forgotten, wonderful books. And maybe that manual would find its way back to the table where it had been found.

(follow the white stag, Att--Alphonse. owo )

(Hehe, I was thinking that he must make an awful lot of noise in the halls. )

Apparently it had not occurred to Alphonse, or simply did not matter to him, that the ease of pursuit came partially because Photinus was actually leading him along. The tinkling of bells followed Photinus through the darkness like something on the periphery of a dream's consciousness. So that's what it was. The volbeat's movements had of course accompanied by this sound but the wind had muffled much.

Now in the library, a gauzy curtain of fireflies descended before the volbeat and began to buzz around him. They were still curious and happy to pester Alphonse, even if their so-called master was so weary of him. Off to the side, not far from the entrance stood Photinus. "This is where I found that manual." Near his elbow was a table with chairs, which he now pointed to, complete with old card catalogues and desk lamps. A section had been cleared of dust and perhaps the smell of coffee could still be faintly detected from the rings staining its surface. "Like I said, it's probably a staff member's book."

Photinus had composed himself enough that he could stand up straight without trembling, but his expression was not exactly friendly. He stood there now waiting impassively, obviously expecting some kind of reaction. Just what it was Alphonse was welcome to guess or provide. Photinus himself had only half guessed what it would be, though it seemed that even this place less than thrilled Alphonse. Always there was some kind of frown or sneer on his face.

Why isn't he moving away? Go look at the books! Photinus could feel Alphonse's eyes on him, studying him. He could only guess as to what he was thinking. While he considered... whatever it was, with a play of emotions across his face, Alphonse seemed to be switching tactics. Was he playing some kind of personal tactical game where he conceived of ways to keep Photinus from fleeing? That would make it a disturbing game. Somehow that kind of manipulation did not quite fit what he knew of Alphonse and he dismissed the possibility. Even so, Photinus doubted any genuine desire to connect with Photinus existed; perhaps the efforts were simply to find the library (now found) and to keep the fireflies around a little longer. Too bad I can't just tell them to stay with him! But... he liked his firefly companions... Well, that deflated that hasty thought immediately.

Though Alphonse had apologized, he did not offer a reply for now. It was not that he could blame Alphonse for anything, really. Nothing he had said or done was unexpected in a place like this. He could have been a violent patient taking his frustrations out on another and no one would have batted an eye. Photinus had seen such things happening in front of everybody. Ah, those were gijinka too, weren't they? Some kind of canines...

At least now Photinus knew why Alphonse had flown off the handle for saying something that most people would consider a generous gesture, albeit simultaneously selfish. He raised his hands palm-up and watched the glow of his fingertips. Even though they were gloved in sturdy material, he could see the whole hand glowing in his mind's eye. Yes, it was certainly selfish to say he would trade. But the offer could have been made to anyone who liked the glow, didn't have to be Alphonse. He just didn't want this burden. Every time he saw their glow he saw blood and heard screams and he wondered how many fireflies and humans died before he had been brought here. Ironically he might have been considered a success, at least, some sort of prototype they could use to move on to the next level of experimentation. That is, if the "failures" hadn't gotten to him first. Now he was useless to everyone. He sighed and left them hanging at his sides.

After hearing Alphonse's story, he didn't offer to tell his own story, nor did he offer any sympathy. Neither were wanted anyway. Every time he added any dialogue to their "conversation" the volbeat jumped down his throat. And even if it had not been the case, he wouldn't even tell Dimas his story. If she knew, she would probably either recoil or coddle him and both scenarios seemed too much to bear. He wasn't close enough to anyone else to consider telling them, either. Even so, he wondered, had Alphonse even bothered to ask, would he have told him? This was probably the one person who might--

Photinus retreated several paces as Alphonse approached and set the manual down. So much for that thought. If he was really willing to trust him that much, he would not have stepped backward. That was what he told himself anyway. Green eyes tracked the bandaged hand and realised a dark mark on his palm must have been the stain from an injury. His gaze returned to Alphonse's face.

Though he was not surprised that Alphonse had remained focused on that spiral-bound book, he had brought his attention to this table after all, he was still a little disappointed. However, he did want to understand the strange patients that were now a part of this community. Finally he spoke with much difficulty. He wasn't sure how to respond in a way that wouldn't upset Alphonse, and he was beginning to wonder if the knowledge was worth knowing. He could just ask around, that is, asking those less-prone to anger. Like, girls... most men are intimidating if not hostile. But this patient before him was how the knowledge had been presented to him. There was no guarantee he could get it any other way. "Yes, I would still like to know."

(There's a lot of supposition going on with these two. xD Maybe if Photinus knew that Alphonse usually tries to get rid of people he'd change his tune. )

There he goes with this 'my world' stuff again, Photinus thought, perplexed. But he leaned with his elbow on the table while he watched Alphonse draw an imaginary line. 'Route' ... that must be a highway. Alphonse spoke of islands that were so far south that only one experienced marked seasons: Tropical and sub-tropical lands, then. Perhaps he thought it was a separate world because they were so isolated. Perhaps somewhere in the Pacific? I've seen how many kinds of pokemon there are; nowhere else is remotely large enough for so many creatures to live!

This Nicanor he spoke of Photinus had yet to meet. He shook his head. "I haven't met anyone like that, but I'll keep that in mind." Particularly if he is tall and imposing...

