Droplets froze and crumbled from a restless face, inciting a displeased hum, less so at being wet than being bothered. "Awake, of course, yes, that I am. Now buzz away." With sudden force Shannon's neck swung from a curl around his body into its normal upright pose, still humming, blearily blocking sound from his own ears. Pushing his weight into a drowsy stance, he forced his eyelids to stretch open, wondering if he could gauge how long he'd overslept. Orientation was valuable. However long the delay, the consequence of his wary night had raised its head, and Shannon never backed down from consequences. Josh-slash-Matt are here. "Good day, if day it were. The cave blots out the sky." Alright, greeting enough. Hex, Anthony, they're gone. No surprise. Crater? Nowhere, least of all behind every shadow. Stop jumping. Shaking his head to punctuate every thought wasn't sufficient to clear it, and cold water was no shock to a species that plays in snowdrifts. Shannon would have to invoke some other morning ritual to tell his body it was time to wake. "I'll go now. To wash my face. A minute, please, and fill me in when I return." He lumbered off.
Resting his head under the cave's pool as his capacious lungs held on and his headlights played sparkling fuchsia games with the ripples in the water, Shannon had a chance to recall. The term 'Team ACT' meant little to him, but much of Team Scarab had been quick to forgive Crater when it had surfaced. Quick to swoon over the nostalgic décor as well, in Anthony's case. Times changed, however, and Shannon had remained sceptical about the massive hermit's current state. For one, he was hiding. Deterring intruders- Painfully so- and keeping a low key... Yet he had guest rooms. Of course, there could be many reasons for that, but the confession of Blaze's presence (Why would a spirit give itself a 'name' like that? Did Crater name them?) struck Shannon as all the more dubious. 'He's a Victini that I, um, found over near the beach' did not ring of innocence in Shannon's ears. No idiot has ever earned a Master's badge, however, so in all likelihood, Crater was hiding considerable intellect. The strange, suspicious encounter had boiled in Shannon's head amidst an eventful day, but there had been no night sky to coax in sleep for a former plainsdweller. He remembered looking up, many times, expecting to see a spiked figure looming in the doorway.
Shannon finished dousing himself and stepped back towards Josh/Matt. His excursion had lasted maybe a minute or two, but acknowledging the reason for his scant hours of sleep was helpful. "Alright, I'm done," once he had looped his bag around his neck again.
* * *
"Apologies for our delay, and hello Hex and Anthony, and morning Terra, too!" projected Shannon down the narrow passage that the adopted Mawile was already guiding the Combee and Goomy through, deliberately penetrating the not-quite-silence of the cave. This, then, was where he'd be playing catch-up, though he wasn't as far behind as he'd thought. It wouldn't be an easy fit for him, nor Matt, and although Matt was somewhat amorphous, he had a large bucket to haul down as well. "No trouble with that bucket there? Then I'll follow your tail." Shannon took up the rear, lowering his head.
Vec
Timemaster
