Work Text:
“You left your backpack behind, kid.”
Volo bristles at Ginter’s laidback drawl catching him by surprise, and he does his best to sink back into a relaxed stance. “I’m not going on a delivery, Ginter. I don’t see a reason to take my Guild pack with me.”
Ginter grumbles as he picks up the pack himself, and hoists it with him as he limps over to Volo, before swinging it into the younger man’s chest. “Doesn’ matter if it’s the Guild’s pack,” he says with a gruff, holding it there until Volo reluctantly takes the bag. “You left your backpack behind.”
Volo grits his teeth before letting out a constricted sigh, and watches Ginter limp past him out of the Guild’s sleeping quarters. He had been trying to leave during the night to avoid exactly this, but it seems he couldn’t sneak away from Jubilife that easily. He slings the backpack, notably heavier than when he had set it down, onto his back, and follows his hopefully-soon-to-be former boss outside.
“So, you’re going to be leaving the region, or just the village?” Ginter gets straight to the point as he limps over to his chair outside of their sleeping quarters, sitting down with a grunt and lighting his pipe. He takes a long pull from it to ignite the leaves inside, then exhales the smoke out the side of his mouth before looking over to Volo.
Volo glares at him before looking away. “I’m going to hopefully leave the region,” he says, trying to keep his voice even, though it came out quieter than he intended. “Hisui is my home, but… I can’t stay.” His voice threatens to break, and he bites his tongue to choke back the sob he felt coming up.
Ginter nods, puffing on his pipe in silence for a few moments, leaving Volo to stand there silently. Finally, he speaks up. “The next Gingko ship will be here in the morning. If you get there in time, tell the captain that Ginter will owe them the passage fee.” Volo stares at him for a moment, and Ginter huffs out a laugh. “What? You think I haven’t had to help a kid out of a situation before?”
Volo blinks a few times before shaking his head. “You aren’t going to pry?” He wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this was too good to be true.
“Why would I?” Ginter replies with a shrug. “I ain’t an accomplice. If you did somethin’ to make you unable to stay, I just need to give you your severance and you’re outta my hair.” He takes another few puffs off his pipe, and hits Volo with a glare that has an intensity that he forgot the older man could give. “You never seemed the violent type, Volo. But Laventon seemed spooked when he walked by the shop after your talk. So I don’t need to know what ya did, I just need to send you off.”
Volo stands there for a few moments before dry swallowing, and nodding to Ginter. “Then I should probably get moving.” He turns away from Ginter and breathes in deep to keep himself collected. “This is good-bye, then, huh?”
“That it is,” Ginter says with a nod, looking up at the stars. “It was an honor having you, even if you didn’t make many sales.” He gets up with a grunt, emptying the burned leaves from his pipe into the jar by his chair. “I’ll let Tuli know you left, and that she’ll need to pick up on your deliveries.” He turns to start heading back inside, letting out a loud yawn. “Good-bye, Volo. Wherever you go, I hope it treats you better than here.”
Volo simply nods, and stays where he is until he hears the door of the building slide closed with a click. With the last thread connecting him to Jubilife cut clean, he begins moving, walking quickly to the eastern gate. If he wants to get out before Akari can return from the Temple, and before the ship sets sail, he will need to move fast.
Standing at the top of the hill leading down into the Coastlands, it finally hits him. The place he grew up in, the land his clan had inhabited, the space that Sinnoh had granted. He had failed to bring Arceus into this world and reshape it. Hisui was no longer for him, not until he could return, and finish what he started.
With a heavy heart, Volo walks onto the Gingko Guild ship, and says good-bye to the only true home he’s ever known.