The story about legendaries left Photinus with glazed eyes. He had never believed in gods or demigods, nor did he think they had any practical use, except for fans of the fantasy genre. He was a little surprised that someone like Alphonse would describe them as if their existence were factual. He seemed so... well not rational, but well-learned.

He leaned his ear on his hand. He had been prompted to ask questions, but considering which ones were safe to ask Alphonse, and which ones were even applicable left him with more of a frown. It could be assumed from what little Alphonse had told him so far that different patients would be from different regions, if they had originally been pokemon. Therefore their knowledge set regarding the subject of pokemon could vary greatly. This Nicanor might actually be helpful because he was from that Unova region that Alphonse knew so little about. Unova. Sounds like a brand name for bottled water. Ordinarily, he would ask about the place Alphonse was from - Sinnoh, he recited mentally - but recalling his past seemed too painful for the volbeat. So then he was left with the basic questions.

"Well..." He shifted his weight and pointed to the book, specifically to one of the pokemon entries. "When I was looking through this, I was trying to make sense of all of these statistics. Each pokemon is different. Type. Abilities. Level. Attack. It looks like the statistics from a... battle system." From a game. He wasn't going to ask outright. It sounded like a grand insult. But what little he knew about them made it difficult to draw any other conclusion.

Battling... like... c**k fighting and bettas? And... ball-shaped cages? Arms crossed over his chest, Photinus was glowering down at the book in shock. But he regarded Alphonse when he called it 'barbaric.' He probably has not been placed into one of those battles. But how many patients have? He looked away and murmured, "Your world or mine, people there are the same, aren't they?" People take good care of their racing dogs too, until they're too slow to win.

He sighed and looked down at the table again, watching as Alphonse flipped the page over to 'Volbeat.' His glance flashed up to the gijinka briefly before settling on the page. Flamethrower?! the firefly boy's eyes widened briefly in horror. That expression was still on his face but ebbing away, as he glanced up with the sound of Alphonse shifting to look at him.

Alphonse's words seemed jocular, but something about his manner was quite serious. Photinus was unable to decide if he detected worry or a threat. He sighed and glanced away, feeling himself almost insulted. "I would not do such a thing to anyone. I'm part firefly anyway. Perhaps I have those same... weaknesses... myself."

Photinus frowned with incredulity, not for the first time. Was he actually trying to make a joke? He is impossible to figure out, he added to his thoughts an inward groan. It was not that he was incapable of appreciating humor, though in a place like this what was the use? He did not ponder long on this subject as the volbeat was already moving on. But he did acknowledge that perhaps, that had been an attempt to lighten the mood, not to somehow trap him.

The fact that these... 'move sets'... had been severely limited by a gijinka's change was intriguing, even if he wasn't fully grasping them yet. Perhaps that was something the scientists had been experimenting with, or perhaps that was just what the failed experiments were ending up with. Perhaps some had more, or less, than others, and Alphonse simply wasn't aware of it. Regardless of the exact facts, Photinus, too, had many features he did not share with a firefly. No antennae, for one. I wonder if he would feel any better if I told him I couldn't fly either? So, perhaps combining human and animal simply became a matter of equal exchange. And since he understood so little, his speculations remained unvoiced.

He watched curiously as Alphonse stepped back from the table. He mentally tried to brace himself; if Alphonse could do something like a Flamethrower, he could already guess at some destructive power. He had seen other gijinka brawling outside, after all. He glanced around at the old books nervously. But he needn't have worried; Alphonse did have enough respect not to damage the only material they had to read, and he had pointedly stepped away from Photinus. Did it seem strange that demonstrating a superhuman power as potentially lethal as electricity actually relaxed Photinus a little?

"Moonlight... I take it you need a clear sky we didn't see tonight to use it?" he asked, offering a faint grin.

(There is also the possibility that somewhere within a volbeat can learn to glow, and a firefly can learn to stop glowing. o: But Photinus isn't aware that he can stop glowing because he's so damn afraid all the time. xD; )

(That's what I've figured. Since fireflies' glow is from a chemical secretion, I was thinking in terms of sweat, since hands sweat quite a lot, especially when nervous... xD For Photinus any strong emotion will probably trigger it: fear, excitement, extreme happiness, eureka moments, lol. It seems like perhaps Alphonse's is going to be more specified though, unless he learns to channel it maybe? :3 I was hoping Photinus could get to that point as well, so that he could control his emotions and so control his glow. For now though it's almost completely instinctual.

And yes, he does like glowy things. Moths and flames and all that. 83 )


Photinus watched a little nervously as some of his companion fireflies dipped low over Alphonse's head and buzzed around his antennae. It was as if they were playing a game to see if they could keep from being zapped. Fascinated, he completely missed Alphonse's expression of surprise. He glanced back down, though every now and again his eyes flicked back up to see the sparkling glow of those golden antennae. Alphonse seemed closer than he had been before. With a quick glance around he realized that he had taken several steps closer, but to step backward now seemed inappropriate.

He had noticed Alphonse's bandaged hand earlier, when they first arrived in the library. Now he could acknowledge it; he would no longer have to pry now to inquire about it. When he pointed gently to it, he hardly noticed the way his fingertips' glow was now very dim. "I saw your hand earlier. Does it hurt much?"