Intermission 3: Shia's Apology

A few weeks later, The newcomers have learned how to handle basic weaponry. 
Loona sticks with her spear, and is getting into rifles.
Shia has picked pistols
Spark is currently doing well in daggers.
Veera seems to shy away from combat entirely, she seems to stick with the basic knife/gun combo for self defense. Or a PDW.

In other news, Spark is continuing to explore his sexuality. So far only with Eilumi, although, he has pitched the idea of letting him join in with his fun with Loona. 

Khaun and Veera grow closer as he tutors her in medical training, and she takes courses using the holodeck. They are not at *that* point yet, but they may be getting close in the near future.

As for Shia, well, he has yet to have that talk. He knows he can't keep putting it off forever, so he's going to have to work up the bravery to have it, and soon.

'Today's the day' he thinks to himself, The Shinx build up the courage to have that talk with his friends, both of them. First he decides to start with Loona though, so he looks for her.

As luck would have it, Loona is in the living quarters, sitting and relaxing on one of the many bean bags. 
She turns to Shia as he approaches. "Oh... hello there Shia."

Well, no going back now, he thinks. "Hey Loona..." He picks a bean bag near hers to sit on. "There is something I need to talk about with you."

"Hmmm? Yes, Shia?" Loona asks calmly, yet curiously.

"...I really didn't mean to do the things I did that day." He sighs. "I still can't forgive myself for letting Rai control me, almost mold me into his slave. He made me believe that it was hopeless, made me believe that was going to be my life, I didn't want any of that and I was afraid he was going to do worse to Veera..."

Loona simply listens to Shia. During that first week, she might not have even bothered to listen. May have even yelled back. But now that everyone's had a time to cool down, she's a lot more open and calm about this.

"I haven't felt much of a will to live at that time, part of me wanted to die for what I did to Veera, I didn't want to end up like Rai..." He is really managing to hold it together despite how painful it is to talk about this particular part. "And I didn't think we would ever be together again but...here we are, with a better life ahead of us. I'm really glad all of us are alive, Loona. You and Veera are irreplaceable to me..."

"Have... Have you talked to Veera about this yet?" Loona asks. "I mean, if you're trying to ask me for forgiveness, I can't forgive you, because forgiveness is not mine to give." She sighs. "I will admit though, at the time, I wanted to lash out at you, to end you where you stood for doing that to her. But, Nine got in the way and stopped me." 
She closes her eyes. "... And I'm very glad he did."

"No, I have not talked with her about this yet..." He remained silent for a moment. All things considered....Shia things went better than expected. "Yeah, I could kind of tell that time...He really helped out the both of us huh?"

"Yeah, they all did." Loona responds, referring to all the crew members. She sits there, looking for a conversation topic with the Shinx. It's been a while since they had a conversation like this. Never since that one day when their lives turned upside down, in fact. And now she's at a loss for words. 
"So... what do you make of all this... this... 'pack' stuff?" she makes quotations with her paws as she says.

"Well, it is certainly something, looks like it really works for them and maybe it can work for us." He remembers Spark discussing with him that one time he and Eilumi had some 'fun' once. "Certainly seems to be working pretty well for Spark."

"Yeah, I heard about Eilumi and Spark having 'fun' every now and then. As well as myself." Loona chuckled lightly. "I think Eilumi might be trying to set up a 'play date' between the two of them and myself." She pauses for a bit. "I dunno, I guess this idea of 'we all belong in a pack and there's no such thing as monogamy' takes a little getting used to, doesn't it?"

He nods. "Yeah, it really does...after all I'm pretty sure we all believed it would always be monogamy, but that's really not the case here. I hope I evolve soon..."

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised you haven't already." Loona says. "Though then again, you've pretty much only been beating up bags and dummies in the sims so far."

"I guess so, I wonder what kinds of things it's possible to go up against in the simulation. Or maybe I could just spar with someone else."

"Like me?" Loona asks.

"I was thinking Nine. He looks like he could really be hard to go up against." He looks away a little. "I mean...n-no offense."

"Ah... I see." Loona says. "Yeah, he does seem like it." 
As she thinks of another topic. Only one other in particular comes to mind. 
"Soo... uh...." She blushes very slightly as she says this. "Do... Do you still have that crush on me?"

Now this one catches the electric-type off guard, how did she happen to know about this crush he has on her? Is she even okay with him having these feelings for her? "I-i...you...H-how did you find that out?"

"Eilumi might have mentioned it once or twice... Although, looking back on it, I guess I should have figured it out myself." She says. "I mean, it makes sense. The way you acted around me ever since I evolved, the way you'd... sneak off at night to do... things."

He is not sure if this having happened is a blessing, but it looks like there is no hiding it anymore. "Well...Yeah I still do. This crush I had for you never really left to be honest..."

"Thought so." 
She leans over, and gives him a light peck on the cheek.

He blushed and looked at her. Shia seems to be at a loss for words here...does this means that Loona is okay with letting him have a chance at loving her as more than a friend down the line? "...T...thanks, Loona."

"Of course, Shia." She says to him as she relaxes back in her bean bag chair, a blush visible on her own face.

With his confidence better than it was before he gets up from his bean bag chair. He still has something important to do right now. "I'm gonna go talk with Veera now, for real."

"Yeah. You do that." Loona says. She sighs. "Good Luck."

He smiles and nods before walking out of the room to look for Veera on another part of the ship, though he is betting that she must be with Khaun too.

Sure enough, she is with Khaun, in the medical bay, having a small talk about... Something. Shia could not tell what exactly they were talking about, especially since he lacks a neural jack that his evolved counterparts have. 
Khaun turns to the newcomer, and smiles. "Oh, hello there Shia." He says.

Veera turns to him as well. "Hey Shia." She is likewise jovial with her greeting to her pokemon friend. 
"Hey there guys." Now before he starts getting second thoughts, the Shinx decide to just get straight to the point. "Veera are you busy? We need to talk...about what happened that day." 
"Oh...I see." So he finally decided to talk about this it seems. "Alright, I can always make some time for you, not that I am really busy right now."

"Should I remain here, or?" Khaun asks Veera.

She nods to the Avali. "Sure. That is alright with you too, Shia?" 
"Yeah..." Well, they are all a 'pack' now right? so he can trust not just Khaun but everyone else on this ship. Without further ado he begins. "I didn't wanted to hurt you Veera, i never did...at that time it was like so much as happening, Rai was raping me everyday and tormenting me until i was broken...i was so afraid that if i didn't do what he said he would have...killed you in front of me..." 
The Jolteon is just looking at him in silence, listening to what he has to say.

Khaun likewise remains silent as he allows Shia to say his peace, until the end. 
"Or possibly done worse to her?" He suggests.

"Yes..." Shia gives a solemn nod. "I don't know what he could have done that would be worse than what i was already thinking at that moment but i thought that if i didn't do what he said then...i would regret learning what would happen."
"But you said that you enjoyed it..." Veera brings this up.
"I know, I know." He looks like he is about to cry again, he is feeling like things might start breaking apart. "I couldn't help it, i didn't wanted to rape you but i didn't had any other choice! Because he...he..."
The Jolteon suddenly hugs the Shinx tightly. "He hurt you pretty badly, I know. I can't possibly imagine the things you must have gone through with that Raichu, but I can see how much it damaged you. But you are still here, Shia, you can handle more than i ever can."
Sobbing, he slowly hugs back. "V-Veera..." 
"Shia, it is fine, that wasn't your fault, I'm not mad at you..." So that means she forgives him. "There are many things I wish could have gone better but...in the end you, me and Loona are reunited again, and have a bigger family. I am happy that you are still with me Shia, so please, move past all of that and let's all be happy okay?"
Hearing that she still loves him and is happy to be by his side takes a huge metaphorical weight off his shoulders. He has been forgiven...All of this is so much that he starts bawling and hugging her tighter.

Khaun, having listened to all of it, gets up, and hugs Shia as well, taking the bawling shinx into his own feathered arms along with Veera.

The Shinx calms down eventually, wiping away his tears after the hugging stopped. "T-thank you, Veera..."
With a smile on her face she pats him in the shoulder. "Don't mention it, Shia." She is confident that Shia might go back to being the Shia she and Loona knew and loved, the brave one that wouldn't hesitate to protect his friends.
He looks happier than he has ever been in quite a long time. "Alright then, I'm gonna go grab something to eat now before getting back to training. I will see you later, okay?" And with that he leaves. Shia plans to train more after a meal, he is determined to evolve.
The Jolteon waved to her friend as he went, then turned to Khaun. "I have a feeling that Shia is going to get better now."

"Yeah, he's been holding that in ever since that day. Getting that off his chest... it'll do wonders for him." Khaun says to her.

"Certainly." She nods. "So about what we were talking about..." They were having a conversation before Shia had come in after all.